Detention.
"Yeah," said Bill, though it was more of a tired exhale. He cleared a stack of books off his desk while Charlie laid out a plate of biscuits and water. Fleur sat quietly on the couch by the fireplace, reading a book on her lap. "It's always the simplest things in the end, isn't it? Though, I wish I'd thought of it earlier."
"But… detention?" It was difficult for Theodore to get over, having never received detention in his six years at Hogwarts. Even if it was only a cover for their meeting.
"We couldn't very well just keep on waiting, now could we?" said Charlie with a smile. "Time favours no one, but he's particularly not on our side; we've received word that a few key members of the Ministry have gone missing."
Draco thought he heard Bill grumble the word "Fudge" as he placed an armful of musty scrolls on an already overladen bench. However, when he turned to face them, he was smiling as usual. "Now, shall we get straight to business?"
Draco looked at Theodore before beginning. "Well," he said, drawing out the word. He related to them Vincent's appearance and the bit of conversation they caught between him and Colette – how they were responsible for the explosions at Hogwarts. It wasn't the most detailed telling, and at the end, it was apparent Bill and Charlie had many questions, but, for some reason, held off on their inquiries.
"Thank you," Bill said after a long pause, and after a heavy sigh. "I'm glad we managed to work together on this, gentlemen."
"If I may, Professor," Theodore said quickly after, sensing that they might be dismissed. He rose from his seat, casting what Draco thought was a quick smile his way as he did. "I know your Order of the Phoenix likely expressed some opposition to my reunion with Draco over the winter break, and, as a show of gratitude – and faith – I'd like to share with you some additional information that may lend to your cause."
The Weasley brothers exchanged glances, and Draco noted that Fleur shifted in her seat, though she didn't look over. "Go ahead," said Bill with a nod.
"Very well. It is my belief that, while his involvement is undeniable, Vincent Crabbe did not orchestrate the attacks and attempted assassination of the Headmaster – because, let's be honest, that much is obvious – nor do I think Colette is the mastermind either. I think whatever they're involved in is much larger than you think – and it's clear that you, Professor, and probably a select few others, such as your brothers and fiancée, believe there is another group moving in this conflict." Theodore paused, allowing the opportunity for reaction, but when it seemed neither Bill nor Charlie nor Fleur would, he carried on. "They're an organization comprised of Wizards, Witches, and Muggles, and my best supposition as to why they're targeting the Headmaster is because they're out to revolutionize Wizarding Society, and Professor Dumbledore is a pillar to the current institution."
"That – That's a lot to swallow at once, Theodore," commented Charlie with something between a hiccup and a laugh.
When Theodore was sitting once more at the table, Bill looked him in the eyes. "Revolutionize how?" he asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine on that – but, judging from the crowd they gathered, maybe a sort of integration between the magic and non-magic worlds."
Draco straightened in his seat. "The Minister for Magic," he said.
"Is likely a target as well," agreed Theodore.
"And the Muggle Prime Minister?"
Theodore shrugged. "Anything could happen."
The room grew uncomfortably silent. "What do we zink?" said Fleur, breaking the pensive atmosphere. She had finally turned, leaning leisurely on the arm of the couch to face them. "Infiltration? Reconnaissance?"
"Shouldn't we talk to … the others first?" asked Charlie, looking to his brother with obvious uncertainty.
"They won't believe you if your source is Draco and myself," answered Theodore for Bill. "And they already have difficulty believing you; they probably still think it's Death Eaters." Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend, wishing he wouldn't be so smug at a time like this; he wanted to learn more before being escorted out.
"Is that true?" asked Draco, trying to sound innocent in his curiosity.
"Nothing's perfect," said Bill with a smile before waving off the question and moving on. "I'm assuming neither of you have heard anything from this group since that event?"
"I guess we weren't the type they were hoping to recruit," mused Draco out loud. Again, Theodore merely shrugged.
"What about zis Colette? Can we not find her? Detain her? Force her to speak?"
"Things don't quite work that way, my love," Bill replied, meeting Fleur's gaze.
"Well, maybe it should, zen," she remarked, turning away and back to her book. "Is not zee point of doing zings differently to be different?"
Bill sighed. "Anything else you want to share with us, Theo?" he asked.
Theodore smirked. "Not for free, no."
Bill's smile tightened, and he suddenly looked very tired. "You're not making this easy for us. As you said, we're having a hard-enough time trying to convince the elder members of the Order that things have changed since the last war – that people can be trusted despite their blood status and affiliations, that everyone should be given a fair chance."
"The principles of Professor Dumbledore; I'm surprised your own Order is struggling to adhere to that," Theodore noted, donning a sympathetic grin.
"Apparently, the fear and distrust runs deeper than we 'young ones' can understand," explained Bill tersely. His smile faded as he regarded Theodore from across the table. "Are you proposing a fee or a trade for your information?"
"A trade," answered Theodore.
"And what would you like?"
"You have to know," said Draco, as he and Theodore walked back to their common room, "that neither Bill nor Charlie, nor even Fleur has the authority or clout to give you what you've asked for."
"Perhaps – although, I think you're forgetting that the French beauty is part-Veela," replied Theodore, causing Draco to laugh a little, unwittingly. Theodore sighed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his robe. "They may not be in the position to fulfill my demand, but they're connected to the people who can." He slowed a little, his long and lanky legs moving at a more leisured pace. "Unless, of course, you enjoy being their pet." While the Order had allowed Draco more freedom and involved him in more matters, he knew they had simply given a bit of slack to his lead – an implication Theodore made plain right before requesting that the Order relieve Draco from their custody. "Don't be so surprised," he added with a knowing smile. "I do nice things every now and then."
Turning the last corner leading to their common room, they found Hermione leaning against a wall, reading.
"Are you waiting for me?" Draco asked, walking up to her. He smiled as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"There's an emergency prefect meeting," she informed him, putting her book away and waving at Theodore as they parted ways and set out for the meeting. "Did you really have detention with Bill?"
"With Professor William Weasley, yes, we did," confirmed Draco.
"For what?"
Frowning slightly to himself, Draco answered, "For performing poorly on the last quiz, it would seem."
"Really?" Hermione looked at him questioningly. "History is one of your better subjects – and I can't imagine Theo doing poorly in any subject. Is everything alright?"
Draco sighed internally, then took Hermione's hand in his, entwining their fingers. "We haven't had a moment to ourselves for a while, and you want to talk about detention?" He brought her hand to his lips.
"You know," Hermione said with a cynical sort of smile. "You and I are going to have to start telling each other the unabridged truth sometime."
"We will," replied Draco, mirroring her expression. And he meant it.
"Have you talked to Luna recently?" Hermione asked next, expertly switching subjects as they continued their way. Admittedly, Draco had barely seen the Ravenclaw fifth year since returning after the winter break, and he hadn't the time to search for her, though he had wondered how she was holding up. "I'm really worried about her," Hermione said quietly, squeezing Draco's hand. "She won't talk to me – she's actually gotten to avoiding me – me, Harry, Ron, even Neville."
"She'll be at the meeting," Draco assured his girlfriend, hoping his words would be true. As it turned out, he would not be made a liar, but Luna pointedly avoided them, seemingly disappearing only to reappear on the opposite side of the room whenever they tried to approach her. The Head Girl called the assembly to attention and everyone quieted down.
"There are going to be some changes going forward," said Angelina Johnson without preamble. She looked over all the prefects with an expression of practiced determination. "But first: Connor Maynard of Ravenclaw, will retain the title of Head Boy, and will not be replaced for the remainder of this school year. This same decision has been made for Ginny Weasley of Gryffindor." Her eyes went momentarily to Ron, taking a breath before continuing. "I know all of you – like Connor and Ginny – acted quickly and bravely during the incident on the Quidditch pitch, and for your actions we counted fewer casualties than we might have. On behalf of the school and the faculty, the entire student body, parents, guardians, and the Ministry, I thank you." There was no applause for the prefects, no congratulatory words for persevering under difficult circumstances, but each one looked around the room, meeting the eyes of their peers in recognition of what they had done – the lives they had managed to save, despite the ones they had lost. After allowing a moment, Angelina pressed on. "Going forward, Prefect Patrols will be accompanied by at least one senior year prefect, as well as a Professor, at all times. Also, our emergency procedures have been updated and outlined in this handout. Fifth Year prefects: please ensure these are posted on the bulletin boards in your common rooms; Seventh Year prefects, please review them with your house in the morning. Please take special note of the increased severity and subsequent penalty of breaking curfew, which applies to all students, including prefects who are not on duty."
The meeting went on for quite a while longer, mostly reviewing updated procedure and security in the school. Near the end, it was announced that Quidditch would be postponed until further notice; Angelina's personal message on this was to tell any "Quaffle-heads" who asked, not to hold their breath. Draco personally felt he might not play Quidditch ever again. After everyone was dismissed, a few of the older prefects gathered around Angelina, and could be overheard asking about news or leads on the investigation. Catching Hermione and Ron's eyes, he motioned for them to linger behind to eavesdrop on the older students' conversation.
"Nothing's reached me," said Angelina with a sigh. "I don't know what they're looking into, and I can't seem to find anyone doing anything in particular. I've asked McGonagall so many times, she's threatened to set me on detention for the rest of term if I don't stop."
"Snape seems convinced it's just another prank," shared one of the Slytherin prefects.
"Or he just doesn't care," offered her partner with a snicker. "But the attack was too broad to be a hate crime against Mud – I mean, non-pure-bloods."
"What about Potter?"
Angelina furrowed her brow at her contemporary's suggestion, but it was the Hufflepuff prefect who spoke. "He nearly died too!"
"No," corrected the Ravenclaw with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "I meant wouldn't Harry Potter be the obvious target? Couldn't it have been You-Know-Who trying to kill him? Wouldn't be the first time, right?"
"And it was the Snitch that exploded," added her fellow Ravenclaw with an assertive nod.
With almost all of the other prefects cleared out of the room, it became difficult for Draco, Hermione, and Ron to remain behind without making it obvious that they were listening in, so Hermione took the two boys by the elbows and dragged them into the hallway.
"I don't think we'll learn anything we don't already know," she said as they walked. Up ahead of them, Luna stood waiting – which surprised Hermione so much, she dropped both Draco and Ron's arms, and ran forward. She enveloped the slighter Ravenclaw in a hug, speaking words neither of the boys could hear.
"How are you?" Draco asked, taking his turn to hug Luna as well. He waited while she and Ron hugged, their embrace lengthier than the others.
"Oh, you know," she replied quietly, with none of her typical brightness. Without answering, she extended her hands, presenting them with three friendship bracelets. "Sorry I haven't given them to you until now," she said. "Happy Christmas." There were two in the colours of Gryffindor and one of Slytherin; a charm with their initials was woven into each bracelet.
"Luna, they're beautiful," breathed Hermione. A small smile passed on Luna's lips as each of them thanked her. She helped Hermione first, demonstrating how to properly secure it. In doing so, her sleeve fell back slightly, and Draco noted that Luna wore two bracelets herself – one blue and silver, and the other red and gold.
"I never had the chance to give it to her," said Luna, noting where Draco's gaze had fallen. She helped Ron next, and without looking at him, she asked, "Would you like it, Ron? She's your sister…"
After she had fastened his bracelet, Ron took Luna's hands in his and shook his head. "You're her best friend," he said with a gentle smile. "I can't think of a better person to keep it for her."
Hermione put Draco's bracelet on for him, afterward noting, "I never thought you'd be one for accessorizing, but it looks rather good on you, doesn't it?"
"Mr Malfoy wore quite a few pieces," recalled Luna, a slight cheeriness to her voice. "They looked good on him as well."
The four walked together until they had to part ways to their respective common rooms. But upon returning to his own, Draco was greeted by his Head of House, and brought into yet another meeting.
"You are required to take additional classes," Professor Snape informed him immediately after shutting the door to his office. "And before you gripe, let me make it clear that these lessons are not optional, and the terms are non-negotiable."
"Have I done something wrong, Professor?" Draco inquired, folding his arms with a grimace.
The Potions Master considered his student a moment before answering. "Perhaps you have, Draco. It is my experience that 'right' and 'wrong' often result in punishment of some form." The Professor swept around the perimeter of the room, coming to sit behind his desk. "Now, am I correct in presuming that you were taught a basic form of Occlumency in your youth?" He gestured to the seat opposite him, and Draco sat.
"Father taught me how to block my mind," he said, his brow wrinkling slightly as he recalled the memory. He had been young – barely seven, and his father had been ruthless, demanding such a complex thing from someone who hadn't even shown obvious signs of magical capability. But he had insisted that it was necessary in maintaining the integrity and nobility of their family. "It was an exercise I was … encouraged to perform routinely."
Snape nodded with a vague boredom, as if Draco were sharing information he hadn't been asked to. "Well, the Headmaster wishes for you to learn the technique properly and in-depth, as well as its partner spell, Legilimency. As one of my students, I expect you to easily grasp and excel at both."
"Aren't those really complicated skills?"
The Professor reached for a scroll at the end of his table, unrolling it until it covered the entire surface; from what Draco could tell of the inconsistent and sometimes miniscule scrawling, it was a very old, and very convoluted potions formula. "They are both particularly complex, with devastating repercussions upon inaccurate execution. Will that be a problem?"
Understanding he was being dismissed without further discussion, Draco rose to his feet. "No, Professor. I'll do my best."
"This goes beyond schooling, Draco," Professor Snape said, only glancing up from the scroll momentarily at his pupil.
Draco nodded. "I won't let you down, Professor."
