The searching for the Boy Wonder had been held for five days since Dumbledore's lifeless body lied to rest in the marbled White Tomb on the shores of the Great Lake. Apparently, Harry Potter had ran into hiding since then. It made Draco's task even harder.
The only good thing about it was Draco had been given permission to wander around England to find Potter. He used that chance to seek help for his mother discreetly. He knew the Dark Lord kept him in surveillance. On the first day of searching, Draco went to Privet Drive. He knew that Potter would never go to that place again. But he did that because he wanted to confirm that the Dark Lord's men were following him. True to his presumption, soon after he left Potter's relatives' house, some Death Eaters made a not-so-friendly visit to the house. Draco was not sorry nor felt guilty if the house or the Muggles dealt some damage points.
Draco's first guess was that Potter was probably in the Black Manor. He didn't want to check the teen's whereabout through their bond. Draco closed their connection in case the Dark Lord managed to slip into his mind. Not that he would be able to. Draco had a good Occlumency teacher. He thanked his aunt Bella for that only. But he strengthened his guard because that day when he was by the library in the manor, he knew that the Dark Lord suspected something in him.
Draco was tempted to open the connection on 31st of July when he felt the bond trembled. That never happened before. But Draco didn't want to take a chance, so he ignored it.
~o~
The whole summer of 1997 was the gloomiest summer Draco ever had. Since the Ministry of Magic was taken over by the Dark Lord, the Wizarding World of England had been quiet. Every wizards and witches were afraid of going out of their houses. Muggleborns were captured. Harry Potter still missing. The Death Eaters found his sight on late July but they lost him immediately. Harry Potter was now the number one most wanted wizard in England.
And it seemed that Harry Potter didn't return to Hogwarts for his seventh year. Draco suspected he was planning something because his two best friends didn't attend their seventh year, either. And it must be serious because the education-starving muggleborn Granger skipped school!
"Where are you, bloody scarhead," Draco murmured as he walked out of the Dark Art class the last.
"Yes, where the hell is Harry Potter," Amycus whispered in Draco's left ear, making him jump in surprise. The Hogwarts new seventh year Dark Ark professor smirked. "But, oops, that's not my problem. You are the one given the task to find the boy and bring him to our Lord."
Draco cursed the Death Eater mentally as Amycus Carrow left him with evil laugh. Draco stared maliciously at the Death Eaters lingering around Hogwarts ground. While Draco was given the authority to watch over Hogwarts students by their new headmaster Severus Snape, he didn't like his role even a bit. Since Hogwarts was taken over by the Ministry, which was under the Dark Lord's power, now Draco was feared by students, including his fellow Slytherins. Nobody wanted nor dare to get near him. He was the son of Dark Lord's number one follower (or number two, now, had Severus taken the first place?), after all. He just hoped that no Death Eaters would slip their tongues and told Hogwarts that Draco had a Dark Mark on his arm. It would make the students hating him even more. Not that he cared at this point.
~o~
"Sir," Draco called Severus. They were in the headmaster office. "Do you know what spell the Dark Lord put on Mother? Can— can you release it?"
"No. And no," Severus answered. He looked at Draco with stern face. But then his face softened a little when he saw desperation on Draco's face. "Draco—"
"I know he gave the task just to play with me!" Draco stood from the armchair. "He knew I would never find Potter! He just wanted to kill me and Mother!" Draco didn't give his godfather a chance to speak as he quickly ran out of the office. He hated the Dark Lord to the very core now! Draco started to think of switching side and pray that Harry bloody Potter would win this game and kill the lunatic wizard. Draco would do everything for his mother!
Every week passed without him finding Harry Potter, the Dark Lord would make Draco witness a Muggleborn being killed and eaten by Nagini right on the manor's dining table. He would be summoned to the Malfoy Manor every Sunday just for the Dark Lord's entertainment. How long would it take before the Dark Lord asked Draco to kill a Muggleborn?
Ah, well. No need to wait that long, apparently. Maybe the Dark Lord had started to get bored at seeing the horror on Draco's face whenever he killed a human. On the fourth Sunday of November, finally what Draco feared happened.
"Well, Draco, seeing as you have enough opportunity in watching me freed those Mudbloods from the burden of their misery, I decided that now it is time for you to experience the honour to free their souls," The Dark Lord put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Come on, boy. You are a fast learner. You have memorised the spell and the wand's movement. Go on."
A crying woman was summoned before Draco, hovering on the wooden dining table. Some Death Eaters who joined the lunch were all giving Draco sinister looks. Draco heard a faint choke on his mother's side. Draco himself went pale.
"Go on," the Dark Lord put his hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco could feel the chilling bones of the Dark Lord's skeletal fingers squeezing his rigid shoulder in warning.
Draco looked at Severus with pleading eyes but the man refused to make eye contact with him.
"Draco," Lucius whispered from Draco's left side.
Draco was sure his legs were trembling as he stood up from his chair. He clutched his wand tightly.
"Yes, boy. Good. You know the spell," the Dark Lord said merrily.
Draco stood for minutes. Tension in the room arose after three minutes of silence passed. The Dark Lord hissed impatiently and so Draco started to raise his trembling wand, but lowering it a second later.
"I—I can't," Draco's voice wavered.
"What do you mean you can't? You know the spell. Avada Kedavra. Go on, boy," the Dark Lord said impatiently.
"I can't... I can't kill her," Draco's voice was so low that only the Dark Lord standing right behind him could hear.
"Are you taking pity on that filthy Mudblood?!" suddenly the Dark Lord's voice was dark and cold. "Lucius, you have failed in raising your son!"
"M-my Lord. I apologise. I'm sure Draco just need encouragement. Right, Draco?" Lucius grabbed Draco's upper left arm.
"I don't want to kill her," Draco told his father and looked down.
"You have disappointed me, little Malfoy. And no one gets away disappointing the Dark Lord. Crucio!" the Dark Lord threw his favourite curse on Draco.
"AH!"
In instant, Draco fell on his knees and screamed in pain. Invisible hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, bones being crunched by invisible force, invisible stakes jabbing his skull. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming. His brain was surely going to burst with the pain.
Draco didn't know how long he suffered from the curse. The next thing his eyes saw when he gained consciousness was his bedroom. Someone had brought him to his bed. He was alone now.
Sobbing silently, Draco reached underneath his pillow and held his dragon statuette tightly.
Since that day, Draco suffered from the curse every Sunday. He lost his energy. His magic core seemed weakened and he couldn't perform decently at school. He became so thin, pale, and weak. He sensed his close friends' worry but he didn't have the heart to tell Blaise and Pansy about what happened in the manor. His mother held her tears whenever he arrived at the manor. Severus tried all he could to make the Dark Lord cancelled the Sunday lunches or made excuses to keep Draco stay at Hogwarts. He only succeeded distracting the Dark Lord thrice, though.
Draco was ready to give up and die on the Cruciatus Curse when on early March he was alerted by the manor ward, announcing new strangers arrival inside the manor. Not long after he got the notification, Draco's presence was needed at Malfoy Manor.
"Draco, come to the drawing room," Lucius greeted Draco rigidly in the entrance hall and they proceeded to walk to the drawing room upstairs.
The first thing Draco saw when he arrived at the drawing room was his aunt Bellatrix and three Snatchers. Then he noticed that those Death Eaters were holding three persons.
Draco's heart thudded hard when he recognised two of them. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
"Draco, look. Is that him?" Lucius asked Draco.
The Snatchers leader, Scabior, then moved aside to reveal a disfigured-face teen. Draco recognised the messy dark hair. His heart skipped a beat.
"I— I don't know," Draco answered. He glanced to his right side to see his mother was standing against the wall.
"Look closer," Lucius grabbed Draco by the back of his neck and led him to walk closer, shoved his face down forward until Draco and the captured teen were only one foot away.
A pair of emerald irises met silver gray ones. Draco knew well those eyes. For a split second, Draco stared at them in fear.
"Well?" Bellatrix asked impatiently behind Lucius. "Is he Harry Potter?"
"I'm not sure..." Draco said. But oh how he was in absolute surety of who was the teen before him. It was undoubtedly and most definitely Harry Potter.
The disfigured-face Gryffindor was staring at Draco in equal fear, but immediately turned into surprise stare when Draco denied to recognise him. Draco clenched his jaw.
"Not sure how? You've been in the same school for six years!" Scabior said.
"I'll call the Dark Lord. He will surely know," Bellatrix grabbed one Death Eater and put her wand tip on top of the dark wizard's Dark Mark.
"He told you, he's Dudley Dursley!" Granger spoke loudly. Draco could hear panic in her voice.
"Hah, mudblood!" Bellatrix greeted Granger in pure delight. She withdrew her wand from the Dark Mark, cancelling her calling for the Dark Lord. Of course, Bellatrix knew who she was. Granger's face was on one of Ministry Wanted posters. "Aah, I know! Let's call the Dark Lord later. I want to play with our little mudblood, first! Put the boys in the dungeon!"
"No!" Weasley screamed. The Snatchers dragged Weasley and Potter to the manor's cellar. After that, the Snatchers were dismissed.
"You are not lying are you, Draco?" Lucius whispered in Draco's ear. "Because if you do, the Dark Lord will not forgive you this time!"
Draco didn't answer. He walked toward his mother instead and watched as Bellatrix torturing Granger with a dagger. He saw the Golden Trio's wands were in Bellatrix pocket.
"Draco, you know what he will do to you if you lie…" Narcissa whispered in Draco's ear. She held his hand tightly. Her mother was a smart woman. Even though she couldn't figure out the disfigured face, she could connect the other two Gryffindors with him.
Soon or later, the spell that disfigured Potter's face would disappear and the Dark Lord would know that Draco had been lying to them. He set his jaw, and at that moment made the biggest decision in his life.
There were only him, his parents, Bellatrix, and Granger in the drawing room, now. Draco took a deep yet trembling breath and summoned Tippy. The free house elf made appearance before Draco with a loud pop. Bellatrix turned her head toward the noise. But at seeing the irrelevant house elf, she took her attention back to the crying Granger in her hand.
"Give my wand to Harry Potter and then call Dobby from Hogwarts, tell that Harry Potter is in need. Come here with Dobby when Potter arrives," Draco whispered to the house elf. He hoped their former house elf, Dobby, wouldn't ignore his request. Especially when Harry Potter's name was mentioned.
"Draco?" Narcissa whispered. She couldn't hear Draco's words to the elf. But him handed his wand to the house elf alerted her.
Draco stood up and squeezed his mother's hand.
"I love you, Mother," Draco told her. Narcissa's face blanched.
Soon as Draco finished with his words, Harry Potter and Weasley together with Luna Lovegood and an old goblin emerged from the dungeons' stairs.
"Expelliarmus!" Potter disarmed Bellatrix and her wand was snatched by the spell into Potter's hand. Shocked by their appearance, Bellatrix unconsciously released Granger from her binding spell. Weasley grabbed Granger and joined Potter.
At the same time, Tippy and Dobby appeared before Draco.
"Dobby, Tippy, take Harry Potter and his friends out of this manor!" Draco ordered.
Potter seemed to hear Draco because their eyes met before Dobby and Tippy collected the young wizards, witches, and the goblin and then Disapparated out of the Malfoy Manor. Draco saw Bellatrix threw her dagger and aimed it at Potter's direction.
Draco thought he was soon going to be killed by Bellatrix or the Dark Lord for freeing their prisoners. Or for lying. He didn't regret his decision. He had accepted his misfortune fate when he decided to freed Potter. He wanted Voldemort dead.
Then, unexpectedly, Narcissa took his hand and put her wand on Draco's palm.
"Go!" Narcissa whispered in urgent. She released Draco's hand.
His heart dropped. Choking a sob, Draco hugged her real tight and brief then using her wand, he Disapparated out of the manor.
~o~
Draco had Apparated himself somewhere in the forest surrounding the Malfoys land. His mother's wand couldn't cooperate well to transport him to his desired destination. Thank Merlin he didn't split himself on the way. He hoped he was in a safe area. And he hoped Bellatrix's dagger missed its target.
Draco didn't know what to do now. Returned to Hogwarts was impossible. Visiting Severus' house at Spinner End was also a bad move. He must be careful in using his mother's wand. It was okay, but a "didn't get along with him" okay.
"Where are they taking Potter?" Draco asked the air. Draco thought to summon Tippy and asked where did she take Potter and his friends. But Draco guessed Potter must have made the house elves promised not to reveal their whereabout to anyone.
Draco had nothing but his mother's wand, the clothes on his body and the dragon statuette in his pocket. He had to find shelter, a cave perhaps. But he didn't know where exactly he was. What if he was only yards away from the manor? And what if Greyback could smell him here? The only option was to Apparate ahead in safe short distance several times to the nearest civilisation he knew, which was Bristol. His father had some companies there.
~o~
He regretted for underestimating that elastic plastic card his father gave him once long ago that had a feature to purchase items in Muggles world. He left his card in his vault in Gringotts. Reluctantly, Draco left Bristol city for he couldn't purchase food and a hotel room. Draco headed toward Gloucestershire to hide in the Forest of Dean.
~o~
It was afternoon of the third day Draco hid in the forest and he began to get bored of eating fruits. And wearing the same clothes for three days (eww!). Without showers. His skin began to itch and sticky. And then he remembered his private cottage in little island Pladda.
"Why didn't I go there!" Draco swore. But then he remembered why he didn't; the Dark Lord might have checked his data in the ministry and would probably found the file of his belonging list. But even if the dark wizard went to Pladda, he wouldn't find his cottage on the small island as it was under Fidelius charm. But Draco didn't want to take a chance.
He made a shelter in a small cave hidden behind trees and bushes. No magical creature so far, which was relieving.
On day seven Draco cried. He didn't know what to do and where to go. He was worried for his mother.
~o~
For what Draco tracked was two weeks now, mid March, Draco's feature had transformed into a hermit. His tailored trousers and jackets were tattered. His skin was rough and blemished from dirt. And his hair, oh his once beautiful silky platinum blond hair, was now a match of a bird nest! Draco wanted to scream and cry from Monday to Sunday. Oh his precious hair! Salazar! Just end his life already! To die in a snowy night like this would be good. Draco liked freezing snow.
Maybe he should have pocketed his hair-care products every time everywhere.
Maybe he shouldn't have wished for things he didn't want to really happen.
Suddenly, without a warning or alert, Draco felt his body was being tugged. A split second later, everything went dark. He felt a very hard pressure squeezing his body from all directions. He could not breathe. There were invisible iron bands tightening around his chest. His body was being sucked into a wormhole. And then Draco vanished.