Hermione wrung her fingers together under the table. The library was deserted, everyone else had gone to bed except for Malfoy and her. It was nearly time. Harry and Ron would be here soon. Malfoy glanced up at her, she picked up her quill and tried to look normal. Her eyes scanned the page she was working on but she didn't take any of it in, she couldn't even remember writing it. She risked a look at Malfoy again, he had his head down, bent over the notes he was making,
'We shouldn't do this, this is wrong,' the thought kept repeating over and over again. She shut her eyes and lifted her head. They were going to do this, it was too late to turn back now, Harry and Ron were probably already on their way here. She opened her eyes and stared out at the night sky, 'We won't hurt him,' she promised herself, 'We'll just find out what he knows and have done with it,' the thought didn't sound convincing even to her. This was bad. Belatedly, she realised Malfoy was talking to her.
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"How do you think we should make the transition between explaining what Dumbledore did and discussing the benefits of his work?" Draco asked without looking up. He had managed to get through this evening by focussing on the task at hand and trying desperately not to think about Hermione. Not an easy task given that she was sitting less than three feet from him. When she didn't answer him he sighed. It was really hard to concentrate on their work when her head was clearly somewhere else. He looked up and instantly regretted it as the lump came back to his throat. Hermione was staring out the window, 'At what? Its pitch black out there,' "Hermione?" he called, he had to repeat it before she answered,
"What?" he frowned,
"What's gotten into you tonight? You said you wanted to get this damned thing done remember?" she shook her head,
"Yes I know," she sighed, "I'm just thinking,"
"About what?" she paused,
"About you actually," she looked at him, he couldn't read her expression,
"Me? What about me?" she put her quill down and took a deep breath,
"I know you aren't your father Malfoy…" his face hardened, 'Why does she have to say it over and over again? Why can't I believe her?' he shook his head and stood up,
"Please don't Hermione," he said, "I don't want to have this conversation with you again,"
"No, wait, we have to," she jumped up and moved round the table, "I have to ask you something," he shut his eyes, 'So much for sticking to work,' his insides started to ache again,
"What?"
"Well, if…" she paused, "If you knew something, something about him that the Ministry doesn't know. If you knew where he was or how to find him, would you tell us?"
"Us?"
"I mean the Ministry, or Dumbledore, would you tell Dumbledore if you knew anything about your father that might be important," Draco's head rocked back,
"I don't know anything Hermione,"
"Maybe you do," he looked at her, she wasn't making sense,
"I don't,"
"Are you sure? Maybe there is something, something small, something you don't think it is important. Anything might help Malfoy,"
"You want me to help you…capture my father?" she nodded, he sighed,
"Well I can't. Like I said I don't know anything,"
"If you did," she took a step closer to him, "Would you tell…me?" his eyes slid closed and he took a deep breath. She gasped slightly and he opened his eyes to see her staring up at him, the empty feeling inside faded as he sank into her eyes,
"Yes, I would tell you," he let the moment drag out, happy just to look at her. Then something tingled in the back of his mind, he heard a noise behind him and spun round,
"What is it?" she asked, his eyes darted from shelf to shelf, searching for the source of the sound,
"Did you hear that?"
"No, I didn't hear anything," he stepped away from her and started to push his senses out, certain that something was wrong. He concentrated and started to feel the presence of the Ether when his thoughts evaporated. Hermione took hold of his head, turning him to face her as she leaned up and kissed him.
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Hermione's eyes were drawn to the door as it opened silently behind Malfoy. She couldn't stop the tiny gasp of fear when she saw Harry step into the room,
"Keep him busy," he mouthed, stepping aside to allow Ron to enter. Malfoy opened his eyes and looked at her,
"Yes, I would tell you," he answered her question. He stared into her eyes, it was like he was staring into her very soul, and allowing her to see into his. He was telling her the truth, any doubts she might have had vanished. Behind him, she was dimly aware of Ron moving, raising his wand. Malfoy frowned and turned round, Ron and Harry ducked to the side. They barely got out of sight behind a bookshelf before Malfoy could see them. He had heard them come in. Her mind raced, keep him busy, Harry had told her, but how? She had to distract him, keep him from seeing Harry and Ron before they were ready to disable him. The last thing they wanted was a fire fight in the library. They needed to do this quietly if it was going to work. So what could she do? 'Play dumb, talk to him. Nothing is wrong here,'
"What is it?" she fought to keep her voice level and calm,
"Did you hear that?" he asked, she could hear the edge in his voice. He stepped away and looked around, searching the shadows. It was only a matter of seconds before he would see them, they couldn't hide for long. If he spotted them, all hell would break loose. She panicked, she couldn't let him see them, she had to do something, anything to distract him. An idea came to her, she didn't think, didn't even consider it for more than an instant before she stepped forward, turned him round and kissed him. She felt him jump slightly in surprise as her lips pressed into his. After a moment, he leaned into her to return the kiss. She released his head and let her arms snake around his neck. Her mind drifted, the sensation of the kiss pushed all thoughts away. She was so caught up that she was surprised when he suddenly tensed then went limp. She pulled back and opened her eyes to see him buckle and slump unconscious to the floor.
Hermione looked up as Harry lowered his wand, both he and Ron were staring at her,
"What were you doing?" Ron sounded confused. Hermione thought, tried to come up with an answer, what had she been doing?
"He…I…he was going to see you, I had to do something," she managed eventually,
"You were kissing Malfoy!" he spat the name, obviously disgusted by the idea. Hermione looked at the unconscious Malfoy, she felt a dull pain in her heart seeing him like that. Her eyes moved back to Ron, and then to Harry. Ron looked disgusted, Harry's face bore no expression,
"You," she stammered, "You said to keep him busy," Harry stepped forward and rolled Malfoy over with his foot, checking to see that he really was out cold,
"I did," he looked up at her, "But that wasn't quite what I had in mind Hermione," she opened her mouth to say something before she realised that she had nothing to say. She shrugged,
"It was all I could think of," Ron didn't look happy, she shook her head and turned away from him, not wanting to look at him anymore, him or Malfoy. She moved over to the table and started to pack up the notes and books. Behind her, she heard Harry grunt as he picked Malfoy up,
"Take his legs will you?" he asked, she assumed the question was directed at Ron so she didn't turn round, "Ron!" Harry repeated, "Get his legs," Hermione finished packing her things and started to clear up Malfoy's, listening to the sounds of the boys hefting Malfoy from the floor,
"Heavy son of a bitch isn't he?" Harry grunted, there was a clatter on the floor behind her as Harry tossed Malfoys wand at her,
"Yeah," was the barely intelligible response. Hermione bent to pick up the wand. She stuffed it into Malfoy's bag and fastened the straps. Picking up her own bag, she hesitated before turning round. Malfoy had told her he didn't know anything and she believed him, but she knew all too well that Harry wouldn't and neither would Ron. They weren't going to stop now that they had started, it was too late. She turned round, Malfoy was rigid, Harry and Ron had put a spell on him to make it easier for them to carry him. Harry looked over at her, then jerked his head toward the door,
"Hermione," he grunted, the effort of holding Malfoy clearly evident in his voice, "Go on, and check to see that the coast is clear," she looked at Malfoy as she moved forward. Ron glared at her as she passed him and opened the door. She looked down the corridor in both directions, there was nobody in sight,
"All clear," she turned back and beckoned them out, "Come on, before someone comes."
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Etean yawned and rubbed his eyes before re-reading the report again. It didn't get any better,
"I hate politicians," he said to himself. In Etean's opinion, all politicians should be locked up, kept away from normal people so as not to inflict their ridiculous opinions on anyone else. He laughed, 'They probably wouldn't even object, just so long as they were allowed to debate the issue amongst themselves.' His eyes scanned the page again before he dropped it and picked up another from the pile, it said the same thing. The Council were aware of a sudden trend in the Death Eater attacks, more and more of them were being directed at members or ex members. The other Council members were worried about the situation, as evidenced by the seemingly endless pile of information they had gathered. They had really been working hard trying to figure out what was going on, there were over fifty sheets of parchment devoted to their investigations. Reports, theories, speculations and wild guesses but, when it boiled down to it, nothing. The Council members were all born politicians, they had no idea what was going on but it took them all of those fifty pages to say that. They had taken the time and effort to compile this information and send it to him in an attempt to disguise just how clueless they were. It amazed him, it really did that people as smart and experienced as they were could have such a problem with the simple phrase - 'I don't know.'
Etean dropped the parchment and scratched his head. He checked his watch, it was nearly midnight, Draco should be here by now. 'Probably distracted by Hermione again,' that thought was a bad idea, he instantly felt a wave anger rise in him as he thought about her, followed quickly by a rising pain in his head,
"Fuck," he whispered and conjured his potion to relieve the pain. Setting thoughts of Hermione aside, he stood up and piled the parchment neatly on the table. He set his fist on top of the pile, pressing his ring into them. The parchment glowed and started to shrink. It slowly vanished from sight and he lifted his hand to reveal the small silver coin that Regal had brought him. He picked it up and started to roll it between his fingers. 'So, they know something is going on but they don't know what,' he mused to himself, it was a problem and he knew it. But, for the moment it didn't matter, Voldemort's final goal was still clear, they would just have to weather any other attacks as best they could. They were safe for the moment, an attack on Hogwarts castle would take an army, and a hell of a big one at that and Voldemort didn't have those kinds of numbers…yet. He frowned as he remembered Draco, he really should be here,
"Where is he?" he asked himself. He allowed his senses to expand, closing his eyes and enhancing his connection with Draco until he could sense where he was and what he was doing. Images filled his mind, a room, a chair, a wand.
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed as his eyes slammed open, he pocketed the coin and ran for the door, "Just fucking brilliant."
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Pain woke Draco, a tight, binding pain across his chest. He was cold, the air was freezing. He opened his eyes to find himself face to face with a terrifying sight. A snake's head was inches from his nose. Its tongue flipped out as it tasted the air. Draco looked around, he was in the Prefect's Common Room. Weasley was sitting opposite him on the side of one of the armchairs. A loud hissing sound filled the air, Potter moved around from behind him, strolling almost casually with his hands behind his back. Draco looked at him as he opened his mouth and hissed again. The snake turned to look at Potter then tightened its grip on Draco, causing him to scream in pain,
"I see we're awake then," Potter sounded cold,
"What are you doing?" Potter turned round and looked at Weasley,
"I just thought that you and I should have a little chat," Weasley glared at Draco,
"Do we need to bother to explain what about?" Draco knew what it was about, suddenly Hermione's questions about his father were making sense. He felt a surge of anger rise inside him,
"You won't get away with this," he struggled against the snakes grip but couldn't free himself, "I'll have you expelled," Weasley laughed,
"Expelled? Will you listen to him," he stood up and advanced on Draco, wand in hand, "Go ahead, and make your threats Malfoy. Soon you won't be in a position to threaten anyone anymore," he made to raise his wand but Potter reached out and stopped him, the two of them looked at one another for a moment before Weasley retreated to his seat. Draco struggled again, Potter hissed something in Parsletongue as he turned round. The snake tightened around Draco, he felt a stab of pain as one of his ribs gave way under the pressure and he howled in agony. 'Shut it Draco,' he scolded himself, 'Don't let him beat you.' He got himself under control as best he could, determined not to give Potter the satisfaction of seeing him suffer,
"Now then," Potter's voice remained eerily calm, "I think this should be clear to you by now, but I'll spell it out all the same. I am going to ask you questions and you are going to answer,"
"I'm not answering any questions Potter," Potter raised an eyebrow,
"Really?" he hissed, the snake crushed again, "I think you will. Because you see, if you don't answer, or if I think you're lying to me…"
"What? What will you do then?" Draco tried and failed to make his voice sound confident. Potter didn't answer, the snake turned to follow him as he turned and started to circle round Draco slowly,
"Where is your father?" Draco laughed,
"How the hell should I know?"
"When was the last time you saw him?" Draco surged and fought to free himself,
"Let me go," he hissed,
"No," Potter moved back to stand in front of Draco again, he hissed and the snake crushed Draco still harder, bringing another scream, "Tell us how to find your father," Potter demanded as Draco quietened,
"I told you I don't know," he struggled but the snake was just too strong, "I haven't a fucking clue where he is or what he's doing," Potter opened his mouth to say something but Weasley cut him off,
"This is a waste of time," he marched round Potter and stood towering over Draco, "we can't pussy foot about with this shit. He won't tell us unless we make him," he moved fast, Draco didn't even see his fist coming before he felt it connect with his jaw. Stars exploded before his eyes as the force of the blow toppled the chair over. The snake hissed loudly but didn't let him go as he landed on it,
"Ron," Hermione's voice came from somewhere behind him, "You said you weren't going to hurt him,"
"Stay out of this Hermione," Draco looked up, Weasley had his wand pointed in the air, at Hermione Draco guessed, "He is going to tell us the truth whether he wants to or not,"
"Ron…" she started,
"No Hermione, I'm warning you, stay out of this," he turned to Potter without lowering his wand, "Pick him up," Potter hesitated then moved round behind Draco and lifted him, chair and all upright. Weasley turned to face him and levelled his wand at his chest. "Now, you know the question Malfoy, I am not going to repeat it. I am going to give you a chance, one chance only to answer it," Weasley paused, staring at Draco with absolute, undiluted hatred in his eyes. Draco didn't answer. Weasley nodded slightly, "Fine then," he drew a breath and tensed,
"Ron no," Hermione shouted, Weasley spun to face her,
"Impedimentia!" the curse shot over Draco's shoulder, he heard Potter gasp, Hermione didn't make a sound. Weasley turned to back to him, they stared at each other for a moment before Weasley took aim at Draco's heart. Draco tensed as Weasley roared,
"CRUCIO!"
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Hermione got more and more uncomfortable with the situation as they travelled in silence through the corridors. Part of her wanted to get caught, she didn't care about getting in trouble, this was a mistake. They had passed the line between right and wrong and were still going, she grew more and more certain that this was going to get out of hand and soon. She stopped at the top of a flight of steps when she heard Harry calling her,
"What?" she hissed as she turned back to look at him,
"Go ahead and check that the Prefects Common Room is empty," she nodded,
"Fine, wait here,"
"Hurry," he whispered as she turned to leave. The door to the Common Room wasn't far, but the journey seemed to take forever, her head was spinning. The door seemed really heavy as she pushed it open, 'Please, let there be someone here so we have to give this whole thing up,' but she was disappointed, the room was deserted. She sighed and dumped her bag and Malfoys on the floor. The air was freezing, the fire was out and someone had left one of the windows open. She shivered and crossed to close it. She reached out to the window and caught sight of her reflection in the glass, she froze. It was almost like looking at someone else, a different person behind her own eyes stared back at her. Her eyes seemed dark, angry. It was as if they accusing her, as if she was accusing herself. She trembled and turned to leave, running back out of the room and down the corridor. She skidded to a halt at the staircase,
"Well," Harry asked her, "is it empty?" she nodded,
"Yes but Harry, we can't do this," he rolled his eyes,
"Hermione, we are doing this," he dropped Malfoy with a thump that made Hermione wince, "It's too late to turn back now," he said as he drew level with her, she shook her head,
"No, we can just erase his memory and go to bed and forget this whole mess," Harry moved forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and pressing her into the wall,
"Hermione, do you remember what I said this morning?"
"Yes but…"
"Well then," he interrupted her, "you remember why we are doing this. I don't care if we can turn back, I am not going to,"
"Neither am I," Ron added,
"Right," Harry looked into her eyes, "but we need you Hermione, you said it yourself, neither of us can erase his memory. You have to help us,"
"I…I don't want to hurt him," Ron growled and kicked at Malfoy,
"Hurt him? Why the hell not?" Harry raised a hand to silence him,
"We aren't going to hurt him Hermione," he leaned in closer to her, "If you help us…" he paused, she saw the change behind his eyes, this wasn't her friend talking to her now, not the boy she knew, "if you help us we won't have to," he smiled but there was no joy in it. Hermione felt physically sick, she was sure she was going to collapse on the spot. Harry's message was clear, they wouldn't have to hurt Malfoy if she helped them, but if she didn't help them, they would. How could her friend put her in this position?
"Ok," she said, barely even managing a sound. Harry nodded and stood up and nodded to Ron. Together they hefted the motionless Malfoy and headed down the corridor. Hermione trailed after them.
Inside the Common Room, Harry conjured a simple wooden chair and they sat Malfoy in it. Ron raised his wand to bind him but Harry stopped him,
"Don't," Ron looked confused,
"We have to tie him up Harry," Harry smiled,
"I know but I have a better idea," he stepped back and pointed his wand at an empty part of the floor,
"Corpus Constrictum Exhumae," he said, a green flash shot from his wand and deposited a huge snake on the floor. Ron and Hermione both retreated fast from it,
"Harry," she asked in disbelief, "What…" words failed her, Harry laughed,
"You aren't the only one who reads,"
"But…" he shrugged,
"I'm a Parslemouth Hermione, I may as well use my gift don't you think?" she stared at him in disbelief, he laughed again, "Don't worry," he said, "It isn't here for you," he looked at the snake and shouted an order in Parsletongue. It turned to look at him for a moment before it slithered over to Malfoy and slowly coiled itself round and round him, binding him to the chair. Harry hissed again and the snake stopped moving, turning its head to stare at Harry. Hermione felt terrified as she saw it flex its huge body round Malfoy,
"You said you wouldn't hurt him,"
"For fuck's sake Hermione," Ron roared,
"Ron!" Harry shouted him down, he pointed to a chair, "Relax," Ron moved and sat down, Harry turned back to her, "I said I wouldn't hurt him, and I won't Hermione," his voice turned cold, "But I intend for him to think I will," she opened her mouth to object but he glared at her to cut her off, "Hermione!" his voice sounded angry before he paused to recover his control, "Look, if you don't want to be here, leave, go stand watch or something and let us get on with this," Hermione found herself unable to look him in the eye, something in his gaze scared her. Her eyes moved to Ron, he was glaring at Malfoy with a hungry expression. She looked at Malfoy, an icy hand closed on her heart as the realisation hit her. She had led him into this trap, whatever happened to him was her fault. She knew it was all her fault and she knew she couldn't stop it, she couldn't bear to watch what was coming,
"I'll be outside," she whispered and left. She heard Ron say something to Harry as the door closed but she couldn't make it out.
The next few minutes were the longest and toughest of her life. She lost track of how often she stepped away to get help, to report what was going on only to be stopped out of loyalty to her friends. Malfoy screamed, it was muffled by the heavy door and by the silencing charm they had placed on the room. If Hermione hadn't been standing right outside she wouldn't have heard it, but she did. She grabbed the handle but stopped, fear stopped her. Fear of Harry, fear of Ron, of what would happen, of what they would do if she tried to stop them kept her pinned to the spot, stuck in inaction.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She heard Ron shouting and then a loud crash. She opened the door and ran inside,
"Ron," she screamed, tears flowing from her eyes, she looked at Harry, "You said you weren't going to hurt him,"
"Stay out of this Hermione," Ron levelled his wand at her, stopping her in her tracks, "He is going to tell us the truth whether he wants to or not,"
"Ron…" she started,
"No Hermione, I'm warning you, stay out of this," Hermione looked down at Malfoy, he was lying on his side, pinned to the chair by Harry's snake, Ron's wand didn't move as he looked at Harry, "Pick him up," he ordered. Harry looked at her, the same cold look in his eyes. He moved and heaved the chair into an upright position. Ron looked at Malfoy, "Now, you know the question Malfoy, I am not going to repeat it. I am going to give you a chance, one chance only to answer it," Hermione could see the hatred in his eyes, she could almost feel it. In a terrible moment of clarity, she realised what he was going to do, 'No, he can't do that,' her hand moved for her wand as he readied himself to cast the spell, "Fine then," her fingers closed on her wand and she lifted her arm to aim at him,
"Ron no," she shouted, her wand drew level with him but he was too fast for her,
"Impedimentia!" the curse hit her in the chest and paralysed her, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she was trapped, staring as Ron turned back to Malfoy,
"CRUCIO!"
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Etean left the dungeons and stopped, he knew where he was going, he knew where Draco was, the Prefect's Common Room. His mind kicked into tactical mode, he visualised the journey, the corridors and stairs he would have to cover in order to get there – 'Too far, not enough time.' Rapidly, he fought for an alternative, the night air made him shiver. He turned to see the passage door ajar, and the open pathway behind it that led to the greenhouses. The decision made he bolted out the door and stopped to get his bearings. His eyes scanned the rows of windows of the castle above him, mentally he reached out to locate Draco's position relative to his. His eyes settled on the window, it was open – perfect.
Etean drew himself in, the contact with Draco faded as his mind grew smaller and simpler. His skin tingled and started to contract as the transformation took hold. He took a step forward and leapt into the air, spreading his arms as they shortened to become wings. He felt his weight leave him as he reached the apex of his jump and he beat his wings, soaring into the sky. Again and again he beat his wings, circling higher and higher until he was level with the Common Room. He banked in the air and flew toward it, tucking his wings in to avoid the window frame he dropped to the floor.
He pushed his mind and body back out, stretching to return to his normal shape. The simple, animal mind vanished as his own grew again to replace it. His senses pushed out and instantly sensed the same danger he had expected. A momentary scan of the room told him all he needed to know about the situation. He looked over to see Weasley levelling his wand at Draco, he didn't need to read his thoughts to know what he was planning to do. 'We'll see about that.' Etean flicked his wrist and caught his wand as it flew out of his sleeve. He aimed at Weasley's hand and fired the spell, not bothering with the incantation, his will alone was enough. Weasley opened his mouth and managed to shout his incantation,
"CRUCIO!" before Eteans spell hit. A smile spread across his lips as he saw Weasley's curse reflect back along his wand and hit him instead of Draco. He dropped his wand and fell to the ground in agony as Etean stepped forward. A flick of his wand sent a tiny spell at Draco, Etean watched the snakes head explode out of the corner of his eye as he turned his attention to other matters. A glance at Hermione told him she was no threat, he could see she was paralysed, that left…
"Drop it," he heard Potter shout as he spun round. Potter's wand was inches from his throat but now that he had turned, his was in a similar threatening position. Potter glared at him, apparently oblivious of Etean's wand, "I said drop it Etean," he repeated, Etean smiled,
"I don't think so Potter," he flicked his wand, the tip glowed briefly, catching Potter's eye. He tensed as he realised the danger he was in. He set his face and stared at Etean again,
"What the hell are you doing here? This is nothing to do with you,"
"No?" Etean shrugged and moved to the side, Potter turned to follow him, "Maybe it isn't. But then again, maybe I have decided to make it my business," They continued to move in slow circles, neither taking their eyes off the other,
"I'm warning you Etean, this is nothing to do with you,"
"It's a bit late for warnings don't you think Potter. I am here, I am in this now, so what are you going to about it?" Potter clenched his jaw,
"Don't push me Etean," he shook slightly with anger, "Don't make me hurt you," Etean couldn't stop the laugh,
"Hurt me? You?" he shook his head, "No, Potter you won't hurt me,"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that,"
"Oh but I am sure Potter," they continued to circle, but now Etean was sure that Potter was only aware of him, he was blind to all else. Etean sensed Draco standing, he was focussed on Hermione, his mind was in chaos but for now he wasn't a concern. Weasley was disarmed and for the moment, out of it too. Etean smiled at Potter, he had the upper hand and he knew it, "Do you want to know why I'm sure?" Potter didn't answer, Etean hadn't really expected him to, he broadened his smile and extended himself to read Potter's mind, "It's simple really, you see there are only two kinds of people in this world Potter, those that act and those that hesitate, it's a cliché, but there it is,"
"And you think I am one who hesitates?" Etean sensed Potter's emotions surge,
"Well, if you weren't, you would have attacked me instantly, and we wouldn't be having this delightful conversation," he felt Potter's anger rise, it seemed he hated people talking down to him, "So, why don't you break what appears to be a habit of a lifetime and make an intelligent decision, put the wand away," Etean watched, he tracked the thoughts flashing behind Potter's eyes, he saw them ebb and surge and he saw the moment, the decision to act.
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Weasley howled and fell back. Draco looked over to see Etean emerge from the shadows. 'Where the hell did he come from?' There was a flash from his wand, Draco shut his eyes as parts of the snakes skull bounced off his face, he could feel its cold blood spatter on his skin, the sensation revolted him. He stretched his arms, lifting the remainder of the thing's corpse off him as he stood up, wincing in pain. One or more of his ribs were definitely broken. He was shaking, but with anger, not fear. He lifted his left hand and wiped at the blood on his face, only succeeding in smearing it about. He lowered his hand and stared at the blood on his fingers. Anger filled him, all he knew was anger. His eyes settled on Weasley, he was rolling on the floor in pain from his curse. Draco stepped over the dead snake crossed the room to where Weasley's wand had landed, he picked it up and turned round. His eyes settled on Hermione, she was motionless, still held by Weasley's curse. He hesitated, the pain in his gut returned, like a bottomless pit it sucked down all his anger, leaving him empty. She was part of this, she had set him up for them to torture him. He aimed at her and opened his mouth to curse her but the words stuck in his throat,
"Finite!" was all he could say in the end. The spell freed her and she slumped as her muscles relaxed. She took a step toward him,
"Mal…"
"Don't," he tensed, her eyes travelled to the wand, then back to him,
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, he could see her lip start to shake. He turned away, not able to look at her anymore,
"Get out of here," he said quietly, she stepped forward again, "I SAID GET OUT," he roared, turning to glare at her. Hermione stopped in her tracks, she opened her mouth to say something, then her eyes widened as a spell came out of nowhere and detonated on her stomach. Draco stared in disbelief as she fell to the floor unconscious, he looked back to see Potter bounce over an armchair. Etean turned to face him and lowered his wand.
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Etean saw the decision to act settle in Potters mind. What he was planning to do, what curse he was going to use was irrelevant, it wasn't going to work. Etean heard Draco screaming behind him as he saw Potter prepare to cast his curse, he reached out and slowed time just enough to allow him dodge to the side. Potter roared,
"Stupefy!" the curse passed inches from his neck and continued on. Etean heard it detonate and he saw Potter's jaw drop open in surprise before he flicked his wand at him and sent him flying across the room. Etean turned round, Hermione was lying unconscious on the floor. A quick check of Draco's mind as he lowered his wand told him what had just happened. It was unplanned, but not the end of the world. He stepped forward,
"She'll live," he answered the question that Draco was about to ask. He nodded in the general direction of where Potter had landed, "So will he," Weasley sat up, both Etean and Draco took aim at him instantly. Weasley glared at Draco, then at Etean,
"Go on then," he spat, "finish me off why don't you?" Etean looked up to see Draco looking at him, the question was obvious. He shrugged,
"Your call mate," Draco looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He looked down at Weasley. Etean watched as Draco thought it out, he tensed, Weasley braced himself, but Draco didn't fire,
"I am not my father," he said and tossed Weasley's wand back to him. Weasley caught it and aimed it at the now unarmed Draco, Etean whistled to remind him that he was still there. Reluctantly he lowered it again. Draco shook his head and looked at Etean,
"Let's get out of here," he turned, pausing over the unconscious Hermione for a moment before picking up his bag from the floor and leaving. Weasley bounced to his feet as Etean moved past him,
"You shouldn't have interfered," he growled, "but I suppose you Slytherin bastards always stick together," Etean stopped and turned round,
"I stand by my friends Weasley,"
"Your friend is defending a murderer," Etean shook his head,
"No, he's not,"
"His father…"
"Oh save it Weasley," Etean shouted him down, "I know who and what his father is and I also know that he is NOT his father. If he was," he turned to leave, "he would have killed you tonight," Etean stepped over Hermione, not able to hide a smile as he saw her unconscious body. It had been an accident, he didn't intend for her to be caught in the crossfire, but…life had its little bonuses.