Harry Potter and the Founders
By: LuvFantasy
Chapter Thirty Five: A Secret Revealed
It went better than Harry would have expected. After the first moment of complete shock, Mrs. Weasley ran forwards with a purely matrimonial look on her face and buried Draco in a hug which he thoroughly did not appreciate and – Harry reckoned – took all of Malfoy's gall to stand.
The twins looked as if they might explode with anger when they realized just who was standing in their home, but then their father gave them a severe look and they resorted to clenching their fists and looking mutinous as Dumbledore began his explanation;
"Young Mister Malfoy has proved himself more than once to be a true and valuable friend of the Order, and I mean for him to have a haven where he knows he can remain safe despite the test of old feuds. On the Astronomy Tower last year – and Harry can prove testimony to this – Draco refused to do the thing he was ordered…to kill me.
"Earlier this summer he served Severus faithfully while they were in hiding with little complaint, and he remained stagnant in his unspoken loyalty to us until just this last October, when he single handedly saved the three friends sitting here before us. Miss Granger owes her life to him, Mr. Potter owes his memory, and Mr. Weasley owes his friends. Without Draco, our hope would have died that night – and if any standing in this room will not accept this young man, than they have no right to be members of the Order of the Phoenix. He has turned from his past and the ideals of his forebears to form his own future and his own sense of right and wrong." Dumbledore looked severely at Fred and George as he said this, and they remained stoically silent.
"But I don't understand why you're telling us this?" Ginny said, drawing everyone's attention back onto herself. "He's Malfoy – he's betrayed us before…how do we know he won't again? And why can't be remain safe in…wherever you live, Dumbledore?" She demanded furiously.
Harry looked quickly over at Dumbledore and Malfoy, waiting their reply. Dumbledore spoke first, "He has proved his loyalties, Miss Weasley, by snatching back the lives of those Voldemort wants most dead!" Everyone in the room jumped at Dumbledore's words save Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. Dumbledore continued on as if there were no interruption, "Had he been loyal to Voldemort, after such a disastrous failure last term, he would have been all too eager to prove himself by taking the more valuable life of Harry, who at the time was completely vulnerable. He did not, and showed his true colors. If you cannot see that, I will be forced to wipe this encounter from your mind, Miss Weasley, for the safety of all involved." His voice was light, but hard and steel like. Ginny's lip trembled slightly and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears at his rebuke.
"I-I understand, sir," she said quietly, looking down at the floor. Dumbledore turned to the twins,
"And do you?"
They both looked at each for a moment before saying very slowly, in grumbling tones, "…sure."
"Whatever."
"What do you mean for us to do though, Albus?" Mrs. Weasley asked, interrupting the flow of conversation.
"I mean to unite the Weasley Family entirely on this subject. Like when Sirius was alive, it is imperative that we all work together-"
"But the spy!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, looking horrified.
"The remainder of the Order has yet to be told, and most likely never will be. It is merely your family and Viktor Krum – along with Professor McGonagall – who will know of Draco's location.
"I am telling you all of this because Mr. Malfoy, even under the Fidelis Charm is subject to threats. The Dark Lord still possesses the power attack him through Legilimency - !"
"I thought that required eye contact," Fred interrupted. Dumbledore turned to face him,
"It does not always, though for the majority of wizards it does. When you are one as powerful as Voldemort though, eye contact no longer matters. Harry revealed that in his 5th year, though he was linked through his scar." Dumbledore turned back to Mrs. Weasley, continuing on seriously,
"He, like Harry was in his 5th year, is often times subject to sensing random fits of his old master. I still have yet to determine how this happens. It is possible it is through the Dark Mark – though if that were the case, all the Death Eaters would be, and Severus Snape has no such insight.
"The point is, Draco Malfoy needs another place where he can be safe – and more importantly, be offered companionship. It is just as dangerous to walk into a horde of Death Eaters alone and unarmed, as it is to be locked away in an empty room with only the comfort of one's own twisting and doubting thoughts."
Draco and Harry both looked up at Dumbledore's words, and their eyes met for the briefest of seconds. Both looked away immediately, though Harry felt his insides squirm slightly. He'd been doing that more and more often: locking himself away to the world, dwelling moodily on Ron and Hermione's apparent affection for each other.
"I hope that the Burrow, home to one of the most loyal families of the Order, would be such a place for Draco."
"And it will," Mrs. Weasley said firmly, pressing her lips into a firm, thin line and beginning to tie an apron around her waist, "It's Christmas Day, and we'll have a feast in honor of it." She looked over at Draco, looking extremely motherly,
"What's your favorite dish, Draco?" She asked kindly. He looked quite taken aback, and looked around uneasily. No doubt he'd never been asked this before, Harry realized, knowing that during his stay at the Dursleys his favorites were never asked.
Draco cleared his throat, "Um…anything is fine."
"Oh, you're such a dear!" She exclaimed, looking almost as if she might run forwards and hug him at any moment. Draco, perhaps fearing this, moved back towards the safety of Dumbledore. Mrs. Weasley bustled off into the next room, and Mr. Weasley stepped forwards, holding out his hand,
"I don't believe I ever had the chance to properly introduce myself before. Arthur Weasley at your service, Mr. Malfoy, and anything I own is open to you."
Draco took his hand after a moment's hesitation, his face looking so surprised it almost would have been comical had not the weight of what was taking place been so serious. "Draco Malfoy at yours, sir."
Mr. Weasley smiled brightly, "You're welcome to share Ron and Harry's room – I'm sure there's room," he looked over at Ron for confirmation, who nodded slowly. Mr. Weasley then turned expectantly towards the twins, who slowly walked over – looking thoroughly used.
"Fred Weasley."
"George."
They each grunted in turn, shaking hands once and quickly turning back to their original position, standing by the wall with their arms crossed. One of the Father Christmas-gnomes gave a high pitched yodel from his dangling position on one of the middle branches of the tree. Draco looked at it in surprise, and Dumbledore laughed lightly,
"I see that the Weasley's sense of adaptation is working quite as well as it always did. How is your joke shop, Fred – George?"
"Good," Fred grunted.
"The Ministry's buying our Defense Wear as soon as it comes into stock," George elaborated. Fred gave him a filthy glance, and they both fell silent.
Dumbledore either didn't notice or pretended not to, instead turning to look at Harry, "And how have you been?"
"Well enough sir," Harry lied, avoiding his gaze, fearful that Dumbledore might have already anticipated his feelings for Hermione.
"How's Fawkes?" Ron asked, clearly referring to Aberforth as his bird form in the hopes that Ginny might not be included on that secret as well.
"He is quite well, though a little irritated with the state of his goats. One in particular, who he firmly attests has not been his former self since the last visit you three had."
Harry grinned. Hermione had taken all the 'bad' out of Snapper the goat. Dumbledore smiled lightly, watching him closely, and Harry quickly rearranged his features to one of nonchalance. This only seemed to entertain Dumbledore more, and he turned to look at Draco instead,
"I'll leave you here now."
"But you must stay for dinner, Albus!" Mr. Weasley interjected, "It's Christmas…you shouldn't have it alone!"
"No, I'm quite fine, Arthur. In fact, I had quite a nice evening planned with Fawkes and a few scrolls. He's going to help me look over some articles of great interest. I'll just pop into the other room and say goodbye to Molly first, or I doubt she'll ever forgive me."
He left everyone in the room smiling faintly at this, and Harry turned to Draco, feeling as if it were his duty to reel Draco into the holiday spirit despite the apparent unwillingness of the twins and Ginny.
"So what have you been up to this whole school year?" Harry asked after a moment's hesitation as he sought to think of a question.
Draco looked genuinely surprised at the question, and it took him a moment to reply. "Nothing really. School work, mostly." He looked around the room awkwardly. Mr. Weasley smiled encouragingly,
"You've got your head in the right place, Draco. Been handling the load for upcoming N.E.W.T.s well enough?"
Draco nodded slowly, and Mr. Weasley gave him a short round of applause, looking around at the rest of his family for support. "Very good, very good."
When no one else joined in, he stopped, clasping his hands behind his back and taking a deep breath. "And how is your mother?"
"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen her since the beginning of last year."
No one made any response to this for the longest time, and then, thankfully, Dumbledore reappeared in the doorway, smiling genially,
"Well, I'm off. Happy Christmas to you all."
"The same to you," Mr. Weasley said, nodding his head and giving Dumbledore a wide smile. Dumbledore waved at them all and then stepped out the door, disappearing with a loud crack.
"Well, let's make room for Draco on the couch!" Mr. Weasley said brightly. Ginny immediately spread out from her fetal ball, taking up as much room as possible. Harry skirted automatically to the right of the couch, as far away from her as possible. Awkwardly, Draco took the now proffered seat, and Mr. Weasley exclaimed cheerily, "I'll go get you some cocoa – would you like a peppermint stick?"
Again, Draco looked surprised, and then he quickly shook his head. "No thank you…sir."
Mr. Weasley looked at him for a moment and then said quietly, "There's no need to call me that. We're all family now."
Draco looked at him seriously and shook his head, "You deserve respect, Mr. Weasley, and…" he took a breath and then said in barely more than a whisper, "You're a greater man than my father – I'd call you sir just for that, and I cannot believe I was so foolish to believe your family beneath mine earlier, when in truth … it was the other way around."
A faint line of red was creeping up his neck and face as he said this, and no one spoke for a long while, though when Harry looked surreptitiously over at Draco he saw that his eyes were hard and blazing, daring anyone to make fun of him.
"Well, I'll just go get that cocoa then." Mr. Weasley hurried into the next room. Fred and George both made indiscernible noises from behind Harry, their faint whispers barely audible to those on the couch. Harry turned to Draco,
"Did Dumbledore - ?"
Mr. Weasley re-entered the room, followed by Mrs. Weasley, who was looking extremely harried, though a wide smile was plastered across her features – and whenever she caught sight of Draco, she would give a maternal smile and sigh.
"Well, dinner's on the stove, and all the presents have been unwrapped…" she pursed her lips together, looking worried for a moment, and then continued, "…and Remus and Nymphadora – well, they'll be back when it pleases them. So," she sat down in her chair, surveying them all, "let's talk. How has the school year been?"
Mr. Weasley handed Draco his mug of cocoa and sat down in his own chair, looking over at them all.
"Fine," Ron grunted.
"Boring," Ginny stated icily.
"Pretty well," Harry added.
"How's Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "I must admit – I was thoroughly expecting her to spend Christmas with us, considering she's dating Ron now and all, but I guess-!"
"Mum!" Ron hissed between gritted teeth, his face turning completely red. For the first time since Draco's arrival, Fred and George let out two hoots of laughter and pranced over to Ron.
"Oh, does ickle ronnikins have a girlfriend?"
"Ickle baby ronny and his darling Hermyowninny!" George crowed, imitating Krum's horrible accent of Hermione's name. Mrs. Weasley turned on them both furiously, though her eyes were smiling,
"Oh leave him alone you two! At least he has a girl, which is more than I can say for you two; tricks don't make a family!"
"Molly…" Mr. Weasley started, his voice slightly strained even though he himself couldn't help but grinning at the twins' outraged and then bemused expressions.
"But girls don't bring in money,"
"and money makes the world go round," Fred concluded, nodding his head. Draco fidgeted awkwardly beside Harry, and Harry immediately understood how he felt, having felt the same way before whenever the Weasleys spoke of monetary issues.
"Besides, we're perfectly content to spend the day pittering around in our shop,"
"…or the attic," George added. Fred smiled, and for a moment they seemed to have forgotten Draco's presence completely as they proceeded to torment Ron further, despite Mrs. Weasley's attempts to stop them. Then the front door opened and Lupin and Tonks both entered the Burrow, both looking extremely pleased with themselves, Tonks even managed to lift his blanket into the air and properly fold it on one of the coat shelves.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and Fred looked over at Malfoy, his smile fading instantly.
"Hello, Weasleys!" Tonks exclaimed happily, pushing Lupin's wheelchair into the crowded room and unwrapping her scarf, revealing bright red cheeks and sparkling eyes. Something flashed silver in the sunlight streaming in from the window over the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley let out a gasp of excitement,
"Is that-?!"
"Yes!" Tonks shrieked, as if she'd been holding it in for a millennia. Mrs. Weasley leapt up from her chair and enveloped her in a huge, suffocating hug that Tonks eagerly returned, and Mr. Weasley stood up from his chair, beaming as he walked over to Lupin –
"Remus, I'm incredibly happy for you."
Lupin smiled, "So am I…" he looked over at Tonks, his face brightening, and Mr. Weasley laughed, giving him a pat on the back.
"Lucky man!" Fred exclaimed, hurrying forwards to shake hands with Lupin, quickly followed by George. Ron and Harry stepped forwards as well, and Draco stood around awkwardly in the background, Ginny eyeing him coldly for a moment before joining in the queue to congratulate Lupin.
"Professor," Harry began. His eyes met Lupin's and they both laughed, shaking hands, "Congratulations, you'll both be very happy together," Harry said, attempting to direct all of his happiness and surprise at their announcement in those few simple words. Thankfully, Lupin understood and nodded his head,
"As I know you will be too one day, Harry. It may take you a while to find where your feelings truly lie – it certainly did with me – but when you do, I know you won't be afraid to place your heart on the line."
Harry smiled awkwardly, his thoughts immediately racing to Hermione tightly embraced in Ron's arms, her face illuminated with pure joy and radiance, Ron beaming as he stared at the girl in his arms … he shuddered and quickly moved aside, avoiding everyone's eyes and instead staring avidly at the floor, attempting to bury his tumultuous emotions beneath a wide grin and a hearty laugh.
.xxxxxxx.
Dinner was a truly festive occasion, despite the forced silence Draco was obliged to maintain and the frequent stares at his perfectly set and fully rationed place from Tonks. She and Lupin were truly the center of the occasion that evening, though Harry sensed Lupin realized he had intruded on an important event … the crossing of a family feud miles wide … and he continuously tried to back out of his mistake, making up several reasons of why he and Tonks ought to go – each of which was shot down by the twins and Ginny.
Harry, on the other hand, was perfectly content to let his old teacher and his new fiancée steal the spotlight, finally given the time to brood on the emotions that had been threatening to eat his heart out, leaving him as empty and shell-like as any dementor would have. As the candles slowly melted, their wax dripping down the steadily decreasing stumps and fermenting half way down to create curious and twisted forms, and the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, the sky darkening and spreading her starry mantle across the country side; blanketing them all in the surrounding beauty and music of the night, the conversation gradually slowed to a mere trickle of thought and sleepy congratulations. Lupin and Tonks were led to the door amid cheery goodbyes, several left over pies and other assorted foods stuffed into their hands, and a thin flurry of snow. The door shut behind them, and George let out an earsplitting yawn. Mr. Weasley looked at him, looking slightly bemused despite his drooping eyes and said happily,
"Alright. Off to bed, Weasleys!"
The cries of protest quickly ensued, though they were half hearted, and even Ron looked exhausted.
"No, it's bed time. Good night!" Mrs. Weasley said briskly, she eyed Draco. "I'll fetch you a blanket and show you to your room."
"Mum!"
"Ron and I can do it," Harry said quickly, too tired to listen to Mrs. Weasley's motherly worries for the next hour.
She looked apprehensive, "You'll be…" he eyes flickered from Ron to Draco, "…nice?"
"He saved Harry and Hermione's life, mum," Ron said, his voice slightly cold at her lack of faith in him. She looked at him in surprise, and he quickly turned to the stairs, followed closely by Harry and then, after a moment's hesitation, Draco.
They shut the door to Ron's room behind them, and Harry set down the candle Mrs. Weasley had given him on the table by the window. Ron looked at the two beds, scanning the crammed room for some extra space.
"We'll put him by your dresser," Harry said after a pause during which he too looked for a suitable location for the new bed.
"Alright. But how do we conjure a bed again, Harry?"
Even before he'd finished speaking, a bed landed on the ground with a soft thud in the predestined location. Draco pocketed his wand, looking over at their surprised expressions and allowing them a smile, even if it was small and wry.
"I'm not going to make you two do all the work. What kind of a guest would I be then?"
Ron looked around the room shiftily for a moment and then grunted, "Thanks…Malfoy." Draco didn't answer, instead he gave a short nod and then sat down on the bed, waving his wand over himself and magically chaning into his pajamas. Ron turned his back to Draco as the latter lay down and pulled the covers up to his chin; instead turning to Harry and muttering,
"I'm not even going to ask how he managed to do that."
"Clearly he's been getting some lessons we haven't…and he's succeeded at them," Harry replied, pulling his shirt on over his head. Ron nodded in agreement,
"Yeah. But he's still Malfoy."
Harry blew out the candle.
A/N:
This chapter was much shorter than I had envisioned, mainly because it was meant to be conjoined with the previous one, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to type it up then and had to split them both, which was nothing but detrimental to the story … but what's done is done :( .
Note: due to the requests of some reviewers (and well founded requests they are) I am now going to place "warnings" before a spoiler. Since many of your questions deal with the plot of the story though, I will place in a system thusly: (SPOILER WARNING) "…spoiler…" (END SPOILER)
Hopefully this system will work and readers who do not wish to know what happens can merely skip over the spoiler. Please give me feedback if you don't agree with "the spoiler shmeal" and I'll do my best to think up another way. And now, on to replies!!
chase.and.cameron.4ever.93: (smiles at answer) Well, I won't say who Ron ends up with, however I will state that I'll try to make it up to you – referring to no R/Hr of course – and that I think you'll be happy with the outcome.
lordchandler: Yes, it is the one with spies, and yes, Ginny did get "a whopper to hand over" – but one must ask, (grinning evilly) is she the spy? Other people also have some more information than they need, and that might not be entirely beneficial…In terms of Hermione? Yeah, I thought it was a tad out of character for her too when I was considering it, and then I said to myself 'she's worried, and generally when she's worried she goes to Harry – but this time she's worried about him, so who does she turn to but Ron?' basically, I convinced myself she would have supported her worries with fact, as most persuaders do, and the facts she would have had to have given were the ones she did.
mathiasgranger: Yes, I agree, he does have a jealousy issue – though he is trying to get over it. (SPOILER WARNING) R/Hr is set for the moment, to last until Valentine's Day – however it might be sooner if I can't think of enough things to fill in until then… Sorry, I feel your 'ick' too, but this is the final stage that every relationship has to go through. (END SPOILER)
Souunga: Actually it's a good thing, Dobby is a highly characterized part of Harry's life, and to not include him in some measure would just make the story less realistic (not that I can make Harry Potter realistic, but you get the point…)
grannyHPfan: Well that's good, I swear, I had a heart attack when I realized what got posted (gasping at memory and feverishly checking chapter for evil typos) Unfortunately I am not sure with what you mean when you mention "the bird thing", but I'll assume you mean 'heron'. That is the official ship name of R/Hr, or at least it was last time I checked… Yes, there still are two Horcruxes left but (SPOILER WARNING) HP and his friends have another trip they'll need to go on first… (END SPOILER) Ginny? Yes, Dumbledore was sort of "baiting" her, sort of assessing her. The full extent of his intentions will be later revealed. Unfortunately, the rest will also unravel itself, and I'll have to leave you hanging…
Wolviezchick: Okay (phew). Actually, I think I'll put in a scene like that just for you, though later on… The 7th book? Well, I don't know what to think of it either. When asked by my friends, I've said a variety of things – mainly because it depended on my mood. I think the most famous of them was when I said, "I'll pre-order it, read it – even when it turns R/Hr and H/G – and then stop at the very last page and lock up the book so I can't read it. That way, I'll still be able to say 'H/Hr could have happened in that last page'" I think my answer is the same at this moment, though it might change.
Ricky Leingod: …Ginny…well, she'll reveal herself sooner or later – though I think you know which one it is – and I can't reveal more on it… Thanks for reviewing!
CharmedNightSkye: Presents? Yerp, I had fun with that, though I won't promise any ship outcomes at the moment (I'm still undecided on the ending, though I'm currently leaning about 80 percent towards a … well, … ending) I couldn't resist the twin comment either, besides, I think that had she been younger they probably would have gone for her. She's their type. But I do not ship Tonks/Fred/George. It was a purely hypothetical statement to any loonies reading this reply… Dumbledore's Severity? Time alone will tell…
caramary: Fighting? Unfortunately (that is, if you wanted one) (SPOILER WARNING) there won't. I plan on Ron … letting it go peacefully to put it easily so as not to reveal anything too much, and Harry, on the other hand, I think would hurt himself rather than Ron. (END SPOILER)
John the visionary: I agree completely with you, and hope with all of me that JKR will realize this and make H/Hr the final couple, or at least make Harry fall for Hermione even if it ends up R/Hr, with him loving her on the sidelines. H/G would be more than I could bear. Thank you for reviewing!
HP55: Thank you, and I assure you that I will, despite all evils, etc. etc. – unless I become a huge procrastinator – (laughing) I kid. I intend to finish this story. Thank you for reviewing!
Thanks to all, and I hope I covered all the spoilers. I apologize for any I missed to tag, and please continue to R & R!!!
.LuvFantasy.