Driven

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter, but Blessings to JKR for creating it.

A/N: The first part of this chapter is a flash back.

Chapter 5: Explanations and Complications


****
One Month Earlier, Forbidden Forest

It seemed like they had been running forever. They could still hear the screams coming from the castle but they seemed very far off now. All of the other Death Eaters had scattered. His lungs were on fire.

“Stop, Uncle Severus!” Draco shouted

“We have to keep going!” Snape shouted back over his shoulder, then, seeing that his Godson was all but ready to collapse he slowed and went back to him.

Draco was sitting with his back to a tree, breathing heavily, knees to his chest and his head leaning back looking up at Snape. “What in the hell just happened back there?” He managed to get out.

Severus knelt beside him, taking a small vial out of his robes. “Draco, I want you to take a drop of this, it’s Veritaserum.”

Draco looked at him as if he had lost his mind, “Where the fuck do you get off……”

“Before I can explain to you what just happened I need to know with certainty where your loyalties lie, besides to your own rear end, I might add.” Snape said once again offering the vial.

“So, the great potions master, Mr. Ambivalent himself, wants to know where MY loyalties lie. Well, Uncle Sev, since one of the places my loyalties lay is with you, I’ll do as you ask.” Draco replied, taking the vial and placing a drop on his tongue.

“Draco, the Dark Lord ordered you to kill Albus Dumbledore. That order was to be carried out tonight. However, you hesitated. Why?” Snape asked.

Draco felt a war going on within him, panic at the implications behind the question, and the compulsion to spill his guts. What he was about to say could very well get him killed. He took a deep breath willing his heartbeat to slow down and began, “I do not trust Voldemort. I am a dark wizard but his actions go beyond what I can condone. Albus Dumbledore was a meddling fool, but he may have been capable of defeating the Dark Lord, and that alone rendered me incapable of killing him.”

“I had concluded as much, but I have been too thorough in your Occulmency instruction, and I was unable to be sure. What I am about to tell you would mean instant death to either of us should Voldemort find out. I need you to swear a wizard’s oath that you will keep this information to yourself, regardless of what you decide to do.” Snape replied

Draco thought this over for a very short time and took his wand out, pointing it at his chest he swore, “I Draconis Malfoy solemnly swear to keep your secret.”

Seeing the glow at the end of Draco’s wand Severus continued, “As you know I bear the dark mark. I was a loyal Death Eater; I carried out my missions with extreme prejudice, and zero mercy. However, the events surrounding the death of Potter’s parents caused me to doubt Voldemort’s motives. In the dead of night I went to Dumbledore and turned spy. For the past seventeen years I have been playing both sides of the fence. This evening my mentor, knowing he was already dying, and about to be finished at the hands of one of his students, asked me to kill him so that you would not bear the burden.”

Draco started to interrupt, “But he didn’t…..”

“Please let me finish Draco. Dumbledore let me into his mind. Something happened to him while he was off with Potter in search of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. He was weakened severely and did not believe he would last much longer. We knew of your order to kill him, and had planned to meet with you before that could happen and ask you to become a spy like myself, but we were too late. Draco, there may not have been much love lost between yourself and the headmaster, but as he did with all of his students, he considered you to be one of his children. What has been done to you and will be done to the children of many other Death Eaters, angered him greatly.” Severus stopped to give Draco some time to absorb all of this.

“Uncle Sev, what do you want me to do? I failed my mission tonight and it is a very real possibility that I could end up dead tonight. You know as well as I do that the Dark Lord does not take failure lightly.” Draco said running his hands through his hair.

“If you decide to become a spy, we will go before Voldemort tonight. I will tell him that I was present and that you did not have a clear shot, leaving me with no option but to carry out his orders myself. You will bow before him, and, keeping your mind blocked, you will beg his forgiveness, pledge you undying loyalty and take his mark. Draco taking the mark of Voldemort will hurt more than you can imagine but you must not flinch. Being the son of Lucius Malfoy, and my Godson, He expects great and terrible things of you. You must give him no reason to doubt your resolve.” Snape laid it all out for him.

Draco stood, the fear evident in his eyes quickly extinguished, and setting his jaw he gave his Godfather a short nod, “Let’s get this over with, I guess my non-existent child hood is over,” he said with a mirthless laugh.

*******

Hermione looked at the boys in front of her. One of them was a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix, and the other, his lover.

“I’m okay guys. You took me by surprise of course, but I think that it was that wave coming off of you that really threw me. What was that?” she said.

“We’re not exactly sure, it’s been happening ever since we became involved at the end of the fourth year. Generally we are able to control it when there are other people in the same building with us. We weren’t thinking Mya, I apologize.” Blaise said.

“Mione, I know you don’t really want to relive that moment but I have to ask you. I felt like there was a corresponding wave coming back off of you. What were you feeling when you walked in?” Draco asked her, his slate colored eyes piercing her toffee ones.

Hermione abruptly stood up which was a bad idea because she got very dizzy and fell forward. They caught her under her arms and set her back on the couch. She was not going to get out of answering this question. “Draco could you get me a cigarette please?” she asked.

Draco grabbed her cigarettes and lighter and brought them to her, pulling one out he put it in his mouth and lit it for her.

She took a long drag on it, and pulled her knees to her chest to make herself feel more secure as she was about to spill her guts. “Draco, you made it your mission in life to make mine miserable. In spite of the fact that I started out loathing you, I have spent the past three years fancying you. When I hit you in the third year, what you really deserved was a good hex. Did you ever wonder why I didn’t use my wand?”

Draco nodded in agreement.

“Well, what I really wanted to do was touch you, and that was the only way I could get away with it. Brief as it was, I felt the sparks.” She finished.

“I felt it too. As you know I don’t embarrass easily, but that was the first time I had a particular problem in front of my mates. If I hadn’t been so turned on I probably would have come up with a good comeback.” Draco said.

“He talked about nothing else for weeks,” Blaise added.

Hermione turned towards Blaise, “I didn’t really notice you before fifth year Blaise. I don’t know if it had something to do with your involvement with Draco, but there was something different about you at the beginning of fifth. I think you had more self confidence and finally started stepping out of the safety of Draco’s shadow. So to sum up, I fancy both of you. But I was dating Ron, and both of you were supposed to be my enemies. And, even if dating either of you wasn’t socially unacceptable how was I supposed to choose?”

“Mya, what did happen with Weasley? It was a widely accepted fact that you were destined for one another.” Blaise said.

“Ron is my best friend. I will always love him, but there is no chemistry between us. Frankly it was like I was kissing my brother. I don’t think he felt the same, I think he still fancies me, but he knew something was off and he respects my feelings.” She explained, stubbing out her cigarette. “And on that note I think I am going to turn in.” she said, standing more slowly this time.

“We’re not done here Mione; we haven’t told you how we feel yet. But I do think it’s a good idea for you to rest, it’s been quite a day.” Draco said.

The boys helped her into her room and tucked her in which she thought was really sweet. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought to herself, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen next. This is certainly turning out to be interesting.’