Hey all! I'm back. "Big cheer arises from audience." Mondo thank you to my
reviewers so far: truth to the word and babmidnight. Anyway I have the next
chapter here for you. I tried my hardest to make this chapter longer than
the second and I succeeded. Oh yeah, I don't own anything except the plot
and other stuff you don't recognize. On to the story!
As soon as she entered the common room, Hermione was greeted by Harry's cry of disbelief,
"Hermione! Where've you been? Neither Ron not I have seen you for days!" "I guess I've just been busy," Hermione replied lamely.
Harry gave her a suspicious look but said nothing else regarding the matter. He glanced at Ron and Harry said,
"Well, if you're not too busy, "his voice dripping with sarcasm," come watch us play chess."
Harry saw the almost hurt look in Hermione's eyes and quickly switched his expression to one of pleading. Hermione, feeling that she had indeed spent far less time with them nowadays, agreed.
Harry and Ron played several exciting matches, most of which ended in triumphant checkmates of Ron's. Afterward, Hermione said that she was very tired and walked up the stairs to her dormitory. Harry and Ron exchanged quizzical glances; put away the chess set and trudged up quietly to their own dormitory. It was barely nine o'clock.
Draco fell back into an uneasy sleep and woke up groggily on Monday morning. Madam Pomfrey saw that he was awake and bustled over to hand him a potion. He drained the Pepperup Potion in one gulp and immediately felt full of energy.
"Can I leave now?" he asked her.
"Hold on," she said and took his temperature.
"Your temperature is normal, you may return to your classes now."
Draco practically sprinted out of the hospital wing, even twenty-four hours in there was too much. He wondered how Potter was able to stand it will all that time that he spent in the hospital wing. He walked to the Slytherin common room, thankfully avoiding anyone who might not be in class. Draco realized that his little swim in the lake was probably all over school by now. If everybody knows about it, he thought, my reputation must have gone down into the negatives. Salazar, I hate Granger!
"Slytherins rule," Draco said to the self-obsessed wall and entered to find an empty common room. He glanced down at his watch, only to find that he wasn't wearing it. Damn, it probably stopped working in the lake and Madam Pomfrey took it off, Draco reasoned. There had been a clock in the hospital wing that had told Draco that it was 11:35. He calculated that it had taken him around five minutes to get down to the common room. Draco reasoned that it was about twenty minutes until lunch and decided not to go to class. He sat down at one of the tables by the fireplace and pulled out his halfway finished Arithmancy homework. This homework involved interpreting birth date numbers and days of the week to outline future events. He believed that the class was total rubbish and slightly resented his mother for persuading him to take it. Of course father was another matter.Draco's eyes clouded over as he remembered the last meeting with his father three days ago.
"Follow me downstairs, boy, " Lucius had growled as soon as Draco apparated to Malfoy Manor, "and don't forget to lock you mother's room before you go down."
Every time Draco and Lucius had one of their meetings, Lucius forced Draco to lock his mother in her bedroom so that she wouldn't overhear or interfere. Draco also kept his mother's wand with him so she had no chance of escaping.
"I have to tie my shoe, father, I will be down very soon."
Lucius gave Draco a half-surprised, half-angry look and slowly nodded. Draco bent down and picked up his already tied laces and used his robes to hide behind. His father went down to the dungeons. Waiting for him to open the door and enter, Draco crouched on the floor and slowly pulled out his mother's wand. He quickly slipped it under her door and locked the door using various spells. He whispered,
"Good luck, mother," and hurried after his father, slamming the dungeon door behind him. He entered the dungeon to find his father standing over his massive cauldron, slowly stirring its contents. Draco knew perfectly well what the potion was, Snape had mentioned it in class earlier in the year. It was the deadly Ovlexry Potion, brewed to gain power. It could be used to corrupt many but there was a downside. The drinker would lose five years of his life upon consumption. The Master wasn't worried about it however; he had other servants brewing life-prolonging potions. What he was unaware of, however, was that Draco was thoroughly educated in the matter, and had found a flaw in the Master's plans. The rattlesnake skin in the Ovlexry Potion would combust when it came in contact with the wizened tree bark in the other potions. This was only possible however, if the potions were taken simultaneously or if taken within a month of each other. Draco hoped that his observations would go unnoticed.
"It is time," announced his father, "to add the blood of a faithful servant to the potion. I am too old to perform the ritual and I do not have time to find another."
Knowing that he could not change his father's made-up mind, he let himself be drawn into the ceremony.
"Stand over by the fire and kneel down slowly whispering these words nonstop:
I am the faithful servant
Brought here by my own will
Willing to risk all to give
Power to the one who desires
It." What a stupid thing to say, thought Draco, when even half of it wasn't true. Nevertheless, he obeyed. He knelt down by the fire and chanted:
I am the faithful servant
Brought here by my own will
Willing to risk all to give
Power to the one who desires
It.
I am the faithful servant
Brought here ---
Draco looked up, startled, when the fire went out. His father had taken to stomping around the room, cursing.
"You know what this means, don't you, boy?"
Draco looked up at his father, bewildered.
"Don't you give me that BS or yours. I'll tell you what's wrong! The fire only goes out when the person chanting is lying? Does this mean that you are an unfaithful servant? Does it? Huh? ANSWER ME, YOU SCUM!"
By now Draco was cowering in the corner of the dungeon. Though usually fearless, Draco trembled at the thought of his father's wrath, what he was capable of.He seemed to get ahold of himself and shook his head violently,
"No, of course not, father."
"Then how do you explain the fire?"
"I do not understand either, father."
"We shall have to summon the Dark Lord. Stay right where you are and don't you dare touch anything."
Lucius Malfoy almost ran out the door only to find that he door to his wife's bedroom door was ajar. What has that idiot of a son done now? He growled under his breath, quietly, but loudly enough for Draco to hear it. Damn, thought Draco, he's found out about mother! I must leave now. He still had his wand, and he disapparated at the same moment that Lucius was summoning the Dark Lord. Lucius stood by the window in his bedroom, looking into a shimmering, transparent cube that was resting on the windowsill.
"My Lord, I regret to inform you that we are having some difficulties with the Ovlexry Potion. If it does not cost you too much energy or if you do not mind, it would be greatly appreciated if you could join us now."
"Having sent his message, Lucius walked out of his room and entered his wife's. It was empty as he had expected and nothing was out of place. She'll come back sooner or later, when she realizes that she has nowhere to go and no one will take her in. Lucius brightened up at the thought and made his way back to the dungeons to await the arrival of the Lord. When he entered, he found no trace of Draco. I'll get that boy back if it's the last thing I do!
Just then, a faint shimmering occurring over the now-cold wood of the fire distracted Lucius. Slowly the shimmering assumed an almost human form and began to materialize. The Master has arrived, Lucius thought. He turned out to be correct. The Dark Lord now appeared before him, looking as tired as ever.
"You called, Lucius?"
"Yes, Master, I did," said Lucius, bowing down low before his master.
"I'm afraid I have some news I'm obliged to share with you. You see, my wife, Narcissa, has no doubt run away and my son, Draco, the youngest Malfoy and heir to the family fortune, has returned to school without being given permission."
"You summoned me here to solve your petty family problems?" the Dark Lord asked, anger beginning to show through in his voice.
"No, of course not, my Lord. I believe their disappearances may be linked to the potion. The blood-giving ritual has failed when Draco attempted it, my Lord. This gives me reason to believe that his loyalties my lie elsewhere." Lucius finished with a desperate look up at his master.
The Dark Lord considered the situation for a few minutes before replying,
"You do realize, Lucius, that his disobedience will be severely punished?"
"Yes, my Lord, I do. I agree with all my soul that he deserves it."
" Very well then, summon him here on November 13, I will be here to discus his loyalties."
"Yes, my Lord."
The Dark Lord left Lucius in the dungeon to ponder the matter. Draco, meanwhile, had walked back to the castle, and was safely within its walls. He went up to his bed in the dormitories and quickly fell asleep.
Draco's thoughts drifted to the present when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch.
As promised that was much longer than the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I don't have the third chapter written out yet but I'll get to work on it if I get reviews. So please review. It's the purple button at the bottom. Cya.
As soon as she entered the common room, Hermione was greeted by Harry's cry of disbelief,
"Hermione! Where've you been? Neither Ron not I have seen you for days!" "I guess I've just been busy," Hermione replied lamely.
Harry gave her a suspicious look but said nothing else regarding the matter. He glanced at Ron and Harry said,
"Well, if you're not too busy, "his voice dripping with sarcasm," come watch us play chess."
Harry saw the almost hurt look in Hermione's eyes and quickly switched his expression to one of pleading. Hermione, feeling that she had indeed spent far less time with them nowadays, agreed.
Harry and Ron played several exciting matches, most of which ended in triumphant checkmates of Ron's. Afterward, Hermione said that she was very tired and walked up the stairs to her dormitory. Harry and Ron exchanged quizzical glances; put away the chess set and trudged up quietly to their own dormitory. It was barely nine o'clock.
Draco fell back into an uneasy sleep and woke up groggily on Monday morning. Madam Pomfrey saw that he was awake and bustled over to hand him a potion. He drained the Pepperup Potion in one gulp and immediately felt full of energy.
"Can I leave now?" he asked her.
"Hold on," she said and took his temperature.
"Your temperature is normal, you may return to your classes now."
Draco practically sprinted out of the hospital wing, even twenty-four hours in there was too much. He wondered how Potter was able to stand it will all that time that he spent in the hospital wing. He walked to the Slytherin common room, thankfully avoiding anyone who might not be in class. Draco realized that his little swim in the lake was probably all over school by now. If everybody knows about it, he thought, my reputation must have gone down into the negatives. Salazar, I hate Granger!
"Slytherins rule," Draco said to the self-obsessed wall and entered to find an empty common room. He glanced down at his watch, only to find that he wasn't wearing it. Damn, it probably stopped working in the lake and Madam Pomfrey took it off, Draco reasoned. There had been a clock in the hospital wing that had told Draco that it was 11:35. He calculated that it had taken him around five minutes to get down to the common room. Draco reasoned that it was about twenty minutes until lunch and decided not to go to class. He sat down at one of the tables by the fireplace and pulled out his halfway finished Arithmancy homework. This homework involved interpreting birth date numbers and days of the week to outline future events. He believed that the class was total rubbish and slightly resented his mother for persuading him to take it. Of course father was another matter.Draco's eyes clouded over as he remembered the last meeting with his father three days ago.
"Follow me downstairs, boy, " Lucius had growled as soon as Draco apparated to Malfoy Manor, "and don't forget to lock you mother's room before you go down."
Every time Draco and Lucius had one of their meetings, Lucius forced Draco to lock his mother in her bedroom so that she wouldn't overhear or interfere. Draco also kept his mother's wand with him so she had no chance of escaping.
"I have to tie my shoe, father, I will be down very soon."
Lucius gave Draco a half-surprised, half-angry look and slowly nodded. Draco bent down and picked up his already tied laces and used his robes to hide behind. His father went down to the dungeons. Waiting for him to open the door and enter, Draco crouched on the floor and slowly pulled out his mother's wand. He quickly slipped it under her door and locked the door using various spells. He whispered,
"Good luck, mother," and hurried after his father, slamming the dungeon door behind him. He entered the dungeon to find his father standing over his massive cauldron, slowly stirring its contents. Draco knew perfectly well what the potion was, Snape had mentioned it in class earlier in the year. It was the deadly Ovlexry Potion, brewed to gain power. It could be used to corrupt many but there was a downside. The drinker would lose five years of his life upon consumption. The Master wasn't worried about it however; he had other servants brewing life-prolonging potions. What he was unaware of, however, was that Draco was thoroughly educated in the matter, and had found a flaw in the Master's plans. The rattlesnake skin in the Ovlexry Potion would combust when it came in contact with the wizened tree bark in the other potions. This was only possible however, if the potions were taken simultaneously or if taken within a month of each other. Draco hoped that his observations would go unnoticed.
"It is time," announced his father, "to add the blood of a faithful servant to the potion. I am too old to perform the ritual and I do not have time to find another."
Knowing that he could not change his father's made-up mind, he let himself be drawn into the ceremony.
"Stand over by the fire and kneel down slowly whispering these words nonstop:
I am the faithful servant
Brought here by my own will
Willing to risk all to give
Power to the one who desires
It." What a stupid thing to say, thought Draco, when even half of it wasn't true. Nevertheless, he obeyed. He knelt down by the fire and chanted:
I am the faithful servant
Brought here by my own will
Willing to risk all to give
Power to the one who desires
It.
I am the faithful servant
Brought here ---
Draco looked up, startled, when the fire went out. His father had taken to stomping around the room, cursing.
"You know what this means, don't you, boy?"
Draco looked up at his father, bewildered.
"Don't you give me that BS or yours. I'll tell you what's wrong! The fire only goes out when the person chanting is lying? Does this mean that you are an unfaithful servant? Does it? Huh? ANSWER ME, YOU SCUM!"
By now Draco was cowering in the corner of the dungeon. Though usually fearless, Draco trembled at the thought of his father's wrath, what he was capable of.He seemed to get ahold of himself and shook his head violently,
"No, of course not, father."
"Then how do you explain the fire?"
"I do not understand either, father."
"We shall have to summon the Dark Lord. Stay right where you are and don't you dare touch anything."
Lucius Malfoy almost ran out the door only to find that he door to his wife's bedroom door was ajar. What has that idiot of a son done now? He growled under his breath, quietly, but loudly enough for Draco to hear it. Damn, thought Draco, he's found out about mother! I must leave now. He still had his wand, and he disapparated at the same moment that Lucius was summoning the Dark Lord. Lucius stood by the window in his bedroom, looking into a shimmering, transparent cube that was resting on the windowsill.
"My Lord, I regret to inform you that we are having some difficulties with the Ovlexry Potion. If it does not cost you too much energy or if you do not mind, it would be greatly appreciated if you could join us now."
"Having sent his message, Lucius walked out of his room and entered his wife's. It was empty as he had expected and nothing was out of place. She'll come back sooner or later, when she realizes that she has nowhere to go and no one will take her in. Lucius brightened up at the thought and made his way back to the dungeons to await the arrival of the Lord. When he entered, he found no trace of Draco. I'll get that boy back if it's the last thing I do!
Just then, a faint shimmering occurring over the now-cold wood of the fire distracted Lucius. Slowly the shimmering assumed an almost human form and began to materialize. The Master has arrived, Lucius thought. He turned out to be correct. The Dark Lord now appeared before him, looking as tired as ever.
"You called, Lucius?"
"Yes, Master, I did," said Lucius, bowing down low before his master.
"I'm afraid I have some news I'm obliged to share with you. You see, my wife, Narcissa, has no doubt run away and my son, Draco, the youngest Malfoy and heir to the family fortune, has returned to school without being given permission."
"You summoned me here to solve your petty family problems?" the Dark Lord asked, anger beginning to show through in his voice.
"No, of course not, my Lord. I believe their disappearances may be linked to the potion. The blood-giving ritual has failed when Draco attempted it, my Lord. This gives me reason to believe that his loyalties my lie elsewhere." Lucius finished with a desperate look up at his master.
The Dark Lord considered the situation for a few minutes before replying,
"You do realize, Lucius, that his disobedience will be severely punished?"
"Yes, my Lord, I do. I agree with all my soul that he deserves it."
" Very well then, summon him here on November 13, I will be here to discus his loyalties."
"Yes, my Lord."
The Dark Lord left Lucius in the dungeon to ponder the matter. Draco, meanwhile, had walked back to the castle, and was safely within its walls. He went up to his bed in the dormitories and quickly fell asleep.
Draco's thoughts drifted to the present when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch.
As promised that was much longer than the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I don't have the third chapter written out yet but I'll get to work on it if I get reviews. So please review. It's the purple button at the bottom. Cya.