A Boy Named Draco - Chapter 33/39 Repost
Chapter 33
“Breathe Krummy. Just breathe. Come on! You know it is our duty. Don’t be afraid --the House will help us.”
Oblina was rubbing Krummy’s shoulders while Ickis went searching for the anti-nausea potion.
It had not been a good morning for the most timid of the Malfoy elves. Things had been getting worse for the past few days and I was all they could do to contain it. The Manor was angry and they would have to act very soon.
They had lost seventeen rooms already and several more where on the process of sealing themselves up. The wine cellar had soured the French vintage and the staircases had begun to shift out of place. Portraits had lost their subjects and the specter of Delphinus Malfoy roamed the halls bellowing French curses in the wee hours of the night.
All the bathrooms had disappeared.
It was time.
The potion that Ickis gave Krummy had been laced with a little calming draught. All three elves held hands as they headed to the wing where all the Death Eaters were assembled.
Voldemort sat in his throne with Yaxley and Dolohov besides him. Bellatrix had been banished to the further corner of the room where she played with her hair and looked up nervously every time someone mentioned the name Harry or Draco.
Theodore sat by the fireplace and tried to keep the flames from dying out. He wasn’t having much luck and only a few embers remained. He tried to mimic the precise wand movement that Lucius had taught him to command the manor but it was useless. The power remained elusive and he had a sinking feeling as to why this was so. The wards didn’t work for him and now there were three house-elves glaring at the assembled Death Eaters from the doorway.
“LEAVE NOW!” All three shouted in unison. Krummy’s eyes were closed and Ickis was holding Oblina’s hand tightly.
Dolohov and Yaxley took out their wands as the room started to quake. Theodore ducked under a side table when the newly repaired chandelier started swinging. The white friezes came to life and the tiny carved soldiers along the walls shook their wands at the wizards. A delicate Sevres horse hurled itself at the invaders and only Yaxley’s quick wandwork kept them from being pelted by hard paste porcelain. The collection of German Rosewater Ewers that lined the mounted shelves all exploded into silver gilt shreds. Clouds of soot rose from the fireplace and darkened the area as if someone had scattered a vial of Peruvian darkness powder.
The chandelier crashed to the ground sending tiny fragments of crystal flying everywhere. A wandless Bellatrix ran screaming from the room with Theodore at her heels. Large spidery cracks appeared in the domed ceiling. Each releasing a little shower of dust and gold flakes as the tremors strengthened.
Then Voldemort’s chair started to lift itself off the ground. Dolohov clung to the legs and tried to force it back down. The ghost of Delphinus Malfoy pulled down his pants and Dolohov landed on Yaxley with his bare bum on the Death Eater’s face.
The Dark Lord barked out spells as the chair started spinning midair. The elves looked on mesmerized as a squadron of marble garden nymphs climbed through the open windows and headed towards the fallen Death Eaters. Their stone arms seized them and effortlessly tossed out both onto the grounds.
Only Voldemort remained. Chunks of ceiling rained down on him. He snarled and slashed his wand up and down in an attempt to still the wards. The walls started to cave in. With an angry cry he dissapparated out of the manor.
The elves cheered as the manor started to immediately right itself. The room stopped shaking and the ceiling became whole once more. The portraits descended on their frames and the dust cleared. The ancient Malfoy wards stilled as if waiting for their new master.
“You know what this means?” Oblina asked grinning.
Ickis clapped his hands and Krummy did a little dance.
Now all they had to do was wait.
XxXxXx
It was a strange feeling being invisible. He walked next to Harry and matched his steps as closely as he could. They were draped under James Potter’s invisibility cloak.
Hermione, polyjuiced as Bellatrix Lestrange, led the group followed by a transformed Ron Weasley. She stopped before a nondescript wall in front of them and pulled out the Death Eater’s wand from her robes. Draco bit back a surprised yelp when the bricks began to whirl and spin. A hole appeared in the middle of them, which grew wider and wider until it formed an archway onto Diagon Alley.
It was Draco’s first time in the fabled street. He had anticipated the marvelous shops where brilliant things like wands and potions were sold. Harry had told him about Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream parlor and the Magical Menagerie. He wanted to see the new Firebolt at Quality Quidditch supplies.
But the street was almost deserted. Many shops were boarded up and only those dedicated to the Dark Arts were still functioning. Dejected looking witches and wizards sat on the abandoned stoops. Their hands were raised in hopes of a spare sickle or a knut. Beggars --- Draco thought and a deep sadness settled in his heart. Everything was so wrong.
As they moved through the street the wandless beggars shrank away from Hermione’s polyjuiced form. Draco could tell that this bothered her but she trudged on with her head held high like Bellatrix.
At last they came to stand in front of Gringotts’ massive doors. Hermione and Ron took deep breaths and went inside holding the door open briefly so that Harry and Draco could enter unnoticed. The faux Bellatrix stepped forward in front of an attending goblin.
“I wish to enter my vault” she said as haughtily as she could.
“You have… identification?” he asked.
“Identification? I --- have never been asked for that before.” She exclaimed - displeasure was thick in her voice.
Harry began to panic and without thinking it twice whispered “Imperio”. The goblin adopted a goofy smile and called out for the Clankers.
A few minutes later they all sat in a little cart that dove through the labyrinthine passages sloping downward all the time. It was difficult to hear anything over the rattling of the cart on the tracks but Harry could feel Draco’s rapid breathing. He grabbed his hand under the cloak and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The squib leaned against him slightly.
They reached the deeper parts of the caverns where the stalagmites rose in jagged points from the mineralized floors. Ron gasped when he saw a waterfall arching over the path ahead of them but could not stop the cart. Water spurted on them knocking the cart out of its track. The vehicle crashed against the rocky wall sending all its occupants to the floor.
Harry was the first to react and pulled Draco to his feet. They both gasped when they saw that Hermione and Ron no longer looked like the Death Eaters they had been impersonating.
“The water must have washed away the effects of the potion” Hermione established as she leaned against Ron. Her eyes held fear in them. “We must assume that they know we are here --- and that they have set their defenses on us. We have to get out of here”
Harry recast Imperio once more on the goblin to have him follow them. They sprinted through the crevice-ridden pathways of the ancient bank. Harry held on to Draco’s hand as to not lose him and saw that Ron did the same for Hermione. And they turned a corner and saw the thing for which Harry had been prepared, but which still brought all of them to a halt.
A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast looked neglected and the milky color of its eyes gave away that it was blind. Heavy cuffs imprisoned his legs but they did not hinder him when he spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway.
The unperturbed goblin took out his clankers and the dragon retreated immediately. With the same breath he moved towards the vault that the dragon had been protecting and put his hand in the imprint of the massive door. Immediately the door slid open and the group walked in.
Harry wasted no time “Find the cup” was his only instruction to his allies.
As expected, Bellatrix had charmed the contents of the vault. The galleons and priceless items were protected with very strong magic. As soon as Hermione gripped a likely chalice it multiplied so that the original was no longer accessible.
“What do we do?” asked Ron.
“Don’t touch anything else… and keep looking.” Harry ordered.
It was Draco who saw the small unassuming cup sitting on a high shelf. The carved badger was visible.
“Good job Draco. Now how do we get it down? It must be attuned to Bellatrix and the Dark Lord” Hermione assured them.
Draco thought for a moment and without saying a word he climbed the shelf and pulled the cup down. The remaining trio looked on with bewildered expressions. “Ill explain --- someday.” He said evenly.
They rushed out of the vault in time to see the goblin shake the last vestiges of its curse.
“Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!” He vanished into the midst of the advancing crowd of goblins, all of whom were holding daggers.
Harry knew that there was only one way out now.
The tethered dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flames flew over the goblins. They fled. Pointing his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the beast to the floor, Harry yelled.
“Relashio!”
The cuffs broke open and Harry dragged his group towards the path directly in front of him.
“Harry --- Harry--- what are you doing?” cried Draco.
“Get up, climb up, come on---”
Too shocked to contradict him, Hermione, Ron and Draco climbed on the dragon’s back. Harry dug in his knees and hung to the greenish scales as the dragon opened his wings. He could hear Hermione screams as the dragon knocked the assembled goblins aside and soared into the air. Its wings scraped the ceiling as it instinctively dived toward the passage opening.
The dragon opened its mouth and its fire blasted the tunnel open. The ceiling was demolished as the dragon fought its way to it to freedom. Draco held on to Harry’s waist tightly. Hermione spelled the pathway even larger and at last the dragon freed itself from the Gringotts vault.
Goblins and wizards shrieked and ran for cover as the marbled floors and ceilings of the hallway came tumbling down. The dragon continued its single-minded journey. Freedom beckoned with tantalizing scents on a sensitive nose. The creature forced its way through the impenetrable metal doors into Diagon Alley where with an overjoyed burst of strength it spread its wings and soared into the sky.
They climbed higher and higher. London became a kaleidoscope of green and gray. The cool breeze soothed Harry and calmed his overwrought nerves. Somehow they had managed the impossible. Behind him Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing in relief. Only Draco remained quiet. Harry turned slightly to see his friend no longer clinging to him but holding his arms out just like a bird in flight. His eyes were closed and the wind tousled his blond locks. The wizard’s eyes softened in understanding. It was the first time Draco had flown.
The dragon climbed higher and higher until they were flying through the clouds. They soared through the flowering countryside and clear blue lakes.
“When he gets low enough into the water we have to jump.” Harry yelled over the loud wing-flapping.
They all agreed. Hermione rather faintly but when the time came they all followed Harry’s lead.
The drop was greater than they thought so they plummeted hard into the cold water. They emerged, spluttering and gasping to see the Dragon fly on to its sought-for-haven. Harry searched for Draco who was paddling to his side.
With much effort they made unto the slippery glass of the shore. Hermione and Ron sank to their knees while Harry tumbled into Draco. Tired green eyes met warm grey and for a moment it was only the two of them. Without thinking… without knowing exactly why their moistened lips sought one another and Draco Malfoy had his first kiss.
TBC.
Author’s note: Sorry it took so long. I was on vacation. Then I was recuperating from vacation. Hope to have the next chapter out soon. Please keep on commenting.