"Vipers! Why didn't you say so at once, you idiot child?" Snape's eyes frantically scanned Draco as he put his hand to his son's forehead.
"Oh, don't get your wand all in a twist," said Draco, pushing away. "I had a purging potion. And besides, I simply cannot go anywhere until we've got Lucius sorted out."
Snape flicked a glance toward the marble form of Lucius, lying still and cold. "I fail to understand in what sense he still needs to be 'sorted out,' as you put it."
Draco tensed from head to foot. "Just this. Harry here thinks he can reverse the spell and Lucius'll come out of it right as rain. On the other hand, I think that Lucius is dead for good now, no matter what Harry does. And I'm not going anywhere until I know for sure."
Dumbledore contemplated both boys, not looking at Lucius as he slowly nodded his head. "Quite right, Draco. We do need to know for certain. Hmmm. This really is quite an impressive Petrificus."
Harry wasn't sure what that meant. "Will it hold?" he asked, suddenly worried. "I mean, I did a regular Petrificus first and it sort of . . . glanced off him, I guess. 'Cause after a while he started to get up again. So I, uh, made it as strong as I could the second time." He shrugged helplessly. He'd used wanded magic without really thinking about it. Just like in that alley with Nott.
He felt a slight surge of guilt burning within him. It wasn't that he regretted what he'd done to Lucius, but he hadn't really thought about the end result before he'd cast. How many times out in Devon had his father lectured him about that?
"Oh, I would say without a doubt that it will hold," murmured Dumbledore.
"Harry, good to see you," said Remus warmly, his brown eyes saying how much he meant it. Harry had the feeling he'd have said something sooner, but hadn't wanted to interrupt Severus' moment.
"I am actually here too, you know," said Draco petulantly.
"Yes, of course. It's good to see you as well, Mr Snape," added Remus at once, the words that time polite but not nearly as warm. "Congratulations on your adoption."
"Severus just told you?"
"No, I've had to stay apprised of matters of concern to your . . . to Lucius Malfoy," amended Remus when Snape shot him an impatient glance. "In order to impersonate him."
Stepping away from his father, Harry flopped down into a chair. For one second he wondered if the furniture would attack him, but then he figured it wouldn't dare, not with Severus and the headmaster both there. "Well, thank God this'll put an end to that at least. Your spying, I mean. I'll unfreeze Lucius and we'll make sure he gets locked up where he can't get out, and that'll be that."
Draco sighed loudly as he walked across to the marble body on the floor. After staring down for a moment, he turned a beseeching glance toward his father. "How are we going to convince Harry that Lucius is really dead?"
Snape squeezed Harry's shoulder lightly, as if to give him courage, then joined Albus and Draco. Meanwhile, Remus pulled a chair up near Harry and sat down. Harry appreciated that, but he couldn't really even look at Remus. His worried gaze was focussed completely on the wizards standing around the marble figure on the floor. Wands out, they appeared to be casting silent spells.
After a moment, Snape frowned. "Albus?"
The headmaster's eyes blazed slightly as he stared down at the body. Legilimency? Harry wasn't sure.
"I sense nothing whatsoever," Dumbledore said at length. "But in this state, I'm not sure there would be anything to sense."
"My conclusion as well," said Snape.
From beside Harry, Remus murmured agreement.
Think, Harry told himself. Think hard. "Well . . . you know, the house-elf here did something to me to sense my magic," said Harry. "Maybe he'd know about this as well. It's worth a try."
"Oh, like I'd trust Lucius' elf," scoffed Draco. "I'd have sent him to get Severus if that were the case. But I thought the minute he was in England he might go ask Narcissa what to do."
"Well, you're still the eldest Malfoy here in this house," Harry reminded Draco, ignoring the sharp glance his father gave them both. "As long as we stay here, Gibby has to do what you say, right? So get him back here--"
"Where is this house-elf and what did he sense about your magic?" interrupted Snape as he glanced expectantly from Draco to Harry and back.
"He could tell it was odd, that's all," said Harry, just as Draco answered in airy tones, "I sent him to wait in the snake pit. All right?"
"You sent him to wait in the snake pit," repeated Snape in a low voice. Clearly, he did not regard that as all right.
"Yeah, well, I was a tad upset that he'd just cursed me over and over." Draco shifted on his feet. "Besides, I thought it would keep him busy so he couldn't meddle. I-- uh-- Look, he saw Harry turn Lucius to stone, so I figured he'd need to be Obliviated anyway."
When Snape said nothing, but just stared with implacable black eyes, Draco crossed his arms. "Don't look at me like that! The fucking elf isn't even going to remember the snake pit. Which is more than you can say of me, eh?" By the end, the boy's chin was lifted in challenge.
"We'll discuss it later," said Snape, shaking his head. "Since I wouldn't believe whatever this elf had to say to be conclusive, I see no point in asking him to examine Lucius. Draco . . . where is this snake pit?"
Draco looked slightly ill as he pointed. "About a hundred yards into the forest, something like that."
"Lupin, would you go immobilise the elf and all the snakes? We'll memory-charm him before we leave. Or should he be returned to Wiltshire, Draco?"
"No, Dribby usually kept this place ready for Lucius."
Remus stood up, giving Harry an encouraging final glance before Disapparating with a slight pop.
Albus waved his wand once more over the statue of Lucius, his old features wrinkled. "I can find nothing here of any life-force. I detect nothing but . . . stone."
"Well, sure he's dead now," Harry blurted. "But, the question is whether he would be if I reverse the spell. And there's really no way to know, is there?"
"I suspect there is, in point of fact, only one way to find out," said Severus, walking over to chair where Harry was sitting. He crouched down to meet his son's eyes. "I regret needing to ask this of you, but I think you had better reverse the curse so we can see what comes out: a living man or . . ." He left the sentence unfinished.
Harry felt sick at what hadn't been said. As much as he hated Lucius, he truly didn't want to watch a corpse come falling out of his spell. Too much like what had happened to Cedric, right before his eyes.
Besides, it would be awful for Draco to see a thing like that.
Harry rubbed his eyes, which were burning a bit. He noticed for the first time that his head was also throbbing. Probably just the strain of the moment. He'd been telling himself all along that Lucius wasn't truly dead, but now . . . "It's probably all right," he said in a shaking voice. "I mean, we don't really need to know, do we? As long as he's stuck for good as stone, what does it matter?"
"I need to know, Harry," said Draco, his eyes narrowing like he had a lot more to say. When Snape waved a hand, however, the boy fell silent.
"Harry," said Snape softly, laying his hands over his son's as he crouched before him, "I will never quarrel with what you have done here today. Ever, do you understand? You need have no regrets. But how can I allow you to believe that a wanded Petrificus is reversible if it is not?"
Harry gulped. For some reason, what his father was saying was making him feel worse, not better. "I won't do it again," he whispered, closing his eyes. "Ever. I'll never use another wanded Petrificus. That way I won't need to know what it does."