Chapter Seven : Trust is Difficult
Harry felt his heart beating hard in his chest, as Draco brought him into one of the upstair rooms. Draco crouched on the ground, not letting go off Harry's hands.
"What are we going to do?" Draco hissed, his eyes daring wildly.
Harry's mind raced for some way that they could get out of a house filled with Death Eaters.
Draco suddenly stared at Harry, and grinned as though he had never been more amused in his entire life.
"What?" Harry yelped a little too loud.
There was a crash from downstairs.
"We can apparate, you dolt." Draco hissed.
Harry suddenly hugged Draco.
"Genius! Where do you want to apparate to?"
There were suddenly footsteps racing up the stairs.
Draco moved quickly into the closet that was in the room. Harry was surprised to suddenly find himself jammed tightly into a closet with Draco pressed up against him. Not to mention the fact that both of them were in their boxers.
"Listen carefully," Draco whispered in his ear.
Harry felt his stomach flip oddly.
"We'll apparate to the Weasley joke shop. The twins should be back by now."
Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He clenched his fists trying to calm his nerves. When he got too emotional, he couldn't apparate correctly.
"Relax," Draco whispered, releasing Harry's hands gently. "On the count of three."
The door to the room suddenly opened, and a Death Eater walked in. He was walking cautiously, his head turning slowly from side to side.
Draco took Harry's hand then, and squeezed once.
The Death Eater turned to the closet slowly, his wand outstretched.
Draco squeezed Harry's hand a second time.
The Death Eater was reaching for the closet door...
Draco squeezed Harry's hand a third time.
Harry felt his body began to panic as the doorknob began to turn. He couldn't apparate.
He wanted to grab onto Draco, and beg him not to leave.
Before he could do anything, Draco was pushing Harry behind him and hit the Death Eater hard across the face. The person swayed on their feet for a moment before hitting the ground.
Harry clutched his chest for a moment, and breathed hard.
"Harry," Draco spoke in a hushed tone. "I need you to disapparate. I'm not going to leave you here."
Harry blinked up at Draco, and nodded.
He shut his eyes, and with a loud crack, he was gone.
Draco didn't wait another second. He disapparted after Harry.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Fred and George stared as Harry landed in their empty cauldron, and Draco in a barrel of Liquidy Lollipops.
"Thanks for dropping in," Fred joked.
George elbowed him to silence him at seeing the two's face.
He hurried to help Harry get out of the cauldron.
"Something wrong, Harry?" George asked, as Harry slid out of the cauldron.
"Death Eaters - the Burrow." Harry gasped.
Fred blinked.
"'Scuse me?"
"There are Death Eaters are the Burrow!" Draco hissed, as he struggled to get out of the slimy lollipops.
"Oh," Fred's expression slid into one of surprise. "George, I'll go contact the Order. You find Harry and Draco something to wear,"
Harry and Draco looked down at themselves, and blushed as they realized they were both still in their boxers.
*~~~~~~~~*
Half an hour later, Harry and Draco were sitting in the back of the shop with Hermione and Ron.
Harry was sitting in an outfit of George's with the sleeves and cuffs rolled up. He looked small, swimming in the clothes.
Draco on the other hand, was wearing a pair of nicely fitting clothes that Ron had bought that day.
Ron was scowling at the fact that Draco was wearing his new outfit, and Hermione was talking quickly to Harry.
"They attacked you inside the Burrow?" Hermione was gasping.
Draco and Ron continued to glare at each other.
"B-But why?" Hermione asked.
Draco and Ron narrowed their eyes a little more.
"Why else?" Harry responded sounding exasperated. "To get rid of me, and this time Draco too."
Draco's and Ron's mouths got a little thinner.
"Good gosh Ron! Your face is going to stuck like that!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed as she looked at her boyfriend.
Ron jumped a bit, his face returning to normal.
Draco smirked and sat back in his chair with a small 'ha'.
Suddenly there were about a bazillion 'popping' sounds from the front room as various members of the Order apparated into the shop.
"Harry," Remus spoke as he walked into the back. "Are you all right?"
Harry nodded as he stood.
Mad-Eye and Snape followed closely behind, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley not far behind.
"Not here Remus," Mad-Eye objected as his eye darted around the room. "We should get back to-" his eye suddenly froze. "Is that Malfoy's son?"
All eyes turned to Draco who had entered another glaring contest with Ron.
Mad-Eye suddenly drew his wand.
"No!"
"Wait!"
A various few cries came from Harry and the Weasleys, but it was Severus Snape that stopped the auror.
"That is. Or was until he was disowned." he spoke in a silky voice.
Draco suddenly looked up as he heard his godfather's voice. He looked a little surprised to see Moody pointing a wand in his direction, didn't say anything.
"Why would Malfoy disown his son? From the sounds of it, there aren't many of them left." Moody growled.
"Maybe if you would allow us to tell you before you blast him, Mad-Eye, we could explain." Mr. Weasley interrupted. "Draco is staying at my home presently. That's where he and Harry were attacked."
"Malfoy was attacked too, eh? He wasn't calling his buddies together to get rid of Potter?"
"I'm not a Death Eater!" Draco suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet, looking angrier then Harry had ever seen him.
"Really?" Mad-Eye questioned, looking somewhat amused.
"He's not," Harry spoke.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"He saved my life."
Everyone turned back to look at Malfoy, who was turning slightly red.
"Then why-"
Moody was cut off however as Fred came into the back of his shop.
"Oy! Dumbledore just sent this."
Remus took the letter from the twin, and began to scan, his eyes looking a little surprised.
"It's for Malfoy." he finally spoke. "It seems, the Headmaster wishes him to know where the Headquarters of the Order is."
"What?" Ron exploded.
"Ron-" Hermione began, but Ron cut her off.
"I don't care how much people say you've changed Malfoy! You'll always just be some evil Slytherin!"
Ron didn't wait for anything else; he pushed his way to the front of the shop, and left after slamming the door.
"I'll go get him," Hermione said quietly, as she headed after the path Ron had taken.
"Well then," Moody took the letter from Remus. "We'll do as the Headmaster wishes."
His tone clearly showed that the auror didn't agree with Dumbledore though.
"Here you are Malfoy," he spoke, handing the letter to Draco.
Draco opened it and studied for a few moments.
"Let's go," Snape spoke impatiently, apparating out of the room.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~*
"So Lestrange was leading the group?" Mad-Eye questioned as he finished up his story.
Harry looked to Remus. He could see the pain that had blossomed in the werewolf's eyes at hearing the name of Sirius's murderer. Harry looked away not able to stand it any longer.
"That's right," he answered. "She was trying to kill Draco and I."
"Interesting," Moody replied, standing and walking a bit. "Now Malfoy, why the hell are the Death Eaters trying to kill you? You obviously don't come from an anti-Death Eater family."
"Ran away, and wouldn't go back with my father," Draco spoke, trying not to snarl at the auror.
He hated the distrust towards him he could feel flowing through the room. The only one who wasn't watching him warily were Harry and Granger. Ron still looked absolutely pissed off that Hermione had made him come back with her.
"Why did you run away?" Moody continued with the interrogation.
Mad-Eye had a history with the family of Malfoy's, that was to be sure. He had been the auror that had caught Lucius Malfoy when the Dark Lord had fallen the first time. And he had been most pissed when Malfoy had gotten off the hook. He'd be damned if he let another Malfoy slip through his fingers.
Draco was being very careful not to lose his temper. He knew that Mad-Eye would love to use that as an excuse to hex him several times.
"Because the bloody git wanted me to be one of his minions." Draco answered in a smooth voice.
"B-"
"Moody, please." Harry pleaded a bit. "Draco really did save my life, as I said."
Mad-Eye still looked suspicious, and wanted to continue the questioning.
"Honestly, Alastor, let them have something to eat. The poor dears must be starving," Mrs. Weasley interrupted as she bustled in from the kitchen, delicious smells wafting out behind her.
"Very well..." Mad-Eye agreed, knowing this was a battle that he was not going to win. "But I'll be watching you boy," he growled after Malfoy.
Draco sighed in relief as he and Harry sat down at the table in the large kitchen.
"Thank you..." Draco said in a barely audible voice. "I don't think he wanted to let me out of that room alive."
Harry turned in surprised at the tone of Draco's voice.
"It's fine, you really did save my life, it was the least I could do for you."
"Saved with my quick wit and intelligence, huh?" Draco replied with his normal smirk as he began to eat.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"You never change."
"I am still a Slytherin."
"But they're so..."
"Cunning? Witty? Intelligent? Super?"
"....Bastardy." Harry finished.
Draco shrugged and grinned.
"What can I say?"
*~~~~~~~~~*
"I'm sorry Hermione, but nothing you say will make me change my mind about that arse!" Ron yelled in frustration as he paced about the room.
"Give him a chance Ron!" Hermione replied, with a sigh.
"A chance? A chance!" Ron bellowed. "How about a chance when he tried to tell Professor McGongall about when Norbert was being sneaked out the castle? How about a chance when Harry was supposed to meet Malfoy for a wizard's duel? How about a chance when he called you a Mudblood? Or tried to get Hagrid fired? Tried to scare Harry off his broomstick by being a Dementor? Or when he joined Umbridge's fine little group? How about all those chances Hermione?"
Hermione rose slowly, and tried to calm her boyfriend down. He was red in the face, and his voice had rose to a shout, but she knew it was just because he was scared.
"I'm nervous that Harry will get hurt too, Ron. But... You know how withdrawn Harry has become... But he's let Draco in. He trusts him right now, and we should respect Harry's judgment. He would respect yours."
Ron sighed, and sat down on a chair, drawing Hermione to him.
"But what if this some elaborate plan of Voldemort's to destroy Harry? It is such a big risk..."
"That's what life is all about," Hermione spoke gently. "Especially Harry's life. If you want to get technical he can't trust anybody. We could be used against him at any time you know that? The Order, Remus, Mrs. Weasley, any of us. But... Harry chooses to love us and trust us at his own danger. That's why... We have to give him our trust now."
She kissed him on the forehead.
"Are you sure?" Ron whispered.
"I am." Hermione replied.
"All right..." Ron replied, giving in. "I'll give Malf-"
"Draco."
"I'll give Draco a chance."