IMPRESSIONS chapter twenty-one
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except for stuff you don't recognize.
Summary: An emotionally, physically, and mentally wounded Draco needs someone to help him, whether he wants to admit it or not, after his father lands in Azkaban, his mother is committed to St. Mungo's, and his entire world crumbles. Romance/Angst.
Author's Note: Please review!
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"Right, then… You want to be an Animagus," confirmed Draco, crossing his arms.
Hermione nodded eagerly. "I just did a ton of research on it! It's all really fascinating, you know, breaking down your emotions and such"—
"I know what it is, Hermione," said Draco dryly.
She looked put out. "Right. What kind of animal will I be? Do I get to choose?"
He shrugged. "No, it's only extremely powerful witches and wizards that can choose. Like the Founders."
"Did you choose?"
He snorted. "You think I'm as powerful as a Founder?"
Hermione flushed. "I was just curious… After all, you are an underage Animagus and you can do loads of Dark Magic…"
"You've only seen me do two spells," Draco corrected.
"So? That's more than I can do," said Hermione. "Now… How soon do you expect me to be able to do it?"
He shrugged. "Well, you know the theory, I suppose. Shouldn't be too long. But you should spend some time researching different animals. See what you're most like."
"I thought we couldn't choose?" Hermione asked, bewildered.
He rolled his eyes. "No, but in order to change yourself, you have to have a good understanding of your personality and of the animals that share your characteristics. Like, if expect to be a rabbit or something, and you turn out to be a lion, you'll be really confused and you might not be able to change back," he explained. "Most wizards have an idea of what they're going to be. Like me, I knew I was going to be some type of large, stealthy cat. I just happened to be a panther."
"I see…" said Hermione, racking her brains for every detail of every animal she had ever heard of. "Well… I'll get started on that, I suppose, while you translate?" she offered.
Draco merely nodded and sat down at the expansive table, parchments and the ancient runes book pulled close. Hermione spotted a book on animals on the highly useful bookshelf and immediately pulled it out, the pages opening to the section on cats automatically.
An hour later, Hermione stood and stretched. "Sunday night, then?" she said, fighting a yawn.
"Sure," said Draco, shutting the book himself. "Eight o'clock. Don't be late."
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Your son has been ignoring your wishes. He has taken to a mudblood and has been seen kissing her. With further fraternization, it is likely that he will forget his duty. The mudblood is Hermione Granger, seventh year Gryffindor.
Lucius Malfoy ripped the paper in shreds in disgust. "I am gone for a few months and the whelp has forgotten me!" he hissed.
"Lucius, I'm sure it isn't what you think it is," said Narcissa shortly. "He's been under pressure."
"He kissed a mudblood, Narcissa," spat Lucius. Narcissa fell silent for a moment.
"Lucius, I'm sure he has he reasons—please don't do anything that will get you back into Azkaban," said Narcissa tearfully.
Lucius looked at her tenderly. "They will not try to get me back in there so soon. My act that I was under the Imperius was accepted easily enough."
Narcissa sighed. "Will the Dark Lord be happy with you?" she asked nervously.
"Probably not. But I am certainly of better use here than in prison," Lucius reminded her, touching a hand to her jawline and drawing her mouth to his.
She sighed once they parted. "What will you do to him as punishment?"
"There is only one thing, Narcissa… I regret having to do it to my son, but… He cannot be swayed in his beliefs by that mudblood."
Narcissa sighed. "I do hope he knows that you're doing it for his own protection."
Lucius gave a harsh laugh. "I doubt it. He thinks I am a monster."
"Lucius, he doesn't… He is injured. He does not feel that your methods of punishment are warranted," said Narcissa in a calming tone.
Lucius shrugged. "It doesn't matter what he thinks. He's a boy… inferior to me in magic and slower in the wits. He doesn't know what is good for him."
"Lucius… he is an Animagus," said Narcissa slowly.
Lucius' eyes blazed. "So?" he hissed, gripping his beautiful wife's frail wrist.
Narcissa whimpered, and he immediately let go. "My dear… I am sorry, Narcissa," Lucius said quietly, his thumb grazing the rising bruise on Narcissa's thin wrist. Her skin was so sensitive.
"It's quite fine, Lucius," said Narcissa meekly.
"Does he know I have been released?" asked Lucius.
Narcissa shook her head no. "I have not told him."
"Send an owl to Dumbledore. Tell him that Draco must return home for the weekend," said Lucius firmly. "Now, dear wife…"
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"Mr. Malfoy, if I may have a word…" Dumbledore called out to the blond Slytherin before he left the Great Hall. He sighed. Why could the boy not tell him the truth?
Draco turned, his face expressionless. "Professor?"
"In my office, if you will, Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore quietly. Draco followed him dwon the hall to the entrance to the office.
Once they were inside, Dumbledore took a breath. "Your mother has written me to say that your presence is required at home this weekend."
"Why?" asked Draco, crossing his arms coolly.
"She did not say. But I would like to give you the option of refusing the invitation, Mr. Malfoy. If you are not aware, your father was released from prison two days ago.
Dumbledore observed sadly as Draco's face went pale and he expressed surprise. He quickly schooled his features into blankness, however. "Why should that concern me?" he asked coldly.
"Mr. Malfoy… You are not the first to be dissatisfied with your father's treatment of others," said Dumbledore gently.
"What does that mean, precisely?" asked Draco frigidly, almost daring Dumbledore to say that he was abused.
"Nothing at all, Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore heavily. "If you would like to return home, you may apparate," he said, the faintest twinkle in his eyes.
"Thank you for informing me," said Draco stiffly.
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. And remember, if you have anything you wish to say to me…"
"I'll pass on the heart-to-heart, Professor," said Draco scathingly, unable to control the anger in his voice. He turned and walked out of the office without another look.
Dumbledore sighed. How he hoped that Hermione would be able to save the boy from whatever plagued him.
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Hermione let herself into the Room of Requirement at eight o'clock exactly that Sunday night. Draco was nowhere to be found. She frowned slightly, perturbed that the Slytherin had broken his precedence of punctuality. Deciding that he would show eventually, Hermione opened up the runes book and continued with the translation.
After an hour, she snapped the book shut, completely bewildered. He had never, ever missed a meeting before. Suddenly, a slip of parchment on the bookshelf caught her eye and she cursed herself for not noticing it before. She snatched it from under the book acting as a paperweight and scanned his familiar, narrow handwriting.
HG:
I must go to my house for the weekend; my mother owled the Headmaster. If I do not return to the gates by 8:00 on Sunday, alert Dumbledore. My father was released from Azkaban.
D. L. G. M.
Hermione stared at the note in disbelief for a few moments until she realized the implications of the note and swung her cloak (Draco's cloak, actually—she had taken to wearing it) around her shoulders and drew her wand. If he wasn't there when she checked, she would go to Dumbledore and tell him everything.
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Hermione sneaked out of the castle, bitterly wishing she were an Animagus, for it would be so much easier to get out of the building unseen. She cast a stealth charm on herself, which helped her paranoia, but she was still terrified of getting caught.
The wind whipped her hair across her face once she made it outside and suddenly, needles of rain started biting into her hands, face, and neck. She drew the cloak around her tightly and trudged to the gates, hoping that he was okay.
She saw nothing at first, but when she did make out the huddled, very unconscious figure sprawled in the mud, her heart stopped…
She muttered "Lumos" as she drew nearer and cast the dim light over the figure. Silver hair immediately identified him as Draco. Hermione bent down, and as she did so, his eyes snapped open and his face froze as he recognized her. Showing surprising ability, he stood up shakily, stumbling back from her with a wide, haunted look and clutching his stomach, bent double.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, beginning to panic.
She followed him purposefully as he slid against the gate wall. If it hadn't been dark, she would have seen the black blood staining his fingers. "What's wrong? Answer me!"
He tried to mouth something, but a bubble of black blood grew between his lips. Terrified, she rested a slim hand on his shoulder and he fell to the ground, arching his back in agony and shutting his eyes. Droplets of black blood dripped down his face from the corners of his mouth and from his eyes like tears, and a second later, he went completely limp. Black blood started seeping into the mud, discoloring the substance.
Hermione was speechless with disbelief. "Draco?" she whispered after a second, in shock. He made no movement, and Hermione let loose a sudden scream. "HELP!" she cried. "HELP!"
After a few minutes of fruitless shrieking, Hermione forced herself to look at the situation with a calm head. She needed to get to Dumbledore; that much was obvious.
She racked her brains for ways she could get him to the castle. She couldn't carry him; he was far too heavy. It was too dark besides; her wandlight wouldn't be enough to light the way through the rain.
Hermione gave an involuntary shudder as she realized her clothes were soaked through. She could perform a levitation charm on him, but again, the risks of hitting his head on something or falling and losing and control were too great. She had never been in a worse fix; Her wand was useless and she was in the middle of a blinding storm.
She peered down at his face, biting back tears as droplets of blood still seeped from his chin, in spite of the fact that he was unconscious.
And suddenly, his words hit her.
"There is something I could do…" he trailed off. "No, never mind," he said abruptly.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Should she attempt to transform, after only a week of training? Should she take the risk of losing her mind and/or staying in her animal form forever?
Hermione went pale as she glanced at his face. It was true animals had better sight, even in the rain… And depending on what animal she would be, she might be able to get to Dumbledore very fast… Biting her lip, Hermione cast a protection charm, a drying spell, and a warming spell on his limp body to keep him relatively okay while she was gone. Do I leave him? She squared her shoulders, her heart beating furiously as she realized she was about to do possible the stupidest thing she'd ever done in her life. Ever contemplated doing. She took a deep breath and focused her energy.
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Author's Note: I've decided to make chapters longer… I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, really I am, but I thought that it was such a good place to stop. THANK YOU ELLE (Maura Moynihan... hahahahaha) for your help.
Thanks everybody for so many reviews! My last chapter I had 200 and now I have like 240 or something! This is insane!
I'm sorry this chapter took a long(er) time to come out… I was having a spectacularly difficult time deciding if I should take in this direction. Oh, this was the 'big thing' that was going to happen before twenty. As you can see, I lied about that part but it is close to before twenty. : )
Thanks everyone! I hoped you liked chapter twenty-one!
Ar-Zimraphel