Draco looked at Harry, who seemed to be engrossed in his book. Unsurprisingly. Lately anyway, he was typically found in the Library.
Draco took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he settled across from his friend. "I really wasn't trying to hurt you."
Harry looked up and smirked. Without a word, he pulled out one of the books from a stack next to him, searched through it for a certain section and passed it over to Draco. "You're forgiven," he said.
Draco looked down, wondering. He began to read. 'Unlike their fiery cousins, the ice drakes of Antarctica do not use their cold breath to kill their prey. Thanks to their habitat in one of the coldest regions of the world, many of the animals that live there have a partial or complete immunity to the cold. Although the acid that makes up an ice drakes freezing breath can still kill those animals, it is much harder. To make up for this, the ice drakes have created a different way of taking down their prey. In a move more reminiscent of birds of prey than dragons, the ice drake uses the camouflage created by his pale blue and white underbelly against the daytime sky to float above the frozen tundra. Upon spotting their prey, often a polar bear or reindeer, they dive for the animal, placing all their weight upon their back and driving them to their knees as they go for the neck at the back of the head with their teeth. Often this move will break their prey's back, leaving them helpless even before the drake's teeth touch their skin.'
"So, I *was* trying to break your back," Draco mused.
"Keep reading," Harry ordered.
Draco skimmed over some more information on different hunting styles and typical prey before finding what Harry had set him looking for. 'Ice drakes, like fire drakes, tend to have between two and five kits at a time. The drake kits are able to fly by their third month, and use their ice breath by their fifth month. Like all young predators, they mock fight with each other, learning the maneuvers they will one day use upon their prey. It has been noticed that they often pounce upon their sibling's back with the same move that they will later use when capturing prey, but it is always done with both drakes in the air. It is believed that not having the ground underneath to slam them into, helps to keep these siblings from harming each other during mock attacks.'
"In other words, I was learning how to break your back," Draco said, humor now in his voice.
Harry laughed. Then he looked back at his books. "I'm just glad you transformed before hitting me. Young drakes might be able to withstand that, but I don't know how well a gryphon would do. The thing that worries me, is if your instincts caused you to react unintentionally like that, what instincts do I have of which I'm not aware?"
"You have a point," Draco became serious as well. He settled down and pulled over a couple of books Harry hadn't gotten to yet. Somehow, when they'd researched their forms, this was not the kind of thing they had worried about.
After a few moments, he spoke again. "What happened last night?"
"Didn't Professor Snape or your father tell you?"
"What does father have to do with anything?" Draco asked with surprise. "Was he there last night? And what does that have to do with the uproar at your table this morning?" He did know something had happened, the Daily Prophet had announced the capture of a number of 'alleged' Death Eaters the night before and the death of several muggleborn wizards.
"You didn't know? There was a meeting last night, and an attack. I was able to get to Dumbledore in time to get the Aurors sent there. I was a little surprised not to find you in Snape's room last night as I waited. Snape came through the shadows with your father. As for this morning, it turns out Seamus' parents live where the attack happened. Luckily, they weren't hurt."
Draco glared. "And you didn't think to tell me he was called?"
"I assumed he had told you," Harry replied. "Besides, I wasn't exactly in a condition to think about it."
Some of the anger faded from Draco's expression. "Do you at least know why he brought my father here?"
Harry shook his head. "Not a clue."
"Then I'll just have to ask him myself, won't I?" Draco drawled.
"Not now, you won't," Harry disagreed.
"And why not?" Draco glared.
"Because it's time for dinner," Harry pointed out.
After dinner, they found themselves back in the Potions classroom. "Why didn't you wake me when you were called?" Draco demanded.
Severus stared silently at the boy until Draco dropped his eyes. "I do not believe there is any reason why I would do so, nor do I know of any reason why you would expect it of me."
"Because we worry," Harry suggested.
"There is no need. I have been doing this for far longer than a pair of teenagers could ever comprehend."
"Just because you have never had anyone who cared before, doesn't make us worry any less," Draco complained.
"As I said, there is no need. I usually return well before breakfast, therefore it does you no good to know that I ever left. It would just make you worry unnecessarily."
They argued for a while longer, but neither boy could get the man to agree to tell them before he left. Looking at each other, they knew that if necessary, they would figure out a way to do it without his cooperation.
"So, what was Father doing here last night?" Draco asked after they gave up on the other conversation.
"The Aurors arriving took everyone by surprise and they got the Anti-Apparation wards up very quickly. I simply grabbed Lucius, transformed, and got us both out of there. My rooms were the first place I thought of. He left soon after Harry did."
"Do you know what made Tommy so angry last night? I wouldn't have known about the attack if he wasn't furious, but I never figured out what had made him so mad," Harry asked. "And what is he planning, that he would need so much power?"
Severus shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "It wasn't something that happened at the meeting; he was already angry when he called us. And yet he didn't seem particularly angry at any of us. At least, no one received more punishment than usual, beyond his bad tempered use of Crucio on anyone who breathed wrong. It didn't seem to be personal against anyone. As for the power... again, I don't know. Though I am fairly sure that it wasn't part of his 'grand plan'."
Harry leaned back and went over every part of the dream that he remembered, but still couldn't find anything that might help explain it.
"That's something I've been meaning to ask," Draco spoke up while Harry was thinking. "Why does this 'grand plan' of his require little kids to get the mark? I could understand if it was just those of us in school, after all, at least we've got some training, but the younger ones wouldn't be any use to him."
"Two things," Severus told him. "First, if the Dark Mark is placed upon a child below the age of reason, which I personally think should be eighteen, but for the purpose of the magic is considered to be four or so, the child will grow up as a virtual slave to the Dark Lord. His or her will, will be completely subjected through the Mark. Secondly, children have a surprisingly large amount of untapped magic, energy that a mage such as the Dark Lord can pull through the Mark if he needs the extra power."
"But..." Harry blurted. "Wouldn't that be bad for the kids?"
"Yes, Harry, it would be," Severus agreed solemnly.
"Don't their parents care?"
"Of course they do… if they fully understand what it means, which many probably don't. Still, they are too afraid not to do it."
"Well, if we get rid of him before then, they won't have to worry about it, will they?" Harry asked in a very determined voice.
Severus laid down his quill and stretched, grimacing at the crack that came from his spine and the burning where his neck met his shoulders. He hated having to spend his time grading the moronic excuses for essays that many of the students returned to him, but it was necessary. Even those students to whom he gave certain grades, regardless, he still needed to read and respond to guide their studies. Happy that he was finally done, he rose to his feet and headed toward his rooms. Automatically, he checked the Tell-tale he had placed upon Harry and nodded to himself, satisfied as he noticed it showed Harry was up in his dorm.
Then he drew himself to an abrupt stop. Once more he cast the spell to check on the tracer. He hadn't been hallucinating, there were in fact two dots showing. Obviously, Potter was up to something. More than likely, he had tried to place the tracer upon someone else in his dorm but had messed up and ended up with two instead of one. That idea, of course, made it quite clear which one was actually the Potter boy.
Annoyed, both because his appointment with his bed was now delayed and to think that Harry would even try to trick him like this, Severus strode out of the door and followed the tracer up to the Astronomy Tower.
He stopped abruptly as he heard the murmur of voices, still too far away to understand more than the fact that there was more than one person there. Perhaps Potter was using the Tower as it had been used for years beyond imagining? If so, he would quite enjoy scaring them both and taking points. He might *like* Harry now, but he certainly wasn't going to allow the boy to use that to get away with rule breaking.
A few steps farther on and he realized both voices were male. That was a bit of a surprise. He seemed to recall Harry having a crush on that Cho girl. Still, if Harry were heading in that direction, it wouldn't bother him. However, as he got ever closer, he realized that he recognized both voices. And while he might not be sure of Harry's preference, he was very sure of Draco's, having sat through enough stories of the boy's crushes. It seemed that whatever the two boys were here for, it was not the traditional use of the Tower, and he seriously doubted they were here to actually observe the stars.
Once close enough to hear words instead of voices, he stopped to listen. Luckily, he had absolutely no inhibitions regarding eavesdropping… occupational hazard, in more ways than one.
"Did I tell you I found out why Voldemort was so angry?" Harry asked.
"No, you didn't. But shouldn't you be telling Severus?" Draco replied.
"I will in the morning. Turns out, it's because Nagini is upset."
"Nagini?"
"That big snake of his. She's shedding her skin, it's making her kind of testy."
"Why would that make the Dark Lord angry?"
"I've been thinking about that." Severus could practically *hear* the boy's smirk. "Either they're connected in some way; I know Nagini had something to do with keeping him sort of alive for so long, or..." his voice trailed off temptingly.
"Or what?" Draco bit.
"Well, Nagini's a female and there is a rumor that his Animagus form is some kind of big snake..." Once again he let his voice trail off, this time to let Draco's own imagination work on it.
"You don't mean?" Draco's voice was a strange combination of hilarity and disgust. Severus found himself understanding that feeling completely. "Ick, that's just... how could you even think such a thing? Even worse, how could you make *me* think such a thing?"
"Hey, don't blame me for your sick fantasies," Harry disagreed.
"Why not, they're your fault!"
Severus walked into the room. "I quite agree with Draco. The thoughts in both of our heads are *entirely* your fault."
"Professor!" Harry yelped. "What are you doing here?"
"I believe it to be far more important to ascertain why *you* are here."
Harry ignored the implied question and turned a mild glare on the blonde. "I thought you said he wouldn't be checking any longer, since I've been good about it for so long," he muttered.
Draco just shrugged.
"Interesting." Severus mused. "In fact, you being good 'for so long' was a warning sign that something was going to happen soon. Draco should have known that. However, if you did not believe that I would check, why did you try to move the tracer?"
"I didn't," Harry smirked.
"I can distinctly see two tracers," Severus told him reprovingly.
"Then there must be two of me, right?" Harry answered, pulling out one of the time turners they were almost ready to begin to use.
"And you felt those were necessary, why?" Severus murmured.
"Just trying them out," Draco smirked. "Have to make sure they work correctly, don't we?"
"And what did you do while *trying them out*?"
"If we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Harry smiled. "By the way, we were with you three hours ago, weren't we?" Without waiting for an answer, he looked at Draco, who pulled out the other time-turner. "G'night Professor."
The two boys twisted the time turners four times each and disappeared from in front of him. Severus was caught in a quandary. He could either hunt them down, wake them up and demand to know what was going on, or he could go to bed, and find out later. That he *would* find out, he had no doubt whatsoever.
He finally decided to trust them at this point. If he didn't have answers by dinner the next night, they would not be given any choice about answering.
The next morning Severus strode into the Great Hall for breakfast. He had put the night before out of his head for the moment. That lasted only as long as it took for Pansy Parkinson to enter the room.
It took all of Severus' vaunted self-control to keep his mouth from twitching. It was obvious that others did not have that ability, as laughter raced loudly through the breakfasting students, and discrete snickers were heard even amongst the teachers who were present. Since Parkinson always preferred to make an entrance, that was most of the school.
"Miss Parkinson, come with me, please," he ordered, striding out of the room. The Slytherin girl followed him to a room off the corridor.
"Would you care to explain yourself, Pansy?" he asked, once assured that they were alone.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Pansy asked in surprise. Although the Slytherins were allowed to use his name, none of them would dare to do so outside of the dorms.
Severus transformed one of the nearby walls into a mirror. He expected to hear outraged shrieks as the girl noticed the dog ears on the side of her head, the red and gold coloring in her now unevenly curly hair, and the bright pink and fluorescent orange robes that even the Headmaster wouldn't wear. She just looked back at herself calmly.
"I don't understand, Professor, I look fine," she smoothed down her hair while smiling at herself in the mirror.
Any amusement the professor might have been harboring vanished upon that instant. What had those boys done? It was one thing to cast spells or give another student potions to cause such minor physical changes; a Slytherin should be alert enough to avoid such trickery, and deserved the results if they were so negligent, but messing with Pansy's mind so that she didn't even notice was something entirely different. Leaving her still primping in front of the mirror, he moved back to the entrance into the Great Hall. A single eye contact was all it took to have his apprentice follow him out. He did stop to notice Crabbe and Goyle snogging at the table, and McGonagall heading over, obviously ready to take points. He silently led the way back to the room where Pansy was still preening.
"Well?" he barked out.
"What?" Draco asked, innocence shining from his face. "I didn't do it!"
"Do what, Drakie?" Pansy cooed. She looked at him in the mirror and frowned. "What have you done to your hair?"
Severus hadn't noticed, but Draco's hair was currently gelled up in spikes instead of smoothed flat against his head as it usually was.
"You don't like it?"
"It doesn't suit you at all," Pansy argued. "Change it back at once."
"You know, she's a bit of a narcissist," Draco told him, turning to leave.
Severus let him go, his words suddenly sparking an idea of what had been done to Pansy. He sighed in relief. There was nothing Dark about the potion Draco had used. It wasn't one that Severus had ever created, and certainly not one he'd ever taught, finding it far too frivolous for his taste. Love's Pure Sight allowed the one who drank it to see the one they loved as perfect in all ways. At least physically. Since it only worked on one who was already in love, not forcing love or anything of the sort, it had never even come close to being banned. It was usually used by teenagers who wished to know if they were truly in love. They would take it and then try to find something not perfect in the one that they loved. Pansy, it seemed, was in love with no one but herself, and thus could only see herself as perfect.
He tried to take down the spells that changed her appearance, only to find that they were set so that only she could take them off, something she wouldn't be able to do as long as she didn't know they were on. And the potion would work for twenty-four hours. Considering what Harry had said the night before, it would last until about nine o'clock that night, which would, of course, give both boys an alibi.
Remembering Draco's two bodyguards kissing as he left, something he was positive had *not* been happening before, he wondered just what else the two boys had been up to. If this was any indication, his blood pressure was going to be hitting the roof... from trying to refrain from laughing.