To Be Loved

Chapter Six

"-aco... Draco! You awake, mate?"
"I- what...?" he mumbled.
"We're here," Theo injected. "Blaise's been calling your name for the past minute; you're a deep sleeper."
"I'm not... Not usually... It was probably the potion..." he sighed as his eyes started sliding shut again.
Suddenly, just as Blaise was about to shake him awake again, Draco flies up, looking shocked. "Wait, what? We're here? How long have we been here for?"
Theo shrugs. "Probably just a few minutes, five at the max. Why?"
Draco curses under his breath. He was supposed to be off the train immediately. Leave it to those two idiots to muck that up, waking him at the literal last second.
He swings his chest down, almost hitting Blaise in the process - "Oi! Mate!" - and quickly flings the lid open, dropping his school robes, tie, and shoes into it before quickly pulling on new, expensive dragon hide ankle boots and a grey sweater. He fumbles his favourite watch on, and quickly gives his hair a quick brush over, before throwing his chest closed again, tapping the top with his wand to shrink it so he can put it in his pocket. Useful charm.
"What the bloody hell-"
"Bye, you tossers!" Draco calls over his shoulder as he quickly bolts out of the carriage and off the train.
"Wha- Draco!" Theo shouts after him, before turning to Blaise. "What the bloody hell was that?"
Draco strides through the crowd, acting the pureblood heir he is, even as he pushes past people to get to the muggleborn entrance.
He rushes though the wall, and out of the muggle train station, searching around the muggle 'parking lot' (whatever that was) for his, ah, 'ride'.
His eyes alight on someone, and his whole face brightens, though he tries not to let it show.
He quickly makes his way across the lot, eyes never once leaving his destination.
They look up. They see Draco making his way to them, eyes glowing with happiness.
They quickly make their way to him, just as happy, but showing none of said happiness.
"Draco," He murmured once they were face to face.
"Marvolo," he breathed back, slightly out of breath.
"I was about to leave," He tells him. "You said it wouldn't take you more than five minutes. It's been ten."
Draco flushes. "Yes, right, sorry. I took a dreamless sleep potion for the ride back, and my friends thought it best to wake me once we were at the station."
Marvolo nods, wrapping His arm around Draco's waist as he flushed slightly, even as he tried to chase it away. "I see. Well, shall we be leaving this dump-?"
"Wait!"
They turned to see Harry Potter running over.
"Please!"
Marvolo hesitated for a second, tensing to apparate away, before he relaxed.
"If what you told me of Potter is true, this could be interesting," He murmured to Draco.
He nodded his understanding, stepping back a little from Him so as to get out of His hold.
His arm fell, and He glanced at Draco amused.
"Hm."
Potter stopped about ten feet away from them, and bent over, hands on knees, trying to catch his breath.
"How the hell am I so out of shape?" he wheezed. "I play Seeker, for crying out loud!"
Draco snorted.
"What do you want, Potter?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Potter stands upright again, taking a deep breath. "Whew. Well, I'm assuming you're someone from the darkside, and by your expressionless face, red eyes, and influence on my scar, I'm gonna take a leap and say you're Voldemort."
He siffens slightly. "Really? How fascinating."
Potter rolls his eyes. "Yup, definitely you. Anyway, my ride's not here, just like it never is, and I don't want to spend the next four hours walking back to Surrey, so; can I come with you?"
Marvolo gives him a disbelieving look. "You want to come with me, the man who wants to kill you, instead of take a four hour walk?"
Potter tilts his head side to side, pretending to think it over. "Mmm... Yep."
"Did you hit your head on the way off the train?" Draco asks incredulously.
Potter snorts. "No. But, I mean, honestly. What was the point of me hinting that I'm Dark if you're not going to take it?"
Marvolo narrows his eyes. "You're Dumbledore's Golden Boy. How can you be Dark, especially without them knowing? They're all as Light as goddamn bunnies."
"Well... The Chamber may have helped. As well as a masking charm or three."
Marvolo barks a laugh. "Seriously? Take them off, then."
Potter grins. "With pleasure."
He waves his hand across his chest a couple times, each time his magical aura changing.
With the last swipe, Draco gasps. "Holy shit, you really are Dark!"
Potter laughs. "What a shocker! The abused boy's Dark, and they never saw it coming. You'd think Dumbles would learn from his mistakes."
Marvolo snorts. "As if. The old coot's stuck in his 'greater good' ways."
Potter nods. "Yeah. Hey, how shocked were when you found out about him and Grindlewald?"
He gasps. "No."
Potter smirks. "Oh, yes. Old Dumbles and Grindlewald go way back. It was your classic best friends to lovers story. Until Gellert showed his darker nature, and Dumb-as-a-door didn't like that. And yet; he uses his lover's motto."
Marvolo sighs happily. "I tell you all the dirt I know, you tell me all the dirt you know?"
Potter grinned. "Sure; let's go."
Marvolo grabs a shocked Draco again, this time by the arm, before grimacing as He holds His free arm out for Potter.
"Have you apparated before?"
Potter shakes his head. "Nope."
He sighs. "Hold on to me tightly, take a deep breath, release it, and do not let go. Got it?"
Potter shrugs. "Um, sure."
He rolls his eyes. "I warned you; it's not on me if you get splinched."
Potter frowns. "Wait; if I get what?"
Crack!
They land in Malfoy Manor, Potter falling to the floor as he gasped and dry heaved, clutching his left arm.
"As I said," He smirked. "Not on me."
Draco sighs. "I'll go get a Death Eater to heal your arm, Harry, you just... continue to dry heave."
He did.
Draco walked off, pausing as Marvolo brushed past him murmuring, "I expect to be back to our schedules by tea time tomorrow."
"Of course," he murmured back, bowing his head as he smiled to himself. "I shall see you at three?"
He nods, before spinning on the spot to stalk to His office.
Draco shakes his head, amused, before hurrying up the stairs to the Death Eater wing.
"Rabastan? ...Rabastan! Where are you?"
"Here!"
Draco swiftly walks to the general library - aka not Marvolo's - and quickly spotted Rabastan.
"Oh, hey, you're needed in the enterance Hall."
"Oh?" Rabastan asked, looking up from his book. "What for?"
Draco grimaced. "He got splinched; the Dark Lord was actually kind of pleased by this, but he still needs to be healed."
Rabastan nodded. "Alright, one second; I'll just grab the Dittany."
He swiftly comes back from his rooms, and they head back down to the enterance hall.
They heard a mad cackle up ahead, and Draco cursed. "Shit! Bellatrix is going to hurt him!"
He runs the last ten feet to the corner, hurling around it to see Bellatrix about to cast something on Harry.
"No!" he shouted, jumping in front of him. "Aunt Bella, no!"
"Draco?!" she hissed. "What are you doing!?"
He took a deep breath. "The Dark Lord doesn't want him harmed. He wants him here."
Bellatrix gapes at him. "Are you out of your mind?! That's Potter!"
"I know!" Draco shouted back. "How do think he got here!? Are you so blind you can't even feel his magic?!"
Bellatrix sputters. "I don't care if you feel a perverse loyalty to the brat; the Dark Lord wants him dead. Now MOVE!"
Draco glares at her. "Call Him."
Bellatrix falters for a second. "I- what?"
"Call Him. I garantee He won't want Potter dead. Rabastan; heal him."
Rabastan, entirely confused, decides to trust Draco with his conviction and goes to Potter, rolling him onto his back to get to his arm. "This might hurt a bit, but it'll make you feel a hundred times better."
"What are you doing?!" Bellatrix screeched. "You-"
"Bellatrix!" Draco snarls. "Call. Him."
Bellatrix pales at Draco's command, shocked. After a defiant ten seconds, Bellatrix pulled up her sleeve and, after a seconds hesitation, called Him.
The two minute wait was tense, Bellatrix and Draco glaring at each other as Rabastan healed Harry's splinched arm.
Finally, He appeared, glamour up and black robes billowing behind him.
"What, Bellatrix?" He hissed.
She paled slightly, before gaining her courage back. "My Lord, I-"
Draco interrupted her. "She tried to curse Potter; I stopped her. She continued to screech, I told her to call you, My Lord. She is under the belief that I have a loyalty-" here he glared at Bellatrix. "-to Potter. So I figured that you would be able to set her straight, My Lord."
Bellatrix gaped at him. For one, he talked over an elite, when Voldemort adressed her. Two, he was acting callously in front of Their Lord, not showing enough respect. Three, he was basically telling the Dark Lord to tell Bellatrix that she was wrong! Bella was sure he was about to die.
"Hm."
Bellatrix bowed her head, not wanting to see her nephews no doubt messy death.
"Well, Bellatrix; now that I am here, and not cursing Potter to oblivion and back, do you believe him?"
Bella's head flew up, shocked. "I- what? I- I mean, of course, My Lord. I didn't want to believe my nephew over you without proof, My Lord; I apologize."
He considered her for a minute, eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. Well, now that this has been cleared up, I am sure that I will not be called on anymore, today, yes?" His voice held a slight warning.
Bellatrix bowed. "Of course not, My Lord. I shall spread the word."
He nodded. "Good. Rabastan," He stated, turning to the crouched man.
"Ah, um," Rabastan stuttered as he quickly stood, almost tripping over Potter as he did so. "Yes, My Lord?"
"You are to stay with Potter at all times until I decide to make his presence known to the rest of the Death Eaters. Is that understood?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Good. And I hope it goes without saying, that you are not to blab Potters current stay, hm?"
"Of course, My Lord."
"Oh, yes, My Lord."
He nodded once, sharply. "Good."
He spun around to leave, not pausing once as he called back to them. "Draco. Come."
He scurried off after His Lord, no longer worried for Harry.
He hadn't misspoke, had he? Offended him? Disrespected him? Oh, God, he hoped not. He'd only just got back.

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