Chapter 7
Growing up in a pureblood family, Draco Malfoy had been raised to believe that he was superior to all who were not part of the Sacred 28. From a young age, his father had begun to mold him into the perfect heir to the Malfoy name. He had been brought up with warped stories of the Boy Who Lived, contradicting every story book he had read about him due to his father's position under the Dark Lord. Though, if one were to take a closer look at the young Slytherin, they would discover that the platinum haired boy detested the pompous image he had to maintain.
Making his way to the final class of the week, Draco once again took notice of Potter's absence. He watched as Weasley and Granger sat together, not looking the least bit concerned for the missing boy. However, His thoughts were interrupted by a sickly sweet voice.
"Hem Hem" came from the doorway. In walked Dolores Jane Umbridge with her toad-like face and nauseatingly pink outfit.
"Welcome students, to Defense Against the Dark Arts." She started, walking towards the blank chalkboard that stood next to her desk.
"It has been brought to my attention that throughout your years at Hogwarts thus far, your education in this particular subject has been… lacking." Umbridge informed. "Therefore, we will be taking a different approach to these lessons."
With a flick of her wand, thick textbooks materialized in front of each student. A look of disdain coupled with a groan swept over the classroom. Draco began to flip through the pages and was perplexed to find a lack of hands on exercises. He was about to raise his hand to inquire about this when Granger beat him to it.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked, a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.
"Um, there seems to be no practical applications within any of the lessons in this book." The bushy haired girl remarked while other students nodded in agreement.
"Ah, yes. It seems that one of the many problems with the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum in the past is the constant danger that hands-on learning possesses to the students." Umbridge replied. "That is why we shall be using this Ministry sanctioned textbook, where only theoretical lessons will be taught." She concluded with a slight laugh.
At these words, Draco felt the need to voice his thoughts, regardless of how uncouth he may appear.
"How are we supposed to learn to defend ourselves when we can't practice any defensive spells?" He asked, to the shock of his classmates. Even Ron shot him a surprised look at his sudden outburst.
"Mr. Malfoy, I would have expected better manners in a classroom. There is no need to learn defensive spells, as there is nothing that you need to defend yourselves from." The woman declared, her voice gaining a slightly annoyed tone.
"What about Voldemort?" Draco asked, earning a chorus of shocked gasps in response. "We all know that he returned last year when Cedric died! You can't honestly expect us to be able to defend ourselves against Him without practicing spells."
Before the Professor could respond, a voice from the front of the classroom sounded.
"You honestly believe Potter's story that You-Know-Who returned? It was obvious that he murdered Cedric and then decided to use He Who Shall Not Be Named as an excuse." Came the incredulous voice of Weasley.
All Draco could see was red, and not just from the color of Weasley's hair. He was stunned that Potter's so-called "best friends" had turned their backs on him when it was obvious that the Gryffindor was innocent. Glaring at Ron, Draco prepared to unleash his anger upon the ginger when he was cut off by Umbridge.
"Mr. Potter is a lying, impertinent, arrogant attention seeker who has no regard for the safety of others. He is responsible for Mr. Diggory's untimely death and I will not tolerate his despicable behavior."
"But he didn't kill Cedric!" Draco shouted
"That is quite enough, Mr. Malfoy!" Another word, and you will find yourself in detention!"
"But-"
"Detention, tonight at 7:00 sharp. Do not be a single second late." Umbridge declared before turning her back to the students.
The rest of class passed by without incident. Once dismissed, Draco all but ran out of the room and down to the dungeons. As the school day was over, the boy had some time to himself before dinner. He knocked on the door to the Potions classroom and waited patiently for permission to enter. When the door opened, Draco didn't even stop to greet Severus as he entered and slumped into one of the chairs in an undignified manner.
Severus raised an eyebrow at this before reclaiming his seat at his desk and preparing for a long winded rant from his godson. The man was not disappointed, as the next ten minutes was spent listening to Draco complain about Professor Umbridge, the ridiculousness of theoretical Defense lessons, and his interaction with Ron. At the conclusion of his godson's tirade, Severus waited for him to calm down.
"Potter is nowhere to be found, and I couldn't sit by and watch a Professor and his ex-friend spout lies about him like that!" Draco exclaimed.
While Snape was displeased that Draco had managed to earn a detention within the first week of classes, he understood the ludicrous nature of the new curriculum. The man had been after the Defense position for many years, only to be turned away by the Headmaster. He agreed with his godson that the class in question required a practical learning method.
"While I do not condone the way in which you expressed your thoughts," Snape started, an embarrassed blush appearing on Draco's face, "I do commend you for defending Mr. Potter in his absence." He stated, a proud glint in his eye.
A small smile momentarily graced Draco's lips at the praise, however, it was gone as quickly as it came. One did not need to master the art of legilimency to know that the boy was struggling emotionally. However, the cause of Draco's inner turmoil was sure to come as a shock to the Potions Master. Taking a few steadying breaths, the teen decided to open up to his godfather regarding his conflict.
"I'm worried about Potter." Draco expressed, bracing himself for a negative reaction.
"As am I." replied Severus. The older man debated whether or not to explain Harry's current circumstances to his longtime rival. He recalled one of the first rules he had imparted on his students: There is strength in numbers. Potter had no one by his side, and any ally could prove useful.
"Draco, what I am about to tell you does not leave this room. Do you understand?" Severus asked with a stern glare.
The young Malfoy nodded, taking his Godfather's serious tone of voice as a warning. With a swish of his wand, Severus erected silencing shields on his classroom, in order to make sure that no other occupant of the castle would listen in on their conversation.
"First of all, Harry is innocent." The man started, "and the Dark Lord has returned." He informed.
"At the end of the Summer holiday, I received a letter from Harry. A few years ago I would have automatically burned the parchment. However, It's contents were quite alarming, and while at first I thought it was an attention-seeking prank, I decided to investigate, just in case." The dark haired man took a breath before continuing.
"What I found upon arrival was Mr. Potter in the act of attempting suicide." He was interrupted with a gasp.
Severus continued to explain the rest of the events leading up to the start of term. When he finished, he waited to see how his Godson would react to such monumental information about the teen that he had butted heads with since first year. As he spoke, the man couldn't help but notice the subtle changes in facial expressions that appeared on his usually stoic godson. He knew that the "pompous pure-blood" attitude was merely an act, and that in reality, Draco Malfoy was incredibly sensitive and despised the fact that he had to maintain appearances. The man knew that the boy in front of him had a troubled home life, not unlike the Gryffindor he had rescued. Lucius had made it perfectly clear that he would do anything to have a perfect son; a perfect heir to the Malfoy name, even if it meant beating the perfection into his child.
"I don't know what to say," The boy began.
"I didn't either. However, I knew what had to be done. Despite my feelings towards his father, I couldn't knowingly leave Harry in such a place." Snape replied.
Draco nodded, only slightly surprised by the use of Potter's first name by the man who up until now had loathed the Gryffindor. The young Malfoy had also held a strong hatred for Harry Potter, ever since he rejected his handshake in their first year. It was clear that the dismissal was at the suggestion of Ronald Weasley, which was due to their families being on opposing sides of the war. Now, Draco wanted nothing more than to have a do-over, and have a friendship with the boy.
"I wanted to be his friend," Draco started, his eyes glued to his hands.
"I didn't care that he was the Boy-Who-Lived. All I wanted was to have a real friendship, not based on my father's connections like my association with Crabbe and Goyle. It's probably too late now." He sighed.
Severus raised an eyebrow at his Godson's declaration.
"Did you not read the letter he sent before he tried to…" The man trailed off, not wanting to repeat the words, as saying them again would only make it more real. With a confused look, Draco shook his head.
"What Letter?" He inquired. Potter had written him a letter?
With a glint of recognition in his widening eyes, Severus frowned deeply.
"Someone must have intercepted the letters, as I know Harry had written more than one." He concluded, feeling anger rising within him. The dark man had a strong idea of who could possibly be behind the missing letters; the same man who had left the savior of the Wizarding World to suffer at the hands of his abusive muggle relatives. It was the same man who dismissed said boy as he begged to be able to stay at Hogwarts. It was Albus Dumbledore who continuously meddled in Harry's life, while making choices for the poor boy for the "greater good".
Draco could only sit and watch as his Godfather abruptly stood from his chair, and began to pace the room.
"I can't believe this." Severus started, his voice sharp and dangerous.
"Of all the schemes that the old coot has masterminded over the years, this has to be the most despicable and reprehensible!" The dark-haired man shouted as he walked towards his desk.
Leaning his arms on the old, worn-out desk, the Head of Slytherin dropped his head forward, his shoulder length hair falling like a curtain in front of his face. Bringing himself back to the present with a steadying breath, Severus turned and reclaimed his seat in front of his Godson.
"As I said previously, what has been said during this conversation does not leave this room. Due to the gravity of the situation, I will need you to make an unbreakable vow to not utter a single word of what I told you tonight."
Severus had expected an argument, however, he had been pleasantly surprised to see his Godson extend his arm to perform the ritual without hesitation. After the vow had been said, the man promised to look into the Defense curriculum debacle from earlier. Before dismissing the young Slytherin, the Professor advised the teen to keep his head low for the time being, and with a nod of acknowledgement, Draco took his leave.
Putting his head in his hands, the man could only sit in silence while he replayed the scene of Harry's rescue in his mind like a film. The line between good and evil had been blurred, and Severus needed to figure out who he could trust.