Chapter 16: Draco's Mistake
Harry, Naruto, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Ginny were at the hospital wing circling Ron's bed, as Madam Pomfrey was busy with the boy in bed. Slughorn was there as well, still stunned by what happened that night. "Quick thinking on your part, Harry. Using a Bezoar. You must be very proud of your student, eh, Horace?" Dumbledore said, as Slughorn looked at him and nodded. "I think we all agree that Mr. Potter's actions were heroic. The question is: Why were they necessary?" McGonagall asked, as this raised some questions. Dumbledore takes the half-empty bottle of mead, still bearing a bit of gift wrap. "This appears to be a gift, Horace. You don't by chance remember who gave you this bottle, do you - which by the way possesses remarkably subtle hints of licorice and cherry when not polluted with poison," Dumbledore asked.
"Actually I had intended to give it as a gift myself," Slughorn stated, as Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore asks who Slughorn intended to give it to, to which Slughorn responds by saying that it was a gift to Dumbledore. Now both Naruto and Hermione were looking at Ron, still worried for their friend. "Is he going to be alright?" Hermione asked. "Don't worry he'll be fine, I know it," Naruto assured his girlfriend. Suddenly the door bursts open and it was Lavender Brown as she was frantically searching for her boyfriend. "Where is he? Where's my Won-Won! Has he been asking for me?" That's when she stopped and glared at Hermione, as she thought Hermione was getting too close to Ron, despite Hermione seeing Ron only as a friend. "What's she doing here?" Lavender asked angrily to which Hermione retorted the same, although at a rather calm tone. "Well I happen to be his girlfriend," Lavender stated arrogantly, although everybody just looked at her stating 'yeah we know.' Hermione claps back, "Well I happen to be his friend, you daft dimbo. Oh and for the record my friend here is poisoned for god sakes, so I have every right to check up on him!" Both Lavender and Hermione were having a cat fight, as the others were watching. Slughorn was genuinely confused, Snape and McGonagall looked as if they really regret being here, whereas both Dumbledore and Naruto were just watching this whole thing going on, as they magically made some popcorn for the entertainment. Of course the blond was sharing his bucket of popcorn with Harry and Ginny as the whole catfight between Lavender and Hermione was getting pretty interesting.
Ron snorted as he stirred around the bed, as everybody stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "Ha! See? He senses my presence. I'm here, Won-Won. I'm here," Lavender stated, sounding pretty victorious. Ron soon wakes up and groans, seeing Lavender here getting too close to him. "Oh for the love of god can you please just leave me alone Lavender!" Ron nearly shouted. Lavender was shocked and backed away, "What?" she can only utter. "Yes, please leave me alone for god sakes. I just woke up to find myself in the hospital wing, at least give me the chance to get my mind straight and no I don't want to snog right now, so please…just go," Ron stated. Instantly, he falls unconscious again, as Lavender, vibrating with rage, stalks out. Everybody was just silent, as they watched this whole thing without a word. "Ah, to be young and feel love's keen sting. Come, everyone, I think Mr. Weasley is well tended," Dumbledore stated.
Everybody filed out of the room, as Harry, Naruto, and Hermione were the only ones in the room. "All I can just say is that…wow…just wow," Naruto stated, as both him and Harry snickered. "Oh shut up you two," she said, blushing at that embarrassing moment. Still the three are glad that Ron was back in the land of the living and soon they left the room.
Timeskip
It's been about a couple of weeks since Ron got hospitalized as he was finally out of the hospital wing. Of course Hermione took her apparitions test and got the perfect mark, while both Naruto and Harry didn't take it given that they still weren't seventeen, despite them being perfectly capable of doing it. Now of course there were still some problems, such as Harry still not getting Slughorn's memory and both him and Naruto having a tough time finding where Malfoy was and what he was doing. Right now, the four are at the Great Hall having lunch, as Harry took a look into the book. He comes across the spell, Sectumsempra, which was labeled for enemies only.
"Guys I swear, Lavender is looking like she wants to kill me and I'm starting to get scared," Ron stated, as the others looked at Lavender, who seemed to be seething. Apparently after Ron broke up with Lavender, she wasn't having it as she made a point of stalking him as well as the group. "Ignore her Ron, it's just a break up, nothing more nothing less. She'll eventually get over it as a man once said time heals everything, including a broken heart," Naruto stated. "Well yeah of course, but besides that what doesn't time heal?" Ron asked. "Uh…a broken window," Naruto stated, as Hermione shook her head. Harry smiled in amusement at the three, as he continued on with the book. A commotion was heard as everybody was surrounding someone who had just arrived. "That's Katie. That's Katie Bell," Hermione pointed out, as the others looked at the girl.
Harry goes up to Katie, who is talking with the group of girls. "How are you, Katie?" Harry asked, as Katie sighed and told the other girls to wait. "I know you're going to ask, Harry. But I don't know who cursed me. I've tried to remember. Honestly, but I just... can't…" she said. She then shifted her eyes to someone behind Harry, as she turned pale. Harry was confused and turned around to see who it was. It was Malfoy who looked silent, but was panicking as the girl that got hexed might compromise him. He leaves the hall quickly, as Harry starts to put two in two together and immediately follows him. But Harry wasn't alone as Naruto was watching the whole thing and made his move to follow the two. "Where are you going?" Hermione asked the blond. "To make sure Harry doesn't make a mistake," he said quickly and before the others could ask him to elaborate, he already left.
Naruto runs after the two, as Harry was chasing down Draco who was walking quickly trying to find a place to hide. Harry was close to Malfoy, as it seems that he entered the abandoned girls bathroom. Before he could enter, Harry turned around to see that Naruto was following him. "What are you doing here?" he asked the blond. "To make sure you don't make a mistake that would haunt you," he said. "I'm not gonna kill him, I just need to question him," Harry stated. "Then let's do this together, you think I'm going to let you do this all by yourself?" Naruto asked. Harry was surprised, but nodded and the two entered the bathroom.
With Draco
Malfoy was in the bathroom, as he took off his vest and turned on the faucet washing his face. Moaning Myrtle was there comforting the boy as he berated himself. "No one can help me," said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. "I can't do it. . . . I can't. . . . It won't work . . . and unless I do it soon . . . he says he'll kill me. . . ." Soon Draco, for once, cried as tears were dropping from his eyes. Naruto and Harry entered the bathroom to see that Draco was crying, as Naruto was rather pitying the boy, but he knew Malfoy was responsible for the cursed necklace just from what Harry told him.
Soon Malfoy looks up the mirror to see that Harry and Naruto were there waiting for him. "I know what you did Malfoy…you hexed her, didn't you?" Harry asked. "There's nowhere to run Malfoy, talk and don't you fucking lie to us," Naruto stated, as his wand was on the ready. Draco was horrified that he was exposed and was going to fire a spell at them, when Naruto causally disarms him, with some spell. "Really, you want to start a duel, like right now?" Naruto quipped, before he came behind Malfoy and knocked him out behind his head. Malfoy drops to the floor unconscious, as Harry watches. "Thank god it didn't resort into a duel, otherwise this could've gone a whole lot worse," Harry stated. "Right, come on, let's take him to my cabin and interrogate him," Naruto stated, as Harry helped his friend out.
A Few Hours Later
Draco wakes up to find himself sitting down chained to the chair, as he tries to look around and see where he was. The room was dark as the only source of light was coming from a lantern above him. "I see you're finally awake. Good cause I have a lot of questions for you," a voice said. "Who are you?! Show yourself!" Malfoy yelled. Sure enough, it was Naruto who came out of the shadows, as he took a seat smiling at him. "Hello Draco, pleasure seeing you here," Naruto said oh so sweetly, as Malfoy seethed. "Uzumaki! If you don't get me out of these restraints, I'll-"
"You'll do what? Curse me? Kill me? Hex me? You see Malfoy, you don't phase me, not once nor will you ever. So how about you…SHUT UP!" Naruto said, before punching Draco in the face, as blood came out of his mouth. Draco cursed, as his face was in pain from how Naruto punches. "Wait till my mother here's about this!" he stated, as Naruto coldly laughed. "Your mummy isn't here Malfoy and don't expect Snape to come find you, as I had already planted a decoy of you at the castle so he will never suspect a thing. You see a partner of mine, he has watched you, studied you, knows all your movements, where you go and what you do. Surely he has given me every bit and piece about you that I have taken into account when creating a clone of mine disguised as you," Naruto said, chuckling.
This was the moment where Malfoy knew Naruto wasn't one to be messed with and surely this was his mistake, as he would rather be interrogated by Dumbledore or even Voldemort. "Now then on to business. Why did you hex Katie Bell and for what reason?" Naruto asked, looking rather serious. "As if I would tell you," Draco scoffed, not before he repeatedly got punched by Naruto. "I'm being serious, talk or else," Naruto warned, as he kept punching Malfoy. "Ok! Ok! Fine I'll talk just don't punch me anymore," Malfoy begged. Naruto nods, but that doesn't mean that he will be lax with him, as he eyed him. "To make sure you are telling the full truth, I poured some Veritaserum on your mouth earlier before you even woke up," he explained, crossing his arms. So Malfoy sang like a canary explaining how his intention wasn't to hex Katie, but to hex Dumbledore. When that plan failed however, he decided to bewitch Madam Rosemerta to make the poisoned mead intended for Dumbledore, but somehow it backfired. He even mentions what he did in the Room of Requirements and what his mission was from Voldemort.
"I've heard enough and I get it. You're scared of failing him, aren't you? You're doing this because you don't want anything bad to happen to your family, is that right" Naruto asked. Draco nodded, as he was mentally tired from revealing the truth. Naruto sighed, before punching Draco knocking the living daylight out of him. He used a simple memory charm to get rid of the whole events that happened right here and the past few hours, so that he and Harry don't get caught interrogating Malfoy. Soon Naruto leaves the room to see Harry along with Itachi waiting for him there. "So did you get anything out of him?" Harry asked, as Naruto nodded and proceeded to explain everything. Needless to say, Harry could shake his head in disbelief as this was rather shocking to hear. "So this whole time, Malfoy was doing this not because he wanted to, because he had to?" Harry asked, as Naruto nodded. "It's true you two, I've been doing some recon and it appears that Malfoy has been sneaking off to Borgin and Burkes, so that is why he hasn't been at the castle a lot lately," Itachi stated. "What do we do about this information?" Harry asked. "It's best we tell Dumbledore about this and only Dumbledore," Naruto stated. "Ok, but what do we do with Malfoy here?" Harry asked. Naruto smirked, "It's a good thing I took away the memory he had about this whole thing and don't worry I know what to do with the ferret." Soon the next day had arrived as Draco woke up only to find himself dangling upside down on some building only in his underwear, as everybody was staring and laughing. He was cursing whoever had done this to him, as he doesn't know what had happened last night or even yesterday.
