Disclaimer: I don't own HP- wish I did!

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers and thanks to those who added me to their c2's!

Harry looked wide-eyed at Snape and pointed to Draco.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Snape sighed. "I believe he can hear you, Harry."

Harry blushed and mumbled a quick, "Sorry."

Draco raised his head and looked at Snape. "Good parenting skills, Severus."

Snape looked sadly at Draco. "I truly wished that this hadn't occurred this way, Draco. For that, I am truly sorry."

"What good is a 'sorry' going to do me? At least before I knew that my so-called parents provided for me. I withstood everything, beatings, been crucio-ed countless times. All because my real dad didn't give a rat's ass about me. And now, I get to be a freak on top of it!"

Draco's eyes had turned red. Harry was starting to wish that Erasmus would come back. This was not going to be good.

"Draco. You are in no shape to understand now. You need to feed." Snape offered Draco his arm. Draco turned his head. Snape pulled his arm away, clearly hurt.

"Draco, starving yourself is not going to solve anything. You cannot die that way."

Draco began to laugh. "What makes you think that I am stupid enough to create a bond with you, old man? I would rather drink from Weasel than you!" With that Draco stormed off to the corner.

Harry quietly walked over to Snape. "Professor, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing, tonight. The only thing that will solve this mess is time."

"What about Erasmus? Is he going to come back?"

Snape chuckled a bit. "Come back? I can hardly get rid of him as it is. He simply tends to show up at the most annoying moments."

Draco stormed back from the corner and glared at Snape. "You make me sick. You care for him," he gestured to Harry, "more than you care for your own blood."

Snape sighed. "Draco, Erasmus has made a mess of things. Harry was changed first because there was no choice. I will not tell you what happened, that is Harry's business. Erasmus on the other hand, will never be controlled by anything. He has his own ideas. His own agenda."

Harry mumbled quickly. "What did he do to you, anyway?"

Snape turned to Harry. "It was simply a blood exchange, Harry. Nothing more. Erasmus apparently has decided that I am worthy to be an heir. That is how it is done in this world."

Draco snorted. "An heir? Hah! Erasmus gave me an idiotic story about how I was just "so worthy" to have shared blood with him." Draco glared at Snape. "You probably planned this all along. Conveniently, you get to have the "honor" the same night I get pushed into this mess. Potter was probably the first. The wondrous boy-who-lived can't die now can he?"

Snape glared at Draco. "Enough! You cannot survive at this point without me, so I suggest that you make the best of it. Mr. Potter is none of your concern." Snape grabbed Draco roughly by the shoulders. "For your information, Mr. Potter has not been given Erasmus' gift. Not yet. Count yourself lucky, Draco. You will never have to worry about the sun, you will never have to worry about anything. He made you very powerful. I had to live for years in darkness and making potions just so I could stand the sun. You have no idea how lucky you are!"

Draco jerked himself away from Snape. "Don't you ever touch me again! Lucky am I? Lucky that my own father would rather I be tortured than to have me live with him. I'm lucky alright. You can keep it. I don't want anything from you!"

Draco stormed out of Snape's chambers before Snape could stop him. Snape ran past Harry and out of the room. Harry stood…quiet and frozen. He never knew Malfoy had it that bad.

Draco stood panting beside the lake, silently wishing for the squid to attack him and kill him off. Everything was always about Harry-Bloody-Potter! Why was he ever chosen to be the one that had to live in the shadow of the boy-who-lived! Draco hated his life.

At one time, he felt that Snape was the one person he could count on. Now, Snape had proven that he could not be trusted. Just as he was about to walk into the lake, Draco heard Snape calling him in the distance. He quietly turned around.

"Draco! Get away from the lake!"

Draco smiled. He found a way to gain some leverage. "Why?"

"Draco! Don't toy with me. Get away from there. We need to talk."

Draco snorted. "I have nothing I wish to discuss."

"Draco, I beg you. Come away from the lake. I don't want it to end this way."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Snape. The man had gone soft. "Are you sure that Erasmus didn't steal your soul?"

Snape looked at Draco questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"You are not acting like yourself. Since when do you act this way?"

Snape marched down to the edge of the lake and grabbed Draco by the collar. "Since I now have my son!"

Draco was stunned. He let Snape lead him back into the castle and back down into his chambers. Potter was still standing where they had left him. Draco stopped in front of the boy.

Harry looked up, nodded at Draco, and began to grab his things.

Snape turned around and looked at Harry. "Harry? Where do you think you are going?"

"Back to Gryffindor tower, Professor."

"No, you will not. You do not have potion yet. You will stay here tonight. I will give you a supply of potion in the morning."

With that, Snape stormed into his bedchamber, cast a few spells making two beds, and walked back into the main chamber.

"Both of you, to bed. I don't want to hear another peep until tomorrow morning."

Draco and Harry recognized the voice. It was as if the "new" nice Snape had been abruptly replaced with the old in the blink of an eye. They did not dare challenge him.

Once the boys were in bed, Severus allowed himself to relax. He allowed himself to sink down into the chair that sat near the fireplace. He had almost lost Draco. Not literally, the squid was no harm to Draco now, but figuratively. His son hated him. But at least in the end, he had agreed to come back. Perhaps time would change things.

If only Erasmus had let him do this his way. Sometimes, Severus wondered if Erasmus was really as cruel as he made himself out to be. He certainly liked to meddle. If Severus had anything to do with it, Erasmus was going to help clean up the mess he made.