Harry sat alone on the sloping lawns, eyes closed, breathing in the cool morning air. The sun had not yet risen and the yard was dark. It was almost four a.m., and Moody had told him to be awake and ready by five o'clock. He fell back onto the grass, which was still wet from dew. Tanith, he thought, smiling. What a perfect name. He had seen her only briefly, but her intense beauty had captivated him. As he sat there, alone in his thoughts, Harry heard a slight rustle of leaves and a whispering voice.
"Harry…" it said. He sat up suddenly, realizing that the voice was speaking in Parseltongue. He had learned to recognize its sounds, and how to fluently speak it.
"Who are you?" Harry asked it. He was rewarded by a slight chuckle coming from the tall grasses to his right.
"That is not important. But I need to know some things. You are legendary, and so is your past. But which side are you on? You would be a cunning asset to Voldemort, yet the bravery in you seems dominant." The voice seemed to mimic the sorting hat. Harry sighed, falling back to look at the lightening sky.
"I would never work for Voldemort. I would do anything to protect those dear to me, and keep the Dark Lord from regaining power." Harry watched as the sun slowly creeped up. The voice did not answer. Harry thought it was probably contemplating his answer, but after awhile, he turned to the grasses. "Are you still there?" He asked cautiously.
"A Parselmouth. The legendary Harry Potter can speak the language of snakes?" Tanith said, starling Harry. He immediately jumped up. She laughed at his reaction.
"Tanith," He whispered, running a hand through his hair nervously. "I-um…I didn't see you coming. There was this snake, I think. It was talking to me." Harry sighed, sitting down. "I have the most unusual encounters with random things. I'm sorry." Tanith laughed again and sat next to him.
"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything. Trust me, I've had some pretty interesting encounters myself." She smiled.
"I bet mountain trolls, Hungarian Horntails, veelas, werewolves, bouncing ferrets, and Lord Voldemort aren't on your list." Harry looked at her closely. He eyes flashed a look of hurt.
"Not all of them. I have met veelas. I went to school with one, back in France." She smiled. "I go to Beauxbatons."
"Really?" Harry asked. "I met a few students from there at the Triwizard Tournament." Harry said. "That was some interesting carriage they brought."
"Oh yes, Madam Maxine is quite a fascinating person. I was in my second year of schooling. They didn't permit me to go to Hogwarts." Tanith leaned back, resting on her hands.
"That's too bad. Hogwarts really is an amazing school." Harry sighed, remembering his seven years. "I graduated last year. I want to go back, you know, maybe find a job there. It's the only place I've really felt at home."
Tanith smiled. "Well, I certainly hope you do come back. After I leave Moody's house, I'll be going to Hogwarts. The Ministry told me that I'd be safer there." She choked a little on her words. Harry looked at her questioningly.
"Aren't you safe at Beauxbatons?" He asked. "Why is Hogwarts any better?" Tanith looked away, her eyes clouding with tears.
"I'm never safe. Voldemort is after me and my family." He voiced cracked again, and the tears did spill. "Dumbledore will be able to protect me."
Harry looked on in amazement. Voldemort was after her? Harry had been hunted his whole life by the dark side, but she was younger than he was. Harry had come to grips with his fate, but it was obvious that Tanith hadn't. He slid over next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder. Her sobs gradually subsided, and she looked up at Harry.
"Harry?" She whispered, taking a deep breath. "Can I tell you some things?" Harry looked at her, puzzled and nodded. "Well, a long time ago, my family lived in Bordeaux. My father was a Death Eater, part of Voldemort's inner circle. But one day, when I was about three and my brother, Edan, was five, he left with his muggle mistress. Fearing for her safety, he left Voldemort and moved to America. My mother, Deirdre was heartbroken. It took her years to get over the loss. Eventually, she met Judas. At first, he was just a friend helping my mother, but as time went on they got a little more personal. About a year ago, my mother and him announced their engagement. A few months after we found out that my mother was pregnant. We were all so happy, and it almost was like before my father left. But my mother had a miscarriage, and Judas left her. Distraught, my mother killed herself, leaving only my eighteen year old brother and myself. As soon as my father heard about my mother's death, he came to take us with him to live in America. But the Death Eaters found him. They had been after him since he betrayed Lord Voldemort. When they came to our house to kill my father, he fled, and Edan tried to fight them off. He protected me, and lost his life. I don't know why they killed him." Tanith's voice caught in her throat. "My brother died for me. The Ministry of Magic came too late, and sent me here. Dumbledore has been keeping me up to date with my studies, so I can start at Hogwarts after winter vacation." She leaned against Harry, breathing in shudders.
"Tanith, why are you telling me all of this?" Harry asked, stroking her hair softly to calm her.
"Because Moody and Dumbledore both said I could trust you. They said we had a lot in common, and I am in desperate need of a friend right now." Tanith smiled slightly. "The sun is beautiful this morning." She stood, offering a hand to Harry. He took it in his own, but placed none of his weight on it. She looked too fragile.
"Potter, Miss Cohn, lessons are starting. Today we will be working on powerful curses, ones that can take out more than one wizard. And Potter, later this afternoon, we will be going to Hogwarts, to see your friends, and so Miss Cohn can meet Dumbledore." Moody spoke with finality, not wanting to dwell on the conversation. Harry was considerably happier the rest of the morning, and Tanith seemed to reflect his attitude. Harry had promised to introduce her to Ron and Hermione, but 'forgot' to include Draco.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Draco and Hermione spent the morning alone in their common room. Dumbledore had told Hermione that Harry was coming to visit, and she wanted to spend the morning with Draco to avoid confrontation between the two boys later. She was still in her bathrobe, drinking a hot cup of tea Draco had brought up for her. He had woken quite early, and stopped by the dining hall. Many of the seventh year students were surprised to see him. Colin Creevey was snapping pictures of Ron, frantically asking if Harry was going to come.
"Shove off, Creevey. I don't know where Harry is!" Ron sighed dramatically and picked up a muffin. Spying Draco, he went over.
"Morning Weasley." Draco said, picking up an apple.
"Malfoy." Ron said, nodding his head. "Is Hermione upstairs?" Draco picked up an orange for Hermione and nodded.
"Yeah, she might still be asleep though. Don't know if Camille woke her up." He started walking away. "Oh, and Weasley?"
Ron turned, looking Draco directly in the eyes. "Yeah?"
"Look, I don't want to continually have to be a bastard to you, so if you don't mind, I'm willing to make peace. We've graduated now, and I think we can put our feuds behind us." Draco turned and kept walking, striding up the stairs.
Ron stood in the dining hall, his former classmates milling around him, and he came to a firm resolution. It dawned on him that maybe Malfoy wasn't such a bad guy, just controlled by his father. Hermione must have seen the good in him, so maybe Ron would too. He left, pockets laden with fruit and muffins for Moony and Padfoot.
Draco sighed as he climbed the stairs. Weasley couldn't be that bad if Hermione had put up with him for nearly eight years. Maybe Potter deserved a second chance too. Well, that's later, Draco thought, stepping inside the portrait. Hermione was awake and sitting in a chair.
"Morning Draco." Hermione said sleepily. "Have a good night?" Draco nodded, handing her the cup of tea and an orange.
"Stopped by the dining hall. Weasley was there. Seems like Creevey couldn't take enough pictures of him." Draco smirked slightly. "Actually, I think you'd be very proud of our conversation this morning…"
"Oh, did you completely refrain from swearing?" Hermione said sarcastically. "I'm sorry I missed it."
"Actually, no. But I offered to make peace with Weasley. Figured that, seeing as we're eighteen now, we can try and act like mature adults. I'm sure they'll be visiting occasionally, so why not start now?" Draco smiled, sitting on the couch across from Hermione. Nibbling at his apple, he looked to Hermione. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"I'm so proud of you, Draco!" Hermione said, grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe you actually tried to get along with Ron! Oh, this is so wonderful!" Placing her cup on the table, she ran over to where Draco was sitting and hugged him tightly.
"Well, if I didn't think that I was going to have to deal with him every holiday, I wouldn't be doing this." Draco smirked as Hermione pulled back.
"You know, two years ago I would have slapped that smirk off your pretty pureblood face. But now, I'm finding it to be rather inviting…" Hermione leaned over and brushed her lips against Draco's.
"Hermione, I hate to stop this, but Potter will be here in less than an hour, so maybe you ought to get ready?" Hermione pulled back. Sighing, Draco continued. "You do remember the last time he was coming to visit, and we got involved?" Hermione laughed.
"Yeah, Ron attempted to hex you, and then reprimanded you for raping me. If they only knew…" Hermione smiled. "Well, I'm going to get showered and changed, so if anyone comes by, tell them I'm busy."
"Will do, sweetheart." Draco said, taking another bite from his apple. Hermione laughed, heading towards her shared room. After showering, Hermione took a long time getting ready. More than once, Draco had to knock on her door and remind her that they had to meet Harry soon. Hermione chose to ignore Draco's prompting, fixing her hair, changing into a new pair of robes, and fixing her make-up. Eventually, with five minutes before they were supposed to be in Dumbledore's office, Draco unlocked her door and came in.
"Draco! I'm getting ready!" Hermione protested, holding her bottle of perfume as a weapon. "Don't put it past me Malfoy, I will make you smell like orchids."
"You don't spend this much time usually, why is meeting Harry any different?" Draco smirked, easily dodging her spray. "Is there something I should know about you two, Granger?" Hermione sighed, spraying herself and placing the bottle on the counter.
"You know just as well as I do that Harry is my best friend, and only that. Why would I have married you if I loved Harry?" Hermione said, and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, hush up with that logic, Granger. Some day it will get you in a lot of trouble…" Draco smiled mischievously and picked her up. "Shall we?" He carried her out of the portrait and into the busy hallways. A few passing Slytherin's looked at Draco, before rushing over. Draco placed Hermione back on her feet and sighed.
"Oh, Draco! You're back!" A short brunette said. She batted her eyelashes, but stopped when Draco rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come off it, Beatrice. I thought you would have noticed that there is a girl with me." Draco placed his arm around Hermione's waist. Beatrice shot Hermione a glare, before turning back to Draco. "Wait, before you say anything, I'll have you know that she's my wife." Draco smirked, and walked off. Beatrice was left standing in the hallway, gaping.
"You know, you are so mean to some people. Seriously, she looked heartbroken." Hermione said, nestling against Draco's body.
"Well, if I wasn't, I'd have all of the girls in Hogwarts after me. I mean, who can resist my good looks and charm?" Draco smiled. Hermione hit him affectionately.
"Fizzing Whizbees," Hermione said, reaching the gargoyle. It sprang to life and moved aside. The couple walked up the stairs, hand in hand, and knocked on the study door.
"Ah, the Malfoy's. I was wondering when you would get here!" Albus opened the door and pointed to two seats. "Please, sit down. Harry, Tanith, and Alastor aren't here yet, but Mr. Weasley is." Ron waved and smiled.
"Hello Hermione. Mal- er… Draco." Ron said, looking at the two. Draco arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Hello Ron!" Hermione said cheerily, hugging Ron. "Sorry we're late…"
"Miss Granger here had to take half an hour making herself smell like an orchid." Draco said. "She even threatened me with the bottle." Draco sighed, sitting next to Ron. "I swear, how did you put up with that woman for seven years?"
Ron laughed. "I will never know. Harry and I managed though. Once she settles down, she's not too bad." Hermione sat next to Draco.
"I cannot believe that you are talking about me right where I can hear you!" Hermione said, looking indignant. "I didn't think I was that bad." Dumbledore looked on with a sparkle in his eyes. Suddenly, there was a loud popping noise in the fireplace, and Harry stepped out, closely followed by Mad-Eye Moody and a small girl. Harry brushed himself off and grinned at Ron.
"Hello Ron, Hermione!" Harry said, clapping Ron on the back and hugging Hermione. "Malfoy." He added, nodding. Tanith looked up, and locked eyes with Draco. Her eyes widened with realization and she stepped back, bumping into a bookshelf. Tanith spun around just in time to catch a book, and placed it hastily on the shelf before hiding next to Moody.
"Hello Alastor!" Albus said jauntily. "How are you doing?" Moody surveyed the students with his magic eye, before turning back to Albus.
"Just fine. Potter there has been doing quite well, and so has Miss Cohn." Moody turned to look at Tanith. "I can't stay long, but I expect them to be back by Saturday night. I am to understand that they will be going to Hogsmeade?" Albus nodded. "Right." Giving one last nod, he turned and left through the fireplace.
"Students, I would like you all to meet Tanith Cohn. She is from France, and will be coming to school here after Christmas break." Albus smiled at her. She looked around nervously, and moved closer to Harry.
"I know her," Draco whispered to Hermione. "But I don't know from where, and I've never heard that name before. But she looks so familiar…" Draco's voice trailed off as he looked at Hermione.
"Well, I certainly don't know her. And I think it's quite rude of us to be whispering in front of her." Hermione murmured back. Draco straightened and stepped forward.
"Draco Malfoy," He said, extending a hand. Tanith held hers out and he kissed it lightly. She looked at him with wide eyes, and stepped back further.
"Well, I'm Hermione Gra-er…I mean… Hermione Malfoy." She said, extending her hand. Tanith shook it lightly, looking confused. "Oh, I'm sorry! This must look odd. Has Harry not told you about me?"
"Well, he said he knew Hermione Granger, and said nothing about Draco Malfoy." Tanith said nervously. Harry blushed slightly as Hermione gave him a harsh look.
"Well, Harry and Draco aren't exactly the best of friends. But Draco and I got married in August, which is why I'm a Malfoy, not a Granger." Hermione smiled, and pushed Ron forward.
"Oh! Er… I'm Ron Weasley." Ron said, shaking her hand fervently. Tanith pulled back, rubbing her palm. Harry laughed.
"I told you he was quite the character." Harry said to Tanith. She nodded meekly and stepped back again. "Well, I haven't talked to any of you in a long time. Why don't we go downstairs to lunch and talk there?" Hermione nodded, and lead the way out of the room. Once downstairs, Ron motioned for Harry to step away from the group.
"Harry…er…Draco and I made sort of an agreement to stop fighting. He figures that since we're adults, we can be mature enough to stop our petty fights." Ron looked down.
"Good idea Ron." Harry said. "I figured it would be kind of hard to hate our best friend's husband." They laughed, and walked to the Gryffindor table.
"Where did you two go?" Hermione asked. "Colin came over and started barraging us with questions! We told him you were in the hallway, and he ran out!" Hermione laughed.
"Aren't we allowed to have some time to ourselves?" Harry said, sitting next to Tanith. "Well, I know it's probably not much compared with Beauxbatons, but this is Hogwarts." Harry said softly to Tanith.
"It's lovely." She whispered. "Beauxbatons is overly decorated. Too fancy for me."
"Oh! You went to Beauxbatons?" Hermione said excitedly. "How is it there?" Tanith blushed slightly.
"Well, it's very nice, but I haven't been there since June. I've been staying at Moody's." She answered. Draco stared intently at her, still trying to decipher from where he knew her.
"Sorry, but do I know you?" He finally asked. The chatter that had been going on from the former students died down. Tanith's eyes got very wide and her cheeks flushed with pink.
"Uh, no. You don't. I've never met you before." She answered quickly. Draco's creased his brow, but shrugged.
"You just look terribly familiar," He said. Tanith breathed a sigh of relief. Hermione, sensing the tension, spoke up again.
"Harry, you do know we're going to Hogsmeade this weekend, right?" Harry nodded, his mouth full of chicken casserole. "Well, since Tanith hasn't been there before, why don't you tell her a little about that?" Harry nodded again and swallowed. The rest of lunch passed quite quickly, touching on subjects such as Hogwarts classes, Quidditch, and how the group was going to spend their afternoon. When they got up to leave, Ron looked around the dining hall. His eyes rested on a blonde Slytherin girl. She was staring at him, and blushed when he looked over. Following his gaze, Hermione laughed a bit when she saw how Ron was looking at. "Oh, Ron! You do have a thing for interesting girls!" Ron jerked his head up, looking at Hermione.
"What do you mean? I was simply looking at her!" Ron's ears turned red.
"Well, Lavender is a clairvoyant, Fleur was part Veela, and now, Camille is Fleur's cousin, meaning she's part Veela too!" Hermione smiled at Ron's look of shock. "She's the new Head Girl. I'm sharing a room with her." Ron nodded, continuing to walk. He looked back once, and met the girl's eyes. He waved, and she blushed even darker and turned back to her plate. Ron shook his head and followed the rest outside.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Narcissa sat at her open window. It was mid-afternoon, just after lunchtime, and the air was cool and crisp. It was October first, and autumn was in full swing. The leaves had changed to golds, crimsons, and oranges, and the air smelled clean. A black owl sailed lightly over the breeze, coming towards Narcissa's window. Recognizing it, she stiffened with fear and removed the letter from the bird's leg. Absentmindedly feeding the bird a biscuit, she opened the letter with shaking fingers. The wax seal on the back confirmed her suspicions; the letter was indeed from Lucius. She took a deep breath before reading the letter.
Narcissa-
You have quite the nerve to dare to speak to me like that. Draco's wife is nothing more than a filthy mudblood, and if it weren't for her intelligence, she would be dead by now. I need the heir, Voldemort needs the heir, and if Granger fails to produce one, she will be in a sorry state of being. As for your request to divorce me, I believe we shall have a talk about that. Somewhere without prying eyes, or suspicious ears. I expect you home by Sunday afternoon at the latest. Return after that and there will be a price to pay.
-L.M.
Narcissa shuddered to think of what punishments Lucius had in stock for her if she dared to disobey him. Folding the letter neatly back up, she placed it inside her robes, picked up her wand, and left, searching for the only person who made her feel truly safe: Severus Snape.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Harry and Tanith were walking around the school. Hermione had suggested that he show her the castle. They were passing the astronomy tower, and Harry was telling her about the divination class Trelawney taught. Tanith laughed, following Harry down a staircase. He proceeded to show her all the classrooms and around the upper levels. He even showed her the secret passageways that were depicted on the Marauder's Map. Eventually they reached the dungeons, and Harry led Tanith to the potion's classroom. She froze in her steps when they heard muffled voices. Harry knocked softly on the door. The talking ceased, and he could hear smooth footsteps and the door jerked open.
"Potter," Severus said curtly. He nodded to Tanith. Her eyes got very wide, and she shifted her weight on her feet. Severus looked at her intently, trying to read her emotions, but she kept her eyes downcast.
"Professor Snape, this is Tanith Cohn. She is in sixth year and will be starting school here after break." Harry said, trying to relieve the tension. Narcissa came to the door and smiled at Harry. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy." Harry said politely.
"Good afternoon, Harry." She said. "Who's your friend?" Narcissa turned her kindly blue eyes on Tanith, who gasped and tried to shrink behind Harry. Narcissa smiled and laughed good-naturedly. "A bit shy, isn't she?"
"Well, yeah, I suppose so. Uh…we better be going. Nice to see you two." Harry said, and turned. He lengthened his stride, trying to distance himself and Tanith from the dungeons.
"Thanks Harry." Tanith breathed after awhile. Harry stopped and looked at her.
"What for?" He asked, slightly bewildered.
"For doing that thing. You know, leaving the dungeons. You remind me of Edan. He always used to stick up for me, protect me…" Her eyes took on a saddened look. "I mean, he gave his life for me, right?" A single tear fell from Tanith's cobalt eyes, but she quickly wiped it away.
"Oh, Tanith, I'm so sorry. I mean, I lost my parents when I was young, but I don't remember much. It had to be hard to lose a brother that you knew so well. I never had any siblings." Harry's emerald eyes darkened a bit. Tanith threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly.
"You've been so wonderful to me, Harry. I hardly know you, and yet I feel like I could trust you with anything. You're so much like Edan…" Tanith's voice trailed off as she pulled back from her embrace. "Thank you." Harry smiled, and walked her to the common room.
"Musical Chairs," Harry said to the portrait of the Fat Lady. The picture swung forward as the two emerged into the common room. Ron and Ginny were playing Wizard's chess, and for once, Ron was actually losing.
"Gods Ginny, when did you get so good at chess?" Ron asked, bewildered as her bishop took out his queen.
"When I finally decided to try," Ginny said with a smile. "Checkmate."
* * * * * * * * * * *
*Author* yes, I'm tired. My slave driver (a.k.a. Jes) has driven me to the point of insanity. Not to mention nick and that gun ordeal…and henry and the liquor…. Anyway, here's chapter fifteen! Happy, aren't we? NOW REVIEW! I AM THREATENING TO ADD MORE SNAPE/NARCISSA SCENES IF YOU DON'T REVIEW! AND I WILL…OHHH I WILL! Put nothing past me dear friends…nothing. If there aren't more reviews, I don't post. Easy as that. Hmph! Now review before I kill off Draco! Go! Now! Hurry children! VAMINOS! Oh, and say what you think about Tanith…she's mine and Jes' creation…hope you like her. SO REVIEW AND TELL US! that is all.