Chapter 9
Life in itself
"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts!" Taking the opportune moment to cast a glance through the numerous ranks of students, the grandfatherly old wizard paused for further dramatic effect. "All students should note that the dark forest is forbidden, and our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has added a new list of products banned from the corridors. It is displayed in his office, should any of you be interested to take a look." His blue eyes held a mischievous twinkle.
"Most of the new ones are WWW products, you know?" The dark-haired youth whispered aside to his blonde companion. His companion only arched an eyebrow in response, succeeding in drawing-out a tiny grin from said youth.
"As you have probably noticed by now, the upper years especially, we have an additional table in the great hall." He paused for the less observant students to note the addition. "Now, this particular table is for the sake of inter-house relations," he cast his eyes at the fidgeting redheaded student at the Gryffindor house table. "And young Messers Malfoy and Potter have kindly agreed to my request to be the firsts, of what I hope will be many, at trying it out."
That said, the volume of chatter increased throughout the great hall. Speculations aplenty as the students buzzed with excitement. "Should anyone else be interested, you are most welcome to join that table anytime over the school year." Pausing slightly for the murmurs to die out.
"Now, let us welcome this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Gesturing as the singular hooded figure seated at the teachers' dais sketched a slight bow. "Professor Faindri Noom." Polite claps sounded throughout at his introduction. "Professor Noom comes highly recommended by his alma mater, Drumstrang, and I believe his prior work in this field have been of great contribution to the wizarding world at large." He glanced cheerily at the gathered students before him. "I trust that you all will welcome him amongst us and treat him with due respect." Rubbing his hands together in a seemingly anticipatory gesture. "Excellent. Let the feast begin!" A clap.
"Well, let us hope we should be safe from any hexes this meal." The blonde muttered under his breath as the food appeared.
'Hmm, inter-house relations eh?' The DADA professor paused slightly in consuming his meal. 'I suppose that was what they were referring to a few days ago. A project for the Headmaster indeed.' He snorted. 'Though I will not presume anything with the Malfoy heir.' Sneaking a glance at the two young wizards. 'That boy has been brought up a Slytherin through and through.'
'Noom seems to be observing the boys quite closely. This needs some looking into. Wonder what his motive is. Could he be...?' He lifted his cutlery, absently picking out his favorite foods from amongst the dishes before him. 'That wizard is Slytherin to the core. I should remind the boys to be wary of him again. Constant vigilance, as Mad-Eye always insists.' Glancing at the outwardly enthusiastic headmaster. 'I wonder if the information we requested about the victims at King's Cross has arrived.' Mentally ticking-off the muggleborn families in his mind for possibilities. He did not relish the old coot's position of having to inform said students of their plight.
'Hermione sure doesn't seem to mind much that Malfoy and Harry are sitting together. Wonder what she makes of the whole deal here?' Looking to her seething brother, she thought. 'Boy, I sure won't like to be in Harry's shoes when Ron gets to him...' She shuddered, knowing too well her own brother's infamous temperament. 'And they said I inherited mum's temper. Who's kidding?'
Bang! A dramatic swirl of black as the figure stalked towards the front of the class. "There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class…" Here the stoic potions master paused to glare across at the huddled first years. "As such I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion making…"
"Yup, that is definitely Sev at his best!" The blonde whispered to his dark-haired companion as they peered fugitively out at the first years in the dungeons having their first ever potions lesson with the feared Head of Slytherin. His companion snorted, the noise garnering a quick glance over the shoulder from the black-clad form standing before the class, mid-way through his well-remembered speech. His eyes narrowed at sight of the cracked-open door to his office.
"Uh-oh, I think he knows we're here." The blonde gulped. "He will be so mad that we've interrupted his speech."
"Sssh! Here, take hold of this corner and cover yourself." His dark-haired companion hastily handed him a part of a shimmering cloak, even as he eased himself under its shelter.
Eyes widening in disbelief, the blonde followed suit, even as the speech continued from the other room. Hearts pounding, both teens continued to quietly watch the notorious Potions Master terrorize the first years through the small crack of the open office door. So engrossed in observing the first years, it wasn't until the door opened and a black-clad form entered, closing the door soundly behind him that they startled.
"I know you are both in here." The Head of Slytherin pronounced silkily. "Get out from under that blasted cloak!" With wry grins and shuffling feet, both young wizards revealed themselves, earning a snort from their godfather.
"I should have known that the two of you would soon be up to mischief." Looking at both boys in concern. "Is anything wrong?"
"No, everything is just fine and dandy." Came the sarcastic drawl from the Malfoy scion. At the raised eyebrow from his godfather, he elaborated. "We are just trying to get some peace and quiet before our first class later. Both of us are not in the mood to face those insipid gawkers."
"Really Severus, we didn't mean to interrupt, but hearing your speech…" The dark-haired youth grinned cheekily. "It was nostalgic."
A long-suffering sigh. "Whatever am I to do with the two of you?"
"You could order us some breakfast and offer us sanctuary here in your office until our class later." The blonde eagerly suggested, even as his godbrother nodded enthusiastically to the proposal.
"Oh all right. Brats, the both of you." Fake snarling, the Potions Master snapped his fingers for assistance from the house-elves. "You know, the two of you should act more like your actual ages."
"We are simply making up for lost-time." The dark-haired youth quipped.
"I do not believe this." A roll of his eyes. "Do not touch any of my things, and for Circe's sake, keep quiet." Turning away, cloak swirling furiously, he issued a final admonishment before heading out. "No more interruptions! There are first years that I have to terrorize."
As the door slammed shut, both wizards giggled like young children. "Guess there is no time like the present to instill the fear of Merlin and the Potions Master in those little first years!"
The newly appointed DADA professor stood before the entryway into his classroom, hearing murmurings of the students beyond. Professor Faindri Noom wondered what had caused such fervent discussions even as he mentally prepped himself for his class. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door, and entered, immediately perceiving the reason for the ruckus.
'Potter and Malfoy seated together. Hmm, will the wonders ever cease? Guess that answers one of the questions.' He thought to himself, as the class quieted themselves in his presence. "Good morning everyone. I am Professor Faindri Noom, and I will be your DADA professor for this year of your Hogwarts school-life." He let himself take in the entire cohort of Slytherin and Gryffindor sixth years seated before him, silently assessing each one of them as his gaze swept over them.
Slamming his heavy text upon his table, he managed to startle most of them. "Now, I have heard that most of the previous DADA professors were not on par, however I hope that you will not expect me to be a lenient taskmaster." Here, he paused to send a glare at a fidgeting redhead. 'Redhead, Gryffindor. Hmm, a Weasley, I presume.' He arched a brow. "Mr. Weasley! Are you already refuting my claims?" Said youth straightened upon being addressed, hastily shaking his head in vehement denial.
"Good. Otherwise, you might sorely regret setting yourself against me." Opening the heavy text, he turned to the pre-selected page. "Turn to page 394 of your text."
A hand immediately shot up. "But sir, why are we starting from the middle of the text?" A brunette witch from Gryffindor addressed him.
Raising his brow, he calmly answered. "I merely wish to illustrate a point to the class, Ms Granger, I presume?" Seeing her blush at his condescending tone. "Now, please read through the page, and tell me what you think."
Brow furrowed, the Gryffindor resident know-it-all tackled the page. "But sir, something is wrong with this text. It says here that - ."
"Precisely." Here, he picked up his text, closed it, and tossed it into the bin beside his table. It was promptly set aflame and turned to ash. Turning back to his flabbergasted students, he made his point. "Do you really think that DADA can be learnt by just reading the text?" Shaking his head, he continued. "To learn defense, one must be prepared to DO IT!" He walked down the aisle. "Wands out! And stand up." Turning back to the front of the room. "I will first demonstrate a spell and its counter-curse at the start of each lesson, and I expect all of you to grasp at least the rudiments of it by the end of each class. You will all practice in pairs under my supervision."
Facing the class once more, he raised his wand in subtle casting, clearing the desks and chairs aside. "I am sorry to make you waste galleons on such tasteless drivel." He grinned unapologetically. "Henceforth, the text is only a reference for you outside of this room. Here, in this room, I expect action. Now, this is today's spell..."
Outwardly paying attention, Draco was busily observing the DADA professor rather than the spell being demonstrated. He had sensed something odd about the new DADA teacher since they had first met, although he could not quite put his finger on it. He had not told his suspicions to anyone yet but his godfather's warning had made him a lot more cautious around Noom. Patiently, he waited for the class to end, so he could discuss it with his godbrother.
"Just look at them…" An agitated Ron whispered to no one in particular, although Hermione could distinctly hear his grumbles. She gave him a quick sidelong glance, breaking her concentration from class for a short moment.
Both Harry and Draco were paying attention to the professor's demonstration, seemingly at ease in each others' company. It was nothing that the others in the class had ever seen before. The greatest rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins in the history of Hogwarts – baring the founders – and now, they were acting like… friends… somewhat.
"Harry, what's happened to you? How can you stand that git…?" Ron poked his supposed best friend in the back, demanding attention from the boy-who-lived.
Slam! A book landed before Ron, abruptly cutting him off in the middle of his furious ramblings. Ron glanced up in shock. Professor Noom stood before his desk, eyes narrowed into slits.
"Uh-oh…"
"Mr. Wesley! While I don't ask for much, I do require my students to pay attention in class!" Ron was gasping like a fish out of water, as Noom whirled away. "If you are truly so prepared Mr. Wesley, show me, how do you block this?" With that, he swung around and shot out a multi-hued spell at the redhead.
Stunned, Ron stood unmoving, the spell zooming towards him, impact eminent; yet, it exploded into nothingness just before it struck.
The whole class gasped in unison. A professor outright attacking a student without warning! It was unheard of, even in DADA class.
Professor Noom's reaction was unexpected. He smirked, facing the Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Prince of Slytherin. "Not bad at all, Mr. Potter. At least someone was paying attention in class. 10 points to Gryffindor for being a quick study."
Hermione fussed over the still shell-shocked redhead, whom was trembling lightly. She looked up at the professor, anger wrought across her face. "You had no right!"
The DADA professor raised a finger to silence her tirade. "Now class, this is why just theory from a book will not save you from attacks. Mr. Potter, can you explain to the class what you just did?"
Harry was stumped. He had lifted his wand arm on reflex, raising a barrier to save Ron. Not knowing what to say, as they had yet to learn such advanced spellwork in school. He could not explain without revealing how he had known the spell. He could sense Draco's blatant curiosity from beside him.
"Well, Mr. Potter?"
"Sorry sir, I just reacted." The young wizard shrugged.
"Instinct?" A rhetorical question. "Hmm, crude but effective. Now class, note that I will test you from time to time, like I had just done."
"With all due respect sir, if that spell had actually hit…" The brunette witch accosted the still smirking professor.
"Ms Granger," Noom addressed the vexing young witch. "That was a spell for warts, easily undone. Given that, your friend was in no actual danger." Turning to the entire class. "However, it would behoove all of you to know that I would not be so easy on you in future."
As Noom proceeded with his lesson, the Malfoy scion whispered to his Gryffindor godbrother. "Doesn't he strike you as weird?" He received a quizzical look in return. "He cast the spell without a wand. Only incredibly powerful wizards… or warlocks can do that."
Hearing that, the dark-haired wizard glanced towards Noom with narrowed eyes, remembering their godfather's warning. "More than meets the eyes…"
"Harry! Wait up."
"Hermione." The dark-haired youth turned to greet his friend, waiting for her to catch up with them. Draco, by his side, stopped in mid-stride, to lean casually against the wall to await his new godbrother have this all-too-awkward conversation in the middle of a corridor enroute from the Defense classroom.
The Gryffindor know-it-all had no prior chance to talk to Harry. After the opening feast the night before, both Harry and Draco had left swiftly with Severus, and neither had been seen until the first lesson this morning. With the rumor-mills running at an all time high and the speculations were actually hitting close to the truth for once. Somewhat. Maybe. Probably not. Evidently, the two were said to be housed together and would continue to be segregated from the rest of the school on most occasions, aside from classes.
Looking around Harry, she spared a quick glance at the Malfoy scion. "Does he have to be around?"
Looking at his friend with a slight frown, the emerald-eyed boy replied curtly. "We are supposed to look-out for each other - under Dumbledore's orders." He shrugged with a sheepish look. "Don't see much way around that... Besides, we need the time to get used to each other."
"Oh. I didn't know you were following the headmaster's orders. What is it exactly that you have to do?" The bushy-haired Gryffindor queried her friend.
"Erm, look Hermione, I'm not exactly comfortable discussing this in a corridor, so... "He glanced back at the blonde, exchanging a pointed look with him." Perhaps you'll like to join us in our rooms to discuss this."
"What? So you're never going to be back at Gryffindor Tower?"
"Erm, Hermione..." He glanced around. "Headmaster's orders, remember. Not much choice is there?"
The trio fell into an awkward silence as they walked down the hallways towards one of the areas that were restricted to all but the staff of Hogwarts. The bushy-haired girl looked somewhat perplexed as she took in the dungeon entrance. "The dungeons? Isn't there a better place more readily available?" She queried her two silent guides.
"Well, the old coot wants us closer to Severus." The blonde casually replied, seeing his godbrother busy with unlocking their chambers.
"Malfoy! How can you call the headmaster names?"
"Why not?" He shrugged. "He sure doesn't mind us calling him names. In fact, he even encourages it."
"Harry!" The dark-haired boy turned to face his prefect-friend.
"Draco's right and you know it. Dumbledore's not exactly sane, you know." He lightly chastised his friend, his grin softening the words. "Welcome to our humble abode... This way, Hermione." He gestured her inwards.
"I'll just firecall Sev to let him know." At Harry's nod, the blonde swept towards the fireplace.
After making sure that the door was secured, Harry crossed over to the kitchenette to get some tea for them all, at which he noticed Hermione looking about the simple rooms, even peering into their shared bedroom. He shook his head at her curiosity. 'She'll never really change.'
"Look, if you want, I'll head into the bedroom. Give you two a little privacy." Draco hinted cheekily as he turned away from the fireplace, but the innuendo seemingly went over unnoticed by both Gryffindors.
"Draco, it's all right." Harry answered. "Besides, you'll have to help me with the general explanations. Might as well get the entire explanation over with at once. Here." He passed the tray of tea things over for the silver-eyed teen to set out while he headed back to the kitchenette to snag some cookies to go with it.
Hermione silently observed the casual interaction between Harry and Malfoy with slightly narrowed eyes. To her, both young men seemed to have broken-through their usual facades to be able to interact so… familiarly... yet it was not what they had earlier presented to the rest of the school. Even more piqued than previously, she could barely wait for Harry to return to the couch to launch into her barrage of questions.
"Harry James Potter, what exactly is going on?" She looked at said young wizard. "Why did the Headmaster put the both of you together? Have you heard the rumors that have been circulating since last night? Well?"
The emerald eyed young wizard looked at his friend with a small grin. "You know Hermione, if there is one constant in the Universe, it is your thirst for knowledge."
In return, she just looked weirdly at the two wizards sitting beside each other on the couch. "Harry, you're not going to tell me you're… gay, are you?"
"WHAT!" The messy-haired young man exclaimed, nearly choking on his tea. "Hermione! What were you thinking!" hastily setting down his tea cup lest something worse happened.
Beside him, the self-proclaimed Slytherin prince sputtered indignantly while trying to control his laughter. "Us? Gay?" Crazed laughter erupted; uncontainable.
"Hermione, listen to me." Harry gestured to Draco and himself. "We're not gay, or whatever you call it. There is an actual valid reason behind Dumbledore's decision." Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, he continued. "You understand that this has to stay within these rooms, don't you. Please, you can't tell anyone else about this, not even Ron, not unless we choose to tell them." At her hesitant nod, he let out his breath. "What do you know about Snape and me?"
Even confused by this vague question, Hermione knew what Harry was alluding to. She nodded. "Few people, even within the Order, know about it. I actually knew this prior…" She trailed off, before coming to a resolve. "Professor Snape told me about it, once, at Grimmauld place." She confessed, hoping that Harry would not get upset with her. "He told me that he is your new godfather, and he asked a few general questions about your upbringing and personality quirks." Seeing the young wizard stiffen up slightly, she was quick to defend her actions. "At that time, you'd seem to need all the help you could get. I did not betray your trust Harry. Please believe me."
The young wizard had to concede that his friend was right. He had needed the help, and he could not now deny it. Softly, he reassured his friend. "It is all right now, Hermione. I don't blame you." At this, his godbrother placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, at least that was one part of what I had wanted to tell you." That secured the Gryffindor prefect's attention. "The second part is something that is not commonly known. Severus has another godson."
"What? Who is it?"
"Me."
"Malfoy?" She looked between both boys in bewilderment. Suddenly, things clicked in her mind as her brain processed the information given to her. "Oh!"
"Oh indeed, Granger."
"So, that makes me and Draco here sort of like brothers." Harry finally finished.
"Gay?" Draco snorted inelegantly. "Granger, you really have an overactive imagination."
With a rosy blush staining her cheeks, Hermione apologized. "Well, Harry was really awkward about it, and reading those signs, and that the both of you seemed to have suddenly gotten comfortable with each other overnight…"
"Hermione, we didn't just spend last night together." At her raised brow, he quicken amended. "I didn't mean it like that! Circe! You sure have a one-tracked mind. As I was saying, Draco and I had to spend several days together to get this comfortable with each other, as well as the fact that we had to do a 'family talk' thingy with Severus and the aid of truth serum, well… I guess you can see the picture."
"Yeah, believe me when I say this Granger; it wasn't a pretty party, that 'family talk' we had with Sev. Two words; violence and history."
"There was just so much to work out between us." The emerald eyed wizard said softly. "It wasn't easy for me to share so much of everything with anyone, and it didn't help that we could not omit anything because of the truth serum."
"Harry…" The brunette witch was at a loss for words.
"Well, there you have the facts." The blonde held the Gryffindor prefect's gaze. "Now, tell us what are the rumors you have heard…"
The Game of Truths
"Now that the ground rules are clear, this is how we will proceed. Harry, you will take the first dose. Draco will start off with one question, and then I will ask one question. It will be a small dosage, and should wear off easily in ten minutes." He looked towards the silver-eyed wizard. "Then, Draco, you will take a similar dose, while Harry asks one question, followed by myself." Indicating the ominous rack of potion vials that was on the table top with a graceful sweep of his hand. "I will go after Draco, and both of you will get to ask me a question each, after which we will take a short break before doing the procedure again." Looking intently at both his boys. "Are we all clear on what will be happening?"
"Sev, do we really have to do this?"
"Yeah, isn't there another way?"
"Believe me, this is not my preferred choice either, but as Albus had pointed out, this makes sure that we are all on equal footing, and takes much lesser time than any other methods – time which we are hard pressed for. As you both know, school starts in two days." Picking up a vial of mild truth serum. "This ensures that honesty is the basis for our newly established family unit." He cleared his throat gruffly. "Now, are we all clear on what will be happening?"
At the reluctant nods from both teens, the Potions Master beckoned the dark-haired young wizard close, placing three drops carefully on his tongue. "Ready?" Obsidian eyes peered into bright emerald, taking in the slightly potion-induced haze.
"Yes."
"State your full name."
"Harry James Potter."
"Good. Draco you may start."
"Pot… Harry, how was your home life with your muggle relatives? Can you give us a brief description?"
"Yes. I grew up in the cupboard under the stairs, until my first Hogwarts letter appeared. I was then relocated to Dudley's second bedroom as the Dursleys were afraid that the wizards would know how they had been treating me, and wreak havoc upon them." Taking a short pause, the dark-haired young wizard closed his eyes briefly in painful recollection. "Since the age of four, I had been expected to help out around the house to earn my keep, and if I failed to do something to their satisfaction, they would punish me. I attended a muggle primary school in the neighborhood with Dudley, and was dressed in his cast-offs. Aside from the Dursleys, I was primarily in the care of Mrs Figgs when the Dursleys went away."
"Oh." The blonde was dumbstruck.
"Harry…" The austere man hesitantly asked. "Did those muggles ever abuse you in any capacity?"
"Well, if I failed to do something to their satisfaction, they would scold me and punish me by locking me in my cupboard without food or light for several days. I would get slapped by aunt Petunia if I made mistakes during cooking; otherwise it's generally Uncle Vernon who belted me and locked me up in the cupboard. In the summer before second year, he actually put bars on my windows. This summer, however, he got much worse – possibly malicious because of the Order's threats at King's Cross when they picked me up. Dudley and his gang used to play 'Harry Hunting' when we were younger, with the usual sort of bullying and intimidation tactics. They made sure no one would dare befriend me."
"Harry…" The usually stoic wizard was hard-pressed to maintain his neutral countenance. Reaching out his hand to lay over that of his charge. A subtle show of comfort. He addressed his other charge. "Draco."
The blonde youth turned from his musings on the boy-who-lived to his godfather, meeting the obsidian gaze, nodding slightly.
The elder wizard carefully observed as the requisite three drops of truth serum was ingested. "Ready?"
"Yes."
"State your name."
"Draco Malfoy."
"Good. Harry?"
"Mal… erm, Draco, what was your home life like?" Thinking it best to stick to general questions that avoided their previous clashes.
"I've lived in the family manor from my birth and was left mainly in the care of house-elves and my tutors before Hogwarts. Father seldom spent time on me due to the nature of his work and businesses. Mother, though doting, was more interested in living the high life than to care for a young child. As theirs was an arranged marriage between pureblooded families, there was not much love to begin with. Thankfully, Sev would visit occasionally and had been there for me most of the way for the important things that mattered most to me."
"……" Harry cleared his dry throat. "Guess we were somewhat similarly brought up, being kept in solitary environs huh?" He received a vague shrug from the blonde for his comment.
"Draco, tell us why you chose to join the light side?" The tenebrific Potions Master wanted to know – it was important to him.
"There are several reasons. The most important one being that you – my godfather – had chosen such, and I refuse to be a disappointment to you. You had always been there for me. Then, there is the fact that I have no wish to join or serve a monster. I do not agree with his methods, and I have my pride as a Malfoy after all. Can't see myself as being willing subservient – bowing and scraping my way through life. Last, there is that luck that Potter, Harry here is known for. I figured that chances of survival by his side are probably higher than remaining as a neutral party in the coming war." His voice trailed off.
The dark-haired youth looked at the young Malfoy with a thoughtful expression, even as Severus took in his godson's sincere words. Having his rationale laid out thus, Severus could see that the boy-who-lived had no trouble readily believing his godbrother.
The redheaded young witch glanced about the Great Hall, as she started on her dinner. Narrowing her eyes slightly as she observed Harry sharing a table with that blonde ferret. Forcing herself from blatantly staring, she turned away, noticing her bushy-haired friend approach the Gryffindor table, as usual lugging several thick tomes to the meal. 'Hmm, Hermione seems much less tensed than before... I wonder if she'd the chance to speak with Harry?' She waved to the older girl, signaling the empty seat beside herself. "Over here, Hermione!"
"Hi Ginny." The brunette set the heavy tomes on the bench beside herself as she readied for dinner – and interrogation of sorts, as she noticed the questioning glint in the younger witch's eyes. She was not disappointed as the young Weasley immediately took advantage of the general dinner chaos to pile her with questions.
"Hermione, have you talked to Harry yet?" She indicated the separate table with her chin. The brunette nodded at that. "Well?" The impatient glare she received from the younger girl was almost comical.
"I managed to corner Harry earlier today after DADA, and I had a short talk with him" She added absently as she started on dinner. "– and Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Ginny almost spat out the pumpkin juice she was drinking, garnering quite a few inquisitive glances their way. She lowered her voice. "What was he doing, listening-in to your conversation with Harry?"
"Ginny, now is not a good time and place to discuss this." She indicated the number of their housemates trying to surreptitiously listen-in to their conversation. "Besides, I think Harry will rather explain to you personally in time." Seeing the redhead unwilling to let the matter rest, she whispered. "Dumbledore is well aware of the situation, Ginny. Not harm will befall Harry from that quarter for now."
Unconvinced, but willing to concede for the moment, the redheaded witch gave the older girl a nod of acquiescence, as she resumed eating her dinner, covertly observing the segregated pair.
'Well. They sure seem pretty chummy. I wonder what's the real deal? Knowing Harry's behavior for most of the summer holidays... Hmm... I wonder what Dumbledore did to them to get such levels of light banter and co-operation?' The red-headed girl mused silently as she kept a loose eye on the boy savior and the blonde ferret. 'Interesting.' Looking around, her eyes narrowed as she perceived she was not the only observer. 'Noom seems very interested in their interactions as well. I wonder what gives. Snape, on the other hand, has every right to be suspicious, that paranoid git. I suppose he will never forget his spying role.' Looking up to see the headmaster intent on the two youths. 'The headmaster seems to be heartily approving the interactions between those two. His eyes are twinkling far too merrily – he must have had a large hand in the arrangements.'
"So, Potter and Snape as family. Not forgetting the damned Malfoy as well." His hands loosely gripping the dusty tome he was reading. He could feel a headache coming on. "I could not have foreseen this."
"Theres isss little we can do to deal with it isss there not?" Came the hissed reply.
"Point conceded, but I wonder if that old fool knows what he has done, forging such a bond between a Potter, a Snape, and a Malfoy. Especially Lucius' heir." A page flipped.
"Did you not have a hissstory with Malfoy Sssenior?"
"Don't touch that Lucius!"
The then young Malfoy, no more than the age of six, peered curiously into the cauldron. "What are you brewing, sir?"
A gentle smile. "Just a simple potion, Lucius. Nothing you should concern yourself with." Looking down at the young boy. "Are you not supposed to be with your mother?"
"She is getting ready for the dinner tonight." The young blonde pouted. "I am bored." He looked up at the smiling man. "Play with me?"
Sighing in defeat, he walked over to the child. "Fine, fine. Quit pouting, child." He patted the young head. "What would you like me to conjure up?"
"Lights! Lights!" The young child jumped up and down excitedly. He always did love the pretty lights.
"So be it." With a snap of his fingers, bursts of light zapped forth from a supposedly empty cauldron and filled the small room. Red, blue, green. Rainbow colors and more flashed around, swirling and twirling, dancing in the air. Much to the young child's delight. Eliciting another smile from the man. "If you conduct yourself properly tonight, Lucius, I will create another light-show for you another day."
"Sure?" At the man's nod. "Yay!"
"Lucius! Why!"
Malfoy stood tall over him, wand in hand, and a smirk on his face. "Why?" He arched a blonde brow. "Because I can… and because my Lord commands it." A flick of the wrist had the elder man convulsing in pain. "You old fool." He brought down the wand hard; casting the spell.
The curse ripped through the prone body sprawled on the ground, tearing apart his internals. Tears glistened as it trailed from his eyes, more from the treachery than the pain. His body constricted in spasms; he clawed painfully at the ground. Pain shrouding everything else in haze.
A strong voice of pure evil. "You have proven your loyalties to me, Malfoy." Sibilant tones continued. "You are worthy to be one of us." Turning to sneer at the broken figure on the ground.
Oddly, he could sense the self-proclaimed Dark Lord looking down at him, feeling the evil radiating off the dark wizard. "And you thought you could resist me. All your years of existence had taught you nothing?" An evil cackle. "You cannot win. The world will be mine to do as I deem fit. The meddlesome Order too will not long stand in my way." He heard a wand being drawn, felt it being pointed at him. "Say your goodbyes." Darkness soon followed.
"NO! My time is not up yet! I will have my revenge… I will make you pay, Lucius. You have stained all I have stood for… Voldermort, you will fall. By my grace you will fall. I swear…"
"Yes… a history with the Malfoys…" A slight wind passed through the chambers, making the candles flicker. "You could say that." His voice oddly contemplative. Abruptly changing the subject. "The boy is not easily approachable."
"Yesss, be that ssso, you'll ssstill have to admit he isss the one with the potentialsss..."
"I do not dispute it." He draws forth the crux of the discussion. "Severus Snape. The black serpent guards both his charges most warily." A dark look. "It will be a challenge to get to the boy alone."
"Mossst bothersssome, I assssure you, but not necessssarily impossssible."
An arched brow. "You have a plan?"
"Partisssally."
"You believe it workable here at Hogwarts?" The questioning tone belied the mounting anticipation of being able to pull something-off right under the barmy old coot's very nose.
"With the right choicsse of eventsss manipulated, yesss." Sibilant tones sounding oddly amused. A forked tongue flicked-out, tasting the change in the air about them. "Sssomeone approachesss, I take my leavess." A slight slithering noise, then quiet.
A knock on the door. "What is it?"
"Professor Noom?" A female voice; one of the other professors at Hogwarts. "There will be a meeting in ten minutes, and the Headmaster requests your presence in attendance."
Taking his dark cloak off its hanger by the entranceway, Noom swung it around, covering his entire form before opening his chamber door. Noting the shrewd amber eyes and stern features of his colleague. "Thank you, Madam Hooch." Offering his arm gallantly. "Let us be on our way?" His arm was accepted, even as she glanced warily at his hooded self.
Dear Harry,
I know that you must be worrying about me. Don't be. I am well, and still on my mission in Europe. I will most likely not be back until after Halloween, but rest assured that I will continue to send you a letter – however short – each time I send in a report to the Headmaster through Fawkes.
How have you and Severus been getting along? Did you manage to have the talk that you needed? Let me know how the situation progresses with Malfoy junior. Give yourself some time to get used to them, and I believe they will be good for you as you are for them.
Know that I worry about you as well, and I wish I am able to spend more time with you, but we take what we can in such times. Harry, I am proud of you and what you have achieved, and I believe your parents and Sirius will agree with me. Do not doubt yourself. Keep your chin up, cub.
Warmest care and concern,
Remus L.
He carefully folded the thin parchment, slipped it into its envelope to place onto his bedside table. Dumbledore had given him the letter earlier this evening after dinner. He supposed he could pass his reply to the Headmaster in a few days when Fawkes would again fly to Remus for his reports. Drawing up his knees, he wrapped his arms loosely about them as he contemplated about the last few days.
'Do I want to do this properly?' He looked over at his recently acquired godbrother sleeping in the next bed. 'Hell, I was the one who approached Severus with the basic plan... I shouldn't be questioning myself at this stage. Things are already moving along much better than I'd hoped for.' He sighed. 'I have a new family now. One that seems to accept all that I have been, am, and will be. What more do I have to ask for?' He turned to gaze out of the window, whispering softly. "Mum, dad, Sirius. I hope you all will be happy for me. Remus seems to think this will be good for me, even if Severus and Draco are Slytherins." He shook his head ruefully. "Damn, I was almost sorted there too."
Dear Diary,
A great deal happened today. Remember yesterday when I wrote that the two greatest Hogwarts rivals of the current age are seemingly now friends? It seems that the rest of the school has taken this with totally different notions.
Word is out that they are both gay. Hard to believe that, isn't it? Harry as a homosexual? I truly hope not. (That will make my having a crush on him so weird, doesn't it?) But, it will be hard to gauge, as all his recent prolonged interactions with Snape (The horrible Potions Master, remember?) must have driven him mad.
Hermione seems to be very calm about the entire situation, though I suspect she knows more than she lets on about this fiasco. Either that or she just has confidence in Harry.
Ron (that pig-headed older brother of mine), on the other hand, is as to be expected, ranting and raving to anyone who will listen, that Harry has gone around the bend. I worry that his ramblings will hurt Harry even more than what others may say – given the recent fragility of their friendship.
Most of the other boys from their dorm have been rather quiet about the situation, choosing not to comment on anything – although I think I heard Neville defending Harry's actions earlier today in the common room to the overly curious third years.
Then, there's also Noom to consider. (He's the new DADA professor.) He has been intensely observing both Harry and Malfoy since school started. There seems to be a sort of… darkness… about him that scares me. I wish Harry will be careful. It always seems as though that the DADA professors were out to either kill or discredit him, doesn't it?
I suppose this highly irregular situation about Harry and Malfoy will continue circulating, as there's not much else. You-know-who has been too quiet ever since the incident at the Ministry, even though the Ministry is now telling the people that he's back.
I have Noom's class tomorrow. Perhaps then, I can watch him closely. His ever present hooded clothing has been the source of many speculations about him since the opening feast. (Parvati seems to think the hood is hiding his stunningly gorgeous looks from all of us, but somehow I don't think that's its purpose.)
Well, diary, that is all for tonight. Good night. We will continue our discussion tomorrow.
- finis for now
Hello everyone, it has been awhile hasn't it? Due to commitments and tons of homework, it has been a good 7 months since Azer and myself (Gekisou) have been able to make an update so we wrote this extra long chapter (18 page chapter) to make up for our previous lack of updates. Did you like it? What are your thoughts? We'd love to hear from you all, negative or otherwise so please, write in, we're open to suggestions (taking them is another matter altogether.)
Now, on to some of the remarks we haven't answered to:
n6uos: you got everything wrong
Gekisou: What did we get wrong? The story? (It is a fanfic after all) The Characters? (I think we've been doing an ok job) You have to be more specific than that.
athenakitty:
(a) Did Harry explore the castle a bit more?
(b) I'm surprise that Severus reads muggle newspaper. What is the headlines?
(c) Will Dumbledore and Severus think of ways to protect the muggleborn students?
(d) Will Harry and Draco drive Severus extremely crazy?
(e) Will Ron behave or loose Harry's friendship?
(f) Did something extremely nasty happen to the Dursleys?
Gekisou:
(a) Nope, Harry hasn't had much time for castle exploration yet but later, who knows? (Well, only we do anyway)
(b) Severus does not read the muggle papers. It was in fact Ms Figgs who read them and sent any articles with interest about Voldermort's resurgence to Dumbledore, they just happen to go through Severus first.
(c) From this chapter, you now know that Severus and Dumbledore are planning something to protect the families of muggleborn students. The students themselves are quite protected in Hogwarts itself (or are they…?)
(d) That remains to be seen but if I have my way, it is a resounding yes.
(e) We're working on it, we're working on it…
bast4: another good chapter. what's this of new classes for draco and harry? how close have they become? close friends? brothers? how will the others react? will this ruin ron and harry's friendship? how much has harry gotten over sirius's death? do either of hte boys have any special or extra-strong powers? what's up with the DADA teacher? please write more soon!
Gekisou: Hmm… A relation to athenakitty? This chapter should have answered most of your questions about Ron, the DADA teacher and how close Draco and Harry have gotten. But as to how much Harry has gotten over Sirius's death, the question is, do you ever recover from the death of a love one?
That's all we have and I have time for so goodbye, sleep tight and take care while we work on the next chapter. See ya all!
- Sometimes, you've got to listen to the voices in your head and blow things up.