Montane Hope

Chapter 10 (of 16)

The ground stood in soft ridges along the path. Draco tried to avoid the deep mud, but a misjudgement caused Dylan's walking boot to sink partially into it. He grabbed the branch of a tree and pulled his foot out, coated to the top of the laces with watery black slime.

The mud patches had been frequent since passing the little peak on the way up. A little earlier he had passed what looked like a pile of squishy ochre sludge. It was actually a fallen tree whose rotten shreds had soaked up the moisture from the ground.

Draco tried to avoid dwelling on water, or thinking about it. Snape emphasised that it was the most important element to consider, and the most dangerous. Dangerous alright. He still vividly remembered the terror of being in those crashing waves that night when he dreamed he was Potter. Having seen the place since then in real-life hadn't helped, he still felt quite nervous of the sea.

Dylan's father took them to see a glacier when they first arrived. Draco had stood and watched the ice-blue water rushing out of a cave towards the sea. Every few minutes the glacier would 'calve' into the water with a muffled roar that shook the ice on which they were standing. The glacier itself sat on a slippery layer of the meltwater that formed the river. Draco was impressed by the sheer power of the ice, apparently inert, but alive, moving, changing all the time. The glaciated hill had been unknowing and uncaring of the humans that crept up its icy slopes like beetles. The ice was tinged blue wherever it was more than a few inches thick, glistening blue like Draco's favourite colour.

Later that same day they watched the sea sweep over a steep, pebbly beach. Draco sat underneath a huge clump of flax. His mother almost fell into a little river when the sandy bank gave way and she came hurriedly back to join him. They watched Lucius and his brother stand on the very edge of the ocean, watching the waves sweep in over pebbles that fell away so sharply it would have been over Lucius' head if he'd taken two steps out. Out there was nothing at all. Sure, Australia if you went far enough. You couldn't see it, and if you missed it you could almost circumnavigate the globe without hitting land. Water and air and nothing else. More than Draco wanted to think about.

Draco now stepped across the roots that snaked across the path, uneven shapes of hard-packed earth between them. He lowered himself carefully down a short steep section, feeling for the next little root or ledge with his foot before transferring his weight forward, off his arms. As the track levelled out and started climbing again he noticed a fern tree, not far down the slope. In the very centre of its spread were two, tightly curled fern fronds. The Maori symbol for life. The symbol itself was etched on books and in several places around Dylan's house, but to see it for real was quite different.

Hope. Hope for the future. They are big, I didn't know the ponga frond was so big. He passed quickly on, holding the image of the pale green spirals in his mind.

* * * * *

How come you couldn't do it Ron?

My spider (drawing of spider with legs in air)

Ron's spider (Drawing of spider running away)

Get lost guys. That sucks.

What sucks? I think the drawings are quite cute actually.

I don't want to talk.

Ron doesn't want to talk.

Why not?

I wouldn't want to talk either if I'd lost my spider (drawing of a spider running away)

Will you boys stop being silly. Turning piggy banks into hedgehogs is really important.

You tell them Hermione.

Yeah - like we won't get a job if we can't.

Basic transfiguration is the basis for - oh never mind.

I thought you wanted to help us Hermione.

I do, Harry. You don't need that curse. It's Illegal

Illegal?

I didn't know that.

Stop being silly and pay attention. Of course you knew it.

Ron - pick your wand up. McG's looking.

He don't know how to use it, he don't know how to use it (drawing of musical notes)

That is pathetic. How childish...

McG's coming.

Transfigure Ron. Not into a paper aeroplane, into a quill.

Shucks, that was close.

Good thing it was the parchment you transfigured and not the desk Neville.

Did Neville do that? Well done Neville. (drawing of stars)

What did the spider really do when you cursed it Ron?

SHUT UP. Okay..

Will you stop rustling that parchment. Some people are trying to work.

Yeah, like Hermione (drawing of a stack of books)

Oops, I nearly L O L. Good drawing Harry.

(picture of a # with o's and x's)

You boys are so childish. Don't complain to me if you fail your Transfiguration NEWT.

*

Draco picked the scrap of parchment off the floor. McGonagall's eyes had swept over the group several times. If she was suspicious, something was going on. Ten minutes before the end Potter, Weasley and Longbottom had all transfigured their piggybanks and put them in the cage with all the other hedgehogs. Hermione Granger's sleek, spiky hedgehog had spent most of the class transforming piggybank/hedgehog/piggybank till Draco felt dizzy looking at it. It wasn't as if she needed to practise, she could obviously do it.

"Quickly, Ron, Harry, Neville. Let's go meet Luna and Ginny - you-know-where. Oh - Neville!" Hermione stopped to pick up the books Longbottom had knocked over in their scramble to pack their bags and go. They were first out the door - and none of them had noticed that their illicit communication had been left behind on the floor.

That's something to remember. Illegal curses. They'd flip if they knew that I knew. Draco sauntered off to get his broomstick.

*

A few days later Draco was playing wizard chess with Blaise. Blaise had never been very good at chess. Not till Pansy started helping him, that is.

"Does Snape have a family?" Draco asked, moving his knight into the middle of the board.

Blaise moved his bishop. "I shouldn't have done that, should I?" Pansy leaned over his shoulder, telling him how to correct it with the next move.

"Don't think so. Though he must have been a kid once I s'pose," he said as Draco swept down a pawn.

"I just wondered. You don't know who his parents are then?"

"I do," said Pansy. "At least, I know their names, not them personally."

She got up and left. Four moves later Draco had checkmated Blaise. They were tipping the chess men back into their box when Pansy returned carrying a very old, tatty book. She sat down between them and flipped it open. It was full of photos.

"Is that you Pansy? What a sweet baby you were."

"Don't be ridiculous Blaise."

She turned the pages so fast that Draco had only a glimpse of a solemn child standing with her thumb in her mouth, next to the smiling baby photo. By about five years old she had changed immensely.

"There. That's my Mum and Dad. And that..." She pointed to a darkhaired couple beside her parents. "That's Snape's Mum and Dad. Snape was probably at Hogwarts - I mean, as a student - when that photo was taken."

Draco leaned over for a closer look. Snape looked like his mother. She could have been pretty if she wasn't so tired. She wasn't looking at the photographer. When she moved her skin rippled eerily, pulling tight against the scars.

"She was an auror," said Pansy. "I don't know where she is now, maybe she died. He's in Azkaban."

Draco looked at the slightly-greying man. He looked perfectly respectable.

"What did he do?"

"I don't know. I heard it was a domestic problem - but my auntie told me that. She never really knew them. Snape had a little brother and sister once, twins. They didn't attend Hogwarts. I think they must have died young."

"I wonder why Snape never married," Blaise said. "I mean, he doesn't go home to a wife or anything in the holidays, does he?"

Pansy raised her eyebrows. "Or anything! Blaise, what are you talking about?"

"He wouldn't be too pleased... ah." Draco didn't complete his sentence.

"Miss Parkinson, Mr Malfoy, a word please." Blaise closed the photo album as Pansy and Draco followed Snape into his office. When they returned ten minutes later Blaise was looking at the photos near the back of the album. Pansy took her book out of his hands, slapped him and marched off to her dorm with it, Proctor at her heels.

"What was that about?"

"I think that book's pretty special to Pansy," said Draco. "It's probably only half as old as it looks."

"What'd Snape want?"

"Prefect duties. We've to help the first and second years get organised for Easter."

Draco flopped onto the sofa in front of the fire again.

"You going home for Easter, Blaise?"

"Yeah, aren't you?"

"No." He stared at the ceiling. Parts of it were growing moss.

"Draco?"

"Yeah"

"Pansy was the prettiest baby ever."

*

"It's really easy. Don't flick your wand, just give it a gentle wave. Speak nice and slow. Because you're trying to get a flowing movement, anything abrupt will block the thought. Look. Purpurea." Purple flowed down the wall. "Just try and do it on a flat area. Look. Cerulean." The closest part of a desk and chair and part of a wall turned sea-blue. The brown wood and white panelling showed wherever the surface had been uneven. There was a perfect white outline of a chair on the wall.

When Lisa had finished decorating the room they sat in the box of cushions to read. Draco flopped in on his stomach to start with, but before long found his book dull. He rolled over among the cushions a couple of times and adjusted the room colouring - he liked ice blue and green, and it set off Lisa's pinks and purples nicely. Just an accent here and there. Satisfied with the colour scheme, he sat next to Lisa and put his arm round her, leaning over to read her book. It was more interesting than his one. There were lots of pictures of people and anecdotes from their lives - no wonder Lisa got a good OWL in History of Magic.

Harry Potter looked absolutely stunned. He stood in the doorway, surveying the room. Then he noticed Draco.

"Well, Malfoy."

"Like our decorations, Potter." Draco caught Potter's eye, enjoying his discomfort. He was shuffling his feet and trying to look away.

"Er... didn't mean to... that is, Snape wants to see you about your remedial potions."

Draco pressed his lips against Lisa's cheek briefly. "Catch you later, sweetpea." He glanced at Potter out of the corner of his eye, satisfied to see him blush, before he got up and sauntered over to the door.

"So, Malfoy's got a girlfriend, huh?' Potter said once the door had shut behind them.

Draco smirked. "Not really any of your business Potter." Before he could step away Parvati Patil swept round the corner.

"Harry, I've been looking for you everywhere." She stopped abruptly. 'How dare you! With Malfoy? I thought it was me you loved." She grabbed the front of his robes and pulled his head down so that she could reach it. Draco's laughter rang through the corridor - Potter ears were deep crimson. When he turned the corner Parvati and Potter were still snogging.

* * * * *

Tiny red toadstools grew out of the side of a tree root, next to the path. They reminded Draco that he was hungry - they were shaped like Cornish pasties. Not something I'm likely to get at Dylan's place, unfortunately. His stomach was successfully attracting his attention (jumping up and down under his ribs) and visions of loaded tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts were rather more than he could stand.

He kept walking, his mind drifting back to Hogwarts. I wonder what it is that Dumbledore wants me to do this summer. He remembered first finding out about Neorancia, wondering what had attracted him to the technique in the first place. Visualising the future was fun. It didn't occur to him that he might not master Neorancia, or that it would need hard work and application to begin to accomplish anything. Six Newts - no problem. Might get top marks out of Slytherin - if Nott slows down a bit. Or even Head Boy. He visualised himself, his hair slick and gleaming, wearing the Head Boy badge. No prizes for guessing who'll be Head Girl next year - ugh! At least Weasley won't be running the school. None of the teachers are that stupid.

I wonder what Father will do for a job now. He can't go back to the consultancy - doubt he wants to go back to Britain at all in fact. His mind drifted off into other areas. Draco didn't spend time thinking what he would do when he left school - time enough to worry about that when it came. He'd told Snape in fifth year that he wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic, but only for the sake of having something to say - imagine Snape's expression if he'd said he didn't know.

A future knowing Neorancia - I must be one of the only wizards in my generation to start learning it. It could lead to - World Minister, why not. I'd have a dozen house elves to cook my meals and press my robes. Or maybe a hermit - I'd live in a cave encrusted with chandeliers and write books - like Alice Black did. Well, not a total hermit. I'd have friends over as long as they didn't disturb me when I was writing. Or - now that's a better idea. I only need a little room. I could probably figure out a way of soundproofing it and come out and see the wife and kids when I'm finished work. Seven kids. I can study some of the genealogies when I go back to school, see which families have lots of kids. Ours never has, but that wouldn't matter if the girl was fertile. Not till I leave school of course - but that's only a year away.

Draco was walking past huge roots, a small fern tree growing up between them. The trunk didn't start properly till over his head height, where it had been split so that Draco could look up in to the heart of the tree. He hadn't seen a single mammal since he started the walk - plenty of birdlife. It was a little like being back in the days before men came to New Zealand, when the bush and the hill and the birds existed alone, untormented. This path wouldn't have been here then, just thick green undergrowth, with maybe a moa or two.

* * * * *