One's True Nature

One’s True Nature


Chapter 9

All four men were determined in their steps as they walked into the large gated castle entrance. Draco and Harry both had put aside their awkward moment to focus on the task at hand. Draco still had the sneaking feeling that Seamus was leading them into a trap. He thought Blaise wouldn't be that stupid as to assume that Draco would blindly trust anyone who pretended to be on their side, or perhaps was on their side but had no control over their actions. He frowned as they came to a long hallway with large double doors, surely Blaise wouldn't have been this dumb. However, Draco hissed in annoyance at Ron and Harry, pulling them back.

"He's leading us into a trap." Draco's voice was one of pure amazement rather than shock.

"What?" Ron looked at him sideways, "How can you be sure?"

"See those runes etched on the walls?" Ron nodded. "They'll bind anyone without the passkey to the floor" Draco's voice sounded almost disappointed at Blaise's simple lack of effort. He was feeling impulsive and angry. He eyed Seamus as the man came back. He sneered at him in disgust.

"I'm sorry," Seamus said. "But you need to come with me now." He'd drawn his wand. Draco didn't make any move. He wasn't sure how the two friends of his might react. He jumped when Ron used a wordless stun spell to pull him down. Harry knelt beside the man and looked him over for something that might indicate what had afflicted him, but Harry already had a good idea of what it was. He was surprised at the nearly flawless execution of the Imperious curse, it'd been cast so well that Harry hadn't been able to tell, but Draco had a hint of it.

"I'll need a minute to free him." Harry said quietly.

Draco was too busy trying to solve the series of runes etched on the wall. They functioned as a combination, they had to be touched in a specific order to enter the room without a passkey. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind so he could focus. He ran each symbol through his mind and then positioned it in the correct direction on the wall. He mimed hand motions he would need to make. When he reached the last one, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"You two stay here." He said with deep brooding in his voice. "This is my fight."

Harry watched wide eyed, unable to react as Draco's wand moved with him and disabled the wards and spells. The speed was inhumanly fast and graceful at the same time, he didn't even have time to shout at the man until he stopped himself to open one of the double doors.

"Draco, wait!" Harry yelled after him, but he disappeared behind the door without a single slowed step at Harry's call. Harry swore in frustration as he continued to run his wand over Seamus, Ron was still standing there. He was just as amazed by Draco's skill as Harry, he'd only ever seen his dad with more elegant movements. He tried to take a moving photograph in his mind of what the blonde had done so they might follow him. This had just become more dangerous and he silently apologized to Hermione and Rose.

Draco entered the room and immediately noticed his surroundings. It had been one of the few useful lessons his father had given him when he was a boy. This was a room that was oddly similar to the great hall at Hogwarts. This room was completely empty but for a few items hanging on the wall and a large cage on the right side of the room furthest from the door. He was momentarily distracted by the small dirty blonde form on the floor of the cage. His heart clenched in anger and then he heard a voice.

"Ah, so you decided to come to our little party." A man in black plain robes appeared in front of the cage.

"Blaise, so help me, you will be sorry you ever took him." Draco spat with deep anger dripping off his words.

"Now now, no need to be too hasty, the boy is unharmed, I can't say my accomplices appreciated my protection off him, but I found him a rather refreshing personality, so different from his father. So much more, fearless." Blaise's smile was smug. Draco drew his wand. "Touchy aren't we Draco. The truth hurts does it?" Draco was now on the edge of uncontrolled fury. "So, come at me!" Blaise's smile only widened.

Draco moved forward at a calculated pace and fired a few spells. He watched as Blaise blocked them with childlike ease. It would take everything he had, Draco had feared Blaise because Blaise was the most gifted duelist in Slytherin his year. Draco hadn't dueled since Hogwarts. He pressed on, his mind racing for an advantage as he blocked a few spells of Zabini's. He only became angrier as the man's face continued to show a lack of interest in the battle. However, he soon realized his mistake. He felt every muscle in his body freeze solid. He closed his eyes.

"Pansy," He said in a calm voice. "I should have known."

"But you didn't, did you?" Her voice high and full of glee as she pried his wand from his paralyzed hand.

"Good work darling." Blaise's smile ever infuriating. He clapped his hands in excitement and Draco swore under his breath. Pansy had moved to the front of him now. She looked him up and down and smiled. Then she shook her head.

"He does resemble a woman, you're right about that Blaise." And she kissed him. He wanted to pull away, but the magic she used held him in place. "Oh, I do still love the way you kiss Dray." She said with sickening sweetness. Draco gagged.

"Pansy, that's enough for now." Draco watched as Blaise flicked his wand and he was pushed back against the wall near the double doors, he was surprised that it hadn't hurt when he hit. Another flick of the man's wand and Draco felt shackles on his wrists and ankles that anchored him to the wall. Blaise closed the distance between them. He was close, too close, Draco wanted to pull away. Blaise kissed him deep and hard. Then grabbed his crotch. Draco squirmed.

"Smphh...st..stop." Draco protested.

"You don't want me to stop." Blaise looked at him in the eyes, smiling with the same smug look as before.

"Come on Ron!" Harry shouted as Ron tried to concentrate on the sequence of movements one last time.

"Harry, shut up, this isn't exactly divination." Ron looked pained. "GOT IT!" His eyes snapped into focus and Harry watched in amazement as Ron moved in almost the same pace as Draco had. The wards were falling as he touched each rune with a jolt of magic. "Follow, now!" Ron called over his shoulder. He left Seamus who still lay unconscious and followed his friend. He hoped Draco was not in too far already.

"I have a surprise for you Draco." Blaise smirked. "Pansy, the boy if you please." Draco's fear moved through his entire body and wrapped around his chest and crushed his heart and lungs.

"No, please, just let the boy go, he hasn't done anything to you." Draco pleaded, his voice distorted by fear.

"I won't hurt him if you are worried of that Draco." His face turned awkward and soft. "He has something he wants to ask you however." Blaise crossed his arms in patient waiting.

Draco watched in fear as Pansy entered the cage and cast a spell to stir his son. She collected him under his right arm and walked him over to Blaise and his father. He looked dirty, tired, his eyes swollen from crying. Draco was on pins and needles, he always felt nervous around Scorpious and this wouldn't help that. The truth of the matter is their relationship was distant as father and son because Draco so feared turning into Lucius and wounding his son the way he'd been wounded as a child. He cursed and took a sharp breath as the boy's eyes met his.

Draco could see it in his eyes, disappointment? Betrayal? He winced as the gaze continued and Blaise put his hands on Scorpious' shoulders, the way a loving father might. He closed his eyes and fought the violent cry of pain he wanted to let out.

"There was something you wanted to ask your father wasn't there Scorpious?" Blaise asked with sickening gentleness and Draco barely stopped himself from screaming and thrashing against the chains. Scorpious looked him deep in the eye, deeper than Draco ever remembered since he'd been born.

"Dad, he showed me, ummm, stuff. Did you really hurt people?" The boy's voice was shaking and obviously confused.

Draco wanted to kill Blaise now. This wasn't fair, Scorpious didn't need to know the burden of the Malfoy name. He wanted to kill him so much, he just wanted to hug his son and tell him he was sorry, for everything.

"Son I-" But Draco was cut off before he could speak anymore when the door opened and in stepped Harry Potter.

"Let the boy go Zabini!" Harry said a hint of fury in his moderately loud words. He pointed his wand at the woman and man. "Now, send him to me!" Zabini's smile hadn't faded, in fact, Draco could swear he was laughing under his breath.

"Fine, I'm done with him anyway." The man said quietly and directed the boy to go to Harry's side.

Once the boy had closed a sufficient distance Harry whispered to him. "Mr. Weasley is outside waiting for you, don't look back son, keep straight ahead, I'll take care of this." The boy obeyed without a single movement of acknowledgement in Harry's direction. Ron was standing in the doorway. He collected the boy who collapsed against him in a heap of emotional exhaustion. He had his mind touched in ways that no one should endure.

"Why do you get to play the hero huh?" Ron whispered sharply into the room at Harry.

"Because, you need to bring the aurors here." He was speaking Parseltounge.

"Alright, but I'll be back Harry." Ron said sternly.

"If we're still alive, I'll welcome the company." He smiled as he finished speaking.

Then he turned a dark and furious gaze on the two people who had caused all of this. "Ok Blaise, fun's over."

Harry backed up to the center of the room as the wizard and witch circled him. He was fearful only because he knew that there must be other Death Eaters somewhere in the castle. He didn't like to be rushed in his fighting, he got careless if he was rushed. They attacked, it was just a 'test' flurry, but Harry didn't let that stop him from countering with his best attacks. Blaise only seemed to grin.

"Very good Potter, your reputation isn't all myth." He sneered in disgust.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Harry exclaimed with a bark of anger. He shot more spells that Blaise blocked with increasing difficulty. Harry could see he was sweating with effort after a third exchange. Pansy was trying to get directly behind him. When Blaise broke off his latest attack Harry spun and caught her with a furious stun spell and blown her high into a wall, into a mounted torch, where it pierced her back and ripped through the front of her chest. He hadn't intended to kill her, but he didn't have time for remorse. He turned his attention back to Blaise.

Draco watched in awe at the fearlessness of Harry's attack. He was mesmerized by it, then he noticed that his wand lay at his feet. He cursed at the sheer irony of the fact that his wand kept getting taken when things important happened. He figured he would wait, afraid to make a move that might distract Potter and give Blaise the advantage. It looked like a stalemate at the moment.

Both men were breathing hard. Harry realized they were equal, he was thrilled in one sense, but it was aggravating in another. He was about to cast another set of spells and jinxes when Blaise grinned.

"Potter, I admire your effort, I never thought I would have to use your only weakness against you." Blaise's voice was labored with exertion.

"What weakness would that be?" Harry smirked with the question. Then he realized he'd dropped his guard.

"Legilemens!" Blaise shouted and Harry dropped to his knees and smiled inwardly. He couldn't be doing this, he couldn't possibly think that Harry still had this weakness. How had he found out about this in the first place. He would have to find out. He played along allowing Blaise to see some of his memories, it was the perfect opportunity to plan his next move.

Draco watched in horror as Harry slumped to the ground with a distant look in his eye. Blaise had his back to Draco who knew he had to make his move. He struggled against the chains, with no such hope of becoming free. He tried to summon his wand, but it wasn't cooperating with him. He watched in agony as Harry's thoughts continued to be probed. He saw what Blaise was planing, somehow, he was levitating a dagger and it hung in the air, a deep black liquid dripped from it and Draco knew what was coming. He would have to make his move now. He felt his skin prickle and he let go of his magic. The chains evaporated, having been conjured using magic.

Harry knew it was close, he knew another few moments and he would have his opening. He waited, trying not to allow his emotions to interrupt Blaise's dedication to attacking his mind. He knew exactly what he was going to do when the dagger moved after him, but then, just before he could manage a single inch of movement, thin pale arms hugged him close and Harry heard the dagger pierce his flesh.

Draco smiled, he made it in time. He'd saved Harry. He felt himself fall into the man's arms and he looked up at him, unafraid of his gaze any longer. He reached up and cupped Harry's cheek.

"You were always saving me Potter," He said softly. "I figured I owed you." And he smiled an odd smile. "Harry, don't die." And then he fell into darkness. Harry gasped.

"Hold on Draco, you idiot." There were tears in his eyes, he knew he didn't have much time. He used his magic to slow Draco's heart rate. If it was basilisk poison, Harry knew he was in trouble. Blaise coughed. "I will kill you momentarily." Harry spat without looking at him and Blaise took a few steps back in amazed fear. Once he'd done all he could, he stood up and opened his eyes, angry and vengeful. Blaise stood his ground, shivering slightly. Harry lifted his wand and attacked so furiously that Blaise looked like a rag doll as the spells struck him, then, Harry took his mind. His eyes went black, he wanted to know who the other people were in this gang. He knew he was too emotional, he wanted to break the connection with Blaise's mind, but he kept feeding until someone grabbed him by the back around his shoulders.

"Harry, we've gotta go." Ron yelled in his ear, bringing him out of his trance.

Harry shook his head violently as he took the spell off, forcing himself to push the new memories aside for now. He didn't say a word, but knelt and picked up Draco's limp form in his arms. The man's breath came as a high pitched wheeze.

"Hold on, please, don't die." Harry said as he began to hold the man close to his chest as they left, Harry turned to see that Blaise was gone. He cursed in bitterness. He'd get him another time. He listened and Draco's pained breaths against him as they ran out to a group of aurors that would take it from here. He cursed again.

"I can take him sir!" One of the men shouted as Harry approached.

"No, he stays with me!" Harry snarled, not meaning to.

He didn't know how long a journey to St. Mungo's would take, but he was still the best flier in Britain and Draco's best chance to survive. Draco still breathed loud enough to hear as he took to the air and flew as fast as he remembered to St. Mungo's. He was praying, he was tormenting himself. If he hadn't have been so stupid, Draco wouldn't have done that. The worst part was the look in Draco's eyes when he told Harry not to die, it had been a look of deep affection or love. Harry was excited as they landed, desperate to get inside the hospital, then he realized something was missing from his ears.

Draco had stopped breathing.