DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER NOR BEASTMASTER
A/n: Warning some OCC going on in this chapter
By the way Andre Norton is the original author for the Beastmaster
THE MASTER OF BEASTS
Chapter Six: A Difficult Decision 2
The light of day filtered into the Hospital wing as light brown eyes opened to a new day. Stretching to the new day and with a purring sound on her face Hermione Granger woke to find clean sterile walls of Hogwarts hospital wing. Confused she squinted her eyes to the light of a new day. Her bushy brown hair was more bushy then normal considering she was sleeping for a long time. A soft moan got her attention as she looked in the direction of the bed next to her to see another familiar face. Crookshanks her cat mewed at the newly awoken Ron with Pig hooting happily beside him.
Hermione smiled at the cat and gave him a scratch only to nearly jump at wits end when another voice broke her reverie. "Oh my head," said a voice and both her and a surprisingly quiet Ron who has not said a word since he woke turned to the bed on the other side of Hermione.
There in the bed was Draco Malfoy. What surprised Hermione was the bandages on his head and across his bare chest. Come to think of it she has some as well and so did Ron. "Where is my family?" Ron asked, "My Parents are dead," Hermione realized as her memory came flashing back.
FLASHBACK
Hermione was running for her life as a group of Deatheaters decided it was fun to attack Diagon Alley with her currently at Flourish and Blots. They came out of nowhere and killed several people. Hermione tried to bring her wand to bear but it was too late for they attacked her parents killing them both on site. When they saw whose parents it was they tried to get her but she was a fast runner.
She ran out of Diagon Alley into the Leaky Cauldron and into Muggle London. She ran for a long time till her breath gave out. Luckily for her she collapsed when a flash of red light came and ravaged her body.
END FLASHBACK
She lay there trying to remember what had happened but nothing came. She tried but still nothing came, "Hermione?" Ron said as she turned her head with tears in her eyes.
Ron has a patch over one eye and his head was bandaged. An arm was draped in a sling and his right leg was in a cast. She was not so bad but her head had a bandage on it from when she hit the pavement. She looked and saw that she too had a cast but only on her ankle. Her hand was in a cast as well and she could feel the pain in it.
"What the hell are you doing here," she heard Ron growl his voice hoarse and dry. Draco only looked at them his eyes blank and useless. As his mind was not there, "Answer me damn it!" Ron growled, "Mother," was the only thing Draco said before bursting into tears. "That bastard killed mother!" Draco screamed into the night air as he wrapped his arms around his legs and cried. "He killed Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Slytherins he killed them all!" and Draco was in an angry fit of sobs and it was then when Ron was about to stand broken leg or not to hit him that the point of Draco's word hit home.
Here was the most arrogant Slytherin in all of their class crying over the death of his mother not his father. When ever Draco would complain about something he would mention his father Lucius not his mother. Everyone would assume that Draco never liked his mother but his madden sobs was something else. Ron felt the rest of his anger towards his fellow Slytherin fade as the sun began to shine its light on Draco's silver hair. It was almost angelic for here was the most spoiled brat in all of Hogwarts crying because his fellow Slytherins are dead. Feeling sorry Ron hopped out of bed and limped over to Draco and hoisted himself onto the bed. He pulled the other boy into a hug and Hermione was not too far behind though only hesitantly.
Whispering comforting words both he and Hermione recognized the signs of a child in need. They had learned it early on with Harry and now with Draco. Ron then realized that all Draco's taunting, teasing, harassing and back talking about them was all an act! Here was the boy who now from looking under his hospital gown could see the scars of abuse. He could see it now and now he finally understood. It took a tragic event and a trip to the hospital wing to finally understand.
Draco Malfoy was a good actor but he was also a lost boy just like another they knew. After a while his sobs began to ebb and he hiccupped a few times. "Why are you helping me?" he whispered to Ron, "What?" Ron said, "Why are you and Granger helping me?" he said this time a little louder. "You know what mate you remind us of another someone so shut it," Ron said though he was no longer angry at Malfoy he could not put aside his prejudice in one day. He knew that it would take time so he left it.
When Draco finally settled down he then was asked by Hermione by what happened and after explaining to them what had happened Draco then started to nod off into sleep as the last of his strength left him. Laying him down to rest Ron along with Hermione made their way back to their beds both just as exhausted. As they fell asleep they missed the shadow that was watching the window as it vanished into the forest.
It was later that night that the trio woke again. Draco was the first to wake since he had to use the loo and had to get up to do it. Winching as he walked noticing his cast and his sore ankle he managed to make it in time. When he emerged Ron was not too far behind him and so was Hermione. None spoke for quiet a while as they finished their business and went off to the beds. When they got there Draco was the first to speak, "Um sorry," he said and blushed in embarrassment. Hermione noticing asked, "For what?" she asked, "Well for everything, for crying earlier, calling you a Mudblood, all those years of being a Pratt," he said sighing, "You see my father was an abusive arsehole who wanted nothing but to make me the perfect Deatheater. He knew that the dark lord was looking for new recruits even in his absence. He wanted to raise me to be like that but only one person interfered with that plan. That was my mother and some of the relatives of some of the other Slytherins as well mostly other mothers and a few fathers.
They told us to pretend to do those things so that way they kept our fathers from getting suspicious. One of the things we had to do was be mean to Muggleborns even though it hurts to do so. Only when father was gone did I apologize to them but we could not do it here at Hogwarts. Father has eyes everywhere and I could not afford to blow my cover or the cover of any other Deatheater child. The price for that is death and none of us wanted it." Draco said, "It all worked well till the end of term when father found out and grew angry. Apparently he had a spy who would report to him of mother's doings and so attacked. He killed mother and gathered up the other Deatheater children he then tried to kill us all but the other kids thought that I should be the one to escape. They shoved me in the bushes and fell to the killing curse.
I ran as fast as I could into the forest surrounding our home and disappeared for days on end. I was hungry and cold till I finally reached someplace where I could call on the knight bus but that is not to last. As soon as I reached the place where I could call it the Deatheaters caught up with me and hit me with a Cruciatus. I slipped and fell hitting my head on the ground and thought that was the end of me till I saw black.
The next thing I knew I woke up to being here," and then Draco looked at them with repentance in his eyes and Hermione and Ron looked at each other then back at Draco. They then began to recall their stories of how they ended up here when the hooting of Hedwig got there attention. She flew in the window and landed on Harry's bedpost. Hooting softly she hopped down the post and towards the bed. She rubbed her head under his hand and felt no response. It was then that the group noticed how thin Harry is. He was more then just thin, "Bloody hell!" Ron nearly shouted, "He is nothing but skin and bones look at this," and Draco and Hermione hopped over as Ron removed the blanket very slowly to expose the malnourished body of Harry Potter. It looked as if there is not a single scrap of meat on him.
Horrified the trio stared at the scars that littered their friend from head to toe, "Shocking isn't it," said a new voice and the trio turned to find Professor Dumbledore at the entrance with Madam Pomfrey with a scowl on her face. The three scooted back to their beds and let her check them over. When they were finished taking their potions Dumbledore stood up. "I guess you were wondering what had happened to Harry there," he said and they nodded, "Well Harry as the evidence clearly shows has been abused, and raped by his own relatives," the trio especially Ron were red with anger, "When I get my hands on those Muggles I will kill them personally," he said, "That will not be necessary Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied, "That has already been taken cared of when I went to check on them," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"What happened to them?" Hermione asked, "Well does squashed bugs have anything to do with it," he said and they all cringed at the fate of the Dursleys. "Who did it?" Draco asked, "Why I believe he is flying around right now and should be in this evening. Before then I have something to tell you," he said, "Shouldn't we wait for Harry?" Ron asked, "I am afraid this is part of the problem," Dumbledore said conjuring a chair and sitting down, "Harry will not be waking up anytime soon," he said, "is it because of the abuse," Hermione said as tears began to form in her eyes. "I am afraid so," he said and Hermione began to cry.
Both Ron and Draco draped an arm around her and she felt relax though a bit weird with Draco instead of Harry to comfort her. Draco then let her go as if sensing her discomfort but she smiled at him telling him that she would get used to it. "So Harry is dying then," it was a statement more then a question. Dumbledore nodded sadly, "Harry is fighting but is losing badly," said Poppy as she walked over to the boy, "I've tried my best but Potter is not doing so well. All this abuse is taking its toll on his body and I am afraid I have nothing else to do," she said sadly, "If someone does not do something then I have to do the killing curse on him," she said sadly. "But you can't!" cried Ron, "That is an unforgivable curse right?" Hermione said, "Not in the medical field," Draco replied, "In the wizarding world there are exceptions. In the medical field the unforgiveables are used for patients with severe injuries an in Harry's case near death." "But there is nothing I could do," Poppy said.
It was then that Dumbledore remembered something, "There maybe another way," he said, "What?" asked Poppy, "But the one to administer that is not me but someone else entire," he said, "Why is that Headmaster?" asked Ron, "Because the one who can do it knows spells and potions that wizarding kind has long forgotten," he said. "What can he or she do to help Harry?" asked Hermione, "Give him a new life," he said, "Just who is it that can help Harry?" as if on cue a rather large golden eagle flew in through the window.
The group stood in shock as the eagle landed and then looked at the headmaster and then turned its attention to the group, "Um is he or she an Animagus?" Ron asked, "No," said Dumbledore, "Sheroc here is an eagle true and true and he knows things that wizarding kind has long forgotten. In fact he made his offer yesterday to all of you," he said and the eagle turned to each and every one of them. His sharp eyes bore into theirs and they all felt exposed under the critical stare.
"Sheroc has made an offer to help you all out if you agree." He said, "Why should we trust an eagle?" said Draco, "Sheroc may not look like it but he is actual thousands of years old," Dumbledore said the twinkle in his eye returning. "If you agree to become what he calls a beastmaster Sheroc promises to help Harry out as much as he is able to," with that the eagle took to the skies by fluttering his wings and fluttered out the window into the skies above Hogwarts.
"You said that if we agree this Sheroc would help Harry?" Ron said and Dumbledore nodded. "He can help immensely and he can help you as well like I said before Sheroc is not your average eagle. He is in fact a magical animal just like Fawkes." He said and it was then that the trio even with Harry unable to say anything for himself nodded, "Alright professor we will go with this one," Draco said, "Let me warn you that there is no turning back," Dumbledore then looked at them sadly before leaving.
