Chapter 11 FIDElITY (1)
Narcissa's wail was choked in the throat. Draco was writhing on the ground, an unbearable pain scorching from within his body, like all of his bones were crushed, his wounds were rubbed again and again, and his was skinned and then cut into pieces. The maddening agony was driving his nerve to crack; the seemingly endless excruciation would break down whatever sense of humankind.
He would be driven crazy, just as the Longbottoms were. He had overestimated his courage. He knew well how to cast a Cruciatus Curse, and had practiced it on animals, but he had never fully understood why it was named one of the unforgivables –
because it was truly a torment beyond the realm of morality. Having grown up cosseted, he was scarcely chastised, let alone been beaten, and that was the reason why he harboured an abiding grudge against Potter ever since his rejection on their second meeting, and why the slap from Hermione was so unforgettable. He had not realized his body should be so fragile until now and every part of him was screaming at him, urging him to escape from the extreme pain at all costs.
The Dark Lord needed to do no more than a few Crucios, and Draco would be kissing his feet begging for mercy, and presenting all his secrets in exchange for a quick death. He curled up, his forehead raw from being rubbed on the icy marble ground, and his fingernails broken from convulsive scraping. Suddenly a force yanked his head up. Draco struggled to open his eyes and after his blurring vision cleared, he was hit with a pair of eerie crimson eyes of the Dark Lord.
A slight sense of vigilance managed to strike his broken mind. Draco felt he should be honored, since the Dark Lord went to such trouble to detect his mind. Draco loosened his gritted teeth and screamed out loud, trying as he might to preserve his Occlumency shield with the energy spared from the instant relieve.
Yet the man before him was the best Legilimens, so he had slim chance to hold out on him. Inevitably all kinds of mental images flooded over him, of him stamping on Potter's face, of the trio jumping at his sarcasm in Defense Against the Dark Arts, of him insulting Hermione...how thankful Draco was now for the terrible relationship between them over these years.
Think about the Runes, the symbols on the Vanishing Cabinet, and how happy you will be after you decode them! Think about the parchments on which you analyzed the equations, think about...
The Dark Lord finally turned away his gaze and the sharp pain ceased. Draco collapsed on the ground puffing hard, paralyzed as if all of his bones were moved out. The Dark Lord looked down at him, and spoke with what seemed to be a satisfied smile, "Splendid, Draco. Splendid indeed. You have faith and the pluck, plus you behaved much better than the majority of people under the Cruciatus Curse, including Lucius."
"Thanks you, my Lord." Draco managed to place himself in a kneeling position, and answered humbly, fearfully and gratefully with his dry throat. He caught a glimpse of his mother, who collapsed not far from him, full of tears, lips bleeding from been bitten too hard, and might faint at any time.
The purpose of the Dark Lord was achieved. By torturing Draco and making Narcissa watch, a spoiled sixteen-year-old would succumb to the Cruciatus Curse, and a mother would yield to heartbreak. Just one curse, the Dark Lord would have an utterly unresisting Malfoy family in hand. However, the Dark Lord misjudged Draco, and in the belief that a sixteen-year-old could not conceal anything from him under the Cruciatus Curse, he did not dig up deep in Draco's mind and therefore did not find the hidden memory.
Draco looked down, his limps still shaking from the previous pain, but the small victory sparked a small hope in his desperation-filled heart. The Dark Lord knew too well about the weakness of human beings, but he overlooked the power in people's hearts. He would not understand a Malfoy's loyalty to his family, his mother's love for him, and his love for her, all of which were what the Dark Lord disdained to understand, or rather, refused to understand completely. As a consequence, he made it – he succeeded in concealing his secrets!
"It seems you've been working hard on the task, and have progressed beyond my expectation. Lord Voldemort always rewards and punishes who deserves, therefore – " with a wave of his wand, a piece of parchment fell beside Draco's hand, "I hope you will grasp the three spells soon."
Draco looked delirious. He clutched the parchment and said eagerly, "Thank you, my Lord. I will learn them as soon as possible to serve you better."
"Do not do anything foolish again."
This was to Narcissa, but Draco added immediately, "Yes, my Lord. I won't make the mistake again. Thanks for your leniency. I will complete the task independently – "
The Dark Lord glanced at him and quirked his lips, "You may return to Hogwarts now, Draco. With any luck you may catch the dinner." He then waved his hand and the closed door opened, from which he disappeared gracefully.
Draco reached out for his mother's hand, who was sweating and as still as a statue. He moved nearer, looked into her blue eyes, and managed a smile, "Mother – "
"Draco..." Narcissa held his hand tightly and touched his messy hair and bloodstained face with the other hand. "I'm so sorry..."
"This is not your fault." He whispered in her ears. "Even if you've done nothing, he would still find excuses to punish me. He does not trust us, so we need not to be loyal to him."
Narcissa gasped. Draco put his arms around her reassuringly. He would not show his weakness and fear, for he was the only reliance that his mother could depend upon now and the future of the Malfoy family also lay heavily on his shoulders.
"I will not let you live in fear all day long, nor allow the Dark Lord to ruin the Malfoys – mother you don't need to do anything, just believe me – you believe me, do you?"
She embraced her son tightly and nodded, no longer crying.
"Malfoy, you'd better leave now, or you might be late for your class." A stout Death Eater appeared at the outside door, a fake smile on his face.
Draco stood up slowly despite his weak knees. After a careful look at the parchment in his hand, he waved his wand and burned it. He straightened his back and then walked steadily toward the outside door.
