A/N: As promised, the next chapter! A really big one, especially for Draco. Hope you like it, and if you do, please let me know! I love hearing from you!
An inhuman scream ripped from my throat, and I faltered for a moment.
Gritting my teeth, I then sprinted faster toward the man that killed my mother, without a real plan in mind, just knowing I had to do something. I kept running until I slammed into him, knocking down his body as I fell. My arms started swinging and I punched him in the chest and gut, trying to inflict pain.
Some part of me noticed that the edges of my world seemed slightly off, somehow blurry or discolored. Suddenly a buzzing noise filled my ears, making the twisted laughter of my mother's murderer sound both distant and savage.
He raised his arm and flung my body upward with strength beyond his physical ability. Crashing into the dirt and thorny bushes with a dozen crackling snaps, I instinctively curled inward and reached towards my right side, where a large rock pressed into my flesh. Then magic invaded my muscles, taking over and lifting me upward until I hovered in front of the being that once was my father, his barbaric expression cold and darkly amused.
"My own son resorting to such animalistic actions," he said, his tone casual and observational. His eyes scanned my body and seemed disappointed. "You've been spending too much time with those filthy Muggles, Draco."
I tore my gaze from his eyes, and it fell upon the lifeless body of my mother, her hair spewed across her face, hiding those vivid blue eyes from my sight, those eyes that would be void forever more.
"You're the animal!" I snarled, trying with every fiber in my being to fight the magic holding me still and compliant to his will. "You killed Mum!"
My voice cracked as I spoke, summoning a cruel snarl to his face.
"She chose her death," he declared, and in his sick mind, I think he thought that she actually did have a choice. But what sort of choice was the one he had given her? I wanted to shake my head and cry to the heavens, but I could not move. "That bastard child of dirty blood meant more to her than you or I. She broke her loyalty to me, and to her blood."
"Pavo is her blood, too," I retorted. In desperation, I gestured down the path towards the house where my half-sister lived, innocent and ignorant of the bloodshed not twenty minutes away. "If blood is as important as you say, shouldn't Mum's blood in that young girl count for something?"
"Only a drop of filth stains the purest of white, Draco," he told me, his words sounding frightfully similar in tone and content to those he used to educate me with all those years ago. It grated against my very soul, to hear him lecture me in such a calm manner while my mother lie dead at his hands just meters away. "Her blood is tainted, and she is an abomination, a disgrace to the Black family! A disgrace to all purebloods."
I scoffed, mortified that I had ever blindly accepted and repeated such teachings.
"One day you will learn, Draco," he declared, pulling up his wand and releasing me from the spell. I collapsed to the ground in a heap. "There is hope for you yet."
My side burned and my head spun, but I forced myself to stand back up, grabbing my father's left arm as he passed by me, heading towards Pavo's home. He spun around, an inquisitive look on his face, as if he didn't understand what I was doing.
"I won't let you hurt her," I vowed, then with a whip of my wand I cast the strongest binding curse I'd ever cast, wrapping thick spirals of blue magic around his body from ankles to mouth. He fell to the ground with a dull thud, his expression flashing from surprised to angry in the split second the fall took. I kicked away his wand, before running into the woods along the path, praying to whoever was listening that I could save her.
Almost as soon as I entered the cover of the trees, I doubted my decision to leave my father alive. Would the binding hold him? What would I do when I reached Pavo? How would I get her to safety? Would she ever be safe while that man was living?
Unwanted, the thought entered my mind that if Hermione were there, or one of her friends, they would know who could take him away. Did I want him taken away?
He killed my mother. Mum is dead because of him.
Grief and anger swelled within me at the thought, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to kill my mother's murderer.
I wanted to kill my own father.
But he wasn't the man who raised me, the man who loved me. Azkaban had twisted him into a monster.
And I could kill a monster.
Leaves slapped my face as I ran into a low tree branch, and I stumbled for a moment, slightly disoriented, then refocused. Whatever happened to my father, I first and foremost needed to get Pavo out of there. I at least needed to warn her, give her time to escape. Cursing the fact that I hadn't yet learned how to Apparate, I tried to figure out how she could do so.
Darkness resided thickly in the woods, where the brightness of the full moon couldn't penetrate. Every now and then its white rays would peer through the numerous trunks and branches, providing just enough light for me to see my way. The fact that night had settled so completely had barely registered with me before, but suddenly I realized that it must be past midnight, that Pavo would be sleeping, and that no one at all would be awake to provide help.
But I couldn't dwell on that. I had to focus on getting there.
My surroundings passed in a blur as I ran faster and faster, desperation pushing my physical limits. An image flashed in my head: my father escaping from my spell, reaching my sister before me, standing over her dead body by the time I arrived. No matter how hard I tried to shoo it away, the idea haunted me as I burst through the tree cover and came upon Pavo's country home.
"Thank Merlin," I whispered upon seeing the house in tact and at peace. Halfway there from the tree line, I faltered, then shifted direction. Instead of heading towards the front door, I approached the sides of the house, slowing down a bit as I reached the first window on the right. Peering inside, I saw a couch and some chairs in the darkness, and moved on. The second window seemed too large for a bedroom, and sure enough looked to be the kitchen. Around towards the back I ran, as quietly as I could, hoping not to wake the rest of Pavo's Muggle family.
In my rush, I nearly missed the third window, but grabbing the casing, I used my own momentum to swing around and come to a stop. Semi-sheer curtains blocked my view, but the detail that struck me dumb for a moment was their color.
They were purple.
Flashes of the strange dreams I'd had for months passed through my mind. The purple room. The girl with chestnut brown hair.
Pavo.
Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I quickly performed a spell and checked for magical barriers. Finding none, I cast a couple more spells, Vanishing the screen and unlocking the clasp, then pushed the window pane to the side. Bracing myself on the sill, I jumped up and clambered over the wall and inside.
Thanks to a plush white rug beneath my feet, my entry was accompanied by barely any noise. Immediately, I took note of the room, passively noticing the shades of violet all around me, then taking three long strides to the side of the bed, where Pavo lied fast asleep.
For a moment, I stretched out my hand to wake her, then paused. Shaking my head to myself, I instead cast a spell, instantly bringing to fully awake.
"Huh? Qu'est que ce passe?" Her words, meaning nothing to me, were laced with a touch of concern and confusion, but when her eyes adjusted and focused on my face, I saw her expression harden.
"You!" she exclaimed, switching to English. Her eyes widened and she pulled her blankets close around her. "What are you doing here?!"
"There's no time to explain," I said hurriedly, casting my eyes anxiously around the room. "You're in danger. We need to leave?"
"Leave?" she echoed, shaking her head. "I'm not going to leave my home. It's the middle of the night. You leave! You sh—"
"Pavo, you're in danger," I repeated, taking a step closer and leaning closer. "We need to leave now."
"What danger?" she asked. "There is no danger. And why would I trust you? I do not know you."
"I know, I know." Rubbing my temples with the fingers of my left hand, I ran them through my hair with a quick exhale. "You don't know me, but you need to trust me."
For a moment, she looked at me silently, the shadows throughout the room masking any emotions in her eyes from my view.
"Get out of my house before I call my Papa," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. My grip on my wand tightens, echoing the actions of my opposite hand as it curled in frustration. But before I could argue my case, electricity filled the air, accompanied by a zap that would be strange for anyone unfamiliar with magic, then the tell-tale screech of a door ripped off its hinges.
I froze, my gaze zipping up to meet Pavo's eyes. Those blue swirls shown back at me filled with fear and panic. Spinning to face the door, I cast three spells, creating barriers and curses to block the doorway. In my peripheral vision, I saw movement, so when I finished my casting, I turned to see Pavo pulling on a sweater, her wand in hand.
"Let's go," I urged as quietly as I could, reaching for her arm and heading towards the window by which I had entered. She instantly yanked her arm away and sent me a look I could not fully see.
"My family," she explained, heading towards the door I had just cursed that led (presumably) into the hallway, to her other brother, other mother, other father… and mine.
"No!" I jumped forward, stopping her before she touched the metal handle. "I cursed the door. You can't go that way."
Defiantly staring up at me for a fraction of a second, Pavo gave in, biting her lip as she agreed to go out the window. Insisting that she went first, I swung my head back and forth from her to the door, praying nothing happened on either front. When she landed outside with a soft thud, I followed her, shutting the window behind me. Then I noticed that she had hurried to the window next to hers, pulling out the screen and tossing it carelessly onto the ground.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, rushing towards her and reaching her right as she propped her hands on the window sill to jump inside. Without coming back down, she turned her head to look at me.
"I'm getting Paul," she answered curtly, then disappeared inside. With a grunt of frustration and a glance around me, I followed her. When I landed in the room, Pavo was already at her other brother's bedside, shaking him awake and speaking to him in French so fast I couldn't even make out the words. She gestured to me, and the little boy glanced over at me, scared but nodding his head, evidently trusting every word his sister said.
Seeing me standing there, uneasy, waiting, she said one last thing to him and he slid off the other side of his bed, reaching for some clothes draped across a chair. Pavo approached me now, gaze dancing between me and the door.
"Take Paul to the forest, wait for us in the trees," she instructed. When I opened my mouth to protest, she spoke before I could, pleading with me. "He has only eight years. I need to get my parents."
My eyes darted over to the young boy packing a bag with some things from his drawers, then back to the sister I'd never known, stance unyielding and determined.
"You take him, I'll get your parents."
She did not argue, but sent me a grateful look. Then she helped Paul out the window and followed him. From outside, only her neck and head visible, she whispered, "We will wait for you."
I nodded, watched her disappeared, then turned around. Closing my eyes for a moment, I swallowed, nodded again, and reached for the door handle.
Just as I was twisting the knob, a scream pierced the air. I froze, my thoughts straying to Pavo, hoping she and Paul kept their course. I threw the door open, grateful the hinges didn't squeak, and peered down the hallway. Holding my wand at the ready by my side, I ran as silently as possible towards the room at the end of the hall, the only room where light streamed from. The fact that it was a unnatural blue-purple light was not encouraging.
"So you are the filth that took her in," I heard a dark voice spit. A part of me registered that voice as belonging to my father, but my heart was beating so loudly in my head, it sounded twisted and dulled. A slurry of angry French, spoken in a deep voice I did not recognize, was cut short with a gasp.
"I've no need for you," my father said coldly. Unspoken spells filled the room with two blasts of red light, and I threw myself sideways, into some unknown room across from the one which my father burst from two seconds later. As soon as his footsteps signaled that he had passed me, probably on the hunt for Pavo, I snuck across the hall and into Pavo's adopted parents' bedroom. Prepared for the worst, I was relieved, though still sickened, to see the two adults out cold, strewn in strange positions across their furniture.
Knowing that my father would find Pavo's room and break through my hurried barriers quickly, discovering the emptiness inside, I rushed to the woman I had exchanged a few words with just a matter of hours ago. Reviving her, I also cast a Silencing Charm, needing her not to make any noise more than I wanted to not frighten her. As her eyes widened with panic upon returning to consciousness, I brought my fingers to my lips, urgently pleading with her to understand with my eyes. Recognition flashed through hers, and she nodded.
She turned to look for her husband, and I followed her gaze and hurried over to him. Using the same two spells, I Revived him and cast a Silencing Charm, but when consciousness returned to him, he instantly jumped to his feet. A loud bang echoed from the other side of the house, and I knew my father had broken through my wards. The man in front of me opened his mouth in an unheard scream, and before I could stop him, he pushed me aside and ran from the room, no doubt heading towards the rooms of his children.
I ran after him, hearing more footsteps follow behind me. The very second I entered the hallway, the ragged figure of my father appeared at the opposite end. Pavo's other father, caught between us, saw his mark and lowered his right shoulder, clearly planning on ramming into my father.
With a snarl of disgust and flick of his wand, my father prevented that, throwing the other man into the wall. He collapsed, tried to rise, then curled into a fetal position when my father hit him with another spell.
"Stop!" I screamed, casting my own hex with my wand. It caught my father's left shoulder, and he twisted backwards at the force. Instantly he searched out and met my gaze, and without warning I felt an overwhelming sense of terror wash over me completely.
"My wayward son," he snarled, drawing out and spitting the last word. "You are farther than I thought. Back down now, Draco, or you will make me do something I might regret."
"I told you I won't let you hurt her," I reminded him, my voice not nearly as strong or confident as I wished it would be. The tremor in it almost seemed to echo through my body, and I knew that such fear would only hinder my efforts to fight him.
"Draco, she is nothing to you! She is filth! Do as I say and stand down!" he shrieked, his face turned red with frustration and anger, reflecting the build up of emotions I felt in myself as well. My own anger grew, surpassing my fear and feeding my courage.
"Never."
I cast the first curse, but he blocked it easily, retaliating so fast that I had to skid to the left to avoid his attack. Getting a hold on myself, I cast another hex as I jumped back to the right, knowing I needed to escape this short and narrow hallway if I were to have a chance. Nearly every curse and hex I knew I had learned from my father, and he knew plenty more. And despite his recent stay in Azkaban, he was still stronger and more experienced than me.
After blocking his next spell, I ran through the doorway to the master bedroom, thinking I could take the duel outside somehow. A quick glance – all I could afford – told me that my choice was a horrible one. Not only was there no door to the outside, but Pavo's mother was still in there with me.
My eyes widened as I saw her, and I panicked. My thoughts flashed the man in the hallway, definitely injured, maybe worse. But I didn't have time to do anything else except turn around and throw up another Shield before my father appeared in the doorway and attacked again.
I dived behind the bed as I cast another curse, hoping the angle would somehow throw him off. But he managed to block it somehow, and it ricocheted to the left, shattering a full length mirror on the wall. The woman in the room screamed, instantly drawing attention to herself, and I took advantage of my father's momentary distraction to hurl another hex at him, but he twisted to the side, seeing it just in time, so that it only caught his left arm, slicing through the fabric and a good few layers of flesh. He howled in pain, then threw another curse at me. Recognizing it, I threw up the strongest Shield Charm I could manage and braced myself as I was blasted back in an explosion. Flying meters through the air, I landed roughly on the leg of a chair that had been blown apart. The force of the spell flipped my feet over my head and I rolled twice. Flaming pieces of the back wall lied strewn all over the ground, and I heard more screaming.
My father stepped up onto the remaining portion of the wall, his figure silhouetted by the mixed light of the fire and moon. A cruel snarl twisted his face into someone I barely even recognized. I forced myself to my feet, diving to the side and nearly loosing my footing as I avoided another spell.
Suddenly, a blast of red light streamed from the side, hitting my father in the chest. Taken by surprised, he staggered backwards, catching his balance only by latching on to one of the beams poking through the remnants of the house wall, then spun to face this new threat.
"Pavo, no!" I shouted, but the slight girl kept running towards us. My father, realizing that his target was in sight, smirked as he raised his wand.
Another shout, one I couldn't understand, stalled his hand, and Pavo's other mother heavily swung a long, dark object at my father's head. He collapsed against the beam he held onto instantly. With his other hand, in one swift motion, he sliced across the Muggle woman's chest. She gasped, bring both hands to her chest, as if their presence would slow the rush of blood pouring from her body.
"Mama!"
Seeing my last chance, I stood, held out my wand, and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Stupefy!"
Another voice echoed my call, and two blasts of light burst towards my father, both hitting him straight on. He fell, unconscious, toppling over the wall and landing on the rocks at the base of the house. I hurried forward, not knowing the state of any of the three adults ahead.
As I approached my father's unmoving body, a strange sensation swelled within me, and suddenly, I knew. I knew he was dead.
I slowed to a hurried walk, almost reluctant to take the steps that would verify my feelings.
But necks aren't supposed to bend that way.
I paused, unable to move, unable to function.
Then movement. I looked up and saw Pavo climb up over the wall and disappear. After another heartbeat, I followed. By the time I could see over the barrier, Pavo was crying, holding her mother's head in her lap, speaking to her quickly and desperately in French. Her mother's responses came softer and slower, but I knew just by looking at the wounds that in a matter of minutes, they would cease.
I walked on, invisible to the grieving two. A part of me wanted to slow down, stop, as I reached the doorway to the hall, but my feet kept moving. Closer and closer to the body whose position had not changed since I last saw it.
Crouching down, I looked into empty eyes for the second time that night.