Chapter Four - London Rain
Draco was engulfed in blackness. For a few manic seconds he thought he was unconscious, but sensation was still strong and he groaned at the pain in his back, face and wrists. Trying to move, he found his feet were tied and he was wearing some sort of metal bracelets on his wrists that were tied together.
Trying to turn his head, he discovered the reason he couldn't see was because someone had put a bag over his head, and tied it securely around his neck. With his hands bound, there was no way he could get it off.
Deciding not to worry about that for now, Draco wriggled about a bit and discovered he was on a worn carpeted floor leaning against something soft and hard at the same time - possibly a bed. Whoever had him wasn't out to kill him - yet.
Straining his ears, he thought he heard muffled footsteps both above and below him. Then the creak of a door - his door, he could only presume, and someone stepping very close to him.
"Do you think he's unconscious?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "You walloped him pretty hard, you know."
"Had to." This voice was more familiar, one he hadn't heard for a few years but it was lodged in his memory. It wasn't the voice, the one he would recognise whether he could see or not. That voice was unique, and gave him shivers up and down his spine.
"What do you mean, you had to?" the other voice was saying.
"Did you think he would come willingly?" the familiar voice asked with a hint of a sneer. "We had to truss him up like a chicken before we could get anywhere. And as for that damn house elf of his -"
"Where is it?"
"The attic, with an Anti-Disapparation Jinx on it. It seems to be holding him so far. Can you stay here utnil we're finished our meeting?"
The other voice laughed. "I'd rather sit in and hear what you're planning, but as long as you fill me in later I'll do it."
"Deal." Who's voice was it? Steps sounded again, and suddenly Draco felt a powerful kick against his ribs. He welcomed oblivion as a release from the pain.
Harry settled back against George's bed and waited for Fred to get back. After they'd gotten Malfoy back to The Burrow, Fred and Bill had taken him to Percy's old room, and were standing guard until he woke up. Then Bill was staying with him while Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Harry met to decide exactly what to do about Malfoy.
"What do you think they're doing?" Ginny asked. "Why is it taking so long?"
"Fred punched him pretty hard," Ron said reasonably. "It would make sense if it took him a while to come around."
"He'll probably hit him again," George said with a shrug. At that moment Fred entered the room, and four people looked at him expectedly.
"I knocked him out," Fred said with a shrug. "I thought it would be easier than trying to keep him in the one spot."
"Probably," Harry said with a grimace. Part of him still couldn't believe that he'd agreed to keep Malfoy here in the first place.Another part of him felt almost sympathetic, but he ruthlessly squashed it down.
"So what's the plan?" Ron asked. "What are we going to do with him? Keep him locked in there, feed him once a day until school goes back, and then put him on the train, still blindfolded?"
"You fool!" Ginny said in annoyance. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, so a combination of black shadows under her eyes and a slightly swollen nose made her look more dangerous than normal. "People are obviously going to notice if we bundle him onto the train blindfolded. Most people won't care, but the other Slytherins will."
"Well, what do you suggest?" George asked. "Put him in one of our trunks? Knock him out and put some sort of cloaking spell on him?"
"That sounds like the safest option," Harry said. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Fred asked.
"Well, the Knight Bus went to Hogwarts when Ron and I were in Fifth Year, didn't it? You and George could take him in that way," he suggested uncomfortably as Fred and George looked at him narrowly.
"It sounds like it would work," Fred said thoughtfully. "Mind you,I doubt the little bastard will be in very good shape when we get him there."
"What if he sees our faces?" George asked. "Maybe we'll have to wear disguises or something. Or cast a memory charm on him when we get there."
"They can be broken," Ginny said firmly, sounding almost like Hermione.
Harry made a sound of frustration and banged his hand against the wall. "We have to think of something!" he snapped irritably.
"Maybe we should write to Hermione," Ron suggested, and tried not to blush as Fred and George started laughing.
"What would we say, but?" Ginny asked sensibly. "'Dear Hermione, how would you get someone to school without them seeing you and without anyone noticing them? Oh, and by the way, they have to be tied up and gagged, possibly unconscious.' She's not that daft, you guys. She'd know something was up."
"So let her suspect," Harry said. "We haven't got any ideas, and she would. I think it's the best idea we've come up with so far."
"I still think Fred and I should get him to school," George growled.
Draco awoke, yet again, but this time feeling came slowly, blooming ripe and aching in his ribs. He tried to move as little as possible, easy enough now that he'd been tossed onto what he was presuming was a bed, stomach down.
Tired as he was, he tried to figure out where he was. Though he was a Malfoy, and rich enough and well-known enough to be kidnapped by any number of people, his safest bet was that some sort of anti-Death Eater group had him. Most probably the Order of the Phoenix, that Dumbledore had founded.
It also stood up to reason that he wouldn't be kept in the Order's Headquarters. From what the house elf Kreacher had told his father, the Order was using the House of Black to do business, and if they had any brains, they wouldn't be leaving him in a house he knew well.
Besides, according to Kreacher, the house was always busy, with people coming and going and Mrs. Black's portrait screaming all the time. Straining his ears as hard as he could, he heard nothing.
Wait. There was something. Footsteps.
Draco was engulfed in blackness. For a few manic seconds he thought he was unconscious, but sensation was still strong and he groaned at the pain in his back, face and wrists. Trying to move, he found his feet were tied and he was wearing some sort of metal bracelets on his wrists that were tied together.
Trying to turn his head, he discovered the reason he couldn't see was because someone had put a bag over his head, and tied it securely around his neck. With his hands bound, there was no way he could get it off.
Deciding not to worry about that for now, Draco wriggled about a bit and discovered he was on a worn carpeted floor leaning against something soft and hard at the same time - possibly a bed. Whoever had him wasn't out to kill him - yet.
Straining his ears, he thought he heard muffled footsteps both above and below him. Then the creak of a door - his door, he could only presume, and someone stepping very close to him.
"Do you think he's unconscious?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "You walloped him pretty hard, you know."
"Had to." This voice was more familiar, one he hadn't heard for a few years but it was lodged in his memory. It wasn't the voice, the one he would recognise whether he could see or not. That voice was unique, and gave him shivers up and down his spine.
"What do you mean, you had to?" the other voice was saying.
"Did you think he would come willingly?" the familiar voice asked with a hint of a sneer. "We had to truss him up like a chicken before we could get anywhere. And as for that damn house elf of his -"
"Where is it?"
"The attic, with an Anti-Disapparation Jinx on it. It seems to be holding him so far. Can you stay here utnil we're finished our meeting?"
The other voice laughed. "I'd rather sit in and hear what you're planning, but as long as you fill me in later I'll do it."
"Deal." Who's voice was it? Steps sounded again, and suddenly Draco felt a powerful kick against his ribs. He welcomed oblivion as a release from the pain.
Harry settled back against George's bed and waited for Fred to get back. After they'd gotten Malfoy back to The Burrow, Fred and Bill had taken him to Percy's old room, and were standing guard until he woke up. Then Bill was staying with him while Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Harry met to decide exactly what to do about Malfoy.
"What do you think they're doing?" Ginny asked. "Why is it taking so long?"
"Fred punched him pretty hard," Ron said reasonably. "It would make sense if it took him a while to come around."
"He'll probably hit him again," George said with a shrug. At that moment Fred entered the room, and four people looked at him expectedly.
"I knocked him out," Fred said with a shrug. "I thought it would be easier than trying to keep him in the one spot."
"Probably," Harry said with a grimace. Part of him still couldn't believe that he'd agreed to keep Malfoy here in the first place.Another part of him felt almost sympathetic, but he ruthlessly squashed it down.
"So what's the plan?" Ron asked. "What are we going to do with him? Keep him locked in there, feed him once a day until school goes back, and then put him on the train, still blindfolded?"
"You fool!" Ginny said in annoyance. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, so a combination of black shadows under her eyes and a slightly swollen nose made her look more dangerous than normal. "People are obviously going to notice if we bundle him onto the train blindfolded. Most people won't care, but the other Slytherins will."
"Well, what do you suggest?" George asked. "Put him in one of our trunks? Knock him out and put some sort of cloaking spell on him?"
"That sounds like the safest option," Harry said. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Fred asked.
"Well, the Knight Bus went to Hogwarts when Ron and I were in Fifth Year, didn't it? You and George could take him in that way," he suggested uncomfortably as Fred and George looked at him narrowly.
"It sounds like it would work," Fred said thoughtfully. "Mind you,I doubt the little bastard will be in very good shape when we get him there."
"What if he sees our faces?" George asked. "Maybe we'll have to wear disguises or something. Or cast a memory charm on him when we get there."
"They can be broken," Ginny said firmly, sounding almost like Hermione.
Harry made a sound of frustration and banged his hand against the wall. "We have to think of something!" he snapped irritably.
"Maybe we should write to Hermione," Ron suggested, and tried not to blush as Fred and George started laughing.
"What would we say, but?" Ginny asked sensibly. "'Dear Hermione, how would you get someone to school without them seeing you and without anyone noticing them? Oh, and by the way, they have to be tied up and gagged, possibly unconscious.' She's not that daft, you guys. She'd know something was up."
"So let her suspect," Harry said. "We haven't got any ideas, and she would. I think it's the best idea we've come up with so far."
"I still think Fred and I should get him to school," George growled.
Draco awoke, yet again, but this time feeling came slowly, blooming ripe and aching in his ribs. He tried to move as little as possible, easy enough now that he'd been tossed onto what he was presuming was a bed, stomach down.
Tired as he was, he tried to figure out where he was. Though he was a Malfoy, and rich enough and well-known enough to be kidnapped by any number of people, his safest bet was that some sort of anti-Death Eater group had him. Most probably the Order of the Phoenix, that Dumbledore had founded.
It also stood up to reason that he wouldn't be kept in the Order's Headquarters. From what the house elf Kreacher had told his father, the Order was using the House of Black to do business, and if they had any brains, they wouldn't be leaving him in a house he knew well.
Besides, according to Kreacher, the house was always busy, with people coming and going and Mrs. Black's portrait screaming all the time. Straining his ears as hard as he could, he heard nothing.
Wait. There was something. Footsteps.