CHAPTER 11~ A Messed Up Christmas
The next few days passed by quickly. Draco and Jeremy spoke occasionally and were getting back on each other's good side. Hermione and Blaise had a few conversations and figured that they didn't like each other much. Blaise thought that Hermione was a stuck-up, know-it-all, Mudblood bitch that didn't belong anywhere near Hogwarts, and was pissed that Draco had changed his plans for her. Hermione thought that Blaise was a pureblooded bitch that thought she was better than everybody else and would do anything to make people believe she was superior to them-a true Slytherin.
Draco still stayed with Hermione most of the time because Jeremy wasn't to be trusted yet. Even though they promised not to, Draco and Hermione still had their little scuffles over nothing important.
It was finally Christmas Eve and the four teens began decorating the large manor with some help from the house elves. They set up a Christmas tree in the main living room, and used magic to decorate it. The outside of the house was decorated with colored fairy lights as well as most of the inside. It didn't take them long to decorate, so they just hung out and talked for the rest of the day.
~
Night came quickly and they all took to their beds early. Even though none of them believed in Santa Claus, Blaise and Jeremy convinced Hermione and Draco to get to sleep early for the sake of tradition. This received curious glances, but they finally agreed and went to bed at 10.
Hermione changed quickly into her pajamas and snuggled into the warm sheets of Draco's bed. Draco climbed in after her and put his arms around her. They snuggled close together and Draco kissed her lightly before falling back on the bed and into a gentle slumber, not knowing what would await them when they woke up.
~
Blaise and Jeremy were sitting in their room waiting for their guests to arrive. The window was suddenly blown open and a group of about a dozen men dressed in black, hooded cloaks and masks.
"Where are they?" one of the hooded figures asked.
"They are in Draco's room, Mr. Malfoy," Blaise answered with a slight bow of her head.
"Follow me," Lucius instructed the men, Blaise and Jeremy. They all followed silently behind him up to Draco's room. "Do you know what they are doing in there?"
"I believe they are asleep, sir," Jeremy replied smoothly. Inside, he felt terrible about turning Draco and Hermione over to the Dark Lord, but it would get him on the good side with his father.
Lucius unlocked the door with a flick of his wand and stepped inside the large room that his son and his son's girlfriend were currently occupying. He held up a hand to the others and they stayed where they were.
~
Draco had never been a heavy sleeper, and he could feel the presence of somebody in his room-somebody besides Hermione, who was sleeping soundly in his arms.
The shadow was looming over him. He was able to sense that there was trouble lurking and grabbed the hand that held a knife, as it was about to strike his chest. He opened his eyes and twisted the wrist of the man who was attempting to murder him.
The masked figure gasped loudly at the boy's quick movements and tried to pry his wrist out of the strong grasp with his other hand, but the boy's other hand reached up and grabbed it.
Hermione jumped at the sound of a loud gasp and a sudden cold that now engulfed her body. Draco was up on his feet and holding the wrists of a man who looked like he was holding a sharp silver blade.
The moonlight seeping through the windows was not nearly enough for Hermione to witness the struggle of the two men. She grabbed her wand off the table and whispered, "Lumos!" There was a sudden light at the end of her wand, but neither Draco nor Lucius paid any attention to the sudden brightness of the room.
Draco finally managed to get Lucius to drop the knife, and he fought him down to the floor. He pinned him down and grabbed the knife that was lying close by and placed the blade to his father's throat.
"Do it, Draco. It would put me out of my misery," Lucius whispered. "I have nothing left to live for. I am getting nowhere with the life that I have chosen for myself. Put me out of my misery. Go on. There is no one to stop you."
Draco pressed the blade deeper into Lucius' throat and blood began to form a stream down his pale neck. He stopped at the sound of another voice-a feminine voice. "Don't do it, Draco. It won't solve anything. It will just make you miserable. Please don't do it."
He suddenly realized that Hermione was also in the room and that was where the light was coming from. Pulling the blade back slightly, he turned his head to face Hermione. She looked desperate. The light was shining onto her beautiful face and her eyes were pleading with him. Through her eyes, Draco was able to see to her soul. Something deep inside of him was also telling him that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he did kill his father.
Slowly, he pulled the blade completely away from his father's throat, but still didn't let him up.
"That was stupid, boy!" Lucius bellowed. He pushed Draco down onto the floor and punched him numerous times in the face while Hermione screamed for his mercy.
Draco's painful beating continued until Hermione could no longer stand the sight of her love all bloody and beaten. She lunged at Lucius and knocked his head into the wall, which left him temporarily stunned.
Hermione lifted Draco's head and their eyes met. Draco's nose was bleeding and he had a deep gash in his head. The blood was seeping through his beautiful blonde hair, which now had streaks of red flowing through it. His lip was busted and he could taste the blood in his mouth.
Hermione had tears flowing down her face as she looked at his fragile state.
She was suddenly torn from Draco by a strong hand pulling her up by her hair. Screaming in pain, she kicked backwards and connected with the man's shin. He pretended not to notice as he pulled her face toward his. As much as she tried to pull away, he was much stronger and was easily able to overpower her.
"For someone who is supposed to be so smart, you are rather dumb. You are a worthless Mudblood, not worthy of my only son's attention. You have no business whatsoever in this house or around any member of my family," Lucius whispered harshly.
"This isn't a family!" she answered defiantly. "You are an abusive son of a bitch who finds pleasure in beating the shit out of your only son. Only a sick, twisted bastard would ever be able to accomplish a task such as that. If this is your definition of a family, then whatever dictionary you use must be really fucked up."
"You dare talk to Lucius Malfoy in that manner?"
"I will talk to whoever I want however I want. I really don't give a shit who you are or what you are capable of." Hermione sounded much braver than she felt. Never once had she disrespected an adult, no matter what she thought of them.
"You have guts, girly, but I'm afraid that won't get you anywhere in life." He seized her wrist and Draco's and even though they were struggling. Lucius managed to apparate them to a new location.
They were soon in a damp, dank dungeon with no windows and few candles to light it. Draco was still a bloody mess and was lying in a heap on the floor. Hermione fell to her knees next to him and cradled her head in her lap. His blood was all over her hands, but she didn't care. She needed to help him, but there was nothing she could do without her wand.
"Well, well, well, I see you have brought me you son and his Mudblood girlfriend," a voice hissed. "Thank you, Lucius, you have done all you can for the time being and I'll have to ask you to leave for now."
"Yes, my Lord." Lucius bowed and left the dark room.
Voldemort turned to face the two figures that were on the floor. "Mr. Malfoy, I am very disappointed in your judgment. I thought you knew better than to fall for a sill little Mudblood like Granger here. You have disappointed me greatly. It seems like you won't be my heir, and that position will go to someone who is.more qualified." Another figure stepped out of the shadows, and stood by Voldemort's side. "I believe you are acquainted with my son, Jeremy. He has done a spectacular job in leading us to you-well, I can't say he did it all on his own. He did have some help from his friend Blaise Zabini. Isn't it all so ironic, Draco? Your two best friends in the world handed you over to me." Blaise also stepped out from the shadows and stood next to Jeremy.
Draco glared at the three hooded figures standing before him. If he had strength enough, he would have gotten up and pounced on them all. "Obviously they aren't my true friends if they sold me out," he spat. "A true friend would have kept a secret and not turned his back."
Voldemort laughed a mirthless laugh that was filled with the malice that was shining through his red eyes. "When will you learn? There is no such thing as a true friend. No one in this world is to be trusted no matter how much you want to trust them. Voldemort circled around Hermione and Draco as if he were a hawk. "There is no way out of this. No one is here to save you. Tonight you will both meet your end. I think I can have a little more fun first, wouldn't you say?"
Hermione was ready to get to her feet and charge at the man-if you could call him that-who stood before her. "I say that you are more sick and twisted than any person I have ever encountered," Hermione began. "You find pleasure in killing innocent people. Your disciples don't respect you; they fear you because of what you are capable of. It is obvious that you have never felt any sort of love or remorse for anyone. What kind of person are you? You are the most cold-heart-"
"I have heard enough from you, Mudblood," Voldemort interrupted. "Stand up!"
Hermione placed Draco's head softly on the ground even though he begged her not to. She was a good eight inches shorter than Voldemort, and had to look up to stare into his eyes.
Voldemort pointed his wand at her and whispered, "Crucio!"
Her hands balled up into fists and her knees buckled under her. There was a fire building within her veins and her head felt as if it were ready to explode. The pain she felt was unbearable and she could taste blood in her mouth from biting down so hard on her lip. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even scream. Everything in her body was throbbing, and she knew that she would never want to endure this kind of pain again for as long as she lived.
Draco watched Hermione-his Hermione-as she doubled over from the curse. The love of his life was shaking uncontrollably and he had to save her. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and walked shakily toward Voldemort. When he was in striking range, he smacked Voldemort's wand hand and the wand went flying across the room.
"What do you think you're doing?" Voldemort snarled at Draco. "This will make everything in your life less complicated. We can dispose of this filth and you will be free to choose your own path."
Crouching down next to Hermione, he stroked her hair gently and whispered, "I have already chosen my path. I choose to protect Hermione with all of the strength I have left, even if it kills me."
"Draco, no," she whimpered. "Get out of here. Leave me to die."
"No, don't give up. Never give up. You are much too strong for this."
Suddenly, the door to the dungeon burst open. "Draco, get yourself out! Take Hermione and get out of here!" Draco recognized the voice as his mother's.
"Get out, you foolish woman!" Voldemort demanded.
Rather then heed his advice, Narcissa ran to her son's side, and handed him her spare wand (she would always carry around two for emergencies). "Get out of here!" she cried. "You have enough strength left to get back to the Manor."
"No, Mom, I can't leave you here. You have to come too," Draco said. "He'll kill you. Please come with me."
"I will be right behind you. Just make sure you get you and Hermione safely back to the school."
During this time Voldemort had retrieved his wand and was pointing it at the trio that was at his feet.
"Draco, now!" Narcissa demanded.
"I love you, Mom," he whispered as he apparated himself and Hermione back to the Malfoy Manor.
"I love you too, sweetie," she answered as he disappeared.
"Narcissa, that was a very brave thing you did. I would expect nothing less from you of course. For that you must pay the consequences," Voldemort hissed at the blonde woman who was now facing him.
"I have nothing left to this life, anyway. The one thing I always swore to was I would save my son if he was ever in need, and I have done that. Now that I have completed that task I feel my purpose here is complete. Lucius will not care what you do to me. He's just as cruel as you are."
Voldemort watched the woman as she spoke. "There might still be use for you-that is if you are willing to comply."
"I will do nothing to serve a piece of filth like yourself. I choose death over a life of servitude to you. If you wish to kill me, do it now." She threw down her wand and stared into his gleaming red eyes.
"If you say so, my dear. Avanda Kedavra!"
Narcissa Malfoy fell to the floor, all life escaping her body. Her spirit was free to move on to a better place, and she no longer had to worry about the pains of her pitiful existence.
Voldemort smiled a cruel smile at the dead woman in front of him. "It is only a matter of time until they are dead."
Jeremy and Blaise smiled cruelly and left the dungeons to join the other Death Eaters.
~
"She's not here," Draco said after ten minutes. "She's dead. I can feel it."
Hermione had performed a quick healing spell on Draco and herself to stop the flow of blood. "I'm sure she's not, Draco. Stay positive."
"How the hell would you like to stay positive? My two best friends are traitorous bastards, and I believe that my mother is dead. I have that feeling." A few tears escaped his normally cold eyes, and he leaned onto Hermione's chest. "She's gone," he sighed as her arms wrapped around him.
Hermione kissed the tears that streamed down his face and let him cry on her shoulder until he could cry no more.
The next few days passed by quickly. Draco and Jeremy spoke occasionally and were getting back on each other's good side. Hermione and Blaise had a few conversations and figured that they didn't like each other much. Blaise thought that Hermione was a stuck-up, know-it-all, Mudblood bitch that didn't belong anywhere near Hogwarts, and was pissed that Draco had changed his plans for her. Hermione thought that Blaise was a pureblooded bitch that thought she was better than everybody else and would do anything to make people believe she was superior to them-a true Slytherin.
Draco still stayed with Hermione most of the time because Jeremy wasn't to be trusted yet. Even though they promised not to, Draco and Hermione still had their little scuffles over nothing important.
It was finally Christmas Eve and the four teens began decorating the large manor with some help from the house elves. They set up a Christmas tree in the main living room, and used magic to decorate it. The outside of the house was decorated with colored fairy lights as well as most of the inside. It didn't take them long to decorate, so they just hung out and talked for the rest of the day.
~
Night came quickly and they all took to their beds early. Even though none of them believed in Santa Claus, Blaise and Jeremy convinced Hermione and Draco to get to sleep early for the sake of tradition. This received curious glances, but they finally agreed and went to bed at 10.
Hermione changed quickly into her pajamas and snuggled into the warm sheets of Draco's bed. Draco climbed in after her and put his arms around her. They snuggled close together and Draco kissed her lightly before falling back on the bed and into a gentle slumber, not knowing what would await them when they woke up.
~
Blaise and Jeremy were sitting in their room waiting for their guests to arrive. The window was suddenly blown open and a group of about a dozen men dressed in black, hooded cloaks and masks.
"Where are they?" one of the hooded figures asked.
"They are in Draco's room, Mr. Malfoy," Blaise answered with a slight bow of her head.
"Follow me," Lucius instructed the men, Blaise and Jeremy. They all followed silently behind him up to Draco's room. "Do you know what they are doing in there?"
"I believe they are asleep, sir," Jeremy replied smoothly. Inside, he felt terrible about turning Draco and Hermione over to the Dark Lord, but it would get him on the good side with his father.
Lucius unlocked the door with a flick of his wand and stepped inside the large room that his son and his son's girlfriend were currently occupying. He held up a hand to the others and they stayed where they were.
~
Draco had never been a heavy sleeper, and he could feel the presence of somebody in his room-somebody besides Hermione, who was sleeping soundly in his arms.
The shadow was looming over him. He was able to sense that there was trouble lurking and grabbed the hand that held a knife, as it was about to strike his chest. He opened his eyes and twisted the wrist of the man who was attempting to murder him.
The masked figure gasped loudly at the boy's quick movements and tried to pry his wrist out of the strong grasp with his other hand, but the boy's other hand reached up and grabbed it.
Hermione jumped at the sound of a loud gasp and a sudden cold that now engulfed her body. Draco was up on his feet and holding the wrists of a man who looked like he was holding a sharp silver blade.
The moonlight seeping through the windows was not nearly enough for Hermione to witness the struggle of the two men. She grabbed her wand off the table and whispered, "Lumos!" There was a sudden light at the end of her wand, but neither Draco nor Lucius paid any attention to the sudden brightness of the room.
Draco finally managed to get Lucius to drop the knife, and he fought him down to the floor. He pinned him down and grabbed the knife that was lying close by and placed the blade to his father's throat.
"Do it, Draco. It would put me out of my misery," Lucius whispered. "I have nothing left to live for. I am getting nowhere with the life that I have chosen for myself. Put me out of my misery. Go on. There is no one to stop you."
Draco pressed the blade deeper into Lucius' throat and blood began to form a stream down his pale neck. He stopped at the sound of another voice-a feminine voice. "Don't do it, Draco. It won't solve anything. It will just make you miserable. Please don't do it."
He suddenly realized that Hermione was also in the room and that was where the light was coming from. Pulling the blade back slightly, he turned his head to face Hermione. She looked desperate. The light was shining onto her beautiful face and her eyes were pleading with him. Through her eyes, Draco was able to see to her soul. Something deep inside of him was also telling him that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he did kill his father.
Slowly, he pulled the blade completely away from his father's throat, but still didn't let him up.
"That was stupid, boy!" Lucius bellowed. He pushed Draco down onto the floor and punched him numerous times in the face while Hermione screamed for his mercy.
Draco's painful beating continued until Hermione could no longer stand the sight of her love all bloody and beaten. She lunged at Lucius and knocked his head into the wall, which left him temporarily stunned.
Hermione lifted Draco's head and their eyes met. Draco's nose was bleeding and he had a deep gash in his head. The blood was seeping through his beautiful blonde hair, which now had streaks of red flowing through it. His lip was busted and he could taste the blood in his mouth.
Hermione had tears flowing down her face as she looked at his fragile state.
She was suddenly torn from Draco by a strong hand pulling her up by her hair. Screaming in pain, she kicked backwards and connected with the man's shin. He pretended not to notice as he pulled her face toward his. As much as she tried to pull away, he was much stronger and was easily able to overpower her.
"For someone who is supposed to be so smart, you are rather dumb. You are a worthless Mudblood, not worthy of my only son's attention. You have no business whatsoever in this house or around any member of my family," Lucius whispered harshly.
"This isn't a family!" she answered defiantly. "You are an abusive son of a bitch who finds pleasure in beating the shit out of your only son. Only a sick, twisted bastard would ever be able to accomplish a task such as that. If this is your definition of a family, then whatever dictionary you use must be really fucked up."
"You dare talk to Lucius Malfoy in that manner?"
"I will talk to whoever I want however I want. I really don't give a shit who you are or what you are capable of." Hermione sounded much braver than she felt. Never once had she disrespected an adult, no matter what she thought of them.
"You have guts, girly, but I'm afraid that won't get you anywhere in life." He seized her wrist and Draco's and even though they were struggling. Lucius managed to apparate them to a new location.
They were soon in a damp, dank dungeon with no windows and few candles to light it. Draco was still a bloody mess and was lying in a heap on the floor. Hermione fell to her knees next to him and cradled her head in her lap. His blood was all over her hands, but she didn't care. She needed to help him, but there was nothing she could do without her wand.
"Well, well, well, I see you have brought me you son and his Mudblood girlfriend," a voice hissed. "Thank you, Lucius, you have done all you can for the time being and I'll have to ask you to leave for now."
"Yes, my Lord." Lucius bowed and left the dark room.
Voldemort turned to face the two figures that were on the floor. "Mr. Malfoy, I am very disappointed in your judgment. I thought you knew better than to fall for a sill little Mudblood like Granger here. You have disappointed me greatly. It seems like you won't be my heir, and that position will go to someone who is.more qualified." Another figure stepped out of the shadows, and stood by Voldemort's side. "I believe you are acquainted with my son, Jeremy. He has done a spectacular job in leading us to you-well, I can't say he did it all on his own. He did have some help from his friend Blaise Zabini. Isn't it all so ironic, Draco? Your two best friends in the world handed you over to me." Blaise also stepped out from the shadows and stood next to Jeremy.
Draco glared at the three hooded figures standing before him. If he had strength enough, he would have gotten up and pounced on them all. "Obviously they aren't my true friends if they sold me out," he spat. "A true friend would have kept a secret and not turned his back."
Voldemort laughed a mirthless laugh that was filled with the malice that was shining through his red eyes. "When will you learn? There is no such thing as a true friend. No one in this world is to be trusted no matter how much you want to trust them. Voldemort circled around Hermione and Draco as if he were a hawk. "There is no way out of this. No one is here to save you. Tonight you will both meet your end. I think I can have a little more fun first, wouldn't you say?"
Hermione was ready to get to her feet and charge at the man-if you could call him that-who stood before her. "I say that you are more sick and twisted than any person I have ever encountered," Hermione began. "You find pleasure in killing innocent people. Your disciples don't respect you; they fear you because of what you are capable of. It is obvious that you have never felt any sort of love or remorse for anyone. What kind of person are you? You are the most cold-heart-"
"I have heard enough from you, Mudblood," Voldemort interrupted. "Stand up!"
Hermione placed Draco's head softly on the ground even though he begged her not to. She was a good eight inches shorter than Voldemort, and had to look up to stare into his eyes.
Voldemort pointed his wand at her and whispered, "Crucio!"
Her hands balled up into fists and her knees buckled under her. There was a fire building within her veins and her head felt as if it were ready to explode. The pain she felt was unbearable and she could taste blood in her mouth from biting down so hard on her lip. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even scream. Everything in her body was throbbing, and she knew that she would never want to endure this kind of pain again for as long as she lived.
Draco watched Hermione-his Hermione-as she doubled over from the curse. The love of his life was shaking uncontrollably and he had to save her. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and walked shakily toward Voldemort. When he was in striking range, he smacked Voldemort's wand hand and the wand went flying across the room.
"What do you think you're doing?" Voldemort snarled at Draco. "This will make everything in your life less complicated. We can dispose of this filth and you will be free to choose your own path."
Crouching down next to Hermione, he stroked her hair gently and whispered, "I have already chosen my path. I choose to protect Hermione with all of the strength I have left, even if it kills me."
"Draco, no," she whimpered. "Get out of here. Leave me to die."
"No, don't give up. Never give up. You are much too strong for this."
Suddenly, the door to the dungeon burst open. "Draco, get yourself out! Take Hermione and get out of here!" Draco recognized the voice as his mother's.
"Get out, you foolish woman!" Voldemort demanded.
Rather then heed his advice, Narcissa ran to her son's side, and handed him her spare wand (she would always carry around two for emergencies). "Get out of here!" she cried. "You have enough strength left to get back to the Manor."
"No, Mom, I can't leave you here. You have to come too," Draco said. "He'll kill you. Please come with me."
"I will be right behind you. Just make sure you get you and Hermione safely back to the school."
During this time Voldemort had retrieved his wand and was pointing it at the trio that was at his feet.
"Draco, now!" Narcissa demanded.
"I love you, Mom," he whispered as he apparated himself and Hermione back to the Malfoy Manor.
"I love you too, sweetie," she answered as he disappeared.
"Narcissa, that was a very brave thing you did. I would expect nothing less from you of course. For that you must pay the consequences," Voldemort hissed at the blonde woman who was now facing him.
"I have nothing left to this life, anyway. The one thing I always swore to was I would save my son if he was ever in need, and I have done that. Now that I have completed that task I feel my purpose here is complete. Lucius will not care what you do to me. He's just as cruel as you are."
Voldemort watched the woman as she spoke. "There might still be use for you-that is if you are willing to comply."
"I will do nothing to serve a piece of filth like yourself. I choose death over a life of servitude to you. If you wish to kill me, do it now." She threw down her wand and stared into his gleaming red eyes.
"If you say so, my dear. Avanda Kedavra!"
Narcissa Malfoy fell to the floor, all life escaping her body. Her spirit was free to move on to a better place, and she no longer had to worry about the pains of her pitiful existence.
Voldemort smiled a cruel smile at the dead woman in front of him. "It is only a matter of time until they are dead."
Jeremy and Blaise smiled cruelly and left the dungeons to join the other Death Eaters.
~
"She's not here," Draco said after ten minutes. "She's dead. I can feel it."
Hermione had performed a quick healing spell on Draco and herself to stop the flow of blood. "I'm sure she's not, Draco. Stay positive."
"How the hell would you like to stay positive? My two best friends are traitorous bastards, and I believe that my mother is dead. I have that feeling." A few tears escaped his normally cold eyes, and he leaned onto Hermione's chest. "She's gone," he sighed as her arms wrapped around him.
Hermione kissed the tears that streamed down his face and let him cry on her shoulder until he could cry no more.