Long Live the Mafia Prince - A Drarry Fanfiction

Part 029

"Suffer..." Draco scoffs, "I thought you'd be brighter than that.".

My brows quiver. "What?".

"Is that your next question?" Draco says, a sly smile on his lips.

"No- That's-".

He crosses his arms, leaning against his seat. "Fine. Generously, I'll give you two questions for your turn.".

I wish I was as numb as myself an hour ago. Odd and uncomfortable as it was, it would be better than this. Shame that all I can do is focus on doing as I was told instead of the rage-inducing conversation at hand. Taking a breath, I bring myself back to my checklist of necessary answers.

"We know of your written confessions for the theft and murder," I say, "and we have the victims of the kidnapping point to you as the kidnapper, however, we ask again, do you confess to all of the above?".

Draco rolls his eyes. "If I knew this was what all those people before you were going to ask, I wouldn't have made such a scene.".

"Answer." I say.

"Yes, I confess." Draco says, "Good?".

I look back down at my file again. The two prioritized questions are out of the way, technically I can leave the room without whatever consequences that may follow with dereliction of duty.

I look up at Draco. Backed away from the pinlight, his face is swallowed in shadow, only his gray eyes staring at me through the darkness. I swallow, staring straight back at him.

"What am I missing this time?" I mutter.

"Is that your second question?" Draco says.

"What did I do to make myself look like a failure to you?" I repeat.

With a sigh, he uncrosses his arms. "The fact that you've gotten yourself into any of this is enough to do that.".

I grit my teeth.

"But," Draco says, "even though my expectations are lower than ever, you've disappointed me.".

"Quit stalling, get to-".

"What makes you think I'm going to suffer after being arrested, being thrown into Azkaban, and being locked up for the rest of my sanity?" Draco says, leaning back into the light, "I was the one who made myself vulnerable to the Ministry, I was the one who let them come to me, I was the one who brought me here. Don't you get it? You've helped me, Harry. You played my game, you killed off the last of dad left on his Earth, you freed me from my prison.".

His words ring in my ears, stinging my brain. My hands tremble before I can process, my heart thumps before I can think, and Granger busts into the room before I can react.

I feel hands digging into my arms, dragging me along. We're done here, Malfoy... Weasley, take him...

/////

A few days later, Draco Malfoy was sentenced to life in Azkaban.

/////

"You still have a few days, you know." Ron says, shoveling his dinner, "Granger said you were off until two weeks after the trial, didn't she?".

"She did." I say, also chewing, "I'm fine, though.".

Getting up to grab another serving, Ron frowns. "Enough to fully come back to the office? Really?".

I put down my fork. "Really.".

There's a knock in the living room.

"I'll get that." Ron says, quickly putting down his refilled plate and skipping to the other room.

I watch him as he walks back into the kitchen, reading the note in hand. "What is it?".

"Uh..." Ron says, "Nothing.".

"What?".

Then he balls up and chucks the letter into the bin.

"What are you doing?" I say, walking over to examine the trash, "I saw the stamp. It was from the Ministry, wasn't it?".

Ron catches my arm. "Sit back down, Harry, it's nothing.".

Shaking him off, I pick up and unball the note.

/////

"I received this last night." I say.

The auror at the gate glances at the once trashed, wrinkled note I have passed them. They raise a brow.

"My flatmate did that." I say, reassuringly, "Not on purpose, obviously.".

Still a look of suspicion in their eyes, they wisk their wand to open up the gate.

"Thank you." I say, walking in.

Azkaban... The resting place of countless criminals through the ages, the home to hundreds of soul-sucking guards, and the last place an auror would ever think to end up. Though I have already had to ask this, I don't know, twelve too many times, how did I end up here...

"What's your business?" the auror at the smaller gate asks.

I pull out the note again. "I was told Draco Malfoy requested a visit from me.".

"Right..." the auror says, looking up and down the hall behind the gate, "That would be cell sixteen, down to the right.".

"Thank you." I say as the gates swing open.

No one wanted me to go. Not Ron, not Granger, not anyone. The only person who wanted to take Draco's request was me. So to answer the question, I ended up here because of myself. Funnily enough, that answers most everything I asked in the past few weeks. How ironic is it that the answers I wanted to hear from Draco Malfoy could be so easily answered by Harry Potter?

I stare straight ahead at the far end of the hall as I walk, arriving as calm as ever to cell sixteen.

/////

"Do you sleep well at night?".

"Sleep?".

Draco nods.

"You requested a visit to ask me about sleep?".

He nods again.

"Why do you care?".

"Because I know I've kept you up a few times.".

I scoff. "I sleep fine.".

"Is it because I'm behind bars?".

"Well, for one, I don't have to get knocked out to end up in the Mafia castle every night.".

"So you don't care that I'm chained up in Azkaban?".

"I do care. It's just that, personally, you being served justice is less significant of a change than not getting kidnapped night after night.".

"Then tell me, personally, what would you want to happen to me for you to get the best night of sleep?".

I blink.

"Tell me.".

"I already sleep fi-".

"Do you want me to die?".

I pause. "What-".

"Do you want me to live?".

"What kind of question is- Why are you asking me this?".

Draco smiles a little. "I want you to be happy.".

I frown. "No you don't. Since when was that ever your goal?".

"That's the point, it never was.".

"I don't understand-".

"After going through all that you have, you should understand.".

"Understand what it feels like to want someone dead? Is that what it is?".

"Do you understand it?".

I swallow.

"I won't ask again. Do you want me to die for you, or live for you?".

An auror walks in behind Draco. "That was all of your visiting time.".