Draco's Protector

Title: Draco’s Protector
Author: Ras
Archived: This story is not archived elsewhere. You may post it on your own site if you credit me and e-mail me so I know where it is posted.
Summary: Lucius Malfoy demands excellence from his son. When Draco fails to meet his expectations, Draco suffers the consequences. Alone and hurting, Draco turns to his godfather, Severus Snape for comfort. (H/C involving a MINOR) H/C, child abuse, belt, cane.
Rating: Fan Rated Adult Only (equivalent to NC-17) for excessive violence and graphic descriptions of child abuse
Pairings: Severus/Draco (in a parental way, not a sexual way)
Feedback: Please post a review on the board. I’d love to hear your comments!
Author Notes: This story came into my head while watching Chamber of Secrets. I always wanted to know why Draco was whining for attention in the infirmary scene after the Quidditch match. It seemed out of character to me, so I made up my own little story of why he would act like that. Please note that I have taken some liberties with the story, for example deciding the Snape is Draco’s godfather. Also note that the descriptions of child abuse are graphic, so please don’t read this if that is going to bother you.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter, Draco, Severus, any HP characters or copyrighted words that appear in this story. I make no money off this story.
No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 3

Draco slowly came to consciousness again. His mind was still a fog. He didn’t know where he was, or how he had gotten there, or why he couldn’t remember anything. He tried to push himself up off the bed to get a better look at where he was. Pain seared through his body, and he immediately fell back to the bed. Draco knew immediately that THAT kind of pain could only mean that his father had beaten him recently. He decided to just let himself rest on the bed then. There was no point in trying to remember what his father had done to him. Draco stared at the bedspread right next to his face. It wasn’t his. He tried to force his head to remember again, but his head really hurt. Then he noticed the smell, a safe and comforting smell that was spicy and warm; it reminded him of his godfather. Draco turned his head to the other side and saw the nightstand with the sleeping potion, and he remembered. His father had beaten him, but he was safe with his godfather now. Severus had been kind and understanding, even comforting. Draco closed his eyes and let himself relax a little as he remembered his godfather caressing his head, and telling him he was proud of him, and hugging him when he had started crying. Draco smiled, he had no idea his godfather would be so protective of him, but it felt good to be loved like that.

Draco began to wonder where his godfather was. He was a little surprised that Severus wasn’t sitting in the reading chair watching over him. Of course, he had no idea how long he had been asleep while under the influence of the potion. His godfather may have started out sitting there protectively and gotten bored. Draco hoped his godfather hadn’t left him alone and gone somewhere. Had he been out long enough for Severus to go see Madam Pomfrey or a healer at St. Mungos? Draco started to panic at the thought. Draco forced himself to calm down. Severus had promised him that he wouldn’t do that without his permission, and Draco knew he could trust his godfather’s word.

Draco also hoped his godfather wouldn’t do something stupid like go tell Dumbledore or someone at the Ministry. Even if Severus somehow convinced someone at the Ministry to remove Draco from his father’s care, Lucius would talk Fudge or one of his many other Ministry contacts into returning Draco. Draco was sure that he would be severely punished if that scenario happened. As scary as that thought was, Draco dismissed it quickly. His godfather would never go to those people for help, if anyone he would . . . Draco sat bolt upright in a panic. He ignored the pain the sudden movement and change in position caused. Draco realized that if Severus Snape were going to talk to someone about this, it would be Lucius himself. Draco’s heart was racing; his breathing was erratic. Draco prayed that his godfather hadn’t gone to confront his father directly. Severus hadn’t promised that he wouldn’t do that. Draco realized that if Severus talked to his father about his punishment, they would most certainly get into a fight, maybe even a magical duel. The friendship between Severus and Lucius would be ruined forever. Draco’s heart seemed to stop beating as he realized his father would forbid him from spending time with his godfather. Draco knew he wouldn’t be brave enough to defy that order. His godfather might have the best intentions of protecting him, but if Severus even mentioned this topic to Lucius, Draco was sure he’d never get to talk to his godfather outside of class again. Just like that he would loose the only person that had ever really shown any concern for him at all. Draco was very ashamed of himself, because he was crying yet again that day. The idea of losing his godfather’s comfort was too much for Draco to handle.

“Severus!” Draco cried out while hoping and praying that his godfather was just sitting outside the room and not somewhere in a duel with Lucius Malfoy. Relief flooded over Draco as the door bust opened, and Severus ran to his side.

“Are you all right?” Severus asked. The worry was evident on his face. Draco nodded quickly. He hadn’t meant to panic his godfather. Severus relaxed a little and pulled the reading chair to the bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore, it hurts,” Draco said. He hoped that admitting the pain wouldn’t start his godfather on another conversation about a healer.

“I’m sorry, but it’s probably going to hurt for a while, Draco.”

Draco nodded. He tried to steer the conversation in the direction that he wanted it to go. “How long was I out?”

“Quite a while; it’s about 3 PM. You’re body must have needed the rest.”

Draco’s mind began whirling again. He had been asleep for long enough for his godfather to go and tell just about anyone. “You didn’t . . . you, you said you wouldn’t, right?” Draco began stuttering, unable to ask the question he really wanted to.

“I did not get a healer. Even though it goes against my better judgment to let you remain in pain, I will respect your wishes on this, Draco.”

“And, you didn’t . . . tell anyone, you know about . . .”

“I didn’t tell anyone. I do understand how you feel and why you don’t want anyone to know about this. I understand more than you realize.”

“And you’re not going to . . . you wouldn’t . . . you aren’t going to directly confront my father about this, are you?”

Severus responded, “Draco, I know your father.”

“So, you aren’t, are you? He’d be furious with you if you did. You two wouldn’t be friends anymore and . . . he wouldn’t let you be my godfather anymore . . . and . . .”

Severus put his hand up to silence Draco, who was starting to hyperventilate himself again. “Draco, I know your father, I know him better than even you do. Years of friendship have taught me how to handle him. I did think about talking to him about it, but I immediately knew that confronting him about it now would just infuriate him.”

“So, you won’t then?”

“I don’t plan to confront him about it.”

“Promise me you won’t.”

“Draco, there may come a time when I am forced to confront him about it. I can’t let him continue to abuse you and just ignore it.”

“No, promise me you won’t! He . . . he’s only trying to make me better than I am, and I . . . I’m use to the beatings. I can take them. I couldn’t take losing you!”

“I won’t make a promise to you that I can not keep, and I will not just let him hit you. Instead, I think it would be wise of us to make some changes to protect you that do not involve me having to talk to your father about this.”

“Like what?” Draco asked. If there was something that would protect him from a whipping, he certainly wanted to hear about it. It seemed no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried to improve, no matter how hard he worked to please his father; he always ended up deserving punishment. He had never been able to come up with anything on his own that would spare his hide.

“To start with, I want you to stay at Hogwarts this Christmas.”

Draco frowned. Only losers without families like Potter stayed at Hogwarts over the Christmas break. Also, Draco’s parents always hosted a large party with lots of important people on Christmas Eve. His father was unlikely to let him skip that.

“I can talk your father into it, and you and I can have a quite and pleasant Christmas together.”

“Okay,” Draco said. He would enjoy spending the holiday with his godfather, and he would most certainly enjoy not getting beaten over the break. He was sure that if he went home the Cruciatus would be waiting for him. If his father would agree to let him stay with Severus, he would happily agree to that plan.

“Next, whenever your father comes to visit you here, I want you to stay with me the entire time he’s here. He’s likely to come for the next Quidditch match you play in. As long as I’m always with you or him, he won’t have a chance to get you alone. I could be wrong, but I think he’s much less likely to beat you in front of me. He’d rather wait to beat you while you’re alone, unless his temper is really flared.”

“That makes sense,” Draco admitted. His godfather had obviously put a lot of thought into protecting him, but Draco also knew that his father would never forget about the punishments he earned. Staying close to Severus would most likely delay things, but eventually Lucius would deal out the beatings he deserved. Still, it was better to get one really bad punishment during the summer than to continuously have to hide his injuries from his classmates. Draco wondered for a moment if he shouldn’t tell Severus about the charm his father had cast or about the threat of the Cruciatus; it would certainly make a difference in the protection plan. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. Draco was already very concerned about Severus’ reaction to the knowledge that he was beaten, and he hadn’t even seen the worst injuries on his bottom. Draco couldn’t be certain how Severus would react if he knew the full extent of the abuse he was threatened with, but it wasn’t worth the risk to tell him.

“Your father almost always sends me an owl to let me know when he will be visiting, but in case he doesn’t tell me, I want you to tell me anytime you know he’s coming.”

“Okay”

“I’ve also made something for you,” Severus said dropping a small, black, clothing button into Draco’s hand. Draco looked up at him questioningly. “It’s a panic button of sorts. I cast a spell on it so that if you squeeze it tightly, it will alert me that you need me. I want you to keep this in your pocket at all times. If your father surprises you with an unannounced visit, I want you to squeeze it right away. Don’t wait to see if he’s going to hurt you. It will be much easier for me to protect you if I get there before he starts hitting you.”

Draco nodded absently. He quickly vowed to himself that he would never push that button, no matter how bad a beating he got. Pushing that button would ensure a fight, and Draco had already decided he’d rather take the worst whipping than lose his godfather’s love.

“The last item is going to be the most difficult change,” Severus warned. “We need to improve your performance so that your father doesn’t have any excuse for beating you.”

“I, I try so hard, Godfather, but I . . . I can’t . . .” shame flooded over Draco as a lump formed in his throat once again. Severus agreed with his father that his performance was inadequate and deserving of punishment, and that he only had to try harder.

“I know, Draco, I know,” Severus tried to calm him. “I know you try as hard as you can, but I haven’t done everything that I can to help you. I’m going to push you harder, Draco. I’m going to make you study with me a lot more.”

“Okay,” Draco whispered, still struggling to get his emotions under control. “I can handle extra workload.” He would do anything if it meant that he could finally please his father.

“I know you can, Draco. But, I’m going to have to be harder on you, too.” Severus must have seen the look of panic on Draco’s face because he quickly added, “Not like your father. I’d NEVER do anything like that, Draco. But, I am going to be firmer with you when I can tell you haven’t studied or haven’t tried your hardest. I’m going to be firm with you because I love you and want to protect you, not because I’m angry with you or want to hurt you. Do you understand, Draco?”

Draco nodded again. It made sense to do anything he could to improve his grades to avoid the severe punishment his father would give him if he didn’t, and he did want to do better in school, to give his father and his godfather a reason to be proud of him. Still, Draco realized that a few stern words from his godfather would have the ability to hurt him more than lashes with his father’s belt ever could.

“What are you thinking, Draco?” Severus asked, clearly picking up on Draco’s worried expression.

“I . . . just . . . if you have to reprimand me . . . could you hug me or tell me you still care about me when you’re done?”

Severus stood from the chair and reached his hand towards Draco. At first Draco thought he had angered his godfather. Draco flinched, afraid he was about to get slapped for asking something so bold. Instead, the hand caressed his face gently. “Of course, Draco, of course,” Severus comforted him. He laid down on the bed next to Draco, reached his hand behind Draco’s head, and pulled him to rest on his chest. He ran his fingers rhythmically along Draco’s arm as he spoke. “Let’s make a code. When you’re feeling scared and unloved and need me to be gentler and comfort you, just call me ‘Godfather.’ You can call me ‘Severus’, or ‘Professor Snape’, or ‘Sir’ any other time, but calling me ‘Godfather’ will be the code that tells me that you need your gentle, loving godfather instead of your stern protector.”

Severus continued to cuddle Draco close to his chest as he said, “There is one more thing, Draco.”

“Yes, Sir?” Draco waited to hear the final suggestion while appreciating the closeness Severus was granting him.

“I owe you an apology,” Severus’ voice was calm, but his sorrow showed in his expression.

“For what?” Draco asked completely flabbergasted that his godfather thought he could have done anything to offend him.

“You tried to tell me what your father was doing to you, but I didn’t listen to you. I could have protected you if I’d listened, but . . .”

“But, I wasn’t trying to tell you,” Draco interrupted. “I . . . I thought you knew, but I didn’t want you to do anything. I knew I deserved what I got. I just wanted to talk. You let me tell you I was scared without scolding me for my weakness. You were great!” Draco said emphatically.

Severus gave him a small smile, but his eyes were still sad. “I’m glad you felt safe enough to talk to me, but you did tell me that your father spanked you, and I should have figured out what that meant. All of the warning signs were there, warning signs I would have recognized in any other student, but I ignored the warning signs because Lucius was my friend and I didn’t want to see it. If I had truly listened to you and if I hadn’t ignored my instincts, I could have protect you from this.”

“You couldn’t have protected me from this. I deserved my punishment, and I know it. I let everyone down,” Draco admitted.

Severus gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “One day I’ll break you from thinking like that, but for now I’ll settle for you agreeing to do what I ask you to for the next few months.”

“Yes, Sir,” Draco agreed.

They stayed there for quite a while with Draco cuddling up on Severus’ chest, just resting and enjoying the comfort of his embrace. It felt wonderful to feel safe and loved while lying in his godfather’s arms, but Draco knew it couldn’t last for forever. He was beginning to worry about facing his peers again. He was still in so much pain; he wasn’t ready to be his usual self. If he went to dinner or the Slytherin common room he’d have to raise his shields to protect himself from the taunts he was sure to receive for losing the match. Normally he was mean and cruel to others before they had a chance to hurt him, but he was too tired and emotionally drained to pull off the persona he used to protect himself. He was also worried because he physically didn’t think he’d be capable of hiding his injuries, yet. “Godfather?” he finally got up the nerve to ask.

“Yes, Draco?” Severus asked. He continued to soothingly pet the top of his hair while he let Draco take his time to ask what he wanted.

“Can I stay here tonight? Only . . . only if you don’t mind, of course.”

Severus paused in thought for quite a while before he answered. Draco was sure he was going to be scolded for asking, but he wasn’t. “Yes, but only for tonight,” Severus answered to Draco’s relief. “You are going to classes like usual in the morning. I realize your body could use extra time to heal, but you will eventually have to face your classmates, and delaying that won’t make it any easier. I’ll put a masking charm on your back so that no one else will be able to see your injuries. I think that you’ll find that people will forget about the match sooner than you’d think.”

“I wish I could think of something to humiliate Potter so the other kids would make fun of him instead of me.”

Severus smiled. “I’ll keep my eye out for a chance to embarrass Potter. If I see an opportunity for you to outshine him, I’ll take advantage of that, too.”

The Next Morning

Draco stood outside the great hall. Severus had insisted that he go to breakfast as usual and pretend like everything was normal. Draco took a deep breath and readied himself to deal with people again.

“Out of my way,” he snarled pushing a group of Hufflepuffs gathered near the doorway. If he had to be back among people, he might as well do a good job of acting like things were normal. Draco ignored their protests and walked right past them. He spotted Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table, so he headed over to them.

“Draco, where have you been?” Crabbe asked.

“Like that’s any of your business, Crabbe,” Draco said in the angriest tone he could muster. He knew he had to sit down, but that was going to be very difficult. The table benches were made of wood and very, very hard. Severus had granted him a day to rest, but that wasn’t near enough to make his bottom stop hurting. He needed a distraction. He quickly uttered a minor curse at a passing first year Gryffindor and used the time the Slytherin table spent laughing at the boy to carefully sit down without anyone noticing the pained expression on his face. It hurt like hell, but he was seated, and no one else could see how much pain he was in.

“We were worried about you,” Goyle said.

“Worried?” Draco laughed. “Why in the world were you worried about me? What could have possibly happened to me here at Hogwarts?”

“Didn’t you hear? That Creevy boy was petrified,” Goyle informed him.

“And you thought I could have been petrified somewhere? I’m a pure blood. The monster from the Chamber of Secrets only attacks Mud-Bloods, you idiots!”

“Oh, yeah,” Crabbe said.

Draco shook his head. “You two are really thick, you know!”

“Well, anyway, we were looking for you because we thought of a prank to play on Potter tonight,” Crabbe informed him.

“A prank to play on Potter?” Draco asked with excitement. That was exactly what he wanted, a way to humiliate and embarrass the golden boy that lived. Draco was about to ask for all of the details when he remember that Severus had ordered him to study for history of magic that night. As much as he wanted to embarrass Potter, he wanted to please his godfather more. Studying and improving his grades were more important. Embarrassing Potter would make him feel better in the short term, but if he studied and did as his godfather said, he might actually have the slightest chance to make his father proud. “And I’m sure it’s a GREAT plan since you two came up with it,” Draco said sarcastically.

“Yeah,” Crabbe and Goyle both said in unison with smiles.

“That was sarcasm.”

“Oh,” they said looking extremely gloomy now.

“Besides, I’m busy tonight.”

“Busy?” Goyle asked. “Doing what?”

“Studying,” Draco admitted. They needed to get use to the idea of him studying more anyway.

“Studying?” Crabbe asked like it was a foreign word.

“Yes, Crabbe. Unlike you two dunderheads, I plan to actually pass my classes this year.”

The Next Evening

Draco sat uncomfortably on the couch in his godfather’s living room as Severus paced the room asking him questions from the history of magic book chapter Draco was suppose to have learned the previous night.

“An easier question then,” Severus sighed. He was starting to scowl. It was becoming obvious to Draco that his godfather was disappointed in him. He hadn’t known the right answers to any of the questions so far, and Severus was starting to show signs of anger. “Which came first, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy or the Warlock’s Convention Outlawing Dragon Breeding?”

Draco tried to rack his brain to remember. He did vaguely recall reading about both events, but otherwise his mind was blank. He desperately wished he knew the right answer. He wanted to please his godfather and for the angry expression to go away, but Draco couldn’t remember. “Dragon Breeding?” Draco took a guess.

“Wrong again,” Severus said. His eyes fixed coolly on Draco as he said, “No wonder you’re getting a poor mark in this class, Draco.”

Draco felt shame radiating through him. He had hoped he would at least be able to answer some of his godfather’s questions adequately in their first real study session. Draco had studied an extra hour longer than the four hours Severus had ordered, and he had concentrated and tried his hardest the full time. He had hoped he might actually be able to please Severus with his knowledge level, but whenever he was asked a question, his mind went completely blank.

Severus sighed again and appeared to make a great effort to calm himself down and refocus on the study session. “Let’s try a VERY easy question, then. In 1637 a code of conduct was written for a certain type of magical creature. Would you like to guess what kind of creature that code was for?” Severus’ voice revealed that he was near the end of his patience.

Draco knew he was in real trouble. “I don’t know, Sir,” Draco whispered.

“Draco!” Professor Snape yelled slamming down the text book he was holding onto the table. “Did you even bother to READ the chapter I asked you to study?”

Draco felt like letting himself cry and begging his godfather for leniency; he had tried so hard to learn the material. But, Draco reminded himself that he had agreed to Severus being hard on him. It was the only way his school performance would ever improve, and it was one method of protecting him from his father’s fury.

Severus would have to punish him; he was doing such a pitiful job answering questions. Draco knew his godfather wouldn’t be outright cruel in his punishment, not like his father would, but Draco was still scared of being punished. Severus would be relatively gentle with him, but even the softest spanking would still be excruciating. His bottom was still raw and extremely sore from the caning. Any punishment at all would hurt so much, but Draco knew that he had it coming. He had failed to answer the questions, and failure meant punishment. Rather than answering Severus’ question about studying, Draco vocalized the question he had to know the answer to “Are you going to punish me now, Sir?”

Snape’s voice was cool. Neither his tone of voice nor his expression revealed any emotion as he asked, “Do you think you deserve to be punished?”

Draco’s heart sank; he was to be punished. But why was Severus making him ask for it? Perhaps he was going to be crueler than Draco had anticipated. But, he knew he deserved it. There was only one answer to the question “Yes, Sir”

“Why do you think you should be punished?”

If he had been paying attention, Draco might have noticed that Severus did not sound angry anymore, but all Draco noticed was how remarkably similar the question sounded to his father’s standard question right before a severe whipping. A correct answer would start his punishment; an incorrect answer would earn him a long lecture about what he had done wrong before a far worse beating began. Draco knew a lot of what he had done wrong, but he was afraid he wouldn’t get it worded right, or he would forget something. “Because . . . because, I failed to learn the material, Sir, and because I’m stupid, and because I’m unworthy of your attention, and because . . .” Draco hated that his voice was shaking as he spoke. He never could sound brave before a punishment. His lips were trembling as he tried to keep control of his body to finish his list of sins. He couldn’t control himself, though. A single tear leaked out of his watery eyes and trickled down his cheek. Before Draco could stop them, a few more tears fell.

“Are you crying?” the voice was clearly a concerned one, not an angry one this time, but Draco was too conditioned not to cry. Crying meant further punishment. He quickly shook his head and wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

“Draco,” Severus whispered before moving closer.

Draco desperately hoped his godfather would be gentle with his punishment and not use an implement like a paddle. He did deserve a serious punishment, but Severus might hurt Draco more than he intended if he didn’t realize how raw his bottom still was. He hadn’t seen how bad it was to start with. As Severus reached for him, Draco was sure he was going to flip him over his knee for a spanking, or maybe over the couch. “Please don’t use a paddle,” the plea escaped his lips before he was able to stop himself.

“Shhhh, I’m not going to hit you, Draco; I’d never hurt you,” it was Severus’ calm soothing voice; all traces of anger were gone. Draco was shocked to find himself not in a discipline position, but embraced in a tight hug. “Draco, did you forget our code?” Severus asked. “Why didn’t you just ask for your godfather if you were scared?”

“Because I know I do deserve to be punished,” Draco confided.

“Draco, sit down with me,” Severus commanded as he directed them to the couch where he held Draco tight. “I was never going to punish you, Draco. I was just trying to figure out why you continue to insist you deserve to be beaten. I’m sorry I didn’t notice how upset you were getting earlier.”

“I do deserve punishment,” Draco cried. Severus shook his head and whispered “no.” “But, I . . . I failed to learn the material and . . . I made you so angry and disappointed in me.” Draco lowered his head in shame. He desperately didn’t want to be punished, but he knew he deserved it, and it was tearing him apart that he had disappointed his godfather so soon.

“Draco, I’m sorry I got angry. It’s so important to me to protect you, and I think improving your grades is a necessary step in protecting you. I was angry at first, because I thought you hadn’t obeyed me and hadn’t studied the chapter, but I can tell now that you did, didn’t you?” Draco nodded through his tears. “Then how can I punish you? You did everything I asked of you. What behavior is reprimanding you suppose to correct?”

“You could punish me for being stupid and failing.”

“You are NOT stupid,” Severus said firmly. “I think that you are freezing up and forgetting because you’re scared and nervous. I’ll just have to get you to relax and not worry about the consequences when you’re answering questions and taking tests. Also, you probably aren’t studying very efficiently. There are a lot of different study methods I can teach you. Once we do that, and if I continue to force you to stay on top of your assignments, you’ll be getting grades that will please your father, Draco.”

“Yes, Sir,” Draco said, hoping that his godfather was right.

“Draco, I want you to listen to me. This is important. Don’t be afraid to use our codeword. If you’re scared, call me ‘Godfather.’ Even if you think you deserve punishment or a scolding, even if you think I’m being fair. If you are scared, I want you to let me know. I’ll decide on my own what actions I should take, but I need you to let me know how you’re feeing. Okay?”

“Okay, Godfather.”

“Good. I also want you to know that I’m not going to punish you if you’ve done what I ask of you. As long as you continue to try your hardest and obey my instructions, I won’t punish you. Second, even if I do punish you, I would never really hurt you, Draco. I know you’re still in so much pain from what your father did to you that any physical punishment would be inappropriate right now. You don’t have to be scared of me, okay?”

“Thanks, Godfather,” Draco whispered before leaning in for an extra tight hug.

After the First Dueling Club

Draco let himself into Severus’ chambers as he did most every night. He had found that it was easier and more comfortable to come here to study than to try to explain to the other students why he was studying so hard. While Crabbe and Goyle were great body guards and always there to make fun of someone with, they weren’t the best study companions. Severus wasn’t in his room yet, but Draco knew that. He was helping Lockhart clean up after the first dueling club meeting. Draco sat at the table and pulled out his charms homework, but he didn’t feel like starting it. His head was swirling with what had happened at the dueling club. Potter had spoken in Parcelmouth. Draco couldn’t believe it. The duel kept running through his mind. Draco was sure his godfather had nominated him as a volunteer to face Potter on purpose, so that he would have a chance to show-up Potter. He brilliantly started a split-second sooner than he should have and got a really good jinx on Potter. Draco was really proud of that jinx. It had sent Potter flying. But, then Potter had surprised him with his reaction time and landed an equally impressive jinx on Draco. Severus had not been pleased with that. Draco had seen it in his face. Then Severus had firmly pushed him back into the action, to give him another chance to beat Potter. That’s when he’d let the snake loose. It had seemed like a good idea. How was he to know Potter could talk to snakes? And what did it mean that he could?

The door opened and Severus walked in, nodding at Draco to acknowledge his presence. They had become very relaxed around each other and accustomed to spending time together. Severus went over to a bookshelf and was searching for something as he casually asked Draco, “How did the history of magic quiz go today?”

Draco felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach. He hoped his godfather would be pleased with the answer; although, he knew his father wouldn’t be. “I, I got-t a ninety three percent,” Draco stuttered.

“That’s excellent, Draco,” Severus said with a smile.

Draco looked back down at the table with a worried expression. He studied the pattern in the wood as he tried to decide if he should tell his godfather the whole truth. In the end, he decided to tell him. He had found that it was usually best to go ahead and confide in Severus. “Granger got a ninety five percent,” he whispered looking sheepishly up at Severus to see what his reaction would be.

“Well, you can’t blame yourself for that. You got an excellent mark, and that’s what matters,” Severus said.

“Not to Father,” Draco whispered. Severus crossed the living room and sat at the opposite side of the table from him, giving Draco his full attention. “Father punished me last year after I told him Granger got better grades than me, because she’s a Mud-Blood.”

“Well, your grades weren’t that good last year. He won’t have much to punish you for if you continue to get such good grades. We just won’t tell him how she does, all right?”

Draco nodded. He knew his father would punish him no matter what if Granger’s grades beat his, but it meant a lot to him to know that Severus was happy with his school performance. Draco decided to bring up another topic now that he had his godfather’s attention. “Do you think that Potter, I mean, he couldn’t be . . . have you heard what people are saying, that he’s the Heir of Slytherin? That couldn’t be, could it?”

“I don’t know,” Severus said now turning his attention to flipping through the book he had pulled off the shelf.

“But, it would have to be someone in Slytherin, wouldn’t it?”

“I said, I don’t know, Draco,” Severus responded, clearly no longer paying any attention to the conversation.

“It’s not you, is it?” Draco asked. He was the only person Draco could think of that could possibly be good enough to be Slytherin’s heir.

“Of course not!” Severus laughed. “Why don’t you ask your father about the Chamber of Secrets this week when you write to him?”

“You think that he knows something?” Draco asked excitedly.

“I DON’T KNOW, but it can’t hurt to ask him. I’m very curious to see what he thinks, especially about Potter being a Parselmouth. That fact is very intriguing.”

Draco suspicions were roused, but he knew when not to push Severus. He would write to his father and find out what he knew. Maybe he had found the Chamber of Secrets himself when he was at school and Severus knew about it, or . . . Draco’s mind began running wild.

“You have a charms assignment to do, don’t you Draco?” Severus asked pointing at the work in front of him.

“Yes, Sir,” Draco sighed and tried to force himself to focus on his essay. It wasn’t long before his mind began to wander again, though. A question was tearing at him, and he really wanted to ask Severus. He watched Severus, who was very intently reading now. Draco tried to gauge if he’d get mad if he interrupted him to ask another question. Severus had ordered him to get back to work, but Draco knew he wouldn’t be able to focus and do a good job unless he asked. Draco finally decided to test the waters, “Severus . . .”

“Yes?” he asked, not looking up from his book. He didn’t sound angry or annoyed, just preoccupied.

“Did I . . . did I do okay in the dueling club today? I mean, against Potter?”

Severus looked up and smiled. “Yes, Draco. You did a very good job. I’m proud of you for taking advantage of that opportunity to embarrass him. Make sure you write home to your father about that, too, just be sure not to mention letting Potter knock you down.”