Forever Silver

Forever Silver

The Silver Cycle part 3

By Elf Flame

*2*

Draco stumbled to the bed where Silver's still form lay.

"Severus?" There was no response from the man, who was bent over Silver's form, trying desperately to get a response from him. When nothing appeared to work, the man collapsed over the body, his form shuddering, and Draco decided to let him mourn. There would be time enough for him to recover. After all, he had known Silver for many years, had cared for him for a long time. Draco looked at Silver's face, now slack, as though he were simply asleep, and had to turn away.

He found himself looking into his father's eyes. His father's gleeful eyes. Draco wanted to hurt him. Wanted to tear out each and every strand of that now-shaggy blond hair. "I suppose you're pleased?"

"Of course." Lucius sounded as though he were simply discussing the nights' menu with him. "It was only what they deserved, after all."

"For betraying you with each other? For caring about each other?" Draco bit back a snarl.

"For betraying me, yes. For believing that I could not hurt them. And a warning to you, as well, Draco. Whatever happens, you are mine."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "I may have your blood running through my veins, but I was never your belonging, Lucius." He kicked the man's side, then cast a silencing spell on the man. "Enjoy watching them. It'll be the last enjoyment you get, father." With that, he strode quickly from the room, and hurried back the way they had entered. Once in the guest room, he rang for a house-elf.

The house-elf that appeared, whose name he vaguely recalled, was wide-eyed at seeing Draco's scowling face. "Rolie. I need a house-elf to go into the open room down the secret passage from this one. Do you know how to get there?"

The house-elf nodded. "Yes, Master Draco, sir. We is going there often to take care of Master Lucius's Pet before he went away."

Draco curled his lips at the reference to Silver's incarceration at the Manor. "I need you to send one elf down there, to watch my father and make sure he does not escape while I contact the Ministry. I also need this room prepared for the body so that it can be brought here once the Aurors have taken Lucius, and the room next door prepared for Professor Snape. Do you understand?"

The house-elf nodded, its big ears flapping. "Yes, Master Draco."

"I will be speaking to my mother once I have contacted the Aurors, so when you have finished, look for me either in her rooms, or in father's study."

The house-elf nodded, then vanished with a loud snapping sound.

Draco returned to the hidden room, and saw that a house-elf now stood near Lucius, watching him warily. Severus sat on the bed, smoothing Silver's hair from his face. Draco turned away from this mournful picture. He didn't have time to deal with the emotions that rose in him at it. He left the hidden room, then moved down the hall, exiting the guest room quickly and hurried to his father's office, where he quickly contacted the Ministry. The Floo secretary he reached promised that Aurors would be there shortly. Draco thanked her, then shut down the connection. That would probably give him just enough time to deal with his mother. He pondered what he would tell her as he walked down the hall towards his mother's rooms.

Severus needed time. And knowing the Aurors, they'd probably descend on the house, and want to examine it to be sure Lucius had hidden nothing new within its ancient walls. Perhaps it would be best if Narcissa were to visit one of the Villas on the Continent. She would be more comfortable there, and Draco could explain the full details once she returned. Things would be finalized by then.

Now, if only he could convince her. She answered the door quickly to his knock, and though she seemed curious, she accepted his explanation that Lucius had caused trouble again, and he needed her to leave for a while he dealt with the consequences, though she only truly agreed to leave when Draco promised that he would explain everything upon her return.

Their conversation was just about over when Rolie appeared to say that the Aurors had arrived, and Draco left him to help her pack to leave while he went to greet them. When he reached the entrance hall, he was horrified to discover Harry Potter and three aurors standing there.

"Lovely. Potter. It figures they'd send you. Why send any Auror, when they can send you and turn it into a media circus? After all, it's not enough that you were responsible for his incarceration before..."

"I was hardly responsible for the fact that the man took orders from a petty tyrant, Malfoy. Besides, you're the one that called the Ministry. It's obvious you don't want your father running around loose, either."

Draco sneered at that. "Yes, well..." He glowered at the other man. "I expect full secrecy on this matter, Potter. I don't want to be reading about it tomorrow in the Prophet."

"Shouldn't be a problem, Malfoy. I'm not exactly friendly with the staff there, anyway."

Draco looked over at the other Aurors. "You wouldn't do me the favour of having them stay here while you collected him, would you?"

Potter's eyebrow rose at this. "Any particular reason why?"

"Because, Potter, this is a family matter, and there are some things I'd rather be kept private, if you don't mind," he growled.

"That's not exactly protocol, Malfoy..."

"Look, if I offer you my wand in front of them, would that help?"

"I still can't guarantee that you don't have someone waiting for me when we get out of my men's sight."

"Potter," Draco hissed quietly under his breath, pulling him away from the others, "this is a very delicate situation. My father...killed someone." Potter lips thinned at this. "A family member. But..." Draco floundered for a way to explain it that Potter might be sympathetic to. "Look, he's...well, please, I know we're not friends or anything, and I have no right to ask you for any favours, but just this once, take me at my word? I'll do whatever you ask. Just give me this one thing. I want as few people as possible seeing this."

Potter's eyes had narrowed, and Draco felt him measuring him, seeming to carefully weigh his words and actions. Draco hoped that whatever he found would convince him, because he damned well didn't want to put Snape up to the scrutiny of that many strangers at once. Not in the state he was in. And he sure as hell didn't want people seeing Silver if he could help it. Particularly in the state Lucius had left him. It would be bad enough to have Potter there. Strangers would be worse.

After several minutes, Potter seemed to find something in Draco's eyes that convinced him of Draco's sincerity. "Fine, Malfoy. You give me your wand, and you'll explain the situation before we get there, so I know what to expect, got it?"

Draco nodded, relieved. Potter didn't like him or Snape, but he wouldn't blabber, either. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Potter smiled dourly. He turned to one of the other Aurors. "Grimley, you're in charge while I'm gone. If I haven't contacted you within fifteen, contact the Ministry, got it?" Grimley, whose facial expression quite fit his name, nodded. Potter turned back to Draco. "Well? Lead the way."

Draco swallowed his ire at the man for his attitude. It wouldn't do to be seen hitting an Auror in front of his men. He turned and headed up the main stairs, hearing Potter's footsteps behind him. When they reached the landing, Draco waited for Potter to catch up to him, then headed down the hall towards the guest suites.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before trying to explain. "Potter, what I'm about to tell you cannot go any further than you until I have made it public, got it?"

Potter scowled at him. "And what makes you think you're entitled to be treated differently than anyone else, Malfoy?" he sneered the last word.

"This is not your average situation, Potter. My father..." His throat closed, and he had to clear his throat and try again. "This isn't just a murder, Potter. My father has broken several severe Wizarding laws that I doubt you've even heard of." Potter snorted at this, but withheld comment. Draco gathered himself once more, and continued. "My father..." how could he put this? He hated being vulnerable in front of Potter, and yet telling him the details would do just that. But he had to know, didn't he? "When I was young, father decided he required a clone of me." Potter stopped walking, and when Draco turned to look at him, his eyes were huge.

"A clone? How is that magic? Sounds more like Science Fiction to me."

"It can be done. Not easily, and usually with very poor results. I shudder to think how long it took him to get it right, but he did."

"So, you've had a clone since you were a kid?" he asked, incredulously.

"I didn't find out about him until a month ago, Potter."

"Your father's been hiding him this whole time?"

Draco looked away from him, sighing. "No. The summer he was arrested, he sent Snape to pick him up. So that if anything happened, no one would find out about him."

"Snape? Professor Snape?"

Draco glowered at him. "Yes, Professor Snape. Do you have a problem with that, Potter?"

"Uh...no, just surprised. So..."

Draco turned from him. "Come on, I'll explain the rest, but we need to go retrieve my father before he manages to break loose. Snape's not in any condition..."

"Your father killed Snape?"

"No, Potter, father killed Silver." Potter looked at him blankly. Draco sighed again. "My clone. Snape named him Silver. He's...grown fond of him."

"'Fond?'" Potter asked, looking slightly ill.

"Potter, are you coming to retrieve my father, or dig up all my family's secrets?" Draco snarled.

Potter sighed. "I'm coming, Malfoy, lead the way."

The rest of their trip was in total silence, with Draco fuming the entire way. When he opened the door to the suite with the secret passage, Potter looked at him strangely, but said nothing. Draco closed the door behind them, and led the way to the wardrobe. When he opened the wardrobe, Potter couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Uh, Malfoy? Is this really the time to be changing clothes?"

Draco ignored him and opened the back of the wardrobe, stepping through, but waiting until Potter, too, had emerged on the other side. This was another reason Draco didn't want the Aurors traipsing about in here. The less people who knew of this passageway, the better. "Through here." He walked along the passage until they reached the still-open door.

The house-elf Draco had originally seen watching his father had been replaced with a new, rather large house-elf that Draco didn't recognize. It was standing over Lucius, glowering at him.

Draco moved into the room and waved at his father. "There he is, Potter. Get him out of here."

But Potter was silent, and didn't move. When Draco turned to look at him, he saw Potter staring at the bed, transfixed in horror at what he saw there. "God, Malfoy," he whispered hoarsely.

Draco gritted his teeth. "Stop staring, Potter. Just take him and leave, all right?"

Potter nodded dumbly, then moved stiffly to Lucius's side, where he grabbed an arm, and pulled the man to his feet. Lucius glowered at him, but Potter seemed lost in thought. He turned to Draco. "Malfoy, there is a bit of paperwork, and we'll need statements..."

Draco cut him off. "I'll meet you outside the room leading to this one. I need to take care of something, all right?"

Potter nodded, and led Lucius's stumbling and still-spell-awkward form away.

Draco turned back to the bed where Snape lay next to Silver, quiet and solemn, running his fingers across Silver's still features. "Professor Snape?" There was no response from the man on the bed. "Severus," Draco whispered, coming closer. "I need to have the house-elves move Silver now..." The dark man gave no indication that he heard even a word. "Severus..."

Draco reached out to touch Snape's shoulder, at which the man jerked away. "No," he growled softly. "No..." He looked down at the thin form beside him, still and pale, almost looking as though he were simply asleep.

"Severus, I know. But we can't do anything more for him here. I'll call..." he thought a moment. Snape wouldn't take well to being told Draco was calling an undertaker, would he? "Someone to take care of him. We want him to look better before..." Draco swallowed. "I'll have the house-elves set him up in the guest-room, and you'll be able to see him as much as you need, before..." Severus's eyes closed at this, which Draco took for agreement.

Draco turned away to talk to the house-elf, that still stood, waiting for further instructions. "Take Silver's body to the guest room. I want at least one house-elf in the room with him at all times. Understood?"

The house elf nodded once, and Silver's body vanished suddenly from the room. Snape sat up jerkily. Draco took his arm. "Come on. I'll go with you."