Bound
By Angel Of Music
Chapter Five: Dark and Loathsome Pain
Nothing but darkness. The fear the embraced it, the night that beheld it. Beautiful and constricting. Lonely and sad. Draco was living in a world where all his hopes were lost. It was only a matter of hours before he was expected up at the Astronomy tower, a matter of hours before he would see that putrid face that was his father's, a matter of hours before Voldemort would find out that he was strung to a Mudblood. His heart beat as if strings were binding it as he sat waiting for the time to come. He was going to be alone.
It seemed to take ages for dinner to halt. He ate silently and quickly in hope that if he finished his plate, others would too. This was but of course a lie, yet it made Draco feel less ancy. He sighed sparsely and looked up as he felt eyes upon him. Glancing around uneasily, he spotted who was staring at him. Granger. She looked away immediately as his eyes fell upon her. Why was she gazing so shrewdly at him? Draco turned his head and placed it in his palms. No sooner had he done so then he felt a hand run down his back.
"Granger's looking at you."
"Wonderful."
"I'm glad you care so much." Blaise smiled and sat in a chair next to his. "Merry Christmas, Draco." she leaned her head against Draco's shoulder and shut her eyes. "Why so glum, Malfoy?"
"It's nothing." He grunted, ignoring Blaise's curious glances.
"No one ever says it's nothing unless it's something." She admonished, parting her lips.
"What makes you say that?" He questioned, admiring her wit.
"Simple experience, I suppose. Now tell me what's going on."
"Nothing, I told you." Blaise gave him a twisted smirk and a raise of her eyebrows, then stood. She shook her head and widened her eyes, leaning over to kiss Draco's cheek. "Blaise-"
"Just trying to make Granger jealous, Malfoy, calm down." Draco quesioned her with his eyes and raised his chin.
"Okay, whatever."
"Draco?" She asked, just before turning around. "Don't worry about tonight. Everything's going to be fine. I know what you're going through." She bit her lip worriedly and hurried away. *That's right.* Draco thought, remembering how she knew. *The letter.* He sighed with an elongated inhale, then placed his head down on the table to wait for dinner to end.
* * *
"You're late, Draco."
"Sorry."
"Well, if you came a moment later, we'd be in an awful lot of trouble. Now get on your broom." Draco lifted a leg over the smooth handle of his Nimbus 2003, the newest and greatest of the Nimbus models. His father sneered and motioned him towards the forest.
They flew freely for a while, darting over clusters of dark trees and woods. Draco all the while prayed that his bond would not be recognized.
"Why so nervous, boy?" Lucius asked after about a half of an hour of flying. "Voldemort takes a liking to you. He wont do anything cruel to you."
"And what if he sensed Mudbloods about me, father? Then would he care?"
"Oh, god knows why he'd sense that. You haven't been doing anything with despicable no-bloods, have you?" Lucius snarled, spitting slightly.
"No, father. Just a hypothetical question."
"Well thats good to hear." Lucius replied coldly, dipping his broom. "Ah, here we are. Just in time." Through the thick brush, Draco could see tiny twinkles of light where follower's wands must have been illuminating. He heard hushed voices and soft laughter, and the icy voice of someone whom he feared...
"Draco Malfoy. How...good of you to come."
"My Lord." Draco bowed, getting off of his broom.
"I sense weakness, child, not something a good Death Eater should have. Why the nerve?"
"I am just too greatful, my Lord, that you would allow such a humble boy as myself to join your cult."
"I see. Take a seat with the others. The initiation will begin shortly." Draco did not like the looming smile Voldemort gave him as he sat upon a rotting log. He shuttered and rubbed his forehead.
Within the next few minutes, atleast ten more people arrived, bringing the total up to around 50 or 60. Draco inspected them all, half-hoping he'd see Blaise. He knew, of course, that he would not, for she had made the wise decision to abandon the Dark Lord. He admired her courage, and wished he'd had the same. He shook his head as his eyes fell upon a man shuttering in a torn cloak, and brought himself away from his thoughts.
"With us today," Began Voldemort, glancing about at the crowd. "Is one Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy." A few people clapped. "He is to be one of us, and we will now witness the initiation. Come child." He motioned toward a stump in the center of the ring of men, and Draco stood. He began to walk toward it, shaking slightly. "Stop!" Cried Voldemort after a moment. "I sense something." He inhaled and closed his eyes. "Mudbloods." He whispered harshly, glancing about. "Who is giving off mudblood essence?" A stout, balding man stood and raised his arm weakly.
" 'Tis I, sire, whom you sense. My wife- her cousin's husband is a mudblood. I shook his hand, sire, and that's what you are sensing."
"Insolent fool!" Screeched Voldemort, scoffing and narrowing his eyes. "You will not TOUCH a mudblood, do you understand me?"
"Yes-yes sire." Voldemort shook his head broadly and turned back to Draco.
"Sit, boy." Draco sat, looking upward at his lord wearily, and wishing more than anything now that he was back in the castle with anyone, anyone but the people he was with now. He cringed as Voldemort commanded he lift his right sleeve. Doing so, he felt a seering pain shoot though his forearm. He called out slightly, hissing, and brought his left palm to the burn. "Calm down." Commanded Voldemort coldly, making Draco jump. "We haven't even began." He shut his eyes and waited for the pain to come again. Instead, he heard hushed voices whispering words that he couldn't recognize, and white lights dancing about his head like twinkling faires. And suddenly, he wasn't on the algid stump anymore. He was wading though a clear blue stream, his pants rolled up and his cloak draped over his shoulder. There was a beautiful field of daises before him, and something compelled him to drift nearer to it.
As he approached the field, he stepped out of the icy water slowly, focusing his vision upon a shadowy figure on the edge of his destination. He reached for it, allowing his damp pant legs to roll thoughtfully down his ankles and cover his mud-stained feet. He smiled briefly, with little thought on his mind but the shadowy figure across the plain, and bent to pick a daisy. As he knelt, he felt a hand upon his shoulder. Chestnut locks fell over his face, and he brushed them away as he stood. Blaise Zambini stood before him, a grim and morbid look painted on her lips.
"It is your fate, Draco. You are bound. It is your destiny. Please understand." Draco took her beautiful, pale hands whose nails were painted crimson and fingers long and thin and embraced them in his palms. He then sighed softly and leaned his chin upon her shoulder.
"I understand." He promised, not really knowing why. Then as suddenly as she had come, she was gone. *Am I going insane?* Draco questioned, turning swiftly about in concealed awe. But the shadowy figure again brought him from his thoughts. He took a step nearer, and found himself right before the woman as if she'd been right in front of him. Her long, tangled sandy hair twisted smoothly down her back as she picked daisies and placed them in baskets. She seemed to not notice Draco, so he cleared his throat. She slowly turned around and stared at him.
"Granger." He opened his mouth to say more, but no words came out. He was so stricken with confusion, he didn't even realize that his arm felt as if it were on fire, and that he was screaming quite loudly. He noticed a ribbon of black light shoot back into Voldemort's wand, and felt himself fall weakly back onto the peeling stump. His forearm was audibly sizzling, and he did not have the nerve to look down at it. There was a moment of tense silence, then Voldemort said fatuously,
"Welcome to the club."
* * *
"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Ron squealed as Hermione dashed into the boy's dormitory. She smiled and threw 2 lumpy packages towards Harry and Ron.
"Merry Christmas" She retorted, wrapping a pink blanket about her shoulders. Ron grinned briefly.
"Thanks!" He yelled, as he unwrapped a bright orange scarf stating 'The Chudley Cannons.' Harry waved at Hermione and chimed in his thanks too as he carefully opened his present: a book entitled "Quidditch Through the Ages Again: The Second Journey Begins."
"Oh, and Ron, tell your mother I say thanks for that lovely Rose sweater she knitted me. I really love it." Ron's cheeks flushed as he turned his head away.
"I'll tell her."
"So who wants to go to breakfast?" She asked, her lips twisting into an amused grin as Ron tried to cover up his face.
"Yeah, I'll go." Began Harry breathlessly.
"I'm all for." Ron coughed. The trio galloped happily out of the portrait hole and down to breakfast, talking and laughing. As they made their way into the full room, Hermione's eyes fell on the Slytherin table, noticing that Draco was absent from his seat.
"Wonder where Malfoy is." She exclaimed, scratching her nose.
"Hope somewhere far away." Ron responded, shaking his head. "You notice he sneaked off after dinner last night?" Harry nodded and pointed at Blaise.
"That girl, there. She told him something. I didn't know he had any other friends besides those to gits Crabbe and Goyle."
"Ah, here's Crabbe apple and gar Goyle now." Ron pointed, indicating towards the door. They were lumbering into the Great Hall clumsily, shrugging and pointing at the Slytherin table.
"I didn't see him this morning, I wonder where he is." Hermione heard Goyle say.
"Did you hear that?" Asked Hermione, gesturing for Harry and Ron to come closer. "Malfoy's missing."
"Yesss..." Whispered Ron, bouncing in his seat. He flashed a smirk, then went back to his plate of food. But after a moment (Hermione knew that the glory couldn't last), Draco shuffled in, looking tired and annoyed. He dawdled up to her and said,
"Granger, a word?"
"Get away from her-" Ron demanded.
"Oh shuttup, Weasley, I'm not going to blind her with the sight of my face, for God's sake, though I can hardly say the same for you."
"Lay off, Malfoy." Hermione growled.
"I need a word with you." Hermione gave Harry and Ron a bemused look, then hesitantly stood.
"Fine." He narrowed his eyes and led her into the empty corridor right outside of the great hall. As soon as the doors had closed, he opened his mouth and shouted,
"Do you know what you've done to me, mudblood!? You've ruined my life!"
"I saved your life, you nitwit!" He shoved her against the wall and looked straight into her wide brown eyes.
"I didn't want to be saved...NITWIT. I wanted to die."
"I thought," She began unflinchingly, trying to ignore how close Malfoy's face was to hers, "Maybe you'd realize that killing yourself wasn't worth it." Draco exhaled, not taking his deep stare off of her face, and raised his eyebrows.
"Well I regret not killing you as well as I. I regret being alive."
"As if I want to be bound to you." She mumbled, turning her head to escape Draco's gaze.
"What?" He hissed, pulling himself away. "What did you say?"
"N-Nothing."
"So you know, then. You know too."
"You know?" She questioned, frightened now.
"Damn it, Granger! You know how much this bond has deteriorated me! I have to serve you...I'm forever stuck to you! All because of you disgusting, inconsiderate attempt to be a hero. I take it you've told all of Gryffindor about it?" She didn't answer. She simply stood, eyes fixated and watery, completely still. Then, slowly, she reached into her robes and pulled out Draco's dagger. She threw it upon the ground angrily, leaving Draco speechless as she stormed away in a fit of hatred.
* *
By Angel Of Music
Chapter Five: Dark and Loathsome Pain
Nothing but darkness. The fear the embraced it, the night that beheld it. Beautiful and constricting. Lonely and sad. Draco was living in a world where all his hopes were lost. It was only a matter of hours before he was expected up at the Astronomy tower, a matter of hours before he would see that putrid face that was his father's, a matter of hours before Voldemort would find out that he was strung to a Mudblood. His heart beat as if strings were binding it as he sat waiting for the time to come. He was going to be alone.
It seemed to take ages for dinner to halt. He ate silently and quickly in hope that if he finished his plate, others would too. This was but of course a lie, yet it made Draco feel less ancy. He sighed sparsely and looked up as he felt eyes upon him. Glancing around uneasily, he spotted who was staring at him. Granger. She looked away immediately as his eyes fell upon her. Why was she gazing so shrewdly at him? Draco turned his head and placed it in his palms. No sooner had he done so then he felt a hand run down his back.
"Granger's looking at you."
"Wonderful."
"I'm glad you care so much." Blaise smiled and sat in a chair next to his. "Merry Christmas, Draco." she leaned her head against Draco's shoulder and shut her eyes. "Why so glum, Malfoy?"
"It's nothing." He grunted, ignoring Blaise's curious glances.
"No one ever says it's nothing unless it's something." She admonished, parting her lips.
"What makes you say that?" He questioned, admiring her wit.
"Simple experience, I suppose. Now tell me what's going on."
"Nothing, I told you." Blaise gave him a twisted smirk and a raise of her eyebrows, then stood. She shook her head and widened her eyes, leaning over to kiss Draco's cheek. "Blaise-"
"Just trying to make Granger jealous, Malfoy, calm down." Draco quesioned her with his eyes and raised his chin.
"Okay, whatever."
"Draco?" She asked, just before turning around. "Don't worry about tonight. Everything's going to be fine. I know what you're going through." She bit her lip worriedly and hurried away. *That's right.* Draco thought, remembering how she knew. *The letter.* He sighed with an elongated inhale, then placed his head down on the table to wait for dinner to end.
* * *
"You're late, Draco."
"Sorry."
"Well, if you came a moment later, we'd be in an awful lot of trouble. Now get on your broom." Draco lifted a leg over the smooth handle of his Nimbus 2003, the newest and greatest of the Nimbus models. His father sneered and motioned him towards the forest.
They flew freely for a while, darting over clusters of dark trees and woods. Draco all the while prayed that his bond would not be recognized.
"Why so nervous, boy?" Lucius asked after about a half of an hour of flying. "Voldemort takes a liking to you. He wont do anything cruel to you."
"And what if he sensed Mudbloods about me, father? Then would he care?"
"Oh, god knows why he'd sense that. You haven't been doing anything with despicable no-bloods, have you?" Lucius snarled, spitting slightly.
"No, father. Just a hypothetical question."
"Well thats good to hear." Lucius replied coldly, dipping his broom. "Ah, here we are. Just in time." Through the thick brush, Draco could see tiny twinkles of light where follower's wands must have been illuminating. He heard hushed voices and soft laughter, and the icy voice of someone whom he feared...
"Draco Malfoy. How...good of you to come."
"My Lord." Draco bowed, getting off of his broom.
"I sense weakness, child, not something a good Death Eater should have. Why the nerve?"
"I am just too greatful, my Lord, that you would allow such a humble boy as myself to join your cult."
"I see. Take a seat with the others. The initiation will begin shortly." Draco did not like the looming smile Voldemort gave him as he sat upon a rotting log. He shuttered and rubbed his forehead.
Within the next few minutes, atleast ten more people arrived, bringing the total up to around 50 or 60. Draco inspected them all, half-hoping he'd see Blaise. He knew, of course, that he would not, for she had made the wise decision to abandon the Dark Lord. He admired her courage, and wished he'd had the same. He shook his head as his eyes fell upon a man shuttering in a torn cloak, and brought himself away from his thoughts.
"With us today," Began Voldemort, glancing about at the crowd. "Is one Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy." A few people clapped. "He is to be one of us, and we will now witness the initiation. Come child." He motioned toward a stump in the center of the ring of men, and Draco stood. He began to walk toward it, shaking slightly. "Stop!" Cried Voldemort after a moment. "I sense something." He inhaled and closed his eyes. "Mudbloods." He whispered harshly, glancing about. "Who is giving off mudblood essence?" A stout, balding man stood and raised his arm weakly.
" 'Tis I, sire, whom you sense. My wife- her cousin's husband is a mudblood. I shook his hand, sire, and that's what you are sensing."
"Insolent fool!" Screeched Voldemort, scoffing and narrowing his eyes. "You will not TOUCH a mudblood, do you understand me?"
"Yes-yes sire." Voldemort shook his head broadly and turned back to Draco.
"Sit, boy." Draco sat, looking upward at his lord wearily, and wishing more than anything now that he was back in the castle with anyone, anyone but the people he was with now. He cringed as Voldemort commanded he lift his right sleeve. Doing so, he felt a seering pain shoot though his forearm. He called out slightly, hissing, and brought his left palm to the burn. "Calm down." Commanded Voldemort coldly, making Draco jump. "We haven't even began." He shut his eyes and waited for the pain to come again. Instead, he heard hushed voices whispering words that he couldn't recognize, and white lights dancing about his head like twinkling faires. And suddenly, he wasn't on the algid stump anymore. He was wading though a clear blue stream, his pants rolled up and his cloak draped over his shoulder. There was a beautiful field of daises before him, and something compelled him to drift nearer to it.
As he approached the field, he stepped out of the icy water slowly, focusing his vision upon a shadowy figure on the edge of his destination. He reached for it, allowing his damp pant legs to roll thoughtfully down his ankles and cover his mud-stained feet. He smiled briefly, with little thought on his mind but the shadowy figure across the plain, and bent to pick a daisy. As he knelt, he felt a hand upon his shoulder. Chestnut locks fell over his face, and he brushed them away as he stood. Blaise Zambini stood before him, a grim and morbid look painted on her lips.
"It is your fate, Draco. You are bound. It is your destiny. Please understand." Draco took her beautiful, pale hands whose nails were painted crimson and fingers long and thin and embraced them in his palms. He then sighed softly and leaned his chin upon her shoulder.
"I understand." He promised, not really knowing why. Then as suddenly as she had come, she was gone. *Am I going insane?* Draco questioned, turning swiftly about in concealed awe. But the shadowy figure again brought him from his thoughts. He took a step nearer, and found himself right before the woman as if she'd been right in front of him. Her long, tangled sandy hair twisted smoothly down her back as she picked daisies and placed them in baskets. She seemed to not notice Draco, so he cleared his throat. She slowly turned around and stared at him.
"Granger." He opened his mouth to say more, but no words came out. He was so stricken with confusion, he didn't even realize that his arm felt as if it were on fire, and that he was screaming quite loudly. He noticed a ribbon of black light shoot back into Voldemort's wand, and felt himself fall weakly back onto the peeling stump. His forearm was audibly sizzling, and he did not have the nerve to look down at it. There was a moment of tense silence, then Voldemort said fatuously,
"Welcome to the club."
* * *
"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Ron squealed as Hermione dashed into the boy's dormitory. She smiled and threw 2 lumpy packages towards Harry and Ron.
"Merry Christmas" She retorted, wrapping a pink blanket about her shoulders. Ron grinned briefly.
"Thanks!" He yelled, as he unwrapped a bright orange scarf stating 'The Chudley Cannons.' Harry waved at Hermione and chimed in his thanks too as he carefully opened his present: a book entitled "Quidditch Through the Ages Again: The Second Journey Begins."
"Oh, and Ron, tell your mother I say thanks for that lovely Rose sweater she knitted me. I really love it." Ron's cheeks flushed as he turned his head away.
"I'll tell her."
"So who wants to go to breakfast?" She asked, her lips twisting into an amused grin as Ron tried to cover up his face.
"Yeah, I'll go." Began Harry breathlessly.
"I'm all for." Ron coughed. The trio galloped happily out of the portrait hole and down to breakfast, talking and laughing. As they made their way into the full room, Hermione's eyes fell on the Slytherin table, noticing that Draco was absent from his seat.
"Wonder where Malfoy is." She exclaimed, scratching her nose.
"Hope somewhere far away." Ron responded, shaking his head. "You notice he sneaked off after dinner last night?" Harry nodded and pointed at Blaise.
"That girl, there. She told him something. I didn't know he had any other friends besides those to gits Crabbe and Goyle."
"Ah, here's Crabbe apple and gar Goyle now." Ron pointed, indicating towards the door. They were lumbering into the Great Hall clumsily, shrugging and pointing at the Slytherin table.
"I didn't see him this morning, I wonder where he is." Hermione heard Goyle say.
"Did you hear that?" Asked Hermione, gesturing for Harry and Ron to come closer. "Malfoy's missing."
"Yesss..." Whispered Ron, bouncing in his seat. He flashed a smirk, then went back to his plate of food. But after a moment (Hermione knew that the glory couldn't last), Draco shuffled in, looking tired and annoyed. He dawdled up to her and said,
"Granger, a word?"
"Get away from her-" Ron demanded.
"Oh shuttup, Weasley, I'm not going to blind her with the sight of my face, for God's sake, though I can hardly say the same for you."
"Lay off, Malfoy." Hermione growled.
"I need a word with you." Hermione gave Harry and Ron a bemused look, then hesitantly stood.
"Fine." He narrowed his eyes and led her into the empty corridor right outside of the great hall. As soon as the doors had closed, he opened his mouth and shouted,
"Do you know what you've done to me, mudblood!? You've ruined my life!"
"I saved your life, you nitwit!" He shoved her against the wall and looked straight into her wide brown eyes.
"I didn't want to be saved...NITWIT. I wanted to die."
"I thought," She began unflinchingly, trying to ignore how close Malfoy's face was to hers, "Maybe you'd realize that killing yourself wasn't worth it." Draco exhaled, not taking his deep stare off of her face, and raised his eyebrows.
"Well I regret not killing you as well as I. I regret being alive."
"As if I want to be bound to you." She mumbled, turning her head to escape Draco's gaze.
"What?" He hissed, pulling himself away. "What did you say?"
"N-Nothing."
"So you know, then. You know too."
"You know?" She questioned, frightened now.
"Damn it, Granger! You know how much this bond has deteriorated me! I have to serve you...I'm forever stuck to you! All because of you disgusting, inconsiderate attempt to be a hero. I take it you've told all of Gryffindor about it?" She didn't answer. She simply stood, eyes fixated and watery, completely still. Then, slowly, she reached into her robes and pulled out Draco's dagger. She threw it upon the ground angrily, leaving Draco speechless as she stormed away in a fit of hatred.
* *
