Chalice of Secrets

Ignoring that fact that Potter’s room was ransacked and the diary stolen, Draco is having a good week. He and Blaise matched class schedules for the next year, same with Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy managed to score an art class, something they’d talked about all week long, and with Flint it had been non stop Quidditch. New tactics, were they going to face Gryffindor again? How to make his broom go faster. The minister hasn’t shown yet, but he can feel it coming. It’s in the back of his mind every step he takes, one of the many reasons he’s trekking it to the library instead of the match. That and a last-minute charms assignment. 

McGonagall was sadistic when she was being kind, he never wanted to see her angry. 

Draco has every intention of finishing the assignment and studying for the quickly approaching finals, a good and normal thing for a student to want. Naturally, it doesn’t happen.

She’s frozen in the hallways, a hand up and holding a mirror, one single sheet of paper limp in her other hand.

“Granger?” He calls, feet carrying him quicker. No one is in the castle because of the game, but he checks anyways, looking around before shaking her shoulders. “Granger?!” Petrified just like the others. Oh fuck Potter is gonna freak. 

Calm down, he needs to calm down, what would Snape do? Snape would be calm, Snape wouldn’t lose his composure over someone who wasn’t even his friend. Snape would look at the paper in Granger’s hand. Draco eases it out, careful not to let it rip, and then reads it over, filled with information about Basilisks, small bits of information clicking together in fragments of seconds. Potter was a parselmouth,  he probably heard the snake where it went, which is why he’d been at so many of the discoveries. It explained how the first Slytherin had controlled the beast. Why the victims hadn’t been killed, none of them looked directly in the eyes. Granger had even written down how it got around, through pipes. 

“You really are bloody brilliant,” he whispers, turning to find Dumbledore, only to turn back around and securely tuck the paper back in. He didn’t know how he knew, but Potter would be needing that. If nothing else, to know that she figured it out. 

One foot leads to another, he’s practically sprinting down the hall, but stops dead in his tracks at the sight of two old men, a frightening figure walking between them.

Lucius Malfoy had entered the castle. 

Draco skids to a halt and backs away slowly, taking a route to Madam Pomfrey instead. It wouldn't be until much later when his father summoned him that he realized why the man had looked so happy.

“Headmaster Dumbledore is….”

“No longer your headmaster for starters, you blithering idiot. Do not speak of him in such high esteem, I don’t care what you’ve been taught; that man is worse than you.”

Draco flinches and it doesn’t go unnoticed. As if deciding to give his son something to actually be afraid of, Lucius raises his hand and backhands him so hard he falls. 

“Pathetic. You’re becoming more and more like a disgrace everyday. The Dark Lord will be among us shortly, you better hope he comes soon, or you and I will have some training to do.”

“Training?” Draco refrains from holding his throbbing cheek, no need to spur the man.

Lucius gives him a bone-chilling smile before turning around and walking away, “Best get back to your chambers, son. Wouldn’t want people thinking you were the cause of all this.”

Highly unlikely given that the whole school was practically convinced Potter was behind it all, and oh fuck he’d forgotten about Potter. And Granger….and now Dumbledore was gone…. bloody hell . Draco curses himself before making his way straight to Snape’s office, spitting out the password and barging in.

“Dumbledore is-”

“Gone. Yes, I’m aware. It seems you and I are the only ones left to care for Potter. Tell me you’re barging here with some fragment of good news, if not I may be reduced to kicking you out and taking house points.”

As if he would take points from Slytherin, unlikely if not unthinkable. 

“I had come to tell you that Granger has been attacked, but seeing the hour, I assume you already know. What might surprise you is that the girl figured it out. Most of it, anyways.”

Snape slumps in his chair, waving his hand over his cup and leaving the tea steaming once more. “Explain. Now.”

Draco takes a seat, “The monster, sir. It’s a basilisk, Potter can hear it because it’s a snake. Yes, I know they’re rather large- Granger suspects the pipes are how it’s been getting around, and you have to admit it makes an unsettling amount of sense. How else would it be controlled by Salazar? And the students have been petrified, but not killed, isn't that rare for any other creature? Think about how none of them looked the beast in the eyes. Through reflections on water, a camera, glasses, Granger's mirror....that's why no one has died yet.”

His professor looks like he’s aged substantially in the past few seconds, “So we’re dealing with a giant deadly snake, your father, the grounds-keeper who would know more about this than either of us in Azkaban, Dumbledore missing, and Potter’s inability to stay out of trouble.”

“You forgot the petrified victims.” 

Snape sneers at him, “ Must you remind me?”

----------

The following days Draco finds every excuse he can to get into Snape’s office, the two of them pouring over books, learning ways to defeat such beasts, learning the quickest way to heal, how to protect yourself from something you couldn’t look in the eye. He disappears so much it’s no surprise Blaise and Pansy corner him the second he starts towards the common room door.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” 

Freezing like a child being caught stealing from the kitchens, Draco slowly turns.

“Um...out?”

“Out?!” Blaise asks, whisper-shouting at him so no one else wakes up, “When there are attacks happening and Dumbledore is gone?”

Draco raises an eyebrow, “Yes? I’m only going to see Snape.”

That seems to be the final straw for Pansy who looks as though she might tear her hair out. “ Only going to see- Draco! You could get hurt!”

“It’s only five minutes away from here!”

“And Granger was only five steps away from the library when she was attacked, wasn’t she?! How much time do you think that is, Blaise? I’m thinking maybe all of thirty seconds.”

Draco fights the urge to roll his eyes at his friends, really, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. If anything, he was trying to fix what his father had done. Forgive him for attempting to be a good person. Blaise sees the look on his face and softens, moving cautiously forward.

“Draco, it’s not that we don’t trust you...it’s just not safe. Everyone is terrified of who will be next, and we don’t want it to be you in the hospital wing.” 

Pansy is quick on the uptake, moving even closer to look at him with such worry it sucks the air out of his lungs. He’d forgotten that people cared for him. “I know you’re worried about your godfather, and I know you want the distraction of learning, but it’s simply not safe...if you or any of my other friends…”her voice breaks off and Draco finds himself reaching out instinctively. Slytherins never showed weakness, and yet Pansy was shaking in his arms. 

Blaise reaches out to place a hand on his shoulder, warm against his back and very comforting. “If you can’t sleep, stay here with us. We can crack open the new series my dad got me, get out the snacks, make a night of it. Just please,” his sad smile rivals Dumbledore’s knowing looks, “Stay, here, with us. Where it’s safe.”

He couldn’t find it in himself to resist even if he wanted to. Not when they both release sighs as they drag him to one of the couches and he doesn’t resist. Pansy stays with him while Blaise grabs his books, the boy returns the favor when she fetches her snacks, like he would disappear if they let him out of their sight. Before he can complain, the three of them are settled and words are coming to life out of the book on the coffee table. Comfortable, calming, safe. Between them, Draco could almost forget what he had done, what he was doing, what he would have to do. They were just three friends, enjoying a book by the fire, happy and young and with nothing bad that could reach them in their little bubble. 

Pansy falls asleep first, midway through the first movie. She curls into the armrest of the forest green velvet, Draco drapes a blanket over her. Blaise is next, head lolling back and cinnamon crisps forgotten on his lap, Draco removes the bag so it doesn’t make a mess. Once he’s sure neither of them will hear it he speaks.

“Thank you,” voice abnormally loud in the quiet room, “I’m sorry for worrying you, I promise I don’t mean to.”

“We know, idiot.” Blaise whispers back, head drifting back to him.

Draco flushes, “I thought you were-”

“Asleep? Almost. But then you opened that bloody mouth of yours. Do you normally talk to people when they’re sleeping?”

“Only if they’re as much of a prat as you are.”

That ears him a sleepy smile, “Please, you’d be lost without us and you know it.”

“Like you’re much better,” he snorts.

“Nah. We’re not. Been bloody worried about everything this year, your safety means something to people. You know that, right?”

The boy’s words are so slurred with sleep Draco hardly understands them. Instead of replying, he brushes some of Blaise’s hair out of his face, muttering a ‘go back to sleep’ to eyes that have already closed.

His safety meant something to people, huh? What a weird thought. His father seemed to delight in causing him pain recently, that certainly wasn’t safe. He’d agreed to spy for and protect someone who hated his guts and didn’t even know what he was doing. That was more stupid than safe though, it still counted in his book after last year’s adventure in the Forbidden Forest. He knew about and helped hunt for a giant monster that would no doubt kill someone before the end of the year, dangerous and there was no disputing that. To top it all off, if he managed to survive this year, he’d go home to ‘training’ that was probably code for being beaten and cursed. Safety wasn’t in his world anymore, and yet for the two people beside him, he wanted it to be. 

If he couldn’t be safe, he could at least promise to return to them. And that he did, looking at the two sleeping figures on either side of him, he swore to Death himself that he would always return to them, no matter what. They were loyal and he returned the favor ten-fold, once a snake was loyal, there was no going back. No second guesses, no changing minds. Yet, somehow, Draco didn’t feel a smudge of anxiety as he made the oath. Only a deep sense of belonging he had never felt before.

And then the common room door creaked open. 

His hand was on his wand before he could blink, rising just slowly enough so he wouldn’t be seen, only to point his wand right towards Snape’s eyeball. Stressed, and looking like ten years had been taken off his life, the Professor sighed, and then reached out and patted his shoulder. 

“Are you alright? You didn’t come tonight, there’s been another attack, and it’s bad. I got worried.”

Draco lets  out a sigh as well, lowering his wand and moving toward the man. “Blaise and Pansy got me on the way out the door and wouldn’t let me leave. How bad is it?”

Snape hangs his head, answering in a whisper devoid of hope. “It’s taken a student. Ginny Weasley, to be exact….if we’re too late to save her…”

“Then she’ll die, the Dark Lord will rise, and Potter will be devastated and in more danger than either of us can handle…”

They take a moment to realize the gravity of the situation. Each staring at the floor, thoughts of devastation flooding their minds. And then they lock eyes and nod, Draco is sure to leave a note for his friends before following Snape out the door.

I’ll be back, I promise- D

----------

They’re heading to Dumbledore’s office when McGonagall stops them, almost running straight into Snape.

“Severus!” She gasps, narrowing her eyes at Draco, who nods in return. Before he can think of an excuse, Snape is calmly explaining.

“Found him roaming the common room, said he couldn’t sleep when students were being attacked.”

McGonagall raises one eyebrow above her glasses so Draco puts on his best concerned face.

“I was worried about my friends...if something snuck in and tried to get them, they would be defenseless in their sleep. At least if I was up I could try to stop it.”

Her face softens at that, taking him completely off guard. She’s never looked so kind, not at him at least. 

“I decided to take him with me to the headmaster’s office, Dumbledore is bound to have books that might help, if all else it will bore him to sleep.”

The two Professors glance at him in amusement before McGonagall’s eyes shade over. “I do so hope you find something…” she bites her lips, lowering his voice and speaking quickly, “Potter and Ronald Weasley are missing. They weren’t present for the dorm checks and I fear…”

“They’ve gone to save her,” Snape grimaces. Draco pretends he didn’t hear them, glancing around and surely not peaking at the worry clouding McGonagall’s face as she nods. 

“Alert me if you find anything, Severus, I’ll keep looking, and you! Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco snaps his head back to the conversation to find the teacher he thought hated him most giving him a serious yet kind smile. “Do be careful, we cannot afford to lose two students in one night.” 

She scurries away before he can return the favor, dashing down the hall and mummering spells to locate her missing students. The mere thought of Potter taking on a basilisk is enough to send anxiety through his veins, hands shaking as they climb the tower to Dumbledore’s untouched office.

“Luckily for us, the ministry hasn’t been able to  clean his office out, or do anything but keep him away from the school. After this I do hope they learned their lesson.” 

Snape leaves out the ‘no one got taken when Dumbledore was here’ unspoken, but Draco sure as hell thinks it. Fawkes is waiting for them, pacing around the floor and squeaking as soon as the two enter the room. He flies into the sorting hat, trying to get it, much to the hat’s dismay.

“Someone get this thing off me! It’s clawing at my leather!”

Draco rolls his eyes, going to grab Fawkes so Snape can look through books, but Fawkes refuses to leave the hat alone. Eventually he takes the stupid hat and gives it to the Phoenix, “Is this what you want? What could you possibly need with the hat-”

“It can grant people things when they’re in need.” Snap interjects, eyeing the bird. “He’s trying to go somewhere, who could need his help now- ”

Their eyes widen. “ Potter. ”

Draco whirls on the bird, “Is that where you’re trying to go? To Potter?”

Seeing that birds can’t talk, he doesn’t get a reply, but he does follow Fawkes to a window and open it for him, “Go and help him, boy. I’ll give you treats when you get back.” 

And with that the Phoenix is gone, sorting hat yelling out into the night and Draco can only hope they make it in time. He runs back down to Snape. “Is there any way we can watch Potter? In the pensive?”

“Pensives are for memories, Draco, it might work if Potter had a two-way mirror, but I highly doubt he’d take one from us without force.”

“What about Foe-glass? 

Snape gives him a look, “Foe-glass? You have to actually dislike your ‘foe’ for it to work.”

“With how much I want to strangle Potter, it might.”

That the professor seems to understand, pointing at Dumbledore’s desk while he flips through a book with a Greek title. “Second drawer on the left.”

Draco runs to it, throws it open, and stares, focusing on how much he dislikes Potter, how much he wanted to strangle the idiot, how much he was going to taunt and bully him for this entire lack of thought process. He thinks and mummers and curses, and nothing shows. Just his own grey eyes looking at him. It makes sense, Snape is right, he doesn’t actually hate Potter, or even consider him a foe, they are on the same side of course, the Anti-Dark Lord crew or whatever the hell they were going to call themselves. Naming hadn’t really been on the mind with Potter constantly meeting up with pieces of the Dark Lord, oh Merlin, imagine if Potter really did meet up with the Dark Lord. It wouldn't end well for either of them, the Dark Lord would surely- The glass in his hand burned, and to his utter surprise, he was looking at a young-yes attractive- man, staring over a bleeding Harry Potter and an unconscious Ginny Weasley. At least, Draco really hoped she was just unconscious. 

“S-Snape.”

“Yes-what? How did you-?”

“I was thinking about the Dark Lord and-”

“Then that must be Tom Riddle-Merlin what is Potter doing?!”

In the glass, Potter took the tooth of the basilisk, unmoving behind him, sent a glare to Tom Riddle, and then stabbed the diary before him. To Snape’s and Draco’s shock, Riddle burst into light with every stab Potter gave. Glowing and glowing and bursting with light into utter nothingness. To their relief, as soon as the bright light faded, Ginny Weasley sat up and immediately rushed to help Potter. Fawkes joined them right before the glass faded into their own reflections, leaving Draco to fall into the headmaster’s chair.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Professor, but did Harry Potter just defeat both a basilisk and Riddle?”

Snape looked equally shocked, if not slightly more relieved. “I wish I could correct you, but it appears I cannot.”

“Fawkes will heal them and bring them back, right?”

“Well I can’t imagine him leaving them down there.”

They lock eyes for the billionth time this evening, and then Draco, because he is tired, and because he saw a younger version of the man he most feared, and because Harry bloody Potter had somehow managed to pull something out of his ass and save the day, doubles over and laughs. 

He laughs while Snape forces him out of Dumbledore’s office, he snickers through the hallways back to the Slytherin common room, and giggles as he settles between his two friends, snatching the note he’d left and promptly falling asleep.