Draco Malfoy and his Unknown Fate:
Author's Notes: Wow. I've managed to post all of the story I've written so far. The rest is planned out of course and I'll be uploading the other chapters as I write them. So updates will be much slower from now on.
Warnings for this chapter: Um. Swearing. Flamboyance? Go read.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This will be slash (eventually). Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.
They spent most of the night flying. By the time they reached the Manor, Draco was almost frozen solid and his thighs, arse, and lower back ached. Draco wasn't used to such intense flying and it showed. He flew frequently, yes. But not on long distance trips for over six hours. He awkwardly dismounted his Quicksilver, wrapping his Ever-Changing Cloak around him tightly. It was currently a heavy, thick velvet in the darkest shade of black imaginable, helping Draco blend into the night seamlessly.
"Ugh. Ouch." Harry grunted, swinging off his broom with a disgusting amount of grace. "I think I've got a broomstick shaped indent in my arse." They propped their broomsticks up against a large oak tree before surveying their surroundings.
Draco bit back the multiple comments festering in his brain at the thought of broomsticks and Harry's arse and turned his attention back to the task at hand. "That's lovely." He said sarcastically, because after all that comment deserved some sort of reply. "Anyway, the back wall should be that way. Come on." Harry adjusted the knapsack he'd brought along and followed on Draco's heels through the meadow. After getting tangled up in the local wildlife (Draco), tripping over a tree root (Harry - twice), and spooking at the sound of a small animal in the underbrush (Draco again, and it wasn't a girly scream) the two boys finally managed to make it to the back property line of Malfoy Manor.
The wall was huge, a monstrosity of pure white marble reaching in both directions for quite a ways. Harry craned his neck up to peer at it. "Great. So how do we get over it?"
"We don't. Unless that is, you want to be fried to a crisp. Stand back for a moment." Harry did so with only a grumble or two, leaving Draco to run his hands over the wall. The Slytherin walked five paces to the left and then sighed with relief. "Found it. Okay, here goes." He cleared his throat for a moment and then spoke up loudly. "Weasley is a dunderhead." There was no discernable reaction, but Draco made a little triumphant 'ha' sound.
"Weasley is a dunderhead?" Harry asked dubiously.
"Hey, it's not my password. It's two hundred years old, at least. Well, don't just stand there. Come on." Draco walked right through the wall and after a moment of shock Harry plunged after him. Then he promptly turned around to examine the oddity, but the wall was solid once more.
"Wow. Do a lot of the walls around here do that?"
"No. It's a secret. Even Father doesn't know about this entrance. It was used by one of my ancestors to sneak out of the Manor so he could attend duels." Draco informed the other boy, looking around cautiously. "We better go by the pond first. Yes, that's best. Follow me carefully."
Their footsteps were quiet as they traversed the gardens, only the soft sound of gravel crunching underfoot to reveal their passage. Draco had to keep Harry from walking right into a patch of Man-Eating Venus Flytraps, but other than that they made it to the pond without any incidents. There was a small bridge over the expanse of sparkling water and a gazebo nearby. Harry blinked slowly, taking it all in.
"It's pretty." He said softly.
Draco nodded his agreement. "Yes, it is. Mother spends a lot of time out here in the afternoons when she's at the Manor." Then he rummaged in his pockets for his wand and, while Harry watched on curiously, waved it commandingly. "Accio frog."
"Uh, Draco? Why do you want a frog?" The Gryffindor asked, looking at Draco like he'd gone off his nut.
"You'll see. You should get one too." Harry just stared at him. "What? Just trust me."
"Alright. Here goes. Accio frog." He caught the amphibian easily with reflexes that made Draco burn with envy and grimaced. "It's peeing on me, Draco."
Snickering, the Slytherin led Harry to one of the main paths. His own frog was ensconced safely in one of his robe pockets. "That just means it loves you, Harry." Draco cooed, dodging the punch aimed at his arm. "Violence doesn't solve anything." He chided with faux seriousness, holding back his laughter.
"No, but it'll make me feel better." Harry said dryly. The reflexive banter was just a way to distract each other from what was, in Draco's opinion, their impending death. They wound their way through the hedge maze, past the rows of night blooming lilies, and over the grassy knoll. From there they slinked to the back of the Manor itself. Ivy climbed the walls, softening the intimidating exterior with it's various shades of green foliage.
This was Draco's destination.
Running vertically down the wall was a huge stone snake. It was hollow and each stone scale was carved with loving detail. The snake itself was in a sort of slumber, it's head propped up against the ground and it's mouth open. It was a very extravagant drainage pipe, meant to direct the run off of water from the gutters. Draco sat on his haunches and placed his frog in the small puddle near the snake's mouth. It was undoubtedly left over moisture from the last rain.
Harry let his own frog join Draco's despite the fact he was obviously bewildered by the Slytherin's actions. It all became clear though when Draco pet the snake and it stirred from it's hibernations, lifting it's head and flicking it's tongue out in welcome. It hissed and for once, thanks to Blaise's gift, he could actually understand it.
"Ah, the little frog-bringer is back. So thoughtful. I do so love to be serenaded by frogs."
"I know. We would like a lift to the third floor balcony, if you wouldn't mind."
Both Harry and the snake jerked in surprise, staring at him. The stone snake gathered it's wits first. "I see you've finally learned how to speak a civilized language. Of course I'll lift you up. There's no reason to break years of tradition, is there? Hop on, frog-bringers. The sooner you're gone, the sooner I can listen to the frog songs."
Draco clambered on and Harry followed soon after, leaning forward to mutter in his ear. "I knew it was you speaking Parseltongue in Defense of Dark Arts! Do you know how crazy that drove me?" The snake was lifting them up carefully, folding itself in half so they weren't in any danger of falling off and stretching towards the large balcony to the right.
"That's exactly why I did it."
"How? I didn't know you could speak Parseltongue too."
"I'll explain later. Preferably when we're not in peril. Here we are." They crawled off the snake and watched as it returned to its previous position. This time it stayed awake, propping its head up near the puddle and listening the soft croaking sounds of its amphibian companions blissfully. Draco gave it one last fond glance before moving towards the balcony doors. "Alohomora. After you, Harry." The Gryffindor quietly walked in, but didn't miss Draco's next words. "After all, ladies first."
"Draco." He said warningly.
"I know." Draco said, sobering quickly. "From here on out we need to be silent. The walls themselves have ears." They were in the music room and there were no portraits on the walls. Draco, of course, knew this. There was a reason he had chosen this room for their entrance.
Harry nodded firmly, looking every inch the Gryffindor hero. "Right. Hold that thought." He slipped off his knapsack and rummaged in it, finally producing a fall of silvery fabric. Harry put his pack back on and turned to the other boy. "Here we go. Get under."
"Is that…? You lucky bastard. How the fuck did you get an invisibility cloak? And is this the explanation for the floating head? I thought I was hallucinating."
"It was my father's and yes. Now hurry up, Draco." The Slytherin let himself be enfolded in the cloak and Harry joined them. They shuffled towards the door, stepping on each other until they figured out how to synchronize their steps. Draco managed to get a grope or two in before they were through the door and Harry shot him a suspicious look, but didn't pursue it.
The corridors were even more confusing than the gardens, mostly because they seemed to change of their own accord like Hogwarts' staircases. Harry let him lead the way, since Draco had an intrinsic understanding of Malfoy Manor. He'd been born here and had probably been over every inch during the sixteen years he'd lived here. They trudged through the halls, peering about nervously and walking as quietly as possible.
A glittering crystal vase was perched on one of the end tables in a quiet corridor and when Harry reached out to touch it Draco smacked his hand away swiftly. "It's coated in poison." He said curtly, leading the wide eyed Gryffindor away from any other shiny and potentially deadly items. Draco only had to backtrack once when a dead end sprang up from nowhere. The Manor was decorated lavishly, displaying the wealth of the Malfoy family and its discriminating tastes for all to see. Draco was immune to Manor's charms, but Harry seemed both intimated and awed at the sheer expensive elegance of the place.
Their trek stopped in front of a portrait of a sleeping young man. He looked a good deal like Draco except that his hair reached down to the small of his back and his face was thinner, if not quite so pointy. Draco whispered softly to it. "Francois. It's me, Draco." The man roused, blinking at the floating heads of both boys.
"Well, now. Draco, is that you? What are you doing here?"
Draco leaned in as if imparting information of grave importance. "We're here to keep Voldemort from taking over the wizarding world." Harry gave him an urgent look, as if to ask what he was doing, but Draco ignored it.
"Really?" Asked the portrait, intrigued. "I heard about what Lucius did to you. Disowning you for such a silly thing like dallying with boys. Is this young man yours?" Asked Francois, smiling flirtatiously at Harry who looked embarrassed at the portrait's attentions.
"Oh, yes." Draco said blithely, ignoring the fact Harry had stomped on his foot. "We're madly in love. It's why I was disowned. Father couldn't stand the fact I had taken up with the Boy Who Lived."
Francois began to fan himself with a hand, looking utterly delighted. "Really? Oh my! How scandalous! I really should report you boys, but I know it's for a good cause. And he's so dapper, isn't he? I must admit I have a weakness for tall, dark, and handsome men. I always knew you had good taste, Draco. In you go, you two. Good luck!" The portrait swung open and Draco bustled Harry into the secret corridor, shutting the frame behind them with a last whispered farewell to Francois, who was still sighing about the romance of it all.
"Lumos. That was… different."
"Yes. Francois is a rather colorful character. We've had all sorts in the family, but considering just how long our lineage is it only makes sense." Draco lit his own wand and started walking. "There's no need for the invisibility cloak at the moment." Harry nodded and folded it over his arm, keeping pace next to Draco as they traversed the dusty hallway. Cobwebs shivered at the vibrations from their passing and a few spiders scuttled out of sight.
Draco led him through the labyrinthine halls and through other hidden entrances until they'd finally reached the last leg of their journey. They both wiggled under the cloak again and exited the secret passages, arriving right inside the drawing room. It was very large and decorated in cream and gold. In the middle of the floor was the family crest, etched deeply into the stone. There was a fireplace large enough for three people across from them and various couches and expensive looking lamps littered the room. "Here we are." Draco whispered softly. They shuffled towards the other side of the room.
There was a dragon statuette sitting in the corner, tall enough to reach Draco's breast bone. It was large and its wings were halfway unfurled as it snarled a warning to all those who passed by. Unlike most wizarding statues, it didn't move. Merely perched there, constantly stationary no matter what went on around it. "What now?" Harry said softly. "How do we get the chamber open?"
"Do you have anything sharp?"
"No." Harry answered, puzzled. Exhaling in an annoyed fashion, Draco took out his wand and transfigured a nearby cigarette tray into a small knife. He grabbed it by the handle and lightly sliced the fleshy part of his arm. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Draco?!" Harry hissed, obviously upset.
"Opening the chamber, dolt." Draco collected the blood and smeared it in the dragon's mouth. Immediately afterwards, the sound of grinding stone filled the air. It echoed in the empty room in a creepy fashion and the boys moved together instinctively. "It only opens for those of Malfoy blood. Father's going start frothing at the mouth when he finds out the skull's missing." Draco smirked before gesturing towards the gaping hole in the floor. "And there you are." The crest on the floor had opened to reveal a spiral staircase going downwards.
"Right, then." Harry said, locking eyes with Draco as if to impart strength to the other boy. "Ready?"
"No, but don't let that stop you."
Hesitantly, they made their way down the winding staircase, their hands brushing briefly as they moved. Even if it had been accidental, Draco found it oddly reassuring. Harry went first, cautiously treading down the steps. The invisibility cloak was draped over his arm again, obviously not useful in such close quarters when there was no one to hide from anyway.
They finally reached the chamber and hovered together on the threshold. They exchanged a glance. "Well. Here goes nothing." The Gryffindor walked inside, his shoulders squared and Draco followed a mere pace behind. Draco had the feeling it was a position he was probably going to get used to.
If they survived, that is.
To be Continued
Comments and constructive criticism are more than welcome.