Chapter 20- Sullen and Succumbing
Being away from the school for the night was actually quite peaceful. If only he could be away for another reason, any reason would be better than what lay ahead of him tonight. Unfortunately Snape's arm firmly grasping onto his own was an uncomfortable and constant reminder. His mind was forbidden from wandering from the sullen thoughts that would surely await his arrival.
Being seen was a problem easily solved. An invisibility spell kept him hidden from the Aurors prowling the castle. Any unsuspecting eyes would pass right through his presence. Severus Snape was the only one who knew the truth. He had arranged everything with both sides. The Dark Lord knew of Snape's accompaniment, it was, of course, the reason for his appearance. Hogwarts and the Order, however, were cleverly fooled into believing the Dark Lord merely requested a meeting with Snape. They really were too trusting; obviously they didn't know Snape's true loyalties.
The corridors were empty except for the odd passing of a ghost and Filch's cat Mrs. Norris skulking towards the end of the Dungeon hallway. Portraits snored and mumbled in their sleep as the two crept soundlessly through the pitch black castle. It carried a presence of eeriness in the night. It was a much different sight compared to it in broad daylight and crowded with students and teachers. To even the familiar eyes of the young Draco invisibly passing through it now, its mystery could easily instill a feeling of fear.
Once they reached the Great Hall Snape quickened his pace once more and the two, appearing as one, strode from the dark castle into the even darker night. Glowing, was the moon, as the adventure continued on down the windy path to the gate. To Draco this walk was much too short even though the path was a long distance away. With the guiding light of the pregnant moon their path was clear and the journey took mere minutes. The minutes flew by like seconds ticking on a clock as Draco counted his last moments as a free man, as a man who could make his own decisions. He suddenly hated himself for not making more out of his life so far because in only a few hours his life would no longer belong to him. He would be under orders, orders he wouldn't dare disobey.
Outside of Hogwarts, now, they were able to apparate. Snape kept his firm grasp on Draco's arm and turned on the spot. Draco, who would have liked to transport himself grudgingly allowed his body to be tugged uncomfortably into the air. Spinning and losing breath the two finally landed on a familiar road. The road was surrounding a large mansion that was blocked off by a gate. As Draco gained his composure and was able to more thoroughly asses his surrounding he realized that this was the Malfoy Manor, his manor.
"Severus Snape bringing Draco Malfoy for his… meeting, with the Dark Lord."
Only now did Draco realize that Snape had walked over to the gate and was responding to a patronus in the form of a wolf. He decidedly walked to the entrance of the gate and waited as it slowly inched open.
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Inside was no different than it had always been except now Draco dreaded being here. After months of reconciliation with Snape they saw no way around this. It was, after all, something the Dark Lord wanted and he always got what he wanted.
If you would have asked Draco before this year began he would have jumped at the chance to prove himself to the Dark Lord. The promotion to Death Eater would have been easily welcomed. Now, after Aliana, he just couldn't give up his life; he couldn't give up her.
The room was dark and silent. Every eye was on Draco as his pale face glowed in the eerie candlelight. The Dark Lord himself was seated at the head of their long dining room table. His piercing glare was focused on Draco's trembling hands.
"Now, now, Draco. No need to be scared," Voldemort's shrill voice rang with laughter. "You must be brave. Looking like this, you wouldn't scare a Hufflepuff. You do want to carry on the Malfoy heritage, don't you?"
"Yes," Draco managed to mumble through his fear.
He had told himself that he wouldn't do this but as he stood here, so close to him, he just couldn't hold himself together. He had to keep himself calm so he could keep her secret and keep her safe. His occlumency was good but nothing to match the Dark Lord.
"What is the matter with you, boy," Voldemort's voice was raised now and he was clearly angered. "Do you not want to be a Death Eater?"
His eyes were once again scrutinizing Draco, but this time they were focused on his face. He was searching for an answer without needing one. Voldemort was reading it right through his eyes.
"No, that's not it," he paused thinking once more. "Don't want to hurt the Mudblood's? Got a little girlfriend to take care of?"
"Oh, really," Voldemort was smirking at Draco's clenched jaw. His last sentence had angered the boy. "You've got a girlfriend."
The room was filled with hoots and hollers. There were cat calls and taunts thrown his way. He only hoped that he could get through this.
"Is she pretty, Draco," one of the Death Eater's called out. "She got a name?"
"Enough," Voldemort's voice silenced the room while a smirk began to play on his face. "How about we find out."
Draco's eyes stared pleadingly at Snape's stone face before her felt Voldemort's mind come crashing into his. He tried to clear his mind and could feel the walls come up and begin to push back. Unfortunately, the room was noisy and distracting, and his thoughts of Aliana kept breaking through.
After a bit of a struggle Voldemort had dug into his mind and easily pulled out thoughts of her. Luckily what he had found were mere memories of her face and her laugh; they were memories of her beauty.
"A Moxley," Voldemort's voice was once again heard. "Why'd you put up such a struggle to hide the fact that you're dating a pureblooded Moxley? Daddy, I'm sure, would be proud. Maybe we should dig a little more."
With an even more forceful and surprising blow Voldemort lunged at Draco's mind. This time Draco put up a bigger fight. With every ounce of strength he had he pushed back into Voldemort's.
"You might as well give up, Draco. You're obviously going to lose you strength sometime," his menacing voice was accompanied by laughter.
This blow angered Draco and he thrust himself towards Voldemort's mind to find a glimpse of his memory. Professor Dumbledore, slightly younger, was staring back into Draco, or rather Voldemort's face. The two were in the Headmaster's office.
Voldemort yelled and shoved once again back at Draco with a force that pushed him onto the ground. He shuffled through memories until he found the one he wanted.
Pulling out of Draco's mind he left the boy on the ground panting and gestured to Snape. The memories had given him new light; he had a new reason for keeping Draco around.
A/N: Finally another chapter complete!!! This one was fun to write but took painstakingly long… I can't wait to hear what you think of it! Keep reading and reviewing!