{ONE YEAR LATER}

Last night had been his initiation. Forced to take the mark. Scarred.
Branded. Disfigured. He'd made his displeasure known, no longer caring what
punishment his father doled out. The stench of burning human flesh, his own,
choked him. He writhed in pain, screaming in agony, much to the delight of
his father and Voldemort himself.

His arm still ached, the skin smoldering, smoking, sizzling. One would think
that human skin burned in such a manner would melt away, to be covered with
scar tissue. But the dark mark was special. His pale, perfect skin was
otherwise completely intact, marred only by the mark itself, which made its
presence known with throbbing, stabbing pain.

Draco had become accustomed to the three rooms making up his quarters, now
his home for the past year. He was, essentially, a prisoner of his father,
available at a moment's notice. He had hoped more than once that Lucius
would be done with it and kill him. But that would be too simple, and too
kind.

He'd showered for a full hour under scalding water, trying to scrub away the
filth that had permeated his skin from being in Voldemort's presence. And
from the initiation party his father conducted after their return home. The
dark mark may have branded Draco as loyal to Voldemort, but Lucius Malfoy
never tired of reminding his son who truly owned his body and soul.

Now tucked away in his own warm bed, Draco tried to sleep. His body was
exhausted, but his mind was busy. His only thoughts during the ceremony had
been of Ron. Draco knew that Ron was lost to him forever, especially now
that he bore the mark. He couldn't imagine Ron would want to be in the same
room with him now, much less allow Draco to touch him.

And what if Ron found out about what his father had been doing to him?
Lucius' attempts to turn Draco into a real Malfoy? Draco could never shower
long enough to be rid of that.

He had worried that his father wouldn't keep the promise Crabbe and Goyle had
made not to harm Ron. Ron had been the only thing that kept Draco going, the
thought that he was still alive, somewhere.

After last night's ceremony, though, the truth came to Draco. Now that he
had been initiated, he knew his father would not touch Ron. That would be
Draco's first task. A test. He'd be required to kill Ron and his family to
prove his loyalty. And that's one test he would certainly fail.

This morning. He had to leave this morning. Events had been set in motion
that would determine the future of the wizarding world, and he knew his role.
He didn't want any part of it.

Draco had only one way to get out. And he knew of only one person who could
help him.

If that person would even speak to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco waited outside Arthur Weasley's office, nervously shifting from foot to
foot, while the secretary announced him.

"Mr. Weasley? There's a young man here to see you. Draco Malfoy."

Silence from the man's office. After what seemed like an eternity, a low
voice answered, "Show him in."

"Draco. Have a seat. What can I do for you?"

"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Weasley." Draco hesitated, studying his hands
in his lap. He didn't know where to begin. He knew the man must hate him
for what he'd done to Ron. And here he was, daring to ask for his help.
"I'm in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Arthur asked.

Rolling his up shirt sleeve, Draco revealed the mark he'd received the
previous evening.

"Ahh, I see," Arthur nodded, keeping his emotions in check. "I assume you're
here to tell me this was done against your will?"

"Yes, sir."

"How did you get here?"

"Floo."

"You are in some trouble, aren't you, son?"

Draco nodded. "I know I have no right to be here. But I need protection.
Asylum, really." He paused before continuing. "Mr. Weasley, I'm afraid for
you and your family. I think you need protection, too. My father is going
to be disturbingly angry when he finds I'm gone. You could all be in serious
danger."

"Your father would be foolish to come here looking for you but, all the same,
we need to get you to a safe house. And I thank you for your concern for my
family."

Draco took this in, nodding again. He finally broke the silence. "How is
Ron?"

"He's doing well," Arthur answered, measuring his words carefully. "He's
been occupied with the chess team. He wants to help here at the Ministry,
but I've tried to keep him away. Things are getting dangerous. I don't have
to tell you that."

"No, sir. Would you tell me, if you know . . . was he angry when he got my
letter?"

"Quite angry, yes."

"Oh," Draco sighed. "I thought since I explained what really happened to me,
he'd understand. I hoped to see him, just for a minute."

"What do you mean, 'what really happened'? Ron told us you left with two
school friends and never came back."

"But I owled him, about a month later. I had to go back. My father was
planning to have Ron killed."

"Ron got no such message."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, son," Arthur answered, sympathetically.

"Actually, I sent it to Hermione, asked her to deliver it to him. I was
afraid to contact him directly because of my father. And I wasn't sure Ron
would accept it directly from me."

"Tell you what," Arthur propositioned. "I think I should go to Hermione, see
if she remembers the letter. Maybe she still has it, or knows where it is.
If she does, I'll retrieve it for you, then we'll get to work on your
problem." Arthur called his secretary into the office, "Miranda, get Mr.
Malfoy something to drink. I'll be right back."

With a pop, Arthur disapparated, arriving outside St. Mungo's. He was
ushered to the fourth floor, third door on the left, and found Hermione hard
at work, as usual.

"Mr. Weasley!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "So good to see
you!"

"And you, too, my dear," he laughed, patting her on the back. "I do hope
things are going well for you."

"Yes, sir. Studying hard."

"Not surprised to hear that. I'd expect nothing less from you." He suddenly
became serious, intent on the job at hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but I just
popped in for a moment. Do you recall receiving an owl about a year ago from
Draco Malfoy?"

"Why on earth would Draco Malfoy . . . oh no!" She gasped, clapping her hand
over her mouth. "I did. Oh, gods, I did. He sent me a letter with another
inside, addressed to Ron. He asked me to deliver it to Ron, but I was afraid
it would just hurt him more. I was going to hold onto it for a week or two
before giving it to him, but I forgot all about it! Let me run home and get
it. I think I remember putting it in a bureau drawer."

"I'll go with you."

Hermione drove them to her flat where she rummaged through several dresser
drawers before finding the parchment. The outer note addressed to her was
still intact, with the sealed inner envelope inside. "I'm sorry, Mr.
Weasley. I never meant to hurt Ron. Honestly. I thought it was for the
best."

"Of course, dear. I must run, though. Give my best to your parents, will
you?" With another pop, Arthur was gone.

He found Draco pacing impatiently in his office. "Here's the letter, son."
Arthur held it out triumphantly.

Draco took it, holding it delicately between his fingers. He whispered, as
if to himself, "So, he never got it. He must hate me."

"I don't know about that. Angry, certainly. But more disappointed than
anything, I think," Arthur said, placing his hand on Draco's shoulder, trying
to reassure him.

"Do you think he'll see me?" Draco asked, his eyes pleading.

"I can't say."

"It's probably best if I don't go to our, I mean, his flat. Too dangerous.
Could I use a Ministry owl to send this to him now?"

"I have a better idea," Arthur said brightly. "I'll ask Ron to come here.
I'll give him your letter, let him read it. You could wait in the next room.
We'll see what his reaction is."

"I'm afraid," Draco said, his voice shaking.

"Have faith in your words, son. If you meant what you said in that letter,
I'm sure he'll understand."

"If he doesn't, I may as well go back to my father."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ron, so nice of you to drop by." Arthur grabbed his son in a bear hug.

"Drop by?" Ron asked, laughing. "You asked me to come, remember?"

"Right, right. Of course." Arthur nodded his head, steering his son toward
a pair of chairs. He paused to collect his thoughts. The troubled look on
his face made Ron worry.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked. "Something's happened. What is it?"

"Quite a bit, actually. I'm not exactly sure where to start." Arthur pulled
the parchment from his coat pocket. "This letter letter is for you. It
arrived one year ago. As you can see, it was addressed to Hermione. She did
what she thought was the best thing for you at the time and didn't give it to
you. In the meantime, she forgot about it. Something has come up, and I
think it's time you read it now." Arthur stood, patted Ron on the shoulder
and left.

Ron read the outer letter first, written in Draco's unmistakable script. He
winced at the "as soon as possible" instruction. His hands shook as he held
the still-sealed inner envelope addressed to him. Gathering his courage, he
opened it and withdrew the letter, forcing himself to read.

My Dear Ron,
I understand if you feel I have no right to call you that. What has happened
has torn me apart, but I do not know how to make it right. I was told Father
would have you killed if I didn't return to him. I believed then and still
believe that he would. I need you to believe that I would not have gone back
of my own volition. It was the only way to keep you safe. It has been
promised to me that no harm will come to you now. Please believe I never
meant for this to happen. I want nothing more than to be there with you
right now. I dream about you every night. I think about you every minute
I'm awake. I cannot stand being apart from you, but knowing you are safe
makes it somewhat easier. I'm sorry I could not explain this to you sooner.
They have been keeping a close watch on me since my return. I know you must
hate me, and I cannot blame you for that. I want you to know that I still
love you, and I always will. I don't know what the future holds for me. I
hope to see you again at least once before this is over. Please take care of
yourself. With all my love forever, Draco.

Ron closed his eyes, feeling the tears building. He dropped the letter and
his hands covered his eyes as the first teardrops fell. He sobbed, wishing
now that his father hadn't left him.

He felt another presence in the room and sighed, happy that his father had
returned. "It was my fault after all. He left because of me."

"No," Draco countered softly. Ron's head snapped up, eyes flying open.
Draco continued, "I didn't leave because of you. I left for you. I had to,
or they would have killed you. I wasn't your fault, it never was."

Ron stood, swaying slightly in his surprise. "Why didn't you say something
that night?"

"I couldn't." Draco crossed the room, coming closer to Ron. "I told them I
wanted to go back to the flat and talk to you, but they told me no. Father
already had a plan to kill you. They promised me you'd be safe if I went
back. So, I did."

"Why are you here now?" Ron asked. Draco took a deep breath and rolled his
sleeve up again. Ron gasped, his fingers reaching out, as if to touch it.

"Don't!" Draco drew back sharply, covering the mark quickly.

"I'm sorry," Ron said, his tears returning. "When?"

"Last night. That's why I'm here. I know what my father had planned for me
next. I had to get out."

Ron saw it in Draco's eyes then. Haunted grey eyes darted nervously from
Ron's face to the floor. His imagination ran wild at the horrors Draco must
have endured during the past year at his father's hands.

"So, what happens now?" Ron wondered aloud.

"Your father said he'll get me to a safe house. Then, I guess, I wait."

Draco didn't know what to say now. He couldn't stop staring. Ron hadn't
changed a bit, but Draco thought he looked amazing. He realized how starved
he had been just to be in Ron's presence, and he was soaking him in. He
could feel the other boy's heat, and it warmed his soul. He would stand here
forever if allowed to, just to be near Ron.

Both were startled out of their reverie when Arthur Weasley returned. "So.
We've found a safe place for you, Draco."

Draco nodded, not taking his eyes off Ron. He almost died from pure joy when
Ron spoke.

"Can I go with him, Dad?"

"What?" Arthur asked.

"I'd like to go with him," Ron said simply.

"Ronald, this is very serious. Draco is, without a doubt, a wanted man.
You, me, your mother, your entire family - we're also in danger. You must
know that Lucius Malfoy will be out for our blood."

"I know that, Dad," Ron assured him. "I know that."

"If you go with him, you'll have to quit the chess team. You can't be coming
and going from a safe house. Once you're there, that's your home for the
duration. Essentially, you'll no longer exist."

"I know," Ron repeated. "I'm sure. This is what I want." He paused,
wanting to be sure. "If it's okay with Draco."

The blond smiled for the first time in over a year.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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