November 2010
It had been three weeks since Hermione had shown up on Draco Malfoy's doorstep unannounced and revealed she had discovered he was her benefactor. He was beyond angry, but as the weeks had passed the reasons for his anger had fluctuated so much that all Draco knew was he was angry, but not categorically why.
His first instinct had been to floo to the Ministry and have it out with Theo; an action that proved to be fruitless as Theo wasn't to blame and when Theo pointed out what Draco knew to be true it had only resulted in worsening Draco's mood.
His second instinct had been to continue his sulking upon his return to the Manor and he had yet to pull himself out of his mood. If he analysed his emotions, he surmised that the overriding feeling was indignation at the sheer audacity that had driven Hermione to seek him out with her knowledge.
It was this feeling that had him now on her doorstep, his knuckles poised millimeters from her heavy oak door, ready to rap them against the worn wood. The reason for his pause, he considered as he furrowed his brow, was not momentary reconsideration. No, Draco Malfoy was a calculated man: He never reconsidered a course of action once it was decided, he snorted as he quietly mused, squaring his shoulders. The reason for taking pause was simply for him to…
His thought remained unfinished as the door opened suddenly revealing a smiling Susan Bones. Draco's frown deepened as his painstakingly prepared speech disappeared from his mind as though Susan had muttered obliviate.
"Hermione isn't here at the moment, but she told me you might stop by," Susan smiled stepping back and gesturing for him to enter the cottage.
Draco scowled as he ducked his head under the oak beam. "Is there anything that witch doesn't know?" he snarked under his breath. Susan laughed as she caught his words.
"Not really, no. But then that always was Hermione, wasn't it?"
Draco stopped, his eyes catching Susan's as he considered her words, realising that in truth, despite the pleasant interactions they had shared prior to their last, he really did not know Hermione. True, she had always been derided as the bossy little know it all, but he had successfully kept his identity as her benefactor from her for ten years. Suddenly he found himself questioning how, when she had discovered the fact in something as pedestrian as his signature, she had not made the discovery sooner. The consideration jarred him for a moment and he found himself, admittedly not for the first time, chiding himself for the small slip for which only he was to blame.
"I guess," he replied, as he followed her into the lounge where two young boys sat playing a game of wizard's chess.
"Enzo, Cassian, this is Mister Malfoy," Susan smiled as the boys stood, coming to shake his hand politely.
"Draco, this is Enzo," Susan introduced the tall boy with olive skin who looked to be about ten and reminded him of a younger Blaise, before turning to the smaller, pale boy with blond hair who reminded him of a less sneering version of his younger self and who looked to be about eight. "And this is Cassian."
"Pleased to meet you, Sir," Enzo smiled, before the pair returned to their game as Draco watched them curiously.
Hearing a shuffling from the doorway, Susan smiled as she crossed the room, placing a reassuring arm around an older boy who stood nervously in the doorway. "This young man is Stefan," she informed him nodding for Stefan to accept the hand Draco extended to him.
"Would you like another book, Stefan?" Susan asked the shy boy, gesturing to the worn novel he had finished. Draco watched as the boy nodded before crossing the room to the bookshelf that took up an alcove in the corner of the room.
Susan stood off to one side as she watched Draco quietly observe the children as they went about their chosen activities. After a few minutes she caught his eye before glancing discreetly in the direction of the kitchen.
"Would you like some tea, Draco?"
Ducking under the beams of the small cottage, he cursed the good breeding that resulted in his towering height, as he found her in the kitchen a few moments later pulling teas out of the cupboard.
"What on earth…"
Susan glanced at Draco raising an eyebrow.
"How can one person have so many teas?" he asked as he came to stand by her side picking up the different boxes frowning at the names. "Ooooo long," Draco announced, drawing out the syllables. "Red bush. What is a red bush?" he muttered rhetorically. "Earl Grey. Who's he when he's at home?"
Susan couldn't help but chuckle at the way Draco commented on the names as she filled the kettle and placed it on the stove.
"Which would you like?" she asked as she grabbed two cups from the hooks under the cupboard.
Draco quirked an eyebrow as he glanced sidelong at her. "And precisely how am I supposed to know?"
Susan shrugged. "Go for the Earl Grey then?" she suggested, a questioning lilt to her tone.
Shrugging in a gesture of acceptance he took a seat at the table as Susan prepared the tea.
"You have questions, I can tell," Susan smiled as she placed Draco's cup in front of him a few minutes later.
Draco lifted the cup to his lips as he contemplated her words. In truth he did not know where to start.
"How long have they lived here?" he asked as he returned his cup to the saucer.
"Let's see. Enzo came to us when he was six, Cassian when he was five, and Stefan is a special boy. He came to us when he was eight," she explained with a small sigh.
Draco frowned. "Why does that make him special?"
"Do you know what an obscurus is?" she asked, glancing across at him. He shook his head. "An obscurus is the manifestation of repressed energy in a magical child," she began, watching as Draco's eyes widened. "It is a dark and parasitic force created when a child is forced to repress their talent through physical or psychological abuse. This energy can potentially manifest itself as a separate entity that can erupt in violent, destructive fury."
Draco sat back, stunned by her words.
"An obscurial is a young witch or wizard who has developed this dark and parasitic force. An obscurial may lose control when they reach their emotional and mental breaking point, releasing their Obscurus as an invisible destructive wind. In extreme cases, they may physically transform into an Obscurus." Pausing, she sipped her tea before fixing her eyes on Draco. "Had Hermione not found Stefan when she did, this could have been his fate. He was suffering so much and the muggle authorities wanted to remove him from his home and place him in an orphanage," she whispered, her voice ragged. "Hermione wouldn't allow it. She knew he could suffer the same fate as Tom Riddle."
Draco swallowed hard at the mention of the name; a name that even after all these years still sent a chill down his spine. He opened his mouth to speak but whatever words he had dissolved on his tongue as an almighty crash sounded through the cottage followed by a terrified scream. Susan and Draco tore from the kitchen following the sounds into the lounge where Stefan lay convulsing wildly on the floor, Enzo comforting a terrified Cassian on the couch. Susan came to Stefan's side as Draco watched on horrified. As the convulsions started to subside, Susan gently soothed him, stroking his hair lovingly while scanning for any obvious signs of injury.
"Hey Cassian, it's okay," she coaxed, reaching up to stroke his arm. "Stefan will be okay, he just needs to rest." She turned to Enzo. "Why don't you boys go up to your room for a bit?" she suggested to the older boy who nodded, leading Cassian from the room as Susan levitated Stefan onto the now vacant couch.
Draco watched the surreal activity, feeling a strange mix of trepidation and awe as Susan draped a blanket over Stefan who appeared to be sleeping peacefully now. Sensing Draco's disquiet, Susan glanced up and smiled reassuringly. "He will be asleep for about an hour but he will be okay." she explained as she gestured for him to take one of the armchairs as she sat across from him, watching over Stefan.
"What happened?" Draco asked, confused by what he had witnessed.
"Stefan is still suffering. What you saw was a seizure brought on by the dark energy that still plagues him." Susan furrowed her brow. "Hermione says it's like a curse and although she has tried everything she can think of, she has yet to find a complete cure for Stefan. Her research suggests that the older a child is the harder it is to break them away from the energy. The oldest known obscurial before Stefan was nine when she died. Stefan is almost twelve." She paused, watching as Draco took in this information, his curiosity deepening.
"She has been able to successfully help him channel the energy by helping him with his magic. He comes home from Hogwart's at weekends, with special permission from McGonagall, partly because he requires Hermione's tutelage but also because being at Hogwarts for long periods of time could prove fatal for him.
"In what way?" Draco inquired, glancing over at the sleeping boy.
Susan met his eyes as he returned his gaze to her. "The boy needs love, Draco."
A myriad images flickered in Draco's mind at her proclamation as he felt himself pulled back in time. There had never been any doubt in Draco's mind that his mother and father had loved him in their own way, especially his mother with whom he had always had a close relationship. But it had never escaped his notice that this love had been controlled and at a distance, not the warm affection to which he knew Susan was referring; a love he was was aware Hermione was capable of giving unconditionally.
His thoughts were interrupted by the roar of the floo, followed by the dulcet tones of Hermione as she called her greetings through the house as she came into the lounge. Her eyes met Draco's across the room and for a moment neither spoke as she braced herself for his verbal tirade and he attempted to locate his previous anger.
Hermione's gaze dropped to the sofa, her face a picture of concern as she took in the sight of Stefan lying sleeping on the couch. "He had another seizure," Susan informed her quietly as they shared a look.
"Poor boy," Hermione replied as she brushed her hand over his forehead before glancing back at Draco, his expression unreadable as he stood, crossing the room to her silently. Hermione dragged her teeth nervously across her bottom lip, looking up at him.
"I'd like to help." His unexpected words left her speechless. "Can I take you to dinner?"
Hermione ignored the expression of sheer delight on Susan's face that she caught out of the corner of her eye as she nodded.
"Okay."