This chapter has been entered in the If You Dare Challenge (323. Choose Your Side) and the 10 times 10 Challenge (Emotion: Distrust)

Harry Potter, his father had claimed.

Harry Potter was in Malfoy Manor.

When Draco had heard that, his heart sank. Potter was the only one who could kill the Dark Lord, if the papers were to be believed, which made him the only person who could get Draco out of the chaos that his life had become. And to hear that he was here, waiting for the Dark Lord to come and kill him – it was enough to dishearten anyone.

And then his father asked him to identify Potter, and a slim shred of hope started to make its way to his traitorous heart. If his aunt and his father couldn't identify Potter, he might be able to lie and give the other boy time to escape.

But Granger was with him, and there was no way he could lie about her identity.

When his aunt started her torture of Granger, asking her something about a sword and a vault – nothing that Draco understood – and sent Potter and Weasley to the dungeon where the rest of the prisoners were held, that hope died. There was no chance that Potter could escape from there – he knew the security those dungeons had better than anyone.

Of course, Potter was nothing but surprising.

When he appeared in front of Draco, Weasley by his side, Draco had to stop and do a double take. Potter, out of the dungeons…it was rather difficult for him to comprehend.

But there he was, and even after Bellatrix forced his little sidekick to surrender the wand he had, Draco still felt another little flare of hope light up. And then Bella was stupid enough to hand Draco her wand, and the little flare became just the slightest bit brighter.

It was Potter, after all. If he could escape from the Manor's dungeons, he could escape from anything.

Crack.

The arrival of the elf was – surprising, to say the least. He hadn't expected Saint Potter to use house-elves, especially not considering Granger's slightly overenthusiastic hatred of their use.

But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Potter had a way out of the Manor.

And then Potter was leaping at him, tugging at the trio of wands he had clutched in his hand. For a moment, he fought back. The fact that Potter was attacking him after he had tried to save him made no sense to Draco, and he reacted on instinct.

Then reason set in, and he realised Potter wasn't attacking him, but going for the wands that Draco held in his hand. It hadn't occurred to him before, but he and his sidekicks were wandless, completely unarmed and sitting ducks for the Snatchers and Death Eaters after their blood.

Potter didn't only represent the wizarding world's only hope, he represented the one way Draco had left to get out the Dark Lord's service.

It wasn't a difficult decision at all.

As Potter and his friends disappeared from the Manor, and her aunt turned on him in her rage, Draco allowed himself to smile faintly.

As the pain of the Cruicatus overtook him, the only thing Draco thought was letting the Gryffindors escape had been worth it.

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