Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Harry Potter

For CelendilAU

Chapter 1/8
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It was the last day of school before the holidays, and yet Draco couldn't rejoice like the other students. His father had Flooed him last night, and relayed shocking news with the lack of emotion that was expected given the fact that the Floo Channels in school were being watched. His father had spoken of the event as if it were a joyous one, as if finally justice was served. Draco knew the man felt quite the opposite.

Bellatrix Lestrange had been found by the Aurors thanks to some anonymous tip, and when they'd raided her place they'd discovered her corpse. No one knew who exactly had done the deed, but Draco doubted that anyone was truly looking into it, at least not on the side of the Order. Bellatrix was a well-known member of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's inner circle. For the rest of the world it meant that someone who deserved death had finally been dealt it.

But for their side, well, it meant that there was a traitor in their midst, because only someone in the Death Eater Circle could've gotten close enough to Bellatrix to kill her.

According to his father, the Order had ransacked her refuge yet found "anything of value taken". Anyone would think that Lucius was talking about earthly possessions, but Draco had understood the undertone of the conversation. Whoever Bellatrix had been tutoring while she'd been murdered was missing, probably taken by his aunt's murderer.

Draco wasn't close to his aunt, yet while he mourned her death somewhat, what truly worried him was the unanswered question: who had Bellatrix been tutoring when she'd been killed?

Despite the fact that there was very little chance it was Chloe (she'd already 'passed' Bellatrix's studies for crying out loud!) the vague possibility that it could be her made Draco feel like a caged lion.

And even if it wasn't Chloe, whether it was Gaunt or Rosier, it still posed a danger to Chloe. They were connected to her, connected to whatever importance they held for the Dark Lord, and if whoever had taken the girl managed to break her, managed to get information somehow out of her - then that would put Chloe in direct danger and in the line of fire when it came to the Order.

And he wasn't the only one concerned over the identity of Bellatrix's missing pupil. Zabini sat next to him on the train ride from Hogwarts and while he never voiced his worries (much like Draco) his features were twisted and his expression clearly troubled. It was obvious that he was contemplating how this put Lana in danger.

Pansy sent Draco a cow-eyed look and he turned away from her, his icy-blue eyes on their surroundings. It disturbed him how he'd been able to tell that it hadn't been Chloe when Pansy had kissed him. He hadn't felt that electric, nearly painful sensation whenever she kissed him, hadn't wanted to pull Pansy closer. No. He'd felt disgust. And anger.

If Chloe had been with Bellatrix for some inexplicable reason, and she'd gotten herself kidnapped, without even having said goodbye to Draco, he'd make her pay for that.

Groaning, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Honestly, that girl was going to be the death of him!

He didn't think he could handle it if she went and disappeared again. Not again.

Finally they arrived at their destination and Draco saw his father waiting for him on the platform. He took in a deep breath, grabbed his things, and emerged from the train without a by-your-leave to the others. He ignored Potty, Weasel and Mudblood as they hurried towards the Weasley Clan (seriously though, they were so large they could - scarily enough - start their own nation), and instead moved towards his father.

Lucius Malfoy didn't hug Draco like the other parents did. He merely eyed him, patted his shoulder stiffly, and motioned for him to follow as he led the way towards the Apparating station.

They didn't exchange any words, nothing, until they finally were in the safety of Malfoy Manor's grounds.

Once they were there, Draco turned immediately to his father. "Was it Chloe? Was she taken?"

Lucius Malfoy raised an eyebrow before he sighed and shook his head, motioning for Draco to follow. "No, it was not Chloe. She already finished her pupilage under your aunt's supervision."

Relief filled Draco but he refused to show it.

Lucius sighed as they turned the corner in Malfoy Manor. "All that matters is that-."

Draco didn't hear all that mattered. He stumbled to a stop in his tracks as he entered the room to see his mother and Chloe seated by a table, cups of tea in their hands.

Chloe wore a casual evening gown, one similar to the one his mother wore around the Manor during the days. Her hair was set up on her head and diamonds sparkled at her ears and throat. As she sat, conversing with Narcissa Malfoy, she looked every bit a highborn Pureblood lady.

He'd never seen her like this, she'd always been so down to earth, and yet now-now this was a whole different side to Chloe.

Both women turned and saw him at the same time, putting down their cups.

"Draco!" His mother moved to him gracefully and hugged him. "I have missed you so much!"

Draco numbly patted his mother's back as he gazed at Chloe from over her shoulder.

The blonde looked somber and clearly worried, and yet she was poised as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back. She appeared so at home in Malfoy Manor, with his parents. Draco had never felt the sensation he did right then watching her.

His mother pulled away and he didn't even notice her absence, nor that he himself had immediately made his way towards Chloe to stand in front of her. "You look different."

Chloe tilted her head to the side and gave him a small smile which appeared genuine despite the worry in her green orbs. "Welcome home, Draco."

He fought the urge to gulp and was highly annoyed at himself and his reactions to her. "You left without saying goodbye." That sounded accusing even to his ears.

"Draco," Lucius scolded from behind him. "She wasn't there for your entertainment."

Narcissa sighed and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

Chloe's greens went to his parents before they returned to him. "Someone took Lana."

Ah. So it was Rosier who'd been taken.

The blonde lowered her gaze to the ground and inhaled deeply. "They'll torture and kill her, like they did Bellatrix." She licked her lips in an obvious attempt to give herself a couple of breaths to get her emotions back in order. She was doing a surprisingly well job of it given the fact that she'd always been so animated before. It would appear that she was not only learning well under his parents' tutelage, but excelling. "I hate the Order."

"Our Lord will not let anything happen to her." Narcissa came to Chloe's side immediately to place a hand on her shoulder. "He will find her before they can harm her."

"What I don't understand is how they found her in the first place." Chloe trembled under his mother's touch. "The Fi-." She cleared her throat and looked away. "It should be impossible."

"It should be," Draco agreed. "The only way any of you could be discovered is if the Secret Keeper told the Order." At everyone's surprise he snorted. "When Lana was in Hogwarts, Zabini and I figured out that the Fidelius Charm had been cast on her."

His father looked shocked.

His mother proud.

Chloe merely sat down and picked up her cup of tea. "He's right, you know."

"None of the primary Secret Keepers would ever tell anyone." That was Lucius.

"So there were multiple Secret Keepers." Draco's eyes narrowed. "I'm assuming you two are a part of the group."

"I am." Lucius raised his head. "Your mother is a Secondary Secret Keeper."

Which meant that his mother wouldn't be able to tell anyone even if she wanted to.

"Was Aunt Bellatrix a Secret Keeper or a Secondary Keeper?"

"That is none of your concern." His father's voice was harsh. "You should not even know as much as you do now."

Draco's eyes narrowed at his father's idiotic concerns. "If she was a Secondary Keeper then the secret was safe with her. But if she was a Primary Secret Keeper then she could've told someone."

"She wouldn't." That was from Chloe, quick and decisive. "She taught me to withstand any sort of questioning I might endure if the Order got to me. She wouldn't have caved under torture." Her hands began to shake. "And Lana couldn't tell them even if she desperately wanted to - not with the other Primary Keepers alive."

Ahhh... so the girls themselves were Secondary Secret Keepers.

"We should not be speaking of this while Draco is present." Lucius narrowed his eyes.

A muscle jumped in his cheek as Draco opened his mouth to say something that would no doubt land him in a whole heap of trouble.

"Lucius, he already knows most of it anyway." Chloe shook her head against the man's concerns. "And it's not like you'll accidentally slip and tell him anything the Dark Lord doesn't want him to know." She paused, eyeing her fingers, which gripped her cup tightly. "And anyway, even if you did, he'd merely become a Secondary Secret Keeper."

"Only those whom our Lord gives permission to are allowed to become Secondary Secret Keepers, you know that," Lucius chastened.

Narcissa sighed. "None of the Secret Keepers would tell, Draco. None of them would ever betray Our Lord that way."

Lucius still did not look happy about discussing this, but it was obviously two (Chloe and Narcissa) against one. "Which is why we all need to examine a possibility Chloe hasn't wanted to."

"Because it is not a possibility!" Chloe shot up from her seat. "Lana would not turn against Bellatrix! She wouldn't do this!"

"My sister said that during her tutelage Lana was showing reservations about our mission, our war." It was obviously hard for his mother to talk so calmly in the face of her sister's death, but she was a pureblood lady who knew how to bare grief elegantly. "She said that Lana voiced concerns about the Death Eaters and doubts about our Lord's motives, about his methods."

Chloe's eyes widened. "She wouldn't-he's done so much for us-she couldn't-!"

"She did." That was Lucius. "Bellatrix said that it seemed Lana was corrupted during her time in Hogwarts." Lucius' eyes narrowed. "Hogwarts is a breeding ground for Dumbledore's anti-Death Eater propaganda." He hesitated. "We have to accept the fact that there is a possibility Miss Rosier turned against our cause."

Chloe looked close to being sick. "She couldn't have done this."

"Bellatrix was her Secret Keeper, Chloe." Lucius' voice was hollow. "Her death set Miss Rosier's voice free."

Draco's eyes widened as he realized that there weren't multiple Primary Secret Keepers, but there was a Secret Keeper for each girl!

"What?" From the shock on Chloe's face, it was obvious that she hadn't known this either. She then shook her head. "Lana would'n't have known. She couldn't have-."

"It came up during one of their sessions." That was Narcissa, softly. "It seems that Lana was making many unsettling and questionable inquiries during the days leading up to Bellatrix's death."

Chloe looked lost as she sat down hard on her seat, her voice tiny. "She wouldn't have turned against us."

Lucius sighed. "There's a good chance that she did." He came forwards. "And because of that, both you and Miss Gaunt are in grave danger."

Chloe suddenly stood. "Please excuse me, I need air." And with that she hurried out of the room.

Narcissa sighed and reached out to place her hand on Lucius' shoulder. "Maybe we shouldn't have told her. She's so hurt."

"She needs to know that betrayal can come from those closest to her." Lucius patted his wife's hand. "It's a lesson we all have to learn." He turned to say something to Draco.

Draco was already out of the room after the blonde.

He found her in the sun room, staring unseeingly at the flowers his mother tended to despite the fact that his father always told her to make the House Elves do it.

Chloe reached out and ran her fingers over the petals. "Lana wouldn't turn against us."

Shucking his hands into his pockets, Draco joined her side and eyed the flower with little interest. "She might have."

"You don't understand, if she did she'd be signing our death warrants!" Chloe turned to him and opened her mouth before her lips moved wordlessly and she growled and looked away.

Obviously the Fidelius Charm had kept whatever she'd been about to say silent.

Draco could see the anger, frustration and sadness on Chloe's face as she sighed and looked away from him, her shoulders slouched. He felt the anger and frustration just as much as she did, because what if Rosier had turned on them? He didn't know the chit and he didn't trust anyone, so in his mind she was already half-guilty of the crime. And if that meant that Chloe's life was in danger, then Rosier's betrayal infuriated him. Sure, Chloe was a pain in the ass, but she was his pain in the ass. No one had any business making her upset except him.

She turned those greens towards him and sighed, their orbs connecting.

He hadn't even realized he'd shifted on his legimens ability until the first image hit him.

...

Chloe sat on her bed, knees to her chest as she stared ahead of her in silence.

Lois snored on the bed next to her, stretched out all hands and legs.

There was a shuffle from the other bed and Lana slipped from the covers to sit next to Chloe. "How are you doing?"

"I can't perform magic. Not wand magic. Not any magic."

Lana sighed and placed her arm around Chloe's shoulders. "You can perform magic. You healed us, remember?"

Chloe looked up at Lana, eyes filled with tears which her strong voice hadn't betrayed in the darkness. "We have mediwitches to heal, with proper spells. I-I get hurt whenever I heal! He doesn't want me using the ability on anyone! I'm-I'm useless!"

Lana's hazel gaze shifted over Chloe's features. "You're not useless, Chloe. Even if you'll never be able to do magic ever, you'll never be useless."

"You don't understand what this feels like, Lana. You're amazing with magic." Chloe lowered her head.

"And even so I'm not his Favored, am I?" Lana raised an eyebrow. "Neither is Lois." She stared into Chloe's face. "You are."

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not-."

"You are and you know it." Lana gave her a small smile. "You're by far his Favored."

Chloe sighed and rested her chin on her knees. "You know why, though, Lana. And it has nothing to do with me."

"Chloe," Lana squeezed her. "You're my favorite too, and that has everything to do with you."

Chloe finally let her tears fall as she reached out and hugged Lana tightly.

Lana stayed there with her and hugged her until the girl fell to sleep.

...

"I can't believe I'm related to Harry Potter." Lana made up a face in disgust as she looked away from the tapestry which listed the genealogy of the families with the purest blood. "How could I share the same blood with someone like that? He's one of our greatest enemies!"

"No one holds it against you, Lan." Lois didn't stop punching a bag of what appeared to be sand, which levitated above her in the air.

"He's that creep Dumbledore's right hand man!" Lana cried out as she threw herself onto the love seat across from the couch Chloe sat on. "They'd kill Chloe on the spot if they knew about her."

Chloe finally looked up from her book, which was on the Dark Arts. "They'd kill us all if they knew."

"Yeah, but you're the most killable of the three of us!" Lana glared angrily, protectively.

Lois turned away from the bag of sand. "We're worth just as much alive to them as dead."

"Can we stop talking about death?" Chloe tried.

"To think that we lived for so long in Smallville and we didn't know about the price on our heads." Lana shivered. "If they knew why each of us had been born..." She hugged herself. "They're so terrifying." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm scared of going to study under Severus if he's going to be teaching at the time school is in session. It means I'll be in Hogwarts, with those lunatics." She gulped. "What if they kill me?"

"Severus wouldn't allow that." Lois looked completely sure. "He'd protect you."

"Aren't you guys scared?" Lana bit her bottom lip. "Who would you prefer to go study under? At least for the first semester?"

"I want Severus' to be last." Lois grinned brightly. "That way I can drag it out longer and torture him without worry."

Lana and Chloe shared grins before the blonde answered: "I'll pick Severus first if we're given the choice, okay?"

"Why?" Lana's eyes widened. "Won't you be scared?"

"I'd definitely be nervous, but I'd also be excited." Chloe grinned mischievously. "I'd get to see what normal wizard schooling is like, and how the educational system varies in structure from Smallville Hi-."

"She also wants to see Draco," Lois interrupted.

Chloe glared at Lois. "I do not!"

Lana chuckled.

"Do too," Lois snickered. "You're soft for him."

"I am not soft!" Chloe snapped.

Lana laughed and reached out to place her hand on Chloe's. "It's okay to be soft, Chloe. I'm soft for Blaise..." Her smile melted into a frown. "Even though I'm not supposed to be." She then cleared her throat. "And Lois will rape Severus some day, so she really can't bring up Draco without being a hypocrite."

"There will be a seduction, not a rape." Lois rolled her eyes.

Chloe stared at the two of them and chuckled as she shook her head.

...

She awoke with a scream, her throat sore, her whole body inflamed as she shot up. She was in agony, disoriented. She couldn't remember what had happened. Lord Voldemort had taken her somewhere, he'd asked her to do something, and she remembered the shock and horror but couldn't remember exactly what had filled her with such aching disgust. Her memory was twisted and distorted and all she felt was this rising nausea and wrongness that swelled inside of her.

"You are awake."

She jumped and turned to see him standing on the other side of the bed. "What happened?" It hurt to speak, to form words.

"You suddenly came down ill and despite the mediwitch tending to you your fever wouldn't break. You hallucinated for three days straight." He leaned over her, his cold hand on her forehead. "You are still somewhat feverish but it's going down."

Oh. It'd been a fever-induced nightmare. Of course-of course it had been.

She sighed. "I'm sorry for being such a pain."

"On the contrary," his voice was odd and his twisted smile in place as he kept his hand on her forehead, further cooling her down. He didn't explain what he meant by that, merely pulled away. "Lana and Lois have been taking shifts outside your door waiting for you to awaken. I will let whoever is outside know you are awake." With that he turned and left, a pleased expression on his face.

Chloe watched him go in confusion as to what could've made him so pleased, but she didn't have long to wonder because suddenly Lana was in the room and on her bed. "We've been so worried about you!"

"I came down ill?" Chloe didn't mean it as a question.

"Yes, it surprised us too since you're never ill!" Lana scooted closer. "Lois and I have been taking turns waiting to be let inside. She'll be peed that I'm the one who was here when you awoke." She reached out and placed her hand against Chloe's forehead. "You need to take better care of yourself, Chlo. The stress is getting to you."

"It must be." Chloe sighed and slumped in her pillow. "You know, I can't even remember the day I must've gotten ill."

"It's probably the potions the mediwitch has been pumping into you to fight the fever." Lana nibbled on her bottom lip. "Lay down and rest. I'm going to bring you all sorts of yummy things to eat." With that she smiled and hurried off of the bed.

Chloe watched her and smiled.

...

"She wouldn't turn against us, Draco." Chloe's words brought him back to the present. "She wouldn't."

Draco stared at the blonde and realized a couple of things:

1) Chloe still had no idea he used Legimens on her.

2) Whatever made Chloe and the other girls special and important to Voldemort, it was far more than just the "concubine" theory Draco had been working on.

3) In her last memory, Chloe hadn't realized something extremely important. She'd been staring at Voldemort's back. She hadn't noticed his reflection in the mirror like Draco had. If she had, she'd have shivered at the sinister grin on his face, which he wiped from his features a second before he opened the door to let Lana in.

It made Draco believe that her "hallucinations" might not have been fever-induced. Maybe, just maybe, the nightmare had actually happened and it was the reason for her sudden, unexplained illness.

But if that was so, it meant that whatever usefulness Chloe had to the Dark Lord, it must be like her healing ability in which she could heal, but she suffered consequences for it.

At that realization, Draco's fists clenched.

He'd seen enough of Rosier in Chloe's memories to grudgingly agree that if it meant Chloe's death, he doubted the other girl would go turncoat and join the Order. Unless...

His mother had said that Rosier had been making "unsettling" and "questionable" inquiries. What if she'd gotten suspicious? What if she'd found out something? Something which had forced her hand and led her to killing Bellatrix (which was a feat in itself) and escaping?

And if that were so, if that was what was happening, Draco needed to find her before the others did.

He sighed and looked away, realizing with great reluctance that he was going to have to pay Blaise Zabini a visit.

"I will humor your faith in her," was all he said for now, giving the girl that much at least.

"Thank you." She breathed in deeply, seemingly surprisingly grateful for that. The blonde licked her lips before raising her gaze to meet his. "I wanted to say goodbye to you before leaving Hogwarts that night, but Severus wouldn't let me."

It surprised him how much he'd needed to hear that. He'd been miffed that she had used and then discarded him without a by-your-leave, and the confirmation that it hadn't been her choice to do so was… gratifying. "Because of you I got attacked by Parkinson without any warning."

Her lips twitched in amusement. "I apologize for the sullying of your virtue."

He snickered and found himself standing closer to her, staring down at her face. While he'd never admit to it, he'd grown quickly bored and restless once she'd departed from Hogwarts. There'd been no witty banter, no sarcastic sparring, no one even close to as acerbic as him. She was a pain in his arse, but she kept him entertained. Had he known she'd be spending her time at his home he'd have been more anxious and impatient the rest of the school year waiting for holidays to finally arrive. Clearly he was starving for half-decent company.

"I kind of miss being in Hogwarts," Chloe admitted softly as her gaze lowered to her hands. "Sure, it was terrifying, and having to go through the whole thing without being able to use a wand was - well - but it was also very fun."

"You found school fun?" He didn't even have to try and sound utterly flummoxed.

"Yes," she replied immediately as her gaze rose to meet his. "The company wasn't half bad either."

He couldn't stop the smirk that tilted his lips. "Yes, well, I am—."

"I mean Daphne and Millicent," she interrupted with a teasing smile before walking away from him, her gown's skirt swishing with her movement.

Draco watched her go, his smirk widening before he took off after her.

—

TBC