There's a Draco/Harry scene in here I never intended to write, and something happens to George, and there's child abuse, both written and implied.
Oh, and Noko nearly drowns in the Chamber because she's just a puppy and didn't know better, but that's not really important.
I DON'T OWN IT.
Thought I should put that in again!
Sorry for the wait.
Wolf-Child
Richter turned out to be a phoenix. An elderly, spindly, sickly-looking thing. They had to stop by the Slytherin dorms for Blaise to get him. Harry eyed the bird warily.
"Uh, Zambini? You sure that thing can carry us all?'
Richter croaked and fell over. Blaise hauled him up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack. "Richter? Yeah. Don't let his looks fool you, they're just side-effects of all the enhancement spells he's got on him." Richter squawked and flapped his wings feebly against Blaise's back.
"Enhancement spells? That bird has enhancement spells on him?" Harry still couldn't believe this bird could do what Fawkes had. "He looks dead!"
Blaise sighed and dropped him. Richter made a snorting sound and curled up. "Nope, only asleep. Are we going to the Chamber or not?"
The Gryffindors were horrified by Blaise's treatment of Richter, but Draco was used to it. He'd seen what Richter could do and didn't doubt him for a moment.
As they drew closer to Myrtle's bathroom, the strange group was stopped by the Hufflepuff quidditch team. One of the chasers, Sara Appleblossom, stepped forward, a solemn look on her face. "We are sorry to hear of Gryffindor's loss. George Weasley was a fine beater. Quidditch won't be the same without him whacking Bludgers our way."
Melissa Jonaheart, a new beater this year, shook her head sadly. "George was my idol, well, one of them. To play against him would have been the crowning achievement of my quidditch career. It's such a shame he has passed on."
Ron looked at Harry with a perplexed expression on his face. Harry shrugged, and the group snuck past the solemn Hufflepuffs without them knowing.
"Hufflepuffs are such a load of duffers," Draco said, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"That's mean!" Hermione cried, coming to their defense.
"Granger, they don't even know they're talking to air. Explain that."
Hermione didn't have anything to say to that.
Once inside Myrtle's bathroom, Harry told everyone to step back, and someone to hold Noko. He went up to the tap with the snake engraving on it and hissed, Open up. The sink sunk into the floor, revealing the entrance to the Chamber once again. Draco was looking at him kind of funny.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"I would kill to speak like that," Draco responded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Unfortunately, Parseltongue isn't something you can learn."
"Oh." Draco's staring was starting to make Harry uncomfortable. "Okay. Um, all you have to do is slide down this pipe, but it's really dirty and slimy. Are you sure you still want to do this?"
"Are you kidding me?" Blaise asked, incredulous. "The chance to be in the chamber that Salazar Slytherin himself made, years ago? What type of decent Slytherin wouldn't want to go there, slimy or not!?" He sat at the top of the pipe and turned to Draco. "If this turns out badly, you can kill them." Making sure he had a firm grip on Richter, Blaise pushed himself down the pipe. A moment later, they heard a thump.
"Are you okay!?" Draco called down the pipe.
"Yeah! Come on down! Remember what I just said about Slytherins wanting to be down here!?" Blaise called back.
"Yes!"
"I TAKE IT BACK!"
There was a squish, and an "Eww!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione doubled over laughing. Draco had a mildly disgusted look on his face, and Noko ran to the pipe. "Baze go down da hole!" she cried. "Noko go down da hole too!" With an excited bark, she leapt in, face first.
"BLAISE! INCOMING!" Draco screamed, running after Noko, but stopping short of the pipe.
"What?" Blaise cried back. "Oh shi . . . NO!"
There was a thump, a crunch, and more silence. Myrtle chose that moment to float through Draco. He jumped, and fell into the hole. "They're awfully loud," Myrtle stated. "They shouldn't be in here, they're boys."
Hermione groaned quietly. "Myrtle, Harry and Ron are boys too, but you let them be in here without complaining."
"Harry's different," Myrtle sniffed. "I like him."
Harry groaned and leapt into the pipe. Ron and Hermione, not wanting Harry to be alone with two Slytherins, nor wanting to be alone with Myrtle, followed him. The sight they encountered was a strange one. Draco was sitting in a pile of slime, Harry on his lap. Noko was sprawled across Blaise's chest, and Blaise was half-buried under rodent skeletons, trying not to scream in disgust. Hermione landed on Ron's back and pushed him face first into a puddle of filthy water.
"This is pleasant," Draco purred, wrapping his arms around Harry's chest. "I could almost forget about the slime I'm sitting in."
Harry turned redder then Ron's hair and tried to get up, but Draco held him down. Hermione blushed too and pulled Ron off, busying herself with cleaning off his face. Noko yawned and kicked one of her legs. Blaise freed an arm and poked at her. "I think she's asleep."
Noko leapt up, giggling. "Noko fell down da hole, and fell on Baze! An Hawwy fell on Dayco, and," here she stopped and pretended to read a book, her symbol for Hermione. She had long given up on trying to pronounce her name. "fell on On!"
"Draco!" Ron yelled. "Stop molesting Harry! I've got my eye on you!"
"I'd prefer to molest Harry," Draco muttered. Harry elbowed him lightly and wriggled free.
"It's okay Ron, he didn't hurt me." Harry picked Noko up. Draco offered a hand to Blaise, who took it gratefully. Richter was found crushed under Blaise, fast asleep again.
"The bird's an idiot," Blaise muttered, slinging Richter over his shoulder again.
"If you hate him so much, why do you put up with him?" Ron asked, poking Richter. "He doesn't look like much."
Blaise rolled his eyes. "If you must know, Richter here has earned Moldy's favor. Moldy won't let anyone harm Richter, and has entrusted my family to keep him safe. I think he thinks the core of his wand came from Richter's tail."
"Moldy?" Hermione asked. "Who would go by the name Moldy?"
Draco grinned wickedly. "Oh, he doesn't know we call him Moldy. Moldy-Voldy, that's our name for Lord Voldemort, heir of Slytherin and all that fun jazz. Makes him sound so much less menacing. Who can be scared of someone known as Moldy?"
Harry blinked. "Oh, thanks a lot, Malfoy. Now every time I'm in a life or death situation against Voldemort, instead of thinking of different spells and curses that could be helpful, all that will come to my mind is the nickname "Moldy-Voldy.""
Draco wrapped himself around Harry. "Glad to be of service!"
Harry pushed Draco off. "What is it with you? First you've gotten all nice to us, and now you're clingy!"
Draco looked hurt. "What, you don't like it? I can go back to be the sardonic little menace, if that's what you'd like."
Harry shook his head. "No, I like you being nice, just not clingy."
"Harry? How do we get past this?" Ron and Hermione had encountered the snake doors. Harry hissed at it, and it opened. The group stepped inside and looked around.
Water dripped from the ceiling as a general sense of evil and death wrapped around them. The scent of decaying flesh assaulted their noses.
"Welcome to the Chamber," Harry said after a while, when the silence became unnerving.
"Was it this bad when you came down here before?" Blaise asked, wrinkling his nose.
"No, before there wasn't a giant serpent rotting," Harry answered.
"Neithan!" Hermione cried, waving her wand. The smell of the rotting basilisk dissipated, leaving an old musty smell. "There, that's better."
"Thanks Hermione," Ron said, hugging her. "That is much better."
Draco waved his wand and cleaned a portion of the floor to sit on. He pulled the vial of the antidote out of his robes. Blaise settled down beside him and set up a cauldron. Hermione pulled a small box out of her pocket, enlarged it, and started pulling out various vials and flasks of different substances. Harry set Noko down and joined Ron on the floor.
"So, how do we begin?"
Several days later, the only thing the group had achieved was rescuing Noko when she fell into a deep pool of water. After that, she stayed with her "Nuncles," Fred, George, and Lee. Progress was slow with the antidote.
"Oh, wait, Harry, do that again!" Hermione leaned forward excitedly as Harry repeated the test he had done. "Yes! We found a key! Only five more to go!"
"Now that we found one key, the going should be easier," Blaise said, relieved.
Noko ran in, wailing. "Hawwy, Dayco! Help!"
"Noko? How'd you get in here?" Harry asked, trying to catch the frightened puppy. Noko was running around in circles, waving her arms and shaking her head. "What's wrong?"
"Nuncle George i' thick!" she whimpered, stopping and clutching her head. "He do dis!" Noko bent over and started pretending to vomit. "Nuncle Fred an' Lee aw sad! Day hug Nuncle George and cwy a little! Nuncle Fred toll me ta ge help!"
"George is sick!?" Ron whispered, shocked. "We have to help him!" He grabbed the antidote, but Draco tackled him.
"No! We need that still! We've just started unlocking it!"
"You can always get more antidote!" Ron cried. "George is irreplaceable!"
"I'm not letting you waste that on a stupid Weasley!"
"I don't care what you think, let go!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
Blaise bit his lip, then pointed his wand at Draco. "Petrificus Totalus," he whispered. Draco's arms snapped to his sides and Ron scrambled up. Blaise threw Richter at him. "Hurry Ron!" Ron ran off without a backward glance.
"George, George!" Ron ran into George's room, hugging the vial to him protectively. Fred and George were curled up together in George's bed. George shuddered in Fred's arms, while Fred turned to Ron.
"He's dying, Ron," Fred whispered.
"No, no he's not! Fred, this is the antidote! I swear it is! George has to drink it, and he'll be fine!" Ron thrust the vial into Fred's hands. Fred looked at the strange liquid curiously.
"Where did you get this?"
"Never mind that for now! Just give it to George!"
"Ron, you are aware that one of the symptoms of this disease is the inability to drink, right?"
Ron's eyes widened. "Oh no, I forgot about that!"
Fred prodded George gently. "Wake up, Forge. Ron's got something for you that should make you feel better." George stirred and wrapped his arms tighter around Fred. "No Forge, you have to wake up." Reluctantly, George opened his eyes. "Ron says you have to drink this, and then you'll be alright. Think you can force it down?" George touched the vial weakly and nodded. Fred helped him sit up and brought the vial to George's lips.
George gagged and choked, but managed to drink the whole thing. He made a face and curled up in Fred's arms again, quickly falling asleep. Fred looked at the empty vial, then at Ron.
"So, where did you get this?" he asked.
Ron squirmed under Fred's gaze. "From Malfoy," he muttered.
"Malfoy? How much do you trust him?"
"Well, Zambini is sick too, and I think he's Malfoy's best friend. Malfoy wouldn't go through all this trouble to save Zambini's life if it was pointless."
"Ron? How much of this antidote was there?"
Ron fidgeted uneasily. "Well, ah, that was all of it."
"So Blaise will die? And all the others?"
Ron shook his head energetically. "Oh no, Malfoy will just get more of the antidote, then we'll keep on trying to make more ourselves."
"And where did he get the antidote from?"
Ron didn't like the way this was turning out. As it was, he'd told Fred more then he should have. "Lucius Malfoy gave it to him."
Fred winced. "It was just announced Lucius is Hogwarts' new headmaster. If he's behind this, I fear for the world."
Meanwhile
Lucius spun around in front of the full length mirrors, smiling as his robes swirled around him. He pitied the poor souls who needed to use magic to look this menacing. They obviously didn't have the gift.
A tentative knock at the door jarred him from his thoughts. "Come in!" he snapped.
Draco slipped around the door holding a broken vial in his hand. "Father? May I ask you a favor?"
"I don't have much choice, do I?" Lucius growled. Draco cringed. Lucius was in a bad mood.
"Father, those oafs you have protecting me, Crabbe and Goyle, broke the vial of the antidote you gave me for Blaise. He didn't drink the antidote before they broke it, and now it's all soaked into the carpet. Could you maybe give me some more?"
Lucius advanced on Draco with an evil glint in his eye. Draco gulped and backed up quickly, cowering away from his father. Lucius spun on his heel at the last moment, his cloak wrapping around Draco, binding him and drawing him closer to his father.
"So. You managed to break what I gave you. Clumsy boy." Draco bit back a protest, knowing it was better to quietly agree with Lucius. "Now you expect Daddy to give you some more. Why? To let you break it again?" Draco shook his head, unable to do much else. Lucius slapped him, and Draco cringed. Much to his shock, Lucius stroked the reddening cheek softly and delicately pulled a vial of the antidote from his robes. He pressed it into Draco's hands. "I trust this will find its way to the young Zambini without further troubles." Draco nodded. Lucius frowned. "You are the only one with the antidote, besides myself. I'll be keeping an eye on you." He tugged on his robes and they fell away from Draco. "After all, it wouldn't be good for my son to turn traitor, now would it?"
When Ron returned to the Chamber, Draco was missing. Hermione was cleaning up shards of broken glass while Harry held Noko tightly so she wouldn't step on any pieces. Blaise was sitting on the head of the statue of Slytherin, his knees drawn up against his chest, lost in thought.
"Did you get it to him in time?" Harry asked.
"Huh? Oh, I think so. He's not dead yet, as far as I know, and he actually managed to drink it all. Fred's still with him, but I don't know where Lee disappeared to," Ron glanced up at Blaise. "What's wrong with Zambini, and where's Malfoy?"
"Zambini's a friend of the twins, he's kinda taken it hard that George actually got this sick this quickly. Also, he's afraid he'll be next, and we don't have anymore antidote yet. Draco. . ."
Draco stormed into the Chamber and set the vial down next to the cauldron. Gesturing to the bruise on his face, he spat, "I hope you're happy, Weasel. Now my father's mad at me and suspects something. Things can only get worse if he or Voldemort comes marching in here right now, kicking butt and taking names." Ron stared at him. "If George dies, I will kill you, understand? I will not torture you, I will not hit you, you will be dead. I know Avada Kedarva, I have been more then adequately trained in using it, I will not hesitate to slaughter you where you stand. And if anyone tries to save you, they will be dead too. Even if Noko tries to save you, I will kill her." Draco's voice was cold, dark, and pure evil. He sounded just like his father.
"Uh, Draco?" Blaise rested his hand on Draco's shoulder hesitantly. Draco shoved him aside. Blaise caught a flash of red fire in Draco's pale eyes and realized for the first time just how deadly his friend could be, if pushed far enough. "Dragon, what did he do to you?" Blaise's whisper was soft enough for only Draco to hear. Draco shoved him again, and Blaise backed down. He started cleaning up the work area. "Perhaps it's best for us to call it a day," he said, worried about Draco's behavior.
Ron, Hermione, Noko, and Blaise all took Richter up the pipe first, leaving Harry and Draco alone. Draco scuffed his foot nervously.
"I wouldn't really kill Noko, you know."
Harry nodded. "I know."
"But you have to take full care of her now. My father hates her. He all but said he'd kill her if he sees her near me again."
The red gleam had completely faded from Draco's eyes, making him look lost and sad. He looked so forlorn that Harry hugged him, surprising both boys. Draco further startled them both by starting to cry softly into Harry's shoulder.
Harry suddenly realized why Draco had started being nice to Ron, Hermione, and himself. Draco had always been well-balanced in his energies before, but with all the changes in is life, something had been thrown out of whack. It had been too difficult to be nasty to Harry and his friends and keep up his image to the rest of the school and get good grades and look after Noko and stay docile and submissive to his father and Voldemort and plot treasonous acts while outwardly being a Death Eater and deal with raging teenage hormones. . . Harry wasn't sure how long Draco's list could get. For Draco to put more energy into one thing, staying docile and submissive, he had to slack on another. With his strength being pulled this way and that, it wasn't surprising Draco snapped.
"We aren't really that different," Harry murmured, rubbing Draco's back comfortingly. "We've both had really crummy live families and now find ourselves way too much to easily handle."
Draco stood in Harry's embrace until Richter returned. He then pulled away quickly, scrubbing at his eyes. "No one is to know about this."
Harry smiled. "I won't say a word if you don't."
One, maybe two more chapters to go.
~Crawler