IT'S UPDATE TIME! Don't get to excited now, it's just a story… Hehe. Sorry for the holdup but the best tales are never rushed :) Anyways, quite a long chapter (by my standards) to make up for it.
Chapter Five: Loss, Gain & Temper Tantrums.
Harry sat in a ball on a worktop in the kitchen of Dumbledore's cottage. Malfoy had taken the same approach as Snape and had stayed in his room all day yesterday. Harry technically had the cottage to himself. It was lonely. 5 days to Christmas, he thought. He had to buy Ron and Hermione something. But he couldn't go anywhere without Snape and Malfoy. He wouldn't be able to go into Hogsmeade without them nearby. How was he supposed to live like this? Having to go everywhere with two people he despised? Having to take Snape and Malfoy meals all day, avoiding eye contact and living his life in a ball on his bed because he felt guilty?
Harry did pity himself for a while until Snape speedily walked in towards the fridge and noticed him sitting on the worktop. Snape bowed low which made him turn away. Snape stayed liked that for quite a few seconds until Harry remembered he had to give him permission to stand. Harry just muttered, "Up." It sounded quite arrogant but it was enough to let him stand. If he said anymore, it would just become awkward. He started to speak but Snape cut him off. "No jokes, Pot- Master." Snape said emotionlessly when he straightened up. Harry's smirk soon disappeared and he nodded hurriedly. It was weird how Harry had complete control over Snape, but he still scared Harry half to death.
"Don't call me Master, Sir. It's too weird." Harry pointed out. It felt strange to have Professor call him something like that. "That's only possible in private." Snape replied. When there was company other than the three in the cottage, Harry would have to be addressed appropriately. One from the long list of rules out of the book Dumbledore gave him. Snape had to follow them, if he didn't want the pain that followed. The curse had complete hold over him. Snape had almost no power over his own actions, if Harry told him not to do something, he couldn't. Well he could, but he would have to face the pain afterwards.
Harry felt bad; he hadn't done any research at all in the curse. Maybe he would have found something to help Snape and Malfoy even before the curse had affected them. "So you left your room, I see." Harry tried to break the awkward silence that was lingering between the two. "Life must be lived." Harry nodded slowly. It freaked him out, the way Snape unblinkingly stared off into the distance. Thankfully the awkwardness it didn't last too long before a certain old man appeared in the fire place.
"Sorry for bursting in like this but," Dumbledore dusted the ash off of himself, "If you do recall, it is my cottage. I'm just glad you didn't have soup on." He took a seat at the dining table, gesturing for Snape and Harry to do also. Harry sat down, it took some encouraging from Dumbledore for Harry to remember that Snape wasn't supposed to sit in his presence, so he would have to tell him to. Harry felt more guilt, he would have to do his reading. The last time he tried to read that slavery book, he'd skipped most of it. Harry made a mental note to read it as many times as possible to find any sort of loophole that could be used to avoid embarrassment at school.
"Where is Draco?" Dumbledore asked, "I have a task for you all." Harry ran off to get him, thankful for a minute or two away from the thick tension. He knocked on the door but got no reply, so he just walked in. Malfoy was sitting at the desk that was facing out of the window, he didn't know who came in, and apparently he assumed it was Snape. "Did I say you could come in?" He turned around to find Harry standing in the doorway apologising. "Oh, no. It's going to- AGH!" Malfoy stopped himself. He refused to let Harry see him in pain. He bit his lip instead until it was almost bleeding. The pain increased for each second he didn't apologise for being rude. If Harry wasn't the kind person that he is, he would be enjoying this. But he was sympathetic and quite horrified. It was clear to see that Malfoy was in pain, but he didn't know how to stop it. He knew one way, but he had no control over it. Malfoy had to apologise and Harry knew he would fight for as long as humanly possible not to. "It's fine Malfoy, honest mistake." He said, hoping to ease the pain. It must have because Malfoy looked considerably more relaxed. "Thank you Master." Master managed to slip out of him because he had let his guard down for that second of relief. No more was said as Harry was at a loss for words and Draco was beginning to bubble.
Once they were all seated around the dining table, Dumbledore began to speak. "Now, Severus and Draco have you been feeling any pain even when you haven't 'done anything wrong'? Because I think I may have found the solution to that." Something about the way he said it made Snape cautious about letting himself get too happy. Malfoy sighed; he was also slightly suspicious but shrugged it off. He wanted to look past it to get rid of the pain.
"Don't be so quick to smile, Draco." Dumbledore warned, "I can assure you that you will not like it but the pain will only increase if action is not taken." He pulled two small contracts out of a pouch that hung over his shoulder. Two pairs of eyes scanned over the first sentence before there was a voice shouting out in frustration. "I have to give all my belongings to him? Albus you cannot be serious." Snape asked. Dumbledore nodded. Malfoy's face began to literally go red with anger.
Dumbledore kept his cool, as always, and calmly explained that Draco did not have much in his name because his parents owned everything but he did have a Gringotts account, a broomstick, some general items such as decorations or school scarves and most importantly… He had a wand.
"What? You, you expect me to give over my wand? No. No way. You can fuck off Potter. There's not a chance in hell you're getting my wand! Not now not ever. It's mine ok? Mine, mine, mine. I don't care what you and your mudblood and blood traitor friends do to me. It's my wand." Harry had been smiling until he said mudblood. Draco looked three years old. He stomped his foot down and folded his arms with clenched fists, it was very amusing but mudblood was not a word Harry would accept. "I told you not to call a muggle born that, Malfoy." Harry said so calmly it was scary. "Take it back." Malfoy smirked briefly. He refused to take back what he said. Daddy had said he was pureblood, which made him superior. He'd been thinking like that for almost his whole life but the ever-increasing pain of the curse shot him up to the point where he couldn't take the pain anymore. "I'm sorry, Master, for displeasing you." A very high pitched yelp of frustration followed quickly afterwards.
"Now, boys," Dumbledore interrupted them, "Please control yourselves. Mr Malfoy, you shouldn't call a muggle born that, now if you could just sign here I'll be on my way and you can go back to complaining." With more whining and moaning Malfoy did sign and promptly stormed off with very heavy footsteps back to his bed room.
"Well," Harry sighed, "That was extremely amusing. If that's all, I'll be on my way."
"Wait, Master," Snape called through gritted teeth, "I wish to go to out to buy a few things for a potion. May I go?" No matter what words came out of Snape's mouth, with the death glare through narrowed eyes he was sending to Harry's direction, Harry would have agreed to anything. "Of course, Sir."
"Could you please not call me 'Sir', Master? It brings sudden burst of pain." Snape destested the way he had to say it, there was no way that he would get away with say anything to Harry that even resembled an order.
Later that night Harry lay in his bed just staring at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think of how horrible Christmas Day was going to be, it was supposed to be a happy day but no, he would be stuck in the cottage with his two greatest enemies. He mental note to send Hedwig off with Hermione, Ginny and Ron's presents tomorrow.
Admit it…..That was quite long :) Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please let me now in a review! I didn;y get ANY for my last chapter, which by the way was my favourite to write. Not any more swearing from here (YAY) it feels weird when I listen to Alan, Daniel and Tom say it in my head…. Anyways REVIEW!