Manacled

72

He waved his wand, but his fingers spasmed abruptly mid-spell. The wand emitted a blue flame that guttered out after a moment. His expression rippled, and his jaw set as he carefully waved his wand again and cast a diagnostic on her brain.

Her brain projection appeared. The fractured, brightly glowing lights across her brain were still there, but several lights had lost the golden glow and turned blood red. Tiny threads of scarlet, like lightning fractals, branched through sections of her brain.

Draco turned grey when he saw it. "I need-I need to call a mind healer."

He stood to leave, but Hermione gripped his wrist and pulled him back. "No. Draco, wait-your father said he has Phoenix tears. You have to find out what he wants in exchange for them."

He pulled his wrist free, his expression set. "Granger-there's no point in finding out."

Hermione stared at him, incredulous. "What-What do you mean there's no point? I could get your mark off." Her chest jerked, and she gripped his hand again. "You have to find out-you have to ask-Please, Draco-, please-"

Her lungs started spasming as she begged.

He stared at her for several seconds and sighed, dropping down on the edge of her bed. He wrapped arms around her shoulders until her breathing slowed.

He sat back and looked down at his hands.

"Granger-" he paused for a moment. "I'm ruined as duelist now."

Hermione watched his fingers as the index finger twitched and the thumb abruptly jerked. He curled his hands into fists. "A week ago it might have been different. But now-" he lifted his right hand. The ring finger kept twitching. "Not now. The only reason I won against my father today was because he didn't actually want to kill me."

"Draco-"

He cut her off with a tight voice. "I can't defeat the Dark Lord for you, Granger. I know you want to save everyone, but I can't kill him-even if you got my mark off. If I go and try, I'll fail, and I'd probably be taken alive." He still wasn't looking at her. "If I'm interrogated-" he looked down, and she could see the rigid tension in his jaw and shoulders, "-even if you obliviate me before I go, eventually he'd learn about you, Ginny, and James, and the approximate location of the safe house. I'm-" his mouth twisted, "I'd-"

"Draco-" Her voice caught and wavered as she captured his face in her hands and turned it so that his eyes met hers. "Draco, I'm not going to remove your mark so you can die in the rubble with Voldemort. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to save you."

Her arms were shaking, but she didn't let go of him. "I can save you if you let me. Let me get your mark off and run away. Run away with me the way we always said we would."

He stared at her for a moment, and the corner of his mouth quirked up wistfully. "I made an Unbreakable Vow, Granger. There's no-"

"I know about your vow. You made it to me." She cut him off, staring intently into his silver eyes, gripping his right hand tightly in hers until she could almost feel the magic between them. "Draco Malfoy, you have done your best to aid to Order of the Phoenix in defeating Voldemort. I am the last Order member. I consider your Unbreakable Vow fulfilled in excess."

She pulled his face closer until she could press her forehead against his. "You have done more than anyone should have ever asked from you. Let me save you now. Please, take the risk of believing that I can."

Draco sat frozen for several seconds. She could feel him waver.

Then he slowly nodded.

Lucius was on his knees in the cage, leaning forward as much as he was physically able towards the portrait in front of him.