Hey there all you lovely readers! Firstly- sorry for the delay, it has been a crazy month! As for this random middle of the week update, well it's my birthday! And so I've decided that everyone needs to be happy today! So here's a chap! Enjoy my darlings!
Chapter 8
"What do you mean he's gone?" Hermione questioned the staff in front of her.
"Healer Granger, we honestly don't know. He was ready to leave- dressing in fact when it happened." Stella, her nurse said in a sad and slightly shaken tone.
"When what happened Stella?" Hermione asked, her voice even, trying to hide any evidence of the fact that she knew exactly what had happened.
"He just collapsed. Randomly, Hermione. It made no sense at first, but then I did a scan myself. We didn't stop the brain bleed, we probably missed something since we were focusing our energy on the rest of him… Hermione he's gone, Draco Malfoy is dead." Dean Thomas, one of the case workers said to her, his voice laced with regret and his eyes downcast.
"No." Hermione said, forcing as much shock as she could master into her tone before she barged into the room Malfoy's 'dead body' was in.
"Mione, I double and triple checked. There's nothing we can do." Dean said soothingly as he came up behind her.
"I know, it's just… Dean we'll have to notify his mother- can you make sure she gets the news before the prophet?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
"Sure, I'll get right on it… the body?" he questioned, sombrely.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She told him quietly.
With a quick nod he made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Up, quickly, before anyone else gets in here." He heard Hermione say in a rushed voice before he could even open his eyes. He figured she most probably gave him the revival potion- which was still taking effect and leaving his body and mind feeling sluggish.
"Oh, heavens! Do I have to do everything myself?" she whisper yelled at him, dragging him out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom.
Slowly he was beginning to adjust to the post fake death feeling and managed to get out a few words, "Port-key, Granger." He said sluggishly.
"Oh right, here it is. Should activate any second now." She told him, handing him a toothbrush before quickly rushing out and shutting the door behind her.
Before he even had a chance to form a proper thought he felt the familiar tug of the port-key at his navel. The spinning seemed to help him completely recover and so when he landed in what he assumed to be Potter's living room he was quite wide awake.
"So, I take it everything went off well?" Potter asked, causally sitting up from his spot on the couch and laying the paper aside.
"Well, I suppose. Granger is probably taking the fake body away now." He said, getting up from where he landed on the floor and making his way over to the love seat across from Potter.
"Okay, I'm going to head back to the office now. They'll come looking for me there," Harry said to him, before turning around and shouting, "Krecher!"
"Yes master, Harry, how can Krecher help." The elf said, popping out of thin air.
"Krecher, could you show Mr Malfoy here to the guest room I had you set up. He'll be staying with us for a while and no one besides the order is to know about this. Am I clear?" Harry asked the elf, with a stern look.
"Yes master. Come Mr Malfoy, Krecher will show you to your room." Krecher said with a low bow in Draco's direction.
"Rest up, Malfoy. The order will be here tonight. You're going to need your energy for that." Harry said with a kind smile before stepping into the fireplace and disappearing in a flash of green.
"…needs to be on guard at all times, we cannot take a chance, Harry!" said one of the voices in kitchen at Grimmuld place, which drifted up the stairs as Draco made his way down.
He had been asleep for nearly four hours, waking up had been slightly disorienting since it took him a moment to remember where he was and why he was there. Never the less, he freshened up and started on his way downstairs to the kitchen since that was where the voices seemed to be coming from.
"the house is perfectly safe!" came Harry's voice suddenly, "I see no need to have a guard when there's a perfectly good fedilius charm in place- besides that, Hermione warded the place herself!"
At that moment Draco walked into the kitchen causing all conversation to seize and everyone to turn towards him. This wasn't surprising since there only seemed to be five people in the room.
"Ahh Mr Malfoy, so glad you could join us." Kingsley said, motioning for Draco to take a seat.
"Malfoy will agree with me on this Kingsley." Harry said stubbornly.
"I'm sorry, what is it I'm agreeing to, Potter?"
"Mr Malfoy," Kingsley said, cutting Harry off, "Right now your apparent death is the only thing holding this plan in place. It is my suggestion that a guard be appointed to the house at all times since this is where you will be staying."
"Why would I need a guard?" Draco questioned with a snort.
"Because, Mr Malfoy, if an attack is launched at the house and it is discovered that you are in fact alive, our plans will be set back and that will in no way help catch your father." Kingsley said slowly, as if explaining to a child.
"I beg your pardon Minister, but I agree with Potter- I see no need for a guard! I am an Auror, yes level one but I know perfectly well how to defend myself. Also the idea that anyone could get past the wards on this place, especially wards placed by Granger, is completely ridiculous!" Draco said, his voice raising with every sentence.
"I had no idea you thought so highly of me Malfoy." Hermione said casually as she walked in, "Sorry I'm late everyone- this fake death situation took a bit longer than expected."
"Not a problem Miss Granger- I am sure you know what Mr Malfoy was shouting about, I have discussed this with you first." Kingsley said to Hermione as she took a seat in between Harry and Ron.
"Yes you have Minister and I stand by what I say- there's no need to waste anyone's time. Malfoy will be perfectly safe here between the 3 of us. If you really want to station guards then I suggest having them at Andy's place, two women and a baby would need it way more than five grown adults, don't you think?"
Hermione's logic seemed to have won out whatever argument Kingsley had in place, but Draco could still see the look of hesitation on his face as he looked at him.
"So that's what this is about." He said softly, not wavering the stare he place on Kingsley.
"I'm sorry?" Harry asked dumbly, not noticing the tension that seemed to have grown within seconds between Draco and the Minister.
"He doesn't want the guard placed here for me- he wants it placed here for you. Don't you minister?" Draco asked with a sneer.
"Oh come on! You cannot be serious Kingsley." Hermione shouted out, glaring at Kingsley.
"You must see where I'm coming from with this Hermione- you out of all people."
"Me out of all people? Wow Minister Shacklebolt, I thought you were against blood prejudice!" Hermione hissed, her hair practically crackling with energy fuelled by her rage.
"No, you misunderstand that is not what I meant Hermione!" Kingsley said earnestly, backing away from Hermione slowly.
"Okay we're still lost will someone please explain?" Harry said suddenly.
"The only reason the minister wants a guard assigned to this house is to keep an eye on me Potter, it seems after everything, I am still not trusted around here." Draco said, with one last glare in Kingsley's direction he got up and swiftly made his way out of the kitchen and back to his room.
A guard, he mentally scoffed at that, if that happens he might as well start considering the room a prison cell, he thought bitterly. Sure most of the order had forgiven him but he could tell just by the way they eyed him that they still considered him dangerous, never fully trusted him. Just take for instance the way they were all so quick to assume that he was responsible for the breakout. Some things would never change and he had to just learn to suck it up and live with it. At least there was a bright side to it though, it seemed as though Hermione had stuck up for him and that was all that mattered. He knew that her forgiveness was one thing that he would never receive, and he had no one but himself to blame for that.
"D' you reckon Kingsley's right?" Ron asked softly.
The meeting had ended over an hour ago, not long after Draco had stormed off, only Ron had stayed behind.
"No, Ron, I know you don't fully trust him but Malfoy is my partner and I do trust him. He has worked had to get where he is, harder than anyone of us because his past." Harry replied, "We're not so different, me and him. Ron, just hear me out. We were both kids who got thrown into the middle of a war with our destinies already planned out for us. Neither of us had a choice in the matter- how can we blame him for something he had no control over?"
"Hermione told you that didn't she." Said Ron after a while.
"How'd you guess?" Harry replied with a laugh.
"No offence mate but that did sound like something you could come up with on your own." Ron teased, which earned him a whack on the head.
"So, you really not getting any guards?" Ron asked after the banter had died down.
"I trust Malfoy, as ludicrous as some people might find it. I see no need for guards." Harry said with finality.
The end! … Of the chapter. Once again sorry for the delay, unfortunately I have some bad news. I'll be heading overseas in a couple days and I won't be able to update for a while until I get back, updates will be on hold now for more or less a month. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chappy! As always, your thoughts are very much welcome. Hugs and chocolate cake to all! xoxo