Deligo Sanguis

Chapter Ten

It Wasn’t Me

ONE

Draco waited patiently for Harry to arrive. He’d received a note earlier asking him to meet Harry in their usual place, but it hadn’t said why. Usually they met after Harry’s detentions, which had continued with Dumbledore since Snape had turned up in the hospital wing. All kinds of rumors were flying around about what had happened to the sour professor, but each was less believable than the last.

Draco had known for some time that Snape was a Death Eater. He’d also known that Snape wasn’t loyal to the Dark Lord. It wasn’t very difficult for him to figure out; his father was the Dark Lord’s right hand man. For example: Snape had been alone with Harry for hours on end every night since the first week of the year. If he were loyal, he’d have found a way to deliver Harry to the Dark Lord, who was obsessed by destroying the diminutive Gryffindor. Snape also spent a great deal of his time conversing with Dumbledore, who trusted him implicitly. Draco didn’t much like Dumbledore, but he knew that the old man wasn’t stupid. Not even Snape was clever enough to keep his duplicity from the headmaster.

Draco sat down on a desktop, waiting for Harry to arrive and speculating about which rumor was the truth. He suspected that Snape had been found out as a spy within the Dark Lord’s circle. What he couldn’t understand was how that had happened. Snape was, after all, a talented Occlumens. Draco only knew that because Snape had taught him Occlumency during the summers between his fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts. Aside from that, Snape wasn’t likely to have told the Dark Lord that he wasn’t a loyal servant. Someone else must have found out and turned him in.

Draco’s contemplation was cut short as the classroom door opened and Harry slipped in, closing it softly behind him. It was just after lunch, so Draco was very curious about what Harry wanted with him. Harry, who looked as though his whole world was falling apart around him, stood against the wall and began staring at Draco with round eyes.

“Harry?” Draco asked. “What’s up?” He hopped off of the desk.

Harry, instead of answering, brought his hands to his face and began scrubbing at it as though he were washing it.

“Harry?” Draco asked again, beginning to feel concerned.

Harry’s hands stopped scrubbing and he pressed them into his eyes for a moment before dropping them back to his sides.

“What is it, Harry?” Draco asked, taking a step forward.

Harry suddenly moved forward, throwing himself into Draco’s arms, and promptly burst into tears.

Draco felt dumbfounded as he held tightly to Harry. “What is it, Harry?” he asked again, rubbing gentle circles on Harry’s back.

Harry was wailing in apparent misery, his hands fisted into Draco’s robes and his face buried in Draco’s shoulder. Draco could feel the tears soaking through the fabric of his robes, but he didn’t complain. He was worried about what could have caused the normally unflappable Gryffindor to break down this way.

“Harry, talk to me,” Draco cooed, trying in vain to stop Harry’s sobbing.

Harry didn’t seem to hear him though and only cried harder. This uncontrollable sobbing went on for a long time before Harry finally calmed down and pulled away, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Feel better?” Draco asked.

Harry nodded and dropped into a chair.

“What happened?” Draco asked, leaning back against a desk.

Harry was looking down at the floor. “You know Snape’s a Death Eater, right?” he asked.

Draco was shocked, to say the least. How did Harry know that? “Yeah,” he said carefully, wondering where this was going.

“Voldemort found out that he wasn’t loyal to him,” Harry went on.

That answered one question, but Draco still wondered what Harry was thinking.

“Snape says one of the students here turned him in,” Harry said.

Draco remained silent.

Harry’s red eyes came up to look at him. “They think it was you,” he said, his voice getting thick again as he held back another torrent of tears.

“What?” Draco asked. “How can they believe that?”

Harry said nothing.

Draco narrowed his eyes. “You don’t believe it, do you?” he asked.

“No,” Harry said.

Draco crossed the room and dropped into the chair next to Harry.

“Snape believes it, though,” Harry whispered. “If they pin it on you, you’ll be expelled. You could even end up in Azkaban.”

Draco sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his left hand. “But I didn’t do anything,” he muttered.

“I know, but what if they arrest you without asking? What if they send you to prison without a trial? What if—“

“Enough, Harry! Asking ‘what if’ isn’t going to help things.”

“Are you going to take the Dark Mark?” Harry asked suddenly.

“I don’t have much of a choice, Harry,” Draco replied tiredly.

“There’s always a choice.”

“My father demands it. What am I supposed to do?”

“Yeah? Sirius refused it. His family disowned him for it, but he got out.”

“His family disowned him. If I refuse, my father isn’t going to disown me. He’ll kill me.”

“How will he manage that from Azkaban?” Harry asked.

Draco glared at him. “The Dementors are ready to revolt!” he snapped. “He’s not going to be in Azkaban forever!”

Harry sighed and rubbed his hand over his face again. For a moment, Draco was worried that Harry would start crying again, but he didn’t. “I’m sorry,” he muttered instead. “I’m just scared to death and I don’t know how to deal with it.”

Draco sighed. “I’ll figure something out,” he said softly. “I just need time to think.”

“And what about Snape?”

“I’ll take care of that.” Draco waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry so much, they can’t pin anything on me. For once, I really didn’t do it.”

Harry chuckled sardonically. “For once,” he agreed.

Draco smacked him in the back of the head. “Prat,” he groused.

“Bastard,” Harry returned with a smile, rubbing his head slightly.

Draco smiled, glad that Harry wasn’t crying any longer. He’d never seen Harry so upset and it bothered him. He rather liked smiling Harry better. Hell, even scowling, angry Harry was better than weeping Harry. Draco stood up and stretched his back until he felt it pop, at which point he sighed satisfactorily. “I’d better go take care of this Snape problem,” he said. As he started to walk passed, Harry reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he cautioned.

Draco smirked. “Well, that gives me a lot of room to work with then, doesn’t it?”

Harry released Draco’s hand, shaking his head, but he was smiling. “Get out of here, cheeky git.”

“You know you love it,” Draco replied, bending to place a kiss on Harry’s forehead. He left the room swiftly, a plan already forming in his mind.

TWO

The rest of the day’s classes seemed to drag on endlessly. Draco tapped his fingers irritably through almost the entirety of his last class, History of Magic, until at last the bell rang. He hadn’t even bothered to remove his supplies from his bag, so he just grabbed it and rocketed out of the room. He went to Snape’s Corridor, as the Slytherins called it, and waited for Dumbledore to walk away from the Potions room. After he was sure that the coast was clear, Draco magicked his way into the room, heading straight for Snape’s private Potions stores. He sincerely hoped that Snape had what he was looking for on hand, because Draco doubted he had time to brew it.

He scanned the shelves quickly, reading Snape’s tidy labels until at last he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the small vial off of the shelf, putting it into his pocket, and went straight to the hospital wing. He knew he was risking Snape’s ire, stealing a potion that way, but it was the only way anyone would believe he hadn’t set Snape up.

THREE

Severus was grumbling discontentedly as Poppy bustled about him, feeding him potions he didn’t want and casting spells over his person without abandon. At last, she relented, ordering him not to attempt getting out of bed on his own. Severus glared at her and his mood only got worse, when it had absolutely no effect. “Bloody woman,” he groused unhappily.

“She’s only trying to help, Severus,” Dumbledore said from the door, startling Severus.

“Damn it, Albus,” he grumped. “Announce your presence!”

Albus chuckled and sat down next to Severus’ bed. “How are you feeling, my boy?” he asked gently.

“Like I’ve been trampled by a rampaging dragon in heat,” Severus snapped in reply.

Albus chuckled again. “That’s understandable after what happened to you. I must say, I was most relieved when Remus returned with you.”

Severus crossed his arms petulantly over his chest. “You may tell the werewolf that I don’t hate him as much as I used to.”

“That’s very gracious of you, Severus,” Albus said, patting Severus’ arm.

Severus ground his teeth together and said nothing.

“I wish to discuss this suspicion of yours concerning young Mr. Malfoy,” Albus commented, ignoring Severus’ attitude.

“What is there to discuss?” Severus asked. “I’ve told you everything that happened.”

“Yes, but I would like to know what makes you believe it was Draco. Perhaps it could be another student.”

Severus snorted inelegantly. “Please, Albus. How many other students in this school are the children of the Dark Lord’s right hand?”

“Severus, I’m surprised at you. You, of all people, should know what it’s like to break away from your parents. If I recall correctly, your own father was fairly involved with the Dark Lord during his first rise.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Yes, Albus, I get your point.”

“Very good!” Albus exclaimed. “Then we needn’t draw conclusions too quickly!”

“Who else do you suspect then, if not Draco?” Severus asked, glaring at the old man ineffectually.

“We’ll find the culprit, Severus, not to worry. I’d just like to do it properly. I wouldn’t want an innocent to suffer for another’s crimes.”

Severus waved his hand impatiently. “Yes, yes, be noble, don’t point fingers and all the rest of your Gryffindor morals. I get it.”

Albus’ eyes were twinkling madly, but just as he opened his mouth to say something, the doors of the infirmary opened and admitted Draco Malfoy.

“Ah, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus said cheerily, turning in his seat to look at the blonde. “Come to see your Head of House? How lovely.” He started to get up.

“Please, sir,” Draco said. “If you could stay, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course, dear child,” Albus replied, sitting back down, his eyes twinkling more than ever.

‘Barmy old codger,’ Severus thought as he glared at Albus irritably.

Draco crossed the room almost nervously, seating himself on the other side of Severus’ bed.

“What is it, Mr. Malfoy?” Severus snapped after a long moment of silence.

“I’ve come to prove my innocence,” Draco replied.

“And just how do you intend to do that?” Severus asked with a raised brow.

He noted with satisfaction that Draco swallowed. The boy reached into his pocket and withdrew a small vial, passing it to Severus silently.

Severus narrowed his eyes before snatching the vial from the boy’s hand. He squinted down at the label, recognizing his own tidy scrawl. Veritaserum it read. Severus turned his glare back to his student. “Where did you get this?” he demanded.

“Er, I stole it from your private storeroom,” Draco replied, shifting in his seat.

Severus glared at the boy impatiently.

“Well, I figured it would be the only way you’d believe what I said,” Draco explained, snatching the vial back. He popped the cork and dripped three drops onto his tongue. His eyes went glassy and his posture relaxed.

Severus turned incredulous eyes on the headmaster only to find the man’s eyes bright with excitement. Shaking his head a bit, Severus turned his gaze back to Draco. “What did you do on Christmas day?” he asked.

“I woke up late,” Draco replied in a flat voice. “I went to the Great Hall to have breakfast and wait for Harry. I got upset because Harry didn’t show. When I left the Hall, I saw Harry and Professor Snape crossing the Entrance Hall together, talking about something Professor Snape had in his hand. I was too far away to see what it was. I went back to my dorm to find out what Harry was doing—“

“How?” Severus interrupted.

“Harry gave me a Seeing Ball for Christmas,” Draco replied.

Severus eyes widened in astonishment. Seeing Balls were extremely rare and hard to find. They were dangerous objects if placed in the wrong hands because they could see into any location, no matter the spells erected. Not even the Dark Lord had possession of a Seeing Ball. What had Harry been thinking, giving one of those to Draco Malfoy?

“I asked it to show me Harry,” Draco went on obliviously. “It told me that Harry was in a secured location, so I couldn’t see what he was doing.”

This new information came as an even bigger surprise. If Draco couldn’t see what Harry had been doing, that meant that Harry had either adjusted the spells on the Seeing Ball to prevent it from looking into protected locations, or he’d created the Ball himself.

“I did my Transfiguration essay and tried again, but it said the same thing. I waited for a while and tried again. I saw Harry in the corridor, speaking to Professor Snape. He told Professor Snape that he had plans with me for that evening so he couldn’t come by. They wished each other Happy Christmas then Harry began walking away. I went to a secret passage out of the dungeons so that I could meet Harry in the Entrance Hall. I accused Harry of carrying on an affair with Professor Snape. Harry told me they’d simply made a truce but nothing else was happening beside his detentions. We went back to the Slytherin common room. We played chess for a while, we talked, we played Exploding Snap, and then we went to my bedroom and made love before falling asleep.”

Severus had to fight the blush that wanted to rise at hearing about his son having sex with Draco.

“Did you inform Voldemort of Severus’ activities from that day?” Albus said, chuckling lightly. Severus glared at him.

“No,” Draco said.

“Have you ever informed on Severus to Voldemort?” Albus asked.

“No,” Draco replied.

“Have you ever informed on Severus to your father?”

“Sometimes.”

“When was the last time you informed on Severus to your father?”

“Last year, before he was sent to Azkaban.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That Professor Snape was cooperating with Umbridge and helping her to get Harry expelled.”

Albus nodded thoughtfully. “Have you ever informed on Severus to anyone besides your father?”

“No.”

Severus stared at the boy. So it hadn’t been Draco after all. Perhaps the Dark Lord had been lying? If so, then where had he truly gotten the information, from another faculty member perhaps? That just didn’t make sense. Dumbledore trusted all of the people on faculty. Who could it have been? “What are your feelings toward Harry?” Severus asked with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t answer that, Draco,” Albus said sharply, giving Severus a warning look. “That is not what we are here for, Severus,” he reprimanded.

Severus shrugged, not feeling at all sorry. It had been worth a try.

“You may go, Draco,” Albus said firmly.

Draco rose from his chair and left the room, still looking distinctly dazed.

FOUR

Harry was waiting anxiously outside of the hospital wing, hoping that whatever Draco had done had worked. Draco came out looking very dazed, not even seeming to notice Harry there. Harry grabbed his arm to get his attention. “What did you do?” he asked.

Draco stared blankly for a moment. “I don’t understand the question,” he said.

“Just now, what did you do?” Harry asked again.

“I told Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape what I did over Christmas,” Draco replied.

“Did they believe you?” Harry asked.

“Yes.”

“How did you get them to believe you?”

“I took Veritaserum.’

Harry’s eyes drifted closed of their own accord. That was a dangerous thing to do, but he understood why Draco had done it. “Come on,” he muttered, dragging a compliant Draco down the hall to the nearest empty classroom. Once inside, he pushed Draco down into a seat and began pacing, waiting for the potion to wear off.

Draco stared blankly at the wall opposite.

“Why’d you have to go and take Veritaserum, eh?” Harry demanded angrily.

“So that Professor Snape would believe I hadn’t turned him in to the Dark Lord,” Draco replied.

“You could have found another way!” Harry snapped. “Where’d you get that potion, anyway?”

“I stole it from Professor Snape’s private storeroom.”

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Well that was a stupid thing to do! What do you think Snape’s gonna do about that, huh? Tell me that!”

Draco stared blankly for a long time before saying, “I do not know what Professor Snape will do to me for breaking into his private storeroom and stealing a potion.”

“Stop talking!” Harry snapped at him. “Just don’t say anything until that potion wears off, yeah?”

“I don’t understand the question,” Draco said.

“Oh, for the love of…” Harry muttered. “I wasn’t asking a question.” He continued pacing restlessly; wanting to tell Draco off properly for his recklessness once the blonde could fight back. Draco didn’t seem to notice.