((A.N. Here it is, the chapter that I believe to be the beginning of the end. This is my first fanfic ever; my baby! It's so hard to end, but I know that I have to for obvious reasons. Exactly 331 reviews as of this moment!! You guys have outdone yourselves, really! I never, in a million years, expected to get this many reviews. I'm only expecting to post two or three chapters after this one, most of which are already written. Read and Review.))
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"Draco."
A cold, unyielding voice woke the youngest Malfoy from his sleep. Draco opened his eyes to see Lemanus and Lucius standing over him.
"It is time," Lucius said, his tone as eager as his expression. Draco's stomach plummeted as he remembered what he was to become by the day's end. A Death Eater, along with a girl too innocent to be among the likes of them. A girl that he cared about dearly, much as he would never admit it.
Lucius was dressed in simple black robes, and as always he had his silver walking stick. He opened Draco's curtains and allowed the morning light to stream in.
"Draco," Lucius said simply, putting his arms behind his back and pacing across the room. "I must admit that this day will make the proudest father in the wizarding world."
For a moment Draco saw something in his father that perhaps resembled love for his son.
"It will also make me more prestigious than any wizard in the world save Lord Voldemort himself. Imagine, Draco, the power that I will have once you become a Death Eater."
Draco went so cold that he felt as if he was burning. Any remote amount of love he had possessed for his father vanished in that instant.
"I am happy, father, that you will gain so much from my becoming a Death Eater," Draco said tightly, for the lump forming in his throat.
"I know you are," Lucius murmured curtly, as if his happiness meant nothing.
"That wench of a girl," he continued casually, "we will see to it that she learns her lesson once and for all after the initiation?" Lucius raised an eyebrow suggestively.
The burning in Draco's chest increased painfully. He found his hand reaching for the dresser where his wand lay, and clenched it to his side. Barely able to form the words for the hate in his heart, Draco replied, "I will see to it that she learns her lesson."
"No," came an icy voice to his side. Draco realized that he had completely forgotten Lemanus was in the room.
"I believe that it would be more fitting for me to see that she has learned her 'lesson.' After all, Draco will be engaged in all the post ceremony pomp," Lemanus said, addressing Lucius.
Lucius stopped his pacing for a moment and said, "You are quite right, my friend. I believe that it would be more fitting for you to see to the girl. I know how much you have desired it." The last part was almost too quiet for Draco to hear.
Lemanus's smile made Draco want to be sick.
_** ** ** ** **_
Stepping into the drearily familiar cell, Draco closed the door quietly behind him and turned to Hermione. He found her sleeping, and he noted that usually she was startled awake when he opened the door. She must be exhausted, he though with a sigh.
She looked angelic sleeping, as if all the pain and worry was gone from her face. He crossed the room and quietly sat down next to her. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, slowly easing her onto his lap. She slept for a few more seconds before her eyes fluttered open, innocent amber globes gazing up at him. He smiled despite himself and smoothed her hair back with both hands.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his expression soft as she had ever seen.
She smiled with her eyes and answered, "Now I am."
Draco had decided to see her one last time before the initiation, before their lives were torn apart. He had planned to tell her about what Lemanus and Lucius had said to him, but now, looking into Hermione's innocent sparking eyes, he knew that he did not have the heart. Or rather, he had the heart not to.
She reached a hand up to caress his face, wondering what he was thinking. "I'm surprised you could get away," Hermione murmured. "I'd expect they would want you up there all day, for preparations."
"It was daunting task, but Lucius is really too caught up in his own glory to notice if I am gone for a few minutes.
"Lucius, huh?" Hermione questioned. "He's your father."
"I'm disowning him," Draco said quietly, his eyes unfocusing for a moment. Hermione laughed, although the blank look in his eyes scared her.
"You can't disown him! The father disowns the son, not the other way around!" Hermione said in her know-it-all fashion.
"I wish I could, at least," Draco muttered, snapping out of whatever daze he was in.
There was silence for a moment before Draco cleared his throat.
"Hermione," he said bracingly, carefully leaning his forehead against hers. "I can't do this."
"Can't do what?" Hermione asked, her eyes slowly meeting his.
Draco raked his hands through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.
"I just can't . . . put you into danger like this. I can't let you walk into this trap. We have to get you out of here!" Draco's voice was spiked with heavy emotion.
Hermione put her fists on her hips. "Think about this practically. As of right now, I cannot escape. Even if I did run away physically, there's still the curse, and I can never escape from that, no matter where I am. Lucius would track me down eventually and you know he wouldn't take it lightly what I did. Helping me escape would put you into danger also. I can take care of myself," she said, her face as stubborn as ever.
Draco looked into her determined eyes. "I know you can take care of yourself, Hermione. You're a strong person . . . but Lucius and Lemanus, they aren't like anything you've been against before. They don't see reason or pain. Their eyes are coated by greed." And by lust, Draco thought, his stomach turning over.
There was an abrupt knock at the door.
"Draco," Hermione whispered, clutching his forearms in fear.
Impulsively Draco pressed his lips to hers, a desperate last kiss. He stood up and gave her hands a final squeeze. His eyes conveyed the message that his lips would not form; I love you.
Blanking his face of all emotion, Draco strode to the door and pulled it open. A wave of relief hit him when he saw his mother standing in the hall, her pale and her hands clasped tightly together.
"Lucius has commanded me to help Hermione dress for the ceremony," Narcissa said softly, a hint of something else in her voice. She looked on the verge of saying more, but closed her mouth tightly.
"I'd best be getting dressed myself," Draco said with a curt nod. For some reason he could not meet her eyes. It's because she hates me becoming a Death Eater more than anything in the world, Draco thought suddenly. And I hate myself for how I've treated her all these years.
He took off down the hall before his emotions could get the better of him. In truth, they already had. I'm sorry, mum, he thought finally, wishing that she could hear his words. I'm sorry.
_** ** ** ** **_
"Hermione?" a timid voice came from outside the door. Hermione recognized it immediately as Narcissa's.
"Oh, Narcissa, it's you! Come in!" Hermione said, gasping with relief.
Narcissa whisked into the room, closing the door behind her swiftly. Hermione noticed that her face was paler than usual, her lips drawn more tightly.
"You don't look well, Narcissa," Hermione observed, shaken by the woman's lifeless appearance.
Narcissa shook her head, clearly dismissing the subject. "I came to help you prepare for the ceremony," she muttered, as if trying to ignore Hermione's previous statement.
"What do you mean?" Hermione inquired, trying to catch the woman's eyes.
"Well, Lucius . . ." she wrung her hand together as she spoke, " . . . he wants you to be presentable for Lord Voldemort."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't realized that Lord Voldemort would be present. Of course he will, you fool, she realized as she thought it through.
"We will go to my rooms and see if there is a dress suitable for you to wear, heaven knows I have so many of them." Narcissa put her hands on her hips and for a moment reminded Hermione of her own mother.
Hermione smiled warmly in reply, and Narcissa undid her chains. They slipped into the dungeon corridor without a sound.
_** ** ** ** **_
His head a whirlwind of thought, Draco strode gratefully into his own room. With no light on, the half moon cast an eerie light around the chamber, illuminating things that should have stayed hidden and hiding things that should have been seen. Draco paused for a moment before turning on the light. Something is wrong, a small voice in his head told him. Most likely that I'm about to become one of the most murderous, conniving, evil things a person can become, Draco thought as he flung open his wardrobe. It yawned at him like an eerie chasm of darkness, threatening to engulf him in it's midst. Stop it! he thought angrily. You're being childish! He picked out the suit that Pansy had wanted him to wear, and, after fingering it thoughtfully, the cloak she had gotten for him.
He heard a sharp click behind him and started, dropping the cloak. He turned around to see Lemanus leaning against his tightly closed door.
"Little jumpy tonight, are we?" Lemanus asked wickedly. "I can see why."
"You could have . . . knocked or something," Draco said after a few moments. He had the growing suspicion that Lemanus had been in the room before him, lurking in a corner. For some reason his heart would not slow it's incessant pounding.
_** ** ** ** **_
"Here we are," Narcissa said carefully, opening the door for Hermione. She stepped into Narcissa's room and found it to be more pleasant than the rest of the Malfoy Manor she had seen. Deep mahogany dressers lined the lavender walls, and her bed was royal satin purple. A huge closet occupied the other side of the room. Closing the door, Narcissa smiled at Hermione. "Let's see if we can find something suitable for you to wear."
Hermione was surprised to see that the sky had already darkened, and her stomach tightened. Less than an hour, she thought, fear increasing the pulsing of her heart.
Narcissa began rifling through her closet, pausing at various dresses. "Ah," she said finally, pulling out an evening gown. "This one is perfect."
Hermione barely glanced at the dress. Where are you, Draco?
_** ** ** ** **_
"You have been hiding much," Lemanus whispered, taking a step forward. His eyes glinted with a scarcely contained triumph. Draco shook his head slowly, afraid of what Lemanus would say next.
"Do not pretend anymore, boy, for you have been doing do long enough. I have tried to convince your father that you are not to be trusted, but he does not see the same corruption in you that I do. The same weakness,"
"Lemanus, I have never given you reason not to trust me," Draco said carefully, as if he did not understand why he was being accused.
Lemanus was silent for a few moments.
Suddenly he began to chuckle, the sound growing louder and louder in Draco's ears. Lemanus spoke like a cobra waiting to strike. "Do you think that I cannot see it in your eyes? In your face when you look at her? In your heart? Your eyes tell me that you have never laid a hand on the girl and that you never will. Your face tells me of the great struggle you endure every time you see her. Your heart tells me that you love her."
The words penetrated Draco like poison, each one weakening him to the point of no return.
"I can see with other eyes than these, you know," Lemanus continued softly. "Have you heard of Legilemency, Draco?"
Draco's worst fears were suddenly confirmed. He wondered why it hadn't all added up in the first place; why he could never seem to meet Lemanus's eyes, why Lemanus had become suddenly suspicious of him, even why Lemanus had taken such an interest in Hermione. Draco's silence was enough of an answer.
"Then you will see why," Lemanus continued, pulling out his wand, "that it is my duty to exterminate you before you cause any more . . . damage."
"To what purpose, and point?" Draco asked swiftly. If only he had enough time to reach his own wand . . . "If you kill me, you kill Lucius' son and only heir. The wrath of Lord Voldemort will come down upon you. You harbor no proof that I have anything to do with that Granger girl!"
"I could not kill you, even if I wanted," Lemanus spat, lowering his wand. His hands were shaking with barely controlled rage.
Draco's mind went blank. He had been so ready to pull out his own wand that Draco found himself quite disappointed.
"Unfortunately you have a key role in our next mission," Lemanus said acidly, taking another step forward. "And in your eyes I do not see total failure. There is still loyalty to Voldemort is your heart, although it dwindles by the day. I believe that under the right circumstances, it can be rekindled."
Suddenly Lemanus lunged for Draco, shoving him against the wardrobe and grabbing his neck tightly. Draco made a choking noise and attempted to push Lemanus away. The older man was stronger than he had imagined.
"No more of this Granger girl I will break her myself after the ceremony and you will not stop me. She will be sent away from the manor tomorrow, sent home. That is, after Lucius gives her a proper set of commands to ensure her loyalty."
Lemanus tightened his grip, and Draco found that he was out of air.
"Know that I am watching you, Draco. Always watching." Lemanus released him, and Draco slumped to the ground, choking in air. He heard Lemanus cross the room. He heard the door open and click shut behind him. Draco was left alone in the murky silence of his chamber.
Always watching, came a soft voice in his ear.
_** ** ** ** **_
"There," Narcissa said as she finished painting Hermione's lips. "You look beautiful." The older woman noticed the small frown that formed on Hermione's face as she said this
I don't want to look beautiful, Hermione thought desperately, her eyes hardening. She brought a hand up to her face before she realized that it was shaking uncontrollably. Narcissa noticed and took Hermione's shaking hand in her own.
"You love him, don't you?" Narcissa asked suddenly, afraid of the answer. Hermione brought her amber eyes to meet Narcissa's.
"I don't know," she whispered into the dim light. "I honestly don't know."
Narcissa smiled knowingly, for the look in Hermione's eyes had told her the truth. "You know that you have a forbidden love when you can think of a million reasons not to love someone, but there are too many reasons to count why you do."
Hermione briefly wondered if Narcissa could read minds.
"He will not turn out like Lucius, you know," Hermione said, her voice gaining strength as she continued. "Have faith in him, Narcissa. I know that he will be different because though it has taken him a lifetime to believe the evil things his father teaches him, it has only taken him a few weeks to break those bonds."
A new hope enveloped Narcissa as she realized the truth in Hermione's words.
The clock chimed as it struck the hour. A deathly chime, in Hermione's ears.
"It's time, isn't it?" she whispered softly.
_** ** ** ** **_
The clock chimed as it struck the hour. Draco paused midway through pulling on Pansy's cloak. The time has finally come, he thought, his mind numb. The door knob turned before he could reach it.
_** ** ** ** **_
The clock chimed as it struck the hour. Lucius kneeled on the cold granite floor, the fire behind him roaring in his ears.
"All the preparations have been made, my Lord," Lucius said humbly, looking up into eyes glowing stronger than fire.
"It is time," Voldemort replied triumphantly, rising from his chair in a swift motion.
_** ** ** ** **_
From the distance, a clock chimed as it struck the hour. The cloaked figure stood silently in the serene gardens of the Malfoy Manor.
A cloud covered the moon, and the world was enveloped in darkness. The cloaked figure, black as the night itself, began his walk toward the center of the Manor. Yes, it is time.
(( A.N. Who do you think the cloaked figure is? What about the rest of this chapter? I'll bet that none of you will ever guess who it is! Review and tell me what you think!))