Chapter Four:
"What is it, Severus?" Anne asked once they were safely in Snape's office. She watched his impassive face intently, trying to read in his eyes what he wouldn't tell her in the Great Hall. "Am I in trouble?" she joked.
"No, Anne," he answered, "and I'll remind you, again, to address me as your professor while we are at Hogwarts."
"Severus," she continued, ignoring him, "what is it?" She paused for a moment, suddenly worried. "Did something happen to my father?"
He shook his head, pointing his wand into the hallway before shutting the door, and then turned to face her.
"Are you close to Draco Malfoy?" he asked, walking toward his desk and motioning for her to take a seat as well.
"Draco?" she began, "I haven't seen or heard from him since Quidditch this morning," she said, avoiding the question.
Draco and Anne had been close once.
Her father had attended Hogwarts with Lucius Malfoy and the two had grown up together. Both men were well-connected at the Ministry, and both made regular contributions to the school. Nicholas Prince had wanted his daughter and Lucius's son to be friends as well, and so he had invited her to join him on a trip to the manor, where she first met the boy who tried so hard to make his father proud.
•¥•
"Hey!" Draco called, now holding his broom and staring enviously at the girl flying loops around the gate. "Come back!"
She flew toward him and touched down, brushing her long hair back from her tiny face.
"What?" she grinned.
He looked from the new broom in his hand to her and then at the looming iron gate that she had been flying over only a short while ago.
"Who taught you to fly like that?" he posed the question hesitantly.
"My father," she answered, smiling. "He was on the Quidditch team at Hogwarts. I want to be on the team, too, but I'm not sure what position to try for."
"First years aren't allowed to try out," he reminded her pointedly.
"I know that," she returned. "My father was a Keeper. He taught me how to play. Do you have a pitch?" she suddenly asked, looking at him expectantly.
"No," he answered solemnly, "father and I don't really play. He…" Draco paused, looking at his feet.
Anne watched him curiously. He looks so sad, she thought.
"Draco," she patted his shoulder, "I've decided I'm going to be your friend."
"Don't touch me," he shrugged her hand off of him, but then he looked at her broom again. "Can you— Can you really teach me how to fly?"
Anne smiled.
Draco took to flying almost as naturally as she had, and before long the two were racing each other along the hedges surrounding the manor. Narcissa watched them from the doorway.
Once their fathers stepped out into the yard, Draco raced toward Lucius excitedly.
"Father, look!"
"That's wonderful, son," Lucius said distractedly as he bade Anne and her father farewell, "come inside now."
•¥•
Over the years, Draco grew distant and more pompous than before, consequently becoming nearly impossible to get along with. He constantly reminded everyone of his blood status and flaunted his family's wealth at every opportunity. Anne suspected it had more to do with Lucius than Draco himself.
She knew that when Draco was alone, he was different. Anne liked that Draco. She was friends with that Draco. Without his lackeys, Draco was just himself, and he told Anne everything. It wasn't until their fourth year, however, that he finally told her that his parents were Death Eaters.
He and Anne were sitting on a table in an empty classroom on the third floor. They had found this place in second year, before the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. They were currently hiding from Pansy. The Yule Ball would soon take place, and Pansy had been breathing down Draco's neck since it was announced.
"Are you going with her?" Anne asked him.
"I can't exactly take Crabbe or Goyle, can I?" he laughed bitterly.
"Oh come on," she teased, "you know plenty of girls fancy you. Pansy is just more… obvious about it."
"Shut up," he laughed, pushing her gently.
Anne rolled her eyes, "Don't pretend you don't love the attention. Especially since Harry Potter managed to somehow get himself involved in the Tournament…"
She allowed the words to hang in the air between them awhile, knowing this was a sore subject for Draco, who was incredibly jealous of the Boy Who Lived.
"Anne," he broke the tense silence, poking her side with his wand. "Can I ask you something?"
"Oh…" she met his eyes then shook her head repeatedly, "No, no. No," she replied. "I don't dance."
"Don't be stupid," he recoiled, making a face, "I could never see you like… that."
"What is it, then?"
She let the question hang, awaiting his response.
He twirled his wand between his fingers, averting his eyes.
"It's… my parents," he started, his voice dropping to a bare whisper.
"What about them?" she pressed.
"D'you know what happened at the World Cup?" he asked.
"Yes, it was absolute chaos," she remembered. Her father had taken her away by side-along apparition when the Death Eaters had appeared and began torturing the Muggles. "Why?"
"Well…"
"Draco, what is it? Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"
She knew that Draco's parents were not fond of those they considered beneath them. They constantly spoke of them in a condescending manner. Draco's father especially. A horrid thought occurred to her.
"Lucius wasn't involved… Was he?" she gasped.
Draco remained silent for a long time. Anne shook her head, guessing the answer from his silence.
"Anne, my parents are Death Eaters," he muttered, "they believe the Dark Lord is… They say he's coming back."
She glanced at him in disbelief, the Malfoys had always been good friends to her parents. Of course, the families disagreed in their views of Muggles and Muggleborns, and Anne knew that Lucius was fascinated by the Dark Arts. Even so, she never suspected that Draco's parents, who were always so pleasant to her, were actually involved with such an immoral and unspeakably evil dark wizard. She felt so stupid for not guessing it sooner. Why had Draco waited so long to tell her?
"Your parents," she choked, "were involved in the torture of innocent people… and you… You…"
It wasn't so much what Draco had just told her that upset Anne, but how long he had waited to do so. Seven years… They had been friends for seven years, and in all of that time, he had never mentioned it.
She jumped off the table, unable to look at him, processing everything he had just told her in not-so-many words as she rushed out of the room.
"Anne!" he called after her, but she did not turn back.
•¥•
"I see," Severus intoned, pulling Anne from her thoughts.
Her surprise quickly turned to anger as she realized what Severus had done.
"You bastard," she whispered.
His lip curled, "Perhaps it would benefit you to practice your Occlumency, Anne."
"Y— That was uncalled for," she mumbled weakly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sealing her mind from any further attempts he might make to invade her thoughts. "What do you want from me?" She opened her eyes slowly, meeting Severus's dark gaze measuredly, "Why are you so interested in what I know about Draco?"
He considered her for a long moment, gauging whether or not he could trust her, Anne suspected. She leaned back in her chair, thinking that perhaps she might be able to gain the information she sought from Severus rather than confronting Draco directly.
"Does it have something to do with the job Draco's doing?" she speculated, pausing to watch Snape's reaction.
His eyes betrayed a hint of surprise at her remark.
Aha, she thought triumphantly.
"It's about his father, isn't it?" she guessed, remembering how Draco had reacted to her mention of Lucius at the start of term.
"Not entirely," Snape said slowly, and then he nodded, as though deciding he could trust Anne with the information. "I… told Narcissa that I would watch over him…" he explained, letting his words trail off.
Anne furrowed her brow. Is Draco in danger? she wondered. She still could not guess what Severus actually wanted her to do. He saved her the trouble of asking.
"Anne, I have a task for you." He formed his fingers into a tent in front of him. "I would like for you to find out what Draco is doing," he continued. "He has been avoiding me… I am concerned for his safety."
"You want me to babysit Malfoy for you?" she cocked an eyebrow, frowning.
"I want you to keep an eye on him and let me know if he does anything… unusual. I'm sure the boy will appreciate your, ah, friendship," he responded. "You are dismissed."
He pointed his wand at the door and it swung open. Anne stared at Snape bemusedly before rising to leave. A strange buzzing filled her ears as she stepped into the hall.
"So you want me to spy on him, then?" she turned to ask, pausing at the doorway.
Severus stood up and waved his wand at the door causing it to swing shut in her face. Anne blinked and stepped back, not entirely surprised by the man's rudeness.
"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" she mumbled.
•¥•
Anne had her feet propped on the table and her copy of Confronting the Faceless open on her lap, browsing through what would presumably be covered in the day's lesson. At Severus's insistence, Draco sat scowling next to Anne at the table closest to where Snape sat at his desk, grading their homework.
Without looking up from her book, Anne spoke to Draco quietly.
"Draco," she kept her voice even, "can I ask you something?"
"Feet off the table, Miss Prince," Snape spoke suddenly. He had apparently finished grading their work and was now returning it to the students. "Well done," he added, holding out her essay on Inferi.
Anne snorted, closing her book and sliding her feet off the table as she took the roll of parchment from him.
"Thank you, professor," she smirked.
"See me after class," Severus murmured to Draco before moving on to the next table.
•¥•
Anne caught Draco by the arm as he hurried out of the classroom into the corridor, clearly choosing to ignore Severus's invitation.
"Draco, wait!" Anne sighed, already hating the idea, "Can we talk?"
Just then, she spotted Pansy hurrying toward them. Draco considered his options, hesitating for only a moment before he took Anne's hand and pulled her away from the crowd of students to the stairs.
She smiled in spite of herself, allowing him to lead her. Her smile faded once she realized they were not heading toward the empty classroom on the third floor. They walked silently for several minutes until Anne stopped abruptly and yanked her hand free from his.
They were now on the seventh floor, standing in front of a tapestry on which Barnabas the Barmy was attempting to teach trolls ballet.
"Draco, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" she hissed.
"We need somewhere to talk," he replied, and then began pacing.
She followed him with her eyes, wondering why this particular corridor was any better of a place to speak privately than their old haunt. Anyone could walk by at any given moment.
"Will you stop that?" she blurted, exasperated. "You're making me ner—"
A door had appeared in the wall opposite the tapestry, shocking Anne into silence. Draco pushed it open and motioned her inside, holding a finger to his lips as she opened her mouth to protest.
"What is this place?" Anne marveled as she entered the room.
She never knew such a room existed in the castle. It wasn't a very large space, admittedly, and it was furnished rather simply—a plush leather sofa set before a small fireplace—but it was perfect for a private conversation.
"So you don't know everything," Draco smiled slyly as he pulled the door shut behind him.
Anne plucked a cushion from the sofa and tossed it at Draco's head. He caught it easily, chuckling as he walked toward her, inviting her to sit.
"So," he drawled, setting the cushion on his lap and waiting for Anne to speak.
"So," Anne echoed, forcing a smile as she cleared her throat. "Draco, I just wanted to—"
"I'm sorry, Anne," he interjected, directing the apology at the cushion on his lap.
"What?" she blinked and shook her head, unsure if she heard him correctly. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and then she began laughing slowly. "Ha, ha ha, Draco Lucius Malfoy… Draco 'my father will hear about this' Malfoy is apologizing to me? I don't believe it."
Draco's face colored slightly at the mention of his father, causing Anne to stop laughing at once.
"Oh, crap, Malfoy. I'm sorry," she bit her lip, "I just didn't expect…"
"It's fine, Anne," he sighed quietly, his eyes still downcast.
"Look at me," she told him, "Draco…"
He was shaking. She slid closer to him and gently tugged the cushion out of his hands, cautiously placing one of her own on his shoulder. Draco raised his head slowly and Anne saw that he had tears in his eyes. Damn it, Draco, she thought, remembering what Severus had asked her to do, you're not making this easy.
"Anne," he was crying in earnest now, his body shuddering under her hand as it rested on his shoulder. She didn't mean to take advantage of his emotion the way she did, but Severus had taught her well. Steeling herself, she squeezed Draco's shoulder lightly and focused on the task that Severus set for her. Legilimens, she thought, peering for the first time into the mind of the first friend she ever had.
She saw in his memories the night they stopped speaking, him punching the table and cursing after she was gone. Then a glimpse of the night that Lucius was caught and imprisoned for the incident at the Ministry, Narcissa crying. Next, Anne saw a snake-like man in billowing black robes entering Draco's home. Then, Draco sneaking into Knockturn Alley, walking purposefully toward a shop; the sign over the door read…
The sound of Draco's sobs had subsided. Anne pulled her hand off his shoulder and sat in silence for several minutes, trying to make sense of everything she had seen. She knew she couldn't ask Draco directly, that would mean admitting she had read his mind. She sighed, allowing him the chance to speak first.
"I know I should have told you sooner," he croaked. "I didn't want to lose you, Anne. You were the only one who ever saw me," he continued, "not Lucius Malfoy's son, but… me."
You have no idea, Anne thought, smiling weakly. She nodded, tracing her finger absently around the pattern on the cushion she had taken from Draco's lap. He watched her curiously, his head slightly tilted, similar to how her owl, Sorrow, looked at her when she was waiting for a treat after delivering a letter.
Anne thought again of what Severus had said.
I'm sure the boy will appreciate your, ah, friendship…
Her smile widened to a grin as she turned to meet Draco's sad, gray eyes, and patted his shoulder as she had nine years ago.
"Draco," she said, "I've decided I'm going to be your friend."
Even if you might be a Death Eater… she thought somberly.