A/N: So I'd say this is a relatively quick update :) Hope you guys like it!
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Chapter 12: Enemies Become Allies
Draco could hardly contain the excitement that was threatening to explode from his chest as the two flewdown the stairs that led to the dungeon. That had really done it! The most unlikely team, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, Slytherin and Gryffindor, Death Eater and Chosen One, working together to reach a common goal.
They were greeted by utter darkness when they reached the bottom of the staircase, and also a deafening silence save one rattling breath that stretched into the noiselessness like a heart breaking cry for help. Draco whipped out his wand and threw off the Cloak in one deaf movement, whispering, "Lumos!" Instantly light sprang to the tip of the wand, illuminating the Malfoy Dungeons, and falling on the dignified face of Narcissa Malfoy behind the very bars of her own house.
She had a few bruises and scratches that littered her face, the evidence of torture, and anger roared in Draco, screaming Punish! Revenge! but not yet. Time for that would come. Draco stepped forward and the light fell completely across Narcissa's face, causing her to jump a little and look up into the silver eyes of her son. Instantly a fond smile lit her features and she whispered softly, "My son."
Draco stepped forward, gripping the bars that separated them so hard his knuckles turned white, shaking a bit and fighting back the smothering sense of relief at seeing her alive, so overwhelming that he could feel tears beginning to brim in his eyes. His mother reached through the bars and eliminated the space between them, resting her hands on his, smiling through her own tears. "I knew you would come, Draco."
"I wouldn't leave you here." Draco whispered through a haze of pain, wrapping his fingers around her hands. "I'm sorry. This is my fault." So many things had been his fault lately. Too many things.
His mother shook her head wearily. Draco had never seen such outright emotion in the normally reserved Narcissa. "No, no. Not your fault. I knew it was coming. But Draco," Narcissa straightened and her grip on Draco's hands tightened, almost painfully so. Her eyes swam with a whirlwind of emotion, and Draco almost felt that if he looked hard enough, he could see what pain that he had caused her in her eyes. "They killed him." His mother whispered, her eyes wild and crazy, "they killed Lucius." Narcissa slumped back down again, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Draco supposed he should've felt some kind of emotional response to this news. He should've felt grief, he should've wept like his mother for the father that had been everything to him. Strangely, he did not feel anguish, but instead he did feel a mind-numbing sense of guilt. He had caused the death. They had killed him because Draco had run away. Another death on Draco's hands, more blood to taint his already unclean soul. He had caused so much death now that he could truly be counted as a Death Eater.
"Malfoy," Draco started, having slightly forgotten that Potter was even there. Narcissa's eyes widened in surprise at her son's unlikely companion. The boy had been keeping his respectable distance, but now he felt it was time to interrupt. "C'mon, we should hurry and get out of here."
Draco nodded, and was suddenly struck with an idea. "If we call in a house elf, can they Apparate us out?"
Narcissa silenced her sobs long enough to choke out, "That was the last thing they made Lucius do before they killed him. They o-ordered him t-to tell the house elves that they couldn't come to get any of us o-out."
Damn. That would've been an easy way out, but now they had to take the nearly impossibly route. Potter's Invisibility Cloak was unfortunately not large enough to cover them all, so slipping past the Death Eaters was an impossible task.
"We'll have to fight our way out." Potter said, as if having read Draco's mind, his fists clenched in determination to repay the men that had caused so much turmoil in his life. It did seem to be the only alternative. But there was a rather intimidating large number of Death Eaters pacing the living room, and they would not be able to make each one fall before an alarm was sent out. And then, only more would come.
"We have no choice." Draco agreed. He had to come to terms with the fact that getting out alive was a gamble now; they would simply have to go for it and hope that luck was on their side. They would have the element of surprise, which was a helpful factor. "Give me the Cloak." Draco commanded, and Potter agreed, tossing it to him. Draco turned to the cell and opened it with a spell that only the Malfoys knew that opened all the cells, then ushered his mother out, pressing the Invisibility Cloak into her waiting arms. "Put this over you, and when Potter and I create the diversion, get out. It will make you invisible. If we don't come out within five minutes, Disapparate far away from here."
Narcissa clutched the Cloak to her like it was her lifesaver (which, ironically, it was) and nodded, but not before wrapping her son in a bone crushing hug. He bestowed one upon her as well and tried his best to smile encouragingly. "You ready?" Potter questioned, and Draco nodded in response. Together they marched up the stairs, breathing deeply, knowing very well that this could easily get them captured and be the end of it all. The invisible form of Narcissa was behind them, and Draco sucked in a great breath of air as Potter rested his hand on the door.
"One…" Potter mouthed, his eyes narrowed, not even looking afraid. Draco was afraid, he did not want to be captured and tortured, he was sure the torturing would be quite painful… "Two…" Voldemort would be sure to attempt to torture the whereabouts of the Order of the Phoenix out of them, and he was sure that Potter would not breathe a word, but could he possibly keep it within himself while under torture? Perhaps, perhaps he could, to save Hermione… "Three!" And Potter was their very last hope, if he got captured all hope would be lost, and once again Draco would be responsible for the downfall of the Wizarding World…
The door burst open to Potter's hand and instantly the light blinded Draco, piercing his eyes so much that he had to squint to see. Out of pure instinct, Draco's arm shot out and a spell had collided with the nearest Death Eater's chest, his expression one of pure surprise before he met his end. He would never be getting up again; it was just another murder to add to his growing list. Potter was aiming to kill too, not Stunning, because this chance to eliminate as many Death Eaters as possible would possibly not come again for a while. The time for Stunning was over, and the time for killing was here. They were no longer foolish children, told that killing was an evil task only committed by the most heinous of creatures, they were adults trying to make it in a world where evil ruled and decisions had to be made to protect your own life instead of your innocence. It was either kill or be killed. But school never taught them those life skills. One had to learn it on their own, they had to figure out the evils of life on their own, and both he and Potter had figured them out. Kill or be killed; the rule of the evil world they lived in.
Three Death Eaters lay at their feet, and Draco felt his mother brush by him, invisible, safe. The alarm had been set off, now a steady, high-pitched screech reverberated in both boys' ears as they desperately tried to fight through the sea of Death Eaters. They were pouring into every doorway that led into the room, and each and every one of them were shouting something different.
"Get them! GET THEM!"
"Call the Dark Lord!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Draco and Potter simultaneously casted Shield Charms that spread out in front of them, each wondering the same thing: how were they possibly supposed to get out of this unscathed? The Death Eaters were not aiming to kill, but to capture, which was a slight advantage. Most of their spells were repelled by the Shield Charm. Suddenly, Potter cast a glance at Draco and muttered with a stoic face, "Sorry about your house."
Before Draco could even ask what the hell he was talking about, Potter pointed his wand at the ceiling and cried, "Confringo!" The ceiling exploded over them, the great chandelier falling with a huge crack to land on a Death Eater, who screamed as the glass shards pierced his skin. Draco ducked, ready for the impact and vaguely wondering how Potter thought they were going to get out of this when they, too, would be crushed, but the Boy-Who-Lived had thought ahead.
"Protego!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand above them in a quick movement, and the falling ceiling deflected off of his Charm. Getting his drift, Draco did the same, and soon the once glorious living room was a disaster area. Draco hoped his mother had gotten out in time, but inside he knew she had for they had given her plenty of time. The two boys bolted, skidding over the wreckage and for the door, their life hanging on how fast they could cross the room of debris. Some of the Death Eaters were shakily getting to their feet, temporarily stunned, but the others did not rise. Draco and Harry raced down the grand hallway, their feet pounding in accordance with their hearts, Draco leading the way to the front door, their main hope for escape.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Everything instantly became in slow motion, and Draco whirled around to see a Death Eater pointing his wand directly at them, his shoulders and face coated with dust so that he looked ghostly and a mad smile lighting his twisted feature, and he watched with cruel apprehension as the spell came in direct contact with it's target.
Potter stilled, collapsing to the ground in a heap as Draco kept running, putting a great distance in between them.
And Draco almost left him there, almost ran out of the mansion to save himself and stranded Potter there to deal with You-Know-Who and all the Death Eaters by himself, almost gave up the last hope for peace in a desperate attempt to get out alive himself. It was kill or be killed, and making a stupid effort to save someone did not come anywhere into that motto.
But something stopped him.
He was sick and tired of running away from the things that he feared. He was done with it.
Draco turned and in a flash of his wand the Death Eater pursuing him was down, his face pressed against the floor, never to rise. He dashed forward just as another Death Eater filed out of the room, so coated in debris that Draco couldn't even tell who he was, and it was too late, Draco's wand was down at his side and he was vulnerable, his act of heroism was lost because he could not save them now, he was going to die, but first he would be subjected to torture, his half-crazed mind wondered vaguely if Hermione would miss him...
There was a flash of light and the Death Eater flew backwards and collided with the wall, slumping to the ground in a heap of unconsciousness. Draco glanced around for his rescuer and saw, to his great astonishment, a little house elf with his hand raised and pure determination etched in its little features.
"Save the master! Save Mr. Malfoy from the monsters!" And in an instant every house elf he had ever owned came pouring from the kitchens and into the living room, each of them with pure fury lighting their faces, some even with wild delight. One stopped in front of Draco, who hadn't moved an inch in surprise, and bowed low, then valiantly saluted.
"Slinky hates those men who hurts us! We's all hates those men! We's going to get rid of them for Mr. Malfoy!" Draco nodded numbly, and shook his head as the house elf raced after its companions. He had never been especially nice to the creatures, but he supposed he had never been cruel to them either, as the Death Eaters had. His mother had said they made his father order the house elves to not Apparate them out, but they didn't specifically say they couldn't save them...
Draco kneeled next to Potter and muttered, "Rennervate." Nothing happened, and for a terrifying moment Draco thought that the Death Eater must have gotten carried away and killed him, Hermione would never forgive him, oh shit...But he steadied himself and noticed the rise and fall of Potter's chest, so figured it must be some curse he did not know about. Draco placed his hands underneath Potter's armpits and heaved him over his back, calling out his thanks to the enslaved creatures that had just saved his life and making a mental note to reward them if they survived this ordeal.
Draco raced out the front door and into the grounds, the Caterwauling Charm still going off in his pounding ears as he exited the gate that marked the entry into their grounds. "Draco!" He turned and found his mother materialize out of thin air, and then grabbed her arm and Disapparated on the spot. He landed on the front step to the Order, which Potter had instructed him to do, the heavy weight on his back making him teeter backwards slightly. His mother placed a hand on his back and stilled him, asking, "Where are we?"
"Order of the Phoenix," Draco responded, opening the door and racing inside, hoping that there weren't any permanent effects of whatever Potter had been hit with. "Help!" He shouted, and as if they had trained for this moment the entire Order streamed in, the older of the group shouting orders as they assessed the situation. Someone took Potter from his back and carried him away, the mass group of people following that one person until he and his mother were left, forgotten, in the hallway.
Draco followed the people and his mother followed him, her eyes scrutinizing the entire house as she daintily stepped behind him, fixing her hair into a more elegant twist so she could be presentable as a guest in the household. Draco rolled his eyes and entered the kitchen, where Remus Lupin whirled on him and grabbed his shoulders, asking a steady stream of questions to ensure that they were who they said they were. Draco answered each, and when the werewolf was satisfied, he moved on to more pressing topics.
"Where were you?"
"My house." Draco answered calmly, refusing to back down.
"Doing what?"
"Rescuing my mother," he answered again, meeting the eyes of the werewolf and challenging him to call him a liar. Lupin must have seen the truth, for he relaxed a fraction and released Draco's shoulders.
"Can you tell me what he was hit with?" Lupin jerked his head in Potter's direction, who was lying on the kitchen table, Snape over him muttering some sort of spell as he traced his wand over Potter's chest where he had been hit with the spell. Weasley met Draco's eyes and glared at him, as if telling him it was Draco's fault. Ha, if not for Draco then Potter would still be lying in that room with the Death Eaters. Well, if not for Draco then they wouldn't have been there in the first place but…that wasn't important. Potter wanted to go!
Draco shrugged. "It was nonverbal. I don't know."
Lupin nodded as if he had suspected this and moved off to help Snape. In a flash someone had taken his place and suddenly Draco's cheek was stinging with pain and his head had swiveled around with the force of a painful slap. He brought his hand to his cheek in anger, but when he looked down into Hermione's brown eyes swimming with tears his fury melted away in an instant. Her eyes were narrowed in outrage and the tears leaked out of her eyes, and Draco fully expected her to stomp her foot. He had another strange desire to reach forward and wipe the tears from her eyes, just as he had wanted to do in Azkaban, but he restrained himself. There was no hate in her eyes, he noticed in relief. If there was hate he would've been able to detect it, having received a hateful look from her many a time.
Hermione moved and Draco recoiled, slightly afraid she was going to slap him again, but instead she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him tight against her. He was too shocked to return the gesture and she pulled back all too soon, her lower lip jutting out as if she was containing a wail. "Don't you ever do that again." She hissed, jabbing her finger into his chest and refusing to meet his eyes for fear he would see the weakness there. "I thought…I thought you were both going to die."
"Hermione…" Draco began, fully intending to tell her that he had only said the words to get her to remain behind, but she cut him off.
"I know. I know why you said it." She whispered, so low that only he could hear, and then she moved away to kneel next to Harry's side, watching her two previous teachers work and taking the Boy-Who-Lived's hand.
He was filled with overwhelming relief that she understood and did not hate him for what he had said. He could feel the piercing gaze of his mother in his back and turned to glance at her. She raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrows in question, the edges of her mouth tilted up in an inquiring smirk that only a mother could produce, but he ignored her, instead focusing his attention on Potter, who was stirring.
"Here, I'll find you a room." Draco said to his mother, leading her up the stairs to get away from the people who were cooing over the injured hero like he had taken a hit for someone else. Draco eventually found a room that appeared as if no one occupied it and his mother threw her arms around his neck in a rare gesture of love.
"Thank you, Draco." She whispered into his neck, and Draco awkwardly muttered that it was no problem. She then told him she thought she would rest for a bit, and he retreated to his and Hermione's room to be alone, refusing to go downstairs into the packed room of people.
He could hear the festivities downstairs and figured that they were throwing Potter an all out feast, but he instead lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The door to his room slowly opened and light streamed in, and he could hear the laughing voices downstairs. He lifted his head, fully expecting to see Hermione to demand he come and join in and already readying his argument ("I'm too tired"), but instead found himself looking into the emerald green eyes of Potter. He sat up slowly, wondering what he had to say.
"I just, err," Potter looked down at his feet for a moment, but then locked eyes with Draco again. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for doubting you." Draco's eyes widened for an instant. "And…thank you. Thank you for saving Hermione. Without you she would probably be dead. Thank you, Draco."
When the words thank you had first left his lips Draco had been expecting him to thank him for saving his life, but he was shocked at what he had said, and also thankful. No one had yet thanked him for his deed except for Hermione, and he felt he deserved a bit of thanks for putting his neck on the line for someone he previously hated and who previously hated him. The use of his first name had not gone unnoticed, either, but he was not quite ready for that. "No problem, Potter." He smirked, leaning back against his pillows.
"We make a pretty good team, huh?" Potter said with a little laughter in his voice, grinning at his former enemy. "Who would've known?"
"Hmm, the Slytherin and the Gryffindor. I'm still better than you, though." Draco quipped, his silver eyes dancing with laughter at his own joke, staring at the boy that stood in his doorway. Potter grinned.
"Oh, of course. You should come down for a while. Ron's mum got yours to come down, and I think she's a bit uncomfortable." He laughed slightly, and Draco grinned, imagining his mother sitting in the corner with her fork raised daintily and eyeing the people around her with a distasteful eye for their outright happiness and lack of restraint. "Fred and George got some firewhisky. No idea where they got it, but hey, who's complaining?"
Draco grinned, resting his arms behind his head in nonchalance. "Yeah, maybe in a minute."
Draco's former enemy nodded and disappeared out the door. Former enemy. It was an odd thing to think, that he and Potter could now be seen as allies. He found no hate for the Boy-Who-Lived any longer. The jealousy that had brewed inside him when he was younger had dissipated, because he no longer wanted the life that Potter had. Who would possibly want to live that way? And now he knew that both of them could easily look past their differences and learn to work together, and surprisingly, Draco didn't mind. They were allies. Could they even, possibly, be friends? Draco shook his head, wondering what the world had come to that made a Slytherin and a Gryffindor learn to get along, and got to his feet and slipped through his door to join in on the party downstairs.
A/N: Awww, friends :) In my opinion, Draco and Harry were destined to end up allies, just as Draco and Hermione were destined to be together. Too bad they didn't :( Review!