Chapter Eighteen: Compromised

LuvlyLadyLexi: I know, right? I had to do it. On a side note, I've made Savage Garden's "Crash and Burn" the soundtrack for this story, as it's almost finished.

They had stopped to get gas and food in a rural town, just outside of London when Ron spotted it. A little eagle owl, fluttering desperately to catch up to them. Clutched in it's claws, a bloody envelope. Landing on the hood of Hermione's car it shrieked at Harry.

"Abeo! Abeo, you poor thing!" Harry went to take the letter and it burned his fingers. Abeo shrieked and pecked his hand, drawing blood. "Damnit Abeo, that hurt! I think the cursed envelope was enough, it doens't need you protecting it too." Abeo shrieked again, tilting it's head from side to side, "Abeo! Drop it!" The owl turned it's head sideways, as if to say 'you must be joking'. Then, another eagle owl swooped in, landing beside Abeo and shrieking. It too pecked at Harry when he tried to retrieve the letter. "Oh you must be one of Draco's family owls too! Drop it!" The black owl shrieked- beating it's wings at Harry's head. "FINE!"

"WHAT is going on?! Adduco! Drop it!" Blaise yelled, holding out his arm. The black owl screeched and beat it's wings at Blaise. "Argh! Adduco, one of these days I'm going to feed you to some terrible beast."

"Adduco! Abeo!" Draco called, rushing for the car. Handing the bags to Harry, Draco held his hand out and Abeo dropped the envelope. Eyes wide with fear, Draco read it.

"Your place, Grimmauld? Has been compromised. Mother is hurt, though not seriously, a few Aurors were killed, and some muggles. The Ministry has it under control now, though they know where it is. She said to tell you not to worry, it still stands- not much damage was done to the house. Looks like Nymphadora lost a finger..." Draco read on, "Charlie Weasley was there," Draco glanced up at Ron, "he lost an arm. Otherwise, everyone else is okay. Adduco- here!" Draco snapped, holding out his hand.

"Who's owl is that?" Hermione asked, as she and Neville approached.

"Adduco is my owl. Adduco means to be persuasive, to persuade. Abeo is my mother's, it means to depart, to go away. Or die." Draco said dismissively, reading over the parchment Adduco had brought. Draco paled and leaned against the car.

"Well? What's this one? More bad news?" Hermione said, obviously saddened, her arm around Ron.

"No... a letter from Severus. He requests that we stay out here, not go back to Hogwarts. It's not safe."

Draco stuffed the parchment in his pocket, motioning for Abeo and Adduco to go. Adduco paused briefly, then was gone.

"Well... what now?" Ron asked, looking around at everyone.

"Nowhere is safe," Neville offered, staring up at the sky.

"What if... what if we made our own place? What if we found somewhere to fortify- better than Grimmauld? We could do it." Hermione said, her eyes twinkling.

"No, that's too dangerous too, I think. It would have to be someplace already hidden, already semi-fortified. If we knew of a place like that... well, I'd be living there." Ron scoffed and Harry and Neville nodded in agreement.

"No, it wouldn't. We could search out a place- there's got to be something. We all have our particular talents and together, we could make a place that even we couldn't get into together."

Blaise stood up a little straighter, a broad grin covering his face. His face was lit up like Hogwarts at Christmas. Harry frowned,

"you have an idea, Blaise?" Everyone turned to look at him.

"Draco- the old Thronton place. We're the only two who know where it is, it'd be perfect." Blaise said, excitedly, grabbing hold of Draco by the shoulders.

"No." Draco replied, scowling.

"Yes, Draco! Think about it, no one knows where it is, it's already protected-"

"By eccentric *beasts* Blaise, no. Lord Thronton was a damned nutjob- loonier than a Lovegood- no. That place is booby trapped."

"Draco!"

"I SAID NO! Are you not hearing me, Blaise? Besides, not one person here besides you and I is dark- in any way. You have to be DARK to even pass the damn gate!"

"We could protect them, Dray, we could get past the gate."

"No," Harry interjected, "No more of this protecting bullshit. It has to stop."

Blaise ignored Harry, staring hard at Draco. Remulus Thronton had been a friend of theirs in their childhood, having stayed with his grandmother frequently and visiting the same tutors. His father, Lord Thronton, had been a very powerful, dark and eccentric wizard. Not wanting to join Lord Voldemort, he had built his own home and warded it heavily. He had gathered dark creatures, large spiders like Aragog and huge snakes said to be bred down from basilisks and added them into the surrounding swamp. Magic of any kind could not be detected outside of the house. He allowed absolutely no visitors. Remulus had frequently broken that rule, because he was a child, only have ever brought Draco and Blaise to his home while his father was away. Then, they had both been killed while shopping for supplies in Knockturn alley. Lucius Malfoy and Romus Zabini, Blaise's father, had killed both father and son themselves, never finding the location. Draco explained this to everyone, wrenching free from Blaise with a glare.

"... and I've never said a word," Draco growled, leaning back against the car, closer to Harry this time.

"Nor have I, Draco, that's why it's perfect. Listen, we can deal with the spiders, surely they'll remember us..."

"and what of the snakes, Blaise? They're not exactly friendly."

"No spiders," Ron said.

"I'm a parselemouth Draco, remember? Maybe I can calm them..." Harry offered, the place did sound well fortified. Hermione's eyes were twinkling again while Neville and Ron looked terrified. Draco scoffed,

"like HELL I'm going to let you step foot on that propert Harry. No. The man was crazy, there are booby traps everywhere."

"I don't have enough money to keep us afloat in the muggle world forever, Draco, we're too vulnerable here..." Harry tried.

"No, we're not going- it's obscene to even think so. Stop the bravery stuff Harry, someone could get killed."

"Someone could get killed anyway, Draco! Our best bet is there!" Harry snapped. He glanced around, and grabbed Draco by his arm, "excuse us." He said to everyone else, walking away with Draco in tow. They stood on the other side of the small gas station, hidden from view. Draco, visibly angry, wrenched himself free from Harry,

"WHY is everyone invading my personal space?!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air, "Harry, I'm not letting you go, I can not put you in harms way, I can't. Please stop asking me to."

"I'm not asking you to put me in harm's way, Dray, I'm asking you to put me in a place of safety. Between the house, the creatures, Blaise, and you- not to mention the knowledge my friends and I have- we'd be damned near untouchable there."

Draco stood still a moment, debating both the use of the house and Harry's use of a pet name. Assuming they could get in, and adjust everything, it would be as safe as Hogwart's once was, if not safer.

"I'll make a deal with you," Draco offered. Harry beamed and gave Draco a tight hug. Kissing him on the forehead, but not letting go, he pulled back- charcoal gray gazing into emerald green,

"Anything, Draco," he whispered.

"You stay behind me, the entire way there. If I fall, you run. If I grab you and fly, you hold on. Do not let me go. If anything attacks me, you stay the hell away from it. Do exactly as I say, Harry, don't vary in the slightest. Not optional. This is the deal till I say it's safe. No exceptions. I don't care if Weasley and Granger are being gutted- no exceptions."

"Only if you protect them too."

"Fine, I can. Do not let me go though, Harry, I'm serious. I shouldn't have been able to bind you all on the train, but I did, because I was touching you."

"Okay, Draco, I can do that if you also allow me to fight- if it comes down to it. As long as I'm behind you. I don't want to see you, or anyone else, hurt either."

"Fine. That will be acceptable. I'm not done though, I also want you to tell me about you.. about these Dursley people... everything you know I suppose."

Harry actually stopped to think about this a moment, before nodding his agreement and giving Draco a quick kiss,

"I can do that, a little at a time, I promise. Now I have a condition for you, but it can wait till we're safe... okay?" Draco nodded though he was now insanely curious. As they walked back, he leaned over to whisper to Harry,

"Just so you know Harry, it's really unfair to you to say that. I'd do anything you asked me to except hurt you." Harry grinned brightly at him, warming his heart.

"We're going! Come on!" He yelled, getting in the car. Blaise turned to look at Draco, a huge grin on his face,

"I'm going to get Potter to ask you everything from now on. You're whipped."

"Sod off, Blaise!" Draco snapped, blushing.

"So.. how do we know how to get to this place?" Hermione asked, adjusting her mirror to be able to see the boys. Blaise grinned wildly,

"We don't. Just keep driving, Granger, just keep driving."

It was hours before Harry began to realize that they had travelled far out into the country and that Blaise and Draco were taking turns giving directions.

"Hey, Dray? Why are you two taking turns? Any signifigance to that?"

"I was wondering the same thing Harry," Hermione added.

"Oh, it's apart of the wards cast on the house. Two or more people have to be heading there, not just one. Once I say a direction, I instantly forget it. Once Blaise says it, he forgets it. I don't know anything about his half, he knows nothing about mine. Believe me, we've tried to get both halves together but it doesn't work. To learn the directions, you had to have successfully been there without being obliviated."

"That's bloody brilliant- how come no one's ever done that before? I've never heard of it,"

"Because it's Dark Magic," Ron said, looking out the window, "someone has to die to cast that type of ward." Draco and Blaise nodded.

"Lady Thornton- she died protecting her son, our friend, from an angry and child carrying Hippogriff. Lord Thornton thought it appropriate to use the moment to guard the house," Everyone stared at Draco then. Who thought to use their wife's mauled body to cast a dark spell? Draco shrugged and simply said, "I told you he was raving mad."

A few more hours passed and Hermione was growing tired. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that the differemt roads they'd recently been on were hidden from muggles- he hadn't seen a house, gas station, or anthing for ages. Draco sat up quickly, glancing out the window.

"And stop, we're here."