Thank you for your reviews once again, please keep them coming :) Also thank you to Rosie for reading this and once again to Lauren who refuses to let me spoil this for her.
Key:
Written Letters
Parseltongue
Telepathic link between Caelum and Draco
~PureBloodSnake xxx
Demises and Desolation
It was the middle of the summer holidays when Ron received the Daily Prophet from his owl Pigwidgeon.
"What?!" Molly Weasley came running into his room after hearing the scream.
"Ron, what's wrong?" In a flurry of red hair, Ron burrowed into his mother's embrace, clutching the paper tightly in his hand.
"Harry's. Dead." The words came out between ragged sobs and Molly's only response was to hug Ron tighter as he sobbed for his best friend.
A while later both her and Arthur sat together at the kitchen table, the paper sat between them.
The Boy-Who-Lived dies after battle at ministry
The headline was bold and black and pictures of Harry throughout the years danced across the pages. "Potter, aged fifteen, died last night in 's a few days short of his sixteenth birthday. The son of Lily and James Potter fought Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic at the end of June which ended with Potter duelling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter succumbed to his injuries last night." Molly let out a sob and buried her face into Arthur's shoulder.
"After everything that boy's been through; to die like this!" Quiet sobs were heard throughout the night in the Burrow, except in the twins' room, they were silently celebrating for their friend.
? ゚ミノ? ゚ミノ?
In Wiltshire a different story was occurring. Caelum sat in his room cutting out the story of Harry Potter's death and placing it in his journal.
"What are you doing?" Draco leant against the doorway that connected their rooms together.
"Keeping a memory." If Draco was confused he didn't question it, just sat on his brother's bed.
"Is it really a good thing telling the world you're dead? The Dark Lord may use that as an excuse to go even more crazy." The concern pouring down the bond caused Caelum some anxiety and he began to stroke Maikoa absent mindlessly, she hissed in pleasure, but even she could tell something was wrong.
Is Caelum alright? He tastes scared.
I'm fine Maikoa, just a little worried about this whole situation with Voldemort and Dad being in Azkaban. Draco watched on expectantly, when no translation came Draco cleared his throat noisily.
"Right. Sorry, she was just a little worried about me." Caelum refused to meet his eyes and Draco, even without the bond, knew that his younger brother was suffering under the weight of everything.
"We all are Caelum, you need to open up a little more often, were not going to judge you." Draco consciously kept his voice soft, he wanted to scream at his brother to tell him to stop being stupid. "We're going to end up losing you, if you carry on bottling things up inside, and I don't think Mum can take another loss. So if you can't pull yourself together for you, pull yourself together for her." Draco had noticed that the more Caelum masked his emotions, the more he acted the Gryffindor golden boy, so the only way to reach him was to play on that Gryffindor mentality of saving others rather than yourself. Draco was slightly disappointed with the relapse of personality, he had worked hard to get his twin away from this self-mutilating behaviour, away from the nightmare-ish past and now all of that was undone.
"So, Voldemort going even more crazy? It'll draw him out into the open and the public will be fighting more battles. That gives us the time to figure out this prophecy and how to kill him without having to be too careful. Also if Voldemort believes he has more power, he may break Dad out of Azkaban and we won't have to lift a finger." Caelum's words surprised Draco, despite his past musings, Caelum was still a Slytherin at heart, but a reckless one and that was scarier than a Gryffindor mentality. Draco was scared, he needed to get help for Caelum and the rest of the world that he had accidentally damned.
It was a scary thing, reading about your child's death, but Narcissa had to remember that Harry Potter wasn't her son, but a fake version of her son. This obviously was going to affect her sons in different ways, but she wasn't sure how. It was Caelum's decision to do this, but she knew that grief had pushed him to do it so soon. Was it really that wise of a decision? She should know that grief stricken decisions were the worst type of decision, she herself joined the Death Eaters after her favourite cousin Regulus had died. She had believed she was following in her younger cousin's footsteps, finishing what he has started, but it was not worth it. Not with her sons' lives on the line.
When Draco walked into his mother in the hallway, she immediately knew something was wrong.
"Darling?" At her voice Draco's head shot up, checked behind him and then seemed to disappear inside his head, before meeting her eyes. She was shocked to see nothing but determination in his eyes.
"Mum, can we talk please? It's about Caelum." Nodding silently, Narcissa led Draco to Lucius' office. Technically it was now Draco's as he was now Lord of the Malfoy estate with Lucius in Azkaban. Sitting in front of the desk, giving Draco the chance to take his rightful seat. Instead he took a seat on the edge of the desk. In the silence that followed Narcissa marvelled in the change that had befallen her eldest, he was no longer the selfish heir that they had raised.
"I'm worried about Caelum, he's not dealing with Sirius' death, at all. Those sessions you two had talking about his life at the beginning of summer helped for a while, but I think it just made him forget that Sirius is dead. Now this stupid plan of his to get Dad out of prison is going to get so many people killed!" The more Draco said the more his voice portrayed his emotions. Draco paused, catching his breath, Narcissa opened her mouth to say something when Draco's eyes glazed over slightly. "No! I don't want you here!" Narcissa froze, ready to scold Draco for his manners, when she realised he was most likely vocalising the mental conversation between him and Caelum. "Caelum, I didn't mean it like that. I'll talk to you afterwards- no don't ignore me! Caelum!" It fell silent once again. A moment later Draco began to speak again. "He's far too involved in everyone else's lives, even Weasley, who's picked on him since September! Yet he has no care for his own life! I don't understand how! Surely he would at least want to preserve his own life for us, his family, at the least, but no! He infuriates me and right now he's in my head trying to figure out why I'm pissed at him!" Ragged breaths passed through his lips and silence once again fell. Draco leant forward putting his head in his hands and hiccuping sobs left his mouth. "I can't be the strong one anymore mum, I can't cope with all his problems."
Caelum could feel anguish pouring down the bond and he knew it was his fault. He had been so selfish lately, focusing on his own problems instead of the fact that his brother and mother were grieving a family member too. He would have to go stay somewhere else, give them a break from him and his tumultuous emotions.
Dear Hermione,
I know it's a little strange and out of the blue, but can I stay with you for a couple of days? It's been a little trying here at Malfoy Manor, without Dad here, all three of us are finding the house a lot bigger and more stifling. Although I don't know much about what the Manor is like, having only been here for a total two and a half hours at Christmas, I can tell that this place used to hold a lot of life. I need a break before I go insane.
Yours Faithfully
Caelum Malfoy
? ゚ミノ? ゚ミノ?
When Hermione Granger received a letter from a beautifully groomed owl, she immediately thought something was wrong. The Daily Prophet that had arrived a day before had made Hermione simultaneously want to cry and cheer. She felt a permeated sadness at the loss of Harry Potter, but a joy filled her at the thought of Caelum being free from the figure of Harry Potter. When the letter arrived Hermione expected something telling her that what she had read was true, and both Caelum and Harry had died because of what You-Know-Who had done. When the letter arrived, Hermione did not expect it to be Caelum asking whether or not he could come stay with her and her parents for a few days. Her immediate thought was to reply with an affirmative, but then realised having to explain why her and a Malfoy were best friends to her parents was going to be difficult.
"Hermione dear, it's lunch time." Her mother's voice called up the stairs, and Hermione sighed quietly. Since the news of Harry Potter's demise had reached them, Hermione had been treated like she could shatter into millions of tiny pieces ever since, even though she had told her parents that her and Harry had not seen each other for most of the year. Thinking quickly on her feet she wrote a sloppily written letter to Caelum, asking if it was agreeable to tell her parents the truth.
Dinner was a quiet affair, Hermione didn't say much and her parents avoided talking in favour of taking turns looking at her and sharing worried looks. So when Hermione escaped to her room, she breathed a sigh of relief. The beautiful owl was once again sat on her windowsill, preening itself with it's beak, it was obviously a Malfoy. It held a scrap of paper in its talons. One short phrase was scribbled on it, in the now elegant scrawl of Caelum Malfoy. If you think it's for the best. Remembering to throw the owl a treat, she ran downstairs to where her parents were watching the local news.
"Mum, Dad, can I have a friend to stay for a few days?" Her voice took on the sickly sweet timbre it always did when she asked her parents for something.
"Sure darling, who is it?" From the glance that passed between her parents, Hermione knew they were glad she was acting normal again.
"Caelum Malfoy." She watched as the looks on their faces flicked between happiness to concern to questioning.
"We thought you didn't get on with the Malfoy boy, darling." Her father's voice was hesitant, still afraid of breaking her.
"Well that's an interesting story Daddy," She was playing the little girl act and her father fell for it. She took a seat in the armchair opposite her parents and told them all about how Harry Potter became Caelum Malfoy.
"Well I don't think it'll be a problem if Caelum came to stay for a few days, do you dear?" Hermione almost leapt into her mother's arms at the statement, but she restrained herself, only smiling brightly.
"Why not. Maybe he could bring his mother to visit so she can help explain the Wizarding World to us." Her mother and father glanced at Hermione, looking worried once again, but Hermione was too happy to care: Caelum was coming to visit!
? ゚ミノ? ゚ミノ?
"Mum?" Caelum's voice echoed through the empty halls of Malfoy Manor.
"She's in the sun room." Draco had crept up behind him, making him jump. Since their mental argument a few hours earlier, neither twin had said anything to each other, choosing to completely ignore the other. It was the first time they had deliberately ignored each other's presence without blocking their bond. Neither of them were finding it easy.
"Caelum, I just wanted to say-"
"Dray, I'm a complete-" Both started at the same time, neither finished as they both knew what the endings of both thoughts were. Smiles grew on their faces and they simultaneously linked their arms around each other, hugging fiercely. Draco drew back from the hug, looking at Caelum's face, obviously having sensed the guilt that had fleetingly flooded his mind.
"Stay please." Draco's words were quiet and mournful and Caelum wanted to give in to his brother's demands.
"Dray, I can't. I need this, just like you need a few days not worrying about my mental health. We'll always be able to reach each other." Long, slender fingers reached up to tap at Draco's temple. "You won't even realise I'm gone." Caelum pulled out of the hug and ran in the direction of the sun room.
Caelum stood in the hall waiting for Narcissa, a small, bulging bag sat on the floor by his feet. Draco appeared to his left and silently the brothers pulled each other into an embrace, Draco resting his chin on Caelum's head.
"I'm going to miss you. We haven't been apart since we found you." Draco's words were whispered against his hair, but Caelum heard them loud and clear.
"I'll miss you too, but we'll be alright." Caelum heard himself say, it was more to reassure him than it was to reassure Draco. Narcissa stood in the shadowed corner of the room, watching her two boys say goodbye, once it had gone on long enough Narcissa stepped out of the shadows.
"Come on then Caelum, have you got everything? Maikoa? Your wand? Your toothbrush?" As the list went on Caelum nodded to every object, not taking his eyes off Draco.
I love you.
As soon as the words were thought, Narcissa gripped Caelum's arm and apparated him to the Granger's house.
I love you too. Echoed around Caelum's head, slightly fainter now that the bond was stretching a large distance.
Mrs. Granger answered the door and held out a hand for Narcissa.
"Good morning Mrs. Malfoy, I'm Jean, Hermione's Mum." Narcissa took the offered hand and replied courteously.
"Please, Narcissa. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Would you like to come in? Caelum, dear, Hermione is upstairs first door on your right." Both blonds followed Mrs. Granger into the house, separating at the bottom of the stairs.
"Caelum darling, have fun, and don't forget neither your brother or I are too far away should you have any problems. I'll see you in a couple days." Narcissa kissed the top of her son's head before following Mrs. Granger into the sitting room to be interrogated about the world she had grown up in. At the top of the stairs Caelum was greeted by a large hug from his bushy haired best friend.
