Feeling Good

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feelin' good

Feelin' Good - Nina Simone

Ron wasn't one to usually feel nervous. Angry? Yes. Hungry? Yes. Scared? Yes, especially when the twins hexed his parchment into spiders. So, yes to feeling those emotions, but he was never one to feel nervous. And yet, here he was huddled behind a screen, nervous to speak to his own siblings because he knew he had treated them badly over the past five years.

Swallowing hard, he knew he just had to get on with it. So, with one final deep breath, he hesitantly shuffled towards their compartment and knocked on the wooden panelling.

"Enter!"

Ron cursed inwardly at the greeting, because that wasn't the twins' voice or Ginny's, but Andras Snape's. He knew he had to reconcile with the Slytherin if he ever wanted to get Ginny back on side, but he thought he could do that later...at Hogwarts….not right now.

Throwing his shoulders back in an imitation of strength, Ron slid the compartment door aside and tried not to flinch at the frigid glares he was receiving from all the inhabitants of the compartment.

"Ron?" Ginny stated coldly, "What are you doing here?"

Ron froze momentarily under his sister's gaze but knew he had to shoulder on with his purpose and just get it over with, "I'm sorry!" He blurted out hurriedly. "I've been a bloody arse for years and I've been horrible to you Ginny, Granger, and you too Sni...sorry, Snape." Ron grimaced at almost slipping and calling Snape by his derogatory nickname.

Ron watched nervously as a frowning Ginny crossed her arms and shared disbelieving looks with Granger, Snape, and Lestrange - who Ron only just noticed was also seated in the compartment.

"I mean it," Ron decided to continue to speak, "I was wrong thinking that all Slytherins are evil. I see now that that isn't true and it was naive of me to even think that in the first place. I mean Robert is the meanest arsehole I've ever met and he's a Gryffindor, so that should have been a big clue."

"Ron,"

Said boy ignored his sister and ploughed on. "I love you, Ginny," Ron's entire face flushed red at that declaration but he tried not to think how stupid he must look right now. "I love you and I haven't been a good brother to you. I should have trusted your judgement, especially when it came to your relationship with Snape. When dad ran away, I found some journals in his garage, so I now know why our feud with Malfoys began and I think you made the right decision in ending that. I realise now that mum and dad lied about so much and I've been so wrong about so much. Especially you, Snape. And you, Lestrange, I've been a right git and I'm very sorry about everything I've done."

There were a few seconds of shocked silence before: "Weasley," Snape stood to his feet and extended a hand. "It takes a lot to admit you're wrong. Let's let bygones be bygones."

"Yes!" Ron exclaimed, pumping Andras' hand a few times. "If you're dating our Ginny then I have to get to know you better!"

"Come here, you idiot!" Ginny ushered and pulled her brother into a hug. "I've missed you, you dolt."

"Samael?" Andras took a seat beside his friend, who - so far - had not said anything. "What are your thoughts about this?"

Samael raised his gaze to meet Andras' and smiled thinly. "It is a rather...unexpected development but not wholly unwelcome." A pause and then he continued, "I am glad that Ginerva has had another part of her family returned to her, but I do not think either myself or Draco will be able to forgive him so easily as you have, my friend."

"I have not forgiven him, so much as I'm willing to forgive him in the future. As much as she has complained about him, Ginny has missed him and I want her to be happy."

"That is very admirable," Samael stated after noticing that the two siblings were now sat in the opposite seats. "Weasley," Samael caught the other wizard's attention, "I thought you would be in the Prefects meeting with Draco?"

Ron flushed bright red and a small scowl appeared on his face. "I'm not prefect anymore," he grumbled, "Dumbledore said Rob would be better suited for it, so just like always, the Golden Boy gets what he wants."

"He just took the position away from you?" Ginny questioned, and both Ron and Andras stiffened in wariness at the tone. "Surely, he can't just do that for no reason! Samael! You know the rules, can Dumbledore just do that?"

"Officially, the Headmaster can assign and re-assign student positions as he sees fit. It would be courtesy to provide an explanation as to why he has re-assigned the position, but ultimately he does not have to."

A few seconds of silence, and then Ron was the one to surprisingly say: "well, that's shit, but I'll get over it eventually."

An hour or so of stilted, but fairly pleasant conversion passed quickly, and to Ron's surprise, he found that both Andras and Lestrange were fairly decent people to talk to. He could totally see why Ginny liked Snape. He was witty and fun, and was a bloody good artist - he actually let Ron have a quick flick through his sketchbook and Ron saw some hilarious drawings Andras had done of him and his parents. Lestrange, on the other hand, didn't say much and seemed quite shy, but he was very smart and Ron had a really good conversation about Chudley Cannons with him. Ron could see why Robert had been harping on about Lestrange was for all these years, but even though they hadn't really spoken about Robert, Ron kind of got the impression that the Lestrange detested Robert Potter.

Ron couldn't help but feel slightly happy about that fact.

However, their pleasant conversation was disturbed by the sounds of a shouting a few compartments away.

"D'ya guys here that?" Ron questioned abruptly, a half-eaten sandwich raised to his mouth. The other three inhabitants of the compartment concentrated on trying to hear what Ron had heard.

Ron began to stand but, before he was even on his feet, Samael had opened the sliding door with his wand in hand. Once the door was open, they were able to distinguish words amongst the shouting.

"- vampire!"

"-blood-suckers-"

"-dangerous-"

"-shouldn't even have wands!"

Ron glanced at Lestrange from the corner of his eye and could not help but shiver slightly in fear at the hardened look on Samael's face. Ron silently vowed to himself to never cross Lestrange in a duel - he didn't think he would survive it intact. That belief only grew stronger when he heard Samael's next words: "I believe there are some on this train who do not like the fact that Hogwarts has become more inclusive to those with creature blood." His voice was cold and controlled.

"For Merlin's sake!" Andras exclaimed hotly, "Why are people so prejudiced? Why can't they just be nice!"

Ron couldn't help himself - he snorted in laughter at Andras' outburst but when Ginny turned a furious and hurt gaze upon him, he quickly tried to explain. "Sorry! Sorry! It's just he's so different from his dad! I just imagined Snape - sorry, Professor Snape - saying 'why can't people be nice?' and it just made me laugh!"

After a second, both Samael and Andras snorted as well. "Yes, Andras did not inherit Severus' misanthropic cynicism."

"Thank Merlin for that," Andras exclaimed with a bright grin, "I'm more like my dad than my father."

"Quite," Samael drawled, "clever, skilled, and rather prone to mischief."

Ron laughed at how high Andras' voice went in his attempts to deny Samael's accusation.

A knock on their compartment door caught their attention, and Ron turned to see Cormac McLaggen and two other younger students he didn't recognise standing in the doorway.

"Weasley!" McLaggen exclaimed upon spotting the red-head, "Weasleys!" he corrected once he spotted Ginny. "Have you heard what's happening? They're letting half-breeds and creatures into the school! Vampires, werewolves, goblins! They're dangerous and they don't deserve wands, let alone to attend one of the premiere wizarding schools in the world!"

Ron gaped at his year-mate, and it seemed the blonde-wizard took this as a positive cue to continue. "Exactly! I was shocked to hear it as well but my dad told me before we set off that it was true! We're gonna share dorms with blood-suckers or filthy mongrel! I can't believe we're expected to1sleep in the same room as those half-breeds. What if one gets hungry in the night and eats us. I wouldn't mind so much if it was a Veela that crawled into my bed, if you know what I mean, but I doubt any Veelas will turn up - they'd much prefer Beauxbatons!"

McLaggen turned wide eyes onto Ron, who - again surprisingly - was too shocked for words. "You know what I mean, don't you, Weasley - Ginny that is? You won't want to share a dorm with a Goblin, would you? They might steal your gold and jewellery in the night! I can't believe Dumbledore would even allow this to happen...Wait, why are you guys sharing with Snape and Lestrange?" McLaggen's lip curled at the latter's name.

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed her way to stand in front of her brother. "Morgana forbid I spend time with my boyfriend and my friend, and you really should learn to read a room, McLaggen," she drawled in such a way that Professor Snape would be proud. " None of us are prejudiced bigots like you and we take no issue with those with creature blood. I, for one, am glad that everyone, regardless of their heritage, will receive the education they've been denied for so long!"

McLaggen stared at the girl, "You can't honestly believe that rot! But…." He drew out the word with a sly grin. "I'm sure you'll find that out in time if you're gonna allow yourself to play with those mongrels. Bad blood will out, after all."

"Oh, I completely agree. Bad blood will out," Ginny quickly retorted, "Though it isn't them I'm talking about."

"Why you little bitch!" He spat, baring his teeth at Ginny. "I'm a seventh generation pureblood! Don't you dare compare me to those monsters!"

"Oi! That's my sister, you git!" Ron squared up against the older Gryffindor.

McLaggen twisted his usually handsome face into an ugly sneer. "Oh yeah, Weasley? What are you gonna do? Take points? You're not exactly a prefect anymore, are you?"

"Just shove off, McLaggen," Ron all but hissed, red in the face. "You know, like I do, that Saint Potter gets whatever he wants. But, I don't need a badge to put you in your place. So, watch your mouth or you'll find yourself hobbling to the tower!"

McLaggen scoffed at the red-head but retreated a few paces. "We'll see who's right then, shall we, Weasley? I'd hate to be in your shoes though, when you see how dangerous those beasts can be." McLaggen sneered once more and left to spew his hatred in another compartment.

"Ron," Ginny whispered, and the elder Weasley spun around to see identical expressions of shock on Ginny's and Andras' faces. "You absolute neanderthal! I can't believe you threatened McLaggen!" She lightly slapped Ron on the arm, before pulling him into a hug. "Oh, I've missed you, thank you."

Ron's face stretched into a brilliant smile and hugged her back. "I've missed you too, Gin-Gin."

Samael stared at the parchment in his hands with a genuinely warm smile upon his face. Parkinson, who had been surreptitiously watching the Lestrange heir under her eyelashes for the past few moments, was taken aback at this unexpectedly honest expression upon his face.

She had taken to watching Draco and Samael since their betrothal had been announced in the Prophet. Pansy considered the Malfoy heir a close friend ever since they were in the school-room (though she knew he would deny any such relationship), so she wanted what was best for him. Some may think she was determined to become the next Lady Malfoy because of her father's pandering to Lord Malfoy, and his multiple attempts to barter her to Draco, however, Blaise knew she was firmly devoted to him and they had both long suspected Draco's infatuation with Samael.

Samael though…

Pansy would openly admit to herself that she had misjudged the Lestrange heir upon their first meeting. Ever since that extremely mortifying and humbling moment, she tried her best to never underestimate the Lestrange heir or guess what he was thinking. He was far too difficult to read and he was an expert at portraying a facade, so she could not determine if Samael cared for Draco as much as Draco cared for him. She could only hope that was the case for Draco's sake.

"Is something the matter, Pansy?" Samael's cultured voice interrupted her musing, and she blushed faintly at being caught staring by the very object of her attention. Sitting primly in her seat, Pansy smiled softly at the Lestrange.

"Everything is quite well, Samael. I must confess to being merely curious as to the contents of your letter. I must say, I've never quite seen you smile like that before," at this, Pansy's smile turned coy and she leaned further towards the boy.

Samael shifted away from Pansy, discomfited by her blazen behaviour. Arching a brow at the girl he replied. "Not that it is any of your concern, Pansy, but the letter is from my brother."

"Oh! I did not know you had a brother! How exciting!" exclaimed Pansy, and she eagerly shifted towards the boy again. "I'm dying to know more about him. Since he is an older brother and isn't Heir Lestrange, I can only gather he had a far greater inheritance."

"Quite."

Pansy smiled widely at the mystery Samael had presented to her. "Now as far as I'm aware, there isn't a hidden inheritance in either the Black or Lestrange families, and I know them quite well. However, you never know what titles ancient families have squirreled away in their closets."

"I can only assume you're correct."

Pansy's eyes gleamed at Samael's obvious dislike of the conversation and she decided to further increase his discomfort by linking her arm through his. "And tell me, Samael, dear...is he as handsome as you?" She winked at Blaise and Draco, who had just seated themselves at the table. "It would be a feat to manage but I imagine he must be."

"Dragon," Samael whispered agitatedly whilst pointedly glancing at Pansy, who merely beamed innocently at the blonde.

"Pansy, leave Samael alone. He's not used to your harridan ways," he chided, causing the girl to pout. However, she did retract her arm from Samael and instead clutched Blaise's arm instead.

From the coroner of her eyes, Pansy saw Samael relax and quietly whispered his thanks to Draco. Draco beamed at his betrothed, and seeing the requited love in Samael's eyes, she smiled. She was happy for her oldest friend that he was happy with Samael, but she couldn't help but smirk at the revelations she had learned. First, it is extremely easy to rile Samael up and two - there is something strange going on in the Lestrange family.

A few weeks later, Samael silently stalked away from the dormitory. Draco had retired early that evening, citing tiredness, and Samael was quietly relieved since the other boy had not been looking well recently. He had been looking and run-down, with visible bags under his eyes. Samael had attempted speaking with Draco about it, and even tried to coax him into seeing Madame Effing, but the blonde was recalcitrant stating that it was most likely a common cold and he didn't want to waste the mediwitch's time. Samael wasn't convinced but he was happy that Draco was at least taking steps to remedy the situation.

Since, Draco's curtains were drawn when Samael retired for bed, he climbed into his own but - after an hour of tossing and turning - found that he was unable to sleep from a throbbing pain in his ankle. He knew his ankle would never be normal. Logically, he had known this since the day he awoke in Malfoy Mansion after his rescue from the Durselys five years ago, and he mostly come to terms with the lack of mobility. However, recently the pain had been worsening, and it usually flared up just when he was about to succumb to sleep

So, deciding to be proactive, Samael found himself exiting the dormitory and entering the deserted common room. The Black Lake was casting eerie green illuminations on the wall, and the tension in Samael's shoulders began to loosen at the familiar and comforting sight.

Limping heavily to his usual chair, he retrieved the Slytherin journal from its hiding place and began flipping through the pages - searching for any references to a healing spell or potion that may have been lost to time.

Determined, Samael set his eyes towards the potion-stained pages and scanned hundreds of entries from Salazar, Segimerus, Elmer, Rionach, Malchior, Abelard...

The names went on and yet there was nothing…

Of course, there were plenty of curses and hexes to inflict pain and cause disfigurement and disablement, but nothing to even take the edge off the pain he was in. A sense of crushing defeat gripped Samael's heart as he envisioned his future living with this paint that could worse even further with age. Would he have to rely on pain-relief potions? Dreamless sleep? Would he become an addict to these? Reliant on them to even function at a basic level?

Staring mindlessly at a particular entry by Ionlanthe Pevrell from six hundred years ago, the words blurred before his eyes. Frowning, he squinted at the page before the realisation hit him.

He was crying.

Circe! Samael wiped furiously at his stinging eyes and bemoaned his weakness. Why did he have to cry like a frightened child? Crying was…

Normal.

He heard Draco's voice in his head and his raging heart began to calm. Crying was normal, he remembered Draco told him that once. And why should he not cry sometimes? Samael thought to himself. He had experienced traumatic and painful situations in his short life and crying was a healthy expression of negative emotions; allowing one to experience catharsis.

Suddenly, the sound of the common room entrance opening caught Samael's attention and he cast a swift glamour to hide his reddened eyes, before glancing over to see which misbehaving student had been wandering the halls after curfew.

"Dragon?" Samael called out in shock.

Draco visibly startled and turned wide-eyed towards his betrothed. "Samael? What are you doing awake at this hour?"

Samael stiffened in his seat and narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "I could ask you the same thing," Samael gripped the handle of his cane tightly. "After all, I was under the assumption that when you said you were retiring to bed, that you were doing just that and not sneaking out when my back was turned. Just where have you been?"

Then a thought struck him. "Is this why you have been looking so ill recently? Because you have been cavorting around the castle when you should have been sleeping? I have been worried about you!"

Samael couldn't help but feel betrayed by Draco's actions. He trusted Draco with everything and he had been lying to him?

"Samael," Draco hesitated in the doorway, his pale face looking gaunt and grey in the shadows of the common room. "I…" the blonde smiled winningly and sauntered into the room. "I just went to see Severus, I'm sorry if I worried you."

Draco reached for Samael's hand, but the younger teen pulled away and fixed the blonde with a hard stare. "Why are you lying to me?" Samael hissed.

"I don't know what you're talking -"

"Stop lying to me!" Samael thundered and rushed to his feet - ignoring the sharp pain in his ankle. "You know as well as I that Severus goes home to the cottage at night and only returns if there is an emergency. So, unless something drastic has occurred, there is no reason for you to seek Severus at two in the morning!"

"You don't understand, Samael! I have to go out when it's dark, I can't do my task where anyone can see me."

"What task?"

Draco refused to answer Samael's question and only gritted his teeth as he stared at the wall opposite him.

"Did my brother give you a task?" Samael asked sharply. "He has, I can see it in your face. What has he told you to do, Dragon?"

Draco would not meet Samael's eyes. "I can't tell you, Samael."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't."

Samael scowled thinly at his brother's high-handed machinations. How dare he order around his dragon? "Let me help, then. I know you cannot explicitly tell what your task entails, but you could give me a hint…."

"Samael, you're not understanding me. I can't tell you anything!"

Samael's thoughts whirred furiously, before the answer settled cold and twisting in his stomach. "You swore an unbreakable vow?!" Samael's voice was high and furious. "That supercilious bastard! Just wait until I get my hands on him!"

"No! You can't let him know that you know about it!"

"He forbade you from even telling me you had a task? Why would you agree to such a thing?" Samael stared wide-eyed at his betrothed's troubled expression. "Right, you cannot even tell me that."

Samael could only look at Draco with a mixture of shame and concern. His betrothed, his Dragon, was suffering because of his brother and there was nothing he could do to help. "I am so sorry, Draco," Samael shuffled towards the blonde, gritting his teeth so as to not reveal the extent of his pained ankle. "I may not be able to help you with your task but I can, at least, be here for you."

Draco smiled waveringly, as Samael pressed a chaste kiss to Draco's hair and pulled him into his arms. "I am sorry for shouting at you, Draco. I felt frustrated and betrayed by your actions, but I should have known that you were not willingly hiding things from me."

"If I could tell you, mon cheri, I would," Draco's voice was muffled against Samael's neck. "My task...it's not...easy. It wasn't meant to be...easy. It's meant to be a...t-" Draco faltered on the final word.

"A test?" Samael guessed after a moment's thought. "He is testing you? For what purposes? To become a Death Eater? You are far too young for that, he cannot actually be considering that!" Samael hissed and in his anger he almost missed Draco shaking his head. "If it is not a test to become a Death Eater, then what in Circe's name is he testing you for?"

Draco remained silent and only tightened his arms around Samael, then the thought struck him cold. The test was about him. To see if Draco was worthy of his affections.

Samael could only hold Draco tighter to himself and whisper his apologies in his ear. He was going to hex Marvolo when he saw him next but, for now, he would be here for Draco and comfort him when the weight of this task became too heavy for him to bear.

"Come to bed, Dragon," Samael ushered softly, pulling Draco in the direction of the dormitories. "You are dead on your feet and you need your rest."

After a few steps, Draco perked up. "Will I get a goodnight kiss?"

Samael smirked at his betrothed and squeezed his hand. "If you play your cards right, you may even get two."

A/N: My laptop died and I've only just managed to replace it. I should hopefully have this story wrapped up in approx. ten chapters. There's just this year, seventh year, and the epilogue to go.