Heart of Ice

            "...never seen anything like it."

           "But you can keep him alive?" Draco awoke to bright light, and the sound of people talking. About him, he soon realized, as he feigned sleep.

           "I am trying, but if he doesn't wake up soon, I won't be able to treat any head injuries the fall caused." Shit, Draco thought to himself. He certainly wasn’t going to give Voldemort or Lucius the satisfaction of having him die because of the choice he made. It was time to let everyone know he was awake.

           "Don't worry. I'm just a heavy sleeper," he mumbled through sore lips. The shuffling of feet to his well trained ear told him there were actually three people in the room. Sure enough, he was soon looking up at the troubled faces of Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey...and Snape. Draco smirked. "Joy. I have a fan club."

           "Indeed, Mr. Malfoy. I do not believe you know how many people were worried about you." Draco rolled his eyes and sniffed loudly.

           "I may not know exactly, but I can take a guess: hmm...none?" He shifted his eyes to focus on Snape, who actually seemed concerned. Draco was only mildly impressed by his acting abilities. The older man was overdoing the worried eyes, he thought. He switched his steady gaze to Dumbledore. "You do realize that this man is a Death Eater, right? I wouldn't want him killing me in the night, after all of Madam Pomfrey's efforts. That would be an even more pathetic way to go than by Voldemort's wand." Snape cringed, a flash of hurt crossing his normally morbid features.

           "Draco! You don't understand!" he cried, sounding extremely frustrated and maybe...hurt? Draco ignored him. He was really overdoing it now, he thought. This was just ridiculous. Of course, none present would have been able to even hazard a guess as to what Draco had been thinking. His face revealed nothing.

           "I am afraid Severus is correct, Draco. You do not understand. Severus has been spying for me for many years now, enduring the tortures of Death Eater rituals in order to help our cause." Draco sighed. It figured that Dumbledore would already know about Snape, and be using him to his benefit. That man seemed to know nearly everything that went on in Hogwarts. Everything of importance, anyway.

           "Well, thankyou for helping me while I was being forced into a life of servitude, Snape," he drawled sarcastically. "I'll never forget it. I promise you that."

           "Draco, please be reasonable. I wanted to help. Truly." Draco lazily shifted his gaze to the potions master, ignoring the pain it caused him to move his neck.

           "Touching. Truly," he mocked coldly. Normally Draco would have attempted to show his professor some respect, but he hardly felt he deserved it after the night's events. "Unfortunately, your wanting to help did not affect me in the least. I was nearly handed over to a fate worse than death. I haven’t seen my arm yet, so for all I know, I was. The least you could have done was given me poison instead of whatever potion it was you gave me. Although, I don't think I'd fit in very well in the afterlife," he mused. "I'd probably haunt Hogwarts." A weak chuckle escaped his lips. "Can't let Potter have an enjoyable year while I'm playing cards with the Devil, can I?"

           "That's enough of this!" snapped Madam Pomfrey, clearly not liking this subject matter. "The boy needs medical attention, not a discussion. He has been unconscious for three days, for Merlin's sake! Both of you, out!" Draco secretly always admired the way Madam Pomfrey took care of her patients. He knew he himself could never stand to do something so completely selfless. It was also quite funny how Pomfrey could bully even the Headmaster out of the Hospital Wing if she felt the need.

           Dumbledore held up a hand. "Just a moment, Poppy. I need to hear what happened in Mr. Malfoy's own words." She nodded grudgingly, but stood where she was. They waited for Draco to speak.

           "It's quite simple really," he began. "I don't do anything I don't want to. I didn't want to be a Death Eater. Ta-daa! End of story."

           "Why is that?" Dumbledore asked, with the air of one who already knew the answer. Draco narrowed his eyes at being questioned further, then shrugged as much as he was able to.

           "I don't like authority, no offense to you. I decided about a year ago that Voldemort was an insane fool, at about the same time I figured out the same of Lucius." When they put mother in St.Mungos... "Besides which, do you honestly think I would spend my life serving somebody else?" he asked indignantly. "That isn't very ambitious; it isn't very Slytherin." Dumbledore nodded.

           "Ah, I see. You would rather you were the Dark Lord?" Draco pondered this. Did he want to be the Dark Lord? Raping women, killing people because they were related to Muggles, torturing people...

           "No."

           "No?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, but didn't look in the least bit surprised. "Why not?" Draco frowned. He was getting tired of this line of questioning. What business of theirs is it why I don't want to be evil? This thought startled him. I don't want to be evil. Huh. Bit late for that, isn't it?

            "That is none of your business," he replied icily. Dumbledore regarded him for a moment, then nodded.

           "Well, I'll respect your privacy in this instance. I will leave you to get some rest." He started to walk away, then stopped. "By the way, Mr. Malfoy, a Miss Hermione Granger has been owling us constantly." Draco furrowed his brow.

           "Why is Granger owling constantly? And why do I care?"

           "In case you don't remember, she is the one who found you. She was...more than a little distraught when we refused to allow her to know what happened. She was even more distraught when she could not accompany us back to Hogwarts." Draco shook his head.

           "Silly girl can't bear being away from the library for an entire summer. Pathetic. And it was the cat who found me. Not Granger." Draco was extremely annoyed by Granger’s attempts to get information. The last thing he needed was Potty and Weasel finding out what happened to him. Dumbledore appeared to be genuinely surprised by his response.

           "I could be wrong; it has happened before; but I believe she was owling out of concern for you, not the library."

           "I don't need anyone's sympathy, pity, or concern," Draco snapped. "Owl her back for me and tell her to sod off."

           Dumbledore nodded sadly to the battered boy on the bed. He seemed incapable of comprehending the idea of anyone caring for him in the least. He also seemed determined to keep it that way. Generally speaking, he was doing an excellent job. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, I will leave you under the skilled attentions of Madam Pomfrey. Severus, come with me. I need to speak with you." Severus, who was like a son to Dumbledore, said nothing, but followed as he left the room. When they were a good way down the hall, where Draco wouldn't hear them, Snape spoke.

           "Sir, I contacted Lucius last night. He was livid, as you can well imagine. His only son, the son he has been training for the Dark side since birth, has turned on him. It was completely unexpected, I imagine." At this, Dumbledore detected no small amount of pride for Draco in Severus' voice. "He wants him dead, and it seems that Voldemort has taken great offense to his actions as well. Actually, Voldemort is taking this much more seriously than I would have expected. He seems to consider Draco the ideal Death Eater. He wants him for his cause, but with Draco's firm refusal, he will no doubt settle for having him dead."

           "And, Severus? Did he say when any attempts will be made?" A small smile crept onto Snape's thin lips.

           "No. But he did tell me when attempts would not be made. I was able to persuay him into thinking that attacking Draco while he is under your protection is pointless: impossible."

           "Thankyou, Severus." They continued walking in companionable silence until they were sitting in Dumbledore's office, Fawkes watching with interest.

           "Albus...how do we save him?" Dumbledore regarded him curiously. It was obvious that the professor genuinely cared about the cold boy in the Hospital Wing.

           "I do believe we already have. Poppy is a fine nurse...if a strict one," he added with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Severus shook his head worriedly.

           "No, that is not what I mean. How do we save his mind? Or...his soul?" The seriousness of this question caught Dumbledore's attention. Severus was certainly not a poet, and wasn’t one to make such questions lightly.

           "Severus, the boy is not evil. He is extremely defensive...and purposely offensive, but that may change with time. Either way, he is a strong boy, more so than he was a few years ago."

           "Sir, his mother has gone mad from the years of torture with Lucius. She was the only one who was there for him. He has no one. No, the boy is not evil. In fact, he has a very good heart. If you’d known him as a small child, before his father destroyed him, you wouldn’t have recognised him today. Now, he may be insufferable, but I know he is still capable of good. You know he it as well," he paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Nobody else knows. Bloody hell, he doesn't even know! The other students have never, and will never understand him. He is incredibly intelligent, sir, but I fear that the emotional strain of the upcoming year will be too much for him. He has a fighting spirit to rival any Gryffindor's now...but what if he gives up? What if he decides to, well, end it?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly to acknowledge the younger man's fears.

           "Severus, your fears are well founded. However, I must ask you to trust me." Snape scowled at this evasive response, so typical of the headmaster, but nodded. Suddenly, his expression changed to one of disgust.

           "You haven't considered Minerva's ridiculous request that he not be made Head Boy, have you?" he sneered. Dumbledore shook his head, the sparkle returning to his eyes. The tension between Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape went all the way back to their Hogwarts days. Dumbledore had watched their feuds amusedly for years, waiting for the day when they realized that they didn't hate eachother at all... "No, Severus. Draco Malfoy is a young man who thrives on attention and recognition. Being made Head Boy will be a good reminder to him that he deserves things in this life. Besides, as you said, he is highly intelligent. If it were not for the stress in his home life I dare say his marks would surpass Miss Granger's, instead of being second to hers. He has certainly proven that he has a strong will, and determination. Who is better to be our Head Boy? Harry Potter, perhaps?" Dumbledore stifled a laugh as horror and mortification crossed Severus' face.

           "No! No, not Potter," he cried with shock. He quickly calmed himself. "Albus, Potter doesn't have the brains to be Head Boy. Granger would end up doing everything alone."

           "Which leads me to my next point. I think it will be good for those two to work together."

           "Exact–, wait a second! They’re enemies!" Snape said indignantly, forgetting that he was supposed to be encouraging Dumbledore.

           "Only because they do not know each other. Miss Granger is very similar to Mr. Malfoy, when it comes down to it. Each of them strives to keep up a reputation as a defense mechanism. They may not like each other, but by the end of the year, they will understand each other. They need that understanding. Both of them. Besides, you saw Miss Granger's reaction to Draco's imminent death?" Snape nodded slowly.

           "You think that means something?"

           "My dear friend, I think that means everything."