The Road Not Yet Taken

The sun was unusually warm for a late August evening. Uncomfortably warm, especially, to those who may be walking about more clothed than others. Draco Malfoy walked through the shadows of Diagon Alley with his hood pulled tightly around his face. The scene in the Leaky Cauldron was enough for him to realize that the entire wizarding community must know of his recent activities. He did not desire any more attention that he had already received so far that day.

Weaving in and out of the crowd, Draco pushed his way toward, what looked to be, his only escape. The corner of Knockturn Alley began directly across from the entrance to the wizarding bank, Gringotts. Draco knew who he could expect to meet in the dank reaches of the Alley. Wizards of the worst type no doubt, it was no question that the Dark Arts is what they fancied. If he could not wait peacefully within the confines of the Leaky Cauldron, Draco’s next and last place for refuge lay within the walls of Knockturn’s oily stockade.

Everything seemed grayer when Draco turned into the Alley. The sunlight was weaker, casting sharp, elongated shadows onto the muddy street. The warm chatter that engulfed the streets of Diagon Alley, thinned with every step. Draco was sure that no one would bother him here.

He removed his hood.

What little chatter had been going on since Draco’s entrance to Knockturn Alley, stopped abruptly. Gnarled, dirty faces peered at him from every angle. Through windows and from behind lamp posts, grimy eyes bore into his very being. Draco turned his head to peer, unblinkingly, back. His gaze was caught by one particular pair, black, and cold as ice.

He knew those eyes. He recognized them from somewhere…but whom? And then he remembered. Theodore Knott. His father did not associate much with the lesser death eaters. But on occasion, when events pertaining the Dark Lord insisted, Lucius Malfoy would find himself forced to work with the less fortunate of Pure Bloods. The Knott family was not as well known, nor as old as the Malfoy’s, but were still equally as immersed in the Dark Arts.

At the end of Draco’s fifth year, when his father had been caught inside the Department of Mysteries, he had tried everything to escape Azkaban. He tried to bribe his way through the jury, offering enough galleons to satisfy any of their needs. When gold did not work, Lucius began to name names. He thought that, like in the old days, if enough names were turned into the ministry, the Wizengamot would allow the person in question free. Lucious had named every person that he could recall ever being associated with the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, this was not enough to save him from the dementors.

Theodore Knott had been one, among the many Death Eaters, named during Lucius Malfoy’s hearing. He escaped Azkaban, however, claiming his innocence due to the Imperious Curse that Mr. Malfoy had been holding on him for a number of months. Draco knew this to be complete tosh. Knott’s son was in Draco’s year at Hogwarts. He knew for a fact that this boy’s father was as faithful a Death Eater as any of the Malfoy’s had been. Theodore Knott was one of the last men Draco would have chosen to meet in a secluded corner of Knockturn Alley.

Knott’s eyes flicked from Draco’s white blonde hair and down his, now rigid, body. Unconsciously, Draco began to back track, trying to move away from the Death Eater. As if attached by some kind of invisible tether, Knott took a step forward. Draco continued to move backward until he collided, abruptly, with a stone wall. Knott looked around, grinning toothily. A few men stepped out from the shadows. Crabbe, Goyle, all of these men were the fathers of Draco’s housemates, and marked Death Eaters.

“So your father thought he could weasel out of this one, did he boy?” Knott sneered

Draco did not answer. He refused to be beaten down by this filth.

“You answer when you’re spoken too boy” he had his wand pulled out before Draco even knew what was happening. “CRUCIO!”

He was writhing on the ground. He was screaming louder than he thought ever possible. It was as if he was on fire and covered in ice all at the same time. His skin was being pulled in a thousand different directions and his insides were collapsing upon themselves. It was a kind of pain he had never felt before in all his life.

“Don’t that mother of yours teach you no manners?” Knott asked “But then it don’t seem that will be much o’ a problem for you anymore, do it?”

The death eaters around Knott laughed. No doubt they had heard of Mrs. Malfoy’s death. It seemed more than comical that the boy prostrated in front of them, should not only be hurt, but humiliated. Draco’s insides turned to ice. He pulled himself up, allowing himself to rest his weight against the cool stone of the wall. He withdrew his wand from within his robes.

“Ah, the boy wants to play does he?” Knott scoffed raising his own wand, leveled with Draco’s heart. “You’re going to pay, boy, for what you’re father tried on us. You’re going to be a warning to any more of them cowards out there ready to tell a bit too much. Cruci-”

“EXPELLIARMUS” someone shouted from behind.

Knott’s wand flew into the air and landed at the feet of a rather bushy haired girl.

It was Granger. Draco couldn’t believe it. This girl, the mudblood he had terrorized for over six years, was standing up for him. He could not comprehend the sudden turn about in Grangers actions. She truly was a Gryffindor though, braver than he would have thought.

She bent over slowly, never taking her eyes off of Knott’s, and picked up his wand in her left hand. Clutching her own wand tighter, she snarled through gritted teeth.

“Back off you cowards.”

Theodore and his companions seemed to regain some composure after the shock of the attack. They glanced at each other, exchanging rather pompous grins. Sauntering forward, Knott extended his hand towards Hermione.

“Give that here, love,” he said, rather sweetly. He was eying the long chestnut hair that cascaded down her shoulders, following the curves of her hips, down to her ankles and back to meet her eyes. “No need to get your self into trouble, this one’s not worth it. Give that here and I’ll let you go easy.” He took another step forward.

“Petrificus Totalis!” Hermione cried. Knott’s arms and legs snapped against his body. He fell, stiff as a board onto the muddy street. His two cronies advanced quickly toward Hermione. Draco snapped to his senses.

“STUPIFY!” he yelled. Both Crabbe and Goyle were knocked to the ground in a tangle of limbs, stunned.

The crowd around them thinned. It was not unusual for a fight to break out amongst the inhabitance of Knockturn Alley. More often than not, the quarrel was settled without much loss and everyone continued along with their business.

Draco was at a loss for words. ‘Why?’ was all he could think. Why, after all he had done to her, had the little know it all mudblood princess come to his rescue? Why was she in Knockturn Alley at all? What did she think she was playing at? A Malfoy did not need anybody else’s help. It was this thought that goaded Draco into speaking.

“Unless you can’t see through that bushy hair of yours Granger,” he drawled, “you should have known that I could have taken care of those prats on my own.”

“Well Malfoy,” she spat “perhaps I should have left you as you were then, laying in the mud as I recall?” and with that she spun on her heel and disappeared around the corner.

And he had been so close to an answer. WHY did she always have to act like that? Granger was the most worthless piece of wizard filth alive. She wasn’t even worth a moment of Draco’s time. So why did he keep thinking about her? The way Knott had looked at her, like she was desirable. Never in a million years.

***

It took him a considerable amount of time to gather his thoughts, but when Draco found that the light was fading fast, he began to move back toward the Leaky Cauldron. It was the only wizarding Inn in the surrounding area, and he was not about to venture into muggle London.

Draco pulled his hood up. He slipped quietly into the tavern and up to the bar where Tom, the toothless inn keeper still stood.

“I’d like to rent a room.” He said quietly.

“For how long sir?” Tom answered, wiping a glass on his apron

“Until September 1st.”

Tom pulled a small pad of paper from his apron pocket. He tapped it a few times with his wand and placed it back, pulling a key out as he withdrew his hand.

“Follow me then, sir”

***
The room Tom led him too was comfortable. A large four poster bed rested in the center, across from two large windows looking over muggle London. A small nightstand to the left of the bed held a small, but bright lantern. It was rather empty, but the small size of the room matched with the equally large size of the furniture made it cozy none the less. There was a minute fireplace along the far side of the room. Draco moved toward it, intending to start a fire and warm up the chilly room. However, as he was passing the large four poster, a shot of bright green flame appeared over the pillows. He spun around to face the bed. Lying atop the fluffed white pillows was an inky black envelope. There was nothing written on the front. Draco moved slowly towards the head of the bed and picked it up in his hands. The envelope was icy cold. He turned it over, cautiously.

The seal was a deep blood red. It glinted in the dim light of the room. Pressed into the wax was a large skull, protruding from its mouth, like a long winding tongue, was a snake. The Dark Mark.

Draco opened the letter, his fingers shaking slightly.

In light of recent activities, your presence, Mister Malfoy, will be required. Your father has left certain duties unfulfilled; it will be your responsibility to see that they are completed. Do not try and run, you will be found.

He crumpled up the letter and threw it, hard, against the wall. The black parchment shriveled and smoked, disintegrating into a pile of ash.

‘So it begins,’ he thought.

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Dear god! This chapter seemed to go on and on. I apologize if it seemed to get lost at all towards the middle; I have had little to no time to work on this for the past few weeks. Chapter three is in the works. I wanted to thank you all for your patience and wonderful comments. Enjoy!