Disclaimer- not mine!
Chapter 25- Explanations.
After retrieving their bags from a large pile of student's belongings that had been placed in the entrance hall the four of them all decided to return to Gryffindor tower. They were just starting to climb the marble staircase when they heard hurried footsteps coming towards them. They all turned around to see Draco Malfoy running across the hall.
He skidded to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Harry and Ron immediately placed their hands in their pockets, ready to pull out their wands if necessary. Draco noticed this and held up his hands as if in a surrender.
"I'm not going to do anything, I swear." He said hastily. Hermione folded her arms. "What do you want?" She asked coldly. Draco's cheeks turned very slightly pink. "Er, do you know where Leonora is?" He asked them.
Harry snorted. "Why do *you* care?" He asked scathingly. Draco's head whipped up to glare at Harry. "She's my sister." He said angrily.
Ron folded his arms as well and glared back at Draco. "Yeah. Was there ever a time when you knew what that meant?" He asked. Draco looked as if he was going to answer for a moment. Then he just looked at the floor. "Forget it." He muttered, turning and walking away.
"That was strange." Hermione stated as they began to walk up the stairs again. Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. Daphne, however, stood still on the step, watching Draco walk away. His shoulders were slumped, his hands were in his pockets and he looked lost. Daphne made up her mind.
"Draco!"
Draco turned around as Daphne came running towards him, the surprise evident all over his face. "What do you want?" He asked warily, glaring at her. Daphne rolled her eyes.
"Cut the crap Draco." She said sternly, folding her arms. Draco started. "Lori's in the prefects' bathroom. Fourth door to the, um, I think it's the left, of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. The password's 'mild green'." She said.
Draco stood staring at Daphne in shock, shock that almost immediately followed by suspicion. "Why are you telling me?" He demanded. Daphne's expression softened.
"Because I can tell you miss her as much as she misses you." She said quietly.
Draco felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. *Daphne knew*. Lori must have told her- and she, *missed* him. Seriously? Daphne turned to walk away, but something inside Draco forced. "Wait, I-" Daphne turned around expectantly, and Draco swallowed. "Thank you" He managed to say.
Daphne grimaced. "Ooh, that sounded painful!" She teased. No one had spoken to him like that for five years, and Draco almost, ALMOST, laughed.
"Seriously though." Daphne said, her face turning serious as she took a step towards him. "If you hurt her again, I will make you life a living hell, and I'm not even *close* to joking." She poked him in the chest, and Draco took an involuntary step back. "Got that?" She demanded.
Draco swallowed and nodded. "Got it." And he did- it was pretty easy to tell she was deadly serious. Daphne now looked at him questioningly. "Well?" She demanded. "What are you waiting for? Go on!"
Draco jumped slightly as Daphne barked her order, and then hurried over to the staircase, past a shocked Ron, Harry and Hermione and towards the fifth corridor, taking the steps tow at a time.
Daphne walked back to her cousin and her friends, and began to walk up the staircase as if nothing had happened. Harry stared at her. "What did you do that for?" He demanded. Daphne didn't stop walking. "Because it's the best thing for both of them." Was the only answer she would give, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione very confused.
~*~
Lori sat on the edge of the huge bathtub, her legs dangling over the edge, shivering all over. It wasn't that she was cold- far from it in fact; it was a mixture of fear, anxiety, and most of all shame. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the picture of the Great Hall out of her mind. The debris, the screams, the Deatheaters everywhere, the looks of terror on her peers' faces, the image of Daphne rolling around on the floor, screaming in pain from the Cruciatus curse. It was all her fault.
Lori jumped as a clap of thunder sounded from outside. She pressed her hands to her ears frantically, resting her chin on her knees and screwing her eyes tight shut. She shook her head, desperate to block out the noise of the storm. It was the only thing that could make her feel worse right now.
~*~
Draco reached the bathroom within a minute. He was out of breath from running that far and fast, so he leant against the wall to regain his composure, clutching a stitch in his side. As his breathing slowed down, his heart rate sped up. What on Earth was he going to say to her? He hadn't spoken properly to Leonora for five years- he'd been lying for a third of his life. Draco didn't even know who his sister was anymore.
A loud clap of thunder snapped Draco out of his thoughts, and he automatically found himself hoping that Leonora hadn't heard it. She hated storms, and she'd be feeling bad enough all ready tonight.
Draco looked at the door to the bathroom, a tight feeling in his throat. He remembered back to when he was younger, when he used to stay with Leonora during storms, trying to keep her mind off of them. He remembered how she used to look up to him, but was never too scared to put him in his place. He remembered how much he had missed her when Lucius came back- when he'd been stuck in the study all day, learning dark arts and 'Malfoy etiquette'.
Then he remembered what had happened during that fortnight away, and his mind was made up. Squaring his shoulders, Draco stepped away from the wall. "Mild green" He said firmly. The door swung open silently, and, taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
Leonora was sitting by the side of what looked like an empty swimming pool, hugging her knees and trying to cover her ears at the same time. She hadn't noticed him come in. Draco's first instinct was to run over to her and give her a hug- he'd never been scared to do that before. But he knew that he would have to explain first. She still hadn't noticed him. Well, he had to start somewhere. Feeling quite nervous, Draco cleared his throat.
Lori's head snapped up when she heard the sound, petrified. She knew immediately who it was- but the knowledge didn't make her feel any better. She swallowed, not looking up at her brother. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a whisper. She heard Draco sit down next to her, and swallowed again.
"I wanted to make sure you were OK." He said quietly. Lori hugged her knees tighter. "I'm fine." She said stiffly. "Oh." She heard Draco say. There was a silence, broke suddenly by a huge clap of thunder. Lori jumped in the air, and pressed her forehead down on her knees, trying to block everything out. As Draco watched her, he knew what he had to say. It was so simple.
"I'm surprised the storm isn't afraid of you, Lenori." He said softly. Lori's eyes flew open, and she turned her head to look at her brother. Really look at him. And that was when she realised.
It was him.
"D, Draco?" She stammered. "Is that you?" She sat up, staring openly at him. Draco smiled slightly. "Who else would it be?" He asked. Then he sighed. "I'm so sorry." He said, looking straight at her. Lori felt her breath catch in her throat. He was back. This was the old Draco- she could tell by his voice, his stature, and the look in his eyes. Tears started to form again in her eyes.
Noticing this, Draco continued in a hurry. "I never meant it- I swear I didn't. It was Lucius, he." Draco stopped, seeing that his sister was very confused. He was going to have to explain from the very beginning, and boy did she deserve an explanation.
"Do you remember when Lucius came back? When you were six?" He asked. Lori nodded. "Of course I do." She whispered. Draco nodded as well. "Well, you remember how he used to have me in his study every day?" Lori nodded again.
"He was teaching me how to be a Malfoy. I had always thought that he was a bit strange, but by the end of the first day I knew he was completely crazy. All he talked about was Muggle-borns, impure wizards, how to put people down and all kinds of other stupid things. I didn't believe any of it, and Lucius knew it. He was getting panicked, I can tell you."
"Why?" Lori asked curiously. Draco smiled again. "Because if his only son didn't believe in the Malfoy values, then the entire Malfoy family would be pretty much destroyed. In his opinion. He tried everything- he threatened to torture the house-elves in front of me, he threatened to torture me, he even threatened mother. But I didn't budge. Then, then he."
Draco trailed off, and Lori sat up a bit straighter. "What? How did he make you change?" She asked. Draco stared down at his feet. "He did what all hunters do. He found my weakness."
"*You* have a weakness?" Lori asked dubiously. Draco shrugged. "Of course I do." He replied. Lori frowned. "What?" She asked.
Draco shrugged, still staring down at his feet. "Do you remember he took me away for a couple of weeks?" Lori nodded again and Draco continued. "Well, he took me to a big, remote house somewhere in the countryside. I think it might have been Wales. Anyway, what he did, every day, was tie me to a chair in a room and gag me so I couldn't speak. Then he'd, he, well, he tortured.tortured Muggles in front of me. I couldn't do anything to stop him and the others- I just had to sit there and watch.
"The things they did were.disgusting. It was sickening to watch. And then, when he told me that he'd do the same to *you* if I didn't, didn't."
Lori gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. It was because of *her*. All these years and. Lori started to cry again, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. Draco looked at her, alarmed. "Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry!" She said, hugging her brother tightly.
Draco sat still, unsure what to do. Finally he came to his senses and put his arm around Lori, trying to came her down. "It's me who should be sorry Leonora." He said when her crying had calmed down a bit. "And I am, I really am."
Lori pulled away, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. "No, there was nothing you could have done." She said. Draco also shook his head. "No, I should have found some way to." Lori cut him off. "It doesn't matter now." She told him firmly.
Draco nodded. "You're right. It doesn't." Lori smiled, still teary-eyed. There was a couple of moments' silence, which was broken by Lori. "How did you know where to find me?" She asked curiously. Draco looked at her. "Your friend Daphne told me." He told her.
Lori's eyes widened. "*Daphne?* Why?" She asked. Draco shrugged. "I asked her." He said. Lori shook her head with a small smile. "She is going to be insufferable. She'll be saying 'I told you so' for the next month at least." She said.
Draco smiled weakly. "Your lucky to have a friend who cares about you so much." He told her. Lori nodded in agreement. "I know." She said. "Do you know that in the Hall, earlier, she actually *stood up to father* for me?"
Draco's eyes widened. "She stood up to Lucius? That is quite amazing." He said dryly. Lori placed her head on her knees and looked at her brother. "When did you start calling him Lucius?" She asked. Draco shrugged. "About a year ago. I haven't called him Father to his face for five years though." He told her.
"So, does Daphne know about you?" He asked her. Lori turned pink. "Yes." She said quietly. "Anyone else?" Draco asked and Lori shook her head as another, particularly loud clap of thunder sounded, making her jump.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to go outside and tell the storm to shut up?" He asked her. Lori grinned. "It's good to have you back Draco." She said.
Well I'm glad that Maddy wanted the old Draco back. Someone agrees with me!!!
Alright Michelle, I know you're going to kill me for 'spoiling' Draco, but it's my story, so there's nothing you can do about it! HA HA HA!!! Anywho, I'd just like to say that I don't actually think this kind of thing would REALLY happen in the books, but it fitted in with this story, and as I said before, it's mine!
Chapter 25- Explanations.
After retrieving their bags from a large pile of student's belongings that had been placed in the entrance hall the four of them all decided to return to Gryffindor tower. They were just starting to climb the marble staircase when they heard hurried footsteps coming towards them. They all turned around to see Draco Malfoy running across the hall.
He skidded to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Harry and Ron immediately placed their hands in their pockets, ready to pull out their wands if necessary. Draco noticed this and held up his hands as if in a surrender.
"I'm not going to do anything, I swear." He said hastily. Hermione folded her arms. "What do you want?" She asked coldly. Draco's cheeks turned very slightly pink. "Er, do you know where Leonora is?" He asked them.
Harry snorted. "Why do *you* care?" He asked scathingly. Draco's head whipped up to glare at Harry. "She's my sister." He said angrily.
Ron folded his arms as well and glared back at Draco. "Yeah. Was there ever a time when you knew what that meant?" He asked. Draco looked as if he was going to answer for a moment. Then he just looked at the floor. "Forget it." He muttered, turning and walking away.
"That was strange." Hermione stated as they began to walk up the stairs again. Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. Daphne, however, stood still on the step, watching Draco walk away. His shoulders were slumped, his hands were in his pockets and he looked lost. Daphne made up her mind.
"Draco!"
Draco turned around as Daphne came running towards him, the surprise evident all over his face. "What do you want?" He asked warily, glaring at her. Daphne rolled her eyes.
"Cut the crap Draco." She said sternly, folding her arms. Draco started. "Lori's in the prefects' bathroom. Fourth door to the, um, I think it's the left, of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. The password's 'mild green'." She said.
Draco stood staring at Daphne in shock, shock that almost immediately followed by suspicion. "Why are you telling me?" He demanded. Daphne's expression softened.
"Because I can tell you miss her as much as she misses you." She said quietly.
Draco felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. *Daphne knew*. Lori must have told her- and she, *missed* him. Seriously? Daphne turned to walk away, but something inside Draco forced. "Wait, I-" Daphne turned around expectantly, and Draco swallowed. "Thank you" He managed to say.
Daphne grimaced. "Ooh, that sounded painful!" She teased. No one had spoken to him like that for five years, and Draco almost, ALMOST, laughed.
"Seriously though." Daphne said, her face turning serious as she took a step towards him. "If you hurt her again, I will make you life a living hell, and I'm not even *close* to joking." She poked him in the chest, and Draco took an involuntary step back. "Got that?" She demanded.
Draco swallowed and nodded. "Got it." And he did- it was pretty easy to tell she was deadly serious. Daphne now looked at him questioningly. "Well?" She demanded. "What are you waiting for? Go on!"
Draco jumped slightly as Daphne barked her order, and then hurried over to the staircase, past a shocked Ron, Harry and Hermione and towards the fifth corridor, taking the steps tow at a time.
Daphne walked back to her cousin and her friends, and began to walk up the staircase as if nothing had happened. Harry stared at her. "What did you do that for?" He demanded. Daphne didn't stop walking. "Because it's the best thing for both of them." Was the only answer she would give, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione very confused.
~*~
Lori sat on the edge of the huge bathtub, her legs dangling over the edge, shivering all over. It wasn't that she was cold- far from it in fact; it was a mixture of fear, anxiety, and most of all shame. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the picture of the Great Hall out of her mind. The debris, the screams, the Deatheaters everywhere, the looks of terror on her peers' faces, the image of Daphne rolling around on the floor, screaming in pain from the Cruciatus curse. It was all her fault.
Lori jumped as a clap of thunder sounded from outside. She pressed her hands to her ears frantically, resting her chin on her knees and screwing her eyes tight shut. She shook her head, desperate to block out the noise of the storm. It was the only thing that could make her feel worse right now.
~*~
Draco reached the bathroom within a minute. He was out of breath from running that far and fast, so he leant against the wall to regain his composure, clutching a stitch in his side. As his breathing slowed down, his heart rate sped up. What on Earth was he going to say to her? He hadn't spoken properly to Leonora for five years- he'd been lying for a third of his life. Draco didn't even know who his sister was anymore.
A loud clap of thunder snapped Draco out of his thoughts, and he automatically found himself hoping that Leonora hadn't heard it. She hated storms, and she'd be feeling bad enough all ready tonight.
Draco looked at the door to the bathroom, a tight feeling in his throat. He remembered back to when he was younger, when he used to stay with Leonora during storms, trying to keep her mind off of them. He remembered how she used to look up to him, but was never too scared to put him in his place. He remembered how much he had missed her when Lucius came back- when he'd been stuck in the study all day, learning dark arts and 'Malfoy etiquette'.
Then he remembered what had happened during that fortnight away, and his mind was made up. Squaring his shoulders, Draco stepped away from the wall. "Mild green" He said firmly. The door swung open silently, and, taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
Leonora was sitting by the side of what looked like an empty swimming pool, hugging her knees and trying to cover her ears at the same time. She hadn't noticed him come in. Draco's first instinct was to run over to her and give her a hug- he'd never been scared to do that before. But he knew that he would have to explain first. She still hadn't noticed him. Well, he had to start somewhere. Feeling quite nervous, Draco cleared his throat.
Lori's head snapped up when she heard the sound, petrified. She knew immediately who it was- but the knowledge didn't make her feel any better. She swallowed, not looking up at her brother. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a whisper. She heard Draco sit down next to her, and swallowed again.
"I wanted to make sure you were OK." He said quietly. Lori hugged her knees tighter. "I'm fine." She said stiffly. "Oh." She heard Draco say. There was a silence, broke suddenly by a huge clap of thunder. Lori jumped in the air, and pressed her forehead down on her knees, trying to block everything out. As Draco watched her, he knew what he had to say. It was so simple.
"I'm surprised the storm isn't afraid of you, Lenori." He said softly. Lori's eyes flew open, and she turned her head to look at her brother. Really look at him. And that was when she realised.
It was him.
"D, Draco?" She stammered. "Is that you?" She sat up, staring openly at him. Draco smiled slightly. "Who else would it be?" He asked. Then he sighed. "I'm so sorry." He said, looking straight at her. Lori felt her breath catch in her throat. He was back. This was the old Draco- she could tell by his voice, his stature, and the look in his eyes. Tears started to form again in her eyes.
Noticing this, Draco continued in a hurry. "I never meant it- I swear I didn't. It was Lucius, he." Draco stopped, seeing that his sister was very confused. He was going to have to explain from the very beginning, and boy did she deserve an explanation.
"Do you remember when Lucius came back? When you were six?" He asked. Lori nodded. "Of course I do." She whispered. Draco nodded as well. "Well, you remember how he used to have me in his study every day?" Lori nodded again.
"He was teaching me how to be a Malfoy. I had always thought that he was a bit strange, but by the end of the first day I knew he was completely crazy. All he talked about was Muggle-borns, impure wizards, how to put people down and all kinds of other stupid things. I didn't believe any of it, and Lucius knew it. He was getting panicked, I can tell you."
"Why?" Lori asked curiously. Draco smiled again. "Because if his only son didn't believe in the Malfoy values, then the entire Malfoy family would be pretty much destroyed. In his opinion. He tried everything- he threatened to torture the house-elves in front of me, he threatened to torture me, he even threatened mother. But I didn't budge. Then, then he."
Draco trailed off, and Lori sat up a bit straighter. "What? How did he make you change?" She asked. Draco stared down at his feet. "He did what all hunters do. He found my weakness."
"*You* have a weakness?" Lori asked dubiously. Draco shrugged. "Of course I do." He replied. Lori frowned. "What?" She asked.
Draco shrugged, still staring down at his feet. "Do you remember he took me away for a couple of weeks?" Lori nodded again and Draco continued. "Well, he took me to a big, remote house somewhere in the countryside. I think it might have been Wales. Anyway, what he did, every day, was tie me to a chair in a room and gag me so I couldn't speak. Then he'd, he, well, he tortured.tortured Muggles in front of me. I couldn't do anything to stop him and the others- I just had to sit there and watch.
"The things they did were.disgusting. It was sickening to watch. And then, when he told me that he'd do the same to *you* if I didn't, didn't."
Lori gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. It was because of *her*. All these years and. Lori started to cry again, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. Draco looked at her, alarmed. "Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry!" She said, hugging her brother tightly.
Draco sat still, unsure what to do. Finally he came to his senses and put his arm around Lori, trying to came her down. "It's me who should be sorry Leonora." He said when her crying had calmed down a bit. "And I am, I really am."
Lori pulled away, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. "No, there was nothing you could have done." She said. Draco also shook his head. "No, I should have found some way to." Lori cut him off. "It doesn't matter now." She told him firmly.
Draco nodded. "You're right. It doesn't." Lori smiled, still teary-eyed. There was a couple of moments' silence, which was broken by Lori. "How did you know where to find me?" She asked curiously. Draco looked at her. "Your friend Daphne told me." He told her.
Lori's eyes widened. "*Daphne?* Why?" She asked. Draco shrugged. "I asked her." He said. Lori shook her head with a small smile. "She is going to be insufferable. She'll be saying 'I told you so' for the next month at least." She said.
Draco smiled weakly. "Your lucky to have a friend who cares about you so much." He told her. Lori nodded in agreement. "I know." She said. "Do you know that in the Hall, earlier, she actually *stood up to father* for me?"
Draco's eyes widened. "She stood up to Lucius? That is quite amazing." He said dryly. Lori placed her head on her knees and looked at her brother. "When did you start calling him Lucius?" She asked. Draco shrugged. "About a year ago. I haven't called him Father to his face for five years though." He told her.
"So, does Daphne know about you?" He asked her. Lori turned pink. "Yes." She said quietly. "Anyone else?" Draco asked and Lori shook her head as another, particularly loud clap of thunder sounded, making her jump.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to go outside and tell the storm to shut up?" He asked her. Lori grinned. "It's good to have you back Draco." She said.
Well I'm glad that Maddy wanted the old Draco back. Someone agrees with me!!!
Alright Michelle, I know you're going to kill me for 'spoiling' Draco, but it's my story, so there's nothing you can do about it! HA HA HA!!! Anywho, I'd just like to say that I don't actually think this kind of thing would REALLY happen in the books, but it fitted in with this story, and as I said before, it's mine!