AN: Hey all! Sorry, it's been a while. I've been busy with school and finals, and I'll be working over the summer, so I don't know how quickly I can update this. However, I do have this chapter done, so I'm uploading it now. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far.
And of course, a big thank you to everyone who's reviewed. You guys are super.
Stand and Watch It Burn
XVIII. The Point of No Return
Draco stared at the disheveled man standing before him. He'd never seen his father so… dirty. His father was certainly worse than when Draco had seen him three years ago in Azkaban. Or, perhaps, Draco had simply failed to see it in the poorly lit dungeons of the prison. Here, in the light, everything was obvious and painfully plain to see. Lucius's long blonde locks were braided with dirt and twigs. Lucius's face was gaunt, his cheekbones protruding rudely from his face, and mud caked his tattered robes everywhere. His skin, which was normally pale already, was practically translucent. His father looked but a ghost of his former self.
Tied and magically bound to two of his mother's favourite sitting chairs were his mother and Hermione. Draco stole a glance at Hermione, but when he saw her pleading brown eyes looking back helplessly at him, he quickly shifted his gaze towards his father. It was easier to stare down him instead.
Gathering himself, Draco straightened and stood up tall. "What are you doing here, Lucius?"
Lucius's smile was slightly demented. He walked around the two women strapped to chairs. "Can't a man go home to rest and recharge?"
"This is no longer your home," Draco said with certainty he did not feel. "Leave now."
"Ah." Lucius smirked. "But I am here, am I not, son?"
Draco clenched his fists. "What do you want?" he spat out.
"What I want." Lucius sighed. "Oh, Draco, always so curt. You never did fully learn the art of persuasion. Perhaps I can teach you sometime in the future. What say you, son?"
"Stop playing games. Tell me what you want, or get out of here."
Lucius raised the wand in his hand and pointed it straight at Hermione. "I wouldn't be making demands like that if I were you." He smiled treacherously at Draco. "You're in no position to be doing such things."
Draco felt his heart racing. A wand? Draco remembered that they had shattered Lucius's wand when they threw him into Azkaban, never to see the light of day again. "Where did you get that?"
Lucius walked around Hermione and slinked right up behind her. Leaning over her shoulder, he grabbed her face. Hermione cringed and whimpered slightly. Lucius gently patted her cheek. "Why, from your little whore here."
"Don't you call her that."
Lucius rolled his eyes. "Now, Draco, I am not the first to call her that. Am I, Cissy?" Lucius's voice lifted with a mocking lilt. He leaned over towards his wife now, who was sitting still and staring straight forward. Narcissa's expression was stoic and unchanged. Her calm demeanor was betrayed only by the tension in her shoulders.
"Leave Mother alone."
Sighing audibly, Lucius crossed his arms. "Again, with the demands. Draco, really. Haven't you figured out who's got the upper hand here? Perhaps being around this Mudblood has addled your brains…"
Draco's jaw clenched. Lucius, noticing the change in his son, smiled a little wider. "It doesn't have to be this way, Draco." When Draco did not react, Lucius continued. "This whole new world Potter's brought about, this new… world order. It is not how things should be. For thousands of years, purebloods have reigned supreme over those of…" - Lucius prodded Hermione in the face with her wand - "inferior birth. We dominated them. We kept them… under control."
Lucius began walking around the room, his arms gesturing widely. "And then? And then! Fools like Albus Dumbledore tried to act as if somehow purebloods and halfbloods and even Mudbloods and Muggles could be equals. Equals! They of inferior birth! Hah! Only because they knew they could never be as good as we, no matter how hard they tried. No matter what they did they couldn't change their birth. So they changed the natural order of things. And the world, as we once knew it began to shift. It began to change, and not for the better."
This lecture was hardly foreign to Draco's ears. He'd heard Lucius say something of this nature many times before. But it was completely new for Hermione, and Draco could see her eyes shining with indignation as she listened to what Lucius had to say.
"You remember, Draco," Lucius added. "How many times have I told you this before?"
"Nearly every day," Draco said quietly.
Lucius nodded. "And you were a very good student, son. And what, Draco, is our purpose in this war against the dissenters?"
"To reaffirm the superiority of purity." The words left Draco's mouth before he even had time to think of it. Hermione's eyes widened slightly in shock, as she looked at him in confusion. Draco berated himself mentally.
However, Draco's automatic response seemed to please Lucius. "Well done, Draco. You remember your lessons."
Draco gritted his teeth. "You're insane."
"All the Dark Lord wanted," Lucius said mournfully, ignoring Draco, "was to do just that. To remind everyone what we once were and how great it once was. The natural order of things, Draco. We cannot help the fact that we are simply ultimately superior. But those cowards – those fools – didn't understand…"
"You're wrong!" Hermione shouted out. "What You-Know-Who was doing was mass murder not…"
"Crucio."
Hermione's screams pierced the air. Lucius was grinning maniacally now.
"Stop!" Draco finally was able uproot his feet. He tried to move toward Lucius to stop the curse.
"Stupefy."
x x x
"Remus?" Kingsley stared at his old friend who stood in the doorway of his small office. "What are you doing here? Are you here to see Tonks? She's actually out right now, but I'm sure if you wait a bit – "
"I'm here to see you." Remus entered and sat down on the chair across the desk from Kingsley's.
One look at Remus and Kingsley knew. "He told you."
"I talked to some of my contacts from the war about any Dark activity they might have seen in the last few weeks, since Lucius Malfoy's break out," Remus said. "One of my friends near Manchester says his Foeglass spotted a figure short of two weeks ago."
"Two weeks is a long time." Kingsley frowned.
"I'm not finished," Remus replied. "My friend in Manchester did some follow up investigation and managed to track the trajectory of the route being taken. It led towards London. There was a slight deviation near the end of the route, but my friend says with certainty that whoever that figure was ended up in the heart of wizarding London…"
"Diagon Alley," Kingsley said. He leaned back in his chair. "Where Hermione was last seen."
Remus sighed. "So I suppose now we're certain."
Kingsley rubbed his forehead. "As certain as we can be without further information. I did send a team to Diagon Alley to sweep for unusual activity. They should be back soon."
"Did you question Draco?"
Kingsley snorted. "We tried, I suppose."
"Tried?"
"Harry was asking questions and before you knew it he and Malfoy were having a fantastic row. Words flying left and right. Nonsense bein spouted. Don't even know what it was about anymore and who started it. But you know, those two…"
Remus shook his head. "Harry should know better."
Kingsley shrugged. "It happens. Don't know if I can blame Harry, after what Malfoy did, the lousy git."
Remus hesitated. "I doubt Draco had anything to do with Hermione's disappearance."
"Right," Kingsley snorted. "Because he'd never hurt her."
Remus was about to respond when he was interrupted by a knock. Both men turned to see who was in the doorway. A young man of slight build and a head full of wavy brown hair and a thin girl with green eyes stood expectantly.
"Snow. Knightley." Kingsley gestured for them to enter. "What information do you have?"
Knightley stepped in. "It was a little hard to find anything since you didn't give us many specifics," he said. "But we managed to find signs of a struggle."
"It wasn't much," Snow added. "But we saw the traces of a Shield Charm in one of the alleyways near Landy's Tea Place. We questioned some of the people who work in the area and the authorities. No robbery or crime has been reported."
"We saw some footsteps and did some tracking. Whoever was there was headed northwest."
Kingsley nodded. "Thank you. You two are excused."
Knightley and Snow exchanged glances. Knowing better than to ask any more questions, both nodded and left.
The moment they were gone, Kingsley let out a loud groan. "We're such bloody morons. We should have bloody known!" he said.
"Northwest… Only one explanation," Remus said quietly. "Lucius Malfoy was headed to Malfoy Manor."
x x x
Draco was frozen, mid-stride, but in turning to Stupefy Draco, Lucius had been forced to lift the Crutacius Curse on Hermione. Hermione's screams had stopped, and now she was slumped down in her chair, her breathing ragged and uneven. Narcissa stared at the girl next to her, a horrified expression on her face.
"Draco, don't tell me you actually care for the Mudblood."
Lucius walked over to where Draco was stopped and leaned right into Draco's unmoving face.
"After all she's done," Lucius said, his voice barely above a whisper, "after all the times she's betrayed you, you still care for her."
Draco glared at Lucius as he stepped back and began circling Hermione, who was still trying to recover. "Left you in Azkaban to die. Married another man and had his child. Never thinking about you once. And what now, Draco? She's left you, again. Left you waiting in that ridiculous tea shop for… how long was it?" Lucius turned to Hermione who was glaring at him. "A good part of an hour, if I remember correctly. Poor, poor Draco. Sitting there so pathetically, by himself, waiting for someone who would never come. What does she care for you?"
Hermione struggled against her magical bonds. "You don't know what –"
"Silencio."
Hermione's mouth moved wordlessly. Frustrated, she slammed her arms against the chair and struggled to break free. This only made Lucius more pleased and he laughed mirthlessly.
"Foolish Mudblood. This may not be my wand," he sneered, "but I am a Malfoy. Of noble and great birth. Something you could hardly understand, I'm sure. But even with a handicap, I can do things you only dream of."
Lucius turned to Draco once more. "See, Draco," he said quietly, "I am different. I have come back for you. The Dark Lord's noble cause lives on, son. And we can take up the mantle. Father and son. The honour and glory you've always yearned for."
x x x
"Harry, why didn't you tell me?"
Harry was, for what seemed like the tenth time that day, holding his head in his hands.
He was sitting in Ron's living room. Ron was pacing back and forth in front of him. It was late afternoon, but Ron was still in his pajamas. His hair was rumpled, as if he hadn't combed it in days. Ron's eyes were slightly bloodshot, probably from various rounds of drinking, staying up, and then sleeping into odd hours of the day.
"You should have told me earlier!" Ron was now pointing at him, jabbing wildly in the air towards Harry.
"I know that now," Harry said, looking up. "I wish I could go back and change things, but I can't."
"You knew Lucius Malfoy was dangerous, Harry! Why'd you and Kingsley keep it such a bloody secret?"
"Exactly because he was dangerous. Look, Ron, if we'd told everyone, people would have panicked. It's only been three years. They weren't ready for news like that."
Ron stood, his arms crossed, and shook his head. "No. No, Harry. I can't believe this. You didn't even tell me."
"If I'd told you, Ron, what would you have done?"
Ron opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. "Well, I'd have… I'd have…"
"What?" demanded Harry.
"I'd… go ask bloody Malfoy what he and his rotten git of a father were planning! I'd force it out of that bastard, too!"
Harry sighed loudly. "See, Ron, that's exactly what would have happened and exactly what couldn't have. Do you know how much trouble we already are in? We can't keep arguing. Time's running out."
Ron sank down next to Harry. "Hermione's really missing."
Harry nodded.
"Merlin." Ron stared blankly forward. "Harry, what are we going to do?"
"Kingsley is following whatever we've got. It isn't much, but it's better than nothing. I suspect we won't need to wait long to hear anything else. I doubt Lucius Malfoy will wait long."
"Bloody Malfoy," Ron growled. "When I see that ferret, I'm going to wring his neck…"
"He's worried, too, Ron."
"Worried that we'll blow his cover."
Harry stared at Ron. "You think he's part of the plan?"
Ron stared back. "You don't?"
"He was extremely upset when he came to tell me Hermione was missing. And he had no clue his father had broken out of Azkaban…"
Ron laughed mirthlessly. "And you believed him?"
"I don't think he was pretending."
"Right. Like he wasn't pretending three years ago."
Harry slumped down on the coach. "Maybe he wasn't," he muttered under his breath.
Ron was about to retort when his fireplace blew up into flames. "What the…"
"Harry? Harry, are you there?"
Harry sat straight up and peered around the couch and into the fireplace. "Kingsley?" He darted up and towards the fireplace. "Is something wrong?"
"We have a lead. I tracked Lucius Malfoy's last whereabouts, and I think I know where he was headed. Based on the pace he was going, I'd say he's there now."
Ron was now standing behind Harry and looking over his shoulder. "Where?"
"Malfoy Manor."
Ron sent Harry a triumphant look. Harry chose not to respond. "All right, thank you Kingsley."
The fire died down, and Harry sighed. "We should have known," he said quietly. Before Ron could have a chance to gloat, Harry continued, "We won't be able to Apparate there. Too many charms protecting Malfoy Manor, and I don't think Draco's in any position right now to let us through. We'll have to fly."
x x x
Lucius raised his wand. "Finite Incantum."
Draco felt the magical hold on his limbs disappear. He stumbled forward, unstable on his previously frozen feet. Hermione, granted use of her voice again, immediately began rambling.
"You're insane, Lucius Malfoy!" Hermione spat out. "Draco, don't listen to him. You know it isn't true. I was coming." Tears were falling down Hermione's cheeks. "I was. You know I would have made it if I could have."
"They never saw you as anything but a Death Eater," Lucius said, raising his voice. "Three years ago, now – it's the same, isn't it? You can see it in Potter's eyes, every time he looks at you. The contempt. The hatred. And Weasley – well he's like the rest of them. They dangled the false hope of redemption in front of you only to lure you into the trap they laid for you. They don't trust you, do they Draco? They preach acceptance and love when the truth is they only use it when it suits them – when it best benefits them. And when they no longer have use for you, they toss you aside like rubbish. And they crush you with the heel of their foot and let you rot in the dungeons of Azkaban."
The stinging truth of those words hit Draco, and it was apparent on his face. Lucius knew he hit a raw nerve in his son. Hermione, seeing the change in Draco's face, sat up straight to protest. "That's not tr – "
"So why bother? Always trying to prove to Potter and Weasley when they hate your very name. When they can never see past what they choose to believe of you. Why pretend to be something they want you to be? It's not who you are. You were meant for greater things."
The finality with which Lucius uttered the last statement effectively silenced the room better than any charm could. Lucius seemed to revel in the attention, his posture exuding confidence and certainty.
- - -
"Draco, don't listen to him."
The words, spoken by Narcissa who had been silent throughout the ordeal, shocked everyone. Lucius was briefly caught off guard before quickly regaining his control of the situation.
"Silencio." Lucius frowned. "I'd have thought you'd know better, Narcissa."
Narcissa, though unable to speak, sent the coldest, most chilling glare at her husband. Ignoring her, Lucius looked again at Draco.
"It's time the write the ending to this chapter in your life, Draco, so you can start a new one."
Draco finally managed to find his voice. "What are you saying?"
Lucius leaned forward towards his son. "Finish this. End it here. Make me proud, son."
Hermione felt something catch in her throat. Lucius didn't mean what she thought he did… did he? Draco's eyes were troubled. "I don't… I don't understand."
"Oh, Draco, I think you do." Lucius strode over and stood between Narcissa and Hermione. He put his arm on Hermione's shoulder, and Hermione tried furiously to shrug it off. "Kill the filthy Mudblood."
Hermione froze, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "N-no…" She stammered. "No…"
"Yes, yes." Lucius laughed mockingly.
"Draco, please, you can't do this!"
Lucius sighed loudly and melodramatically. "Such a silly, brainless creature." He suddenly jerked out and grabbed Hermione's shoulder, and she yelped with surprise and pain. "One spell, Draco, and you can end this pathetic way you call a life and start a new reign and a new chapter in history."
"Don't listen to him, Draco," Hermione said. "He's lying to you! Draco, please, just look at me…"
"You know the words, Draco. Come now. Everything you've dreamed of your whole life waits behind that one spell. You can have everything you ever wanted."
"Draco, I love you." There was no hint of pleading in her voice – only quiet desperation.
Slowly and deliberately, Draco raised his wand. Hermione was terrified by what she saw in his eyes – coldness and utter emptiness.
"You're right, Father," Draco said. "I can have everything I ever wanted."
Hermione shut her eyes just as a bright flash of light filled the room.
AN: Dun dun dun!
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