Some Secrets Should Be Told

A/N- I'm finished writing the story, and there is 20 chapters, so we're almost finished here. This chapter is kind of sad:( but i still like it. Hope everyone else enjoys it!

Shannon xoxox

Chapter 17: Pain
Draco's Point Of View


I stand in front of this old man who looks terribly sad. I know for a fact that this is not going to lead to anything good. I just thrust the letter out in front of me, not finding proper words to say.

Dumbledore just looks at me questioningly.

"Where are my parents?" I shout without meaning to. So much for calm, cool and collected.

"Mr Malfoy, I'm sorry to inform you of this, but it turns out they have been missing for a few days now."

"Missing, or dead?" I ask before my emotions can catch up with me.

Dumbledore raises his hands in a defeated sort of way. "I'm not sure," he admits.

"Why are we just finding out now?" I shout again. I feel a small hand around my bicep and I know it's Hermione’s. She's trying to tell me to calm down, but I don't want to. I shake her hand off of me mercilessly and take a few steps closer to Dumbledore, who has said nothing.

"Why?" I say loudly.

"No one had any reason to see them in the last few days."

"So who had reason to see them now, and why?"

"Please sit down," the older wizard requests, gesturing to the chairs beside me, totally ignoring my question.

I ignore him too, but I see Hermione sit tentatively perching on the edge of the seat.

"The Minister… He needed your father’s signature on a few documents about the school. He went to the Manor and... well they weren't there."

"They're dead," I say quietly.

"Now why would you say that?" Dumbledore asks, obviously shocked at my words.

"I just know it. I knew there was something wrong," I say, turning to Hermione who looks absolutely appalled.

"We don't know that for sure, Mr Malfoy."

I turn away from Hermione and look back at the Headmaster nodding my head vigorously. I throw the scroll in my hand into Dumbledore’s fire.

"Well then find them," I say harshly, turning on the spot and storming out of the room.

I walk blindly through the castle, wishing desperately to get to my Common Room and I feel a massive headache coming on. I need my parents; I know that much for sure. I'm still young, and I need them watch me grow; I need to see them grow old, still desperately in love. I need to see the days that my mother isn't forced to do things and when she can be happy, and glowing. I need my father to see my children, to see his grandchildren and love them as much as he loves me. I need them to see me finish school, and get a job in the real world. I need my mother to cry when I decide to move out of their house and start my own family. I need all of this, and it's not fair that it is all being snatched away. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they are dead.

The thought hits me like a cannonball and I stumble a little bit. I'm not going to allow myself to cry in front of students in the hallway, that would be too satisfactory for them. I'm not going to faint and look like a complete imbecile in front of the whole school, either. I'm not even going to let Hermione see me cry, she's seen my weaknesses enough.

I pull out of my thoughts and take in my surroundings, realising I'm in the dungeons. Why my feet brought me here, I don't know, but I continue on until I'm in front of the blank stretch of wall that is the door to the Slytherin Common Room.

I don't know the password.

I hear the footsteps reverberating off of the walls and look to my left. Blaise is walking towards me, accompanied by Theodore Nott. He sees me standing there and gives me an odd look. I turn my back to him and walk away. I thought I had wanted to see somebody, I really had. Apparently not. I walk until I find an empty classroom and I enter it. It's the Potions classroom, but I'd rather sit here alone then be around people who won't understand my true feelings. Well I know Blaise and Hermione would understand. I just want to be alone.

I sit at an empty desk and finally allow my tears to flow. They crash over my eyelids and roll swiftly down my cheeks. They are thick tears, and some of them are slipping between my lips, leaving a salty aftertaste in my mouth. After a few moments of sobbing through the silence, the door opens and I wipe my cheeks hurriedly. Blaise walks into the room alone and moves towards me. My nostrils flare out and before I can even take a steadying breath, the tears start again.

"Draco? What's wrong?" Blaise asks me, kneeling beside my chair.

I look up at the ceiling and take a deep breath, sniffling a little bit.

"My parents... " I say, but can't seem to finish the sentence.

Blaise moves around me and sits in the chair beside me, leaning with one elbow on the table and looking at me intently.

"What about them?"

"They... They're...dead... " I choke out.

"What?" Blaise asks, somewhere between shock and disbelief.

I nod furiously.

"They're dead," I say in almost a whisper.

"Draco... " Blaise says, clearly at a loss of words.

I shake my head, but my tears don't stop falling. This is much to devastating to try and work out alone.

"I think they're dead," I correct myself.

"You think they're dead?" Blaise repeats, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I nod.

"Dumbledore said they're missing, but that's pretty much the same thing as dead. I've had a really bad feeling for the last few days. I knew something was wrong, I just didn't say anything. I should have said something, I might have been able to save them."

"Draco, mate," Blaise starts, and his voice is a bit heavy. "You need to try and stop taking the blame for everything."

I actually lean back in surprise at these words. "Taking the blame?" I ask.

"Well, first you were mad because you didn't realise what was happening to Granger, and that's understandable, Draco, but really. There was no way for you to know. No, I know," he says, seeing me about to speak, "I know that your mum had to deal with that and all, but still. You couldn't tell with Granger, something wasn't rubbing you the right way until you knew. Now your parents," he says, waving me down because I'm about to speak again, "Even if you would had warned them, or said something to the Professors, If it was Voldemort who did it... well he would have either way," he finishes.

I nod, shrugging, "I just might have been able to prevent something from happening."

"And you might not have, too, Draco. I hate to see you like this, beating yourself up over irreversible things. We've got to find out the truth first."

I nod again and stand up, sniffling.

"Where are you going?" Blaise asks, clearly unnerved at my sudden action.

"To find out the truth," I tell him, leaving the classroom and making my way back to the Headmaster’s office. Blaise doesn't follow me, and I'm grateful.

I give the password and barge into Dumbledore's office, not even bothering to knock.

He gives me another sad smile, and I'm vaguely aware that Hermione isn't in the room anymore. His smile punctures whatever hope I have left in my body, and I slump into the chair.

"They were found," Dumbledore says, and I can tell by his voice that this isn't a good thing, "After the Minister left their empty and upturned home-"

"You didn't tell me it was out of order," I accuse him.

"I didn't want to frighten you anymore. Anyway, after the Minister left he had Aurors sent out looking for them. They were found, and I'm so sorry Draco... " Dumbledore trails off.

I nod, tears cascading down my cheeks once again. I'm desperately trying to hold them in, but I just can't manage. The meaning of all of this is crashing into my brain. All of the things I wanted for them, with them, I'm never going to enjoy. I'm never going to have their company ever again. Dumbledore is around his desk in a flash, rubbing me on the shoulder.

"None of this is going to be easy, Draco," he says wisely. I nod and my breaths are coming in gasps.

"How were they?" I ask. I need to know.

Dumbledore says nothing for a moment.

"I need to know!" I vocalize.

"Your father was... well, he was beaten badly. He had many broken bones, and was actually found in a position like he was trying to help your mother," he says.

"Any my mother?" I rasp out, my throat is actually sore from my painful sobs.

"Your mother was in very bad condition. Almost unrecognizable. They both bled to death."

Upon hearing those words, I actually fall forward, out of my chair and crash into the floor. I'm on my knees and I'm bent forward with my arms hugging my torso, leaning down over myself across my legs with my forehead on the cold stone floor.

This can't be happening!

"Why?" I choke out between heavy sobs.


"I'm afraid that is something that we may never know," Dumbledore answers sadly.

After a few minutes, I compose myself as best as I can, but I can feel a cloud slipping over me, almost making everything seem dark and unhappy.

"Where's Hermione?" I grind out, not looking into the Headmaster’s face.

"I think she went back to your Common Room," he tells me.

I purse my lips and stand up, leaving his office. Once I'm in the corridor, I turn and walk down a few flights of stairs, heading for the great big oak doors. I go outside and walk towards the lake, sitting underneath the beech tree.

I don't want to go to Hermione. I don't want her to see the stress I'm under, and I defiantly don't want her to see me cry. I sit out here for hours, crying about everything that I've lost. Everything that I'll never even have.

It's dark, and I can hear tentative footsteps scuffing against the grass on their way to me. I know who it is.

She sits down beside me and takes my hand gently into hers, leaning against my side. She sniffles and I look down at her, the tears still apparent on my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Draco," she says sincerely.

I give her a small smile and pull her closer to me, but don't say anything.

"I was worried about you," she says, still striving for conversation, "You didn't come back, but I didn't want to come find you because I thought you wanted your space."

Again I say nothing.

"I can leave if you want me to," she says, pulling gently out of my grasp.

I reach forward and pull her tighter to me, "Please just stay. You can talk, but I don't want to," I tell her in a rough voice.

She doesn't talk.

We sit in a companionable silence for a long while.

It's not until I realise that she is shivering violently that I ask her if she's ready to go in.

She agrees and we walk hand in hand towards our room.