Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Songs of Regret	By : RavieSnake Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 76454 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. I also hold no rights to any of the songs mentioned. I make no money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
- 32
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose in tired frustration as he attempted to read the rubbish that could loosely be defined as an ‘essay’ on his desk before him. He glanced at the high pile of parchments he had yet to go over and groaned.
He threw down his quill and slumped back in his chair. He stretched his arms out to the sides and suppressed a yawn as he looked out across his office. His weary eyes narrowed at the raven haired boy standing at a table a few feet away alphabetizing and sorting heaping stacks of several thousand reference parchments.
Snape pursed his lips tightly as he considered Harry Potter. Was it truly possible that this arrogant, insolent boy had been so self-sacrificing? Had been so willing to vouch for his enemies? Had named one of his sons after him?
The last thought made Snape grin despite himself. The idea that James Potter’s grandson had the name Severus seemed like a bit of poetic justice. Sad, hilarious, insufficient poetic justice.
Snape’s face relaxed to its usual impassive scowl as he touched a hand to his chest over where his lily pendant rested beneath his clothes and continued to watch Harry file.
Merlin, the boy was so like his father. He even had to look like the fucker. Except, of course, the eyes. Those eyes. Those damn green orbs that made his heart sting and soul ache every time they looked his way.
Those damnable eyes suddenly glanced at him.
“Problem, Potter?” Snape droned irritably. The eyes glared. His heart stung….and so did his left arm… Fuck.
Snape blinked through the unfortunately familiar pain searing in his forearm as he distantly heard Harry answer a curt ‘No, sir.’
“Good…you may go,” Snape ground out as another wave of pain stabbed through his arm. Harry dropped the parchment in his hand and gaped.
“Sir…?”
“You are dismissed,” Snape spat angrily. When Harry remained in place looking dumbfounded Snape got up from his chair and strode to his side in two long steps. He grabbed him by the back of his collar and forcibly shoved him toward the door. Harry stumbled and stutter stepped to a stop. His book bag landed next to him not a moment later.
“I said get out!” Snape bellowed and Harry snatched up his bag and hastily exited the office. The moment the door closed behind him, Snape whipped out his wand and whirled it over his head. A silver doe exploded from its tip and bounded away through the nearest wall.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry adjusted his bag over his shoulder as he gave a last glance at Snape’s office door and frowned. What in the bloody hell was that all about? He’d prepared to spend his entire day locked away in Snape’s office. To be dismissed so abruptly after only three hours was…unexpected, to say the least.
He shrugged away the thought as he continued to frown and look up and down the empty hall, wondering where to head. Hermione was in detention, Ron was probably snogging the life out of Susan, and Ginny was spending the day with Luna.
With a quiet sigh, he let his feet begin to take him in the direction of the library. This windfall of free time, if nothing else, was an excellent opportunity to strategize some new Quidditch formations and plays, and the quiet of the library would be just the place to do it.
With new ideas already forming, Harry picked-up his pace as he went to round the corner.
**WHAM**
Colliding with another body, Harry went stumbling backward. He caught himself by grabbing onto a nearby suit of armor and looked up to see Draco gritting his teeth as he got up from the floor in front of him.
“What the hell, Malfoy? Why are you running through…”
Harry went silent when Draco took off running again without so much as a sneer. He watched the blond sprint down the hall, skid to a stop in front of Snape’s office, and then throw himself inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“He’s calling me!” Draco blurted out the moment he slammed the office door shut behind him.
“I know,” Snape answered irritably as he hastily set a series of wards around the room.
“He didn’t summon me this early last time,” Draco panted, on the verge of panic, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but you must remain in control. Remember your training,” Snape answered forcefully, turning to face him. Draco nodded and attempted to calm his breathing.
“When can we leave?” he asked anxiously after another surge of pain rippled up his arm. Snape winced and rubbed at his own arm.
“As soon as I get confirmation of our clearance,” he answered. The two shifted uncomfortably in silence until a large, silvery-blue phoenix flew into the office ten seconds later. The Headmaster’s Patronus stopped and hovered before them and opened its beak. “You are cleared to Apparate. Light and Life.”
Snape immediately grasped Draco by the shoulders and turned on his heel.
They landed an instant later in an elegantly decorated foyer and quickly stepped away from each other.
"Why did you bring us here?" Draco asked nervously, looking around at his home.
"I was going to tell you this evening," Snape whispered as he approached the closed doors to the dining hall to their left. "The Dark Lord has decided to establish his Headquarters here at the Manor."
"But it's only September," Draco replied horrified. "He didn't move-in last time until after the new year."
"Shh," Snape scowled at him. "Well he's here presently, so get your act together. Now."
Draco quickly nodded and took a deep breath. His face relaxed into complete indifference as Snape pushed open the doors. They both stepped inside to see Voldemort standing at the far end of the room with Narcissa kneeling before him.
Draco felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of his mother, but kept his cool as he followed Snape to stand beside her.
"My Lord," Snape and Draco both groveled, as they each fell to one knee before Voldemort.
Voldemort smiled down at them. "Ah, Severus...Draco. You made excellent time,” he said looking impressed at Snape. “Dumbledore gave you Apparation rights?” he asked incredulously.
Snape nodded once. “Only off of the grounds, I’m afraid, my Lord,” he answered evenly. Voldemort hummed in disappointment.
“Well we can’t always be lucky can we?” he replied idly. He turned his attention to Draco.
"Are you not going to greet your mother?”
Draco quickly turned his face to Narcissa and pecked a kiss to her cheek. “Mother,” he said lightly. She smiled sadly at him.
“Hello, my love. Did you have a pleasant first week of school?” she asked quietly.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Voldemort said with a penetrating look.
Draco immediately sorted his thoughts, pushing the Vanishing Cabinet to the front and cleared his throat. "I'm handling the workload well, my Lord. I'm finding time to tend to all of my responsibilities," he answered significantly.
Voldemort smirked and relaxed his gaze. "I am most delighted to hear it. You may rise," he said looking between the three people knelt before him. The men quickly got to their feet and Draco gave his hand to his mother and helped her to her own.
“Severus, if you’d please take your usual place," Voldemort ordered coolly once the three had stood and straightened their robes. Snape nodded and at once stepped forward and turned to face Draco and Narcissa at Voldemort's right side. Draco's eyes followed him as he took his place and his heart jolted again when he saw Snape shoot the briefest of troubled glances at his mother and felt his mother inhale sharply beside him.
Voldemort regarded the two Malfoys before him with a sickly smile.
“I first want to thank you for your hospitality in welcoming me into your home,” he said graciously, with a wave of his hand that might’ve passed for a bow. Narcissa took a steadying breath.
“Our home is your home, my Lord. You honor and humble our family with your presence,” she replied with a weak curtsy.
“Thank you, Narcissa,” Voldemort said lazily, pulling his wand from his robes. He grinned satisfactorily when his small audience stiffened at the gesture, but simply stroked his hands over the weathered stick.
“I have been thinking about your family rather a lot lately,” he went on, taking a step forward and pacing a bit before the two. “It’s a shame that your pureblood family with over fifty generations to its name has been reduced to such a small number. Pity you did not have more children Narcissa.”
Narcissa unsuccessfully tried to suppress a sour pout as she stared forward. “Ye…yes, my Lord,” she answered bitterly. Voldemort gave her a thoughtful look and sighed.
“I’m afraid I must apologize to you in that regard,” he said, sounding not at all apologetic, “I did not intend to punish you for quite so long.”
Draco turned a stunned face toward his mother at the implication but Voldemort ignored him and continued.
“I would’ve removed that infertility curse much sooner, but as things happened…” he trailed off and scowled at nothing. “You can thank Potter for your lack of siblings up to this point,” he suddenly snarled at Draco.
Draco shifted uncomfortably under Voldemort’s angry glare, and averted his eyes. Voldemort straightened his posture and smoothed a hand down the front of his robes as he made a show of calming himself. He looked back at Narcissa and smiled again.
“You’ll be pleased to know, I lifted the curse,” he said in a smug tone. Narcissa’s eyes widened.
“You lifted the curse?” she asked in a whisper. Voldemort nodded.
“Yes…nearly five weeks ago.”
All of the color drained from Narcissa’s face and her breath hitched.
Draco looked sideways at her and furrowed his brow when he followed the direction of her gaze to Snape who looked like he’d swallowed a fly. The memory of the way Snape had looked at his mother in their sitting room all those weeks ago resurfaced and Draco felt his stomach clench.
“It occurred to me,” Voldemort went on, “that I’ve caused you unwarranted suffering with both the loss of your firstborn to my ranks and the absence of your husband. Indeed, you’ve not seemed yourself, Narcissa. Wouldn’t you agree, Severus?” he said looking over his shoulder at Snape who was still looking sick. He merely nodded and Voldemort smirked and looked back to Narcissa.
“As your merciful Lord, I took it upon myself to give you back the opportunity to again experience the joy of motherhood as an amends for your suffering. I’ll admit, however, I wasn’t expecting you to conceive so quickly, with Lucius still in prison.”
Narcissa’s hands instinctively moved to her abdomen.
“I was not aware that Lucius was allowed conjugal visits,” Voldemort continued, “My contacts in Azkaban have told me he’s been rather…down as of late. They tell me he cries…screams your name night and day. One would think that with your visits he’d be a trifle more content.”
A pained, guilty expression settled over Narcissa’s increasingly pale face.
“I…I have not been able to visit him, my Lord,” she confessed through trembling lips. Voldemort’s brow raised and Draco turned his head to gape at her.
“But my dear Narcissa,” Voldemort chided, “Lucius has been in Azkaban for several months now and…” he paused as he flicked his wand gently in her direction, “…your… little girl is but one month along.”
Draco looked down at the soft pink aura emanating from his mother’s lower abdomen and felt his chest tighten. He swallowed thickly around a painful lump that formed in his throat as his mother gave a small gasp.
“Girl…” she whispered shakily, clutching her fingers protectively against her robes. She began to cry.
Voldemort tsked. “Still having issues with fidelity I see,” he whispered with a condescending shake of his head. “What will dear, faithful Lucius think?”
Draco trembled with the effort it took not to attack Voldemort when his mother sobbed harder.
“Come, now,” Voldemort said gently. “There is no need to cry. I’m nothing if not merciful. What Lucius doesn’t know can’t hurt him, hmm? I’ll just take care of it for you," he said, aiming his wand at Narcissa's midsection.
"NO!!!"
Voldemort grinned as the word echoed loudly around the room in three different voices. He lowered his wand and looked over his shoulder at a panicked-looking Snape.
"Severus...you have an opinion on the matter?" he asked with heavy skepticism. Snape darted his eyes to Narcissa's before looking back to Voldemort.
"I beg your pardon for my outburst, my Lord," he answered.
Voldemort shook his head, "No, that's quite all right, Severus. I do so value your insights. Tell me...why do you object to ridding Narcissa of her...problem?"
Snape stared at the Dark Lord and for the first time ever looked too terrified to respond. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he said nothing.
"Severus?" Voldemort prodded half amused, half irritated. Snape looked for a moment as if he were about to pass out, and Draco was startled when his mother’s voice answered for him.
"Severus is the father, my Lord,” Narcissa stated in a surprisingly steady tone. Voldemort grinned wider at the admission and Draco snapped his attention back to Snape with a furious glare. But Snape was staring intently at Narcissa’s lower abdomen as if he could see through it.
“Well, now,” Voldemort said, turning to Snape. “I…”
**KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK**
Voldemort scowled at the interruption as Draco and Narcissa both looked over their shoulders toward the dining hall doors.
“Enter!” he hollered irritably. The doors eased open to reveal Bellatrix holding a plain canvas bag that was stained bright red at the bottom and dripping scarlet droplets onto the polished floor. Voldemort’s anger lifted at once.
“You found him,” he said with apparent amusement, stepping around Draco and Narcissa to meet Bellatrix near the door. Bellatrix snorted.
“Next time, give me a challenge,” she cheeked, twirling the bag sending little flecks of red splattering about. “It’s amusing the way they think they can hide,” she laughed.
“Quite,” Voldemort agreed peering into the bag with a satisfied smile when Bellatrix opened it towards him. He gave her a wave and she cinched the bag closed.
“As delightful as I find your success Bellatrix, I’m afraid you’ve interrupted a rather important meeting of mine,” he said, fingering his wand. Bellatrix cowed at once.
“My deepest apologies, my Lord,” she simpered, falling to a knee. Voldemort waved her back up, and she stood.
“We’ll discuss your punishment later, but for now you may stay. This is rather a family affair, is it not?” he said motioning towards Snape, Draco, and Narcissa who were all staring silently. Bellatrix’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Draco and Snape.
“I’ve just been informed,” Voldemort continued, walking back to stand beside Snape, “that Severus here is the father of your unborn niece.”
Bellatrix gawked a little before walking forward to face Narcissa. “Cissy?”
Narcissa looked away awkwardly and Bellatrix raised her lip in disgust. “Really, Cissy? Him?” she asked with a disapproving sneer at Snape. She shook her head. “You have always had terrible taste in men…though I’m not sure Lucius qualifies as a man.”
Narcissa snapped her head up angrily. “Lucius is ten times the man that Roldophus is.”
Bellatrix laughed disdainfully. “Lucius is so manly that you had to fuck the half-blood bat on the side?” she pointed harshly at Snape. She looked him up and down and shook her head again. “Ugh, I don’t know which is worse. At least Lucius has money.”
“The money you’ve always been jealous of!” Narcissa shouted.
“Jealous!?” Bellatrix shrieked indignantly.
“Ladies,” Voldemort interrupted quietly. Both women immediately fell silent and grudgingly set their attention on him. He looked back and forth between them.
“Bellatrix, you will congratulate Narcissa and Severus, and Narcissa, you will apologize to Bellatrix,” he ordered of them as if they were toddlers. Bellatrix didn’t bother hiding her displeasure at the command as she glanced back at her sister.
“Congratulations on your non-pureblood bastard, Cissy. I’m sure Lucius will be thrilled,” she said snidely. She then narrowed her eyes at Snape. “Congratulations on turning your best friend into a cuckold,” she sneered in a mockingly sweet voice.
Narcissa stared daggers at her sister. “I’m sorry that you’re a jealous bitch.”
“There now,” Voldemort smiled, “doesn’t it feel better do be pleasant to one another?” His eyes roved over the angry little group to settle on Draco who was caught uncomfortably in the middle.
“I did have rather a different purpose for calling you here today, Draco, aside from witnessing a bit of unsavory squabbling,” he said in a bored tone.
“My Lord?” Draco acknowledged.
Voldemort took a step toward him and Draco instinctively straightened his posture, earning him a smirk.
“You are the youngest of my recruits,” Voldemort said, replacing his wand back into his robes, “and yet you have shown yourself to be strong, eager, resourceful and quick learning…more so than any other. Such commitment does not go unnoticed… nor unrewarded.”
Draco hesitated when Voldemort paused, unsure if he was supposed to respond. He glanced quickly at Snape for guidance.
“Just bow your head,” came his silent reply. Draco immediately bowed his head respectfully.
Voldemort placed his thin hand to Draco’s chin and lifted his face as he addressed him again. “Draco Malfoy… as of today you are now equal with Severus as an Elite Officer.”
Draco blinked at Voldemort in shock. “I…thank you, my Lord,” he said breathlessly, thanking the gods that he hadn’t flinched at the Dark Lord’s touch. Voldemort lowered his hand and nodded approvingly.
“I’ll expect you to be at next month’s meeting.”
“Of course, my Lord,” Draco answered bowing again.
“Very well, then. I believe our business here is done for the time being. I’m sure there is much you’ll all want to discuss amongst yourselves. The three of you are dismissed to go as you like,” he said motioning to Draco, Snape, and Narcissa before turning back to Bellatrix.
“Come Bella. Karkaroff’s head won’t put itself on a spike.”
Bellatrix’s lips curled into a mean smile and she nodded as she hefted the bloody bag in her hand. Without any further acknowledgement of his subjects, Voldemort strode purposefully out of the hall.
Bellatrix watched him go and then rushed to Snape’s side. He glared at her as she leaned close to him.
“A wise man once told me,” she purred in his ear, “that we mustn’t touch what isn’t ours. Something to ponder.”
Snape’s face contorted into an expression of absolute loathing as he watched her then flounce away from his side to the dining hall doors. She turned around, biting her lip gleefully and waved the bag in Snape’s direction before giving him one last wrinkle of her nose and closing the doors.
The silence that followed her departure was deafening as the three remaining occupants of the room stared at the doors. It was Narcissa's renewed tears that finally broke it.
Draco immediately pulled her into a tight hug.
"What are we going to do?" Narcissa blubbered against him. "Lucius...he will...he..." she pressed her face further into Draco's chest and cried harder.
Draco rubbed his mother's back and glared over her at Snape as she sobbed. "How could you do this?" he thought to him with a disappointed shake of his head. “I warned you to stay away from her.”
Snape simply stared back at him blankly.
“Fix this,” Draco demanded, with a gesture to his mother in his arms. Snape closed his eyes and when he opened them again they were focused on Narcissa’s back.
“Narcissa…I…” he began, tentatively stepping toward her.
“Oh, Severus,” she replied sadly, pulling away from Draco’s arms to look at Snape. “What will we do? This…this will shatter Lucius. After being in that, that, that place…” she shivered and closed her still leaking eyes. “This will kill him.”
“The Dark Lord is counting on it,” Draco said bitterly. Narcissa looked at him and a fresh wave of shame filtered over her tear-stained face.
“My love,” she whispered, placing a hand to his cheek. “How ashamed I am that you had to be involved in something so sordid. What you must think of me…” she sighed sadly and cast her gaze to the floor. Draco placed his hand over hers and shook his head.
“This is not your fault,” he answered softly. “The Dark Lord did this. He intends for father to suffer for his failings.” Draco choked-up at the memory of how broken his father had been when he’d returned from Azkaban the first time. Lucius Malfoy would spend the rest of his life suffering.
Draco screwed-up his face in an attempt to hold back the tears burning in his eyes at his last thought and found himself being the one comforted this time as Narcissa pulled him back into a hug and cradled her arms around his head.
“That’s what we will tell Lucius,” Snape finally spoke-up as Narcissa shushed soothingly into Draco’s ear. Both Malfoys returned questioning glances to him. Snape inhaled deeply. “We tell Lucius that the Dark Lord forced you and me to…that he made us…” he trailed off uncomfortably at Draco’s glare.
“Lucius would never fault you for that, Narcissa,” Snape continued after clearing his throat. Narcissa shook her head.
“It would still destroy him. He’d blame himself for not being able to spare me from such a humiliation,” she sighed despondently. Snape frowned.
“Well it’s less damaging than the truth. And I think he may take some comfort in knowing that it was me,” he said and Draco snorted. Snape raised a brow at him. “Your father knows that I would never truly hurt her.” He looked Narcissa in the face again. “We’ll be sure to add that the Dark Lord was the only audience.”
Draco shuddered violently in his mother’s arms at the memory of the rapes he’d been forced to witness. One as high profile as the Lady Malfoy would have garnered quite the gathering. His father would never buy it…
Narcissa rubbed her slender hands over the back of Draco’s head and neck in an attempt to soothe him once more. “Oh, my son,” she whispered, “What I wouldn’t give to be able to shield you from this…I am so sorry. I am so sorry, my darling.” She began to tear-up again and soon both Malfoys were embraced tightly, crying on the other’s shoulder.
Snape looked away as they held each other. He touched a hand to his chest over his pendant and closed his eyes. Guilt, fear and longing jockeyed for prominence as he stood alone to the side. When he felt a soft hand press to his arm a few minutes later he slowly opened his eyes to see Narcissa looking at him sadly.
“Severus…” she said gently. She tugged his hand to her and placed his palm over her abdomen.
Snape looked at where she put his hand and he let out a loud, heartbreaking gasp. His fingers clenched against his pendant and against Narcissa’s soft middle as his face twisted and chest heaved with sharp, shallow breaths. His eyes were glued to the hand.
“I…I never had any illusions,” he choked out, “No illusions about what…what we did. I know I’m not your precious Lucius…” He finally glanced up and met Narcissa’s eyes with a desperate look. “But…please…please, I beg you… let me...”
Narcissa tightened her grasp around his hand. “She will know her father,” she said resolutely, not needing him to finish his plea. Snape nodded, looking back to her middle and several tears dripped to the floor as he blinked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco didn’t bother to ask where he’d been brought after he and Snape left the Manor. He simply cast a few glances around at what appeared to be a musty cellar as he waited while Snape unwarded a door in front of them.
He glared at the back of the head of long black hair and felt the fury he’d suppressed for his mother’s benefit begin to mount.
A series of clicks came from the door and Snape turned around to face a visibly angry Draco. Snape took a deep breath and gave him a resigned nod.
“Let’s have it then,” he said coolly. Draco’s eyes narrowed.
“You motherfucker.”
Snape sniffed. “Obviously.”
He didn’t even try to block Draco’s fist colliding with his jaw. Snape stumbled to the side with the force of the blow. He slowly steadied himself with a hand on an old stool and swiped his thumb across the corner of his mouth. He looked at the blood on his thumb and then wiped it off on his robes.
“Is that it?” Snape asked mordantly, eyeing Draco’s still readied fists.
“Don’t fucking tempt me,” Draco spat. “It’d be within my right to kill you.”
“Do it then,” Snape taunted, chucking his wand to the floor and holding his arms out to the sides as if giving himself up as an offering. When Draco simply glared at him, Snape took a step towards him. “Come on, Drake. Do it. I fucked your mum. I ruined her. She liked it…”
Another punch sent Snape stumbling backwards into the still closed cellar door. Draco immediately stepped backward and looked at Snape as if he were tasting bile.
“Why did you stop?” Snape asked thickly, slumping a little down the door. “You’re supposed to kill me.”
He slid the rest of the way down the door and hung his head. Draco relaxed his fists and blinked at his partner.
“And I thought I was a coward,” Draco said with a shake of his head. Snape peeked up at him through a curtain of dark hair.
“Don’t you get it?” Snape groaned hopelessly. “He owns us now. He found the one way to control us all.”
"No," Draco said, furrowing his brow further. "This changes nothing except that now you will be a father and I will be a brother."
Draco felt his heart flutter a little at the words, but he kept his expression stern.
"We are in exactly the same position as before,” he insisted. “Father...he's as good as lost already anyway. He won't come back normal...he didn't last time, so news of your little indiscretion isn't likely to be quite as dramatic as Voldy is hoping. I wouldn’t be surprised if Father just cows down and says Mother's better off with you anyway. And Mother's already been threatened with the death of her child. Nothing new. Nor is his unspoken threat to me to kill my family.”
Snape shook his head. "He's got me now. One moment of weakness and I've..."
"Please..." Draco interrupted, rolling his eyes, "Cut the pity party shite and get the fuck up off the floor. Christ...are you a fucking double agent or not?" Snape glowered up at him, but said nothing. Draco suddenly narrowed his eyes and pulled out his wand and trained it on him. Snape tweaked an eyebrow.
“What spell did you find on my mate’s wand the first day we met you again?” Draco demanded. Snape’s sullen frown turned-up into a smug smile.
“You wait until now to make sure I am who I say?” He shook his head and made to get up.
“You have three seconds to answer me,” Draco said, raising his wand higher. Snape stopped and sighed.
“A Ministry appearance modification spell.”
Draco exhaled and lowered his wand. Snape pulled himself back up to his feet and gave Draco a long contemplative look as he straightened his robes.
“You should have asked me that back in my office,” he said reproachfully. Draco huffed at him.
“Spare me the training lecture. I had no reason to suspect you until you pulled that woe-is-me, I-wanna-die shite.”
Snape frowned as he bent down to retrieve his wand and then leaned back against the door again. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “I…I’m just…” he trailed off wearily and closed his eyes.
"You're just scared," Draco noted quietly. "Welcome to being a parent. You're going to be scared for the rest of your damn life."
Snape simply continued to lean against the door with his eyes closed, taking deep, steady breaths. Draco cast his gaze to the floor and kept talking.
"You'll be scared that she'll get hurt, that she'll get lost, taken. Scared that she'll get sick, that she won't progress right, that her magic will never come. You'll be scared that someone will break her heart, that someone will use her. Scared that you're not smart enough, not skilled enough, not good enough to give her what she needs. Scared that you can love her so much and scared that she might not love you back, that she'll find out what a monster you once were. But mostly you'll be scared everyday that you'll end up being the same arsehole father to her that your father was to you."
Snape opened his eyes at the silence that followed Draco's little speech to see his pensive partner scowling at the floor and twisting his ring worriedly around his finger. He sighed and kicked-off the door. Without a word he pulled the door open and Draco finally looked up at him. Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them that needed no words.
Draco nodded at Snape and Snape nodded back before heading up the stairs. Draco followed right behind and looked around again at the top of the landing.
"Where are we, anyway?" he finally asked as Snape walked across a small, plain sitting room towards a modest brick fireplace. Snape picked up an earthen jar from beside the hearth and turned to face Draco.
"It's my safe house," he answered, opening the jar. "This Floo is connected to the Headmaster's. Albus recently set it up expressly for this purpose." He reached into the jar and pulled from it a fistful of Floo powder, then offered the jar to Draco.
Draco took the jar and furrowed his brow a little.
"Sev?"
Snape raised his brow.
"Do you love my mother?"
"No," Snape answered honestly. Draco simply nodded once and Snape turned back to the fireplace and ducked inside. Draco set down the jar and stepped in beside him. He looked down at the glittering powder in his hand and allowed himself a smirk.
"So, Pops," he said casually, "what's my sister's name going to be?"
Snape rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated shake of his head. "Merlin help me if this girl is anything like you," he drawled and Draco laughed before throwing down his handful of powder.
~~~~~~~~~
Hermione's leg bounced nervously as she sat in her chair and watched Fawkes preen himself. She glanced to a clock on the wall, then to the Floo, before settling her eyes back on the brilliantly colored bird.
"As wonderful as I find Fawkes's grooming habits, I think perhaps a book or game of chess might be more entertaining," Dumbledore offered when he noticed her eye the clock for a hundredth time. Hermione shook her head lightly.
"I'm not really in the mood to be entertained," she sighed gloomily.
"They'd be more distracting at least," the Headmaster tried again. Hermione looked at him with something between annoyance and gratitude.
"There is nothing that could distract me, much less entertain me while they are in the presence of that psychopath."
Dumbledore looked at the clock himself. "Well, they've been gone for..."
"Draco!!!" Hermione screeched interrupting Dumbledore and launching out of her chair as the Floo suddenly flared to life. Draco emerged from the green flames and Hermione flung herself into his arms. She buried her face into his neck and hugged him tightly.
Draco hugged her back so hard he lifted her slightly off the floor. “We’re okay,” he sighed into her ear and she trembled against him with relief.
“Severus,” Dumbledore called out as he stepped around Draco and Hermione to meet Snape as he exited the Floo, “What news?”
Snape shook his head as he brushed some soot from his robes. He cast an uneasy glance at Draco before meeting Dumbledore’s eyes.
“They found Karkaroff,” he answered.
“How?” Hermione blurted out. “I thought you said he was hidden.”
Dumbledore gave her a deeply troubled look. “He was. Quite well, I might add. We must alert the Order to increase the wards,” he said with a look at Snape who nodded in agreement.
“What else was said? Surely He didn’t summon you for that news alone,” Dumbledore inquired seriously.
“The Dark Lord has decided to make Draco an officer,” Snape replied. “Congratulations on that promotion, by the way.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “Oh, fuck off.”
“So, what does that mean for you?” Hermione asked nervously, leaning back to look Draco in the face.
“Well, it means I’ll be summoned more often, for one,” he answered with a depressed huff.
“And…” Hermione coaxed warily.
“And I now out-rank my father. It essentially makes me head of the family and I can override any decision he makes. I’m guessing it’s meant to be part of his new shaming.”
“And the other part?” Dumbledore asked gravely, looking over his spectacles at Draco. Draco looked at Snape.
“You wanna field this one, Sev?” he said, finally releasing Hermione and turning to face him.
Snape exhaled deeply. “Narcissa is one month pregnant,” he answered flatly. Hermione gasped with a shocked look at Draco before she furrowed her brow.
“But your father’s been in…” she went quiet at Draco’s telling look. “Oh,” she whispered as the realization hit her.
“I assume we know who the father is?” Dumbledore said, looking from Hermione and Draco back to Snape.
“Yes,” Snape answered, staring blankly at the floor. “It’s me.”
The silence that followed was so thick, even Fawkes halted his preening and looked up. Dumbledore took a step toward Snape.
“Severus,” he said delicately, “did you…”
“It was consensual,” Snape interrupted, looking up. Dumbledore sagged a little in relief and nodded.
“This did not happen last time,” Hermione whispered shakily with an uncertain glance at Snape. He looked at her.
“What a helpful observation,” he snarled sarcastically.
“Hey!” Draco shouted, squaring his shoulders and stepping between them. He glared at Snape. “Don’t take it out on her that you fucked up. This didn’t happen last time.”
“The question,” Dumbledore said sternly, giving quelling looks to both Draco and Snape, “is ‘why did it happen this time?’”
Snape gave an exhausted huff and plopped down in a chair. “It happened because the Dark Lord believes Draco will be successful in his mission…he needed a new way to punish Lucius. What better way to humiliate a man than for his wife to have a child with his best friend?” He slouched a little and rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“Draco thought that something might’ve happened between you and his mother last time,” Hermione ventured cautiously. “So why did she get pregnant this time and not last?”
“The Dark Lord removed the Infecundus curse he placed on her this time,” Snape answered without looking up. Hermione looked ill.
“Why did he curse her?” she asked with a distressed look to Draco. He shrugged sadly.
“She did something to anger him just after Draco was born,” Snape sighed. “Lucius never told me what exactly.”
“Will this affect the plans at all,” Hermione inquired softly. Dumbledore looked over his spectacles at Snape.
“Severus?”
“No,” came his barely audible answer, “The plans remain unchanged.”
There was another long, heavy silence until Dumbledore quietly pulled out his wand and waved it in Draco’s direction. Hermione took a step back as the features of Professor Sarkany overtook his handsome face.
“Go finish your detention,” Dumbledore demanded gently. Draco and Hermione both nodded and with two last concerned glances at Snape, walked hand-in-hand out of the office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione removed Draco’s glamours as he slumped down into one of the blue armchairs in their sitting area. When the last of his goatee receded, she crawled up onto his lap and curled into him. He hugged his arms around her.
“You doing okay?” she asked. Draco sighed.
“Yes.”
Hermione leaned back a little and looked him in the eyes. “You’re going to be a big brother,” she said still sounding a bit awestruck by the idea.
“So I am,” Draco replied with a nervous laugh. He closed his eyes as the laugh turned into a quiet sob. He hid his face in Hermione’s hair, and she stroked a hand over his head gently as he cried.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: To clarify, the song where he wore his mask in last chapter was Blood by In This Moment. I thought it was the right amount of intense…plus it worked with the chorus talking about pumping mud through her veins. Mudblood and all…
Man, this chapter was soooo difficult to write. I hope it wasn’t too much. *head hits desk*
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Songs of Regret