5. Lucius Malfoy, and another shock for Harry!
"Are you going to go and tell the headmistress what we know?" Ron asked.
"When you leave I will.." Hermoine replied. Then she shook her head. "Malfoy, what's Malfoy up to now?"
"I don't know, but I think we have to find out somehow." Harry said. "I've got a bad feeling about this.."
"You've got a bad feeling!" muttered Hermoine. They sat in silence in her office for awhile.
"When's the reunion again?" Harry asked suddenly.
"A few weeks." Hermoine replied. "But Harry, how can you be thinking about that at a time like this?"
"It means we've got a few weeks to work out how to find out what Malfoy's doing." Harry replied. "The reunion is likely to be the only place we'll see him right?"
"Right, so we have to work out how to get the information out of him.I don't suppose we want to try making ourselves into Crabb and Goyle again?" Ron said.
Harry made a face. "Not really no.."
Hermoine glanced at her watch. "I hate to cut this short, but I've got a class to teach."
"Or torture." Ron muttered.
Hermoine pointedly ignored him. "I'll do some thinking, and in the meantime do I tell the headmistress what we know or not?"
"Well you should," Harry admitted. "But then she might try and stop us finding out what Malfoy is up to. We're not kids anymore, I think we can handle it ourselves!"
"Right, I tell her Myrtle didn't know anything then!" Hermoine replied.
****
Back in London Ron and Harry sat in the Leaky Cauldron in a quiet corner talking about what they had learnt.
"Why doesn't it surprise me about Malfoy being involved?" Ron asked shaking his head. "He's a bad egg that one!"
"I just wish I knew how we could get the information out of Malfoy." Harry replied.
"Hermoine will think of something, she's smart." Ron replied confidently.
Harry grinned, but didn't tease his best friend. For his part he wished that Ron and Hermoine would get over their bickering and get together again, but he wasn't about to push him. He knew what that was like only too well-in his fifth year Ron had decided that Harry had to do something about his crush on Cho Chan, and it had been a complete disaster! Luckily for Harry Cho was more mature than him and she had been really good about it. Harry wondered what Cho had done with herself in the last ten years?
"Harry!" Ron whispered. "Look-it's Lucius Malfoy!"
Harry turned around to look. Draco's father was entering the pub, and on his way out the back where the secret enterance to Diagon Alley was.
"Quick-we have to follow him!" Harry said, jumping up. Ron jumped up after him, and the two of them followed him at a discreet distance.
Lucius walked quickly down the street, with the two tailing him.
"He doesn't seem to be worried about anything." Ron said.
"Huh?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"If he was doing something wrong wouldn't be acting more furtive than that?" Ron explained.
"Maybe, but not necessarily. The Malfoy's are used to doing things wrong- and getting away with them, aren't they?" Harry asked.
Lucius stopped and then walked into a shop.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Flitbottom's." Ron replied. "He sells magical ingredients, but everyone knows that he is into dark things and that the ingredients are only a farce!"
"Dark things? Like what?" Harry asked.
"I don't know-mum would never let us go in there when we were little. And even if we went in there is no way Flitbottom would tell us is there?" Ron replied.
It wasn't long before Lucius came out, with a satisfied smile on his face. From there the two followed him to Gringott's- the Wizard Bank. After he came out of there he went back into the Leaky Cauldron, and then back into the muggle world of London.
"What did you make of that?" Ron asked.
"I don't know, but it does prove one thing to me!" Harry replied.
"What?" Ron asked.
"That no matter how much the Malfoy's have been claiming that they are back on our side after Voldemort's death they are still involved in some kind of dark activities-we've just got to work out what!" Harry replied.
"I know, but how?" Ron said, more to himself than as a question.
***
Harry sighed, as he walked up the path to his place. The day's activities had only served to worry him more. What was the significance of the papers with the Dark mark on them? And where was Professor Binns? And what were the Malfoy's up to this time? A terrible thought occurred to him-after what had happened with Voldemort everyone had told him that there was no way that Voldemort could come back again, but what if they were lying? What if he could come back? Harry shook his head trying to clear it. It didn't matter; it was up to him to work it out, and stop it! There was no use being stupid, and being scared. After all he had been through surely nothing could scare him now?
As he reached out to open the front door a piece of paper folded under the mat caught his eye.
'That's strange. Why didn't they send it by owl?' He thought, but he bent over and picked it up. As he unfolded it a shiver ran down his spine.
The paper was blank, except for the Dark mark in the middle. It was the same piece of paper that had been found in the bathroom at Hogwarts! It was from the stack of papers that Myrtle said Malfoy had!
"Are you going to go and tell the headmistress what we know?" Ron asked.
"When you leave I will.." Hermoine replied. Then she shook her head. "Malfoy, what's Malfoy up to now?"
"I don't know, but I think we have to find out somehow." Harry said. "I've got a bad feeling about this.."
"You've got a bad feeling!" muttered Hermoine. They sat in silence in her office for awhile.
"When's the reunion again?" Harry asked suddenly.
"A few weeks." Hermoine replied. "But Harry, how can you be thinking about that at a time like this?"
"It means we've got a few weeks to work out how to find out what Malfoy's doing." Harry replied. "The reunion is likely to be the only place we'll see him right?"
"Right, so we have to work out how to get the information out of him.I don't suppose we want to try making ourselves into Crabb and Goyle again?" Ron said.
Harry made a face. "Not really no.."
Hermoine glanced at her watch. "I hate to cut this short, but I've got a class to teach."
"Or torture." Ron muttered.
Hermoine pointedly ignored him. "I'll do some thinking, and in the meantime do I tell the headmistress what we know or not?"
"Well you should," Harry admitted. "But then she might try and stop us finding out what Malfoy is up to. We're not kids anymore, I think we can handle it ourselves!"
"Right, I tell her Myrtle didn't know anything then!" Hermoine replied.
****
Back in London Ron and Harry sat in the Leaky Cauldron in a quiet corner talking about what they had learnt.
"Why doesn't it surprise me about Malfoy being involved?" Ron asked shaking his head. "He's a bad egg that one!"
"I just wish I knew how we could get the information out of Malfoy." Harry replied.
"Hermoine will think of something, she's smart." Ron replied confidently.
Harry grinned, but didn't tease his best friend. For his part he wished that Ron and Hermoine would get over their bickering and get together again, but he wasn't about to push him. He knew what that was like only too well-in his fifth year Ron had decided that Harry had to do something about his crush on Cho Chan, and it had been a complete disaster! Luckily for Harry Cho was more mature than him and she had been really good about it. Harry wondered what Cho had done with herself in the last ten years?
"Harry!" Ron whispered. "Look-it's Lucius Malfoy!"
Harry turned around to look. Draco's father was entering the pub, and on his way out the back where the secret enterance to Diagon Alley was.
"Quick-we have to follow him!" Harry said, jumping up. Ron jumped up after him, and the two of them followed him at a discreet distance.
Lucius walked quickly down the street, with the two tailing him.
"He doesn't seem to be worried about anything." Ron said.
"Huh?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"If he was doing something wrong wouldn't be acting more furtive than that?" Ron explained.
"Maybe, but not necessarily. The Malfoy's are used to doing things wrong- and getting away with them, aren't they?" Harry asked.
Lucius stopped and then walked into a shop.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Flitbottom's." Ron replied. "He sells magical ingredients, but everyone knows that he is into dark things and that the ingredients are only a farce!"
"Dark things? Like what?" Harry asked.
"I don't know-mum would never let us go in there when we were little. And even if we went in there is no way Flitbottom would tell us is there?" Ron replied.
It wasn't long before Lucius came out, with a satisfied smile on his face. From there the two followed him to Gringott's- the Wizard Bank. After he came out of there he went back into the Leaky Cauldron, and then back into the muggle world of London.
"What did you make of that?" Ron asked.
"I don't know, but it does prove one thing to me!" Harry replied.
"What?" Ron asked.
"That no matter how much the Malfoy's have been claiming that they are back on our side after Voldemort's death they are still involved in some kind of dark activities-we've just got to work out what!" Harry replied.
"I know, but how?" Ron said, more to himself than as a question.
***
Harry sighed, as he walked up the path to his place. The day's activities had only served to worry him more. What was the significance of the papers with the Dark mark on them? And where was Professor Binns? And what were the Malfoy's up to this time? A terrible thought occurred to him-after what had happened with Voldemort everyone had told him that there was no way that Voldemort could come back again, but what if they were lying? What if he could come back? Harry shook his head trying to clear it. It didn't matter; it was up to him to work it out, and stop it! There was no use being stupid, and being scared. After all he had been through surely nothing could scare him now?
As he reached out to open the front door a piece of paper folded under the mat caught his eye.
'That's strange. Why didn't they send it by owl?' He thought, but he bent over and picked it up. As he unfolded it a shiver ran down his spine.
The paper was blank, except for the Dark mark in the middle. It was the same piece of paper that had been found in the bathroom at Hogwarts! It was from the stack of papers that Myrtle said Malfoy had!
