fic for flaminia_x: Unwanted (Snape, Draco, PG)
Title: Unwanted
Author: fugacious_love
Recipient: flaminia_x
Rating: PG
Character(s): Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: I struggled with the prompt, but I decided to go with showing the fracture in Snape's mentor relationship with Draco. Thank you to my beta Sashah!
--
Three swift knocks came from the front door. Snape could sense his visitor's impatience on the other side of the house's charmed walls, but he did not answer the door immediately. He knew who was knocking- and this person would wait despite his frustration. Snape slowly closed the book he had opened, replaced it on the shelf, and made his way across the room, giving no thought to his faded couch or spindly table. As he twisted the doorknob, he opened the door a crack.
"Ah, Draco. I was expecting you."
Draco Malfoy, dressed fully in a set of black wizard's robes, stood on the doorstep. Despite the early July heat, Draco had pulled his hood over his head, shadowing his face. Snape could see a few strands of blond hair curling from under the hood, falling into Draco's eyes. He had no response for Snape's greetings; his gray eyes stared blankly back into Snape's dark ones through the open crack. After a moment, Snape pulled the door open enough for Draco to slide into the sitting room. An expression of surprise and rather blatant disgust crossed his face as he took in his surroundings- the dusty bookshelves, the rickety table, the ancient couch, and the cramped feeling in the room, as though the walls might collapse inwards. Snape shut the door with a creaky click.
"You asked for me to come." Draco stood frigidly next to the couch, his arms flat against his sides, the hood still pulled over his face. At this angle, the shadow of the hood was minimal, and Snape made quick note of the dark bags beneath the boy's eyes. Draco's lips were bordering on a sneer as he stared at Snape. He wasn't waiting for an explanation or a reply- it seemed to be a challenge.
"Sit." Snape did not motion towards the couch or sit down. He kept his eyes on Draco's until the boy finally slid onto the cushion. Several moments passed as the two simply looked at each other: Snape, cold; Draco, defiant. Finally Draco surrendered, glancing around the room, his disgust fading, becoming ever more apparent that the situation was uncomfortable for him.
As if on cue, Snape began to pace the room around the couch, slowly and deliberately. Draco's shoulders were squared and his body rigid, but his eyes followed Snape's figure. Every footstep created a dull thud against the ancient floorboards. Finally, Snape stopped immediately behind a tattered armchair with a high back. His fingers gripped the velvety red fabric as he gazed at Draco.
"Do not worry about your father. The Dark Lord will have the dementors on his side."
At the mention of his father, Draco pulled down his hood. His hands became fists clenched against his legs, and every bone in his body seemed to tense in hatred and shame. His air of indifference was lost within seconds, and one hand seemed to linger next to his wand pocket. Snape sneered.
"Keep your emotions in check, Draco. The Dark Lord would not have entrusted such a…delicate mission with you, had he known of your uncontrollable teenage torment."
Draco's face contorted into an odd mixture of expressions. He looked as though Snape's words had slapped him, and a wrinkle of understanding crossed his forehead. Shutting his slightly-open mouth, he thought for a moment in confusion. Then he seemed to re-compose himself as he sat straighter and unclenched his fists, unconsciously wiping his sweaty palms onto his robes.
"What mission?"
Snape's sneer grew more pronounced. "Do not play dumb with me, Draco." He paused in case his student would have a response, but Draco sat silently, staring at Snape. Snape continued, "I am offering my help with your…project. The mission must happen successfully-"
"Well, he didn't ask you, did he?" Draco interjected curtly, his eyes flashing. "Maybe he doesn't want you to help me."
"Do not be insolent." Snape's sneer dropped. He released the armchair from his fingers' grip and crossed the room until he stood directly in front of Draco. The pair of gray eyes swiveled upwards to meet Snape's. Draco sat back further, tensing up again. Snape spoke quietly, his expression blank, his eyes piercing directly into his student's. "If you fail and are caught, you will face death, almost certainly. The Order of the Phoenix is," Snape paused, allowing the sneer to play upon his lips. "Forgiving - to their very great weakness. However…Your mission will not lend you to forgiveness in their eyes.
"They should, however, not be of your primary concern." Snape leaned closer, gripping the arm of the couch, his crooked nose mere inches from Draco's face. Draco stared back resiliently, although a tic beneath his left eye was twitching like mad. Snape continued, his voice lower than before. "It is the Dark Lord whom you should fear. He knows how unlikely it is that you will succeed- as do I. You do not have hope in accomplishing this mission alone. The Dark Lord has given you this assignment as a punishment upon your family, and you would do well to accept help."
Draco's eyes flashed at the second mention of his family. A scowl crossed his face, and he suddenly looked quite as young and childish as he had the first day of Hogwarts. Snape could remember the rather pompous eleven-year-old who had entered his class not five years previously. The boy had changed drastically since the arrest of his father, as though he had undergone an intense maturing spell- or, more realistically, a shock to his seemingly invincible and enormous ego. Yet he was still a boy, given an impossible task and forced to find independence.
"And what mission has he given you to punish you for living like a filthy Muggle?"
Draco flushed as soon as the words left his mouth. He stared into Snape's eyes, his right hand resting on his wand's handle. Snape's lip twitched nastily, but he merely considered the boy for a moment, still leaning very close. His next words were barely audible.
"Some of us," Snape leaned in closer, and Draco's wand hand fell to his side. "Have more to take pride in than our peacocks."
He stood up, looming over Draco. This time, his student did not remain still. Draco, seeing an opportunity, jumped to his feet. His hand quickly pulled out his wand, and he pointed it at Snape - but Snape was faster. Although Draco was nearly Snape's height, Snape seemed to nearly tower over him, holding his wand almost casually. Draco considered acting out in fury for a moment- hexes, jinxes, curses, and Unforgiveables all ran through his mind, all disappearing as Snape gave him an almost bored look, as though he knew what Draco had just considered. Attack was out of the question.
Draco dropped his wand to the side and pulled the hood of his robes over his blonde hair. Without further word, he crossed the tiny sitting room and left the house, slamming the door as he exited.
Author: fugacious_love
Recipient: flaminia_x
Rating: PG
Character(s): Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy
Warnings: none
Author's Notes: I struggled with the prompt, but I decided to go with showing the fracture in Snape's mentor relationship with Draco. Thank you to my beta Sashah!
--
Three swift knocks came from the front door. Snape could sense his visitor's impatience on the other side of the house's charmed walls, but he did not answer the door immediately. He knew who was knocking- and this person would wait despite his frustration. Snape slowly closed the book he had opened, replaced it on the shelf, and made his way across the room, giving no thought to his faded couch or spindly table. As he twisted the doorknob, he opened the door a crack.
"Ah, Draco. I was expecting you."
Draco Malfoy, dressed fully in a set of black wizard's robes, stood on the doorstep. Despite the early July heat, Draco had pulled his hood over his head, shadowing his face. Snape could see a few strands of blond hair curling from under the hood, falling into Draco's eyes. He had no response for Snape's greetings; his gray eyes stared blankly back into Snape's dark ones through the open crack. After a moment, Snape pulled the door open enough for Draco to slide into the sitting room. An expression of surprise and rather blatant disgust crossed his face as he took in his surroundings- the dusty bookshelves, the rickety table, the ancient couch, and the cramped feeling in the room, as though the walls might collapse inwards. Snape shut the door with a creaky click.
"You asked for me to come." Draco stood frigidly next to the couch, his arms flat against his sides, the hood still pulled over his face. At this angle, the shadow of the hood was minimal, and Snape made quick note of the dark bags beneath the boy's eyes. Draco's lips were bordering on a sneer as he stared at Snape. He wasn't waiting for an explanation or a reply- it seemed to be a challenge.
"Sit." Snape did not motion towards the couch or sit down. He kept his eyes on Draco's until the boy finally slid onto the cushion. Several moments passed as the two simply looked at each other: Snape, cold; Draco, defiant. Finally Draco surrendered, glancing around the room, his disgust fading, becoming ever more apparent that the situation was uncomfortable for him.
As if on cue, Snape began to pace the room around the couch, slowly and deliberately. Draco's shoulders were squared and his body rigid, but his eyes followed Snape's figure. Every footstep created a dull thud against the ancient floorboards. Finally, Snape stopped immediately behind a tattered armchair with a high back. His fingers gripped the velvety red fabric as he gazed at Draco.
"Do not worry about your father. The Dark Lord will have the dementors on his side."
At the mention of his father, Draco pulled down his hood. His hands became fists clenched against his legs, and every bone in his body seemed to tense in hatred and shame. His air of indifference was lost within seconds, and one hand seemed to linger next to his wand pocket. Snape sneered.
"Keep your emotions in check, Draco. The Dark Lord would not have entrusted such a…delicate mission with you, had he known of your uncontrollable teenage torment."
Draco's face contorted into an odd mixture of expressions. He looked as though Snape's words had slapped him, and a wrinkle of understanding crossed his forehead. Shutting his slightly-open mouth, he thought for a moment in confusion. Then he seemed to re-compose himself as he sat straighter and unclenched his fists, unconsciously wiping his sweaty palms onto his robes.
"What mission?"
Snape's sneer grew more pronounced. "Do not play dumb with me, Draco." He paused in case his student would have a response, but Draco sat silently, staring at Snape. Snape continued, "I am offering my help with your…project. The mission must happen successfully-"
"Well, he didn't ask you, did he?" Draco interjected curtly, his eyes flashing. "Maybe he doesn't want you to help me."
"Do not be insolent." Snape's sneer dropped. He released the armchair from his fingers' grip and crossed the room until he stood directly in front of Draco. The pair of gray eyes swiveled upwards to meet Snape's. Draco sat back further, tensing up again. Snape spoke quietly, his expression blank, his eyes piercing directly into his student's. "If you fail and are caught, you will face death, almost certainly. The Order of the Phoenix is," Snape paused, allowing the sneer to play upon his lips. "Forgiving - to their very great weakness. However…Your mission will not lend you to forgiveness in their eyes.
"They should, however, not be of your primary concern." Snape leaned closer, gripping the arm of the couch, his crooked nose mere inches from Draco's face. Draco stared back resiliently, although a tic beneath his left eye was twitching like mad. Snape continued, his voice lower than before. "It is the Dark Lord whom you should fear. He knows how unlikely it is that you will succeed- as do I. You do not have hope in accomplishing this mission alone. The Dark Lord has given you this assignment as a punishment upon your family, and you would do well to accept help."
Draco's eyes flashed at the second mention of his family. A scowl crossed his face, and he suddenly looked quite as young and childish as he had the first day of Hogwarts. Snape could remember the rather pompous eleven-year-old who had entered his class not five years previously. The boy had changed drastically since the arrest of his father, as though he had undergone an intense maturing spell- or, more realistically, a shock to his seemingly invincible and enormous ego. Yet he was still a boy, given an impossible task and forced to find independence.
"And what mission has he given you to punish you for living like a filthy Muggle?"
Draco flushed as soon as the words left his mouth. He stared into Snape's eyes, his right hand resting on his wand's handle. Snape's lip twitched nastily, but he merely considered the boy for a moment, still leaning very close. His next words were barely audible.
"Some of us," Snape leaned in closer, and Draco's wand hand fell to his side. "Have more to take pride in than our peacocks."
He stood up, looming over Draco. This time, his student did not remain still. Draco, seeing an opportunity, jumped to his feet. His hand quickly pulled out his wand, and he pointed it at Snape - but Snape was faster. Although Draco was nearly Snape's height, Snape seemed to nearly tower over him, holding his wand almost casually. Draco considered acting out in fury for a moment- hexes, jinxes, curses, and Unforgiveables all ran through his mind, all disappearing as Snape gave him an almost bored look, as though he knew what Draco had just considered. Attack was out of the question.
Draco dropped his wand to the side and pulled the hood of his robes over his blonde hair. Without further word, he crossed the tiny sitting room and left the house, slamming the door as he exited.