CHAPTER 5
THE SUMMONING
DRACO
Exhaustion etched on Draco's face and his brows furrowed as he sat hunched over a desk in his dimly lit study, surrounded by piles of books and scrolls. Letting out a loud grunt as he ran his fingers through his silvery blonde hair. Frustration consumed his looks as he scoured through countless parchments and maps. Most of Draco's days were spent like this and tonight was no different; He'd spent the majority of the day apparating between the seven kingdoms which Merlin knew only made him more exhausted.
Dorne was the first place he'd apparated to he'd been tasked with meeting the Martell's in hopes they'd seen Potter. Although the vast desert and unforgiving sun had burnt his pale skin, the vibrant colors and sprawling palaces were quite amazing to look at. Dorne being a dead end led him to The Vale next. Which was nestled amidst towering Mountains and breathtaking valleys, the natural beauty of this land gave him a moment of respite from his searches. Draco found a bit of solace in the lush meadows and rivers that meander throughout the land. This solace was very short-lived as he made his way to the Eyrie only to find out that Potter was not here either. In a final attempt for the day Draco apparated to riverrun which he was impressed by the castle one of which featured high walls, solid fortifications, and a surrounding moat which was good for defending itself. It's winding rivers and lush greenery brought him a sense of tranquility of course until to his demise the Tulley's knew nothing of Potter either.
Finally, apparating back to the manor that is how he ended up back in his study, restlessly pacing, muttering curses under his breath. "Where the fuck are they?" he muttered frustration becoming more and more evident on his face. Draco's mind began whirling with different scenarios, doubt and anger.
Interrupting his thoughts, a loud pop echoed throughout the room. Draco turned quickly, his ice gray eyes meeting the big beady green eyes of Geeney.
"Master Malfoy must eat." Geeney said, his voice quivering with nervousness as he left a bowl of warm stew on the desk. Draco's stomach growled loudly as he glanced towards the stew, inhaling the delicious aroma.
"Geeney, I am not hungry. I need to find this git Potter and Pansy." Draco sighed as his stomach rumbled before taking his eyes off the stew and turning back to his work.
The house-elf watched attentively, noticing the anger and frustration etched within all of Draco's features. He hadn't slept in what looked like days. The bags hung dark and heavy beneath his eyes, Although Draco was already quite slim, he was looking smaller than usual. Each meal the house-elf brought was left in the same spot on the desk untouched every night. His usual slicked back hair hung in his face messily.
"Geeney knows that master is angry, but master must eat. Geeney's stew will help master be less tired when looking for the git and Mrs. Nott." The elf spoke lightly, concern lacing his words. "Master Malfoy has not eaten, has not slept, and has barely left his office. You must eat." Draco offered a small smile of gratitude. With a nod he watched as Geeney apparated out, leaving Draco alone in his study once again.
Draco knew the elf was right, each time he passed a mirror he knew he looked like shit. Sitting at his desk his mind raced with all the possibilities and plans on how to find Fuck face and Pansy. His eyes darted between the delicious bowl of stew and the parchment scattered on the desk. With each look at the stew his stomach growled loudly. "Fuck it." With a heavy sigh, Draco picked up the spoon and took a bite of stew. The flavors exploded upon his taste bud. The rich warm stew was devoured within minutes. It had been so long since he had truly tasted anything, so long since he allowed himself to experience the simplest pleasures of life. He had been punishing himself and he knew it for what happened with Pansy, for not finding Potter.
After eating his stew, Draco wasted no time getting back to work. Maybe, just maybe, if he could find the smallest sign, He'd get access to Pansy before Theo returned as he promised. After all, he was Voldemort's right hand, donning a gold cloak. Another hour was spent going over scrolls and old texts which had left him at a dead end.
"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" He screamed every ounce of blood boiling in his body, picking up the empty stew bowl. He watched as the glass shattered against the wall it had shattered like the wall of ice was beginning to in his mind.
Blaise and Luna burst through the doors, shock falling on their faces at their friends' current state. Luna walked over to him placing her hand on his shoulder feeling the tension fall at her touch. "Draco, things will be quite alright. We will find Pansy; you don't have to do this alone."
Draco's anger always seemed to get the best of him, now more than ever, his family seemed like the only thing able to keep him calm. He took a few deep breaths as he tried cooling his temper.
"Mate, she's right it's not all on you, it's okay to ask for help. Whatever you need I'm here to let's not forget you aren't the only death eater in this house." Blaise reassured. "We'll get her back for Theo, and we will find The Order's hideout and we'll figure out a plan."
Draco looked at the pair with gratitude and pain mingling in his eyes. "Thank you, guys, I made a promise. We need to get her back."
"We are a family Draco, our love makes us vulnerable but also gives us strength. Together we will be stronger even if the whole lot is not here." Luna smiled, squeezing his shoulder gently.
"You are right Luna, we are a family." He finally let out a sigh as all the anger washed from his body. Smiling back at the witch before him, Theo and Pansy were gone but Luna and Blaise were here he hadn't lost all of his family. "We'll be stronger for them."
"How about you take a break, we can go to Barty's. I hear he's got loads of fire whiskey." Blaise nudged him laughing. He did love his fire whiskey, he looked at the pair with an aloof look.
"Only if Luna doesn't talk about Nargals." He finally caved in
"No promises Draco." She laughed as the Trio apparated to Barty's Mansion.
Barty's Mansion wasn't as grand as Draco's it also was coated in more dark magic than Draco's but Barty did have a heavy supply of firewhiskey on hand. Although he could get his own it was better drinking this blokes whiskey instead. Making his way through the doors the pungent of firewhiskey assaulted his senses, the room was hazy, filled with smoke and laughter as he made his way to the table of Death Eaters who were sat around playing a raucous game of exploding snaps.
"Draco, get over here you wanker!" Yaxley called out to him, his words slurred. Draco's usual aloof demeanor turned into chuckles as he joined in, taking shots of firewhiskey the burn lessened with each shot. Burst of laughter and explosions from the cards filled the room and yells from a drunk Barty about how Draco was cheating. It was as if everyone had forgotten about the inevitable war coming their way.
"I'm fucking Gobsmacked mate! You're a cheat!" Barty's eyes widened at Draco winning yet again.
Draco chuckled, taking another shot. "Come on, Barty, I've just got good luck tonight."
As the night continued the death eaters became more inebriated with each and every shot, and unsurprisingly Luna had been going off about the damn Nargals again. As their final game came to an end just as the glass touched his lips he heard Blaise calling his name.
"Draco! Theo's owl, he's here for you!"
He quickly stumbled to his feet taking the note from Orion, the trio began reading the parchment in utter shock.
DRACO,
THE NORTH, KHALEESI, DRAGONS AND GRANGER! BE AT THE RED KEEP SOON!
~T.N
"This note looks like gibberish! For Salazar sake what the fuck does Theo mean?"
"Idiot Longbottom was telling the truth?" Blaise muttered under his breath. Draco stared at the letter in disbelief; had he really been telling the truth the entire time? Did he really let it slide because Nott thought it was a lie? Granger as in mudblood from Hogwarts? What in bloody hell did she have to do with anything?
"Some gold cloak I am."
Luna read the parchment over and over in confusion. "What is a Khaleesi?"
"None of that matters, I'll be going north now. There is no telling how soon Theo would be back in King's Landing."
Blaise planted a kiss on his wife's cheek. "I'm coming with you too mate, we'll find Potter. Get back to the manor darling."
The duo watched as Luna apparated back to manor, her long blonde hair swirling around as she disappeared. Draco and Blaise exchanged a knowing look before they too apparated, feeling the familiar sensation of their bodies squeezed through a tight tube.
With a faint crack, they landed in a snowy landscape, surrounded by the soft sound of snow crunching beneath their feet. They looked around, taking in the expanse of white, of nothingness that seemed to stretch for miles around them. Draco thought it was beautiful; he'd always loved the snow, but this all seemed slightly disoriented; it was quiet, too quiet here.
"Salazer's sake how far north did we go." Draco chuckled, his breath coming out in small puffs of steam against the cold air. Blaise chuckled, pulling his coat tighter around himself as he cast a wordless warming spell on the both of them.
As the duo trudged through the thick snow, the white flakes fell all around them. Blaise spotted something ahead, a shadowy figure that seemed to materialize out of the snow.
"Draco, am I going mad do you see that?" Blaise said silently.
Looking ahead a sense of unease settled over him. Something about it felt off, it sent chills down Draco's spine. Was he going mad too? It came out of nowhere.
The figure slowly turned towards them, unable to see anything but the eerie blue of it's glowing eyes.
"Who's there?" Draco yelled, as he and Blaise drew their wands.
The figure didn't respond, instead it began to charge towards them, its glowing blue eyes growing closer. Red and green curses began to emit from the tips of the duos wands lighting the dark snowy land before them. Nothing seemed to stop the figure charging them, as it got closer they noticed its disfigured body seemingly mummified, pale skin as light as the snow before them, bones peeking through the skin. "What the fuck is that thing?!" Blaise called out while still sending curses.
Confusion riddled Draco "why isn't this thing going down?" "It looks like a more fucked up Inferi." He truly didn't know what else to do to get this grotesque thing down. Panic began to riddle Draco and that didn't happen often.
"We need to run! Now." Draco yelled out
The duo took off sprinting in the opposite direction while simultaneously, turning back and shooting curses. Their breath grew heavy, lungs aching from the cold air causing their chest to heave. Godric they couldn't die here not with Draco's family on the line. It was as if the whole world suddenly stilled and galloping crunched in the snow. They watched as a second figure grew closer to the first, impaling the figure. The blue eyed figure bursted into what looked like shards of glass. Confusion riddled their faces. How the fuck? The sound of galloping came to a halt as a man approached them. The man was tall just a few inches shorter than Draco, brooding and a bit rugged looking, letting his dark curls fall into his face. He donned a big black cloak lined with fur.
"You two seem a bit far north for your kind, are your lords?" the man said with a stern expression.
"What was that thing?" Blaise blurted out, ignoring the man's question.
"Was a white walker, we need to get you to the wall before more come." He said urgently.
Draco donned his usual aloof expression, unsure whether they should trust a stranger although he did save their arses. "Who are you?" He questioned.
"Jon Snow" Jon replied before glancing back noticing more white walkers materializing from the snow. "Let's go!"
With a sense of urgency, the trio rode off before making it to a gigantic wall of ice. "OPEN THE GATES" was sung through the air by men who donned the same attire as Jon did. As the gates opened Blaise and Draco followed Jon Snow into the wall of ice, as they made their way they were met with unwelcoming stares.
"Our brothers don't take very well to outsiders, don't worry." Snow mentioned, as he led the way through the snowy courtyard. The duo was ushered into what seemed to be a dining area, where they took their seats at a rough-hewn wooden table. Draco looked around, taking in the rustic hall. It was a far cry of opulence of King's Landing, even the Manor. The duo raised a brow at each other as they were met with a blow of stew? Maybe? They didn't know what it was and it certainly didn't look all that appetizing. Blaise looked at Draco, noticing the slight look of disgust on his face.
Snow noticed their hesitation, giving a light chuckle. "I know it doesn't look like much, but it'll keep you lads warm in the cold of the north." Draco took a tentative bite, giving in as he saw Blaise eating it which he was certain only because he didn't want to offend the man who had just saved their lives.
"Why are you two so far north?" Snow asked, breaking the silence. "You must be from king's landing."
Blaise nodded, swallowing the bland tasting food. "Yes mate we are, we came north looking for someone."
Draco stopped eating contemplating on whether he should reveal who they were looking far, he could always torture it out of him although the man did save their lives. Maybe this Jon Snow had some sort of information.
"Potter, Harry Potter our sources tell us he is North we seemed to have come too far north."
"Can't say I've heard of him, have you tried Winterfell?" Snow asked, only to earn nothing but their heads shaking no. "Are you sources to be trusted?" Snow added on.
Letting out a small sigh Draco finally responded. "Yes, we have another on mission in Mereen. He'd given us word after capturing the Dragon girl." Draco noticed Jon's face become etched with shock and confusion. The mention of the dragon girl made it seem as if he'd seen a ghost.
"That's not possible." Jon muttered lowly, his voice slightly breaking. "The dragon queen is dead. I swear it. I loved her.. Dany but she had become a threat to the realm." Draco listened as Snow's eyes began to swell with tears from just the little, he had mentioned. "I had to.. I killed her." Blaise and Draco exchanged shocked looks at each other.
"You killed the dragon queen?" Blaise asked, unable to hide the incredulity in his voice. Jon only gave a nod.
Draco leaned forward, his curiosity piqued; he wasn't sure if Jon knew that the dragon queen had a child, but he was also curious as to why he had killed the woman he was supposed to love. "Why would she have been a threat? Why kill her if you love her?"
Snow sighed, a haunted look grew in his eyes. "Love is the death of duty. An old friend once told me." His voice cracked, running his fingers through his dark curls. "She was a great ruler, the people loved her. I won't deny that, but power can corrupt even the best of people. She'd become ruthless and was willing to do anything to achieve her goals. Even at the expense of innocent lives. She'd kill anyone for her throne."
Draco didn't know what to say, they were at war once again and their greatest weapon would be the dragon girl's daughter. He sighed passing Jon a bit of parchment. "Your queen is dead, but her blood lives on in her daughter." Before Jon could get another word out Draco and Blaise dark marks began to burn on to their arms
"Fuck why did he have to make this damn thing burn." Draco winced at the pain as he gripped hold of his forearm.
"It's the Dark Lord, maybe Theo's back." Blaise said urgently.
Draco looked at him with an aloof expression. "Aw geez Blaise, I couldn't tell. Thank you for that helpful information." The words left his mouth with a sarcastic tone, earning a middle finger from Blaise. Draco laughed before the duo got to their feet. "Let's go mate, we are being summoned."
Draco and Blaise materialized in the dimly lit throne room, the air was heavy with foreboding. Voldemort, like a sinister shadow perched on the throne, his piercing gaze fixed upon Draco as he knelt, the cool floor pressing against his knees.
"My lord," Draco murmured, meeting the dark lord's gaze with unwavering determination. "I've made progress in locating Potter. Winterfell may be where the order resides, it seems the previous hostage was telling the truth. I plan to infiltrate at the opportune moment."
Voldemort's eyes glinted with a predatory gleam. "Pity the boy is dead, Zabini you will look into Winterfell." earning a "Yes my Lord" from Blaise before turning back to Draco. "You may rise, Draco, I have more urgent matters for you." He hissed, a sliver of satisfaction tainting his voice. "You see our beloved Theodore has returned."
As Draco and Blaise straighted, another figure emerged from the shadows. Theo, his eyes were pained as he clutched the dragon eggs before placing them at their masters' feet. Fuck he knew something was wrong with Theo. He had failed on his promise to have Pansy out before his return.
"Bring me the girl." Voldemort commanded, his voice like venom dripping from his lips.
As Theodore brung the limp body closer, Draco's breath caught in his throat, a scowl formed on his face.
Granger... A filthy fucking mudblood.. Fucking Granger. Theodore's letter made sense now.
"This mudblood has dragons, you see." Voldemort sneered. "Only one has hatched. Draco you will get into this girl's mind, get the Dragon's to hatch. The girl will be kept in the Manor until all the plans have played out" his voice resonated with malice.
Draco looked to the limp body on the ground in disgust, then above as he heard the dragon roar loudly almost like it was crying out before he knelt down once more. "Yes, my lord."
