Title: The Secret's In The Telling
Authoress: Sakuri
Rating: T
Summary: Draco Malfoy, pureblood and Slytherin prince, suffers the unthinkable when he is attacked and bitten by Remus Lupin. How is he supposed to live any kind of life afterwards, especially when Potter continues to stick his unwanted nose into things? HPDM, SSRL (more like preslash in the case of the latter I'm beginning to realise.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one
Chapter 40: Into The Dark
xxx
Severus did not hold a high opinion of those who flaunted rules and instructions. Unfortunate, that he'd become such an individual himself.
The edges of the school wards were only a short distance away now. As soon as he passed them, he'd be able to Apparate, and hopefully arrive at Hogsmeade before the majority of the Order. Damned unlucky, that Dumbledore had closed off the Floo network a few seconds too soon, making it impossible for him to use a fireplace to get down there. As Minerva had said, only the Headmaster's fire would still be usable for Flooing, and that would mean joining up with the others.
He glanced up at the sky, noting how close it was to sunset. It wouldn't be long, now, before his efforts became in vain.
He hurried his pace.
This was insane, he told himself yet again. What in Salazar's name was he thinking of? Even as he acted, his movements almost automatic, he couldn't decide on a logical explanation. He had never been selfless, or noble, or reckless, or god damned suicidal – which was what this amounted to – so what was he playing at now? It was only Lupin, after all. Hadn't he always suspected something like this would happen...?
"Stupid, pathetic, worthless excuse for a man! I knew he'd get himself caught and –"
Behind him, someone scoffed incredulously.
He whirled around, wand out and pointed at – nothing. Blinking, he looked around in confusion.
For a second, the air before him rippled, before sweeping aside to reveal –
"Potter!" he snarled, indignation overcoming perplexity. "What are you doing out here, for Merlin's – Draco?"
The two boys materialised side by side, slipping out from beneath the folds of what was no doubt an Invisibility Cloak. His eyes narrowed, trying to figure out which of them it belonged to, before deciding on the Gryffindor. Draco, he knew, would have bragged about it before now if he owned such a thing.
"How did you get out here?" he couldn't help but snap, before realising what a stupid question it was, considering their disguise. "Both of you, get back inside at once! Do you have any idea –"
The Slytherin pushed past the other, stepping up in front of the Potions Master and staring him boldly in the face. "I know exactly where you're going, Severus. And why. We're going with you."
Severus bristled indignantly. Insolent little brat! He'd been spending entirely too much time around Potter. How dare he sound so presumptuous?
He narrowed his eyes in fury. "Remove yourselves from my sight this instant, and perhaps you will both avoid detention for the rest of your natural lives."
Draco's expression didn't so much as flicker. "Well, about that. Even if I wanted to take myself back to the school – which, I must admit, sounds tempting – I can't. My contract with Dumbledore won't let me."
The Potions Master blinked in surprise, as did Potter, both of them staring at the blonde.
Draco shrugged. "It didn't occur to me, either, until we got halfway down here and I realised that you're an Order member. I kind of have to help you."
The older man sneered. "Don't be ridiculous. The Headmaster certainly didn't mean anything so stupid as this. Return to the Slytherin common room right now –"
"I'm serious, I can't," the Slytherin protested. "If nothing else, I have to go with him." He indicated Potter, who stood defiant at his side. "And you might notice we're wasting time. If you intend to give that –" he pointed to the vial of potion Severus still held "– to Lupin before the moon rises, you want to hurry up."
The Potions Master tensed, knowing the boy was right. He looked down at the sample of Wolfsbane he'd hurriedly grabbed, and up at the sky, silently cursing to himself.
He started walking again, aware that the two were following him. "Go back, I said! As a Hogwarts Professor, I will not allow you to continue this stupidity. Besides, I hope you're not expecting me to willingly Apparate you into battle –"
"I can do that myself," Draco said easily, earning him another surprised look from Harry.
"You can Apparate?"
The Slytherin snorted. "Please. Do you really think Father would teach me all that Dark magic and neglect the basics?" There was a moment's silence, before Draco's voice resumed. "Anyway, as I was saying. We are going with you, Severus – both because I'm bound to help Order members if I'm capable, and I'm forced to indulge Potter's mindless heroics –"
"You don't have to say it like that..."
"Besides," the Slytherin went on, using his best persuasive tone and ignoring Potter's mutter. "Don't you think having a werew– wizard like me at your back will be good protection?"
Severus cast him an odd look, wondering why the boy had avoided the mention of werewolves. Swiftly, though, the minor observation left his mind to be replaced with more important matters. "Frankly, I couldn't think of anything less reassuring," the Potions Master drawled. "Now, for the last time, go away! Do you really think it's practical to lead Potter over there straight to a force of Death Eaters?"
"No, and that's exactly what I told him. Unfortunately, common sense is hardly a strong point with Gryffindors –"
"Draco!"
"My point being, he has managed to survive a number of similar situations, and I assure you he'll find other ways of getting down there on his own. Don't you think it's better to have us there as supervision?"
"I do not need your 'supervision'!" the Gryffindor protested indignantly.
The blonde glared at him, silently reminding his companion that he knew how to handle Severus.
The Potions Master felt it as he passed through the wards, which clung to him for a moment before releasing. Free of them, his magic felt much more potent, now liberated from some of the restrictions Hogwarts set on it.
The two boys came to stand nearby, looking as stubborn as ever. He narrowed his eyes at Potter, who annoyingly looked unaffected.
Draco stared at him evenly. "Severus, you're my godfather," he simpered. "You're family to me. Loyalty demands I go with you."
The man scoffed, glaring sceptically. He had never heard anything so insincere in his life. "You have no loyalty," he pointed out. It wasn't an insult, merely a statement of fact.
The blonde smirked wryly. "Just because I don't show it often doesn't mean it isn't there... So. Are you convinced yet?"
Severus regarded them with barely restrained anger, tempted to physically drag them back to the school himself. But once again, his gaze drifted to the sky, noting how low the sun now hung.
He sighed through gritted teeth. "Draco, there isn't time for this! By leaving me alone, you'd help me. That fulfils your promise to Dumbledore. Take that Cloak of Potter's and go back inside. If you manage not to get caught, I'll even let you off with a mere week's detention." From him, that was practically a gift. Casting a cursory glance over both of them, he found he couldn't spot the silvery folds of the material. "Where is it, anyway?"
"Uhm..." Potter murmured, blinking.
Before anything else could be said, Draco stepped up close to the Gryffindor, winding an arm around his waist and subtly sliding his hand beneath the back of Harry's shirt, so that his fingers grazed warm skin, just because he could. "Brace yourself," he instructed, breath ghosting over his partner's cheek. Then, louder, he added, "We'll be behind the Shrieking Shack."
They disappeared with a sharp crack.
Cursing to himself, Severus activated his own magic, concentrating on the image of a snow covered hilltop behind the Shack.
Too late, he felt something grip onto the back of his shirt in the split second before his Apparation. Unable to call back the spell, his magic encompassed the unknown presence as well as himself, dragging it with him as he disappeared.
xxx
His landing was much less graceful than usual thanks to the added weight. He staggered sideways, thankfully managing to steady himself against the wall of the Shack, before whirling around. Once again, he could see no one but Potter and Draco, who were staring at him with wide, nervous eyes. Immediately, he knew they'd had something to do with the unknown stowaway.
That Cloak. Someone else was using Potter's bloody Cloak!
Instinctively, he looked down, and saw two sets of footprints backing away from him, imprinted in the snow. With a snarl, he reached out blindly and grasped at the air, feeling his fingers triumphantly close over soft material. He yanked, and was rewarded by the sight of a terrified Granger and Weasley looking as if they feared he might murder them there and then. Indeed, Weasley even placed himself in front of the girl in a fit of ridiculous bravado.
"You...! You...!" He spluttered in wordless anger, unable to come up with a reprimand strong enough.
Granger covered her mouth in horror. "I can't believe we just did that! I told you he'd kill us!"
"Steady, Granger," Draco muttered, as he and Harry quickly stepped up next to the revealed pair. "No sudden movements."
She hoped he was joking.
"You... You idiots! Do you have any idea how dangerous that little stunt was?" He fought the urge to brandish his wand – remembering, just in time, that these were children, and ones he was supposed to protect. If they didn't end up killing him through sheer stupidity, of course. "You could have Splinched me or yourselves! Of all the stupid –"
"Malfoy thought of it!" Weasley blurted out, pointing accusingly at the blonde, who gave him a deadpan stare.
"Oh, nice..." the Slytherin hissed, narrowing his eyes.
The redhead shrugged sheepishly.
Severus took several deep breaths, his thoughts already spinning with at least a dozen creative punishments he would delight in employing. Unfortunately, he would have to wait. There was so little time left...
"That. Is. It," he growled. "Draco! You will take everyone here back to the school this instant! I hope you exhaust yourself doing it, too. You will return to your common rooms and await my return. Don't think the Headmaster won't be hearing about this!"
Harry edged closer to the witch in their midst, privately concerned by how pale she'd turned.
Severus turned away from them, moving quietly to the edge of the Shack and peering around its corner. Now that the blood had momentarily stopped rushing in his ears from anger, he could hear the sounds of battle below them. Peering down at the streets of Hogsmeade, he could see the little village's inhabitants doing their best to fend off the swarm of Death Eaters that were invading. As far as he could tell, the Order had yet to arrive, for whatever reasons, and the meagre defence of ordinary witches and wizards would hardly last much longer.
Squinting, he swept his eyes across the scene before him, but was evidently too far away to make out Lupin from this vantage point.
All of a sudden, he sensed his godson standing next to him, also examining the state of the village. "There's no one here to help them but us," he murmured gravely. "We're not incompetent, Severus. We can fight."
He sneered and glanced at the blonde. "Trying to manipulate me, Draco? I said, go back. I meant it. You will regret it severely if you go against me in this." He drew his wand and prepared to leave them, hesitating as he glanced at the boy. He would not show affection, not with the other teens present, but he struggled with the urge to convey some kind of message. "Draco... I trust that you will listen to me."
And then he turned and was hurrying down the hillside, careful not to slip in the snow and trying to approach unheard as he entered the fray.
Draco watched him go, expressionless. Harry came up next to him. "He wants you safe. Aren't you going to listen to him?" Draco didn't notice the serious look that had crept onto his mate's face.
Instead, he glanced languidly at the Gryffindor. "What can I say? He's right. I have no loyalty." Turning, he addressed the other two. "You two still up for this?"
Hermione stared at him, wide eyed. "D-did he mean that? About telling the Headmaster?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Merlin, Granger. As if Dumbledore hasn't let you off with bigger things. Anyway, he can't tell him. He's not supposed to be here on his own, never mind that he's accidentally responsible for you being here. He can't report us without getting himself in more trouble than he's already in..."
She looked marginally relieved, realising he was right. She just wished Draco had been confident enough in his own Apparating skills to transport more than Harry, so at least they might have avoided the offence of stealing a lift from the irate Potions Master...
Ron had walked over to where they stood, craning his neck to look down on the battlefield just in time to see the Potions Master cast a curse that took down one of the robed Death Eaters from behind. "Bloody hell. Never thought I'd be rooting for Snape..."
"Believe he's not with the other side yet, Weasley?"
"Bugger off, Malfoy."
Harry turned his eyes upwards to the sky, noticing the vivid orange it was becoming as the sun dipped ever lower towards the horizon, casting Hogsmeade in violent shades of red and gold.
"If we're going to do this, we have to be quick," he said suddenly, adopting the unconscious authority that only ever came to him in DA meetings and life or death situations. He hesitated, and then turned slowly to the Slytherin.
Draco saw in his expression what he was about to do just a split second too late to stop him.
"Stay here, Draco. That's... that's an order."
The Slytherin jerked as if slapped, staring at him. "No, don't –"
"I mean it," he said, in an imitation of Severus. And with that, Harry turned away to peer out over the battle, wand in hand.
Hermione looked almost as shocked as Draco, staring at her friend with her mouth open. "Harry, surely..."
"What's going on?" Ron asked, as clueless as ever as he looked between one horrified friend, one stubborn one, and a thoroughly stunned Slytherin. "You don't expect him to actually stay, do you? Not just 'cause you said –"
"Ron, shush," Hermione hissed, elbowing him.
Draco shook his head in denial, even as he felt the compulsion settle itself over him. He felt it as if the wolf had sat itself down on its haunches to wait patiently for its mate's return, whereas he wanted nothing more than to first hit Harry for the pure audacity, and then stick as close to him as humanly possible.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he demanded, voice deadly quiet.
Harry made the mistake of glancing back at him, and found himself hesitating, caught by the sheer intensity radiating from the blonde. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk –"
"It's not your decision!" Draco fairly shrieked in outrage, clenching his fists. Still, Harry didn't waver.
Instead, he turned to the other Gryffindors, completely ignoring Draco's enraged protests and beginning to speak calmly, slipping seamlessly into the role of leader he so often shied from. "Okay, remember the DA lessons. They're going to aim to kill or cripple, not disarm. Just... don't get hit. If anyone sees Remus, cast Relashio into the air. The others will see the sparks."
Ron nodded to show he understood, but quickly resumed a confused expression and glanced at the Slytherin, jerking a thumb in his direction. "Uhm, mate? Something you wanna tell me? Like why Malfoy's bursting a blood vessel 'cause you told him he couldn't come...?"
Harry looked at him blankly. "No, not really. Ready?"
The pair stared back in perplexity, but again nodded. Turning, they started to follow Harry around the corner of their shelter.
"Harry!"
The agonised shout stopped the Gryffindor in his tracks, making Hermione walk into him. Once again, she and Ron stepped out of the way, and she fought the urge to pointedly look in the opposite direction, feeling very much as if she was witnessing something far too personal between the two boys.
For a moment, seeing how Harry froze at the sound of his plea, and watching how his shoulders tensed up guiltily, Draco thought he'd won. And when the Gryffindor turned around and started to walk back towards him, he was convinced he'd changed his mind and was about to apologise profusely, before insisting the werewolf remain at his side during what was to come, as was only right, of course.
He lifted his chin defiantly when the other boy stood before him, waiting with annoyance for the order to be retracted.
Instead, Harry shook his head sadly, and whispered barely audible, "I can't... I didn't want you to come this far. You have to stay safe..."
That said, he ducked his head and kissed the Slytherin. Desperate, Draco grasped at the other's clothes, willing him not to do what he was doing. His fingers dug into flesh, nails scratching, and he bit down hard before Harry could pull away. There was nothing of affection in the kiss, but he didn't think he'd ever conveyed utter need so clearly.
"...I knew it!" Ron's voice cut the moment. "I fucking knew it!"
Harry looked at him fleetingly, noting the disgusted but resigned expression, then shook himself. He backed away from the blonde, managing to ignore the twist in his gut after a kiss like that, and finally turned his back again.
"Move," he snapped at Ron and Hermione, beckoning as he strode ahead.
Startled into motion, they hurriedly followed, Hermione casting a single pitying glance over her shoulder.
Harry never looked back.
xxx
Pure, undiluted panic rose up in him as Harry left their hiding place and disappeared down the hill into into the chaos that raged below them. He wanted to yell after him, demand that he return, or at least reverse the command and let Draco go with him, but the look in green eyes told the werewolf that Harry was thoroughly convinced he was doing the right thing.
"Fuck! Fuck!" In desperation, he tried to take steps forward, following Harry's route, but immediately the wolf growled anxiously in his head, making him freeze. He imagined it caught in indecision, compelled to obey its mate, but sharing Draco's need to go protect him. The warring urges tore at him, almost a physical pain.
"Focus, Malfoy!" he growled to himself, voice tinged with the low tones of the wolf.
He found himself pacing like a caged animal, frantic but unable to spur himself to any real action. This was stupid! Every instinct in him insisted that he protect his mate – so why the fuck couldn't he? Harry's words still lingered in the air, as potent as any spell.
"Stay here, Draco. That's... that's an order."
Thoughtless bastard! Didn't he realise that such a compulsion equated to torment, as the wolf struggled to follow its two primary instincts – obey and defend – both of which now clashed horribly...
And after he was the one who'd gone against his better judgement to get Harry here!
Well, okay. He just needed a solution, was all. He needed to get rid of one of those instincts. And since meekly sitting back and waiting hopefully for Harry's return wasn't an option, it seemed the time had come for him to cease this trained pet act. He was, after all, Draco Malfoy, and Malfoys most certainly didn't need permission. Since when had he fallen into the habit of obeying anyone, least of all Harry bloody Potter?
This in mind, he steeled himself and made for the battle once again. He was going to kill Potter, he thought to himself furiously as he stalked forward. Just as soon as –
Oh good God, it was like being on a leash! He was sure he nearly broke something as he was yanked backwards by the wolf's ever strengthening influence. Had it been further from the full moon, his surge of determination just might have been able to break the compulsion. But as it was, with the curse only a few minutes away from its monthly completion, he didn't stand a chance.
Snarling, he slammed his hand against the Shack's wall in frustration, and then raked his nails down it, never noticing that he actually left gouges in the wood.
This was fucked up! He had to – He couldn't just – Harry needed – Fuck!
His thoughts had never been so scattered before. The panic was getting worse the longer he was delayed here, which already seemed like hours, during which his mate was being attacked just out of his reach. Harry could be dead, or dying, even as he dithered about. Merlin knew Granger and Weasley were hardly an adequate defence, and Severus had his own concerns.
How could Potter be so bloody stupid as to leave him like this?
No. Concentrate. What was it Granger had said when she'd been explaining it to him, all that time ago...? The compulsions were the wolf's defence mechanism, because, apparently, it still thought he'd try to push Harry away if given half the chance.
Would he?
Well, wasn't this little experience answering that question? Here he was, desperately attempting to risk his life for the git, despite the fact that every self-preservation instinct in him was suggesting he go hide under something until the danger had passed. Draco Malfoy was a certified coward. It had been proven on numerous occasions.
So it must say something of his intentions that he was now hurling himself against the restraints of Harry's order, just to go protect the ungrateful, moronic sod.
Okay. Okay. How to convince the wolf that he really, really did accept it? What the hell did it want from him...?
"I... I get it," he said out loud, hopefully, as if talking directly to the creature in him might work. "I do. He's my mate. I... I have no choice in that. Are you fucking listening to me?" The last part he shouted into the air, his voice drowned by the sound of flying curses and screams.
Feeling defeated, he moved to rest his forehead against the wall of the ramshackle structure he was concealed behind. It felt ludicrous. Nothing physical stopped him from skidding down the slope in pursuit of the others. There were no obstacles keeping him in place. Yet here he was, just as trapped as if he'd been truly caged.
"I hate him," he hissed to himself, closing his eyes. "Bastard... I'm supposed to be there! I'm supposed to keep him safe – not the other fucking way around!" Again, he dug his nails into the wood, watching with disinterest as they lengthened into something resembling claws, gouging splinters from the wall, before retracting again.
He was growing quite used to the wolf features that showed through every so often. Where once they had unnerved him deeply, almost a violation to his person, now he suspected he'd feel lost without his preternatural hearing and other such canine characteristics.
Distantly, he wondered when he'd stopped thinking of it as a curse.
But this was pointless sidetracking. He edged towards the precipice of the hill, where he could look down over the village. His searching gaze sought for anyone recognisable. It didn't take long for him to spot the beacon of red hair that was Weasley, with Granger pinned to his side. But... Harry wasn't with them. He clenched a fist and kept scanning the crowd, growing more and more frantic, and still no sign of–
And then he saw him.
And what he saw almost made his heart stop beating then and there. He faltered, closing his eyes, as if the vision down below might fade if he looked away long enough.
It didn't.
Without thought, without conscious decision or any further ideas on acceptance, he began to run.
The next thing he knew, he was pelting gracelessly through the snow, plunging desperately after his mate.