Chapter 22

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside Snape, refusing to meet the older man�s eyes. On the other side of the professor sat Draco who kept glancing at the two, his face betraying only a mild interest. On the other side of Harry, McGonagall sat stiffly, her expression one of deep concern and apprehension.

�Well now, I believe that it is time for us to get down to business, wouldn�t you agree?� Dumbledore began, claiming the last remaining seat in the circle between Draco and McGonagall. He settled himself in, then peered down his nose at the other occupants of the room. There was a brief moment of silence as Dumbledore seemed to contemplate his next words. Finally, he spoke. �It would seem Lucius Malfoy is very much alive.�

�What?� Draco whispered, then a look of outrage crossed his face. �WHAT?� he bellowed, leaping to his feet. �Are you out of your MIND?�

�Draco, sit down,� Severus commanded quietly. Draco ignored him.

�How dare you try to tell me that my father�that he isn�t�what proof do you have?� he demanded, his voice dropping dangerously.

�Mr. Malfoy, take a seat and control yourself,� Professor McGonagall ordered sharply. Malfoy just glared at her.

�You�re all out of your minds,� he declared, then stormed to the door.

�Draco Malfoy, get back here!� McGonagall shouted, but it was too late. Draco had already left. She stood to follow, but Snape stopped her.

�Don�t bother. He won�t listen to you. Once he calms down, I�ll speak with him.� Minerva glared at him but sat back down.

Harry, meanwhile, had been struck dumb by the latest turn of events, and had remained completely silent throughout Draco�s outburst. How could Lucius Malfoy still be alive? What did that mean? Did that mean that he was going to have to fight all over again? And�oh, God, how was this going to affect Hermione? If Ron ever found out, he�d go after Lucius himself and probably wind up getting himself killed. And what would Lucius do if he found out that Hermione, a muggle-born witch, was carrying his child? He�d probably kill her on the spot. Oh, God�

��Harry? Harry, are you alright?� he heard Dumbledore asking him. Harry looked up at the headmaster blankly before registering that the remaining occupants of the room were all looking at him oddly.

�I�don�t know,� he confessed, dropping his gaze to his lap. �This�this is�� He swallowed thickly. �How do you know that he�s alive?� he asked suddenly, looking up at the headmaster.

�The Dark Mark,� Snape replied from his right. Harry turned to look at him, but found that it was much easier to stare at the man�s arm than to try to look him in the eye. Snape rolled up his sleeve, exposing the Dark Mark, which no longer was a skull with a snake slithering out of it. In its place was the image of a serpent forming the letter �M� with two wands crossed behind it. In fact, it looked like� �The Malfoy family crest,� Snape spoke up, confirming Harry�s suspicions. �Lucius always did like to let everyone know what was his,� he added bitterly. Harry swallowed hard.

�But how did he change the Dark Mark without�well, without Professor Snape being there?� he asked, turning back to face Dumbledore.

The headmaster frowned slightly. �I�m not entirely sure, but I have my theories��

�Please tell me that none of them have anything to do with Voldemort,� Harry said immediately. Dumbledore closed his eyes and a pained expression crossed his face, but he didn�t say anything. Harry turned to look at McGonagall, then Snape. Neither would look him in the eye. Harry slumped bonelessly in his chair, defeated. �But I killed him. I did. It�s supposed to be over now,� he mumbled in a small voice.

�Harry, it�s just a theory. No one is saying that he definitely has anything to do with it,� Dumbledore tried to reassure him.

�But it�s very likely, isn�t it?� Harry muttered. �I mean, isn�t that the way my luck usually runs?�

A long, tense silence followed before Snape stood. �I have obligations to attend to. Excuse me,� he said quietly and left, not meeting Harry�s gaze as it followed him to the door. Another long silence followed.

�Excuse me, but I�d like some time to think about this,� Harry quietly said, turning back to the headmaster. �Is that okay?�

�Of course, of course. Only natural. You�re excused, Harry,� Dumbledore replied. Harry stood and left the office, heading directly for the dungeons.

Draco stomped his way through the corridors without any set destination in mind. How DARE they? Who did they think they were dealing with? How could they possibly know something like that before he did? It was absurd! Lucius would have contacted him immediately if he�d survived the curse! And of course he could have survived the curse - Draco had already realized that. The Unforgivables were all about intent, and since Draco didn�t really want to kill his father it was only natural that his Avada Kedavra could have failed.

Of course, if Lucius really was still alive but not contacting Draco, it probably meant that he was in quite a bit of trouble with his father. It more than likely would be because his killing curse failed, not because he�d actually tried to kill the man in the first place. Lucius was a bit strange like that - he probably would have been excessively proud if Draco�s curse had succeeded. Either way, if what that fool Dumbledore said was true, then Draco needed to try to get into contact with his father immediately and get back on his good side. His short-lived freedom would have to take a backseat to his loyalty to his father, because if there was one thing that Draco regretted more than anything else, it was betraying Lucius. It was unfortunate, but his new friendship with Potter would have to come to an end as well. He felt a twinge of sadness at the thought. It hadn�t even lasted a day and already it was over, and just when he�d realized that he rather liked Potter quite a bit.

Severus stalked through the halls in search of his most favored student. He desperately needed to talk to Draco before the boy made any rash decisions. He knew he didn�t have much time, because once a Malfoy set his mind on something he became almost as impossibly stubborn as a Gryffindor, and Severus was damned if he was going to fail Draco now. All he could do was hope that he�d be able to talk some sense into his pupil before it was too late.