Title:Game Without Tears
Disclaimer: I do not own, wish I did, but I don't. I only own my plot line. Full disclaimer, first chapter.
Author: ShaeLynn Teelle
All other information: See first chapter.
Polite constructive criticism welcome. FLAMES WILL BE FED TO THE DRAGON IN MY BED.
Chapter 17: We Will Carry On
The room was silent for a moment until Dumbledore walked into the infirmary along with Remus, Hermione, and Ron. The Headmaster paused when he saw that every person in the room was awake and he took in the slightly odd arrangement. Daphne sat leaning against Gregory, the boy's arm lightly wrapped about her shoulders. Vincent sat behind Pansy, the girl leaning back against him in what appeared to be complete trust and his arms gently wrapped about her waist. Draco was standing at the foot of Pansy's bed, still without a shirt so his blackened arm and shoulder made a sharp contrast to the rest of his pale skin that was visible. Snape was sitting up with the help of extra pillows and Dumbledore wondered briefly how he had managed to get them when he could hardly move and he knew that Harry wouldn't help him unless it was absolutely necessary.
Harry was the only one that was in a half-way reclining position. He noted that the three Gryffindors went over to Harry and Snape to inquire after their health and the five younger Slytherins watched him approach with an expression on their faces that in any other students Dumbledore would have called fear, but the word didn't seem to fit right with the students before him.
"Good evening, Headmaster," Draco began politely, breaking the tense silence and inclining his head slightly to the elder wizard.
"Yes, good afternoon actually, Mr. Malfoy. I entrust the four of you are feeling slightly improved from this morning?" Dumbledore asked, giving each student a quick visual check to ensure that they seemed to be in no physical discomfort.
"Yes, Headmaster, thank you for your concern," Pansy said quietly, her eyes not leaving Dumbledore's.
"Of course. I don't like to see any of my students harmed. I do have a request of any one of you. Would someone please explain how you all arrived here in the state you did, and through the Forbidden Forest no less."
The Slytherins reactions were immediate. Pansy and Daphne grew extremely pale and the latter buried her face in Gregory's neck, her hands clutching at his shirt while his arms held her tightly to him and his face became grim. Pansy had tensed to the point where she was trembling slightly and one could practically hear Vincent's teeth grinding, his jaw was clenched so hard. Draco looked frantically between Daphne and Pansy for a few moments until his face finally closed over into the cold expression he had worn prior to his mother's visit the night before.
Draco spoke before any of the others could, his voice as empty as if he stood before Voldemort himself, "The Snake does not treat male and female Death Eaters the same. There are fewer well-known women Death Eaters simply because many do not survive the initiation and of those that do, even less survive until he forces them to marry one of his loyal followers. He sees women as being good for only one thing—"
"To relieve the Death Eaters' sexual tensions if they are so inclined," Pansy interrupted, her hands clenched in the blanket over her and hatred in her shaky voice. "A female Death Eater's initiation is a gang rape by the Snake's Inner Circle. If she fights, she is killed immediately. Only about two-thirds survive the initiation and from those that survive only half live long enough to be married to a loyal follower. Punishments are in the same manner. Any time the woman fights back, she is killed.
"That's what happened to Daphne and I for the last two days until we were all sent into the forest where the Snake's loyal followers gave us a thirty minute head start before hunting us down. We weren't supposed to make it out of the forest, but we did somehow," Pansy's voice cracked slightly towards the end of her explanation and Vincent untangled one of her hands from the blankets, stroking the back of it lightly.
There was no sound in the room for several minutes. Draco had begun pacing again, his left hand clenched into a tight fist. Harry's hands were gripping his blanket and he had paled drastically when he heard what Pansy said. Hermione's hands were covering her mouth and Ron sat there, unmoving, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Daphne's shoulders had begun to shake and Gregory rubbed them in comfort. Neither Snape nor Dumbledore showed any emotion, but the ever-present twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes had disappeared and his voice was low when he finally broke the silence.
"What happened to Mr. Goyle and yourself, Mr. Crabbe? Did Voldemort do anything unusual in your punishments?"
No one except Harry saw the way that Snape flinched slightly at Dumbledore's words and closed his eyes. Harry wondered what Snape had been keeping from the Headmaster that he would have that reaction to what the other Slytherins could possibly say.
Vincent looked at Dumbledore for a full minute before he answered, "I suppose you could say that he did nothing unusual in our punishments. He did the same thing to us that he does to all his followers that he wants to break. I believe the only other survivor of these particular traitor's punishments was Professor Snape when he was discovered over the summer. We were under Cruciatus several times in a row for unknown lengths of time. We went through a gang rape from any Death Eater that fancied a go. Then, we were beaten and given poisons that were countered shortly after they began to work."
Hermione looked slightly ill as did Ron, and Harry just stared at Vincent, amazed that he had explained what he did in a voice that one might use in polite conversations. Their attention was quickly transferred to Draco whom, as soon as Vincent had finished speaking, quietly walked over to the stone wall and punched it with his only remaining good hand. The other occupants of the room heard several loud cracks and some winced, but no one said a word until he punched the wall again, producing even more audible cracking sounds. He slid down the wall, his hand leaving a trail of red in its wake.
Gregory and Daphne got up and walked over to where Draco was now curled up on the floor, his newly injured hand still bleeding and against the wall. Gregory knelt in front of him, taking the broken hand into his and looking at the smashed fingers. Harry winced when he caught sight of Draco's hand. Some of the bone fragments were sticking out through the skin and by how limp it was, Harry was reminded of his second year when the boastful Professor Lockhart removed the bones from his arm in an attempt to heal it. No one in the room made a sound but for the three Slytherins.
Daphne had knelt behind Draco and when she saw his hand she wrapped her arms about him from behind. She closed her eyes and laid her head against his back between the shoulder blades. There was no sound in the room, though the other occupants could see Gregory's mouth moving as he said something to Draco whom shook his head a couple times and nodded once. Then, Gregory put Draco's broken hand down and he picked up the blackened one where it hung limp at Draco's side.
Draco caught his breath in an indrawn hiss when Gregory touched his burnt arm, but the pain didn't last long. It went very slowly, but as Draco watched, the blackened flesh began to heal itself. It began with the tips of the fingers that lay directly against his friend's hand. Then, as Gregory moved his hands so they touched more of his fingers, the skin healed. No one else in the room could see what Gregory was doing, but they did see it when, from behind him, Daphne lightly placed her fingers against the edge of the blackened flesh and it very slowly began to heal from her touch.
No one noticed when Dumbledore and Remus, whom had been strangely silent through it all, left the room after speaking quietly with Snape for a moment. Several minutes after they left, Vincent went over to where the other three Slytherins sat and between him and Gregory they got Draco back on his feet and had walked him over to his bed. He lay down and Vincent went back to sitting on Pansy's bed. Gregory pulled a chair up to the side of Draco's bed while Daphne sat on the edge of the bed next to him. Daphne placed her fingers lightly on the blackened skin of Draco's chest and closed her eyes, feeling the burns heal under her hands. Gregory had taken his hand again and was letting his hands touch the blackened skin, watching as it slowly healed.
Severus watched the interactions between the three very closely, trying to understand exactly what had been happening within his house that he had not been aware of. He didn't notice when the infirmary door opened once again as Dumbledore and Remus walked in with Madam Pomfrey close behind them. Only Harry saw the medi-witch about to demand that the students that had moved returned to their own beds and Dumbledore gently stopped her before motioning her to watch what was going on. The moment that Madam Pomfrey realized Daphne and Gregory were healing the injury that had caused her worry was obvious. The medi-witch had to sit down in one of the chairs near the door as she stared at what was unfolding in front of her eyes.
Hermione and Ron left shortly after Draco had been returned to his bed. Hermione still seemed slightly ill after what she had all heard and while Ron was outwardly handling it better, Harry could tell that underneath he was affected nearly as badly as Hermione was. The infirmary door closed with a soft click after they had left and Harry's attention was returned to the other side of the room where the five Slytherins seemed to be unaware of anything happening that didn't involve them.
After fifteen minutes of watching the three, where Daphne had healed Draco's chest and had started on his shoulder and Gregory had completely healed the other boy's hand and wrist, Madam Pomfrey noticed Vincent sitting behind Pansy, his arms lightly wrapped about her waist. She frowned in confusion, knowing everything that had happened to the four Slytherins when they were brought in and their current actions didn't match anything she had ever encountered before from victims of such abuse.
It took over an hour for the two Slytherins to completely heal Draco and by the time they were finished all three were exhausted. Before Madam Pomfrey could say anything and before the three noticed that she was even in the room, Vincent had gone over to them and helped Gregory bring Daphne back to her bed where Gregory tucked the blankets around her and gave her a small kiss on the lips and a smile before letting Vincent help him into his own bed. When the two were settled, Vincent went back to Pansy and helped her lie down before moving to his own bed and laying down, where he promptly fell asleep.
Madam Pomfrey stared at the Slytherins for a few moments before it came to her attention that with all five asleep, she could no longer ask the questions that she wanted to about their reactions to what had happened. Instead she turned to Severus, but at the frowning look of confusion on his face, she refrained from demanding answers. Instead she went over to him and, after removing the two extra pillows that she knew had not come from the infirmary, she helped him to lie down again.
"From your expression I take it that you have no idea what is going on between those five anymore than I do."
Snape glanced at the medi-witch, then turned his attention back to the students that it seemed he knew almost nothing about now. "No, Poppy, I do not know what is happening with them. I wonder now if I have ever known. They were not yet Death Eaters at the beginning of the summer when I was discovered. Something has changed for those five and this is the first time I have ever seen such behavior from any of them. If they tell me anything, Poppy, I will let you know, but perhaps you would have a look at Mr. Malfoy's hand. He seems to have smashed every bone in it against the northern wall."
"What?" Poppy demanded as she hurried to the Slytherin's side to investigate the still bleeding hand. As she muttered over the immaturity of children while she tended to the extensive wound, Dumbledore approached the two on the other side of the infirmary, Remus remaining near the doorway.
"What do you make of this, Headmaster?" Snape asked quietly.
"I'm not sure, my dear boy. Until we are able to obtain more answers from them and find out what really happened, I'm not sure."
Remus quietly spoke, "I think it is safe to assume, Albus, that we have rather greatly misjudged those five. Especially, perhaps, Mr. Malfoy. With him being the contact, there are even more questions unanswered than there would have been if they were simply turning their backs on Voldemort."
"I agree, Remus. Now, Harry," Dumbledore continued, turning his attention to the Gryffindor. "You seemed earlier to be aware of the event behind Narcissa Malfoy's death. Would you care to enlighten us?"
"I had the vision over the summer. Even Occlumency doesn't protect me from seeing these, though it does stop Voldemort from sending me things. This wasn't like my normal visions though. I wasn't seeing things through his eyes. I was seeing the events through the eyes of the one that was being initiated. I could hear his thoughts while he was being placed through the process. It was Malfoy's initiation," Harry stopped, trying to gather his thoughts before continuing.
"He was taking some place in the Death Eaters that Voldemort said had a bad reputation and Malfoy had to prove his loyalty in a way that Voldemort would believe he would never betray him. He called Malfoy 'Dorchadais' but I don't know what that means. Narcissa Malfoy was brought into the room and I heard Malfoy say 'Mother, I'm sorry,' in his head. That was how I knew that it was Malfoy's initiation.
"Voldemort told him to use the Cruciatus on her and he did, holding it for about five minutes before he was told to release her. The entire time he was apologizing in his head, but didn't stop cursing her. Malfoy was told that his mother was a good reason why there were so few women that were allowed to enter fully into the Death Eaters. Then, Voldemort told Malfoy that he wanted him to kill his mother and he wanted a promise that would prove his loyalty.
"Malfoy promised that if he ever betrayed Voldemort that his mother's soul would belong to him. Then, he killed her with the Killing Curse. He seemed so impersonal doing what he did, but at the end he said something about seeing Narcissa when he returned home, but we know that she was killed so I don't understand," Harry answered, anger and confusion warring through his eyes.
"You don't need to understand, Harry. You should never have known that, but there's no helping it now. Don't judge him. Don't judge any of us. You can't really judge a person unless you know why they did whatever it is they did. You don't know the half of it."
Daphne spoke quietly before anyone else was able to. The four turned to look at her, noting that Madam Pomfrey at sometime during Harry's story had returned to her office. Daphne stood up, a slight grimace crossing her face for only a moment or two. She walked slowly towards Harry until she was standing at the foot of his bed, Dumbledore next to her at the foot of Snape's bed, but she paid no mind to the three Professors, keeping her eyes trained on Harry.
Harry looked at the girl standing before him in disbelief as though only now actually realizing exactly who she was, "Daphne, but you're a member of the DA."
"And it's kept me alive. It's kept all of us alive through this. Not everyone has a choice," she said quietly.
"But, you could have spoken with Dumbledore. I'm sure he could have done something to protect you, there are other choices you could have made, other—"
"My mother was driven insane from Cruciatus and my father was the one that cast the curse. Not all of us have a choice, Harry. If I had not taken the mark he would have forced my sister to do so in my place. She's only twelve— Oh, Merlin! Dragon, my sister. He'll kill Selena!"
Harry looked over in surprise, not having noticed that Draco and the other three had awoken when Daphne had spoken. He watched Gregory move over to her and wrap his arms about her in comfort. Then, a movement off to the side brought his attention to Dumbledore.
"Your sister is fine, Miss Greengrass. She is currently safe here at Hogwarts and your father has been placed under ministry arrest thanks to the testament given by your mother whom I am happy to say has regained who she was and the majority of talents and is improving every day thanks to the potion discovered by Mr. Malfoy."
"Dragon?"
"You told me the potion had not worked completely," Draco accused Dumbledore before turning his attention back to Daphne. "I didn't know if they'd give her the potion. I wasn't going to tell you as I wasn't positive it would work. I only had the recipe, Daph, not proof to back up what it did."
She nodded and turned to face Dumbledore again, "Will I be able to see my mother? I know that we're not trusted, but may I be allowed to see my mother?"
"I will see what I can arrange. It will also be your mother's decision if she believes there is not too large a risk with your sister also involved. I will let you know, Miss Greengrass," Dumbledore's vague answers had an affect on Daphne that no one could see, but Gregory felt as he held her gently.
Daphne's shoulders went loose and if they had been alone Gregory was sure that she would have sunk to the floor in defeat. "What will happen to Selena when the term ends?"
"When that time comes your sister will be staying with your mother at the home of the Longbottoms and their son. She will be safe, I assure you, as several of Alice Longbottom's friends that I trust will be staying with them. Now, Madam Pomfrey has assured me that you five will be well enough to be moved to where you will be staying until further notice by this afternoon. As she has released Harry and Professor Snape this morning, they will be accompanying you to my office in three hours. If you have any other questions for me, please feel free to ask them at that time," with that Dumbledore nodded to Harry and Severus where they lay and left the room.
"Would any of you care to explain what has been happening within my own house this last term?" Severus asked pointedly at Daphne and Gregory, whom still had his arms about her.
From the other side of the room Pansy started to laugh, a genuine laugh that even Severus had never heard before. It wasn't the high twittering laugh that the school had heard nearly daily in the Great Hall as she clung to Draco's arm, but was instead light and even-toned and rather pleasant. Then, Severus' attention was brought back to a smiling Daphne as she replied to his query.
"No offense, Professor Snape, but I think you've already seen much more than you should have. If we told you what has really been happening, we might send you back into Madam Pomfrey's wonderful care with shock. Let's just say that there are places in this castle that even the Headmaster doesn't know about and discussions that happen there are kept in secret."
"And there are some secrets, sir," Vincent added quietly. "That one should never be forced to tell."
Gregory walked with Daphne back to her bed, everyone noticing the slight limp that she could no longer hide. He sat leaning against the wall at the head of the bed and Daphne sat in front of him, between his parted legs, and she relaxed against his chest. Gregory understood exactly what she wanted and gently rubbed her arm that wasn't against his chest in comfort.
Draco watched them for a few moments, an indulgent smile hinting across his face. Then, his attention was brought back to the couple on the other side of his bed. Vincent had again moved to sit behind Pansy when she had sat up, his arms lightly about her as she rested against him, giving her the support she didn't have. Draco shook his head at her stubbornness. He couldn't blame her though. He knew that she might always associate lying prone as a sign of weakness and vulnerability and that would lead to thoughts of being in Voldemort's service. No, he couldn't blame her stubborn streak.
"Dragon," Vincent spoke quietly, even though he knew that the three still across from them would be able to hear every word he said, regardless of how quiet he was. "What happens now?"
"We wait. Until Madam Pomfrey releases us and we are brought to the Headmaster's office. There's not much else that we can do right now. I rather just hope that we're allowed our possessions wherever Dumbledore decides to place us."
"Do you think we'll still be allowed to take our NEWTS?" Daphne asked, her words slightly muffled by the proximity of Gregory's shirt.
"I don't know, Daph. You could always ask and see what he has to say. I can't see any reason for him to not allow us to take them, at least the written part, but I've never understood his reasoning behind a lot of things that he allows and doesn't allow. All you can do is ask."
The room grew quiet after that. The only sound after a time was Remus departing after promising Harry that he would return when Madam Pomfrey was set to release them from her care. The silence was peaceful in the room, many of its occupants lost in their own thoughts. After nearly half and hour of the quiet, Pansy and Daphne both fell asleep leaning against their respective partners. Draco had lain down as well and shortly after the girls slumbered he also succumbed to sleep. Professor Snape followed the others' lead and rested, getting as much sleep as he could, knowing that soon it might be a precious commodity and he had classes yet to teach.
Only three were left awake in the room, Vincent, Gregory, and Harry. The two Slytherins had their eyes closed, but they continued comforting their partners with the gentle touches that had followed them into sleep. Harry was lost in his own thoughts about what Daphne had said and what he knew of this new side to the Slytherins. Every so often he would look up and watch the occupants on the other side of the room, as though to ensure none had suddenly woken without him aware.
Eventually Gregory and Vincent joined the others in sleep and Harry followed shortly after. That was how Remus found them when he returned with Madam Pomfrey. He stood at the doorway watching the proceedings and laughing silently to himself when Pomfrey scolded the two boys for having moved from their beds. The Slytherins took her words in stride and Gregory and Vincent simply returned to their own beds for her final check before they were released.
Pomfrey fretted and muttered about each one of them, but wouldn't go against Dumbledore's request that they be moved to a more secure location until questions were answered. Then, she reached Harry and Snape's side. She muttered twice as much as she checked Professor Snape, knowing that nothing would keep him in the infirmary unless it was something serious, and his knee was not high on that list. Grudgingly she gave everyone in the infirmary the okay to leave, though she fretted twice as much about Harry than did about anyone else, much to his embarrassment.
The seven were given time to change before they left the infirmary. Harry and Snape went first, each taking a turn in the infirmary bathroom. For the five Slytherins, Pomfrey moved curtains to surround the beds and they changed behind those, each into plain black robes rather than their own. Draco sighed as he changed out of the infirmary pajamas and into the robes, finding that there were no pockets of any kind. He understood the precaution, but he also wondered if Dumbledore would ever trust them again.
It didn't take long until they were all changed and ready to face the Headmaster. Professor Lupin took the lead with Draco behind him. The other four Slytherins fell into step after Draco, the two young men taking defensive positions behind the girls. Snape and Harry followed behind them, both sets of eyes trained on the Slytherins in case they tried to make a break from the group or in any way threatened someone.
It was in the middle of a main class period as the group went through the halls so no one noticed their passing. They reached the gargoyle protecting Dumbledore's office without incident and Remus quietly whispered the password. He preceded them up the moving stairs while Harry and Snape remained at the gargoyle, not having been summoned to the Headmaster's office. They reached the top and a quiet 'Come in, Remus,' was all the acknowledgement the group needed. Professor Lupin only stayed long enough to ensure that the five Slytherins were there and nodded briefly at the Headmaster before taking his leave, closing the office door firmly behind him.
There was no sound in the office for several long moments. The five had spread out, Draco in the middle with the couples to either side. Gregory and Daphne stood closest to the fireplace on Draco's left while Pansy and Vincent took their position at his right. The five and Dumbledore watched each other silently for several moments, each assessing the others' intention.
Finally Draco broke the silence, perfectly calm while the others stood beside him in front of the Headmaster's desk, "Headmaster, what is going to happen to us?"
Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, "First, why don't you all take a chair so that we may discuss this more comfortably."
Reluctantly the five did so, knowing it was not really a suggestion. They waited uncomfortably while the Headmaster offered them tea and a lemon drop each, both of which all five politely declined. There was silence in the room as once again Dumbledore watched their every move, though none of them so much as shifted their eyes to display their nervousness.
"I imagine that there are many things on your minds at this time. Not the least of which is whether or not you will be sent to the Ministry for trial and subsequently sentenced to Azkaban."
Daphne stiffened at this announcement and Pansy reached over clutching Vincent's hand, but not a single one voiced a plea or a denial. They sat there, barely showing their reaction to the frightening prospect, but not expecting anything different.
"I'm surprised. I thought that at least one of you might try to stand up for yourselves, especially given the information you have been giving to the Order. Information that I must say has saved many, many lives over the course of the last nine months or so," Dumbledore said quietly, the twinkle absent from his eyes as it had been since before he had spoken with them in the infirmary.
"We are aware that most of the Wizarding World wants to see all five of us thrown into Azkaban, no matter what we've done. We're not foolish enough to ask Voldemort for mercy and as such we do not expect it from his opposing side," Draco said perfectly calmly, but with a hint of steel in his voice while those beside him gave the barest of nods in agreement.
"As you said, Mr. Malfoy, I am sure that most people will refuse to acknowledge what you've done for them. However, I am not most people and no one outside of those that have been in the infirmary, and of course the rest of Voldemort's Death Eaters, know that any of you are here. I do not doubt that you were indeed the informant that has been helping us greatly, however, we cannot allow you to simply wander free until all information regarding your behavior this year has been thoroughly examined.
"For now, you will be given a set of unused rooms in an unused area of the castle and you will be under room confinement. Several trusted Professors will come to these rooms to take you to a secure classroom for your NEWTS during the week in which they are to be taken. Unless some of you would rather not take them. There are three bedrooms, as well as a bathing room, and a common area which you may decide to divide between you."
For a brief moment the twinkle flashed within Dumbledore's eyes as he glanced at the couples on either side of Draco. "Now, your things are already there, except for your wand, Mr. Malfoy, and if you are ready several teachers will escort you to them at this time, these will also be the only Professors permitted entrance into the rooms."
Draco looked to either side of him, asking them a question with his expression, which Dumbledore found he couldn't read. Gregory and Daphne nodded slightly while Vincent shrugged, but when Pansy started giggling, Draco glared at her for a brief moment.
Then, he turned back to the Headmaster, "Are only the Professors going to know where our rooms are or are there going to be students that know as well?"
"There will be a specific number of students that will be aware of your placement. They are the leaders of a certain…" Dumbledore paused and chuckled for a moment as he looked between the five Slytherins. "Group that I believe you are familiar with. It was started back in your fifth year. Oddly enough it was called Dumbledore's Army."
Draco felt himself go red with an emotion that he had little exposure to, embarrassment. "Headmaster, that tells us that they will know, but not whether they are allowed to enter the rooms whenever they want."
"As of this moment, Mr. Malfoy, no they are not allowed to go anywhere near the rooms unless it is an emergency and either Professor Snape or I tell them to. However, in the event that they accompany one of the four Professors permitted entrance, or any other that accompanies them, they are allowed there. Even if they stay longer than the Professor," Dumbledore answered and stood, ending any further questions at the moment.
As one, the five Slytherins stood and waited while they heard a brief knock on the office door. It opened without waiting for a reply and in walked Snape, Lupin, and McGonagall, along with Harry. They nodded to the Headmaster.
"The Professors will show you where your new rooms will be and Harry will accompany you there for safety reasons."
Draco nodded to the Headmaster and as one, the five Slytherins turned and walked around their chairs. Each move they made was in exact synchronization with the person next to them. Lupin and McGonagall stared at the blank faced Slytherins in shock. As always, Harry simply watched everything they did with suspicion and Severus' face was just as blank as those of his house. With a gesture to McGonagall, she and Severus turned and left Dumbledore's office. The five Slytherins silently followed behind, still moving in unison with each other. Harry and Lupin took the end of the odd procession. There was no noise as they walked except for quiet footfalls and even quieter breathing.
The group finally stopped at a portrait of a young Godric Gryffindor standing next to a dark red phoenix perched on the bough of an old, withered ash tree. Severus strode up to the portrait, stated his name, and whispered a password so quietly that not even McGonagall heard him from where she stood next to the Potions Master. As the portrait slid up into the wall, revealing a closed door, Draco was positive the phoenix had winked, seemingly in his direction, but no one else gave any indication that they had seen anything.
McGonagall opened the door and held it as the others walked through. They went down a short hallway before they entered a sitting room with four doors spread across the walls, two to the right, one across from the entry hall, and another to the left. A fireplace sat next to the left hand door, a fire already burning, driving away any remaining chill in the air. Above the fireplace was a portrait of two phoenix sitting on a bough of the same tree in the entrance-way portrait. One was the dark red phoenix from the portrait outside the entrance, and the other was a silver phoenix the likes of which Draco had never seen or heard of.
"Your trunks have already been brought up and placed in the rooms. If you don't like the arrangements it will be up to your discretion to alter them, however, I strongly recommend against it. Food will be brought up at regular meal times. I suggest you do not expect anything more than you absolutely need. Good evening," Severus turned and left the room, closely followed by McGonagall and Lupin.
Harry glanced at the five once before exiting the room and firmly closing the door behind him. From within the suite, the five Slytherins heard the portrait slide back down into its place in front of the door, hiding the entrance from the outside.
Draco sighed, dropping the blank mask to one of weariness, and took a closer survey of the room. There were several large rugs about the room, each a blend of red, violet, and blue. The largest of these was in front of the fire where two deep violet couches were across from each other, a low wooden table set between them, and a blue armchair was at the end of the table, facing the fire.
The other large rug was underneath a large round, dark wooden table with five matching chairs surrounding it where it sat in the corner farthest from the fireplace and the entrance. Along the wall of the entry way was a wrought iron bookcase that went the length of the wall and about seven feet high. It was half filled with books, the open spaces making it seem like a rare collection that had never been completed.
Daphne and Pansy sat on one of the couches, staring into the fire. The other three split, each going to different doors. Draco took the door on the left, Gregory checked the center door, and Vincent took the first on the right, closest to the entrance. A moment later the three reentered the main room, Gregory and Vincent were grinning.
"There's an actual bath here, not just a shower, and it's big enough for at least two people," Gregory said first, grinning from ear to ear. A grin that was soon met with a small smile from Daphne.
"My things are already in this room," Draco said quietly. "So if it's acceptable to the rest of you, I'll stay there."
Vincent nodded, noticing a slightly distracted look in Draco's eyes, but didn't question his leader at the moment, "Daphne, your things are in the first room."
"I guess that means me and you are in the other one," Gregory said, disappointed.
Vincent moved to stand near the second door on the right side of the room, "Greg, I am not sharing a bed with you."
"What?!"
Gregory went to the first room and opened the door while Daphne came up behind him and looked over his shoulder. Inside the room was a single large four poster bed covered with a light brown blanket. The hangings around it were a dark midnight blue, matching the rug that covered most of the floor. A large tapestry covered one wall. The silver phoenix from the painting above the fireplace mantle was in the center of the tapestry, small griffins lined the edges on a grass green background. The other wall was occupied by a large clothes cabinet next to a matching desk. All the wood in the room was a deep, rich mahogany. While Gregory looked about the room in awe, Daphne noticed the two trunks at the foot of the bed. One was her own light blue trunk and the other was Gregory's dark brown one.
She poked the Slytherin's ribs and pointed at the trunks, "I have a feeling that Madam Pomfrey has no idea of what our sleeping arrangements are going to be."
Gregory grinned at her and the two left the room to see Pansy standing in the doorway of the third bedroom. Daphne went over and stood behind her, looking over her shoulder. The room was nearly a mirror image of her own with the rug and bed hangings being a dark violet, nearly black and the bedspread a black so deep it seemed like you could get lost in it. The tapestry in the room depicted the dark red phoenix from the portrait hiding the entrance. Small serpents lined the edges on a deep maroon background. The clothes cabinet and desk was a light cherry wood color, bringing out the violet in the bed hangings and the rug. At the foot of the bed sat Pansy's lavender trunk and Vincent's black one.
"Everyone, come here a minute. I want you to look at something," Draco said from where he still stood in front of the door by the fireplace.
The other four looked at each other in confusion before following Draco into the room. The layout of the room was identical to the other two bedrooms, but the wood was a lighter maple shade, almost golden in color. The bedspread here was silver and the hangings were a deep green with a crimson sheen that reflected the light coming through the window at the head of the bed. The rug on the floor was patterned in a complex blend of crimson red, emerald green, and cream. Looking closely, Daphne made out hints of deep blue and violet.
Pansy's gasp drew Daphne's attention to what the others were staring at, the portrait that hung on the wall next to the door. The silver phoenix from the painting above the fireplace was sitting on the shoulder of a young Salazar Slytherin. Knowing what they did about some of the other paintings within the castle that no one had seen before, it didn't take the five long to figure out that there was a lot more to these rooms than what they could see. This was confirmed when, as they watched, the phoenix winked at the five Slytherins, but the rest of the painting never moved.
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