The Morning Star

A/Q Hi everyone, so I have the chapter earlier than expected. I am not sure I like how it turned out. But I rather dreaded it because of the 4 people interaction so I am just happy it is out. If you find any mistakes please tell me. (English is not my native language as I am sure you’ve already noticed.)
Anyway, I am having one rather unexpected problem. The thing is : original plan is to make this HP/SS at the indefinite end, but writing LV/SS scenes is so much fun, you wouldn't believe. It’s addicting, I swear. I'm cruel, so kill me :P
So here is rhetorical question, but feel free to answer it : Should I stick to the original plan or should I change it into LV/SS ?
P.S. My Harry is turning into quite the leader isn’t he?
P.S.S. Please free to tell me anything at all, I love attention. And thanks a bunch for the reviews tolani and misswarchan. They are the highlights of my days .


Chapter 4

Unpredictable acts

Ironic, really, that only after being imprisoned, stripped of the ability to choose and make decisions Severus Snape finally got to spend so much time unconscious. The hours of dark abyss were unfortunately interrupted by intervals of purposeless existence. In some twisted way, his life now resembled a forced holiday spent with an overprotective supervisor who had sadistic and perverse tendencies. It was hardly bearable this pitiable existence, but Severus wasn’t about to give into misery. He waited for a slightest change in the status quo and - his chance to escape.

The first time, he awoke after his unintentional suicide attempt was terrifying. The male was bound to the bedsteads, unable to speak and a very angry Lord Voldemort stood in front of him.

The Dark Lord was holding a wand in his left hand and a bloody shard in his right. He squeezed it and big drops started dripping on Severus chest and stomach. And no matter how Snape struggled he couldn’t get away. So much blood… ’A little bit longer and the Dark Lord will surely just bleed to death no need for the savior services. And I will drown it his blood – the last person to be killed by the crazy bastard… ’ he thought deliriously and then started shaking in a silent hysterical laugher.

And then Voldemort spoke, though with fear clouding all his senses Snape hardly paid any mind to the words. “I sshouldn’t explain this Sseveruss, not to you. But I will, sso that there won’t be any more misunderstandings between uss…the fact that you betrayed me and no longer bear my mark, meansss nothing. You are mine…Only I can hurt you or pleassure you. It is my exclussive right. ” He put the wand and shard away and started drawing pictures with his finger on Severus’ shivering body. “Sssh.. don’t struggle sso.” Lord Voldemort whispered and placed bloody finger on his lips tainting them crimson. Severus wanted to throw up. “You look sso beautiful in red... ssweet…only for a moment longer…It iss your punishment and lessson…jusst, give In… ” There was a glazed look in the Dark Lord’s eyes.

A spit to Voldemort’s face was not was not expected. Snape himself looked rather shaken by the action, before the mask of indifference landed on his face. For a moment the Dark Lord just stood disbelieving, then brushed the saliva away and lightly petted Severus hair. “…Must you always act sso…very foolishly then driven to the corner, sweet?” He asked and then walked out of the room leaving Snape bound and bloody, for what seemed eternity but were in fact just a few hours.

XXX

The day has started really good for Draco Lucius Malfoy. He awoke from the smells of cocoa, chocolate pudding and vanilla pancakes coming from the kitchen. It seemed that the weird house elf has decided to prepare him a grand farewell breakfast. More so then Draco asked about his father’s whereabouts he found out that rather than staying in the library and researching Lucius was out to meet somebody. Still, the highlight of blond’s morning – as strange as it sounds – was the meeting with the twinkle eyed old coot. “Great news Mr Malfoy ! Minerva has found a very old locating ritual that might be just what we need to trace Severus’ whereabouts.” He said after offering the lemon drop and then added “Horace has already agreed to prepare the potion that is required for the ritual. It takes a few weeks to brew so if you or Miss Granger wished to help, I am sure professor Slughorn would appreciate it. ”

And then he walked into Hogwarts dinning hall and the majority of the faces turned to him and then started gossiping, all the attention was also very pleasing. “Ferret, I hoped you died.” spat Ron Weasley when Draco approached once again re-united golden trio. Draco smirked. “Always glad to disappoint you, Weasel. Potter, as scarheaded as ever I see. Granger, your letters were the highlights of my days.“ While this comeback was not nearly up to blond’s usual standards, he was too high spirited to care.

“Aren’t you just glowing today, Malfoy. I suppose, you already heard the news, then.” smiled Hermione. Draco returned the gesture, and sat next to her. Potter wordlessly handed his a loaf of sesame bread. Draco mouthed ‘thanks’ and turned to the bushy girl “Actually, Granger, I need to discuss with you that matter… and other things.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you, Malfoy!” Suddenly exclaimed Ron his face flushed with anger. He smirked and prepared to amuse the audience. “Watch it Weasel”, the Slytherin waved his finger in a mock disciplinary gesture “a little bit more and your jealousy will turn into obsession. And that’s just the kind of behavior a self respecting free woman hates most, isn’t that right, dear Hermione?” She raised her eyebrow, and shushed him not really into the game, but the blond was having too much fun to stop “Well, scarhead can tag along too is he so wishes, he is rather cute.”

Harry and Hermione blushed, momentarily, but it was nothing compared to Ron’s horrified expression. “I am flattered Malfoy, really I am“, said Potter handing him another loaf of sesame bread, which Draco declined with a shake of head. “Ron comes with us too.” added the boy-who-lived, always the golden leader.

Draco sighed dramatically and started massaging his temples, as if trying to shoo away annoying headache “A tag along, brings another tag along and the party among friends turns into an orgy. But, scarhead, you are just too cute to resist. Besides, the more the better they say…” Potter sent him air kiss and Draco laughed. “Weasley, you can join if you wish, but only is you swear an unbreakable oath not to tell anyone that you will see or hear. That is not negotiable, by the way.”

“Are you implying that I am a traitor, ferret?! “ the redhead was actually seething with rage, only deepening Slytherin’s impression that somebody so easily manipulated was not to be trusted.

“I did not put those words into your mouth, Weasel. But, really, It’s just that I have reputation to uphold and that cannot possibly be done if all the mystery is gone.” He smirked nonchalantly waving his hands and got a ruffle from Potter. Now, that was playing not nice. Draco might have stopped using gel in the sixth grade, but he still cared about his good looks.

“Ron… this is really not the place. Everyone is looking.” whispered Hermione angrily into redhead’s ear and said male blushed even more, but this time not from anger. Draco felt a pang of pity for the man whose emotions could so easily be read on his face, but not being the sentimental type quickly brushed it aside.

“Both I and Hermione trust you and need you in this, Ron. You are our best friend.” said Harry looking straight into redhead’s eyes. It was a small push, but so well placed, even certain Slytherin appreciated it’s genius.

Ron looked rather grumpy, but was completely sugarcoated. “Fine. So there do I sign this bloody Faustian deal?”

XXX

‘How quickly this sunny morning turned into a stormy and rainy afternoon’ pondered Draco Lucius Malfoy while looking thought one of the rain stained windows at the Room of Requirement. He felt impatient gazes scorching his back and the shrunken book in his hip-pocket weighted at least few tons. Should he trust the noble lot with that sort of information? Why the hell was he even worrying about that? It was just stupid story. One that was only interesting to the little children and crazy megalo …

” Malfoy, will you just get on with it already!?” and annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned around and smirked. “What’s the rush, Weasley? Can’t wait too see me naked? Why I feel violated. ”

“Stop stalling and tell us what you found out about professor Snape!” suddenly exclaimed Hermione, her bold Gryffindor side showing. Woman’s hands were placed on her hips and she looked a lot like sexy angry McGonagall. For a second Draco was at a loss –not from the sight, though it was appealing – but from the implications of the sentence. Then, a wave of relief hit him it was hard not to laugh out loud. Slytherin smirked and bowed to the angry girl. “Your wish is my command, sweet Granger.” Hermione blushed a little and tossed the statement with a simple “Grow up.”

‘It is nothing else, but truth that is leaving my lips’ the blond wanted to say but decided that aggravating Weasel at this the very beginning of their small meeting was not the wisest of decisions. So he brushed his hair and cosed next to the golden trio leader and let the bomb fall. “The thing is that there is a very high possibility that professor is being held captive by the crazy megalomaniac himself.”

“But how can that be? You wrote me in your letters that your father knew nothing of professor Snape’s fate, which logically thinking means that his true loyalties has not been found out. Isn’t that the reason why we rejected this possibility in the first place? Besides there were no signs of struggle in professor’s room and his black robe was left in the cabinet.” She was rambling and Draco wanted her to stop because she was making him panic, and he wanted her to continue – for she was a mirror that reflected his own feelings. “I know! But there is no doubt about that one fact – Voldemort knows professor’s whereabouts. (Father wouldn’t lie) And wouldn’t have professor Snape contacted the order, had he been able to?” Slytherin exclaimed for a moment loosing his mask.

“We should inform the order of the phoenix of so that they could prepare for the rescue.” Said Potter slightly concerned, but not loosing his calm. Draco smirked. “Don’t twist your panties Potter, your favorite Slytherin wrote a letter to the old coot this lovely morning.” The savior nodded his head.

“How do you even know that Snape is alive?” came a bombshell form ever the straightforward Ron Weasley. Granger and Potter tensed. This was obviously the question, neither of them dared to ask.

“Luckily, if Voldemort does have him then at least that is pretty much guaranteed.” Draco said not sounding as happy as he should have and while Hermione and Potter looked mostly relieved, interest and mistrust could be clearly noticed on redhead’s face. He opened his mouth to ask another uncomfortable question, but Slytherin interrupted him. “And trust me, Weasley you don’t want to know why.”


Potter frowned. Hermione’s eyes widened and she started playing with her fingers obviously trying not to ponder too much on the last statement. She obviously wanted to ask something, but settled for ignorance and more optimistic note. “At least now we know something. As of late I felt like we were trying to catch a ghost or a memory…But after the talk with Dumbledore this morning and this, I know for sure that he is really out there. And we will find him.” Granger paused for a minute and then, suddenly, continued in a strict McGonagall like voice: “Now, please tell us the main reason why you had brought us here, Malfoy.”

Draco thought of feigning ignorance, but then decided that the secret was too much for him to keep. So he wordlessly took out the shrunken storybook and placed it on the table. ‘Taah…Dah’ the blond singsang in his head, while looking at the trio’s dumbfounded faces. And that must have showed on his face, because Draco’s hair suffered another attack from the golden boy. “Let me introduce you to this little problem that has kept me away from school and your pleasant company for three weeks also know as The Book.”

“Can we skip the Drama and just go to the point?” asked Harry Potter spoiling his fun, but fearing for the wellbeing of his hairdo Slytherin decided to give in. “Well, ok. To make this very short one month ago give or take Voldemort has got his hands on powerful strange unknown magical being. Supposedly it looks a lot like human teenager, but cannot possibly stand the sight, smell or taste of blood, even that of his own, reacts negatively to any kind of dark magic, whatever the hell that means, and bowing to anybody is either impossible or extremely hard for it.”

The trio continued to stare at him in disbelief. Finally, seeing that it was not a strange joke Hermione decided to voice their skepticism. “That sounds a lot like some scared and really stubborn, ordinary child. Except for the powerful part… But rather than the child being extraordinary powerful, isn’t it more likely that Voldemort just finally lost it?”


Why, it was as if Granger was reading his mind. Draco just hoped that she will remain this much of a skeptic after hearing the passage...for the sake of his sanity as well as hers. There was just one way to find out. So he smirked, artificially, but who cares, cleared his throat and started reading the introductory passage of the storybook.


“Bugger that… it is the most brain whacking story I have ever heard.” breathed out Ron. The boy-who lived frowned. ‘You will get wrinkles if you keep this up, wonder boy’ Draco wanted to say, but cared too much for their opinion to become the center of attention. “Still…if we suppose the legend is true and this…“kirin guy” was born here to choose the king and give him absolute power over the land haunted by the great calamity then this could turn into a troublesome matter far more serious than the calamity himself.” Golden boy spoke rather concerned and regrettably Draco couldn’t agree more to his reasoning.

Granger looked lost in her thoughts. And it suited her…a lot. “…Sennin…sennin…I am certain it means immortal sage in Japanese or was it Chinese…” She muttered under her breath, and then conluded: “Anyway, this serious problem literally speaking has the potency to be also an eternal one.” The Slytherin paled. Not a very happy thought – a life under authoritarian rule.

“Malfoy, will you borrow me this book of yours for a while?” asked the muggleborn, but Draco waved his hands apologetically. ”Sorry, Herm..Granger, it has true- heir spell on.”

“Oh…Well then we should probably decide on the plan of action, though Malfoy and I will be rather busy with professor Snape’s potion for the next week.” She said and seeing Draco’s confused expression added“. ”I already spoke with professor Slughorn about that.” He smirked, but it turned out to be a lot like a smile.

Ron flushed and mouthed something incomprehensible, but did not elaborate. “OK. Harry and I will look into Chinese and Japanese legends and try to find more on the unknown terms in the book, if ferret makes a list of them.” He finally said in a tone that inclined - he would rather walk into a cave full of spiders than leave Hermione with Malfoy or research.

‘That would be great, Ron.” Granger beamed at the redhead and Draco suddenly felt a need to end this happy family farce. “But you know… it will probably take me a while to make the list of words that you don’t know, Weasel.” He said in a thoughtful tone and sighed “…I suppose, it will be easier just to rewrite the whole book.”

He expected Weasley to turn all crimson, to shout some nonsense and then jump at him, and probably beat him into a bloody pulp too. But, Draco did not expect the all too familiar sting in his left cheek. And he really did not foresee the jade in Hermione’s eyes. For once, the proud Slytherin was rendered speechless.

“I’m sorry” He whispered in a voice so foreign to him and hastily left the room.