Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything to do with Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. Plot, however, is mine.

A/N: Does anyone know what 'little dragon' is in Latin? Or can anyone give me a name for a species of dragon which is knee-high? Desperately need a name. . .it's for my other story.

Chapter 8: In which the Dark Lord appears and a surprising revelation is revealed

Draco had convinced the other three to leave Lars lying there. The spell would wear off eventually if someone did not find him. Ron and Harry tried to ask Draco about Lars, but Draco did not want to talk about it. They focused instead on the dragon that had nearly burnt Draco to a crisp.

"I don't know what happened to it," Draco shook his head. "I wasn't provoking it or anything." The dragon's glazed eyes popped into Draco's mind. Not the result of a dragon gone insane, but rather it was similar to the look of someone being controlled. Why the hell would you want to control a dragon and make it go after me? Draco did not know.

Harry spotted an ice-cream stall and asked if they wanted some. After a chorus of 'yes' greeted his suggestion Harry went and soon emerged with four ice-cream cones.

Mr. Weasley came running after them as Draco started to lick his ice cream.

"I've been looking all over for you," Mr.Weasley said. Draco notived he looked very relieved. "It's time to leave."

"What?" Ron protested.

"Now?" Draco griped. "We haven't even started!"

"I'm sorry, but it's just not---your incident with the dragon unnerved me," Mr. Weasley said, looking apologetic.

Draco sulked all the way back. Cutting the trip short like that. . .all because of one little incident! They were so paranoid, Draco thought furiously. Draco stomped into the Burrow, past Mrs. Weasley without saying 'hello' and up the stairs. He knew it was rude of him but he did not much care at that moment. He was frigging sick of all of them.

Draco plopped himself down on his sleeping bag. His eyes fell upon the book he had purchased in Diagon Alley. 'Ancient Magic'. "Stupid book," Draco muttered, tossing the book to Hermione, who had entered the room, with a flick of his wrist. "Keep it," he told her.

Hermione was so shocked she almost did not catch the book. She stared at Draco with her mouth wide open.

"What?" Draco snapped, misreading her expression. "Draco Malfoy does give things away, he's not all selfish."

"Um. . ." Hermione blinked. Had she just seen what she thought she had seen? She shook her head. Imagination. It must be my imagination.

Ron and Harry, who had not seen Draco toss the book to Hermione, laughed. "She's in shock. She can't believe Malfoy just gave her something," Harry said.

Draco ignored him. So did Hermione. She opened the book instead, and began to read.

Draco took out his History of Magic homework. He only needed to add a few things to it and it would be complete. Draco was so absorbed in his work he did not notice some two people come into the room.

They put their fingers to their lips, crept over to where Draco was sitting and stood on either side of him. One of them put up one finger, then another and another. Instantaneously the two of them shouted "boo!" very loudly.

Draco was so shocked and surprised he jumped a foot in the air. And he was so frightened (Voldemort being on his mind just a few moments ago) that he turned Fred into a flowering potted plant.

Draco scrambled to get up. George had run over to the potted plant, shouting "Fred!" All Harry and Hermione seemed capable of doing was opening and shutting their mouths like a goldfish. Ron ran over to the potted plant.

Oh, shit, how the hell did I do that? Draco wondered. I've got to change him back, but how? Crap. . .Draco tried waving his hands. It did not work, and Ron was starting to give him a queer look. Draco tried imagining Fred in place of the potted plant. Please work. . .he begged silently. Or I'm dead.

With a small pop! the potted plant disappeared and Fred appeared in its place. He looked very confused.

"What just happened?" he asked. "One minute I'm standing, the next I'm buried in soil and feeling a strange yearning for sunlight and water."

"Um. . .that was because you turned into a potted plant," George said.

"Oh," Fred looked stumped. "How?"

George shrugged. "No idea."

"How very---oh!" Fred snapped his fingers. "It must have been those new creams we invented! We thought they didn't work, but they must have. . .delayed effect or something."

"Oh, right!" George said.

Fred winked at Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco. "Sorry if I scared you. Well, we're off, we're—"

"Going to see why the effect was delayed so long," George finished for Fred. The twins left the room.

Draco sat back down. That was much too much too close, he thought, before indignation kicked in. Well, it wasn't my fault, who asked them to scare me like that?

Ron and Hermione were looking at Draco with extremely odd looks on their faces. Draco dipped his quill into his ink bottle, then stopped, quill poised on top of his homework. He stole a glance at Ron and Hermione. They were still looking at him.

Draco started to clean his homework up. He got up and was soon halfway across the room, books and parchment in one hand, quill and ink bottle in the other.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked sharply.

"Downstairs. It's too noisy here." This was a downright lie. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The three of them remained silent until Draco was out of earshot.

"I don't think Fred turning into a potted plant was a result of one of their experiments, do you?" Ron asked, but it was clear he had already made his mind up. He was sure Draco had had something to do with it.

"Normally, I would disagree, but I'm agreeing," Hermione said.

"You are?" Ron was surprised.

"Yes," Hermione said. "When Draco tossed me this book, he didn't toss it to me in the normal way."

"Meaning?" Harry asked.

"He didn't use his hand to throw it to me. Not in the sense of the word. . .hear me out before you say anything, Ron, Harry. He. . .he did something like this." Hermione imitated Draco. "The book just flew from beside his sleeping bag to me! He wasn't using a wand, he didn't pick the book up. . .wait a minute. He wasn't using a wand. . ." Hermione flipped open the book Draco had given her.

"Wait. Before you bury yourself in that, I have something to tell you too." Ron placed his hand over the book. "I meant to tell you guys sooner, but with one thing and another, it completely slipped my mind. About a week ago, Draco did something really weird. We were talking, but he didn't open his mouth. It was like---"

"Telepathy?" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, that's right. Except he was the one doing it, it wasn't mind-to-mind. It was like he voiced his thoughts into my mind. It was really weird. . ."

"Let me get this straight. Both of you are saying Draco Malfoy has some sort of special powers or something?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermioen nodded. "I'm not doubting your integrity, but let's face it, it sounds rather far-fetched."

"Maybe not," Hermione said. "I think I may have the answer. Just let me do a bit of speed-reading."

Ron sighed. That would take a while. He did not know what Hermione could find out in a book called 'Ancient Magic' that could explain Draco's apparent remarkable ability, but he was prepared to wait.

Harry and Ron decided to help each other with their Divination homework. The assignment, which was supposed to be done every week, required Harry and Ron to pick up 'signs' from their surroundings and to interpret them. They were about halfway through their homework when a knock came on the door.

Arthur Weasley entered the room. "Is Draco here?"

"No, he went downstairs," Ron said.

"He's not there."

"Bathroom?" Ron suggested.

"No, I checked."

"Umm. . .are you sure he's not in the house?"

Mr. Weasley closed the door behind him as he exited the room. In a few minutes he was back.

"He's gone! He's not in the house!" Mr. Weasley looked rather pale.

"Are you sure?" Ron bit his lower lip.

"Yes!" Mr. Weasley sank onto Ron's bed and buried his face in his hands. "Gone! We've failed!"

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

Draco, upon reaching the sitting room, decided he wanted to take a walk instead of finishing his homework. Draco dumped his things in a corner, then went out the door. He did not tell anyone he was going out. They would probably have followed him around, giving him no privacy at all.

Draco shut the door behind him and set off down the path. It was almost evening. The air was cool and a breeze played upon his face. Humming softly, he lifted his face up to the sky.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over Draco's mouth and his arms were twisted painfully behind him. Before he could do anything, before what had happened had registered in his mind, the man behind him Disapparated, taking Draco with him.

Draco flew through space, colours twisting madly before his eyes before his feet met solid ground.

He was in a dark room lit by torches. The torches cast a gloomy light onto the dark, black walls. A table was situated at the corner of the room. About eight or nine hooded figures were in the room, some of them standing in complete shadow. But Draco did not see any of this. His eyes were fixed upon one solitary figure.

Standing before Draco, in robes of black, was Lord Voldemort. Draco had never seen him before, had never met him before, but instinctively he knew who it was.

Lord Voldemort smiled. Evilly. The sight of the Dark Lord had already shaken Draco so that he had shivers down his back; seeing him smile like that made Draco start to shake and his legs turn to jelly.

"Young Master Malfoy," he said in his cold, high voice. "I have wanted to meet you for a long, long time."

Really? Draco thought. What the hell for?

If Voldemort was surprised by this, he did not show it. "Really. You see, you have something I want very badly. However, since I cannot have it, I will have to destroy it. And to destroy it, I will have to kill you."

We could work something out, Draco thought frantically (his mouth was not working). I'm sure I could give it to you, whatever it is.

"No, mores the pity. After all, you can't separate magic from a wizard, can you? And now to teach you a lesson for your insolence." Voldemort lifted his wand. "You are forgetting that I am Lord Voldemort. Crucio."

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

"Oh my God." Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"I know. I can't believe Voldemort is after Draco Malfoy," Harry said. Mr. Weasley had just told them everything.

"No, I---what? You-Know-Who is after Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked, distracted.

"Yes, weren't you listening?" Ron asked.

"Why's he after him?"

"We don't know. What were you going to say, Hermione?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Well, I know why Malfoy can do all those things he did," Hermione said.

"Why?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Draco Malfoy is---"

~Hmmm. . .should I stop here?~

~Nah, that would be too cruel~

"Draco Malfoy is Merlin's heir," Hermione announced.

A/N: Yes, I know, that sounds really lame. . .you think of something better then.

Thank you to the people who reviewed. Well, I didn't get 35 yet, just one short, but then again, it's only, what? Two days? Would love to get forty reviews, though :P

Aryante: Well, you didn't review before, so how was I to know you even existed? Thanks for putting me in fave stories, it means a lot to me.

WildfireFriendship: Yay! You put me in fave stories too! What's kawaii? Oh, wait, I've got a Japanese dictionary here. . .it means. . .cute? That's a compliment , right? Thanks!

Lotrfanatic: fave stories too! Thanks!

Lillinfields

Korie Homura: Fave stories too! Wow, I never thought I'd get on so many ppl's fave stories

Dana Malfoy

If your name isn't bold don't kill me, I don't know why it isn't bold.

Okay, I know I supposed to tell you something. . .oh! Got it.

Anyone who was wondering where Ginny got off to (I know I didn't mention it in this story, but I completely forgot about her!) She is at a friend's house :P convenient, eh? I did mention where she got off to in a rewrite of this story, but I type too slowly and I'm just too lazy to edit chapters :P

Anyway, review! Help me get forty! Criticism is welcome :P typos don't count

And if you review I mention you (e.g. those names above)