Darkness Shadows Light 2

Chapter Twelve - Depression is Merely Anger Without Enthusiasm

Snape sat on the couch and stroked the bump that was his daughter and stared out into space. The potion book he was supposedly reading laid discarded at his side. He was bored…and lonely. The Easter holidays were long over. Draco had taken over his classes and Harry was back teaching his own. He and Harry had managed to have a good holiday whilst staying with his parents, despite the news Draco had brought them. His mother had been mollycoddling him like he was a child which would have annoyed him at any other time, but at present was almost welcome. It felt good to know that he was loved by someone other than Harry, especially when Matthew was still ignoring him.

It was a relief to Snape that there were only about two more months of this pregnancy to go. After two more months, they would have another child to look after. The wizard reflected, not for the first time, that it wasn’t the best timing. Between his and Harry’s problems, Matthew’s problems with him and this new unknown threat, Snape felt he needed to be at full strength. Yet, he couldn’t begrudge the child that was growing within him. At first he had been terrified at the thought of another baby, especially one that he had to carry! Still, he never doubted that he would love her and couldn’t wait for her arrival.

Meanwhile, Draco was staring out a window in the Astronomy Tower, instead of preparing for his next lesson. However, he didn’t see the stunning view that was Hogwarts laid out beneath him. He was too caught up in his inner turmoil. He had met twice more with the mysterious wizard who wanted to kill Snape. He was becoming incredibly confused about his feelings and the feelings of the other wizard. He still didn’t have a name for the other wizard. He simply refused to give him one, even a false one. At some level, Draco fantasised that it was because he didn’t want to lie to him. Draco found the other wizard an enigma. When they weren’t talking about Harry or Snape, he came across as a witty, normal wizard. However, he always had an undertone of bitterness that Draco believed had become ingrained over the years spent alone. Alone. That’s what the blond wizard had learnt about how the other wizard had spent the years since Voldemort’s death.


Draco thought back to their last meeting. The other wizard had revealed something of his family, saying that they were estranged and he missed them immensely, especially his little sister…

Flashback

Draco hesitantly touched Ron’s shoulder to convey both sympathy and support. Ron turned at the touch. Suddenly, they were much closer than they had ever been before. There was a moment of perfect stillness as they realised their position and their eyes met in an electric gaze. Then, they were both moving towards each other and their lips met in a rush of passion. Ron revelled in the feeling of Draco’s impossibly soft lips against his own. At the feel of a tongue touching the seam of his mouth, he opened instantly to welcome in the blond wizard, letting their tongues slide together in an exquisite dance. It had been too long since Ron had felt this. Not just the touch of another person, but the *connection* he had not felt since Harry. Harry!

Ron abruptly pulled away, his breath coming in short pants, as he remembered the reason Draco was here. This wasn’t part of the plan!

Unbeknown to him, the same thought was going through Draco’s mind. He knew that if Snape or Harry – especially Harry – found out about this, they would never trust him again.

As they stared, dumbstruck, at each other, both came to the same conclusion – this must be declared a mistake and *never* happen again.

End of Flashback

The problem was that Draco couldn’t stop thinking about that moment or the man. He had always imagined that one day he would settle down with some nice witch and set about restoring the reputation of the Malfoy’s. He had always known he was bi-sexual. Except for Snape, he had never been seriously attracted to another male. Now, he found himself attracted to not just any man, but one who was possibly an ex-Death Eater and definitely trying to kill Severus Snape!

Another thing that was bothering Draco was that it had become clear from their earliest meetings that the other wizard was working on his own. This did not make sense to him. The two names he had heard in conjunction with this plot involving Matthew, which he had first brought to Dumbledore’s attention, did not appear to be involved. Draco had originally thought it was one of them behind all the glamour. As neither of them knew Harry or Severus personally, he did not believe so. He’d had to assume that they were not involved after all.

It never occurred to Draco that there might in fact be *two* plots involving Matthew Potter-Snape.

*********

Ron was starting to regret his plan. He was slightly worried that this regret had started the moment Draco had left after their ill-advised kiss. The revenge he had long been planning against Snape had lost its shine. It felt like he was waking up from a dream that had lasted more than a decade.

It had only been four weeks since he had first met Draco at the farmhouse. Ron had never believed Harry when he had said things between him and Snape went from loathing to love in such a short space of time. Of course, afterwards, Harry had tried to claim he had never hated Snape. Ron knew different. He had seen the hate in Harry’s eyes during those first five years. It was easy to recognise. It was exactly the same look he saw every time in the mirror and thought about the greasy wizard. Now, though, he could see it was all too possible to fall for someone you believed you hated.

Ron’s biggest problem was he had come this far and couldn’t see anyway of backing out without losing any respect Draco had for him. Plus, it would be silly to give up now when he was so close over what was probably just a case of last minute nerves.

Ron sat down glumly. His reasons for killing Snape did not seem as valid as they had before. Basically, he realised, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The person that had him questioning the purpose of his plan, was the very person whom he only had a future with if he carried it out. He wished he had more time to work it out, but the opportunity he had been waiting for, had suddenly arisen.

Ron’s plan had always been incredibly simple, if a bit lacking in detail. Get Matthew to hate Snape so much that he would be willing to kill him. Later, once he had met Draco, it had begun to seem all too possible. He would get Draco to lure Matthew out to meet him and make sure that Snape followed on his own. With the lies he had been feeding the young wizard, plus a few extra details he had kept back, he was confident he could goad Matthew into killing his father.

Ron knew from information via Draco, that Harry and Snape were so worried about their son, that they had put a location spell on Matthew. If he left the safety of the castle after dark, his parents would instantly be alerted to the fact. When Ron had first heard this, he instantly saw an opportunity to get Snape out of the castle without any elaborate subterfuge. The only sticking point had been how to stop Harry coming as well. Encouraged by Ron, Matthew had written frequently about his parents’ comings and goings and this had paid off. The young wizard had mentioned, casually, that Harry would be babysitting Hermione and Sirius’ youngest two that weekend whilst they had a trip away to celebrate their anniversary. Harry had not wanted to go, unwilling to leave Snape alone. Snape, however, had insisted that he would be fine. Ron was positive that the location spell would not alert Harry due to Hogwarts’ heavy wards. Assuming Snape was as arrogant as ever – and nothing he had heard recently gave him any doubt about *that* - Snape would follow his recalcitrant son alone.

In the back of his mind he had always known that this would never get Harry back for him. Maybe, he really just wanted Harry to suffer as much as he had suffered. See him with his lover dead and his only son sent to Azkaban for committing that crime. Left alone with no family and forever labelled as the father of a murderer.

**********

Ashanti stared with disbelief as she read the musty tome she had managed to purloin from the semi-Restricted section. She had always been told you could find out just about anything in the Hogwarts’ library. Now she believed it. Her curiosity had been raised at Christmas, when it had been intimated that her father was keeping secrets. It had simmered until the Easter holidays when she had overheard her parents’ arguing about telling her something important. She immediately realised it must be in regard to her natural father. She wasn’t stupid - far from it - she had realised *years* ago that Sirius was not her natural father. Up until now, she hadn’t really cared. As far as she was concerned, Sirius was her father. He had brought her up and showed just as much love for her as he had to his two natural children.

‘What’re you doing?’

Ashanti jumped at the unexpected voice behind her. Instantly, she slammed the book shut, turning to face her best friend.

‘Nothing,’ she replied in a strained voice.

Matthew looked over her shoulder at the book she had been reading. ‘ “Family History, Volume Weakley – Weedon.” What the hell are you reading that for?’

‘Just a little side project,’ Ashanti said quickly. ‘Really, nothing interesting whatsoever.’ What she had found out in the book had stunned her. With Matthew’s volatile mood swings of late, she hated to think how he would react.

//Why do our families have so many damned secrets?// she wondered angrily, as she carefully replaced the heavy tome. Turning to Matthew, she said. ‘I’ve just about finished here. Do you need any help?’

Matthew shook his head slightly to quickly. At any other time, Ashanti would probably have picked up on it. This time, she was too immersed in her own thoughts.

‘I’m good,’ he replied. ‘I just need to look something up for History of Magic.’

Ashanti nodded at him absently. ‘I’ll see you later then. Bye.’ With that, she headed for the exit.

Matthew watched her go with shadowed eyes. He could spot a lie from Ashanti at fifty paces. He could also see that something was obviously troubling her. He filed the thought away for another day when he had less on his own mind. He hadn’t come to the library to find her. In fact, he had been a bit annoyed to find her there. He was actually in the library to do a bit of his own personal research.

The wand he had found several weeks ago both confused and intrigued him. He would sometimes stare at it for hours and didn’t know why. He had come to the library to see if he could find a spell that would tell him to who it had belonged in the hopes that it would satisfy his curiosity. He wished he could ask Ashanti to help, but he knew she would demand to know where it had come from. Once he had told her, she would then demand he put it back. He looked with trepidation at the long rows of books. Where to start?

********

‘You wanted to see me?’

Ron looked across at the blond wizard lounging in the doorway. He had summoned him after coming to his decision less than an hour ago.

‘It’s time,’ he replied simply.