Edited 10/3/2023 Minor Grammar/Spelling (I am 99% sure I fixed the dates snafu, but if y'all notice that I didn't, hit me up!)
WarenRose brought to my attention that during Hermione's coma I forgot a Sunday, so at some point I'll have to back and fix the day of the week, but I'm not going to do that now. Maybe when I do my edit (next year probably) I'll get to that! :D
As always, enjoy! and PLEASE leave comments or ideas, I really do appreciate the extra thoughts!
Saturday, September 12, 1998
Draco must have come home late that night, after they'd fallen into a deep sleep, because when they woke up, he was snoring softly in their bed. By unspoken agreement, they didn't wake him, but Theo quietly called for some breakfast in bed.
Hermione reached out a tendril of Magic through their bond and could feel how low Draco's core was. She was between the two of them, but wriggled out of Draco's tight grip to relieve herself, Scorpius was definitely enjoying dancing on her bladder. When she got back, Draco had gravitated towards Theo and was sprawled all over him. Hermione grinned at the baffled look Theo was giving her.
"I turned away for one second and he latched onto me like an octopus," he said mirthfully.
"Shhhh," Draco grumbled back, "I'm sleeping. Come back to bed, witch."
Hermione obliged and cuddled up behind him. The three of them opened up their bond to share magic freely. Hermione could feel the memories from the night before creeping through Draco's subconsciousness.
"Just let us in, mon étoile," she murmured against his back.
The Night Before in Malfoy Manor
Draco arrived at the Manor after his Apprenticeship and met Regulus, as they'd been wont to do before meetings. They sipped on a glass of expensive Firewhiskey that had been one of his Father's prized possessions. When they'd finished their drink and were prepared to join the gathering that had begun in the other room, Draco put up his mental walls. When they entered the dining room, Draco smirked to see how the Dark Lord's Inner Circle had diminished over the past year. Bellatrix was gone, along with Lucius. Snape, who'd shown his true colours in the end, was never spoken about.
He took his seat at the left side of the Dark Lord at the same time as Regulus arrived at his right. He smirked down the table at the older Death Eaters who had been moved down from more esteemed spots. He spotted Percy in the wings, and Ronald was standing in a corner far from the table. There was a hierarchy to these events and Ronald Wea-Goyle would never make it out of the shadows.
He turned his steely gaze back over the table as the Dark Lord waited for everyone to quiet down. He noticed that Dolohov was glowering at him, grinding his teeth. With a lift of an eyebrow, he turned his attention back towards the Dark Lord. What followed was a mind-numbingly boring exercise in pretending to fawn over the Dark Lord and his power, although Regulus and Draco agreed that he seemed weaker than ever.
Finally after a long time, the Dark Lord looked out over the Inner Circle. This was the opportunity for them to bring up their grievances or random plots. Dolohov stood, and after a glare at Draco began to speak.
"I'd like the honour of challenging the Malfoy boy to a duel. I had called dibs on Potter's Mudblood and he took her from me. I had so many plans for her," he growled. Draco clenched his fist that was hidden below his robes, not allowing his disgust to show.
The Dark Lord laughed and turned to Draco, waiting for his rebuttal. "If he wants to sully himself with Mudbloods, that's none of my business," Draco sneered. "I did us all a favour and killed off some vermin and weakened Potter."
"I demand compensation!" Dolohov spat.
"By all meansssss," the Dark Lord hissed, "It'ssss been sssso long ssssince we've had a duel to the death. Winner will hold the seat at my left side, loser will be left to rot in the gardens."
Draco knew he couldn't lose. His line was guaranteed at least, but he had so much to live for. Hermione and Theo would destroy everything if he was gone, especially over something so stupid as a duel with Dolohov. Draco stood and led the group to the ballroom, which had become a duelling ground. His ancestors had to be rolling in their graves at the state of the Manor since his mother had gone.
When the group was gathered in the ballroom, he caught Regulus' eye, who nodded at him stiffly. Draco didn't have a choice, but he knew he could defeat the likes of Dolohov.
He raised his wand and honed in on the older man's movements. Dolohov was inventive and slippery in his duelling style, but Draco had made it his business over the past few years to figure out just what made each of the Death Eaters tick. He'd worked with Shacklebolt quite a bit on his own duelling capabilities and had worked hard to make sure that he wasn't predictable.
The duel was the single most gruelling fight he'd ever engaged in. He found that he was starting to flag, although Dolohov wasn't fairing much better. The man had come into the fight cocky, not believing that Draco could best him. Draco didn't utter a word, relying on spells whispered through his bond, something he'd discovered a few weeks before. They often caused more power to go into his spells as it was a direct line to his magic.
After a long while, Dolohov seemed to brighten, and get a second wind. Draco, who wasn't used to such prolonged fighting, scrambled a bit to match the newly vigorous fighting, but couldn't seem to match up. He reached out through the bond for Hermione and Theo's magic, he sent them a flicker of Dolohov's face and was bolstered by the wave of Magic they sent his way.
Dolhov's eyes widened at Draco's renewed spell casting, finding that his own couldn't sustain the power he'd been putting out. With an offhand flick of his wand, Draco cast a severing charm on Dolohov's carotid artery and stood over him as the man bled out. He leaned over the dying man and hissed, "You'll never put her hands on her again, she's mine." Dolhov's eyes widened, but he couldn't speak as the severing charm had cut his vocal cords as well.
When Draco stood from Dolohov's body, the Dark Lord clapped and congratulated him. The Inner Circle stayed for drinks and more confidential business, while the rest of the Death Eaters were sent on various missions.
Present Time
Hermione tightened her grip on Draco's waist and Theo continued to stroke his hair. He had gotten home very late as the group had been discussing who was best to replace Dolohov in the Inner Circle. The Dark Lord had left shortly after the duel "to attend personal business," but Regulus and Draco thought he was drained from the activities.
They allowed their magic to mingle freely and could feel Draco's reserves building back up. By the time they were roused from their bed, the sun was already well on its way to its peak.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!
