Harry Potter & The Black Sacrifice – Prologue

Harry Potter & The Black Sacrifice

Post 2 : Prologue

Prologue

He'd been on the run since less than an hour after he and Snape had disapparated from the borders of Hogwarts. Even though the task that had been set before him had ultimately been achieved, he had not been the one to achieve it. He had failed, and The Dark Lord had called for his head before he'd even escaped the school grounds.

Since then, he'd never stayed in one place for more than a week. He was currently sleeping in an abandoned house in the village of Staining, outside the city of Blackpool. He'd been here for 3 days now, and knew that he must set out again when he awoke.

His only thought was that he must get to Azkaban. If he could get there and free his father, one of two things would happen – either this noble act would allow The Dark Lord to forgive his weakness on the Astronomy Tower, or if it didn't, at least his father would be there to protect him, and they would go on the run together. He knew that at best it was an extremely flimsy plan, with both potential outcomes highly unlikely, but it was the only plan he had.

He had only the vaguest notion of where Azkaban was: somewhere in the North Sea. He wasn't yet comfortable apparating on his own, his Nimbus 2001 was still at Hogwarts, and the Floo network was of course being watched, so his only option was to walk. He'd been walking from Spinner's End ever since Snape had apparated with him there. And he still had a very long way to go.

…

Draco Malfoy awoke with a start. The disorientation that came with sleeping somewhere new every few days quickly evaporated, and he looked around to try to find the source of the sound that had awoken him.

"Draco…" a voice whispered from outside the house. "Are you in there?"

"M…mother?!"

"Yes son, it's me. I've come to take you home."

He got up from the cot on the floor that he'd been sleeping on. "Take me home…? I don't understand."

The front door of the house opened and Narcissa Malfoy stood in the entrance. She observed her son silently for a moment. Then, with a hint of sadness in her voice, she said "Your hesitancy has cost us dearly son."

Draco said "That is why I am running of course. How did you find me?"

Narcissa sighed. "That's really not important now is it?"

"It is to me. If you can find me, surely He…"

Her anger flared up. " 'He' has known where you were this whole time, my foolish arrogant son. Don't think for one second that He couldn't have killed you whenever He wished. Where do you think you were going anyway? Where on earth did you think you could escape His gaze?"

"To Azkaban. I'm going to break Father free. If anything can save my life, it is that."

Narcissa's lip quivered, and a single tear spilled down her cheek. "Your father is dead."

Draco stood in shock for a moment. "No… no… I've been reading the Prophet. It would have been mentioned….."

"The Prophet has more important things to report on at the moment. Your father was killed because of your error. And it is time for you to pay the price as well."

As she reached for her wand, 3 more tears spilled down her cheek. Draco's mouth fell open, as he stared back and forth from the wand to her miserable face.

"You… you killed Father." It wasn't a question.

She either didn't hear this, or ignored it. "Forgive me Draco. Another loyalty test from The Dark Lord, you see. It was either this, or he'd kill us both himself."

Draco's mouth slowly closed, and he discovered he had some tears of his own to shed. Under his breath, he muttered "I hope Harry finds him…"

Narcissa's own shock at hearing this was enough to make her wand dip down momentarily. "What did you just say?" she shrieked.

At the end of his life, Draco discovered a well of courage inside of him that he'd heretofore never known existed. "I SAID I HOPE HARRY POTTER FINDS YOUR MASTER AND KILLS HIM! I HOPE HE FINDS YOU SOON AFTERWARDS…"

Narcissa had heard enough. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"

Draco's last thought before the green light hit him in his chest was "Harry… I'm so sorry…"

...

Narcissa walked slowly out of the house. She felt as if she might faint, but The Dark Lord was waiting for confirmation that his will had been carried out, and she would not keep him waiting. Dazedly, she turned back to look at the house, and pointed her wand up in to the air.

"Morsmordre!"

With the Dark Mark now in place over the house, Narcissa apparated back to The Dark Lord's side.

Minutes later and many miles to the south, Harry Potter awoke with a start. His scar was prickling painfully. Wherever he was, Voldemort was pleased about something, and for the first time in over a year, he had not tried to conceal it from Harry.