disclaimer: No...I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is a genius!
Thanks for being patient with me and for reading my fanfic! I am about seven months pregnant which is why I have been soooo absent from this site for so long...but I'm back. :) Thanks again for continuing to read!
-boots-
Night covered Malfoy Mansion like a black veil and the family dogs growled and snapped at the fog, as it rolled over the grounds; a wraithlike wave of treachery. Draco's eyes snapped open at the all too familiar sound of Bellatrix LeStrange's shrill cackle as it bounced off the walls. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly climbed out of bed, careful not to make a sound as he crossed the hallway to the top of the stairs. From there he could just make out the shadow of his father on the floor and could hear him speaking in low tones. After a minute or two, he saw his father cross to the front door where he greeted a tall man Draco recognized immediately as Fenrir Greyback. Draco had thought, as many did, that the werewolf was dead and his presence both intrigued and frightened him. His eyes followed the darkened figures down a hallway, which led into a formal parlor. With all the courage he could muster, the flaxen haired wizard stepped cautiously down the stairs and stood just outside the door, where he settled behind a thoroughly neglected looking suit of armor.
A low hiss broke the silence. "He should be arriving any moment now"
"My lord, what of the boy?" Lucius queried, taking a seat next to his sister-in-law. Draco felt a sudden wave of panic wash over him- did they know he was eavesdropping?
"We will discuss this with Severus first… There may be no need of Crowe anymore"
Bellatrix sniggered, "Let the boy join his mummy in the mental ward!"
"Let me have him, my Lord" Fenrir growled in a low, menacing tone.
Draco's breath hitched in his throat. They were going to kill Thomas.
Hermione felt quite useless. She had rushed to the door immediately, pulling on it with all her might and it was only after she had cast an advanced unlocking charm that the door popped open but her professor was already gone. She paced around the lab for a moment before returning to the little feast in the adjoining room. In truth, she was starving but somehow couldn't bring herself to eat a thing. The more she thought about her real parents the more sick to her stomach she felt. How could her mother have fallen for such a malevolent snake? Had he once been genuinely in love with her? Hermione simply couldn't imagine the most feared wizard of all time even knowing what "love" was. Furthermore, if her professor had been "summoned" through his dark mark, that could mean only one thing…the Dark Lord had not been vanquished and was indeed alive and well. She wondered if the Headmaster knew this to be true. She wondered if and when Harry would be told. The little witch picked at a piece of toast and found the warm bread to be a calming comfort.
She let her eyes wander the room, her gaze lingering on Professor Snape's extensive library. Though it had been established that her teacher was a fan of Shakespeare, she was a bit surprised to see a wealth of other muggle books amongst the tomes of magic texts – mostly all works of fiction with the exception of a few Encyclopedias. Hermione stood, still nibbling her toast, and crossed to the bookshelves for a closer look. He had all the classics- Tennyson, Byron, Dickens and even some more modern works by Shaw and Kipling. Hermione had to admit that she was impressed that someone who often spoke ill of muggles and their simple minded past-times, could have such an obviously deep appreciation for their literature. She couldn't help but wonder what other secret hobbies or interests her snarky professor might have. A very amusing image of Professor Snape crocheting a pair of socks graced her mind but she quickly shook the thought away with a smirk and swallowed her last bite of toast.
As she crossed back over to the tray of food, her eyes caught sight of a very worn book on one of the top shelves. Her curiosity quite peaked, she set aside her hunger for a moment and summoned the book right into her hands. The book seemed to be held together with nothing more than a very small piece of the original binding, which appeared to have been repaired with plain old muggle duct tape numerous times. She settled back into her professor's chair and carefully lifted the delicate cover. To her surprise, it was a book of old letters. A number of them were from her mother and she lightly ran her fingers over the handwriting, a soft smile appearing at the corners of her mouth as she read.
Severus,
I hope you are well. I have never been better! I am positively in love and feel lighter than air! I know you will roll your eyes and say to yourself what a dunderhead I am, but I truly am happy! How is school? Hope that Potter isn't giving you too much trouble- if he does, you tell him I'll be in town this weekend so he had better watch out! Good luck with your exams and I will see you soon!
Your friend always,
Katrina
Hermione scanned through the countless letters of encouragement and wondered if her mother would have given her the same advice she had given to her dear friend. "Friend". It was a word that up till now Hermione had never dreamed of associating with the most feared teacher at Hogwarts. But he had indeed been a friend not only to her mother but to Hermione as well. She knew that it had been difficult for him to tell her the truth about her father and a part of her wondered why he had in the first place. Had it been her persistence? Or something else? One thing was for sure- Hermione was beginning to feel a certain peace with her new identity and she knew she owed much of that peace of mind to none other than the great bat of the dungeons- her friend, Severus Snape.
Thomas Crowe sat very still on the edge of his mother's bed, unsure of what to say next. What could he say? She had aged considerably since he last saw her and he could feel the pressure building behind his eyes – begging him to tear. Thomas was so used to being strong; so used to restraining his emotions that he almost feared letting go.
"Mother…I…" Thomas swallowed a hard lump in his throat. He wanted to say so many things; that he loved her, that he was hell-bent on avenging her and his father, that he was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, that he was a death eater, that he was the top of his class in Arithmancy. And then…the tears came; slow and even. Isabeaura opened her arms and Thomas immediately softened into her embrace.
Narcissa Malfoy observed this exchange from across the room and her thoughts turned to her own son. What kind of man would her Draco become, she wondered in silence. With a heavy heart, she turned to leave but not before taking one more look over her shoulder at the reunion of mother and son. It felt somehow ominous to her.
Severus Snape lunged forward onto his knees, his arm still burning beneath his sleeve. He focused on the sounds around him – breath, laughter, whispers, wind…
"You may rise, Severus," a voice hissed from a dim corner.
The black-eyed wizard did as he was told and as he raised his gaze to meet the serpentine face of Lord Voldemort, he felt a rush of pain slither up his spine and burst within his chest.
"Crucio!" The Dark Lord shouted mercilessly and Severus fell to the floor in agonizing convulsions.
"Tell me Severus…do you remain loyal to me?" It was less of a question and more of a demand.
"Y-yes" he managed to say through clenched teeth.
"Really? Because Lucius here was just recounting a most interesting story to me…" The dark wizard moved in closer to the writhing form on the floor in the way that a ravenous predator corners its prey before the kill. "He was telling me that Draco witnessed a very unusual event at Black Lake recently…ring any bells?"
Severus tried to speak but found that his throat was closed off, making it very difficult to breathe.
"No?...What a pity…Bella dear, would you mind seeing if you could jog Snape's memory for me?"
Before Severus could make any noise of protest, Bellatrix sauntered over to him, laughing maniacally as she raised her wand.
"Levicorpus!" She approached Severus' levitated body and was now nearly an inch from his face.
"You unworthy half-blood!" She whispered almost sweetly into his ear and kissed it ever so gently as she thrust her wand against his brow.
"Crucio!"
Lucius and Fenrir looked on with pleased expressions but Severus would not give any of them the satisfaction of his cries – no matter how unbearable the curse was, he would remain as stoic as possible –focusing his mind on anything but the pain.
Hermione closed the book of letters and wiped away the remainder of her tears, finally ready to leave the cold dungeon she was actually starting to look at as something of a sanctuary. As she made her way to Gryffindor tower, Hermione caught sight of Draco Malfoy running through the hallway, wearing what appeared to be silk pajamas.
"Draco!" She called out to the boy, who in turn glanced over to her with the most vulnerable expression; that he barely resembled himself.
"Are you alright? I thought you went home for the holi-"
Before Hermione could finish her sentence, Draco brazenly pushed past her. He looked panicked and frightened. Hermione called after him but he wouldn't look at her. The young witch suddenly remembered that night she had seen him crying and clutching his arm. Hermione cautiously ascended the grand staircase, her eyes following Draco as he frantically made his way to the seventh floor.
Back at the Burrow, all were very much at peace, enjoying holiday goodies and the warmth of a roaring fire…all except Harry Potter. The boy felt rather conflicted by his feelings for Ginny and for the kiss they had shared out in the chicken coop. In truth, he knew his feelings for the little red head were completely genuine; he had never felt so strongly for any other girl before, not even Cho. But the fact that he felt so strongly scared him a little and the fact that she was his best friend's little sister scared him even more, not to mention the fact that he was at present moment seated in between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who at times, practically felt like his own parents. Harry felt so incredibly guilty that he found himself unable to look Mr. Weasley in the eye, though it did not seem to go unnoticed by Mrs. Weasley that Harry was also unable to keep them off her beautiful daughter who sat across the room, the glow of the fire illuminating her face with a most pleasant tint of gold.
"Harry dear-" she stood and adjusted her apron "Why don't you come into the kitchen and help me with the Christmas cake"
Harry exchanged a puzzled glance with Ron, who was playing a rather intense game of exploding snap with George, but quickly stood and nodded his head.
Entering Mrs. Weasley's kitchen was like walking into an enchanted bakery, the smells of homemade fudge and cinnamon filled the room while unseen hands vigorously scrubbed at pots and pans. The novelty of magic just never seemed to wear off on Harry, and he was always reminded of this in the Weasley kitchen.
"Now then Harry…hand me three of those eggs over there on the table" Molly turned her back to him and started at adding all the necessary ingredients to a large mixing bowl. For a while neither spoke as she stirred the batter and Harry was beginning to feel a little anxious. Why had she asked him alone to help out in the kitchen? It wasn't as if he minded, but it seemed an odd thing to do, particularly as it was normally Ginny who helped her with the holiday cooking.
Suddenly Molly turned to him, leaving the batter to stir itself, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're such a sweet boy Harry" she smiled with the most motherly warmth "If you hurt her…I will personally mince you into a pie and serve you to mountain trolls" She then gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and resumed preparing her cake. Harry swallowed hard and just stared at Mrs. Weasley wide eyed with shock. How could she have possibly known?
"Oh- Harry dear- would you grab the nutmeg from the pantry?"
"They're going to kill him…they're going to kill him and Professor Snape is in on the whole thing! I don't want to go to Azkaban and my mother…what will happen to her if my father goes to Azka-"
"Slow down Mr. Malfoy" Albus Dumbledore approached the very flustered boy with a look of surprise on his weathered face. "Now then, Draco…start from the beginning."
"There's no time! You've got to find Thomas!" The beads of sweat around his brow suggested his anxiety was sincere and Dumbledore eyed the boy with the greatest scrutiny.
"How can you just stand there? They're going to kill him unless we do something!" Draco's eyes bore into the Headmaster's face and Albus immediately knew the boy was telling the truth. But what had happened to Thomas? Could he really be in such terrible danger? He had no choice but to alert the Order.
"Mr. Malfoy, you will remain here until I return – do you understand?"
"No sir! I'm coming with you. I- I…"
Albus turned sharply to look at the young wizard and the twinkle returned to his tired eyes as a single tear fell from Draco's.
"I'm the one what's got him into this, sir…I…I want to…help"
The Headmaster smiled softly and, with a heavy exhale, lifted his wand in a swift, sharp movement and before the boy even knew what had happened, the Headmaster was gone in a single flash of light and Draco was left quite petrified on the floor.
Hermione crouched quietly behind the gargoyle statue outside of Dumbledore's office. It seemed to her that Draco Malfoy had been in there some considerable time and for the life of her, she could not imagine why. Endless possibilities crowded her mind; perhaps he was there to confess receiving the dark mark. After another fifteen minutes of ferocious uncertainty, the young witch could stand the waiting no longer and approached the statue.
"Peppermint Humbugs" Hermione hoped that the password had not recently been changed. After a nerve-racking moment of hesitation, the hidden staircase began to twist around and Hermione ascended it carefully, her mother's wand in hand.
The door was locked but not sealed.
"Alohomora" she whispered. And as the lock clicked into place, the witch stepped forward and pushed the door open with a resounding thud.
"Shhhh! Do you mind? Some of us head gear need our eight hours!" The sorting hat chortled.
"I'm sorry" she whispered, "I'll only be a minute". She raised her wand to lift the dim lights and gasped when she saw Draco's petrified form on the floor. Her eyes darted about the room for signs of the Headmaster but it was obvious no one else was in the room, aside from Fawkes, herself, Draco and that loud-mouthed sorting hat. Hermione studied Draco intently. How had this come to pass? Had the Headmaster really cast a body-binding curse on a student? She shook her head and thought that there must have been a rational explanation. Her eyes scanned the room once more, and fell this time on a rectangular object leaning against the desk, which was heavily wrapped in a large dust jacket.
"The portrait?" Hermione was barely breathing as she approached the desk, completely neglecting Draco for the moment. She ran her fingers along the sides of the object and carefully began to unwrap it.
Before her very eyes, appeared a woman with long pale hair and the most flawless complexion imaginable. Her lips looked very much like Hermione's; naturally tinted and a little bee-stung though her eyes were shut. Hermione rested the portrait against the side of the desk and sat down on the floor just staring at who she knew at once to be her beautiful mother. Tears welled up in her chocolate eyes and threatened to spill over her cheeks.
"Don't cry, child"
It was the same soft voice Hermione had heard that night on the grand staircase. The young witch looked up at the painting, whose golden eyes were now languidly resting on her own. Her breath hitched in her throat.
"You needn't be afraid Hermione." Katrina Malfoy smiled gently. "I know you must be angry with me but I also know you are a rational girl and so, I hope you will see things from my perspective… in time."
"I…yes…I mean, no…I'm not angry with you. I just…I have so many questions for you I can barely remember them all" Hermione gave a nervous laugh and blinked back her tears.
"I will answer what I can…in time…but right now I think your cousin needs you" She gave a knowing smiling and cocked her head toward Draco's still form.
"But…I need to know…Lord Voldemort…is he truly…"
"I knew him as Tom" Katrina spoke barely above a whisper, "I knew him…in a time that is long removed from this one."
Hermione turned away from the portrait with angry eyes.
"Hermione…sometimes we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. I loved him and for the time I loved him, he was a better man because of it."
"He killed you- didn't he?" Hermione choked on the bitter words in her mouth.
Katrina bowed her head solemnly and bit her bottom lip in the way Hermione often did when she was nervous, which brought a slight smile to the young girl's face. "Though his hands are certainly not clean of my blood, I did not die by his wand. I was betrayed…by someone I trusted."
A panicked look suddenly struck Hermione's face. "Was it Severus Snape?"
"Oh child…" Katrina laughed lightly, "He was always meant to be your guardian…I'm sure he thought you dead all these years"
Painful realization overtook Hermione and she let the tears fall, swallowing back her aching sobs.
"Tell me what monster did this? Who took you from me?"
"I will tell you when the time is right"
"No! You will tell me now! I need to know."
Katrina's eyes darted over to Draco and back to Hermione's tear streaked face. She inhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew her daughter had every right to know but was terrified that she would be as impulsive and vengeful as her father.
"Tell me!"
"Hermione…There are always two sides to every story and sometimes it can get very…complicated…People can find themselves doing things they never dreamed they were capable of." She took another deep breath before continuing. "My brother and I were always very close. He loved me so dearly…but love is a funny thing, and it is easy to manipulate."
Hermione stared at Draco in revulsion and it all suddenly made sense. "Lucius Malfoy"
Katrina nodded silently.
Four brooms whipped through the night air at such a speed, the human eye might not have fully registered it. Outside of the Third Dynasty clothing shop, two figures apparated from the darkness as the four brooms dive-bombed to the empty street below.
"What's this all about then? Have you any idea what time it is?!" Nymphadora Tonks threw her pink hair back and let out a huge yawn as she approached the shadowy figures of Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody and Hestia Jones dismounted their brooms and joined the rest of the Order members.
Kingsley glanced at the ramshackle shop. "Are you sure he's in there?"
Albus bowed his head and produced a small red amulet from his robes.
"Oi! Is that what I think it is?" gaped Tonks.
The little gem pulsed with light the closer they got to the storefront.
"A Vestigium Amulet?" Remus slapped his forehead in shock while Albus simply smiled.
"A what?" Kingsley queried.
"It's a tracking amulet…they used to use them in Azkaban" Remus quipped, still in a certain amount of disbelief.
Hestia cleared her throat, "Albus…I'm sure you're well aware that such an artifact is quite illegal."
"Of course he's aware of it…look at him beaming….he's bloody proud of the fact!" Moody laughed gruffly and thumped the stout witch on the back.
"Let's get to it, who knows- we may be too late already" Remus' eyebrows were knit together with worry as they made their way into the rundown shop.
Severus Snape lay very still on the cold floor, blood still oozing from his open wounds. He could feel the dark Lord weaving in and out of his mind but fought hard against him.
Horned slugs, fluxweed, nettles, Doxy eggs, calendula oil, valerian root, armadillo bile…
Severus could feel him delve deeper still and was unsure he could control his thoughts for much longer.
Asphodel, ginger, monkshood, tubeworms, unicorn blood…
The dark wizard felt his mind suddenly open like floodgates. A single tear escaped him and he allowed the pain in his body to wash over him at last.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats…"
"This term we will be going over Strengthening solutions and the anatomy of Chinese chomping cabbage…."
"How touching Severus…I had no idea you had such fond memories of your school days" Lord Voldemort hissed and laughed as he peered deeper into Snape's weakened mind.
A beautiful blonde girl with golden eyes smiled at him and waved…
"Katrina"
A girl with red hair poured over Potion's books with a young Severus and scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment…
"Young love Severus?" he laughed menacingly.
The broken man on the floor suddenly shut his eyes, pushing the dark Lord from his mind.
Gillyweed, lacewing flies, belladonna, moonstone…
"Why do you resist me if you are truly loyal?"
Severus knew it would be most unwise to keep fighting. He would give him just enough information to deem himself useful. And with that, Severus Snape surrendered his mind.
Hermione Granger's face, streaked with tears looked up at him as she fidgeted with her mother's necklace…She scrubbed cauldrons rigorously, her hair softly bouncing at her shoulders as she did…That innocent smile…that naïve look of fear…that necklace…that kiss.
"Well, well Severus…It seems you do have more than potions on your mind these days."
Lord Voldemort violently kicked the potion's master in the stomach and smiled down at him darkly. "You will tell me everything you know of her or I may let Greyback decide your fate"
Severus choked on blood and saliva, "It would be my honor to serve you, my Lord".
"And to think I ever doubted you".
"Finite Incantatem"
Draco's face flushed with color and he gasped for air as he sat up to attention.
"Draco- you must tell me everything"
"Gr…Granger? What…what are you doing-" The boy tried to stand but found that he was quite dizzy.
"Just rest for a minute Draco."
The boy looked up at her with a mixture of emotions playing out on his face; anger, disgust, annoyance and something else…surrender. Hermione realized at that moment that she was in fact pointing her wand directly at him in a defensive stance. She lowered her wand and crouched next to him.
"We have to find Thomas" Draco finally said with some reluctance.
"You mean Thomas Crowe? Why? What's happened?"
"There's no time to explain it Granger"
"Draco…you have to tell me. How am I supposed to help you if-"
"They're going to kill him!" Draco's eyes snapped up at her with such viciousness that Hermione nearly jumped back on her heels.
"Who's going to kill him?"
"I overheard my father …the Dark Lord, he's returned."
"I know"
Draco's eyes widened as Hermione rather boldly pushed his pajama sleeve up, exposing the still fresh mark. She grasped her wand tightly at her side as she stood. This movement did not go unnoticed by Draco.
"Please…Granger…We have to find Thomas."
"And why should I trust you?"
Draco sneered at her with an arrogant grin. "I suppose you trust Professor Snape? Or what about your beloved Dumbledore? He's the one who petrified me and locked me in here!"
"Professor Dumbledore could have sealed you in here with a much more powerful spell if he had intended to imprison you! And as for Professor Snape…" Hermione worried her bottom lip, "Yes…I trust him implicitly"
Their eyes locked in an almost scorching stare.
Draco exhaled deeply, "We need to get to Thomas"
Hermione took one last look at her mother's portrait, which was still propped up against the desk. She finally extended a hand to Draco, helping him to his feet.
"Any idea where to start?"
"You can't just barge in here! Unannounced, uninvited! Now just who do you think you are?!" Lady O'Connor barked from a dark corner of her shop, holding a single candle.
Albus stepped into the light. "Ms. O'Connor – Is it?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...Please good lady, we were under the impression that a student may be within these walls."
"Oh? Which wall exactly?" she cackled.
"Enough of this!" Mad-Eye brusquely approached the old woman, pushing Tonks and Hestia out of his way. "Now then, is there or is there not a young lad called Thomas Crowe here?"
"Never heard of him!" The old crone spat at him, with one eye cocked. Mad-Eye made several more attempts but to no avail. Lady O'Connor remained as tight lipped as a mummy. Mad-Eye barked "We could use someone like her on our side!"
"Well… this is going extremely well- innit?" Tonks snorted.
At that moment, the hidden door opened and Narcissa Malfoy stepped into the room. Albus narrowed his eyes to meet hers and they exchanged a silent greeting which went completely unnoticed by everyone else in the room.
"Might I ask why you are harassing the proprietor of this establishment?" Her aristocratic features were unmistakable when she spoke.
"And might WE ask what the wife of a refined lunatic is doing in a thrift shop …Auntie?" Tonks had never been one for restraint.
Narcissa lowered her gaze to the floor.
After some deliberation, Albus approached the slender witch and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her body was shivering ever so slightly and Albus could sense that she was nervous.
"We mean to help Thomas, Mrs. Malfoy. We were under the impression that he was in some considerable danger" Albus moved even closer and peered at her over the rim of his glasses. "Narcissa…" He spoke barely above a whisper, "Draco grows more like you every day."
The older wizard smiled affectionately as her icy eyes melted away.
"He's through here" She motioned timidly to the hidden passage but swiftly grabbed hold of Dumbledore's robes as he passed her. She could not stand the thought of Thomas being ripped from his mother's arms once again. "Please…you must promise not to involve the Ministry"
Albus eyed Shacklebolt, who hesitantly nodded his head in affirmation. Narcissa exhaled a breath she had been holding in since they arrived and, with great poise, led them to Thomas.
Hermione and Draco walked quickly through the quiet hallways of Hogwarts, with Hermione leading the way straight to Gryffindor tower.
"What are you doing?" Draco stopped rather abruptly and sneered at the witch. "Surely you don't expect me to set foot in there!"
"Draco- now is a poor time for house rivalry, don't you think? Besides…I need to grab a few things before we set out to find Thomas…and I couldn't help but notice you haven't brought along your wand"
The boy rolled his eyes as they approached the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Password?"
Hermione suddenly clammed up, remembering there was a Slytherin standing beside her. She attempted to whisper it.
"I can't hear you, girl! You really must learn to project…like this!" The Fat Lady then began to sing in the most ear splitting soprano imaginable.
"Granger…this is a poor time for house loyalty- don't you think?!" He mocked,
"Alright, alright! Roseus Draconis!" she bellowed.
"Pink Dragon? How imaginative."
Hermione exhaled roughly "Do you want my help or not?!"
Draco's toothy smile sobered and he nodded before rigidly stepping through the portrait.
"So, first things first, let's get you a wand. I have a spare" Hermione hurried up to her room, leaving Draco alone in the crimson and gold of the lion's den. He looked around, taking in the opulent tapestries and various portraits thrown haphazardly on the walls. There was a glow about the room that Draco didn't understand; a warmth which emanated from the furniture as if countless laughs and good times between friends had been had in this place. When Hermione returned, she observed him for a minute from the stairs and wondered just how different she and Draco really were deep down. Blood, she thought, must have some arcane value to it; something more than just DNA, more than just who your grandparents were. After all, there were a great many spells from the old world and plenty of dark magic spells which greatly relied on bonds of blood.
"We should get going" She handed Draco her wand and tucked her mother's in her back pocket. "Now then" she smiled, "How do we get to your house?"
"Well…we could floo but that might not exactly be stealthy."
"Do you know how to apparate?"
Draco scoffed at the witch "Of course!"
"Sorry! I was just asking – I mean, you have to admit that now would be a poor time to get splinched"
The boy rolled his eyes and with that the two made their way outside from where they could safely apparate from the forest. And as they vanished into the brisk night air, a pair of brown eyes anxiously looked on from a nearby belladonna bush before swiftly turning back towards Hogwarts.
Thomas Crowe sat next to his mother, placing his hand over hers in the most affectionate way. It was apparent to everyone present in the room how protective the young man was of her and they remained very still, not wanting to ruin the exceptionally tender moment. Isabeura Serpentsoot shut her eyes at last, allowing exhaustion to claim her feeble body. Thomas drew the curtains around her bed and wordlessly followed Albus and the other Order members out of the room and back into the shop.
"I won't see her taken back to St. Mungo's" he finally said; a quiet anger apparent in his voice. At this, Albus Dumbledore cocked his head with a faint smile.
"My dear boy, I have no intention of sending your mother anywhere as it seems Mrs. Malfoy…has gone to the greatest lengths to ensure her safety and care"
At the mention of her name, Narcissa tensed and looked up, catching eyes with the smiling Headmaster. Thomas stiffly leaned against a wall and rubbed his hands over his face; he too was emotionally exhausted.
"Headmaster…exactly why are you here?"
"We were under the impression you were in some danger but now…I wonder…" The old wizard fidgeted with his beard . Draco had seemed so sure that Thomas' very life was being threatened and Albus had sensed no maliciousness behind the younger wizard's insistence. He wondered now whether Draco could have been purposely misled.
"Thomas…how long has it been since you were last summoned?"
"I…why? What is this all about?"
"Draco Malfoy"
Narcissa's eyes widened with fear. "What about Draco?"
"I fear your son may have been deceived into believing that Mr. Crowe here was in danger…He came to me at Hogwarts with news that…"
"Where is my son?" The blonde witch's face grew dark and severe.
Thomas suddenly leapt to attention "Granger!"
The old wizard's eyes glimmered with understanding and he hoped that Draco was still lying helplessly petrified on the floor of his office.