Author’s Note: Please remember that this story began before book 6 was published. Though the story is obviously alternate universe because of the characters and their relationship, the parts that should be canon that are not are due to the time frame in which it was begun.
Oh, and the flashbacks are done…rest easy. ;)
CHAPTER 5: - A Shocking Discovery
Draco returned to the Manor shortly after dark. It was not unusual for him to be gone this long. However, he was still apprehensive about his mother discovering something awry so he crept up to his room to deposit the items before joining her for dinner.
The Malfoys prided themselves in their dining hall. Draco remembered many occasions that had been held in this very room. Other Death Eaters - those who hadn’t been sent to Azkaban - would grace the hall with their presence at least three or four times a year. His father would always sit at the head of the table, Narcissa on the left, Draco on the right. They discussed the day in which the Dark Lord would resurface and when their return to service might begin.
Now the hall felt very empty. The same guilt that he felt in the library haunted him again. His mother had insisted he take his father’s place at the head of the table. Even though now only he and Mother were sitting down to dinner, the thought of occupying his father’s place made him feel as uncomfortable as ever.
“Where did you fly today, Draco?” His mother questioned him as though she were, once again, concerned.
“Just over the trees and along the countryside.” He dished up some London broil that Neezle, the house elf in charge of the kitchen, had placed next to his plate. “I didn’t go far – yes, I was careful and no, I wasn’t seen.”
His mother smiled again as she had done earlier. “Am I that much of a nuisance?”
Draco hadn’t meant to be impudent. He immediately softened his expression and offered an apology. “I’m sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean to get cheeky about it.”
“Draco…” she paused. His mother seemed to be thinking very hard about what it was she was going to say. “I know it isn’t easy, now that your father is…away. I realize that you might be a bit apprehensive at the thought of the tasks you must do after your last year at Hogwarts. I sense a change in you.”
Draco was shocked. Did she have some idea?
He cleared his throat. He was frowning. “Mother I’m not sure I’m following you. Why do you think that I’m afraid of what it is I have to do? I have a few nights of difficult sleep and you write me off as a hopeless case?”
Narcissa looked slightly taken aback. She opened her mouth to respond and heard the distinguished bell ringing loudly through the foyer. She jerked her head toward the entrance of the dining room, forgetting their conversation. “Now who could that be?” Her dinner was pushed aside as she rose to greet the visitor at the door.
Draco picked at his food, lost in thought about his project. He leaned sideways in his chair to see that his mother was out of view. Sliding it back, he exited the dining room by way of the kitchen in hopes of finding Blinka there.
Neezle and Toshy were busy fixing the pudding. They took no notice of him. Blinka stood on a tall stool, pulling linens from a cabinet high above the large ovens. She saw Draco and abruptly dropped one of the linens. Draco assumed she was shocked at seeing him in the kitchen as he rarely saw this part of the manor.
“Master Draco, sir?” Blinka’s expression remained stunned.
Draco detected a bit of apprehension in her voice. He stooped to pick up the linen and reached above his head to hand it to her. She accepted it, with a questioning look in her eye.
“Is there anything I can get for Master Draco, sir?”
Draco turned to look at Neezle and Toshy. They were still absorbed in their culinary duties. “Come down here Blinka. I need to speak with you about something.”
There was a loud “pop” and Blinka promptly Apparated from her spot on the stool to the kitchen floor, a few inches in front of Draco.
“In here.” Draco motioned to the cupboard door next to the fireplace. Blinka followed him inside still looking deeply confused.
Draco pulled out his parchment with the list of ingredients. “I really need your help with something. I have to create this potion for…for school and there’s something on here that I’ve never heard of before.” He didn’t want Blinka to know what he was up to. The dream travel must remain a secret. Only he and Ginny would know about it.
She nodded her head and started to look at the parchment. Draco raised the parchment above her line of sight and began to explain. “I need to know what essence of barmillow is and exactly where I can get it.”
Blinka’s eyes were wide. “Oh Master Draco, sir, Blinka is not knowing if you should…” she stopped mid-sentence. It looked as though she was afraid to continue.
“What is it Blinka?” Draco’s voice was rather annoyed. “Is there a problem getting it?”
“Well, no sir. But if Mistress Malfoy knows you’ve used it she might --”
“I don’t care what Mother thinks,” Draco interrupted her. “You know I mix up potions all the time. If there’s any of this in the house I need you to find it for me.”
Blinka looked as though she were still hesitating but agreed. “Yes Master Draco, sir. I will get you essence of barmillow.”
“Thank you, Blinka.” It was the first time he’d remembered thanking a house elf. But he was so thrilled to have every ingredient for his potion that he almost couldn’t contain himself.
Blinka nodded again and opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind. He couldn’t understand why she was having such an issue with this. He dismissed the thought and opened the door to the cupboard. Turning again to address her he spoke, “Blinka, please leave the essence on the floor of my wardrobe. I will finish dining with Mother and I’ll need it later on this evening.”
Blinka stared at him for all of a brief second and once again agreed to his wishes. He left her in the cupboard and crossed over to the door that led back into the dining room. Draco stopped just short of gripping the doorknob. He heard hushed voices within. Ever so slightly, he cracked the door open and peered into the room.
“Peter, have you devised a way to move forward with Lucius’ escape?”
It was his Aunt Bellatrix speaking to someone he didn’t know. A rather short, squatty man was sitting by her at the dining table. Bellatrix Lestrange stood at the man’s shoulder.
Draco silently questioned their conversation.
The man began to speak. He seemed faint-hearted and rather unsure of himself.
“Yes, Madam Lestrange. The Dark Lord is finally having the Dementors dismantled from Azkaban soon. I am to be there with the Portkey to get Lucius and the others into hiding. They will be well hidden from the Order. “However,” his voice became more of a whisper, “once Draco and the other seventh year Slytherins have left Hogwarts we will move forward with his plan.”
Draco held his breath. He wondered what “plan” this man was referring to.
“That is excellent news.” His aunt spoke again. “Draco has been training for a moment like this his entire life, hasn’t he, Narcissa. He will not let us down.”
Draco’s stomach plummeted. His vision seemed to cloud over and he felt sure he would pass out, but he had to hear more. He steadied himself and held his ear to the door. It was his mother who spoke next.
“Are you sure that these children are ready to take on the Order after this year? Now that the Ministry is aware of the Dark Lord’s return they have more support than ever. They will be asked to kill, Bella, possibly their own classmates. I, for one, refuse to believe that Draco has the stomach for such things. He is unlike his father, no matter how much Lucius has tried to influence him.”
Draco’s focus returned to the crack in the door to see his mother’s expression. She held her chin high and glared at her sister directly in her eyes.
“Sissy, I assure you that Draco has every skill his father has and possibly more. I can feel it. He also takes after me.” She said these words more slowly, narrowing her eyes even more toward her sister. “You and Lucius have raised him to hate everything the Order stands for and you can be certain he will step into his position as planned.” She stood to face Narcissa.
Draco gasped at his mother’s next words to her sister. “I understand your urgency to please the Dark Lord, Bella dear. Had I let Harry Potter slip through my fingers at the Department of Mysteries I would fear replacement, as well. Let’s just hope the Dark Lord decides to find more use for you in the end.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. He’d had some idea that his mother and her sister were never terribly close, but he’d never heard her speak in this manner. He didn’t know whether to feel proud that she was defending him, or saddened by the fact that he might royally disappoint her in the end.
A noise behind Draco pulled him away from the crack in the door. Neezle and Toshy were preparing to enter the dining room with the pudding and he heard no more of the conversation. He quickly crossed to the other side of the kitchen and entered a small hallway that led back to the main part of the house. Once there he crept up to his room, prepared to give his mother the excuse that he wasn’t feeling well and had left long before the visitors settled themselves in the dining room.
He shut his bedroom door as quietly as he could and threw off his robes. His back dripped with sweat and he had no idea what he was going to do. It was true that he had expected this day to come, but hearing the conversation brought his thoughts back into reality…to the inevitable.
Draco didn’t have a moment to lose. What he needed most was to speak with Ginny. He just couldn’t think straight and knew that they could find a way together. He opened the door to his wardrobe and found a small flask of purple liquid on the floor. He could definitely give Blinka credit for being prompt.
Gathering up all of the ingredients, Draco entered his lavatory and spread them out onto the marble vanity top. He dug his cauldron out from under the bed and made ready to mix the substance. Just as he suspected, he heard his mother knocking on the door. She used the same soft voice to call for him…
“Draco? Darling, are you in there?”
Draco closed the door to his lavatory and slipped softly under the covers. A tiny creak and a beam of light shining from the hallway onto his face told him that his mother had opened the door. He held his breath steady and didn’t move. Her footsteps were light as she crossed the room to be near his bed. Laying her hand on his head she whispered, “Sleep well, my son. Hopefully your sleepless nights are over.”
He remained still until he heard the creak again and finally a latch to tell him the door was now shut. He opened his eyes. At least now he could work in peace. It would be tonight. Draco would mix the potion and visit Ginny tonight.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Add two parts dandelion root to three parts boomslang skin…simmer…stir three times counterclockwise…once clockwise…add four parts essence of barmillow…. Draco was saying each step to himself as he read the parchment carefully. He didn’t want to make a mistake. It took a little longer than he had hoped, but after an hour had passed the potion took on a deep red color and it was ready to add Ginny’s possession. He gathered up her Prefects’ badge from under his pillow and, cringing at the thought of ruining it, dropped it into the cauldron. It slowly sank beneath the surface of the thick brew.
“There,” Draco whispered. “That should do it. Now I just need to wait for the color to change once more…”
Draco tried to sit and picture Ginny’s face when she saw him. He imagined putting his arms around her, wondering if this would be close to the real thing. He glanced down into the cauldron and smiled with relief. The potion was a plum color. It was ready!
Pouring it into a small bottle, he corked it and shook it up for good measure. Draco’s patience wore thin as he hurried to clear up his mess. He needed to show no trace of it. Ginny’s badge lay at the bottom of the cauldron. It was still silver, but the acidity of the potion had eaten several holes in the metal. He rinsed it off so that he could return it under his pillow.
Several minutes later he took his masterpiece and crawled back into his four-poster. It would probably be in his best interest to lie down before he drank, not having any idea what would happen after he did so. The only thought that really plagued him was wondering how much he needed to drink for it to work. The book hadn’t said. Hopefully a good mouthful would be sufficient. He didn’t want to have to go to this much trouble mixing it up every night. Then again, he knew he would have to be asleep before it would take effect. He wanted to make certain he had enough or the entire night would be wasted.
After minutes of inner struggle, Draco decided on half the bottle. That way he’d be sure to have enough for the next night and he still had plenty of ingredients to mix up yet another batch. He grasped the neck of the bottle and pulled off the cork. The glass rim touched his lips and liquid began to ooze down his throat. It certainly wasn’t the most pleasant tasting thing he’d ever tried, but from the looks of Ginny’s badge he was grateful that his throat still seemed intact.
Draco took a deep breath. He corked the bottle again and stashed it under his pillow next to the badge. All he needed to do now was sleep. The rest would be up to his dreams.
Oh, and the flashbacks are done…rest easy. ;)
CHAPTER 5: - A Shocking Discovery
Draco returned to the Manor shortly after dark. It was not unusual for him to be gone this long. However, he was still apprehensive about his mother discovering something awry so he crept up to his room to deposit the items before joining her for dinner.
The Malfoys prided themselves in their dining hall. Draco remembered many occasions that had been held in this very room. Other Death Eaters - those who hadn’t been sent to Azkaban - would grace the hall with their presence at least three or four times a year. His father would always sit at the head of the table, Narcissa on the left, Draco on the right. They discussed the day in which the Dark Lord would resurface and when their return to service might begin.
Now the hall felt very empty. The same guilt that he felt in the library haunted him again. His mother had insisted he take his father’s place at the head of the table. Even though now only he and Mother were sitting down to dinner, the thought of occupying his father’s place made him feel as uncomfortable as ever.
“Where did you fly today, Draco?” His mother questioned him as though she were, once again, concerned.
“Just over the trees and along the countryside.” He dished up some London broil that Neezle, the house elf in charge of the kitchen, had placed next to his plate. “I didn’t go far – yes, I was careful and no, I wasn’t seen.”
His mother smiled again as she had done earlier. “Am I that much of a nuisance?”
Draco hadn’t meant to be impudent. He immediately softened his expression and offered an apology. “I’m sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean to get cheeky about it.”
“Draco…” she paused. His mother seemed to be thinking very hard about what it was she was going to say. “I know it isn’t easy, now that your father is…away. I realize that you might be a bit apprehensive at the thought of the tasks you must do after your last year at Hogwarts. I sense a change in you.”
Draco was shocked. Did she have some idea?
He cleared his throat. He was frowning. “Mother I’m not sure I’m following you. Why do you think that I’m afraid of what it is I have to do? I have a few nights of difficult sleep and you write me off as a hopeless case?”
Narcissa looked slightly taken aback. She opened her mouth to respond and heard the distinguished bell ringing loudly through the foyer. She jerked her head toward the entrance of the dining room, forgetting their conversation. “Now who could that be?” Her dinner was pushed aside as she rose to greet the visitor at the door.
Draco picked at his food, lost in thought about his project. He leaned sideways in his chair to see that his mother was out of view. Sliding it back, he exited the dining room by way of the kitchen in hopes of finding Blinka there.
Neezle and Toshy were busy fixing the pudding. They took no notice of him. Blinka stood on a tall stool, pulling linens from a cabinet high above the large ovens. She saw Draco and abruptly dropped one of the linens. Draco assumed she was shocked at seeing him in the kitchen as he rarely saw this part of the manor.
“Master Draco, sir?” Blinka’s expression remained stunned.
Draco detected a bit of apprehension in her voice. He stooped to pick up the linen and reached above his head to hand it to her. She accepted it, with a questioning look in her eye.
“Is there anything I can get for Master Draco, sir?”
Draco turned to look at Neezle and Toshy. They were still absorbed in their culinary duties. “Come down here Blinka. I need to speak with you about something.”
There was a loud “pop” and Blinka promptly Apparated from her spot on the stool to the kitchen floor, a few inches in front of Draco.
“In here.” Draco motioned to the cupboard door next to the fireplace. Blinka followed him inside still looking deeply confused.
Draco pulled out his parchment with the list of ingredients. “I really need your help with something. I have to create this potion for…for school and there’s something on here that I’ve never heard of before.” He didn’t want Blinka to know what he was up to. The dream travel must remain a secret. Only he and Ginny would know about it.
She nodded her head and started to look at the parchment. Draco raised the parchment above her line of sight and began to explain. “I need to know what essence of barmillow is and exactly where I can get it.”
Blinka’s eyes were wide. “Oh Master Draco, sir, Blinka is not knowing if you should…” she stopped mid-sentence. It looked as though she was afraid to continue.
“What is it Blinka?” Draco’s voice was rather annoyed. “Is there a problem getting it?”
“Well, no sir. But if Mistress Malfoy knows you’ve used it she might --”
“I don’t care what Mother thinks,” Draco interrupted her. “You know I mix up potions all the time. If there’s any of this in the house I need you to find it for me.”
Blinka looked as though she were still hesitating but agreed. “Yes Master Draco, sir. I will get you essence of barmillow.”
“Thank you, Blinka.” It was the first time he’d remembered thanking a house elf. But he was so thrilled to have every ingredient for his potion that he almost couldn’t contain himself.
Blinka nodded again and opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind. He couldn’t understand why she was having such an issue with this. He dismissed the thought and opened the door to the cupboard. Turning again to address her he spoke, “Blinka, please leave the essence on the floor of my wardrobe. I will finish dining with Mother and I’ll need it later on this evening.”
Blinka stared at him for all of a brief second and once again agreed to his wishes. He left her in the cupboard and crossed over to the door that led back into the dining room. Draco stopped just short of gripping the doorknob. He heard hushed voices within. Ever so slightly, he cracked the door open and peered into the room.
“Peter, have you devised a way to move forward with Lucius’ escape?”
It was his Aunt Bellatrix speaking to someone he didn’t know. A rather short, squatty man was sitting by her at the dining table. Bellatrix Lestrange stood at the man’s shoulder.
Draco silently questioned their conversation.
The man began to speak. He seemed faint-hearted and rather unsure of himself.
“Yes, Madam Lestrange. The Dark Lord is finally having the Dementors dismantled from Azkaban soon. I am to be there with the Portkey to get Lucius and the others into hiding. They will be well hidden from the Order. “However,” his voice became more of a whisper, “once Draco and the other seventh year Slytherins have left Hogwarts we will move forward with his plan.”
Draco held his breath. He wondered what “plan” this man was referring to.
“That is excellent news.” His aunt spoke again. “Draco has been training for a moment like this his entire life, hasn’t he, Narcissa. He will not let us down.”
Draco’s stomach plummeted. His vision seemed to cloud over and he felt sure he would pass out, but he had to hear more. He steadied himself and held his ear to the door. It was his mother who spoke next.
“Are you sure that these children are ready to take on the Order after this year? Now that the Ministry is aware of the Dark Lord’s return they have more support than ever. They will be asked to kill, Bella, possibly their own classmates. I, for one, refuse to believe that Draco has the stomach for such things. He is unlike his father, no matter how much Lucius has tried to influence him.”
Draco’s focus returned to the crack in the door to see his mother’s expression. She held her chin high and glared at her sister directly in her eyes.
“Sissy, I assure you that Draco has every skill his father has and possibly more. I can feel it. He also takes after me.” She said these words more slowly, narrowing her eyes even more toward her sister. “You and Lucius have raised him to hate everything the Order stands for and you can be certain he will step into his position as planned.” She stood to face Narcissa.
Draco gasped at his mother’s next words to her sister. “I understand your urgency to please the Dark Lord, Bella dear. Had I let Harry Potter slip through my fingers at the Department of Mysteries I would fear replacement, as well. Let’s just hope the Dark Lord decides to find more use for you in the end.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. He’d had some idea that his mother and her sister were never terribly close, but he’d never heard her speak in this manner. He didn’t know whether to feel proud that she was defending him, or saddened by the fact that he might royally disappoint her in the end.
A noise behind Draco pulled him away from the crack in the door. Neezle and Toshy were preparing to enter the dining room with the pudding and he heard no more of the conversation. He quickly crossed to the other side of the kitchen and entered a small hallway that led back to the main part of the house. Once there he crept up to his room, prepared to give his mother the excuse that he wasn’t feeling well and had left long before the visitors settled themselves in the dining room.
He shut his bedroom door as quietly as he could and threw off his robes. His back dripped with sweat and he had no idea what he was going to do. It was true that he had expected this day to come, but hearing the conversation brought his thoughts back into reality…to the inevitable.
Draco didn’t have a moment to lose. What he needed most was to speak with Ginny. He just couldn’t think straight and knew that they could find a way together. He opened the door to his wardrobe and found a small flask of purple liquid on the floor. He could definitely give Blinka credit for being prompt.
Gathering up all of the ingredients, Draco entered his lavatory and spread them out onto the marble vanity top. He dug his cauldron out from under the bed and made ready to mix the substance. Just as he suspected, he heard his mother knocking on the door. She used the same soft voice to call for him…
“Draco? Darling, are you in there?”
Draco closed the door to his lavatory and slipped softly under the covers. A tiny creak and a beam of light shining from the hallway onto his face told him that his mother had opened the door. He held his breath steady and didn’t move. Her footsteps were light as she crossed the room to be near his bed. Laying her hand on his head she whispered, “Sleep well, my son. Hopefully your sleepless nights are over.”
He remained still until he heard the creak again and finally a latch to tell him the door was now shut. He opened his eyes. At least now he could work in peace. It would be tonight. Draco would mix the potion and visit Ginny tonight.
Add two parts dandelion root to three parts boomslang skin…simmer…stir three times counterclockwise…once clockwise…add four parts essence of barmillow…. Draco was saying each step to himself as he read the parchment carefully. He didn’t want to make a mistake. It took a little longer than he had hoped, but after an hour had passed the potion took on a deep red color and it was ready to add Ginny’s possession. He gathered up her Prefects’ badge from under his pillow and, cringing at the thought of ruining it, dropped it into the cauldron. It slowly sank beneath the surface of the thick brew.
“There,” Draco whispered. “That should do it. Now I just need to wait for the color to change once more…”
Draco tried to sit and picture Ginny’s face when she saw him. He imagined putting his arms around her, wondering if this would be close to the real thing. He glanced down into the cauldron and smiled with relief. The potion was a plum color. It was ready!
Pouring it into a small bottle, he corked it and shook it up for good measure. Draco’s patience wore thin as he hurried to clear up his mess. He needed to show no trace of it. Ginny’s badge lay at the bottom of the cauldron. It was still silver, but the acidity of the potion had eaten several holes in the metal. He rinsed it off so that he could return it under his pillow.
Several minutes later he took his masterpiece and crawled back into his four-poster. It would probably be in his best interest to lie down before he drank, not having any idea what would happen after he did so. The only thought that really plagued him was wondering how much he needed to drink for it to work. The book hadn’t said. Hopefully a good mouthful would be sufficient. He didn’t want to have to go to this much trouble mixing it up every night. Then again, he knew he would have to be asleep before it would take effect. He wanted to make certain he had enough or the entire night would be wasted.
After minutes of inner struggle, Draco decided on half the bottle. That way he’d be sure to have enough for the next night and he still had plenty of ingredients to mix up yet another batch. He grasped the neck of the bottle and pulled off the cork. The glass rim touched his lips and liquid began to ooze down his throat. It certainly wasn’t the most pleasant tasting thing he’d ever tried, but from the looks of Ginny’s badge he was grateful that his throat still seemed intact.
Draco took a deep breath. He corked the bottle again and stashed it under his pillow next to the badge. All he needed to do now was sleep. The rest would be up to his dreams.
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