Unbound

chapter three.

A knock came at Draco's door only seconds after he bolted awake in his bed.

He was sweaty and warm, a dreadful parallel to the fire he felt oh so realistically when his mind forced him to dream of the death of his mother, as it always did.

There was so much he hated about that day and so many regrets he had, but by far the most significant weight on his shoulders was that he never got to say goodbye or be there when it happened; let alone give her a proper burial after the fact.

Still, her phantom screams remained, replaying in dark corners of his mind, reminding him of what he lost too soon.

He hated every moment of those dreams but sometimes when he woke up, he wished that he was reliving a memory and not a nightmare. Sometimes he wished he was there to try to save his mother.

Or at least die trying.

A sharp knock came against his door once more and shook him back to reality.

Blinking rapidly a few times, he shoved himself off his bed and folded the long white sleeves of his button-up shirt so they rested about midway down his arm. He brushed his hair back once more as he went into his mind and began closing off his memories, using cement walls to secure them in.

He could not think of Narcissa now.

Once he felt the familiar cold, numbing sensation of Occlumency in the back of his mind, he turned the cold handle and opened the door. Draco stared forward at the man in the hallway blankly.

"Severus?"

"Well, are you going to let me in or not, Malfoy?" he drawled, giving Draco a quick look up and down before adding, "You look horrible."

Draco stepped to the side, letting Severus pass him, and shut the door once he entered the room.

Severus did not sit, he simply turned to face Draco and folded his hands together in front of him, seemingly waiting for Draco to say something.

Draco shifted his weight and cocked his head to the right. "Don't act as if I barged into your room, Severus. You're in my room. In my Manor. And ruining my naps too, might I add."

Severus gave a soft scoff and locked eyes with Draco. He never got nervous when Severus was being serious. He hadn't been scared of Severus in a very long time, if ever.

This was practically his godfather - a man who has been around him for as long as he could remember. He was the reason Draco's mother and father allowed him to go to Hogwarts rather than sending him away to Durmstrang when they realized the incompetence of the professors and their tolerance of muggleborns that offended the Malfoys and their family name.

When Draco got the Dark Mark, Severus was there to aid him, giving him small pieces of advice not even his father would give.

When Draco was tasked with killing Albus Dumbledore, Severus was the one who took an unbreakable vow to help him. If Draco had failed or felt unprepared to carry out such a grievous task to lay upon a 16 year old, Severus was prepared to kill Dumbledore himself. He would have killed a man for Draco.

While his father went mad after his mother's death, Severus would sit in silence with Draco, allowing him human contact but not forcing conversation. Draco had been grateful for someone who understood.

He thought back on the day his father told him what happened, only minutes after the fire ceased and Lestrange Manor burnt to the ground. A whispered apology and a hand on his shoulder is all the solace he got.