Banishing his empty cup, Lucius went on. "And to think, you most likely believed that Draco was entirely on your side. Now, how Slytherin would that be?" A slight chuckle accompanied the man's condescending smile. "I almost pity you for not suspecting. You see, Harry, Draco wanted to be able to come back into the fold should your star fail to rise ascendant. So when he allowed himself to be adopted, he kept 'Malfoy' as part of his name. Draco Alain Gervais Malfoy Snape. You didn't really think he would turn his back on all this, did you?" Lucius added with a laconic wave about the room.
Harry remained silent though it took effort to do so, it really did. He knew he must appear to be held captive by the Imperius curse, but he wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off Lucius' face. To shout his defence of his brother's motives. Because what Lucius was saying couldn't be true, could it? Lucius is lying, he told himself. That's what he does. He lies.
"You do understand how lineage potions link to names, Harry?" mocked Lucius. "You'll know soon enough. Ah, and here he is now."
Lucius stood up. "Dragon. How good of you to join us."
Draco looked a wreck. His skin paler than parchment, his eyes fever-bright and glittering with stress above cheekbones dotted with crimson bite marks oozing pus. Small tremors were coursing through him from head to toe.
All in all, he looked like a stiff breeze might blow him over. Or blow him apart, perhaps.
Draco cleared his throat, then said in a croaking tone, "Hallo, Father."
"Hear how he calls me Father," said Lucius, his voice smarmy with satisfaction.
Draco's just being Slytherin, Harry told himself. Playing along. Like I am. Nothing is what it seems. We both of us have one aim, and it's to fool Lucius long enough to find a way out of this mess...
It bothered him, though, that his brother wouldn't meet his eyes.
Even worse, Draco's school robes were gone, and with them, the Slytherin crest. He was wearing thick velvet robes now, in emerald green, with buttons that sparkled like they'd been freshly polished. He looked like royalty... and also like he belonged.
Lucius made Gibby take his clothes, Harry told himself, almost frantically. Draco would want me to have a snake, he would. He can't help it that he's not wearing his crest any longer...
"We've been waiting for you, Draco," said Lucius. "I meant what I told you. The breach between us isn't irreparable. You can still come back to your rightful home and family. To your heritage. You can be presented to the Dark Lord tonight, to take his mark."
Draco's lips twisted. "Oh, is he so forgiving?"
"Forgiveness is... overrated," said Lucius. "The Dark Lord believes that if a man can't control his own son, he can't be trusted as a leader. It's important to our family that he sees you behaving properly. He may not forgive you, but he will accept you, if you can convince him you've seen the error of your ways."
"And you?" asked Draco, shoving his shaking hands into the pockets of his velvet cloak. "Accepting too, are you? Is that why you Portkeyed me into a pit full of vipers?"
Lucius shrugged. "Gibby spelled a purging potion into you. On my orders, so don't say I never did anything for you, Draco. Though you do look a bit... peaked. Gibby! Master Draco is all right, I trust?"
The elf began shaking as though in fear of a beating. "Gibby is not knowing! Gibby g- g- gave him the potion, of course, Master Lucius. B- b- but..."
"But what?" Lucius' glare caused the elf to find his tongue at once.
"Master Draco is being crazed!" said Gibby, yelping. "He was killing a snake and taking it out of the pit with him! But Gibby was finding it stuffed in his pocket! Gibby is thinking that Master Draco is not well at all--"
Harry had to struggle not to raise his eyebrows in respect. Or maybe even awe. Draco had killed a snake? And tried to smuggle it out? He couldn't imagine how hard that must have been for someone as terrified of snakes as Draco was.
Lucius' face flushed with anger as he rounded on Draco. "So, you know his secrets, do you? And you thought to help him. Him! Oh, yes, Draco! I know about Harry Potter and snakes. Did you really think you could deceive me?"
"Father, I-- it crawled in my pocket by itself!" said Draco, gasping, suddenly looking just about as crazed as Gibby had said. His cold anger and his poise vanished completely before the potent threat in Lucius' words. "I killed it because it was biting me, not because--"
"Silence!" roared Lucius. "You're lying even now! I always know when you lie, Draco! Remember that!"
Calming, Lucius continued in a cold tone. "It's quite clear that you know things, Draco. Things the Dark Lord would like to know as well. So, you'll talk now. You'll tell me about Potter's wild magic to start with."
"I don't know anything!"
"A pity I don't believe that. Why do this to yourself, Draco? You know you'll talk, sooner or later. You never could defy me."
Draco's legs were shaking so much by then that Harry though the boy would collapse as he said, "I-- I can't tell you things I don't know. Father, please--"
"We'll start with a wizard's beating or two and go from there," said Lucius in a cold voice as he thrust Harry's wand out in a threatening manner. "Flagarentum!"
Harry swallowed a gasp as his hands clenched in involuntary protest, but Lucius didn't seem to notice anything amiss.
Hearing the horrid spell, Draco flinched back, stumbling, almost tripping on the ornate rug. Harry expected screams any second. Screams, and pleading. But all Draco did was slowly right himself, blinking for a moment until a hard look crept into his eyes. "Wrong wand, Father. What happened to yours?"
Lucius gnashed his teeth. "You're foolish to challenge me like this. And over a half-blood... But then, you never were anything but foolish, Draco. There's no reason I can't send you right back into that snake pit. Perhaps I'll charm the snakes to be even more vicious. You can't kill them all."
"No, but they could well kill me," said Draco, still standing straight, though mention of the snakes had made his breathing laboured. He sounded like he was forcing himself to keep talking. "How many times in a row will the purging potion work? And how much will I tell you after I'm dead?"
"Foolish but he thinks he's clever," spat Lucius. "The same as ever. But you're helpless here, Draco! It's time you realised as much. The pit was charmed, you stupid, stupid boy! To track the bites so they could be inflicted again, as needed, without venom or the bother of throwing you back to the snakes. And Gibby has collected the spell. Gibby? Cast Mordesco."
Harry's mind raced as Lucius spoke. He couldn't let Lucius do this to Draco! Perhaps he was helpless to use magic without a snake, but Draco wasn't. Draco only needed a wand--something which Lucius had. Something which Harry could get for him, if Lucius was distracted enough...
The elf looked a bit ill, Harry thought, but he didn't hesitate to raise his hands and send an invisible curse towards Draco.
Draco looked ill, too, even before the spell struck. He looked like he was regretting his defiance, in fact. Like he knew he'd break sooner or later, and it was foolish to provoke Lucius like this.
That was enough to push Harry over the edge. Focussing his mind, he felt the Imperius shatter completely. Again, Lucius didn't notice anything wrong, so completely was he caught up in watching his son cower.