*walks in with Snape looking around cautiously, in case livid reviewers lynch her* He's prepared to use the wand he's carrying!
*nods to Snape who scowls and flicks his wand to make streamers and confetti* thank you for helping me reach 500 reviews!!! I love you all!
I shall try to give you more Severus/Harry today. I'll make every effort possible but remember-- characters write their own selves.
Chapter 16 *hits play*
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Draco pointed his wand to Hedwig, and put her in a body bind that sent the other owls flapping away as Hedwig fell to the floor without so much as a squawk, her yellow eyes wide with terror. He grinned to himself, thinking of Potter and his dispair when he found out that his precious familiar was little more than a chicken ready for the soup. He wouldn't be so high and mighty then. All it would take, would be to kill the little white bundle in front of him. He approached, kneeled before the bird where it had fallen on the floor and pointed his wand to the feathery breast.
"Avada..."
Draco had never been exceptionally lucky when he wanted to go through with a plan. This time, nobody was around but himself to impede him. And that was all that was needed. His eyes locked with the yellow, terrified ones of the Snowy Owl.
"Avada..." Draco's wand wavered. He scowled, trying to take his eyes away from the terror that he saw. He never expected to see such emotion in an animal-- he barely thought animals capable of wielding any, except Hufflepuff-style loyalty.
But these eyes... held him. He knew the fear he was reading, only too well. He had, after all, experienced it so many times under his father's stern punishments. It made his joints go loose, and his mind black of the Unforgivable he wanted to cast.
Draco did not know how much time passed while he and the bound bird were in this lock of stares. Then he scowled with self- deprecation and picked up the owl roughly.
Perhaps he would have to tweak his revenge just a bit.
***
Harry ran in Professor McGonagall's office, breathless, eyes wide.
"I can't find Hedwig!"
Minerva looked up from her work.
"Surely she's in the owlery?"
"She is not. I even looked through Sasha, but she was not in there, and I can't find her anywhere on the grounds. Neither Ron nor Hermione or even Colin can!" he said urgently, fear biting into his voice. Minerva stood up.
"Don't worry, Harry. She will be found. I am sure she is all right."
Further search revealed no owl, and Harry felt cold fear encasing his heart. What could have happened? He knew-- had known, that a decoy meant that sometimes, it gets hit as if being the real target but-- he had never truly thought that Hedwig would be in any danger while on Hogwarts grounds.
Yet she was missing.
Harry lost track of time staying seated in his Head of House's office when he heard the door open and familiar footsteps came in. He straightened up.
"Professor Snape?"
"I spoke with Professor Lupin, Potter." the voice was neutral.
Harry got up, fingering his cane nervously.
"Where? Is she dead?"
Snape watched the young Gryffindor's face. Harry was pale, eyes wide, slightly upwards, blinking many times -- Snape realised that up to then Harry rarely blinked anymore -- his hands wringing the cane he was holding. He scowled. How could he possibly have a talk as painful as the one Albus wanted? No. He could not possibly face those unseeing, accusing eyes-- the green stillness of them reminding him of Harry's mother on top of it all. He sighed.
"I do not yet know. But I have with me the way to find her, if she is alive.."
"What, how? Do it quickly!" Harry cried. Snape sneered.
"I do not recall being at your beck and call, Potter." he said, and Harry gritted his teeth.
"There is no time to lose, Professor... please!" he said forcefully. Sometimes, the urge to curse Snape senseless was overwhelming.
Harry heard the shuffling of parchment. He frowned as a roll of paper was shoved into his hands.
"Professor?"
"It's that infernal map, Potter. Activate it to look for your owl." Snape said irritably. Now Harry understood why Snape had been stalling. He almost smiled as he established the mind link with Sasha. The snake tasted the air and looked at the blank paper so that her young master could see. Harry pointed his wand, preparing to say the password, and lingered. Snape snorted.
"What, Potter, you object to me knowing the password to that piece of disciplinary menace?" he said sarcastically. Harry sighed and looked through Sasha's eyes as he muttered.
"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."
The dots started to appear.
***
Draco sat in the Herbology greenhouse, with Hedwig opposite him. The most bizzare thoughts were crossing his mind as he swayed his wand towards the bird idly. The owl's eyes never ceaced to be on him, rendering him useless.
If he was unable to kill an animal staring at him, how could he hope to be able to do it when a human, mudblood or muggle, was in Hedwig's position?
Draco shuddered. If he was not cut out to be a Death Eater, what was his future going to be like with a father that wanted him to carry on the tradition, and a Dark Lord that did not tolerate weakness?
He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, feeling loathing both for himself, for failing his father, and his father and the whole Death Eater idea. It was the first time Draco truly felt trapped, effectively bound to fate he did not relish in and could not follow.
Immediately after this harsh realisation, Draco started to think about damage control-- it was all about damage control. He had to pretend, to convince he was the most bloodthirsty and callus of the Malfoy line.
Hard, when he could not actually kill the bird. But he'd give it a shot. A good shot.
***
Harry hurried towards the greenhouses, livid. Merlin knew what Malfoy was doing to his Hedwig. How could he have let her stay in the owlery after publicly showing her to be important to his activities? He had not bothered to call Ron or Hermione, and he was not sure he wanted to. Harry was not certain how he would react if he was met with a situation where Hedwig was being tortured by the blonde Slytherin. For the first time since his blindness, Harry was thankful that he was not able to see-- he did not feel he could afford to gaze upon a scene of blood and feather and leering wannabe Deatheaters.
The cane claqued against the iron door of the green house. Harry pushed it open and rushed inside.
"Give me back Hedwig, Malfoy!" the boy bellowed.
"Aw, what is it, blind boy, you need this bundle of feathers?"
Harry run towards where he heard the drawling voice. He heard footsteps padding to the right. He stopped, and tended his wand towards there.
"Give her back or I swear I'll make you pay." he spat.
"But she was so fun to play with!" Draco mock whined and laughed as harshly as he could possibly manage. "She likes hide-and-seek. I'll leave you to find her." the Slytherin said and left as Harry threw a couple of hexes at him, and used Ento to make sure they would home in. He felt suddenly as if a whole lungful of air and the matching energy left him as the curses (rictusempra and bodybind) left him. He was certain that had there been three, he would have felt dizzy. He decided to keep that in mind as Professor Snape's warning about using the homing charm consecutively came to his consciousness like a fading echo.
Harry did not concern himself further, his lashes wet and his heart beating painfully in his chest. He muttered, his voice breaking.
"Accio Hedwig."
The feathery bundle flew in his waiting hands. Harry's heart felt like dipped in hot water-- the bundle was moist and trembling. He lifted the body bind and asked Sasha, not feeling up to seeing himself.
"Is she hurt, Sasha?"
"There issss a lot of red... her eyesss are clossed." the snake provided meekly.
Harry whimpered and pressed the warm, soft body against his chest as he used the cane again to ran back up to the infirmary.
He almost bumped into Remus Lupin.
"Harry, Harry! Take a breath." he said sharply, trying to break through to the distraught boy. Harry started shuddering as he held Hedwig close in one hand.
"He hurt her, I'll kill him, I'll kill him!" he ranted, not caring who heard him. There were some gasps in the peripheral of his hearing, registering that students and classmates were watching this. Professor Lupin's voice covered the jumble of sounds and calmed him.
"Calm down, Harry. Let me see her. Will you let me see her?"
The effect was disarming, serenity invaded Harry's senses as he relaxed his grip and felt Hedwig being taken from his arm. He swallowed and fidgeted. There was a pause while Remus was examining Hedwig that allowed the buzz of whispers and murmurs to come to Harry's attention again. He could not discern what they were saying, though-- he was not interested.
"She is only stunned." Remus' voice was relieved and almost jovial. Harry's head shot up and his shoulders straightened.
"Are... are you sure?" he said timidly as he heard the DADA professor mutter 'Finite Incantatem'. A loud squawk and a strong flutter of wings gave Harry more joy than he thought possible that day. Grinning he extended his hands towards the owl and took Hedwig, who initially tried to peck him, still scared from her encounter with Draco.
"It's me, Hedwig! It's only me." he said, not caring, his voice trembling in joy that she was not hurt. He managed to hug her once before the disgruntled bird flew away and out of the window.
"She wasn't bloodied? Sasha told me..." Harry trailed off and hoped that was not heard, or taken into account. He kicked himself. All the effort for concealing Sasha could now be lost because he was stupid enough to say her name out loud in the middle of the aisle.
"Oh, she was taken in, you know how girls can be impressionable. There was a paint hex on Hedwig that would soak her wings, but I removed that too." Remus smiled, saving the situation, cushioning Harry's slip up.
Harry felt he could hug him there and then.
***
Draco sat in the Slytherin common room, his teeth clenched and anger seething. He had been assigned detention for a week with Filch by that bat McGonagall, and Snape sneered at him sarcastically as he passed him by in the aisle. He obviously already had fathomed his weakness. He only hoped that his House Head would wait for some evidence before relaying to Lucius the news that his son was an incompetent twit unfit to be Death Eater.
Of course to Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy he was the week's hero for making Potter whimper and tear up in the middle of the aisle. Usually Draco didn't care about them guffawing or Pansy cooing, but tonight they were simply unbearable for some reason.
"That was so cool, to get Potter's owl, Draco..." Pansy cooed for the upteenth time.
Draco felt like throwing up.
"Will you just take a hike already, Parkinson?" he snarled.
The girl scowled and pulled back towards the other side of the couch. She glared at Draco's profile for a few seconds then she asked:
"It's that Sasha quack, isn't it?"
Draco furrowed his eyebrows in incredulity.
"What?"
"The girl that tattled on you and gave Potter his owl, that Sasha What's-her-name.
"You're talking nonsese as usual again, Parkinson, there was nobody in there but---" Draco's eyes widened in realisation.
He had been barking up the proverbial wrong tree for answers to Potter's behavior.
***
It was late at night when Harry started tossing and turning in his bed in his room. It was even later that vision rushed into his mind unwanted and in the same time welcomed like poisoned water on a parched-up land...
... Voldemort looked upon the ragged forms kneeling before him in exultation. He smiled ferally, as he addressed them with the affection of a father to his worthy children.
"My most loyal of loyals. You are finally free. You of all others stayed loyal to me and never wavered... and you shall have the best rewards for this."
The thanks and words of worship were slurred but the gist was apparent. Then two more Deatheaters walked forward and kneeled. These two seemed much more healthy than the others.
"My lord. We have searched all of Azkaban. There are no more of us remaining. The Dementors have scattered towards places of dark."
"I hope you remember my explicit stress on urgency, Avery. Let me remind you that the Dementors have to be recruited before the week is through. Crucio."
Harry woke up screaming. He screamed and screamed, feeling the effect of cruciatus, his blood boiling and his mind burning, and he could not stop screaming.When the flailing and aftermaths of the crucio stopped, he thankfully gulped in air. He blinked slowly. And sound came back to his ears as sight faded.
"Harry? Harry!"
"Pro.. professor McGonagall..." he managed to utter hoarsely before he slipped into numb oblivion where all sounds were muffled.
Something hot and burning was poured down his throat. He gagged and sputtered, and soon enough everything was loud and clear almost to painful level again.
"Another vision, Harry?" Professor Dumbledore's gentle voice provided an anchor. Harry turned his head toward him even though he could not see him. He nodded.
"They are.. they are all free." he said in a hushed way.
The headmaster's soft and oddly callused hand reassured Harry as it always did. Harry continued.
"Azkaban is empty now... and the Dementors are gone from there. Voldemort wants them recruited by the end of the week."
"Do not worry yourself about this now, my boy. It is all under control. Rest for a while."
"And for pity's sake, stop that sniffling." the ironic lilt made Harry gasp.
"...Professor Snape?"
"I'm here." the voice was tired. Harry heard the Potions Master walk up beside the Headmaster.
"You were not at the gathering?"
"I am busy preparing Tom Riddle's potion, Potter. I was saved the class outing." the sarcasm comforted Harry oddly. He heard Dumbledore stand up.
"I'll leave you and Severus to talk, Harry. I have some... urgent business to attend to." he said merrily as if that urgent business was picking new robes in Madam Malkin's.
Silence reigned in the room as Snape took Dumbledore's chair by Harry's bed. He watched the tired boy, and wondered if he was cruel enough to dump more on him tonight.
"So, Potter..." he started, leaning back.
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*looks up at the chapter nervously* well, longer than last time. I hope everyone's happy. I am so nervous about this again. argh. *Snape sneers and rhe*
Anyhow, as for my reviewers:
shitsumon: Relax! Relax, we don't want you to have a cardiac. *chuckles* Ye, Harry has become sardonic. As for the tapping, Hermione charmed the cane to be heard only to Harry ;) As for blaming him, Hufflepuffs are rather shocked at his new predicament at the moment. As for Fudge... *eats* it's nice with chocolate. ;)
Taineyah: We can't have you crying now, can we? *big grin*
Ice Angel: I promised that making Harry blind would be the furthest I take him from canon. Can't have him turn dark. :)
Katy999: hmmm :) maaaaybe.
nightingale: *shudders with delight* you know how to keep an author happy, too! wonderful review! I don;t know what eventually will happen with Draco-- he won't be a saint, of course. I don't know if he'll be evil. I don't think he has enough hatred in him, and spite and bad manners is not enough when worse comes to worse... or something. I was nervous cos I was worried it would bore people out of their senses... the same as with this one.
rosie: For threats, visit counter 2. *snape grins ferally from counter two* hee hee!
bluestarfish: Here you go! I hope you were satisfied?
Coriel: erh.... with difficulty. *chuckles*
Rei: I don't know! *laughs*
Teigra: He's all yours!
Mikee: you are welcome. I hope you enjoyed :)
kitty: we'll see! But I doubt he'll have to buy a new owl, just yet :)
Lee Lee Potter: glad you liked the stones. They are ancient greek style divination. Sorta.
Crystal Rose Heart: don't worry. I am not too cruel. Lately I get sorted into Gryffindor. *L*
Tinuviel: we'll see! After all, what has ever gone entirely as Voldemort has planned?
Makota: Thanks! however, no slash, sorry :)
Kaat Shadow Lover: *takes them happily* I like any kind of chocies. hee hee. Yes, if he'd killed her, it would have been the first time. *grins* I think he learnt a LOT. *Snape thanks you elegantly for the compliment on his spy technique* *she confers with Snape* we'd like ice cream. *chuckles*
Zardiphillian Beryllix: It was kind of obvious, I know :) Hope you like this chapter.
Kemenran: Good deductions! Thanks!
Angel Baby: Cool! And don't worry-- I am not too evil... *grins up at Snape who looks rather impish*
Blackrose 1356: Is that a trick question? *laughs*
Myk: Nothing. That's the whole point of being a Death Eater, no? *L* And yes, if they ever find out he actually -sees- the humour in the jibes, they will think he's mental, as Ron would say. He does look more confident-- but I think he is the same, but now it is more underlined as it is contrasted with his blindness. Thanks for the compliments! They help!
Lei Dumbledore: Thanks! Hope you liked this one!
Lady Lunar Phoenix: *chuckles* indeed.
Lord R: that would make Harry far too omniscient, no?