Recap:
Without them he had a real shot at happiness, a life that didn't revolve around ever-lurking fears and deep-seeded hatred.
But, most importantly, without them all that he held dear—the only people he loved—would be safe. And that was not something he was willing to gamble with again. His selfishness had gotten them into trouble. It would have to be his love and determination—and very well his life—to get them out of it.
Chapter 13: Malfoy vs. Malfoy
"I have to talk to Harry!" Hermione screamed, her chocolate brown eyes igniting in her fury. Professor Dumbledore stood before her, his face calm and his heart understanding. She didn't want to be held here, having to wait and find out if Draco would be alright. "Now!"
"You cannot contact him, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said. "But—"
"I refuse to just sit here and wait—"
"I can go to him for you, Miss Granger. I can bring him here. I can bring your other friends here as well, if that is your wish. But you must promise me something first."
"Anything," she breathed, her relief mixing with her pain and fear to form a completely new and foreign emotion. She stifled the whimper in her throat, as she rung her hands in front of her.
"Under no circumstances are you to leave here. No matter what you find out, you cannot leave until I come to get you. Mr. Malfoy's wish was that you and your children were protected, and in order for me to fulfill my promise I must have yours."
"I won't leave," she said. "I promise. I won't even think about leaving. But I need to see Harry! Only Harry."
"Very well, Miss Granger." And then he disappeared.
Ginny screamed and dropped the glass of pumpkin juice she'd been carrying to the table, it's shattering sound muffled by her voice. Harry looked up from the Daily Prophet and frowned.
Headmaster Dumbledore stood before the stove, his face calm, but solemn.
"It's happened, hasn't it?" Harry asked, and set the paper on the table.
"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "And she's safe."
"I know. I knew she would be." Which explained his lack of surprised concern.
Ginny, having recovered from the initial shock of having her former Headmaster appear inches in front of her out of no where, stepped forward and demanded to know what was going on.
"I don't have time to explain," Harry said, kissing his fiancée on the cheek lovingly. "I'll explain everything when I get back."
"When will that be!" Ginny cried. What was going on!
"Forgive us, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said sympathetically, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I must take Harry somewhere, but I will return shortly and explain what has happened. You have my word."
"Harry?" she all but whimpered.
"I love you, Ginny." And he pulled her into a fierce embrace, as if he would never see her again. "I love you so much."
"This is going to give me a stroke, isn't it?" she whispered into his chest, the tears welling in her eyes.
And all Harry could do was nod.
The biting night wind cut through the air with harsh determination. It was so clear that every star in the sky could be seen, shining full and bright.
It made Draco think of Hermione. It made him want to cry.
The house he owned was far larger than he needed, and included a spacious back yard, which the people who sold it to him said would be great for barbeques. It almost made him laugh to think of what it was being used for now.
Across the lawn stood Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, their deep hollow eyes bearing into him as if they were daggers. They'd only been there for a few moments, but already they had severely worn out their welcome. And Draco intended to show them just how much.
"It doesn't have to be like this, son," Lucius said, his wand not even in sight yet. "Hand over the mudbloods and you can go back to the life you should be living. Besides, fatherhood and marriage don't suit you. You're a Malfoy."
The comment didn't faze Narcissa in the least. And he wondered, as he looked upon those who raised him—did they even love each other?
"And if I don't?" No harm in asking.
"If you don't," his mother said, stepping closer, "then we'll vanquish the mudbloods."
"And me?" If he didn't stay calm, if he didn't keep his voice steady, then he would lose his mind.
"You," she laughed, a sharp twinkle in her eyes. "You we have much different plans for. Either way the mudbloods with no longer be a problem, and we'll have your abilities at our disposal."
"It truly does have to be this way, doesn't it?"
"What other way could there be?" Lucius answered with a sigh, as if the conversation bored him.
"Enough chit-chat," Narcissa hissed. "This is a waste of time." She came forward and stopped two feet before her son, her wand clutched in her fingers as if it were her life force. "Choose Draco." Lucius came to her side. With a face like his he could win at poker no matter the opponent. "The mudbloods or your parents."
"Yes Draco," his father pressed. "You know what is right in your heart."
Draco almost couldn't suppress his laugh. What did he know about hearts?
"Very well," he sighed, then nodded, knowing this is the only way it could end.
"I knew you would come around, my dear son. You will become so much more powerful without them. They're holding you back from the greatness you are entitled to." She went to embrace him, her wand hand finally lax with its color returning. But she stopped dead in her tracks as Draco raised his wand. The look of complete shock and horror on her face filled him with triumph, as if he'd already won. Though, of course, that was very much not the case. The night was far from over.
"I choose love, mother," he said, his voice calm, his arm steady. "I choose love over power and greatness, and if I have to die for her and my daughters then I will. Take out your wands, this is a duel."
"How dare you!" Narcissa baulked, and threw a curse at him so fast he didn't even see her raise her wand. He flew back and hit the ground with such force it took him a moment to stand back up. It hadn't been a powerful curse, only something to knock him back, to show him her anger. No, they would torture him first. And then they would try to force him to do their bidding.
"I never thought I'd see the day a Malfoy was so weak," Lucius sneered, his face transforming so drastically he looked like a different person.
"I'm not the weak one, father," he retorted, and shot the same curse at his mother, who blocked it without effort. "You are! The both of you. Trailing after Voldemort like a pack of dogs."
"There's only one way to weed out mudbloods and muggles, son."
"I am not your son," he said through his teeth. He gripped his wand, ready to curse him, when a blinding light hit his eyes. And then everything went black.
Draco's eyes fluttered open, his vision hazy and his head heavy. He knew he was bound to something and that his wand was gone. But how long he'd been out he couldn't know. Frantically he looked around.
"We're still here," Lucius stand, and walked into his field of vision. "Here." He walked up to him, a goblet in his hand. "Drink this. You'll feel better."
"No," he spat. He knew exactly what it was.
"It wasn't a suggestion."
Narcissa came at him from the side and tore his mouth open as Lucius pored the Truth Serum down his throat.
"You will never get to them!" he cried, coughing up some of the serum.
"Where is your family, Draco?" Lucius asked, his voice calm again. He tossed the goblet to the ground.
"I don't know."
His parents frowned. But they had expected that.
"Who is your secret keeper?"
He bit his lip to push back the truth, swallowing it.
"Who is your secret keeper?" Narcissa demanded, giving him a swift punch in the gut.
"Dumbledore," he coughed out, and would have buckled over had it not been for the roped that held him.
"Thank you." Narcissa chuckled at his side. "Now, is there anyone else there with them?"
"No," Draco hissed, tears brimming and spilling onto his red and dirty cheeks.
"Will Dumbledore be showing up to save your neck? Should we prepare him a drink as well?"
"I told him to stay away. He won't come."
"Wonderful…Just one more question."
"You act as though I have a say in the matter."
"How could you love those mudbloods? How could you betray your parents for them? Has someone cursed your brain!"
"Those are perfect questions, father," he mocked, determination in his eyes. "I love them because they are good and pure and nothing like you. I can betray you for them because I could never love something so evil as you and mother. And no, my brain has not been cursed. It's been un-cursed and I am finally seeing clearly."
"Love me?" Lucius laughed. Narcissa joined in and Draco cringed. It was so much like all those times his cronies had laughed along with him. He wanted to vomit. "I never wanted your love. I wanted your power and skill and black heart. I see now that you have nothing I want."
"Then why keep me alive?"
"Because, my son," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Draco envisioned biting it off. "You will be what I want when we're done with you. When our Lord is done with you."
"I will be myself and nothing more."
Lucius broke into such an intense fit of laughter Draco wondered if he would cry. Narcissa, of course, laughed right along with him. But suddenly her expression changed completely, and before she could warn her husband, she was on the ground and bound by a spell. Lucius was soon to join her, their limbs stiff and useless.
Draco was too stunned for a moment to even look up. And when he did, he knew his life was changed forever.
"Potter!" he gasped, staring at the person he'd been torturing since the first day at Hogwarts. Thank you would never be enough.
"I've always known," he said flatly, removing the ropes. "Don't ask, just finish what you started."
Flashback:
When Dumbledore was gone, Hermione and Harry were left in a seemingly impenetrable void of silence. Neither wanted to begin, but the more time they wasted the closer Draco came to death. And there was no telling when the Malfoys would strike.
"You know," Hermione said, breaking the silent tension and bowing her head. "How do you know?"
"When I confronted you about sneaking out," he said honestly, and moved closer to her on the couch, his hand on her knee. "I saw you go to Slytherin House. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, so I went to you. When you said you were seeing a Ravenclaw it confirmed it. That," he sighed, "and the fact that the girls have blonde hair and Jade has blue eyes."
"And her name," Hermione whispered, unable to even entertain the idea of looking at Harry.
"And her name."
"That's why you were so upset when I told you I was pregnant. You knew the whole time." Finally she looked at him, not at all startled when he was staring right back at her. "Why didn't you say anything? How could you be around me when you knew?"
"You weren't lying before when you said it was what you wanted. I can't lie to you Hermione, I was so ready to hate you. But then I realized how happy you were, that you smiled all the time. And when you were happy, everyone else was happy. For the first time in his life, Malfoy was doing something good." Hermione flinched at the mention of his name. It was the first time either had said it, and so they could no longer pretend her secret was something else. "I forced myself to forget all the awful things he'd done. He was making you happy, and that was the most important thing. I do have one question though."
"Anything," she said, taking his hands. "You deserve it after being such a perfect friend to me."
"How did it happen?"
"Well," she sighed, "if you don't hate me for what you already know, then I suppose there's no harm in keeping this part a secret. I want to tell you to promise not to say anything to Ron, but everything is so beyond that point. It doesn't matter if he, or anyone else, knows. Because, if Draco doesn't survive this…" But she couldn't finish her thought.
Harry looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Ever since he found out, he knew there was more to Hermione's ill-chosen relationship with Draco than physical desires. She had named one of their daughters in his honor; he was one of the biggest parts of her life. And he had been there for her from the beginning.
Draco Malfoy had been seriously underestimated.
And Hermione loved him.
"It happened during detention," she began, unable to help a small smile that came to her lips at the mere thought of it. But her expression quickly changed and her short, and terribly awkward, tale began to unfold. When she was finished, Harry nodded, but could form no words for a long while.
"You were with him when you were with Ron?" He had never suspected that.
"It's the most horrible thing I've ever done," she whispered, her voice hoarse and dry. "I regret being unfaithful to Ron, but I could never regret Draco. Not after all that's happened…Maybe if he just left me like he intended to. Or if I never got pregnant. Because then I would never know that I loved him, and that he loved me."
"Loves," Harry corrected, and stood so suddenly Hermione nearly gasped. "Hermione, I know the reason you wanted me here was for comfort—"
"I can't stop you," she said, knowing what he was getting at. She stood and grabbed him, hugging him like a wife hugging her war-bound husband. "Be careful Harry. I can't lose you. I can't."
"I'm coming back, Hermione. And so is Draco." The name stuck in his mouth, but he managed to push it out. This was no time for childhood grudges. "And when it's all over you two can be together."
"I love you, Harry."
He kissed the top of her head and held her close.
"I love you too, Hermione."
She was hugging thin air before she realized he was gone.
"Oh God," she whispered, easing herself onto the couch. "Bring them back safe. Please God. Please…"
End Flashback:
MUHAHAHAHA! That's the end of the chapter! Heehee! I love my cliffies:D Tune in next time to find out what happens:P
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