The murmuring wouldn't stop. Wherever Draco went, the sound of whispers followed him. People pointed, people glared, people stood in shock, people moved out of his way quickly. Perhaps it was how Harry felt whenever he went somewhere. Well, and that the people would actually swarm adoringly around Harry and not Draco, but that was beside the point.
Draco had his hand in his pocket where a wand that wasn't his own rested. There were times he wished he snapped it or just left it somewhere hidden. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't get rid of it.
His own wand was in its holster up his sleeve where he could easily access it. Fred the Snake was wrapped loosely around his neck, unmoving. To anyone he looked like a necklace.
Slowly entering the Great Hall, Draco made sure to keep his chin held high as he stalked over to the Slytherin table. He ignored the venomous looks he received and just patiently waited for the feast to begin.
Sev wasn't at the Head Table and Draco couldn't come up with a reason of why he wouldn't be there. With a tilt of his head, he was staring at the double doors.
More people were pouring in, their idle chatter filling the huge room.
"There you are, Draco! I've been looking for you!" Pansy dropped down next to him, the first Slytherin to actually come anywhere near him. Blaise settled himself in front of Pansy and just gave Draco a nod in acknowledgement.
Draco returned the gesture before turning to Pansy. "And you would be searching for me for what reason?"
"To talk, of course! We haven't talked in ages and I've missed hanging out with you and Blaise." The girl waved her hand to dismiss whatever Blaise was about to say. "Besides, who believes the Daily Prophet anyway?"
Letting his eyes roam around the room, Draco then turned to Pansy and raised an eyebrow. "Many, I'm sure."
"Mindless pigs, Draco. They're all just mindless pigs."
"I believe the word you're looking for is sheep, Parkinson. Sit straight."
"How many times do I need to remind you my name's Pansy?"
"How many times must I remind you to correct your posture?"
"So if I correct my posture you'll call me Pansy?"
"No."
"See? So what's the point of perfect posture?"
The hall grew quiet and Draco turned to look at the entrance of the room. The man who stood there had a black trench coat on and was staring directly at him. Unwilling to move right away, Draco cocked his head to the side and smirked. He wasn't going to make their job easier than it had to be.
Whoever the auror was sighed and strode over to them until he stood behind Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, if you'll be so -"
"I believe you are mistaking me for someone else. My last name is no longer Malfoy."
No one talked, every single pair of eyes were locked on Draco and the auror behind him. "My mistake, Mr. Draco. If you will be so kind as to follow me."
Standing, he gave a nod to Pansy and Blaise before following the Auror. The sound of people talking grew and Draco forced himself to keep his smirk on his face.
We should curse them.
For the first time in a while, Draco agreed with Malfoy. However, he knew that it wasn't an option. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a student grinning at him - and not in a friendly way. Perhaps Draco would get a chance to curse someone.
It didn't take long to exit the Great Hall and to walk into an unused classroom.
He hadn't been all that surprised to see an auror come for him. He hadn't been surprised when they had left the Great Hall without anyone objecting; not even the professors.
What he hadn't been expecting was the auror who was waiting for them in the unused classroom. His cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. Her hair was black and in a pixie cut. Her eyes were a brilliant blue that were narrowed on him. Her height was just slightly over his five foot seven inch frame.
Draco had never met her before. The only reason he recognized her was because she had stood, put her hands on her hips and snapped out, "I'm Auror Tonks. Auror Williamson and I are here to question you about the death of your father."
"You mean the murder of my father." He watched as Nymphadora tilted her head to the side. "Sugar coating what has happened will only drag this out longer, will it not?"
Let me out.
"Yes it will," Williamson muttered. "Alright then, I will administer the truth serum and ask the questions while Aurora Tonks will record everything. Now, if you are ready, Mr. Draco, let's begin."
"No." The two aurors straightened and made to pull out their wands, but Draco just sat down in the only piece of furniture in the old classroom: the chair in the middle of the room. "You will not be the one to administer the potion to me, nor will you be the one to ask the questions. Nymphadora will be the one to do so."
"Wha?"
Draco didn't think that warranted an answer so he turned to Williamson and waited for his response. "That, Mr. Draco, is against Ministry policy. Since Auror Tonks is a direct descendant of the same family line as you are, the relation can contaminate and skew the results in-"
"Nonsense. If that was an issue then she would not be here. However, since we have never met once or talked in any fashion, it should hardly be counted into the equation at all."
The two aurors exchanged glances before Williamson nodded and pulled a vial out of his trench coat and handed it to Nymphadora. Draco watched, enchanted, as the witch's hair color turned a deep brown instead of the black and the bright blue eyes dimmed down to a lighter shade of the previous color.
She walked extremely slowly to the boy before she stopped, uncorked the vial and waited for Draco to open his mouth. He did so and waited for two small drops to land on his tongue before closing his mouth. He swallowed the potion down and felt something make its way into his landscape, but he was able to grab the potions influence with some vines and contain it so the Veritaserum wouldn't affect anything he said.
The two aurors wouldn't believe he was skilled in Occlumency and able to stop the truth serum.
"We'll wait a moment for the Veritaserum to take hold before we begin," Williamson said as he moved to the far side of the room while Nymphadora took a few steps away from Draco.
The silence stretched on before she took a deep breath and asked, "What is your full name?"
"My birth name is Draco Lucius Malfoy. My name at this time is Draco Lucius. I have no family name."
"What is your mother's full name?"
"Narcissa Irma Malfoy née Black."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"No."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"What do you know about your father's murder?"
"Everything." Draco had thought it through on the train ride to Hogwarts. He would tell them most of the truth, except for the fact that his father had been taken completely over by his mask. That the man Draco once knew and loved had been gone before his body had followed.
"Who killed your father?"
"I did." Draco's voice was soft as he admitted that aloud. His eyes went to the far wall and didn't focus on anything. For a moment, he could see the rocks and rubble as it fell, his mother's wail filling the room.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Nymphadora asked. "You do realize that you'll be sent to Azkaban?"
Draco shook himself out of his trance and looked at his cousin. "No, it doesn't."
"You just -"
"Nymphadora, you are not finished with your interrogation."
"You admitted to -"
"Killing my father, yes. However, you did not ask about the circumstances." He fought to keep his voice steady, his face impassive.
"Alright, what were the circumstances?"
"Self defense. I was there to retrieve what was rightfully mine and he tried to kill me. I sent out mild hexes while he shot the killing curse."
"Yet you used bombarda. If you had hit him, he would have died, yet you hit the wall to kill him that way instead."
"No, I sent the spell at the wall in an attempt to get his attention averted. It worked too well and now he's dead."
Nymphadora narrowed her eyes, "You do not appear to be mourning the loss of your father."
"I do not hear a question, Nymphadora."
She huffed and crossed her arms, obviously annoyed, "Auror Tonks, Mr. Draco."
Draco didn't bother repeating himself. He would call her Nymphadora even if she hated it.
"Why are you not mourning the loss of your father?"
"I am."
"Why does it appear that you are not?"
"I wouldn't show weakness in front of you."
"Emotion is a weakness?"
Draco held back an eyeroll before he said, "No."
"Explain."
"Emotion is human nature. However, when we are at our lowest we are at our weakest. All one needs to do is to suppress our weakness - in this case my mourning - until we are in a setting where we are not in danger."
"This is dangerous?"
"Of course. You have already threatened me with Azkaban."
The door banged open and Sev strode through, an angry scowl in place. "What is the meaning of this?" He walked in between Draco and Nymphadora, aiming his fury at the two aurors. "I did not realize that the auror department is full of imbeciles. I believe Dumbledore and myself specifically stated that you would not question him without one of us present."
Williamson's hazel eyes turned towards Severus "Professor Snape, glad you could join us. While it is true we agreed you're attendance would be allowed during the interrogation, your presence wasn't necessary. Therefore there was no reason to delay due to your absence." Apparently dismissing the potions master, Williamson turned to Nymphadora. "Continue."
Nymphadora paused, blinking rapidly until she nodded when Sev moved out of the way. "Who else was there when you killed your father?"
Pausing, Draco went back to the Daily Prophet and the interview they had with his mother. She said she hadn't gotten there until the wall fell on top of his father. "My mother arrived as the wall fell. I left immediately afterwards."
"What of your disownment?"
Severus looked over at Draco, but the boy didn't give him a glance. "Let me ask you, Nymphadora: if you had a son and he killed your husband - in self-defense or otherwise - would you want to allow your son to remain the heir of everything your husband stood for?"
She didn't have an answer to that. "What spells did he use against you?"
"The killing curse, dismemberment, one that turns your skin inside out, one that takes your intestines and places them outside your body. Do you want me to continue?"
His cousin looked a bit green as she shook her head. "Was your father a death eater?"
Even though he didn't want to admit it, he did. "Yes."
"Were you?"
Shrugging, Draco rolled up his left sleeve and showed them his arm. "I was in training. I had left after returning home for the summer. I have no desire to bow down to anyone. A week before school started, I went back for my money."
"And that is when the whole ordeal happened?"
"Yes." Draco shifted a bit before his stomach let out a low rumble. He looked down at it, not believing that it actually betrayed him by making a sound.
"He has admitted that he acted out of self-defense has he not?" Severus' voice spoke up.
Nymphadora turned her head to the side and gave the professor a nod.
"What else do you need to know?"
"Who are the other Death Eaters?"
"I don't know. They always wear masks and they put a charm on their voices so I couldn't recognize them."
"Then that's all." Williamson walked forward and went to hand Draco a vial, but Sev took it and unstoppered it. He took a quick whiff, swirled the liquid and stared at the coloring and consistency before he gave the vial to Draco.
Draco knocked the vial back, drinking the potion and shuddered at the taste. The weird presence in his landscape melted away, making Draco sigh as he stopped trying to choke the strange thing.
"What of Azkaban?" Draco asked as he stood warily, stopping himself from rubbing his temples.
"If what you say is true, then it was self-defense, Mr. Draco. You will be required to submit the memory as further evidence prior to your name being fully cleared to support your testimony."
Nodding, the blonde turned and went to the door with Severus beside him. The two aurors followed behind them and walked the two to the Great Hall.
When they were standing in front of the two double doors, the aurors left and for a moment Severus had his hand on Draco's shoulder. Taking comfort in it for a second, Draco closed his eyes before he straightened.
There was a squeeze on his shoulder before Severus took his hand back and the two entered the Great Hall.
The moment Draco was alone in his room, he pulled out his wand and waved it at the closed door that led to the common room. He fell on his stomach onto his blankets, wrapping his arms around his head.
It had been a long night. During the feast people would point and stare, whisper and glare. Afterwards, on the way to the common room, he had been constantly jostled between everyone. Theodore had even called out - when they were in the Slytherin common room - that he was a father killer.
Draco technically was a father killer, but he didn't want to hear others calling him that. Merlin, it was only the first night back. He had the Come and Go Room he could run to. He had Severus if things got too rough. He had Fred.
The green little snake unwound himself from Draco's neck and slithered to the spot in front of Draco. A second later the body shimmered and Fred was sitting cross-legged on the bed. He didn't say anything. He just gently placed his hand in Draco's hair, massaging the blonde's scalp.
Draco slowly reached out and gripped Fred's pant leg as his shoulders began to shake. He tried to keep his breathing even, but it just grew shallower. He tried to keep the tears at bay, but they refused to listen.
Fred just sat there, rubbing Draco's head as the younger man wept.
There was hardly anyone in the Great Hall. Breakfast had just started and the moment Draco had sat down Sev had handed the blonde his schedule.
Monday:
Study of Ancient Runes - First Period - Gryffindor
Defense Against the Dark Arts - Third Period - Gryffindor
Lunch
Double Potions - Fourth and Fifth Period - Gryffindor
Tuesday:
History of Magic - Second Period - Ravenclaw
Lunch
Herbology - Fourth Period - Hufflepuff
Astronomy - 23:00 - Hufflepuff
Wednesday:
Arithmancy - First Period - Ravenclaw
Potions - Second Period - Gryffindor
Lunch
Transfiguration - Fourth Period - Hufflepuff
Charms - Fifth Period - Ravenclaw
Thursday:
Herbology - First Period - Hufflepuff
Double Defense Against the Dark Arts - Second and Third Period - Gryffindor
Lunch
Study of Ancient Runes - Fifth - Gryffindor
Astronomy - 24:00 - Hufflepuff
Friday:
Double Transfiguration - First and Second Periods - Hufflepuff
Charms - Third Period - Ravenclaw
Lunch
Arithmancy - Fifth Period - Ravenclaw
He sighed, looking at what he had for the day. All day with Gryffindors. Which meant all day with the Golden Trio. Which meant he had to actually sit and talk with them.
No, he didn't have to sit with them. He would talk to them, but he wouldn't sit with them. Hermione was the only one out of the three who wasn't jumping down his throat. He would rather sit by Blaise who demanded nothing and would just be quiet company.
Something rubbed against his leg and he looked down before a small smile appeared on his face. He reached down and pulled Eira into his lap, stroking her pure white coat. His fingers easily moving through the soft fur.
He reached forward and took a small piece of bacon and fed it to her. The kneazle was getting bigger and bigger, almost the size of a Blue-Heeler and it was uncomfortable to keep her in his lap, but he did.
She gave a mewl as she placed her front paws on the table. Bright blue eyes turned to him as she gave another meow. Her bushy tail weaved around in his lap. The green little snake made his way down Draco's neck and down his arm to lay down in Eira's warm fur, the very end of his tail wrapped around Draco's pinky finger.
Draco spent the next half hour feeding himself and Eira and the green-snake. There wasn't any way that he could name it Fred because it looked nothing like Fred except for the weird eyes which were the color of warm chocolate instead of the normal black.
Finished, Draco gently placed Eira on the ground and stood. More and more people were coming in. Before he could walk away, Apollo came soaring down and landed on the table. The Eagle Owl held out his leg regally and Draco took off the newspaper that was attached to him.
When Eira went to jump on the table to move towards the owl, the blonde quickly gave Apollo some bacon and the owl left just as Eira pounced on the spot where Apollo had just left. When Eira jumped, the green snake's tail tightened around Draco, making the boy quickly move the snake back to his neck.
Moving away from the table, Eira simply followed him as she pounced to the floor. She trotted by his side as they headed for the double doors. He was just about to step through the doorway when two parts of the Golden Trio appeared.
The whole hall fell silent. All eyes turned to them. Harry didn't bother looking at anyone while Ron fidgeted. Eira gave a large yawn before padding out of the Great Hall and headed to who knew where, apparently bored with what the humans were doing.
The Slytherin inclined his head in greeting. Harry smiled and asked, "Have you gotten your schedule yet?"
Everyone seemed to lean as close as they could to the group. Hermione stood from the Gryffindor table and made her way over to them.
Draco didn't give a reply except for showing off the white parchment. Before Harry could say anything more, Hermione was standing beside Draco. "Slytherins and Gryffindors are sharing classes today."
"Does that mean he's going to sit next to us?" Ron blurted out.
"Of course not, Weasley," Draco clenched the newspaper in his hand while he placed his school schedule in his robe's pocket. "If I had any desire to sit with any of you, it would certainly not be with you two imbeciles."
They were supposed to be on speaking terms, but the boy found it hard to have a civil conversation with either of the boys.
"So you would sit next to Hermione? A muggle born?"
"I thought that didn't matter, Weasley," he rose an eyebrow before continuing on while Ron sputtered. "She is the only one in your... posse who understands what is going on. If you will excuse me."
Sweeping past the two gaping Gryffindors, Draco didn't get far before a call of, "Draco!" had him pausing. He didn't turn to look at who called out - who wouldn't recognize her voice? - but waited for her to catch up.
"What do you need, Granger?"
"I was just wondering if you were heading to the library."
"If I was?"
"Then I was going to invite myself to go with you."
Draco hummed before striding forward with Hermione beside him. They walked in silence that Draco didn't mind at all. It was... content. He had nothing to say, she apparently had nothing more to say and they could just walk.
He never had that with anyone. His mind said Fred, but he pushed that thought away. He warned himself he couldn't become to content or he could lose everything.
They finally made it to the library. Madam Pince gave them an odd stare before she went back to her books. The two made their way to the back. Since most students were either getting ready for the day or at breakfast, the two were basically the only ones there.
There were a few students here and there. They passed a Hufflepuff and a few Ravenclaws. The Slytherin and Gryffindor went past all of them and sat in the back next to a tall window. The sun was already up and gave good light onto the table.
Hermione put up a silencing charm while Draco put other safety charms on top of hers, lying the newspaper on the table.
"I heard Ginny saying something about Bellatrix."
Trust Hermione to just jump into the topic. "Ah, you are talking about the time when she intruded in her brothers' home. Yes, I did mention Bellatrix. She has a possible horcrux in her safe."
She blinked a few times before her eyes narrowed, "Then why didn't you mention it before?"
"It was the night before we left here. Nothing could have been done before hand." Draco set his bag on his lap as he leaned back. "There would have been no time to go look for it. There would have -" Draco broke off and looked to where they entered. "I expected her to wait a bit longer. Lower the silencing charm if you do not mind, Granger."
The girl nodded and waved her wand. "Who's there?"
"Ginevra, it is prudent you stop trying to eavesdrop on a conversation you can not hear. It reflects poorly on you, especially once you are caught."
The redheaded girl came out, a blush on her face as she looked at the two of them. "Why are you with him, Hermione?'
"He's on our side, Gin."
"How do you know?"
"The library is not the correct location to talk of this." Draco stood, grabbed his bag and pulled it onto his shoulder while he idly stroked his neck. "If you wish to continue, follow quickly so none of us are late to our classes."
Without a backward glance, Draco lead the way out of the library. Hermione quickly followed and Ginny stormed behind the two of them. Draco weaved his way to the moving staircases, but when the stairs began to move he clamped his hand down hard on the railing and kept still.
When the stair finally stopped moving, Draco continued on as if he hadn't stopped in the first place. Other kids either ran past the three of them or stopped and stared. Draco just kept on moving, pretending that the staring didn't bother him.
The snake tightened around his arm - where he had moved - and Draco hoped that he would stay put for the whole scene. He didn't want Fred to come out. He didn't want anyone to know he was there. If someone found out...
Not lingering on the thought of Dumbledore somehow figuring out the twin was there, Draco had to shoulder his way past a few Gryffindors when he reached the seventh floor. Quickly maneuvering their way past the nosey children, Draco once again stood in front of Barnabas the Strange and the trolls who still wore tutus.
"Ah, you're back again, are ya? With friends this time. Don't disturb my practices, now." With that, the man huffed and went back to the trolls. "No! You twirl at the same time and then jump at different intervals. It isn't that difficult! You learned it already! Why can't you remember?"
"How does he know where the room is?"
Draco once again ignored the girl and paced three times, focusing on what he wanted.
A green door appeared, vines carved into the smooth wood. Draco carefully opened it and gently smiled at what appeared. Before him was the path that belonged in the garden at the mansion. His little safe haven if he was stressed out, not that Ginny or Hermione needed to know that.
The other two followed him in and the door shut quietly behind them.
Trees loomed around them, leaves of orange, red and yellow drifting around them on a non existent wind. A well worn path was before them and Draco lead the way, letting the girls follow him. Not even twenty steps later the path stopped and the meadow was in front of him.
However, he didn't enter. He stayed in the trees, once again not entering the little meadow. Even though it was a replica, he wouldn't enter.
What are you trying to accomplish?
Draco ignored Malfoy's voice as the two girls walked past him and into the meadow. They looked around with open mouths and wide eyes. It didn't take long, though, before Ginny remembered why they were there in the first place.
"Why are you with him, Hermione?"
"We were studying."
"Even you! Why can't you just tell me what's going on!"
"Ginevra, that is not why you are here." Draco crossed his arms as he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You would have confronted me with or without Granger present."
She huffed before she crossed her arms. "I want to know with what spell or potion or..." she threw her hands up in the air, apparently exasperated, "whatever kind of dark magic you know that caused my brothers to be under your rule and I want them free. Now. You aren't good for them and Fred's gone missing."
"Has George seemed worried?"
"No, but if it has something to do with you then -"
"You saw them both before you boarded the train."
"Well, yes -"
"There has been no time for Fred to disappear and for you to have received an owl."
"Oh, I just know Fred would do something stupid. If he's under something he wouldn't stay with George."
Sighing, Draco leaned against a tree. "Alright, this nonsense is going to end. Potter, I know you are there."
When no answer came Draco sighed and gently took the snake off him. "Granger, if you will." He handed her the snake and Draco widened his stance just a bit while he drew his wand. "Accio Harry Potter."
A/N I want to apologize for the atrocious wait. It's nearing the end - I actually see the ending playing out in my mind - and I'm trying to figure out how to tie in everything in together because I want to make sure I tie up all the loose ends. So it's going to be slow posting from now on. It doesn't help that I got promoted in one of my jobs so I went from working 20 hours a week for both jobs to about 40 hours a week for just one of them, and 4-12 hours at the other... fun times, yea? I will try to update as quickly as I can, though. :)
Any and all comments are welcomed, they actually make me more excited to write and always make my day when I read them. Thank you for being so patient with me and sticking with this story.
Also, I have written another one-shot. I know, bad me, but I actually really like how this one came out. Like, I really like it a lot - which is something that does not happen very much. Haha. It's titled, "Delving Into the Mind". This is now the end of another long authors note. Until next time. :D
