A/N Thanks so much to Lana_la_banana who edits all of my chapters and catches stuff that I never ever would notice! Check out her story New World, New Views!
Shades of Gray
Chapter 5- The Rescue
Draco sat desolately in the small holding room at the Ministry of Magic with his hands braced against his knees. Two bulky guards stood menacingly in front of the only door, efficiently blocking the only way in and the only way out. His mother was laying on another hard wooden bench placed across the room from him. Her silky hair cascaded down the side of the bench, rippling almost like ocean waves when she stirred in her unconscious state. He sighed and wondered how much longer they would be held captive within this small claustrophobic room. After two hours of restlessly pacing and muttering angrily beneath his breath, Draco had succumbed to the temptation and sat down onto the unwelcoming bench. The two guards probably thought he was insane, he thought wryly. No normal person mutters constantly for two hours. But Draco sobered up with his next thought. No, they already think I'm a Death Eater. It can't get much worse than that.
Outrageous consequences and punishments raced through his mind at all times. Then again, this was an outrageous situation.
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Hermione leaned down and grasped the rough handle of the duffel bag. She picked it up and stumbled with the shock of the weight.
"Great Merlin, Tonks, what did you stuff in here!" Tonks' head popped in from the doorway and she smiled sheepishly.
"Pretty much everything in your room. I shrunk it all and loaded it all in, but I've never been very good at that particular charm. I usually can get all the items shrunk, but every once in a while the weight doesn't decrease along with the size. Sorry." Hermione simply shook her head, amused and dragged the bag along behind her. Her feet plodded along the bright hallways and her freshly washed hair swung with the rhythm of her feet. This was the best she had felt in the past week. She was finally going to get out of this sanitary prison. Every time she had taken a walk through the tiled hallways, she almost always encountered weeping women and bawling children. Every room seemed to scream pain. It was enough to get Hermione out of bed at the prospect of escaping this place.
So here she was, plodding into a small room that contained Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and a portkey. She ignored the pity that seemed to roll off of Professor McGonagall; she knew that her intentions were good, but the pity was just hurting Hermione more. Dumbledore seemed to understand her feelings on this matter and briskly asked Hermione and Tonks to step forward. Everyone grasped the Portkey in the form of an old metal spoon . Four pairs of feet slammed into carpeted floors, Hermione slightly off balance. Soon she was shown to a painting of a man and a woman, both in white togas, fighting. It hit Hermione that the two in the painting were shining with an ethereal light.
"Professor, are they-?"
"Yes, they are gods. It's Hera and Zeus. They are always bickering. It seems that Hera just cannot let all of Zeus' affairs go."
Hermione's eyes widened in shock as Hera physically threw herself at Zeus, and as a reward, narrowly missed getting electrocuted by a bolt of lightening.
"I thought that I would be staying in the normal dormitories. It would be just more hassle to have to move all of my stuff over to the dormitories again once school starts." Professor McGonagol simply smiled in a secretive sort of way, and responded quickly to answer her question.
"You won't be moving once the school year starts. This is the entrance to the rooms for the Head Boy and Head Girl." Hermione's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about the position she'd been striving for ever since first year. And she had succeeded. Her face broke out in a huge grin that seemed to be trying to overtake her entire face. It faded as she realized that she wouldn't be able to tell her parents. They had believed in her through thick and thin, pushing her to set high goals and achieve them. She wouldn't have been half the person she was today without their guidance. Her tired face crumpled as the fact that she would never again see them, talk to them, or hear their voices hit her. She felt the hard stone wall against her back as she slowly slid down to the solid floor. Her hair fell smoothly in front of her eyes, shielding her face from the view of her professor. Bitter, hot tears swam out of her eyes and splattered silently on her shaking fingers. And once again, Hermione cried.
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The heavy door squeaked and swung inward, narrowly missing the sharp corner on the rough bench. Draco leapt up from where he had been slouching against the wall. By the time the figure swept through the door, he was leaning casually against the white walls in a composed manner. After all, Malfoys did not slouch. It was just one of the many unwritten rules in the Malfoy household. He caught a glimpse of a white beard before he quickly realized that Albus Dumbledore had come to see him. Needless to say he was quite surprised, seeing as he was among the last people he expected to see, right alongside Potter.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy. I believe that we have some situations to discuss," said the headmaster.
"I suppose we do. Though why you are the one discussing it is beyond me." Dumbledore ignored the impertinence, as usual, and plunged forward into the conversation.
"I assume that you already know the aurors want to put you on trial?" A curt nod from Draco quickly answered the lingering question, and his hands tightly gripping the arm of the bench betrayed his nervousness.
"As for your trial, I have managed to successfully release you from the charges. Apparently I still hold influence when the Minister of Magic is not around." Draco's hands relaxed from their death grip. But the headmaster was apparently not finished.
"However, there are some aspects of the settlement that you may disagree with." The icy cool of Draco's face twitched almost imperceptibly in apprehension of the compromising he may have to deal with.
"One of them is that your permanent residence will be at Hogwarts, and that you will be under my constant supervision. Another is that all contact with your mother or your father, if he is caught, will be completely cut off. The final one is that you will be forced to have weekly talks with a professor of your choice in a sort of therapeutic way." Draco sat still for a second, still waiting for more consequences. When no more were thrown his way, he looked quizzically upwards.
"Is that all?" he asked, daring to feel relieved.
"Yes. But the issue of which professor will be helping you get through these difficult times is not yet resolved."
"Oh, that's easy. Professor Snape, of course." When Dumbledore fixed him with a knowing look, he felt almost angry that the headmaster seemed to find him so predicatable. Draco looked into the twinkling blue eyes, and, for the first time in his life, he wanted to confide in someone. The irony that he wanted to spill out his conscience to a man he had openly despised for the past six years did not escape his notice. But once again, Dumbledore seemed to know this, and gently asked,
"Do you want to ask me anything, Mr. Malfoy?" Swallowing the new feelings of trust that had emerged, he decided to try and talk to the one person he knew he could trust with his life.
"Could I talk to Professor Snape?" Looking a bit disappointed, the man nodded and rose to his feet.
"He's actually nearby. I'm sure he'd like to talk to you. I look forward to seeing you this summer Mr. Malfoy." The only response he got was a chilly look blasted in his direction. Never let it be said that Draco didn't mask his feeling when needed. Professor Dumbledore walked through the door, and his presence was replaced with the two stocky bodyguards that reminded him of Crabbe and Goyle.
After sitting on the bench with increasing discomfort for what seemed like hours, which in reality was about half an hour, the reassuring presence of Draco's Head of House swept through the doors. Snape never seemed to lost his flair for the dramatic. The gloomy presence only reassured the boy, and he glanced quickly over the unconscious body of his mother that had been bothering him for awhile. Not that he would ever admit it, but he knew that his professor would interpret the action in the correct way.
"May we please be put in a different cell?" asked Severus in a ominous tone. The uneasy glances that the guards sent to one another caused the edgy professor to snap.
"For Merlin's sake, it's not as if I could spirit the boy away surrounded by the entire Ministry! Besides, I am a Hogwarts professor!" Sighing in an extremely dull way, the shorter of the two guards moved sluggishly to a nearby room, keeping a very suspicious eye on the two of them. The both of them sank into yet another pair of uncomfortable benches that faced one another.
"What do you want to talk about Mr. Malfoy?" Draco sent a tense look his way, and slowly pulled down his barriers.
"Professor..I…I don't know what I'm going to do," sputtered the normally composed student. The professor's look became intent as he realized that this talk was going to be different than any other he had ever had with the boy.
"Do about what, Draco?" he said, dropping to a more informal and welcoming tone. Well, as welcoming as Snape could bear to sound.
"My…father expects me to be initiated after this year. And I don't know what I should do."
"I cannot tell you what to do. But what do you want to do? Not what your father wants, what you desire."
"I want power more than most things. But I don't think I want to grovel at the feet of a half-human. However, I know that I am too ambitious for my own good and freely admit this fault to you." The lack of response confirmed what Draco had suspected for years. Professor Snape was a spy. No loyal Death Eater wouldn't punish him for openly degrading their lord. Deciding not to mention his confirmed suspicions, he simply waited for the reply.
"It is in my experience that everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." The blonde let a puzzled expression slide across his features.
"Sir?"
"Perhaps if you tried to find yourself, the answer would be revealed to you."
"How do I do that?" asked Draco bewildered.
"That's one thing you will have to discover yourself." Draco groaned.
Just what he needed. A time to find his inner strength and conquer self-doubt.
Perfect.
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Narcissa's trial came earlier than anyone expected, the date being a short day later than the surprisingly honest talk with Professor Snape. Draco assumed that the date was so soon because some feared Lucius would try and save his family. Obviously they never knew him personally or else they would know that his father always put his own hide before others. He would never risk getting hurt himself to help another, even his own family.
Soon Draco still found himself sitting on another uncomfortable bench! It seemed the Ministry was determined to make every single one of it's guests, or prisoners, feel as if standing for hours was a better option. Perhaps it was to keep Fudge awake when he was present. Draco sniggered internally. The tubby Minister stuffed himself full of so many delicacies that sleep was a common occurrence, even in the most inappropriate places; such as trials. A sharp rap of a gavel brought Draco out of his private ridicule-fest. For the next few hours, evidence was brought forward of Dark Art materials present in the house, such as torture weapons, and forbidden books full of secrets no man should know. Throughout the entire trial, Narcissa Malfoy sat as cool and calm as glass, with an impenetrable, icy look of disdain plastered onto her face. It was no surprise when a verdict came back as guilty. Before the two ministry officials could grasp the fragile woman's arms, Narcissa Malfoy whipped around, searching for someone in the crowd.
As her icy eyes settled on her son, they softened for a second. Her eyes seemed to send a feeling of slight regret and a pinch of compassion, along with the normal impassionate feelings. Draco's eyes widened. This was the largest display of maternal display ever present in his entire life, even as a small child. It seemed that Narcissa possessed human feelings after all. No one would have realized the difference in her eyes except for Draco, and he realized what she was doing.
His mother was saying goodbye.
He felt a twinge of sadness as his mother was led away, impassive as her blond hair swung as she turned away. As the crowd of people and numerous reporters turned to leave, a very thin ministry official cleared his throat from the center of the room.
"Because of Narcissa Malfoy's conviction and Lucius Malfoy's illegal activities, all assets and wealth of the two will be transferred to the trust fund of Draco Malfoy." concluded the man in a rather nasaly voice. Cocking one eyebrow in surprise and not a small amount of smugness, the only heir to the Malfoy fortune swept out of the courtroom in a fashion to rival Snape.
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Draco stood silently in the doorway of the Manor, addressing the house elves.
"I expect you to keep the Manor in good shape while I am away at school. I will not be coming home for Christmas, but will return after the school year permanently. If you get any visitors that have been welcome in this house before, give them a room to stay in but keep the more private wings of the mansion closed off to them. Treat them with respect." With those last words, the blond boy cast one last glance at the swooping arches and grand paintings of his home. The doors swung shut as he walked away, his luggage levitating behind him. He had tried to be discreet in telling the house elves to let any of his father's friends use the more public parts of the mansion, which he knew his father expected. After debating internally for hours after his talk with Professor Snape, he had decided to act normal to everyone else. After all, he didn't know what he would do. Yet. He walked up to Professor Snape, all the while still being flanked by the increasingly annoying guards.
"You presence will no longer by needed," Said professor Snape, addressing the two men. They nodded stupidly and apparated away.
He grabbed the portkey with the Potions professor, and they were whirled into the Great Hall. Draco stumbled backward, but not from the force of landing. It was the figure that he had sighted walking into a hall a few feet away from him.
"Granger!" She whirled around, her hair spinning wildly.
"Malfoy!"
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A/N—Alright! They finally meet! I know that took awhile, but this chapter was at least twice as long as my others, and I really like it! I decided not to put Draco on trial, after much thought. I thought Dumbledore would fight so his student wouldn't be put in jail. Narcissa was thrown away, I thought it fit. Any suggestions? Advice? Review! Like it? Review!
I wrote a poem to go along with the story, but I'm not sure how to put it in there. IDEAS! PLEASE HELP!
CHOICES FOR NEXT CHAPTER
1- Hermione's appearance has changed but not drastically
2- Hermione's appearance has changed drastically
3- Draco and Hermione start fighting right away
4- Draco is told he is Head Boy
5- Draco isn't told or even isn't Head Boy!
6- Draco has to go to another session with Professor Snape
THANKS TO ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU!
Orelira- Thanks so much—I tried to make this chapter longer and I feel happy with it. Closer relationship with Dumbledore? Hmmmm…good idea! I'll think on it. The first paragraph was kind of like her trying not to think about the incident and focusing on other stuff. Trying not to deal with the pain kind of thing.
Crazy Poet—Thanks so much. That was that most uplifting review I've ever gotten. By the way—I wrote the poem, but I'm not sure how to interpret it into the story—HELP! It's titled His Perfect Façade
Teresa—Yeah, this story is dramatic. It'll have some comical moment, but predominatly dramatic. My other story, Embrace the Darkness, isn't really very dramatic, but I'm not really happy with it right now.
SquorpionLady—Lucius might be caught later…maybe.
EricaG.—Thanks for the review—I've actually never heard an Oscar Meyer commercial!
Nay- Thanks for reviewing
Devotchka92- Thanks for reviewing
Darkening Sky—I tried to make this chapter longer—and it took a really long time, I know. Well, I hope you enjoyed it!
Amneris Malfoy—Yes there will be a definite slash between Hermione and Draco. Of course, I wish I was Hermione a lot of the time, but I'm not going to put myself into the story.
Lana-la-banana-Yes, I am basking in the reviews. Life is good. Oh wait, even better because finals are over. Thank the Lord, my life can get back on track! LYL! PS- Thanks for editing my chapters!
Browneyedtook- Maybe a love triangle might emerge..hmmm. Ron/Hermione/Draco? Ideas- oh the ideas!
Alright, I used a quote by Leo Tolstoy to make the situation seem more profound. I like it!
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
~Leo Tolstoy
