Seven Reasons Not to Love

Part Nine - Blood Traitor

Draco was angry now. He couldn't believe that Pansy had actually tried to kill him. He hurried down the corridor towards the common room. Pansy had hardly any time to get to Weasley before the spell wore off and he blabbed to the whole school. Still, even if it was discovered what they'd done, Draco could simply deny involvement. Hermione Granger had seen Pansy attempting to kill him. He was safe. He could get revenge on them, and claim that they were working on their own. Then he could prove to his father that he was not the incompetent one, and gain forgiveness. If it wasn't too late, of course.

Draco reached the common room and hurried through the door. It was pretty quiet in there, but those who were in there seemed to watch him as he walked to the stairs to his dormitory. Draco ignored them, holding his head high and showing he was not afraid. Taking the steps three at a time, he barged through the dormitory door and threw his bag down. But he stopped in his tracks when he reached his bed, letting out a gasp. There was a scroll lying on his neatly made bed, with a black ribbon and bearing the Malfoy crest. Across the wall behind the words Blood Traitor had been written in blood. All around his bed everything had been turned upside down, and paper and clothes littered the floor. There was blood splashed on the table and the bed, and a few drops had sprayed the parchment of his letter. But mostly it dribbled down the wall from the jagged letters; a little trail leading off to...feathers. Draco jumped over his clothes to the other side of the bed, and there lay his eagle owl, slaughtered. Feathers littered the floor around that side of the bed, and the blood was pooling around the creature.

His vision swam and he had to lean on the bedpost for support. He looked away, blind fury taking over him. He snatched up the letter and grabbed his wand and cloak, hurrying to the door. Ripping the ribbon off and breaking the seal he unrolled the scroll:

Dear Draco,

I am coming to the school to collect you now. You will be ready to leave by 9.00 tonight; you will not make me wait. And you will be ready for what waits for you.

Lucius Malfoy

His stomach contracted painfully. So painfully that Draco swayed, thinking he was going to throw up any moment. He took some deep breaths and propped himself against the doorframe. His hands were shaking as he stared at his father's words. He was in trouble. Serious trouble. There was only one thing for it. He'd have to tell someone what was going on. He looked at the clock and reached into his pocket. His fingers closed on the summoning ring he'd made. He felt nauseous at the very thought of it, but if he could, he had to talk to Weasley before his father got here. He stood up straight, a sudden determination taking hold of him. If they were going to kill him for one simple, stupid mistake, then he was going to make it as hard for them as possible. They did need him, and they work that out when he wasn't there, fuckwits.

He strode from the dormitory, almost at a run, flying through the common room and out of the door. There were very few people in the corridors at this time, making it much easier for him to work unseen. Those who did see him simply ignored him, being too engrossed in their own business. He paused a moment, noticing it was snowing heavily outside, and the wind was making it pile up against all the windows. Once he reached the main hall, he saw it was completely empty, and that the door to classroom C was ajar. Had Pansy already been there? Draco pulled out his wand just in case, and crept ever closer.

Just outside the door, he could hear voices whispering. One was definitely female...the other, probably Weasley. But as he edged ever closer, he was sure that they were having a discussion; that he did not recognise the voice. He stilled himself, willing himself not to panic, and held out his wand. Snakelike, he slipped through the gap into the shadows. The two people stopped immediately and made a move, but he was already armed.

"Expelliarmus!" he said. A wand flew towards him and he caught it. Without a word he stepped further into the room, but stopped when Weasley spoke to him.

"What do you want Malfoy?" he spat, standing. Draco felt a sudden wave of revulsion. He was a blood traitor... "Well, are you just going to stand there?"

"Shut up, Weasley," he snapped. "Shut up for once and listen..."

"I know now too, Malfoy," the girl interrupted. "You can't just keep removing people. Someone's going to find out!"

"I said shut up. I'm not here to kill you or anything I..."

"Then why'd you take my sister's wand?"

"So she didn't curse me into oblivion the moment I walked in!"

"You'd deserve it..."

"Maybe I..." Draco heard a creak and span, just in time to see Hermione Granger shout, "STUPEFY!" He ducked, but the spell hit him in the back, propelling him into two tables at the far side of the room. Pain exploded in his right leg and he staggered to stand.

"WAIT!" he shouted. His voice echoed through the room and everyone stilled. All Draco could hear was his own shallow breathing as he surveyed the others.

"What are you doing Malfoy?" Harry Potter demanded. Draco felt a stab of annoyance. The One time he wasn't going to insult him...Draco straightened.

"I was trying to explain something to Weasley, that was until you rudely burst in and started throwing spells left right and centre." Draco narrowed his eyes, seeing Potter raise his wand. Granger stopped him.

"Malfoy," she said. "Explain to us what's going on. Now."

"That's what I've been trying to do!" It cost him something not to simply give up on them and stalk off, but he remained anyway, taking a calming breath. "Look, there's this group in the school. They are here working for the Dark Lord, and they do..." he paused, not sure whether or not he should give anything away. "Bad things," he finished lamely. He heard Weasley snort and his temper reached its bursting point. Draco slammed himself against the table in front of him, forcing it out of his way. The force threw the table into the next one, and all the chairs that had been stacked on top of the tables fell over with a loud crash. They could all go to hell.

Gritting his teeth he marched up to the door, where Potter stuck his arm out.

"You're not going any where Malfoy. Not until you tell us what the hell if going on."

"Fuck you, Potter, out of..." Draco tried to shove past him, but Potter, seemingly anticipating this grabbed him by the front of his robes and pinned him against the wall.

"I said, you tell us what the fuck you're doing to our friends!"

"And I said, FUCK YOU..." Draco blinked and saw stars as Potter's fist collided with the side of his head. Draco staggered, almost tripping as white spots danced in front of his eyes. He clutched his head, pain reverberating through his skull.

"Harry...don't!" Hermione said quietly. Draco looked up at them both, still standing in the doorway. Weasley had risen, but was being held back by his sister. Everyone was now looking at him. The pain stabbed in the side of his head again and he shut his eyes. He suddenly realised he hadn't eaten all day, and the impact had shocked his system, making him feel dizziness swamp him. He put a hand out to steady himself, but simply fell back against the wall and slid down to the floor. As he fought the urge to be sick, he faintly registered that there were still people around him.

"Harry! You idiot...I told you, someone's trying to kill him," Hermione muttered quietly, Draco thought as though she was hoping he couldn't hear. He pretended not to. Weasley's voice pierced the quiet.

"WHAT? He's been trying to kill me! He and hi..." Draco opened his eyes and spoke flatly.

"Before you finish that sentence, Weasley, you should know that I am no longer a member of that group."

"What, don't lie..."

"I don't lie."

"Come off it..."

"I don't lie about petty things."

"Well, this isn't petty is it; save your skin, wouldn't it?"

"No, actually it wouldn't," he reached into his pocket and threw the letter from his father to the floor in front of Weasley. His head was still pounding and a peculiar kind of apathy had come over him. As though, in their not wanting to listen, he knew he was doomed. He heard them pick it up, and they read over each others shoulders. Draco looked away, leaning his head on his arms that were curled over his knees. He closed his eyes, seeing clearly his father coming into the school. Taking him to the Dark Lord...him playing with him before finally killing him. He shuddered. He'd seen it before. But then...then he wasn't afraid.

"Malfoy?"

"What?" he looked back at Hermione, a scowl in place, though he didn't realise it.

"What does this mean?"

"It means I am going to die. Go celebrate." There was a moment's silence, in which Draco decided he'd just go and wait for his fate in the common room. Maybe he could still convince his father...

"Draco, can you help us?" Hermione asked. She was kneeling beside him, her friends standing close around her. "What's this group doing? If we know, we can get help. And what's Ron got to do with it?"

"He saw something he shouldn't have seen. He was supposed to keep quiet. But then, someone let it slip. You found something out and we were all screwed."

"I think you should talk to Dumbledore."

"There's..." he paused, and everyone looked around to the corner. Something had moved. Weasley carefully approached the corner and bent down.

"She's still out."

"There's no point telling him, I..."

"No you're right. There is no point," a cold, silky voice spoke from behind them. Potter, Hermione and the Weasley girl all span round, but Draco shut his eyes. He knew that voice. There was no way he could not.

Clunking footsteps came closer and stopped, and the door was closed. Draco opened his eyes to see his father and several others dressed in their black cloaks standing around the room, one of whom came and snatched his wand out of his fingers.

"What are you doing down there, boy?" Lucius said, looking down his nose at Draco. Draco couldn't speak. His throat seemed to have closed. "Get up immediately." Lucius watched as Draco got up, using the wall for support. He looked his father in the eye, still leaning on the wall, and Lucius glared before looking away.

"Dumbledore knows you're here," Potter said. Draco knew this to be a lie, and wondered what ever possessed Potter to say it. He could see Ron Weasley crouched down in the corner; it appeared no one had spotted him. Draco looked away, not wanting to draw attention to their only hope of escape. Lucius laughed and smoothly approached Potter, pulling something shiny out of his cloak.

"I somehow don't think he does. Come on now Potter. Into the hall. You too," he and his followers shoved the four of them out into the hall. Draco found he could walk, though still slightly dizzy, he was starting to feel increasingly sick. He followed the other three out, having not noticed their being bound at the wrists before. Once in the hall he could see the object Lucius was holding had the appearance of a mirror. But of one that was reflecting a place other than its present surroundings.

There was silence, in which the smaller cloaked figures - whom Draco now knew to be Blaise and the rest of the Seven - all walked away down the corridor. Draco was watching after them and didn't notice his father was coming towards him until he turned to find him about a centimetre from his face. He took a step back, but Lucius grabbed him by the front of his robes, and Draco found himself hoping that he would not smack him in the head like Harry had.

"I am disappointed in you, boy. I'd kill you here myself, if it weren't for the orders I have. I didn't believe it at first, but it seems you are a blood traitor." With that he threw Draco back and raised his hand. Draco was about to raise an arm to protect himself, when Lucius threw the mirror down between the five of them, and it shattered at their feet. Next thing Draco knew, the world seemed to literally have turned upside down, and he and the other four present were falling towards the roof of the entrance hall. However, before they hit it, it changed. Their entire surroundings changed and the world turned back round. The mirror clattered on the dirty floor, but was no longer smashed, and Draco smacked into the floor. Beside him, he heard three more thuds, knowing that all but Lucius had collapsed on impact.

He just lay there a while, waiting, when his father picked him up and forced him to stand.

"You're coming with me, boy," he turned to face Potter. "And as for you, I think you know why you're here too," Lucius' lips curled into a cruel smile and he strode away. Draco resignedly followed, taking care to pass the Weasley girl as he did.

"Your wand," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth. She accepted it without word, and he followed his father out of the room.

Lucius led Draco without word. And Draco followed without question. This was the way it had always been between them. One expectant of the others performance, one afraid of the others reaction. But Draco seemed not to care. His mind was tired and his body ached. They entered a small room, which was dirty. Draco noticed that immediately. It smelled dank, and the wood was sure to have woodworm. He wrinkled his nose as Lucius made him step onto the carpet.

"I've brought you here to see the Dark Lord, Draco," he said sickeningly gleefully. Draco narrowed his eyes, fixing his father with an icy gaze.

"Lucky me. I suppose he wants to show me the latest evil spell he's learnt..." Draco grimaced, his father's hand slapping him hard around the face. He noted that was the second time that had happened within an hour. He rubbed his cheek and tried to refocus on Lucius.

"Don't speak like that to me, son. It doesn't help your case..." Lucius stopped as the door swung open, and Lord Voldemort swept into the room. Lucius stepped back and the Dark Lord came closer to Draco. And Draco felt even closer to throwing up than ever.

"Well, well, Draco. I hear you made a bit of a mess of our plan at the school," he hissed gently.

"Maybe you did hear that, but that doesn't mean it is true," Draco said quietly.

"Oh, a smart one. It appears the boy takes after you Lucius..."

"Not in the ways it matters, my Lord."

"No, apparently he is incompetent. Well, we shall see. I hear you have been judged by the Seven as unsuitable for the job, and that on this happening you turn to none other than the enemy. Is my information correct?"

"No. I didn't tell them an..."

"The boy lies, Lord. I found him in the presence of Potter and his friends." Draco felt like there was a lead weight crushing every vital organ in his body. How could his father do this to him, when all he'd given to him was loyalty? He felt the colour rising in his face, as the fury rose within him.

"Hmm. Have you learned anything, Draco?"

"Only the meaning of faith," he spat glaring at Lucius. Lord Voldemort drew his wand.

"We shall see. Lucius, find me some Veritaserum. In the meantime, we'll see what we can do without it shall we? Crucio!"