Disclaimer: I just own the plot.

Review Responses:

PrincessJedi - Glad you're liking this story, thanks for the review!

Dex - Woah, you read this whole trilogy in one day? I'm impressed, and flattered that you were interested enough to spend so much time on it! You're right, Narcissa isn't all bad; she has a bit of a cold side and she can be a bit unpleasant when the mood takes her but she's not a bad person, she's not really a good person either she's just a person, both good and bad at times, I'm glad you liked her character development, she just wrote herself half the time! I love being told I've got Sev in character, it's one of my biggest worries that I'll get him wrong! And he's just too lovely as he is to change his character! I agree that there aren't enough Narcissa stories out there! And when there are she always seems to be the bad guy or be pretty pathetic really! I hope the update was soon enough for you, it is a rather long chapter! Thanks for the review!

Bonezz - Yep, Draco's true side will be revealed and I think you will find it interesting. Glad you like the plot, thanks for the review!

Charlie Malfoy - Don't worry about not having read the note about the title I didn't mind explaining. Hope the wait wasn't too long for this chapter! I adore Lucius, he's an evil git but I love the guy! Thanks for the review!

Luna Project - I love the new name! Don't you worry about being late, this update's come very late indeed! Narcissa is very lucky that it was Crabbe who caught her, anyone else (other than Goyle Sr.) would have cursed first and asked questions later! I know what you did last summer, or in this case 'I know what you did to that teapot'! lol. I didn't notice the similarity before but now you mention it it does remind me of the film a bit! Yep, Lucy's the cold-blooded type, amusing as him strangling Dippy could be! If Lucius knew that Narcissa was far from being a waste of space he'd probably kill her! But at least he'd finally realise how smart and brave she can be! To him, Narcissa is an occasional embarrassment, occasionally useful but mainly just a bit of a mistake, he never expected her to be so revolted by the whole Death Eater thing but he doesn't much care, to him she is nothing. Ah yes, who wouldn't have fallen for our kind potions master? He's back in this chapter btw! Don't think I've heard Only Hope, but yes Narcissa does need some warmth from someone who truly cares for her, she also needs someone who can snap her back to reality sometimes when she's wallowing a little too deep in self-pity or is about to do something stupid. Who do we know who fits the bill? The weather here's beginning to get colder again as we go into autumn, but I like that. Has it warmed up where you are yet? I got your e-mail and will respond soon, I haven't had chance to write a reply yet but perhaps I will have done by the time you see this. Glad you're still liking it, hope all's well with you. Thanks for reviewing!

T.A. Skywalker - Don't worry about not having had chance to read much, I'm pleased you like what you have read! Hope you get chance to read more and to continue on your own story! Thanks for the review for The Blind Fight the Blind!

ilovesporks - Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you enjoy Wedding Bells though it isn't set when Narcissa and Lucius are in school but when she's just graduated and he's about ten years older than her. I'd be interested in reading your fic when you write it. Sev's here now with some Sev and Draco bonding, so enjoy and thanks for reviewing!

I Found a Little Courage to Call it Off

**Narcissa's Thoughts**

***Severus' thoughts***

~Draco's Thoughts~

_emphasis_

A/N: I am so sorry that this is so much later than I said it would be! My computer had to go to have some safety tests done on it before I could take it to university and it took a lot longer than expected! So I'm really sorry and I promise to update again soon! Please forgive me, this is a long chapter so hopefully that will help make up for the wait!

Chapter 3

Narcissa was sat alone in her study fanning herself with a piece of parchment, the weather had been getting steadily hotter since the beginning of June and Narcissa was feeling dull and listless. Her near miss with the Death Eaters had ceased to worry her and she had to admit that right at that moment she couldn't care less, an attitude which, she was sure, Severus would not have approved of. **Am I going to spend my life looking for Severus' approval?** She sighed, **Probably.**

**I wish I could see him. I'm lonely, bored and miserable with a mad Death Eater bastard for a husband and a deranged lunatic for a house elf, not to mention the fact my son is turning into a mini-Death Eater and it's so bloody hot in this damned house I think I'm going to start melting in a minute. Oh, and the humidity's making my hair frizz! And I'm wallowing in self-pity again, oh well some things never change!**

She sighed again. Lucius had disappeared hours ago saying he would not be back for a couple of days and she couldn't even enjoy it, meeting with Severus or even owling him was far too dangerous for both of them. She would have spent some time with her son but she had not the energy to get up from her chair and he still seemed a little angry with her for having snapped at him a few days before.

She eventually decided that it might be worth getting up if there was a nice cool bath waiting for her so she rang for the deranged lunatic of a house elf and told her to go and run her a bath.

**I'm sure Sev would claim I'm lazy for not just doing that myself!**

*******

Draco was bored, bored beyond belief. It was a boiling hot day and there was nothing to do. His father had gone away to do something or other, Draco had a feeling it was connected to Voldemort but his mother wasn't forthcoming on that subject.

His mother was shut away in the bathroom having a cooling bath to try and combat the heat, and had been for over an hour now, so Draco couldn't even go to her to find some entertainment.

It wasn't as though he didn't have plenty to think about but he didn't want to think about any of it. Something in the way his mother had spoken about the rising of the Dark Lord had chilled him slightly and he didn't want to examine why. Her attitude had been strange that summer, growing more snappy and less sympathetic towards everyone since he had returned home.

Wandering idly through the ground floor of the manor he passed the door that led down to the dungeons and cellars underneath the house. He had been down there before but had been forbidden to go beyond the wine cellar. However, with his father gone and his mother unlikely to come looking for him due to the heat, he decided that exploring the dungeons was as good a plan as any, besides anything else it would undoubtedly be cooler down there.

He opened the door cautiously and made his way down the stairs before he realised that he would need a light. He opened a small cupboard at the bottom which was full of candles and some muggle matches; he lit one and slipped it into a holder. He passed the ancient bottles of wine and continued on through a door at the other end of the cellar. He had not been far beyond here and he figured that his father had thought he would get lost or something, suddenly that hit Draco as a distinct possibility. ~Ok I didn't plan this very well! I'll just have to be careful not to go too far.~

He proceeded down the passage, holding the candle high above his head. There were side passages running off at intervals and he turned down one, not intending to go far. He wasn't far down it though when he spotted a large stain on the floor which he couldn't, and wasn't sure he wanted to, identify. It looked like old blood. Deeply curious, he continued down the passage reaching a door in the side of the wall. He opened it easily; the room was empty apart from some old rusty iron shackles attached to the wall. ~Eew!~ he thought, ~wonder how long it's been since they were used.~ He shook his head and carried on down the passage, trying not to think about the fact that the candle was now noticeably shorter than it had been.

The next door he tried revealed an ancient laboratory. He set the candle down on a table and smelt some of the congealed potions in the jars. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell. He then pulled an old, rotting book from a shelf in the corner, it was so old it fell apart in his hands and part of it slipped to the floor leaving him looking at a page with a particularly gruesome illustration of a man who appeared to be vomiting up his internal organs, the rest of the book contained similarly grotesque pictures as did the other ones on the shelf. ~God, where did all these come from!?~

Shaken, he picked up the candle and backed out of the room, determined to go back upstairs again. He headed back when it suddenly became apparent he had taken a wrong turning. The dungeons here were icy cold and there were lots of small cells lining the walls.

~Alright, don't panic. It's ok, you'll find your way back, just retrace your steps.~

He opened one of the doors to find a cell so small a grown man could not have lain down in it, ~But then I suppose that was the point.~ He shivered involuntarily, imaging what it would be like to be trapped in that cell. He shut the door and continued back the way he'd come.

He stopped, suddenly realising that the open door he'd just walked past had revealed that the room was not empty. He glanced back to see a pair of skeletons grinning back at him. He yelled. They were lying bunched up in a corner almost as if they had been clinging to one another when they died. The ragged clothing they still wore identified them as muggles. ~They must have been scared out of their wits!~ Draco felt a sudden pang of sorrow for what had happened to them.

~Why would someone kill them?~

~But it isn't _someone_ is it?~ Draco backed slowly out of the room and walked quickly up the corridor. He walked randomly, not caring where he ended up just so long as he was away from that room and its foul contents. He didn't dare run in case the candle went out.

He hit the end of the corridor and turned the corner to see a bundle of robes lying in a corner. Cautiously he approached it, he didn't want to know but part of him had to. The small bundle turned out to be another skeleton. ~Oh my god, it's so small, it must be a child!~

He stood transfixed by the horrible sight before him. The robes had once been a pale blue but were now covered in stains Draco didn't want to identify. The robes were ripped and torn and some of the bones looked as though they had been broken, though whether this had occurred before or after death Draco didn't know.

~Oh no, no, no ,no!~ His mind rushed back to his earlier thought, ~this wasn't _someone_ who did this, there are very few people with access to this place. This had to have been done by...~ he couldn't, wouldn't allow himself to finish that thought. The idea was bad enough without being put into words. Suddenly he felt very ill and, turning away from the body, he vomited. ~Oh God! Please tell me this is all some kind of twisted joke.~

He felt tears running down his face and he turned and ran. The candle went out, scaring him out of his wits, but he didn't stop running. He never knew how he made it back to the wine cellar but something had steered him in the right direction and he bolted up the stairs and out into the hallway.

He didn't stop running when he reached the house but continued out into the gardens. Suddenly he lost his footing and tripped over a tree root, falling hard onto his knee.

He was still crying and he grasped his knee in pain, seeing blood soak through his robes. Blood, something he never wanted to see again. The thought that kept haunting him was, ~That child was in robes.~ He supposed it could have been a squib but that thought brought him no comfort. He could not excuse the bodies of the muggles he'd found but at least that he could understand. The Death Eaters had considered muggles a lower life form so in their eyes it would not have been wrong he supposed, ~but how could they justify killing a wizarding child? How do you justify murder?~

He laughed suddenly, "Oh bloody hell, why not just say it Draco, you don't mean Death Eaters you mean your parents." He covered his face with his hands and remained like that for some time, desperately trying to block out the images and thoughts that were invading his mind.

~I won't stay here! I can't stay here!~ He climbed awkwardly to his feet, his knee throbbing with the movement. He put weight on that leg and winced, ~Well it isn't like there's anywhere to _walk_ to anyway.~ He made his way back into the silent house.

There was no question in his mind as to where he was going; there was only one person he truly trusted anymore. He made his way to the first floor and took the staircase that ran up from the library to right next door to his bedroom. There was another staircase at the opposite end of the first floor which he didn't want to take, as it would have brought him out rather close to his mother's room.

He hesitated at the top of the stairs. There was no floo powder in his room and he didn't feel like flying so there was only one place to go from, his mother's study.

He crept up to the study door and listened carefully outside it for a moment, he could hear nothing then he heard the wizarding wireless playing in her bedroom and assumed she was in there.

He opened the door into the simple but stylish room and found it empty. He glanced around the room which, in it's decorating, so reflected his mother. Attractive, yet simple without being understated, stylish and giving nothing away. He found fresh tears in his eyes and roughly wiped them away.

He grabbed some floo powder from the lilac pot which sat on the mantle piece and stepped into the fire saying, "Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

*******

Severus Snape was sat in his office looking over the latest intelligence reports about Voldemort and his movements. He sighed and put the file away in a draw, his thoughts were elsewhere that afternoon.

He was thinking back to his last meeting with Narcissa Malfoy and wondering how stable his friend truly was. She had seemed almost hysterical at the idea that he might resume his role as a spy and he began to worry that if she didn't get a tighter grip on her emotions, or for that matter on reality, she would slip up in front of Lucius and the consequences would be less than pleasant.

He thought about her son, his star pupil. He remembered their first meeting just after his birth; the little tyke had pulled his hair! Then at six years old when he'd seen Draco for the first time in five years, the child had glared at him when he had thought Severus had hurt his mother. How different he had been from the child Severus had met five years later, a spoilt, bigoted eleven year old with a propensity to be displeased with everything and everyone. No trace of that little blonde angel who'd stood up for his mother at six years old, or so he'd thought at first. In their first potions lesson he'd been amazed by Draco's attentive and almost reverent behaviour towards him. At first he had dismissed it as him merely trying to get on the good side of his head of house, but the behaviour had continued and it soon became clear the child not only respected him but was also very talented when it came to potions. He had an instinctive ability and a dedication to the subject Severus saw in few other of his students. The boy was bright, if a little lazy when it came to subjects other than potions, talented and had a great capacity for not simply learning what had to be done but understanding _why_ it had to be done as well. There were days when Severus could have sworn Narcissa was sat in his classroom. Then there were also days when he realised that there was more of Lucius in his son than was healthy.

His behaviour had at first been little beyond childish sniping with Potter and Weasley, not unlike Severus' own relationship with Potter Sr. and Black. However, there were more worrying aspects to the boy's behaviour, his strange gleeful expression during the Chamber of Secrets episode, Severus was sure he hadn't known what his father was up to but he was not so sure that Draco would have disapproved if he had. It was his behaviour over the last year which had puzzled Severus most though, he had been reassured to see Draco defend his mother again and had admittedly been deeply amused to see the 'Potter Stinks' badges but his attitude at the end of term had been disturbingly smug. His refusal to stand at the leaving feast had not gone unnoticed by his head of house who had been unsurprised but unhappy to see his students so divided, with half of Slytherin standing and half refusing to. ***Why is it I get the feeling that over the coming years I may very well see Slytherin house tearing itself apart over this issue?***

He had spoken to the other teachers about Draco, without revealing that he had gone to see Narcissa. Dumbledore had been less than helpful, claiming the boy would find his own way, and it was clear that McGonagall would have been totally unsurprised had he returned to school with a dark mark and a plan to kill her precious Potter.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the knock on the door when it first came. He noticed the second time though and got up to open it, assuming it would be Dumbledore or McGonagall. Instead he opened it to find the very person who had been so occupying his thoughts.

"Draco?" The boy looked terrified, there were tearstains down his pale face and blood on the front of his robes. His normally carefully styled hair had fallen loose around his face and he looked completely unlike the dignified, arrogant student Severus was so used to seeing.

"Professor! Oh thank god. Professor I, there was a, I mean I..." Draco stammered incoherently.

"It's alright," Severus said gesturing the boy inside and into a chair. He didn't miss the fact that Draco was limping. "Now what's wrong, has something happened at home?"

Draco closed his eyes as fresh tears flowed and nodded, keeping his eyes shut.

"What happened?"

Draco merely sobbed, so Severus decided to take a different, more practical, approach. "Are you hurt?"

Draco nodded and gestured to his knee.

"Right then, lets sort that out for you shall we?"

Severus picked up his wand from the desk and cast a quick healing charm

Then, noticing that Draco was shivering in spite of the warm day, he conjured up a cup of tea and handed it to him. He then sat in the chair opposite his pupil, watching as he slowly calmed down whilst drinking the hot tea.

Severus conjured a box of paper tissues and set them down on the table next to Draco's chair.

"Thanks," Draco sniffed.

He wiped the tears from his face but didn't speak further, merely continued to drink the tea. Severus was surprised to see how vulnerable he looked, he had never seen Draco Malfoy look vulnerable before, even as a tiny, premature baby he had seemed anything but vulnerable, what could have affected him in this way he couldn't imagine.

Severus remembered the incident after Draco had been transfigured into a ferret earlier that year by Mad-eye Moody, ***otherwise known as Barty Crouch Death Eater extraordinaire. Yeah headmaster, your candidates for the DADA post just keep getting better by the year!***

Draco had seemed scared then in a way Severus had not seen before, then it had struck him. Draco had not been truly afraid, the only thing hurt was his dignity, but the incident had proved to him that his father and his family name would not always be able to protect him.

Severus had been furious at Moody's use of transfigurations on his student and indeed had had to hold Narcissa back before she could kill Moody but he had to admit it had shown him a side of Draco he had not seen before. It was as though for a moment he had seen the scared child behind the Malfoy heir's haughty arrogance. ***And now I'm seeing it again, but this time he seems far worse*** Still there was one question he had to ask, no matter how upset Draco was.

"Is your mother alright?"

Draco burst into fresh sobs at this and for one terrible moment Severus thought that something had happened to Narcissa, until Draco managed to choke out, "She's fine."

Severus was relieved; the woman really didn't need any more problems with Lucius. However, as he looked at the crying child, ***and he is a child no matter how he acts***, he realised that, though a head of house, this was not his area of expertise and Lucius Malfoy would not appreciate his son being there.

"Draco, do you want me to get your mother?" he asked gently, trying to get across to the boy that there was no shame in wanting his mother when he was upset.

"NO!" Draco all but shouted, startling Severus, "No, you can't! You can't get either of them! I don't want to be anywhere near them!"

***A fight with his parents? But then I doubt that would reduce him to tears!*** "Why, Draco?"

"They're...they're..." he trailed off and grabbed another tissue to dry the fresh tears.

Severus realised that he was not going to get anywhere this way so he said, "It's alright, I won't tell them you're here, now you drink that tea and calm down a bit and then we can sort this out for you." His tone was the same calming, gentle tone he used with homesick Slytherin first years, and Draco had certainly never been one of those!

"You can't sort it out, even you can't change this!"

***Even me? What does that mean?*** "What do you mean, Draco? Why can't I help? And what do you mean by 'even you'?"

"There's nothing anyone can do. And you always seem to be able to sort everything out but this time there's nothing that can be done!"

"Done about what?" Severus pressed carefully.

"What's already happened!"

***Oh Christ! Even Lucius couldn't be that stupid!*** "Draco, show me your left arm."

Draco looked puzzled but complied, holding out his arm but reacting in anger as Severus pushed back the sleeve of his robes to reveal his inner arm.

"You think I'm...? How could you think that of me, I don't believe you!" Draco snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry, I thought that might be what you were trying to tell me," Severus tried to calm his student.

"Well it wasn't!" the boy shouted.

"Draco I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong!" Severus snapped, losing patience.

"You can't help!" Draco shouted again but this time it seemed filled with despair rather than anger.

"Then why did you come here? You must have thought there was something I could do," Severus pressed.

"No, I just needed somewhere safe to go and I knew I could trust you! Because I don't care if you were a Death Eater, or a friend of my father's, or what. I know you're not like him, I know you wouldn't do those things, I know you're a good person!" Draco swiped distractedly at the tears which were now pouring down his face.

Severus was deeply touched; this child's blind faith in him was something he had never encountered before. Draco had clearly been through a harrowing event which had shaken everything he'd ever believed and knocked his feet out from under him and it was his potion's master he trusted. ***He thinks I'm a good person, no one's ever said they knew I was a good person.***

"How did you know I was Death Eater?" he asked quietly.

"How else would you know to look for the mark? I saw you grab your arm in pain last year when you didn't think anyone was paying attention. I've seen my father do exactly the same thing, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"I'm not a Death Eater anymore."

"I don't care either way. You're not like them."

It was said with such conviction that for a moment Severus could almost have believed it himself.

"Draco, your attitude this year and in years previous has been very much in keeping with many of the ideas the Death Eaters believe in, delighted as I am that you appear to have changed your mind I am curious as to why?"

"They were dead."

"What?! Who? Draco don't just hide behind your hands again that won't change anything. You have to tell me who is dead, what do you mean?"

Draco dropped his hands and glared at Severus, clearly snapped out his sorrow at the teacher's lack of sympathy. "I don't know who they were, I didn't stick around to look for some sort of proof of identity!"

"Draco," Severus sighed heavily, "I don't understand."

"Neither do I. Why would someone hurt a child? Why would someone hurt a _wizarding_ child? Why did they get away with it?" his tone stung of betrayal however it was not directed at Severus but at the world at large.

"I don't have the answers to those questions Draco, I don't think anybody does," Severus replied more gently, "Now tell me what happened."

Sniffing, Draco launched into the tale of how he'd spent that day, leaving Severus shocked and appalled. He could not honestly say he was surprised at what Draco had discovered but he was shocked that bodies had simply been left to rot. He stiffened instinctively when Draco mentioned the potions laboratory, he knew that room, he'd used that room. Draco noticed but let it pass until he finished the whole story up until his entrance to the potions master's office. He then asked quietly, "You made some of those potions didn't you?"

Severus was amazed that the boys voice lacked accusation of any kind. "Yes, I probably did," he quietly admitted.

Draco merely nodded then asked, "Why?"

"I don't know Draco, because I was told to, because I was stupid, because I wasn't thinking, because I could? I have a thousand reasons for my activities with the Death Eaters and none of them is an excuse."

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you weren't a Death Eater anymore."

"I'm not. I turned spy for Dumbledore a year before Voldemort fell."

Draco smiled, "See, I knew you weren't like them."

Severus couldn't help but smile at the young boy's insistent belief in him. ***He's worse than Dumbledore!***

There was still one point though that just didn't add up, "Draco, why won't you let me get your mother?"

"Are you kidding me? I mean I know she's your friend but you must know she's far from innocent! I know everyone thinks my mother's nothing more than a dumb blonde but she's more intelligent than people give her credit for. I've seen her perform spells that are beyond many witches and wizards, but she only does it when she thinks no one is looking or occasionally when she's a bit absentminded. She only plays the dumb blonde role and it makes everyone think that she's some poor, defenceless little woman; but I don't think she's anything of the kind! There's no way she could have lived with my father and not known! For goodness sake, I wonder sometimes which one of them is more powerful. I see her perform magic less often, but with her it comes even easier than with him, she casts complex charms without a second thought! She always seems to know what's going on, people talk in front of her because they think she isn't listening or won't understand, but she does! She's too clever not to have known the true extent of what was going on!"

Severus felt deeply saddened by the child's lack of faith in his mother and realised that he would have to throw caution to the wind and explain everything.

"Draco, your mother is a good woman."

"How can you say that?"

"She did know some of what was going on, but she did not know the extent and I'm pretty sure that if she knew there was anything like that in the cellars she wouldn't set foot in the house."

"But she did know what was happening!"

"No, she knew _some_ of what was happening and she was as horrified as you were when she found out. Draco, Voldemort killed a child in front of her and Lucius didn't turn a hair, when she kicked up somewhat of a fuss he threw her to the floor and broke her arm. Draco she wouldn't leave him because she was in love with him and she was afraid. Your mother has never taken part in any of the Death Eater's activities and she never would."

"How can she love him?"

"She doesn't, not anymore, she did. Your father is capable of being a charming man and your mother had already been married to him for a couple of years before she knew what he was really like. Draco, he scares her."

"Then why doesn't she leave him?"

"Because of you."

"I don't understand."

"She would never have won custody of you and by the time you were old enough to choose to stay with her you were..." Severus looked for a way to put it diplomatically.

"Following in my father's footsteps?" he supplied quietly.

"Yes."

"You mean it's my fault she had to stay with him?" Draco asked, clearly distressed.

"No," Severus insisted, "Your mother should have tried to talk to you, but she was too afraid of pushing you away."

"I'm not surprised, I guess I must have seemed like a prejudiced, fascist git!"

"No, she adores you, to her you're a bloody angel!" he smiled in amusement. "However, some of your comments in the past have seriously hurt her."

Draco looked upset but he was no longer crying. "I can't go back there."

"You can stay in your dormitory tonight and we'll have a meeting with your mother tomorrow, I'll send her an owl and tell her where you are and that you're safe."

"Alright," Draco nodded tiredly.

"Now why don't you let me get you something to eat?"

"Thanks, I am a bit hungry."

Snape smiled sadly at the boy and summoned one of the house elves to fetch them some food.

*******

Narcissa's head felt much clearer after her bath and she dressed and went to look for her son. She looked in his room and the library and everywhere else she could think of but could find no sign of him.

"Dippy!"

The house elf appeared with a pop.

"Have you seen Draco?"

"No, Mrs Malfoy."

"Oh, ok."

"Is you wanting me to looking for him?"

"No, he's probably just out in the gardens somewhere, don't worry about it."

Narcissa went back to her room thinking that her son was probably trying to find a shady spot in the grounds to escape the heat and she really didn't have the energy to go and search for him.

*******

Draco ate in silence, calmer but still a little edgy. Severus busied himself drafting and re-drafting a note to Narcissa. He needed to write something that would convey the seriousness of the situation without scaring the woman out of her wits.

He eventually settled on an edited version of the truth.

Narcissa

Draco's staying at Hogwarts with me for the night. He's a little upset and doesn't want to see Lucius. Can you come down to speak with him in the morning? There are things we have to discuss Narcissa. Please do not worry, everything will be fine.

Severus

He passed it to Draco who nodded, "Sounds fine, but it's not exactly the whole story is it?"

"Draco, your mother is likely to storm Hogwarts as it is, if I tell her the whole story she will barge right in here alerting your father, and everyone else within a ten mile radius of her, that something is wrong."

"Oh."

Severus called for a house elf and asked the skittish creature to send the note with one of the school owls for him.

Looking across at his Godson he realised Draco had left more than half of what the house elves had prepared, "I thought you were hungry, you really should eat."

"I've lost my appetite. Who were those people I saw? Why would anyone kill a wizarding child?"

"I don't know, I suppose the child was most likely a squib or the child of someone who stood against Voldemort. Draco the Death Eaters did some terrible things, some of which went a long way beyond the call of duty."

"My father..." Draco trailed off and sank his head in his hands.

Severus didn't know what to say, he had once respected Lucius himself and knew what it was like to be taken in by him. He placed a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder and tried to silently convey his understanding.

Draco looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I just...he's my father."

"I know."

*******

Narcissa was concerned when Draco still hadn't appeared at dinner, she sent Dippy to look for him and even went in search of the gardener to ask if he had seen him but it appeared as though Draco had disappeared. She paced the dining room, worrying more and more as time wore on, she didn't want to contact his friends just yet but she was on the brink of doing so when an owl flew into the french windows.

She opened a window and the owl flew in, depositing a letter on the dining table and flying away without waiting for a response.

She was astonished to see that the green wax seal bore the Slytherin crest, **Doesn't Severus realise how dangerous this is!?** She tore open the letter and read it quickly.

Narcissa

Draco's staying at Hogwarts with me for the night. He's a little upset and doesn't want to see Lucius. Can you come down to speak with him in the morning? There are things we have to discuss Narcissa. Please do not worry, everything will be fine.

Severus

**What the hell, at least I know he's safe.** She seriously debated flooing to Hogwarts on the spot but eventually decided to simply do what the note said, after all she knew Draco would be safe with Severus.

*******

"I'll find you some clean pyjama's from the hospital wing, they may not be quite the luxury you're used to but they'll suffice."

"The 'luxury I am used to' was paid for by my father cheating and intimidating everyone he dealt with. I don't care what they're like I just want to sleep," Draco replied in an insulted tone.

Severus smiled at the boy and left him in the common room returning soon after with a pair of pyjamas which Draco took gratefully.

"Go to bed Draco, I'll come up and speak with you again in a little while, do you want a dreamless sleep potion?"

"No. I'd rather sleep without one."

Severus was surprised by the boy's answer but merely nodded, he understood the desire not to be reliant on a potion to escape bad memories; besides anything else it never worked, you couldn't take the potion forever and Draco would have to face the nightmares sooner or later, ***Perhaps it's better that he face them sooner.***

Draco headed for his dormitory and Severus went back to his office where he extinguished the candles and summoned a house elf to clean away the dinner plates.

He returned to Draco's dormitory to find him in sat up in bed looking afraid but he relaxed once he saw his teacher had returned.

Severus levitated a chair from the common room and set it down next to the boy's bed, "Are you alright," he asked gently, "Are you sure you don't want a sleeping potion?"

Draco nodded, "I'll be ok."

Severus stood up to fold the boy's clothes, which had been dropped unceremoniously onto the floor. There was a flash of fear in the young boy's eyes as he stood, "Don't leave me! Please stay until I'm asleep, I don't want to be alone."

Severus gathered the boy's clothes and draped them over one of the other beds, "Of course, I'll stay." He sat back down again looking at the frightened face on the pillow, "Draco, sleep, you're safe here."

Draco lay down but didn't close his eyes, "I don't want to sleep just yet, will you talk to me?"

"Of course, what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything, I just don't want to start thinking about _that_ again."

Severus searched for something to say, he wasn't used to making small talk and he suspected that now was not the time to grill Draco on potions. Then he smiled and said, "You know, I remember you being born. I was the first person to hold you aside from the medi-witch and your mother."

"Where was my father?"

"I don't know, he only visited your mother once while she was in hospital and he didn't hold you then. In fact that was one of the reasons she gave me to coerce me into holding you."

"Why didn't you want to hold me?" he asked indignantly.

"You were tiny, I was terrified I'd hurt you."

Draco smiled and laughed softly.

"As it happened _you_ hurt _me_. You pulled my hair and you turned out to be a darned sight stronger than you looked."

Draco snorted in amusement and tried to turn it into a cough.

Severus raised an eyebrow, "Yes, your mother found it bloody funny as well!"

Draco couldn't help laughing now. "What was mum like at school?"

"She was intelligent, friendly, popular, a brilliant head girl but she didn't always follow the rules. She once gave me the password to the Gryffindor common room in order to get revenge on Potter's father and his friends for one of their pranks!"

"Really?"

"Yes, she certainly had a sense of humour your mother, but somehow trouble never got traced back to her."

Draco laughed again, "Were the two of you good friends then as well?"

"We were friends but she had friends in her own year as did I, we weren't close."

"Who was she friends with?"

"Well her best friend was called Morgana and she was good friends with Blaise Zabini's father as well, they dated for a while in their seventh year."

"Yeah, she told me about that. I know that Zabini's dad went a bit funny after his wife died but why does she never seem to see Morgana? Mum told me she moved abroad but mum can apparate and it isn't difficult to use floo powder to get to other countries either."

"Draco, Morgana didn't move abroad, the Death Eaters killed her. When your mother found out she was distraught and intended to leave your father but that happened to be the same night Mr Potter pulled off his I'm-going-to-be-so-thick-skulled-that-even-the-killing-curse-can't-get-though-to-me trick and she found out I was a spy. In all the confusion she felt too scared and alone to go anywhere."

"Oh God," Draco whispered, "Mum's been through a lot hasn't she?"

"Yes, she has."

"I'm glad she had you to look after her."

"I didn't really do much."

"One of the things I remember her saying to me before I started Hogwarts was that if I ever had any trouble I was to come to you and that she trusted you."

Severus smiled, "Your mother cares a great deal about you, did you know she slapped Professor Moody across the face in Dumbledore's office after that nasty ferret incident?"

"No! She didn't?"

"She did, that's another thing about your mother she hasn't half got a temper sometimes!"

They both laughed this time, Severus remembered the times that Narcissa had yelled at terrified Gryffindor first years who had dared to upset her Slytherins, ***yes, Narcissa always was protective of those she cared for.***

He looked at Draco and noticed that the boy was beginning to have difficulty keeping his eyes open. "Go to sleep Draco."

The boy nodded sleepily and allowed his eyes to close, it wasn't long before he seemed to be fast asleep. Severus noticed that Draco appeared to have complete faith that now he had told his potions master everything it would all be alright. He smiled at the sleeping boy but knew that it was far from being alright just yet. ***Narcissa's going to have a fit about this and there's still Lucius to be reckoned with. He's not going to hurt them, I won't let him.***

Severus was about to leave when Draco fidgeted in his sleep, knocking the covers back. Severus pulled them back over the sleeping form and gently brushed the hair from his face, noticing he had broken out in a cold sweat. He settled back down in his chair, unable to leave and it was long into the night before he finally did, leaving a clearly labelled dreamless sleep potion beside the boy's bed in case he woke up.

*******

The cell I mentioned in this chapter that was too small for a grown man to lie down in, well apparently there is one like that at the Tower of London, I think they put Guy Fawkes in there if my memory's right. Anyway, the idea was all they could do was either stand up or crouch down, not very comfortable after a while.

Well, how will Narcissa react? And what about Lucius, how will they deal with him? Did you enjoy the Draco, Sevvie bonding?

Again, I'm sorry this chapter was late the next update should be here in another few days, probably Sunday or Monday but no later than Monday night!

Please Review!!