He turned the page of a book that he didn't even remember the subject of. His mind was a mix of too many worries to focus on such a thing as schooling, any why should he? Its not like the dead had any needs for, he quickly checked the chapter so his study partner didn't notice him, heating charms. No, he wouldn't need them even if he became a ghost. He let his head drop to the yellowing pages of the Charms tome with a grunt. As much as he wanted this over with he did not want that day to come. He wanted to freeze time or at least make it go slow enough to not receive the mark and not have to carry out his mission until he was old and grey, maybe even on his death bed. He had to, its was expected of him. Even the Potter brat lived up to the expectations cast about him by others. If only he hadn't been such a prick in Diagon Alley and when the met again before the Sorting, then maybe things could've.. No. His father's teachings had been to ingrained in him to shake off until puberty had supplied, apparently, senseless rebellion to his addled mind and heated blood.

"Are you gonna focus or not?" An irritated voice said next to him. His study partner had caught on to his inner thoughts. He tilted his head to look at her as he had many times before. A joyful smirk, they only smirks he enjoyed donning, mixed with barely upturned brows. A clearly written 'Sorry' that was light and laden with good intentions. Ha! Good intentions, she very well could be the only living person in this whole school who thought he was capable of such a thing. Soon that would be all gone, she would hate him as much as the rest do already.

"Sorry, a lot to think about." He said as he pushed himself up and propped his elbows on the table. The boy set his head between his hands and slouched his shoulders, reveling as the tension left this stiff back. He would only relax before her, share any secrets with her, any but this. Draco had a suspicion to whom she would side with once a full out war broke out. And he wouldn't but her in harms way by sharing his burden. He studied her though his fingers, that had now come to cover his shamed face. How come someone with such a pure heart and endless love come to be in this house. She was selfless and loyal, courageous and chivalrous, never backing down and always spoke her mind. From all the houses to land, his lioness ended up betwixt the serpents.

"You can tell me anything, Dargon." she said, her voice strong with love and warm with that courage that got her in trouble with housemates. Trouble she more than once ended all by her lonesome. She was determined and self-sufficient, things that made her a true snake, much like him, although now he needed to lean on someone.

She was out of the question. If he couldn't openly defend her from their housemates, only help her heal the wounds later, he could shield her from the man giving them a bad name. He looked at the words embedded in the skin of her left arm; they rang in his head as she said them. Their meaning well known as she laid a warm hand on his shaking shoulders, he hadn't noticed they were shaking.

"Ssh, Mon étoile." She took him in her arms and held him close. Draco hesitated for a bit and buried his face him her warm clothes. He felt her rest her cheek on his head and rubbed soothing patterns on his back.

"Je vous ai," she started as Draco felt hot tears that had been prickling his eyes finally fall. "rien ne peut vous faire de mal" He wanted to swallow his tears but he couldn't, so he bit back the sobs that threatened to spill with them. "Je vous ai, il est normal de pleurer." He felt her head move as sobs wracked his form, a small warm pressure at the top of his head, a kiss. He knew why she was speaking in French, while some of their house knew it, they didn't speak it as fluent as they did. It even took his father a few moments to decipher the meaning. She held him for god knows how many hours, sometimes he could feel her hands tighten or grip his shirt. Draco knew why, she had told him after a similar break down not a year ago. She wanted to take the pain form him, she wanted to keep him safe.

Once he had calmed down a little she put a hand under his chin and raised his eyes to look at hers, both a silvery color, one darker that the other but still purely sliver. He couldn't face her; ashamed such a caring being would ever want to lay eyes on the likes of him.

"Draco," she spoke his name with a lingering accent "You have nothing to be ashamed about. You have to see that, it's not your choice." He looked at her startled and she only nodded and smiled at him with tears of her own forming fast. How could she smile at a time like this, he was the most loathsome creature on this earth. He had to kill and didn't want to. The only reason he ever went through with it was out of fear!

"For the love on Merlin! Stop looking at me with so much love. I don't deserve it!" He yelled at her, tears threatened anew and wiped them away furiously with the sleeve of his rumpled shirt. He was so close to her he could feel her warmth and wanted more of it. Already just a few seconds out of her embrace he felt to haunting cold of the dungeons. Never had he wanted to be gone from here with so much need. This urge to just run away, as far as he could and hide in a tent somewhere in a forest, all alone, somewhere they never found him. He walked a few steps as he ran his hand through his mussed hair and found he couldn't force his legs to move any further. Not away from her, not form the warmth in her eyes. Warmth he didn't deserve, warmth so similar yet far different he once remembered seeing in his mother's eyes. His own mother had turned away and said he had to do what had been asked for he would not get a second chance. His own mother!

"I don't deserve any of this!" his arms splayed out in a wide motion toward the whole of the common room, knowing full well that she understood. He didn't deserve her, or any of her love. He was doomed to become a killer, a monster, a Death Eater. His left arm already felt heavy with the repulsive brand he was to take during the winter months. He had to do it, he had to. He wouldn't get a second chance, at anything.

"You don't deserve what they have planned; you don't deserve the burden of your father's mistakes." Her firm voice startled him; she never spoke to him this way. "You deserve a second chance."

He turned back to face her, a vicious and cutting retort on his tongue at her naked favor of the Light. Draco found the girl less then two paces away form him. He seized her by the arms, his grip bruising tight and that alone should get her to leave him. He could and would hurt her; he needed that thought to permeate her stubborn mind so she would be safe and far away from him. She stayed, stayed as he shook her and spit harsh words at her face. Those warm stormy eyes never leaving him, brows knit with worry but never fear. He felt himself foaming at the mouth with these horrid words, it hurt to say them to her. All their secrets, all those dangerous things said in confidence under a mantel of snow where they would be alone and safe or warm candle light as they studied.

I meant what I said." She spat at him. Draco, startled let go of her slowly, his earlier resolve to push her away melting. 'You're lying', was what she meant. She in turn had grabbed his left arm so hard they would both have bruises.

"Venez avec moi" her voice was a whisper and he didn't have much choice, it beckoned him to follow should he chose to trust her and he did.

The dark haired girl laced her fingers with his and walked toward a tapestry near the entrance of the common room. One with a depiction of Salazar Slytherin in his youth, the man had dark wavy hair like strands of pure ebony and piercing eyes of a potent color, not quite green and not quite silver. His skin a glistening and lively tough pale shade, even in the heavy woven fabrics of the tapestry, giving him the illusion that he was just standing on a ledge jutting out form the wall. There were rosy spots on his cheeks between them a sharp, lean and upturned nose, his lips were nearly red, hinting of life and merry gatherings where wine was sweet and dark. The most curious thing however was the golden ring on his left hand; it had a red stone, scarlet but not dark as blood.

The girl pulled back a corner of the tapestry and drew her wand to drag it along the smooth stones that contrasted with the rough block of the dangerous. A door much like the one in Diagon Alley opened up to them and she led Draco down the steps carved into the stone, it looked like a service entry way to the dorms. But Draco knew it was much more as House Elves didn't need a service entry to bring things to the dorms or clean them up. They came to a tunnel what seemed to glow with an ethereal green and silver runes light and faded as they passed. He could hear the mermaids and tritons singing, their voices sweet but muffled by the stone.

"Beautiful, isn't it? It's charmed to let the sound through as if we're in the water but its thick enough to stop the water from crushing it." She eased his fear of drowning without having a hint of it bubbling in his stomach. She pushed open a door and the candles in the room lit, several drapes swung by their own accord to cover the lake around them as they entered the room, effectively shielding them from the prying eyes of those who lived in its depths. The approached a painting of the founder that was life sized and he seemed quite living as the background of the frame melted with the room behind it.

'He must be awfully lonely trapped within that frame.' Draco reasoned as they stood before it. He noticed the same ring he wore in the tapestry. A shining red gem, not a bloody scarlet but like the warm embers that rested in the fireplace back upstairs and he would touch it every now and then. He caught their founder looking at it with a fondness, a clever smirk on his feminine lips. He noticed them walking closed and put his bejeweled hand on his chest, the other on cane made of yew, a warm rosy smile welcoming them closer. His skin was a flushed pale shade, full of life and matured youth, his lips quirked into a smile at the sight of them.

"Ah, two of favored my children. What brings you before me, darlings?" the smooth and warm voice from the portrait spoke as it regarded there joined hands it looked back at their faces.

"Seeking a blessing, my sweet hatchlings?" He smirked and chuckle sounded as Draco blushed, he looked down and saw a similar blush on his friend's face.

"Ah, not that kind of blessing, then?" he said and she was first to address him.

"Not really, Salazar." She called him by his given name as she stepped in front of Draco, the founder saw her intention, a snake doing as he had instructed, protecting her own even from the jeers of other serpents, even from the head of their fostered family.

"Then speak with no fears, my child, I did not mean any slight toward you or your star." The founder bowed his head toward Draco, acknowledging his presence and asking to be forgiven for the jest. "Do not fear me, Draco. I am most proud of your questionings." When the blond looked at him with fear stricken eyes the founder nodded again.
"I know all that happens in my house and who resides there." His voice was fatherly and warmed the young snake slightly, he had nothing to fear. Slytherins were fearless as any bloody Gryffindor.
"And I am proud of you both, and the others who do not bow to my heir. There have been many educated on false values, ones I could not disprove." The regret in his voice was evident and he turned to her when she spoke again, requesting his attention.

"I ask to see the book you showed me last time, there's something I need to show him." She had pulled a chair out from the desk and the portrait pointed out the book she was looking for. "I'm sorry I wrote in it but didn't have any parchment and got caught up in translating." She offered Slytherin a sheepish glance and he waved his hand in a way that would cancel out a charm. No harm done.

"you could have asked me, dear child." He laughed; good naturedly in a hearty way that was far from the icy and heartless way his laugh was described in books. "I am known for my silver tongue, but a Serpent never bites another." Draco was puzzled; their house had become a breeding ground to traitors and death. The warm furnishings and the glow of candle light made this room a place he would spend hours in, the portrait made him feel a little spooked and his back stiffened.
"It's under that potions text, I don't advise you to read that particular tome until you've finished your schooling however. Its not something a child should read, my girl." His words where fatherly and laden with light tones that contrasted so vibrantly with the cold and rough dungeon setting, it was a place full of wonder and Draco started to feel more at home with every passing moment.

"How is young Master Potter?" the portrait inquired after a moment with near cheer. "I hear my heir has ordered his death once more." The raven haired girl answered him and his warm and wise voice became dark and Draco had to think for a moment before he recognized the disappointment and anger. "If I still lived I would disinherit the whelp and his forefathers." His voice was firm and icy, that slicing tongue he was known for came to Draco's ears. Then he turned to Draco, "Forgive me, young Dragon, but your father is an idiot and you would do well in questioning the path he's set out for you." He looked like he was about to say something else before his friend got up and walked toward Draco and handed her a book open to a poem. Slytherin leaned over to see the title of the poem, as best as he could, confided to canvas and oil paints.

"Read it, out loud." His stormy eyed friend said as she glanced at Slytherin's portrait. Draco fought through the Old English text before he saw a familiar script jotted in the margins of the page. He began to read and something began to unfold in his heart, it was a feeling he did not want to think about, be it good or bad. He focused numbly on the words coming out of his mouth, every syllable both giving him relief and closing the walls of his fate around him. It all came too late; this secret should have been known to him sooner, maybe in fifth year it would have made a difference.

And he remembered, she had wanted to show him some place last and he had answered in their code of insults that he couldn't he had to keep up his appearances, that day Umbridge found out about the next DA meeting and two days later she was caught with the rest of them. A Slytherin, conspiring with halfbloods and muggleborns, he still remembered how he had tried to vouch for her. Saying that she always wanted to know more and it usually got her into trouble. That she mingled with the halfbreeds and mudbloods but knew to be loyal to her own. He had meant to Slytherin and to give Umbridge the message that she did not ally herself with Dumbledore, however that was the biggest lie he had ever told. If there was anyone more of the light in his eyes, it was her. She had practically braked at him, her voice a threatening growl. "I am with my own! I don't care what your kind say, I am not heartless and won't sit here and pretend Voldemort isn't back." That memory stung a little less than it didn't know. He saw what she was doing; showing him snakes could bare their fangs and strike to defend.

"I didn't know." He said to the portrait as he closed the book, he felt nauseas. So many people had twisted these words to justify their madness. Not in a single line of the original manifesto was there a mention to blood purity or veneration of the dark magic. Something found its way to Draco's voice and he didn't realize he'd said it until the portrait looked at him in shock, his dark eyebrows nearly disappeared into his ebony locks at the question.
"Why did you hate muggleborns then? They said you dueled with Gryffindor and fled the castle." His voice was a whisper and showing his confusion, his curiousity.

"I never hated them!" He assured and bit back a groan. "I didn't trust them to keep their magic a secret, many were arrogant fools who wanted to get back at their relatives for naming them heretics and Satanist." The sigh that escaped his lips showed his age, not more that thirty-seven in the portrait but thousands of years old outside of it. "I dueled with Gryffindor because the bloody fool had risked his life to save mine. He was no more important to the school than I." he would not speak further about the reason even as they pressed him, he showed his authority and wouldn't budge.

A portrait had scolded them, 'Curiosity killed the cat' Draco reasoned as he cuddled close to his grey eyed friend. How many other things had been lies or twisted truths about the image of the man before them. "You did leave though, didn't you?"

"For a while, with my temper I would only end up hexing the fool catatonic." His laugh was a little sad, reminiscing days that would not come again and friends that were long since dead. "When I returned, it was under glamours as everyone thought me dark. They knew though, my colleges. I urged muggleborns to join my house and guarded them, viciously, against the ones who started to besmirch my teachings. I died shortly after; I had run out of time and followed Godric to the afterlife. My daughters fought to keep my name in light but they failed and the last, Aldura, she fled to France to keep her child safe." He looked up at them; his light colored eyes had descended upon a candle. "You must go know, hatchlings." He said as he ran a hand through is ebony locks a tired sigh leaving rosy lips. "dawn approaches and dark is rising." Draco knew it all too well, and that led weight settled in his stomach once more.

"Remember, Master Draco. Resourceful and present not matter the stakes. You will do well in life." He called to him as they left, "Give my regards to the Headmaster, and tell him that we should be a house of wolves. He'll understand." With a solemn nod they parted and once in the common room they spoke of the coming divide. They would take separate paths, Draco would walk defeated to his branding as her request would be denied and she would remain stubborn in looking for a way to spot the swaying axe.

They knew what the coming sun would bring to them and held each other for as long as they could a single soul binding kiss was shared and as she held his face in her hands she whispered and he could only kiss her again. He felt the tendrils of magic from his very core travel in the air and meet with hers, silver and green.

"Quoi qu'il arrive" she started, repeating her promise and he finished it for her. Yes, come what may. They would never stop thinking of each other as they did now. They would never stop feeling the same. They would never stop loving each other. Nothing would. No one could.

"Je t'aimerai toujours" he finished looking to the depths of those dark grey pools, a promise he would never break. He punctuated it with one last kissed on her full rosy lips and didn't notice the footsteps that halted as their owner took in the sight.

Pansy Parkinson couldn't believe it; her ice prince was kissing the halfblood traitor. When they noticed her, the prefect whipped out her wand, ready to hex the tramp who stole her boyfriend into the afterlife. In a smooth movement the other two had their wands out. "Expeliarmus! Levicorpus!" the tramp called out and Parkinson found herself upside down and unable to escape. "Obliviate." With a smooth flick of Draco's wand the intruder forgot all she saw.

"We make quite the pair don't we?" she asked once they sat Pansy on a couch and left her to sleep for a few minutes.

"hmmm" the blond hummed as he held her close. He would find a way, just for her he would find a way to be free because now he knew he had someone who would stand by him though his darkest nights and love him for all his mistakes not matter how much he hated himself for it. Worry was still deeply rotten in his mind and if he could not be free then he would welcome death, he would not fear it as his father's master did. He would surely die, but he would not die unloved. With the blessing and words of Salazar himself, he would be a true Slytherin. No matter the stakes, nothing stops a determined snake.

Slytherin's forgotten and mistranslated manifesto:

I welcome you home, my children,

To the house of Salazar from Fen,

For you are cunning and ambitious.

The urge prove yourself is quite vicious.

Fear not for what lays ahead,

Trust each other and cleverness instead.

There is nothing that stops a determined snake,

We are resourceful and present no matter the stakes.

With me you will find no mire in your path

As I only take those of pure heart.

For our colors are of life and light,

We stand side by side in the darkest nights.

The gift of mischief will get you far,

And true friends are as bright as any star.

Bite your brother and you are a snake no more,

They are your blood, deeper than marrow in bone.

I warn you now, snakes do not betray.

Those who are pure I shall belay!

Bring pride on Loki in dealing with another house,

But with the whisper of snakes, for you are no mouse.

If you are pure of heart and care for your own

My children, I welcome you home.

French parts are translated with Google, if you know French and would like to tell me a better or the correct translation I appreciate it!

Mon étoile: My star
Je vous ai: I've got you
rien ne peut vous faire de mal: nothing can hurt you
Je vous ai, il est normal de pleurer : I've got you, its okay to cry.
Venez avec moi: Come with me
Quoi qu'il arrive, Je t'aimerai toujours : Come what may, I'll always love you.

This is a ficlet regarding a bigger fic I'm writing that will encompass the end of the Harry Potter series, books 5; 6 and 7. I have a character in that fic that is a good Slytherin and she wasn't supposed to fall for Draco but it happened. So tada, Draco cheated on Pansy. I may have gone overboard with the secret Slytherin study but yeah. I really wanted a cheery Slytherin portrait even if its not necessary and I think that the whole muggleborn thing was blown out of proportion as such things as and time twists things around in funny ways. Cute fact: Aldura is the second brightest star in the Canis Majoris constellation whose main star is Sirius.

Best of wishes

FE