Chapter Fifteen – Losing It
Colin looked over to where Professor Snape and Hermione were talking quietly, and then he looked over to Harry and Ginny, who were holding hands, her head resting on his shoulder. Draco Malfoy still stood by the window, staring into the darkening sky. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were preparing a portkey to Hermione's parents' house.
And he just stood there, not sure what to do. He didn't want to invade the two couples' private moments, and he surely couldn't help his other two professors in preparing a portkey – it would be too advanced. Draco Malfoy seemed to be deep in thought, and Colin didn't want to disturb him. Besides, this was Draco Malfoy, evil bastard and Gryffindor-hating. He really didn't want to talk to him. So he went to Dumbledore's bathroom and knocked on the door.
"Ron? Are you still in there?" he asked.
"Yes," came the reply, but it wasn't Ron's voice he could hear.
"Open up," he said, "we only have twenty minutes before we'll have to go." Colin listened. At first he couldn't hear a thing, but then the key was turned and the door slowly opened.
All he could do was stare. Ron looked so different. He looked so… female.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked. "You look shaken!"
"I'm just… you are…" Colin couldn't speak. Now that he could see it with his own eyes, he finally realized that they would actually do this. They would walk straight in there and free Hermione's parents while pretending to be on Lucius' side. It suddenly didn't seem like such a good plan anymore. What if Lucius tried to… He was Pansy's lover, right? And he hasn't seen her for some time. What would he want to do with her? And how would Ron react?
"Ron, I don't know. Maybe this isn't-" Colin was cut off by Ron kissing him. Only that Ron was now smaller, and had breasts, and felt just not right. Colin broke the kiss. "I mean it. Are you aware that Lucius could, you know, touch Pansy, and stuff? But it isn't Pansy – it's you."
Ron/Pansy nodded. "I know. And I'll have to pretend for a little while, until Mr. and Mrs. Granger are save. Are you okay with that?"
Colin nodded slowly. "I know you don't like it. And I don't like it, either. Not only because it's Lucius Malfoy; it could be anyone. I just don't want to think of you touching or kissing someone other than me. I guess I'm jealous." He grinned.
Ron grinned, too. "Good. Because I don't want to touch or kiss anyone other than you."
+~*#
"I hate to leave you go on your own!" Severus sighed.
"I know," Hermione replied. "But I'm not alone. Draco, Ginny, Ron and Colin are with me. And you will be waiting right outside with Harry. I'll be safe." A sceptical look from Severus made her continue. "Well, at least he'll not kill me right away, but he'll wait for you to show up to finish us both." Severus rolled his eyes.
"I think I'm having a bad influence on you. Your sarcasm gets worse and worse every day."
Hermione smiled. "This isn't normal!"
Confused, Severus frowned. "What?"
"It isn't normal how much I love you," she said, leaning against his chest. Severus put his arms around her, his chin resting on her brown curls. She sighed. If only Lucius Malfoy would be out of her life! Then everything would be better.
Severus slightly caressed her stomach through the robes, his mouth near her ear. "I'll protect you. You and the baby. He won't harm you. I promise; we'll save your parents," he whispered, kissing her hair softly.
"I love you," Hermione whispered back, her eyes filling with tears.
"I love you," Severus replied, slowly letting go of her. "I have to go now."
She nodded, hugging him once more. Severus cupped her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Take care." With that, he went over to Harry, and together they left the room.
Hermione went over to the window to watch them walk to the gates to Apparate from there. Draco shot her a short glance and moved aside a bit, so that she had a better view.
For a few moments, they watched in silence as Harry and Severus made their way to the gates. Soon, they disappeared from view.
"Thank you," Hermione said quietly.
Draco turned his head towards her, surprise evident in his eyes. "You're welcome," he then replied.
+~*#
"Are you ready?" Ron asked. Hermione and Draco turned around. Hermione nodded, seemingly shocked at Ron's appearance. He looked exactly like Pansy.
"Well, I must say, Weasley, you really look like Pansy," Draco said. "But the question is: Will you be able to act like Pansy?"
Ron smiled. Suddenly, with two steps, he was standing right behind Draco, holding the knife to his throat. "Yeah, you know, I think I will be able to do so."
"Okay," Draco said defensively. "Now, could you remove that knife???"
But Ron only smiled. "Oh, you forgot the magic word!" he chirped, "now I'll have to punish you." But instead he let go of Draco and put the knife away.
"Wow!" Draco said. "I never knew you were such a good actor."
"Where did you get that knife, Ron?" Hermione asked. She looked pale, maybe because she was now face to face with Pansy Parkinson. Although she knew that it was only Ron, she couldn't hide her true feelings. She loathed Pansy, and Lucius, and she was afraid. It brought all those feelings she'd locked away back to the surface.
"It's all right, Hermione," Colin said. "I transfigured a pen into a knife before I came here. I figured he'd need it."
"Okay then, are you ready?" Ron asked. They all nodded. "Professors, is the portkey ready?" He turned around to Dumbledore, who smiled briefly.
"Just touch this lamp here, and once you've all got a hold to it, I'll activate the portkey," Professor McGonagall said.
They gathered around Dumbledore's old petroleum lamp and once everyone touched it, Professor McGonagall murmured the spell. Hermione felt uncomfortable. Portkeys always made her uneasy. Oh, and then there was this huge dose of fear creeping through her body, trying to break free in form of tears and screams. But she wouldn't falter. Not now, and no time soon. She had to get through this. So she closed her eyes and waited.
+~*#
"What the…?" Lucius Malfoy was standing in the kitchen, eating a sandwich, when suddenly, five people were standing around him. He nearly dropped the sandwich, but managed to catch it. However, he was so shocked, he couldn't say another word.
"Lucius, darling, shut your mouth. You don't look good with it open," Ron/Pansy said.
"Pansy?" Lucius asked. "You are here?"
Ron tried his best 'Duh, am I standing here or not?'-face, and Lucius soon recovered. He pulled Ron close and kissed him. Ron forced a smile, but broke the kiss soon. "Well, I guess we have business to do. I don't know about you, but I'm keen on revenge." Apparently bored, he sat down on the table and put out the knife.
"Yes," Lucius said. He looked around. "I see you've brought the mudblood, but what are all the other ones doing here?" He had his wand pointed at the group, and none of them dared to move, until-
"Father! Would you stop pointing your wand at me?!" Draco took a step forwards, and shoved Hermione out of the way. "Pansy wrote to me. I should open the gates and help her bring the mudblood. And now I'm being threatened for my help?"
Still suspicious, Lucius turned to Ron, and said, "I think you'll have to explain things to me. And until I know everything, all of you – yes, even you, Draco, – will stay here. Tied up, of course." He muttered a spell, and all their hands were tied. Then he stepped to the door and opened it.
"Pansy?"
Ron jumped off the table, and walked over to Lucius. "Oh, behave, children" he said, making Lucius laugh.
Hermione watched all this with fear in her eyes. Ron wasn't supposed to wander off with Lucius alone. He would endanger himself. And now, none of them could help him.
'Oh, Ron. Why can't you keep the plan up?' Hermione thought, searching his eyes.
Before he closed the door, Ron shot a look at Hermione, and smiled briefly. Hermione still couldn't see through his mask, but she knew that the smile should encourage her.
Well, right now, it didn't work.
'God, I'll have to stop this. I'll go mad,' she thought. 'Trust Ron, he knows what to do. He won't freak!' Yes, maybe Ron wouldn't freak. But what about her???
+~*#
"Ginny?" Draco whispered.
"Hm?" Ginny turned around – or at least tried to. It wasn't easy with your hands tied together at your back, while at the same time being tied to three other people.
"Now would be a good time," he said.
"For what?" Hermione cut in. She'd tried to trust Malfoy jr. She really had. But his act a few minutes earlier had shattered the little bit of trust she'd build for Ginny's sake.
"For untying my hands, Granger!" Draco snapped impatiently, while he felt Ginny's fingers across his own. After a few minutes, she's loosened the knot enough for him to slid his hands out.
"He's weak," Draco said, his voice full of venom. "He hasn't even taken my wand!" Quickly, he untied Ginny and Colin.
"And what about me?" Hermione asked, feeling more uncomfortable with every second.
"You are the one who's kidnapped. I can't untie you," Draco said, shaking his head.
She had to admit he was right. If they pretended to be on Lucius' side, they could hardly untie her.
Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. He bent down to her, his face now on her eye level. "Listen, Granger. I don't like you. Never have, and never will. That doesn't mean I want you to die. Or anyone, for that matter. The only one I cared for for a long time was murdered by the man who calls himself my father. Even the person I like least, Potter, for example, would be better than him. I want to see that bastard locked away somewhere in Azkaban. And I'd rather they lose the key." He stared into her eyes, and she could see that it was the truth. "I don't do this because of fame, or to be a hero, or for a greater good." He paused. "It's all about revenge. And I promised Ginny that I wouldn't let my revenge endanger you, your child, or anybody else. And I intend to keep my promises."
The door opened and Lucius entered, with Pansy/Ron following.
+~*#
"Pansy, dear, tell me," Lucius said. "What are all those kids doing here?"
Pansy smiled. "Why, Lucius, I thought you'd be delighted to see Draco next to you." She sat down in the armchair, too far away for his taste.
Settling himself on the Grangers' comfortable sofa, he conjured two glasses of brandy and then leaned back. "You said it yourself, love. Draco is a lost case."
"Not anymore. When I went to Hogwarts last night, I found him in a… compromising situation. With the Weasley girl." Pansy grinned wickedly.
"What's the good news about that. I don't understand." He was getting irritated. Why couldn't the girl just spill it and be done with it. Then they could move on to more… satisfying actions.
"She adores him. She'd do anything for him. Even betray her friends…" Pansy seemed oddly calm. Normally, this would have excited her. He put the thought aside and concentrated on the problem at hand.
"So, she lured the Granger brat to the dungeons, and Draco made sure she wouldn't leave anymore. I'm pretty sure that he doesn't feel a thing for Weasley. I mean, it's obvious why he wants her. She looks good – for someone with ugly red hair and the name of a Weasley. And besides, by making her fall for him, he hurt Potter in thousand ways and more." Pansy laughed outright.
That was more like it. Lucius felt himself go hard. She was so hot. But he told himself to wait for another few minutes. "And what about the other boy? Who is it?"
"Colin something. We were dragging Granger out to the gates to take the portkey – so that that fool of a headmaster wouldn't notice – and he walked in on us. I stunned him, but then Draco complained about Granger and how heavy she was, so I woke the boy and put him under the Imperius. He's unimportant." Pansy stood up. "I guess by now Draco is livid. He surely didn't like your tying him up. We should see to that."
But Lucius had other plans. With a few steps he was by her side, grabbing her hard. Just what she liked. Her eyes widened with surprise, he saw, but then she relaxed a bit. He bent down and kissed her hungrily.
+~*#
'Oh God, oh God, oh God,' was all Ron could think. In fact, he tried not to think at all. Or to feel.
He'd managed to sit away from Lucius, and he'd managed to talk about his friends as if they were… well, Malfoy and his cronies. He'd managed to laugh cruelly, and to seem uninterested in his sister's life. He'd managed to convince Lucius that Draco was on his side (and he hoped that Draco didn't really switch sides again), and he'd locked away all his doubts that this plan could fail. He'd managed to be confident, knowing that Snape and Harry were somewhere outside, and Colin in the next room.
He'd been so relieved when the conversation ended without Lucius touching him, that he'd let down his cover a bit when Lucius suddenly leapt for him. He felt his eyes widen in fear. And his fear was only increased by the fact that Lucius was a lot taller than Pansy, and not to forget stronger. Even if he could have fought, Lucius would still be stronger. But he couldn't fight. Pansy wouldn't, and he had to be Pansy.
So he tried to shut himself out as Lucius kissed him.
Suddenly, Lucius stopped. "What is it, Love? You feeling sick?"
Ron sighed with relief – inwardly – and shook his head. "No, I'm just tired. I had to travel here from the other end of the world – the muggle way. And I haven't slept in days." 'God, please, let him leave me alone,' he prayed, his stomach feeling like a huge metal ball.
Lucius nodded. "Sure," he said, putting an arms around him, gently leading him to the sofa. "I know just the right thing to help you relax."
"Where are the mudblood's parents?" Ron asked. 'Great, how inconspicuous. Now he'll know something's wrong.' Ron kicked himself mentally.
But Lucius only laughed. "They are upstairs in their room. But I don't want them to watch out reunion, darling. As much as it would turn you on."
Ron was relieved. His stupidity hadn't screwed the whole plan. He was safe. 'Hey, wait a minute! Reunion?'
Lucius started kissing him again, and Ron's mind was racing. 'Think, think, think!'
"What was that?" Lucius' head jerked up. "Did you hear that?" he asked, grabbing his wand.
Ron shook his head. He'd been too busy being frightened.
"I think it came from the kitchens," Lucius said.
+~*#
"What promises, son?" Lucius drawled.
Draco turned around, a smug expression on his face. "Ah, father. Finished already?"
Lucius' eyes narrowed. "I thought you knew your place." He raised his wand. "But maybe I'll have to teach you again."
Draco's expression was unreadable. "I merely promised the mudblood to kill her. After she watched her parents die," he added. "I think Pansy explained it all to you?"
Lucius lips curled into a cruel smile. "She told me you got yourself a Weasley whore, and a slave of your own," he said, pointing to Ginny and Colin.
"If you want to put it that way. I always thought in the lines of 'devoted followers'." Draco crossed his arms.
Lucius' smile became less cruel. He nodded. "Good, son. It seems you finally have found the right way."
A/N: I'm not sure where to go from here. I'll have to write the showdown for one of the next chapters, most likely chapter seventeen, and I have no clue as to how this will happen. But I can tell you that everyone will have a role to play.
However, and much as I would like to update soon, I'm afraid I won't be able to for some time. I'm really busy right now.
So, thanks again for the reviews. And keep reading.
donotsrock