The Heart of the Matter (Harry/Draco)

Chapter Two

Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, as it turned out, was a very tall, foreboding building that looked as if it had been built out of Black Death and bad memories. Potter led them up steep steps to the black front door. He hissed quietly at the knocker—a twisted serpent, ornate and silver—and Draco shivered; beside him, he felt Snape similarly shudder. With an answering hiss and a soft click, the door swung inward. Snape and Draco followed Potter inside.

In the gloom, the hallway seemed surprisingly small given the size of the building. Wallpaper peeled off walls bearing numerous portraits, all covered, abandoned, or blackened with age. A tall candelabrum shaped like an upright serpent stood off to one side, a troll's leg umbrella stand beside it. At the far end, a staircase disappeared into darkness upstairs.

It was unnaturally quiet and extremely cold in the house, and Draco had never wanted to be at home so much in his entire life. If these were the best Headquarters the other side could muster, he was a dead man for sure.

'What about my mother?' he demanded, rounding on Snape.

'Shh!' Potter hissed at him.

Before Draco could tell Potter just where he could shove his shushing, the curtains covering one of the portraits flew open and a furious voice began screeching at an ear-piercing level. 'FILTH! MUD! BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FOREFATHERS! BLOOD TRAIT—'

'Shut up!' Potter snapped, violently yanking the curtains shut, muffling but not entirely silencing the irate portrait. 'Keep your voice down, Malfoy.'

Draco opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say a word or Snape could intervene, the front door burst open behind them. Several figures piled in hurriedly, talking in loud, frantic voices. Draco backed up against the wall as he realised, even in the darkness of the hall, that half the voices were sporting bright-red hair.

'Where is he? I'm going to kill him!'

'Ron, you're not killing anyone—where's—Ginny, here, hold Crookshanks for a mo—'

'You hold your cat yourself. I'm going to kill him first.'

'No one is going to be killing anyone, Miss Weasley,' Snape said firmly, his low monotone slicing through their chatter. He eyed the wand held in her hand. 'And may I remind you that you are still underage and do not possess the privilege of using magic outside of school grounds.'

The two Weasley brats and Granger looked up at him, startled. Lupin appeared behind them, his expression one of relief upon seeing Snape. Ginny looked past Snape, saw Draco, and narrowed her eyes.

'Who said anything about magic?' she demanded. 'I'll kill him with my bare hands.'

'I'd like to see you try,' Draco snapped back.

'Don't you talk to her like that, Malfoy,' Potter said from behind him.

'Or what?'

'Or I'll knock every one of your teeth down your throat!'

'Potter, just because we're off school grounds does not mean I will tolerate you threatening my students,' Snape said coldly.

'I'll threaten who I want in my own house!' Potter snapped back. The portrait began wailing again.

'That's enough,' snarled a deep voice Draco didn't recognise. He turned around and was shocked to find it was Lupin who'd stepped forward. Draco noticed that he looked a lot bigger up close. 'There are more important things happening right now. Your differences can wait. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny—upstairs. I need to have a word with Draco and Severus alone.'