~~Deny Thy Father And Refuse Thy Name....~~
Disclaimer: Standard :sigh: JKR is a
goddess and anything canon belongs to her. Anything else however heh belongs to
me! :grins:
Cheers to everyone reading and reviewing! :)
This chapter is dedicated to Camilla H. from ProfMcGonagall's Workshop ML (whom I
hope is still reading this fic and I do apologize I have not updated in forever
and a day :sigh:). I was very honoured luv you listed me as you did, and I give
you a tons of :hugs and glomps: for it. I am desperately going to try and
finish this fic very soon. I have only an Epilogue or so to go on You Are
Always On My Mind, and I know I still have to finish Altered Reality yet too,
and It's Called A Heart. Once I get done with OMM however I can dedicate a lot
more time to finish out the other fics, and return to an older fic I had
started months ago that people have asked me on. One that was originally the
'challenge' fic I had began, but decided to do this one instead.
Forgive me if I don't answer back for the reviews last chap, FFN was down at
the time I am starting to write this chap, and therefore I'm unable to see who
did review last. :mutters: However I do as always give my cheers to everyone
who did! And :hugs: as well! (Yes I think I am finally breaking my habit of
using 'me' instead of my...am trying at least :groans: not easy when the brain
is all addled, but I am trying! :P)
~~Chapter Thirteen: A Long Overdue Welcome Home?~~
As Severus had
predicted it had taken Harry close to three hours to finally finish the potion
to help Draco recover. Not really because he was being so 'precise' on his
work, even though he was, but because he kept leaving the cauldron to check on
Draco. It pained him to know that Draco was trapped in a world of darkness at
the moment, and he wondered if Draco was dreaming at all.
Draco hadn't moved a single muscle since he'd arrived, it was almost unnerving
to Harry and he constantly needed to check just convince himself that Draco
really was alive and breathing. He'd
known about Viridian being mostly a vampire, so he wasn't all that surprised
when he didn't see the other lad breathing except from time to time. With Draco
however he was concerned, his breathing was so light at times that Harry's
heart skipped more than a few beats thinking he'd died whilst Harry wasn't
looking.
Harry did wonder though if Draco was dreaming, and that made him remember some
of his own dreams too, dreams that now seemed so long ago, back when he was
first ill. These weren't the common 'bad dreams' of his mum's death and all,
these were different ones, dreams that he liked and replayed even in his waking
hours. He still heard that soft, gentle voice that had filled him with safety
and comfort, and still felt those arms round him that had held him
close and filled him with warmth.
That voice lulled him to sleep in the boredom of the life he was now living,
and at night he desperately needed to feel those arms circling round his waist,
pulling him into an almost lover-like embrace. It felt so good to him, so
right, and now looking down at the silvery haired veela in front of him he
wished it had been this boy's arms and voice, rather then a strangers.
He still had no clue who had really saved his life when he was so ill, though
he had a slight suspicion that his father, Sirius, Remus and perhaps even
Dumbledore knew. He pegged it down to pure 'instinct', but it was like a
warning bell was going off inside him when they would hedge the issue with him.
It could very well be that they really didn't know, but Harry wasn't going to
ignore his instincts these days, for they had begun to prove themselves
valuable in nearly everything else.
Harry walked away from Draco now and went back to lie on his bed as the potion
was cooling down. He had a pretty good suspicion his father, Sirius and Remus
were 'catching up' for Remus's absence the last few days and would be along
soon as they did. It didn't bother Harry in the least though, right now he
really wanted these last few minutes alone before Draco and his cousin were
woken up to reflect on things...mainly his life as of late.
It hadn't really hit him until a few days ago how much he had changed over all.
He now stood at 6'3" in height over the 5'10" he had been just a
month and some before (which had still made him taller then Draco's 5'6"
frame). He now sported black hair which thankfully was not greasy or oily and
reached to the middle of his back, and these days he kept it firmly tied up in
a pony tail. It had turned out that the particular aspect of Severus hair was not a 'family' trait at all. Severus had
shown Harry pictures of his grandparents, that being Severus's mum and dad,
when they were younger, and their hair had been very beautiful. Harry had seen
and spoken to his grandmum several times now since he'd gotten better, and he
had to admit she was a wonderful person, and was glad to be her grandson.
As far as Severus went though, Harry found out he merely used a type of
all-purpose resistance potion on his hair to protect it, unfortunately the side
effects of the potion cause his dad's hair to look the way it did. Harry,
however, didn't need it - not yet anyway, though if he knew if he were to
decide to continue in potions work he had a bad feeling he also would end up
using it sadly. Harry truly had begun to enjoy potions as of late, reading as
many books as his father could get for him. He found that he, like his father,
had an 'internal clock' so to speak, and it was all too easy for him now to
remember ingredients and smells that distinguished what potions were what
without fail, provided there weren't a ton of distractions as his dad had so
nicely pointed out earlier.
There were other changes that were noticeable as well, though not as prominent,
and he did now have some of his mum's look which he hadn't before. Thankfully
he still had the same green eyes as her, though ringed with black like they had
been starting to do earlier. He also had found out he did have his father's
nose after all though it wasn't really a bad thing it turned out. Truth was
that Severus's nose had not been hooked until he was round nine years of age
when he had broken it in some sort of accident causing it to hook like it did
now, but Severus had kept the broken nose to match his 'dour' demeanour back
then. When it wasn't broken, and Harry had seen pictures of Severus growing up,
his nose had been very nice looking, Grecian and aquiline in appearance, though
thankfully Harry's wasn't quite as err...well...large. Not that it was an issue
for Severus, Sirius or Remus about his father's nose any longer, but Harry was
grateful that his own nose was just right in size to fit his face perfectly.
He knew by now he definitely had inherited Severus's sense of temperament,
quick to anger at times, his ability to remain aloof in and tight lipped when
need be, his dry wit and finally, his father's humour. Though Harry knew most
people would probably be shocked to find out that Severus Snape did have a
sense of humour under his cold exterior. When his father smiled and joked it
was a whole different person Harry saw, a kind, loving, considerate person and
Harry was really enjoying seeing this side of his dad.
The last change Harry noticed was that his skin, though not sallow and pasty
looking, had turned a bit paler these days. He knew it was most likely from
being indoors so much at the moment since he was only allowed outdoors during
the nighttime. He realised now that he hadn't actually seen direct sunlight at
all for over a month at this point, which of course would make anyone's skin
naturally paler. Harry was beginning to think he had turned into a vampire even
from how pale he did look these days, it was really noticeable against his
black hair, but he vowed to tan up again soon as possible when he was 'freed'
again. He found out that his dad's sallow, pasty looking skin was also the work
of a potion to make it less resistant to acids and burns, another thing Harry
hoped he wouldn't have to use if he went into potion work.
Thinking of the outdoors led his mind to the pitch and Quidditch now, and it
brought Harry's mind back to the fact he never had found his Firebolt since
he'd lost in over a month ago. He swore he must have left it at the pitch in
the stands that night he talked to Draco, but no one had stepped forwards with
it. He knew from Ron and Hermione that the broom wasn't in the 'museum' they
had finally opened to the public, only a replica of it was on display. He
really hoped he would find his broom one day though, it meant a lot to him. It
was the first thing Sirius had ever sent him, even though at the time he didn't
know that, and there was a newer broom on the market these days, it still held
a lot of sentimental value if nothing else. It wasn't as if anyone wouldn't
know it was his either, two years ago he had burned a lightning bolt onto the
handle along with his first name.
Thinking on that in turn brought his mind round to what he was going to do now
about a name. He couldn't just keep calling himself 'Harry' forever, he did
need some sort of middle and surname. Much as he had come to accept his dad and
his 'new' life, he still wasn't sure he could use the name 'Snape' though, at
least not yet. It would be Yule soon however, and he really did need to make a
decision, mainly because he wanted the New Year to really be a 'New Year', and
start his life fresh from scratch.
What bothered him was that if he did use the last name 'Snape', chances are he
would have to be re-sorted, providing he was ever allowed back into the normal,
daily life of a Hogwarts student. He'd been getting tutored during this month
by his dad, Sirius and Remus, but he really missed classes over all, and being
with people in general. However, that also reminded him that it would be too
much of a shock for the school, whilst Voldemort lived anyway, to have a
'Snape' in Gryffindor. He could maybe pose as a relative of Severus's, but even
he realised just how much in looks he did resemble his dad and doubt anyone
wouldn't see that as well. Not to mention anyone would notice the green eyes of
Lily Potter, or rather 'Harry Potter'. Eyes that were still so vividly emerald
coloured weren't going to be easy to ignore or pass off, even if they did have
the ring of black round them now .
Harry sighed in frustration at all of this, he really didn't know these days
what he wanted it seemed. No, there was one thing he still was 100% proof
positive he did want - Draco Malfoy. He was the one person that Harry
constantly thought about, dreamed of, wished for...ached for even. In his
dreams it wasn't a stranger's voice he heard, or a stranger's arms he felt
round him, it was simply Draco's voice and arms. Draco's whispered words of
comfort, and perhaps even love. The more Harry watched Draco sleep the last few
hours, the more he had fallen in love with him, even though he knew it was a
one-sided feeling. People like Draco Malfoy didn't fall in love with boys, let
alone their 'enemy', even if that enemy wasn't really one anymore.
Much as Harry hated to admit it, he didn't want to be there when Draco woke up
after all. It would hurt him to hear the familiar sneer in that cold,
emotionless voice. He didn't want to be the first person Draco saw when he
opened his eyes, only to watch those stormy grey eyes turn immediately to hate,
he didn't think he could bear that. Somehow he was going to have to convince
his dad, Sirius and Remus to let him leave, to wait till it was just a bit
darker so he could go out and fly for a while instead. To let them give the
explains of the situation without his presence, though he knew it was really
cowardly to do that, he didn't care at the moment.
Flying would release those cares though, he knew that, it was still his
salvation and his escape. He was using his dad's broom, an old Comet Line, to
fly right now, and though it didn't touch the Firebolt series at least he could
fly. In the air he didn't have any troubles, it was only him and the wind on
his face, rubbing away everything for the moment. In the air he was free to be
simply 'Harry' and no one else. In the air there were no pressures on him, no
demands, no one to pretend to or anything else. Ironically as it had turned out
it wasn't James's skills for flying he'd inherited, Severus and Lily had been
awesome on brooms themselves, though very few knew that fact.
Lily had always avoided flying at school, but secretly she was a terror in the
air according to Remus and Sirius. Severus had been the same way, at home he
loved to fly, but at school he wouldn't allow himself to join the 'camaraderie'
of being on a team. Sirius had once told him he 'flew like his father had' and
he was right, though Sirius had also admitted Harry could outbest James anyday.
Now that Sirius knew for sure that Harry was Severus's son, he said he knew now
why Harry was so good in the air, apparently one night Sirius had seen Severus
out on the pitch when they were still at school, and he had to agree that
Severus truly was much better then James could be at flying, or had been back
then.
Yes, flying right now seemed like a very good option rather then face the music
so quickly. It tore him up how much he wanted Draco to like him...to love him
even...and knowing it would never come to pass. Much as he had gotten Sirius
and his dad to admit their feelings for each other, those were feelings just
amplified by the fact they already were lovers. In this case Harry and Draco
were far, far from being lovers, even friends, and saying 'I don't want to be
your enemy anymore because I love you' just didn't seem to feel right. It was
with a heavy heart that Harry finally gave up the hope that it could be more
one day, and accepted that fate was simply fate, and he wasn't going to tempt
it no matter what his dad had said.
Three hours ended up turning into five however before his dad, Sirius and Remus
returned. Ron and Hermione had been told not to come to the infirmary this
night, though no one had told them really 'why' they couldn't, so Harry knew
they were probably wondering what was going on. They did know Draco was being
looked for, Harry had told them that much, but he knew they wouldn't be told
yet that he and his cousin had been found and brought back to the school. There
was still way too much at stake Harry knew, and much as he trusted and adored
his friends, some things were best left in secret, especially the fact that
neither of them still knew of Harry's love for Draco. That was a secret he
definitely was still not willing to share with them at any cost, or at least
for the moment.
'Ah, Harry, perfect job of course on the potion. Worthy of at least ten points
for Gryffindor,' Severus smirked a bit now, though there was definitely a touch
of pride in his voice.
'Of course, you expected less, dad? Told you I could do it, though I would have
earned at least twenty points if I do say so myself,' he said with a little
smirk of his own, though he too conveyed he was glad his father was proud of
him.
Remus grinned. 'A battle of wills I doubt will ever end. I can see you two will
be very good at trying to outdo each other in the future, not that I am surprised of course.'
'Oi, bad enough having to put up with one person
being sarcastically witty, now I have three of you going to be going over my
head eh?' Sirius said rolling his eyes and getting smacked by Harry playfully
for it. 'All right, all right, honestly, someone can't take a joke here,' he
chuckled.
'Maybe if you had paid more attention in school then fluffing off, Sirius,
you'd actually get half of our
witty banter,' Remus said shaking his head wryly, though a huge grin was on his
face.
'Bah, I'm not that old yet that I
don't pick up at least half,
love,' Sirius said with a pout. 'So, we ready to do this then? I just hope
these Malfoys appreciates all we're doing for them.'
'Honestly, Padfoot, how dense are you sometimes I wonder?' Remus said in a huff.
'The fact that we've saved their lives, will be hiding them from Lucius for
now, and making plans to keep Draco from ever going back to that bastard...I'm
sure they will appreciate. The
lad may be a lot of things at times, but Draco is
a gentleman when the situation calls for it.'
'I wouldn't always go that far, Remus, he still can be a right prat at times.
Not his fault though, I blame Lucius for that. The man is more of a git then
Draco will ever be,' Severus said with a sigh and began to ladle some of the
potion into a phial.
'Err...dad?' Harry said now jumping into the conversation and glancing
nervously at the phial.
'Yes, son?' Severus said turning towards Harry now with a slight frown. 'Is
there a problem with the potion you're not telling me?'
Harry shook his head. 'No, no the potion's fine. It's just
that...umm...well...could I kind of...umm...go the pitch for a
while...err...just till he's awake and all?' he asked hesitantly.
'Now why would you want to do that, Harry?' Remus queried.
'Yeah, what's up, kiddo? I thought you'd want to be here when he woke up and
all,' Sirius said concerned.
Harry sighed deeply and shook his head. 'I...I would rather not be if it's all
right. I'm just...just not ready for it...to see him I mean...awake yet. Please
don't take it the wrong way, I do love
him and everything...but...I'm just not sure if I'm ready to go past it being
in here...' Harry said pointing to his heart, 'over it coming out here,' he
said now pointing to his mouth.
Severus looked at his son speculatively for a moment, then nodded his head
slowly and gave Harry a quick smile. 'I understand, I too know how hard it can
be to have what you want in front of you, and never be able to say what they
mean to you. Go on out to the pitch, son, I'll have Ron and Hermione sent out
there too so they can keep an eye on you all right?'
Harry brightened at that possibility and smiled at his father, nodding his head
quickly. 'Yeah, that'd be great...thanks, dad!' he said and swiftly gave his
dad a quick hug and grabbed up his broom nearly fleeing the room.
Severus shook his head and sighed whilst Harry left. 'Did I do the right
thing?' he asked quietly now of his lovers.
'I think that's something all parents say more then a few times when raising a
child, Sev. In this case though, yeah, I think you did,' Remus said softly and
put a comforting hand on Severus's shoulder.
Sirius put his hand on Severus's other should also saying softly, 'When he's
ready to deal with it...he will, Severus. No one can force him into saying what
he can't yet, not you, not Remus, not me. He needs his time.'
Severus nodded and walked over to a fireplace on the opposite side of the room.
He took some powder out of a jar on the mantelpiece and threw it into the lit
fire, waiting until it turned to a sparkling green. 'Albus Dumbledore!' he
called out now and waited.
'Ah, Severus, everything all right? Is Draco and Viridian awake yet?' Albus
said finally answering his Floo call.
Severus shook his head. 'Not yet, I'm going to give Draco the potion now. I
need you to send Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley down to the pitch for me to meet
up with Harry though. He err...he wasn't ready to face seeing Draco awake yet,'
Severus said sadly.
Albus nodded. 'Yes, I can understand that, since he doesn't know the feelings
are indeed mutual at the moment. I'll let Ron and Hermione know to go there
straight away, so you two can have time to talk to the boys. How long do you
think this should take?'
Severus conferred with his lovers quickly and then turned back to Albus. 'Give
us half an hour, that way it won't look too suspicious for Ms. Granger and Mr.
Weasley to be gone. Hopefully by then, we'll have worked things out,' he said
with a nod.
'I wish you all the best, let me know how things go of course,' Albus said with
a twinkle in his eyes, the with a soft 'pop' his head was gone and the
fireplace was back to it's normal reddish-orange flames.
'Well that takes care of that. Now let's see what we get when these two wake up
shall we?' Remus said briskly and took the phial from Severus's hand, then
walked over to where Draco was.
'We'll wake up Draco first then?' Sirius said standing over by Viridian's bed
now.
'Yes, that way Draco can hopefully keep Viridian from losing control. I dare
say we do not need a rampant, mostly vampiric, veela running round the hall
screaming bloody murder now do we?' Remus said with a chuckle.
'Personally I'll take a werewolf anyday, at least you know where you stand with
them,' Severus said dryly, though it wasn't in any way maliciously said and
Remus and Sirius knew that and grinned at him.
'Right then, we're in agreement, Draco it is first,' Remus said now. He
uncorked the phial then gently lifted Draco's head and poured the contents of
the pinkish liquid down his throat a little at a time so as not to choke the
unconscious lad, then laid Draco's head back down. He recorked the phial and
handed it to Severus who put it in his pocket, then the three of them waited.
The potion worked within a minute and now they could see Draco's breathing
becoming more normal and shallower, the type of breathing one has as they are
waking up. Draco's eyelids began to flutter then, and soon enough they opened,
though his eyes remained unfocused for the moment.
'Draco? Draco can you hear me?' Severus said in a hushed voice so not to
startle him. Remus had quickly hid behind Severus for the moment, knowing that
if Draco saw him right off the bat he would probably go into shock more then
anything else, and they didn't want that to happen.
Draco then blinked rapidly as if trying to clear his mind, then rubbed his eyes
as if he'd been sleeping for a very long time, though it had only been a few
hours. Blinking again he focused his gaze now on his potions professor,
surprise registering quickly. 'P-professor S-Snape? I-is that y-you, s-sir? he
stammered. He felt like he hadn't used his voice in a very long time either,
and his throat and tongue were like cotton.
Severus nodded and reached over to grab a goblet full of water, holding Draco's
head up gently and lifted the goblet to the boy's lips. 'Here, drink this, it
will help clear the fuzziness,' he said quietly.
Draco drank in the water, magically kept cold in the warm, firelit room. It
tasted better than anything he'd ever drank he thought at the moment, even
better than a glass of butterbeer. He downed the whole goblet and indicated for
a second glass before he finally found some strength, and his voice finally.
Looking round at where he was he definitely was confused now, then looking back
up at Severus he said in a small voice, 'I'm...we're not dead?'
Severus looked at Draco and chuckled, shaking his head, then put the water
goblet down on the bedside table. 'No, Draco, far from it. You're very much
alive, trust me. As is your cousin.'
'But...but Lupin...he...he said he was going to kill me...he said it,' Draco
murmured now, then as he saw who was coming round Severus his eyes lit up in
fear and he cowered underneath the duvet that was on the hospital bed.
'I won't hurt you, Draco, I promise. Please don't panic,' Remus said quietly
before Draco could say anything else. 'We have a lot to talk about, all of us,
and we need you to hear us out before you judge.'
Draco swallowed hard not sure if he could believe what he was being told. Not
more than a few hours...days?...ago he was at the mercy of this man, he could
almost still feel that strong wolf-like hand wrapped round his throat, hear the
coldness and hatred in his professor's voice, feel the anger that the man had
been emanating towards him. Not to mention he could still hear the words that
should have ended his life.
'I know what you're thinking, Draco, but I promise you, no one in this room is going to hurt you.
We only ask you listen to us that's all,' Severus said softly, keeping his gaze
trained on Draco.
Draco turned back to see that Severus meant what he was saying, and slowly
nodded to the relief of the adults. 'Why I should believe you though when he tried to kill me?' Draco asked
curiously whilst pointing at Remus with a still shaking hand.
'Because at the moment you don't have much choice now do you, Malfoy,' Sirius
drawled. He knew that Draco had gone through a lot, but one thing he wasn't in
the mood for at the moment was games, not when Harry was suffering so badly. It
really pained him to see how much Harry loved Draco, and he was still coming to
terms with that fact being that a Malfoy was still a Malfoy by any means, even
if Draco claimed to want nothing to do with his father.
Draco managed to find enough strength to actually give Sirius a glare for that
remark, though his heart wasn't really in it. 'Fine, I'll listen to you, but if
I don't like what I hear - ' he began but Sirius cut him off with an intense
gaze.
'You won't always hear what you
want to hear in life, Malfoy, that's the way it works so get off your high
horse. Life sucks, get used to
it. You can't always get what you want
kid, Mick Jagger said that by the by, a truly great Muggle musician,' Sirius
said with a wistful sigh at a long forgotten memory causing Remus and Severus
to just shake their heads and gaze up at nothing in particular. 'What?' he said
now at seeing his friends shoot him an odd look.
'You're impossible, Siri, you know that,' Remus said matter-of-factly, 'trust
you to bring up something like that now. No more Muggle rock concerts for you
my dear Padfoot,' he muttered.
'Oh for the love of Salazar, let's just get this over with. We're making him
think we've all gone daft or something,' Severus sighed in exasperation now.
Draco actually grinned at that remark. 'Actually I've always thought you were
all a bit batty, though I do enjoy Muggle concerts myself, though never heard
of this err...Jagger person. And umm...no offense here...but...anyone who can
do what the three of you do and
actually get away with it without anyone noticing...has to be batty.'
'I'm not sure I want to even touch that remark with a hundred foot pole,
Malfoy,' Sirius said and glanced at Draco with this
I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about look.
'I'm sure you don't, Sirius,' Remus said with a grin, understanding perfectly
what Draco meant.
He had actually known that Draco had found out about the three of them months
ago, and had decided not to tell Sirius or Severus about that information,
though it hardly mattered now. How Remus had known was easy, he'd caught Draco
in the corridor by Severus's room just a day before a full moon, sneaking out
of the Slytherin dorms on a late night wander apparently. Remus's wolf sense of
smell picked up the fact that as he let himself into Severus's room, someone
was indeed there, even though not 'there'. Sirius was in tow of course under
Severus's cloak, and clueless as always even when Remus had stopped for a
moment sniffing the air slightly. Remus had smelled a crisp lavender soap scent,
as well as the fact that his wolf's hearing had heard a tiny gasp of surprise
when there wasn't anyone 'in' the corridor. Other then Harry and Severus, only
one other person could have had an invisibility cloak - Draco Malfoy.
'Well, let's get this over with then shall we?' Severus said now turning all
business-like.
'All right, where to begin though?' Remus said thoughtfully.
'Did you really mean to kill me?' Draco suddenly asked now turning to Remus.
Remus sighed and gave Draco a speculative look, then shook his head slowly.
'Never. I could no more voluntarily hurt a child then I could hurt myself. I
really am sorry that I had to do that to you and Viridian, Draco, believe me I
am,' he said sadly.
'Why? Why did you do it then?' Draco asked.
'We had to do it, Draco. You see,
we did get your letter, not just the note you sent me at supper that night,
which yes we know was you now, but also the one in Harry's cloak,' Severus said
quietly.
'Wait, you did? But...but you
said you didn't know about any
letters I'd left!' Draco said staring at Remus accusingly now.
Remus fidgeted a moment. 'I had to
make you think that, for your own good. Draco, I wasn't alone at Meyer's this
morning, there were other people
there with me, Ministry officials that were there...er...'unofficially' so to
speak.'
'I don't understand...why? Who? Why put us through all this?' Draco asked
confused.
'We had to get you to verbally confess before people who were considered
trustworthy 'officials'. Much as your letter told us the truth, the fact is the
Ministry could claim it was altered, or enchanted, considering the fact it
actually was, it would have not held much water in court. Who was there I can't
tell you right now, for reasons, however, they are persons of notable standing
who used Ministry enchanted dictoquills to take your er...'confession' against
Lucius. This way we could effectively use it against him, and of course we plan
to,' Remus said.
'So...all this was an elaborate scheme to get me to confess that Lucius killed
Harry and not me? Why couldn't you have just asked me? Why go through all of
the charades and then pretend to kill me?' Draco asked in a hard voice.
'You were not exactly being very amicable at the time, Draco, not to mention
there were other factors involved. You're running away made you look all too
guilty, Lucius really does have an alibi for that day, and not to
mention...Lucius could have said you were coerced or bribed to write the
letter, or to confess to us unwillingly. He could have said we even used
Veritaserum or anything else rather then his own son willingly giving him over
to us with evidence that could do him harm. Now do you understand?' Severus
asked.
Draco thought on that a moment and nodded. 'Yeah, I think I do. Lucius would do and say anything to get himself
out of hot water, or buy his way out, unless the evidence was something grave
enough where even that would
work. I guess I can forgive you for put me and Viri through all this if it will
hurt Lucius in the end,' he said sighing. 'What was with the werewolves though?
How did you find us?'
'Ah, now that was easy actually. Meyer along with a few other 'friends' of mine
have been on the look out for you for a few weeks now. We just got very lucky
that he sensed your cousin soon as you both entered the forest in which he
happens to live. Vampires you see have a particular scent of blood on them at
all times, and when Meyer did some scouting and saw two young boys, he figured
it had to be the ones he'd been asked to find, and that you would head for the
cabin, which you did. He owled me immediately and since it was a full moon I
decided to run with Meyer's pack for the night since we knew you would be safe
in the cabin, then he would go get you the next day. His pack and I go way, way
back, he's a very old and well loved friend,' Remus said smiling softly.
'Oh...' Draco said quietly. 'I didn't know werewolves could tell about vampires
and stuff.'
Remus chuckled and nodded. 'Well, had it been any other time of the month but the
week of the full moon, perhaps you very well might have gone undetected. Which
is how you've actually managed to escape my other lookouts over the past few
weeks. Our sense of scent, though always stronger then full humans, increases
treblefold in the week of the full moon. We can sniff out blood up to a mile
away on the night of the moon, and close to that on the other days of that
week. It wasn't hard to pick out Viridian, considering he must have fed
recently. For a werewolf the scent of blood...well...let's just say it's a
scent we never forget,' he said almost sadly.
'I never really thought how hard it is to be a werewolf, Professor. I can say I
have a lot more respect for err...werewolves now then I did before, tell you
that much,' he said smiling at Remus now for a moment. 'So what's going to
happen next?'
'We don't exactly know yet, but trust me, when the time comes we'll let you
know. Lucius shan't go unpunished for what he's done, I can assure you,'
Severus said darkly.
'Umm...and me? If you did read my note, then you know why...why I ran like I
did,' Draco said hesitantly.
'Yes, Draco, we know, and you will not be
blamed for your actions. If all goes well, that will not even be an issue,'
Remus said.
Draco thought on all this for a moment, he couldn't believe all this was really
happening. He was alive, his father probably would go away for a long time to
Azkaban, or better yet probably get kissed by the Dementors which would end
Draco's torments at home. It would make things harder though in school, but at
the moment he didn't care in the least. What he did care about was something
else, something much more important.
Lowering his gaze to his lap where his hands had unconsciously clasped
themselves he couldn't shake the thought that was now in his mind. 'You know
what though...it doesn't matter what happens next really, not to me anyway. Not
anymore,' he said with a slight hitch in his voice.
'And why is that, Malfoy?' Sirius asked curiously.
'Getting Lucius put away, saving me from Azkaban...it's not worth it anymore. I
deserve to go there...I deserve to suffer,' he said now, allowing the tears to
fall yet again from his eyes. Tears he had shed weeks ago, tears that were now
showing certain people in the room that Draco wasn't a 'Malfoy' any longer
really. That he did have feelings, and did care...that he wasn't his father and
could and would defy the image of what a 'Malfoy' was.
'Why, Draco? Tell us why you think that?' Remus asked quietly, concern in his
voice for the boy.
'Because he is not coming back
don't you get it? It won't being
back the dead, Professor, it won't bring
me peace or happiness now. It won't bring back my dreams and hopes...I'll still
be empty, lonely and afraid. Revenge isn't sweet,
it's only a ruse, a game to tease you into thinking you will feel better when
justice is served. It still won't bring him back to me though, don't you see
that? It won't stop the pain of knowing he's dead and never coming back!' Draco sobbed in
torment, and then curled himself into a ball, hugging his arms tightly to his
chest, and closing his eyes to shut out the world. 'It won't bring back the only person I'll ever love...it won't bring
you back to me Harry...my Harry...' he whispered into the air, as if
it could grant his one and only wish to return the dead back to the living.
'Or maybe it will...if you believe hard
enough in that love...Draco...my Dragon...' a voice whispered in
Draco's ear. Then a warm pair of arms suddenly enveloped Draco and held him
tightly, holding him in a lovers embrace, and Draco had to wonder if he hadn't
died after all somehow. Because the voice, and the arms, could have only belong
to the dead...and the one who had died he knew could never have loved him
back...
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September 09, 2002 10:10 PM ©Piriotessa/Piri Lupin-Snape/Piri Malfoy