herumtreiber

Title: The Lord Appellant 15/37
Chapter: When Dobbs cry
Author:

herumtreiber
Genre: Slash, romance, adventure, dark!fic
Pairing: Draco/Blaise, one sided Harry/Draco
Rating: PG-13
Warnings for the fic: It's a dark fic, rape is mentioned several times. Dementors appear and not for show. Character death (not Harry, Draco or Blaise). Evil!Ron, powerful Hermione, Pansy and Bellatrix. Sympathetic to Slytherins.
Epilogue compliant? No
Chapter length: ~2,085 words
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from writing these stories.
Summary: After the events of HBP, the Minister of Magic wants to finish the Malfoys but Draco uses a Wizengamot procedure to fight back. Veelas and Siddhe appear in the story as Draco uses political means to contest the pureblood's allegiance to Voldemort.
Notes: I wrote this before DH was published, so please no picayune comments about canon.

Table of contents

14. The ambush

Harry Apparated to Malfoy Manor after having reigned in all those chickens at the Wizengamot. He'd had to use his authority as Boy Who Lived and surprisingly, Malfoy's Bitterest Enemy, to convince the weak politicians to hold a trial for the attackers.

As a matter of fact, even Harry had to admit that the politicians exhibited some backbone, given that at that moment, news of the attack became public, as well as its viciousness. The people were distraught with worry over a new-found grey Malfoy and his band of apparently well-behaved Slytherins; people were also deeply sorry about young Miss Greengrass's death.

When Harry entered the foyer, he was met by Crabbe with a hearty hug, and a few seconds later, Goyle also hugged him. Goyle said that Blaise had sent them to meet him and take him to Blaise's room.

They took him to Blaise's and left at the door. Harry knocked and then entered, watching Blaise lying down, with a green vial in one hand. Harry took the vial, opened it and sniffed it. He muttered, "Draught of Eternal Sleep," and put it back in Blaise's hand.

Blaise asked, confused, "Aren't you going to take that away from me?"

Harry replied, "No. Oh, I'll argue with you against using it. I might even hit you on the head so you come to your senses, I might blackmail you into not using it, but that's all."

Blaise said, "Draco banished it when he first saw it."

Harry replied nonchalantly, "Draco's always been more imperious than me."

Blaise added, "I hate the timing of Aurors, Harry. If they'd come one minute later, I would already have been Avada Kedavra'd and I would not have to see Draco's empty body."

Harry wrestled with his temper and, watching Blaise's grief-stricken face, calmed down. He carefully chose his words, "Some time ago, Blaise, you offered a what-if scenario that somehow helped me with my doubts and made things a little bit better. I'd like to offer you this train of thought in return: so Draco is under that curse, but he could come back. What would you think his reaction would be when he learned that his beloved Blaise was killed by AK or chose suicide. So Blaise chose suicide because he couldn't wait for him to wake up from the curse?"

"I know that curse is awful, but I also know, as you seem to have forgotten, that Draco is an accomplished Occlumens. He also knew the curse was coming. He could've built a wall and hid behind it. This is Hermione's opinion too. Maybe right now he is behind that wall, trying to find the way back in, and cursing us for being so unhelpful."

Harry asked," Do you have someone with him?" Blaise answered dryly, "Didn't seem necessary."

Harry snorted and said, "I swear I don't understand you, Slytherins, you are so practical, it would seem cold; yet I know you are not cold. It must be the uncongenial environment." "You have to create a list so that Draco will be with trusted people, who'll talk to him and tell him stories, even if he does not seem to respond." "I want in on the list; I'll take the mornings from 9 to 11."

And it was during those few mornings, amidst grief, that Harry finally healed. He was able to bare his soul to his former enemy, the only person who could truly understand him. He told him about his doubts, his dismayed feelings at discovering being manipulated by Ron.

But all throughout Harry's exposition, Draco's face remained blank. It's as if he had no soul, as if he had been Kissed, only, he looked peaceful.

One morning after his turn, Harry went to visit Blaise. He found him depressed, muttering about empty causes, traitorous subjects and foul weather.

Harry said, "You know, he is not gone. I can still feel him."

Blaise looked at Harry with renewed hope.

Harry continued, "I think it has to do with the failed Bond, but I still feel linked to him somewhat. The feel I get for him right now is as if he were the sun, and he were hiding behind clouds. He is still present, just hidden."

Blaise asked, "Do you think you would know it if he were gone?"

Harry replied, "Yes, undoubtedly I would feel that. I'm positive."

Harry pressed on, "Also I'd like to point out something I'm sure you would've noticed, if you were functioning properly. One of Draco's purposes with the Estate was to provide the purebloods with an alternative to following Voldemort. I think it is safe to say that he has succeeded."

"The gallant stand of the Loyal Slytherins has entered the public imagination. For the first time, the purebloods can follow a person that puts the well-being of his people above his own. I am sure both Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. must be considering their loyalties. People have noted the viciousness with which you were attacked, and want to know why. The purebloods do distrust Voldemort and the other assailants who supposedly come from the Light; they've been disowned by it."

"The public is in an uproar and eagerly awaits the Wizengamot session. Now if only Mr. Malfoy would wake up and start berating us!"

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Hermione Apparated to Malfoy Manor hoping Harry was still inside. She had visibly seen him grow calmer, more reconciled with his fate, albeit he also appeared sadder, more wistful. She imagined it had to do with the watch he kept over Draco.

If she knew these bumbling boys she had the displeasure of calling school-mates, they probably presented Draco with stimulus for his intellect, hoping to entice him thus from behind his wall. Fools!

What they needed is something to engage his emotions, and something powerful at that. Something to trigger his deepest hate, or deepest love. So Blaise waxing lyrical could do the trick, but for that to happen they would have to wait until they were 90 years old and Blaise got the courage. As for hate, Voldemort would rather offer a Kedavra than polite discourse.

So that left it to her. It was strange, considering how much she and Malfoy had interacted, that her brightest memory was his caving in to Dobby, trying with all his might to keep the house elf from crying. There had been love and devotion in those looks, and not only from Dobby.

So Hermione made her way to Draco's, passing Goyle and Crabbe, an anxious-looking Nott, a severely-dressed Millie and Pansy. Lastly she met Blaise, who looked forlorn, gaunt and undernourished; from him she acquired the directions to Draco's bedroom and went there. Apparently Harry had gone. She could see Draco laying down, an empty canvas with no expression.

She intended to fix that as soon as possible, and Malfoy'd better appreciate it, even if she made Dobby cry!

She called "Dobby!" Immediately the house elf appeared, bowing to her. She said, "Dobby, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Draco is going to die soon. I think it would be convenient if you took your leave of him right now!"

Hermione felt bad about lying to the house elf, but she needed him to cry, right where Draco could see it.

Dobby started wringing his hands, and Hermione pushed him in the direction of Draco's bed, saying, "Talk to him! Tell him how you feel!"

Dobby jumped up and down in front of Draco's bed, wringing his hands and crying, "Dobby is bad elf" Dobby is bad elf" "Dobby saws Miss Tiny Temper and dids not helps master" "Dobby is bad and nows master is gone." Dobby kept wailing.

When Draco had stood up in front of his friends, he'd remembered that this particular Death Eater liked to use a brutal Obliviate curse. Not having the remaining energy to put up a shield, he decided to use his Occlumens abilities and try to weather the storm, constructing an inner sanctum.

He succeeded brilliantly: innerly he kept a perfect copy of himself. The problem was that the outside part of him had been wiped out. To interact with the world he needed to find an entrance, a key. All those days, and his friends mumbled on. He felt angry, he wanted to shake them. That seemed to be the problem. Though ordinarily he didn't have problems creating emotional scenes, in this sanctum his emotions were much dampened. He needed to find something to use as a lever, something to connect him to the real world.

Suddenly he heard cries and sobs, of what seemed like Dobby. A little later, Dobby himself entered his field of vision, crying and wailing, "Dobby saws Miss Temper, Dobby should haves helped master! Now master is gone!" Dobby kept crying.

And Draco drew on the wealth of the emotions surrounding Dobby, the elf helping him against his father, being punished for him, Draco teaching Dobby to read, ordering him to help Potter, saying goodbye in the Manor; and those emotions were pure and powerful enough to catapult him to the real world.

Draco sat up and with a rusty voice said, "I'm OK, Dobby, please don't cry! What is Winky going to think?"

Dobby launched himself at Draco and both rolled in the bed. Dobby said, "Miss Granger says that you is going to die!" "You is not, right!"

Draco answered, "No, I'm not going to die, Dobby! And I'm sure Miss Granger had very good reasons to say what she did."

Hermione said, "Was I right in thinking you hid behind a wall you constructed through Occlumency?"

Draco replied, "No, as always you are correct, Granger – May I call you Hermione?"

Hermione replied, "Please do. I have also come to offer my services."

Draco said, "To me personally or to the cause?"

Hermione replied, "To you. I think you follow the pureblood cause faithfully, but I also think you are capable of more. I think you'll be able to construct a better future, even for people who disagree with you. It is that farseeing capability that I respect most in you."

Draco answered, "I'm glad to accept, Hermione. Your intellect and reasoning are boundless. I am also sure you'll let me know when you disagree with me, and that's as it should be."

He continued, "However, I would like to keep it secret for a few weeks, 4 at most. At that time, it will become imperative that we join forces to represent a balanced Wizarding World. You will be a cornerstone, just as I will be one, and upon us the future will be built. This I promise on my word as a Malfoy."

She nodded, agreeing to the solemn compact.

Draco added, "For now, I would like you to find out how to destroy Horcruxes."

Hermione gasped, "Harry's mind?"

Draco countered, "And Dumbledore told me. I said to him it was like looking for needles in a haystack, and he didn't listen."

Hermione reasoned, "You don't want to find out their location?"

Draco exasperatedly answered, "They'd be extremely hard to find, especially if there are 4 or 5. I will find their location by other means, believe me; but then we'll need to act quickly and destroy them promptly." "Oh, and one other thing, Weasel has become a great liability for Potter. You have to work on ways to control him."

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Blaise was skulking around his room, dejectedly looking at the watch. He both looked forward to and dreaded his turn watching Draco and talking to him. He felt so useless!

But then the door opened, and a boy with the fairest visage and the blondest hair in England walked in, and he cautiously asked, "Draco?"

Draco considered feigning having lost his memory, but he realized the torture it would cause Blaise, so he simply said, "Yes, Blaise, how are you? Though I must say, you look a little rough. Time to fatten you up, I guess."

Blaise sat down abruptly and started crying. Draco held him close and caressed his back and arms, kissed his eyes, chin and lips, and murmured sweet nothings.

Draco found out something in Blaise's robe. Taking it out, he beheld a green vial, he opened it, sniffed it and growled low in his throat, "Draught of Eternal Sleep," he hurled the vial against the wall and watched with satisfaction as it shattered. Then he magically cleaned the spill.

Blaise laughed and told him, "Don't ever change, Draco. Don't change."

16. High noon at the Wizengamot 1/2