I Cannot Tell A Lie

~* Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, so if you guys are still reading this, thank you! *~

Chapter 10 ~ Ungiven Co-operation

Draco sprinted through the halls of Hogwarts, desperately trying to find Harry and Ron. He was beginning to think that they didn't want to be found, because it seemed they had left the premises.

Draco burst into Dumbledore's office panting. The old Professor looked up from what he was doing, and pushed his glasses to the end of his nose.

'Yes Mister Malfoy?'

'Where are Harry and Ron?' Draco yelled, panting from running around the school. He put him hands on his knees and tried desperately to get his breath back.

'They have gone to Azkaban to visit Miss Granger, why do you ask?' Dumbledore got no answer as Draco was already gone, not hearing the last part of his sentence. Draco fled the third floor and sprinted down the stairs in an attempt to get to Azkaban before Lillian told Harry and Ron where Hermione was.

He practically lept into the fire place, grabbing a handful of floo power on his way.

'Azkaban Prison!' Draco yelled, throwing the floor powder into the ashes. He was immediately transported to Azbakan, the white lobby. He looked around the room, hoping to see Harry and Ron. When Draco didn't see them, he crossed the room rather quickly and burst through the white doors.

The first thing he noticed were Harry and Ron, casually walking through the dirty hallway. Dementors crawled around the hall, and Draco was thankful that they weren't there the last time he was visiting Hermione. Draco sprinted up to them, calling their names. Harry and Ron stopped and turned around.

'I need to talk to you!' Draco said as he caught up to the pair of Gryffindors.

'What now Malfoy?' Harry asked, exasporated.

'Hermione said that she'd turn good again if I brought you two to see her,' Draco began.

'Well we're here aren't we,' Ron spat.

'You guys should play along, pretent I convinced you to come because of her safety and that you miss her and love her and want her to become good again,' Draco continued.

'You're the only one who loves her, Malfoy.' Harry grinned, and Ron slapped him a high five.

'Nice one Harry,' Ron said with a smirk.

'I'm serious!' Draco said impatiently.

'Well, we should believe him, seeing as he's still unable to lie,' Harry said thoughtfully.

'Okay,' Ron agreed, and the three boys walked the rest of the hall to Hermione's cell. Hermione was sitting with her back to the cage bars, staring at the back wall of her cell.

'Hermione,' Draco said meekly. Hermione spun around to face the three boys. Her face remained expressionless.

'Hello,' She said dully.

'Hi Hermione, we have missed you, Draco came to get us, and we came because we miss you, and we love you, and appreciate you, and we want you to come back to Hogwarts and become good again.' Ron said, saying exactly what Draco wanted him to say. Hermione's eyes flickered, as if losing their harshness for a second but then going back to hard, cold rocks.

'Malfoy told you to say that,' Hermione said finally.

'No, he didn't,' Harry said quickly.

'Then let Malfoy say it, he can't lie,' Hermione turned to Malfoy. Oh shit, Draco thought because he knew that he couldn't lie. He tried anyway.

'I didn't tell them to say that,' Draco said, looking surprised at his ability to lie. Hermione let her defences down.

'I'm sorry you guys,' She said, and looked about to cry. Draco just looked confused, he tried to say that he's a girl, but it came out;

'I'm a guy,' Hermione, Harry and Ron looked at him strangely.

'We knew that Malfoy,' Harry said.

'Really? I always thought he was a girl crossdresser!' Ron smirked.

'That's not very nice, Ron,' Harry said.

'Yeah, but now you know the truth!' Hermione added. The three Gryffindors smirked. Draco just looked confused, wondering how he could lie about not telling Ron and Harry to say the things they did. Harry and Ron just thought that the Veritaserum had worn off or something.

'We have to get back to Hogwarts, so that Dumbledore can sign your release papers Hermione,' Draco said, and pulled Harry and Ron away.

'What was that all about, Malfoy? We were having fun talking to Hermione, she's the old Hermione again.' Harry cried when they were out of earshot of Hermione.

'Yeah, for the past months she's been acting weird, and this is the first time we've seen her normal in ages!' Ron added.

'Guys, I'm still under Veritaserum, I lied back there and I don't know how,' Draco said.

'Well duh, because we were going to say all those things even if you hadn't told us to,' Ron explained.

'Oh, but I did tell you to, whether you listened or not,' Draco said, wondering how this was possible.

'Who cares, it worked, Hermione's back.' Harry said as he pushed the doors open to reveal the white lobby. There was a splatter of red where Lillian once sat. Harry, Ron and Draco ran over to the middle desks to find Lillian, dead.

'Oh Merlin! What happened?' Harry said, worried. The three boys exchanged looks.

'Hermione!' They all said together, sprinting back through the doors and down the dank hallway to Hermione's cell. The door was open, and Hermione was gone. There were some splatters of blood on the floor. Hermione was gone.

'Oh this is bad!' Ron said shakily.

'They've taken Hermione!' Harry cried frantically.

'We have to get back to the school and let Dumbledore know.' Draco said, the only one thinking with a clear head. Harry and Ron nodded in agreement, and they sprinted back to the white lobby where the flooed back to Hogwarts.

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~* I hope you all liked that chapter! Sorry again for the lateness of it! *~

~Gryffindor Gal~