"The Merging of Ways"
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Spoilers: This is my own version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Summary: Draco Malfoy betrays his own family to join the Order of the Phoenix.
A/N: This story (yes! The whole story!! Not just this chapter!!!) is dedicated to my cousin: I wanna be a pastry, since she's the only one reading my fic...and the only reason on why I posted this chapter...
Chapter Two: Betrayal
Draco sat on the edge of his tailored canopy bed, staring apprehensively into the gleaming embers of wood that lay beneath the blazing fire. The glinting silver that framed the fireplace reflected the dancing flames, making the whole presentation extraordinarily entrancing.
It was almost seven in the evening, and he had barely eaten any dinner. The thoughts of what he just done hours ago was enough to make the contents of his stomach rise up to his throat.
As he expected, his father's office was the right place to scavenge for any information regarding Voldemort and his associates. The letter flashed in his head. He had found it placed neatly on top of the elegantly-polished desk that stood in the center of the high-ceilinged office. The flap of the packet had been opened trimly, and Draco had guessed that his mother must've read it, considering the fact that his father was in Azkaban.
He could vividly recall the contents of the formal-looking envelope...
Lucius,
We are recruiting every Death Eater that resides in London. The Dark Lord is relying on our faithfulness and allegiance to his commands. The Ministry is getting restless, we must be on our guard. The preparation is almost complete.
Bellatrix Lestrange
The second he had finished reading the letter, he had snatched one of Lucius' parchments and wrote a hurried letter to Dumbledore, explaining the situation he was in, how he was willing to betray his own father for the sake of good. He had, of course, attached Lestrange's letter with his own and quickly sent off his own owl to wherever Dumbledore was presently located.
Betrayal. Infidelity. Unfaithfulness. Disloyalty.
The words rang in his head repeatedly, like a resonating echo. Draco knew the punishments for such abominable acts. It was either eternal torture, or worse: Death. 'No wonder Snape acts like a surly git.' He thought dryly. Severus Snape, used to be one of Voldemort's followers, one of the Death Eaters even.
And now, where was Snape? Allying with the good.
Draco could only hope that Dumbledore would grant him absolution for his past iniquities. He was ready to turn over a new leaf. Even if that meant facing his family in battle. 'The family who made your life a living hell.' Draco's eyes flashed against the glinting silver frame of the fireplace.
'But is that the real reason, Draco?' A voice in the back of his head asked, in a mocking voice. 'Are you really jumping into the lines of the good? Or are you simply doing this to save your own skin?'
A sardonic smile flitted across his face. "Maybe a bit of both," he said aloud. Anyway, there was nothing he could do now. He had made his decision and had already sent Dumbledore his messages.
The damage was done.
And as the Chinese believed: 'Every crisis is an opportunity.' Maybe this was one of those moments. Not only did Draco get a chance to redeem himself through becoming 'good', he would be safe from the menacing pretenses of Azkaban.
'No. That's not it.' Another voice piped up. 'You simply hate your family and what they force you to do. What they want you to become.'
"Yeah, that too." He drawled, just as his eagle-owl, Thoth (named after the bird-headed god of wisdom and writing) soared into his bedroom. It perched itself on top of an unlit candlestick, blinking at him with its golden- brown eyes. A scroll of parchment was tied to it's right leg.
"About time," he murmured under his breath glancing nervously at the window. As his father had said before when Draco was young: 'Once someone betrays his own blood, his blood relatives would soon know. And they won't hesitate in hunting you down.' A shudder ran down Draco's spine, as he rapidly untied the letter.
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I am pleased to hear that you have chosen to do what is right. I will be sending a few people to escort you out of Malfoy Manor. It is critical that you get out of there now. Pack your things needed for school. You cannot stay there to any further extent for there is a high risk of danger tracking you down.
With utmost respect,
Albus Dumbledore
It was short but it was enough for Draco. With another last look at the letter, Draco got up and promptly packed his things, throwing them into his trunk without another thought. He scanned his room for his Nimbus, and found it leaning against his bedpost. He grabbed it along with Thoth's cage, stuffing the protesting owl into it.
Now all he had to do was wait.
"Good evening Mr. Malfoy," a voice spoke from the wide-open window. Draco spun around, his heart thumping loudly in chest, half-expecting to see one of his father's comrades pointing a wand at him. But no. It was Professor Lupin. He was riding a broom, and was floating in mid-air along with two other people. One of which, he recognized as Alastor, or rather, Mad-Eye Moody. The other was a young woman with spiky blonde hair who was staring at him in interest.
"Professor," Draco nodded, keeping his face neutral. Being in Slytherin, a number of teachers did not like him at all. Except for maybe, Snape. But that was different. He always favored his own House above all others.
"Mind if we come in?" Moody growled, his electric blue eye spinning a whole 180. Draco took a step back, involuntarily. That eye seemed to stare straight through his head, straight to the back of his skull. A bit unsettling, really. And there was the small actuality that Mad-Eye turned him into a ferret in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Well, technically, that was the fake Mad-Eye, but nevertheless...
"Be my guest," Draco spoke, making a sweeping gesture. The three of them flew in, and landed noiselessly on the black carpeting of his room.
"Dumbledore informed us about your—turning," Lupin said, awkwardly. Draco nodded quietly, avoiding the Professor's questioning gaze.
"As you must know, this is Alastor Moody." Lupin introduced the Auror. "And this is Nymph—ah, Tonks." He said, stopping in mid-sentence at the blonde witch's glare.
"Nymph-a what?" Draco echoed, cocking an eyebrow.
"It's just Tonks," she said brightly, then glanced at the grandfather clock in Draco's room. "It's already half-past seven. I think it's best to get going."
"Right," Lupin said briskly. "Mr. Malfoy--"
"Call me Draco, please." Draco said politely. He was bred to have manners. Their family was practically royalty. Well, probably not, but close.
"Draco, you have your broom? Good. Hand over your trunk to Tonks." There was a moment of shuffling around for the trunk first, then: "Ready? Let's go then."
And they were off.
It was a moonless night, and only dark thunderclouds floated along with them, making them almost invisible to the Muggles below them.
A cool breeze wiped his face, and he was immediately glad that he had remembered to shrug on his coat. It was practically freezing, and the icy gray clouds had yet to decide whether it wanted to pour down a flood or not.
They were flying for almost an hour now, and none of them had spoken a word, except for Moody who would simultaneously shout out directions to wherever they were headed.
They were already descending by the time it started to drizzle. The droplets of cold rain sunk into his head, dampening his hair. Thunder resonated from above them, growling noisily, and that was when it happened. The sky around them flashed brightly for several seconds, illuminating the expression of fear on Tonk's face, and Lupin's worried face was the last thing Draco saw before he felt a shock of electricity prickling his skin.
And he fell, his whole world growing black.
A/N: You are most deeply obliged to review. Yes, I'm talking to you Ms. I wanna be a pastry. Because of if you don't, I will eat you. (you are a pastry, after all) Good day to you all!
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Spoilers: This is my own version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Summary: Draco Malfoy betrays his own family to join the Order of the Phoenix.
A/N: This story (yes! The whole story!! Not just this chapter!!!) is dedicated to my cousin: I wanna be a pastry, since she's the only one reading my fic...and the only reason on why I posted this chapter...
Chapter Two: Betrayal
Draco sat on the edge of his tailored canopy bed, staring apprehensively into the gleaming embers of wood that lay beneath the blazing fire. The glinting silver that framed the fireplace reflected the dancing flames, making the whole presentation extraordinarily entrancing.
It was almost seven in the evening, and he had barely eaten any dinner. The thoughts of what he just done hours ago was enough to make the contents of his stomach rise up to his throat.
As he expected, his father's office was the right place to scavenge for any information regarding Voldemort and his associates. The letter flashed in his head. He had found it placed neatly on top of the elegantly-polished desk that stood in the center of the high-ceilinged office. The flap of the packet had been opened trimly, and Draco had guessed that his mother must've read it, considering the fact that his father was in Azkaban.
He could vividly recall the contents of the formal-looking envelope...
Lucius,
We are recruiting every Death Eater that resides in London. The Dark Lord is relying on our faithfulness and allegiance to his commands. The Ministry is getting restless, we must be on our guard. The preparation is almost complete.
Bellatrix Lestrange
The second he had finished reading the letter, he had snatched one of Lucius' parchments and wrote a hurried letter to Dumbledore, explaining the situation he was in, how he was willing to betray his own father for the sake of good. He had, of course, attached Lestrange's letter with his own and quickly sent off his own owl to wherever Dumbledore was presently located.
Betrayal. Infidelity. Unfaithfulness. Disloyalty.
The words rang in his head repeatedly, like a resonating echo. Draco knew the punishments for such abominable acts. It was either eternal torture, or worse: Death. 'No wonder Snape acts like a surly git.' He thought dryly. Severus Snape, used to be one of Voldemort's followers, one of the Death Eaters even.
And now, where was Snape? Allying with the good.
Draco could only hope that Dumbledore would grant him absolution for his past iniquities. He was ready to turn over a new leaf. Even if that meant facing his family in battle. 'The family who made your life a living hell.' Draco's eyes flashed against the glinting silver frame of the fireplace.
'But is that the real reason, Draco?' A voice in the back of his head asked, in a mocking voice. 'Are you really jumping into the lines of the good? Or are you simply doing this to save your own skin?'
A sardonic smile flitted across his face. "Maybe a bit of both," he said aloud. Anyway, there was nothing he could do now. He had made his decision and had already sent Dumbledore his messages.
The damage was done.
And as the Chinese believed: 'Every crisis is an opportunity.' Maybe this was one of those moments. Not only did Draco get a chance to redeem himself through becoming 'good', he would be safe from the menacing pretenses of Azkaban.
'No. That's not it.' Another voice piped up. 'You simply hate your family and what they force you to do. What they want you to become.'
"Yeah, that too." He drawled, just as his eagle-owl, Thoth (named after the bird-headed god of wisdom and writing) soared into his bedroom. It perched itself on top of an unlit candlestick, blinking at him with its golden- brown eyes. A scroll of parchment was tied to it's right leg.
"About time," he murmured under his breath glancing nervously at the window. As his father had said before when Draco was young: 'Once someone betrays his own blood, his blood relatives would soon know. And they won't hesitate in hunting you down.' A shudder ran down Draco's spine, as he rapidly untied the letter.
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I am pleased to hear that you have chosen to do what is right. I will be sending a few people to escort you out of Malfoy Manor. It is critical that you get out of there now. Pack your things needed for school. You cannot stay there to any further extent for there is a high risk of danger tracking you down.
With utmost respect,
Albus Dumbledore
It was short but it was enough for Draco. With another last look at the letter, Draco got up and promptly packed his things, throwing them into his trunk without another thought. He scanned his room for his Nimbus, and found it leaning against his bedpost. He grabbed it along with Thoth's cage, stuffing the protesting owl into it.
Now all he had to do was wait.
"Good evening Mr. Malfoy," a voice spoke from the wide-open window. Draco spun around, his heart thumping loudly in chest, half-expecting to see one of his father's comrades pointing a wand at him. But no. It was Professor Lupin. He was riding a broom, and was floating in mid-air along with two other people. One of which, he recognized as Alastor, or rather, Mad-Eye Moody. The other was a young woman with spiky blonde hair who was staring at him in interest.
"Professor," Draco nodded, keeping his face neutral. Being in Slytherin, a number of teachers did not like him at all. Except for maybe, Snape. But that was different. He always favored his own House above all others.
"Mind if we come in?" Moody growled, his electric blue eye spinning a whole 180. Draco took a step back, involuntarily. That eye seemed to stare straight through his head, straight to the back of his skull. A bit unsettling, really. And there was the small actuality that Mad-Eye turned him into a ferret in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Well, technically, that was the fake Mad-Eye, but nevertheless...
"Be my guest," Draco spoke, making a sweeping gesture. The three of them flew in, and landed noiselessly on the black carpeting of his room.
"Dumbledore informed us about your—turning," Lupin said, awkwardly. Draco nodded quietly, avoiding the Professor's questioning gaze.
"As you must know, this is Alastor Moody." Lupin introduced the Auror. "And this is Nymph—ah, Tonks." He said, stopping in mid-sentence at the blonde witch's glare.
"Nymph-a what?" Draco echoed, cocking an eyebrow.
"It's just Tonks," she said brightly, then glanced at the grandfather clock in Draco's room. "It's already half-past seven. I think it's best to get going."
"Right," Lupin said briskly. "Mr. Malfoy--"
"Call me Draco, please." Draco said politely. He was bred to have manners. Their family was practically royalty. Well, probably not, but close.
"Draco, you have your broom? Good. Hand over your trunk to Tonks." There was a moment of shuffling around for the trunk first, then: "Ready? Let's go then."
And they were off.
It was a moonless night, and only dark thunderclouds floated along with them, making them almost invisible to the Muggles below them.
A cool breeze wiped his face, and he was immediately glad that he had remembered to shrug on his coat. It was practically freezing, and the icy gray clouds had yet to decide whether it wanted to pour down a flood or not.
They were flying for almost an hour now, and none of them had spoken a word, except for Moody who would simultaneously shout out directions to wherever they were headed.
They were already descending by the time it started to drizzle. The droplets of cold rain sunk into his head, dampening his hair. Thunder resonated from above them, growling noisily, and that was when it happened. The sky around them flashed brightly for several seconds, illuminating the expression of fear on Tonk's face, and Lupin's worried face was the last thing Draco saw before he felt a shock of electricity prickling his skin.
And he fell, his whole world growing black.
A/N: You are most deeply obliged to review. Yes, I'm talking to you Ms. I wanna be a pastry. Because of if you don't, I will eat you. (you are a pastry, after all) Good day to you all!