FIC: The Darkest of All Lies (Draco Malfoy/Luna Lovegood)
Title: The Darkest of All Lies
Author: arjd
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood
Prompt number: 10
Word Count: 1450
Rating: R
Warnings: Blood, implied (canonical) torture
Summary: Draco must make Luna trust him by Samhain.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author’s Notes: Massive thanks to my beta D, you are amazing as always. The title is from a quote by Alfred Tennyson: "A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies."
The Darkest of All Lies
"You need to make Luna Lovegood trust you," Lucius Malfoy said.
Draco stared at him.
"Why?"
"The Dark Lord has plans, Draco. We need Lovegood - she will lure the Potter boy, and we can use her as leverage to stop her father from printing that ridiculous magazine of his."
"Does it have to be me?"
Draco was in too deep. Everything had gotten real too quickly. He was seventeen, for Merlin's sake! He should be doing things other normal seventeen year olds did, like getting drunk for the first time and having sex. Instead, his cellar was being made into a torture chamber and he could see the strain showing in his own face. The mirror was a traitor to him.
It had all been fun when he was younger. They had had the run of Hogwarts; he, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini, and with their families and their connections, nothing could touch them. But then they grew up and were introduced to the adult world, where the Dark Lord had truly returned, and Aunt Bellatrix was utterly, utterly insane, and the Dark Mark on Draco's arm burned in the night.
"It must be you, Draco. You will return to Hogwarts in four days, and I expect we will have the Lovegood girl by Samhain."
* * *
The only thought going through Draco's mind as he approached Hogwarts was about how he had failed the last task given to him. When you were a Death Eater, nothing was certain, and he was sure that the Dark Lord would not hesitate to kill him should he fail - or no, that was too simple. Torture, perhaps. Or maybe it would not even be Draco himself, but his mother. The thought made tears come to Draco's eyes, but thankfully he had taken a carriage to himself, declaring that he needed solitude to think how he could best implement the Dark Lord's plans. He was in fact doing the opposite, and thinking desperately how he could get out of doing them.
He'd never liked Loony Lovegood, but he'd never really had anything against her either. She was one of Potter's friends, and surely that had to count against her, but he couldn't bring himself to hate her, or even to look down on her as he was sure his family did. In the past, he had thought of her with contempt, but in these times he envied her. She always seemed happy, or at the very least unburdened.
Still, he thought of his mother. He knew the sacrifices she had made for him. Luna Lovegood would have to be a sacrifice he made for her.
* * *
The second Saturday of term, he let her find him in the Forbidden Forest. After some covert questioning in the Slytherin Common Room upon his arrival, Draco had discovered that she liked Thestrals, and even came down to pet them sometimes He'd taken a trip to the library and found out how to lure them, and he waited for her to approach, blood dripping from his hand, surrounded by Thestrals, and crying.
They had a strange kind of beauty, he thought, now that he could see them after all these years. Draco never really liked animals, but these were so quiet and calm, unlike that stupid giddy hound that halfbreed Hagrid had, or the dangerous restlessness of Hippogriffs. But then they did represent death, after all, and death was peace. He hadn't looked at the old man after Snape had killed him, but he had looked into the face of Charity Burbage, and she looked peaceful. Her pain was over.
Sometimes Draco wished for the peace of death, now.
He had begun crying when Luna found him. It wasn't difficult to make himself cry, but he tried to tell himself it was just for show.
"Oh," she said. He was feeding a Thestral one of the strips of meat he had ordered from the kitchens from one hand, and another of the creatures was licking the blood that still ran freely from the wound on the other.
He looked up at her, as if surprised.
"Help me," he whispered, but it was so quiet that he didn't know if she had heard him, or just seen
his lips move. Unflappable as always, she turned and walked away.
Draco did not see this as a failure, but simply the first stage of his plan.
* * *
He saw her around Hogwarts in the fortnight following, but did not approach her. The looks she gave him were bland, almost considering, but she kept to herself. Not many Ravenclaws had returned to Hogwarts; most Muggleborns or half-bloods had gone into hiding. Draco knew his father and his fellow Death Eaters were hunting them down, as Draco was wandering from class to class, avoiding his homework. He didn't see much point in paying attention to much schooling; he was here for one thing and one thing only. As soon as the job was done, he would return to Malfoy Manor and resume his duties as a good Death Eater and son.
The job, the job, the job. It ate away at him. It was already approaching the end of September, and he had only one month left of the deadline his father had imposed. He didn't think he could do it. It was a slow game, a long game, a reluctant game-he was playing with Luna.
He didn't have to work hard to make her feel sorry for him, in looks at least. The mirror told him each and every day how he was wasting away, becoming more and more gaunt. The shadows under his eyes deepened with each day that passed.
* * *
He found her in the library, and simply slipped a note into her warm hand that said, "Help me, please".
She looked up at him, startled at his cold touch, her blue eyes even wider than usual. He looked away from her, and walked away.
* * *
Samhain came and passed, and Luna Lovegood made no move towards him. He'd left it long enough by now. She was one of Potter's, she should have tried to help him. He'd made himself convincing enough, hadn't he? He'd even managed to half-convince himself. He saw her in the Great Hall at meals sometimes and tried to meet her eyes, but she never seemed to be looking at him. She often gazed at the stars at night, he noticed.
* * *
He found her at the top of the Astronomy Tower, after hours. He didn't know how she'd gotten up there without the Carrows noticing; they were patrolling tonight. He found himself admiring her
bravery.
"Luna, please," he whispered. "You have to help me. You have to get Potter, Granger… Please."
She looked at him, and then held out her hand. He took it, cold tonight, as cold as his own. He found himself believing his own lies. He'd never really thought much of her, but tonight Luna looked beautiful. After all these months of watching her, studying her, he'd never really looked at her.
"I don't know how I can help," she said. "I haven't heard from Harry and the others in ages."
"Come with me," he said. "We'll go away, go into hiding. I can't… my father… the Dark Lord… I just want it all to go away."
"I can't go," said Luna. "My father… They'll take my father."
"No, Potter will protect your father. I promise. He has to."
"Can you get a message to Harry?" she asked. Her big eyes looked anxious. Draco lifted his hand and brushed a hair off her cheek. She flinched.
"I hope so," he said. "Can you leave now?"
She turned her head and he noticed a bruise forming on the side of her face, previously hidden by shadow. No wonder she'd jumped when he touched her.
"Yes," she said.
* * *
They almost made it out of Hogwarts grounds, almost. Draco held tight to Luna's hand as they ran, and then he saw a cloaked and hooded figure step out of the shadows. He pulled Luna to a stop.
"Well done, Draco," said his father. "This will cause much less fuss than forcibly taking her from Hogwarts."
"Father, please," begged Draco. "Don't hurt her."
"I won't hurt her," said Lucius Malfoy as he incapacitated Luna with a silent Petrificus Totalus.
Draco heard soft laughter behind him, and turned.
"I can make no such promises," purred his aunt Bellatrix.
He fell to his knees and clutched at the soil in despair. All he could see was Luna's terrified face as they took her away.
Author: arjd
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood
Prompt number: 10
Word Count: 1450
Rating: R
Warnings: Blood, implied (canonical) torture
Summary: Draco must make Luna trust him by Samhain.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author’s Notes: Massive thanks to my beta D, you are amazing as always. The title is from a quote by Alfred Tennyson: "A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies."
The Darkest of All Lies
"You need to make Luna Lovegood trust you," Lucius Malfoy said.
Draco stared at him.
"Why?"
"The Dark Lord has plans, Draco. We need Lovegood - she will lure the Potter boy, and we can use her as leverage to stop her father from printing that ridiculous magazine of his."
"Does it have to be me?"
Draco was in too deep. Everything had gotten real too quickly. He was seventeen, for Merlin's sake! He should be doing things other normal seventeen year olds did, like getting drunk for the first time and having sex. Instead, his cellar was being made into a torture chamber and he could see the strain showing in his own face. The mirror was a traitor to him.
It had all been fun when he was younger. They had had the run of Hogwarts; he, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini, and with their families and their connections, nothing could touch them. But then they grew up and were introduced to the adult world, where the Dark Lord had truly returned, and Aunt Bellatrix was utterly, utterly insane, and the Dark Mark on Draco's arm burned in the night.
"It must be you, Draco. You will return to Hogwarts in four days, and I expect we will have the Lovegood girl by Samhain."
* * *
The only thought going through Draco's mind as he approached Hogwarts was about how he had failed the last task given to him. When you were a Death Eater, nothing was certain, and he was sure that the Dark Lord would not hesitate to kill him should he fail - or no, that was too simple. Torture, perhaps. Or maybe it would not even be Draco himself, but his mother. The thought made tears come to Draco's eyes, but thankfully he had taken a carriage to himself, declaring that he needed solitude to think how he could best implement the Dark Lord's plans. He was in fact doing the opposite, and thinking desperately how he could get out of doing them.
He'd never liked Loony Lovegood, but he'd never really had anything against her either. She was one of Potter's friends, and surely that had to count against her, but he couldn't bring himself to hate her, or even to look down on her as he was sure his family did. In the past, he had thought of her with contempt, but in these times he envied her. She always seemed happy, or at the very least unburdened.
Still, he thought of his mother. He knew the sacrifices she had made for him. Luna Lovegood would have to be a sacrifice he made for her.
* * *
The second Saturday of term, he let her find him in the Forbidden Forest. After some covert questioning in the Slytherin Common Room upon his arrival, Draco had discovered that she liked Thestrals, and even came down to pet them sometimes He'd taken a trip to the library and found out how to lure them, and he waited for her to approach, blood dripping from his hand, surrounded by Thestrals, and crying.
They had a strange kind of beauty, he thought, now that he could see them after all these years. Draco never really liked animals, but these were so quiet and calm, unlike that stupid giddy hound that halfbreed Hagrid had, or the dangerous restlessness of Hippogriffs. But then they did represent death, after all, and death was peace. He hadn't looked at the old man after Snape had killed him, but he had looked into the face of Charity Burbage, and she looked peaceful. Her pain was over.
Sometimes Draco wished for the peace of death, now.
He had begun crying when Luna found him. It wasn't difficult to make himself cry, but he tried to tell himself it was just for show.
"Oh," she said. He was feeding a Thestral one of the strips of meat he had ordered from the kitchens from one hand, and another of the creatures was licking the blood that still ran freely from the wound on the other.
He looked up at her, as if surprised.
"Help me," he whispered, but it was so quiet that he didn't know if she had heard him, or just seen
his lips move. Unflappable as always, she turned and walked away.
Draco did not see this as a failure, but simply the first stage of his plan.
* * *
He saw her around Hogwarts in the fortnight following, but did not approach her. The looks she gave him were bland, almost considering, but she kept to herself. Not many Ravenclaws had returned to Hogwarts; most Muggleborns or half-bloods had gone into hiding. Draco knew his father and his fellow Death Eaters were hunting them down, as Draco was wandering from class to class, avoiding his homework. He didn't see much point in paying attention to much schooling; he was here for one thing and one thing only. As soon as the job was done, he would return to Malfoy Manor and resume his duties as a good Death Eater and son.
The job, the job, the job. It ate away at him. It was already approaching the end of September, and he had only one month left of the deadline his father had imposed. He didn't think he could do it. It was a slow game, a long game, a reluctant game-he was playing with Luna.
He didn't have to work hard to make her feel sorry for him, in looks at least. The mirror told him each and every day how he was wasting away, becoming more and more gaunt. The shadows under his eyes deepened with each day that passed.
* * *
He found her in the library, and simply slipped a note into her warm hand that said, "Help me, please".
She looked up at him, startled at his cold touch, her blue eyes even wider than usual. He looked away from her, and walked away.
* * *
Samhain came and passed, and Luna Lovegood made no move towards him. He'd left it long enough by now. She was one of Potter's, she should have tried to help him. He'd made himself convincing enough, hadn't he? He'd even managed to half-convince himself. He saw her in the Great Hall at meals sometimes and tried to meet her eyes, but she never seemed to be looking at him. She often gazed at the stars at night, he noticed.
* * *
He found her at the top of the Astronomy Tower, after hours. He didn't know how she'd gotten up there without the Carrows noticing; they were patrolling tonight. He found himself admiring her
bravery.
"Luna, please," he whispered. "You have to help me. You have to get Potter, Granger… Please."
She looked at him, and then held out her hand. He took it, cold tonight, as cold as his own. He found himself believing his own lies. He'd never really thought much of her, but tonight Luna looked beautiful. After all these months of watching her, studying her, he'd never really looked at her.
"I don't know how I can help," she said. "I haven't heard from Harry and the others in ages."
"Come with me," he said. "We'll go away, go into hiding. I can't… my father… the Dark Lord… I just want it all to go away."
"I can't go," said Luna. "My father… They'll take my father."
"No, Potter will protect your father. I promise. He has to."
"Can you get a message to Harry?" she asked. Her big eyes looked anxious. Draco lifted his hand and brushed a hair off her cheek. She flinched.
"I hope so," he said. "Can you leave now?"
She turned her head and he noticed a bruise forming on the side of her face, previously hidden by shadow. No wonder she'd jumped when he touched her.
"Yes," she said.
* * *
They almost made it out of Hogwarts grounds, almost. Draco held tight to Luna's hand as they ran, and then he saw a cloaked and hooded figure step out of the shadows. He pulled Luna to a stop.
"Well done, Draco," said his father. "This will cause much less fuss than forcibly taking her from Hogwarts."
"Father, please," begged Draco. "Don't hurt her."
"I won't hurt her," said Lucius Malfoy as he incapacitated Luna with a silent Petrificus Totalus.
Draco heard soft laughter behind him, and turned.
"I can make no such promises," purred his aunt Bellatrix.
He fell to his knees and clutched at the soil in despair. All he could see was Luna's terrified face as they took her away.