The Secret Hidden Inside

Author: Slytherstein

Rating: T (violence and language)

Spoilers: All

Genre: Angst/Romance

Main Character(s): Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy

Secondary Character(s): Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr., Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, and Pansy Parkinson

Ship(s): DracoxHermione, SnapexLily, LuciusxNarcissa, HarryxGinny, GoylexMillicent

Summary: "Father apologized. I asked him what was going on, but he said he was sworn to secrecy. I know not what to expect, but I am more than certain something will happen this summer involving my family and the Dark Lord." After a chance journey with the Trio through Snape's Pensieve, Draco begins to unravel the truth behind his professor, his father, and even his own feelings. DHr, SSxLE

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters; they belong to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

A/N: Please bear with me, I sometimes take awhile to update. Rest assured, though, that I will finish this story...one day. This story opens near the middle of the Trio's fifth year at Hogwarts. As for this first chapter—parts of it are copied directly from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, "Snape's Worst Memory." I made a change in Lucius' age, and he is now the same age as Snape. Also, I placed Narcissa in Ravenclaw. I hope you enjoy my story, and will let me know what you think of it in a Review. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy.

The Secret Hidden Inside

Chapter I

"Snape's First Memory"

…

The clock struck 2:30 a.m. as every candle light went out. Filch's shift was over, and every professor was asleep. Three figures passed through the halls of Hogwarts. They ran hastily down the dungeons, led by nothing save the simple glow of their wands, keeping quiet as they searched for the Potion-Master's office. Finally, they came to a door of which they entered and closed silently behind them.

"Harry, are you sure about this? We really are risking a lot for this memory, and we'll be in a lot of trouble if he finds us," a girl with wavy auburn hair whispered anxiously.

"I have to know! He took me away before I could finish watching it," a jet-black haired boy answered with slight venom in his voice.

"Why is this so important to you?" a red haired boy asked his friend, a yawn escaping.

The jet-black haired boy rounded on his friend. "Because, Ron, I want to know why the hell Professor Snape was hiding this, and others memories from me!" Harry Potter shook his head in attempt to clear his thoughts.

"But we could be expelled if Snape finds us," the girl reminded him worriedly.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take, Mione," Harry snapped. Harry's friends could not persuade him; he was determined to find out. He ran to the cabinet and pulled out the Pensieve, then placed it on Snape's desk. Hermione and Ron walked over to him and looked into it with startled expressions. "Alright…we go on three," Harry said with a serious look on his face. Hermione and Ron nodded readily and prepared themselves.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, the door flew open. Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway with an astonished look on his face.

"Three!" Ron yelled, and they all plunged their faces into the Pensieve. Instantly, the floor lurched, tipping them head first inside. They were spinning furiously as they fell through cold blackness, and suddenly-

They were standing in the middle of the Great Hall. There were hundreds of small tables facing the same direction, and at each table sat a student, head bent, writing on a sheet of parchment. Save the scratching of quills and occasional rustle of parchment, there was no sound. It was exam time.

Draco Malfoy appeared, next to Hermione, with a bewildered expression of his face. "Where am I, Potter?" he demanded furiously.

"We're in one of Snape's memories," Harry answered. "This was his fifth year at Hogwarts when he took his Defense Against The Dark Arts-Ordinary Wizarding Level, or O.W.L.-"

"We all know what it stands for, Scar-head!" Draco snapped, rolling his eyes at the rambling Gryffindor.

"Five more minutes!" they heard Flitwick yell. The student at the desk next to them jumped.

Harry looked at the student, and recognized him as the fifteen-year-old-Snape. "There he is!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the student.

"Damn! Snape definitely can write quite a bit! And look at this—his handwriting's so small and messy," Draco said, looking over Snape's shoulder, both surprised by this realization, and a little confused by his Godfather's presence.

"There's Sirius!" Harry said pointing at a black haired, Gryffindor boy. "And there's my dad!" he now pointed at a Gryffindor with messy, jet-black hair, who greatly resembled him. "There's Lupin…and there's Pettigrew!" Harry looked around, and noticed a red-headed female Gryffindor with emerald green eyes who had just finished her O.W.L. "That's my mom!" he said, pointing towards her.

Draco turned to gaze at her, wide-eyed. "Good god, Potter! Your mom's hot! Your dad was one lucky guy! If she was in our era, I would so fall for her!" he said with a conceited smirk. He looked around the Great Hall himself and saw someone who looked vaguely familiar. She had shimmering light-blonde hair and deep, sapphire blue eyes. But who did she resemble? Of course!

"Hey, there's my mom!" he said, and he pointed at her. "Narcissa…er…Black." Draco rolled his eyes at himself, unable to believe that he had almost forgotten his mother's maiden-name.

Harry turned his head towards her. "That's your mother? She…sh-she's gorgeous!" he breathed in disbelief.

Draco rolled his eyes at the idiot, scanning the hall again, and his eyes kept resting on an empty seat in the corner. It was the only empty desk in the entirety of the hall. Why this was, he hadn't a clue.

'Perhaps it's where Flitwick sits when he gets tired?' he thought uncertainly. For some reason, besides the obvious one, this didn't seem to be the correct answer. He kept glancing back at it over and over again. 'And where's my father?'

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Flitwick, catching Draco off guard and causing him to jump. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!" The parchment zoomed into the air and toward Flitwick, causing him to fall over. Draco sniggered as students helped Flitwick up onto his feet. "Thank you…thank you," panted Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

"Well, it's about time," Draco snapped, but the Trio beside him continued to ignore him. "I was getting bored…staring at an empty chair…"

"What empty chair?" Hermione finally turned to him in confusion.

"The one at the end, over there," Draco replied, gesturing toward the desk with a slight wave of his hand.

Hermione's honey brown eyes followed his line of sight, and she furrowed her brow in perplexity. "That's very odd," she noted. "It's the only empty one. Harry, do you know the reason?"

"I honestly didn't even notice it before," Harry admitted.

As they were saying this, however, every one of the past students were standing up and hurriedly finding their friends. As they began to file out the doors, the four intruders followed their fifteen-year-old Potion's professor out of the Great Hall, in the midst of a group of chattering girls which included both Lily Evans and Narcissa Black. They followed him outside and sat down, not far-off from the shadowy gloominess of a cluster of undergrowth where he chose to sit.

"Now, Harry, have you been this far yet?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry assured her. "Don't worry; I'll let you know when Snape grabbed me."

"You've been here before?!" Draco asked in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing coming back here?!"

"Because I wanted to see why Snape hid this, and other memories from me. I want to finish this memory, and start on new ones," Harry replied.

"Why are you so interested in Snape's private life?" Draco inquired, arching an eyebrow. "Don't you think that if he didn't want you to see it, it was for a pretty good reason?"

"What do you mean? It's a secret that Snape was keeping from me! I want to know what it is!" Harry yelled, about to rise to his feet.

"But maybe it's something that you shouldn't know," Draco stated, his tone serious. "You weren't meant to know everything about everyone. And maybe you won't even want to know. Think about it. If Snape doesn't want you knowing, then you shouldn't try to figure it out. You don't have to know everything, scar-head."

As they were conversing, Snape stood up and stowed his O.W.L. paper in his bag. As he did so, he emerged from the shadows of the bushes, and headed back to the castle.

"We have to keep following him, since it's his memory," Harry informed them.

"You could have said so sooner," Draco scoffed.

Even so, he, Hermione, Harry, and Ron promptly stood and walked behind the young man.

"All right, Snivellus?" they heard someone say loudly.

Snape reacted as if he was expecting an attack. He dropped his bag and had his wand halfway in the air as James shouted, "Expelliarmus!" causing Snape's wand to fly out of his hand and onto the grass behind him.

"Impendimenta!" Sirius said, knocking Snape off his feet, halfway through a dive toward his wand. Many people about them turned to observe the goings on, and some even moved closer.

Draco looked down at Harry and said in a sarcastic tone, "Well, your dad was such a pleasant man, wasn't he, Potter? How nice of him and his friends." Harry rolled his eyes and ignored Draco's rude comment. They looked back and saw Snape panting on the ground, and several people were laughing. Snape tried to get up, but the jinx was still in use on him; he struggled, as though bound by unseen ropes.

"You-wait," he panted. "You-wait..."

"Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly?"

Snape let out a mixture of varied swearwords and hexes, but seeing as his wand was an extra ten feet away, nothing occurred.

"Wash out your mouth," said James. "Scourgify!" Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth instantly; the foam was covering his lips; causing him to gag; choking him.

"Whoa…cool curse," Draco whispered under his breath. Looking at the trio he said, "I should-"

"Leave him alone!" someone interrupted him.

Draco turned to see Lily Evans walking up to James, her expression furious. "Damn…she is so hot."

"Was," Hermione whispered in his ear, causing him to jump.

"Yes, thank you, Granger…know-it-all," he muttered, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"All right, Evans?" said James.

"Leave him alone!" she repeated. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

This caused amusement to flow through the crowd. Everyone laughed, except Lily and Lupin. "You think you're funny," she scolded. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toe rag, Potter. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James said hastily. "Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"That won't work, idiot!" Draco scolded him, as if he was watching television and someone was something doing something stupid. Hermione gave him a stern look, which he returned with a smirk.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," Lily said.

"What'd I say?" Draco asked, a conceited grin appearing. "Oh, don't give me that look, Granger!"

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius quickly, turning back to Snape. "Oy!" There was a flare of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, sprinkling his robes with blood. James whirled around and blasted a flash of light at Snape, causing him to hang upturned in the air. The crowd cheered, while Sirius, James, and Peter erupted into laughter.

"Let him down!" Lily yelled.

"Certainly," said James and he lifted his wand upward. Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. He picked himself up, and pointed his wand at James, but Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" Snape fell to the ground, stiff as a board.

"Good lord, stop it, already!" Draco snapped, growing very irritated with the group of Gryffindors.

"Leave him alone!" Lily screamed, taking her wand out.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed, and then mumbled the countercurse. "There you go," he said, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape bellowed. Hermione gaped at him, while Harry and Ron glared angrily.

Draco, on the other hand, looked pretty unmoved. In fact, when he glanced over at the trio, he was not quite sure what their problem was.

"Fine," Lily said. "I won't bother in the future."

"Apologize to Evans!" James said, positioning his wand at Snape.

"I don't want you to make him apologize," Lily shouted. "You're as bad as he is…"

"What?" James said, stunned. "I'd never call you a—you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you just got off a broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone just because you can—I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK." She turned around and hurried away.

"Evans!" James called after her, "Hey, Evans!"

But she was gone.

"What is it with her?" said James.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius, and Draco could not help but smirk.

"Right," said James, "right-"

He took his anger out on Snape by hitting him with another bolt of light, causing him to, yet again, dangle upside-down in the air. "Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"

"This is where Snape found me last time," Harry spoke up, and Hermione arched an eyebrow at him. "I wonder what ends up happening."

"Your dad is sick," Draco shot Harry a glare, at which Harry returned with a frown. However, the ebony-haired boy did not bother to deny it.

The crowd cheered as James turned to a struggling Snape. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flash of red light hit James in the chest and caused him to fly through the air and hit the ground. Sirius took his wand out, but another curse flew at him, landing him next to James.

Everyone turned to see a blond Slytherin emerging from the shadows, his wand raised and his silver eyes infuriated. Snape instantly dropped to the ground, his eyes still on James, but by now, he and Sirius were running towards the castle doors, followed closely by Pettigrew and Lupin. Everyone who had turned to watch headed back inside the castle with sour expressions. Clearly, their afternoon fun had been spoiled.

Snape turned toward his rescuer with a dull expression. "Thanks, Malfoy," he said glumly.

"It's Lucius," the Slytherin boy reminded him, rolling his silver eyes. "Don't act so surprised, it isn't as though this is the first time it's happened." He offered his hand and helped Snape to his feet, and that was all the conversation they exchanged. They proceeded to simply make their way to the castle doors.

Draco looked down at Harry. "How come my dad wasn't in the Great Hall earlier?" he asked, a bit shocked at seeing his father at the age of fifteen.

"How should I know?" Harry replied absently, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. He was more anxious to see the next memory than worry about what was troubling Draco.

Hermione, however, was not so disinterested. Focusing her brown eyes on the Malfoy, she mused, "Do you think it might explain the empty desk?"

Draco furrowed his brow in response, not quite sure what to say. If that was the case, then why had he not attended the OWL? Or, had he been let out early for some reason? Perhaps he was ill?

As they questions whirled through Draco's mind, all four students suddenly found themselves whirling through blackness.