A Walk Around the Gardens
~Draco's POV~
I walked around the school properties with Hermione for a while in the afternoon. Neither of us wanted to walk together or even be near one another, especially after all that stuff about the blasted rings. McGonagal made us though. She said that it would be best for us to become acquainted with each other at least. I told her we were already as acquainted as I ever wanted to be. Stupid rings. Stupid "situation", as Professor McGonagal called it. I was fed up. I saved Hermione from the streets, I found out about us being from different elf families that had betrothed us before Hermione's family was killed through something Voldemort did.
She was adopted by a muggle family, but they were sworn to secrecy that Kayleigh, that was Hermione's birth name. She was renamed by her adopted family for safety reasons. I on the other hand stayed with my birth family, though my father doesn't know it. He's always known there was something different about mother and myself.
You know how elf ears are all supposed to be pointy. Apparently Hermione and mine were transfigured so that no one could see them except a pure elf. Strange really I mean if I'm supposed to be an elf prince wouldn't that mean I was a pure elf? If I'm a pure elf then I should be able to see my ears, but I can't. I guess I will have to ask Hermione about it. Maybe we can research about what was done to us to hide our true identity.
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Draco and Hermione wandered around the garden each thinking about their own little subject. Finally after about an hour of silence Draco cracked. He pulled Hermione under a tree near the lake so they were out of site of the castle.
"Hermione, please it's been driving me insane wondering about it, Why were you living on the streets with a bunch of drug dealers?"
"Iuum Draco I umm you see"she trailed off. "It's a long story and you wouldn't care anyway."
"And we have a long time and yes Hermione I do care. That's why I brought you back to Hogwarts at the risk of my life."
"You WHAT!! You took me off the streets and saved me when you could be killed for it?"
"Yes" Draco almost whispered.
"Oh My GOD!! Why? Wait a minute why were you on the streets of Muggle London in the first place. You hate Muggles?!"
"Um well not anymore, but well if I tell you why I was on the streets you have to promise not to tell anyone. And" he added as an afterthought "please tell me why YOU were on the streets."
Hermione sighed. "All right."
"ok. Cool. Ok. Umm. Right"
"Draco just tell me what you were doing in London"
"Right. OK. It mostly has to do with Voldemort and my Father so you have to promise you won't tell a single soul. Promise?"
"yes I do now get on with the story. . . sorry I didn't mean that to be so rude" She added noticing the look on Draco's face.
"It's ok I'm used to it. Anyway, the story. Basically my 'father' has taken over Voldemorts spot as 'Dark Lord'. Most of the old Death eaters follow him even though he isn't Voldemort. The Dark Mark is still the way all of them are called and a way of showing who and what they are. Ever since I got home from school Lucius has been trying to force me into becoming a death eater.
The one problem is that I have by now realized how wrong it is to go around killing people because of their heritage. I guess I always knew deep down but I sort of forced it away. I wanted to be my 'Father'. He had power and money. At that point in my life I believed that was all I would ever need to get through life.
When he killed my Mother for trying to save me from my 'Fathers'. . ."
"Sorry for interrupting" Hermione said. " but what was your father doing that led to her having to sacrifice herself for your life?"
"beating me." Draco said it in such a monotonous voice that Hermione flinched.
"How? Why? When?"
"With a whip and magic. Because he thought I was becoming weak. Last year at Christmas." Again he said it dead pan.
"oooooooo Draco I'm soo sorry!! I never knew!"
"No one did. Anyway. The story. So when my Mother died I realized how wrong it was. I had started growing away from the ideas of Voldemort but that was the last straw. I figured the only way to escape from my 'Father' was to run away. I also guessed that Muggle London was a place where no one would recognize me so I went there."
"oh. But wouldn't he have found you eventually?"
"Yes. most likely he would have. I was only planning on staying in London for about 2 weeks then moving on to a different city."
Oh. ok. I suppose I'm glad you found me first. What will you do now? Won't your father be able to find you at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I suppose he will. I'm hoping that if I keep a low profile he won't find me for a while. Anyway. What was your reason for running away?"
"Well, it wasn't as good a a reason as your's was."
" I don't care."
" I just had to get away from all the people I knew and away from my status as the smartest girl at Hogwarts. I never wanted to come back."
" Why would you never want to come back here?"
" I felt responsible for all of my friends deaths. I was right up there in the front lines and absolutely nothing happened to me. Harry and Ron are dead. Most of the other Gryffindor seventh years are dead. But when ever any of the Death Eaters came anywhere near me they all went unconscious, some even died. I just couldn't protect anyone I loved.
As soon as I got home my parents immediately started acting as though the world was over and spoiling me. I hated it. I never thought I would say this but I absolutely hated it. It was as though they were trying to make up for Harry and Ron's deaths by buying me a whole bunch of stuff I would never need. It was pitty and that was the last thing I wanted at that point."
"Whoa. That deep."
" Ya I suppose. It also made it worse seeing as they knew I was adopted and they never saw fit to tell me."
"Ya that sounds horrible. I mean I would have done anything to have nothing to do with the Malfoy name but at least I got to stay with my birth mother.