I So Hate Consequences
I've Got To Get Away
Malfoy
The ministry of magic pronounced yesterday its biggest Death Eater bust in 13 years. A total of 27 Death Eaters were taken into custody by dementor guards of Azkaban. Minster for magic Cornelius Fudge declares that this was the greatest blow to He Who Must Not Be Named since the attempted attack on boy wizard Harry Potter.
Draco Malfoy snarled as he threw the new paper into the fire. This was ridiculous, his Father was in Azkaban, his Mother was in questioning and it didn't look good for her, not to mention that everyone else he knew was either in hiding or dead. He sighed as he fell into his Father's seat by the fire, he watched as it crackled the sound echoing loudly through the empty house. Beside him sat his Father's half drunken fire whisky, still sitting the same place from the night of the raid. Draco remembered it clearly, the chill from the invading dementers, his Fathers yells, his mothers screams. Draco sneered as he picked up the fire whisky and took a long sip; he tasted the dust that had settled over the past four days.
He was expecting someone from the ministry to come calling any moment now. He could imagine his mother, screaming in frustration, begging someone to look after her little boy, and his Father, not saying anything at all, and just trying to keep himself together in a dirty little cell in Azkaban.
Draco's bitter thoughts were interrupted by knocking at the door. He frowned before taking the last sip of Fire Whiskey and pulled himself out of his seat. He was wondering who was at the door, was it a ministry official? That or a death eater had come to take him into hiding, though, that would involve them putting their necks on the chopping block. Ministry official it was then.
Draco rounded the corner of the hallway and walked the short distance to the door, through the tempered glass he could see the blurry outline of someone tall, with bright gold robes on, ohh surely not...
"Ahh, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said pleasantly when Draco opened the door. He glared at the old man for a moment.
"May I come in?" Dumbledore asked, in the same pleasant voice, a polite smile playing on his lips. Draco stood aside, and, still without saying anything led Dumbledore back to the fire place. Draco lowered himself into his Father's chair slowly as Dumbledore sat in the slightly smaller chair that was usually reserved for his mother. Dumbledore continued to smile pleasantly, causing Draco to give up on his glare that was obviously having no effect on the old man.
"What do you want?" Draco asked, making sure to keep his tone curt. Dumbledore smiled as though Draco had just offered him a lolly, Draco was surprised how angry this made him.
"Mr. Malfoy, I realize that this may sound a little brash, but I believe that it would be best if you leave your house before anyone else comes calling." Dumbledore said, his pleasant demeanour failing slightly. Draco frowned at the old man, who was he to tell him what was he should be doing.
"Why?" Draco asked sourly.
"I think," Dumbledore started slowly, "that the alliance that your father once held with the Ministry is dead and it may best if you do not wait for anyone from the Ministry of Magic to come knocking at your door." Dumbledore said, his pleasant demeanour vanishing completely.
Draco frowned, what was this old man talking about? The ministry loved his Father, they grovelled at his feet. "The ministry love my Father." Draco spat.
"Draco, I believe, that, under the circumstances, your family may not be held as high as they usually are. The ministry is about to start phase two of their Death Eater bust, taking all family members and people of suspicion." Dumbledore paused for a moment, watching Draco carefully. "That's you." he added.
Draco frowned as he watched Dumbledore. Perhaps he was right, if his Father was taken to Azkaban the other, more obvious, Death Eaters would also be taken into custody and Luscious was the best undercover Death Eater there was. "So what do you think I should do?" Draco asked, trying to keep his voice calm, although he knew that Dumbledore would know exactly what would be happening in the ministry.
"I suggest, Mr Malfoy, that you go into hiding, until Hogwarts begins, there I will be able to keep watch over you, but until then,." Dumbledore stopped, looking uncomfortable. "I suggest you hide in a place that no one would ever think to look for you. Especially not other death eaters, at the rate the ministry is breaking down the Death Eaters it has in custody now, I think it may be best if you vanish completely." He said with a very serious face that gave Draco the chills. "I have the perfect place." he added.
"Where?" Draco asked nervously.
So Here I Sit
Hermione
Hermione sighed nervously, striating out the magazines on the coffee table for the umpteenth time. Dumbledore had come to her house just this morning, asking her if she could shelter someone from the Ministry. It was probably one of the strangest requests that she had ever had, and of course when such a question is asked, your head explodes with questions. But Professor Dumbledore being Professor Dumbledore, she didn't get all the straight answers what she wanted, in fact the answers weren't the only thing that was strange, the whole exchange was rather. One of the many strange things about it was that he wasn't in a hurry enough to exchange pleasantries, but he was, in fact, in too much of a hurry to tell her when they would arrive, how long it would be for and probably most importantly, who it was. Of course she had been hesitant to accept such an offer, but it was Dumbledore, and he had come to her for help. Hermione was sitting on the couch, curled up with her new book Hermione peered through the glass window of the door and was surprised to see Dumbledore on the other side. Her immediate reaction was fear, as terror gripped at her chest, were Ron and Harry ok? Was she in danger? She felt immediately guilty for not being at the Borrow this year, envisioning the red headed family and Harry being strung up by their toes somewhere in a slimy soiled dungeon. She tried to prepare excuses in her mind, with 'the tension between her and Ron was reaching breaking point.' or 'I was far too busy studying...'. Of course all of that thinking had only taken all but a second, and with her heart pounding she needed to know what Dumbledore had called in for.
She yanked the door open
"Professor, i- is everything all right?" She stuttered, he face was probably flushed, and she was almost frantic at this point.
"Ahh miss Granger.' Dumbledore said happily, a smile on his face, this made Hermione frown, confused now as to why he was here, he couldn't possibly be this cheery if he was here to inform her that Harry had been eaten by rats...
"Are Harry and Ron Ok?" She asked hesitantly.
"I assure you that both Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are doing fine." He said joyfully, his eyes twinkling. Hermione sighed with relief now that her head had cleared from such morbid thoughts. She took a look at her head master, how odd it seemed that this great wizard was standing in her front garden, getting his shoes wet on her front path...
"Ohh, uhh please come in." Hermione said, stepping aside from the door to give the Headmaster some room. He strode in happily, leading himself into her lounge area, she closed the door and followed him into the sitting room. She gestured him silently to a chair, it was her father's seat, being the most elegant and comfortable seat in the room. She nodded with a smile to him, before crossing the room to her own seat, as she passed she saw her book on the coffee table and quickly snatched it up, stuffing it under the couch seat, embarrassed, and hoping that he hadn't seen it, although luckily he seemed to be quite interested in the room.
"So err, what brings you here?" She asked awkwardly, never having imagined having Dumbledore in her sitting room. This man was a great, who welded unimaginable power and was one of the cleverest people of all time... and he was looking rather contently at a crack in the ceiling. She was glad her parents were out, grocery shopping, she was sure that they would have a heart attack if they saw him there.
"Well Miss Granger, I have a favour to ask of you." He began, his smile still pleasant, and Hermione couldn't imagine what he would come to her for help for, if he needed her help, then surely Harry or Ron would have mentioned it in the owls that they had been sending.
"I need you to hide someone from something that is going to be very unfair and unpleasant." He said, his words with just the right force that made Hermione sit up and have a frown on her face. A house elf perhaps? They seemed to live rather u fair lives.
"Ohh." She said, surprised by the statement. "Why me?" She asked.
"Well Miss Granger, this is probably the last place on Earth that the Ministry would ever think to look for him." Dumbledore said, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Ohh." Hermione said again, "But what about my parents?" she asked, thinking of them again. A him? Ohh, gosh, what could this possibly all mean?
"Don't worry Miss Granger, in a few moments they will win an all expenses paid trip to Fiji right up until Hogwarts starts." Dumbledore said with a smile and a wink.
"Ohh." Hermione said for a third time. "I would be thankfull for you, if you were able to handle such a request." Dumbledore said, looking at her seriously, for what seemed the first time. "I, uhh, of course I will." She said, taken aback, the way that he had phrased it was as if he was asking the baby sitter if she could make sure the child had a bath, of course she would have been able to handle the situation. "Oh, excellent, and I would hate to be rude, but I really must get going. A lot of things to organise." He said standing. Hermione too stood, and lead her headmaster to the front door. "So, professor, when is this.." She started, but Dumbledore answered her to quickly, while opening the door himself. "I hope that it is not too much to ask," He said, stepping out the front door, "That you be ready for it this afternoon?" He posed, while walking for the garden path, with long quick strides. Hermione followed hurriedly. "Oh, of course not professor." She said, as they reached the front gate, and were now standing on the cracked pavement. "Excellent, I knew I could count on you, I thank you Miss Granger." He said with a nod and a warm smile. "Oh, of course professor..." She said, then quickly asking that question that had been plaguing her since he had arrived. "Who is it that will be staying with m-" She said, but before she could finish, the loud sound of Albus Dumbledore apperating away cute her off. "Oh." She said, for the fourth time.
So now, she sat on the couch, waiting impatiently for Dumbledore to return. She remembered what her parents had been like when they had returned from their trip to the Grocery store. Her mother was so excited, basically screaming with joy, holding the tickets, jumping up and down, and her Father was excitedly telling her of all the things that he was going to be able to do. She tried to act surprised, she even jumped about for a small while with her parents. It was probably best that her parents did not know of her arrangements with Dumbledore, and a stranger that would be staying here. They had asked her if she wanted to come, but Hermione had told them that they deserved a romantic holiday together. She also remembered that in their excitement, her parents had forgotten to go grocery shopping, she would have to do that now, there was money on the counter for her, but there was certainly not enough for two...
Hermione was interrupted from her thoughts by knocking at the door, she gasped, suddenly nervous she made her way too the door. She peered through the glass as she made her way to the door, there was Dumbledore, and next to him, so short blonde man? She frowned in confusion as she opened the door, and what she saw there made her jaw drop.