Chapter 5 – Pain Beyond Belief
A/N: I don't think I have mentioned this so I will right now… one quotation means people's inner thoughts… please don't get confused with the dialogue and the thoughts. Hopefully this chapter is nice… I spent a lot of time in editing it.
This was so wrong. Terribly wrong. Yet Lucius Malfoy still found himself creeping towards the floo network at Malfoy Manor. It was something he had to do. Only one chance to complete his absurd plan to save his beloved wife. Failure would result in him becoming like his dear sister-in-law and the mere thought sent shivers running down his spine. He gazed at the floo network for a while, wondering if the Dark Lord was human and had gone to rest or stayed up, lurking in the shadows. Another reason to worry was about the amount of Death Eaters currently staying in his household. He knew more than half of them wouldn't hesitate to inform the Dark Lord about his scheming. Warning bells rung loudly in his head as he heard lightning strike. Great. Now wasn't that just reassuring? Part of him just wanted to run back to Narcissa, and fill her head with lies about how everything was going to be fine though he knew it wasn't. They both knew it wasn't. Forget the damn war, his wife was going to be mauled to death by a venomous snake. His heart wanted to go through with the plan; be it insanely stupid or not.
'Only one chance, take it or leave it', Lucius's mind whispered softy to him.
Slowly, he removed a small precious box, hidden safely in his robes, containing a thin strand of blond hair. He peered at it for a while, making sure that it was Narcissa's and not his. Once he felt certain, he stepped into the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. His palms were sweaty and a million thoughts swarmed his head as he took a deep breath.
'Last chance to back out', Lucius mumbled, not quite believing that he had actually taken his plan into consideration.
He stared at Malfoy Manor for what may as well be his last time, his eyes roaming around and instantly stopping at a photo of Draco going to Hogwarts for the first time. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he whispered "Forgive me, son", so softly that he barely heard it himself.
Double checking he had his wand secure, he muttered "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office", destroying hope to abandon his mission.
Headmaster Snape was in a deep talk with McGonagall when suddenly the floo roared to life, startling them both.
"Merlin Lucius" Snape breathed. "You could have mentioned you would be visiting, you almost gave me a heart attack."
"He certainly gave me one", muttered McGonagall.
Shit. What was Minerva doing here? Lucius gritted his teeth from screaming in frustration as he needed to talk to Severus alone not with an unwanted guest. Damn it; he knew she wouldn't leave them alone without a fight and probably questions. For the sake of his family, he gave Minerva a charming smile as she narrowed her eyes in obvious confusion.
"Minerva would you please leave me and Severus alone? I have rather pressing news to discuss with him", Lucius requested.
A scoff escaped out of her mouth as he knew he had blown his shot in asking kindly. Well, it was worth a try. Anything, to be honest, was worth a try in this case.
"And why would you want to discuss with Severus alone? As you may or may not have noticed, I was also talking with Severus before you kindly interrupted us without as much as a greeting", Minerva pursed her lips and fixed Lucius with a questioning yet, intense glare.
Snape watched him warily, just waiting until Lucius would lose his cool and turn this conversation into a yelling match. Watching Lucius's right eye twitch, Snape held onto his wand tighter, a spell ready on his lips. Friends or not, he would rather that a dueling match wouldn't take place in his office.
"That's my business not yours", Lucius replied smoothly "I see that Gryffindors are now nosy than ever", he finished, a hint of malice in his voice.
Minerva's jaw dropped at the direct insult to her house as her eyes narrowed into slits. Before she could possibly insult the Slytherin house or worse, his family, Snape quickly interjected, giving her a warning look.
"Enough, Minerva would you wait outside for 5 minutes?" Snape bristled at Lucius's victorious smirk directed to McGonagall as she huffed in annoyance.
"Severus, this matter cannot wait", Minerva warned. "They are missing Severus. Missing! Any other time I would be more than proud to have them in my house but now isn't the time to gallivant around!"
Wait what? Who were they talking about? Lucius tried his hardest to remember anything his son told him about Gryffindor because to be honest, he never paid attention to silly childhood rivalry. Of course, there was Potter and his sidekicks, that blood traitor and the mudblood. Though, he was certain that the Weasleys would rather commit suicide than let them run away on their own. Alone. For some reason, Lucius felt uneasy merely thinking about them getting captured and being taken to Malfoy Manor. Yes, his family didn't particularly adore the trio, but when war loomed closer, did he want such a horrible fate placed upon them?
Lucius cleared his throat as he hesitantly questioned, "Potter's missing?"
Minerva replied 'no' at the same time Severus replied 'yes'. She glared at Snape who looked equally annoyed by her answer. Well that confirmed it. They were missing. So were Draco and his friends…
"Is Draco here?" Lucius's face rapidly lost color as he awaited their answer.
'Please be yes. Please be yes.' Lucius begged continuously.
Seconds seemed to drag on forever as Snape fidgeted with his hands. Minerva merely stared at him, as if trying to figure the sudden change. He didn't give a damn. He didn't give a damn if she thought he was crazy or a death eater; he just wanted his family safe from the damn war.
"No", Snape answered softly.
There. There was his answer. Snape was the only other person who knew what fate his son and his friends had suffered through. That night… he thought they were dead meat. Their screams echoed in his head as he collapsed in a chair, placing his head in his hands. He bit his lip so hard that he could taste the metallic substance in his mouth. It stung. Though, he made no move to lick it away or at least subside the pain. Blood dripped from his chin as he heard a scream probably Minerva's at the sight of his unexpected blood.
"Damn it Mr. Malfoy!" Minerva panicked, fear evident in her voice. "Pull yourself together!"
"Lucius!" Severus exclaimed at the same time, alarmed slightly at the immense display of emotion. He knew that Malfoys kept their faces neutral; he'd witnessed it first hand over the years at Hogwarts. But he didn't understand how exactly he was supposed to comfort one. "Lucius, they will be okay" Severus tried his best to reassure Lucius though he also knew there was a certain limit to lies.
"What if-", Lucius croaked "What if they are found again?"
"They won't", Snape replied firmly. 'I hope.'
Minerva offered Lucius a glass of water which he gladly accepted, gulping it fast in order to calm himself.
"I apologize", Lucius began nervously. "That was not expected."
"You can tell that again", Snape mumbled.
"It's fine; people have emotions you know", Minerva rolled her eyes at the same time.
Lucius glared at Minerva which in return she scowled at him. He needed to go through with the plan. Blast his stupid emotions. Feeling embarrassed, he cleared his throat and turned his head to address Severus.
"Will you help me?"
"What do you have in mind?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrow.
Darkness clouded his vision as Lucius gave Severus a serious glance.
"Something that will enrage the Dark Lord if he ever finds out"
"Can I help in any way?" Minerva interjected, staring intensely at Lucius.
"You… you want to help me?", he asked incredulously. "This plan isn't exactly sunshine you know"
"I know that", McGonagall snapped, irritated that he thought she couldn't handle it. "When are you people ever sunshine?" she muttered under her breath.
"Lucius, tell her", Snape prodded "Mark my words when I say you will require her help"
He swallowed nervously, nodding his head in thought.
"My plan is to save my wife" Lucius began slowly, shaking slightly "She is in danger… grave danger. And I have an absurd plan. It's farfetched. But I will save her… I won't sacrifice her to that snake. It involves Alecto Carrow", he stopped suddenly, and eyed Minerva to make sure she understand fully.
When she gestured to continue, he nodded "I will imperious her-"
"What?" Minerva hissed, aghast "You want to imperious her?!" raising her voice.
"That's not the worst part", Lucius murmured.
"What is then?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"Polyjuice is" he admitted, watching Minerva's reaction.
She looked as if she had witnessed a banshee. Lucius sighed; this would definitely be a very long talk.
Theo suddenly woke up, his entire body sweating as he panted. That sure was one hell of a nightmare. Thank god he had casted silencing charms; he knew he had screamed a lot. Flipping over, he gazed at Draco whose face was converted into a grimace. No doubt he also had trouble sleeping and driving the nightmares away. He scrambled out of bed in order to calm Draco down and whisper soothing words to him. As soon as he entered his area, his ears were assaulted by screams and howls of pain.
"Shit", Theo cursed, grabbing Draco's face between his hands "Draco, listen to me! This. Is. A. Nightmare. Snap out of this!"
Instead of calming him, it only made it worse, a hand making contact with his face. He hissed in pain as he stepped away from the rest of the punches. Quickly conjuring some ice, he applied to the throbbing pain on his cheek. Waiting for a few seconds to let it numb, he lunged at Draco, pinning his arms on the mattress.
"Mate, you've got to relax", Theo grunted, narrowly avoiding another punch aimed at his nose.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Theo turned to see Hermione emerging from outside the tent, a horrified expression plastered on her face. He gestured for her to help as she snapped out of her shock, making her way to him only to cover her ears.
"Pour cold water over him!" Hermione gritted her teeth to prevent her from screaming.
"My hands are a little occupied at the moment!"
'Oh. Right.'
Hermione grabbed her wand from her pocket and murmured a spell as cold water splashed onto Draco's face. With an inhumane shriek, Draco opened his eyes, fear present in them.
"What- what happened?" Draco whispered, reaching out to grab a towel from the nearby table.
He rubbed his face as he sat up straight, staring at Theo and Hermione expectantly.
"You had a nightmare", she replied, wringing her hands.
Draco closed his eyes as he mumbled "I remember screaming. Did I wake up anyone?"
Theo shook his head "Remember? We placed silencing charms on ours and Pansy's bed. I also had a nightmare."
Hermione gave both boys apologetic glances as she murmured "I also get them but what will you guys do now? Surely you won't be able to sleep anymore"
Darn it. That was true.
"Well" Theo pursed his lips in thought. "Why are you awake?"
Hermione looked away instantly which arose Theo's curiosity. Should she tell him? The reason she wasn't sleeping was because it was her turn to wear the locket. That blasted locket made her loose her senses and she dreaded her chance every 3 days. Though, she knew she had to do it. For Harry and Ron. More time with the locket meant more lies so she had decided to wear it about 2-3 hours after everyone had fallen asleep.
"Hermione? You dozed off for a while", Theo stated, frowning at her.
"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine", she replied with a tight smile. "You know… you both should go to sleep. I'll give you a Dreamless Sleep Potion." She rambled on for a while as Theo just stared at her, confused.
He jumped slightly when she snapped her fingers in his face. Finally, he noticed the small vial in her hand no doubt that was Dreamless Sleep.
"You going to take it…? Or not?" she laughed, though he knew it was forced.
Instead, Theo smiled sweetly at Hermione who looked taken back.
"I would rather give company. Wouldn't you agree Draco?" Theo asked, staring expectantly at Draco.
Thank Merlin that he caught on quickly.
"Of course, Theo" Draco smirked "We wouldn't want you to feel lonely."
'Shit.' Hermione thought. They knew that she was hiding something. Would Harry and Ron get mad at her? She knew the locket had a small effect on thoughts even after it was taken off. "Don't w-worry about me" Hermione stuttered, giving them a fake smile "Focus on getting rest, not company. Besides, I have my books"
Draco snorted at her excuse. Books? That really was the best she could come up with? He knew she was hiding something. It was clear after she hadn't answered Theo's question regarding why she was still awake.
"Granger," Draco started seriously. "We will give you company and anyway won't be able to sleep," he paused to look at Theo. "I hope I am speaking for the two of us?"
At Theo's nod, he gave Hermione a triumphant smile; something quite rare to see.
"Fine," Hermione groaned, reluctantly agreeing.
"So," Theo drawled. "Why are you awake?"
Hermione groaned; she had really hoped that they had forgotten. Would they abandon their curiosity if she pleaded with them? It was worth a try.
Hermione pouted as she gave them a puppy look "Please? Do I have to answer?"
"I- Wait… you're manipulating me!" Theo cried out, pointing a finger at her in accusation.
"Me?" Hermione gasped. "Never", giving them both an innocent smile.
"As much as this is entertaining me Granger, you must work on your subtleness" Draco replied, wryly.
Damn it.
"Oh well," Hermione sighed. "At least I tried"
"This also is a great blackmail you know," Draco pointed out, nonchalantly.
Oh of course the ferret would point that out.
"I'm awake because… I have to keep guard" Hermione half confessed, half lied.
Technically she did have to keep watch though, she also had to wear the locket. At least she didn't feel that much guilt lying to them. Only a little because they had persuaded her so much.
"Lies," Theo said, bluntly.
Oh Merlin. She really did not want to waste her time explaining every single detail about the Horcruxes. Rather, she wished to learn more about the Deathly Hallows.
"Lies?" Hermione repeated.
Theo nodded firmly before sighing in resignation. "If it brings you this much pain to tell us don't" he mumbled, a little hurt that she couldn't trust him.
Yes, it had only been one day, but he thought they had bonded nicely. He knew she had never cared if he was a Slytherin or the son of a death eater well known.
Ah there it was. Guilt washed over Hermione like a tsunami once she noticed the hurt on his face.
'No no no' Hermione chanted, biting her lip nervously.
Quickly sparing a glance at Draco, she felt like banging her head as she noticed his small smirk had vanished and left a stony face in return. As if one Slytherin wasn't enough to make her feel guilty.
"Ok, I am so sorry. It's just that it's so late right now and it will take forever to explain," Hermione pleaded.
Theo looked taken back at her sudden apology as a tiny smile returned on his face. Of course she would apologize. She was Hermione Granger. He looked just in time to see Draco turn his face away from Hermione's view, a smile threatening to break out as he bit his lip.
"You don't have to explain all of it," Theo murmured, offering Hermione a smile which she returned. "Just a little if you can"
"I can do that," Hermione reassured slowly.
"There's a locket. Are you both familiar with Salazar Slytherin's locket?" Hermione questioned them.
"Yeah. What has that got to do with anything?" Draco answered, puzzled.
Taking a deep breath, she make her way across the room, and pulled open a drawer. She grabbed a small box which was decorated with ancient designs as she sat down on the floor, gesturing for them to do the same. Right after she removed the cover, she gasped at the sudden change in the atmosphere. She could feel the darkness pulsating through the air. Biting her lip anxiously, she gently lifted the locket and slipped it around her neck, adjusting it slightly.
"Is that…is that Salazar's locket?" Theo whispered, his brown eyes widening.
Draco was oddly silent as he frowned at the locket as if trying to figure something out.
"Yeah," Hermione replied, her gaze going from Theo to Draco.
"Can I touch it?" Theo requested.
Something was wrong. Definitely. The way he spoke, it caused chills to run down her spine. His voice was normally sweet but now she felt like his voice had become colder.
"No," Hermione panicked, scrambling away from him, grabbing her wand and aiming it at him with a shaky hand.
"Why?" Theo questioned, his eyes narrowing on her wand, a scowl forming on his lips. "It's not yours is it? He snarled.
His next move took her and Draco both by surprise. He lunged at her, his hands knocking her wand out of her grasp and grasping her throat tightly.
Hermione gasped, her hands trying to claw him off her but it was pointless as his hold increased.
"Mudbloods don't deserve such royalty," he hissed, a cold smile taking the scowl's place. "Say good bye to the world you worthless piece of-"
Bang! In an instant, Theo was removed from her as she fell back onto the floor, her eyes watering. Draco stood there, his eyes looking murderous as he grabbed Theo by his collar and punched him again.
"Say that again you bastard," he whispered menacingly in Theo's face.
Theo stared at Draco for a while before snarling as a response.
"Draco, no," Hermione mumbled weakly, raising her hand in an attempt to stop him. "Stun him,"
"Stupefy," he muttered, watching slowly as Theo fell unconscious. "You okay Granger?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Yes," she croaked, massaging her throat a bit as he watched her wince in pain. "I'm fine"
Awkwardly, he slid right next to her as she suddenly burst into tears taking Draco by alarm. He wrapped an arm over shoulders as she cried into his neck.
"Hey, you're safe," Draco whispered gently. "Don't cry, please don't"
She stopped for a second as her honey brown eyes stared into his stormy grey eyes.
"Ok," she murmured, shifting to get a little more comfortable.
They soon fell into a comfortable silence, Draco's hand stroking Hermione's back calmingly as Hermione closed her eyes, determined to ignore the locket's lies for at least one night. She knew she couldn't sleep as she promised Harry and Ron to be on guard but 5 minutes wouldn't hurt. The way Draco held her protectively made her understand that he wasn't going to leave her side tonight. For that, she was grateful.