Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A/N at end.
Some Scars Never Fade
WendyNat
Chapter 11
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"Thanks, Harry. I really appreciate this," Tonks said, taking the Pensieve from an unusually solemn-looking Harry Potter. He just nodded in response. "Um… Kingsley wanted to speak with you before you left. Do you have time?"
Harry ran a hand through his unruly hair and nodded again. "Yeah. I took today off work… that-" he said, gesturing to the Pensieve, "-took… a lot out of me. More than I expected."
Tonks looked at him softly. "I know. It's not easy facing it all again, is it?"
Harry averted his eyes. "Yeah."
Tonks noticed his discomfort and tactfully changed the subject. "So – who did you go meet last night? A new prospect?"
Harry laughed, turning back to meet her eyes. A shadow still lingered there, but it was fading. "No, actually… I didn't have anyone to meet. I just thought you two needed to be alone," he said with a wink. "Although it wasn't a complete waste of time – I did run into Parvati and her friends while I was out."
Tonks chuckled. "And did they keep you entertained appropriately?"
Harry grinned at her. "Now, I'm not one to kiss and tell, Tonks." Tonks just snorted in response and stood.
"Well, if you're not going to give me the goods, we'd better just go down to talk to Kingsley," she stated in an amused tone.
As they walked down the hallway, Harry commented, "You know Viktor's looking for his own place now."
"Really," Tonks said in response, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Yeah."
"That's interesting."
"You're not going to tell me anything about what's going on, are you?" Harry asked. Tonks just smiled again and continued to stare straight ahead as they walked. "Come on. Viktor won't talk, either. You guys are no fun."
"True," Tonks said lightly. "Here we are." She knocked on the door, and Harry could hear Kingsley's voice from inside requesting their names. "Tonks and the famous Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived," Tonks replied, grinning at the nasty look Harry shot her.
The door opened, revealing the Chief Auror sitting at his desk behind a mound of parchments. Looking up, Kingsley waved them in and then shut the door with a flick of his wand. When Tonks and Harry had been seated, Kingsley caught Harry's gaze.
"Harry – it's been a long time since you've sat in my office," Kingsley said with a smile. "I appreciate you helping us out with this… issue." Harry nodded, the solemn expression once more stealing across his face. Kingsley's expression also darkened. "Harry, this may be a bit much to ask of you, but I must… we'd like to get your impressions of the battle, and most particularly Draco Malfoy and the cursing. We're all meeting later today to view the Pensieves – Severus and I also made one – and discuss. Your… input… and observations would be valuable."
Harry said nothing, bending his head to stare at his hands clasped before him.
"Harry? I wouldn't ask this of you, but I truly feel your side of things would be-"
The younger wizard cut him off, saying simply, "I'll come." He still hadn't raised his head. Tonks caught Kingsley's gaze and shook her head infinitesimally.
Kingsley nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. I'll floo you when it's time." With a curt nod, Harry rose and left the office. Kingsley looked at Tonks, and she sighed.
"The memories… are overwhelming, you understand, Kingsley. I wish we didn't have to ask him, or Severus, to do this."
Kingsley let out a breath. "So do I, Tonks. So do I."
* * * * * *
A short time later, Severus and Hermione were walking through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, heading for the Auror's wing. As they walked, Hermione spared a glance at the man beside her. Severus was tense – his tall, lean form taut as a bowstring. He had been on edge since yesterday's talk with Kingsley, and she knew he was still assailed by thoughts of how, in his eyes, he had failed Draco. Yes, last night he had been uncommonly quiet.
Even for him.
After creating the Pensieve the evening before, he had become even more introverted than normal, answering her attempts at conversation with a grunt (he was the only man she had ever met who could grunt elegantly) – if she was lucky. Most comments had been answered with silence. After a while, when the fire had begun to die and the room was sheathed in darkness, she had given up her attempts to draw him out and simply sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him, gratified when he leaned into her and accepted the comfort she offered.
That's when he had begun to talk.
He had spoken of Draco, how he and Harry had attempted to turn the younger Malfoy from the path his father had placed before him. How apprehensive he was at the thought of facing Draco once again, how Draco would react when he saw the man who had killed his father… the man Draco had tried to kill, in turn, with an ancient family curse. Severus had wondered aloud - did Draco blame him for the mother's death, also?
Hermione sighed as she walked, glancing again at the brooding wizard striding along beside her. Even if Draco didn't blame him for Narcissa's death, she knew that Severus blamed himself.
As he had spoken, it had become clear that he didn't want her to come with him to Azkaban. However, he was even more unwilling to allow her out of his sight, especially so soon after the attack on Nathan. In the safety and intimacy of the darkness, he had confessed more of his emotions than he ever had before. He had described his concern for her safety in detail... he was seemed worried – even afraid. She could not remember him ever being so afraid.
Until now.
Because of her.
Oh, he had been afraid those years ago, when Lord Voldemort's plan had been discovered. But there had been a simple solution to that problem – thrust her as far from himself as possible. Get her out of the line of fire, so to speak. It was straightforward - if she wasn't with him, she wouldn't be a target.
This time, she was the main target. He couldn't push her away to keep her safe. And that seemed to scare him more than anything. This was new territory for him – truly the first time that keeping someone close to him would keep them safe.
Last night, while they sat together with limbs entwined, he had whispered something into the darkness, the tone of his voice almost a prayer. "Please, don't let me fail you." She still wasn't sure if he had intended for her to hear.
It was an echo of his words from earlier that afternoon, when she had been revolting against the protection the others thought she needed. The simple statement, whispered into her ear, had cut through her rebellion like a heated knife through butter. He had sounded… pained. Desperate, even. And she had finally realized… he needed to protect her. With a start, she had recalled the words he had spoken the night of Hestia's attack… "I will not long survive you." Chilling words, indeed.
Chilling enough to cool her ire, at least. Damn the man. And so she had nodded, and no longer resisted the restrictions the others discussed. Restrictions on her privacy and independence. On her life.
She may not have resisted, but she was still angry. Angry at the person – the people - who dared cause so much upheaval in their lives. She wanted to find out who was causing all of this, who dared to hurt her friends, her colleagues.
She realized that she was frowning when Severus stopped suddenly and turned to her, his eyebrow raised at the look on her face. With an effort, she relaxed her expression. He shot her a questioning glance, to which she shook her head slightly. "It's nothing. Is this Kingsley's office?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.
"Yes," he said simply, and raised his hand to knock.
Less than an hour later, they entered the gates of Azkaban prison.
Stopping at the front desk, Kingsley spoke to the man sitting there. He had long brown hair and an unhealthy complexion, his jaw chewing relentlessly on… gum, she hoped. Another guard stood near the desk, his short blond hair in disarray. When the blond man saw her watching him, he gave her a leering grin. She shuddered and averted her gaze, and Severus shot him a cold, narrow-eyed look. The guard gulped and instantly snapped his eyes to Kingsley.
"This been cleared?" the man at the desk asked Kingsley. Kingsley handed over a parchment that the guard made a show of inspecting. Beside her, Severus snarled under his breath. Finally, the guard nodded to his partner and the blond man made a note of their names in a ledger before confiscating their wands. Opening the door leading to the inner parts of the prison, he told them to follow closely before leading the way to Draco Malfoy's cell.
The prison wasn't a surprise to Hermione. It was dark and oppressive, dull gray stone covered with moss and lichen in places. She was well aware that it would be a matter of seconds to remove the growths – there were plenty of simple charms that could do the trick. They must want the ambiance, she thought wryly.
At least there were no Dementors. They had been banished from this plane during the Last Battle. Voldemort had found a way to harness their energies and link them to him… from what she'd been able to determine, he had bound their life forces to his with a magic not unlike the link he created with his Death Eaters through the Dark Mark. And upon his defeat, they had suffered the same fate as the Dark Mark – they burned… and then "died," if such a being could be thought of as truly alive to begin with.
The guard opened another door and they followed him into the ward. All the Death Eaters were separated into different hallways to keep them from communicating with each other. Draco was currently the only inmate on this hallway, the guard informed them. "An' he's nutters. Mental," the guard added. "Dunno what you hope to get outta him."
At the guard's signal, Kingsley fell back and touched Hermione's arm gently, indicating silently that they should wait in the hallway around the corner from Draco's cell. With an apprehensive look at Severus, she nodded and gave his hand a surreptitious squeeze before moving to stand next to Kingsley against the wall, safely out of sight of the cell and the inmate within. With a deep breath, she watched Severus disappear around the corner to face Draco Malfoy.
* * * * * *
Severus didn't know what he had expected, but the sight of the young man before him was shocking. In his mind's eye, he still saw Draco as a strong, good-looking, intelligent young man – well built, healthy, with a proud bearing.
How things changed.
Draco's hair had been shorn off unevenly, now falling in clumps to just below his ears. He was thin, painfully thin, his collarbone sharp and protruding. But the biggest difference was in his stance. Gone was the confident, pampered son of a long line of confident, pampered pureblooded Malfoys. He now appeared stooped, defeated.
Until he noticed Severus standing before him.
"Snape," he croaked. Severus did not reply – his throat could not form a response. Draco suddenly stood up straight and strode with purpose to the bars separating him from his former Potions Master. From his former mentor. "What do you want, traitor? Come to gloat, finally? How long has it been, Snape? Five years? Five years since you killed my family? Five years since you betrayed us!" Draco hissed.
"Draco, I-"
"Shut UP! I don't want to listen… you're a traitor. Betraying the Dark Lord wasn't enough, though, was it?"
Severus shook his head. This was pointless. Unless… maybe if he kept the boy talking long enough Draco would let something slip. "What do you mean, Draco?"
Draco smiled maliciously. "I hear you're working closely with that Mudblood Granger. She could never figure out anything that wasn't already in a book, so tell me, Potions Master – what did she offer you to help with that fancy potion of hers? Hmm, Snape? And you even let her take all the credit. She must be… Tell me - is she a good fuck? I've always wondered…"
"Tsk, tsk, Malfoy. I assumed my training would have taught you not to show your hand so early in the game," Severus said coldly, walking slowly back and forth in front of the cell. His lack of response to Draco's taunts appeared to unsettle the younger man, who moved to drag a stool over closer to the bars.
"Your training… you fucking traitor. You didn't teach me anything."
"Apparently."
"You killed my father," Draco said, his voice raspy.
"Yes."
"You sat at his table, enjoyed his hospitality time and again, spoke to him like a friend… did you know he thought you were his closest friend, he thought you were trustworthy. And then you repaid him by killing him?"
Severus' brows drew together, a slight crease forming in the middle. "You were there, Draco. I don't want to stoop to saying 'he cast the first hex,' but as you are well aware, that is what occurred."
"I don't remember anything," Draco stated, turning his head away.
Severus snorted. "Indeed. So you don't recall giving me a little… something… to remember you by?"
Draco giggled then, rocking back and forth on the stool. "Oh, I heard… I heard… brilliant. Now you've got a scar… does it match Potter's scar? Do you feel closer to him? That curse… you know," Draco whispered, leaning close to the bars, "It's a Malfoy secret… blood sealed!"
"Who else knows the curse?"
"No one, no one, no one… only a Malfoy… only a true Malfoy…" Draco said, laughing wildly.
"Then who is using the curse now?" Severus asked, steel in his voice.
"Ask your Mudblood whore, Uncle Sevvie. She's so fucking smart," Draco said, sneering. "So, tell me… did you swoop in and pick up the pieces after Krum finally came to his senses? Is the whore worth it? I'm ashamed of you, Uncle Sevvie… not just a Mudblood, but a used Mudblood? My, my, the depths to which you've sunk…" the last words were said in a sing-song voice.
Severus' eyes narrowed briefly, staring at the young man who was humming and rocking on the stool. "Draco… how do you know about Krum?"
Draco leapt from the stool and pressed his face to the bars. "Your Mudblood whore isn't the only one who's smart, Snape. You think I'm fucking stupid? You think I can't do things from this cell… control things from this cell?" He smiled and sat down on the floor, staring up at Severus. "I have friends. Loyal friends."
"Loyal friends?" Severus didn't like the sound of this. "And did you teach the curse to these… friends?"
"NOT CORRECT," Draco bellowed, jumping back up to his feet. "100 points from Slytherin, Professor!"
Severus shook his head. The boy appeared to be coming undone. "Draco-"
"I said, NOT CORRECT. Now… try again."
"I do not have time for these games, boy. Who did you teach the curse to?"
"No one, no one, no one. I keep my family secrets. I do not betray my blood," Draco whispered, walking over to his cot and laying down. "My father knows. You killed him. My mother knows… Mother… Don't leave me, Mother!!"
Severus ran a hand through his hair. "I am sorry for the loss of your mother, Draco." The boy was obviously holding on to his sanity by a mere thread. What did you expect, Severus? he berated himself silently. You killed his father right in front of him, then his mother killed herself when he was captured…
"I'll be with you soon, Mother," Draco spoke to the ceiling. "She misses me, Snape. She misses me." He suddenly sat bolt upright in the cot. "GO! GET OUT! GET OUT!" he screamed, the tendons in his neck straining. "GO!"
Severus sighed and walked back around the corner, the guard following nonchalantly. He joined the other two and they all walked back down the hallway.
"Five years… he's already that far gone without the Dementors around. Imagine if he had been here in the old days," Kingsley said under his breath. Severus just nodded.
"What do you think he meant by his friends?" Hermione asked in a low voice as they followed the guard back to the front.
Severus' frown deepened. "We need to see the visitors' log. It could have been the insanity speaking, but we should check."
Kingsley nodded.
Eventually, they made it to the front desk once more. Severus immediately walked to the brown-haired man and questioned him about previous visitors to Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, aye. He gets lots of visitors. Well, two people… but they're always comin' around. More than anyone else here," the guard said.
"Indeed. And who might these visitors be?" Severus asked, holding his breath.
The brown-haired guard sucked on his teeth for a moment before answering. "That Crabbe boy comes here to visit… he visits the little Dragon and the Goyle boy." He leaned back in his chair as the three visitors looked at each other in alarm. "And some squib… if I didn't know better I'd've thought he was the little Dragon's own brother. Ain't that right, Jeff?
"Aye. Right similar looking, they are. The French boy 'tis a might prettier, I'll have ter say. Course, the little Dragon's lost some of his spark, he has, being in here." Both guards laughed uproariously at that comment.
"The name," Severus said coldly.
"Oh, right," the brown-haired man said. Frowning at the blond man, who was still laughing at his own joke, he commanded, "Get last week's ledger."
The blond guard disappeared for a moment into a side office. The others could hear papers being shuffled around and a few muttered curses. Finally, the guard reappeared with a leather bound ledger. "Here 'tis. Last week… mmm… Ah, right here 'tis. Came with that Crabbe boy. Renovo Moreau was the name."
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter… and the mini-cliffhanger. As always, please review!
Lizzie – Thanks for the big "awww" ;)
Jinxd n cursed – Thanks for the review – glad you liked the original so much, and that you're enjoying this one, too.
KLyn – Thanks for reviewing!
Electryone – I didn't think it would be too realistic for Tonks and Viktor to hop into bed immediately, I'm glad you agree!
