A Daughter of Snape, a Son of Malfoy

Chapter Seven

As they sped along the ground floor corridor, Nerissa craned her neck upward, trying to get a look at her attacker. But the flash of long blonde hair and the cold grey eyes were all she needed to realize it was Lucius Malfoy. He dragged her up staircases and down hallways, unimpeded by Filch or any teacher, for nearly all of Hogwarts was asleep at this hour. She had never wanted to be caught out of bed after hours more than this moment.

Malfoy let go of her mouth long enough to wrench open the door of the Astronomy Tower and then shoved her inside. Catching her breath, she looked up to see another figure in the room, standing at a window.

"Draco!" she exhaled.

"Nerissa," he said flatly. "Father."

"Good boy, Draco," Lucius said icily. "Right where I told you to be."

Nerissa's eyes darted from Lucius's face to Draco's, searching them for an explanation.

"Oh come now, you don't believe all that song and dance earlier today about Draco refusing to leave with me and my denying his birthright was true, do you?" Lucius chuckled arrogantly. "Just a little...diversion to keep you all off track."

"Is it true, Draco?" Nerissa implored, inching toward him. "Was it all an act?"

Draco knew she talking about more than the engineered drama earlier that day. He could only stare at the ground.

"Of course it was!" Lucius replied, almost jovially. He placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and smiled broadly. "And Draco played his part to perfection--getting to know you, gaining your trust. From what I understand, Draco had a fine time of it too!"

Lucius laughed at the innuendo, but Draco stood, stone-faced, stalwartly refusing to meet Nerissa's gaze.

"And when all this is said and done," Lucius continued grandly, "father and son will assume their rightful place at the right hand of the Dark Lord!"

"Fine," Nerissa assented, hoping to call his bluff. She strode to the center of the room, tossed her sable hair behind her, straightened her shoulders, and prepared to receive whatever curse Lucius Malfoy was going to hurl at her. "Go on, Malfoy. Let's get it over with."

"Oh, we're not going to use magic," Lucius retorted in an almost childish voice. "We're going to make it look like a little...accident. You leaned too far out the window, lost your balance, and fell to your death. Or maybe you decided you just couldn't go on living any longer and threw yourself out the window. Or," he paused and pulled a jagged-edged knife from beneath his robe, "perhaps you used this, to cut your wrists, your throat, something like that. A suicide, an accident, doesn't matter."

"A truly ingenious plan," a sonorous fourth voice uttered. "However, I must object to that course of action." Lucius, Draco, and Nerissa all turned to find Snape standing in the doorway, his wand at the ready.

"Father!" Nerissa exclaimed and ran toward him. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Call it...paternal instinct," Snape replied, pulling Nerissa behind him with a protective arm.

"Ah, isn't that precious?" Lucius sneered. "Turncoat and child, together at last!"

"Malfoy," Snape muttered.

"Severus," Lucius droned, chuckling to himself. "How kind of you to join us. As you can see, I'm attempting to finish the job you couldn't. It's taken, oh, sixteen years or so, but I'm glad you could be here to witness how a true, loyal servant of the Dark Lord comports himself."

"I suppose we shall," Snape observed, a slight twinkle in his eye. He lifted his wand so it was level with Lucius's chest, and readied himself to shout an incantation. Lucius raised an eyebrow, then seized Draco by the shoulders and held his son in front of him, smirking aloud as he pressed the knife to Draco's throat. Snape lowered his wand for a moment, his eyes narrowing.

"You wouldn't harm one of your own students, a prefect in your own house, would you, Severus?" Lucius asked menacingly.

"Father," Draco protested.

"Don't worry, Draco," Lucius said in a cloying tone, "the Head of Slytherin wouldn't dare harm him star pupil."

"Father," Draco said, his voice more confident this time.

"Quiet, Draco!" Lucius admonished.

"No, father, I think I've listened to you long enough!" Draco yelled, knocking the knife from Lucius's hand. Draco spun around to face his father, his jaw set. The shock on Lucius's face only multiplied when Draco let loose with his fist and punched his father squarely in the nose. His wand went flying through the air, and Malfoy fell to his knees.

"Draco!" Lucius exclaimed in horror, wincing and clenching his nose as he struggled to his feet. "I never taught you to fight like a Mudblood!"

"No, father," Draco retorted, "nor did you teach me how to fight like a man!"

Lucius scoffed and looked around for his wand, all the while trying to staunch the blood flowing from his nose.

"Nerissa, Draco, run," Severus calmly instructed them. Nerissa turned and started toward the door.

"Don't walk away from me, Draco!" Malfoy shouted. His wand was in his hand again, pointing toward his son.

In the corner of her eye, Nerissa caught a glimpse of a green light escaping from the end of Malfoy's wand. She spun around as a red light shot from the end of her father's wand.

The two streams of light collided midair--and branched off to hit Draco, who stood a few feet from her facing his father, squarely in the chest.

Draco plummeted lifelessly backward into Nerissa, who had no time to brace herself and catch him. She tumbled to the ground with him, smacking her head violently against the cold stone floor and felt herself slip into darkness again.

* * * * *

Nerissa awoke in the infirmary several days later, half-surprised she was even alive. She couldn't recall if she'd been hit with one of Malfoy's curses or not. Her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds and her ribcage ached as she attempted to sit up.

She struggled silently to lift her smarting body from its supine position, but then her eyes widened as she saw Draco in another bed directly across from her, fast asleep. His head was wrapped in bandages and both of his eyes were blackened.

Nerissa swung her legs around to the edge of her bed and stood up, quavering as her bare feet slid along the icy stone floor. Wincing as her head began to throb, she sat on the edge of his bed and stared at him, willing him to open his eyes and look at her.

"Draco!" she exhaled, shaking him slightly. He did not stir. She leaned over his face and felt warm breath escaping from his nose, breathing a sigh of relief. How wrong she had been about him. Thinking he had sent her that death threat and then assuming the worst when she saw him in the Astronomy Tower. For a few moments, she thought she had everything figured out. It was all black and white. He was evil. Like father, like son. Of course, things were much more complicated than that. But then again, with Lucius Malfoy as a father, how could he not have been complicated?

She sat on the edge of Draco's bed for a few more moments, reflecting on how she'd underestimated him. But then a familiar-sounding cough rang out from across the room and made her turn her head. At the end of the line of beds was what appeared to be a door, slightly opened, in the far wall. She stood up, wended her way to the door, and pushed it open.

It led her into a small room containing four beds, each with a sink in between them. Her father sat upright in one of the beds, a copy of the Daily Prophet open before him. His right arm was heavily bandaged, and Nerissa could see by the delicate way he held his body that his chest was injured as well.

"Well, hello," he greeted her, as if he knew she would come bursting through the door. Nerissa said nothing as she wobbled toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, crumpling the newspaper. He winced in pain but hugged her back just the same, smiling slightly.

"What happened?" she demanded once she broke the embrace.

"Perhaps this could provide you with some answers," Snape replied, showing Nerissa the front page of the newspaper. "I don't usually read this rubbish, but Madam Pomfrey refuses to bring my books to me, and this is all that was available."

Nerissa smiled wryly and took the paper from her father's hands.

"MALFOY ARRESTED AGAIN," the headline read.

Below it, there was a picture of Lucius Malfoy struggling and yelling as two very large Ministry wizards carried him forcibly down the front steps of Hogwarts. Nerissa scanned the following article.

"Well," Nerissa began, refolding the newspaper. "I suppose I have you to thank for not being dead right now."

"I suppose you do," Snape said dryly and gave Nerissa an impish half smile. But then his voice became more grave. "Have you seen Draco?"

"Yes," she replied. "He looked quite bad."

Snape nodded.

"He'll live," he assured her. "I'll never understand how a parent could do that to his child. Malfoy didn't even hesitate."

"How did you stop him?" Nerissa implored.

A wry smile rose to the corners of Snape's mouth.

"He should have known better than to duel with me," he said matter-of-factly, and Nerissa smiled and shook her head.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked.

"Well, I had to let him think he had a chance to beat me," Snape replied drolly.

"Am I going to get a straight answer out of you?"

Snape put down the newspaper.

"Suffice it to say, I disarmed him, stunned him, and waited for the proper authorities to arrive," he explained. "The most important thing is that you are safe. That is all that matters to me."

Snape's ebony eyes met her own, and she could see in them all of the neglected opportunities, the absent visits, the missed chances he had to say he loved her, all intensely present in that single gaze.

"Oh," she said, more than a little taken aback. She broke his gaze to allow this reality to sink in again. Snape smirked slightly to himself.

"It has come to my attention that you have some unfinished business with young Mr. Malfoy," he intoned, pretending to be disinterested by burying his nose in the newspaper. "Perhaps you should take care of that?"

Nerissa grinned and stood up, starting toward the door. But then she stopped and turned back to her father. Smiling, she leaned down and planted a kiss on her father's pale face. A corner of his mouth turned up as she hurried from the room, closing the door behind her. After all, there were things one just didn't want one's father hearing.

She felt more sure of her feet beneath her as she padded toward Draco's bed, where he was starting to stir. She sat again on the edge of his bed and softly said his name. He groaned like a child annoyed to be rustled out of bed.

"Wha-at!?" he exclaimed, eyes closed, in an irritated voice. Then his eyelids lifted, and a look of shock, embarrassment, and relief crossed his grey eyes when he saw Nerissa sitting before him.

"Hi," he said, his voice barely audible.

"Hi," she replied.

"You all right?" he asked, and she nodded.

"You?"

"I've been better--ohhhhh," he moaned, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to sit up. "Malfoys don't deal well with pain!"

Nerissa couldn't help but smirk at that. She offered him her hand and he pulled himself up to a sitting position, arranging his pillows behind him.

"I see you're doing just fine," he observed, voice brimming with mock disdain.

"A few bumps and bruises," Nerissa added, "but I'll live."

"Your...dad," he began, completely unaccustomed to referring to Snape in that manner. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine, too," she replied, "and back to terrorizing more students come autumn, I'm sure."

Draco nodded, furrowing his brow.

"Do you...do you know what happened to my father?" he asked with a sense of obligation in his voice. Nerissa nodded.

"He's been arrested," she replied, a bit loath to lay this news on him. "The Ministry's probably going to charge him in the next day or so."

"Good," Draco said resolutely, settling back against the pillows propped up behind him. "Let him rot in Azkaban forever."

"I suppose I have no home to go to anymore," he said, changing the subject. "I doubt it would be wise to go back there, once my father's friends learn I betrayed him."

"You could...stay here," Nerissa suggested. "I mean, that's what I'll be doing, I think. I don't have a home to go to anymore, either."

"We really are a pathetic pair, aren't we?" Draco asked cheekily, shaking his head. At least he called us a pair, she thought.

"Look, Draco, I think I owe you an apology," she said with a start, deciding it was best to get on with it. "I figured you were behind that death threat, and when I saw you there in the Astronomy Tower, I figured you were just like your father. And I misjudged you. Horrendously. But I was hoping we might be able to make a fresh start of things. If you're willing to have a go at it, I mean."

Draco let out a small sigh.

"I suppose I could think about it," he said indifferently. Nerissa nodded. She didn't expect him to forgive her. Not yet. Not ever, in fact.

"Okay, done thinking," Draco announced puckishly not a moment later. Nerissa looked at him expectantly. He took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips. "That a good enough answer for you?"

Nerissa started to respond, but then the door to the infirmary swung upon, and Madam Pomfrey hurried in, in her usual frenzied state.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Madam Pomfrey demanded upon seeing Nerissa seated at Draco's side. "Back in bed this instant, young lady! I've yet to determine if you've sufficiently recovered enough to be up and about!"

"But I'm feeling much better, Madam Pomfrey," Nerissa protested as Madam Pomfrey took her by the arm and placed her firmly back in bed.

"I'll have none of that!" she clucked. "I'm the nurse here, not you! Head injuries are quite serious. You need time to heal, and you certainly won't get better if you're prancing about here! Your father would be quite upset to know you're disobeying my orders."

Once Nerissa had been securely placed back in bed, Madam Pomfrey turned to Draco.

"And how are you feeling, Mr. Malfoy?" she inquired, lifting the bandages on Draco's head.

"I've had better days," he replied, shooting a mischievous glance in Nerissa's direction.

"Yes, yes of course," Madam Pomfrey retorted dismissively. "That's quite a blow you took. Now, don't you be following Miss...Snape's example and start running about before I say so, is that clear?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Draco promised in a sickeningly sweet voice, looking at Nerissa the entire time. She wrinkled her nose at him in annoyance.

After checking the remainder of Draco's bandages, Madam Pomfrey hurried off to the room where Snape was, leaving them alone once again.

"Tyrant!" Nerissa muttered at the same time Draco hissed, "Harpy!" They exploded into peals of laughter.

"I'll be watching you, Miss Snape," Draco proclaimed in a purposefully pompous voice, "to see that you don't disobey Madam Pomfrey's orders again. I know you have a penchant for rule-breaking."

"Likewise, Mr. Malfoy," Nerissa replied. "Your record in that department isn't exactly spotless, from what I understand."

"Well, I suppose we'll have to look out for each other then," Draco suggested, "to ensure that neither one of us gets into any trouble. Oh, Merlin's beard!"

"What?" Nerissa asked.

"I just realized!" he exclaimed, irritated. "We're going to be stuck here all summer with a bunch of teachers!"

"That bunch of teachers never stopped you from doing exactly what you wanted before, did it?" she shot back.

The sound of the two teenagers exchanging one-liners and laughing at each other wafted through the door opened by Madam Pomfrey and into the room where Severus Snape sat in bed, a small, contented smile rising to his lips.