Draco returned to the common room after informing Snape that Cameron had returned. The potions master hadn't shown it but Draco guessed he was as relieved by the news as everyone else.
Just like when Cameron was returning from his visiting his sister Ashton, Blaise, Braxton, and Nia were standing outside the entrance to Slytherin House.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Cameron said you could tell us what the bloody hell is going on but he wants to talk to you first." Ashton said. Her arms were crossed stubbornly over her chest and her eyes shone with a gleam Draco had come to know as extremely dangerous. He nodded and slipped past his friends, through the crowded common room, and into the seventh year dorm which was empty except for a lone figure sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to the door. Draco knocked on the doorway but Cameron didn't turn.
"You can tell them about my dad." He said in a voice weakened by stress and emotion. "But please leave out that he was a death eater."
"But…" Draco began but Cameron turned to look at him over his shoulder. His normally clear sapphire eyes were rimmed with red and shone with intense grief.
"Please." He said firmly but desperately.
Draco sighed and nodded.
"Alright."
Cameron thanked him with a fractional nod before turning back to stare at the floor. Draco silently stepped back out of the room and joined his friends out in the hall. He gestured with his head for them to follow. Draco led the others out into the cool night. They walked in a line with the blonde in the center.
"So what's going on?" Braxton asked once they'd walked for a bit.
Draco sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Cameron's having a bit of a hard time adjusting to some news Sev had to give him last night." He started uncertainly. His friends silently waited for him to continue.
"Yesterday his father was killed in a….in a raid." Draco explained carefully.
Everyone gasped in unison. Draco nodded but didn't know what else to say.
"No wonder he's in such bad shape." Braxton said. "They were close."
"What about Kit?" Nia asked. Draco could only shrug.
"I have no idea. I haven't even seen her."
"What else?" Ashton asked suddenly. She was staring at the castle with a thoughtful expression. Everyone turned to look at her.
"What do you mean what else?" Nia asked. Ashton rolled her eyes.
"Of course Cameron and his father were close but that doesn't explain why he's kicked us out. I know he might not want to be around anyone at the moment but…" Ashton shrugged. "There's got to be more."
"You don't think becoming an orphan is reason enough for him to be in the state he's in?" Braxton asked incredulously.
Ashton shook her head.
"No."
Her friends all glanced at each other with disbelieving expressions.
"You have got to be kidding." Draco said.
Ashton finally met his eyes. Although she was more than a head shorter then he was Draco actually took a step back under her intense stare which was illuminated by the castle lights.
"You know him as well as I do, Draco." She said hotly. "Except for one instance have you ever known Cameron to completely fall apart like that for anything? When his mum died he was a little distant for a few weeks but he didn't completely close down like that. He didn't disappear for an entire day."
"He still had his dad though." Braxton cut in. "Now he and Kit are completely on their own."
Ashton didn't take her eyes away from Draco's. Several tense minutes past but finally Draco shook his head.
"Cameron asked me not to tell you any more than that." He admitted softly. "The only reason I even know is because Snape came to get me last night after he gave the news to Cameron, otherwise I'd be in the dark as well."
"Well why don't you enlighten the rest of us?" Ashton snapped.
Draco put his hands on both of Ashton's shoulders and stared intently into her burning eyes.
"I can't tell you. You're keeping a secret for him as well so you should understand."
"But you know about that one." Ashton retorted.
"Only because I was there. If I hadn't been there that day would you have told me about it?" Draco challenged.
Ashton's eyes darted over to Nia who was watching the conversation.
"No." Ashton breathed.
Draco nodded and dropped his hands. He looked at all his other friends.
"I'm sorry." He admitted sincerely.
Braxton shrugged.
"With an argument like that, we can't really blame you mate."
Draco half smiled and turned to Blaise and Nia.
"I agree with Braxton." Blaise said.
Nia sighed heavily.
"It's just another secret I don't know." She said sadly.
Draco slung an arm over her shoulders.
"I swear the moment Cameron gives us the go ahead, you're the first person I'll tell about what happened between him and Dawson." He whispered so only she could hear. Nia nodded and grinned up at him. She tucked her hands into her pockets and rested her head on Draco's strong shoulder as they made their way back up to the castle.
**
Cameron passed through the next day in slight fog. He hadn't slept a second the night before, having spent the entire time wrestling with his mind, trying to force out some plans but only the same two kept appearing. Finally, when alarms began going off around the dorm Cameron dressed and showered like he did every day but went directly to his first class. He sat in the back and lied when his professor asked where he'd been the day before.
When it came time for Herbology Cameron quickly sat at the far end of the table as far away from Thomas and Braxton as possible. Braxton looked slightly hurt by the action but when he went to ask Cameron what was going on after class, the teen simply picked up his pace until he merged with the crowd. Braxton watched him disappear in confusion.
After potions Snape tried to keep Cameron after class so he could ask how he was handling everything but the teen made an excuse about needing to ask his next professor about something important. At lunch Cameron snatched a few pieces of bread and left the Great Hall without a word to his friends who were watching him from their usual spot at the table.
Draco watched this before sighing heavily and dropping his head slightly. He swirled his spoon through the tomato soup and felt Ashton's eyes boring into his head.
"Will you stop looking at me like that?" he demanded.
Ashton crossed her arms in front of her and narrowed her eyes.
"You know what's wrong. Fix it." She demanded.
Draco looked at the others for some sign of help but they all had the same expression as Ashton. The blonde nodded.
"Alright, I'll talk to him." He said, continuing to swirl his soup. Four pairs of eyes continued to stare at him. He sighed heavily and stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Fine, I'll go talk to him now."
Ashton nodded as Draco left the table.
Draco found Cameron sitting on the steps outside the castle, staring out at the lake with a far off expression. The bread lay abandoned on his bag. Draco sat down as well but didn't speak right away. Instead he took a moment to measure how Cameron reacted to his presence. He didn't like what he saw. Cameron was visibly tense, his eyes were dull, and his jaw was set in a way that made Draco think it was taking every ounce of will the teen had not to scream at Draco to go away.
"I know you're in a rough spot mate. You know I do. You lost your father and you've only got about a day left to decide if you're going to follow the path he's drawn out." Draco began. Cameron didn't show any acknowledgement that he'd even heard a word the blonde had said but Draco continued.
"Do you want to know why I think you're father chose you to replace him?" he asked without expecting an answer. "I think he knew you'd be able to keep both you and Kit safe. I think he chose you because you're smart enough to understand that he did what he did because he didn't really have a choice." Draco looked at his friend intently before he spoke again. "And I think he knew you would have good friends to help you get through this."
"Well I guess he was wrong." Cameron practically whispered. "I don't have any idea how to keep Kit safe. I don't understand why he would put this on me even if he didn't have a choice. And…" Cameron turned to Draco with the same stony expression. "…no matter how good of friends I have, I don't think they can't help me this time."
Draco shook his head. Cameron turned away again.
"Cameron, look at me." Draco said firmly. "Look me straight in the eye." Slowly the distraught teen turned and met his friend's eye. "When it was me needing help you asked me if you ever let me down. I said no. Do you remember that?"
Cameron nodded fractionally.
"If you give up on this without a fight and don't let the rest of us do whatever it takes to help you, you will be letting me down." Draco said sharply.
Something broke behind Cameron's barrier. Seeing this, Draco continued.
"You showed me that Ashton, Blaise, Braxton, and Nia would be there for me even after they knew that I was marked to become a Death Eater. They will be there for you too Cameron. They want to help. They're sitting in the Great Hall right now going insane, trying to figure out why you're shutting them out."
More of Cameron's shield shattered but he clung to it to keep his hopes down.
"We don't have time to come up with any kind of plan." He reminded Draco. "We don't have any other family that I know of. There's nowhere for Kit to go to hide."
"Hogwarts is the safest place for her. Even if the place is crawling with the junior Death Eaters, Dumbledore and Snape would never let them do anything to your sister. Besides, we'll keep her with us at all times so even if someone tries something, they'll have to get through us first. And you of all people know Ashton can be scary as hell."
The rest of Cameron's barrier disappeared as he cracked half a smile. The dullness evaporated from his eyes and his jaw unclenched. Draco saw his friend's entire body relax from the sudden release of pressure.
Cameron finally sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Thanks." He said.
Draco nodded and stood up, offering a hand to help his friend do the same.
"Honestly, thank you." Draco said. Cameron looked at him curiously and Draco smirked.
"I think Ashton planned to kill me if I didn't bring you back to some version of normal."
Cameron chuckled.
"I dunno why she cared so much. I thought she might be relieved or something….what?"
Draco was staring at his friend with an incredulous expression.
"What?" Cameron repeated.
"I think we'd better get you some glasses." Draco said, rolling his eyes as he headed into the castle.
"Why?"
"Because you're completely blind, mate."
Cameron rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets as the pair walked through the castle.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He insisted.
"Alright, then explain that little exchange between the two of you after you beat Dawson."
"You're out of your mind." Cameron said.
Draco huffed in exasperation.
"The sooner you admit you fancy Ashton, the sooner Nia can stop driving herself mental trying to keep her secret."
"Nia's keeping a secret?" Cameron asked incredulously.
Draco nodded.
"A good one too."
Cameron grinned but didn't comment. Draco glanced at him sideways.
"Don't you want to know what it is?" he asked.
Cameron shrugged nonchalantly. Draco eyed him suspiciously before shrugging as well.
"Fine I won't tell you about the secret Nia's keeping about you and Ashton."
"Alright then."
Draco huffed in frustration and the pair walked in silence for a while. Cameron's grin slipped the closer they moved to the Slytherin House. Draco noticed this and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"It'll be fine." He said comfortingly.
"Maybe we should wait until after classes tonight." Cameron suggested quickly.
Draco shook his head.
"Get it over with now; it'll be better that way. No one will care if they're late to classes."
Cameron sighed and nodded fractionally. Draco gave the password and the wall slid open before them. They trekked inside and found the common room packed almost full. Draco spotted Ashton and waved to get her attention. When she looked up he gestured for her to follow him. Ashton nodded and passed the message on to Braxton, Blaise, and Nia.
Draco ushered Cameron back out the way they'd come. Moments later they were joined by their friends. Nia immediately hugged Cameron. She didn't say a word but offered him a warm smile when she stepped back.
This gave Cameron the slightest bit of confidence. He returned a small grin before following after Draco who was leading the way into a rarely used classroom. Draco stood with Cameron at the front of the room while their friends wordlessly sat on the dust coated desks in front of them.
Cameron glanced at Draco who nodded discreetly.
"Um…I guess I'll start by apologizing to all of you for how I've acted today."
After a short pause Cameron gathered up whatever courage he had and told his friends about his mother being a death eater and his father taking her place when she died. When he got to the part about his father choosing him as his replacement Cameron hesitated slightly. He hadn't looked at any of his friends faces the entire time he spoke. His cheeks were bright red with embarrassment and nervousness and he kept his hands buried deep into his pockets. When Cameron finally finished he sighed heavily before looking at his friends.
Blaise and Braxton looked utterly shocked. They'd met both of Cameron's parents and they were not the first people anyone would peg as Death Eaters. Nia was nodding her head slowly as she processed the information. Finally she shrugged. Cameron purposefully avoided looking at Ashton but he could feel her eyes boring into him.
"Did you think we were going to be angry with you?" Nia asked, almost accusingly.
Cameron shrugged.
Nia stood and hugged her friend again.
"Didn't our reaction to Draco tell you anything?" she asked with a smile. "We're your friends and just because you could possibly become a Death Eater doesn't mean we're going to completely drop you. I mean it's not like you asked for any of this to happen. More than anything I'm just glad you're talking to us because I honestly thought you might have had enough of my big mouth."
Cameron chuckled at his friend's obvious relief.
"Thank you Nia." He said sincerely. Nia nodded and turned to Draco.
"How could you possibly keep a secret like that?" she asked incredulously. Draco simply shrugged and offered a sly smile.
"I don't feel the need to talk all day long."
Nia looked ready to retort but realized it was the truth and shrugged nonchalantly.
"I can accept that."
Blaise stood from his desk and stepped in front of Cameron, shaking his head.
"I can't believe you honestly weren't going to tell us." He said.
Cameron shrugged again completely unsure of how to respond. Braxton appeared at Blaise's side.
"How are you feeling about all this mate?" he asked. Cameron sighed.
"I dunno really. More than anything I'm worried about Kit."
"She will be fine. I've been thinking about it and if one of us is with her at all times, she should be okay." Draco said.
"That might work for now but what about when the year ends? Kit will go insane if I try to keep her trapped inside all the time." Cameron reasoned, not bothering to mention that he and his sister had just had the biggest fight ever.
"By then Dumbledore or Sev will have some sort of idea or the Death Eater's might even leave you alone right?" Nia asked hopefully. Draco shook his head fractionally.
Cameron sighed.
"I suppose it's the best idea for now." He said. "I can stay with her though, you don't have…"
"Don't start. She's your sister and that makes her important to us. We will keep her safe." Braxton said firmly.
His friends all agreed.
The bell rang and the teens all sighed.
"I guess we'd better go." Blaise said.
Cameron nodded but glanced at Ashton who still hadn't moved from her seat. Draco noticed this and quickly ushered the others out of the room.
When the rest were gone Cameron carefully sat in the chair beside Ashton. The girl stared at him but didn't speak.
"What part are you angry about?" he asked.
"You're planning something." Ashton said.
Cameron didn't move or change his expression. He merely met her intense green eyed stare.
"I could tell when you started talking about how your sister would probably be the one taken hostage if you didn't take your place tomorrow." She continued accusingly. "You're going to join them."
"If it comes to a choice between putting Kit in danger and…"
"Putting yourself there instead." Ashton snapped.
Cameron nodded.
"My dad chose me." He said simply.
Ashton stood up sharply and looked down at her friend.
"That doesn't mean you have to offer yourself up!" she said hotly.
Cameron stood as well but slower. He rested his hands on either of Ashton's shoulders.
"I am not offering myself up to anything." He insisted calmly. "Yes I will fill my father's place as a Death Eater. Yes that goes against everything I thought we stood for but I will not stand by and do nothing if my sister is threatened and you know it's not fair of you to ask me to do that." Cameron sighed.
Ashton crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. Cameron noticed the slightest wobble in her chin as she spoke.
"Cameron Matthew Scott, if anything happens to you I swear I'll…I'll…" she gasped as tears threatened to overtake her. She looked down and sharply wiped the offending tears from her eyes. Ashton looked almost defiantly into Cameron's eyes.
"Be careful." She said firmly.
Cameron nodded and after a moment of hesitation pulled his friend into a tight hug. Ashton stiffened in surprise but quickly melted into him, hugging him back just as tightly. Her head rested on his chest and she could feel the light touch of his breath on the top of her head. A watery smile spread over her lips until they separated. Cameron offered a small smile.
"I suppose we ought to get to class." He said.
Ashton nodded, wiping the teardrops from her eyes. They left the room together and went their separate ways for class.
**
At dinner Cameron went to the table with his friends but kept a close eye on the door to the Great Hall. When Kit finally appeared she looked extremely tired and a little pale as if she hadn't slept much the night before either. Lilia was walking beside her but seemed at a loss for what to do for her friend.
Cameron told his friends he'd be back and left the table.
Kit and Lilia sat down but only Lilia reached for food.
"Come on Kit, you haven't eaten all day. You've got to be starving by now." She said.
The black haired girl shook her head silently. Lilia sighed and began putting food on her plate.
"Kit." Cameron watched his sister spin around in her seat in surprise. Her crystal eyes were red from her time spent crying. "I need to talk to you for a minute."
Lilia glanced up at the boy.
"I don't know if I should let you take her. Last time you did she came back like this." she said almost accusingly. Lilia knew how tight of a bond the siblings shared and couldn't help wondering what the Slytherin had done to upset his sister so much.
"She'll be fine." Cameron said as he turned and walked away.
The pair left the Great Hall with Kit keeping her eyes on the floor as if she were afraid looking at her brother would somehow anger him.
Once they were in the hall and a little ways away from the noise of dinner Cameron turned to his depressed sister.
"Look at me." He said. Kit reluctantly looked up.
"I am not happy that you kept a secret like that from me. I thought we were closer than that." He began. Kit tried to say something but he held up a hand to stop her and she simply bit her bottom lip.
"But there are several reasons why I am going to forgive you. First, I am currently keeping a secret from you. I'm not keeping this secret out of spite. I'm keeping it because I have to. Second, you are my sister. And third, until further notice it is very important that Ashton, Braxton, Blaise, Draco, Nia, or I am with you at all times. I can't tell you why right now but someday hopefully I will be able to. Do you understand?" Cameron asked in a no nonsense tone. Kit nodded.
Cameron turned to walk into the Great Hall, expecting Kit to follow him but she grabbed his arm and pulled her back to face him. Kit looked up with pleading eyes.
"I am so sorry." She said emotionally. "Dad asked me not to say anything but I thought he would tell you eventually. I don't want you to forgive me because you think you have to or because now you've got some secret of your own. I want you to really not be angry with me anymore."
Cameron studied his younger sister's face for several seconds before sighing heavily. He nodded and gathered both of Kit's hands into his own.
"I honestly do forgive you."
Kit sighed thankfully and hugged her brother. He hugged her back and when they broke apart they were both grinning.
"So I really have to be seen with Slytherins all the time?" Kit asked teasingly.
Cameron chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Hey, we've got to be seen with a Ravenclaw who is a year or two below us."
Kit laughed and hugged her brother again.
"So am I supposed to sit with you at meal times too?" she asked.
Cameron thought this over before shaking his head.
"No I don't think so. We can see you from where we sit so it should be alright." Kit nodded. The pair separated again and headed into the Great Hall. Cameron watched his sister all the way to her table where she turned and waved at him. Lilia looked pleasantly surprised to see her friend pile layer after layer of food onto her plate. Cameron laughed as he went to sit with his friends.
"What was that about?" Blaise asked.
"I told Kit that I want her to be with one of us at all times."
"Did you tell her why?" Braxton asked.
Cameron's smile dropped from his face as he shook his head.
"I'll tell her after I figure out a way out of this."
"You know, by keeping this from her, you're doing the exact same thing as your father did to you." Draco informed his friend.
Cameron glanced sideways at him before turning his gaze to his steak and kidney pie which suddenly didn't seem as appetizing.
"I'll tell her eventually." He snapped.
Sensing the unhappy tone behind Cameron's voice his friends decided to change the subject.
"We've got Quidditch again tonight." Braxton said suddenly.
"What?" Draco and Cameron said together.
Braxton nodded.
"It slipped my mind I guess."
"I thought Ravenclaw had the pitch tonight." Cameron said.
Braxton nodded fractionally.
"They did."
His friends all exchanged glances.
"Does Snape know?" Nia asked.
"I dunno. I suppose he would have to in order to reserve the pitch wouldn't he?" Blaise asked.
Draco shook his head.
"Unless Thomas found a way around that as well."
"We should talk to Snape." Ashton said, standing. Her friends stood as well but Cameron sat back down reluctantly.
"I'll stay here." He said, casting a glance over to his sister who was still eating and talking happily with Lilia.
Draco nodded.
"Meet us in the classroom in twenty minutes." He said.
Cameron agreed and watched his friends leave. Ten minutes passed where he alternately stared at his food and then back up at Kit to make sure she was still there and then back at his food. He was so into his routine that when two large hands landed on his shoulders he jumped. Cameron's entire body tensed as Dawson sat on one side of him and Thomas sat on the other. The hands squeezed Cameron's shoulders tightly as if to relay that there was no escape from this situation.
"Have you made up your mind yet Scott?" Dawson demanded. Cameron nodded stiffly.
"And…" Thomas pressed.
Cameron didn't answer. He stared straight at the back of his sister's head. The hands tightened their grip painfully but Cameron refused to wince.
"Don't be stupid Scott. There is no refusing and you know that. So I'm going to give you until tomorrow night and if you haven't made up your mind by then….well." Dawson glanced at Kit and then looked meaningfully into Cameron's eyes. Cameron's body twitched as if to lunge at Dawson right there; not caring about the outrageous odds against him but the hands wrapped around his throat and held him in place. Cameron froze in place but glared darkly at Dawson as he stood. The boys left without another word and slowly the pressure was released from Cameron's throat. He turned to watch the group leave, glaring at them the entire time. When they were gone Cameron looked up at the head table where Dumbledore appeared to be immersed in a conversation with McGonagall, explaining why none of them had intervened while Cameron was facing down an angry mob.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kit and Lilia stand up. Cameron did the same and met them at the Great Hall doors.
"Kit, I've got Quidditch tonight. You'll have to stick with Ashton, Blaise, and Nia alright?"
"But Ravenclaw had the pitch tonight!" Kit protested.
Cameron nodded.
"I know and I don't understand it either but somehow we ended up with it."
Kit huffed and Cameron knew she was about to explode but she bit her comments down, not wanting to start another argument with her brother so soon.
"Can we come watch you practice?" Kit asked, with forced calm.
Cameron thought this over. Thomas wouldn't like having a member of another team sitting in on one of their practices but if Snape allowed it then there was nothing Thomas could do about it. Finally Cameron nodded.
"Sure. I'll just have to check with Snape first."
Kit beamed.
"What time?"
"Doesn't matter, I'll be with you until then." He said with a smile. Kit shrugged. Cameron figured his sister must have informed Lilia about the new set up because the red head was not surprised by this announcement.
"So what are we going to do until practice?" Kit asked.
"I've got to meet with my friends in a couple minutes actually." Cameron explained. He glanced up and down the corridors before leading Kit and Lilia out of the Great Hall. Neither girl bothered to ask about his peculiar actions.
Cameron ushered the girls into the classroom and glanced around one final time before pulling the door closed. A few minutes later Draco entered with Braxton, Blaise, Nia, and Ashton trailing behind him.
"Snape didn't even know about the practice tonight." Draco said right away. "He knew Ravenclaw reserved the pitch."
Kit nodded.
"Phillps put our name on the list weeks ago." She said.
Braxton nodded.
"We know, we've seen the list but Ravenclaw isn't on it." He said.
"We should go to Dumbledore!" Lilia cried. All the Slytherins looked at her as if noticing her for the first time.
"This is Lilia Tescotte, she's Kit's friend." Cameron explained hurriedly. "We have to do something."
"Snape said he'd talk to Thomas but that won't do much good if you ask me." Ashton said bluntly.
"Hogwarts is going all crazy this year!" Nia exclaimed.
The others scoffed.
"It always does, but usually it's got something to do with Potter and his lot." Draco said dryly. The others chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Well what are we going to do?" Cameron asked.
His friends shrugged.
"I think we've got to choose our battles mate and this one's just not worth it. No offense Kit." Draco said.
Kit shrugged but turned to speak quietly with Lilia. Cameron sighed.
"You're right I suppose." He turned to Nia, Ashton, and Blaise. "Would you three mind sitting with Kit and Lilia while we practice?"
Nia shook her head and went over to put her arms around both the Ravenclaw's shoulders.
"Of course not, it'll give me a chance to bond with the girls." She said.
Kit and Lilia grinned nervously but their looks went unnoticed by the excited Nia. Cameron offered her a thankful smile.
"We've got a few hours until practice. What should we do?"