Arbitrary Alignment

AN: Thank you for all of the reviews. They are what is keeping this story going! This chapter is all in Draco's perspective. ENJOY!!

Disclaimer: If Harry Potter was mine then Draco and Hermione would be hard at work populating the earth with adorable babies!

----Asleep----

Draco Malfoy was a coward.

He resigned himself to that fact sometime 7th year when he was given “the task”. A task Voldemort well knew he would never be able to succeed in. He had succeeded in a way. Getting the Deatheaters into Hogwarts was an incredible feat in and of itself, but Dumbledore...there was not the slightest chance. Draco had known this. Had known this from the beginning. How could a 17 year old defeat the most powerful wizard?

But then through some ironic shift of fate Dumbledore was there, on his knees, wandless, defenseless. And he failed. He hadn't been able to say those two words, hadn't been able to take life, couldn't. Even though he knew that his families (mother) lives would be forfeit. He was too weak.

Draco Malfoy was a coward.

In the chaos afterward Snape had dragged him away down a corridor and handed him a small lumpy bag; it was heavy on his fingers. Snape was talking, telling him things, but Draco's ears were buzzing, the pounding of his heart to loud for him to hear what Snape was urgently telling him. He felt cold, icy cold. He had to remind himself to breathe.

All he could see was Dumbledore's face, right before the life had ebbed away from his eyes, right before his limp body had sailed through the window to smash into the ground far below.

He was beginning to shake and he became aware that he was still grasping his wand too tightly in his fist. Then right before Snape shoved another object in his hands a portkey Draco heard him implore urgently “Run Draco. Don't look back, don't let them find you. Run!”


He had run as far as he could for as long as he could.

When he was found it was almost a relief. Just to have it all end, the anxiety, the running, the paranoia, always looking over his shoulder. He was tired, bone-deep weary. Exhaustion had caught up to him, even thought he was careful he must have made a slip up somewhere. He hadn't dared to use his wand afraid that they would track down his magical signature. But the bag of muggle money Snape gave him was getting lighter and lighter, and he was alone and scared and confused.

When they surrounded him, took his wand, decided his fate, he was strangely detached.

He knew he should be terrified and he was, but he also knew that he was dead, they would kill him, and it hardly seemed productive to become hysterical. He almost smirked at that. Almost.

They were talking it over, deciding how it should end. One of them stepped forward and began to remove the mask.

Fenir Greyback.

He changed. A beast stood in his, Greyback's place, and then IT was upon him.

And although he knew it was futile, that it would only prolong the inevitable, he instinctively raised his arms, tried to protect his face. He had always thought that his death would be more dramatic. That there would be words exchanged, that he would be forced to beg, plead for his life, by either side if he was caught. It was all happening to fast.

One moment he was standing and then the next he was on the ground, jerking and heaving. IT was slashing and tearing and pawing. He could hear an awful noise, someone was screaming, only it was worse than that.

It was horrible.

He wanted to cover his ears, block it out. Right before the darkness came, right before the beast sunk its fangs into his neck, he realized that he was the one making the noise.

Hot white pain. Something was eating his flesh, ripping it to shreds. He opened his eyes, tried to scream. Yellow walls. There was someone in the room, behind him. Through the heat scorching his flesh he heard them move, felt them step closer. Then laughter, crazed hysterical laughter. He stiffened. Then all was black. Blessed darkness.

Malfoy came awake suddenly.

The room he was in was dark and stale. Something was terribly wrong. He couldn't remember where he was, or what had happened ,or why he was here. He tried to sit up, gasping as pain flamed down his side, spreading over his limbs, until his entire body was throbbing with pain. Somehow he rolled off the bed, leaving his cloak, as he stumbled across the room to the door.

Locked.

He was prisoner. Who his captives were he didn't know but he would find out when they came for him. Determined to wait Malfoy slumped against the wall, crouched behind the door and waited. He teetered between staying awake and surrendering to unconsciousness. He was close to closing his eyes and surrendering to the darkness when the door creaked opened.

It was a woman, wand glowing, her features hidden in shadow.

He propelled himself off the wall and launched himself at her. Fumbling for her hands,

Malfoy grasped her wrists, pushing her up against the wall. She was unmoving underneath him, soft and small. “Where am I” he demanded. His throat was dry, brittle.

The words rasped, scrapped at his throat.

A curl of her hair brushed his cheek and he had a sudden fierce longing to bury his face in that softness and sleep. His body was pressing into hers and he was suddenly very aware of how her body felt underneath him, the silk of her skin as he held her wrists above them. He could feel her pulse racing as he gripped her wrists tighter and reached down with one hand, grabbing her robes and jerking her forward.

“Where the fuck am I”? he growled out.

Gasping, she began to struggle.

Twisting and buckling her hips into his, panting, her warm breath colliding with his neck. As the cradle of her hips crashed into his he was acutely aware as his body responded to hers and his hands loosened in surprise as he fought the urge to thrust back.

She wrenched one arm free and began to claw at him, her breath escaping in gasping pants as she desperately tried to break free. Her arm crashed into his side and the throbbing pain that was lingering just under the surface exploded into waves of agony. He went stiff, taunt against her, as he tried to hold on to consciousness. Then he couldn't feel his arms, and his legs couldn't seem to hold his weight. They both went sliding, falling towards the floor.

And before his vision went black again he saw her face.

Knew her face.

It took monumental effort but he forced his eyelids open. He was lying on his back and there was someone looming over him. It was the same woman as before. She seemed familiar to him, he felt as if he knew her but his muddled brain wouldn't remember, couldn't.

And then right in front of him she changed!

She was gone and in his place was his mother. He never thought he would see her again. Knew it wasn't possible. But maybe he was dead, maybe they were both dead.

Safe. He had to know that she was there. He reached up and touched her face,

“Mother?”.

He dreamed.

He was swept along in a sea of swirling memory's. He relived things vividly. Only these dreams, these memory's, they weren't his. They couldn't be. He saw horrible things, pain and gore and senseless violence, and he wanted to claw out his own eyes, scratch them out till it was black again.

He liked the blackness, there wasn't fear or pain just nothingness.

But the dreams kept coming back and he was struggling, fighting to get out. He forced his eyes open but the dream remained. He could hear someone calling to him, from somewhere far away. He heard it like he was underwater and the voice was coming from up above it .

He was trying to get out of the dream.

He could feel his body, his real body not his dream body. The dreams wouldn't let go of him, wouldn't let go of him with their claws. He growled at them, snarled let me go. He must get free. He could feel his body move and then pain.

On the edge of his vision the blackness came, spreading till all was dark.

Yay chapie 3!

Next Up: We find out just where and why Malfoy is having such strange dreams. And Hermione gets some help diagnosing Malfoy's infection and discovers the truth of his capture.

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!! CLICK THE BUTTON! REVIEW REWIEW : )