A/N: Chickens-of-Doom, you guess correctly. Unless it turns out that Draco has just been really misunderstood. (Not bloody likely)
Akalei – thanks for all your reviews :) This'll be the last chapter, for this story. We will probably write other things. Hope you'll update your story soon.
Maddie – You were right! That's good. - :)
Fairymargarita – Thank you! We'll try.
FFF
22. – The Last Chapter
When they neared the edge of the wood, Ron and Ginny could see the others landing and forming a small group. Ginny started to fly lower. Finally, they also landed gently, safe on the ground. Ron hobbled towards Harry and Hermione, and Neville, who had apparently gone along with the rescue team.
"Are you alright?" he asked them, urgently. They looked at him, amazed.
"Are we alright? We thought you'd been eaten," said Hermione.
"Why?" said Ron.
"Well, they couldn't find you," Harry explained. "The spider dragged you off."
Ron tried to reply, but his mouth was full of Hermione's hair. She wouldn't let go of him. This is not a normal friendship hug, thought Ron. He didn't mind it, though.
Harry turned away, only to come face to face with Ginny.
"Nice save," he said. She grinned.
None of them noticed Draco Malfoy slipping silently away.
The sky was darkening, Ron realized later. Perhaps it was going to rain. It didn't bother him. He was sitting on the grass with Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ginny, enjoying the feeling of not being dead. None of them felt the need to talk very much.
They watched as Dumbledore and professor Snape came strolling out of the forest, Snape looking very sombre.
Snape was speaking to Dumbledore. The headmaster didn't seem to be able to keep his face entirely straight, but for what reason, Snape had no idea. He wasn't about to ask about it either. He had important things to discuss, and had no time for trifles.
"We haven't been able to find her," said Snape. "And I doubt we will."
Dumbledore's expression instantly turned very serious.
"I assume you are referring to Miss Morris," he said. "And the others?"
"Pansy Parkinson and professor Jacobson have disappeared," said Snape. "But as to Miss Morris' whereabouts, you might want to question them." He pointed at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "By the way, would you care to explain how exactly you suspended the Acromantulas in mid air?" he added. "They are notoriously spell proof creatures after all…"
"Elementary, my dear professor," said Dumbledore, and the familiar twinkle was back in his eyes.
Here it comes, thought Ron. He glanced at the others. They exchanged significant looks, all in silent agreement. They would not expose Malfoy as the one who had killed Kya.
Dumbledore was approaching them. They got to their feet, and attempted to look as tired, worn out and unfit for interrogation as was possible.
He didn't question them for very long, anyway. All he managed to get them to say was that Kya had been eaten by the spiders. Whether or not he knew what had actually happened to her, they weren't sure. Something in his expression told them he had an idea of it, though.
He went over to Snape and said a few quiet words to him. The two professors started to walk back towards the castle. Soon everyone else followed. It had been a very trying day.
"Why does Snape's hair have purple streaks in it?" Harry asked Ron.
"I don't know," said Ron. "And I'm not about to ask him."
A month later, things were about as close to normal as could be expected, under the circumstances. Christmas was coming up, and the great hall was decorated accordingly. However, it wasn't nearly as full of holiday spirit as it usually was at that time of the year, since no-one could enter it without thinking about the two empty seats. Rhona Jacobson had been found in a ditch outside of Hogsmeade, very much dead. It had looked as if she had turned her wand on herself. There had even been a suicide note, explaining all about her tragic life and alcoholism. Pansy Parkinson's body had never been recovered, but she was presumed to have died as well. Her parents, who were both in Azkaban, had not inquired into the matter, but the case was still being investigated by a flustered magical law enforcement squad.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were trying their best not to think about the events of the last month. They had all bought presents for one another, and had so much schoolwork to do in the last week before the holiday, that they had no difficulty keeping their minds occupied. Besides, as they all continually reminded themselves in the bitter watches of the night, it could have been worse. Kya could have triumphed. She hadn't, and that was a good thing. They ruthlessly suppressed that little voice inside of them that said; but still…
One winter morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny were having roasted chestnuts in front of the common room fireplace. Outside, the air was thick with snowflakes. No sane person would want to be out there. Luna Lovegood was skiing across the lake however, and seemed to be enjoying it immensely. She had recovered."Ron, would you pass the pumpkin juice?" Hermione asked.
Ron passed the pumpkin juice and smiled at her. She smiled back. Harry turned to Ginny and rolled his eyes. She rolled her eyes as well. Ron and Hermione exchanged knowing glances. Harry and Ginny shook their heads in bemusement at their friends' behaviour. Neville grinned at them all.
Then they started laughing.
Meanwhile, someone else was making his way through the snowy grounds. While Luna enjoyed the weather, Draco Malfoy had gained an uncanny ability to completely ignore it, in spite of the powerful wind. He had been able to ignore a lot of things lately. Like the famous trio, for example. He had ignored them for an entire month. They were in his debt, and he knew that ought to make him happy. One day he was sure he would relish calling in the favour, but right then he didn't care.
Perhaps the violent storm would give him pneumonia and he would die from it. Of course, he was too cowardly to kill himself on purpose. And he wasn't sure he wanted to die. All he knew was that he didn't want to go home, to the future that was planned out for him.
Not that he cared about Potter or Dumbledore, or any of those who opposed the Dark Lord. He still hated them. The problem was, he now hated the Dark Lord as well. Kya had used him like a puppet on the Dark Lord's orders, and had killed Pansy on a whim.
Hadn't they thought he was going to join the dark side out of his own free will? Because he had been ready to, despite whatever he had said to Kya when under her influence. He couldn't remember the discussions he had had with her, but he recalled the gist of them. She had made him say all those things, about not wanting to join the dark side. What had been the point with that, if she had been working for Voldemort anyway?
He now felt a powerful antipathy for the lot of them. Dark and light, both. Although he was sure his parents hadn't known about the Dark Lord's plan – because then at least his mother would have warned him about it – he couldn't go back home after what had happened. His parents were both loyal to the Dark Lord. They would force him to join the Death Eaters, if Voldemort wanted him to. He wasn't about to comply with that.
And neither could he join Dumbledore. What Dumbledore stood for went against all he had been brought up to, and still did believe in.
That meant that he couldn't seek his protection if he decided to run for it, or go into hiding. Which was why he had been considering suicide.
But some part of him knew he wouldn't be able to kill himself. He might not lift a finger to save his own mother, but did have a strong sense of self preservation. Perhaps he could go abroad next summer. Just pack up his stuff and fly off on his broomstick.
And not finish Hogwarts?
Malfoy frowned. Then he smoothed his expression quickly, realizing that it could cause wrinkles.
Well, he reasoned, finally. His parents probably wouldn't press for him to join the Death-Eaters until after he had finished his seventh year. He might be able to stay at the manor for the summer, and complete his last year after all. He did like his parents, in spite of what Kya had made him say, and he wouldn't leave them without a proper farewell.
After his seventh year, he would fly away to some far off country. Perhaps he could become a famous Quidditch player.
No, he couldn't, because then he would be in the public eye. He had to lie low.
There were other things he could do. He had other talents besides Quidditch, after all. He just had to discover what they were.
Satisfied that he had a well thought out plan, Malfoy walked back towards the castle. Perhaps he could befriend Blaise Zabini, who was his only intellectual equal, and the one boy in the whole of Slytherin house who wasn't a sadistic bastard. At least according to popular opinion. If that was true, then he might be an interesting person to hang out with.
What he really needed was a friend, who could keep him from screwing up the way he had been doing so far. He might be vain and self-absorbed, but he had realized that.
The memory of shaking hands with Potter after the Halloween ball popped up in his mind. It filled him with revulsion. No. They were not friends, nor would they ever be – not in a hundred lifetimes.
The End.
A/N: If you liked it, tell your friends. If you hated it, tell your enemies. Goodbye.
A/N after book six (CONTAINS SPOILERS):
The name Kya means Diamond in the sky. We thought it would suit her. Also, this fic is entirely off the mark where canon is concerned, as we've realized after reading HBP. Apparently, Snape wouldn't have bothered saving them.
Or would he? We have no idea of his real intentions, actually. He didn't seem to care about Dumbledore, but is he completely loyal to Voldemort?
Almost all of this fic was wrong, but one thing wasn't. In the book, Malfoy was in fact ordered by the Dark Lord to kill someone but he wasn't able to do it. But whether we got anything right or not doesn't matter really, because this fic wasn't meant to be taken seriously. We hope everyone who read it realized that.
Have a nice summer!
