A/N--Alrighty, here's chapter three!! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!!! The more reviews I get the more encouraged I am and the quicker I'll update! Again a quick reminder for those who are reading this for the first time-there is another version (The Unbreakable Vow: Crimson Edition) that is the same story only more from Hermione's perspective.
sunshine21409--You'll find out who he made the vow with later...though, I don't even know how much later at this point. Haha but I promise you'll find out eventually!
The Unbreakable Vow
***Emerald Edition***
Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's quite sad.
Chapter Three
Surely she isn't foolish enough to try to defeat the Dark Lord by herself, Draco reasoned as he took a step towards her. She immediately disproved his assumption and took off towards the powerful wizard and her fallen friend.
Draco stared after her a long moment before letting out a low growl and starting after her. He was beginning to wonder if she was really worth all of this trouble.
He watched as she flew through the tall grass, her hand reaching up to catch the blood dripping down her neck. Her eyes were glazed and she struggled forward, obviously exhausted. Draco realized that she was so focused on getting to Potter that she probably had no idea the kind of danger she was racing towards. Sparing a quick glance around, his suspicions were confirmed; the Death Eaters were successfully pushing the Order back into the burning buildings of Hogsmeade. Letting out a low growl, Draco redoubled his efforts to close the distance between them.
When they reached the clearing, Draco came to a stop, crouching into the shadowy grass hidden from view. He crept through the grass, watching Granger fall to her knees beside her fallen friend, her body shaking with sobs. Granger pulled the dead body against her own lithe form, and Draco allowed himself to look away, focusing now on the Dark Lord who stared at her with a cruel smile.
"Yes, my dear," he purred darkly. "You're precious Harry Potter is dead. I killed him."
Draco's eyes flashed back to Granger who stifled her cries immediately and sent him a murderous look. Her arm moved so subtly that Draco nearly missed it, and he realized she intended to duel the dark wizard. He slowly rose from the ground, unnoticed by the Dark Lord or Granger and raised his wand, directing it at the witch.
"You're his little Mudblood friend." Voldemort said, his voice pleased and disturbingly excited about his discovery. Granger said nothing but her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and Draco knew he had to act or Granger and, consequently, himself would be killed in an instant.
"Legilimens," he muttered quietly, wand held steadily in the Granger's direction. The dark magic was something he had learned from his Aunt Bellatrix a while ago and a talent he had nearly perfected. He filtered through her mind easily; it was obvious she had never practiced Occlumency. He pushed himself past her memories, fears, and desires; he didn't have the luxury of time to probe her impressively logical mind, so for the time being he settled for centering himself in the front of her thoughts.
Don't move.
He placed the words in her head with ease, and almost immediately, her felt the response in her head; she would not attack the Dark Lord. Draco couldn't decide if it was his own particular skill or Granger's fatigue that made the demand so readily followed, but he concluded that it didn't really matter.
"I will find so much pleasure in killing you," the Dark Lord continued, his voice threatening. Yet, Granger remained passive and simply stared at him. The Dark Lord suddenly met her gaze and Draco felt himself panic; he was preparing to use legilimency just as Draco was. If the younger wizard left Granger's mind, she would surely try to duel, but if he did not, the Dark Lord would sense him and they would both be dead anyway.
Taking the chance, Draco withdrew from her thoughts, feeling the Dark Lord's presence for a split-second before freeing himself from her mind.
The fire in Granger's eyes reignited as the Dark Lord shook his head with a small smirk.
"You think to duel me, you filthy child?" he inquired knowingly, his eyes dancing with laughter.
The statement seemed to register in Granger's head and Draco watched as she whipped her wand out of her robes, pushing herself to her feet. Her hair flew around her slim shoulders in a messy tangle and her eyes almost glowed with determination. Her mouth opened, a complex incantation undoubtedly rising in the back of her throat.
Draco decided it was time to intervene.
"Imperio."
It was impossibly simple to wrap himself around her mind. She froze, visibly relaxing into the curse. Draco stepped out from the shadows, coming clearly into view. The Dark Lord's gaze turned to him and he nodded in approval.
"Ah," he said, his voice so quiet it was barely audible. "Draco, my dear boy, how wonderful of you to join me in the killing of the mudblood."
Draco slid forward as Granger rebelled against his hold and turned to face him. He paused, regarding her enraged expression. Her brown eyes glared at him with as much vehemence as she could muster. The witch managed to raise her wand towards him slightly but Draco raised his own wand and continued towards her.
"Expelliarmus."
The fury was immediately wiped from her face and in its wake was a tranquil, glazed expression; she was obviously very susceptible to the Imperius Curse. Draco kept his eyes locked on Granger as her wand flew a good distance behind him. He stopped only when he was close enough to smell the faint vanilla in her hair. Her brown eyes looked up at him with involuntary trust and he could not deny how vulnerable she looked.
She needed him to survive.
Leaning forward as small strands of her hair caressed his face, Draco gave a short gentle command into her ear.
"Trust me, Granger. No matter what happens, you have to trust me."
He pulled away from her meeting her gaze for a short pause before releasing the curse. She let out a small gasp as her muscles automatically contracted without the peace that the Imperius Curse had offered. Draco turned away from her, his attention focused back on the Dark Lord. He wasn't sure if she would listen to him. He had been trying kill mudbloods for many years now; Draco couldn't help but worry that she would try to do something stupid and get them both killed.
Granger didn't disappoint.
"How dare you," she barked at him, her anger from earlier returning with even more resolve than before. "If you honestly expect me to—"
"Silencio," Draco cut her off immediately. If the Dark Lord knew what Draco had requested, it would not end well. He glared at her over his shoulder; she was becoming very difficult to protect. He let out a low growl, "Keep your filthy mouth closed."
She stared at him heatedly, but closed her mouth. Draco gave her a long, hard look before he was certain she would remain quiet and then turned back to the Dark Lord.
"Draco, I believe you should have the honor of killing the worthless girl," the older wizard whispered, his eyes flicking between the younger adults.
Draco would sense the other Death Eaters returning to the clearing; they had obviously taken care of the other members of the Order and were now surrounding them in a massive circle. This is trouble, he admitted as his eyes scanned the area. If they don't agree to my terms, this could end very badly.
He took a short step forward, bowing his head respectfully. "My lord, I believe this mudblood could be very useful in our endeavor to eliminate the remaining members of the Order."
Draco could hear the displeased response ripple through the surrounding Death Eaters in low mumbling of sounds. However, the Dark Lord eyed him curiously, encouraging him to continue. A small sigh of relief slipped past the younger wizards lips; it didn't matter if the other Death Eaters didn't support him, as long as he had the Dark Lord's favor.
"As we knew you would," he continued, showing his loyal devotion, "you have defeated Harry Potter and the prophecy has finally been fulfilled. However, the other members of the Order will not cease fighting because of this loss; in fact, they will become stronger and craftier in their strategies."
The Dark Lord nodded, his gaze returning to Granger who immediately looked away from him. Draco was mildly impressed; legilimency was more difficult when the target was suspecting and would not allow eye-contact. Even when faced with the danger that threatened to destroy the world, she was very logical.
"What can this filthy girl do?" the Dark Lord inquired. It was not a challenge, simply a question of how much value she truly possessed.
"Allow me to watch over her. I'll get the information we need then we can dispose of her," the lie slipped easily from his lips in hopes that promising her eventual death would appease the Dark Lord.
"She can't be worth all of this trouble. She's a mudblood; no matter how much she knows, her blood is still tainted!" a voice protested loudly. Draco half-turned his head in disgust; not many Death Eaters would question his judgment and even fewer would dare consider interfering with a discussion with the Dark Lord.
"Shut up you fool," another voice cried and the familiarity stabbed into Draco painfully. "She could be useful to us. Would you like to be the one to kill the one person that could help us finally defeat the Order?"
Blaise, Draco thought in wonder, once against surprised by his friend's loyalty. His interjection of defense of Draco would come at a cost.
"Crucio."
Two separate voices cried out in misery, but all Draco could hear was Blaise, his wail ringing in the air deafeningly. Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw Granger fall to her knees, her hands pressed against the side of her heads, eyes screwed tightly shut; it seemed the sounds were no more pleasing to her ears than his own.
Unfortunately, her movement stirred the Dark Lord from his little game and captured his focus once again.
"As much as I trust your judgment, Draco," the wizard said smoothly, "Avery has made an excellent point: she is a mudblood."
"And she shall be punished for this infraction," Malfoy interrupted smoothly, fully expecting this to be an issue. "But on my own terms. I will take full responsibility in disciplining, interrogating and, if necessary," he paused dramatically, glancing over his shoulder in Avery's direction, "protecting her. Allow me to handle this matter so you will not be inconvenienced."
The Dark Lord stared at him a long while before nodding.
"I believe you are capable of handling such a small task, Draco, but I ask that you share your idea of retribution with your fellow Death Eaters; it shall be a celebratory event."
As the words reached Draco, he took a deep breath; he had always known this would be a possibility, to inflict unbearable pain on the young woman he had vowed to protect. It was a necessary evil, he decided as he turned to face her. She stared at him helplessly, her eyes wide with fear. Draco stared at her, the task ahead seemed more daunting than he would have imagined.
"As you wish, my lord."
As soon as Granger knew what he intended, she struggled to her feet.
"Crucio."
She collapsed to the ground instantly, her body convulsing in pain. The surrounding crowd of Death Eaters roared triumphantly, but all Draco could hear were her long, drawn-out cries of pain. She twisted on the ground, her hand ripping clumps of grass by the roots in desperation. Draco realized that his spell was weakening; seeing her in so much pain had triggered a surprising urge to protect her.
Of course, he thought dimly as he started walking towards her, I want to protect her because my life depends on her.
He wouldn't allow himself to believe that it was for any other reason. Raising his wand again he repeated the curse's incantation.
"Crucio."
He knelt beside her, her eyes stared up at him vaguely, the brown orbs so cloudy that he wondered if she could see him at all. Granger's mouth was opened wide, her screams so hoarse that they were nearly lost in the noisy cheers of the Death Eaters. Draco kept his wand directed at her, and gently pushed her back to the grass when she tried to sit up against the pain. He could feel the curse fading, and he knew this would be his only chance to help her before the pain left her incoherent again.
"Remember what I told you," he whispered to her. The pain was still evident in the way her body twisted against his hold; no one would suspect that he was actually trying to help her. "No matter what happens, you have to trust me."
"Trust you?"
Draco flinched at the sound of her voice. It was pitiful; the raspy sound came out in a pleading whisper. She wants to trust me, he realized. She knows I'm the only one who can help her now. The realization struck him hard and he could only nod in response to her question. He let his wand touch her temple, silently hoping the pain he inflicted would be enough to free her from this nightmare.
"Just trust me and let go," he said gently, somewhat pleased when she seemed to relax at his command, "It will be over soon."
For a split second, Draco wasn't sure if he could use the Cruciatus Curse again; the need to protect her from harm was tearing desperately at the need to keep them both alive. He stared down at her, conflicted, knowing he had little time before the surrounding crowd grew suspicious. Pushing the relentless need to help her to the back of his thoughts, he quickly reminded himself that he had vowed to protect her life, not her well-being. He applied gentle pressure to his wand and let his voice echo through the night, hoping that the spell proved merciful.
"Crucio."
Draco could almost feel her pain as her eyes widened in sheer agony, her body instinctively trying to rise from the ground. He held her down, trying to be as gentle as possible. She convulsed under him, her mouth open in a scream that her voice could not vocalize. She struggled against his hold valiantly and Draco felt himself grow weary; the curse would force her into madness unless he was able to stop soon.
Suddenly, her struggles became less frantic and her body simply tensed beneath his arm.
She's trying to let the curse win, Draco realized, surprised that she was actually aware enough to remember what he had told her. Her head twisted side-to-side, her thoughts obviously conflicting.
"Let go," Draco whispered softly, trying to make his voice as compelling as possible.
Another desperately long moment passed before her struggles cease completely.
She was still taking in deep gasping breaths of air, but Granger managed to open her eyes and look up at him. They were still cloudy, but every hue of warm brown was staring at Draco with confusion, then denial, then acceptance and then finally, unmistakable trust. Her eyes fluttered before closing with a soft sigh, her head falling against Draco's hand which was still resting on her shoulder.
The wizard stood slowly and stared down at her, letting a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Her hair was splayed out around her in knots, damp with her sweat and tears, her face still pale from the pain she had endured, marred only by the blood from her lip, and her body was curled on the ground in an awkward position. But as her looked down at her, Draco could not deny how beautiful she looked in that moment. His chest tightened as a cruel reprimand for this forbidden admission.
"Splendid, Draco!" the Dark Lord commended over the dying cheers of the Death Eaters. "A marvelous celebration."
Draco could not take his eyes off of Granger. She looked so vulnerable, so young, so defenseless that for a short moment Draco, again, wasn't sure if he could handle the responsibility of protecting her. The Dark Lord dismissed the throng of wizards and Draco barely noticed them filing past him.
After a long moment, he managed to rip his gaze from her and looked up to see Blaise staring at him solemnly, his arm outstretched in front of him.
"Her wand," he explained.
Draco looked down and, sure enough, the slender piece of wood was held in the palm of his friend's hand. After a long moment, he reached over and took it himself. His fingers wrapped around the smooth wand before snapping it into two decisive pieces and letting them fall to the grassy floor. He looked back up at Blaise who regarded him curiously. Draco glanced down at Granger before looking back at the wizard and answering with a sigh.
"She won't be needing it."
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