The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

149. Four Gongs Til Mourning

The clock ticked steadily on as Draco lay under the covers of his bed, staring at the clock on his bedside table. He had extinguished all the lights apart from the single candle burning next to the clock. Ten o'clock, it said. Four more hours. The door to his room opened and Draco quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep. Soft footsteps came around to where he was facing the wall. The bed shifted as someone sat down at the edge of the bed. There was a long silence before a small sigh escaped them.

Finally, a soft voice said, "I know what you're planning, Draco." Narcissa Malfoy let out another, soft sigh. Draco swallowed. "I know you're going to run away. I know you're not actually asleep right now. You always move your big toe against the sheets when you're pretending." Instantly, Draco stopped. Narcissa smiled. "I won't stop you, but please...stay alive, okay?" Draco didn't dare breathe a word. Getting up, she turned to face him. Brushing his hair back from his forehead, Narcissa kissed his head mournfully. "I love you, Draco." Letting go of him, she slipped back out the door. The moment she was gone, Draco let out a relieved sigh. He passed the next two hours debating in his mind whether or not to believe his mother that she wasn't going to stop him.

She only said she wouldn't, not that she hadn't told someone else and they would stop him. However, after spending two hours deliberating on this, he decided that the risk was well worth it. He knew he could not handle another dinner like the one he had just endured. Getting to his feet, he pulled his small bag from his pocket and opened it, reaching his arm inside to feel for what was inside to ensure it had everything he wanted. Withdrawing his hand, he closed the bag again, slipping it into his sweatpant's pocket. After thinking another moment, he quickly went to his closet and slipped into the bag his large winter coat and a few more sweatshirts before pausing to listen.

Nothing stirred in the house below him. All was silent. He quickly searched through his room, assessing everything to see if it was something he would need. When he was finally confident he had everything, he tucked the bag away again and placed the shoes he had set out to wear by the bed, glancing at the clock again.

1:00

One more hour. One more hour. Trying to push the time from his mind, he set to searching through his things and organizing the contents of his bag. Closing it again, he glanced at the clock.

1:15

He set Imani and Ollivander's wands by his shoes before stopping again to listen. Nothing but the soft wind blowing through the trees, shaking the small amounts of snow they had gotten to the ground. He began pacing again, scratching at his jaw irritably. When he finally felt as though it had assuredly been fourty-five minutes, he checked again.

1:30

He released a silent breath, sitting down on his bed and listening again. The candle at his side made slight gutteral sounds as it attempted to burn in its pool of wax. Irritably, he sat up, gently blowing out the flame and laying down again. Still silence. He sat, his mind racing with thought as the clock ticked on. He glanced at it again.

1:37

He sighed, sitting up again and tapping his bare heel against the wood noiselessly.

1:38

He debated with himself about pushing up their time frame but he decided against it as Imani had likely planned according to two in the morning.

1:40

Just twenty more minutes. Just twenty more minutes. Draco fixed his gaze on the clock, watching as it ticked second by second. He began to count. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, and so on. He only managed to pass a few minutes that way before that too lost its luster. He got up, clock still in hand and began to pace once more.

1:45

Finally having enough, he set aside the clock on his bed and quickly laced up his shoes, adding a jacket over his sweatshirt and picking up two more jackets for Imani and Ollivander as well as their wands. With all these clutched in hand, he headed out the door and started down the stairs silently.

Each step seemed to threaten him with creaking as he made his descent down the ebony stairs. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he could swear his mother and father upstairs could hear it. Carefully, he grabbed onto the rail and skipped over the last stair as he knew it would let out a loud creak. Just two more rooms to get through. He passed over the carpeted sitting room carefully, knowing that his trainers would make shuffling noises if he wasn't careful. Once he reached the hard-wood, he slowed even more, carefully pressing his heel to the floor first before carefully lowering down to the toe. He had to harshly remind himself what exactly would happen to him if he was caught to keep from growing lazy.

The moment he reached the stairway down to the cellar, he cast a silencing charm at the entrance and headed down with a little less caution. Every three steps, he cast it again until he reached the cellar door. This he knew would open with a creak. Drawing in a deep breath, he opened it. The creak sounded deafening in his ears as it swung open. Once it had stopped, Draco moved forward to find Imani was also awake, standing by the wall. "Here," he whispered, handing her one of his jackets. "It's snowing out." Next, they moved over to Ollivander and got him bundled up in the other jacket. "Here are your wands," he added. His voice was so low, they had to lean in to hear him. "Now, let's get out of here."

"Wait," Imani whispered. "There's someone else we need to take."

"Who?" Draco replied, also whispering. From behind a pillar in the cellar appeared a girl with long, blond hair that fell to her waist. Draco recognized her at once. "Luna?" he whispered. She nodded but didn't say a word. Taking off his jacket to hand to her, he said, "Come on." She quickly slipped into the jacket and soon the four of them headed towards the stairs.