Title: Fidelity, Part Three of Twelve: Taking Chances

Author: Gryffindor

A/N: Alright, I'm trying to get a lil bit of snogging in here someplace, but it never seems like the right time to add romance into this story. I suppose I should wait a few chapters anyway, so. Anyway, I haven't been getting very many reviews, so I might discontinue the story if I don't get more response (hint, hint)! So please review, and tell me who you want to end up with who, and how I can improve, your thoughts, etc. Thanks.

Disclaimer: All characters and places (except London, of course) belong to Joanne Kathleen Rowling (J.K Rowling), except Jonathan and his wife, Thayet, who the names and main character developement I have stolen from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series (a.k.a. The Alanna Series). I also stole the girl in the image (read to see what I'm talking about) from the series, too. (If you've read the series: Guess who that is? hehe.)

Plot: Draco joins Harry in his summer plans, Ron comes to get Harry and ends up taking Draco as well, Remus, Sirius and Jonathan meet up with an old "friend" and mysteriously disappear. (I can't spell.. hm..)

Rating: PG-13 for a teeny bit of language. That's the only reason I can think of.

---

Harry opened his eyes. The dim sun was splintering through hiw window. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Peering around the room, he saw emptiness... The same emptiness he felt inside.

"Malfoy?" he called out. Harry shrugged when there was no reply. As Harry got out of bed, the door burst open, making him jump.

"Ah, Harry," Draco walked in, an evil grin smeared on his plae face. "You're up." Harry nodded, staring at Draco.

"Sleep well?"

"Have you been dowstairs?" Harry asked, not bothering to answer Draco's question.

He nodded. "Your cousin, Dudley. He's a rather charming fellow." Harry stifled a laugh.

"Right." Draco rolled his eyes. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Since yesterday."

"Did you put some sort of sleeping charm on me?"

"Maybe."

Harry smiled. "Where did you sleep?"

"In your bed. It's rather warm in there, espically with somebody else under there."

"Really, Malfoy? I didn't know that's the way your bread was buttered."

Draco cocked an eyebrow at Harry. "Hm." Harry smiled again and tumbled out of bed, and walked over to his desk.

Turning to Draco, "Has Ron come by?"

Draco shook his head, his silver hair fraying slightly. "Not yet." Harry sighed, nodded, and walked out of the room, hoping he wasn't being too rude, but at the same time not caring a single bit.

---

Laughter drifted merrily throughout the car as Ron, Hermione and Ginny joked about the past three years at Hogwarts, bringing back all the good memories, and ocassionaly making one of the bad laughable. They had already gotten bored of WWN, the radio being one of many of new additions to this car. The reclinable seats and automatic driver were handy additions, as well. Ron's favorite addition, however, was the magic snack bar placed nicely centered in the front seat, waiting for him. He had just finished his Treacle Tart when Hermione asked Ginny a question that had been on his mind for awhile, and no doubt Hermione's as well.

"Do you still like Harry, Ginny?"

Ron turned to Ginny and saw her turn crimson. She smiled a small, shy smile, and said, without any sign of embaressment in her voice, "Of course."

Looking into the backseat, Ron noticed a shimmer of disappointment on Hermione's face. Noticing his glance, Hermione smiled warmly at him, hoping he didn't notice that she was so upset about the response. The truth was, she had felt a little something more than friendship for Harry since her 'fling' with Viktor Krum the past year. She decided to hint that she felt that way by kissing Harry on the cheek at the train station, a spur of the moment thing, which Hermione did, surprising even herself. Hermione knew it was probably all of the jealousy she felt; Harry liking Cho, Harry going to the ball with Parvati. She was even slightly upset that she wasn't the person that Harry would miss the most, and instead it was Ron. I guess it's only logical, she thought. Ron is Harry's best friend, and they've been through a lot together. He was the first friend Harry ever had. He's always been Harry's first choice for company. I'm just... She frown. I'm just another friend. Trying not to let jealously and disappointment overcome her, she lifted her head and tried to re-join the conversation that Ron and Ginny had started. After three more hours of flying, five flasks of pumpkin juice, four bottles of butterbeer and pumpkin cakes for everyone, they made touchdown in front of Number 4, Privet Drive. Making sure nobody was watching, and double checking for the nosey neighbors that Harry had told them about, they clicked the button and the car reappeared. Getting out and walking to the door, looking rather suspicous yet unaware of it, they reached the doorstep and knocked.

TAP-TAP-TAP.

Standing back, the three waited silently for someone to answer the door. Finally, after a minute or so of waiting, they heard heavy footsteps coming their way, and the door burst open. A large, beefy man with a purple face and bushy brown mustache stood in the doorway, looking very unpleasant and unhappy. Looking at Ron, his eyes narrowed.

"Another one of you, eh? What the devil do you need now?"

"I'm here for Harry."

"Well, take him. And take the other with you, too, while you're at it."

"What ot-" Hermione never got to finish her question, because Vernon Dursley had walked away someplace in the house, leaving the door open. Assuming this meant they were 'invited' in, they ventured into the house and headed towards the stairwell. After climbing the stairs and reaching Harry's bedroom, Ginny opened the door slowly, trying not to creak it, obviously wanting to surprise Harry.

"Oy, Harry!"

Harry turned from the window. "Ron!" He smiled broadly and sprinted across the room to where his friends were standing, smiling at him. Grabbing Ron's hand in a friendly shake and hugging Hermione, he let out a sigh of relief. Ginny looked down, gazing at the floor, not sure how to greet Harry. She had always been rather shy around Harry, and was always kicking herself afterwards for not doing anything more drastic than just smiling and blushing. She looked up and noticed that he was looking at her.

"Ginny."

"Harry..." Oh, who cares! She reached and hugged him tightly, noticing how much shorter he was than Ron. Just a inch or so taller than me, she thought. That would be perfect, if...

"So Harry, your uncle said something about another person here. Who..."

"Um... well, Malfoy showed up here last night, and he wanted t—"

"Malfoy?" Ron looked at Harry disbelievingly. "What did he want?" Hermione gulped.

"He asked to stay the summer with me." At this, Ron burst out laughing.

"You're joking, right?" Harry smiled at shook his head.

"He seemed a little upset about something going on at home, so I said sure." Ron stopped smiling.

Ron made a noise that sounded sort of like a strangeled choke. "You— you what?"

"I said yes." He's making it sound like Malfoy proposed... Ron laughed again, but it wasn't the same sort of laugh; it was a sarcastic, resentful laugh.

"Well, he isn't coming with us, so you'd better find someplace to keep him while you're at the Burrow."

Harry sighed. "Look, Malfoy and I have an agreement. I don't trust him, not one single bit. But I think that he's trying to... I don't know, do something different than his father. He told me that there is a plot against my life, with Voldemort and the Death Eaters and so on..."

"So why are you letting him stay if you don't trust him?" It was Ginny this time, disappointment in her voice.

"I was tired. I just... don't know, Ginny. I have to do what I can to bring down Voldemort again." Ron and Ginny flinched at the sound of the name, even though they had heard it many times recently; they still hadn't gotten use to it. "Even if I have to spend the whole summer with Malfoy."

"But how is this going to help?"

"I don't know. But we have to take chances, Ron." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Alright, fine," he agreed. "But he can only... sleep. At the house. He has to spend the days someplace else."

Harry shrugged. "Okay. Sounds alright to me." He reached his arms over his head and stretched. "Help me pack now, will you?" As the four of them threw books into the large, open trunk, Ron started to wonder.

"Harry, where is Malfoy?"

"Um.. oh, right. He's in one of the rooms down the hall. Hermione—"

"Hm?"

"Go look for him, will you?"

"Sure." She left the room with a smile. Seconds later, a screech sounded through the house.

"What in the bloody hell is going on up there?" Harry heard Uncle Vernon yell from downstairs.

Hermione walked back into the room, blushing furiously all over her face, and squeaked, "Found him." Draco followed in behind her, a towel around his waist, silent. His chest was glistening with water, and his silver hair was dripping droplets onto the rug. Harry and Ron cackled loudly. Ginny bit her lip and looked at the ceiling.

After Draco dressed, in the bathroon, they help with the heaving of Harry's trunk into the car, and getting in, after some argument as to whom sat where ("I do not want to sit by him, Harry!"), they were flying high above the clouds. Figuring she should try and shut Harry and Ron up, Hermione told them, in detail, what had happened with Viktor Krum eariler that summer. Ron was looking furious and red in the front seat, but after awhile he was joking and laughing at it along with Harry. Draco sat mute, a smug expression washed onto his pale face. He looked over at Hermione, and she looked up at him. He smirked. She turned away and blushed, thinking, Damnit, Malfoy. You always get so cocky.

---

"No, I don't show any interest in this part of the plan, McNair. It's absolutely upsurd; there is no way it will work." Lucius stared at his fellow Death Eater, a forceful tone emerging from his mouth.

"But Lord Voldemort has requested that something like this happen, something that seems natural, something that would blind Harry Potter and make him weak and defenceless."

"Like I said, it will never work. Harry Potter isn't the kind to be interested in—"

"Men?" The butler's voice startled them.

"Yes, what is it?" Malfoy snapped.

"There is a man here to see you, sir. Mr. Avery."

McNair's face twisted in disgust, and he muttered, "Filth."

Lucius, too, looked disgusted, but said, "Show him in." The butler bowed and left, returning minutes later with a thin, bony man, who was glancing around, trying not to look nervous, but instead very together, which he obviously was not.

"Is something wrong, Avery?" The man stopped at looked at the others in the room, standing in front of a small wooden table.

"Your son, Lucius... he has just left the residence of Harry Potter."

"And?"

"He was traveling with, what we believe are a Muggle... Mudblood who attends Dumbledore's school, and two purebloods, the Weasleys."

"So? Don't waste my time, Gordon. If he must go with them to gain the trust of Potter, then so be it."

"That isn't all, Malfoy. We caught a conversation between your son and Harry Potter, right when they first met up. Draco, dear sir, is a traitor."

---

The sun shone brightly on the London streets as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Jonathan Figg traveled out of the musty inn. They were all feeling tired, damp and depressed, and the sun warmed their backs, making them smile.

"Where shall we go next?"

"Straight to Hogwarts. It seemed that Dumbledore needed you, Jon, right away. The sooner we reunite, the sooner we can again see the fall of the Dark Lord."

"Have you been practicing that little speech for awhile now, Sirius?" Remus winked at his friend and Sirius smiled. Jonathan looked at them nervously, but said nothing.

"So Jon, when did you attended Hogwarts?"

"I graduated, at the top of my class, in 1987. I was seventeen." Remus nodded.

"How long have you and Thayet been married?"

"Mmm... about six years. We got married right when I was out of Hogwarts. We had kept in touch over the summers and so on... it had taken us our whole lifes to fall in love. No useless flirting, like what you were doing back there at my apartment." Sirius snorted, and Remus' eyes widened.

"I beg your pardon? I wasn't flirting with your wife, Jonathan. She's," he paused and waved a hand through the air, "much too young for me." Sirius started laughing. Howling. "What?" said Lupin, slightly distressed. "She is really young."

"Well, that was flirting," Jonathan said, seeming amused. Remus opened his mouth, but was interrupted. "I don't like it whatever it is. So, If you weren't flirting, why were you looking at her so strangely after you kissed her hand, hm?" He smiled, which made Remus fill with relief. At least he doesn't think I'm trying to... steal his wife, anymore. Much too young... mcuh...

"It was strange... when I kissed her hand, an image flashed through my head."

"What was the image of?" It was Sirius this time.

"A lady... in armor. There was a sort of purple fire surrounding her figure, and she— she was short."

Jonathan didn't look at all surprised. "What did she look like?"

"Flaming red hair, tan, muscular... purple eyes." He shrugged. "She had a black cat with her, too, but after a second, the cat disappeared."

"Hm." Jonathan grinned broadly. "How strange."

Without warning, a large BOOM! sounded throughout the quiet London street. A flash of white light and a thrust of hot air sent the three men onto their backs on the ground. Remus heard Jonathan let out a yell as he hit the ground, and he turned to see him, but only saw more white light. Looking to his other side, he saw Sirius' prone figure, lying on the ground, face down. He turned towards the source of the light, which was now dimming, and his eyes widened in horror, and his mouth dropped open. He was at a loss for words. The short, bald, thin man smiled evily. His arms were crossed, and a hint of silver glinting from underneath the folds of his robe. He didn't seem to be at a loss for words.

"Hello, Remus. It's been awhile, no?"

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Sorry this chapter was so short. I promise to get some real action (adventure and romance wise) going in chapter four, and the plot rolling. Also, if there is anybody kind enough out there who would like to beta read this for me, I'd love you into eternity, because I'm the most terrible speller, etc. in the world. Pity me. hehe.