Draco meanwhile was very white and looked a bit as if he were going to be sick. He flicked the knife shut, and dropped it back into Harrys pocket. There was blood on his hands now and blood on the white lining of his cloak.
'Malfoy,' said Harry, so quietly Hermione had to strain to hear him.
'You don?t have to do this.'
'I?ll die if I don?t.' Dracos voice was a monotone, and Hermione was struck by his choice of words — not he?ll kill me if I don?t, but I?ll die. As if it was quite out of his control.
'There are worse things than dying. I guess you should know that.'
A little of the old wicked sparkle shot across Dracos expression.
'You and your friends brought me back,' he pointed out coolly. 'I guess you underestimated me, Potter.'
'No. I overestimated you. And now we?ll all pay for it.'
'Everything has to be paid for,' said Draco, in an absent voice, as if he were reciting something he had learned off by rote.
'And what am I paying for?'
'What you?ve done to me,' said Draco flatly.
Harry looked incredulous. 'What I?ve done to you? I haven?t done anything to you other than save your bloody life, and stick up for you, and trust you! I let you hang around my girlfriend even though I know how you feel about her — '
'My life never would have needed saving if it hadn?t been for you!'
Draco shouted. Scarlet spots of rage dotted his cheekbones. 'If it hadn?t been for you, I would have been a loyal servant of Voldemorts and my fathers. I never would have fought them, never would have known what it was to want to fight them, to want to be any different,' and he spat out different as if it were a terrible word. 'My father would be alive, if it wasn?t for you.'
Harry blanched, shock and indignation darkening his expression.
Hermione knew exactly how he was feeling. She knew how Draco felt about Harry. How could he say these things?
And yet he was saying them. The anger in his eyes was real; they seemed to be spitting silver sparks. 'I guess you know what its like to have a destiny, don?t you, Potter?' he snarled. 'But do you know what its like to turn it away? To fight it and fight it every second of every day until theres nothing left of you but ragged shreds and all you want is to die and get some peace? And then you show up, playing the hero, telling me you?ve never wished you could die.
'Not me. Never.? Well, of course you haven?t. I don?t live in your head the way you live in mine. I don?t know why that happened, it just did. I haven?t changed you. You?ve changed me. And you?ve made my life intolerable-'
Shock sped across Harrys face, followed by rage; he was struggling to get to his feet, and had thrown himself forward so far that the chain that bound him was drawn out to its fullest extension.
Hermione could see the bands of metal cutting into his wrist. 'Its not my fault those things happened!' he shouted at Draco. 'I never chose any of them! I can?t change what I am!'
'And neither can I!' Draco shouted back, and yanked his left sleeve up suddenly, extending his arm, showing it to Harry. He drew it back quickly, but not before Hermione saw, as Harry must have seen, the black brand of the Dark Mark seared into the skin of his forearm.
And Harry was silent. He leaned back, and the chain rattled as it struck the stones. He no longer looked angry, just stunned. 'So thats the way it is,' he said, slowly.
'Thats the way its always been,' said Draco flatly. 'Really, we?re no different, you and I — we?re both what we were born to be. We?re just on opposite sides of the divide, thats all. I?m sorry for it, Potter. And sorry for you.'
He did sound sorry. Hermione felt her heart beating very slowly, as if her blood had thickened to the consistency of taffy. This isn?t happening.
'Bollocks to that,' said Harry firmly. 'Its about choices, Malfoy. Its your choice to make.'
'I made my choice a long time ago,' said Draco.
'Live with it, then,' said Harry. 'Since you value your life so much.'
Draco got to his feet. 'I intend to. Me living with it — thats sort of the point.'
Harry craned his head back and looked up at Draco, who slid his eyes away.
'At least tell me how I?m going to die,' he said, quietly. 'You owe me that much.'
Draco looked at him for a long moment. His eyes were dark, nearly expressionless: they were only human eyes, the eyes of a boy, and yet they had death in them.
'When it comes,' he said. 'It will be quick.'
And he walked back towards Slytherin.
'So thats your bargain?' said the demon, looking narrowly at Narcissa. 'You will send me back to Hell, in exchange for that information?'
'I know Slytherin will try to kill one of them. Either Harry, or my son. To keep from fulfilling the bargain he made with you. I want to know if theres any way that can be prevented, that you can be forced to take him instead — '
'The powers of Hell cannot be forced.' The demons eyes spun in concentric circles of red and gold.
'How can the end of this bargain be accomplished? How is it consummated? Explain.'
The demon shook its head. 'Take the wards off the cell.'
'Explain first.'
