A/N: I've finished the fifth Harry Potter book, and I can't believe JK Rowling killed him off! I really liked him, he was one of my favourite characters…and now he's dead. Dammit. I can't read about him anymore. The way she wrote everything, Harry's thoughts after he died, it was really heart-wrenching, I just wanted to cry *sob* I did, too. Call me sappy if you want to, it was really sad!
Okay, I just want to say a huge, huge apology to Pearl Weasley, I had no idea I'd missed you out, I don't know how I could have done that…
Chapter 10: Fidelius Charm
The four of them had a long talk. Dumbledore learned that Draco's father was not a willing follower of Voldemort (A/N: Which I know is just crap, but bear with me). The Malfoys learned that Dumbledore had already known that Voldemort was after Draco. Lucius had not understood why Dumbledore had kept this from them as they would have been able to protect Draco more effectively than the Weasleys.
"I had no idea where your loyalties lay," Dumbledore told him calmly. "I didn't know how you would react." Unspoken words; I didn't know if you'd give your son to Voldemort.
Draco was told about his lineage, which Dumbledore had guessed after everything had been laid down.
"I'm who?" Draco gasped, looking up from his cup of hot tea, his seventh so far. It helped him calm down; he was not shaking any more.
"A descendant of Merlin," Dumbledore said. "You were chosen to be his heir."
Despite what he had been through just a few hours ago, Draco managed a grin. "Cool."
"What I don't understand," Draco's father said, "Is why he wanted to kill my son."
"He felt threatened," Dumbledore said. "Draco has the power to upstage him, to succeed him as a new Dark Lord if he chose to. Not only that, he has the power to destroy Voldemort."
Draco dropped his cup. It fell to the carpeted floor with the tinkle of breaking china, spilling tea onto the carpet. "I would appreciate it if you didn't---I can destroy him?" Draco repaired his cup with a wave and made the spilt tea disappear. The next moment the cup was back in his hands, full of steaming English tea with sugar and milk already added to it. "I can destroy him?" Draco repeated.
Dumbledore nodded. "You're so much stronger than him now."
Draco lapsed back into silence, thinking hard. He sipped at his tea. He had the power to destroy the most feared Dark Lord in over a hundred years. He could be the only person who could stop Voldemort's regime of terror.
But did he dare? Did he dare face him again? Draco did not particularly think so. Those evil red eyes, that high, cold laughter…Draco shuddered. No thank you.
"What should we do now?" Lucius asked. "He won't stop looking until he finds Draco."
"I think the best bet would be the Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore said. He did not press Draco about killing Voldemort. After his ordeal, it would be best not to press him into doing it---yet.
"Fidelius Charm?" Like the one the Potters used?" Narcissa asked.
"Yes. I---how did you know the Potters used the Fidelius Charm?"
"I was in his Inner Circle. I was there when Wormtail told him he was the Secret Keeper," Draco's father said.
"I see. I could be your Secret Keeper," Dumbledore offered.
"Thank you. When will it be performed?"
"As soon as possible."
* * * * *
The Fidelius Charm had been performed. The Malfoys had moved to a countryside cottage. It was considerably smaller than the Manor but was comfortable enough for the three of them.
For a week Draco had not dared go outside. Despite the knowledge that Voldemort would not be able to see Draco, Lucius or Narcissa unless they wanted him to or if Dumbledore told him where to find them, Draco had still felt insecure. However that had passed and Draco was settling into the cottage. He missed the Manor and the house-elves but the cottage was not bad.
The summer program had been called off, for Draco at least. Hermione and Harry were still at the Weasleys.
Draco was still not very sure about school, however. When the school year began a lot of people would find out about Voldemort being after him if they did not already know. Most of the Slytherins, the ones with Death-Eaters as parents, most definitely would not be friendly.
Draco's eyes fell upon the picture of his Potions master, Professor Snape, which was in the Daily Prophet. His funeral was to be held that day. Draco could not go. He had been told it would be too dangerous. He felt a pang of sadness. After all, Professor Snape was---had been---his favourite teacher. Now he was gone.
All because of him, Draco thought bitterly. He's dead because of him. The Dark Mark had been found floating above Snape's house a few days before. To the rest of the wizarding world, his death had been a random killing. Draco knew better.
Snape had been a spy for Dumbledore. He had pretended to be a faithful servant for Voldemort, when in reality he had been spying for Dumbledore. That had been how Dumbledore had known that Voldemort was after Draco. Voldemort had probably discovered that Snape was a spy and had therefore murdered him.
Draco turned to the front page of the Daily Prophet. A gruesome picture met his eyes. There were bodies. About ten of them. All mangled and broken…it reminded him of what he had done to Lavender Brown's rabbit, but then again, that had been a rabbit. An old rabbit. Not a human being. Not ten human beings.
Draco's eyes traveled to the headlines: "He Who Must Not Be Named: Massacres Will Continue Until I Have What I Want".
"Until he has hat he wants?" Draco murmured, before the answer hit him like a tidal wave. Of course. He wants me.
Draco scanned through the article. Eleven bodies had been found, including that of three Ministry officials. There had been no witnesses. Bloody letters in the air had told the press that Voldemort was not going to stop killing until he had what he wanted.
Draco brooded over this, his soggy cornflakes forgotten. Eleven people dead. Their bodies had been brutally mutilated. All because of him. Pangs of gilt hit Draco.
Draco's mother came into the kitchen. "Draco dear, are you planning to spend all day in the kitchen?" Upon seeing her son's face, she asked, "What's wrong, honey?"
Draco shook his head as his mother sat down beside him. Nothing.
Narcissa's eyes fell upon the Daily Prophet. Instantly she knew what was bothering Draco. "It's not your fault, Draco."
"Yes it is," Draco said. "I'm the reason he killed all those people."
"No, he is."
"If he wasn't after me he wouldn't have killed them," Draco said. "If he had gotten what he wanted he wouldn't have done that."
"If he had gotten what he wanted you wouldn't be here," Narcissa said softly.
"Better just the one than all those people," Draco said stubbornly.
"And you think it's going to help, you giving yourself up?" Narcissa said angrily. "You're wrong. Do you think that once he has you he'll stop? No! He's doing this to make you feel guilty so you'll give yourself up, so he won't have to worry about you. He wants you out of the way, and if he does that he'll still continue killing innocent people, and there won't be anyone with a chance of stopping him. He wants you out of the way so he won't have to worry about anything being in the way of his reign." She softened. "It's not your fault, Draco, none of this is."
"I still feel like it is."
"It isn't."
"Easy for you to say." 'You have the power to destroy him…' the words came unbidden to Draco's mind. I have the power to destroy him…Draco repeated the phrase. No. He shook his head, his hands gripping his hair. I don't want to go near him ever again.
Murderer, his conscience accused.
"I'm not a murderer," Draco said aloud.
"Of course not," his mother said.
Coward and a murderer, his conscience hissed. If you don't do anything more will die.
Fine. "I just had to have a conscience, didn't I."
"I'm sorry?"
"Never mind. When is the next time we're seeing Dumbledore?"
A/N: 56 reviews! Wow! Four more till sixty! That's amazing! :P
WildfireFriendship
Exwhyzed
Pearl Weasley: I'm really really sorry about not putting your name up, dunno how I could have missed that…
dragon
Shania Maxwell: yeah, I know, Worntongue's lotr, I got that mixed up somehow.
Review and I'll mention you here (see above) and, um, oh, darn, there was something else, but I've forgotten what it is. Nevermind…
Oh, I know! What about more self-advertising? :P I've got a short story about Tom Felton on www.fictionpress.net and he saves the day! Sorta. No romance, so surely you would want to read that…right? Oh, yeah, while I'm at it I've got an alternate universe fic with Draco and Harry as best friends but they're in Gryffindor.
Yeah, okay, ignore my big-headedness…enjoy the next chapter when it comes out!
