DISCLAIMER: If Harry or anybody/anything else belonged to me, I wouldn't have to work anymore. Nevertheless...I own the plot of the following story!
Author's note: Hm, hardly any reviews...no wonder that it took me so long to post this chapter...you don't encourage me enough anymore. *sigh* Please, don't abandon this story...your reviews mean so much to me. Or did you stop to read this fanfic? Why? Was it too boring?
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And Then We Were Defeated
Chapter 11
A Mudblood!
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Lucius' voice trembled and his eyes sparkled angrily. His outstretched arm aimed at Hermione and again he spat out the degrading insult.
"A mudblood! This filth. How dare you cause your family to lose its face." Draco remained silent teasing his father even more as he stubbornly kept looking straight into his eyes. It wouldn't take long and his dreams would finally come true. He would get rid of the annoying Granger and his father at the same time. A content grin nearly spread over his face.
Hermione, however, couldn't take these offences and humiliations any longer. She was as pale as was Draco's mother and her hands were clenched into tight fists. "How dare you insult me like this, Lucius Malfoy! I'm a witch and neither you nor anybody else has the right to call me a mudblood." Narcissa gasped. On Lucius' forehead formed little sweatdrops and a vein pulsed rhythmically and clearly visible above his right eye-brow.
The crowd around the four people in the centre of the room had closed in on them and was interestedly watching the scene they presented to them. Everybody seemed to hold their breaths. They had been promised a gorgeous engagement party at Malfoy Manor, but what happened now was much more attention-grabbing than anything else they had expected.
"You!" Lucius hissed and with a swift move he had gotten his wand out, directly pointing at Hermione's throat, ready to kill her any second. In Draco's eyes a smug glimmer started to glow. Everything was working out as he had imagined it in his mind. Maybe even better than that.
"Lucius! Take your wand down!" A familiar voice broke into the deadly silence and a figure clad entirely in black stepped forward. Albus Dumbledore attened the party, too. Since he had turned his back on the good side of witchcraft and wizardry he had changed a lot. He appeared to be older. The once kind, muggle-loving and merciful headmaster had transformed into one of Voldemort's leading death eaters.
The people around Draco and Hermione parted and hushed murmurs and low whispers went through the crowd as Dumbledore walked towards the Malfoys and Hermione. Finally the old wizard, the most famous headmaster Hogwarts had ever known, stood next to Hermione. The tip of Lucius' wand was still pointed at her, but she hadn't backed away although her eyes showed fear. Her gaze was fixed at the tip of the wand which could be turned into a deadly weapon causing her sudden, violent death so easily.
"Lucius." Dumbledore repeated and added lowly "Don't force me to disarm you in front of your guests."
Draco's father looked at the elder wizard disgustedly. Since Dumbledore had revealed to be one of the Dark Lord's deatheaters, many of them and especially Lucius Malfoy had been very distant to the wizard known as friend of muggles and Voldemort's strongest opponent beside Harry Potter. "I don't take orders from you, Dumbledore. This is my house and I won't let my son marry this soiled girl."
"Maybe you don't follow my orders, Lucius, but you should think twice before you kill your future daughter-in-law in front of the Dark Lord's entire following." Dumbledore's eyes held the twinkle with which he had used to look so often at Harry and his friends, nevertheless, the smile upon his lips wasn't the least friendly. Obviously he enjoyed this dreadful situation and it was as evident that he took pleasure out of embarrassing a Malfoy in his own house. "She is already wearing an engagement ring. The ring bares the Malfoy family crest. If you harm her, you'll be punished by the law...or by your son. He'll have to revenge her, Lucius. Hermione Granger is your son's legal fiancée and there's nothing you can do about it." While the headmaster spoke these last words his gaze wandered to Draco. The boy's face didn't hold this stern look any longer and his eyes couldn't hide the shock upon the white-haired wizard's last sentences. Could it be that Dumbledore was aware of Draco's plans? He watched his father and Dumbledore nervously, but the expression on his face didn't change. He knew that this man however old and weak he might seem to be was far more dangerous than Lucius Malfoy.
Lucius seemed to think about what Dumbledore had said. His eyes wandered from Hermione to Draco and back again. He gulped. Slowly, but surely he realised what the headmaster, now his fellow deatheater, meant and he abruptly withdrew his wand taking a step back.
Hermione little by little dared to breathe again. She closed her eyes and the tension that had captured her stiff body was released.
"This is not the end." Lucius hissed threateningly. "The Dark Lord will never agree to this marriage." with this he turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.
Hermione looked at Dumbledore, she couldn't believe that this old man whom she had admired for the past years until she had found out that he was traitor, had now just been saving her life. She swallowed hard. Her legs threatened not to support her any second longer and weird thoughts started racing through her mind.
"Draco, why don't you take Hermione upstairs to her rooms. She seems to need a rest after this hearty welcome by your father." Dumbledore had uttered this rather kindly, but Draco jumped a little. He had been absorbed in his thoughts after his father had left and all his precious plans, dreams and hopes had been destroyed by this foolish old wizard.
Unwilling he turned to face Hermione. She was still thinking about Dumbledore's surprising appearance to come and rescue her, when she felt someone seizing her arm, but her protest was quite mild, due to the fact that her mind was occupied with thoughts about Dumbledore, Draco and everything that had happened only minutes ago.
Annoyed grabbing her arm Draco dragged the slightly protesting girl with him, up the stairs back to her room.
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"He can't marry a mudblood, Narcissa. The little brat wanted to get rid of me tonight. If Dumbledore hadn't interfered I could have been dead by now. My own son would have killed me if he had gotten the chance." Draco's father was sitting in his drawing room, his head in his hands. His wife stood near the fireplace, watching her husband intently. Usually he was calm and didn't show any deeper emotion, but today was different. In front of her sat a broken man.
"My own son. The Dark Lord will never forgive me. She is a mudblood. Filth. Dirt. Soiled. We have to find a way to get rid of her." Lucius Malfoy mumbled over and over again.
***
The ballroom had emptied. After Lucius had gone and Draco had pulled Hermione upstairs again most of the guest had left except for one. A tall man stood exactly where Hermione had an hour before and bent down picking up a tiny piece of parchment which lay forgotten on the ground.
***
In another room of the huge Manor Voldemort sat once again in a squashy armchair next to a fireplace. He hadn't attended the engagement party, but he knew for sure what had happened. Nothing could occur on these grounds which he wasn't informed of instantly. One would surely expect him to be furious by now and to give an order to wipe out the entire Malfoy family including this filthy mudblood whom Draco claimed to be his fiancée, but Voldemort had nothing of that sort in mind.
Next to him Dumbledore had seated himself in another chair and was watching the fire burning.
"Then everything has worked out well, so far." the Dark Lord finally began a conversation.
"Yes, indeed, it has and everything will happen as expected. They aren't aware of our plans, yet."
"Fine. Then take care that nobody interferes with them. There's not much time left. We have to hurry up or everything is lost, Dumbledore."
The headmaster nodded silently with a grim look on his face. He was in charge of Voldemort's future and he was determine not to mess up his own.
