A/N: I would like to thank all of you who have been leaving reviews! We are almost at 500! You have warmed my heart! I have had a few people ask about Draco, well, here he is. I haven't forgotten about him. A warning though, it's going to get a bit steamy. I checked with one of the moderators, and they said I didn't have to change the rating on the story. So without much further ado, happy reading!
I don't own these characters, if I did, I would have written it right the first time!
Chapter 46
A Meeting of Hearts
Draco stood in the shadows watching and waiting. The one thing that working with Snape had given him was patience. He noticed the arrival of the first two Death Eaters and watched as they climbed the stairs to the bank. As they disappeared inside, a second set arrived and followed them in. Draco counted to ten before pulling his cowl lower over his head and crossed the street to the bank. He approached the door and made eye contact with the guard, who glanced his way, but didn't stop his entrance.
It was busy inside, which is what he wanted. He could see the goblins watching the other
Death Eaters warily, but ignoring him. Draco began to take his gloves off and then stopped, turning the movement into
the straightening of his sleeve instead. He had almost forgotten.
Draco lifted his head and squared his shoulders, putting on the air of the aristocrat that he was. It would do him no good to show any fear or nervousness to the goblins. He approached the desk of the Master Goblin and pulled out a letter. The goblin looked up over the top of his glasses, a slight sneer making its way into the corner of his mouth. Draco chose to ignore it.
"You have ignored the summons," he said haughtily.
"We are not to be summoned like some kind of beast," the goblin growled.
Draco stood waiting, trying not to show his nervousness, and finally the goblin picked up the parchment and read it. After a moment, he got up and went through a door behind him. While he was gone Draco scanned the area, looking for any suspicious activity. He could see the Death Eaters keeping several of the goblins busy, and away from him.
`Idiots…' he thought to himself. `Always looking for the obvious, always thinking about the gold.'
The Master Goblin came back with the letter in his hand and slid it across the counter. Draco looked down to see the word `DENIED' scrawled across the elegant writing.
"The Dark Lord will not be happy with your lack of support," Draco said.
"You can tell your…Master… that we are not interested in the foolish battles of humans. We have nothing to gain by choosing a side," the goblin said.
Draco took the letter and slid it inside his pocket. He then pulled out a second letter.
"Family business," he said as he slid it across the counter.
The goblin took it and read it quickly while Draco watched.
"This seems acceptable," he said as he motioned to another goblin. "Griphook will take you to your vault."
Draco closed his eyes and grimaced. He swore that the grizzly old goblin took great pleasure in making him sick every time they traveled to the family vault.
The Master Goblin handed Griphook the letter and Draco followed him reluctantly.
"I don't suppose," Draco said as he climbed into the cart, "that we could go a little slower?"
Griphook just grinned at him as he pushed the lever and the cart began to roll. Draco closed his eyes.
As the car lurched to a stop after the seemingly endless ride, Draco almost gave up his earlier meal right then and there.
"Vault nine hundred and twenty-six," Griphook said as he got out.
Draco sat still, trying to get his stomach to stop revolting.
"Do you require assistance?" Griphook said with a slight smirk.
"No," Draco snapped as he got out of the cart.
"Stand back," Griphook said.
He drew an intricate pattern on the door of the vault with his finger. Draco could hear a series of clanks as the locks released. The vault door creaked open and Draco stepped inside. He scanned the room and cursed under his breath. By his calculations, half of the Malfoy fortune was missing. He knew his father had been giving Voldemort bags of gold, but he didn't realize how much of it had come from here.
He pulled out the pouch from under his robes, dug around inside the small bag and pulled out a miniature version of his father's cane. He used his wand to make it full size again, and caressed the snakehead as he moved to the back of the vault. He carefully placed the walking stick back in its original case and placed the pouch with his father's rings with the rest of the family jewelry.
His mother had asked him to do this; she found it too painful to do it herself. Draco himself only felt anger: anger towards a man who had destroyed his family and his world. He let it boil to the surface for a moment, before pushing it back down. He worked hard to keep his feelings neutral, now wasn't the time to let Voldemort know how he felt. He grabbed a bag of gold for himself on the way out, and steeled himself for the ride back as he got in the cart. Griphook got in behind him without a word and set the cart in motion. Draco wedged himself into the corner and closed his eyes.
"Just be forewarned that it will be my lunch you'll be wearing if you go too fast," he said.
He swore he heard the nasty little goblin chuckle.
As they reached the surface, Draco tried to compose himself. As he exited the cart, he held out a gloved hand.
"I'll have my letter back now," he said.
Griphook pulled the letter out of his vest pocket and looked at it suspiciously before handing it to Draco, who carefully put it back into its envelope. Without another word he turned and left, wanting to get out into the fresh air.
Draco flipped his hood back up, covering his face, as he descended the stairs of the bank. He walked briskly towards Knockturn Alley and turned down a side alley across from Bourgin and Burkes. He stopped about three-quarters of the way down and pulled out the envelope with the letter in it, his mother's writing barely visible in the gloomy light. He crumpled the parchment and its envelope into a ball and tossed it on the ground. He then very carefully pulled off the white gloves and the protective clear ones underneath and let them fall on to the parchment.
"Incendio," he said and the parchment began to burn.
As he watched, pale green smoke came from the fire, and he backed away, not sure of the effects of the smoke. He knew the poison on the letter would make the goblins ill as it leeched through their skin. His instructions had been clear; if the goblins say no, give them the second letter. He smiled grimly to himself as he thought about how Griphook would be feeling in a few days. It served him right.
He pulled out his father's old pocket watch and checked the time. He had only a few minutes before the portkey activated. He turned and left as the ashes scattered in the cool breeze. He crossed Knockturn alley and stopped in front of Bourgin and Burkes. The old can he had dropped beside the doorway was still there. He wrinkled his nose as he picked it up and moved down the side alley. He didn't want to carry that into the bank earlier. It wouldn't do for a Malfoy to be seen carrying anything that grimy. As he moved into the shadows he felt the familiar pull of the portkey, and he vanished.
Snape hadn't asked him why he had eagerly accepted the second portkey for Hogsmeade even though he had been there a week ago, and Draco didn't tell him. He figured that Snape knew he had more than simple contact with his so-called informant, but he didn't care. His desire to see her outweighed anything else.
He made his way to the outskirts of the village and up towards the shrieking shack. He was glad that the rumours of the past kept people away. As crazy as it sounded, it had become a place where he could let his guard down for a while, and as long as he was back in the Dark Lord's domain within the allotted time, he had some precious freedom for himself. He entered through the front door and listened carefully as he climbed the stairs. The old house sighed and groaned as he moved quietly to the bedroom on the top floor, but nothing sounded out of the ordinary. He dropped his cloak on the bed, giving the bed a quick "scourgify" as he went and looked out the window. He caught glimpses of the surrounding area between the boards before checking the pocket watch again. She should be here soon.
He closed the pocket watch with a snap and let his thumb caress the etchings on the case. The images of his father's death came flooding to the surface as he looked at the intricately detailed watch. He remembered the timepiece as a young child, when it had spun on its chain in front of his chubby little face, and his father's smile as he had reached for it. He curled his fingers around the case as the memory of his mother's screams echoed through his head when they brought her dead husband to her. She had clung to Draco seemingly forever, sobbing uncontrollably. A hysterical woman had replaced his calm, cool and collected mother that night, a shell of her former self. When he finally left her in an exhausted sleep, he vowed that the Dark Lord would never hurt another person that he loved. That was why he was so eager to help when Snape had approached him. He couldn't see his life or his mother's being any better under the control of Voldemort. Now of course, he had someone else to protect…
"Draco…"
He spun, and the person who was occupying his thoughts was standing in the doorway.
Ginny stood watching him, as he tried to look unaffected by her appearance, but his eyes gave him away. It was his eyes that she loved the most. They seemed to smolder with passion whenever she was around. It was what Ginny had been looking for: someone who wanted her as much as she wanted him. Their continuous meetings after that fateful day in Hogsmeade were one of the few things that Ginny looked forward to. It scared her sometimes to think of how well matched they were.
"Hey, Red, miss me?" he drawled.
Ginny flew across the room and pressed her lips into his, wrapping her arms around him as she let her cloak fall to the floor. Draco returned the kiss hungrily, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She clung to him, and Draco pulled her as he backed up, letting her land on top of him as he fell onto the creaky bed. He had a fleeting thought of being thankful he had cleaned the bed before she had arrived, but the thought was soon lost as he focused on returning her kisses.
He let his hands wander down her back and lower, until he was able to squeeze her bum.
Ginny responded by grinding her pelvic bone into him, making him groan with need. Ginny came up for air, panting, and
Draco could feel her heart beating rapidly against his.
"Merlin, Red," he gasped. "It's only been a week,"
"It felt like forever," Ginny said as she leaned over to nibble on his neck. These stolen moments were not nearly long enough…
"Ginny," he groaned, "if you keep this up, I won't be able to control myself much longer."
"Who says I want you to?" she purred as she shifted over and began to unbutton his shirt. She loved it when he called her `Red', but she knew that she had gotten under his skin when he used her name.
She ran her hand down his stomach, feeling the taught muscles tremble under her cool fingertips. She traced the line of hair from his navel to the waistband of his pants with her finger, before trailing back up to circle one of his nipples. She couldn't help herself; she always lost control when she was around Draco.
Draco gave a little growl before pulling her head back down for another heated kiss. He flipped her over on to her back, pinning her beneath him. He slipped his hand under her blouse and squeezed her breast, causing her to arch her back and press into him.
"I don't have much time," he whispered between kisses.
"I don't care," Ginny replied. "I need you."
That broke the last of his resistance and he stood to quickly shuck his trousers and boxers while Ginny hastily rid herself of her pants and knickers as well. He didn't bother with his shirt; he just wanted to feel her passion again. She welcomed him back into her arms and he settled between her legs, kissing her fervently. Draco's desire was so powerful that he couldn't wait, and he slipped into her warmth quickly, closing his eyes in pleasure as he did so. Ginny wrapped herself around him, clinging to him desperately as their bodies danced together. She needed this as much as he did.
After what seemed like an eternity of enjoyment, Draco could feel Ginny trembling beneath him as she reached her climax, her cries of pleasure sending a thrill of satisfaction through him, and he felt himself follow her over. He held her tightly as the passion faded, remembering his earlier thoughts.
`The Dark Lord will never hurt another person I love.'
Draco rolled over on to his side and reached down, grabbing his cloak to cover their cooling bodies. Ginny snuggled in against him, not willing to break the moment yet. She had never felt this strongly about anyone else before.
Not even Harry, she thought in surprise,
Draco closed his eyes and laid his head on her shoulder, allowing himself to let down his guard. The only time he felt free to do that was when he was with Ginny. It was strange how these things worked. He briefly wondered if this whole relationship would have occurred if the past year had not happened.
After a few minutes, Ginny shifted so she could look at him.
"Draco?" she said.
He opened his eyes and looked into hers, and saw the concern for him mirrored back. It was overwhelming to think that someone else, other than his mother, could care for him like that.
"Come back with me," she started.
"No," he interrupted.
"We could protect you, or hide you. Harry could-"
"No Ginny," Draco said, sitting up. "What makes you so sure that I would be welcomed back with open arms? Potter would rather kill me."
"Not if he knew what I know," Ginny said.
"I'm sure that we could all sit down over drinks and have a nice chat," he said sarcastically.
He regretted it as soon as he saw the hurt in her eyes, and the pain of it sliced through his heart.
"Ginny," he sighed as he lay back down to hug her. "I can't come back. I need to be right where I am. Passing messages to the Order helps. If I come back, the link would be lost and I would probably be dead within a week. There's also my mother. Her death would be on my conscience, because he would kill her as soon as I left."
He gave Ginny a hug and rubbed his hand up and down her arm, willing her to understand his predicament. He was so torn, between his mother and Ginny. Could he give up one for the other? He didn't know for sure, but the feelings he had for Ginny became stronger every time they got together.
"Besides," he said trying to lighten the mood, "how would we be able to do this under the watchful eyes of Potter and your brother?"
"Perhaps a lot easier than under my watchful eye."
Draco turned in a flash, grabbing his wand from the inner pocket of the robe covering them as he did so, Ginny hiding behind him.
"Put your…wand away, Mr. Malfoy, and get dressed," Snape drawled.
"You shouldn't be sneaking up on people like that," Draco said as he reached for his clothes.
"Yes, well, getting caught with your pants down will not keep you healthy."
Snape looked critically at the figure hiding behind the fair-haired young man.
"I should have known you wouldn't have any sense. It runs in the family."
Draco's wand came back up again at the sound of Ginny's intake of breath.
"I would suggest that you keep those kinds of comments to yourself," he said angrily.
Snape raised an eyebrow in surprise before his lip curled in a disapproving sneer.
"Get dressed, we're leaving," he said before exiting the room.
Draco waited until he was gone before turning back towards Ginny.
"You okay?" he asked gently as he handed over her clothes.
"I guess so. I forgot how slimy he is," Ginny said.
Draco got up and slipped his boxers and trousers on while Ginny got dressed. He was in the middle of tucking his shirt in when Ginny stopped him with a hand to his chest.
"I wish you could come back with me," she said sadly. The desire to be with him all the time was threatening to overwhelm her.
Draco closed his eyes and put his hand over hers to stop its movement. It was becoming harder and harder to leave her. He cursed the war and anyone who had anything to do with it.
"You know I can't," he whispered. "Not now. Maybe one day," he smiled sadly at her before kissing her tenderly. "Ginny, you know that I-"
"If you are quite finished with your drivel, it's time to go," Snape said from the doorway.
Draco sighed as he reluctantly let go of Ginny. He gave her hand a final squeeze before turning towards his old potions master. Maybe one day he would be able to tell her how he felt.
"You did give Miss Weasley the message?" Snape asked.
Draco grimaced. They hadn't spoken much before their emotions took over. He turned and looked back at Ginny.
"There's going to be an attack on the Ministry soon," he said.
"When?" Ginny asked, all business-like now.
"Unknown," Snape interrupted. "The Dark Lord does not necessarily divulge all of his plans to his followers."
"I guess he just doesn't trust you enough," Ginny snapped.
Snape's eyes flashed in anger as he glared at her.
"There seem to be trust issues all around, aren't there, Miss Weasley?" he growled.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked warily.
"I wonder if your brothers and your boyfriend know you are bedding the enemy just to get information?" he taunted.
Horrified, Ginny looked over at Draco in time to see a look of hurt and confusion cross his face before he put on his mask of indifference. Snape slowly smiled as he watched the exchange. Perhaps that will keep the boy out of her bed until this was all over.
"Do make sure he gets the message, Miss Weasley? I would hate to think that all of…this was for naught," Snape said.
"Draco-" she started as she grabbed his arm. She couldn't let him think that of her. She didn't want to lose him.
Draco pulled out of her grip.
"Better get going, Red. The mighty Potter and his clan need their message," he said.
He didn't want to have this discussion with her now. As much as he knew how Ginny felt about him, it always hurt to be reminded that she had belonged to Potter first. Ginny looked at him, wanting to say more, but the look on his face stopped her. Sobbing, she brushed past him without another word, and Draco's heart went with her as she fled down the stairs.
Draco threw his cloak over his shoulders, pulled the pocket watch from his pocket and held it out to Snape. He was having a hard time tamping down his anger right now. All he wanted to do was run after Ginny and forget all about this stupid war.
"Your timing sucks," he said bitterly to the older man.
Snape smiled smugly as he reached out to touch the watch. "On the contrary, my timing is impeccable."
A moment later, the two of them vanished.
They appeared soon after, just outside of the Malfoy estate. As Snape began to head for the gate, Draco threw out his hand to stop Snape's movement. Snape looked down at the arm across his chest before sneering at Draco.
"If you ever interfere again," Draco growled, "I swear that you will not live to see the end of this war."
Snape pushed Draco's arm away and turned to look at the young man.
"If I had a galleon for every death threat I have received, I would be very rich by now," Snape said. "You need to play the game a lot better, Mr. Malfoy, or I will guarantee that you will not live to see the end of this war. You are weak and still letting your emotions rule you. You have learned nothing. If I was able to get a rise out of you that quickly, just think about what the Dark Lord could do. You should not be allowing yourself to succumb to the sins of the flesh. Getting into some young girl's pants for an afternoon distraction is detrimental. Unless…" Snape glared at Draco, boring into his mind.
Draco looked away quickly, but not before Snape had seen what was there.
"Oh, how revolting. What would your mother think?" Snape said with disgust.
"Stay out of my mind, its none of your business," Draco snapped.
Snape sighed as he tugged on his coat to straighten it. "Close your mind; focus on the task at hand, and we might all survive. And might I suggest," he continued as he headed up to the mansion, "that you clean up before seeing him? Otherwise, you may have to explain how Gringott's became so dusty."
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