Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Warning for Corporal Punishment scene in this chapter. If this upsets you in any way please skip this chapter.

I've never had a CP scene in my story so hopefully it comes across okay. I've read other stories that had it and the authors do it really well, so I decided to challenge myself and try it. =)

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy," Bill Weasley said, catching up to Draco in the hallway. "I was hoping to speak with you for a moment."

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" Draco asked politely. Weasley wasn't too bad of teacher, more laid back than McGonagall but he knew his stuff.

"You said you wanted to be kept up to date on how Cassius did in his classes," Bill said.

"Yes, I do." Draco said with a nod. "I already know about Cass's transfiguration test grade. He told me."

"He did? Good," Bill said, relaxing. "I know this year has started out rough for him so I do not mind giving him some extra credit to do to make up for the grade. Just this once, I can't allow it all the time."

"Make up for what? He got an E," Draco said, confused.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yes," Draco said slowly, his eyes darkening. "I take it that is not the case?"

"No, he got a Poor," Bill said with a sigh.

Draco took a deep breath to calm down. Cassius had lied to him? "Has he been struggling during his lessons?"

"He has a some trouble but it would help if he would pay more attention and turn in all his homework -"

"He hasn't been turning in his homework?" Draco interrupted.

"He's only missed a couple of assignments," Bill said uncomfortably. "I should have at least told Professor Snape but I like I said, I know he has had a rough start to the year and I wanted to give him a break. Hence the extra credit assignments." He handed him some papers. "If he completes those, I will give him partial credit which will help improve his grade."

Draco took the assignments. "He'll do them. And I would like to know if he misses anymore assignments or isn't paying attention in class."

Bill inclined his head. "Of course."

/

That evening, Theo walked Cassius to his quarters after he had spent some time hanging out with his friends in the Slytherin common room. He had hoped Draco would come by, but knew his brother was overloaded with his own homework. "Draco?" he called.

"Kitchen."

"What are those?" Cassius asked when he entered and noticed several parchments laid out on the kitchen table.

"Your extra credit work for Transfiguration," Draco leaned against the counter, his eyes on his brother. "To make up for your P on the test."

Cassius froze. "How did – I mean..."

"You told me you got an E," Draco said, struggling to keep his temper. He had intended to go to his brother immediately after talking to Bill and confront him about the lying but he had decided it would be better to wait and calm down. He was angry but he didn't want to scare his brother by yelling at him.

"I didn't want to tell you," Cassius whispered. "I was embarrassed. I was going to do better on the upcoming assignments and tests to make up for it."

"In order to do better on your assignments, you actually have to turn them in," Draco said sarcastically. "And pay attention in class."

"You've been talking to my teachers?" Cassius asked, aghast.

"I've asked all of them to keep me appraised, yes," Draco said, stern gray eyes on his brother.

"Oh."

"Why didn't you turn in your assignments?"

"I only missed a couple of them," Cassius mumbled. "Transfiguration is hard. I've always struggled with it."

"If you need help, you come to me. I've told you that." Draco said with a touch of exasperation.

"I know. I'm sorry." Cassius said. "I'll do better."

"Yes, you will," Draco pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. "After your punishment, you'll spend the evening working on these assignments."

"What punishment?" Cassius backed away when Draco crooked a finger at him. "But – but I didn't put myself in danger!"

"No, but you lied to me," Draco said, keeping his voice even. He was upset about this, but he wanted to remain calm during the punishment. "You lied right to my face. Not acceptable."

"Draco, please," Cassius whispered.

"You were warned, Cass," Draco said softly. "Let's get this over with. Come here."

Cassius shuffled over, wishing he hadn't lied about the stupid grade. His eyes were already filling with tears and he hadn't even been smacked yet! How embarrassing.

"Have you ever been spanked before?" Draco asked.

Cassius shook his head, looking at Draco's lap and biting his lip.

Draco's eyes softened a little. "I'll help you. Okay, here we go," Taking Cassius's arm, he helped to guide him over his lap, and after adjusting him, he then put his left arm around Cass's waist to hold him in place. He raised his right hand and brought it down firmly, smacking one trouser covered cheek and then the other. He made sure to keep an eye on Cassius's reaction so that he could deem how firm to smack. He didn't want to risk being too harsh with his brother but he did want to make an impression. He hated doing this, it was the last thing he wanted to do. He just hoped Cassius wouldn't hate him afterwards.

Cassius gasped at the sharp sting and soon was wriggling around, trying to get his bottom out of the line of fire. "I'm sorry!" he cried. It hurt, his bottom hurt! "Draco, I'm sorry!"

"I know," Draco said softly as he continued to give his brother's bottom firm slaps. After a minute, he finished up with several hard swats to the soft under curve of Cass's bottom and his upper thighs. He stopped, gently rubbing his brother's back as Cass cried. "It's over, you're okay," he said soothingly. He felt like crying himself, he never wanted to have to do that again. He helped Cassius up and was surprised yet grateful when his brother threw himself against Draco, seeking comfort. Draco wrapped his arms around him, rubbing circles on his back. "Listen, you probably don't believe me, but I hated doing that. However, if you lie to me again you will be right back over my lap. And you won't have the benefit of trousers, do you understand?" He hated making the threat, but his brother needed to know he was serious about the lying.

Cassius's eyes widened at hearing that and he nodded frantically. A fresh wave of tears came. "I'm really sorry, Draco," He sobbed into his brother's neck. He didn't care if he was acting like a baby. He had disappointed his brother, his bottom hurt and wanted to be hugged and comforted.

"I forgive you, little cub," Draco crooned softly, running his hand through Cassius's hair.

Cassius sniffled and pulled back, wiping his eyes. "Cub?"

"Sorry, it slipped out," Draco conjured a cloth and cast the Aguamenti spell to moisten it. He gently wiped Cassius's face with the cool cloth. "When I was five and you were brought home from the hospital, Mother and Father let me hold you. Properly supervised, of course. As I held you, I told you I would protect you and called you cub." He smiled at the memory. He had already felt so protective to his little brother. It was only a month after that that Cass would disappear.

"So it was your nickname for me?"

"Yes," Draco said, banishing the cloth after he had wiped away his brother's tears. He was relieved Cass wasn't crying anymore, though his eyes were still red rimmed. "It's okay if you don't like it. I don't have to call you that."

"I like it," Cassius gave a shy smile, leaning into his brother. "Draco?"

"Yes, cub?"

"Will you help me with my Transfiguration homework?"

Draco laughed, kissing the top of Cass's head. "You are such an imp. Yes, I'll help you."

/

"So how have you been Dobby?" Cassius asked as the house-elf escorted him to the library. He hadn't been sure if Dobby would want to be around him, considering his past with the Malfoys but Dobby had said that it was still an honor to serve him. Draco had been pleased after to talking to Dobby to see the elf was so protective of him. He had immediately asked Dobby if he would act as an escort occasionally. Dobby had happily agreed. Right now Dobby was walking him to the library so he could look for a book to assist him with his Astronomy essay. He had been trying to work harder since his punishment several days ago. It was an experience he never wanted to go through again.

"Dobby has been good, sir," Dobby said with a toothy grin. "Winky has weaned off the Butterbeer and has begun knitting socks for Dobby!"

"That's great!" Cassius laughed.

"Well, look what we have here," A voice sneered.

Cassius looked up to see Thomas Axton, a fifth year Gryffindor in front of him. "Hi, Thomas," he said cautiously. Thomas had been in the D.A. and had always seemed nice enough.

"You really had us all fooled," Thomas glared. "We thought you were a hero, and instead you were a impostor. A little boy pretending to be the boy-who-lived."

Dobby immediately pushed Cassius behind him. "Stay away from Cassius Malfoy!"

Thomas looked at Dobby warily, he knew house-elves had strong magic of their own.

"Stupefy!"

Dobby crumbled to the ground and Cassius knelt down next to him. "Dobby? Are you okay?" he asked but the elf was unconscious. He looked behind him to see another fifth year Gryffindor, Winston Ramsey, approaching with his wand out. "Why did you do that?"

"Can't have him get in our way of talking to you, can we?" Winston smirked. "Oh, don't look at me like that. He'll be fine."

Cassius stood, his wand in his hand. "What do you want?"

"To ask you how you live with yourself," Thomas sneered. "After all the lies you've told."

"I didn't know who I really was," Cassius said. "If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Dumbledore!"

"Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of our time!" Winston snapped. "And thanks to you, he had to resign."

"He's lucky he's not in Azkaban," Cassius snapped.

Thomas cast a stinging hex at him and Cassius put up a shield. "Just leave me alone, I was the one lied to all these years. I was the one who was taken from my family."

"The Malfoys," Winston rolled his eyes. "Yeah, such a loving family. So, does Draco crucio you when you misbehave? That's what his father did to him."

"He did not!" Cassius said angrily. "You don't know anything!"

Winston and Thomas circled him and Cassius watched them carefully. He didn't know how long Dobby would be out and he needed help. He remembered that a Patronus could be used to send a message but he had never tried it for that purpose. He remembered seeing Dumbledore do it though. He hadn't said the incantation, he'd just flicked his wand. Concentrating, he flicked his wand but nothing happened.

"What's the idiot trying to do?" Winston laughed.

Cassius bit his lip and tried again. Concentrating on how much he needed to get a message to his brother, he flicked his wand and this time was shocked when a silvery animal appeared. However it wasn't a stag, it was a panther cub.

"Whoa," Winston said, impressed.

"Tell Draco I need help and that I'm two corridors away from the library," Cassius told it. The panther leaped away.

"Aw, he needs his big brother," Thomas mocked.

"Maybe we should go," Winston said uneasily. "The brat's brother will be coming."

"Yeah, we should go," Thomas agreed casually.

Cassius relaxed and made a rookie mistake. He lowered his wand.

"Iactare Ignis!"

Cassius gasped as a ball of fire came at him. He tried to move out of the way and turn to run but the fire hit his arm and back and he screamed. He rolled on the ground, remembering in muggle school to stop, drop, and roll. He heard his assailants running away as he lay panting on the floor, his arm and back burning in agony.

"Cassius!"

Cassius felt a wave of relief fill him. Draco was here.

"Cass?" Draco knelt down, gasping when he saw the burn marks on his brother.

"Dobby was stunned," Cassius whispered, nodding towards where the elf lay.

"He'll be fine," Draco said in a tight voice. "I'm going to pick you up, okay? I'll be careful, I don't want to hurt you more."

Cassius winced but didn't cry out when Draco gently lifted him into his arms. He was safe. He watched as Draco cast his own Patronus to inform Pomfrey they were coming to the infirmary. Draco's Patronus was a panther.

/

Poppy was waiting for them when Draco carried his brother into the infirmary. She quickly assessed Cassius and spelled his shirt off. "Lay him on his stomach," she ordered, pointing to one of the beds.

Draco carefully lay his brother down. His anger intensified as he got a closer look at his brother's burnt skin. Whoever had done this, they would pay. He stroked his brother's hair, he could tell Cass was fighting tears. "It's okay, cub." he soothed.

"It hurts," Cassius whispered through gritted teeth.

"I know," Draco whispered back. He looked up at Pomfrey, who was going through her cupboards. "He needs a pain reliever."

"I am getting him one, Mr. Malfoy," Poppy said calmly as she approached the bed. "Can you prop yourself up on your elbows?"

Cassius did, his burned arm protesting. Pomfrey held the vial to his lips and he drank it down, not even caring that it tasted bad as long as it took away the pain. The alleviation of the pain was instantaneous and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Now, lay back down and I'll put the burn salve on," Poppy said.

Cassius laid his head down as Poppy spread the orange paste on his arm and back.

"Cass, who did this to you?" Draco asked.

"Two Gryffindors," Cassius said a little bitterly. "They'd always been friendly to me before, they were even in the D.A. I taught fifth year. They think I deliberately lied to everyone for years and blame me for Dumbledore not still being the Headmaster."

"Dumbledore's not the Headmaster because he's untrustworthy and guilty of kidnapping," Draco said in an angry voice. "What are their names?"

Cassius hesitated. He didn't want to be a tattletale, he was used to dealing with things on his own.

"Cassius," Draco said in a warning tone. "I need to know."

"Thomas Axton and Winston Ramsay."

"There, Mr. Malfoy," Poppy said as she put the lid back on the burn paste. "We'll leave that on while you take a na-"

"Rest," Draco said quickly. He knew Cassius would throw a fit if the term nap was used. "Just rest here while your wounds heal."

Poppy looked amused as she put the paste away. Draco definitely knew his little brother. She sent a message to Professor Snape and Professor Lupin telling them that their presence was needed in the infirmary.

A few minutes later, Snape rushed in, looking worried. "Cassius?" Snape looked at the paste covering his back and arm in horror.

Remus entered, his face darkening when he saw an injured Cassius laying on a cot. "What happened?"

"How were you burned?" Snape asked dangerously.

"Two Gryffindors," Draco said darkly.

"Is that so?" Remus's eyes flashed amber. "I want their names."

"Thomas Axton and Winston Ramsay." Draco answered.

"I'll deal with it," Remus said, his eyes lingering on Cassius. His poor pup!

"As Deputy Headmaster, I'll be there when you do," Snape said, a gleam in his eyes.

Draco looked at both men and nodded. He could trust them to deal with it. They both cared about Cass and would do right by him. If he faced the boys, he would likely kill them.

/

"So what did you do to them?" Draco asked when Snape returned to the infirmary. Cassius was sleeping and his skin had almost completely healed.

"After getting the full story, Mr. Axton was expelled and Mr. Ramsay is on probation which includes no Quidditch games and detention with Filch for the next three months."

"Why was only Axton expelled?" Draco asked impatiently.

"Axton was the one who burned him," Snape scowled. "They both were in on stunning Dobby but Ramsay didn't know Axton was going to cast that fire spell. He just wanted to bully Cassius, which is bad enough. Don't worry, Remus is keeping a very close eye on him. If steps out of line even an inch, he's gone from this school."

"And if I see him in the hallways..." Draco gave a grim smile.

"Do not do anything that will land you in trouble," Snape warned.

"As if I would get caught." Draco scoffed.

/

Winston had just finished his detention with Filch and was walking tiredly to the Tower. That man is inhumane, he thought grumpily. Cleaning all the bathrooms, so disgusting! And he had three months of this torture to look forward to! He turned the corner.

"Expelliarmus!"

Winston gasped as his wand went flying. "What the -" he froze when he saw Draco Malfoy holding his wand, and standing near him was a smirking Theo Nott. "Wha – what do you want?" he stammered.

"Oh, to talk," Draco said casually although his eyes were like ice as he looked at Winston.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about your brother," Winston said quickly. "I didn't know Thomas was going to cast that spell."

"Yeah, ole Winnie here is innocent," Theo drawled. "He just wanted to bully a second year."

Winston flushed. "It's just...he used to be Harry Potter." he said weakly. "It's weird."

"He's a twelve year old boy," Draco snapped. "What did you hope to accomplish by taunting him?"

"I don't know, just embarrass him or something," Winston muttered.

"To embarrass him...as if he hasn't been through enough," Draco sneered at him.

"I'm sorry, okay," Winston said. "I got in trouble for it. Thomas got expelled. What more do you want?"

Draco flicked his wand and Winston yelped as he was suddenly in the air and slammed into the wall. His eyes filled with terror. "What I want, is to know if there are other Gryffindor bullies who plan to hurt my brother." Draco hissed.

"I don't know," Winston said as he struggled to get down. He eyed Draco fearfully. "I really don't."

"You could find out," Theo said, narrowing his eyes. "Keep your ears open for us. And if you hear of any plans regarding Cassius, you'll tell us immediately."

"Okay," Winston agreed, eager to have them leave him alone.

"And you won't tell anyone about this conversation," Draco added, narrowing his eyes on Winston. "Because if you do...we'll come after you." Draco's voice dropped dangerously. "And I know some dark curses that are extremely painful yet untraceable."

"I won't say anything," Winston whispered.

"Good." Draco released the spell and Winston fell to the ground. "And just so you know what it's like to be embarrassed...Melofors!" An orange light emitted from his wand and hit Winston, encasing his head in a pumpkin.

Theo burst into laughter as a panicked Winston tried to move and knocked himself into the wall. "Well, Halloween is coming up!" Theo snickered.

Draco smirked, tossed Winston's wand on the floor and then he and Theo left, leaving Winston to wander around with a huge pumpkin on his head.

TBC: