-1In The Maze of Mirrors
by: Jenni M.
Chapter 3: Choice of trust
Draco's POV
"Professor, it is me, Draco, I need to talk." My voice wavers as I say these words. I had been standing at this very door for only the fates know how long. It has taken all of my once grand courage to even knock, let alone speak.
I feel weak, I am not weak I am a Malfoy, Malfoy's are not weak, never ever, weak. Weakness is what made me deserving of . . . not now Draco, you have to help Harry, no its Potter, Potter, Potter its Potter damn it, you weakling.
Snape's POV
I am wondering what could be wrong, Draco normally only visits on the weekend and even then never at this late an hour. As for that, his voice has a slight edge to it.
"Come in Mr. Malfoy." He enters but exceptionally grudgingly. "Sit." Not a demand, as it would be for my other students, but a simple request for my old friend's son.
"Good evening Professor Snape." Ah his sincerity is quite amusing at times, he reminds me of Potter in that aspect. I wonder if maybe that is why he is here. No matter I shall find out in a moment why he has ventured even further into the dungeons to my, chambers. Alternatively, as Potter and his dream team call it 'Snape's Lair' as amusing as it may seem to Potter's little friends, it do not think it is appropriate.
"remember Draco, you are not in front of the school, you may call me Severus if you wish, as that is what you grew up calling me."
Everyone thinks my rooms are just a smelly cave beneath the castle, but in fact, I have the nicest set of rooms in the entire castle, besides Dumbledore's that is. The nice rooms in which I live in now, once belonged to non-other that Slytherin him self. It is not that I like the man's ideals on wizards being better; I still hold a certain understanding as to why he felt this way.
When was a professor, a thousand years ago, muggles feared magic above most things; well actually the Celtics never feared magic as they were magic in and of them selves, they were the first witches and wizards in the United Kingdom. Muggleborns of that era were so afraid of magic that they would not even touch a wand; they shunned it all for Christianity. Moreover, this infuriated almost every living being in the magic world to no end. There were regular murders of muggleborns in this period, because they could not go back to the muggle world after what they had seen, mind this was before the invention of memory charms. No one ever credits Slytherins for their accomplishments.
Ah but now my mind has wondered off its course in the silence, that rained after Draco sat across from me.
"Draco, would you mind telling me why you are here? You said you had a question so speak." His eyes begin to wonder again, I need a glass of whiskey, and maybe I could offer him some as well, since he is over the age limit.
"Draco would you like a shot of whiskey, or maybe some brandy?" his eyes look out from under his fringe before he tilts his head down again staring at the carpets. He nods his hair moving slightly catching the fire light. He had stopped gelling his hair back this year, and he had also stopped his torment on the other students, something was amiss with every one this year. Draco barely speaks of his home life anymore, maybe he just doesn't want to speak to an old man like myself, though he insists thirty is not old, it still feels like I have been alive for a century.
I hand him a snifter of brandy, I sit down opposite of him in my chair, whilst he sits on the sofa. I need to get him to tell me what is wrong, so I start random chatter about other teachers, about the students, about . . .
" . . . Could Potter be anymore inapt in potions, I thought Neville was bad but . . ."
"Don't say that, Potter is actually quite good in potions, when you are not flapping behind him like an oversized bat." Since when has a Malfoy defended a Potter?
"Mr. Malfoy tell me why you came here, I don't want to play your little games, I am here to help, so goddamn it let me!" he audibly gulps and then stands and starts to pace, I remain seated as his standing above me gives him enough confidence so that he can tell me what is going on.
"Alright Severus, you want to know what is up? Here it is. This morning I followed Potter out of the great hall . . . "I give him a suspicious look, one eyebrow cocked." no Severus, it is not like that." I decide to cut him off again.
"Not like what Draco?" my smirk shows my amusement as he blushes slightly and continues.
"You know exactly like what, and don't you even pretend not to. Any ways as I was saying, and I don't think I should be telling on Potter like this but it really is for his own good."
"If you believe you are doing the right thing by telling me then continue." he looks at me sharply and continues once more.
"Snape, would you stop interrupting. Anyways this morning I followed Potter out of the great hall. One of his friends had said something to him about how he looks like crap; well actually, the word was shit. However, Potter had his hand in his pocket and looked like he was about to have a panic attack, when he got up to leave he almost lost his balance. I know you also notice how little he has been eating whether he transfigures it or just skips his meals." I nod to acknowledge this claim.
"but when I followed him he was storming through the main castle about ten yards ahead of me, and then he walked into a room behind that statue next to the stairs, you know the ugly one? Anyways he was out of my site for what could not have been more than a minute at most, and when I walked in and . . . "he chokes on his own words most likely bile.
"Draco, take a calm breath a drink and tell me what you saw." Inside panic is starting to take residence. "There now please continue." I say this after he has finished with his brandy.
"Yes sir, as I was saying what I saw when I entered the room, was . . . a complete shock to say the least. I knew Potter wasn't eating and that he looked like he wasn't sleeping but I never thought he would . . ."
"You never thought he would cut himself, did you Draco?" I finish for him.
"Yes, how did you know?" his shock is not surprising.
"I, am not a fool Draco, after I had spoken to him about the tiger's blood on his sleeve, I realized the phial was standing completely upright, not a drop of blood missing."
"Oh of course; But you didn't see what really happened; I actually had gotten rid of most of the blood on his clothes, before I woke him . . ."
"What? What do you mean you woke him, was he unconscious when you found him?" my mind swirls with questions; I know he was cutting but was he trying to kill himself?
"No, when I found him he was conscious, but he had cut deeply and a couple minutes later I snapped out of it realizing he had passed out from blood loss. I healed his wounds as well as I knew how, but I do not yet know how to replace blood lost without a potion, so I simply woke him with enervate."
Oh gods what have I done he could have died because I wouldn't tell Albus what I knew, I mean I know it would hurt him if the press were to get hold of THAT information, but he wouldn't be hurting he wouldn't have tried to . . . but did he really want to kill himself.
"Draco what did you do with the, what I am assuming is a knife?" please say he destroyed it please.
"He grabbed it back from me and walked out. He said it belonged to, someone named Sirius, he could not mean Black could he? I mean Black was a murderer, it was Black's fault he is an orphan, right?"
"Draco, before I tell you anymore I need to be sure of your loyalties, are you for or against the dark lord? I will not tell anyone what you say; but I need to know before I can speak anymore to you." I stand up and move to get another glass of whiskey for my glass ran dry far too quickly for my likings.
Draco looks confused for a moment, then he to stands but moves to go to the door to my chambers.
"Draco, I will give you time to decide, but you must know I will always consider you my son, no matter what choice you make." He closes he hand around the handle to the door, it creaks open slowly, and he is almost out the door before he even looks at me.
"Thank you Severus, I will have my decision for you tomorrow evening." With that, he is gone, and here I am, once again left to my whiskey and potions books.
Draco's POV
"Draco, I will give you time to decide, but you must know I will always consider you my son, no matter what choice you make." I am speechless I go to the door and am almost out of the door before I decide to speak.
"Thank you Severus, I will have my decision for you tomorrow evening." Once again, in the hallway, it is past curfew, but as a prefect, they allow me out of my dorm after hours. I begin walking to my rooms when I hear a small sound a few paces in front of me. I, as a prefect, have to get rid of all those out after hours.
I walk to where I hear the noise emanating, I see nothing, but I know that as a wizard there are many ways of becoming invisible. I see a small silver ripple in the air; I am guessing this to be an invisibility cloak. The only person I know who owns one would be Potter.
I feel for purchase on the fabric, as I find it I pull the cloak off what I was expecting to be Potter. It is not.
"Malfoy, umm we can explain." I bet they can.
"Weasel, Granger, just no, just that is gross, never in my life did I want to catch either of you two making out, let alone with one another." Granger's eyes tear up, and her boyfriend looks simply livid. "Anyways you two had better get back to your prefect duties, and tell Potter I said hi, he will know that is about, so do not ask." They scurry off and back in the direction of the Gryffindor dorms, though it looks more as if Granger is pulling the weasel with her.
I continue on my way to the Slytherin dorms, yelling at a few dimwitted Hufflepuffs for being out an hour after curfew, making a note to my self to tell Severus tomorrow night. My brain is so full of thought I do not know what to do. Should I tell Snape my plans of wanting to become a medi-wizard or should I lie and tell him I want to work for Voldemort, I do not know if I can trust him, and even if I can Voldemort can read minds can he not?
Screwed with every choice, so I might as well tell Severus my true intentions, and if I can trust him, I will ask if he has any suggestions as to a way to keep my father from murdering me. Would not be the first time he has murdered a child.
Harry's POV
Sitting in my dorm on my bed, I notice small scars from where I cut earlier. Why did he have to save me, if he had just left me there this morning I wouldn't have to deal with this shit and I wouldn't have to go back to the Dursley's home. It really is a laugh actually, the only way I can save myself would be if I destroyed my self, and that would in turn destroy the wizarding world; I cannot be selfish no matter how badly I need to be.
The ministry, and daily prophet would have a field day with my suicide, it would be in every newspaper across the globe. Then some one would demean it down to a simple way to get even more attention.
They do not see that I hate the cameras, the press I want to be normal and it is not possible with the jackass's running around trying to decide my future. They think they know all, too similar to Voldemort, and yet they think they are so different, too similar to Trelawney.
I have my doubts about that woman's loyalties; she is always saying I am going to die as if she wants me to, stupid cow. I can tell the future better than her, I have done it before during my exams, during the tea- reading thing, she is blind in every aspect.
Hermione and Ron come in through the door, the creaking of the centuries old hinges grating on my ears; I quickly cast a charm on it silencing its joint. Now Ron and 'Mione are looking at me strangely.
"What?" I inquire.
"Harry, you didn't pick up your wand." Shit I should have known better than to do magic without my wand in front of others. I had been able to since I was a child but now I can control it no need to use a focus that dulls my powers. Voldemort has yet to reach his full potential, because he is too reliant on his wand, like most wizards these days.
"Yea umm, sorry I will remember to use my wand from now on."
"Umm Harry, you shouldn't be able to do that, only very few can do that, and most of them are Slytherin purebloods"
"Oh, well let's just forget that ever happened . . . "I cast a small memory charm on them, only to alter that minute span of memory.
"So you guys what are you here for?" they seem confused for a second and then remember.
"Oh umm we were, you know snogging, and Malfoy caught us. We even used the invisibility cloak like you suggested. But anyways, he told us to give you a message, and said you would know what he meant." Confusion would be an understatement for my state now.
"So what is it?" I am terrified that he told them, it would be something a Malfoy would do.
"He says hi." That is it, stupid jackass probably wanted to get me worked up over nothing.
"That's it? Are you sure?" they nod.
"Ok now would you mind leaving? I have to get dressed for sleep Hermione." She nods again, and then at the door she turns around.
"What did he mean Harry?" damn know it all, why she cannot just leave me alone, is a mystery.
"I can't tell either of you that." They look hurt.
"Alright mate, but if you want my advice . . ."
"No Ron I don't want your advice just leave, or better yet I will leave so you don't have to!" I grab a small satchel off my nightstand and walk out leaving a dumbfounded pair in my wake.
They try to follow a moment later but I am already gone, I go down to the room beside the dungeons, the one place they wont look, and I walk in to the site of blood, caked on the floors, my mark staining the rugs. I cast a cleaning charm on the room. It now smells sterile, more sterile than any hospital. The blood is gone, the chairs are removed from their blankets of dust, the small fireplace, has been cleaned of its ungodly amounts of soot and ash.
This will be my haven, I cast a charm on the door it now requires a password. My choice of password is Occido; it is Latin, something very few in this school care to learn out side of their classes. They do not realize that with Latin, you can create spells, some more horrible than even the unforgivable curses.
For example, Occido, it means torture, it is a low-level form of Crucio, but with Occido it is more of mental pain, more like the Chinese water tortures, banning it by the ministry will not happen, because they do not know about it. I invented it; and the only one I had to test it on was I, I had to come up with way to counter it before I made it though; because too long under it renders you insane.
I should use it on Voldemort he would be too confused to dodge it.
I quickly transfigure a sofa into a comfortable bed, not lavish, but suitable, and better than my 'bed' at the Dursleys . . .
End of Chapter 3
Authors notes:
Anyways, I may not be writing as much for the next week, so please do not send Evil ankle biting smurfs after me okay? Yes I am talking to you kitten.
Okay here are my shout outs . . . seems that every one who has reviewed so far is in high school like me----
KittenBabyGirl- hey I am glad you like my story, and that my depiction of cutting seems accurate to you, because I thought, I was the only one to feel that way with it. Actually, I am trying to stop, but damn not many people understand how hard it is to stop . . . sort of, like Pringles really, once you pop you just can't stop. Ok now I will stop, hope you like this chapter.
Wavy avey- thanks for reviewing and everything means a lot to me, and you don't have to put a cherry on top, just let me live where you are so I could be closer to Tom Felton, him and I have the same birthday actually, except he is a year older than me.
Tewks- I will keep it up, but you have to be patient with my slow self
Brooke- hey Brooke thanks for reviewing and my new story is under my profile on the name of it is Looking for the Door. I do not like it as much as I like this one, so it might take a while for me to write more on it