Who Knew

Okay, I honestly can't have you guys wait any longer. Here's the next chapter. And for your information, I will post the final chapter on Friday (so you can avoid clicking the link to see if there's an update until then).

Sinister074: Hmm... I don't know. Guess we'll have to wait and see what side Lucius really is on. :) Good thing you don't have to wait too long.

yaoiObsessed: LOL You seriously make me laugh with your reviews. I love them! :) Wow, you have so many questions (kind of why I wanted to post quickly so I could answer them for you) haha All will hopefully be answered in these last two chapters. lol You probably saw my review to it, but after I posted my last chapter, I clicked on your name and found your fic. It's funny because I rarely look at the authors who write the stories and just jump right into them. I really am loving Summer Ecstasy and can't wait for you to update! Anyway, I do apologize for causing your near death experiences. Please promise me you won't come back and haunt me.... *gulps*

Deefresh84: Hope this update was quick enough so you won't fall off your seat. :)

SP777: haha Yes, I do have to say that was a pretty violent reaction. I'm glad you like Lucius and Severus. Harry... *shakes head* sometimes you have to wonder. lol Yes, I have seen the previews and I'm already getting a bit irritated. Hopefully they're just horrible trailers, but I hate that you rarely see anything with Draco! Um... hello?! He's like a big part of this book! If they screw this movie up by deleting his stuff, I will be very mad. Same thing with Snape. *sigh* Like I said, hopefully the trailers are just horrible and the movie will have more parts with them. I can't wait for it to come out, though!

thrnbrooke: Sorry for the cliffhanger. Here's 21! Hope it was fast enough for you. :)

paganwoman: *fearfully looks around* Who do you work for? I don't know what you're talking about. Death Eaters? Huh? What? .......... Ooh yay! More cookies! They'll definitely love these. *panics* Ummm...I mean I'll love these. Yeah, me. Only me. Death Eaters?? Huh? :) No waiting much longer. Here's the next chapter. Glad you like my twists!

SilentInvictus: I don't know. Did he betray everyone, or is it all just part of the act? Well wait no further. Your answer is coming up. ;)

*****
Draco ignored the footsteps coming closer, as he continued to stare at the wall in front of him. He was starting to get used to this by now, no longer needing to look up to see who was coming. Every few hours, one of the Death Eaters would come down to check on him, always making sure he was still alive.

It wasn’t like Draco hadn’t thought about trying to kill himself, but the Dark Lord had made it nearly impossible. He removed everything in his reach that could possibly be used to hurt himself. There was nothing in his cage. He had even tried to hold his breath, but realized there was no way he could physically do that. As much as he tried, his mind would instantly take over and make him open his mouth.

“Get in there,” a voice commanded, when the cage creaked opened.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows, turning to look at the man who just spoke. He sat frozen in shock, staring at the other man in front of him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He took a big gulp, noticing the Death Eater pushing him into the cell and locking him up with him. He continued to stare at him, while the Death Eater retreated back upstairs. He felt his body shake and tears form in his eyes, not sure what to say at the moment.

A few seconds later, Snape moved toward Draco, wrapping his arms around the boy’s body and pulling him in closer. Draco let the tears fall, while he held his godfather tightly. No words sounded from either of their lips, as they continued to comfort each other.

“I’m sorry,” Draco finally whispered behind his tears. “I’m so sorry.”

Snape held him tighter, kissing the top of his head. “We’ll get out of here, Draco. We will,” he expressed. “I’m just so glad you’re alright.”

“Why are you down here? How did you find me?” he hiccupped.

Snape sighed and pushed his godson away, needing to look at him when he told him. “Perhaps you should sit down,” he started, motioning toward the bare cot against the wall Draco had refused to sleep on.

Draco curiously eyed him, before taking his advice and moving toward the bed. He nervously sat, waiting for Snape to begin.

Snape took a deep breath and moved toward the cot, kneeling in front of him while he placed his hand on the young blonde’s knee. “Draco, there’s something you need to know,” he paused, glancing away from the wondering gray eyes in front of him.

“Is my father okay?” Draco fearfully asked.

Snape nodded, returning his attention to the boy once more. “For now,” he answered. “He’s upstairs as we speak, trying to find a way to get you out of here safely.”

Draco smiled, feeling a bit jubilant at his possible rescue. He prayed his father would be able to convince the Dark Lord to let him go; although, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted his father fighting for him, seeing as how he didn’t want to stay in this life anymore, anyway.

“We knew you were here because of a vision someone saw,” Snape continued.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. “Vision?” he asked in confusion. “Who would have a vision of me?”

“Draco, I’m not sure if you remember, but you collapsed in front of us that night you learned of Potter’s death,” Snape explained, sighing when he saw his godson somberly nod in remembrance. “Well because of that, we never were able to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Draco gulped.

“Draco,” he hesitated, “Potter’s not dead.”

Draco opened his eyes wide, not sure if he heard him correctly. He then shook his head, believing it was the lack of food and sleep that was making him hear things. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I-”

“You heard me correctly,” Snape interrupted with a nod. “Potter didn’t die. He’s still alive. And not only that, he’s upstairs with your father right now, trying to get you out of here,” he finished.

Draco continued to stare at the man, his eyes opened wide. He couldn’t believe what he heard. After all this time, Harry, his Harry, was still alive and fighting to save him. He suddenly felt a pain in his heart, realizing what could’ve happened if the Dark Lord didn’t save him from jumping over that cliff.

He buried his head in his hands and wept. His emotions were rampant. He was happy to know Harry was still alive; angry to think he had almost killed himself; sad to know that Harry was fighting for him; and afraid to think that the Dark Lord would finally grant his wish and kill him once and for all.

“You never answered my other question,” Draco suddenly said, looking over at his godfather, with tears in his eyes.

“Your father told the Dark Lord of my treason,” he simply said.

“What?” Draco exclaimed. “Why would he do that? How could he do that?”

“He had to,” Snape explained. “We both knew the other plan was failing, so we had to move on to the next one. It was the only way for the Dark Lord to truly believe he was loyal to him.”

“But he put your life in danger.”

“I’ll be fine, Draco,” he assured him. “It’s Potter who’s in danger right now.”

“And my father?”

“Hopefully he can keep this up long enough for me to figure out how to get us out of here and help him,” Snape answered.

*****
Harry trembled in the chair, with his hands tied tightly behind the back of it. He wasn’t shaking because he was scared, though. He was still livid with Malfoy’s betrayal, wanting to strangle the man with his bare hands.

He continued to glare at Malfoy, watching him smugly sit next to Voldemort at the table across from him. The two men chatted along, as if he wasn’t present, wanting to finalize the plan before they set off for war. Just because they had Potter didn’t mean the battle would all of a sudden end. It just gave Voldemort a better advantage.

Harry jumped a little in his seat, feeling something brush up against his leg. He quickly looked down, noticing Voldemort’s serpent slithering beside him. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, afraid that the snake was going to attack him. He was more than certain she wouldn’t do anything without Voldemort’s consent, but he still feared the beast.

After a few more seconds of stillness, he cracked open his eyes and glanced down at the serpent below. He saw her begin to coil herself around his leg, as if wanting to keep him protected. He took a big gulp and looked over at the two men, noticing they were still deep in conversation. He leaned down as far as he could in his seat so he could talk to the snake, curious to know why she was unmistakably guarding him.

“Why are you so close to me?” Harry whispered to the snake in Parseltongue.

“I mussst alwaysss protect my Massstersss,” the snake hissed.

“I don’t understand. Why would you think I’m your Master?”

“Massstersss have sssame ssscent. Boy isss part of Massster. Mussst protect my Massstersss.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, confused by the snake’s response. He continued to watch as the snake hugged herself tighter around his leg, not willing to budge. He frantically bit the inside of his cheek, realizing how close he was to the last Horcrux. It was the only thing left keeping that sinister man immortal.

Lucius suddenly glanced up from the table, noticing the snake hugging the boy’s leg. He bit on his lower lip, aware of what that snake represented and knowing how crucial it was to kill it. He took a big gulp when his eyes suddenly met green.

Harry stared at Malfoy, recognizing the man’s attention to the snake below. He held his breath, knowing that at any minute Malfoy was going to report it to his leader. He knew all about the Horcruxes, so it was only sensible to believe that he would warn Voldemort that his last Horcrux was clinging to the boy who had been destroying them.

“My Lord,” Lucius cleared his throat, still keeping his eyes on Potter, “if it pleases you so, may we go to the dungeons now?”

Harry raised his eyebrows, shocked by the man’s request. He glanced down at the snake once more, before returning his gaze toward Malfoy. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what type of game he was playing, but then he saw it. He saw the one thing that could turn it all around, making him feel hopeful. Malfoy winked.

“Already getting a soft spot to see your son?” Voldemort smirked over at the blonde.

Lucius shook his head. “Nothing like that, I assure you, sir. But I do think I should give a proper farewell to him. To both of them, really,” he added with a smirk.

The Dark Lord eyed him for a few minutes, before agreeing. It was only fair to allow the man to say goodbye to them. Probably even a bit cruel, too, for the two waiting inside the cage. He smirked at the idea, enjoying the pain he was about to cause on them.

He suddenly looked over at Potter, noticing Nagini wrapped around his leg. At first he became nervous, seeing his Horcrux so close to the boy, but then he relaxed. He figured his snake decided to take charge of the situation and keep watch over the boy while he worked on other things. He knew she would be able to take care of herself if she felt danger coming her way. It wasn’t like she would somehow betray him and want to protect the boy, right?

“I see my snake has taken a liking to you,” he smirked, not realizing the irony of his words. “A little tip. Don’t make any sudden movements, or those fangs will sink right into your flesh in seconds flat.”

Harry gulped and slowly nodded, heeding the man’s words. Even though she told him she was there to protect him, she was still a snake. And one thing he had always known about snakes was that if they ever felt threatened, their immediate reaction was to attack.

“Perhaps we should leave these two here while we go to the dungeons,” Lucius suggested.

Harry remained emotionless on the surface, while a rush of excitement formed inside, hoping Voldemort would agree. He gritted his teeth when he saw the man quickly shake his head. He knew it was too good to be true.

“And miss the expression on Potter’s face when I kill his little boyfriend?” Voldemort scoffed.

Lucius swallowed, realizing he had to think of some other way to try to persuade the Dark Lord to leave the two alone. “But Sir,” he suddenly remembered, “that snake looks pretty comfortable where she is. Do you really want to upset her by removing her grasp from the boy?”

Voldemort returned his gaze to the snake, knowing Lucius had a point. He continued to think about it for a few more minutes, before shaking his head once again. “She will just have to come with us, then,” he replied.

“To the dungeons?” Lucius gasped.

Voldemort quickly turned toward Lucius, with a menacing glare. “Are you questioning my motives?” he snarled.

Lucius frantically shook his head, “Of course not, my Lord.”

“Good,” he responded, moving closer to Potter.

He knelt down in front of the boy, becoming eye-level with his slithery creature. Nagini lifted her head toward the man in front of her, sticking her tongue out to smell his scent. She then lowered her head back on the boy’s leg, realizing it was only her other master.

“You will be rewarded greatly for this, my sweet,” Voldemort told her in Parseltongue, glancing up into the boy’s eyes, aware that he could understand.

Nagini nodded. “Jussst doing my job,” she answered.

Harry smiled inwardly at her comment. It was rather nice knowing something else that the Dark Lord didn’t, especially about his own little pet. He looked down at Voldemort, narrowing his eyes. “Take me to him,” he softly demanded, carefully making sure not to disrupt the snake’s comfort in any way.

“Why are you so eager, boy?” Voldemort sneered. “You know he will die as soon as we get down there.”

“Maybe so,” Harry sighed, “but I want to at least see him one last time before he does.”

Voldemort pursed his lips, glancing back down at his snake. He hated this sudden little quandary he was facing. If he brought the boy down to the dungeons to see his lover, he would be doing him a favor. But on the other hand, if he were to leave him upstairs, he would also be doing him a favor in not letting him see his lover die right in front of his eyes.

“A bit of a dilemma, isn’t it?” Harry grinned while using Parseltongue, aware of what the man was thinking.

“Fine, I’ll take you down there,” he snapped, glancing down at his snake. “Nagini, I am bringing the boy to the dungeons. Do you wish to stay here, or come with him?”

“I will obey Massstersss’ wissshesss,” the snake simply answered.

Harry again smiled to himself, understanding the snake’s meaning. “Oh just let her come,” he said, mixing the two languages so she could hear his command. “It’s not like we’ll be down there long enough for anything to happen to her anyway.”

“You will come then,” Voldemort concluded, before standing up and untying the boy’s hands from behind the chair.

Nagini remained wrapped around Harry’s leg, while they made their way toward the door to the dungeons. He could feel her tighten around himself, causing him to wince a bit from the pain. Thoughts continued to run through his head, as he kept thinking about what she said to him earlier. What exactly did she mean that he was a part of Voldemort?

He suddenly stopped, realizing they had already entered the dungeons and were standing in front of the big cage that held the two prisoners inside. His eyes opened wide when he saw Draco on the cot, facing the wall and trembling, while Snape sat beside him, speaking comforting words to him. “Draco,” he gulped.

Draco gasped, when he heard his name sound from the lips of his lover. He slowly lifted his head and shakily turned around. “Harry,” he hesitated, before jumping off the cot and running toward the front of the cage when he saw it truly was him.

“Harry…you’re okay,” he started to cry, wiping his eyes every few seconds, trying hard to keep the tears from falling.

Snape stared over at the two boys, before glancing down at Potter’s leg, noticing that horrible snake wrapped around it. He looked over at Lucius and quirked an eyebrow, hoping he could explain what was going on.

Lucius glanced over to his side, seeing the Dark Lord’s focus on the two boys. He sadly stared over at Snape again, shaking his head in uncertainty.

Snape nodded, realizing Lucius was as confused as he was. ‘I love you,’ he mouthed to him, making sure the Dark Lord was still preoccupied to take notice.

‘Love you too,’ Lucius mouthed back, before shifting his eyes over toward his son, grateful to see that he was unharmed.

“Yes, this is a rather joyous occasion, isn’t it?” Voldemort suddenly said, causing everyone to turn toward him. “But alas, all good things must come to an end.”

The Dark Lord suddenly pulled Potter away from the cage, shoving him toward the back. He quickly turned toward Lucius, seeing the blonde quickly shoot his head up to look at him. “Lucius, I’ve decided to give you a little something for all your hard work over the years, as a trusted follower of mine,” he grinned.

Lucius raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You are very gracious, my Lord. What is this generous offer?”

In answer to his question, Voldemort motioned his hand over toward the cage. “Pick one,” he simply said.

Lucius paled, staring from his friend and lover to his only son. He took a big gulp, knowing there was no way he could choose between them. “My…my Lord?” he stammered, afraid he would not be able to defy his wishes.

“Potter is already mine, but we can’t have you just sit back and enjoy the show without getting involved yourself,” he began to explain. “So that’s my gift to you. You may choose which one to kill.”

“My Lord,” Lucius started to say, but then stopped when he saw Snape shake his head. He then sighed, lowering his gaze to his son.

Draco stared up at his father, tears still present in his eyes. “It’s okay,” he softly said. “I already know how much of a disappointment I am to you.”

Snape stood up from the cot and walked toward his godson, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder while he stared at Lucius. “Oh, come on, Malfoy. You know you want to pick me,” he smirked, wanting to make this whole ordeal easier on Lucius, not wanting him to even think about having to kill his own son. “I’m the one who continued to betray your leader. I’m the one who always lied to you, used you, pretended to be your friend, so I could spy on the Dark Lord.”

Lucius roughly rubbed the back of his neck, staring between the two. Just how far was he supposed to go with all of this? He stole a glance over at Potter, noticing the boy quietly speaking to the snake and seeing it start to unravel from his leg.

“How touching,” Voldemort sarcastically commented, rolling his eyes at the two prisoners. He then looked over at Lucius, waiting for his decision. “Well?”

Lucius chewed on his lower lip, staring again at Draco and Snape. He locked eyes with Snape for a moment before nodding, finally making his decision. “I choose Snape, my Lord,” he declared.

“I figured as much,” Voldemort nodded, opening the door to the cage with his wand and beckoning the man forward.

Snape squeezed Draco’s shoulder, before taking a deep breath and moving slowly toward them. Draco shook his head, tears streaming down his face, upset that his father would be forced to kill his only one true friend.

“Father, you can’t,” Draco cried out.

Lucius winced after hearing his son cry out to him. He stared sadly over at Snape, not sure how much time he would be given before he had to do the unspeakable.

“Shut it, boy,” Voldemort snapped over at the young blonde, “before I come over there and split you apart.”

Harry quickly looked up, hearing the man’s words resonate around the room. He stared down at the snake that was no longer wrapped around his leg, but still sitting beside him. Split. Apart. Split. A part, he started repeating in his head. He suddenly paled, remembering the snake’s comment earlier: Boy is part of Master.

He took a big gulp, when everything suddenly fell into place. It all made sense. Why he would always get pains in his scar, how he was able to speak Parseltongue, how he knew Voldemort’s thoughts and he knew his. Even the snake could sense it, smelling her master on him. He was a part of Voldemort, although, he was pretty sure that Voldemort had no clue. It probably happened when he killed his parents. It more than likely attached itself to him when there was nothing else around. He again looked down at the snake, shivering from his discovery. She wasn’t the last one anymore; he was.

“Oh, just go to hell!” Draco suddenly spat back.

Voldemort quickly moved inside the cage, gripping the boy’s throat and pushing him forcefully against the wall. He held the blonde up by his throat, smirking when he saw the boy’s fear of death finally return. “You’ve been wanting this for awhile now, haven’t you?” he snarled. “Asking me to kill you. Not wanting to live in this world anymore,” he continued, squeezing his grip a bit harder, hearing the boy gasp for air. “So I think it’s about time I grant you that wish.”

He released the boy from his grasp and watched him fall to the ground, hearing his heavy pants. He lifted his wand, pointing it toward the fallen body. He glanced around the room and smirked when he saw Lucius’ expression finally falter and show real concern for his son. “I knew it,” he scoffed, casting a wordless spell over at Lucius that caused him to fly across the room and black out after hitting the wall.

Snape stifled his cries, wanting so much to run over to Lucius to see if he was okay, but remained in his stance, knowing that if he did, the Dark Lord would most likely attack him too. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what the man would do to him. There was just no way he could leave those two boys alone to try and fight him, especially when the Order still had not arrived.

“Now where was I?” Voldemort snickered, returning his attention to the youngest Malfoy, seeing him weakly try to get up.

“Harry,” Draco suddenly wheezed, looking around the room when he was finally able to pull himself up on his hands and knees. “Harry,” he whispered again.

“I’m here, love,” Harry called out, his voice cracking a bit.

“I love you, Harry,” Draco continued in a raspy voice, looking down at the ground, feeling his tears start to make an appearance again.

Harry shivered in frustration, wanting desperately to run over and hold him in his arms. A single teardrop rolled down his cheek, when he suddenly realized he would never feel his lover’s touch again. “I love you too, Draco,” he softly spoke, sidling a bit closer to the cage, hoping Voldemort wouldn’t notice. “Always remember that.”

Draco closed his eyes and nodded, hearing his lover’s words run through his head. The tears were falling down his face, knowing those would be the last words he would ever hear him speak. “I will, Harry,” he avowed, before opening his eyes and staring up at the menacing man a few feet away from him.

“Are you two quite finished yet?” Voldemort rolled his eyes, never particularly enjoying sappy goodbyes, before pointing his wand over at the young blonde. “Honestly, enough is enough. I have a war to prepare for,” he expressed, smirking when he saw the boy tremble in fear. “So you wanted me to kill you? So be it. Avada Kedavra!”

Draco closed his eyes tightly and held his breath, waiting for the curse to hit. He suddenly heard a loud thump on the ground, causing him to quickly open his eyes in question. “No!” he screamed out in pain, seeing Harry’s body lay motionless on the floor in front of him.

*****

*dives under bed before Black Padfoot catches up; stuffs rest of cookies from paganwoman into mouth before they’re taken away; hides hair away from SP777 so as not to be thrown in the air; quickly dials number to yaoiObsessed’s doctor to avoid being haunted*

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