Author's Note: This took heinously long to finally get out. Writer's block is terrible, especially combined with long hours of playing 'The Sims' and getting tons of projects & assignments piled on me.
Oh yeah! I got a Third Honor Award! *does the happy dance* It doesn't seem like much, but you have to get an average of 90 and no grade lower than 85 in the report card! I also got an Exemplary Conduct Award too! Yay!
Please REVIEW and make my life a lot better.
Author: The*Spangled*Pandemonium
Title: The Whole Truth
Chapter Title: For His Father
~~~*~~~
Draco:
I sat in the hospital wing gazing forlornly at the comatose body of my father. Madame Pomfrey had decided to keep him asleep until Dumbledore arrived back from his conference with his Ministry of Magic, so I had been stuck here the whole night, sinking deep into thoughts I didn't want to think.
What would Dumbledore do when he found out that my father, a Deatheater, had somehow pierced through Hogwart's defenses?
What would happen to me, now that one of Voldemort's followers was placed in the hand of one of his worst enemies, because his own son knocked him out? For a Mudblood?!
Would the Dark Lord retaliate against my mother? Who knew absolutely nothing about the cause of this mess?
I stood up abruptly from my chair, and walked to the window that showed a perfect view of the Forbidden Forest.
The moonlight shone through the windowpane, glistening on my pale hair. Judging from the position of the constellations, I knew that the sun would be rising soon, and that our school's headmaster would be arriving in a couple of hours.
My languid hand carelessly brushed the glass of the windowpane, and I vaguely remembered the person who had last held it.
Hermione…
Sometimes a person shouldn't ask for the good and bad side of things separately. Maybe occasionally they're both rolled into one.
Hermione, for some reason had decided to forgive me for what I had done. Unfortunately, that very same night that she had decided to do so, I had betrayed my family, and found out that my friends that somewhat betrayed me too.
It was too much for one sixteen-year-old boy to take.
I staggered to the bed Madame Pomfrey had set aside for me in case I wanted to rest. She had allowed me to stay the night instead of shooing me back to the Slytherin Dorms like she usually did. I think she understood the panic I was in, and gave me time off from other people.
I lay down on my side, my back to my father.
Closing my tired silver eyes, I slept.
I had no dreams.
~~~*~~~
"Draco?" A voice called out to me. "Draco?"
My eyes snapped open, and harsh beams of light fell on my pitiful, sleep-encrusted eyes. It took me a moment to realize who I was, where I was, and what had happened the night before.
Nothing had changed.
"Damn." I hauled my stiff body to an upright position, and rubbing my face with my hand. Turning my head to where the voice came from, my eyes grew wide with shock.
Potter may have been used to this bedside treatment with Dumbledore, but I sure as hell was not.
"Sir?" I croaked out. My mouth felt like a handful of quagmire stuffed into it, and I no doubt looked like a mess. I wasn't used to being woken up by someone, and my appearance left something to be desired. "Umm…err…"
Dumbledore actually looked like he was enjoying himself! His favorite student's rival was lying there, gaping at him like he had never seen another human before. A half smile appeared from Dumbledore's face, and in an easygoing voice (laced with amusement) he said, "The bathroom's over there Draco, in case you want to freshen up."
I nodded stiffly, grabbed my wand from the side table, and with as much dignity I could muster up, hauled ass to the toilet.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. After scowling at my reflection and deciding I was not a morning person, I washed my face, tried to tame my hair into something that did not look like uncut grass, and used a spell to smoothen out the wrinkles on my robe.
Emerging into the sun-dappled hospital room, I saw that my father, with the Sleeping Spell cast on him, was still dead to the world.
The Headmaster was sitting on the chair by the bed I had slept in, wiping his half-moon spectacles on his robe in a seemingly innocent manner.
I walked over, and sat on the bed as Dumbledore re-applied his glasses. Catching me completely off guard, he shot me a piercing look, as if trying to determine whether I was trustworthy or not.
I had been getting that a lot lately.
Clearing my throat, I fixed my gaze at the wall behind the headmaster. "I suppose you want to know what this is all about…" I said wearily.
"Yes, I do. But who else is involved in this?" Dumbledore said, "Madame Pomfrey informed me that you weren't the only one who came to the hospital room with your father last night…"
"Hermione was there…" I could feel my face redden under those watchful eyes. I had accidentally called her by her first name! That was a definite giveaway. Shit. "With Potter, Weasley, and both Crabbe and Goyle." I continued hurriedly.
"I see…" He said. I felt a tinge of annoyance as the corner of Dumbledore's mouth quirked. "What happened?"
For the second time, I had to repeat those events that had happened during summer and what happened over the last few weeks. I had to explain to my Headmaster how I had messed with Hermione's mind, been invited to a duel (against school rules: no magic in the hallways, especially not at midnight), used the cheap way to beat his golden boy, and in the end, knocked out my own father.
The number of detentions I was going to have to endure was going to be endless. That is, if Dumbledore didn't expel me.
"You say Snape sent the letter to your father?" He said thoughtfully.
"Yes…"
"Well, Severus did tell me that Lucius asked him to keep an eye on you. So I allowed him to do what he thought was appropriate… Never thought he'd do something like this."
I received another jolt of shock race through me. "Snape's a double agent?"
"That's 'Professor Snape' to you, Draco. And yes, Severus gave up being a true Deatheater even before the fall of Voldemort."
I continued ogling at him.
"But that's not we should be thinking about right now…" He glanced at my father's sleeping form. "We should see what we can do with your father..."
"He's…he's a Deatheater…so…" I stuttered out. He'd be imprisoned in Azkaban if I didn't think of something! "But…but…he's had his memory modified! You can't lock him up for something he doesn't know he did!"
" Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard…" Dumbledore said in a grave voice. "That's how Voldemort acquired information by Bertha Jorkins two years ago…"
"Is there any way out of this?!"
He didn't say anything.
I sat there in sullen silence. Was there really nothing that I could do for him? I couldn't let my own father go to Azkaban because of what I did! Even though he cared about Voldemort (or used to) more than he did for me, I still loved him! Family is one of the biggest priorities on being a Malfoy (besides having power)!
Suddenly, an idea struck me. "How come no one has attacked Potter in his Uncle's house?"
"It's an ancient spell, that even the Dark Lord cannot break."
"Then why don't you go over to the Malfoy manor, and do the same there?" I said triumphantly.
Dumbledore's eyes furrowed in thought. "I'll see what I can do." He finally said. "And I've found out how your father came into the Hogwarts grounds… Apparently, people who are previously invited here are allowed to come back again whenever they want. I'll have to fix that, since Tom Riddle did study here."
He paused for a while, and then continued. "Meanwhile, I believe a few people have been wanting to talk to you. I'll tell Vincent and Gregory that you're awake."
He stood up from the chair, and walked to the door. "Wait!" I called out, panicked. "Am I in trouble?"
"It appears not." He said smilingly, and swept out of the room.
How would my mother react to this? She must've been in love with father to marry him… And him having no consciousness of all the evil he's done must make the weight on his soul a bit lighter. Perhaps he'll be a better person…
Maybe there was a chance that this might work out.
The creak of the door told me that my two friends had walked in. "We just got out of Care of Magical Creatures… We came as fast as we could when Dumbledore said he talked to you already. So what's going to happen with him?" Crabbe asked.
So…Dumbledore let me skip classes just for today…Thank God.
"Well?"
"Your fathers are Deatheaters too." I said slowly. "How can I know if your trustworthy or not?"
I had told Hermione that I wasn't all that mad at them, and I wasn't, but now that I had a way to protect my father, I wasn't going to it away to two people I was still a bit suspicious of…
They seemed a bit crestfallen, but then Goyle suddenly smiled. "You don't have to tell us Draco…that's your business, and I wont tell my parents what happened. The real question is…" He smirked. "Do you still like Granger?"
I was a bit stunned at his question. To be honest, I hadn't thought of her since last night. My father's welfare had been my main thought since I woke up. "Yeah, I do." I glared at them. "You have a problem with that? Or are you going to tell Voldie instead of Snape?"
They gaped at my lack of respect for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and then laughed. "No we won't, Draco." He said, "But promise us something…"
"What?" I asked
"Don't change into a sap. We already told you we were worried about you."
I smiled at my two buddies, and chuckled. "Fine. As long as you leave my business alone."
"Whatever, Draco." Crabbe said and nodded, satisfied. "But you might want to know…" His words trailed off and he grinned at me devilishly.
Rolling my eyes at him, I said, "Know what?"
"Granger is looking for you."
You'd be happy to know that I was up and running in a flash.
~~~*~~~
Author's note: I don't think this chapter is good at all. But I think it explained what was going to happen well enough. You see, I'm recovering from a terrible bout of writer's block.
Please REVIEW if you really want the last chapter (epilogue), which is pure Hermione/Draco.
Thank you.