The Marks We Bear

Chapter 15
Saturday 11th Oct cont.

When Draco regained consciousness he thought for a moment he was still exactly where he had been and he had just dropped off to sleep and dreamt they had been attacked. He only needed to open his eyes to know he was wrong. The room around him was familiar, too familiar... it was his bedroom in Malfoy Mansion. He sat up with a jerk, taking in his surroundings. He was alone and a quick search of his robes and the immediate area confirmed his suspicion that his wand had been taken from him. He sat on the bed feeling his body slowly flooding with fear. They knew... they knew he had betrayed them.

He stood up on shaking legs and stumbled to the door even though he knew it would be locked, it was as was the window and both had charms on them to prevent force from breaking them open.

He sank down on to the floor. It had all been for nothing. He had betrayed Voldemort and things were no better than they would be had he just done as he was told, in fact they were worse because now he was a traitor... and he knew what Voldemort did to traitors.

He was overcome with anger at Professor Snape and Dumbledore, he had listened to them and here he was exactly where they said he never had to be again. It was their fault, their fault for persuading him to talk, and he bet Snape had made sure he wasn't in any trouble. Traitorous, two-faced bastard!

He was wedged against the bottom of the bed with his hands tight around his knees when the door opened and in stepped the one man he had prayed to Gods he didn't even believe existed to never see again. Lord Voldemort.

Draco froze, staring at the silent man who stood just inside the doorway watching him.

"Draco," he hissed finally. "Stand up."

Trembling, Draco pulled himself to his feet.

Voldemort stepped forward and caught his chin in his cold hand, tilting his head up roughly so that he had to stand on tip-toe. He searched Draco's face. "You have failed me, Draco. Do you have nothing to say?"

"I... I.... no," Draco whispered.

"No protestations, no excuses?"

Too scared to think Draco babbled the first thing that came to mind. "I was... afraid."

Voldemort softened his grasp a little, letting him stand more comfortable. He smiled a taut, hard smile. "Afraid... and were you not afraid of what I might do if you betrayed me?"

"I... yes.... I tried not to but they... " words failed him.

Voldemort released him completely and stalked away to stare out of the window, Draco fell back against the bed. "Your failure was not unexpected," he said conversationally. "Lucius was convinced you would be an excellent addition to the cause but he is blinded by a father's pride. I am not so easily fooled, I know the transient nature of a fifteen year old boy. There was no real attack planned, it was a test... of you and of other things." He turned back to Draco. "Despite failing that test you are lucky... as am I. Perhaps you are my good luck charm." He gave Draco what he probably imagined was a pleasant smile. "You have accidentally given me the one thing I wanted most of all... Harry Potter."

Draco's blood ran cold.

"For that gift and as a favour to your father I have decided to spare your life. Or perhaps it is just that you are too pleasing to me to destroy." Voldemort walked slowly back to him and caressed his cheek. "But of course you must still be punished. You do understand, don't you?"

Draco nodded tightly, not trusting his voice.

Voldemort drew his wand from inside his robes and began to stroke his face with it, finally he held it still with it's tip pressed directly into the center of Draco's forehead. In a dark whisper he said, "Crucio."

Pain shot through Draco's body as he had never experienced before and he was barely aware of Voldemort holding him in place. He burned, he was sure he must be on fire, he could feel his skin crack and his fluids boil. He was in hell, surely, eternal damnation and punishment and it would never ever end...

And then it did and he would have slumped to the ground had Voldemort not caught him. He felt the familiar and hated hands again stroking his face and hair. "Ah, Draco," Voldemort sighed. "You are even beautiful when you cry out in pain. I wonder if your father was ever so captivating as a boy. I should have kept you here with me instead of sending you away to have your thoughts addled by those muggle-lovers at Hogwarts." Cold thin lips descended to press against his forehead and then his cheeks and finally his lips.

Draco forced himself to remain submissive, neither refusing nor encouraging, hyper-aware that his life was still not assured. He had seen Voldemort forgive and then spin around at an incorrect word or look and kill without a moment's hesitation. //This is who I am,// he told himself. //This is where I am meant to be, I can't escape fate. No matter how far I run I will always end up back here. There's no point in fighting it.// But further down he could hear himself crying Harry's name and over and over again, //I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...//

There was a hesitant knock at the door and Voldemort released him. "Enter."

His father came through the door looking pale and worried, when he caught sight of Draco he was visibly relieved. "My Lord, the prisoners are safely locked away. Have... have you..."

"I have spoken to your traitorous son, Lucius," Voldemort told him. "And as I said before, I shall spare him for now... after all he has done me a great service albeit unknowing. You said there were four of them, can you identify the two other children?"

"The third boy looked to be part of that muggle-lover Weasley's brood, I didn't recognise the girl. Perhaps Draco..."

They looked at him. "Her name is Hermione Granger," Draco said softly.

"I remember her from my time sharing a body with Quirrel," said Voldemort. "Irritating little Mudblood. I shall go and visit with our guests and let you speak with your son. Perhaps later, as an apology and a welcome back to the fold, he can kill the Mudblood girl for us." Voldemort left them alone together and as he departed Draco let himself drop onto the bed.

"Will you punish me too, father?" he asked in a resigned tone.

"Draco," his father crossed the room to him and sat down on the bed too. "What were you thinking? I saw you there with Potter, I didn't tell him exactly how I found you." His voice was strained but didn't sound angry. "I was so ... I thought he would kill you." He let his head fall into his hands. "I thought he would kill you," he repeated.

Draco looked at his father in amazement. "I thought..." he said haltingly. "I didn't think you would care if he did."

His father looked up at him. "You're my only child! Draco, how could I not care?" He almost reached out to him but Draco saw him draw back before he could make contact. "Tell me what happened."

Draco looked down at the carpet, confused by a sense of comfort from his father that he was unused to. He remembered something Snape had said... that he was surprised Lucius had allowed Voldemort to touch Draco. Had he been wrong about his father? "I... I wanted to make you proud. I really did," he said softly. "But I don't want the same things you want."

"I don't understand."

Draco looked at his father. "I don't want to be a part of this," he said intensely. "I don't want to fight against you, I just didn't know what else to do. I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't do what you asked and they said they could protect me."

"But Draco, if you had just obeyed there would be no need for protection."

Draco swallowed and looked away. "Voldemort... he... I'm afraid of him. Not just of what he might do if I disobey him but... what he might... want from me if I join with him."

"But I thought you wanted to fight beside us, I thought you believed in the cause."

"I did... I did until it came to actually doing anything about it. But I wasn't... I wasn't talking about the fight. Though I don't want to be a part of that either. I meant... he... he touches me and I don't like it." Draco flushed darkly and refused to meet his father's eye. "I know you and he have an... arrangement... but I don't want that. Not with him."

His father simply stared at him until Draco forced himself to glance up at him. Finally he found his voice. "He... touches you?" his father asked hoarsely.

Draco nodded.

"You never said anything."

"I thought you wouldn't care. I was... I was afraid you'd be proud that he liked me so much."

"What have I done?" Lucius muttered. "That my own son would think..." He stood up and moved away to lean against the wall, hiding his face. "Draco..."

"I need to leave here, Father," Draco pleaded. "I can't stay here."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can talk to him, make him stop."

"Father, he won't listen to you."

"He listened to me when I asked him to spare you," his father protested.

"That's not what he said to me!"

Lucius turned to him. "What did he say to you?"

"He said it was because I brought him Harry and because... because I pleased him. He said... he said I was beautiful when I was in pain. I can't stay here, please! You have to help me, we can make it look like I escaped on my own."

"Draco... I can't..."

"Please, you said you cared. If you really do then let me go. I won't fight against you or him, I swear. I'll stay out of it. Just let me go."

"I don't know..."

"Where's my wand, do you have it?" He saw his father touch his pocket. "You could say I stole it from your pocket while we were talking."

"Draco, it won't work. Don't you realise... I apparated straight to your location past every ward that was set around the room you were in."

Draco stared at him, thinking back to the sudden appearance of the Death Eater in their safe haven. "That was you? But how?"

"Yes, that was me. I was the only person who could have done it. Voldemort created a spell before you left for school, a blood link transportation spell. No matter where you were I could Apparate directly to you, it only works on close blood relatives. No matter where you were he could send me straight to you... and he would."

"There must be a counter-spell. How does it work?"

"We used a potion to activate the link," said Lucius. "We gave it to you before you left for school. I helped him develop it and the antidote. But if you took it he would know I had given it to you."

Draco's mind was buzzing. "No... not if we set it up right. There's no harm in you having told me how you got into the school if you say I asked. Then I steal my wand from your pocket and use it to break into your office, if you leave just enough information in your desk for me to locate the antidote. It won't be your fault. I can take the antidote and Apparate out of here."

"Draco, you ask too much. I can't betray him."

Draco became more desperate as the possibility of escape seemed so close. "If you don't help me I'll... I'll die before I stay here with him. I swear I will. I'll kill myself."

"Draco! Don't say that. Perhaps... I could arrange for you to visit relatives, get away for a while..."

"You don't understand," Draco broke in. "You didn't see the way he looked at me before you came in. Go and speak to him if you don't believe me. Suggest sending me away and see what he thinks. Or better... ask him what he wants with me... "

"Draco, that is enough. Enough! We are not discussing this, we can't. I'll... make sure he doesn't touch you again. I have to go now." With that he left, taking Draco's wand and his hopes of escape along with him.

-----------

Lucius strode nervously down the hallway to his private office and dropped into the chair by his desk. Once there he lowered his head into his hands and tried to pull himself together, he was shaking he noted distractedly. Tom and Draco? The more he thought about it the more he remembered little signs that he had previously ignored. He had been so wrapped up in their plans for the future, in the fight, in the pleasure of regaining his trusted place. He had ignored his lover's occasional jibes that Lucius was not as young and appealing as when they had last been together. Ignored Tom's intense interest in Draco and the fact that Draco had started spending so much time out of the house. That he had been avoiding Tom was clear in retrospect.

He had to get Draco out of the house, surely he could persuade Tom to agree to sending him away. After his betrayal it made sense not to keep him here where he would be privy to sensitive information.

Lucius got up and made his way down to the dungeon levels to find Lord Voldemort.

When he got down there Voldemort was torturing the Mudblood girl, he turned as Lucius entered and ended the spell. "Lucius, did things go well with Draco?"

"Fine, fine," Lucius muttered nervously, he glanced around the room at the captive children. "I... wanted to talk to you about him, if you're not too busy."

"Not at all, I always have time for Draco." Voldemort tucked his wand into his robes and followed Lucius out of the room.

Once they were in private Lucius continued, "I was wondering what you... intended for him. I thought perhaps I could send him to relatives in France..."

"I wouldn't hear of it," Voldemort broke in. "Draco made a mistake, he was led astray by those who oppose us. The best place for him is right here where we may keep an eye on him. In fact I thought I might give him a little job."

"Oh?"

"I could do with a personal assistant, someone to run errands for me. Working close to me will remind Draco of his place and of where his loyalties lie, don't you think?"

"I... I'm not... are you sure? I really think..."

"I am quite decided Lucius, I'm sure it will do Draco the power of good. Now I really am quite busy, I will see you at dinner and later we shall have Draco kill the Mudblood. You may have the Weasley boy if you like, I know you have a personal dislike of his family. I'm quite looking forward to the look on Potter's face when we kill his dearest friends. Better than Cruciatus when it comes to him, just like his father." With that Voldemort swept off leaving Lucius to fall back against the cold stone walls and run a shaking hand through his hair.

He stood there for a long time then strode out of the dungeons and back up to his office. With trembling hands he rifled through his papers looking for the parchments on the spell he and Voldemort had created. Trying not to think too hard about what he was doing he laid the papers casually on his desk and then looked through his pockets for the key to his potion closet, he pulled out the four wands he had taken from the children and then the key which had been stuck in a seam. He put Draco's wand back in his pocket and sat the other three wands on a shelf before going to unlock the closet and pulling out the antidote Draco would need. He looked around his office and then put it back in the front of the closet with the label showing clearly. Leaving it out would be too obvious, he could say Draco had picked the key from his pocket at the same time as he had stolen his wand. Taking a last look over his office he hurried to Draco's room.

Draco started when he came through the door. "Father?"

Lucius thrust Draco's wand into his hands. "Here, take it and this key too. It's for the potions closet in my office. I'll say you stole them both out my pocket. When I leave go straight to my office and take the antidote then Apparate as far away as you can think of. The antidote is clearly marked and at the front, it's in a small blue bottle. Don't go back to Hogwarts, or to any of your relatives. Perhaps you could try and get to Beaubaxtons. I don't know."

"But I thought..." said Draco, bewildered.

"Just promise me you'll stay out of the fight. Promise me."

"Of course... I promise. Father..."

"Just go, Draco. I'm so sorry. Just go."

Then Lucius was gone again, leaving Draco standing there numbly looking at his wand and the small silver key in his hands.

It took several long minutes for Draco to take in what had just happened. He looked up at the door and back at his wand. He raised it and removed the simple charms that had seemed so impervious when he been wandless. Then he made his way carefully to his father's study.

There he quickly retrieved the antidote and swallowed the entire bottle just to be sure. He looked over his father's office one last time as he tried to calm himself for the apparating, he had only learnt how to do it this summer and still found it tricky, as well as figure out where he was going to go. Then he froze, his eyes fixed on the shelf behind his father's desk. Three wands lay there, one of which he would recognise anywhere. It was Harry's wand.

Almost by themselves his legs carried him over to the shelf and he reached out to touch the wand. Immediately he felt the faint buzz of energy run up his arm. Harry... could he feel it too? He picked up the wand, struck with an intense yearning. If he left now he would never see Harry again... and more than that, Voldemort would kill him and it would be his fault. He had led them straight to Harry, if he had left Harry alone instead of chasing after him he would never have been there and his father could never have entered the safe room.

But what could he do and where was there to go anyway? Voldemort had reached him once past all of Dumbledore's protection and who would believe that he hadn't been a willing part of Harry's capture. Both sides would be against him if he left and he would be completely alone.

-----------

Lucius spent the next hour in clear view of people he knew Voldemort trusted, trying not to look nervous. He was already regretting his rash behaviour, allowing his emotions to overcome his judgment. But it was too late now, Draco would be long gone and he would simply have to play the hand he had dealt himself. As he sat down to dinner opposite Tom he put his actions out of his mind, he knew the best way to lie convincingly was to believe what you said as much as possible.

Voldemort gestured to the servant by the door. "Fetch Draco from his room and have a place set for him," he ordered. "There's no need for him to remain locked away."

Lucius steeled himself for the coming uproar when Draco's room was found empty.

Minutes past. Servants laid a place for Draco.

Then the door opened and the man Voldemort had sent to fetch Draco re-entered the room... and behind him came Draco. Calm and poised.

"Father. My Lord." He took his place at the table as Lucius stared at him in complete shock, something Voldemort thankfully missed as he was too busy watching Draco.

"Draco," Voldemort practically purred. "Your father and I have some good news for you."

Draco looked up at him politely. "You have been so forgiving to me already, My Lord," he said. "I can't imagine there could possibly be more."

"My dear boy, you did nothing but what I expected you would. What sort of man would I be if I held that against you? And after you have given me such a gift."

Lucius schooled his features to indifference against the roiling in his gut at Voldemort's obvious attraction to his son. What was Draco doing? Had he changed his mind? Lucius was stabbed with a sudden fear... had Draco played him to strengthen his own position with Voldemort? Did he plan to take Lucius place after revealing his father's betrayal? Surely not.

"I'm only glad that my moment of weakness worked to your advantage," Draco replied. "I've hated Potter since the day I met him. I can't believe I let Dumbledore talk me into helping him."

"No harm done, Draco. Everyone is allowed one mistake."

Lucius smothered a snort of derision. Voldemort was not known for his acceptance of even one tiny mistake by his followers. He had undergone days of torture as payment for his failure to help Voldemort back to power before he had regained his body. Although he was sure much of it had been due more to Tom's enjoyment of inflicting pain than any real desire for revenge.

"But I still haven't told you the good news, I've decided to give you a little job. Something to keep you occupied until you regain my trust enough to be given back your wand. How would you like to be my personal assistant?"

Lucius saw something indefinable pass across Draco's face before he answered. "I would be honoured, my Lord."

"Excellent," said Lord Voldemort with relish. "Your father seemed to think you would be better sent away but I wouldn't hear of it."

Draco's gaze flickered to his father. "Thank you," he said to Voldemort. "I won't fail you again."

Voldemort actually reached out and lightly touched the back of Draco's hand. "I'm quite sure of that."

The rest of dinner passed in relative silence. As they finished up Voldemort spoke again, "We will dispose of the two extra children this evening, do you feel up to joining us Draco? I had hoped you would kill the girl for me, I don't like to think that you may have lost your passion for the cause. Can you kill your would-be friends?"

"Granger's no friend of mine," Draco replied. "She's dogged my every step at school, the teachers constantly favour her over me just because she's a Gryffindor! It would be my pleasure to be rid of her. But won't I need a wand?"

"There are other ways to kill a person... but I shall let you use your wand. Your father has it, he will return it to you later under my close supervision."

"I look forward to it."

"Then I shall see you in the dungeons in an hour, Draco. Lucius." Voldemort left the room.

Lucius glanced around the room nervously, as if expecting people to be lurking in the shadows. "Draco," he said. "I ... wasn't expecting to see you for dinner..." he let the question itself remain unspoken.

"I realised my place was here, Father," Draco replied. "With my family."

"You are... sure?"

"I was over-wrought when we spoke before." Draco too glanced around to be sure they were alone. "At the last moment I realised I didn't want to leave. I was being childish, I'd never felt the Cruciatus curse before and it threw me off balance. You must forgive anything I said, I put you in a very difficult position and I'm sorry. Please don't tell him what happened, I really didn't mean it."

"You didn't mean it? But what about... Draco, I saw the way he was looking at you."

"It's alright, Father. I'm not a child, I should be proud that Lord Voldemort wants me to work so closely with him. I was just letting my emotions over-rule my common sense, you always told me to be careful of that and you were right. I nearly made a terrible mistake."

Despite his unease Lucius felt a certain relief that his betrayal would come to nothing. "I'm... glad to hear that. I only want you to be happy, Draco. To live up to your potential."

"I know."

"You better give me your wand back, do you have it?"

Draco paused and then drew his wand out of his sleeve. "I suppose you're right, it's hard to give it up again though."

"You'll have it back tonight and I'm sure it won't be long before Lord Voldemort returns it on a permanent basis."

"I hope so. I'm going back to my room if I have your permission?"

"Of course. I will come for you in an hour."

"Thank you." Draco left the table.

---------------

Harry knelt painfully on the floor, his knees and feet were frozen by hours pressed against the cold stone. His robes had been taken from him before he was chained in place by his wrists and ankles and he now wore only his vest and underpants.

Chained to the wall opposite him were Ron and Hermione, hanging limply by their arms. They still had their robes but had been tortured unmercifully by Voldemort as he berated Harry for his very existence. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that Harry would prefer to be tortured himself than see his friends hurt.

He stared down at his manacled wrists, remembering the last time he had been bound. He wondered, not for the first time, how he could enjoy it when it was Draco despite the fact that he had so many unpleasant experiences of being restrained... and now he had one more to add to the list. There really wasn't any comparison. He wondered where Draco was, Voldemort had mentioned him earlier but it had been so brief he had no way to tell what they had done with him. He was glad that he wasn't chained with them here, he didn't want to watch Draco being tortured, but he was worried. They must know he had betrayed them. Would they kill him? He thought he could feel the familiar buzz still, it had started a couple of hours ago, the feeling that Draco had his wand. Like a faint itch. But it could just be his imagination.

The door opened and Voldemort was back again. Harry closed his eyes and tried to find some hope, some glimmer of a plan, anything...

"Good evening, Harry," Voldemort smiled coldly.

Harry refused to look up at him.

"Nothing to say? Never mind, I'm sure you'll think of something when we kill your friends."

Harry's head shot up at that and he stared in horror at the smiling face above him.

"You're going to die as well, of course. But them first, don't you think?"

"You can't," Harry begged. "It's me you want, you don't care about them."

"You're right, but I'm going to kill them anyway."

Harry could see Ron and Hermione watching them, there were tears on Hermione's cheeks but neither of them spoke.

Then the door opened again and they all turned to see Lucius enter and behind him was Draco. Unbound and unmarred. He glanced over them with no visible emotion.

"Lucius, Draco. I was just telling Harry tonight's plans. Come over here, Draco, and say hello to Harry."

Draco walked over to Voldemort's side and looked down at Harry, his eyes were hard and empty no matter how deeply Harry searched for any sign of what he was thinking or feeling. "Potter," he said coldly. "I told you Voldemort was more powerful than Dumbledore. You should have listened to me."

"You bastard," shouted Ron from the other side of the room. He was silenced by a swift backhand from Lucius.

Draco stepped forward and crouched down in front of Harry. "Did you think I could be your friend?" He reached out and stroked Harry's cheek. "I've been forgiven but you could beg all night and Lord Voldemort would still kill you in the morning, because you're nothing and your friends are less than nothing," he hissed.

As Draco lowered his hand his arm brushed against Harry's and he felt the surge of electricity through his body. Draco had his wand! It must be strapped to his arm, hidden under his robes, because the tip of it had brushed momentarily against Harry's skin. He stared into Draco's eyes and saw a brief lowering of the grey curtains, behind them was both fear and hope. But before Harry could react further Draco had stood up again and moved back to Voldemort's side.

"May I have my wand back?" Draco asked Voldemort.

"Of course, just for this evening." Voldemort turned to Draco's father. "Lucius."

Lucius drew a wand out of his pocket and handed it to Draco.

"Thank you." Draco walked over to Ron and Hermione and looked them over. "What a pathetic pair," he commented. "Killing them would practically be a mercy."

Ron spat at him as he walked past but it fell short.

He came back to Voldemort and Harry. "Before I kill the girl I was wondering..."

"What is it, Draco?" Voldemort asked indulgently, reaching out one hand to brush a tendril of hair from his eyes.

"May I torture Potter a little?" he asked hopefully. "I've dreamt about putting him under Cruciatus since I was eleven."

Voldemort smiled. "I find you terribly hard to deny, Draco. Why not... enjoy yourself."

Draco turned back to Harry, knelt down and reached out again with the arm his wand was strapped to. "Look up at me, Potter," he instructed, tipping his chin up. "I want to see your face. You're about to find out that the Disanimus curse isn't the only dark magic I know how to do."

Harry stared into Draco's eyes, trying to understand what he intended, he could sense Draco's arm coming down out of sight of Voldemort. His wand brushed against his cuffed hand and as the power flashed through him the plan seemed to form in his mind at the same time. His eyes widened in understanding and they moved as one.

Harry grasped the wand as Draco's arm jerked down, ripping it from it's bindings and bringing their hands together around it. At the same time he spun and brought his own wand down to their clasped hands and pointing both directly at Voldemort they shouted in tandem. "Disanimus!"

The power ripped through them and struck Voldemort in the chest, knocking him to the floor.

Draco immediately spun back to Harry and used his wand to remove the manacles. "Get Ron and Hermione down," he said urgently as he spun back to face his father.

"Draco?" Lucius gasped in shock.

"I'm sorry," Draco began.

"You promised me, you promised you wouldn't fight against us."

"I couldn't leave them here. I couldn't leave without Harry."

"You would choose Potter over me?"

"You were going to kill him!"

"He's the enemy. What have you done?!" Lucius looked down at the still form of Voldemort.

"I'm going to leave now, I'll try and stay out of things. I swear. But I couldn't let you kill them... You could... you could come with us..."

"Where? To Hogwarts? To Dumbledore?" his father spat. "I don't think so."

"I understand... you can still use the same story though, just say I stole Harry's wand. Say it was in your pocket, he'll be angry but he'll get over it. I know you can explain it somehow..."

"Draco, I can't let you do this..." Lucius wand swept up.

"Stupefy!" shouted someone from the other side of the room.

Lucius slumped to the floor, his wand clattering away into the corner.

Draco turned to see Ron staring at Lucius with his wand outstretched. Harry was halfway through helping Hermione down, staring over his shoulder at them. Ron looked at Draco a moment then went to help Hermione.

Draco stared down at his unconscious father. After a moment he stepped forward and moved him into a more comfortable position. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I really am." He straightened up. "We need to get out of here, can any of you apparate?"

They shook their heads.

"Damn," Draco opened the door and stuck his head out. "We need to get to a fireplace, I stole some Floo Powder from my father's office just in case. Come on, we need to get out of the dungeons first." He began to lead them up the stairs. "If it looks like we're about to get caught we'll have to try and Apparate. I know how to and I think I can carry one other person normally. If we use the double wand thing again it might work."

"It sounds risky," said Harry.

"It will be, that's why it's plan B. Granger you'll grab me, Weasley grab Harry. Harry give me your hand now with your wand." Harry and Draco wrapped their hands together around both their wands. "If we're stuck we'll try it. For the time being just follow me and stay quiet."

Draco led them up the stairs and stunned the guard at the top, then they crept along to the nearest room Draco knew had a fireplace. It was thankfully empty and he quickly lit a fire.

"Where are we going?" asked Harry.

"I don't know," said Draco. "We can't Floo into Hogwarts."

"Do it," said Harry.

Draco threw the floo powder into the fire and he and Harry leapt into it, still holding hands.

"The Burrow," Harry shouted.

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tbc... please send reviews, insults and comments...

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