Title: Betrayed
Author/pseudonym: NemKess
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/ Harry Potter, Ron/ Hermione
Rating: R
Status: WIP
E-mail address for feedback:: nemsmuses@msn.com
=See previous chapter for disclaimers, summary, notes, and warnings
~*~*~
Fifth year had ended on a high note for Draco Malfoy. Over the course of the year, the student body had participated in a sort of Academic Olympics. The blonde Slytherin had been a shoo in for the Potions portions of the contest; no one else had come close to touching him except Granger and even she was several marks behind him. Then, a month and a half before the end of school, Harry Potter had gone off on one of his adventures and gotten himself knocked into a coma that took him out of all the school competitions completely thus allowing Draco to win the DADA segment. This also caused the Gryffindor Quidditch team to have to forfeit against Hufflepuff in their final match of the year and let Slytherin (whose only losses had been to Gryffindor) come in a close second for the Quidditch Cup(1). The combined Slytherin victories had led to a tie for the House Cup and for once, Dumbledore had not tacked on any ridiculous last minute points for Gryffindor to sweep in and steal the limelight.
Draco's father Lucius had been thrilled with his son.
As such, he'd allowed the boy to spend the entire summer with his mentor Severus Snape. Draco had every intention of either being a politician or a potion's master once he left Hogwart's and thus was going to learn things that were far more advanced than the school's normal potion's curriculum.
Everything had been just peachy until Sev had received an owl from Dumbledore three weeks into the summer. The Professor had swept out of his manor looking ready to kill and muttering about 'bloody Potter' under his breath.
When he'd returned, only a few hours later, Draco had suddenly found his life on a completely different course.
~*~*~
Severus apparated right into the middle of the parlor where Draco had been lounging on a couch reading, his arms were bent oddly, as though he were carrying something that the blonde couldn't see.
"Tiddly! Milly!"
The two wide-eyed house elves appeared with a sparkly *pop*. They're eyes grew to an impossible width as they looked upon their frenetic master and his invisible load.
Draco had forgotten that house elf magic was powerful enough to allow them to see the unseeable.
"Tiddly, get my box of healing potions and salves and take them directly to the second guest room. Milly, go up and prepare a bath immediately, make sure the water is warm, but not hot. The last thing he needs is a scalding on top of everything else. When you're done with that, come back down here and clean up the blood." The pair of servants disappeared as suddenly as they'd arrived and Severus was heading up the stairs as he called back to his pupil. "Draco, you follow me. I'm going to need your help."
Staring at the trail of blood that he'd only noticed when Snape had pointed it out, it took a moment for Draco to catch the comment directed at him in the rapid-fire flow of orders. With a grimace, he followed the professor up the stairs.
The second guest bedroom was right next to his own. As a matter of fact, the pair of suites shared a bathroom in between that opened to both. A third elf was making the bed while Tiddly placed the supplies she'd fetched on the table beside it. The aristocrat could hear water splashing in the bathroom- testifying that Milly, too, was performing her task.
"No," Draco looked back to see that Sev had stopped the third elf and was moving awkwardly, trying to sit his burden down. "There's no sense in making up the bedding yet. I need to lay him down to remove his clothing and bathe him first. These will do for now."
Free of the weight, he stood straight up and, placing his hands in the small of his back, stretched.
The younger of the pair grimaced as he heard the distinctive popping sounds of at least a half a dozen vertebrate. "That's bad for your back, you know."
Sev rolled his eyes. "You try apparating while carrying an unconscious body. We'll see how long you last until you're begging someone to straighten out your spine."
Apparation, while quite common, was also quite dangerous. The risk of being splinched or ending up somewhere completely different than where you wanted to go were the two main reasons a witch or wizard had to be seventeen to get an apparation license. And one was never, ever supposed to try taking another person- unconscious or otherwise. Besides the usual risks, the power drain was said to be more than most could handle.
"How did-"
His question was cut off abruptly with an impatient wave of Snape's hand. "Never mind that now. We have more pressing matters to attend." He leaned down and pulled an invisibility cloak off the figure he'd laid on the bed.
The first two thoughts that ran through Draco's mind were somewhere along the lines of 'oh wow, where did he get an invisibility cloak'- they were rare enough that even the Malfoy's didn't own one- and 'great Salazar, what is that smell'.
'That smell', it turned out, was a body. If his professor hadn't already said the male- he assumed it was a male under all that dried blood and gore- was merely knocked out, he'd have thought it was a corpse. It certainly gave off the putrid odor of one.Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Draco quickly grabbed at the corner of his sleeve and held it tightly over his nose. "Sev'us?"
A roll of dark eyes was his only answer as Severus muttered a spell and began using his wand to cut the horrid clothes. "Help me, Draco. Cut very carefully along the seams. Don't try to pull the cloth away yet though. It's dried into some of the wounds and I don't want to aggravate them further."
The student did as he was bid as quickly as he could without moving his sleeve away from his nose. "Why can' we jus' ma'z'ic um off."
"For the same reason we can't just pull them over his head, you twit. Now go ask Milly for a small basin of water and a cloth."
Properly chastised, though still not really understanding (he was a Malfoy after all; if it couldn't be done with magic, it shouldn't be done at all), he quickly retreated to the bathroom to retrieve the requested items.
When he sat the small basin down beside Snape, he noticed that the older man had taken off his outer robes and rolled up both sleeves past the elbows. The change revealed his Dark Mark in all it's sinister beauty. Draco had always been fascinated with it- such a tiny thing so filled with dark arts magic- but his father refused to expose his own mark.
"Stop staring at my arm and help me, Draco."
Silver jerked up to meet ebony and the Malfoy heir flushed slightly as he turned his attention to the task at hand. Working quietly, the pair dampened and removed all the ragged clothing. The body underneath was in even worse shape than it's pungent aroma had indicated.
With knowledgeable hands, Sev made a quick survey of the surface injuries. He lifted one arm to reveal a broken rib bone that had punctured the skin and been left unhealed and untended. The surrounding area was a mottled angry red and sickly green- the sight and smell of which had Draco rushing to the bathroom to lose his all too recently eaten lunch.
He reappeared a moment later, muttering a cleaning spell to wash out his mouth, just in time to see the lightening bolt scar revealed as the Slytherin head pushed back the tangled mop of hair to check for head wounds. "Bloody hell."
Snape spared him but a glance as he continued with his examination. "If you can't stomach this, then how do you plan on becoming a Death Eater? I assure you that you'd be called upon to see and cause a great deal worse things."
"The Dark Lord did this?" The sick feeling that had sent him running just minutes before was churning around in his stomach again. Harry Potter was a damned good wizard. Better even than Lucius Malfoy, a fact that the man's son would never admit anywhere but in the privacy of his own head. If the creature could do this.... Draco almost disgraced himself again at the thought of what it could do to him, should he ever displease it.
But the Potion's master was shaking his head. "No. While certainly capable of it, Voldemort wouldn't have left him alive. Revealus. " The tip of his wand glowed as he cast the examining charm and moved to check the Boy Who Lived -barely- for internal injuries. Whatever he found mustn't have been encouraging. Worry and anger mingled on his face, the expression reminding the boy watching him of a thunderstorm. "No. This was worse, I think. That Muggle cousin of his and his bully boxing buddies. One of them was practically wetting his drawers to tattle out the others in exchange for leniency."
"He let Muggles do this to him?" Draco was quickly re-evaluating his opinion on Potter's wizarding skills, if he hadn't even been able to stop a few feeble Muggles. "Pathetic."
Those dark eyes were piercing as Snape glared at him. "His wand was locked away and there was still a recent letter threatening expulsion should he use magic away from Hogwart's again. The Muggles in question make Crabbe and Goyle look small and yet none of them were without their own injuries. He hardly stood idly by and let them do anything, Draco."
There had been rumors, of course. Rumors of wandless magic, of a power not seen since Dumbledore. The Slytherin had dismissed them all. Potter might be the darling of the Wizarding World, but he'd never been that special.
Only... Apparently he was. Which begged the question of why the wizarding world wasn't taking care of their golden boy.
"Well, then why didn't he ask Dumbledore for help sooner?"
The question went unanswered as Potter whimpered and the air around them grew thicker and became stifling. "Bloody hell," the man muttered as he searched through the vials Tiddly had set out. "Get back for a moment, Draco."
"Sir?"
"What? You've suddenly lost your ability to understand simple English? Get back."
Annoyed at being ordered about like a child, Draco obeyed, but only to a degree. He took a few steps back but refused to budge further. Snape just rolled his eyes at the boy's petulance before turning back to the form in the bed.
Potter was growing steadily more agitated and the atmosphere inside the room was reflecting that.
The pair of Slytherins jerked back in surprise as fevered emerald eyes snapped open to stare blankly at them.
"Potter?" Keeping his voice low, Severus raised his hands as if to show the boy that he intended no harm. "Can you understand me?"
For a long moment, the Gryffindor simply stared at him, not seeming to comprehend anything at all. Then his eyes flashed a bright glowing green that bore an eerie resemblance to the Killing Curse and Draco found himself flying backwards as if an invisible hand had reached out and swatted him away.
From his position on the floor, he saw Snape trying to force a potion down his yearmate's throat and then darkness was all he knew.
~*~*~
The first thing Draco became aware of was the throbbing in his skull. His head felt like a small fleet of Cornish pixies had taken up residence and were doing their bi-annual mating dance. Noisy, horny little buggers Cornish pixies were.
"Is Master Draco awake yet?" The insistent poking of a small finger on his shoulder made him squint his eyes open a fraction so that he could properly glare at the house elf that was disturbing him. While the Snape elves were not as well trained as the Malfoy ones, they were still smart enough to know to get out of the way when that particular look was leveled at them.
It disappeared, he assumed to go tell its Master that he was awake. The soft murmur of voices from behind the bathroom door caught his attention and he wasn't at all surprised when his host came through. He was a bit surprised that the man was back in his cloak, but gave it little thought. His mind was a little preoccupied with another matter.
"What was that?"
Snape arched one eyebrow in question.
"That; the glowing eyes and knocking me on my bum just by looking at me. What was that?"
There was a malicious glint in the potion master's eyes as he took a seat next to Draco's bed. "That was bloody amusing, is what that was." The blonde scowled in annoyance, but Sev got serious quickly enough on his own. "Apparently Mr. Potter is a tele-empath." He elaborated at his student's confusion. "You know how magic meld's itself to certain groups of people, yes?"
"Of course, Professor. I may have slept through Magical Theory at school, but that doesn't mean that my father hadn't already drilled it into my head." Really, what was Snape thinking? All pureblood children knew the basic principles of magic; they were practically teethed on it.
He knew all about how the body of a wizard had to have a strong enough constitution to hold onto magic properly - that was how some purebloods ended up as squibs while Mudbloods like Granger ended up far more powerful than they had a right to be. Some bodies were just born with a stronger immunity to the disease known as Muggleism.
"Some wizards have an even deeper connection with their magic. It pervades their bodies, minds, emotions, and their very essence. They are, in a way, the purest forms of magic that human beings can be. The magic will flare automatically with their emotions because it feeds itself from them. The more agitated or upset such a wizard or witch becomes, the more dangerous because their magic will reach out to do away with the perceived threat and you'd never know what hit you because it's a force you can't see. . They can also use their magic and emotions to influence those around them. Voldemort and Dumbledore are two that you've known. Grindlewold, Merlin, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff were some others. Haven't you ever wondered why everything inside you is so dark and hateful when you're around Voldemort and yet, everything is calm and almost peaceful around Dumbledore? You may not like or agree with either of them, but in their presence, you're affected by their magical auras. Potter is the same, only completely unaware and untrained. His own aura reacts from instinct rather than intent. Because of the things he's been through recently, he considered having two men so close to him a threat and his magic threw you back."
That made a little sense, he supposed. He still had plenty of questions, but Severus was already feeling around his skull. A few 'hmms' and 'huhs' later, he was pronounced fine. "You'll live. I imagine you'll have a headache for a while though, and I'm out of pain relieving potions at the moment, so try to stay still."
"How long was I out for?"
"Only a couple of hours. Long enough for the house elves and I to finish up with Potter."
Draco sighed in relief. If they were done, then Sev would hardly need his help further. The younger aristocrat had never cared for the ill, the injured, or the elderly. He'd rather kiss a Mudblood than have to deal with any of the three.
"Draco..." The man at his bedside shifted uneasily. "I don't want this to get back to Voldemort or Dumbledore. I've already taken steps to make it appear as though the boy is still at his relative's home. Now I must ask that you tell no one that he is here."
Bringing one hand up to inspect his nails, the blonde wondered at what to do with the golden opportunity that had fallen into his lap. The futures of both Harry Potter and Severus Snape rested in his hands. The Dark Lord would undoubtedly reward him greatly if he turned them over to the Death Eaters. His father had known Sev was a spy for the Order for years and had, for his own reasons, never let on to anyone but his family. The potion master had always had a ready excuse for being unable to perform his duties as a loyal servant of darkness, but harboring Potter would give him away once and for all. A traitor and the Boy Who Lived, oh yes, You Know Who would definitely love to get his hands on the pair.
He could rat them out to Dumbledore. The old coot would probably send Potter right back to his Muggle relatives and Draco could have the peaceful summer vacation learning potions that he'd planned on in the first place.
That option was quickly discarded. Despite the personal issues he had with Potter, the boy was still a wizard and a mostly pureblooded one at that. Whatever else Lucius Malfoy had to say about James Potter, he'd never even hinted that the man's family tree was anything other than impeccable despite the common last name. And Lily Evans' grandmother had been a squib. No wizard, not even a Weasley, deserved to die at the hands of a Muggle. When Potter died, it would be at the hands of a fellow wizard.
Or he could sit on it and milk their gratitude for all it was worth.
"Of course, Severus. I wouldn't dream of it."
The suspicious look cast in his direction warned him that Snape probably had an inkling of why he was agreeing, but Draco couldn't bring himself to care. His luck was just getting better and better these days.
"I'm sure you'll tell me what your silence will cost Potter and I when you feel like it." He only smirked in response. The hook nosed man just sighed. He knew his students well enough. "I thought so. Fine. Just leave Potter alone for the moment." Sev stood up, his cloak swirling around him.
Draco shuddered. "Don't worry. I hardly intend to go near him anytime soon. I don't exactly enjoy being tossed about like a rag doll, you know?"
"I've given him a draught that should help control his powers until he heals up and feels safe enough not to go around throwing you into walls, so he should be safe enough to be around. I simply don't think he's strong enough emotionally or mentally to deal with your tormenting right now."
"Severus! You wound me." Slim aristocratic fingers clutched the fabric over the general vicinity of his heart. "Why ever would you accuse me of such horridness?"
The older man snorted. "Please. Stick to potions, Draco. Acting is not your strong suit." The parting shot was delivered over his shoulder as he turned and left the room.
For several long minutes, Draco simply stared straight up and contemplated the draperies on his bed. It was a lovely shade of green and silver, but hardly enough to hold his interest for long. Soon enough he was thinking about the boy in the next bedroom.
Still smarting from being ordered about like a house elf or a particularly naughty child and from being so easily thrown back by Potter earlier, he was on his feet before his brain had even processed the thought.
Something he regretted bitterly as the room swam about nauseatingly and he was forced to grab a hold of the bedpost to keep from collapsing. "Okay," he muttered. "Slower next time. Slower is definitely better."
After a bit, he felt stable enough to move again. Slowly this time, he made his way across the room, through the bathroom, and into the current sanctuary of the Boy Who Lived.
Perching carefully on the edge of the bed, Draco took a moment to notice the trunk and other belongings that had not been there before. Either Severus had gone back for them while he was unconscious, or more likely had used a ruducto charm on them and brought them with Potter.
A whimper from the figure on the bed brought his attention firmly back to Harry Potter. For a second, he thought that Snape's potion had failed. Then he noticed the small hand clutching at the rail thin side that had been wrapped in gauze and tape, but no shirt.
He grimaced in unexpected and unwanted sympathy. Breathing couldn't be all that comfortable for the other boy at the moment.
Draco's gaze wondered over all of Potter that he could see and felt the pity grow. Even cleaned up and tended, the Gryffindor looked like death warmed over. Three weeks worth of damage left to fester and rot. He wasn't at all sure that anyone other than Potter could have survived it. He'd seen a house elf with similar injuries before. His father hadn't allowed the thing to use any sort of healing spells or potions- only water to clean the wounds with. It had died of infection within a week or so(2).
Potter had looked as if he hadn't even been allowed that much. His relatives apparently didn't care if he lived or died.
And here Draco had thought the savior of the wizarding world had grown up in the lap of luxury wanting for nothing.
Obviously there was a great deal about Harry Potter that he didn't know.
His attention wandered back to the trunk again and he grinned.
A little snooping was in order.
Cautiously, Draco edged over to the trunk and with a whispered 'Alohamora' had it open(3). At first all he could do was gape at the shimmering fabric of the invisibility cloak. His jaw snapped shut. That explained a few things. The mudslinging at the Shrieking Shack back in fourth year for one, and how Potter had been getting around the castle unobserved for so long for another.
He settled it over his lap, amused at how his lower half disappeared suddenly, and turned his attention back to the contents of the trunk. There were a handful of those horrible Weasley sweaters and school robes. Underneath that, he found a wizarding photo album. Propping it up on his invisible legs, he flipped through it slowly. Mostly it had pictures of the Potter's and their friends before their death. Baby Harry was only in a couple of those. The back held the more recent pictures. The Holy Trinity in all their first year glory. Some of the Weasley family. Plenty of Quidditch pictures of the Gryffindors- Creevey's work no doubt. The very last page held a photo of Harry Potter, Remus Lupin, and the escaped fugitive Sirius Black.
"Bloody hell," he muttered. What in Merlin's name was Potter doing associating with his parents betrayers?
Dismissing the question for the moment, he set the album aside and dug through the trunk again. His schoolbooks had been subjected to a reducto charm and were piled into one corner. It didn't look like he'd thrown away a single book since first year. There were a few other things, wizarding cards, a broom servicing kit, a wand box, some quills, parchment and ink. Nothing of real interest.
He was tempted to mess with Potter's wand, but he'd heard stories about it and it's connection with the Dark Lord's and he didn't feel like tempting fate at the moment.
Instead, he reached down to the bottom where he found a stack of mail. He skimmed through the older stuff and then settled down to read all the correspondence for the summer. Perhaps now he could find out why Potter hadn't asked for help sooner.
What he read stunned him.
Harry,
While I am dearly sorry, I must remain firm. Your relatives home remains the safest place for you. Until Voldemort is vanquished, I see no other option.
I must also ask that you refrain from future use of magic until the school term begins again. I will not be able to prevent your expulsion should it happen again, and you would have to remain at the Dursley's until you reached your majority.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Order of Merlin
Now if that wasn't emotional blackmail, Draco was a Mudblood. It also explained why Potter hadn't hexed everyone after the first day. He knew the Boy Who Lived about as well as anyone and knew from personal first hand experience that a little thing like the Ministry of Magic was not enough to keep him from breaking a few rules. Albus Dumbledore threatening to leave him with his relatives apparently was.
Harry,
I am sure that given the proper motivation you can prevail over such bullies as your cousin and his friends. Do not be discouraged by a few setbacks.
I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to spend the summer at the Burrow. Not only is it dangerous for you, it is also dangerous for them. After all, wasn't Cedric killed simply for being with you?
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Order of Merlin
The blonde fumed. Who the hell did Dumbledork(4) think he was? As Potter's chief rival, he was the only one who had the right to throw Cedric's death back in the Gryffindor's face. And Draco hadn't seen the Muggles in question, but Snape had described them all as quite large. Bigger than Crabbe and Goyle even! How the hell was puny little Potter, who was still as small as a third year, supposed to fight against that without magic and win?
Glowering at the stack of letters, he picked another up and continued.
Dear Harry,
Look, I'm sure things are just terrible, but if Dumbledore says you're safer there, then he's probably right. He knows what he's doing. Besides, 'Mione is staying for the summer and we've just started going out. No offense mate, but I'm sure you understand that we want to be alone, right? Just threaten the whale and his friends with Sirius. I'm sure they'll quit bullying you then. I just can't ask Dad to bother the Headmaster.
Your friend,
Ron
ps. I sent 'Mione's letter back to you. Sorry, but the way you worded it, you know she'd just freak out. Please don't write again until after your birthday, all right?
Some friend, Draco thought, quickly reading over Harry's own desperate sounding plea to Granger that had been folded up in the redheads reply. Weasley sounded as if he couldn't care less that his best friend was being beaten on a regular basis. And the disgrace had blocked Potter from getting help from the Mudblood as well. Obviously the raven haired Gryffindor would have been loads better off if he'd done the sensible thing on the train that day back in first year. His own Slytherin friends were a tight nit group and would have gone rushing to the defense of any one of the others regardless of what they might be doing.
The next letter was both better and worse. It was difficult to read in some places where tearstains had caused the ink to run. And it sort of explained the picture with Black.
Dear Harry,
I'm so glad to hear from you. I've been trying to reach you by owl since you woke up from your coma, but Albus kept sending the letters back saying that you were still too weak to hear the news. I mean no disrespect to the Headmaster but I don't think he gives you the credit you deserve. Besides, this isn't the sort of thing that should be left for later.
Harry, I hate to have to tell you this in a letter, but I'm afraid your sacrifice that day in the glade was in vain. After you lost consciousness, Siri carried you to the port key Peter had dropped while I gave cover. A final curse struck him just as the key was activated. It was so sudden. One moment he was alive and well and the next we were all in a heap on the doorstep of the Three Broomsticks with you unconscious and him... dead.
Albus sent me right out on another mission which is why I wasn't there when you awoke. I didn't even get to go to Siri's funeral, and although Albus assures me that he's buried in the family plot, I wish I'd been allowed to make the arrangements. He would have wanted to be laid to rest by James and Lily, not near his blood family.
About your situation, please be strong. I am going to see Albus this afternoon. My home can be given the same wards as your relatives and here you won't have to worry about harm from your cousin. Besides, I think we both need each other right now. We've both just lost someone very dear. Please don't forget that your godfather loved you very much.
I'll owl you as soon as I'm able to find out where you are from the Headmaster.
Love,
Remus
Obviously that hadn't gone as planned. Another letter from the Headmaster gave the explanation and another threat.
Mr. Potter,
I hear you've been telling tales. Please do not attempt to write anyone else with your outlandish stories of abuse. I've cast an enchantment over your home. All owls you send will come straight to me and only my own and Hedwig will be able to get to you.
I strongly suggest that you spend the rest of your summer reading your schoolbooks.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Order of Merlin
Dumbledore had as good as called Potter a liar as well as left him a virtual prisoner. And if his letters to the Headmaster were anything like the one to his friend, then the old man couldn't help but know that things were bad there.
There were a handful more, but they were all about the same. Only the last one was any different.
Snape will bring you the healing potions tomorrow. Do not bother trying to seek his help in any other manner. We both know he isn't fond of you.
Dumbledore.
The youngest Malfoy was downright furious.
Not only had Dumbledore intended to leave a wizard in the hands of Muggles who were killing him, blackmailed the same wizard, and kept him prisoner, he'd insulted Severus!
Sev wasn't exactly the sort of person to play nice with students, and calling his feelings for Potter a lack of fondness was certainly the understatement of the century, but according to Lucius, the man had never been fond of harming others- even when it got him in trouble with You Know Who. These days, he certainly wasn't going to turn his back on someone in so much obvious danger.
Even if it was Potter.
~*~*~
Striding as fast as he could without aggravating his own head injury, which really wasn't all that fast at all, the blonde sought out his mentor.
"I don't like him, Severus. I never have. But nobody deserves this," Draco held up the stack of letters he'd snooped through. "Not even Potter."
The level of betrayal that had been splayed out on those pages boggled the mind. And people said it was supposed to be the Slytherins who'd stab you in the back as soon as they would look at you.
The Slytherins had nothing on the Gryffindors.
Snape arched a dark brow. "I thought I told you to leave Potter alone."
With a shrug, Draco tossed the letters onto the professor's desk. "He never even knew I was there."
Sighing, Severus toyed with the letters briefly before turning to stare out the window into the darkening sky. He sighed again. "I've owled Lupin. Potter will need someone around that is familiar and that he trusts in order to begin to heal emotionally. At the moment, the werewolf is the only person I trust to care enough about the boy not to let it out where he's at. He hasn't responded yet, but I imagine we can expect him within the next day or so."
Draco scowled and slumped down into his chair, something he'd never have done in front of his father. "I suppose that means you'll expect me to be civil to not just one, but two Gryffindors?"
A smirk met his glare. "Just use that Malfoy charm you never bother with." He added, more serious this time, "I don't want bloodshed in my home, Draco. And to be perfectly blunt, I really don't think Potter will be up to fighting with you again for a very long time, if ever. I fear that this time Albus has destroyed his little knight with his manipulations."
The image of a broken Potter would have been pleasurable, but impossible to picture only a few short days before. Even laid out in the infirmary at school, deep in an apparently magical coma, the Gryffindor Golden boy had always exuded a presence and confidence that seemed unbeatable.
Now Draco found his mind unable to imagine what life would be like without the irritating twit around to goad and fight with.
Disturbing as the thought was to admit, even to himself, it wasn't a life that looked at all appealing
TBC
~*~*~
Author's Notes:
Hullo! As always, I'd like to thank everyone for
their reviews. They're a big part of the reason I've been inspired to
write this as quickly as I have. So far I only have one vote against Sev
and Remus being a couple, but if they do, it still won't be for a while yet,
so... *shrugs* who knows? I may get a dozen people begging me not to do it
between now and then. ^_^;;
Please keep in mind that I have not read The Order of the Phoenix.
So nothing in this fic was in any way intended to reflect anything that happens
in it. (I had someone ask me about that, but no, haven't read it yet...
probably won't read it until it comes out in paperback and I can actually afford
to buy it)
Well, that's all for now. My wonderful beta, bluejeanbaby, left for
vacation today. So, there won't be any more parts out until she gets
back. She went above and beyond to get this part back just hours after I
sent it to her so that I could post it before she went away.
Thanks guys, and enjoy. Ja! NemKess
Notes to Reviewers:
louise4- that's a little complicated. yes, I suppose in the
strictest since of the word they are dictators. no, they aren't nearly as
bad as Ron and the rebels make them out to be.
Marie11- I think that despite the darkness that Harry does have inside
him, he's an intrinsically good person and very little would change that.
Also, I don't think Draco is so much evil as spoiled. He expects
everything to be exactly how he wants it and Harry frustrates him in that regard
quite frequently, making him more and more malicious as time goes on. Give
him what he wants (in this case power) and I think he'd be a lot easier to get
along with.
Ice Lupus- *blushes* Thanks for the compliment.
Everyone else- I'm writing as fast I as I can! Honest! ^_^ Thank you
for your wonderful reviews.
1) I can't remember exactly how the Quidditch Season played out in the books, so please bear with me if this isn't at all feasible.
2) Actually, this happened to a pet of mine once. The darn cat ran out into the woods and hid where I couldn't find it and take him to the vet. We found him dead from infection a week later. I cried and cried. :-(
3) Can't you just imagine that Draco would have absolutely no respect for another person's privacy? And I'm just assuming that he'd take his wand with him.
4) I have to give credit where it's due. I would never have
thought to call the old man Dumbledork without the review from michelle over on
ff.net. ^_^, so thanks!
