A/N: Hey everyone! I shall be very depressed that my reviews are decreasing, but I guess most of you have not had the time.

Eitherway, I shall be very grateful to the one soul who reviewed my last chapter! THANK YOU, Kasara!

Off to the chapter!

Disclaimer: It would be wistful beyond imagination to claim the characters of Harry Potter. I shall remain content with the plot of my story!

Chapter 7

Draco awoke with a throbbing headache. He realized with a jolt that his surroundings were completely new to him. He eyed the dark and gray walls of what he presumed was a cave. The ceiling was bare and he appeared to be lying on what looked like a conjured bed. Draco's hands instinctively searched for his wand, confounded by the unfamiliar surroundings.

To Draco's utter dismay, they were nowhere to be seen. He quickly sat up and saw that he had been clothed in a bathrobe and that his clothes lay in a heap at the foot of his bed. Wrenching himself off the bed, he scrabbled over to his clothes. He searched its pockets and found his wand still there.

Armed with his wand, he tentatively paced the cave, weary of what he might discover. The last he remembered was Severus talking to him. It hurt his aching head even more to think of Severus, so he quit trying and instead, tried searching for the man.

"Sir?" he called.

"Yes, Draco? I thought I asked you to call me dad. Won't you?" It was Severus. He strode in through a hole in the corner of the small cave.

Draco presumed that there were adjacent rooms in this cave. "No," he said defiantly. "Where am I?"

Severus ran a hand through his mangled hair. "I knew this is what it would come to, but I'm willing to give you the time. Just call me dad before I die, Draco."

"Where am I?" Draco repeated, unfazed by the plea in Severus's voice.

"This?" Severus asked, gesturing to the four walls encasing them. "This is my hideout. You are new to the world of Death Eaters. While most older Death Eaters will not tell you this, I will. Each Death Eater had his own hideout in case he needs to flee from the Dark Lord. It depends on how well you have protected the cave whether the Dark Lord will find you. This however, is just about the most concealed hideout and therefore, we are very safe here."

Draco grunted in response. He eyed Severus stealthily. Severus did not seem to have rested at all. Sure, his torn and tattered clothing had been changed and he now merely wore a black shirt and black trousers to match, but his face still showed signs of tiredness and distress. His face was stretched and his eyes were red from lack of sleep. And as he moved, Draco could have sworn that his godfather's reflexes were much slower than usual.

"Slept?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.

Severus looked surprised, to say the least. He made a move towards Draco, but stopped when Draco moved out of the way swiftly. Severus's arms fell to his sides. He sat down on boulder in the corner with his head in his hands.

Several tense moments passed like this before Severus finally spoke. "Draco, you're not going to understand anything until I explain everything to you." Severus looked up at Draco and continued. "I told you once that I would explain everything when the time is right and it is now…will you listen to me? Will you Draco?"

Draco's anger subsided lightly and he became less weary of Severus in his poor state. He jerked his head to a nod.

"You were not born to Narcissa and I. No, Draco, I would never commit such a betrayal. It was Bella that I married. Your mother is Bellatrix, not Narcissa. I met Bella and fell in love with her while I was a death eater. Within a year, you were born and I became much more interested in becoming a family man rather than a death eater, but Bella did not. We argued and fought. We decided to part, but you held us together; we both wanted custody for you. She was your mother and naturally wanted you, while I have to confess, I wasn't ready to trust her with my child while she was still The Dark Lord's underling. In the end, The Dark Lord diminished and death eaters were free or so to say. Belle returned to me, but she would not remain silent as Lucious and I did. She raged at The Dark Lord's defeat and went on a rampage. I tried to stop her, but she would not listen to me. The rest, as you know, she got caught. I remember being present at her hearing. The impertinence I saw in her face was alarming and I decided then and there, that she was not the mother I wanted for my child. It will definitely not be easy for me to raise you alone.

This was when Lucious and Narcissa came to me with cries of never being able to have a child. I thought it over and in the end, decided it was best for you to remain in their care. I faked the façade of being your godfather so that I could visit you often and the rest is history. I have wished now and again that I could have gone back and changed everything, but I can't Draco.

I never expected Lucious or Narcissa to let you become a death eater. I was devastated when I heard of the treachery. I yelled at Narcissa, but it did no good; she merely told me that she had had no choice. It is my fault- I should have known; she could never be your real parent. It was then that I became a death eater again. I wanted to be close by and protect you. I seeked Albus's approval and it was only upon his orders that I killed him that night.

Listen, Draco. You do not want to be a death eater. It is not worth it." Severus stopped talking to await Draco's reaction.

Draco silently stood. He did not want to believe Severus, but he could not help himself. He knew Severus was telling the truth. He had tried pushing through Severus's mind and had been surprised to see that Severus allowed him in. he had gone through Severus's darkest memories.

Draco was shivering. "Dad?" he mouthed these word and even as he did, he felt silly and hollow. "Dad?" he mouthed again and this time, he felt stronger.

"Dad…" he said slowly and this time, he willed his voice to carry those words to his father.

Severus was shocked. A small smiled creased his thin lips. "Draco!" he cried.

Draco could feel tears creeping out of the corner of his eyes. Such was his happiness that he could not be bothered brushing them away. "Dad!" Draco cried and instantaneously, Severus was on his feet with all the energy of a young man.

"My dear son…how I yearned for this day!" he cried, hugging Draco.

He ruffled Draco's hair affectionately. "My son…my son…he is back where he belongs…" he mumbled.

They hugged, years of bottled up love bursting from Severus's heart while a the love of a sudden revelation brought the love tumbling out of Draco's heart.

Making a swipe against his eyes, Severus held Draco at arm's length and said seriously, his smile falling and the cheeriness faltering, "You should not be a death eater, Draco. Let this life of deceit end with me. You should be happy."

"But what do I do, dad?" Draco asked; he wanted to punctuate his every sentence with the word 'dad'.

"Run away, Draco."

A/N: Another chapter down and I'm beginning to get excited, myself! Share the excitement and review, please!