24 – History Lesson
"By the truth we are undone. Life is a dream. 'Tis the waking that kills us. He who robs us of our dreams robs us of our life."
― Virginia Woolf, Orlando
...
After lunch on Saturday, Haley and Draco made their way down to Hogsmeade where they were supposed to meet up with her mum who was going to pick them up.
If Haley was slightly nervous then the boy beside her could be described as a nervous wreck. He kept pulling on either his hair or his robes or fidgeting with the strap of his bag. It made Haley even more nervous.
"I can't believe we got special permission to leave Hogwarts for this." Draco muttered for the umpteenth time, when they reached the Hog's Head. There was a weathered bench behind the pub with a cherry tree in front of it. Small pink cherry blossoms were cluttered on the ground all around it.
"Looks like mum isn't there yet." Haley said, eyeing the empty bench. "I'm sure, she'll be here in a moment." She sat down on the bench, waiting for Draco to do the same. But he seemed to enjoy anxiously walking back and forth in front of her that much more.
"I think you got the time wrong." He said accusingly after about five minutes of pacing.
She rolled her eyes. "It's been only five minutes."
He narrowed his eyes at her and continued pacing.
After five more minutes, he stopped again. "It's the place, then. Are you sure we're supposed to meet here?"
"Yes," Haley drawled. "Stop fretting. You're making me nervous with your pacing."
He stood still for a second. Then he resumed walking back and forth.
Haley leapt up and blocked his way. "I'm serious! Stop it. There's no need to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous." He scoffed. "Why would I be-"
Haley placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heart speeding away beneath her fingers. "Look at the way your heart is beating." She grabbed his hand and placed it where hers had been only seconds before.
"So what! That doesn't mean anything – I'm not nervous, okay?" He hissed defensively.
"Okay, okay. I get it. Just relax, alright?" She took his other hand as well and pulled lightly, making him step a little closer. "It'll be fine, you'll see. My mum is easy to charm. She even likes the neighbour kid that always steals our greengages in summer."
"What?" He frowned in confusion.
"Have you never had greengages? They're so delicious. You'll have to try them when you come visit us in the holidays." Distraction always worked. In any case, he didn't seem as nervous any more.
"Alright?" She asked, placing their entangled hands on his chest once more.
"Alright." He whispered, his heart beating slightly slower now. Then his eyes widened and it sped up again.
"What's wro-"
"Sorry, sorry! I got held up by an old teacher of mine. You weren't waiting long, were you?" Haley heard the familiar voice of her mum behind her. She turned around. And sure enough, there she was. For once her mum wasn't wearing coveralls but instead a pair of loose fitting jeans and a wide beige blouse that Haley liked to steal sometimes because it was perfect for warm summer days and brought out the reddish tint in her hair.
"Mum!" She lunged forward and attacked her mother with a hug. It was so much better to see her in person after all the dream visits and all of her emotional outbursts.
Chuckling lightly, Lily returned her hug. "I'm happy to see you, too, pumpkin. But… I think there's someone you forgot to introduce to me."
Oh right. Poor Draco. Haley pulled away from the embrace and turned to the boy who awkwardly stood to the side and watched them.
Haley grabbed his hand and pulled him over to them. "So… this is my mum. But I'm sure that's fairly obvious."
He stiffly nodded once and looked slowly from mother to daughter. "You look just like her."
"People always think she's my older sister," Haley replied with a laugh.
Lily rolled her eyes. "They do not."
"They do! Remember that time when Neville's great-aunt asked where our mother was because she thought we were sisters?"
"Oh come on. That woman is half blind."
"Or Simon's coach at the last game-" Haley stopped herself, hearing an almost inaudible sigh from her side.
"Sorry," she apologized, squeezing Draco's hand. She could only imagine how uneasy this whole situation had to make him feel. And she was cheerily blabbering with her mum.
"And you must be Draco, then?" Lily asked, turning to the nervous boy. "It's a pleasure to meet you." There was nothing but warmth in her voice. It seemed to settle Draco's nerves somewhat.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs Potter," he replied smoothly, taking her outstretched hand and dropping a light kiss on the back of it.
"Oh, please call me Lily, dear. Mrs Potter makes me feel like an old lady." Lily replied, seeming slightly flustered by his antics. "I've heard a lot about you," She told him, before turning to her daughter. "But how come you never told me, he was such a charmer? Whenever you mentioned him I kept imagining some brute who threw around ice cream all day."
After releasing Lily's hand Draco shot her daughter a dark glance, probably wondering what else she might have told her.
Haley held up her hands in defence. "Ah… we should… er… mum, shouldn't we get going… soon?"
Lily sent her a knowing grin but nodded nevertheless. "We should. I left Simon alone with a cake. Hopefully, there's still some of it left when we're back." Haley had her doubts about that. "Well, then, hold on tight." Lily instructed.
Obediently, Haley stepped closer and looped her arm through her mother's. Draco hesitantly placed his hand on Lily's shoulder, keeping some distance to her.
And then off they went, disapparating with a loud plop. As much as Haley disliked the feeling of being squeezed through a tight tube, it was the quickest way to travel.
After clenching her eyes shut during the disapparition, Haley re-opened them to the familiar and in some cases crooked houses of her childhood neighbourhood.
"Welcome to Godric's Hollow!" She said, smiling at Draco and pulling him down the street toward the small green fence that surrounded their garden. In that moment she would have loved nothing more than showing him around and telling him about all her favourite places and her childhood adventures but she felt that the time wasn't right. He probably wanted to get everything over with quickly and then… well, what happened then would depend on whether their plan succeeded or not.
As soon as they stepped foot on the garden, Draco was attacked by a red plum-sized ball.
"Ow, what the…" he complained, rubbing his shin irritably. When he looked up he quickly spotted the source of the sudden aggression.
A boy at the tender age of ten stood on the porch and smirked nastily down at him. It was an expression Haley rarely saw on her little brother's face.
The ball bounced back and Simon easily caught it with one hand. "That's for bullying my sister!" He declared, sticking out his tongue.
"Sister?" Questioningly, Draco raised an eyebrow at Haley.
"Yep, that's my brother, Simon. I'm sure, I've mentioned him," Haley replied.
"You've brought me to a house full of people who hate me. What's your dad going to do? Crucio me?" Draco asked, slightly hysterically.
"Now, Simon. Is that the way to treat a guest?" Lily asked, walking over to her son. "I'm sure, I've taught you better. Go set the table, won't you. And make some tea, while you're at it." She said, ushering him into the house.
"I'm not a house elf," he grumbled, but went into the house nonetheless.
With a sigh, Lily turned to the two teenagers again. "Please excuse him, he's at a difficult age. And well… he's a bit overprotective, I guess."
"A bit." Draco scoffed.
"And about what you said earlier, I don't want you to think you're not welcome here. Nobody hates you." Lily briefly placed her hand on Draco's arm. "I could never think badly of someone who is obviously so important to my daughter." Her smile was as warm and inviting as her words. "Will you come in?"
Haley softly brushed her fingers over the small of his back, silently reminding him that she was there.
He took a deep breath. And then he nodded.
…
A few minutes later they were sat around the kitchen table, a huge chocolate cake in the middle. The promise of chocolate cake had considerably calmed Simon's temper. He sat opposite Draco without even a single glare in his direction. From her place next to him, Haley noticed the sceptical way he was eyeing the cake. Maybe he was wondering if it was poisoned. Or why it was necessary to have cake instead of getting started with their plans.
"Alright, who wants cake?" Mum exclaimed, picking up a knife and cutting the cake into uneven pieces.
"Isn't dad coming?" Haley asked, wondering why they weren't waiting for him as usual.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Your dad is off to spend some quality time with the guys." Lily explained, picking up Draco's plate and placing the biggest piece on it.
"Really?" Haley was slightly disappointed to hear that. But the momentary relief she saw flashing across Draco's features made her feel better at once. That way he had at least one less thing to worry about.
"Yes, he'll be back Sunday afternoon, though. But you're probably not staying until then, are you?"
Haley shook her head. "I have a quidditch game tomorrow morning so… We need to return early."
"I see." Lily nodded, placing the fifth piece on the plate next to Simon.
"I'm getting two pieces?" Simon said happily, his face shining like the sun.
"Ah, no, that's for our other guest." Lily explained, pushing the plate out of Simon's reach as a precaution.
"Other guest?"
And just in that fitting moment, the doorbell rang.
"Speak of the devil." Lily got up and left the room to open the door.
Draco sent her an alarmed glance but Haley only shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know anything more than him about that 'other guest'.
And then the secret was uncovered when a black-robed figure with dark hair and a crooked nose entered the kitchen.
"Professor Snape?"
It was Professor Snape indeed. Never would Haley have imagined that she would be sitting in her kitchen with her mum, her brother, Draco Malfoy and her potions teacher eating chocolate cake. But that was exactly what happened after the man entered the picture. To say the atmosphere was slightly awkward was an understatement.
"Great, everyone's here now." Lily said, clapping her hands in excitement. "Sev and I worked on the Resurgence Draught together, so I asked him to come as well. He… er… has got first hand experience with the curse you told me about. But maybe… you'd like to explain yourself?" She questioningly gestured toward Professor Snape.
The man in question finished chewing and took a sip of his tea. Then he cleared his throat and started to speak. "In my youth… I have indeed seen the effects of the curse that you have been hit with play out."
"But – when I asked you if there was an antidote last year, you said there wasn't! You said you couldn't help me!" Draco said angrily.
"There was no antidote last year." Professor Snape replied patiently, folding his hands on top of the table. "Shall I go on with the story? Or does it bore you already?"
Draco tightened the grip on his fork but didn't say any more.
"Very well." Professor Snape continued. "Sixteen years ago, there was a wizard by the name of Tom Riddle who wanted to become the most powerful magician in history. He surrounded himself with a mass of followers and made it his mission to eliminate every single witch or wizard that could have become an obstacle in his endeavour. One of those obstacles actually turned out to be one of his own followers."
"Tom Riddle?" Haley asked. She couldn't quite place the name, although she felt like she'd heard it somewhere before.
"The Dark Lord." Draco added impatiently.
"Yes." Professor Snape nodded. "Some people called him that. Others referred to him as 'You-Know-Who'."
"Now I remember!" Haley exclaimed. "I think Binns mentioned him once or twice. He had… a problem with muggles, right?"
"You could… say that." Snape confirmed.
"His followers had a funny name. The 'Death Tears' or something like that." Haley added.
"Death Eaters." Draco corrected her with a scoff. "Ow!" Someone – probably Simon – kicked him under the table.
"That's hardly any better." Haley argued. "So, what exactly happened to him? He was defeated, wasn't he?"
Professor Snape picked up his fork once more. "He wanted to get rid of the follower who had betrayed him, of course. In doing that, just like you, he came across the forgotten notes of a student who had a fondness for experimenting with the Dark Arts." His gaze seemed far in the distance somewhere.
"The curse." Draco spat. "Against true evil."
Professor Snape nodded. "Tempted by the description, he used the curse against his enemy without knowing how exactly it worked."
"Like me." Draco muttered darkly.
"Like you." Professor Snape confirmed. "And like you, he foolishly used it against someone whose intentions could not be considered as 'true evil'. Therefore… the curse backfired. Instead of the one he intended to hit, the curse hit the one it deemed more evil."
Well, that was a lot to take in.
"So, does that mean, the curse hit me because it 'thought' I was more evil than Longbottom?" Draco grimaced, smashing his cake under the fork. "What kind of dumb curse is that?"
"I think it's a brilliant curse if it makes sure the bad guys are punished." Simon cut in, mouth filled with chocolate.
"Simon." Lily admonished. "We've been through that. Chew first. Talk after. Otherwise you'll choke on your food again."
Simon stuffed himself with more chocolate cake.
"So… that wizard… Tom Riddle," Haley cut in, bringing back their original topic. "What happened? Did he lose his magic as well?"
"Most likely. Nobody knows for sure." Professor Snape answered, taking a sip of tea. "After that incident, he has never been seen again. And the other wizard… he never used magic again to this day."
"He also lost his magic?" Haley asked. "But Neville didn't. I've seen him use his wand just fine." Next to her Draco was turning his cake into an unidentifiable pulp. This whole talk of lost magic was obviously getting to him.
"Oh. You've seem him use his wand?" Simon cackled, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. What the hell? When had that brat gotten old enough to make those kind of jokes?
Haley kicked his leg underneath the table.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Simon, if you can't behave like the mature boy, I know you're hiding somewhere under that tough demeanour, I'll have to send you to your room. Do you think you can handle it?"
"Maybe." Simon muttered reluctantly.
"What was that?" Lily asked in that parent-tone that always gave Haley goosebumps.
"Yes, mum. I'll behave." Simon replied loud and clearly.
Lily nodded contentedly. "All right. Shall we go down and try the potion then?" Her sudden suggestion seemed to startle everyone sitting around the table.
"But we haven't heard the rest of the story yet!" Haley protested, raising her arm and almost upsetting her plate. "Or have we?"
"What else is there to tell? Weren't you done, Sev?" Lily questioned impatiently.
"Er… not quite." Professor Snape replied.
"Well, you might as well save the rest for later." With that she got up. "Come on. The potion's waiting."
The sudden change of mood took everyone by surprise. Draco turned to Haley with uncertain eyes. For a second, his eyes flicked over to the door, as if he was pondering to make a run for it after all.
Haley touched his chin and gently turned his face toward her. "Did I ever tell you that my mum was offered both the position as Charms and Potions teacher after graduating?"
"Really?" He asked with wide eyes.
She nodded.
Lily shrugged her shoulders, as if to say 'Yeah well…I'm amazing.'
"Is that why she keeps calling him 'Sev'?" He questioned quietly.
"Ah, no." Lily chuckled, having heard his words. "We went to Hogwarts together." She explained. "I bet him in Potions all the time."
"You did not." Professor Snape argued. "You always lacked the patience to handle the more time-consuming potions. And you kept trying to incorporate charms into the recipes."
Lily huffed. "I still don't see what's wrong with that."
Professor Snape sighed. But he still followed her out of the living room.
Draco snorted derisively. "Now I get why he keeps favouring you."
"What?" Haley blinked in confusion.
He shook his head. "Nothing. Let's get this over with."
And thus they made their way down to Lily's personal potions lab.
…
"Wow, this is…" Draco couldn't hide the awe in his voice. The cellar was at least as well stocked as their potions class room at school. There were three fire places at the far side of the room, the walls were lined with shelves, holding countless jars filled with all kinds of mysterious ingredients. In the left hand corner, several spare cauldrons were stacked. From one of the cauldrons in the back small clouds of steam were fogging up the whole room.
In the right hand corner there was a small sitting area, secluded from the rest of the room by shelves filled with literature on potions.
Lily guided them over to the armchairs and sofa that were as inviting and cosy as the ones in the Gryffindor common room. Haley pulled Draco down onto the sofa because he looked as if he wanted to look around and explore.
"You can look around later, alright." She whispered close to his ear.
Then she turned to her mum expectantly.
Lily, who now had four pairs of eyes directed at her, sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Now… that we're all actually here, I feel kind of nervous." She chuckled, turning to Professor Snape. "You're sure, it's done, right?"
The man walked over to the cauldron, from which the steam was wafting over and stirred it slowly with the ladle inside it. "It is done." He replied calmly, before turning to Draco. "It has taken almost a year to work out the details. But now it is done. Are you willing to try it?"
"Is it… really that easy?" Draco asked hesitantly.
"We have yet to see if it actually works." Professor Snape replied.
"You haven't tried it?" Draco asked.
"It's not dangerous, is it?" Haley added in alarm. "It won't hurt him, right? Right, mum?" She turned to Lily suddenly worried.
"Most likely not." Professor Snape answered instead.
Wow, that didn't sound convincing at all. Maybe it had been a bad idea. Maybe it would be better to wait. Maybe –
"I'll do it." Draco said. "I've already lost my magic. How much worse can it get?"
Professor Snape smirked. "You should be glad you did not seek the aid of a charlatan." With that, he conjured up a cup and filled it with the golden liquid. He then walked over to the table and set the cup down in front of Draco. "Drink."
With a sudden bout of determination Draco seized the cup and gulped down the liquid in one go. For a few tense seconds nothing happened.
Then his wand hand was lit up by a strange blue glow and he reached for Haley's arm as if he needed something to hold onto.
For a moment there was an expression of surprise in his eyes, before they rolled back into his head and he sank back into the sofa cushions lifelessly like a puppet whose strings had been cut off.
Haley panicked. "Draco! Draco!" She called, shaking his shoulders like mad. When he didn't show any reaction she turned to the two adults accusingly. "What's wrong with him? Why is he like this?"
Swiftly, Professor Snape flew to the boy's other side and deftly checked his vital signs. "He is merely unconscious. But that was to be expected." He said calmly.
"To be expected?" Haley hissed, placing a soft pillow behind Draco's head and protectively wrapping an arm around him. "How about a small heads up next time? When will he wake up?"
"Well… considering we're trying to revive his magic with this potion, a reaction like that really isn't surprising," Lily mused. "Strong magic like that takes it's toll on the body."
"Mum! You too? I almost had a heart attack!" Haley screeched. It was only the feeling of the boy softly inhaling and exhaling against her side that calmed her somewhat.
Lily did look a tad apologetic at that. "He should wake up in an hour or two. Then we'll also find out… if the potion worked or not." She gave Haley a hesitant smile, before slinking over to the staircase, leading up toward the living area. "In the mean time… does any one want some leftover cake?"
…
The two adults fled the scene as if they were afraid Haley was going to flay them alive.
Which she would have done if Draco wasn't sprawled over her like a dead weight.
The promise of cake had lured Simon upstairs as well, leaving her alone with Draco.
Carefully, she lowered the unconscious boy into a lying position with his head resting in her lap. He's fine, she kept telling herself. He'll wake up and then everything will be fine. It seemed to only make her more nervous.
After what seemed like ten minutes, she heard someone come down the stairs. The light, energetic steps already gave her an idea who it might be.
"Hi sis." Simon said hesitantly, as he waited by the foot of the stairs. A tray with tea and far too much cake was in his hands.
"Mum said to bring you some cake." He explained, slowly approaching the sitting area. He eyed the table questioningly, as if he wondered, whether his company was wanted or not.
Haley sighed but invitingly gestured toward one of the armchairs nonetheless. It wasn't him who had potentially messed up her boyfriend. He'd only embarrassed her by playing the rude little brother card.
"I made you peppermint tea." Simon said, cautiously pushing a cup of steaming tea over toward her. In her favourite cup that was shaped like an owl. The peppermint leaves looked as if they had been plucked only minutes before. He knew that was her favourite.
How come he was being so sweet and amiable now? Not that she was complaining. But the boisterous way he had acted earlier simply didn't match his usual sweet personality. Had he been trying to act tough because of Draco? The thought was kind of endearing.
"What's wrong with him?" Simon asked curiously. "Did he really lose his magic?" His feet were dangling back and forth rapidly. He always seemed to have far too much energy. Maybe that was the reason he ate so much.
Haley raised the cup to her lips and let the rich taste of peppermint calm her nerves.
"Yes." She replied, setting the cup down. "The potion was supposed to… well… revive it."
He seemed to be mulling that over. "Why… did he lose it?"
Haley really didn't have the energy to explain the details to him. "He used a curse, he shouldn't have."
"Why?"
Wasn't Simon past the 'why?-phase'?
She grit her teeth. "He was jealous of Neville because he… had a crush on me."
"Oh." That seemed to surprise him. "Really?"
Haley nodded.
"That sounds like something Baz would do." He muttered. "Cursing someone, I mean. Not having a crush. Everyone else has a crush on him. At least I think Agatha does." He pouted.
As far as Haley remembered, Agatha was the girl Simon liked. She groaned. "Please don't tell me you're part of a love triangle. You're far too young for that."
Simon innocently looked to the side. "It's not like I can help it."
Haley groaned. "Believe me, it's nothing to aspire. I've been there. And you can see how it ended." Dejectedly, she glanced down at the boy in her lap, gently carding her fingers through his soft blond locks.
"Hm." Simon mused, catching a bit of chocolate that was smeared to the edge of the tray on his finger. "But is it really the end?"
As Haley watched her brother lick the syrupy chocolate off his finger, she pondered the meaning of his words. What else could it be? The beginning? Well, she'd certainly find out, once Draco woke up.
…
Sometime around the early evening hours, Draco finally started to stir awake. When he opened his eyes, he seemed obviously disoriented.
"Where…?" He asked sleepily, looking around the room in confusion.
"Get mum," Haley ordered her little brother who had kept her company the whole time. He'd fetched a book of jokes from his room and read them out to her. Although one joke was lamer than the next, it had distracted her from worrying somewhat.
Simon got up and vanished up the staircase.
"What happened?" Draco asked, while Haley helped him sit up against the sofa.
"Er… you… you drank the potion, remember?" She replied cautiously. "But a second after you lost consciousness. How do you feel? Is there… can you feel a difference?"
Draco rubbed his forehead and slowly shook his head.
Followed by the sound of urgent footsteps, Simon returned along with Lily and Professor Snape.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Lily asked, kneeling down in front of him so she could take in his appearance better.
"Tired." Draco shrugged his shoulders. "The potion… did it… did it work?"
Lily glanced at Professor Snape quickly. Then she turned back to Draco with an encouraging smile. "Why don't you try?"
Draco's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Then with a resigned sigh, he reached into his robe pocket and took out the wand he hadn't used in more than a year.
He looked at it as if he was scared of it. As if it was the bearer of bad news.
Then he took a deep breath and pointed his wand at the now empty cup on the table in front of him.
"Accio." He said quietly. "Accio cup." A bit louder. "Accio cup!" He shouted.
But no matter how loud he spoke the incantation, the cup refused to move.
The following silence was only broken by the clattering sound of the wand that had slipped from his fingers to the ground.
Haley saw the light fade from his eyes. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. It was supposed to be fine!
"Maybe… maybe the potion hasn't worked yet." She spluttered, moving her fingers about frantically. "It probably takes time to work… right mum? Right?"
Hopefully she looked at her mum. But for the first time in her life, it seemed like Lily didn't hold all the answers. Her forehead was scrunched up, as if she was rethinking the problem from all angles, trying to find out how it all had gone wrong…
"I knew it." Professor Snape mumbled quietly.
Something about that bothered her. His words somehow seemed important. But what bothered her even more was the look in Draco's eyes. He wasn't angry. Or sad. Or distraught. He wasn't anything.
He too had realized what Lily's silence meant.
And now, he had given up.
…
A/N: Hi everyone! Who is this strange Tom Riddle that no one has ever heard of? Surely no one important xD Ah... poor Draco. He seems to never get a break :/ But as Simon said 'Is it really the end?' Btw, has any one read 'Any Way the Wind Blows'? How'd you like it? Leave me your thoughts if you want to discuss it. Or if you want to say anything else really.
Til next time!