Draco Malfoy and the Deathly Hallows (BOOK 7 of 7)

Chapter 23-Two Purebloods

Unfortunately for Ron, he apparated right into the midst of a group of Snatchers. "Bloody hell," he muttered.

"Well, well, well, look who we've got here!" Scabior said, eyeing Ron. "It's a wee little Weasley!" The other five Snatchers cackled furiously. "Grab him."

Within a few seconds flat, Ron was on the ground without a wand, being whisked away to Malfoy Manor.

Draco was in the library when he heard a commotion coming from his foyer so he quickly hurried over.

"Why can't any of you imbeciles do your jobs without making any noise?" he demanded as he walked in and saw who was there.

"Weasley." The Gryffindor wrestled to get free from his captors, wincing as one of them pulled on his injured arm.

"Malfoy. I see you're still a greasy git."

"And I see you still have no magical ability. Granger and Potter—well, maybe not Potter, but definitely Granger—could avoid being in such a situation."

"Don't you dare talk about my friends like you haven't been plotting their demise ever since you met them!"

"Friends?" Scabior repeated. "Where were these friends of yours when you apparated into the midst of our little group?"

Draco exaggeratedly put his finger to his chin. "Scabior, do you mean to suggest that the Weasel abandoned his precious friends? And why would you do that?"

"I didn't abandon them!"

"Sure, you didn't. At any rate, it seems like you regret your decision." From the looks of it, Weasley really did regret it, and not just because he was caught. "Too bad, or I would've offered you a place within our ranks."

"I'd rather die than work with you!" Weasley spat.

Draco laughed in mockery. "Oh, you wouldn't be working with me, you'd be working for me. Indirectly for the Dark Lord, of course, but mostly kitchen help would do. After all, you must have learnt well from your dear mum, the Weasleys' own little—well, not little—house-elf."

"I'll kill you!" Weasley struggled to get away, no doubt so he could strangle the life out of Draco.

"Snatchers, please escort him to the dungeons, and do us all a favor by placing a silencing spell on him. Merlin knows I've had enough of his voice for the past six and a half years of my life."

As soon as Scabior and the others dragged Weasley away, Draco went up to his room to think. He knew Weasley would probably be used to get to Potter and Hermione, and being Gryffindors, they would no doubt bite the bait. As clever as Hermione was, they'd have no other option than to correctly assume their friend would be killed if they didn't come.

But he'd already helped Luna escape earlier that year and blamed it on Wormtail, who was now under Snape's care. How in the world would he manage to get away with it this time?

When he heard the Snatchers coming back from the dungeons, Draco made his was down the stairs. In an instant, he stunned them all and erased their memories from the moment they saw Weasley. He grabbed the keys from Scabior and took a breath before heading down the stairs.

It was quite a sight: Weasel running his mouth off, but no sounds were coming out. Draco was sure he could make out a couple of unnecessary swear words before lifting the spell.

"—you absolutely pathetic piece of—"

"Alright, simmer down, simmer down," Draco commanded as he walked forward to the cell.

"Don't shush me! I swear when I get out—what are you doing?"

Draco unlocked the cell and opened the door.