1 chaptered: Draco/Hermione
Title: Cry Salvation
Chapter Title: Interrogation
Words: 877
Rating: PG (chapter); R (eventually)
Characers/Pairings: Draco/Hermione
Warnings: character death, angst, implied sex, swearing, HBP spoilers like no other
Summary (of chapter): Hermione has to interrogate Draco, but wants to refused to believe the truth he has.
Author's Notes: Comments make me happy.
Draco knew he had to find someway to gain the upper hand mentally. He knew he should play with her emotions, try to outsmart her, but somehow he just couldn't find the strength to say anything. He stared at her as Hermione stared at him in silence.
This time Hermione gave into the silence. “Where have you been?” she asked point blank.
“I thought you said you’ve been seeing me follow you for three weeks now?” he replied arrogantly.
“Before that, Malfoy, before that,” she reiterated forcefully. “And,” she added, “start with right after you ran. And leave nothing out.”
Draco remained silent for a long moment and Hermione worried he would refused. She knew, realistically, he really didn’t have a choice but to comply, but that didn’t stop her from worrying.
Finally, to Hermione’s relieve, he sighed. “I was on the run.” When she opened her mouth to cut him off, he quickly went on. “I was running from Lord Votdemort for the most part.” Her eyebrows shot up to show her shock and curiosity at his statement. “You see, Granger,” he went on acidly. “I was told to kill Dumbledore myself --” he took note at the flash of pain at the deceased headmaster’s name “-- but I failed. Whether you know it or not, Voldemort doesn’t exactly accept failure very well. Snape, who hates Voldemort to my surprise, is being praised and sits at his right hand; I was forced to flee for my life. His other followers, the other Death Eaters, where ordered to kill me, but secretly, Snape helped me escape. I went to the only place I knew that was safe, London. But London isn’t safe, is it, Granger? Nowhere is safe... But I saw, by chance, you and your little friends walking one day and I followed. I can’t see where you retreat to every night, but I follow your group every time they leave.”
Hermione let the explanation, which was short, but filled with so much information, sink in before replying. “Snape doesn’t like Voldemort?” she said in a shocked whisper.
To her chagrin, he laughed. “He hates him. Dumbledore --” again he noted the flash of pain -- “was right about him all along, you know.”
“But -- but Snape killed Dumbledore?” she whispered weakly, her brain unable to wrap around the idea.
“Yes, he did,” Draco said dismissively. “But he didn’t do it before he wanted to. He did because he was told to.”
“But you said Voldemort told you to kill Dumbledore!” she said quickly, clinging to the hope that Draco was lying and contradicting himself.
“He did. But Dumbledore told Snape to kill himself.”
“What!” Hermione explained, shaking her head vehemently. “He wouldn’t! He couldn’t!”
“Oh, he wouldn’t, would he, Granger? The great Albus Dumbledore wouldn’t tell Snape that he refused to break the Unbreakable Vow, which with his magical prowess he could easily have done, so that I, an innocent in the headmaster’s eyes, wouldn’t become a killer?”
Hermione stared at Draco, her mouth slightly open still shaking her head, but slower. “No,” she whispered.
“You were all so quick to judge Snape. You were all so quick to say Dumbledore was wrong. Well, I have news for you: you were the ones that were wrong. Snape only murdered because Dumbledore wanted him to. He only murdered to protect me.”
Even in her disbelief, Hermione saw the pain, the wonder in Draco’s face as he said those words. She didn’t have the mental capacity to try to figure out why it shocked Draco so much, but she made a mental note to try to figure it out later. “But why did he run then?” she whispered.
Again, Draco laughed. “Why did he run? How could he have stayed, Granger?” Draco’s smug attitude was in place once again.
“He... he couldn’t have,” she realized. “We wouldn’t have believed him. We would have... probably killed him.”
Draco nodded. “So we did the only thing we could - we ran. And he’s at the one place he hates, but he’s safe. I, however, am not.”
Suddenly Hermione looked him square in the eye again. “You aren’t the murderer. You could ask for refuge with the Order.”
Draco laugh again. The laughter was hollow as it always was, but this time riddled with disbelief. “Ask for refuge? They’d kill me.”
“No they wouldn’t,” Hermione insisted. “As long as you pay for your crimes later, they will give refuge.”
Draco shook his head. “Why do you have so much faith in this Order of yours?”
“Because Dumbledore offered you refuge... and you were lowering your wand.”
He looked at her with an odd shock. Potter told them the truth? he wondered. After a moment of deliberation and coming to conclusion it was his only chance, he asked, “What if I say I want refuge?”
Hermione hadn’t thought he would actually agree. She had no idea how he would be received, but she knew, by looking at his haggard appearance, she had to try to help him. “I’ll plead your case.”
Draco wouldn’t believe his ears, but when he looked her in the eye, he knew he heard straight. And he knew he would find refuge. Slowly he nodded.
“I’ll go talk to the Order. She turned to go back, but then stopped. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back. I promise.”
Draco was left alone again in the park.
Chapter Title: Interrogation
Words: 877
Rating: PG (chapter); R (eventually)
Characers/Pairings: Draco/Hermione
Warnings: character death, angst, implied sex, swearing, HBP spoilers like no other
Summary (of chapter): Hermione has to interrogate Draco, but wants to refused to believe the truth he has.
Author's Notes: Comments make me happy.
Draco knew he had to find someway to gain the upper hand mentally. He knew he should play with her emotions, try to outsmart her, but somehow he just couldn't find the strength to say anything. He stared at her as Hermione stared at him in silence.
This time Hermione gave into the silence. “Where have you been?” she asked point blank.
“I thought you said you’ve been seeing me follow you for three weeks now?” he replied arrogantly.
“Before that, Malfoy, before that,” she reiterated forcefully. “And,” she added, “start with right after you ran. And leave nothing out.”
Draco remained silent for a long moment and Hermione worried he would refused. She knew, realistically, he really didn’t have a choice but to comply, but that didn’t stop her from worrying.
Finally, to Hermione’s relieve, he sighed. “I was on the run.” When she opened her mouth to cut him off, he quickly went on. “I was running from Lord Votdemort for the most part.” Her eyebrows shot up to show her shock and curiosity at his statement. “You see, Granger,” he went on acidly. “I was told to kill Dumbledore myself --” he took note at the flash of pain at the deceased headmaster’s name “-- but I failed. Whether you know it or not, Voldemort doesn’t exactly accept failure very well. Snape, who hates Voldemort to my surprise, is being praised and sits at his right hand; I was forced to flee for my life. His other followers, the other Death Eaters, where ordered to kill me, but secretly, Snape helped me escape. I went to the only place I knew that was safe, London. But London isn’t safe, is it, Granger? Nowhere is safe... But I saw, by chance, you and your little friends walking one day and I followed. I can’t see where you retreat to every night, but I follow your group every time they leave.”
Hermione let the explanation, which was short, but filled with so much information, sink in before replying. “Snape doesn’t like Voldemort?” she said in a shocked whisper.
To her chagrin, he laughed. “He hates him. Dumbledore --” again he noted the flash of pain -- “was right about him all along, you know.”
“But -- but Snape killed Dumbledore?” she whispered weakly, her brain unable to wrap around the idea.
“Yes, he did,” Draco said dismissively. “But he didn’t do it before he wanted to. He did because he was told to.”
“But you said Voldemort told you to kill Dumbledore!” she said quickly, clinging to the hope that Draco was lying and contradicting himself.
“He did. But Dumbledore told Snape to kill himself.”
“What!” Hermione explained, shaking her head vehemently. “He wouldn’t! He couldn’t!”
“Oh, he wouldn’t, would he, Granger? The great Albus Dumbledore wouldn’t tell Snape that he refused to break the Unbreakable Vow, which with his magical prowess he could easily have done, so that I, an innocent in the headmaster’s eyes, wouldn’t become a killer?”
Hermione stared at Draco, her mouth slightly open still shaking her head, but slower. “No,” she whispered.
“You were all so quick to judge Snape. You were all so quick to say Dumbledore was wrong. Well, I have news for you: you were the ones that were wrong. Snape only murdered because Dumbledore wanted him to. He only murdered to protect me.”
Even in her disbelief, Hermione saw the pain, the wonder in Draco’s face as he said those words. She didn’t have the mental capacity to try to figure out why it shocked Draco so much, but she made a mental note to try to figure it out later. “But why did he run then?” she whispered.
Again, Draco laughed. “Why did he run? How could he have stayed, Granger?” Draco’s smug attitude was in place once again.
“He... he couldn’t have,” she realized. “We wouldn’t have believed him. We would have... probably killed him.”
Draco nodded. “So we did the only thing we could - we ran. And he’s at the one place he hates, but he’s safe. I, however, am not.”
Suddenly Hermione looked him square in the eye again. “You aren’t the murderer. You could ask for refuge with the Order.”
Draco laugh again. The laughter was hollow as it always was, but this time riddled with disbelief. “Ask for refuge? They’d kill me.”
“No they wouldn’t,” Hermione insisted. “As long as you pay for your crimes later, they will give refuge.”
Draco shook his head. “Why do you have so much faith in this Order of yours?”
“Because Dumbledore offered you refuge... and you were lowering your wand.”
He looked at her with an odd shock. Potter told them the truth? he wondered. After a moment of deliberation and coming to conclusion it was his only chance, he asked, “What if I say I want refuge?”
Hermione hadn’t thought he would actually agree. She had no idea how he would be received, but she knew, by looking at his haggard appearance, she had to try to help him. “I’ll plead your case.”
Draco wouldn’t believe his ears, but when he looked her in the eye, he knew he heard straight. And he knew he would find refuge. Slowly he nodded.
“I’ll go talk to the Order. She turned to go back, but then stopped. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back. I promise.”
Draco was left alone again in the park.