Book 4: Draco Malfoy and The Golem Army
Chapter 8: I'll Sneak Home For Christmas
"How many kings would step down from their thrones?"
Draco walked down the Hall of St. Mary Axe with his hamper full of unmentionables. He looked around the hall and ducked into the laundry room. He made a cursory inspection of the laundry room and walked over to a washer with 'OUT oF ORDER' spray painted on it. After one final look around the laundry room to make sure it was absolutely empty, he opened the door of the condemned washer.
"All clear." he said into the depths. There was a clanging inside and Hermione poked her head out of the washing machine.
"You couldn't have picked a more convenient place to put your secret passage?" she asked climbing out of the machine.
"It was this or the out of order toilet stall." said Draco.
"It's not so bad going down." said Ron, coming out after Hermione. "The detergent lubricates the chute. Going up is a bit of a bother."
"So, what did you find out?" asked Draco as they left the laundry room.
"Four dead ends and one thing weird." said Hermione. For the past few weeks they had been tracking down the kin of the people listed in the ledger. So far, they had all been the same. People were sending back money and typed letters. One thing weird was the most promising lead they had all month.
"We found Miles Rauling's sister, Joan Rauling." said Ron. "Her brother went to off to work a month ago and someone has been calling her in the middle of the night."
"She has a stalker?" asked Draco.
"The calls come after midnight." said Hermione. "No voice, just a clicking sound, like the person on the other end is tapping on the mouth-piece. Joan says it's the rhythm of 'Good King Wenceslas'. Their father used to sing it to them when he was drunk."
"That was all the time." said Ron. "Their father died of a nasty case of stabbed two years ago, so we know it's not him."
"Do you think it's her brother calling her?" asked Draco. "How could he do that? If he's a Golem he'd have to be totally obedient to his owner."
"He has to do whatever he's told." said Hermione. "However he still has a degree of free will. Depending on the individual who's mutilated soul is trapped in the edifice, they're capable of more deviant behavior."
"So, if Neville Longbottom were a Golem, he'd just do everything he's told and otherwise hold still, but if Fred Weasley was a Golem he'd keep leaving a whoopie cushion on his boss's chair and sneaking snakes into his toilet." said Draco.
"Charming Draco." said Hermione. "But yes, that is the basic concept."
"And we know Golems can't talk." offered Ron. "So, if he wanted to reassure a loved one, tapping out a diddy would be his only option."
"That's actually really sweet," said Draco, "in the most mind-destroyingly depressing way possible." Miles could never be human again, all because he wanted to save his sister from poverty.
"So, what now?" asked Draco. "We wait at her house for him to call again and ask him to turn himself over to the ministry."
"If he knows Morse code, he could tell us where he is." said Ron.
"No to both." said Hermione rolling her eyes. "She gave me the phone number that's been calling her."
"Great." said Draco. They were finally getting somewhere. "We just call him and -"
"No!" said Hermione. "The phone number corresponds to a phone that someone either owns, but more likely is attached to a building."
"So, we just find out what house the phone number is for." said Ron.
"Yes." said Hermione.
"Then when go there and open a can of -"
"No." said Ron. "We tell Cynthia. The phone might be all the way in Burwick-upon-Tweed. We can't leave school for a week and go across the country. Umbridge would notice."
"I am not afraid of that cow." said Draco, rounding on Ron and Hermione. "We have a very real problem to deal with in the real world. Her royal Headmistress-ship 'My Mother Was A Frog And My Father Was Satan' Umbridge is an ignorant, mutated, puss-filled peon of a ministry that couldn't find its ass with both hand shoved down the back of its pants. She's turned the school into a reflection of her own simpering stupidity. I'm not about to roll over and let that vulture eat my entrails. If she has a problem with those of us who aren't actively making the place a worse place to live she can eat shit!"
He took a deep breath after his tirade was over. He hadn't meant to go off like that. There rage just wanted to get out. Hermione was fighting down a smirk. Ron had a nervous expression and was looking between Draco and something over Draco's shoulder.
"She's standing right behind me, isn't she?" asked Draco.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." said a girly voice behind him. He turned around to see the Headmistress in a fluffy pink overcoat. "As you know, school let's out for Christmas break tomorrow."
"Yes." he said.
"I understand you've been living with Ms. Monty Fur for the past three years." she said.
"It's Mon-tah-Fee-OR." said Draco. "Chair-wo-man Mon-tah-Fee-OR."
"She's not Chairwoman anymore." said Umbridge, waggling a finger. "The Ministry has seized her assets and will return the wealth she has stolen to the rightful owners."
Hermione stepped forward and took Draco's hand. The move narrowly saved Umbridge from having her nose impacted back into her head.
"Litigation isn't over yet." said Hermione. "From what I've been hearing, the prosecution can't get any of it's witnesses to agree."
The smile slipped off Umbridge's face.
"As I was saying," she said pulling a roll of parchment out of her overcoat, "you've been living unlawfully with Ms. Montefiore."
"I was turned over to her protective custody." said Draco. "I was being targeted by Death Eaters after I stabbed Voldemort in the face."
"There was never any evidence to confirm that-" started Umbridge.
"They threw a Chimaera into our garden." Draco cut her off. "You know what a Chimaera is, don't you? Blood thirsty monster, about this tall, way nicer than you."
"The Minister has upheld a plea!" Umbridge blustered. "On behalf of your father. You have been returned to Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy's custody. You will be spending Christmas with them. They will pick you up tomorrow at the main entrance."
She turned and walked away.
~o!o~
On the first day of Christmas Break, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Marcus looked down on the school from the deck of the Silvana. There was a steady stream of students pouring out of the main entrance. They saw the long blond hair of Lucius Malfoy and his wife. They all watched as Umbridge walked through the front doors with Draco in tow and hand him over to his parents. They each put an arm around Draco and led him to the waiting car.
His friends kept watching as the car drove off.
"There he goes," said Marcus, "into the belly of the beast."
"Voldemort's probably waiting for them at Malfoy Manor." said Ron. "Draco's going to have to tell him everything he knows about Cynthia's plans just to keep from being tortured to death."
"Poor thing." said Hermione, then she turned to Marcus. "So, how long does the duplicate last?"
"Three hours or until it's exposed to water." said Marcus. "Whichever comes first." He unzipped his backpack and the real Draco crawled out.
"It's a good thing I saved one of those from second year." said Draco.
The door to the cabin burst open and Tonk's green haired head popped out.
"Would you all get in here before you freeze to death?" she yelled out.
~o!o~
Christmas morning, everyone was gathered in the lounge of the Silvana. Cynthia had set up the customary bare tree in the side of the room. Cynthia wasn't big on decorations. Bill and Charlie had come back to Britain to celebrate Christmas with their family. Molly and Dobby had gone all out for Christmas. Draco strongly suspected that the Turkey was actually a resurrected pterodactyl. Cynthia had parked the Silvana in Paris, France.
It was amazing that in the midst of a hidden war, protracted litigation, and an onerous school year they could still muster up enough Christmas spirit so that everyone was walking around with permanent goofy grins on their faces.
"Having fun, Draco?" asked Cynthia, as she walked up behind him and hugged him. She had the biggest goofiest grin of them all. The day before Christmas break, she had been informed by Minister Fudge that Draco was being returned to his parents. When Draco had walked into the ship after being 'kidnapped' by his brothers, she had lit up like the sun.
"You're unusually cheerful." Draco teased. "Have you been hitting the firewhiskey?"
"Rubbish." said Cynthia, still grinning. "I only drink once a year, for seventeen straight hours, in a tavern in Norway."
"Seventeen hours?" asked Draco. "Nonstop?"
"Concentrated moderation." said Cynthia. "I'm so glad you're here." she gave him another squeeze.
Draco unwrapped his gift from Ginny. It was a dragon hide wallet with the runic symbol for Troll Killer emblazoned on the front. She knew him so well. He saw Dumbledore lounging in front of the window. Dumbledore had cut his hair and beard short. Cynthia had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he had to look less crazy for trial.
"Hello, Professor." said Draco sitting next to him.
"Hello, Draco." said Dumbledore. "Although it's not professor right now. Just Albus."
"Hogwarts is a joke without you, you know." said Draco.
"You are unfailingly kind." said Dumbledore. "Although, I hear the grade point average has gone up. Strangely, yourself, Ms. Granger, Mr. Montefiore, Mr. Potter, and all the Weasleys have perfect zeros."
"It wasn't easy." said Draco with a shrug.
"I don't want you to fail in protest." said Dumbledore. "Your future is important."
"Hey, Albus." said Draco. It sounded so wrong calling him by his name. "Do you know anything about Golems?"
"No," he said, taking a bite of figgy pudding, "can't say that I do. Most people claim they're just a myth. No one has even been rumored to make one for at least a century."
"Ah," he said. This was another dead end. Then he remembered the note scrawled in the book's margin. Hermione had looked everywhere in the library, but it had failed her. "Have you ever heard of Horcrux?"
Dumbledore started choking on his figgy pudding. Ginny walked up and started pounding him on the back.
"Thank you, Ms. Weasley." said Dumbledore, coughing. "If you'll excuse me, I need a drink." He got up and left.
"Hey." said Ginny.
"Hey." said Draco. Ginny and Draco could usually talk endlessly about nothing, but these days they were both a little nervous around each other.
"Thanks for the wallet." said Draco. "It's awesome."
"Your welcome." said Ginny. "Thanks for the necklace." she said, fingering the pendant around her neck. Draco had found a gold charm that emanated the smell of roses.
"Your welcome." he said.
Cynthia saved them from more awkward stuttering by wheeling in a cart laded with gifts.
"I have a few last minute presents." said Cynthia. "As you know, I may not have a company tomorrow, so I have to make use of my resources while I have them." she started tossing the long thin boxes to everyone.
"Awesome!" cried Fred and George. "Superconductor Wands!"
"Pretty." said Tonks, holding up her gold wand.
"I feel classy." said Mundungus, twiddling his silver wand around.
"It's a matter of time before the forces of evil get a hold of this technology." said Cynthia. "I want as many of the good guys to have dangerous weapons as possible. Just to even things out."
"Won't we all get destroyed?" asked Hermione.
"Yes." said Cynthia. "It's called Mutually Assured Destruction. It's the driving force behind world peace."
"It's kinda terrifying that one day we won't have the edge with our wands." Harry said to Draco
"You'll be ready." said Diego, walking up to them. "I'll teach all the tricks in the book. And a lot of tricks that aren't in the book. You missed a box, Harry." he handed Harry a small gift box.
Harry unwrapped it and pulled out a ring with a black stone on it.
"Mom gave me a ring?" he said. "She hates jewelry."
The ring glowed brightly and Harry's body sucked the light inside itself.
"One day," said Harry, "someone is going to tell me why that keeps happening."
~o!o~
Christmas night, Draco and Ginny were standing on the deck of the Silvana. Paris really was the city of light. Draco figured he could read a newspaper by the light of the Eiffel tower. It was extremely cold on deck. Draco and Ginny had a practical solution to this problem. Draco would put his arms around Ginny to keep her warm. It was completely practical. The warm, fuzzy feeling was pure coincidence.
"This is the best Christmas ever." said Ginny, hugging Draco's arms closer to her. "I've never been to Paris."
"I've been here before." said Draco. "I like it better this time, though."
The door on the lower deck opened and Dumbledore and Cynthia walked out. Dumbledore leaned against the rail. He pulled his wooden wand out of his robes and rolled it between his fingers.
"Knut for your thoughts, Albus." said Cynthia.
"Have I ever told you about my wand?" he asked.
"No." said Cynthia. "I assume you got it at Olivander's back before the Earth's crust cooled."
"Are you calling me old, Chairwoman?" said Dumbledore. "Just because you don't tell anyone your birthday doesn't mean you're immune to time."
"So," said Cynthia, "what about your wand?"
"I won it in the duel against Gellert Grindelwald." said Dumbledore.
Gellert Grindelwald had been the most dangerous dark wizard of all time before Voldemort appeared. Even with Voldemort around, Gridelwald had a higher body count to his name.
"Before Gellert, it was owned by Barnabas Deverill, Loxias, Emeric the Evil, Egbert the Egregious, Godelot, Hereward, and other warlocks of that ilk." said Dumbledore. "This wand is known as the Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, The Deathstick. It is said to bring terrible power to the owner. After I gained control of it, I found that was true." He have the Elder Wand a twirl. "I tested it in your lab. It has a Synchro rate of 45%." He pulled his new Superconductor Wand out of his coat. "This wand is Chromium, Technetium spiral, with a Diamond core. It has a Synchro rate of 65%. All the Superconductor Wands have a Synchro rate higher than the Deathstick. I had hoped I would die undefeated and the Elder Wand would loose its power."
"And the world would be free of such a dangerous weapon." finished Cynthia.
"And now everyone has more dangerous weapons." amended Dumbledore. He gave the Elder Wand a last look and threw it out over the railing where it fell hundreds of feet down to the Seine River. Cynthia rubbed his back comfortingly.
They were the very picture of crushed hope, and when the break was over they were both back in court. Maybe, Draco reasoned, they could do without being burdened with the knowledge of a Golem Army being formed. He was sure the Fifth House could handle it on their own. He could tell them later.
~o!o~
New Years Eve. The passing from one year to the other. It was an auspicious occasion. Ambitious individuals camped out for days in Times Square, New York to watch the ball drop on the stroke of midnight. If you came late, it was impossible to get a good spot. If you came late in flying ship, well, you got the best seats in the house.
The Silvana was hovering between the buildings around the square. Everyone was on deck watching the party going on below. Lupin and Kingsley were joining the crowd in a chorus of 'Old Lang Syne'. Draco was with the Weasley children and the rest of the Fifth House leaning against the railing and watching the ball light up.
"We've got to make the most of this." said Draco. "Umbridge is going to bust an artery when we get back to Hogwarts."
"I'll enjoy that." said Hermione. "And she'll never be able to prove I was involved."
"Actually, we left a note." said Ron. "We had to make it look like Draco was kidnapped so he wouldn't get in trouble."
"I signed your name." said Marcus. Hermione's face turned red with rage.
"Does anyone have any New Years resolutions?" asked Draco.
"We will cause more trouble." said Fred and George.
"I'm going to get better at flying." said Harry.
"I'm going to build a stable and lasting peace in the middle east." said Marcus.
"You said that last year." said Raleigh.
In the square, hundreds of people started counting down. The ball began its descent.
"You know," said Marcus, "it's customary to kiss someone on the stroke of midnight."
Everyone soaked this in for a second, then there was a mad rush as everyone on changed places. Draco, his body seeming to move on it's own, dashed to stand next to Ginny. Ron and Harry each stood on a different side of Hermione. Fred took off to where Cynthia was standing.
The ball dropped. Fireworks went off. The crowd below shouted 'Happy New Year!'. Arthur and Molly kissed. Kingsley and Dumbledore both kissed one of McGonagall's cheeks, and she dissolved into giggles. Tonks grabbed Lupin by his tie and dragged him into a kiss. Hermione turned suddenly towards Harry and kissed him. Fred screamed as he was thrown overboard.
Draco didn't notice any of this. He was totally absorbed in the feeling of Ginny's lips against his.