Reviews –
FieryAries313 – I agree. It's like…Wicked Sweet! Aha, I cannot say what is going to happen with the boys, but…the confusion will end soon enough! Enjoy!
Not So Sane – Ok, I love your new name, but like…WTF! That's so LAME! You should have been able to keep your old name : It amused me alot. Ahahaha, lmao! Thanks! I'm glad I cracked you up! Yeah, that was always one of my fav lines when writing that last chapter! Oh wow! You really want the boys together…don't you? Hehe, don't worry…so do I : Oh, don't bother reading it over again, unless you really want to! It is all revealed in the next two chaps why Ron and such are being punished. OhMyFuckingLord! You have to be the funniest person alive! I think ily. Just read the next two chaps and I promise you, Dean's punishment will be known : Yes, I get the hint ; I hope this chapter was updated soon enough. Compared to the last one anyway! 6 months. That was a horrible wait. Thanks again! Huggles
mis-HD – Aha, I like you-I'll kill you last. Sorry, had to say that. It's on a pin I bought. Yes they shall talk, but will they stay together, hmm…guess you will have to read ; Awe, sorry if you had to wait long for this! And some angst wont hurt! Hehe, but remember…I'm a pretty fluffy person. :
Malfoy vs Potter – OhMotherOfPurl! Thank you very much for pointing that out to me, really! I had to update the chapter to the edited version, and so I guess the second half didn't paste over but under! Thank you again! You are a life saviour! I am glad you love the fic, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Smile:
Kali09 – Oh, it's defiantly a compliment: I love the cliffy'! Lmao. I am totally serious! Voldie is now in the picture, and a good thing too! He kind of wraps up the unknown, but I won't say anymore, just enjoy reading ; Aha, what can I say: sometimes I like to walk around in circles and no one knows what I'm doing. I love being random! Awe, sorry you have to go back and read! Thanks, and I will keep writing :
crazysquirl – Aha, Yeah…pretty much!
Authors Note – I think I am going to start shortening the chapters again, because this non-posting for a million months thing has got to GO! Everyone agree for now! Good.
Beta's Note – Not Edited Yet.
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Chapter Twenty-Three – Punishments
Hermione twitched, "tea? No one has time for fucking tea! Dean must pay! He must be punished!" Hermione yelled as she aimed her wand directly at Dean and zapped him continuously.
Everyone watched as Hermione began to kneel to the floor. Her power was finally wearing down. She breathed hard, her eyes popping out of their sockets so much they thought she was going to pass out or even die from using this strange black magic.
Draco just continued to sit against the wall in shame and silence while Harry was on guard by Voldemort's presence. Ron was still confused and Dean seemed to be full of unknown energy.
The snakelike figure stepped into the room and sat at the nearest sofa with a table. He used his wand to conjure up a pot of tea and biscuits. He sat amused, pouring himself a cup. "Are you all so sure you don't want to join me for tea?" He asked once more.
Dean began to tiptoe over in an almost elegant dance, "Voldie, my love! I will join you!" he answered the man in a happy tone.
The sorted flavoured gum Ron had been chewing flew halfway across the room. Had he really just seen Dean dance over to, he-who-must-not-be-named, in a loving way?
Draco remained still, listening to Harry's assorted thoughts on why the evil man had been there.
Harry, being able to move now, was shifting from foot to foot in a nervous manner.
Hermione slowly got up, holding her weight on a small red sofa chair. She laughed at Dean's actions towards Voldemort. She had done it. Her punishment was fulfilled. Dean was transformed into a lovesick puppy for no one other than the Dark Lord.
She watched as he sat calmly, drinking his tea with Lord Voldemort.
"Come my dear children…don't be shy. Sit. Have some tea. Let us mingle amongst eachother." He said soothingly. "Draco!" He shouted so the boy could hear. He then raised his arm, using wandless magic to bring the boy by his side. He grabbed him by the chin and for a moment Draco felt like the scared little boy he had always been and tried to hide from the world with a mask. Draco gasped hard, scared of what was to come. "You have gotten yourself in deep, haven't you boy?" Voldemort asked with little expression on his face. "Indeed you have." He replied to his own question and flung Draco to the side carelessly.
"Harry my boy!" Voldemort smirked. "Come here my dear boy!" He beckoned with a finger, drawing the boy in. Harry was now sitting opposite of him, as Dean remained chipper beside Voldemort, drinking his tea and eating his biscuits. Ron made his way beside Harry, wanting to protect him and Hermione did the same to the opposite side.
"Why are you here and Acting abnormal?" Harry demanded.
"Are you not happy to see me Harry?" Voldemort smirked. "I thought you would appreciate my company now…seeming as how I am no longer the Dark Lord." He retorted, taking a sip of his scolding hot tea.
"What?" Harry asked confused.
Voldemort held his cup a centimetre from his mouth, bringing it down more, "you mean…you have not heard the news?"
"What news?" Harry asked a bit more annoyed. "What are you playing at?"
"Tsk-tsk, Draco. You have not told the boy?" Voldemort smiled wickedly. "My most loyal servant, Lucius Malfoy, was to help me restore my body to it's younger state as Tom Riddle, but the spell went wrong when an ounce of happiness was created. You, Harry, created this happiness. You see…the scar I laid upon your forehead has always linked us. Somehow, you have managed to drain all the dark power from my body, however it has gone into Lucius, making him far more powerful then I ever was. My body shall still return to it's younger self within time, but…" He paused, once more looking to Draco before finishing, "Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, is in fact…the new Lord."
Everyone in the room but Draco gasped in surprise.
"So you are good now?" Ron asked alertly.
"More or less." Voldemort smirked.
"Then you're not trying to kill Harry anymore?"
"No." Voldemort answered bluntly, sipping more of his tea as Dean fondled at his unused arm. "But I suspected Draco would have mentioned this." He stated, not even glancing at the boy this time.
Harry looked over. The pale boy who was tossed to the floor moments ago was looking up at him sadly. Harry furrowed his eyebrows. How could you betray me, Draco? He asked with his thoughts. Of course, he got no answer in return and continued to scowl at the boy he once trusted with all of his heart.
Draco's soft silver eyes turned to an icy-blue. His mask was back on, at least for the time being. "I do not have to explain my actions…" he trailed off. "But…I will not let you fill their heads with lies about me any longer." He announced, facing Voldemort.
"Lies? Oh no Draco. I will only speak of the truth." Voldemort glanced at Harry. "Shall we talk about your abortion? Maybe the virginity you don't really have?"
It was all Draco could take before his hand went flailing into the previous Dark Lord's face, leaving a pinkish-red handprint. "YOU KNOW NOTHING!" he yelled, with tears streaming down his face.
Harry flinched. He was growing more impatient by the minute and he honestly didn't know what to make of the issues at hand. Clearly his beloved Draco had been lying to him from the very beginning and he sat wondering if he could ever really forgive him. No. He couldn't. He mustn't. Why forgive someone so devious? Why forgive someone who has never once even mentioned three certain words of affection? Why forgive someone so fake? So ruthless? So untrustworthy? Tust…after all, trust was the most important key to their relationship. It's what they had to rely on the most, and Draco broke that trust. No. There was no way Harry could ever forgive Draco after this.
"Draco…" Harry's voice finally cracked. "You aren't even denying what is being said." He pointed out with nothing but anger shown on his face.
Draco shook his head, tears ending with wide-open eyes.
Ron watched in amusement. He liked seeing 'the ferret' in pain, but better yet…he liked when he, Harry or someone close to him were causing it.
"Petty." Voldemort commented. "You are all so petty these days. That Weasley girl, Ginny, she is no better then Draco here and to think it could have all been prevented by her brother and the Granger girl."
Hermione looked to Voldemort sharply when hearing her name. Ron too looked his way.
"That's right Granger, Weasley. You both could have prevented Ginny from being raped by Dean."
Dean's expressions were blank as he leaned against 'Voldie' in a loving manner.
"What are you going on about old man?" Hermione asked viciously.
"The night you two made love, you heard screams did you not? You decided that someone else was to be the hero for once. You two were selfish and decided to take care of yourselves for once. If you had only fallowed the instincts of a heroine, you could have saved Ginny from being raped in the hall by the abandoned room you two were in. Now she is stuck with a child she wishes were gone from her body." Voldemort smirked. "You act as if your actions are so pure. You make me sick."
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Ron yelled.
Hermione raised her arm, locking Ron's lips shut with a simple spell. His lips were zipped and he could not open them. Hermione fell to the ground trembling, holding the temples of her head. "It's my fault. IT IS ALL MY FAULT!" She yelled. "I COULD HAVE PERVENTED IT! I AM THE REASON SHE WAS ABUSED! I WAS THE REASON SHE WAS RAPED! I AM THE REASON SHE IS PREGNANT! I HAVE CAUSED HER SO MUCH PAIN!" She screamed, shrieked, and wept.
Voldemort turned to the boy leaning against him. "He may have raped her, but you Hermione are the one to blame, aren't you." He smirked evilly. "You could have stopped it, and yet you wanted her brother, didn't you?" He smirked again. "Something tells me, there is more to it." He finished looking back to the blonde whose eyes were still fixed to Harry.
"Why don't you just leave? Go running to daddy, boy! Tell him everything. It is your destiny after all, is it not? You will have the dark mark soon enough, right?" He sneered at Draco.
The dark mark too? Why did he not mention anything about it to me? Why has he lied to me so much? All we had is ruined. Everything we had is gone. Harry said to himself. I will never forgive him. He continued his thoughts. You. I will never forgive you, Draco. I hate you. He thought while emerald eyes crashed into silver ones.
Hermione's whimpers were stalled as she listened to Voldemort continue his words, but towards Draco. She looked up to the boy. She could tell he was doing everything in his power not to cry, not to let go of his mask. He was doing everything to hide. To hold back, but he couldn't. Draco, for the first time, let his facade go. He gripped his heart as it was struck with pain, and he let the tears fall free-willingly, and loudly as he cried out for anyone to hear him.
Voldemort tended to Dean's needs, by soothing his lower back. He felt warm by the boy. He somewhat wanted to thank Hermione for punishing this boy.
Ron stood shocked. He didn't quite understand anything that was going on, but he couldn't stop himself from making his way over to Hermione on the floor. He wanted to be with her, help her, and he wanted his mouth unzipped as soon as possible.
Harry closed his eyes, trying to block out the sight and sounds around him. He just wanted to forget everything. He felt numb. Lucius is the new Dark Lord. Draco will have to obey him, which means…I must kill them both.
Draco looked up with tears pouring down his face. "NO! HARRY, NO! PLEASE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
Harry's eyes fluttered at the sound of Draco's voice, but he kept his eyes shut.
Ron kept to Hermione, trying to ignore 'the ferret's' weird outbursts.
As Hermione continued balling out her emotions, all of her thoughts on causing Ginny so much pain, her power began to drain out of her.
Ron began rubbing her back. Her last amount of energy went on flinging him as far from her body as possible. "NO! Don't touch me! We can't see eachother anymore." She said sternly and the room went silent except for the cries of a heartbroken boy and a heartbroken girl.
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To Be Continued…Spoiler – Are you still wondering how Draco can hear Harry's thoughts? Well, you get to find out in the next chapter! I hope it will be splendidly surprising: