Emerald (Lazuli Book #2) Harry Potter Fan Fiction (Draco Malfoy)

Chapter Nineteen - Only each other

I picked at the food that he'd brought and climbed into the bed, shattered from the day's events. This morning, I'd been at Hogwarts, going to visit the tree-house with Draco. It was barely recognisable as the same place, now that it had two floors and was ridden of dirt and leaves. He'd sheepishly told me that it was coming along slowly, that eventually it would be perfect. I told him that it already was.

After that, we'd rushed back to the castle to get our trunks and head down to the train. The journey had taken ages in itself, but all too soon I was ripped away from Draco, and flung to the parents that weren't really mine.

And through all of that, I'd thought that my name was Juliet Weasley.

That was a lie.

My name is Andromeda Black.

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When I woke up, it was completely dark in the room. With a groan I remembered where I was and what had happened. I sat up, and it was enough to wake the sleeping man beside me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and the man bolted upright, thrown awake as he clamped a hand over my mouth and pinned me down to the bed. I wriggled and writhed, biting into the hand and screaming once more when the man swore in pain.

"Juliet, will you stop bloody screaming?"

I stopped instantly when I recognized the voice and fumbled for the light switch. Flicking it on with a shaking hand, the room lit up and I turned to look at the shocked face of Draco.

"Draco?" I asked nervously, grabbing my wand from the table. "What are you doing here?"

Draco climbed out of the bed - he was wearing his regular pyjama outfit of sweatpants and no shirt - and crossed over to the dresser where he poured himself a glass of water. "I got a letter from that guy - Damon I think? He hid it in some school books and sent them to my house by the Floo Network."  Draco chugged the water down, and I watched him guiltily. His hand was bleeding bright red blood.

"Did he tell you what happened?" I ask quietly. Draco set the glass down and nodded, coming back to the bed and wrapping me in his arms. "I'm so sorry baby" he whispered into my hair, nuzzling his face comfortingly. I sighed and fresh tears prickled at my eyes. "I didn't tell Damon the worst of it."

Draco moved his head to look at me curiously, and I took a deep, self-loathing breath. "My real father was a Death Eater, Draco. And not just any regular one. He was Regulus Black."

Draco inhaled sharply, letting me go and pulling away. I watched him mournfully as he tried to process that information. "You're sure?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. I nodded, "my real name is Andromeda, and that's the name of Perseus' sister who went missing. The Dark Lord must know - that's why he wants me so badly. He thinks that my father passed down something to me, the secret about how to destroy him. He wants to destroy me, before it's too late."

Fresh tears spilled from my eyes. Draco ran his hands through his thick blond hair and blinked a few times in disbelief. "Have you written to Perseus?" he asked me. I shook my head weakly. "You'll need to tell him what you've found out, love. He's your brother. He thought his sister was dead all this time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - at least now you know why you're different from the rest of them, the Weasleys I mean."

Deep down inside me, perhaps I had always known. I'd always known that I didn't fit in, not only my appearance but my natural aptitude for magic, my magical ability revealing itself at an earlier age than all of my other siblings. How I'd been able to do spells without a wand before I even went to Hogwarts, and how there had to be something, a reason, why I'd been sorted into Slytherin. That it was more than just bad luck.

Now I knew it was genetics, just as all of the Weasleys were Gryffindor, all of the Blacks were Slytherin. Except for Sirius of course.

Sirius.

Had he known? Had he known that his younger brother had children? He must have had an inkling about Perseus, but was that the reason he'd always despised me? Or perhaps he didn't despise me at all, and my parents forced him to stay away from his unknowing niece, not wanting their terrible secret revealed until the right moment, or if they could help it, ever.

Draco takes my hand into his, stroking it with his thumb. "Tomorrow, we can go and visit Perseus if you like? I got his address from Blaise, although don't ask me why. I just had an inkling that I'd need it."

I frowned at him. "Won't your mother be missing you?"

Draco winced and forced a smile. "I doubt it - I ran away. The moment I found the letter, I packed a bag and snuck downstairs. I left a letter for Mum - telling her that you needed me and I'd write soon - and trust me, getting past 15 death eaters wasn't easy. Malfoy Manor is crawling with them now, my aunt is acting like she owns the place. Mum has no authority there anymore. You know how proud she is, how much it must be hurting her to be an outsider in her own home."

I sighed and ran a hand through my ponytail. "I know the feeling."

Draco smiled sadly, kissing me softly before pulling me down to the bed and letting me rest my head on his chest. "How did you get out?" I asked him curiously. Bellatrix Lestrange wasn't the easiest person to escape, I knew from experience.

"Some of your brother's products actually. I snuck a couple of the stupider ones some Fainting Fancies, used some of that Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder on my aunt and the more vicious ones. I was in the Floo Network and away before they knew I'd gone. They won't be able to track where I went though - I went to a fireplace about 30 miles away from here, and got one of those muggle cars, I think they're called taxis?"

I nodded in bewilderment. My brother's products, Fred and George's crazy experiments, had been enough to trick Bellatrix Lestrange and a host of the Dark Lord's most terrible Death Eaters? I made a mental note to thank them the next time I saw them.

"Thank you Draco, I know it must have been difficult for you to leave your mother there."

Draco's eyes darkened as he clenched his fist slightly. "She's changed since my father went to Azkaban. It's like my aunt's influence has rubbed off on her - she's crueler, harsher, more brutal in fact. Benson told me about how she murdered a muggle man a few weeks ago in cold blood, purely out of rage for the fact that Father hadn't been allowed to send his monthly letter. She's changed Juliet, you're the only person I know I can trust now. Besides, she doesn't need me. You do."

I nuzzled my head into his chest and kissed his neck softly. "I love you so much Draco Malfoy," I told him. Draco stroked my hair and turned off the light. "I love you too, whether you're Juliet Weasley or Andromeda Black. I suppose tomorrow we'll find out the truth."

I nodded as sleep succumbed me.

"Tomorrow."