The Lion and the Serpent

Draco was out of breath when he burst into Calixa's quarters without knocking. Realizing too late what he had done, he tried to back out, but she threw her arms around him, and pulled him in.



“What took you so long?” she whispered.



“I am here now,” he said shyly.



She nodded. “How much time do you have?”



“I don't know. Indefinite. I don't think he cares when I come home.”



“Good,” she said seriously. “Based on our former conversations, it's time for you to meet the others.”



“The others?” Draco frowned. “And... what conversations?”



Calixa grinned mischievously.



“You really have no slightest idea, do you?”



He shook his head, bewildered.



“Damn, I am good, if I say so myself,” she said smugly. “Have a seat, Draco. This is going to be a difficult conversation... again.”



“Again?” he stared at her blankly, but sat down at her study desk.



“We've discussed a variety of things,” Calixa spoke calmly. “I am of the opinion that Harry Potter is not the same person that the world believes him to be. He's become dangerous. Really dangerous. And it is possible that a time will come when he will need to be stopped from destroying us all. I've told you that there is a student resistance group meeting regularly. We need someone like you, to be honest. Someone who has the capacity to see Potter for what he really is, and someone close enough to him to be able to make a difference. It may not feel like it right now, but you hold great power in your hands, just by being in his household. You can change the course of history, Draco.”



“You are scaring me,” Draco said, quiet terror creeping into his voice. “Listening to something like this could get me killed... and I don't even remember any of it.”



“Of course not. I Oblivated you after each conversation. Just like we'd agreed I would. This way, there was no memory of transgression, no guilt, and no fear on your part, when you went back to him. He can read your mind, but he can't read what you don't know... or don't remember.”



“That's not good enough,” Draco said. “What if he notices something is... off?”



“The first two conversations were trial runs,” Calixa said. “He didn't notice, did he?”



“No,” Draco admitted reluctantly. “Or maybe he did, and wiped my memory of it, as well. Damn it, Cali, this is scary. I don't even know what's real anymore.”



“Do you have any gaps in your memory while being with him? Any... irregularities?”



“No,” he said. “You on the other hand... I didn't really spend the entire Sunday sleeping in your arms, did I?”



“No,” she smiled. “Like I had said that day, you didn't sleep all that long.”



“Today, you skipped a class... Did I see you earlier today?”



“Yes,” she said. “I found you roaming around the school. We talked. I introduced you to two others.”



“It wasn't wise to skip his class,” Draco muttered. “He noticed you were gone.”



She shrugged. “He probably thinks it's because I hate him.”



Draco buried his face in his hands. “What have you gotten me into?” he asked her tiredly. “You will be the death of me, Cali. Literally.”



She sighed deeply. “Draco... let me ask you again.. .what have you got to lose?”



“Lots!” he shouted. “Limbs! Eyes! Internal organs! I happen to be very fond of all of those!”



She laughed, seemingly in spite of herself. Draco stared at her sheepishly. “I've said that before, haven't I?”



“Once or twice,” she said gently. “Look, I know you are scared. I won't force you into anything. The way I see it, you have three choices now. You can choose to put an end to this, and go back to your life the way it is now. I will never speak to you about Resistance again, and I will Oblivate you before you leave. You will know nothing, and he won't, either. Do you understand? You can still play it safe, if you choose to.”



Draco nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.



Calixa continued confidently:



“Second choice is to go deeper. Meet the others. Learn more. Then make your choice again. You can bow out of it at any time. Nobody is going to force you into anything.”



Draco nodded, and felt a knot form in his stomach. “You have no idea how fucking scared I am right now,” he whispered. “All he needs to do is summon me before you get a chance to Oblivate me... and ... Oh, bloody hell! What's the third option?”



“You can go back to him the way you are now,” Calixa said calmly. “I won't wipe your memories against your will. You can choose to be truly loyal to him, and tell him everything you know about me. I won't stop you.”



Draco swallowed. “I ... I won't lie that a part of me wants to be loyal to him. But I won't sell you out, Cali. Not if I can help it, anyways.”



“I know that,” she said softly. “So what do you want to do?”



He took a deep breath. “I must be out of my mind, but I think I should learn more,” he said. “Maybe there's some way I can help everyone... him included,” he said weakly.



She looked at him dubiously, but did not argue. They said quietly for a while. Finally, Draco spoke again:



“It feels really weird, you know – to be the one hiding, sneaking out to secret student meetings...”



“What do you mean?”



Draco shrugged. “Ha... Potter used to be the one hiding, heading up Dumbledore's Army. Secretly training other students to fight Voldemort. And I... well, I joined Umbrdidge's inquisitorial squad. Helped her catch him a few times. Remember that scar on his left hand?”



“Hideous,” Calixa said flatly. “Just like the rest of him.”



“That's from his detentions with Umbridge. She made him use the Blood Quill. It cuts into your hand, uses your blood for ink. If you use it enough, the scarring becomes permanent. I laughed at him when I saw it.... he just walked away.”



Calixa looked at Draco with pity.. “You really are shit out of luck, Draco,” she said sincerely. “You would have done better selling yourself off to the Weasley family for protection.”



Draco glared at her. “That's not even close to being funny.... anyways. Like I said, I am ready to hear more.”



She smiled. “I am glad. It's almost too bad you won't remember any of it after tonight.”



He smiled back. “In a way, I think I will. Even though my mind didn't remember the conversations we'd had, something in me did. I started smiling again. I seem to have more confidence now. I even joke around some. Whatever we did must have been unforgettable.”



.................................... ...........................To be continued....



Many thanks for the reviews... I am so honored that people are reading the story.

Many thanks to QueenBodicea and SoftObsidian for the thoughtful feedback. It inspires me : )

Note about the "Smiling in the Dark" poem in that chapter is by Bob Dylan, "Let me Die in My Footsteps." Yes I know it's a stretch that a Slytherin would be quoting a muggle poet, but I'll address it later. : )