A/N: I know that this passage leads to the candyshop in the books, but I forgot while I wrote it, don't be mad at me… I have tried to fix it.
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The secret door closed behind Draco. He wondered for a second how he was supposed to get out again. Then suddenly the long dim tunnel caught his interest. What had Potter been doing? Not really wanting to think about how his parents would worry about that he was suspiciously missing from the gathering in the forest; Draco stared walking through the dark tunnel.
Walking and thinking. Somehow he understood that at this moment all he lived and cared for and all that he loved was now open for the taking. His parents could actually be dead. His homes, both the Manor and the Slytherin House would soon be open to who ever won. His wand was in the hands of Potter. And Potter, Draco felt divided on this point, Potter was heading for a meeting of live and death.
The thoughts rushing round his head made him dizzy. He actually had to stop walking and lean to the dark, damp wall to find his control again. Draco did not try to fool himself with beliefs of a happy outcome. He suddenly felt the wall giving in, like a hidden door. Looking between the new entrance and the tunnel, he wondered where Potter had come from. With a shrug of his shoulders he choose the newly opened passage. From a distance he thought he heard the sound of the outside grounds and the manic whistling of branches.
Again he thought of Potter, the discovery of this strange double life his feelings had been living, shook his world. But who was he fooling? He could hear laughter ringing in his ears. If anyone ever found out about this breakthrough they would talk. And when they did… Suspicions and inconvenience and even danger and pain, was what was in store for him. Who ever would win this war, the reward for finding out the biggest secret of his life would still be the same.
Draco started walking again; the new tunnel began to lean upwards. Finally he came to a place where there was a door in the ceiling. Without really thinking of the risks, he pushed on it. Actually, he thought, there where not really any risks for him. If Death Eaters were there; they would welcome him, if the Order was there; he would just be captured. With this sense of 'come what may' he pushed the door open and climbed up on the floor of a dusty room. There were many footsteps in the dust. And there was a body too.
Draco's stomach turned. It was the body of Severus Snape. Tears began to pinch his eyes and panic suddenly trusted trough his veins. Draco ran over to where the body lay. Draco noticed that Snape was still alive too, but he seemed much worse of than the Weasley twin. For starters, there where the big gushing bite wounds in this mans neck. There was also something missing in those staring dark eyes. Draco wondered if it was the will to live. He kneeled down beside the body, taking out the potion he had used on his hands from his front pocket. There was not much left of the pink fluid. Draco soaked his hand with the last of it and began to stroke Snape's neck.
At his confessional words the door to the holding cell had been opened. A young, male Auror that he hade never seen before glared at him up and down.
"You what?" asked the man.
"I want to come clean!" said Draco.
Lucius muttered something in act behind him, his mother began to cry, not an act.
Draco winced and tried not to look back at his parents. The Auror raised an eyebrow and bit his lower lip. Draco knew exactly what he was thinking; get the honour for this and maybe get out of being a jailor and on to some real work.
"I'll show you the way in to the Dark Lords headquarters," Draco said. "I'm sure there are some supporters of Him left there…"
He was not sure at all, but that seemed to do it for the Auror. The man stepped aside, not forgetting to show Draco his raised wand. Draco had just time to see his parents launching at each other before the door was closed. He shivered at the sight and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.
He was treated to a binding curse on his wrists and was roughly Apparated to no other place than the Tree Broomsticks. Draco was first a little chocked at this, but then understood that this was the most natural place for the winners to celebrate. The man seemed to hesitate again. Strangely enough, he looked to Draco for confirmation, Draco gave a nod. Well inside he saw noticed that the atmosphere of the gathered resembled more that of a wake, than that of a victory celebration.
A big black man banged his beer mug with a loud bang to the table. His brown eyes grew wide and flared with anger.
"In the name of everything holy in Camelot!" he swore. "What the fuck are you doing, Halley?"
A silence fell and every eye in the room fell on Draco and his jailor. Draco could not resist smirking and holding up his bound hands for a wave at some very tired looking Gryffindors in the corner. They did not respond to the wave, but they did not scrawl on him either.
"Sir," Halley looked nervous. "The prisoner would like to confess."
"Confess?" the black mans brows landed on his forehead.
There was strange noise going though the room. Something that sounded like a combination of laughs, snorts, gasps and bewildered inhaling. Draco tried to put on his most honest face. He knew this would not only buy his parents time, but it could also sooth his on sentence.
"I can take you inside the Malfoy Manor wards," he said. "And give you access to the whole house, including the dungeons were the D… were Voldemort have lived since his return."
"That would be useful…" said the black man, who was obviously the leader now that Potter was not there, thinking aloud.
Draco's words had silenced the whole room. He did not know what this meant. He had just confessed that he and his family had harboured the Dark Lord, but he had also confessed it!
"He said that it could still be supporters left there," said Halley, wanting to be noticed.
"What is it you are after?" asked a familiar voice next to the black man.
Draco smiled at the hollowed eyed werewolf, feeling quite relived that the man was still alive, and saddened by the fact that he knew that his wife, Draco's cousin, was not. At that point he decided to turn off his conscience and not really care any more. Caring hurt.
What was it he was after? Time? A conversation with Potter? He was quite good at disconnecting that part of his brain. The bad thing was that he only could leave the world outside when he was awake, this moment would haunt him in his sleep for a long time. But for the moment he could make himself pretend that nothing of this was real. Not even his struggling feelings for Potter.
"I just want to go home," he said with the sigh of a tired teenager. "You can understand that, can you?"
"We will come with you," nodded the black man and stood up from his seat. "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head Auror."
"Draco Malfoy," nodded Draco.
"Indeed," Shacklebolt made a sign to some of his crew. "Halley, you are coming with us."
"Yes, sir!" Halley lighted up.
Draco snorted and gave another teasing wave to the Gryffindors as he was taken outside.
He was again violently Apparated. This time he was standing outside the wards of Malfoy Manor. His heart cave an extra beat when he felt the comfort of being so close to home. Almost half the people from the pub had followed them to the spot, which were about twenty persons. They were met at the gates by three other Aurors, apparently Shacklebolt had already sent out someone to work on the wards.
"We have a blood owner," said Shacklebolt showing Draco to the three men. "He is willing to let us though."
"I can not walk through the wards as a prisoner," said Draco holding up his bound hands. "The wards are set to prevent forced entry of that kind."
"Release him," said Shacklebolt to Halley. "But no funny business, Malfoy!"
"Believe me," said Draco massaging his freed wrists. "Nothing about this business is funny… "Walk behind me."
He opened the gates, not caring if the others followed of not.
Since he was not alone, and there were so many of them, he had to say the ward incantation out loud as he passed them.
"'Save yourself and nothing else'", he chanted. "'Hold your tongue, your silence is gold. Hide a broken heart under pain.'"
"Charming," said Lupin as they had passed the last ward. "Family motto?"
"Of sort," Draco shrugged and gave loud whistle, which made everyone jump.
Seventeen House elves popped in front of the main entrance. All bowed to Draco.
The almost pretty bite wounds on Snape's neck did not seem to respond to the stroking of the potion. Draco did not want to push to hard either. He tired to keep tears from his own eyes as he saw that Snape's dark eyes had closed. The breath was really shallow. Draco began to look trough the Potionmaster's robes. It was possible that the professor could have something on him that could help. He felt a weak breath rising in Severus chest.
Draco looked though his finds. There was no wand, but he had not really expected it to be. There were three small vials of unmarked potions, some parchment with notes and some solver and copper coins. He put the money and the notes in his back pocket and began to smell the potions. The first one was clear green and smelled of salt, a potion for an upset stomach. He gulped down half the vial to steady himself and made a face. With a shrug he deposited the rest of the potion in Snape's mouth. It could not save the dying man but at least he would not die with a stomach ache. Snape seemed strangely enough to take his breaths lighter after that.
The second vial was firewhiskey; Draco disposed of that in the same way he had done the first one, but with a little salute to the dying man. He allowed himself to stoke the elder mans hand. The third vial contained something that scarcely could be identified as a liquid. It looked more like white phlegm. I smelled very strong of elderberries and almost hurt his nose as he inhaled; a sure sign that it was poisonous. Draco decided not to use this potion and put it in his other back pocket. With a sigh he took Snape's hand.
