The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part Two

248. Retribution

"I don't know how you get away with stuff like that," Neville said breathlessly as they left class.

"Me neither," Althea admitted with a small smile. "Ready for lunch?"

"Black," a sharp voice called.

Turning, Althea caught sight of Pansy's smug face.

"Well, maybe my luck has finally run out," she muttered. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall, okay?"

"Yeah," Neville agreed.

When the class had cleared out, Althea reentered the room to find Snape standing in the center, glaring at her.

"Professor?" she said with a small smile.

"Black," he retorted irritably. "Have you forgotten I carry the power to fail you?"

"Never, sir," Althea replied, keeping her tone light and a small smile on her face. "You seem to make it a point to remind everyone of just that every day."

"See that it makes a more lasting impression," Snape snarled.

"Of course, sir," Althea replied with a small salute before turning sharply on her heel in true military fashion before marching out the door.

Her smile had only grown by the time she heard it, a small whisper just barely audible.

"...Amara."

Instantly, her smile dropped. Althea turned, trembling slightly, to look at him full in the face. But Snape was no longer looking at her. He had already turned to his desk.

.

"All right, I'll see you later," Althea said with a small laugh, gently kissing Neville's cheek as she grabbed her book and left the Common Room.

It had finally gotten warm again, May having only recently arrived, and she was desperate to get some fresh air before curfew.

She had been walking alone for a few minutes before she heard something. Althea's brows furrowed in concern as she heard a sob coming from one of the guy's bathrooms across the hall.

"I can't do this," a weak, male voice said. Althea took a step closer, listening carefully as the voice spoke again, "No one can help me."

Now, she was sure of it. The voice she had heard belonged to Draco. Althea hesitated. She was now standing in front of the door, her mind flashing back to the strange interaction she had had with him months before. She had wondered about it often since, but each time she had seen Draco, he didn't pay her a glance. He had grown thinner, his face paler than she had ever seen. Dark circles had also formed under his eyes, making him look positively ill. And now, he was crying.

Making her decision, Althea gently pushed open the door, slipping inside. Draco was standing, facing the mirror, gripping the sides of the sink as though they were his lifeline. His eyes were red from crying as he bent over the sink, weak with tears.

"Draco," Althea said softly.

He jerked, turning around to look at her as more tears streamed down his cheeks.

"What?" he snapped, attempting to wipe them away even as more tears fell.

Althea approached him and said, "You tried to tell me something in January, there was something you wanted me to help with. What was it?"

Draco met her gaze in surprise, although she could still see the sorrow in his eyes.

His voice breaking, he whispered, "No one can help me. He's going to kill me, him and my sister both."

"Lyra," Althea whispered, feeling her heart rate quicken. "Draco, if you're being made to do something, I can help. Dumbledore can-"

But as soon as the name slipped through his lips, he released another sob, falling to the ground and curling into himself.

Crouching beside him, Althea said, "We can protect you, Draco." Taking a great risk, she added in a whisper, "Like they're protecting me."

Draco's eyes met hers in confusion before he said, "You know what she's planning? My sister, she..."

"I know," Althea whispered, her voice breaking as her own eyes flooded with tears. "Draco, please listen to me."

"No one can help me," he said, shaking with the force of his tears. "I can't do it...I can't...It won't work...and unless I do it soon...he says he'll kill me, he'll kill my whole family..."

"Draco," Althea whispered. His sorrow and fear were so great she could not stop her own tears. "Please, let me help you, let me get you out of-"

But before she could finish, a loud creak reached their ears. Draco instantly scrambled to his feet to face Harry, who had just appeared in the doorway, both instantly reaching for their wands.

"No!" Althea shouted shrilly as spells flew across the bathroom. "No, stop!"

A bang went through the air like a gong as the mirror behind Harry shattered before his own spell rebounded, hitting a cistern and sending water pouring over the ground in a great gush. Then, several things happened at once.

For one, Draco, raising his wand, shouted, "Cruc-" while Harry, his mind flung into a panic, flung his wand around wildly as he cried, "Sectumsempra!"

At the same time, Althea, getting partly over her surprise, raised her own wand, jumping between them and attempting to put up a shield charm. The charm, however, did not spread quickly enough. Instantly, blood began pouring from Draco's face and chest as though having been slashed with a sword. Althea screamed as he fell, his wand falling limply out of his hand, her hands covering her mouth in horror.

"No-" Harry gasped.

Althea quickly rushed forward, pressing her hands into the worst of the bleeding as blood poured not only over her hands but all over her. Somehow she had lost her wand in the chaos.

"My wand, Harry," she cried in a panic, continuing to press into the wound near his heart, which was gushing blood. "Find me my wand or he's going to die!"

Harry was too stunned to speak but somehow he managed to find it and quickly handed it to her. Tears streaming down her face, she began muttering under her breath so quickly it sounded like a song, moving the tip over the cuts. Malfoy was shaking uncontrollably, his blood pooling around him, staining everything. Althea was so concentrated on saving him that she hardly even noticed as the door burst open with a bang and Snape appeared.

Flinging Harry aside, Snape echoed the spell Althea was performing, helping to further seal the cuts her trembling hands were missing. When at last the flow of blood had eased, Snape helped him up, ignoring Althea's sobbing as she crouched on the soaking floor, her hands dripping blood.

"Potter, Black, do not leave," Snape ordered in his most cold and cruel tone.

Neither Althea nor Harry even thought of disobeying. Althea was crying too badly to even stand, let alone walk away, but Harry was too stunned to speak. Both he and Althea were covered in blood and water.