Legacy

A/N: I do not own. I’m just borrowing.



Legacy




Chapter 6




He ran, stumbling in his haste to get away from the scene in the courtyard. His father’s anguished cry echoed mercilessly in his head. He paused a moment, retching. Anger burned deep in his veins begging for release. A muggle soldier came around the corner almost colliding with the blond wizard. Before, the muggle could react Draco had him by his throat and casually snapped his neck, tossing the body aside.

He stood there breathing heavily, looking down at the body of the man he had so ruthlessly killed, and felt no remorse. Movement down the hall drew his attention. He took off running, his pace quick, the need to destroy forefront in his thoughts. He saw a dark figure and lashed out with a kick without a second thought.

“Draco! Stop!”

The words of his intended target penetrated the haze of revenge that surrounded him. He blinked.

“Blaise?”

His old friend muttered a quick healing spell on his knee before standing straight.

“Yeah, mate. It’s me.”

Draco sighed in relief. “Man, I was ready to go out of my head back there! Have all of those machine things been destroyed?”

Blaise nodded. “Magic is working just fine all over this base.” He took a moment to observe the heir to the Malfoy fortune.

“I’m sorry.”

Draco looked at the dark man in surprise. “Sorry for what?”

Blaise sighed deeply. “For not being more specific in my explanation regarding Granger’s condition.”

Anger flashed in Draco’s eyes. The dark haired man seeing the look in his friend’s eyes continued with his explanation.

“We couldn’t risk the mission being botched because of emotion. Granger is too closely tied to just about everybody in the council, and we wouldn’t be successful in our rescue if we all went off half-cocked, like bloody Gryffindors.”

Draco remained quiet, sensing that his long-time friend had more he wanted to say.

“Did you know that once I realized who was tied to that stake in the courtyard, I almost shifted out of my animagus form? To see her, so helpless, so injured, it was a massive shock to the system. Hermione has always been one of the strongest members of Eredita, and to see her reduced to such a state was, well, it was unbelievable.”

“What did you want to do when you saw her?” Draco asked quietly.

“Kill every last fucking muggle in this hellish place. She has, or I should say had been missing for over three weeks. I don’t want to imagine what she has gone through at the twisted hands of her own people during that time.”

The blond nodded his understanding at Blaise’s explanation. Both of the former Slytherins continued down the hall in search of the captive witches and wizards.

“Besides, I sure didn’t want to be on the receiving end of your father’s anger when he found out about his partner’s true condition.”

Draco snorted. He couldn’t agree more.




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Nikolai paced his cell restlessly. The sound of an explosion rocked his stone prison sending sheets of dust and pebbles raining down. He snarled in response, eyes glowing gold. He breathed out slowly as he concentrated his magic on opening his cell door bracing himself for the backlash.

None came as the door to his prison swung open. He smiled grimly and without a backwards glance entered the hallway. The flashing lights and the wail of the muggle alarms were deafening out in the corridor. With a growl, he waved his hand shattering the source of both the wail of the siren and the disturbing red light. He turned his attention to the other cells on his level. Once again, he waved his hand and all of the doors opened with a grating sound. He only hoped his sister Seren was here and he watched carefully as the few prisoners on this level stumbled confusedly out of their cells. She was not among them.

“You are free.” He announced in a firm voice. “Get out while you can.”

Dumbfounded looks greeted him before the realization set in the drawn faces of the former prisoners. Hope alighted in their eyes as they started moving down the hall towards the exit and their freedom.

Nickolai turned and ran towards the stairwell at the other end of the hall. He looked up and down the stairs, attempting to feel his sister’s presence. Shrugging, he decided to go down, deducing that their captives would hold the stronger prisoners below. Luckily, he had only been taken three days ago, not long enough for them to establish his strength. He had been correct in not showing the extent of his true power, just letting them see a fraction of it.

He shuddered at the memory of his sister kneeling with a gun pointed at her head while their muggle captors whipped a female prisoner. He had been forced to watch, along with several other prisoners on his floor, the televised event. If the man in charge expected his compliance after watching such a spectacle, he had another thing coming.

He recalled the horror and anger he had seen clearly in his sister’s golden eyes as she watched every lash fall on the victim. A sight, she should never have been forced to see. He growled low in his throat as he thought of their family’s reaction when they discovered this atrocity. One did not piss off the royal wizarding family of Greece and remain unscathed.

He continued his trek downwards deciding to start at the bottom and work his way up. Hopefully, he would get to kill a few of the pitiful muggles along the way. A wicked smile graced his handsome face.

He had no problem showing these pathetic humans what he could do.




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Draco coughed as more dust from the increasingly unstable structure rained down on them. They were now on the bottom floor of the complex. The past half hour had been spent finding and releasing any prisoners they had come across, and killing any muggle who stood in their way. They had run into Severus a while back and he relayed Potter’s instructions. He was impressed with the brutality of Harry’s order, but then again he also knew if he was in the green eyed wizard’s place, he’d do the same.

“Over here!” He heard Blaise shout from up ahead. He ran, dodging the wreckage of fallen cement and skittered to a stop at his friend’s side. He eyed the corridor in front of them noting eight cells. Not wanting to see any more of the pitiful conditions his fellow magical brethren had to live in, he steeled himself.

“Let’s go.”

One by one, they opened the cell doors, finding two empty. The remaining six prisoners ran out of their cells without hesitation. Draco’s attention was drawn to a stunning raven haired beauty whose golden eyes glowed with anger.

“We have to help her!” She shouted in a throaty voice.

Draco stepped towards her, hands raised in a non-threatening manner.

“Help who?” He asked gently.

She stared at him, taking in his handsome features before swallowing. “The witch they whipped. She was tied to a post in the courtyard!”

“How do you know about that?” He asked in surprise.

“They made us watch.” An older man said shouldering his way to the front of the ragtag group of prisoners. “They held us at gunpoint and made us watch as they whipped that brave woman.”

“All of you?” Blaise asked incredulously.

The raven haired woman shook her head. “Just us on this level. They thought it would teach us to be compliant.” She spat out.

Draco reeled from shock. “She has been released and taken back to our headquarters for treatment. She is a good friend of ours and will be taken care of.”

The older man sighed in relief. “Thank Merlin! I heard the guards say that the whole event was televised and all of the other prisoners here were forced to watch. We were worried about her. She was not allowed food or water and was refused medical treatment.”

“Do you know why she was whipped?” Blaise asked in both curiosity and anger.

The golden eyed woman shifted, her eyes sad. “Because of me. I was not cooperative and she intervened on my behalf causing her to be punished.”

“Sounds like Hermione.” Blaise muttered, shaking his head. Draco nodded his agreement.

“Don’t blame yourself. Hermione has always looked out for others even going so far as to make herself appear foolish just to save another’s feelings.”

“Seren!” A voice shouted from down the hall.

“Nickolai!” The raven haired woman ran full speed to the approaching man and flung herself in his arms.

He held her close, whispering to her softly. Draco raised a brow at the affectionate display wondering who he was to her.

Draco!

The blond wizard’s eyes became unfocused as he felt the mental link with Ron activate.

Where are you?

Blaise and I are on the bottom floor. We just released the prisoners on this level.

“What’s going on?” The woman named Seren asked as she and the man she embraced joined them.

“Draco’s speaking telepathically to his partner. We are awaiting instructions.” Blaise said impassively his gaze on his friend.

That’s all of them then. Use your portkey and return to base with them. We’re done here.

Understood.

He severed the link and looked at Blaise. “They are all out. Our orders are to portkey back to base.”

Blaise nodded drawing out an old muggle boot and enlarging it. “Grab hold everyone!” He ordered.

“I’ll apparate. Make sure they all get there safely.” Draco said.

Blaise nodded his understanding right before they disappeared from sight. Draco took one last look around him before he vanished with a loud CRACK.






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Harry and Ron hurried through the newly renovated building, intent on their goal. The medical floor. Safe inside of Eredita’s headquarters, both men allowed their worry to consume them. They passed Fred, George and Neville on the way and did not notice when they fell in line behind them.

Reaching the infirmary doors, they stopped as they took in the figure of a petrified Lucius Malfoy on the floor with Severus Snape and Remus Lupin standing guard over his prone form.

“It was for his own good.” Severus said without preamble answering the unasked question. “The state he was in was preventing Hannah from seeing to Hermione.”

“You know he will be royally pissed off when he is freed?” A new voice called out from behind them.

Draco came into view, his robes a disheveled mess.

“Of course.” Severus said unconcerned with that possibility.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Any word?”

Remus’s face was grim. “Not yet. Apparently her injuries were more severe than originally thought.”

Silence engulfed the group, each of their thoughts on the witch within.

“How bad was it?” Neville asked in a shaky voice.

“Do you really want to know?” The dark voice of the former Potion Master rang out.

Neville, Fred and George nodded uneasily.

“Very well.” Severus said before coming to a stop before them.

Harry looked away. He did not need to relive the horrific memory of his friend. He would live with it for the rest of his life. He watched as Draco knelt next to his father and quietly released him from his petrified state.

Lucius sat up in a flurry of movement and began to throw himself against the obviously spelled infirmary doors.

“Let me in!” He roared.

Remus placed a hand on the agitated man’s shoulder. “Lucius, you cannot do anything for her in this state. Calm down. Hannah Abbott is more than capable of looking after Hermione. Just to be sure that the best care was given, she also summoned Poppy from Hogwart’s. Hermione is in the best of hands.”

Lucius sunk to the floor, abandoning his usual regal stance. Weariness and concern washed over his handsome face.

“I know.” He said softly. Remus knelt next to him, concerned.

Harry, Ron and Draco sat opposite the duo, their backs against the wall for support. Their eyes were trained on the elder Malfoy.

Lucius ran a hand tiredly through his hair, releasing it from the leather binding. “It’s just, when I saw her, a vicious beast rose within me, untamed and uncontrollable in it’s rage. Never has something affected me so deeply, so thoroughly. Draco has been the only real love in my life, and now I find myself stranded, afloat in unfamiliar waters. My thoughts are constantly of her and it can never be. It will never be.”

Draco’s heart clenched at his father’s words. Finally, his father has found love, only to not be allowed to show it or act on it. Lucius’s position with the death eaters forbade it not to mention the fact that he was still married to that bitch of a mother.

Sadly, he looked to Ron seeing the same bleak expression on the red head’s face. It was heart wrenching to listen to his father so lost and without hope. And there was no hope they could give him. Not now, not for a long time, if ever.

“No!” Neville’s voice croaked turning his attention to the herbologist. He watched in detachment as the forms of Fred, George and Neville collapsed to their knees with tears streaming down their faces from the onslaught of Severus’s images.

“Mione!” Fred breathed in anguish. His twin remained still, face grey.

The doors to the infirmary flung open just then, a pale faced Hannah exiting. She stopped short, seeing the wizards and gathered her courage.

“We have done all we can for her. Besides the obvious wounds on her back, she suffered three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a fractured leg and a heavy concussion. She had massive internal and external contusions as well as numerous infected cuts. She also had all of the indications of a violent sexual assault. We managed to stop the internal bleeding and heal most of her wounds, but her fever has not abated. We gave her a blood replenishing potion for she was in desperate need of it due to her blood loss. I will tell you that her heart stopped twice during treatment and we are monitoring her condition very closely. I am afraid she is still unconscious. Our main concern now is getting her fever under control.”

She hesitated seeing the pain filled eyes of the wizards listening to her every word. “I fear that she may slip into a coma. The extent of her injuries were traumatic and it may be the only way for her to sub-consciously allow her body to heal. Unfortunately, we are not allowing visitors at this time.”

Her news settled heavily in the hearts of those around her. Some days she really hated her job.

“I have to get back to her. Poppy and I are on rotating shifts, keeping watch over her.”

She paused. “You will be glad to know that all of the prisoners escaped relatively unscathed. A few cases of dehydration and malnourishment, with minor cuts and bruises.”

Seeing that she would not receive a response, she entered the infirmary again, warding the door behind her. Her eyes drifted over to the pale form of Hermione Granger.

Yes. Some days she really hated her job.



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