Unraveled
Chapter Nineteen: Halloween
Fiona spent most of the time trying to decipher a complex potion. Draco enjoyed watching her struggle for nearly an hour before he offered her any assistance, which she turned down. Nell came in with a book, but didn't say anything as she read. She was only going to help if asked.
Draco spent his time finishing up his Arithmancy chart. He was proud of his handiwork. He was hoping to give Hermione Granger a run for her money. However, he doubted that he could get away with calling her a Mudblood in front of these people. Nell was a half-blood, and Fiona was raised as a Muggle. Then there was Harry Potter. Draco hated him more than anyone else in the world. He wondered how Fiona would get along with him. Draco knew that Potter and Black were fellow Aurors, so Sirius Black was hoping that Fiona would get along with him.
"I can't take this anymore," muttered Fiona. She opened the Transfiguration book after setting aside the formula she was working on. "I've taken advanced chemistry, but none of this makes any sense. It's like Holistic medicine."
Nell started laughing. "Do you would some help?" she asked.
"No. I can do this. I just have to read more. I've been doing nothing, but reading," said Fiona as she leafed through her Transfiguration book.
"You're not going to like the Gryffindor head or the Slytherin head with that kind of attitude. Although, McGonagall will give you a fair chance and Professor Snape is your godfather," said Draco thoughtfully.
"Is Hogwarts really that great?" asked Fiona with genuine curiosity.
"It's okay. I wanted to go to the other school, Durmstrang, but it's a good thing that my mother convinced my father to allow me to go to Hogwarts," said Draco.
"Yes, and Harry Potter attends the school. He's in your year, isn't he, Draco?" asked Nell.
Draco's jaw visibly tightened. "Yes, he's in my year," he replied.
"Do you know him?" asked Fiona, wanting to know more.
"He's famous because he's 'The Boy Who Lived'. He's called that because he survived the night that his parents were attacked and killed. James Potter was your father's best friend and Harry's mother's name was Lily. That's the Lily that your middle name is from. He survived the attack with only a scar on his forehead. He survived the Killing Curse," Nell told the story in a quiet voice.
"Let me guess: Voldemort killed them. But, how did Harry Potter survive the attack with just a scar? Didn't Voldemort kill my mom using that curse?" asked Fiona in an amazed voice.
"There are a few theories. The only person who understands it complete is Professor Dumbledore. Harry's mother stood between Voldemort's wand and Harry. She was killed, but her death resulted in a spell that protected Harry. Any attacks were deflected back. It happened on Hollow's Eve fourteen years ago," answered Nell.
Fiona bit her lip feeling a wave of guilty and shame. Harry Potter was the son of her father's best friend. Fiona felt like it was her fault as she stared down at her hands. Everyone in the whole wizarding world would know it. She was part of it. Her hand clutched around the crystal. It warmed itself.
"Potter was sent to be raised by his Muggle relatives. They hate him. I don't blame them. Potter's overconfident. He thinks he's something special just because he can fly a broomstick and has that stupid scar on his head," said Draco bitterly.
Fiona looked up at him. He was jealous of him, but she could tell that it was deeper than that. There was a cold glare in his eyes, and before she could say anything there was a faint popping sound. "We're back. The Shrieking Shack needed to be tidied up a bit, but everything is prepared," announced Ryu.
"We should get going. These are the portkeys we need to use," said Sirius as he showed two rusted spoons to them.
Fiona gave him a look that told him he was off his rocker. "How are we supposed to get to England? Eat our way in?" she asked.
"Just touch them," said Draco with a sigh as he gathered up his bags. Sirius tossed him the portkey and he disappeared.
"Ah. I get it," said Fiona happily as she made sure her bags were ready and gathered them up. Sirius didn't toss the key to her, but rather he handed it gently. She touched it and felt like she was being spun many times. The whole thing made her nauseous until she came into a halt and landed hard on the floor.
The Shrieking Shack looked very different from the way it did the last time Sirius had been there two years ago. It had been cleaned and the fine furniture was restored. Draco offered his hand to help Fiona up, but she shook her head and got up on her own. Soon three pops sounded the arrival of Sirius, Ryu, and Nell.
"As you can see this is the famed Shrieking Shack of Hogsmeade," said Sirius with a bright grin.
"I didn't think it would look like this inside," said Draco as he looked around. "It's supposed to be haunted with ghosts."
"There are no ghosts. The only thing that haunted this place before was a werewolf over fifteen years ago," said Sirius.
Draco realized what Sirius meant. Of course, he remembered when the Shrieking Shack was first built. It was during his father's time, but that was also the same time as Remus Lupin's attendance of the school as a student. "And this leads to the school, doesn't it?" he asked.
"Exactly," said Ryu.
"Where's my candy?" asked Fiona. Sirius noticed that she didn't eat much in the way of food. The only thing she ate in big volumes was sugary things. He smiled and handed her a bag that was at the table. Ryu Ran went out to buy things for the house while Sirius cleaned up the house.
"Wow, so this is wizards' candy?" mumbled Fiona with her hand inside the bag as she inspected her new stash. Her mother would have never allowed her to have that much candy at once, not even at thirteen. She pulled out a Chocolate Frog.
"I suppose I have to go back to Hogwarts," said Draco with a sigh.
"Yes, you will have to, tomorrow. For now, everyone stays here until we have the meeting tomorrow," said Ryu.
Suddenly a Chocolate Frog leaped into the air, but Sirius caught it deftly with one hand. "Don't lose these," he told Fiona as he handed it back to her.
"It's so cute. I don't think I want to eat it. On second thought, I will," said Fiona as she bit into it. She smiled and looked at the packaging. "What's this?"
"It's a trading card," said Draco.
"Oh, like baseball trading cards that come with bubblegum?"
"What's baseball?"
"It's like rounders, but the rules are different. Well…kind of like rounders, I'm not sure. I've never played rounders. Come to think of it, I might be thinking of cricket. I hardly know anything about the British."
"What's rounders? What's cricket?"
"Um…never mind. What else is in here?" she said as she went deeper into the bag. "Wow, it's like Halloween without the trick-or-treating."
"What's—" started Draco.
"Stop. It is Halloween, isn't it?" asked Nell.
"No, it's tomorrow," corrected Ryu.
"Hmm…jelly beans, but I've never heard of these before," said Fiona as she pulled out a box off of Botts' Every Flavor Jelly Beans. "Every flavor? Is it like Jelly Bellies? Those are really good. I like the toasted marshmallow ones."
"How can anyone stay that small with that much food?" asked Draco out loud, not bothering to ask what Jelly Bellies were.
"That's because all she really likes to eat is candy and any kind of sweets," explained Nell. "Fiona, I would be careful with those jelly beans. It's every flavor. I'm talking things like ear wax."
Fiona looked at the box dubiously and put it back into the bag. "I think I'll save the rest of later. What were we talking about?" Draco groaned as Nell shook her head.
"Tomorrow is Halloween. We should wait until things settle back down. You can return tomorrow during the Halloween festivities, Draco, or before then. It's probably best, so that hardly anyone will notice. For now, you can have the rest of the day off. Fiona, you still need to catch up with your school work, so you'll be with me," said Ryu.
"Okay, Sensei. I can't crack the potion you gave me. What's the difference between Aconite and Wolfsbane?" she asked.
"Let me explain as we walk towards the other den. You see…" said Ryu as they walked off. Sirius looked around. "I think I'll talk to Remus. I'll leave you two alone," he said.
Nell gathered up her things. "I'm going back to sleep. It's already been a long day for me."
Draco sat down by himself. Now he was alone to think about the problems at home. He was going to have to show up in the Great Hall in the morning.
*
Harry got out of the infirmary later that day. He was alright enough to move around and felt much better physically, but not mentally. School was already out for the day. Ron hadn't promised he wouldn't say anything about what they talked about in the infirmary, but he and Hermione weren't exclusive yet, so he kept Harry's secret.
When Harry strolled into the Gryffindor common room, he noticed that the girls were looking at him strangely. Was he that obvious? Neville waved at him and said, "Harry, you're back. Are you all right?"
"I feel much better. Thanks for asking, Neville," said Harry. Just then Colin and Dennis Creevy came in. "Harry, how are you doing?" asked Colin immediately. At least, they don't have their cameras, thought Harry.
"Fine. Never better," said Harry as he went upstairs to his room. Ron wasn't there either. Harry sighed and went across the way to the girls dorm where Lavender Brown told him firmly that Hermione wasn't there.
As he was coming down the stairs, he ran into Ginny. "Have you seen Ron or Hermione?" he asked.
"Yes, I think they went to Professor Lupin's office," answered Ginny as she bit her lip. She looked sad. Harry walked passed her, but he felt guilty so he turned around. "Ginny. Look, Ginny, I don't know what to say," he muttered.
"It's okay. You never liked me that way anyway," she said sadly.
Harry stared at her. "You'll always be my friend, Ginny. You're not just my friend because you're Ron's little sister," he assured her.
Ginny attempted to smile, but couldn't. "I'll see you later, Harry," she told him as she continued up the stairs. Harry sighed and hoped that he wasn't going to get into any trouble with her brothers. He continued walking until he got to Professor Lupin's office.
"Harry, oh good, you're up," said Remus pleasantly. "I just received a call from Snuffles. Closed the door and I'll tell you what he said."
Harry closed the door behind him. The news that Remus gave the trio was wonderful. Sirius had returned to Hogsmeade along with his daughter and a few other people. Remus didn't bother to go into the details of who Sirius brought other than Fiona. He also didn't say why they came so suddenly. Sirius said he'd explain himself.
"Where are they staying?" asked Hermione.
"They're staying at the Shrieking Shack. Actually, Sirius was there earlier today, but he had to clean it up and restore the things. He wouldn't bring his daughter into such a dilapidated place. Sirius also wants to talk to you, Harry. I had to tell him what happened at the Quidditch game. He seems worried," said Remus.
Harry tried not to look distressed at the idea of explaining again why he was acting so strangely. Ron gave him a sidelong glance, making Hermione suspicious. They were hiding something from her. Harry was fine doing so, he had been doing that for a while, but Ron was a different story.
"Um…okay," said Harry finally with a sigh. Remus looked at him very carefully. "You'll have to wait until Halloween is over. For now, here's your assignment for my class," he said as he handed it to Harry.
"I better catch up on my work. I'll see you all later," said Harry grimly. He was wondering if anyone else was trying to catch up on as much work as he was.
He surprised himself by buckling down and working. His homework served as the perfect distraction from thinking of other things. He wasn't looking forward to explaining what had happened to him, even though Sirius would understand. Come to think of it, Harry didn't think he'd want to explain to his father or mother what was wrong with him. So, he worked almost feverishly until everything was done at around midnight in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. He fell asleep at the sofa because he didn't have the energy to get up to go to his bed.
Harry's dreams went back to normal again. This time he could see the girl staying on Hogwarts school grounds. She was watching him for a change of pace. Harry was looking at the clouds. She came up to him and tapped his shoulder, but Harry woke up just then because Hermione was gently shaking him.
"Harry, it's morning. Did you finish all your assignments?" she asked him.
"Yes, everything," said Harry as he stretched out a bit. "Let's go to breakfast."
"Um…you'd better clean up first and change clothes," she told him. "Ron's already up. I let you sleep a bit longer because I know you went to bed late."
"And he let you come in here and wake me up? You're not supposed to be in here," Harry said.
"Ron didn't want to wake you up. I said he was being stupid for letting you sleep, so he ordered me to wake you up. But I still came here on my own," she said. Harry smiled and sat up.
"Now, you can go before anyone sees you here," he told her as he went to his trunk.
Harry cleaned up, changed, and went down to breakfast. "We get half the day off, don't we?" he asked at breakfast.
"Yes," said Ron.
"Then, we'll go see Snuffles ahead of time," said Harry.
"But, Professor Lupin said that we had to wait until after Halloween," said Hermione.
Suddenly, they were surprised to see a sight that they hadn't see in the past weeks. Draco Malfoy walked into the Great Hall with Professor Dumbledore, earning a lot of talk and glances. He didn't look the same. His hair wasn't slicked back and he looked more mature. "It's good to see you, Draco," regarded Professor Dumbledore.
"I'm just glad to be back for the Halloween feast," he said mildly in a rather soft voice.
"How did it all go?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"Fine. Everything is going fine. Did you hear from my father and mother, Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.
"No, I'm afraid not," answered Professor Dumbledore with a shake of his head.
His housemates were watching him. Pansy was practically climbing out of her chair to go and greet Draco. Everyone else at the Great Hall looked with wonderment at him. "By the way, Sensei Ran sends his greetings," said Draco.
"Good, go and have some breakfast, Draco," said Professor Dumbledore with a smile.
"I already ate," said Draco. He walked back out of the Great Hall without looking at anyone else. "Was that Draco Malfoy?" asked Ron in disbelief.
"He looks different," said Hermione thoughtfully.
"Yes, he does. Where did he go?" asked Harry.
"Looks like he went and had his personality adjusted," said Ron, which earned him a few snickers from the others.
"Something strange is going on," concluded Harry.
"Are we still going to see Snuffles?" asked Hermione quietly.
"Yes," replied Harry.
"Who's Snuffles?" asked Fred.
"No one you should be wondering about," said Ron.
"Look, you shouldn't be wandering around. Malfoy's back. He looks different, but that doesn't mean anything," said George.
"We'll be fine," said Ron as he stood up. Harry and Hermione followed suit. "Everything's so quiet this year, but there's a lot more going on. I think it's time we investigate," said Fred. He stood up. Ginny and George followed him as they walked off into an opposite direction away from the trio.
"You should just leave them alone," said Ginny.
"Ginny, are you talking about the girl that Harry has a crush on?" asked George quietly.
Ginny turned red in her ears. "It's not like I had a chance," she muttered. "Who told you about it?"
"Angelina told me, and I told George. It sort of explained what Harry was saying after he passed out," said Fred.
"Do you think they'll use you-know-what to go and see this Snuffles they keep talking about?" asked George.
"What are you talking about? No one tells me anything," said Ginny.
"Well, okay. We'll explain. Besides, when we're gone, we'll need someone to keep an eye on Ronniekins for us," said Fred with a smile as he started to explain what the Marauders' Map was. While they explained, George noticed a very alone Draco Malfoy who wasn't even wearing his robes. He was only wearing his shirt slacks. "He's getting more and more casual these days," observed George. Fred and Ginny nodded in agreement.
Draco was at Hagrid's hut. He was actually talking to Hagrid. No one could really tell how the conversation was going. "'O yer back. How'd it all go?" asked Hagrid.
"It's a lot more complicated than I expected. Professor Dumbledore told me to ask you if you could get your hands on some protective creatures," said Draco.
"That depends on what yer looking fer," said Hagrid.
"I'm not sure. That's why I'm here. Oh, and I have some essays that the other teacher made me do for this class. I'm not sure if you want them," said Draco.
"I'll take 'em. Will yer show up for class?" asked Hagrid.
"Yes," said Draco as he went off. Normally, he would have been very annoyed with Hagrid, but everything was so different now. He was actually feeling civil toward the professors. Professor Snape was gone, which made Draco feel uncomfortable. He wasn't sure about staying with the other Slytherins. He was still a Slytherin, but not as stupid as most of them. Old Slytherin should be spinning in his grave.
He walked back to the castle, but decided he really didn't want to go to any classes. He still had to turn in the other assignments and from the others he'd learned that he was ahead of schedule in all the classes. He was hoping the professor would let him off. In Potions, he was more than shocked to find Fleur Delacour.
"Welcome back, Meezer Malfoy," she said. His name was sounded out perfectly because it was French. He knew that she was part Veela, and so was he. He didn't have to be concerned about her magic.
"Meezer Goyle, please work with Meezer Malfoy," Fleur ordered. Draco spotted Harry across the room, but he didn't have the energy to say anything. Suddenly a stopper popped into the air from Neville's stock of potions. It almost hit Draco, but to everyone's surprise, including his own, he caught the stopper instantly.
"Longbottom, watch it," he warned him, but he didn't say anything more, which surprised everyone else even more. He tossed the stopper back to Hermione, knowing that Neville couldn't catch it. He turned to his work station and set to work without another word for the rest of the class.
*
Fiona was bored out of her skull by the end of the day. While all the Hogwarts students had a half day, Master Ran had insisted on working Fiona until half past four. She was exhausted by that time because she was attempting some transfiguration. She soon found out that her father's transfiguration only looked easy.
Sirius sat up and looked at her when she walked into the living room. He was resting because he was very tired from all the things he had to do. She flopped down onto the air chair, next to the sofa. "I didn't get enough sleep last night," said Fiona.
"I don't think anyone did," agreed Sirius.
"I remembered how sad Mom used to be every Halloween. She always wanted to be alone. I never knew why," said Fiona. "Until Aunt Nell told me about what happened to the Potters." She stopped talking. She really had to learn to think before she spoke.
"It's all right. You can ask your questions," said Sirius gently.
"He really is evil. How could anyone kill anyone else? I don't understand," said Fiona.
"I don't want you to. You shouldn't have to. If I could, I would make it so that you wouldn't have to see or hear anything like this," he whispered.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know about Harry Potter. I thought…never mind," said Fiona.
"You thought what?" asked Sirius.
"Nothing," said Fiona. He frowned because she was upset and not telling him why. It was just like her mother. "I didn't tell you about Harry. I sort of forgot to. I was so focused on getting you just to talk to me that I forgot. I'm sorry," he said softly.
She looked up at him in surprise. He was wrong. She was jealous of Harry Potter when she first heard her father talking to Remus about him. Now that she knew about his parents, she felt bad for feeling any jealously. Her father had just proved that she mattered more to him than Harry did. "It's okay," she said with her dimples showing.
He smiled at her. "I know how much pain your mother was in. This is hard for me to explain. I walked out of the house that night. I left your mother," he admitted painfully without looking at her.
She bit her lip. "And you later found out that your best friends were dead. You also found out that someone you trusted betrayed you. And you were blamed for the murders. Leaving Mom, isn't the worst thing that happened to you that night," she whispered.
He looked at her. "I should have listened to her. I should have never left her. I should have stayed for her, even if we knew you were on the way. I was just so angry. Your mother wasn't very honest, but I was too blind to see anything was wrong until after we got married. I never understood her," he felt his throat constrict. "I shouldn't tell you this. It's too much."
"Who else are you going to tell, Dad? I'm the only one who'll understand. I'm the other person she's lied to. It's not that she didn't trust us. It's that she didn't want us to get hurt or think things about her that weren't true," said Fiona.
"I'll give you some credit, Fin. You do understand things better than me," said Sirius as he stood up. He offered her his arm. "Let's go have some tea, Fiona Fish."
"Don't call me that," said Fiona with her nose wrinkled up in distaste as she took his arm. He laughed at the look on her face.
"You really are cute," said he told her.
*
Just before the feast, the trio prepared to sneak to the Shrieking Shack and surprise Sirius because there wasn't time to owl him. Fred, George, and Ginny were paying close attention to every move they made. Harry picked up his cloak, while Ron handled the map. Hermione was telling them they'd better leave during the feast, so that it would be less noticeable.
Everyone gathered in the Great Hall for the usual lavish feast they had annually. Draco Malfoy was there, but hardly talking to anyone. He seemed focused on other things. He was debriefed by Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, but he didn't tell them about his mother's apparent disappearance. That was all he could think about. Draco also knew that Ryu Ran had a meeting set up during the feast with Professor Dumbledore.
Harry purposely packed some food for Sirius and Fiona, while Ron and Hermione did the same thing. Hardly anyone noticed that Professor Dumbledore took his leave almost as soon as he started the feast. The trio left halfway into the feast, but not without Fred, George, and Ginny noticing. However, no one noticed that Draco also disappeared to go to the meeting with Professor Dumbledore and Master Ran.
The trio made their way down in the hallway with cloak of invisibility. Hermione was looking around, while Harry paid attention to the map. It said that Professor Dumbledore was in his office. "Hey, Professor Dumbledore is in his office with Draco Malfoy and Ryu Ran," whispered Harry.
"What?" asked Ron in surprised, but he said it a little too loudly.
"Shh. But, why would they be meeting with Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione.
"Never mind, we have to go. It says that Fred, George, and Ginny are coming this way," whispered Harry. Ron nodded and slipped inside followed by Hermione. Harry took one last look at the map and hid it. "Lumos," whispered Hermione. The boys followed suit and lit their wands.
"There's a lot of weird stuff going on around here," said Ron.
"And to think, we've spent the whole year so far being on our best behavior and now look at us," said Hermione.
"Oh, please," muttered Ron with a roll of his eyes.
"Let's go," he said as they marched towards the Whomping Willow outside the school. "I can't remember where the knot is."
"I do," said Hermione as she pointed to the knot with her wand. Without touching the tree with her fingers. The tree froze in place as they went through it to get to the Shrieking Shack.
Harry smiled, knowing their arguing was just to keep the pretense that they weren't dating. They continued down the dark tunnel. "I wonder if the meeting has anything to do with Malfoy being gone for so long," said Harry.
"I just thought of something. Now that Malfoy's back, the Slytherin will be able to play against us again," said Ron.
"I can't believe you're talking about Quidditch at a time like this," groaned Hermione. Ron shrugged, which made Hermione smile a little bit. To love Ron, was to love Quidditch.
It was strange walking down the tunnel; they were talking like before. Everything seemed back to normal. Harry wasn't acting strangely, while Ron and Hermione were acting like they weren't dating. At the end of the tunnel, Harry whipped out the map again and looked at it. Fred, George, and Ginny had returned to the common room. It appeared that they were sitting down. Professor Dumbledore was still at his meeting with Draco and Ryu Ran. Everyone else was the same as before.
Finally the tunnel twisted upwards, and they were now in the Shrieking Shack. They could see a light down a hallway. They could hear the voice of a woman speaking, but she was muffled by the distance. Harry heard something that made him freeze on the spot; it was the sound of laughter from a girl. He had heard that laugh before. "Come on, Harry," urged Ron.
Harry snapped out of his trance. The trio walked down the hall quietly. Sirius' voice sounded clearer. "There's still a lot of preparations to do. We'll have to meet with Professor Dumbledore tomo—" he stopped because he was surprised. Fiona looked slightly stunned. Nell held on to her wand, which was on the table, but she relaxed quickly when she looked them over and spotted Harry's scar.
"Harry!" said Sirius with a laugh. He stood up and greeted the three of them. Fiona and Nell felt awkward as they greeted newcomers. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?" he asked them.
Harry held out the map, which was wiped clean, so it looked like a piece of old parchment paper to Nell and Fiona. "Wait, let me introduce you. I'll start with something easier. This is Fiona Lily Black, my daughter. And this is her godmother, Dr. Nell Lawson."
Fiona looked more and more uncomfortable. "Fiona, this is Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger," said Sirius. She tried to smile, but couldn't. Her dimples just showed up. Harry watched her carefully. Her hair was pinned back, and her crystal was tucked under her shirt.
She bit her lip nervously as she looked at Nell, who stood up. "Why don't you join us?" she asked pleasantly.
"We brought some stuff," announced Ron happily as he put down what they'd brought.
"It's great to finally meet you. Are you enjoying England so far?" asked Hermione. Fiona gave a nod, but didn't say a word.
"What's been going on?" asked Sirius as he focused his attention on Harry. He knew that Remus was concerned about what happened.
"It's been a great Quidditch season, Sirius," said Ron after Harry didn't respond.
"I know. Harry, are you sure you're all right? I know that you nearly fell off your broomstick," said Sirius quietly.
Nell looked concerned, but Fiona didn't understand what they were talking about. Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I don't even know what Quidditch is," said Fiona finally.
Harry looked at her because he knew her voice. Her eyes were like her grandfather's. He would have expected to be frightened by them, but instead they were warm and friendly. They seemed to sparkle.
"What do you want to know?" asked Ron.
"Don't get him started, please," said Hermione. "I had to listen to them talk about it all the way over here."
"But, I'd like to hear more about the school. We've been listening to Dad's stories. Some of them are unbelievable," said Fiona with a smile.
"What's so unbelievable?" asked Sirius.
"You being such a serious student. I don't believe it because every time I did something wrong, but funny, Mom would say it was like you. Of course, she said so I couldn't hear it. That's what she thought anyway," said Fiona.
"I'll have you know I was a good student. My behavior was excellent," said Sirius with mock indignity.
"Then you can tell her about this," said Hermione as she pointed her wand at the piece of parchment paper. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Fiona watched as the map appeared. She looked at it with wonder. "Wow. 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids of Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present: The Marauder's Map.' What is this?" she asked as she looked at her father. He sort of turned his head away from her. "Dad? Do you know something about this?"
"He should. He's Padfoot," said Ron.
"And you're telling me that you were the model student at Hogwarts," said Fiona with a raised eyebrow.
"Busted," said Nell as she laughed.
"Okay, I'm not perfect," admitted Sirius.
"Why would anyone make a map of the school like this?" asked Fiona as she looked at the map in closer detail.
"They do if they want to know where the secret passages are, and if they want to stay out of trouble by knowing where the faculty is," said Hermione.
"You were good at making trouble, Mr. Padfoot," said Fiona with a grin.
"And who was the person who purposely aggravated her biology teacher every class?" asked Sirius.
"Okay, fine. So, I'm really your daughter," said Fiona with a sigh. She looked at the map again. "Look, Draco is with Sensei Ran and Professor Dumbledore."
Ron nearly choked, while Hermione looked at Harry. He looked stunned. "You know Draco Malfoy?" asked Harry.
"Yes, he's my friend. He's also training with Sensei Ran," said Fiona.
"Friend?" sputtered Ron, but Hermione cut him off by elbowing him.
Fiona was confused as she looked up at the three of them. "Do you know him?" she asked.
"Yeah, we know him," muttered Ron angrily.
"But, how do you know him?" asked Hermione.
"He was sent ahead as a scout by Professor Dumbledore," said Nell. Harry took one look at Sirius.
"So that's why he was gone so suddenly," said Hermione thoughtfully. "He does look very different from before. And he was almost nice to Neville in class today."
"He's not all bad. He just acts like that. He's like a porcupine. They're really sweet, if you know how to handle them," said Fiona.
Ron looked at her like she was mad. "Are we talking about the same Draco Malfoy?" he asked.
Harry didn't say anything as the conversation continued. He wasn't even sure if she was the girl from his dreams. He felt like his heart had dropped from his chest the moment she started speaking because he recognized the sound of his voice. Sirius joined into conversation, but said that Draco was actually on his best behavior. Hermione was interested in meeting Ryu Ran.
"What time is it?" asked Harry suddenly. Ron looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "It's still early, Harry," he answered.
"Are you all right?" asked Hermione.
"No. I'm tired. We'll talk more tomorrow, Sirius. It was nice meeting you," said Harry as he stood up abruptly.
"Harry, we'll take you to Madame Pomfrey," said Hermione as she stood up. She reached out to support him, but he flinched and pulled away from her.
"I'm a doctor. Would you like to talk to me privately? I might be able to help," offered Nell.
"I'll be fine. I just feel sleepy," he said as he walked off without looking at anyone. Hermione followed after him, but said, "Good night everyone. Keep safe."
Ron was the last person to get up from the chair, but he purposely waited for them to get into the tunnel first. He looked at Sirius. "He hasn't been feeling well. It started after you left. He's been sleeping a lot lately. It was nice talking to you, Fiona. And it was nice to meet you, Dr. Lawson," he said as he departed.
AN: And so they finally meet. But, how is it going to go? Harry's not even sure, but he will be by the end of the next chapter. Is Harry jealous of Draco? Or is he just uncertain? This is the longest chapter yet, I think. Okay, this author's note sucks. Read the next chapter and please review. ^^
Okay, I don't feel too well right now. For ongoing updates and previews please go to my livejournal at http://remyelf.livejournal.com.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the original works, but I own the from this story. Please use with permission. I'll most likely let you. The words from the Marauders' Map belong to JK Rowling, not me.