Wow. Two chapters in two days! Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. A few little things before we start, I don't know how long lesson in Hogwarts are so I based them on my own which are one hundred minutes long, and I know there's quite a few letters in this one, but I didn't want to leave any of it out.

Thank you very much for your reviews and as always please continue reviewing

~PureBloodSnake xx

Letters and Curses

Harry,

I heard from Remus about your ordeal from the previous year, and am here if you need to talk to anyone. Although it is still a little hard for me to see you face to face, I can try when you next go to Hogsmeade. Write back soon, it's lonely without Hedwig here occasionally.

Snuffles.

Crap. In all the confusion with the change between Potter and Malfoy, Caelum had forgotten to inform Sirius. How was he supposed to tell the only person to have truly cared for him, that he had abandoned him for a new family, that were supposed to be dark.

"Who the hell is writing to you and calling you Harry?" Draco hissed in his ear as he read over his shoulder.

"Sirius Black, Potter's godfather and our cousin." he whispered back almost inaudibly.

"Crap, did you not tell him what happened?" Draco asked incredulously.

"I forgot. It was a busy time okay." He snapped, before scrunching the paper up and setting alight to it in his palm.

"Caelum, it's no big deal. We'll write back explaining that things are a little different, and then we will tell Mother and Father and see what they say. "Snuffles was her favourite cousin, so don't worry too much." Draco was unphased by Caelum's rude tone. "Come on let's get that note to Snuffles sorted." The fabric of Caelum's robe was rough against his hand as he hauled his brother across the hall and down to the Slytherin common room. They still had a little while before lessons began; Draco was an early riser and had unfortunately forced Caelum to be up at the same time as him.

Snuffles,

I'm sorry that I haven't written to you, this summer, things have gotten a little hectic. I've found out things about myself that I didn't previously know, which I can't place in a letter. I would love to see you, however it would be too suspicious, I'm being watched by a lot of unwanted eyes at the moment, and look a lot different than what I did when we last met. We have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who is from the ministry and seems to have a grudge against me personally. I'm sorry that you're lonely but I can't risk sending Hedwig out too much. I might send her to you, so that she can be properly cared for.

I need to ask a favour from you, the next letter (hopefully) that should arrive is from a family member of yours that I have come to trust; please read it before you do anything rash, it should explain everything that has happened to me recently. Please don't try to contact me at Hogwarts before you read that letter.

Harry

Draco read over his shoulder and nodded his approval, before taking it off him and giving it to Serpeverde. Whilst Caelum drafted a letter to their parents. This one would need more than a nod of approval from Draco.

Dearest Mother and Father,

I am finding Hogwarts much to my liking. The house is very much becoming a second family. Pansy is especially motherly, forcing both Draco and me to eat decent meals and dress warmly in this cold period. It's a little overbearing to be honest. I haven't had much interaction with Professor Snape yet and I still think it's a little odd how differently he treats me. Our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is in Fudge's pocket and has a personal grudge against me for standing up for myself and my disgust with the way the ministry wants to teach us: no magic only theory. Useless! I have already skipped half the classes and learned much more on my own. No matter what you say, I will not have that pink toad teach me the basic principles of magic; it will not help us pass our O.W.L.S at the end of this year. On a more positive note, I have found that my friend, Hermione Granger, is an excellent Runes tutor and I have caught up to fifth year level with her help.

As much as I wish this could be a simple letter, I have discovered a problem. My godfather, has sent me a letter. In all the excitement, I have forgotten to tell him about the changes in my life. He wishes to see me, but I don't think that is possible at the moment and have told him so. It's not safe for me to tell him through letter what has changed, nor is it a wise idea to tell him face to face as he may jump to conclusions. Draco and I think we have come up with a solution, yet wish for your input and help with it. We propose that mother, you send a letter to your cousin, and tell him of all the changes that have happened and arrange a safe meeting during the Yule holidays (he should receive your letter happily). However if you have a better suggestion, we are all ears.

Your loving son,

Caelum Malfoy

Draco returned, pink cheeked from the cold wind blowing at the top of the Owlery.

"Let's have a look then." His breathing was a little harsh, as if he had run the last leg of his journey. Caelum kept ahold of the parchment for a little longer.

"Draco are you okay? You sound like you've been running?" Draco's hand was cold against his, as he pulled Draco to sit on the sofa next to him. "You're freezing." Draco was looking off into the far corner of the common room; refusing to look at his brother. "Draco, seriously." Caelum was beginning to get a little annoyed. He was not allowed to keep any little thing from his brother, even if it was hitting shoulders with someone in the hallway, but here Draco was refusing to reciprocate. Caelum took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Okay class starts in five minutes, we have that pink toad, do you want to stay here and I'll tell her you have a fever or something? Honestly it won't be long before I end up joining you here, the longest I've been in her class was forty-five minutes, not even half the lesson!" Draco just nodded in response. Caelum inwardly screamed. Something had happened and Draco was happy to play it off until someone noticed and then he refused to talk about anything. Although Draco was stubborn, Caelum still had that Gryffindor determination, which could break through any locked doors.

Feeling a little vulnerable on his own, Caelum walked to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Where's your protector now, Malfoy?" Ron sneered. "I'm surprised you can even make it to class without him holding your hand." Seamus and Dean laughed loudly whilst Hermione sent the three of them hateful glares. Caelum ignored them and chose to stand next to Pansy and Blaise, telling them of Draco's 'fever'. But Ron Weasley would not leave him alone.

"Can you not talk to the big scary Gryffindors without your brother to hold your hand?" They were taunting him, and he surprised himself by being able to keep his temper in control. Last year it had been a little explosive, to say the least. Honestly, he didn't care what they said about him, as long as they didn't insult anyone he cared about. "Or has dear little daddy's boy Draco gone to pledge himself to his father's slave master?" That was a step too far, and Ron knew it. When Caelum turned to look at him, Ron's face paled at the anger he saw there.

"Weasley, it seems to me that you are still believing the lies of a friend, who hasn't even bothered to tell you he's alive. What that tells me is that dear little Harry Potter is so ashamed of the lies he created to cover up the murder of Cedric Diggory that he can't face anybody here at Hogwarts. It's a shame really, from what I've heard, he and my brother got along wonderfully, wouldn't he have liked to have met me?" Caelum's voice was full of mock hurt and drama. He was honestly glad to leave behind Harry Potter and he wanted to disassociate himself as much as he could. No Gryffindor would believe that their beloved hero would talk about himself like Caelum did.

Ron Weasley surged forward intent on stealing the breath from Caelum's lungs. Caelum braced himself for the impact of a gangly redhead, but it never came. Ron had been put in a full body bind and had hit the floor loudly.

"Mr Malfoy," the dreaded voice of Professor Umbridge floated through the door.

"Yes?"

"Where is your brother?"

"He had a fever and stayed in bed." He could see that she didn't believe a word out of his mouth but didn't say anything on the matter.

"Please explain to me, why Mr Weasley was about to attack you?" She continued, ignoring the rest of the class, who stood watching the interaction with bored expressions.

"I don't know Professor, you see no-one has taught us legilimency yet, so I can't quite read Weasley's mind. You'll have to ask him." A few Gryffindors sucked in shocked breaths at the dismissive tone he used with her, but all he could see was the challenge in her eyes. Umbridge frowned, as if she was expectations him to answer her sincerely, she knew what he thought of her, so why should it have changed now? Unless… Draco! That was the missing puzzle piece. She couldn't tell them apart unless they were together. She had mistaken Draco for him when he had visited the owlery earlier. Whatever she did had shaken up Draco pretty badly, no wonder he wouldn't tell Caelum, it was because of him. Caelum vowed to sit through as much of Umbridge's lesson as he could stomach, to see if there was any more clues to what she had done to his brother. This time, he would play protector.

The lesson dragged on, Caelum didn't understand how anyone could sit through one hundred minutes of this mild torture. It had been fifty minutes, his new record, and Caelum was restless. He had sat and read one short chapter over and over again in this time period. Umbridge had not permitted them to read on further or take notes. Throughout this time, Umbridge had been challenging Caelum to misbehave and get sent of her class once again. He refused to take the bait.

"Alright everyone," she said in her sickly sweet voice. "I understand that last year, you discussed the three Unforgivables. Please recall that class and tell me the lies you were taught." Caelum listened in silence as the class warily began to recite the information they had been given by Barty Crouch Jr.

"The cruciatus, is the extreme version of the stinging jinx, although not to be taken lightly." Umbridge finished off her little lesson, filled with more lies, by looking straight at Caelum when she said this. It was common knowledge that many magical parents used a mild stinging jinx to discipline their children, but to suggest it was similar to a punishment: of course! Umbridge was challenging Caelum to protest about his brother's treatment. Calmly he took a breath. Slowly he packed his textbook into his bag and stood up.

"Where are you going Mr Malfoy?" She screeched at him.

"I got bored. So I'm leaving." And with that Caelum walked straight out of the classroom, the Slytherins looking at him with respect along with a few of the Gryffindors, except for Hermione, who looked horrified, Ron, Seamus and Dean who looked outraged.

As soon as he had left the room and knew that nobody was following him, Caelum broke into a sprint. Draco had been put under the cruciatus curse, that's why he had been breathless and spaced out: he was trying to control the pain. Without even thinking about the proper Malfoy decorum, Caelum threw himself through the entrance of the common room and flew across the room to where Draco was still sat on the sofa, unmoved.

"Gods Draco, you should've said something. I don't care about your pride or if you thought you looked weak. God I'm an awful brother not realising that this was as serious as it was. I don't actually know what to do- how do you get rid of the effects of the cruciatus curse?" He was rambling, and it wasn't helping anything but he needed Draco to know he was trying. Suddenly inspiration hit him. "There must be some sort of potion, and Snape wouldn't alert Dumbledore if we didn't want him to. I know you don't feel like doing anything but sitting there in silence, but we need to go to Snape's." As carefully as he could Caelum hoisted Draco to his feet and allowed him to place the majority of his weight on him.

Professor Snape's classroom wasn't that far from the Slytherin common room, and for that Caelum was grateful. Draco had been muttering something unintelligible in his ear for the last couple of minutes and he was beginning to wonder if Umbridge had done anything else. Knocking on the door, Caelum was surprised to see it open to an empty classroom.

"What can I do for you?" Snape's snarky tone rang through the dungeon, filling the room, but Caelum couldn't see him.

"Sir," he remembered to be polite now it actually mattered. "Draco needs help, he's been held under a Cruciatus curse." The words hadn't even left Caelum's mouth by the time Snape was helping to lift Draco into the classroom and onto a seat. Caelum was shocked, he hadn't seen anything move!

"Who did this!" Snape growled.

"Umbridge sir. I believe she thought Draco was me. I didn't realise what had happened until an hour afterwards. That's not going to affect anything too much is it?" Caelum sounded ridiculously small and childlike, but he held his ground. He needed to know that Draco was going to be alright.

"That shouldn't affect anything. But it's lucky that you realised as soon as you did, the pain keeps building, even after the curse has been released if not allowed to flow naturally through the body, which unfortunately Draco did not know. He tried to keep the pain in one area, so it intensified." Snape was in full lecture mode, but his voice was softer than before. During his mini lesson, Caelum had grabbed hold of Draco's hand. He closed his eyes, praying to whatever God there might be to help his brother deal with this pain. He had only just opened his eyes, when a jolt of pain closed them again. The pain was travelling up his arm and through his body, feeling very similar to the Cruciatus curse Voldemort had used on him last year. He focused on Snape's drone, allowing him to let the pain flow through his body and out again. However he couldn't help but grunt in pain as a particularly strong burst shot up his arm, alerting Snape to what was happening.

"Interesting." He murmured looking between Draco's face that was slowly relaxing and Caelum's scrunched up in pain. "Keep breathing Caelum, it looks like the effects are nearly gone. That's it; in and out, slowly." Snape's voice was rhythmic and helped Caelum stay focused. One last burst of pain and then it was all over and Caelum slumped against Draco. Closing his eyes Caelum fell asleep, the last thing he felt was Draco's hand in his own and the Potions Professor muttering a levitation spell.