Chapter 3
The summer had been the best one of Draco's life. He had spent his days out with his friends practicing for Quidditch, or with Blaise working on the mirror. In the evenings he would have dinner with his mother, sister and his mother's new lover, his potions teacher and head of house, Professor Severus Snape. Then at night the house would be silent; not the type of silence that felt like any minute something terrible was about to happen, but the type of silence that was warm and secure. It was nice having a home he was happy in; but the best part of it all was not having seen his father once in all those weeks. Every year since he had been going to Hogwarts he couldn't wait for the summer to end so he could get away from his family and the manor and go back to school, this year however he was sad it was coming to end. He rather fancied staying at home without his father there.
This had to be the best day of the whole summer; he, his mother, Nadia his younger sister and his mother's lover Severus Snape were down in Diagon alley for the year's school supplies. They had put it off this long as they had been waiting for Nadia's letter to arrive. It was rare for Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster, to take pupils in their 3rd or 4th years but Snape had pulled some strings for her. Durmstrang were sorry they were loosing her; a Malfoy did wonders for school credibility.
Even though Narcissa and Lucius were as good as divorced Narcissa didn't mind spending his money she considered it compensation for all the years she had spent married to him. She looked a lot better; over the last six weeks she had been eating right and taking care of herself even her eyes had recaptured some of lost sparkle.
"Well she'll need school robes and at least two sets of dress robes, just in case, several shirts and pairs of trousers a warm set of winter robes, boots, dress shoes and dragon hide gloves." Narcissa ran off the list of things she wanted Nadia to be measured up for to take to Hogwarts to Madam Malkin. Nadia loved having money spent on her, which teenage girl didn't?
Amidst the rolls of brightly coloured fabric, feathers and many other oddments used to make robes sat Snape staring out of the window almost mournfully, dressed in all black his dark hair and dark eyes making his white skin even whiter when surrounded by so much colour. Draco wandered over to him, not to talk but just to be near him. He jumped when Snape broke the silence between them.
"Aren't you going to ask your mother for your robes?"
"No, she knows what I need and what she wants me to have, she'll sort it." Draco sat opposite him trying to see what held him so captivated outside. The entrance to Knockturn alley, Draco used to go there with his father when he was younger.
"I do care a lot about you Draco, you've grown up to be a fine young man, and you'd do your father proud if only he could see it." Severus turned to look Draco in the eye "No matter what happens remember that, even when your world begins to crumble, remember you will always have a friend in me." He patted Draco on the shoulder as he got up to leave. Draco watched him as he went over to Narcissa kissed her on the cheek, whispered in her ear and left. Draco saw him out of window as he headed for the entrance to Knockturn on the opposite side of the road.
Three small shops sat in a row on the right hand side of Knockturn alley one sold giant spider's (the kind of ones that grew up into Aragog)the other sold shrunken heads and on the end was the poisonous candles. It was in between the shrunken heads and the giant spiders that Severus had arranged to meet Lucius. True to his word there Lucius stood, not even bothering to wear a disguise or use a Poly juice potion.
"How are we then Severus?" Lucius in all his pomp stood in front of the window tapping the glass with his finely manicured nails irritating a giant spider.
"Fine!" Severus leaned back on the wall.
"Well anyway aside from our little plan concerning my family the dark lord told me to inform you that the plans are to go ahead for the murder of the Weasley family at the Euro Quidditch cup finale this summer, here are the tickets for you, the whore and the brats, see you there!" Lucius handed Severus the tickets and walked away waving his hand as he did so.
Draco saw Severus emerge from Knockturn alley carrying two cages under covers.
"What do you have there?" Narcissa, Draco and Nadia had finished there shopping spree for new robes and other fashion accessories.
"Well I thought Nadia would need an owl this year anyway and I thought Draco would like a new one as well!" Severus handed them each a cage.
"Draco, why don't you take your sister for an ice cream?" Severus handed Draco a few coins and took the bags from him. Draco and Nadia walked off together. Draco looked back hoping to see Severus and his mother kissing like a pair of school lovers, but they weren't, they never did in public; instead they stood there talking to one another in the middle of the bustling street.
"So Lucius has given you the tickets then and confirmed the date of the murder?" Narcissa stood with her hands behind her back looking very serious.
"Yes it's going to be the Quidditch finals!" Severus stood in front of her he to taking on the business persona.
"They will be expecting something after last years Quidditch cup incident!" Narcissa turned and walk slowly in the direction of her two children.
"I know I'll send word to Dumbledore tonight to let him know of the plans," Severus walked along side her keeping her slow pace.
"I'm glad I decided to help the order when Lucius went to Azkaban, for one thing it bought us together." Narcissa's voice went into a dream like whisper. "Just think when all this is done we can be together, forever!" Narcissa had been spying with Severus for almost two months now; it stopped her feeling like the lost pathetic housewife of a Malfoy and gave her a reason to keep up the fight.
Severus didn't say anything, when all this is done he had to break her heart.
The summer had been the best one of Draco's life. He had spent his days out with his friends practicing for Quidditch, or with Blaise working on the mirror. In the evenings he would have dinner with his mother, sister and his mother's new lover, his potions teacher and head of house, Professor Severus Snape. Then at night the house would be silent; not the type of silence that felt like any minute something terrible was about to happen, but the type of silence that was warm and secure. It was nice having a home he was happy in; but the best part of it all was not having seen his father once in all those weeks. Every year since he had been going to Hogwarts he couldn't wait for the summer to end so he could get away from his family and the manor and go back to school, this year however he was sad it was coming to end. He rather fancied staying at home without his father there.
This had to be the best day of the whole summer; he, his mother, Nadia his younger sister and his mother's lover Severus Snape were down in Diagon alley for the year's school supplies. They had put it off this long as they had been waiting for Nadia's letter to arrive. It was rare for Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster, to take pupils in their 3rd or 4th years but Snape had pulled some strings for her. Durmstrang were sorry they were loosing her; a Malfoy did wonders for school credibility.
Even though Narcissa and Lucius were as good as divorced Narcissa didn't mind spending his money she considered it compensation for all the years she had spent married to him. She looked a lot better; over the last six weeks she had been eating right and taking care of herself even her eyes had recaptured some of lost sparkle.
"Well she'll need school robes and at least two sets of dress robes, just in case, several shirts and pairs of trousers a warm set of winter robes, boots, dress shoes and dragon hide gloves." Narcissa ran off the list of things she wanted Nadia to be measured up for to take to Hogwarts to Madam Malkin. Nadia loved having money spent on her, which teenage girl didn't?
Amidst the rolls of brightly coloured fabric, feathers and many other oddments used to make robes sat Snape staring out of the window almost mournfully, dressed in all black his dark hair and dark eyes making his white skin even whiter when surrounded by so much colour. Draco wandered over to him, not to talk but just to be near him. He jumped when Snape broke the silence between them.
"Aren't you going to ask your mother for your robes?"
"No, she knows what I need and what she wants me to have, she'll sort it." Draco sat opposite him trying to see what held him so captivated outside. The entrance to Knockturn alley, Draco used to go there with his father when he was younger.
"I do care a lot about you Draco, you've grown up to be a fine young man, and you'd do your father proud if only he could see it." Severus turned to look Draco in the eye "No matter what happens remember that, even when your world begins to crumble, remember you will always have a friend in me." He patted Draco on the shoulder as he got up to leave. Draco watched him as he went over to Narcissa kissed her on the cheek, whispered in her ear and left. Draco saw him out of window as he headed for the entrance to Knockturn on the opposite side of the road.
Three small shops sat in a row on the right hand side of Knockturn alley one sold giant spider's (the kind of ones that grew up into Aragog)the other sold shrunken heads and on the end was the poisonous candles. It was in between the shrunken heads and the giant spiders that Severus had arranged to meet Lucius. True to his word there Lucius stood, not even bothering to wear a disguise or use a Poly juice potion.
"How are we then Severus?" Lucius in all his pomp stood in front of the window tapping the glass with his finely manicured nails irritating a giant spider.
"Fine!" Severus leaned back on the wall.
"Well anyway aside from our little plan concerning my family the dark lord told me to inform you that the plans are to go ahead for the murder of the Weasley family at the Euro Quidditch cup finale this summer, here are the tickets for you, the whore and the brats, see you there!" Lucius handed Severus the tickets and walked away waving his hand as he did so.
Draco saw Severus emerge from Knockturn alley carrying two cages under covers.
"What do you have there?" Narcissa, Draco and Nadia had finished there shopping spree for new robes and other fashion accessories.
"Well I thought Nadia would need an owl this year anyway and I thought Draco would like a new one as well!" Severus handed them each a cage.
"Draco, why don't you take your sister for an ice cream?" Severus handed Draco a few coins and took the bags from him. Draco and Nadia walked off together. Draco looked back hoping to see Severus and his mother kissing like a pair of school lovers, but they weren't, they never did in public; instead they stood there talking to one another in the middle of the bustling street.
"So Lucius has given you the tickets then and confirmed the date of the murder?" Narcissa stood with her hands behind her back looking very serious.
"Yes it's going to be the Quidditch finals!" Severus stood in front of her he to taking on the business persona.
"They will be expecting something after last years Quidditch cup incident!" Narcissa turned and walk slowly in the direction of her two children.
"I know I'll send word to Dumbledore tonight to let him know of the plans," Severus walked along side her keeping her slow pace.
"I'm glad I decided to help the order when Lucius went to Azkaban, for one thing it bought us together." Narcissa's voice went into a dream like whisper. "Just think when all this is done we can be together, forever!" Narcissa had been spying with Severus for almost two months now; it stopped her feeling like the lost pathetic housewife of a Malfoy and gave her a reason to keep up the fight.
Severus didn't say anything, when all this is done he had to break her heart.