A/N: Finally, we learn more about Snape and Draco's relationship. I really wanted to work on that with this chapter and the last one and I hope you will like it. I'll come back with more Dramione stuff in the next chapter.

"It was foolish of you," Snape said, apparently putting back small bottles in their respective shelves.

"Yes, well, he insulted my mother."

"You should control your temper."

"He should control his damn mouth. Next time I won't miss him."

Snape couldn't help but let out a little sigh as he glanced at Draco, who was still sitting on a chair.

"Should I believe that you didn't provoke him?"

"Are you defending him, now?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes. "I wasn't even talking to him," he couldn't help but add before he shook his head. He was right, wasn't he? He was talking to Weasley, not Potter. And still, it wasn't an excuse to turn him into a ferret and make him bounce against the floor again and again. Of course, Draco was understanding perfectly why Snape was reacting this way, who would want to hear Moody talk to them the way he had talked to him? Yet, Draco couldn't admit he had been wrong in his doings. He shook his head, muttering. Snape could hear some words. "... defends him... of course... shouldn't be surprised by that... doesn't help me after all... he didn't..."

Snape knew he was still speaking loud enough for him to hear, because Draco was still mad at him. But now, he was starting to get annoyed. He had always helped Draco. The boy was probably not able to remember the half of it, but he had always helped him, he had always been there for him.

"That is enough, Draco."

They both looked at each other but in a different way. Draco had been surprised by his tone. It had been really cold, but different than it usually was. And Snape's gaze was as cold as his voice had been. Draco almost felt like it was going right through him as they stared at each other. Sometimes, Snape had the impression Draco had never grown up.

.

He could still remember the day Lucius and Narcissa had told him about her pregnancy. How thrilled they were, how much they were loving this kid already. He could vaguely remember hearing something about being a godfather to this child, but it wasn't really clear in his head anymore because too much had happened since then. He had a tendency to forget the good memories.

Those were old memories anyway. Good, but distant. He had been there when Draco had walked for the first time. He could remember his father holding his hands as he was walking awkwardly towards his mother. Then, he had stopped, trying to let go of his father who had stayed behind him, ready to catch him all along as he was making his first steps to reach Narcissa. Seeing Lucius and Narcissa, it had looked like this kid was extraordinary, because he had walked, using those little things that were his legs.

He hadn't been there for his first words, he had been at Hogwarts. But he could remember the first time Draco had said his name. Well, he could remember the first time he had actually murdered his name because he wasn't all that good at articulating yet. But he had felt really weird and after muttering a "close enough", he had taken the little boy in his arms, and that boy had laughed and repeated what sounded like his name, grabbing his hair with one hand, his nose with the other. What a monster.

He could remember the times during the holidays when he had to play the baby-sitter because Lucius wanted nights out with his wife. Draco was certainly trying to drive him mad, running around the entire Manor, using their house-elf to help him hide. Snape still remembered the day he had caught Draco just in time when he had been about to fall down the stairs because he was running without looking in front of him. Draco hadn't cried but he had looked very frightened. But thanks to that, he had stopped running around and when Lucius and Narcissa came back, they had found Snape sitting on an armchair near the fire. He had been staring at the wall in front of him with a book on the pedestal table next to it. The candle was dying out while Draco was shamelessly laying on him, fast asleep.

And he could also remember the letter. He had been at Hogwarts when Lucius' letter had arrived. Years after those holidays, years after Draco's birth. He was older, taller... Nine already. Almost ten. They were still seeing each other but it was different. Draco was still curious, but he had also grown up to be more reserved than he had ever been with him. It wasn't the same little boy laughing and jumping everywhere. He was acting more like his father, following his example and wanting to follow in Lucius way too big footsteps. And Snape had tried to keep some kind of distance between Draco and himself. Maybe that was why Draco was acting so differently with him, because he couldn't remember how close they had been at some point, because he had been too young at the time, and now too old to remember everything. And at the same time, maybe that was the reason he was so angry about that promise. Maybe that he did remember, and maybe that's why it had hurt him so badly.

Snape never really knew why he had acted like that with Draco, why he had felt the need of distancing himself. Maybe it had been because he didn't want to disappoint him, who knew. Still, he would never forget the letter. It was the first and only time Lucius had written this way. And Snape would know, he had met him during his very first year at Hogwarts. Since then, they had exchanged plenty of letters. But in this one, his handwriting had been a mess, no doubt he had been shaking while writing.

And Snape still had the letter. He had caught himself reading it from time to time and some words, some sentences were stuck in his head. He could almost hear Lucius say them out loud.

"Something terrible happened", "It is all my fault, Severus", "I need your help, Severus", "please", "I am asking you as your close friend", "You are his godfather, Severus, please, help him", "He needs you", "He is afraid", "He is in pain", "please", "we need you", "we are afraid", "I shouldn't have brought him with me", "Narcissa can't stop crying", "He's suffering", "She's crying, she cannot stop crying, I can hear her from here", "He's suffering", "so much blood", "screaming", "wound", "please"... "I am begging you."

There was still some stains on the parchment. He was sure Lucius hadn't wait too long before writing to him. His hands were probably still covered with his son's blood. The owl had arrived during the morning. He could remember. He had been in his classroom, speaking, when it had started to knock on the window. Most unusual. It had interrupted him and he knew something was wrong. He knew it because the letters were usually brought directly in his office. He knew it because when he waved his wand to open the window, he had seen the dirty parchment. It was dry but more red than it was now. Now, it had turned a shade of brown, like an old coffee stain, contrasting a little with the old parchment. At the time, it had been dark, but definitely red. He had read the letter directly before leaving his classroom, barely able to ask his class not to do anything while he was gone.

Then, he had been in Dumbledore's office. He had given him the letter, he had asked to leave, even just for a few days. He had said something about his godson, he couldn't remember what, but Dumbledore wasn't looking like he was listening. He was, of course, but he seemed to be focusing his attention on the letter. Then, Dumbledore had looked at him and had given him an appreciative smile.

"It looks like Lucius Malfoy requires your presence right away, Severus. Take as much time as they need, and..." Then, he had seen Dumbledore turning and walking towards his desk. When he had come back in front of him, Albus gave him back the letter, as well as another paper. Snape never read it, the Headmaster just told him to give it to Lucius and Narcissa. And then, he had gestured towards his fireplace, allowing Severus to use it to go to Malfoy Manor.

It had been really dark. The first thing he saw were the empty armchairs in front of the fire. Then, he saw a cup of tea broken on the floor, the carpet soaked with the drink. A book, that Narcissa had dropped with the cup, was on the floor too. It wasn't the same book anymore, now. The tea had soaked the pages. Those same pages that were now folded. One corner of the book was damaged because of the fall, even with the carpet under it. Those were some of the details showing that Narcissa had been interrupted to hear something horrible.

They still had that book, somewhere in the Manor. He had seen it, one day. Not in the library, but above the fireplace. He had wondered if Narcissa had thought about burning it, at some point, without ever doing it.

There was no sound, nothing. No light, no one. He had looked around as he had walked out of the fireplace. He had heard his own steps on the wooden floor before the unpleasant sound had disappeared when he had walked on the carpet. It had felt like he shouldn't have been there, like he was interrupting something that wasn't even happening. That's when he had noticed the elf. He was almost hiding behind a wall, looking at the newcomer. His large ears had been low on his head and he had taken a few quick steps towards Severus. He had been bowing when his high-pitched voice had reached Snape's ears.

"My Master wishes to see you, sir... Dobby has been waiting for your arrival, sir... P-Please, follow Dobby, sir..."

And again, with quick and uncoordinated steps, the elf ran out of sight. Severus didn't need him, he knew where he had to go. But he couldn't hurry like the creature. He couldn't disturb the calm of the Manor, even if he didn't see it as something peaceful. It was a worrying silence. The weight of the events were crushing the Manor, giving off an oppressive vibe.

He climbed the stairs, feeling like an intruder. Once he had reached the next floor, he looked on his right. It was dark but he could tell that all the doors were closed. He then looked on his left. Again, no light, doors closed. He had walked in that direction, until he had arrived at the corner of the hallway. When he had looked on his right, he had been able to see it. The last door, at the very end of the hallway, was slightly open, letting a very thin ray of light, which was slightly moving, come out. The little elf, who had been staring at Snape with his big and shining green eyes, was in front of this door and as Severus started to approach, he moved quickly to pull it open. Snape had walked slowly towards the door, almost afraid at the thought of discovering the scene behind it.

When he walked in, he simply discovered the Malfoys.

One candle was burning near the door, lighting only a small part of the huge bedroom. It was enough, Snape could see the shapes. He could see Narcissa and Draco on the huge bed. They were huddled together. Severus couldn't tell if the young boy was asleep or unconscious, because from where he was standing, he just seemed to be peaceful in his mother's arms. Even Narcissa seemed to be. Her face was half-hidden behind her son's. Her fingers were caressing his messy but soft hair as she kissed his temple for the thousandth time before whispering soft words he wasn't able to hear. Her other hand was holding one of her son's. And next to the bed, close to them and actually down on his knees, was Lucius. He had his son's other hand between his.

The only way Severus had to discover the truth behind that scene was to approach even more, which he did. He did not only discover the truth, but the horror behind it. He could see the stains on the blanket. He could see the blood and the wound on Draco's tummy, contrasting with his white face. He could see the tears deforming Narcissa's beautiful features, the blood on the parents' hands, their terror and their tears. Even Lucius hadn't been able to contain himself. He had tried to stay strong for his wife, he had tried to take care of everything, but he couldn't, he didn't have any control on the situation. And his son was there, unconscious, breathing weakly, his body burning because of his fever.

It had seemed like Severus wasn't even in the room. Narcissa wasn't looking at anything in particular, she was just whispering to her son, and Lucius was staring at them, feeling too guilty to even dare making a sound. But he felt Snape's hand on his shoulder. He looked up, his red eyes meeting his friend's and he mouthed something but no sound came out. Might have been his name, Severus never knew. Wand in hand, he slowly raised it to point it at the bed at first.

"Tergeo," he said under his breath. Slowly, the blood on the blanket disappeared. He then pointed it on Lucius' hands before he used the charm again. He did the same with Narcissa's hands and finally, he took care of cleaning Draco properly. Soon, all the blood had been removed, even that thin line that had been on Draco's head. Snape hadn't been able to know if it had been a splash or if it had come from another injury on his head, at the time. Apparently, they had taken care of every other cut he might have had on his body. The only thing still visible on his tummy was the wound, still covered by the mixture that had been applied on it. But it was too late anyway.

Snape had sat on the bed, reaching Draco's head with his hand. Narcissa stopped caressing her child and let Snape run his fingers through his hair.

"Did he wake up?" He asked, still very quietly. Narcissa only swallowed, not even looking at him.

"No..." Snape heard Lucius say. The man was hoarse, and staring at his son again. Draco was burning with fever.

Severus turned his head. Like he had thought, Dobby was still at the door, mostly hiding behind it.

"Go get a Calming Draught," he whispered. With a little bow, Dobby left his spot to go and find the potion. He didn't even use Apparition, like even he didn't want to disturb the silence. "Narcissa."

She still didn't look at him.

"Let go of him," Severus said, staring at the woman. She simply shook her head before she looked at her son. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Let go," he repeated.

"My son..." Narcissa whispered and she clenched her jaw, feeling that her chin was about to shake again.

"I know," Severus said, still looking at her. "I don't want you to leave him alone. I just want you to let him rest."

He could remember the way she had blinked before meeting his eyes. He had been able to see the fear in hers. She didn't want to let go of him, not if it was the last time she was holding him. They all heard the quick footsteps behind the two men, but they didn't look at Dobby. He simply stopped near Lucius and stretched his arm. In his hand, he had a little bottle containing the Draught Severus had wanted.

"Narcissa, I'll take care of him," Snape repeated. During this time, Lucius, looking at Dobby's hand, took the potion. He was slow and it was probably the first time he wasn't too abrupt with the elf, as he didn't even glance at him. Then, Dobby stepped back, observing from afar. Observing Narcissa slowly letting go of her son, moving him slowly to let his head rest on a comfortable pillow. She couldn't help but slowly caress his cheek before leaning to kiss his forehead. For the first time in hours, Draco moved. He didn't open his eyes, but he opened his mouth a little as he slightly arched his back. Severus had to put a hand on Narcissa's wrist to stop her from taking him in her arms again. "Wait."

"Can you help him?" He heard Lucius ask in a whisper. Snape kept looking at Draco, letting go of Narcissa's wrist as the boy moaned, his body still very tense.

"Not much," he said as he moved a bit on the bed before he took the potion from Lucius' shaking hands. "At least, he is not unconscious anymore. But..." Both the parents quickly looked at him. Snape took his time, still examining Draco's face. "This must have been... traumatic. To say the least. I need to give him this when he will wake up for the first time, just to make sure he will calm down," he explained, glancing at the bottle as he opened it. Then, after he had put the cork on the bedside table, he saw himself put his hand on Draco's left cheek to turn his head towards him, watching out for his awakening. With this new angle, he was able to notice the bruise on his forehead, near one of his eye, where what he had taken for a splash of blood had been before. Poor boy. Traumatic wasn't even describing what he had lived. "With his fever, when he'll wake up... I don't think he will realize what is going on," he said, glancing at Lucius, then at Narcissa. Lucius had understood. It meant that there was a chance Draco would believe he was still there. Where the attack had taken place. Narcissa, if she had understood, didn't show anything. "Still, we are not going to do anything about his fever... It's his own way of fighting what happened. So, we will let his body fight, I'll calm him down. Don't do anything."

And they waited, tense. Even Severus was, but he wasn't showing any of it. He couldn't, not when his best friends were a mess next to him. He could hear Narcissa crying again, even if she was trying to be as quiet as possible. After what seemed to be an hour, but was no more than a quarter of an hour, Draco moved again, letting out a little sound. Then, he opened his eyes. And when he opened them, he started to cry automatically, loudly, and he struggled when he felt Snape's hands on him. When his godfather put his hands on his face to open his mouth, he even grabbed his forearm, trying to remove at least one of his hands from his face. But he couldn't let him do that. Draco didn't have enough strength anyway. He thought that the boy was trying to call for his father, then his mother, but his voice sounded strangled because of his sobs. Under Lucius and Narcissa's eyes, Snape started to empty the bottle in Draco's mouth. They knew they had to let their friend do what he needed to do, but it was horrible to watch. They just wanted to hold him in their arms, tell him it would be fine... They just wanted him to be fine.

Draco coughed and Severus put his own hand on the boy's mouth to stop him from spitting the potion out of his mouth. He needed to force him to swallow it, liking it or not. It took a few more minutes for the boy to calm down, to stop shaking and moving, and to stop crying as he let go of Snape's wrist. Severus slowly removed his hand from his mouth and couldn't help but put the other on his cheek. He wasn't usually showing any form of tenderness like this, but he couldn't help it, as he looked at the little boy who was sweating, whose face was covered with his tears, with his hair messy on his head and his shining eyes staring at the ceiling. He needed to feel a familiar touch, something soft, to be able to stay calm. He probably had no idea of what was going on, and he would probably have forgotten all about it the next time he would wake up. Because Severus knew that soon, he would fall asleep again, too tired because of what had just happened, and weakened by his injuries. And indeed, next thing they knew, Draco had closed his eyes and Severus removed his hand from his face before looking at Narcissa.

"He'll be fine... Keep an eye on him," he whispered before he stood up, drawing her an armchair with his wand. Narcissa leaned again to kiss her son a few times, her hand caressing his cheek softly before she stood up. Lucius got to his feet at once, holding her as she walked towards the armchair to sit on it. Severus saw that even if Lucius was feeling guilty, even if he was saying it was his fault, Narcissa didn't seem to care at that point. She held his hand for a few seconds and closed her eyes when he kissed her temple. She then grabbed his top to keep him near her a little longer. Severus saw Lucius' fingers going in her hair as he kissed her forehead again, before he pressed their lips together. He couldn't hear what he whispered to her after that, but he saw him straightening up and looking at his son. "Take your time," Severus added before walking out, knowing that he should probably let Lucius a few minutes with them before talking to him.

So, he had gone in Lucius' office, waving his wand to light the candles before he had sat down near the desk. Lucius only walked in the room after at least ten other minutes, closing the door behind him, trying to make no noise. He stood in front of the door for a few more seconds before he finally let go of the handle. He walked towards the desk and Severus could tell Lucius was trying to look composed even though he wasn't looking at his friend. He was actually looking everywhere but at Snape. His face was very pale, his eyes were red and a bit swollen. He noticed the glass of firewhiskey on the desk and he glanced at Severus without meeting his eyes.

"I thought you might need this," Snape said as he kept staring at his friend. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" It wasn't really a question and Lucius knew it. So, he took the glass and drank what was in it pretty quickly. He stayed quiet for another minute, only letting out a sigh as he put the glass back on the desk.

"I couldn't do anything... I thought he was going to die... He called me and I was... powerless."

"What did you want to do exactly?" Severus asked and finally, Lucius met his eyes. Snape was sounding pretty calm, given what had just happened in the room. Lucius shook his head before he looked at his glass, which had been filled again, and he took it in his shaky hand. "I do believe you did everything you could. You even had the mixture for his wound and he is going to surv-"

"But I wasn't there to protect him!" Lucius snapped, smashing the glass against the desk. Silence filled the room again. It was only broken by the drops of alcohol falling from the edge of the desk against the wooden floor. "I failed..." Lucius let out, already more quietly, glancing at his wet hand.

"Come off it," Severus said a bit more coldly. "How would you have known? You couldn't have possibly planned it."

"No, but... They could... And it's all my fault."

And finally, Lucius explained the events to his friend, as well as his theory.

"So, what are you going to do?" Snape asked, actually agreeing with him. He also thought that those brothers had planned the whole thing.

"What can I do?" Lucius asked, shaking his head. "I want them dead. But I can't do it myself. And if I tell the Ministry... Draco's future will be... He's doomed, Severus. Whatever I do, he is..."

"Have you already met Cornelius Fudge?" Lucius couldn't help but let out a little laugh. There was no emotion in that sound, but Snape understood that yes, he had met the man.

"Of course I've met him..." He mumbled. "I'm pretty sure I can make him do it. But he will have to register Draco, he will... Draco... No one can know..." Lucius sighed as he shook his head again, approaching the fireplace. Severus considered him for a moment.

"And what will you do with your family? With Narcissa's family?" He asked. "Will they know? What will you do with Draco?"

"What do you mean, what will I do with Draco?" Lucius asked as he turned around, facing Severus who finally stood up.

"You know exactly what I mean, Lucius. Are you going to get rid of him, like they got rid of Andro-"

"Don't say that name here," Lucius said shortly as he grimaced, looking away. He wasn't asking for him, but it was a rule in the house. No one was speaking of Andromeda. Not because Narcissa hated her for the betrayal but because she hated thinking about this loss. Lucius could still remember how much she had cried. Narcissa was the only Black sister left at Hogwarts, at the time. She had talked about it with Lucius, he was actually the only person to whom she had said so much about her sister, about her memories with her. When he had learnt that Andromeda had given birth to Nymphadora, Narcissa was alone at school, because he had graduated already. But they had talked about it in a few letters. Once Narcissa had left Hogwarts, she never talked about her sister again. It was too hard for her, and she was torn between her love for her sister and her beliefs. Yes, Lucius had known what Severus had meant by those words as soon as he had heard his first question. "Getting rid of him" was inconceivable. He would never do something like that.

Not to his son, not to his flesh and blood, not to his treasure. He couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about Draco. His smile was everything, his voice was everything, the feel of his heart beating against him when Lucius was hugging him was everything. Draco was his world, his wife and his son were his world. His father, Abraxas, couldn't know. And Narcissa's parents, Druella and Cygnus, couldn't either. Never. The consequences would be too horrible for Draco.

Lucius looked at Snape again.

"Don't ever imply I might do something like that to my son ever again, Severus. I'm warning you," he said, still hoarse. He met his friend's eyes and they stared at each other for almost a minute before Lucius turned again. "It's out of the question. We ought to hide his... condition, for his own good. If the family doesn't know, it'll be fine. We will just-"

"Pretend," Snape said, walking towards Lucius. "Lie to yourself. Think about him, Lucius, think about what it will do to him."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Lucius asked coldly, looking at Severus again when he stopped next to him. "All I want is for him to have the life he deserves to have! He didn't ask for this... He didn't go and got attacked because he wanted to."

"He will grow up hiding this. Leaving with this secret. He will hate himself, he will stay alone. He will hear his grandparents say things that will make him believe-"

"You think I don't know? You think I didn't think about all of this in his bedroom, waiting for a sign saying that he would survive? What other options do I have, here, but lie?"

"It'll drive him mad, Lucius."

"It. Will. Not." It had been slow, but very cold. And Snape knew that Lucius was saying that more to himself than to him. He knew that it wouldn't be a very healthy environment for this kid, but he also knew that it was the best he would ever have.

And they stayed silent again before Severus slipped a hand under his cloak.

"Here," he said, handing the letter to his friend.

"What is it?" Lucius asked, glancing at the paper before taking it. Snape could see that he was still shaking. He had never seen Lucius like that.

"Dumbledore gave it to me before letting me leave. He told me to give it to you and Narcissa."

Lucius narrowed his eyes but he opened the letter anyway, reading it quickly before he sighed.

"What is it?" Snape asked, actually curious as he looked at the paper. Lucius walked past him, letting the parchment on his desk, near the alcohol. Neither of them had repaired the glass or cleaned the mess. Lucius didn't see the point of doing it, and Severus, again, felt like it would break something about what was going on. Like it wouldn't be right.

"He's offering... A place for Draco. At Hogwarts. Despite him being a... He said he is welcome there," Lucius sighed, shaking his head a little. He had almost forgotten that his son had to go to school the next year.

"Wasn't it planned already?" Severus asked. He knew that for a while, Lucius had thought about sending Draco to Durmstrang but that Narcissa didn't want him to be so far away. Even if he had given up on the idea, now, he was sure he would never be able to go there anyway. He was sure actually no school would accept him.

"Yes. But he might have refused, after last night..."

"He's not like that," Severus said, shaking his head too. "Trust me when I'm saying this..." He only heard Lucius sigh again. "At least, I'll be there to look after him," he added and he saw Lucius turning around.

"I need you..." He began to say before he cleared his throat. "Please, Severus, make the Wolfsbane Potion for him... He's suffering enough already, I don't want him-"

"You don't even have to ask, Lucius," Snape said, meeting Lucius' eyes. "Of course I'll do it. Don't worry."

.

"I may have made a mistake because of personal grief, Draco, but I never intended to wrong you, or to make you feel like I didn't care about you," Snape told his student. Draco gritted his teeth, glaring at him.

"They know," he said. Severus narrowed his eyes. "They know," Draco repeated more coldly. "About me."

"Who?"

"Take a guess," he said as he stood up. "Potter, Weasley and Granger, what do you think," he said, narrowing his eyes, reminding Snape of Draco's father.

He wasn't surprised, though. Not about Hermione. She had figured it out for Lupin, and the only thing that let some hope in him was that Draco had never told him she knew. He had hoped that maybe, she hadn't thought about him. But she had. Did the other two figured it out the night in the Shrieking Shack?

"How do you think I found my way back to the castle? I didn't. They came to find me, because... They knew you hadn't... I almost killed them..." he whispered, not even looking at Snape anymore. His gaze was fixed on something invisible, as he was remembering. "Potter and Granger," he kept on going, still speaking quietly. "Because you sent me in the Forest... And the next morning, they both came to find me... And Potter saw... He saw my injuries, he saw my body... I didn't need that, not after having spent the night fighting with Lupin!" He looked at Snape again as he said the last sentence louder. "You think I did all of this to myself? It's because I was in the Forest that night! Because you sent me there! And then, I learn that Lupin's leaving? Because of you? And that Granger knew because of you? And that's why I've been exposed? That's why Potter had some- why he- he felt pity for me? And that he came to help me? He wanted to help me get dressed! Get dressed! I didn't need that! I didn't need the humiliation, I didn't need the injuries, I don't need Weasley to tell me my parents hate me, I don't need him to remind me I shouldn't be with them, and I didn't need-" He was almost screaming. But he stopped himself. He didn't finish. He didn't have the heart to say he hadn't needed the betrayal, because Snape knew what he was thinking. The professor closed his eyes for a second, before fixing them on Draco again.

"Sit down," he said calmly. Draco didn't move, he only stared at him. "Draco, sit down."

"What for?" He asked aggressively.

"Fine, stand there," Snape said as he walked towards his desk again, sitting behind it. "Did you tell your parents about all of this?"

"What are you, mental?" Draco asked, only to see Snape's glare. But he didn't care, this time.

"Why don't you talk to me about it, then?" He asked. Draco narrowed his eyes again. He knew that Draco needed to talk. Narcissa had told him about the many letters he had been sending during the summer. That it was way more than before, and she had asked him if something might have happened, if he liked a girl or if he had made new friends. Snape had muttered something about a new friend, yes, but no girls. He didn't know about this part of Draco's life. So, he was pretty sure he had been talking to Lupin during the summer. But now, he was almost certain they hadn't discussed all of this. They were bonding differently, it was special. He was sure he wasn't talking with him about that fight in the Forest, or about the pity Potter had felt for him. Draco was too proud, it was already odd that he had told him. But again, he had been angry and Snape had felt like the words had come out of his throat before he could do anything about it. He was pretty sure Draco had kept everything for himself during the summer, torturing himself during months.

That, with all the thoughts he already had stuck in his brain. About himself, about his friends, about all those secrets. About everything he was hiding to them and to the rest of his family. With what Ron had told him, with the humiliation of being seen by Harry. About his body, his scars. Surely, it was a stressful life and surely, he didn't know who he could talk about all of this. As far as Snape knew, his friends didn't know, and he doubted he would suddenly go talk to the trio about all of this. And since he hadn't said anything to his parents or Remus... He probably just needed to vent a little.

All those years, he hadn't been able to. He had always kept everything for himself, letting his rage go during the full moons. That's why he was often aggressive with people, why he was mean. He was feeling like it was unfair. He was angry with the world.

But Snape had always been there to listen, he had told him this many times. He didn't know if Draco had kept everything for himself because he was fearing he would tell his parents all about his confessions, but that wasn't Snape intention. He had promised Lucius he would be there for Draco, and he would. He knew that Draco was probably feeling bad for his own parents. That's something he had always thought about, because of the way they had to lie to everyone for him. Because of those strong beliefs they were disregarding for him. Because he was probably feeling like he didn't belong there. But Severus was an outsider. He didn't have to tell anyone about Draco's thoughts.

He knew it. He had told Lucius. He had warned him.

He had told him it would drive Draco mad. And he was witnessing Draco tormenting himself with all of this, without being able to do anything about it but listen to a boy who didn't want to talk.