o.o.O.o.o

June 24th, 1995

Tracey walked back to the Common Room in a daze, nearly crying out as Draco grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the main corridor into an empty classroom. She could see the tension around his eyes as well.

"Do you think it's true? That he's really back?" Tracey asked, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"I don't know," Draco said and ran a hand through his hair. "When has Potter ever been wrong, really?" He sat down on a dusty old bench.

"Well, shit," Tracey said and went to sit with him. If it was true, if the Dark Lord had really returned, things were going to start changing. A part of her was afraid of what her future held if her father returned to the Dark Lord's ranks, and even more terrified about what would happen if he didn't. Sometimes, she felt like the only reason he'd taken her in and acknowledged her at all was because the Dark Lord had fallen. She was proof that he'd fucked a muggle, she couldn't imagine that would make him popular with his master.

"You ok?" he asked, looking at her strangely.

"How can I be ok, Draco?" She turned her head and looked at him, furious that she could feel tears stinging her eyes. "You wouldn't even dance with me at the Yule Ball because of who my mother is. If he's back…" She shook her head, feeling the tears spill free.

Draco had the grace to look ashamed. "I'm sorry…I didn't think you cared. You were with that guy from Durmstrang and he looked like he might curse anyone that tried to steal his date anyway. I wanted to."

"You asked all the other girls, Draco. Of course I cared." She wiped her tears away, frustrated. The Dark Lord had returned, and she was complaining about the stupid Yule Ball. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Your father will protect you, Trace…" Draco tried to reassure her.

"You don't know that. He killed my mother, Draco. I know he did." She shivered violently. "At best I'm an embarrassment to him, at worst I'm a liability. And he doesn't leave liabilities hanging around." She had few illusions about the kind of man her father was. He was cold, calculating, and had a propensity for violence that he always kept just barely contained around her. He didn't love her and had made it clear for as long as she could remember that she was an obligation. He'd never raised a hand to her, but he did frighten her.

"We'll all look out for you, Trace," Draco said and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We stick together and now…we're going to have to."

"You can't protect me, not from him." She did lean into his side, taking the offered comfort for the moment while there was no one to see it. Draco was a good friend, but for obvious reasons they kept that very low key. Pansy was extremely possessive of him, and she had no desire to spark a war inside her dorm. Especially a war that she'd probably lose. She and Daphne were close, but it wasn't likely that she'd side with her against Parkinson and Bulstrode. It was just better to avoid it all together. It had taken her all of first year, and most of second to gain full acceptance from her year-mates. She was the only half-blood in their year, and the added notoriety of being a bastard had made things very difficult for her. Pansy was the only one who still made jokes about it, but it was easy enough to ignore her.

"We can at least try." Draco squeezed her a little, but just sat with her until she was ready to face the Common Room.

Finally Tracey stood, banished the dust and dirt from their robes, and used a glamour to hide her puffy eyes. By the time they reached the Common Room, she looked as perfectly put together as she'd been before the Third Task. The mood in the room was tense as she walked away from Draco and headed over to sit with Daphne and Astoria. Her friend reached over and gently squeezed her hand, a silent show of support that was easy to hide.

The sinking feeling in their collective guts was deepened when Professor Sinestra entered the Common Room. She was the only other Slytherin Professor at the school, and she only appeared when Snape was unavailable. She called for the House to assemble, and once everyone was gathered she addressed them.

"It is my sad duty to confirm that Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts Champion, was killed during the Third Task tonight. There will be a memorial service at the conclusion of exams and before you are returned home. Professor Snape has been unavoidably called away on an urgent personal matter, so any House business is to be brought to me until he returns. I'll remain here for a while to address any concerns that you might have on an individual basis," she said and looked around the room.

Tracey's stomach dropped. Snape's absence basically confirmed the Dark Lord's return. She quietly excused herself and headed back up to the dorm. The trains for home left in a little over a week, and she didn't know what would be waiting for her at the other end.

Daphne came up a few minutes later and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Times like this she was grateful for her very insightful friend. Unlike Draco, she knew why Tracey was so shaken and the uncertainty she was now facing.

"It'll be ok. If things go badly, you know you're always welcome at the Green," Daphne said quietly.

"You're a good friend, Daphne." Tracey nodded. At least she had the option, if her father didn't just kill her outright.

"Just try not to worry too much, we still need to get through exams," Daphne said. "Remember what Snape always tells us, focus on what you can control and everything else will fall into place."

"I hope he comes back soon," she said and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, me too." Daphne stopped talking as Pansy came in.

"Looks like some people will finally need to learn their place." She sneered at Tracey as she passed with Millie.

"Why do you need to be such a bitch, Pans," Daphne snapped at her. "Someone is dead. You could at least pretend to care."

"What do I care about some dead, 'Puff?" She rolled her eyes.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Daphne shook her head. "If the Dark Lord has returned, do you know how hard things are going to be for everyone in this House? Other than Snape, we'll have no one on our side, whether our parents are supporters of his or not. You might want to think about that before you throw a party."

"Besides…I doubt the Dark Lord will be terribly happy with any of our parents, after they all renounced him." Tracey broke in and looked at Pansy and Millie. "I'll be writing to my father tomorrow, and I suggest you both do the same."

"She's right, Pansy. We all need to be careful now," Millicent finally spoke up.

"Let's just get some rest," Daphne said and let out breath. "It's been a long day."

With that, the four Slytherin girls fell into an uneasy silence.

o.o.O.o.o

Tracey didn't have to post a letter to her father the next day, one arrived for her with the morning mail. Her father's short-eared owl dropped the letter into her hands, and her stomach dropped down to her knees. She tucked it into her book bag and tried not to think about it as they struggled through breakfast. The feeling in the room was undeniably somber. The Hufflepuffs looked miserable, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were split between sadness and shooting suspicious looks over at the Slytherin Table, and her own House was trying to pretend that they didn't notice.

Tracey finished off her porridge and excused herself. She headed for an alcove where she could sit and read her father's letter, hopefully without interruption.

Tracey,

Given recent events, there is much we will need to discuss once you return home. Rest assured that I am well, and have taken all measures necessary to ensure our safety in the coming days. Focus on your examinations. I expect you to perform to your usual standards of excellence, and I will not be pleased if you should allow yourself to succumb to current distractions.

I will see you at King's Cross in a week. Keep your head down, and try not to worry.

Regards,

Your Father

She read it twice more before burning the letter and leaning back against the cool stone of the wall. The use of the words 'our' and 'we' were reassuring, but there was still a knot in her gut. She could count on one hand the number of times he'd signed a letter as 'your father'. Usually only after she'd done something that especially pleased him.

She took a deep breath and stood. The Charms exam was in less than an hour and she needed her wits about her for that. She wasn't a genius like Nott or Granger, but she did well enough by working hard to make up for any lack of natural talent that some of her peers had. Most years she was solidly in the top ten in most of her classes. Her father would accept no less and Professor Snape had always counselled her to take advantage of her strengths to help mitigate her weaknesses.

"Everything alright?" Nott asked, as he fell into step with her as they headed for the Charms classroom.

"Seems to be, but with my father you never really know." She sighed.

"Fair enough," he said with a sympathetic smile. "Listen, a few of us are going meet the night before we leave. You should be there."

"Who else is coming?" she asked.

"People we can trust to keep their mouths shut and their ears open. Don't tell any of your dorm mates," Theo said.

"Where are we meeting?" Theo was one of the quietest Slytherins in their year, but one that she was always a little wary of. He did have a temper, and she remembered what he'd done to Montague last year after the older boy had pranked him. They'd needed to call Snape, and Nott had spent three months in detentions over it. She still shuddered remembering the blood on the floor of the Common Room.

"First year Potions classroom, at eight," Theo said.

"I'll be there," she said as they entered the main hallway.

"Good luck on your exam," Theo said as they entered the classroom.

She shook her head a little, not bothering to return the sentiment. Nott never needed luck, he could probably write the exam in his sleep and still get the best marks. Today was the theoretical, and they all had assignments for their practical test tomorrow. She sat down in the Slytherin section and tried to just put everything out of her mind. Her problems weren't going anywhere, and she could think about them after she passed this test.

o.o.O.o.o

Exams had been brutal, but tonight's memorial dinner had been even worse. She knew *why* Draco had been such a prat during the Headmaster's speech, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to make things worse for all of them. He played the role of arrogant prick all too well, and there were days she wondered how much of an act it really was. He was her friend, but he could blow hot and cold faster than the wind could change directions. It had been difficult to duck her dorm mates, but she'd finally begged a little time to herself before they headed home tomorrow.

A discreet notice-me-not charm kept anyone from following her to the first year classroom. She opened the door and nodded to the group that was assembled inside. Draco was there, standing with Theo as they talked quietly. The Carrow twins didn't surprise her either, Hestia and Flora were a year below her and the girls were quiet and highly observant. She had her suspicions about what their lives were like at home, given the number of times she'd seen them brewing healing potions and wound salves in June. Henrick Avery was a surprise though. The 6th year student was one she didn't know terribly well, but she supposed he had just as much right to be here as she did. And then there was Veris Selwyn, one of the students who had just completed his NEWTs and she realized with a sinking stomach that he was probably at risk for being conscripted to the Dark Lord's forces.

"Good, we're all here," Theo said as he entered. He moved to the door and warded it heavily.

"Yaxley's bastard? You trust her?" Veris looked like he'd smelled something foul as he flicked his eyes over her.

"As much as I trust any of you," Theo said smoothly. "She has just as much reason to be here as you do, if not more. Most of us at least have the protection of being our fathers' heirs, she doesn't. We are all going to swear an oath, to keep this alliance secret and share information with each other. Anyone who refuses to swear this oath, will be obliviated."

Tracey nodded and moved forward, lifting her wand. "I, Tracey Caprice Davis, do swear on my magic to keep this alliance secret and to freely share any information I come across regarding the Dark Lord with the others here." A flare of gold shot up into the air with the weight of her oath.

Theo smiled at her and then the others in the room followed suite, until they had all sworn the oath.

"I'm sure you've all been in contact with your parents. My father cautioned me to keep from doing anything to drawn unwanted attention from the Headmaster, or those that might be watching us. Going forward next year, we're going to need to assume that our mail will be monitored," Theo said.

"If it's not already," Henrick said cynically. "The only saving grace is that at the moment, my father said that the Ministry is actively denying Potter's claims about the Dark Lord. I don't imagine they'll be happy to hear about Dumbledore's little speech tonight."

"Knowing Fudge, 'not happy' will probably be a massive understatement," Veris said.

"We'll need to come up with a way to stay in contact that can't be traced. Most of what we discover will likely be over the summer, and most of us won't really have an opportunity to see one another until September." Hestia said. "There are parties of course, but…some of us don't get invited." Her eyes flicked to Tracey.

"Between Draco and I, we can make sure Tracey gets invited to the right parties," Theo said.

"My father and I have a pair of journals that we can converse through. I can teach you all the enchantments and we can use that to pass information when needed," Veris said. "I think the best we can hope for right now, is to try and look out for one another."

"I think you're right," Draco said after a moment. "My father's letter was…tense. He was clear that he expects my enthusiastic endorsement of the old ways going forward." He didn't look entirely comfortable with it.

"So I was right, our parents are out of favour," Tracey said and shook her head.

"Yes, but they're all he has right now," Draco said. "He'd be a fool to go too far in punishing them, when he needs them and their gold."

"Henrick and I will probably be recruited soon enough, and that should give us some deeper understanding of what's going on," Veris said. "I'm hoping that my apprenticeship will delay that, but it might not."

"I should start investigating options for one of my own, next summer," Henrick said.

"Things could change quickly, we need to stay ahead of it." Draco ran a hand through his hair, still frowning hard.

"We will, together," Tracey said meeting his cool blue eyes. "All we can do is try and stick together, as much as possible."

"Watch your friends and your dorm mates too," Flora said. "There are some that will be…outspoken. Never let them suspect that we're working together. Outside this room, nothing can change."

"Agreed." Theo nodded. "We'll call it a night, before Snape starts his sweep of the dungeons. It's best that we all return to the Common Room separately. Or at least in usual pairings," he said.

"I'll enchant the journals and slip them to all of you in the morning while we pack for the trains," Veris said.

"Be safe and don't take any unnecessary risks," Theo said and moved to the door, dispelling the wards. He left without another word, and the twins followed suit quickly.

"Walk you back to the Common Room?" Draco asked. It wasn't unusual for them to be seen together.

"That sounds good," Tracey said, feeling a little better about some things and a little worse about others. As they walked, Draco slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it gently. Tracey leaned her head against his shoulder as they took the long way back. These corridors were seldom used, full of empty classrooms and dusty storage closets.

"Pansy will be furious, but I'd like to invite you to my mother's Summer Ball," Draco said quietly.

"Are you sure that's smart?" she asked, heart beating just a little too fast.

"No, but I still want to." Draco's hand tightened a little more around hers. "If nothing else, my mother will approve of the aesthetic," he teased.

"I suppose I tick the 'pretty blonde' box for Malfoy escorts?" She laughed a little.

"You do." Draco stopped and looked down at her. "You were the prettiest witch at the Yule Ball."

Tracey felt her face getting flushed at the very direct statement. "I don't know about that…I mean…"

"You were." Draco cut her off and was starting to lean down when something flung them apart a few feet.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Davis…it is dangerously close to curfew." Snape's smooth tone cut through the air like a blade.

"Yes Sir, we were just heading back." Draco straightened under the intense look from his Head of House.

"Then you had better hurry. The trains might leave tomorrow, but I am not above assigning a detention for the first night back." He lifted his eyebrows. "And for future reference, the hallways are no place for teenage dalliances, particularly hallways you both know I patrol regularly. One might thing you wanted to be caught."

"I'll try and remember that, sir. In future," Draco drawled and draped an arm around Tracey's shoulders and together they hurried back toward the Common Room.

Tracey shot him a look, realizing the almost kiss had been purely for show. "You knew he was there?"

"He always hits that corridor ten minutes before curfew. That way he'll never suspect what we were actually up to." Draco winked at her and took his arm off her shoulders as they reached the entrance. "Ladies first." He gestured.

"You're an ass Draco Malfoy," she muttered and gave the password before storming off to her dorm to finish packing. Bloody Wizards.