Draco-
"Do you think you are really ready to go back to Hogwarts so soon, darling?" asked my mother, concern clouding her voice and face.
"Of course I am, mother," I said, trying not to wince as I shifted slightly so I could pack my books back into my trunk. I was planning to return to Hogwarts 5 days before the end of the Easter holidays. "And even if I wasn't, I wouldn't stay in this house for another day."
It was reckless, stating this when He was so accomplished at Occlumency, and was currently still residing in the study, but I had become reckless. The torture meant to teach me a lesson had done its job- although I highly doubted that this was the job He had intended it to perform. Instead of feeling more loyal to my 'master' and vowing not to let him down again, I now felt a surge through my veins which compelled me to turn my back on his ideologies. For the first time in my life, I now wanted Potter to defeat Him. I still hated Potter, of course. He was Ginny's love, not me, and I envied him that beyond anything else, but I realised he was the only one who had any hope of defeating Him in the long run.
"Draco," began my mother again, looking at me worriedly. "There is something I have been meaning to discuss with you."
"Yes, mother?" I asked, only half listening.
"You may not recall, but during the last week, we were visited by the Greengrass family," she said.
"I recall," I replied absently.
I remembered lying in bed and hearing the sounds of Astoria and her parents as they wandering into the house and were directed by my mother and father to the drawing room. I had not heard anything then until they left again, 3 hours later, and I was able to discern a happier note in their voices than had been in this house in the past few years. It had intrigued me, but not so much as to bother enquiring of my mother as to why they were here at all.
"Well, we had a little discussion… about you and Astoria."
I stopped what I was doing and turned to face my mother, who was standing by the door, twisting her hands together in an anxious motion, hopeful and worried expressions marring together on her face.
"What about us?" I asked, feeling a cold sense of dread.
"Her parents, Lord and Lady Greengrass, came with a request for a contract," she explained, watching me anxiously.
"What kind of contract?" I asked, my voice sounding hoarse.
"A… marriage contract."
It felt as though a dagger of ice had plunged into my stomach. I staggered to the bed, collapsing on it and wincing as the motions pulled on my barely healed scars. This could not be happening… if my mother was saying what I thought she was then…
"We… Astoria and I… are engaged?" I asked quietly, staring at my mother in desperation, trying to make it seem less real, surely she was joking, she couldn't possibly be serious, she couldn't be…
"Yes darling. You are engaged to be married to Astoria Greengrass on her 18th birthday."
"Her 18th birthday?" I choked, staring in horror at this woman before me, this deceitful, back stabbing woman, who had signed away my life without even bothering to consult me on it in the first place.
"Yes darling. Congratulations!" she offered, smiling warily.
"Congratulations? Congratulations? How about I tell you what you can do with your sodding congratulations! You can take them and stick them up your damn upper class arse! I am NOT marrying Astoria bloody Greengrass!" I said, exploding suddenly.
My mother stood there is shock. I could hardly blame her- I was shocked myself. I had never blown up at my mother, the one person who tried to shield me from the evils of the world, who tried to keep me safe. But she was the same person who had signed me off to some possessive, poisonous little girl, who was only 15 years old!
15 years old…
"I have to marry her in 2 and a half years' time?" I shouted, sudden realisation hitting me hard.
"We… we thought you would be happy, darling… Astoria was very enthusiastic… and she is already your girlfriend, we thought this was what you wanted…" stuttered Mother.
"This was never what I wanted!" I exclaimed furiously, throwing my hands up in exasperation and wincing again. "Never! I cannot stand Astoria Greengrass! I was only with her to disguise my intentions with Ginny Weasley, who, by the way, I was meant to be seducing in order to derail Potter! How am I to seduce her once it gets out that I am engaged to Astoria?"
"There was a feature in the Prophet, the day after it was decided. I am sure the blood traitor will have read it by now, Draco," said my mother, suddenly turning cold. "And from what we have gathered here at the Manor, you were not progressing in your mission as you should have been! You were shirking your responsibilities to your master, you were not performing your mission! Your father and I were able to release you of it by announcing that the Greengrass's had put forth a proposal, and your master was delighted at the thought of another pureblood marriage- you are no longer to pursue the Weasley girl, Draco."
"What?" I asked, blinking rapidly. Do not pursue Ginny? How could I not, when whatever feelings I had for her had developed so much over the past year? How could I be expected to smile and be the happy fiancé for the press when I was to marry a woman who I had no care for in the slightest?
"Is there a problem?" demanded my mother, raising an eyebrow at me. "Do not tell me you have come to care for the blood traitor. I shall not have you in this household, nor this family, if that is true. You will marry Astoria Greengrass on her 18th birthday. It is decided, Draco. Now, stop packing your trunk. You will return to Hogwarts at the end of the Easter holidays, as is normal for Hogwarts students, and not before. I do not care if you wish to be in the Manor or not. It is your responsibility to be here. I expect you in the drawing room in ten minutes."
She swept from the room, leaving behind a distinctly cold atmosphere. I recognised defeat when I saw it. She had won this battle- I had no intentions of her winning the war. I would not marry Astoria.
Pulling myself to my feet, I brushed down my casual suit and tried to make my hair look more presentable. I ignored as best I could my haggard, pale reflection and the dark circles under my eyes. I also ignored my half packed trunk on my way to the door, pausing only to retrieve my wand from my bedside table before slamming the door behind me and heading down to the drawing room, where I found my father and mother discussing something in low voices, and my Aunt Bellatrix leaning on the wall by the bookcase, casually flicking her wand at things so that they would catch fire briefly before she put them out, leaving them undamaged.
Bellatrix looked up when I entered. A large, strange smile spread across her dark, heavy features.
"Well, well- Draco!" she said, acting ever the concerned aunt as she swept over to me and put her arms around my shoulders, escorting me to an arm chair by the fire. "Recovered finally? Up and about at long last! How tremendous. I cannot express how truly happy I am at seeing you back in the bosom of your loving family!"
"Aunt Bella," I said, nodding curtly to her and drawing away as best I could before settling uncomfortably in the armchair.
"I hear congratulations are in order, my darling Draco," she said, smiling at me mockingly, her eyes flashing in the firelight. I bit back any retort I had, and instead smiled back at her coldly.
"Thank you, Aunt Bella. I gratefully accept your congratulations, and shall be certain to forward them to my intended upon my return to Hogwarts."
Her facial expression flickered slightly in annoyance, but she maintained the demented smile that she always wore when she was taunting her victims. It was the smile that usually preceded torture and death.
A sudden loud clanging indicated someone was at our door and wanted to come in. All of us froze momentarily in our seats, save for Bellatrix, who jumped to her feet with an excited exclamation of "Shall I get that?"
"No, no, sister, settle yourself back down. I shall get it," said my mother, waving Bellatrix back to her chair and leaving the room- and a very disgruntled Bellatrix- behind her.
Silence was all that remained. I listened to the crackle of the flames as they leapt about the fireplaces before disappearing up the high chimney, and tried not to think of who could have just turned up at the Manor. My question was answered swiftly however, as only five minutes passed before my mother returned to the drawing room, looking pale and scared. Behind her, a group of ragged and dirty men- Snatchers, I assumed, from their appearance- came into view, a bundle of what I guessed were prisoners in their midst. What were they playing at? They took fugitives straight to the Ministry, not brought them to Malfoy Manor!
"What is this?" demanded my father, and I turned my attention briefly to him. Both he and Bellatrix had risen from their chairs and were approaching the prisoners and Snatchers with interest.
"They say they've got Potter," replied my mother, her voice cold and haughty. I froze in my seat. Potter? Harry Potter? No… if he was here, then he would never defeat Him… and I would never be freed… "Draco." My mother's voice seemed to cut through me like a knife. "Come here."
I rose reluctantly from my chair, trying to remain impassive as I moved towards the prisoners, although my mind was reeling.
"Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?" asked my father eagerly after I had examined the swollen features beneath me. Whatever had happened during their capture, Potter had been injured in the process- but this was undoubtedly Potter.
Lie! A voice hissed in my brain frantically. He is your only chance- lie!
"I can't… I can't be sure," I faltered. I cursed myself inwardly- I had to be more convincing.
"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!" demanded my father, pulling me forwards and placing me so I was directly staring into the swollen, shiny face of my childhood rival.
I stared at him, willing him to look me in the eye, ignoring the passing remarks from my aunt, father and the Snatchers and they debated who would get the most reward from the capture of Potter.
"Draco, come here, look properly!" the voice of my father broke me out of my confused thoughts, and I moved so that I was the same height as my father, who was crouched down and examining Potter. "What do you think?"
There, on the stretched skin of his forehead, was the overwhelming evidence. The lightning bolt scar, stretched to ripping point by the look of it, but there nonetheless. I tried to think of how to get him out of this, but nothing came to mind, so I simply replied "I don't know," before walking back to the fireplace, where my mother had relocated, letting myself become lost in my thoughts as I tried to figure this out. Occassional remarks broke through my reverie, and I paused only to reply absently.
"Look, Draco, isn't this the Granger girl?" demanded my mother.
"I… maybe… yeah," I replied, not hearing what she had said.
"It's them, Potter's friends- Draco, look at him, isn't it Arthur Weasley's son, what's his name-?" said my father, sounding gleeful.
"Yeah," I replied, only having heard my own name.
"The Dark Lord must be informed at once!" shrieked my aunt Bellatrix, pulling back her sleeve and going to press her Mark.
"I was about to call him!" exclaimed my father, sounding indignant. "I shall summon him, Bella, Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority-"
"Your authority!" laughed my aunt tauntingly. "You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!"
"This is nothing to do with you- you did not capture the boy-"
"Begging your pardon, Mr Malfoy, but it's us that caught Potter, and it's us that'll be claiming the gold-" said Greyback suddenly, and I sneered slightly- what did my family need more gold for?
"Gold! Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honour of-his-"
Something strange had happened. My aunt had been cut off mid-jubilance. Something strange had definitely happened. I spun on the spot and saw her gazing, terrified, at something I had only just noticed- hanging by the side of one of the snatchers was a ruby studded sword.
"STOP!" she screamed suddenly. "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!... What is it?"
"Sword," grunted the Snatcher, who, frankly, I was surprised had ever so much as caught a cold in his lifetime, let alone the three biggest fugitives in the country.
"Give it to me," demanded my aunt.
"It's not yorn, Missus, it's mine, I reckon I found it," he said, and I winced. Poor brainless idiot- now he was going to pay. Sure enough, a bang, a flash of red light, and he lay upon the floor, stunned. Unfortunately, his cohorts seemed to be just as dim witted.
"What d'you think you're playing at, woman?" shouted one, directing his wand at Bellatrix.
"Stupefy! Stupefy!" one by one, the Snatchers crumpled, unconscious, to join their friend on the floor. I smirked at their idiocy. The werewolf, Greyback, remained conscious, but held immobile. I watched with something between disgust and fascination- I couldn't decide which.
"Where did you get this sword?" demanded Bellatrix, her voice dangerously low.
"How dare you? Release me, woman!" snarled the wolf.
"Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!" She said, her voice echoing the snarl that was in the wolf's.
"It was in their tent! Release me, I say!"
Bellatrix removed her wand from him, and he sprang to his feet, gasping and glaring at her, looking furious and indignant.
"Draco," snapped my aunt, and my heart began to hammer against my chest. "Move this scum outside. If you haven't got the guts to finish them yourself, leave them in the courtyard for me."
"Don't you dare speak to Draco like-" began my mother, sounding indignant, but Bellatrix cut her off with a scream of fury.
"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem! If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed," she said, now speaking to herself. "The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself… but if he finds out… I must… I must know… The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!" barked Bellatrix, addressing my mother again.
"This is my house, Bella, you do not give orders in my-"
"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!" shrieked Bellatrix, looking more mad than usual. A slight pause followed her words, and then my mother spoke, tring to remain composed.
"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback," she commanded the wolf. Before he could move however-
"Wait. All except… except for the Mudblood," said my aunt, and I was able to discern in the light of the fire the insane glint that had entered into her eyes.
"NO!" shouted one of the prisoners- I suddenly realised it was indeed Ronald Weasley, and my heart gave a lurch as my thoughts wandered momentarily back to his younger sister- "You can have me, keep me!"
Brave, I thought- or just stupid. He was, after all, a Gryffindor, and they were not known for their brain power. All except Granger, I thought, feeling the slight bitter pang of jealousy that had so long plagued me during our school years together.
"If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next!" declared Bellatrix. "Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them-" a slight pause, and a manic smile spread once more across my aunt's face, as she added- "yet."
Throwing back the wolf's wand, she cut loose the brown haired girl- yes, definitely Granger, upon closer inspection- and dragged her by her hair into the middle of the room. Greyback forced the other prisoners out into the hallway, his wand held out in front of him.
"Now," said Bellatrix, turning her gaze on Granger, who sat cowering in the middle of the drawing room floor, her hands still tied behind her back, her head bent so that her bushy hair covered her face. "Let's have a little chat- girl to girl."
She advanced on her, knife and wand held before her in a threatening gesture. I turned my back and gazed down into the flickering flames. I had no wish to watch this.
A/N: I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time, you must all hate me! I've been struggling to settle into university life for the past couple of months, and the work load has been such that I haven't found time to write recently. I hope this chapter makes up for my disgraceful negligence over the past couple of months. Once again, it is only in Draco's point of view, as Ginny's is not really needed at this point.
Disclaimer- this chapter includes a lot of writing which is not my own, and was taken straight from J.K.R's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. The writing not belonging to me has been put in bold.
Thank you all for reading, as always please R&R, and I'll try and update more quickly next time!
-Beccari xx