On the Run

As Draco progressed across the yard, he picked up his pace. He wanted to remove himself from the area as soon as he possibly could. Tomorrow morning, the aurors would be back to search for witnesses. The muggle who had helped him wouldn't remember a thing, so he might be safe. He had been walking for about five minutes when he heard footsteps behind him. With his wand ready, Draco turned around to confront his pursuer. Before he could even get a glimpse of his attacker, he felt the now familiar sensation of slipping away from consciousness.

When Draco awoke, he was alone. He was in a bedroom of what looked to be a muggle house. This room looked like it had been occupied by a teenage boy. It was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered across the floor, posters of muggle music groups covered the walls, and what appeared to be food was decomposing in a corner. House elves make the world go round, he thought to himself.

He got up and started to move about the room. He had a horrible headache. Draco tried to remember exactly what happened the night before. He remembered escaping the train and entering the muggle farmhouse and he remembered leaving the house, but what he didn't remember was who had attacked him. He hadn't captured a satisfactory look at the wizard's face. He was sure that he would find out soon; he hadn't arrived at this house by his own actions. He had been brought here. He was a prisoner.

Draco found himself hoping that it was the Order of the Phoenix that had captured him. It's better than Death Eaters, he thought. If he had to be caught, it was better to be caught by the 'good guys' of a war. They might show him some mercy.

Suddenly, the door of the bedroom opened. Standing in the doorway was a rather large wizard, an auror no less. Draco recognized him from the Ministry of Magic. It was Kingsley Shacklebolt. The wizard grabbed Draco by the collar of his robes and pulled him out of the door. Draco felt a strange sensation, one that had become more and more common to him this year. He was frightened.

They moved at a quick pace. A great number of photographs of a muggle family adorned the walls of the hallway. Draco noticed that he had been right about the teenage boy. The family consisted of a mother, father, two daughters and a son. They looked extremely happy in the pictures, something that Draco wasn't accustomed to when it came to family.

They came to a door at the end of the hall. Shacklebolt muttered, "Be careful what you say," and shoved Draco into the room.

When he saw what was waiting for him, he found it hard to breathe. He looked around the room and all he could find were wizards and witches who hated him. There were a few that he did not know. But there were many that he did. Spread out around the room with their wands out were Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Bill, and Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and of course, Harry Potter. Meeting all of their gazes, Draco took a deep breath and stepped farther into the room.