War & Peace: HP Style

Chapter Three - I Don't Want To Be

I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who Im supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me

I Don't Want To Be - Gavin Degraw


Sunday, October 7th
An Empty Classroom
The Questioning of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini

Part One ~ Blaise

Draco and Blaise stood outside an unused classroom along the fifth floor corridor. Harry and Hermione were inside explaining the rules of the questioning to Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnegan, and Hannah Abbott. Draco was still not entirely comfortable at having to answer questions under veritaserum, but he needed to do something to get away from the life his father had planned for him. He had gotten a letter from his mother today, pleading with him to visit the following weekend with his father and that Lucius only had his best interests at heart. Lucius definitely had someone's best interests at heart, but they were not his son's.

Blaise's thoughts ran concurrently to Draco's. The only difference was that his father was deceased and his mother, Laurida Zabini was the one attending Death Eather revels and pushing Blaise into a life of servitude to a psychopath. She had become so devoted to the pureblood cause, that all of her time was spent at Malfoy Manor, and all of her jewels were donated to the Dark Lord. It was disgusting to watch the once proud woman grovel and kiss the hem of Voldemort's filthy robes. This was not a life that Blaise wanted.

Another little known fact about Blaise was that he had a half sister. She was born of the relationship his mother had in between husband number 5 and husband number 6. Blaise's own father was husband number three and this made Sylvia four years younger than him. Not many knew of her existance as she lived with her paternal grandparents in Paris and attended Beauxbatons Academy. Blaise never spoke of her and he was almost positive that had it not been for the yearly Christmas letters that Sylvia's grandmother wrote, Laurida would have forgotten she even had a daughter.

Blaise worried for Sylvia, his mother had mentioned her in obscure passing the other day to Rodolphus LeStrange and there had been an odd sort of glint in the fugitive Death Eater's eyes. It had sent chills straight down Blaise's spine and he knew then that he needed to find a way to protect his sister.

Presently, Hermione stuck her head outside the door and motioned for Blaise to enter, giving Draco extra time to cool his heels in the empty corridor.

The room was set up much like the Charms classroom with rows of seating along the sides, the center of the room was open so that all the students could see whatever spell the teacher was demonstrating. Harry was standing to the left speaking to the other students that had come to witness the questioning. Luna Lovegood was there as well as Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott. Including Harry and Hermione that made only five students who would know what he and Draco had spoken of today. Blaise was satisfied with that as well as the choice of students. None of them were known hot heads. Not like Weasley who had been sending death glares his way for the remainder of the week.

"Zabini, we have pumpkin juice or tea to put the Veritaserum in. Which would you prefer?" Harry got straight down to business. There was no need for small talk they all knew what they were here for.

"The pumpkin juice." Blaise was directed to a chair in the center of the room. The others were seated off to the side.

"After Malfoy has his turn, we will all take a vow that what is done in this room stays only between the people here now." Hermione explained this as she mixed the truth serum with the pumpkin juice. "That includes you and Malfoy as well. There is no reason for any of this to be known by anyone outside of this classroom."

Blaise nodded as she handed him the goblet. Harry walked over indicating that he was ready to get the questioning under way. Blaise drank the juice and Harry waited the two minutes it took for the serum to sink in.

"Alright, just to make sure that its working properly; what is your full name, age, Hogwarts House?"

"Blaise Antony Zabini, 18, Slytherin House."

"Question number one: Why are you turning to Dumbledore's Army for help when it is a known fact that your mother is in league with Voldemort and his supporters?"

Blaise didn't even try to fight the answers as they came tumbling out of his mouth. This was just too important to screw up.

"I have a younger sister in France. I need to protect her by any means necessary as I believe my mother might try to hand her over to him." All the occupants of the room blinked in surprise. None knew that he had a sister.

Harry moved on to question number two. There would be time to sort through and discuss their answers after the questioning period was over.

"If you have met Voldemort, what did it feel like in his presence?" Harry knew what it was to be in the presence of such great evil. He was eager to find out how others felt, as well.

Blaise swallowed hard. His one meeting with the Dark Lord was not pleasant, and reliving it was something akin to having to hear nails scraped across a blackboard.

"It was mercifully short, but in that small amount of time I was rooted to where I stood. I watched him carelessly kill a wizard for not following procedure precisely as he wished. I was terrified I would do something wrong and I would be next. However, I know he was not interested by me in the least."

"By joining Dumbledore's Army you will be called upon to fight as needed. Are you willing to cross wands with whomever necessary to help in the defeat of Voldemort and the eradication of all that he stands for? Even if those you fight are friends or family?" Harry's face was serious, this was truly the question that would decide what would happen to Blaise.

Blaise's jaw tightened in response. "I will fight against whomever is necessary to ensure my sister's safety."

"Thank you, Blaise," spoke Harry. "If you'll have a seat over there, Hermione will go get Malfoy so that we can finish this up."


Part Two ~ Draco


Hermione opened the door and poked her head out into the corridor to call for Draco. She spotted him a little ways up staring outside a window. She decided not to shout for him and walked towards him. Obviously he had heard her footsteps for he had turned to watch her approach.

One eyebrow quirked upwards and with a smirk reminiscent of the old Malfoy, he said, "Granger. Why does Potter always make you do the dirty work? Doesn't he ever do things for himself? I guess not if he's got you running about for him."

Hermione frowned at him. "Malfoy, don't be such a git. You and Blaise approached Harry not the other way around. As far as I'm concerned you owe him."

"I don't owe anyone," he growled, suddenly angry again. "I am my own damn person, and I will do as I please with or without certain people who think they are above rules. You and Potter and Weasley are always running around and collecting House points for breaking the rules instead of getting detentions and what not like the rest of us. It's sickening, really." As he spoke, his voice got lower, as though he were trying desperately to keep a lid on the emotions that were roiling beneath the surface. Hermione prided herself on knowing when to push a person and when to back off. She sighed and put her placating-Harry-and-Ron-face on, hoping it would work for Draco now as well.

"Listen, Malfoy, I don't want to argue with you. At least not now and not here at any rate. Let's get your little question and answer period over with and then we can verbally spar all you want."

"Just because I am looking to do the right thing doesn't make us friends, Granger. I don't want to willingly do anything with you." She heard the words. She also heard the barely there heat behind them. Glancing at his face, she saw he looked tired, and she could empathize. The constant worrying, the planning, and the training kept her up at all hours of the night and if it weren't for the fact that she could brew her own Pepper-Up Potion, she wasn't sure how she would be dealing with it all.

"The feeling is entirely mutual, Malfoy," Hermione sighed.

Unthinkingly, she placed a hand on his arm. Neither noticed that she kept it there as they headed back down the hall towards the classroom.

Once Draco was settled in the chair and the pumpkin juice was gone, Harry wasted no time and began the questioning.

"As I did with Zabini I want you to tell me your full name, age, and Hogwarts House, just to make sure the potion is working."

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy, 18, Slytherin House."

"Why are you turning to Dumbledore's Army for help when your father is a known Death Eater?" The silence in the room was deafening. As interested as the assembled students were in Blaise's answers, it was Draco's that they truly wanted to hear. Draco hesitated, not because he was looking for a lie, but because he was unsure of where to begin. However, the potion just forced his thoughts out of him.

"My father is a hard man to please, he's very exacting, and he has certain standards I have never been able to meet. My mother is a cold, unfeeling bitch. They both are selfish and self-serving, they sit at the right hand of the Dark Lord as though it is a prestigious place to be. I do not want to be there with them. I have witnessed people murdered by him, have myself been tortured by him and I will not go back."

Harry cleared his throat as it was aching with the need to ask Draco what kinds of torture and who had he seen murdered. However, Hermione was giving him 'the look' and he knew he must stick to the questions that they had decided on. His gaze flicked over the small group of students. Seamus was quietly chewing a piece of muggle gum, his hazel eyes thoughtful as he considered what Malfoy had just said. Hannah looked as though she wanted to cry on Malfoy's behalf. His eyes came to rest on Luna. She had a half-smile on her face that was directed at him, and he wondered what she was thinking. He smiled back, then returned to the task at hand.

"How did you feel in the presence of Voldemort?" This was a question Draco had been dreading and yet he knew it must be answered. He let his thoughts fly and allowed the potion to control the words he spoke. It was easier to say it under Veritaserum than to try and talk about certain things on his own.

"Have you ever wished for death, Potter? I have. Every moment spent in the presence of that foul creature. My father basically left me with him for two days, saying I needed toughening up. That I needed to be reminded of what being a Malfoy meant. I was beaten, Crucio'd at the whim of my crazy aunt. I was asked over and over again how to get to you and no matter how I tried to tell them I did not know it was never enough. How did I feel in front of the Dark Lord? I wanted to die. I prayed for a death that never came."

Harry and the others were stunned. Never had they imagined that Lucius Malfoy would sell out his own son to the devil. None of them knew what to say. However, there was a final question that Draco needed to answer.

"Last question, Malfoy. As a member of Dumbledore's Army you will be required to fight. Are you willing to cross wands with whomever necessary, be they friends or family in order to help defeat Voldemort and his followers?"

Draco's eyes turned a sharp silver, his gaze was determined and focused solely on Harry Potter. "I will do whatever is necessary to get that monster and those that follow him out of my house. If that means my father, then so be it."


~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~


In the end it was an easy decision. Blaise and Draco were inducted into Dumbledore's Army that evening. Most of the members were content with knowing that Harry, Hermione, Seamus, Hannah and Luna, had felt the answers the two Slytherins gave were sufficient enough to welcome them to the cause.

There was also a very small few who felt otherwise and were determined to make life as difficult as possible for them and those that chose to welcome them.


A/N:

HarryGinny4eva Thank you, I find your stories wonderfully creative and enjoyable to read! Forgive me for not reviewing recently, as I've kind of been sucked into this story here....LOL. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Dreamweaver Thanks! and yes Ron is very melodramatic, but in a whiny sort of way. Draco makes melodramatic look good =) Theo is definitely up to something, i believe you'll find out in the next chapter!

paigeey07 Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure!

LadyV I heart you!!