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Chapter 11-Help
Harry didn't tell anybody about his rejection from Draco and it seemed the blonde hadn't told anybody either. During the following week, Harry couldn't bring himself to so much as look at Draco. The Slytherin thought this a great improvement from the past few weeks of being constantly watched by Potter.
It felt so freeing to sit in his lessons without feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end whenever Potter turned his green eyes on him. It was also a relief to eat his food at meal times without someone observing his every chew. For the first time in weeks, Draco didn't have to keep looking over his shoulder as he prowled down the corridors because Potter was no longer there following him like a shadow.
Yet despite this positive development, Draco Malfoy wasn't any happier and he still continued to carve his pain into the flesh of his arms as well as his legs.
Just after that day when Potter had tried to kiss him, or possibly bite him, hopefully the latter, Draco had taken his new silver best friend and introduced him to the pale white flesh of his thighs and they had dined together on a feast of scarlet.
His legs now bore as many cuts as his arms, if not more. He'd even gone so far as to etch words into the skin on his legs. On his left thigh he'd written 'HELP!' on his right he'd etched the words 'I'M AFRAID'.
Draco hated the scars that marred his once perfect flesh, but he hated the irremovable tattoo on his arm a million times more.
The cuts at least gave him some form of relief when he felt the initial sting that was followed by an oddly soothing burning sensation. Of course the relief faded after a short while as the guilt, depression and self-hatred seeped back in but those few seconds of bliss seemed worth it. As for the tattoo splashed oh so permanently on his skin, why, that gave no relief at all.
It just so happened that Draco was locked in a bathroom stall having a cutting session on his arms when the bell rang signalling his next lesson. With reluctance the blonde hid the razor blade away and quickly covered his arms before gingerly picking up his school bag and heading toward the greenhouses for Herbology.
He could have healed the cuts with magic if he had wanted to but for some reason Draco preferred to let the blood run as long as it pleased even if it had led to him feeling weak and faint a number of times.
Due to his cutting session, Draco arrived a little late to Herbology and almost everybody was partnered up. Just three other pupils remained; Potter, Weasley and Granger.
"Hurry up you four." Madame Sprout told them. "Pair up."
To Draco's horror, Harry made to move over to him but heaven was shining down on the Slytherin that day and the gods had sent him in angel in the form of Hermione Granger.
"No, Harry." She said pulling her friend back. "I'll work with him, there's no way I'm working with Ronald."
"Oh you're not still mad are you 'Mione?" Ron asked but she ignored him and crossed over to work with Malfoy.
"Hello Malfoy." Hermione greeted making an attempt to be civil.
"Granger." Draco replied with a curt nod as they pulled on their protective gloves. "I can honestly say I've never been so relieved to work with a muggle-born."
"Don't you mean mudblood?" Hermione asked giving him a peculiar look.
"Yes that's what I said." Draco replied hastily.
Hermione couldn't help but smirk at him in a way that could rival his own.
"Don't pull that expression at me, it's creepy." Draco told her as he bustled around the plant pots.
They were working with a magical kind of bamboo today and the task was quite difficult since the plant did not like to remain still. Instead they squirmed about in their pots trying to avoid the prying fingers of the students.
In all honesty, Draco saw little point in the chore since what they would take from the bamboo sticks were to be used in necklaces and other charms to ward off spells and hexes. Though they might protect against minor curses from a first year student they wouldn't help at all against the Dark Lord and the death eaters.
Both Draco and Hermione worked together silently tending to the plants at a good speed. They were almost done with their stock of bamboo when Hermione noticed the red seeping through the blonde's school shirt.
"Malfoy, what have you done?" She whispered.
He looked at her in confusion before he followed her gaze to his shirt sleeve that was stained with a few trails of blood. Panicking slightly he looked at her with pleading eyes silently begging her not to say anything.
She surveyed him for a while chewing on her lower lip before pulling out her wand and inconspicuously muttering a curse that caused a plant pot to explode on the other side of the greenhouse.
With the rest of the class temporarily distracted, Hermione grabbed both her bag as well as Malfoy's before ushering the boy out. They slipped outside undetected and Hermione led him to a secluded area behind a tree and set their bags down before pulling his sleeve up.
"No, don't." He tried to say but it was too late, his dark mark was on full display.
He closed his eyes waiting for her to shriek at him and run away or throw a hex at him or punch him or something. What he did not expect was to hear her gently whisper a healing spell and wave her wand over his freshly made wounds.
Finally daring to open his eyes he found that the traces of blood were gone, unfortunately the older scabbed cuts and the scars were still there along with that hideous tattoo.
The bushy-haired girl stared down at the pale boy's arm for a while before stowing her wand away and then gently running her fingers over the patterns of his cuts. After she'd touched them all her fingers traced the outline of the black tattoo and Draco wondered how she could stand to touch it when he could barely stomach looking at it.
"I didn't think you'd take it you know." Hermione told him as her finger finished running over the snake that protruded from the mouth of the skull.
"I didn't have a choice." Draco replied. "I went home this summer and he was just there." Both knew that the blonde was referring to Voldemort. "If I'd refused he'd have killed my mother, my father and then me. And believe me, it wouldn't have been a quick and painless death, it would have been slow and brutal."
"But…you're still so young." Hermione said as she let go of his arm. "Why would he mark you now? Dumbledore would know, surely he realises that."
"Of course." Draco answered with a hollow laugh. "Dumbledore knows everything somehow. The dark lord knows that but he also knows…he also knows Dumbledore is very trusting, that he'd offer me help and support if I needed it. That way, the dark lord could perhaps obtain vital information through me."
"Voldemort can't honestly think Dumbledore's that foolish." Hermione scoffed.
"You'd be surprised." Draco told her. "He believes Dumbledore to be an old fool and thinks that love and trust is his weakness. What he doesn't realise is that those are his strongest defences. Professor Lupin's too."
"I don't understand." Hermione admitted, the words sounding odd on her tongue.
"Lupin's kind and trustworthy." Draco explained. "You can open up to him, confide in him, just like with Dumbledore. They don't have to torture it out of you or use a potion, you talk willingly. Who among the death eaters could you imagine drinking tea with and opening up to?"
"Well that's true." Hermione replied. "But I still don't see…I mean if Voldemort knew you were passing information to Dumbledore and Lupin he'd kill you in an instant."
"He would." Draco agreed. "But I'm not passing anything on, I know nothing." Hermione got that confused look on her again. "The dark lord marked me mainly for the purpose of punishing my father. But I'm not really a proper death eater, I don't go to meetings or anything so I'm useless if anyone on your side wanted information from me. What I've confided to Lupin, which he'll pass on to Dumbledore is something the dark lord could never hope to achieve. They know whose side I'm really on."
"So, you've been marked." Hermione said trying to understand things clearly. "And Voldemort just assumes you'll be on his side when the time comes but…you're having tea and heartfelt talks with Lupin which…Voldemort would never do?"
"Granger, I like Lupin, I trust Lupin." Draco told her.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed as realisation dawned on her. "The relationship you have with Lupin is built on trust but with Voldemort there's nothing there. He doesn't trust you and you don't trust him yet you're supposed to be his ally when really you're here making allies out of us."
"Exactly." Draco said. "Before, I knew the day would come when I would either have to take the dark mark or face death, but I always thought it would be after I finished school and that I'd have nowhere to run."
"But by marking you early," Hermione continued. "He's ensured that you have people to turn to for help that you wouldn't have come to before."
"Yes. I mean why would I go back to a man that could turn on me at any second when I've people here I can trust to keep me safe to the best of their ability." Draco replied.
"I understand that." Hermione said slowly. "But I don't understand why you…your arms…what you've done to yourself…why do you do that?"
"I don't know." Draco answered honestly. "It wasn't planned. It just happened and it reminded me I was still alive and it felt so good and I haven't been able to stop since."
"But…you're destroying yourself." Hermione told him sadly.
"Just…don't tell anybody please." Draco begged her.
The Gryffindor bit her bottom lip looking hesitant to agree so Draco moved in for the kill; he formed his lower lip into a perfect pout and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.
"Please…Hermione." Oh how it pained Draco to use her first name. "Don't tell anyone. Promise me."
"Oh…ok." Hermione agreed. "I promise."
Draco nodded before retrieving his school bag and heading back up to the castle. Hermione watched him leave and began fiddling with a curl of her hair wondering what to do. Peering through the tree branches she saw that the rest of her Herbology class were filing out. She picked up her bag and joined the throng of students.
When lunchtime came, Hermione immediately sought out Ginny and explained to her that they needed to help Harry to help Draco but keeping her promise, she refused to reveal anything that she had seen or discussed with the Slytherin during their Herbology lesson.
Although it irritated Ginny not to know the full details she agreed to help Hermione help Harry to help Draco. In the mean time she would be enlisting Harry's help to help her get Ron and Hermione together. So perhaps her plans for the Christmas ball could benefit both should-be-couples. Whilst Hermione just wanted Draco to get the help he needed, Ginny wanted to play matchmaker to Draco and Harry.
Later on that evening, both Ginny and Hermione cornered Harry against a wall.
"Whatever it is I swear I didn't do it." Harry babbled as he wondered what he could have possibly done wrong.
"Sssh Harry." Ginny told him calmly before smiling sweetly, which was actually a lot scarier than it sounded.
"You have to help Draco." Hermione said.
"That's what I've been trying to do." Harry replied exasperatedly. "And what are you talking about anyway? You've been telling me to leave him alone and stay out of his business."
"Well I've changed my mind." Hermione retorted and Harry opened his mouth to argue. "Don't you start with me Harry James Potter, I'm cold, I'm hungry and I'm menstruating so don't mess with me."
"No, no messing." Harry said quickly holding his hands up in surrender.
"Good." Hermione and Ginny replied in unison as they both beamed at him.
"So what are your plans to help Draco?" Hermione asked.
"When did you start calling him Draco?" Harry questioned.
"Don't change the subject." The two girls told him.
"Right, sorry." He said sheepishly hoping Ron might appear and save him from this torture. "I really don't know to be honest, he won't even speak to me and I've kind of been avoiding him since…um…never mind."
"Since when?" Ginny asked keenly.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter." Harry answered as he ducked between them and scarpered off.
At dinner that evening two people received deliveries from unrecognisable school owls.
Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione received a bouquet of roses.
"Who the hell are they from?" Ron demanded to know completely unaware of the bolognaise source around his mouth and on his chin.
"I don't know." She replied looking at Ginny in confusion. "There was no note."
"A secret admirer perhaps." Seamus said giving her a wink to which she responded with a mock-glare.
"Well traditionally a bouquet of roses symbolises gratitude." Neville informed them all.
"Gwa-it-ood?" Ron asked through a mouthful of spaghetti.
"It's a sign of thanks." Hermione explained.
"I kno' wha' i' is." Ron replied indignantly spraying food over the table.
"So you have no idea who they're from?" Dean asked her. "That's a little weird."
"No it's not weird." Hermione replied with a smile. "It's just a new friend showing their appreciation. I know who they're from now."
The other person in the great hall to receive a special delivery was Remus Lupin. The school owl dropped a single flower onto the werewolf's lap and helped itself to some food before stretching its wings and flying away.
"Ah, a viscaria." Madame Sprout said from the seat next to Lupin's as she admired the flower. "They're a muggle breed of plant but still pretty even if they don't have special medicines or remedies and such."
"Do you know what they symbolise?" Lupin asked as looking down the teacher's table he found that Snape was not present.
"Oh but of course." She replied as she tucked into her dinner, dropping the majority of it onto her lap and large belly. "When given to someone they often mean to pose the question 'will you dance with me?'"
The Herbology teacher was about to carry on the conversation but Lupin was moving speedily out of his seat with the flower in hand heading straight for Snape's office.
He knocked on the door and it opened of its own accord and closed quietly behind him when he stepped in. The room was lit with floating candles and the desk had been magically shrunk and pushed to one side leaving a large space on the floor.
"I'd like to dance with you now." Snape said in his smooth voice as he stepped out of the shadows. "That is, if you still want me."
"Of course I want you Severus." Lupin assured him. "I've always wanted you."
The two men smiled at one another as they met each other half way across the room and linked one of their hands together whilst Remus placed his free hand on Severus' shoulder and he wound his arm around his slim waist.
Music filled the room and the two men moved together gracefully as they gazed fondly into one another's eyes.
"Don't…don't leave me again." Severus pleaded quietly looking momentarily vulnerable.
"Never Severus." Remus replied as he crushed their lips together.
Later, the potions master would tease the werewolf for being so corny and sickly sweet but at that moment neither man cared.
To Be Continued
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