Disclaimer: Hogwarts and all attatchments are JK Rowling's.
Chapter One - London Rain
It rained. Harry thought that his first night back in London after a trip to "visit" Charlie in Romania (Mr and Mrs. Weasley had been doing work for the Order) there should be a little breeze, about ten thousand stars and no cars on the roads, making noise.
Instead he got rain, clouds, and the worst news he'd ever heard in his life.
Kingsley Shacklebolt let the Weasleys and Harry into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place with a distracted air. Used to his semi-vague personality, Harry said nothing but wandered into the sitting room trying to control the clenching of his gut muscles. He hadn't been in his godfather's house since the Christmas holidays before Sirius' death. Seeing the house brightly lit, without the Dark Artifacts and gloomy hangings that had been the property of the Black family made the place feel alien. But in a way, that helped.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Ginny asked frankly. "This must be hard for you."
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied immediately. "Let's it down."
Fred, George, and Ron exchanged looks with their sister, but said nothing about it. Instead, they flopped down onto the cushions and started talking unconcernedly about their trip.
"Did you see the Fireball they were trying to breed with the Hybridean Black?" Fred asked. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of one of those."
"It's a pretty dangerous idea," Ron said. Everyone stared at him. "Well, it is," he said defensively.
"Do you have to point out the obvious in every conversation?" George asked nastily.
"Course he does," Fred snickered. "Otherwise, he'd have nothing to say."
"Oh, shut it, you two," Ginny said idly. "If it weren't for Ron, neither of you would have anything to say."
Fred made a face at Ginny and they laughed.
Harry, meanwhile, had crouched beside the picture window, looking out to the street. It was almost deserted, and dingily lit, but for a moment the grey darkness was almost comforting. Like a blanket on a cold night, the way the darkness cloaked the house was soothing...
"Hary!" someone said, close to his ear. He turned sharply and saw Ron bending over him, about to grab his shoulder.
"What?" he snapped.
"Mum said we need to go to the kitchen," Ron said, seeming to ignore Harry's annoyance. "Something about bad news and Malfoy. Maybe they've died, that'd be really great -"
"Ron, shut up," Harry said tiredly. He stood up and led the way to the kitchen.
The house was his now; Sirius had willed it to him. But he'd let the Order keep it as Headquarters, because hehad no particular wish to live in it. Not that he could, anway.
After what had happpened, it was a struggle just to return to the house for visits or Order business.
He found Mr and Mrs Weasley in the kitchen with Kingsley, Bill, Snape and Lupin, looking so serious that he thought someone must have died.
Trying to ignore Snape, he sat down beside Lupin and said quietly, "what's happned?"
"Narcissa Malfoy had turned her son out of the Manor," Snape replied. Harry scowled at him.
"Why? How do you know... sir?"
"We have it from a reliable source, Harry," Lupin said quietly. "We do not know why, exactly, but we do know that he has contacted his Aunt, and unless we can stop her, she will take him in."
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said, feeling sick fear at the name.
Kingsley nodded. "We have suggested he stay at Hogwarts until term starts, but at the moment there are no members of the Order to watch him."
"Could we keep him here?" Fred asked. "This is Order headquarters!"
"Which is prescisely the reason we can't keep him here," Snape said impatiently. "Use your brains, boy!"
Mrs. Weasley bristled at Snape's tone, but said simply, "we believe we may have a solution. But you children must agree on it. All of you."
"What is it?" Ron asked, oblivious to the looks of certainty and sick disbelief from the other.
"Oh, isn't it obvious, Ron?" Ginny asked despairingly.
"We thought we might take Draco Malfoy until term starts," Mr Weasley said. "Much as I don't like his family, I do believe living with Bellatrix Lestrange would be the worst option. He's already tipped to take the Mark as soon as he turns eighteen. Maybe this way we can change something."
Pandemonium ensued. Fred and George stood up and shouted in one voice "you can't do that!" Ron stared at his parents, white faced.
Ginny looked like a wildcat, between the expression of her eyes and the fire of her hair.
Harry was numb. He couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy to stay with the Weasleys.
"Malfoy would never do it," he said finally. "He hates us - all of us. It'd be worse now that Voldemort's back, and his father's in jail."
"Harry's right!" George said hopefully.
"We know he is," Bill said. "That's not the point. We're not talking about him going willingly."
Fred slumped down in his seat. "What has Dumbledore said about this?"
"We contacted Dumbledore as soon as we found out," Kingsley said. "He says the better option would be for soeone from the Order to take the Malfoy boy. It won't be easy, we know that. But it will help the Order."
Harry exchanged glances with Ginny, who shrugged. "If it's for the Order, then," she said in resigned tones.
Ron looked about to refuse, but sighed. "Doesn't look like we have a choice, does it?" he asked rhetorically.
"Well, I won't do it," Fred stated furiously. "I'd rather live here, or go and stay with Bill. How can you let Malfoy into our house, Mum?"
"I'd let you stay at my flat, mate," Bill said. "All of you. But I'm going back to Egypt tomorrow, and I'll be there until October."
The twins exchanged furious glances, but seeing the defeat in his mother's eyes Fred reluctantly gave in.
"I'm staying," George announced. "Merlin only knows what he might try."
"Harry?" Mr Weasley asked. "You have a right to decide this as well."
He wanted to say no, that he wouldn't do it, ever, but something stopped him. Slowly, he loked around the table. Everybody here had risked something, lost someone. The Weasleys were prepared to take a potential Death Eater into their home. This was something he could do for the Order.
He took a deep breath. "I'll do it," he said.
Chapter One - London Rain
It rained. Harry thought that his first night back in London after a trip to "visit" Charlie in Romania (Mr and Mrs. Weasley had been doing work for the Order) there should be a little breeze, about ten thousand stars and no cars on the roads, making noise.
Instead he got rain, clouds, and the worst news he'd ever heard in his life.
Kingsley Shacklebolt let the Weasleys and Harry into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place with a distracted air. Used to his semi-vague personality, Harry said nothing but wandered into the sitting room trying to control the clenching of his gut muscles. He hadn't been in his godfather's house since the Christmas holidays before Sirius' death. Seeing the house brightly lit, without the Dark Artifacts and gloomy hangings that had been the property of the Black family made the place feel alien. But in a way, that helped.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Ginny asked frankly. "This must be hard for you."
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied immediately. "Let's it down."
Fred, George, and Ron exchanged looks with their sister, but said nothing about it. Instead, they flopped down onto the cushions and started talking unconcernedly about their trip.
"Did you see the Fireball they were trying to breed with the Hybridean Black?" Fred asked. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of one of those."
"It's a pretty dangerous idea," Ron said. Everyone stared at him. "Well, it is," he said defensively.
"Do you have to point out the obvious in every conversation?" George asked nastily.
"Course he does," Fred snickered. "Otherwise, he'd have nothing to say."
"Oh, shut it, you two," Ginny said idly. "If it weren't for Ron, neither of you would have anything to say."
Fred made a face at Ginny and they laughed.
Harry, meanwhile, had crouched beside the picture window, looking out to the street. It was almost deserted, and dingily lit, but for a moment the grey darkness was almost comforting. Like a blanket on a cold night, the way the darkness cloaked the house was soothing...
"Hary!" someone said, close to his ear. He turned sharply and saw Ron bending over him, about to grab his shoulder.
"What?" he snapped.
"Mum said we need to go to the kitchen," Ron said, seeming to ignore Harry's annoyance. "Something about bad news and Malfoy. Maybe they've died, that'd be really great -"
"Ron, shut up," Harry said tiredly. He stood up and led the way to the kitchen.
The house was his now; Sirius had willed it to him. But he'd let the Order keep it as Headquarters, because hehad no particular wish to live in it. Not that he could, anway.
After what had happpened, it was a struggle just to return to the house for visits or Order business.
He found Mr and Mrs Weasley in the kitchen with Kingsley, Bill, Snape and Lupin, looking so serious that he thought someone must have died.
Trying to ignore Snape, he sat down beside Lupin and said quietly, "what's happned?"
"Narcissa Malfoy had turned her son out of the Manor," Snape replied. Harry scowled at him.
"Why? How do you know... sir?"
"We have it from a reliable source, Harry," Lupin said quietly. "We do not know why, exactly, but we do know that he has contacted his Aunt, and unless we can stop her, she will take him in."
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said, feeling sick fear at the name.
Kingsley nodded. "We have suggested he stay at Hogwarts until term starts, but at the moment there are no members of the Order to watch him."
"Could we keep him here?" Fred asked. "This is Order headquarters!"
"Which is prescisely the reason we can't keep him here," Snape said impatiently. "Use your brains, boy!"
Mrs. Weasley bristled at Snape's tone, but said simply, "we believe we may have a solution. But you children must agree on it. All of you."
"What is it?" Ron asked, oblivious to the looks of certainty and sick disbelief from the other.
"Oh, isn't it obvious, Ron?" Ginny asked despairingly.
"We thought we might take Draco Malfoy until term starts," Mr Weasley said. "Much as I don't like his family, I do believe living with Bellatrix Lestrange would be the worst option. He's already tipped to take the Mark as soon as he turns eighteen. Maybe this way we can change something."
Pandemonium ensued. Fred and George stood up and shouted in one voice "you can't do that!" Ron stared at his parents, white faced.
Ginny looked like a wildcat, between the expression of her eyes and the fire of her hair.
Harry was numb. He couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy to stay with the Weasleys.
"Malfoy would never do it," he said finally. "He hates us - all of us. It'd be worse now that Voldemort's back, and his father's in jail."
"Harry's right!" George said hopefully.
"We know he is," Bill said. "That's not the point. We're not talking about him going willingly."
Fred slumped down in his seat. "What has Dumbledore said about this?"
"We contacted Dumbledore as soon as we found out," Kingsley said. "He says the better option would be for soeone from the Order to take the Malfoy boy. It won't be easy, we know that. But it will help the Order."
Harry exchanged glances with Ginny, who shrugged. "If it's for the Order, then," she said in resigned tones.
Ron looked about to refuse, but sighed. "Doesn't look like we have a choice, does it?" he asked rhetorically.
"Well, I won't do it," Fred stated furiously. "I'd rather live here, or go and stay with Bill. How can you let Malfoy into our house, Mum?"
"I'd let you stay at my flat, mate," Bill said. "All of you. But I'm going back to Egypt tomorrow, and I'll be there until October."
The twins exchanged furious glances, but seeing the defeat in his mother's eyes Fred reluctantly gave in.
"I'm staying," George announced. "Merlin only knows what he might try."
"Harry?" Mr Weasley asked. "You have a right to decide this as well."
He wanted to say no, that he wouldn't do it, ever, but something stopped him. Slowly, he loked around the table. Everybody here had risked something, lost someone. The Weasleys were prepared to take a potential Death Eater into their home. This was something he could do for the Order.
He took a deep breath. "I'll do it," he said.