Author's notes: ok, I can do the chaptering thing! woohoo! ok, to answer
some questions, no, this is not just going to be a summer fic, yes there will
be some r/h, and it was Voldie that appeared when the earthquake
happened. K?
Disclaimer: I only own the story.
*Resisitance* - Chapter 3
Ron stared at the letter in his hand in utter disbelief. This had to be some
sort of sick joke.
"Dad!" He yelled. "Can I use the fellytone?"
"What?" Ron grimaced at the letter then took the stairs to the kitchen two
at a time.
"What?" His father repeated.
"Can I use the fellytone to talk to Harry?" Ron noticed his mother's face
go stony. Mr Weasley looked in her direction a little nervously.
"Er.....can't you just write to him Ron?" Ron explained about the letter in
his hand in tones of disgust, and about how he really had to get it sorted
out. Thankfully this seemed to take his mother's mind off their enchanted
muggle telephone, and she let him use it. She had vowed to make Arthur
take all enchanted muggle objects out of the house, but after much
persistence the telephone had stayed. Ron dialled the number and waited
impatiently for Harry to answer.
"Hello?" Said Harry, picking up the phone. He then had to hold the
earpiece a foot away from his head to stop his eardrums from bursting.
Ron was taking the news even worse than he expected. Harry counted to
ten then swiftly interrupted Ron's rant.
"Ron there's nothing I can do about it, I have to go, Sirius made me write
to him. You don't have to come if you don't want to." Harry said all of
this in a suitably wheedling voice, as he really didn't want to go on his
own. There was a pause on the other end.
"Why does he want us to go anyway?" asked Ron finally. Harry grinned,
once Ron got curious about something he would normally give in.
"I think he has to collect some stuff or something. He didn't say much in
his letter."
"Well what did he say?" Sighing, Harry retrieved the offending letter and
read it out. Ron's reaction was the same as his had been.
"Owe him! We don't owe him anything!"
"Except the whole saving our lives thing."
There was another pause, in which Harry thought he could hear muffled
swearing. Then,
"Right, fine, but I'm not staying for more than a day, and I'm not
promising Hermione will come either. And I'm not being nice."
Harry smiled.
And so it was that Harry, Ron and Hermione fell out of the fireplace of
Malfoy Manor that Monday morning. Harry and Hermione had made a
brief stop at The Burrow, dropping their trunks off, then they had all taken
the floo network together. Harry picked up his glasses which had once
again cracked, and fixed them with a tap of his wand. None of the three
seemed to want to take another step, so Harry shrugged them off and set
off down the corridor. harry had expected an opulent mansion, thick
carpets and gold leaf, but what he saw was much closer to a huge
dungeon. In fact, for a moment it looked like they were heading for a
potions lesson. Hermione and Ron followed. Hermione had not put up so
much of a fight as Ron, as she really did believe that they owed Draco
their lives. Ron has a suspicion that the rumours of the Malfoy's huge
library might have had something to do with it.
Harry looked at his watch, which as well as telling him that they were five
minutes early, told him that he himself was 'visiting', and Sirius was
'hiding'.
"Well where is he?" Said Ron impatiently.
"Shhh, Ron, we're early." Said Hermione.
"Don't 'shush' me, it's not like there's anyone here!" Harry winced as
their bickering echoed off the grey stone walls, and he headed towards a
heavy looking wooden door.
"Don't open that!" Draco's voice rang out from the fireplace, Ron and
Hermione shut up immediately. It was a very strange sight. Harry, hand
inches from the door handle, frozen still, Ron, arms folded, scowling,
Hermione, red and flustered and Draco, sat, covered in soot it the
fireplace,
trying to look superior. Hermione was suddenly seized by a fit of the
giggles. Draco glared at her as he picked himself up, still trying to look
smug, but failing miserably. He turned his frustration on Harry.
"I didn't say you could bring them!"
"Um, I just thought that whatever we are doing would go faster with four
of us."
"Oh! Did you! I must have forgot, the great Potter intellect is second to
none, because you thought it, it must be right!" Harry bristled.
"Listen, Draco, I didn't have to come here at all, it might surprise you to
know that I have a life!"
"Yes! You have a life thanks to me!" Now Ron stepped in.
"We would have done just fine without you Malfoy!"
"Stay out of it, Weasel." Ron's face went very red, and no doubt he would
have said something nasty had Hermione not interrupted.
"Look, obviously none of us wants to be here, so why don't we get on
with whatever it is we're supposed to be doing and leave?" While saying
this she gently tugged on Ron's arm, steering him away from Draco.
Harry could hear Ron muttering to her. Harry turned to Draco.
"So!" he said with forced brightness, "Where do we start?" Draco scowled
at him.
They were working through the rooms on the top floor first. Draco had led
then through an expansive entrance hall with a sweeping stone staircase.
He had led them to the first upstairs room of eight and barked out a few
orders, causing Ron to make some unpleasant signs behind his back.
Hermione had apparently forbidden him from arguing anymore. Harry
sneezed as he sealed another cardboard box of musty books. Draco had
wandered off to his old bedroom, and had just given them a list of what
was being kept and what wasn't.
"I can't believe this is how I'm spending my summer!" Ron burst out.
"It's just one day Ron." Hermione had been repeating this like a mantra.
"But he's not even grateful!"
"It's just one day." Hermione refused to get into an argument. Ron's
temper might have been better had Hermione not been reading more books
than packing them, but apparently he wasn't commenting. Harry grinned
behind the boxes as Ron rolled his eyes in a good natured way and
Hermione giggled.
As they finished up the second room they found Draco locking what they
assumed was his old bedroom. There were just two boxes by his feet.
"Travelling light?" asked Ron, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Draco
didn't answer, just said,
"In there next." He gestured with a nod towards a set of double doors.
Hermione pushed one open and lit the torches with her wand. It was a
long low hall, with a huge wooden table running down the middle.
"Conference room?" asked Harry.
"Something like that." Sneered Draco. Looking at the black drapes of
material and the black polished table Harry suddenly understood what
kinds of meeting had happened here. Draco moved to the only other piece
of furniture, a black wooden chest against one wall. Harry walked over
curiously. Draco opened it and rummaged around. Then he something out.
Harry didn't see what it was as his attention was taken up by what was
now hovering in the air. Whatever Draco was holding had emitted a
silvery mist, and it was now forming lines and words in the air.
"What is that?" Asked Ron. Draco seemed to remember they were there
and quickly put the object away in a black velvet pouch. Harry glimpsed it
as the words faded, it was a metal cylinder engraved with intricate
patterns.
"It's a family tracer. It shows whoever holds it their family tree and can
show the life story of their ancestors." said Hermione. Draco stood up
abruptly and went to move out of the room.
"Never heard of them." Ron snorted
"That's because I'm from a respected old wizarding family and
you......well." Said Draco, looking Ron up and down. Hermione and Harry
shared a glance, then Hermione quickly led a fuming Ron out of the room
and Harry distracted Draco by asking what they should do next. Hermione
and Harry were spending alot of time stopping fights. Strangely, Draco
hadn't said anything offensive about Harry's family yet, but Harry was
sure it wouldn't last long.
When they had finished with the top floor, Ron announced he wasn't
doing anything else until they had eaten. Draco had gone off, muttering to
himself, and returned ten minutes later with some loaves of bread and
sandwich fillings and left them to it. Hermione had sat down on one of the
stone steps and started buttering bread.
"I wonder where he's gone." she said.
"Who cares." said Ron, eating a slice of ham.
"Ron you've got to give him some slack, his father's just been sent to
Azkaban!"
"Yes, because Draco sent him there. He can't be too bothered about it, can
he!"
"He is, he's just not letting on." Hermione shoved a sandwich in Harry's
direction. He muttered a 'thank you' but Ron was already off again.
"Hermione, he's being his usual horrible self, and as soon as we've paid
off this 'debt'," Ron made quote marks in the air, " he won't ever speak to
us again. He just needed someone to carry his stuff for him."
While they argued, Harry drifted back towards the heavy set door that had
drawn his eyes when they first arrived. It was much thicker than the other
doors, and had a secure looking metal lock. Harry peered into the keyhole,
but could only see black on the other side.
Draco hadn't stopped to eat. He wanted to get out of this place as fast as
possible. He could hear Ron and Hermione bickering on the staircase. It
sounded wrong in this house. No-one had ever argued in this house. Draco
suddenly shivered. He really wanted to get out of here. Abandoning this
room, he went back out into the entrance hall, and was going to tell them
they could go. Harry was back infront of the black door. A memory stirred
in the back of Draco's head.
"Don't open that!" He shouted on impulse. Harry looked up at him,
curiously. Draco heard Ron and Hermione stop arguing.
"I can't anyway." Said Harry. "It's all locked up."
"Oh." For some reason, Draco found himself breathing a sigh of relief. He
stiffened however at Ron's voice behind him.
"Awww, is ickle Draco not allowed in that room?" he scoffed. Draco
scowled at him.
"I can go where I wish." He said coldly, trying to inject some confidence
into his voice. Something inside, something long forgotten was telling him
not to open that door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry watching
him.
"Except in there." pressed Ron.
"Ron..." said Hermione
"No, Hermione, Draco here's acting all 'Lord of the Manor', when he's
still too afraid of daddy to do what he wants."
Ron was trying to bait Malfoy into a fight, he had had a terrible day and
wanted to go home. But instead of getting angry, Draco seemed to be
getting more and more uncertain. He looked just like he did when he stood
up to his father, pale and alone. The grey eyes darted once to the door,
then fixed on Harry. He had a slightly pleading look.
"I'm not supposed to go in there." Ron felt like laughing, but the
atmosphere seemed to have changed. Harry was watching Draco intently,
both just staring at each other. Hermione had hold of Ron's arm, a
physical barrier to shut him up. They all stood, frozen. Harry broke the
silence.
"Can we go in there?" He asked gently. This seemed to panic Draco. He
glanced at the door again, then a shadow of his old sneer returned.
"Do what you want."
Harry stepped back up to the door and drew his wand. He heard Draco
suck in a huge breath.
"Alohomora." Harry found himself whispering. He had a strange feeling
that Draco needed this door to be opened. The lock clicked. Harry turned
back to look at Draco, who seemed to be in some sort of trance. His pale
eyes looked huge in his face, he seemed ready to bolt at any moment.
Cautiously Harry turned the iron handle and pushed the door open. He felt
the others step a little closer behind him, and they all squinted into the
dark.
"Lumos." Hermione whispered. The torches in the room were lit. Harry
felt his breath leave his chest, and felt Draco sway next to him. It was
another plain stone room with no windows, but none of them noticed.
Harry stepped back in shock.
Harry had backed into Hermione, and she didn't blame him. Just the smell
was enough to make her want to run. Her eyes flickered past varoius
gruesome sights, each more horrible than the next, until they fixed with a
sort of numb horror on the far wall. This, among the many skeletons in the
room, was the smallest. Stretched out with chains and metal bars holding
it in position, this child could only have been five or six years old. Filthy
rags fell like old skin from their bones, and Hermione was forced to close
her eyes and turn away. She was joined by Ron, who bent down, gripping
his knees and taking deep breaths. When she had recovered a little, she
turned back. Harry had extinguished the lights and had stepped inside the
room a little to grasp the door. Draco was stood in the same place, as
though frozen, but even from here she could see him shivering. The door
closed with a final clunk, and Harry let go of his mouth and nose. He
looked slightly green. She watched him reach out to Draco, who jumped
when touched, and say something in his ear. A barely perceptible nod,
then Harry was leading him away without a backward glance at the other
two, back towards the fireplace.
some questions, no, this is not just going to be a summer fic, yes there will
be some r/h, and it was Voldie that appeared when the earthquake
happened. K?
Disclaimer: I only own the story.
*Resisitance* - Chapter 3
Ron stared at the letter in his hand in utter disbelief. This had to be some
sort of sick joke.
"Dad!" He yelled. "Can I use the fellytone?"
"What?" Ron grimaced at the letter then took the stairs to the kitchen two
at a time.
"What?" His father repeated.
"Can I use the fellytone to talk to Harry?" Ron noticed his mother's face
go stony. Mr Weasley looked in her direction a little nervously.
"Er.....can't you just write to him Ron?" Ron explained about the letter in
his hand in tones of disgust, and about how he really had to get it sorted
out. Thankfully this seemed to take his mother's mind off their enchanted
muggle telephone, and she let him use it. She had vowed to make Arthur
take all enchanted muggle objects out of the house, but after much
persistence the telephone had stayed. Ron dialled the number and waited
impatiently for Harry to answer.
"Hello?" Said Harry, picking up the phone. He then had to hold the
earpiece a foot away from his head to stop his eardrums from bursting.
Ron was taking the news even worse than he expected. Harry counted to
ten then swiftly interrupted Ron's rant.
"Ron there's nothing I can do about it, I have to go, Sirius made me write
to him. You don't have to come if you don't want to." Harry said all of
this in a suitably wheedling voice, as he really didn't want to go on his
own. There was a pause on the other end.
"Why does he want us to go anyway?" asked Ron finally. Harry grinned,
once Ron got curious about something he would normally give in.
"I think he has to collect some stuff or something. He didn't say much in
his letter."
"Well what did he say?" Sighing, Harry retrieved the offending letter and
read it out. Ron's reaction was the same as his had been.
"Owe him! We don't owe him anything!"
"Except the whole saving our lives thing."
There was another pause, in which Harry thought he could hear muffled
swearing. Then,
"Right, fine, but I'm not staying for more than a day, and I'm not
promising Hermione will come either. And I'm not being nice."
Harry smiled.
And so it was that Harry, Ron and Hermione fell out of the fireplace of
Malfoy Manor that Monday morning. Harry and Hermione had made a
brief stop at The Burrow, dropping their trunks off, then they had all taken
the floo network together. Harry picked up his glasses which had once
again cracked, and fixed them with a tap of his wand. None of the three
seemed to want to take another step, so Harry shrugged them off and set
off down the corridor. harry had expected an opulent mansion, thick
carpets and gold leaf, but what he saw was much closer to a huge
dungeon. In fact, for a moment it looked like they were heading for a
potions lesson. Hermione and Ron followed. Hermione had not put up so
much of a fight as Ron, as she really did believe that they owed Draco
their lives. Ron has a suspicion that the rumours of the Malfoy's huge
library might have had something to do with it.
Harry looked at his watch, which as well as telling him that they were five
minutes early, told him that he himself was 'visiting', and Sirius was
'hiding'.
"Well where is he?" Said Ron impatiently.
"Shhh, Ron, we're early." Said Hermione.
"Don't 'shush' me, it's not like there's anyone here!" Harry winced as
their bickering echoed off the grey stone walls, and he headed towards a
heavy looking wooden door.
"Don't open that!" Draco's voice rang out from the fireplace, Ron and
Hermione shut up immediately. It was a very strange sight. Harry, hand
inches from the door handle, frozen still, Ron, arms folded, scowling,
Hermione, red and flustered and Draco, sat, covered in soot it the
fireplace,
trying to look superior. Hermione was suddenly seized by a fit of the
giggles. Draco glared at her as he picked himself up, still trying to look
smug, but failing miserably. He turned his frustration on Harry.
"I didn't say you could bring them!"
"Um, I just thought that whatever we are doing would go faster with four
of us."
"Oh! Did you! I must have forgot, the great Potter intellect is second to
none, because you thought it, it must be right!" Harry bristled.
"Listen, Draco, I didn't have to come here at all, it might surprise you to
know that I have a life!"
"Yes! You have a life thanks to me!" Now Ron stepped in.
"We would have done just fine without you Malfoy!"
"Stay out of it, Weasel." Ron's face went very red, and no doubt he would
have said something nasty had Hermione not interrupted.
"Look, obviously none of us wants to be here, so why don't we get on
with whatever it is we're supposed to be doing and leave?" While saying
this she gently tugged on Ron's arm, steering him away from Draco.
Harry could hear Ron muttering to her. Harry turned to Draco.
"So!" he said with forced brightness, "Where do we start?" Draco scowled
at him.
They were working through the rooms on the top floor first. Draco had led
then through an expansive entrance hall with a sweeping stone staircase.
He had led them to the first upstairs room of eight and barked out a few
orders, causing Ron to make some unpleasant signs behind his back.
Hermione had apparently forbidden him from arguing anymore. Harry
sneezed as he sealed another cardboard box of musty books. Draco had
wandered off to his old bedroom, and had just given them a list of what
was being kept and what wasn't.
"I can't believe this is how I'm spending my summer!" Ron burst out.
"It's just one day Ron." Hermione had been repeating this like a mantra.
"But he's not even grateful!"
"It's just one day." Hermione refused to get into an argument. Ron's
temper might have been better had Hermione not been reading more books
than packing them, but apparently he wasn't commenting. Harry grinned
behind the boxes as Ron rolled his eyes in a good natured way and
Hermione giggled.
As they finished up the second room they found Draco locking what they
assumed was his old bedroom. There were just two boxes by his feet.
"Travelling light?" asked Ron, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Draco
didn't answer, just said,
"In there next." He gestured with a nod towards a set of double doors.
Hermione pushed one open and lit the torches with her wand. It was a
long low hall, with a huge wooden table running down the middle.
"Conference room?" asked Harry.
"Something like that." Sneered Draco. Looking at the black drapes of
material and the black polished table Harry suddenly understood what
kinds of meeting had happened here. Draco moved to the only other piece
of furniture, a black wooden chest against one wall. Harry walked over
curiously. Draco opened it and rummaged around. Then he something out.
Harry didn't see what it was as his attention was taken up by what was
now hovering in the air. Whatever Draco was holding had emitted a
silvery mist, and it was now forming lines and words in the air.
"What is that?" Asked Ron. Draco seemed to remember they were there
and quickly put the object away in a black velvet pouch. Harry glimpsed it
as the words faded, it was a metal cylinder engraved with intricate
patterns.
"It's a family tracer. It shows whoever holds it their family tree and can
show the life story of their ancestors." said Hermione. Draco stood up
abruptly and went to move out of the room.
"Never heard of them." Ron snorted
"That's because I'm from a respected old wizarding family and
you......well." Said Draco, looking Ron up and down. Hermione and Harry
shared a glance, then Hermione quickly led a fuming Ron out of the room
and Harry distracted Draco by asking what they should do next. Hermione
and Harry were spending alot of time stopping fights. Strangely, Draco
hadn't said anything offensive about Harry's family yet, but Harry was
sure it wouldn't last long.
When they had finished with the top floor, Ron announced he wasn't
doing anything else until they had eaten. Draco had gone off, muttering to
himself, and returned ten minutes later with some loaves of bread and
sandwich fillings and left them to it. Hermione had sat down on one of the
stone steps and started buttering bread.
"I wonder where he's gone." she said.
"Who cares." said Ron, eating a slice of ham.
"Ron you've got to give him some slack, his father's just been sent to
Azkaban!"
"Yes, because Draco sent him there. He can't be too bothered about it, can
he!"
"He is, he's just not letting on." Hermione shoved a sandwich in Harry's
direction. He muttered a 'thank you' but Ron was already off again.
"Hermione, he's being his usual horrible self, and as soon as we've paid
off this 'debt'," Ron made quote marks in the air, " he won't ever speak to
us again. He just needed someone to carry his stuff for him."
While they argued, Harry drifted back towards the heavy set door that had
drawn his eyes when they first arrived. It was much thicker than the other
doors, and had a secure looking metal lock. Harry peered into the keyhole,
but could only see black on the other side.
Draco hadn't stopped to eat. He wanted to get out of this place as fast as
possible. He could hear Ron and Hermione bickering on the staircase. It
sounded wrong in this house. No-one had ever argued in this house. Draco
suddenly shivered. He really wanted to get out of here. Abandoning this
room, he went back out into the entrance hall, and was going to tell them
they could go. Harry was back infront of the black door. A memory stirred
in the back of Draco's head.
"Don't open that!" He shouted on impulse. Harry looked up at him,
curiously. Draco heard Ron and Hermione stop arguing.
"I can't anyway." Said Harry. "It's all locked up."
"Oh." For some reason, Draco found himself breathing a sigh of relief. He
stiffened however at Ron's voice behind him.
"Awww, is ickle Draco not allowed in that room?" he scoffed. Draco
scowled at him.
"I can go where I wish." He said coldly, trying to inject some confidence
into his voice. Something inside, something long forgotten was telling him
not to open that door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry watching
him.
"Except in there." pressed Ron.
"Ron..." said Hermione
"No, Hermione, Draco here's acting all 'Lord of the Manor', when he's
still too afraid of daddy to do what he wants."
Ron was trying to bait Malfoy into a fight, he had had a terrible day and
wanted to go home. But instead of getting angry, Draco seemed to be
getting more and more uncertain. He looked just like he did when he stood
up to his father, pale and alone. The grey eyes darted once to the door,
then fixed on Harry. He had a slightly pleading look.
"I'm not supposed to go in there." Ron felt like laughing, but the
atmosphere seemed to have changed. Harry was watching Draco intently,
both just staring at each other. Hermione had hold of Ron's arm, a
physical barrier to shut him up. They all stood, frozen. Harry broke the
silence.
"Can we go in there?" He asked gently. This seemed to panic Draco. He
glanced at the door again, then a shadow of his old sneer returned.
"Do what you want."
Harry stepped back up to the door and drew his wand. He heard Draco
suck in a huge breath.
"Alohomora." Harry found himself whispering. He had a strange feeling
that Draco needed this door to be opened. The lock clicked. Harry turned
back to look at Draco, who seemed to be in some sort of trance. His pale
eyes looked huge in his face, he seemed ready to bolt at any moment.
Cautiously Harry turned the iron handle and pushed the door open. He felt
the others step a little closer behind him, and they all squinted into the
dark.
"Lumos." Hermione whispered. The torches in the room were lit. Harry
felt his breath leave his chest, and felt Draco sway next to him. It was
another plain stone room with no windows, but none of them noticed.
Harry stepped back in shock.
Harry had backed into Hermione, and she didn't blame him. Just the smell
was enough to make her want to run. Her eyes flickered past varoius
gruesome sights, each more horrible than the next, until they fixed with a
sort of numb horror on the far wall. This, among the many skeletons in the
room, was the smallest. Stretched out with chains and metal bars holding
it in position, this child could only have been five or six years old. Filthy
rags fell like old skin from their bones, and Hermione was forced to close
her eyes and turn away. She was joined by Ron, who bent down, gripping
his knees and taking deep breaths. When she had recovered a little, she
turned back. Harry had extinguished the lights and had stepped inside the
room a little to grasp the door. Draco was stood in the same place, as
though frozen, but even from here she could see him shivering. The door
closed with a final clunk, and Harry let go of his mouth and nose. He
looked slightly green. She watched him reach out to Draco, who jumped
when touched, and say something in his ear. A barely perceptible nod,
then Harry was leading him away without a backward glance at the other
two, back towards the fireplace.