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Chapter 13: Ties That Bind...

Within seconds, Lucius and his unconscious son landed in the cold ashy fireplace if his office at Malfoy Manor. Scooping Draco out of the ashes Lucius walked a few paces and dropped the limp body with a thud.

A level below, Narcissa was tending to a pan of frogs legs and a pitcher of Butterbeer. She raised her head and listened to her husbands footsteps. Instructing the new house elf Dani to finish off with the dinner, she took off her apron and headed up the staircase to her husbands office.

Narcissa arrived at the red oak door of the office and cautiously knocked.

"What is it?" Lucius questioned from the other side of the wood, with a tone of annoyance winding throughout his voice.

"May I come in?"

"Yes" He replied stiffly.

She pushed open the heavy door and peered inside. Lucius was sitting on the edge of his desk, arms folded across his chest. He was simply staring at the lifeless body on the floor before him. Narcissas hand shot to her mouth in shock. There was her son, her pride and joy, her reason for worth living, lying near dead on the ground.

"What happened?" she questioned astonished.

"He disgraced our family" Lucius replied plainly. "He needed to learn a lesson.

"But what did you do to him?"

"He needed to learn a lesson."

"But Lucius! He's our—"

"HE NEEDED TO LEARN A LESSON!" Lucius boomed back. "Do not argue with me any longer woman!" he spat

Narcissa lowered her hands and folded them over each other over her abdomen. She knew she could not win against him. It would be better just not to argue.

Lucius turned, stared out his office window and announced, "Get him out of my sight."

Narcissa kneeled on the floor next to Draco and, with what little strength she had left, she scooped up her sons limber body and began out and down towards the parlor. She sat herself on the edge of the sofa and gently slid her arm out from underneath him. Putting the throw over him, she called for Dani to bring her a pitcher of chilled water and some rags. Two minutes later the pitter patter of tiny feet had brought what she had requested. Narcissa grabbed a rag, dampened it, then wrung it out and steadily drew it across Draco's forehead. Slowly but surely, he began to wake.

"Draco?" he stirred "Love, it's Mummy. Draco wake up." Narcissa stroked his hair out of his face.

"Mum?"

"Yes Darling. C'mon Draco, wake up." He grunted and sighed. "Sit up for me alright?" he complied while she positioned herself on a chair next to him. "Do you want me to fetch out some water?"

"What? Erm, yea, sure." He replied, still obviously a little out of it.

Narcissa drew herself up from the chair and made her way into the kitchen, when footsteps could be heard descending down the staircase. Lucius appeared in the doorway across the room from Draco.

"Oh, you're conscious again I see. Oh well that's just unfortunate isn't it?" Lucius walked across the room towards his son.

Draco knew he had brought "shame" upon their family, in his father's eyes, and he would never be allowed to forget that.

"Go take a shower Draco." Lucius slapped him across the face. "You smell of her filth!" He turned and disappeared into a long dark corridor.

"Yes." Draco replied to his now out-of-sight father. He gathered himself from the couch and trudged upstairs and into his bathroom.

After sliding each off, each one with an exceptional amount of pain, he ran his finger through his locks and stepped into the steam filled shower. The comfort of the warm water seemed to cause all his fears to disappear. His fears for himself, his fears for Hermione. He wished he knew where she was at this moment. Who she was with and what she was feeling. Was she alright? Was she safe? Was she in danger?


After trudging back across the damp grounds and then again up through the castle, Hermione had finally reached her tower once again. 'Oh please have left!' she thought. The portrait opened and she took only a single step inside. "Harry?" Silence. "Thank Goodness." Hermione continued to make her was into the common room when she saw and arm peeking over the side of the high backed chair. She let out a barely audible gasp. The occupant popped his head around the side of the chair.

"Hermione!"

"Harry! Why haven't you gone yet?"

"Hermione just let me explain."

"There is nothing to explain Harry. Please, just go." She walked over to the chair and Harry arose to meet her height. "You know what you did. How could there be any explanation? You—"

Harry grabbed her shoulders and sat her down on the table behind her. "Hermione! Just listen to me, I can—"

"No! Stop this! Let go of me!" she managed to stand herself up and attempt to bolt around Harry. But unfortunately his reflexes were more developed than hers.

"No! You are going to listen to me! You're going to stop thinking about yourself and you're going to stop thing about Draco for just two minutes. Two minutes that's all I'm asking of you Hermione! You can hate me after if you want to. But right now, right now you are going to listen to what I have to say!"

Hermione had never seen Harry this forceful with anyone before. She decided that two minutes was not going to kill her. And he did say that she didn't have to forgive him if she didn't want to. That she could still hate him. But "hate" is a strong word. She sat back town on the table behind her.

"Thank you. Now please just let me go through this without you interrupting me. That is not too much to ask of you is it?" Hermione shook her head while staring over to the right of him. "Alright, first of all let me just say that I am not in love with you Hermione. By any means. I do love you as more than a friend, I love you as a sister. I love you, but am not in love with you." Harry stated bluntly "You are a very attractive, intelligent and loving girl and any, yes any, guy would be lucky as hell to have you. But you have someone and I completely understand and accept that fact. But there you were, my best entire world, and you needed someone. You needed someone to help, calm and comfort you. And I never have been in too many of these predicaments before so, I panicked. I did the first thing that came to my mind. Unfortunately it being that. I was willing to do anything to help you, even if it did risk the ties of our friendship. At the time I felt I was doing the right thing. I felt as if your world could be right again. But as it turns out I made a gigantic mistake. And finally I want to say that I am truly and honestly sorry. And that I never meant to hurt you in any way." Harry paused for a moment "Alright, I'm done. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Hermione stood up, looked at Harry and walked past him.

As Harry hung his head in shame and sorrow, Hermione came, in a slight gallop, back his way and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh! I'm sorry too Harry! I'm just so confused as well. I overreacted and I apologize too."

Without a second needed to reconsider, Harry hugged his best friend right back and was thankful that he did not allow this to come between their friendship.

"So…" Harry said. "Let's figure out a way to get you back to Draco!"

But before Hermione could even respond, there came a large "swish" from the fireplace. A third person in the room now accompanied them.


A/N- Soooo…………I'M BACK! I cannot believe it's been over two years (I think, haha) since I have been back on here! Well, updating at least! O man I miss this soooo much! Let me just say thank you to TLSutton for making me come to my sense's and force me to start writing again. Ha, like anyone is gonna read this anyway. Okay well hope you enjoyed, I know it was a tad bit boring but I had to catch the story up on things. Well SAT's and my school Musical are coming up this month so not that much in the next month! Bye! COMMENT! xoxo

P.S.- My Myspace name is "Dont Judge Me 2morrow, By The Way Im Acting 2day" (URL .../tutukaboo)