The Mistresses of Draco's Heart

Chapter Four

The Advantages Of Being An Heir

"Harry! Where did Draco go?"

"He's not our problem any more."

"Not our problem? Excuse me, I didn't say thank you for saving me, did I?"

"There's no need to thank me, that's what friends are for."

"AND YOU WILL NEVER HEAR ME SAY THAT, YOU...MORON!"

"Excuse me? I heard you call me a moron. Did you?"

"Yes I did! And I will call you an imbecile till the end of my days, you jerk!"

"I saved you from that idiotic scoundrel and this is your gratitude?"

"I didn't want to be saved, you moron! I liked that and Draco was really nice to me, before you appeared!"

"Hermione, what is it with you? Are you trying to protect a Malfoy? Did he hex you or something?"

"He just kissed me! And that was all! Then you rushed in and told him off!"

"You were kissing? With that...Malfoy?"

"Yes, we were kissing! And I liked that!"

"I thought you fancied George, didn't you?"

"The hell, George is the one who fancies me! To tell you the truth, we wagered, and the prize was anything the winner would like to do with the other one. And I lost. All George wanted was a kiss from me. And I stayed in his bed only because Mrs. and Mr. Weasley are redecorating the house and there was nowhere else for me to sleep, as you should know."

"But still - you were kissing that idiot!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't regret it? I liked that!"

"He is using you and that's my final word. Wait and you'll see. He's nothing better than his father."

***

Lucius gazed at Draco. It looked like they were reading each other's mind. Lucius was studying Draco's eyes and Draco was staring back without blinking.

"Leave the room, girl," Lucius said. Ginny jumped on her feet and very quickly left the room.

"I see you have trained her very well...father."

"I had nothing else to do, son."

"I must have overheard something. Did you call me her fiancé?"

"You heard right, Draco. This is The Plan my Lord and I have made up."

"Why?"

"You see, Draco...Harry Potter is stronger than my Lord. We can't kill him, because he has great protection. There is only one way to take it off, the way stars have told us. A sacrifice must be made. A child that has been born from two pureblood wizards. The woman must come from a family, where all the ancestors have been in Gryffindor, the House of the Brave. And the man must come from a family where all have studied in..."

"Let me guess, Father. Slytherin? And did you really offer me to your Lord? Couldn't you at least find someone prettier than that Weasley girl? If I am to have sex with someone, I want to have good sex, not the 'Ah, Draco...oh...what do I have to do now?' variety. Gryffindor is full of good-looking purebloods, just keep looking!"

"Up to your room, young man! This is not the way to speak to an..."

"Elder, yeah, yeah. So, my evil grandpa, do I..."

"OUT!"

***

Draco snuggled down in his bed and closed his eyes. Life is not easy if your father is Lord Voldemort's servant. His very, very loyal servant. Draco turned over his mind, wondering why he'd stopped loving Ginny. He had left Hogwarts in order to find her, because he was sure he loved her. And there was only one step from love to hatred. Draco had taken that step. He couldn't love anyone who was friends with Potter - not even...not even Hermione. Oh man, her lips were so sweet! What had made him kiss her? Okay, he was a teenager, all he could think about in that moment was that he was alone with a beautiful girl...Granger and beautiful? What the hell is it with you? You hate her, remember? She hit you in the face at school, when others were watching, she hates you...But why did she want to protect him? He didn't need protection, he was a Malfoy!

And with such thoughts in his head, Draco fell asleep.

***

"Okay, we'll continue our fight later. We have to figure out what to do now."

"Well...you're the hero. Think of something."

Harry went to the door and tried to open it.

"Is it stuck here?" he demanded, unable to open it. He tried the window, but couldn't open it either.

"Who the hell does that Malfoy think he is to lock us up in his own house?"

"He must have had a reason."

"Just don't start your lecture about his kindness again, will you, Hermione?" Hermione pouted and turned her back to him.

***

Ginny woke up when she felt someone trying to lift her. She opened her eyes and saw Lucius wrapping her in a cloak.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"New orders," he explained.

"To throw me in a dungeon?"

Lucius looked surprised. "How did you know?"

It was dawn already and Lucius looked like he had had a sleepless night. There were blue circles under his eyes and he looked exhausted.

"Can't I walk myself?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to give you a Sleeping Potion so you don't see where the entrance to my dungeons is."

***

When Ginny woke up this time, she was put in a bed in a cell. She was in the scary Malfoy dungeons now and she didn't understand why. Was that some kind of a punishment?

She heard someone coming down the tunnel, so she got up from the bed. Two men emerged from the darkness, two very similar figures. One was Lucius and he was followed by Draco. Lucius took his wand and made a move that opened the cell door. Ginny was about to walk out, when Lucius turned to Draco and said, "Go in there, young man."

"Wha...what's he doing here?" Ginny asked, pointing to Draco.

"It's impolite to point at someone with your finger, The-one-who-has-had-a-really-bad-hair-day." Draco said in a silent voice and walked in the cell.

"Remember I told you about my Lord's great Plan? So, this is where you are going to help me, Ginny. You have to have sex with my Son Draco and...do other interesting stuff, just have a baby, will you?"

Ginny was looking at him with her mouth open.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that you will marry him as soon as we find out that you're really going to have a baby. The baby has to be...made while you are not joined by the holy bonds of marriage."

***

"Ginny, I..."

"No need to explain your father, Malfoy." Ginny hissed.

Draco had leaned against the bars and put his head on his arms. "You don't understand..."

"No! You're the one who doesn't understand! I don't want to listen to you! I don't love you and I'm not going to marry you and what's more - I'm not going to have your...your baby! Your stupid father is going to make me mad!"

"Don't call my father names, Weasley!"

"Oh yes, sure! You're both on the same side, aren't you? You both want just to have fun and...shag me...I'm supposed to sleep with you! It is not a problem to sleep with someone, the problem is that that someone is you!"

Draco was standing still. He hadn't moved a muscle while Ginny was shouting at him and he was still staring out in nowhere. Finally he spoke in a silent and unpleasant voice.

"I didn't say that my father's plan is the greatest of all. I don't remember saying that I love you. The fact is that I despise you and your family. The only thing I want to tell you is that you should be thankful that it is me here, not my father. I can give you a choice: if you want to do it, I will make you happy for one night, but I won't enjoy it. If it were my father here, I wouldn't give a damn for your chance of getting out of here alive...If you want, you can sleep alone in that damned bed. I'm not going to risk my life just to have some hours of sleep in a bed. I can sleep on the floor." Draco turned and looked at her. "And I'm not going to spoil my life marrying such a...bint as you."

He returned to his former position. Ginny hissed and threw herself on the bed. What had she done? She liked...loved Draco. He was in the same situation as she was. It was not his fault that his father was a follower of Voldemort. She shouldn't have shouted at him.

***

Hermione had always thought that Harry was her real friend and that maybe someday they would get married and have children...She was sure that he would understand her. Why does it matter that I kissed that Malfoy? It's just a kiss! But on the other hand, I really can't be sure what he's up to. She could remember him calling her names and, what hurt the most - Mudblood. He had changed this year and...well, he certainly was not the kind of guy he used to be. Now he was not bony any more but slender and handsome. Hermione didn't want to choose between Harry and Draco, but she liked the way Draco had behaved when they had been "friends". Hermione raised her eyes from the book she was reading and stared at the fire. Now she actually started to feel ashamed of herself. What if Malfoy was really going to laugh at her in school? This was their last year, but there were two months of studies, still. The book she was holding in her lap started to slip out and finally dropped on the floor.

"Hermione! Are you all right? Hermione!"

Hermione raised her eyes and saw Harry lean over her.

"It's all right, Harry, calm down..." she said. She got up and went to the kitchen, where she opened a cupboard and took out a bottle of Firewhiskey. She sighed and was going to lift the open bottle to her lips, when it crashed to the ground. Harry was standing next to her with his eyes open in dismay.

"What the hell is it with you? First you kiss Malfoy, then you tell me that you liked it and try to make me believe it and now you're going to get drunk!"

Hermione looked at him with her warm brown eyes and started to sniffle.

"I...I...Harry, I...I feel so lonely...first Ron, now you...Ron loves a girl from Hufflepuff, you love Cho...I just want to...to love...to feel the happiness of being loved...and...and now you even shout at me that I...that I kissed ...Malfoy, but...even if you don't like your kisses with Cho, I...liked this with Draco and...now I don't know what to do...you tell me one and...I want to be friends with you, Harry, but...but I don't know what to do...he...he..."

"Hermione, you silly girl..." Harry said in soft voice. "He is not your true love. You can do better than that...dirty Malfoy." Harry came closer and hugged Hermione. "And I want you to know that I will be your friend for always and nothing, not even a dirty scoundrel like Malfoy will be able to separate us."

***

After three days of waiting, Lucius happened to be passing by the cell his both prisoners were sitting in.

"Well, how are you doing?"

"Nice, Father. Maybe next year I'll feel more like a lab rat than now. You could try then."

"What? You...haven't done...anything?"

"Do I look like an idiot, Father?"

"You must do it! I order you to...sleep with her!"

"You can't order me that, Father."

Lucius was stunned. His big Plan was going down very fast. He hadn't thought of what he would do if Draco refused to obey him.

"Fine, Son. Then stay here as long as you want. No food, no water...until the work is done."

Lucius turned and left the dungeons.

***

When Lucius had left the dungeons he went straight to the library. He liked this room; it was full of memories, good and bad. This was the place where he had sworn his allegiance to The Dark Lord; this was the room where he had first learned how to use Avada Kedavra. This was the room the Master of the Manor had used to punish his Son, when he had been younger. This was the room he used to deepen his knowledge about the Dark Arts. He had taught a lot to Draco, but he had never showed him all the secrets of the Manor. There were some tips that only the Master of the Manor knew. Lucius started to look around for a certain book he wanted to skim this evening. He couldn't find it anywhere. He was sure that the last time he had been reading it he had been sitting in a comfy armchair...Of course! Lucius thought and went to the fireplace. Last time he had read it was the last time he had visited the other house in Germany. He mumbled a spell under his breath and stepped in the fireplace.

***

Ginny was lying on the bed and Draco was lying next to her. They hadn't spoken for the last three days. It was awful - a living person lying next to you without speaking or moving. The silence was dreadful. Ginny rolled and now she was facing Draco.

"Mal...Draco...maybe if we do this...thing, Lucius will let us free?"

Draco didn't answer.

"I mean...maybe let's just do it and then forget it all?"

Draco didn't move a muscle.

"What is it with you? I...I offer myself as a sacrifice...if you despise me...Draco...I love you!"

Now he did look at her. There was surprise in his eyes. It looked like this was the first time he heard anyone say it to him.

"I don't love you," he said finally. "And will you please be so kind to let me think how to get us out of the trouble?"

Ginny jumped up from the bed.

"You...sarcastic, maniacal idiot! I... why did I tell you that I love you? How can anyone love such a ...bastard?! You hide your feeling from others; do you think it's cool?! Nonsense! I hope you die in here! I wish you were dead already! He is thinking, isn't he?! I doubt that you even can!"

Draco had jumped to his feet.

"So you want to see me dead, do you? I respect other people's feelings, why can't the others respect mine? You think that I'm a bastard, right? I hope you do remember that I am Draco Malfoy. Malfoys don't forgive. They come home to roost."

He glared at Ginny with his silver eyes. Now they had become dark.

***

Hermione had told Harry everything that had happened before he had found them lying on the floor and enjoying each other. They were sitting in the house for three days and not even once the fireplace had opened. Hermione was doing something in the kitchen and Harry was sulking in a room he was using as his bedroom. He liked Hermione; he didn't want to see her hurt. That Malfoy...didn't he have enough of beautiful girls already around him? Why should he need Hermione? A holler from the fireplace room drew him off his thoughts. He ran there and saw Hermione trying to kick Lucius who was holding her high up in the air.

"Let me go, you punk!" Hermione shrieked.

"No way, lady. This is a robbery - to get inside someone's house without permission."

"We have permission to be here!"

"I don't remember giving it to you."

"Draco..."

"He...what?"

He had loosened his grip and Hermione ran away from him. She called:

"To the door, Harry! Get to the door!"

Harry was closer than she, so he opened the door and ran out. Hermione followed him. They both ran as quickly as they could and stopped when they had got far enough from the house.

"How did you know about that door, Hermione?"

Hermione was catching her breath, so she didn't answer at once.

" I read it ... in a ... book ... yesterday. That's ... a ... very ancient...spell...only if the master... a Malfoy...if he is in the house then...all doors can be opened. When Draco...went away, he didn't give us a permission to open the...doors or ...go anywhere. Including his Manor. When Lucius appeared ..."

"The spell was broken. What shall we do now?"

"I don't know ... We should try to get to Lupin."

***

When Lucius returned to the Manor, there was someone waiting for him in the library. It was Cornelius Fudge.

"Well, I feel honoured to see you here, mister ...?"

"Fudge, Lucius. As you know, I am the Minister for Magic."

"And as you know I am Mr. Malfoy, Cornelius."

Both men stared at each other. Finally Fudge turned his gaze on the paper he was holding in his hand.

"You are under arrest for hiding dangerous potion ingredients under your living room, Mr. Malfoy. And you are under arrest for using Cruciatus Curse on Bertha Jorkins. Be so kind to follow me to Azkaban."

Lucius cursed under his breath, his eyes narrowed, but he still gazed at Cornelius.

"You should know, Cornelius, that I have some friends ..."

"Who won't help you this time, Lucius. Now come with me. This is an order."

"I'm not going anywhere. This is my Manor and you are not going to order me, understood?"

"Should I call some Dementors to Kiss you?"

Lucius came closer. He was white and looked more like a ghost than human.

"You'll pay for this, Cornelius." He hissed and turned to the fireplace. Cornelius hurried after him but walked into Lucius, who had stopped suddenly. It looked like Lucius was composing something in his mind, because before leaving the Manor by the Floo Network he said in a clear voice, "Now, when I, the Master of the Manor, am leaving, the Heir of the Masters is to rule the Manor until my time to come back will be." And after throwing the Floo powder in the fireplace, he stepped together with Cornelius in the fire and departed to the Ministry.

***

The door of the cell sprang open. Draco looked at it in disbelief. As no one came in the ward, he went out himself. Ginny followed him. Draco went straight to the library, where he supposed his Father should be. When he entered the room, he saw glittering silver words hanging in the air in front of the fireplace. They said:

The Heir is to rule the Manor, till I, the Master, return.

"What is it, Malfoy?"

Draco turned to her and with a wry smirk said, "This means that I have the power over this Manor, till my Daddy returns. And I'd say that my first order is meant specially for you. Take your red-headed brother and leave the Manor."

He turned to go away. Ginny cried, "Wait ... Draco ... "

Draco stopped, but didn't turn back to face her.

"You are expected to leave my Manor within an hour. If you don't leave then," he turned and looked at her, "I'll put Avada Kedavra on both of you. And don't even look at me like that - I know how to do it and believe me," his voice silenced, "I won't be scared to do it."

Ginny couldn't believe what she had heard. "And why would you kill us? Just for fun?"

"I have a more serious reason, Weasley ... I'm a Malfoy." He turned and walked away.