Unbidden Memories

by lalaluu

Author Note: Standard Disclaimer Applies. Thanks to my repetitive reviewers! dunedaingirl – happy that you're happy with the characters' progression. bugslife – me too! It would be devastating for Draco to be torn away at this point from the people he's come to care about and trust. Thank you to cecelle, my tireless beta-reader. I don't know what I'd do without you!

Chapter 25

Re'em Blood

They emerged from the Floo network onto a large hearth. Andrew stepped out to look around his professor's living room. Emmaline, following a moment later, cast a cleaning charm on them both.

"Through here." Severus led them into an adjacent room.

Andrew dumped his things on the double bed.

"I'm afraid," Severus began cautiously, "that there is not an adjoining bathroom."

"That's okay," Emmaline said, hanging a few things in the wardrobe.

"You will have to use the one in my room."

Andrew glanced up quickly at Professor Snape. He smirked at seeing the man blush, but hid it quickly by digging through his duffel bag.

"Draco should be here for dinner," the professor informed them as he strode out of the room.

Andrew watched his mom as she hung up her garments, applying ironing charms every so often.

"I think it'll still be better than Grimmauld Place."

"Mmmhmm," she murmured noncommittally. "Remember not to mention it. We were supposed to be here all along."

"I know," he smiled, and dumped some clothes on a nearby chair.

His mother laughed and shook her head. "That will make it look like you've been living here!"

Draco emerged from Severus' hearth to the sound of a woman's laughter. He smiled. He knew whose laugh that was. His godfather was seated in his favorite leather chair, drinking a snifter of brandy. Draco raised one eyebrow. It was still a bit early, and he had rarely seen Severus indulge, even at parties.

"Draco," his godfather acknowledged him. "I have added a portal to your room. It is behind that tapestry."

Draco walked over to inspect the cloth, which had been incorporated into a large frame.

"I thought it would be less obtrusive than a portrait," Severus said as he approached. He pulled the frame back to reveal the Head Boy's room. A hand on his shoulder stopped Draco. "I have made an addition to your room. I thought you would not mind, but if you'd rather have the room to yourself, it can be removed."

Draco saw the extra twin four-poster decked in Slytherin green and grinned. "No, it's great." He took out his trunk and enlarged it. Opening it, he picked up the package on top. He took a moment to look around once again, feeling glad to be where he was. It was…comfortable. Definitely more so than his parents' house.

He walked back into the parlor to find Severus glaring at the hearth rug. Emmaline moved her gaze from Severus' face to Draco's, eliciting a hopeful smile from them both. Sitting next to her on the sofa, he said sincerely, "I wanted to thank you for the present." He unfolded the unique wrapping carefully.

"Do you like it?" she asked expectantly.

"Yes," he said, almost fiercely. He opened the photo album to the first page. "There was a photographer at the Yule Party. I'll have to see what pictures he took. I hope to find one or two to add to it."

She smiled as she slipped one arm around him to hug him to her. "I'm glad you like it."

Severus stared at the album, the covering of which was made of natural materials. It looked like something you'd purchase from a street vendor in the East Indies.

Draco noticed his stare and turned the album around. A picture of Emmaline and Andrew was prominent above an inscription. He placed it back in his lap and read it again to himself.

To Draco,

May this album, like your life, be filled with friends and good memories.

Love, Emmaline and Andrew.

That no last names were used made it all the more personal. They would never forget him as he could never forget them.

"If only we could find your potions ingredient," Draco groused. He looked over at Andrew's bed. His friend was lying across it, flipping through one of Draco's Quidditch magazines. "Andrew…"

He wasn't paying attention to Draco, apparently. "I wonder if Persephone likes Quidditch. And which team do you suppose she likes best?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't know…Why don't you owl her and ask?" he suggested as he pushed through the portal to Severus' parlor.

"Good idea!" he heard before the tapestry closed.

Severus was staring into the fire. Draco sighed in relief when he noticed the man wasn't holding a drink. Dinner had been a bit tense despite the teens' attempts to engage the adults in conversation. Emmaline had been willing to talk with them, but Severus was reticent; in addition, the two adults never spoke to each other. Draco wondered what had happened to put him so on edge. He leaned back on the couch and stared into the fire, too. If Andrew kept up his side of the conversation only by talking about Persephone, if his finished potion and mostly written thesis were all he had to work on, and if Emmaline stayed in her room the whole time, Draco thought he might rather be back at the Manor. Well, almost. Sighing, he decided to go knock on her door. Even if she weren't awake, she'd make the best company he could find around here.

"Come in!" she called, to his relief. "Draco!" She was curled up on the bed, papers spread around her. She looked a bit surprised, yet pleased to see him. "Clear off a space and have a seat."

He moved some papers at the end of the bed to the top of the dresser and sat down rather primly. She sighed almost exasperatedly and moved a pile of papers aside, patting the now clear space beside her. A faint blush stained his cheeks, but he moved next to her, his feet dangling off the side.

"What's up?" she asked, turning her attention to him. When she noticed he was a bit embarrassed by it, she looked back at her papers.

Draco studied his hands. He then glanced up and studied her face for a moment. She must be about his godfather's age, yet she didn't look it. Of course, Severus looked much older than he actually was. She wasn't very pretty, yet she was nice to look at. Deep down, he might admit that it was her personality that made her attractive, but Draco had always put a lot of stock in appearances and found it difficult to admit even to himself that he might could think differently. He finally told her his dilemma. "Andrew and Severus aren't very good company."

She glanced at him but kept perusing her papers. "Oh?"

Draco sighed. "Andrew only wants to talk about my cousin, Persephone. If you ask me, I don't know what he could possibly see in her."

"You don't?" she asked absently.

He shook his head. "No. I could understand why he'd be interested in Ginny Weasley. She's pretty – even if she is a Weasley."

"Something wrong with being a Weasley?" she asked, a tad amused.

Draco's lips curled into a sneer. "They're…" he paused, searching for the right words, "blood traitors. Muggle lovers. Poor as mice, too." He looked up to find her staring at him.

"You might want to think about that a little more." There was a strong warning in her voice, his estimation of the Weasleys could just as easily have fit her. She frowned as she watched his countenance grow thunderous. "It is easy to judge people by how they look, how much money they seem to have, and with whom they associate. It's easy, but it's not entirely right. The Weasleys may be all those things you make them out to be, but from a different perspective…"

"Like Potter's," he spat, screwing up his face in distaste.

Emmaline smirked slightly, studying him as he glared into the distance. "Tell me, Draco, these people you don't like, do they make assumptions about Malfoys, too?"

"Yes!" he said emphatically.

"And those assumptions…about you…are they wrong?"

"Yes!" he adamantly repeated.

"Well, I imagine it works both ways." She gave him a pointed look.

He scowled.

Emmaline laughed. "Oh, it's not pleasant learning you might be wrong. Nobody likes to be proven wrong. However," she grasped his wrist and held his gaze, "you'll feel so much better once you're right again."

Draco lowered his eyes to her hand. He sighed and made a dismissive gesture so that she let go. "I just wish," he pouted, pulling at a thread he had found in the duvet, "we could finish Andrew's potion. Then maybe he'd talk about something other than Persephone." Draco snorted. "Then again, maybe not."

"Why can't you guys finish the potion?" Emmaline asked, allowing him to change the subject.

"We're missing an ingredient."

"What is it?"

"Re'em blood."

Emmaline stared at him in shock. "What do you need that for?"

"I don't know," Draco said, obviously irritated about being left out. "Andrew never told me."

A knock sounded on his bedroom door. Probably Draco. Severus was in no mood to listen to his whining. The evening had been intolerable. He had actually felt awkward around Emmaline. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to push aside his feelings. He had to speak to Albus and make sure the spell was still in place.

Opening the door, he found the object of his thoughts standing upon the threshold. She looked back at the closed tapestry before requesting entrance. He nodded and stepped aside.

"I wanted to talk to you without the boys knowing I was talking to you."

Earlier, he had sat in the parlor while Emmaline had used his bathroom to freshen up. He refused to even enter his room when she was there. There must be no temptation and, anyway, the boys, who were arguing over Draco's cousin and plying him for his opinion, would have been suspicious if both adults were sequestered behind his bedroom door. Andrew's curiosity was legendary, according to Emmaline at least, and he thought he caught the boy giving the adults knowing looks throughout the whole meal.

Now he was dumbfounded by her statement, though he shouldn't have been. She elaborated, gesturing helplessly, "It's just that I didn't want to get their hopes up."

His eyebrows rose higher. She sped up her explanation, embarrassment coloring her cheeks, "Draco said Andrew needed a potion ingredient. What I want to know is – why? What potion is he trying to make?"

Severus' look of surprise turned to a deep frown. How had so many people come to know – even vaguely – about Andrew's potion? It was entirely unacceptable – both for a Slytherin and for someone who was a spy. He snapped his mouth shut and frowned. He might as well tell her. He stood to lose more if he didn't. "The potion is called Laxo Excrucio. It was taken from a very old text. Apparently, Re'em blood was a more common ingredient then."

Emmaline paced the room, lost in thought until he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

"I…know a couple who decided to take up ranching as their retirement venture." She paused and looked up at him. "They raise Re'ems."

Wouldn't you know it? She would have to have the answer to all of our problems…

"I can go there and back in a day and a half," she was saying. "Would that give you enough time to brew the potion – if I am able to bring any Re'em blood back?"

"The potion does not require excessive skill or time to brew, only exotic ingredients."

She nodded absently, lost in thought. "A secure, international Floo would work. Or I can find a phone."

"I am sure Albus would let you use his Floo."

"Good. I need Kenneth, my work partner, to contact the Abernathys to let them know I'm coming."

"It is the holiday season… Are you sure they will be home and open to visitors?" Worry over the short amount of time they had left – only five days – began to creep over him.

"They're old friends from back when Andrew was little," she replied, smiling softly at the fond memories that surfaced with the thought. "I don't think they'd mind."

Severus studied her for a moment, knowing she might not agree to his next idea, but hoping it would go over with little fuss. "A member of the Order should go with you," he remarked, noticing her surprise and interest. "There are several reasons – you may need some protection," he raised a hand to stall her protests, "and someone should be there to represent our cause."

Emmaline appeared to think for a moment before raising her eyes to his. "The American people should know the truth about what's going on in this country. Unfortunately, they don't trust the British Wizarding media." She shook her head, whether over the state of the British press or the nearsightedness of the American public, he didn't know. "A first-hand account would be invaluable, and perhaps…we can spread the word via good old gossip," she smirked.

He inclined his head, thinking that her plan had some merit. She definitely was a Slytherin, albeit more altruistic than any Slytherin he had ever known. "I will set up a meeting with Albus for the morning…" he trailed off when she frowned and shook her head.

"You're doing it again…forgetting about the time change," she amended noticing his confusion. "Better make it afternoon. Kenneth is five hours behind and New Mexico is seven."

He nodded and fought the urge to return the huge smile that had spread over her face.

"Good night, Severus," she said sincerely. "And thank you."

He watched as she left and shut his bedroom door behind her. In some ways it was so easy to be around her; it was just like old times. Old times before they were seriously dating. Severus frowned as he turned and scanned his suddenly empty bedroom. Shaking his head vigorously, he chastised himself for becoming so sentimental. Finally, he stomped into the bathroom to get ready for bed.