This is the Way I Fall

Author's note--Apologies again for the darkness bomb from the last chapter!!! Thanks again to those who reviewed, and quickly too! I'm shocked! Even more grateful, to be sure, so THANK YOU so much!

And I know that this chapter helps to explain, but just remember this chapter title too...AND this chapter is dedicated to Miss Nikki, who asked me to post it tonight because she couldn't wait to find out what happens, so here you go, hon!

This is the Way I Fall by Graballz

Chapter 4

Draco’s Version

Harry supposed that he had been expecting to hear how the Malfoys and the Weasleys had been business partners and somehow the Weasleys ended up poor while the Malfoys got rich, and THAT was the source of contention between them. Or perhaps how Arthur and Lucius had been running for the same political office way-back-when, and one of them beat the other. Or even that either Lucius or Narcissa had been friends with either Arthur or Molly and had had a falling-out, much like Severus Snape and Lily Evans. He had definitely NOT been expecting those five words in that order to fall from Draco’s lips. His brain couldn’t even process it at first, and he just sat there, blinking in rapid succession at his miserable lover.

“WHAT?!”

“Harry, you heard me,” Draco groaned. “Weasley’s father raped my mother.”

“How? When? Where? Why? What?” Harry stumbled over his words, not even sure which question he wanted to ask first. Draco sighed deeply, knowing that he’d have to explain more than that.

“Molly and Arthur Weasley started Hogwarts the year before Aunt Bella,” Draco grimaced. Both of their plates sat forgotten. “Molly was a Prewett back then, and Aunt Bella was a Black. So was my mum at that time. The Blacks and the Prewetts were related, of course, but Aunt Bella and Molly only knew each other vaguely.”

“Molly was related to Sirius,” Harry murmured. “But Bellatrix and Molly were Sorted into different Houses.”

“Right,” Draco confirmed. “But when Molly began to fancy ‘that blood-traitor’ Arthur Weasley, Aunt Bella took it as a personal insult to their family and tried to stop her. Of course, you and I both know that her attempts failed, since Molly and Arthur are married, but at the time, Arthur especially held a grudge against Aunt Bella.

“Still, Aunt Bella was growing into a formidable witch, so he didn’t really want to make an outright enemy of her,” Draco continued, trying to ignore the look of pain mixed with shock on his boyfriend’s face. “Molly and Arthur were fourth-years when Andromeda started at Hogwarts. She was Sorted into Gryffindor, unlike both of her sisters.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose. He hadn’t known that Andromeda was a Gryffindor, but knowing that she had married a Muggle-born wizard, he wasn’t surprised.

“What does that have to do with everything?” Harry asked. “Why is Andromeda’s House important?”

“Because,” Draco sighed through his nose at Harry’s typical Gryffindor thick headedness. “If they hadn’t been in the same House as Andromeda, Arthur would’ve gotten back at my aunt by hurting Andromeda. But she was a fellow Gryffindor. By the time my mum started at Hogwarts, Arthur was a sixth-year.”

“And your mum was Sorted into Slytherin,” Harry chimed in, knowing that Lucius and Narcissa had been at Hogwarts together. He took note of the fact that Draco referred to Bellatrix as his aunt but not Andromeda, and he supposed it was because of the Black family’s disownment of Andromeda.

“So she was fair game,” Draco finished, and Harry frowned, hating the way Draco was making Arthur sound like a predator. “He didn’t actually rape her while he was at Hogwarts, though; but he did wait until his final year to attack her at all.”

“Attack her?”

“My mum was molested at the age of twelve,” Draco shut his eyes as if the words caused him pain. “Arthur Weasley…touched her when she was twelve.” Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Draco cut him off. “And he was seventeen, the bastard.

“They were gone by the time my mum told anyone, even Bella, so she couldn’t really have done anything about it,” Draco shrugged.

“Gone?” Harry remembered Arthur fighting with Lucius in HIS second year, but he couldn’t imagine his former surrogate father actually attacking a woman.

“Graduated,” Draco clarified. “And then Aunt Bella left the year after that. But he came back to Hogwarts when my mother was a sixth-year and he raped her.”

“What was the actual year?” Harry asked, brow furrowed in concentration. He was rubbish at mental math, and all of the dates and years being thrown around were confusing.

“1971,” Draco did some quick calculations. “Or thereabouts. Yes, You-Know-Who had already started to gain power, and Aunt Bella was enthralled with him or she might have actually killed Arthur Weasley.”

“That was about the time Bill was born, I think,” Harry said.

“Makes sense,” Draco nodded. “Mum said he’d been married for a couple of years and was either expecting or had just had the first of the brood.”

“Draco…I’m not trying to doubt you or call you a liar or anything,” Harry began finally, nervously. “But I have to tell you that I just don’t see Arthur Weasley as someone who attacks women.”

“I see,” Draco’s eyes narrowed and his voice went flat. “So you’re not calling me a liar, but you’re saying that my mum is lying?”

“No!” Harry could see the quagmire that this conversation was quickly building towards. “I didn’t say that. I mean, if you had told me that Voldemort raped someone, I’d believe it. He has that quality about him. You know, unscrupulous, not caring about what happens, as long as he gets his way. Pick any one of his Death Eaters, and I wouldn’t be surprised that they raped people too. But Arthur? Draco, I know your mum told you all of this, but you at least have to see that it sounds just a little farfetched.”

Draco closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled, willing himself not to jump up and strangle Harry. He didn’t realize how tightly he was gripping Harry’s hand until the boy whimpered. Draco’s eyes flew open, and he let go. Harry pulled his hand back, rubbing it slightly, as he watched Draco. Draco balled his hands into fists, trying not to let the rage inside of him bubble to the surface.

“Any one of his Death Eaters, huh?” Draco repeated Harry’s words. “They raped people too? How many people did my father rape, Harry? He was a Death Eater. Or how about Pettigrew? He was your father’s friend once; your father was friends with a rapist? What about Snape? Oh, I bet you just LOVE that. Of COURSE Snape was a rapist; he was probably the worst one of them all, huh? What about me, Harry? Maybe I wasn’t an actual Death Eater, but I was supposed to be. How many people would I have raped, huh?”

“Draco,” Harry groaned, feeling a headache coming on. His blonde boyfriend sounded beyond angry, which meant that it could be anywhere from an hour to a week before Harry had done enough groveling to appease him. Draco had been right; this very well could ruin their Spring Break. He didn’t fancy being stuck in a small space with Draco for several hours with no escape when he was in one of THESE moods.

“No, tell me, Harry,” Draco got to his feet. “Is it just because she was married to a Death Eater? Had a Death Eater-in-training for a son? A Death Eater sister? Is that why you don’t believe her? But I’d bet the ENTIRE Malfoy fortune that if Molly Weasley had come forward and claimed that my father raped HER, you would only be too quick to line up for HER defense.

“Is it because she picked the wrong side? Your precious Order people weren’t capable of rape, too? Sorry, Golden Boy, but your side wasn’t perfect either. It’s time you pulled your head out of the sand and realized that,” Draco’s voice dripped with loathing and contempt; the Slytherin had drawn himself up to his full height, staring Harry right in the face with cold grey eyes, and in that moment, he looked every inch the son of Lucius Malfoy. It made Harry’s stomach flip with distaste.

Draco turned and marched to their bedroom. He had to get away before he began throwing things or something worse. He was also glad when Harry didn’t follow, and he slammed the door as hard as he could. It echoed in the silence with an abrupt ‘BANG’, and even Draco shivered. His stomach was in knots, and he sank onto the bed, staring bitterly at the carpet. His suitcases were still open on the floor where he had left them earlier that week, and the blonde glanced at them hollowly. His anger had given way to familiar numbness, but seeing the suitcases brought up another wave of rage.

Draco leapt to his feet and aimed a vicious kick at the nearest suitcase. It made a slight dent as it hit the wall, but Draco had already moved on to the other one, kicking it several times before grabbing it and upending its contents all over the floor. He didn’t even realize that he was screaming in a blind rage as he spun, heaving the suitcase across the room, where it actually chipped part of the plaster of the wall. He scattered the first suitcase too, battering it into the wall by the door without realizing it. He had begun to pick up the random things lying on the floor and throw them when a strong embrace captured him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. Incoherent with rage, Draco struggled like an animal for several moments, trying to beat against whatever was holding him back from venting, until the words whispered in his ear broke through his guard. Draco went limp, his rage dissipated and replaced by wails.

**********

Harry figured that they could both do with a little bit of time apart to cool down after Draco left the table. He winced as the bedroom door slammed with finality, and his eyes had teared up. Harry heaved a sigh, glancing down at his cold fish and chips, and in an uncharacteristic burst of anger himself, he violently shoved the plate away from him, sending the food flying across the floor. The dish shattered as it hit the floor, and Harry felt a simultaneous rush of satisfaction and guilt. That was when the bangs started from the bedroom. Harry’s head had jerked up, eyes narrowed as if he could see through the walls of the apartment if he concentrated hard enough. He figured Draco was having a hissy fit of his own, but then the screaming started.

It made Harry’s blood run cold with the amount of wordless anguish he could detect, even from the other room. The Gryffindor hastily got to his feet and rushed to the bedroom to find that it could qualify as a ‘disaster zone’. Draco’s face was red and streaked with tears, and he didn’t really even look like himself as he bent over to pick up a couple of his shoes that had been packed in his suitcases. Harry instinctively lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Draco, knowing that, in this state, the blonde was more than likely a danger to himself and others. He knew he had to immobilize Draco until he was back in his right mind, and while he hated that Draco was fighting him, Harry knew it was for the best.

He whispered words of love and support into Draco’s ear as he held his thrashing lover. After what seemed like an eternity, it seemed like Draco finally heard him. Harry finally got through to him, and the blonde went limp in his arms, sobbing.

**********

Author's note--*ducks flying vegetables* TRUST ME TRUST ME!!!!

I hope you find Draco's reaction believable, considering that most of you reacted sort of like Harry *wink*. As you were supposed to, might I add!

Again, I researched Arthur, Molly, Bella, and Andromeda extensively on the HP Lexicon to make sure that I had everything correct. It never actually gives Andromeda's House, but I put her in Gryffindor for the sake of the story (as Draco explained). *shrug* Tonks was a Hufflepuff, if that helps any...and Tonks DID marry a Gryffindor too. I figure that if Andromeda married a Muggle-born and got thrown out of the family for it, she might as well have been a Black sheep (ha!) and been in Gryffindor, like Sirius...even though she went to Hogwarts first...so technically, Sirius would've been like Andromeda...

ANYWAY, it gets happier again in the next couple of chapters, so stick with me!

Lilith I promise that you WILL end up knowing the story behind it. Thank you for your review; your reaction was JUST what I had hoped!!!

thrnbrooke I hear you! Imagine MY surprise when THAT came out in my story full of fluff and happiness! 'Holy moly!' indeed!!! Thank you!

Roozette I know!!! And it's NEVER explained in the books...so I made up my own explanation! And yes, I am sorry about dropping it right before vacay. (Draco's STILL giving me death glares for that one...)

Not so much "demon monkeys" as "hot, wild, monkey sex" that takes over the world! *wink* (Draco, would hot wild monkey sex with Harry make it up to you?)

Draco: Not completely, Graballz, but it'll help.

(*sigh* Draco's such a picky bitch!)

Draco: I heard that!

ANYWAY, Long live the Coven indeed! *cheers* And I LOVE your assessment!!! We are there for safety purposes! Never mind the fact that our hands are probably otherwise engaged as well...so it's not like we *could* catch them if they started to fall or something...*cough*...yeah...

LOL Thank you for your review!!!

Miss Nikki For you, babe! I hope you enjoyed, even though it only ended with more angst! LOL And if you're waiting to make that solid decision...you're gonna have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid. But don't worry...it WILL be explained.

and I KNOW what you mean about the Slytherin tactics!!!! My heart just goes *squee* when Harry tries to be all Slytherin and Draco out-Slytherins him! *giggle* But in this case, neither of their Slytherin tactics worked...

And the tears in the bedroom were very real...no more pseudo-tears for our blonde bombshell!

*hugs* No, baby, I've just been really busy working for my mother as of late. *sigh* It's the price I pay for making her cry because I read and write slash...If I go in and volunteer when she needs the help, then it keeps her off my back about my "abnormal Harry Potter obsession" that she thinks I need to quit. *rolls eyes* But anyway, I'll be here and there and around! I'm not gone!!!

Roozette A second review? *gasp* I love you too! I know what you mean! Actually, when I was typing up that part, I thought of that too! *we are dorks* LOL Thanks for a second review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter (as much as it could be enjoyed anyway)

And I think Harry and Draco are definitely going to need the cuddling, so keep it up!

paigeey07 Thanks for your review!!!