Where Angels Fear

Where Angels Fear

Chapter Four

A Change of Scene

Dumbledore, after taking Severus's report, sent two of his tame Aurors to help increase the Manor's security, and urged them to sit tight and see what happened next. He was confident, he said, that the new security measures would lead to capture of the intruders next time. If there was a next time. Draco, oddly enough, seemed no more anxious than he'd been before the incident. Less, even. Now that the other shoe had started to drop, perhaps, he had one less thing to worry about.

Severus was dozing in his chair by Draco's bed when the alarms screamed.

At first, half asleep, he thought it was Draco. And it looked like Draco did, too--he sat bolt upright and opened and closed his mouth like a fish, ran his hand over his face, and said, "What is that?"

"Stay here," Severus said instead of answering. "I mean it. Stay here."

"Okay," Draco said, sounding surprised and a little hurt.

Severus ran down the stairs, meeting the two house elves in the entry hall.

"Intruders, Professor Snape?" the male squeaked.

"Yes. Coming?"

"Yes." Each house-elf carried a kitchen knife almost as long as it was tall. The three of them went outside, and Snape motioned the house elves to take cover in the flowerbeds. He strode up to the gates, where Aloysius Nott and two young Death Eaters hung six feet in the air, wrapped in silvery gray material, like spiderwebs only as thick as a child's wrist.

So the traps had worked. He hadn't been entirely sure they would. Nott started to say something, but had only gotten out "Sssss--" when a rope of the spider web material snaked out and wrapped itself across his mouth and around his head. The other two men were already effectively muzzled.

"Aurors should be here in a few minutes," Snape said loudly, for the house-elves' benefit.

Nott and the other s struggled against the ropes.

Suddenly tired, Severus sat down on the base of a statue. "This is getting really fucking old, Aloysius. People trying to kill me. People trying to kill Draco. Voldemort rising again. You pretending you're under the Imperius curse. All that was fine when we were twenty, but doesn't anybody but me think it might be time to grow the fuck up?"

Aloysius didn't look the least bit impressed.

"Master Severus!"

He leapt to his feet and turned. The house-elves had come out of hiding and were running toward a fourth man. He wore an ordinary traveling cloak, and not Death Eater robes and mask, but Severus knew he wasn't an Auror.

The man raised his wand. "Crucio."

One of the house-elves--the female--tumbled backwards like a broken doll, struck in the chest with greenish light. The male house elf rushed to her side.

Before the other man could cast a second curse, Snape had drawn his own wand and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Nothing happened. The man didn't fall; no green light flashed from his wand. Severus stared down at his wand hand in disbelief.

Only for a second. Then he raised his wand again and said, "Stupefy."

The man dropped like a log.

The other house elf left his wife's side and fell on the body, slashing out at it with his knife.

Severus watched him for a moment, but didn't stop him. He wanted to sit down and think about what had just happened, but instead he patrolled around the garden. There could have been someone else there. But there wasn't, until the Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt Apparated outside the gates.

"What's going on, Snape?" the tall Black man asked.

"The new traps got those three, but one of them got inside the gates." He unlocked them and let the Aurors in. "And we'll need a Healer for the house-elf."

"For the house elf?" Tonks looked down at the fourth intruder.

"Him, too, I suppose," Snape said diffidently.

"Do you know who this is?" she demanded.

"No." He went over and looked. "No." That was a bit of a surprise, a Death Eater he didn't know.

"It's Melvin Finkey."

"Who?"

"Special Prosecutor for the Ministry," the female Auror explained. "What in hell is he doing here?"

"Cruciating my house elf. For one thing. Malfoy's house-elf," he corrected himself. "That one's mate. Nobs, stop that." The house-elf was ramming his head into the base of one of the other statues. "Upstairs, on my work table, there's a red bottle with a square cap. It'll help Sully. Go get it."

Nobs ran off into the house.

"I've called for backup," Shacklebolt said, addressing his remarks halfway between Snape and Tonks. "Two teams of mediwizards and some more Aurors to bring in the, er, suspects."

"I should check on Draco." If they were going to arrest him, he should get Draco up and ready to face whatever was going to happen.

Tonks and Shacklbolt looked at each other, then the man nodded. "Fine."

Severus was a little surprised to see that Draco had obeyed him and stayed in his bedroom. He had gotten out of bed and dressed, but that was just as well. "What's happened?" he asked. "Nobs said that somebody attacked Sully."

"Four Death Eaters. One of them also a Ministry Special Prosecutor."

"Not--" Draco began.

"A man named Finkey."

His face smoothed in understanding. "Her boss."

"Is he? He cast crucio on Sully. Then I stupefied him, and Nobs went after him with a knife."

"Fuck," Draco said. "Are you--"

"Don't know yet. It's Tonks and Shacklebolt that they sent."

"That's not so bad."

"They have more Aurors coming."

"So the new traps didn't work?" Draco asked as they started downstairs.

"They caught three of them. We'll have to figure out what went wrong on Finkey."

Down on the front lawn, matters had progressed. A team of Healers was working on Finkey. Another team surrounded Sully, who was sitting up, leaning against her mate. A half-dozen Aurors were taking down the three trapped Death Eaters and untangling the sticky ropes from around them.

"I'll need to take a statement," Shacklebolt said, approaching them, "from each of you. We can go inside, if you like."

"In a minute," Draco said. "Let me check on my people first." He knelt by the two house-elves and spoke to them in a low voice.

"We're going to have to take the house-elf in," Shacklebolt said. "Just until we find out what happened."

"Fine," Snape said wearily. "And?"

Shacklebolt saw what he meant. "And you're in the clear, unless there's something more here than meets the eye. Non-lethal force against an intruder--" he shrugged. "It's a shame you didn't notice the house-elf attacking him until it was too late, but I'm sure there was a lot going on."

"I see." He was not at all surprised, of course, that an Auror was playing fast with the truth. He was surprised to hear one doing it to clear him rather than to fit him up.

Draco returned to his side. "You okay?"

"Yes."

Draco nodded. "They're going to take Sully to St. Mungo's. We should write to Dobby."

"What for?" Dobby was the Malfoy's mad house elf, the one who was working at Hogwarts now.

"She's his mum."

"Oh. Yes, good idea." Well, even house-elves had to come from somewhere.

They trooped inside, an uneven procession led by Shacklebolt and trailed by Tonks. To Severus's surprise, the Aurors didn't separate them for questioning. Instead, the four of them sat in the little parlour, and Shacklebolt asked Severus what had happened.

He told them, and the two Aurors let him speak, without interrupting him with insults and accusations. Tonks, as the junior member of the team, took notes. He finished up with the Aurors' arrival on the scene.

"Do you have any idea why they attacked you?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Besides the obvious? No."

"Explain 'the obvious.' For the record."

"I betrayed the Dark Lord. I've been working against him for him sixteen and a half years, but he just found out a few months ago. I expect he's rather upset about it."

"Right. Draco, can you tell me what you saw?"

"Well," he admitted, "I was asleep when the alarms went off. Professor Snape told me to stay in my room. So I did. My room looks out on the back garden, so I didn't see a thing until he came up and got me, and you were already here by then."

Tonks paused in her note-taking. "Professor Snape came to your room to tell you to stay, before he went to confront the intruders?"

Ah, here came the insinuations.

"He was already there," Draco said.

"What for?"

Draco squirmed. Go on, answer, Severus thought at him. He had to know how it would look if he didn't. "I was afraid," he admitted. "He usually sits up with me until I fall asleep."

"But you were already asleep when the alarms sounded?"

"I guess he fell asleep too," Draco said.

"Okay," Tonks said, writing something in her notebook.

"Do you have any ideas why these people attacked your house?" Shacklebolt continued.

"Just what the Professor said, really," Draco said. "And, my mother turned Minister's evidence against Voldemort, as I'm sure you know. He probably wouldn't mind killing me, since he can't get at her." Draco looked up at Snape, who elbowed him in the ribs reassuringly. "They've been after us since...well. Blood traitors, you know. And I'm giving evidence against Pansy Parkinson and some others at the trial next month."

"Right. Well, we'll be packing those three outside off to Holding. I hope we can find something to get them for other than trespassing--a good lawyer will have them out on bond by tomorrow, if that's all we can charge them with. You'll be informed." Tonks closed her notebook and stuck it and her quill back inside her robes. "I'll be copying my report to Dumbledore, of course. Have a good day."

They left.

"That has to be the most civil meeting with an Auror I've ever had," Draco said, sounding awed.

"They're in the Order," Severus said distractedly. "Are you going back to bed? It's almost morning anyway."

"No, I don't think I could sleep. I'll go write to Dobby."

"And I to Dumbledore."

#

A few hours later, Draco was in the kitchen trying to fry an egg. All other considerations aside, having one of his house elves in prison and the other in hospital was certainly an inconvenience. His first attempt looked beautiful, and he thought smugly that this cooking business was not as difficult as it was cracked up to be.

Then he tried to take it out of the pan. The egg was stuck fast, and his attempts to get it out produced an unappetizing pile of mangled scraps.

"Damn!"

Snape looked over his newspaper at what he was doing. "Did you put any butter in the pan?"

"No."

"Well, there's your problem." Noisily, he folded the paper and stood. "I'll do it."

"Well...okay."

"You can make the toast," the Professor told him.

Draco cut bread and set up some toasting forks in the large fireplace. In short order, Snape had produced buttery fried eggs with bright primrose yellow yolks, and sizzling hot sausages. The toast was only slightly charred, and Draco pronounced the breakfast nearly up to house-elf standard.

"How flattering," the Professor said dryly.

When they were nearly done eating, a large bird tapped its beak on the kitchen window. "Is that Fawkes?" Draco asked in surprise. The Headmaster's was the only phoenix he knew.

"Yes," Snape said, getting up and letting the bird in.

Draco stroked the bird's bright feathers and fed him bits of toast while Snape scanned the letter Fawkes had brought. "What's he say?"

"Glad we're all right, appalled at this shocking attack, Dobby being dispatched to St. Mungo's to be with his mother, knows I'll be hesitant, but for our continued safety he insists--" The Professor looked up from the parchment. "He wants us to go to Headquarters."

"Er. Is that bad?" Draco could tell from the look on Snape's face that it was.

"Yes." Snape crumpled the parchment slightly in his hand. "We have to go. He's put it as a request, but he won't rest until we go."

"Then we had better go," Draco said. "What's the big deal?" He didn't like being driven out of his home, but the Professor was normally all for anything that would keep Draco safe.

"It's Black's house," he said, sitting down stiffly.

"Oh." Draco knew that his Professor and the late Sirius Black were bitter enemies.

"Yeah." He pushed back his plate and stood up again. "We'd better pack."

#

"Professor Snape and...Draco. How...nice to...see you," Molly Weasley greeted them.

Draco, who had been looking around the kitchen with interest, half-bowed and drawled, "Pleased to meet you."

"Professor Snape, your room is at the end of the hallway on the third floor. Draco, you can share Harry's room since Ron's away."

Severus could have guessed what was going to happen. Draco drew himself up and said, "I'll not!" in highly affronted tones. "I'll share with the Professor, if you haven't enough rooms for everybody."

"You're sleeping on the floor," Snape said immediately.

"Aw..." Draco whined, but without much heart in it.

"Or you can room with Potter." Severus smirked at him.

"How about I take my chances with the Ministry thugs?"

Severus ignored him. "Why don't you carry our things up," he suggested.

To his astonishment, Draco said, "Okay," and picked up their cases.

"He's carrying your bags now?" Lupin, sitting at the table, asked when he had gone.

Severus didn't admit that he was surprised too. "You'd best behave yourself, werewolf," he growled. "We don't want to be here any more than you lot want us. But if anything happens to Draco, I'll kill you."

"Anything like what?"

"I'm sure I can't imagine," Snape said nastily. "Some sort of...highly amusing prank, perhaps."

"Both of you," Molly Weasley interrupted, "had best behave yourselves. We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves."

"I will if he will," Severus said.

Lupin just shook his head and turned back to the evening Prophet.

"Severus," Mrs. Weasley asked him, 'Are you sure it's...appropriate...for Draco to share your room? That room only has one bed. It doesn't look..."

"Yes," he said flatly. "I'm quite sure it's... appropriate."

"People are, well, talking."

"Of course they are," he said, suddenly weary. "We'll be upstairs, if you think of any new ways to insult us." He nodded to Lupin and Mrs. Weasley and left.

Draco was unpacking his clothes into a narrow dresser. "I saved you the top two drawers."

"Thanks." Severus looked around. Their room had a tall, ornately carved wardrobe, which took up most of the space and had probably been put there from a much nicer room. The other furniture comprised a narrow, iron-framed bed, a straight chair, and the dresser. There was one small window, which Draco had opened to let in a (very slight) breeze.

"I'm beginning to think they don't like us," Draco said lightly.

"I'm sorry." Because it was him they didn't like. Draco they could probably get used to.

"Don't be. I don't care."

"You could have stayed with Potter," he pointed out abstractedly. This room was obviously part of the servants' quarters, from back in the prewar days when people had had live-in human servants. He wondered what Mrs. Weasley had been playing at, putting him here. If she--

But Draco was talking. "Yeah, that would be great. I have a screaming nightmare and everybody comes running to see if Potter's having another telepathic Voldemort episode, and then they're, 'Oh, it's just Draco having a post-traumatic flashback. Why don't you put a bag over his head so we can all get some sleep?' And that's just the first night. After that they start throwing bricks at my head."

"There is that."

He wondered if he should mention that Molly Weasley thought they were carrying on an unnatural relationship when the woman herself rapped on the door and walked in, carrying a pile of blankets and pillows. "I brought some extra bedding for you," she said.

"Thanks." Draco took them.

"This room is going to be very crowded for the two of you," Mrs. Weasley observed.

"Yes," Severus said, "it will."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Draco said politely. "Don't worry about us."

"Very well. Dinner's in an hour."

She left, and Draco looked around for a place to put the blankets. Finally he put them in the bottom of the wardrobe. "How long do you suppose we'll be stuck here?"

"I'm not sure. Not more than a few days, I hope." Severus started unpacking his own things, while Draco flung himself down on the bed with a book. "Don't get too comfortable," Snape told him.

"Trust me, I won't. I think this mattress is made out of rocks. I thought the Blacks were pure-blood."

"I didn't realize it was a rule that pure-bloods had to have decent mattresses."

"I guess there isn't," Draco said. "I'm starting to wish I was still paralyzed. Then only half of me would be uncomfortable."

"I'm sure that could be arranged."

And so they passed an hour until it was time for dinner. Molly Weasley was behind schedule--she was still stirring sauce, chopping carrots for salad, and turning chops in a pan when they went down.

"Have a seat," she said, sounding harassed. "It'll just be a few minutes."

Snape tried to make a strategic choice of seats--difficult, since no one else was at table yet. The seat where Lupin had been was best avoided--it might be his usual place. Molly Weasley, he decided, would probably want the place closest to the stove, in case she had to jump up and attend to something. He motioned Draco into the place next to hers, and then seated himself on his other side.

They waited for a bit, and then Draco said, "Er, do you want any help or anything?"

Mrs. Weasley looked over her shoulder at them. "No," she said briskly.

Well. Bugger her.

When Potter came in, however, she promptly told him, "Harry, dear, set the table."

Harry, dear, took plates and cutlery out of a dresser and dealt them resentfully around the table. "Enjoying yourself, Malfoy?" he asked peevishly.

"Tremendously," Draco drawled.

"This is my house, you know. Sirius left it to me."

What a revolting thought.

"That must make a lovely change for you," Draco answered stiffly.

"Just what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "Draco is our guest."

Potter glared at them for a moment before turning away and saying, "Yeah, sure. Sorry, Mrs. Weasley."

The rest of them came in--Bill, Charlie, and Arthur Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, a few others. "Everything looks wonderful, Molly," Lupin said as she put the serving platters on the table. "As usual."

She smiled. "Thank you, Remus."

Sickening. Just sickening. He wondered if they played Happy Families every night, or if this was a show being put on for his and Draco's benefit.

They all settled down to eat. The food was good, although his stomach cramped in knots around it. He supposed Molly Weasley had enough practice cooking, with all those children.

No one said much. Snape had the idea this wasn't exactly usual.

"How are things at the Ministry?" Molly asked Tonks after a while.

"Oh, everyone's in a tizzy over Finkey. No one'd have guessed he'd throw in his lot with You-Know-Who," the girl Auror said cheerfully.

"Did he live, then?" Severus asked.

"Yes--he's in St. Mungo's, under 24 hour armed guard. But he'll pull through."

"Pity." Severus still wasn't sure why his Killing Curse hadn't worked. He didn't like to think about it.

Potter looked at them disdainfully.

"He tried to kill us," Draco said. "I daresay we've a right."

"Not to kill him."

"You're not going to kill Voldemort, then?" Draco asked innocently. "Funny, I thought you were."

Molly Weasley looked dismayed at the turn her attempt at civil conversation had taken.

"That's different," Potter said.

Draco shrugged. "Any more Ministry thugs come after us, they deserve what they get."

"Technically," Snape put in, "They were Death Eater thugs."

"Finkey was both," Draco pointed out.

"True." Severus shrugged. "Anyway, Nobs would be in a lot more trouble than he is if he had killed him, so maybe it's just as well. Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures doesn't look kindly on murderous house-elves, no matter who it was they killed."

"I suppose," Draco said sulkily.

"Your lot start questioning Finkey, then?" Severus asked Tonks.

"A little, but he's still pretty weak."

"I suppose they'll try to get more evidence against Mother and Father out of him, while they've got him," Draco said, a little wistfully.

"Best of British to them," Snape said. If he hadn't known Finkey was a Death Eater agent--and he hadn't--the man couldn't have been involved long. He wouldn't know anything about the Malfoys, save what Voldemort himself had told him.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Tonks answered mildly.

"What about Sully?" Draco asked. "Do you know anything about how she's doing?"

"Sorry, no. You could write to St. Mungo's."

"Dobby's with her. I expect he'll let me know if there's any change."

"Dobby?" Potter asked. "What's he doing mixed up in your business?"

"She's his mum," Draco answered shortly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, well, since her husband's assisting the Ministry with the Ministry with their inquiries, I thought she ought to have somebody with her."

"Of course," Molly Weasley said, before anyone else could say a word. Then she changed the subject forcefully. "Arthur, did you get that business with the exploding suitcases sorted?"

"Oh, yes. Just teenagers, it turned out--nothing Dark. They thought it was funny to put them in aero-ports and make them explode. Throws the muggles into a panic, for some reason. Bless them."

"They aren't wild about explosions, Muggles," Draco said. "Except on the television. They like them there."

Potter rolled his eyes. "Why don't you tell us more, Malfoy, as you're such an expert."

"Shut up," Draco said mildly.

"You shut up. The least you can do is act civil while you're in our house," Potter retorted.

"Potter," Snape hissed. "The only one here not being civil is you. I suggest you--"

"Mind your own business, Snape," Bill Weasley said loudly. "Harry's not at school now; he doesn't have to listen to you."

"Bill," Molly said, "Professor Snape is our guest. And Harry, you already know we don't argue at the dinner table."

"But Malfoy--"

"And now Malfoy knows, too," Molly said. "There's rhubarb crumble for pudding, but if you'd rather go in another room and bicker, I'm sure I don't mind." She looked around. "Is anyone leaving?"

No one was. Mrs. Weasley cleared the table with a sweep of her wand and started dishing up crumble and criticism. "No one's saying we all have to be best friends. But we've all got to live under one roof, and we've all got to do our best to get along for the duration."

Charlie Weasley leaned over to Potter and said, "We must've heard that speech a thousand times growing up."

Molly plunked a dish of rhubarb crumble in front of him and continued, "We all have more important things to worry about than who we personally get along with." Plunk. "And that goes for all of you, whether you're one of my sons or not."

#

Draco trudged up the three flights of stairs to the room he was sharing with the Professor. It was a nice trick, he thought, putting the cripple up as many flights of stairs as they had. When they got there, he slumped on the bed.

"Are you all right?" Snape asked him.

"Just tired," he answered.

"I'm not surprised." Snape poured himself a drink from a bottle he'd put in their dresser and sat on the windowsill to drink it.

"Hope Sully's all right," he said.

"She was only hit once," the Professor said. "She'll probably be fine."

"Yeah." He looked over at the window. "Will Oberon be able to find us here?" He wondered why Dobby hadn't written yet.

"Yes."

"Good." Draco almost thought he could hear the others downstairs. Arthur Weasley had gotten out butterbeer and board games after dinner, and the rest had been settling down for a sociable evening when the Professor had announced that they were both very tired and would be in their room if anyone needed them.

Which was for the best, really. The Professor had looked to be barely holding on to his temper all through dinner. Draco didn't want him working himself into a heart attack.

"Try not to let Potter antagonize you," Snape said. "You know that lot will take his part, no matter what he does."

"Yeah." That was always the way with Potter. "Too bad Granger's not here. She at least tries to keep him in line."

"Hm. Where is Granger, I wonder."

"She and Weasley are at her house, I think."

"Ah I expect that will be an educational experience for Mr. Weasley."

"Probably." Draco wondered what Mrs. Doctor Granger would make of him.

There was a chink-ing sound--Snuffles banging his spout against the radiator. He seemed to be stuck in the small space between the radiator and the wall. The Professor got him out and put him on the bed with Draco. "Damn," Draco realized, "I forgot to bring him any food." He started to get up.

"I'll go," Snape volunteered, tossing back the last of his drink, with an air of one throwing himself into the breach.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Well, okay." He wasn't looking forward to facing all of those stairs again.

#

"--just have to put up with it as best we can," the werewolf was saying when he reached the basement kitchen. "They won't be here forever."

"Pardon me."

"Severus." Lupin grinned ridiculously. "Decided to join us after all?"

"I should think not. Draco forgot to take any food for his...pet."

"Molly frowned. "What sort of animal is it?"

"It's a...teapot."

Mrs. Weasley tried not to smile. "What does it eat? I think I have some scones, if Bill didn't finish them."

"It eats...soup."

Mrs. Weasley looked mildly distraught, for some reason, instead of amused and contemptuous, as he'd expected. "I haven't made any soup. It's been so warm out...."

Lupin coughed delicately. "There are some tins in the pantry. If it will eat tinned soup."

"I expect it will," Snape said grudgingly. He collected half a dozen tins--two chicken rice, two vegetable, a tomato and a prawn bisque. As he was leaving he heard one of the Weasleys--he wasn't sure if it was Bill or Charlie--say, "A pet teapot. Honestly, they're both mental."

Back in their room, Draco was sitting on the floor, rolling a hard rubber ball toward the teapot.

"Here." Severus felt faintly ridiculous as he arranged the tins on the dresser. "I brought a selection."

"Thanks." Draco looked over the tins. "I don't think we've ever had prawn bisque, have we, Snuffy?"

The teapot waved his spout and snuffled at Draco's fingers.

"Well, might as well try it." He tipped the soup into Snuffy's dish, and the teapot sniffed cautiously at the unfamiliar soup before plunging its spout in. "You like it?"

The teapot didn't answer. Severus was almost surprised.

"Everything okay downstairs?" Draco asked.

"Yes. They seem to be managing just fine without us."

"How surprising." Draco looked up at him. "I must say, I'm not sure I've ever felt more like an orphan than I do right now."

"I suppose being an orphan with a thirty-room mansion is an entirely different proposition to being an orphan without one." Severus had experienced only the latter, of course.

"It's only a few days, right," Draco said, throwing Snuffy's ball. "I can't imagine what I'd do if I was stuck here all summer."

It was a good thing he and Draco had made up, then. "I expect you'd pull through."

"Maybe."

Despite all of the fun they were having, Severus and Draco decided to make an early night of it. Draco complained less than expected about having to sleep on the floor--perhaps he thought Snape would send him down to Potter's room if he did, though in fact there was nothing less likely--and Severus's last thought before he fell asleep was that it would make a nice change if the boy slept through the night, for once.