Chapter Ten

Christmas

Late in the day, Bella had settled herself down in the holiday-decorated Slytherin common room to compile a particularly long essay on the theory and ethics of Transfiguring Potions. There were books open on her lap and her eyes were skimming avidly over the words, but she was not absorbing it. The information passed through her like a sieve. Scowling at the books, she closed them and set them aside. There were too many loopholes in this essay to write it quickly, and not enough depth to make it worth staying up all night. She resolved to do it tomorrow, and a bloody good job, boredom be damned, but for the moment she needed a break. Yawns after yawn parted her lips and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

Packing away her school things, Bella pulled her feet up into the chair and curled into it, watching the flickering fire. The other students were gathered in little knots here and there about the common room, absorbed in whatever little things they were doing. She could see Draco slumped in a chair scowling over a book. He had been in a rotten mood for the last few days. She didn't know what had wrought the sudden change in him.

He had been different ever since the start of the term. On his return to Hogwarts she had seen he had changed somehow over the summer. His father was in prison now, and it seemed as though he carried something with him these days that he hadn't carried before. Bella didn't like to think what. Professor Carmichael wasn't everything. Had he taken up the mask, then? He seemed awfully young for a Death Eater, but then, what she really knew about the Death Eaters could probably fill a tea saucer and very little more. But Draco she knew...she could read him better than even he probably realised.

He had seemed darker, colder, and his temper was closer to the surface than ever. It was as if, swimming behind his pale eyes was a new inheritance, a new development of character that had somehow been cemented, crystallized by whatever had happened to him over the summer holidays. He seemed years older now, with more going through his mind than he had when she'd seen him last. Last year he had been a boy, with a boy's likes and hates and grudges. He had changed.

It was while thinking this that Bella noticed something outside the window. At first it seemed as thought it was just something blowing past, but then she saw it again. Looking harder she thought she had seen feathers. Jumping up, Bella went to the window and opened it, moving aside to allow the enormous, elegant owl outside to come soaring in through the window. It perched on the back of Draco's chair and hooted insistently at him. Draco snapped his book shut and took the small parcel from around the owl's leg. Bella shot him a quick look as the owl turned it big, yellow eyes on her. Draco silently cocked an eyebrow at her, and then turned his attention to the parcel.

Opening it, he said quietly, "Bella, there's something in here for you." He handed her an envelope. "It's from mother."

The envelope was thick, addressed in Mrs. Malfoy's narrow handwriting. IT seemed to contain several pages. "Thanks," said Bella, taking the owl on her arm and seeing it to the window. It ruffled its feathers and soared off into the night.

The owl's arrival had attracted the other students' attention. They were coming round Draco's chair as he read the letter. Pansy Parkinson edged up to his chair, and Bella saw Draco fold the letter before she could read it. Bella felt uneasy. This was something important, or at least urgent, she could feel it in her bones. The little parcel hadn't come by the morning post...perhaps Mrs. Malfoy had not wanted others to see. That, at least was what Draco's attitude seemed to suggest.

Draco looked solemnly at the parchment folded in his hand, his eyes narrow.

"What is it, Draco," asked Pansy softly, kneeling next to Draco's chair. Draco pocketed the parchment and looked at her blankly for a moment as though he'd forgotten she was there.

"Nothing," he said finally, "just family stuff." But again he shot Bella a look that was as much as to say, "Read yours too, you'll see." His eyes flicked from hers to the letter and back again.

Pansy caught his glance, but only looked sourly at Bella.

Bella shrugged and sat down in her chair again. The envelope itched in her hand but she didn't want to open it in front of everyone there. She took up her Charms book again and began reading. Draco, she noticed, had done likewise

As the others dispersed, even Pansy, who hung about longer than the rest and seemed to be trying to comfort Draco, Bella took out the envelope again and quietly slit it open, shaking the contents into her hand. She found herself holding a single sheet of parchment and what looked to be two newspaper clippings. She looked at the parchment first.

Dear Bella, it read,

I hope this letter finds you well. I received an owl just yesterday from the Headmaster, saying that you're doing very well in all your classes. I'm very proud of you.

What I am writing to you about though, is another matter. I've sent you two cuttings from the Daily Prophet that concern you. One is from the evening edition that I received less than an hour ago, and I've sent a copy to Draco as well. Please stand with him now, I know it will come as a terrible shock to you both. I hope that you will be some comfort to one another. The other one, though, is for your eyes alone. I found it yesterday and it has made me worry for you. It seems that we have both been told less than the truth. I do not know what difference it makes now, but you have been in the dark long enough. You deserve to know. Please be careful, and remember that I am

Thinking of you always,
Narcissa Malfoy

Bella felt her stomach turn over. What on Earth...she shuffled through the clippings. The most recent one was on top. The first thing that caught her eye was a picture of Lucius Malfoy, looking arrogantly and defiantly at her out of the picture. The headline seemed to fill her insides with ice water. "Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater, to Receive Dementor's Kiss" She read on in numb shock.

"Once respected citizen Lucius Malfoy, now residing in Azkaban Prison, has been convicted of sabotage and treason, and sentenced to receive the dementor's kiss in less than a week's time. When asked for comment on their decision to seek this extreme punishment, officials in charge would only say that Malfoy is too dangerous to allow any more leniency. "He got away from us once before. We will take no chances this time." The exact date has not yet been released to the press for security reasons, and because Ministry officials believe that other supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might try to orchestrate the escape of their comrade..."

Bella caught her breath. She lifted her eyes to Draco and saw him staring blindly down at his textbook, his jaw set and his face darkened. He sensed her look, and met her eyes. Bella couldn't find her voice. The look on Draco's face surprised her. It was not one of sadness or desperation, as she was certain hers was, but rather a look of vengeance and determination.

She rose and went to sit by his chair, taking the space that Pansy had just vacated. He touched her hand. "Draco..." she whispered, still not knowing what to say.

"Not here," he said in a cool, even whisper. "The others won't know about it yet. Not till tomorrow morning." But his voice spoke volumes that his words did not.

Bella looked up at him in surprise, but he did not look back. He was glaring down at the book again. "What do you –" but he cut her off.

"Not here," he said again. "Just listen to me, Bella. Trust me. They won't let it happen." He looked down at her at last, with the same grimly hopeful look on his face. He gave her a strained half smile and squeezed her hand tighter.

Restraining her jaw from dropping, Bella nodded. He turned his eyes away. She slumped against the side of his chair, feeling like all her bones had been turned to jelly. She didn't trust his hopes. Mrs. Malfoy's words kept echoing through her head, and she felt wild and caged and despairing. What was Draco thinking? What did he know that she didn't? Did he know anything, or was it just blind, hopeless faith? She was grateful for the pressure of his hand now, as it seemed to be keeping her from dissolving into a puddle. They couldn't do this, she thought. She wished she could have seen Mrs. Malfoy, to comfort her somehow. Drawing her knees up to her chest, Bella stared down at the carpet.

At long last, Draco said to her, "I'm going up to bed." He gave her hand a final squeeze and stood up.

"Are you sure you'll..."

"I'll be fine. You shouldn't believe everything you read in the papers." He turned and walked away towards to dormitories. He was still looking grim, and she wondered how much of what he'd said had just been for her benefit.

Slowly, Bella came back to her chair. She noticed Pansy looking at her again with an expression of hatred on her face. She knew by now that Pansy thought she had her eye on Draco. Bella felt a little sick just then, thinking of something that silly at a moment like this.

Sitting down, she picked up the letter again. There was still the other article, she remembered. She got a sinking feeling, and wondered what other dark news the evening had for her. Slipping Lucius Malfoy's article back into the envelope, Bella turned her attention to the second one. It was short, there was no picture. It was her father's death notice.

Frowning at it, Bella wondered at first why Mrs. Malfoy had sent it to her. She had seen a similar article before, surely there wasn't anything different...

But there was.

The article she had seen before had only mentioned her father in passing. It had given no date for his death. This one did.

It was more than a year before she was born.