I looked up after the Apparition, and found that I was in the woods. I was still very small, and my body was numb from the unpleasant sensation of Apparating while this small.
“Hey, Bill!” I called up in the high pitched, squeaky voice. I still could not see the Weasley; he was hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. There was a disturbance in light and the pattern of the trees as the red head whipped off the cloak and hung it over his elbow.
“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. From his tone, I got the impression that he didn’t like helping me anymore than the provider of the knife. I couldn’t blame him, I had been a git to his family, Harry (whom was very close to the blood traitors), and the Mudblood all through Hogwarts.
“Would you mind returning me to my normal size?” I sneered, not letting his foul attitude bother me. “It’s not exactly comfortable to be a millionth of your original size.” It was getting on my nerves that I as an accomplished wizard could be crushed by just about anything at any moment.
“Sorry, no can do, mate,” Bill chuckled. “My orders are to bring you back to headquarters. Now, if I returned you to normal size, you’d be able to run away and be a threat to us. Besides, what do I care if you’re comfortable or not?” he offered me a cocky half smile.
“Do you think I’m a fool? Why would I try to escape while emaciated and dehydrated?” I demanded, thinking that I wasn’t exactly the foolish one. It was more likely him. Who would run away in this state? Not me, I wasn’t going to run away starving and beaten half to death. Especially not to simply be caught all over again.
“I don’t know. Cowards do stupid things in desperate situations,” Bill shrugged, closing his hand around me. This was an extremely aggravating moment. Not only had I just been called a coward, but he’d closed his hand down on me! Stupid Gryffindors thinking they were the only brave ones in the world. And what was the git thinking, anyway? Was he about to murder me? I thought he was supposed to bring me to this base!
“Hey!” I called out, my voice echoes within his cavernous hand. It bounced around the space and gave made me twitch from the volume. I didn’t yell anymore, and not only because I didn’t want to get a headache.
I heard the voice of someone I had seriously thought dead. Even when he spoke, I truly believed that I was hearing things. Bill’s arm raised in the air as he opened his fist. I looked first at the enormous mass of white beard, at the half moon spectacles, and finally at the sparkling blue eyes. And then everything went black.
:: ! ::
I heard voices around me, and felt a comfortable mattress beneath me. There was no way that this could be real; I was being kept in the basement of the Riddle House. I decided that this must be a dream; I was no longer at home. Nor was I at school.
Consenting to allow myself to live his dream a little longer, I relaxed my body and turned my head to the side. I couldn’t make out the words; I had a terrible head ache. But the voices of the people speaking were unpleasantly familiar. There were two female voices, speaking in harried whispers.
The rest were masculine, and I was only glad to hear one of them. I felt a pressure next to my left leg, as if someone had sat down on the bed next to me. My shirt was lightly brushed and sent a shiver crawling up my skin as someone reached up and placed a hand on my forehead.
It was pleasantly cool on my hot skin. “He has a fever,” a girl’s voice announced. I frowned slightly, my eyelids fluttering as I looked between them to see my surroundings.
The last few hours came rushing back to me. I realized that it hadn’t been a dream, and that I was indeed at… I had no clue where I was. Where ever the oldest Weasley son had brought me, I supposed. I saw the back of a head covered in bushy, chestnut hair; pulled back in a whittled, ivory clip.
Her hand rested on my forehead still, and I grimaced. Damn that Mudblood, who did she think she was touching me? I was Draco Malfoy, heir to one of the oldest Pureblood families in all of the United Kingdom, for Merlin’s Sake!
“Get off me, Granger,” I opened my eyes and swatted her small hand away. Sitting back on my elbows, I scanned the room. A blush crossed my pale complexion when I realized that everyone in the room was looking at me.
It was a surprising group. Remus Lupin, my sorry excuse for a cousin Nymphadora Tonks, and half of the Weasley children. Hermione Granger sat on the bed next to me, and her chocolate eyes looked worried. I wondered why she would even care, seeing as I’d been nasty to her through her school days. However, who cared? She wasn’t anything to me.
“Where am I? Why are you all looking at me like that?” I sneered, not letting the alarm show on my face. I must have failed, however. Remus stood up and strode over to me, hands in his pockets. Looking down his nose at me, he raised an eyebrow.
“You’re terrified out of your mind,” he smirked, but his tone stayed expressionless. That got me angry. I wouldn’t have called myself terrified out of my mind. I wasn’t even scared! At least… I wouldn’t admit it, not even to myself.
“I’m not!” I replied, crossing my arms in defiance. I mentally kicked myself, I probably sounded like a child. Couldn’t I come up with a better comeback? “You should be the ones afraid! You defied The Dark Lord and stole me from his prisons!” it was all I could think of and I know it made me sound like an ass.
The room fell silent, and there was a sudden movement that I saw with my peripheral vision. I turned my head in time to see a blur of red as two hands grabbed my collar. I yelped and tried to back up. A face came into view.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Malfoy?! Do you want us to bring you back there? Because we will, without hesitation! It’s because of Albus Dumbledore that you’re even out of that Hellish Prison!” the twin exclaimed.
“George, er, Fred! Stop it!” a girl’s voice exclaimed, and the man was pulled away from me. I brushed imaginary dust off myself and straightened my shirt. It was then that I realized I was wearing a crisp, white hospital gown. I looked up to see Ginevra Weasley pulling her brother back to the couch in the room.
I thought for a second, and suddenly his words hit me. My jaw dropped and I gasped. Albus Dumbledore, but there was no way! I’d seen him die with my own eyes! He went flying up in the air and flew over the Astronomy Tower!
“Did you say Dumbledore?” I whispered, my head whipping around to look at everyone in the room. An identical goofy grin was plastered to all their faces. They knew something that they weren’t telling me. I wasn’t about to go another moment without knowing the truth!
“Yeah, Dumbledore! Are you surprised?” Tonks asked from her seat next to Fred. She raised an eyebrow and frowned at me.
I heard chuckling above me and looked up to see Remus with a hand running through his graying, auburn hair. He was supporting himself on the headboard of my four poster bed as he laughed. His smile was almost comical, and his eyes were squeezed shut as tears formed at the corners.
I’d never seen my ex-Professor laugh, and I wondered what could make him laugh now. On the topic of Albus Dumbledore, too! But wait… another memory flew through my mind.
I had seen Professor Dumbledore in the woods. Was it true? Was Dumbledore alive? “Tell me right now,” I spun around to look at Hermione whom was trying hard not to laugh. I grabbed her shoulder desperately.
“Eh?” she began, glancing down at my hand, which was holding tightly to her shirt. My gray eyes searched her face, looking for answers. I came into contact with her chocolate orbs and asked desperately:
“Is Albus Dumbledore living?” She stared at me for a second, here eyes wide. Granger’s mouth was slightly agape as her lips moved, not saying anything.
“Yes.” I released her as my arm went limp and my grasp slackened. My arm dropped to my side as the word rang through my head like a church bell over and over again.
Yes, Albus Dumbledore was alive.
:: ! ::
A/N Oh, surprise ending! Bet you didn’t see this twist coming! See you all soon, and please review!!!
The Reason I Stay Proud by Bertybottaholic
Chapter Notes: Wow, this took me forever to update! Please forgive me, I've been kind of busy and I had no ispiration for the new chapter! I hope you all enjoy this, and that it gets validated!