Snape looked over at the boy sitting on the edge of a chair, refusing to
make eye contact. Moody had just pounded on the door, hurled the blond
inside, told him what had happened, and whirled out again just as quickly-
and as Snape prepared a salve for the student, he could see the bruises
were already beginning to form on the pale skin and were making unruly
black and red patterns across the visible areas of his body.
He stepped over to the boy and stood in front of him, towering over the slight figure. After a few seconds the boy reluctantly looked up, and Snape was surprised to see that he looked utterly miserable, and that his eyes were brimming with barely concealed tears.
"He's an ex-auror, Malfoy, and very loyal to that House! Surely you knew better than to do something to Potter when he was around!"
Draco looked away, and Snape softened a little when he saw the trickle of a tear make its way down the alabaster cheek.
"Take off your robes, and lay down on the couch. I'll try and get rid of some of the pain."
Draco listlessly got up and complied, then lay down on the couch carefully, still in obvious pain. The bruises, already half-formed, showed the potential to be very painful for several days, and covered the majority of Malfoy's body. He reached into the cauldron and began applying a liberal amount of the salve to the bruises, watching Draco turn his face toward the pillow on the couch, tears falling silently down his cheeks from ashamed eyes as Snape caused him even more pain through touching the bruises. He motioned for Draco to shift onto his stomach and with a shock of realisation he saw that the bruises continued in varying degree of severity across the smooth, taut skin- from black and red bruising to shallow cuts, from the harsh stone floor of the corridor. Briskly, he applied the lotion then smoothed back the student's usually sleek, white-blond hair, not used to seeing Draco looking tussled and less than perfect, and helped him up, transfiguring a nearby chair into a temporary bed for him.
Draco eased himself onto the bed with Snape's help and started crying again- the short, silent, little sobs of someone who didn't want to be crying in his current situation. Snape, unable to say or do anything worth much to the boy, reached out and rubbed the back of his neck in comfort, until the sobs were reduced to just slight hitches in his breathing.
The pain easing slowly, Draco fell asleep on the bed Snape had provided- his cheeks streaked with the humiliated tears he had cried, and he prayed that Snape wouldn't tell anyone about them.
~*~
Fini
He stepped over to the boy and stood in front of him, towering over the slight figure. After a few seconds the boy reluctantly looked up, and Snape was surprised to see that he looked utterly miserable, and that his eyes were brimming with barely concealed tears.
"He's an ex-auror, Malfoy, and very loyal to that House! Surely you knew better than to do something to Potter when he was around!"
Draco looked away, and Snape softened a little when he saw the trickle of a tear make its way down the alabaster cheek.
"Take off your robes, and lay down on the couch. I'll try and get rid of some of the pain."
Draco listlessly got up and complied, then lay down on the couch carefully, still in obvious pain. The bruises, already half-formed, showed the potential to be very painful for several days, and covered the majority of Malfoy's body. He reached into the cauldron and began applying a liberal amount of the salve to the bruises, watching Draco turn his face toward the pillow on the couch, tears falling silently down his cheeks from ashamed eyes as Snape caused him even more pain through touching the bruises. He motioned for Draco to shift onto his stomach and with a shock of realisation he saw that the bruises continued in varying degree of severity across the smooth, taut skin- from black and red bruising to shallow cuts, from the harsh stone floor of the corridor. Briskly, he applied the lotion then smoothed back the student's usually sleek, white-blond hair, not used to seeing Draco looking tussled and less than perfect, and helped him up, transfiguring a nearby chair into a temporary bed for him.
Draco eased himself onto the bed with Snape's help and started crying again- the short, silent, little sobs of someone who didn't want to be crying in his current situation. Snape, unable to say or do anything worth much to the boy, reached out and rubbed the back of his neck in comfort, until the sobs were reduced to just slight hitches in his breathing.
The pain easing slowly, Draco fell asleep on the bed Snape had provided- his cheeks streaked with the humiliated tears he had cried, and he prayed that Snape wouldn't tell anyone about them.
~*~
Fini