To Have a Home

Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Previously in To Have A Home:

Putting his head in his hands, the man could only sit in silence while he replayed the scene of Harry's rescue in his mind like a film. The line between good and evil had been blurred, and Severus needed to figure out who he could trust.

​​As the clock struck 7:00 pm, Draco quickly entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There, sitting at her desk, was Professor Umbridge, quill running back and forth across the sheet of parchment in front of her. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, and her mouth quirked up into a slight smirk.

"Mr. Malfoy, please take a seat." came the cloying voice of the Professor.

Doing as he was told, Draco deposited his bag onto the chair adjacent to him before sitting. The teen remained silent as Umbridge slowly walked around the desk, her eyes locked on him like a predator stalking its prey. He eyed the quill that she held, observing how she absentmindedly twirled it between her fingers.

"Due to your insubordination, you must learn what is and is not acceptable behavior within a classroom."

With a flick of her wand, a blank sheet of parchment materialized in front of Draco. She placed the quill alongside the parchment and smiled.

"For the next hour, you will write lines. Hopefully by the time you finish, your attitude will have adjusted. You will be writing the following sentence." Levitating a piece of chalk, the Professor wrote on the chalkboard, I must not tell lies.

The platinum haired teen held back a groan, at risk of additional punishment. Taking the quill in hand, Draco began to write his first of many lines. However, his action was cut short by the blinding pain that took over his right hand. He stared closely, noting with horror that the words written on the parchment had been carved into the back of his hand. The Slytherin schooled his features, so as not to show any weakness.

Gritting his teeth, Draco continued to write lines for the next hour. By the time his detention was over, his hand bled steadily from the letter-shaped wounds. He forced himself to look his Professor in the eye, slightly uncomfortable by the smile that graced her lips.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy, I hope that this has taught you not to tell lies in my classroom." The woman said in her sickly sweet voice.

Draco didn't trust himself to speak, so he opted to simply nod in response before exiting the room. He kept constant pressure on his hand on his way back to his dorm, making sure the bleeding had stopped by the time he reached the door to the common room. After slowly ascending the staircase, Draco silently entered his dorm. Thankfully, his roommates are heavy sleepers so he was able to get ready for bed without waking his peers.

One restless night later, Draco entered the Great Hall for breakfast, though a glance down at his injured hand deterred his appetite. The keen and concerned eyes of the Potions Master locked on the boy from the staff table. He focused on the body language of his Godson, observing the way he hunched over and protected his right hand. The man didn't need to be a skilled Occlumens to know that something occurred the previous night during Draco's detention; something that would undoubtedly warrant a serious conversation and an investigation into the situation.

The Head of Slytherin's mind wandered to the boy who currently lay unconscious in the hospital wing. He thought of the words that have continued to haunt him since they were uttered.

Why couldn't you just let me die?

In his peripheral vision, the Headmaster seemed quite content as he ate his breakfast, giving no indication that anything was remotely wrong. Severus held back a sneer as Albus leaned over to Dolores, whispering something that elicited a sly smile from the toad-like woman. The Potions Master cast one last look at his Godson, making a mental note to speak with him that evening, before taking his leave of the Great Hall. It was only 7:30, and classes would not begin until 8:00. The man silently walked to the Hospital Wing, wanting an update on Harry.