Left Behind 2: Illusions (A Dramione Romance)

Snape's Confrontation

"She's fine."

"Greyback himself saw what you did," said Snape, clearly not in the mood to play games.

"Greyback is a pig."

"In that we are in agreement," said Snape almost dismissively. "But it doesn't change what he saw."

"Well, eyes can't always be trusted," said Draco.

"Explain Malfoy," said Snape. "Before I lose my patience."

"It was an illusion alright?!" Draco snapped. "I made an illusion of what everyone expected me to do."

The shock was evident on Snape's face. After a moment shock gave way to disbelief and then Snape paused and disbelief shifted into understand as memory coming back to his mind.

"In fourth year you made an illusion of yourself to try and fool me in detention," he paused in his usual manner. "If I remember correctly that only lasted a few moments."

"Yes, well...I've gotten better and..." Draco pulled out his wand and handed it over to Snape. "This seems to be...helping."

It felt odd to hand over his wand, but Draco knew he needed his mentor as an ally in this and it seemed Snape had more decency in him than Draco had originally thought.

"I had heard you went to Paris for a new wand," Snape took the wand from Draco's hand and turned it over several times. "That is not a common wood."

"It's Ironwood," answered Draco.

"I have heard of wands made of ironwood. Resistant to knife, cutting, and yet with some flexibility if memory serves. There is nothing overly extraordinary about it other than the fact that it is not a common wand here. Overseas in the north Americas I hear it is more so."

"Yes well, I don't know about all that," said Draco with a shrug. "What seems to be more important is the core. It's supposedly made out of Pegasus hair."

"Pegasus don't exist," said Snape sounding almost bored.

"That's what my mother said."

Snape handed back the wand and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Look," said Draco growing weary of the conversation and at the same time worrying that someone was going to drop in on them soon. "I don't know if the woman at the wand shop, was telling the truth or not but she certainly seemed convinced of it herself."

"Does anyone else know?" asked Snape.

"Of course not," said Draco. "Even my own mother thinks that I chose to go upstairs and force myself upon my 'Prisoner'" said Draco making quotation marks in the air. "Its so nice to know just what she believes I am capable of."

"I believed it too, which is good because HE must never know that you lied to him."

"Don't you think I know that?" Draco challenged. "I'm not stupid and I have felt more than enough of his wrath thank you."

"So I heard," Snape uncrossed his arms. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hardly," Draco admitted honestly and it was as if saying it out loud only made it more true. "I feel like I'm about to collapse any second."

"You should get some rest."

"I will, but I need to get some food first. Hermione hasn't eaten in more than a day and she's been through a lot."

Snape gave him a look.

"What now?" asked Draco tiredly.

"On a first name basis with her now are we?"

Draco realized his error and blanched.

Snape let Draco squirm under his scrutiny as he stepped forward well into Draco's space.

"Don't let your guard down Malfoy," said Snape. "If you want to protect her don't slip up like that again." With that he waved his wand and the sound barrier that had surrounded them disappeared.

Draco felt strangely vulnerable. It was odd to be able to actually confide in someone about all this and his mentor was taking it all very well and didn't seem to be judging him for his choice which Draco found, a little odd, and yet...there seemed to be some kind of an understanding in Snape's eyes-as if he knew what it was like to want to protect someone even at the risk of loosing everything.

"Are you going to stay here?" asked Draco, almost hopeful that the answer would be yes.

"No," answered Snape. "I have a school to deal with," he said and then apparated in a swirl of black cloth.

Draco blinked at the abrupt departure.

"Goodbye to you too," he mumbled and set about finding some food.

-

Loaded up with a few items of food tucked under his arm Draco began to make his way back to his bedroom.

He stopped in the hallway as the sight of red hair caught his eye. 

The Weasely boy...

A part of Draco wanted to look away and pretend that he hadn't seen. Another part felt strangely ill at ease with someone who had cared about Hermione enough to risk his life just laying there dead on the ground.

He deserves to be buried, thought Draco and then shook his head.

He couldn't risk doing that.

But he could cremate the body so that it wasn't laying out in the open with the rest.

No one here would notice one less body and it would somehow make things a little better to...honor the sacrifice.

Draco knelt next to the body.

You died for her, he thought looking at the Weasley boys face. There was a massive cut over his one eye which had clearly sliced through to bone and his face was bloody.

"She blames herself for your death," Draco said quietly.

Should I blame myself for it too? The thought popped into his head unprompted and he tried to shake it away then he saw the barest of movements: so faint he had to wonder if he had seen it at all. 

It couldn't be.

Draco focused his eyes on Fred's back.

Did he just...breath?

Draco's heartbeat increased and he felt a flush run through him.

Without thinking he reached forward and checked for a pulse. 

For a moment time froze.

Draco felt nothing.

And then...

A heartbeat.

-

YES, A HEARTBEAT.

Thanks for reading. Please leave some love