Chapter 4

"Ugnh…..need to…go…little slower…"

"Okay, Mate. Let me know if this is too fast." Blaise tried to speak soothingly, but he doubted if Draco was listening. His friend was in tremendous pain, and it was making the short trip to the infirmary slow and difficult.

Somehow, the healing charms he had used on him had failed. He had applied their entire bottle of dittany and the strongest spells he knew, but they had not done the job. Well….not for long, anyway. It was as if something was fighting his efforts; he watched again and again in helpless horror as the skin would heal, only to revert back to scorched flesh a minute later. Blaise could think of only one curse that had that characteristic; infernal flames. Fiendfyre. He tried several times but eventually stopped, unable to bear the sound of Draco's cries each time the wounds reappeared.

Wanting to hex himself for his ineptitude, he hurriedly set out to get help. He shot off a patronus to Madame Pomfrey before standing Draco on his feet. By then, he was in so much misery that he could barely shuffle. Blaise wondered if he should carry him but feared it would make matters worse. Instead, he placed a cushioning charm around him as a precautionary measure, but even that didn't seem to help.

Finally he thought to heck with this and placed a levitation charm on him. Making much better time now, they finally made it to Poppy's office where she was already at the door, waiting for them.

"This had better be worth you waking me up, Mr. Zabini, or I'll...," her gaze traveled to Draco, seeing the extent of his injuries. Her expression immediately changed, her eyes widening as she took in his charred and bloodied flesh. "Oh my….."

"I tried….I did everything I knew to do, but they kept coming back," Blaise said.

She looked at him, then back the wounds. This is after an attempt to heal? Heavens, what had they looked like before?

She quickly ushered the two boys into the room where she had Blaise lower Draco onto the nearest bed. While she removed what remained of his tattered clothes, she demanded, "Tell me what happened."

It had taken quite some time to get Draco to the point where he could rest easily again. From his shoulders to his hips, he was now wrapped like a mummy and was as silent as one too, thankfully, because Poppy had taken just about as much yelling and swearing as she could stand. Right now, he was sound asleep….no doubt worn out by the trauma he'd been through. To be honest, everyone in the room was knackered. She'd started working on Draco around midnight; glancing at a clock, she saw it was now a quarter past four. The fresh herbal salves she had applied to his dressing were mixing with the healing poultices to create a calming fragrance that was making her feel drowsy. Yawning, she lazily wiped the sweat off her brow. The degree of magic she'd had to use had taken a toil on her. She could feel her core weakened from exertion, but now she could rest. She looked over at Blaise. About an hour ago, he succumbed to exhaustion and was now fast asleep in one of the visitor's chairs. He looked uncomfortable, so she gently levitated him and moved him to the extra bed in the room. Good lad, she thought. He'd always been a loyal friend to Draco. She had often wondered why. The blonde-haired Slytherin had always seemed a brooding sort; he was not naturally affable and was more inclined to be sarcastic, a trait many found off-putting. But that had not discouraged his friend. Blaise had apparently seen something in the boy that others could not, and for as long as she could remember, the two had been as thick as thieves. Poppy was glad Draco had someone like that in his life. From the look of things, he needed it. She yawned again. Just like them, she needed some sleep.

A few minutes later, a light tap on the door roused her from her dozing. Going over to open it, she alerted her visitors of her sleeping patient by putting a finger to her lips, then pointing to the occupied bed. Stepping outside, she motioned for the group to follow her into her office. Once there, she placed a Muffliato Charm around them and said, "I apologize for disturbing your rest. I assure you, I would not have done so had I not thought the situation warranted it."

"Of course, I'm sure you had your reasons, Poppy," said the Headmaster. "But am I right in presuming it has something to do with the two boys I saw in your ward?"

"Yes, Headmaster. It does."

"And I suppose I have been summoned at this wretched hour because they are both Slytherins." This came from Severus whose eyes were puffy and strained from lack of rest, no doubt due to the dual roles he had to play.

She nodded. "I would not have bothered you otherwise, you may be sure of that."

"Then may I ask….why am I here?" asked Minerva, wrapped up in a garish-looking hot pink bathrobe.

"Because you are the Deputy Headmistress, and my contract stipulates that I must report emergency situations to the senior staff."

The group around Poppy looked at each other. Severus cleared his throat. "Emergency?"

"I would have waited until morning if it wasn't," she replied. "Draco Malfoy was brought to me last night by his roommate. He'd been badly burned. By a type of fiendfyre, would be my guess."

Minerva frowned. "What do you mean, a type of fiendfyre? I've never heard of such a thing."

"I'm sure Severus has," Poppy said.

Minerva and Albus both turned to stare at the Professor who was suddenly looking disturbed.

"Regrettably, I have."

"Well then, tell us what it is, since Albus and I don't know."

He sighed. "A favorite pastime of the Dark Lord is to modify spells. He tests them on muggles during revels….and this one is a particular favorite. The burns from a modified fiendfyre spell have been engineered to go deep enough to inflame the nerve endings but not enough to where it would kill them. They were also made to deflect normal healing measures. And…with it being fiendfyre, the level of pain is, of course, far more acute."

"So….in essence, you're saying it's a curse designed for maximum torment?"

He nodded.

Poppy agreed. "What I witnessed while I worked on Mr. Malfoy….." she shook her head, the tears she'd held back finally falling, "…Headmaster, it was horrible. I've worked here for many years….I've seen all kinds of injuries….but this…..this was one of the nastiest spells I've ever had to counteract. Like Severus said, it's a curse made for torture….and I believe that's exactly what happened to Draco. Sorry…..I'm not trying to sound dramatic but merely trying to describe what I saw. Also…" she hesitated as if her next words were difficult to utter, "I think I know who did it."

"You think?" Severus asked.

"Well, um….no. Actually, I know."

"Who?" they all asked at the same time.

"Draco's father. The boys confirmed it, and it also goes along with what I saw last night."

"Which was?" asked Minerva.

"I saw Lucius Malfoy leaving the school grounds around nine last night. He was departing by the gate nearest the Slytherin dorms. At the time, I thought nothing of it. But now….."

"Good Lord. Albus, what shall we do?" Although she'd never had children of her own, Minerva had a mother's heart. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to harm their child.

Dumbledore's blue eyes blazed with anger….and with sadness. Poppy knew how deeply he cared for every student. She also knew he would blame himself, even though there was no way he could have known ahead of time what would happen. He was a powerful wizard, but he wasn't omniscient.

Severus was harder to read. His face remained impassive, but Poppy heard the uptick of his respiratory rate, his breaths now coming hard and heavy. He was upset but trying to hide it.

"Hogwarts' bylaws state that we must investigate suspected child abuse. This is clearly beyond that, since we have testimony from the victim. I am prepared to petition for an emergency session with the Board of Governors. Lucius Malfoy has got to go, Headmaster. Not only should he be removed from the board, he should also be arrested for assault and battery of a minor."

"Are you also prepared to face retribution? Make no mistake, Poppy, the Malfoy influence reaches far. Remember what almost happened to the Headmaster last year," said Severus.

She didn't flinch. "I am. I'm bound by my oath as a healer. It's part of my duty to protect the students here at the school. "

"She's right, Albus," Minerva murmured. "Though I also have to agree with Severus. I can't see how meeting with the Board will help, since Lucius has most of them in his pocket."

"Perhaps if we knew the details of Draco's injuries, we might be better equipped to counter their arguments, if it comes to that," said Dumbledore.

Poppy nodded. They hadn't seen the burns, the muscle and tissue damage she'd had to painstakingly repair. They hadn't heard the screams while she was doing it.

Well, she could fix that.

So she told them. Every wound, every cry of pain. All in excruciating detail. When she was through, they all wore varying expressions of sickened dismay.

"That poor boy," murmured Minerva.

It was an angry voice coming from the room next door that woke Blaise from his slumber.

"What are you playing at, Dumbledore? An emergency meeting? For what, pray tell?"

Lucius Malfoy, indignant as ever, was almost nose to nose with the Headmaster, but it was doing him no good. The elderly wizard stared him down, the power emanating from his presence finally causing Lucius to back away.

Albus felt equal amounts sadness and disgust for the man before him. He remembered Lucius as a boy, pampered and coddled by his parents. He'd grown up to be a complete narcissist, unable to acknowledge any point of view that contradicted his own. Completely disinclined to care for anything beyond himself, it was no wonder he had fallen in with Tom Riddle. Both shared a sick symbiotic relationship with the other. They despised and needed each other in turn, desperately coveting what the other had. One with the magical power; the other with the pedigree and wealth that came with it. Albus often wondered who would be left standing at the end.

Perhaps they could do the world a favor and take each other out.

"A student was viciously attacked last night," Minerva stated, looking for all the world like the cat she sometimes was, ready to pounce on a particularly loathsome mouse.

Giving her a contemptuous smirk, Lucius said, "Well, perhaps if you had listened to me and not allowed riff-raff into the school, this might have been avoided."

"An underaged wizard or witch would not have had the skill to perform the kind of magic done to this person. An adult did this, Lucius," Dumbledore stated gravely.

"Be that as it may," he sighed, apparently willing to concede the point, "it still does not justify…."

"Aren't you curious as to the identity of the student who was found brutalized?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Should I be?"

"I would want to know if it were my son," Poppy retorted.

Lucius stared at the witch, his mouth gaping open in shock. "Draco?"

Either he was a very good actor or he was completely out of touch with reality, unable to comprehend the outcome of his actions.

"Where is he? Take me to him at once!"

Lucius made a move to leave, but Albus was quicker.

"Not so fast. Right now, we are keeping Draco secluded. We've already contacted the ministry; Rufus has agreed to provide extra security to the school until the culprit is named. We have set up a rotation amongst our teachers to be on duty until the guard arrives. I'm sure you can appreciate our efforts to keep your son safe."

"But I'm his father!"

"You are also allegedly the last person to be with him before he was found."

Lucius' expression immediately changed. It became still. Cunning.

"Why were you here at Hogwarts last night?"

Lucius hesitated to answer the headmaster's question, but only for a moment. Death eaters were quick to think on their feet. "I'd wanted to discuss with you my meeting with the princess but was told you were out of the castle."

That was true. He had gone to Hogsmeade to see his brother. Still, he asked, "Why would you need to discuss that with me?"

"Is she not still a student at your school? I thought I was doing the right thing, keeping the Headmaster informed," he sniffed haughtily.

Albus sighed. Pushing his glasses back up his crooked nose, he reluctantly nodded to Poppy to unlock the door leading to the room where Draco was asleep.

"But Albus…." Minerva implored.

"It will be alright," he said, "Severus is there with the boy." Turning back to look at Lucius, he said, steel in his voice, "I trust there will be no need to resort to stricter security measures."

Lucius' face mottled with barely concealed rage. "I've had enough of this," he hissed as he barged his way through the ladies.

In the other room, Blaise was not the only one eavesdropping on the confrontation taking place next door. He'd awaken to find Professor Snape standing by the foot of Draco's bed.

"Professor, is that.."

"Shh…." he whispered. "Let's listen."

As they did, Blaise found himself gritting his teeth, getting madder and madder with each exchange. "He's lying!" he snarled before remembering he should be quiet. Wincing, he looked guiltily at the Professor, but Snape only nodded and mouthed, "I know."

Finally, they heard Lucius coming their way.

"Pretend to be asleep," said Severus.

"Wha..?"

"Do it!" he hissed, and not a moment too soon, for Lucius was already storming into the room, looking fit to be tied.

"Think they can keep me from my son, do they?"he muttered. When he saw Severus, he nodded and said, "You may leave now."

"Unfortunately, I cannot. The Headmas.."

"Who cares what that fool wants? Remember your true master, and do as he would have you."

"I am. Or have you forgotten his command for me to play my part here?"

Lucius stared at him for a few seconds before closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Forgive me, old friend. This morning has left me feeling quite fractious. Just give me a moment alone with my son. No one will be the wiser. And if they do say something, you can always say the Zabini boy was with us, sleeping in the same room. They would hardly be able to accuse me of something if it didn't even wake the child in the next bed."

Blaise, his eyes shut, now realized why the professor had asked him to feign sleep. So he would hear.

Severus gave Lucius a curt nod and departed. Thinking himself alone, Lucius made his way to where Draco was, now awake and watching him much in the same way a deer would a wolf.

"Well, well, well," he taunted. "Decided to cause a little excitement, did we?"

Draco said nothing. He knew better.

"Why did you let them know? You should have taken your punishment like a man. Now, thanks to your sniveling, they're trying to sack me from the Board. Why, there wouldn't even be a school if the Malfoys hadn't funded it over the generations. Ungrateful wretches. And reporting me to the ministry," he mocked with a disdainful sneer. "Let them try….they'll see how far they get." Glancing down, he noticed Draco clenching his fists. He frowned. Try as he might to beat it out of him, the boy still showed too much of what was going on inside him. Always showing his cards, speaking without words. Right now, his body was as easy to read as his face. Resistance. Anger. Fear. Lucius huffed, irritated. Draco was too responsive…..too feeling….Too much like his mother. Still, there was a silver lining to this weakness. Emotional people were so easy to manipulate.

Draco didn't blink when Lucius leaned down into his personal space, but Blaise, sensing a threat in the silence, tensed, cautiously wrapping his fingers around his wand, prepared to stun the wizard if necessary.

"You will make them withdraw their petitions. I don't care how you do it. Just get it done. Fail me in this, and next time it won't be you who feels my anger. You may have acquired guards, but your mother has not. Remember that."

Then he straightened back up, and in a twisted caricature of affection, he patted Draco on the head, cupping his face gently. "My Son," he said softly, "Never forget; I will always be your Father and nothing you do will ever be able to change that," before turning around and leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Blaise sat up and looked over at his friend. Draco's face was expressionless, his gaze stared at nothing. But slowly trickling down, a lone tear traced his face where his father's hand had been.

Later that day, Blaise found himself once again in the Headmaster's office. He had dutifully relayed all that he'd heard that morning between Draco and his father and now the three professors were debating the best way to protect his friend. So far, they'd not come to any consensus.

"I told you how the rest of the board would be," said Severus. "They'll never oppose Lucius. They don't have the backbone."

"More likely, they don't have the galleons if he should call in their debts."

"What has Hogwarts come to if our Board of Governors places the comfort of their pocketbooks over the safety of the children?" Minerva complained, furious at the lot of them.

"Who's with Draco now?" asked Dumbledore.

"Professor Slughorn was there when I left," Blaise said. "Though I don't know how long he'll stay. He said something about having a previous engagement with Gwenog Jones."

Severus rolled his eyes. "I suppose that means I'll have double duty tonight."

None of those in the office wanted to admit it, but Draco's past demeanor had not endeared him to the majority of the teaching staff. Professors had ears as well as eyes and over the years they had overheard his snide remarks about the Headmaster, their teaching skills and even the quality of robes they wore. Small wonder then that many didn't feel an overwhelming obligation to protect him. A few may have even thought he was finally getting his just deserts.

Minerva sighed. "Well….we'll have to think of something. Until his father is contained, he'll be vulnerable."

"Can't you stop him from being able to get inside Hogwarts?" Blaise asked.

Dumbledore smiled at the youth. It cheered his heart to see the lad's dedication to his friend, and it also validated his belief that there was still good in Draco. "Alas, I wish I could, but the magic of the school would not allow it. Hogwarts' Board has always had free access to the grounds and castle."

Albus chuckled when he heard Blaise mutter, "Well, that stinks."

"Indeed it does. Now, unless someone has any other suggestions to offer, I propose that we all return to our rooms for a bit of rest. It's been a long day, and I'm sure we're all tired."

"Wait….is that it? You're just going to leave it at that? You've not decided on anything!"

"What would you suggest, then Mr. Zabini? If you have any recommendations, we shall be glad to entertain them. Otherwise, we should adjourn until tomorrow. Besides, I believe her royal highness was expecting you this evening. You don't want to skirt your responsibilities there."

Blast. In truth, he had forgotten about her. Hermione. Draco's secret love. Her royal highness….

Hold on…..that's it.

His mind started going a mile a minute. A perfect solution had occurred to him. One so simple, so obvious, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Professor," he said excitedly. "I do have a suggestion. One that wouldn't burden the teachers but would still keep Draco safe."

The headmaster's brow rose. "Do you now? Well then, I am all ears, Sir."

"Let Draco stay in the apartment with Hermione." Blaise was so excited at the idea, he forgot to say her royal highness.

"What? You can't be seriously suggesting that," protested Minerva.

"I don't mean sharing the same bed chamber," he hastened to explain, "but there's another room off the kitchen that's not being used. Draco could have that. And it would be perfect, because even if his father came to the school, he wouldn't be able to find him. Not to mention, he could be extra security for the princess….once he was well enough to be, that is."

"Extra security? If anything, those two would need it for the other. Or have you forgotten the enmity they share?" Minerva's mouth tightened, mostly out of habit. "I know you want to keep your friend safe…we all do…. but those two together?" She shook her head. "It's just …impossible. I'm going to have to veto that idea. I'm sorry, Zabini." She seemed sympathetic but unyielding.

Yet, she didn't know what he did. Would it change her mind if she did?

"Professor, there is no hatred on Draco's part, I assure you. I think they would get along well enough. And the princess won't be here that much longer, so we're not talking about an extended cohabitation."

Severus coughed at Blaise's choice of words while Minerva's brow rose alarmingly. The headmaster's eyes twinkled with mischief, but he only said, "You seem quite convinced of its success, Blaise. Is there a reason why? Perhaps…..something else you would care to share?"

Blaise stared at the man. Crap…it's like he knows already.

On the one hand, Draco said he would kill him if he ever broke his confidence, but to find out it was teachers he had told….

….it would be the ultimate humiliation.

But on the other hand…he recalled what Draco had gone through just a few short hours ago….those horrible minutes that seemed to have no end…his raw screams….the agony he suffered…

Blaise would rather have his best friend alive and furious at him than for him to go through anything like that ever again.

Sighing deeply, he knew what he had to do. Hang the consequences, Draco would just have to get over it. Staring back at the professors in front of him, he cleared his throat and said, "Yes Sir. As a matter of fact, there is something I would like to tell you."

A/N: No Hermione this time, because I had to set things up. But she will be back in the next chapter.