Grey-Eyed Serpent √

Chapter Eight

This chapter is dedicated to kawaiiloavesofbread. Thanks so much for being my great friend in real life, and for supporting me on Wattpad, too! Also, this chapter is from Draco's point of view, just for a fellow Draco lover like you. I hope you all enjoy!

Draco Malfoy

As Hermione fell asleep in Weasley's arms, I felt my heart turn to steel once more. She had thawed my heart of ice, but now that Weasley's back in the mix, it's turned to solid stone again. But when she said it, I love you, to him, I felt something snap. Something that could never be fixed. I close my eyes, but I can't seem to fall asleep. The screaming of Bellatrix's latest victim rings through the halls, and it haunts my dreams and nightmares as I drift away.

***

When I wake up, there's a faint light coming from upstairs. I think most of the Death Eaters have left by now, except for Father and Mother and Bellatrix, of course. But, hopefully, they're all asleep. I struggle to stand, glancing around. Thankfully, while asleep, Hermione rolled away from Weasley. Potter's on her other side, facing the wall. Crabbe and Goyle are across the room, snoring softly.

I shake them awake, one by one. "If you want to escape, I advise you do it now," I whisper in Hermione's ear when her brown eyes open. She smiles sleepily and brushes hair off of her face. But it just falls right back on again, so I do it for her. Her smile grows, and one appears on my face, too. On second thought, maybe she can fix me.

Once the three of them are up, I stretch my arms and yawn. It must be early, the perfect time for them to run away. As much as I like to spend time with Hermione, it's not safe here. For any of them, but the fact that she's Muggle-born just makes it worse.

"You have to go," I say once they're up. "I'll just have to find someone else to drink Polyjuice Potion to be Weasley..."

"No," Hermione says. "I don't particularly care for Crabbe and Goyle, but no innocent people deserve to die. There's a cloning spell, we can just use that and they can go back to Hogwarts. That's a bit less risky, too. Sure, You-Know-Who might notice the difference, but it can buy us some time." As she speaks, the potion begins to wear off and the second Potter and Hermione melt back into Crabbe and Goyle.

I sigh in defeat. "Very well, do what you want. I'll take them back." And I grab the elbows of Crabbe and Goyle, leading them out of the manor and Apparating them back to Hogwarts. As soon as they're inside, a bit dazed and confused but fine, I head back to the dungeons.

"I'll help you get through the gates," I say to Hermione. She has a pitiful expression on her face, and I ask, "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just...feel so bad for you. You shouldn't be here, either. You know what, why don't you just come with us? You'll probably get in bigger trouble if they ever find you, but at least you can get away for a while."

"I'm already in big enough trouble as it is-" I stop talking when I look at her face again, and let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll go with you." Her face breaks into a smile, and I lead them outside. We Apparate back to their tent.

"I think we should switch camp," Hermione says, disappearing inside of the tent and starting to pack things up and shove them inside a tiny bag. It must have an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. Absolutely brilliant, that one. "Ron, Harry, can you help me?"

"No, that's okay, I can help," I say as Weasley and Potter begin to enter then tent. They glance at each other and shrug, and I slip inside and hand things to Hermione. I look over at her when she's not looking at me, and I'm even more confused when I look at her face. She told Weasley she loved him, but the way she looks at me...I don't know how she feels about me. But I hope it doesn't ruin anything for these next few days.

Once everything is packed, Potter helps her take down the tent and put that in her bag last. Then she takes their arms and I put a hand on her shoulder, and she Apparates us to another forest.

This one is coated in a fine layer of snow, and Hermione immediately begins to unpack things and set them up. Once she's all done, we go inside to warm up.

Hermione provides us with food and drink, and Weasley goes to bed early. Hermione sets up another bed for me, and I send her a grateful glance. It's right next to hers, and I'm glad that Weasley is asleep, because I know he would have something to say about that.

As Potter falls asleep as well, I turn over in the bed to face Hermione, only to find that she's already staring at me with a smile on her face. "What is it?" I ask quietly.

She shakes her head. "It's just...you were so different in our first year, and you've..." She gestures at me. "Changed so much. You're like a whole new person."

"Yeah, well, becoming a Death Eater does that to people," I say drily.

She laughs. "No, I mean...well, yes, and you're even more different now. Like, it's sort of like you're on our side now. You've helped us for a while, and...I'm starting to think that you're not really a Death Eater at heart anymore." I am about to say something, but she rolls over to face the ceiling. "Then again, you never really were a Death Eater at heart, were you?" And after that, her breathing evens out, and I can tell she's asleep.

As I begin to slip into unconsciousness as well, I think about what she said. No, I never did have a choice, but I was raised thinking that Voldemort's ways were right. Now, after spending more time with her, she's right. I'm not a Death Eater at heart.

And I'm not sure I ever really was.