Fiction - Never turn your back on me (Harry Potter) P27
INFO and links to previous parts.
Thanks to off_that_bridge for beta. (At this point it's a rush beta job.)
Feedback would be very nice.
27. Home Again
The manor was silent and dark. The front doors stood askew, as though some great beast had smashed through them. The left door hung from a single hinge and the right one barely had enough wood on it to be called a door. Most of the rooms were completely obliterated. The kitchens were all rubble, and almost the entire upper levels were gone.
Draco stood and stared up at the devastation that was once Malfoy Manor. His ancestral home, his legacy which was once so grand, looked barely liveable. There was nobody here. He'd searched everywhere. He hadn't found anybody; not even a house elf remained. The coating of dust on what furniture had survived told him that it had to have been some time since anyone had set foot in the stone abode.
He'd somehow managed to make it back here undetected. If anybody were looking for him, they surely would have found him by now. He'd been at the manor for over three weeks, walking aimlessly around the grounds of what was left of his home.
He'd found the tombstone just a few days after he'd returned. It was plain, with nothing but his mother's name and her birth date along with the date when she'd died crudely chiselled into the marble slab. Most days he went there for at least an hour just to talk to her. He'd been amazed that somebody had actually buried her on Malfoy soil, and had marked her grave. He'd shed no tears. There were no tears to shed. There was only a numbness that seemed to grow as each day passed.
Draco supposed the Malfoy name was most likely hated throughout the wizarding world. They hadn't been a favourite to begin with. Now, after what Snape had done, not just to Dumbledore but most recently having snatched the Black Star from the great Harry Potter's grasp, Draco was sure he would soon be sharing a cell in Azkaban with his father.
Yet nobody came. Draco walked the empty halls, occasionally slipping on a cloak to make his way into the nearby town for the basic supplies. He hid easily and never ran into anybody who might want to make a name for themselves with the capture of a notorious criminal. He'd been lucky so far. Draco knew it was only a matter of time before somebody recognised him.
Draco set his purchases down on the only table that hadn't been broken. The table stood in the main room on the first floor of the manor. The room was enormous and had once served as both a dining area and, on some occasions, a ballroom. The heavy black drapes that where once immaculate now hung in tatters. Shreds of cloth lay scattered on the dusty floor. Draco hadn't bothered to clean up any of the mess. He mostly occupied one room, his own bedroom on the second floor. It was one of the rooms that had managed to make it through the devastation unscathed.
Almost all of his garments had survived, though his school things were still at Hogwarts. Luckily he had extras of everything, even a wand. It had been a habit of his mother's to always be prepared for every eventuality, including the loss of a wand.
Today Draco had actually risked purchasing a copy of the Daily Prophet. He needed to know what was happening out there. Snape had made no contact with him since he'd deserted Draco in that forest.
Draco stepped around a dark stain on what was once a deep green carpet. It was now mostly brown from dirt and possibly something else. He tried not to wonder what that something else could be. He told himself that it wasn't blood.
He pushed his hood back and turned to find a dark figure in the corner of the room. Draco's heart leapt in his chest. He hadn't bothered to reset the wards on the mansion. He wasn't even sure how to perform most of the spells that his parents had used to protect their home.
The figure stepped into a stream of sunlight that fell on the floor.
"It's me," said Potter. He wore wizard robes now, and what looked like a new pair of converse. Draco made note of every detail all at once. Potter's hair was its usual state of messy disarray, and he was nervously plucking at a thread on his sleeve that had come unravelled.
"I don't have the ring," Draco sneered and narrowed his eyes. Potter only nodded. He looked much too relaxed for somebody who was here to take Draco into custody.
Draco had left his wand up in his room. It was a foolish thing to do, but the last few weeks had been so calm that Draco had not even thought to take it with him when he'd left that morning. He'd not used it at all since he'd returned, too afraid that the magic would be detected. He'd hoped the manor would just be left abandoned by all.
"I'm not here for the ring," said Potter. He walked slowly toward Draco and stopped just a few feet away.
"Snape destroyed it," Draco muttered. At first, when he'd come home, he'd decided that no matter what, he wasn't going to tell Potter what had transpired, but now it seemed utterly pointless. Staring into those green eyes, Draco wished so many things had gone differently.
Draco turned away, shoulders slumped. He should have realised long ago that he'd been defeated even before he was born.
"Really?" Potter said much too casually. Draco turned to stare into Potter's brilliant green eyes. Potter should have been much more excited by this news, yet he didn't seem so at all.
"It seems I was everybody's dupe," Draco added. He exhaled sharply.
"No," Potter said as he reached out to place a hand on Draco's shoulder.
They both turned at the sound of crashing noise in the outer room. Potter stepped away from Draco and stared at the doorway.
"There you are," Granger called out. She stepped over a small pile of rubble and straightened her robes. "I thought Ron was mad when he told me where you were." Granger stopped in her tracks when she saw Draco standing just a few feet from Potter. Following closely behind her, was Weasley. He also wore dark robes and held his wand up, pointing it at Draco when he spotted him.
"We've brought reinforcements," Weasley practically snarled. His youngest sister, Ginny also entered the room. She held her wand up, though not as steadily as her brother. It was a veritable Gryffindor reunion. Outnumbered and outgunned.
"Harry!" Ginny shouted and rushed across the room to throw her arms round Potter's neck. "It's been so long."
Draco swore Weasley was gloating as his sister hugged Potter tightly and kissed his cheek.
Thanks to off_that_bridge for beta. (At this point it's a rush beta job.)
Feedback would be very nice.
27. Home Again
The manor was silent and dark. The front doors stood askew, as though some great beast had smashed through them. The left door hung from a single hinge and the right one barely had enough wood on it to be called a door. Most of the rooms were completely obliterated. The kitchens were all rubble, and almost the entire upper levels were gone.
Draco stood and stared up at the devastation that was once Malfoy Manor. His ancestral home, his legacy which was once so grand, looked barely liveable. There was nobody here. He'd searched everywhere. He hadn't found anybody; not even a house elf remained. The coating of dust on what furniture had survived told him that it had to have been some time since anyone had set foot in the stone abode.
He'd somehow managed to make it back here undetected. If anybody were looking for him, they surely would have found him by now. He'd been at the manor for over three weeks, walking aimlessly around the grounds of what was left of his home.
He'd found the tombstone just a few days after he'd returned. It was plain, with nothing but his mother's name and her birth date along with the date when she'd died crudely chiselled into the marble slab. Most days he went there for at least an hour just to talk to her. He'd been amazed that somebody had actually buried her on Malfoy soil, and had marked her grave. He'd shed no tears. There were no tears to shed. There was only a numbness that seemed to grow as each day passed.
Draco supposed the Malfoy name was most likely hated throughout the wizarding world. They hadn't been a favourite to begin with. Now, after what Snape had done, not just to Dumbledore but most recently having snatched the Black Star from the great Harry Potter's grasp, Draco was sure he would soon be sharing a cell in Azkaban with his father.
Yet nobody came. Draco walked the empty halls, occasionally slipping on a cloak to make his way into the nearby town for the basic supplies. He hid easily and never ran into anybody who might want to make a name for themselves with the capture of a notorious criminal. He'd been lucky so far. Draco knew it was only a matter of time before somebody recognised him.
Draco set his purchases down on the only table that hadn't been broken. The table stood in the main room on the first floor of the manor. The room was enormous and had once served as both a dining area and, on some occasions, a ballroom. The heavy black drapes that where once immaculate now hung in tatters. Shreds of cloth lay scattered on the dusty floor. Draco hadn't bothered to clean up any of the mess. He mostly occupied one room, his own bedroom on the second floor. It was one of the rooms that had managed to make it through the devastation unscathed.
Almost all of his garments had survived, though his school things were still at Hogwarts. Luckily he had extras of everything, even a wand. It had been a habit of his mother's to always be prepared for every eventuality, including the loss of a wand.
Today Draco had actually risked purchasing a copy of the Daily Prophet. He needed to know what was happening out there. Snape had made no contact with him since he'd deserted Draco in that forest.
Draco stepped around a dark stain on what was once a deep green carpet. It was now mostly brown from dirt and possibly something else. He tried not to wonder what that something else could be. He told himself that it wasn't blood.
He pushed his hood back and turned to find a dark figure in the corner of the room. Draco's heart leapt in his chest. He hadn't bothered to reset the wards on the mansion. He wasn't even sure how to perform most of the spells that his parents had used to protect their home.
The figure stepped into a stream of sunlight that fell on the floor.
"It's me," said Potter. He wore wizard robes now, and what looked like a new pair of converse. Draco made note of every detail all at once. Potter's hair was its usual state of messy disarray, and he was nervously plucking at a thread on his sleeve that had come unravelled.
"I don't have the ring," Draco sneered and narrowed his eyes. Potter only nodded. He looked much too relaxed for somebody who was here to take Draco into custody.
Draco had left his wand up in his room. It was a foolish thing to do, but the last few weeks had been so calm that Draco had not even thought to take it with him when he'd left that morning. He'd not used it at all since he'd returned, too afraid that the magic would be detected. He'd hoped the manor would just be left abandoned by all.
"I'm not here for the ring," said Potter. He walked slowly toward Draco and stopped just a few feet away.
"Snape destroyed it," Draco muttered. At first, when he'd come home, he'd decided that no matter what, he wasn't going to tell Potter what had transpired, but now it seemed utterly pointless. Staring into those green eyes, Draco wished so many things had gone differently.
Draco turned away, shoulders slumped. He should have realised long ago that he'd been defeated even before he was born.
"Really?" Potter said much too casually. Draco turned to stare into Potter's brilliant green eyes. Potter should have been much more excited by this news, yet he didn't seem so at all.
"It seems I was everybody's dupe," Draco added. He exhaled sharply.
"No," Potter said as he reached out to place a hand on Draco's shoulder.
They both turned at the sound of crashing noise in the outer room. Potter stepped away from Draco and stared at the doorway.
"There you are," Granger called out. She stepped over a small pile of rubble and straightened her robes. "I thought Ron was mad when he told me where you were." Granger stopped in her tracks when she saw Draco standing just a few feet from Potter. Following closely behind her, was Weasley. He also wore dark robes and held his wand up, pointing it at Draco when he spotted him.
"We've brought reinforcements," Weasley practically snarled. His youngest sister, Ginny also entered the room. She held her wand up, though not as steadily as her brother. It was a veritable Gryffindor reunion. Outnumbered and outgunned.
"Harry!" Ginny shouted and rushed across the room to throw her arms round Potter's neck. "It's been so long."
Draco swore Weasley was gloating as his sister hugged Potter tightly and kissed his cheek.