Revelations and Decisions

Chapter Twelve – Revelations and Decisions

He paced through the room like a caged lion, his untidy blond mane flying behind him.

Some weeks ago, he wouldn't have liked to be associated with that particular animal, but things had changed drastically. He was living among them in the proverbial lions den and was feeling more akin to the people around him then he felt to the poisonous snakes that had bitten him when his back was turned.

It was a strange thing to happen to a Malfoy, being at the mercy of the people he had always regarded as beneath him. The male Weasleys regarded him as an intruder, but accepted that he needed protection. The thing that had really surprised him was the caring and compassion of Molly Weasley. She was almost solely responsible for his fast recovery. She fussed about him, prepared his food, and sat by his bedside, listening unflinchingly to his ratings and ravings.

In the morning, he had finally broken down. Molly had brought him breakfast earlier than usual, catching him off guard, or more precisely, still immersed in nightmares. Draco had woken up in sweat and tears. Molly was soothing him, softly inquiring after his dreams. Between sobs and great gulps of air, he had told her everything that had happened after the flight from Hogwarts in the summer.

He told her about the punishment the Dark Lord had delivered, about his failed attempts to justify himself and get back into his good graces. He told her that his father had dumped him in front of St. Bart's when he had been ordered to 'dispose of the boy'.

The most difficult part to get a grasp on was his feelings of guilt and obligation to the deceased headmaster. "He saved my soul," he had whispered. "He saved my soul... and I owe him."

Molly had been surprised to hear that it was the young Malfoy who sent the letters, warning the Order of coming attacks. Softly, the Weasley matriarch asked after the Grangers, but Draco wouldn't talk about it.

The young man felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And because she hadn't said anything accusing or judgmental to him, he voiced his concerns about his mother's safety. Molly had agreed to send trustworthy people to look after her.

And that was exactly the reason why he was pacing. It was some days later now, and no news had yet come, though he was sure Molly knew something.

~o~o~o~

Moodily, Severus stirred the Adficio Affectus, trying to keep his mind as blank as possible. Memories of his fervent kisses with Hermione kept intruding, breaking his concentration. It had been oh-so-sweet to finally hold her... she was so willing... 'Yes,' his inner voice commented dryly, 'that's why she ran off like that, eh?'

This was indeed the thing he couldn't understand. What he knew, however, was that it was the reason she had avoided his presence for the last couple of days. He had hoped to talk to her when they retired in the evening, but no such luck. He wasn't sure exactly where she slept, but it wasn't in the bed with him, or the couch in the sitting room; he had checked every night.

Severus didn't understand his own feelings and reactions either. One minute he was angry and wanted to throw her out of his house; the next he wanted to grab her and tell her how very sorry he was. It was completely unlike him to feel so much at once. His emotional rage had broadened considerably; whether it was due to Hermione's presence, he didn't know.

The cauldron in front of him started emitting a whistling noise, a sure sign that the smoking would start any moment now. After several similar reactions from the brew, Severus knew what to do. He grabbed the shawl from the table and fastened it behind his head, so that it covered his mouth and nose.

Thus guarded against the biting fumes, he started preparing the ingredients for the next step of the potion.

After only a couple of minutes, a strong panic overcame him. What if the fumes were poisonous? He could die, and nobody would look for him. Hermione would be alone and defenceless. He needed to get out as quickly as possible. In his haste, he knocked over a bottle of unicorn blood, but he didn't care. He only wanted to get out, to safety, away from the potion.

He flung open the door and ran into the last person he wanted to see now.

Hermione.

~o~o~o~

It was a tired and completely fed up Hermione that decided to end her imprisonment, for that was what it felt like to her. Since the 'incident', as she referred to the kisses she had exchanged with her former professor, she had not spoken to him, nor stayed in a room when he entered.

Her new retreat in the cellar was dark and dank, but she had access to food and was connected to the bathroom some floors above. The mattress she slept on was in need of cleaning, but she didn't dare do any magic. She slept in her clothes because it was very chilly, that is if she slept at all.

When a small eagle owl arrived, baring the new ingredients for Voldemort's strange potion, she had seen her chance. A hastily penned letter was fastened to the leg of the bird, which she sent away to Grimmauld Place. Someone there would find it and come looking. She had described the house as best as she could, even going so far as informing the Order that she was in Snape's house.

Hermione knew it would take a while until they would find her, but she was willing to wait for them.

Happy with her accomplishment, she bounded down the stairs to get back into her cellar room and ran into Severus.

~o~o~o~

"God, this is so boring," Ron exclaimed, yawning. He was lounging on one of the black leather sofas in the Slytherin common room, popping chocolate into his mouth.

"You don't even know if it is night or day down here," Harry added, looking up from his wizarding crossword.

After two days of chopping and grinding all sorts of roots and beetles, there was nothing left for the boys to do in the Hogwarts Potions lab. Remus and Arthur were busy with brewing almost the whole day, and McGonagall was usually elsewhere on Order business.

The two young men were forbidden to leave the Slytherins' rooms; every excursion they took would be reported to the headmistress via the portraits.

"Pity you don't have your cloak with you," Ron mumbled.

Harry banged his head onto the table. "I have it with me. Since Dumbledore requested that I carry it with me last year, I haven't gone anywhere without it."

"That's great," Ron said, grinning broadly and standing up with a newfound energy. "Let's go wandering the school. Maybe we can visit Hagrid."

It took them less them five minutes to get ready and leave. Up the narrow dungeon stairs and along the corridors they went, out the great front doors and directly to Hagrid's hut. Unfortunately, the half-giant wasn't home.

"Pity," Harry muttered, "let's go back inside; it's too windy to stay outside."

"Maybe we can get into the Room of Requirement, practise some new hexes or the like," Ron proposed.

They had just entered the school building again when they were greeted by a smiling Albus Dumbledore, waving at them from a flower painting. He winked at the boys and motioned for them to follow him.

~o~o~o~

A knocking on the door startled Draco out of his thoughts. He bid whomever it was to enter, hoping it was Molly bringing him the news he longed to hear, that his mother was fine.

He was therefore surprised when a frowning Ginny entered, dumping a tray onto the chair beside the door.

"Your lunch," she commented dryly, turning to leave.

Draco spoke before he thought about it. "Stay! I mean... would you like a game of chess or Exploding Snap?"

Ginny slowly turned back to the blond. "Oh, lowering yourself to play with me, are you? Well, I don't think I can stand your company for the duration of a game."

Enraged that someone would dare talk to him like that, no matter how much he deserved it, Draco started flinging insults at the young redhead until Ginny exploded with anger, revealing something that should have been kept quiet.

"Just because your family manor was burned to the ground, and my mother asked us to be nice to you, doesn't mean I will stay here and listen to you spewing filth. Go to hell, ferret face."

And with that she stormed out and banged the door shut, leaving a shocked and frightened Draco Malfoy behind.

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, but real life is giving me hell right now.

Anyway, Hermione has sent a letter to Grimmauld Place. What will happen?