Chapter Two

Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast on Thursday morning listlessly, his eyes watching his feet. He could still hear the whispers and murmurs that crept up behind his back as if he couldn't hear them.

He sat down at the Gryffindor table alone. Without looking at anyone he scooped up porridge into his bowl and snagged a piece of toast from the rack floating just barely within his reach.

At the exact moment when Harry spooned up his porridge and brought it to his mouth, a flourish of red hair swung in front of him. It could only be Ginny Weasley.

"Harry," she said solemnly, "have you seen this?"

The red haired girl spread out the Daily Prophet in front of him. Harry put his spoonful back into its bowl and examined the newspaper. Suicide within walls of Azkaban, read the headline.

Harry looked up at Ginny in disbelief.

"Keep reading," she urged him.

Harry read aloud, "A day ago, prisoner Narcissa Malfoy – wow! – brutally ended her life at the knowledge of her son Draco Malfoy's preferred snogging partner. The distressed woman always asking for information on her son's well being was surprised to hear that the young Malfoy was mentioned in the commonly read magazine Witch Weekly. Once reading the article by the talented Rita Skeeter she continuously bellowed across the chamber begging for contradiction. The way in which Mrs. Malfoy ended her life has not yet been revealed for it's brutality, but she will be buried in a private cemetery by her sister Andromeda Black…This is awful, Ginny!"

"Keep reading, I know."

The Chosen One scanned the rest of the article when the words Disownment and Draco popped out at him. He finished reading with his jaw practically hitting the table.

"Awful isn't it?" Ginny said.

"This has gone too far. I…I can't believe this."

"Just when he was starting to enter public again, no one's seen him since after dinner yesterday."

Harry held his forehead with his hands. For all the reasons in the world, he blamed none other than himself.

-:-

Hermione rolled over in her sleep, now facing an intense ray of light. Her lazy eyes fluttered open to the window that faced her four-poster. She sighed content trying to remember why she felt so…good.

Then as if to tell her why, a body shifted next to her.

Ron.

She shot up from her lying position, the sheets falling from her chest, which she just now realized was bare. Hermione was a new woman this morning, and as she looked at her clock, a very late one as well.

The witch shoved Ron awake next to her in earnest.

"Mmm?" he moaned rolling over and immediately shielding his eyes from the light.

"Ron wake up! Our first class is almost halfway through!" Hermione told him in that worried voice.

Her loving boyfriend sat up next to her and idly kissed his way up her back.

Almost losing herself, Hermione closed her eyes and smiled. Flashes of the night before flickered across her mind…but then she came to her senses.

"Ron, we really…really should get to class…don't want to miss…anything..."

Ron pulled his girlfriend closer, their body heat mingling, their skin brushing against each other's. Hermione completely forgot why she was freaking out in the first place when Ron started sucking on her neck.

Maybe she could miss a class.

Or two.

Or three.

-:-

Ginny, having skipped lunch to catch up on homework, sat alone in the common room. She'd been very focused until she heard footsteps clomping down the girls' staircase. Ginny looked up to see Hermione and Ron hastily shoving themselves into their robes.

Ginny's eyebrows nearly got lost in her bangs.

"Oh, hey Gin," Ron, oblivious, said and left the common room looking smug as ever.

The red head looked to Hermione then, waiting for an explanation.

Hermione just stood at the bottom of the winding staircase turning redder by the second. She fumbled to button her shirt and get her robes on correctly.

"Hello Gin."

"Er, hello, Hermione…"

"Doing homework? How long have you been in here?"

Ginny cut skeptical eyes at her friend, "…Since the start of lunch," she told Hermione. "Why?"

At this Hermione turned positively maroon.

"Well," she gulped.

"Have a little shag did you?" Ginny asked with causality, turning back to work and scratching out an answer.

In a whoosh, the bushy haired witch clambered into the seat across from Ginny. The working girl looked up in surprise at Hermione whose eyes were practically popping from their sockets.

"Did you hear us?" she asked frantically. "Were we loud?"

"Oh…my…no, Hermione I…"

"I warned him about a Silencing Spell but he just kept..."

At this Ginny had to interrupt. She put up both hands to silence Hermione.

"As happy as I am for you 'Mione, I really don't want details, alright?"

Hermione swallowed back her words and nodded.

Ginny put down her hands and smiled. "Was it good?"

Hermione's head dropped onto the table then she said, "I can't even begin to describe."

-:-

"Where have you been all day?" Blaise chastised.

Ron stretched his long arms and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on a stack of books resting on the desk before him. The smug boy didn't even care that Madame Pince would flip a shit if she saw.

"I was spending quality time with Hermione, you know…" Ron grinned.

"You arse! Have you even seen the Prophet today?"

"No, why?"

"Look."

Blaise took the paper from inside his pocket and tossed it to the Gryffindor. Ron unrolled it; his eyes grew large at the headline. As he read, he came out of his lax position, and he sat upright with his feet planted firmly on the stone floor.

"Oh, man," he breathed in awe.

"Draco hasn't been seen all day, I don't even know if he's in the dorms but he's not going to be able to handle this on top of everything else," Blaise commented sternly but with a slight hint of worry.

"His father is actually disowning him? I didn't know people really did that," Ron said flipping to the rest of the article on page four.

"It's rare but it can be done."

"Oh, Merlin."

"I know."

-:-

After dinner that evening, Professor McGonagall had summoned Ginny, Romilda, Hermione, Lisa, Harry, Ron and Draco up to her office. They all stood before her now looking particularly grim, Draco, the most downcast of them all.

"Mr. Malfoy if you would wait outside while I have a word with your classmates," the Headmistress said in a rare soft voice.

The Slytherin swiftly turned and walked out of the office. Once the door shut behind him McGonagall spoke again, "Now as you are all due in London tomorrow morning I thought I'd explain what the plan is. You'll all meet in the Entrance Hall at 6:00 sharp where you'll be taking a Portkey that will lead you straight to the Atrium of the Ministry. I of course will accompany you. Any questions?"

The students just stared at the Headmistress with looks of self pity.

"Now ladies, mind that you tell the truth and try not to fight it. Tell the Wizengamot exactly what happened, same for you two, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter. Stick to the truth."

Silence continued to spew from the students.

"Well then, your dismissed. Remember, Entrance Hall, 6:00 sharp. And tell Mr. Malfoy he can come in now."

With that the six of them left the office and didn't even acknowledge Draco. He got the message though and went into the office.

"Have a sit Mr. Malfoy."

Professor McGonagall flicked her wand and a chair soared gracefully in front of her desk. Draco tentatively walked toward it and sat down. He looked down at his hands shaking in his lap. The poor boy found it hard to look at anyone therefore he wound up hanging his head.

"You will be accompanied by a Ministry official to sign your papers. He'll meet you in here at 8:00 and you'll Portkey to the Ministry."

"Is that all?" Draco asked in a small voice not his own.

"Yes, you may go."

Draco got up and held his composure all the way to the door until McGonagall called, "Oh and Malfoy!"

He turned around.

"I'm so sorry dear."

Draco nodded. He could feel himself choking up and his eyes stinging. He left the office and once the lock clicked behind him he collapsed to the floor not able to hold back his tears any longer.


prepare yourselves for some drama in the chapters to come! REVIEW FOR MEH!