Chapter Forty Two: Be My Guests
The train was speedily heading to the North, leaving behind crystal clear lakes and virgin but mighty forests on a bright morning of August.
"Now tell me one more time, where exactly are we going?" Ron grunted, sandwiched between Fred and George on a bench in the train compartment.
"Fred and George agreed to do me a favor and I decided to surprise you all with a little adventurous voyage," Draco answered with an amused smirk. He was sitting on a bench opposite Ron with Ginny by his left side, who was as close to him as possible.
Harry settled himself in a corner on a bench with Draco and Ginny and seemed to be sleeping. "Seemed" is a keyword here. Hermione was on Ron's side of the compartment, but couldn't be as close to Ron as she wished because he was guarded by the twin and not without reason.
"To kidnap us sounds more like it. Ginny runs into my bedroom, drags me out of bed and here I am. And nobody says why and even where we are going! And why a muggle train?" Ron continued his tirade of indignation.
"Nobody says because nobody knows," Draco said with a smile that, on its turn, said he knew everything.
"And why, for Gryffindor's sake, would the twins do you a favor?" Ron didn't give up.
"I am sure they are already grown up to decide about it themselves. It is their and only their business," Draco parried, but it was clear that he was near to losing his temper.
Ron turned red in the face. "You have no right-"
Fred elbowed him in the stomach. "Stop it, Ron! You are acting childish! And you, Draco," he turned to him. "Why do you still cover it? Everybody knows that you and Ginny were partners. Why don't you want to be a hero for a change?"
"Because I am not one," Draco replied not liking where this conversation was going.
"What the Hell are you talking about? How can HE be a hero?"
"Draco and Ginny saved the lives of the Order members by making numerous concoctions and antidotes. If it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't have been sitting here. All of us. That's why we agreed to help Draco when he asked us," George explained.
Ron's cheeks reddened, but now not from rage but embarrassment. He still couldn't get accustomed to the fact that Malfoy DID save his sister and him once. But he just could not be friendly with him all of a sudden. His nature was simply against it.
"You still didn't answer my question about the muggle train," Ron uttered at last.
"Oh, yes." Draco sighed. "I couldn't make a Portkey to our destination because there a lot of wards there and it is simply useless. And also I invite you all to a party. Ronald will especially like the reason for it. It is a farewell party – I am leaving tomorrow," he finished with a sad smile.
Ron's reaction surprised everybody even Hermione, who knew him pretty well. "What do you mean you are leaving!" Only Fred and George saved Draco from Ron's heavy punch. "So you only lead Ginny along? You gave her your family ring! You must marry her or else! So you intend to break her heart and even throw a party about it! Then you are just a filthy bastard and nothing else!"
For a few seconds nobody could say a word. Then Draco with eyes still wide from shock managed to whisper, "You want me to marry your sister? Willingly? You don't want to stop me? To break my arms so I won't be able to touch her? You are giving me your blessing?"
"I thought about castrating you at some point, but," Ron's tone turned serious. "I love my sister and she loves you, when she hates you, my hate won't be only emotional but physical as well."
"Oh, Ron! You are my favorite brother!" Ginny exclaimed with a happy smile. She was so glad that Draco and Ron's fued subsided, for now at least.
"And what about me!" George yelled with mock rage.
The situation was loosened a bit by giggles and laughs, when Ron, Fred and George began to fight for being Ginny's favorite brother. When they finally decided that they were all her favorite brothers, they took their respective places, but now Hermione managed to grab Ron and snuggle close to him.
Draco took the moment. "I know you are all wondering where we are going. I suppose it is fair to reveal to you at least something."
"At last," Harry muttered.
Draco smirked. "We are going to Scotland Mountains."
"Scotland? What did we forgot THERE?"
"It will stay a secret for now. With such a way of transportation we have a lot of time and I left some questions unanswered. So I am sure this time is suitable for some explanation. Who will begin the interrogation?" Draco looked from Fred to Hermione and back.
"Why are you leaving?" Harry asked from his corner.
'Right to the point. I am surely starting to be afraid of him.' "I am going to the Academy of Magic to receive a grade in Potions."
"You mean, the one in Switzerland!" Hermione asked excitedly.
"Exactly."
"Wow. It is said to be the most prestigious university of high education. I am so jealous! I wish I studied there," she finished with a dreamy look.
"Why can you?" Draco asked truly surprised. He was sure Hermione Granger was able to enter any university.
"Because, I am staying here, with Ron," she answered with tenderness, putting her head on Ron's shoulder. It was clear in his glance that he was quite satisfied with her choice. "London's University of Magic can provide me with all the needed knowledge."
"I wish I studied here. Unfortunately, they don't have a Potions' Department here. Fortunately, I will return. I really will. I am dreaming of this moment already," he said the last sentence very softly. "Next question."
Hermione took out her wand. "Accio questions!" A parchment in her hands. "Let's see." She went through the contents of the scroll.
"Prepared for everything?" Draco asked with a chuckle.
"Ok, let's start with the beginning. What was the dueling position you used while dueling with professor Halflife?" Hermione asked in a business-like tone.
'Prepared indeed.' "The answer to this question is in the reason I dueled her in the first place. She was a newcomer and I considered it my duty to know who she was. I looked into her aura and found a Dark Mark there."
"She is a Death Eater!" Hermione exclaimed with horror.
"Yes, she was. In the past tense," Draco corrected and continued, "The most interesting fact was that her Mark was small and far from the aura's center, like in the background of her life. Such view was familiar to me, but it was not enough to complete the picture. That's why I decided to pick up her challenge and used the Cobra's Bite.
The dueling position where the left hand is used as a backup plan. Two pointed fingers became the second pair of eyes and aim perfectly at the target if you able to see it. It is used when you are incapable of casting a spell: your wand is broken or you are too weak or anything of that sort. But your left hand will bite only during an official Wizarding Duel, not every time you want to hex someone and not to get the detention for rules.
The point of my using Cobra's Bite was that it is popular among first class Aurors. So it came out that our DADA professor was an Auror and a Death Eater. With all the gathered information, I came to the conclusion she was a spy and not for the Dark Lord."
"And you didn't turn her in!
"What for? She was a good teacher and it wasn't really my business. Anything else on the list?"
"When we were in your dueling class with Harry, why did you say that he had eyes on the back of his head or something like it?"
"Hm, well, he doesn't have eyes on his back, because he has eyes…everywhere. When people are very close and spend a lot of time with each other, they are able to feel each other's emotions if they master Dragon Fang. Harry could feel your auras, even if you were behind him. Your sufferings and pain. Harry will know if you are in trouble even when you are on the other end of the world. You have a very close connection."
"Why are you speaking only about me?" Harry asked, coming out of shadows. "You know quite well, that you and I also share this connection. That's why I've never been against you and Ginny," Harry said, locking his glance with Draco's and Draco saw an understanding there. He nodded in gratefulness.
"But, Draco, I can feel your emotions too," Ginny uttered.
"Emotions like what?" Draco asked with interest.
"Well, back at the Ball, I felt that you were looking for me."
"Intriguing," Draco said, moving his hand up and down the back of her neck. "We'll certainly deal with it. What is next, Hermione? I really start to like it."
"Blaise Zabini," were Hermione's next words.
The happy expression instantly fell from Draco's face. "What about him?" he choked out.
"What was your relationship with him and why did you mention threatening him to join the Death Eaters?"
Draco leaned onto the wall and closed his eyes. The vision of him and Blaise at school doing homework together, playing Quiddich, their talks in the Common room late at night when everybody was asleep already and then his body, falling under the ground to be buried with people he had nothing in common.
"We were close," Draco breathed out at last. "Very close. We reached a certain level of understanding. He was much stronger than me. He didn't want to be a death Eater, he wanted to be a free man. But he was a slytherin and the word "freedom", in its true meaning, wasn't in the lexicon of the Slytherin House. There was a girl, a hufflepuff. This says it all."
"You haven't said mudblood," Ron spat with hate for everything the slytherins stood for.
"I don't know anything about that. If she had been a pureblood then there could have been hope, but otherwise it was a tragedy. A tragedy of Blaise Zabini. He was crazy in love with her and crazy from impossibility of even talking to her.
I bet that Voldemort threatened him to kill her or more probably rape her if Blaise didn't join him. I could save him, but his eyes told me he wanted to die. To die to relieve him of the stigma of being the Death Eater. He knew she wouldn't take him even if he survived the war and he hadn't another reason to live for."
Draco heard a sob from his left then another one from his right. He opened his eyes and saw that both girls were whimpering and the guys had grave expressions on their faces. Ron was trying to calm Hermione by stroking her back.
Again silence settled in the compartment. It wasn't easy to digest said information. Everyone at Hogwarts was used to the idea that slytherins lived by their own rules. They were labeled as bullies, cheaters, sluts and gigolos and, of course, Death Eaters. They lived in their own world and nobody wanted to be a part of it. The prejudices were so strong and unbreakable that a guy practically committed suicide just to escape that shut world.
Such revelation wasn't easy to comprehend, especially to true gryffindors.
"Does Hermione have more cheerful questions on her list?" Draco drawled, moving his glance to Ron because Hermione was still sobbing.
Ron picked up the parchment from the floor and began to read, his eyebrows went higher and higher with every word. "Who are those people who were indigo and purple in the Rainbow of Love? Were they Snape and Halflife? If yes, why was Snape unconscious for so long?"
"You know, Ronald, you have a brilliant girlfriend. Do you understand what treasure you've got and what mess you have gotten into? You must work very hard to maintain your relationship," Draco lectured with light sarcasm, but amusement in his eyes.
"That wasn't the answer," Ron only said in return.
Draco sighed. "This question isn't easy to answer to. Especially if other people are involved. You must promise me that everything I'll say, remains in these walls."
George and Fred exchanged looks of "Is he crazy? It will be superb gossip, especially about Snape."
"We promise," Harry proclaimed for everybody.
Draco wasn't blind, he knew that such gryffindors and specifically the twins would use that information somehow to their advantage, but he continued nevertheless. "Those streams of love memories indeed belonged to father and Macbeth. I didn't make it a common knowledge because I protected their privacy. As for the last question…I…we…damn it is too embarrassing."
"You want to say that it was the second most embarrassing moment in the life of Draco Malfoy?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"There is even one? Spill it, mate?" George asked in a gossip-hen mode.
"Merlin, can you be serious just for awhile?" Draco groaned.
"Nope, it is our profession," Fred remarked with conspiracy.
"Ok, no violence is needed." Draco put his hands up in surrender. "My condition after the battle was not similar to father's only because I was young and healthy. Father didn't fully recovered and his body wasn't strong enough. Probably, won't ever by fully healthy. I didn't want to be a donor of the memories in the first place, because I thought I had nothing to give, but Dumbledore talked me into it.
You were loved from the day you were born, me and professor Snape were not. The spell took from our hearts all the love that was there and living without love is hardly possible," Draco finished very softly. "Our beloved helped us to recover."
"But I wasn't there. You were still at the Hospital Wing, when I left with Mum," Ginny said, with guilt rising up again. She left him on the Hospital bed weak and lifeless and hadn't even written a letter.
"That's why there was a mess in the laboratory," Draco replied with a small smile.
"You mean, YOU made a MESS in the laboratory!" Ginny exclaimed, holding back laughter.
"Hey guys! What is so funny about some stupid mess?" Ron asked with a frown.
"How can you not understand? Draco made a mess in the laboratory!" Ginny said between giggles.
Of course, it was Hermione, who was the first to grab the funny point of the situation and she began to laugh so hard that tears began to stream down her cheeks, but now they were the tears of joy.
"You know, George, I begin to hesitate about my sanity because I can't understand what is funny here and that is not normal," Fred said, looking from one laughing person to another.
"They are Snape's assistants," Hermione began to explain through fits of laughter. "And he messed up SNAPE's laboratory. What do you think his reaction was? Now really, that wasn't so hard to understand, was it?" Ron exchanged glances with Fred and George and joined the laughing members of the compartment.
None of them knew that Snape hadn't even thought twice about broken vials or expensive potions that were ruined, but about Draco, who was completely broken and needed urgent comfort at that moment. Nobody except Draco knew that and he decided to leave it that way. Professor Severus Snape needs a reputation to maintain. Honestly.
The enjoyable atmosphere was restored, especially after lunch provided by Draco, who said it was his duty to feed his guests. Scotland still wasn't in sight for another few hours and the company was discussing the ways to spend the time left.
"Let's play games," Harry suggested excitedly.
"I am sure you understand, that Truth or Dare and Bottle are out of option," Draco stated. "I am spilling truth all day long today."
"And you haven't finished yet. How did you know exactly that Fred had the after effects of the curse and not me, for example?"
"I just saw it in your aura. Even if you and Fred are identical in appearance, your magic level is different and, of course, some personality differences."
"So you can to put a diagnosis to any decease?" Hermione asked astonished.
"No, only pregnancy. Want a free check up?" Draco asked her with a bit of a spiteful smile.
"Of course not. Why should I need any?" Hermione exclaimed, blushing.
"Common, Hermione. Draco did it even before he finished the question," Harry remarked. "So what is your resolution, Draco?"
"Nope. Nothing interesting inside," Draco answered with mock disappointment. "Well, if we take into account the possibility, then I am not so sure about proving the test negative. But taking into consideration the Weasleys' long wizarding blood line and Hermione's strong magic, I don't think they can have a squib. So Hermione is not pregnant. Right now anyway."
"Of course, I am not pregnant! Who do you think I am? We use contraceptives all the time. And," she covered her mouth with her hand, realizing what she had said.
Draco's smile widened and Harry began to snicker. Ron was the most unfortunate, sitting next to George. "Well, well, well, our little Ronnikins has become a real man. Who would've thought… I am really proud of you, son." George brushed off a nonexistent tear.
Ron groaned. "Now I won't hear the end of it. How can you even discuss such private things so evenly?" Ron asked, looking from Harry to Draco and back.
"Comes from experience of trying to kill each other every day by prying into each other most private thoughts," Harry explained casually.
"How is THAT possible?" Fred asked, completely sure that they were just fooling around.
"Shall we?" Harry suggested, gesturing to the place opposite him.
"Merlin," Draco grunted, changing places with George. "And don't tell me you didn't plan it all along," he said, looking straight into Harry's eyes.
"I am not saying anything," Harry said in return with an innocent look.
"If I remember correctly we are even, so it is the final match now."
"And what is the prize?" Ginny cut in.
"Odd. We haven't thought of it."
"If I win, you'll be my Best Man at the wedding," Draco proposed with a sly smile.
"You could simply ask me, you know," Harry agreed, shaking his head. "But it's a deal. If I win, you'll do the same."
"Not original," Draco remarked smugly. "Well, I still can ruin your wedding," he said thoughtfully. Probably some ideas have started to enter his naughty mind already.
"Who said I can't ruin yours?"
"You know, guys, we are still waiting," Ginny said in a sing-song.
Draco and Harry's expressions turned serious and blank, they sat down opposite each other and tilted down until their foreheads were touching. They simultaneously touched the left temples of each other and connected them to the right temples respectfully. The connection was in a form of a sparkling mist. One was read and another - silver.
For a few moments nothing happened. Harry and Draco were sitting motionlessly with their eyes closed. Then Harry visibly tensed, then frowned and Draco clenched the edge of the bench. The wordless battle continued for another half an hour and was accompanied with sweaty foreheads, trickles of blood from temples, noses and lips because they were bitten into so hard and Ginny's unstoppable prayer for them to stop. The connection threads turned red or silver from time to time, but when they were both completely red, Draco roared, veins on his temples started to pulsate widely, the threads instantly turned silver and Harry was thrown backwards, crashing soundly into the compartment's wall.
"Everybody, even you, Potter, is restricted to pry into that part of my mind," Draco hissed with cold rage, breathing rapidly. He covered his face with his hand and all the blood disappeared. Harry performed the same gesture.
Ginny was the first to find her voice. "What were you thinking doing it!" she said with reproach and concern at the same time.
"I don't want to remember," Draco responded tiredly. "Something along the lines like Cho Chang in bed with Diggory and Lily Potter raped by Lucius." The girls gasped in horror. He shuddered a few times as if getting rid of such ideas.
"What was that place?" Harry whispered still with closed eyes. The blow was too strong, he wasn't prepared for such a reaction. How could he forget that finding yourself on the bad side of Malfoy is very unpleasant?
"What place?"
"That dark place."
Draco sighed. "It was my residence in the beginning of this summer," Draco said with a tired smile.
"They put you in prison even before the trial?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"There wasn't supposed to be any trial in the first place. My name said it all. But Harry described it pretty exactly. It is a place full of darkness and nothing else. Really good idea to drive anyone mad without moving a finger."
"That's absolutely intolerable! You mean there is no light in the cells?" Hermione fumed.
"Well, not exactly. The lighter your crime is, the more light you get. My cell had a small window on the ceiling. You felt completely empty. As empty as your dark cell with one light at the end of the tunnel. I calculated that I would've taken three years to go utterly mad in such conditions." The train began to slow down. "But today I'm not going to hang onto the memories of the past," Draco said, his face lighting up face as he moved closer to Ginny. "Put the warm cloaks I told you about. We are coming off the train."
After the train's departure, our travelers found themselves on a deserted station. No houses or signs of civilization in sight. Just a long road through a forest that led towards the mountains.
"Did we travel through time or it isn't August now?" Harry asked, wrapping in his cloak.
"No, it is always a bit chilly here. Common, we need to walk a bit," Draco threw, guiding their way up the road.
"Chilly my ass, its bloody freezing," Ron grunted.
They walked for half an hour, making a few turns. With each turn they went deeper and deeper into the mountains. On the last turn, they faced a huge iron door with the Malfoy family insignia. Draco opened it with his ring and they proceeded through a corridor, hollowed out through a solid mountain. The corridor exit revealed nothing but a wall of mountain picks.
"We are here," Draco stated, looking upwards.
"Where here?"
"Our destination is behind this rage. Fifty feet right above us an apparitional point, but we can't apparate there because of wards I need to shut off. I'll go up and do it. After my signal you can levitate yourself there. Understandable?" Everybody nodded. "Ok, does anyone have a speedometer?" Such a question made their eyebrows go pretty high.
"I do," Ron said, raising a hand.
"Good put it on when I start going up, shut it when I wave you with my hand."
"Ok. What do you need it for, if you are just going up?"
"Well, it is just a tradition. I do it every year after coming home from school. That's all," Draco explained with a wink. "Ok, I am ready."
Ron set up the speedometer on his watch. "Go!"
And Draco started to go up. To everybody's disbelief, he did manually, or in other words, by climbing without any protection. He moved from one ledge to another, swiftly moving up to the apparitional point, which turned to be a stony platform between two picks.
After a wave of a hand and another few minutes, Draco signaled it was safe to come up to the platform. "Do you need any help?" he shouted to them.
"No, no everything is alright!" Ginny yelled back.
They levitated each other up. "I don't remember Windario Leviosa working so quickly before," Hermione remarked.
"Neither do I," Ginny said, giving Draco a stern look. He only shrugged.
"So where is our target then?" George asked, looking around.
"Down there," Draco pointed downwards.
The group moved their glances down to see a valley, surrounded by mountains. In the center of the clearing stood a large, absolutely black building. It seemed to be built from a solid piece of granite and stood there completely lifeless.
"You said, it was a quarter of Hogwarts," Fred said to Draco.
"I miscalculated?" Draco asked in return.
"It is much smaller."
"There are dungeons underneath, don't be disappointed. Is your equipment ready?"
"Of course." Fred showed Draco a shrank trunk.
"What is this place? A mausoleum or a prison of some sort? This place gives me the creeps!" Ron shrieked.
"Oh, sorry, I completely forgot about hospitality. Welcome to my off-school residence – Malfoy Manor," Draco said with flourish, but pain was in his eyes.
"But it is huuuuuge, probably the whole clan lived here!"
"Oh no, only three of us," Draco said distinctly, then put on a smile and started walking down the hill. They came to another clearing which was supposed to be a part, but were only a low cut lawn with benches and statues.
"While Fred, George and I are attending to our businesses, I solemnly ask you not to wonder around. It is for your own good. Wards, you know," Draco instructed emotionlessly and nodded to the twins to follow him. Soon they disappeared behind magnificent entrance doors.
"I hope we won't stay here for long," Ron muttered, shaking.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine…No, I am not. Damn. I feel like I am gonna throw up!" Ron exclaimed, going back and forth.
"Sit down, Ron. I will help," Ginny suggested, sitting on a bench herself.
"It won't. Can't you feel it? The place is full of Dark Magic!"
"How can you make such assumptions? Even if it is Malfoy residence it doesn't prove anything," Hermione contradicted.
"Don't start now, guys. I'll just check it out." The moment Harry activated his Vision, he regretted doing it. Ron was right. It seemed to Harry the house was built of Dark Magic – magic of numerous generations has settled on it. The aura was pitch black and consuming everything around it, even clouds. The only association that came to Harry's mind, was death. Death to all living things and definitely to people who lived inside.
Harry was brought back by a wild shaking of his shoulders. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a panic stricken face of Ron. "What happened, mate? One minute you are standing and another you are out!"
"I am fine, Ron. You were right about Dark Magic. This air must not be good for me," Harry said with a weak smile, standing up. 'I must've fainted.'
"Where the Hall are they!" Ron yelled to the house, as if it could hurry them up.
As if on cue, the doors opened and the trio exited, two huge trunks flying behind them. The twins moved like in a daze, their faces as white as paper. Draco, on the contrary, quickly marched to Harry and shouted into his face, "Your curiosity will kill you for sure one day! Have you gone nuts! It is a bloody building! It is worse than Voldemort himself! Damn!" he shook his head in frustration and stormed off to the trunks that stood already on the ground.
"What was all that about?" Hermione asked, looking from Draco to Harry.
Harry shrugged. "Probably felt that I was looking into the aura of the building." 'And he sounded concerned.'
"Ok, everybody, we have an hour. And I still must finish some things here. Firstly, we need some cleaning to do. Fred, George, please step to the trunks. Harry, you know what to do." Harry nodded, but didn't look very happy about it. "Ronald, please, stand behind Harry. Just in case. It is his first time after all."
Ginny subconsciously moved to stand behind Draco. There were two persons now and those heavy trunks weren't full of candy for sure. Harry and Draco outstretched their hands. Hermione was the only spectator and she had very sharp eyes. She was muggleborn and wasn't use to magic a lot, that's why what she witnessed a few moments later was a sight that she would always remember as a demonstration of pure magic.
Blue fire streamed from Harry and Draco's palms, embracing Fred, George and the trunks. Hermione made a record of how much effort was needed to produce such fire. Harry looked like he was turned inside out and was shaking heavily. Draco, on the other hand, looked more stable, but it was visible that he was worn out. He sank down on his knees. Slowly. Very slowly. So nobody could've accused him of falling down, loosing his strength, be weak. He said something, but nobody understood because it was said so quietly.
That's why Ginny said it for him, "Fred! George! Step out of the fire! And don't worry it will die down on its own."
They followed the advice that was in a form of the order. Both still had shocked and frightened expressions on their faces, but it started to fade being replaced by comfort and calmness.
"Forget about dignity, Harry," Draco whispered, but now it was audible. "It is more than unnecessary now."
Harry's dignity was lost in a form of his knees weakening and his falling on Ron, who almost fell down himself.
"Are you ok, Harry?" Ron asked, sitting Harry down on the ground. Harry's only response to this was shaking his head. "How can we help him?" Ron inquired, turning to Draco, who only shook his head too.
"He'll come around eventually. I don't know how long it took Draco to recover from the last time," Ginny said.
"Three hours and twenty seven minutes," Draco stated, standing up and swaying a little. "It was my second time, so it will take Harry about four hours to become Harry Potter again, but your friend will return after an hour of rest."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Ron asked with a frown.
"It means that he can talk, walk and do whatever he likes after some rest, but he won't be able to use magic and especially really advanced one till those four hours pass," Draco explained in a lecture tone. "I lied when I said there had been only three of us living in this…this…here. And that is another problem I must care about," he finished with a sigh. Then he walked to a more spacious space and faced the building. "Folly! Dinky! Patty! Winky! Sissy! Danny! Cassy! Goofy! Gardy! Olly! Ziggy! Abby! Tassy! Goggy! Tinky!" One by one House Elves appeared around Draco, forming a circle.
"I am glad you are back with us, my Lord," squeaked an Elf, who looked like the oldest and the most presentative of them all
'My Lord? So they already know that I am the only Malfoy now.' "There will be none of the Malfoy Manor soon, so your services are no longer needed. I'll take two of you with me, the others are free to go. The clothes will be provided right now," Draco said sternly, leaving no room for argument, but his strictness didn't help.
The choir of "You can't leave us, master!", "Please, take us with you!", "We'll serve you for eternity!" took Draco off guard. The House Elves were tugging on his robes, almost pulling him to the ground. Their big eyes begged him not to give them freedom.
"Merlin," Draco groaned. "Why must everything be done the hard way?" he asked his accompaniments. They only shrugged, amused by the sight of Draco struggling with the House Elves and definitely losing. "Enough! Take your places!" Draco barked and the Elves instantly obeyed. "You want this you'll get this." Draco took out his dagger and lifted it above one of the Elves head.
This certainly brought an active verbal reaction from the others. "You can't do it, Draco!" Ginny screamed.
"They are still living creatures," Fred protested.
But Draco heard nothing of it, his dagger went down and then again and again…cutting the air between him the House Elves. The moment he did it, the Elf became utterly grey, even transparent, its eyes turned lifeless and glassy, even its ears hung down. "Ziggy, you are going to Hogwarts to retire. I grant you with master's permission to end your work. Your will is free now."
The Elf rose its eyes on his now former master, the unwillingness to fulfill Draco's order was clear on its small face, but an eternal struggle was finished by outstretched hands. Draco's dagger went between the Elf's hands and Ziggy disappeared with a "pop".
"What have you done to them? They look like zombies…" Hermione cracked.
"They are House elves. They can't live without a house and master to serve for. They are born for it," Draco explained, shrinking the rest of the Elves and putting them in a box, which found its place in one of the trunks. "How much time do we have?" he asked the twins.
George checked his watch. "Four minutes."
The group quickly went up to the apparitional platform and started to debate how to go down when Draco stopped them. "I have a Portkey, you don't need to climb down."
"What are you waiting for then? You said we had only four minutes," Ron fussed with panic.
Draco snickered.
"What's so funny?"
"What will happen in four minutes?" Draco asked, his lips twitching from contained laughter. Ron looked thoughtful for a moment then exchanged glances with Harry, who shrugged, then Hermione and Ginny, who shook their heads, showing that they had no idea either. Then Ron looked back at Draco, who gave him a look of innocence in return and added, "We still need to use a protective shield just in case."
"So what the Hell is going on?" Ron yelled.
His further tirade was interrupted by a pang of an earthquake, then another. The epicenter seemed to be located exactly under the Manor. With the next bang, the first floor disappeared under the ground, in a moment the second floor followed it. The next explosion brought a snow avalanche and covered the remains of the building, leaving no signs of it even being there.
"So the test proved positive then," Draco commented, addressing the twins.
"Yeh, the question is whom we can sell it to," George replied deep in thought.
"Another house, another source of energy," Draco said with mock grief, looking below then raised his glance to the sky with the happiest expression on his face. "Holly Heavens, how good it is to feel free!"
The Portkey took them to…well, somewhere, because nobody except Draco knew their new location.
"What is this place?" Ron wondered, looking around and seeing nothing but trees around him. "Now it is definitely a kidnapping," he finished gravely.
"Relax," Draco drawled. He seemed to be completely relaxed himself and at ease with everything that surrounded him. "I promised you a party, remember?"
"Yeh, my stomach is grumbling already!" Fred complained.
"And you are going to serve it on the ground?" Harry asked, seeing nothing suitable on the green valley.
"Why, Harry, you don't think I'll keep you outside even if it is a lovely summer day," Draco said with mock hurt. He neared a tree trunk nearby and pressed his ring to a small hole in it. The trees on the left started to move, revealing something that looked like a huge barrel with windows on four rafters. "Welcome to Malfoy Heaven!" Draco announced and there was no doubt that he assumed being right there.
"You've built an entire house?" Ginny asked with admiration.
"Of course, not, I just designed it. But what are you waiting for? Common," Draco urged them, already on the way to his "house". He again touched one of the rafters with his ring and a trap bridge came down to Draco's feet. "I know you are all eager to eat and rest, but I need to bring a few lives back first," he finished with a smirk.
"Harry," Ron almost plead, "please, say he is crazy. He certainly is."
"Are you afraid of him?" Harry asked in return.
"Now you are crazy? Why should I be?" Ron said with hurt dignity. Harry's smirk closed the topic.
While Harry and Ron were talking crazy, Draco removed two tiny Elves from the box and unshrinked them. He put them on the "threshold" and proclaimed, putting his hands on the Elves' heads, "This is your house, your home and your sanctuary. I am your only master and you must serve and obey me whenever I wish it. Now enter and remain."
The House Elves transformed completely: life returned to their eyes, backs straightened, they even looked younger. They squealed joyfully and ran into the house.
"Be my guests," Draco invited with a bow.
The company started to go up, stepping into the darkness. But it was soon dispersed by small lamps lit on the floor, guiding their way and after a few moments they found themselves in a Slytherin Common room. Of course, they were not in Hogwarts, but Draco's living room was decorated in slytherin colors. It was furnished with a few couches and armchairs, small tables for tea or other refreshments and, of course, I can't forget about a fireplace decorated with black marble. The furniture and the carpet didn't look enormously expensive like was expected from Malfoy, but stylish and tasteful nevertheless.
"Wow, Draco, it is so cozy in here," Ginny commented with dreamy look, squeezing his hand.
"I tried," he whispered back. "Don't stand paralyzed, take seats or do you want a tour first?" Draco suggested to the gaping guys.
"It will be nice, I think," Hermione said for everybody.
They went up a small iron staircase to the second floor. The house itself wasn't big. The living room was indeed the size of the common room at Hogwarts and it had two thirds of the store already.
"On the left is the library and on the right is the bedroom. The library isn't fully equipped with books yet."
"And what about the bedroom?" George smirked. "All equipment is present?"
"Actually, it is. It is ready for anytime," Draco said, not picking up the joking tone.
"Can we check it out?" Fred proposed with mischief all over his face. They were right in front of the door at that very moment.
"Only Virginia and I can step through this door, nobody else," Draco said very seriously.
"Ok, ok, mate. Just fooling around," Fred gave up.
The third floor brought a big surprise – it was a swimming pool. A pool with deckchairs around it just begging for someone to lie down under the Sun and rest for awhile.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am staying for bit," Harry said, taking of his cloak and shoes. "I hope, you don't mind, Draco?"
"That was the plan. The changing rooms are down there," Draco said with a grin, pointing to the bottom of the pool.
"You mean that I must undress, jump naked into the pool, swim down for Gryffindor knows how long, maybe even drown from lack of oxygen, just to get a pair of swimming trunks! And if I do, how will I change back? I'll take my clothes, go back to the pool, they become soaked through, I put them underwater, keeping breath "steady" and then come up from the pool completely "refreshed" and in wet clothes! What is the point of taking them off then!" Harry yelled in the end.
"Well, of you don't like that, you can use the other variant right there," Draco gestured to white cabins just beside the stairs they used to come up to the pool. Harry stormed to the pointed direction.
Ron was the first to crack. "Merlin, that was good. Really good," he uttered between laughs.
"And it feels really good to follow Harry's example," Fred suggested, stretching his back. "I am really dirty from all that digging in the dungeons."
"I have trunks for everyone, help yourselves."
"And what should we do?" Ginny asked. "I hope you don't have any bikinis stuffed under your pillows, huh?"
"Fortunately for me, I don't, but it is quite an unfortunate situation for you, Virgie. Of course, a thought of you swimming naked with me is quite tempting…ouch!" Ginny elbowed him on the ribs. "But there are too many guys to see that which belongs only to me," he finished intently looking into her eyes. Ginny noticed that they darkened, but only for a few seconds. "Don't waste your time on sweating under all those clothes." Draco pecked her on the nose and disappeared inside the cabin.
"Yeh, Gin. Let's show them what girls are made of." Hermione winked.
"What's the point? Ron's seen everything already." It was Ginny's turn to be elbowed.
The boys were the first to occupy the pool, while it took the girls a bit of time to transfigure their underwear into some tight but modest swimming suits. Ginny decided on deep blue and Hermione has chosen purple. Both looked very easy on the eyes.
"Wo ho ho! Would you look at THAT!" George exclaimed when the girls appeared. "Just tell me how Ron has got such a piece?" He asked Fred, but couldn't hear the answer because George was being pulled under water by Ron, who not only inherited the Weasley temper, but also a high level of jealousy.
"Hey, someone was talking about refreshments here," Ginny said with a pose.
"Tassy! Goffy!" The elves popped up. "Refreshments for the guests and a dozen sandwiches," Draco ordered. The Elves nodded with grins on their happy faces and disappeared.
"This is life! I don't even want to move an inch to reach for food," Harry breath out, surrounded by bubbles.
"You can organize it at your home too. It isn't expensive," Draco suggested.
"Speaking of expensiveness. How can an eighteen-year-old without a job build himself a house? Especially if I remember that you swore not to take your family fortune," Hermione cut in.
"Nothing illegal here. I began the construction about two years ago. Something I saved, but mostly earned."
"And where did that come from?"
"Potions' making. I've been working for professor Snape for three years."
"And he paid you!"
"Do I look like a person who does something for free?" Draco implied with one raised eyebrow.
"Certainly not. And what was your tariff?"
"Oooo, here is the most interesting part. The more attempts I spend on one potion the less my pay was. His highest praise was that if I had gone in the same mode, he would have become bankrupt soon," Draco said with a chuckle in the end. "But when I remember the wedding budget, I wasn't that good after all."
"Yes, the wedding was really fabulous," Hermione added dreamily, probably picturing her own wedding day.
"Yeh, it was really cool when Gin made two potions at once," Fred remarked with pride.
"Two? Common, Fred, it is pathetic, comparing me to Draco!" Ginny said bursting into laughing. "How much is it now, Draco?" He said something, but too softly for anybody to hear. "I don't hear you," Ginny said in a sing-song voice.
"Nine," Draco replied a bit louder.
"Nine? Holly Gryffindor!" Ron yelled, falling into the water, sending splashes all over everybody.
"Hey! That's unfair! Water war!" Harry yelled and made a huge wave with his hand.
"I'll give you a wave!" Draco exclaimed and dived. When he surfaced a little tidal wave covered the swimming pool occupants. Draco jumped out of the pool, landing near the cabins. The big wave was caused by Draco's doubling in size after transforming into a tiger. When everyone came around a bit from the deafening wave, they were met with another shower of splashes coming from the shaking down tiger.
"Draco, you naughty…tiger! You made us all wet!" Ginny shouted in mock reproach, but she was clearly having the time of her life.
The young people continued to splash and play around in the pool, relaxing not only after a hard day or even month, but from all their school years full of fear and uncertainty. When the sun set down and it became chilly outside, they moved to the living room where the fireplace roared with warm flames and dinner was served.
"I've never thought you could be such a good host, Draco," Hermione remarked, taking a seat on a fluffy couch.
"The food looks delicious anyway," Ron said, eyeing the plates around him, drools almost dropping onto the table.
When everyone got a seat and a plate, Draco stood up and addressed his guests, "Thank you all for coming here tonight. As you remember, tomorrow I will leave, that's why I want to give you something to remember me by."
"You are hard to forget," Ron muttered.
"I have some presents for you." Draco levitated one of his trunks to set in front of him and opened it. "Here are very valuable volumes of the Malfoy Manor library and I want you to have them. I tried to choose the book to match a personality of each of you, so let's see how it will turn out."
He took out seven books in similar covers and handed them to Hermione. She almost dropped them not only because of their heaviness, but because of shock and excitement.
"This Encyclopedia of Magic, the last edition. It is priceless," she whispered, tracing the books' borders and still not believing they were hers.
Fred and George got books on various hexes and undetectable charms. When Draco took out a book with a bright orange cover, Ron yelped and jumped from his seat. "You can't say it is what I think it is!"
"And what do you think it is?" Draco asked with a Cheshire cat's grin.
"The full history and the full biographies of every member of the Chudley Cannons. But it was washed away in the first day it appeared in the bookstores," Ron wept, remembering his depression when he realized that he would've never have that book.
Draco slowly turned the book over so the title was visible. Ron just stared at it. "What are looking at? Take it. It's yours." Ron took the book with shaking hands and pressed to his chest like a baby. "Here is another one," Draco continued, "about Auror training." Ron accepted it and not a word was heard from him for at least half an hour.
"And you," Draco said, turning to Harry, "You were so eager to torture me for these books, but I am giving them to you willingly. They are my Dragon Fang text books. I hope you'll find the lost pleasure of torturing me in reading them. There is also my Journal of Colors, as I called it. Can come in handy sometimes."
Harry looked through a note book with leather cover. 'Betrayal, jealousy, deception, treachery, lies, confusion, hesitation, plotting, hate, desperation…Hm, could be really interesting.' The list continued with every negative feeling possible, but no good emotion was mentioned. The very last entry was rounded a few times: 'Love – bright white light.'
"These books also serve the purpose of proof," Draco said, giving Ginny two ancient looking books.
Ginny looked at the titles and couldn't believe her eyes. "Even when you explained everything I still thought it was impossible, but these books…"
"What is so fabulous about them?" Harry asked, peeping from above her shoulder.
"Look yourself."
"'How to learn to hiss if you are not born with it' and 'How to give your Animagus form a special talent,'" Harry read out loud. "But that's impossible! How can you learn Parseltongue from a book!"
"Why are you so sure?" Draco hissed in Parseltongue right away. "We established you believed your eyes, what about ears? Do you trust them also?"
Leaving Harry bewildered to comprehend, Draco neared the trunk to finish his handing out his presents. "I want you all also to accept these," he gestured to the small box with tiny House Elves. "They can make your life a lot easier, believe me. Will you provide them with homes and work to do? I am asking, because as former master, I must be certain of their well-being in the future. Those are the rules."
"Of course, we will do everything for them to be comfortable," Hermione agreed.
"This is it then." The Elves were taken from the box and returned to their normal size. "Pairs to the right, singles to the left." The elves moved, leaving two couples on the right and eight singles on the left. "Hm, I thought there were only two families, including one that works for me…Start to fool around when master leaves, you naughty Elves, hm? Ok. Danny and Abby, you go to Ron and Hermione. Consider it an early wedding present." The future newlywed blushed the Weasley red. "Dinky goes to Harry. Gardy is for George and Folly – for Fred. Goggy is for both of you for your…shop." Fred and George winked in understanding. "Others are going under your guidance, Virgie."
"Mine? But there are so many of them!" Ginny exclaimed, looking at more than a dozen big eyes, staring at her.
"Only temporarily. Two of them: the Winkass aka Winky and Cassy I want to give to your parents. They are also a family and can't be separated. Other singles are going to your remained brothers and one for yourself, as everything you see around you."
"You mean the house? The house is mine?" Ginny stammered. Draco nodded. "But I can't take it. It is not just some flowers or candy. It brings a lot of responsibilities. And I won't be able -"
Draco silenced her, placing a finger on her lips. "IT will be yours sooner a later. I am letting you get used to it."
"Common, Gin! Think of what parties we can arrange here!" George persuaded.
"What are you talking about, George! You have only fun on your mind! It is Draco's property. I think you have enough places to ravage havoc," Hermione scowled.
"Now what are you talking about, Hermione? We and chaos are completely incompatible," Fred objected with look of pure innocence.
"I am sorry to interrupt your heated argument about my property, but I just want to mention that only Virginia has the key and only with her presence can anybody enter Malfoy Heaven. Party time is only allowed for family members on conditions of appropriate behavior, of course," Draco settled the problem.
"Well, if you are so eager to be part of our family then, I think it reasonable to know where exactly the residence of our future brother-in-law is located," Ron inquired.
"Well, if you are so anxious to know, we are in Pixies' Forest. Killegan is two miles on the south and one mile to the West is Ottery St. Catchpole. Why so shocked faces? We are still in England not somewhere in Brazil."
"The Borrow," Ginny uttered.
"Huh?"
"The Borrow is located at St. Catchpole," Harry explained,
"Then I can walk you home today," Draco's only reaction was.
They left the house and started to walk a narrow but straight path through the woods. Draco went first, leading the way, with Ginny beside him.
"I don't know how I will cope with your departure," she said with a sigh. They've spent a day full of amusement, but the dreadful minute was near now and Ginny couldn't just ignore it.
"I don't know either," Draco whispered back. "But I am not falling from the surface of the Earth. We still can write to each other."
"But you yourself know that it will be just a petite resemblance of a conversation!" Ginny said hopelessly.
"But I will be back."
"Three years is a long time, Draco. My life can take twists I don't even imagine or could predict."
Draco tensed, but his voice remained even. "I made some modifications to the ring. If you feel that you don't love me anymore or don't want to unite your life with mine, just take it off and throw it into the fire. I'll be immediately notified and I won't ever return."
"Oh, Draco, of course I'll wait for you! My love will always be only with you alone. I can't take anything second-best," she finished with wry smile.
"So I am the best, ha?" Draco asked smugly, his worries disappearing, at least for awhile. He didn't want to let himself think that such a long wait could make Ginny forget him and find somebody else. As for himself, he was certain that Virginia was and would be the only woman in his life. Only she could awaken such a feeling in him that nobody else could manage. He was sure that life without her would be lifeless for him. Still, he was leaving her and it hurt him more and more with every second.
"What was that part of your mind you defended so strongly?" Ginny asked, changing the topic.
Draco smiled. "When you were away, I had trouble with sleeping because every night I dreamed of you, of us. All those dreams were stored in my mind. They are my most precious part of it."
The column soon reached the Borrow. The twins headed straight to the house, catching a smell of apple pies in the air.
Harry stretched out his hand for Draco. "Good luck with your studies. You were a good teacher."
"You were a good student," Draco responded, giving him a firm handshake.
"You'd better return or you'll stay there without some body parts. The Weasley brothers will keep sure of that," Ron said in his turn for a farewell. Still, he shook Draco's hand more confidently than he did at the Ball.
After Hermione's words of encouragement and good byes, the Dream Team disappeared in the House, leaving Draco and Ginny alone.
"When exactly are you leaving?" Ginny whispered, afraid that if she spoke louder he would disappear as a dream.
"As soon as you release my hand," Draco answered, pointing at his right hand, squeezed by Ginny so hard that it turned white.
"Then maybe I should glue my hand to yours?" she proposed in a shaking tone.
"I must go there. It is the token to our future. Together." Draco tried to reason with her, but knew himself it won't lessen the hardness of the parting.
"I know, I know. My mind agrees with you, but my heart wants just to kiss you senseless and never let go." She shook her head, attempting to hide her tears.
"At least our hearts understand each other," Draco said softly and tilted his head down, locking his lips to hers.
This kiss wasn't as desperate as the one before Draco's imprisonment, but it was still intense and passionate. Each of them tried to show their immense feelings to the other through that kiss. Draco embraced her one last time, remembering how perfectly her body fitted against his, and a traitorous fear went down his cheek.
"No matter how long I am gone, I will be back."
With these last words, Draco disapparated.
A/N: The question of the chapter: Why did Draco show to the others his houses or more specifically, Malfoy Manor and why did he answer all the questions so frankly?
Thanks to all my fair reviewers who still stay with me, and sorry for such a big delay with this chapter. Frankly speaking, it was written more than two months ago.