Chapter 15 School

The holidays drew to a close and Seamus could barely contain his excitement about returning to school. He was anxious to discover whether Draco would be returning. He hoped so. He hated to think what Draco would have to endure if he remained at home. Seamus missed the blond Slytherin and couldn't wait to see him again.

Seamus' enthusiasm was evident and his mother was not pleased. She knew exactly why Seamus was so delighted to be returning to school. No matter how hard her son tried to convince her otherwise, she could not believe that there was any good in Draco. In her mind Draco was only using Seamus. She could not believe that their relationship could result in anything other than pain for her son. The other boy had not even bothered to write to Seamus over the summer break. She believed that if Draco cared about her son as much as Seamus claimed he would have tried to make contact. Seamus still naïvely believed that Draco was avoiding him for his own safety. Mrs Finnigan felt helpless to save her son from the pain she feared was inevitable.

The night before he was due to return to school Seamus went to bed early. It was as if he believed that by going to bed early, the next day would come sooner. He fell asleep, thought of seeing Draco again ensuring he had pleasant dreams. His mother walked past his bedroom and peered in to see him asleep, pure contentment spread across his face. She shook her head in disappointment. If, no when, that other boy hurt her son, he would pay for it.

Draco was also anxious about the start of the school year, but for slightly different reasons. He did miss Seamus and wanted desperately to se him again, but he was unsure if this were going to happen. Neither of his parents had discussed his return to Hogwarts since the disastrous night he returned home. The only way he had been able to cope through the weeks he had been at home was to hope he would be able to see Seamus again at the end of it. He had been on his best behaviour the entire time. Never before had he striven so hard to please his father. He hoped desperately that if he were able to please his father than the man would believe Draco was becoming whom he wanted, and would allow Draco to return to school. He dared not broach the subject in case he angered his father. He was just going to have to wait. Tomorrow he would know for sure whether he would see Seamus again.

As Draco retired to bed that night, he toyed with his bracelet. He was surprised his father hadn't noticed it. For the first week he was home Draco had worn the trinket everywhere. But as time passed paranoia built within him. He knew if his father noticed it he would immediately realise the meaning of the ornament, and then there would have been trouble. Draco had taken to hiding the bracelet in his chest of draws. His father would never bother searching his bedroom, and the house elves would think it were just another piece of jewellery. They would not understand the significance of the snakes and lions, and they would never think to mention the item to Lucius. Draco had taken to only wearing the object when he was alone.

As he toyed with the circlet he thought about Seamus. He would do anything to be able to see the Gryffindor again. It terrified Draco to think that he might never see the other boy again. When he woke up tomorrow he would know for certain whether he would return to Hogwarts. He fell asleep, dreading the possibilities.

When Seamus arrived at platform 9 ¾ the next day he scanned the platform vainly, looking for sign of Draco. It was hopeless; there were far too many people. Even if Draco were there, there was no way Seamus was going to be able to find him. Besides, if Draco were there Lucius would be there as well. Seamus didn't want to push his luck. He could wait until he arrived at school to go looking for his boyfriend. As Seamus boarded the train he felt his excitement building. He was going back to school. He was going to see Draco again. He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

When Draco awoke that morning he immediately knew something was wrong. At first he didn't know what it was. As his sleep induced haze dispersed, he realised what was wrong. There was too much light in his room. It must have been around half past ten. If he had been returning to school his mother would have ensured that he had risen long before now. He was not returning to Hogwarts. The realisation made his heart sink. He wanted to curl up and die. Instead he rose and trudged his way to breakfast.

He arrived at breakfast and took his usual seat at the far end of the table to his father. The usual morning greeting ensued. He dared not mention school. He refused to give his father the satisfaction of knowing he was depriving Draco of something he wanted. His father would only be pleased to know Draco was disappointed. As they finished breakfast Draco felt he could no longer avoid the subject.

"What will we be doing today?" he asked his father, hoping his tone sounded the same as it did every other day. "Yesterday you said you wanted me to work on my potions."

"You will not be doing that today. Today we will be preparing for a visitor we will be having tomorrow." his father replied impassively. He paused, waiting to see how his son reacted. "Lord Voldemort will be coming. As you are not going to be returning to school we have decided that now will be the perfect time for you to demonstrate your loyalties."

Draco froze in shock. If he hadn't been so stunned he would not have been able to keep the fear from his expression. After a moment he nodded his head in agreement. If his father had noticed Draco's pause, he did not show it. Instead he smiled pleasantly at his son. Draco found it ironic that the one thing he would ever do that would impress his father, was the last thing he would ever want to do. He felt trapped. He would rather die than become that. One small rational part of his brain told him that that was what it might come to.

As the Hogwarts Express headed towards Scotland Seamus managed the find the carriage inhabited by Harry and Ron. As time passed Seamus' anxiety grew. When Ron headed off to the bathroom Seamus cornered Harry. He questioned the other boy about whether he had seen Draco b Harry just shook his head.

"Do you think Lucius found out about the pair of you?" Harry asked. Seamus shrugged. He did not know what to think. "If Lucius wanted the truth I don't think there is anyway Draco could lie to him." Sensing the torment this caused his friend Harry changed his viewpoint. "You know it might be nothing. We may have just missed him at the Station. And it's not as though either of us has gone looking for him since we boarded the train. Maybe you are just worrying about nothing."

Seamus nodded. He hoped Harry was right. He didn't think he could cope with the alternative. He knew life would be hell for Draco if he was left in the charge of his father. Seamus knew Lucius would have no moral qualms about breaking the spirit of his own son. Lucius would do anything to get what he wanted. Seamus spent the rest of the train ride brooding, worrying about the safety of his boyfriend.

Seamus arrived at school and headed for the Great Hall for dinner. He took his seat at the Gryffindor table and watched as the other students filed in. He watched as each person took their seat. As the hall filled Seamus became concerned that he had not yet seen Draco. When the flow of people stopped Seamus looked across at the Slytherin table. Draco was not there. Dumbledore began the sorting ceremony and Seamus heart sank. The Sorting Ceremony was never started until all students had taken their seats. Draco was still not there. Something had to be wrong. Lucius could not have possibly found out about him and Draco, could he? Seamus tried to shake the thought from his head. When the sorting ceremony had finished Seamus rose quietly and walked outside to get some fresh air.

Outside he ran into Snape. Seamus did not like the man, but if anyone knew what had happened to Draco, he would. He approached the professor and received a bone-chilling glare.

"Excuse me Professor," Seamus began, trying not to allow his discomfort show "I noticed that Draco Malfoy was not present at dinner. Would you know where he is?" Snape glared at the boy for a while before responding.

"His father has decided to home school him. You of all people should have realised that." Fear for the other boy developed in Seamus' eyes and only served to increase Snape's anger. "It is a little late for you to show concern now. You should have thought about the consequences of your actions long ago. You were warned to stay away from Malfoy but you did not listen. You were aware of what would happen to him if you did not stay away, but, as always you showed no regard for the welfare of others. You selfishness astounds me. Even now you are surprised that all this has happened. It is time you were held accountable for your actions. Draco Malfoy is in this situation and you are solely responsible."

Snape turned and left disgusted. As Seamus watched the man's retreating back the words sunk in. Seamus' stomach knotted as he realised every word of what the Professor had said was true. Draco was in a lot of trouble, and Seamus was solely responsible.