Chapter 38
"Would the next witch or wizard please step forward for questioning?"
Draco and his family were passing through the Ministry of Magic, now under new management, thanks to the Death Eater raid earlier that year, and he passed something that intrigued him. He slowed his brisk pace, and noticed a line of rather confused and worried-looking people, following the directions of a few Ministry workers. He glanced at the front of the line, a doorway opened into a dark hallway blocked off by red rope. Above the doorway read a sign: Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Draco then noticed a witch exiting a different door, next to the entrance, in tears. Her frazzled husband(or brother, what did Draco care?) was trying to comfort her. He overheard their conversation.
"Oh, John, she's lying! I didn't steal anything. Ollivander gave me that wand, and she's calling me a thief! That cruel woman's taken my wand, my job… I thought I was being invited for a Ministry position! But now… I have nothing…"
He tried to reassure her, "I know, dear, it doesn't make sense. If those blasted Dementors weren't there, I'd have given that old biddy a piece of my mind. At least you aren't being sent to Azkaban, like the poor man ahead of us…" He took her into his arms as she cried softly, tears streaming down her face, and guided her out of earshot.
Draco listened with curiosity, but what he heard unsettled him. What he usually would have scoffed at without a second thought worried him. Was that crying woman a Mudblood? And her wand and job confiscated simply because of that fact? Who, he wondered, was the cruel woman she talking about?
"Mum?" Draco inquired as he caught back up to his parents, "What was that line of people back there? Some woman just came out the opposite door, sobbing, and I'm rather confused as to why."
Narcissa glanced back, and saw the line of witches and wizards, answering easily, "That would be the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, son. Muggle-Borns are summoned to the Ministry, where Dolores Umbridge questions them. She usually takes their wands and sends them packing. There have even been a few Half-Bloods called in, if they have questionable family histories…"
"Some of them are even sent to Azkaban for their crimes, or rather, existence in the Dark Lord's pure world, so they don't dirty it up," Draco's father finished with a small smile, "And if they resist the summons, let's just say the Snatchers aren't very forgiving!"
Draco let their words sink in, and he added, his nervousness threatening to break through, "What of the Muggle-born students at Hogwarts?"
"They're soon to be sent for by the Ministry, I believe," Lucius mused. He then muttered, "The word is that some of them are already on the run to avoid it. Stupid little ingrates."
"Calm down, dear, there's nothing you can do to stop them. Let them meet their dooms without making a scene. Now, let's just keep to what we are to do here."
"What are we doing here, anyway?" Draco whined, "I'm tired, and we've been walking about here forever."
Lucius scolded his tone gently, "Quiet, son. We're here to find Yaxley, and deliver something to the Dark Lord, a message from an old ally at Durmstrang, and apparently he's been…"
Draco tuned out his father, who kept rambling as they walked, and when Lucius paused to take a breath, Draco rolled his eyes, interrupting, "All right, all right, I get it. Something important, and we can't mess it up, or else. Same story as always."
Lucius nodded, content with his son's acquiescence. Draco tagged along, though only acting the part of the engaged Death Eater, and not even doing that very well. He was verily starting to lose interest, and his anxiety and fear in what his being a Death Eater implied in terms of his affiliations and impending tasks had been building in him for months. They apparently completed the task, and traveled by Floo Powder back to Malfoy Manor, and turned the message over to Draco's aunt Bellatrix. She was acting as the all-too-eager medium until the Dark Lord returned. Draco could relax a little, knowing he wasn't at risk of being confronted or entrusted another task by the Dark Lord. After spending some time sitting around as his parents and other Death Eaters discussed what the message could mean for You-Know-Who's plan, Draco left as soon as he could, using the excuse of his last chance to study for term exams.
Draco arrived in the middle of the Forbidden Forest moments later, and sighed, leaning against an old tree, its roots gnarled with age. The scene at the Ministry with the Muggle-Borns was still replaying in his head, and he could very easily imagine Charlotte in the very same position, breaking down in the middle of a Ministry hallway, a shattered and hurt witch without her magic, her identity. He wouldn't let that happen, he couldn't. It then occurred to Draco that the Ministry must locate its Muggle-Born victims through records, including school records, and he himself had seen to it that hers was changed to exhibit a Pureblood status for Miss Charlotte LaRocque. He breathed an audible sigh of relief, and wandered back to Hogwarts castle, ignoring the cold, and not caring to look about for approaching centaurs or other monsters. It was early evening, and he was in no rush. He simply wanted to get back to his dormitory, and sleep.
The following morning, Draco awoke to normal Sunday sounds, boys milling about, reading the Daily Prophet aloud to one another, remarking about what they read, commenting on the photos and making up stories about the people or creatures in them. He stretched and sat up, realizing he had a free day to catch up on schoolwork. He smiled when he realized this also meant he had a whole day to spend with Charlotte. Draco got up, dressed, and glanced absently over his shoulder at the paper a few boys were poring over. The page they were turned to just so happened to discuss the very thing he'd witnessed yesterday. The familiar, almost cheery-looking sign over the ominous door, but there were no nervous people in line in front of it. Only an ominous figure, that of the new Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, and a smiling little figure of Dolores Umbridge.
Draco recalled the days he was a part of Umbridge's official Inquisitorial Squad in his fifth year with a dark sense of nostalgia at those days of constant, and justified, sneaking around and sniffing out trouble. He shook his head, remembering his bustling enthusiasm as the nearly impossible prospect of catching every single wrongdoer. Rule breakers were still an annoyance to him, but he wasn't about to go around accusing everyone that might be up to something. Draco was an offender himself, breaking a big taboo in his Pureblood-supremacy family and among his fellow Death Eaters. His dating Charlotte, a Mudblood through and through, could cause his family to turn their backs on him, and the thought of that scared him. Their approval was important to him, and he would hate to lose it. But right now, he didn't want to worry about such things. He was going to see the girl he loved, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
He was going to surprise her, but he stopped before barging into the study, not wanting a repeat of what happened only a couple of weeks before. Draco lightly knocked on the study door, awaiting an answer. It was opened, and a ponytailed Charlotte stood before him.
Her face brightened at the sight of him, "Draco! You're back early!" She shut the door behind him, and wrapped her arms around him, sighing happily. "It's nice to see you."
"And you as well, Charlotte…" He buried his face in her neck and inhaled deeply, holding her tightly in return. He was reluctant to release her, and before he did, he kissed her lightly.
Smiling, she asked, "What was that for?"
He shrugged, "No reason. I just missed you, and I'm happy you're safe."
She examined his face, and asked seriously, "Is everything okay? You're not usually this affectionate when you come back from a weekend at home." Charlotte sat down, and Draco joined her on the sofa.
A fire was crackling pleasantly in the hearth, and Draco watched it as he carefully chose his words, so as not to convey his growing worry for her, and replied, "I'm fine, it was just a troublesome couple of days, as usual. What shall we do today, Charlotte?"
She had a feeling something else was on his mind, but decided to let Draco tell her on his own time, she hated to pry. "I've nearly finished with my Dark Arts homework, care to help me? If you have anything you need doing, I can help you, too, as per usual," she smiled sweetly, straightening her ponytail.
"Sure," he paused, "Don't you mean, 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'?"
"Isn't that what I said? Sorry, must have been parroting some poster I saw."
"What poster?"
"Something about class changes, they must've just gone up yesterday. I'm a little preoccupied about them, as the required classes sound a little frightening."
"What do you mean, 'frightening'?"
"Well, for starters, one is called simply 'Dark Arts', as if we can be legally taught Dark Magic in school. Dumbledore would have never allowed it, but…" she paused as a flicker of pain fleetingly crossed Draco's face, and she softened as she continued, "And then there is a class called 'Muggle Studies', but we already have that class that you can take, don't we? Why would they add another one?" she frowned, confused and a little worried.
Draco paled a bit, "Oh no…"
Charlotte was at a loss, "What? What's wrong?"
He sighed and glanced sideways at her, "The Dark Lord has been meaning to make Hogwarts a place where new followers might be discovered, and trained in Dark Magic. If they're starting these classes next term, then his plan is going into action. And that also could mean that students like you are going to be in very real danger in the near future."
"What do you mean, students like me?" she was almost afraid to ask.
Draco hesitated, looking down, "Muggle-borns."
"Why? What's going on? You know something about this, don't you? If you do, please tell me, I have to know what I may have to face," she tried not to let her voice shake.
He sighed, and said regretfully, "This weekend, while I was at the Ministry of Magic, doing some secret job or another, I saw what is known as the Muggle-Born Registration Commission."
"What is that, Draco?"
"It's a trap. Muggle-Borns are called in as if it were for a commendation, when in fact they…" Draco went on to illustrate what he saw, and what he knew about the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.
At the end of his description, Charlotte was stunned, "And they're targeting people simply because they are Muggle-Born?"
Draco nodded gravely.
They sat in silence for a few moments, and Charlotte was the one to break it, speaking softly, "How… how do you know you're being summoned?"
"You'd get a letter from the Ministry asking for you presence concerning an undisclosed manner," he turned to her, panicking, "You haven't gotten one, have you?"
She shook her head, "No, I haven't. And you say students are in danger as well?"
"Not yet. But I'm assuming next term is when they might start sending for them." Draco looked at the girl sitting next to him. He regretted speaking of this, because her once-cheerful expression had fallen into one with a hint of fear as she stared at the ground, lost in thought. He took Charlotte's hand in his, and she looked up at him, hopeful. He spoke to her in a low voice, "But, you know, Charlotte, I think you'll be safe."
She brightened a bit, "I will?"
Draco nodded, "Remember how at the beginning of the school year I asked Snape to change your school record?" When she nodded vaguely, he continued, "For all practical reasons, according to your file, you're a Pureblood witch. That's all anyone researching the students at Hogwarts will see."
She visibly relaxed, her hand becoming less tense in Draco's grip, and said, "Oh, Draco, that's wonderful. How can I ever thank you for doing that?"
"I guess it turned out to be a better idea than I expected." He smirked.
"But what of the other students?"
"I'm not sure. They'll either attend their summons, or go on the run, is my guess. My chief concern is keeping you under the radar, and close to me."
"I have no objection to that, my dear," Charlotte snuggled close to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Draco laughed softly, placing an arm around her protectively.
"You know, I couldn't help but picture you in the same situation as that woman, and it really scared me," he said, honestly, "So I'm going to do everything that I can to prevent such an injustice from happening to you."
"Thank you, Draco." She paused, and added, "That would explain the kiss when you first saw me today then, wouldn't it?" Draco blushed, and Charlotte continued, "Not that I minded it, it was just out of the blue. In fact, it was very sweet. And now I appreciate it even more."
"That's good. Because here's another…" Draco leaned forward, and their lips met. Charlotte giggled as he began running his fingers up and down her sides, tickling her.
"Draco," she managed, between giggles, "Draco, please! Someone might hear us!"
"What are you talking about? There's no one here but us, and these walls absorb lots of sound. If no one came to investigate all the explosive charms we practiced last year, no one's coming to monitor us simply because you're ticklish. If you don't want to be heard, simply stop laughing!"
"Oh, but… I can't help it!" she laughed breathlessly, writhing in his grasp. She finally got a hold of his hands, took them from her waist, and he let them be held tightly to his sides. Draco was amused by her little gesture, laughing as well, and waited for her to speak. She finally did, after catching her breath, "Now, Draco, we have homework that needs doing. After that we can goof off all we want."
"You're cute when you try to act serious." Draco noted, tilting his head to one side playfully.
She nudged his shoulder as she stood, straightening her ponytail, "Oh, hush. Come on now, I know you have something you need to work on." He rolled his eyes at her, feigning irritation, but she wasn't fooled, and he retrieved his homework without protest. He knew that pushing his worry about Charlotte and the Muggle-Born Commission to the back of his mind was going to be difficult, but being with Charlotte always made the hard tasks a little easier, and for that he was grateful. All he could do was hope and pray that his worries would go unsubstantiated, and enjoy her healing and pleasant company.