Chapter 10
(Note: Thank you to all my reviewers and followers. I am having fun writing this story, and I am happy to see that it's at least interesting enough that you all continue to read it! Cheers!)
The last two weeks at Grimmauld Place flew by, and everyone awoke to a hectic morning on September 1. Ron and Harry had left their packing for the last minute, as per their usual. Siri, Draco, Ginny, and the twins were waiting downstairs with the adults.
"I took the liberty of requesting that Fudge accommodate us with Ministry cars and a light auror escort to King's Cross," Lucius announced, as he and Narcissa entered in stylish travel robes. "I have also been informed by the elves that the Dark Lord and his ilk have absconded from the Manor. It appears that the family wards finally took over and rejected them. As secure as it could be, I still have no wish to be there until the Dark Lord has been dealt with."
"Oh, perfect! Narcissa, we will have plenty of time to work on those wedding plans!" Madeline exclaimed. Draco and Siri rolled their eyes. They had reached an accord, but Siri refused further intimacy of any kind until they got to know each other better. Both of them had spent a vast amount of time in the family library looking over the contract and the magicks it contained.
"Siri, darling, before you go, I have something to give to you," Madeline waved for her daughter to follow her. They walked to the study Siri had confronted Dumbledore in. "This is only accessible by the Shafiq family, and as such only you and I can get to it. Our family manor is unplottable, and I daresay, a lot safer than your father's estate. I, however, don't wish it to have visitors, unless necessary. Now, we have elves who can assist you throughout the year. There are books on things you will not be able to learn anywhere else. We have very old magic, and it surpasses that of the Malfoys and the Blacks. The tomes we have can help you and Harry defeat the Dark Lord. He has known this, and that is why he attempted to extinguish our family line. Your father saved me, thankfully. His love for me, and what we built during our school years, is what turned him from the Dark Lord. I trust you will tell no one about this, not even Draco until you are married." Siri nodded, and put the parchment with the elves name in her pocket after enchanting it to be only readable by her. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, and they joined the others, who finally included Harry and Ron.
King's Cross was as brilliant as they remembered, but they kept close together with the aurors looking for any suspicious people. Mad-eye had been drawn out of retirement, and had taken over the training of the new recruits. Everyone of them, along with the established aurors, were well acquainted with CONSTANT VIGILANCE. Harry and Ron passed through the barrier first, followed by the twins. Two aurors and Sirius discreetly passed behind them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were followed by Ginny, Siri, and one more auror. Regulus and Madeline passed through before Narcissa, Draco, and Lucius. Three more aurors rounded out the group.
"We will have to go to the prefect's compartment first thing. We will breakaway as soon as we can, Ron. Ginny, you usually sit with Neville and Luna, yes? Do you think Ron could join you?" Siri asked politely. Ginny nodded, "No problem for us, I am sure Fred and George are going to go and find Lee, anyway."
Harry and Sirius embraced with promises for Hogsmeade visits and plenty of letters. Draco was embracing his parents, and Siri said her goodbyes to her parents. The Weasleys made their farewells, and all of them boarded the express. Draco, Harry, and Siri made their way to the prefect compartment. They took in their counterparts from the other houses. Hannah Abbot and Ernie MacMillan were the Hufflepuff prefects. Terry Boot and Padma Patil were newly minted for Ravenclaw. A dark haired girl, with lovely expressive blue eyes, sat stiffly staring ahead with a Slytherin badge pinned to her robes.
"Daphne, how was your summer?" Draco greeted her with an easy smile.
"Miserable. I had to listen to Astoria whine for ages, because your parents owled Father to inform him that your betrothed had returned from whereabouts unknown. She is royally pissed that the agreement cannot be fulfilled now. Although, I think Pansy's reaction will be the one that everyone cannot wait to see," she smirked. Harry was mesmerized, and thought that maybe all Slytherins really weren't so bad.
"Must you, Daphne? You know that wretched cow drives me insane," Draco rolled his eyes.
"Well, Harry Potter, Gryffindor prefect, no surprise there. Who are you? I thought for sure Granger would have been the other," Daphne studied Siri in curiosity.
"Siri Andromeda Shafiq Black," Siri proffered her hand to Daphne, "formerly known as Hermione "know-it-all" Granger."
"So you're the lost heiress they've all been buzzing about. How very clever of your family to have hidden you so well. Quite unfortunate with the way you were treated for the identity they chose. I think we are going to get along famously, especially since your presence will irk 'Tori to no end," she grasped Siri's hand with a laugh, and pulled her down beside her. Harry just drank the delightful girl in. She was beautiful, with her perfectly coiffed chestnut hair, her ivory skin, and those sparkling blue eyes. She was almost as tall as Siri, but he definitely did not think of her as a sister.
"You know, Potter, Daphne has had a crush on you since first year. Let me assure you, though, that if you break her heart, I will crucio you," Draco leaned over to whisper, with a wink. He sat down beside Siri, and all of the new prefects began chattering about what their duties would be, and the rounds they would have to make. All of them were in agreement that the prefect bathroom was a definite perk for the job. After being informed by the Head Boy and Girl on which parts of the train to patrol, Draco, Siri, Harry, and Daphne, invited by Harry, made their way to the compartment with Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna.
"Bloody hell! Another Slytherin! What in Merlin's saggy ballsack is happening to everyone?" Ron looked up as the four entered the compartment.
"Ron, shut up," Harry gave him a warning glance. Ginny kicked him before he could protest.
"Get used to the Slytherins, Ron. I started dating Theodore Nott at the end of last school year, and we decided to go public this morning. I decided that if Draco was in our circle, it wouldn't hurt to have a few more Slytherins around," Ginny informed her brother.
"Great, I'll just go find Parkinson and snog her, and we can be one great big happy family," Ron grumbled, as everyone guffawed at the thought of him and Pansy together.
"Weasley, if you get Parkinson out of my hair, I will buy you new dress robes and season tickets to that abominable orange team you are so fond of," Draco gasped between bouts of laughter. Theodore Nott knocked on the door, and Siri, being pragmatic, used an enlargement spell on the compartment.
"Much better, Siri," Ron smiled his first true smile in days, as he continued his chess game with Harry, who was receiving whispered instructions from Daphne. Neville sat next to Luna, who was silently reading The Quibbler, and conversed with Theodore and Ginny about the new Defense teacher. Draco watched as Siri's eyes continued to grow heavy with sleep and wrapped an arm around her so that she could use him as a pillow.
"DRAAAACOOOOO!" an obnoxious voice echoed from the corridor.
"Bloody hell! Potter, give me your invisibility cloak, quick! Weasel go snog her! Someone…" Draco pleaded to the amusement of the compartment residents.
"There you are! Wait, who is this? Draco, what is going on?" Pansy shrieked.
"Merlin's pants, Parkinson, you're gonna rupture my ear drums. Lay off it, Draco and Siri are betrothed and trust me, you do NOT want to try to get physical. Siri told me about their contract and the nasty side effects of intimacy with someone that isn't their intended. Come on and sit next to me, and we can be miserable together, eh? Well, as long as you don't shriek like a blasted banshee anymore," Ron gestured to the seat beside him. Pansy glared and ungracefully sat between Neville and Ron.
"So, it's true, the lost Shafiq family has resurfaced," Pansy began in a conversational tone. Harry shot Ron a curious glance, and nodded towards Pansy.
"Everyone else is snogging Slytherins, may as well see what all the fuss is about," Ron shrugged, nonchalantly. Pansy blushed bright red, and tried to glower at Weasley, but Draco saw that she was secretly flattered. Draco silenced and sealed the compartment.
"All of you in this compartment, if you want to continue in our company, you will all need to take a wizard's oath to not break any confidentialities. Siri, have you finished writing up that document?" Draco looked at her, as she reached in her bag and retrieved the document. "Siri has enchanted this document with spells and jinxes should anyone betray us. Everyone in here will sign this before I continue."
The parchment was passed around, and to everyone's surprise, even Pansy signed it. Draco cleared his throat, "Right, now Theo, Daph, and Pans, I know you have heard the whispers about my family's current sympathies; they no longer lie with Voldemort. We all have every intention of fighting against him, and from what Siri and I have garnered about the new Defense teacher, it would be in our best interest to recruit others and start a Defense class of our own. Potter, after some necessary persuasion, has agreed to be our teacher, with Siri and I gathering new materials to learn. We will have a silent recruitment meeting, but you cannot give away details. We have to be Slytherin in our tactics, until they have signed this paper. Only approach those you can trust."
Everyone nodded, and Pansy broke the tension by asking, "So, Weasley about that snog?"