Chapter Text
He couldn’t do it, he knew he couldn’t do it. But still he tried. He tried so hard to be good. To be a soldier. To be the man that everyone wanted him to be. Everyone but himself.
Draco Malfoy was standing in front of the man who he always assumed he hated, the man that he considered nothing but an old fool who was clutching onto the frail dream that good could prevail, that evil would never win. But as he stood there, with his wand trained on Albus Dumbledore, he knew in his heart that he was not the man who would be able to kill his headmaster, and he also knew that it would mean cementing his own death in the process.
‘... I can help you Draco’. The old man in front of him, after all that he had done this year, was trying to give Draco a way out. He was still trying to help him. The gravity of the situation was beginning to dawn on him, he was acutely aware of the commotion in the near distance, giving him mere minutes to make this decision.
‘No, you can’t,’ said Malfoy, ‘nobody can. He told me to do it or he’ll kill me. I’ve got no choice.’ Draco’s wand arm was beginning to tremble. The glimmer of hope in his mind was betraying the steely resolve in his voice. But Albus merely smiled, and continued.
‘Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban … when the time comes we can protect him too … come over to the right side, Draco … you are not a killer …’ Draco could do nothing in that moment but stare at Dumbledore. A way out. A genuine way out, not only for him but his Mother as well?
Dumbledore could sense his hesitation. Harry was still secretly immobilized in the shadows, protected from whatever outcome this encounter would lead to.
‘You … you could really do that? For me and my mother?’ Draco stumbled over his words, his icy features beginning to melt away, revealing once again the young boy he was supposed to be, putting to bed the soldier he had been forced to become since Voldermort’s return.
‘Draco … I give you my word.’ Draco released a shaky breath, this would be his only chance, he had to be certain. But something in his headmaster’s face told him that everything he said, he believed to be true. Draco lowered his wand, nodding gingerly in agreement.
‘Severus … it is time’ Dumbledore beckoned the potions master forward from the shadows he had been lurking in, behind Draco. Prepared for two very different scenarios, he could not hide his relief at Draco’s choice. Severus had spent much of the year attempting to aid Draco. Revealing the vow he took for Narcissa to protect her son at all costs.
‘Headmaster …’ he drawled in his usual uninterested tone.
‘You know what to do Severus … I am entrusting you to devote yourself as valiantly to Draco’s safety as you have to another’s before him’ Dumbledore cocked his eyebrow upwards, staring down his nose at Professor Snape. A fleeting look of suspicion blanched over his face, before recovering himself.
‘It has been a pleasure … Albus’ Snape grabbed Draco by the elbow and dragged him down the spiral stairs underneath the floorboards just as a convoy of Death Eater’s surrounded Dumbledore.
Snape forced Draco backwards, pinning him against a rickety wooden beam and motioning with his finger for Draco to remain completely silent.
‘Well look what we have here. Dumbledore wandless, alone and cornered in his own castle!’ Draco could hear the high pitch maniacal tones of his aunt, taunting the man who had just offered to save his life.
‘Good evening Bellatrix. I think introductions are in order’ Dumbledore was attempting to stall the Death Eaters, giving Draco as much chance as possible to escape, he watched as his headmaster took a few steps to the side, blocking his view of the commotion above, through the cracks in the floorboards.
Bellatrix raised her wand, a deadly sneer formed on her face. ‘Love to, Albus, but I’m afraid we are on a bit of a tight schedule … AVADA KEDAVRA!’ Neon green light illuminated the room above them, as the curse from Bellatrix’s wand collided with Dumbledore square in the chest. Sinister cackles were heard from all around as another spell shot from her wand into the sky. A perfect copy of the Dark Mark that had been branded into Draco’s arm, now swirling above them in the clouds. The unmistakable indication that a death had occurred in the name of its Master.
Snape clamped his fist around the scruff of Draco’s neck and forced his feet to move from the spot that had grounded him moments ago. Traversing them both through the eerily dark halls of the school that had once been home to so many fond memories. A place now poisoned, infected with the darkness that was soon to engulf the world around them. A bolt of panic impaled Draco’s chest. Albus Dumbledore was dead, the man who had promised to protect Draco and Narcissa from the evils of Lord Voldemort was lifeless on the ground below.
‘Professor … where … Where are we going? My mother … he will kill us all … Dumbledore … he can’t protect me now!’ The panic in Draco’s voice was now evident as his words steadily grew louder. Almost shouting the realisation that his life was now very much hanging in balance.
‘Stupid boy! You will lower your voice unless you wish to alert all of the Dark Lord’s forces in this castle to your whereabouts?’ Snape turned towards Draco, practically spitting his words out in his face. ‘You are not so dense to believe that there was never a plan in place for exactly this moment. That Dumbledore has not known this entire year he would not survive.’
The reality of the situation hit Draco head on, he knew the entire time that he would be killed either way. And his last act, the last good thing he would do in this world would be to save Draco. The guilt and shame of the knowledge swam through his mind. Threatening to consume his very soul.
‘You knew he was going to die. And you knew that I wouldn’t be the one to do it…. Didn’t you, Professor?’ Draco hissed the last word through his teeth. He was disgusted at himself for having gone along with this for so long, but he was even more disgusted that Snape had known the whole time, there had been a choice for Draco long ago and not once did Snape mention a thing.
‘There was always a plan for this, Draco. I believe that Dumbledore told you himself, you are not a killer. And I took a vow to your mother that I would protect you at all costs. A vow I have no intention of breaking. But all good plans are one step at a time. So despise me if you wish. I will lose no sleep over it. But do not stand there, looking down your nose at me boy. I followed his instructions to the letter. Whether I agreed with them or not because I owed that man more than my life and now … so do you.’
Snape’s eyes never moved from Draco's; he merely stood there, narrowing his gaze, waiting for Draco to try and bite back at him, to pin even more blame on his already heavily burdened shoulders. But Draco couldn’t bring himself to do it. Despite all that Snape had done, despite all that he would continue to do. It became clear that he had never been loyal to the Dark Lord, all this time, for all these years, he had only been playing the role of a devoted servant.
Footsteps were beginning to echo in the halls, and Draco felt himself tense. No one should be at this end of the castle, the Death Eater’s should be well on their way into the forbidden forest by now, and Draco was sure that the students and faculty would have discovered the body of their beloved headmaster. Professor Snape tilted his head in the direction of the echoes, remaining completely unfazed by their approach.
Draco inhaled sharply, as he looked past the professor and into the glistening golden orbs of the girl in front of him.
‘Miss Granger. I assume you received my patronus?’ Snape released Draco and took a step forward in her direction. Draco’s hardened appearance faltered slightly at their interaction.
‘Yes Professor, I … I came as soon as I could slip away …’ tears were threatening to betray Granger’s icy glare towards Draco. It was evident that she had already been notified of the events that had transpired in the Astronomy Tower, and she definitely blamed Draco for his participation. He expected nothing less.
‘You know the plan Miss. Granger. I am afraid your time of mourning will have to wait …’ Snape placed a hand on Granger’s shoulder. An interaction that took Draco wholly by surprise, he had never seen anything but disgust and chagrin by Snape towards the golden girl, but now… they looked almost familiar with one another.
Granger looked Snape dead in the eye as she relaxed her shoulders and nodded in agreement. She walked towards Draco and attempted to hand him a small pocket watch. Draco recoiled slightly, not trusting his nemesis in the slightest but Snape approached, and once again fisted his collar before pulling him closer threateningly.
‘Mr. Malfoy, you are to go with Miss. Granger. You are to listen to every single word she says and follow her every direction without complaint. You will do this if you wish to save not only yourself but your mother as well. Do you understand me?’ Snape’s hold on Draco grew tighter as he waited for him to relent and agree to the terms of his protection. He tensed his jaw and ground his teeth together before giving the slightest of nods. One that was sure to be missed by anyone less perceptive but not Severus Snape.
Their former professor conjured up a small black bag in front of them and handed it over to Granger. He gave one last look before turning and ushering down the hall, seemingly making his own escape before he too was accosted by the members of the Order that had been called over due to the Headmaster’s demise.
Draco turned his deathly glare towards Granger and sneered in her direction. She rolled her eyes and scoffed in reply. ‘ I am not exactly thrilled to be doing this either Malfoy but here I am. I made Dumbledore a promise and I intend to keep it. If you wish to survive this then I suggest you quit acting like such a child and just get on with it.’
Draco narrowed his eyes towards her ‘I think I would rather take my chances at death than follow you anywhere mudblood’ he spat out his vile slur at her, half expecting her to throw some offence back in his direction but instead she just stepped closer to him and smiled.
‘Well be my guest then Malfoy. The door is over there. I am sure your Aunt will be oh so very welcoming upon your return’ Granger was inches away from Draco, she knew that he had no choice just as much as he did. And in total honesty, the thought of returning to dear Auntie Bella was terrifying. But in no way would he allow the likes of Mudblood Hermione Granger to see his fear. He was NOT that desperate.
Draco rolled his eyes and jeered ‘let’s just get this over with shall we?’ He held out his arm ahead of him and smiled at her with as much discontent as he could muster. Hermione rolled her eyes in reply so fiercely they were practically lost to the back of her head.
Hermione and Draco stalked the halls of the castle with as much urgency as possible without drawing attention. They were almost at the clocktower courtyard when they heard voices in the distance. The unmistakable dulcet tones of Ronald Weasley were just around the corner, talking hurriedly to the she-weasel. They appeared to be getting closer.
Hermione quickly turned and pushed Draco into a dark alcove. Before pointing her wand over the top of their heads, a wordless disillusion charm encompassed the pair in the shadows. Even Draco had to admit the wordless magic was impressive, especially for a mudblood.
‘Ron will you calm down! We need to get back to Harry and the others!” Draco could hear the breathless urgency in the she-weasel's voice, just before the pair appeared directly in front of the alcove which had Draco and Hermione hidden.
‘No Ginny I won’t fucking calm down! You saw them! Death Eater’s in the castle. Dumbledore is DEAD! And now … Hermione is nowhere to be seen? And not one of the order is trying to find her! What if she is missing? What if they have taken her? What if she is DEAD TOO?!’ Ron’s voice faltered over his last few words, he was known to be a hot headed fool. Jumping to conclusions was evidently a favourite pastime of his. Draco chanced a look over to Hermione, to her credit her face remained totally impassive. She was apparently unfazed by the panic Weasel was exhibiting. It wasn’t overly surprising. She had always been the calm and logical one of the group and everyone knew that Potter and the Weasel never would have survived even this long without her.
‘Enough Ron! She is not dead. You saw her when we all found Dumbledore. She was devastated, the same as all of us. She is more than likely just having a few minutes or privacy … our best bet is to go and find Harry and wait for her to come back’ Ron took a deep breath in at his sister’s words, before sighing and nodding in agreement.
Hermione waited another few moments, until she was certain that the coast was clear before banishing the illusion and dragging Draco back out from the small shared space.
Draco dusted off the cobwebs from his clothes and looked at Granger curiously. When she caught him staring at her, she narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow at him. ‘If you have something to say, Malfoy you might as well come right out and say it’ her voice was stern but not cross. She was speaking more matter of factly than anything else.
‘It’s nothing really … I’m just surprised. You didn’t seem bothered that Weaselbee was worried about you. Aren’t you two meant to be some sort of star-crossed lovers or something?’ Draco had that usual bored tone to his question. He wasn’t actually curious about whatever disgusting relationship they had, he was more intrigued that her friend’s apparently had no idea what she was up to.
‘And why on earth would I discuss my private life with you Malfoy?’ she squared her shoulders towards him in defiance, ‘not that it concerns you in the slightest, but irrespective of any relationship I may or may not have with Ronald, I have a job to do. Which is to get your lordship to the safe house I have been working on with Snape to keep your high and mighty self safe and that is EXACTLY what I plan on doing … any further questions or can we get on with it?’ she was challenging him to further her irritation, if he dared cross that line. Usually he would have no trouble rising to the occasion, but he couldn’t deny he was anxious to get out of the castle. And apparently she was his only hope of achieving that.
As soon as the pair had made it into the clocktower courtyard Hermione scanned their surroundings, seemingly searching and checking if they were indeed alone, once she was satisfied it was just the two of them, she reached into his jacket and took back the little pocket watch. Much to his disgust.
‘You might ask next time rather than assaulting my personal space Granger’ he tried his best to sound offended but it only made her smile. She enjoyed winding him up it seemed. He turned his head away from her before shoving his hands in the pockets she had just violated, just in case she had any more bright ideas of touching him with her filth.
‘This is a portkey. It is not timed … it activates only when the correct people are present and in the correct circumstances. In this case, me and you together and alone. It is a one time, one way thing. And yes, if you want to reach the safehouse then you are going to have to hold my arm or some other part of my body that you find least offensive, so you don’t end up splinched along the way - believe me I take zero pleasure from having you anywhere near me either’ she had her familiar swotty attitude firmly in place.
‘Eugh. If I must. But I do hope there’s at least a shower waiting for me on the other side. Or perhaps a clean room?’ Draco wrapped his fingers snug around her wrist. Holding onto her perhaps a little too tight, determined to show her his absolute distaste at the interaction.
The moment that Draco latched himself on to Hermione, he felt the familiar disturbing pull behind his navel, as the portkey dragged them to the undisclosed location that would be his home for the foreseeable future. They arrived with a thud on some ground covered in leaves and twigs. The sound of insects and other nocturnal creatures around them as the moonlight cast delicate shadows through the trees.
‘Do you mind Malfoy?...’ Hermione choked out from her throat. Draco had landed directly on top of her and they were laid flattened together against the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet, not at all elegantly, and began dusting himself down, not bothering to offer her a hand up. Doing his absolute best to will away the thought of Hermione Granger pushed against his body.
Draco took a moment to look at his surroundings. They were eclipsed by trees of varying heights and species. There were bats flying in the distance, and the distinct sound of crickets all around them. In the distance, through a small clearing and tucked away safely was a small wood cabin. He looked back at Hermione and sniggered. ‘A wooden shack? … are you trying to kill me or save me Granger?’ he asked her with a distinct timbre of unappreciation.
Hermione rolled her eyes, both unamused and unsurprised by Malfoy’s lack of human sensitivity to having his life saved. Although she expected nothing less, a small show of gratitude wouldn’t have gone amiss. ‘I do apologise to your Lordship but they were fresh out of mansions at the discreet safe house shopping market. I shall endeavor to be less clandestine in future.’ Hermione simply waved her hands above her head exasperated and walked off towards the safe house. Leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.
Draco remained outside the cabin defiantly. Refusing to entertain that this hut could be considered as anything other than a wooden shack. True he didn’t expect the ritz but this was positively offensive. However after a few minutes, as the cold night air started to penetrate his bones, he acquiesced and made his way inside.
Once inside he was surprised to see that it was in fact far more spacious than he gave Granger credit for. From the outside it looked as though there would be barely enough room to swing a kneazle but once he walked through the main threshold, it was apparent that there was a (somewhat illegal) undetectable extension charm on the inside. And to her credit, it was beautifully decorated.
Immediately inside the door Draco was welcomed by a set of two curved staircases that wound up around a tree trunk. At the top of the stairs where the tree cut off was a large open plan bedroom space which was home to a large comfortable looking double bed. Not as large as his bed at the manor but it would do. Better than sleeping on the floor he supposed.
To the rear of the downstairs was a living space, two leather sofas sat comfortably around a small coffee table, opposite an open fire. Behind the sofas led to a decent sized kitchenette with a few simple modern conveniences, and a small bathroom with a shower. Draco took a moment to school his features back to their usual stoic appearance, not wishing to give Granger an even larger head than she was already fashioning.
Draco took a few more steps inside, and made his way towards the sofas where Granger had made herself comfortable, seemingly awaiting Draco to get over his little tantrum and accept that this was his life for the time being if he wished to stay safe from the clutches of Voldermort.
Hermione allowed Draco a few moments to look around and make himself somewhat at home before she stood up and handed him the black bag that Snape had conjured earlier in the evening. ‘This is for you. It’s not much, but I made sure to pack all the essentials you would need to settle in. If there is anything else you need that I might have forgotten then I shall bring them to you when I visit every other evening. If for whatever reason I do not appear one evening, then you are to remain here until another member of the order apparates to you or sends instructions. I … I know it will take some getting used to. And I did try to make it a little less … rudimentary … so you would at least be comfortable here. But do try your best to STAY here’ she gave him a pointed look.
Before he could say anything Hermione clicked her fingers and a small elf appeared before her, one that Draco was all too familiar with, one he never thought he would see again. ‘Dobby, could you please inform Mrs. Malfoy that we have arrived safely, and Draco is well. He is not harmed and making himself at home in his safe house’ she smiled gently at the little elf in front of her. Draco had forgotten that Granger was a huge advocate for their fair treatment until he saw first hand how she interacted with the little elf. She got down to his level, shook his hand, and even gave him a small hug before he left.
But right now, all that seemed irrelevant. Because all he could hear was that his mother was somewhere different. She wasn’t here with him and that filled Draco with dread.
Hermione could sense Draco’s unease in an instant. And she softened towards him immediately. ‘I know that you were hoping to be housed together. And I did try and argue for you both to make that happen. But, both Dumbledore and Snape insisted it would be safer for everyone involved to keep you separated and unaware of the location of the other. If something were to happen to you, which for the record I do not plan on allowing to happen, then there wouldn’t be any risk of Voldermort or anyone else gaining information of your mothers whereabouts, that he or they could then go on to use against you, and vice versa.’
When Draco didn’t speak she continued … ‘Dobby has offered to take good care of your mother Draco. He is rather fond of her actually. And I will give you every update I can as I receive them … I know that doesn’t mean a lot coming from me of all people. But truthfully, there wasn’t exactly a horde of volunteers to help you so I am currently your only option’. Hermione shrugged and walked back towards the door.
Turning back to face Draco she looked at him almost apologetically, ‘I will be back in two days time, Dobby has already stocked the cupboards with food items, and the bedroom upstairs has clothes for you as well, I wasn’t sure of your exact sizes so everything is charmed to fit as you put them on’ and with one last look over her shoulder, Hermione Granger had left. Leaving Draco, once again alone with his thoughts.