The whole atmosphere was taut to the point of breaking after Lucius had gone. Nobody quite knew where we were supposed to be going now; my mute father had appeared around the doorframe, looking completely bewildered and my mother's eyes had not moved from the spot where Lucius had been just a minute ago.

Draco was still slumped against the wall where he had fallen- glassy eyed and tense. His lips were pressed tightly together and his blue-grey eyes were transfixed on the same spot as my mother's were.

There was no point saying anything to him, nothing would make any sense to him when he was in this state of mind. Instead, I slid down the wall to sit a few feet away from him. My mother, taking the hint, went out to buy milk and my father went to sulk in the living room.

We sat there in silence for Merlin knows how long, my legs crossed uncomfortably beneath me, resting my head against the wall.

It was always going to be like this, wasn't it? Every time Lucius' temper would get the better of him, Draco would end up a little more broken and every time it would be me who'd have to try and fix him.

But the worst thing was that no matter what Lucius did, no matter how badly he hurt him, Draco would always convince himself that it wasn't his father's fault, that he didn't mean it. And so, it would always sting twice as much when it happened again.

To be honest, though, even I had expected just a slight change in Lucius' attitude towards his son, even if it was only compassion and sympathy for what had happened. But habits are hard to change, especially for those as stubborn as Lucius, and it was clear that the thought was there…but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

"Sir?" Draco had shuffled over, watching me anxiously.

"Hey." I smiled a little and put my arm around him. I felt Draco relax instantly and a small arm snaked around my middle.

"I'm sorry about your father," I told him earnestly, squeezing his shoulder.

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have annoyed him…I just got upset."

"Maybe it is better if you stay away from the Manor for a while. Just until everyone sorts themselves out."

I felt Draco sigh. "I s'pose so… what's happened to Dr Southard?"

'Damn! That's what I wanted to ask Lucius!'

"I'm not sure," I said slowly. At my uncertainty Draco's head jerked up in alarm.

"He's not going to be there, is he? When I get home, I mean. Father wouldn't let him…not now…" Draco's eyes were becoming glassy again and there same terror that had haunted his features yesterday was gradually returning.

"Draco? Draco listen to me," I implored desperately. "You are never going to see that man again! You never even have to think about him. It's over. Finished."

"But I can't help thinking about it," he whispered, slumping back against the wall. "Everything he said to me…it all keeps going 'round and 'round in my head. And…and it still hurts what he done. I can still feel it hurting." Draco hunched his shoulders, expression pained and miserable. The, quietly without looking up, "What's gonna happen to me, Sir?"

"Happen?" I repeated with a frown. "What do you mean?"

Draco fidgeted agitatedly. "I mean, I did bad, didn't I? It was…it was my fault Dr Southard did what he did 'cause…'cause I let him and that was a bad thing to do, wasn't it? I shouldn't have let him. I-I should've said no."

Draco was no longer speaking to me. I mean, he was talking, but somewhere along the line, he had slipped into a sort of trance; his eyes became vague and his voice had a distance to it that sounded like it had when I had used Legilimensy.

"…something bad's gonna happen. He said bad things would happen if I told and he was right about father, so why shouldn't he be right about that too? What if Father believes him over me and lets him stay? What if he's still there? What if…what if Father finds out that I let him do it and makes him stay to punish me? Or-or what if…what if Father…"

But the sentence was never completed. Thank god! The second that horrific notion entered his head, Draco turned completely white and quickly struggled to stand with the mumbled declaration of, "I'm gonna be sick…"

It has always amazed me how people are able to vomit multiple times in a row. You wouldn't have thought, especially of children, that a body could hold that much...

Draco was physically attached to the toilet bowl for a full twenty minutes, clinging on with as much strength as he could muster. Unsurprisingly, he soon collapsed in a soggy, shivering mass, unable to do much more than just gasp for breath and groaning.

I dropped to my knees and eased him slowly into a sitting position. Draco's pale face was shiny with sweat, although his forehead was cold and clammy. Raising his head wearily, he pulled a face and tried to smile.

I sighed with relief, "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, a bit," said Draco weakly then grimaced as a wave of nausea passed through him and lunged for the toilet again.

I heard the front door bang shut, signalling the return of my mother. She paused as she passed by the bathroom. "Fresh air," she said casually, her dark eyes scrutinising me, as though to say 'Have you no common sense?' "is the best cure for sickness. Go for a walk." Then she stalked off without a backward glance.

I sighed again with more feeling, "Come no Draco, we have to go out."

"I can't. I haven't any clothes, only my pyjamas and shoes. I can't go outside in my pyjamas!" The outrage is Draco's voice told me he was deadly serious about that.

"What if," I said thoughtfully. "What if I leant you something to wear over the top? Would that be okay?"

"Something of yours?" Draco's lips twitched into an amused smile at the prospect. "I'd like that."

My room, as Mother had said, was exactly how I had left it; a half-melted candle stood on a cracked saucer besides three dirty mugs. Old clothes that I had long since grown out of were draped across a chair that acted as a wardrobe and the same air of misery filled the small room like a gas, making it stifling to be in there.

Usually, when I came home, I stayed in the box room we used when there were guests (which was rarely.) I know that it sounds clichéd, but there were too many ghosts in my bedroom and I'm not sure that I had been in there for more than a minute or two at a time since I finished school.

I sat uneasily down my bed, the springs in the mattress whining beneath me and allowed my eyes to drift around, taking in every crack in the plaster, every stain in the carpet…there was absolutely no desire to rifle through any of my old possessions or to even associate myself with anything in this hovel.

I have never understood the point of remembering things that happened years ago, especially negative things. It doesn't do any good, you can't change anything all it seems to do, is cause upset completely unnecessarily that could have been avoided.

After a lot of careful deliberation, Draco decided he wanted to wear my coat that was, at least, seven sizes to big for him; the sleeves had to rolled up twice and it trailed behind him like and overlong cape. All in all, he did look slightly ridiculous, but refused to be talked out of it.

The park on the other side of the river was deserted. Summer wind moved the roundabout and seesaw as though there were invisible children playing there. It was quite eerie, actually when you thought about it…

We sat on the swings and I watched Draco as he swung higher and high until the chins were almost parallel to the top, eyes closed and leaning as far back, then as far forward as he dared without falling off.

I savoured this image, for it was rare that Draco was able to completely free himself from all concerns and fears and was able to simply act like the eight-year-old he was- happy and careless with no responsibilities… Suddenly, I was glad that Lucius had done what he had done (although, as ever, he could have handled it a lot better) because it meant that Draco would be able to just forget without A) having to be in the house, which in itself was a reminder, and B) it meant he wouldn't have the added worry of acting like a perfect little pureblood for his father.

"I'm gonna jump!" Draco suddenly shrieked from high above my head, grinning down on me. "I'm a dragon and I'm gonna fly!"

Thank goodness his magic had finally shown up, was all I could think.

As the swing went up, Draco leaned right forwards then let go, soaring high over the playground to land with a bump on the dusty ground. His hands were smeared with dirt and his hair was in disarray but, otherwise, he was completely unharmed.

"Did you see me fly?" Draco grinned, skipping back to the swings, dusty hands plunged into the coat pockets. "Did you see what I did?"

I smiled, pleased to see him so happy. "Yes, I saw you. I'm surprised you didn't sprout wings and fly off."

This set him off into a fit of giggles. "That's silly! People don't have wings! Else they wouldn't have brooms would they?"

There was no arguing with that level of logic.

"What's this?" Suddenly, my godson pulled a creased envelope out of one of the pockets and regarded it curiously. "Sir?"

My heart pounded in my ears, suddenly apprehensive. It dawned on me that I hadn't worn that coat since I was eleven and had started at Hogwarts…I held out my hand for whatever it was.

Mr S. Snape

The room with the damp patch

5 Spinner's End

Suffolk

It said in emerald-green ink. My letter of acceptance from Hogwarts. I smoothed out the creases then carefully shook out its contents into my lap; tiny fragments of torn parchment drifted out of the envelope, along with a Polaroid photograph of a ten-year-old version of myself standing next to a pretty red-haired girl. Lily Evans.

I remember the day that photo was taken; It had been her birthday. She had invited me to her party, but I had hastily declined despite her begging. I didn't react well to people, especially people of my own age. So, we had had a sort of private party, just the two of us, with all the left over cake and Lily presented the camera that her parents had given her.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" she had laughed, her eyes mirroring her joy as she held it up. "Smile Sev!"

We used up all the film she had been given, trying to snap each other without the other noticing. It was I who had found the button labelled 'Delay'

"You stand over there," I had instructed, setting the camera up on the climbing frame. "Now wait for a second…" We waited, our breath held, and cheered when, finally, it flashed.

A couple of days later, I found the photograph pushed through our letter box, with a message scrawled on the back-

Dear Severus,

I had the best part of my birthday with and I am so pleased you worked out how to use the camera!!!!!!!!

Lots and lots and lots of love, Lily

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A terrible pang of loss swiftly overcame me that I struggled to conceal from Draco, who was watching me inquisitively.

He reached out to take the picture from me. "Is this you?" he asked. "Who's she?" His fingertips brushed absently over her glossy face as he spoke.

"A girl I once knew," I said, scraping my heels along the ground. "We were friends for a time."

"Oh," Draco passed it back to me and took up the other swing again. "What happened?"

"We both grew up," I answered somewhat bitterly. "She didn't like my friends and I detested her boyfriend." 'Arrogant bastard!' "It just didn't work out."

"Sorry."

"Hmmph…it's just what happens. Life is never fair, Draco, especially when it comes to friends." Okay, so I was drowning in self-pity, but I think it was justified. Not that Draco was paying any attention whatsoever.

"Right. Watch me fly again!"

Bonjour et bienvenue a le chapter nouveu Garr I can't speak french lol! Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed and I know there are alot of people who haven't so if you are guilty of such a heinous crime, redeem yourselves by reviewing now s'il vous plais.

Merci et Je t'aime! Lily xxx

Oh, and if Louise T is reading, please message me :D