Made of You Part 11
Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters.
The invisibility cloak wrapped tightly around him, Harry stole along the dark, narrow path leading up to Malfoy Manor, guided by Marie. The night was cool and crisp, yet somehow evoking a sense of tension. And indeed there was tension in the air. He could feel it in his blood, in his very bones. For this night, he would uncover the ugly secrets of the Malfoys, and destroy them. At that very moment, the thought of Draco Malfoy was enough to send his blood boiling. Harry tried to keep his anger in check, not wanting to let emotion overrule judgment. For in the end, common sense was his only trustworthy weapon.
As the trail progressed, it gradually turned into an upward slope. Harry found that they were now ascending the hill upon which was Malfoy Manor. He had heard many stories about this road, none of which was pleasant. But to his utter surprise, not the slightest obstacle hindered their path as they went on their way. It was too calm to be normal. Something had to be afoot. Yet they finally reached Malfoy Manor safely, without the slightest hindrance. This was too easy, Harry thought to himself. There has to be some trick…
However, at the sight of the formidable mansion, all suspicion and unease were wiped away, replaced by anger. Gazing up at the many soulless windows, Harry wondered which one Hermione was trapped behind. Next to him, Marie sensed his growing distress, and gripped his wrist to refrain him from doing anything rash.
"Not so fast, Mr. Potter. It isn't that easy to get into the house. The door's heavily guarded by a spell, which only recognizes certain presences. If you go in there like this, you'll surely be attacked."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he whispered, frustrated. "How the hell am I going to get into the house then?"
Sighing, the maid reached under her blouse, pulling out an emerald amulet hanging on a thin gold chain. The jewel was oval-shaped, secured by what appeared to be lion claws carved in gold. Unclasping the chain from her neck, she took off the amulet, extending it out to Harry.
"Take this. The spell recognizes this jewel. Keep it with you the entire time you're in there. If not, then I won't be able guarantee your safety."
Extending his hand out, Harry received the amulet with reluctance, loathing to accept anything belonging to the Malfoys. As he clasped the chain around his neck, the jewel started to glow, emanating an iridescent green light, which strangely gave him a sense of dread. Mentally, he began to prepare himself for the task ahead, making Hermione the sole focus of his mind. He was going to claim her back tonight, even if it killed him in the process.
Squaring his shoulders, he turned to face the front entrance of the mansion, with its massive foreboding doors, ready to enter. Just then, Marie's hand reached from behind, clasping Harry's hand in hers.
"Be careful," she whispered softly. Her tone as well as her expression bespoke worry and doubt, the former more so than the latter.
"I will," he said, touched by her apparent concern. "Thank you."
*******************
Something
was wrong. Seated in the mansion's drawing room, Hermione felt a sense of
foreboding, as if disaster was about to occur. And no matter how hard she
tried, she could not rid herself of the eerie premonition. Rising from the
armchair, she began to pace, too distraught now to sit.
Where was Draco? In the middle of the afternoon, he had been called out on business, leaving her behind to tour the mansion. Upon his departure, Hermione had experienced a sudden plummet in her spirits. In an attempt to keep herself occupied in his absence, she had taken on an expedition to explore every little corner of the house. It had been exciting at first, for she had never thought in her wildest dreams that she would ever have the chance to tour Malfoy Manor. Every single room had been beautifully furnished, with rich tapestries and expensive furniture. However, to Hermione's utter dismay, no matter how beautiful each room seemed to be, it somehow always evoked a sense of gloom. She had imagined how it had been for Draco, living in a house devoid of sunshine, a house where fear and dread were as permanent residents as the owners.
Her mind shifting back to Draco, she wondered where he could possibly be at such a late hour. His absence did nothing to soothe her worries; in fact, she felt as if her sense of unease was caused by it. It also did not help to note that the stiff and unfriendly butler had taken a bitter dislike to her. More than once, he had passed her several suspicious glances, as if expecting her to do something damnable. And with Draco gone, it seemed as if she had no more purpose in the house. Which also led her to the troubling problem of their hopeless relationship. How was it ever going to work between them? Was their love strong enough to withstand so many obstacles?
She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by a scratching noise outside the room. It had come from directly behind the door, and presently, Hermione inched away from it, sensing trouble. She held her breath, waiting for the door to open and reveal the intruder. However, minutes passed and it still stayed closed. She began to wonder about her state of mind. The effects of the house were definitely starting to get to her, she thought with a rueful smile. Shaking her head in dismissal, she once again began to pace the room.
However, when she was halfway across the room, the door suddenly burst wide open. Before she knew it, Hermione was tackled and pinned to the floor. The wind knocked out of her, she did not even try to decipher who it was that was on top of her . Then, as her mind cleared, so did her vision. Gasping in shock, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the one man whose face she would never forget.
"Harry?!"
"Hermione!"
For a moment, they merely stared at one another. Hermione found that she could not tear her eyes away from him. What was he doing here? Her mind was spinning, unable to form any coherent thought. Instead, she gazed at him in utter shock for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he was the one who broke the silence.
"Are you alright? Have they hurt you, Hermione?"
Maybe her mind was shocked out of coherency, she thought, for his words did not make any sense to her. Still unable to form an answer on her lips, she continued to stare at him dumbly. He seemed to panic at her lack of response.
"What've they done to you?!" he cried urgently, shaking her slightly.
Suddenly snapping back into her senses, she shoved him off of her, backing away in an attempt to stand up.
"You're not making any sense, Harry. And what are doing here?"
His eyes widened incredulously at her response.
"Have they bewitched you? I'm here to get you out of this place!"
Comprehension suddenly hit her. Of course. He thought she had been kidnapped here. No wonder he was here to 'rescue her'. Sighing, Hermione began to relay the story of what had happened since the night of the Harding Ball. Somehow, she carefully avoided telling him of the many times she had been more than intimate with Draco.
As her story progressed, Harry's expression turned from surprise to one of disbelief. By the time she had finished the account of her story, he had become livid. Sucking in his breath, he strove for calm.
"Harry?", she asked uncertainly.
"How could you be so gullible, Hermione?! Don't you know that this is just a trick to get to me? Since when do you trust the Malfoys?" His face had become dark, his eyes flashing like green lightning.
"Oh, and since when do things always have be an ulterior motive to get to you?" She had become angry herself, annoyed at his hotheadedness and his refusal to see her side of the situation.
Taken aback by her unexpected anger, Harry inched back slightly, unsure of what to say. Seeing his sudden vulnerability, Hermione's tone softened.
"Listen, Harry. I know you still suspect Draco. I did too, at first. But I know now that he's really changed; he's not who he used to be."
For a long span of time, he remained silent, as if trying to take in her words. His face was torn with different conflicting emotions: anger, disbelief, confusion. When at last he spoke, it was with cool, detached calmness.
"Just answer me this then, Hermione: are you coming or are you staying?"
Looking into his eyes, she detected deep, running emotions under the apparently cool tone of his. But why? Could he still possibly have feelings for her? Feelings that she herself had now given to another?
"I'm sorry, Harry. I cannot go with you."
"Why can't you?" He had suddenly taken hold of her shoulders, and was shaking her lightly, his gaze intent on her face.
Hermione averted her gaze from his, trying to hold back her tears. "Because…" God, she did not want to hurt him, but he had to know. "Because I love him!", she blurted out, the tears now streaming down her face.
He blanched at her words, his eyes going wide in disbelief. Dropping his hands from her shoulders, he began to back away from her. The look of betrayal was apparent on his face.
"How could you be so foolish?", he whispered hoarsely. "Don't you know that you've given your love to a man who's going to destroy you?"
"No, Harry", she said, shaking her head, "I love him, and he loves me. Please understand."
Seeing her standing there, beautiful as always, with tears in her eyes, was just too much for him to take in. Her previous confession still ran loudly in his ears. It was just as he'd thought: Hermione had moved on. And it was all his fault. But if he had learned anything from past mistakes, he would not stand by and let her destroy herself like he had stood by and watched their relationship get destroyed.
"No, Hermione. Draco does not love you."
"Please, Harry", she said, her face crumbling again into tears, "do not make this harder than it has to be."
He knew then what was necessary. Taking out a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket, he handed her the ransom letter that Malfoy had sent him a few nights ago. At first, she did not take the letter he offered, but merely stared at it. After a few moments she finally, hesitantly, took the letter in her hands and began to read its content.
As she read, the color began to drain from her face. Her once crimson cheeks had turned into a deathly pallor. Harry saw that her hands shook. After finishing off the last sentence, Hermione let the letter drop to the floor, eyeing it dully. And suddenly, her knees buckling, she collapsed onto the floor.
But before she hit the ground, Harry stepped forward, catching her in his arms. He locked his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Her body was limp and cold, lifeless. Gazing down at her face, he saw that her skin was tinged with a deathly shade of green. Her eyes were like those of a doll, staring blankly ahead into space. He shook her slightly in an attempt to stir her out of shock.
"Hermione?," he whispered, patting her cheek slightly. It was ice-cold. "Hermione, can you hear me?"
As if not hearing him at all, she continued to stare into space. Then gradually, she began to shake her head, slightly at first, then more vehemently.
"No…it's a lie…you're lying!" Shoving him away from her, she leaped to her feet, grabbing hold of the letter. Once it was in her hands, she tore it up into tiny pieces, then threw it into the fireplace. Her energy spent, she sagged into an armchair, covering her face in her hands. Harry cursed himself, knowing he had broken her heart for the second time, even though this time was much different from the last. Striding over to where she sat, he knelt down next to her, putting his arms around her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, but you had to know." He placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort.
"Had to know what?" At the sound of the third voice, both Harry and Hermione whipped around to find Draco standing at the threshold of the room, gray eyes blazing.
Standing up to his full height, Harry sauntered over to him with a deadly expression on his face. The two men sized each other up, like two bulls about to clash.
"I'm taking Hermione away from here, Malfoy. And there's nothing you can do to stop me." His voice held one of triumph, daring to be challenged. However, Draco's lips merely curled into a dangerous smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
"Very well, Potter. That's only if she's willing to go with you."
While all this passed, Hermione merely sat in the armchair, frozen with indecision. Now, hearing his words, something inside of her suddenly snapped. Leaping up from the chair, she threw herself at Draco and began pummeling his chest with bawl-up fists.
"You bastard! How could you do this to me?!" She was sobbing uncontrollably, all control on her emotions lost. The letter had proved his betrayal once and for all. And all she could think about was how she had been duped for a second time. A fool, an utter fool.
"Stop!", Draco shouted, grabbing her by her wrists and shaking her. "What's this all about?" But despite his tone of confusion, Hermione saw that his expression was strained, his complexion unusually pale.
"Don't touch me!", she shouted, wrenching herself away from him. "Don't you ever touch me again!" By now, she was shaking, all rationality lost. "You filthy liar! All this time, you fooled me into believing that you actually cared for me, when in reality…" She broke off abruptly, once again breaking down into sobs.
"Listen, Hermione," he said, agonized. "It's not what you think…"
"Then what is it?!", she cried hysterically. "You mean to tell me that the ransom letter you wrote to Harry was fake, is that it? Oh God, what a fool I am!" she cried, covering her face with her hands.
Draco flinched at her words, for he knew that she would never believe him now. The letter was the sole proof of his guilt, and because of that, the truth didn't matter anymore. No matter what he said, she would never believe him. It was useless now.
From behind, Harry gently pulled Hermione into his arms, stroking her hair in comfort. Draco's jaw clenched at the sight of them, unable to get the bitter taste out of his mouth.
"You don't understand," he finally said, in a low voice. "I do love you."
"Quit the theatrics, Malfoy," Harry said hotly. "We all know it's me that you're really after, so from now on, just keep Hermione out of this." Gently, he disentangled himself from her, and stepped forward. "Now let's get this over with."
At his remark, Draco's mouth twisted into an unpleasant smirk. "As you wish then, Potter." Taking out his wand, he readied it for attack, waiting for Harry to do the same. For a moment, the two men stared at one another, each with a cold sneer on his face.
Watching them, Hermione realized the imminent danger of such a duel. Only one deadly curse from one of them, and the other would be dead. It was impossible to come out with two survivors. And at this point, either one of them could be the victor…or the loser. It was her job to stop this. She suddenly threw herself between the two, turning to Draco with an expression of pure hatred.
"Haven't you done enough to me already? Do you have to wreak havoc on everyone's lives?" Her words rang loudly in his ears, and for a moment, he froze. God, how had love turned so drastically into hatred in such a short period of time? And right then, he knew that he could not go through with this. He could not bear the thought of her hating him more than she already did.
Dropping the wand from his hand, he gestured to the door instead. "Go then," he said harshly. "The both of you. Before I change my mind." As he said these words, he felt a cold emptiness creep into his heart, as if a fire had been distinguished.
"You can quit playing the gentleman, Malfoy. We're settling this here and now", Harry said firmly. "I'll be damned if I don't bring down you and your whole family tonight."
Whipping around, Hermione gave Harry a worn, defeated look. "Please, no more. Just take me away from here. I'm begging you." The look of desperation on her face was enough to break anyone's heart.
"Very well," he said, slowly, reluctantly. "But this isn't over between you and me, Malfoy. One day, I'm going to settle this with you once and for all. You can count on it."
Then, taking Hermione by the arm, he led her out of the room, the house, and out of Draco's life.
********************
Stumbling along the road which led them out of Malfoy Estates, Hermione found that she could not stop the tears that flooded down her cheeks. Her heart ached, terribly so. She could not get herself to speak, for fear of breaking down completely. Next to her, Harry was silent but agonized, not knowing what to say to her. At that moment, a small part of her hated him as well. She would rather have continued to be deceived by Draco than to have Harry break the news of his betrayal to her. And him, of all people, the man who had initially brought her to this predicament. Clenching her fists, she increased her pace, putting more distance between them.
Walking beside her, Harry found that he did not know what to do. He knew he was the second to last person she wanted to be with right then. And not for the first time, he cursed himself for playing such a big part in her heartache. This was the woman he loved. But instead of cherishing her, he had literally thrown her to the sharks, letting her get entangled with Malfoy.
Each engrossed in their own thoughts, neither one of them heard the rustle in the nearby bushes. Then before they knew it, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of death-eaters, with Lucius Malfoy in their midst. The cold smile on his face was enough to make one shudder. Cursing, Harry pulled Hermione in back of him, blocking her from Lucius. The older man merely laughed at this, apparently amused.
Taking out his wand, Harry pointed it directly at him.
"Let us pass," he whispered in a low, threatening voice. But inside, however, he knew that there was no way he could defeat all those death-eaters. The most he could do was make sure of Hermione's safety.
"And why should I?", Lucius laughed mirthfully. "Do you really think you can actually stop me?" And with a wave of his hand, the death eaters moved into action. Trying to fight them off, Harry muttered a spell, immobilizing nearly half of them. But in the end, he was outnumbered. Two death-eaters tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground. To his left, he heard Hermione suddenly cry out in pain. Twisting his head, he saw that two other death-eaters had grabbed and twisted her arms behind her back, immobilizing her. From a distance, Lucius watched all this with an amused expression on his face. Fighting them tooth and nail, Harry attempted to break free from thier hold, which only earned him a few kicks in the ribs. Finally, he collapsed against the ground, exhausted and gasping for breath.
"Do what you want with me, but just let Hermione go", he said through clenched teeth. Lucius' lips twisted mirthfully at his words. Walking over to Hermione, he stroked her face delicately with his fingertips. She flinched at is touch, pulling her face away from him.
"Hmm, such a little beauty we have here, Potter. It's not a wonder that you're so infatuated with her. I would be too, if I could still…perform as well as I used to." Taking her chin roughly between his thumb and forefinger, he twisted her head until they were eye-to-eye.
"So how was it like with my son, hmm? Did he give it to you nice and slow?" He chuckled softly at the expression of pure hatred on her face. Bending towards her, he attempted to kiss her lips. But before he was able to, Hermione suddenly kicked him, hard, in the groin. Doubling over in pain, he cursed furiously, shielding his wounded area with both his hands.
"Kill her! Now!", he managed to pant out to the death-eaters. Instantly, they began to form a circle around Hermione. One of them produced a wand from his sleeve, pointing it at Hermione. Then, to both Harry and Hermione's surprise, the death-eater drew down his hood. To their further shock, they realized that it was not a him, but a her. It was Pansy.
"Didn't I tell you that you would pay, you little slut?" The cold sneer on her face was enough to make Hermione's blood run cold. "Now I'm going to make my words come true." And raising the wand, she chanted the words of the fatal curse.
*********************
Staring
into the fire that blazed in the hearth, Draco was lost in his own pain. He
felt severed from everything he had ever cared about. His mother, Hermione…
Picking up his wineglass, he down the remaining whiskey in it. It burned a path
down his throat and chest, right to the pit of his stomach. He relished the
feeling. Anything to take away the pain.
By now, Hermione was probably with Harry and far out of his life forever. He winced at the thought of them together. But he knew he had brought this upon himself. If only he had not fallen for the wrong woman…. Sighing, he closed his eyes, ignoring the throbbing in his temples. It was for the best, he thought to himself. It would not have worked out in the end anyway. She would have gone back to her muggle world, and he to Pansy and life as a Malfoy. Their roads would have forked eventually.
But was it worth it not letting her know the truth? The mere memory of Hermione's stricken face was enough to make his heart clench. He had felt her pain as if it was his own, and would have done anything to take it away from her, if only she would believe him. But it was too late for that.
Thinking back on his life now, Draco suddenly realized all the wrong paths he had taken, making him what he was now. And just like everything else, it was too late to change. He was what he was: the Malfoy heir, dark and evil in every sense. No matter how much he denied it, the truth would stay that way forever.
Suddenly, in the midst of his misery, a flash of pain sliced through his chest. It was so intense that, for a moment, he was utterly immobilized. The pain was accompanied by a feeling of dread, as if disaster was about to strike. And in his very gut, he knew that Hermione was in danger. It was absurd, but all his instincts told him that it was so. Forgetting his own problems for the time being, he rose from the armchair, retrieved his wand, and strode out the door, hoping he would not be too late this time, as he was wont to be.
*********************
As Pansy chanted the fatal spell, Hermione closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate. Just then, something knocked her off her feet, causing her to crash to the ground. Everything else after that was a blur to her. It seemed that someone had come to their aid and was immobilizing the majority of the death-eaters. Harry had broken free from the death-eaters' hold, and was also using his wand to fend against their foes. Pansy had stepped over to the side, and was watching the scene with undisguised terror. As for Lucius, he was barely able to rise from her previous kick to his royal jewels.
Within minutes, all the death-eaters were knocked down. It was then that Hermione realized it was Draco who had come to their aid. The danger having passed, he turned and went over to her, pulling her to her feet. His eyes skimmed her over with concern, as if genuinely caring about her welfare. She suddenly felt tears filling her eyes again.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" His tone was soft and gentle, as if talking to a scared child. But before she was able to answer him, she was cut off by a mirthful laughter. At the sound of it, Draco spun around, finding the familiar, dreaded thick smoke filling the air. It gradually formed into a human shape, then turned into a solid figure. And before he even recognized the figure, Draco already knew who it was. Voldemort.
Off to the side, Harry suddenly cried out in pain, clutching his head in his hands. The scar was reacting to the Dark Lord's presence again. Laughing cruelly, Voldemort sauntered over to where Harry was crouched, picking him up by the neck. He suddenly threw him against the cold ground, where he lay unconscious afterwards.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped in horror. Beside her, Draco's muscles tensed in dread. However, seeing that Voldemort had arrived to his rescue, Lucius hobbled over to his lord, bending down on one knee and planting a kiss to the back of his hand. This turn of events had also caused Pansy to come out of the shadows, smiling smugly at Hermione.
"I am sorry I have failed you, my lord," Lucius said apologetically. "As you can see, my son has betrayed us." At his words, the dark lord's hollow eyes suddenly swung to where Draco stood with Hermione.
"So," he rasped out, "the heir of Malfoy has fallen for the bait, has he? Well now, how would you like to see the one you love suffer, hmm?" Taking his wand, he suddenly pointed it at Hermione, chanting the words to the Cruciatus Curse. Then, before he even knew he what he was doing, Draco had thrown himself in front of Hermione. The spell hit him, and instantly, he felt the effects of it. Indescribable pain wracked his entire body. With a hoarse cry, he collapsed onto the ground, shuddering uncontrollably. The pain was excruciating, like nothing he had ever felt before.
"Draco!", Hermione cried. Going down on her knees, she tried to stop the shuddering, taking him into his arms, but it was useless. The spell was too strong; no matter how hard she tried, she could not take away the pain. It was hopeless.
Just then, the sound of a broom was heard from above. Sparks flew down from the sky, hitting both Lucius and Pansy on the arm, causing them to drop their wands. Looking up, Hermione saw a wizard on broomstick. It was Ron, riding Harry's old firebolt. Diving low, he swooped Hermione into his arms and onto broom. Next, he swooped down a second time to pick an unconscious Harry up by the collar, pulling him onto the broom. And then with a kick to the side, they were off into the sky.
"Hold on, Hermione," Ron said with caution. "Three people on a broom is kinda stretching the limit, you know. Not to mention with an unconscious Harry who happened to gain some weight...."
"Ron, we have to go back for Draco!" Hermione cried hysterically. "Voldemort used the Cruciatus curse on him, and he's helpless now!"
"Malfoy?! No way, I'm not gonna risk my neck for him! Beside Herm, he's the enemy, remember?"
"Please! You don't understand! He got hit because he blocked me!" From the desperation in his friend's voice, Ron knew that Hermione was serious. However, there was no way to go back now.
"I'm sorry, Herm," he said with genuine regret, "it's impossible to go back at the present time. And besides, we couldn't fit him on the broom even if we were to go back now. But don't worry," he said with certainty, "we're going back next chance we could."
"No…by then it'll be too late," she responded dully, knowing that the worst was about to take place.
*************************
The pain on his arm was intense, yet he forced himself to his feet, walking over to the Dark Lord.
"My lord, why did you not stop them?"
"Why?" he answered in an amused voice. "Because letting them go will ultimately lure them straight back to me, my naïve servant. And this time," he said, looking over at the unconscious Draco on the ground, "the bait will be set at a higher price than ever before."
Looking down at his son, understanding suddenly dawned upon Lucius. And smiling back at his master, he knew that doomsday was quickly approaching for Harry Potter.
Well, how'd it go? I'm so, so sorry about taking such a long time to post this up. It's just that I was too busy with schoolwork and yadda, yadda, yadda, you don't want to hear the rest… But I've compensated by making this chapter just slightly longer than all the others! =D Anyway, I think that the story is going to end within the next chapter or two. Then I can fully concentrate on my vampire series, or wherever my inspiration leads me. Say, what about a new story about James, Sirius, and gang? I mean, back in the old Hogwarts days? I might have a romance thing going on for the one I'm gonna write about. What do you think? Please R/R and tell me what you want to read, k? Always, thanks for the support! Bye!