* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 63: Down Memory Lane…
All of the flashbacks in this chapter are from part two of this series, "Last Call for Sin" so if you want to read more on the Draco/Pansy or Harry/Hermione backstory, head over there for a read!
Draco had been banished from Number 11 Grimmauld Place, which meant the door threw him back when he knocked on it, literally. He also couldn't get in via floo because his signature had been blocked.
So he resorted to standing on the roof garden shouting of number 12, "Theo! THEO! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME THEO. JUST LET ME IN THE BLOODY HOUSE!"
This went on for about ten minutes before the door to the roof garden opened. Theo stepped out, "What the hell do you want?" he shouted across the rooftop. The houses were terraced, but the houses narrowed toward the roof, so there was a small divide between the two roof gardens.
"I want to apologise," Draco said honestly.
"You really think an apology is going to make everything better?" Theo asked irritably.
"Just hear me out, please."
Theo crossed his arms but made no move to leave the roof garden.
Draco sighed, "You were my Harry Potter; you're right. In fact, you were more than that. You were the one person who cared about me enough to try and get me through the hardest years of my life. You are the strongest person I know, the bravest person I know."
Theo scoffed, "Braver than Harry Potter?"
Draco nodded, "Yes, braver than him. He did what he needed to do, he fulfilled a prophecy that had been written about him, and yes, he was brave to do that. But it's not the same bravery that I saw in you day in and day out. To stand up to your father when you knew what was coming, to overcome that fear and stand there taking a beating? To be subjected to the cruciatus curse and not make a sound? That is a whole different level of bravery, Theo. You aren't the weak one. You are the one who has been through the most, so you are the one with the most material for dementors and the like to target. But the fact you survived it all makes you the strong one."
Theo actually looked a little tearful.
"And I don't know what I would have done without you," Draco said honestly, "I don't even know if I would still be here. If I had been forced to take the dark mark at the start of the summer…I would have been forced to do horrible things. As it was, you kept me safe, and then Hogwarts kept me safe. If I had to bear a summer like the one after sixth year…I don't think I would have survived it. You were always there for me, Theo, and you did protect me. So for me to say that I was alone, that I had no one…that was wrong and selfish of me."
Theo nodded and hastily wiped his eyes, "Thank you, Draco. That means…that means a lot."
"I don't care what everyone thinks. I'm the sidekick here, not you," Draco finished, "And you're the bravest man I know."
Theo sucked in a sharp breath, "Oh, for Salazar's sake. The things I do for love."
Draco frowned and was about to ask him what he meant when Theo began to climb the railing of the roof terrace.
"Theo, you're gonna kill yourself, you bloody idiot!"
"I'll be fine; it's a tiny gap," Theo said. He stood on the ledge and jumped, landing deftly on the roof of number 12. He vaulted the railing and hugged Draco tightly.
"That was stupid," Draco muttered.
"I know, but I'm an idiot, and you're an idiot," Theo shrugged, "We're the co-presidents of Club Idiot."
Draco laughed and pulled back from the hug, "Are we back together?"
"Get me a drink and tell me that you're the sidekick again, and the wedding will still be on," Theo joked.
Draco laughed and put an arm around his friend, "Deal."
When Hermione walked into Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Draco wished that Theo was still there because he expected a fight. He had said some awful things to Hermione, and he figured that she would still be angry.
Draco jumped in alarm and yelled when she stepped silently into the kitchen.
"Twitchy little ferret, aren't you Malfoy?" Hermione asked calmly.
"Sweet Salazar Hermione," Draco said, he clutched his chest, "Don't do that to me!"
Hermione fixed him with a serious look, "I think we need to talk."
"I think we do too," Draco agreed.
He frowned at the box that was levitating behind her. She placed it on the table and opened it to reveal a pensieve.
Draco frowned, "Uh…what?"
"I need to show you some memories from the war," Hermione said by way of explanation, "I think it might be the only way to make you understand what I went through."
Draco nodded slowly, "I think I need to show you some of my memories to make you understand what I went through, but I am worried about it."
Hermione sighed, "So am I. You aren't going to like everything you see, and some things…some things might scare you off."
"I feel the same about showing you my memories," Draco assured her, "I'm afraid you'll just end up seeing me the way that I see myself."
"Better to do it now than after we're married then I suppose," Hermione said with a sigh as she reached out to take his hand.
He grasped her hand tightly, and together, they dove into the pensieve.
They were in the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries. A battle was raging between Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna, and the Death Eaters. Draco's own father was amongst the men fighting the school children.
Hermione raised her wand and yelled, "Stupefy!"
The spell sped straight for Alfred Nott, who had a tight grip on Harry. He loosened his grip and fell back into a shelf. A whole shelf of prophecies wobbled precariously then topped down on top of him.
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, and they ran together.
As the battle continued, Hermione carried on fighting, and she managed to stun another Death Eater. Then she silenced Dolohov before he could bring the rest of the Death Eaters to the battle.
When Dolohov sent a curse at her, she let out a small gasp of, "Oh!" then collapsed to the ground while the battle raged on.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked as he perched on the edge of her bed in the hospital wing.
"Sore," Hermione admitted.
"What did he do to you?" Harry asked. His brow knitting into a frown.
"That curse that he used was homemade," Hermione said quietly, "Madam Pomfrey thinks it's some sort of combination of a fire spell and a cutting curse."
Harry's frown deepened.
"It causes internal injuries," Hermione explained, "I need to take ten potions a day, and I will be in for a while."
"But you're going to be okay?" Harry asked, "Everything inside is going to heal?"
Hermione nodded and winced, "My ribs hurt, and one of my lungs was punctured. Madam Pomfrey said it was a good thing that it hadn't struck my stomach."
"Why?" Harry asked curiously.
"Because if it had, it would be very unlikely that I would ever have children in the future."
Harry shook his head, "If I come face to face with him again, I'll kill him."
"No," Hermione said, taking his hand, "You won't because you're better than him. You are better than all of them, Harry."
The Battle of the Lightning Struck Tower raged all around. Death Eaters were duelling DA and Order members in the corridors leading away from the staircase to the Astronomy Tower.
In the midst of it, Hermione duelled Alecto Carrow while Ginny duelled her brother Amycus. Killing curses flew past their heads, and jinxes bounced off of walls and portraits.
Hermione lost her focus when a feral growl sounded, followed by a yell of pain.
"Bill!" Ginny cried.
As Ginny drew back, both of the Carrows advanced on Hermione and backed her into a wall. She defended well, but she had no choice but to try and dodge the darker curses that they were sending her way.
"Hermione!"
The call had come from Neville, who pushed her to the side and stunned Alecto Carrow. Hermione jumped back into the duel, but the two of them were no match for Amycus. They shielded as best as possible, but Amycus used an unshieldable cutting curse and sliced Neville's leg. Hermione moved in front of her friend as he fell to the ground in pain.
While he was momentarily feeling smug, Hermione managed to stun him. Then she fell to her knees next to Neville.
"It's okay, Neville," She said as her hands shook, "I can heal it."
"So what should we do with the filthy mudblood?" Bellatrix asked.
"She has outlived her usefulness," Lucius answered.
Bellatrix cocked her head at Greyback, "Are you hungry?"
The werewolf grinned.
"Greyback is rather fond of those with dirty blood," Lucius Malfoy said distastefully, "Personally, I wouldn't touch her with a barge pole. Would you Draco?"
Draco swallowed and caught Hermione's eye. She silently pleaded for help.
"Draco?"
"No, Father," Draco said quietly.
"Go ahead, Bellatrix," Lucius said.
Bellatrix's eyes flashed wickedly, "Perhaps Greyback can help loosen your tongue, amongst other things."
Greyback licked his lips and stepped forward, and Draco couldn't take it anymore.
"No!" He shouted as he ran forward, "She's a mudblood, but she doesn't deserve that!"
"Enough, Draco!" Lucius snapped. With a click of his fingers, Draco's feet were frozen to the floor, "Hold your tongue, you foolish boy!" he hissed, and with another click of his fingers, Draco was silenced.
"The boy has a point, Lucius," Rodolphus said calmly, "Perhaps we should try other methods to extract information before we resort to that option."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Boring!"
Rodolphus shrugged her comment off, "Make her a work of art, my darling, and make it hurt."
Bellatrix grinned wickedly and began to carve the word "Mudblood" into Hermione's arm.
Hermione was curled up in a bed with bloodshot eyes as two voices spoke to her through a pastel blue door.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry's voice called.
"She hasn't moved in 2 days," Ron's voice whispered anxiously.
"She was tortured, you idiot. Do you really think she's going to be fine after that?" Harry asked Ron irritably.
Hermione screwed her eyes shut tightly, "Just leave me alone!"
"We can't leave you alone. We're worried about you," Harry said softly.
"I'm fine," Hermione lied as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Hermione, you need to tell us what happened when you were alone up there."
"No, I don't," Hermione said firmly, "I'm fine. Just leave me alone."
"I don't know what more we can say to her," Ron whispered, "Maybe you should go in."
Harry sighed, "I doubt she'll tell me anything."
There was a moment of silence, and Draco half-expected the memory to shift. Then Harry walked into the room and knelt in front of Hermione's bed.
"Hermione, please. Please tell me what happened to you back there because I'm terrified. The more you don't talk to us, the more scared I am of what they did to you."
Hermione swallowed and sat up in bed. Silently, she lifted her sleeve and showed him the cut on her arm.
"It was a cursed blade," Hermione said, her voice lower than a whisper, "It will scar."
The word 'Mudblood' was still so red, so angry.
"She tortured me," Hermione whispered, "Bellatrix. She used the cruciatus curse on me."
Harry looked up into her eyes.
"Hermione," Harry said, his voice choked in his throat, "It's going to be okay."
"No," Hermione said. Her voice was a little louder, but it still sounded broken, "It's not."
He sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at her. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she didn't move to wipe them away, "I can feel myself changing Harry," she said quietly, "Every choice I have to make, every bad choice, every mistake it changes me."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, averting his gaze, "For being one of those bad choices."
Hermione swallowed and looked at the window.
"I feel like I'm killing part of myself," Hermione said. She sat with her back against the headboard, her knees drawn tightly underneath her, "Like I'm ignoring my heart until it becomes blind and deaf. I can feel myself growing harder every day."
"Then don't," Harry said, "Don't."
Hermione caught his eye.
"Don't grow harder," Harry said, "You've never been alone, and you never will be. Ron and I will always be here, so talk to us, lean on us. Let us help you. Don't lock yourself away and grow harder, please."
The final battle was raging all around. Hermione, Ginny and Luna were all duelling Bellatrix Lestrange, and it was clear that they were struggling.
Bellatrix cackled and grinned wickedly as she threw lethal curses at the three girls. Hermione had such hatred in her eyes as she cast curses that Draco would never have imagined she would have deemed morally okay to use at the woman who had tortured her.
There was no doubt about it. Hermione would have killed Bellatrix, given half a chance. They watched the scene until one of Bellatrix's killing curses narrowly avoided Ginny, and Molly stepped in to kill the dark witch.
When they came out of the pensieve, Draco took one look at Hermione and decided that she wasn't up for talking just yet. He silently extracted some memories from his own head and placed them in the pensieve.
Hermione wiped her tears away and dropped his hand.
"No," Draco said quietly, "You showed me yours, so I'll show you mine."
He took her clammy hand and dragged them into his world.
"He's back, Narcissa. He's back!"
"I know Lucius!"
"Then you know what this means."
"It means he will come for our son," Narcissa hissed.
Draco sat atop the stairs, listening to his parents talking. He was 15, just home from his fourth year.
"Draco will be proud the day he takes the mark, just like I was," Lucius said.
"What if Draco doesn't want that? He's a good boy Lucius, a smart boy!"
"A wonderful asset for the dark lord, as soon as he is of age, of course."
Draco sat with his head in his hands.
"No, Lucius, you cannot take my son!" Narcissa said dangerously, "I will let you hurt me, and I will let you control me but not him, never him."
There was a sigh, "Narcissa, I don't want to have to resort to this again. I do not take pleasure in placing you under the imperius curse, but if you will not do my bidding as a good wife should-"
"I will never let you hand our son over to that monster," Narcissa spat, "Never, Lucius!"
Draco shook his head as tears burned in his eyes. He knew what was coming, but he still jumped when he heard the words spoken harshly.
"Imperio!"
Then there was just silence, a deadly, long silence. Draco held his breath for fear of being discovered, but it was too late.
"Draco! How dare you listen in on our conversation?" Lucius hissed.
"S…sorry, Father," Draco stuttered as he got to his feet.
"How much did you hear?" Lucius asked. He cocked his head at his son.
"Enough," Draco replied, keeping his eyes cast downwards.
"Enough to know that you will join the Dark Lord and serve him as I have?" Lucius asked.
Draco nodded.
"Does that fill you with pride, Draco?"
"Yes, Father," Draco replied quietly, "May I go to bed now?"
Lucius gave a brisk nod, "The next time I catch you eavesdropping, you will not get off so lightly."
"Yes, Father. Sorry, Father."
Draco screamed in pain then fell to a heap, panting and gasping for breath.
"Now Draco," Lucius said calmly as he stood in his Death Eater robes, "What were you told about coming downstairs during my meetings?"
"I'm sorry, Father," Draco gasped, "I didn't know you had a meeting."
"Let the boy stay, Lucius," Voldemort said quietly.
"I'm sorry, my lord?"
"He will join us soon," Voldemort said from beneath his cloak, "Let him watch the proceedings."
"Sit, Draco," Lucius said briskly.
Draco sat down and kept his eyes cast downwards.
"I killed three muggle families this week," A Death Eater said.
Draco flinched as he continued, "Less scum in the world. You should have heard them begging; it was just like the Potters all over again."
Draco shut his eyes tightly at that comment.
"We need to keep recruiting," Another Death Eater said, "The giants need more persuading."
"We shall persuade them. Perhaps Draco could help our cause?"
Draco looked up a little, terrified of looking Voldemort in the eye, "Help?"
"My lord," Lucius hissed, "You must address him as such."
"My lord," Draco added hastily.
Voldemort's eyes flashed wickedly, "A spy within Hogwarts…yes. Report back to your father, Draco. Tell him everything that Harry Potter does this year."
"Y…yes, my lord," Draco said, then he cast his eyes downwards again.
"Theo! Theo, help me, please!"
Theo opened the door of Nott Manor and let his best friend in, "What's happened?"
"I need your help," Draco gasped, "Please, is your father home?"
Theo shook his head, "No, he's out. How did you get here?"
"I ran," Draco gasped.
"You ran? Draco, what the hell is going on?"
"Let me stay here, hide me please, Theo," Draco begged, "They want to give me the mark, and I can't. I can't do it; please hide me here."
Theo nodded and grabbed his arm, "Come on. You can hide in the old summer house. Nobody will know that you're here unless your father comes looking for you, but I'm a good liar."
"Thank you, Theo."
"He was just here."
"Who? My Father?"
Theo nodded and sat down gingerly, "He wanted to know where you were."
"Did he hurt you?" Draco asked.
"No, no, Lucius Malfoy doesn't like to get his hands dirty," Theo said. He grimaced, "He made my father use the cruciatus curse while he interrogated me, but don't worry. I'm used to it; you know how curse happy my father is."
"I'm sorry, Theo."
Theo shook his head, "I'm not going to let you become a Death Eater Draco," he promised.
"Do you know what they make you do when you join?" Draco asked quietly.
"Kill someone?" Theo guessed.
"Kill a muggle or a muggle-born," Draco replied, "Someone with…dirty blood…someone like Granger."
Theo looked up at him, "There are a lot of muggle-borns at our school. Why did your mind go straight to the Gryffindor princess?"
"Because when my father told me I would be joining the Death Eaters one day…it was her face I saw. Every time I have a nightmare, I'm being forced to kill her while they brand me," Draco said quietly.
Theo straightened up and grimaced again, "It's because you like her; you have for ages."
"I have a girlfriend," Draco reminded him.
"Yeah, I know," Theo said with a wave of his hand, "You're dating Daphne, and Pansy's still head over heels for you. But you secretly want the Gryffindor Princess."
"Or maybe I just don't want to kill her," Draco said quietly.
"You won't have to," Theo promised him, "I'll keep you safe until we go back to school."
The door of the summer house burst open, and Lucius Malfoy stepped inside with Theo hot on his heels.
"I didn't tell him Draco, I swear; he got Snape to use Legilimency on me!" Theo called from behind Lucius.
"I knew that he was hiding you somewhere," Lucius hissed, "How dare you run from who you are? You cannot escape this Draco!"
"No, I won't do it, Father! I do not want to join him!"
"You do not have a choice, you foolish boy!" Lucius hissed, "Now come with me willingly, or I will make you come."
Draco stood still and didn't move a muscle.
"Crucio!"
Theo winced as his best friends scream filled the room. Draco fell to his knees and tried to grin and bear it, but the pain was too much. Lucius twisted his wand and flicked it to move Draco's limbs in directions that they should not have moved.
By the time he was done, Draco was unable to resist going with him. He got up shakily and allowed his father to drag him across the grounds of Nott Manor.
"Ah, Draco!" Voldemort said eagerly, "Come for your initiation?"
Draco was in the back room of Borgin and Burkes. He said nothing as he was placed in front of the dark lord.
"Now, Draco, you could look a little more excited," Lucius hinted.
Draco said nothing.
Voldemort cocked his head at him, "To prove that you are serious about ridding the world of the scum that dilute our magic, you must show me that you are capable of murder."
Draco winced as a girl was thrown down on the floor in front of him. Her arms and legs were tied together. She didn't look much older than him, and to make matters worse, she had brown curly hair. He swallowed and shut his eyes.
"Kill her, Draco, or I will kill your mother," Voldemort said calmly.
Draco's eyes snapped up and widened when he saw that Voldemort had his wand to his mother's throat.
"I…I…"
"This foolish muggle girl or your mother Draco," Voldemort said, "A simple choice, no?"
Draco took a shaky breath and looked at the girl on the floor, she was crying, and she looked positively terrified.
"But…I…I can't."
"Then your mother dies," Voldemort said.
"My lord, no, please," Lucius said. He stepped forward, "Please spare my wife. She has only ever been loyal to you."
"If your son does not kill the muggle girl, then he cannot join us, Lucius," Voldemort said, "Clearly, he needs a little motivation."
Lucius looked at Draco and gave him a minuscule nod. Somehow, Draco understood what it meant.
He turned back to the girl and raised his wand. He took another shaky breath and said the words, without meaning them at all, "Avada Kedavra!"
Behind him, Lucius, who had his wand concealed in the sleeve of his robes, flicked his wrist in the direction of the muggle girl. If Voldemort noticed where the flash of green light came from, he didn't say anything.
"Well done, Draco," Voldemort said with some sick sense of pride, "You are now one of us. Mark him!"
He was grabbed, and the arm of his shirt was ripped off. Then Bellatrix began to burn the mark into his arm, and Merlin; it hurt. He gritted his teeth and tried his best not to cry out as his skin was burned. The smell made him feel sick, the taste made bile rise in his throat, but he did not scream out in pain. He wouldn't give them that satisfaction.
"You coward!"
"Father-"
"Crucio!"
Draco fell to the ground and screamed in pain.
"Your cowardly ways nearly killed your mother tonight!" Lucius roared, "Do not think I stepped in to save your guilty conscience. I stepped in to save your mother! You are weak, Draco, and you are a coward! You had better not fail this year!"
"I won't fail, Father," Draco sobbed through the worst cruciatus curse he had ever experienced, "I won't fail."
"Prove your worth, Draco, or I cannot in good conscience send you back to school with this mission," Lucius hissed.
Draco swallowed, "What do you want me to do, Father?"
"Kill a muggle. I don't care who. Pick a bad one if you must, but your initiation is not complete until you kill one. Do it, or I swear to Salazar, I will hand you over to the Dark Lord myself," Lucius said coolly.
"I…"
"Do it tonight. I will know if you have."
Draco didn't see another way out, so he nodded, "Yes, Father."
He had wandered the streets of London for a while, wondering how he could just pick someone then bring their life to an end.
He had all but given up on living, after all, if this was the way his life was going to be now. What was the point? Then he heard a cry for help, and he dashed around the back of a nightclub that had just shut down for the night.
A homeless man had robbed a teenage girl of her purse and ripped her dress off of her. It made anger rise in Draco, the sort of anger required to cast an effective killing curse.
He didn't think about it; he just raised his wand and said the words, "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light, and then the man fell to the ground. The girl started screaming, so Draco obliviated her. Then he left the homeless man lying there and walked back down the street.
His grey eyes had gotten a full two shades darker because it didn't matter that his victim had been a terrible man; it only mattered that Draco was now a killer.
The moment Draco stepped through the doors into Malfoy Manor, his father smiled with some sick sense of pride.
"You did it."
Draco simply nodded.
"You are capable of more than I thought. Perhaps you can do as the Dark Lord asked."
"I will not fail," Draco repeated. The words had been bouncing around his head all night.
"You will kill Albus Dumbledore."
A dangerous darkness passed across Draco's face.
"I will kill Albus Dumbledore."
"You're a Death Eater."
"Daph, hear me out please," Draco begged, "I didn't want it-"
"So they just forced you to kill a muggle and take the mark then, did they?" Daphne asked coolly, "This whole year, you've acted so weirdly, and I thought it was me, but this is why you didn't want to have sex with me, isn't it? You didn't want me to see the mark and find out, and you hid it from me, all fucking year!"
"Daphne-"
"No, Draco, this is over!" Daphne snapped, "Even though you were my boyfriend for a little while, you were my friend long before that, and you shouldn't have kept this from me, you fucking bastard! Just run back to your Dark Lord and serve him like the little bitch that you are!"
"She was out of line to say that to you."
"To say what?"
"Everything," Pansy said, she sat down next to Draco in the empty Slytherin common room, "Where's Theo?"
"Off somewhere with Sadie," Draco replied quietly.
"You're not a Death Eater, Draco."
"The giant fucking snake on my arm would suggest otherwise, Pans."
Pansy shook her head, "Maybe they forced the mark on you, but you aren't a Death Eater. The Draco Malfoy I know would never kill someone."
"Then I'm not the Draco Malfoy you knew. My father killed the muggle at my initiation. Then he made it look like it was me," Draco said quietly, "But he made me kill a muggle to prove that I wasn't weak. I picked a bad one, a homeless man about to rape a girl, but I still killed him, Pansy…I tried to explain this to Daphne but-"
"She flew off the handle because she's Daphne. You know what she's like, Draco," Pansy said softly.
Draco looked up at her, "I'm terrified to go home, Pansy. My father is making me come home for Christmas, and…I'm terrified of what he's going to do to me or what the Dark Lord will make me do."
"Don't go home then. Stay here with me," Pansy said. She reached across the sofa and took his hand.
"I can't," Draco said, "They will come looking for me."
"Give them a good excuse then, Draco," Pansy said, "What are they making you do? I know something is going on. You've been so distant lately."
"They want me to kill Dumbledore," Draco whispered, "And to do that, I've been working on a vanishing cabinet that will allow Death Eaters to travel from Borgin and Burkes to Hogwarts."
"Then tell them you need to stay here over Christmas and work on the vanishing cabinet while the school is quiet," Pansy whispered back.
"Why are you helping me?" Draco asked as he looked her in the eye, "What I'm doing is horrible. Daphne dropped me like a hot coal the minute she caught wind of it, and she doesn't even know the whole story."
"I'm not Daphne," Pansy said simply, "She's one of my best friends, but that doesn't mean that I agree with all of her decisions. I'm more interested in keeping you alive than I am in saving that old twisted wizard."
Draco's frown deepened.
"Daphne is going home for the holidays. She might calm down a little while she's away," Pansy said, "But she can't live with what you are. She's too black and white for a Slytherin. I'm like you, Draco; I see things in shades of grey. I focus on what needs to be done, and I prioritise. Right now, my priority is keeping you alive."
Draco gave a nod, "I'll contact my Father."
"He's letting me stay! Salazar Pans, I could kiss you!" Draco said he had grabbed her on her way to class and pulled her into a broom closet.
Pansy smiled, "See? That wasn't so hard."
"I will need to do some work on the cabinet, so he doesn't work out that I'm lying," Draco admitted, "I'm fairly sure he has Severus spying on me."
"But you're safe from his and Voldemort's, grasp for now," Pansy said.
"I am," Draco agreed, "And that's all thanks to you. Thank you."
"Anytime."
"Draco!"
Draco jumped when she grabbed him. But when he realised who it was, he stopped reaching for his wand.
"Pansy, you scared me."
"I didn't know if you would come back. I was scared," Pansy said. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into the empty compartment on the train.
"I didn't have a choice," Draco said bitterly, "What with them making it illegal not to come to school and all."
"What did they do to you over the summer?" Pansy asked as she reached up and traced a deep cut on his face.
"Nothing good," Draco said as he averted his gaze, "And now they are here…I'm scared about what they will do to the people that I love…people like you."
Their eyes met, and in a flash of emotion, they kissed.
A scoff from the doorway made them break apart.
"Wow, that didn't take long," Daphne said as she glared at them, "But you are welcome to him, Pansy. Personally, murdering Death Eaters don't do it for me."
She stalked off, with Sadie and Tracey hot on her heels.
Theo slipped into the carriage, "She'll cool down, Draco, just give her time."
"Pansy!"
She lay in a heap on the floor of the dungeons, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
"What did you do to her?" Draco hissed at Amycus Carrow.
"Nothing that I haven't already done to you," Amycus said dangerously, "I do not like it when pupils talk back to me, Draco. You ought to know how that ends."
"Do whatever the hell you want to me, but do not dare touch her," Draco hissed.
"Whatever I want?" Amycus asked with a raised eyebrow, "Hmm…crucio!"
"Draco," Pansy groaned as she reached out, but she couldn't reach her wand.
"Just go," Draco said through gritted teeth.
"I can't leave you here."
"Go, Pansy," Draco groaned, "I'll be fine. Go!"
Pansy got to her feet and scrambled out of the dungeon while Amycus laughed uncontrollably and tortured Draco.
"I need your help."
Daphne looked stonily at him.
"Daphne, I know I hurt you. Salazar knows I fucked up," Draco said, "But Pansy is in the Dark Tower, and I can't get her out alone."
Daphne didn't say anything.
"I know I hurt you, Daphne, but…I love Pansy," Draco admitted, "And you were my friend once. I want to get that back if I can."
Daphne sighed, "Fine."
Draco pushed himself to his feet. He breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her, "Thank you."
"I'm not doing it for you," Daphne said as she shoved him off, "I'm doing it for Pansy."
"That's good enough for me," Draco said honestly.
"Pansy, Pansy, wake up!"
Pansy opened her eyes groggily as Draco carried her out of the dark tower, "Draco?"
"Sorry it took so long to get you out," Draco said while flashes of light bounced around the walls behind him, "I needed to get the cavalry on board."
Pansy didn't say anything; she was still groggy. They got to their secret bathroom hideout, and all took a moment to catch their breath.
"Daphne?"
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch Pansy," Daphne said. She sat down next to her friend, "There's a war going on in this school, and if we want to survive it, we all need to be in it together."
Pansy smiled, "Thanks for getting me out."
"We all did," Tracey said as she and Sadie stepped forward.
Theo nodded, "We weren't going to leave you up there, Pans."
Draco leant down and kissed her, "You're going to be okay, baby, just get some sleep."
"Do you think we're stupid?"
Draco rolled over in his bed to look at Pansy, "Why would I think we're stupid?"
"For trying to help the light," Pansy whispered, "Should we have just kept our heads down to stay alive?"
"What's the point of staying alive if you have to live with a guilty conscience?" Draco asked.
Pansy ran her hand gently along the dark mark on his arm, and Draco flinched.
"What does he want of you now?"
"Not much yet," Draco sighed, "But I live in fear that he will call me in for a favour."
Pansy closed the gap and kissed him, "I won't let that happen."
"You don't have power over the Dark Lord Pans," Draco said gently, "Just over me."
"I think you underestimate how much I love you, Draco Malfoy," Pansy said softly.
Draco smiled into her kiss, "I love you, Pans, so bloody much."
"Draco."
Draco frowned, "Why have you been crying? What's wrong?"
"It's…I found something out today," Pansy said. She swallowed hard.
Draco stepped forward and grabbed her hands, "What is it? Did someone die? Is it news from home?"
"No," Pansy said quietly, "Nothing like that. It's just that I…I'm…I'm pregnant Draco."
Draco's eyes widened, "Pregnant?"
Pansy nodded, searching his face for a sign of fear or something in that vein, "I thought I had a stomach bug, but then the sickness never went away, and I was running late, so…I had Daph do a test."
"Daphne knows?"
Pansy nodded, "And Tracey, she told me how far along I was. From the dates, it must have been the night after you got back from the Manor."
"I...oh no...Pansy, it's my fault. I was in a state. I forgot to cast the charm," Draco whispered.
"I forgot too," Pansy reminded him.
Draco laughed weakly, "Sweet Salazar, Theo will get a right laugh out of this one. He sleeps with half of our year group and doesn't get anyone pregnant. Then this happens to you and me."
"Theo knows," Pansy said weakly, "He overheard our conversation earlier."
Draco nodded numbly, "Of course he did."
"How do you feel about the whole thing?" Pansy asked nervously.
"Shocked," Draco said honestly, "I mean, I'm happy about it, but…we're in the middle of a war, and that scares me."
"I know. It scares me too," Pansy admitted.
"You can't leave this bathroom anymore," Draco said.
"Draco-"
"Pansy, you can't," Draco said firmly, "The thought of losing you is bad enough, but the thought of losing this baby right after you've told me about it…I just can't bear it."
Pansy sighed, "So you want me to sit on my laurels and do nothing for the rest of the war?"
"Yes," Draco said firmly, "Think of what a cruciatus curse could do to an unborn baby. Please, just take a step back, for me."
Pansy watched him for a minute, then nodded, "Okay," she said reluctantly.
"Did you hear that?"
Draco nodded, "Was that…."
"The babies heartbeat, yeah," Pansy said with a smile.
"I like that sound," Draco mused as they lay together.
"Me too."
Draco sighed and looked up at the top of the four-poster, "I'm scared, Pansy. Something is building…I can feel it, the meetings are being called more regularly, and I can tell how angry the Dark Lord is. I think Potter is close…."
"That's a good thing," Pansy said, "That means that it will all be over soon."
Draco frowned. He wasn't so sure of that, "He seems to think that Potter will come to Hogwarts, and if he's right, then there is going to be a battle here. People are going to die."
Pansy looked him in the eye, "What are you getting at here, Draco?"
"If it comes to that, get out of here," Draco said. He looked at her desperately, "Go to that room of Longbottoms and get out."
"Run away, you mean."
"Yes," Draco said, "Run away, far away, and if I survive it, I'll come and find you."
Pansy frowned, "And if you don't?"
"Call the baby Draco?" He joked.
Pansy smiled slightly, "What if it's a girl?"
"Draco is a unisex name," He argued.
Pansy hit him, "You're an idiot."
"I know," Draco said, he kissed her, "But you love me."
"I do, and I will run, I promise," Pansy said, "I love this baby as much as you do. I don't want anything bad to happen to it."
Draco shot Pansy a look across the hall when push came to shove. Voldemort's voice echoed around the room, and Harry Potter stood amongst them.
"Run," Draco mouthed.
Pansy nodded.
They couldn't talk, not with everyone around, but he understood that to mean that she would go. He was dragged off after Potter, but he saw Pansy leave the hall and head in the right direction.
When he saw her, standing in the middle of a duel, his heart leapt into his throat.
"Pansy, no!" Draco called as he jumped into the duel and pushed her aside, "Run for heaven's sake! I told you to run!"
"I tried, but the route was blocked with Death Eaters," Pansy said breathily.
"Get out of here," Draco said desperately, "However you can, please. Get out or hide, Pansy."
She took a step back but didn't make a move to leave. Draco dodged a curse and threw up a shield charm big enough to cover them both. He turned back to the Death Eater he was duelling, "Pansy, please go. I can't lose you; I can't lose our baby. I've lost too much already."
When he heard nothing, he assumed that she had heeded his advice and left. But when he chanced a glance over his shoulder, he saw her lying there in a heap with Dawlish standing above her.
"Pansy! Pansy!"
Draco cried harder than he had ever cried in his life when he sat in front of her grave.
"We had it all planned out, baby," Draco said through his tears, "Survive this goddamn war and get married. Raise our baby together…you weren't supposed to die Pans and not hours before the end either."
He let his head drop into his hands as he repeated the same words over and over again, "You weren't supposed to die."
When Draco pulled them out of his memories, they both had tear-struck faces, and at first, they couldn't look each other in the eye.
"I'm sorry for suggesting I had it harder than you," Hermione whispered.
"I'm sorry for not seeing how hard it was for you," Draco said, just as quietly.
They fell into silence again, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either.
"I never really understood how painful it must have been for you to lose Pansy and your baby, all at the same time," Hermione said as she raised her gaze to meet his, "And you were right. I was tortured for a day, and you were tortured for years."
Draco sighed, "I'm sorry that I didn't realise how much of a mark the war left on you or how much Harry meant to you."
Hermione swallowed, "You had Pansy before me, and I had Harry before you. I think we need to come to peace with that."
Draco nodded and reached out to take her hand, "I can come to peace with it if you can."
Hermione nodded tearfully and threw herself into his arms, "I'm sorry for acting like such a spoiled, selfish princess."
Draco held her tightly and breathed in her familiar scent while he did so.
"I didn't realise until I saw it back like that," Hermione said through her tears. She drew back with red eyes and looked him directly in the eye, "I blocked out a lot of what happened at Malfoy Manor, but if you hadn't stepped in when you did Draco…Greyback would have…" she trailed off.
Draco shook his head, "Come here, love."
She fell into his embrace.
"He didn't. I would never have let him hurt you like that," Draco said firmly.
"I'm sorry that I didn't realise it sooner," Hermione said tearfully, "But you saved me from a much worse fate than having muggle-born carved into my arm."
Draco held her tightly and shut his eyes.
"And despite everything I just showed you Hermione…all that I went through…you healed me after it all," Draco said softly, "I didn't think I could love again, not after Pansy. The thought of having kids was so painful, but then there was you. Even though I didn't want to love again, I fell in love with you fast and hard. You made me want all of those things again, and I didn't think that was possible."
Hermione squeezed him tightly, "And you healed me after the war when everyone else had tried, and nobody else had managed."
"So I guess we're just meant for each other then," Draco said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I guess we are," Hermione whispered as a small smile graced her lips.
* ~ TBC ~ *