Chapter 24: A Matter of the Malfoys
*There is one mere mention of sex in this chapter, but no description at all. Nothing to fear really. Just wanted to cover my bases. If you are kiddies do not read this!*
Sage cursed under his breath as he tried to clean all of the soot from the fire pit Severus used in his private lab. There was enough evidence to suggest that it had not been cleaned by a house elf since Severus had taken over the position at Hogwarts. Sage knew that Severus did not allow house elves anywhere near potions or potion residues. There were some things you just did not trust to a house elf. Sage had been the substitute house elf in that department for years, but it never seemed to get any more routine or easy.
Day four of being grounded, three more to go. How absolutely unfair, yet completely predictable from Snape. When he made boundaries, he wanted them kept, and when he said 'grounded' he meant it.
Sage was beginning to wonder how well he could keep to his promise to himself to act differently, and thereby try to drag himself out of his depression, or whatever it was. It certainly was gratifying to back-talk to his uncle, but it was proving to be rather self-defeating.
He found he was much happier in the days when he obeyed and Severus was pleased. They got along rather well when Sage was acting properly. In fact, they felt much closer when there was not this lingering problem drawing them apart. Now all Sage had to do was bite the inside of his cheek, to keep from saying something stupid to his uncle, until whatever he was experiencing was gone and his irritability and moodiness faded.
Normalcy was around the corner, within vision. He had been feeling better since he had forced himself to act normal, even if he didn't truly feel it. The routine of it all was comforting in a way. He got a lot more positive feedback from professors when he actually did homework and paid attention in class, who knew?
Actually, now he had something to think about more than what would happen in the future with the Prophecy. His thought now was about going to the Yule Ball. He was absolutely regretting the decision. What did he know about balls? What did he know about girls? He didn't even know how he felt about Amanda. Apparently, the girl wanted more than just one ball, she wanted to be his…girlfriend?
The Professor surely had enough to say about it.
"What possessed you to say yes?"… "The daughter of a Death Eater of all people! You are treading thin ice. Macnair was not so impressed with you during his visit over the summer."… "Dancing?"…"You had better not have any ideas about repeating last year's performance on the couch with that Granger girl with Miss Macnair…"
And on and on and on. And Sage had endured it all without losing his temper as well. What exactly did his uncle think he was going to do… throw up her dress robes, push her against the wall, and do all manner of indecent things to her in front of the entire school?
As if he would even know what the hell to do! He knew the gist of it, of course, but he had never done it, and was in no hurry to try.
In fact, he was still leary of physical contact, especially after kissing Hermione the year before. Too many unfamiliar things, too many unfamiliar feelings.
And, if he did want to bed Amanda Macnair, how was he supposed to hide the Mark? He scoffed as he scrubbed in between the bricks with a toothbrush. With the way she felt about her father, seeing the Mark on his arm would not put her in the mood!
He stretched his hands and wiggled his fingers. This task was not so horrible when he knew that his other option was to be somewhere near his uncle, and Professor Snape was in rare form. He was in such ill temper that Sage had nearly asked to be sent to work to get away from him before some of that temper got sent his way. Lucius Malfoy was coming the next day, early evening, to talk about Draco and the incident in the Great Hall. Although the list of people Severus hated was rather, well, extensively long, Lucius Malfoy was in the top ten, perhaps top five.
What was even worse was that Severus would have to pretend to like the man. He'd have to be as pleasant as Severus Snape got. He'd have to fight the urge to strangle the man. Sage knew that was already on his uncle's mind, because he had heard Severus growl about wanting to 'squish the man under his boot like a newly hatched viper'. That was when Sage knew that work, however horrible, was better than being in his uncle's immediate presence.
Severus grinded his teeth. If there was one person that Professor Snape hated, it was Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was pompous, bloodthirsty, and devoid of any conscience. So as Severus walked down the dungeon corridors with the man, he had to constantly push his anger down. Truth be told, he would love to simply kill Lucius.
His visions of beating the elder Malfoy were interrupted by Lucius's fake sugary voice.
"Severus, I am most concerned about Draco. You are a friend, what do you think about the boy?"
The Professor raised his eyebrow at the word 'friend'. Pretending to be Malfoy's friend made the bile in his stomach churn like molten lava.
"I do not see what concerns you Lucius, Draco is a fine Slytherin."
His blatant lie made him want to tear through the rock wall in aggravation. He would love to tell Lucius that both him and his crony son, were pompous ignoramuses. That wouldn't necessarily be true either…Draco was showing a bit more promise than his father, but it was proving to be a very slow process.
"Your letter about Draco trying to curse the Weasley brat in front of the entire school and staff distresses me. Has he no tact to attack his enemies in a more secluded area? He tries to curse someone in front of the headmaster. I would not be so distraught over this if he had been a little more cunning about dealing with things. We both know how I feel about the Weasleys, I wouldn't mind Draco cursing the brat."
Severus gave Lucius a twisted smile, "Unfortunately Lucius, Draco has inherited your inability to master your emotions when provoked."
The elder Malfoy gave Snape a dangerous glance, "Yes, Severus, you were always better at that."
While the dank smell of the dungeons irritated most, it did not bother Sage at all, especially since he spent so much time down there. It was another day of being grounded, and he was heading back to his uncle's rooms after dinner. He was supposed to organize and relabel his Uncle's private potion stores. A task that promised to take him many tedious hours. He banged the side of his fist against the wall in aggravation on each new brick as he walked.
He heard voices down the hallway and wondered who would be out in the corridors. Slytherins did not generally walk around the corridors around that area of the dungeons for fear of annoying Professor Snape. The closer he got, the more he thought that something was going on that should not be going on.
Listening closer he began to focus on the sound and pick up the conversation.
"I will not allow you to slander my name…Attack in private… thoughtless…Crucio!"
Sage was already walking faster before he heard the Unforgiveable cast, but he bolted to a run right after he heard it.
"No don't…"
"Stop whining, boy. Crucio."
Sage rounded the corner into darkness as fast as he could. He headed towards the classroom, sure that it was there the voices were coming from.
The moment he stared into the open door to the Potions classroom, he saw Lucius Malfoy yelling at Draco, ready to aim a punch right at Draco's pale face.
Neither noticed Sage coming into the room, both were so focused upon what was happening. Just as the elder Malfoy allowed his punch to fly straight at his son's bloody face, Sage pushed the boy out of the way with all his might and caught Malfoy's fist in his hand, arresting the movement of the fist in an instant. Not with his strength, but with his magic. He pushed back against the man, his mother's elder brother, snarling with exertion.
Lucius went to take his wand out again with his other hand, but just as the man brought it out, Sage put out his free hand and fought against his other uncle's ability to use the wand.
"Get Professor Snape now, Draco," Sage yelled to his cousin, who was still sitting where he had fallen onto the floor.
Sage shoved Malfoy back away from him, still arresting his ability to cast a spell onto him. He was unsure how long he could hold it, and he did not have his wand with him. The amount of focus it was taking him to keep the man from cursing him outright was starting to cause sweat to bead on his face.
The crew-necked long sleeved shirt he was wearing clung to his chest and his arms. The light grey material was turning dark around the neck where his sweat was soaking through.
Within a minute Professor Snape came running into the room with Draco close behind him.
"Sage, stop now!" the man yelled.
"He was using the Cruciatus on Draco, I heard him, twice," Sage said back, straining, not yet releasing Malfoy.
The Professor stalking up to Sage and yanked him by the arm, causing him to lose his focus and release Lucius. He flung him around so that Sage was facing him, and he gave the boy a strangely sympathetic look that Sage didn't immediately understand before slapping him hard across the face.
"You will stop when I say to stop, and you will not meddle in things which do not concern you. What went on here was none of your business, and you should not have intervened. Say nothing of this."
Sage merely nodded, his strength failing him. He did not understand why his uncle had given him that look. Then he felt it dawning onto him, this was Lucius Malfoy and appearances had to be kept.
"The both of you will wait for me in my office," the Professor boomed, "Now get out of my sight."
After the two boys left, Severus glided dangerous up to Lucius before grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him up against the wall.
"How dare you Malfoy! Inside of the school! You could get me sacked. And we both know what importance my place is here, especially with the signs pointing towards the Dark Lord's return. Your stupidity will ruin everything Lucius."
Lucius's eyes conveyed his fear of Snape, and of course of the Dark Lord's wrath.
"He is my son, Severus. My son!"
"Then deal with him outside of my dungeons, Lucius. I did not allow you the use of my classroom so that you could use Unforgiveables."
"What do you care Snape?"
"The headmaster knows everything that goes on in this castle Lucius, how am I to explain this if the headmaster finds out?"
"You were always good at deception Severus, you will come up with something."
"I promise you one thing Lucius. If I find out that you do this to him again, you will be most sorry. I will have no choice but to take action or my place in this school will be compromised. Our master would be much aggravated if he comes back to power and finds that he no longer has a spy within Hogwarts because of you."
"You are not what you once were, Severus. What a shame. It is reflected in the way your nephew conducts himself. You have grown weak, you have a soft stomach. A pity you allow yourself such attachments to him, not even your son. A Gryffindor, I think I would die."
Snape glared back at him longing to growl back that Sage conducted himself far better than Draco did.
Draco stared at Sage, who was doubled over in his chair, clutching his arm to his stomach, breathing slowly and as evenly as he could manage.
"Why did you help me?" Draco's voice was devoid of its usual arrogance.
Sage didn't move to look at him, "Because you don't…deserve that…Draco… Even if you act like a p-pompous ass."
Draco raised an eyebrow at the insult, but then slowly nodded.
"You are going to be in trouble with Professor Snape now, aren't you?"
It was Sage's turn to raise an eyebrow . "Yes."
Draco's face was open and not bearing his normal wicked, superior grin.
"Thank you."
Sage could not help but look at the other boy now. He had never heard Malfoy thank anyone for anything. Draco's face was pale too, but bruising in certain places, blood crusted by his lips and nose.
"You're welcome," Sage rasped.
Silence engulfed them after that. There was a quiet acceptance in the air. Sage knew he had done something that Draco would not forget anytime soon. But the pain was definitely giving Sage second thoughts about whether he should have intervened.
Within minutes Sage was kneeling on the ground in front of a trash bin, throwing up. Draco was kneeling next to him not doing anything but wearing a look of horror on his face. The boy had no idea what to do, he was as empty and hallow as his father, but he was learning. At least he had the presence to kneel on the floor with Sage.
The door flew open on it's hinges and the Professor stormed in with fury.
"Get out, Mr. Malfoy, go back to your common room."
Draco did not need to be told twice, he jumped up from the floor and fled the office.
What do you think about Draco and Sage? Do you want to see more of them in the 3rd Sage book, High Brotherhood of Druids? Leave me a review, let me know! 3/2020
V.D. – Thanks for your emails and your offer of support during my writer's block. You have such great comments in your reviews, Ihope that you have enjoyed the last few chapters. Let me know what yo9u think of this and what you think will happen next, when Snape is alone with Sage.
Sibyl – Yes we saw a lot of Snape. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too, bc he's in it a lot as well. More to come too. How will he react when Sage tells him what he told Dumbledore? Hee hee. Glad you think that Snape was being fair, I want him to seem fair but rather harsh, it not a bit too harsh. He will begin to see things differently with Sage too and the two of them will be more like they were in the last fic. Sorry about Amanda, I don't like her either It's OK, winks, trust me! And Snape can do some wandless magic, but not like Sage. ;-)
Shadowy Cat – Yes, Sage is a bit of a reluctant guardian angel, but he has never had much family either, so even if he doesn't quite like them all the time, he will stand up for them. Like this last chapter. It marks the beginning of some sort of a change for him and will greatly effect what happens in times to come. ;-) BTW, Sage is on a fast route to change and he is dragging Severus along with him. The two will hopefully be back to the way they used to be, if not for a few hitches along the way/ ;-)
Carpathia – Glad you are still on board and liking the fic. Let me know what you have thought of all this new stuff. ;-) I'm glad you can identify with Sage and the homework bit too. We've all been there!
Elalien – Sage will start to feel better soon, promise. What do you think of these last few chapters, is Sage getting a bit better? (btw I didn't know whether or not you read the first fic, since this is the sequel, but thought I would give you a heads up in case you haven't read the first one, ignore this if you have). ;-)\
Eth- Hey There! Glad to hear from you. I absolutely love it when I get new people reviewing. Glad you think the story is captivating. I am going to cover this year, head on to fifth, and then rush to sixth so hope you hang on for the ride. (btw I didn't know whether or not you read the first fic, since this is the sequel, but thought I would give you a heads up in case you haven't read the first one, ignore this if you have). ;-)\
Jewel Little Bird – Ehhh, I like Harry, but there are some things I don't like about him. Actually I wrote the dragon bit before reading OotP and I had a feeling he was going to get a little bit of a temper and some sarcasm, so I wrote him that way. I think he is naturally suspicious of Sage. Especially after seeing Sage be secretive about the prophecy scrolls last year and then hearing Malfoy accuse him of learning Dark Arts, we know how Harry feels about that. Plus, Sage is a Snape, he's got to have some mixed animosity. Glad that you are curious though, things will move much faster. Can't wait to read more of your fic! Let me know when you update. I seem to miss it sometimes. ;-)
MCMish - I also liked the idea of having Snape use Hermione as a torture technique in tutoring Sage. I don't think Sage will let work suffer again! I am also glad that you like the interaction between Sage and Snape, even if Snape is mean. I want him to seem mean for now. Afterall Sage seems very different to him. All the negative changes in Sage are getting to him. Hopefully that will change when Sage gets more back to normal. Can' wait to hear what you think of all this new stuff too!
White Owl – I have not seen your fic updated and I haven't heard from you in awhile, I hope everything is okay and you are doing well. Join us again soon! Can't wait to hear more of your fic!