Forever Silver

Forever Silver

The Silver Cycle part 3

By Elf Flame

*1*

Draco sighed and laid down his pen. It was done. The papers were all signed. In the morning, he'd deliver them to his solicitor, Daniel Petty, and then within another day, Silver would be officially recognized as his brother. And he'd never have to think about him again.

Draco stood up, and crossed the room to make himself a drink. He still had trouble believing his father had actually made a clone of him. Or that he'd lusted over his son. Discovering Silver at Snape Manor and learning the truth of his existence had torn Draco's world apart. Not to mention his heart. If he couldn't have Snape, at least he could drown his sorrows, right? But before he reached the cabinet where the alcohol was stored, a house-elf entered.

"Master Malfoy, there bees a person to see you here, sir," it squeaked at him.

Draco turned from the cabinet. "Show them in." His drink could wait a few more minutes, he supposed. However, when his guest entered the room, he wished he'd gotten his drink after all. "Silver. How lovely. How did you find my flat anyway? I don't recall giving you my address."

"It wasn't that difficult, Draco. It's not like your address is that much of a secret. And after all, I am a family member."

Draco glowered at him. "Don't remind me. What in the world are you doing here?"

"I know you're not exactly pleased to see me, Draco, but Severus wouldn't come himself, and I'm worried about him."

Draco snarled. "I think Professor Snape is quite old enough to take care of himself," he said. He would have turned back to the cabinet to get that drink, but that would have meant offering Silver one as well, and he didn't want the other man to presume he was at all welcome. It was bad enough knowing Snape had chosen Silver over him. Seeing his twin only made the pain worse. "Give me one good reason not to toss you out of here on your ear," Draco said, scowling.

Silver frowned at that. "Don't you care about him at all, Draco? Perhaps I was mistaken. I just thought you should know that he hasn't quite been himself since he returned from visiting you the day we met."

Draco's eyes narrowed. He recalled the day quite vividly enough without Silver's prodding. "And that is my problem why, exactly?"

"Do you care for him at all, Draco?" Those silver eyes were so familiar, but the emotion in them was not. Pity. And quiet sadness.

Draco turned away. He couldn't see that look coming from what appeared to be his own face. "What does it matter? He has you. He doesn't need my help."

The response was quiet. "And if he did?"

He whirled to look at Silver once more. "I don't share. If he wants you, he can't have me. He knew that. It was his choice, Silver," Draco snarled.

Silver looked at him reproachfully for a moment. "And if he was just protecting me, and didn't realize it until it was too late?"

Draco laughed harshly. "You said it yourself. It's too late. He has you, and he's made his choice."

"Yes, Draco. He has." Those eyes were so sad. "He's chosen you. And I love him enough to want him to have what he wants, even if it means letting him go."

Draco sneered at that. "God, you're worse than Potter. At least I knew to expect this kind of sanctimonious crap from him. Get out of my house. I may have to recognize you as my brother, but I don't have to like you."

"You're right, Draco, you don't. But you don't get it. This isn't about me. If it was, I would have owled you. This is about Severus. You do want him, don't you?"

"Like I said, it doesn't matter. He's made his choice. And if you know anything about him, you know that means he won't change his mind, even if it destroys him." He felt a pang as he said it. It was true. Not only of Snape, but of Draco himself. He snorted ruefully. Maybe it was something that was trained into them as Slytherins.

"At least go see him, Draco. Please? He's hardly spoken since he came back that day. I'm worried about him."

Draco shook his head. "I don't see how my going to visit would make things better. It would change nothing."

"So go as me."

Draco gazed at Silver, horrified. Just the thought of pretending to be his weak, emotional mirror-image made him ill. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because then you'd see, Draco. You'd know he needs you. I can't let him hurt himself any more. But if you don't want him, I'll just have to find another way to help him. If he'll even allow it."

Draco tried hard to regain his footing. This conversation had been out of his control almost from the very beginning. He twisted his mouth into a grimace. "Then why haven't you already? Why are you here, trying to convince me to go and..." Draco stopped, suddenly uncertain, and hating the feeling. "What exactly is it that you think I'll do? Seduce him? After all, if this did change anything, you'd have no one left."

"Simply because he would choose you doesn't mean I'd have nowhere to go, Draco. I have enough money now to get a place of my own. Who knows? Maybe there's someone else out there for me."

"So you think if I go to Severus that nothing will change? I don't understand you."

"No. I simply think that the two of you have the chance to help each other. And I want that for him." Silver seemed so solemn, Draco couldn't help but calm.

He took a deep breath. "You're so different from me. It's like looking into a mirror that's cracked." He laughed morosely. "I don't know that I can understand this. Especially after father..."

"Don't worry about that. It's over. And I'm still here, aren't I?" Silver smiled softly, his face just a bit sad.

And Draco found himself feeling something he never had before. Compassion. After all, had things been only a little different... "I apologize. For him. Lucius was never a nice man, but I never thought..."

"Like I said," Silver interrupted, "it's over. Don't think about it. You had absolutely nothing to do with it. Thank you for what you have done, though."

Draco was silent for a moment. "You really care for Severus, don't you?"

Sad grey eyes met his gaze solidly. "With every bit of me. He's the first person I cared for who expected nothing from me." Silver was quiet for a moment. "I'd do anything to make him happy."

"Even lose him?" This was a concept that Draco simply couldn't understand.

A sad smile flitted across Silver's face. "I'll never lose him. I'll always have that part of him that he was willing to give. It was just never his heart. And now that belongs to someone else."

Draco twitched at this. A part of him wanted to shove Silver out into the hall. To never see him again. After all, he had won, hadn't he? But no. He was here, telling Draco that Snape hadn't really wanted Silver, but Draco. That Snape's inherent nobility was the only thing keeping him from Draco. That all Draco would need to do was perform a slight deception, and he would know it, too.

Draco looked at Silver, standing in front of him, entirely resolute. Whatever Draco chose, he knew that Silver would not fight him. If he told Silver he was uninterested, and never to return, Silver would do so. But what Draco simply could not wrap his head around was how Silver was willing to give up his lover simply because he wanted another. Another who looked exactly like him.

True, their hair was slightly different, Draco's falling to his shoulders while Silver had retained the cut Draco had used as a boy. And the way they dressed was a great deal more different. Draco took in the loose shirt Silver wore, which, while made of good cloth, was nothing like the hand-stitched shirts he ordered by the dozens from his own personal tailor. The pants, too, he could tell, were something off the rack, rather than fitted. At least these clothes hadn't been covered in splotches of paint, as the others he had been wearing when Draco had first seen him had. He'd since learned that Silver had discovered a talent for art, and even exhibited his paintings in galleries at the town where Snape manor was located. Snape had told Draco that Silver made quite a good living that way.

Could he do this? He wanted Snape, yes. But how could he agree? How could he lower himself that way? And how could he go on once he found out it was true? It would change nothing. Snape would still be with Silver, and Draco would still be without.

But he'd know.

Draco pursed his lips. "What do I have to do?"

Silver smiled. "It's simple. Trade clothes with me. And we'll need to cut your hair..."

<*^*>

Draco made his way to the front door, unlocking it, and trying desperately to appear as though this was something he did every day. Silver had told him that he often went for walks, so Snape would think nothing of it. As he entered the hallway, carefully shutting the door behind him, Snape appeared in the doorway of his study.

"Silver. Good. I was just going to come looking for you."

Draco smiled. "Why? It's not like I haven't gone for a walk alone before, Severus."

Snape smiled. "I am well aware of that, Silver. But I worry sometimes. Come keep me company."

Draco nodded, and followed Snape into his study, suddenly reminded of his days as a student, when Snape had often invited him to study in his office at school so that they could talk. He settled on the couch, and watched Snape as he poured over his notes. Most likely his latest research. He wanted to ask what the project was about, but he knew that Silver was uninterested in potions. As uninterested as Draco himself was in painting. How odd that Silver could be so different from him, and still be his clone.

Snape looked up, and noticed Draco watching him. He smiled. "You haven't looked at me like that in a long time, Silver. What has you suddenly so interested?"

Draco tried to laugh lightly at this, but his heartbeat sped up slightly. He had to be more careful. Snape wouldn't appreciate being tricked this way. "Nothing special. You just look so...fascinating when you're involved in your research. Besides, I've always liked looking at you." He knew this was true. Both Snape and Silver had mentioned it before, though when Snape had mentioned it, it had upset Draco greatly.

"True. But lately, it seems all you want to do is talk about Draco. What has you in such a pleasant mood?"

"It was simply a beautiful day, Severus. And just because you're unwilling to talk about Draco doesn't mean that I shouldn't be allowed to."

Snape sighed. "Silver, we've been over this. I've made my choice. Now, the subject is closed."

"Just answer this me this honestly, and I'll never bother you about him again."

"Silver..." Snape glowered at him.

Draco put on his most innocent look. "Just one. And you'll never hear me say his name again."

"One, and one only. Yes. I care about him greatly. But I already have you. And I refuse to go back on my promises to you. I promised to protect you, if nothing else."

Draco took a deep breath to calm the surge of emotion. "You love him?"

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Silver..." he said warningly.

"You are the one who answered the question before I asked, Severus."

Snape looked away from him. "It doesn't matter, Silver. I've told you. I will not leave you in danger."

Draco scowled. "What danger could I be in, Severus? I'm safe now. You and Draco made sure of that."

Snape stood up from his desk and moved to the small window that overlooked the garden. "There are still dangers out there, Silver."

"Severus..."

"No...Silver, you don't understand." Snape turned and looked at him sorrowfully. "Lucius would find you."

Draco couldn't stop the laugh at this. "Severus, Lucius is locked in Azkaban. He can't hurt me."

Snape looked at Draco for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "No, Silver, he's very much free. It's why I was so glad to see you were home..."

At this, Draco jumped to his feet. "What? They let him out?"

Snape shook his head. "No, Silver, he escaped. It's why you need to be careful. You're not safe..."

Horror swept over Draco. Silver was alone in his apartment. What if Lucius went there first? "Oh, God! What have I done?" Draco swallowed painfully.

Snape hurried to his side. "Silver? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, staring at Snape, but not quite seeing him. Snape would never trust him again. "No! Oh, God, how could I have been so stupid?"

Snape shook him. "What is it? Stop this!"

His eyes met Snape's, and he felt a flutter in his mind. Snape was reading him. But he didn't have time to let him search for what he needed. "He...we...Oh, God, Snape, he's at my flat!"

The fluttering stopped, and Snape pulled back, scowling. "What are you talking about, Silver?"

"I'm not Silver, Damn it! We switched places. He was worried about you! Oh, God..." Draco felt his stomach lurch.

Snape was trembling now. His eyes flashed, but Draco was too caught up in his own horror to worry over what the other man might do. "Take me there now, Draco," he managed through clenched teeth.

The two apparated directly into Draco's flat, and Draco ran straight to the room he had seen Silver in last. "Silver? Where are you?"

They searched the flat for several minutes before Draco noticed the note on his desk. He was afraid to open it, but even more afraid of giving it to Snape to read without knowing the contents. He unfolded it and read:

Severus & Draco,

I am sorry to have deceived you both in this way, but it was better to do so then to have you fight what would have been a loosing battle. Please do not feel guilty about this. It was my choice to return to him. There would have been nothing you could have done. Please take care of each other. Don't fight your feelings on this Severus. You did as much for me as you could, as anyone ever has, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude. Draco, please take care of him. He'll need you when I'm gone.

Silver

Draco's eyes blurred as Snape stumbled into the room. "Where could he have gone, Draco?" he asked hoarsely.

Draco met his eyes blindly, and silently handed him the note. He watched as Snape's face collapsed as he read the note. Snape let out a choked, "No," then looked up at Draco. "We have to go to the Manor. I think I know where Lucius would take him." Draco nodded, glad to latch onto any possible way to repair the damage he'd done. The two men disapperated immediately.

The weather at the Manor was blustery and wet, and it seemed to take forever to get from the gate to the front door. Snape burst through the doors and up the stairs, Draco close on his heels. However, when Snape turned towards the guest wing, Draco found himself startled. Surely Lucius would take him to his own room, or even to the dungeons. Why on earth would he keep Silver in the guest wing?

Snape led the way to the best of the guest rooms, and when Draco followed him in, he motioned at Draco to shut the door. What was this? Surely they wouldn't be able to find them this way. All that was here was a bedroom suite with an attached bath. And Lucius and Silver were nowhere in sight. "Severus..."

But Snape motioned him to be quiet, then turned towards the wardrobe across from the bed. He opened the door, and to Draco's surprise, stepped inside, waving Draco to follow. When he entered the wardrobe, he saw that Snape had opened the back of the wardrobe, which revealed a hidden passageway. Snape was moving quietly now, but his steps were long, and Draco hurried after him, his heart beating in his ears. This must have been where Lucius had hidden the boy all these years, Draco thought.

They reached an open doorway, and Snape came to an abrupt stop. Draco moved around him, to find Lucius crouched over Silver on the bed. It was not a pretty sight.

Silver was nude, spread-eagled on the bed, hands and feet tied to the posts of the bed so that he could not move more than an inch in any direction, his entire body covered in marks from Lucius's dagger. Silver's chest was shuddering with deep gasps, obviously trying to hold on to life even as Lucius ran his dagger along his side with a heavy slicing motion, and the two men watched, horrified as more blood spilled out onto the already scarlet counterpane.

Lucius's eyes slowly turned towards the two men who stood frozen in the doorway. He smiled, and a chill ran down Draco's spine. He'd seen that smile so many times when he'd done something that Lucius particularly approved of. Particularly something nasty and underhanded that still allowed him to come out smelling like a rose.

The silence of the room was broken only by Silver's panting breaths, and Draco could see he was in great pain. He couldn't help but wonder how much blood one person could lose before they died.

Lucius stood up, now ignoring Silver entirely. "Hello, Severus, Draco. You're just in time. I thought you both needed to see how I deal with those who betray me..."

Those familiar silver eyes caught Draco's, and then the knife was gone, and in its place, a wand appeared. Lucius turned to Silver, that smug smile still stretched across his features, and whispered, almost lovingly, "Avada Kedavra."

There was a flurry of voices: Silver calling out to Severus, telling him he was sorry, Snape screaming "No!" and over it all, Draco's anguished, "Expelliarmus!" But there was nothing that could prevent the curse from hitting the bound body, and by the time Draco had his father bound, Snape lay beside Silver's too-still body, his long frame wracked with sobs. Silver was gone.

TBC