A Whispered Confession Can Change Everything
folder
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
38
Views:
5,851
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
38
Views:
5,851
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Draco polished off the last of his summer homework with a flourish. As he’d been saying all along, too easy. Sighing, he glanced at his portfolio to the side of his desk and flipped it open. As the days had passed he’d managed to pry Potter’s secret out of him, and only when he’d admitted that he wanted to duplicate it so he could talk to Pansy more easily. He had three parchments now, each one he’d spelled a different color so he could tell them apart. One to Potter, the original off-white. One to Pansy, pale blue, and the third to Granger, gold. Now he could converse via parchment without having to decode messages or waste time with an owl. It really was a brilliant idea of Potter’s.
And while he was on the subject, he grabbed a quill. Gryffindors weren’t known for being very enterprising and he knew for a fact if they told their friends soon everyone would have this system down and no one would benefit. And though he was a Slytherin he was an honest Slytherin. It wasn’t his idea so he wasn’t about to try to steal it out from under Potter. Besides which, he had this feeling the Gryffindor would be exceedingly upset with him.
D: Potter, this really was a brilliant idea of yours and I’ve been thinking. You should file this through the Ministry and patent it. It would catch on quickly I’m positive, especially if we could find a way to send these messages to specific people without multiple sheets of parchment. Well, I’m off to the greenhouse and I know you won’t see this until late in the night. Apparently I’m to help Professor Sprout with some of her plants or some such. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
***
Severus smoothed down his robes, annoyed to be dragged away from his laboratory but knowing he would not be summoned less it were something important. He was waved to a chair, tea was offered and denied. He leaned back and steepled his long fingers, waiting for the Headmaster to get on with it, “I wanted to inform you as Draco’s godfather before speaking with Draco...he is to be resorted in the autumn.” Snape stiffened, eyes sharpening, “It is not an insult to your house, Severus. I want a clean start for Draco, nothing more. Now that he will be eleven it is appropriate for his sorting. And were he to be Slytherin then that is where he shall stay, of course.”
Onyx eyes narrowing, “Save an unscrupulous wizard were to convince the hat otherwise.”
Waving a hand, “Nonsense, I have no such intention of even trying. But his musical talent has come to my attention and I thought it best to be certain he is where he truly belongs.”
“The boy is ambitious. Sly and cunning.”
“His is also intelligent from what I am told and musically gifted.”
Severus raised a challenging eyebrow, “His marks are average at best.”
“Yet he answers every oral question asked of him correctly.” Rustling around to produce a stack of parchment. As Headmaster he was not privy to this kind of information but as Draco’s guardian he was, “In fact I have received his marks from his grammar classes and I must say I am astounded he doesn’t do better here. He surpasses even Miss Granger in your class, unless I am to believe you are showing favoritism.” Snape bristled at the accusation while Albus only held a small smile. He knew very well that no matter how the students perceived him, Severus was impeccably honorable when grading, “He reads a phenomenal amount and with his natural abilities on the violin another house would be more appropriate...but as I said, Severus, it will be up to the hat.”
The Potions Master looked out the window for a moment, trying to settle his warring thoughts before nodding to himself, “Lucius set unreasonable expectations on Draco’s scores. Coupled with Draco’s belief that no other Professor in this school will treat him fairly and it’s little wonder his scores are ‘average’.”
Albus leaned forward, “Are you saying this is some form of test anxiety?”
Smirking to himself, “I’m saying if he were given free reign...he would very well beat Granger in her marks.” The smirk slowly slipped off, his eyes widening as he watched Greenhouse 1 in growing horror before jumping to his feet, spinning on his heels and running for the door.
***
Draco dragged himself, tired and sore, to bed. His entire body hurt. He was pretty sure his hair hurt too. Today had been a complete and utter disaster. He was supposed to replant the garden for Sprout. Not the entire garden, even Sprout was realistic. Just some of the herbs in Greenhouse 1. And he thought why not improve it a bit, make the plants larger to be more impressive for the first years. Big mistake. His spell had turned medium sized sprouts into giant stalks, breaking through the greenhouse canopy and spoiling the Professor’s good mood for the remainder of the day. Oops.
She’d come huffing and puffing in, screaming blue bloody murder about her precious plants and how he’d killed them. Well, actually she’d been just screaming, he having hid quite a bit before she’d come to investigate. Dumbledore and Severus had been dragged in to calm her down and negotiate his continued good health.
By the time everything had been sorted he’d been shooed out of the greenhouse, the good Professor was
begging the Headmaster to keep the boy away. At least he hadn’t broken anything permanently. And he felt shunned all through dinner, the Professors that stayed on during the semester doing their best not to look at him. Even Dumbledore, though he had caught the man covering his mouth to cough, his shoulders shaking every once in a while without sound. Peculiar.
The oddest thing was when he’d relayed his story to Granger. There had been a significant pause before she’d responded, her script a little slurred on the page and she only wrote the one thing.
H: Thanks Draco...I needed that.
Draco frowned to himself. Needed what?
***
Early the next morning Draco stumbled out of bed, hair sticking up at odd angles and glancing at his desk as he went by, he stopped and scratched his head with a yawn. Potter had written him something during the night and he felt a small smile spread across his face as he read.
H: I’ll think about your proposal for a patent. While we’re on the subject, can you think of a way for multiple person conversations. I’ve looked through what books I have during the night but I can’t find a blasted thing and you do have access to Hogwarts libraries. Or maybe it’s a spell that we’ll have to make ourselves, which is a shame since we can’t do that until after we graduate. Anyway, I can hear them rustling around, time for breakfast.
He could accept that. It was almost a Slytherin kind of answer and he felt oddly proud of the Golden boy. He’d also known from the start it was how Potter was going to respond and had written to his best friend about it. Then Pansy’s reply caught his attention and he grinned in delight.
P: Dray, of course it’s a brilliant idea. And typical Gryffindor, thinking we can’t just because we’re not graduates. I’ll start looking through the library here and I’ll see if Granger has any ideas. Between the four of us I know we’ll find a way to do this. Oh, and an absolutely brilliant story, Draco, I near pissed myself I was laughing so hard. But enough of my crudeness, sorry, Potter’s rubbing off on me. And don’t even think to contemplate that sentence in a perverse fashion or a shall be forced to smite you.
Draco polished off the last of his summer homework with a flourish. As he’d been saying all along, too easy. Sighing, he glanced at his portfolio to the side of his desk and flipped it open. As the days had passed he’d managed to pry Potter’s secret out of him, and only when he’d admitted that he wanted to duplicate it so he could talk to Pansy more easily. He had three parchments now, each one he’d spelled a different color so he could tell them apart. One to Potter, the original off-white. One to Pansy, pale blue, and the third to Granger, gold. Now he could converse via parchment without having to decode messages or waste time with an owl. It really was a brilliant idea of Potter’s.
And while he was on the subject, he grabbed a quill. Gryffindors weren’t known for being very enterprising and he knew for a fact if they told their friends soon everyone would have this system down and no one would benefit. And though he was a Slytherin he was an honest Slytherin. It wasn’t his idea so he wasn’t about to try to steal it out from under Potter. Besides which, he had this feeling the Gryffindor would be exceedingly upset with him.
D: Potter, this really was a brilliant idea of yours and I’ve been thinking. You should file this through the Ministry and patent it. It would catch on quickly I’m positive, especially if we could find a way to send these messages to specific people without multiple sheets of parchment. Well, I’m off to the greenhouse and I know you won’t see this until late in the night. Apparently I’m to help Professor Sprout with some of her plants or some such. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
***
Severus smoothed down his robes, annoyed to be dragged away from his laboratory but knowing he would not be summoned less it were something important. He was waved to a chair, tea was offered and denied. He leaned back and steepled his long fingers, waiting for the Headmaster to get on with it, “I wanted to inform you as Draco’s godfather before speaking with Draco...he is to be resorted in the autumn.” Snape stiffened, eyes sharpening, “It is not an insult to your house, Severus. I want a clean start for Draco, nothing more. Now that he will be eleven it is appropriate for his sorting. And were he to be Slytherin then that is where he shall stay, of course.”
Onyx eyes narrowing, “Save an unscrupulous wizard were to convince the hat otherwise.”
Waving a hand, “Nonsense, I have no such intention of even trying. But his musical talent has come to my attention and I thought it best to be certain he is where he truly belongs.”
“The boy is ambitious. Sly and cunning.”
“His is also intelligent from what I am told and musically gifted.”
Severus raised a challenging eyebrow, “His marks are average at best.”
“Yet he answers every oral question asked of him correctly.” Rustling around to produce a stack of parchment. As Headmaster he was not privy to this kind of information but as Draco’s guardian he was, “In fact I have received his marks from his grammar classes and I must say I am astounded he doesn’t do better here. He surpasses even Miss Granger in your class, unless I am to believe you are showing favoritism.” Snape bristled at the accusation while Albus only held a small smile. He knew very well that no matter how the students perceived him, Severus was impeccably honorable when grading, “He reads a phenomenal amount and with his natural abilities on the violin another house would be more appropriate...but as I said, Severus, it will be up to the hat.”
The Potions Master looked out the window for a moment, trying to settle his warring thoughts before nodding to himself, “Lucius set unreasonable expectations on Draco’s scores. Coupled with Draco’s belief that no other Professor in this school will treat him fairly and it’s little wonder his scores are ‘average’.”
Albus leaned forward, “Are you saying this is some form of test anxiety?”
Smirking to himself, “I’m saying if he were given free reign...he would very well beat Granger in her marks.” The smirk slowly slipped off, his eyes widening as he watched Greenhouse 1 in growing horror before jumping to his feet, spinning on his heels and running for the door.
***
Draco dragged himself, tired and sore, to bed. His entire body hurt. He was pretty sure his hair hurt too. Today had been a complete and utter disaster. He was supposed to replant the garden for Sprout. Not the entire garden, even Sprout was realistic. Just some of the herbs in Greenhouse 1. And he thought why not improve it a bit, make the plants larger to be more impressive for the first years. Big mistake. His spell had turned medium sized sprouts into giant stalks, breaking through the greenhouse canopy and spoiling the Professor’s good mood for the remainder of the day. Oops.
She’d come huffing and puffing in, screaming blue bloody murder about her precious plants and how he’d killed them. Well, actually she’d been just screaming, he having hid quite a bit before she’d come to investigate. Dumbledore and Severus had been dragged in to calm her down and negotiate his continued good health.
By the time everything had been sorted he’d been shooed out of the greenhouse, the good Professor was
begging the Headmaster to keep the boy away. At least he hadn’t broken anything permanently. And he felt shunned all through dinner, the Professors that stayed on during the semester doing their best not to look at him. Even Dumbledore, though he had caught the man covering his mouth to cough, his shoulders shaking every once in a while without sound. Peculiar.
The oddest thing was when he’d relayed his story to Granger. There had been a significant pause before she’d responded, her script a little slurred on the page and she only wrote the one thing.
H: Thanks Draco...I needed that.
Draco frowned to himself. Needed what?
***
Early the next morning Draco stumbled out of bed, hair sticking up at odd angles and glancing at his desk as he went by, he stopped and scratched his head with a yawn. Potter had written him something during the night and he felt a small smile spread across his face as he read.
H: I’ll think about your proposal for a patent. While we’re on the subject, can you think of a way for multiple person conversations. I’ve looked through what books I have during the night but I can’t find a blasted thing and you do have access to Hogwarts libraries. Or maybe it’s a spell that we’ll have to make ourselves, which is a shame since we can’t do that until after we graduate. Anyway, I can hear them rustling around, time for breakfast.
He could accept that. It was almost a Slytherin kind of answer and he felt oddly proud of the Golden boy. He’d also known from the start it was how Potter was going to respond and had written to his best friend about it. Then Pansy’s reply caught his attention and he grinned in delight.
P: Dray, of course it’s a brilliant idea. And typical Gryffindor, thinking we can’t just because we’re not graduates. I’ll start looking through the library here and I’ll see if Granger has any ideas. Between the four of us I know we’ll find a way to do this. Oh, and an absolutely brilliant story, Draco, I near pissed myself I was laughing so hard. But enough of my crudeness, sorry, Potter’s rubbing off on me. And don’t even think to contemplate that sentence in a perverse fashion or a shall be forced to smite you.