Chapter 28: Secret-Keepers
Remus couldn't quite comprehend what was wrong with him. His eyes were stinging, and when he wiped them, he saw blood on his hands. The pain, he could live with; he was no stranger to pain. But something else seemed wrong with him. Malfoy had done something to him, and now, he had to get the Slytherin up from the mud and try to drag it out of him. "Get up, damn you!" Remus growled as he shook Draco furiously. Eventually, Draco's eyes fluttered open, and he turned over and vomited again. While Draco was heaving, Remus looked over to Lestrange's body. What the hell was he going to do with that?
"What are you looking at?" Draco asked weakly as he tried to stand. "You killed him last night. Don't they watch you or anything?"
"In the confusion last night...I just had to fend for myself."
"Well, we can see very clearly how well that worked!" Draco spat, finally getting his legs to hold his body upright.
"What the hell have you done to me? I would have Transfigured Lestrange's body into something smaller to bury him, but I can't do that now! Why not? Did you do to me what you did to James and Sirius at the Quidditch game?" Remus demanded.
"Actually, it's worse. Much worse."
Remus fell silent. The first thing he was going to do when he got back to Hogwarts was tell Professor Dumbledore about what had happened. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say this, Draco held his hand up and said, "I know what you're thinking about doing, and if you do it, not only will you not get cured of what ails you, but I will make sure the entire school knows your secret. That you're a werewolf, and you're out of control, and you killed Lestrange last night. I'm sure his parents will love to see your ass nailed to a wall in Azkaban." Draco was still furious about the fact that Remus Lupin killed Lestrange instead of letting Draco do it, especially since he didn't know the whole story, but he had to be practical. Could he trust Lupin with his secret? "But if you agree not to mention this to Dumbledore or any other living soul, including your little gang, then I'll keep my mouth shut about you."
"I don't see how that's going to work," Lupin argued, "since it's not going to be long before someone notices that I'm not able to use magic."
"If you do exactly what I tell you, then you can be healed. And then we make the deal, Lupin. I help you, and you help me. That's the way we Slytherins do things. I hope that's what Gryffindors do too. I hope I can trust you," Draco said. "Agreed?"
Lupin gulped when Draco held his hand out. Feeling sick inside, and partially blinded by the blood in his eyes, he reached for Draco's hand and shook it. "Good," Draco began coolly. "First, we have to get rid of that!" He waved his wand, and Transfigured Lestrange's body into a pink rubber ball. Then, he made a spinning motion with it, and the ground under the bush formed a tunnel. He kicked the ball into the hole, and spun his wand in the opposite direction to bury the ball. His hand was burning from the wand's taint. "I'm going to have to do something with this wand..." he muttered.
"You seemed to have done the spell just fine," Lupin observed.
"Nevermind that. Let's get back to Hogwarts and get cleaned up," Draco ordered.
"Wait! You said you were going to heal me!" Lupin protested.
Draco thought about this for a second. Maybe he could heal Lupin, but he wasn't sure. It was weird how he could do the Breaking part so easily, but not the Healing part. Also, as he started to reach out with the power with his thoughts again, Draco noticed that the part that he'd squeezed seemed to dissolve. Someday, when he finally comes forward and puts the collar on, he'll be trained to heal people.
"I..don't think I know how to do it, but don't panic!" he told Lupin as he saw Lupin ready to bawl him out. "I know someone who can. We have to clean up and get to him, now come on."
They made it back to Hogwarts Castle as fast as they could manage. The wind which had been kicked up before grew much colder. Draco was glad it was dark; he knew he must have looked a sight if he looked even half as bad as Lupin did! "Wait, we can't go in through the front door," Draco fretted.
"Don't worry, I know another way. Follow me," Lupin told him. At least the many times that he and his friends explored Hogwarts from top to bottom was finally coming in handy. He led Draco to one of the many secret entrances that they had found into the castle, and felt some small satisfaction in seeing Draco's look of amazement.
"Can you get us to one of the prefect's bathrooms? I know a password that will get us in one," Draco asked him.
Lupin nodded. "This way." It was a small passage, and Draco had to stoop over while following Lupin in the dark. He would have used his wand to illuminate the tunnel, but he didn't wish to feel the pain of the wand's taint again, and it didn't seem like Lupin needed the light anyway. He knew his way around the school just fine.
They came out behind a statue of a large eagle with it's wings spread wide. "There's one of them," Lupin pointed. They both watched carefully to see if there was anyone coming, and when it was determined that the coast was indeed clear, they both scurried to the bathroom door. "Scrubbing Bubbles," Lupin whispered before Draco could open his mouth. The door opened, but to their dismay, there was already someone in the tub.
"Severus Snape," Lupin sighed in despair. Severus turned around and frowned deeply when he saw these two invaders. Especially since they were so filthy.
"What the hell happened to you two?" he asked in a very Professor Snape voice.
"Ah, you're just the person we wanted to see! Sorry we got so dirty, but sometimes, you've got to dig into the trenches..." Draco prattled while Remus fumbled for a towel to blot his eyes.
"Digging in trenches my ass! You're full of blood and so is he! Now I want to know what's going on right now! And don't give me any more of your excuses, just cut the shit and tell me why he's bleeding!" Severus demanded.
"Please Severus, you have to heal him. He's Burned himself out trying to defend himself against Lestrange," Draco said in a rush. "You need to heal him like you did with Professor Colton."
"Like hell I will! What makes you think I'm going back into a deep coma while trying to help this turd! And what do you mean, defending himself against Lestrange? You've seen him?" Severus demanded.
"Well, if you don't heal Lupin, I'm not telling you anything," Draco threatened.
"No way, I'm not going to go unconscious again. Uncle Aloysius already said he'd pull me out of Hogwarts if I don't manage to take my O.W.L.s!" Severus argued.
Lupin sunk down to the side of the huge bathtub. "Severus, I'm begging you to help me. You're the only person who can restore me. You know that if the tables were turned, despite our animosity towards eachother, I would look past that and help you," he said softly.
"Are all of you Gryffindors this stupid? I just said that even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't..." Severus snapped.
"Severus, I don't think that you'll go into a coma. Remember, you have that collar on your neck now. I'm sure that...people like you didn't used to go into a coma every time they healed someone. That would be just too impractical." Draco's reasoning seemed to have a small impact on Severus. His dark eyes glittered as he looked over to Lupin.
"Please, Severus," Lupin implored. Severus sneered, not because he wasn't inclined to help Lupin, but because he himself was so weak that he was feeling sorry for Lupin. After all, he was crying blood, for pity's sake! How could he not help him?
"You sure about this? He's not going to fuck up the rest of my school year, not to mention my birthday, with me healing him?" Severus demanded one last time. "Because if I wind up unconscious just one more time this year, I'll wind up in Bulgaria someplace. And I'll be really pissed..."
"Severus, just do it before I kick your ass," Draco growled impatiently.
Severus took a deep breath and gestured for Lupin to come forward. Lupin leaned as far as he could without falling into the bubbles. He held his hand up against Lupin's chest, like he had done with Professor Colton. But that was about the only thing that was similar this time around. The power flowed so easily that it seemed easier than thinking a thought, or taking a breath. And when it hit Lupin, it threw him back dramatically, but he did not pass out. As soon as he had started, it was over.
Draco had felt the surge, and he was fairly certain that others in the building must have felt it too, just like the last time. Thankfully, Lupin was fully alert, because he grabbed him and started heading toward the door. "Sev, you alright? We have to go!"
Severus had a very odd expression on his face. He was smiling, and not just any smile either. It was the kind of smile one has, Draco imagined, after having about a thousand orgasms at one time. He turned to Lupin, and saw a very similar expression on his face as well. He decided quickly that Severus was just about as alright as he was liable to ever get, and he dragged Lupin out fo the Prefect's bathroom.
"Where are we going?" Lupin wondered aloud.
"Somewhere they can't find us for a few minutes. How are you doing? Can you use magic again?" he asked quietly as they flew through the halls. As if to answer, Lupin raised his wand and iluminated the hallway. Draco finally stopped holding his breath, because he had been scared that Severus hadn't actually healed him. But Lupin was healed.
"Is there another Prefect's bathroom nearby?" Lupin asked. "We've got to get cleaned off!"
"No kidding...What time is it?" Draco asked as he looked at his own watch. It was eleven-forty five. "Let's get to the Astronomy Tower first," Draco suggested, and he immediately saw the look of doubt on Lupin's face. He could understand why. Could they even make it to the Astronomy Tower before midnight? They needed a place to hide for a short while, just a few minutes really. The last thing he needed was to get Dumbledore catching them looking like they did; full of blood and dirt from the Forbidden Forest. Lupin's damage was healed, Lestrange was dead, and there was no need to keep up this nonsense with worrying about getting caught being an uncollared Breaker. He had a plan, and it involved Lupin.
Meanwhile, Severus hummed to himself in the bath while he lolled in the warm, soapy water. He was quite mellow, even when Professor Dumbledore stormed into the Prefect's bathroom, even when James Potter followed him in too.
"Severus, what did you just do?" Dumbledore demanded.
"Washed behind my ears," Severus answered dreamily.
"What happened to him? I've never seen him like this," James said in a confused tone.
"He's done a Healing, I think. I'd have to check with my sources, but I think that now that Severus has a collar on him, he won't go into a coma after a healing, but a euphoric state," Dumbledore answered softly.
"Why is he wearing that collar, anyway? And who did he have to heal?" James asked Dumbledore.
"As for the first question, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say exactly why Severus must wear that collar, only that he must. As for the second question..." Dumbledore bent down and picked up a white towel with the Hogwart's crest on it. Along with the crest were blood stains. "Severus, who was bleeding?" he asked him.
"Hmmm... Draco Malfoy. I remember Draco Malfoy came in here not too long ago. I can't remember much else. Except he was really dirty. He probably came in here to wash up, but found me in here." James watched Severus with wide eyes. He was being so pleasant and so agreeable!
"Did you Heal someone tonight, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Let's just assume that he did. Malfoy came in here. Did you heal Malfoy? Was he bleeding?" James asked.
"I...don't remember." Severus sank back into the water. He could dimly remember Remus Lupin being in the bathroom as well, but maybe he actually dreamt it. Malfoy was yelling about Lestrange, he recalled that much. "I think it might have had to do with Lestrange. I think they found him! That's what it was!" Severus said.
"They? Who's 'they' Severus?" James asked.
"Malfoy and Lupin, I think. They found Lestrange and...Oh, damn it I can't remember!" Severus growled in frustration. His euphoria was completely dissolved, and now he wanted nothing more than to get out of the bath and find Lestrange himself so that he could end this nightmare.
But Dumbledore and James Potter were already ahead of him. They were on their way out the door. "Severus, please relax and finish your bath. Don't worry, we will find Malfoy and Lupin tonight if we have to take this castle apart brick by brick. If they are in danger because of Lestrange, we must get them out of it. Mr. Potter, you may wish to find Mr. Black to aid you in the search," Dumbledore suggested. Potter nodded and went in a different direction.
When they both left, Severus pulled himself out of the bathtub. He was disgusted with himself for lying to Professor Dumbledore. He remembered Lupin's bleeding eyes very clearly. How much did Malfoy have to do with it? What the hell was Lupin doing with him at all? Why was Lupin fighting Lestrange? He pulled on his robe, grit his teeth, and pulled out his wand. Lestange was a scourge that he was ready to destroy, as long as the opportunity came about. He prayed that it would.
"It's clear!" Draco told Remus. The Astronomy Tower would be used soon; the weekly observation of the planets didn't end even if there was no class that day. "We'll have to hurry."
"What are we doing here?"
"Lupin, have you ever heard of the Secret-Keeper enchantment?" Draco asked.
"I know a little about it. Are we going to cast the spell here, now? Am I going to be your Secret-Keeper?" Remus gasped.
"Yes, if you value your freedom, you are. You're going to keep your mouth closed about what happened tonight. The spell will make it easier for you. Right now, Dumbledore is hot on my trail. I'm hoping that this spell, once it's cast, will throw him off. You will wind up knowing everything that he wants to find out, only, once the spell is cast, he won't recall that he wanted the information. Do you follow?"
"I think so. But does that mean that you'll become a Secret-Keeper for me, too?" Remus asked.
"I don't know if that's a good idea. If we did that, then no one would know that you were a werewolf. You'd wind up doing who knows what next month; I wouldn't be able to control you." Remus nodded silently, if not a bit reluctantly. "Fine. Then let's get started." Draco held his wand into the air, the taint of the wand surging through his arm as he charged it with magic. A mist began to fill the room. He began to speak. "I charge Remus Lupin with being my Secret-Keeper."
A thin, inhuman voice filled the misty air. "The Secret Must Be Spoken."
Draco drew a deep breath and began. "My secret is that I am a Breaker. I will not wear a collar to keep from drawing upon my power until I have revenge against all those who have trespassed against me!"
The voice spoke again. "The Secret-Keeper must speak the secret."
Remus, trancelike, spoke the exact words that Draco had said. Then, the voice commanded, "A Seal Must be Placed on the Mist." Remus raised his own wand now. Draco began sending individual strands of magical power into the air from his wand. Each strand was one of four different colors. Beams of red light wove around beams of blue, and beams of yellow wrapped around them, while adding green crosswise. The strands formed a sort of weave like one would do on a loom. But there were gaps. When Remus sent some strands into the air, the threads of pure white light were meant to fill the gaps.
This process took some time, and even more concentration. Remus was sweating from the effort, and Draco's head began to pound again. But, in a few moments, the threads tightened themselves into a powerful weave, and it lowered over the two of them. Immediately, each one felt a subtle bond to the other. "It is done," the voice concluded. The mist dissolved.
"Well, I'm trusting you with a great deal Lupin! I hope I don't live to regret it!" Draco said, frowning slightly.