Chapter Two
Draco found it hard to focus with everything that had happened lately, but he had to. He had trained himself to put aside his feelings in order to survive.
But it was like the last week wanted to break him.
It was hard enough to think as it was, and Hermione was being a bitch and asking ridiculous questions he really had no time to answer. He wanted to put a gag on her again but decided against it. He had them bound together, and she was already upset about that. Eventually, they would need to work together. He'd rather do it without yelling at each other 24/7, so he decided to be slightly civil - which meant just keeping his mouth shut for the moment.
"You pureblooded, insolent, ass-kissing brat…" she was muttering, but he wasn't listening. He continued to pack the things they needed.
When he captured Harry Potter a week ago, he was excited. He didn't know why, since he was already second in command, but there was something about capturing the golden boy that felt exhilarating. This of course all ended when Harry started talking. And he knew everything.
Draco was shocked and reduced to looking like a ghost in the dark. Harry told him all he knew, spat at him, and gave a high cold laugh. All Draco could do was stare.
"If you knew all this… then why did you let it happen, Potter?" Draco finally asked. For being a pretty evil bastard, he was shocked himself.
"Because I had to," was all Harry said. And from there Draco picked up all the pieces. It wasn't easy picking up the golden boy's pieces, but he did.
"That's the most selfish thing a person has ever done," Draco said in a disgusted tone. It was selfish, and that was saying a lot coming out of Draco. "You're a coward."
"Who killed her?" Harry asked, his face a mask of pain finally, "Ginny. Who killed her?"
"Parkinson," Draco replied.
"That backstabbing son of a bitch! He let her die! He fucking promised! He made the Unbreakable Vow with Zabini as our bonder… he said he wouldn't kill anyone…" Harry wailed with agony and realized the mistake he made. Of course he said he wouldn't kill anybody. Other people did it for him. In his haste to get the blackmail over with, Harry made that stupid, naïve mistake.
Draco stared because Harry Potter had come here knowing it had happened, so why was he acting sad about it now? He was dumb to believe any promises made by the Dark side, no matter how much blackmail it involved.
Harry sobbed while on his knees and his hands tied behind his back. "You have to kill me, Malfoy."
"I was going to do that already," Draco sneered.
"You don't understand. You have to do it, even if what I'm about to tell you has you deciding that you want my help. You have to kill me because I can't go on knowing that I failed. This is all my fault."
Draco gave him an incredulous look. "Nothing you could say would make me want your help or anyone else's on your side, which, by the way, will be reduced to just one person after I'm through with you."
"God, you're pathetic. How many people have you killed? What, two? And neither of them important. You don't like to kill, Malfoy. Second in command or not, you hate doing the dirty work. I can see it on your face. I know you."
Draco wondered how Harry knew how to read him so well, but maybe that had a lot to do with their past friendship. He had killed and let people die, but only those he could not throw to someone else, especially since his parents were killed in a freak accident a couple months prior. He made his way up the chain by association, really, and he only did it because it was the easiest way to survive, to ensure the safety of his parents. Though now his parents were gone he had to ensure his own survival. They'd want him to. He liked to think they didn't die raising a coward who would follow them immediately in death.
"Shut up, Potter," Draco said, losing the edge on his voice. He was getting more confused by the minute.
"He planned it, Malfoy. He killed your parents. He did it because they were trying to get you out of it and he needed you. They're dead because he made it happen," Harry said.
Draco felt like Harry had just cast Sectumsempra on him again. "You're lying." But he somehow knew that it was true. The desperation in Harry's voice was too real.
Before Draco could respond, footsteps could be heard from a distance.
"Come here now!" Harry whispered. "Give me a wand. DO IT!"
Draco shook himself and let Harry free from his binds. He gave him his wand.
Harry showed him the mark on his right wrist. It was a triangle with a circle in the middle and a lightning shaped line going down the middle. Two tiny vertical lines were underneath it. "Hold out your arm. NOW!"
Draco didn't know why but he did as told. After muttering some spells, Draco found himself with another tattoo on his wrist.
"Find Hermione and show her this. She has to trust you if you show her. It's my mark. The lines show how many people with it are alive. It'll be you and her after you kill me. She won't see another line until 24 hours though. Take this fucking place down. It's the only revenge we have left. Play the part until Hermione gets here. She'll be here within a week or two probably. Do the planning you need to then. And once she's here, flee and continue to devise. If you manage to survive after blowing the place up, go live together in the Americas or something. And don't you dare hurt her or leave her behind. And don't tell her how I knew, just say that I did. Malfoy?"
Draco just stared at the tattoo and listened to everything Harry was saying. It was a lot to take in, but Draco understood. He nodded, and Harry dropped his wand.
"Do it now," Harry said, now on his knees.
Draco didn't want to, he never wanted to in the first place truth be told, but he understood that if he didn't there would be a chance he'd get caught knowing the truth and the plan, whatever it was, would be ruined altogether.
"Why did you tell me? Why are you trusting me with this? How do you know I even want to do this?" Draco asked.
"I don't forget, Malfoy. You're the only one left in this country who has a heart. And take care of Hermione, no matter how much hatred is between you two now. You can't let her die without a proper fight."
Draco stared dumbfounded as the footsteps were nearly there. Harry pleaded with his eyes and Draco said, pointing his wand, "Avada Kedavra.
Draco felt his heart crack each time he did that, and this one seemed to hurt him the most.
"Where the fuck are we going?" Hermione snapped. She had been quiet for some time as Draco finished packing.
"We need to go somewhere we can be safe for the night," Draco answered.
"Then are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Draco said.
"And my wand?"
"Maybe."
She began to groan and complain again as wards up above were being broken and a couple of explosions were going off.
"That'll be them. You can side-along Apparate with me. Think of a safe place."
"The Forbidden Forest," Hermione said automatically.
Draco raised an eyebrow but said nothing and they Apparated just as they heard another explosion in the manor.
As soon as they arrived they were met with an eerie silence. Nothing came out of the deepest parts of the Forbidden Forest anymore. Even the creatures of the dark hid and minded their business from the magical people. Wizards and witches were all pure evil now, as far as they were concerned, and it was best to stay away.
Draco took out a tent from his bag and set it up as Hermione watched, observing the silence she was so used to when she was in this forest. Draco put up the wards to keep them safe and pulled her along inside, not really caring to be careful.
"Fuck, my wrist is going to fall off if you keep doing that," Hermione said, and tugged on her arm again which resulted in Draco almost tripping. He glared at her as she laughed mirthlessly.
"Sit," he said and tugged even harder, having her fall to the ground. It was a soft carpeted floor, though. Still, she glared at him. He feared that this whole plan would be useless and just consist of glaring and tugging matches if they didn't get to business soon.
Hermione noticed that the tent was cozy and fancy, something she hadn't been around in a very long time. Harry and her never got the chance to retrieve a tent and settled with roaming around the Invisibility Cloak and sleeping in it too. This tent had a couch, two large beds, a little kitchen, and a private bathroom. It was all so luxurious to Hermione; she couldn't help but be amazed to actually see something like this again.
"Nice hair," Draco commented.
"Are you being a dick?" Hermione shot back.
"It looks different. Gives you an edge."
"Stop talking like we're still friends. Get to the point."
"Potter told me who was behind my parents' death. It was our side." Draco said.
Hermione snickered, an unkind sound altogether. "Harry told you the truth, eh? And you believed him so easily?"
"You weren't there to hear his voice… anyway, I don't know why but he trusted me to take down headquarters."
"That may be because you were once our friend. Fucking coward," Hermione said.
"That's neither here nor there," Draco said calmly. "Potter trusted me because he knew I was going to avenge my parents. And he made me promise to take you along so we could do it together. I thought I owed it to him to honor his wishes."
Hermione laughed coldly again. "Tell me, Draco, why should I believe that you want to honor my dead best friend's wishes?"
"Because of this," he said, pointing to his right arm again.
Hermione still stared unconvinced. "Why couldn't Harry just take down the headquarters himself? Why couldn't he just plan it with me?" Even as she asked the questions she felt the burn in her chest at the one she wasn't saying out loud, why would he trust you and not me?
Draco thought about his answer for a moment. "He had some things he wasn't proud of. He didn't want to admit them to you."
"What?"
"I promised I wouldn't say just yet," and before she could protest he continued with, "But did you know what he knew, Granger?"
"What are you talking about?"
"He knew everything on how it started… he even knew that the bombing was going to happen-"
A flash of hurt crossed Hermione's eyes. "You're lying," she hissed.
Draco laughed cold this time, "Your golden boy wasn't so golden, Granger. He wouldn't have left us to do it if he could help it. But he literally could not live with it. Why do you think he left you? He came to London knowing he was going to die but he needed to know if maybe she was alive – Ginny – but he knew she was dead. His mark said so."
Hermione didn't know much about feeling sympathy anymore, so she just sat with a blank face. There was so much she didn't understand and so much she didn't trust.
Draco continued, "He knows we might not survive. But he said to take down as many people as we can."
"What if I don't want to do it? Did Harry ever consider that?" Hermione replied bitterly.
"I think he knew you would want to avenge all your friends. You just needed the right resources. That was me. Even if you aren't going to help me, you're going to stick around and at least watch."
"You expect me to just watch? I'm going to kill as many evil bastards as I can."
"You're sure we're safe here for the night?" Draco asked. "My wards are impenetrable, but just in case…"
"I was here for three nights and had no problems," Hermione answered.
Draco threw her wand at her. "If you're thinking of doing something stupid, don't."
Hermione had no intention to. Once she caught her wand, however, she decided it'd be fun to at least fuck around with him. She pointed it at a pillow and thought, "Incendio." Draco noticed immediately and put it out.
"Are you fucking crazy? Do you know how expensive everything in here was?"
Hermione just threw her head back and actually laughed, a startling alarm in the coldness of the room. "I hardly think that matters now. The chain?"
Draco trusted that Hermione wouldn't do anything too stupid, so he flicked his wand and the chains were off.
Hermione stretched her wrists and Draco watched her tentatively. After she was done, she ran up to him and punched him in the eye.
"That's for ruining my night," Hermione said, and flopped on to the more comfortable looking bed of the two in the tent. Draco wanted to slap her but flopped on to the other bed he had intended for her instead.
A/N: Thoughts?
