AN: I'm back with my first ever Dramione fic! This fic is inspired by an opening sentence prompt that came across my instagram and I couldn't get it to go away! There will be horror, mystery and romance. Slow burn, some flashbacks, depictions of panic attacks, ptsd, some violence and gore. If any of this could be triggering for you in any way or just isn't your cup of tea please turn back now because we start off in high gear this chapter.
Summary: The ghosts of Draco Malfoy's past have come back to haunt him. Literally. The manor echos with the screams of the dead and the only way he knows to quiet them is to give them what they want. Him. When Hermione is sent to find a way to rid the manor of the spirits that haunt it she's met with a broken man instead of the boy she once knew. Can she solve the puzzle before the ghosts of the past take more than the Malfoy heir can afford to give?
Chapter 1
I can hear them screaming
There is screaming in the dungeons again, though it had long been empty of prisoners. As soon as he walks in the foyer he can hear them. Wincing and running a shaky hand through his platinum locks, Draco quickly makes his way toward the cellar. The Screams grow louder at his approach.
He knows how to make them stop; knows what it was they want.
"Master Draco shouldn't go to the dungeons, sir," a small voice comes from beside him as he rests his hand on the latch leading into the dark tunnels below the mansion.
"I have to, Cibney," is Draco's soft response, turning his gaze toward the elderly house elf.
"No yous don't, Master," she replies, appearing between him and the door, her small arms stretched out in an attempt to hold it closed. "Master Draco should stay up here where he's safe. Mistress made Cibney promise…"
"Mistress is no longer here," Draco cuts her off, kneeling down and placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "We've made terrible choices and we must pay the price for those choices." He closes his eyes for a moment before he looks back into the large brown eyes of the elf before him. "Mother has paid her price, father is paying his. This...this is my price to pay."
Cibney stomps her boot clad foot angrily, her hands fisted by her sides. "Master has no price to pay," she exclaimes angrily. "Master Draco had no choices. These ghost, master, they's hungry. Theys hurt you!"
He gently moves the small figure to the side and stands, "I will do this, Cibney and you will no longer attempt to stop me." The elf opens her mouth to respond once more and he holds his hand up to stop her. "You will not stop me, Cib." His voice softens as he gazes down at her.
Her long ears droop as her eyes fell to the floor, "Yes Master Draco," she whispers before taking a step back, her long fingers wringing the hem of her powder blue dress, nervously.
"Thank you, Cibney," Draco says with a small smile. He reaches out for the door once more, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, before pulling it open and stepping down into the darkness below.
As the door clicks closed, the screaming haltes. The sudden silence is, as it always was, staggering for a moment and Draco has to pause to get his bearings in the dim light. Removing his outer robes, he hangs them neatly on the hook near the door; leaving him in his black silk button down and trousers. His heels click loudly on the stairs with each step as he slowly makes his way down to the cells.
Walking into the long corridor of the Malfoy dungeons, Draco casts a silent Lumos, bathing the area in the soft glow of torches, before sliding his wand into it's holster and carefully undoing the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt. As he starts forward he slowly rolls his sleeves to his elbows exposing his faded dark mark.
He stopps in the middle of the hallway and closes his eyes as the whispers start.
"Malfoy."
"Malfoy."
The voices surround him, volume building. His name over and over and over.
A cold breeze brushes across his skin, blowing his hair across his forehead. The wind picks up as the voices rise to a screaming pitch, The chill grows until he has to clench his fists to keep them from shaking from the cold.
His eyes open and he sees them. Shadows flitting through the cells, pulsating along the walls. A white wisp appears before him in the corridor, growing denser as it draws closer. The spirit of a woman in long robes, her hair matted, stops before him, her eyes piercing into his. "You." Her voice rasps as though her throat were raw from the screams.
The shadows grow larger, the torches dimming as they draw nearer to him.
"You did this to me," the woman screams.
"No...no I" he stammers, his eyes flitting between the woman and the shadows. "I didn't."
"You did this. You could have stopped them but you did nothing." Her voice echoes through the chamber, her face inches from his own. "You could have saved us."
He steps backward and the wind wails around him. "I tried. I…"
"You did nothing! You watched as they killed us. Listened as she laughed. You could have gotten us out. This is your fault."
"No! I tried...I swear I tried. They would have killed me. My mother. They would have…"
"Your fault."
"You did this."
"You killed us."
The voices join in and Draco covers his ears in an attempt to block out the sound. "I'm sorry," he whispers, his eyes closing tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this. I swear I didn't want this."
"We all had to die so you could live," her frozen fingers reach out, he feels them push through his chest; feels the ice in his lungs. "You're a coward and you killed us."
He gasps as sharp pains shoot through his limbs, a familiar laughter echoes in his ears. As the cold bleeds through his body he shivers, his breaths coming in gasps as he falls to his knees. "I'm sorry," he chokes down a sob and tears fall from his eyes. "My fault. I'm so sorry."
The screams return; loud and familiar. His aunt's maniacal laughter flitted though his mind. His breaths come in sharp gasps, black dots swim across his vision.
The cold in his chest deepens.
"No no no," he whimpers falling forward, his hands barely keeping him from hitting the floor. "I'm sorry...so sorry."
He can feel his chest tighten, each breath feels harder and harder to draw. The light around him fades the screams and laughter becoming a roar in his mind. His arms shake and he feels the room begin to spin around him. He rests his forehead on the cold ground, a heartrending wail escaping him as memories assault him.
When Draco returns to awareness, the first thing that registers is the softness of a mattress below him. His body feels weighed down as he attempts to raise his hand to his aching head. He clears his throat, wincing at the rawness, before calling softly for Cibney.
"Master Draco is awake." He can hear the concern in her voice. "Cibney is bringing you pain potion sir and a restoring draught for the tiredness sir."
"Thank you." Draco attempts to push himself into a seated position only to fall once more against his pillow.
"Let Cibney help, sir," the elf squeaks. He feels her warm magic around him as he is gently lifted to sit propped against the headboard. He opens his eyes as the mattress dips slightly and finds the small elf seated next to him holding the vials tightly in her small hands. She places one against his lips with a small smile and helps him drink it down before repeating it with the second.
"Thank you Cibney," Draco croaks with a light cough. "I feel better already."
"Master Draco should listen to Cibney." The elderly elf crosses her arms and glares over at the man. "I is telling you not to go to the dungeons but yous not listening to Cibney. No, master goes anyway and what does Cibney find when the screaming stops? Master laying on the floor. Frozen skin, barely breathing. Master can't keep doing this to Cibney, sir."
"I'm sorry Cibney but…"
"No. Cibney not listen to buts. When masters free the elves Cibney stays for Master Draco. Master Draco has always been kind to Cibney. Master Draco is…'' she pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Apologies Master, Cibney misspeaks. Master is hungry. Cibney will bring breakfast."
He opens his mouth to respond but, with a crack, she disappears. He lets his head fall back against the wall with a sigh before forcing himself out of bed to dress for his day.
AN: I thought about making this chapter longer but it just feels right to end it here. Ive got the full outline created for this story and it will be roughly 40 chapters all told with plans to update every Wednesday. Let me know what you think!