A Memory Found
by: Mystical Dragon
Dumbledore neglected to tell the Malfoy's anything about the Dark Elf and just implied that the Lestranges had come to get Draco to be Severus's brother. Lucius and Narcissa were furious and asked Voldemort to help them get Draco back. Voldemort, however, refused to help them, telling them to stay out of the Lestrange's business.
"You owe me, Lucius," Voldemort hissed at him. "Don't forget that. I expect thirteen years of service from you two and you seem to be backing out before the first year is even done."
"He's our son!" Lucius defended, as angry as he dared get. "He doesn't owe you a thing."
Voldemort stared at him, those red eyes piercing him. "He's your son and therefore he owes me," he whispered, his voice deadly. "When you two joined me, so did all your children."
Lucius ran a hand through his hair, trembling. He hadn't counted on this. Hadn't counted on this at all. Joining Voldemort was supposed to be fun, a way to get power without getting his hands dirty, but Voldemort was angry, very angry at all of the Death Eaters that hadn't gone to Azkaban for him and had just let Voldemort make his own way back to a mortal body without helping him when they could have. This was just one example in a series of nasty choices he was making his Death Eater's make. Voldemort was taking his revenge on his followers. Only the ones that had been stuck in Azkaban for those thirteen years, and therefore couldn't have helped Voldemort, were safe from his wrath and indeed they were usually the ones that were at the center of these nasty choices.
"My Lord, please reconsider," Narcissa begged. "He's our only son, please bring him back."
Voldemort stared at her until she looked away, flushing. "Nathan and Florence were loyal to me. You were not," he said, his voice angry and unforgiving. "Maybe next time, if there is one, you will do better."
Sweeping from the room, Voldemort motioned for Wormtail to follow him, leaving Narcissa and Lucius alone in the cold dark chamber.
They didn't have to say anything, indeed they dared not in Voldemort's rooms, he probably had the place rigged to overhear any conversation, but they both knew what they had to do, and where they had to go, and who they had to talk with.
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"You expect me to trust you?" Dumbledore asked Lucius, his eyebrows raised.
Lucius narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore and Remus had to bite his tongue. Lucius wasn't changing sides. He, like he had before, was just joining the side that could get him what he wanted and then, once he had it, he would turn right back around again. Dumbledore knew it, Lucius knew it, and everyone in the room knew it. But they were still going to help him. Not for the Lucius or Narcissa's sake but for Draco's.
"We are still trying to figure out a way to get him back," Dumbledore admitted. "We don't know how but we are trying."
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Harry, feeling quite uncomfortable about invading Snape's rooms when he wasn't around, sat at his table and tried to keep his mind off the various things that were floating in jars behind him. Snape really needed a curtain to draw over those things; they were unnerving, especially the jars of eyes from various animals. How did Snape stand staying in a room with those things looking at him?
When they were in here before Lupin had cast an illusion charm over the shelves to make them look like a wall but no one had thought to do that this time. Harry wished someone would remember to do it. He felt too silly asking about it since none of the adults seemed to care.
"I'm never being a Potions Master," Ron whispered next to him, "even if that was the only job I could ever get," he said, daring a glance behind him and shuddering. "Creepy."
Snape's rooms were their last hope at finding some information regarding Dark Elves. The Library didn't have even one sentence written about them.
"I can't find anything," Sirius muttered as he threw yet another Dark Arts book on top of the growing pile in the center of the floor. "Snape has to have some illegal Dark Arts books laying around," he said, running a hand through his still long hair. "Where are those?"
Dumbledore glanced up from his book, surveying Sirius darkly. "I asked Severus not to keep any, Sirius, and he agreed."
Sirius shrugged, looking sheepish. "Couldn't hurt to ask," he muttered, turning to Harry with a funny look.
Harry shrugged. Dumbledore was a bit touch lately about Snape, not that Harry blamed him, but they were having to watch their tongues more than normal around him.
"Nothing!" Remus said, exasperated, as he dropped his book and flung himself on the couch next to Dimitrius.
"You're wasting your time," Dimitrius said, for the second time since they had arrived. "Dark Elf magic won't be covered in those books. Most Wizards and Witches don't even know what Dark Elves look like anymore and they certainly don't know anything about their magic."
Dumbledore slapped his book closed and glared at Dimitrius. "You think we should just give up?"
"Yes," Dimitrius said. "Severus is fine. Ivan will take care of him."
"I don't trust Ivan!" Dumbledore bit out.
"And why not?" Dimitrius demanded, his ragged face challenging.
"Because he's a Dark Elf," Dumbledore explained, running an agitated hand through his beard.
Dimitrius settled back against the couch and shook his head. "Being a Dark Elf doesn't make him any less trustworthy than a house-elf. In fact it makes him more so. A house-elf would let the Lestranges get away with anything but a Dark Elf won't. Severus is safe," he said. "Get that through your head."
Dumbledore stared at him, his hand still stroking his beard, and his eyes seemed to flash behind his half-moon spectacles, but he didn't say anything. Maybe he was too angry to say anything, Harry mused.
"I don't like this," Dumbledore finally said, his shoulders slumping. "I don't like it at all."
Emerald patted Dimitrius's knee. "Time for your medicine," she said, a small vial filled with a light green substance popping into her hand.
Dimitrius made a face as he took it.
"What is that?" Lupin asked.
"Pain medicine. Vasya's knife was poisoned quite well," he said, draining the small vial, shivering as he did so. "And being targeted for curses and old fashioned beatings during the revolt didn't help any."
"You do look like you've been through a lot," Sirius said as Harry remembered how bad Mad-Eye Moody looked.
Harry wondered what he was going to look like when everything was over and Voldemort was, hopefully, finally defeated. He already had one scar and really didn't want anymore.
Dimitrius muttered something under his breath and shrugged. "What does Severus do? I mean, what are his interests?" he asked eagerly, wanting to know, his face creased with concentration.
Everyone glanced at each other, having no clue really.
"Dark Arts and Potions," Remus said. "That's about all we know."
Dimitrius looked at Dumbledore. "Is that all you know about him?" he asked, curious.
Dumbledore settled in at the table across from Harry. "Basically. He keeps his opinions and thoughts to himself," Dumbledore said, looking slightly sad. "I do have a question for you," Dumbledore said. "Why did Severus's parents give him to Ivan?"
A soft look came across Emerald's face. "Jacenty had an older sister, Tatiana, but she was born with many problems and had to be constantly cared for. When Vasya got pregnant with Jacenty she asked Ivan for help because she would be unable to care for both children herself and she didn't dare tell any human that she had a child because of the unrest among the peasants and Cezar, as the Emperor's General, was often gone for days at a time," Emerald grinned proudly. "Vasya knew we could be trusted so she came to us. Ivan was given both children to care for so Vasya could spend as much as time as she wanted with both but not be overwhelmed with either. Tatiana died when Jacenty was a year and a half but Ivan didn't want to leave so he stayed on. Vasya was pleased with his choice since Jacenty would have a friend to play with as he grew up."
Harry slightly grinned. Dark Elves had the ability to develop soft spots for humans; a rather comforting thought, considering how powerful they were.
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"Severus, are you sure?" Draco asked as he stared at his little brother, holding a large rock with various figures (some homemade and some not): taped, tied, and glued to it.
"Yes!" Severus said, almost sounding annoyed with Draco. "They are evil and have to go!"
Draco folded his arms across his chest as a breeze swirled around him, chilling him. He and Severus were standing on a pier that stretched from one end of a pond to the other end, well Draco assumed it was a pond. He could see nothing but water surrounding them, the horizon was always too hazy to tell if there was land there.
"Come on, Severus," Draco persisted. "How are you going to play Star Wars without the Emperor, or Lord of the Rings without Sauron and Saruman, or...."
"They have to go!" Severus insisted. "The good guys need a break! Besides I can come back and get them with Ivan if I want them again."
"Well, true," Draco mumbled as Severus nodded his head and threw the rock into the water.
"Now everyone can be happy," Severus said, as he pulled out some figures from his pocket and laid down on the pier, beginning to play 'farming' with them.
It was slightly amusing watching the dashing Han Solo figure argue with Frodo about where to plant the tomatoes. And Eilonwy was helping Princess Leia plant some corn. And Luke and Vader (who had escaped being thrown into the water since he was Luke's father and Luke would be sad without him) tended to the pigs.
Draco took his shirt off and slipped into the water. The air was cold but the water was always nice and warm, perfect for swimming. Draco started to swim away from the pier, wondering about his age. He was now fifteen again, having been here for only three years, but Severus was the right age, ten. Why was Ivan making Draco grow up so fast? And how old would he be when he left this place?
But, despite that one worry, Draco loved it here. The Lestranges rarely bothered him and Draco was left to make his own decisions and really get to know himself for the first time. He didn't have parents to please, or relatives to tell him how to uphold the Malfoy name; all he had was a little brother that looked up to him.
Draco shook his head as he looked behind him at Severus. Severus wasn't his little brother. He was his Professor! But that thought evaporated as Severus wagged a finger at one of his figures.
Smiling, Draco concentrated on swimming, a pastime that he was startled to realize he loved. That and many other things. His father would kill him if he found out Draco enjoyed doing physical sports: like swimming, rock-climbing, martial arts, woodworking, camping, bike riding, and flying. Flying would be okay with his father but probably not the rest. And the truck! His father would scream if he found out Draco had fixed a Muggle truck up so he and Severus could pack it full of camping equipment and drive it into the woods and over rough terrain, searching for the perfect spot to go camping on. Brooms just didn't fly very well when packed full of stuff and Ivan was insistent on them learning how to manage on their own without relying on him so a truck had been the solution for them. It was a good thing Dark Elves didn't abide by the age limit of driving. Though, actually, Draco was now mentally eighteen, just not physically yet. Maybe that was why Ivan didn't bother him about driving.
"Draco?" Severus asked, his voice serious.
"What?" Draco asked, turning around in the water so he could see his brother.
Severus sat up and scooted to the edge of the pier, his shoulders slightly bent. "Mom and Dad are evil, aren't they? They aren't just pretending or being silly?"
Draco stopped swimming, having to resurface quickly, and swam back to the pier, hanging on for balance. "I'm sorry, Severus," he said, carefully choosing his words, "but they are evil."
"Should we be staying with them?" Severus asked, his voice trembling a little.
Getting out of the water, Draco sat next to Severus and draped an arm around his shoulders, ignoring that he was soaking Sev. Good question. Should they stay? Draco held Severus close to him and decided that if Sev wanted to go, or thought they should go, then Draco shouldn't hold him back.
"No, we shouldn't stay."
Severus leaned against him, clutching him. Draco didn't move his hands, despite how Sev's fingernails were digging into his skin and hurting him.
"Where are we going to go?" Severus asked, whispering. "I like it here. I love mom and dad but I'm afraid to stay. I don't want to turn evil."
Draco put his other arm around Severus and tightly held him as he surveyed all those figures that Severus had. Reading all those Muggle fantasy, and some wizard, books had really helped Draco, who hadn't been raised to really know it, understand and explain to Severus the difference between right and wrong, as far as he could tell it. And that was why Severus wanted to go.
"Listen, we can go to Hogwarts," Draco said, shivering in the cold air.
"Hogwarts?" Severus said, as he buried his face in Draco's neck. "But who would want us there?"
"Dumbledore," Draco said firmly. "I've been attending school there with the help of a Time Turner. I knew we would have to find another place to live, with mom and dad being evil, so I scouted out Hogwarts and I've been talking to Dumbledore about living with him. He agreed."
"Will Ivan go too?" Severus asked.
"Of course," Draco readily agreed. "Me, you, and Ivan."
"All right," Severus said, taking a deep breath. "When do we go?"
"As soon as possible," Draco insisted as he held onto Sev.
Draco looked down at Severus's black hair and suddenly realized how much time he and Severus had been spending together over the last three years. They were never apart and they would often spend days, weeks, and even a month, away from the Lestranges while they explored the countryside. That was probably the reason why Severus could tolerate the thought of being away from them, he was used to it.
"You can visit mom and dad any time you want," Draco promised. "Ivan will take you to them. But we can't live with them. And we really need to stay with Dumbledore so we can better learn right from wrong. I doubt if either of us know it as well as we should."
"I'm glad you're with me," Severus said. "I would have stayed if it had just been me. I would be too scared to leave."
Draco grinned. "That's what big brothers are for."
Severus nodded his head. "I'm glad I have one."
"And I'm glad I have a little brother. I wouldn't have left it had just been me. Not enough incentive. But you're enough of an incentive. I don't want you turning evil."
"Me neither," Severus said, pulling away and looking at Draco while he wiped his eyes. "You won't turn evil will you?"
Draco shook his head. "No. I've passed that test. I almost turned evil but I managed to stop myself. Thanks to you," Draco said truthfully.
Severus grinned, blushing. "Should we take the truck?"
"Yeah. We can pack it full of the stuff we are going to take and drive to Hogwarts. Ivan will help us with that."
"Should we tell mom and dad?" Severus asked, his voice trembling again.
"No," Draco said, not sure of how that would work. "Let's tell Ivan and then go. Come on, get your figures, we have some planning to do. Do you want to get the evil people back?"
Severus shook his head. "No, they belong down there. Where they can't cause trouble."
Draco grabbed his shirt and jammed it over his head and then helped Severus collect his little figures. Evil people certainly did cause trouble. Severus deserved to have a mom and dad that loved him, wanted him, and that he could stay with without the fear of turning evil. Maybe Dumbledore or someone could help with that. But no one had before, Draco remembered as he pulled Severus to him and started to walk along the pier. Well, then Draco would just be Severus's mom, dad, and big brother. Ivan would help. Ivan could be Sev's friend, actually, and Draco could become his mom and dad. That would work.
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"Dimitrius could," Ivan said as they stood on an open plain, packing the truck with the things that Ivan was apparating from their house.
They had told the Lestranges that they were going on a camping trip. Ivan would tell them the truth later, once they were safe at Hogwarts.
"Could what?" Draco asked.
Severus was out of earshot, in the cabin of the truck, fiddling with his backpack.
"Could become his father," Ivan supplied. "He misses Cezar and Vasya very much."
"He murdered them," Draco said. "Why does he miss them?"
"He had no choice," Ivan said. "Cezar was raised to believe that peasants were stupid, incapable of making their own choices, and needed to stay where they were, for their own safety."
"That's stupid," Draco muttered, throwing another sleeping bag in the truck.
"Is it?" Ivan hissed. "Humans believe the same thing about house-elves, trolls, giants, and the other creatures that aren't allowed to use magic, though they can and have the same right that humans have to use it. Humans just won't let them."
"Well, yeah, that's because they aren't smart enough to..." Draco trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Oh, man. You're right. You know if the house-elves and those other creatures did try to gain the right to use magic, I bet most of the humans would die trying to prevent that from happening."
"Just like Cezar," Ivan said with a shake of his head. "Dimitrius wants to help. I have spied on him and he wants to get to know Cezar's son. Let him get close to Jacenty."
"I will," Draco promised. "But how's Severus going to handle it when he gets turned back into an adult and remembers about his parents and how they were killed and that Dimitrius caused it, if he did remember that much."
Ivan shrugged. "I think he will understand."
Draco wasn't so sure but trusted Ivan's judgment. He had learned to explicitly trust Ivan over the three years he had been here. "When are we going to turn Severus back into an adult?"
"When he is ready," Ivan said. "He is not ready yet but he will be soon. Thank you, Draco. You helped more than I thought you would be able to."
Draco flushed. "You're welcome."
Being a big brother wasn't something Draco would ever get famous for and it was doubtful anyone would care what had happened to an obscure Potions Master but it was something that Draco was very pleased with and it was something he had enjoyed tremendously. And it was something he wanted to do more of. There had to be some way for him to help out kids that needed it.
He shook his head as he thought of all those wasted years in envying Potter and trying to outdo everyone with his grades and Quidditch prowess. He liked Quidditch but he didn't like being a Seeker, a position he had only gotten because Potter was the Gryffindor Seeker. He preferred being a Beater. Hitting that Bludger was very satisfying.
Draco grabbed a box, filled with Severus's art supplies, and carefully put it into the truck. He hoped Dumbledore agreed to this. If he didn't, where would they go? Well, Ivan would fix that for them.
"All right!" Draco announced. "Let's go!"
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"They have been told," Ivan announced as he popped back in, between Severus and the door. That was Severus's usual position, with Ivan in the middle, so Severus could feel the wind in his hair, but today Severus was sitting right next to Draco, nearly on him too.
"Do they want us?" Severus asked carefully, trying not to sound too worried.
"Yes," Ivan said. "They are very pleased that we are coming."
"Are they mad about Draco using a time turner to attend Hogwarts?" Severus asked.
"No," Ivan said. "They knew about it. Draco has many friends at Hogwarts that he wants you to meet."
"Really, who?" Severus said, looking at Draco.
Draco steeled his nerves. "Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, though we can't tell anyone about Black, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime and is hiding now, Dumbledore, and McGonagall. There's also Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, but they are kind of slow, so don't mind anything they say. If they tell you I hate Harry Potter, they have just forgotten that we are very close friends is all," Draco said, surprised that he didn't feel like gagging. His jealousy of Potter seemed to be completely gone. Well, he had had three years to sort through things.
"I'm scared," Severus admitted.
Ivan took his hand and squeezed it while Draco put an arm around him. "Don't worry, I'll look out for you."