Chapter 12
"I Can Help You"
"I've got to find her!" Draco yelled to himself, he sat on a rock in the middle of a forest.
"Why can't I find her? Hermione!" He shouted, his echo only replied, he buried his face in his hands, tears began falling down his cheeks, dripping into his hands, salty wet tears.
"I'm going to find her! Wherever she is! I'll get her Father, do you hear me!" Draco bellowed into the forest. He stared into the sky and cried, sobbing, he fell to the ground on his knees, he missed her so much! He couldn't bear his life without her, what his sick father might've done, what his life could become without Hermione.
"I'll find you Hermione, if it's the last thing I'll do!" Salty streaks lined his cheeks, his face staring up at the sky. He lay on the grass, feeling dizzy, and then he fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was late in the night, his head still felt drowsy, but he was determined to find his love, Hermione. He stumbled to his feet, and began walking through the thick forest, ignoring the fact that it could take days to get to his house, he couldn't appariate though, he was already on his own property which could not do any appariation unless in the actual house. After walking for nearly two hours, he felt ready to collapse, when suddenly the sound of trotting steps of a horse came in earshot, Draco dashed behind a rock, waiting to see who it was, when the horse came into view he saw it was his mother Rebecca, she sat side-saddle on a brilliant black stallion, she wore a tight, dark green dress and the corset on her waist and chest had been tugged to the extreme for she looked rather pale and ill.
"M-mother…" Draco began, as he crept out from behind the rock, why had his mother gone so far from the house.
"Draco?" her snappy voice did not match her queer appearance.
"Mother, it is I. Father has taken my love." He paused, not telling his mother of Hermione's name, he did not know if it was safe to say.
"It is that Hermione Granger girl, I know she is not pure blood, but I respect you, and I trust that she is good and faithful to you. I understand." She spoke softer now, her voice trembling and fearful.
"But…" Draco looked away, "what about Father."
"Draco, I may be married to Luscious, but I don't know him, I barely speak of him, and of course, I am not very fond of him, as a result Draco, I am not like him in any way possible."
"Hermione is a good person Mother; I wish to marry her one day." Draco said, his eyes again feeling misty."
"Draco, I have longed to see you wed, I have longed to see you accomplish many great things, I love you son, I never really knew you, and your dreadful father had shipped you off to school at early ages, even before your walking had begun. You were home rarely; I had grown tiresome to a rich life. My life, you could say, was empty." She looked down at her horse's mane.
"I felt you were coming today, perhaps to see me, perhaps to save Hermione, I know she is in grave danger, as is I, I've grown ill Draco, I'm young, but painfully ill, and I doubt that my life will exceed much longer. And I sense that today, is my last." His mother explained.
"No! You can't die, today is the first day we have truly met!"
"Draco, I will tell you this, before my death do us part, that your father is a rich and arrogant man, he does not respect you. But I will mention this to you, I can help you, I can give you the one way to over rule your father, he has a weak spot you know."
"Do tell me Mother!"
"He can not bear love, or faith, or kindness, he cannot bond with any kind of sweetness, that is why he never had eaten much sweets when you brought them home from school to share, your father is a very cold hearted man Draco, if you show him love and compassion, he will die, it may sound strange now Draco dear. But you will learn, without love for too long, it grows into an enemy of you, and can kill you as well as save you if not handled carefully, and I highly resent the fact that your Father will allow such love into his life, he believes that love is a waste of time, that money and pride is more important, that pure-blood and appearance is more important, teach him Draco, that love is more powerful then magic!" she gasped for breathe, she was now clinging to the horse for support. Draco looked rather surprised and serious all at the same time, he withdrew his Mother from the horse and laid her on a soft spot of grass.
"Draco, I have always loved you, it may not have seemed that way your whole life, but I did love you, and I will always love you, no matter what happens, death or life, you are always with me." Her voice grew more and more hoarse and quiet. Her eyes we're trembling to stay open, and her mouth was only slightly open, she raised an arm, and stroked Draco's cheek with a hand.
"you have a face like myself, and your eyes, your eyes like my mother's, your hair like your father's I know, but everything else about you, everything else, is just like me, my family, my origin. Never forget that Draco." She said, almost in a whisper.
"No, Mother, please, please don't go!" Draco pleaded, his sight beginning to blur and blur until all was a fuzzy mass in his eyes.
"I love you Draco, never forget that!" she tried to say, but it all came out in a hushed shrill.
"I love you too Mother! Don't go! Please, please!" he moaned, he bent to hug her, her body then grew tense and soundless.
"No!" Draco begged, he shook his Mother, she didn't move, her eyelids had closed, Draco felt like his only real parent had abandoned him.
"I love you." Draco whispered soundlessly. He staggered to stand, got onto the horse and rode full speed to his Father's house.
"I'm going to kill you, and watch you die, I'll laugh to see you miserable Father, even if it makes me cry." Draco hissed in the silence, his horse raced around trees and through valleys and around lakes. Finally, they reached the house, it was a gigantic mansion, with white columns on the sides of the entrance door, the rest of the house was black with white frames on the windows, it was a very luxurious house, but when Draco got off the stallion and took a step forward, he felt like it was worse then the Shrieking Shack.
