Muddy Green Waters || Draco Malfoy

46 - The Complications of Polyjuice

Draco appeared with a pop in his grand bedroom of Malfoy Manor. He could hear loud angry shouts drifting up from somewhere downstairs.

His heart thudding, he ran to the door and flew downstairs, wand in hand at the ready.

Chaos greeted him when he entered the drawing room. The chandelier that usually hung grandly from the vast ceiling, was now lying smashed on the floor, glass fragments everywhere.

"Draco! Where have you been?" His mother grabbed his arm looking fraught.

"I- I was sleeping mother." He lied, hoping no one had checked in on him. "What happened here?"

"Harry Potter - he escaped. They all escaped." She said fearfully. "The Dark Lord is going to be furious."

Draco swallowed, trying to look as aghast as his mother did.

"That stupid house elf helped them!" His father's voice spat. "Dobby."

Draco wheeled round and saw his father slumped forwards in his armchair, his hands wringing his long white hair.

So that explains why Potter's crew had a house elf with them.

A howling, high pitched wail came from the other side of the fallen chandelier, and as Draco turned towards the offending noise, he noticed his aunt lying dramatically on her back, her wild hair sprawled messily over her face.

His skin crawled. The memory of what she did to Rosie still raw in his mind. He hated her. The hand that gripped his wand shook.

And it was then, when he looked down, willing himself not to do anything stupid, that he noticed.

He was holding Wormtail's wand.

***

Rosie

I watched from the window as Harry dug a grave for Dobby at the end of the garden, between the bushes. I felt such a sadness in my heart, not just for the loss of this innocent creature, but for all the death and destruction that this war had caused. It was all such a waste. Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, now Dobby. And that was just a mere few. I couldn't help but feel a cold dread at who would be next. The fear and sadness was unbearable at times.

As Harry continued to dig, putting his blood and sweat into it, it struck me that we were just seventeen year old kids. We shouldn't be digging graves for our friends, and fighting in wars. We should be out making friends, partying, dating.

But, instead, here we were. Fighting for our lives every day, enduring pain and torture. I thought of Draco, and prayed that no one suspected of his treachery to Voldemort. I wondered if I would ever see him again. I still held his ring tightly in my hand. You've got me, Rosie. Always. It gave me strength - I would do everything in my power to help Harry destroy Voldemort. I would do it for everyone he killed, for all my friends and family. I would do it for Draco.

The door creaked open and I wheeled round to see Hermione poke her head in.

"Harry's ready for us."

I nodded, took a deep breath, and went downstairs to join Harry and the others in saying our last goodbye to Dobby.

***

We were going to break into Gringrotts.

Griphook had agreed to help us. And so, for the many weeks that followed, we locked ourselves in a small room and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Griphook, and I planned.

We had to get inside Bellatrix's vault. To do this, Hermione was going to become her via Polyjuice potion - I discovered one of her hairs on my top from that night. It was a dangerous plan, and not to mention disturbing. The thought of seeing Bellatrix again - albeit as Hermione - sent nasty shivers down my spine. Ron was going to go as the blonde Snatcher who had grabbed him. He too, found a stray hair on his clothes. We decided to just transform different aspects of my appearance for my disguise, and Harry and Griphook would remain under the Invisibility Cloak.

Finally, after weeks of planning, the time came. I got up just before dawn, grabbed my wand (which, thankfully, Harry had managed to get back before his return from Malfoy Manor) and made my way downstairs to meet the others. Harry and Griphook were already up, sitting at the kitchen table and going over everything we needed to do.

"Rosie," Harry nodded. "Are you sure you are up for this? Hermione isn't down yet."

I knew what he meant, he was worried about me seeing 'Bellatrix' again.

"It's ok, Harry. I know it's only Hermione in there." I smiled weakly, although I had to admit I was feeling slightly apprehensive - so much so that, when I heard someone creaking down the stairs, I found my heart hammering anxiously.

The door opened and in stepped Bellatrix. I shivered as her heavy lidded eyes roamed the room, taking in its occupants.

"She tasted disgusting, worse than Gurdyroots! OK, Rosie, come here so I can do you..."

It was most bizarre hearing Hermione's voice come out of Bellatrix. It almost felt comical.

Hermione stepped over to me and, with her wand, started to transform my looks. I closed my eyes, not being able to bear seeing Bellatrix so close to me. My arm, (which still - and will always - bore the word Mudblood) pounded painfully at the memories the close proximity to my torturer brought.

"There!" Hermione said. "What do you think?"

I opened my eyes and turned to the wall where a large mirror hung. I gasped. My hair was no longer dark, long and wavy, but, instead, a short, croppy blonde. My blue eyes were now a dark hazel and my nose was slightly bigger. I looked nothing like me.

"Wow, Hermione. You're amazing!" I turned, beaming at her, and then abruptly stopped, due to it feeling too much like I was beaming at Bellatrix.

"Where's Ron? Has he taken his potion yet?" Hermione asked, looking around as if he might appear suddenly out of thin air.

Harry nodded towards the door that led to the downstairs toilet. "He's taken it in there. He's been a while though."

Hermione sighed, and strode over to the door, Bellatrix's long black curly hair swishing behind her.

"Ron!" She barked, rapping her knuckles loudly on the door. "What's the hold up? We need to get moving."

"Um... I- I think I may have made a mistake." Ron's muffled voice stammered from the other side.

"What?" Hermione shrieked. "In what way? Just come out so we can sort it, will you?!"

The door slowly opened as Hermione stepped back, and then she gasped. I would have gasped too but I found I was frozen with shock.

For out of the downstairs toilet walked Draco Malfoy.

***