Labelled Caustic

Chp. 12 Facing The Truth

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[Continuation from where Draco is taken towards the dungeons.]

"Why...?" Draco asked.

"You have to ask?" Lavender laughed incredulously. "For one I was just doing my masters bidding. To watch out for anything or anyone that might show for a sign of betrayal. Number two. Well, why should your family get all the glory when my family put in twice the work and we don´t bloody fuck things up like yours does. So for once my family is going to get the recognition that it will get. As the Dark Lord´s right hand. The Malfoy´s will be but a mere laughing stock now. Their own flesh and blood, their son who was supposed to join the ranks; now a rebel without a fucking stupid cause that is now going to lead him to his death," Lavender laughed once more. The adults in front with the exception of Narcissa wore smiles of pride and pushed Narcissa forward to get her moving.

Draco obviously didn´t see this but he growled at Lavender something fierce.

"My cause is to wipe the bloody grin off your face and get Voldemort to fuck off and die," Draco said softly but it was tainted with so much malice that Lavender screwed up her face in anger.

"You are in no position to talk Draco Malfoy. Oh wait, you don´t want to be a Malfoy. Fuck off you inbred," Lavender snarled and she pointed her wand at Draco´s chest.

"Lavender dear, not now. Don´t worry, maybe He will let you kill him," Mrs. Brown said nonchalant.

"Don´t you talk about my son that way!" Narcissa screamed.

Mrs. Brown gave a shrill laugh and patted Narcissa. "Dear woman, you´re son will die whether you like it or not," They were finally at the dungeons and Mrs. Parkinson flung him into it and charmed the door. Narcissa gave a longing look to her son before being pulled away. Tears silently streaked down her face and she hoped that her son could be saved. That´s all she cared about.

Draco lay there for what seemed like hours in a heap. His mind raced through what had happened. He had betrayed his father and the Dark Lord and he had told Ginny that he loved her. He had seen her and she had told him she loved him to. Draco closed his eyes at this and let the warm feeling flow through his whole body. Granger was still around in hiding and that was good. She would be the key to everything. Potter and Weasley though; he did not know what had happened to them. If they died though then surely it would be Draco´s fault. Then he remembered the screams that he heard. The screams that were Ginny´s; it echoed through his mind and made him ill to think what was happening to her. He would kill anyone who dared hurt her.

Draco opened his eyes and realised that his breathing was ragged and that his fists were balled up so tightly that his knuckles were white. He released his death grip and tried to take slow breaths. Then he heard brisk walking and scuffling. He tried to sit up and see who was coming. It couldn´t be Granger; she wouldn´t dare be so noisy.

It was Potter and Weasley being placed in a cell just opposite his. From what he saw, Ron was the most banged up but Harry. His leg was broken. That was just bad if they wanted to escape. Draco hoped Granger knew some spell of sorts, if she didn´t their attempt at escape would be quickly fizzled out.

Potter finally looked over to him with his face full of anger and his lip quivering. He looked as if he wanted to punch something.

"You know what your dumb plan did to Ginny?" Harry said his voice dangerously low. "It got Ginny hurt and she was- If you really fucking loved her you would have let her stay out of this! You hear me you bastard! Your father - " Harry couldn´t take it anymore and just backed down. His body shaking with sobs. Ron laid a hand on Harry´s back and just looked at Draco with a look of utter surrender.

Draco on the other hand, was taken fiercely aback. His face scrunched up in anger and his mouth twitched violently just as Voldemort´s did. His eyes were full of fury. His father of all people did that to Ginny. Did that to his Ginny. Who the fuck did they think they were and Draco couldn´t contain his anger and he screamed like a banshee. His eyes glazed over and his hands automatically dived into his pockets when he remembered he didn´t have his wand anymore. Then his fingers clutched the necklace he had given Ginny and he felt his heart shatter into several million pieces. Draco ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair and started trembling with anger and sadness. He wanted to kill everyone who laid a hand on Ginny. Everyone who made his mother cry, they would not live to see another nanosecond.

Then Draco heard something distinctive. A swish of a cloak, his head snapped up but he saw no one there.

"Happy to see us I hope," Hermione said, meaning for it to be amusing but it was lost in the dead silence. Hermione first opened the cell which held Harry and Ron and immediately took off the invisibility cloak. Ginny and Hermione were now visible to everyone. Ginny immediately went to Draco´s cell and fell to her knees as she was still in pain. Tears cascaded down her face and she waited patiently until Hermione opened the cell before letting herself collide into Draco into a huge hug.

Draco held her as tightly as possible without hurting. "I´m so sorry, I didn´t mean for you...to...I´m so sorry," he stumbled over his words. Ginny got out of his grasp and shook her head, her face still stretched over in pain.

He took her hands in his and kissed them before getting an abrupt calling from the group.

"There is no time to waste! They could already be heading down here if they have already discovered what I left for them in the room," Draco noticed that Hermione had managed to heal Harry´s leg and clean up some of the bruises Ron had. She to then bent down to Draco and murmured a few spells to heal him.

Then Draco and Ginny quickly both got up to their feet. Draco noticed that she had taken off his ring when he saw her wince.

"Wear the ring," he commanded as they silently walked out of the corridor being led of course by Harry in the front. Ginny gave him a curious look but put it on without question. The ring became warm once more and she noticed that all the pain she had was now gone.

"What is this?" she whispered. Draco just smiled and said he would explain later.

"What´s our plan? To just go in and bungle our way through?! We don´t even have our wands!" Draco whispered indignantly.

"Honestly! I forgot! I got them out of Lucius robes before I came down!" Hermione cried. She dug into her robes and produced four wands all in perfect shape. They grinned themselves silly for a moment before Draco spoke up.

"Come on, this way. This will lead us to the back of the Library and with the invisibility cloak we´ll be able to trap some of them. It has to be quick though!" Draco stated.

All of them nodded in agreement not knowing any other plan. "We have to kill him if we can," Harry said quietly.

"If we can. Otherwise run," Draco said looking at all of them. They turned into a room where there was a small spiral staircase leading up to the library. They were about to go up when Ron let out a squeak.

When they turned, they saw Nagini had curled its way around Ron and was squeezing him tightly. It hissed softly at all of them as it swayed around. Looking at its capture.

"What is it saying Harry?" Hermione asked frowning at it.

"That Voldemort would be happy to see us and that Ron is hers," he said simply.

"Hey! I am not yours! Geroff!" Ron said shrilly looking back at Harry and Nagini, who was coiling her way tighter around him.

"Will you keep a lid on that voice of yours!" Draco snarled, looking very impatient.

"Don´t worry Ron," Ginny said quietly, squeezing Draco´s hand.

Draco let out a sigh and took out his wand, when Nagini saw it she let out a very loud hiss and turned slightly more vicious. "Quick Malfoy!" Harry yelped.

"Stupefy!" Draco growled. It hit Nagini but she only seemed swayed slightly and started hissing madly, tightening her hold around Ron till he was rather blue.

Harry trying to shut it up by speaking Parseltongue, which gave Draco time to stupefy it several more times before it finally dropped to the floor, letting Ron fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Petrificus Totalus," he said earning a grin from Ginny as the snake became as straight as a board and lay there motionless.

"What the hell were you saying to it?" Ron asked Harry, as they quickly went up the stairs and tried to huddle in the corner under the invisibility cloak.

"Same old stuff. Voldemort´s an ugly git, she should find someone better to serve. That kind of thing," Harry deadpanned as he cocked an eyebrow at Ron who quickly shut up.

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked looking both at Harry and Draco. All of them had come to a silent compromise.

Then they heard the door slam open to reveal Lucius looking very ruffled as well as the other death eaters as they assembled into a semi circle to address Voldemort.

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