When Harry met Wednesday

Chapter 29: Shifting Loyalty

Author's Note:

To try and head of an increasing theme in reviews: I have not seen the Netflix series.

As my luck would have it, we canceled our Netflix account right before Wednesday was announced.

I will see it eventually, but as of right now, it's just not in the cards.

-o-o-

Chapter 29
Shifting Loyalty

-o-o-

The limbs of the whomping willow creaked ominously, as if they were eager to strike.

Draco scanned the roots of the massive tree, looking for the conspicuous knot. Kneeling, he pointed at what he felt must be the hidden switch.

"There." He said softly, but with a commanding tone.

His pet viper slithered out from around his arm, and made its way to the base of the willow.

The snake coiled itself upon the knot, and in an instant, the cold night air was filled with silence.

Draco smiled as he approached, and found his way into the hidden passage. "Good job Aegis. Come." At that command, the snake darted after its master, and the warmth of his heated robes.

As Draco walked, Aegis pondered. It had taken some time to reach this point. The first human could speak, and understood Aegis, but there were so many other different snakes. It was not a pleasant life. This human used strange noises instead of talking. It was very frustrating at first. This human was so stupid, and Aegis had to bite him often. Surprisingly, the human wouldn't die, and even more surprising, it learned. Now Aegis had trained the human to use specific noises for specific reasons. It was like speaking, but more difficult.

The underground walk to Hogsmead, the shrieking shack specifically, was long and uneventful. Draco was thankful for Harry's seemingly endless knowledge of the castle and its grounds. This would be far simpler, than trying to find an excuse to leave the school officially. Upon reaching it, the rundown shack was dusty and silent.

"Uncles? Rodolphus? Rabastan?" Draco called out softly, his wand held loose but ready. The stairs creaked, and Draco turned to watch who would descend. Pale bare feet entered his vision, and he quickly knelt, lowering his wand and his eyes.

"A small change of plans." Voldemort explained as he slowly approached Draco. "I have another mission for you. That is, if you have not already failed me."

Draco let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and stood, locking eyes with the Dark Lord. Draco felt Voldemort slip into and out of his mind as he spoke. "It was right where you said it would be, my Lord."

"Well done, Draco." Voldemort's smile looked insincere, dead. "It seems you are becoming everything I once thought your pathetic father was."

Voldemort turned away, and moved to look out a grime covered window. "And the newlyweds? What is their answer?"

"They said no, my Lord." The silence that filled the room concerned Draco, but oddly, he didn't feel as if he were in danger.

After a few more moments of complete silence, Voldemort simply said, "A pity."

Not understanding why the Dark Lord remained silent, Draco broke the eerie quiet. "My Lord?"