Obsession

Chap. 12 - CALL IT TROUBLEÂ

I woke up not having a clue about where I was or why I was there. And then it all came back to me with a full force, like a Bludger on the stomach. Some guy of the Ministry had come to have me arrested. I was doomed. They would take me to Azkaban, that horrible place that some of the most renowned humanists in the wizarding society were trying so hard to shut down. They would suck up my soul, they would break me. And I had been so close... Harry had almost confessed his feelings for me. Why was life so unfair to me? Why did I have to suffer like this?

I was in deep, deep trouble. But I wasn't in Azkaban yet. I was in a small room of Hogwarts, alone. I didn't know my crimes yet - which was totally unfair - but soon I would. Besides, I had an idea about what they would be. I had set on fire some compromising papers against my father just because he asked me to. At the end of everything, just a little before Lucius had been arrested, he pleaded for my forgiveness and I was too weak to deny that to him. Then he asked me to put an end on a few papers that were hidden in his office. I did it. I knew I would burn in hell for that, but I couldn't help them to incriminate my father.

I didn't know what was in those papers. Honestly, I didn't want to know.

"Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore, entering the room.

"Professor."

"They want to take you."

"I know."

"I won't let them." He smiled.

Then he explained to me what I was being accused of. I was right. Those damn papers. That damn moment of weakness. Someone had seen me burning them. Ryan Farley, my first lover. I hated him so much. He had made my life a living hell when we were together. Finally, father had put a stop to my madness. I'd never heard of Ryan again until now. But how could he be a witness against me? How could he know about the papers?

"Does Harry know?" I asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter threatened to make a huge scandal if they didn't let him stay in my office."

I wished the floor would open up at my feet and swallow me inside. I was so ashamed. Harry would hate me now. Â

"He wants to see you," Dumbledore informed me. "Should I let him in?"

Yes! No, wait. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I didn't want to see the hate in his eyes. I...

"I don't know."

"Mr. Malfoy, if you want an advice, let him in."

So I did. As he entered, Dumbledore let us alone. We stared at each other for a long time. I saw his confusion. His eyes were pleading for me to tell him that those were all lies and that I was innocent. Oh, Harry, how I wished I could do just that. But I wasn't innocent. I'd never been. I was a Malfoy.

"Did you do it?" he asked.

I nodded.

"You destroyed evidences against your father," he stated and I nodded again. "I thought you hated him."

"I do. But in other ways, I don't. Can you understand me? I couldn't say no to him when he asked me... He said he was sorry for everything he had done to me. He wasn't a bad father all the time. He and I had good times together. And I'd been in his debt. He'd saved me from myself and my stupidity."

Then I explained to him all about Ryan and our sick relationship. I told him that when I first met Ryan, I was feeling like the worst human being on earth. My self-steam was very low, close to zero. Ryan was charming but a total bastard. He took advantage of every weakness I ever had. He almost broke me. But Lucius saved me from his obnoxious company. That was the debt I owed to my father.

I closed my eyes and expected for the big lecture that I knew I deserved. I expected Harry to shout how weak and vile I was and abandon me. But he did none of those things. He enlaced me from behind and rested his head on my shoulder. I turned around and saw understanding in his eyes. I hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go.

"He didn't see me, Harry. He couldn't have! He wasn't even in my house that day! My father had forbidden him from taking even one step into the Malfoy lands. And those papers... they wouldn't make a difference. My father is arrested already! The Ministry has enough evidences against him for a lifetime! It's all Ryan's fault! He wants revenge against me!"

"I won't let him."

Something was burning in Harry's eyes. I saw the loathing burning his entrails.

"Do you hate me?" I asked.

"Of course not." He stroked my face. "I don't know if what you did was right or wrong, but who am I to judge you? I don't hate you, Draco. But I'm very close to hurting this Ryan guy for everything he had done to you!"

He wanted to protect me. That was so sweet.

"He wants to hurt you once again, that's obvious. I won't let him."

"What can you do, Harry?"

He stared at me with determination. "I can do a lot of things. Just wait and see."

"But..."

He kissed me hard. "I'll come back later. Right now I have a lot of work to do."

And he left.

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Not a day had gone by and I was feeling like a bird trapped in a cage. The room was all right and all of the teachers were trying to make it as comfortable as possible but I was still trapped. I hated that! I didn't have my wand with me, Harry hadn't returned... The only one who came to keep me some company was Hermione.

"Harry is busy. But he asked me to let you know that he'll be back soon."

"Back? He's not here? Where is he?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because he told me not to."

"Oh, that's just priceless!" Damn him!

I knew it was useless to make her talk because she wouldn't. She was loyal to Harry and she was a Gryffindor.

"At least you can tell me what's going on, right?"

"No, I can't, for a very simple reason. I don't know what's going on." She didn't seem pleased with that. "Harry took Ron with him in his journey to Lockham prison and...," she stopped talking all of a sudden. "Dammit! I shouldn't have said that!"

My heart was almost coming out of my mouth.

"He went to Lockham prison? That's where my father is! What's he up to? And Dumbledore let him go all by himself? I mean, honestly, Ron is not much of a bodyguard. And Lockham is not a maximum-security prison like Azkaban. It's not safe!"

"It's safe enough. And Snape went with them."

Well, at least that! Snape was used to dealing with bad guys and Lockham was full of them. Just to think of Harry in there... Harry was their number one enemy - most of the prisoners were there because of their liaison with Voldemort. Oh, God! It was all my fault! He was there because of me!

"Stop it, Malfoy!"

"What?"

"You're blaming yourself. Don't! That was exactly why Harry didn't want you to know."

Harry and his hero complex... I sighed.

"What can I do? I'm stuck here! No one tells me anything! And now Harry went to the first place he should avoid at all cost! What's he doing there? I can't think of a good reason. Only my father but... why would he talk to Lucius?"

"I don't know, Malfoy! You'll have to wait. I'm not happy with this either! I hate to be left out!"

 I sat next to her. "I hate it, too."

"Is it true what they're saying about you? Harry told everyone you're innocent."

Oh, Harry. You shouldn't have. Harry Potter, the goody-goody, was lying for me. I hated myself for that.

"I'm as innocent as I can be, Granger," I grimaced.

"Fair enough."

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Close to midnight, someone walked into the room. It was Harry and he had a black eye. I instantly pulled out of the bed and went to stand next to him. What the fuck was that?

"What happened? Why are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Don't patronise me, Harry!"

"I'd been in a fight with Farley. He's a filthy snake! The things he said... I couldn't hold myself. I had to punch him! He hit me though. But I hurt him bad!"

"Are you mad? Do you want to be arrested, too?"

"He provoked me first! Everybody saw it! Besides, the Ministry is not very convinced about his reliability as a witness anymore. He has a bad record with the muggle police. Fights, rapes..." Harry shuddered when he said that. "Did he..."

"Yes." It was my time to shudder.

"Draco..." He held me. "I'm sorry."

"Why? It wasn't your fault."

"He's such a sick bastard! I don't know why the Ministry listened to him in the first place!"

"He can be charming when he wants to." I said bitterly.

"Well, he wasn't charming today. He was drunk and pathetic."

"It's good to know. You should go to Madam Pomfrey."

"In a minute. I wanted to come here first."

I buried my nose in his hair. "Why did I make those stupid 'Potter Stinks' badges in our forth year? You smell so good..." I kissed his neck and heard him giggling. "Of course, back then I was only a brat. I liked you but I couldn't admit it."

We kissed quite slowly.

"I came here to bring you a message from Dumbledore," he said. "Tomorrow you're going to have a trial."

"So soon?" I panicked.Â

"It's actually good. The Ministry knows they're wrong about you."

"But they're not."

"You know what I mean. Farley is not a good witness. And someone will testify in your favour."

"Who?"

"Your father."

"My father? So that is why you went to Lockham prison then."

He made a face. "Hermione told you."

"Yeah, she did. Don't get mad at her."

"I won't."

"Did you talk to Lucius, Harry?"

"Yes. It was an awkward conversation, to say the least. But we made an agreement. He said he will testify in your favour by telling the board you never had anything to do with his business or with the Death Eaters. He'll also tell them that Ryan Farley was a total bastard to you and that he's acting out of revenge."

I was stunned. My father would do that for me. I was guilty though and that was killing me.

"What's wrong? Aren't you relieved to know this?" Harry asked.

"How the hell does Ryan know about those papers, Harry?"

"He was one of the guys who helped the Ministry find your father. He was there the day Lucius was arrested and he saw you."

"Then why did he take so long to turn me in?"

Harry didn't say anything but he looked at me very serious.

"What?"

"He found out about you and I and he got really pissed."

"How? Who told him?"

"I have no idea but I'll find out who it was."

"So, he's making all this fuss because..."

"He's jealous. He's obsessed about you. He's a sick bastard! He thinks you'll come back to him."

"That's why you fought him," I stated.

"That was one of the reasons, yes," he admitted uncomfortably. "He wanted to blackmail you."

"To come back to him."

"Yes. And if you did, he would drop the charges against you."

Fuck.

"I'm so ashamed about all of this," I sighed.

"Please, don't be." He hugged me. "We all have our sins."

He kissed me so softly and tenderly that every bone of my body melted away.

"I have to go but I'll be with you tomorrow."

"Really?"

Couldn't I just stop acting like an insecure moron? Apparently not.

"Yes. And by tomorrow you will be free."

I hoped he was right.