Chapter 10 –

As they left the train station, Draco got the first look at his mother since Christmas. Her appearance startled him. Though she had seemed less perfect in her appearance over the winter holidays, now the level of dishevelment was alarming. She had always been a slim woman but now she looked as if she had lost an alarming amount of weight, making her rumpled clothes appear to hang off of her. Her usually beautifully styled hair was hanging almost limply, barely out of her face. The natural gliding grace with which she normally walked was lacking. As they made their way to one of the available fireplaces in order to floo home she virtually leaned on him, as if she were too tired from recent events to even keep herself upright without support. In all, Draco was deeply worried about the situation that waited for them at home before he was even fully informed as to what that situation was.

Once again, his mother had flooed them directly to the private part of the house, affording them a few moments alone before they were required to face anyone. At his curious look, his mother sighed and sank down onto the couch that sat before the fireplace. Her hands came up and covered her face and for a moment Draco thought that she might actually be weeping. When she looked up at him again, however, he realized that rather than tears she had an almost empty look on her face.

"Mother?" he asked hesitantly, but then made his way to sit next to her. He knew that in his father's absence she needed to be able to rely on him. "Can you tell me what's happened? What can I do?" he inquired in a tone of voice that suggested more strength than he was sure he possessed at the moment.

"I'm not even sure how to explain…I so didn't want you to worry…" she trailed off, with that lost look on her face. But when he laid his hand on her shoulder in comfort, she seemed to rally herself somewhat. She sat up straighter and a determined look came into her eyes. "We don't have much time. It would be best if I explain quickly and then we floo down to the main fireplace so it appears that we've come straight there from the station." He nodded but was curious who would be monitoring when and where they entered their own home.

"Your father was summoned last Thursday afternoon and given an assignment from the Dark Lord, himself. Bella was also called and accompanied him on this mission, along with several others. I don't know exactly what he was meant to do, but I know that it involved acquiring something that the Dark Lord desired from the Ministry building. How he could have expected them to retrieve it and escape without detection I do not know, but that was their assignment. Something apparently went very wrong. I know the Potter boy was drawn into the situation and in the end the Dark Lord personally involved himself. Even with his presence, things did not all go to plan. He has been livid since that night.

"After whatever took place, he did not remain there long enough to collect those he had sent. Most of them were detained by Aurors. Your father-" she gasped and Draco almost thought she would not be able to continue. He rose and walked over a side table on which sat a pitcher of cool water and some glasses. Pouring one for his mother, he crossed back to her and encouraged her to drink some before continuing. It seemed to give her enough pause to calm herself and finish what she needed to tell him.

"Your father was among those who were detained. He was meant to be in charge of the endeavor – though knowing Bella I'm not entirely sure that is how it played out. Regardless, the Dark Lord was furious at the failure and, according to Severus, lays most of the blame at Lucius' feet. He has refused outright to make any move to free those who were taken into custody for the time being. He says that they can wait on his pleasure in Azkaban until such time as he sees fit to release them."

At the mention of his father being held in Azkaban, Draco visibly flinched. He hated to think of his father, ever so aristocratic and refined, being forced to stay in that dank, horrible place. It enraged him to think that, though the Dark Lord had the power to release him that very day, he would simply choose to leave him there out of petulant anger. Had the Dark Lord himself not been part of this misguided endeavor? It stood to reason then that all of the responsibility for failure could not be laid at the feet of a follower when the master had not succeeded in the end. He knew, however, that he needed to leash the outrage that had once again begun to build in him. Attempting to regain some control he asked his mother if she had any idea what was happening concerning his father's case.

"Our solicitor has been working almost nonstop on Lucius' case since this whole situation began," she explained. "I'm not even sure what all he has been trying to do, what kind of strings he had to pull, but apparently he was able to whittle everything down to a charge of 'Aiding in a Crime.' Technically, as your father serves an advisory role for the Ministry, they could not charge him with trespassing. Also, as nothing was conclusively stolen they could not charge him with theft, either. The only thing missing – other than some property that was clearly destroyed – was actually removed by the Potter boy. Though they would not say what the object was, apparently it technically belonged to him and therefore could not be seen as stolen."

"So with only being able to charge him with Aiding in a Crime, how long will he be…away?" Draco questioned. He had almost asked how long he would be in Azkaban, but caught the words just as they were leaving his mouth. He did not think that his mother needed another reminder of her husband's unfortunate whereabouts at the moment.

"Without intervention from the Dark Lord or the Ministry attempting to lay further charges, it appears that he will be away for around eleven months." A bitter smile stretched coldly across her face. "It would have been a year and a half but they chose to offer a few months reprieve in exchange for substantial monetary compensation to repair the damage wreaked at the Ministry."

Draco was at least somewhat relieved at this news. He was glad that the amount of time that his father would be away would be shortened and that the Ministry was so willing to be influenced by money. He knew that if they were able to access all of his family's financial information, the price for his father's shorter sentence would be much higher than the exorbitant amount it probably already was. Fortunately, he knew that Lucius had invested in several unregistered and untraceable accounts at Gringotts for each member of the family. It ensured that their financial situation would be less likely to be threatened if trouble were to arise. Draco knew there were those in the Ministry who would not hesitate to bankrupt them if the opportunity arose.

After his mother finished explaining his father's current situation, Draco asked about their own. "Mother, why did we need to floo into these rooms? Who are we avoiding in the main part of the house?"

His mother sighed and bowed her head. "That is a whole other situation I wish I could keep you from. It seems the Dark Lord has taken a liking to the Manor." At his nearly panicked look she hurried to reassure him. "No, no, he's not staying here, only using the Manor as a sort of headquarters. There are always people coming and going of late and I didn't want to chance that we'd have to deal with any of them before I'd had an opportunity to speak with you." He nodded in understanding. It was best to have everything worked out between them before they spoke with anyone else.

"We do have some…unexpected guests staying with us at the moment," she added hesitantly.

"Severus told me that your sister was with you. That because she was-" he cut off, not wanting to hurt his mother but then decided it would be best to continue, "because she was still in favor that it could be used to all of our advantage."

"That's true enough," she answered cautiously. "She is here. Her husband and brother-in-law have been coming and going since they arrived but they generally don't stay for very long. Draco, you need to be very careful of Bella. She has always been somewhat erratic, prone to making rash decisions and reacting with extremes. Thirteen years in Azkaban certainly did nothing to improve that." She paused and her face took on a stricken expression. "She was sent on the assignment with your father and managed to escape at the end. She returned chanting and-and spinning, more chaotic than I think I've ever seen her. What she was saying – Draco, they confirmed it a few days later – she was singing that she had killed Sirius!"

At this Draco's eyes went round. He knew that there was no love lost between the two parts of his family after his mother's cousin ran away. They obviously had fought on opposite sides of the Dark War. But to hear that his aunt had been celebrating murdering her own cousin surprised him. As he watched his mother's face he saw the pained expression as she spoke of Sirius. He could see, especially after having heard the account of what had happened to Regulus and the way his parents spoke of him, how deeply his mother was saddened over Sirius' death. He could also tell that she was doing her best to hide her thoughts on the situation. He understood how dangerous it would be for her to openly mourn someone who had plainly fought against the Dark Lord and his cause.

In that moment he fully grasped how difficult the situation had been for his mother over the past week. Her husband had been taken from her, her cousin murdered. She had been expected to accommodate and welcome not only an apparently insane sister into her home but hoards of rather frightening servants of the Dark Lord as well. On top of that all, she had been worried about keeping him safe and sheltered from everything that was happening around them. At this last thought he scooted closer to her on the couch and hugged her securely.

"I'm so sorry you've been alone through all of this, mother. I'll do everything I can to help make things better, easier for you," he promised.

"Just stay away from everything that is happening here as much as you can. With your father gone – without him here to serve the Dark Lord I want to keep you as far away from notice as possible. I've spoken to Severus about the arrangements the two of you made at the end of term. I agree with him that it will be for the best if you spend as much time with him as you can." When Draco started to argue that she needed him here she raised her hand to quiet his words. "I understand that you wish to be here for me. You are as protective as your father." A small smile flitted across her face before she grew serious again. "It will be a greater relief to me to have you less in harm's way than anything you could do here for me. I love you, my Dragon. I need you to be safe."

Though his inclination was to object, the nearly desperate look on her face made him agree to what she asked. There truly was nothing he could think of that he would not do for his mother. In the end, however, the decision to follow her request was taken from his hands the day of his birthday.

Draco had spent the day before his birthday at Spinner's End, discussing Severus' plans for both Potions and Occlumency studies that summer. They had decided that he would be spending his birthday with his mother and then beginning his lessons the following day. Up to that point, Draco had done an excellent job of avoiding the various guests that had been in and out of the Manor since he had arrived home. It relieved his mother that the only real contact between himself and his aunt had been at dinners when they all gathered in the dining room. Other than that, he had stayed either in his rooms or out with Blaise. While he understood why his mother wanted to keep him away from his aunt – it was obvious that Azkaban had driven the woman nearly mad – he felt he was able to handle her in these small doses.

It was because of this distance he had been maintaining that he was immediately concerned to have her bursting into his rooms the morning of his sixteenth birthday. He had dressed more formally than he usually did for the summer as he and his mother were planning to lunch at one of the nicer restaurants in wizarding London in celebration of his birthday. It had been one of his favorites since he was ten and he was looking forward to eating there, as well as for the chance to spend the afternoon alone with his mother.

Draco had just finished tying his tie when the door banged open with a resonding crack against the wall and his aunt flew into the room. The almost frantic look on his mother's face as she followed after her sister confirmed that something was very wrong. Standing to face them, Draco did not need to wait long to discover why they had come in so hurriedly and so early. As soon as she saw him standing there his aunt started speaking in a fast, chaotic manor.

"Come, Draco! Come quickly, He cannot be made to wait!" She continued to speak as she latched on to his arm and began to drag him towards the door. "You have been asked for specifically, by name. There is no time to lose. This is our chance, our chance, boy, to return to a place of honor. Whatever he says, whatever he commands, you will do it without hesitation!"

Draco allowed himself to be pulled forward but moved with less enthusiasm than his aunt apparently wished or expected of him. At her sound of annoyance in his direction he turned his attention to his mother, who was trailing after the two of them looking utterly lost.

"Mother, what's happening? Who has asked for me?" he asked with a sinking feeling as he guessed at the answer. There was only one person that he could think of who would cause such a fervent response in his aunt.

"Who? Who do you think, boy? Our Lord has called for you. You will do whatever it is that he asks," Bellatrix all but screeched at him. Her harsh response seemed to be enough to shake his mother from her stupor momentarily.

"Don't speak to my son that way, Bella. H-he will do what is required of him without your interference. He is my son and as such it is my place to instruct him, not yours. Draco needs to be presentable before he is brought to the Dark Lord. Leave us for a few moments and I will help him get ready." It appeared for a second that Bellatrix might oppose this demand, but then relented, acknowledging her sister's right to instruct her son. The darker woman left them with an admonishment to be take care not to delay. As his aunt pulled the door closed behind herself, Draco watched as his mother's face crumpled from the strong façade she had used to face her sister into an expression of terrified despair. She turned towards him and pulled him into a rib-crushing hug.

"I'm sorry, Dragon, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over as she held him. He realized that she was trembling. Seeing his mother like that was nearly enough to make him panic as well, but he realized that he needed to be as prepared as possible for whatever was about to happen. Drawing on years of practice and watching his father shield his emotions from all but those closest to him, he prepared himself to face whatever would be coming that day. Gently, he pulled his mother away from her terrified hold enough that he was able to see her as he spoke. He attempted the smooth, controlled voice his father had used with him as a child to calm and sooth him after bad dreams left him frightened in the middle of the night.

"Mother, you need to tell me what is happening, and quickly. I can handle it. I just need to know what is going on. The Dark Lord has called for me? Why? Have you heard?" At his convincing effort towards calm competency his mother also rallied to instruct him.

"He has called for you, says he has a task to assign that requires access to Hogwarts. He has said that while your father has failed him, he is being gracious." At this she scoffed but continued on. "He will give us, through you, the opportunity to once again prove the faithfulness and use of the Malfoys. Oh, Draco-" she cut off with a gasp, "your father tried so hard to keep you away from all of this, to protect you. But now, you will both be in serious danger if we don't agree to whatever he requires of you."

He hugged her again and tried to reassure her. "This is not father's fault, or yours. There is nothing either of you could have done to change this. He would have called on me sooner or later. I'm only a year from majority. I will do what I can to make sure we all come out of this ok. I can do whatever I need to for that," he assured, feeling much more terrified than he was willing to allow his mother to see. "It sounds like I need to hurry. I will see you as soon as I get back." At her attempt to argue he stopped her. "No, I want you to stay here. Please. I love you, mother."

With that, he quickly kissed her cheek and straightened his tie. He retrieved the nice set of black robes he had laid out for his birthday lunch and pulled them on as he walked through the door. As she watched him go, Narcissa wondered as tears rolled down her pretty cheeks just when he had grown up so much. She realized with miserable clarity that it was all happening again. Draco and probably far too many children were being forced into rolls they never should have had to take on. Though she knew that her son understood somewhat better what he was getting into than they had at his age and was therefore at least marginally better prepared, the whole situation reminded her of Lucius as a teenager and, terrifyingly, Regulus. She hoped, not for the first time, that this whole situation would end before Draco and the other young ones being forced to grow up so fast were lost or hardened beyond repair.

Everything hurt. Draco could not imagine anything in life being more painful than the experiences he had gone through that day. What had started out looking like a happy sixteenth birthday as he planned to spend the afternoon with his mother, turned out to be a situation that while brief, was straight from his blackest nightmares. He had indeed been brought before the Dark Lord to receive an assignment and made to stand before him in the middle of a dank room lined all around by robed Death Eaters. Far from being a privilege and a chance to return his family to a place of security, it became clear that this was meant to be a punishment as Draco saw the smirking faces of those around him. The Dark Lord expressed his dissatisfaction in Lucius' failure a few weeks before and fury at the man's inadvertent loss of an object that had been left in his keeping several years before.

"Despite these disappointments," the Dark Lord had hissed in his terrifyingly inhuman voice, glancing around at his gathered followers, "I am a merciful Lord, am I not?" If possible, the faces of those around appeared to be even more gleeful than before.

In the moments which followed, Draco understood why the Death Eaters appeared so excited. They were simply waiting for the entertainment that would come from the punishment of the Malfoys by their Master. The snake-like man explained with a sneer that because of their egregious failures, Draco would not yet have the right to take the Dark Mark as proof of his devotion. Instead, by way of an alternate initiation, he would endure the Cruciatus Curse.

In the following moments, Draco was hit again and again with the most excruciating pain he had ever imagined. He felt that his bones were breaking while his blood was turned alternately from lava to ice and back again in his veins. Though he attempted to maintain some control, in the end it proved too much. He screamed and thrashed despite his best efforts. When the curse finally was removed from him, he lay on the floor for a moment struggling to catch his breath before painfully dragging himself into a kneeling position on the floor before the Dark Lord's chair. When he attempted to use his left arm to help steady himself on the floor, pain shot through him again. Clutching at it he hissed in a sharp breath. A calloused chuckle drew his attention back to the figure seated before him.

"How appropriate," the Dark Lord stated in an amused tone. From the awkward angle of the left wrist and the way Draco held his arm to his chest, the serpentine man deduced that the arm was broken, injured in the midst of Draco's writhing under the curse's influence. "Apparently, young Malfoy was so disappointed that he would not be receiving the Mark today, that he has injured himself in its very location." A round of dark sniggers followed the Dark Lord's comment. "Very well," he continued, "if you are so desperate for a memento of your new service to me, you will leave the arm to heal on its own, without the use of magic. You may bind it so that it will not heal improperly. I have no use for a crippled servant. It will serve as your reminder over the next few weeks as to what happens when I am displeased."

After that, the whole audience was something of a blur in Draco's mind. The pain he felt in his arm was echoed throughout his body as the residual effects of the curse wore off unbelievably slowly. He heard the Dark Lord order all but Bellatrix to leave and then give him his assignment. He was, before the end of the coming school year, to kill Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard alive, rumored to be the only person the Dark Lord himself feared, and Draco had just been told he must kill him or face the consequences. It was made clear that if he should fail it would not only be he who was punished but also his mother and father as well. A feeling of nausea from fear nearly engulfed him at the situation he was now in.

Fighting to maintain the expressionless mask until he was dismissed, Draco rose from the floor still holding his arm and bowed stiffly to the man who had just assigned him an impossible task. As he left, he vaguely noticed the Dark Lord call for Severus, who had been waiting outside the door with an air of cool indifference. He heard as Severus, who from his experience in potions was generally familiar with basic healing, was ordered to take him back to Spinner's End and splint his arm but to refrain from mending it outright. For the first time in the whole situation Draco felt a jolt of relief. He was loathed to see his mother before he had been brought back to some kind of order and could not imagine having been left to his aunt's care. He knew Severus was capable and willing to help him and that his mother would be put somewhat at ease when she learned that he was away from the Dark Lord's presence and at Spinner's End.

Draco was grateful when Severus bowed and left the room, striding towards him where he waited, every grain of his strength being used at that point to remain upright and sufficiently alert. He hazily listened as Severus requested that Bellatrix inform Narcissa concerning Draco's whereabouts. As she left, his uncle turned to face him, for the first time showing some of the concern he felt for Draco on his face.

"We can't move you with your arm like that without doing further damage," the older man explained in a low voice. "It will be best if I cast a Petrificus on you and then Side-Along Apparate with you while you are immobile. Less likely to jolt something that way."

By that point Draco was beyond caring; only wishing to have some relief from the throbbing pain. At his nod he felt as the spell effect him and he went ridged before the disorienting sensation of being transported by magic hit him. When they appeared into Severus' sitting room, he all but collapsed as the man muttered the counter curse. Fortunately, his uncle caught him by his right arm and gently guided him to recline on the couch in front of the fireplace. He was instructed to wait there while the man retrieved materials for a splint and potions to numb his pain.

Once dosed with the potion, Draco was finally able to relax enough for his arm to be worked on and soon Severus had set and bound his arm as smoothly as possible. He was instructed that he would need to leave the splint in place for around six weeks, possibly longer depending on how quickly he healed. Seeing his look of shock at this his uncle simply nodded.

"You're lucky this is only a minor break, not a more serious one. Six weeks is the average you are looking at with only muggle methods of healing. I have some potions that I believe you can take without going against orders. They will promote healthy circulation, keep swelling and bruising down and help your body absorb the nutrients it needs in order to heal as quickly as possible. Other than that, all I can do is help with the pain." Looking at the dark haired man's face Draco saw the emotions that were usually kept hidden displayed across his face. "I am sorry, Draco. I wish there was something I could have done to have prevented all this-"

Draco cut him off, "Uncle, stop. It's the same as I told mother earlier. Neither, she nor you nor father could have done anything once his mind was made up." He slowly sat up, wincing as he moved his still-aching body. "As angry as he was, I suppose I'm lucky to have gotten away with only a Cruciatus," he said with a bitter, sneering smile. A thought occurred to him and he glanced up at his uncle. "By the way, what was he talking about when he said father lost something of his? Why was he so angry about it?" At the time he had been too frightened to care but away from the situation his curiosity had grown.

"I don't know details, only the little that Lucius mentioned after the fact," Severus answered as he handed Draco a cream to use on the various bruises he had sustained from the curse. "Apparently, your father had an item which the Dark Lord had given him for safekeeping. A few years ago, just before your second year when the Ministry was conducting raids on the homes of former Death Eaters and such, he decided to do some 'cleaning' around the Manor. He said he needed to make sure there was nothing there that could cause issues if discovered."

Draco nodded. "I remember. He took me with him to Knockturn to sell some of the things he had found." At a further memory he chuckled, "That's the day he got into a fight with Weasley's father at the bookstore. I'm not sure if mother was actually more shocked or angry when father came home with a lump on his head from getting hit with a book."

"Yes, well, that was not one of Lucius' finer moments I must agree. But regardless, that's where things became interesting." Receiving a quizzical expression he continued. "Your father had stumbled upon an object while cleaning out the Manor, a powerful dark object that he had almost forgotten was there. I do not know the details but somehow it was beginning to control him, demand things of him. While he was nervous of it anyway because of that power, he became deeply alarmed when it demanded that it be given to you."

"To me? What would it want me for?" Draco asked surprised.

Over the next few minutes, Severus explained the how the object was connected to the Chamber of Secrets. Draco sat, shocked, as he learned how his father had convinced it that it needed a host better suited than Draco and how he had slipped it into another student's caldron to keep it away from him. At the end of the story, Draco thought for a few minutes before asking if his uncle knew who the other student was.

"Ginevra Weasley. She barely made it out alive, according to Dumbledore. She was very lucky."

At this Draco's jaw dropped and then clinched shut. He had to remind himself that his father had given it to her in order to protect him to keep from being angry at something that was four years in the past. He knew Sprite was fine, that was what mattered now. He forced himself to calm down as he watched Severus clean up the things he had used to treat his injuries. Once he was finished, he came to sit in one of the armchairs across from Draco. The older man surveyed him thoughtfully for a few moments before he began.

"Draco, I know what task the Dark Lord has given to you." Seeing the renewed fear and stress on the boy's face at the mention of his assignment he continued, "You have to know you cannot accomplish this on your own. I will help you if you will allow me to. However, the first thing we must do is develop your mental shields. Without them anyone will be able to extract this whole affair from your mind. You cannot let that happen."

At a nod from Draco he continued. "You have been through too much today physically for me to see any good in attempting to begin now. It would tax you too far mentally before you have had significant rest. I would rather begin tomorrow with your instruction. The only exercise that I think will be beneficial today would be for me to observe how your mind is arranged. With your body already under stress I will be able to sift through your thoughts with less resistance than I would meet otherwise."

With Draco's consent, Severus raised his wand and, looking him in the eyes, uttered "Legilimens." Draco felt a pressure on his thoughts and fought to keep the foreign presence out. It took him a few seconds to remember that Severus was not attacking him, but attempting to understand how his mind worked. Knowing that this would indeed help in the process of teaching the skill, he slowly forced himself to relax.

It felt as though he were watching a screen on which various memories from different parts of his life were played as Severus sorted through them, bringing one after another to the forefront of his mind. Innocuous things – the first time he flew on a broom, mother reading to him as a little boy, walking down Diagon Alley with father as the man pointed out interesting things to him – and some less pleasant – losing his first quidditch game to Potter, his stupidity getting him attacked by the hippogriff, being turned into a rodent by Professor Moody. He was slightly concerned by the way his memories of Sprite kept cropping up throughout this survey of his mental design. He hoped that Severus would either not recognize or simply ignore the way she seemed to flit throughout his thoughts at regular intervals. It was not, however, until Severus happened upon his memories of last summer that Draco suddenly renewed his efforts to shut the man out.

With growing concern he watched the conversation in which his parents explained their feelings on the Dark Lord play out through his mind. It was like trying to push a door closed on an eavesdropper who was bigger and stronger than you. No matter how much he pressed against Severus to keep him away from that memory, the man was by far the stronger force. For a few moments he maintained his focus on the conversation, long enough to hear what was said, before he moved on to other portions of Draco's mind. Draco was not sure exactly how long his uncle remained there sifting through his mental layout. When the man finally sat back heavily in his chair, releasing him from the spell, he saw that the shadows coming in from the book-lined windows had lengthened considerably.

Though the experience had not hurt him in any way, when combined with the pain he had endured that morning and the terror he had felt at his assignment the mental exercise had been brutally taxing. Draco leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. He might have even nodded off to sleep where he sat if Severus' words had not startled to full awareness.

"I had often wondered about Lucius' feelings after what happened to Regulus," the man mused almost to himself.

Alarmed, Draco began to offer up some excuse or lie to cover what Severus had seen in his thoughts. "Uncle, I-he, what you saw-"

"Calm down, Draco. Of all people in this world, I am quite possibly the one least likely to bring harm to Lucius, Cissa and you. It merely confirmed thoughts that I'd had before." He paused, looking at Draco as if appraising him, determining whether or not to speak before apparently making up his mind. He leaned forward and asked softly, "Draco, tell me honestly. Do you want this life? Do you wish to follow your father – or apparently more aptly your aunt – in this service? Whichever way you choose, I will do what I can to protect you. I just need to know what you want in order to know the best way to do that."

Draco sat there for a moment, body aching, mind reeling, trying to figure out what he should say. He trusted Severus. His father had said that they could. But if they were wrong and he told the man the truth, it could mean the end for his entire family. In the end, however, his desperation at the situation he had been thrust into won out.

"Like father said, you won't hear me extolling the merits of muggles or muggleborns and you'll probably never see me become best mates with Saint Potter, but I'm not a murderer, Uncle! You have to believe me when I say that the only reason I would ever even consider this whole suicide mission is to protect mother."

"I believe you. I would be hard put to think you capable of killing in cold blood." Severus assured him, leaning across the table and placing a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder. He weighed his next words thoughtfully before continuing, "We will have to think carefully what to do before you return to school. Nothing could possibly be done towards your assignment before then so it is likely that you will not even hear from the Dark Lord before that time. I think that the best course of action right now would be for us to try to come up with a plan, a few even, that could be reported to the Dark Lord to demonstrate that you are seriously endeavoring to fulfill his wishes. This should be enough to buy us some time. Meanwhile we will work out your options of getting out of this mess alive."

Draco nodded in agreement. Now that there was some hope ahead for his escape from the situation he felt what little remaining energy he had leave him. Despite the fact that it was only midevening, Severus instructed him to head upstairs to the office which also served as guess bedroom to get some rest. Severus warned him Pettigrew would be arriving sometime later that evening to do some menial work the Dark Lord had assigned to him so he should be cautious with his words when he awoke. As Draco drifted off to sleep, over the covers and still dressed in his slacks and collared shirt, his last gut-wrenching thought was of Sprite lying on the ground in a dark cavern as the terrifying form of the Dark Lord stood over her.

It was some time after midnight that Draco jerked awake. Looking around he realized that he was still in Severus' guest room but that it was now the middle of the night. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and the remnants of the nightmare he had been having played viciously in his head. Though grateful for it, he could not tell what had woken him from his disturbing dreams until he heard again the soft ringing caused by his uncle's outer wards. Because this area of town was so unlikely to see one of their kind by chance, the outer wards were set to go off when a witch or wizard came within a block of the house. Draco knew that a second more defensive set surrounded the actual house and prevented all but a select few from entering without permission.

Curious as to who would be in this part of town on foot at this hour of night, Draco crept to the top of the stairs only to be surprised by the terror-stricken face of his mother and the disdainful one of his aunt. He only caught a glimpse of them as Severus ushered them into the sitting room and ordered Pettigrew, who must have arrived while Draco slept, to bring them something to drink. Then the door shut, closing off his senses from the impromptu meeting which was apparently taking place downstairs. The only reason he could imagine his mother to have come out here this late at night and in such a state would be because of his mission with the Dark Lord and Draco was interested in what was being said. Remembering that the room he had been sleeping in was directly above the sitting room, he hurried as quickly and quietly as he could back into it and over to a vent in the floor.

It was a trick he and Blaise had learned as children. In older houses, like the Manor and Severus' home, often times the vents which allowed air to circulate between the downstairs and the upstairs were merely grate-covered spaces cut out in the floor. If a person was able to open them quietly enough, they could often listen to whole conversations happening below them, provided the participants were not whispering. If the ones being spied on were obliging enough to be standing or sitting at just the right angle, the eavesdropper was often even able to see them as well with the right angling of the vent slats. In the past he had used this trick to try and discover what he was to get for his birthday or Christmas or things of that nature. He had never thought he would be using it as nearly an adult in such a situation as this. As luck would have it though, he was able to both hear and see portions of what was happening below him.

Draco settled into position on the floor and prepared to gain what information he could from the conversation. Though he could not see his aunt he could certainly hear her. Both Severus and his mother were in clear view sitting across from each other in much the same positions that he and his uncle had been in earlier that evening. He was not sure whether or not to be concerned when as he assured Draco's mother that they were alone in the house, Severus shot a fleeting glance over the heads of both women straight at the vent through which Draco was spying. He assumed that his mother knew that he was here but he guessed that Severus had flooed her to say that he had all but passed out and would remain there for the night. She probably thought that he was still asleep and did not wish to draw attention to him where his aunt was concerned. He relaxed again when Severus' eyes drifted back down to answer some screeching question of Bellatrix's.

Over the course of the first part of the conversation Draco learned things about his uncle that he had not even thought to question. It did make sense that some of the faithful would question the loyalty of this fellow Death Eater, when the situation was laid out as his aunt presented it. Though the man's answers were clearly satisfactory having been enough to convince the Dark Lord himself something still felt off. When Draco added these same questions to their conversation earlier that evening it made him wonder if there was more to the whole situation than most saw. He put these thoughts aside for the moment and returned his concentration to the discussion below.

It became clear soon after his aunt temporarily finished her attack on Severus that she had been busy filling in his mother on the details of this afternoon and his assignment from the Dark Lord. If he had seen less of the woman recently, he might have been surprised by her calloused manner in which she spoke of her only nephew taking on a suicide mission. It troubled him how distraught his mother was. He was suddenly immensely grateful that she had not been in attendance to witness his torture that afternoon. When she broke down and began to beg for Severus' help it became painful for him to watch.

Draco fully expected his uncle to explain that it would be impossible. Despite their conversation that afternoon it seemed dangerous to mention anything of the sort in front of someone so unpredictable, let alone so loyal to the Dark Lord as Bellatrix. So he was greatly surprised when the man offered a promise to try and help him. It was not until his mother requested that Severus make the Unbreakable Vow with her and the man agreed that Draco felt his jaw drop. Regardless of the several surprises that had taken place in this relatively short conversation, Draco would never have guessed that that request would either be made or granted.

As he watched the bonding take place, Draco had to restrain himself to keep from making any sound of shock or dismay. This seemed like it would undo all of the plans, tentative as they were at this point, that he and his uncle had been devising earlier that evening. As they finished the final words that sealed the magical contract, Severus' eyes met his wide, astonished ones before looking back at the sisters.

Shortly after, his uncle ushered the two women out of the front door. Draco then heard him call to Pettigrew sending him to bed in the basement for the night. He heard as Severus made his way up the stairs and to the door of the guest room. With a knock the man opened the door to find Draco still seated on the ground next to the floor vent, too shocked at what had transpired shortly before to even bring himself to stand. At the sight his uncle allowed a small smile creep onto his face.

"I remember when you and Blaise used to do that, listen and try to get information from the adults around you. Quite the little spy."

"Uncle…why?" Draco asked his voice aghast. At his uncle's motion he waited for the man to cast a warding charm over the room so there was no way they could be overheard should Pettigrew decide to try his hand at eavesdropping. Then he continued, "Why would you do that? I thought we were going to try and do something – anything – to try and avoid-" he could not even bring himself to say to avoid killing someone. It made the whole thing so terrifyingly real. Instead he carried on. "Now there is no way out. One of us must do it, you've sworn and there is no way to break your word on it!" His voice towards the end became almost hysterical reflecting the strain that the entire day had taken on him.

"Draco, calm down," Severus ordered. When the boy had taken a few deep breaths he explained, "I am quite familiar with the limitations of the Unbreakable Vow. I have done extensive research on the subject and know the ways in which it binds a person. However, I also am more familiar than most with the limitations and peculiarities of this particular magic. While I need to consult a few texts to ensure that I am one hundred percent correct, I believe that everything will be well. It is just as well that I learned your feelings on the subject of the Dark Lord before I made the Vow as that inflection on the magic will be of some importance towards what I am and am not able to do within its confines."

The man placed a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder before suggesting, "Why don't you get some more sleep. Despite your earlier rest you've had an extremely long day. Tomorrow we will discuss this further and begin your Occlumency and potions lessons."

At this suggestion Draco nodded and climbed off the floor. After bidding his uncle goodnight and pulling on the nightclothes Severus had left for him he crawled back into bed and fell asleep. Fortunately, the rest of the night was uninterrupted by nightmares and he awoke in the morning well rested.

AN: LONG CHAPTER! This is by far the longest chapter yet. I kept trying to break it apart into two but it didn't work that way. Therefore, enjoy what is essentially a double feature.

What do you think about Narcissa's reaction to Sirius' death? Now we have seen Draco's assignment. How do you feel about the fact that I haven't changed that? Will Ginny find out? What do you think she will say about it? What do you think about Draco's Legilimensy lessons? Severus' reaction to what he saw? I love hearing your feedback!