On the Differences Between Soulmates and Lifemates

disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters therein belong to J.K. Rowling and are borrowed by the author. Any other, original characters belong to the author. Don't take them they'll run away and come back home to me.

Chapter 12: Sunday

Hermione's stomach was in knots as she and Draco made their way back to Hogwart's. They loved each other, and it all felt so quick. She'd known him for years, had thought she hated him, and now she was embroiled in a scheme which would make it possible for them to be together, without recompense.

When they finally reached the school, it was towards the end of Sunday breakfast. Hermione used her charm and apparated back to her rooms so she could get changed and meet her friends down at breakfast, after an appropriate excuse as to why she hadn't seen them the night before.

Draco watched Hermione apparate out of his rooms with a 'POP!' before he got changed himself. He dropped the previous night's clothes into a hamper for the school house-elves to take care of before he hit the shower and dressed in denims and a forest green sweater. He grabbed his robes and his wand and was almost out the door when Snape apparated in front of him.

"Professor!" Draco cried, dropping to his knees as Severus Snape collapsed to his knees before him. "What happened?"

"Voldemort. He thinks I'm not working fast enough to bring you into the fold. Lucius has been given another job. Your father will no longer be in charge of bringing you to the Dark Lord. He has given the task to me. And he decided to beat the mission into me," Snape was heaving and retching, a sign of having been a victim of the Cruciartus curse.

Draco kneeled next to his teacher, slipping an arm around him to help him to his feet. "I have to get you to the Hospital Wing. You're injured."

Snape climbed to his feet with Draco's help, but he shook his head at the notion of going to the Hospital Wing. He let Draco support him as he stood and caught his breath.

"I can't go to the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey knows nothing of what's been going on lately. I need to get to the Headmaster's office, and quickly. Do you have an invisibility cloak?" Snape rasped, breathing hard.

"Yeah, but I've never used it. Mum gave it to me, but Lucius wouldn't let me try it," Draco said, using his wandless magic to bring a chair close so Snape can sit.

Snape sat and regarded the young man in front of him. "We need that cloak."When did you find out that you could use telekinesis?"

"What did you call it? I thought it was just wandless magic," Draco said as he rummaged through his things, looking for the invisibility cloak.

Snape leaned back in the chair, gathering his thoughts. "It is a form of wandless magic, but there are specific types or categories. Telekinesis is wandless magic that focuses on moving things. Pyrokinesis is wandless magic that is used to start fires. There are many other categories, but those two seem to go hand in hand. At least, they did in my case."

"That's strange. Two old wizarding families, each with the same abilities. Too bad you don't have a daughter. Then you could have tried to marry her off to me," Draco laughed as he pulled out the invisibility cloak and turned to face Snape.

Snape paled visibly, and he covered himself by speaking. "Yes, but I'm sure I would have sired a son. You have the cloak? Good, we need to get to Albus sooner rather than later."

Draco slipped an arm around Snape's waist, taking as much of the professor's rather insubstantial weight as he could. Snape exhaled shakily and put his arm around Draco's shoulders. Draco carefully threw the invisibility cloak around himself and the professor, and they made their way as quickly and silently as possible to the Headmaster's office.

It only took Draco and Snape about ten minutes to get to Dumbledore. The headmaster was waiting in his antechamber when they arrived. He walked round to Snape's other side and help Draco get the potions master up the stairs leading to the office proper. When they got up the stairs and into the office, Dumbledore and Draco gently levered Snape into an over-stuffed chair, and Dumbledore lit a fire in the hearth with his wand.

He turned his twinkling eyes to Draco as he did so, saying, "But I suppose you could have done that yourself, now, couldn't you?"

Draco swallowed and instead began to speak about Snape and what was going on. "The professor just showed up, injured, from his last meeting. I have to go soon, myself, but I'm worried about him."

Snape closed his eyes as he heard Draco speak so. They had always been closer than Draco had been with Lucius, but Snape didn't want the boy to suffer in the eventuality that Snape would die at the hands of Voldemort. He felt familiar heat in his eyes, and he raised a hand to hide the tears that were coming.

"Draco, I promise you that I will take the best care of Snape. You need to ready yourself for your meeting. I'll have your professor all whole and well to escort you. Go eat, and be ready to leave by one o'clock sharp," Dumbledore said as comfortingly as he could. After all these years, the secrets were beginning to pile up. He'd have to visit his pensieve that night.

"Yes, Headmaster. What will we do if he isn't ready by the time I have to leave?" Draco asked in a worried voice. Snape had been the only one ever to protect him from Voldemort, and Draco rather felt like Snape was his human security blanket. Without him there, Draco had no idea what could happen.

"I have already promised to take care of things, boy. And about your newest 'ability' take pride in it. It has run for a very long time in your family," Dumbledore said with finality. "You could even ask your mother about it."

Snape groaned then, and motioned for Draco to leave. Draco turned on his heel and fled the image of his godfather and favorite professor crying from his pain.