Taking Over Me

Chapter 12 - A little about the past...just a little

Draco stepped into the dungeons. No one was around, which was good. He didn't want anyone, least of all his father--or worse, Melly's father--to walk into the dungeon while he was there.

He didn't know what had come over him. Just twenty-four hours ago, he would've been glad to kill any one of Melly's supposed friends; now he was helping them escape.

He found the four girls all sleeping in a clump against the wall. He wondered what Mala was doing out of her cell at this hour. He bent down next to her and woke her up, careful not to wake up anyone else.

"What is it?" she groaned.

Draco shushed her and pulled her up on her feet. "It's time you went back to your cell," he whispered.

Mala nodded and allowed him to guide her into the cell. He helped her lie down and watched as she fell quickly back to sleep.

As he watched her, sleeping soundly, he thought about all the cruel things he and Melly had done to her, yet he wasn't feeling guilt. Was it because he was raised not feeling guilty about anything? Or was it because his father taught him not to have these sorts of feelings for women?

It was then he knew he had to get Granger and Affinity back into the kitchen. He didn't know her last name, so he had no choice but to call her by her given name, with much difficulty.

He walked out of the cell, closed the door, and walked over to the three remaining girls.

---

Harry watched in the dark corner of his small confinement. He watched as Malfoy helped - now there was a word you wouldn't use for Malfoy lightly -- Mala into her cell, and then walked back to the three girls in front of him.

He tensed as he watched Malfoy touch Hermione and wake her.

She flinched and looked up, their faces no more than an inch away from each other. He said something to her, and she nodded, waking up Affinity.

They stood up and, with much difficulty, walked to the kitchen.

Malfoy stood up straight, and stretched his back. He looked at Harry.

"So, trust me with your women?" he asked, smirking.

"Not in the least," Harry growled. "It just so happens I can't do anything about it."

"So, you admit defeat? That's impressive."

"I never said that. I just said I couldn't do anything about it."

Malfoy nodded. He looked down at Melly, then back up at Harry.

"I guess you don't want her here anymore, do you?" he asked

Harry shook his head. "If it pleases you to take her away and do whatever it is you two do, then be my guest. I'm not stopping you." He looked around. He hated small spaces, and this was no exception.

Malfoy shook his head, and looked away. Harry wondered what he was thinking about. He wondered if he thought at all. He was right in front of him when he heard Malfoy say he had no imagination. How true that was.

"What do you think we do together?" Malfoy asked, looking back at Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Malfoy smirked.

"But, what I do know...is that Melly wouldn't do anything to hurt Ron in any way. Even if she did before, I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Malfoy nodded. "How did he feel when she left?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think he did very well with his N.E.W.Ts, because he actually got an Outstanding in Potions."

"That is impressive."

"He wasn't thinking clearly."

"That was probably the problem. He was thinking too hard with his potions. Want to know what her father did to her when he found out she dropped out and lost her power with Snape?"

Harry's head jerked up. Power with Snape? What sort of power? That must've been why she was always passing potions...

"He wanted her to writhe on the ground at his feet. He wanted her to be pained. He hated her. She got herself found out, without his knowledge, fell for some, 'poor, red-headed Weasley', dropped out of school, lost her bracelets, lost your trust, lost my mother's trust, lost Blaise's trust, lost his trust, lost many of our trust, and was known by his enemy...well, his enemy and a whole lot of others. She kept mine, Pansy's, and my father's trust, though."

Harry's mouth hung open. Had Melly really gone through so much pain and torture in the past four years? "Has she gained some trust back?"

Draco nodded. "After the disappearance of Arthur Weasley, she gained everyone else's trust. Except, I don't think she, even now, has her father's trust. Things like trust down run wild and free."

He looked back down at her. He smiled. "Melly is like a sister to me. It pains us both to be forced into this marriage, but I think I'm the only one who she actually needs through all this, that I'm aware of."

"What about Sherry?" Ron croaked.

Malfoy and Harry jumped. They didn't know he was also listening, let alone, awake at all.

"What about Sherry?" Malfoy asked, hesitantly.

"She's Melly's best friend, isn't she? Has she got Melly's trust?"

Malfoy looked down at Melly. "It's the other way around with Sherry. Melly doesn't trust Sherry."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "They were the best friends in school. What happened?"

Malfoy bit his lip and gulped. "Sherry broke the heart of one of Melly's friends. Melly doesn't want that type of person as a friend. Of course, you know, she has tons of those types of friends."

"Then how is Sherry any different?"

"Sherry broke a special person's heart. None of her other friends have done that."

"What?" Melly mumbled.

Malfoy bent down next to her, and brushed her hair out of her face. Ron tensed.

He picked her up like she was a bride. He nodded at Ron, and left.

Harry stood, flabbergasted. It wasn't Malfoy carrying Melly away, it was Malfoy they had had a conversation...a real, actual, long, swapping knowledge conversation.