Sleeping Dragons

Chapter Six: Unraveled

By Gemini

"Malfoy!"

Draco Malfoy, looking like an innocent child, opened his eyes and blinked at us. After a sudden movement on our part, he blinked again, staring at the dueling end of nine different wands, and ten angry glares.

"What are you doing here?" Harry's green eyes blazed.

Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he slowly sat up. Though we hadn't seen him for eight or nine years, he still looked remarkably like his old self, minus the long disheveled hair, gaunt face and pale skin. Well... the pale skin was the same.

He sat on the small stone bench with ruffled hair and sleepy eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Ten pairs of eyes narrowed. Ron was the first to speak. His voice shook with anger. "We're here to rescue our friend, if you must know. Now tell us why we shouldn't just kill you here on the spot."

Draco simply looked at us, confused. "Who are you people?"

* * *

"He doesn't recognize any of you?" Dumbledore looked solemn.

"No, none of us," answered Cho. "He seemed disillusioned after he asked us who we were."

Dumbledore didn't say a word.

"When we investigated the rest of the cell, we found a black orb floating near the ceiling," I said. "After a few tests, we discovered it was a Solis Luna Orb." A Solis Luna Orb was very rare. It was enchanted so that it would emit the same amount of sun or moonlight as the sky around it -- similar to the ceiling in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It must have been in the cell to provide some light for Draco.

"To be honest," I said, "I have no idea what to think."

Ron gave me a look. "If Hermione doesn't know what to think, then we're all in trouble." I smiled at the underlying compliment.

Patrick and Ella had been sent to guard Malfoy while Sirius had been accompanied to the medical wing by Harry. The rest of us once again sat at the round oak table with Dumbledore.

"If you don't know what to think, Hermione, then we must find some more information." He winked at me, then stood. "But first, I would like you all to get some rest. It is three thirty in the morning and you are all tired and dirty. "Go home." He must have read our minds, or at least mine, because he added, "I will look after Draco Malfoy. A few more hours until this enigma is solved will not matter."

He refused to accept 'no' as an answer and we had no choice but to either Apparate home or collapse from exhaustion on a suitable couch somewhere in the building. Ron and I went to visit Sirius and Harry instead.

We walked into the infirmary room where we heard Sirius say to a stubborn Harry, "Please, just go home to Ginny. She'll be worried."

"He's right," Ron spoke up from the door where we stood. "Ginny's probably going to be upset if you're out all night."

"We'll make sure Sirius is taken care of," I added. Sirius just rolled his eyes.

Finally, Harry consented. "Fine. I'll go. But if anything happens, let me know."

"Definitely," I replied. "We're meeting in the lecture room at seven-thirty."

Harry groaned. "How am I going to explain this to Ginny?"

"Just tell her me and Hermione kept you out late and Oliver called in a practice for the morning," said Ron.

"That'll do, I guess." Harry Disapparated.

"You know, you really don't have to keep me company," said Sirius. "I can take care of myself."

"Doesn't seem like it," said Ron, as we both crawled into a bed on either side of Sirius.

I yawned as Ron pointed his wand at the oil lamps and extinguished the flames. In the darkness, we laid in silence. Then, habit taking over, I called out, "Goodnight, Ron, love you."

Ron's sleepy voice drifted over to me. "Night, 'Mione, love you too." The pillow had muffled out the first part of my name. Normally, I'd never let anyone call me that, but Ron could get away with it. Sometimes.

I turned over in the bed and drew the covers up to my chin, smiling as I heard a muffled groan from Sirius.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the windows. I stretched my arms above my head and turned to look at Ron and Sirius. Both were still sound asleep; Ron's chest heaved as he breathed and Sirius' head was buried somewhere beneath his pillow.

I held my wrist above my face and my Muggle watch told me it was seven thirty-five. "Oh, no." I sprang out of the bed and went to shake Sirius and Ron awake.

"Get up, we're late!"

"Oh, my head," moaned Ron as I tried to pull him off the bed.

"Come on!"

"Hermione, calm down." Sirius was interrupted by a yawn. "We've still got time."

"No. We don't. Now get up so we can go!"

It took a few more minutes of prodding before Sirius and Ron were finally able to stand on their own two feet. Four hours of sleep after what we had gone through, especially Sirius, definitely wasn't enough to sustain us, but I think some kind of sense of duty came over me because all I wanted was to get to the lecture room.

After finally arriving, I discovered that we weren't the only ones who were late. Marcy and Tony arrived at the same moment we did, and a few others were missing still, including Dumbledore himself.

Finally, at quarter to eight when we had all gathered, Dumbledore showed up. He closed the door behind him.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," he said cheerfully as he sat down, "but I'm sure you just arrived a few minutes ago."

Dumbledore's face turned serious as he looked at us all in turn. "I have with me a vial of very strong Veritaserum. I talked to Draco Malfoy last night, or shall I say, early this morning. He tells me that he doesn't know where he is, who we are and more importantly, he doesn't have much of an idea of who he is himself."

There was a general case of muttering around the table.

"I believe him," said Dumbledore, simply.

The muttering stopped.

"You can't mean it," Ron said. "He's Draco Malfoy! He was a Death Eater! He dropped out of Hogwarts in sixth year! He's... he's Draco Malfoy!"

"Yes, Ron, he is Draco. But he's not what he used to be." He held up his hand to keep us quiet. "As I said, I have a vial of Veritaserum. I will use on Mr. Malfoy and we will see what he has to say." He called out in the direction of the door, "Remus, you may escort Mr. Malfoy in now."

Remus and Draco walked in. Draco's hair had been cut, and he seemed a bit cleaner from the night before. He was still incredibly skinny though. I could only imagine what he must have been feeling at that moment.

Draco sat in the empty chair by Dumbledore, and Remus took a seat near us. He seemed relieved to see Sirius as well.

"Will you be comfortable doing this?" asked Dumbledore.

Draco seemed determined. "I'll be fine. I want to know what's happened too." The night before at the Manor, we had all given Draco an earful of what we thought of him. He didn't understand how any of what we said related to him.

Dumbledore pulled out a few pieces of parchment and a Quality-Quick-Quotes quill. He gave Draco the vial and he drank its contents. We waited for a few seconds, then the questions began.

"What is your name?"

"Draco Louis Malfoy."

"Who are your parents?"

"My father is Lucius Malfoy."

"Who is your mother?"

"I don't know."

Ten seconds into the game and it was getting interesting already.

"You don't know your mother's name?"

"I don't know who my mother is."

"Let's move on. What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"I don't remember."

Another pause. Then, "What were you doing in the Manor dungeons?"

"My father locked me up in there."

"Why?"

"He tells me it's to keep me safe and continue the family line."

"How long have you been kept in that cell?"

"For at least a week, as far as I can remember."

"What do you remember before last week?"

"... Nothing. I just woke up one day and my father had his wand pointed at me. I can't remember anything before that."

Sensing a pattern, Dumbledore asked, "Can you remember anything from the past month?"

"Only my week in the dungeon."

"The past year?"

"Nothing."

"Since your sixth year at Hogwarts?"

"No."

Dumbledore sighed. "This may be more complicated than I thought. Are you telling me that you cannot remember anything from before last week?"

"Yes."

"One more question, Draco. Do you know who any of these people are?"

Draco looked at each of us in turn. I shivered as his eyes met mine.

"I only know Sirius Black."

Dumbledore paused, then asked another series of questions.

"How do you know who he is?"

"I watched as my father and MacNair brought him into the cell across mine."

"What does Lucius know of the U.A.A.?"

"It's an undercover wizarding agency founded by Albus Dumbledore. The agents seek out and defeat dark wizards. The Undercover Auror Agents are stronger and more knowledgeable than regular Aurors."

Dumbledore waiting, seemingly thinking hard. "Thank you, Draco. That will be all." He pointed his wand at Draco and said, "Finite Incantatem," then stood up. "Harry, Sirius, Remus? May I see you outside the room for a moment?"

When they left the room, the rest of us turned to look at Draco. He seemed a bit more awkward looking than when he first came into the room. None of us said a word as we waited for the others to return. When they finally did, Remus came in last, holding a familiar looking stone bowl.

"A Pensieve?" asked Ron.

"They can help us remember events that we may not even believe have happened to us," said Dumbledore. "And I have a suspicion that Draco's father is using a memory charm on him. This Pensieve will help us see what the mystery really is."

Remus set the heavy bowl onto the table in front of Draco.

"Draco, if you don't want the others to stay," Dumbledore said, gesturing to us agents, "I can have them leave."

"No, it's fine." Draco's face was set. "Let's get started. I'd like to know what's going on." He must have felt horrible, not knowing who he really was.

"Close your eyes," said Dumbledore. Draco obeyed.

Dumbledore took his wand and pressed it to Draco's temple, then closed his eyes too. After a moment, he removed the wand and dropped the thin silvery threads attached to it into the Pensieve.

He did this a few more times, accumulating more threads as he went along. After around the tenth time, he asked Draco to open his eyes. Dumbledore dipped his wand into the small amount of silver mist and prodded its contents.

A small image of Lucius Malfoy appeared from out of the mist. He pointed a wand at us as he revolved. The tiny echoing voice could be heard saying, "Obliviate!"

He bent forward as if he were speaking to us. "This is for your own good."

"You're a failure, Draco."

"Why couldn't you have amounted to anything?"

"I always suspected you weren't good enough to be a Death Eater."

Throughout the display, Draco sat silently. I wondered if he was recalling anything from his past.

Dumbledore once again dipped his wand into the Pensieve, saying, "Chronus, Abs Sedecim Juventus." My limited knowledge of Latin from U.A.A. training told me that he was asking for stand-out memories occurring when Draco was sixteen or older -- in the year he left Hogwarts.

A blurry three-dimensional scene began to unfold before our eyes. Lucius and Draco were in the Manor's foyer. A heated argument was taking place.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts, Father."

"There's nothing there for you, Draco. It is your time to join the Dark Lord."

"I already told you, I'm not joining anyone. I'll do what I want."

"If you don't get back here this minute..."

"You can't make me stay!"

"Stupefy!"

Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the mist. "Lucius, what are you doing?!"

"I'm just doing what's best for him."

The mist dissolved into darkness, and then a new scene appeared. Draco was lying in the cold stone floor of his cell. Across him was another prisoner who, judging by his clothes and appearance, had been in the cell for a few months. Footsteps could be heard approaching. The person appeared; it was Narcissa.

"Here's your dinner, Draco."

She pushed a small plate into the cell underneath the small opening the iron bars.

"Thanks, Mother."

"Draco..." Narcissa seemed at a loss for words.

"It's all right, Mother. I understand." Draco's voice sounded false and hollow. Narcissa nodded, looking awkwardly around her at the prisoners and cells. She definitely did not seem to blend into the atmosphere.

"I'd better go," she said. "You know how your father doesn't like for me to be here."

Draco nodded. Narcissa walked away, and the scene faded out when her footsteps could no longer be heard.

The mist clouded over the scene again. When it cleared, we saw Lucius Malfoy approaching the cell. The opposite cell was empty.

"Draco."

"Father."

"Your mother passed away last night."

Draco lowered his head.

"She wanted me to tell you that she loves -- loved -- you." Draco didn't say a word. When it became obvious that Draco wasn't going to say anything, Lucius left.

Draco reached his hand toward his face and brushed away a few tears from his cheek. I felt like doing the same.

The next memories passed by in quick succession instead of stopping and focusing on just one. The still remained blurry.

Prisoners came and went in the cell across from Draco's. Then there was news of Voldemort's defeat from Lucius, accompanied by a few choice words to describe Harry. Then Lucius brewing Polyjuice potion to use in case of an emergency, and cutting Draco's hair - he used the cut locks as a supply for the Polyjuice. Lucius taking Draco to a hideout in the forest while the Manor was emptied. Draco trying to escape. Draco being returned to the cell. Lucius charming the cell to appear empty and putting a sound barrier around it.

We caught a few glimpses of scenes that explained why things were the way they were. Lucius sometimes brought a few of his Death Eater friends to the dungeons, which they occasionally used as a hideout. Lucius leaving Draco enough food to last him for months when they had to go to a new hideout or meet new Death Eaters elsewhere. Lucius... slowly turning mad from frustration.

Then the scenes became clear and stopped on a memory for us to watch. Sirius lay unconscious in the cell opposite Draco's while Lucius spoke.

"We've got the research, Draco." Draco remained silent. "MacNair broke into the Weasley's home and took the research." Lucius let out a laugh. "They hid it under the floor with a few easy protection spells! How stupid can you get?" I bristled at the comment. "And I even managed to knock out the werewolf in the process."

Lucius pulled out a familiar looking stack of papers. "That Mudblood's research. Exactly what we need!"

At Lucius' words, I must have turned a few shades paler. Lucius knew. What he said next chilled my blood.

"And now... now, we can finally do what we've wanted to do for so long. We can rule again. We can rule with the Dark Lord."