8/12/05- This story has officially become AU per the release of HBP. The two sequels will also be AU to HBP. I hope you all don't give up on my story because of it.
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Summary so far: Draco has saved Hermione from the collapse of the ceiling in the great hall. Voldemort is using his blood connection to the school as a descendent of Slytherin to undo the foundation magic. The Slytherins 6th and 7th years are sent to live in Gryffindor tower until the dungeons are safe again. Draco and Blaise devise a plot using the synergist potion (which combines the drinkers minds and powers) to use multiple people to restore the foundation magic, and recruit Hermione to help brew by using the lifedebt she owes to Malfoy. While acquiring needed ingredients Blaise and Hermione run from Snape and end up having to pretend to be kissing so as to distract him from their crime.
Hermione catches a wizarding disease from Blaise and nearly dies, but is rescued once again by Draco- who she in turn saves from a vengeful Blaise when Narcissa insults Blaise's mother. Blaise abandons the project to save the Slytherin commons and leaves Hermione and Draco to brew the potion on their own. But Blaise's quick defeat of Draco and his strange affinity with fire leave yet another mystery for our famous boy who lived to solve.
Chapter Seventeen: Dawning
There were few things more breathtaking that watching the sun rise over distant frost kissed mountains, the casting of a glittering light upon the infinite chips of ice that covered the innumerable trees from the tallest tower of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. The effect was diminished for Hermione; however, by the presence of an extremely grumpy and half-asleep Draco Malfoy.
"Let's go," she cajoled, as she mounted Harry's firebolt. Grumbling something about damnable early risers and improper breeding, Malfoy straddled his own Nimbus 2001. They kicked off and rose into the numbingly cold morning air intent on the potion they'd left out to the elements the previous night.
Something, very much like the weight of a lifedebt, was prickling the back of Hermione's mind. She suspected it was the awakening potion, but couldn't be sure because of all the other things that filled her head like a tangible weight on her shoulders.
She was worried about the war, and Harry, who'd been growing increasingly depressed and withdrawn after every encounter with the Dark Lord. She was worried about her parent's safety and whether all the Weasleys, all of whom were or would be members of the Order of the Phoenix, would make it through alive. She was worried about her studies, and what she was going to do after school. She was worried about this stupid lifedebt to Malfoy that she was sure had permanently addled her brain and caused her to think of him in wholly unnatural ways, even if only unconsciously.
Her mind was occupied by the bronze skinned, red eyed boy whose despair was so palpable it sucked all the hope from the room like the presence of a dementor. Blaise had not been far from her thoughts since he'd left. As her unconscious-dreaming mind dwelled on the lifedebt between herself and Malfoy, her conscious mind pondered the lack of a lifedebt between herself and Blaise more and more. She wanted to do something to help him, but at the same time she realized it was not her place to barge into his life anymore. He'd been clear that he wanted to be left alone. There was, however, the fact that Harry often wanted to be left alone and had made attempts to push herself and Ron away. It was clearly unhealthy to allow someone who'd suffered trauma to be left alone- and a parents' divorce, while not as traumatic as watching a person die---
They touched down in the clearing they had left the potion in, and Hermione gasped as she remembered. This was the same clearing where they had their Care of Magical Creatures lesson about thestrals. In her class, there had been three people who were able to see the creatures. She knew the first was Harry and the second was Neville. There had been a third boy. She hadn't known his name then, but looking around the clearing she realized that the third person to raise his hand had been Blaise.
He had seen death, in addition to experiencing his parents' divorce.
"No wonder," she whispered in awe.
"No wonder what?" Malfoy snapped near by. He was clearly not a morning person. She turned to him.
"You grew up with Blaise didn't you?" she suddenly asked.
The effect was instantaneous. His face became a cold mask of apathy.
"Why are you asking?" he questioned back. Tension was evident in his voice and body language.
"I…" She decided to tell the truth. "I just remembered, just right now, that Blaise can see thestrals." Malfoy's eyes widened momentarily, then traveled around the clearing as he too remembered the significance of their location, before icing over into their usual glare of indifference.
"It's none of your business," he said coldly.
He drew his wand and cast a levitation charm on the cauldron. As soon as it had floated close enough to his person he kicked off again, leaving her behind without another word. The potion needed to be put back on the fire directly after sunrise.
Hermione took another look around the clearing.
"What happened to you, Blaise?" she asked herself. Then she too kicked off, resolved to find out.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Why are we doing this again?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Ginny entered the library.
"Because Hermione asked us to. Besides, aren't you curious?" asked Ginny. "I know I am."
"I'm just worried. I don't trust that evil sod as far as I can throw the castle," Harry said, and led they way to the appropriate book shelf.
"Which evil sod are you on about?" asked Ron, a slight quirk to his lips.
"There are too many to choose from these days aren't there?" Harry said absently, as he perused the row of books.
"Come off it! You two don't really think Blaise is evil do you?" Ginny questioned.
Both boys paused and turned towards Ginny with slightly pitying faces.
"It's just… no one is completely evil, and labeling someone as evil, well, that's not much of an incentive for them to do good, is it?"
They continued to look at her pityingly and slowly, her irritation was growing. "Anyone has the capacity for good and evil. Malfoy proved that this year twice, didn't he?"
"Not really," Ron said mildly. "He just did it to one-up us."
"Twice? Don't you think that's a little over the top even for Malfoy?" Ginny countered.
Harry frowned at the comment, and changed the subject by drawing a book from the shelf.
"The 1969 year book? Why do you want that?" asked Ron as he took in the cover.
"Morgan Sinistra. She looks like she's in her forties," Harry commented as he flipped through the pages.
Among the sixth years of 1969, there was a sixteen year old Morgan Sinistra.
"Merlin!" Ron muttered as he came round to look at the picture. "A M.I.L.F. if I ever saw one"1
"Ron! Have some respect! That's Zabini's mother!" Ginny said, making a face.
Harry had to agree with Ron, she was quite pretty.
The sixteen year old Morgan Sinistra, much like the current version, was beautiful in the way a predatory cat is beautiful. Her eyes were almond shaped, and her full curly lips were upturned in a feral smirk that seemed permanently etched on her high-cheeked face. She was much thinner as a girl. She had the type of looks one might immortalize in a statue, the like of which were seen in her homelands of Greece.
"Alright, let's begin. Ron, if you could pull a book on genealogy, please. Do you remember what clan Blaise said he was descended from when we had that discussion a couple days back?"
"I think I remember him saying something about the Deo-Taliesin clan."
"Right, well, we'll need to find out his ancestry." Harry said. "And Ginny…"
Ginny held up another year book, showing Harry the date of 1965 on it.
"He's not in here. No one by the name of Zabini." Ginny said, before Harry could ask questions. Harry smiled at her anticipation.
"If his dad is an immigrant, then he wouldn't have gone to Hogwarts," Ron pointed out.
"He should still be listed in a genealogy regardless," Harry said. Ron nodded and went off to find the appropriate book.
Harry turned back a few pages and found what he knew he would. Under the "M" section was a sixteen year old Lucius Malfoy. Now that Draco had grown his hair out, he looked to be an exact replica of his father at this age. Harry quickly turned to the memories section, where candid shots were published. What he saw made his eye brows disappear into his bangs.
"My God," muttered Harry.
Ginny replaced her own yearbook and came over to see what Harry was on about. She peered over his shoulder and caught sight of the full page photograph. Lucius Malfoy was standing, his arms around the shoulders of Morgan Sinistra. They both wore a wide smile on their faces. The picture was captioned: "Couple of the Year."
"They dated… Blaise's mum and Malfoy's dad," Ginny said perplexedly.
"If Narcissa was Lucius Malfoy's second choice, it would make sense that she'd be furiously jealous of Blaise's mum," Harry finished.
"That seems like a lot of hatred to be made from nothing but jealousy," Ginny commented.
"Here it is!" Ron called excitedly, approaching them and holding up an open book. "Morgan Sinistra married Matthias Zabini in 1972. She was twenty, he was…" Ron paused for a split second to do a mental calculation. "Blimey, he was thirty three!"
"What is she doing marrying someone thirteen years older than her?" Harry asked, incredulous.
"That's not uncommon among pure-bloods, actually," Ginny said. "Her parents might have set her up. Maybe she wanted to marry Lucius Malfoy, but her parents wanted someone else for her. I mean…" Ginny paused, looking uncomfortable. "There is the race issue, after all."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well, the Sinistras are Greek. Even though their family has been in Britain for ages, they've only ever intermarried with other Greeks. This Mathias Zabini, he might've been the only Greek in town." Ron supplied, his brow furrowing as he examined the genealogy.
"What else does it say about him? About the Zabini's?" Harry asked.
"Well, from the looks of this chart, Matthias Zabini was an immigrant. His line comes from off the page." Ron flicked a few pages, looking for where the line picked up again. "It's like he popped out of nowhere," Ron muttered, as he continued to search fruitlessly.
"Well, he must be pureblood, or it wouldn't even show him coming from a line," Ginny said.
"Wait a second," Ron said, his brows creasing in worry as he took notice of something he had not before. "Matthias Zabini, 1939 to 1992."
"He's dead?" Harry asked.
"Died in our second year." Ron nodded. "That's got to be rough, losing a parent," he said carelessly.
Ginny gave him a sharp tap on the back of the head.
"Ow! Wha-oh! Sorry, Harry, I mean, it's way worse losing them both of course… and STOP that Ginny, I wasn't having a go at Harry."
"It's alright. No need for all of that. It's not like I can remember my parents. I imagine its worse if you,… if you knew them." Harry looked away.
"This is all interesting," Ginny commented, in an attempt to change the subject. "But it doesn't tell us why Blaise can do what he does: the wandless magic and the immunity to magical contracts, for examples."
"Hermione said Blaise told her that wandless magic ran in his family. She told us to start with that, so we're trying," Ron said. "And this Matthias Zabini character seems to be the key to the mystery."
"It could start anywhere in his ancestry," countered Ginny.
"Or he might've lied," suggested Harry. "It might have nothing to do with his heritage at all."
"In which case, this," Ron said, while holding up the genealogy tree, "is a waste of time."
"Well, how on earth would we begin researching a topic like this?" Ginny asked.
"You lot really are sad," a voice called from the next row over.
The three Gryffindors looked through the stacks to see a smirking Pansy.
"How many mysteries did you solve, and you can't figure out something so obvious?" she taunted them with a raised eyebrow.
"What's sad is that you're tailing us 'cause your normal pursuit is busy making Hermione's life hell, and you've come to do the same to us," Ron stated coldly.
Pansy returned the comment with a very cold look, but then she smirked again as though she knew something they didn't.
"You know?" Harry asked. She simply smiled in reply. "No chance you're going to tell us, is there?" he continued in an annoyed voice.
"Let me see," Pansy said silkily, as she perused the rows of books nearest her. "Hmm, after the wonderful treatment you gave me yesterday? 'Weasley is our King,' followed by a roaring trade at my expense. I wonder…"
Harry looked away sheepishly. He had tormented her quite a bit yesterday after they'd all gone down from the boys' dorm. He found it immensely diverting to pick on Pansy in place of the singing of his fellow Gryffindors that normally protected him from the silence. Silence had become something Harry couldn't tolerate. He didn't want to be able to hear his own thoughts, not when his mind had become an instrument Voldemort could use to manipulate him.
Occlumancy was progressing too slowly to protect Harry from the sting of Voldemort's curses, from the screams of his victims, and from the visions the Dark Lord dwelled on. In silence, his mind was filled with the horrors of war, and his heart with the weight of Sirius' loss. He could block it out- so long as he was focused on something. He needed a distraction.
"You lot are hopeless without Granger aren't you? It's amazing you managed to get through classes while she was incapacitated in second year, then again, it's not like you had to pass exams."
Harry walked around the isle to stand in the same one Pansy was in. She surveyed him with a sly grin. Harry turned back to see that Ginny and Ron had followed him. He wish they hadn't, as he was about to try something he hated doing.
Steeling himself, Harry closed his eyes, removed his glasses, and folded them with apparent deliberation before putting them in his pocket. When he opened his eyes the world around him was blurred. He walked forward and Pansy, her brow raised and her expression suspicious, came into sharper focus with each step.
Harry walked so close to her that they were centimeters apart. He needed to be able to see her eyes clearly. He wasn't sure what to think when he saw her face had turned red. She tried to back up to put more space between them, but Harry maneuvered so that she backed herself into the bookshelf.
"Potter, what are you…?" she began, but their eyes met and her voice failed her. Something flickered in Harry's eyes that made her heart stop.
Pansy Parkinson was a known gossip. She didn't have a problem with that label, instead she found it to be an accurate description of herself. She eavesdropped on girls, who were besotted with the famous Harry Potter and who extolled the virtues of his eyes on numerous occasions in the girls' toilets. Far from agreeing with the foolish harpies, the woefully pathetic and cliché lines about emerald pools, green fire, and (her personal favorite) jade dragons made her laugh. It was the last description that drove her to send Potter a Valentine during second year, comparing his eyes to a toad. Dragon was a comparison reserved for Draco alone, and she wouldn't have it associated with Potter. The fact that the prank was absolutely hilarious was an added benefit.
However, now that she was standing a hair's breadth from him, and looking into his open, uncovered eyes, she knew those girls were not only stupid, they were dead wrong. Potter's eyes were not like emeralds, fire, or dragons, nor did the color even remotely resemble jade. His eyes were pure death, the exact color of the unforgivable that claimed his parents and marred his face. If she could've compared his eyes to any type of inanimate object, she would not have chosen emeralds or diamonds or fire. She would have chosen glass. It was as if the curse that left the lightning bolt scar on his forehead had shattered him on the inside, and it was only apparent in the shards of green death that she now gazed in to. And she knew what that flickering was in his eyes, it was the haunted, bereft torpor of one who has seen death, and one who has caused it.
His eyes made her want to look away, but she found that her eyes were locked with his, and her body wouldn't move. Her body seemed oddly numb to her.
"What do you know about Zabini?" Harry questioned, his voice seemed to echo in her head even after his lips had closed.
"Dumbledore made the Slytherins swear never to talk about it," she answered easily and truthfully. Then she stopped herself, confused by her own actions.
"Why?" Harry continued, his green eyes still flickering in an entirely unnatural way.
"… wanted to give him a chance with the other students, I expect." Why was she telling him this? Why couldn't she shut up and look away?
"Why does he need a chance?" persisted Harry, his voice was straining to be calm.
"Cause we're all scared shitless of him. No one comes near him or tries to talk to him. No one dares upset him."
"Harry…" Ginny's voice seemed to Pansy to be coming from another room, or through water. "You shouldn't do that. You know you aren't supposed to." Her voice was full of uncertainty.
"Why are you scared?" Harry pressed on.
"Because he's…" She wasn't allowed to say it. "… powerful."
"You're hiding something from me. Do not try to lie to me; I will know." Harry warned. "Tell me the circumstances that got everyone afraid. Tell me everything."
"Harry…" Ginny moaned.
"Shut up Ginny!" Ron snapped.
"What is going on here?" Madame Pince's voice caused Harry's eyes to snap to the end of the isle where the matriarch was standing, brandishing a feather duster threateningly.
When Harry's gaze left her, Pansy was able to blink. It felt like she was waking up from a bad dream that she could only half remember.
"What are you doing to this girl?" Madame Pince continued doggedly.
"Nothing," Harry said, withdrawing his glasses and putting them on his face. "Just having a conversation."
"Ms. Parkinson, are you well?" Madame Pince persisted.
Pansy couldn't tear her eyes away from Potter, unable to believe what had just happened. Indignation filled her at the sight of his innocent façade.
"I'm fine, thank you. Everything's fine," Pansy ground out.
With a last suspicious look, Madame Pince left.
"What the hell did you do!" shrieked Pansy, immediately.
Harry turned his attention to her, the innocent mask giving way to a cold look indeed. His eyes were shielded by his spectacles, the whole, round, pieces of glass covering the raw shards of his eyes.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Harry feigned.
"You… you did something to me!" Then it clicked. "You just used Legilimancy on me!"
"No, no, no." Harry smiled a bit nastily. "I enthralled you. There is a difference." Pansy gapped at him, and Harry laughed at her bafflement. That made her pissed.
"You can do that?" Pansy said, her voice biting. "Ha! I knew you had to use some kind of magic to get Chang on a date with you. You're much too pathetic to manage it any other way."
That wiped the smile off Harry's face.
"This coming from Draco Malfoy's lap dog, that's rich." Harry bit back.
"At least Draco doesn't use enchantments to corner unsuspecting girls Mr. Harry-that's-a-knife-in-my-pocket-Potter!" 2
Ginny, who had been present under the invisibility cloak when the event Pansy was referring to took place, didn't manage to stifle a snort and a giggle.
"No, he just ropes them into slavery by holding lifedebts over their head Ms. Pansy-can-I-grind-my-arse-against-your-pelvis-Parkinson!" Harry snapped back.
Ginny burst into giggles at this.
"Filch was going to get me!" Pansy hissed in indignation. "And it doesn't change the fact that you just used Dark Magic on me. Ha! So much for Gryffindor higher morals."
"Speaking of morals," Harry began, and he titled his head so he could look over the top of his glasses at her. "Is it always necessary for the headmaster to make your entire house swear in order to protect one of your own?"
"What has that got to do with morals?" Pansy hissed.
"I'm trying to protect my friend by finding out about potential threats to her because I care about her, not because Dumbledore made me do it."
"Ah, here in lies the misunderstanding. Zabini isn't my friend. He isn't anyone's friend, not since second year he hasn't been."
"Why," Harry asked.
"And I repeat, you've got to be really pathetic if you can't figure out something so obvious. I was even kind enough to give you a clue, but damn it Potter, you are so dense that you wouldn't know a subtle hint if it stripped naked, painted itself blue, and danced on top of the pianoforte singing "Subtle hints are here again...'" Pansy did a little shimmy on the spot to emphasize her message, as if the condescending tone wasn't bad enough.
"Anyway, I'm sure you'll understand when he's burned down the Gryffindor common room. It's bound to happen," she assured, while determinedly keeping her eyes from his face. She wasn't going to fall for that trick again. "And I'll be dancing on your ashes."
Harry's lips thinned. His hand went to his pocket and Pansy was sure she'd pushed him too far. He was going to draw his wand and curse her. Her eyes followed his hand as it returned from his pocket with something smaller than a wand.
"Just for your information," Harry said, as he brandished an object in her personal space and gave it a sharp flick. The blade which popped out just barely missed her nose. "I always keep it on me." Harry waved the knife in her face for good measure.
"Bastard," Pansy hissed, when her heart started beating again.
She spun on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction so she wouldn't have to pass Ron and Ginny in the end of the isle. Harry stood where he was, contemplating what she'd said while idly setting and releasing the blade he still held in his hand. If Ron and Ginny noticed that the knife he was carrying was the same one Sirius had given him, the one that had been melted in the department of mysteries which now appeared to be whole as the day it was new, they said nothing.
"She was giving us a clue?" Ron asked. "Why would she do that?"
"Forget why, I just want to know what it was," Harry murmured.
"Maybe you'd have been able to get a more direct statement from her if you hadn't tried to bully her with powers you gained from Riddle. And I thought you weren't going to use them anymore Harry," Ginny scolded.
In truth, Ginny did not disagree with Harry's Machiavellian measures to get information out of Pansy. It was a matter of the safety of a friend. Ginny simply hated seeing Harry use Tom's powers. It was bad enough they were both parcelmouths, half-bloods, orphans and looked alike, she didn't want them coming into any other associations in her mind.
Harry bit back a comment, choosing to ignore Ginny and instead concentrate on Pansy's subtle clue.
He turned himself towards the stacks so he could look through them as she had done initially. His eyes traveled down to where her eye level would be, and there, something caught his attention. The spine of a faded red book bore the title: Sorcery and Elemental Magic.
Harry's eyes took in the other books in this section, all having to do with sorcery, and he understood. He drew the book from the shelf and looked at the cover with bitterness.
"Damn it," he spat out quietly. "Now I have to apologize to her."
"Harry, what is it?" Ron asked.
Harry held up the book.
"The clue," He said simply.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Did I not say this would happen?" McGonagall said for the umpteenth time. "Did I not predict this very occurrence?"
"Indeed Minerva, you should be appointed the divination teacher, so great is your ability to state the perfectly obvious," Snape sneered.
"I think all of you are overreacting," Sinistra insisted. "Blaise used his powers to win a duel, which he was completely with in his rights to initiate. He did not lose control."
"Are you saying you were not holding your breath when Hermione stepped between the two of them? That you were perfectly confident during every moment of that conflict that Mr. Zabini would keep his head?" McGonagall countered sternly.
Professor Sinistra hesitated.
"Enough," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand. The three teachers were convening in Dumbledore's office over the events that had taken place at the leaving feast.
"I appreciate all of your concerns, but I must admit I was pleased with how things turned out." Dumbledore confessed.
"Pleased? He only destroyed part of the Great Hall, something no one is supposed to be able to do except for a founder. The wards on this school… " McGonagall began.
"…cannot protect it from Mr. Zabini because of the magic that runs through his blood as the result of the Curse of Elainis," Dumbledore cut her off.
"And this is a good thing?" Snape asked, incredulous.
"You misunderstand me, Severus," Dumbledore began in a pacifying voice. "I am not at all pleased by the destruction the duel caused, both to the school and to young Mister Malfoy. You may be wondering why I allowed it to take place although I knew the consequences could be dire if a spell went astray." The teachers assembled all nodded.
"The bloodfeud that exists between the Malfoy and Zabini houses was bound to erupt at some point. It was completely inevitable that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini would cross wands. Accepting this as fact, I wanted to ensure my presence when the moment did indeed come to pass in case our worst fears were realized and Mr. Zabini lost control of his powers."
"I fail to see how your presence altered the result." Professor Sinistra said frostily. She did not like people speaking of Blaise as though he were a dark creature.
"That is because, I did not have to. Miss Granger took it upon herself, as she is wont to do, to step in."
"We know that! The foolish girl could've been killed, and legally I might add!" McGonagall exclaimed.
"That is precisely what Lord Voldemort was hoping for," Dumbledore admitted gravely.
The occupants of the room gasped both at the name and at the implication.
"Mrs. Malfoy was ordered to instigate the fight," Snape stated.
"But Draco would've been killed!" Professor Sinistra gasped out.
"And I would have been forced to expel Mr. Zabini, an outcome I have been trying to avoid at all costs," Dumbledore conceded.
"To the detriment of the safety of this school and its occupants," McGonagall admonished sternly.
"If I cast Mr. Zabini into the streets, notorious as he is, to whom can he turn? Who will accept him? And what if he had killed Miss Granger instead for interfering with the duel? The Ministry would be bound by its own laws to allow Mr. Zabini to walk away freely. Anyone who interferes with a duel or honor or bloodfeud may be dealt with by the opponents. The outcry over Miss Granger's passing, coupled with the stress of this war, would force the magical community to demand Mr. Zabini's blood, or at the very least, his freedom. Such an action would bring into conflict the hundreds of outdated laws made to favor pure-bloods.
"The pure-bloods and remnants of aristocracy, who agree with the laws in their favor, would take up arms against those who oppose it. Even those pure-blooded families, who have chosen to remain neutral in this conflict, would take action if they perceived their civil rights were in jeopardy. Do you not see the simplicity and brilliance of it all?
"The civil strife between community members, between individuals and the ministry would make an ideal environment to breed fanaticism in the old ways. And Lord Voldemort would be there to present the combatants with a banner to follow."
"My God," gasped Professor Sinistra meekly.
"Worse still, would be the effect on Mr. Zabini. If all had gone according to plan, he would be so heavily shunned and ridiculed that he would have no choice, but to join Voldemort's ranks, and if that happened, I fear the war would be lost."
"Blaise is staying neutral. He doesn't want any part in this conflict. He would retreat into complete seclusion, into the Shadow Lands, before joining a side," Professor Sinistra stated firmly.
"I, too, want Mr. Zabini to have no part in this conflict. However, his abilities are exception. His power is so great that I fear he will be forced to fight, even as he is forced to participate in a bloodfeud against his greatest friend."
"We can't let that happen; it broke him inside when he had to fight Draco the first time. Two nights ago, after the duel, he was so riled that he wouldn't speak, and I thought for sure the room we were in would catch fire at any moment," Professor Sinistra added.
"One of his seals, the three seals meant to guard his power, has been broken. He was glowing, Dumbledore. He was radiating power. Will you let him return to the school knowing how much more of a danger he is to it now?" McGonagall asked.
"For the seal he has lost, he has gained something much better," Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again.
"Miss Granger is a poor choice for someone who wishes to keep away from conflict," Snape stated. "A muggle-born, and Harry Potter's best friend. He could not have possibly picked a worse candidate."
"You're happy about that too," McGonagall accused, as if taken by a sudden understanding. "You're hoping he'll take to defending Miss Granger; you're hoping it will make him join our side!"
"Please do not mistake me, Minerva, it is my greatest wish that Mr. Zabini never see a trace of this war. However, I must concede. If he will be forced into fighting, then I must make every effort that he not fight us."
"Blaise isn't some tool for war, Albus," Professor Sinistra protested. "He isn't to be wielded as a sword is."
Dumbledore did not respond, choosing to let the contemplative silence reign.
"And what of Mr. Malfoy? Did he know he was to be used as a pawn to initiate the war and force Mr. Zabini to Voldemort's side?" Snape asked.
"I had all but given up on Mr. Malfoy as playing any other role but a pawn, until one month ago," Dumbledore admitted.
"His rescue of Miss Granger was not taken kindly by the Dark Lord, despite the presence of a lifedebt. The Dark Lord was even further enraged that Mr. Malfoy consulted neither myself, nor his mother before making his request for payment. Furthermore, he refuses to tell either one of us what task he has appointed her with," Snape said.
"The end result of which caused him to become expendable to the Dark Lord. Lord Voldemort has no use for minions with compassion, especially compassion towards muggle-borns and a definitive, if very well hidden, flare for heroics." Dumbledore said with a quirk of the lips.
"It will be interesting to see how young Malfoy proceeds." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the possibilites.
"This can all still blow up in our faces," Snape continued pessimistically. "The Dark Lord's aim was to alienate Mr. Zabini from his classmates. Ideally either Ms. Granger, the individual, whom the Dark Lord perceives to be the brains and backbone of Harry Potter, or yourself, Albus, would be dead for interfering. Mr. Zabini would be expelled and ostracized and Mr. Malfoy would be inspired to seek power in the hopes of emerging victorious in the blood feud.
"While none of the possible outcomes we theorized came to pass, the main objective was accomplished. Mr. Zabini will not be able to walk the corridors without drawing furtive glances and leaving whisperers in his wake. No Slytherin would speak to him after the incident in second year that left him on probation. That treatment has not eased except among his year mates, and only then, because Mr. Malfoy remained unafraid of Mr. Zabini.
"Now the entire school will treat him as the Slytherins have. His second chance is ruined by this fight. The ostracism that is sure to follow will be so absolute it will either drive him into seclusion or into rage. Either option is disastrous." Snape explained as he glared at Dumbledore's twinkling smile. "And yet, you are still happy with the outcome, Albus?"
"You certainly paint a bleak picture, Severus. However, I believe you are forgetting a very key factor in the equation. Miss Granger has never allowed Harry to withdrawal too deeply into himself, and he has put forth a stupendous effort to do just that."
"In the case of Harry, she has known and loved him since they were eleven, Albus. You cannot expect her to tolerate such behavior from someone she's only started interacting with this year," McGonagall protested.
"What behavior? Have you watched them interact? Have you seen how he walks her to class, holding her hand? He's only like that with Cali, and that bond took years to form," Sinistra defended with loyalty.
"Indeed, I think Minerva got to root of it all," Dumbledore commented with a smile.
"Love?" sneered Snape, his lip curling in disgust. "We are talking of the outcome of this war, Headmaster! I do not wish to incorporate something as capacious as the emotions of an adolescent into our strategy!"
"And why not? Was it not love, the love a mother has for her child, which defeated Voldemort the first time? It is not something to deprecate or scoff at, Severus. Love is the most powerful weapon we wield. Voldemort relies on fear, hatred, pain and ambition to condition obedience. They will kill for him out of fear, however, only love can cause a person to be willing to die for something or someone, which is why our following is stronger."
"Mother and child," McGonagall drew out contemplatively. "Narcissa instigated a fight she knew would most likely result in her son's death. How could she?"
"There are many possible answers to that question. Perhaps she was assured that the fight would not escalate to that point. The Dark Lord had been fairly sure either Albus or Miss Granger would succeed in breaking up the fight by either convincing Mr. Zabini with their words or their deaths. There is also the fact that Mr. Zabini and Mr. Malfoy had been childhood friends, and Mr. Zabini had been unable to hurt him in the fight at Malfoy Manor nearly seven years ago, the fight that started the blood feud.
"The most probable outcome, however, was that Mr. Zabini would simply defeat Mr. Malfoy, that he would deal him some sort of injury that would either incapacitate or knockout Mr. Malfoy, but not kill him. That was certainly the Dark Lord's hope. The Dark Lord wanted Miss Granger or Albus to attempt to stop the duel, at which point in time they would be dealt with by Mr. Zabini, who would proceed to defeat, but not kill Mr. Malfoy, perhaps out of sentimentality.
"Then it was the Dark Lord's hope that Mr. Malfoy's defeat would spur him to seek greater power, and draw him to the death eaters as a loyal follower," Snape finished.
"And that's what she wants for her son?" McGonagall asked incredulously.
"If it is good enough for the father," Snape began in a bored voice.
"Who is in Azkaban for attempting to murder children the same age as his son!" McGonagall snapped.
"Mrs. Malfoy is a spiritual factionist, even more so than her husband. Her ardent belief in a caste system does not stem from any scientific fact or statistic, but from a feeling in her heart. And since when have matters of the heart ever made sense?" Snape finished sourly.
"Truer words were never spoken," Sinistra agreed in an undertone, looking anywhere but at Snape. Snape's lip curled and he too looked away.
Dumbledore and McGonagall eyed the younger teachers with knowing smiles.
"It seems that those matters of the heart have swayed the situation in our favor for now," Dumbledore said. "I am pleased with the outcome, though I did hope Mr. Zabini would stay for the holiday and enjoy some time with Miss Granger. It's good to see him opening up at last."
"Ms. Parkinson seemed very put out by his departing, Albus. She made up some ridiculous excuse about transfiguration."
"Believe me, Severus, if you saw Pansy Parkinson attempting to perform transfiguration, Neville Longbottom would look like a potions master by comparison. I am afraid I will have to expel her from NEWT transfiguration at this rate. The girl simply does not have the talent for it," McGonagall said.
"Indeed, I believe you. However, Mr. Malfoy was also angered by it. It was his reaction that piqued my suspicion. You mark my words, they are up to something in Gryffindor tower. Mr. Malfoy said he was staying so Miss Granger could repay her lifedebt by helping him with some large project he is attempting to do, but he won't be specific and keeps changing the subject when I attempt to question him. I've no doubt that it's something against the rules and highly dangerous," Snape finished.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"We will just have to wait and see." Dumbledore said mysteriously.
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1- MILF Mother I'd Like to F---. Unfortunately, I learned this term while working at a boyscout camp (Goshen, VA- Len'hoksin) as a mountain biking instructor. Boyscouts are some demented folks, let me tell you! (I'm in venture crew, btw, so I am technically a boy scout too.)
2- See chapter "Into the Snake's den" for this reference.
509 reviews: You guys rock. Sorry for the long wait.
7800 hits: Considering only 6 of readers review on average, I think I'm doing pretty good. Or rather, you the readers are doing pretty good- Thank you.
General responses:
Pairing: Sorry guys- almost every review is a plea for a pairing switch. I'm sure some of you are going to start giving up on my story but I won't change it. It's Saving Draco Malfoy and it's going to stay that way. I hope you all will trust me with my plot- I will not disappoint you!
Character development: After the S potion, you are going to get so much character development you are going to be sick of it! Unfortunately, I'm not all that good with balancing between plot and character development and I keep switching off to do one at a time. It's something I'm hoping to improve upon with practice.
Good questions:
Will there be romance between Hermione and Blaise? A little more, yes.
What exactly is Blaise's strange powers and past? Did you see the answer in this chapter? It's there, but it will be expounded upon in the next chapter. Cookies and pecan pie to who ever can guess.
Why don't the teachers want Blaise talking with Hermione? McGonogal is afraid for Hermione cause she doesn't want her ending up a crispy critter. See the event in second year in following chapters.
Why did Salazaar Slytherin choose now to bring down the school? Slytherin isn't bringing down the school- Voldemort is doing it using his connection to the school through Slytherin. He's doing it now because…. You'll see!
How will Hermione recover? Er, I suppose you mean the trauma of the lifedebts. Hermione is no wuss, she'll be alright.
Dark Dragons' Muse and All other greek speakers: I really need help to pull off the greek thing. So if you are interested in doing some transliteration and answering some very cursory questions on history and geography than please email me at imuttard at gmu dot edu. Thank you.
I got a review in Spanish that I couldn't read so I used babblefish and it translated the review as such: Please Update! Ive that reads the same chapter by always now. Its history is amazing, his an excellent writer now fishing for the complaints and the ass is able to him to work in the following chapter.
I cracked up when I saw the translation so I thought I would share it with the rest of you.
Arab pride: Yea, I got a lot of arab comments this time around. Um, yes, my name is in fact Iman. So you guessed right. My last name is an old arabic word for "chaser" so I doubt anyone will guess that. Iman is a fairly common name so I don't really like it. I speak Arabic with the proficiency of a three year old, so I'm not so much into the "ARABS brouhaha!" And I'm only half arab, too, which caused all my full Arab friends and husband to refer to me as "the white girl." So I really can't win. (Unless I point out that they are, in fact, FOBs)
Right now it's really tough for Arabs all over because of the stupidity going on in the middle east, Afghanistan, and England. My intention in this story is to point out how stupid prejudice is, that there are no "hero" or "good guy" in wars- only killers, and that an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. So let me know if I'm getting it across of if that's just a fanciful excuse to waste exorbitant amounts of time on useless fiction.
AU dom: Unfortunately this story is now AU. Which I don't mind because HBP sucked! It was so sad that I only read it once- can you believe it? However, it presents a problem for me because this story has a sequel. I promise to at least write The Devil's Respite. I might not write Bastard, because it isn't as important as TDR, but I need to know if you will read it. So will you read it? Are you going to keep reading my story now that it's AU?
Please let me know with a review!