Chapter 3 - Peace Has A Price
Draco remembered back to the past evening when he had the Headmaster staring down the tip of his wand before he died and what had been said. Dumbledore had offered to hide him as well as his parents from any harm attempted by the Dark Lord. He began to wonder if it would make more sense for him to take him up on his offer, wishing someone would just tell him what to do.
As he finished his food, he sat back in his chair, sipping the mug of butterbeer in front of him. He allowed himself time to savor the meal and admitted that it was quite good. It reminded him of his mother’s pot roast (usually cooked by their house elves) that he used to love so much. Although he was sufficiently stuffed, he felt his mouth water at the thought of the dish.
Seeing that he had cleaned his plate of any leftover food, Ken approached Draco and asked if he would like some dessert. The boys’ eyebrows went up in interest and asked what he had to offer. Not many people knew about Draco Malfoy’s sweet tooth and with no one around, he felt perfectly fine allowing himself to splurge a bit.
“Do you have anything chocolate?” he asked.
Ken’s face lit up and he queried, “Do you prefer extremely sweet, bitter or somewhere in between?” Before Draco had an opportunity to respond, he added, “Oh, and do you like whipped cream?” Ken looked as if he were building the perfect dessert for his guest in his mind as he asked each question.
Draco did not waste time thinking for too long. “I love whipped cream but I also prefer to see what I am eating. I am not a fan of cocoa in a dessert, only in a mug but I despise extremely sweet chocolate.” He shuddered at the idea once he spoke of it.
The old man snickered and clasped his hands in front of him. “I have the perfect thing. I’ll be back shortly.” He turned around and levitated Draco’s dirty dishes, charming them to the kitchen ahead of him. After a few seconds of silence, the boy got up and decided he would look around. There was no one else there to pester him and now that his stomach was appeased until dessert arrived, he thought he would get a better idea of where he was.
When he stood from his chair, Draco allowed himself a very satisfying stretch. As he reached up, he heard several bones make popping sounds. Comfortable, he then turned to see what was behind him and, from what he could tell, there were several framed pictures. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be pictures of previous visitors. They were all eating or laughing with Ken and, he noticed, each visitor was alone.
Draco began to wonder what sort of place he had stumbled upon when he saw one of the pictures near the top of the wall. It showed two men, deep in discussion. Neither man was smiling but one of them had an unmistakable twinkle to his eyes. Staring at the picture and watching the men talk, Draco’s eyes got to be quite large when he recognised the man as Albus Dumbledore.
“Merlin, I can’t escape the man, even in death!” he said out loud. Hearing a light chuckle behind him, he turned to find himself face to face with Ken. Pulling himself away from the wall, Draco allowed the old man to lead him back to his table. In front of him was the oddest dessert he had ever seen.
Sensing his uncertainty, Ken explained, “It’s a simple recipe, really. Chocolate cookie wafers with a layer of homemade whipping cream between each one. Cookie, cream, cookie, cream and so on. Once you have a log-like shape, cover the remainder of it in a thick layer of whipped cream and keep it in a cold place for twelve hours or so. That will keep the whipped cream fresh but allow the dessert to soften. Cut it diagonally as shown and it is absolutely divine.”
Looking at the man, Draco thought he looked very proud of his concoction. Unable to resist, he asked, “Is this one yours or did it come from another traveler?”
“I’m afraid I cannot take credit for this one. This came from a young girl who was named Andromeda.” Ken laughed as he watched the boy almost choke on his food.
Clearing his throat, Draco stuttered, “What was her last name?” Ken apologised for not knowing but pointed her out on the wall of pictures and Draco watched his aunt laughing with the old man.
'This world just keeps getting smaller and smaller', he thought.
As his visitor finished his dessert, Ken motioned back up towards the portrait gallery. “Albus Dumbledore is a good man, he is. He has a thing for sweets, like you. Asked for every candy recipe that I had ever come across.” The memory made the old man laugh but he stopped when he looked down at the young man standing next to him.
“Dumbledore died last night.” stated Draco in a monotone. The Slytherin could not understand why it was so difficult to get to words out and looked confused when his host gave a silent chuckle.
“Why are you laughing, you crazy old man? You truly are an odd duck, aren’t you?” He looked disgusted at the lack of concern on the man’s part.
“My boy, you truly are too young to really appreciate everything Albus has been through in his very long and blessed life. He told me that night in the picture there that he saw death as a new adventure and a way for him to watch over all those he cared about. I am sure his feels very free now. I wouldn’t mourn him so much but celebrate his life and what you learned from him.”
Irritated that the man decided to lecture him on his former Headmaster after the evening he had been through, Draco asked how much he owed for his food. He had to get some fresh air.
“Here, young friend. Do not worry about paying me for feeding you as you obviously needed the nourishment. Feel free to take your time and rest if you need to. There is a bed that you are welcome to use in the back.” He motioned towards the part of the building that Draco had not ventured to yet. “If you choose to sleep, I will have breakfast waiting for you in the morning. The room is not fancy but it’s clean and quite comfortable.”
The boy thought about the offer and decided that maybe a few hours rest would not hurt him. He told Ken what he liked to eat at breakfast and the man bade him a good rest as he disappeared to the kitchen to clean up. Once he was out of sight, Draco placed some money on the table. As kind as the gesture was, the Malfoys did not accept charity.
Draco walked cautiously towards where the bed was supposed to be waiting. As he turned the corner, he was overwhelmed by the strong desire he had for the small bed in front of him, his aristocratic attitude long gone. He found that he was so tired he did not even bother taking advantage of the clothes left for him to change into to sleep in.
When Draco awoke the next morning “ or he thought it was somewhere around morning time “ he felt more refreshed than he had in weeks. He had tossed and turned a short while before falling asleep but something allowed his mind to rest and catch up on some much needed slumber. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. Reaching for his cloak, he caught the scent of eggs, bacon and biscuits and looked over to be greeted by a tray full of food with a note.
He adjusted his shoes on his feet and stood to retrieve the note, curious as to what it contained. He almost laughed when he saw that Ken had enclosed a sheet of parchment as an invitation to share any recipe that Draco felt like sharing for future travelers. He placed it down and began to eat his breakfast quickly. He couldn’t let anyone find him here and with the disadvantage of daylight, Draco did not feel safe in a shack in the middle of nowhere.
Taking the final bite of his meal, he picked up the few belongings he had and left a note thanking Ken for his hospitality. His father had always told him one could not have too many acquaintances and despite the fact that his host had irritated him with silly stories about travelers past, Draco enjoyed not being judged by someone right away. Ken did not ask questions and seemed to respect privacy. In turn, Draco respected him. He signed the note and on the bottom scrolled one more thing:
PS: This is an old family recipe for my favourite pot roast. I used to help my mum make it growing up and as a thank you for your hospitality, I will share it with you. I know now my life’s path and I wish you success in your ventures.
- D.M
Draco folded the note and slipped it under his dirty dishes. He knew where he had to go next but it was not going to be an easy trip, nor would it include a welcome reception. Taking one last look around, he walked to the door and turned the handle. He was shocked to be greeted with bright sunlight and came to realize that he was back outside. Without looking behind him, he closed the door and took a few steps away from the building.
“What the hell? What kind of place is this?” he thought.
Turning around to go inside and ask why the building now opened to the exterior, Draco gasped when he saw that the Green Dragon was no longer there. He wondered what kind of magic the pub held and stood rooted in the same spot for a solid minute or so before bringing himself back to reality.
“That was unusual. Well, I suppose it served its purpose.”
Taking a deep breath, Draco closed his eyes as he stood on the deserted road and just listened for a minute. He heard the birds chirping and the light morning breeze flutter through the leaves of some surrounding trees. He seemed to catch himself relaxing because in an instant, the boy snapped his eyes open and straightened his posture, reaching into his cloak for his wand.
He had almost taken the chance and tried to find a member of the Order to take him in for protection but knew he would always be hunted by the Dark Lord regardless and opted to end any manhunts once and for all.
“Here goes nothing,” he said to no one in particular. Draco pulled his wand out and taking a shaky breath, he placed it on the Dark Mark branded on his arm, saying the incantation to bring him to Lord Voldemort.
Draco assumed once the Dark Lord got a hold of him - especially after the fiasco at Hogwarts - that he would not live to see another day. He was sure that with some well placed curses or simply one major one, he would be gone from this world. Draco thought it a fitting price to pay after remembering all who he had wronged or hurt.
Draco’s incantation had transported him to a dark forest that was full of trees which seemed to be thousands of years old. He looked around and heard three words from his master that sent his blood running cold.
“You failed me.”
The boy wished the evil entity in front of him could hear his final thought as he was hit by the green jet of light but Dark Lord was gone soon after the spell was cast.
Draco Malfoy's body was lying on the forest floor with a look of peace and wide open eyes. His spirit flickered above before disappearing and he whispered to no one in particular, “But now I am finally free.”
On The Run by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: The final chapter... at last.
I would like to thank my fantabulistic beta for this story, Abbi (the non-grinch) for taking care of me this time around. I am getting the hang of Briticisms and I am slowly fixing my "comma issues." I would also like to thank Roop for my late-night IM dialogue tutor session.
I hope this story does the challenge prompt justice. I tried.