Chapter 6 - Founders

Orion peered around the door, once Dumbledore had left, to see Draco sat on the side of his bed, lost in thought.

"Why do you suppose Lucius is trying to kill his son, 'Mione?"

"Who knows. I have only met that evil man once, properly, and he is not the type of man you want to come across on a cold dark night. There is something about him that screams dangerous and insane, almost as much Voldemort does. Whatever the reason is, it's not going to have that much substantial backing to it." Hermione said before walking in to the room and sitting next to Draco.

She put her arm over his shoulder and hugged him tight as a tear flowed down his cheek.

"Thanks Hermione for saving my life," Draco exclaimed pressing his lips to Hermione's forehead, "And what the hell was that Orion?"

"How the fuck should I know? One minute I am walking through the corridors on the way to Herbology and the next I feel like I have cut my wrist somehow, and man that shit hurts. Then a few minutes later I feel like I have been stabbed twice and I collapse throwing up everywhere. Then the pain lessens a bit but I start getting tired. So I came to look for you two, too see if you had any idea what was going on, but the pain was increasing with each step I took. The closer I got to you the more I felt like I was dying. Jesus Draco, you are really screwed up. I don't particularly want to go through that again. I love you man, but if you do something like that again I will kill you myself." Orion threatened with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Nice to know," Draco smirked, "But I wasn't stabbed twice, I pulled out the knife."

Hermione grimaced, "Great, you really are syco."

"Yeah, but you love me for it." Draco winked.

Orion was holding his hand over his mouth, not knowing whether he was going to throw up or laugh his head off.

"Eww, guys get a room." He settled with easing into the casual banter he was not used to.

"We shall...Actually we will get a whole common room, dorm and bathroom courtesy of Dumbledore himself." Draco slipped in casually as he examined the latest addition to the scar population on his body.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Dumbledore has decided to set up our own house, that will be used as a safe house to all those who need it, but he said that it will expand to accommodate all those who want to join our house." Draco shrugged at the bewildered expressions on their faces.

"You are kidding me...This is soooooo cool," Hermione exclaimed, clapping her hands like a retarded seal, "I have never read anything like this in Hogwarts, A History. I don't think this has ever happened before."

"Probably not. I mean I wasn't here before. Being in a house full of people who hate me could be really bad as I could easily kill them without noticing, I imagine their would be a lot of people upset if that were to happen." Orion shivered, imagining the screams of his house mates as they died by his hand.

"Do you mean those knives you created were made with the intent to kill?" Hermione queried quietly.

"Yeah...I suppose...They are mainly for defence...But I can't gain any control over them, they are influenced by my emotions after all. If I am angry or in pain, then I can automatically transfigure whatever is around me into a weapon, but if I keep them up as a shield, they drain me, and the first and last time I did it I almost died," Orion confessed slowly, his expression soon turned dark, "So did my foster father, I just wish I had actually killed him."

"What do you mean you wish you killed your foster father? How did you almost die? I mean Dumbledore mentioned that you didn't have to put up with the pain of another last time, what did he mean?..." Hermione ranted, full of questions waiting to burst forth, before Orion interrupted her.

"Last time I only had to put up with my just my own pain, today I had to put up with mine and yours, Draco. I am still healing from my injuries from the holidays. Apparently when I apparated inside the castle I was losing so much blood they thought I was going to die. My ribs were crushed, my legs and arms were broken, my heart and lungs had been punctured and I was drowning in my own blood. I woke up in this bed, actually, and almost killed Dumbledore and McGonagall purely because I was in pain and I didn't know them. Dumbledore healed my internal wounds but conventional magical medicine wouldn't work on the rest because of the extent of my injuries, so I have to use muggle ones for the pain and wait for my body to heal. Which is why today's episode hurt more than it should of, I was healing well, but now I think it may have gone backwards," Orion shrugged, then cringed as his ribs creaked, "I am not really ready to talk about that episode."

" My god. You do know that's impossible don't you? You cant apparate inside the castles perimeter." Hermione gasped.

"I know, that's what Dumbledore said at the time, but I think they were more focused on keeping me alive."

"Man...I am sorry." Draco exclaimed turning away from them.

"Why? You hardly asked for those bumbling idiots to kill you?" Orion said in disbelief.

Draco cringed, "Actually, technically I did. I knew what was going to happen, yet I told them to deliver my 'father's' message'. You know, this really was more of a message for me than you realise. That knife was the same blade that killed my only friend."

"When...How...What happened?" Orion choked out.

"The only thing she ever did wrong was becoming friends with me in the first place. Melissa was a muggle and I was only seven, how was I supposed to fight off my own father? He plunged that blade into her chest, not caring if she had a family or if I were watching. This was just to show me that he thinks I am filth too." Draco laughed a strangled sob.

His two friends put their arms around him, comforting each other as they sank into their memories.

Not wanting to sleep alone in the white sterile environment, Orion and Draco pushed together the two beds, after Scorgifying the dried blood and salty tears off of the sheets and themselves, and settled in for the night. Hermione felt safe and comfortable for the first time in a long while in between her two new friends regardless of the tiny space they shared.

"Good night everyone." Orion spoke to the pair who shared the beds with him.

"Night." Draco replied.

When they heard nothing from their friend they turned to look at her, and found her sleeping peacefully, a smile on her lips. The boys chuckled before settling in for the night. Draco fell asleep a couple of hours after, leaving Orion to wait for the sun to rise on his own.

Hermione was the first to rise in the morning and she was startled to find two hands on her hip. She felt hair tickling her nose that did not belong to herself and she could feel someone breathing evenly on her neck. Hermione opened her eyes and almost jumped when she saw sleek black hair barely an inch away from her eyes. The bright light emanating from the ceilings aggravated Hermione's pounding headache and she closed her eyes. She slowly remembered the events from the day before as she waited for her new friends to wake up. The boy in front of her whimpered, his forehead wrinkled in worry, Hermione brushed the hair out of Draco's eyes and he relaxed into her touch, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Mornin' 'Mione. How come Draco gets all the loving?" Orion breathed right next to her ear.

Hermione shivered before answering, "Because he was in pain and he is asleep, unlike you who seems happy to frighten unsuspecting girls who happen to share your bed."

She rolled over and winked at the other man she literally slept with, catching Draco's hand before it fell from her hip.

"Good to see that your wit is unaffected by the current events." Orion replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you alright though?" Hermione asked slowly, rubbing her thumb over Draco's knuckles trying to sooth him as he moaned in pain in his sleep.

"Not really...I don't understand what is happening to me. I don't know why I can create this weird weapon shield. I don't know why I can feel when Draco's in pain, when he, himself, can't feel it. I don't know why my foster father...I just don't know..." Orion sighed as he looked at the ceiling, not making eye contact with Hermione.

"What happened with your foster father?" Hermione said softly, brushing her fingertips along his cheekbone.

Orion grabbed her hand and held it to his skin and closed his eyes as he replied, "A lot happened 'Mione, but I can't tell you. I will tell you one day, but I just can't, not now."

Hermione contemplated this for a second before answering, "Okay, I get that, probably more than you know at the moment."

Orion opened his eyes and stared into Hermione's chocolate coloured orbs with his eyebrow raised.

"I shall tell you, you and Draco, when I am ready." Hermione answered his gaze.

Behind her, Draco groaned again, his brow furrowed. Undistinguishable mumbling slowly became louder and more coherent. His head shook from side to side.

"He's been doing this all night." Orion stated, concern in his eyes.

"No...Please...I will do anything...Please..." Draco mumbled, pain lacing his tone.

Hermione placed one hand on Draco's cheek, trying to coax him out of his bad dream.

"Draco...Please darlin'...Wake up..."

Orion walked over to Draco's side of the makeshift double bed and ran his fingers through Draco's black hair.

"...No...Please Father...Please..."

Draco's voice steadily got louder and louder till he was almost screaming. His whole body was trying to fight off his nightmare and his breathing had become erratic.

Hermione straddled Draco's flailing body and held down his arms.

"...NO...PLEASE DONT HURT HER..."

Hermione quietly sang in his ear, her lips barely an inch away from his skin.

Draco's movements quietened and his mumbling ceased as he began to stir. He opened his eyes to see a female form straddling his person. He flinched as Draco for a split second thought it to be Pansy with her black hair, but breathed out a sigh of relief when he realised it was Hermione hovering above him.

"As much as I love waking up to you on top of me, what are you doing?" Draco whispered, trying to shake off the perfect recall of his tortured childhood.

"Waking you up before you killed yourself." Orion said simply staring off into space, still running his hand through Draco's hair.

Draco looked inquisitively towards Hermione who hadn't moved from her compromising position above him.

"You would have probably strangled yourself with the bed sheets," Hermione stated grinning, "Good to have you back."

"Morning to you too," Draco said with a wink, "Orion, I know you would love to have my hair but please man you are messing it up," Ignoring the fact that I made him calmer.

"But you already had bed hair." Orion replied as he slowly resurface from his memories.

"No I had just waken up sexy hair, but now you have screwed it up."

Draco laughed at the bemused expression on Orion's face.

"Aww...Draco,Baby, it still looks sexy." Hermione said seductively as she playfully grounded her hips into his.

Draco bit his lip to stop himself from moaning in pleasure from the fiction between them.

Hermione chuckled and kissed him on the tip of his nose before jumping off of the bed and walking over to where her school bag was.

"That was mean and uncalled for, you minx." Draco moaned, ignoring Orion who was bent over laughing at his misfortune.

"Yeah yeah...We have other things to worry about like when Dumbledore comes he is going to realise that we all slept on one slightly weird bed, which he may think was a little odd or suspicious. I don't really want Dumbledore on my back. Also we have got to have breakfast before he comes because we didn't have lunch or dinner, and I'm slightly hungry. Do you have an house elf here?"

Draco shrugged, "Just Dobby, but technically he is not mine, he's free."

Hermione raised her eyebrow, "I thought Dobby was only loyal to Potter."

"Nope, I was nice to him at home especially when Lucius told me not to. Dobby likes me," Draco replied a grin graced his lips, "Dobby."He called.

A loud crack reverberated around the room as the small elf appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah...Young Master Draco, Miss Hermione and Master Orion. Dobby has been waiting to see you Master Draco. He had heard what his father had done. Dobby helped Master Orion escape with his mother when he were a baby," Dobby sniffled, his eyes rimmed with tears, "What can Dobby do for you?"

Hermione and Draco turned to look at Orion, who shrugged with a startled, yet confused expression on his face.

"Right Dobby, would it be possible for you to bring us some breakfast, we are starving?" Draco asked politely, flipping him a coin for his troubles from his trouser pocket.

"Oh thank you...Dobby shall bring it straight to you..." Dobby cried out in joy.

"Dobby please don't tell Harry." Hermione interjected before he could disappear.

"Mister Potter has changed Miss and not for the better." He responded eerily and then disappeared to find them food.

Moments later Dobby returned with a silver tray overflowing with food and set it down on one of the vacant beds.

"Dumbledore requested I bring you this," Dobby slipped a folded piece of parchment out from beside a pot of hot chocolate and passed it to Draco, "And I thought you may need a clean pair of clothes."

Dobby clicked his fingers and three sets of freshly pressed uniforms appeared floating in the air on black silk coat hangers.

"Thank you Dobby." Draco said, unfolding the letter he believed to hold his warrant for arrest and breathing a sigh of relief, he read out Dumbledore's note.

To the new members of 'In Lucem',

I would to remind you that I will collecting you from the Hospital Wing after you have had your breakfast and have changed into your house uniform.

But before that you will need to agree on your house symbol, colours and mascot. This will then appear in your uniform, in your house common room and on the house flag above your table in the Great Hall.

Happy brainstorming,

Albus Dumbledore

Orion was first to utter the words they were all thinking, "Awesome, this is my kind of homework."

Smiling the trio looked at each other and began spouting ideas left, right and centre.

"Colours?"

"I like red, like a blood red, but that's too close to Gryfindor, and I'm definitely not compromising so that we have pink." Draco shuddered.

"Too right," Orion said shaking his head in disgust, "We can't have any colour that could link us to the other houses."

"What about black?" Hermione suggested, "I mean it's a colour that links us to each other. We are all fighting the darkness in our lives and what we survive only makes us stronger, we all love our spunky black hair and eye/guy-liner, so I propose black should be our house colour."

They all paused for a second contemplating how dark their rooms where going to be.

Grinning the boys replied with "Wicked."

"Mascot?"

"I have one. The Phoenix, the tears heal, which I find quite symbolic for us lot. And it was my only friends favourite mythical animal," Draco said quietly, all traces of happiness gone, "And it's my mother's favourite too. I can't believe she is dead."

Hermione and Orion each put an arm around Draco seeing his pain.

"We would be honoured to have a reminder of your friend and mother with us always. They were good people." Orion said sincerely, "Are we supposed to draw our house arms, because I am not feeling very creative at the moment?"

"I will draw it, then we can see Dumbledore about it to see if it is appropriate." Hermione said conjuring parchment and muggle pencils and started drawing.

Draco peeled off the shirt he was wearing to show the beautiful phoenix over his heart to Hermione for inspiration.

"How come I didn't notice that before?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"It's new, for one, and the only time I think you have ever seen my chest I was bleeding out on to the floor. I think you had other things on your mind than checking me out." Draco chuckled, running his fingertips across the ink under his skin, thinking of the two Tuck brothers he met over the summer.

Their house crest was soon finished. An ominous black background threatened to swallow you in, if it weren't for the blood red phoenix parting the sea of darkness. The warm coloured plumage seemed to shimmer when you moved, but it was in fact each word that carved a single feather on the beautiful singing bird. Each feather had a different meaning, a different word that shaped the trio's dark and sometimes oppressive world.

Numb.

Pain.

Hate.

Anger.

Darkness.

Evil.

Father.

Mother.

Love.

Comfort.

Friend.

Acceptance.

Home.

These words would change with the mood of the entire house. If more people were to join their house, the feathers would get smaller to include at least one symbolic message from each of the members of The Light Within.

A.N. - Sorry for not putting this up sooner, but I am writing all of these up from scratch whilst trying to complete my last year at senior school, so it is GCSE's all the way...yay ¬¬ and I have had a really crap month already :/

So please review, make my eight days a little bit better