A/N: Ooh, sorry it's taken so long for
this. See, spring sports have started and I'm a lot busier than before. Add a
big case of writer's block into the take, and you can see why I've been so
long. Thank you to my sole reviewer, Pinky! (I know more of you read this; I
have statistics! C'mon peops, review!) Well, without further ado I bring you…
Part
6: The Paths of Light
"So, what did my
father want you to tell me?" drawled Draco.
The girl gave him
a swift piercing look. "You're not a happy person, are you Draco?"
"What?" sputtered
Draco, considerably shocked, taken aback, and irritated. He drew himself up to
his full height and glared at her. Beautiful she might have been, but no mere
staff member was going to make any assumptions about him. "Servant, I am Draco
Malfoy, bearer of the Rod and right-hand man to Voldemort himself! I have fame,
riches and power that you cannot even comprehend!" Although, I'm not that
happy, he thought bitterly to himself. "And you will address me as Lord
Malfoy, understood?"
She glared right
back at him. "Well, my lord, that wasn't exactly what I meant. Anyone
can see you have power and material comfort. Yet in my experience that has, in
reality, very little to do with one's happiness. And you will not
address me as servant."
"And why not?"
said Draco, feeling very angry, both at her insolence and how she read him so
easily.
"Because I am no
servant of yours. Draco Malfoy, you do not have to be what you are now." She
edged closer to him. "The Rod you possess can be used for both evil and good. I
can see how unhappy you are both with your power and your master-"
"He is NOT my
master!" yelled Draco. "You, whoever you are, get out of my sight before I kill
you or have someone else do it for me!" He pointed the Rod at her.
She grabbed hold
of it as well. With a loud whoosh, bright white flames the color of
starlight leapt up along the rod and rose high into the air. With simultaneous
gasps of shock, Draco and Fae both dropped the Rod and leapt back. After they
let go, the flames disappeared, and they were left staring at the Rod and at
each other.
"What-? How-? What
was that?" stuttered Draco.
"I don't know,"
said Fae quietly, still staring fixatedly at the Rod.
Draco was staring
at her. I've been trying to make the fire part work for two days. I've used
every bit of concentration and energy I have, and she just touches
it and it works. "I've changed my mind, servant. You will come with me to
see Lord Voldemort."
"I told you
before, I'm not your servant. And I won't go and see Voldemort!"
"Oh, yes you
will," said a voice from the doorway. There stood Lucius Malfoy, wand pointed
at Fae. "Well done, Draco. And, in my youth, you would get Cruciatus for your
insolence, wench. Now come!"
With a look of
fear but determination, and a glance around the room, Fae walked out the door,
followed by the elder and younger Malfoys. She kept her hands clenched tight so
that they wouldn't start shaking.
"We're done for,"
mouthed Ron at Harry and Hermione.
"Not yet," Harry
mouthed back. The three quickly, but quietly followed Fae and her captors.
Unfortunately, once Lucius, Draco, and Fae were out in the hall, Lucius rolled
up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark. He pressed it and muttered something
inaudible, and they all disappeared.
"All right, now
we're done for," said Ron, coming out from under the cloak and punching the
wall.
"Now is not the
time for pessimism, Ron. We can still find her!" said Hermione reproachfully.
"And please get back under the cloak!"
"Now is the
perfect time for pessimism!" said Ron, flinging his hands into the air. "Yes,
so we know who they're taking her to, but how are we supposed to figure out
where Voldemort is? And next they're probably going to put her in the dungeons,
and we all know what'll happen there! 'This is the south-south-west
dungeons, the girl you're looking for is in the west-south-west
dungeons!'"
"Quiet, you two!"
said Harry someone will hear-"
"What's going on
here?" said a thick-looking, but brawny guard, coming around the corner.
"I-um," stammered
Ron.
"What is your
number?" asked the guard menacingly.
"My number?"
repeated Ron. The guard moved towards him threateningly. "Oh, my number!
It's, uh, 793865012?"
"Ha! That's my
number! Come with me, spy."
"Damn it!"
muttered Ron under his breath. He thought about making a run for it, but as
this was a place where people were accustomed to killing, he decided it was in
his best interest to cooperate. The guard marched him off down the hall.
Harry and Hermione
shot each other quick looks and then began following them.
* * *
"Master, I believe
we have found the key to success for the Rod," murmured Lucius Malfoy
smugly.
They were in a
large, echoing room, made of some kind of black stone. Fae shuddered. In
addition to the carved stone snakes that adorned the pillars and walls of the
room there were also a large quantity of live snakes slithering about. She was
kneeling, with her arms forced behind her, in front of a large, ornate, silver
and jet
throne, in the same serpentine motif as the rest of the room. The person on the
throne was visible in the shadows due to his pale skin and faintly glowing red
eyes.
"Excellent, bring
her closer," hissed a voice like chilled blood.
Fae found herself
being roughly brought to her feet and then slammed down into a kneeling
position again, not more than two feet from those red eyes.
"Girl, you and
Master Malfoy will make me once again the most powerful wizard in the world.
Your hands will wield the tool for the destruction of all the filth of that
world," he said slowly and terribly, leaning closer to her. His breath was
like rotten flesh.
Feeling very
tempted to either throw up or spit in his face, Fae forced herself to look
Voldemort right in his snake-like face and stay silent.
"What, she does
not talk?" he asked Lucius with mild amusement.
Lucius stared
icily at Fae. "Oh, she talks, Master. In fact, she was talking rather rudely to
my son when I found them."
"Indeed." He swung
his gaze back to Fae. "She doesn't dare even speak to me at all, wise girl. The
tongues of women are utterly inferior."
At this moment the
doors of the throne room swung open and in walked the guard and Ron. Fae gave a
small gasp. The guard shoved Ron forward until he was kneeling in front of the
throne as Fae was.
"Found him
sneaking around the East Wing, Master," mumbled the guard, keeping his
eyes on the floor.
"Did you? I know
you, young man, don't I?" sneered Voldemort with a slow, cruel smile. Ron just
stared at Voldemort, half defiant, half terrified. "Yes, you're Potter's little
friend aren't you?" He leaned back and pressed his fingertips together
methodically. "If one of Potter's little stooges is running about, Potter must
be close by. Have your people do a thorough search of the castle," he said to
the guard.
"Yes,
Master," mumbled the guard, turning for the door.
"Oh, and have her
taken down to the dungeons." He indicated Fae with a sweep of his pale, bony
hands.
"Yes,
Master," the guard said, grabbing Fae by the arm and dragging her out of
the room.
"You two are
excused. I wish to talk to the spy alone." He eyed Ron like a cat eyes a plump,
lame mouse. The two Malfoys left, leaving Ron and Voldemort alone together.
"So, spy, where is
Potter?" asked Voldemort.
"Why should I tell
you? You have your guards searching the castle they'll find him," Ron replied.
"Well, it does
something to pass the time between now and when I either kill you or enslave
you," Voldemort replied with an evil smirk.
"Well, I don't
know, so don't bother asking me," he muttered, carefully avoiding looking
Voldemort in the eye.
"Don't you? I
believe I'd like to test that," said Voldemort slowly, still giving Ron a cool,
predatory stare.
"With what?" Ron's
voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Imperio, Cruciatus?"
"No, I think I'll
go for a more interesting method." He waved his wand and, in front and slightly
to the right of his shoulder, appeared a mirror, framed in the same silver and
jet as the throne. It was engraved with strange runes and symbols. "Care to
take a look into my mirror, spy?"
Ron tried to look
away, but something about the mirror drew his gaze to it. His eyes grew larger
and seemed to be looking inward.
Voldemort leered
and laughed at him. "Oh, but this is interesting. You, the best friend of the
great Potter, resent him for his greatness. All your life you were pushed aside
by your siblings, finally you got to go to Hogwarts and try and make a name for
yourself. And you did. 'Potter's sidekick.'" Voldemort laughed again. "Well,
young Ronald, I know a way for you to shine with a light will blind all to
their glories."
"How?" muttered
Ron in a hollow, dead voice. His eyes seemed to be clouding over with smoke or
mist. He stared into the mirror as if his life depended on it.
"Join with me. I
can bring power, fame and glory beyond the dreams of those inferior followers
of Dumbledore. Shall we make a deal?" He grinned and extended his hand towards
Ron.
Ron turned slowly
from the mirror, got to his feet, and after staring at the outstretched hand
for a long moment, clasped it.
* * *
Fae sat in a cold,
damp cell, leaning against a fungus-covered wall. She stared up out the high,
tiny window at the leaden sky outside, thinking to herself. I wonder if it's
ever sunny here? Probably not, evil snake-men are not exactly conducive
to light and warmth. She stared bitterly around at her surroundings. Well,
at least I know I won't die, not yet anyway. As long as I'm able to help work the
Rod, I get to live. Great, just great.
A voice off to her
left cleared its throat. Turning, she saw Draco standing there. After staring
each in silence for some seconds she asked disparagingly, "Can I help you?"
He turned to the
guard at her door. "Leave us, I wish to talk to the girl alone."
"Yes, my lord,"
mumbled the guard, nodding and hurrying off.
"Well, what do you
want to talk about," she asked, turning so that she was facing him, "the lovely
weather we're having?"
"How do you know
I'm unhappy? Why do you think that?"
"I don't think, I
know. I grew up around centaurs and other magical creatures. One of the things
they taught me to do was how to see inside people, to their true natures. And I
can plainly see that you are a depressed, unhappy, bitter person."
"Any ideas how I
can make myself happier?" he asked, sitting down in front of the bars with an
odd look on his face. He looked almost as if he expected to be hit by
something.
He's not used
to talking about stuff like this. His father probably taught him that emotions
make you weak. "I'm guessing most
of your bitterness is centered towards your family. From what I've heard your
family has some long-standing traditions. Usually in those types of families
someone is born who was not meant to follow those traditions, and so they
suffer a life that could have been better lived."
"You're very good.
It's really mostly centered around Father."
"Hmm. He wants you
to be just like him, but you see what he is and what he's done. You don't want
to be anything like him, including indulging in the darker side of yourself.
But you have a lot of pride and a temper and are not quite willing to give up
the power and prestige that the Dark Arts give you."
"I don't have a
temper! And what's wrong with a little pride?"
"What do you call
that little episode back before your father found us? And, yes, a little pride
never hurt anyone. But you, Draco, err on the side of arrogant."
"I do not!" said
Draco pounding his fist onto the floor.
"'I am Draco
Malfoy, I have the Rod, I'm chums with Voldemort, you will address me as His
All-Powerful Highness Sir Lord Baron Draco Malfoy!' No, no, you're not arrogant
at all."
"Alright, maybe I
am a little arrogant. But that's just how I was raised, to think of myself and
my family as better than everyone else."
"Yes, you've been
taught little but evil, arrogance, and hatred all your life. Old habits and old
ways of life die hard. What you need is something you deem worth fighting for
in order to break free from what you've been taught." She sat back and closed
her eyes in thought. "You've probably seen pain as a byproduct of what you've
learned, but then again, you were probably taught also to not pay attention to
it
or think of it as a necessary evil…"
Draco sat up and
stared at her. "I think I do have something worth fighting for. Wait
here!" He got up.
"Do I have much
choice?" she asked with somber grin.
"Oh, right, sorry
about that. I'll see what I can do about that later, right now there's something
I need to show you!" With that he dashed off down the corridor, up a flight of
stairs, and out of sight.
Fae smiled. "I may
just have made a break-through with him."
"Wow, that was
weird!" said Harry's voice, soon followed by his body emerging from the cloak.
"I never would've thought of Malfoy not wanting to be a rich, snobbish dark
wizard."
"You can't always judge someone by their
actions, sometimes there's something else lurking deep within." Fae replied.
She shifted uncomfortably. "Do either of you have any ideas how to get me out
of here, in case Malfoy gets side-tracked doing whatever he needed to do?"
"Well let's see,"
said Hermione, bringing out her wand. "Aloho-"
"Expelliarmus,"
grunted a voice from behind them.
Hermione's wand
flew out of her hand, backwards into the outstretched palm of Ron's.
"Ron! What do you
do that for?" asked Hermione, exasperated. She took a closer look at him. "Ron,
are you ok?" she asked more timidly.
"Ron stood there,
so rigidly it was like he was carved from stone. His mouth was set in a hard
thin line, and his eyes, his eyes were clouded and angry, not just with Ron's
irritated temper, but with hatred, malice, emotions none of them had seen on
him since he found out Scabbers was a human rat. "Ok?" he replied, slowly
grinning and softly chuckling. "I'm better thank ok, I'm better than I have
been in years. I'm finally going to get what I want, what I deserve."
"Ron what are you
talking about?" asked Harry moving closer to him.
"Ron trained his
wand on Harry. "Shut up, you. I've had enough of you stealing the attention
from me." He ground his teeth. "Famous Harry Potter, and his faithful
side-kick, Unfamous Ron Weasley, well Potter I've found a new person to be
side-kick to, one who's going to let me have some of the glory."
"Ron, not
Voldemort? Why?" said Hermione, her voice cracking. She slowly edged towards
him.
"Don't say his
name. Ha, soon wizards everywhere will fear to say my name too. As for why,
he," he pointed at Harry, "he has everything: Money, fame, everyone loves him.
My own family loves him more than me."
"Now Ron,"
reproached Hermione, moving up beside him, "you know that isn't true."
"Oh, but it is.
Name one thing I have that he doesn't," he said.
Hermione stood
there silent for a moment looking like she was close to tears. She looked up at
him and said, "Me." Then she reached up and kissed him.
He blinked, and as
he did, the cloudiness seemed to drain from his eyes. "Hermione? What-What's
happening? I was in the throne room and-"
"Voldemort used
some sort of device to control you and make you hate Harry," said Fae coming
over to the bars.
"What, what did I
do?" asked Ron looking more confused and horrified by the minute.
"Well," said
Harry, "I think you were going to kill me, but you mainly just raved on about
how I have everything and you have nothing."
"Harry, I-You know
I would never-" began Ron.
"Yeah, I know. I
don't hold you responsible for any of it, just Voldemort."
"Please, please
say You-Know-Who!" pleaded Ron, looking sick to his stomach.
"What we need to
do is figure out how this happened," continued Harry. "Ron. What do you
remember last?"
"Well," said Ron
slowly, seemingly trying very hard to remember, "I was alone with…him in that
throne room, and he was trying to get me to tell him where you were. I said I
didn't know and he said he was going to 'test' that. I though he meant
Cruciatus or something but he brought out this mirror and…it was kind of like
the mirror of Erised, I saw things I wanted in there, but I also saw some
things I knew didn't really want, but this little voice in the back of my head
kept telling me I did and that he would give it all to me, and the voice kept
getting more persistent, and I started getting really sleepy and…that's all I
remember. How did you guys knock me out of it?"
"Hermione kissed
you. Love has powerful effects on dark magic," answered Fae, grinning slightly.
Her head swung to the right. "I think I hear someone coming!" she hissed. "Get
under the cloak."
Draco came back
into sight, coming down the stairs. "I'm back, sorry it took me so long."
Fae smiled at him.
"That's alright, what did you want to show me?"
"Not here. That
guard'll be back pretty soon. First, you get freed."
"Thank you. But
what about the guard, couldn't you just order him to let me out?"
He gave her a small grin. "First you lecture me about abusing my power,
then you want me to abuse it so I can get you out of that cell. How hypocritical."
He dropped the grin. "The real reason is, Voldemort ordered you put in jail; since
he's the supreme authority, if I asked to have you released, the guard would go
and tell Voldemort, who would most-likely get suspicious. So it'll be much
easier for us if we just break you out, though I haven't got any idea how to do
it. Regular charms are spelled against and the bars are nearly indestructible."
"What about using the Rod?" asked Fae.
A/N2: Bwhahahaha! Again, my little
chickadess, I leave you hanging. Well, how else am I supposed to draw you back?
::announcer voice:: Has Draco turned good?
What does he want to show Fae? (No, not THAT, you sicko!) And where exactly IS
this story headed anyway? (How should I know, I'm just the author, ask the
little being perched on my shoulder who yells things in my ear.)
l
l
l
l
l What could this be? I know! A little box where you can write down
what you
l thought of the story! Why don't YOU write something in there?
C'mon! Please?
l Just a sentence or two, that's all! It doesn't even have to be a
complete
V sentence!
