CHAPTER 29: A Prophecy

A/N: Hey guys, apologies in advance for the delay. Without further ado...

Harry had his head turned down, his gaze following the intricate pattern on the bed sheet that was adorned with patterns of rose flowers.

"Harry?"

"Yeah" he answered in a monotonous tone, not lifting his head.

Petunia let out a deep sigh as she briefly looked at Dudley, who shrugged his shoulders in response. She turned back towards him and rested her hand on his shoulder.

The warmth of her hand did the worked as a draught against his tense frame and he felt the tension, the stress, the nerves, which were on a high alert since last night, slowly leave his body.

He looked up and met her concerned and determined gaze. He should've known she wasn't going to let this go so easily.

He ran a hand through his unkempt hair and sighed deeply. "Look, it's no big deal. I know it's last minute but I didn't know it until last night, okay. He'll be all alone and I want to keep him company."

She shook her head. "You're lying. I know. I can tell" she finished with a frown.

"I'm not!" he exclaimed, before his eyes drifted towards the closed door for a moment, which didn't escape Petunia, before they snapped back to her. "Look" his voice much lower as he continued. "I'm-I-I'm not lying-"

"That's a lie" she cut in.

He shot her an annoyed look for interrupting. "It's not a big deal. It's not that I haven't been back for the holidays before"

"That's not the point" Sternness creeping into her tone. "I wouldn't've thought there was anything to it but the moment you walked in I knew there was something wrong. You look like you haven't slept in 2 days or eaten properly for that matter. Not to mention you smell like dirty laundry" she wrinkled her nose in disapproval.

A red hue came over Harry's cheeks as he once again ducked his head, this time though because of embarrassment. He recalled a similar memory that occurred just half an hour ago when he was rudely woken up by Dean, who along with Neville, Seamus and almost the rest of the student population was going back home for the Christmas holidays.

Muttering a handful of curses under his breath he blearily opened his eyes. Though it only took a couple of seconds for his eyes to snap wide open when he saw pity mixed in with fear in his friend's eyes.

"There's someone here to see you" was all he said before he picked up his luggage and stormed out, leaving the door half open.

He got up after shooting a glance at Ron's bed. He was lying on his back with one arm thrown over his head and the other resting on his stomach. As per usual he was snoring loudly with his mouth open.

His feet had just touched the ground when a set of footsteps entered the room. To say he was shocked to see the potions professor in his dorm would be an understatement. Infact, he only came out of his shocked stupor when he heard someone sniff.

He frowned when he saw Snape looking at him with a disgusted expression with his nose scrunched up.

His eyes turned wide as he looked down and realized that he slept in the same clothes that he wore for the past three days.

Thankfully, his embarrassment didn't prolong much further.

"You need to come with me, right now" A pause. "Normally, I would say get changed as quickly as possible but it seems you've already beaten me to it"

The sarcastic remark didn't go unnoticed and neither it did for Ron it seemed, who apparently had woken up and was giggling under the blanket.

With a swish of his robes Snape turned on his heel and walked out of the room, and after shooting a nasty glare at his friend who had drawn the blanket down and was now openly cackling like a five-year-old while pointing a finger at him and kicking his legs in the air, he followed him.

"Harry?"

Snapping out of his trance he blinked the horrible memory away and turned his head up towards his aunt, who was staring back at him with worry written all over his face.

"Yes?"

She sighed and leaned forward from her place on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong? Are you in trouble. Have you failed to hand in an assignment or have not done your homework. Is that why they are keeping you back"

"No, aunt Petunia, that's not it-"

"For punishment." she continued, not listening to a word he said. "If that's it then I'm going to have a word with Albus. This is no way to-"

"Aunt Petunia!"

She stopped as her eyes turned wide in surprise at his small outburst.

He sighed deeply as his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry..." His wiped his sweaty hands against his trouser and looked around the room. His eyes briefly connected with his cousin who was staring at him with a frown and curiosity in his eyes.

"Look, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not in any kind of trouble, I swear" He added, when he saw her mouth open. She closed it as he continued. "My friend, Ron, he's my best friend, and he's staying back because he doesn't want to go to his grandma's house which is where his family will be spending their Christmas. He only decided it last night and then begged me to stay. I agreed because...well...he did the same for me last Christmas" He finished with a shrug.

He hoped that was good enough because frankly, he didn't think he could do better than that, and also, it's only a half lie since Ron was staying and he only decided it last night. He had sent a letter through Hedwig since she was much faster than Errol and were still waiting for the reply. But Ron had assured him that his parents wouldn't mind since his two oldest brothers, Bill, and Charlie, wouldn't be able to make it back for the holidays due to work so their family is actually going to visit his great aunt Tessie for Christmas and will stay there till after New year's. He also mentioned that his parents were well aware that he wasn't particularly fond of his aunt.

"Fine" Petunia acquiesced with a sigh and he couldn't stop the smile that crept over his mouth. "But!" she lifted a finger and scowled at him. "I'm going to ask Albus about this and if he says otherwise, you're in big trouble young man"

He cringed in response and almost immediately Petunia's scowl deepened. "About that..." He scratched the back of his neck nervously before he stood up and started making his way toward the door.

Petunia's eyes narrowed into slits as they followed his movement.

He reached the door and lifted a shaky hand towards the knob before pulling the door open. He stepped out for a moment before walking back in with his head turned down.

He gulped and peeked a glance at his aunt whose gaze had taken on a curious stance as she watched him with a frown. He saw her mouth open but before she could form even a sound her gaze shifted towards the door as another presence entered the room.

He saw her eyes turn comically wide as they landed on Snape. He knew from the stories she told about his mother that they knew each other but he wasn't expecting this reaction.

"Oh my..." he heard her gasp before she covered her mouth with her hand.

He turned his head to the right and was even more surprised by Snape's reaction. He had his head turned down and his entire posture radiated that he was extremely uncomfortable and nervous being here.

The moment kept prolonging and it seemed that neither party had any attention of breaking the silence. Petunia couldn't and Severus wouldn't.

Harry didn't know what to do. He kept shifting his gaze from one person to the other. In doing so his gaze locked on to Dudley who was staring at him with a 'what's going on' expression. Confusion and uneasiness written all over his face.

He motioned with his hands to Harry to do something who shrugged in response. What the hell does he expect me to do?

He looked back at his aunt to see that she was still in shock. He turned towards his teacher whose head was still tilted down.

He shook his head in exasperation before clearing his throat. Rather loudly.

That did the trick.

Both adults whipped their heads in his direction. He could feel warmth seeping into his cheeks and looked away from their gazes.

Petunia blinked multiple times before she closed her mouth. She jerked her head back towards Snape and their eyes met.

"It's been so long" she gasped.

Severus stayed quiet for a moment before he gave a single nod. "It has" Harry noted that his voice sounded more gravelly than normal.

A small laugh escaped Petunia's lips before she shook her head in disbelief. She fidgeted with the bedsheet; her eyes downcast. "Sorry about that" she started. "It's just...looking at you after all these years..." She inhaled deeply and looked up. "It took me back in time"

They kept staring into each other's eyes before Petunia once again looked away.

Harry was starting to feel even more uncomfortable now. He actually preferred when they weren't talking. That was somewhat bearable.

Clearing his throat once again he gained everyone's attention.

"I'm going to leave" His voice sounded small to his own ears and he wondered if anyone even heard him. "Aunt Petunia, Professor Snape will take you and Dursley back-"

He stopped seeing her eyes turn wide before she whipped her head towards Snape who once again went back to staring at the ground.

She turned her head back towards him before saying "But, what happened to Albus?"

He was about to respond but was beaten to it.

"Professor Dumbledore is required to be out of the castle" Snape paused for a second before continuing. "He won't be back for several days so he asked me to take you and your son back to your house"

"Oh...but what about the... you know" she did a back-and-forth motion with her hand between them.

"You need not worry about that. I fully understand the confidentiality and the gravity of the situation"

She nodded her head but there was still a slight frown on her face.

"I hope you don't have a problem with that. I feel like I have to once again ensure that Professor Dumbledore had no other choice otherwise, he would be standing in my place."

"No, no, no. I don't have a problem" she waived her hand in apology. "If it couldn't be him, I'm glad it's you. I mean you're the only person I know in this whole damn place. Infact this whole damn world practically."

Snape gave a slight bow of his head in response. "I believe that was the precise reason why Professor Dumbledore asked me"

Petunia scoffed, which made Snape furrow his brows as a wry smile appeared on her lips. "C'mon Severus, stop acting so formal. I know we were never close but at least give our history some credibility. You're acting like this is the first time we have met."

Harry turned to Snape to eagerly hear his response but all he got was him staring at his aunt, and looking a lot more like the cold, uncaring, intimidating man he knew than the almost shy and dare he say humble person he was watching for the past five minutes or so.

"I have no clue what history you're referring to and the small amount I remember doesn't warrant any credibility. As for me acting so formal as you put it, I don't know how people in a workplace act in your world but in our world, we treat each other with an utmost respect and professionalism. If that's all I would like to get this done as quickly as possible so if you and your son" His eyes shifted towards Dudley for a brief second before snapping back to her "could be ready to leave in the next five minutes, I would really appreciate it" He snarled at the end.

"There's the cold bastard I remember" Petunia quipped without missing a beat. A loud guffaw escaped Harry's lips before he covered his mouth with his hand to stop anymore abrupt laughter to break through. "See, I much prefer if you would've started the conversation this way. That's the history I'm talking about. You acting like an insufferable, arrogant jerk and me putting you in your place" she finished with a smirk.

Harry could practically feel the heat emanating from the potions professor and he could practically see the steam coming from his ears.

"I'll wait outside" He growled, and with a swish of his robes left the room.

"Oh, is that a new thing you do to scare the children since you know you're about as intimidating as a pigeon" Petunia shouted after him.

They all heard with baited breath as the footsteps halted in the hallway for a few seconds before they continued but this time they sounded a lot more like stomping. The sound of the main door slamming indicated him leaving the quarters and echoed all the way back to their room.

Harry couldn't hold it in any longer and for the first time in a long while laughed his heart out, with Dudley and Petunia joining him.

"Oh...my...god" He wheezed, taking huge gulps of air to control his breathing. "I can't believe you just did that" He wiped the moisture from his eyes.

"Neither can I" snorted Petunia. "Just seeing him brought back memories and most of them are filled with what you just saw"

"Oh, you have to tell me them all" he was practically skipping in excitement he was so excited.

"Anytime" she smiled, before a somber expression came over her face as she got up from the bed and walked over to him.

He felt all the giddiness leave his body as she stopped in front of him. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Is everything alright? You're not in any kind of trouble, right?"

He licked his lips nervously as he stared at her sweater before looking into her eyes. "I'm not"

He felt her gaze was penetrating his soul as she kept staring at him. "Alright" she patted his shoulder twice before looking over her shoulder at Dudley.

"C'mon Dudders, we're leaving, sweety"

Dudley leapt up from the bed and walked over to them. He stopped next to his mom and nervously scuffed his shoe on the floor.

Petunia looked between them with a small smile. "C'mon now, say goodbye to your cousin" she gently pushed him towards Harry.

Dudley awkwardly cleared his throat as he kept his gaze downcast. "I guess I'll see you back home"

Harry felt a pleasant feeling settle in his heart at the word 'home'. It meant more to him than he would ever care to admit, mostly because it was coming from Dudley. He knew his relationship with his aunt was really strong now. He felt he could practically talk or share with her pretty much anything but, his and Dudley's relationship, which was a hundred times better than what it was used to being, was still in its rocky stages.

"Yeah, I'll see you back...home" He almost didn't say it because it still felt weird but then he realised that it wasn't about the actual place where you lived but the people.

Petunia sniffled, gaining both boys attention. "Oh, don't mind me." she chuckled, wiping her eyes before engulfing Harry in a big hug.

He hugged her back with the same passion and closed his eyes for a moment as he smelled the vanilla scent that he came to attribute with her.

"I love you" she whispered.

He felt his eyes burning. This was the first time someone said those three magical words to him. "I love you" The words felt foreign to his lips but he knew the moment they left his mouth that he could get used to repeating them. They filled him with warmth and love and gave him the strength he really needed at the moment.

Petunia pulled back and he saw tears flowing in her eyes. She swiped back the hair over his forehead before placing a gentle kiss right above his scar.

He closed his eyes at the contact and felt moisture gathering behind his own eyes but managed to keep it at bay. For now.

Petunia stood back to her full height and cleared her throat as she once again wiped at her eyes. "C'mon, let's go"

She grabbed both their hands and led them out of the room. They reached the main door which Dudley pulled open before they walked through.

They walked through the tunnel that led to Madam Pomfrey's office and stopped when they reached it.

Snape was standing with his back towards them and his hands folded at the back. "Ready" He asked, as he turned around to face them.

"Yes" nodded Petunia.

"Good" he drawled, that had Petunia rolling her eyes.

He beckoned them towards the portrait behind the huge oak desk. Petunia and Dudley's eyes went wide as the man in the portrait walked out of the frame, albeit irritably and throwing a nasty glare at Snape, before it opened.

"Wow!" exclaimed Dudley in awe.

Harry, always looking for more hidden passages, locked this into his memory.

Snape stepped in before he turned around. "I don't have all day" he growled when they didn't move.

"Ohh! sorry" apologized Petunia before she pushed Dudley inside. She turned back to Harry and hugged him. "I'll see you soon, hmm"

"Yeah"

She pulled back and was about to turn around but stopped.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I knew I was forgetting something. Is Hermione staying with you and your friend, too. I would feel much better if she is because she has a much more sensible head than you and your friend from what little I've heard about him"

Harry felt his whole body stiffen at his friend's name. His looked past her shoulder and caught Snape's eyes.

The contact was brief but he could tell that he was rigidly waiting for his answer as well.

"I'm sorry, aunt Petunia. But I'm afraid she's already left"

"Oh pity" sighed Petunia. "Well, you be careful now, okay. No hanky panky" she quirked an eyebrow but he could see her lips twitch at the corner.

He looked up at her and mustered a small smile. "Never"

She chuckled and ruffled his hair before joining Snape and Dudley and with final wave he watched them walk further and further in the shadows before the portrait snapped back to its place.

…...

Somewhere in the mountains

Footfalls echoed on the marble floor like raindrops clinking against a window. They were assured and equally measured, although no great effort went to make it so as like any repetitive motion it had slowly transformed into a habit that had been perfected years prior which now resided in the deep consciousness of the brain.

The hall, which was square in shape stood on four 40 feet tall concrete pillars. The vast size of the room added with the totalitarian architecture created a staggering albeit an imposing presence.

The room was dimly lit despite the curtains being drawn open as was the weather outside. Dark grey clouds hung morosely in the sky as another bout of loud thunder echoed across the walls.

Shadowy patterns were scattered all around the floor in the shape of the seven humongous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The footsteps came to a halt in front of a large double door that was made of oak. There appeared to be no lock or a door handle. There was a slight ruffling of a dark red cape before a wand was deftly held in the right hand. It was 13 inches long, elm wood sculpted from resin and sleek in design. The handle was black and white with studs adorning it.

A circular motion of the wand created a light mist of blue hue that wafted in the air for a few seconds before it disappeared in the darkness.

With the right hand still holding the wand the person placed their free hand on the left door. It was just a gentle touch, a simple brush of the fingers that only lasted a couple of seconds before the hand was pulled back as the door opened.

The person stepped through the opening before the door closed back in place.

Her eyes wandered across the vast open area that was covered by a blanket of snow. Even the forest that stood a few hundred yards away was covered in white and not a speck of green could be seen.

Breathing the fresh morning air in she started walking down the stone steps. She pointed her wand forward when she reached the bottom and waited as a line started forming in the snow before it spread wider and within a few seconds a metre long wide gap separated the two edges.

She stepped onto the now grass covered field and started walking. With every step she took the knee-deep blanket of snow in front of her separated.

She turned left and walked along the side of the manor. A flash of lightning sparked in the sky accompanied by a loud thunder.

She jerked her head up when another flash of lightning lit up the sky, this one twice the size of the one before. She was about to turn her head down when something caught her eye.

She squinted her eyes as something emerged from the clouds. She couldn't quite make the form of it yet. It seemed to be hurling towards the ground and in her direction.

She stopped walking and concentrated on the flying speck that seemed to be getting bigger with every second and tightened her grip on her wand.

She furrowed her brows when it started making a zig zag motion. She inhaled sharply before a sharp gasp escaped her lips as realization dawned on her.

She was rendered motionless for a few seconds by what her eyes were seeing when another flash of lightning snapped her out of it.

Acting quickly, she pointed her wand at the side of her neck and whispered "Sonorous"

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY, GET YOUR PALE, SKINNY, ARSE RIGHT DOWN THIS VERY INSTANT OR MERLIN FORBID I'LL DO IT MYSELF AND YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I DESPISE FLYING"

Even from so high up she could see that startled him as he came to an abrupt halt and stayed that way for a few seconds before descending to the ground, in a straight line.

He landed a few feet away from her and got off his broom. His eyes turned wide when he realised how deep the snow was, he lost his balance and dropped forward, face first.

She watched him try and fail multiple times to get up and had half a mind to let him get out of it on his own for the stupidity he had just displayed but then her motherly instincts took over.

Rolling her eyes as he kept flailing his arms with his head still stuck in the snow, she pointed her wand in his direction and just like before a crack appeared next to his head before it got wider and in a matter of seconds he was huffing and puffing and dusting and running his gloved hands over his face.

He peeked at her through his fingers and gulped when he saw her tapping her foot. He knew what that meant.

Knowing there was no way he could get out of this, at least not on his own, he was left with only one option.

Might as well go for it since I can't get in more trouble.

With that thought he hurled toward his broom which was now lying on the snow and mounted it in the next second and took off.

He smiled, feeling a little smug that he pulled it off but his jubilance was short-lived when he felt his broom being pulled back to the ground. He didn't even bother looking down and simply rolled his eyes, now realizing how pathetic his attempt was.

He kept his eyes downcast as his feet touched the ground but didn't got up from the broom.

Everything was silent for a while and he wondered if his mother was even there anymore. Maybe she was so upset she went back inside and didn't wanted to talk to him. That thought made his stomach lurch. He always hated whenever he made her sad. Most of the time it was related to him getting hurt, which was always related to flying.

A memory of him smashing into the wall next to his window two years ago flashed through his mind. It resulted in a broken arm and a concussion to the head. His mother didn't speak to him for two days.

That was his punishment every time he pertained a flying or quidditch related injury. For everything else he got a right bollocking but whenever he got hurt it was the silent treatment. And it worked because after the third time he made a promise to himself that he would be extra careful and to his credit he hadn't gotten injured in nearly a year.

His breath hitched when he heard the soft padding of footsteps on the grass. His inclined his gaze just a tad to see her shoes stop a couple of feet away from him.

"Draco" she said in a soft tender voice.

He felt his entire body go rigid from fear. Oh no, she's using her sweet voice. Damn it!

"Look at me, sweety"

Taking a huge gulp, which he felt reverberate through his entire body, he slowly lifted his head towards her.

She was staring at him with a kind smile on her face. But he knew the difference. It wasn't her real smile, the one she gives him every time she is proud of him.

"Ye-yes mo-mother" he barely stuttered the words out.

"Tell me honey, are you OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

He closed his eyes knowing this was coming. For the next five minutes he received the telling off of his life.

"THAT WAS THE MOST INCOMPETENT THING YOU COULD'VE DONE- WHAT WERE YOU EVEN THINKING? - YOU'RE LUCKY I SAW YOU - YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR HOLIDAYS – I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR THAT BROOM OR SO HELP ME MERLIN, I WILL CRUSH IT INTO A MILLION PIECES – WHAT IF THAT LIGHTNING HAD STRUCK YOU OR IF YOU HAD FALLEN-"

He finally opened his eyes when she stopped. She was breathing heavily and glaring down at him.

"Explain yourself" she hissed.

"Umm..." He cleared his throat before giving it another try. "I just felt like it" He knew how lame that sounded but it was the truth. Well, half-truth.

Her eyes turned wide as a look of disbelief came over her face. "I'm sorry, did I just hear you say 'I just felt like it'"

He gave her a sheepish nod in reply.

She made a sound that was between a scoff and a gasp, staring at him as if he didn't just say that. "What am I going to do with you" she whispered.

"I'm sorry" he said in a sheepish voice.

"Nuh uh, not going to work" she shook her head.

His shoulders sagged and he kicked foot against the knee length snow wall. He picked up his broom and walked past her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He stopped and turned around. "Back to my room."

"And did I say you could" she arched an eyebrow and folded her arms in front of her.

He gave her an annoyed look before replying. "Yes, you said I was grounded or did you forget that already"

"Don't get smart with me, mister" she scowled before schooling her features back to normal. "You are not going anywhere until you tell me what's troubling you"

"Nothing's troubling me!"

"Don't even bother playing this game with me son, you know you can't fool me so I suggest you stop doing the same to yourself. C'mon now" She lifted her hand towards him.

He kept staring at her defiantly and didn't move.

"Love, you don't want to play the patience game with me. Take it from your father. He finally learned it as well even though it took him a while." Her mouth tugged at the corners.

Realising there was no escape for him he finally relented and walked back towards her and took her offered hand.

She brought his gloved hand to her mouth and kissed it, giving him a wink. He couldn't stop the smile from breaking through his stubborn exterior and hugged her. "I'm sorry, mum"

She bent down and kissed the top his head. "Still not good enough"

They both chuckled before she pulled back. "Were you trying to escape to your dad?" At his sheepish nod, she shook her head. "Like that would've saved you. C'mon, I want to show you something"

With that she resumed the path she was headed towards before she stopped. They reached the end of the manor before turning right to an off beaten path that was surrounded by plants of every nature and colour. But during this time of the season, they were hard to tell apart because of the thick layer of snow covering them.

"I don't get it why you don't protect them with some sort of a ward or something else" She looked down at him as he continued. "I mean you spend almost an hour everyday taking care of them but you do nothing during this time of the year. What's the point of wasting so much time when you're going to have to do it all over again. Most of 'em are probably already dead"

"Because that's the circle of life, son" He looked up at her, furrowing his brows in confusion, waiting for her to further elaborate. "If you'd have paid close attention, you would know that I have never used magic on them"

A contemplative expression came over his face as he thought about what she said and realised that she was right. She only watered the plants and took great care of them but without ever using magic.

"But why?"

She wiped a lock of hair that fell over her face. "As I said earlier, it is the circle of life. It was something my sister used to say. She taught me early on that not everything in life needs to be meddled with magic. Especially not nature. She always believed that every living being, whether it is a person, a creature, or a plant is born with a magical core in them. It is pure, because it belongs solely to them and shouldn't be stained. The prime example of this would be wizards or witches who try to prolong their life with magic and in doing so end up losing far more than the few extra years they get to breathe air."

Draco thought about her words with a contemplative look on his face as he gazed around the snow-covered plant life around them.

They came to a stop in front of a shed, the only place Draco was never allowed to be anywhere nearby. It was made entirely out of thousands upon thousands of black Zergeth rocks. Each rock was no bigger the size of a palm. They were the rarest form of rock, found only at a mountain hill fifty miles east off the manor.

Pushing the door open she stepped inside, followed by her son.

He let out a deep sigh as his body temperature spiked up instantly. Warmth surrounded his body and he basked in it for a moment.

"Why is it so warm in here?" he asked, as his eyes wandered around the dark space lit only by thousands of golden fairies hanging from the ceiling.

Narcissa pulled him along towards the back. "Because of the Zergeth stones you see all around you"

"What, these rocks?"

They reached the back which had a small, narrow gap going through the middle of the wall. There were two chairs on either side of the gap. They both took a seat and faced each other.

"Yes, they are called Zergeth rocks. The generate the heat you feel all around you"

"But how?"

"Well, that's a long story." She took out a small red crystal from her pocket and placed it inside the gap.

"I want to hear it"

"I don't think you do. I think you only want to delay telling me about what's bothering you and hope that I forget about it" She smirked as he scowled at her. "But, seeing as I'm such a great mother who would never decline my son gaining valuable knowledge, I will tell you the story"

"Go on" he growled.

"You see long ago there was a Dragon named, Rainlord. He was the king of all species and used to live on Mount Heptis"

"Oh, I've been there" Draco cut her off excitedly, remembering their family vacations to the mountain when he was young. Northernshire, a small wizarding village was situated right at the foot of the mountain. They used to stay at the Colossal Inn whenever they visited.

"Yes, you have" she smiled, before continuing. "Well, long ago, a huge volcano erupted from the mountain that was headed straight for the village. It is said that the village would have been demolished if it weren't for Rianlord."

Draco listened with rapt attention and anticipation. "What happened?" he whispered.

"He stopped it."

"How?"

"By freezing it. You see, Rainlord was an ice breathing dragon"

"Ohhh...so what happened then?"

"Well, he left"

Draco furrowed his brows as a frown marred his face. "He left?" she nodded her head. "That's it!"

"Hmm mm, but not before warning the village folk that this was all there doing."

"How come?"

"People in the village believed that they could transform the lava in the mountain into gold. It is said that every night, they would climb up to the foot of the mountain and would try to create a direct passage to the heart of it where the lava existed. They would do so by using very dark magic because apparently a simple bombarda wouldn't do the trick"

"That's messed up"

"It is. Anyway, he warned the people that next time this happened he wouldn't be there to help them and left. He was never heard or seen again"

"Woah...so they destroyed his home and he didn't even do anything"

"No"

"Hmm...well did the people listen to him. Did they stop doing it or they still tried it"

"Never"

"Well, that's nice I guess." Silence stretched for a few seconds before he opened his mouth. "I still don't understand how this is related to these rocks"

"Well honey, these rocks came out from the frozen volcano. You see, that winter was said to be the coldest in history and even magical folk were struggling to cope with it mainly because the spells that we use today in our daily lives had yet to created back then. So, you see even when they destroyed his home, Rainlord not only saved their lives but left with a parting gift that would protect them for centuries."

Draco nodded his head as he tentatively placed his hand over a rock. It wasn't blazing hot as he expected.

"So, this dragon, Rainlord, he's never been seen again?" he asked, still looking at the wall made out of rocks.

"Yes" There was a slight pause before she added. "Although, according to some historians there was a prophecy."

He whipped his head towards her with an arched brow. "A prophecy"

"Hmm, they believe that not long after Rainlord disappeared, one of the village people, a seer, had a vision of the future. In the vision, the seer saw Rainlord returning to help fight a war. Now, I'm just paraphrasing here as it was something my grandmother told me when I was young. But she said that that this seer saw a huge battle between two sides. There were creatures of all kind fighting for either side. But then, he saw Rainlord flying over the battle, but that's not it. He saw someone riding him, commanding him"

"Really!"

"Yes, but that's also the part where everyone, even the historians who believe in the prophecy, think he just made that part up"

"But why?"

"Because my sweet, lovely boy-" She ignored his scowl and continued. "Rainlord was the king, the alpha. No one has ever been able to ride him, to control him. Many have tried and failed."

"Does the prophecy say who was riding him?"

"No but..." she takes a deep sigh and shakes her head. "This is the part that doesn't make sense to me. The seer said that the wizard he saw riding Rainlord will be the most powerful in history"

"Why don't you believe that part? I mean if you believe the prophecy exists and all the stuff in it then why not-"

"Because we've already had the most powerful wizard and his name was Godric Gryffindor. The closest who ever came to his power is Dumbledore and I'm pretty sure he never rode a dragon, not to mention that there has been no sighting of Rainlord for the past thousand years or more."

"But that doesn't mean there couldn't be someone more powerful in the future"

"True, but I doubt it. Also, it spoke of a war so I think we all should just be happy that the filthy dragon stays away"

They both chuckled before silence fell upon them.

"Is Dumbledore really that powerful. I mean I've heard some people say that...you-know-who was-"

"No" Aside from the finality to her tone there was also an edge to it that startled him. He didn't want to get reprimanded but curiosity got the best of him.

"But how can you be sure?"

"Because only cowards rely on dark magic because they know they'd have no chance otherwise"

"But, it's still magic-"

Her eyes narrowed and he further shrinked back in his seat.

"Let's just say that in a duel, who do you think would win-"

"Draco, how am I supposed to know that. It's not like I've ever seen them duel" she said irritably before glaring at him. "Why are you so interested in this? I've never before heard you ask questions about dark magic or- is this what you talk to your friends about. If using dark magic will make you a more powerful wizard?"

Draco paled and started shaking his head. "No, I swear-" He gulped. "Okay, maybe once, OW!"

She had jumped up from her seat and grabbed his ear, pulling him up. Steam was coming out of her eyes as she glared down at him. "I swear, Draco, if I ever find out it has been more than once I will use you as a broom to wipe every floor at Hogwarts. Do you hear me!"

He rapidly nodded his head in reply, still shocked by the turn of events.

"Good" she let go of his ear and kissed it before sitting back in her chair and pulling him on her lap. "Now enough of all this. Tell me what's bothering you" She soothed the pain in his ear with another kiss.

But he forgot about the pain at once. He knew this moment would come ever since she yelled at him when he was flying in the clouds. His knee started shaking badly and his palms started getting sweaty.

He felt her place a hand on his knee before shifting his position so he was sitting sideways. "Honey" Her voice was laced with worry as she ran a hand over his cheek. He was shocked to find out that he was crying as she wiped another tear that was rolling down his cheek. "Sweety, what's wrong. Please tell me and don't cry"

He looked at her and saw tears gathering behind her eyes.

"What's wrong. Tell me and I'll fix it for you"

"You can't" he couldn't hold it any longer and cracked, tears streaming down his cheeks. He put his arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely, seeking comfort in his mother's arms. She gently rubbed her hand down his back as her own tears rolled down her face.

"Draco...please tell me what is it. I promise you I won't be angry. I know there is nothing horrible my son could ever do so tell me and we'll fix it together, hmm"

"You won't like me anymore" he wailed. "You'll ha-hate m-me"

"Honey, there is nothing you could do to make me hurt you. That is not part of my contract. It specifically forbids me to do that" she joked, hoping it would ease his pain somewhat. It worked as a chuckle escaped his lips. She smiled and kissed the side of his head.

"You promise"

Her heart broke and she tried very hard to control another batch of tears that were on the edge of falling down. His voice sounded so small and scared. "I promise" she whispered. She pulled back and fiercely kissed his cheek before cleaning his face with a wave of her hand.

He laid his head in the crook of her neck with his arms woven around it. She waited patiently as Draco's light sniffling noises slowly ebbed away.

The silence stretched for a couple of minutes during which Narcissa ran her hand through her son's blonde locks before it was finally broken.

"You know the attacks..."

Flummoxed by the start, she was speechless for a few moments. She wasn't expecting those words to come out of his mouth but mostly she didn't like the sinking feeling that was slowly creeping up her stomach. "Yes" Her voice barely above a whisper.

She had to wait for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Do you know about the last one."

"Yes, that a girl has gone missing." her voice took on a melancholic tone. A frown came over her face before she looked down at him. "She was in your year, wasn't she. I remember your father telling me that last night. Apparently, Dumbledore had been keeping most of the information hidden about the attacks but with him gone, McGonagall didn't have any other option but to tell all if she didn't want the same fate as him. He told me they got the answers out of her via veritaserum. But don't you worried about any of that. I'm not letting you anywhere near that castle until this whole mess has been settled. You should've seen your father. I don't remember the last time I saw him this angry when he learned what was going on in the castle."

"Dumbledore never lied to us...or hold information back"

"I'm not surprised" She then shook her head. "Tell you the truth I could never understand that man. But anyway, what were you going to say about the girl"

She felt his entire body go rigid in her arms and wondered just how bad the situation was. "Go on, honey" She squeezed his back for assurance.

He pulled back from her hold and stared into her eyes.

"Her name is Hermione Granger. She is friends with Potter. Or was."

She arched an eyebrow but let him continue.

"I-I... said some stuff to her that you wouldn't like"

It only took a moment for realization to dawn upon her. She couldn't hide her shock as well as she'd hoped. Her eyes turned wide and a stricken look came over her face. She restricted the urge to smack him across the face. That wouldn't do their situation any good.

"Go on"

Draco internally winced at her cold tone. No backing down now.

"I did it throughout the last year. Every time I would see her..." he trailed off and looked away. "It never seemed to bother her or so I thought. I never really meant it. I just did it to get a reaction out of her. I would just say it casually whenever I passed her in the hallways. She never told anyone about it too so I thought-"

"That it didn't bother her" she cut him off.

He faced her before nodding his head.

"But it did. I kept at it this year as well. One day I called her...you know, on my way to the astronomy tower. I go there sometimes. Like always, she didn't react. I had been there for about five minutes before I heard someone barge in. I was sitting in the corner so I guess she didn't see me. She was crying. She was facing the opposite direction so I just watched her. I-I felt horrible. It was a feeling I never felt before. I was so confused I didn't know what to do so I stood up and left. But not before she saw me. The moment I saw her face I knew it was because of me.

I avoided her after that. The feeling didn't go away and I didn't know how to deal with it. Then-" His voice trembled and he took a pause. "I wanted to apologize to her but she was always with Potter and Weasley. I started following her to catch her alone but never could" A frown came over his before he continued. "They were always in the girl's lavatory. Anyway, the night she was attacked, I was following her and Potter..."

The night of the attack

Draco held his breath as he hid behind an alcove. Even though he was standing a fair distance away at the corner where three corridors merged into a single lane, he could still hear there bickering.

He couldn't make out the exact words but that didn't matter. He wasn't here to spy on them.

"That's it! I've had it with you!" He heard her shout. Curiosity got the better of him and he trained his ears to make out what they were saying. It didn't work but he forgot all about it when he heard running footsteps heading his way before a flash of a bushy brown head zoomed past him.

Draco stepped out of the alcove and took a quick glance in Harry's direction before he ran after her.

"Granger! Wait!" He called after her.

He saw her stop at the end of the corridor at turn around. He slowed down to a walk and saw her eyes squint before they turned wide. He saw tears streaming down her face as she shouted. "Leave me alone! Don't you have anything better to do than make other people's life miserable"

His steps halted. He opened and closed his mouth several times but no words came out.

"Stay away from me. You're all the same. You don't care about other people's feeling so you feel like you can say anything to them and they'll just keep listening and not retaliate. Well, I've got news for you. I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF IT. Enough of you, enough of" A sob escaped her lips. "Enough of Harry"

Another sob left her lips before she turned around and ran.

He stood rooted to the spot, too shocked to move. If he thought he felt worse before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. He stayed like that for several minutes not knowing what to do except to get rid of the feeling as soon as possible. He knew there was only one way to do that and that made up his mind.

He took off after her.

He reached the end and turned left before crossing the corridor and turning right. He was glad that was the only way.

He crossed the corridor at record speed but didn't see her when he reached the end. But still, he didn't give up and surged forward. He reached the intersection and looked in both direction, trying to figure which way to go. Trusting his gut, he went right.

"HARRY!" His steps halted and a chill ran down his spine. What was that. To say that he was scared shitless would be an understatement. He was certain it was her voice. He looked around and saw no one. But he recognized this area. He had been here quite a few times when he was stalking her.

Summoning what little bravery he still had left he took off but stopped when he saw a girl dash out from behind a wall. She turned the other way and he picked up his speed.

"Hey wait!"

She stopped and turned around.

It was Ginny Weasley. He halted as he noted her dishevelled appearance. Her face was ashen white with big red splotches all over her cheeks. He could tell she had been crying.

But what unnerved him the most was that she was staring at him like she had seen a ghost. "Was that you?" he asked.

"Was that who?" she replied in a trembled voice as she kept walking backwards.

"Who screamed"

He saw her eyes turn even wider. "I don't know what you're talking about" with that she turned on her heel and ran. His mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts than to go after her.

He jogged to where she had been standing and turned right. He was facing the girl's lavatory, the door was half open.

He was pretty sure the scream came from in there but he couldn't force himself to go in and check. Apart from the obvious, he felt quite scared as he kept staring through the small gap. Mostly because he could see his own reflection in the sink facing him and for some reason that raised every hair on his body.

He felt like he stood there for hours, waiting for her to come out. He finally left and headed for the great hall.

Back to present

"...when I reached the great hall, I saw everyone walk out in a line. I didn't know what to make of it so I joined my house and went back to my dorm. No one knew what was happening either. But I had a feeling it was somehow related to her. And then, Dumbledore confirmed it next morning"

There was silence for a couple of minutes after he finished. He couldn't stand it any longer and finally looked up at his mother.

She had a contemplate look on her face.

"Mother" he whispered.

He saw her blink her eyes a couple of times before turning towards him. "That must have been terrified for you honey. Did you tell anyone about this?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't really matter. I heard that the teachers searched every last place for her and Pansy told me that she heard the ghost say that they searched in the girl's lavatory as well"

"I see" she nodded. "That would be Moaning Myrtle."

He shrugged his shoulder in response.

"So, you feel bad that you never got to apologise to her and now you fear that you might never get the chance"

He was a little surprised by how quickly she figured that out but when he thought about it, he remembered she always had the ability, at least when it came to him.

He nodded his head.

"Oh baby" she kissed his cheek. "I'm not proud of the torment you put that girl through" He cast his eyes downcast in shame. "You must learn son that there is nothing worse you could say to another person. Infact I still have half a mind to punish you for it"

He felt that for the first time in his life, he wouldn't mind.

"But since I know how much it affected you and that you felt really bad about it and realised your mistake...I will let it go for now but, if I ever find out-"

"It won't happen, I swear"

She stared into his eyes, squinting her own to see if he really did mean it. "Good" she nodded.

"But I don't think I'll ever get the chance to apologize"

"Of course, you would. From what I can tell she seems to be a really tough and smart girl. She really put you in your place" Her lips quirked at the end.

"And Potter too, apparently" He chuckled.

She smiled, running her thumb over his cheek before patting him lightly on the back. "Now, come on, let's get out of here"

He held her hand as they walked out of the shed and back towards the manor. All the while hoping that his mother was right. That he will get his chance to make amends with the person whose scream haunted him every night.

A/N: As always guys, post your comments and let me know your thoughts. You guys are a little shy. C'mon fellas, let's hear your opinions. Everyone has them and there is no point in holding them to yourself. With that, I'll catch you on the flip side.