London Rain - Chapter Five
Author's Note: I just wanted to thank all the people who have reviewed so far, especially those who've reviewed since Chapter One was put up.
*~*~*
Draco listened to the footsteps coming up the stairs and tried to turn over without making it obvious that he was awake. He remembered before he had been knocked out there was someone watching over him, and the last thing he wanted was for some fool to belt him again.
It was to no avail, however. By the time he'd struggled onto his back, someone yelled out, "he's awake! What do I do now?"
It was one of the voices he'd heard before, the one that had been unfamiliar and now he didn't think he could forget. Since whoever this strange male was knew he was awake, he tried to sit up and nearly managed before a thump of pain from his ribs and back had him lying flat again and asking loudly, "who in Hades are you and what's going on here?"
"Shut up, Malfoy," the voice said, "you're not in control here."
"If this is a question of money, you're going to be disappointed," Draco said violently. "Nobody's going to pay you anything -"
"I said, shut up!" He felt someone hit him on the side of the head, and a new voice said angrily, "stop it!"
"Honestly, I told you when we got him back here that he wasn't to be touched!" The speaker was a woman, and she was clearly ticked off. "And now, what with the two of you beating him all the time, I'm surprised he's still conscious. Honestly."
"What, you're feeding him now?" the man asked, incredulously. "That's stupid. Best thing for all of us would be to let the little son-of-a -"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she shouted. "I'm going to put the food here for him, and you can figure out how he's going to eat it with those ridiculous Muggle contraptions all over him. Then you can get out of here and someone else can watch him."
"I'll do it," a new voice, the other one from before, joined the conversation. "It'll be fun."
"You will not," the woman objected. "There is no way I'm leaving you two alone."
"What about three of us, then?" the voice asked. "I'll get one of the others in, and we promise we won't hit him."
"Well..." the woman mused.
Only Draco heard the muttered "hard, anyway," before the woman agrred to letting them watch over him.
"Look, what's going on?" he asked again. "I demand to know what you're on about!"
"Demand all you like, mate, no-one cares." The voice was the one who had shouted that Draco was awake. "While we're chatting, anyway, do you want to tell us why you were kicked out of home?"
"Get lost," Draco snapped automtacially, but as always, started thinking. Why had he been kicked out of home? Simple.
It wasn't their fault directly, but Draco knew that if it hadn't been for them it never would have happened. He'd never have softened, become a disgrace and an outcast from his own family.
He was lucky his father didn't know. It had been the last favour his mother had granted him, that she wouldn't tell Lucius. Narcissa would spread the word that Draco had wished to go and live with relatives - his Aunt Bellatrix. Trusted allies would be told that Draco was learning the Death Arts with Bellatrix, since his father wasn't there to teach him.
But she had still forced him to leave his home, reject his heritage, and now he was stuck in a prison with a bunch of people who clearly had mixed feelings about letting him stay alive. He was assuming the only reason he was still actually functioning was that they had orders not to hurt him.
Fred ran back upstairs and burst open the door to Ron's room, where Ron and Harry were playing chess while Ginny wrote a letter to Hermione. If she had no ideas, or refused to tell them anything, they were going to use the Knight Bus/Memory Charm plan, now being nicknamed the Knight Charm.
"All right," Fred said airily, "because Mum doesn't trust me, I need someone to come with me and take the next shift of watching Malfoy with me. Ginny, have you finished that letter to Hermione yet?"
"Hmm," Ginny said, quill scratching on parchment. "I'm trying to rewrite it without making it sound suspicious. Can I hint that you and George are trying something she'll think is stupid and she won't want to know?"
"Will she interrogate us the next time she sees us? Or just rip our heads off?"
"Probably both."
"Yeah, ok then," George said brightly, entering the room. "Fred, how the heck are we going to manage to get Malfoy's blindfold off so he can eat without him seeing us? My vote is we stand outside the window and use a Summoning Charm."
"I have a better idea," Harry interrupted. "Use those Headless Hats of yours. He won't recognise the rest of you. Or one of you can use my Invisibility Cloak."
It was unanimous. Ten mintues later, Draco felt someone whip the bag off his head, nad he was locked in again, this time with a plate of food. he took a quick look around, but found nothing to tell him where he was.
It was a small, square room with cream plaster walls and worn grey carpet. The bed was dark wood with white cotton sheets and a thick grey blanket. It had all the look and personality of a gaol cell.
Wandering over to the window, which was rusted shut, he tried lookng out, but it was too dark to see anything except shadows. Not that it mattered anyway, he had no idea where he was, except that it was more country than city, and apart from cities and Hogwarts, his knowledge of England was fairly poor.
Wandering to the door, he pulled on it to no avail. He pushed. The door was obviously locked, both by magic and Muggle locks. Reaching for his back pocket, he cursed at his own stupidity. Of course they'd taken his wand.
Grumbling, he returned to the bed and his food. It was surprisingly good, and obivously home-cooked just recently. Draco found himself more and more intruiged by these people who didn't want him here, and just as obviously wanted to keep him alive.
When he'd finished, he put the plate aside and leaned back against the bed. He heard steps again, and the door opened as someone obviously wearing an Invisibility Cloak came in, took the plate, and pushed the bacg back over his head, trying it securely.
"You can come in now," someone called, "I'm taking the plate downstairs."
"Right," another voice said, and Draco's insides contracted with horror. It was the voice, the one that he feared and longed to hear.
And now he was trapped, with them.
Author's Note: I just wanted to thank all the people who have reviewed so far, especially those who've reviewed since Chapter One was put up.
*~*~*
Draco listened to the footsteps coming up the stairs and tried to turn over without making it obvious that he was awake. He remembered before he had been knocked out there was someone watching over him, and the last thing he wanted was for some fool to belt him again.
It was to no avail, however. By the time he'd struggled onto his back, someone yelled out, "he's awake! What do I do now?"
It was one of the voices he'd heard before, the one that had been unfamiliar and now he didn't think he could forget. Since whoever this strange male was knew he was awake, he tried to sit up and nearly managed before a thump of pain from his ribs and back had him lying flat again and asking loudly, "who in Hades are you and what's going on here?"
"Shut up, Malfoy," the voice said, "you're not in control here."
"If this is a question of money, you're going to be disappointed," Draco said violently. "Nobody's going to pay you anything -"
"I said, shut up!" He felt someone hit him on the side of the head, and a new voice said angrily, "stop it!"
"Honestly, I told you when we got him back here that he wasn't to be touched!" The speaker was a woman, and she was clearly ticked off. "And now, what with the two of you beating him all the time, I'm surprised he's still conscious. Honestly."
"What, you're feeding him now?" the man asked, incredulously. "That's stupid. Best thing for all of us would be to let the little son-of-a -"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she shouted. "I'm going to put the food here for him, and you can figure out how he's going to eat it with those ridiculous Muggle contraptions all over him. Then you can get out of here and someone else can watch him."
"I'll do it," a new voice, the other one from before, joined the conversation. "It'll be fun."
"You will not," the woman objected. "There is no way I'm leaving you two alone."
"What about three of us, then?" the voice asked. "I'll get one of the others in, and we promise we won't hit him."
"Well..." the woman mused.
Only Draco heard the muttered "hard, anyway," before the woman agrred to letting them watch over him.
"Look, what's going on?" he asked again. "I demand to know what you're on about!"
"Demand all you like, mate, no-one cares." The voice was the one who had shouted that Draco was awake. "While we're chatting, anyway, do you want to tell us why you were kicked out of home?"
"Get lost," Draco snapped automtacially, but as always, started thinking. Why had he been kicked out of home? Simple.
It wasn't their fault directly, but Draco knew that if it hadn't been for them it never would have happened. He'd never have softened, become a disgrace and an outcast from his own family.
He was lucky his father didn't know. It had been the last favour his mother had granted him, that she wouldn't tell Lucius. Narcissa would spread the word that Draco had wished to go and live with relatives - his Aunt Bellatrix. Trusted allies would be told that Draco was learning the Death Arts with Bellatrix, since his father wasn't there to teach him.
But she had still forced him to leave his home, reject his heritage, and now he was stuck in a prison with a bunch of people who clearly had mixed feelings about letting him stay alive. He was assuming the only reason he was still actually functioning was that they had orders not to hurt him.
Fred ran back upstairs and burst open the door to Ron's room, where Ron and Harry were playing chess while Ginny wrote a letter to Hermione. If she had no ideas, or refused to tell them anything, they were going to use the Knight Bus/Memory Charm plan, now being nicknamed the Knight Charm.
"All right," Fred said airily, "because Mum doesn't trust me, I need someone to come with me and take the next shift of watching Malfoy with me. Ginny, have you finished that letter to Hermione yet?"
"Hmm," Ginny said, quill scratching on parchment. "I'm trying to rewrite it without making it sound suspicious. Can I hint that you and George are trying something she'll think is stupid and she won't want to know?"
"Will she interrogate us the next time she sees us? Or just rip our heads off?"
"Probably both."
"Yeah, ok then," George said brightly, entering the room. "Fred, how the heck are we going to manage to get Malfoy's blindfold off so he can eat without him seeing us? My vote is we stand outside the window and use a Summoning Charm."
"I have a better idea," Harry interrupted. "Use those Headless Hats of yours. He won't recognise the rest of you. Or one of you can use my Invisibility Cloak."
It was unanimous. Ten mintues later, Draco felt someone whip the bag off his head, nad he was locked in again, this time with a plate of food. he took a quick look around, but found nothing to tell him where he was.
It was a small, square room with cream plaster walls and worn grey carpet. The bed was dark wood with white cotton sheets and a thick grey blanket. It had all the look and personality of a gaol cell.
Wandering over to the window, which was rusted shut, he tried lookng out, but it was too dark to see anything except shadows. Not that it mattered anyway, he had no idea where he was, except that it was more country than city, and apart from cities and Hogwarts, his knowledge of England was fairly poor.
Wandering to the door, he pulled on it to no avail. He pushed. The door was obviously locked, both by magic and Muggle locks. Reaching for his back pocket, he cursed at his own stupidity. Of course they'd taken his wand.
Grumbling, he returned to the bed and his food. It was surprisingly good, and obivously home-cooked just recently. Draco found himself more and more intruiged by these people who didn't want him here, and just as obviously wanted to keep him alive.
When he'd finished, he put the plate aside and leaned back against the bed. He heard steps again, and the door opened as someone obviously wearing an Invisibility Cloak came in, took the plate, and pushed the bacg back over his head, trying it securely.
"You can come in now," someone called, "I'm taking the plate downstairs."
"Right," another voice said, and Draco's insides contracted with horror. It was the voice, the one that he feared and longed to hear.
And now he was trapped, with them.