_
draco escaped his house the second lucius left. he couldn't exactly leave forever, but he just needed a few hours. days, even, but he knew that if he were to go for longer than ten hours lucius would come searching for him.
he couldn't take it—everything just... hurt. he needed to leave, before he broke and descended into madness. he needed to go before lucius completely ruined him. he just... he just wanted out.
hyperion crosses his mind—ah, his perfect, poster child older brother. perfect hyperion with the perfect life and the perfect family. it made draco angry—so angry he didn't notice when a branch completely obliterated or when he set a bench on fire.
dear old hyperion had it good, didn't he? he was born fucking perfect. everything about him was perfect. from his hair to his kind smile to his innocence to his polished shoes and sheltered heart. he knew nothing of what it was like to live in the real world, so why did everyone love him?
all hyperion did was choose the right person to be with. draco, at the age of five, had a heart of gold. when sirius came into their lives, lucius gave them the option that one of them could go and live with their cousin. hyperion automatically chose sirius and draco didn't blame him—he would've too, but he had a heart of gold.
if he chose his cousin, his dad would be all alone. so draco, at the age of five, with nothing but innocence and naïvety to his person, draco chose his dad. and my, wasn't that the worst decision he ever made.
he kicked the ground with so much force mud and dirt and grass flew everywhere, but in his current state of mind he didn't care.
the best part was, after they chose their respective guardians, they never saw each other again until draco started hogwarts. he was slytherin, of course, and he was one hell of a popular one despite being eleven. any malfoy was royalty, no matter the age.
he was revelling in the attention he was given—with a dad like lucius, who only gave draco attention when littering him with cuts and bruises and emotional blows, it was expected—and he made new friends, but on the second day he ran into his older brother.
and wasn't that awkward. draco, not with his friends because he was only returning from the owlry and hyperion with the weasley twins flanking his sides.
hyperion has smiled awkwardly, shuffling his feet. draco noticed how... bright he was. at eleven, he noticed things he shouldn't have, and one of them was the things draco himself was lacking that others had. hyperion was happy, truly, genuinely happy. draco wasn't.
"hi," hyperion had said. "been a while, hasn't it?"
and draco—he stood there, shocked, but then he nodded, biting his lip lightly. "yes, it has."
and then it was the awkward silence again. draco shoved his hands into his pockets and waited—waited for hyperion, or even the twins, to say something. anything. but they didn't, so he smiled tightly, politely, before walking around the three and onwards he had went to the great hall.
their first interaction after six years wasn't a nice one, really. it was strained and awkward and it continued to be until the end of the year, when there was a quidditch match between slytherin and gryffindor. hyperion was a chaser for the gryffindor team and was knocked off his broom by a bludger. draco, despite everything, felt his heart tug violently at the sight of his brother descending rapidly to the ground. however, seconds later, his brother disappeared only to reappear on the floor of the pitch, clearly only suffering the blow from the match. draco had ran to him, stopping at the bottom of the platform, hiding under the tower. he hadn't dared go any closer, or visit hyperion.
at the end of first year, draco had caught a glimpse of how life was like for hyperion. he had sirius and remus lupin and the potters and the weasleys and he had so many people.
and draco had looked around for lucius but he hadn't found his old man, but instead dobby the house elf. he had sighed, sent hyperion one more glance—catching eyes with cousin sirius, but draco had quickly diverted his eyes—and grabbed dobby's hand. the elf had whisked him away moments later.
second year was much of the same. failed attempt at a relationship up until december time. however, draco had stayed at hogwarts and conveniently so had hyperion. due to being one of the few students who had stayed behind, draco inevitably spent time with his older brother. they had somehow strayed closer and closer until draco was looking forward to seeing his brother. he had even received presents from sirius, remus and lily potter that year. all three had gotten him something different—sirius had gotten him quidditch gloves, remus had gotten him potions books and lily had gotten him a muggle book called 'the hobbit'.
he still had that copy years later.
anyway, back to his life story. after receiving all these wonderful presents, draco had felt as if he belonged. and that's how things had went. when summer came, sirius has invited draco over for a week or two during the holidays. draco had asked lucius, who had promptly told him they were going to france for the duration of said holidays.
draco had written a letter of apology to sirius and hyperion, who had both told him it was completely fine and that they could reschedule. so draco had spent that summer in his france chateau, beaten bloody and raw in the night but playing the perfect son to boot during the day to lucius' french counterparts.
third year had rolled on by and again, nothing major. draco had become chaser for the slytherin team to spite lucius, who had wanted him to be seeker. however, he was fucking good at his position and it showed in their first match with gryffindor, when slytherin had kicked their arse.
remus had become their new defence teacher after the old one retired the year before. it was weird for draco, as remus had treated him as one would treat their son, but draco had gotten used to it in due time. his bond with hyperion had grew stronger that year.
again, he was invited down sirius' for the summer holidays but lucius then took them to norway for two weeks and then greece for three and france for a few days. lucius was hell bent on keeping sirius away from draco, he had realised, and he knew that if he were to visit sirius it would have to be discreetly.
they had, however, returned just in time for the quidditch world cup. lucius had managed to get them seats in the minister's box and draco had invited theodore nott to join him. draco had spotted hyperion in the stands and had waved at him, gaining a wave back from his brother, sirius and remus.
after the match was over and draco and theo were in the malfoy tent, hell set loose. screams had tore through draco's skull as he and theo ran through the campsite, death eaters ringing deaf in his ears. they had finally made it to the outskirts of the woods, dodging branches and logs until they had leant back against trees.
soon later they heard other people draw closer. draco had pulled out his wand, had been ready to attack, when the person in front of him ended up being hyperion.
"thank merlin!" draco had exclaimed, pocketing his wand. he had pushed away from the trees and had made his way to his brother. "i though—i don't know, you were some death eaters—"
"you hoped we were, didn't you though?" hyperion had snapped, making draco stop short in confusion. hyperion was angry, and he was directing it at him. draco was smart enough to know as lucius had done it many times. "i bet you knew about this attack!"
draco had stepped back, hurt and confused. why would hyperion think this? "what makes you think that i had something to do with this—?"
"because of your father!" hyperion had snarled. "i heard him there—of course you would've known! you probably even helped him! filthy bloody death eaters."
draco felt his throat clog up. hyperion really though of him as that? he though his own brother a fucking death eater? draco's fists clenched and he felt the magic in the air become stronger and stronger, but he couldn't control it.
"well, fuck you then," draco had murmured, pushing his tears back as he unclenched his hands. "really think so low of me, don't you?"
before hyperion could reply, draco had spun around. theo was still there, watching the entire thing, but before the two slytherin's left draco had shouted, "he's your father too, death eater!" back at hyperion.
draco sighed. he stopped in his tracks before apparating out of wiltshire, landing in a park in london. it was the middle of the night so no one was there, which meant he had it all to himself. draco sat on one of the swings, trying his best to not let his misery eat him away.
things after the events of the world cup went to shit. the death eaters were banning together and creating a resistance even though voldemort was dead. they still were, draco knew. seventeen years old and he felt as if he were in his thirties.
suddenly, the uninhabited swing next to him squeaked. draco swung his head around fast, hand itching at his wand. however, the kind, smiling face belonging to none other than hermione granger stared back at him.
draco calmed down slightly and turned to face forward, staring at the silver slide opposite him. "what're you doing here, granger?"
granger shrugged, lightly gripping the swing's chain as she moved back and forth slowly. "i live around the block from here," she admitted, shrugging. "so i come here when i need to think."
"isn't it dangerous?" draco asked, swinging in time with hermione. "it is around midnight."
"just gone, actually," she murmured, checking her watch. "twelve-fifteen."
draco nodded, scuffing his shoes on the concrete floor. they sat quietly for a few moments before draco couldn't take the silence anymore. "excited for your seventh year?"
granger shrugged, her own shoes scuffing loudly against the floor. "i s'pose, but i am head girl, so i guess it'll be somewhat eventful."
draco scoffed. "figured you'd be head girl," he joked, smirking lightly at her chuckle. "i'm head boy, surprisingly."
"it's not much of a surprise," she admitted. "i figured it'd be you, considering you're only just second to me."
draco laughed under his breath, feeling his chest lighten and his airways giving him enough room to breathe. "if i put more effort in, i'd beat you by a long shot."
granger huffed, shaking her head with a grin. "keep on dreaming, malfoy. i'll always one-up you."
"except in flying and potions," draco very nearly sang, nudging her so she swung side-to-side.
"flying is extremely dangerous!" she lectured snootily, trying to regain her balance. "and snape hates me, otherwise i'd beat you in that subject too."
draco laughed heartily, slumping in his seat slightly as he peered up at the moon. "it's okay to admit defeat every once in a while, granger?"
"do you ever admit defeat?" she countered smugly. draco turned to her with a smirk ready on his face and his breath nearly caught in his throat.
she looked so... pretty, somehow. well, she's always been pretty—a wallflower type of pretty, that hangs around in the background, but pretty. and with her face and hair and brown eyes shining in the raw moonlight, draco couldn't help but think her beautiful. had it really taken him almost seven years to notice how beautiful she actually was?
"malfoy, you alright?" granger asked softly, nudging his shoulder with her hand. draco snapped out of his trance and nodded jerkily, checking the time in his watch. half-twelve.
"just peachy, granger," draco muttered, sighing through his nose before pulling out a cigarette. he lit it up and placed it between his lips, taking a long drag before blowing the smoke out.
he heard granger cough next to him. he turned and watched as her nose crinkled up in the most adorable way.
"smoking is disgusting," she deadpanned, swiping the air in front of her nose. "and it kills you. i don't see how you like it at all."
draco shrugged, taking another king drag from it. "they're relaxing."
and they were silent once more. draco checked the time. quarter-to-one. maybe it was about time to leave, but he didn't want to return to the manor.
"malfoy?" granger started tentatively. draco chucked the end of his cigarette to the ground, stubbing it out with his shoe. "would you like to stay down my place for the night?"
draco froze—why was—was she really asking him to stay down hers? did his ears deceive him or was granger... unknowingly helping him in the best way she could?
"my dad and step mum are away for the week," she told him, the swing creaking as she stood up from it, shoving her hands into her pockets. "so i have it to myself until they return. some dentist retreat in york, they've gone to."
draco smiled at her, nodding. "thanks, granger. i would love that."
_
her house was small. well, it was a regular three bedroom, one bathroom household with a living room, kitchen and dining room. much more smaller than the manor, and much warmer. it was a home, not a house.
photos lined the walls. there were pictures of a man and a blonde haired woman—there were pictures of the man and granger, of the woman and granger; of the three of them. and then there was a single picture of a brunette woman with frizzy hair for days and the kindest warm brown eyes, resembling granger to a t.
"that's my mum," granger said as she came and stood next to him, her coat and scarf gone. "she died right after giving birth to me. she," granger pointed at the blonde woman in another picture, "is my stepmother. contrary to popular stigma, she's the most wonderful lady in the world, although i can never call her mum."
draco nodded, noticing the stark similarities between the woman in the photo and granger. the same frizzy, bushy hair. the same brown eyes. the same complexion. the same button nose.
"i guess we do have something in common," draco murmured. "my mum died too, after giving birth to me. although you probably already knew that."
granger shrugged in a way that somehow seemed innocent—or naïve, whatever. if granger was anything, naïve wasn't one anyway. she pulled the thin light pink cardigan over her fingers and motioned for him to follow her.
"do you want some tea?" she asked, leading him into the kitchen. it wasn't big, but it was... adorable, in a way. painted in pastels—pink, green, yellow and blue. even the muggle stuff. "or i can show you to our spare bedroom—"
"uh, tea, please," draco said, itching to take his coat off. however, he wasn't sure where to put it once he did so he left it on. "two teaspoons of sugar, please."
hermione chuckled. "i guess hyperion didn't lie about the sweet tooth."
draco laughed along with her even though it was completely fake. somehow, without the aide of magic, granger had the tea made in seconds and before he knew it they were settled at her settee.
she turned on this box thing and it lit up, making draco almost jump in his seat. "w-what's that?"
hermione laughed a little? picking up a rectangular-ish thing with buttons. "it's the telly," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "kind of like a magic picture, except it moves a lot more and it runs on electricity."
draco nodded although he didn't really understand it. it kept flickering different colours before she finally landed on something—something that was very dark in colour.
"it's the exorcist," she murmured excitedly, drawing her feet up under her. "i love this film. it's about a young girl who gets possessed by a demon."
draco nodded, shucking his coat off. he sat back with his mug in his hand next to granger as they watched the seventies film. draco even enjoyed it, jumping a few times here and there.
when the film finished he and granger were sitting so close together she was practically on his lap. he didn't mind really, but she jumped away from him like he was on fire once she realised the lack of space. he wasn't offended—not with how adorably nervous she looked, so he just smiled at her.
half-two, his watch read. and he wasn't even tired at all. however, when granger suggested they go to bed he didn't argue and instead followed her through the house and up her stairs. the landing was small and there was four different doors.
she pointed to one. "the bathroom," she stated. then another. "my room." then another door. "parents room." and the final door. "spare bedroom. sometimes my step-aunt stays in there when she visits. you can spend the night there."
she opened the door and led him in. it was small, very small (she called it the 'box room'), that only fit a single bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
"let me just get a spare top," she told him softly, smiling. "just make yourself at home, i'll be right back."
draco took his shoes off, left them to the side and hung his coat on the hooks behind the door. he sat on the bed, smoothing this turtle neck down, and then played with his watch a bit. he spotted a book on the windowsill and leaned over.
paradise lost, it was called, a book of poems by john milton. he flicked it over to the back. the story of the origins of satan and adam and eve.
"never thought i'd find a book that'd make me sympathise with the devil," granger commented as she came and sat next to him, a blue shirt in her hand. "he's a very complex character that has an unhealthy thirst for vengeance after being overthrown and cast out of heaven. he's really evil—like, the seductive kind, like the serpent he turned into to tempt adam and eve."
"adam and eve?" draco asked, flipping the book open to the first page. "satan?"
hermione laughed, shaking her head. "it's religion. this book is based christianity and the bible, the holy book to christians, but there are many other religions too. there's islam, judaism, hinduism, buddhism, sikhism and many, many more. however, they're all connected somehow. and in each version of religion, there's a god, creator of the world and all it's inhabitants, angels and the notorious fallen angel himself, lucifer—who is mostly referred to as 'the devil' or 'satan', but in other religions, such as islam, satan is called shaytān."
"are you religious?" draco asked, hanging on to each and every word she spoke.
she shook her head, chuckling softly. "no, not really. i believe in the big bang and darwin's theory of evolution."
draco cocked an eyebrow at that. "what do those entail?"
hermione sighed, nudging him slightly as she handed him the shirt. "maybe i'll explain it to you next time, but now we sleep. this is my dads but he's like... beer belly, so it might be loose on you."
draco took it from her gratefully. "thanks, granger. i owe you one."
"read the book and i'll call it even," she joked, shoving him with her hand. he almost fell back against the bed—she was surprisingly strong for someone so small! "if you need anything, you know where my room is."
she stood and walked towards the door, stopping just before she shut the door. "goodnight, draco," she murmured so softly he almost missed it.
"goodnight," he replied in the same tone, smiling a little awkwardly as the door closed behind her. he stared down at the book in his hands before he placed it on the chest of drawers and changing into the baggy shirt.
the second he lay in the small bed he was out like a light, any thought of his dysfunctional family replaced by granger's kind smile.
_
he woke with a start. he was in unfamiliar surroundings, almost naked save for the blue t-shirt and his boxers. however, thoughts of the night previous suddenly came back to him—granger at the park, granger inviting him to stay at her house, just granger.
he sighed and peeled the covers back, slipping out of the bed and into the chilly summer morning. he checked the time on his watch (nine-thirty am) and promptly swore. lucius will fucking kill him. oh merlin, draco is so fucking dead.
seconds later, there was soft knocking on the door. it opened and granger popped her head in, her hair even more of a mess than usual.
"i'm making breakfast, you want some?" she asked, opening the door completely. "fair warning, i'm not the greatest cook. i can successfully make scrambled eggs and toast, though, so i suggest that."
"uhh, scrambled eggs and toast it is?"
she clapped her hands excitedly. "brilliant! i've laid out a new toothbrush for you in the bathroom and if you want a shower just let me know."
"i'm good on the shower, thanks," draco said, running a hand through his messy hair. "i'm just—just gonna go to the loo. i'll meet you downstairs."
granger nodded. "of course! however if you're not down in fifteen minutes i will eat your food. no joke, malfoy."
he scoffed, picking up his clothes. "i wish i can say that'd be a surprise, but with the shape of your hips i honestly am not."
granger gasped, stomping into the room and jokingly slapping him on the arm. "wow, rude! now i will eat your breakfast if you're not down in ten minutes."
"we'll see about that," draco said smugly, sliding passed her and out of the box room.
"oh, you'll rue the day you were born, malfoy," she huffed, poking him between his shoulder blades before disappearing downstairs. "watch, i'll spit into your morning tea."
draco scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes. he closed the bathroom door behind him and got on with his morning routine. once he was dressed in the clothes from last night, grimacing at his slight stubble, he left the bathroom as he tried not to think of lucius.
he was going to fucking kill him. the second draco got back, he was dead meat. it'd be worse than last night, he thought as he went back to the spare room. he tied up his mess, placing the book on the chest of drawers carefully. once everything was tidy and the shirt he wore to bed was in his hand tightly, draco left and made his way downstairs.
granger was dancing to music that seemed to be coming from no where. however, the closer he got to the kitchen he realised the music was coming from a small blue box on the windowsill.
"finally, you take so long getting ready," granger huffed, handing him a cup of tea before taking the shirt out of his hand, tossing it into s basket. "you're lucky i'm seventeen, otherwise you'd have a cold breakfast."
draco rolled his eyes but thanked her anyway as she handed him the plate, leading them both into her dining room.
"so, are you ready for seventh year?" granger asked him as she dug into her scrambled eggs and toast. "personally, i can't wait for it to be over."
"but you're granger," draco gasped, pouring himself and the girl in question some orange juice. "you love school."
granger laughed, shrugging a little. "i don't know, things change. actually, for almost a year things have changed for me."
"what does that mean?" draco asked.
granger sighed. "i'm not sure myself but..." she trailed off, glancing up at him slowly. "can i tell you a secret?"
draco slowly came to a halt, composed on the outside but confused beyond belief in his head. why, of all people, would she tell him a secret? why not potter, weasley, weaselette, hell, why not even hyperion?
"sure."
granger placed her fork down onto her plate shakily, fidgeting around in her seat. draco waited patiently—although the more time he spent away from home the worse it'll be when he got back, but right now he didn't care. he liked talking to granger.
"well... you see... since my seventeenth birthday... things changed," she started slowly, nervously, as she played the tablecloth between her fingers. "like... really changed. and i don't know, but i feel this connection—"
"hermione?"
granger's eyes widened in surprise as draco went bone-straight, recognising that voice anywhere. the two teens quickly scrambled to their feet, breakfast forgotten as they both stared at the intruder in shock.
hyperion black and harry potter both stood at the doorway to the dining room. potter was shocked while hyperion hadn't taken his blazing eyes off of draco.
"what're you doing here?" hyperion hissed, stalking forward as he reached for his wand. "what've you done to hermione?"
draco pulled out his own wand and quickly muttered a protego before hyperion had the chance to fire a spell. "i haven't done anything."
"he's right," granger quickly cut in, jumping between the two brothers. "i invited him over and i'm not under the imperius, before you ask."
"then why is a death eater in your house?" hyperion snapped, pointing his wand at draco harshly.
"if i'm a death eater then so are you," draco snarled, cancelling his spell and instead used another to lift up the sleeve of his turtleneck. a pale, blank forearm gave way. "but as you can see, i'm not our fathers son, otherwise i wouldn't be here in the first place."
"we're to be heads in september," granger told him, glaring as harry tried to grab her arm. "i invited him over for breakfast so we can have a civilised talk and put our differences aside so we can work effectively—"
"how did you know he was head boy?" harry asked, gesturing to draco with his chin.
"who else would it be, harry?" granger snapped, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "he's the smartest boy in our year. and yes, maybe he should learn to keep his mouth shut more often but he's still the best candidate for the position."
"you could've met in diagon," hyperion growled, glaring harshly at his supposed brother.
"look, i don't understand what sort of personal vendetta you have against me," draco snapped, pocketing his wand, "but don't fucking question granger's judgement. if there's one person in this room who knows what they're bloody doing, it's her."
"you're dangerous," hyperion hissed. "you can't be trusted!"
"newsflash, you piece of shit—"
_
his bleary eyes tried to adjust to the poor lighting. he could barely see and his hearing was starting to fade back, but his head hurt like a motherfucker.
"—so help me god, if you don't let him out—"
"—you don't know how dangerous—"
"—just because lucius raised him—"
"—nothing to do with it!"
"—don't fucking care! let him out! he's not an animal!"
"no, he's worse!"
draco groaned quietly and rolled onto his side, cradling his head in his hands. what happened? he didn't drink, did he? of course he didn't, he couldn't smell any form of alcohol. it just smelt... damp.
he groaned once again, finally able to adjust his eyesight to his surroundings. the blur faded and was replaced with dark, damp walls lit by torches along the wall. and then he noticed the bars.
was... was he in a fucking cell?
draco's eyes snapped open, rushing up into a sitting position. his head hurt, it fucking hammered his brain, but he didn't care. why was he in a cell? he tried to stand up but his balance was wavering, but in his attempt he heard something rattle against the floor.
he was in a cell... fucking chained to the wall.
"what the fuck?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes as he tried to get his thoughts together. "what the—?"
"draco!"
his head snapped up. on the other side of the bars with a sad, desperate look on her face was granger. she held onto the tightly packed, thick bars as hyperion, potter, sirius, remus and a pink haired lady stood behind her.
"what..." he paused, gulping air into his sore throat, "happened? why am i... why am i in a fucking cell, locked up?"
granger looked so sad, as if she was about to cry, and draco spotted the barely noticeable tugs she made on the bars. she wanted him out, clearly, but the others didn't.
"they're convinced you're a danger," granger murmured, sending a quick glare over her shoulder. "something about being a demons spawn, i don't know. but they won't give it a rest. i've been trying to get them to let you go, but the bars are blood bound. only remus can open the cell doors."
draco glared harshly at the werewolf who promptly adverted his eyes.
"you're all bloody crazy," draco snapped, tugging his leg in an effort to break the chains. he searched for his wand, a fruitless effort as he spotted hyperion tapping it against his arm. "fucking bonkers—demon spawn? i know you hate lucius, but come on—"
"you think—you think this is about lucius?" hyperion hissed, pulling granger away from the bars harshly. she huffed loudly, punched hyperion's arm (he winced loudly so she clearly didn't hold back) and stood next to him, glare on the older boy but a much softer look at the chained boy. "no, it's bigger than him. it's bigger than all of us—you want to hear a little story, draco?"
he stayed quiet. he didn't have time for this—he didn't want to hear their fanatic bullshit. he just wanted out.
"demons are horrible, wretched creatures," hyperion stared, eyes narrowing so much that it just seemed like he had two slits. "evil spirits that live in hell to torment. you see, one of them managed to possess lucius right before you were conceived, so when you were? oh, right, a monstrosity was made. a half demon, half human disgusting hybrid. that's why mum died—no human can handle giving birth to something as powerful as a demon. you killed her."
hyperion was so serious and so was potter and sirius that draco couldn't help but laugh. he laughed so hard his sides hurt and tears were bringing to form in his eyes.
"that's funny," draco snorted, pretending to wipe away the tears that didn't fall. "you're all fucking bonkers. i think a trip to st mungo's is necessary. have you been inhaling too much potion fumes?"
"i wouldn't come up with this just for kicks and giggles," hyperion hissed. "i've known for years who you truly are, so show us your real face. go on, we want to see the monster you really are."
draco sneered at his so-called brother. "does this look like the fucking circus to you? if you want to see a monster, take a look at the man you've become. honestly, i see no difference between you and lucius."
hyperion stepped away from the cell in shock—anger, mostly, but draco noticed how his brother hated being compared to their father. he stored that information away, planning to use it against hyperion when needed.
"you're not leaving until we figure out what to do with you," hyperion finally whispered, storming out of the room. potter followed him seconds later, then sirius and then a reluctant remus and pink-haired lady. granger was the only one who stayed.
"do you buy into their bullshit?" draco huffed angrily, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly. "i'm no fucking demon spawn—they don't exist, don't they? they're speculation. you said so yourself."
"no, i said i didn't believe in that sort of stuff," granger murmured softly, looking as if she was about to break. hell, draco felt like shit too. he couldn't blame her. "and they seem rather convinced you're..."
"the son of a demon?" draco scoffed, sitting back down on the floor. granger followed his lead, resting in her knees with her hands still on the bars. "it's ridiculous."
"i agree," granger stated, tapping her fingers on the bars. "and don't think i won't try and get you out of here."
draco's lips quirked up into a smile but it started to dim not moments later. "why do you care?" he whispered, drawing his knees up. the chain scraped against the floor noisily. "all of a sudden, you're inviting me over to your house and you're letting me stay the night and you're—you're making me dry eggs and toast—"
she laughed at that, shrugging.
"—and your orange juice had bits in it, which only a true monster would allow," draco huffed, clenching and unclenching his hands. he swore they shone a slight red-gold for a moment. "and then you're sticking up for me to your best friends and now you're here, keeping your hostage company."
"technically, you're not my hostage," granger snorted, folding her legs so she sat more comfortably. "you're hyperion's."
draco rapped his fingers against his arm. "what does he have against me?" he paused, glancing down at the shackle around his ankle. "ever since—ever since the world cup he's had it out for me. i understand if it was a then-moment, lucius was a part of it, although he managed to escape prosecution, but hyperion seems to... he seems to genuinely, passionately hate me."
"you're something they don't understand," granger pointed out, shrugging lightly. "and people tend to either ignore what they don't understand or destroy it."
draco cocked and eyebrow at her. "don't tell me you're buying into this paradise lost shit."
granger shrugged, laughing a little. she reached over to the side of her and picked up a book that draco didn't notice before. she reached through the bars, the book held loosely in her hand, waiting for him to take it.
when he did, his grin resurfaced. paradise lost. un-fucking-believable.
"read the book and we'll call it even," she repeated herself from... was it even last night? most likely was. "as someone who doesn't particularly buy into 'this paradise lost shit' as you so charmingly put it, it's still a good read."
draco flipped the book open to the first page, skimming the words to himself quietly. moments later he closed the book, the rather plain cover staring up at him.
"i'll read it," he said softly. "only so you'll stop badgering on about it to me."
granger rolled her eyes. she stood up, smiled kindly at him and said, "i'll get you some food," before leaving him alone in the cell.
draco sighed and flicked the book open once again. despite the minimal amount of light he was able to read the book perfectly. granger returned a little while later, when he was almost a quarter way through the book, with a tray of food in her hand.
"sorry it took me so long," she murmured, setting the tray in front of the bars before she sat down herself. "they were having 'a meeting' to decide what to do with you. if you're wondering, me, ginny, bill weasley, tonks and lily potter are vehemently against keeping you here."
"nice to know," he grumbled, thankfully taking the green apple she tossed him.
granger sighed and plucked a grape, popping it into her mouth before tossing him a bottle of water. "don't worry, you'll be out of here before you know it."
"sooner than you think, son."
draco jumped, almost choking on his apple at the sound, and sight, of his father. he quickly stood, dropping the apple, as he backed away from lucius.
"how did you—" granger began, grabbing her wand.
"be quiet, nephilim," lucius hissed. "i'm not here for you, so be thankful you're not dead already. i'm here for my son."
"i'd rather be chained up in a dingy cell than go anywhere with you," draco snapped, pulling at his chains.
lucius laughed darkly, his slate grey eyes darkening until draco was staring at nothing but bottomless pits of obsidian. "i've kept it from you long enough and it seems like alastair beat me to the punchline."
"hyperion told me," draco snapped. "i don't know an alastair—but you're not a demon and i'm not—i'm not a demon spawn—"
"oh, but you are," lucius snarled, waving his hand. granger suddenly froze in place, nothing but her eyes able to move. "eyes are windows to our souls, draco. look into mine and you'll find yours."
so draco did. he stared into lucius' obsidian eyes. he felt his heart rate slow down, he felt the magic in the air crackle violently and he felt his eyes itch. through his reflection in the darkness of lucius' eyes, draco managed to see himself with the same bottomless pits.
draco gasped and quickly rubbed his eyes. they wouldn't change back. they were as black as lucius' own and they wouldn't change back!
lucius chuckled darkly. "see draco, you're a half demon yourself. and lucius? he died a long time ago. my name is abaddon. your brother up there? well, he's still alive, i can assure you. but he's not him. good ol' al has him trapped in his own mind."
lucius-abaddon whatever grinned manically at him. draco darted his eyes to granger and saw her trying to fight her way out of the spell that was holding her down. he saw the small movements of her fingers and knew that she'd be out soon.
"so... you're a demon," draco murmured, clenching his hand as he felt unimaginable power start to flow through his veins. "and i'm your son."
"oh, darling, not just any demon," lucius-abaddon scoffed, cracking their neck. "a knight of hell, hand picked by lucifer himself. i'm the last of them there is—besides cain, but he's no longer a problem."
suddenly a bright light burst out of granger as she screamed. abaddon's spell broke and granger was back to moving again but this time her eyes were glowing an intensifying electric blue.
abaddon's smirk slipped. "you're not just a nephilim," the demon muttered angrily, clenching their fist. granger breathed heavily, a white-gold glow emanating from her hands. "no, no, no, no. you're more powerful than a regular nephilim."
"let. him. go," granger snarled, waving her hand. the bars completely obliterated, sending bits of metal in all directions.
abaddon's black eyes widened comically before they grinned coldly. "no can do, darling. me and my son have important business to get to."
before granger could react, abaddon gripped draco's arm so tight it almost cut off circulation to his hand. he groaned, tried to pull his arm away but the ground opened up beneath them. granger's electric eyes widened in shock as a red glow shone through the cracks. draco connected his obsidian eyes with her blue ones desperately for a moment before he and abaddon fell into the darkness, granger completely gone from his line of sight.
he landed hard on the floor. draco groaned, rolled over onto his side and wished the throbbing to go away. seconds later it did and he cracked his eyes open in shock. nothing but black, grey and red could be seen—black walls, grey floor and an odd red glow. he pushed himself off the floors and into a sitting position, looking around the dark, cold place they just fell into.
"welcome to hell, son," a voice whispered smugly into his ear. draco spun around and very nearly screamed—a grotesque, skeletal... thing crouched next to him, all bottomless eyes and sharpened teeth.
"you... you..." draco gasped, jumping up and backing away from the creature.
the creature sighed, standing up fully to its opposing height. "at least we know the protection spell had completely worn off. fucking uriel. you know, he takes his job as protected of humankind very seriously. the second you were born he showed up with another angel—castiel, i believe—and they fought me. tried to kill you, but i didn't allow them. at the end of it all, uriel put a spell on you to hide your true demonic powers but obviously it wouldn't work forever."
draco breathed heavily in fear, pressed up against a black stone wall as who he assumed was abaddon in her true demon form sauntered around. it opened a door and screamed loudly. moments later, a man in a black suit appeared, hand in his pockets and beady eyes on abaddon.
"you screamed?" the man—but then his appearance changed into something grotesque but t was nowhere near as scary as abaddon's next to him.
draco evened out his breathing and instead looked around the room for another way out. he spotted a door at the other side of the room and decided, once given the chance, he'll try it out and see where it led him.
"i want you to meet draco," abaddon purred, turning around and pointing directly at the blond half human-half demon who was still against the wall. "my son, draco. come over here boy."
draco debated whether or not to follow through with their demand but when their eyes narrowed draco gulped slightly and pushed away from the wall, slowly making his way towards the two demons. abaddon decided he was taking too long and with a wave of their hand draco was suddenly directly next to his... 'father'.
abaddon gripped his arm tightly, dragging draco closer.
the demon in front of him smirked. "so this is the famous spawn all of hell has been anxious to meet," the demon drawled, holding a hand out. "i'm crowley, king of hell."
his eyes, unlike abaddon's and draco's himself flashed completely blood red. draco supposed it was his king status that gave him the unique eyes, but he was still new to this. maybe he was wrong.
draco tentatively shook the demons hand. "d-draco."
crowley smirked wider at abaddon. "well, won't this be fun?"
suddenly draco felt something burn into him. he screamed, fell to the ground and stared down at his body. he was completely on fire! and fuck, it hurt so much. the flames were eating him inside out but when the fire disappeared and he was left panting on his knees, there were no burn marks left in place.
"don't take this personally, dear," abaddon purred, dragging its skeletal hand—but it didn't feel as such—through draco's hair and then down his cheek. "we need to break you down before we build you back up again—into a stronger, powerful version of yourself. you'll be thankful we ever did this in due time."