Chapter fourteen

(*ahem* There was originally more swearing in this but then I remembered that this is supposed to be a PG-13… I don't know what that means in British terms… Draco once uttered a whole line full of swear words without stopping!  I took time off to read HP5 (Read it 6 days… that's good for me!)  I can't believe she killed my fave! That's just bloody typical! *cries in the corner*)

"You think he'll be okay now?"

"I doubt it.  He's been through a lot and maybe he'll just want to rest."

"Will he remember anything?"

"I hope so, yet, I also hope he won't.  I wouldn't like to wake up to remember something like that, especially with all the things he did."

"Oh, I hope he'll be alright."

"Look, don't wait here.  Come up and get something to eat.  Relax now; you've been through a lot yourself."

The sound of footsteps up a flight of steps came and then faded.

Draco wasn't totally awake or alert.  His mind was still half asleep and groggy with dizziness and tiredness.  His body had the numb kind of pain you felt when someone gives you a dead arm, he felt paralysed, unable to move or even open his eyes.  Only his mind seemed to be working, the rest of him felt, well, 'dead' was the only word to describe it.  He also had a much deeper pain that seemed to be coming from somewhere deep inside him, this made him feel afraid.  He heard the voices from a distance; they were muffled as if from behind a thick, heavy door.  Lupin and Hermione.

What were they talking about? What had happened? What had he done that was so terrible they hoped he wouldn't remember? He couldn't remember a thing.  Last thing he remembered was him standing by the lake feeling that terrible sense of hypnotising fear and then her.  Who was she? What had she done to him? Was this what the Imperious curse was like? Yes, that had to be it.

He tried to open his eyes but they would not obey the command.  He attempted to sit up too but with the same result.  He grew fearful.  Why couldn't he move? What the hell is happening? He wanted to yell out loud, scream and scream until lungs burst, but he couldn't even do that.  He wanted Hermione; he wanted her beside him telling him that everything was okay.  But it wasn't all okay, something was wrong… horribly wrong.  He could feel it, sense it even.

Thoughts flew through his head, explanations of what was happening and each was more frightening than the last until he reached the final most awful thought.  Was he dead? It was then it hit him… he wasn't breathing; his heart wasn't thumping in his chest the way it normally would when he was this scared.  But, if he was dead, then why was he still here? How could he think these thoughts and how could he feel this pain?  It would have to be Hell…

He willed and fought with all he had to open his eyes, with great effort he eventually managed to open them to see where he was.  He couldn't have been dead, he was awake.  He heaved himself up into a sitting position, the pain increased then faded to the numb feeling again.

The room was a rather large stone room with a huge fireplace at the opposite wall from his double bed, no fire was blazing yet he did not feel cold.  His bed was coloured in purple and gold and the rugs on the stone floor matched it.  Paintings with their inhabitants missing hung up on the walls and there was one window with its shutters locked tightly over it, making only the slightest bit of late afternoon light seep through.  A tall, dusty mirror sat in one corner and a golden chandelier hung neatly from the ceiling.  The purple curtains around his bed were not closed over; he reached for a small clock which sat on a wooden bedside cabinet just beside him.  It flashed '17:46'

He sat up properly and stretched, the pain was ebbing away slowly.  Perhaps it was just stiffness, he thought.  He went to yawn but no air went in or out.  The panic returned like a huge lead weight being dropped on him.  He put his hand to his chest but no pounding heart met it.  Instead his hand met something cold and small.  He looked at it in his hand and saw a small and familiar cross hanging around his neck from his own thick chain.  It had black smoke swirling around in the crystal but he did not look at it for long. He looked down and his eyes widened at the sight of his hand. 

It was deathly pale, practically white.  He turned both of them over again and again in hope that it was just an illusion but it was real.  His fingers were longer and thinner, very spider-like in their eerie movement.  His nails were shiny and clear almost like glass.  They were never like this before, were they? He swore then sighed softly to himself before rubbing his face.  His features were sharper and more defined.  His vision in the dark was very clear.  He could see every last detail of the room in this darkness as if it was in daylight.

Draco stood up, holding onto a bedpost for support as his dizziness came back swiftly.  He walked shakily towards the mirror but stopped before he got there as he felt something burn his face.  He turned to see a small ray of light was hitting his face.  It burned slightly at first but it soon grew unbearable.  He jumped away quickly but he kept his eye on the window.  Without thinking, he approached the window and opened the shutters.  He didn't know why but he was curious to see what would happen, he regretted it.

The light hit him like a thousand sharp and hot knives, it hurt his eyes, his skin felt as if it was burning as he stood there.  He yelled in pain and dived back over to the bed, hiding under the covers like he used to as a scared child.  His eyes watered, a red sea of tears forming in his eyes.  He would not cry over this, he did not allow himself to.  Now he realised what had happened to him but he did not want to believe it.  He wouldn't believe it...

*~*~*~*

"Maybe we should go down and check on him…" Hermione was being very twitchy and impatient.

"Relax.  He's not going anywhere, it's daytime!" Ron shrugged before he made a reach for the last potato.

Harry got there first and stole it, "Yeah, he'll be fine.  I'm sure of it." He took a bite out of the potato and grinned at Ron.  Ron glared.

"Do you think he'll be able to bring Professor Dumbledore back round?" Hermione pushed a couple of peas around her plate.

"If he can't no one can.  He did it!" Harry replied.

"I'll just be glad when everything gets back to some kind of normality!" Hermione laughed, she took the last chicken leg as Ron was reaching for it.  He hit his head off the table.

"Same here," Harry nodded.  "It will be strange.  You know, one of us being the living dead and all that.  Hey, this could get funny! Uncle Vernon let me do what I wanted, sort of; when he found out that my godfather was a 'mass murderer'.  What will he do if I told him I had a vampire for a friend! Dudley will wet himself! I can see it now!" Harry's face went blank in thought.  "Maybe I should invite Draco over when Dudley has his friends over for a party… yeah… Big D won't be so big then…"

"Once you are quite finished plotting the total humiliation of your cousin, I'd like to go and see if Draco is awake yet," Hermione laughed as she stood up.  "In case he gets scared or something."

"Of what? The dark?" Ron sniggered.

"Very funny!" Hermione rolled her eyes, "He might be awake and waiting, bored or something."

"He can amuse himself.  I'm sure he's happy enough down there," Harry nodded.

*~*~*~*

In fact, Draco was feeling the total opposite.  As Hermione found out when she walked into his chamber in the South tower.

She knocked first.  "Draco? You awake yet?" she asked.  No answer.  She opened the door.

Draco was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the unlit fireplace unblinking and not moving.

"Oh good, you're awake." Draco didn't look up.  Hermione tried to smile but there was something about him that prevented her.  There was a fearful and weird atmosphere surrounding him.  Her first impression was that the spell hadn't worked but he was wearing the cross and it wasn't burning him so it must've worked.  Then what was wrong?

She approached cautiously.  "Are you okay?" she sat down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Draco twitched and shrugged her off, standing up and staring down at her with a mixture of fear and emotional pain.  He still said nothing.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of me?" she looked hurt.

Draco seemed to weaken.  His face broke into a softer look and he closed his eyes with a sigh.  "No…" his voice was barely above a whisper, "I'm scared of myself." He looked down at his hands and flexed them.

It then hit Hermione that he had not remembered anything and he had just found out that he was a vampire, the hard way.

Hermione shook her head, "Oh Draco," she stood up and made a move to hug him but he climbed over the bed away from her.

"Get away from me!" he hissed.

"What? Why are you avoiding me? I went through a lot to bring you back from that horrible place.  We all went through Hell to get rid of that evil thing that took over you and this is how you thank me?"

"Why? Why did you bring me back to this?" he yelled in anger, throwing his arms in the air and gesturing to himself, "Why the hell did you bring me back to this fucking curse? I have nothing to thank you for!" Draco was shouting over the bed at her, glaring and trembling.  His pale and sharp featured face looked more sinister than it ever had with his rage.  Hermione had never seen him this enraged.  She was not going to stand there and let him act this way towards her after what they had been through for him.

"I thought you'd be happy to be away from that place! To give you another chance but oh no, you're not grateful at all! I should have just left you there to suffer if I had of known that this is how you'd react! I should have just let that evil spirit stay in charge of you and let it make you hurt and kill more people than it did before I saved you! I talked to you when you were trapped in that place and you seemed very keen on the idea so don't you try to say it's my fault!" Hermione was getting just as enraged, "You don't want to stay here like this?  Fine, then take that cross off! Go on! End this now! Take it off and return to the way you were if it will make you happier! Let it kill me!" She was shouting just as ferociously.

Draco's expression stayed hard and emotionless as he stared at the furious girl.  "How would you feel in my position? Would you be all calm and thankful? I am anything but that Hermione… How can you expect me to be that towards anyone right now? I don't care what I said in that place, I can't remember being there… Shit, I can't remember anything! But it was surely better there than it is here now! You all should have just killed it! Ended my suffering for good rather than bringing me back to this!" he kicked over the bedside cabinet just beside him.  It crashed to the wall with such a force, it shattered.  The clock smashed on the ground and an ornamental dragon took flight and refuge on the chandelier, roaring and breathing flames at Draco angrily.

Hermione jumped but her rage stopped her from being afraid of him, she had too much to get off her chest.  "How about I kill you now? Would that make you happy? WOULD IT?"

Draco walked round the bed to stand in front of her.  He stood close to her and looked her in the eye, invisible sparks flying in between them.  "Go on then! Kill me now! It'll satisfy us both!" he was still shouting as if he was no closer to her than a few seconds ago.   Hermione winced but did not move from where she was standing.  She was feeling rage but at the same time disappointment and sadness, this was not how she wanted it to be.

When Hermione did not answer or move, it infuriated Draco further.  "Well…" he grabbed her and pinned her up against the wall, "GO ON THEN… OR DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TELL ME? LIKE ME BECOMING A PREFORMING MONKEY IN A PINK TUTU DURING THE FULL MOON… HUH?"  He shook her.

Now she was scared of him.  He had never been this angry when she was around but he was scary.  There was a glint of madness in his wide eyes, his teeth were bared in anger so his fangs just added to the effect and he was shaking.  His eyes were blazing in fury; the faint shimmer in them indicated rage.

She replied shakily but determinedly and still slightly furious with him.  "It won't satisfy me! I helped to bring you back for more than saving you… I wanted you back! I wanted the Draco I had known to be back with me.  I wanted to be able to have him in my arms and love him! Yes, you heard me… I loved you! But you are not the Draco I had wanted back! You are the ungrateful, ill-tempered and huffy little bastard I knew from first year! I don't know why I even bothered to save you!"

  She made an attempt to slap him but Draco's reflexes were quicker, he had pushed her to her left quicker than she could raise her hand.  Hermione screamed as she slid onto the rug and hit into the mirror that was standing beside the wall, it fell and shattered with a loud crash just to her right side, inches from her body.  She lay there unmoving and didn't attempt to get back up; instead, sobs could be heard from under her arm where she had buried her face in fear.  She was stunned at what had just happened, terrified now of Draco she would not dare to face him again.  She sobbed harder at the fact that he would do that to her, especially after all she had done to save him.

Draco stood there, completely shocked at his own actions.  He had not meant to hurt her… he did not intent to throw her but his anger had obviously taken control of him.  He stood and continued to face the wall, not turning round, not even to see if Hermione was okay after he heard the mirror crash.  He was shaking badly and the anger had drained out of him as quickly as it had erupted, he now felt scared of himself again and he felt even worse for attacking Hermione the way he had.  He thought about what she had said and he just felt worse, guilt drowning out the anger that was left boiling inside him.  She was only trying to help, she was thinking of him when no one else would've given him a second thought.  She had went through so much to bring him back in hope that he would be happy… or rather so that they would be happy together.  It was all sinking in.

Draco turned and closed his eyes, putting his head in his hands he slid down the wall to sit on the floor.  He felt tears prick the backs of his eyes and as much as he fought them… they fell down his face and onto the ground leaving a stain of blood.  What had he done? What had he become?

Hermione finally sat up and looked at Draco, blood oozing out from her lip and from just above her eye.  She saw Draco curled up against the wall to her right, just over the shattered mirror.  He looked like a small child that had just received a severe telling off; she saw that a drop of weak blood dropped from his face onto the floor from under his arm.  Was he feeling the same way she did?

Draco turned his head to look at her at that moment as if he had read her thoughts.  His white face was streaked with dried blood from his tears but as soon as he saw her watching him, he rubbed them furiously away, trying to conceal them.  She had never known Draco to cry, he must've been very scared.  Draco did not cry.

I'm sorry… a pathetic whimper of a voice came into Hermione's head.  She gasped and jumped yet continued to stare at Draco.  Was it him? Vampires could pass on thoughts to others after all… did he know that though? I'm so sorry…I know that's not enough after what I have done but… it's all I can think of to say… I am grateful for what you have done for me… I'm just so scared, please… help me… He closed his eyes and turned away.  I understand if you never want to see me again… you can go now and I will not bother you again…

Hermione was convinced that it was him.  She forgot all of her anger and began to feel sorry for him.  She didn't know what he was going through but she knew it must be the scariest, most horrible thing for him.  She gingerly crawled over the mirror and sat beside him, putting her arms around him.  "It's okay…" that's all she could think of to say to him. 

Draco sighed and let her hug him; it comforted him slightly to know that someone cared for him, even if no one else will now that he was no longer human.  "I hate this… why did this happen?"

Hermione hesitated, "I don't know," she lied although she knew fine rightly why this was done to him.  Harry had explained it all to her after they had left Draco in this chamber.  The truth about Voldemort would only scare him more, if that were even possible.

"I heard you and wolf man talking earlier… you were hoping I'd forget because of the things I had done… what did I do?" he looked over at her.

Hermione fixed her cloak so it covered the bite marks on her neck, knowing that he had tried to kill her would only drive him further into madness.  "It wasn't you, you didn't know you were doing it," was all she said to him.

"Did I kill anyone?" he whispered, dreading the answer.

"No, but it did make you attack people."

"Attack who? Did I hurt anyone?"

"Well, Dumbledore for one…"

"WHAT?!" Draco yelled as he jumped up out of her embrace.  The look on his face was almost comical.

"Well, it attacked Dumbledore… and no one can bring him round.  Only you can!"

Draco was silent for a while before he laughed shortly and ran a hand through his hair, "Well… this is just great isn't it? I'm the only one who can bring him round… and I don't remember a thing…" he laughed again. "This just keeps getting better and better…" he smiled sarcastically.

Hermione groaned loudly, "Great! Just… great!" she hit the floor with her fist.  "Could you at least try? I know you don't know what you did but… please try!"

"Are you bloody mad woman? If you let me loose on the old guy when he's unconscious and with me only just assuming what I did to him… I'd kill him!"

"We'll be there to help…" she lied, how could they help?

"I won't, I can't! And nothing that you do or say will change that!" he folded his arms determinedly, "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I might kill him and then it'll be Draco back in the bad books for trying to help… not that I'll already be there seeing as I'm a mad horrible vampire!"

Hermione smiled for the first time in a while as she stood up and walked over to him, "You are not horrible… mad, yes… but not horrible!" she reached up and gave him a kiss on his cold lips.  Draco blinked and didn't know which was more shocking; the feeling of warmth coming off her onto his cold body or the fact that she voluntarily kissed him.  "Please try… they can't blame you for trying to fix this." She gave him 'that look'.  He hated that, he always found it hard to refuse when girls did this… it wasn't fair!

Draco groaned, "Alright! But if I mess up and the old guy gets turned into mush and everyone chases me with torches and pitchforks… I will come back to haunt you for the rest of your life!"

*~*~*~*

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE GONE?"

"I-I mean… they've… well… gone… not here… escaped…"

Voldemort took a deep breath to calm himself, "How… could they… have gotten away?" he breathed.  "I was so close!"

"They both just… disappeared into thin air… apparated."

"If Potter could apparate, do you not think he would've done it while I was torturing him? He can't apparate! Only Malfoy could-" he stopped.  Malfoy.

The Death Eater swallowed, "M-master?"

"But… he was on… he was… how?" Voldemort was confused.  "What exactly happened?"

"Well, we trapped them both, Potter and Malfoy, and then they just vanished."

"Was Malfoy… aiding Potter or hindering?"

"Aiding… they seemed to be on rather good terms with each other…"

Voldemort cracked.  He turned round swiftly and thundered, "DONATO! DARIO! RAVEN! DOWN HERE…NOW!!!"

Three much shaken vampires stumbled down the stairs in a matter of seconds.  Dario was in such a panicked state, he tripped over on the last step, making him fall straight into the other two, resulting in a pile up at the bottom of the stone steps and a lot of complaining.

"OUCH! Damn you Dari! You great klutz!"

"I'm sorry!"

"HEY! Watch the eyes mate! You're elbowing them! I was sorta planning on using them you know!"

"I'm sorry!"

"OWE! Bloody hell Don! Watch those teeth of yours!"

A muffled response, "I can't help it! Someone is sitting on my head!"

"I'M SORRY GOD DAMNIT!"

"Ahem… " Silence, "once you are quite finished, I'd like a word.  Up, all of you!"

The three vampires untangled themselves with great effort and stood up straight in front of their master, all dreading what was to come, he did not look happy.

What did we do now? Donato's voice filled the heads of the other two.

Must be bad… look at the colour of his face! Give a beetroot a run for its money… and he's normally as pale as we are! Dario replied, his eyes scanning Voldemort's face.

"Now," their master began, "I want to ask you all something and it is very important." His tone of voice was unusually calm; it unnerved the three of them.  "What exactly happens when you turn someone into one of you?" he stalked over to a large armchair in front of a long wooden table and he stared at the three powerful creatures tremble in front of him over arched fingers.

Their eyes widened, this was a totally unexpected question.  None spoke for a while before Dario spoke up.  "Can I ask why you want to know sir?" he asked timidly from under his long black and white fringe.

"Why?" he laughed softly, "I'LL TELL YOU WHY!"  He thundered, standing up and thumping his fist off the table so they heard the legs beneath it groan in protest.  The three of them jumped and hopped backwards in alarm before Dario and Raven hid behind Donato automatically in fear.  "SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG! MALFOY HAS BETRAYED US ONCE AGAIN AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT! HE SHOULD BE FOREVER AT MY SIDE! HE HAS STARTED HELPING POTTER AGAIN AND HELPED HIM GET AWAY FROM ME; I WILL NOT STAND FOR THAT! EXPLAIN!" None of them moved or spoke, none of them dared until Voldemort yelled again, "WELL?!"

Donato opened and closed his mouth several times but not being able to produce a sound until he eventually managed to stammer, "I-I-I… I don't k-know ss-sir…" he shook his head as he stared at the ground.  "P-perhaps the s-spirit wasn't strong e-enough…"

"Spirit?" Voldemort sat back down into his seat again.

"Yes.  That's what happens apparently… that's why you turn evil when you become a vampire… but then again… it should never be scared away no matter how weak…" Donato was more confident but now as confused.

A small mousy voice could be heard in his head, uh-oh… it was Raven.

'Uh-oh' what? Now's not a good time for 'uh-oh'! Dario's voice followed.

What's up Raven? Donato asked, almost not wanting to hear.

It's my fault! I didn't complete the ritual! I forgot all about it! I've never done it before and… oh God, I'm in so much trouble! She sounded frantic.

What do we tell him? Dario asked the two others.

Do we tell him about the ritual? Donato thought this to himself more than to the others.

NO! He'll kill me!

We have to tell him something!

"Hmmm, yes I heard of that. The soul being replaced once life has been drained, the spirit settling once the blood is taken back… Raven, you are the one who bit him… what happened?"

Raven swallowed, "Nothing… I mean the usual stuff…"

Voldemort stared into the girl's lime green and red eyes and glared in silence for a moment, "You are lying to me girl!" he hissed, "I can tell by your eyes… what did you do?" he had now stood up and had begun to walk over to her.

Once again she took refuge behind Donato and Dario.  "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry! I-I forgot about the last part! I-I-" she had ran out of things to say.

"What do you mean you forgot the last part?" he moved closer, rage etched on every part of his face and posture.

"I… I… forgot, then I didn't think it would matter that much because he seemed fine…" she quickly answered, moving further away, dragging the two boys with her who both seemed intent on getting out of Voldemort's firing range.

Voldemort snarled, "You thought it wouldn't matter?" he got out his wand and sent the two boys flying to either side so he could clearly see the terrified girl.  "And you call yourself a vampire? OUT!" he added to the boys and pointed at the door.  They didn't need telling twice, they were practically tripping up the stairs to get out quick enough, in case he had second thoughts.  The Death Eaters that were standing in the room watched them scarper, wishing that they were leaving too.

Red streaks appeared down Raven's face along with tears of thick blood.  She continued to back away from her raging master but finally backed into the cold stone wall, no escape, she couldn't concentrate enough to disapparate she was that scared.

"You have failed me Raven. You failed to do what I asked, resulting in me losing the chance to finally get my hands on Potter! I will not stand for that! Unfortunately for you I am not in a good mood right now!" he grabbed her by the collar and threw her into the centre of the room.  She lay there in fear of him, shaking and sobbing. 

Voldemort didn't speak to her again, he opened the shutters letting in the strong mid- morning light and walked out, not thinking twice about her screams or pleads for help and forgiveness.

He beckoned to the Death Eaters to follow him and he shut the door behind them.  All of them pushed past the two boys who were horrified at hearing their friend's screaming and crying and listening as it died away into silence once again.

Dario and Donato winced and stared at each other, silently agreeing never to get on the wrong side of their master.

(Any good? I had to get rid of her… she started to annoy  me when I was trying to come up with an ending, which I have decided on and I am not allowed to change! Nicky gets to hit me if I do and I don't want that! This was originally a HELL of a lot shorter but I decided to add on that end part with Voldie… Nicky complained it was too short without it! She can't have her say this time cos she is in Lanzarote… on a beach somewhere flirting with boys I bet… lucky! It's raining here… look, before I go insane, just read the song I decided to use… C yas!)

Bring me to Life- Evanescence ( I love Evanescence!)

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?

Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb?

Without a soul;

My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,

Until you find it there and lead it back home.

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

Call my name and save me from the dark.

(Wake me up)

Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)

Before I come undone

(Save me)

Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without

You can't just leave me.

Breathe into me and make me real.

Bring me to life.

[Chorus]

Bring me to life.

I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.

Bring me to life.

Frozen inside without your touch, without your love, darling.

Only you are the life among the dead.

All of this time I can't believe I couldn't see

Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

Got to open my eyes to everything

Without a thought without a voice without a soul

Don't let me die here there must be something more.

Bring me to life.