Special thank you to SweetSacrifice who helped me rewrite the summary for my story. Thank you so much!

Easier to Run - Chapter 17

Draco did not speak to the two former Gryffindors the whole way back to the manor. They questioned him about what had happened, concerned whether he was able to get the sphinx hair, but he remained silent. It finally occurred to them, Harry sooner than Ron, that something had happened to him in there. He was just not ready to talk about it. Harry figured that Draco would never be comfortable sharing it with him.

He was right.

The three of them walked into the burrow where two of them were happy to see the large group of people in the room. Molly and Arthur were sitting on the couch placidly speaking with Remus and Charlie, the lot of them laughing joyously. Hermione and Ginny appeared to be in deep conversation with Tonks whose hair was tied in a high knot on her head, bold shades of orange and blue streaked throughout her long tresses.

None the less, all conversation stopped upon the three men entering. Harry and Ron gazed at Draco who appeared to be battling the two emotions of anger and despair. Only Hermione could see that it was despair haunting him more.

"Did um...how did everything go?" asked Ginny, the silence breaker each time.

"We had no luck which really sets us back–" said Ron, but he was interrupted by Draco.

"I got the bloody hair. I'll have it by tonight and don't any of you ask me how I did it," hissed Draco in a threatening voice. Harry and Ron were quick to clench their fists remembering the old Draco that was surfacing at that point in time. They were not too happy to see him.

"Look Malfoy, I think–"

"Don't think," snarled Draco instantly silencing Harry. Both men were staring at each other with rage, but neither of them were making a step toward the other. "I said that I took care of it. Why can't you just trust me?"

"Maybe because you've been silent this whole way back. Did it take some dark magic to get the hair?" snapped Harry.

"So what if it did? What matters more is the fact that I got it. Nothing else should worry you."

"Well it does Malfoy."

"Screw you. Screw everyone right now. I just..." Draco couldn't finish. He actually didn't know how to finish. He was not exactly sure what words could say what he felt. So Draco Malfoy did what Malfoys do best: he ran away from it.

Draco moved beyond the livingroom to the upstairs bedroom that he had been residing in. All of them were just shocked unsure of what to do. Ginny rolled her eyes before nudging Hermione who looked extremely white and pale in the face. She sighed before taking the silent inkling from her friend and ventured upstairs to find Draco.

Hermione was biting her lip feeling a little scared to go talk to him. She had only seen him become that unglued one other time which was the night that he had confessed to her about his life and dead wife. She obviously knew something more than dark magic must have occurred strictly because Draco was not the type of man to come unhinged in the presence of so many people, especially since all were still getting to know him; a Malfoy trait which she figured would stay with him forever.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Silence.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Silence.

"Draco are you going to unlock the ruddy door or not? I refuse to stand out here looking like a stood up date," she hissed feeling rather proud of herself. Where did that come from? It sounded so...like me. Well, like I use to be.

She heard the distinct sound of a magical click alerting her the door was unlocked. Without a second thought, she threw the door open and slammed it shut. A bit louder than intended, but still getting the point across. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was screaming at him without any conscious thought about her words hurting.

"Draco what is your problem? You acted completely out of line down there, sneering at us all and for what? Did Ron say something to you again because if that is the case then I suggest you both grow up. I'm sick of your immaturity when it comes to him and to Harry. The lot of you are still acting as though you're in Hogwarts!"

Hermione's face was no longer pale, but pasted with a crimson hue on her upper cheeks. She was mad at her boys for acting so cruelly towards one another and she decided that she had to draw the line in that before it was able to thicken. She did not want to fight with any of them over this. It was ridiculous for them to carry on as though they were all still fourteen year old boys.

"Well? Do you have anything to say to me at all or are you still sticking with go screw yourself?" she asked in a frustrated voice.

"I saw my mother," he said dryly.

Her exasperated expression left precipitously. Hermione's face no longer held malice, but concern for she finally saw Draco; she finally looked at him.

He was sitting on the windowsill staring out at the darkening horizon. One leg was hung undaunted outside of the window while the other was propped up, foot leaning into the sill for support and balance. His head was leaning back rather carefree; an apathetic gesture which unnerved her. His blond hair was flying around, no doubt from the wind, bothering Hermione all the same.

What concerned Hermione the most were his eyes; they weren't there. His gray eyes were open and staring outside, but they did not show him anything. She had the heavy suspicion–no she knew–that he was just there in body, mind somewhere else. What had happened to him?

"What did she say?" she finally asked feeling strong enough to do so. Had she not reminded herself that she was at one point a Gryffindor, she probably wouldn't have been able to muster up enough courage. Draco was frightening her.

"You know, the usual. How she loved me and wished for things to be different. She told me how wonderful I was as a son and how happy she was that I had gone down the right path. Everything that I wanted to hear."

"Oh," said Hermione simply. She cleared her throat as she said, "Now what did she really say?"

"That she'd kill me if I continued doing what I was doing. That she would end me faster than a firebolt if I dared to end what she helped create. What a mother, huh?"

"Oh Draco," she said sadly, "I'm so sorry. I should have...I..."

"I never lied to myself that I had the perfect life. I may have pretended that I did when I was at school, but I was smart enough to know myself that I didn't. My father was an evil follower and my mother...well I guess that she was not the typical nurturing woman." Draco sighed looking so grim, so unable to put into words what he was feeling. Hermione was scared, but she walked over to him placing a hand, slowly and timidly, on his shoulder. Draco did not flinch, but he did not reach for it either.

"I just...why did this have to happen? Why did I have to see her?" asked Draco, mostly to himself knowing that it was a rhetorical question. "I just wish that I had never seen her and that way I could just wonder about her. Knowing that she sees me not only as a failure, but as someone to destroy kills me. Why did I have to be born in that bloody family?"

"Draco it's not as though you asked for this. It's just how life turned out."

"Is that what you said each time that your husband beat you?" he asked looking at her with fury and anger sweeping over his gray eyes. Hermione was surprised at his sudden outburst and change of demeanor for resentment was filling his voice. However frightened she was just doubled.

"Did you simply brush off everything that he did and say 'oh it just happens'?" he snarled. Draco was not thinking properly. In fact, everything in his mind was telling him that all he was doing was wrong. Stop it! Stop doing this to her! What you both need is just to calm down and hold one another. Why are you being so stupid? Stop it before it gets worse. Stop before you say something that you regret!

Hermione pulled back her hand and looked at him a little confused. She understood that he was upset, but he was shifting his anger which often led to further problems. "I'm sorry Draco. I just...I just..."

"You just what? Did you brush off everything that he did to you? When he hit you–"

"Stop," she whispered taking a step back from him.

"–when he yelled at you–"

"Please Draco..."

"–when he raped you? Oh no wait, you probably even pretended to enjoy that."

REGRET!

Hermione looked at Draco in a way that he would never forget. He expected her to look at him thunderstruck, possibly confused. That was not the expression that was plastered all over her face. Hermione looked entirely wounded. Draco slapped himself mentally as she turned around.

Her feet seemed to sway as she ran to the door. Draco realized instantly what he had done and shot off from his position by the window. His long legs and agility allowed him to catch up with her before she had the opportunity to reach the door.

He threw his arms around her encircling her body. As hurt and upset as she was, she was still able to fight him, or at least attempt it. Her arms flailed as her legs kicked, but Draco did not let her go. They were near the door so he leaned his body back and slid down on the floor still holding Hermione in a tight, fierce embrace.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that," he breathed into her ear in a soothing voice, attempting to calm her.

"Let me go! Just let me bloody go!"

"I can't. I'm sorry–"

"I don't care if you're sorry! Let me go!" she screamed elbowing him in the rib. He grunted out in pain, but ignored it having to keep a firm grip on Hermione.

"Hermione I didn't mean that. I'm sorry Angel, please–"

"That was the cruelest thing you've ever said to me!" Her words hit him hard considering he knew that she included everything that he had said to her while in school and he had said some nasty things then.

"Please, love, calm down and let me explain," he sighed biting his tongue as her fist hit a certain part of his anatomy that is tremendously sensitive and, as far as populating the world goes, important for the male species.

It was not his words which calmed her, but merely the fact that she could not fight him any longer. His grip was too strong and tight for her to get away. She had exhausted herself in the attempt so finally her body simply gave out. She had not accepted the position, but could not contest herself out of it. She laid limp as Draco squeezed her in a sign of endearing love, rocked her, and whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that at all."

"Then why say it?" she asked, her voice shaky and fearful.

"I'm an idiot. I am mad at something else and I took it out on you. Please know that I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry Angel. I would never say something like that to hurt you–"

"That is just what you did!" she screamed jamming her elbow into his upper chest, catching him off guard. She took his temporary moment of weakness to shove him back and wiggle herself away from his grasp. He sat back up moving towards her and reaching his hand to her. She immediately flinched and gasped as she scurried away from near the bed, terror clouding her eyes. Draco looked down, anger rising back up again.

"Damn it! Don't you see?! He has you so scared that you flinch away from me. I'm the last person that would have physically harm you Hermione. I would have thought you would have known that by now."

Hermione leaned against the footboard of the bed, trepidation still fresh on her face. There were no sobs, but Draco saw tears slid down her cheek chilling him all over. Each tear that fell was a punch in his stomach, a blow to his face, and a bite in his flesh. He had hurt her. He had finally hurt her beyond anything that he could ever imagine. He just hoped he could repair the damage.

After a long and deafening silence, Draco finally said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What's funny is that you're right. You were right to say that."

"No. I wasn't right Hermione," he said flustered, his voice raw and full of emotion.

Hermione shook her head as she said, "No you were right. I never wanted to admit it to myself, but everything that you said is right. Every intimate time we had together was ra...was really r–"

"Don't say it. Please don't say it," uttered Draco, defeated.

"Why not? You just said it and you damn well sounded like you meant it." Her voice was harsh that time.

"That was out of anger. That was not directed at you Angel. I'm so sorry." He looked up at her upon finishing the words to find that she looked more wounded than a houseelf working at the Malfoy manor. He lifted himself up and slowly, slowly, walked towards her.

He sat himself down beside her body which was trembling and flinching slightly. Hesitation occurred before he finally wrapped his arm around her shaking body. Initially she recoiled from him, but eventually gave into his presence.

"I'm sorry, love."

"I never wanted to look at it that way, but you are right. I mean I never...well I never really slept with him. I was kind of just there. I didn't want to put a title on it–"

"Then don't," said Draco quickly, "I don't want you to feel that way. This was my fault and I'm sorry. I was just mad at something else, at myself, and I took it out on you. What's worse is that you were scared of me. Merlin Hermione, I never want you to be scared of me. I would never hurt you."

"You just looked so angry–"

"And I was, but I would never, ever, hurt you. Do you understand me? I would never lay a hand on you."

She slowly nodded at him, but that was not enough for him. He lifted his body up from his sitting position on the floor, gently helping Hermione up to sit on the bed. He got down on his knees and with his height, he was just barely looking up at her. His hand met her warm cheek, wiping away a few residual tears.

"I need to hear you say it. Please say that you understand that I would never hurt you," he asked in a hushed voice.

"I understand."

Draco walked through the darkness of Diagon Alley sweeping through the snow that had littered the ground. He threw glances over his shoulder as he clutched his wand in his pocket. Darkness filled the streets; not a single person in sight.

His blond locks were hidden beneath that dark cloak yet again, but the woman who gave him life was still able to spot him. She stepped out, wrapped in a dark cloak as well, and held out a vial. Draco took it from her taking a glance to see a lone sphinx hair, the color of mute yellow.

"I hope that this is the last time we see each other," she whispered to Draco. He shook his head looking down. "I know that I'm not the mother that you wanted, but you better believe that you were not the son that I had hoped for. You failed me Draco."

"I just need to ask you one question. Did you ever love me? I mean really love me?" The woman was quiet for a moment obviously taking a reasonable amount of time to figure out the true words.

"Yes I loved you. You were the light of my life when you were born and that light stayed all the way until your sixth year. You were a very attractive boy with the glorious, striking looks of a Malfoy. You were very intelligent and brought in marks that we always were proud of. It wasn't until you screwed up your task that the light faded. You turned your back on everything that we raised you to believe in; loyalty and allegiance to this great cause. I don't even know you anymore."

Draco had never felt so ashamed to be related to that woman in his entire life. Formerly, he simply hated being her son, but now he was ashamed. He was created by that. He was created by a woman whose heart was so cold that it made ice seem like fire.

"I doubt that you would care to know me now," he said with a smirk; the infamous Malfoy smirk. She knew it all too well.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't the mother you wanted," she said softly, but Draco heard the lie forged throughout the words; the underlying hatred.

"I'm glad that I wasn't the son you wanted."

Before she had the opportunity to respond, he swept off into the darkness.

A/N: Alrighty, so what did you guys think? It was a bit of a filler chapter, but the next chapter wouldn't make sense without it. I hope you guys liked it.

"Easier to Run" is by the band Linkin Park. This is not one of their more well-known songs, but it definitely is my favorite. The chapter was based off of the lyrics, "It's easier to run replacing this pain with something more. It's so much easier to go then face all this pain, here all alone."

StormMasters - Creative guess, but no, I'm afraid you're wrong. Just keep reading and I think the chapters that follow will surprise you.

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

Iris is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.