Karina WIP

Brushing his fingers against the spines of long forgotten books, Draco Malfoy waited for his companion in the dingy recesses of one of the few remaining shops open in Diagon Alley. "Companion," he spat, a brief flash of anger entering his eyes. It faded quickly as the boy schooled his emotions, something he had learned out of necessity.

He moved closer to the solitary lamp of the room, and the light cast shadows on his face. The last year hadn't been kind to the "Slytherin Prince," and anyone who merely glanced at the young man could tell. His mother, Narcissa, worried the most about her child. His sunken cheekbones, unshaven face, and dark circles under his eyes caused her already-greying hair to form a more solid shade. As much as Draco hated seeing his mother alarmed, he didn't show it. Couldn't. No real emotion could be shown anymore, not so long as the Dark Lord was in power. No emotion was safe.

Sighing, he turned his eyes from the shelves to the worn floorboards in front of the door. A moment later, a figure shuffled inside, and Draco was almost amused that he had turned in that direction just in time for Snape to appear. The young Malfoy kept his eyes down and stared at the hem of Severus' robes, barely noticing the fraying edges that came from times of hardship. He took in a breath to speak but was abruptly stopped by Severus' words, and the boy clenched his fists and snapped his head up to face the man. "I needn't take orders from the Dark Lord's pet," he hissed, raw bitterness making his voice shake. He felt the need to show some bravado - to puff out his chest and show that he was another male to be reckoned with. Such an act would be simply that, though. An act. Draco had lost his pride as a Slytherin and even as a human being, and there was no faking that in front of a man that knew Draco so well.

His moment of emotion drained him; Draco tore his gaze away from Snape's and returned it to the dust-covered shelves. There was a long silence filled with nothing but Draco's erratic heartbeat pounding in his ears. Once Severus began, however, the words consumed Draco and drowned out all other noise.

"You have witnessed the torture and murder of your own classmates, your teachers."

A shiver raced down Draco's spine, and the skin on his knuckles seemed paper thin as he clenched them tighter.

" ...they are weakening him, slowly.”

Draco shut his eyes, refusing to believe what he was hearing. This must be a sham; the Dark Lord put his pet up to this. It's a test, nothing more! To prove my allegiance or be rid of me at last! A year ago fear would have gripped Draco, but the man was tired. Worn thin. Beaten and almost broken.

A nearly inaudible sigh escaped Draco once more that evening. "You cannot take me as that much of a fool to believe that the Dark Lord is weakening. If anything, he's growing stronger with his ever-expanding influence--" He stopped short, his stone grey eyes snapping open and locking onto the ring in Severus' now-open palm. "A Horcrux," he whispered, his face becoming deathly pale. As Snape placed the object on the table, Draco shuffled closer and aimed to touch it. But no, he refrained at the last moment, his hand hovering over the ring.

“If all of these are destroyed, then the Dark Lord is a mortal man, and nothing more.”

Scoffing, Draco forced his arm back to his side. "Mortal, you say? Can a god of death become mortal once more?" He glared at his old professor before sharply turning away, his shadow now cast against the elder man. "You make it sound so trivial, so easy. If Potter were alive," he spat, hoping his words stabbed the heartless man behind him, "I'm sure he would be lapping the waters at your feet, begging for a taste of the danger you propose." Draco crossed his arms, pausing to allow the heat roiling inside him to simmer down. "I'm not about to throw caution to the wind and simply believe you."

A moment passed before Draco heard Severus speak once more, but this time it was softer, almost as though the words were sacred.

“I… have been helping them find and destroy the Horcruxes.”

The air rushed out of Draco's lungs and he recoiled away from Snape as though the man had burned him. "You can't," he gasped, his eyes flashing dangerously, "say something like that [i[lightly![/i]" What the hell was the man thinking, saying things like that? Telling him things like that? "You must be bluffing!" The blonde reached for his wand and held it tightly in his grasp, keeping it concealed within his pants' pocket. "This is some sick game, isn't it? You haven't gotten your fill of watching people suffer! Well look around, Snape! Look at the world! Look at what you've done!"

He was breathing heavily, having spoken more forcefully than needed. The spark of fear, anger, resentment, everything seemed to grow larger and larger, and the abundance of emotion made Draco lightheaded. "How dare you drag me into your hell, Snape. How dare you."

Truthfully, Draco already believed himself to be in a form of hell. There was no clawing his way out, but now he felt as though he were falling - falling even deeper into the pit of despair he had so tactfully evaded. With reality closing in on him, Draco worried that he could no longer hide. He could no longer numb himself to the suffering around him. He could no longer simply be surviving. Severus Snape had thrown him headfirst into the fray, and Draco Malfoy was unprepared.

The gates of his heart were flooded with fear, and Draco wasn't sure how much longer they would hold