Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the characters JK doesn't.

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Dark Lady Devinty - Thank you so much for the review, particularly because it was the only one I received for the last chapter so it's nice to know somebody's actually still reading. However, I think I lost part if your review as it seems to end mid-sentence? Still, thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked the chapter. :o)

A Subtle Change

Chapter 9

Upon hearing about the attack on Ginny the first person Remus Lupin thought to contact was Druscilla. He made his way to her office early the next morning, at Dumbledore's request, and found her preparing for a meeting.

"Hello, Remus, she began before he could speak, "You wouldn't believe what happened to me yesterday! Arthur Weasley came bursting into Percy's office and slammed the door into my face! I had one hell of a nosebleed and I still don't understand what it was all about!"

Remus waved her concerns away, "Druscilla, can I grab a few hours of your morning?" he asked urgently.

"Ooh," she pushed her glasses up onto her head, pushing strands of hair from where they had fallen across her face, "Depends what you had in mind."

"I need you to come to Hogwarts with me."

"Oh, well that sounds less than exciting," she pouted.

"It's important, Dumbledore's waiting for us."

She sighed, "I swore I'd never be at his beck and call anymore than I'm at anyone else's. Is this a genuine emergency of some sort?"

"Yes, I can assure you it is."

"Oh, very well then." She snatched her glasses from her head, and stood to leave, swirling a warm cloak around her shoulders and following Remus out of the door.

As she passed Percy's office she knocked on the door and called out, "I'll be out of the office this morning, Weasley. Cancel or postpone any appointments."

"Yes, Professor," the voice that called back was weaker than usual as though he were tired or upset but she shrugged it off, if her employees wanted to indulge in late nights that was their business as far as she was concerned.

At Hogwarts they proceeded straight to Dumbledore's office where he was waiting with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Thornfield, Remus," the headmaster greeted them, "Good of you to join us, do sit down."

"Thank you, Headmaster. What seems to be the problem?" Druscilla asked taking a seat.

Dumbledore began to explain, "Yesterday a worrying and near fatal incident occurred. There was an attack on a student."

Druscilla looked worried, "What happened? I hadn't heard anything."

"We didn't have chance to speak to the ministry yesterday. I expect you can deal with informing Fudge." Dumbledore sounded keen to delegate that particular task, "One of our fourth years, young Ginny in fact, was sent the same diary Tom Riddle used to store a version of his sixteen year old self in that enabled the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets three years ago. The diary, though no longer containing anything of Riddle, had been reactivated to the point where it drained Ginny of her magic and nearly her life."

Druscilla raised her eyebrows in surprise and concern though she couldn't claim to recognise the girl's name, "Is the child alright?"

"We hope she will be. She's doing well for the moment but she's going to have a long, hard road to recovery," McGonagall answered and Druscilla noted how tired she looked.

"Do you know who attacked her?"

"Well the diary was last in the possession of Lucius Malfoy, Mr Potter gave it back to him in a ploy to free his house elf." McGonagall replied.

"He gave a man he believed to be a death eater Tom Riddle's diary in return for the freedom of a house elf?" Druscilla frowned in disbelief, "That's not the brigthest thing I've ever heard."

"At the time we failed to see the threat, I'm afraid," Dumbledore sighed, "But regardless of how it got there, the diary was until the other morning, to the best of our knowledge, somewhere in Malfoy manner and as it's sole resident at the moment is Narcissa Malfoy she has become our prime suspect. She had already threatened the girl's family and Harry attacked her son the other day so we believe she would be out for revenge. There was also a letter, claiming responsibility, sent to the family by Narcissa."

"So you think Narcissa Malfoy sent the girl this diary in an attempt to kill her?" Druscilla checked she was following the same line of thinking everyone else was.

"We don't think, we know," Remus clarified.

"Then you can prove it?" Druscilla raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no," McGonagall admitted. "The letter combusted moments after being read and there were no actual witnesses to the threats she made aside from her parents and Remus here."

"Then how do you know?" she insisted.

"Weren't you listening?" Remus asked, frustration creeping into his voice, "They just told you about the threats and the letter, not to mention the fact that the last person known to have possession of that diary was her husband."

"The threat no one appears to have witnessed, the letter that no longer exists, her husband who is in Azkaban and for once definitely in the clear." Druscilla ticked the points off on her fingers in imitation of what Remus had just done when making his own points.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Remus argued, "It was her not him."

"You can't prove that!" Druscilla reminded him.

Genuine confusion and what looked suspiciously like betrayal crossed the werewolf's face, "Why are you defending her?"

"I'm not, I'm pointing out that we can't find someone guilty of a crime that there is no evidence that they've committed!" Druscilla found herself growing exasperated with the man.

"So go and search the Manor, there must be something you can do!" Remus pressured.

"I can't just grant a search warrant for no reason, I could lose my job!"

"So now your job is more important to you than the fact this woman tried to kill a fifteen year old girl!"

Thornfield got to her feet and grabbed Remus by the arm, "Excuse us a minute, Dumbledore." She pulled him outside.

"Don't say things like that about me! You know I didn't mean it like that!" she snarled at him, releasing his arm.

"Then what are you going to do?" he asked insistently.

"Nothing."

"What!"

"What can I do, Remus? You can't prove she did it, all I have is the fact that you lot are convinced of her guilt and I can't bring that as evidence before the Wizengamot!"

"There is a little girl lying in the hospital wing who nearly died because of this woman, she needs to be stopped!"

"Yeah well I'm sorry but the ministry's a bit busy with crimes we can actually prove have happened at the moment!"

"And Ginny's near death isn't proof enough that something happened or do you think she's faking it!"

Druscilla threw up her hands in frustration, sighing heavily. "Why did you call me here in the first place Remus? What did you really think I would do?"

"I called you here because I thought you might be able to do something, that you might care enough to motivate yourself into helping us but obviously that's asking too much, just as helping the Order was asking too much. Well why don't you go back to your office, never mind that Ginny could have died, don't worry that her parents are beside themselves with worry that the woman will try again with more success, you just go back to playing ridiculous power games with Fudge!"

"The way you're acting you'd think I'd sent that bloody diary not Narcissa Malfoy!" Druscilla felt furious at being made to feel guilt for a crime she had had no part in.

Remus went quiet suddenly, "So you do believe us?"

"Of course I do," she snapped.

"But, if you believe us why won't you do anything?"

"Because it doesn't matter what you or I believe, in our justice system to get a conviction, or for that matter to bring a case to trial, you require this little thing called proof. Something we are lacking. Remus your concern for the girl is well meant but you can't blame me! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do except advise you to keep a closer eye on the woman in future!"

"There is something else you can do," his voice remained quiet.

"Name it," she said rashly, still not in full control of her emotions, "If you can really come up with something I can do to help which is actually plausible I'll do it."

"Join the Order," he stated simply.

"Oh no! We've had this conversation, it wasn't much pleasanter than the one we're having now! The answer is no!"

"Why?" he questioned her.

"Because, because…just because!"

"Because you want to be minister for magic and getting involved with subversive groups like this could blow your chances," Remus calmly finished for her but there was a glint in his eyes she didn't much like.

She nodded slowly, "Precisely."

"Well then I'd advise you to drop the werewolf rights issue if I were you, not much of a popularity winner and probably not worth it anyway. Besides, I think that cause can do without people like you."

"That's not fair," she objected, her voice near a whisper as the revulsion in the phrase 'people like you' hit her with full force.

"No, it's your attitude that isn't fair. How selfish can one person get? You won't join us because you're worried about your career! Do you not realise that we are almost all that is standing between Voldemort and your precious ministry? Do you really think that if we lose this war there'll be a ministry to lead? Or are you just going to throw your lot in with the other side?"

"Remus!" she interrupted in shock.

"Well, I think we're finished here," he continued, ignoring her outburst, "You should go back to your nice safe office. Plan your campaign for being minister, I wouldn't want to take up anymore of your precious time." He turned back to the door as though to leave her.

"Remus wait," her voice had lost its harsh edge and he turned to see the stubborn look fading from her face. "I said if there was anything I could do I would do it. If it's really what you want, I'll join the Order."

He raised an eyebrow, "What changed your mind?"

She sighed and sank back against the wall, "The simple fact that you're right. I've spent so long thinking about nothing but the advancement of my own career I sometimes forget that there are more important things. I forget why I wanted to be minister for magic in the first place, I wanted to change things and help people."

He offered her a small smile, "Why don't you come inside and tell Dumbledore that you're ready to start being useful."

She managed to return his smile and nodded, "Lead the way."

Everyone looked up at them as they re-entered the room. Druscilla was used to being the centre of attention, rather enjoyed it in fact, but she wasn't used to what she was about to do - ask permission. "Professor Dumbledore, if you could use me then I'd like to join the Order of the Phoenix, I'm sorry I declined your first invitation but I was a little involved in my own world of political ministry games. Please, I'd like to help."

Dumbledore beamed, "Of course we could use you, your help would be very much appreciated by all of us."

"Thank you, I'll try to be useful." Still feeling a little put in her place, something she was certainly not used to, Druscilla sat back down between McGonagall and Remus.

Dumbledore began to speak again but she found her attention wandered back to her exchange with Remus. The man was now sat peacefully, drinking his tea and nodding on occasions, appearing to be the same mild-mannered, gentle man she'd taken him for but his behaviour towards her just moments before had suggested she had failed to see beneath this exterior. Obviously he could be a long way from mild mannered when provoked and she was startled to see how easily he slipped back into his normal quiet behaviour. It wasn't that his behaviour towards her had been particularly unpleasant, she was uncomfortably aware that she had deserved most of it, but there weren't many people who'd speak to her like that and she found herself grudgingly respecting Remus for doing so despite still being slightly angry with him.

"Druscilla?"

She glanced up at hearing her name, "Yes?"

"You seemed miles away, did you hear what I said?" Dumbledore enquired.

She dragged her mind back to the conversation at hand, she had developed the habit in school of letting things subconsciously filter into her brain while she was thinking about other things and she cast her mind back in an effort to work out what had been said. "You were talking about having Mrs Malfoy followed?"

"Yes, we have been following several known Death Eaters and their family members who are not in Azkaban and we did have someone following her earlier in the year but she didn't appear to be doing anything so we, perhaps unwisely, stopped; despite Remus' warnings that we should continue, for which Remus I feel I must apologise for not listening to you."

"I was just being cautious, I don't know her so I had no idea what she'd do or that she'd do anything." Remus said self-effacingly.

"Well Severus is trying to see if she will admit to it so we should soon know for sure and hopefully he will also be able to find out if she plans to try again," Dumbledore continued.

"I could try to assign a couple of aurors to Hogwarts if you think it would help," Druscilla offered, feeling she should contribute something.

"I fear it would simply worry the children, this attack has proved that they can find ways around any kind of guards. Now I really must go up to the hospital wing and see how Ginny is feeling today. Remus will come to escort you to the next Order meeting, Druscilla, it will be next Tuesday most likely but I will owl you if it changes." Dumbledore rose and everyone else followed suit.

Druscilla found herself accompanied by Remus as they left the teachers to head out of the school. "Thank you," she heard him say quietly, "I hoped you'd help us."

She surprised herself by replying, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"I might go and see Harry while I'm here, I'll meet you at your office before the next meeting."

"Goodbye, Remus." She walked out of the school entrance, glancing across to the distant quidditch pitch where an unidentifiable team were practicing, and made her way slowly down the path. When Remus had asked her to join him that morning this had not been how she had expected things to work out, but she wasn't entirely sure that they hadn't worked out for the best anyway.

XXXXXXX

Ron, Harry and Hermione had been up late into the night, waiting for any change in Ginny's condition and had been excused the morning's classes. They rose late, took an early lunch before the rest of the school finished morning lessons and coped as best they could through their afternoon classes. Neither Ron nor Harry took any notes and for once Hermione didn't badger them, simply taking the best notes she could and placing a charm on her parchment so that it would duplicate another two copies for her friends.

Ron had said little all day, seemingly still in shock. Harry on the other hand was clearly angry, the attack on Ginny had brought his already strained temper to breaking point and Hermione was keeping a close watch on him, hoping nothing would provoke him further.

Of course there was one thing, or rather one person, always guaranteed to provoke Harry Potter. As they walked into the Great Hall for dinner, Draco Malfoy walked past them, arm in arm with Pansy Parkinson and laughing at something she was saying.

"Look at him, laughing like nothing's happened!" Harry made a move to go after him and from the look on his face it was clear that he did not have anything pleasant in mind for the Slytherin.

"No." Ron grabbed his arm sharply, pulling him out of the Great Hall altogether, Hermione following them.

"Why did you stop me?" Harry looked furious, "He's the reason your sister's lying in the hospital wing!"

"No Harry, he's not. He didn't do it, his mother did." Ron looked just as angry but his anger was not aimed at the Slytherin. "And he's not the reason it happened, you are because you couldn't just let things go, you just had to let Parkinson provoke you, didn't you, had to start a fight with the two of them! Mum warned us, Harry! Didn't you hear her? Weren't you listening when Percy told Hermione it wasn't Malfoy they were worried about but the people he's connected with!"

"Ron," Hermione put a restraining hand on his arm, "Please don't let's fight."

The truth in Ron's words caused guilt to well up inside Harry but he ruthlessly suppressed the part of him that felt he was to blame. He'd spent too long blaming himself for deaths he couldn't have prevented and attacks he couldn't stop and suddenly it was easier to yell at Ron, easier to be angry than to allow himself to feel how poor his judgement had been.

"How was I to know what she'd do! Since when has Narcissa Malfoy been a threat to anyone? As for letting them provoke me it was Hermione Parkinson was unpleasant about, I was defending my friend! Once upon a time you might have done the same!"

Ron bit back the remark that it wasn't the comment about Hermione that had caused him to respond to the Slytherins but his own wounded pride after the quidditch match. He knew Harry had a lot to deal with and even in his anger and stress he wouldn't allow himself to throw that in his face.

"Harry, I don't need either of you springing to my defence, but thank you for the thought." Hermione interrupted their argument. "Now why don't we go down and eat in the kitchens or something?"

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because you two are not going back in the Great Hall!" she snapped. "Fighting with Malfoy is something you can no longer afford to do, Harry! And I have no doubt at all that if you go back in there he or someone else will say something in order to provoke you."

"I'm going to sit with Ginny," Ron said quietly.

"Well, we'll come with you," Hermione offered.

"I don't want you to." Ron walked away without another word, leaving Harry and Hermione staring after him.

"He doesn't really blame you, you know," Hermione said.

Harry sighed, "Maybe he should."

She placed a hand on his arm, "Why don't we go and get some dinner, you need to eat. Let's go and see Dobby in the kitchens."

XXXXXXX

Ginny still had not regained consciousness when Ron joined his parents at her bedside but Madame Pomfrey assured him her fever that had raged long into the night had broken and was now under control. She looked more peaceful, more like she was actually sleeping, rather than the death mask she had resembled the previous day.

"Madame Pomfrey says she won't wake yet," Arthur placed a hand on his son's shoulder and passed him a cup of tea. "It'll be tomorrow at the earliest but it looks like she's going to be fine."

Ron sipped the tea gratefully and nodded, "That's good," his voice was quiet and thick with emotion.

"It's going to be alright," Arthur placed an arm around his son's shoulders. "It's all going to be ok, eventually."

XXXXXXX

In his office at the ministry Percy was desperate to leave, "Will there be anything else today, Professor?"

Druscilla Thornfield was in his office checking her diary appointments for the next day, she looked up from the diary and nodded, "Yes, there's a kid in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, I want to send her some flowers or maybe a fruit basket or something. Can you see to that? I've annoyed Remus and hopefully if he hears about this it'll placate him a little."

"I'm sorry," Percy shook his head to clear it, hoping he was too tired to understand what she'd said, "Are you telling me you intend to use a sick child to get Remus to like you again because you've had a disagreement?"

She looked uncomfortable, "When you put it like that it sounds so…well it doesn't sound good."

"You're right, it doesn't." Percy responded coldly.

"Percy, you know I don't mean it like that."

"You'd better not," he said sharply.

She put her head on one side questioningly, a warning in her eyes, "And why is that exactly?"

"For one thing, because I thought you were better than that and for another, that kid is my little sister."

Druscilla's hands stilled on the diary she'd been leafing through a moment before, but she didn't look back up at him. After a moment she raised a hand to her forehead and ran it through her dark hair. Eventually she looked up and met his eyes, "I didn't know."

"You were here when my father came to collect me to go and see her," Percy pointed out in annoyance.

"I…" she frowned and shook her head. "When?"

"He hit you in the face with the door." Percy didn't really sound like it was something he any longer regretted happening.

"Oh," she said faintly, "That's what that was about."

"Yeah."

They both seemed to have run out of things to say. Druscilla for all her faults was not one to argue pointlessly once she knew she was in the wrong, one of her strengths as a politician had lain in her ability to back down when she realised she'd done or said the wrong thing. Percy simply wasn't one to fight with his superiors, well not usually, but this was not an issue he was going to belittle by simply throwing a tantrum about it.

"I'm sorry," Druscilla offered after almost a minute of silence. "What I said was insensitive and I'd certainly never have said it if I'd known she was your sister. I shouldn't have said it anyway."

"I suppose this is what Dad meant when he said you made tactless comments."

She smiled ruefully, "Yep. This would be it. Tact isn't my thing, I didn't mean anything by what I said."

"I am so sick of being disappointed by this ministry," Percy said tiredly.

Guilt flowed through the woman, "I'm not the way I just sounded, Percy. Really, I didn't mean that and I'd give anything to take it back but it's been a very confusing day and I can't apologise enough."

He closed his eyes for a moment, "No, I'm sorry, I know you're under a lot of pressure and I have to be honest if it weren't my sister you were talking about I wouldn't be half as angry as I am."

"How is she?" Druscilla asked.

Percy swallowed awkwardly, "She'll be alright, but it's going to take a long time."

"If you want time off, Percy, you only have to ask and your job'll be waiting for you when you come back."

"There's not much I can do really," Percy refused the offer, "At least here I'm doing something that might help to stop the people who did this to her. You heard what happened?"

"Yes, I had a meeting with Dumbledore and Remus this morning, they told me everything and I agreed to join the Order. You'll see me at the next meeting."

"Great," Percy smiled, "I'm glad."

"I'm really sorry Percy," she apologised again, guilt still written on her face, "Would you mind if I still sent some flowers, perhaps without saying who they were from?"

"It's alright and send flowers if you want, she'll like them when she wakes up."

She nodded and turned to leave.

"Professor," Percy called her back, "Remus will forgive you anyway, he doesn't hold a grudge so I'm sure things will be alright, whatever you argued about."

She smiled briefly, "Thank you, Percy."

XXXXXXX

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, just finsihed my exams and haven't had much time to myself for a while. Will update again soon and in future I'll try to stop the updates being so spaced out. Thanks for reading, as with all authors I love reviews so let me know what you thought.