A/N: Big thank you to you all. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 12
"Wh-what?" Mrs. Malfoy gasped. Her indifferent expression had slipped, pure shock and confusion showed on her face. Draco's had jaw dropped. My eyebrows had risen higher than ever.
"I invite you to join the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore repeated, his eyes twinkling. "Not your husband, but yourself and Draco." He flicked his wand and a glass of water appeared in front of Mrs. Malfoy. She drank some and composed herself.
"Thank you Headmaster, for your kind offer. May I ask why?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore replied. "You see, I am, if you permit me to say, an observant person. I have observed multiple people over the course of my life, and believe, once more I flatter myself, that I have been able to gain an accurate picture of their feelings for others." His eyes flickered to Draco and me, before returning to Mrs. Malfoy. "I have observed, as I said, multiple people. Including you, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Really?" Her tone was dry, but she turned slightly paler. "I am honoured. I would be delighted to hear your observations. Though I'm sure you will inform us of them anyway. I am ready."
Dumbledore took a deep breath that came out in a long quiet sigh, like a breath of wind. "Sixteen years ago, you married Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. Not, I believe, out of choice, but to save face and preserve the Black family line. One year later you bore a son; Draco Lucius Malfoy. You love him as you have never loved Lucius. You never joined the Death Eaters. You remain silent in all their meetings. Your son came to Hogwarts four years ago, a miniature Lucius. That changed this year, when his best friend developed a crush. This led to your son to spend more time with a girl he had sworn an enemy. He changed. They became close friends. It was then I deemed you an ally. I knew, you see, that you never believed in the beliefs of your family, your husband, or Voldemort. Little goes on within the school that I do not know about. I believe in your fifth year, you fell deeply in love. You fell in love with a man who could never be yours. A Gryffindor. A muggleborn. The father of a Gryffindor boy, Dean. Joshua Thomas."
The glass slipped from Mrs. Malfoy's hand, it hit the ground with a thud, fortunately empty. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. "Josh, my darling, darling, Josh. It's all true, every word. I loved him, and he loved me. We kept it a secret, knowing all would be lost if we went public. One day, we were careless. Bellatrix found us in an empty classroom. She told my mother and father. Josh was ordered to never speak to me again, and my parents arranged a marriage for me with Lucius. We married a year after I finished seventh year. The rest is history. I love Draco. But I never, ever, forgot."
There was a moment of silence.
"Do you accept my offer?" Dumbledore asked. Draco nodded, his eyes on his mother. She took a deep breath, staring at her shoes.
"Yes." She breathed. She looked up, pride coming into her face, and voice. "I do. Thank you, sir. But I do have a request."
"Yes?"
"I would like to be known as Narcissa Black within the Order. It's time I reunited with the old me. The one who fought, rather than watched."
"Very well, Miss Black. Or Lady Black, as I should say."
She smiled. "Thank you Headmaster."
She took the oath of loyalty and secrecy, as did Draco.
"I shall contact you when we have our next meeting." Dumbledore said. She nodded. We left the office together.
"So you are the famous Hermione Granger," Mrs. Malfoy said, as we waited for the stairs to reach the floor. "I have heard a lot about you."
"Really?" I asked, glancing at Draco. He smirked.
"Hardly any of it good," Mrs. Malfoy continued. "Much, much, more positive lately, but I have still heard a lot."
"How, er, nice." I replied awkwardly, as we reached the ground and stepped off the staircase.
She laughed. "Well, it has been good to finally meet you. I would like to have a private word with my son now."
"Okay. It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy."
She smiled in response.
I waited around the corner while Draco spoke to his mother. After a while he came round the corner and grinned at me. Quickly checking that no-one was around, I kissed him softly. "All good?"
"Yep." He replied popping the 'p' and smirking.
"Good. Now, come on, there's something I need to tell you." We walked back to the Room of requirement. The second the door shut behind us, Draco started firing off questions.
"You're not leaving me for Weasel are you? Potter, I could handle. Finnegan, don't even go there, ditto with Longbottom. Thomas, almost as good as me. Almost. But Weasel? Not a chance. I mean, if you've taken leave of your senses-"
"Draco." I replied sternly.
"Yes?"
"Shut up and listen."
The next few days passed quickly, and soon the first Hogsmede visit of the year was upon us. Harry and I had spent most of the past few days gathering people for the DADA group. Ron divided his time between complaining that we let Zacharias Smith join and staring at Lavender.
The morning of the Hogsmede visit dawned cold and snowy. Draco, Blaise, Ginny and I trudged through the gradually thickening snow towards the Hogs Head, where the meeting was located. There, we met Harry and Ron (who refused to acknowledge Draco and Blaise). As everyone we had asked trickled into the pub, Blaise, Ginny and Draco sat amongst them, while I joined Harry and Ron in front of the group.
The meeting passed smoothly, though I noticed Lavender and Pavarti smirking at me from beginning to end. Not that I cared, but you never knew what they were going to do next, and it was puzzling. At the end of the meeting, everyone signed the jinxed parchment, and left. Blaise and Ginny muttered something about The Three Broomsticks and darted away. The snow had picked up, so it was hard to get from one shop to another. After taking refuge in Honeydukes for an hour, until the snow died down, Draco and I went to The Three Broomsticks, our pockets laden with sweets.
We entered the pub and found a table in the corner of the room. We noticed Blaise and Ginny sitting in one of the round booths, but decided not to disturb them. Lavender, Pavarti and, to my surprise, Rita Skeeter, who gave me a nasty grin and mouthed "I'm registered now," were seated in a square booth to the right of the door. My heart sinking, I barely noticed a furious red head march across the pub to one of the rounded booths. Returning to my senses, I saw that it was Ron. Draco nudged me and indicated to Blaise and Ginny. I looked, and saw at once why Ron was so furious. Blaise and Ginny were snogging.
"Oh Merlin." I breathed.
"GINERVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!"
Ginny and Blaise broke apart, flushed. Ginny smiled at Blaise, kissed him again quickly, and whispered to him, her words echoing around the now silent pub; "I'll handle this."
"Oh you will, will you?" Ron sneered.
"Yes, Ronald, I will." Ginny replied calmly. "I understand that you are my brother and that you want to protect me, but I can look after myself. I am able to date anyone I wish and you have no power over me."
Ron turned redder. "I'M YOUR BROTHER! I HAVE EVERY RIGHT-"
"NO YOU DON'T!" Ginny screamed, "I MAKE MY OWN CHOICES! IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER, ON MY BOYFRIEND I WILL HEX YOU TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY!" She grabbed Blaise's hand, and they left the pub.
Words had failed Ron. He sunk down onto the booths chair, his face thoughtful.
"OK, OK, MINGLE PEOPLE!" Harry shouted. Gradually, the pub returned to its normal noise level.
"Let's go." I said to Draco, gesturing to Rita, who was eyeing us evilly. "This could be bad."
He nodded. We got up and made our way through the pub towards the door, thankful that Madam Rosemerta hadn't noticed us.
Rita Skeeter accosted us. "So," she said, barring our way to the door, her Quick-Quotes Quill and parchment hovering beside her. "What's new lovebirds?"
I felt Draco squeeze my arm gently. I glanced at him. He was looking around. "Excuse me, are you speaking to us?" He asked, turning to Rita.
"Yes." She replied, clearly puzzled.
"Oh, I do apologise," Draco said, assuming a pureblood-addressing-a-fellow-pureblood- air. "I simply couldn't imagine who you were addressing for a moment there."
"Why is that?" She asked.
"Because Miss Granger and I are not in love, or even going out. We are simply two individuals who became friends over a mutual desire to see or respective best friends together. Take that down as a direct quote." He finished, nodding to the quill. In a quiet voice, so only Rita and I could hear him he muttered. "Bring it; I have contacts."
She replied just as quietly, "Don't worry lover boy, so do I." With that, she stepped aside and we left the pub, heading straight back to the castle.
The next day, the article was printed.
A/N: DUN DUN DUUUNNN! LOL, please review! :)
