Blood of a Malfoy
Chapter 4
The Confession
A/N: Sorry for the long wait folks.
Somehow, even in his emotional state, Harry remembered to put the glamour back on himself before he reached Gryffindor Tower. It was only later, long after he had gone to bed that he realized that magic should have been impossible with that golden menacle around his wrist.
He didn't sleep that night. Voldemort was on the forefront of his mind, along with some of his more pressing issues. The Dark Lord was like a looming figure standing at the edge of his consciousness, threatening him with dreams and visions if he tried to slip away into oblivion.
And then there was the fact that his secrets had been revealed tonight, after all the effort he had put in to keep them. Somehow, and he still wasn't sure how, Snape had seen through his mask. All those years of hiding it had been wasted in a couple precious minutes. And not only did Snape know, but so did the Headmaster, the one person who he would have least liked to have knowledge of this.
He felt violated. They had abused his trust really, using the Veritaserum on him. It was not a fair or a just thing to do. He felt so angry at all three of them, and then thinking further, he found that he couldn't truly be angry with Malfoy. Out of the three of them, Malfoy was the only one he could find blameless.
The blond had had not say in the situation, and had in fact tried to help Harry, tried to save him from Snape's interrogation, at least at the end. And earlier, he had tried to comfort Harry. He really couldn't begrudge the boy.
Harry thought it odd that with all this emotional turmoil, his thoughts should be focused on Malfoy. But still...something about the way the Slytherin had acted tonight....perhaps there was still the possibility for some form of friendship deep within.
What Harry was most concerned with was what would happen now. Now that they knew they wouldn't just keep silent. And besides that, Harry was severely injured and needed desperate help. He just wasn't willing to ask for it. He didn't really want it. But Snape had seen what he looked like, and so had the headmaster. They wouldn't just continue to allow things to go on as they had before.
The next morning, after a sleepless night, Harry had decided that he would just go with the flow. After finally giving up on sleep and going down to the common room, he found Ron and Hermione anxiously awaiting him, demanding to know where he'd been last night. He just shrugged it off.
"Snape assigned me a detention last night, you know. Something about talking back to him or some such thing, who ever knows with Snape?" he had said, successively disinteresting them.
They had skipped breakfast and gone through most of their morning classes, with Harry somehow avoiding making any spells, and now Harry stood by Hermione outside the Potions room door. She was flipping through her Potions book, speculating what they would be making today while Harry was trying to control the shaking that had taken over his body.
Just at that moment, Snape and Malfoy decided to appear. Surprisingly they didn't say anything and just went inside, followed a few seconds later by the Gryffindors, and then a few minutes later by the rest of the class.
"Today we will be making Wolfsbane. Direction are on the board, get to work," Snape snapped just as usual and settled down at his desk grading papers.
Malfoy said nothing as he handed Harry ingredients and stirred the potion, at least not until he noticed the shakiness in the other boy's hands.
"It's all going to be all right Potter," he said, almost gently. "Calm down you're making me anxious to." And with that he touched the Vampyr's hand softly and a little ball of blue light zapped into Harry's body, calming him, soothing his nerves.
The rest of class passed smoothly enough, and at the end the two produced an adequate amount of the Wolfsbane. Harry was thinking he had made it home free when fate decided to make it's call.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy stay after class," Snape commanded as everyone was packing up.
Harry was fully prepared to ignore him and follow Hermione out, when he felt Malfoy's hand on his shoulder, pulling him back in. He was going to shake him off but the Veela's touch was calming, he wondered if it would be that way with all magical creatures.
"Sit down please," Snape said, standing up. Reluctantly Harry complied, Draco sitting down beside him.
"Draco will be undergoing his transformation in five days Mr. Potter. As you know, you are required to be there when he undergoes this. As we do not know at what precise time it will happen, you will need to be with him for the entire day. You will both be excused from classes. Is that all understood?"
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
"Very well, then Mr. Malfoy if you would please leave us."
Malfoy stood up and then sat back down. "I don't think that's such a good idea sir."
Snape sneered at his godson. Didn't Draco realize that he was going to talk to Harry about his injuries now? Then again...the blond wasn't stupid, and he was afterall, a Veela, and able to monitor emotions. Perhaps he should remain. Severus nodded his consent.
He had been worried about the Gryffindor all day long. The boy hadn't shown up for breakfast, even though he was still so obviously undernourished, and when he saw him in the halls, the boy was as normal as ever. It wasn't healthy. After the emotional trauma of last night the boy should be breaking his appearance. It just wasn't normal.
"Mr. Potter," Severus said, trying to be gentle. "I will need to assess the injuries you sustained from your relatives abuse."
That was all that he needed to say to see the boy's resolve break. Potter's breath started to come in short gasps, and he was shivering. Draco placed a finger on his shoulder and after a couple moments the boy seemed to relax. Severus decided that having Draco stay was definitely a good idea.
"Why?" the boy's voice was raspy. Severus was confused.
"In order to heal them of course," the professor answered.
"I don't want them healed," the boy's voice was adamant. Severus was in shock, so was Draco from the look on the boy's face.
"And why exactly is that?" somehow Severus managed to keep his voice neutral.
"They are reminders," Harry's voice was soft this time. He was speaking almost to himself. Severus' breath hitched.
"Reminders of what?"
"Nothing." And all of a sudden the Gryffindor had sealed back up. Inwardly Severus swore.
"What do they remind you of Mr. Potter?"
Harry looked him in the eye. "Nothing sir."
Severus had very little patience for dishonesty. He also knew that sometimes the best way to help an abused person recover was to make them relive the experience. Sometimes, in order to be the rescuer, one must act as the oppressor.
In his mind, Severus knew that by acting as the villain, he would help the boy to recover, but in his heart Severus really didn't want to be the bad guy. Sometimes the needs of many outweigh the needs of one, Severus thought to himself.
Harry Potter was critical to the lives of millions of people. He was, as the prophecy had said, 'the power the dark lord knows not'. Severus was important to the war effort but his feelings were not. So in that instant Severus made his decision.
Slamming his hands on the boy's desk, he roared in the Gryffindor's face, making the boy slide back and cower, hands up in front of him. "WHAT ARE THEY REMINDERS OF?"
Immediately the answer came, a small trophy, "Of the fact that I'm a freak. All right? That I'm a whore. That I'm abnormal. That I don't deserve to be treated as a human being. And the irony of this all is I'M NOT A FREAKING HUMAN BEING."
In that answer there was a mixture of both fear and anger, and it gratified Severus. Draco was giving him a look, but Severus knew that Draco understood what Severus had to do. The boy was a Slytherin after all.
Severus grabbed the boy's hands, holding them tightly as the boy fought his grip and then pulling up his sleeves. "And these?" he asked, indicating the small cuts.
"My own trophies," Harry muttered bitterly. Severus smiled humorlessly.
"Did you enjoy it then Potter?" he asked maliciously, hating himself for every word he was saying. "Did you enjoy it when the carved that disgusting word into your back? Did you enjoy it when they called you a freak? When they starved you? When they locked you up like an animal?" Severus released the boys hands.
"I AM an animal," Harry said, sobbing now, into his hands. Draco was looking nervous, high strung. It was obvious the Veela didn't know what to do.
"YOU ENJOYED IT DIDN'T YOU POTTER?"
Harry shook his head in shame. "No, no," he mumbled. "I hated it, I hated every minute of it. I hated it when he tied me up, when he didn't let me eat, when he stuffed me in that cupboard, when he slid that broomstick up my..."
He trailed off, horrified at himself. Severus could tell where it was going though and was horrified in his own right. It was obvious that boy had been abused in more than one way, and that the damage would have to be dealt with.
"Will you let me heal them?" Severus asked, softly now. He was done being the bastard, he had gotten out of the boy what he had wanted.
"Yes," Harry said.
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