Wicked Deception

Wicked Deception

Chapter Eight

"Draco, take me back! He's outnumbered! Harry needs our help." Hermione's face was awash in panic and fear. "We have to go back NOW!"

Malfoy gripped her shoulders and gazed at her steadily in an attempt to calm her. He spoke slowly, "The other Aurors are already there. The alarm went up as soon as the first of the Death Eaters appeared. Potter must not have heard it since he was already on his way home."

Hermione still looked fearful but the panic in her voice decreased, "Draco, I need to know he's all right. Please bring me back."

"You are not going back there. It's not safe for you. All the Aurors on duty were dispatched and are giving Harry all the help he'll need." He led her to a chair and set her down on it. Hermione calmed visibly when Draco used Harry's first name.

He knelt in front of her, took her hands in his and said, "I need to go back to see what I can do. Please stay here until I return." He paused, waiting for a reaction from her. "Promise me you'll stay put until I get back." He could see the tears welling above her bottom eyelashes and felt a slight jab of guilt.

She made a small motion as if to get up from the chair but her resigned nod told Draco that she would stay and wait for his word. Hermione looked at him with her watery eyes and silently pleaded for him to return with Harry.

When Malfoy appeared again at the Potter residence there were several Aurors performing the last of the spells to create the appearance that an intense battle had occurred. Weasley was supervising the tasks and stood at the top of the stairs to the foyer going over final details with two of the wizards. Draco surveyed the damage and noted that it looked authentic. Furnishings, books and pictures were strewn throughout the room and there were dark burns on the floor, walls and ceiling as if spells had missed their targets or rebounded off each other. He strode over to the stairs as Ron dismissed the wizards with new tasks.

"Is Hermione all right?" Ron asked, genuinely concerned about the welfare of one of his best friends. Draco noted no malice for himself in Weasley's voice and noted that when Ron was on the job he treated him as he did any of the other Aurors he worked with. One thing that could be said for Ronald Weasley was that he was the consummate professional. He took his job seriously and performed every task assigned to him to the letter. Malfoy reluctantly respected him for this and treated him likewise.

"She's worried and afraid," Draco relayed to him. "But things are going to get worse for her before they get better. We need to get back to her before she foolishly Apparates here sooner than we're done. How are things on your front?"

Ron nodded and his concern over his next task was evident on his face. "We're nearly done here. Give us another five minutes. Should I Apparate directly to Hermione or let you see her first?"

Malfoy shook his head, "You go. She'll need to hear the news from you first. It will be more logical for her and she'll believe you before she'll believe it from me."

Ron nodded his head again and set his frame firmly as if to steel himself for what Malfoy was sure was going to be the performance of his life.

"Where is Potter?" Draco continued. "Is he ready to go?"

Ron was already reviewing the final steps listed on his parchment and motioned down the stairs. "He's in the den. You'd better get him out of here."

Draco walked down the stairs noting the spell marks over the walls and ceiling as he descended. Weasley was definitely thorough.

He turned down the hall towards the den. The only light was coming from the fireplace. Harry sat before the fire slumped way down into the deep recess of his favourite armchair. He held a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey atop one of the arms of his chair.

"We have to get out of here soon," Draco spoke softly from the doorway.

Harry immediately sat up and asked, "How is she?"

"Well, Potter she is about to learn that her fiancé has been killed at the hands of several Death Eaters, a week before her wedding no less. How do you think she is?" Malfoy moved across the room and took the whiskey from Harry. He dropped into the other chair and took a swig right from the bottle.

Harry looked at Draco in surprise. He was sure Malfoy had never done such an unceremonious thing in his life. It was then that he realized the events that were about to unfold were not going to be any easier on Malfoy than they were going to be for him. Draco had been working tirelessly to ensure that this plan came together and was executed properly. Faint circles marred the pale skin under his eyes and Harry could only assume that Malfoy was also concerned about handling Hermione after the news of his death was delivered to her.

"You know, she's going to hate you for taking her away from here." Harry tried to keep his tone light despite the impending doom he felt in the pit of his stomach.

Draco nodded his head once as he looked into the fire. He took another swig and handed the bottle back to Harry.

Harry took a big mouthful from the bottle himself before asking, "Are we doing the right thing?"

"Potter, I don't think there's any backing out now." Draco's voice was so low that Harry almost couldn't hear him over the sound of the fire.

Then they sat in silence as each of them pondered their own involvement in this affair.

---

Harry wondered if they could cancel the whole plan. He pictured himself running into Hermione's arms telling her that he had survived the attack and they could marry just as they had been planning for the last six months.

His happy vision however turned downright ugly as he then imagined himself telling his new wife that he was departing immediately to embark on a ridiculously dangerous mission to put a stop to Voldemort once and for all. He knew that what would follow would be stretches of crying, yelling and probably a good cursing from Hermione when she learned that he had lied to her about his work and opted to make her his wife before he went and got himself killed. In addition, she wouldn't be able to go with him or even know where he was going nor would she be able to hear from him while he was gone. And there was another little thing Harry had done that Hermione would never forgive him for once she found out but he stopped this train of thought at once. This last thought alone was good enough reason to go ahead with Malfoy's idea as planned. Harry felt extremely guilty about it but, what was done was done. There was no going back now. He only hoped that the outcome would be well received.

---

Draco marveled that anyone had considered his idea of staging Harry's death to be a good one. All the pieces had fit together and there were numerous good reasons for everything they had planned. Certainly Hermione would never put herself in danger if she thought Harry was dead and not in fact going out to get himself killed. Perhaps this was Draco's main reason for suggesting his plan in the first place. It undoubtedly was the reason both Harry and Dumbledore agreed so quickly.

Yet, on another level he had figured that with Harry dead and out of the picture, Hermione was free to be his. Ever since that first day he had accosted her, he was unable to get her out of his mind. His father would have scorned him for being so weak and it was like a knife in his gut that this would have been one of the first times in a very long time that they'd have agreed on anything. At first he had tried to convince himself that he kept coming to Hermione to get back at Potter. Harry had always had everything that Draco wanted for himself. Some of it was petty, like the Quidditch or House Cup at school, but always he had envied Harry's fame of being the Boy Who Lived, his loyal friends and the admiration he got from their classmates and faculty alike. Draco had really despised Harry most of those years at school and those old feelings had come back with his attraction to Granger.

However, thinking back years ago when his father was sent to Azkaban, and his world had turned upside-down, the only person who helped him to right it was Harry Potter. Despite Slytherin threats and Gryffindor warnings, Harry was the bigger man and befriended him. Things started to make sense for Draco. Being friends with Harry gave him an alternate future to the one his father had planned for him. He had the freedom to do what he wanted and not what his father wanted. Reluctantly he had Harry to thank for that. Malfoy gained a deep respect for him and knew what Harry had in store for him in confronting the Dark Lord. Draco agreed to become an Auror with Harry to put his knowledge of the Dark Arts to good use.

Draco logically figured that wanting Hermione had nothing to do with Harry. It was only an enormous irony that she was Harry's. Another irony was that his desire for Hermione was brought to the surface only because Harry had called him over to help him pick out an engagement ring for her. He almost laughed out loud thinking that if Harry had only asked for Draco's assistance at work or if Draco had only waited outside Harry's apartment instead of catching Hermione just out of the shower, he would never have looked upon her as anything but Potter's girlfriend.

Now things were in motion that he couldn't stop. Making Hermione desire him as he desired her was no longer tantamount at the moment. Harry had agreed that she would stay at Malfoy Manor for her protection and Draco vowed to him that he would look after her. The plan would work, even if only to ensure Hermione stayed out of danger and allow Harry to concentrate fully on his task. Draco needed to focus on the successful outcome of this plan and then he had only to wait and be patient for Hermione to be his. Harry would be gone on an extremely dangerous mission and Hermione would be grieving, left in Draco's care.

---

They had both come to the same conclusion - to proceed with the plan.

"You will take care of her?" Harry sat up straight and handed the bottle back to Draco.

Draco took the bottle but didn't drink any more. "I gave you my word."

***

It had been thirty minutes now since Malfoy had left her; left to herself to wonder what had happened. Had the other Aurors arrived in time to help Harry? Was Harry able to protect himself? Her mind raced at the possible outcomes. At the back of her mind she held the worst-case scenario. She did not want to think of that possibility at all. She thought instead of the people who would have been sent to assist Harry. Was Ron there fighting at his side? Would Neville be backing him up along with Tonks, Moody and Lupin? She was even grateful that Draco had gone back to help Harry. If anyone would bring Harry back to her it would be Malfoy. Despite their sexual encounters, Draco knew that she loved Harry and she knew that he had the utmost respect for Harry's abilities as a wizard and would stop at nothing to protect him as best as he could. Malfoy was a powerful wizard in his own right so she held her faith in him that he would bring Harry back to her.

As the time passed and no one had returned to check on her at all or update her with any news she began to pace. The worst cases were now beginning to come to the forefront of her thoughts. What if Harry wasn't all right? What if the Aurors had not gotten there in time? What if Harry was dead? She wrung her hands at this possibility and the tears welled in her eyes again. She didn't know what she would do if Harry was gone.

Hermione was a walking bundle of nerves and she was sensitive to every input on her senses. The lights in the room were too bright making her head feel as if it had ballooned to twice its size. Her hair hurt her scalp at the follicles and added to her light-headedness and ever-increasing ache in her head. She could taste the faint traces of bile in her throat and mouth as nausea threatened to overtake her. Hermione was starting to hyperventilate as her mind went into sensory overload.

She took a couple of deep breaths and told herself that she needed to get control of herself or she would throw up. She sat down, closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She swallowed several times to keep herself from vomiting. As she calmed herself she made a conscious effort to keep it together. For her to function properly she needed to keep a rational head. That was how she had been able to survive the plethora of dangers she, Harry and Ron had come across. She breathed deeply now but her sense of foreboding turned to deep sorrow at the thought that she had never faced any dangers without Harry by her side. Large tears fell over her cheeks as she thought that the other Aurors could not possibly have gotten to Harry in time and that he could be dead at that very moment. In the next instant she became angry and furious that she had left him to fight those Death Eaters by himself. She should have remained and fought by his side and if that meant her dying too then at least Harry would not have died alone. Now she was even furious with Malfoy for taking her away from the fight and she even blamed Harry for telling Draco to get her out of there. She spilt angry tears along with tears of frustration. Her emotions were quickly boiling over again and she was afraid she would not be able to collect herself this time.

Hermione looked around the room maddened that she had heard no news of the events. She got up and paced again as she wrung her hands anxiously. If no one came to her soon she was going to back down on her word to Malfoy that she would stay put and she would go back to get Harry herself.

***

Ron Apparated in the hallway and observed Hermione through the window to the room she was pacing. He watched her as she wrung her hands and tugged at her hair. She stood and paced the room biting her nails, wrung her hands some more and wiped the tears that streamed down her face.

It was getting to be too long since Malfoy had left her so he needed to get in there soon before she exploded with nervous energy. He drew in a long breath and closed his eyes. As he exhaled he opened his eyes and prayed that he was convincing. Right now, the whole plan's success rested on his shoulders. He took another deep breath and opened the door to speak with Hermione.

As he opened the door Hermione spun around to see who had come in and her face became a mask of shock. Ron immediately went to her and wrapped his arms around her. He was just in time as Hermione's legs buckled under her and she collapsed into him. She cried out loud her grief as Ron held her tight to him. Tears also rolled down his face as he thought of the pain Hermione was feeling.

Ron didn't have to say anything at all to her. Hermione had hoped beyond hope that the person who stepped into the room would be Harry. However as soon as she saw Ron's face, she knew that Harry was dead.

***

Several hours later found Ron, Harry and Draco in the study at Malfoy Manor. Ron told them that Hermione was currently at the Burrow and that she had been given calming draughts to help her sleep. The entire Weasley family was in shock at the news of Harry's death and had taken Hermione in to stay with them until Harry's funeral.

Harry and Draco sat in stony silence as they watched Ron pace the floor between them. Ron was uneasy and agitated and he was quickly bordering on losing his temper, not something he had done much after becoming an Auror. Being the one to break the news of Harry's death to Hermione had been the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. Ron couldn't imagine how much harder it would have been had Harry really died. It was enough of a torment to hold Hermione as she cried without having to feel that same anguish himself. He had cried with Hermione but it wasn't just sympathetic tears he shed. Ron was feeling a different kind of loss. Though he knew Harry was not dead, in a way he was still losing his best friend. It pained him even more because he knew what Harry was leaving to face and that he would be going alone. Throughout their entire friendship, Ron had tried his best to fight beside Harry no matter what they encountered. It tore away at Ron's insides that he would be staying behind as Harry faced unknown dangers from which Ron would not able to do anything to protect him or help him. He felt frustrated and helpless. Yet as much as he felt the need to be there for Harry, he understood that there was nothing he could do.

This had always been part of Dumbledore's plan and when it came to his work, Ron very rarely strayed from whatever job he was appointed to do. So he had said nothing when the Aurors were apprised of the plan to stage Harry's death. He understood the reasons and had done his part to execute it, no questions asked. Several factors contributed to Ron's rising agitation. He had just told one best friend that her fiancé was dead and his other best friend was leaving to face possible injury and death. Not only was he losing everything in Harry and Draco's staged pretense, but he was also going to have to stay behind to face the results of the fallout. He was already stressed from his massive workload and in addition, he was expected to allow the one person he had ever hated in his life to take the responsibility of caring for the one person remaining whom he loved and respected. This last stage of the plan was a little too much for him to take without voicing his opinion but he tried to control his temper as he continued to recount the events of the last few hours.

"Ginny went to the house to get some of Hermione's clothes. She was convinced of the battle scene and was pretty shaken by the story we told her. She took what she thought Hermione might want and need. We can take Hermione there after the funeral once she's..." He was on the verge of saying, "used to the Harry's death" but the words stuck in his throat. Hermione would never be used to Harry being gone. A deep sorrow and rising anger filled him as he thought of their predicament. It would not have come to this point if it weren't for Voldemort. He deserved to die for all the death and suffering he caused. Ron sometimes wished it were up to him to kill the Dark Lord instead of allowing his two best friends to feel this pain of separation.

When neither Harry nor Draco spoke he changed the topic. "Why does she have to stay here? She's more than welcome at the Burrow and it's more like home for her anyway. Even staying with her parents would be better than staying at Malfoy Manor." Ron had finally reached his breaking point and blurted out the thoughts he had been holding in. The old temper he used to display on a regular basis at school shone through in his eyes and the deep blush that appeared on his cheeks. He no longer hid the contempt with which he spat the name Malfoy.

Both Harry and Draco were startled by Ron's outburst. Harry had not spoken since he left his own home hours ago and had settled into a brooding melancholy. Lying to Hermione and leaving her thinking he was dead weighed heavily on him. The impending confrontation with Voldemort and the journey he was going to have to take to get there weighed equally on his mind and body. "Ron, I know that you want what's best for Hermione," Harry spoke as he tried to pacify the angry redhead and keep his own depression out of his voice. "So you know that there is no better-protected place for her to be than here at the Manor. And after all we're putting her through, there is no way I am going to jeopardize her safety any further."

This was the most Ron had heard out of Harry since his arrival at the Manor. As Harry spoke, Ron could hear the sadness and the anger behind his words and he was immediately sorry for losing his temper. Deep down Ron knew that this part of the plan was not meant to be an affront to him personally but he felt that the responsibility for Hermione's protection should have been his and not Malfoy's. Hermione was Ron's best friend in the whole world apart from Harry. He wanted to get over his own grief of letting Harry go off by himself by helping Hermione get over her grief of his death. They should be going through this together and he felt damned if Malfoy was going to be the one to comfort her instead. Yet Harry's last words hit close to home as he knew that the most important thing now was to keep Hermione safe. He could not deny that the Manor's wards far surpassed any that could be cast upon the Burrow. Not only would Hermione be safe, but also she would never want for anything at the Manor. Malfoy could provide her every luxury and convenience, something that Ron and the Weasleys could never supply.

So Ron bit back his old feelings of mistrust for Malfoy, but he harboured an uneasy feeling about Hermione staying here alone with Draco. He still firmly believed that if Hermione was going to get over her grief she needed to be with people she loved and who loved her back. There was no way that Malfoy was going to be able to provide her that.

Ron looked at Harry and knew that whatever he was feeling about the situation had to be hundreds of times worse for Harry. He resigned himself that Hermione might have to live at the Manor but that she would not want for friends and those who loved her to keep her company. "I'm sorry, Harry," he looked at Draco, "Sorry, Malfoy." His internal dialogue had allowed his temper to dissipate and he felt more levelheaded. He turned his attention to Harry and wished again that his friend didn't have to face Voldemort himself. "You're right about Hermione staying at the Manor, of course. I want what's best for her too. Malfoy and I will make sure that she moves in here immediately and without any difficulty. Your funeral is set for tomorrow and we'll be able to bring her here straightaway. You should already be off by that time."

Harry nodded grimly at Ron and wished that he could have said something more to him. He was grateful that Ron was here. He was thankful that Ron would be around to care for Hermione when he couldn't be there himself. Harry felt indebted to Ron for being there for him throughout most of his life as his best friend. But Harry felt he was in a deep pit now, one that he had fallen into and could not get out of. If he said anything more he was afraid that he would break down. He was leaving everything that had ever meant anything to him, all the things that he loved the most. There was a time when he would have felt intense anger at having to be the one that was entrusted to carry out this responsibility but now he just felt incredible sadness. He felt sad that fate had chosen him for this task because he didn't know if he would be successful. He felt sad that the only woman he had ever loved had to believe he was dead for him to leave her. He felt sad that he couldn't give his best friend all the appreciation he deserved for being there for him all these years. He felt sad for himself, for all the things that could have been his if it was not for Voldemort. He didn't really fear the dangers ahead. He did however fear this overwhelming sadness and hoped that he could rise above it before he embarked on the upcoming journey.

Draco spoke softly to Harry, "You should go and get some rest. We'll get you up when it's time to go."

Harry looked at Draco with a mixture of emotions. Harry wanted to convey his thanks to Draco as well for everything he had done for him. He had helped him to buy his engagement ring for Hermione and to come up with a plan to ease his departure. Now he was accepting Harry's trust to take care of Hermione and watch out for her. Surely it should have been Ron's responsibility but Draco had accepted it nonetheless. Harry would forever be in his debt should he return from his ordeal.

He was never one to express great sentiment, even to his best friend, and it was harder now in the disheartened state he was in. "Thank you, Ron. Thank you, Draco," he hoped that his deepest heart-felt appreciation were expressed in those two simple words. "I think I will sleep. Wake me in a couple of hours."

With a heavy heart he stepped through the doors of the study as both Ron and Draco watched wordlessly.

***