One really should start at the beginning when telling a story. I would, but you probably know the beginning. It's simple, in the beginning there was a boy. He was, as the saying goes, born as the seventh month died. But you all know that already. Of course, there was a story that went before, but that's another story, for another man to tell. Back to my point, we all know the beginning, we all know that there was a boy, and we all know about his adventures in the enchanted school. We all know that there was a story that wasn't being told, but that story's not mine to tell either. Mine's the story of another boy. You probably know me already, blond hair? Antagonist? All-around spoiled brat? Sound familiar? Yes, now that we're acquainted, I really should get moving on. My story actually starts much earlier than the point where I'm going to start, but up until the beginning of my retelling, my story was very dull, not really worth mentioning. So instead of starting on the fated day when I was brought into the world, I'm going to start in Double Potions, my seventh year.
The world was in shock. Harry Paradigm Of Good Potter had gone missing. His family had been found brutally murdered. What an understatement. They had found a stinking house full of red goo. There was enough gore to account for the mammoth cousin, twig aunt, and bastard uncle, but no sign of the boy savior. The news hit The Daily Prophet and suddenly no one seemed to be able to speak in anything above a whisper. The whole wizarding world had gone library mode, and no one dared to raise their voice. Their savior was gone, and it seemed likely dead. Everyone was waiting for it to come across the WWN; "Today marks a sad day in history. Early this morning the Boy Who Lived, Harry James Potter, was found dead on the banks of…" All the teachers, save one (must I say whom?), had not given a single real assignment in weeks, and they all looked resigned, as if their fates were already decided, that they would lose this war, and the false tyranny that they fought so vehemently would reign with the terror of the stories they had all grown up on. They were right to feel so, not for the reasons they thought though.
Potter had been missing for at least ten whole weeks, by this point everyone had resigned themselves to the doom they felt sure was coming, now that their boy hero was gone, and it seemed to them that their enemy was getting ruthless. There had been more casualties on the side of the light in the last ten weeks then there had been in years.
Snape sat at the front of the class, directions were written in chalk on the board behind him. The room was near silent, only gentle simmering sounds, and the occasional murmur as the others confirmed with their partners was all there was to be heard. Weasel, and his mudblood, were working together, wearing the required, 'I'm mourning for my friend' faces. How the redhead had made it into N.E.W.T.s potions was a miracle, and it smelled like a horridly covered conspiracy. He had probably cheated, or, the bumbling old fool had made the schedules so that the golden trio wouldn't be split up. Whatever it was Snape obviously disapproved, for he never taught the boy. Never accepted papers from him, wouldn't take anything he brewed for a grade, he pretty much completely ignored him.
On this day, we had been brewing our anti-aging potions, like good little children when suddenly there was huge crash, that reverberated through out the whole building. The whole school shook, right down to its ancient foundations, it was as if the whole sky had suddenly fallen hard upon the institute of learning. I of course knew exactly what had happened.
"The wards," I whispered in the silence that had flashed so suffocatingly before complete chaos fell. After that brief moment of peace there was a rumbling further off, then a siren rang from the very walls. I looked down to my forearm, waiting for the pain I knew was coming, because there was only one who would cause the wards around the school to fall, and I had already pledged my life to the man. But there was nothing, I shook my arm, the way one would something that was broken, but nothing. I looked up into the eyes of Pansy Parkinson, and she just shook her head at me, she too was holding her forearm waiting for something, that didn't seem to be coming. The rest of the class, save a few Slytherins, and one Gryffindor, was hysterical, Weasley, and Thomas were pounding on the door, which had apparently locked itself. There were girls crying and screaming. I calmly looked to our professor for leadership, the others in the room that were a part of our exclusive club, followed my gaze and stood attention, there was a superior in the room, all we had to do was await orders.
Snape pointed to his throat, and said a spell that no one could have heard over the sirens and screaming, but it soon became obvious what it was, because there an almighty roar that went through the room, "SILENCE!" he yelled. Everyone quieted, there were still the sirens, and the barely audible rumbling of pieces of the castle falling.
"You will remain silent, and calm. There is nothing to worry about, the doors are locked for your own safety. The emergency wards, while weaker, are more difficult to get through, and will have gone up around every individual room. You have very little to be panicked about." He said in a quieter voice, but still loud enough to be heard. "Now everyone sit at your normal seats and remain there until this farce is over." He took the enchantment off of himself and went back to his seat and looked down at the book he'd been reading.
He wasn't reading though, because I could feel him adding strength to the wards, he was putting as much as he dared into the wards that surrounded the room . This wasn't good. He wouldn't ward against our master, I didn't know what it all meant, but when he looked meaningfully at me, I too started pushing my magic into the weak wards, making sure that I kept my reserves up in case there was a fight. I looked to the others, and gestured for them to start doing the same, they all had puzzled looks but did as they were told. We sat there for a good fifteen minutes, furtively adding our strength to the wards.
But in the end it didn't do us any good.
Around the time we would usually be leaving Potions for our next class, the wards, that we had been so diligently working on, fell. I heard Snape gasp as he felt his power revert back to him, I stumbled off my stool, and hunched over with the pain of having my power slammed back into my body so suddenly, and the Gryffindor along with one of the Slytherins fell to the ground in a faint, Pansy let out a breathy moan and fell on the floor but didn't pass out and was back on her feet before I had straightened myself out. The others started to get hysterical again, but never really got the chance, as a vast sickening power rolled into the room in waves. We were feeling the raw power of an army suffocating us, and commanding the ancient memories in our blood to bow down to such power, a few more students went down, leaving just eight of us to try and fight of the monster coming at us, I got myself mentally ready to fight what felt like at least one hundred men.
I could see the others steeling themselves, trying their hardest to remember every defensive spell that ever been taught, they all stood ready, wands out, with determined faces. We were ready to, not be victors, for we could never win over what was coming at us, but to go down taking as many with us as possible, everybody knew that to fight that much power head on there was no chance for eight students and one professor to ever make it.
It was because of these assumptions that everyone was shocked out of action when one single person walked through the door. It was Harry Potter, everyone was breathless. He had no shirt on, and was completely plastered with mud, his hair was wild, twigs, mud and leaves caked in. He was bleeding from scratches and cuts all over his arms and torso, the most noticeable was a gash on his right cheek, that outlined his eye, and one that came down his forehead and across his eye to cut through the other, making a bloody cross. I barely had time to register his appearance and the fact that he had dropped a large bundle on the ground when Weasley, flew out of his seat and straight into the stone wall of the dungeon with a sickening smacking noise, that was accompanied by a couple snaps, he then fell heavily to the ground. I felt like panicking this wasn't right, I went to start going stark raving mad, because I just couldn't add it all up, none of it made sense, but I couldn't move a muscle, and I couldn't make a noise, and true panic started to set in. It was as if someone else had taken over control of my bodily functions, I could still breath, and I could feel my heart pounding, but I couldn't move my little finger, not even a centimeter.
Potter started talking and to keep myself from loosing my mind, I focused on what he said, and tried not to think of anything but the words maniacally flowing from him. It seemed to be a badly acted play rather than real life, his emotions were everywhere, his gestures were too broad, and the smile that seemed permanently plastered to his face, was too insane and too constant to be anything other than fake. I watched him in horror as he talked to no one, and everyone, as he'd address us as a whole then talk to himself. He ended with a semi lucid warning to Snape.
"Professor!" He yelled in the way one does when they come across an old friend unexpectedly while walking down the street. His eerie grin widened as he stalked, his gait unnatural and long, to the front of his desk.
"I'm going to come back," He said his tone changing, and almost whispering now. "And when I do, no one will be left breathing.
"I tell you because, you have always treated me exactly as you should have. You used me to help your master, and only ever were kind to me because your master had commanded you to gain my trust. I didn't know then, but I suspected. I sure did.
"Anyways, Severus," He laughed then. "Yes I do know how uncomfortable you are unable to move, and that you'd rather I just left. I'm about to leave.
"But as I was trying to say, oh hush I'm leaving soon enough, I'm trying to say is that, since you have been an honorable man I'm giving you a warning. I will be back. No one will alive next time I leave. I was here for two specific people, and as you saw I now have them and will shortly be on my way. You can take one of the juniors with you. But only one, yes, fine, take Draco, I don't care who! Will you please let me finish?
"Thank you. No one in this room will ever be able to so much mutter one word of what happened in this room. Except to Tom and Tom alone. If they wish to tell all that they've seen they must say it to Tom, and you, you I command to tell Tom. I've gone mad. Yes, of course I knew it, he's the only one that I think will be able to stop me and isn't on my list. No! Why would I? He's only done exactly as anyone in his position would have, I would have wanted revenge on me too! And about the whole thing with trying to kill me when I was a baby? The only thing I regret is that at the last moment he found his conscience and couldn't kill an infant. What? He didn't tell you how it really went? Oh well tell him I'm sorry I've now made him less in the eyes of some of his followers.
"So now I'm going to leave," He looked at his wrist as if checking the time, although he wore no watch, and said "In about five minutes. I have to finish what I've been trying to say. You, and Draco? You're sure? Because if you are my jobs is a trifle easier. Ok then Draco it is. You and Draco will leave for your master within a fortnight. No one in this room will be able to speak a word of what has happened, and besides you and dear Draco, they won't be able to leave the dungeons. Got it? Good.
"So long, for now, Severus." He said, then leaned over the desk and kissed the older man's cheek, leaving a muddy, bloody streak. Then he was next to me, I hadn't even registered him moving, and I cleared my mind as completely as I could, I knew he had been gleaning things directly from Snape's mind, and I didn't want him doing the same to me. "I'll see you soon Malfoy." Then he kissed my cheek too, and next thing I knew he was gone, along with the two Weasleys and I was on all fours retching up the remnants of my breakfast.
The room was filled with the sounds of gagging and the smell of vomit. Once my stomach stooped convulsing I looked up to Snape's desk, he had disappeared behind it. I shakily crawled towards him, making a quick pit stop when I got to Pansy, to make sure she was ok, she was passed out, laying on her side. I turned her over onto her back, using what little strength I had. I did a quick scan to make sure she was ok, and then let her stay where she was. Being unconscious after getting news like that would be a nice reprieve from reality, and I was sure that my best childhood friend would need the momentary rest.
I sat back and huffed a few deep breaths. A shadow passed over me and I looked up at Snape, he thrust a vial at me and I quickly drank down the contents, I could feel it helping my body rebound and gather its strength. Feeling slightly less fatigued I looked up at him.
"Ready?" He asked me simply. I stood looked him in the eye and nodded. We disapparated straight from the dungeons to our master's hidden, shabby stronghold. We demanded to see him right away, telling anyone who delayed us that we had the most urgent news. We were taken before him with out any hesitation. Snape relayed the story of how the wards around the school were down. Told of Harry Potter's new found power and madness, and gave him the message that Potter had specifically sent to our master. He sent me to go for my father telling me he was in the library. I ran to get him, feeling the necessity to hurry. I found him quick enough then ran back dragging him behind me, ignoring all his questions and telling him that he just had to hurry, and that our master would answer any questions once we got there.
As we got there Severus was walking out, he nodded to my Father and stepped to the side, gesturing that the other man should enter. Once father was inside, he grabbed a hold of my arm and started moving quickly down a hall. We reached a door that I had never seen before, we went through it to a garden, that was in disrepair, and need to be gutted out and started over. Severus brushed at the cheek Potter had kissed frown on his face, and looked at his fingers.
"It didn't come off." He stated simply, I quickly started scrubbing at my cheek with the cuff of my robes, while at the same time reaching of to the smear on his cheek and gently wiped at it. Like he said, it didn't come off. I heard a high pitched keening sound and took a minute realizing it was coming from me. Severus grabbed the hand that was scrubbing ferociously at my cheek and ripped it away from my face, then back handed me soundly enough to cause me to lose my balance, but his grip on my wrist kept me from falling. "Keep yourself together, you miserable child."
I ripped my arm from his grasp and shook my head, trying to knock the insanity that wanted to take over out. Then I sneered at him, "What now?"
"We are to go into hiding."
"We're hiding? When that maniac is storming his way through the country doing as he goddamn pleases?"
"Our master demands that we go into hiding."
I swore under my breath, and stomped my foot. I did not want to hide. Malfoys do not hide. I told Severus so.
"They do when their masters demand it."
"Where are we going then?"
"A safe house in France, only accessible by portkey." Severus pulled a used toothbrush from his pocket. I looked at it with disgust then put my finger on it, refusing to look at it or Severus.
"At three we will leave," I gave a terse nod signaling that I understood. He counted to three and then there was the old tug from the navel sensation. It took longer for the portkey to deposit us at our destination than usual, but that made sense. We landed in a room in which all of the furniture had been covered, it was stale and musty, and there was no light despite the fact that it was midday.
We spent the rest of that day, and that week, cleaning the hell hole out. We were cut off from everything, we had no contacted with the outside world. My life became a blur of old canned food and sleep. There was nothing to do when awake but eat and then try to fall asleep again. Sometimes I talked with Severus but that was never pleasant. He was edgy all the time, I think it was because there was no coffee in so called safe house. The whole time we were in the house the smudges on our faces never faded or washed off, soon we started to ignore them, in my mind, mine even became a part of my face, and I couldn't imagine it without it. Eventually, because we were locked in the same room together and because there was nothing else to do, we became lovers, real affection for one another came out of it in time, but when it started Severus had just desperately looking for a way to get me to shut up. The methods he used I did not find disagreeable, so I never made a move to object. I to this day have no idea how much time we spent in that miserable little room, but I know that after what seemed like decades our master called us.
When we arrived at the stronghold it was no longer shabby. It was imposing, it was impressive, it looked like it had been cleaned. We were ushered in and shown to a nice set of rooms that were enormous and beautiful, and had an amazing view. We were told to bathe and to put on the robes laid out on the beds by the time the came to take us to a most important meeting. We took our time, and then had time for a quick snog before the came to take us to this meeting. We were guided through what seemed like miles of hallways, and then deposited in front of a door and told to wait to be summoned inside. We weren't the only ones waiting though. One Sibyll Trelawney, former professor of Divination from Hogwarts Academy.
"You would happen to know what in the name of all hell is going on, would you?" I asked her. "You're the only person who's stood still long enough for me to ask."
"I know a great many things, lad, what is it that you want to know?"
"How goes the war?" Severus just glowered at her out of the corner of his eye. I don't think he ever really trusted the woman before that day.
"War? What war?"
"You know, 'You Know Who' versus the good and the light. That war."
"There hasn't been war in a couple months. Where have you been? Under a rock?"
"Close to it. How did it end? I'm assuming our master won, seeing as he's the only one who could have called us."
"I don't actually think you could call it winning. He just waited for Potter to kill everyone off."
I raised an eyebrow. "What became of Potter?"
She raised her own. "Your master calmed him down."
"Where is he now?"
"Your master? Or Potter?"
"Potter."
"Why, he's on the other side of this door, they didn't even tell you who you were going to meet?"
"No, it seems that they did not."
I was about to go into a petulant sulk over the fact that I was no closer to understanding what was going on before when another man ran up from behind us and told us to go through the door now. We liked up in the room, putting ample space between us as the hurried man told us to. We stood there for awhile, I was about to declare my boredom, when the immense power rolled over me again, now it seemed bigger, and more insane than ever, the only difference was that it wasn't sickening, it still made me want to fall to my knees and do whatever he asked of me, but it did not leave me with the distinct need to vomit. Suddenly, he was sitting in the throne in the middle of the room, I had not seen him move, or enter. Just one moment he wasn't there and the next he was., and there was no pop of displaced air, if I hadn't been staring at the throne already, and if it weren't impossible to not notice when he entered the room, I might not have even known he was there. He sat for a minute as if appraising us, just deciding how much longer he would keep us around on aesthetic qualities alone.
"Don't be frightened, my pretties." His voice sounded unnatural. It was too calm for the madness that I could obviously feel boiling in his little brain. "I'm not going to kill you. Yet, at least." Then he stood, and in the unnatural, too long walk that I had first seen in the potions dungeon, he walked straight up to me.
"Oh Draco, how beautiful you are!" He said it right in my ear with a moan, and I almost shuddered but instead looked straight ahead, trying not to think anything, as I suddenly remembered he could see into mids without much of a thought. "I've always thought you were beautiful." And then his lips were pressed and the first thing I thought, and couldn't help from think was 'He's mad, absolutely bonkers.' That was shortly followed by the simple statement. 'Not Severus.' Another thing that belatedly occurred to me was that it might be revenge. I don't know how kissing me would work into a plan for revenge, but we are talking about an absolutely stark raving lunatic. "No, beautiful, it's not an elaborate scheme for revenge. And I did loose my mind, it's amusing isn't it?"
I answered with the only thing that came to mind. "Yes, my lord, very amusing." After the man had seen fit to jab a prompt into my mind.
"I like you Draco, you're staying here with me from now on. Now be quiet and follow me." He grabbed my hand and dragged me along. Next he went to Severus, and I'm not going to bother going over anything that he said to Sibyll or Severus, because if you really wanted to know, all you would have to do is read the first chapter.
So, because I want to, and it amuses me, we are going to skip ahead. I'm not going to bother with all the time between the part where I met Harry Potter again, and the part where a very interesting girl came into our lives, because like I said, you should have read the first chapter by now. It is enough to say that I was content in all that time. And I loved al three of the other people in our little family of sorts.
Now, this girl, if you've read the first chapter, then I dare say you're probably very curious about her. But, I'm not going to tell you very much about her, hers is not my tale to tell.
The girl walked into the throne room. She was beautiful, she had dark curling hair, and her features would have made an angel jealous. Her eyes were the color of the sky. And her tattoo, was, very interesting. She walked further into the room, and when she got to boundary of Harry's potter she gave a little gasp, I was the only one in the room that heard it really, because at that moment Sibyll gasped too, and said. "Her future." I had no idea what Sibyll meant, she would tell me later on, and I didn't have much time to think on it, as I noticed something myself. I was about to mention it when Severus said something too, "Her past."
I said, after patiently waiting my turn. "Her eyes." There was a pause, "God damn it. Look at her eyes." But no one else saw it because at that moment the girl collapsed. Her eyes, had for a brief moment at least, turned from the denim blue, to a glowing yellow. In the light of her eye, as she had been looking at me in that moment I was sure of it, I had felt weak. I had felt like nothing. I had felt as if I were in the presence of a divine being. For one moment, I had been nothing but a bug to be crushed under some one's shoe, and I was more scared than I had ever imagined possible. Sibyll and Severus went to help the fallen girl up and Harry whispered to me, "My beautiful one, what has scared you so? She's only a girl."
I just shook my head. I felt as if my voice had been taking away, I couldn't think properly, much less talk. Severus and Sibyll had the girl standing again, but I couldn't look in her direction. I was crying suddenly, and I couldn't look at her. Harry was angry now, I could feel it, his magic started to swirl and I could see it darkening.
"What is your name witch?" He demanded of the girl, now supported between Severus and Sibyll, Harry's magic was pressing down on her, she probably felt as I had that day in the dungeons.
"My name, lord Potter is Miriam Ginerva Weasley." That of course did not calm him down at all. He was now furious, a glowing furnace of rage, and I knew what he was thinking. He had been so sure that he had killed all of the Weasleys, for one of them to still survive would bring back memories we had all thought were lain to rest. What ever happened next, would not be pretty. But it is not I who is to say what happened next. You will have to wait for another to know.