Chapter 10

On Monday morning, the news about Draco and I was already all over the school. I was torn between embarrassment and pride. He was good-looking, and very desirable amongst Slytherins; however, those from other houses, those who didn't like the changes going on at Hogwarts, often looked at me strangely, like I shouldn't be with him on principle. Everyone who wasn't familiar with the DA's plan used my relationship with Draco as a reason to dislike me. I didn't mind so much. All of my friends were in the DA, Neville and Luna being the most important ones. I had also gone through the trouble of befriending a few Slytherins, for the sake of authenticity. It was sometimes awkward when they talked openly about their disgust for Muggle Borns, and especially uncomfortable when they talked about my real friends badly. I laughed and joined in, though. I called Luna Loony and even made up the name Schlongbottom. Draco laughed hard at that one, almost a cackle.

Still, it hurt at least a little when people you don't even know glare at you behind your back. I was thinking about it in Charms one day, sighing. I idly waved my wand at the bucket in front of me, muttering, "Aguamenti." A few drops trickled out.

"Something wrong, Miss Harcourt?" Professor Flitwick appeared at my elbow, his little face pinched with concern. "You performed this spell admirably before."

"I'll try to focus, Professor." He patted my shoulder and waddled off to another student. I liked Professor Flitwick. He was the indulgent older relative I never had. Sighing, I said, "Aguamenti." A stream of crystal clear water spouted from the wand to land neatly in the bucket.

In Transfiguration, it was a different story entirely. I liked Professor McGonagall; she could be a hardass, but I felt that underneath that, she was also a badass. She kept a close eye on me in class, though, and I often floundered, performing spells incorrectly, sometimes with chaotic results. "Your school listed you as one of the top Transfiguration students of your year, Miss Harcourt," she said, standing over my shoulder as I failed to bring the statuette in front of me to life. "Perhaps you possess the skill to transfigure the words on a page."

"No, Professor. I-"

She smiled, very slightly. "It was a joke, Miss Harcourt. I don't make them very often."

"Oh. Um, ha ha?"

She ignored that. "There is a reason for me being here, though. I would like to see you in my office after class."

My heart sank. "Yes, Professor."

"Good." She swept away to her own desk, where a previously lifeless figure was pacing around the perimeter.

When I stepped into McGonagall's office, I expected the worst. She was waiting at the desk. I nervously took the seat in front of the desk. "You wanted to see me, professor?"

"I did. Miss Harcourt, I have recently become aware of your involvement in the student organization Dumbledore's Army."

I must have looked terrified, because she sighed and shook her head. "You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?"

She shook her head again. "I want to know how good of an Occlumens you are."

"Oh… um, quite good, professor. Much better than I am at Transfiguration. Salem Witches Academy believes that the mind is a place that everyone has a right to protect and keep private, so it's taught rigorously."

"Good. Because I know something else as well. Draco Malfoy, and those he knows, are accomplished Legilimens. And so you see why Dumbledore's Army would be at risk." She shook her head. "Pardon my rudeness, Miss Harcourt, but I do not think he is a very good match for you."

"Oh, Professor, you don't understand. He's part of my plan, the Army's plan." She stayed silent, pressing her lips together. I took that as a sign to continue. "I am the only one in the DA who he would trust, because he knows me the least. And I'm the only one who could interest him, because of my blood and my family. And so if I was with him, it would be possible that I could get information others couldn't. And he can't get into my mind. So you see, it's perfect."

"Miss Harcourt, do you have any idea what sort of danger you're putting yourself into?" It was the first time I had heard her actually angry. I shrank back in my seat.

"I think… if Malfoy and the Death Eaters found out… they'd kill me. It's dangerous. Very dangerous. But… I can't do nothing. I want to do nothing. Professor, you have no idea how much I just want to leave and hide in Windhithe or Salem until this is all over." I took a deep breath. "But I want it to be over. Soon. And if I can hurry that process along, rat out You-Know-Who, get everything back to normal… well, how can I not do it?"

McGonagall sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Have a biscuit, Harcourt."

"Sorry?"

"A biscuit. Or a cookie, as you call them." She gestured to a tin on her desk. I took a biscuit out of it and munched quietly, waiting for her to respond. "I should not be telling you this, but I see little choice. There is another organization. Called the Order of the Phoenix. It was formed in the First Wizarding War. We fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his associates, and protect those who are important. Harry Potter has vanished, helping our cause. And now you emerge. We have lost one symbol and gained another." She sighed, helping herself to one of the biscuits.

"So… you're fighting him, too?"

She nodded.

"Then we have to work together." I leaned forward on the desk. "I don't think there is any doubt in anyone's mind who the Malfoys are. They are Death Eaters. But I think it is more than that. Malfoy always receives letters, and sometimes he talks about "guests". That suggests some sort of headquarters, no? I think Malfoy Manor is being used for that. You-Know-Who might even be there himself."

"We have suspected these things for quite some time. I am impressed that you worked them out on your own, though."

"Thank you." I was a bit irked that the information I was so proud of wasn't new, but she was impressed with me, and that was good enough. "I think Malfoy will invite me to the manor over Christmas break. So I can meet his parents and such. I think they'll clean up the manor, get rid of Death Eaters who aren't family, make themselves seem normal. If during that time he tells me that they are Death Eaters, I will say that I support them, and pretend."

"Miss Harcourt, your thoughts read plainly on your face. How will you do that?"

"I'm going to practice lying. And I'll spend lots of time with Malfoy and his friends."

"It's too risky. You will be found out."

"I will not." I pulled back my shoulders, crossing my ankles in my chair and delicately folding my hands in my lap. "I am Jessica Artemisia Helena Ligeia Harcourt, and I will not be spoken to in such a way. You will further address me as 'Your Royal Highness' and henceforth as 'Ma'am'."

Professor McGonagall stared at me for a second, and then a smile slowly rose on her lips. "I think you might have a chance, Harcourt."

"Thank you, Professor."