Alone

Chapter 16

"There is only one problem," Draco said hastily. Jake looked at him suspiciously.

"What?" he asked.

"You can't go Potter," Draco said as Jake's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"What do you mean I can't go?" he demanded. The tables were suddenly turned as Derek found himself hanging on to the back of Jake's shirt to stop him from pouncing on Draco.

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I know you want to go and be the hero of the wizarding world again, but don't you realise? As soon as you step within two hundred feet of Voldemort, he's going to know that you're there. Remember? Your connection with our dear Dark Lord?" Draco asked sarcastically as Jake fumed.

"Look I really don't give a shit what you think. I am going to get Lucy back and nothing you say will stop me Malfoy," Jake said, forcing each word through gritted teeth. Draco glared at him.

"You stupid idiot! Don't you get it? You can go and commit suicide for all I personally care, but the wizarding world needs you. If you die now, then what are we going to do? And besides it's not worth it. Why risk your life when the members of the Order are willing to risk theirs to get Lucy back?" Draco asked. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Now, he was busily trying to think up a way to show he was sorry, without actually having to stoop to apologising out right. He was trying to uphold his record of not apologising for things. He had never apologised to anyone in his life.

Meanwhile Jake counted calmly to ten, trying to get his temper under control.

Think happy thoughts. Remember, you are a cool lake in the middle of Spring. Malfoy is just a passing breeze. He will go and you will remain untouched and unchanged. You will not listen - oh who gives a crap? To hell with all this calming and relaxing your thoughts shit. I am entitled to blow up at Malfoy, Jake thought, throwing all the pieces of the barrier that walled in his anger to the wind.

Striding forward in three large steps, Jake towered over the sitting Draco, his glare intensifying with every passing moment.

Jake thought he faintly heard Derek mumble 'oh shit' and move to hide behind the door.

"Oh yes, let's all rely on Harry Potter! After all, he is Gryffindor's Golden Boy. What wrong can he do? I'm sure he doesn't have all the feelings we mortals have like hate. No, the Boy-Who-lived can't hate anyone. It's not in his nature. Even though we were going to throw him into Azkaban without a trial, I'm sure he's going to forgive us immediately and rush back to defeat Voldemort for us! Oh no! We can't let him get killed, no sir! He has to be alive and healthy to be able to beat Voldemort! After all, without him, who can?" Jake shouted sarcastically as the room watched in fascination and fear. They had never seen Jake so angry.

"Well, Malfoy, has the thought even occurred to you that I am a normal twenty-one year old man?! That I was a normal seventeen year old boy when everyone was about to throw me into Azkaban? That surviving Voldemort's stupid curse when I was one doesn't mean I was special? It might have something to do with the fact that my mum sacrificed herself for me to live. Has that thought occurred to you?! No of course not! How can Harry Potter be anything but special? How can Harry Potter be like every other kid in the world? How can Harry Potter not defeat Voldemort? Well if you think back with that tiny brain of yours to the day when I came back here, you'd realise that I said I am only here because I want to know where Lucy is. I'm not here to rid the wizarding world of Voldemort. I'm not here to help you or the Order. I'm not here to kiss and make up. I am certainly not here to start over with you. I am only here because of Lucy. And you expect me to sit back, relax, maybe have a drink or two while you go and get Lucy? I think not Malfoy. Maybe if you used that pathetic little brain of yours you would have realised this without me wasting my breath on you. No, I am not here to help you; I am here to help Lucy. You got that?" Jake asked angrily, as Draco sat there stunned, staring at the black haired man. In fact everybody in the room was staring at him. That was an impressive display.

Finally, Draco nodded weakly. Jake smirked in satisfaction and went to sit down in the chair that was the furthest away from the Order. Derek finally came out of his hiding place and sat gingerly next to Jake.

"Damn Potter, you sure do know how to lose your temper," Draco complimented suddenly.

~~*~~

Lucy was diligently working through the books that Blaise piled in front her.

"What's a Dementor?" Lucy asked suddenly. Blaise's head snapped up and he stared at Lucy for a moment before realising that she had asked him a question.

"A Dementor?" he mumbled. Lucy rolled her eyes, but she nodded.

"Well they're horrible things. They're not human and they're not monsters. Creatures would be more like it. They feed on the happy memories of humans. It's like they suck all the happy memories out of you until there is nothing but bad memories and feelings left. And if you only have bad memories and feelings left, you eventually go crazy. Like I said, they're horrible things," Blaise explained. Lucy noticed that while he was explaining his eyes seemed to glaze over as if he was reliving a nightmare. His eyes lost all signs of the sparkle they usually had. The lack rendered his blue eyes lifeless. Lucy shivered slightly and turned away, not wanting to look into his eyes anymore.

Blaise shook himself out of his reverie and looked at Lucy, who was busy reading again.

**Half an Hour Later**

Lucy sighed and slammed the book closed with a loud bang. She watched with a satisfied smirk as Blaise jumped at the sudden noise.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he asked sulkily. Lucy jumped around in her seat.

"I'm bored. I want to try some spells. I don't want to read anymore. I want to do some spells," she demanded, her voice leaving no arguments.

Blaise sighed. Lucy had gone into her 'annoying-the-crap-out-of-Blaise' mode again. Blaise had a sinking suspicion that Lucy enjoyed watching him get angry and particularly enjoyed annoying him.

"Alright, a spell. Um, try the unlocking spell then," he said, smothering a yawn. Lucy shrugged and picked up her wand. Pointing it at the lock that Blaise had conjured up, she flicked through the books for the spell.

"Alohomora," she muttered. The lock clicked open and Lucy looked quite pleased with herself.

Blaise nodded with approval before another yawn caught up with him.

Glancing at the clock near the fireplace, Blaise nearly jumped out of his skin when he realised that it was past twelve o'clock.

"Sleep now, learn tomorrow," he grunted as he stood up. Without another word, he strode out the door.

Lucy had just finished closing her book when Blaise exited the room. Looking at where he was, Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Men," she muttered before undressing and climbing into bed. "They treat you good one minute and ignore you the next. I swear I'll snap their necks one of these days."

~~*~~

Derek nearly fell out of his chair when he heard Draco compliment Jake. Jake, for his part, was equally surprised.

"Did Draco Malfoy just compliment me?" he asked in mock wide-eyed disbelief. Derek smirked and nodded.

"I know, it's so hard to believe that Draco Malfoy is even capable of complimenting anything, let alone you," Derek replied, realising that Jake was teasing Draco.

"Shut up," Draco growled. "It was wrong of me to say what I said."

Jake raised an eyebrow in surprise as Derek stared at the blond in shock. The rest of the Order appeared similarly shocked as well.

"Did he just apologise as well?" Jake asked. Derek nodded in disbelief. Draco banged his head on a wall mentally.

"The world is coming to an end," Derek whispered dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "Draco Malfoy is apologising, oh dear God, what will happen next? Will the sky collapse on us? Will Voldie suddenly decide that he likes dancing with pink, fluffy bunnies to some cheesy song more than taking over the world? Will our boss finally give us a raise?"

Jake's eyebrows were now officially part of his hairline.

"Nah, I don't think our boss will ever give us a raise," he stated sadly as Derek nodded in agreement.

"Stingy old bastard," he muttered.

The next thing they heard was muffled laughter from Sirius.

"Voldie.... pink....bunnies....dancing," were the only words they were able to make out between the laughs, before even that was drowned out by the laughter of the rest of the Order.

"Well, it does make a rather amusing mental image," Jake said at last. Draco snorted.

"And there ladies and gentlemen, we have the understatement of all time," he managed before dissolving into laughter.

~~*~~

Voldemort was troubled. Sitting in his secluded room, he didn't realise that his worst enemies were laughing their arses off at him. Swirling his wineglass, Voldemort glanced out the window of Malfoy Manor. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

Something was definitely wrong.

If only he could figure out what it was.

No, it couldn't be Lucy. She was doing fine. It couldn't be his Death Eaters. They were scared shitless of him, though Lucius needed more watching, Voldemort could tell. Blaise was still loyal. He was safe at Malfoy Manor. No one knew where it was, except maybe Draco.

Ah, Draco. I didn't pay enough attention to him and now he's slipped through my fingers. I won't make the same mistake with Blaise, Voldemort thought. Draco would've been an important asset in my army. He is smart, powerful and dangerous. Yet where did it all go wrong? Why did he turn away form his destiny? Why did he betray the Malfoy name and join the Light side?

No matter, I'll get him back. He will be mine.