Disclaimer: HP and Co. Belong to J.K. Rowling, not myself.
A/N: This is a bit of a slow chapter, though it is necessary. A bit of big brother Draco again (Cause he's awesome). Thank you to all my reviewers and everyone who has favourited or added this story to their alerts, it means a lot!
R/R
Chapter 5: Defense Magical Theory
Thankfully for the Malfoy brothers, the following few weeks of school seemed to fly by with very little conflict, particularly with the Gryffindors. It was, thus far, the most normal year either boy had ever had at Hogwarts and Orion was flourishing under the attention and care offered by his brother, Head of House, classmates and new friends. He was working hard on learning to use his left hand, and professors such as Flitwick and McGonagall had been working with him outside of classes to help him adjust to using his other hand. Thankfully, with careful monitoring and an expert Potions' Professor, Orion's injured hand was getting better and was infection free, which cheered the younger teen greatly. He had had no desire to return to St. Mungos, nor worry his parents any more then they already were.
Orion sighed, flexing the fingers of his left hand before he picked up his quill again. Never had he written such a bloody boring essay. Thus far Umbridge had been boring, yet tolerable, however last week she had busted up a Gryffindor Defense league, which had been lead by his former friend, and had been on a warpath ever since. If anything the class had slowed down even more as Umbridge attempted to prevent anyone from learning new spells or practicing old ones. Currently, the youngest Malfoy was bent over his Defense essay in the library, it was about the danger of using defensive spells prematurely and gods was it awful. Anything could potentially be seen as a defensive spell and thus the essay was long, boring and probably one of the worst he'd ever written, including the ones written for Binns' class which he was still convinced the man didn't read.
Finally, rolling up the essay, Orion shoved it in his bag rather unceremoniously and pulled his Charms' text towards him. Normally he would be studying in Slytherin Common Room, but the Quidditch team had taken over, thanks to Draco attempting to become the next Oliver Wood, and they were having a strategy session. So, Orion and a few other Snakes had decided to brave the library, which was quieter then the Common Room, but had the risk of other students and overzealous Gryffindors. Focusing on the text, Orion began writing key essay points, figuring he'd get as much work done now as possible. It was Friday after all, and with a Slytherin versus Gryffindor Quidditch match scheduled for the following afternoon, no one wanted to have any homework on their plates.
-Blood-
Orion carefully placed his Transfiguration textbook into his bag, letting out a sigh of relief. He was done, he had no more homework assigned, beyond some term projects which weren't due until the end of term. Relieved, he carefully shouldered his bag and walked out of the library and began the long walk back to his Common Room. Judging by the lack of people in the halls, it was a lot later then he figured it would be, though it couldn't be past curfew since Pince hadn't chased anyone out of the library. Contemplating the game tomorrow, it'd be interesting to be sitting in the stands for a change, but his hand injury had made it impossible for Orion to continue to play Quidditch, he could still fly without a problem, but there was no way he could catch the snitch, not to mention he had had enough injuries to last a life time, and playing for Slytherin after being the much loved Gryffindor seeker for four years would have made him a prime target for lion attacks.
Caught up in thoughts of past glories, Orion didn't realize where he was going and the young Malfoy accidentally walked straight into a familiar red-head.
Stumbling back, Orion gave his head a shake before looking up into the very familiar face of his former best mate.
Unconsciously, Orion took a step back from the Gryffindor fifth year. He had, thus far, been very lucky in managing to avoid confrontation with his former Gryffindor friends and year mates. Ginevra Weasley had continued to harass him, but he only ever saw her in classes so she was easy to ignore. He had also managed to maintain friendships with Fred and George Weasley, who still appreciated everything he had done after the tri-wizard tournament with his winnings and surprisingly Neville Longbottom. However, from what the three Gryffindors had told him, Ron and Hermione were pretty pissed off about him becoming a Malfoy and 'abandoning his true house and friends' as the pair had been putting it.
"Malfoy" Ron spat, glaring down at Orion with angry blue eyes. Orion unconsciously flinched back from the tone, his arms wrapping around himself. While he had physically recovered (mostly) from his disastrous summer with the Dursleys, he still didn't respond well to angry tones, violent movements or yelling. His therapist said that it was rather unlikely that he'd ever fully recover from the traumatic attack, and Ron's tone was something his therapist would call a trigger.
"R-Ron" Orion's voice shook as he looked at the angry Gryffindor, summer had been good to the other teen, he was taller then before, clearly taking after Percy and Bill in his lanky frame, long limbs and large hands and feet. The twins and Charlie seemed to be more on the stocky side, with broad shoulders and chests.
Ron's eyes narrowed and his skin tinged red, a tell-tale sign that the other teen was angry. On some level Orion couldn't blame him, Ron detested the Malfoys and now he was one of them, not to mention he had become a Slytherin, something probably unforgivable in Ron's eyes. However, his therapist and family had told him (again and again) that if Ron, Hermione and the other Gryffindors were truly his friends, they wouldn't abandon him because of his family or his house.
"You little bastard" Ron spat, taking a step towards a shaking Orion. "You give up everything you stand for to become a fucking Malfoy?" He growled, hands twitching by his sides. "Didn't have enough fame and money as the boy-who-lived? Had to shake it up? Suddenly claim your relatives beat you and that you're a fucking snake? You're pathetic" Ron spat, still stalking towards Orion who was now pressed up against the cold, stone wall. Orion shook his head, frowning.
"You know thats not true" He said, wishing he could make his voice stronger. "I hate the fame, you know that" He said, mentally trying to calm himself down. He could feel a panic attack coming on, and that would be very bad in front of Ron.
"Liar" Ron sneered, "I bet your Daddy let the Potter's take you so that you-know-who had a spy inside a good, light family's house. Your parents probably arranged the death of the real Harry Potter" He said, his face darkening more, clearly the teen was embarrassed about being best mates with the him, rather then the so-called real hero, never mind that it was actually Orion who Voldemort had attacked and that it was Orion who had survived.
"That's a lie and you know it" Orion snapped, "The Potter's weren't as good as you all say they were, they kidnapped a child, fed him dangerous potions and hid the truth from the world" Orion growled in annoyance. That was still a sore point with him, realizing he could have lived with his real, loving family if not for the Potters. Ron growled, his face darkening even more at the insults against his (and the wizarding world's heros).
"Death Eater scum" Ron hissed, shoving Orion up against the wall harshly, seeming to enjoy Orion's hiss of pain. Orion couldn't really dispute that his father wasn't a death eater, since he knew for a fact he was, but it still hurt being called scum, particularly after the summer.
"Let me go" Orion hissed, shoving Ron in an attempt to get away from the taller, stronger teen.
"Can't deny it can you? Your precious family is nothing but disgusting dark wizards" Ron laughed, shoving Orion again as he tried to escape.
"My family is not disgusting, they're loving and kind and a hell of a lot better then yours" Orion growled, struggling to get free of Ron's tight grasp.
"At least my family doesn't worship a disgusting mad man" Ron said with a sneer, pressing on Orion a bit more, a small smirk on his face. Orion sneered, though internally he was freaking out. He knew Ron could do some serious damage to him if he really wanted too. Orion sucked in a breath, once again he couldn't dispute the worshiping the dark, but still it hurt being on the other side of Ron's insults.
Orion squirmed, biting the inside of his lip as he tried to figure out a way to get away from Ron. He glanced down the hall, unfortunately no one was around, just his luck.
"Let me go" He demanded again, trying to channel his inner Lucius Malfoy, though he wasn't doing a great job it seemed.
"I don't think I will" Ron said, a small smirk on his face "See you completely humiliated me and Gryffindor" He said, "Made us think you were the Saviour of the Wizarding World, made us worship the ground you walked on. You were everything to us Harry" He said, saying Orion's former name with contempt. "And then we find out you're nothing but a filthy Malfoy, the son of You-Know-Who's second hand man" He said, knuckles turning white.
"I didn't do any of those things" Orion protested, "I didn't know I was a Malfoy Ron, not that that should matter" He snarled, struggling against his former friend's grip. "If you were a true friend you wouldn't abandoned me just because you don't like that I'm really a Malfoy. A real friend would be happy for me, happy that I found my real family, a family that actually cares about me" He said, shoving Ron again and managing to push the red head back a bit, sending Ron stumbling. Seizing the opportunity, Orion pushed away from the wall, turning and beginning to flee from the annoyed red-head, suddenly he pitched forward, having been struck from behind with a hex or curse. Letting out a yelp, he was sent flying head first down a nearby staircase, Ron's laughter and shout of triumph ringing in his ears.
-Blood-
"Where is he?" Draco Malfoy demanded as he and Severus rushed into the Hospital wing after Madame Pomfrey had flooed Severus, saying that Orion had been found unconscious at the bottom of one of the stairways.
"Over here Mr. Malfoy, Severus" Poppy said, poking her head out from behind some curtains which had been drawn around one of the Hospital wing beds.
Severus put a calming hand on Draco's shoulder as the pair bustled over to the bed.
"What happened?" Severus asked, looking over Orion critically. The fourth year Slytherin was still unconscious or asleep, his dark eyelashes standing out stark against his pale cheeks.
"We don't know exactly" Poppy murmured, casting a diagnostic spell on the sleeping teen. "A Hufflepuff first year found him lying at a heap by the stairway that leads to the library" She said, frowning as she looked over the results of the spell.
Draco was ignoring Poppy and Severus, sitting next to his brother and holding his hand worriedly. He wasn't prepared to see Orion in the hospital again, not after he'd spent so much time at Mungos during the summer and on bed rest in the Manor. He sucked in a breath, looking over Orion with a small frown. Gods he'd never let anything like this happen to Orion again, he'd do everything in his power to prevent it.
"How is he then?" Severus asked looking at Poppy with a scowl, though he wasn't angry at the nurse.
"He had a concussion, a dislocated shoulder and some relatively bad bruising on the center of his back, he also had a sprained wrist and twisted knee. I've healed everything but the bruising might last for a few more days, it seems to be the product of a spell, though I'm not sure which one, and its proving rather resilient against bruise-remover" She explained.
"Concussion?" Severus asked, looking worried. Any type of head injury was rather serious, particularly for someone like Orion who had had some serious head injuries over the summer, a byproduct of his stay with his former relatives.
"Fully healed Severus, he'll be fine" Poppy reassured, "No lasting damages beyond a headache tomorrow perhaps" She said. "I'll keep him overnight and release him in time for the Quidditch game tomorrow. Provided he takes it easy for a day to two, he shouldn't have any negative side effects" She explained.
Draco sighed in relief, having been listening once Madame Pomfrey had been discussing his brother's healing and injuries.
"So he'll be alright?" Draco asked, looking back down at Orion. His brother didn't seem to be in any pain, but he was still worried.
"Perfectly fine Mr. Malfoy, like I said, he'll be out of here in time to go watch your Quidditch game tomorrow afternoon" She said with a reassuring smile. She, like most teachers at the school, were shocked by the obvious affections between the Malfoy siblings as well as Draco's overprotective tendencies. It was a surprise for most of the teachers as well as students to see the normally cold, Ice Prince of Slytherin to be so protective and caring of someone beyond himself.
"Thank the gods" Draco breathed as Severus also breathed a sigh of relief, the latter not only relieved that the teen was going to be alright but also relieved that he didn't have to inform the Malfoy parents that Orion had been hurt.
Poppy smiled, allowing Draco to remain with his brother for a little longer before she chased him and Severus out of the Hospital wing, assuring them that Orion would be fine.
-Blood-
Draco beamed as Orion slumped his way into the Slytherin Common Room after breakfast on Saturday morning. He'd just been released from the Hospital wing after having choked down some of Madame Pomfrey's rather tasteless oatmeal that she always insisted over-night patients had.
"How are you feeling?" Draco asked, bouncing over to his brother and pulling him into his arms. "What happened?" The blond added, the story circulating school was that Orion had fallen down the stairs. Madame Pomfrey disagreed, mainly due to the odd bruising on Orion's back which she suspected was from a strong spell. Draco was also inclined to disagree, Orion was not particularly clumsy, and he highly doubted his little brother would have fallen down the stairs.
"I feel fine Dray" Orion murmured, "Just a bit tired" He said with a small shrug, letting his older brother comfort him. Waking up in the Hospital wing had been a highly unpleasant experience for Orion and had shook the teen badly.
"I don't remember" He murmured, letting himself sag against Draco. He really had no idea what had happened, just what Madame Pomfrey told him. He had blurred memories of the night, something with Ron, but beyond that he really had no idea.
Draco frowned, still hugging his brother greedily, needing to see that Orion was okay.
"Are you tried? Do you want to go lie down?" Draco asked, immediately launching into overprotective brother mode.
"I'm fine Dray" Orion said with a reassuring grin, "Just a bit sore, but Madame Pomfrey says I'll be fine" He said lightly. "Besides I wanna be in the stands cheering you on" He said, pulling back from his brother with a grin.
"You better be" Draco said, ruffling his brother's hair.
"I have no where else to be" Orion said in a mock serious tone. "Besides, I really wanna see you beat the lions" He was feeling mildly vindictive and really wanted to see Slytherin win and hopefully crush his old house.
Orion walked with Blaise and Theo into the stands, Nick was also there, as his brother Charles was also on the Quidditch team. The stands were packed, as they always were whenever Gryffindor and Slytherin played one another. Most of the students were wearing red and gold, supporting the lions, though the Slytherin fans stood out, one strong patch of green surrounded by a sea of red.
"You alright with being in the stands?" Blaise asked, Draco had asked him to keep an eye on Orion and he was taking the responsibility rather seriously.
"It'll be different" Orion murmured, "But I'll be fine" He added as the group of Slytherins sat down with Pansy, Millicent and Daphne, whom had saved them seats.
"At least you can't get attacked by bludgers" Pansy said, grinning at Orion. She had become rather maternal towards the younger boy having always felt more like a sister to Draco then anything.
"Don't jinx him Pans" Theo said, sitting down next to Nick, who was sitting next to Orion, bouncing with excitement. The first game of the season was always the most exciting, except for the final game for the school quidditch cup. Orion chuckled, enjoying the atmosphere in the stands as well as the feeling of companionship he got when hanging out with his new snake friends.
"I don't think my luck is that bad" Orion whined, ignoring the laughs of disagreement from the group.
"You keep believing that" Blaise said, ruffling Orion's hair as the players trooped onto the field. Orion shifted, watching intently as his brother, the captain of Slytherin's quidditch team, shook hands with Angelina Johnson, captain of the Gryffindor team. With a tweet of Madame Hooch's whistle, the players took to the air and the Quaffle was released, closely followed by the bludgers.
-Blood-
Two and half hours later, Draco caught the golden snitch, winning the game for Slytherin and beating Gryffindor for the first time in five years. The cheering that erupted from the Slytherin stands was deafening and Orion was caught up in the excitement. The group of green-clad fans headed towards the Common Room where a party was soon underway, just in time for the team to tramp inside.
"That was awesome" Orion said, finally worming his way to his brother's side. Draco was basking in the glow of being the Quidditch hero, though he immediately turned his attention to his brother, a grin on his face.
"I was pretty amazing" He preened, shifting on the couch to make room for Orion to flop down. His younger brother was grinning, his hair was slightly mussed up and his cheeks were red. He was clutching a bottle of butter beer and he looked exceptionally good, considering the previous night. Orion rolled his eyes, though he grinned and let his brother continue to brag about his amazing catch, just squeaking out the win for the team.
The party began to wear down just after midnight. Many of the younger students had fallen asleep throughout the evening, Orion and Nick included.
"Guess we wore them out" Blaise said, putting down his empty bottle of butter beer and nudging Nick lightly. Draco chuckled, nodding his head in agreement.
"I'm surprised Ori wasn't out earlier" He murmured, carefully scooping up the younger teen as Blaise and Charles managed to get Nick stumbling into his own dormitory with the other fourth year boys.
"Night Dray" Blaise called, having adopted the nickname when he heard Orion using it, going into the dormitory he shared with Theo, Vince and Crabbe.
"See you in the morning Blaise" Draco called, nudging open the door to his and Ori's room. Yawning, he settled his sleeping brother in his bed, before going to the washroom to ready himself for sleep. He, like most of the Slytherins, was beyond relieved that the next day was Sunday and he was very much looking forward to sleeping in. He was still concerned about Orion's so-called fall, but he had no evidence to the attack, and though he suspected a certain red-head's involvement, he couldn't just accuse him. Ori didn't even fully remembered what happened thanks to the concussion he had received, so he wasn't very useful in pinpointing what had happened. So, Draco knew he'd have to be very Slytherin about this, use all his snake cunning and sneakiness to really figure out what had happened to his little brother. He knew Weasley wouldn't be above bragging about the accident and he knew that he could figure out what happened he just had to be patient and let Weasley screw up, which wouldn't take all that long after all. Grinning, Draco clambered into bed, glancing at his sleeping brother one last time before drifting off to sleep.
A/N: Sorry about not describing the Quidditch scene, I had one written but realized it really sucked, so I decided to omit it.
Hope you guys enjoyed.