Chapter 4: The Room of Dead Dragons and Dogs
Draco was staring at it again. The wand he had found. It wasn't Lela's- she had left it on the counter in plain view every day since she had returned from America. And every morning he would point to it. She would pick it up, use it to do a piece of magic, and then place it back on the counter. Now here he was, in a stupor of boredom, staring at it again.
To be honest it was better than what he had been doing with the rest of his days: worrying about Ginny. Pacing back and forth. The floor had begun to warp. It slanted slightly down where he had made circles. He had to make a plan, but had no resources. He supposed this is how Gryffindors like Potter felt. He thought he could see why they just charged thoughtlessly into battle. Maybe.
If he could use this wand without it rejecting him, without it giving him an extra head, he would be able to contact Ginny and warn her. Warn her that Nagendra was planning something… not that he knew what. Then there was the dog he had seen last week. He still couldn't shake the feeling that it had really been there, looking at him. A foreteller of his death? Draco made a sound of disgust.
"This house will make you crack up, you know."
Draco turned to see Lela leaning against the doorframe. "Is that so," he asked in a drawl of disinterest. He didn't mean to be disinterested to Lela. He actually preferred her to other nannies he was assigned. She left him alone when he wanted to be and talked to him when he didn't. She seemed an odd character. Mischievous. Draco felt both comfortable around her and on edge.
"Look, I'm going to level with you," Lela said walking over across the room and picking up the wand, "it's not mine." Draco scooted away from it quickly.
"Why is it here," he demanded suspiciously.
"Excellent question," Lela said placing the wand back on the counter and looking at it. "The problem is that I know whose it is but it is impossible that it made it back here. It should be on the other side of a veiled afterlife."
"It's Sirius Black's wand," asked Draco skeptically.
Lela nodded.
"I can tell because he carved Padfoot into the side. Right here," Lela explained motioning to the side that lay facing them. Draco peered at it cautiously. Sure enough, scrawled in what looked like a child's writing was the word 'Padfoot.'
"Didn't he die," asked Draco. Lela's face seemed to harden for a moment, then it passed and she smiled.
"You can understand my confusion then, since he took his wand with him," she said. They stood in silence looking at it for a moment.
"It's likely cursed," Draco said, "someone must know I'm alive and they planted it here. We should get rid of it."
"You Slytherins are so vain. It's always 'someone's out to get me.' The whole world does not revolve around you, Draco," Lela replied nonchalantly. Draco looked at her skeptically.
"I'm dead because someone did want to kill me, Lela," he reminded her.
Lela waved her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Throwing away the wand strikes me as unwise, at best," Lela said thoughtfully. Draco gave her a look. She was certainly a Gryffindor. "What do you expect us to do? I can't very well use some mystery wand to contact Ginny. If that's what the Dark Lord wants me to do it could put her in danger!"
Lela smirked at him, pushing long raven hair form her face. "I don't recall saying anything about contacting Ginny." Draco felt pink cover his cheeks and he looked away. Disgusting Gryffindors. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he looked to see Lela resting her hand there. "Lets find out if this house has anything that it would bring the wand back on its own, shall we?"
"I haven't seen anything and I've been here for a month or so," Draco replied skeptically.
"About three months actually," Lela corrected, "but lets not dwell on time. Lets dwell on locked doors."
Draco stared at her, unsure of what she meant. She sighed and ran her hand through her long hair. "You boys are much denser than you used to be. I'm trying to be riddling like Dumbledore and all I get are blank looks. The locked door? Shall we try to open it?"
"Oh. I suppose," Draco said.
They moved slowly down the hall, towards the locked door. It seemed some how more threatening than before. Perhaps it was unwise for Draco to use this wand to open a door when he could be using it to speak to Ginny. Seeming to sense his hesitation, Lela gave him a nudge forward. "Will you knock it off," he hissed in a hushed tone. Lela stopped and put her hands on her hips, looking like an exasperated teen.
"Why are you talking in a whisper," she snapped. Draco gave her a dark look.
They had reached the door and Draco noticed the knob. It seemed shinier than before. "Did you polish this," he asked pointing to the doorknob. He had hoped he could mask his unease, but his would-be drawl came out more like a slight whine. Lela smirked. "Yes, I cleaned the whole house while you were sleeping in. I figured I shouldn't wake you seeing as you stayed up all night making the floor warp in your room," she replied. Draco gave her another mean look, before turning to the door. He poked the knob with the wand.
Nothing happened. Lela smirked.
Draco thought for a second before spreading his feet and hissing a charm.
Nothing happened. Draco could almost feel Lela's smile getting bigger.
Draco thought for a moment. Perhaps a password? What would someone make a password? He took his stance again and hissed, "Padfoot."
This time when nothing happened, Lela snickered. Draco whipped around to look at her annoyed. "Is something funny," he demanded. Lela shrugged, leaning against the wall.
This went on for hours. Draco ran through every spell, hex, and jinx in his head. He was tempted to try a few unforgiveable curses, but he felt sure that would only cause more harm to the situation. One spell had already bounced off the doorknob and nearly hit Lela, leaving a burnt spot were the ceiling and wall met. Lela had raised her eyebrow unamused.
Draco sat down with a thump. At some point during his frustrating day, he had thought that he could just use this time to reach Ginny, but then he had realized the danger of contacting Ginny in Hogwarts with Dumbledore on the look out for suspicious activity. Draco felt a tug of annoyance that the man did such a good job as watch dog. Though he was more relieved by it.
A door closed and Draco quickly stood, shoving the wand deep into his pocket to be hidden. As he stepped out of the hallway he could smell something delicious cooking. Draco had never been in a house were you could smell something cooking. In the Malfoy Manor, scents seemed trapped in the kitchen and he was never allowed in the kitchen. Now he followed his nose and turned the corner, closing his eyes as he inhaled.
"What smells so delicious, Lela," he asked. But when Draco opened his eyes he was not looking at the female Snape, but his potions professor. "Wipe that surprised look off your face, Draco," Professor Snape hissed, "you've never seen a man cook?"
Draco recovered, straightening his hair. "I just never thought you made delicious food, Professor," he replied with a drawl. Professor Snape gave him a dark look as Lela entered the room.
"Well, hello Draco, dear," she said as if they hadn't seen each other all day. "Why, Sevvy," Lela continued as she ruffled Professor Snape's hair, "what are you cooking?"
Professor Snape made no answer though he smirked. Draco must have missed this nonverbal message because Lela let out a laugh of excitement as she said, "that's my favorite!"
It turned out that Lela's favorite was mashed potatoes with an array of vegetables and toast-light brown and buttered. She apparently was very particular about this. Draco watched in silence as the twins argued, Professor Snape in his usual stern manner, and Lela in a cheerful, giddy way that was the polar opposite. Draco was only half listening though. He could not help but get the feeling that Lela, more than anyone else in the every rotating house, was leading him to something. Draco felt this was likely a good something, but the mystery of what it could be was something he was not sure he wanted to know. Was it to help communicate with Ginny? Or was this all an elaborate game in order to occupy him? Draco wasn't sure how much credit he should give the woman. Though Draco had to admit that her annoying cheerfulness and optimism did remind him of Ginny a bit. Draco sighed to himself, going unnoticed, he thought. He could imagine Ginny pushing her red hair behind her ears as a blush crept onto her cheeks, the way she would sass him, the firey temper that would get the better of her, her eyes, her-
"Did you hear that, Draco?"
Draco was ripped from his reverie by Lela's sharp tone. Draco shook his head. Professor Snape gave Lela an odd look as he said, "I doubt Draco cares about it at all." Lela looked offended.
"We are not going to have a duet conversation when we could have a trio," she declared, "repeat your story."
Professor Snape gave Draco an apologetic look before saying, "Arthur was telling me the dullest story yesterday about a wizard who hexed muggle artifacts and then resold them to muggles, enjoying to watch the mayhem. Apparently it was a tricky catch because the wizard used a fairly uncommon method to lock away and hide his goods." Lela looked interestedly at Draco, as if she was positive he would be fascinated by every word in the story. Draco wasn't sure if he should make a snarky comment about how uninterested he was, or just let Professor Snape continue.
"His method," Professor Snape continued, shooting his sister a dark look for forcing him to tell the story, "was to hide them behind a magic proof door that nothing could open except using his very own wand as a key. When they figured that out they realized the keyhole was slightly bigger than other doors in the house with an oddly circular top piece. It's rather dull. I only brought it up because I was mentioning that along with the muggle artifacts they also found Angel Wings."
Draco leaned in curiously. "Why would he have Angel Wings? That's one of the rarest ingredients. I can only think of three potions that…" Draco trailed off, eyes getting larger. Professor Snape seemed to understand the silence.
"You think he's one of the people trying to poison Ginny," Draco asked. Lela tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Angel wing is in one of the most deadly potions," she stated.
"Not to mention the consistency it makes a potion would be ideal for dipping in artifacts," Professor Snape added.
Draco tried to think of Deatheaters with potions skills high enough to make such a rare and delicate poison. He couldn't think of any, but Lela's face had become concerned.
"Toffana," she said, voice dripping with disgust. Draco looked up at her confused.
Professor Snape nodded, explaining, "It was before your time, Draco. Before my time as a Deatheater. When Lela and I were in school some of the Dark Lord's top people were two men and a women, all siblings. One could kidnap anyone, anywhere, any time without being seen. The other was a master at making shields and impenetrable and undetectable maskings. The final was Toffana. The best poisoner and potion maker. She knew how to make potions so old and rare that not only did they kill people, but they were practically undetectable because they hadn't been written about since the Middle Ages." Draco's frown deepened.
"What happened to them," he asked.
Lela shrugged. "They disappeared. Some people thought the Dark Lord had killed them but no one knows for sure. Even fellow Deatheaters couldn't say where they had gone," she said.
"The Dark Lord warns about his killings to scare other traitor," Draco replied with thought.
"If Toffana is back," Professor Snape said, not taking his dark beetle eyes off of Draco, "it likely means that her siblings are as well."
Draco stood suddenly, hissing, "you expect me to just sit here and twiddle my thumbs while this Toffana is after Ginny?" Professor Snape looked unaffected, though Lela shifted awkwardly.
"There is nothing you can do, Draco," Professor Snape drawled. "Not now at least. If they were to discover that you were alive, the other two siblings would likely be here faster than a snitch. Ginny's new found powers are purifying all of the dark artifacts thus far, besides," Professor Snape paused as Draco sat back down, his face falling in defeat. "The Angel Wings was intact, the whole plant was there. Which means Toffana hasn't used it, if it is her at all."
Draco had a gnawing pit in his stomach as he moved from the kitchen. He knew what he had to do. He would contact Ginny and warn her. Even if he was found out. She had to know. He pushed open the door to his room, but just as he turned the knob he heard Lela's hiss down the hall, "Accio wand." Before he could grab it, the wand had slipped out of his pocket and into Lela's hand. She gave him an apologetic look. "You can't do that, Draco. They can't get her at Hogwarts. We aren't even sure it's her. Besides, this could be the key to a new strength."
Draco's face flashed red with fury and confusion as he slammed his door shut. Lela was always talking in riddles. It was infuriating. The key to strength? Who says that sort of thing? Draco lifted the chair by his desk and threw it across the room, feeling a bit of relief from the clatter it made. Then anger was replaced with mind consuming worry, and he began his usual pacing in the room.
When Draco awoke, the sun was shining through a small opening in his blinds, right onto his lids. He groaned, stretching from his spot- half sitting on the floor. He had stopped pacing for only a minute last night and had fallen asleep. The clock now read one pm. Of course, the clock always read one since he had broken it. Who really needed time anyway when you were stuck in a house?
Draco stood and went to the bathroom, splashing water on his face. Then, walking to the kitchen he suddenly realized how dark it was. All the binds were closed and the lights were out. This was very odd. Draco straightened his hair, looking about. "Lela?" he asked, "Professor Snape?" There was no reply. Draco wandered the house slowly, opening each door to find an empty room. He hesitated at Lela's door before pushing it softly open. It was empty.
After about five minutes, Draco returned to the kitchen and was suddenly very aware that he was not only alone, but wandless. If someone were to attack him- Draco shook his head. He would have to ignore that danger as of present. His stomach growled and he moved around the dim kitchen pulling out a frying pan and eggs. He would have to cook the muggle way.
The muggle way failed miserably. Draco decided that he did not prefer his eggs or toast, all of which were burned. Somehow the pan he was cooking on had even burned a hole through it. It never fully caught on fire (Draco had a feeling it had been charmed) but it certainly was useless now. With a sigh Draco opened the refrigerator to find leftovers, finding the mashed potatoes. His next realization was that he would have to eat them cold. Draco sat down unenthusiastically and noticed a letter on the table. Taking a bite of cold breakfast, he read:
"Draco,
I've gone to run some errands before your new nanny comes (I think its Charlie Weasley). Don't be angry but you slept for ages so I couldn't tell you. The wand is in the cupboard with the jars and do try to kee pit safe. See you soon.
Sincerely,
Lela"
Draco frowned at the curving writing. Lela was daft. Besides, how could she have misspelled keep and it? Who puts an accidental space? Draco read the words out loud, "Kee pit." Draco shook his head annoyed. It was a good thing he was so dashing and brilliant or that error may have confused him. He went to the jar cupboard and pulled out the largest jar. Inside was the wand, leaning lazily against the edge. Draco struggled for a bit trying to get the jar open. Finally, out of breath, he placed it on the table and with a wave of his hand, knocked it to the ground where it shattered. "Blimey! How clumsy of me," he drawled. Then realizing he was alone, he reached down and picked up the wand, cleaning away the glass with a flash.
Getting the wand again was not as exciting as Draco had originally thought. In his pacing last night he had realized he couldn't contact Ginny because there was nothing romantic about his being dead. Now he sat twirling the wand. If only he could contact her without using magic but still be protected.
"Kee pit," Draco muttered. His eyes widened. Deep in thought he had begun to stare at Lela's letter blankly but now as his eyes came back into focus they stared at the "kee pit" misspelling. Draco repeated, "kee, key?" He stood suddenly, wand gripped tightly. It hadn't been a misspelling; at least Draco no longer thought so. He walked hurriedly to the locked door and stood before it for a moment. The lock underneath the knob was round and larger than most other doors in the house. Draco looked at the wand and cautiously moved towards the door, inserting the wand into the keyhole. It fit snuggly; even the carving of the P on 'Padfoot' had a spot. Draco stood for a moment before he heard a very soft-barely audible- click. Reaching for the doorknob, Draco turned it and opened the door into the darkness below.
Draco had thought that this sort of development would be exciting. A thrilling addition to his dull days. Instead, Draco felt uneasy. He muttered a spell and the tip of the light lit up. It seemed to glow brighter than usual. Then so bright it blinded Draco. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again the light above him had lit to reveal a staircase. Draco took a step forward, feeling a curiosity. Obviously it was safe since Lela had been urging him to explore. Leaving the door open behind him, he began his way down the stairs. Along the walls were pictures of teenage boys, one that looked surprisingly like Harry Potter. Draco paused and looked at one picture of three tall teenage boys, a sandy brown haired one who looked tired, the Harry Potter one, and a rebellious ravened hair boy who laughed as he embraced both the other boys. In the picture, but not in the embrace, was a blonde haired boy that looked a tiny bit like a rat. The bottom of the page had a label: "The Marauders." Draco frowned in concentration. The boys, especially the brown and blonde haired ones, looked familiar. He shrugged and continued on his way.
The room below was larger than Draco had thought, but it was full of boxes. Mostly unlabeled. Pushing his way through them, Draco found it hard to move. There must be thirty or so boxes down here. Most were taped closed as if they had been unopened for ages but a few were lacking tape, as if someone had been rummaging through them before closing the tabs to hide the contents. In the corner was the oddest thing of all. A bed, like one would give their cat or dog, sat in the corner. Draco frowned. This was the oddest room he had ever seen. On the bed was stitched the name "Padfoot."
"Blimey, this Padfoot is an obsession," Draco drawled pushing his way past the boxes into a partially open area. His foot caught on the corner of a particularly heavy box and he fell to the floor, just were the crawl space under the stairs began. Draco took a moment to recover before looking up, arms ready to push his body erect again. However, he found himself shocked into remaining on the floor.
Standing before him was a large, grim like black dog. It was the same dog Draco had seen in the field outside his window and several other times he had just attributed to dreams. It was larger than Draco thought, but how did it get down here? How had it survived? The dog seemed to be enjoying his confusion. It turned its head up to the stair landing that was above them and Draco could hear the door creaking closed. Draco tried to push himself up but the dog placed his paw on Draco's hand. It was cold.
The paw began to change. It turned into a foot as the dog morphed from the large grim like creature into a man with wild rebellious black hair and dancing, mischievous eyes. Draco gasped, pulling his hand back from under the foot and reaching for his wand. It had rolled away after his fall and now the man leaned over and picked it up.
"Long time no see nephew," the man said with a smile that certainly wasn't creepy but didn't make Draco feel all warm inside either. "How-" Draco stuttered, "who- but-"
"Draco, Draco," the man said twirling the wand nonchalantly, "you of all people should understand the complicated nature of death without a body being found."
Against all odds, Draco Malfoy was looking at the figure of Sirius Black, who responded to the shocked silence with a chuckle.
