"Ah, Molly so nice of you to drop in."

Molly Weasley had come as soon as she had recieved the letter from Dumbledore. There hadn't been much information in that letter, but there was enough there for her to seriously doubt the headmaster's sanity. Being who she was, she immediately voiced that opinion. "I must say, I think you've gone completely daft! A Malfoy?! In my house?!"

The headmaster chuckled only a moment before his face became serious. "The boy is in danger, Molly, and from his own family! As much as I would like to keep him here, he needs to be around people. The Burrow is the last place Lucius will look for him. It's only for two weeks."

Molly sighed. "Headmaster, my boys hate him, and he hates my boys. Do you really expect something like this to work?"

"At least come and see the boy before you make your decision."

Molly nodded. This didn't change anything. She'd just look at the boy and go home. There was no way she was going to let Albus Dumbledore, or anyone else for that matter, guilt trip her into taking in this monster of a boy. And then she saw Draco Malfoy. Or at least what she was pretty sure used to be Draco Malfoy. "Oh my!"

The boy looked like he had gone through hell. Why, there was nothing left but skin and bones! "His family did this to him?" she asked thoroughly shocked.

"We're not sure, he hasn't actually woken up to tell us. I believe Severus is planning on trying to wake him later today, however. Perhaps we can have some answers then. It is very likely that it was Lucius though." Albus replied. "You'll take him then? "

"Of course! When will I be taking him?"

"As soon as he's well enough to move."

Molly nodded. Family feuds didn't seem to matter with something like this. How could a father possibly do this to his own son? His only son? Molly couldn't imagine hurting one of her precious children. Lucius Malfoy couldn't have a heart. That was the only reasonable answer.

x

Severus Snape pulled the fabric of his heavy black robes closer to him, to try and ward off the chill of his dungeon home. He was a somewhat paranoid man by nature, but Dumbledore's plan made him downright nervous. There were far too many things that could go wrong, the first being if Draco didn't cooperate.

The faking of Draco's death wouldn't be the hard part. No, the hard part was keeping him in the wizarding world undetected. Severus could just make a contact in the muggle world and try to hide the boy, but Dumbledore could never do things the easy way. Easy just wasn't part of the man's vocabulary.

The plan had been laid into Severus' hands. They would put Draco into the hands of Molly Weasley in secret, while a funeral would be held in the Hogwarts graveyard for Draco Malfoy, who had died despite the best efforts of the staff.

Meanwhile, Molly would change as much of Draco's appearance as possible before the rest of the Weasley family returned from the short vacation to Romania that she had sent them on. Hence, the need for Draco's cooperation.

Snape had created a new identity for his godson, that of Conall Snape, Severus' nephew. The real Conall had died at birth, taking his mother with him. Severus' brother had followed his wife merely months later, by taking his own life. The Snape family had kept it all very quiet, saying that the family had moved to China to study the Oriental magical community. Severus was taking full advantage of the family secret to help Draco. His brother and sister-in-law had now just died of a horrible accident, and their child Conall had been left in Severus' care. Severus, of course, distained children and and left the boy in the Weasley's care (because he disliked them even more than he disliked children, and why not torture them by adding another child to their lot) until the school term started.

Merlin, he hoped this worked. It was more than just Draco's life on the line if it went bad.

xXx

"It's been three days. We need to wake him up"

"I really don't think that-"

"The sooner we find out what really happened to him, the better. Enervate."

x

Draco was waking up. The blonde boy really didn't like this fact. The black place he had been resting in was very comforting. There was no Dark Lord, there was no father, and there was no one to bother him. This place was much better than the real world.

That, however, didn't change the fact that he was waking up. He opened his eyes to a huge black blob in front of his face. He tried to jump away from it, but even the smallest movement made his body ache with pain. The blob reached out and steadied him, which made him groan with even more pain. If movement was bad, touching was even worse. It was like he was lying on a bed of pins and needles.

"We'll get nothing out of him when he's like this! I told you it would be useless to wake the poor boy!" a feminine voice screeched.

"Woman, please stop your yammering. At least now we know that he can in fact be woken," sneered a voice that sounded suspiciously like Snape. "Now I suggest that you don't move Mr. Malfoy. You've been through quite an ordeal."

Draco's vision slowly began to clear, revealing that it was Snape sitting next to him. Pity, he was much more attractive as a blob. "I know you wish to go back to sleep, after all you have always been insufferably lazy."

Draco did want to go to sleep. That back place was looking really good right now. Of course it had been looking good earlier as well. Stupid Snape dragging him out of there. And wasn't Snape's beside manner just wonderful? How typical of the man to go straight to the insulting.

Snape seemed to be able to read the look in his eyes. "I'll give you a sleeping draught if you answer a question."

Bribery. How fitting. Draco looked up at Severus as to say "Well?"

"Who cursed you Draco?"

Of course that's what the man wanted to know. Lucky for Draco, he didn't just ask what happened. That would have required a lengthy reply. This, on the otherhand, was a one word answer. Draco winced as he swallowed to try and wet his throat. Bloody hell, why did everything have to hurt? Stupid killing curse. Stupid father. Stupid dark lord and his stupid dark mark. He swallowed again and scratched out, "Father," hoping that it would be enough. He glared up at Snape trying to convey "I answered your question, now give me the bloody potion" with his eyes.

Apparently it worked because Snape nodded and almost gently lifted the boy's head up and placed the vial against his lips. "Drink."

Ah. The potion was like ice calming the fire that had taken up it's home in his throat. The pain that had been plaguing him since he had woken began to fade away. And then there was that blessed blackness taking him away. Maybe, if he was lucky, this time he wouldn't wake back up.

x

When Draco awoke again, he was blessedly free of pain. He knew he should be hurting, but he wasn't. Snape was still sitting there, but had fallen asleep. It was then, while he was looking at his Godfather, who obviously hadn't left his side all that much lately (considering the white-boy's afro the man was seriously close to sporting), that the reality of what all had happened finally hit Draco.

The blonde boy wanted to cry. But Malfoys didn't cry. In fact, Malfoys didn't show emotion at all. As silent tears began to run down his cheeks, Draco wondered if he even was a Malfoy anymore. His father had surely disowned him by now. He had defied the bloody dark lord and lived to tell about it. He was still alive. Figure it to be his luck to survive when it would have been best for him to just die.

"Mr. Malfoy, welcome back to the world of the living. You gave us quite a scare," an overly cheery voice greeted, startling him from his rather morbid thoughts..

Draco tried to sit up and wipe the tears from his cheek, but despite his pain free state, his body just did not want to work with him. He had to settle on just turning his head, to see Dumbledore and several other people smiling down at him. That alone was frightening enough. People smiling at him was not something he woke up to every morning, though he doubted it was in fact morning. In fact he guessed it was sometime in the late afternoon. It was the thing that happened next that nearly scared him shitless though. All of a sudden there was a redheaded woman attached to him and sobbing all over him.

"You poor, poor child!"

Unfortunately her blubbering woke up Snape, who looked confused about his whereabouts for a split second before his normal glare was back in place. "Mrs. Weasley, it will do you good to remember that Mr. Malfoy is injured. And while the potion I gave him is obviously doing its job at the moment, there is no way of telling when it will wear off."

The woman looked taken aback for a moment before she gently put the blonde boy back down upon the bed.

"Mr. Malfoy, this is Mrs. Weasley. She will be taking you to stay at her home for the remainder of Christmas break."

Draco just stared at Dumbledore. Then at the woman, then at Dumbledore again. "Are you insane?" he managed to scratch out. The Weasleys hated him, and for good reason too. As part of his act to please his father, he had all but tortured any one of them he ever came across. Not to mention all of the things he had done to Potter. They were more likely to kill him than his father was, and his father had already tried.

Dumbledore chuckled yet again. "I know what you're thinking, Mr. Malfoy. I assure you that you'll be safe. And furthermore if you wish, you may want to begin thinking about some changes that you would like to make to your appearance."

That didn't sound like too bad of an idea. Draco had a few changes he would like to make, now that he finally could be his own person. But with the way Dumbledore suggested it, there had to be something up. Hell the fact that Dumbledore suggested it, paired with the looks everyone was giving him definitely meant that there was more to it than just a makeover.

Dumbledore grinned down at him. "You have every right to give me that suspicious look Mr. Malfoy. Though the details will be given to you at a later time, I will tell you now, that for your protection you will have to die."

Draco gave the old man a startled look.

The old bat just chuckled at him. "Now, there's no need to be alarmed. It's only what we have to convince the wizarding world. I suggest you think about the kind of person you wish to be, because from now on Draco Malfoy is dead, and you are Conall Snape."

His head was beginning to spin just thinking about it. Or maybe that was the potion wearing off. He began to whimper as a very painful tingling sensation began to travel through his limbs.

"Why don't you go on back to sleep as further arrangements are made for the two weeks you will spend with the Weasleys."

Another potion was held to his lips, and Draco, or Conall as he supposed he was to be called, eagerly drank it down. Anything to get rid of the pain. He slowly closed his eyes and let the darkness surround him for a third time.