The End's Intent

Chapter 20

Draco was in the library when his Aunt Bellatrix shrieked happily downstairs and interrupted his peace. He scowled at the book and attempted to continue reading, but was interrupted again by his mother entering the library with a worried look.

"Draco, you're needed in the drawing room," she said. Draco stood and moved to pass her, but she put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Greyback's caught Harry Potter and his friends. They need you to identify him for certain though."

Friends? Potter was friends with two people in this world and one of them was still at Hogwarts. Whyever would his mother assume it was Potter's friends and not some random traveler? Whatever the reason, Draco didn't take his time finding the drawing room like he usually did.

As soon as he'd reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped in his tracks. He could smell her. There was no mistaking the familiar scent he loved and that sent his wolf wild. She was in the manor. Hermione was one of the friends his mother had mentioned and she was currently in the manor.

Draco threw open the drawing room doors in an astounding display of nonverbal, wandless magic. Just like he'd feared, Hermione was standing alongside Harry Potter and Weasel.

Greyback was at her back and looked particularly excited to be there. Draco swallowed the growl in his throat and glared at Greyback. Rather than ignore Draco like he'd expected, Greyback grinned liked a fool and stepped even closer to Hermione. Draco didn't keep back the growl this time.

"Draco!" Aunt Bella exclaimed. He didn't look away from Greyback. "Greyback says he might have Harry Potter and friends here. Would you please confirm it so I don't look a fool in front of the Dark Lord?"

Aunt Bella pulled Draco over to where the three were standing and Draco saw red for a moment when he smelled Greyback's scent mingled with Hermione's. Behind Weasel, a Snatcher took a step back, but Greyback didn't move.

"Get the filth out of here," Draco demanded, glaring at Greyback and struggling not to lash out at him. "Their smell is overwhelming."

Aunt Bella shooed out the Snatchers, but Greyback stayed. He did, however, take a step back.

In front of Draco stood Ron Weasley without a doubt and while Draco may have given him up happily, he knew what it would mean for the other two. Any confirmation of identity would hurt them all and he would not do it. Not even if Hermione hadn't been standing there.

"Draco?" Aunt Bella asked. "Identify at least the Mudblood. It's Potter's, right?" Draco snarled at her and she glared in return. "I will curse you, boy."

"I will do worse if you speak of her like that," he threatened. Aunt Bella looked at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes and glancing behind him to where the three stood.

"This is the Mudblood then?" she asked. Draco snarled again and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, how interesting. Amycus told me it was bad, but I didn't think it was Potter's Mudblood!"

She laughed maniacally and Draco's fingers twitched around his wand. Killing her was sure to bring more problems, but damn if he didn't want to.

"Take the other two downstairs, Draco darling," Aunt Bella laughed. Draco didn't move and her laughter died away. "Take Potter and the Weasley downstairs," she ordered.

"No," he refused. Aunt Bella leveled her wand at him, but Draco had his out before she could think of a curse. "Remove Greyback from the room or I will slit his throat."

It was undoubtedly the most honest thing he'd said since arriving at the manor for break. His wolf was on the edge of gaining control and if Bellatrix said one more thing about Hermione, he'd willingly let go. Greyback would die and Draco was beginning to long for it.

"Go ahead," Bella replied lazily, gesturing toward Greyback with her wand. "I certainly don't need him. Let me see just how far you're willing to go for your little Mudblood whore."

Draco could have held onto his self control for a little while longer, but he was done. His vision tunneled and his senses seemed to improve tenfold all in a split second. Greyback was his first target as he threw himself at the other wolf without hesitation. He knew his wand was tucked in his robes, but he couldn't be bothered with it now. Not when he wanted to feel the life drain from Greyback with his own hands.

Unfortunately, Greyback always remained in some sort of semi-wolf state and easily threw Draco into a wall. That didn't stop him from charging the other werewolf again and slashing at his throat with claws that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Greyback snarled as Draco grabbed his throat and squeezed. Draco was on the cusp of snapping Greyback's neck, wanting to prolong the moment just a bit, when he was distracted by a scream. Terrified his aunt had killed Hermione, he dropped Greyback, immobilising him with a spell so powerful it would have knocked out any normal wizard.

As he turned, he found Potter and Weasley attempting to pull Bellatrix off of Hermione. Neither of them used their wands—useless bastards—but they were trying desperately to stop Bellatrix.

Draco was never one for torture, but in that moment, he didn't care. He pointed his wand at his aunt's back and snarled, "Crucio."

While she didn't scream, Bellatrix seized and slumped to the side, releasing Hermione. Draco kept his wand on her for several seconds, only stopping when someone shook him roughly.

"We have to go," Harry said. Draco growled at him and gnashed his teeth. Harry stepped back with wide eyes, but that was enough for Draco to lay eyes on Hermione.

Weasel hovered over her nervously and Hermione was gasping in pain. Draco shoved Weasel aside angrily and dropped down to Hermione's side, expecting to see a hole in her chest or a slit down her throat. Instead, only her arm was covered in blood.

"Dra—co," Hermione gasped, her fingers twitching toward him. Draco grabbed her uninjured hand tightly and pulled her onto his lap.

"We need to leave," Harry repeated behind them. Draco twisted around to snarl at him but picked up on the scent of three more werewolves and two Death Eaters.

"Grab on, Potter," he growled instead.

Harry nodded quickly and hesitantly grabbed Draco's shoulder. Weasel held onto Harry, scowling at Draco who continued to clutch Hermione tightly. Draco apparated all four of them out of the manor and to a hill sitting well above it.

"Really?" Weasel snapped. Draco wasn't in the mood and Weasel seemed to recognise this as he took a step back.

"You can't apparate out," he explained forcefully. "Get us somewhere safe."

Weasel muttered something to Harry and they both nodded before grabbing onto Hermione's shoulder. She gasped and Draco snarled. Harry moved his hand to Draco's shoulder while Weasel kept his on Hermione's, but before Draco could make him let her go, they were apparating away from the manor.