TW: Language, Depression
Demian left Professor Valors chambers quickly, his mind searched for anyone who might help him save Draco but that list had only grown shorter and shorter since they'd been together. He sighed quietly to himself, contemplating all the bridges they had already burned just to make it to this point. He swallowed nervously, the thought of Dracos demise resting heavily on his shoulders. The haunting sounds of Narcissas screams, the feeling of the dark shadows dragging him down to the thick watery depths, the image of Dracos terrified face being forever immortalized. Frozen in a moment of terror. He wiped the corners of his eyes as he rounded the corner to his own dorm determined to tell his friends what he knew, or at least part of it.
Professors Valors words rang through his head, and he almost didn't believe them. His hand found its way into his pocket where the familiar crumpled note gave him a small amount of confidence. He hadn't slept more than a few hours since that night. He hardly ate. He paid no mind to any of his classes since that moment and could feel himself slipping away under the heavy blanket of depression that threatened to consume him. Especially if he couldn't find a way to save him in time. Just the sound of ticking clocks had made him anxious, and he felt every room had them.
He finally made it to his dorm, where Peter and Mordred were both surrounded by books.
"What's going on here?" Demian asked, curiously.
"Oh you know, just reading everything we could find on petrification and "You know who"." Peter motioned with his fingers but rolled his eyes. "Honestly it's boring as shit, and nothing we can find seems even remotely relevant to what's happening to Draco."
"Yeah well, I'm here to relieve you of your boring duties." Demian said, "I found something, but it doesn't mean it's going to be a simple fix." Demian cleared his throat nervously.
"So Professor Valor knew something?" Mordred said, "Damn." He slapped some money down into Peters hand who expectedly said, "Thankkkkkk you."
Demian scoffed, "You guys are seriously making bets about this shit? This isn't a fucking game!" Demian yelled, both Peter and Mordred looked away.
"Listen...we're sorry." Mordred said, "Just trying to stay sane amidst all the chaos."
"Yeah, sorry we're not all fucking mature like you." Peter said, rolling his eyes. "We're still out here helping you, aren't we?"
Demian sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed. Silas made his way over to his lap, eager to help him in another time of need. He stroked him protectively, "Fuck I'm just so tense guys. I get that you're trying to help I just don't think this was the time."
Mordred nodded his head, "Yeah, you're right about that."
"Are you going to tell us what you know?" Peter questioned.
"It's...complicated. Basically, this is a curse created specifically by Voldemort. I somehow need to locate three people who love Draco enough to help me set him free."
"Well, you, and his parents of course." Peter said.
"You see I thought that, but Professor Valor said Voldemort doesn't value familial love since he was an orphan."
"Well, that complicates things, because everyone else fucking hates him." Peter said, shrugging his shoulders.
Demian just sighed, "Then you see why I'm in such a fucked up spot and need help."
"Yeah well, we can't very well change anyones mind about him overnight." Mordred said, "Maybe you try to convince Pansy and Astoria to help you."
Demian scoffed, "You think they care enough? Still?"
Mordred sucked his teeth, "You have a better idea?"
But Demian just shook his head, "No, no I don't." He said. "I'm going to ask Astoria first, I feel like she would be easier to convince. Pansy on the other hand..." He paused, "I have my doubts."
"Yeah good luck with that one." Peter said. "We'll stay here and keep looking for an alternative. Maybe see if he had any other contacts who might be willing to help."
"Ask Crabbe and Goyle." Demian said suddenly, "But don't tell them too much, they're...not smart enough to handle that amount of information I think."
Mordred laughed, "Yeah, for fucking real."
For a single moment they all smiled in that room, Demian could feel a gnawing fear in his stomach but he turned on his heels anyways. "Thanks guys, I'll see you later tonight." He said, leaving to look for Astoria.
***
Demian marched up to the Slytherin commons, all eyes on him. The whispers of many could be heard, an overlapping noise that made his already rapid heart beat thump even harder. He kept his eyes to the floor, navigating the hallways of the girl dormitories quickly. He knocked on Asotiras door, that familiar smell of honey wafted into the hallway as she opened it.
"Oh, it's you." She said. "What do you want Demian?"
"Can I...can I come in." He said.
She looked at him confused but cracked the door open enough for him to come in.
Pansy was already in the room with her, lying on her stomach thumbing through a magazine, "Who the fuck was that?" She said, looking over her shoulder. She sat up when she saw Demian, scowling at him.
"Astoria you let this fucking loser in?" She hissed.
Demian just sighed, "This is really hard for me to say to the both of you, but I need your help."
Pansy just laughed under her breath, she flipped her hair back over her shoulder before speaking, "There's nothing in this world you could say to me that would make me help you."
"It isn't about me, it's about Draco."
"Yeah we heard all about his family emergency, who died?" She joked.
"Draco has been petrified."
Astorias eyes grew wide, "W-what? Petrified?"
"And? So, what." Pansy said. "Dumbledore could cure that in an instant."
"Not this one." Demian said, "This curse was created by Voldemort himself."
"Okay, this is getting too serious." Astoria said, "I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but I'll have no part in anything that has to do with Voldemort."
Pansy looked at him, intrigued, "Voldemort? You've had interactions with him?" She asked.
"Not me, personally. But-" He paused for a moment, "But Draco."
Astoria looked at Pansy with worry in her eyes, "Pansy, come on. You know we shouldn't do this." She warned her.
"You're right." Pansy said, a curious look of hunger in her eyes. "I don't want to help Draco. I'd rather choose the winning side."
Demian shot her a worried look, "You wouldn't."
"Pansy stop, you can't really mean to contact him yourself you have no idea what you're saying."
"No I know exactly what I'm saying. This entire year has been hell because of the two of you Demian. Draco got exactly what he deserved. If only the two of you hadn't been petrified together, I could have witnessed the true horror on both your faces in person." She spat, "I'd spend so much time there, grieving the loss of my own innocence at the hands of the two of you."
"What the fuck did I ever do to you?!" Demian shouted at her suddenly. She didn't recoil, but Astoria did.
"What do you mean Demian? You can't hide behind your innocence forever. You did to me exactly what you did to Astoria here, stole something from the both of us."
"He was never truly with either of you." Demian said, turning his back to them.
"You shut your fucking mouth." Pansy spat, "He did belong to me, whether or not Astoria was with him for another reason I can't say. But me, I loved him fiercely. I did things you could only dream of doing for him. Of doing TO him." She paused for a moment, reminiscing. Astoria just stared at her feet, the tears welling up in her eyes as she realized she couldn't speak. "You made a mistake, coming here." She stood up from her seat, "Because I've been waiting for the day I could finally exact my revenge on the two of you. Who knew it would come wrapped so neatly and sent so quickly."
She turned to leave, pushing past Astoria and Demian. He stood there for a few moments, stunned before he turned back to Astoria.
"Demian, you should leave. And whatever you need to do to save Draco, I would do it soon..." She said, sadly.
"I know that you're right, but I really didn't think it was going to go this way." Demian choked out, "I thought she would have been harder to convince than you, sure. But I never anticipated it to go this badly."
Astoria sighed, "Demian, you should have never trusted either of us. I think a part of you knew that..." She paused, "What can you and I do, together?"
Demian tried to smile at her, through his fear, "I appreciate the sentiment, but there has to be three of us for it to even work. Do you know anyone else who might have loved Draco, past or present?"
Astoria just folded her arms, "Honestly I...I didn't know him that well." She admitted, "I only saw what he wanted me to see. Everyone knows of him, but no one truly knows him."
Demian sighed again, "Yes well...if you think of anyone, please let me know as soon as possible."
She kept her eyes on the floor but nodded. Demian turned to leave,
"Demian I-...I'm sorry. I hope he's okay." Astoria said to him. He tried to respond but couldn't choke out any words. He shut the door behind him, a swirl of emotions overwhelming him as he looked for his next move.
***
He marched back up to the commons and busted into his own room, expecting to see his friends, only no one remained in the room. He sighed to himself and curled up in his own bed, a wetness staining his cheeks when he couldn't control the fear anymore. The silence of the room left him alone with his worries and for the first time since the incident, he let go entirely. He cried until he couldn't breathe anymore, until the tears dried up and left him feeling like a solid husk, just waiting for his moment that someone might end his misery. He stroked the serpent necklace around his neck, that familiar drop of ruby blood glistening back at him. The only piece of Draco that remained unpetrified. The last piece of who he really was. He squeezed it in his hand, breathing shakily until he heard the door crack open. He sat up quickly, wiping his face but his crimson stained eyes gave him away.
"Fuck, are you alright?" Peter said, "What's happened?"
"It's Pansy, she's going to try to contact Voldemort and tell him what we're doing." He said suddenly, unable to hold it back.
"This is bad, really bad." Mordred said, dropping his bad to the ground. He slunk to his bed and sat on the edge, exhaling loudly.
"And we struck out with Crabbe and Goyle, they didn't want to risk themselves for Draco. Said he hasn't spoken to them in months."
Demian felt his stomach drop again, "The only person willing to help was Astoria, but it isn't enough." Demian said, "And with Pansy looking for contact with Voldemort, I have even less time than I thought I did." His thoughts trailed back to Cael, the only person who might know how to get to Voldemort before Pansy.
Peter just sighed, falling back into his own bed, "I don't want you to be killed, mate. Maybe it's time to go to the headmaster." He suggested.
Mordred just nodded in agreement, "This is getting too serious, much too serious for some students to handle on their own."
Demian sniffled a bit, "Just...please, give me one more day." He said, "If you don't hear from me by tomorrow night, go to Dumbledore and tell him everything."
His friends looked at each other with worry, "A-alright. Tomorrow." Peter said.
Demian stood up, he stroked Silas once and gathered his strength, determined to convince Cael to help him contact Voldemort.
"Thank you both, and...Be careful." He said.
"Don't get yourself killed." Peter said, "Promise us that."
"I'll do my best." Demian said with only a tinge of doubt in his voice. He turned to leave.
"If something happens to me, take care of Silas. And tell my parents I love them."
"Fucking stop with this." Mordred said, somewhat loudly. "You're not going to die, and Draco is going to be fine. No one is taking Silas or talking to your parents because you can fucking do this." Peter looked over at him, shocked, "You've overcame so much this year already, and while you might have lost a piece of yourself to Draco at one point, you've become stronger now that you've gotten it back. If anyone can save him, it's you. No one's ever been as determined as you to get what they want, and to help people."
"Wow..." Demian said, tears now forming for an entirely different reason, "I think I needed to hear that." He turned to his friends and embraced Mordred, Peter joined in and for a brief second, everything felt normal again.
"Good Luck." Peter said.
"Yeah, I'm going to need it." Demian said, laughing softly under his breath. "I'll be back." He said, in a more promising tone.
"That's what we like to hear." Mordred said, patting his shoulder comfortingly.
He turned and walked away, determined to convince Cael to help him in any way that he could.
***
Demian practically ran up the corridor to Professor Valors chambers, he knocked loudly and quickly on the door. Cael opened it, somewhat surprised,
"Demian, why are you back so soon, have you figured it out then?"
Demian just remained silent, pushing past him. He heard the door shut behind him and he walked to his desk, thumbing through the papers he had sitting on top of them, looking for something, anything that might lead him to Voldemort.
"What are you doing, exactly?" He said, questioning him.
The tick of the clock in Caels room felt exceptionally loud, Demian could feel his heart beat matching it as he desperately searched for answers. The jumbles of text melted together, creating a confusing mess in his head. He screamed, loudly, and ripped Caels clock off the wall behind his desk, throwing it to the ground. It shattered, loudly, and Cael just watched from the sidelines, his arms folded in curiosity. Demian slunk down in front of the desk, defeated. He hung his head in shame and streams of tears fell down his cheeks once more.
"Do you feel better now?" Professor Valor said.
"No, I fucking don't." Demian said, "I can't do it, and now Pansy is going to tell Voldemort what we're trying to do."
Cael looked at him and sighed, "Sometimes, there's nothing you can do." He said in a sad tone.
"No that's BULLSHIT!" Demian yelled, "I know you know how to contact him, I need to speak to him. I need to do anything to save him."
Cael shook his head, "You'll never convince him to save Draco, Demian."
"And what about you, could you?" He said, looking up at him with both anger and sadness reflecting in his eyes.
"It's not that simple. And he doesn't like to bargain." He said, swallowing nervously. "Harry needs more time, and so does Tom."
"More time for WHAT?" Demian said, yelling again.
"He's not strong enough. No one is, yet."
"What moment are you waiting for Cael!?" Demian shouted, "When are you going to face YOUR mistakes and make things right?!"
Cael sighed again, he went to his desk and opened the top drawer, reaching underneath of it and pushing out the false bottom. He pulled out a small box, containing a glass jar.
"W-what is that?"
"Your best bet at convincing him to help you, but also the only reason I feel I've been allowed to live as long as I have..." He admitted to him, sadly. "I don't know how much human is still left in Voldemort at this time, but when I knew him, when he trusted me, he gave me this piece of himself. A Horcrux."
"It's...just a bottle. And It's empty." Demian pointed out, he rose to his feet after finally feeling a strength returning to his body.
"It's the love potion his mother used on his father. Tom always felt a certain sadness, anger, resentment for what happened to him as a kid. We made this together, in one of the last moments we shared. He entrusted it to me, right before he disappeared. But-" He stopped for a moment, clutching onto the bottle. "But if you take this to him, you'll likely never see it again. And he will never be able to be defeated, is Draco worth that?" He said, presenting Demian with a decision he hoped he'd never have to face.
"That's not a fair question.." Demian began, "He's worth everything to me."
"More than the rest of us, more than the world?" Cael said, "Because that's what's at risk now."
Demian swallowed nervously, his hand found the serpent necklace again, "I have to try..." He said, the tears streaming down his face again, "I can't say what the worlds worth is, but I know what his worth is to me." He said, "If I lose him, what world is left to go back to?"
"Hopelessly devoted to a cause that's sure to get you killed...." Cael said, sighing. "I'll give this to you, but don't expect to regret the decision you make later." He said, holding out the small bottle for Demian to take. He cradled it in his hand, holding it to his chest,
"You could be condemning a lot of people to death, you know." Cael reminded him, "Being selfish isn't always the right answer."
Demian looked up at him and then glanced back down at the bottle, the familiar ruby droplet of the serpent hung perfectly in the center of his chest, glistening. He slipped the bottle in his pocket, his stomach twisted in knots as he realized the weight his decision held.
"You've still no idea the gravity of the situation." Cael said, "You could always give the horcrux to Harry. Make his job easier and in turn help the world..." He reminded him.
Demian thought back to Pansys words, they seared into his mind. He refused to let his resolve waver in that moment, he knew he was willing to risk just as much if not more for what he wanted than she was. He swallowed nervously and nodded to Cael, "I need to go." He said, the weight of his selfish decision crushing him.
Cael didn't respond, simply watched him leave. When the door closed behind him, he shook his head disapprovingly.