Chapter 4: A year in the Manor
Chapter Text
For almost a year, Draco was trapped in his own home with a noseless megalomaniac and his syncophants. He especially hated being in the same room with his aunt Bella. Just being in the same house with her always made him want to stay in his room and throw up. Gone was the sane woman he saw in his Mother's photographs of her sisters.
Don't get Draco wrong, he loathed the Dark Lord, and he still gets tensed and always has to control himself from trembling when his red, inhumane eyes settle on him, it's like he knew his enemy had been buggering Draco whenever they had the opportunity to meet, but the Dark Lord these days never bothered with them, always muttering something about 'Harry Potter' with his gravelly voice.
And since the Dark Lord was busy obsessing over Harry, he assigned Bellatrix to lead them. He said it was because Bellatrix was the most loyal and cruel follower he had, and her personality should be the envy of every Death Eater.
Seeing his Aunt Bella almost wetting herself and swooning at the Dark Lord's compliments had Draco almost scoffing and rolling his eyes if not for the severe Cruico he would get. Draco wouldn't be surprised anymore if they were fucking. Draco was quick to diminish those thoughts because just the thought alone made him almost run from where they were gathered to puke all his breakfast.
But Salazar, his Aunt Bella was the cruelest, most insane witch Draco had the unfortunate chance of being related to. Not only did her breath smell so rotten, and whenever she would whisper some nasty things to Draco, Draco had half a mind to ask her what the fuck she was eating and did she know what bathing was because she badly needed it, but her taunts and insane laughs were so embedded in Draco's mind, it always took a Dreamless Sleep Potion just so Draco wouldn't see her in his dreams, or nightmares.
She also always wanted him to join the Death Eaters' attacks because, as the unofficial leader of the Next Generation's Death Eaters, she said he should be visible and be seen for how formidable and cruel he could be. He always wanted to reject her but couldn't because he was scared of the consequences.
And because, even if he tried to deny it, he's still the same kid who longed for his father's approval. Seeing his father, who now looked dull with his long hair framing his gaunt face and looking older than last year, his head raised up with his eyes glinting with pride, hearing Bellatrix's praises and tasks for Draco, made Draco accept little by little that this was the purpose of his life.
To cause havoc and be the bad guy.
With guilt in his gut and a mask of cruelty, Draco was always forced to crucio other people and cast hexes while kids, women, old people, and innocent people lay around him—tortured, screaming for help, and dead.
Draco tried to save as many as he could and impend the worsening riot, but not when Bellatrix's eyes were always trained on him, as if she knew what he had been doing and was just waiting for him to flip sides.
But how could he? How could he join the Light side when members of the Light had seen and fought with him? They always reminded Draco of his boyfriend—the unofficial leader of the Light—and how wrong their relationship was from all angles.
They would never accept Draco for Harry.
It was pure torture.
More and more, Draco's starting to see how wrong the side he was on, how wrong all the teachings poured into his mind growing up, and how undeserving he was of Harry's love.
More and more, their gap just widened.
But that was not the only thing that was frighteningly worsening.
Unfortunately, his relationship with his mother was starting to get affected. Strained. Tainted.
Growing up, though affection and hugs were not abundant in the Malfoy family, Draco could still share all the silly little things, his dreams, and all his worries with his mother. His worries starring Saint Potter.
Yet now that his relationship with Harry had turned upside down, he couldn't even share how important Harry was to her. How lovesick he was. How happy he was with Harry.
And Draco hated the fact that it wasn't because his Mother was busy being a perfect pureblood wife to her Death Eater husband and a sister to a crazed woman, no, it was because Draco knew Narcissa wouldn't even blink, she wouldn't even hesitate to throw Potter in the fire just to bring safety to her family. Draco knew that as soon as he was done telling her about their relationship, she would go running to the Dark Lord, and they would use Harry's love for Draco to trap him.
No. Draco promised himself. Draco wouldn't be the reason for the death of his love.
Draco hated how low he thought of his own loving Mother but he knew how Narcissa thinks. She's still a Slytherin through and through, and for the Malfoys, family should be prioritized.
While Lucius would want the benefits of power and the promise of more wealth, Narcissa would rather see her family safe. Though they had different goals, Draco knew they both wouldn't mind handing Harry over to the Dark Lord.
And if Draco couldn't trust his Mother, he couldn't trust her friends as well. Even Pansy.
How he longed to gush with Pansy, how adorable Harry looked with his mouth slightly opened as he softly snored when sleeping, or how careful Harry was with him.
But Draco didn't know who to trust anymore at this point, so he kept all his feelings to himself. All the people around him had the motive to hand over his boyfriend to the Dark Lord. What's worse is that Draco would understand them. They were all just scared. They all wanted to end this, one way or another.
The only one he could trust was Harry, but it's not like Harry could always be with him, he's busy with his friends hunting for Voldemort's horcrux. Draco was lucky if he could see Harry three times in a month, but that's the sacrifice he had to make for being with Harry. Draco didn't mind one bit.
Then, just when Draco thought it would end, his whole world flipped upside down.
It started on a sunny day.
Draco was with his friends, informing them of another planned attack later that day, stopping himself from telling them to save as many as they could, just as he was doing, when they heard the Dark Lord's angry screams from downstairs.
They were silenced, and Draco could see his friends were trembling. And though they were scared to be tortured when the Dark Lord saw them peeping, they went outside, leaving a considerable distance between them and the murderous-looking Voldemort.
There they saw a bloody, hysterical, frantic-looking Bellatrix pacifying the Dark Lord, his anger seeping out of his skin, making the temperature in the Manor drop.
"My Lord, I didn't know how they had access to my vault," Bellatrix was almost shouting, wincing in every step her weak body made, yet she continued to walk behind her Lord. Somewhere behind her, Draco's mother looked like she just wanted to hug her sister away from the brooding disaster. "I didn't know how the Mudblood was able to copy my wand, but I have my wand here! Look!" She raised her wand.
"Silence, Bellatrix, I don't want to hear it!"
"It was the goblin's fault, my Lord! They were stupid, fooled by that Potter boy-"
"I said enough!" With a wave of his hand, Bellatrix was thrown to the other side of the room.
Draco's eyes widened. Bellatrix didn't look like she was moving anymore. For the first time, Draco felt pity for his insane aunt, and only then was he able to sigh in relief when Bellatrix groaned and slapped the hands of his mother, who only wanted to help her sister.
"I'm fine, Cissy!"
Beside him, Draco could see Blaise and Millie visibly trembling in fear, and they have reasons to. If Bellatrix, who was the most loyal to Voldemort, was close to dying, what about them?
Yet fortunately, Voldemort looked like he wasn't going to stay as he called for his snake.
"My Lord, where are you going?"
"I can't trust anyone of you. One year of looking for Potter, yet you couldn't give me anything, and now this?! He was able to steal something valuable under your nose? I'm going to finish Harry Potter once and for all."
With an evil laugh, he apparated.
Draco had spoken too soon. No. Draco wanted to scream, "No! Please, spare Harry! Just kill me instead!"
He wanted to scream for help to anyone.
But all he could do was stand frozen and useless and beg Merlin and Morgana, beg Salazar, beg even fucking Godric to give him a miracle. To have some mercy. To save Harry even if it meant they would not see each other again.
He just wanted Harry alive. He just wanted to be assured that Harry was still breathing.
And when Draco realized that he should be protecting his boyfriend, he shouldn't be here in the Manor waiting for some miracles, but he should be doing something like fighting alongside his boyfriend, tried apparating, his Mother had stopped him, and finally, finally, hugged him again.
Only when he realized it was because they were in his room. Alone together.
"Darling, you look restless."
All Draco could do was slump in his mother's arms, breathe in her calming scent, and try not to think of his boyfriend's body. He kept on thinking about whether he had ever told Harry how much he loved him the last time they saw each other. Did Harry feel Draco's love for him?
"Mother-"
"Hush, my Darling. It's fine. Everything will be fine now, the Dark Lord will win. There's no way Potter would defeat a man with that power. This is going to be the end."
Oh Merlin, if that didn't make Draco want to howl in anguish because his Mother's right. Harry was powerful, but he couldn't beat an immortal monster hungry for power. Draco knew being immortal didn't mean being invincible, but the Dark Lord had years of experience and knowledge of his power against Harry.
Harry was just starting to gain knowledge about spells and his raw power, he's so young. He didn't even know half of what he should know about the Wizarding World.
And that thought made Draco's heart squeeze with a painful tug.
Harry was just starting in life, he was just starting to have a life his Muggle relatives had stolen from him. Draco didn't even know if Harry was truly happily living, not with Voldemort and his followers always attacking him, wanting him dead.
He deserved to have so much more. Harry deserved to have everything he longed for. He deserved to have a family. His own family.
And Draco couldn't do anything.
Draco hugged his Mother and let her think his restlessness was because he was nervous for the Dark Lord. Draco wanted to laugh. As if.
-
Voldemort came back alive, yet frail-looking and weak, with Bellatrix pampering him again and Greyback supporting him. Voldemort looked ready to push the two away but didn't, afraid to fall down.
For a second, Draco's heartbeat stopped. If Voldemort came back alive, that only meant Harry was dead. Draco quickly supported himself with the table, afraid he was going to break down and cry for his lost love.
The prophecy was lingering in his head as hushed whispers around him turned into a little celebration.
Harry told him of Trewlaney's prophecy. One cannot survive with the other still alive. One of them would be killed at the hands of another.
"What happened? Is he dead?" Bellatrix laughed, deranged. "Well, of course he is. Potter couldn't defeat you, we must celebrate-"
The angry growl from the Dark Lord as he weakly pushed Bellatrix from him was the only reason Draco didn't throw the table in the Dark Lord's way, hoping that would finish him once and for all.
And the lack of a smug "Harry Potter is dead!" from the Dark Lord gave Draco new hope. Somehow, a miracle happened.
And when he, with the next generation of Death Eaters, meaning Pansy, Theo, Greg, Vincent, Blaise, and Millicent, had gathered for a meeting, Theo began telling them what his father had told him about what had happened earlier.
"The Dark Lord was mad because Bellatrix lost something of importance, but Father didn't tell me what it was,"
Draco's sure it was another horcrux.
"Said the Dark Lord knew he should finish Potter to end this all, before it was too late. Again, I didn't know what he meant by that. Father was called along with Lucius during their battle to stop the enemies from meddling in their fight," Theo had looked proud that his father was called into action. Draco wanted to roll his eyes at him. Somehow, Theo was starting to get on his nerves. Draco's starting to feel like Theo has been loving this Death Eater bullshit.
"Anyway, he said it was a good duel between the two, truly, and," Theo's voice had fallen into a hush. After looking outside the room and placing silencing charms, he continued, "Now don't tell this to anyone, but Father said Potter really looked formidable and powerful, but the Dark Lord was more powerful, of course, and that's why he was able to finish the duel unscathed."
Unscathed?
Draco, once again, almost rolled his eyes. Voldemort looked like he was about to keel over if Draco just so punched him in the face. He looked like Pansy after running around in heels to escape Filch, about to collapse and sleep until next month.
"And? What about Potter?" Draco schooled his expression and his tone, to show himself uncaring despite his heart wanting to get out of its ribcage and the chanting in his brain, 'Please, Merlin. Save Harry.' "Is he dead? Finally?"
"Word is, Potter survived," Pansy sighed at Theo's words before Draco could. Draco couldn't tell if Pansy's sigh was a relief or a disappointment.
"But, the spy said he's in a coma."
Even until now, no one knew who the spy was. At first, Draco thought it was Severus, but after his godfather killed the headmaster in lieu of him, he didn't think the Light would still trust him.
"And does he have a chance of waking up?" Millie asked from the corner.
Theo shrugged. "The spy said it would take a long time, but Potter apparently was healing himself, so, the Dark Lord was pressuring Snape to heal him so he could finish Potter before he got the chance to wake up, once and for all. Once Potter is finished," Theo smiled. "We could now live in a new better world."
Draco chanced a look around him and almost sighed in relief, seeing that Theo was the only one who was visibly happy living in a world with Voldemort's terror. Blaise and Millie looked neutral. Vincent and Greg looked more confused. But Pansy, Pansy had her lips downturned.
But when she noticed Draco's eyes on her, she suddenly smiled. "That's good to hear, Theo. Then I wish Potter would just drop dead then."
-
Somehow, hearing from Theo that Harry is alive yet in a coma made Draco feel relieved. But he still hoped that the spy was wrong and that Harry would turn up at their meeting spot, with an adorable smile on his face and arms ready to hug Draco and whisper in his ears that he's fine as they made love.
At night, with a portrait of a rather dull-looking vase in Draco's room, he hurriedly went to their meeting spot.
But after almost waiting for 3 hours, Draco just knew, Harry was in a coma because his boyfriend would know that Draco was in distress and he would go after him no matter what.
Disappointed, Draco went back to his bedroom with the hope that soon, everything would be alright with him and Harry, and he was only able to sleep with the thought of a future family with Harry and a Dreamless Sleep Potion.