A/N: This story has apparently not been very successful in terms of reviews
(except for you, Sue, I love you!), but I'll keep going anyway... This is a
longer chapter than usual, but a had a bout of inspiration, and it so
scarce nowadays that I had to make the most of it
Summary: Well, the title is pretty self-explanatory. Four students have been killed and a fifth victim lies unconscious. But, who is she? And why were they killed? And, most importantly, whodunit? Harry Potter & Co. investigate while love tries to flourish.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything HarryPotterish, JK Rowling does, and I'm not making any money out of this. The plot and the few original characters are mine, if I want them.
Rating: A high PG-13, I suppose, for swearing, violence and gory scenes.
Pairing: Some RW/HG, but I think that main focus might be DM/HP.
Murder in the Hogwarts Express or the Fifth Element, by Dark Fairy.
Chapter 7
"So," started Dumbledore, examining the three young men sitting in front of him, each with a cup of tea and a nervous expression, each avoiding his eyes "it seems like we have all come to the same conclusion, haven't we?" No-one answered, and Dumbledore smiled even wider. "Ethan, have you got any suspicions regarding the dreadful attack to the Hogwarts Express?"
"None yet, sir" answered Ethan, quite calmly; his grey eyes looked at his boss for a long moment before dropping back to his cup of tea.
"How about you, Mr Malfoy?" Draco looked up to the Headmaster, and arranged his face into a respectfully arrogant expression.
"I don't have enough information about what happened to make up my mind, although I must admit I've been looking into it... I have every intention of bringing my cousin's murderer into justice"
"Which justice, one wonders" commented Dumbledore, without pressing any further into the subject. "And you, Harry, what about you? It seems like, once again, you've managed to find trouble, although this time you can claim that trouble does look for you specially. Don't you have anything to share with us?" Harry gulped a scalding sip of tea and tried not to shoot a pleading look to Draco.
"I did look into it a bit, sir, but I don't claim to know who it was, and... I don't have the slightest clue at all, actually"
"So, are you saying that it is just my sheer brilliancy that permits me to see this crystal-clear? I'm flattered" Turning suddenly serious, Dumbledore looked to his desk. "Mr Malfoy, do you think your father will find it inconvenient if I fire him now?"
"I don't believe he will, sir, he always stays awake till late" replied Draco carefully. Dumbledore assented and turned towards the fire, allowing Draco to exchange a *very* worried look with his cousin, leaving Harry to feel left out. Not thirty seconds later, the handsome head of Lucius Malfoy was standing on the fire, looking at Dumbledore haughtily.
"Hello, Lucius, pardon me for bothering you so late in the evening" greeted the old wizard with a pleasant smile. "I was just wondering if you could step into my office for a moment, to discuss something" Grey eyes, perfectly expressionless, took in the surroundings of the Headmaster.
"Certainly, Albus" was all that Lucius said, before the fire turned red, and the school governor was stepping into the room, muttering a spell to clean the soot out of his perfect sky-blue robes. "Good-evening, Draco, I hope this ill-timed calling doesn't have to do with you. Good-evening, Ethan, Potter" It was pure venom that dripped off Harry's name, but Dumbledore pretended not to notice.
"Would you like to take a seat, Lucius, perhaps have a cup of tea?"
"Not really, Albus. I would be grateful if this meeting were to last a little as possible, I have business to attend at the Manor" The eldest Malfoy turned to face the Headmaster and raised a pale, perfect eyebrow.
"You have been informed of the happenings at the Hogwarts Express, haven't you, Lucius?" asked Dumbledore, as if the news hadn't shocked the wizarding community to its very roots.
"Of course I have! I am a school governor and a Ministry official. Besides, you in person owled me with the news... what are you getting at, Dumbledore? I don't have time to spend in childish games" Lucius seemed politely exasperated, but there was nothing betraying the mounting fear inside him, or the drum roll his heart had started when he had stepped in Hogwarts.
"The girl who was found in the carriage has awoken, and she has described her attacker" announced Dumbledore, to everyone's great surprise. Draco paled and looked at Ethan, who was also looking as worried as possible; Harry only wanted to reach out for Draco and unclenched his thin hands from where they were digging their nails in the armchair. The only one who didn't react was Lucius, who hadn't believed a word of it.
"Really? Why haven't you told the Ministry yet? I'm sure you'll need some Aurors to deal with the arrest of this person... or did you call me because you need my help with it?" Dumbledore piercing gaze never left Lucius, but apart from the fact that he was hiding something, he couldn't see any further.
"Your help? It couldn't come in a more appropriate time, Lucius" The Hogwarts Headmaster had decided to change tactics, and was now going for the psychological war "Why don't we all go and see her, so she can tell us all what she saw?"
Touché! Lucius was left speechless for a minute, the unexpected proposal breaking down his barriers; only for a moment, though, because immediately afterwards he drew himself up and smiled.
"Very well, then, Albus. I hope it won't take long, but even if it does, it is my duty to go to the end in this investigation: not only because of my attachments to the school, but because of the family implications... Lead the way!"
Albus got up and started descending the spiralling staircase, seemingly distracted, and almost missing the look Lucius gave to the youngest members of his family; amazingly, it was a look of reassurance, and it was enough to calm Draco and Ethan's nerves, and give them back their façades. Harry just followed everybody, lost and confused, unable to read any of the signs, except for Draco's renewed smirk, which told him everything was falling back into place; with Fawkes in their trail, silent and observant like he had been all of his life, the parade made its way across Hogwarts.
"Headmaster, you cannot come and disturb her yet again!" huffed Madam Pomfrey determinately, standing in front of the door "Whatever you told her in your last visit was enough to give her a nervous breakdown... I will not allow that anymore!"
"Move, woman!" roared Dumbledore unexpectedly, pushing the frightened nurse away and banging the door open. Harry noticed that the old wizard was acting just like he had acted with Barty Crouch Jr., and it scared him, for his sake and for everyone else's //Specially for Draco's, isn't it?//
Lilith stood up suddenly when the mismatched group invaded her chambers, only to fall back into bed as soon as she saw Lucius. Dumbledore advanced quickly towards her, his expression stony, his eyes blazing; Harry only had the time to cringe before two things happened at the same time. The eldest Malfoy moved forwards, one arm outstretched to stop Dumbledore, at the same time that a furious gush of wind knocked the Headmaster into the wall.
"Don't touch me!" hissed Lilith, crouching between the pillows of her bed. Her tiny hand was pointing towards Dumbledore and that strange wind was still running through the chamber. Lucius stood in the middle of them, his eyes determinately avoiding the girl.
"Dumbledore, calm down before you do anything stupid!" exclaimed the blonde wizard, raising Harry's appreciation of his courage several notches. Albus stood up, outwardly composed, and faced Lucius; there was a furious blue fire dancing in the old eyes, and the Death Eater had a single moment to fear.
"Look at your masterpiece now, Lucius. Don't you dare? She is your making, your work of art, and yet your eyes avoid her like the plague... what's wrong? Did she disappoint you in any way?" It was a dangerous game the Headmaster was playing, but he was desperate for an answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Albus" replied Lucius in a thinly controlled voice, still not turning towards Lilith "I suggest you recover your senses, and then we may have a proper conversation" While every muscle in his body was clearly screaming that he would throw himself into a pit of wild dogs before he did what he was doing, Lucius appeared remarkably tranquil as he turned towards Lilith and looked at her.
An endless moment passed, in which grey eyes locked with black eyes, and then the wind died all of a sudden. Lilith loosened her tense pose and relaxed against the bedpost, and Lucius turned back to Dumbledore, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, proof if there was any of the tremendous effort he had just made.
"What was it she was supposed to tell us, Albus? I don't find her very cooperative at all" His voice was back at its normal pitch, and Albus Dumbledore bit his moustache in anger.
"Lilith, tell us who it was" he ordered, without looking at the girl. "Tell us who used you, who made you into a weapon, who robbed you of your choices, of your humanity..."
Harry watched in fascination the play that was developing before his eyes; the powerful old wizard, the younger, dangerous man, the fragile and yet strong girl... all of the time he was aware of Draco's unwavering look, trained on his father, of the blind trust that glance emanated, of the lost self-confidence restored by a look and a curt nod. It was envy that played in the back of his mind, amongst the fear he had for the latest developments.
"I don't know who it was" replied Lilith, her voce louder that it had been ever before "I told you once, and I'll tell you again, I do not have the slightest idea of who did this" She paused for a moment and then resumed her speech "It is not the time to spend your wits in fruitless investigations. I was called for a reason, and I intend to make it a reality. The encounter is nearing and I have not been prepared; dedicate yourselves to this task, and leave your struggles for other time" Calm authority, found in some forgotten corner of her broken heart, Lilith was irradiating strength as she called our her orders.
Dumbledore leant back against the wall, all the fire in his eyes gone once again. Lilith gave an indefinable smile, and straightened up a bit more.
"You are nothing without me. You would be lost if I were to abandon you. I am your last hope. Obey these simple orders, and I will obey yours when the time comes: leave the mystery covering my origins alone, and train me, teach me how to use my strength." She gave a look around her, stopping to smile at Harry and Draco, who had the decency to blush "It will be to your advantage as well as to mine"
When Harry woke up the following morning, he had a tremendous headache and a nagging feeling of emptiness in his stomach that wasn't all to be attributed to hunger. The events of the past night came rushing in just as he had to face Ron; with a groan, the Boy Who Lived fell back into bed and covered his face with a pillow.
"I won't ask anything, mate" called Ron from somewhere near the door "Let's just go and have breakfast, and if you want to tell us anything, you can do it afterwards" Surprised, but nonetheless grateful for the unexpected sensitiveness of his best friend, Harry threw some clothes on and ran down to the Great Hall, to sit by Hermione. He noticed the empty place where Draco used to sit, but he refused to think before he had had something to eat, and he turned back to his toast and tea, stubbornly keeping his eyes on his plate until Ron's patience wore thin and Harry found himself being dragged out of the Hall, followed by a scolding Hermione.
"Ron, you should have let him finish his breakfast!"
"No, I've waited enough! Dumbledore drags him off with Malfoy last night, he doesn't come back till the morning and he stills tries to act as if nothing had happened... if he's so hungry, I can Transfigure some of this chalk into bread, and be done with it!" Remembering his dreadful experiences with that particular Transfiguration assignment, Harry quickly refused.
"No, it's OK, I've had enough to eat anyway!" Seeing his friends' worried looks, Harry started to tell them everything that had happened last night; to them, and to anyone who didn't have the inside knowledge Harry had, Dumbledore's attitude towards Lucius, though worrying, was granted by the man's shadowy reputation; and there were more pressing subjects at hand, anyway "... and so, Dumbledore said she would start to train as soon as possible, maybe even today. She seemed afraid that she would have to fight before she was ready"
"Do you think You-Know-Who will strike soon?" whispered Ron, looking panickedly around him.
"Yes, Voldemort has already assembled his forces, and he will want to attack before we have time to prepare" confirmed Harry gloomily "However, it is good news to know that we have a secret weapon with us..."
"Not so secret, Harry" contradicted Hermione "Both Malfoys have already seen her, it's just as if You-Know-Who himself had come to visit her. I don't know what Dumbledore was trying to do when he showed her to Malfoy, but I think that the element surprise has totally gone out the window"
"Maybe Voldemort doesn't know how to fight her! You saw yourself that mixing the elements has loads of different effects, he won't know what he has to face until it's too late!"
"We don't know what he will have to face either! Not even Dumbledore knows what that girl can do, it's very dangerous, it could perfectly backfire!" Hermione sounded more and more like McGonagall as she grew older, and the impersonation she was doing then was almost perfect; Ron looked on, from his girlfriend to his best friend, unable to butt it "How about she chickens out in the middle of the battle?"
"She's a Gryffindor, she won't chicken out!" said Harry proudly, remembering Neville's show of courage in their first year.
"She might not know what to do!" exclaimed Hermione, who had now hopped in the fatalist wagon.
"She's a Ravenclaw, she'll find out"
"She might give up on everything already!" Hermione wasn't convinced that the girl would want to fight after all that had happened to her.
"She's a Hufflepuff, she'll be there till the very end"
"She might have to do something horrible, she's only a girl" Hermione's mind flashed vivid images of what Lilith could have to face, and she cringed.
"She's a Slytherin, she'll go through it" concluded Harry "Can't you see it, Herm? She's got all our virtues, all that makes Hogwarts so great! Not even Dumbledore dared do anything to her, she blew him back..."
"That amount of power in a single person is very dangerous..." Hermione was going to carry on arguing, but she was cut off by Malfoy, pale, with huge dark circles under his eyes, and a confident smirk plastered on his face.
"I'm going to have to agree with the Mudblood, Potter, and yet you said something that is also true" He allowed a moment to let the compliment sink in "Won't you ask Creevy to take a picture now?! Surely the day you had a coherent thought should be recorded..."
"Say what you've got to say already, Malfoy, and then leave" Ron was the only one who hadn't been complimented, and he felt hurt by it.
"Very well, Weasel, here it is: Potter said that the girl has all the qualities from the four houses: she's brave, she's clever, she's stubborn, and she's recursive..."
"Some call the later "hard-working" and "devious", but I can see your point" interrupted Harry darkly, upset to see that Malfoy had reverted to his old self.
"As I was saying, before I was interrupted by various loud sounds," said Draco loudly, drowning Harry's complaint "she has all our virtues, true, but she also has all our defects"
Silence descended again on the little group. Harry tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to catch Draco's eye, to find some vestige of the trust shared the night before, but there was none.
"But they cancel each other out" muttered Hermione after a pause "Gryffindors are known for leaving things half-done, and jumping into things without much thought, but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's influence should put an end to that. Slytherins are double-faced," she looked at Draco and smiled "no offence to those present, of course, but Gryffindor's loyalty..."
"It doesn't have to work that way" cut in Ron, exasperated "People don't inherit all their parents' virtues and defects, only some of them... maybe she won't be a cowardly snake after all"
"Shut up, Weasel, you have no idea what you're talking about" Draco turned back to the two other Gryffindors "You, as the only remotely intelligent Gryffindors in existence, will have to help her with the Gryffindor defects. I will do so with whatever Slytherin bad-treats she has, if there is such a thing... we can't tell anyone else, so the other houses' defects will also run our way..."
"Wait a minute! Did Dumbledore ask you to tell us this? Even better, does he have any idea at all of your brilliant plan?" Harry had a very strong gut feeling that both answers were 'no', but at least Draco would have to talk to him.
"Face it, Gryffs, the old fool has been bested. He has no idea at all of what he's meant to do with what he's got. You saw it last night, Potter, so stop deceiving yourself. I am not interested in seeing the girl fail, and I will do whatever is in my hands to help her... are you in, or aren't you?" The challenge resounded like a slap in Harry's already hot-tempered mind.
"In, of course" he spat "Why did you even bother asking?"
"We need your Cloak, Potter, no other reason whatsoever" answered Draco easily. Hermione, who knew where those two were standing (in the Swamps of Denial, at the moment), shook her head.
"Fine, we'll meet tonight in the Entrance Hall, after midnight... and don't try to get us into trouble, Malfoy, or you'll end up putting the ferret look in vogue again" threatened the bushy-haired girl; the Slytherin gave her his best contemptuous look, and smirked.
"Clever answer, Mudblood, but I'll never feel offended by someone who isn't even worthy of kissing the ground I step on" Before Harry or Ron had time to curse him, he gracefully left the room and his steps began fading down the corridor.
While Ron ranted on and on, and Hermione, with very flushed cheeks, slammed her books on the table, Harry sank into his place in the History of Magic classroom, and dedicated his free time to feel miserable. Where had the magic gone? Where was the frightened boy he had held on his arms the night before? Why the Hell was Malfoy acting like always?
------------ A/N: Oh, it seems like a huge jump backwards in their advancing relationship, but Harry and Draco will work it out in the next chapter (I think). Did you spot Malfoy quoting Eeyore? A cookie for you!!!
Summary: Well, the title is pretty self-explanatory. Four students have been killed and a fifth victim lies unconscious. But, who is she? And why were they killed? And, most importantly, whodunit? Harry Potter & Co. investigate while love tries to flourish.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything HarryPotterish, JK Rowling does, and I'm not making any money out of this. The plot and the few original characters are mine, if I want them.
Rating: A high PG-13, I suppose, for swearing, violence and gory scenes.
Pairing: Some RW/HG, but I think that main focus might be DM/HP.
Murder in the Hogwarts Express or the Fifth Element, by Dark Fairy.
Chapter 7
"So," started Dumbledore, examining the three young men sitting in front of him, each with a cup of tea and a nervous expression, each avoiding his eyes "it seems like we have all come to the same conclusion, haven't we?" No-one answered, and Dumbledore smiled even wider. "Ethan, have you got any suspicions regarding the dreadful attack to the Hogwarts Express?"
"None yet, sir" answered Ethan, quite calmly; his grey eyes looked at his boss for a long moment before dropping back to his cup of tea.
"How about you, Mr Malfoy?" Draco looked up to the Headmaster, and arranged his face into a respectfully arrogant expression.
"I don't have enough information about what happened to make up my mind, although I must admit I've been looking into it... I have every intention of bringing my cousin's murderer into justice"
"Which justice, one wonders" commented Dumbledore, without pressing any further into the subject. "And you, Harry, what about you? It seems like, once again, you've managed to find trouble, although this time you can claim that trouble does look for you specially. Don't you have anything to share with us?" Harry gulped a scalding sip of tea and tried not to shoot a pleading look to Draco.
"I did look into it a bit, sir, but I don't claim to know who it was, and... I don't have the slightest clue at all, actually"
"So, are you saying that it is just my sheer brilliancy that permits me to see this crystal-clear? I'm flattered" Turning suddenly serious, Dumbledore looked to his desk. "Mr Malfoy, do you think your father will find it inconvenient if I fire him now?"
"I don't believe he will, sir, he always stays awake till late" replied Draco carefully. Dumbledore assented and turned towards the fire, allowing Draco to exchange a *very* worried look with his cousin, leaving Harry to feel left out. Not thirty seconds later, the handsome head of Lucius Malfoy was standing on the fire, looking at Dumbledore haughtily.
"Hello, Lucius, pardon me for bothering you so late in the evening" greeted the old wizard with a pleasant smile. "I was just wondering if you could step into my office for a moment, to discuss something" Grey eyes, perfectly expressionless, took in the surroundings of the Headmaster.
"Certainly, Albus" was all that Lucius said, before the fire turned red, and the school governor was stepping into the room, muttering a spell to clean the soot out of his perfect sky-blue robes. "Good-evening, Draco, I hope this ill-timed calling doesn't have to do with you. Good-evening, Ethan, Potter" It was pure venom that dripped off Harry's name, but Dumbledore pretended not to notice.
"Would you like to take a seat, Lucius, perhaps have a cup of tea?"
"Not really, Albus. I would be grateful if this meeting were to last a little as possible, I have business to attend at the Manor" The eldest Malfoy turned to face the Headmaster and raised a pale, perfect eyebrow.
"You have been informed of the happenings at the Hogwarts Express, haven't you, Lucius?" asked Dumbledore, as if the news hadn't shocked the wizarding community to its very roots.
"Of course I have! I am a school governor and a Ministry official. Besides, you in person owled me with the news... what are you getting at, Dumbledore? I don't have time to spend in childish games" Lucius seemed politely exasperated, but there was nothing betraying the mounting fear inside him, or the drum roll his heart had started when he had stepped in Hogwarts.
"The girl who was found in the carriage has awoken, and she has described her attacker" announced Dumbledore, to everyone's great surprise. Draco paled and looked at Ethan, who was also looking as worried as possible; Harry only wanted to reach out for Draco and unclenched his thin hands from where they were digging their nails in the armchair. The only one who didn't react was Lucius, who hadn't believed a word of it.
"Really? Why haven't you told the Ministry yet? I'm sure you'll need some Aurors to deal with the arrest of this person... or did you call me because you need my help with it?" Dumbledore piercing gaze never left Lucius, but apart from the fact that he was hiding something, he couldn't see any further.
"Your help? It couldn't come in a more appropriate time, Lucius" The Hogwarts Headmaster had decided to change tactics, and was now going for the psychological war "Why don't we all go and see her, so she can tell us all what she saw?"
Touché! Lucius was left speechless for a minute, the unexpected proposal breaking down his barriers; only for a moment, though, because immediately afterwards he drew himself up and smiled.
"Very well, then, Albus. I hope it won't take long, but even if it does, it is my duty to go to the end in this investigation: not only because of my attachments to the school, but because of the family implications... Lead the way!"
Albus got up and started descending the spiralling staircase, seemingly distracted, and almost missing the look Lucius gave to the youngest members of his family; amazingly, it was a look of reassurance, and it was enough to calm Draco and Ethan's nerves, and give them back their façades. Harry just followed everybody, lost and confused, unable to read any of the signs, except for Draco's renewed smirk, which told him everything was falling back into place; with Fawkes in their trail, silent and observant like he had been all of his life, the parade made its way across Hogwarts.
"Headmaster, you cannot come and disturb her yet again!" huffed Madam Pomfrey determinately, standing in front of the door "Whatever you told her in your last visit was enough to give her a nervous breakdown... I will not allow that anymore!"
"Move, woman!" roared Dumbledore unexpectedly, pushing the frightened nurse away and banging the door open. Harry noticed that the old wizard was acting just like he had acted with Barty Crouch Jr., and it scared him, for his sake and for everyone else's //Specially for Draco's, isn't it?//
Lilith stood up suddenly when the mismatched group invaded her chambers, only to fall back into bed as soon as she saw Lucius. Dumbledore advanced quickly towards her, his expression stony, his eyes blazing; Harry only had the time to cringe before two things happened at the same time. The eldest Malfoy moved forwards, one arm outstretched to stop Dumbledore, at the same time that a furious gush of wind knocked the Headmaster into the wall.
"Don't touch me!" hissed Lilith, crouching between the pillows of her bed. Her tiny hand was pointing towards Dumbledore and that strange wind was still running through the chamber. Lucius stood in the middle of them, his eyes determinately avoiding the girl.
"Dumbledore, calm down before you do anything stupid!" exclaimed the blonde wizard, raising Harry's appreciation of his courage several notches. Albus stood up, outwardly composed, and faced Lucius; there was a furious blue fire dancing in the old eyes, and the Death Eater had a single moment to fear.
"Look at your masterpiece now, Lucius. Don't you dare? She is your making, your work of art, and yet your eyes avoid her like the plague... what's wrong? Did she disappoint you in any way?" It was a dangerous game the Headmaster was playing, but he was desperate for an answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Albus" replied Lucius in a thinly controlled voice, still not turning towards Lilith "I suggest you recover your senses, and then we may have a proper conversation" While every muscle in his body was clearly screaming that he would throw himself into a pit of wild dogs before he did what he was doing, Lucius appeared remarkably tranquil as he turned towards Lilith and looked at her.
An endless moment passed, in which grey eyes locked with black eyes, and then the wind died all of a sudden. Lilith loosened her tense pose and relaxed against the bedpost, and Lucius turned back to Dumbledore, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, proof if there was any of the tremendous effort he had just made.
"What was it she was supposed to tell us, Albus? I don't find her very cooperative at all" His voice was back at its normal pitch, and Albus Dumbledore bit his moustache in anger.
"Lilith, tell us who it was" he ordered, without looking at the girl. "Tell us who used you, who made you into a weapon, who robbed you of your choices, of your humanity..."
Harry watched in fascination the play that was developing before his eyes; the powerful old wizard, the younger, dangerous man, the fragile and yet strong girl... all of the time he was aware of Draco's unwavering look, trained on his father, of the blind trust that glance emanated, of the lost self-confidence restored by a look and a curt nod. It was envy that played in the back of his mind, amongst the fear he had for the latest developments.
"I don't know who it was" replied Lilith, her voce louder that it had been ever before "I told you once, and I'll tell you again, I do not have the slightest idea of who did this" She paused for a moment and then resumed her speech "It is not the time to spend your wits in fruitless investigations. I was called for a reason, and I intend to make it a reality. The encounter is nearing and I have not been prepared; dedicate yourselves to this task, and leave your struggles for other time" Calm authority, found in some forgotten corner of her broken heart, Lilith was irradiating strength as she called our her orders.
Dumbledore leant back against the wall, all the fire in his eyes gone once again. Lilith gave an indefinable smile, and straightened up a bit more.
"You are nothing without me. You would be lost if I were to abandon you. I am your last hope. Obey these simple orders, and I will obey yours when the time comes: leave the mystery covering my origins alone, and train me, teach me how to use my strength." She gave a look around her, stopping to smile at Harry and Draco, who had the decency to blush "It will be to your advantage as well as to mine"
When Harry woke up the following morning, he had a tremendous headache and a nagging feeling of emptiness in his stomach that wasn't all to be attributed to hunger. The events of the past night came rushing in just as he had to face Ron; with a groan, the Boy Who Lived fell back into bed and covered his face with a pillow.
"I won't ask anything, mate" called Ron from somewhere near the door "Let's just go and have breakfast, and if you want to tell us anything, you can do it afterwards" Surprised, but nonetheless grateful for the unexpected sensitiveness of his best friend, Harry threw some clothes on and ran down to the Great Hall, to sit by Hermione. He noticed the empty place where Draco used to sit, but he refused to think before he had had something to eat, and he turned back to his toast and tea, stubbornly keeping his eyes on his plate until Ron's patience wore thin and Harry found himself being dragged out of the Hall, followed by a scolding Hermione.
"Ron, you should have let him finish his breakfast!"
"No, I've waited enough! Dumbledore drags him off with Malfoy last night, he doesn't come back till the morning and he stills tries to act as if nothing had happened... if he's so hungry, I can Transfigure some of this chalk into bread, and be done with it!" Remembering his dreadful experiences with that particular Transfiguration assignment, Harry quickly refused.
"No, it's OK, I've had enough to eat anyway!" Seeing his friends' worried looks, Harry started to tell them everything that had happened last night; to them, and to anyone who didn't have the inside knowledge Harry had, Dumbledore's attitude towards Lucius, though worrying, was granted by the man's shadowy reputation; and there were more pressing subjects at hand, anyway "... and so, Dumbledore said she would start to train as soon as possible, maybe even today. She seemed afraid that she would have to fight before she was ready"
"Do you think You-Know-Who will strike soon?" whispered Ron, looking panickedly around him.
"Yes, Voldemort has already assembled his forces, and he will want to attack before we have time to prepare" confirmed Harry gloomily "However, it is good news to know that we have a secret weapon with us..."
"Not so secret, Harry" contradicted Hermione "Both Malfoys have already seen her, it's just as if You-Know-Who himself had come to visit her. I don't know what Dumbledore was trying to do when he showed her to Malfoy, but I think that the element surprise has totally gone out the window"
"Maybe Voldemort doesn't know how to fight her! You saw yourself that mixing the elements has loads of different effects, he won't know what he has to face until it's too late!"
"We don't know what he will have to face either! Not even Dumbledore knows what that girl can do, it's very dangerous, it could perfectly backfire!" Hermione sounded more and more like McGonagall as she grew older, and the impersonation she was doing then was almost perfect; Ron looked on, from his girlfriend to his best friend, unable to butt it "How about she chickens out in the middle of the battle?"
"She's a Gryffindor, she won't chicken out!" said Harry proudly, remembering Neville's show of courage in their first year.
"She might not know what to do!" exclaimed Hermione, who had now hopped in the fatalist wagon.
"She's a Ravenclaw, she'll find out"
"She might give up on everything already!" Hermione wasn't convinced that the girl would want to fight after all that had happened to her.
"She's a Hufflepuff, she'll be there till the very end"
"She might have to do something horrible, she's only a girl" Hermione's mind flashed vivid images of what Lilith could have to face, and she cringed.
"She's a Slytherin, she'll go through it" concluded Harry "Can't you see it, Herm? She's got all our virtues, all that makes Hogwarts so great! Not even Dumbledore dared do anything to her, she blew him back..."
"That amount of power in a single person is very dangerous..." Hermione was going to carry on arguing, but she was cut off by Malfoy, pale, with huge dark circles under his eyes, and a confident smirk plastered on his face.
"I'm going to have to agree with the Mudblood, Potter, and yet you said something that is also true" He allowed a moment to let the compliment sink in "Won't you ask Creevy to take a picture now?! Surely the day you had a coherent thought should be recorded..."
"Say what you've got to say already, Malfoy, and then leave" Ron was the only one who hadn't been complimented, and he felt hurt by it.
"Very well, Weasel, here it is: Potter said that the girl has all the qualities from the four houses: she's brave, she's clever, she's stubborn, and she's recursive..."
"Some call the later "hard-working" and "devious", but I can see your point" interrupted Harry darkly, upset to see that Malfoy had reverted to his old self.
"As I was saying, before I was interrupted by various loud sounds," said Draco loudly, drowning Harry's complaint "she has all our virtues, true, but she also has all our defects"
Silence descended again on the little group. Harry tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to catch Draco's eye, to find some vestige of the trust shared the night before, but there was none.
"But they cancel each other out" muttered Hermione after a pause "Gryffindors are known for leaving things half-done, and jumping into things without much thought, but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's influence should put an end to that. Slytherins are double-faced," she looked at Draco and smiled "no offence to those present, of course, but Gryffindor's loyalty..."
"It doesn't have to work that way" cut in Ron, exasperated "People don't inherit all their parents' virtues and defects, only some of them... maybe she won't be a cowardly snake after all"
"Shut up, Weasel, you have no idea what you're talking about" Draco turned back to the two other Gryffindors "You, as the only remotely intelligent Gryffindors in existence, will have to help her with the Gryffindor defects. I will do so with whatever Slytherin bad-treats she has, if there is such a thing... we can't tell anyone else, so the other houses' defects will also run our way..."
"Wait a minute! Did Dumbledore ask you to tell us this? Even better, does he have any idea at all of your brilliant plan?" Harry had a very strong gut feeling that both answers were 'no', but at least Draco would have to talk to him.
"Face it, Gryffs, the old fool has been bested. He has no idea at all of what he's meant to do with what he's got. You saw it last night, Potter, so stop deceiving yourself. I am not interested in seeing the girl fail, and I will do whatever is in my hands to help her... are you in, or aren't you?" The challenge resounded like a slap in Harry's already hot-tempered mind.
"In, of course" he spat "Why did you even bother asking?"
"We need your Cloak, Potter, no other reason whatsoever" answered Draco easily. Hermione, who knew where those two were standing (in the Swamps of Denial, at the moment), shook her head.
"Fine, we'll meet tonight in the Entrance Hall, after midnight... and don't try to get us into trouble, Malfoy, or you'll end up putting the ferret look in vogue again" threatened the bushy-haired girl; the Slytherin gave her his best contemptuous look, and smirked.
"Clever answer, Mudblood, but I'll never feel offended by someone who isn't even worthy of kissing the ground I step on" Before Harry or Ron had time to curse him, he gracefully left the room and his steps began fading down the corridor.
While Ron ranted on and on, and Hermione, with very flushed cheeks, slammed her books on the table, Harry sank into his place in the History of Magic classroom, and dedicated his free time to feel miserable. Where had the magic gone? Where was the frightened boy he had held on his arms the night before? Why the Hell was Malfoy acting like always?
------------ A/N: Oh, it seems like a huge jump backwards in their advancing relationship, but Harry and Draco will work it out in the next chapter (I think). Did you spot Malfoy quoting Eeyore? A cookie for you!!!
