A/N: To 'The Cools', although I doubt you'll read this, in the future when you leave feedback it would be a lot more helpful if you said why you didn't like the story other than "this is trash." That's why its called constructive criticism. But since I very much doubt you even bothered to actually read my story, I will very happily return the favor.
For JadeDragon, thank you so much for your wonderful review! Yours is definitely the kind of feedback I like to get. You made my day a much brighter one! As a thank you I've decided to post chapter ten a little early. To do this I had to end it early, so the scene I posted earlier won't appear until chapter eleven. Sorry, but hopefully it will be worth the wait.
Thanks again!
Chapter Ten
Draco's mood was no better the next morning. He'd barely gotten any sleep and had been woken up by the unpleasant sound of Crabbe and Goyle arguing over which of them would get to use the lavatory first. Draco pushed past them, taking it for himself and locked the door. He turned the faucet handle in the shower until the water was almost scolding hot. He stepped in and the tiny pellets of water battered his skin, turning it an angry shade of pink. He leaned against the tiled wall behind him and let the water run over him. He ran through the night's events in his mind several times. It all seemed like some long horrid nightmare.
He sneered when he thought of Dumbledore's flippant reaction to the news that Death Eaters had abducted Snape. 'Bet he wouldn't be so easy-going if it had been his precious Potter that had been taken,' Draco thought sourly.
The thought of Harry sent an unwanted shiver through Draco. His dreams that night had been filled with haunting images, strange shadows, and soft kisses. Green eyes and pink lips flashed through his mind, but he quickly shoved the memory aside. Deciding he'd showered long enough, Draco turned the tap, and stepped out.
He dried off, dressed, and combed back his hair. He scowled at his reflection as he noticed an unruly lock of hair curling over his forehead. He picked up a bottle of Sleakeasy's Hair Potion. He poured some onto his hand and used it to slick back the stray strand. Draco tilted his head to see how it looked and the strand sprung back over his face. He growled at the offending hair and tried to comb it back again. It bounced right back. Draco had a half-empty bottle of Sleakeasy's Hair Potion in his hand by the time he was done, but the strand finally stayed put. He studied his reflection with a strained, but satisfied smile. Other than being a little shinier than usual, his hair looked perfect and he felt presentable enough to be seen.
When Draco exited the bathroom, he noticed his housemates must have given up on waiting for him, and gone to breakfast. He scowled in distaste as he left for the Great Hall, wondering how long it had been since Crabbe and Goyle last bathed.
The Great Hall was mostly full when Draco finally made his way there. He glanced ahead to the staff table, where Snape's empty chair was. He wondered if the Headmaster had made an announcement about Snape's disappearance yet. Dumbledore was smiling and busily chatting with Professor McGonagall. Draco got the distinct impression that he hadn't and probably wasn't going to.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry was also staring at the empty seat where Snape should have been. He was frowning. 'At least someone else in this school seems concerned, even if it is Potter.'
Draco stiffly made his way over the Slytherin table and was about to squeeze between Crabbe and Goyle when he remembered they hadn't showered and thought better of it. He then moved to sit between Pansy and Blaise, who when they saw Draco coming, scooted closer together. Draco surmised, correctly, that Blaise was still upset with him for getting him covered in slime. Pansy just seemed happy to have an excuse to cozy up to Blaise. She seemed to have lost her interest in Draco after the fourth year Yule Ball, when he'd spent more time watching the Gryffindor trio, than with her. Draco took a seat on the other side of Pansy, next to Millicent Bulstrode, who smiled up at him toothily as he sat. Draco had no inclination to replace Pansy (and certainly not with Bulstrode), so he ignored her and filled his plate and goblet.
He shoved the food around on his plate, distractedly. Draco had finally relented to himself that Death Eaters had indeed taken Snape. It was too much of a coincidence that they had been attacked at the same time that Snape disappeared. Add to that with what the centaur had told them and it could only lead to one conclusion. Snape must have been their objective the entire time. The Lethifold must have been sent after Harry and Draco as a distraction, to keep them away, while Voldemort's followers got Snape. What Draco didn't understand, was why. He had long suspected Snape of being a Death Eater. His father's allusions to the Potions master had only confirmed this belief. So why would Voldemort go to all the trouble to abduct one his own followers?
Unless Draco was wrong. Perhaps Snape hadn't been abducted, but had gone willingly, because he was a Death Eater. Maybe Lord Voldemort had staged everything to make it look like the Lethifold had gotten Snape and it was only chance that the centaur had seen them. It was likely that Draco and Harry were meant to escape and report the Lethifold and Snape's disappearance. Then after a thorough search of the forest turned up nothing, it would have been concluded that Snape had been an unfortunate victim of the Lethifold.
Snape would have then been free to serve his master fully.
As for Draco's part in everything he again wondered why no one had told him of the plan. How could they have known he would recall how to defeat the dangerous creature? 'What if Potter had not been able to summon the Patronus?' Voldemort might not have cared whether Harry made it out alive, but Draco would have been left just as vulnerable.
Draco stabbed at his food. 'Does Lord Voldemort think that little of me? Am I just something expendable to be used when needed and then discarded. What does father think of all this? He must have been in on it, he's the only one with the means to obtain a monster of that status.'
He hoped his father's next letter would hold some answers for him. Draco glanced up when he heard the flutter of wings. There seemed to be fewer owl deliveries this morning. His keen eyes raked over each of the owls as they flew over head. His Father's owl was not among them.
Draco waited until every last owl exited and scowled when no letter was delivered to him. Even if Draco wasn't suppose to have known that the Death Eater's had been there the night before, surely his father would have written him to see how the detention had gone, if only for appearances sake. He had been so keen to check on Draco's progress before then.
If what Draco suspected to be true was, then that meant that his father had been willing to risk his son's life for the sake of his master and had not even cared enough to check on Draco to see if he was alright.
Draco stared at the mangled food at the end of his fork in disgust and shoved his plate away.
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