By Severitus
Chapter Dedicated to—Essence of Magic, Mayleesa, and the Unicorn Whisperer. Thank you VERY much for cheering me up, guys! *sniffle* You guys are the BEST!! :::hugs all around:::
Chapter 37—The Dragon Wakes
Draco Malfoy was at a loss, something that seemed to have become more and more common in the weeks since Zachary Snape had come to Hogwarts. In some ways Zachary was very much the ideal Slytherin. He was dark, cunning, and powerful, even if he didn't choose to display that power. And then on the other hand, he also fraternized with Gryffindors, didn't seem to care a whit what people thought of him, and certainly didn't think like any proper pureblood should. But despite any of his faults, Zachary Snape had undoubtedly earned Draco's respect, and that wasn't an easy thing to do. What had demanded that respect was the fact that Zachary possessed practically tangible self assurance. Never once had Draco seen the boy waver in his ideals, never once had he seemed ashamed or embarrassed for acting out what he believed in, and that simple fact was driving Draco up the walls with frustration and mild jealously.
Why couldn't he be so sure of himself? Why couldn't he find the courage to make decisions for himself, without constantly running to his father? Draco wouldn't fool himself by believing that everything his father believed was right and true, he was only human after all, but he desperately needed the man's support. Draco wasn't strong like his father, wasn't a natural-born leader that could sway even the strongest with a few well-spoken words. No, he had to fight for what little control he had. He was weak. He wasn't smart enough to make his own decisions, not strong enough to enforce the decisions of others, and he had far too much pride to become a simple 'follower.' His father was strong, smart, and a natural leader. He knew what was best, or at least Draco thought so.
No matter what doubts may have always been circulating in the back of his mind, Zachary had been the one to finally force Draco to come to a realization. Zachary hadn't tried to get him to change his views; he hadn't tried to convince him to see things his way, as Draco himself had tried to do to the other boy. Rather, the talk they'd had not long ago had been a virtual slap to the face about another matter entirely. In had made Draco realize that he needed to grow up. He wouldn't always have his father around to make decisions for him or come to his rescue; he couldn't always run to the man with every little thing that came his way. No, sooner or later Draco was going to have to learn to look out for himself; and though Zachary hadn't said as much, it was about damn time that he started doing just that.
With an audible groan, Draco propped his head in his hands and stared down at the open letter and tiny package on the table before him, the very reason he was having this argument with himself in the first place. His father had finally written him back, only not to provide him with any answers about the Potions Master's son. Oh, Draco had no doubt that the thing his father wanted him to do had something to do with the longhaired Slytherin, but he hadn't been privileged to know exactly what. He didn't like it though, that was one thing he was absolutely sure of.
It had never been a mystery that Lucius Malfoy had a plethora of social connections. The man knew at least one person inside of virtually every organization that existed in wizarding society. And it was through his connections within one of said organizations (namely, the Wizards Council) that he'd caught wind of an event to take place at Hogwarts that very day. The wards on the school were going to be rewoven, and that was the sole reason for which Lucius Malfoy had owled his son.
Brows furrowed, Draco tore the string off of the tiny velvet lined box and stared at the contents within, his expression twisted with indecision. To the untrained eye, the tiny, perfectly oval onyx stone that rested on the crimson cloth looked nothing out of the ordinary. However, if one lifted it to the light as Draco did, the many twisted runes and archaic script nestled within the stone came to life, shining in menacing red against the perfect black. It was a Banishing Stone, and a very powerful one at that. Its sole purpose was to block and deflect virtually any spell cast within a certain area of the stone. The only drawback to the object was that it only protected inanimate objects. Had a person carried about the stone for protection, it wouldn't have done a thing. This particular stone worked on a thirty-foot radius, as it was one of the more powerful of it's kind. Banishing Stones really weren't that uncommon, as most homes and wizarding businesses tended to implement them in the protections around the building. Gringotts itself laid claim to an especially large banishing stone, one that prevented just about any spell from being cast inside of the structure. All one had to do was place the stone and say a simple phrase to activate it, and the deed was done.
Rolling the stone in the palm of his hand, Draco squeezed it in his palm and read over the letter a fourth time, not really seeing the words carefully scripted for his eyes alone. His father wanted him to place the stone at Hogwart's border and activate it there before the Wizard's and Witches Dumbledore had summoned arrived to strengthen the wards around the school. Though the stone wouldn't affect any spells currently in place, when the new wards dissolved the old ones, the stone would create a thirty-foot gap in the barrier, more than enough to provide an entry for those who knew where to look. And the true glory of it all was that it could not be detected for one simple reason: a barrier spell's strength or weakness couldn't be detected until it had been threatened. Unless someone tried to break through the barrier, the fact that there was a thirty-foot hole in it would never be known. And there came the problem that Draco had with the whole idea.
Draco liked Hogwarts, no matter how much he complained of it to his fellow Slytherins. He was expected to chastise the place, what with Dumbledore being a Gryffindor and all…but it had never been genuine. All his life he'd been enchanted by stories of the magical castle, filled with its secret rooms and moving staircases. His mother and father had always regaled him with tales of daring escapes from the caretaker, dangerous adventures sneaking about the castle at night, the glory of claiming the House Cup….Was it even possible to hate such a place? Draco had loved it even before he had set the first foot inside the rickety old boat his first year, and gained his first glimpse of the ancient castle. And now that he was here himself, had made it his temporary home for the past five years, the very last thing on his mind was doing anything that could take that away from him. The fact that Dumbledore didn't allow the teaching of the Dark Arts was a small price to pay in his opinion. After all, his father and Professor Snape had both gone to Hogwarts beneath Dumbledore's rule, and they were both experts on the subject. Who was to say that he himself couldn't do the same?
And so Draco was left to make a rather difficult decision, one he'd known he'd eventually be asked to make. He could either do as his father commanded and put the place he loved in danger, or he could stand up and refuse. 'What a perfect time to start making decisions for myself,' Draco thought dryly. This was one situation where he wasn't sure if either decision would be the right one. On the one hand, he could make his father proud and gain favor with the Dark Lord, but he'd be risking everything he'd known for the past five years, including the first real friend he'd ever felt he'd had. And then on the other hand, he would severely disappoint his father and the Dark Lord, and would undoubtedly lose what favor he held with many of the other Slytherins if they ever found out. Neither option was very appealing, and Draco was beginning to get a headache from thinking about it all.
The sound of a door opening from within one of the dorms snapped him out of his thoughts, and he hastily covered the letter with his copy of 'Quidditch Through the Ages,' and stashed both stone and box inside a robe pocket. Not a moment later and a familiar face appeared in the hallway entrance, black hair flying about his pale face as he strode quickly across the room. Eyes flicking briefly down toward the magazine and back up again, Draco turned in his chair toward the retreating figure.
"Hey Zachary, wait up a minute!" he called, and Zachary stopped and turned, one hand reaching up to brush a lock of hair away from the unusual, jagged scar that marred the right portion of his forehead.
"Yeah?" he asked, shifting the two books he cradled in one arm.
"Are you busy right now?" Draco asked, and Zachary raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Yes. Ron, Hermione and I are meeting to study for Transfiguration. Why?" he asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Draco bit back on a comment about Zachary's choice of study partners, and waved one hand toward the book set on the table before him.
"I was just wondering if you were up for a game of Quidditch," he asked instead, and Zachary's bright green eyes seemed to nearly double in size. The boy blinked twice in obvious surprise, before allowing a subtle smile to cross his features.
"Sure," he said, the smile widening a bit, "I'll meet you on the pitch in an hour?" he added as he turned back toward the common room's exit.
"Alright," Draco agreed with a nod, and watched with a pleased smile as the stone door slid back into place. For some reason, he always seemed able to think better after a good game of Quidditch, and he definitely needed to be thinking clearly before he made his decision about the Banishing Stone. Then, after carefully concealing both letter and book within his robe, he sauntered off in search of Crabbe and Goyle. Those two could be dangerous if left without supervision for too long.
---------------------
Everything was going according to plan...so far, at least. Harry and Ron were stationed inside the room, Lupin was next door in case things got...er...too surprising, and Hermione was leading the unfortunate victim down the hallway, completely oblivious to his fate. Aside from the occasional snort of repressed excitement from Ron, the only sound was the two sets of footsteps down the hall and Hermione's quiet chatter.
"Hermione, what's this all about? I know you said you needed some help on an assignment, but why all the way out here?" Sirius asked as they approached the door, casting the energetic girl at his side a suspicious glance. It was just like Hermione to want some extra help on her Transfiguration essay, and since there really weren't too many animagi around he was a sensible choice....but what was with all the secrecy? He had no doubt that she wanted help with something, but the further down the hallway they went the more suspicious he was becoming. Perhaps she'd decided to take on something more advanced than the curriculum, or perhaps she was dabbling in something dark, or perhaps--perhaps he was just worrying too much. Remus had noted the fact that recent events had really put him on edge, and now Sirius was inclined to agree.
"It's quiet out here, and besides, this way we don't have to worry about you being seen," she answered with a bright smile as she steered him toward a closed door. He blinked in surprise, he hadn't really thought about that. Of course it made sense to be way out here. Had they gone to an empty classroom there was always the chance of being seen or overheard, but deep inside a guest wing that nobody knew existed there wouldn't be any risk at all. Merlin, he really was on edge.... "Oops!" Hermione suddenly gasped, and Sirius noted that the strap on her backpack had suddenly snapped, sending her books to the hallway floor. Automatically he moved to help her but she waved him off, "You go on in and clear off a table, I'll be there in a moment," she said, and he shrugged and turned toward the door, wondering about her odd behavior. Something's going on here, he thought, narrowing his eyes even as he began to turn the doorknob. The door opened onto complete blackness, and he grumbled silently under his breath as he dug in his pocket for his wand, noticing far too late that not everything black was shadow.
A startled yelp was the only sound he made as something quick and heavy suddenly plowed into him, knocking him backwards onto something soft and airy. A pillow charm, his panicked brain supplied, even as something pink and wet suddenly darted forth from the shadow sitting atop him and promptly began licking his jaw. It tickled something fierce, and Sirius couldn't help but break out in laughter even as he struggled to shove the furry thing off of him. Whatever it was, however, seemed quite content to remain sitting atop his stomach, and relented only in drawing back the tickling tongue. It was then that Sirius finally was able to get a good look at his over-friendly attacker, and at first he gaped in shock. It was a lean, sleek wolf with a pair of very familiar brilliant green eyes, and it was undoubtedly smirking at him, pearly white teeth just visible between the black lips. Blinking again, Sirius stared closer at the beast sitting atop him, and noticed the odd marking just above the right eye….
"H-Harry?!" he stuttered, and the wolf smiled even wider, letting out an affirmative 'wuff' before leaping off of his stomach. Sirius sat up and continued to stare, his brain finally processing the fact that the black lupine was, in fact, his godson. And only a second after that, the next little tidbit of information chose to sink in. "You're an Animagus!" Sirius exclaimed, his entire face lighting up with pride. Again the wolf rumbled in the affirmative. And then, not two seconds later, Harry stood before him on two legs once again, positively laughing his head off. Only then did Sirius come to realize the other two sets of laughter drifting from near by, and the fact that it had been going on for a while now.
"Merlin, you should have seen your face!" Harry exclaimed once he'd regained some measure of control, and Sirius had to struggle to keep from laughing as well.
"Incredible! Why didn't you say anything?" Sirius asked, accepting the hand Harry offered him and rising to his feet.
"We wanted to surprise you," Hermione answered, walking up to stand next to him, her book bag once again in one piece.
"And it was worth it, too!" Ron said, releasing the darkness charm he'd placed on the guest room.
"Wait, so you've all been studying?" he asked, and then realized what a stupid question that was to be asking the intrepid three. Shaking his head at himself, he smiled even wider and laughed, "Wait, of course you all are! You three are like lemmings, always jumping into things together…." He said, and it seemed that Hermione was the only one who truly understood the comparison.
"Lemmings…?" Ron asked, staring at Sirius warily. Hermione only shook her head at him in frustration, and Sirius ignored the stare completely.
"Yeah, we thought it'd be a good skill to have," Harry said, and Sirius smiled again, although it was tainted with a bit of sorrow as memories arose, unbidden from the depths of his mind.
"And we were kind of wondering if you could lend us a hand….," Ron said, looking slightly embarrassed about the question.
"I'd be glad to," Sirius said, staring at the three with his chest swelling with pride. He couldn't help but grin as he watched them, happy memories of times long passed rising in his mind. The legacy of the Marauders had been passed. "Now then……where shall we start?" he said, cracking his knuckles and his eyes taking on a dangerous gleam that made them all immediately reconsider having decided to tell him. With a soft laugh, Sirius smirked as he watched the sudden change in their expressions. This was going to be fun….
---------------------------
Draco was already there when Harry arrived on the Quidditch pitch, lingering between a state of fatigue and excitement. Sirius was a slave driver when it came to helping them with their Animagus training, and half the time Harry had been convinced that somehow or another he'd ended up in the army. He was infinitely glad when Sirius had made his excuses and slipped away, although he was slightly curious as to where his godfather had disappeared. Now though, he was exhausted, but still determined to get at least a short game of Quidditch in. It felt as if it had been ages since he'd flown on a broom, and he had never realized just how much he would miss Quidditch until he was no longer on the Gryffindor Team. Never mind that he'd lent Ron his Firebolt for the season, or that the old broom stashed under his arm was a Cleansweep 5, or that his opponent happened to be Draco, he was going to play Quidditch!
Draco had been standing on the sidelines with his Nimbus 2002 slung over his shoulder, and now he sauntered toward the gate where Harry was making his entrance, struggling to smooth out some of the errant twigs on the school broom. "You look tired," Draco said shortly as they met up in the middle of the pitch, where the chest of Quidditch balls lay waiting patiently where Draco had set it up earlier. "That Mudblood want to run an all night study session or something?" Draco drawled, struggling to cover up the excitement he felt over the ensuing game with his trademark aloofness.
Harry's immediate reply was to whack him firmly on the head with his broom handle.
"OW! What was that for?!" Draco exclaimed, clutching his head where the broom had struck it.
"Kindly refrain from calling Hermione that while I'm around, please," Harry replied simply, his eyes narrowed. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, his expression brightened with a smile, "Quidditch?" he asked happily, and Draco blinked once before nodding.
The game quickly became a real sight to see. It was a classic two man beater game, with Harry and Draco each trying to hit the two zooming bludgers at each other or through the hoops at either end of the field. In Harry's opinion, Draco was a much better Beater than he was a Seeker, but he wasn't about to say a word about it. Draco was quick on a broom, but he didn't have the skill to turn and dive as quickly as was necessary for a Seeker. Harry, on the other, hand, still lived up to Oliver Woods' comment that he'd make a damn fine Beater. He was a damn fine Beater, too, he quickly noticed with surprise. It was almost as much fun to pelt the bludgers through the hoops as it was to take a racing dive after the snitch, and he currently had the upper hand in the game.
"Oh no you don't…." he heard Draco grumble as a bludger came sailing toward his head. A well aimed blow with the club sent it sailing back across the field and toward the hoops, where it promptly turned around and came sailing towards Harry. Rather than preparing to deflect the iron ball, he simply ducked down on his broom and allowed it sail on past, heading for Draco once again. "Hey!" the surprised blonde exclaimed, casting him an annoyed glare as he struggled to dodge the missile. Harry only laughed and flew closer to the hoops, awaiting the next opportunity to send a bludger flying through.
The sound of a sharp whistle from below brought the game to a premature halt. The two bludgers immediately went sailing back down toward their chest, and Harry and Draco both looked to each other in surprise. Madam Hooch was standing down on the pitch, moving forward to collect to chest. They landed next to her a moment later, faces still lined with confusion.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, handing over his club when she stuck out her hand for it.
"Mr. Malfoy, Mr Snape," she said, nodding to them in brief greeting as she set about locking up the chest. "Everyone has been asked to come inside the castle. The wards on the school are about to be reset, and we'll not be taking any chances by having you all wandering about," she said, her amber eyes flashing with slight warning.
"They're doing it now?!" Draco asked, suddenly looking just a bit panicked. Harry's own eyes grew large with surprise. In the day's excitement he'd completely forgotten that the wards were to be recast, and now he couldn't help the small smile of relief that crossed his features.
"Yes, they are. It's been far too long since the wards have been strengthened, and with recent events being what they are, it is a necessity. Normally it would be done over a break, but expediency is necessary in this instance," she said, hefting the box up in her arms as they began the trek off the pitch. "By the way, that was a very good game on both your parts. I don't believe I've ever seen you play before, Mr. Snape, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by your talent for the game," she said, casting a bright smile in his direction. He blinked in surprise and looked at her curiously.
"Um…why is that…?" he asked, and Draco looked as if he was curious as well. She looked briefly surprised by the question, but then shook it off and answered.
"Considering how much your father enjoys his privacy, I'm not that surprised that he never told you. Severus was Seeker for the Slytherin Team for five years, he helped them win the House cup a fair number of times. He was a natural to the game, it's a real shame that he doesn't play anymore," she said with a sigh, and Harry and Draco exchanged a shocked look. Most likely they'd been sharing the same thought—Professor Snape on a broomstick, sailing after the snitch. It was an odd image, but one that nevertheless served to plant several ideas in Harry's head. It looked as if he now had something to add to the 'Things to Do Over the Summer' List. Challenge Dad to Quidditch match. Check.
"Well you two hurry along now. Oh, and Zachary? I will be very disappointed if you don't try out for your House team next year," she said, after snatching the Cleansweep 5 from his grasp before gliding off around the side of the castle. He stared after her for a moment as they continued on up the castle steps, shaking his head in amusement. If only she knew, he thought, well remembering the look on her face when she found out about him making the team back in first year. With a shake of his head, he cleared it of the memory.
As they passed through the entrance hall, Harry's eyes landed immediately on the large group of wizards collected in the middle of the room, chattering away. Three of them he immediately recognized, though the rest were complete strangers. Lupin, Dumbledore, and Sirius (in canine form) were standing among the other wizards, looking slightly impatient for some reason or other. Harry didn't try to catch their attention, but kept walking toward the dungeon stairwell, with Draco looking as if he hadn't even seen the wizards at all.
Draco remained oddly silent on the way back to the dungeons, he had one hand stuffed in his pocket and looked as if he was heavily debating something or other. Harry left him to his own thoughts and muttered the password when they reached the stone door, the dazed Slytherin following him blindly into the common room.
"I'm going to go crash for a while, I'll see you later?" Harry said as he turned to go to his dorm room. Draco was standing before the fireplace, staring deeply into the low flames.
"Yeah, I'll see you later. There's something I've got to do," he muttered, and Harry shrugged, continuing on his way down the hallway. As he walked, he narrowed his eyes in thought. Draco had been acting strangely distracted, and his reaction to Madam Hooch's explanation about the school wards had been unusual. Harry dearly hoped that Draco's reaction didn't have anything to do with the wards….
Meanwhile, outside the school, the ten wizards stood evenly spaced along the border, eyes closed in concentration. Their lips began moving slowly, whispering a string of abstract Latin phrases that had not been uttered on the premises in far too long. Their arms were held out to their sides, pointing out along the school's border as energy began to crackle and hum between them. From windows all over the school children and staff alike stood to watch the display, eyes wide at the dazzling play of lights rising through the air. With each repetition of the chant, the colorful energy seemed to grow stronger, rising brighter as it began to build up in a dome like shape, rising high up over the turrets and towers of the school. From one tiny dungeon window, a pair of bright green eyes watched the proceedings, face pale with nervousness and trepidation.
And also deep in the dungeons, a fire crackled sharply, throwing bright sparks and thick ash over the small black stone buried deep beneath the burning logs, abandoned to the heat and roiling flame.
-----End Chapter 37-----