When Losing It All

When Losing It All, pt 2


title: When Losing It All (2/?)
author: Chibimono Akuno
email: chibimono@msn.com
category: OH THE ANGST, drama, budding romance at a later date...
spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP
rating: R for violence, foul language... rating may go up in the
future, if things go to plan...
disclaimers: These characters, all except for any I may have made up
for the purpose of the story, belong to the wonderful goddess J.K.
Rowling and all other companies that own them. I bow before you all and
beg for your forgiveness of using these characters. I only wish to
entertain, not make money.
A/N: Second part, everyone! Yes, I know I use a lot of quotes from NIN
songs, but have you ever listened to them? Trent Renzor is a very
angsty man who likes to yell a lot. I\'ll have other songs for quotes,
too. It\'s just that these seem to fit the best for right now. Are you
ready? Let me know what you think.


When Losing It All
part 2: Life Preserver
by Chibimono Akuno


~ The hopes and the prays
the better days
the far aways
forget it ~
        - Nine Inch Nails, The Wretched

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were the first to make it to the scene
at a Wizarding town in Bath. The two of them had Apparated there and
leaned up against the wall of a building, waiting for the rest of the
Order\'s team to arrive. All around them was screaming and the smell of
smoke filled the evening air. Wands at ready, the awaited another set
of cracking sounds.

Against the wall of the house right across them, there was a _crack!_
and suddenly Viginti and Tonks appeared, wands at ready as well.
Quickly, they rushed over to Finnigan and Thomas, putting their backs
against the wall.

Viginti moved to the corner of the building and looked around it. \"This
don\'t look good,\" he groaned as he turned back to the other three with
him.

\"Where are Harry and Kau?\" Finningan demanded in a panic.

There was another _crack!_ and suddenly an Asian man in the
black robes
of a temple keeper appeared before them. His eyes were closed in
concentration and his hands were folded before his chest, making
strange movements with his fingers. He stood this way for only a
moment, till his fingers had completed their series of movements, and
then his eyes opened wide to the world around him.

Tonks nodded to him, her purple spiky hair bouncing as she did. \"What\'s
the count, Kau?\" she asked severely.

\"Thirteen dead, twenty three wounded, sixteen Death Eaters,\" the Asia
man responded.

Thomas shot a look at Kau, \"Can you tell if any of them are the
Minister?\" The returned reply was a shake a head in the negative.

Before anyone could ask where Harry could be, they all heard his voice.


\"Omnis Famulatus!\"

They all took that as their cue to move out, finding Harry standing in
the middle of the road with his wand held high. Four Death Eaters hit
the ground while being wrapped in serpent like chains, stunned. \"Twelve
more!\" Kau yelled to Harry before they all moved in separate locations
to begin the hunt. Harry nodded to man and dashed headlong into the
nearest burning building.

~~~~~

~ Tried to save place from the cuts and the scratches
tried to overcome the complications and the catches
nothing ever grows and the sun doesn\'t shine all day
tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away ~
        - Nine Inch Nails, Into The Void

Draco had walked for days and days, it seemed. He was starving. When
was the tim time he ate? He could not remember. He could not remember
the last time he had slept, either. He just kept moving, stopping only
when he could move no more. He kept away from places busy by people,
avoiding being seen. He had to find somewhere safe.

In the back of his mind, he kept seeing his father die. The one person
he had looked up to his whole life, the one person that he loved with
all his being... Gone. And what about his mother? He needed to know if
she was all right... But no, she was most likely dead, too. Tears slid
down his face, but he continued walking, hoping he could find a place
safe. Anywhere would be fine... Anywhere...

It was evening by the time Draco found himself wondering through a
small town. It was quiet, and just by the size of it, he could tell it
was a tiny Wizarding community. It did not have the modern conveniences
of paved roads or street lamps. He wondered if they even had a portkey
station in town.

He headed towards a patch of vegetables that was growing in an unfenced
backyard when he heard a crash. A loud scream quickly followed, which
suddenly sent the whole community up in a panic. The upper windows of a
small two story home flashed with a red light and flames began to lick
at the glass. Figures in black hoods began filtering out of the house
through the front door and out into the street with the smoke.

Draco\'s heart stopped as fear gripped him. No... Not Death Eaters!

\"WHERE IS FUDGE?!\" yelled one of the men in black. There was too much
screaming and commotion for anyone to take the demand seriously. \"THE
MINISTER IS HERE!! WHERE IS HE?!\" Flashes of spellfire and shouted
curses had the people crying and begging. Death Eaters were going into
houses and dragging people out. Children were wailing and women were
sobbing. Frozen in terror, Draco could only watch from were he stood
right at the edge of the town.

And as if all his fears were coming true, one of the Death Eaters
turned...

The hood fell back from his head...

It was Jaeger Heidenrich! The last person to see him since his father
died.

And he saw the Malfoy heir, recognizing him just as fast as Draco had
recognized him.

His breath hitched in thr throat as he turned to run. Draco had to get
away, but he could not make it...

\"Crucio!\"

Draco found his body slammed to the ground, his face in the dirt, as
his nerves burned with an electric fire of pure pain. He was gasping
and crying, tears falling down his face into the mud below. Another
cast of the Cruciatus Curse, a third, and a fourth, and Draco was
scrambling for consciousness through the agony.

\"Please... Please end it... now... or someone... come save me...!\" He
begged to the tear splattered earth beneath him.

As if the gods were listening and taking pity on his lost soul, a roar
came from behind. An animal\'s growl among the screams, Draco was sure
he heard, as he fought desperately to get up and get away. He had only
managed to turn on to his back when he saw it.

A large black creature with flashing green eyes.

A hooded figure was already on the ground, and the creature was lunging
at another one, tearing at the robes with it\'s great maws. Death Eaters
were running in all directions to get away from the creature, screaming
of the wild black beast. Spellfire shot out from behind houses and
around corners, taking the fleeing Death Eaters down.

Draco\'s breath was coming to him in harsh rasps as his body shook in
pain and fear. The animal was coming to him, and now he could tell that
it was no ordinary beast, but a black panther, and it\'s green eyes were
trained on him. A cry of terror escaped his throat as he tried in vain
to make his body move. In vain, but to no avail!

And then the panther\'s form began to change... It moved to walk on it\'s
hind legs and it\'s black fur was disappearing... But green eyes
remained fastened to him...

\"Draco Malfoy...?\" came the very familiar voice from the very familiar
form of....

\"Potter...?!\" Draco gasped out weakly, not believing his vision as dark
moats began to cloud his vision.

Tall and dark haired, his glasses in place and face covered in soot,
Harry Potter knelt down beside Draco\'s body, taking the half
unconscious body immediately into his arms. \"Are you alright? What are
you doing here?\"

\"Running away...\" he breathed in terror, just barely hanging on to
reality. \"But it seems like I... can never get far enough away...\"

\"You\'ve been running since your father died, haven\'t you?\"

A nod was the only reply given as grey eyes closed in exhaustion, his
body shivering in fear.

Movement was filtering through to the part of his brain still hanging
on and much to Draco\'s surprise, he was being held close to the chest
of the green eyed young man. He was carrying Draco as if he were
nothing. \"What...? What are... Are you doing?\"

\"You\'re injured.\"

If Draco had the energy, he would have snorted. \"Yes, but... that
doesn\'t explain what you are doing...\"

\"I will give you shelter and safety.\"

Grey eyes went wide to look at his rescuer, face serious and grave
behind those round spectacles.. \"At what cost...?\" he asked, fearing
the worst as his mind floated away.

\"That you never betray me.\"

Of all the simple requests...? Draco wondered to himself as he finally
let himself slip out of consciousness. \"I... promise...\" left his lips
before he could no longer think at all...

~~~~~

~ You think I care
about me and only me
when every single girl needs help
climbing up a tree
well i know it don\'t take much
to satisfy me ~
        - The White Stripes, I\'m Finding
It Harder To Be A Gentleman

Draco woke up sometime later in the comforts of a large sleigh bed with
warm blankets. Panic hit him at first, as he did not recognize his
surroundings. Did someone pick him up off the streets after he
collapsed? His body was aching. What happened to him?

He sat up and looked around, seeking clues to why he was in this bed he
found himself in. The room was rather small. Just enough to accommodate
the bed and two chests of drawers on either side of it. Across from the
foot of the bed, there was a door to a small closet that was open,
revealing a pile of clothing hastily shoved in, and a next to it the
door to the bath, of which he could see a orotund claw footed bathtub.
The walls were an off white colour, yet in some places there were
scorch
marks, as well as large holes knocked inwards. There was a high backed
chair in the corner covered in red brocade upholstery... And draped
across the back of the chair was a red and gold scarf, dingy and faded,
but still obviously the Gryffindor House\'s colours of pride.

That was the trigger he needed, as he remembered the Death Eater
attack, the Cruciatus Curse, and the form of the green eyed panther
that was Gryffindor\'s own Golden Boy, Harry Potter.

Draco fought against the pain to stretch aching muscles, learning that
someone had changed him from his filthy clothes and put him in to a
comfortable pair of oversized flannel pyjamas. He then sniffed at
himself to find that he was even bathed. He sighed and laid back on the
pillows, wallowing in the simple luxury of it. After trudging for so
long, it was nice to be clean and warm and safe.

Safe.

Harry Potter had offered him safety.

How the tides have changed, Draco thought. Nine years ago, it was Draco
who offered Harry his hand in friendship, and was completely shot down.
But they were safe, then, were they not? They were not in the mists of
some war with bitter choices, unspeakable losses, fatal wounds, and
horrifyingly short life expectancies. With his father dead, and himself
quickly to follow unless something was done about it, Draco found
himself desperate for safety. How odd that the very person that turned
away his friendship so long ago has put his hand out now, offering
exactly what he needed.

But Draco suddenly stopped thinking and began to listen. There was a
flurry of voices coming from outside the door, and though they were
loud, they sounded as if they might be down the hall or stairs. Yet
they were moving closer.

Everything was muffled by the door and whatever distance there was, but
the blonde could tell the conversation was heated just by the tones of
the voices.

\"You don\'t know him!\" A voice yelled out as the came in to a clear
range.

\"You\'re right,\" replied another voice, \"But I trust Harry\'s decision! I
saw nothing, and he saw nothing! What evidence to you have to contest?\"

\"But his father-\" The voices suddenly went silent.

There was the sound of someone moving up stairs, stopping half way.
\"I\'ve had enough of all your foolish bickering!\" A voice, the voice
Draco remembered from his last time awake, had said. \"Death Eaters were
attacking him. He needed help! I don\'t care if it is some kind of trap.
They could have killed him, but I was not going to stand by and watch!
Bringing him here was my decision! This is my home, willed to me by
Sirius. I will bear the consequences. You don\'t have to stay if you
don\'t like it!\"

There was only silence from the other voices as the footsteps continued
up stairs. Suddenly, a second pair quickly joined. The paces were
headed right towards his door by the sound of them. Until they stopped.


\"Harry...?\" the second voice that Draco had been able to hear was
speaking. It was male and speaking with a low tone, but Draco could
still hear him. \"Hey, Harry...\"

There was the sound of a rather loud sniffle, and the voice of Harry
responded, \"Did I do the right thing?\"

\"I trust that you did,\" was the reply.

There was silence again, only broken by another snuffing of the nose
and a cough.

There was shuffling and a whimpered sound. \"Awe, Harry... I hate to
break it to you, but now is not the time to be a cry baby.\"

Harry\'s voice was quivering as it shot back, \"Bugger off, Duo!\"

\"Hey, guy! Come one... You know you need to put your foot down
sometimes...\"

\"They say they believe in me,\" came a sob. \"But they don\'t trust me!\"

There was a chuckle, and then the voice said, \"You are kinda reckless,
kiddo.\"

There was a loud thump against the wall. \"I did what I thought was
right! He was afraid! They were going to kill him! I will not- ever- as
long as it is in my power to prevent it- let another living being die!\"
The emotions in Harry\'s voice was raw and thick, nothing like Draco had
ever heard, and he felt his own eyes burn at the sound of the helpless
weeping from the other side of the door.

\"You need rest,\" said the voice, this Duo person. \"Your Chi
isn\'t doing
too good right now... Harry, please, stop crying...\"

\"Voldermort killed his father...\" Harry choked. \"It\'s not fair! He\'s
killing everything! Not even Malfoy deserved it...\"

\"From what I hear, the others don\'t seem to agree with you,\" Duo said
softly.

\"No... Nononono... You didn\'t see his face!\" Harry was weeping openly,
his breath ragged from crying. \"He was so afraid... Duo... This
shouldn\'t be happening... Not even to him...\"

\"Harry-\"

\"We can\'t let him go!\" the voice of the dark haired Gryffindor was
urgent now. \"I promised him I would keep him safe! I promised...\"

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs as people began coming
up to their floor. There was the unmistakable voice of Albus Dumbledore
as he approached the door.

\"Harry, are you all right?\" the elderly professor asked.

Harry gave no response that Draco could hear and instead, Duo answered
for him. \"He\'s Chi is out of balance... He\'s just upset.\"

\"I was wondering if you will be sitting in with me, Harry, since you
were the one to bring Mr. Malfoy here?\"

\"I\'m sorry, sir,\" Harry\'s voice was husky from the heavy emotions of
crying. \"I can not do that... I just... Let me know when you are
finished...\"

There was the sound of a person retreating before the door to the room
was slowly opened. Draco sat back on the pillows as he watched the
wizards enter. The room was almost too small for the five wizards that
were staring at him now. Dumbledore, the former Defence Against the
Dark Arts teachers Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody, Potions Master
Serverus Snape, and a person he did not recognize, but could only
assume was the \"Duo\" that Potter was talking to.

\"Mr. Malfoy,\" said the wizened Dumbledore. \"It has been quite some time
since I have seen you. I believe the last time was at the graduation
for your year, am I right?\"

Draco gave a nod.

The professor nodded in return. \"I am most sorry that we must meet
again under such circumstances. I must speak to you, however, about
this situation. Harry was very bold to have brought you directly here.
We can give you protection here, but, unfortunately, we must consider
you a prisoner while you are under our shelter.\"


~ to be continued ~