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Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 or 7 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 25: PRESSURE

After they had escorted the students to the Slytherin Common Room, Astrid waited for the other three to settle themselves in their sitting room before she sat down next to Severus.

�I noticed something today,� she said. �Something that makes me think about something Max told me. Today, I saw Lucius Malfoy look at an ex-lover with no sign that he even knew him.�

The three men looked at her with confusion, and then Max got a look of dawning comprehension on his face.

�You think that's not Lucius,� Max said. �What else are you basing this on?�

�The Lucius Malfoy you went to school with had a prophetic dream,� Astrid said. �The Lucius Malfoy I know doesn't have a prophetic spark in him. There's the abrupt change of behavior, the change of behavior in his son, and the ban from the manor. I need to talk to Draco.�

�What can Draco tell you?� Max asked.

�Why he acted the way he did,� Aster said. �I'll be right back.�

~*~*~*~

Draco sat brooding in the Slytherin Common Room. He wasn�t worried about the others, or about seeing them. He knew they would be going up to Castlemoor manor until the situation was resolved.

The entrance to the Common Room opened and Astrid walked in. She immediately looked at Draco and beckoned to him.

�Nothing�s wrong with Professor Snape, is there?� he asked as he approached.

�No,� she said. �I need to talk to you about your father.�

�I don�t want to talk about him,� Draco said, his face darkening. �He and the other Governors are staying here tonight. I half thought you were him.�

�He would not have the current password,� Astrid reminded him. �Come with me, Draco.�

He followed her silently as she led the way to the room they used for dueling practice. The room was already well shielded. All Astrid had to do was to cast silencing spells over the two armchairs in a corner that she chose for them to sit in.

�I want to know what happened between you and your father,� she said. �I need to know more about something I saw tonight.�

�You mean the way he looks at my uncle,� Draco said. �Like Uncle Max were an insect instead of his best friend.�

�Like he doesn�t even know him,� Astrid said, leaning forward. �I saw his eyes closely tonight, Draco. There was not contempt there. There was nothing whatsoever. It was as though he were looking at a complete stranger.�

�But he used to tell me all about what they did in school,� Draco said. �How they used to prank the Marauders, how they were all going to marry one another and � then it all changed. After third year, everything was different. He was cold, even to my mother. He never sat and talked with me anymore. He told me Harry was beneath me. He told me that Uncle Max was unworthy of our name because he was a bastard.�

�How else did he change, Draco?� Astrid asked, reaching out and putting one hand over his, white-knuckled where he clenched the arm of the chair.

Without warning, images, emotions, and sensations assaulted her: Lucius� face, with expressions on it no child should see on a parent; horror and denial; burning pain; Lucius walking through Draco�s bedroom door in his robe; fear; aches of bruises from a beating and pain in a most sensitive place; naked Lucius looming over Draco�s bed; immobilizing terror; shame; unworthiness; helplessness.

Without speaking again, Astrid pulled Draco into the chair with her. Even though he was the same size she was, she handled him as though he were a frightened child.

�It will never happen again, Draco,� she whispered to him. �No one will ever know unless you tell them. You should tell Harry.�

�I did,� Draco said. �After the party, I told them all. I had to make them promise not to do anything.�

�If it makes you feel better,� Astrid said, reaching up and smoothing his hair gently. �I don�t believe he is your father. I think he�s a double.�

�But he has the mark,� Draco said.

�If he had the time to study one,� Astrid said. �He could produce a seeming. I certainly could. We�re leaving, tonight. You are not spending one more minute under the same roof as that man.�

She reached to her wrist and rubbed the binding mark to call to Lilith and Harry.

�We�ll send the elves to get your things,� she told him. �Come with me. I won�t let you out of my sight.�

She undid her silencing charms and led the way out of the classroom. They walked to Snape�s chambers in silence, neither of them willing to bring up the subject that was uppermost in both their minds.

In the hall outside his quarters, Severus was talking to Lucius Malfoy.

�I do not know where Draco is,� Snape said. �I will tell him you were looking for him.�

�Do that,� Lucius said, his manner that of a lord addressing a servant. �I am very anxious to see him. After all, he is my son.�

Astrid felt her blood run cold. She now had proof of her suspicions. Lucius� last statement was a lie.

�Draco is going to Castlemoor Manor with us,� she said, interrupting whatever he was going to say next. �I am sorry to say that you would not be welcome there.�

�Why is that?� Lucius asked, a half smile curving his sensuous lips.

�Harry and Hermione are going as well,� Astrid said. �I can�t have you in the same house as someone you�ve already tried to kill. Oh, and Ginerva Weasley will be there.�

�You cannot keep me from my son!� he hissed.

Astrid gestured for Draco to stay where he was. He nodded and leaned against the wall, pale and shaking.

Astrid walked forward until she was directly in front of the blonde wizard.

�He�s not your son,� she whispered. �I don�t know who you are, but I know who you aren�t. Stay out of my way, and away from my family, or I�ll make you wish you had never been born, imposter.�

�Prove it,� he hissed back. �Dumbledore never could.�

�There are places Dumbledore won�t go,� Astrid said quietly. �There are few places where I have not been.�

He raised the hand holding his snake-headed cane, as if to strike her. A rumbling in the very stones beneath his feet stopped him.

�The land protects its own,� Astrid said. �Oh, I forgot. You�re Landed too, you�d know that. If you are Lucius Malfoy, that is.�

�You�ll pay for this,� he snarled.

�I don�t think so,� Astrid said. �We�re going to Castlemoor Manor. You can�t go there. We won�t allow it. If you involve the Ministry, we will bring up activities of yours that you do not want exposed to the light of day. If you involve my father, I will tell him what you did.�

�I�ve done nothing,� he said.

�You�ve done plenty,� Astrid growled. �Stay away from us, Malfoy, or I�ll have your head.�

She turned and looked at Draco, who seemed frozen where she had left him.

�Go into Professor Snape�s office, Draco,� she told him. �I�ll be there in a moment.�

Hesitantly, Draco inched past the two of them and disappeared into Snape�s office.

�This isn�t the end of it,� he growled. He turned and swept off, hair and robes flying.

�Severus,� she called softly. �Take care of Draco. I�m going to the Headmaster�s office.�

�Not alone,� he came out of their quarters. �I sent Max in to see to Draco. I am going with you.�

�Very well,� she said.

~*~*~*~

The trip to the Headmaster�s office was uneventful. When they reached the top of the moving stairs, however, they were confronted with the sight of Lucius Malfoy and Dumbledore facing one another across his desk as though they were on a dueling ground.

�Ah, Professor Tyler,� Dumbledore said, smiling. �Mister Malfoy has just informed me that you are kidnapping his son.�

�I am doing nothing of the kind, Headmaster,� Astrid said. �Draco is engaged to my husband�s ward, and I am doing what I must to keep him safe and away from � Dark influences.�

�Dark influences?� Lucius mocked. �Headmaster, do you have any idea who her father is?�

�Yes, Mister Malfoy, I do,� Dumbledore said, his expression sad. �She confessed it to me when I hired her. She also told me that she wanted to make certain that the students were prepared to meet any dangers that she could prepare them for, including Dark wizards.�

�She�s a hypocrite,� Malfoy sneered. �She�s on good terms with her father.�

�Don�t be ridiculous!� Astrid scoffed, her emerald eyes promising revenge. �Why would I want to be on good terms with one of the men who raped my mother?�

�You tell me,� he hissed.

�I think this interview is at an end,� Dumbledore said. �Lucius, your son is old enough to make his own decisions, and I am sure that the ministry will back a Hogwart�s Professor over you. Now, please leave. I have a lot of work to do before more Aurors arrive.�

�This isn�t the end of it,� Malfoy snapped. He hefted his cane and left in a swirl of black wool.

�Was there anything else, Professor?� Dumbledore asked.

�No, Headmaster,� Astrid said. �I only wanted to let you know that we are going up to Castlemoor Manor tonight. Draco, Hermione, and Ginerva are all restless with that man in the castle, and they will rest better at the Manor. In deference to the emergency, we will be flooing from Severus� quarters in the dungeons.�

�A laudable caution, my dear,� he said, smiling. �Please let me know if they have more difficulties. Who knows, I may be able to use it to get Lucius banned from the castle and grounds while there are students here.�

�Thank you, Headmaster,� Astrid said, inclining her head. �Please feel free to call either me or Lilith if we can be of assistance.�

�Of course, my dear,� Dumbledore said. �You will keep Harry up on his studies, won�t you?�

�We�ll keep them all up on their studies,� Astrid affirmed. �There�s no sense in letting them get behind. I may even use this opportunity to get them all a little more advanced Defense and dueling training. After all, Max won�t have classes to teach. We�ll be taking the Patil twins, Miss Lovegood, Mister Finch-Fletchley, and Miss Chang with us, as well.�

�Very well, Professor,� Dumbledore said. �I know you will take good care of them.�

TBC
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Practice to Deceive