gatorisis: Yes, yes, the killing of Thomas Potter had to be done. Off the subject here, do I know you? In your profile, it says you're from AZ, and so am I. I know, AZ is a pretty big state, but still…what school do you go to?
chochang0614: Here you finally have it: Chapter Seven. Enjoy!
samskiz: Really? Thanks, Sammy. Glad to know my writing skills are improving.
Elektra05: Thanks for your enthusiasm. This chapter will be pleasing for many people. -mysterious wink-
shinrielwilkenshire: -hangs head in shame- I know, I made Draco somewhat nice in that chapter. Where has gone the world?? So sorry. Hopefully, I corrected him in this chappy.
The Dragon Guardian of the Sea: C'mon, Draco practically FORCED me to kill Thomas. If he wants to be with Cho, he will not tolerate raising Harry Potter's child. And I'm so, so sorry for mushy!Draco.
Light Angel: I'm so lucky to have readers like you. -huggles- Thank you for being an avid reader, and I am truly sorry for taking so long.
bleugrl: -cowers- I'm so SORRY. (wow, I think I've been apologizing to almost every reviewer so far) I'm so sorry for taking so long. But always, er, remember…Uh, Good Things Come to Those Who—erm—Wait. (something like that.)
Honey Mocha Citrus: Thank you for your review and support.
AntRave: I really wanted to depict Cho mourning her baby…I really, really did. But if you go back and look at the previous chapters, I have Cho leaking from her tear duct in every single chapter! It's really annoying. So just accept that Cho has matured enough to hold herself, especially in front of Draco. Also, Harry and Cho did tell people, it's just that they did not take anyone else along. They did not want to risk it, see. Lastly, of course Harry's house is protected, it's just that, if you're going to rob Harry Potter's child, you're going to be prepared. Voldie and his buddies probably spent a long time devising up a plan. And believe me, Cho cares that her hubby is in danger. You'll see more of that in the next chappy, stay with me!
All: See, here's my feeble attempt at making an excuse for the delay. Okay, now, I've been reading a LOT of other fanfics, and I keep putting off writing my own because every free chance I get, I'm online, reading those hypnotizing fanfics. (I recommend Maya to all those who don't already read her stories. Her best story can be found at Schnoogle on FictionAlley.org) But never fear, chapter seven is finally here. Love you all, and please review at the end.
Chapter Seven
Truth
Over the few months that Cho stayed in the dungeon, she was interrogated by various Death Eaters. She did the best she could to hold back answers, but sometimes they used Veritaserum, or the Imperius Curse, and it was harder then. Apparently, little of what she told was unknown already by them, but they still insisted on continuing the ritual of questioning persistently, no doubt in hopes of uncovering something hidden deep within her. Nevertheless, Cho's bed was soft; the food wasn't that bad, and she was mostly comfortable. A big problem she would've faced was boredom, and being cooped up all day long, but Draco took care of that.
A part of her still hated him, and every time she saw his face, something pulled at her from inside, but she allowed herself to accept that she didn't hold all the facts. Besides, without Draco, she would have no one to talk to apart from the almost-daily inquisitors. She was so desperate for any human contact, she mused, that even Draco was welcome. She had wondered why he was visiting her at all—it wasn't because he had nothing else to do; she could see the strain in his exhausted body. But Draco admitted to her that his visits were a way for him to unwind, and that talking to someone about something, anything, other than battle plans was an immense relief.
She looked at their strange friendship as a temporary truce. Cho recalled one memorable time when Draco stepped into her cell and announced that he was going to take her to the Malfoy library for a visit. She had opened her mouth to ask whether he was allowed to take her out of her cell at all, but decided she would rather not know. The library, like seemingly everything but the dungeons at the manor, was nothing short of breathtaking. Cho had stared in awe at the sheer size of the place. Stacked from wall to wall were more books than she could ever imagine there to be in one place.
And then he promptly prattled on proudly about the impressive architectural works done on the room, and about the rare books it held. Cho felt an odd nostalgic stirring in her chest as she listened to his all-too-familiar, arrogant ramblings. She'd spent the rest of the day pulling out and examining as many books as possible, but the library being one of the largest rooms she'd ever been in, it wasn't saying much. Draco let her take some of her favorite books back to her cell, and Cho was expressed her gratitude so many times that Draco threatened to take the books away from her if she didn't shut up. The books staved off her many lonely hours in solitude.
She was reading one of these books when her cell door opened and Draco strode in. She leapt out of her bed in surprise; Draco usually came much later in the day than this.
"Draco! What are you doing here so early?"
Draco gave her a glance before replying dully, "All the others are busy at the moment. Something unexpected has come up. I'm here to take up the job of questioning you." He seemed tired and disheveled, but his face was entirely passive and neutral.
"What's the point?" Draco only shrugged, and conjured up a chair to sit in.
But Cho kept pestering him relentlessly. "Why are they still keeping me here? Haven't I already told them all they need to know? Why haven't they killed me? How much longer do I have in this prison?"
Draco lounged in his chair lazily and rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Not so loud, you're giving me a migraine…ugh…" Cho waited for Draco to open his eyes and continue. "Actually, I daresay you will be free to go very soon. You're right, there's no use in questioning you anymore."
Cho noticed just how quiet the dungeons were. "So where is everybody?"
Draco chose his words carefully. "There's been a little, incident that's happened. All the able-bodied men are outside tending to it. I, myself, was just out there."
"You mean there's a battle going on? Between the two sides? Are you hurt? Is that why you're not out there still?"
"It's nothing, just minor bumps and bruises. And I've been out there for hours. I've only come down to rest a little so I can resume later, but found that I cannot. Besides, I have a feeling that when this battle is over, you will be let go." He clearly found her rivulet of questions annoying, but said nothing about it.
"So you came to say good-bye to me."
"Something along those lines," he said, and then in a lower voice, he added, "We're losing, you know, even if the Dark Lord does not want to admit it." His voice was full of malice. "I don't mean just this particular battle, I mean the whole bloody war. Soon, they'll kill us all. No one wants to say it to Him—they're all scared. Half of us don't even believe in what he plans to do, but we have no choice but to follow him."
"I thought you had Harry in captive. How can the Dark Side be losing when they have the leader of their opponent?"
"The world does not revolve around Harry Potter," Draco spat, his voice suddenly as cold as ice. "Your side can very well carry on without their esteemed leader issuing out commands. Did you really think that they would fall into a state of chaos just because one of their many men is lost? Do not delude yourself into thinking that he is all that important." Cho immediately regretted bringing up Harry. She should've known it would sour Draco's mood in an instant.
So instead, she said, "You sound like you hate all of this."
Draco looked up at her like she was mentally ill. "Of course I hate it. It's a sodding war, for god's sake. There is a constant worry that I won't live to see tomorrow."
"No, I mean, you hate being on His side."
"I have no other choice," he said bitterly, grinding his jaw. "Did you honestly think that I like being someone else's minion? I enjoy bowing down like a slave to Him? You know me better than that. I'm a leader, not a follower. I don't like taking orders from others. But I have no other choice. I am a Malfoy, my destiny was handed to me; it was decided for me from the moment I entered this world. I don't get to choose."
Cho could only stand and listen to Draco's steam—she knew better than to interrupt. "Ever since I could remember, I was told of what was expected of me. I was informed of whom I will treat as if a revered god, to whom I will pledge eternal devotion. I had to live up to the family's reputation. Shame must never be brought upon the Malfoy name. That was imprinted deeply into my mind. I respected Professor Snape at Hogwarts, because he took control of his own fate. Don't think the thought never crossed my mind to follow Snape's footsteps and become a spy for the Light Side.
"But from the moment that that thought crossed my head, I knew it was ludicrous. I despise Potter and Dumbledore. I knew that if I joined their ranks, I would be suspected and distrusted. I don't need that. Then there was the impossible notion of running away from everything, and maybe going into hiding. But I knew it couldn't be done. The Malfoy name would be mud everywhere I go; and I don't like to be holed up and hiding all my life anyway. Running away never solved anything. Creating a new identity was too much of a hassle and risk. I would be discovered eventually, and then His wrath would be terrible and great." Draco's silver eyes glittered. Cho decided he looked rather frightening.
"I was scared, I was young, and so I did what Father wanted. I became a Death Eater, I successfully spied on the Light Side, as you might vaguely recall, and I was a valuable asset to Him. Father said…he was proud of me." There was a hint of pleasure in his voice at the end.
Cho didn't know whether to feel saddened or angered by his speech. She was shocked that Draco Malfoy could ever reveal such sincere honesty. "You became a Death Eater despite everything what you really wanted."
"Because I had to."
"You never had to do anything—you could've found a way, some way, to get out of it…"
"I'm not a bloody Gryffindor. I'm not one to make my life hell just so I could have a clear conscience, peace of mind and heart, or some other utter lunacy like that. It doesn't matter if I know that what I'm doing is right…I mean, I don't…It's not worth it. In the end…nothing really matters. It's all the same."
"Of course it matters! Every person makes a difference, leaves a mark. There are so many lives you could've affected just by fighting on our side, or even just not listening to your father so blindly. Do you know how many people you hurt, by going over to His side? Do you even care about the people you just carelessly used?"
Did you care that you were using me? Cho's cheeks burned, and held her tongue. She didn't want to drag up that old subject just yet.
"I did what I had to, because I had no choice!" Draco repeated insistently.
"Because you are a coward. You took the easy way out!" Clearly, she was getting on Draco's nerves. A pink tinge that was threatening to immerge ever since he began his tirade blossomed upon his pale cheeks.
"Maybe I am a coward," he admitted with a hiss, "But I am not a fool. You cannot escape the Dark Lord. No one ever flees from his grasp. And believe me, there was nothing easy about my decision."
Cho vaguely noted that Draco was now standing up. "I'm not as heartless as you think, Cho. At first, I admit, my intention was to use you to get what I wanted, but something changed." Draco was coming closer and closer, and Cho realized that there was nothing behind her but a bare stretch of wall. "I. Bloody. Loved. You. I allowed myself to feel so treacherously strong for another person." She recognized these fevered stormy blue-grey eyes as they bored into hers with vivid determination, willing her to believe him.
Cho's head was spinning with his near presence. "Why are you telling me this?" Which of course was a silly question to ask, she realized, just after the words tumbled out of her mouth.
Draco arched a graceful eyebrow. "Didn't you always want to know? I couldn't leave you with a bad impression of me before you go, now could I?" He said this with a faint smirk.
"Then why did you--"
"Father always said love is a weakness." He looked thoughtful. "You were on Potter's side. It wasn't wise to continue with what we had," he said, matter-of-factly. They were so close that they could only speak in voices barely above a whisper.
"Why did you listen to Lucius so blindly? It was clear he did not love you."
"That's not true. And Lucius was all that I had. You don't understand."
"So, what, you just realized your father was right, and suddenly, everything you felt disappeared? How can you control your feelings like that?" She asked, trying very hard to stay coherent, as Draco was no more than barely an inch away.
"I can't. I didn't." And then his eyes fluttered shut, and Cho had a tiny fraction of a second to marvel at his perfectly sculpted face in the dim torchlight before Draco's lips touched hers. "But I'm pretty damned good at making people think that I can."
Cho shut her mind to everything else but that incredibly liberating, swooping sensation in her stomach that set her whole body on fire as Draco kissed her again and again. At that moment, it was what she wanted more than anything in the world: to be loved by Draco Malfoy.
Thus, she felt deeply annoyed when, with a big clang, the cell door burst open, and Draco sprang apart from her, slightly panting and with a rosy flush set upon his neck and face. But the annoyance lasted only for a second, as she became aware of what the interruption was.
It was a Death Eater, completely covered in burgeoning blood, sprawled across the floor. Clearly, he had just come from the battle outside. The journey must've taken a lot out of him; he looked near death and was struggling to be made understandable.
"Malfoy…," he gurgled, blood spilling from his mouth as he talked. "It's…over. The Dark…Lord and…P-Potter…are…are…ugh!" He coughed up some more blood.
"What is it?" Draco demanded sharply, rushing over to the fallen man.
"They're…dead."
A/N: Woot! Another chapter accomplished. I hope this one is more pleasing to all of my faithful readers! Thank you so much for following this story! I know I can be so annoying when I don't post for such a long time. But fortunately, summer has started, so I should be able to squeeze out some more writing time. As always, please REVIEW. It really does make me feel so special. -glow-