Hello! I feel like every author's note at the beginning of the chapter is me apologising for the chapter being late. So I'm not going to do it. I would like to say a huge thank you to FireRuby and NatNiole who both reviewed my last chapter and gave me some excellent pointers which I have taken on board when writing this chapter and my lovely friend Lauren, who is allowing me to pester her into reading my chapters.
I hope you enjoy and please keep the reviews coming
~PureBloodSnake
Wand Waving and Disastrous Detentions
Umbridge was still teaching after the Christmas holidays, no matter Lucius' attempts at removing her from power.
"I can't stand her." Hermione murmured into Caelum's ear as they walked into their first defence class of the new year. "I don't understand why you've chosen to come back."
"Father made him promise to try and improve his grades and that means going to lessons." Draco's smug voice floated back to them from where he was eavesdropping in front.
"He didn't make me promise Draco," Caelum shot back at his brother. "He told me he wouldn't continue the fencing lessons if I didn't try in all my lessons." Although Caelum was still not one hundred percent comfortable with Lucius, he appreciated that his Father was trying to make up for the wrongs he had done to his son.
"I hope that he doesn't regret his decision." Hermione added, reminding the two brothers of her presence. They had a tendency to forget others, too consumed in their relationship.
"What do you mean?" Draco's voice was sharp and cruel, the only evidence that he was trying to hide his fear.
"Umbridge cast an unforgivable on Draco, because she thought he was you. That toad is going to try to hurt you now that she has you in her grasp. You need to be absolutely perfect for her, otherwise she will get you alone in detention-" Hermione trailed off, her point was clear enough that she didn't need to finish.
"I'll be fine, plus Maikoa will protect me." A cheeky grin blossomed on his face as Maikoa poked her black head out of the collar of Caelum's shirt.
You'll keep me safe, won't you?
Of course, I do quite like the warmth you provide. Caelum snorted, he had grown quite fond of the snake his father had gifted him, and although she would never say it, he knew she was fond of him as well.
"It's still a little creepy to hear you talk like that." Draco shuddered exaggeratedly. "You better hide Maikoa, she's something that Umbridge will definitely use to get you into trouble." With a quiet hiss, Maikoa his under the shirt once again. The door opened to the classroom and the class filtered in, the Gryffindor boys running late, once again.
"Good morning class, I hope you had a pleasant Yule time." The sickly sweet voice of the professor filled their ears and it was all they could do not to flinch in disgust. "Today we are going to start some practical work. We are going to learn the disarming charm." The students looked at her in shock, they were learning second year spells again? "I don't want anyone to get hurt. Now please partner up and start practising your spells. The incantation is Expelliarmus." One by one the students began to move, uncertainly at first, but soon they began to fire the spells at each other with gusto.
"Expelliarmus!" Caelum yelled, expecting the spell to shoot at Draco and knock him off his feet. But only a small red jet fired from the wand and stopped short. He stepped backwards alarmed at the failure of the spell. "Expelliarmus". The same thing happened again. Draco frowned at his brother. There was no problem with Caelum's magic, he would be able to feel that.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, concern marring his features, he stepped closer, feeling the need for a more private conversation.
"I don't know. It feels like my magic is being forced through a narrow channel, as if it can't go where it wants to. But the little wandless magic I can do is fine, it doesn't really feel any different. It's just with a wand." Draco looked at him contemplatively.
"Try this." he pulled Caelum's wand from his hand and replaced it with his own. "Your magic is very similar to mine, and less like his." The hissed named was all that Draco could force himself to utter in relation to Harry Potter.
"Expelliarmus!" The magic rushed through him and channelled it through the wand. The red light hit Draco in the middle of his chest and flung him backwards. Caelum stood shocked, looking at Draco's wand in his hand, before the pain he felt from Draco hit him. This feeling of connection was getting stronger each day, and now using Draco's wand he felt so much more connected to his brother. Caelum rushed towards his brother and helped him back to his feet.
"We need to get you a new wand." The usually snarky voice was a little shaken but he was grinning at Caelum. "I have a theory about it but I would like to confirm with Severus first. He-"
"Messrs Malfoy, get back to work." Umbridge's voice filtered towards them through the shouts of Expelliarmus. Caelum groaned, growling slightly when she pointed her wand towards them in a threatening gesture.
"Your go." Caelum offered the wand back to Draco and took his own back from his brother's colder hand.
"Ah, your hand is really hot," Draco recoiled at the quick touch. "Maybe you should fire a few more at me and work off that excess magic." Caelum looked at him hesitantly. "Quick before Umbridge gives us detention." Draco hissed reaching to grab Caelum's robe sleeve and point his own wand at his chest.
"Expelliarmus!" The excess magic gave Caelum's spell a boost and the jet of red light hit Draco squarely in the chest, disarming him before throwing him backwards onto the floor. "Draco!" Caelum ran forward, his brother being his main concern, in the back of his mind he realised that he had to hurry and help Draco up before Umbridge saw.
"Mr Malfoy!" Too late. "Detention for not controlling your spell and injuring another student." Professor Umbridge was smiling maliciously at the boys. "Please remove yourself from my classroom and return tonight at seven for detention." Caelum picked up his bag, and moved to collect Draco's things as well. "What are you doing Mr Malfoy?" Umbridge's shrill voice burst through the room once again.
"I'm taking my brother to the hospital wing. I think he hit his head." Without waiting for an answer he looped Draco's arm over his shoulder and hoisted him up and out the door.
? ゚ミノ? ゚ミノ?
Dear Father,
I am writing to you from the hospital wing. Please do not worry yourself, I am fine, I only have a little concussion. Caelum is the reason I am in the hospital wing and the reason I am writing this letter. Before you write an angry letter to him, please know that it was not his fault and he is paying the consequences, much stricter than what you would prescribe him. At this time he is in detention with Professor Umbridge. I am worried for him.
The reason I am writing this letter is due to Caelum's problems with his wand. He is a little embarrassed and probably will not write to you himself. We have figured out that the glamour that turned him into Harry Potter, also glamoured his magic. This has provided us with the problem that Harry's wand does not work well for Caelum. His magic will not flow through the channel the wand is providing. I think it will be safer for him and the rest of us if he gets a new wand as soon as possible. My wand works better for him than his old one does, that's partially the reason I'm in the hospital wing. Caelum borrowed my wand in Defence, whilst we were practicing Expelliarmus, because of the problems with his wand, he had built up some residual magic, which when he put effort into the spell, all that excess magic hit me and threw me across the classroom and onto the floor. Madame Pomfrey is keeping me in for observation but other than that I am absolutely fine.
I hope this letter finds you quickly. I will inform you if Umbridge has harmed Caelum in any way.
Yours Faithfully
Draco
"Madame Pomfrey?" Draco called into the empty hospital wing, his voice echoing.
"Are you alright?" She asked quickly waving her wand to check.
"Yes, thank you. I was just wondering if I can borrow your owl, to send a letter to my father?" Madame Pomfrey nodded before taking the letter from Draco and disappearing off into her office. She reappeared a few moments later to tell him that the owl had left. Content, Draco closed his eyes and drifted off.
"I would be able to heal you a lot easier, if you just let me Mr Malfoy!" Draco woke a couple of hours later to Madame Pomfrey's shrill tone.
"You can heal me after I've checked on Draco." Draco winced at his brother's angry last time he had heard it, it had been directed at him.
"I think not Caelum Malfoy!" Madame Pomfrey's voice had risen an octave in her fury. "What if your brother wakes up and sees you like this? Do you want to risk hurting him if he reacts badly." Draco knew she had hit a nerve, Caelum's soft footsteps fell silent before retreating again. What did Umbridge do to him? "Now Mr Malfoy, can you tell me how this happened? I think you will need to reword things so your brother does not freak out too much and injure himself again." Draco silently pleaded that Caelum would tell the mediwitch so he could overhear.
"I can't tell you in here." he heard Caelum's almost silent admittance.
"Why not?" Madame Pomfrey's voice was a lot softer, but there was still an exasperated sound to it.
"I just can't… I don't know why, I just have this feeling." Draco cursed himself, he forgot that Caelum could probably feel his anticipation, faintly but still there. He heard the soft footfalls of Madame Pomfrey leading Caelum into her office and then muffled voices.
"Now, how did you end up in this mess?" Madame Pomfrey was looking at him with concerned eyes. Caelum smiled lightly, it was nice to see that the Mediwitch hadn't changed, even though he had.
"I was in detention with Professor Umbridge," he spat her name, feeling bile rise in his throat at the throat at the thought of the toad-like teacher. "She had me in detention because I hurt Draco with an accidental overpowered spell, as you know." Caelum waited until Madame Pomfrey nodded. "The toad decided she would torture me." She gasped, but didn't do anything more than look at him more softly, as she waited for him to finish his story. "She started with an hour of me writing lines with that awful blood quill. And then she started to use spells that made me feel as if all my bones were breaking one by one. And then I had to relive all my worst memories, in which a compulsion was placed on me to try and claw my eyes out. And to finish it all off, she burnt large parts of my arms and legs." Caelum shot a hand out as his body lost the last of the adrenalin that had brought him to the hospital wing. "And do you know what the worst part of the whole thing was? I couldn't feel Draco at all." Madame Pomfrey looked at him confused before an alarm went off telling her that Draco had gotten out of bed.
"Stay there, I need to deal with your brother." She strode out of the office leaving Caelum to find his composure before she started to heal him. If he was adamant that he could see his brother first, he could wait a minute to get healed.
"Mr Malfoy, I thought I told you to stay in that bed!" Madame Pomfrey was scary when she was angry, however she stopped short when she saw the thick tears pouring down Draco's face. "What's the matter?" she said her voice quiet, as if talking to a frightened child.
"Where is he? I need to see him?" It clicked in her brain. The two boys were twins and had, quicker than she expected, developed a bond that allowed them to feel when the other was in danger. Not being able to feel each other for several hours and then to have extreme emotions flooding through that tenuous link, was dangerous and emotionally damaging for the two blonds. "Follow me." She said, her voice almost a whisper. "He's not in a great shape at the moment, but your presence should calm him enough, for me to be allowed to heal him."
Seeing Caelum, that beaten up, broke Draco's emotional barriers. He flung himself at his twin, mentally berating himself for allowing his brother to get this hurt. Caelum had angry red scratches down his face, a couple dripping blood. His hands were shaking, and he was struggling to keep them both upright, Draco not helping matters by clinging to his brother as if he was his own lifeline. On the back of Caelum's left hand a new wound was dripping blood, which pooled into the groove created by the blood quill. But that was nothing compared to the damage done to his arms. Large splotches of red covered his arms, the burnt skin blistering and peeling. But what hurt Draco the most was the look on Caelum's face and how he clung to Draco as if he was the only thing keeping him alive right now. Draco calmed himself down, took several deep breaths before turning back to Caelum and helping him into the closest hospital bed. Madame Pomfrey held her wand over Caelum and began to chant spells under her breath, then he sat down in the chair next to the bed and grasped Caelum's right hand.
"Where's Maikoa?" he asked, not seeing the black snake curled around Caelum's neck. He hoped that would distract his brother from the pain slightly. It worked, slightly, Caelum turned to smile at him.
"She's in my bag, I asked her to hide there whilst I was in Umbridge's office. I didn't want her to get home. Could you go get her?" Caelum's voice was husky and Draco's hold on his hand tightened slightly at the pain he could feel emanating from his twin.
"Sure. Is that okay with you Madame Pomfrey?" He was hesitant to interrupt the witch during her healing spells, but he knew Caelum would demand his snake to be placed close to his person.
"If it will get him to stay still and allow me to heal him, I don't care!" Draco chuckled before heading over to where Caelum dropped his bag. He put his hand in and carefully scooped up the snake before carrying it to his brother who was now fast asleep.
"I had to put him to sleep. I can't heal all this wounds with him awake, it would be too painful for him. I know you would like to stay with your brother, but I need you to go get Professor Snape, use the fireplace in my office, and then you can call your parents. I think they need to be here."
