Authors note: I know you're probably a little mad at me because I haven't updated for so long and because I almost deleted the fic altogether.
Honestly, I didn't think anyone liked it at all, so I wanna give GyaradosND and LadyFoxFire a big THANK YOU for proving me wrong ^_^
I won't be able to give regular updates though, I have way too much to do. But I'll continue, and hopefully I'll finish this story someday!
Anyway, as I've told you before, Harry is my favorite character. I love him very much and when I read through last chapter I realized just how far beyond boring it was without him. Which is why I've tried to keep this chapter more centered about him.
I've changed the previous chapters slightly. Nothing concerning the story itself though, so you don't have to read them all over unless you really want to. This chapter has been completely rewritten. I like this better than the previous version of the 6th chapter anyway. I think I'll keep it like this.
I really hope you enjoyed it. So many people have wanted me to continue, and I don't want to let them down.
Chapter. 6
When Harry opened his eyes he wasn't so sure he had because it was pitch dark everywhere and he couldn't see a thing.
Carefully, he tried to move his hands, but as he did a jolt of pain shot suddenly through his arm and he gasped of surprise. With a beginning sense panick he realized they were tied together behind his back.
He breathed deeply to calm himself. Panicking would do him no good. At least he now knew he was not at the Dursley's anymore. They would have thrown him into the cupboard under the stairs and made sure it was properly locked before throwing the key into the river, but they would never have tied him up like this.
He couldn't remember Draco, or in fact any event occuring after he'd left Privet Drive. He remembered leaving though, and the reason for his department was still fresh in his memory...
Perhaps, he thought, him being here would turn out to be a good thing? After all, it wasn't as if he could have returned to his aunt and uncle anyway, at least not this summer. Perhaps next year.
They usually stayed mad at him for a quite a while once they were at it. As it were now, he had at least a place to stay. He didn't have anywhere else to go, and his rash decision of running away had never really gotten any further than to step.1.
He realized that his glasses were missing, and wondered whether he had lost them or if they had been taken by someone.
It dawned to him that he wouldn't have turned to the Weasley's for help, nor to Sirius for that matter. He knew that they would do everything that was in their power to help and support him, but the truth was that those were also the reasons why he would not turn to them. They had enough problems on their own as it were. And now that he was no longer under protection in Privet Drive, he would pose a great threat to the ones he cared for. He did remember what Voldemort had told him. He couldn't be that selfish.
He considered for a moment the possibility of calling for help, but quickly abandoned the thought. He didn't have the faintest clue of where he was, and calling for help might gain him unwanted attention.
Instead he tried to figure out if there was some way for him to move without the aid of his arms and legs. He was laying on his back in a rather uncomfortable position. The surface underneath him felt smooth and cool against his skin and he judged it to be some sort of polished wood.
He rolled over to his side. His arms hurt badly as he did but he grit his teeth.
To his utter lack of surprise everything was just as dark when he laid like this.
He wasn't afraid of the dark, but he couldn't stop worrying about where he was and who had brought him here. Could it be that he'd been kidnapped, either by one of the Death Eaters or by Lord Voldemort himself?
His line of somber thoughts were interupted by a sudden cry coming from his stomach, and he began to notice for the first time how hungry he was. He had no idea how many hours might have passed since he had last eaten, but it felt like a decade. Perhaps whoever kept him here intended to starve him to death. Hungry as he was, the thought of starving frightened him more than anything else just then...
Hedwig had seated herself neatly on his shoulder and didn't seem like she intended to move any time soon. Draco didn't mind as he stared absently out through the window while feeding her an owl treat every now and then.
He wondered how she had found him. It said in the letter that Hedwig somehow always managed to find Harry, no matter where he might be, but it did little to help Draco's situation whatsoever. What if she'd been tracked? Draco had no idea what Ron's handwriting looked like, and there was no way he could be sure the letter was actually written by him.
There was someone who knew though, Harry.
He had to go down there anyway, and bringing the letter along with him wouldn't hurt anyone. He hadn't overlooked the fact that Weasley might have cooperated with the ministry, but knowing for certain who the author of the letter truly was would at least help him sleep better.
He glanced at the owl. What was he going to do about her? Letting her out would be too risky. She seemed quite clever for a bird anyway. He had a cage where he usually kept his own eagle owl, Morgan Le Fay. It was empty right now so he could keep her there, at least for now. He'd have to decide later what to do with her.
He slid down from the desk and found the cage on the floor right next to the bed. Hedwig stayed firmly on his shoulder, even as he lifted the heavy thing onto the bed-side table and opened the hatch.
"Ok, Hedwig," he whispered, "here's your new home." It wasn't so much a home as it was a prison, he realized, but at least it was a big, clean prison with a nice view. Which was more than what her owner had been given.
But Hedwig didn't seem to like the idea of getting into a cage that wasn't hers. She floated gracefully from his shoulder and perched herself at the top of his mirror, looking down at him with large, amber eyes.
Draco let out a noisy breath and put his fists to his sides. He glared back at her for a moment while trying to think of what other options he had.
"Hedwig," he called, "come here, girl, come here... be good now." But Hedwig wasn't in the mood for being good today. She merely hooted softly and started to polish her feathers. Draco fished an owl treat from his pocket and held it up so that she could see it, bringing Hedwigs feather polishing to a stop.
What a silly animal, he thought as she landed softly on his arm. He rewarded her with the treat and then hurried to lock her into the cage. Unfortunatly he had underestimated the 'silly animal', and she had no sooner devoured her treat before she was off again and flew up to sit at one of the bed posts.
Draco's shoulders sagged visibly...
Then he suddenly straightened them again. What was wrong with him? He didn't have to bother with this!
"House elf!" he hollered, not recalling what her name was. She appeared almost immediatly, standing in the doorway, struggling to conceal her panting.
"I have a small assignment for you," he said. "See that owl in there? There's only one so you can't possible make any mistakes about that," he pointed at Hedwig with a thumb. The little elf nodded quietly. She saw the owl. It was a beautiful, snowy white female. "Now, I want you to catch her and put her in the cage. You see the cage, right there?" She nodded again. Yes, she understood.
He made sure she did as she'd been told before he began to walk slowly down the hallway, heading for no particular destination. It was still quite early in the morning and plenty of time to kill before he would have to go down there again.
What was he to do in the mean time? He still had some homwork left to do, he remembered, but didn't really feel like doing them just then. It wasn't fair that he should have to have such a boring holiday! He knew he was probably having a better time than Harry though, who was locked in a dark cupboard and couldn't see a thing. Shame about his tan, Draco thought to himself, it had been quite good.
He decided to head for the garden. A little fresh air might do him good, and perhaps it would help him clear his mind. He felt he could need it.
The gardens were quite as impressive as the mansion, and were in fact taken care of by his mother. According to Lucius her fascination for flowers and greens in general had suddenly awokened within her while she was carrying Draco. She didn't have a job, and as Draco grew older and became more and more capable of taking care of himself she had nothing of significant importance to occupy her time with, and so she spendt it in the gardens.
Draco couldn't imagine his mother not caring about flowers, she was after all named after one. Just like Pansy, he thought, making a face as the image of her sprung to mind. He hadn't really considered that fact yet, though he had known the girl for years. She wasn't exactly ugly, and they had a relationship of sorts. Nothing commiting. It wasn't official either, not even among themselves. Their entire relationship was in fact non-comminting to such a degree that he could find himself a sweetheart any time and still not feel guilty about it. He wondered briefly whether his parents would expect him to marry her, but quickly discarded the idea. They loved him far too much to force him into anything.
He smirked when he realized he'd been lost in thoughts again. He seemed to be doing that alot lately. Must have something to do with Potter, he thought.
Suddenly, he heard familiar voices coming from an open window above him. He stopped and listened, recognising the voices as belonging to Lucius and Narcissa. They seemed to be arguing about something and their voices were very serious as they spoke.
"-- nothing to do with it!" it was his father's voice. Probably coming from the fire place. There was no way he would've come home without notifying Draco.
"Well, I don't suppose you think I'm familiar with the boys whereabouts?" said his mother. She sounded almost challenging.
"Of course not, but the Ministry may not see it that way. I am not keen on getting in trouble with those meddling fools right now, Narcissa, especially since I have nothing to do with the boy's disappearance."
Draco felt his heart sink. They were talking about the kidnapping of Harry Potter, no doubt. He edged closer to the wall and sharpened his ears. He had to catch every word of this.
"How can they suspect us of being involved? I may not be particulary fond of the boy, but I am nonetheless a mother. My own son is only a few months older than he is, a mere child, and I would never hurt a child."
"Like I said, the Ministry may not share your point of view, and in case it's me they're suspecting, not you. The boy does not concern me unless he becomes a nuisance, but the Ministry will no doubt investigate the possibility that the Death Eaters have kidnapped him. And that's where I come into the picture. Do you understand what this means?"
Narcissa let out a noisy breath. "Of course I understand!" she snapped angrily. "But I can't possibly see why I should have to be careful! The boy is not here."
"True. The boy is not there, but several other things are there," Lucius said, then he paused for a moment before continuing. "Things I'd rather no one discovered. Especially not the Ministry. Lord knows they'd be thrilled to catch me red-handed, but I will not give them that pleasure!"
Draco didn't think of eavesdropping as a bad thing to do, not even when the ones he were listening to were his own parents.
And besides, this matter happened to concern him a great deal.
"Look..." Lucius began, "it doesn't really matter. We'll just have to be prepared, do you understand? Whether they show up or not, we have to keep one step ahead of them at all times. Perhaps we have nothing to be afraid of, but if we do then we have better be prepared for it!"
"Very well," Narcissa said slowly, perhaps a trifle icily. "You do not have to worry, I shall do as instructed."
"Right away would be wonderful, dear," Lucius said.
There was a small pause. "Yes," she answered finally, "of course... Goodbye, Lucius."
"Farewell, my dear."
And then they spoke no more.
Draco withdrew quickly from his spot underneath the window and ran down one of the narrow pathways. They were lain with golden brown stone and made a pleasing sound when his feet connected with them. Like now when he was running.
He headed for the small pond. It was by no means an exciting pond, filled to the brim with frogs and pinkish lillies, where insects hummed about all day and the water turned green every spring and became un transparent. Oh no, this pond was quite a bit different. It was a small pool, made by hands and painted white. The water was charmed, so that no creature or unwanted plant could soil its cleanness and purity. There were, however, a few fishes there sometimes on rare occations.
That was where he was headed. He would by no means claim that the pond was his 'sanctuary' or anything, but he enjoyed being there nevertheless.
It was usually peaceful there, and quiet. A place where it was possible to sort out his thoughts without being disturbed.
He felt he could need it...
As night slowly crept upon the landscape, and the darkening sky became dotted with stars, Draco once again found himself in the basement. He'd even remembered to bring the bag along with him.
He didn't know what to expect this time.
There was a possibility that Harry was asleep, a rather small one at that though, and there was no way he could count on it.
He stared at the cupbord. His hand, which had been reaching out for the handle, hesitated for a second and fell finally to his side.
Instead he rummaged through the bag, fished up a candle, lit it and placed it on the floor. It didn't give more light than last time, but rather it created a well of shadows dancing across the bare stone walls. He turned to the cupboard again.
He had no intention of standing there all night like he had last time, so instead of wasting more of his energy worrying about what he might find, he opened the doors to the cupboard in one swift, graceful movement. And then he fell to the ground with a small cry of surprise!
He fell hard on his back. The impact knocked all wind out of him, and he saw stars dancing before his eyes. Very slowly he opened one eye, testily. He was on his back on the floor. There was something laying on top of him, judging from the weight of it it felt very much like a body. He opened both eyes fully and found himself staring directly into the exquisite face of Harry Potter...
His green eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he seemed to be holding his breath.
Then Draco's eyes widened suddenly. He noticed vaguely that he, too, was holding his breath.
His reaction was immediate. Harry hadn't opened his eyes yet, he hadn't seen him, there was still time if only he acted quickly enough!
He rolled over, causing the raven haired boy to fall on his side facing away from Draco. Everything happened very fast. Draco hurried to put an arm around Harry's neck, clutching onto a fistful of the thick, ebony hair to prevent the boy from moving his head.
His eyes darted desperatly around the room, searching for the blindfold he had removed last time. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted it sticking out from underneath the big cupboard. He snatched it with his free hand and tied it around Harry's head so that his eyes were completely covered.
He let go, letting the raven haired boy to fall to the floor.
Harry was breathing quickly. He pressed his knees tighter to his chest, and looked like he tried to become smaller. Even though he was not aware of it himself, he was looking almost directly at Draco. He could in any case not see anything, but seing as he was not gagged he was quite free to speak.
"So... you're here then..." he whispered. It wasn't a question. "Are you a Death Eater?"
Draco didn't answer. He didn't know what to say, or if speaking was indeed a good idea. But Harry obviously wasn't expecting him to answer.
"You're going to hand me over to Voldemort, aren't you? Or are you just going to finish me off yourself? Either way makes no difference to me," he added, "it's your decision." He sounded like he was trying very hard not to panick.
"I..." Draco began, but Harry wasn't quite finished yet. "You know, you could at least let me fight you first," he said, "just so that I could pretend I was given a worthy end. You'd kill me anyway, even if I won, so it's not too much to ask, is it?"
"Potter, be quiet," Draco said quietly. He couldn't bear to listen to this anymore. He tried to keep his voice low-pitched, so as not to be recognised.
He wanted to tell Harry that he probably wasn't going to die after all, because his captor was a coward, and that neither the Death Eaters nor Voldemort was involved in the kidnapping. That they were in fact not even aware of it. At least not yet, he thought somberly.
He didn't say any of this, whatsoever. What he said was, "I brought you something to eat. It's not poisoned," he added as he noticed the look of suspicion on Harry's face.
Harry coughed, and then turned his head away from Draco. "I'm not hungry," he said. Draco rolled his eyes and let out a noisy breath. "Oh yes you are, Potter. I know you are. You haven't eaten for more than 48 hours, and the potion I gave you does nothing to delude your sense of hunger. The food perfectly safe. Just eat it." Harry shook his head, "I said no! I'm not eating that. Do you really expect me to believe a word you're saying? Think again!"
Draco pinched the bridge of his pointy nose and closed his eyes. Should've kept him drugged the whole time, he thought, wondering whether there was some way he could force the boy to drink some more potion. This could get ugly...
"Listen, Potter, just... just eat, and I'll leave you alone. We'll both be happy. I won't have to see you and you won't have to see me until tomorrow, or possibly the day after that." He could barely believe he was keeping such a polite tone towards this boy. He was hardly this polite even towards his teachers.
Harry seemed unimpressed though. Instead, he pouted his lips, sniffed and said, "I don't care, I can't see you now either."
"Well, goodie for you then," Draco said impatiently. "Unfortunatly I don't have that advantage. Now, will you just eat?"
"If you think I'm ugly you can close your eyes. I'm not eating."
"Oh this is ridiculous! Either you eat or you'll die, that's all there's to it! If I'd intended to kill you I would've done it right away, instead of going through all the trouble of bringing you here!"
This little speech seemed to still Harry, because he didn't say anything. After a little while however he said, "you said 'I', not 'we'..."
If Draco had been his usual self just then, he would probably have lost his temper and become furious at that last comment. Instead he felt oddly calm. He got slowly to his feet, stepped over to where Harry was laying and then he lifted the boy up in his arms, carried him to the cupboard and put him gently down inside it. Harry seemed too surprised to speak.
"Fine," Draco said, "I'll leave you here then. The food is in the bag, you can eat it later if you decide to change your mind about it. I don't have time to wait for that to happen right now. Goodbye." And with that he turned to leave.
He didn't close the cupoboard this time. Harry could keep the candle as well, he decided.
Just as he reached the door, Harry suddenly called out for him. "no, wait!"
He glanced back over his shoulder, "what is it?"
Harry hesitated for a second, but then he said, "umh... I need to use the bathroom."
Honestly, I didn't think anyone liked it at all, so I wanna give GyaradosND and LadyFoxFire a big THANK YOU for proving me wrong ^_^
I won't be able to give regular updates though, I have way too much to do. But I'll continue, and hopefully I'll finish this story someday!
Anyway, as I've told you before, Harry is my favorite character. I love him very much and when I read through last chapter I realized just how far beyond boring it was without him. Which is why I've tried to keep this chapter more centered about him.
I've changed the previous chapters slightly. Nothing concerning the story itself though, so you don't have to read them all over unless you really want to. This chapter has been completely rewritten. I like this better than the previous version of the 6th chapter anyway. I think I'll keep it like this.
I really hope you enjoyed it. So many people have wanted me to continue, and I don't want to let them down.
Chapter. 6
When Harry opened his eyes he wasn't so sure he had because it was pitch dark everywhere and he couldn't see a thing.
Carefully, he tried to move his hands, but as he did a jolt of pain shot suddenly through his arm and he gasped of surprise. With a beginning sense panick he realized they were tied together behind his back.
He breathed deeply to calm himself. Panicking would do him no good. At least he now knew he was not at the Dursley's anymore. They would have thrown him into the cupboard under the stairs and made sure it was properly locked before throwing the key into the river, but they would never have tied him up like this.
He couldn't remember Draco, or in fact any event occuring after he'd left Privet Drive. He remembered leaving though, and the reason for his department was still fresh in his memory...
Perhaps, he thought, him being here would turn out to be a good thing? After all, it wasn't as if he could have returned to his aunt and uncle anyway, at least not this summer. Perhaps next year.
They usually stayed mad at him for a quite a while once they were at it. As it were now, he had at least a place to stay. He didn't have anywhere else to go, and his rash decision of running away had never really gotten any further than to step.1.
He realized that his glasses were missing, and wondered whether he had lost them or if they had been taken by someone.
It dawned to him that he wouldn't have turned to the Weasley's for help, nor to Sirius for that matter. He knew that they would do everything that was in their power to help and support him, but the truth was that those were also the reasons why he would not turn to them. They had enough problems on their own as it were. And now that he was no longer under protection in Privet Drive, he would pose a great threat to the ones he cared for. He did remember what Voldemort had told him. He couldn't be that selfish.
He considered for a moment the possibility of calling for help, but quickly abandoned the thought. He didn't have the faintest clue of where he was, and calling for help might gain him unwanted attention.
Instead he tried to figure out if there was some way for him to move without the aid of his arms and legs. He was laying on his back in a rather uncomfortable position. The surface underneath him felt smooth and cool against his skin and he judged it to be some sort of polished wood.
He rolled over to his side. His arms hurt badly as he did but he grit his teeth.
To his utter lack of surprise everything was just as dark when he laid like this.
He wasn't afraid of the dark, but he couldn't stop worrying about where he was and who had brought him here. Could it be that he'd been kidnapped, either by one of the Death Eaters or by Lord Voldemort himself?
His line of somber thoughts were interupted by a sudden cry coming from his stomach, and he began to notice for the first time how hungry he was. He had no idea how many hours might have passed since he had last eaten, but it felt like a decade. Perhaps whoever kept him here intended to starve him to death. Hungry as he was, the thought of starving frightened him more than anything else just then...
Hedwig had seated herself neatly on his shoulder and didn't seem like she intended to move any time soon. Draco didn't mind as he stared absently out through the window while feeding her an owl treat every now and then.
He wondered how she had found him. It said in the letter that Hedwig somehow always managed to find Harry, no matter where he might be, but it did little to help Draco's situation whatsoever. What if she'd been tracked? Draco had no idea what Ron's handwriting looked like, and there was no way he could be sure the letter was actually written by him.
There was someone who knew though, Harry.
He had to go down there anyway, and bringing the letter along with him wouldn't hurt anyone. He hadn't overlooked the fact that Weasley might have cooperated with the ministry, but knowing for certain who the author of the letter truly was would at least help him sleep better.
He glanced at the owl. What was he going to do about her? Letting her out would be too risky. She seemed quite clever for a bird anyway. He had a cage where he usually kept his own eagle owl, Morgan Le Fay. It was empty right now so he could keep her there, at least for now. He'd have to decide later what to do with her.
He slid down from the desk and found the cage on the floor right next to the bed. Hedwig stayed firmly on his shoulder, even as he lifted the heavy thing onto the bed-side table and opened the hatch.
"Ok, Hedwig," he whispered, "here's your new home." It wasn't so much a home as it was a prison, he realized, but at least it was a big, clean prison with a nice view. Which was more than what her owner had been given.
But Hedwig didn't seem to like the idea of getting into a cage that wasn't hers. She floated gracefully from his shoulder and perched herself at the top of his mirror, looking down at him with large, amber eyes.
Draco let out a noisy breath and put his fists to his sides. He glared back at her for a moment while trying to think of what other options he had.
"Hedwig," he called, "come here, girl, come here... be good now." But Hedwig wasn't in the mood for being good today. She merely hooted softly and started to polish her feathers. Draco fished an owl treat from his pocket and held it up so that she could see it, bringing Hedwigs feather polishing to a stop.
What a silly animal, he thought as she landed softly on his arm. He rewarded her with the treat and then hurried to lock her into the cage. Unfortunatly he had underestimated the 'silly animal', and she had no sooner devoured her treat before she was off again and flew up to sit at one of the bed posts.
Draco's shoulders sagged visibly...
Then he suddenly straightened them again. What was wrong with him? He didn't have to bother with this!
"House elf!" he hollered, not recalling what her name was. She appeared almost immediatly, standing in the doorway, struggling to conceal her panting.
"I have a small assignment for you," he said. "See that owl in there? There's only one so you can't possible make any mistakes about that," he pointed at Hedwig with a thumb. The little elf nodded quietly. She saw the owl. It was a beautiful, snowy white female. "Now, I want you to catch her and put her in the cage. You see the cage, right there?" She nodded again. Yes, she understood.
He made sure she did as she'd been told before he began to walk slowly down the hallway, heading for no particular destination. It was still quite early in the morning and plenty of time to kill before he would have to go down there again.
What was he to do in the mean time? He still had some homwork left to do, he remembered, but didn't really feel like doing them just then. It wasn't fair that he should have to have such a boring holiday! He knew he was probably having a better time than Harry though, who was locked in a dark cupboard and couldn't see a thing. Shame about his tan, Draco thought to himself, it had been quite good.
He decided to head for the garden. A little fresh air might do him good, and perhaps it would help him clear his mind. He felt he could need it.
The gardens were quite as impressive as the mansion, and were in fact taken care of by his mother. According to Lucius her fascination for flowers and greens in general had suddenly awokened within her while she was carrying Draco. She didn't have a job, and as Draco grew older and became more and more capable of taking care of himself she had nothing of significant importance to occupy her time with, and so she spendt it in the gardens.
Draco couldn't imagine his mother not caring about flowers, she was after all named after one. Just like Pansy, he thought, making a face as the image of her sprung to mind. He hadn't really considered that fact yet, though he had known the girl for years. She wasn't exactly ugly, and they had a relationship of sorts. Nothing commiting. It wasn't official either, not even among themselves. Their entire relationship was in fact non-comminting to such a degree that he could find himself a sweetheart any time and still not feel guilty about it. He wondered briefly whether his parents would expect him to marry her, but quickly discarded the idea. They loved him far too much to force him into anything.
He smirked when he realized he'd been lost in thoughts again. He seemed to be doing that alot lately. Must have something to do with Potter, he thought.
Suddenly, he heard familiar voices coming from an open window above him. He stopped and listened, recognising the voices as belonging to Lucius and Narcissa. They seemed to be arguing about something and their voices were very serious as they spoke.
"-- nothing to do with it!" it was his father's voice. Probably coming from the fire place. There was no way he would've come home without notifying Draco.
"Well, I don't suppose you think I'm familiar with the boys whereabouts?" said his mother. She sounded almost challenging.
"Of course not, but the Ministry may not see it that way. I am not keen on getting in trouble with those meddling fools right now, Narcissa, especially since I have nothing to do with the boy's disappearance."
Draco felt his heart sink. They were talking about the kidnapping of Harry Potter, no doubt. He edged closer to the wall and sharpened his ears. He had to catch every word of this.
"How can they suspect us of being involved? I may not be particulary fond of the boy, but I am nonetheless a mother. My own son is only a few months older than he is, a mere child, and I would never hurt a child."
"Like I said, the Ministry may not share your point of view, and in case it's me they're suspecting, not you. The boy does not concern me unless he becomes a nuisance, but the Ministry will no doubt investigate the possibility that the Death Eaters have kidnapped him. And that's where I come into the picture. Do you understand what this means?"
Narcissa let out a noisy breath. "Of course I understand!" she snapped angrily. "But I can't possibly see why I should have to be careful! The boy is not here."
"True. The boy is not there, but several other things are there," Lucius said, then he paused for a moment before continuing. "Things I'd rather no one discovered. Especially not the Ministry. Lord knows they'd be thrilled to catch me red-handed, but I will not give them that pleasure!"
Draco didn't think of eavesdropping as a bad thing to do, not even when the ones he were listening to were his own parents.
And besides, this matter happened to concern him a great deal.
"Look..." Lucius began, "it doesn't really matter. We'll just have to be prepared, do you understand? Whether they show up or not, we have to keep one step ahead of them at all times. Perhaps we have nothing to be afraid of, but if we do then we have better be prepared for it!"
"Very well," Narcissa said slowly, perhaps a trifle icily. "You do not have to worry, I shall do as instructed."
"Right away would be wonderful, dear," Lucius said.
There was a small pause. "Yes," she answered finally, "of course... Goodbye, Lucius."
"Farewell, my dear."
And then they spoke no more.
Draco withdrew quickly from his spot underneath the window and ran down one of the narrow pathways. They were lain with golden brown stone and made a pleasing sound when his feet connected with them. Like now when he was running.
He headed for the small pond. It was by no means an exciting pond, filled to the brim with frogs and pinkish lillies, where insects hummed about all day and the water turned green every spring and became un transparent. Oh no, this pond was quite a bit different. It was a small pool, made by hands and painted white. The water was charmed, so that no creature or unwanted plant could soil its cleanness and purity. There were, however, a few fishes there sometimes on rare occations.
That was where he was headed. He would by no means claim that the pond was his 'sanctuary' or anything, but he enjoyed being there nevertheless.
It was usually peaceful there, and quiet. A place where it was possible to sort out his thoughts without being disturbed.
He felt he could need it...
As night slowly crept upon the landscape, and the darkening sky became dotted with stars, Draco once again found himself in the basement. He'd even remembered to bring the bag along with him.
He didn't know what to expect this time.
There was a possibility that Harry was asleep, a rather small one at that though, and there was no way he could count on it.
He stared at the cupbord. His hand, which had been reaching out for the handle, hesitated for a second and fell finally to his side.
Instead he rummaged through the bag, fished up a candle, lit it and placed it on the floor. It didn't give more light than last time, but rather it created a well of shadows dancing across the bare stone walls. He turned to the cupboard again.
He had no intention of standing there all night like he had last time, so instead of wasting more of his energy worrying about what he might find, he opened the doors to the cupboard in one swift, graceful movement. And then he fell to the ground with a small cry of surprise!
He fell hard on his back. The impact knocked all wind out of him, and he saw stars dancing before his eyes. Very slowly he opened one eye, testily. He was on his back on the floor. There was something laying on top of him, judging from the weight of it it felt very much like a body. He opened both eyes fully and found himself staring directly into the exquisite face of Harry Potter...
His green eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he seemed to be holding his breath.
Then Draco's eyes widened suddenly. He noticed vaguely that he, too, was holding his breath.
His reaction was immediate. Harry hadn't opened his eyes yet, he hadn't seen him, there was still time if only he acted quickly enough!
He rolled over, causing the raven haired boy to fall on his side facing away from Draco. Everything happened very fast. Draco hurried to put an arm around Harry's neck, clutching onto a fistful of the thick, ebony hair to prevent the boy from moving his head.
His eyes darted desperatly around the room, searching for the blindfold he had removed last time. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted it sticking out from underneath the big cupboard. He snatched it with his free hand and tied it around Harry's head so that his eyes were completely covered.
He let go, letting the raven haired boy to fall to the floor.
Harry was breathing quickly. He pressed his knees tighter to his chest, and looked like he tried to become smaller. Even though he was not aware of it himself, he was looking almost directly at Draco. He could in any case not see anything, but seing as he was not gagged he was quite free to speak.
"So... you're here then..." he whispered. It wasn't a question. "Are you a Death Eater?"
Draco didn't answer. He didn't know what to say, or if speaking was indeed a good idea. But Harry obviously wasn't expecting him to answer.
"You're going to hand me over to Voldemort, aren't you? Or are you just going to finish me off yourself? Either way makes no difference to me," he added, "it's your decision." He sounded like he was trying very hard not to panick.
"I..." Draco began, but Harry wasn't quite finished yet. "You know, you could at least let me fight you first," he said, "just so that I could pretend I was given a worthy end. You'd kill me anyway, even if I won, so it's not too much to ask, is it?"
"Potter, be quiet," Draco said quietly. He couldn't bear to listen to this anymore. He tried to keep his voice low-pitched, so as not to be recognised.
He wanted to tell Harry that he probably wasn't going to die after all, because his captor was a coward, and that neither the Death Eaters nor Voldemort was involved in the kidnapping. That they were in fact not even aware of it. At least not yet, he thought somberly.
He didn't say any of this, whatsoever. What he said was, "I brought you something to eat. It's not poisoned," he added as he noticed the look of suspicion on Harry's face.
Harry coughed, and then turned his head away from Draco. "I'm not hungry," he said. Draco rolled his eyes and let out a noisy breath. "Oh yes you are, Potter. I know you are. You haven't eaten for more than 48 hours, and the potion I gave you does nothing to delude your sense of hunger. The food perfectly safe. Just eat it." Harry shook his head, "I said no! I'm not eating that. Do you really expect me to believe a word you're saying? Think again!"
Draco pinched the bridge of his pointy nose and closed his eyes. Should've kept him drugged the whole time, he thought, wondering whether there was some way he could force the boy to drink some more potion. This could get ugly...
"Listen, Potter, just... just eat, and I'll leave you alone. We'll both be happy. I won't have to see you and you won't have to see me until tomorrow, or possibly the day after that." He could barely believe he was keeping such a polite tone towards this boy. He was hardly this polite even towards his teachers.
Harry seemed unimpressed though. Instead, he pouted his lips, sniffed and said, "I don't care, I can't see you now either."
"Well, goodie for you then," Draco said impatiently. "Unfortunatly I don't have that advantage. Now, will you just eat?"
"If you think I'm ugly you can close your eyes. I'm not eating."
"Oh this is ridiculous! Either you eat or you'll die, that's all there's to it! If I'd intended to kill you I would've done it right away, instead of going through all the trouble of bringing you here!"
This little speech seemed to still Harry, because he didn't say anything. After a little while however he said, "you said 'I', not 'we'..."
If Draco had been his usual self just then, he would probably have lost his temper and become furious at that last comment. Instead he felt oddly calm. He got slowly to his feet, stepped over to where Harry was laying and then he lifted the boy up in his arms, carried him to the cupboard and put him gently down inside it. Harry seemed too surprised to speak.
"Fine," Draco said, "I'll leave you here then. The food is in the bag, you can eat it later if you decide to change your mind about it. I don't have time to wait for that to happen right now. Goodbye." And with that he turned to leave.
He didn't close the cupoboard this time. Harry could keep the candle as well, he decided.
Just as he reached the door, Harry suddenly called out for him. "no, wait!"
He glanced back over his shoulder, "what is it?"
Harry hesitated for a second, but then he said, "umh... I need to use the bathroom."