Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 7 Tormenting Memories

Regulus told him not to trust Sirius. Severus knew he should have believed him, but he wanted to catch them doing something wrong. He wanted Riddle to be able to hold them responsible for something, for them to get more than detention for a month.

He wanted them gone.

Lupin was the least harmful of the four. His cool gaze sent shivers up Severus's spine, but other than that, he wasn't nearly as bad as the other Gryffindors. He wasn't loud or obnoxious. Sure, getting on the wrong end of Lupin's wand was ten times worse than Black's or Potter's, but Lupin didn't call them names. He just stared in a way that screamed danger.

So why was Severus following Black's instructions to find where Lupin ran off to during the night? Did he really think catching them in the middle of the night was going to result in anything substantial?

Severus's screamed rang in his ears before he realized what was happening, what was biting him, eating him.

"SIRIUS WHAT DID YOU DO?!" The last thing he heard was Potter's terrified voice.

"Please! Please!" Black begged as they took Lupin away to Azkaban. The desperate begging still haunts Severus to this day. "It was my fault! Take me instead! PLEASE!"

"Don't look." Narcissa was in her seventh year, and he was in his third. Their age gap never felt so huge compared to this moment. She was shielding him like a mother, in a way his own mother was never strong enough to do. "It's not your fault, Severus. Don't look."

His body was shaking from the nerve damage, the changes going on in his body, and the emotional pain. Black's sobs filled the hospital wing as a dazed and confused Lupin was still trying to figure out what happened.

"HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT!" Black sobbed. And then Lupin was gone.

Severus woke up with a start. Sirius Black continued his education at home for two years after that, until Professor Riddle discovered how abusive Walburga was. Sirius returned to school (on permanent probation) and spent his summers with the Potters. Regulus started spending his summers with the Malfoys, along with Severus, whose Muggle father couldn't handle living with something stronger than himself.

"I'm sorry." Severus's eyes fell on a photo of Narcissa, who was snuggling Draco as she watched everyone open his first birthday presents for him. Narcissa and Lucius were the first people to make him feel safe. "I'll teach him the Patronus Charm, as soon as I'm well…"

"Who are you talking to, Severus?" It was Christmas, and Lily came into his rooms with an arm full of vials. She smiled when his eyes focused on her. "I figured you'd rather me bring these than Sirius."

Severus blinked wearily and forced himself to sit up. Lily was standing in front of the picture of Narcissa and Draco. "Yes… Happy Christmas."

Lily's smile widened. Her right arm bore the Mark of Death. What was wrong with him? "Happy Christmas."

Draco wasn't used to getting excited for Christmas. He always used it as an opportunity to sleep in. Dora always got whatever she wanted for Christmas. Draco usually got something from the clearance section of the drugstore.

Blaise never got excited for anything. In fact, today he was found under the bed when Pansy flung the lights on. "I'm not staying here for Christmas anymore if the two of you spend the whole day sleeping."

"No one asked you to," Blaise grumbled from the safety of under his bed.

"Is that the grumblings of a gnome I hear?" Pansy asked lightly as she sat on Blaise's bed, and Draco forced his eyes open. "C'mon! I've got all my presents, and I'm dying to open the one from my mum."

Draco grinned as Blaise army crawled out from under his bed, but not for long because he wanted to get in the bathroom first. He laughed as Blaise pounded on the door, and Pansy whined that there were other bathrooms. It wasn't hard to momentarily forget all his troubles. Well… until he started opening his presents.

"What's that?" Pansy asked as she shoved a Snickerdoodle from her dad into her mouth. Draco was too busy leafing through an old yearbook Professor Riddle got him. It featured a picture of his father proposing to his mother on her graduation day.

"What's it look like?" Blaise said dryly.

Draco started ripping the paper off before they could start fighting. It looked like… His mouth ran dry. A Firebolt.

It was beautiful, gleaming without a twig out of place. Draco could only stare in awe. With a shaking hand, he picked it up, and it instantly started vibrating, waiting for him to ride it. He remembered admiring it in the store.

There was no card. No To and From sticker. Nothing. The paper was a plain, dark green. There was absolutely no indication of who it was from.

"Who's it from?" Blaise breathed.

"I-I dunno."

Pansy and Blaise frowned and said nothing until they went to breakfast.

Potter was there. Potter, who always made fun of him for staying at the castle during Christmas hols. Draco sat across from her, which alarmed Potter to no end. Pansy snickered and sat beside him.

"Our beloved school governor called me," Professor Riddle said jovially as Katherine took a sip of water. "I never thought I'd hear James Potter beg, but he said the floo is open if you wanted to…"

Potter tore away from Draco to meet Professor Riddle's intense stare. "He decided who he wants to spend Christmas with, as have I."

"Your tearstained pillow?" Pansy filled in. Draco felt his heart drop. Was Potter talking about Professor Greengrass? No, the Muggle Studies professor was sitting at the table, staring at her plate. It couldn't be… Astoria?

"Have you ever heard of Legilimency, Katherine?" Professor Riddle asked before Potter could insult Pansy back.

"No," she said lightly as she stabbed her fork onto the bacon plate and put about ten pieces on her own. A nice show, but she didn't eat any of it.

"Hardly a topic for Christmas breakfast, Professor Riddle," Professor McGonagall said coldly. She was a teacher back when Dumbledore was headmaster, and a fearsome woman, so Draco was willing to save his curiosity for a trip to the library.

Professor Riddle, who wasn't afraid of anyone, smiled and for a moment it looked like he agreed. However there was a sharpness in his eyes that Draco couldn't read. "It is an art of seeing the layers of another's mind. One can see memories, images, anything really."

All of the color drained from Potter's face. "Oh. Neat."

"Yes," Professor Riddle said tensely. "Neat."

"He… I can't…" Potter coughed slightly, causing Professor Riddle's eyebrows to shoot up as she took her inhaler out of her pocket and shook it before using it. She breathed deeply, stuffed it into her pocket, and then dug into her bacon.

She left soon after that, and it became a normal Christmas breakfast. Pansy ate five waffles and complained for the rest of breakfast. Professor Flitwick drank an extra cup of coffee and started flirting with Professor McGonagall. All was right with the world.

Professor Black was waiting for them when they returned. Blaise made a beeline for their room, making Draco and Pansy frown. When Draco went to follow, Professor Black blocked his path and wasted no time beating around the bush.

"I'm taking the Firebolt," he said firmly.

"What?" Draco and Pansy said in unison.

Black looked grim. "It could be cursed."

"By your brother?!" Pansy shrieked, causing there to be a tense silence.

Professor Black's expression darkened. His relation to Regulus Black was an open secret. Everyone knew, but no one dared say it to his face. Draco held his breath, waiting for Black to have a childish tantrum and give Pansy the worst punishment possible. Instead, he simple ground out one word. "Yes."

Pansy snorted and threw her hands in the air. "Oh, yes. Regulus Black could just waltz into a store and buy one of the most expensive items on the market without anyone noticing. Has one been reported stolen?"

"No." Black's voice was dangerously calm. Draco didn't like it either but found himself elbowing Pansy, silently screaming, Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! "But there are other means to buy things undetect—"

"You just want Potter to win the Cup," Pansy spat. The fingers on Black's wand hand twitched. "Do you think that will make her feel better about her parents splitting up?"

Black took a menacing step closer to Pansy, causing her to involuntarily step backwards in fear. "The broom will be stripped and checked for every curse under the sun. And you better hope the process is fast, Ms. Parkinson, because you will have a double detention every night until it is finished. You will disembowel every toad that dares set foot on Hogwarts' grounds. You will present me a report every night about a curse that could possibly be on Mr. Malfoy's broom. I will work you until you have no more tears left. NOW GET OUT MY SIGHT!"

With a humiliated sob, Pansy ran away. Draco found himself too scared to move a muscle as Black's angered breathing started to slow. He had not been dismissed, and with Pansy's outburst and the consequences of it, he did not know what to say. There was nothing wrong with the broom. Somehow, he just knew.

"Leave," Black seethed. Draco didn't need to be told twice.

Draco didn't bother to ask Blaise as he stormed into his room and slammed the door behind him. After that performance, there was no way in hell that it was Pansy who told, and despite his entrance, Blaise didn't look up from his book to see what was wrong.

"Why'd you do it?" Draco spat.

You're my best friend. I've already lost my dad to Black. I can't lose you too. That's what Draco wanted Blaise to say. Hell, it's what Blaise wanted to say. But Blaise was too shy to say it. If he had, if he had the decency to say why he reported him behind his back, Draco wouldn't have been so angry.

But Blaise didn't have the courage to step out of his comfort zone. He said nothing.

Draco understood Blaise's side. He understood Pansy's side. The only problem was that he didn't know what to believe. Something didn't seem right, but… There was nothing wrong with the broom. Or was it just wishful thinking? He missed his broom and to have a Firebolt…

He couldn't let Black strip it. That was for sure. They could contact local shops, find out where it came from, and go from there.

Like a man signing his own death certificate, Draco took a deep breath and went to knock on Professor Black's office door. Then he heard Professor Riddle.

"What's the last time you looked at your family tapestry?" Professor Riddle demanded.

"My mother's pride and joy?" Professor Black snorted. "At least fifteen years. I barely set foot in that house after you got me out of there."

"I need you to look at it." Professor Riddle was telling, not asking. What was so important about a tapestry?

Black paused. "Hestia got it in the divorce."

"You let her have it?" Professor Riddle hissed.

"Yeah," Black snapped. "I left her have it. The house is cursed. It's where the line of squibs started! If it wasn't—"

"Do not blame your parents' magical inadequacies for their terrible nature," Professor Riddle said coldly. "Narcissa's parents—"

"Were trash that were obsessed with what they didn't have," Black spat. "Just like my parents. If you want to look at the tapestry, ask Hestia."

Draco winced when Professor Riddle started pacing and flattened himself against the wall because he thought the headmaster might storm out. But no, he was simply pacing. "I gave you a second chance, Sirius."

"Remus was the one who deserved a second chance," Black said quietly.

"I tried."

"Not hard enough!" Black yelled. Draco couldn't recall anyone ever daring to yell at Professor Riddle. "He… was just a boy."

"So was Severus," Professor Riddle nearly whispered. "I need your help, Sirius. Talk to Hestia—"

"She won't talk to me without a lawyer," Sirius said quietly. "Why do you need to look at it? I could get Lily to do it. They're best friends."

"No." Professor Riddle ceased his pacing. "I will simply need to take a risk. That is all."

The doorknob twisted, making Draco run away as quietly as he could. What was that all about?

Potter Properties Raided—Nothing found

The whole Slytherin Common Room was buzzing about the article that was published on the day everyone returned from the Christmas holiday. Draco read the article twice, but it was rather uneventful. Dozens of Curse Breakers, Unspeakables, and Aurors were searching the half dozen properties. Potter, who was flabbergasted, even provided blueprints to prove that he wasn't hiding anything.

"I wonder what they were looking for," Pansy wondered at breakfast. Katherine Potter was nowhere to be seen.

"I bet Lily Potter ordered it," Daphne said knowingly. "They are getting a divorce. She's probably trying to make him look bad and assess everything thing he owns."

Pansy laughed triumphantly. "He probably has twenty kids with other women. Maybe she's trying to find them all."

"That's not even funny," Astoria mumbled.

But Pansy kept laughing. "Can you imagine being Potter's sister?"

"Can you imagine being her Potions lab partner?" Draco complained to change the subject. "God, I have to sit next to her for two hours today."

Pansy opened her mouth, probably to unintentionally say something even more awkward, but she was interrupted by her cat, who was chasing Zeus, Blaise's rat.

Neither one of them had spoken to Blaise since the incident, and their friend acted like it didn't bother him. However, once they realized what was happening, both Draco and Pansy darted from their seats to chase after Orange and Zeus.

"Orange!" Pansy cried as they gasped for air. Someone was entering the castle and unknowingly letting both animals out. "Thanks idiot! …What are we going to do?"

Draco didn't say anything as they ran out of the castle. How could such a fat cat be so fast? He groaned when they lost them.

"Orange!" Pansy yelled. Nothing.

They searched for a few more minutes and found Orange… without Zeus. The kneazle was limping but also licking his lips. Pansy froze, and her eyes widened in horror.

They didn't talk to their best friend for nearly a week, refused to say a word to him because he was trying to protect Draco, and now, Pansy's cat ate the only thing that was always there for him. How were they going to tell him?

Thank you for reviewing Phoenix Arisen Again, Heart, justsomerandompotterheadlol, and GreyAurora!

mysticalgems: There's nothing in the story about STIs… I don't know what your problem is but calm down. It's just a story. :P

Phoenix Arisen Again: I'm hoping to do up to year seven! I don't know who to pair Regulus with… Let me know if you have any ideas!

GreyAurora: I like to put bits of the original characters into the "opposite" characters. So I like to model Pansy like Ron, but she's a muggleborn like Hermione. Blaise is the "smart" one like Hermione, but he's a pureblood and has a rat like Ron. So I'll give you a list of who they're mostly based off, but I try to keep some of themselves into it too, and as the story goes on, there's a bit of an everyone has some good in them sort of thing going on. But here you go:

Lily = Lucius, James = Narcissa, Tonks = Dudley, Kat = Draco, Draco = Harry, Pansy = Ron, Blaise = Hermione, Dudley = Neville, Astoria = Ginny, Sirius = somewhere between Severus and Regulus, Regulus = Sirius, Severus = Remus with a little bit of Peter, Hermione = as the story goes on Bellatrix, Ron= less stupid Crabbe and Goyle, Riddle= Dumbledore, and Riddle = Dumbledore, Peter= kind of Severus but he's still a lot of himself, he's just spying for the sake of keeping himself happy

Let me know if you want me to explain any other characters! :)