Chapter 5 Draco sees the light

Draco Malfoy was all excited as he reread the invitation in his hand:

Draco,

Your Mother has given permission for you to spend two weeks with me this summer. Please contact me if you want to stay, and we will make further arrangements.

Your Godfather,

Severus Snape

P.S. We have much to discuss and I need your help with the research on my new potion.

Now that all the arrangements have been made, he was due to leave in just a few minutes. Narcissa Malfoy walked into Draco's room and thought 'my baby is grown up. How I want for him to be able to choose his own path in life.' Then she said out loud "All ready to go?"

Draco grinned at his mother, "Just waiting for the allotted time. Can't be too early, and I definitely can't be late. Sev hates anyone being late."

"Well, then come give me a hug, and you can go. The floo is set to let you in Severus' wards. Just owl me if there's anything you need while you're there."

"I will. Love you, Mom," he said while hugging Narcissa. "I love you too, son." Then Draco stepped back and grabbed some powder and said "Snape Manor". He stepped out of the floo and into his bedroom at Severus Snape's home. He unpacked his stuff knowing that Severus' wards would let him know that he was here. When he finished, he went searching for his Godfather, but was very surprised by what he found.

Lord Voldemort was furious with Snape. Potter had defeated him yet again. The potion that Snape had made to drain the prat's power didn't work as it was supposed to. Instead the boy's power had increased, so much so that Voldemort barely escaped the confrontation. He pointed his wand at Snape and said, "You have failed me for the last time. Crucio." He kept cursing Snape until he lapsed into unconsciousness, and then he let his followers continue to curse and beat the helpless man. Then he of demanded his second in command to, "See if he's dead." Lucius Malfoy bent over his son's Godfather and checked his pulse. He replied with a sneer, "Yes." Then Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters left, not seeing the young man standing in the shadows biting his hand to keep from crying out.

Draco made sure that they were all gone before he went to Severus. Tears rolling down his face as he turned Severus on his back, he dropped his head on Severus' chest crying out "No you can't be dead!" Draco lay there crying for several minutes before he realized that Severus' chest was now moving in slow shallow breaths. Stunned Draco fell back, "My God, he's alive." He staggered to his feet, turned to the fireplace, grabbed some floo powder and called his mother. "Malfoy Manor," impatiently waiting for one of the house elves to answer "Send Mother to Snape Manor with her healing potions NOW," Draco snapped to the elf that answered. He then turned back to Severus; he levitated him to the couch and started treating the wounds that he could.

Twenty minutes later Narcissa Malfoy slams through Snape Manor's front doors in perfect terrified 'mother' mode. "Draco! Where are you? What's wrong?" tears were rolling down her face unnoticed. Draco came running out of the parlor, grabbing her hand and pulling her back where he came from. All while he babbling incoherently about Lord Voldemort, his Father, Death Eaters and, Snape. Narcissa steps into the parlor whilst trying to decipher what her son was saying. She comes to a complete stop at her first sight of Severus, and then rushes to his side even as she is pulling her healing supplies out of their transport bag. Composing herself she casts a diagnosing charm to find out the extent of Severus' injuries. "Draco, can you tell me what happened? Please tell me that you didn't witness this taking place."

Draco started crying again as he tried to explain. "I came downstairs to find Severus. When I got down here I saw Lord Voldemort and several of his Death Eaters cursing him. They tried to kill him Mother; Father even told Lord Voldemort that he didn't have a pulse. Why would he do that to one of his followers? Even if they failed to accomplish their task, why would anyone do that to one of their own?"

"Pull yourself together son, I need your help if we are going to save Severus. When he is stabilized then we will discuss the Dark Lord." Narcissa conjured up a warm wet cloth and gently wiped blood away and coaxed Severus to swallow the 'healing potions'. "That is all I can do for the moment. I don't have any Calcimend for his broken arm and ribs," as she set his arm and bound his rib cage. Then she left to find a more comfortable room for Severus.

Suddenly the fire turned green and Harry Potter stepped out of the flames. "Professor, I'm here as ordered to resume Occlumency les…sons." Harry came to a stop in mid-step "Holy shite! Malfoy what happened?" as he stared at the bruised and battered unconscious form of Professor Snape.

Draco looked up at Harry his face still tear stained and replied in a strained voice "The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. Before you ask, yes my father was in on this." Just then Narcissa Malfoy walked back into the room.

"Draco we need to move Severus somewhere more comfortable." She halted when she saw the bane of her son's existence standing in the room. "Harry Potter, what are you doing here?"

"Never mind what I'm doing here, how did you and your son get here?" Harry asked trying to get a handle on the situation. He was sensing new apperation wards around the manor, ones that had never been there before when he came for lessons.

Surprisingly, Draco was the one who answered "I flooed into my room here this morning while all this was happening. I called Mother after the Bastards that did this left. I believe," looking at his Mother for confirmation, "Mother apperated here."

Harry paled hearing that, "We need to get out of here now! Draco, get your stuff." He then held out his wand and summoned Snape's house elf, Crabby. When Crabby appeared he asked the elf to get his masters stuff packed and bring it to Hogwarts. Narcissa just finished preparing Severus for transporting when Snape Manor's ward alarms went off; Draco came running into the room, his face paler than before.

"There's more Death Eaters coming. We have maybe five minutes before they are back in the house."

Narcissa looked at Harry "Harry, Draco support Severus between you." When the young men did as directed, she placed a hand on each of them and said to the "I'm going to apperate us out of here."

Harry looked at her like she was stupid. "We can't apperate from here, Snape told me that there's a nonapperating ward in place. He can't even do it. We will have to use my 'emergency only' Portkey that Dumbledore gave me." Harry touched the phoenix pendant around his neck and whispered "snickerdoodles". There was a familiar tug as they were pulled through, he tightened his grip on Snape determined not to injure him further when they reached their destination. Then suddenly they were in the Headmasters office in Hogwarts. The startled wizard immediately took in the situation and conjured a stretcher and levitated Snape onto it. "I take it today's lessons were a failure?" Dumbledore asked Harry with concern showing on his face, yet there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry rolled his eyes and replied as he started taking Snape to the hospital wing moving at a brisk pace "You could say that. Malfoy why don't you tell Professor Dumbledore what happened before I got there." Everyone in the room looked at each other then followed him.