Chapter 15 Draco
Chapter 15 Draco
Draco knew he was spending too much time in the dungeon. The ruse that he was attempting to uncover Dudley’s ‘blockage’ was enough to keep most people from being suspicious, but for how long? Death eaters were crawling around the manor at all hours of the day. The dark lord would be expecting answers, he would want Draco to prove he was making progress with Dudley. Draco thought about explaining this to Dudley, telling him he needed to spend some more time away from the dungeon, to stay away from one another for a while, but Dudley was so fragile, and Draco was so weak. He liked spending time down there, it was the happiest he had felt in months, maybe even years. Their conversations were an escape, they spoke of school, muggle life (Dudley had explained the concept of the internet to Draco and Draco was astonished at it, the ingenuity, the pure fantastic invention of it was enough to convince Draco muggles might actually be smarter than wizards, It was pure genius.) Each conversation had Draco brimming in delight, he hoped desperately that maybe Voldemort would just forget Dudley and their friendship could be a happy secret forever. Draco would live down there forever with Dudley if it were possible, reading books and sharing stories. They had almost finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Draco had loved reading to Dudley, watching him relax into a separate world for a while. Draco relished being lost another place together.
Draco’s back was aching, they had definitely overslept. Sleeping on the floor was taking its toll, he didn’t understand how Dudley was coping with sleeping on the hard floor as well as recovering from cruciatus.
‘How’s the head? Do you need me to…’
Draco asked.
‘I think I’m okay thanks ’ Dudley replied
Draco felt a relief wash through him, it was the first time that he’d offered the spell and Dudley had refused it. He must be feeling better. He had slightly more colour in his cheeks and he was eating more.
Draco braced himself with a deep breath.
‘I should probably go and show my face up… there.’
Draco said looking to Dudley immediately for his reaction.
‘Oh. Yeah okay.’ A small pinch in his eyebrows was all Dudley gave away.
‘I’ll be back soon though.’
‘No problem’ Dudley smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Draco apparated into his bedroom, he needed to get changed before he went to show his face around the manor. He would seek out with his parents, ask if there was anything useful he could do for the dark lord, put any suspicions to bed and then later on he could go and spend the evening with Dudley, they could finish the book.
He was dragging a clean black shirt over his head when he felt it. His mark was burning, Draco winced and pulled the sleeve back to look. The mark was darker, it had turned almost completely black and it felt so hot, he was surprised when he touched it to find it no warmer than the rest of his skin. Fuck he thought, Voldemort was summoning him. A bag of bricks was dropped inside his stomach. Though he wanted to he could not delay, angering Voldemort was a dangerous game. Draco pulled on some fresh trousers and left the room swiftly. He jogged down the stairs past the entrance hall and into the dining room. This was where Voldemort had been conducting most of his meetings, the room was vast, the dining table could seat thirty people comfortably. The walls were panelled half way in walnut. The other half was a dark green and silver wallpaper, entwining trees and leaves interspersed with snakes winding themselves around gnarled branches. There was an ornate mirror on the far wall that made the large room seem almost twice as big. The chairs were high backed and heavy, upholstered in a deep green velvet. Voldemort was sat at the head of the table with an expressionless face and cloaked in black. Lucius was beside him, he sat straight backed, his blonde hair usually neatly fell down his back in a glossy sheet but today it was slightly dull and looked unbrushed.
Voldemort beckoned Draco forwards with a bony hand, Draco bowed and confidently strode towards Voldemort, a chair was pulled out via some silent magic, and he sat.
‘You wished to see my my lord?’ Draco was pleased at the confidence he heard in his voice, though he Did not feel an ounce of it.
‘Draco, it has been several days, you have not come forth with news of your new project. Update me. What progress have you made with the muggle?’
Draco cleared his throat, and met Voldemorts yellow eyes before he answered.
‘I regret to inform you my lord, the blockage inside the muggle is strong. I have tried every legilimency technique I know, I have scoured the library for a magical explanation but I have yet to uncover anything relevant. I will continue to work on the muggle in earnest, for your glory my lord’
Draco felt sick, talking about Dudley like he was an inanimate object.
‘What is your plan?’
‘My plan, my lord?’
‘What are you going to do next?’
Draco didn’t know what to say, he hadn’t thought this far ahead’
‘I…’
Voldemort’s tone changed, he sounded like he was chastising a five year old for not finishing their vegetables.
‘Oh dear Draco, it appears you do not take your assignments seriously.’
‘No my lord! I do!’
Draco needed something, could he lie? He needed something or they would take Dudley from him. They would kill him and there would be nothing Draco could do to stop them. The idea brought his breakfast back into his throat and a painful pang of affection for Dudley stabbed in his heart.
‘I have something my lord, the muggle trusts me, I have convinced him of a burgeoning friendship between us. He has been telling me of his childhood with Potter, he may yet hold useful information that was not apparent when we searched his memories’
‘Oh yes? Such as?’
‘He told me how they were at odds growing up, they disliked each other intensely. He told me how his mother hated Harry, blamed him for her sisters death. He told me that his father was afraid of Harry. Give me more time my lord and I will bring you more.’
‘Very well, I shall not get rid of the muggle yet, but you will continue to research this blockage further, I am sending you to the Greengrass library this afternoon where you will seek out more information pertaining to the muggles blockage’
Draco nodded, the thought of leaving Dudley here alone scared him but he could not refuse.
‘Of course my lord’
‘A Portkey will take you, a wristwatch on the dining table at twelve. You are dismissed.’
Voldemort flicked his hand as if to waft Draco away, like a bad smell.
Draco regretted sleeping in so late, he only had an hour before the portkey left. Immediately he was out of the dining room he apparated back into the dungeon. Dudley was re-reading the first chapter of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe when he arrived.
‘Is everything okay?’ Dudley asked standing up eagerly, the ease with which he moved eased some of the panic rushing through Draco’s veins, Dudley was definitely feeling better.
‘Yeah no, it’s fine but I just needed to tell you that I’m being sent away for the afternoon’
Dudley paled.
‘W-where? Why?’
‘Voldemort wants me to research your ‘blockage’ so I’ve got to go to this library’
‘You spoke with him?’
‘He called me in to see him’
Dudley looked slightly aghast.
‘I- I don’t want to go, you know that right? I’m only going for show, so they don’t suspect anything, I’ll just sit and read for the afternoon, so don’t worry okay?’
Draco tried to sound as reassuring as possible.
‘Yeah of course I know I know’
‘You’ll be okay, alright?’
‘Just don’t… you won’t… I mean will you, if you do find something that unblocks my mind, will you…’
‘… I will never use magic on you without your permission Dudley’ draco looked directly into Dudley’s pale eyes, hoping Dudley could see the sincerity in them.
‘Okay’
‘Can I?’ Draco asked motioning to move closer to Dudley.
Dudley nodded slowly.
‘I will be back as soon as I can. I just need to do this. You’ll be fine. We’ll both be fine.’ Draco placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. Remembering the last time he was this close to Dudley, he cringed and prepared himself for Dudley’s rejection, but it didn’t come. Dudley didn't move or ask Draco to take his hand off. Draco could feel the tense muscles in Dudley’s shoulder, he was warm and solid, Draco couldn’t help but smile at him. Dudley gave a small lopsided grin in return. Draco’s fingers were tingling slightly, he was connected to Dudley, touching him. Draco’s stomach leapt up into his throat. He couldn’t unpick why he touching Dudley was making him feel like this, but he had a panic-inducing suspicion that he pushed away quickly deciding instead to just enjoy the feeling of it.
‘Be careful.’
Dudley said reciprocating by placing his own hand on Draco’s shoulder, Draco wasn’t prepared for it. The heaviness, the weight. Dudley gave Draco’s shoulder a quick squeeze.
‘Will you come and see me as soon as you’re back?’
‘Of course.’ Draco answered, squeezing Dudley’s shoulder in return. He quickly apparated back to his bedroom before he did anything silly.
Draco sat on the edge of his bed, trying to even out his breathing. Touching, Draco couldn’t remember the last time he had received a gentle, affectionate touch. Formal handshakes were as close as he ever got, even his mother didn’t touch him anymore, he wasn’t sure that he had been hugged since he was four or five years old. That simple squeeze had unravelled a whole spool of feelings Draco hadn’t been aware he was holding in. How do you know you’re missing something if you’ve never had it? But Draco wanted nothing else but to feel Dudley’s hand on his shoulder again. He still didn’t know what that meant but he knew it couldn’t be good. He craved it. Needed it . It took all of his willpower to walk down to the dining room and not just apparate directly to the dungeon and sweep Dudley into a bear hug, lay down next to him with his nose buried in Dudley’s warm neck.
At twelve o clock Draco took the portkey to the Greengrass mansion, a large Georgian building set behind tall wrought iron gates. It was home to one of the largest magic libraries in the country. Malcom Greengrass was in the doorway waiting to welcome Draco inside, the library occupied the entire second floor. Draco set himself up on a desk and began his ‘research’ this mainly consisted of taking random assortments of books back to the desk and flicking through them thoughtlessly. During one of his trips through the towering bookcases, one particular tome caught his eye. Larger than most of the others it was bound in thick black leather, gold and silver stud work on the spine. Dudley removed it from the shelf and found the cover was inlaid with gemstones, rubies and emeralds glittered across the front. In the centre was a skull that appeared to have diamonds for eyes. ‘Secrets of the darkest art’ Draco added it to the top of his pile and retreated to the desk.
The book was horrible, it contained detailed descriptions of blood curses, generational curses, life altering love potions, several poisons, instructions for breeding dark creatures, incantations to maim, tips on breaking minds, spells to induce madness sacrificial magic used for protection but the most heinous of all was instruction on how to split the soul, encasing it inside an object for the purpose of achieving a grotesque form of immortality.
Draco didn’t want to keep reading but it was compelling, like picking at a scab or watching a broom crash. The more he read the harder it was to close the book. After he had skimmed most of the pages he felt vaguely sick and he forced himself to place the book back on the shelf. Hating himself for having read it. He was dirty and tainted and weak. He sat in his chair staring into space until it was time to take the portkey back to the manor. He hurriedly thanked Malcom on his way out, he was desperate to see Dudley again. Dudley would help him forget about the atrocities he had just read, Dudley would keep him safe.