Chapter 6:
Malfoy Manor wasn't the cheeriest place in the world, it was most likely the most scariest. It was an intimidating structure that was on a vast expanse of land. As they walked, their feet made a crunching noise on the gravel. It was also surrounded by many topiary plants, each depicting an image of a person, most likely the Malfoy ancestors.
They walked towards the front door and before Draco could open it, his father, yet again burst it open.
"Draco! Where..." he screamed, but then noticed the mudblood that stood next to him, holding his hand.
"And who is this?! What is she doing here?!" he yelled again. He pulled out his wand and before he could mutter a hex, Draco stood in front of her.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Father, this is Hermione. We've been dating over the course of the summer." Draco mumbled. Just then his mother appeared at the door.
"Dating?" she gasped. Hermione and Draco could see the look on her face, happiness that her son had found someone.
"Come inside, you two have some explaining to do," she said. Hermione took a cautious step into the house, Draco following her footsteps. The house was much bigger than what it appeared on the outside. It wasn't cozy or comforting, a complete opposite of the lake cottage.
They sat down on the pristine white couch, Draco putting an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Narcissa sat in the opposite armchair and Lucius stood, as far away from them as possible.
"Draco, how could you?! What were you thinking? Dating a mudblood?!" he yelled, Hermione wincing at the harsh word.
"Father, there's nothing you can say that will change my mind!" She could feel his grip tightening along her waist.
"The Dark Lord will not stand for this! He'll kill both of you if he were to see this!"
"Your Father is right, Draco. It's not worth risking your selves to keep this...relationship," his mother added.
"Draco, I wish to speak with you privately, in the other room!" his father boomed, walking into the study. Draco hesitated before letting go of her, and walking slowly into the next room. Narcissa looked at Hermione again, examining her looks. She's not the prettiest girl he's ever dated, she thought, but certainly better looking than that Parkinson girl. But is she worth the risk of losing her only son...never.
Upon entering the room, Draco's father has already made a mess of things; throwing books and quills across the room and flipping over his desk. He looked pointedly at his son and said,
"I hope you know what trouble this could cause. It will affect ALL of us!"
"I know, Father, but..."
"Son, the Dark Lord expects you to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors. If you were to marry this girl, the Malfoy pureblood line will be broken!"
"Yes, Father, but..."
"That mudblood will leave, and she will never see you again! And if you even think about seeing her, I'll..."
"NO!" His father glared in shock at him, appalled that he would raise his voice to his own father.
"NO, FATHER," he continued," You can't tell me who I will see, and who I will marry. I LOVE HER!"
His Father paused and looked at him with disgust. He then took a step forward, and slapped him yet again. Draco fell to the floor, only to be kicked in the stomach.
"How dare you speak to me that way! You do not love her, and you never will!" he boomed.
Coughing up some blood, Draco continued, "No, I will never listen to you. We will never listen to anybody who tells us we can't..."
His father pulled back his foot, ready to kick again, but stopped. He put his foot back on the ground and walked towards the door, and whispered, "Then you are no longer my son," closing the door on his way out.
Draco managed to stand up, trembling slightly, and said, "And you are no longer my father."
Hermione walked out of the manor, sobbing at the conversation she had just heard. Before reaching the gates, she heard Draco calling out to her,
"Hermione! Hermione, wait!" he ran towards her. Catching up to her, she finally noticed the bruises on his face and the blood dripping from his lips. He hugged her waist desperately, wanting nothing more than to hold her there forever. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wishing for the same thing. She sobbed into his chest and he fought his own tears as well.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. We won't let them get in the way of what we want." he stated. There was a moment of silence before she responded, "No."
He let go of her to look at her face, searching for any sign of a sarcastic expression; there was none.
"Draco, your mother told me that Voldemort wants you to become a follower. If you were to ever be seen with me..." she muttered.
"No, No, No! Hermione don't do this to us, we can't let them win! We can fight this!"
"And lose you in the process?!"
He opened his mouth to rebut, but then shut it, realizing what she was saying. He let go of her and took few steps back.
"So, this is what you want?" he mumbled.
"Yes..."
"Fine. My father was right, I could never be with you. You're just a...mudblood." He didn't realize what he had said, until he saw her cry once again, and run away. Realizing what he had done, he ran after her.
"Wait, Hermione! This was just a fight, right?! It didn't mean anything! Tomorrow we will be back to the way everything was, right?!" he yelled before she ran out of the gates and apparated away. He fell to the ground and put his face in his hands, and sobbed. Sobbed for the loss of everything he ever loved.
"I didn't mean it, I didn't." he whispered, rocking back and forth. He remained this way for a while before getting up, deciding to go after her. As he got up, he heard a voice behind him yell,
"Stupefy!" causing him to fall forward, unconscious. His mother watched as her son fell to the ground. Letting him go would only make things worse, she thought as she levitated him back towards the manor.