Standard Disclaimer applies… sue me and you get nada!
Whole thing is Draco's POV.
Chapter 6
Found and Lost
Harry and I covered a lot of ground in those few hours. We flew by brooms for some of the distance, then we would apparate a short distance, then we would walk. He told me it was harder for anyone to track us if we kept changing our mode of transportation. He told me that my father had been actively looking for me for months now, and he almost always had someone watching out for me by any means of travel. The entire 'light side' had agreed that we could both be walking into a trap. We would be meeting another group of wizards closer to the mansion and then try to start our rescue mission. The plan was that the other group would provide a distraction and Harry and I would sneak in. If we could. Harry had reason to believe that my father had charms on the mansion so that it wouldn't be possible.
Our plan sounded simple enough, but I knew it would be anything but. My father was a cold and calculating man. He never did anything without planning it thoroughly. He would study and research and then make a decision. And he never made mistakes. I knew that if the two of us made it into the mansion and somehow found Ron or his body, that we would never all make it out alive. There was no doubt in my mind that my father had counted on them coming to get me for help.
We stopped and rested before our rendezvous with the battle group. Harry pulled out his wand and a plate of sandwiches and two bottles of butter beer appeared before us. We were sitting underneath the shade of a tree, both of us concentrating on anything but the task we were about to undertake. We both knew the danger and that there was a good chance we could both die.
"You're a pretty lucky guy, Draco." Harry told me a few minutes later through a mouthful of sandwich. "Do you have any idea how much she loves you? I was so jealous of the two of you at first. I've always had a crush on her, ever since first year. But we were such close friends that it never could have been anything else. I knew that she took her break up with Viktor really hard and they weren't even that close. And then you came along." He smiled at me and then his face took a serious tone. "She pulled me aside before we left and made me promise that I'd bring you home to her. You know, I didn't really approve of the two of you together at first. But then when I saw how happy you made her, I knew I could never stop it."
I had no idea what to say to him. I took a swig off my butter beer and confessed. "She means everything to me. I never knew that the feelings I have for her were even possible. The way she makes me feel can't even be put into words. She's everything I'm not and everything I hope to be. She's smart and funny and compassionate and beautiful and kind. She is so amazing and when I'm with her I feel so unworthy of even her companionship. But I also know that she's the other half that I've been missing all my life. My childhood was hell. I missed out on things that I can't even begin to explain. I know she's not perfect, but she is perfectly made for me. I hope that someday I'll deserve the love she gives me. Believe me Potter; I know how lucky I am."
Harry smiled at me, and then reached into his pocket and handed me my wand. "Snape gave me this. He said to tell you he checked it over himself, with every spell he knew of and he's positive that it's not hexed."
"Thanks Harry." I told him. "Harry, could you promise me something? Could you look after her if something happens to me? I don't even want to think about what she'll do to herself if something happens to me."
He smiled and nodded. He looked up into the sky. "We'd better get going now. I'd like to be at the rendezvous point a little early."
We got up then and started walking again. We met up with the group a short time later, and I was surprised to see Professor Moody was with them. He must have seen the look in my face when I recognized him.
"What boy? Didn't think you'd see me here, did you? Well I wouldn't have been here, except for the fact that Dumbledore said that young mister Malfoy would be assisting on our rescue mission. I couldn't believe that a Malfoy would actually do something that would actually benefit someone other than themselves." He spat at me.
"Well Professor, consider me the new and improved version of Malfoy. I will never be anything like my father, even if I have to change my hair color." I put on my best smile when I said this. Deep down, I knew that I would have to face a lot of this for a long time. I knew it would take time for people to forget all the terrible things that my father and his name had done. People's thoughts about my name were pretty much etched in stone. But I would do everything possible to change that.
He grunted and turned his back to face the rest of the group. "Are we ready then? " There were 18 of us all together. Harry had me draw up a rough map to try and help everyone out. I showed them were some of the secret doors were located. At least the ones I knew about. Some of the rooms changed from day to day. Some of doors changed too. Our house was like Hogwarts in a lot of ways. Things were never the same in the house. I tried to draw a rough map for Harry's benefit too, but I also told him some of walls were fake and some of the doors too. Everyone feeling as prepared as we could we proceeded to the house. Harry and I waited in the bushes as the group headed in.
We had all been right. They were waiting. There were at least two dozen death eaters waiting for them. Sparks began to fly and the shouting became louder. I knew we needed to act quickly. We apparated into what used to be my bedroom. The room and all of its contents had been destroyed. It was obvious that my father had been in a rage ever since my disappearance. I felt the fear creeping in, and quickly dismissed it. That had always been my father's strongest weapon. Fear.
I led Harry down a secret stairway to the first floor, and then I used one of the false walls and found another staircase. A voice in the back of my head warned me that this was going too smoothly. This was too easy. We finally reached the basement. I had a good idea where my father might be keeping Ron, and started in that direction with Harry close behind me. We had only searched a few of the rooms when Harry pointed ahead of us and whispered "There he is."
I looked to where he was pointing. Ron had been chained to the wall. His body was bruised and broken, dried blood covering him and he wasn't moving. One of his legs was hanging at an odd angle and some of his hair was missing from his head. We slowly approached the body. Harry reached over to check for a pulse.
An unseen hand slammed both of us to the floor. I jumped up, grabbing my wand. "Draco we need to get him out of here. He's barely alive." Harry told me, holding his wand up in defense. My father was standing at the other end of the room, holding the attack stance. We both stood trying to shield Ron's body from my father. All three of us were waiting to see who would make the first move. Without taking my eyes off of my father, I told Harry "Get him out of here. I'll be right behind you." He started to protest, but then without a word he began to unchain his friend. It only took him a few minutes. He paused then, and I told him again. "Just go Potter." He apparated, holding Ron's body in his arms.
Harry had only been gone for a fraction of a second when I felt the Crucio curse hit me. The pain was as bad as I had always remembered it to be. I hit the ground without moaning and waited for the pain to subside enough so that I could return the favor. I had managed to catch my breath, and had just started to get some of the feeling back in my legs when I heard a voice from somewhere else in the room call out. "Lucius stop and let him go."
I knew that voice. My rage was threatening to overtake me as I tried to pull my self to one of the cells where I had heard my mother's voice. My father laughed at me dragging myself across the floor.
"I lucked out son. You were quite the unexpected bonus. I knew that Harry Potter would come looking for that worthless boy. I was going to take him and kill him and torture him like so many before him. That pathetic red headed rat didn't live nearly long enough to enjoy my interrogations. I was going to torture Harry until he gave me some hint as to where you were. But imagine my delight when I saw you walk into my dungeon. You shamed me in front of my Lord. You were ready to choose a life with that filthy creature, weren't you Draco? Instead of a life of serving me and the Dark Lord, you give up your family to be with the other side. No one defies me Draco." He walked closer to me. "You've made your last mistake boy. Because I promise you, you will not leave this dungeon alive." I had finally reached the cell where he was holding my mother, and I had managed to get onto all fours. It took all the strength I had to pull the heavy door open, but I finally managed. When I saw my mothers crumpled form, I almost wish I hadn't opened the door. Her face was so bruised that her eyes were undistinguishable slits. Her nose had obviously been broken more than once. Dried blood ran down her face and out of her ears. Her clothes had been ripped off her in such a way that I knew she had been raped. There were bruises everywhere, and where here skin wasn't black and blue, it was covered in her own dried blood. I crawled to her, calling her name. Her head turned in my direction.
"Draco?" I heard her whisper. "I….."She didn't finish what she wanted to say. I knew that she was dead. And I knew he had killer her. I knew that it had most likely been my fault too. Rage filled me as I pulled myself to my full height and charged at my father.
"You fucking bastard! I'll kill you for this." My strength had returned in an instant and I began to pummel his body. He was taken off guard by my physical attack, and dropped his wand in the process. I pounded his face over and over again, wanting to make him pay for what he did to my mother. He started to laugh through my punches, and before I could beat that out of him too, I felt the Crucio curse whip through me a second time. I fell off the position I had held over my father.
I looked up to see Jacob laughing at me. Father found his wand and fixed his face quickly. When my father looked at me a few moments later, I knew I'd never see Hermione again. Not in this lifetime.
Just hold on for a bit more. Just about there! R/R please!