Chapter Two
Hermione could only stare at Harry with her mouth agape as she listened to
all he was telling her. Ron sat there holding her hand by the fire with the
same expression printed upon his face.
"And that was all he said." Harry finished, but omitted the comment Draco had said about Hermione for Ron's sake.
"It has to be one of his tricks. Draco is up to something. Unless he has gotten so incredibly soft on us all of a sudden." Ron said and Hermione had to agree.
"Ron has a point. I mean, he's called us all names and tormented us all through these years. Why would he have reason to stop now?" The busy hair girl said as she looked at the boy-who-lived.
"Look, I know it seems to be absolutely insane, but I can't help but believe some of it. I saw the scar upon his arm. No one could have enjoyed getting that." The three friends fell silent and looked at the fire in the hearth.
"I guess we need to give him a chance to explain himself." Hermione said and Ron shot a glance at her.
"Hermione, are you mad?" He shouted and Harry hushed him before he awoke the other sleeping Gryffindors. Silence once more.
"Please Ron, think about it. How would you like to be forced to be a Death Eater and want reconciliation?" Hermione asked her boyfriend and the redhead fell silent for a moment.
"Fine." Ron said shortly.
"So, are you in?" Harry asked with his green eyes bright with hope.
"Yes." He replied and Hermione kissed his cheek and embraced him for thanks. Then, Ron whispered, "Bloody hell."
Draco sat in the Slytherin commonroom with his thoughts on the trio, which he knew, were heading this way. How he knew, he didn't know. Closing a book that he long stopped reading, the blonde crept out of the tower and into the hallway. His wand glowing at the tip with a small white light, Draco searched for them. Of course, he couldn't see them and ended up colliding with Harry, Ron, and Hermione under the invisibility cloak.
"Ouch, sorry Ron." Hermione said, for she landed on top of him as Harry on her. Draco fell upon the floor back first and began laughing at them.
"I hope you three aren't going to play on that, are you?" The blonde joked and Hermione, Harry, and Ron blushed, but it was she that glared.
"Don't pull this on us right now, Malfoy. We are out in the open where any teacher could expel us." The bushy hair girl said and Draco apologized. Harry, being the first one up, took the cloak and covered all four of them so they could regain their footing. Then, as Ron stood, Draco pointed through the dark hallway.
"Follow me. I know a place where we may talk." He led them down into a deserted classroom in the dungeon. The red head didn't appreciate the spiders in the room, nor the amount of dust, but they all sat down at a large table and Draco began.
"I won't repeat my story because Harry obviously already told you. What do you all want to know?" He asked and waited for a question. Ron was the first.
"For one thing, Malfoy, I don't believe you. I want to see that scar for myself." He spat and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Ron suppressed a grunt and Draco quietly began to pull up his sleeve.
"If you really want to see it, Weasley, then go ahead." The blonde said just as the scar was uncovered. A small "Bloody hell" came from the silence, but that was all. Hermione seemed to be caught and unable to breathe. Never before had she thought such an evil mark would be on such flawless skin.
"That's...horrible!" She gasped and pulled the arm forcefully towards herself.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Asked all three boys as she took out her wand.
"Are you mad, woman?!" Draco gasped as her wand began to glow over the scar. Ron's ears turned red, but he didn't hit the Malfoy, for he was transfixed on what his girlfriend was doing. The blonde was frightened as vivid memories of the Dark Lord's wand poised over his bare arm flooded in. "Please...Sir...let go of me..."
"Sir?" Harry asked, but Hermione shushed him. Ron was watching the two as Draco's face twisted in pain; then Hermione's smooth face winced in pain as she held onto the boy's arm.
"I will not let go until you tell me...where does he keep it?" She asked as both their faces winced once more. Tears began to stream down the Slytherin's face although she didn't hold on very tightly. It was the pain from his past that they were experiencing.
"In the basement...please...it hurts...I don't want to become a Death Eater...father...tell him...to let go..." Draco whispered and moaned in pain. Hermione looked at Ron and Harry. Then, the boy-who-lived spoke.
"I can't, son. You know that, for you are my forgiveness." Draco's eyes squeezed tightly together and he began to sob. Finally, Hermione let go. The blonde immediately stood and turned the table over on the Gryffindors. He still was crying as he hid in the corner away from the light. Ron had stopped the table before it pinned them all down and the bushy hair girl ran to Draco's side.
"Draco, I'm sorry." She whispered as she touched his shoulder. He quickly pushed her away.
"You don't understand, Woman! You're parents didn't give you away so they could be forgiven. Harry was right when he said this. It brought back all the memories that I had. You know nothing of pain!" He shouted and Ron ran at him just before Draco hit her. The redhead threw himself onto the Slytherin and punched him hard in the face several times. His nose began to bleed along with his busted mouth. After Hermione and Harry pulled him off of Draco, Ron cursed at him.
"Don't you dare try to touch her ever again, do you hear ME?! NEVER!" Harry drug his friend over to the opposite side of the room as Hermione made Draco look into her eyes.
"Listen to me, when I touched your arm, I wanted to feel your pain. I experienced it too. I know how you feel right now. Sorry about Ron. Here, clean yourself up." She said and handed him a handkerchief for his nose was practically pouring out the crimson fluid. Hermione then went over to Ron and held him tightly. The redhead responded to this and relaxed much more. This gave time for Harry to speak with Draco. He went over and sat next to him as Draco's tears subsided into the formally white kerchief.
"Draco, I have a question. What were you two talking about and you answered in the basement?" At this, the Slytherin looked at him.
"She asked me in my thoughts what I have been hiding from you three. It is something that He wants."
"You mean Volde..."
"Don't speak his name! It brings back too much!"
"Sorry. Go on."
"It is something that the Dark Lord wanted me to keep from you right after I received the Dark Mark. It's not really in a basement, more of a labyrinth underground. It's a ring that is broken. The shattered pieces cannot be mended except by you, Harry. He made me keep it away from you. We must hurry and get it before the Dark Lord finds out I turned on him." Draco said and stood quickly. "Granger, Weasley, we're going on a short trip. Get your things together. We will me leaving tomorrow at midnight." Draco said to them and the couple looked with confusing eyes at the boys. Little did they know of the ominous deeds that will soon follow their adventure.
"And that was all he said." Harry finished, but omitted the comment Draco had said about Hermione for Ron's sake.
"It has to be one of his tricks. Draco is up to something. Unless he has gotten so incredibly soft on us all of a sudden." Ron said and Hermione had to agree.
"Ron has a point. I mean, he's called us all names and tormented us all through these years. Why would he have reason to stop now?" The busy hair girl said as she looked at the boy-who-lived.
"Look, I know it seems to be absolutely insane, but I can't help but believe some of it. I saw the scar upon his arm. No one could have enjoyed getting that." The three friends fell silent and looked at the fire in the hearth.
"I guess we need to give him a chance to explain himself." Hermione said and Ron shot a glance at her.
"Hermione, are you mad?" He shouted and Harry hushed him before he awoke the other sleeping Gryffindors. Silence once more.
"Please Ron, think about it. How would you like to be forced to be a Death Eater and want reconciliation?" Hermione asked her boyfriend and the redhead fell silent for a moment.
"Fine." Ron said shortly.
"So, are you in?" Harry asked with his green eyes bright with hope.
"Yes." He replied and Hermione kissed his cheek and embraced him for thanks. Then, Ron whispered, "Bloody hell."
Draco sat in the Slytherin commonroom with his thoughts on the trio, which he knew, were heading this way. How he knew, he didn't know. Closing a book that he long stopped reading, the blonde crept out of the tower and into the hallway. His wand glowing at the tip with a small white light, Draco searched for them. Of course, he couldn't see them and ended up colliding with Harry, Ron, and Hermione under the invisibility cloak.
"Ouch, sorry Ron." Hermione said, for she landed on top of him as Harry on her. Draco fell upon the floor back first and began laughing at them.
"I hope you three aren't going to play on that, are you?" The blonde joked and Hermione, Harry, and Ron blushed, but it was she that glared.
"Don't pull this on us right now, Malfoy. We are out in the open where any teacher could expel us." The bushy hair girl said and Draco apologized. Harry, being the first one up, took the cloak and covered all four of them so they could regain their footing. Then, as Ron stood, Draco pointed through the dark hallway.
"Follow me. I know a place where we may talk." He led them down into a deserted classroom in the dungeon. The red head didn't appreciate the spiders in the room, nor the amount of dust, but they all sat down at a large table and Draco began.
"I won't repeat my story because Harry obviously already told you. What do you all want to know?" He asked and waited for a question. Ron was the first.
"For one thing, Malfoy, I don't believe you. I want to see that scar for myself." He spat and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Ron suppressed a grunt and Draco quietly began to pull up his sleeve.
"If you really want to see it, Weasley, then go ahead." The blonde said just as the scar was uncovered. A small "Bloody hell" came from the silence, but that was all. Hermione seemed to be caught and unable to breathe. Never before had she thought such an evil mark would be on such flawless skin.
"That's...horrible!" She gasped and pulled the arm forcefully towards herself.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Asked all three boys as she took out her wand.
"Are you mad, woman?!" Draco gasped as her wand began to glow over the scar. Ron's ears turned red, but he didn't hit the Malfoy, for he was transfixed on what his girlfriend was doing. The blonde was frightened as vivid memories of the Dark Lord's wand poised over his bare arm flooded in. "Please...Sir...let go of me..."
"Sir?" Harry asked, but Hermione shushed him. Ron was watching the two as Draco's face twisted in pain; then Hermione's smooth face winced in pain as she held onto the boy's arm.
"I will not let go until you tell me...where does he keep it?" She asked as both their faces winced once more. Tears began to stream down the Slytherin's face although she didn't hold on very tightly. It was the pain from his past that they were experiencing.
"In the basement...please...it hurts...I don't want to become a Death Eater...father...tell him...to let go..." Draco whispered and moaned in pain. Hermione looked at Ron and Harry. Then, the boy-who-lived spoke.
"I can't, son. You know that, for you are my forgiveness." Draco's eyes squeezed tightly together and he began to sob. Finally, Hermione let go. The blonde immediately stood and turned the table over on the Gryffindors. He still was crying as he hid in the corner away from the light. Ron had stopped the table before it pinned them all down and the bushy hair girl ran to Draco's side.
"Draco, I'm sorry." She whispered as she touched his shoulder. He quickly pushed her away.
"You don't understand, Woman! You're parents didn't give you away so they could be forgiven. Harry was right when he said this. It brought back all the memories that I had. You know nothing of pain!" He shouted and Ron ran at him just before Draco hit her. The redhead threw himself onto the Slytherin and punched him hard in the face several times. His nose began to bleed along with his busted mouth. After Hermione and Harry pulled him off of Draco, Ron cursed at him.
"Don't you dare try to touch her ever again, do you hear ME?! NEVER!" Harry drug his friend over to the opposite side of the room as Hermione made Draco look into her eyes.
"Listen to me, when I touched your arm, I wanted to feel your pain. I experienced it too. I know how you feel right now. Sorry about Ron. Here, clean yourself up." She said and handed him a handkerchief for his nose was practically pouring out the crimson fluid. Hermione then went over to Ron and held him tightly. The redhead responded to this and relaxed much more. This gave time for Harry to speak with Draco. He went over and sat next to him as Draco's tears subsided into the formally white kerchief.
"Draco, I have a question. What were you two talking about and you answered in the basement?" At this, the Slytherin looked at him.
"She asked me in my thoughts what I have been hiding from you three. It is something that He wants."
"You mean Volde..."
"Don't speak his name! It brings back too much!"
"Sorry. Go on."
"It is something that the Dark Lord wanted me to keep from you right after I received the Dark Mark. It's not really in a basement, more of a labyrinth underground. It's a ring that is broken. The shattered pieces cannot be mended except by you, Harry. He made me keep it away from you. We must hurry and get it before the Dark Lord finds out I turned on him." Draco said and stood quickly. "Granger, Weasley, we're going on a short trip. Get your things together. We will me leaving tomorrow at midnight." Draco said to them and the couple looked with confusing eyes at the boys. Little did they know of the ominous deeds that will soon follow their adventure.
