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In the Company of Snakes
By: Cousin Mary
Part12
Draco lay on his back staring up at the speckled sunlight peeking through the huge, leaf filled branches high over head. Though only a few hundred yards from the house, the west side of grounds were so thick with vegetation that the Manor was nearly blotted out from sight, he could almost imagine they were miles from anywhere. The blonde boy sighed contently and went back to the serious task of enjoying the warm summer breeze that slipped over him as the sunlight danced. This was one of his favorite spots, he came here to think, to be alone. He glanced over at Maggie, she was asleep with some sort of muggle magazine on her lap. Sometimes it was nice not to be alone, he smiled, at peace with himself and the world for the first time in a long while.
Several days had passed since his father had regained consciousness and his strength was rapidly returning. Draco had been surprised when Professor Snape had volunteered to stay on at the Manor for awhile and help with Father's treatments, but even so, he was relieved not to have the burden of care fall to him alone.
They were in there now, Draco's eyes swept in the general direction main house, probably in the library, talking. What they spoke of, he couldn't be sure, they'd grow quiet whenever he approached. 'Talking about Mother, most likely,' he thought with an unconscious flinch. He still didn't know what to think about the whole affair. Part of him couldn't accept that his mother, the woman who'd spent the last four years supplying practically all Slytherin house with sweet cakes, could ever commit such an act. Most of him though, coolly recognized things for what they were. While he still wasn't quite sure if either of his parents were Death Eaters, he knew at least his father had some dealings with them. The matter with Ginny Weasley his second year was proof enough of that. So it was not inconceivable that his mother had at least some peripheral involvement as well. And if his mother were a Death Eater, then the decision to kill his father shouldn't have been too difficult…
His good mood spoiled by dark thoughts, Draco turned to the slightly snoring Maggie, nudging her awake. "Come on," He ordered gruffly.
Maggie came awake blurrily, but took one look at Draco's expression and held her tongue. She climbed to her feet next to him and followed him though the woods. They walked for several minutes before they came to a small clearing, in the middle of which was a rather large fountain. She stopped at the edge of the trees and stared at the jetting water. The fountain itself consisted of a large dark pool, from the center of which rose a tree with reaching branches but no leaves, carved from a single block of white marble. Around the tree, curled a huge snake of some other darker, shinier stone. The snake's fanged mouth was open, and from its gaping maw spewed gallons of brownish water. The overall effect was more than a little unsettling.
Anxiously, Maggie looked to her brother, but the sinister fountain didn't seem to phase him one bit. He walked to the water's edge and turned to wait for her. Screwing up her courage, Maggie approached cautiously. "Wha-what is this?"
Draco smiled, it didn't quite reach his eyes though. "A way out."
"A way out of what?" Maggie almost took a step back, but stopped herself.
"Don't you want to get away for awhile?" Draco eyed her, "Budge up," he mumbled then.
It took a moment for Maggie to realize he wanted her to step into the pool, "Hell no, it's black! I can't see the bottom!"
"Don't you trust me?" He asked innocently.
"At the moment…" Maggie trailed off with a frown. She wasn't a very trusting person, the last few years had made sure of that.
Draco stood at the lip of the pool, staring at the snake. "Maybe another day."
Curious now, she leaned closer, "What is it?"
"Part of the Manor," Draco eyed her strangely, "The oldest part."
"Older than the house?" She frowned.
"Much," He walked around the edge, balancing with ease, "The statue's only a few decades old, the pool though…"
Maggie eyed the dark waters, following Draco slowly around the edge. There was a small rise around the pool, nothing more than hard packed earth from the looks of it, but it supported their weights and kept the water in.
"Father says only Malfoys can come here," Draco increased his pace.
"Or else what?" Maggie asked, speeding up as Draco caught up behind her. "Or do you mean they can't see it? Like a concealing spell?"
"Don't know," Draco shrugged, nearly running now, "Never brought anyone else here."
"Just you and your parents?"
"No," Draco stopped suddenly, right in front of the snake. "Mother is a Black, not a Malfoy by blood."
Maggie slowed until she too was standing still, she stared across the pool at her brother, "Blood is important," She said hesitantly, "Some say it's the only thing that is."
Draco started walking again, Maggie kept pace, staying directly across the water from him. They moved in circles, counter-clockwise around the pool. They stared at each other as the water began to sluggishly swirl in the opposite direction. "Who told you that?" Draco asked, his voice sounded far away. "About blood?"
"Nobody important," Maggie told him matter-of-factly, "He's dead now anyway."
"And that's a good thing?" Draco arched a brow at her tone, "That he's dead I mean?"
"Yeah, it is," She walked faster, Draco sped up.
"The water's never done this before," He said suddenly.
"What'll happen?" She asked, strangely no longer afraid.
"No idea," Draco stopped then, staring down as the water stilled, "We shouldn't do this, not today."
Maggie frowned, stopping as well, "Why not?"
Draco took a step back off the ledge, walking around slowly to where Maggie stood. "Family legend says sometimes people don't come back from this place."
"They die?" Maggie stepped off, feeling slight disoriented as she did.
"No, no bodies," Draco shrugged, leading her back into the trees, "They just never come back."
"You wanted me to step into the water!" She accused.
"I didn't very well think you'd do it," He shot back, then smiled, "Nothing happens if you just step in. It's not deep. There's a secret passage from the statue to a tunnel that leads to the wine cellar under the house. Bit keen really."
"Oh," Maggie frowned, looking back over her shoulder, she couldn't see the fountain anymore, just more trees, "We could go back."
"Another day," Draco kept walking, "We have time."
"I guess we do," Maggie sighed, following her brother back to the house.
Snape glanced out the library window and watched as the children made their way back to the Manor. He saw Draco glance up at the window and nod in greeting, before slipping into through the side door behind his sister. The potion master turned to his companion, "Your children seem to be getting along well."
"Yes, they are," Lucius said simply, sipping from the foul green potion that had been his only meal for days on end.
"I take it you'll be sending Margaret to Hogwarts in the Fall?" Snape asked, only to make conversation really. Lucius had been slipping further and further into himself lately. There were shadows in his eyes, shadows that spoke of something he couldn't quite place.
"I suppose I must," Lucius sighed, "They both must return shortly."
Snape watched in fascination as the pale wizard frowned deeply in obvious distress. He wondered if Lucius even realized how unguarded he'd become, every emotion, every thought was so easily discerned from his once unreadable face. With a more critical eye, Snape took in the other aspects his old classmate appearance. His skin had almost returned to its original ivory hue, but despite the large quantity of tonics they'd gone through, his hair seemed to resist treatments. His eyebrows had grown back nicely, but the hair from his scalp was brittle and would begin to break and split almost as soon as it broke through the flesh. The lightness of his hair almost gave the man the appearance of an unearthly halo, and a halo had no place on a Malfoy. The skin on his neck was also severely scarred, the delicate tissue had been trapped closely under his burning collar and was possibly beyond repair. They were white, angry marks across otherwise perfect complexion. Only time would tell if they could be healed. "A fifth year then? Same as Draco?"
"Ah, yes," Lucius looked around vaguely, "There are papers somewhere… the desk maybe?"
Snape crossed to the huge mahogany table that passed for a desk in the cavernous room, his eyes slid over many business related documents, trade invoices and the like, before landing on a manila envelope with 'Maggie Miller' written in bold face type across the front, "This then?" He held it up for inspection.
Lucius nodded and looked out the window, his thoughts far away, "Autumn will be here soon."
Snape nodded absently as he opened the envelope and let a few of the papers inside slide out. "Her school records only go through her first year…"
Lucius nodded absently, "After that she was privately tutored."
"There's no record of that," Snape flipped through the papers again, stopping as something else caught his attention. His eyes widened, "There are… holes in her medical files."
"Holes?" Lucius looked over, struggling to his feet and painfully stumbling to the desk, "Let me see."
Snape placed the file on the desk before then both, his eyes quickly casting over the large paragraphs of the document that had been blacked out with magic.
"Why would anyone do this?" Lucius asked astonished, "I've never seen anything to match this."
"Where did these come from?" Snape asked, indicating the envelope.
"An agent, an American Auror-" Suddenly Lucius's mouth clamped shut and that old unreadable expression came forth once again, "I shall handle this Severus, no need to concern yourself."
Snape watched as Malfoy gathered the papers and slid them back into the envelope, then placed the whole collection in a drawer. Something was obviously not right here, and Lucius had just decided he couldn't be trusted. Snape frowned, deciding it was better to let the matter drop for now, "Very well Lucius, as you wish."
The blonde nodded tiredly, almost absently locking the drawer before stumbling back to his seat by the window. "Are you hungry Severus? I'm sure the house elves wouldn't mind serving us a late lunch in conservatory."
Snape walked slowly back to his spot across the way, settling against the window as well, "You can not have solid food yet Lucius," He reminded him gently. "Not for a least another day or two."
Lucius sighed, giving the other man a crooked grin, "Then you eat, I'll watch and envy."
Snape nodded, the edge of his lips quirking slightly, "Agreed."
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