Chapter 34

Draco continued like he was for several hours. His mind jumped back and forth between memories from before his parent's death, dissecting his own moral scale, and speculating about the order. Particularly Granger. Which was beginning to infuriate him. It's only because I've been so isolated, and I spent a few days so close to her. He fervently told himself. There wasn't much about her, other than her intelligence, that should hold his attention like this. And her charisma. And her wit. She would make an excellent business woman. His mind trailed after him. He really did wonder what Granger saw in Weasley. Weasley was hapless, and forgettable. His family always seems sprawling, and disorganized. A stark contrast to his own posh, well put together clan. But Weasley's family always looked happy to be with each other. The realization stung Draco. Being a part of high society meant having a certain image, and he realized he had rarely ever seen his father and mother smile at anything in public, and very seldom within the Manor. His mother had smiled at him of course, from time to time, but they were small, delicate things that rarely touched her eyes. Lucius had a particular smile when he was getting what he wanted, but it was more of a smug smirk than a true smile. He had seen the Weasley family laugh and smile every time he saw them together. Disgusting, He thought sourly, but he didn't really think it was disgusting. Maybe that's what Granger wanted in her own life. But she is so ambitious. What a waste, to pair that with someone so uncouth.

Leave it! He internally scolded himself. Who gives a fuck Granger wants? Being a prisoner to his own wandering mind was less than ideal, truthfully, and he needed an escape from himself.

He decided he needed to figure out at least where he was. He had been laying on the cool stone floor for what felt like hours, and his eyes never adjusted to the dark. He stretched an arm out over head and swept it in an arc shape. He didn't feel a wall, so he sat up. He scooted himself backwards on his haunches slowly, until his back touched a cool stone wall. He used his arms to slowly inch up the wall until he was standing with his back pressed against it. His head was barely an inch below the ceiling, which would put the length of his cell at 6'4". He began to walk slowly around the room, keeping his back pressed to the wall. He met a corner about 6 steps from where he started, and then another corner about 6 steps from there. He concluded he was in a 10 by 10 cell, probably in one of the dungeons under the castle. The stones never seemed to cool, so it seemed probably he was on the south side of the castle, near the lake. He pressed an ear firmly to the wall and listened close. He could hear running water, so he was near the lake, where the castles plumbing met.

He recalled a far-off conversation that he had had with Adrien Pucey, back when he had still been a Death eater. Pucey had been given a position at Hogwarts after the second war, teaching Charms, what a joke that was. He was really there to bully the remaining staff and watch the grounds. Pucey had told Draco that they only used the Dungeons on the north side of the castle now, due to a flooding incident that had drowned several valuable prisoners.

So are they hiding me, or leaving me here to starve to death? Draco mused calmly, pretending he didn't have panic swelling inside him. He hadn't felt claustrophobic until this very moment, and suddenly the darkness was overwhelming him, and the cold of the stones was causing him to shiver. They've left me here to die. His throat felt tight, and his head began to throb.

Merlin, just send them to kill me quickly. Don't leave me to die like this. He silently preyed, hoping some force in the universe might hear him.

Draco felt tears start to stream down his face, which made shame bloom in his chest. That started a chain reaction that caused his breathing to quicken, and blood to pump thick and cold along his skin. He was truly beginning to panic now.

"You weak fuckin' coward," He whispered to himself out loud, trying to calm himself and failing. He was sweating now and getting lightheaded.

"I thought that was you," A watery voice spoke from above, which caused Draco to trip backwards from fright.