A/N: Well, a little Sev/Draco fluffyness and some Harry/Sev bonding. Not much. The next chapter will be longer, and upadated sooner. I'm sorry for taking so long to update this one, but school is taking me forever. Bleh.
I know this is now AU, non-canon compliant now, and the characters are OCC. I'm trying, so bare with me, punks. That's my new word. Punk. Punkin it. *Sigh* Severus would have my head for improper grammar.
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Chapter 7: Familiar Terms
Draco slowly stretched, carefully making sure his shoulder didn't suffer from the left over pain from his father's punishment methods. Severus walked into the room, wearing a grey t-shirt and green plaid pants.
He looked up at Draco, who was craning his neck to look at the fading bruises. "How are they?" He asked softly, setting his Potions journal on Draco's nightstand in the guest room where he was staying for a few days.
"Alright, I suppose." Draco, replied, shrugging into his pajama top.
Severus smiled. "Good. Tell me if you need anything, okay? I'll be in my room." He said, motioning towards the journal. "That might help you on learning what to do if you ever need a potion and I'm not here."
Draco smiled back. "Thanks, Uncle Sev."
Severus nodded and vanished out the door. Draco perched on the edge of his bed and picked up the book, beginning to rifle throught the pages. When he didn't immediatley find anything that caught his interest, the blonde Slytherin set the journal down and flopped down on the bed.
Draco sighed and ran his hands through his silky blonde hair and relaxed against the coverlet. He still couldn't believe that his Godfather had managed to take him out of his father's hands for the time being. Despite being a rich, snobbish Pureblood, Draco couldn't comprehend how his father had gotten to the level he'd gotten to.
Lucius loved him, he knew that, but Severus and his mother loved him even more. Lucius would rather have the Dark Lord's approval then be supported and admired by his own son.
Draco frowned and nestled deeper into the blanket, curling up and sliding under the sheets. He let his silver eyes slip closed, then concentrated on evening his breathing. Draco's mother had taught him the technique when he was younger, and it often helped him go to sleep.
As he slowly breathed in, he drifted off to sleep, muscles relaxing as he fell into a world of dreams.
-ooOoo-
Lucius slowly advanced towards his son, silver eyes flashing dangerously. The fury he was consumed by was etched into every line of his face, and Draco's breathing grew short and his heartbeat accelerated.
His father drew his wand and pointed it at his heir, who held his ground. "You need to be punished, you insolent little cur!" The Malfoy patriarch spat.
Draco fought the urge to fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness, instead just dropping his eyes to the floor and whispering, "Yes, father."
A spark of anger lit up Lucius' molten silver eyes, and he stepped closer to his only son. "I didn't ask you!" He snapped, raising his serpent-headed wand. "CRUCIO!"
Draco fell to the floor and curled up into the fetal position, hoarse screams falling from his mouth. His throat constricted as he sobbed dryly, muscles feeling like they were on fire. Agony streamed through his veins, and the blonde Slytherin screamed for forgiveness, for mercy, but to no avail. Lucius held the curse until just before Draco lost conciousness.
The blonde's vision blurred and his mind swam in and out of focus. He trembled, body shaking and burning and filling with torment as he lay still, curled up on the floor. Lucius slid his wand back into its sheath in the hilt of his cane, and he circled the young blonde, a predatory grin lighting up his face.
He suddenly darted forward and brought the cane down hard on Draco's shoulder, leaving a perfect snake-headed imprint on the boy's skin. Draco cried out, bringing his hands up to cover his head despite his protesting muscles.
His father beat him until he was laying there, bloody and bruised, muscles on fire. "Maybe in the future you'll learn to behave!" Lucius spat, still in a frenzied blood-lust filled haze. "I WILL be the Dark Lord's favorite!"
Draco's vision was filled with images of Death Eaters and Dark Marks, snakes and pain, Unforgiveable Curses lighting his future path.
-ooOoo-
"FATHER!" Draco awoke suddenly, panting and trembling.
He shot straight up in the dark, eyes darting around the room for the image of the blonde man and his cane. He waited for his heartbeat to slow down and his breathing to deepen again. He sat there, in a cold sweat, before deciding he was going to ignore the laws of being a true Malfoy.
Draco stood, legs shaking, and tottered out of the guest room, feeling like he was nine years old again. He slowly made his way towards his Godfather's bedroom, and when he arrived, he knocked feebly on the door.
"Draco?" Came the deep baritone voice that immediatley chased away all his fears.
Draco opened the door and practically ran into the room, which was still lit up brightly. Severus was laying in bed, propped up against several pillows and reading a heavy old tome.
"What's wrong?" He asked, onyx eyes narrowing at the sight of his Godson looking frazzled and upset.
Draco worried his bottom lip between his teeth, then asked hesitantly, "Can I stay in here with you tonight?"
Severus watched the blonde as he shifted nervously for a moment before replying. "Of course. Come here, Dragon."
Draco rushed forward and was snuggled up against the Potions master in seconds. "I had a nightmare." He mumbled sheepishly into his Godfather's chest.
"Oh? And what was this nightmare about?" He asked quietly, closing the book and setting it on the bedside table.
"My father. And you know…his punishment methods." Draco said almost sheepishly.
Severus nodded sympathetically, and with a sigh, opened his arms. Draco crushed himself against the older man's chest, shaking slightly from the aftermath of his night terror. They sat in silence for several moments, Severus gently stroking the young Slytherin's hair.
"There, there, Draco. It'll be alright, my little Dragon." Draco sniffled a little, refusing to cry.
"Thanks, Sev." Draco looked up, silver eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm worried about him."
"Lucius?" Severus asked, pulling the other closer so Draco was laying at his side, one leg hooked over his Godfather's knees. "About how he wants the Dark Lord to like him so much?"
Draco nodded in affirmative. "He always puts You-Know-Who first! Before me and my mum!" He looked suddenly angry. "He doesn't care about me! It's always, Draco be a good Malfoy, or Draco, impress the Dark Lord!"
The blonde paused, looking somewhat deranged. "I hate it! I don't understand why it's always You-Know-Who or being a Pureblood!" Draco snarled. "He doesn't even know anything about the real me! I have a stupid bloody arranged marriage with that stupid Parkinson girl, and I hate her! I hate my father, and Pansy and You-Know-Who, and being Pureblood and all this stupid bullshite!" Draco ranted.
Severus raised an eyebrow, trying not to look amused at the teen sitting on his lap, panting. "Is that so?"
"YES!" Draco shouted into his face, making the Potions master gently tug the boy into a hug.
"Hush, Draco. Everything will work out." He murmured.
Draco choked back a sob. "I feel so bloody stupid for letting him run my life…" Severus held him tightly, and he drew strength from the raven-haired man.
"I know you do. Just sleep for now, Dragon, and we'll discuss this in the morning, alright?" Draco nodded and nuzzled down against his Godfather.
Severus lay down beside Draco and wrapped the boy in his arms, gently stroking the boy's hair. Feeling content to listen to the older man's heartbeat, Draco drifted off to sleep, snuggled up against Severus' chest.
Severus muttered a quick, "Nox." And pulled the young Slytherin closer.
Closing his onyx eyes, the Potions master fell into a deep sleep, a feeling of warmth and protectiveness blossoming in his heart.
-ooOoo-
The next morning, Severus awoke with a warm, heavy weight pinning him down. Drowsily, he opened his eyes and shifted a little, finding his blonde Godson sprawled out across his chest, snoring lightly.
Severus smiled to himself and gently pushed the young Slytherin off him, then sat up. Draco snorted in his sleep and twitched, rolling over and spreading himself out, pushing his feet against Severus' legs for more room.
The amused Potions master took the hint and swung out of bed, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Draco slept, blond hair cascading across his forehead. Rolling his eyes, Snape stripped off his shirt and nonchalantly tossed it across the dresser, moving into the master bathroom.
Severus shucked out of his pants and turned the shower on, running his slender fingers through his greasy hair. The onyx-eyes man sighed. His hair was genetically greasy, a trait inherited from his father, but it didn't help he was frequently bent over potions.
Frowning at nothing in particular, Severus stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour of his lithe body. Closing his eyes and tipping his head back, the raven-haired man began to ponder the situation he'd gotten himself into.
On one hand, he enjoyed his Godson's company and cared for the boy as a son. Lucius had been his lover, once, a long time ago, but now the Malfoy patriarch seemed to only care about the Dark Lord's acceptance.
Severus wanted the best for Draco, and the blonde's outburst the night before had made him determined to help the boy, and his father. Poor Narcissa must have chewed out her husband, for the Potions master knew she had no tolerance for anything even moderately close to abuse.
Potter on the other hand, was an insolent, infuriating brat who acted like his father. The child would no doubt make his life a living hell-abuse from his uncle or not. The spy only knew about what he'd seen happen, and so far his emotions towards the boy were brewing in an insane turmoil.
He disliked the child, but he detested any forms of abuse, do to his own childhood experiences. His muggle father had frequently abused him and his mother, to the point of killing his mother. Without the help of Lily Evans and Lucius, he and his little sister would've died that summer.
Severus sighed, running his fingers through his hair again, lathering his scalp with a strong shampoo-like potion he'd invented. Stepping back into the spray of near-scathing water, he washed the soap out and turned off the water.
Grabbing a towel off the rack, he dried himself off and wrapped said towel around his waist. Walking back into his bedroom, he noticed that Draco was still asleep, now curled up in a tight ball. Half-shocked, half-amused, he noted that the blonde had his thumb stuck in the corner of his mouth, and the boy was sucking lightly.
Shaking his head, Severus gathered his clothes and headed back to the bathroom to get dressed. When he finished, he donned his black cloak and went to wake his Godson from his beauty sleep.
"Draco, it's time for breakfast, Dragon. We're to eat in the Great Hall this morning with Potter and the rest of the staff that's here." Severus said, gently carding his fingers through Draco's silky hair.
"Nrrrrrghhh…" Came the response, Draco rolling over and pressing his face into the pillow.
"Up, come on." Snape ordered lightly, patting the boy on the shoulder.
"Mffff." Draco grunted, silver eyes blinking up at Severus as he flopped over, looking quite innocent.
Snape chuckled and cupped the side of his Godson's face in his palm. "Get dressed and meet me in the Hall, hmm?"
"Mmm'kay…" Draco mumbled, blinking around owlishly as he sat up.
He dragged his fingers through his hair, yawning loudly. Draco watched as his Godson vanished from sight, black robes sweeping. Standing up, he staggered a little, glancing around sleepily.
Shaking the sleepiness from his head, he rubbed his eyes with his fists like a young child and went back to the guest room to get dressed. He rumaged through his trunk, finally deciding on a white dress shirt and black slacks with a deep evergreen cloak over all of this.
Then, he made his way to the Great Hall.
-ooOoo-
When he arrived, he calmly sat next to Severus, with Madam Hooch on his left. Severus was listening to McGonagall talking avidly about her family, absentmindedly eating his eggs.
"And my sister, she's studying for her degree in muggle sciences, since she's so interested in them." Minerva was saying.
"Hmm." Severus grunted noncomitally.
Minerva pursed her lips, then asked him, "So, when are you taking the boys back to your Manor?"
Severus sighed. "Tomorrow or the next day I suppose." He replied, setting his fork down.
"Cool." Draco said, excitement seeping into his voice. "Can I ride Prince when we get there? Or Destier? Can we go in the Forest and go see that-"
"Draco, you can do all those things, now will you stop shouting in my ear this early in the morning?" Snape asked irately.
Draco paused, realizing his voice had gotten surprisingly loud with excitement. "Oops. Sorry, Uncle Sev." He apologized, high cheekbones coloring slightly.
They all looked up to three new voices coming into the Hall. "Mr. Potter, what did I just tell you? Stop picking at the cast or I will have to re-position it again!" Poppy snapped, clearly annoyed with the perky Gryffindor.
"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but it itches!" Harry whined.
Dumbledore chuckled, eyes twinkingly. "If you want it to get better, my boy, you'd best leave it alone." He said.
"Yes, thank you Albus." Poppy said.
Dumbledore took his seat at the center of the table, with Poppy to his right and Minerva to his left. Harry sat next to Hooch, on Snape and Malfoy's left. "My neck keeps cramping up, it's really annoying." He grumbled as he dug into his toast.
"Yeah, me too." Draco agreed without thinking.
The Malfoy paused, then frowned down at his plate, much to Snape's amusement. "Is that so, Mr. Potter?" He asked, glancing at his newest charge out of the corners of his onyx eyes.
"Yeah. And my wrist hurts. The cast itches. Oh, and I have a cough that hurts my throat." Harry listed off his complaints, shoveling food into his face hungrily.
Severus cast a mildly dissaproving look at the child's table manners, but cleared his face of emotion when he remembered that was exactly how he'd looked so many times at Lily's or Lucius' house.
The Potions master finished his breakfast and turned to speak to Draco. "What would you like to do today?" He inquired.
"Can we play Quidditch?" Draco asked immediately.
Snape snorted. "Correction-you can play Quidditch. I dislike brooms." Severus responded.
"Oh! Madam Pomfrey!" Harry called.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Was the only response he received.
"When can I ride my Firebolt again?" He demanded.
Snape rolled his eyes. "With a wrist like that, Potter? You'll fall off in the first five seconds!" He snarked.
"Now, Severus." Poppy repremanded. "Mr. Potter may ride his broom when I see fit, althought I'd say that'd be in about a week." She said.
"What? A week!" Harry gasped, dissapointed.
"At the least, Mr. Potter." Poppy said sternly, before continuing to eat.
"And you will listen to Madam Pomfrey." Severus said, voice as equally stern. "I'll not be having you hurt yourself on top of your existing injuries."
"Yes sir." Harry said quickly.
"That goes for you too, Draconis." Severus said.
"Aww…" Draco groaned, but then said at Severus' glare, "I mean, yes sir!"
Hooch chuckled. "Yes, I'd not like to see you two even more hurt by any broom accidents." She said, yellow bird-like eyes sparking in amusement.
"Or any other accidents." Minerva added.
Laughter filled the Hall, but it was interrupted when Hagrid walked in, beaming as he hurried towards Harry. "Hagrid!" Harry cried.
The Boy-Who-Lived jumped out of his chair and ran down off the staff dias to hug the half-giant. Severus' lips turned down at the show of open affection between the two as they hugged.
Draco snorted quietly, so only his Godfather and the Quidditch-loving woman could hear him. Hooch sent him a frown, but Severus silently agreed with the blonde. "'Arry!" Hagrid greeted, rather loudly.
"Hagrid! How are you?" Harry asked, grinning so wide it appeared his face would split open.
"Good! 'Ow are you, 'Arry?" Hagrid replied, matching Harry's ecstatic grin.
"Alright, I guess. Professor Snape rescued me from the Dursley's, did ya' hear?" Harry said excitedly.
Severus sighed and faced Draco, who gave him the 'OMG he's so stupid' look from the day before. The Potions master smirked, and arched an elegant eyebrow. "Shall we go find you a broom then, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus asked, gesturing towards the exit.
Draco's expression of distaste was immediately replaced by an eager grin. "Yes!" He shoved a strawberry into his mouth, then jumped out of his seat and strode out of the Hall at a dignified pace, remembering his mother's rule of no running.
Severus smirked, shook his head, and followed his Godson, catching Harry's eye and pausing. "Mr. Potter, seeing as you have nothing else to do today you may come with me and Draconis to the Quidditch pitch and do…something. Homework, perhaps?"
Before Harry could respond, Sverus whirled and in an ebony storm cloud, he strode off. Harry grinned up at Hagrid. "So do you think later today you could show me that animal you were talking about?"
"Sure, thing!" Hagrid agreed happily. "'Ow about you come down after lunch?"
Harry nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that sounds great!" He pulled at his green cast a little, then ran off after Snape and Draco.
-ooOoo-
Severus winced as Draco performed yet another death-defying stunt, balancing on the very front of his broom on his feet. "DRACO!" Severus bellowed. "Sit down!"
Draco stared at him as he flew past. Snape motioned with his hand, and his Godson plopped down with a pout. Harry giggled, but Severus paid him no mind. The boy had went up to the school library to borrow Quidditch Through the Ages from Madam Pince, then had followed them down to the pitch.
Severus sat back in the bleachers, in the third row with Potter at his side, reading a Potions text. Frowning up at his Godson as he spiraled through the air, he swept his hair back behind the shell of his ear and settled back into a more comfortable position.
"So…Professor Snape, where is your…uh…" Harry tried to find the word, but Severus provided it tartly.
"Manor? It's not anywhere near here." He replied, watching the cloud formations float past.
"Oh." Harry hesitated, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "Professor, I've been thinking-"
Severus snorted. "That's news to me." He muttered.
Harry ignored the interruption and continued, "Well, why did you take me from the Dursley's if you hate me so much?"
Severus stared at the boy, expressionless. "Well, I couldn't let a muggle kill the Golden Boy, could I?" He replied, voice bland.
"Yeah, but like why? Why didn't you just leave me and call somebody else?" Harry pressed.
Severus sighed. "Reasons, Potter. Reasons you wouldn't understand." He said quietly.
"Oh. You mean like-"
"Potter! I already said, you would not understand!" Snape spat, obsidian eyes gleaming dangerously.
Harry scooted away a little, emerald eyes wide. Severus noted a brief spark of fear, but he crushed the strong urge to comfort the boy. "I-I'm sorry. Sorry." Harry mumbled, eyes downcast.
Severus sighed again, relaxing his muscles and leaning back against the wooden bleacher seat. "You are much to young to understand most of what you've been through, Mr. Potter." He said quietly, staring up at the sky.
Harry gawked openly at the Potions master, who closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wood. The raven-haired man was looking relatively relaxed in his opened robes.
The black cloak was neatly folded on the bench beside him, as the heavy fabric was making him sweat. He had even gone so far as to unbuttoned his black jacket. Harry on the other hand, was wearing a too-large t-shirt and too-large jeans.
Severus opened his eyes and looked around, watching as Draco landed his Nimbus 2001 and rested it against the stands. As he climbed up the bleachers, Harry began to pick at his cast again.
"Don't pick at it!" Severus growled.
"Sorry." Harry mumbled, folding his hands in his lap.
Draco flopped down beside his Godfather, running his hands through his hair with a yawn. "Well. That was fun!"
"You're lucky. You're not banned from flying." Harry said, drumming his fingers on the wooden seat.
"Well, I'm not the one who broke his wrist!" Draco retorted.
"It wasn't my fault!" Harry snapped.
Severus cleared his throat warningly. As both of them had been gearing up for a major fight, it came as a bit of a shock by having the wind knocked out of their sails. "Sorry, Professor." Draco mumbled.
"What did I say about the fighting?" Snape asked, pursing his lips.
"To not to." Harry and Draco both said obidiently, glaring at each other as their voices harmonized.
Severus sighed and stood. It seemed he was sighing a lot these days. "Well, come on. It's almost time for lunch." He said. "By the time we get cleaned up and in the castle, you should be starving."
Draco and Harry both jumped up and started down the stairs, shooting glares back and forth. Severus could tell it was going to be a long summer.
-ooOoo-