OK, I forgot to put the disclaimer at the beginning, so here goes:
I do not own Harry Potter and it's world/characters and I am making no money off of this.
He knew they were trying to be subtle, but Draco was no fool and recognized he was being followed, almost immediately by someone or other, trying to be discreet as they could. He had been given leave to roam the castle, reluctantly by James, as long as he didn't make trouble and stayed out of everyone's way. He had spent the last week trying to memorize the castle, most of his wandering taking place at night, as he didn't sleep much.
Today, a week after he had arrived, his wandering led him down to the Quidditch pitch, or what used to be the Quidditch pitch anyway.
He had had heard stories about the pitch, the games won and lost there, how Hogwarts had been famous for its house rivalries, especially in the game. But now, as he looked around, he didn't see a field built for the game, but a field built for training an army.
The goal posts on either end still stood, but were rusting, standing as if a reminder of easier times, as if waiting for the next game to start. There was only one set of stands left on the far side off the field, and that was the, only things left of the former pitch. In the middle of the pitch now stood people, flinging spells at each other, and at dummies in preparation for the fight. Above him people on brooms zoomed in and out in complicated looking maneuver and deciding that his still healing body needed a rest, he sat down under a large willow to watch.
Several minutes later, a head of dark unruly hair caught his attention, and thinking it was James, he turned, but found a younger man leaving the pitch, with the same hair as James, but much younger. Draco turned so he could get a better look and decided that this must be Harry Potter, James' son. As if he felt Draco's eyes on him, the younger male looked his way, training green eyes, granted by glasses on him. Draco nodded in greeting, seeming to startle the other boy who flushed abs turned away. Grinning, Draco looked at Harry's companions and smirked; there was a redheaded boy that probably belonged to the Weasley's who was glaring at him, and a bushy haired girl that was looking at him curiously, both following Harry quickly as he left.
Climbing to his feet, a bit unsteadily, he started making his way back to the castle for lunch. Draco sat at the small table that had been provided for him, alone, something he was grateful for, watching those around him, wondering at their almost carefree attitude, as if a war wasn't going on outside. There were so many people at the castle that they took meals in three shifts, Draco was stuck on the third and was surprised to see Harry and his two friends there as well.
"You're Draco Malfoy, right?" a voice asked, bringing him out of his thoughts and looking into the eyes of the younger Potter's female companion.
"Last I checked," he replied, glancing behind her to see Harry and the redhead standing there, the redhead looking nervous, Harry looking bored.
"You're a Death Eater, right?" the girl asked and Draco cocked an eyebrow at her as she sat down across from him. He looked up when he heard a hissed "Moine!" from the redhead.
"'Moine', is it?" he asked her.
"Actually, it's Hermione," she replied, shooting the two boys looks that had them also sitting down. "This is Ronald Weasley," she said pointing to the redhead, "and that's Harry." Draco nodded to both, his eyes lingering on the second boy.
"So you're really a Death Eater?" Hermione asked again, bringing his attention back to her.
"Well if not, this tattoo was a bad idea," he said, lifting the sleeve of, his shirt to reveal his Dark Mark. He almost laughed when Ron recoiled, but was surprised when Harry did nothing but look at it.
"Fascinating," his attention was brought back to Hermione when she took his arm in her hands and pulled it closer, making him lean across the table. "I've never seen a real one," she, said turning his arm this way and that, trying to get a better look. "Can you feel it when it moves like that?" she asked as she watched the snake move around in the skull.
"Sometimes, mostly though if he's summoning us," Draco said shrugging, wondering about this girl, wondering if she were brave, curious or just dumb.
"She's just a curios person," a voice said from his right as the girl continued to stare at his arm, and he turned to look at Harry.
"I can see that," Draco replied and sat back as Hermione let go of his arm.
"So what is he like?" she asked, the older boy looked at her, his head cocked in question. "Voldemort," she said simply and Ron's eyes nearly fell out of his head and even Harry looked surprised.
"I'm not sitting here and listening anymore," Ron said, standing, "are you guys coming?" He didn't wait for an answer before turning and leaving, Harry got up and left as well, shrugging at both Draco and Hermione.
"You know," Hermione said standing also, "half of what I say is to just get a rise out of him, its just too easy," she said grinning at Draco, one that he returned. "It was nice to meet you Draco," she said before following the other two. Draco sat back and smiled, he liked Hermione.
From that point on, he found that he had a constant companion in the bushy haired girl and sometimes her male counterparts. He could tell that Ron was extremely uncomfortable when he followed the girl to his table, Harry never said much and didn't seem to care either way.
By the third week of staying at the castle, he had mapped out almost all of the ancient building but had yet to find the dungeons and so he decided to ask Hermione the next day.
"Hermione?" he asked as they walked through the main doors leading to the great hall for breakfast, Hermione's nose buried in a book.
"Hmm?" she replied, not even looking up and Draco smiled, he had grown fond of the younger girl and her search for knowledge.
"Do you know where the dungeons are?" he asked as they sat and he watched as food appeared on the table and he reached for the pumpkin juice.
"What do you mean?" she asked, finally putting the book aside to reach for a cinnamon roll.
"I've explored every where I can find, I just haven't seemed to find my way to the dungeons." Hermione blinked, cinnamon roll half way to her mouth before taking a quick bite.
"They're in the north side of the castle, there's a large staircase down," she said and smiled at Harry as he joined them, "morning."
"Morning," Harry said, yawning and grabbing for the potatoes.
"What are you looking for the dungeon's for?" Hermione asked.
"I just haven't been there, and Potter did threaten to lock me down there if I screwed up," Draco replied and Harry looked up at that.
"Oh, he's just a big softy," Hermione said, waving her hand, dismissing the comment and Draco snorted.
"Softy, right," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, can you show me where they are?" he asked and Hermione looked up startled as she opened her book once again.
"Sure," she said shrugging. Once they were finished, they stood and left the great hall, Harry following behind closely and Draco noticed the group of girls following that had been following him since the week before.
"You have a fan group," a quiet voice from beside him said and Draco turned to see Harry smiling at him. Draco looked behind him at the group of probably ten girls, all ranging from twelve to eighteen, and he thought he saw a woman older than him there too.
"Yeah, I don't know why," he said, actually confused.
"You're new and you're good looking," Harry said and stopped when he realized what he had said, blushing furiously and Draco grinned.
"Thank you," he said and left it at that and Harry walked forward, catching up to Hermione who had kept walking. She led the way down to the dungeons, they were dark and damp, a slight moldy smell to them and Draco walked past the dark wood doors, in interest, looking intently at all of the portraits that hung in intervals down the corridor.
"Are you looking for something?" Harry's voice asked and Draco paused in front of a black wood door, different from the others and placed his hand on the handle leading into the room. A slight shiver ran through him as he felt a spell move over him, as if scanning to make sure that he would be allowed to enter. Taking a deep breath as the spell passed, he heard the click of a lock and he turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Inside was a large room filled with long tables, dust covering every open surface, a large ornate desk near the other end of the room, and a rusted cauldron sitting above a long forgotten fire pit. Behind the desk a small stairway led up to a landing that led to a door, another door to the left. Feeling like he was coming home, Draco took another deep breath and stepped inside.
"What is this place?" Hermione asked, her voice low as she looked around, touching a stool as she passed the first set of tables.
"Potions classroom," Draco said, taking the stairs at the back of the room two at a time before he reached the door, again he felt the spell skim over him before the door unlocked and admitted him inside.
Far above where Draco was entering the long unused room, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Molly and Arthur Weasley were speaking in what used to be the headmaster's rooms. A large map of Europe lay on the old headmaster's desk as James, Sirius, Remus and Arthur stood over it, talking strategies, Molly and Albus sitting back and talking quietly.
"Headmaster," a voice said and Albus turned to see the portrait of Severus Snape looking back at him.
"What are you doing here?" James' snide voice asked the portrait and the dead potions master turned a sneer on him.
"I am here to speak with Albus, so kindly butt out," he snapped, turning back to the one he was there to talk to. "Why did you not let me know that Draco was here in the castle?" he asked, his tone accusing.
"Severus, my friend, I rarely see you, you come and go as you please, and honestly, it slipped my mind," the older man said, smiling.
"Yes, Snivelus, where have you been?" Sirius asked and the potions master turned hard eyes to the man, but in a moment turned back to the old headmaster, dismissing the other man.
"He's in the potions room," he said simply and everyone there stopped what they were doing to stare at the portrait.
"But how? We've been trying to get into that room since before you died," Remus said. The portrait furrowed his brows in thought, he had been painted after the original's death and was not too clear on what he had done to lock the room away.
"Is it possible that you made it so only the boy could enter?" Albus asked, stroking his beard in thought.
"It is possible," the portrait replied, "I was his godfather, and I did teach him all I knew, I wouldn't want any bumbling idiot getting in and destroying things," he said, throwing James and Sirius a dirty look.
"Let's get down there then, we can finally use that room," James said, ignoring Severus but the portrait had already gone as the others stood to leave.
Inside the room behind the door, there was another large desk with a well-worn leather chair behind it, shelves lined the walls filled with books as well as vials of ingredients and potions. Moving in among the dust covered belongings of his godfather, Draco paused to search the books shelved among the vials.
"Draco," a voice said and the boy spun on his heel and blinked in surprise to see his godfather looking back at him through a portrait on the other wall.
"Severus," he said, walking to the portrait slowly, he had missed the man who had been his tutor and friend.
"It's good to see you," the other man said quietly, a small smile on his lips, something Draco was sure he had been the only one to see.
"And you, I've missed you," Draco replied and turned when he heard several voices outside the room and he turned back to the portrait in question.
"The Morons are coming," he said, his voice dry and Draco smirked, he knew that was Severus' mocking nickname for The Marauders.
"Draco, my boy," Albus said, as they entered the room, Hermione and Harry behind them, "how did you get into this room?"
"I put my hand on the handle to the doorway and opened it," Draco said, wondering if they had all gone nutters.
"We have been trying to get into this room for two years now," James spoke up, his eyes narrowed at the younger man.
"Don't tell me you don't know how to open a door," Draco drawled and James' eyes narrowed further.
"There was something keeping us out," Molly spoke up, just as James opened his mouth, trying to stop the verbal fight that would have followed.
"Severus?" Draco asked, turning to the portrait.
"I do not know, we are thinking it is possible that I left a spell keeping anyone but you out. I figure I might have worried that someone would ruin my things," the portrait said, his eyes flicking to the adults behind Draco before returning to Draco.
"I can understand that logic," Draco said.
"What's this?" a voice said and he turned to see Remus picking up a parchment from the middle of the desk that read "Draco" and handed it to said boy.
"It's Severus' handwriting," Draco said, turning the folded parchment over and opened the seal to read what was on the inside.
"Draco,
If this letter finds you, then things have happened as I hoped they would. I hope that I am standing there with you while you are reading this, if not I am sorry. If you are standing there with Potter and the others, again, I am sorry, but hopefully you have found sanctuary with them and you and your parents are well. They may be wondering why they have not been able to get into this room, the reason is simple: I didn't want them to.
Draco laughed a bit at this, causing everyone's eyebrow's to raise but he ignored them and continued.
You were the closest thing that I had to an apprentice, so I only trust you around my ingredients and potions, I do NOT want Potter or Black near my rooms, I want to make that clear, I will come back to haunt you if you let this happen. I placed a ward on the rooms that only you can get through, even now, as I write this letter, I will be leaving these rooms soon and will not be coming back. I will be leaving the castle on a mission, that honestly I do not believe I will be returning from and hope that in the future, you will be able to read this. I have made it that as long as you are in the room, others can join you, but if you are not, the door will not open. Also, you will be the only one who can open the store room, the door to the left of the main door, no one else will be able to join you there.
I have taught you all that I know, and hope that if you are reading this, you will take up what I once did and provide the potions needed to protect those in this castle.
I always thought of you as a son, know that I loved you as one as well.
~Severus Snape
Oh, and do what you can to make Potter's life miserable.
Draco had to laugh again at the final line, and blinked back the tears at the mention of feeling like he was Severus' son, though he had a father, Severus had been a close second.
"What does it say?" Albus asked after several long moments.
"I'm the only one who can access the store rooms and if I am not in these rooms, no one else can be here," he said, looking up at the others finally.
"Typical, so how are we going to get the potions?" James asked, throwing his hands up in the air.
"I'll make them," Draco said and James turned to him in disbelief.
"No," was all he said and Draco glared.
"I am the only one who can access his stores, how do you plan to make potions if you don't have ingredients?" he shot back.
"We'll head into the Forbidden Forest," Sirius spoke up.
"You know that is impossible," Albus replied, "those that reside in the forest have grown in their distaste for humans, all missions into the forest ends in someone being hurt."
"Fine," James said through clenched teeth finally after a long moment of silence, "but you will be watched."
"Fine," Draco said, smirking, feeling that he had won the small victory.
Ok chapter two. Let me know what you think.