Serpens Solus

Chapter V

What is there left to do?

King's Cross Station:

The station was full of bustling passengers, heading their own way early in the morning. Although each person was headed their own way, there remained a young man loitering around, dressed in unusual clothing and attracting stares. Draco Malfoy sulked near the barriers between platforms 8 and 9, bored beyond his wits yet seriously paranoid.

Draco never felt guilt before, but this time, he felt beyond guilt. He felt destroyed. I ruined my father. I ruined him. I shouldn't have run away, but I had to. I'm a fugitive now, wanted by the Ministry for my relations, as well as by my father. What is there left to do now?

He thought back to last night, the argument he had with his father and sighed. "What kind of father are you? The kind that'll save his own skin rather than his son's? You're a liar, father, and I'll hunt you down for that."

Hunt him down, hunt him down. The words ran through Draco's mind. Hunt him down. He didn't want to do so, but his father's determination at his death forced him to remain angry. Draco wandered around aimlessly, pondering over his predicament. I'll wait, he thought, even if it takes me dozens of years, I'll hunt him down for this, not only my father, but Voldemort as well. No one deserves to make a me a fool.

Draco was about to apparate to Diagon Alley where he could retrieve some money for himself, but he was stopped by a hand on his wrist. He turned around to face Alexandra, dressed in Muggle clothing. "What do you want?" Draco asked, furious at having a constant tailgate.

"The one thing I can't stand about you is that you never seem to care what other people think. Your mother's just trying to keep you safe. Isn't that what your mother's supposed to do? I'm just trying to help her."

"So now you're my second mother as well?"

"Of course not! Draco, I'm here as your friend! I'm just trying to help you!"

"I don't need help! Besides, every time you come to me, you put me at risk of being caught by my father! I don't want to see my father! Never! Do you hear me? I hate him and I'm going to kill him someday! I swear on that, I'm going to kill him someday!"

Alexandra had no reply to that. She stared forlornly towards Draco, with a mixture of pity, depression, and guilt in her eyes. "I can't believe you'd do such a thing, he's your father, Draco."

Draco scoffed, "Yeah well, a father who hates me."

"No. A father who cares for you and doesn't want to do this to you."

"He doesn't want to do this to me? Then why is he after me? Don't tell me because of that stupid code, it won't work. It's just a bunch of made up lies that don't come true. Fearing it doesn't do anything."

Alexandra turned away, speechless. "When it comes to that, I can't help you, but I do promise you this. Because your father lost the son he loved and he can't get him back, then he has no choice. What your father did was to either keep his son, no matter what, or to lose him entirely. I don't think this was an easy choice, Draco."

"I don't care."

"Of course you don't. You're just arrogant."

"WHAT?" Draco glared at her, furious at the statement.

"You heard me, Draco." Alexandra looked at Draco, expressionless. "You're arrogant. Look at yourself someday."

"I don't give a damn. Now anyway, why are you here?"

"To help you get away from your father. He's already lost you emotionally, and he can't stand losing half of you. If he can't get you back one way, you're gone entirely. I'm sorry."

Draco grew annoyed towards Alexandra and said, "You know what, Alexandra? Don't stand here telling me stories of my multi-personality father. If you have something to say to me, then say it."

"You know what I have to say? Get on a train bound for some magical community!" Alexandra dragged Draco to the barrier between platform 8 and 9 and shoved him inside.

"What's the point? I'm going to be found either way!" Alexandra ignored Draco and pushed him aboard a train waiting nearby.

"Just get out of here." She turned away to apparate, but flinched from some sort of pain coming from her left arm. Alexandra looked at Draco who was staring at her angrily and replied, "I'm sorry." Standing up straight, she apparated away.

* * * * *

Draco got aboard the train, passing through the corridor as he looked for an empty compartment. Every single one he passed by had someone inside. Someone who'd probably like nothing more than to kill me, he thought. He kept walking on until he got to the final compartment, and to his relief, it was empty. Draco sat down, but after a while, spread his legs on the opposite seat.

What am I doing here? Draco thought, I shouldn't be running away like a coward. Draco quickly dismissed the thought and relaxed, forgetting all about the tremendous burden he felt he had. He lay there, calm and tired when the compartment door opened. Draco jumped to a start, only to find Remus Lupin, Draco's former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, at the doorway.

"Can I come in? Every other compartment is full." Remus asked, seemingly indifferent about Draco's ethics.

Draco shrugged and motioned to the opposite seat, where Remus said down, a hand on a tattered briefcase. The two sat in silence, ignoring each other for a while. Sighing, Draco said, "Why me, Professor? Do you have to come and sit here? Everyone else here hates me, why don't you join them?"

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I don't hate you. What's more, you're not a Death Eater." Remus said calmly.

Draco scoffed, "And you know this how?"

"Werewolf sense. Anyway, I didn't ask to come and sit next to you, it was the only compartment that I can come into. All the others are equipped with werewolf detectors, Death Eater sensors and several other gadgets installed aboard these trains. This is the only compartment that never got any of that installed."

"Bit extreme, isn't it, Professor?"

"Of course it is Draco, but I doubt that's what's troubling you."

Hell, a lot of things are bothering me, but I can't just say them all to him. "It's my father."

"I'm sure your father loves you Draco," Remus said as he sat there, reading a book.

"That's news," Draco said sarcastically. "I've heard it before."

"Your father doesn't hate you, he just wants to save you."

Furious, Draco stood up and glared at Remus. "Save me? What are you, nuts? I bet you didn't know, but my father wants me dead! D'you hear me? DEAD! What kind of loving father would want me DEAD? Think about it, Professor! I can't live knowing my father's out to get me!" Draco ranted on, repeating the same redundant words over and over again. Remus took every word in, but still seemed to care less.

When Draco finally finished, Remus closed his book, looked up at Draco and said, "I can't help you there, Draco. Matters between your father and yourself should be kept between the two of you. I can only advise you."

"A lot of help you're doing." Draco attempted to disapparate, but because of the anti-Apparation charms, he banged his head against the door. "Good-bye, Professor." Draco opened the door and slammed it shut. He headed towards the door to the train and jumped out, tumbling over grass and weeds. When he finally came to a stop, he stood up, brushed his cloak and said, "I don't care how long it takes me, I'll find my father."