QLFC - Round 4 - Captain: write something using the adventure genre and the western genre

Chudley Cannons Team Challenge: write about Draco Malfoy

Summary: A tale, not unlike that of Romeo and Juliet. Two star-crossed lovers meet again in the wild west after two years of being apart, with one goal in mind - to kill the Snake.

WC. 2641

To Kill The Snake

The silence was deafening. Draco Malfoy had been on his own for months now, flitting between towns, keeping a low profile, but he never got used to the silence. It was the worst part of being on the run; you were left with only the sound of your own thoughts in your head.

He'd escaped his parents' home in September, the headquarters the Snake had chosen. The casual talk of death — the murders that had been performed where he slept — had become too much. He wasn't one of them, but once his mind had been made up, there was no going back. He was now one of the Snake's most wanted.

This had to be the twentieth town he'd come across in so many months, and they were all starting to look the same. There was nothing new about this one that set it apart from the others. It was empty, its residents either dead or having fled long ago. This was how the world was these days; empty and every man for himself.

People were being hurled in under the law, but everyone knew if you were caught by Wormtail, it was the end. Your life was forfeit to the Snake. He ruled these parts and anyone who disagreed was either dead or running for their lives.

Keeping to the edge of the village, under the guise of someone passing through, Draco led his horse down the grassy decline and onto the old beaten path. A flutter of hope had crossed him, like it did every time, that he'd see someone who could help him; a familiar face, someone he knew to oppose the Snake. But the hope faded with the light. Everything was boarded up and shut as if no one had lived there for years.

He found a stable behind the buildings and led his horse to a dirty trough where he allowed it to lap up the remnants of water. This would be where he slept. Under the hay, hidden from any potential prying eyes (though he was certain that the Snake's gang had long passed this area and would not be returning).

He settled in for the night, his head against a large hay bale and his hat over his eyes. He was still asleep for some hours later when he was startled awake by the sound of someone cocking a pistol.

Draco kept his eyes closed, very slowly moving his hand to his own pistol. He got to his feet and scanned the darkness for the source of the disturbance. It was almost pitch black, but the figure standing in front of him was even darker. Draco could just make out the tall stature of a man, his pistol pointed at Draco's chest.

"Show yourself."

Draco froze, his already pale face paling even more. He knew that voice. He had heard it in his head many times; it had guided him on this journey across the plains — comforted him, reminded him of what had once been.

But why was this voice here, in this town?

Draco stepped forward, lowering his weapon. "Red," he whispered, "is that you?"

…

"Of all the places to come to," Draco said, still not quite believing who he was sitting in the same saloon as, "I came to your town."

"It's not mine," Red murmured, sipping from his drink slowly. "It's where I've been hiding out, away from it all."

"But… why?" Draco wanted to know. He looked around the deserted building, taking in the shattered windows and feeling the dry air whip against his skin through the broken doors.

Red didn't seem to want to answer. He drank silently from his dirty glass.

"And… where is your… where are they?"

Red was part of a formidable gang, one that seemed to always find themselves in trouble but were the only ones not afraid to stand up against the Snake.

Red didn't answer. His face matched the colour of his hair, earning him the nickname twice over.

Draco moved closer. He reached across the bench, his hand sliding over Red's, and he was immediately reminded of two years ago, when things had been very, very different. The spark, the chill shooting up his spine at just touching Red…

Red flinched, jerking his hand away. He clambered to his feet. "You should be going!" he hissed. "The Snake, he comes searching here every so often. If not him, then Wormtail. Go, now, before they find you. I hear they don't treat traitors kindly."

But Draco didn't move. He stared into the defeated eyes of the man he'd once loved — whom he still loved. They had fought on different sides, but the sides never mattered when they were together. Red had always known where Draco's heart lied.

"And if they find you?" he asked.

"They never have before."

"Where are they?" Draco asked again, not meaning the Snake and his gang.

"Gone," Red murmured. "I left them."

"You… why?"

"Because they found out about you."

…

Very few knew Red by his proper name, less were even privy to it. Over the years, he and his gang, the Terrifying Trio, had managed to keep a low profile while still maintaining their formidable reputation. They usually preferred to skulk around in the darkness, disrupting the Snake's plans where they saw fit.

Draco watched Red, followed him with his eyes, as he busied himself. Red walked with an air of guilt about him, but he refused to speak of the matter. He insisted that Draco should leave, but Draco refused.

"No… Ronald."

Red looked surprised, as if he hadn't heard that name spoken in years. Perhaps he hadn't — he had always said it was a name given to him by his mother, and she was the only one to use it.

Draco stood, defiant. "Not without you."

Red glared, angry now. "Do as you're told, for once," he hissed. "Before it's too late. I can't go… I won't."

"Why not?"

The question seemed to hit a nerve; something in Red shook, then it was his whole body. "They were more than a gang," he said, his voice a whisper. "They were friends." He glared at Draco. "And I let them down because… because I loved you, the enemy."

Then he stormed out of the saloon.

…

Draco didn't see Red for two days. The town wasn't big, but Red knew it better than he did, and he knew where to hide. Draco waited, hoping, but when Red made no appearance, he decided it was time to move on. Just the other night, Wormtail had come and Draco had been forced to keep low and out of sight.

Saddling up, he jumped on his horse and shouted, "I know when I'm not wanted, so I'll be off."

He swung around and galloped away, past the town and into the wilderness, where he once again was forced to leave all that was dear to him behind.

Some time later, he was resting under a lone tree, eyes closed but ears open for any disturbance, when a shadow fell on him. He reached for his pistol but lowered it when he saw who it was.

"You've come, I see," he murmured through squinted eyes.

"I need to find them," Red said.

All Draco did was nod.

Red's horse was old and withered, underfed and unlikely to last a long journey. As they rode together, Draco made a mental note to steal a better horse when they came across one. Horses weren't hard to come by — the Snake left the general population alone most of the time.

The whole day passed without them speaking to one another. Red brooded; he was moody and quiet and his mind was clearly elsewhere.

When they stopped for the night, reaching yet another abandoned town, Draco said, "So, when they found out, they kicked you out?"

Red stared. He shook his head. "I told them. Then I left. I didn't give them a chance to try and murder me."

"So they may not even want to kill you?" Draco asked, taking a step towards Red.

"Why wouldn't they?" Red snapped. "While we were all trying to get into the Snake's gang to kill him, to find him, I knew all along. I was sleeping with one of his closest."

Draco moved even closer. Red appeared not to have noticed.

"I'd want to kill me," he said.

Draco's lips grazed Red's. The latter didn't pull away, but he didn't respond either. Draco's heart, once so full, felt empty now.

"I don't want to kill you," Draco said. "I've never wanted to kill you." His lips crashed against Red's, and this time Red did respond. It wasn't like it had once been, filled with a passion neither of them could speak aloud, but there was something there; something of the old times that had once completed them.

Later, as they laid wrapped in one another's arms, Draco turned to Red, looking deep into his eyes, seeing the pain hidden beneath the tough exterior. "We'll find them," he said. "We'll find them, and then I'll take you to the Snake. Then we'll kill him; all of us."

…

The horses thundered across the plains. Draco knew they were pushing them to the extent of their limits, but they'd spotted him. The Snake, way off in the distance with Wormtail and… his father.

They had two people tied up at the back, and the sight turned Red's complexion very white.

"That's them," he moaned. "That's…" He shook his head.

Draco had taken off in that moment, Red on his heels. He could feel himself gaining on them, but Red was falling behind. He looked over his shoulder just as Red's horse buckled under the pressure.

"No!" Draco reeled his horse around and slowed. Red, who had tumbled from the horse and was now laying sprawled on the ground, let out a groan and swore loudly at his fallen mount.

"Up!" Draco said, offering his hand. "Quick!"

Red rolled onto his side, and with another groan, lifted himself up enough to accept Draco's hand. Draco hurled him onto the back of his horse, and they were thundering off again, Red's hands wrapped tightly around his middle.

The Snake and his prisoners were gone now, but he'd seen the general direction.

The hot wind whipped at their faces, throwing dust and sand into their eyes, but Draco didn't stop. Two years he'd been without Red, and two years Red had lived in misery, on the run away from his friends. If it took finding them again to see that fire in Red's eyes return, then that was what Draco was going to do.

"There!" Red hissed in his ear, pointing to the right.

Draco saw it. An old building with three horses tethered to tree stumps. The large, stocky horse in the centre belonged to the Snake. He'd recognise it anywhere.

He steered his horse in its direction, and they closed the remaining distance in no time at all. Draco had barely pulled to a stop when Red dismounted and ran to the door, his pistol drawn. He had such a murderous look in his eye that Draco was afraid he'd use it without thinking.

"Wait!" Draco said. "Don't do anything brash. Wait for the signal."

If Red heard him, he paid no mind. He flung the door open, Draco tailing him, and they entered the dark shack.

"Ah, you brought a friend, I see, Red. I didn't know you knew Draco."

Red's pistol pointed at the Snake. Draco scanned the room, his eyes falling on Red's two friends. For two people with such a reputation, they looked rather pathetic tied up against one another.

He also directed his pistol at the Snake. The cold, dark eyes seemed unperturbed by the threat.

"I've been looking for you, Red," the Snake said. "Two years, I've been searching. And now, finally, I have the Terrifying Trio all in one place."

The two prisoners stared up at Red, eyes wide, then darted to Draco.

If only they knew, Draco thought. If only they knew he'd never truly been against them. Not really. Perhaps they wouldn't be looking at him like they wanted to murder him.

The Snake smiled. "And, you've returned my traitor as well, I see. I must thank you."

"We aren't stupid," Red growled. "If you didn't have your friends hidden around with their pistols drawn, you wouldn't be so calm. It's the only reason you're not dead right now. Let them go and then you can have me all to yourself."

The Snake let out a high-pitched, cold laugh. He looked Red straight in the eye. "I don't reckon so. Killing the three of you's become an obsession of mine. The number of times you've been the thorn in my side… it'll be a relief to put you six feet under."

Draco could almost see the defeat in Red's eyes. His acceptance that death might be upon him.

No.

"Take me in place of them," Draco said, breaking the silence that had fallen across the shack.

The prisoners looked at one another, eyes wide. Red reeled around.

"No, Draco."

"You don't understand," the Snake said. "You'll die anyway, traitor. All four of you will."

"Like hell." Draco fired his pistol, the bullet reaching its target in the shadows. Wormtail fell forward, a surprised look on his face.

The sound set Red off. He fired two shots, each hitting two more targets before any of the Snake's gang could respond. Draco noticed, feeling suddenly sick, that one of them was his father.

The Snake looked around, seeming to realise that his backup had just disappeared in less than five seconds. He was alone, with two pistols facing him. Fear flashed across his face, gone as quickly as it had come, but Draco had noticed it. And, it seemed, so had Red.

Red moved to untie his friends. The rope fell to the floor, and they both climbed to their feet.

There was a moment where they all looked to Draco, Red's friends in disbelief that he was threatening to kill the Snake, but Red's gaze was steady as he gave a decisive nod, his finger playing with the trigger of his gun.

"Now, now," the Snake said, holding up his hands, "I'm sure we can come to some kind of agreement."

"We don't bargain with snakes!" Red spat. "You've ruled these towns for too long, terrorising the people. It's time we took them back."

The Snake rounded on Draco, fury in his eyes. "Your father lies dead, Draco. Is this what you wanted?"

Despite himself, Draco's eyes flickered to the unmoving lump that was his father. He had a look of surprise on his face, as if he'd thought the Snake would protect him, even from death.

"He's your father, Draco," the Snake said, misreading his disgust. "And your friend, here, killed him."

"My father," Draco hissed, "was good for nothing. He followed the wrong people blindly. I will not follow in his footsteps."

The Snake reached for his own pistol, something he'd been confident enough not to draw when his backup had been alive - a fatal mistake.

As if their minds were one, Draco and Red fired their pistols. Two bullets slammed into the Snake's chest simultaneously, and he crumpled to the floor, just like his companions.

"He was so mad, he'd bite himself," Red muttered, returning his pistol to its holster.

Everyone looked at him. Draco moved closer, and for the first time in two years he saw a smile on Red's lips. There was happiness in his eyes again.

Draco reached out, running a hand down the side of his cheek, also smiling. "And now," he whispered, "we are free."

I just about died when I saw I was required to write a western, but now that it's over, I'm actually fairly pleased with how this turned out. Major thank you to my Chudley Cannons team fir beta-ing this and helping me! Couldn't have done it without you!