Unofficial Portkey Archive

Coeur Corrompu

Chapter Seventeen

There's no sign on the gate
And there's mud on your face
Don't you think it's time we re-investigate this situation
Put some fruit on your plate

Got a buzz in my head
And my flowers are dead
Can't figure out a way to rectify this situation
Don't believe what you said

Big Mistake - Natalie Imbruglia

'I know what you're thinking,' his voice was as hollow as a hole. 'Your little mind is wondering why on earth I would do it. What could she have possibly done to bring me to this point? You're wondering how long it will take for you to break me, but you know it will happen because it has never failed before.'

The room smelt of darkness - a mixture of dampness, sweat and dirt. He could almost taste the atmosphere if he concentrated hard enough. There wasn't enough time for that though. He knew that if he stopped his mind for too long then despair would settle in and he would no longer be capable of saving himself - or her.

It'd taken an hour for his eyes to shut down. There was a persistence of denial in the way he was thinking. If he didn't close his eyes then they couldn't break down his defences. Soon though the images had wobbled like reflections. A red haze made his visions transparent. In the end he had resolved that there was nothing more to be seen. Just four walls, a table, a chair and the fist that kept smashing against his skin.

There was only so much pain he knew he would be able to take. It prickled his skin and bruised not only his bones but his ego too. No man liked to be bettered by another, but in this matter he had no choice. Well, he amended, he had had the choice and it had been made. He was only having delivered to him what was expected.

Heat mixed with his sweat making him smell like a sewer system. His dignity had gone down with that one - but still he refused to allow himself to the levels of a pig. Oh well, they would have to live with it too.

'What surprises me is that you thought I wouldn't realise what was happening!' he laughed coldly. 'I knew the day you reopened my file at the Ministry what had happened. After all, Fudge was the one who declared me dead - see there was an understanding between us. They would pretend I was dead as long as I didn't do anything stupid.'

He moved his wrists painfully to allow blood to circulate. The rope had cut almost as bad as a knife, but he had not stopped to think about how the burns would hurt later. Constantly they strained at the tight binds holding him. If only he could use his hands, then maybe, just maybe, the balance would be restored to this battle of wills. It was never meant to be though - for the first time in a long time, the control was not his to manipulate.

'It's a shame that can't be said for some people,' he continued snidely. 'That had to be the sloppiest execution I have ever had the chance to hear about. I always thought that the point of an execution was to make it look like an accident… How stupid of me! You already had someone to pin you're mistakes too and that alone would save you from following my fate.

'I always did think you were a complete numbskull though.'

Flesh hit flesh with strength beyond it, causing Draco to laugh manically. From where he was sitting, tied to a chair in the middle of a room, this situation seemed incredibly funny. Who would have thought that after all these years his snide remarks might have actually been right?! At the time he had been considered bitter - well they were bloody right, but now it seemed there was more too it.

'You should never have used your wand. They say that any form of magic can be traced back to the wand of whoever cast the spell. Some people think it's nothing but a threat formed by our Ministry to prevent crimes. Others, such as ourselves, know better.

'Everywhere you look there are sensors marking you out from the crowd. They know your every step - your every movement. It can drive a man insane to know that there is never going to be a moment where you are ever truly alone. Some say that it is the curse of knowledge… I always liked the idea that I could do whatever I liked and they would have to sit and watch unable to speak a word. The whole idea that they knew all but could never take action against me!'

Another laugh escaped his lips. He loved being the story teller because it allowed him to have power over his capturer. They would have to sit and listen because that was the only way they were going to get what they wanted.

'How ironic that it seems to be the way its playing here…' he opened one bruised eye and scanned the room. 'Except this time I think we are truly alone with only each other to witness.'

Closing his eye again, he slumped into the chair and relaxed. Somehow it felt more comfortable when he was the one with the advantage. The problem was the over hanging threat of death. If he simply laid it out for them, then he would be killed for knowing what he knew. If he played it out like a game of chess, then he might have a chance of surviving for longer. There was no hope of rescue though. What could evil hope for when caught in the supposed hand of good? Nothing, because unlike good, evil was not stupid. Evil people did not risk their cause and lives to save a pawn from the game. In fact evil normally allowed their followers to be killed because they were ruthless.

Good on the other hand never lost the battle.

'I think its high time you were told how badly you have mucked this one up,' Draco said in a cold and patronising tone. 'What's the first thing you learn when becoming an Auror? Never, ever, use the wand you use in everyday life. Always carry the Ministry's stealth wand. That way if the execution does come out in the papers, the authorities can honestly say that it is an unregistered wand - there's no guilt for them and no scandal to follow.

'I suppose you told them you were provoked. Or maybe you weren't thinking as well as you should have been. Either way it was very shoddy the way you simply cursed him with enough small ailments to kill him. Do you know what that is Potter? That's torture. Not even the Ministry would condone you inflicting that upon Gililiver.'

He could hear Harry moving about. In his head he was sat in the chair opposite, his arms crossed, robes undone, clutching his wand in one fist. Draco knew all too well how much he would be itching to simply kill him. It would be so easy to just flick his wrist and no longer have the problem of a rogue Auror to deal with.

If he followed this passion though, he would not get another chance from the Ministry. He would become exactly like Draco had been before the faked death - the hollow shell of a man who once had a chance to be better then the rest. He would be just another faceless warrior who was discarded by his leaders.

'Being Perfect Potter though meant you were an asset to them. You had connections to the spinning world around you. You could be a part of public life and because of that no one would ever expect that really you were an assassin. I can see the headline now. "Perfect Potter - Proved Puppet!"

'China was a clever idea though. They could fob you off to another Ministry to deal with. See you and I have an awful lot in common Potter. More then you would have thought of just by looking at us. We were both used to the ends of the world and expected to be good little puppies. Then again, you still seem to be attached to your strings, whereas I am more free then you will ever be.'

'There are no similarities between us Malfoy,' Harry said in heated anger.

'I can make a list if you like. We both have killed without regretting a single drop of blood spilled. We are cold blooded and would rather slice someone's throat open then speak to them. We both hide in the shadows, but are completely open at the same time. Oh and we've slept with the same women…' he laughed again. 'Though I feel I might have made up for what you lacked so much more.'

There was a clatter of a chair falling away from its four legs, and angry feet thundering towards him. Suddenly he was lifted away from the chair he had been sat on and slammed up against a wall. He could feel the cool of the wall seep through his clothing giving him a sense of brief relief.

'What did you do to her?' Harry hissed into his ear vehemently.

'Oh, I didn't do a thing to her. In fact she did everything all by herself - she even lead me up to her bedroom…' he sneered.

'You're lying.'

'Would I lie to you Potter?' Another laugh escaped his lips. 'I'm hurt you'd think I'd even bother with such pleasures when you have me slammed up against a wall, having beaten me. Truly hurt.'

'I could kill you right now Malfoy and you wouldn't even have the chance to plead for your miserable life.'

'If my life is miserable, then why do I get the feeling you wished it had been you up in that cabin with Ginny. Instead it was me and that's killing you!'

Harry shook his body and pressed one hand against his throat menacingly. 'Don't use her name - you don't deserve that privilege.'

'She was begging me to use it just the other night when …' his voice was cut off by the pressure being applied to his adam's apple. Draco fought for air desperately even though he knew it would be easier to just give up. If Draco stopped struggling then the pressure would stop being applied quickly. It was a scare tactic mixed with anger, nothing more.

'What did you do to her Malfoy?' he growled again.

'Nothing your sick mind isn't thinking already Potter,' he managed to rasp out.

Harry released him, letting Draco slump to the floor with a thud. 'Why are you doing this Malfoy? You could have easily just run away with your tail between your legs - as usual. You knew this would be worse then committing suicide, and you'd know all about that from what I've heard.'

Draco remained silent as he took long deep breaths. 'Do I sense resentment that I didn't die?' he remarked caustically.

'The Auror's were supposed to find you after I did - dead. The conclusion would be that the guilt of killing Gililiver, partnered with your suicidal tendencies, pushed you over the edge. One day you just picked up a knife and cut yourself dry. This was one hit I was going to enjoy.

'What we didn't anticipate were the bugs you seemed to have planted everywhere. You found out that the Auror's were after you and immediately sought to rectify the situation. Fudge wasn't exactly happy when you stormed into his office demanding the case to be closed. He was also a bit confused as to how you knew so much about the file given to the Auror's.' Harry's voice was bitter and quiet. There was no anger in his words, but it bubbled beneath the surface ready to explode at any moment.

'Who was the bug?'

'That was a change in topic Potter. Scared you won't get out the routine questions before you kill me?' he sneered as he stood up from the floor. When he was stood he towered over Harry by six inches. He'd never realised quite how short Harry really was. Maybe its because of his enormous head, he thought snidely.

'When I'm going to kill you Malfoy you'll know about it.'

'Oh I'm shaking in my boots,' he replied dryly.

'You should be.'

'I'll be dead before I ever fear you Potter.'

'That could be possible if you keep avoiding questioning like this.'

'What more did you expect from me Potter? I after all have been trained not to give up information under these circumstances.'

Harry sighed, obviously tired of the game he'd found himself playing and wanting to be free of the place. 'We can do this two ways Malfoy. You can tell me and die peacefully, or you can keep shut and end up in Azkaban.'

'Now you've put it so nicely, I'm quite willing to spend time in hell just to piss you off,' Draco whispered hoarsely with a smirk.

'You knew this would happen Malfoy. You knew that by giving me details of your whereabouts you would be brought in for questioning.'

'This is not questioning. This is the underhanded work of the Ministry. The work they don't want showing up on the paperwork. If this was questioning you would have used your wand or potion by now - which would have been much simpler,' he said mechanically. 'I'm only here with you because they weren't expecting it.'

'Even I admit that it was a foolish assumption by the Ministry, but you have to admit Malfoy, it was the last thing you would usually do,' Harry grabbed Draco and pushed him back into the chair.

'Things change.'

'Some things don't,' he said with a measured temper.

'You've read my confession.'

'It's not enough.'

'It's enough for you to save your precious neck though, isn't it Potter?'

'There are loose ends that demand immediate attention Malfoy,' he said slowly. 'Ginny is somehow involved in this and we must know who your mole was in the Ministry so they can be dealt with. On top of that we are in negotiations with the Death Eaters which you mucked up by killing one of the key players. Lets just say Fudge is not happy.'

'He was about to grab Weasley…'

'…to get to you…'

'…I needed her if I was going to win this fight…'

'…men who want to live don't walk into Ministry buildings with a wand and give themselves up, having left a note admitting to something they didn't do!'

Draco closed his eyes for a minute before opening them again. 'She wasn't involved in this. I thought this was understood.'

'She could have gone to Azkaban for cohering with the enemy Malfoy. State secrets aren't something you just ask for, and she didn't just ask either. She gave them away to you. It's only because you have handed yourself in that she isn't there right now!' his anger was rising again with his voice.

'I know. She doesn't though and that's the way its going to be,' he said with feeling. 'She will not find out that you had bugged not only her home, but Goggenslock's office as well.'

A couple of minutes passed in silence. 'You are in no position to be giving me orders.'

'You love her.' Draco said simply, 'You'll take the orders.'

His head dropped and he breathed deeply with his eyes closed. His fingers itched to wrap themselves around Harry's neck - just to press his thumbs hard against his pulse and feel it rush in fear. Maybe he would kick him too. Watch him scream in the darkness on the floor. Unlike Harry though, he would use his wand. There was nothing to stop him from going the whole hog now.

Only her voice, or the look in her eyes, would stop him from kicking Potters body until it was nothing more then bone.

Even in his mind he could hear her voice berating his actions. It had hurt him too much when he had betrayed her. He may not have done so openly, but deep inside he knew how many lies he was simply keeping from her. She had been so innocent when he had first met with her in the house. It had been more out of curiosity that he had allowed himself to be found - some sort of sick curiosity to see what Harry had and what he did not. His mind had even toyed with bedding her as he had done before. It would have taught Potter to kill people and pin it on him.

'Who is the mole?'

'Why are you so sure there's a mole Potter?'

'Who is it?' his voice was getting louder.

'There was no mole.'

'Liar.'

Draco shrugged. 'I don't care what you think because nothing matters now.'

'Obviously something does matter, otherwise you wouldn't be here.'

A smile curled his dry, cut lips. 'Not as dense as you look.'

'I wonder what your mother would say if she could see you here…'

'Is that a threat Potter?' he laughed dryly. 'If it is then you are out of practise at this.'

'It'll be a promise if you don't tell me who the mole is.'

'No.'

He was tired now. So very tired. All he wanted to do was stop all the thoughts in his head and dream of happier things. Ginny and him together in his mothers' house, safe in the knowledge that no one could touch them now. Maybe they could have a dog too. Or maybe a kitten was more suited to her. This though would never happen. Even if it was possible he would never allow her to become tied to him. It was bad enough as it was now and all they'd shared where some memories and a couple of passionate moments.

'We could always bring her here. Get her to ask you the questions you seem to be incapable of answering. Maybe something worse,' his voice was cold.

'You wouldn't do that. It would ruin any chance you have of being with her, because she would find out all your dirty little secrets and then you would have to kill her… Slit her pretty little throat with that knife I know you carry,' he managed to stop the shiver running through his body. Already the tiredness was kicking in and he could no longer raise his head or open his eyes. His voice was slowly giving up too.

'If it was asked of me, it would have to be done.'

'Liar,' Draco coughed and laughed at the same time, 'She would look up at you with those big brown eyes, bite her lip and you wouldn't be able to lay a finger on her. One glimpse of that and you could learn to hate yourself.'

'You seem to be talking from experience Malfoy.'

He could feel Harry moving back towards him and removing something from a bag. A rush of relief flowed over him like a tide. It was time for him to rest now until he was deemed fit enough for further questioning.

The needle pierced his skin.

No one heard his scream.