บท 9: Vows And Portraits
Snape
Back on his office while he looked at some documents that needed his attention as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, something unexpected happen that paralyze him for a second. Ever since he make an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy to save Draco, he had secretly carried with him a small oval made of clear crystal, that he usually leave it at his desk when he was alone in his office. If someone had ever care to ask him why (although no one will actually dare to), he would have answer that he took vows seriously.
Years ago, when he found out about Wormtail's betrayal to the Potters, he had vow to keep Lily's son alive in her place, no matter the sacrifices he needed to make in order to make it happened and so he secretly did it and keep doing so, until the boy's own fate finally caught up to him. His love for the boy's mother only grew stronger after her death and although Potter resemble his arrogant father the most (for which he didn't particularly like him), every time he looked at Potter's green eyes, it's remains him of hers and how much he would have wanted she had chosen a different path in life, other than the one she walked with James, even if it wasn't with him.
Now, after making yet another vow with Narcissa a while back, he had equally done everything in his power to keep Draco alive as well. Still, his reasons for doing so were different from Potter's. He could have refuse the vow to save Draco if he truly wanted, but he and Draco were more similar deep inside than they wanted to admit, making him more willing to take another risk. It was no secret that among the Slythering students on his charge in the past, Draco was his favorite but not because of his family name as most think it was, but because he saw himself reflected in the boy.
Although Draco had been raised differently than him, at the end, he has experience the same loneliness, pain, fear and suffering that he did, especially in the last few months when his path to self-destruction became so similar to his own. Now, as he looked at the crystal who represented the real life state of his short time disciple, Draco Malfoy, he wonders if their lives will even end the same way. The delicate looking thing was by all means unbreakable under the Vitalias Speculo spell and only could break or even be scratched if the one who represents it was harm in any way, as it seems to be happening as he watched the otherwise indestructible crystal crack right in front his eyes.
The Vitalias Speculo, better known as the vitality mirror spell was an old one that linked the crystal to Draco's vitality, so he will always know when the boy's life was in danger and at that moment, Snape knew that Draco was seriously hurt and perhaps dying. The crack on the crystal was deep, representing an equally deep wound, but that wasn't everything the crystal show him. Surrounding the wound was a dark purple liquid slowly spreading on his system that could only be call poison, a kind of poison he haven't seen it in a while. A kind of poison that will kill him faster when seriously injured. He took the crystal on his hand to have a better look and he knew for sure he was right. He could even smell the thing, even if the real Draco was thousands of miles away.
"Feralis Madrora..." Snape whisper in disbelieve as his expertise in potions of all kind, give him no room to doubt that his preliminary deduction on the color and smell of the poison belong to the elixir. That poison was rumor to be used again by Death Eaters, but in fact it was just that, a rumor. The poison was easily absorbed by the skin, making it very effective to weaken an enemy, specially one already wounded, but his making was an arduous and dangerous work which barely make it for the effort of its creation.
"It seems we were wrong Severus. We thought it was Ron Weasley the one in danger as Elmira saw Ron Weasley been seriously wounded on a fight with Bellatrix Lastrange on one of her visions. That's why I send him on a different quest, where it will be safer for him, but I guess she was wrong..." Dumbledore sadly said from inside his portrait, as Snape stood up in a hurry.
"Yes, everything was wrong for the beginning as fate is not so easily avoided and now Draco's life is in danger. I must hurry..." He said as he prayed for the boy to stay strong until he could get to him.
"Can you save him, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with worry.
"It will depend on his luck and his will to live now." Was his answer just before going out in a rush in route to his old potion classroom, where he needed to make a miracle.
Hermione/Harry
The moment they came back to the tent Harry knew they got a bigger problem on their hands. Malfoy has turn back to be an unconscious blond instead of a redhead boy and his shirt was cover with blood. Hermione had gasped in horror when she saw Draco's blood, momentarily forgetting her own terrifying experience, just seconds ago. When they had fallen, she didn't have time to see if the others were alright as Bellatrix came after her and torture her.
In her pain, she barely registered that someone had been hurt, but she didn't know who or how bad it was. Now, when she looked at Draco laying on the floor paler than she had seen him before, everything else, including the pain from her cuts, disappear. A wave of true fear rushed inside her and she quickly moved to look with trembling hands the bottle containing Dittany inside her bag.
"Hermione, hurry! He doesn't look good." Harry said looking at the unconscious Malfoy. The whole rescue thing had been a complete disaster and now Malfoy was badly injured, Mr. Lovegood was unconscious and Hermione had been torture in the worst possible way. He had tried to avoid looking at the mudblood words, bloodily engraved on her skin, as he felt guilty for everything that happen.
"Turn him over Harry..." Hermione said as she holds the bottle of the miracle liquid and Harry did as he was told, trying to be as careful as he could. There was a piece of wood encrusted on the back of his right shoulder and Hermione wasn't sure if this time the potion alone will be enough to completely heal him. The wound itself wasn't that big, but it looked deep and he was bleeding even with the piece of wood penetrating his skin. So even if she didn't do anything, Draco was still going to bleed to death. She didn't knew much of medicine and she wasn't a healer, but Draco have better chances of survival if she removed the piece and applying the Dittany to close it soon after.
"Hold him Harry. I will pull the wood out..." She said trying to remember as much as she could about healing spells and traditional muggle medicine. She knew that they were going to need more than a potion and weak healing spells to fully cure Draco, but until then, she needed to do her best before it was too late, as any second of delay, he turned even paler.
"He needs a healer girl and as soon as possible." Mr. Olivander said, but Hermione ignore him as she steel herself for the coming task. She sighed just before she carefully pulled the piece of wood with her trembling hands from his bleeding shoulder. Just a slow pull and Draco screamed in pain as he wakes up, but Harry firmly hold him to the floor.
"Go on Hermione, take it out… in one go if you can." Harry urge her, but Draco's pain increased and he yelled again as she pulled the thing out. It had been bad when Ron was splinted, but hearing Draco's yelling, like he was been tortured by her, make it even worse. He has already experience torture long enough and what happen now, will only make his nightmares worse when he recovers.
"Just hold on for a bit more Draco, it will be over soon… The pain will stop soon." Hermione whispers to him, but he simply looked at her with a mix of pain and sadness. A kind of sadness she knew, was the result of a great deal of guilt or regret and in a single second it broke her heart. She had never seen such sadness before, so much defeat or so much doubt as in those gray eyes.
"I'm sorry, Granger… so sorry..." Draco murmurs in a mix of pain and loss that makes her hold up tears to fall freely down her checks, as he fights unconsciousness. After that, Hermione wasted no time in using the Dittany on the open wound. One drop and nothing happen, two and it barely shows signs of working, three, four and just a little change, five, six, seven, eight, nine and the wound was still open, ten, eleven, twelve and it was barely showing some improvement.
"Hermione, what's going on? Just a few drops healed Ron's splintered arm and it was way bigger than this one..." Harry said with concern. It wasn't suppose to take that many drops and it was hardly working. Why wasn't it working on Malfoy? Harry thought, while Hermione wiped her tears with her hand.
"I don't know, it was supposed to heal or at least close wounds as bad as this one." She said, still adding a few more drops to at least stop the bleeding, even if it was just a little. She also tried a few healing spells she had come to know by heart, but none of them seems to work on him as it was suppose to.
"Oh no, Hermione look at the piece of wood. It turned purple." Luna said kneeling by their side and taking a better look at the piece Hermione took off from Malfoy. The small parts of the wood that were not covered by his blood, showed traces of a purple substance and Luna knew then that Draco Malfoy was just one step closer of dying.
"What is it Luna? Do you know what that is?" Harry asked, having a bad feeling about it. if she recognize something that they barely notice, then there was a big possibility that inside the Lovegood house were more than one dangerous exploding horn and many dirigible plums and if that was the case, then Malfoy's situation could become a critical one.
"Daddy, was working on studying the properties of a plant for the Quibbler. It's a very dangerous one that drastically weaken the body in a short period of time, making most healing potions or spells useless. It was used in the past by unscrupulous wizards with many muggles when the pure blood status was at his pick without regulations and there was a rumor that it will be use again by the Death Eaters. Daddy was going to write an article about it's previous use to poison muggles in the past and how bad it was for anyone who had the misfortune to fall under it. This is a Feralis Madrora potion and the bottle probably was broken in the attack and absorbed by the wood where it falls. I'm afraid, Draco will not get better, he will get worse." Luna said while a bit mad with her father. That plant was one of the very few plants that she didn't like.
This time it was Hermione who paled at the new information, helplessly looking at Malfoy's half open wound. It was obvious that the potion or more like the poison was already on his system and it was preventing the Dittany to work as it should. In a way, Malfoy was poison the moment he falls over the wood cover with the potion and now they didn't have anything they could use to cure him. The whole bottle of Dittany may not be enough to completely close his still bleeding wound. Oh God, this isn't happening! We can't let him die like that. Hermione thought as her heart run faster. There was just one thing left in such situation. She used her wand to summon one of Ron's shirts and putt it over Malfoy's wound as she pushed it down, making him groan in pain.
"Let's take him to St Mungo's, we don't have any other choice if we want to save him." She said trying holding the shirt with less force this time.
"No!" Malfoy yelled, ignoring for a second the intense pain. "They probably expect that… and it will put you in danger. Dobby… you know where to take me… hurry..." Malfoy whisper while having troubles breathing. He tried to move but Hermione stop him, keeping him on the floor. Dobby came closer to obey him, but a hard look from her make him hesitate.
"Where are you going to take him? He is not in condition to move, he will bleed to death. Bring a healer here, the Order must have someone..." She said.
"Granger… he needs to take me there..." Malfoy whisper getting dizzy.
"No! Just look at him, he is a step away from fainting again, we need to find a healer and fast."
"Snape will know I'm injure... and come to me… if this… is poison, he is my best option. I need to be there… he is the Secret Keeper... please..." He said now sweating like he had run a few miles.
"Come on Hermione, we all go with him, I don't particularly trust Snape yet, but he will do this time. Dobby, take me along with Malfoy, so I can help him and if he faints I can carry him. The others house elfs from the manor will know, right? I mean, where you take him." Harry asked helping Malfoy sit, taking most of his wight on him while somehow holding the shirt that was currently holding his bleeding.
"Yes, yes Harry Potter, they will know and come too! We help, oh we help the Malfoy's now. I will take you all there." Dobby said.
"Good, then take the two of us first..."
"I will go too." Hermione added with a tone of voice who gives no room for argue. Harry sighed for a second and let her help him with Malfoy.
"Okay then, the three of us first. Now, let's go." And a second later, they disappear to an unknown destination.
Ron
"Just great, another dead-end without clues. Just how hard it is to find a ghost in Hogwarts? I mean, sometimes they are everywhere and you can always find Peeves even if you don't want to. Actually, he finds us, all the time." Ron said tiredly.
"Come on Ron, we just begin looking for Rowena's daughter ghost an hour ago and Cho said she was a shy one, it will be not be easy to find is she likes her privacy." Ginny said in annoyance. Because it was Saturday, they didn't have classes and the DA have taken the task to go looking for Helena Ravenclaw, as she was the last known person to see the tiara.
"Where is Luna when you need her? Isn't she the only student that Helena likes?" Ron asked while looking everywhere. Aberforth had lent him a similar cloth of invisibility to the one Harry has, only that the one he was using now didn't have a permanent effect, but a temporary one. The spell that was cast on it was going to last a few days, so for now he didn't need to worry about been discovered by unwanted people.
"Just shut up before someone hears you complain. For what Aberforth told us, Luna may be in danger and it will be up to Harry and Hermione to save her, so we need to find Helena without her help." Ginny added.
"I hope she is okay, we still don't know why they took her." Neville said with worry, he cared about the girl and he kind of miss her.
"I think it's because of her father. He keeps telling people to help Harry if they see him. I don't think that the new Minister will agree to let the Quibbler do as it pleases and will probably resort to shady things to make him write about what he really wants, like the Undesirable #1." Ginny said with a bit of anger. The nerves of those fools who had put a price over her boyfriend head.
"Well, it will make sense, but still..." Ron wonder.
"I wish I could have some news of Harry. I hope he is doing fine on his own." Ginny said with worry as they walked on an empty hall.
"He is not alone, Hermione is with him and she had kept us both alive for seven years in a row. He should be fine." Ron said without thinking.
"It's a good thing that I can't see you right now, otherwise I would have kick you for abandon them in such crucial times." Said Ginny while Neville smiled.
"Come on Ginny, I didn't abandon them… it was just... a little detour. I'm suppose to meet with them again at some point or so Dumbledore said on his message."
"Still, don't go blaming Hermione if she decides to move on from you. I will totally support her and you will deserve it for walking away from her."
"Hum, Ginny, that's a little harsh..." Neville intervene.
"Yeah, that's right! You didn't do better than me when Riddle took control of you!" So the fight begins.
"Why you little, ungrateful..."
"Come on guys, this is not the time to be fighting. We need to find the Horcrux, remember? Lets just ask a few more portraits for Helena's location." Neville intervene.
"Yeah, like that will help. There is not a single one in a painting. Do people inside portraits makes parties or something? The last time something like that happen was when Sirius Black came to Hogwarts looking for Harry. He gave quite the scare to the fat lady..." Ron begins.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen people inside the last few portraits we pass. Do you think something happen?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"Let's find out. Hey! Hey there! Is anyone inside this?" Ron asked, getting closer to the nearest empty portrait but nothing happen.
"Maybe something really happen." Neville said also taking a closer look.
"It's rude to stare, you know." A girl said from the portrait next to the one they were looking.
"There is no one there to stare at." Ginny said, looking at her.
"Oh yes, that's right. Most of them are out gossiping about the latest news." The girl said with a hint on disappointment on her voice.
"What news?" Neville ask.
"I'm not suppose to know because I'm too young." The girl reply, but Ginny have the feeling that the girl knew something and that it was important for them.
"But you know right? A gossip that keeps most portraits empty, should be one of the kind, very important, right? Something most have slip here and there for everyone to know." Ginny pressed.
"Well yes, but I'm not suppose to talk about it. If the Headmaster finds out I said something he will burn my portrait for sure. There are many spies in Hogwarts and he warned us to keep his business private or else..." She said almost trembling with fear.
"Well, you can let it slip without names, just the general gossip. It will make no harm and we will keep quiet about it." Ginny said with a sweet voice that amuse Ron, his sister was definitely good.
"You are a Weasley right? What's your name? Are you friends of Harry Potter?" The girl asked to both of them.
"I'm Ginny Weasley. My bothers are Fred, George and Ron Weasley, all good friends of Harry Potter. Actually, I'm his girlfriend." She said with pride, although it wasn't technically true as Harry finish their relationship just before he goes in search for Horcruxes. He didn't want to put her at risk, but for her, he was still her boyfriend. If they survive the coming war, she was sure they will end up together again.
"His girlfriend? I thought he was going to end up with that girl he keeps by his side. What was her name again? Herma… Hermon…"
"It's Hermione and she doesn't have feelings for him. They are just friends." Ron said impulsively. He had similar doubts when he was wearing the necklaces, but now that his mind was clear of Voldemort's influence, he believes that she only love Harry as a friend.
"Who said that? Is someone else there?" The girl asked in surprise.
"Way to go Ron, you just..."
"Wait! Is that Ron Weasley's voice?" The girl ask with curiosity this time and after Ron make sure no one was around, he took off his cloak to show himself for a second before he hides again under the cloak.
"It's him! I saw him, it's him!" She said now even more surprise.
"Yeah, it's me, stop shooting it or all Hogwarts will know I'm here when I'm not suppose to." Ron said.
"Oh sorry, but it's just strange. They said that Ron Weasley was injured and you seem fine to me."
"Say what? Me injure? How come?" Ron asked in disbelieve. He wasn't expecting to be at the center of the latest news in the portraits gossip network.
"Yes, the rumor said that someone from Potter's group was injured and they mention your name. Well, they mention Draco Malfoy's too, perhaps he was the one been injured. The Headmaster was worry and he rushed out of his office to make some potion to heal him." The girl said, leaving them all in confusion.
"I guess you hear wrong. Draco Malfoy is one of Harry's all time enemy. There is no way he will be in his group." Neville said, almost sure of it.
"Yeah, perhaps Harry hurt Malfoy. We all know he is a Death Eater and he was probably hunting down Harry, just like the rest of them." Ron said.
"No, I don't think that's it. I hear that there was a fight with a Bella something and that he was injured fighting her. I think he was very wounded and he was with Potter."
"There is no way, girl. Malfoy will never help Harry even if his life depends on it." Ron added. What kind on nonsense was that girl saying? The hatred between Malfoy and the three of them was mutual, of that he was sure. Malfoy was nothing more than a coward playing along with a game out of his league, a game he wouldn't dare to cross when he had everything to lose and nothing to gain. No, the girl must have heard wrong.
"Well, let's see who's wrong. Wait here, I come back in a minute." The girl said going away just like the rest of the portraits.
"She must be wrong right? Harry and Hermione will never let Malfoy to go with them. He can't even stand be near Hermione, as she is nothing more than a filthy mudblood to him. There is just no way." Ron continue. Despite all he say, he has a bad feeling about the whole thing but could not tell exactly what was bothering him.
"It seems impossible if things were normal Ron, but nothing is normal anymore. Didn't Dumbledore said that on his memories? That he wanted to save as many lives as possible, altering peoples fates? You were not supposed to be here, yet here you are. What if something similar happen to him? What if Dumbledore give Malfoy a mission too?" Neville asked, making Ron gone pale for a second, although no one could notice.
"He wouldn't, not a Malfoy..."
"It seems that you know nothing about Dumbledore, boy. Nothing at all." A new voice said, almost making them jump. The girl had come back with a lady by her side.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"Dumbledore protected the Malfoy kid for a while before he was killed. He knew that the boy was going to be use by you-know-who to get him, still he didn't stop him in his poor attempts to kill him. Some of us hear him said he was sorry for him as he was pushed against the wall without a way out. The boy had always been misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? Are you mad? He is simple evil, a coward, a snake ready to poison the moment you give him your back..."
"He was scare. No one cared to notice the change, only a few from the Slythering House knew that he was acting strange. Still, no one truly care. I hear that Dumbledore had sent him to Harry Potter, so he could redeem himself, but he was injured and is now dying." The woman said.
"That can't be true. I was with them just a day ago and he wasn't with us." Ron continue.
"Many things can happen in a single hour boy and more so when you need to prove yourself. How many things happen to you since yesterday? More than what had happened the week before?" Ron couldn't deny that. In just one night, he had come to know and experience more than he had in a whole month.
First it was Dumbledore's message, then he came back to Hogwarts with Dobby no less, meeting with Dumbledore's unknown brother, then with Ginny, Neville and hearing about the coming war and again hearing about Fred's death, the Horcrux at Hogwarts, then some more meetings with the rest of the DA, telling them everything they had done. Next was going back to the chamber of secrets and fighting with Dementors while getting the only thing they could use to destroy the Horcruxes. Many things did happen in just one night. Too many in fact.
"I wonder just how many things happen to Harry and Hermione last night. If it's true and Malfoy got seriously injured on a fight, then it must have been something big." Neville said deep in thoughts, Ginny simply paled.
"Who did the girl said they fight?" Ginny asked with her heart rising.
"Oh, it was Bellatrix Lestrange." The girl said with pride for remembering and Ginny's heart dropped to the floor in fear. She knew that name and if they were fighting that mad woman, then perhaps there was more than one injured. Maybe Harry or Hermione were seriously wounded too and with no one to help them.
"Let's go. We need to find Harry and Hermione now." Ginny said already moving.
"Wait up Ginny. Just what are you going to do?" Ron asked following her.
"I will find Snape of course. If he is going to heal Draco, then he knows where they are and it will bring us to them." She simply said and none of them dare to stop her.
AN: Thanks for reading.
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