We Are All Made of Stars
Draco trudged around the hallways of Hogwarts as quietly as he could. It was summer and he really didn't want to find out if Peeves was a summer ghost. He also didn't want any of the teachers to find him. It had been several hours since his aunt and Potter had gone to their beds, but Draco's mind was too busy with his current problem to allow him sleep of any kind.
He felt tortured. He'd always seen Potter as a spoiled brat who got whatever he wanted. All of the teachers adored him but Snape and even the Headmaster let Potter do things as he wanted. Starting with their very first year, Potter had been allowed to wander the school at night, wander through the Forbidden Forest, even compete in the Triwizard Competition.
It just wasn't fair. Not to him, not to Narcissa, and certainly not to his aunt. As much as Potter didn't deserve it, he could tell that keeping his aunt from Potter hadn't been one of his father's most brilliant choices.
Draco thought of his father for a moment as he stopped to admire a painting of a fat lady in a pink dress. Lucius had appeared to be a loyal Death Eater. Even going so far as to forcing the Riddle diary on the youngest Weasley. How could his father act so different? What made him decide that one night so many years ago that he would try to stop Voldemort?
And where had it gotten him? He had been discovered and murdered by his 'fellow' Death Eaters. Draco was sure that it hadn't been the first time that Death Eaters had disposed of one of their own, and he gathered it wouldn't be the last. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud cough from the corridor as he continued on his way.
"Late night, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco turned slowly to find Snape standing at the end of the hall. "I guess." He shrugged off the accusing tone of Snape's voice.
Severus Snape closed in on the Malfoy boy. He came to stand in front of him, using all of his height to emphasize that he was the teacher in this realtionship. "Even during the school year that is not tolerated."
"I thought an exception could be made. After all, appears I'm as special as Potter is," Draco shot back at his professor.
Snape cringed inwardly as he stared at the boy in front of him. "Mr. Malfoy, I thought you would be the first to recognize that Potter is nothing more than a lucky little child. He has no idea what made him so special; he just assumes he is."
"What do I care?"
"You'll have to live with him. Pity."
Draco grew angry for the first time in a while. "What makes you or anyone else think that I would willingly submit myself to constant contact with Potter! He is nothing to me! Just like I was nothing to my f…" he collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Snape knelt down next to the blond boy. "There are things that could be worse. Much worse." He noticed the boy's sobs quieting. "Do you really think me stupid, boy? Lucius may have gone about everything wrong, but he cared for you. You were his blood, his…"
"Heir. All I ever was to him, I still failed at."
"How could you?" Snape held out his arm and pulled his sleeve up. He felt Draco's shock at seeing the Dark Mark on his pale skin. "This is what he saved you from. You will never have to bear the pain of this Mark. No one will doubt you because of its presence. You will not be turned away from homes and businesses because of it. You will never have to bow before that rotted corpse and swear your loyalty as he curses you with pain.
"Your father and mother freed you from that the same night that your mother lost her life. For your aunt's sake, don't make your mother's death any less than it was. A sacrifice. She died that you might live free from Voldemort." Snape let his hand fall upon Draco's shoulder. "Give Potter a chance, Draco. Lucius was right in teaching you one thing. Blood is everything."
Draco stared in shock at his professor as the man stood up and walked away from him. He had never known Snape to say more that two words to him other than false praise in Potions class. The Slytherin looked down at his hands and found that his vision was blurry. He wiped the tears away and stood up.
He bowed to the knight in front of him, riding through a wooded landscape and ran through the castle to where he had seen the werewolf go earlier that night. Draco opened the door to the Great Hall to find his former professor playing Exploding Snap with the convict.
The two men looked up expecting to find Harry. Remus bit his lip nervously for a moment before motioning to the chair next to his. "Staying?"
Draco nodded and took the offered seat. He watched a few hands of the game and cheered when Black's deck exploded on him. For once, he wasn't afraid. In fact, for the first time in his short life, it felt like he belonged somewhere.
Sirius watched the boy laugh at him. While before today, the laugh would have been cold and taunting, he could tell it was now honest humor. "Find something funny?"
"Bloody funny." Draco answered.
Remus smiled, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
Draco snorted, "Like Potter? Please! I have things to do."
"Like?" Sirius prompted.
"Find a way to apologize to my aunt."
Sirius dealt a new hand of cards to Draco. "Play me, Malfoy."
"Any day of the week, Black."
None of the three noticed the shadow at the door of the Great Hall. Lily watched in silence as Draco thoroughly defeated Sirius at Exploding Snap before taking on Remus as well. She was glad that he seemed to be a little more at ease. But would that help in the morning, when the boy would have to make his choice?
Draco trudged around the hallways of Hogwarts as quietly as he could. It was summer and he really didn't want to find out if Peeves was a summer ghost. He also didn't want any of the teachers to find him. It had been several hours since his aunt and Potter had gone to their beds, but Draco's mind was too busy with his current problem to allow him sleep of any kind.
He felt tortured. He'd always seen Potter as a spoiled brat who got whatever he wanted. All of the teachers adored him but Snape and even the Headmaster let Potter do things as he wanted. Starting with their very first year, Potter had been allowed to wander the school at night, wander through the Forbidden Forest, even compete in the Triwizard Competition.
It just wasn't fair. Not to him, not to Narcissa, and certainly not to his aunt. As much as Potter didn't deserve it, he could tell that keeping his aunt from Potter hadn't been one of his father's most brilliant choices.
Draco thought of his father for a moment as he stopped to admire a painting of a fat lady in a pink dress. Lucius had appeared to be a loyal Death Eater. Even going so far as to forcing the Riddle diary on the youngest Weasley. How could his father act so different? What made him decide that one night so many years ago that he would try to stop Voldemort?
And where had it gotten him? He had been discovered and murdered by his 'fellow' Death Eaters. Draco was sure that it hadn't been the first time that Death Eaters had disposed of one of their own, and he gathered it wouldn't be the last. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud cough from the corridor as he continued on his way.
"Late night, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco turned slowly to find Snape standing at the end of the hall. "I guess." He shrugged off the accusing tone of Snape's voice.
Severus Snape closed in on the Malfoy boy. He came to stand in front of him, using all of his height to emphasize that he was the teacher in this realtionship. "Even during the school year that is not tolerated."
"I thought an exception could be made. After all, appears I'm as special as Potter is," Draco shot back at his professor.
Snape cringed inwardly as he stared at the boy in front of him. "Mr. Malfoy, I thought you would be the first to recognize that Potter is nothing more than a lucky little child. He has no idea what made him so special; he just assumes he is."
"What do I care?"
"You'll have to live with him. Pity."
Draco grew angry for the first time in a while. "What makes you or anyone else think that I would willingly submit myself to constant contact with Potter! He is nothing to me! Just like I was nothing to my f…" he collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Snape knelt down next to the blond boy. "There are things that could be worse. Much worse." He noticed the boy's sobs quieting. "Do you really think me stupid, boy? Lucius may have gone about everything wrong, but he cared for you. You were his blood, his…"
"Heir. All I ever was to him, I still failed at."
"How could you?" Snape held out his arm and pulled his sleeve up. He felt Draco's shock at seeing the Dark Mark on his pale skin. "This is what he saved you from. You will never have to bear the pain of this Mark. No one will doubt you because of its presence. You will not be turned away from homes and businesses because of it. You will never have to bow before that rotted corpse and swear your loyalty as he curses you with pain.
"Your father and mother freed you from that the same night that your mother lost her life. For your aunt's sake, don't make your mother's death any less than it was. A sacrifice. She died that you might live free from Voldemort." Snape let his hand fall upon Draco's shoulder. "Give Potter a chance, Draco. Lucius was right in teaching you one thing. Blood is everything."
Draco stared in shock at his professor as the man stood up and walked away from him. He had never known Snape to say more that two words to him other than false praise in Potions class. The Slytherin looked down at his hands and found that his vision was blurry. He wiped the tears away and stood up.
He bowed to the knight in front of him, riding through a wooded landscape and ran through the castle to where he had seen the werewolf go earlier that night. Draco opened the door to the Great Hall to find his former professor playing Exploding Snap with the convict.
The two men looked up expecting to find Harry. Remus bit his lip nervously for a moment before motioning to the chair next to his. "Staying?"
Draco nodded and took the offered seat. He watched a few hands of the game and cheered when Black's deck exploded on him. For once, he wasn't afraid. In fact, for the first time in his short life, it felt like he belonged somewhere.
Sirius watched the boy laugh at him. While before today, the laugh would have been cold and taunting, he could tell it was now honest humor. "Find something funny?"
"Bloody funny." Draco answered.
Remus smiled, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
Draco snorted, "Like Potter? Please! I have things to do."
"Like?" Sirius prompted.
"Find a way to apologize to my aunt."
Sirius dealt a new hand of cards to Draco. "Play me, Malfoy."
"Any day of the week, Black."
None of the three noticed the shadow at the door of the Great Hall. Lily watched in silence as Draco thoroughly defeated Sirius at Exploding Snap before taking on Remus as well. She was glad that he seemed to be a little more at ease. But would that help in the morning, when the boy would have to make his choice?
