Tainted Innocence

"Tainted Innocence"

By C.K. Blake

Looking out of the window I noticed the sun caressing the lacquered leaves of the two lone trees in the garden. I closed my eyes for a moment and wondered why only two lone trees adorned the back garden; a musing I often pondered as a child. A tall, immense hedge that led to and was part of a very tricky labyrinth full of many surprises, most of which were highly unpleasant, surrounded the garden. The back garden and labyrinth was only a small part of the vast grounds of the estate where I was currently being kept.

Beyond the maze, I was told, there still remained the orchards of cherries, plums, pears, apples, oranges, peaches, and pomegranates, but those were too far away to exist in my current, meager view of the world. I was instead only acquainted with the two trees in the back garden. They were my comrades, rooted to the ancient ground as I was kept prisoner in a cold, fierce fortress, an ancestral manor, the former home of my blood.

I was being held in my former home, seized as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix when twelve Grimmauld Place had been discovered, under charges of treason. I was innocent of the charges, as hard as that was to believe, but I was still a traitor. I had betrayed my blood. I had turned my back on power, wealth, my family, all for some silly fancy. Emotion, I now understood why my father scorned it, because emotion was a traitor, like me, and none of my sentiments would be requited.

I sighed, turning away from the window, knowing the world beyond was out of my reach. Seeing the familiar mahogany four-poster king size bed, with the black and silver bed curtains and the elegant hand-woven Egyptian cotton sheets and silver velvet coverlet, I ran my fingers along the detail of the serpents carved in the wood of the bed frame. Turning my head, the door leading to my bathroom came into view as well as my carved wardrobe, dresser, and large desk, all simple yet elegant symbols of wealth, and all meaningless. I betrayed everything, including myself, but I hadn't betrayed the winning side, I had only allowed a man to go free, my father.

My ears twitched and perked at the growing echoes beyond the door that opened into the corridor of the eastern wing of the manor, footsteps. I closed my eyes mournfully, knowing that the footsteps belonged to someone heading toward my room. My room, what a thought, it was just an elegant prison cell. Who was coming to my door? Snape was the only one who dared to see me, but these footsteps were anything but reminiscent of one Severus Snape. Perhaps it was Dumbledore coming to tell me what my future held. It had been weeks and still I had heard nothing of a trial. Was my fate already decided?

I was now standing with my back to the window, facing the door. It was strange that no key sounded in the lock, but still the door creaked open, and slowly I opened my eyes, and my jaw promptly dropped.

"Malfoy," he said, his voice soft, but giving away nothing.

I swallowed thickly, walked to my bed, and sat on the foot of it, my hands gripping the covers, my knuckles white from the power of my hold. I took several shaky breaths as I heard the voices in my head.

----------

"Why Draco? How could you betray me? I'm in your blood!" the man raged.

The boy looked up, tears in his broken grey eyes, silvery blond hair framing his delicate face. He looked like an avenging angel of light. His features: cool grey eyes, long aristocratic nose, high cheek bones, elegantly angled face, all reminiscent of the man standing before him, berating him. The man looked into the face of his son, the boy that had betrayed him, had cost his side the victory in the war.

"How dare you cry before me boy! A Malfoy never weeps! Tell me now! Did you fall in love with the little mudblood? Was she the reason you would defy and betray me? Answer me this instant!" the man snarled.

The boy shook his head and looked upon the ground in shame. "No, Daddy, it wasn't Granger."

"Then who?" the man asked and then realization struck him, and he sunk to his knees, and looked up at his son in shock. "Potter? For how long?" his voice was substantially weaker.

The boy knelt down to the ground so he was eyelevel with his father. Their twin eyes locked, father and son frozen in a strange tableau of confusion, confession, and betrayal. The boy took a hesitant breath and cast his eyes away from his father, fearing the disappointment that he knew would be there when he answered.

"You told me to hate him, to watch him and tell you his every move. When I saw him for the first time in Madame Maulkin's shop I felt something. There is just something about him that drew me in. You told me to hate him, but there is a line stretch taut and thin between hate and love. I don't know when that line was crossed, but it was. Maybe not for him, I doubt he could return what I feel for him, but that doesn't change what I feel. I don't care if he could ever love me. Let him hate me for the rest of his life, but it won't change a thing... I'm sorry Daddy," the boy whispered.

The boy flinched when he felt a warm hand grasp his chin and tilt his head upward, his eyes widened at the expression on his father's face that was filled with resignation, understanding, and love... The man looked at his son and asked, "Will he make you happy?"

The boy drew in his bottom lip, an odd habit from his youth that his father hadn't seen in years, he smiled in fond memory, and tucked a strand of the boy's hair behind his ear and looked at his son thoughtfully.

The boy's cheeks grew to a rosy hue, again the father smiled fondly; he hadn't seen his son blush for even longer. "He doesn't even know. As long as he lives and is happy I can be at peace. I don't know if I could ever be happy, but I could be content."

His father nodded. "Love from afar? It won't be easy, boy. I always knew, you know. It makes no difference. You will always be my little Dragon; regardless of the way things turned out I love you. You are my son, no regrets. Never regret, because it is unbecoming and unheard of in a Malfoy."

"Why does this sound so final?" the boy asked.

"Because you are going to turn to me over to the ministry. It is time I pay for choosing the wrong side. It will make you a hero. I've lived long enough with my burdens, I'm doing this for you," the man said, a wistful smile crossing his once cold face.

The boy's eyes widened, he'd never seen his father look so at peace. A sob rose unbidden in his throat and he threw his arms around the man. "I'm sorry. I betrayed you. I'm so sorry. I can't turn you over. You have to go. Use the potion I left for you. They will never be able to find you and only I will know what you look like afterward. Go now before someone else comes to take you. Take your freedom, please. I can't take that from you."

The man looked at his son and drew him into a tight embrace, and kissed the boy's forehead. "Don't let this be goodbye Draco. Find me when you can. For what it's worth I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better. I was a fool."

The boy returned his father's embrace. "We're all fools sometimes. Now go. Someone will be this way soon. I promise that I will find you. Go find your happiness."

The man pulled back from the embrace and ruffled his son's silky platinum hair. "I have happiness right here, boy. Until we can meet again, my little Dragon, goodbye son."

The man then got to his feet walked toward an old gnarled ash tree and then disappeared. The boy's body began to tremble and shake and the sobs overcame and wracked his body. A few moments later someone burst from the trees and stopped dead in the clearing. Draco looked up through red-rimmed eyes and his grey eyes darkened as he was hauled up to his feet by a pair of very hostile hands as he faced a very angry Weasley.

"You let him go! How could you do that! He's a dangerous man and you just let him get away! What is wrong with you?! He could kill someone!" the redhead snapped.

The boy tore away from his grip. "He was my father! I couldn't turn over my own father. Wasn't it bad enough that I betrayed him?"

"If you cared for Harry so much you wouldn't have allowed a Death Eater to escape, no matter who he was to you," the redhead spoke through clenched teeth.

The blond charged at him and knocked him to the ground, his fist flying at the redhead's stomach and head, and that was how the pair was discovered.

----------

I felt a hand on my hand and looked up, my eyes locking with bright green fire hidden behind a pair of glasses. I wanted to break away, to look at anything other than his eyes, because I knew that he could probably see everything in my eyes, because eyes can betray emotion. I didn't want him to know. Let them lock me away for the rest of my life, but he couldn't know that I loved him...

Anger took over, blissfully filling me with false courage. I glared up at him. "So, Potter, here to gloat? Malfoy let his daddy go and now he can reap what he sows?"

I was surprised to note how quickly his face paled. He took a step back, seeming to rethink why he'd even come. I closed my eyes and dropped my head, drawing in my bottom lip between my teeth, an old childhood habit. Obviously weeks of isolation diminished what little bit of pride I had left me.

I jerked up; my eyes snapped open as I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. There was a peculiar expression on his face. I raised an eyebrow at him, not sure of what was going on. Did he have compassion for me, the sole person he loathed for seven years at Hogwarts?

"You did the right thing, Malfoy. You didn't betray him, and you could have. I don't think I would have turned my father over either, no matter what. But then again, we'll never know, will we?" he said.

My heart caught in my throat. I swallowed thickly and looked at the boy before me. "I'm sorry. You should have been allowed to know your family. I had no right to use that against you for any reason. I'm sorry I ever taunted you for not having parents."

Harry held a look of surprise in his eyes, but he nodded solemnly. "I never thought I would ever hear you apologize. Thanks..."

I tilted my head and then looked toward my left shoulder, his hand was still there, and was he kneading my shoulder? I again turned my eyes on him and asked. "Potter? What is this?"

Harry blew back a strand of unruly black hair that had fallen into his eyes and then I noticed the blush creeping up his neck and over his cheeks. He then smiled shyly at me. I raised my eyebrow in suspicion.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

I then noticed that Harry was looking toward the door that he'd come through. I watched as the image rippled, an invisibility cloak pooling upon the floor to reveal a man I never thought I would see again. My eyes misted over as I took in the long platinum hair, the grey eyes, features so similar to mine, but with crows' feet at the corners of his eyes and laugh lines at his mouth.

I took a deep breath and a step forward. It was almost too much to hope for. "Daddy?"

"My little Dragon," he said, his voice just as shaky with emotion. "I couldn't turn away when I found out what they'd done to you, what they'd accused you of. I told you to take me in boy. You always were so stubborn, so I turned myself over. You're young boy, I've lived a life; you have yet to live yours. You can live for me..."

His hand reached out and pushed back a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You deserve happiness Draco. Let no one deprive you of this," he said to me and then he brushed his lips across my forehead. "He knows boy. Don't be a fool as I was. With love there is strength. I wish I had seen it sooner, perhaps things would have been different, your mother might have lived."

I threw my arms around him and he returned the embrace, I'm sure he cracked a few ribs. "It wasn't your fault. She fought for as long as she could. You didn't have to come back. I don't want to think of you locked away in Azkaban. That is no place for a Malfoy."

"I'd rather it be me instead of you. No go with Potter and be happy, boy."

I then pulled away from my father and then turned around to face a very fidgety Harry Potter. He was alternating between looking at the floor and various pieces of furniture throughout the room. I took a step towards him and stopped, unsure of how to proceed or what to do.

So I began with a question: "Why Potter?"

"Lucius, he came to me. He wanted to prove your innocence by turning himself in. Ron had told me what he saw, what he'd heard, and Lucius confirmed it..." Harry said and looked at me shyly. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Like the great Harry sodding Potter would have returned my feelings. You hate me, Potter."

Harry's eyes flashed and he closed the gap between us, his eyes blazing as he glared into my eyes. "No Malfoy, stupid ferret. I never hated you. I hated how you treated my friends...how you treated me. I hated what you did to me every time I was close to you. I hated you for making me care, and I hated not being able to do this!" and with that he wrapped his arms around my waist and savaged my lips with the most profound kiss I'd ever experienced in my life (and being a Malfoy, I had an exceptional amount of experience in that area of expertise).

I reluctantly pushed him back at the sound of my father clearing his throat. "Well boys, now that I have finally intervened on what was obviously fate's intention, why don't you go out and have a bit of fun? Leave an old man to his thoughts, and do tone down the raging hormones a bit. Public display of affection is most unbecoming of a Malfoy."

I stepped away from Harry and hugged my father again. He stiffened, as he hadn't expected such a show of emotion from me directed towards him. I then leaned toward his ear and whispered, "Thank you Daddy. I can be happy now."

He patted my back and when I pulled back I saw his eyes glistening, the content smile spread across his mouth. "I know son. Live every moment as though it were your last, and cherish every breath. No regrets, boy. Live for me."

I smiled at him and turned to the door leading to the corridor and to my freedom. A sudden fear laced through me, and I found myself turning to the window, my eyes falling on the two lone trees in the back garden. I took a deep breath. I'd been in solitude for so many weeks. Was I ready for the world outside, for the suspicious glances of those who still thought me to be a traitor? I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until I released it when I felt a hand take mine, fingers lacing through my own. I looked down and saw a honey golden hand laced with my pale one and then I looked up to its owner, a man with a lightening bolt scar on his forehead, rich green emerald eyes behind a pair of glasses, soft velvet lips, and topped off with a mop of black hair.

He grinned innocently at me and I shook my head. His innocence had been tainted by Voldemort much as mine had been. I smiled at him and then he brushed a wayward strand of my long hair behind my ear, as my father had done earlier.

"The world awaits us Draco, are your ready for it?" he asked softly.

"Is this real Harry? Do you mean this?" I asked as I held up our entwined hands.

He smiled. "I've wanted this for a long time. Why? Are you scared Malfoy?"

I smirked at him and raised an eyebrow challengingly. "You wish," I said with airy confidence and together we walked through the door to the corridor, through the door to freedom...

End.