Raven (Fred x oc)

110. The Dragon Calls to the Dragoness

After all that had happened in the past month, the thing I knew I needed most was a break. Our first week with Andromeda was hard, no doubt. Draco stayed almost entirely in his room and only came out for one meal a day. Andromeda and I made sure he ate more than that, but we had to take the food to his room. I could tell he wasn't sleeping either. 

However, about a week later, I was sitting on the couch with Fred reading a book while he worked on some paperwork for his business and Andromeda was sitting on a chair near us, also reading a book when Draco's door opened. We all looked up in surprise as he sat on another chair. I smiled at him before going back to my book. 

It was a peaceful silence for a time, but then I had an idea. Shutting my book, I asked, "Dromeda, do you have some brooms? I find myself missing Quidditch." 

"Of course," she replied, also shutting her book. "I think I'll join you. Draco?" 

"Sure," he replied, giving a smile. After a hesitant pause, he asked, "What about you, Weas- Fred?" He looked up, surprised at being spoken to by him. 

"Uh, sure," he replied with an easy smile. The four of us trooped out and got brooms from the broom shed. 

"All right," I said. "Who's playing what positions? We can only really do keepers and chasers." 

"I'll be keeper," Fred said. 

"Me too," Dromeda added. 

"That leaves you and me as chasers," I said, giving Draco a high five. I couldn't tell if it was nervousness or if Draco was really just shyer and quiet in nature. "Alright, Andromeda and Draco on one team, me and Fred on the other." 

"You're going to lose," Dromeda teased. 

"You wish," I laughed. "Remind me again who is the only one playing their actual position?" She shrugged, still smirking confidently. We ended up using a basketball, as it was about the size of a quaffle and soon the game was in full swing. We were, unfortunately for me, rather evenly matched. I was better at grabbing the ball first but Draco was far better at stealing it. 

At the end, Draco and Andromeda had won. I huffed, moodily putting away my broom with an exaggerated pout on my lips. "I told you," Dromeda laughed. 

"Shut it," I warned before I became unable to pretend to be mad anymore and started laughing. We went back into the house and had a large lunch together of sandwiches and iced tea and some cake I had made the night before. It was a merry meal with much talk and laughter. As the sounds of laughter echoed around the room, however, a silvery-blue Patronus flew into the room. Instantly, our happy expressions fell as we stared at the snake Patronus. 

"I'm quite surprised, Draco, that you've managed to evade me thus far," the drawing voice of Bellatrix Lestrange said. Andromeda gasped and Draco swallowed fearfully. "The Dark Lord has agreed to spare your life on the condition that you return to us now. That is all, you know where we are. Also, your mother misses you terribly. I'd hate for something to happen to her before you could...reconnect." The moment it shimmered into nothing, Draco got to his feet. 

"Draco," I said firmly, following after him as he went into the living room. "It is a lie, he would still kill you!" 

"You think I don't know that!" he shouted, rounding on me. "But if it is my life or my mother's, what do you expect me to chose?!" 

I stayed silent a moment, thinking before I asked, "What if there was a way I could ensure your safety and hers?" 

"How?!" he retorted. 

"We break them out, your mother and your father," I said in a voice of forced calm. 

"Valerie-" Fred began from behind me. 

"It is the only way!" I shouted. "If we break out Narcissa and not Lucius, they will kill him. If Draco turns himself in, he dies. The only way no one dies in this situation is we save the two of them!" 

"Or you could get caught and killed, Val!" he retorted. 

"I think Valerie is right," Andromeda said. "But we need a careful plan for this to work. Draco, what do you know of the spells protecting Malfoy Manor?" 

"Not much," he admitted. "But I do know one thing. My father and mother go to Diagon Alley once a month to make sure everything is how You-Know-Who wants it. They're supposed to go any day now."

"Then that is our best bet," I said. "But we need to disguise ourselves for this to work. If all goes well, we can get them to come willingly." 

"It won't be easy," Draco said. Turning to Andromeda, he asked, "Would my mother listen to you?" 

She hesitated and admitted, "I don't know." 

"It's worth a shot," I said. "If you can convince Narcissa to come then this might just work. We could get them to come on their own." 

"And if they don't?" Draco asked. 

Drawing in a deep breath, I said, "Well, then, let's just hope a stunner won't kill them." 

"What if I talked to them?" Draco asked. "Aunt Dromeda can lead them somewhere where I will be so I can stay out of sight. I'm sure I could convince them." 

"That actually sounds quite worthwhile," I admitted. "You in, Dromeda?" 

"Always," she replied. All our eyes turned to Fred. 

He sighed but said, "Well, it is not the stupidest plan you could've come up with. I'm in." 

"Good," I said with a smile. "If we're lucky, by this time tomorrow, we will have three Malfoys in this house."