Harry Potter and the Plan of Salvation

*~*~*

Potter has just entered my classroom, accompanied on either side by Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan. I must admit that the child knows how to put up a very affective glamour charm, and that thought worries me. The other Weasley and Miss Granger arrived a few moments ago, and are both ignoring the other boy, except for the positively icy glare that Mr. Weasley gives Potter. I haven’t had time to go back through my pensieve yet, so I haven’t been able to go through the thoughts that Harry had earlier to find a clue as to this behavior. I look up to find Draco scowling heavily at the male Weasley and I raise a questioning eyebrow at him.

A note with a two worded questioned appears on my desk. “Nine tonight?” I look back up and nod almost imperceptively, though I know he sees it. I wave my wand and the door of my classroom slams shut, echoing both outside and in. Everyone is automatically quiet and staring at me.

“Today we will be making a new potion. I suggest anyone wishing to go into training as a medi-witch or wizard, an auror, or even just a parent pay close attention as this is something you’ll probably be using quite often. This is a healing elixir, and we will just call it that as the dolt who created it could think of nothing better.” A few people, Draco and Potter included, snigger and I glare at them.

*~*~*

“The ingredients are on the board, after you have finished brewing you are to label your potion with both the potions name, your name, and the type of wound that you believe this potion to be suitable for healing with the information I gave you moments ago and the ingredients involved. You will be working in pairs.” Snape then began reading the list of names. “Granger – Crabbe, Mr. Weasley – Parkinson, Miss Weasley – Malfoy, Potter – Goylennegnnegan – Zabini. Get to work now, and if I dare catch anyone letting their partner do all the work, there will be Hell to pay.” He had started to put Potter and Weasley together just for the fun of it, but he really didn’t want his classroom in shambles.

Potter was the last to take his seat as they rearranged, and Snape’s eyes narrowed at the slow and cautious way he moved. It was past two; the salve had worn off long ago, and the boy had not had time to put on any. H. He sat down cautiously and just barely stifled a groan as his back connected with the chair. Goyle looked at him with a slight frown and then shook his head as he pulled out his half of the ingredients.

They worked quietly together, watching each other to take the cues on when to put in the next ingredient. Snape did not allow talking in his classroom usually, and even though the others were whispering, Harry didn’t think it would go over well if he so much as said ‘ow’. Goyle kept giving him odd looks, but Harry paid no attention as he added yet another ingredient to the mix and then stirred.

By the time he added his second to last ingredient his entire body was shaking from the pain, and his eyes had taken on a peculiar glassy look. Goyle was watching him openly now, his brows furrowed and every now and then he’d shoot a glance between Draco and Snape. His face had drained of all color, and his concentration on the glamori charm he kept up was beginning to slip showing small splotches of darkened skin. In the dimness of the potion labs they looked like shadows, though if the spell slid any further he’d be in trouble.

Goyle glanced at him again, and frowned. If he kept frowning like that he was sure his face would lock up. He added his last ingredient and then slouched in his chair as the potion simmered. The slouched position gave him more room to move his legs, and he kicked Draco’s chair in front of him. The boy jumped and turned around scowling. His hiss of displeasure was ended though as both he and Ginny caught a glimpse of Harry who just barely managed to get his last ingredient in before the room began to swim.

There was a sudden loud bang, and all heads snapped around to stare at Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Parkinson. Pansy looked livid, and Ron was round eyed. Large dollops of brightly purple liquid attacked Pansy’s hair and turned red as it trickled down her face.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for sheer stupidity, Weasley! Class dismissed, out now!” Everyone jumped, but fled after taking one look at their Professors face. Well, almost everyone. Four still remained, and the platinum blonde one just barely managed to grab Harry as his world went black. “Through the door at the board, Mr. Malfoy.”

“Like I need telling where it’s cam came the reply as he shifted Harry against him and carried him into Snape’s private dorms. Ginny Weasley and Vincent Goyle followed, and Snape was hard pressed not to curse.

*~*~*

I watch Potter carefully as he and Goyle begin to make their potion. His face is pale and pinched, and even Goyle is watching him with a frown. Though, Goyle’s not at all as stupid as people seem to think he is. He might take after his father in appearance, but he has mothmother’s brains.

Something like a couple of other boys that you know, hm? I grimace and refuse to acknowledge that voice that so so so much like Albus. As the class wears on however there are certain things that I can’t ignore. I curse the spell that keeps me within his mind and I look up at him repeatedly.

Pain is in every move that he makes, and it redoubles in my mind. The exhaustion of pretending he’s fine is starting to show. He’s biting his lip every time he moves and Goyle looks almost scared to even touch the boy. Uh oh. His concealment charm is starting to slide, the pain must be getting too much. I wonder idly if he can make it to the end of class.

No, no, no, no. Please, help. Don’t let me go weak in front of everyone else. Someone, do something please. God, where’s Neville when you need an exploded cauldron. I can’t think, can’t see straight, everything’s funny looking. Oh please let it be over with soon, please! The last word is screamed in his mind and I blanch.

However a moment later I must admit that there is a certain quality to red headed imbeciles. Weasley’s cauldron just went up in flames and has covered both he and Miss Parkinson. Judging from the look on her face it’s eto fto figure out who did what wrong. “Ten points from Gryffindor for your sheer stupidity Mr. Weasley. Class dismisseut nut now!”

Draco just barely managed to get to Harry in time to keep him from hitting the floor as he slides into unconsciousness. “Through the door Draco.”

Draco rolls his eyes. “Like I need telling where it is.”

Both Ginny and Goyle follow him, and I sigh. Four brats, well three (I’ll reserve my opinion of the youngest Weasley for a later date) ar my my personal chambers. Good Lord, what’s happening to me? I follow them through and watch as Draco carefully deposits Potter on my couch, laying him on his side. There’s a whimper, but the eyes stay closed and Goyle shifts uncomfortably as he watches his best friend and supposed enemy.

“Alright, Draco. Forget the meeting tonight and explain it all, now.”

Draco sighs and flops down in the floor, pressing his back against the couch as he watches me. “Last year Potter and I formed a sort of truce. Without Father around I didn’t have to be his perfect dark miniature anymore; I could be whoever I wanted to be. Who I wanted to be was someone who lived. I’m neither stupid nor blind, and I can see which side is going to win. Potter is stronger than anyone gives him credit for. So I offered him peace from the Slytherins if we could train together. Somehow in that we became friends.” Ginny slides down next to him and tucks herself against his side. “He needed someone then. He couldn’t talk to Weasel, sorry Ginny, or Granger; they didn’t listen to what he was trying to say, only told him that everything would be okay. I found him one night right after Halloween, he was up in the astronomy tower, and he just sat there staring outside like he was trying to find his soul…” His stance changes and he looks up directly into my eyes. I know what he’s offering, and I’d be a fool nottaketake it, so I allow myself to be swept away in his eyes, into the memories he holds.

*~*~*

“Potter?” The dark haired boy didn’t even jump, just kept staring outside. “Potter?” Draco tried again as he eased his way closer to the other boy.

“What are you doing up here Draco? It’s past midnight. You’ll get in trouble.”

“And you won’t?”

There was a shrug. “I don’t care if I do or not. All anyone else cares for is that I live long enough to kill Riddle so that they can live in peace. That’s all that matters.”

Draco stood there shocked for a moment before moving closer. He sat down next to the other boy and carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. “And what about you, Harry?” It was the first time, even since the truce, that he had used Potter’s first name.

“Me? I doubt I’ll be around to worry abou. I. I will kill him, but I have no expectation to live afterwards. I’ll die in the battle.”

Draco remained silent for a moment, shocked, and then his senses had flooded back. Forcefully grabbing Harry’s shoulders he turned him around and stared angrily into those bright green eyes. “You listen to me, Harry. You are not going to die in that battle, because you are strong and you’re powerful, and you’ve got a damned good brain when you use it. Yes, you will kill Him, but you won’t die doing it because I’m going to do what no one else has. I’m going to teach you the Dark Arts to use against him.”

*~*~*

“That was the night that the truce turned to friendship. I found him many times after that in that tower just staring outside; and we’d just talk. Our friendship continued on into this year, and when the Christmas holidays came around, he decided to go to the Muggles.”

Snape frowned. “He’s never stayed with them before.”

“He didn’t want to bother anyone by being the only student to stay at the school, Ron was still pouting, is still pouting, and he didn’t want to put Mum or me in danger by staying with us. So he went back to those...things.” The blonde was visibly shaking in anger, and Ginny gently clasped his hand.

“Draco? It’s okay. You got him in time.”

“No. If we’d got him out in time then he wouldn’t be in the condition he is now.”

“Draco, it would be nice to unders wha what you’re talking about.” Snape interrupted.

“Sorry sir.”

*~*~*

Draco paced the length of the den nervously, his eyes trained on the window above that owls came through. Usually this room soothed him, but not today. The gentle fire in the fireplace did nothing to calm him. Someone sighed from the vicinity of the couch and he looked up, finding both his mother and girlfriend looking at him. He blinked. “Did I miss something? Sorry.”

“Honestly, Draco, if you want to go check on him just say so before you wear a hole in the carpet.” Narcissa said calmly, though her eyes were sympathetic.

Draco glanced at Ginny, but she looked nearly as worried as he was. “Something doesn’t feel right about this. Harry has never spent a holiday with his relatives that I know of, and I don’t understand why but something just doesn’t feel right!”

Ginny shifted slightly. “Harry’s family aren’t um, what I mean is that they’re… They’re not exactly nice to him.”

Draco’s head snapped around. “What do you mean?” So Ginny had filled him on what she knew, about Harry spending his first years at the Dursley’s in a cupboard, about him doing all the chores, about Fred, George, and Ron breaking him out from behind a barred window in Harry’s second year. Everything that she knew, she told Draco and Narcissa.

Narcissa looked livid. Not just livid but downright enraged as she got to her feet. “Draco, you and Ginny come here, we’re going to go check on him.” She touched their robes and then in a blink and a loud crack they were gone.

They reappeared in a confusion of limbs as both Draco and Ginny fell to the ground. “Mum, for Heaven’s sake warn somebody before you do that. We could have splinched ourselves!”

Narcissa however was already marching down the street to Number 4 Privet Drive, and Draco and Ginny had to hurry to catch up. No cars were at home at Number 4, and all the lights were out. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this house, it looked just like all the others, something that made Draco cringe, but something about the house felt off, liked something was just… wrong.

It was that very feeling that sent Draco ahead of his mother. The door glided open as he turned the knob and he raised an eyebrow. Why hadn’t it been locked? He looked over his shoulder at his mother and Ginny and motioned for them to look around the base floor as he crept up the stairs. It was rather obvious which room Potter would be in, as all the others were open, save for one locked, from the outside. Cautiously opening the door he had to bite his own lip to keep from crying out in surprise, shock, horror, and sadness.

There before him, literally tied to a bed was none other than Harry Potter. His body was bruised and beaten, and blood dried thick on his flesh and sheets.

*~*~*

I’m drawn back to the present as Draco breaks the connection, and I find that Goyle has accioed a chair to me, which I gratefully sink into. “Does no one else know of this, Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco shakes his head. “Only Greg and now you. Greg knows because he’s been helping me sneak Harry into the Slytherin dorms to try and treat him. He’s a stubborn prat though, and won’t go to Pomfrey.”

“I’m quite certain you know how to stupefy him. That would get him there without complaint.” Okay, I wasn’t expecting that reaction. I now have three pairs of eyes trained on me, all in downright anger.

“Didn’t you understand the part where he was tied up? How do you think he would react to suddenly finding himself unable to move?”

All right, I admit to myself, it was a stupid suggestion. “Where were his relatives, Mr. Malfoy?”

Ginny’s eyes narrow dangerously, and I wonder how can a Gryffindor look that dangerous? “As far away as they can get. We’ve been monitoring their house and no one has come back.”

I look confused. I know I do by the way my face feels, and then my mask snaps sharply back into place as everything else snaps into place as well. “Miss Weasley, you aren’t saying that those muggles – ”

“Those muggles are exactly the ones who did it.”

“Then why hr. Pr. Potter not done anything about it?”

Goyle shifts uncomfortably again, staring up at the ceiling. “Professor, you should know the answer to that; they are the only family he has after all.”

I sigh at that and close my eyes. “Mr. Goyle, Miss Weasley, please leave, I need to talk to Draco alone preferably and try to talk some since into Mr. Potter should he regain consciousness.” The two nod and stand, and I find myself surprised that Miss Weasley doesn’t protest. Perhaps she has more brains than her brothers. As the door locks, I turn my attention back to Draco. “Alright, Draco. What are you leaving out? What exactly did they do to him; I couldn’t tell in your memory.”

“A lot.”

My eyes narrow. “That is not a sufficient answer, Mr. Malfoy.”

“They almost killed him, but I won’t tell you. I can’t. You treat him as though he’s the lowest form of slug on the earth, and then expect him to respect you. You mark him by his father’s actions, but you never look close enough to see that he’s nothing like the stories you and Father told me of James Potter. You’re so blinded by your hatred, that you couldn’t even see when a scared little boy walked into your life; all you could see was a chance for revenge.”

I can’t help but staring at this young man who I used to know so well. “What in the bloody Hell are you talking about?”

He looks up at me then, and I can see so much in his eyes. Love for a father figure, confusion, anger, hurt, guilt, and disappointment. “You can’t even look back now and see, can you?” Those eyes that looked so much like Lucius’ looked so heavy. “He was never what you thought him to be. He was never arrogant or even proud; he never thought himself above rue rules, and he never went looking for trouble, though I will admit it found him quite often.” Those slate eyes close and he sags against the couch. “Why does everyone hold him on such a pedestal? Even you who preach that he is nttertter than any one else treat him entirely different, Sev. Yet, none of you ever see how much you hurt him.”

“I assure you I never treated him with anything that he did not deserve.” Oh my. Most definitely not the right choice of words. Draco has never looked at me that way, with insolence and anger yes, but never with a fury like this. I find my hand grabbed and I’m yanked into my bedchambers by the furious teen.

“You know how much I love you, Sev. You’re the only real father I’ve ever had, but you have to stop this! Harry is a good person; he’s given me a second chance the same way that Dumbledore did you and as a result I’ve got to know him. The real him, and I hate most of what I find but I can’t help but care for the stupid prat everything’s turned him into because he isn’t really a stupid prat. He’s just a wizard, a very powerful wizard who’s scared and frightened and mostly alone. He’s powerful Sev, but he doesn’t even know it. All he wants is to get out of this alive. You took a situation that was forced on him and you keep twisting it and hurting him more and more and more and I don’t know how much more of that he can take!”

“Draco! Calm yourself!”

He suddenly sighs and almost goes limp. “Can’t you see what he really is, Sev? He knew that Ginny liked me and I liked her but we were afraid to make a move because of our houses, but he still got us together, knowing it would lose him his friendship with Ronald Weasley. I could go through every year he’s been here, and every bit of trouble he’s been in, and anything major was never his fault, but the fact he was trying to help someone else.” He sighs again and looks up at me. “Why can’t you just see him for who he is?”

He leaves on that note, as we can hear Potter beginning to stir in the other room.