A/N Okay, this ch is pretty long, and a LOT happens in it. So pay attention! Enjoy, and please review, reviews make me happy!
For the Love of the Land
~I pledge my loyalty to Honor, Justice, and Hogwarts~
Part Nine
Sirius was deliriously happy. He had not been happy like this since...well, since he had become free of the clutches of the Dementors at Azkaban. Why, you ask? He had captured Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous rat that brought about Lily and James's deaths, not to mention Padfoot's dozen-year imprisonment.
He had fashioned a cage for Pettigrew, one from which he could not escape. At first, Sirius was going to kill him. He didn't know how, but he wanted Wormtail to die, most likely a slow and very painful death.
But then he had come to his senses. If he waited, and took Wormtail to Dumbledore...he could have his name cleared. He could live his life. He could have custody of Harry.
And so, Sirius planned to travel to Hogwarts and somehow arrange a meeting with Harry. It was harder than normal, having to lug Wormtail around, but it would be worth it in the end. For the first time in fifteen years, Sirius Black could see the gold at the end of the rainbow.
And maybe, just maybe, after his name was cleared he could find Luna...
* * *
Luna sat at her desk, her face buried in her hands. Voldemort was moving fast, now that he had the Dementors on his side. She was growing ever more uneasy with Hermione's absence. She was to return tomorrow night. However, Luna didn't think she'd be in any functional state of mind for another few weeks, at least.
However, one good thing had come of this. The Defenders were finally going through the last stage of bonding: trusting each other with secrets that no one else, or at the very least hardly any one else, knew.
She could distinctly remember everything that had been told when she and the other Defenders of her generation had first confessed to each other. Of course, it had been easier for them, as none of them had been enemies previous to Defending. It was not so easy for this group, because Draco Malfoy offset them. However, Luna knew in her heart that there was a lot more to drawling Malfoy then he let on.
She did not even want to imagine what it was going to be like for them. She could remember James completely breaking down, in front of Lily and everyone else. And Sirius...his story had been heartbreaking.
Not that his current story was. Traitor. Did that oath mean nothing to him? Luna seemed to often remember Sirius at school, and could never find where he had gone wrong. The only other route was that he had never gone wrong, which was impossible.
Right?
* * *
Ginny ran upstairs, toward the Gryffindor common room. She wanted to grab her book before going to dinner. She was quite out of breath by the time she panted the password to the fat lady, who opened up to submit her.
At first Ginny just started jogging up to the dorm. Then she stopped short, looking one of the more comfortable armchairs near the fire.
"Hermione?" She said. The forlorn looking sixth year turned her head to the voice calling her. She attempted a weak smile.
"Hey, Ginny." She replied, her voice hardly above a whisper. She was starting to notice the world now. Starting to handle the unbelievable feeling of loss and pain. And she was feeling much stronger for it, because she now had something to fight for.
"Are you okay?" Ginny said, forgetting her book (along with her dinner) and sitting down next to her friend. Hermione nodded.
"I did some planning while I was at home," She said through constant sniffles, as if she had just stopped crying, as indeed she had. However, she pulled out some loose parchment and started explaining it to the Fire Defender very professionally. Ginny looked not at the plans, but at Hermione in wonder. How could she work at a time like this?
"Hermione?" Ginny said after the third plan. She looked up suddenly at Ginny, as if coming out of a trance.
"Hm?" She replied.
"Umm..." Ginny searched for words. She wasn't quite sure how to introduce the situation. "We...that is Neville, Draco, Cho and I, have decided that well..." She was nearly stuttering. Hermione listened with a blank face, her head slightly cocked to the right. "We thought that's it's a little unfair, you know? I mean, you didn't know what the Dark Lord took from us, but now we all know about you, and...we're all gonna...you know, tell each other what was taken. Did that make any sense?"
"Yes, actually," Hermione replied, half smiling. She was glad that she would find out about the others, as it had been a question she had wanted answered for quite some time. "When?"
"Tonight, if you want." Ginny replied, trying to sound cheerful. However, the very thought of putting it into words...she gulped, and her smile faltered. Hermione pretended not to notice.
"Yes, tonight is good." She replied. She opened her mouth to say more, but at that very moment the portrait hole opened, and two boys came tumbling inside. Unlike Ginny, they immediately noticed Hermione sitting there.
"Hermione!" Ron said in surprise. Then she smiled, really smiled, and ran up to her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him fiercely before even saying a word.
"Hello!" He said, smiling down at her. He was glad to see that she wasn't moping about. He hated seeing Hermione upset.
"Hello, hello both of you!" She said, pulling Harry and Ron into a group hug. (To which both boys rolled their eyes.) "What's happened? Anything I should know about?"
Nothing at all of importance had happened while Hermione was away, but both started speaking at once, as if they had prepared all the little gossips for when she came back. (Which they had) Ginny stood.
"Ahem." She said, and the trio turned to look at her in perfect unison. She tried not to sigh. Harry, Ron and Hermione were a perfect circle and nothing, not death or fear or Defending, could penetrate that. Ginny had always longed to be part of it, but knew, deep inside, that she never would be.
"I'm going to go..." She let her sentence hang, looking pointedly at Hermione, who nodded, giving her an odd, half smile and a wink. Ginny left the common room with a smile. Well, at least she now had something with Hermione that not even the boys understood.
But she could still hear the three of them talking loudly with each other, interrupting each other, and, just before the portrait hole closed behind her, Ginny heard Hermione laugh.
She found Neville and Cho in the Great Hall. She quickly explained that Hermione was back, and they were going to have The Talk tonight. They both promised to be in the library at the table where they usually met, at 8:00 sharp. However, Draco was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she wandered the castle for a bit, and found herself in the library. She found their table...and Draco Malfoy sitting at it. He looked up at her.
"Hermione's back, I know." He said as Ginny opened her mouth to speak. "I didn't know what time you would want to be meeting here. Seven? Eight?" Ginny put her hands on her hips.
"You act like you know me sooo well." She said, in an almost sarcastic voice. Draco stood, walked over to her, and bent forward so that she could feel his breath on the side of her face.
"That's because I do." He whispered. Ginny felt chills running up and down her back. Draco had a way of doing things...unexpected. You would think, by now, Ginny would know to expect that from him.
He kissed her cheek, and she found herself kissing him back. That is until...
"Ginny?!" Someone gasped. She and Draco spun around to see Lavender Brown staring at them in absolute shock. Ginny felt herself blush. Her first thought was embarrassment, but then she realized how stupid they had been. The library wasn't exactly private, and no doubt this would, eventually, get around to Ron. Lavender stood there, stunned.
"Lavender," Ginny said, removing herself from Draco's arms and running over to the older girl, who merely gaped. A Weasley and a Malfoy? She thought in shock.
"Ginny...are you with Malfoy?" She asked, still beyond shocked.
"Shhhh"! Ginny hissed. "Lavender, you cannot tell ANYONE about this, understand?" Lavender shook herself out of shock to consider the situation. Ginny had always been rather rebellious to her brothers, and Malfoy was certainly not bad looking...
"Dear, if you want to keep this a secret, I suggest you make out somewhere OTHER than the library." Lavender replied. She turned to leave, but Ginny grabbed her arm.
"Don't tell Ron." She begged. Lavender sighed.
"He's going to find out eventually, Ginny."
"I know." Ginny replied, feeling rather uncomfortable and scared to death when she thought about her brother finding out about her secret relationship with Draco. "I just...not yet, okay?" She looked pleadingly up at Lavender, who sighed.
"Okay Ginny. Whatever you say." Lavender turned and left, meeting Parvati at the foot of the steps.
"What's up?" Parvati asked.
"I caught Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin making out in the restricted section..."
"Hermione!" Cho said, running up to Hermione and giving her a hug. "Oh, are you okay?'
"I'm fine." Hermione said blushing, a bit embarrassed by all the attention. They all chatted for a while, before there was a pause, and everyone knew it was Time.
"Okay," Said Ginny, letting out a whoosh of air. "We know why we're here. Who wants to volunteer?" Silence. They all looked around at the others, hoping that they wouldn't have to be first. Until Neville cleared his throat.
"I'll go first." He said, surprising the other four. They hadn't expected Neville to volunteer. However, he cleared his throat again (one of his many nervous habits) and launched into his story.
"Um, I've been wondering for quite a while how I was going to say this, so here goes. You all know that I live with my Grandma. That's fine, I love my Granny and all. But...my parents..." Neville swallowed hard.
"They...they are what was taken from me. But not like everyone else. They were kidnapped, because my dad was an auror. This was after You-Know-Who's downfall, so everyone thought they were safe. But some Death Eaters kidnapped them, like I said, and...um...tortured them for information." He looked down at his hands, trying very hard not to cry and not wanting to look up at his companions. If he had, he would've seen the varying looks of shock and sympathy on everyone's face.
"I visit them sometimes." He said, his voice tightened and sounding far off. "They don't know who I am, or my Granny..." He couldn't go on, nor did the others expect him too. Cho patted him awkwardly on the back, and he suddenly sat straight up, looking determined.
"Okay." He said. "Who's next?"
"I am." Ginny said meekly. She was shocked by Neville's story, told in his own words. She would've never guessed in a million years...she had never even thought about Neville living with his grandmother as opposed to his parents. Granny...that's not what her grandmother had been called. Memaw was the name Bill had appointed her all those years ago. She tossed her hair in determination and began her story.
"My parents are big on anti-Dark stuff, especially Voldemort. That's because they were raised that way. Especially my dad, his parents, my grandparents, were always preaching against the Dark side.
"My grandfather died before I was born. He was an auror, and was killed in the heat of an attack. But my grandmother lived on, trying to raise her children to the light.
"Dad was the second oldest in the family, having an older brother named Peter. Dad idolized Uncle Pete as a child. That is, until he began his fascination with Muggle things. My uncle despised Muggles, but, as you all know, they fascinate my dad. That's when their relationship deteriorated.
"I remember my grandmother well. I thought she was wonderful. I was, at the time, her only granddaughter, because Peter never married and Arthur, my dad, had only had boys right then. I loved her so much." Ginny looked off into the distance, as if trying not to cry, yet crying inside. Then she swallowed and continued.
"My...uncle," She said, closing her eyes so that the tears would leak out. "He...he betrayed us. He turned to Voldemort, became a Death Eater. Then he...he..." Ginny really was crying now, and Draco automatically took her hand and stroked it, encouraging her to go on. He summoned a tissue, and handed it to her. She blew her nose, and looked up at her companions, who were watching with compassion and sympathy.
"Sorry," She said, smiling weakly. "I'm getting all worked up. Memaw, my grandmother that is, she was staying at our house when...when they attacked. The Death Eaters, that is. We, my brothers and I, we were in Mom's room. She magiked the door so that they couldn't get in. But Memaw..." She let the sentence hang, and everyone knew what had happened. She let her head droop, and Draco put an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She sniffled a bit more, then looked up and forced a weak smile.
"Well, it feels good to let that out. Who's next?"
"I'll go." Cho said softly, sticking out her chin. The others turned to her, and she spoke slowly and carefully, as if trying to control her emotions.
"I had a sister once. A twin sister, identical. Her name was Chi." Cho giggled a bit, but it didn't sound heartfelt. "Cho and Chi Chang. That was us. Anyway, Chi and I were...very close. I mean, really close. Anyway, I have to explain a little bit about my parents.
"My mother's father had been a servant of Grindlewald, and in turn for Voldemort. However, while my uncle and two aunts followed his teaching, my mother rebelled. She turned against him and married my dad, who works at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"My grandfather had always been searching for a way to punish his youngest daughter for disobeying him. He told her, the very last time she ever saw him, that one day he would take the one thing she loved best.
"Chi and I were playing in the backyard that day. It was June, and we were picking flowers..." Cho faltered for the first time. It seemed that she could perfectly picture that sunny summer day. "We were about seven, I think. Anyway, we were having fun. And then...I don't know, I suddenly got this...feeling that something was wrong, you know? I told Chi, and she laughed and told me I was being silly. But it kept bugging me. I begged her to come inside with me, but she refused. Why would she come in? It was a beautiful summer's day.
"So I started going back to the house. Then I heard it; footsteps. I hid in some flower bushes, and saw a tall man in a black robe come up behind my sister, holding a wand. 'Chi!' I shouted, but I was too afraid to move. She turned and looked behind her, and her eyes widened. And then...he killed her." Cho suddenly stopped talking, and grabbed the edge of her chair until her knuckles were white. "She was only seven years old...And she was killed by her own grandfather." She began to shake, and Hermione put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you going to be okay?" She asked softly. Cho came out of the spell she had seemed to go into and let out a ragged breath of air.
"Yeah," She said, nodding her head. "I'll be fine." She looked up and over at Draco, who sighed.
"I guess that leaves me." He said, stating the obvious. The others all had very sad and heart wrenching stories, but none quite like Draco's. He closed his eyes and hoped against hope that they wouldn't hate him as he began to speak.
"I also had a sister. A younger sister, by the name of Serpentina. She was two years younger than myself. I thought she was the coolest thing. I showed her how to hold a wand and taught her all the passwords I knew around the mansion. She was MY little sister, and I...I loved her, I think." Draco's eyebrows raised suddenly, as if just realizing this for the first time. The others, too, were quite shocked to hear this.
"Anyway, my father is a Death Eater. You all know that. Well, he wanted Serpentina and I to worship Voldemort as well. He started training us as soon as we could walk. I could do magic long before I came to Hogwarts. But that has nothing at all to do with it. The point is, Serpentina...she just couldn't. She could handle basic spells very well, but not anything Dark. She could do Light magic easily, but it was like she was born without the ability to, in any way, control the Dark forces.
"Voldemort," He spoke the name with hatred, much to the surprise of the others. "Voldemort wasn't too happy about this. He tried again and again to force my father into making his daughter perform Dark magic. However, he was quite pleased with me." Draco snorted. "I was very good with the Dark Arts, and between you and me, I still am. The Dark Lord started to control me in much the same way he controlled my father.
"Soon I, too, was trying to force poor Serpentina into Dark magic. But she just couldn't do it. I started to become cruel to her, wanting so badly to be the one to bring her to our side. I thought she just wouldn't do it. She would look at me with tears in her bright blue eyes and ask me why I was so mean to her." Draco's eyes were moist, but nothing came from them. It seemed that the sheer memory of his sister reminded him of the Dark person he was supposed to become. The path he had rejected. He blinked, and continued his story.
"Then, on Serpentina's eight birthday, Voldemort summoned all four of us, that is my parents sister and I, into the drawing room. My parents told Serpentina that that's where her presents were, but I knew otherwise. She cowered before the Dark Lord, and he spoke harshly to her. He told her to perform a very basic Black spell. She whimpered, saying that she couldn't. He forced her to try, and she failed. He smiled cruelly, and preformed the Cruciatus Curse. My parents stood and watched, never taking their eyes off of her and not moving. I was shocked. There she was, this harmless, innocent child, screaming and shaking and begging and crying and her parents were just watching without doing anything. And so was her older brother.
"I wanted to stop him. I wanted to jump in the middle and scream that no one could hurt my little sister like that. But I didn't. I wouldn't oppose him." Draco's head drooped, and his wavy blonde hair hid his face. "She died." He croaked. "She died right there, under the influence of that curse. And I did nothing." He looked up, expecting to see appalled hatred on the faces of the only people he had ever trusted. He was surprised to see shock and compassion. He felt a hand on his, and turned, in surprise, to see Ginny, whom he had been sure would hate him after this.
"Oh, Draco," She said. Then she looked at all the others. "Well, now we all know everything. No more secrets. Okay?"
"Oh you guys!" Hermione said, bursting out into to tears and running around the circle, giving a hug to each in turn. They all hugged her back. Even Draco didn't protest.
* * *
The next afternoon, Hermione was walking outside along the bank of the lake, digesting the information of last night. It was hard to swallow. The others were doing much the same thing at the very same moment, but in their own fashion. Ginny was writing in her diary. Draco was staring into the fire of the Slytherin common room. Cho was polishing her Nimbus 2000. Neville was looking out the window of the Gryffindor common room at the forest below. No one else was crazy enough to come outside. As it was Hermione's teeth were chattering, because it WAS mid-November.
She sat down next to the lake and, taking off her shoes and socks, dipped her feet into the water. It would feel freezing to practically anyone else who would do something so crazy, but to Hermione it felt pleasant. This was, of course, because she could control water and, as she wanted it to be warm for her, it was.
She was sitting and staring out onto the surface of the water, when she felt someone sit down next to her. She turned, and started in surprise to see Professor Starlight.
"Luna!" She said in surprise.
"Hello, Hermione." She replied, smiling. "I just came down here to think. Of course, I can't make the water comfortable, as you can." Hermione laughed.
"Yes, I quite enjoy the talent." Hermione replied. They sat in silence for a little while. Until suddenly Hermione yelped and pulled her feet out of the water.
"What?" Luna asked in alarm, looking around.
"The water!" Hermione cried. "It's suddenly freezing!"
"But that's impossible!" Luna replied. "Only someone else with more power over the water than you could..." But the words died on her lips, when she saw a figure moving in the trees. Her eyes widened.
"Hermione, run!" She hissed. The two women stood, but Hermione did not run. She squinted in the general direction of the figure, until she spotted it. She was then about to run, when the figure spoke.
"Hermione?" It croaked. Her eyes widened and suddenly she was smiling.
"Sirius!" She cried. Then the figure, a tall man with dark, tangled hair and tattered robes emerged from the trees, smiling. Hermione ran up and gave him a hug. Luna stared in complete shock. Sirius?
"What are you doing here?" Hermione demanded, coming to her senses. "This is NOT safe. Look, Harry's fine, I promise. Leave! They're going to catch you!" Sirius laughed loud and long, and all Luna could do was gawk.
"Let them come!" He exclaimed, so loud that Hermione was afraid the Minister could hear it all the way from London. "Hermione," He said, slightly softer. "I caught him."
"What do you..." But then realization dawned on her, and she sucked in a breath of air, and her eye light up for joy. "You mean...?"
"Yep," He said proudly. Hermione squealed with joy, and Sirius chuckled. He started to dance a jig, then grabbed Hermione and they danced along the grass, laughing with joy as Luna stared in horrific confusion at the convicted murderer she had once loved and still did, and the teenager whom she had tried to teach to reject the Darkness.
"Sirius?" Someone said in disbelief. Luna turned to see a crowd of students and teachers alike, who could do nothing more than stare at the top of the sixth year class and Black the Infamous. The question had come from none other than Harry Potter himself.
"Harry!" Sirius said, breaking from Hermione who fell to the ground laughing. "I caught him, Harry!" Harry's face split into a smile, and he ran up to Black, and hugged him fiercely and Ron Weasley ran to Hermione, helped her up, and then went to Black himself. The inhabitants of the castle stared in disbelief, except for Dumbledore, who simply nodded, a knowing smile on his face at the man and the three wildly happy teenagers, and his utterly confused professor, who longed to be hugging the man as well.
For the Love of the Land
~I pledge my loyalty to Honor, Justice, and Hogwarts~
Part Nine
Sirius was deliriously happy. He had not been happy like this since...well, since he had become free of the clutches of the Dementors at Azkaban. Why, you ask? He had captured Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous rat that brought about Lily and James's deaths, not to mention Padfoot's dozen-year imprisonment.
He had fashioned a cage for Pettigrew, one from which he could not escape. At first, Sirius was going to kill him. He didn't know how, but he wanted Wormtail to die, most likely a slow and very painful death.
But then he had come to his senses. If he waited, and took Wormtail to Dumbledore...he could have his name cleared. He could live his life. He could have custody of Harry.
And so, Sirius planned to travel to Hogwarts and somehow arrange a meeting with Harry. It was harder than normal, having to lug Wormtail around, but it would be worth it in the end. For the first time in fifteen years, Sirius Black could see the gold at the end of the rainbow.
And maybe, just maybe, after his name was cleared he could find Luna...
* * *
Luna sat at her desk, her face buried in her hands. Voldemort was moving fast, now that he had the Dementors on his side. She was growing ever more uneasy with Hermione's absence. She was to return tomorrow night. However, Luna didn't think she'd be in any functional state of mind for another few weeks, at least.
However, one good thing had come of this. The Defenders were finally going through the last stage of bonding: trusting each other with secrets that no one else, or at the very least hardly any one else, knew.
She could distinctly remember everything that had been told when she and the other Defenders of her generation had first confessed to each other. Of course, it had been easier for them, as none of them had been enemies previous to Defending. It was not so easy for this group, because Draco Malfoy offset them. However, Luna knew in her heart that there was a lot more to drawling Malfoy then he let on.
She did not even want to imagine what it was going to be like for them. She could remember James completely breaking down, in front of Lily and everyone else. And Sirius...his story had been heartbreaking.
Not that his current story was. Traitor. Did that oath mean nothing to him? Luna seemed to often remember Sirius at school, and could never find where he had gone wrong. The only other route was that he had never gone wrong, which was impossible.
Right?
* * *
Ginny ran upstairs, toward the Gryffindor common room. She wanted to grab her book before going to dinner. She was quite out of breath by the time she panted the password to the fat lady, who opened up to submit her.
At first Ginny just started jogging up to the dorm. Then she stopped short, looking one of the more comfortable armchairs near the fire.
"Hermione?" She said. The forlorn looking sixth year turned her head to the voice calling her. She attempted a weak smile.
"Hey, Ginny." She replied, her voice hardly above a whisper. She was starting to notice the world now. Starting to handle the unbelievable feeling of loss and pain. And she was feeling much stronger for it, because she now had something to fight for.
"Are you okay?" Ginny said, forgetting her book (along with her dinner) and sitting down next to her friend. Hermione nodded.
"I did some planning while I was at home," She said through constant sniffles, as if she had just stopped crying, as indeed she had. However, she pulled out some loose parchment and started explaining it to the Fire Defender very professionally. Ginny looked not at the plans, but at Hermione in wonder. How could she work at a time like this?
"Hermione?" Ginny said after the third plan. She looked up suddenly at Ginny, as if coming out of a trance.
"Hm?" She replied.
"Umm..." Ginny searched for words. She wasn't quite sure how to introduce the situation. "We...that is Neville, Draco, Cho and I, have decided that well..." She was nearly stuttering. Hermione listened with a blank face, her head slightly cocked to the right. "We thought that's it's a little unfair, you know? I mean, you didn't know what the Dark Lord took from us, but now we all know about you, and...we're all gonna...you know, tell each other what was taken. Did that make any sense?"
"Yes, actually," Hermione replied, half smiling. She was glad that she would find out about the others, as it had been a question she had wanted answered for quite some time. "When?"
"Tonight, if you want." Ginny replied, trying to sound cheerful. However, the very thought of putting it into words...she gulped, and her smile faltered. Hermione pretended not to notice.
"Yes, tonight is good." She replied. She opened her mouth to say more, but at that very moment the portrait hole opened, and two boys came tumbling inside. Unlike Ginny, they immediately noticed Hermione sitting there.
"Hermione!" Ron said in surprise. Then she smiled, really smiled, and ran up to her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him fiercely before even saying a word.
"Hello!" He said, smiling down at her. He was glad to see that she wasn't moping about. He hated seeing Hermione upset.
"Hello, hello both of you!" She said, pulling Harry and Ron into a group hug. (To which both boys rolled their eyes.) "What's happened? Anything I should know about?"
Nothing at all of importance had happened while Hermione was away, but both started speaking at once, as if they had prepared all the little gossips for when she came back. (Which they had) Ginny stood.
"Ahem." She said, and the trio turned to look at her in perfect unison. She tried not to sigh. Harry, Ron and Hermione were a perfect circle and nothing, not death or fear or Defending, could penetrate that. Ginny had always longed to be part of it, but knew, deep inside, that she never would be.
"I'm going to go..." She let her sentence hang, looking pointedly at Hermione, who nodded, giving her an odd, half smile and a wink. Ginny left the common room with a smile. Well, at least she now had something with Hermione that not even the boys understood.
But she could still hear the three of them talking loudly with each other, interrupting each other, and, just before the portrait hole closed behind her, Ginny heard Hermione laugh.
She found Neville and Cho in the Great Hall. She quickly explained that Hermione was back, and they were going to have The Talk tonight. They both promised to be in the library at the table where they usually met, at 8:00 sharp. However, Draco was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she wandered the castle for a bit, and found herself in the library. She found their table...and Draco Malfoy sitting at it. He looked up at her.
"Hermione's back, I know." He said as Ginny opened her mouth to speak. "I didn't know what time you would want to be meeting here. Seven? Eight?" Ginny put her hands on her hips.
"You act like you know me sooo well." She said, in an almost sarcastic voice. Draco stood, walked over to her, and bent forward so that she could feel his breath on the side of her face.
"That's because I do." He whispered. Ginny felt chills running up and down her back. Draco had a way of doing things...unexpected. You would think, by now, Ginny would know to expect that from him.
He kissed her cheek, and she found herself kissing him back. That is until...
"Ginny?!" Someone gasped. She and Draco spun around to see Lavender Brown staring at them in absolute shock. Ginny felt herself blush. Her first thought was embarrassment, but then she realized how stupid they had been. The library wasn't exactly private, and no doubt this would, eventually, get around to Ron. Lavender stood there, stunned.
"Lavender," Ginny said, removing herself from Draco's arms and running over to the older girl, who merely gaped. A Weasley and a Malfoy? She thought in shock.
"Ginny...are you with Malfoy?" She asked, still beyond shocked.
"Shhhh"! Ginny hissed. "Lavender, you cannot tell ANYONE about this, understand?" Lavender shook herself out of shock to consider the situation. Ginny had always been rather rebellious to her brothers, and Malfoy was certainly not bad looking...
"Dear, if you want to keep this a secret, I suggest you make out somewhere OTHER than the library." Lavender replied. She turned to leave, but Ginny grabbed her arm.
"Don't tell Ron." She begged. Lavender sighed.
"He's going to find out eventually, Ginny."
"I know." Ginny replied, feeling rather uncomfortable and scared to death when she thought about her brother finding out about her secret relationship with Draco. "I just...not yet, okay?" She looked pleadingly up at Lavender, who sighed.
"Okay Ginny. Whatever you say." Lavender turned and left, meeting Parvati at the foot of the steps.
"What's up?" Parvati asked.
"I caught Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin making out in the restricted section..."
"Hermione!" Cho said, running up to Hermione and giving her a hug. "Oh, are you okay?'
"I'm fine." Hermione said blushing, a bit embarrassed by all the attention. They all chatted for a while, before there was a pause, and everyone knew it was Time.
"Okay," Said Ginny, letting out a whoosh of air. "We know why we're here. Who wants to volunteer?" Silence. They all looked around at the others, hoping that they wouldn't have to be first. Until Neville cleared his throat.
"I'll go first." He said, surprising the other four. They hadn't expected Neville to volunteer. However, he cleared his throat again (one of his many nervous habits) and launched into his story.
"Um, I've been wondering for quite a while how I was going to say this, so here goes. You all know that I live with my Grandma. That's fine, I love my Granny and all. But...my parents..." Neville swallowed hard.
"They...they are what was taken from me. But not like everyone else. They were kidnapped, because my dad was an auror. This was after You-Know-Who's downfall, so everyone thought they were safe. But some Death Eaters kidnapped them, like I said, and...um...tortured them for information." He looked down at his hands, trying very hard not to cry and not wanting to look up at his companions. If he had, he would've seen the varying looks of shock and sympathy on everyone's face.
"I visit them sometimes." He said, his voice tightened and sounding far off. "They don't know who I am, or my Granny..." He couldn't go on, nor did the others expect him too. Cho patted him awkwardly on the back, and he suddenly sat straight up, looking determined.
"Okay." He said. "Who's next?"
"I am." Ginny said meekly. She was shocked by Neville's story, told in his own words. She would've never guessed in a million years...she had never even thought about Neville living with his grandmother as opposed to his parents. Granny...that's not what her grandmother had been called. Memaw was the name Bill had appointed her all those years ago. She tossed her hair in determination and began her story.
"My parents are big on anti-Dark stuff, especially Voldemort. That's because they were raised that way. Especially my dad, his parents, my grandparents, were always preaching against the Dark side.
"My grandfather died before I was born. He was an auror, and was killed in the heat of an attack. But my grandmother lived on, trying to raise her children to the light.
"Dad was the second oldest in the family, having an older brother named Peter. Dad idolized Uncle Pete as a child. That is, until he began his fascination with Muggle things. My uncle despised Muggles, but, as you all know, they fascinate my dad. That's when their relationship deteriorated.
"I remember my grandmother well. I thought she was wonderful. I was, at the time, her only granddaughter, because Peter never married and Arthur, my dad, had only had boys right then. I loved her so much." Ginny looked off into the distance, as if trying not to cry, yet crying inside. Then she swallowed and continued.
"My...uncle," She said, closing her eyes so that the tears would leak out. "He...he betrayed us. He turned to Voldemort, became a Death Eater. Then he...he..." Ginny really was crying now, and Draco automatically took her hand and stroked it, encouraging her to go on. He summoned a tissue, and handed it to her. She blew her nose, and looked up at her companions, who were watching with compassion and sympathy.
"Sorry," She said, smiling weakly. "I'm getting all worked up. Memaw, my grandmother that is, she was staying at our house when...when they attacked. The Death Eaters, that is. We, my brothers and I, we were in Mom's room. She magiked the door so that they couldn't get in. But Memaw..." She let the sentence hang, and everyone knew what had happened. She let her head droop, and Draco put an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She sniffled a bit more, then looked up and forced a weak smile.
"Well, it feels good to let that out. Who's next?"
"I'll go." Cho said softly, sticking out her chin. The others turned to her, and she spoke slowly and carefully, as if trying to control her emotions.
"I had a sister once. A twin sister, identical. Her name was Chi." Cho giggled a bit, but it didn't sound heartfelt. "Cho and Chi Chang. That was us. Anyway, Chi and I were...very close. I mean, really close. Anyway, I have to explain a little bit about my parents.
"My mother's father had been a servant of Grindlewald, and in turn for Voldemort. However, while my uncle and two aunts followed his teaching, my mother rebelled. She turned against him and married my dad, who works at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"My grandfather had always been searching for a way to punish his youngest daughter for disobeying him. He told her, the very last time she ever saw him, that one day he would take the one thing she loved best.
"Chi and I were playing in the backyard that day. It was June, and we were picking flowers..." Cho faltered for the first time. It seemed that she could perfectly picture that sunny summer day. "We were about seven, I think. Anyway, we were having fun. And then...I don't know, I suddenly got this...feeling that something was wrong, you know? I told Chi, and she laughed and told me I was being silly. But it kept bugging me. I begged her to come inside with me, but she refused. Why would she come in? It was a beautiful summer's day.
"So I started going back to the house. Then I heard it; footsteps. I hid in some flower bushes, and saw a tall man in a black robe come up behind my sister, holding a wand. 'Chi!' I shouted, but I was too afraid to move. She turned and looked behind her, and her eyes widened. And then...he killed her." Cho suddenly stopped talking, and grabbed the edge of her chair until her knuckles were white. "She was only seven years old...And she was killed by her own grandfather." She began to shake, and Hermione put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you going to be okay?" She asked softly. Cho came out of the spell she had seemed to go into and let out a ragged breath of air.
"Yeah," She said, nodding her head. "I'll be fine." She looked up and over at Draco, who sighed.
"I guess that leaves me." He said, stating the obvious. The others all had very sad and heart wrenching stories, but none quite like Draco's. He closed his eyes and hoped against hope that they wouldn't hate him as he began to speak.
"I also had a sister. A younger sister, by the name of Serpentina. She was two years younger than myself. I thought she was the coolest thing. I showed her how to hold a wand and taught her all the passwords I knew around the mansion. She was MY little sister, and I...I loved her, I think." Draco's eyebrows raised suddenly, as if just realizing this for the first time. The others, too, were quite shocked to hear this.
"Anyway, my father is a Death Eater. You all know that. Well, he wanted Serpentina and I to worship Voldemort as well. He started training us as soon as we could walk. I could do magic long before I came to Hogwarts. But that has nothing at all to do with it. The point is, Serpentina...she just couldn't. She could handle basic spells very well, but not anything Dark. She could do Light magic easily, but it was like she was born without the ability to, in any way, control the Dark forces.
"Voldemort," He spoke the name with hatred, much to the surprise of the others. "Voldemort wasn't too happy about this. He tried again and again to force my father into making his daughter perform Dark magic. However, he was quite pleased with me." Draco snorted. "I was very good with the Dark Arts, and between you and me, I still am. The Dark Lord started to control me in much the same way he controlled my father.
"Soon I, too, was trying to force poor Serpentina into Dark magic. But she just couldn't do it. I started to become cruel to her, wanting so badly to be the one to bring her to our side. I thought she just wouldn't do it. She would look at me with tears in her bright blue eyes and ask me why I was so mean to her." Draco's eyes were moist, but nothing came from them. It seemed that the sheer memory of his sister reminded him of the Dark person he was supposed to become. The path he had rejected. He blinked, and continued his story.
"Then, on Serpentina's eight birthday, Voldemort summoned all four of us, that is my parents sister and I, into the drawing room. My parents told Serpentina that that's where her presents were, but I knew otherwise. She cowered before the Dark Lord, and he spoke harshly to her. He told her to perform a very basic Black spell. She whimpered, saying that she couldn't. He forced her to try, and she failed. He smiled cruelly, and preformed the Cruciatus Curse. My parents stood and watched, never taking their eyes off of her and not moving. I was shocked. There she was, this harmless, innocent child, screaming and shaking and begging and crying and her parents were just watching without doing anything. And so was her older brother.
"I wanted to stop him. I wanted to jump in the middle and scream that no one could hurt my little sister like that. But I didn't. I wouldn't oppose him." Draco's head drooped, and his wavy blonde hair hid his face. "She died." He croaked. "She died right there, under the influence of that curse. And I did nothing." He looked up, expecting to see appalled hatred on the faces of the only people he had ever trusted. He was surprised to see shock and compassion. He felt a hand on his, and turned, in surprise, to see Ginny, whom he had been sure would hate him after this.
"Oh, Draco," She said. Then she looked at all the others. "Well, now we all know everything. No more secrets. Okay?"
"Oh you guys!" Hermione said, bursting out into to tears and running around the circle, giving a hug to each in turn. They all hugged her back. Even Draco didn't protest.
* * *
The next afternoon, Hermione was walking outside along the bank of the lake, digesting the information of last night. It was hard to swallow. The others were doing much the same thing at the very same moment, but in their own fashion. Ginny was writing in her diary. Draco was staring into the fire of the Slytherin common room. Cho was polishing her Nimbus 2000. Neville was looking out the window of the Gryffindor common room at the forest below. No one else was crazy enough to come outside. As it was Hermione's teeth were chattering, because it WAS mid-November.
She sat down next to the lake and, taking off her shoes and socks, dipped her feet into the water. It would feel freezing to practically anyone else who would do something so crazy, but to Hermione it felt pleasant. This was, of course, because she could control water and, as she wanted it to be warm for her, it was.
She was sitting and staring out onto the surface of the water, when she felt someone sit down next to her. She turned, and started in surprise to see Professor Starlight.
"Luna!" She said in surprise.
"Hello, Hermione." She replied, smiling. "I just came down here to think. Of course, I can't make the water comfortable, as you can." Hermione laughed.
"Yes, I quite enjoy the talent." Hermione replied. They sat in silence for a little while. Until suddenly Hermione yelped and pulled her feet out of the water.
"What?" Luna asked in alarm, looking around.
"The water!" Hermione cried. "It's suddenly freezing!"
"But that's impossible!" Luna replied. "Only someone else with more power over the water than you could..." But the words died on her lips, when she saw a figure moving in the trees. Her eyes widened.
"Hermione, run!" She hissed. The two women stood, but Hermione did not run. She squinted in the general direction of the figure, until she spotted it. She was then about to run, when the figure spoke.
"Hermione?" It croaked. Her eyes widened and suddenly she was smiling.
"Sirius!" She cried. Then the figure, a tall man with dark, tangled hair and tattered robes emerged from the trees, smiling. Hermione ran up and gave him a hug. Luna stared in complete shock. Sirius?
"What are you doing here?" Hermione demanded, coming to her senses. "This is NOT safe. Look, Harry's fine, I promise. Leave! They're going to catch you!" Sirius laughed loud and long, and all Luna could do was gawk.
"Let them come!" He exclaimed, so loud that Hermione was afraid the Minister could hear it all the way from London. "Hermione," He said, slightly softer. "I caught him."
"What do you..." But then realization dawned on her, and she sucked in a breath of air, and her eye light up for joy. "You mean...?"
"Yep," He said proudly. Hermione squealed with joy, and Sirius chuckled. He started to dance a jig, then grabbed Hermione and they danced along the grass, laughing with joy as Luna stared in horrific confusion at the convicted murderer she had once loved and still did, and the teenager whom she had tried to teach to reject the Darkness.
"Sirius?" Someone said in disbelief. Luna turned to see a crowd of students and teachers alike, who could do nothing more than stare at the top of the sixth year class and Black the Infamous. The question had come from none other than Harry Potter himself.
"Harry!" Sirius said, breaking from Hermione who fell to the ground laughing. "I caught him, Harry!" Harry's face split into a smile, and he ran up to Black, and hugged him fiercely and Ron Weasley ran to Hermione, helped her up, and then went to Black himself. The inhabitants of the castle stared in disbelief, except for Dumbledore, who simply nodded, a knowing smile on his face at the man and the three wildly happy teenagers, and his utterly confused professor, who longed to be hugging the man as well.