CH. 17 - Just Living
Draco shuttered and pulled the cover over his head as he heard someone coming to the end of the hall. He hadn't wanted to wake up after last night. After eating the food so fast, even though Mrs. Weasley had assured him that very thing would happen, his stomach wretched it all out again and he felt worse then he did before he ate.
A light knock fell on his door and he moaned against the pillow. "Come in," he mumbled, turning over to face his visitor. It was the youngest Weasley. She was still in her pajamas but she was carrying a large tray with two steamy bowls and a smile. Her nose was still bright red.
"Hey. I've come to fraternize with enemy," she giggled. "Ron seems to think you were going to kill us all in our sleep." She sat one bowl down on his night stand. Ginny chose the large armchair across from his bed and sat carefully in it.
Draco sat up tiredly and rubbed his eyes. His yawns burst one out by one, each louder then the next until he could some what shake off the feeling of sleepiness. Draco had been sweating all through the night and his satiny robes were itching at his skin. He stretched a few times then strained his neck over to see what she had brought him. It was chicken broth. He scowled at her but she was looking at him with wide, wondrous eyes.
"What?" he asked with that Malfoy annoyance in his voice.
"Nothing, I'm just not used to getting the time to watch you wake up," she laughed cutely. "It's just too weird. You and Hermione, I mean, I never thought it would happen for sure." Her cheeks were pink from giggling so much.
"Is it such a bad thing?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at her and then sipped politely on his soup. Ginny tipped her bowl and slurped hers down, wiping the excess from her lips. Her still-young eagerness amused him.
"Well, I won't lie and say our family didn't really hope for Hermione to be with Ron because we know he totally loves her. He pines over her all the time when she is gone. Even last night, Harry said he heard him," she paused as if to choose the right word, "being really sad. Now, we just want Hermione safe. We'll have to worry about the rest later. Oh look! I brought you something else." Ginny pulled a small pack of pictures bound together with a small amount of thin rope. She put them in his trembling hands.
Only a few were in color and moving but they were all of Hermione, smiling happily. One photograph in particular was of her, Harry and Ron all on Harry's Firebolt waving happily. Another was of her reading a book and trying not to smile at the camera but she kept looking up and looking away again quickly. The others were in black and white, regular pictures.
Draco stared at them with his mouth slightly open. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Why are you here, talking to me of all people about romance? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, flirting with Potter or something?" he snapped, feeling more and more tired by the minute.
"Now, now Mr. Malfoy," Ginny chastised, shaking her finger at him like Mrs. Weasley, "you should know to be nice to a family that is being so nice to you." She smiled and her cheeks turned as pink as her nose. "And I don't like Harry."
Draco choked on his broth and it went everywhere. Despite his weariness laughter exploded out of him like a cannon. He was clutching his side as if it would rip apart. He kicked his feet on the bed, still howling with ticklish delight. "You-are-a seventh year," he gasped for breath as if he were struggling against a deep ocean tide, "and-you--never TOLD HIM?"
For the first time since she had brought him his liquid food, Ginny scowled but her ears were now matching her cheeks and she looked like a large tomato. This made the Malfoy boy laugh harder. Tears were pouring from his eyes. This made the Weasley girl even angrier. "Of course I told him but I'm a 'little sister' to him." Ginny was chewing the inside of her cheek. Draco stopped laughing but his wide was still there. "Does that make you laugh that I was humiliated?"
He looked at her in the eyes, still smiling. "I don't care about you, Potter, or your pathetic brother. Why Hermione wasted her time with any of you is beyond me. I don't want any of you to like me or accept me. I just want to get her back. She is my one and only priority-not you."
Ginny's bottom lip shuttered but she lifted her chin. "It must be nice being so selfish, Malfoy." She gathered their dirty dishes quickly and slammed the door. The silence was deafening.
**
Mrs. Weasley came up to him a few hours later and woke him up again. He woke up much better for her. She didn't say much but laid out a piece of bread and some cheese. Draco didn't feel sorry for what he had said to her daughter because it was the truth-though he could have wiped that smile from his smirking face.
Draco sat up to stand and thank her but she only shushed him and ushered him to lie back down. "You won't be doing much today. You are still much too weak. What good would you do Hermione in this condition?"
"I can't help her lying in bed either," he said, trying to keep his voice polite. He was really quite annoyed by her caring for him.
She was nudging through a small dresser, not looking at him. "You will listen to what I tell you and nothing else. If you want food and a place to sleep you will listen to me. I know why you are so-cruel even if the boys and Ginny do not." She pulled out a pair of worn pants and surveyed them curiously, looked at Draco, then folded them back into the drawer. Mrs. Weasley began rummaging again. "You, yourself, are still only a child! What do you plan on fighting with? Your wand is gone."
Draco looked at the ceiling with repose. "A dagger would work."
Molly laughed and tossed a green sweater over her large shoulder. "I never thought I would live to see a Malfoy fight with a Muggle weapon. Ah- ha!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she pulled out a pair of jeans that were covered in multicolored patches in several places. She draped them over her arm and turned to him with a frown that could mean a thousand messages. "Lose your pride or you will lose it all. You have something going for you. Don't mess it up because you can't let go of your father." She shut the door.
Draco shook his head and smiled, curling back up in his sleeping position. Those Weasley women were something else.
**
Molly visited him three times a day with the same answer to his question.
"When can I go to her?"
"When you are able to stand without passing out after a few minutes."
Though it was hard to swallow, Draco lay in his bed day after day reading books about household cleaning and tricky charms to put on your enemies (which he thought was pointless since his wand was gone). He had held the pictures of Hermione so many times there were marks where his thumbs rubbed the picture white. Looking at them only brought him terrible pain.
The rooms' last occupant was the striving Percy Weasley, whose Prefect badge was still in a nice but dusty case. He had strange books like how to impress your fellow ministry officials and the guide to being a perfect prefect. The books seemed to have some what of an argument but no depth and Draco found them dull. His walls were covered in Gryffindor banners and pennants. There was a stack of rusty cauldrons in a corner. This room looked like a museum that needed a lot of upkeep. The only thing that had hinted anyone had taken care of the room was a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley clinging to a proud looking boy in his Head Boy attire. It had no dust and looked as if it had been the only thing cleaned.
Visitors were never expected aside from Mrs. Weasley. He hadn't seen Harry and Ron (not that he cares, mind you) since he had arrived there and according to Molly, he had been there for nearly two months. Ginny came almost once a week and would talk to him in a curious tone but never asked him any personal questions that would make him snap at her. He had been getting cabin fever and his attitude depleted worse and worse as the days rode over him. Sleep was the only escape. He nearly spent twenty hours sleeping a day. The rest of his four hours were spent taking energy supplements and eating Molly's home cooking. Time was of no matter at this point.
'What I wouldn't do for a nice breath of fresh.'
A blast of blinding light burst into the small room. Draco screamed and put a pillow over his head. "Wake up, Malfoy, you prat," Harry sneered, standing by the window. He was holding a pair of jeans of which the patches were all the same color green and a green sweater with a large Slytherin snake on the front, though the stitch strayed in places.
Draco peeked out from under the cover of the pillow and rolled his eyes.
"Well," he said, "at least you have a little fat on you now. You look almost the same. Here," he said, throwing the cloths on the pillows that were covering Draco's head a few minutes ago. "Get dressed. You get to get off your lazy ass today."
"Where's Molly or Ginny?" Draco croaked. His throat was dry and he had expected Molly with his morning tea.
"They won't be playing maid for you anymore, Malfoy. Ginny is back at Hogwarts anyway." Harry could have swore he seen a little sadness in his eyes. "Don't you know how long you've been here?"
"Molly told me two months." Draco muttered.
"She told you two months two months ago!" Harry almost pitied him once again but he hardened his heart at the thought. Draco shot up and gasped, his chest rising and falling with great sighs. "I've been here four months then?" Draco asked.
"Hermione should be as big as a house now, huh? She's nearly five months along now," he said, shaking his head. Harry had told himself he couldn't get angry at Malfoy when he went to give him his clothes. The words he had wanted to say spilled out his mouth like a raging river. There was no stopping his emotions. "I still can't believe you did this to our friend. She was never your friend or even an acquaintance! You are poison! You kill anything that comes near you. I hate you! We all hate you! When we get to your manor I hope you go down with it! You don't deserve to live for doing this to her!"
Draco sat there and let Harry fling insults at him. He supposed he deserved it and only nodded at Harry as he left. As much as he didn't want it to affect him the words stung. He had always beat himself up about how if had left Hermione alone she could be here with her friends, and perhaps be working at the ministry. She sure wouldn't be in the manor under the Imperius curse. He felt bad enough without everyone in The Burrow reminding him.
He stood up and had expected to fall over tired like all the other times but his had feet planted firmly on the ground as if he had been doing it everyday. He pulled off his itchy robes and looked at himself in the mirror. His once tanned skin was pale again but he had a little color in his cheeks. His face was still as pointy as ever but the fill had come back. He definitely wasn't as muscular as before, having had that potion devour every muscle in his body but his arms seemed to look stronger and less skeletal. He pushed his long hair back, admired his naked, restored body and gave a toothy smile to the mirror.
The sweater was a bit itchy but it was heaven compared to those stinky robes that had once been his best. The stitching was, for the most part, beautifully done and even the background emblem for the Slytherin snake was done with a steady hand. The pants matched his shirt and fit him just fine but being a pureblood, Draco hadn't ever worn blue jeans before. It was known as "Muggle clothing" to Lucius. He fell over quite a few times before he finally figured out to button first then zip.
The hallway wasn't very long and was on the second landing. His door was on the end of the hall as he emerged nearly to the stairs already. The smells of Molly's cooking made his mouth water as he wasn't used to not eating already. There were murmurs coming from the kitchen and he guessed everyone had already sat down to eat without him.
His heart fell suddenly. "Why am I doing this to them?" he asked himself. He froze. Why should he care? Since when did he start caring?
Draco went down the stairs slowly and entered the kitchen. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears. He had expected everyone to be nearly done but instead everyone had a clean shiny plate. Harry, Ron, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley turned to look at him but only two of them smiled.
"There you are, dear. Oh your sweater fits you! You look so much better. How handsome you are when you clean up. I made that to bring back some memories. I never had a chance to make any colors other then gold and maroon. I have a lot of green sitting around. Sit down, honey, what kind of drink would you like?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pulling out a chair for him.
"Tea," answered Draco.
Ron sulked and put his fork down. "Took you long enough to get down here, Malfoy," Ron grumbled.
"Ron, that'll be all," Mr. Weasley said. Arthur looked more nervous then even Draco, as if he was expecting a riot.
"I hope you are all hungry! I made a celebration feast," sung Molly, bringing out Draco's tea-along with an entire giant stuffed turkey. It was glazed with honey and shimmered in the morning sunlight. There was barley on the outside of it for looks. It was odd for a breakfast dish but all the men's mouths watered and Arthur reached for the knife to cut it but got his hand smacked.
When she had put out the rest of the sides it filled the table with roasted potatoes, snap beans, corn, apple tarts, and muffins. Molly tried to make a conversation but it always ended up being her talking to herself. Ron was stuffing everything in his mouth at max speed so he could get away from the table as quick as possible. The problem was his stomach was like an endless pit so when he thought he was done he would take another look at the turkey and get more. Harry was staring down at his plate and making his corn kernels into a big frown face after he had gotten his fill. Draco was looking around the house with a big gob of food in his mouth as if transfixed on the simplicity of the Weasley's home. Mr. Weasley was just eating as normal but his eyes kept shooting from Draco to Ron.
Everyone had gotten there fill. Ron had to excuse himself very quickly. He had lost track of how much he was eating because he was glaring at Malfoy during their chocolate fudge cake dessert. Everyone could hear him gagging in the bathroom.
Mrs. Weasley and Harry cleaned up the dishes as Mr. Weasley took Draco to one side. "We know you don't have a wand and tomorrow Molly and I decided it would be a good time for you and the boys to head out." He put his hand in his deep robe pockets and pulled out a small dagger.
The handle was engraved with an owl with a sharp hooked beak and long sharp talons. There was a large W under its claws. It's wing span wrapped around the entire top part of the handle. The blade wasn't a long one but it had recently been sharpened (by Mr. Weasley no less) and looked beautiful to Draco as it shimmered. It was very old but it was still sturdy and obviously was just a Weasley family heirloom that wasn't used. "We wish we could give you a wand but as you know we don't have the money we wish we could."
"Mr. Weasley-I just can't accept this. I know it's weird to hear. It's weird for me to say but-I owe you and your wife so much. I couldn't possibly take more from you."
Arthur's gentle features softened. He sheathed the blade and pushed it against Draco's chest. "I was wrong about you, Draco Malfoy," he said. "You are nothing like your father Lucius. Take care of Hermione." Mr. Weasley patted him on the shoulder, like a father would his son when he were proud of him, then he walked off. Arthur's smile seemed to linger for the rest of the day.
The next morning was the most exciting morning Draco had had since this whole ordeal had started. He jumped out of bed and pulled on his sweater and pants. He tried to slick his hair back with water but to no success.
The sun was just rising above the clouds as Draco emerged from Percy's old room, smiling happily. Everyone else was already ready and had already eaten. Draco snatched an apple tart and burst outside.
Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ron with tears in her eyes but he only looked annoyed. Arthur was prepping Harry on what would happen if Ron started fighting with Draco but they all became quiet when he emerged. Ron was scowling but quiet.
Draco tried to keep a calm sense about him when he stepped up to Mrs. Weasley but he caught himself pressing himself up against her when she hugged him. He shook hands with Mr. Weasley then turned to Ron.
"I'm only going to help Hermione," Ron stated.
"Fine."
"You can ride on Harry's broom-I know I would knock you off before we even got ten feet from the ground."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Draco glared at him then jumped on Harry's Firebolt. "Don't get any ideas, Potter." Draco hadn't ever ridden on a Firebolt and was psyched at the speed it had when they rose. He looked down to see the Burrow, small like an imitation model.
"To the west," Draco instructed. Ron was many feet below them.
"That's all I need to know," Harry said. "So you don't have to talk the rest of the trip or at least I would rather you not until we get near."
"Oh, Pottey, you're so polite," Draco said.
"There's nothing keeping me from throw you off," Harry said, heading west with a slower pace then before so Ron could catch up.
"Hermione's keeping you from throwing me off, Potter."
The ride was as silent as Harry would've liked and he almost forgot that his arch nemesis was riding on the same broomstick. The air was sticky and humid, making the ride very uncomfortable for all three boys were wearing sweaters and long pants. Ron moaned and groaned about the heat when he wasn't busy insulting Malfoy who wasn't listening.
"There! Towards those Dark Wood Willow trees!" The trees were very visible even as high as they were in the clouds. They were ebony and stood out like a sore thumb in the all the greenery. "It's the trees that hide the manor. The trees are impenetrable to any Muggles. Land on the outside of it." Much to Draco's surprise, Harry was excellent at landing. The ground was very hilly and full of holes to keep people from treading around there. It almost had the illusion that the dirt was throbbing with life.
Draco pressed his hand against the thick black branches, saying, "Open. I am a Malfoy. Open. I am a Malfoy." As every door in the Malfoy Manor, this was no different and opened without fail for its master.
He had planned to march right up to the doors and swing them open, like a mad man, and stab her into a bloody pulp right on her very doorstep but he only stood there, his mouth ajar, his hand twitching at his side.
"THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?" Ron cried from behind him, suddenly bursting out laughing at him. "You're a hobo!" His maniacal laughter reverberated against the trees.
"What kind of joke is this?" Harry demanded. In front of him was a wide and deep swamp that was covered to the hilt in moss. The sound of crickets was as loud as a concert. It looked as if the Malfoy Manor had been swallowed up by the earth.
"It's-gone," Draco whispered. No one heard as his voice was carried off by a howling wind.
**
Omg.sorry it took me so long to update again.my flu turned out to much more and I'm still feeling pretty blah but ah well ^-^ I think this chapter is like.the worst one I've written so far because aside from the fact that I've been on several medications, I was in a hurry because I hadn't updated for so long. I don't want you all to forget me! I didn't get many reviews last time and I'm worried! I don't want you to miss the grand finale! R&R!!
Draco shuttered and pulled the cover over his head as he heard someone coming to the end of the hall. He hadn't wanted to wake up after last night. After eating the food so fast, even though Mrs. Weasley had assured him that very thing would happen, his stomach wretched it all out again and he felt worse then he did before he ate.
A light knock fell on his door and he moaned against the pillow. "Come in," he mumbled, turning over to face his visitor. It was the youngest Weasley. She was still in her pajamas but she was carrying a large tray with two steamy bowls and a smile. Her nose was still bright red.
"Hey. I've come to fraternize with enemy," she giggled. "Ron seems to think you were going to kill us all in our sleep." She sat one bowl down on his night stand. Ginny chose the large armchair across from his bed and sat carefully in it.
Draco sat up tiredly and rubbed his eyes. His yawns burst one out by one, each louder then the next until he could some what shake off the feeling of sleepiness. Draco had been sweating all through the night and his satiny robes were itching at his skin. He stretched a few times then strained his neck over to see what she had brought him. It was chicken broth. He scowled at her but she was looking at him with wide, wondrous eyes.
"What?" he asked with that Malfoy annoyance in his voice.
"Nothing, I'm just not used to getting the time to watch you wake up," she laughed cutely. "It's just too weird. You and Hermione, I mean, I never thought it would happen for sure." Her cheeks were pink from giggling so much.
"Is it such a bad thing?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at her and then sipped politely on his soup. Ginny tipped her bowl and slurped hers down, wiping the excess from her lips. Her still-young eagerness amused him.
"Well, I won't lie and say our family didn't really hope for Hermione to be with Ron because we know he totally loves her. He pines over her all the time when she is gone. Even last night, Harry said he heard him," she paused as if to choose the right word, "being really sad. Now, we just want Hermione safe. We'll have to worry about the rest later. Oh look! I brought you something else." Ginny pulled a small pack of pictures bound together with a small amount of thin rope. She put them in his trembling hands.
Only a few were in color and moving but they were all of Hermione, smiling happily. One photograph in particular was of her, Harry and Ron all on Harry's Firebolt waving happily. Another was of her reading a book and trying not to smile at the camera but she kept looking up and looking away again quickly. The others were in black and white, regular pictures.
Draco stared at them with his mouth slightly open. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Why are you here, talking to me of all people about romance? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, flirting with Potter or something?" he snapped, feeling more and more tired by the minute.
"Now, now Mr. Malfoy," Ginny chastised, shaking her finger at him like Mrs. Weasley, "you should know to be nice to a family that is being so nice to you." She smiled and her cheeks turned as pink as her nose. "And I don't like Harry."
Draco choked on his broth and it went everywhere. Despite his weariness laughter exploded out of him like a cannon. He was clutching his side as if it would rip apart. He kicked his feet on the bed, still howling with ticklish delight. "You-are-a seventh year," he gasped for breath as if he were struggling against a deep ocean tide, "and-you--never TOLD HIM?"
For the first time since she had brought him his liquid food, Ginny scowled but her ears were now matching her cheeks and she looked like a large tomato. This made the Malfoy boy laugh harder. Tears were pouring from his eyes. This made the Weasley girl even angrier. "Of course I told him but I'm a 'little sister' to him." Ginny was chewing the inside of her cheek. Draco stopped laughing but his wide was still there. "Does that make you laugh that I was humiliated?"
He looked at her in the eyes, still smiling. "I don't care about you, Potter, or your pathetic brother. Why Hermione wasted her time with any of you is beyond me. I don't want any of you to like me or accept me. I just want to get her back. She is my one and only priority-not you."
Ginny's bottom lip shuttered but she lifted her chin. "It must be nice being so selfish, Malfoy." She gathered their dirty dishes quickly and slammed the door. The silence was deafening.
**
Mrs. Weasley came up to him a few hours later and woke him up again. He woke up much better for her. She didn't say much but laid out a piece of bread and some cheese. Draco didn't feel sorry for what he had said to her daughter because it was the truth-though he could have wiped that smile from his smirking face.
Draco sat up to stand and thank her but she only shushed him and ushered him to lie back down. "You won't be doing much today. You are still much too weak. What good would you do Hermione in this condition?"
"I can't help her lying in bed either," he said, trying to keep his voice polite. He was really quite annoyed by her caring for him.
She was nudging through a small dresser, not looking at him. "You will listen to what I tell you and nothing else. If you want food and a place to sleep you will listen to me. I know why you are so-cruel even if the boys and Ginny do not." She pulled out a pair of worn pants and surveyed them curiously, looked at Draco, then folded them back into the drawer. Mrs. Weasley began rummaging again. "You, yourself, are still only a child! What do you plan on fighting with? Your wand is gone."
Draco looked at the ceiling with repose. "A dagger would work."
Molly laughed and tossed a green sweater over her large shoulder. "I never thought I would live to see a Malfoy fight with a Muggle weapon. Ah- ha!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she pulled out a pair of jeans that were covered in multicolored patches in several places. She draped them over her arm and turned to him with a frown that could mean a thousand messages. "Lose your pride or you will lose it all. You have something going for you. Don't mess it up because you can't let go of your father." She shut the door.
Draco shook his head and smiled, curling back up in his sleeping position. Those Weasley women were something else.
**
Molly visited him three times a day with the same answer to his question.
"When can I go to her?"
"When you are able to stand without passing out after a few minutes."
Though it was hard to swallow, Draco lay in his bed day after day reading books about household cleaning and tricky charms to put on your enemies (which he thought was pointless since his wand was gone). He had held the pictures of Hermione so many times there were marks where his thumbs rubbed the picture white. Looking at them only brought him terrible pain.
The rooms' last occupant was the striving Percy Weasley, whose Prefect badge was still in a nice but dusty case. He had strange books like how to impress your fellow ministry officials and the guide to being a perfect prefect. The books seemed to have some what of an argument but no depth and Draco found them dull. His walls were covered in Gryffindor banners and pennants. There was a stack of rusty cauldrons in a corner. This room looked like a museum that needed a lot of upkeep. The only thing that had hinted anyone had taken care of the room was a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley clinging to a proud looking boy in his Head Boy attire. It had no dust and looked as if it had been the only thing cleaned.
Visitors were never expected aside from Mrs. Weasley. He hadn't seen Harry and Ron (not that he cares, mind you) since he had arrived there and according to Molly, he had been there for nearly two months. Ginny came almost once a week and would talk to him in a curious tone but never asked him any personal questions that would make him snap at her. He had been getting cabin fever and his attitude depleted worse and worse as the days rode over him. Sleep was the only escape. He nearly spent twenty hours sleeping a day. The rest of his four hours were spent taking energy supplements and eating Molly's home cooking. Time was of no matter at this point.
'What I wouldn't do for a nice breath of fresh.'
A blast of blinding light burst into the small room. Draco screamed and put a pillow over his head. "Wake up, Malfoy, you prat," Harry sneered, standing by the window. He was holding a pair of jeans of which the patches were all the same color green and a green sweater with a large Slytherin snake on the front, though the stitch strayed in places.
Draco peeked out from under the cover of the pillow and rolled his eyes.
"Well," he said, "at least you have a little fat on you now. You look almost the same. Here," he said, throwing the cloths on the pillows that were covering Draco's head a few minutes ago. "Get dressed. You get to get off your lazy ass today."
"Where's Molly or Ginny?" Draco croaked. His throat was dry and he had expected Molly with his morning tea.
"They won't be playing maid for you anymore, Malfoy. Ginny is back at Hogwarts anyway." Harry could have swore he seen a little sadness in his eyes. "Don't you know how long you've been here?"
"Molly told me two months." Draco muttered.
"She told you two months two months ago!" Harry almost pitied him once again but he hardened his heart at the thought. Draco shot up and gasped, his chest rising and falling with great sighs. "I've been here four months then?" Draco asked.
"Hermione should be as big as a house now, huh? She's nearly five months along now," he said, shaking his head. Harry had told himself he couldn't get angry at Malfoy when he went to give him his clothes. The words he had wanted to say spilled out his mouth like a raging river. There was no stopping his emotions. "I still can't believe you did this to our friend. She was never your friend or even an acquaintance! You are poison! You kill anything that comes near you. I hate you! We all hate you! When we get to your manor I hope you go down with it! You don't deserve to live for doing this to her!"
Draco sat there and let Harry fling insults at him. He supposed he deserved it and only nodded at Harry as he left. As much as he didn't want it to affect him the words stung. He had always beat himself up about how if had left Hermione alone she could be here with her friends, and perhaps be working at the ministry. She sure wouldn't be in the manor under the Imperius curse. He felt bad enough without everyone in The Burrow reminding him.
He stood up and had expected to fall over tired like all the other times but his had feet planted firmly on the ground as if he had been doing it everyday. He pulled off his itchy robes and looked at himself in the mirror. His once tanned skin was pale again but he had a little color in his cheeks. His face was still as pointy as ever but the fill had come back. He definitely wasn't as muscular as before, having had that potion devour every muscle in his body but his arms seemed to look stronger and less skeletal. He pushed his long hair back, admired his naked, restored body and gave a toothy smile to the mirror.
The sweater was a bit itchy but it was heaven compared to those stinky robes that had once been his best. The stitching was, for the most part, beautifully done and even the background emblem for the Slytherin snake was done with a steady hand. The pants matched his shirt and fit him just fine but being a pureblood, Draco hadn't ever worn blue jeans before. It was known as "Muggle clothing" to Lucius. He fell over quite a few times before he finally figured out to button first then zip.
The hallway wasn't very long and was on the second landing. His door was on the end of the hall as he emerged nearly to the stairs already. The smells of Molly's cooking made his mouth water as he wasn't used to not eating already. There were murmurs coming from the kitchen and he guessed everyone had already sat down to eat without him.
His heart fell suddenly. "Why am I doing this to them?" he asked himself. He froze. Why should he care? Since when did he start caring?
Draco went down the stairs slowly and entered the kitchen. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears. He had expected everyone to be nearly done but instead everyone had a clean shiny plate. Harry, Ron, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley turned to look at him but only two of them smiled.
"There you are, dear. Oh your sweater fits you! You look so much better. How handsome you are when you clean up. I made that to bring back some memories. I never had a chance to make any colors other then gold and maroon. I have a lot of green sitting around. Sit down, honey, what kind of drink would you like?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pulling out a chair for him.
"Tea," answered Draco.
Ron sulked and put his fork down. "Took you long enough to get down here, Malfoy," Ron grumbled.
"Ron, that'll be all," Mr. Weasley said. Arthur looked more nervous then even Draco, as if he was expecting a riot.
"I hope you are all hungry! I made a celebration feast," sung Molly, bringing out Draco's tea-along with an entire giant stuffed turkey. It was glazed with honey and shimmered in the morning sunlight. There was barley on the outside of it for looks. It was odd for a breakfast dish but all the men's mouths watered and Arthur reached for the knife to cut it but got his hand smacked.
When she had put out the rest of the sides it filled the table with roasted potatoes, snap beans, corn, apple tarts, and muffins. Molly tried to make a conversation but it always ended up being her talking to herself. Ron was stuffing everything in his mouth at max speed so he could get away from the table as quick as possible. The problem was his stomach was like an endless pit so when he thought he was done he would take another look at the turkey and get more. Harry was staring down at his plate and making his corn kernels into a big frown face after he had gotten his fill. Draco was looking around the house with a big gob of food in his mouth as if transfixed on the simplicity of the Weasley's home. Mr. Weasley was just eating as normal but his eyes kept shooting from Draco to Ron.
Everyone had gotten there fill. Ron had to excuse himself very quickly. He had lost track of how much he was eating because he was glaring at Malfoy during their chocolate fudge cake dessert. Everyone could hear him gagging in the bathroom.
Mrs. Weasley and Harry cleaned up the dishes as Mr. Weasley took Draco to one side. "We know you don't have a wand and tomorrow Molly and I decided it would be a good time for you and the boys to head out." He put his hand in his deep robe pockets and pulled out a small dagger.
The handle was engraved with an owl with a sharp hooked beak and long sharp talons. There was a large W under its claws. It's wing span wrapped around the entire top part of the handle. The blade wasn't a long one but it had recently been sharpened (by Mr. Weasley no less) and looked beautiful to Draco as it shimmered. It was very old but it was still sturdy and obviously was just a Weasley family heirloom that wasn't used. "We wish we could give you a wand but as you know we don't have the money we wish we could."
"Mr. Weasley-I just can't accept this. I know it's weird to hear. It's weird for me to say but-I owe you and your wife so much. I couldn't possibly take more from you."
Arthur's gentle features softened. He sheathed the blade and pushed it against Draco's chest. "I was wrong about you, Draco Malfoy," he said. "You are nothing like your father Lucius. Take care of Hermione." Mr. Weasley patted him on the shoulder, like a father would his son when he were proud of him, then he walked off. Arthur's smile seemed to linger for the rest of the day.
The next morning was the most exciting morning Draco had had since this whole ordeal had started. He jumped out of bed and pulled on his sweater and pants. He tried to slick his hair back with water but to no success.
The sun was just rising above the clouds as Draco emerged from Percy's old room, smiling happily. Everyone else was already ready and had already eaten. Draco snatched an apple tart and burst outside.
Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ron with tears in her eyes but he only looked annoyed. Arthur was prepping Harry on what would happen if Ron started fighting with Draco but they all became quiet when he emerged. Ron was scowling but quiet.
Draco tried to keep a calm sense about him when he stepped up to Mrs. Weasley but he caught himself pressing himself up against her when she hugged him. He shook hands with Mr. Weasley then turned to Ron.
"I'm only going to help Hermione," Ron stated.
"Fine."
"You can ride on Harry's broom-I know I would knock you off before we even got ten feet from the ground."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Draco glared at him then jumped on Harry's Firebolt. "Don't get any ideas, Potter." Draco hadn't ever ridden on a Firebolt and was psyched at the speed it had when they rose. He looked down to see the Burrow, small like an imitation model.
"To the west," Draco instructed. Ron was many feet below them.
"That's all I need to know," Harry said. "So you don't have to talk the rest of the trip or at least I would rather you not until we get near."
"Oh, Pottey, you're so polite," Draco said.
"There's nothing keeping me from throw you off," Harry said, heading west with a slower pace then before so Ron could catch up.
"Hermione's keeping you from throwing me off, Potter."
The ride was as silent as Harry would've liked and he almost forgot that his arch nemesis was riding on the same broomstick. The air was sticky and humid, making the ride very uncomfortable for all three boys were wearing sweaters and long pants. Ron moaned and groaned about the heat when he wasn't busy insulting Malfoy who wasn't listening.
"There! Towards those Dark Wood Willow trees!" The trees were very visible even as high as they were in the clouds. They were ebony and stood out like a sore thumb in the all the greenery. "It's the trees that hide the manor. The trees are impenetrable to any Muggles. Land on the outside of it." Much to Draco's surprise, Harry was excellent at landing. The ground was very hilly and full of holes to keep people from treading around there. It almost had the illusion that the dirt was throbbing with life.
Draco pressed his hand against the thick black branches, saying, "Open. I am a Malfoy. Open. I am a Malfoy." As every door in the Malfoy Manor, this was no different and opened without fail for its master.
He had planned to march right up to the doors and swing them open, like a mad man, and stab her into a bloody pulp right on her very doorstep but he only stood there, his mouth ajar, his hand twitching at his side.
"THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?" Ron cried from behind him, suddenly bursting out laughing at him. "You're a hobo!" His maniacal laughter reverberated against the trees.
"What kind of joke is this?" Harry demanded. In front of him was a wide and deep swamp that was covered to the hilt in moss. The sound of crickets was as loud as a concert. It looked as if the Malfoy Manor had been swallowed up by the earth.
"It's-gone," Draco whispered. No one heard as his voice was carried off by a howling wind.
**
Omg.sorry it took me so long to update again.my flu turned out to much more and I'm still feeling pretty blah but ah well ^-^ I think this chapter is like.the worst one I've written so far because aside from the fact that I've been on several medications, I was in a hurry because I hadn't updated for so long. I don't want you all to forget me! I didn't get many reviews last time and I'm worried! I don't want you to miss the grand finale! R&R!!
