A/N: REVIEW! REVIEW!
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"Mother? Why are you still awake?" Draco hadn't expected her to be there, sitting on the stairs like a Hufflepuff waiting for him and the mask slipped.
"I was worried about you." He stiffened to stop himself throwing himself at his mother and sobbing out like a fool, instead trying to recreate a memory of his father's aloofness so he could try and emulate it.
"Well you shouldn't be, I can look after myself." Ok, so it wasn't Lucius, but it was pretty damn good he thought before realising it can't have worked as his mother was now gliding towards him like a ghost floating across the room. He could see her coming to hug him and he immediately pulled away, it wouldn't do for his mother to-
"Don't touch me," he hissed, the disdain coming easily now as he tried to walk around his mother so he could just get back to his room and collapse, but then her hand shot out quicker than Potter's when he caught the snitch and pressed flat against the front of his robes.
"NO!" he almost yelled, but of course it was too late and his mother lifted her hand from his chest and looked at it, raising it to the light before letting her tear-filled eyes rest on his face.
"Draco…" her voice was almost a whisper, and he wanted to do nothing more than comfort her, but he knew that the transfer from his robes to her white dressing gown would terrify her no end.
"I'll be fine Mother. Go to sleep." Harsh and curt, but he really didn't want to have a hysterical mother on his hands. He stepped around her and strode firmly up the stairs before collapsing on the first landing just out of sight. Had he looked back he would have seen his mother resume her position on the stairs looking at the door, her blood stained hand hanging in front of her.
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"Isillia?" Draco called as soon as he entered his room; "Isillia, I'm home!" Harry was intrigued, who was Isillia? Did Malfoy have a girlfriend? Boy did he not want to see this…
"Oh! There you are gorgeous! How are you today?"
'Master, I am well; How was the raid?'
"Potter wasn't there, got away before we could get him. Lucky bastard."
'You are hurt master'
"Old wounds opening up, that's all, nothing important"
'I can taste your blood on the air, you are weak'
"I should-" Malfoy broke off and yawned quietly "mmmmmmmm? Shower and sleep but sleep more hmph" Malfoy sagged and once again pulled the robe off leaving Harry hovering on his broomstick just under the lip of the pocket. "Maybe I'll just sleep, because I'm tired… but Merlin! I'm so dirty, how can you sleep when you're dirty? And… I don't know what to do… tell me what to do Isillia please"
'Master, use a spell and sleep, than you can bathe when the sun is in the sky'
"Argh" Draco muttered softly, stretching out a hand; "give us a kiss babe and then I'll decide." Harry watched in wonder as an adder wrapped itself around Malfoy's arm, then slid up his neck before its forked tongue slipped out and fluttered against the pale cheek. He found himself strangely entranced, by the scene and he flushed hotly as he realised how much it was turning him on. Looking away in embarrassment, he picked up his broom and flew out of the pocket while the other two were distracted; just in time aswell seeing as a house elf apparated in just then to take the robe.
He realised that Malfoy couldn't actually understand what the snake was saying and was merely going through the motions of having a conversation and sniggered to himself. At the sound of a harsh unhappy laugh, he looked up to see Malfoy sitting on his bed with the snake curled up next to him holding out his hands that were shaking violently.
"One day, 'sillia, it's not going to stop." Malfoy's voice was horribly defeatist and made Harry sick to his stomach as he realised that any amount of hate had immediately converted to pity after the crucio.
"Too much crucio is not good for the skin, Isillia; remember that," he said before disappearing into what Harry assumed was his bathroom. Carefully he shrunk his Firebolt again, placing it in his pocket before deciding to take on the obstacle course from the chair to the cover of under the bed. Looking around carefully and finding himself unable to see either Malfoy or the snake; he ran full out across the room as quickly as possible, collapsing on the floor underneath the bed as soon as he reached it. He checked warily for any evil creatures as he pulled himself upright, but found it all scandalously clean with a few shallow boxes that Harry could see contained a few magazines, old text books and unused junk.
'Who are you?' he turned sharply in surprise at the voice to find himself face to face with Draco Malfoy's pet snake.