Draco was rooted to the floor, but not by fear. He was firmly planted in
place by use of a binding spell. He was unaware of when he had begun to
stand or if it was even by his own strength. He looked up and laid eyes
upon Lord Voldemort for the first time in his life. He tried to turn around
and run but he couldn't move. He realized he needed to act quickly: he was
under the Imperius curse. Draco immediately began to try to force the Dark
Lord out of his head. It was futile, Draco Malfoy was no match for Lord
Voldemort. "Legilimens!"
Draco was rushing through his mind, memories flashing past. The time he broke his mother's 'favourite' vase and was beaten for it. His quidditch losses. His sixteenth birthday, which he spent sitting around in his room. The time he had shot a filibuster firework at the old house elf. Suddenly he realized the approach of two secrets that he couldn't let the Dark Lord know. The Guild was coming up, and right next to it were his feelings for Hermione, a mudblood. Either way it meant death for someone. Suddenly he realized that his memories were being scanned through at an increasing rate. He could only redirect the flow, he couldn't stop it until it reached one of those two memories. After one was discovered, he would need time to push his satisfaction at finding it. It would provide a distraction. Draco picked the one that proved he was not meant for Slytherin. He made the least selfish decision he would ever make in his life. He picked the one that would condemn him and spare the others. He gave up his love for Hermione.
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Hermione and Ron sat on the train. The younger members of the Order who had been sent to Beauxbatons would be sent back in time for school, they had really only been sent so that they could feel a part of the Order. The girls could still attend for the year as exchange students to the all girls French school. The boys, which only really included Colin Creevey and four others, would be sent back within the next few weeks, which would likely remain uneventful. They would all need to transfer from the train to a flying horse drawn carriage. There was no other way to reach the school. Ron held Hermione in his arms, she lay dozing. The early rays of the sun were penetrating the trees on the side of the tracks. He pulled her close and whispered three words into her ear. A slight smile spread across her lips. He whispered another set of words for which Hermione instead sat up, turned around and playfully punched his arm. Then she said, "Well, maybe later." Suddenly she sat bolt upright. Something about her intuition told her to be afraid for her life.
"What's wrong?" Ron looked worried.
"Nothing, just a chill." She lay down to a fitful rest in her Fiancee's arms.
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"So, you're quite taken with this mudblood I see." Voldemort's lipless grin spread across his snakelike face. "Why don't we remove the distraction."
Draco remained as calm as he could. "She is engaged, to a Weasley nonetheless. There is no point, they'll all be dead soon anyway." Suddenly he found himself fighting back tears. There was no way that he could let the Dark Lord let him see his pain.
"She broke your heart did she?"
Draco suddenly felt the need to come clean. He was prepared to die here if it meant anything. "I was cruel."
"Cruel? She's a mudbllood!"
Suddenly a memory of Harry yelling in the middle of one of Professor Umbridge's poorly done Defence Against the Dark Arts Classes that the Dark Lord was a mudblood himself. "You should die too then! You don't even meet your own standards! You do nothing more than hate yourself Voldemort!"
Voldemort was momentarily taken aback. An educated pureblood wizard using his name, to his face no less. Draco took this one moment of surprise to find that he stall had his wand tucked in his belt. The fear had left him the moment he had uttered the forbidden name of any wizard to use. The only other wizards he knew who had ever comfortably used his name had been Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. He immediately screamed the first hex that popped into his mind. "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort had obviously thought that his wand had been taken from him. He was so caught off guard that his own wand went flying three feet. Draco ran then. He ran even though he didn't know the way out.
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Severus reached the empty space of land then thought of the address 137 Sherwood Blvd and a fairly large industrial building appeared to rise from the ground. He then ran inside to quickly reach Voldemort's personal chambers. He hoped he could still find the way. Obviously the other Death Eaters hadn't been informed of his defection - yet. He hurried down the pipelined corridors, hopefully he would reach the main room in time. He suddenly caught sight of something moving at high speed down the hall coming straight towards him. "Draco! This way quick!" Severus turned down the hall, his black robes billowing out behind him. Draco had already caught up with him. Severus ran faster, intent upon getting them both out alive.
----------------------------------------------
The compartment door slid open as Remus did his routine check. He saw that the two had settled comfortably on the bench. She was covered in a blanket and he had his arm around her. He thought better than to tell Ron.
Suddenly there was a scream from another compartment. Neville snapped wide awake, Ginny groggily muttered something under her breath then sat up, still drowsy, but alert. "What was that?"
Remus leapt away from the door, "Stay where you are!" He ran in the direction of the scream, wand drawn he entered the compartment that was the source. He threw open the door and found Hermione writhing on th floor, Ron madly trying to calm her down.
"What happened?"
Ron looked Remus straight in the eye, trying to mask the fear on his face, "She screamed that he'd come for her at last."
Draco was rushing through his mind, memories flashing past. The time he broke his mother's 'favourite' vase and was beaten for it. His quidditch losses. His sixteenth birthday, which he spent sitting around in his room. The time he had shot a filibuster firework at the old house elf. Suddenly he realized the approach of two secrets that he couldn't let the Dark Lord know. The Guild was coming up, and right next to it were his feelings for Hermione, a mudblood. Either way it meant death for someone. Suddenly he realized that his memories were being scanned through at an increasing rate. He could only redirect the flow, he couldn't stop it until it reached one of those two memories. After one was discovered, he would need time to push his satisfaction at finding it. It would provide a distraction. Draco picked the one that proved he was not meant for Slytherin. He made the least selfish decision he would ever make in his life. He picked the one that would condemn him and spare the others. He gave up his love for Hermione.
----------------------------------------------
Hermione and Ron sat on the train. The younger members of the Order who had been sent to Beauxbatons would be sent back in time for school, they had really only been sent so that they could feel a part of the Order. The girls could still attend for the year as exchange students to the all girls French school. The boys, which only really included Colin Creevey and four others, would be sent back within the next few weeks, which would likely remain uneventful. They would all need to transfer from the train to a flying horse drawn carriage. There was no other way to reach the school. Ron held Hermione in his arms, she lay dozing. The early rays of the sun were penetrating the trees on the side of the tracks. He pulled her close and whispered three words into her ear. A slight smile spread across her lips. He whispered another set of words for which Hermione instead sat up, turned around and playfully punched his arm. Then she said, "Well, maybe later." Suddenly she sat bolt upright. Something about her intuition told her to be afraid for her life.
"What's wrong?" Ron looked worried.
"Nothing, just a chill." She lay down to a fitful rest in her Fiancee's arms.
----------------------------------------------
"So, you're quite taken with this mudblood I see." Voldemort's lipless grin spread across his snakelike face. "Why don't we remove the distraction."
Draco remained as calm as he could. "She is engaged, to a Weasley nonetheless. There is no point, they'll all be dead soon anyway." Suddenly he found himself fighting back tears. There was no way that he could let the Dark Lord let him see his pain.
"She broke your heart did she?"
Draco suddenly felt the need to come clean. He was prepared to die here if it meant anything. "I was cruel."
"Cruel? She's a mudbllood!"
Suddenly a memory of Harry yelling in the middle of one of Professor Umbridge's poorly done Defence Against the Dark Arts Classes that the Dark Lord was a mudblood himself. "You should die too then! You don't even meet your own standards! You do nothing more than hate yourself Voldemort!"
Voldemort was momentarily taken aback. An educated pureblood wizard using his name, to his face no less. Draco took this one moment of surprise to find that he stall had his wand tucked in his belt. The fear had left him the moment he had uttered the forbidden name of any wizard to use. The only other wizards he knew who had ever comfortably used his name had been Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. He immediately screamed the first hex that popped into his mind. "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort had obviously thought that his wand had been taken from him. He was so caught off guard that his own wand went flying three feet. Draco ran then. He ran even though he didn't know the way out.
----------------------------------------------
Severus reached the empty space of land then thought of the address 137 Sherwood Blvd and a fairly large industrial building appeared to rise from the ground. He then ran inside to quickly reach Voldemort's personal chambers. He hoped he could still find the way. Obviously the other Death Eaters hadn't been informed of his defection - yet. He hurried down the pipelined corridors, hopefully he would reach the main room in time. He suddenly caught sight of something moving at high speed down the hall coming straight towards him. "Draco! This way quick!" Severus turned down the hall, his black robes billowing out behind him. Draco had already caught up with him. Severus ran faster, intent upon getting them both out alive.
----------------------------------------------
The compartment door slid open as Remus did his routine check. He saw that the two had settled comfortably on the bench. She was covered in a blanket and he had his arm around her. He thought better than to tell Ron.
Suddenly there was a scream from another compartment. Neville snapped wide awake, Ginny groggily muttered something under her breath then sat up, still drowsy, but alert. "What was that?"
Remus leapt away from the door, "Stay where you are!" He ran in the direction of the scream, wand drawn he entered the compartment that was the source. He threw open the door and found Hermione writhing on th floor, Ron madly trying to calm her down.
"What happened?"
Ron looked Remus straight in the eye, trying to mask the fear on his face, "She screamed that he'd come for her at last."