A/N: WARNING!!! There is graphic descriptions nearing the end of this chapter. Just a reminder that this story is rated M for Mature!

That said, you guys are going to LOVE this chapter! (evil laughter)

Facing Your Fears

Over the next week, Shadow hated to admit it, but he didn't sense Salazar messing around with Boy while he slept. In fact, he slept deeply and without dreams. That might have been due in part to working hard all day and playing the piano at night until he was exhausted. Draco usually sat with him during these late night jam sessions. The blond hovered more than usual, worried about another seizure.

Remus returned on Wednesday and was very upset to learn about the episode. The werewolf ran Shadow through all the medical tests again, but it was worth the annoyance. Remus told them that he didn't think there would be another seizure. The magic healing his body was done, the balance was finally restored.

Not only that, but most of his scars were gone, as well. Only the worst ones - the one that ran the length of his right forearm and one that curved delicately from his left hip bone to his mid-back - were left at all, and even they were very faint white lines. Of course, he still had the lightning bolt scar on his chest, but that didn't really count since it was a curse scar.

As for Umbridge, she was trapped in her rooms until Thursday. She had Ministry healers coming and going at all hours, but none could help her. It wasn't until she fasted that she realized that whatever was making her allergic to sunlight was being put in her food and drinks. Now she didn't trust Hogwarts' kitchen and ordered all her meals and drinks from Hogsmeade.

Cured, she resumed teaching DADA class. More students than ever were given detentions and she docked more points from them than even Severus did. Shadow, himself, earned a detention for the following Monday for writing in short-hand when she ordered them to copy the fifth chapter of their books into their notes verbatim.

Shadow met with the twins that weekend to plan the next prank. It was going to be great! He even invited Luna to help. He hadn't forgotten that she had helped him last Saturday. To thank her, he fetched a pebble from the lake and wrapped it up in shiny paper. She took the gift gratefully and treated it as if it were a diamond, making the twins laugh hysterically. But for Luna, the simple gift was as precious as a jewel because it was the first one she had received from anyone except her father in a long time.

Shadow knew this because Luna spoke to him again through his empathy. The small blonde girl stared at him with wide blue eyes. Silently, she told him about the day of the seizure, how frightened and scared Neville and Ginny were, but that she hadn't be scared because she had known. She knew he was going to fall sick, that was why she brought him out to Neville. And she wasn't scared when he really had fallen because she already knew that it was the last seizure he would have and that he was going to be better when it was over.

"Thank you for helping me and Neville," Shadow said softly. He took her small hand in his and squeezed. She reminded him painfully of being at the Dursley's. He hadn't been understood there or got presents either. "I really appreciate it, Luna."

"Yeah, thanks," Fred said with a grin, draping an arm around her neck. She blinked up at him with slightly unfocused eyes.

George came up on her other side and put his arm around her waist. "We need all the help we can get, watching out for this guy."

Luna nodded with a happy smile. "Sometimes it takes many eyes to see through the shadows."

Shadow laughed. He was glad the twins got on so famously with the strange girl. Luna deserved to have some friends, and he couldn't think of better or more faithful friends than the twins.

xXxXxXx

He'd had enough! Neville had been avoiding him all week. After the shy Gryffindor had asked if Shadow was okay when they had run into each other in the halls on Monday, his brother had been conspicuously absent. Shadow hadn't even seen him at meals. In Transfiguration, Neville was the last to arrive and the first to leave.

Sunday after dinner, Shadow excused himself from the common room, saying he was tired. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and the map and went in search of his wayward brother. He was only mildly surprised to find him in the courtyard where he practiced his Earth Magic. His lessons with Madigan were every Wednesday, so Neville wasn't in the middle of a lesson; therefore Shadow didn't bother to knock as he pushed open the door and stepped outside under a cloudless, late September sky.

The air was cool enough that Shadow was glad he had pulled on a sweater. There was hardly enough light to see by, the moon waning into New. He silently stepped along the path until he came upon a bench beside a fir tree. Neville was sitting, hunched over. He wasn't making any noises. He was alone. Satisfied, Shadow threw off the cloak and approached. He didn't see the blade until they were almost within touching distance.

"Nev?" he asked softly, eyes wide.

The Gryffindor looked up. He didn't seem surprised to see Shadow standing there. Looking closely, he saw that Neville hadn't cut yet, but there was something in Neville's eyes that screamed how much he longed to. Taking a deep breath, Shadow opened his empathy a bit and was shocked by the depression that was rolling off his brother.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stepping closer and thinking of grabbing the razor blade.

"Pathetic, I know." Neville laughed bitterly. He offered the knife. Shadow took it and put it in his pocket, keeping it out of sight. Neville sighed at that. He looked away, tears filling his eyes; his acidic shame burned the back of Shadow's throat. "I didn't use it. I just sit out here and look at it."

"Why?" Shadow asked. He sat on the ground, his back to the bench leg so that Neville didn't feel like he was staring at him.

"It's nothing," Neville answered. He lifted his head and stared up at the stars. The Slytherin had enough to deal with and Neville felt guilty as hell for adding to it.

"Come on." Shadow pushed his leg. "We've been through this. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be. I'm fine, and if you don't tell me what's wrong, it'll only worry at me."

With a deep sigh, Neville confessed softly, "Ginny and I broke up."

"What?" Shadow sat straight and stared at his brother in shock. "What happened?"

"I couldn't tell her about… him, you know?" Neville looked down at his brother. His round face filled with an almost non-existent hope that Shadow would know what to say to make this better.

"I…" Shadow blinked, almost numb with shock. "She asked about it? How?"

"She could tell something was up. I… I'm kind of - I don't know - hesitant, when it comes to… kissing and stuff." Neville squirmed, very uncomfortable. He jumped to his feet and began to walk along the path to distract himself.

Shadow stared after him for a moment before getting to his feet to follow. He felt way out of his depth. Coming up along his brother, he asked carefully, "Have you tried talking to Remus about this? I'm sure he'd know how to help."

"I know what he'd say," Neville dismissed. His shoulders slumped despondently, realizing Shadow couldn't help him. "He'd tell me to tell her… I miss her, Shadow. She's been avoiding me, and when she has to be near me she acts like we're just friends. It really hurts."

"I'm sorry," Shadow said helplessly, shifting his weight on his feet, wishing there was something he could do. "I don't really know what you should do. I… I'm having my own trouble with this. In fact, I'm a few steps behind you. I should be asking for your advice, not the other way around."

"What do you mean?" Neville looked at him doubtfully.

Shadow gritted his teeth and briefly outlined the problems that had come clear in therapy. Neville listened. They ended up back at the bench under the fir. The only good thing about going over Shadow's problems was that Neville's depression shifted into focused concern and sympathy.

"I was shocked Ginny liked me," Neville said, offering understanding. "I wouldn't have talked to her if it wasn't for you. I felt I was dirty, I guess, damaged. I know that's different from what you feel, but I understand how hard it is."

"All I'm trying to say is that I can't imagine having a girlfriend, let alone telling said girlfriend about what happened." Shadow sighed, tugging at his curls. "You're ahead of me on this one, brother."

"I think you're not so far behind as you think," Neville said thoughtfully. "I think if you fall in love with someone, you'll be able to trust them even if you can't trust yourself. I mean, you never trusted L-L-Lockhart, but maybe you can trust someone else. Like I trust Ginny…" Neville trailed off, feeling understanding bloom. He trusted Ginny. He honestly trusted her. Maybe he wasn't ready to tell her everything, but he could tell her he'd been hurt. He could tell her that much. She deserved that much.

Shadow smiled, feeling the awe sweep across his brother's emotions. "Looks like you didn't need help. You just needed to talk about it." He reached over and hit the Gryffindor gently on the back of the head. "Next time don't avoid me, all right?"

"Yeah." Neville smiled. "What about you?"

Shadow shrugged. "I don't think I could trust someone that much, but maybe you're right. It might be easier to deal with if the girlfriend wasn't imaginary. If not making it easier, it might seem less pointless to work on it."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. The night was nice. It felt good to be outside.

"The concept of someone loving you is hard to grasp, but what about you loving someone else? Can you imagine that?" Neville eventually asked.

Shadow thought about it. That had never been the focus in therapy. After a moment, he answered, "I guess I could. As a friend or family, like I have already. I still can't imagine… lusting after someone."

"I can't either," Neville admitted. "It's not lust with Ginny, though. It's something different."

Shadow stared at his brother, filled with his feelings as Neville thought about the girl he loved. The warmth, the tenderness, the aching affection, and something else. A longing that Shadow couldn't understand, wasn't sure he wanted to. The deep emotional pleasure Neville was projecting at him when he thought of Ginny was suspect. He wasn't sure if he could ever trust that kind of feeling. It was deceiving, hormonal, and not based on any reality. Some people could make it work, others couldn't.

Sensing his distress, Neville shifted the conversation. "How's Slytherin House? We write with the parchment, but it's never too specific. What's it really like?"

Shadow shook his head, pulling out of his dark thoughts. "I like Rogan. He's a natural leader and he's smart, you know? Miles is very shy. Like you were, I guess, but Rogan looks out for him. Lillian is all spitfire. She loves to argue and she's incredibly quick to anger and equally quick to laugh. You never know which you're going to get with her."

Their conversation continued in this manner. Shadow spoke about his plans to unite the Houses, his prank war against Umbridge, and his and Draco's idea about a defense group so that the students would know how to fight when the war came to Hogwarts' doors. Neville told him about Gryffindor House. How Hermione was looking drawn, but was more determined than ever to stand up against Umbridge. And how Ron and Lavender were beginning to make eyes at each other. They laughed over funny stories and talked about everything they could think of.

The sun was coming up when they finally crept back into the school to get changed before breakfast. Because Slytherins had their own rooms no one would notice Shadow had been gone all night and the other Gryffindors wouldn't rat on Neville, so they didn't have to worry about getting in trouble as long as they didn't do it too often.

xXxXxXx

Umbridge was walking to breakfast, still coldly furious about the week and a half she was forced to remain in her quarters because someone poisoned her food! She didn't know who was responsible, so they were all going to pay for it. Heels clicking ominously on the stone floor, robes gently rippling, fake curls bouncing, Dolores Umbridge walked through the Great Hall doors and regally made her way to her seat. The students grew hushed as they watched her pass.

"Dolores," McGonagall said softly when the High Inquisitor finally took her seat.

"Minerva." Umbridge smiled, blue eyes regarding her suspiciously.

"You have paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe," the Headmistress told her kindly.

Flushed red with rage, she nonetheless was able to grit out a tight, "Thank you." Umbridge bent down and ripped the offending toilet paper from her shoe, unknowingly activating the charm that was amplified by a layered runic spell that had been woven into the thin paper sheet. For the rest of the day, any and all books would not open in the same room as her. She couldn't open her notes, students couldn't read from the chapters she assigned, nothing bound would come open.

"I want to know who is behind all these pranks," Umbridge demanded.

The fifth year Gryffindors shared meaningful glances, but none spoke up.

Umbridge smiled at them. "Don't be afraid. I will make sure the miscreants are dealt with. However, if you know something and don't say what you know, I'm afraid you can be considered an accomplice and will be punished as if you committed the crime yourself. Nobody wants that, do they?"

Hermione sat rigidly straight and didn't bother glancing around to see how her classmates reacted to this threat. She stared stonily forward and the other Gryffindors watched her quiet defiance and straightened at their own desks. The class kept silent.

Furious enough to spit nails, Umbridge stomped to her desk and yanked open a drawer. Inside were a dozen Silence Binding Blood Quills. She handed a quill to each student after giving them one more chance to tell her who the prankster was. Hermione paled, but none of the other students realized what they were being given. Had they known, they might have said something, but thinking they were just going to do a few lines, they said nothing about the twins.

"All right everybody." Umbridge stood in front of the class, her hands clasped in front of her as her cold blue eyes ran over their ranks. "I know you know who is at fault and your silence is the equivalent of a lie. How about writing 'I will not tell lies' one hundred times. Then we will see if anyone knows something or not."

As the first line was carved into their hand, the class exclaimed in horror and shock, their blood shimmering on their parchment. Only Hermione continued to write. Everyone else stared at their teacher in horror.

Umbridge smiled out at them with honest delight. "These are very special quills. They are Blood Quills, cursed to bind a silencing spell to your blood to prevent you from speaking about them to anyone. You will do your lines - all one hundred - or the quill will write them for you…" She paused for effect. "…Double the amount I have assigned."

True to her words, after remaining still for too long, the quill jerked from the teenagers' hands and began to write on their own at a furious inhuman pace.

Lavender and Parvati screamed in pain and would have fallen out of their seats had their hands not been magically pinned to the desk. Dean and Ron bellowed, grabbing the wrists of their injured hands and trying to pull free with all their might. Only Seamus snatched the quill back to take over writing on his own at a pace more tolerable.

"I suggest you do your own writing," Umbridge told the girls, Dean, and Ron with mock concern. "That looks rather painful."

The four scrambled for the frantic quill. Tears and blood flowed from them freely. They began writing, faces pale and eyes wide.

"You won't get away with this," Hermione spoke calmly, her quill moving evenly across the page. Practice made perfect, after all.

"And whom will you tell?" Umbridge asked sweetly.

"We don't know anything," Hermione glared.

"We shall see." Umbridge sighed contentedly, looking out at the pained class.

No one noticed Neville and the devastation on his face as he felt the first pain of the cut. He had thought about cutting all week, obsessed and fantasized over it, but at the same time he knew it was an addiction, an illness, that he had worked hard to overcome. As much as he wanted to use his razor, he was afraid to make the first cut. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop again.

No one in the class saw his expression melting into a shamed fascination. It felt so good. At first it was a shock. But then the familiar sting, the hypnotic sight of light shimmering off the ruby liquid, it came back to him like he had never stopped. He sank into the embrace and slowly his thoughts disappeared and all he was, everything that existed, was the gentle sting and throb, the tranquil shimmer.

By the end of the class, a serene smile curled his lips as he calmly wrote his lines. He was aware of no one. He walked the halls to his next class mechanically, on auto-pilot, wrapped in a warm cocoon of detached serenity.

xXxXxXx

Umbridge also grilled the following two groups of that day: the seventh year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class and sixth year Slytherin/Gryffindor class. She again demanded to be told who was guilty for the pranks being played on her. No one said a word. At first it was because they saw no reason to give her anything. Then when she forced them to do lines with the blood quills, they wouldn't tell her anything out of spite. Slytherins especially resented being tortured; they reacted better to bribes.

Umbridge was almost glad. For the first time since she had come to Hogwarts, she felt happy. Watching all those wretched children cry and tremble was almost worth what she had suffered. But not quite. She would find out who had attacked her. A couple classes like this and someone would tell her what she wanted to know.

By nightfall, she was in a great mood that promised only to get better. She was ready for her true prey. Umbridge sat at her desk, staring at the door expectantly, when it finally opened and Shadow Snape entered. The boy looked calm and undisturbed. She'd see how long that lasted. Smiling, viciously excited, she gestured toward the student desk in the corner. He sat and looked up at her with his Cursed eyes. She hid a shiver of unease and approached him with her most sickeningly sweet smile.

"I'm sure you've heard about my difficulty today," she inquired gently.

"No, ma'am," Shadow shook his head, blinking innocently. He had no idea what she had done to her classes. He wasn't scheduled to have his own DADA class until tomorrow. "Have more people used short-hand to copy their texts?"

"No." She sighed dramatically. "It seems books are charmed to lock shut in my presence."

"That's awful." Shadow frowned. "What are we going to do in class then?"

"I will think of something." Umbridge grinned, baring her shark-like teeth, "but due to this temporary disruption, I have something new in mind for your detention." She raised her wand, as if she were going to summon something from her desk. With surprising quickness, she slashed her it sideways, aimed at the startled teen, and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"

xXxXxXx

"Neville?"

Ginny walked across the common room, worry in her face. Neville sat on a couch near the fireplace and was staring blankly at the dancing flames. He turned his head slowly at her call and for a second she was worried he didn't recognize her. She watched as he scratched absently at the back of his right hand. A lot of people were doing that, but their hands looked fine to her.

"Nev?"

Neville blinked a few times, coming out of his daze. It had just been so long since he felt this numb and warm. He didn't want to leave it. But he had wanted to tell Ginny something, hadn't he? Slowly he remembered his all-nighter in the courtyard. He remembered the discovered depths of his trust for the redhead staring down at him worriedly. But remembering also brought back the humiliation and disgust, the absolute fear and smothering shame. He didn't want to feel those things anymore! He scratched harder at the scabs on his hand.

"Neville, something's going on, but no one will talk about it. Ron's acting really strange," Ginny explained. "What's happened?"

Neville shook his head. He literally couldn't say. Wasn't sure he even wanted to because he secretly liked the lines, the horrible quill. Merlin! Tears burned his eyes as he really listened to his own thoughts. He wasn't this weak! Not anymore. With painful effort, Neville forced his hands apart and met the eyes of the girl he loved.

"I want to, but I can't. Ginny, I can't!" He said, referring to cutting. He couldn't allow himself to fall back into this. He had to stop it!

"Can't?" Ginny glared angrily, misunderstanding. "Or won't? I don't understand why you won't talk to me! This is my brother! I thought you'd understand that!"

For the first time in their relationship, Neville got angry back. He jumped to his feet and grabbed her wrist, his brown eyes blazing with fury. "You don't understand! I get that it's not your fault, but could you try to be a little less blind? I can't tell you what's wrong. Literally. At least, not what's wrong with the others, but you want to know what's wrong with me? Fine! Fine, Ginny!" he yelled into her startled face. "I have an addiction to cutting. I'm trying to avoid falling back into that addiction and this stress isn't helping, Gin! You're not helping me by pushing!"

"Nev…" she gasped. "I…"

"No! Listen to me now!" he cried, voice beginning to tremble and his anger giving way to desperation. "You accused me of not trusting you. Well, what about trusting me? I wouldn't keep something from you for the fun of it, Gin. Obviously, this is hard. Obviously, what's wrong with me is something bigger than I can deal with, but I do trust you. I trust you, Ginny. So I'm going to tell you something. Something you're going to regret knowing. Something I had wished very hard you would never know about me."

"Nev…" Ginny protested, trying to pull her wrist away, certain it would be bruised, and beginning to fear whatever it is was that was happening.

Neville stared blindly at her. His face crumpled with pain, his brown eyes wide. He was panting and his voice sunk to a whisper that Ginny had to lean in to hear. "I was hurt. Okay? Someone…" He closed his eyes, gasping for breath he couldn't find, unconsciously squeezing Ginny's wrist tighter. He didn't hear her gasp of pain. "… Did things with me when I didn't… I didn't want!"

His eyes flew open and were filled with so much pain that Ginny forgot about her own. All she could feel was shame for pushing Neville the way she had and horrified that a person would hurt Neville that way. Crying himself, Neville released her wrist and fled from the room.

Ginny was too shocked to follow. She tried, but tripped over her own feet and fell to the floor. She began to cry, cradling her wrist. How could she be so selfish? So clueless to her boyfriend's pain? Disgusted with herself and aching for her love, she sat there and cried until her friends found her and brought her back to their dorm room.

They wanted to get one of her brothers, but she told them not to. She couldn't face anyone right now. She needed to think. She had to make it up to Nev. She had to make things better. Somehow.

xXxXxXx

Shadow jerked as the spell hit him, freezing him instantly in place.

"That's better," Umbridge practically cooed. "I want you to sit still for what I have in mind. Wouldn't want you to leave before the show was over."

She walked crisply over to her bookcase. On the bottom shelf, she removed a shrunken trunk. Shadow could only move his eyes as the wretched bitch brought it over to him and unshrunk it at his feet. His magic was combating her spell. In thirty seconds or less, he'd be free and Umbitch was going to pay for attacking him.

"I want you to really pay close attention, Mr. Snape," Umbridge said sternly, wagging her finger at him. "Things could be so much worse for your father than this will be for you if I tell the Minister that Severus is acting suspiciously. Do you understand me? I'm doing this for your benefit. I'm trying to help you understand the seriousness of disrespecting the Ministry and her employees."

She flipped the lid open and rapidly stepped back. She watched avidly as the boggart rose from the depths of the trunk and settled before the frozen teenager. Shadow's eyes went wide in recognition and something akin to desperation swept though their glassy depths before the strangest thing happened. Umbridge looked closer. It had looked like all awareness had gone out of the teen's eyes, but before she could take a step forward, the teen jerked and the Petrificus shattered.

Umbridge raised her wand in fury, but before she could cast a spell, the teen screamed and flung himself hysterically backward, toppling his chair as he scrambled for the furthest corner. Umbridge went absolutely pale as the boggart elongated and took the form of a monstrous man with slitted, blood-red eyes. The tall, hairless man cackled and the laugh made goosebumps rise on her arms and neck.

Another figure split from the boggart. A grotesquely fat man, face twisted with rage, cracked the whip he held masterfully in his right hand. Sadistically, he twisted a bloody butcher knife he held in his left hand so that it reflected light into the terrified eyes of the teen cowering at his feet. He was bellowing hateful words that hit the air with an almost physical impact.

The boy was screaming now, hoarse rasping screams, almost breathless with terror. Umbridge didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't this.

A third shape broke off from the two menacing figures already tormenting the child. Umbridge gasped with horror. A blond man was standing pant-less, his button-down shirt open down the middle. He was pumping his hand obscenely as he stared at the stricken boy with a disturbing lust.

The boy's terror was so great that Umbridge could smell it. She bolted from the room, a scream rising in her throat, infected by the unreasoning terror thick in her small office. The boggart fed off it, grew stronger with every passing second. The three figures became more real, more solid.

Vernon lifted the whip and prepared to strike.

Voldemort lifted his wand, bloodlust glowing in his eyes.

Lockhart was reaching for the teen, ready to pull him forward and finish what he had started.

"Riddikulus!" Draco intoned, his robes swirling around him. He couldn't exactly summon amusement, but indifference was just as deadly to a boggart.

Lockhart jerked and spun around, approaching the blond Slytherin who was wounding it. Draco was momentarily distracted as he watched his old teacher approach while gesturing him closer, grunting and moaning in pleasure, his other hand still working himself furiously as his lustful eyes ran over Draco hungrily. But then Boy began to keen and his wand snapped up.

"Riddikulus!" he incanted, utterly revolted.

Lockhart exploded into black smoke that absorbed back into its other two forms.

Vernon turned and charged the blond, face ugly with murderous rage, but Draco was ready and he calmly incanted, "Riddikulus."

Again the figure exploded into black smoke. The last boggart turned and practically flew at the Slytherin. Draco faltered for just a moment, eyes wide, frightened despite himself as he stared into the monstrous features of the risen Dark Lord.

"Riddikulus!"

Voldemort flinched back. The incantation wasn't as strongly meant as the others. The nasty boggart was merely wounded. But Draco found his humor, watching the great and almighty Dark Lord flinch back from such a silly word. Laughing, he cast it again. Voldemort exploded and faded away like a shadow struck through with sunlight.

Shaking with adrenaline, Draco turned his attention to his best friend. He had never seen Boy or Demon with his own eyes before. He wished he still had that ignorance. Boy stared up at him with impossibly large eyes. Eyes that were painfully innocent and horribly frightened. Draco could see the teen trembling like a spooked horse even through his clothes. Boy was sobbing, still breathing erratically, and clutching the wall behind him as if it would grant him some kind of protection.

"Hey. It's all right," Draco tried. It hurt more than he could ever say to see his friend like this. "They're gone. It's okay. I got rid of them…"

Boy shuddered and gasped, heart pounding against his ribs. Slowly, memories seeped into his terror-soaked mind as the person talked to him softly. He recognized that voice, that face. Then he remembered and gasped, eyes getting impossibly wider. "Boy…" he rasped tearfully, his body relaxing marginally. "Boy… like me…"

Draco's words stuttered to a halt and he just stared at the other teen. He had been told that Boy wasn't capable of speech or rational thought any longer.

"You hurt… like Boy…" the teen babbled. His painfully clear eyes pinned to the Slytherin, wary of sudden moves. "You Boy, you hurt… Boy like Boy…"

"Yeah," Draco swallowed, crouching down so they were at eye level. "I'm a boy like you. It's okay. It's just us. No one is here to hurt us."

Boy sobbed and curled forward over his knees. Rocking, the teen pleaded with him. "Hurts… Always hurts… I'm sorry… Bad, so sorry…"

"Hey," Draco called and took an awkward step forward. "No more hurt. Not for right now."

The child behind his friend's eyes looked up at that. He didn't seem to understand, so Draco repeated himself, taking another step forward. Boy trembled at his approach, but allowed the Slytherin within touching distance. However, when Draco reached out to touch his shoulder, the child jerked away with a frightened whimper.

"I'm sorry," Draco said quickly, hoping to stave off another round of hysterics. "It's okay. I won't touch you. I'm sorry."

Boy stared at him, truly silent for the first time. Face soaked with tears and sweat, he looked utterly wretched, but something had happened. He stared at Draco as if he were seeing a sunrise for the first time. And psychologically, he was. For the first time in his whole existence, Boy felt a faint, barely perceptible touch of hope.

He hadn't really thought the person with him was a Boy like he was Boy. No one was as bad or needed as much punishment as Boy did. The person on the Inside - who was gone now; the person with the bed - had felt pain, was a kind of Boy, making him kind of safe, but Boy always knew that the almost-Boy could hurt him if Boy was bad enough.

Then he had seen this blond person be hurt on the Outside. With a whip, that dreadful punishment, so he was more like Boy than the person on the Inside had been, but still not as bad as Boy, nothing was as bad as Boy. But suddenly - hearing this person apologize so desperately - he thought maybe, just maybe this really was a Boy like Boy. Maybe he was safe. Maybe he didn't have to be alone.

Sighing, the child shuddered and edged closer so that only a few inches separated them. His clear blue and green eyes were pinned to the blond's face as if searching for something. Draco hardly dared to breathe. This was the most incredible experience of his life. To have such a hurt and frightened child show even the littlest bit of trust was indescribable. Each little gesture meant the world and Draco was terrified he'd mess this up, ruin the child before him completely.

His fear must have shown in his eyes because Boy suddenly offered a tearful smile and huddled next to Draco, so close they were almost touching. "Boy really is Boy," the curly-haired teen explained thickly before pressing his face tiredly against his knees, crying softly.

Unlike the previous tears of fear, or the tears of pain Draco had witnessed in his father's Pensieve, these tears were tears of relief. Draco smiled, his own eyes wet, and just let the teen cry against him. But no matter how much he wanted to just sit there and let the broken child take comfort from him, he couldn't wait much longer.

Draco had been worried when Shadow was assigned detention. He decided to wait outside Umbridge's office for his friend. He wanted to be there if Shadow became as upset as last time. He hadn't expected to see the woman come running out like Dementors were on her heels. He had Stupefied her before he really knew what he was doing.

Draco had no idea what she had seen in her office, but if it had to do with Shadow then most likely they would have to erase her memories. And now she would be waking up soon. He needed Severus. His eyes caught on the bracelet Shadow always wore and he knew what he had to do.

"Boy, can I see your wrist?" he asked softly. "May I see that pretty bracelet?" He thought he'd feel ridiculous talking to Shadow that way, but he didn't. Not at all. Boy was so obviously fragile that it was really easy to do whatever you had to, talk anyway he had to, in order to make the child feel better.

Boy glanced at his wrist. He stared at it for a moment, tears of utter sorrow still running down his cheeks. Sniffing, he lifted his arm and pushed it in the other Boy's direction. He flinched and whimpered softly as the pale fingers gently took his arm and undid the bracelet that summoned Severus.

As soon as the bracelet was off, Boy yanked away and huddled, panting and trying to calm down. It hadn't hurt, but being touched invoked phantom pains all over his body. Draco watched this sadly and spoke a litany of calming words. He had just gotten Boy to calm down again when Severus barged into the room.

Boy flung himself toward the corner and screamed hysterically. Draco leapt to his feet and grabbed Severus' ferocious eyes with his own, shoving his memories of the past fifteen minutes into the man's head.

Severus flung words back at him. I will attend to Umbridge. Wait. Calm him. I'll return.

He spun around and practically flew from the room and back to the stirring Undersecretary for the Ministry of Magic. Severus almost couldn't control his deadly fury at the vile woman. He had seen. He knew her offense. And he would not forget. But protecting his son came first. He could not use the Dark Arts that were pleading to be released on the woman's depraved mind and body. The anklet still active on his person prevented it. His revenge would have to wait.

So he merely Obliviated her and crafted the most intricate and complex memories he was capable of to make her think nothing odd happened in the detention. A boggart had appeared, took the form of a Ministry executioner, and frightened Shadow until Umbridge banished it and let the shaken teen go, smug in the knowledge she had power over Shadow and, through him, his awful father. Hopefully the constructed satisfaction would lead her to leave Shadow alone for awhile.

Severus levitated the woman's unconscious body back up to her office, planning on arranging her there as if she had fallen asleep at her desk after the detention. He propped her upright outside the door before cracking it open. It was pitch black. Casting a temporary night-sight spell, he glanced around the room. He was utterly shocked at what he saw.

Boy was huddled next to Draco, the Slytherin murmuring gently in his ear, and looked as peaceful as Severus had ever seen him. He still looked faintly distressed and grief-stricken, but he was no longer crying. He watched as Boy's eyes finally shut and he slipped into sleep. Raising his wand, he cast a sleeping charm to ensure the teen wouldn't wake for a good couple hours and re-lit the room.

Draco looked up at him, his grey eyes strained and aged. Severus nodded, silently telling his student how proud he was of him. Draco just stared at him, shell-shocked over all that he had seen. He watched as Severus positioned the bitch just so, made a few final touches, and bent to carry his son in his arms. Shadow was only one hundred and fifteen pounds, so it was easy for Severus to do.

Draco followed his teacher and friend back to Severus' quarters. He stayed in the living room, arms wrapped around himself as he stood in front of the fire, while Severus got Shadow settled into bed. Draco didn't turn when he heard the bedroom door click shut and his teacher approach him from behind. He kept his eyes firmly on the fire and concentrated on it, afraid that Severus would try to get into his mind.

"I am considering it," Severus' smooth voice answered him, proving him right. "Shadow will not be pleased when he realizes what happened and what you saw. He would want me to strike it from your memory."

Draco shivered, rage clawing at his stomach. He was far from stupid. He knew they were talking about Lockhart's presence in Umbitch's office. He knew what it meant, and he was so incredibly angry that he had to literally hold himself together to keep from exploding. Magic rolled and pulsed under his skin. Dark magic, destructive magic, and he had an inkling of what Demon's magic would feel like, except that the alter existed on a more massive scale.

"Don't you dare," he warned darkly with a tone of voice he had never heard from himself before. He almost sounded like his father, but even that realization couldn't cool his anger.

Severus hissed as he spun the teen around to face him. "I will do what is best for my son whether you like it or not!"

Draco bared his teeth like a wild animal, his grey eyes blazing silver. His magic lashed out and it was only because Severus was prepared that he wasn't flung across the room. As it was, he had to take two staggering steps backward under the blow.

"You will not touch my mind," the blond said with icy fury. "I invoke the Rite of Vengeance and call upon the ancient Goddess Nemesis! Supera Dea dicto! A perverse crime of hubris has been committed, and I willingly stand guard to ensure that justice is paid! Mihi ut voto meus et ultione constringere!"

Magic crackled around him for a brief moment before fading into his skin. The rite had been activated successfully. It bound Draco to see that justice was done within a year of entering the vow if Shadow was unsuccessful or unable to do so himself. Should the blond fail in his charge, he would be penalized by having the suffering of the victim magically inflicted upon him.

Severus stood rigid, appalled. "Do you realize what you've just done, you stupid boy?"

Draco met his gaze defiantly. "I will not let you make me forget. I've seen too many horrible things done to Shadowand have done nothing to stop it! I won't stand helplessly by this time!"

Severus regarded the teen silently. The clever little Slytherin was right, he thought furiously. He couldn't erase Draco's memory without risking the chance that Draco could be condemned to experience firsthand what it was like for Shadow to suffer at Lockhart's hands. That was something Severus could not inflict on anyone.

Coldly furious at being denied, knowing that Shadow would be made desperately upset by what Draco knew and had done, he grabbed the teen by his collar and flung him toward his door. "Get out," he hissed threateningly. "Get out now, you selfish brat! You have no idea what you've just done to Shadow, how you've just destroyed the fragile healing he was gaining by making him bear another burden you so thoughtlessly added to his shoulders!"

Trembling in fear at his teacher's very real anger, the blond allowed himself to be thrown from the room. Severus slammed the door shut in his face with a final hateful snarl. Shaken and confused, Draco sank to the cold stone floor of the corridor. He thought he had been doing the right thing!

Pulling himself to his feet, he ran as fast as he could, pushing his body as hard as it could go. He sprinted, gasping for breath, through the Slytherin common room and up to his dorm. Draco slammed the door shut and applied every locking spell he knew before allowing the breakdown to come.

Screaming, raging, he threw everything within reach at he walls. He flung himself at his bed and tore his sheets, pounded on the mattress with angry cries, until he couldn't any longer. Draco finally collapsed, his exhausted sobs muffled by his pillow.

xXxXxXx

Neville entered the common room an hour or so before dawn. His tread was as heavy as his heart and his eyes were dull. He couldn't believe the things he had said to Ginny. All night he wandered the courtyard and tried to find peace, but it wouldn't come. He was so lost in himself that he didn't see the figure on the couch near the dying fire.

Ginny almost lost her nerve when she saw the state Neville was in. But then she reminded herself that he looked so beaten because of her and she had to do something to right things. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward and softly called her boyfriend's name. Neville froze and stared at her like a deer caught in spell-light.

"Nev, I just wanted to say I'm so sorry that you had to go through so much," she began. "I'm sorry I pushed you to tell me before you were ready. It was selfish and immature. But I'm glad I know. I'm glad to know when you are hurt because I want to help you. Because we're together now, and by definition together means to share, right? And I want to share this with you, but I would understand if you don't want to be my boyfriend anymore. I can be really pushy and quick-tempered. I'm really sorry for that, Nev. I love you and I didn't mean to hurt you. "

Neville couldn't believe it! She was suppose to find him disgusting and weak, tainted permanently. How could she stand there expecting to be rejected by him when she was perfect and everything he wanted? It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Ginny nodded, accepting that he was still mad. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around her thin waist. "Okay. Well, I just wanted to say that." She turned, tears in her eyes.

Neville spun her around and hugged her hard. Crying out in surprise, she embraced him back. Grinning, she clung to him tightly, deeply grateful to be forgiven. She pulled away and laughed. Neville smiled back at her, exhausted and feeling he had just been given a reprieve from execution.

"Want to curl up here with me?" she asked, gesturing backward at the couch she had been using.

"Yeah…" Neville answered hoarsely. "Yeah. That sounds really good." He took her hand gently in his. "I love you, too, Ginny."

She smiled and they settled on the couch, cuddled up to each other, the fire warm on their faces.

Chapter end.

A/N: So… The big reveal… Draco knows a bit about Lockhart. He doesn't know about Kitten, but he knows more than before. Did you like how it was done? I promise there'll be the juicy Shadow-finding-out-Draco-knows-and-confronting-him scene first thing next chapter! I've been working on that scene for days; I'm so anxious to see what you guys think of it.

A/N2: There were a few requests that I recommend some good stories. LightningOnTheWave has a long and beautiful series that I return to often. The first story is titled Saving Conner. Also GreenGecko has a great series that I love. The first story is called Resonance. Finally, there is the long story called A Year Like None Other, by AspenInTheSunlight. This one isn't on FFN; she has a live journal site and there's a webpage for it. Try Googling it. Hope you all enjoy these fabulous stories as much as I do.