Atlas Malfoy and how history repeats itself

Part 8

Once in Severus's office, he yells, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID? HONESTLY, YOUR FATHER ENTRUSTED ME WITH LOOKING AFTER YOU?"
I sit down into the chair and say, "Severus-"
"Professor Snape."
"Professor Snape. I went to go find Hermione, and she was upset. Also, I doubt my Father cares about me anymore." I snap, pulling my knees to my chest. My trousers are dusty and I grimace as Severus sits down opposite me. He says, "I also promised your mother I would look after you."
At the mention of mum, I sink back in the chair, not realising I'd been trying to get up to be standing. Severus sighs and says, "The Dark Lord wont be happy with you being in Gryffindor if he comes back."
"He wont! He is gone," I start crying, "And why should I worry about what house I am in. Father already dislikes me. And now I have just another thing to fix so that when the Dark Lord comes back, I'll be a perfect little addition to the stupid group of Death Eaters. They'll come back to my house but this time, all of them will be together. I don't like Bellatrix, I don't like Rodolphus, I don't like Fenrir, I don't like the Carrows. I don't like what they stand for. I DON'T WANT MY HOUSE OR MY FAMILY TO BE HOW THEY ARE!"

Severus takes a deep breath in, then out and says, "It's hard, isn't it?"
I nod and he continues, "It's okay not to like things. In situations such as this one, you just need to learn to lie. Say you love it. The sorting hat made a mistake. Nothing will change who you are, but you can change who they perceive you as. If the Dark Lord comes back, your father will not tell him of your house. He will not tell him that you disagree with him."
"Do you think the Dark Lord is doing the right thing?"
"Atlas..."
"It's a yes no question." I will stand my ground on this. I continue, "Are you in support of the Dark Lord?"
"Do I have a choice?" Severus says. I say, "You don't, do you? You were young when you joined him. Young and vulnerable."
"Let us get back on track," Severus says, obviously changing the subject, "What you did tonight was stupid, and could've got you killed."
"And I'm not dead." I say, shrugging, "So, really, I don't see a problem. I'm alive, you're alive, we're all alive."
Severus rubs his temples and says, "But you do realising going to save Miss Grangers life is a waste of time?"
"In the sense that?"
"In the sense that your father would have personally had both our heads if you even got scraped. I can promise you he will never find out about this slip up."
"Slip up? I saved my best friend's life."
"YOU ALMOST DIED!" He yells. I flinch and he says, "Atlas, I can't save you every single time you make a mistake. Mistakes get people killed round here."
I nod and say, "Fine. Mistakes will get me killed. Just look at me, Atlas Malfoy, the Gryffindor, friends with the chosen one, a Weasley and a muggle born. The Death Eaters are going to have a field day with that. Anything else, Severus?"
"Atlas, child. I want you to do well, but you need to cooperate."
"I DIDN'T CHOOSE THIS LIFE!" I scream, bursting into noisy sobs. A seventh year pokes their head in and says, "Oh, I should leave."
"Get Draco Malfoy." Severus snaps. They nod and run out the room, leaving us to sit in awkward silence.

Draco sits down next to me and says, "Why have I been called here?"
"Your father wants to disown Atlas." Severus says. I sit forwards in my seat, and scoff, "Sorry, what? This wasn't necessary to mention before you got him in?"
Severus glares, and runs his finger along the shelf next to him. He picks up a tiny vial of a clear liquid and says, "He says he wont do it because it'll make him look bad. Not very admirable to disown your eleven year old daughter. Now, this is a vial of liquid luck. I suppose you both find reason to want this."
I notice Draco sit up in his seat. His eyes are glinting with a odd sort of fear and desperation. I turn my nose up as Severus says, "I only have one bottle. But I also have a bottle of Veritaserum. Both have enough in the vial-" Severus picks up another vial "- for one use. Now the question is, who gets which."
"What's the catch?" I snap.
"The catch is..." Severus smirks a little, "You wont use them on each other."
"Not taking it then." Draco folds his arms over his chest and I say, "I'll take both bottles with the promise I wont use it on Draco or any other current Slytherin here at Hogwarts."

It's a few weeks before Harry's first quidditch match. He is practically starving himself, terrified of every little noise.
"I think Snape let in the troll," Harry says as we watch Snape walk off. I groan and say, "All I can say is, even if he did, he didn't want me finding it. Made a promise to my mum that he would keep me safe. I doubt he is stupid enough to let a troll in with the risk of me bumping into it."
"And why would he do that?" Hermione asks, not bothering to mask her scepticism. Harry leans forwards and says, "When I went to Gringotts, Hagrid got something out the vault that got broken into a few days later. Said it was official Hogwarts business. Very secret."
"So you're saying..." Hermione trails off.
"That's what the dog's guarding. That is what Snape wants."

Hedwig comes flying in, dropping what is obviously a broomstick onto the table in front of us. I have to dodge it. As much as I love that owl, she seriously needs to work on throwing parcels. Harry rips it open. A nimbus 2000? A bit lucky... and expensive. Nobody would get me anything worth that amount, other than mother... No name? This person has better self worth than my father. I don't go to the quidditch game. I have letters to write and also, I can't face Slytherins right now.