Chapter 2

Chapter 2

At Malfoy Manor, Voldemort was screaming with rage. Lucius had made his way upstairs to the study where he'd be safe for a while. Narcissa walked in behind him. "I can't believe they got away," Lucius said, staring out the window.

"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. It was mine," Narcissa replied quietly. Lucius turned around. He hadn't noticed her come in.

"How was it your fault?" He asked curiously.

"I… I lost my concentration. And I shouldn't have. It was Nymphadora's fault that I lost my concentration."

"Start from the beginning and tell me what happened," Lucius said sitting down.

Flash back

Narcissa stood quietly in the doorway of the sitting room in Malfoy Manor. "Is she dead?" Voldemort asked. Draco nodded.

"She's been dead for a couple of days now."

"Good. Potter will be more depressed and down on his guard now. Our next target will be the mudblood. You think you can handle it Draco?" Draco was silent for a couple minutes. He seemed to be pondering something.

"Please say yes, Draco," Narcissa pleaded silently.

"I'm not going to be a Death Eater anymore," Draco stated.

"No!" Narcissa exclaimed in her head. She couldn't believe what her son had just said. She turned and saw a glimpse of brown on the floor. It was gone within an instant, but she knew that someone was there under an invisibility cloak. And she knew who that someone was. She raised her wand. "Imperio," she said under her breath. She watched as the spell disappeared in thin air, and she knew that she had hit her target.

"Who is this girl?" Voldemort asked. "Who could you have possibly hurt while doing my bidding? Certainly not a pure blood."

"No. She's not," Draco replied. Narcissa could tell her son was scared. It was the first time he had ever met the Dark Lord and he was telling him he was leaving the Death Eaters. She was just as scared as Draco.

"Then why are you wasting precious time with her? And why are you refusing to continue serving me for a witch any less than a pure blood?" Voldemort's anger was building. Narcissa knew what was coming.

"I love her and won't hurt her anymore!" Draco practically yelled. Voldemort was not happy. It was all Narcissa could do to stand still and not tell her son to stop what he was doing.

"Fine! But you are to suffer the consequences!" Voldemort raised his wand.

"Get in front of that spell," Narcissa ordered. She couldn't see Hermione move in between Voldemort and Draco.

"Crucio!" But when Draco was not affected by the curse and she heard a girl screaming, she knew that Hermione had moved.

"Hermione?" Draco asked. Voldemort lifted the curse. Narcissa watched as her son pulled the invisibility cloak off of Hermione.

"She's the one you love? She's a mudblood! Avada-"

"No! Don't kill her!"

"I'll kill who I want to Draco. Besides, I'm doing you a favour." Voldemort laughed, but lowered his wand. Narcissa knew he wanted to see what Draco would do. Draco knelt beside Hermione, who was sitting up by then.

"Tell him you believe him and you're sorry," Narcissa breathed, knowing Hermione would hear her.

"I'm sorry Draco. I should have believed you," Hermione said.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have done that to you. It was cruel and unfair," Draco said in return.

"Enough! Crucio!" Voldemort cried. The spell hit Draco, and Hermione watched in horror as he writhed in pain on the ground.

"Tell him to stop," Narcissa whispered. She couldn't watch her son be tortured. "Tell him you can't stand the thought of him dying after losing Ron, Luna, and Ginny."

"Stop it!" Hermione cried. "Don't do this to him!"

"Why not?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of him dying. Not after losing Ron, Luna, and Ginny." Tears were streaming Hermione's cheeks. To Hermione's surprise, Voldemort lifted the curse. He looked from Draco, to Hermione, to Draco.

"I've got a better way to torture him." Voldemort smiled wickedly. He pulled Draco up. "Time for you to watch your girlfriend go through unbearable pain Draco. Crucio!" The curse hit Hermione this time. She was on the ground again. She screamed in pain. Voldemort laughed. "Hear her scream Draco!" Voldemort lifted the curse. Draco rushed to Hermione and helped her up. He wrapped her arms around her and she wrapped hers around him. "Time to finish you off."

"You're scared," Narcissa said quietly.

"I'm so scared Draco," Hermione whispered. She held on to him as tight as she could without suffocating him. "Don't let go of me, okay?" Draco nodded as Voldemort raised his wand.

"Hermione, do you love me?" Draco asked.

"Say yes," Narcissa replied.

"I do."

"Avada Kedavra!" There was a flash of green. Hermione closed her eyes, ready for it to hit her.

"Then Nymphadora cast the shielding spell and I lost my concentration. That's why she was able to cast the shielding spell when she saw you. Otherwise, you could have gotten them," Narcissa explained.

"Why did you put her under the Imperious curse anyway?" Lucius asked.

"I didn't want our son to die, but if he had to, I wanted him to die happy and with the girl he loves."

"If he loves that mudblood, he's no son of mine."

"Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight Lucius." Narcissa turned and walked out of the study and to the bedroom. She got changed and then lay on her bed and cried. She knew that Lucius and Voldemort would go after her son. She knew that he would never be safe again. Narcissa cried herself to sleep, her sobs muffled in the pillow that she had her head on.