I Understand

ANGER

Draco had slept the rest of the night and halfway into the next morning. His body felt heavy as he lay there trying to decide whether or not to fall back asleep or get up for a shower. He finally decided on a shower after getting a good whiff of himself. Eu de Voldemort. Yuck!

Getting up from his way too comfortable bed, he gathered his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Making the water as hot as he could stand it scrubbed himself until he was sure he didn't have any skin left. As he did he silently said his mantra

I am a Malfoy

I will not give in

I am not evil

I will be no one's slave

I do not want Potter

The last bit he had added a few months ago after he had made his decision to not take the Dark Mark. The Golden Boy of Gryffindor wouldn't leave his thoughts, waking or sleeping. The first time he had had a wet dream about Harry was the night he had saved his life. He still didn't know what had made him do it, but the second he realized that the blast-ended skewert was heading for the Boy Who Lived, he had had his wand out and had cast wingardium leviosa before he could stop himself. Boy had that pissed his Father off.

Growling he finished washing, and getting out of the shower he stood before the mirror checking his body for injuries. It wasn't a bad looking body if I do say so myself, he thought. Wonder what Potter's looks like. Damn! Where had that come from?

Snape had managed to heal his broken bones but the bruising was still seeable. Especially his eye. Nice shiner you got there Malfoy he thought to himself. After Draco got dressed he cast a concealing charm on himself and headed out to the Common Room.

Crabbe and Goyle were waiting for him like he knew they would be. Not only were the two his friends they were also his bodyguards. If Draco had not left his rooms until dinnertime the two would have waited for him. He knew this, and he never questioned their loyalty. He couldn't afford to and neither could they question his, they needed each other to survive what was coming.

At least Parkinson had enough brains to know not to mess with him today. He couldn't deal with her pity. She would already know what had happened, probably got an owl from her father at breakfast. Pansy was a cold-hearted scheming bitch, but she was his cold-hearted scheming bitch. She was the only one of the opposite sex that he would allow around him. His door just did not swing that way much to her distress.

She had decided to take the Dark Mark. After all, what choice did she have? Her father would kill her if she said no. She was looking out for herself, just like a good little Slytherin would. When the terror and hatred got too much for her to bear she knew that she could come to him for comfort. She and his mother were the two main reasons he was a spy. He was determined to stop Voldemort before Pansy had to give in and before his mother died.

The three friends left the Common Room to go to the Great Hall for lunch. Crabbe and Goyle exchanged a look but wisely said nothing. They too had gotten owls from their mothers that morning. When they got to the door to the Great Hall all three boys unconsciously schooled their faces into their accustomed masks. One cynical and proud the other two mean and dumb. They hated playing these parts but play them well they did. Draco forced himself to eat and act normally.

Looking around the Hall, his glance went to the Gryffindor table. He was surprised to see that Potter was not there. Stop thinking about Potter for two seconds, he chastised himself, ARG! Forcing his glance away he let his eyes wander to the teachers table. Catching Snape's eye he raised his left eyebrow. This was their way to indicate that the meeting was to be after lunch. Draco nodded once, and the professor looked away signaling that he understood. A few minutes later Snape stood and walked from the hall.

Draco continued to talk and laugh with his fellow Slytherins for another ten minutes before he himself left the Hall headed for the dungeons. As he walked he tried to anticipate what Snape would say. Maybe today they would agree to get his mother out of there. Probably not. His mother was another way they got information.

How she survived the beatings and the rapes he will never know. What he did know was that his respect and love for his mother was so great that it literally wanted to burst from him. He kept it in check somehow, he had too.

He remembered his anger the first time he had tried to get his mother to leave the Manor. She had let Draco know, in no uncertain terms, that she would leave when Voldemort was dead and Lucius was in Azkaban. Not before. She could endure anything to keep him safe she had told him. But what can I endure, Mother? He had asked her. What you must she had replied. So, Draco did what he could to help his mother, and when he couldn't help, he endured, for her.

His thoughts were interrupted by his arrival at his Head of Houses' quarters. He knocked and waited for Snape to let him enter. He did not have long to wait before the door swung open and Snape bade him to enter.

Snape looked at him wearily. He knew what the boy was going to ask, and he knew the anger he was going to express at the answer. "Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy, please be seated."

He calmly entered the sitting room, one of which always held him in awe. It changed every time he was here. Last time, the walls were enchanted to show a night forest complete with animals running around the room. The furniture had looked like shrubs but was comfortable none the less.

Today, his sitting room was the best that he had seen. The walls and ceiling were enchanted to look like a starry night. The wall by the fireplace had the planets on it and they were revolving around the fireplace, it presumably being the sun. The wall opposite the fireplace looked like a planet. From the pictures he had remembered seeing the planet in question was the moon. The floor completed the picture with craters and dunes of moon rock. The furniture, he discovered, were the large dunes of moon rock.

As he sat down on one of the smaller dunes Draco said to his professor in a very calm voice, one that should have warned the other man to his mood, "Good Afternoon, Professor, may I compliment you on your room. It is, once again, lovely."

"Yes, well, thank you," Snape said as he sat down on what Draco assumed was the couch. Getting right to the point Draco asked, "Can my Mother leave now?"

Snape glared at the blond, crossing his arms across his chest, he still looked intimidating even sitting down. "No she can not. And you know as well as I do that she wouldn't."

Draco tried to stay calm but it was obvious he was fast losing the control he had on his anger. "She will die if we don't get her out of there."

Staring at Draco Snape's face was closed, his eyes a deep black that showed not only his anger at the boy, but his sympathy for him as well. Deciding now was not the time to pull his punches, Snape let him have the truth. "Yes she might. Do not disrespect your mother now, boy. If she did not stay exactly where she was who would be there to take the punishment meant for you? She remains so that you might live. Do not take that away from her with your foolish notions."

That was it! The last straw, his anger boiled to the surface and he couldn't control it any longer. Draco jumped up, yelling at Snape, "You think I don't know why she remains? Did it ever occur to any of you that what she sacrifices is too much? I am not worth the pain she has to go through."

"How dare you!" Snape snarled. "Do not presume that she does this for you only. You are not the only one that she protects. Narcissa does this because she knows this is the only way she can help. You are still a child, Draco, you cannot understand."

"How dare I?" Draco snarled right back his face flushed with anger. "How dare you. You and that imbecile you take orders from. You sit here safe while people die, good people. We sacrifice innocent people, friends, and family for nothing. It has to stop! My mother will not die because you are too scared to take the fight to the level it needs to be to stop the killing." Draco was yelling so fast and furious that he had not stopped to take a breath. When he did a soft cough drew his and Snape's, who had risen at some point during his tirade, attention to the figure standing in the doorway.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and one of the most powerful wizards of this era, was standing in the doorway watching the scene unfold with a disapproving look on his face. It was as Snape had told him earlier, Draco was not going to accept their decision, not without more information. It was time he knew more, though Severus disagreed.

Eyeing the boy with just a hint of anger, Dumbledore walked into the room. "Mr. Malfoy," he snapped, "this tantrum will get you nowhere." He sighed as he sat down motioning the other two to sit as well. "Even if we could get your mother out of there she would refuse to come. You know this, so please, let us not discuss this anymore," he said softly, still trying to calm down the angry young man.

"I have news. There was another raid last night. The Neimitz's are gone."

"What?!" Snape yelled. "But they are pureblood. Why would he kill them?"

Draco said nothing, he was in shock. Some else had died, someone he could now never save. He added their names to his list. Turning his attention back to the conversation he listened with all his might, there had to be something that they could do to stop Voldemort.

"We did not know the answer to that question until just now. I got an owl from your mother, Draco. The Neimitz' were killed because their two year old daughter was overheard, by Lucius, saying Voldemort's name."

"But ... but that is insane," Snape sputtered.

"I agree. But that is what she said she overheard him tell Lucius," Dumbledore said.

"Lydia ..."Draco murmured. Lydia Neimitz was a 6th year Slytherin. "Does she know?" Draco asked Dumbledore.

"Yes she does. I just came from there. She will be staying here until family comes from America to take here back home with them. I would appreciate it if you and the others would help her," Dumbledore said. He knew that having something to do would calm Draco down faster than anything would. He also knew that he and the others would keep that girl from breaking down and never being able to come back. It was a skill which Draco possessed that had surprised everyone.

"Of course," Draco said and excusing himself got up to leave. As he reached the door, Dumbledore voice stopped him. "She also wrote to tell you thank you."

Without looking back he continued on his way, the glow of warmth that flooded him at Dumbledore words helped to calm him the rest of the way. It felt good to have something to do. Took his mind off of his anger and focused it where he needed it to be, on Lydia. On saving someone. He hurried away to gather his friends, they had a lot to do this weekend.

It was quite in the room for a few minutes before Albus spoke again. "I agree with Mr. Malfoy, lovely room. You have out done yourself this time. It is time to bring the two together Severus."

Snape glared at the old man, but he was glad to see the twinkle back in his eye, he sighed, "I do not agree. They all need more time. But it looks like that is something we do not have. What do you suggest we do?"

Dumbledore and Snape sat a few hours more making plans to bring the two groups together. Plans they hoped they had time to use.