Part Six of

Something To Sleep To

He walked alone in the halls, his wand held out in front of him and lit at the end. He barely slept anymore, his mind haunting him with thoughts of unfinished adventures, regrets, and lost love. His dreams were nightmares, terrors in which he suffered the things he had subjected innocent people to. The halls of the stony building gave a sort of comfort in familiarity. It was the same routine he'd followed every year he had been here when he couldn't sleep. The things he'd seen on his night walks were familiar in themselves, too. Students sneaking out to visit friends from other houses, couples sneaking out to find an empty classroom to snog in, kids thinking that they could pull off a fabulous prank that would make the Weasley Twins jealous. This form of night reality became more real to him than his classes and lack of social life, where all he would do was act as though he still felt human.

Had he ever really felt human?

Born to a life of rich snobs, social alcoholics, and darkness, he was surrounded by the very thing he'd become; a cynical man with more than enough money he could ever spend and no friends. Definitely no lover. He wondered sometimes if that would ever change. Doubtful that any woman would ever truly want him, and even more doubtful that he could ever stand a woman for that long.

But sometimes, he felt lonely. Like a normal person.

But this past year, the last year with Wonder Boy and the last male Weasley and that insufferable know-it-all and Draco had been the most interesting year he'd ever witnessed, even in his days as a Death Eater.

Draco Malfoy was the son he never had. He was forced to, being so close to the boy's father. Him and Draco were kindred spirits, both presenting a façade of being perfectly content with their high and might evil selves. Both were lonely. And both wanted nothing more than to be able to truly live their lives like everyone else. But with social obligation comes specific responsibilities. And they must play their part so that people like Harry Potter can play theirs.

Severus Snape was a very tired man.

Severus watched his (secretly) adopted son over the year and saw subtle changes in the boy. Draco seemed to find something new in life and discover that it wouldn't always be lonely. His eyes revealed joy now and then, when he'd see a girl that Severus was sure he'd never be formally introduced to. Draco softened around the edges. Severus wondered if the girl that the young boy had fallen in love with loved him back and if she was truly fitting of the name "Malfoy". Severus wondered if Draco cared.

As the professor watched the young boy turn into a young man, he knew that eventually that Draco too would leave him. They'd see each other once in a while, but their relationship that was once the saving grace for them would alter with the fall of Voldemort and the leaving of Hogwarts.

Snape's thoughts were disrupted as he saw a figure move up ahead in the hall. Tall and muscular, he could tell. Couldn't be a girl. Unless it was a Slytherin girl. For some reason, all Slytherin women looked slightly masculine. It was rare for a girl to be feminine in his house.

He extinguished his wand and walked in silence towards the other person. How could they have not seen him coming? Sneaking up on students misbehaving brought little joy to him, despite popular rumor, but it was definitely uplifting to watch students squirm under his stare. This particular student was sneaking into a classroom which hadn't been in use for years. He knew his stuff.

A closer glance revealed the student, and Severus's shock was none.

"Mr. Malfoy."

His head jerked towards the door.

"Professor Snape."

"Girl troubles, son?"

"Indefinitely, father."

Professor Snape took a seat at a table and motioned for Draco to do the same.

"Tell me what brings you out at this time of night."

Draco sat across the table from his teacher and now father. "You know Ginny Weasley, right?"

"I know everyone in this building. Of course I know Ginny Weasley. Pretty good at potions, a memory of History that could rival Granger's, and a certain luck with Charms that would even put you in your place. I also remember that she's a Weasley. And you are a Malfoy. What could you possibly have interest in her for?"

"She and I had a thing… It started out with sex, revenge on Potter and Granger, and ended with me in love… and her just in lust."

"Quite the role reversal, I believe."

"I know, it was unexpected." Draco dropped his face to his hands. "How could that happen? It should have been her to fall in love, and me to leave her crushed. Yet I'm the one acting like a five year old and threatening to tell everyone her dirty little secret if she doesn't come back to me." He looked up at his father. "But this dirty little secret just wants her back…"

"Well, I can't imagine why she'd ever want you. You're a Malfoy who's only ever gotten exactly what you wanted, who's been able to treat everyone with disrespect and no manners. She's a Weasley who's never gotten anything that she wanted, and even when the entire world laughed at her, she still treated everyone with compassion and a niceness that you could never pull off."

Snape looked at the boy in front of him and noticed the truth settling into his face. Severus was right, of course he was right. Draco was crazy for ever thinking that a girl like Ginny could ever feel anything more than lust for him. He was lucky for even that.

Severus's voice dropped to a whisper. "But if I remember correctly, when the beast fell in love with the beauty, she returned his love. And in the end, he became human, and the two lived happily ever after."

Draco laughed slightly. A muggle reference for a truly muggle like dilemma. Was Severus ever wrong? Was he ever anything less than knowledgeable?

A sound disturbed their silence from behind. The light was on, who would be stupid enough to come in? Unless it was another teacher. In which case they'd both be in trouble. Draco for being out after hours, Severus for letting him.

But it wasn't a teacher.

It wasn't anyone.

It was someone. It was Ginny.

Severus turned to his son, gave him a knowing look (Draco was unsure of exactly what it was that he knew), and then turned back to Ginny.

"Miss Weasley. Perhaps you're unaware of what time it is or just that there's a curfew. That'll be five points from Gryffindor." He stood up and walked to the door, and on the way out he turned and said, "I'll, uh, see you two in class. Goodnight."

Ginny stared amazed at the teacher she thought she knew. She stayed towards the door, half in the room and half out. "That's, uh, some pull you have with the teachers," she said slowly.

"I don't have that much pull with the teachers," he replied as he stood up. "Just him. He adopted me after the war. I've known him my entire life."

Ginny's face scrunched in confusion. "You never told me that."

"You didn't want to hear a lot."

She shook her head and sighed. "Please don't fight with me… I didn't know you were going to be here, but I can leave if this is how it's going to be."

"Relax. I'm not going to tell everyone about what happened between us. I'm just an asshole." He looked her over once. "But I guess you always knew that, didn't you?"

"But you liked me because you thought I did know the real you."

"I loved you, because you did know me. And I knew you."

Her eyelids veiled her eyes, deep breathes passing through her nose and throat. Her thoughts were trying to sort through everything that had happened that day.

"He won't date me anymore, because of you."

"Potter?" She nodded. "Like that's a loss."

"I know you hate him. You don't have to be such a jerk to him, though."

"I don't have to be so nice to you," he countered. "Why did you come here?"

She shrugged her shoulders. Because I miss you…

Draco's eyes bulged open, jaw dropped. "You just did it again."

"Did what?"

"You just thought something, and I heard it. What is going on with you? It seems like every time I see you these past few weeks you think something, and you deny that you ever thought it. Makes me want to strangle you. No one ever argues with me."

"Well, who can? You're so stuck up."

"I didn't mean to start another fight… I just want to know what is going on with you. A botched potion? Rotten spell? What?"

She shook her head and began to sob. Collapsing into a chair, her hand covering her eyes, she moaned, "I don't know, Draco. And I can't control it, either."

"Can't control what?"

"My telepathy."