A/N1: Sorry this took so long to post! Icky writers block.
Please review?
Hopeful? What me?
Part Three: Tomorrow
Remus Lupin had tried to slip quietly into the Great Hall, though it appeared at least a few pupils had seen his entrance. Most notably being Harry, Ron and Hermione who all waved. Ron with a forkful of food and a mouth bulging, Harry with a look of pleasured surprise to see his favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and one of his father's best friends again, and Hermione with a look of frantic nerves as she ducked quickly down to rummage through her book bag.
But still-in Remus' book-notable was how Mr. Malfoy had greeted his entrance. Harsh words and labored breathing didn't seem the normal greeting of choice for most.
And yet this is just what Draco had done.
Even from across the hall at the staff table, Remus had heard Draco's comment. He chose to ignore it, and looked up only when he thought a sufficient amount of time had passed for Draco to once again be concentrating on his feast and conversations with others.
Remus had been surprised to find the boy still looking at him, and even more disturbing was how Draco reacted to his stare. His chest noticeably increasing in speed and volume as he breathed deeply.
Remus thought it seemed as though he had truly scared Draco, and was pleased when the boy turned around again.
It was not only Remus and Draco who had been witness to this however. Someone else had been watching closely ever since Remus entered the room, and took his seat. Snape's eyes were narrow slits, dark as they watched the interaction carefully.
Never had he seen Draco react to someone in this manner. It was uncharacteristic for any Malfoy, but especially Draco, who had always been one to stand up to his peers, rather then cower from them.
Severus Snape placed his fork down with a silent tank sound onto his plate. And for the rest of the evening his eyes continued to switch between Remus Lupin and Draco.
Something wasn't right here. And though he could go the round about way in finding out what he decided the direct...the blunt approach might work best here.
Snape didn't trust Lupin. He hadn't since long back, and his distrust of him was not wholly unfounded. The man had put Snape's live in danger on several occasions although he had always claimed ignorance to it until after the fact.
Snape had never believed him; he had never been given reason to. And to this day, he did not like the sight of the man. He looked too calm, too...something wasn't right about him. And now the way in which Draco reacted to him, made Snape's suspicion grow. Something was not right here.
"You've met Draco before?" Snape's voice was low, yet remarkably calm.
It took Remus a moment to realize that Snape was speaking to him-of all people.
"Wha-? Oh...Draco Malfoy? No, I taught him back in Harry's third year, but I never met him exactly before today."
Snape nodded slowly, looking still not entirely convinced by this.
"Why do you ask, Severus? Something the matter?" Remus said, watching Snape's eyes flick quickly from Draco back to himself. It was worrying to see Snape like this; the look on his face was one which Remus knew well. It was that 'I know you're up to something, just give me time and I'll know what' look.
"No. Nothing." He answered, his lip twitching slightly, he leaned back, shoving away from the table. "If you will excuse me." He said, no one but Remus and Dumbledore hearing him.
"Oh! Retiring so early, Severus? The sorting is not over yet! And we haven't sung the School song, either." Dumbledore said, a noticeable twinkling in his pale eyes.
"I'm tired, I do beg your forgiveness...I need some time to think however, and this doesn't seem the best place for it." Snape said, the last bit of his sentence coming out through slightly bared and gritted teeth.
Dumbledore nodded understandingly, "Yes, yes I agree. It is a bit-" one of the house tables exploded in applause as a new student was added to their mix "-loud." Snape finished for him and Dumbledore smiled, "Perhaps you would come and see me tomorrow afternoon, Remus, myself and some of the other Professors are having a meeting. There might be someone there you'd like to speak with, as well."
The twinkle in his eye nearly made Remus choke, "You don't mean-" "I do."
Snape admitted something, which closely resembled a growl.
"And Severus, I'm glad you're still here, I wanted to remind you of the meeting as well. It is very important seeing as it's our first one in recent years and your presence is requested. Despite the fact that someone you perhaps do not want to speak with might be there."
"Sir-" Snape began.
"No excuses, Severus. This is important to all of our kind and the rest of the world. Put past quarrels behind you, for a few hours, Severus, please."
"But is he really needed there?!"
"Sirius is as crucial to any of this as you are, Severus. And Dumbledore makes you out to be very important. As do I. Please attend. Both of you are necessary." Remus' quiet voice spoke up, low and serious.
"I-very well. Now I bid you all goodnight!" Snape said coarsely, and turned on his heel, cloak billowing out from behind him as he left the Great Hall and the sorting behind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Draco watched from the Slytherin table. Something seemed to be disturbing Professor Snape. He intended to find out just what.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat's voice called out.
"'Bout time." Someone mumbled. "Took 7 minutes to place that one." Someone else chimed in.
"They've all taken long tonight."
"It's a tough group, seems."
"Notice we haven't gotten any yet?"
"SLYTHERIN! Oh MY, YES." The hat called out, sending a young boy over to the table which erupted into hoots and claps.
"Well there goes that theory!" Someone laughed.
Draco remained silent. He didn't much feel like socializing tonight.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The hall quieted as the evening wore on, and Draco continued to sneak peers at the staff table, finally stopping when Lupin, as Snape had done hours before, left.
"And now," Dumbledore said, standing up, "The school song. Everyone please pick your favorite tune!" He pulled his wand out, a small ribbon hanging from the end of it and began to write the words in the air with the tip of his wand. They danced as they hung momentarily there. "And away we go..." He said as with one voice and a thousand songs, the whole of the School of Hogwarts broke into song.
Draco began midway through the first line, in a quiet tune he made up as he went along, and a small voice, only slightly below the others.
"Very lovely! Yes, very lovely indeed. Every year we get better and better!" Dumbledore said, clapping loudly as the song ended, "And now...to bed!" He pointed towards the door with a stern look, which melted slowly into his same gentle smile, "for tomorrow begins a new year of magic."
And with that, the feast had ended.
The students began filing out, towards common rooms and beds which memory led the way to.
Draco heard the Prefects directing first years to follow behind them and they'd be shown the way to their houses.
Draco himself didn't know the new password to Slytherin's dungeon, but he assumed if he followed a large enough group, someone was surely going to know it.
And anyhow, his mind was on other things at the moment...such as how he was going to figure out what Snape and Lupin were up to.
Snape had looked very displeased when he'd left the Hall earlier that evening, and just after both he and Lupin had spoken with Dumbledore, Lupin looked very distant, not looking at Draco but once more all night.
Something had surely been said to distract them. Draco was wondering if it had anything to do with him.
"Draco!" Draco turned to see Crabbe and Goyle trotting up to him. He noticed Potter and his cronies behind them, smiling and laughing as they headed to sleep. He watched them briefly and then turned to face his 'friends'.
"What is it? I'm tired."
"Do you know the password?" Goyle asked.
"No, I was hoping someone else I ran into would." Draco answered truthfully, crossing his arms and shifting his weight.
He was tired, he felt it in every corner of his being, he needed to rest, he needed to rest his body at least. His mind was still sharp, and going a mile a minute with thoughts and plans for tomorrow and the day after, for most of the rest of the school year and even after he got back home for summer vacation.
Draco had always enjoyed planning things out. Knowing what he was expected to do, and what he should do.
And now was no exception.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Bed seemed a hundred miles away as Draco moved forward, sliding his feet across the floor and listening to the sound, which it made.
But his mind was on tomorrow. On the lessons he would have, the classes, the standoffs with other students and perhaps even teachers. It was his life at Hogwarts, and he wondered sometimes if his father knew anything of it at all.
Just last year he had found he needed a bit more quiet then normal. And the sort of quiet which he needed, the Slytherin common room did not provide.
It was a dark night the time in his fourth year that he decided to go search for someplace that offered the solitude he'd always been fond of. He found it in the highest tower Hogwarts had to offer, it hadn't been in use at the time, he wondered now if it still wasn't, and made his mind up to go and check on it tomorrow night.
It would be...an adventure.
Draco smiled to himself, he had Potions tomorrow with the Gryffindors which always provided a good outlit for his pent up annoyance, he would get the isolation tomorrow night to sort himself out, and he had that werewolf Professor to use as a weapon against Potter and his clan. All in all, this year was shaping up to be quite a good one. And Draco looked forward to meeting it with open arms.
A/N2: Ok, so I don't know how much *I* like this chapter, but please tell me what you think! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner then this! Thanks for the patience!
Please review?
Hopeful? What me?
Part Three: Tomorrow
Remus Lupin had tried to slip quietly into the Great Hall, though it appeared at least a few pupils had seen his entrance. Most notably being Harry, Ron and Hermione who all waved. Ron with a forkful of food and a mouth bulging, Harry with a look of pleasured surprise to see his favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and one of his father's best friends again, and Hermione with a look of frantic nerves as she ducked quickly down to rummage through her book bag.
But still-in Remus' book-notable was how Mr. Malfoy had greeted his entrance. Harsh words and labored breathing didn't seem the normal greeting of choice for most.
And yet this is just what Draco had done.
Even from across the hall at the staff table, Remus had heard Draco's comment. He chose to ignore it, and looked up only when he thought a sufficient amount of time had passed for Draco to once again be concentrating on his feast and conversations with others.
Remus had been surprised to find the boy still looking at him, and even more disturbing was how Draco reacted to his stare. His chest noticeably increasing in speed and volume as he breathed deeply.
Remus thought it seemed as though he had truly scared Draco, and was pleased when the boy turned around again.
It was not only Remus and Draco who had been witness to this however. Someone else had been watching closely ever since Remus entered the room, and took his seat. Snape's eyes were narrow slits, dark as they watched the interaction carefully.
Never had he seen Draco react to someone in this manner. It was uncharacteristic for any Malfoy, but especially Draco, who had always been one to stand up to his peers, rather then cower from them.
Severus Snape placed his fork down with a silent tank sound onto his plate. And for the rest of the evening his eyes continued to switch between Remus Lupin and Draco.
Something wasn't right here. And though he could go the round about way in finding out what he decided the direct...the blunt approach might work best here.
Snape didn't trust Lupin. He hadn't since long back, and his distrust of him was not wholly unfounded. The man had put Snape's live in danger on several occasions although he had always claimed ignorance to it until after the fact.
Snape had never believed him; he had never been given reason to. And to this day, he did not like the sight of the man. He looked too calm, too...something wasn't right about him. And now the way in which Draco reacted to him, made Snape's suspicion grow. Something was not right here.
"You've met Draco before?" Snape's voice was low, yet remarkably calm.
It took Remus a moment to realize that Snape was speaking to him-of all people.
"Wha-? Oh...Draco Malfoy? No, I taught him back in Harry's third year, but I never met him exactly before today."
Snape nodded slowly, looking still not entirely convinced by this.
"Why do you ask, Severus? Something the matter?" Remus said, watching Snape's eyes flick quickly from Draco back to himself. It was worrying to see Snape like this; the look on his face was one which Remus knew well. It was that 'I know you're up to something, just give me time and I'll know what' look.
"No. Nothing." He answered, his lip twitching slightly, he leaned back, shoving away from the table. "If you will excuse me." He said, no one but Remus and Dumbledore hearing him.
"Oh! Retiring so early, Severus? The sorting is not over yet! And we haven't sung the School song, either." Dumbledore said, a noticeable twinkling in his pale eyes.
"I'm tired, I do beg your forgiveness...I need some time to think however, and this doesn't seem the best place for it." Snape said, the last bit of his sentence coming out through slightly bared and gritted teeth.
Dumbledore nodded understandingly, "Yes, yes I agree. It is a bit-" one of the house tables exploded in applause as a new student was added to their mix "-loud." Snape finished for him and Dumbledore smiled, "Perhaps you would come and see me tomorrow afternoon, Remus, myself and some of the other Professors are having a meeting. There might be someone there you'd like to speak with, as well."
The twinkle in his eye nearly made Remus choke, "You don't mean-" "I do."
Snape admitted something, which closely resembled a growl.
"And Severus, I'm glad you're still here, I wanted to remind you of the meeting as well. It is very important seeing as it's our first one in recent years and your presence is requested. Despite the fact that someone you perhaps do not want to speak with might be there."
"Sir-" Snape began.
"No excuses, Severus. This is important to all of our kind and the rest of the world. Put past quarrels behind you, for a few hours, Severus, please."
"But is he really needed there?!"
"Sirius is as crucial to any of this as you are, Severus. And Dumbledore makes you out to be very important. As do I. Please attend. Both of you are necessary." Remus' quiet voice spoke up, low and serious.
"I-very well. Now I bid you all goodnight!" Snape said coarsely, and turned on his heel, cloak billowing out from behind him as he left the Great Hall and the sorting behind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Draco watched from the Slytherin table. Something seemed to be disturbing Professor Snape. He intended to find out just what.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat's voice called out.
"'Bout time." Someone mumbled. "Took 7 minutes to place that one." Someone else chimed in.
"They've all taken long tonight."
"It's a tough group, seems."
"Notice we haven't gotten any yet?"
"SLYTHERIN! Oh MY, YES." The hat called out, sending a young boy over to the table which erupted into hoots and claps.
"Well there goes that theory!" Someone laughed.
Draco remained silent. He didn't much feel like socializing tonight.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The hall quieted as the evening wore on, and Draco continued to sneak peers at the staff table, finally stopping when Lupin, as Snape had done hours before, left.
"And now," Dumbledore said, standing up, "The school song. Everyone please pick your favorite tune!" He pulled his wand out, a small ribbon hanging from the end of it and began to write the words in the air with the tip of his wand. They danced as they hung momentarily there. "And away we go..." He said as with one voice and a thousand songs, the whole of the School of Hogwarts broke into song.
Draco began midway through the first line, in a quiet tune he made up as he went along, and a small voice, only slightly below the others.
"Very lovely! Yes, very lovely indeed. Every year we get better and better!" Dumbledore said, clapping loudly as the song ended, "And now...to bed!" He pointed towards the door with a stern look, which melted slowly into his same gentle smile, "for tomorrow begins a new year of magic."
And with that, the feast had ended.
The students began filing out, towards common rooms and beds which memory led the way to.
Draco heard the Prefects directing first years to follow behind them and they'd be shown the way to their houses.
Draco himself didn't know the new password to Slytherin's dungeon, but he assumed if he followed a large enough group, someone was surely going to know it.
And anyhow, his mind was on other things at the moment...such as how he was going to figure out what Snape and Lupin were up to.
Snape had looked very displeased when he'd left the Hall earlier that evening, and just after both he and Lupin had spoken with Dumbledore, Lupin looked very distant, not looking at Draco but once more all night.
Something had surely been said to distract them. Draco was wondering if it had anything to do with him.
"Draco!" Draco turned to see Crabbe and Goyle trotting up to him. He noticed Potter and his cronies behind them, smiling and laughing as they headed to sleep. He watched them briefly and then turned to face his 'friends'.
"What is it? I'm tired."
"Do you know the password?" Goyle asked.
"No, I was hoping someone else I ran into would." Draco answered truthfully, crossing his arms and shifting his weight.
He was tired, he felt it in every corner of his being, he needed to rest, he needed to rest his body at least. His mind was still sharp, and going a mile a minute with thoughts and plans for tomorrow and the day after, for most of the rest of the school year and even after he got back home for summer vacation.
Draco had always enjoyed planning things out. Knowing what he was expected to do, and what he should do.
And now was no exception.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Bed seemed a hundred miles away as Draco moved forward, sliding his feet across the floor and listening to the sound, which it made.
But his mind was on tomorrow. On the lessons he would have, the classes, the standoffs with other students and perhaps even teachers. It was his life at Hogwarts, and he wondered sometimes if his father knew anything of it at all.
Just last year he had found he needed a bit more quiet then normal. And the sort of quiet which he needed, the Slytherin common room did not provide.
It was a dark night the time in his fourth year that he decided to go search for someplace that offered the solitude he'd always been fond of. He found it in the highest tower Hogwarts had to offer, it hadn't been in use at the time, he wondered now if it still wasn't, and made his mind up to go and check on it tomorrow night.
It would be...an adventure.
Draco smiled to himself, he had Potions tomorrow with the Gryffindors which always provided a good outlit for his pent up annoyance, he would get the isolation tomorrow night to sort himself out, and he had that werewolf Professor to use as a weapon against Potter and his clan. All in all, this year was shaping up to be quite a good one. And Draco looked forward to meeting it with open arms.
A/N2: Ok, so I don't know how much *I* like this chapter, but please tell me what you think! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner then this! Thanks for the patience!