Chapter 4 – Saviour
Draco carried Hermione up to his sister's bedroom in the castle. Why was she here? Had she come to him to tempt him with her sweet smelling blood? At this thought Draco's eyes zeroed in to the blood seeping from her injured arm, saliva filling his mouth. Just as Draco was about to strike, he noticed a sandy coloured stone clutched to her chest. Her removed her arm and gazed at the stone tablet. He could not believe it; she had one of the gargoyle tablets that held the key to his freedom. But how did she come across it? Draco eyed the girl warily and again the sight of her blood was becoming a problem.
"I'll have to fix that wound first, before I do something I'll regret." Draco grumbled as he moved over to his chest of draws. He searched around for a bit until he found the iodine and a bandage. He went back to Hermione's unconscious body and cleaned and dressed her wound. Draco the picked up the tablet and walked to the door locking it so that nothing could come in and disturb the poor girl.
Draco made his way down to the aviary where he knew a pedestal stood waiting for the mystical Gargoyle tablets.
"Oh look! It's Draco!" A small fairy by the name of Pansy shouted.
"And he has a tablet." Another fairy by the name of Lavender replied.
"She's not going to be happy about that." A third fairy by the name of Ginny sang.
"Where did you get it from Draco?" Pansy asked.
"Did that girl bring it here?" Lavender questioned.
"She's really not going to like that." Ginny stated.
"But Draco deserves to be happy!" Pansy exclaimed towards Ginny.
"Yes! Draco waited a long time for this to happen!" Lavender backed up her sister.
"Yes I agree! But She's still not going to be happy that he found one." Ginny retorted. The three fairy sisters continued to fight and fly around Draco annoying him with their tinkling wings and voices.
"Enough!" Draco shouted as he moved towards the pedestal. The Moonlight was shining directly on the stone column giving it an eerie glow. As Draco placed the tablet on the pedestal it lit up showing four runes, seed, sapling, tree and fruit.
"Where am I going to find these damn runes?" Draco huffed as he exited the aviary. Upon storming back to the castle he noticed a small stone rectangle underneath a piece of fallen stone. Draco picked up the stone and threw it into the courtyard where it smashed into millions of tiny pieces. He picked up the rectangle.
"I don't believe it." Draco whispered as he gazed at the rectangular stone with a small fruit carved into it.
'Astoria must have hidden the runes around the castle! She knew I wouldn't bother looking for them it I didn't have the tablets!' Draco's thoughts were cursing her for her cruelty towards him, but now he would find all the runes and tablets and leave her and this horrid place forever.
Draco placed the rune in his pocket and set out to find the other runes. He ran into the garden where he found a statue holding the seed rune in its hand. Draco tried in vain to pry the rune free from the woman's cold stone hands but it was no use. Suddenly the eyes of the statue shone white and an eerie voice was heard.
"If you wish to take this rune you must give something in return, a flower that grows from the deadest place, once you have the flower, return it to me and I will give you the rune." As the voice faded so did the statues eyes.
"Deadest place? Where in hells name would that be?" Draco asked as he turned to the pond and peered in. There at the bottom of the pond was the tree rune. Draco reached in to grab it but his hand was thrust back by the water.
"For you to have this rune dear prince, you are to bring me the whitest lily from the aviary." A water nymph appeared at the edge of the pond and gave Draco his instructions. The nymph disappeared back into the water just as Draco stood up and huffed.
"Do I have to give a fucking part of my soul to the fucking sapling rune in order to acquire it?" Draco bellowed enraged.
"Silly Draco. You just had to ask nicely." Draco turned to the twinkling voice and saw the fairy sisters, Ginny, Pansy and Lavender, coming towards him with the sapling rune. The fairies placed the rune in Draco's hand and flew up to each give him a kiss on the check.
"Thank you. Would you be able to find the whitest lily for me in the aviary while I try to find the deadest place? I would be forever in your debts." Draco asked nicely as he pocketed the sapling rune.
"Of course Draco. And I'd try the cemetery for that other flower." Pansy replied as she smiled brightly at him. The three fairy sisters took off towards the aviary while Draco headed towards the cemetery.
As Draco entered the cemetery he was overcome with sorrow. He should be here with his parents and his sister, resting in peace, not walking the earth for eternity with that vile creature he calls love. Draco kept walking until he found them. Three head stones.
His Majesty King Lucius Hyperion Malfoy
Born: 14/04/1724
Died: 18/06/1768
Beloved King, Husband and Father.
Draco felt a tear fall from his face while gazing at his father's grave. His father had been a brave man, defending his kingdom and family with his life.
Her Majesty Queen Narcissa Caroline Malfoy née Black
Born: 30/09/1737
Died: 18/06/1768
Beloved Queen, Wife and Mother.
Draco felt more tears run down his face while looking at his mother's grave. She was one of the most beautiful maidens in the whole world. He missed her dearly.
Her Highness Princess Carina Eloise Malfoy
Born: 12/10/1751
Died: 18/06/1768
Beloved Princess, Daughter and Sister.
Draco bent and kissed her headstone. His sister had not deserved the fate she was given. He missed her smile and her laugh and the way she called him Dayco because she couldn't pronounce it properly when they were younger. She would always call him Dayco when she wanted something and he could never refuse. Draco cried harder as he sat on the graves of his loved ones. He had not been present at the funeral to say his final goodbyes.
Draco took one more look at their graves and stood. He would continue on with his journey for them. He would rid this land of that despicable abomination for his family's sake. Just as Draco was about to storm off, something caught his eye behind his sister's grave. A blue flower with gold tips grew behind the head stone. It was beautiful, like his sister had once been, and shone with beauty strength and kindness. It was the only flower Draco had seen around the cemetery. Instead of picking the flower from its roots, Draco cut out a large piece of earth out from around the flower. He gently removed the soil from the ground being careful not to drop it and destroy his chance at gaining the rune.
Draco returned from the cemetery and moved carefully towards the statue.
"You have done well young prince. Take this rune; I hope it gives you what you are looking for." The statue let go of the rune and Draco picked it up and placed it in his pocket. He just had one rune left before he finished his first tablet.
"Draco! Draco!" The fairy Pansy called as she came filtering up beside Draco's head.
"Did you find it? Where is it?" Draco asked in excitement. He was so close to being free of the ghastly creature that kept him here.
"We could not find any white lily flowers in the aviary. I'm sorry. But we did find a fairy who is pure white. Her name is Lily. She was caged in the aviary." Pansy spoke as her sister Ginny and Lavender help a beautiful white fairy into the garden. The fairy looked up to see Draco mesmerised with her appearance.
"So this is the young prince trapped forever in his home. I have heard much about you. My name is Lily. I was the head fairy and dear friend of your mothers. I used to watch over you and your sister when you were little. After your families passing I tried to help you, to guide you back to a safe path but alas the evil witch locked me up and told me that you would forever stay by her side. I knew a day would come when you realised your true path again." Lily came over to Draco and placed her small hand on his cheek. Draco let a stray tear fall as the caress reminded him of his mother.
"Is that my dear friend Lily I hear? It has been what 60 years since I last heard from you my friend." The Water nymph rose from the pond and gazed at her long lost friend.
"It has my friend, we owe it to the prince has his friends for our reunion." Lily floated over to the pond and sat on a nearby mossy rock.
"Then as a token of my gratitude I hand over the rune. May your quest be successful dear prince." The water nymph handed Draco the rune and then began chatting with her long lost friend.
Draco Ran back to the aviary and placed the runes within the tablet. The tablet glowed a bright white until Draco had to cover his eyes from the brightness. A loud crack was heard and the glowing died down. The tablet had split right down the middle and revealed a ghastly looking key. The key had the head of a gargoyle on it with the same red glowing eyes as the beast that had attacked Hermione.
Draco grabbed the key and raced up to his tower. Once there Draco gazed at the potion, created by Merlin himself, the same potion that would break this curse and set him free. He looked at the three intricate locks surrounding the potion and grinned. One of the locks had the same gargoyle head as the Key. Draco grinned as the placed the key in the lock and turned . The locked magically disappeared and the potion glowed. He was almost there, two keys to go. Just as Draco was about to go in search of the others keys, his senses picked up that daylight was close. He would need the help of that girl in order to be free before Astoria got home.