Chapter Nine
The evening started off fine. After dinner, Regan and Hermione relaxed in the common room around the fireplace and read-Regan read a Muggle novel while Hermione read One Hundred Different Types of Boggarts and How to Spot Them. Harry and Ron were in one corner playing chess. However, once the game was over, Harry sat down and began his homework. Ron sat next to his homework and began something very different. No sooner had he sat down than he began to kiss Hermione's neck. She tried to focus on her reading material, but soon gave up and giggled. Harry was shocked; he had never heard Hermione giggle like that before. She sounded like Lavender. Eventually, Hermione began kissing back. Harry tried not to vomit. Regan rolled her eyes. After Regan and Harry tried to get them to stop by clearing their throat and coughing, they gave up. The two retired to their separate rooms.
Regan's room was not empty. Lavender and Parvati were talking in one corner. They gave Regan a quick "Hello" before turning back to their conversation. Regan sat on her bed and tried to read. However, the two girls began to giggle like, well, like Lavender and Parvati. There constant chatter was too much for Regan. She left her dorm and went downstairs. Ron and Hermione were still making out on the sofa. "Get a room you two," she muttered and left the common room through the portrait. Ron and Hermione ignored her.
Regan's final hope for peace was the library. She entered and was immediately grateful for the silence. It appeared to be empty. Regan entered the library. At a closer glance, she realized it was not empty. Draco Malfoy, alone, sat at a table on the far side of the room, doing homework, or whatever it is the son of a Death Eater does in his spare time. Regan considered leaving. Maybe he hadn't noticed her. At that moment, Draco looked up and saw her. Hating herself, she went ahead and sat down in the seat farthest from Draco's corner. She couldn't leave, not after he saw her. Maybe he would leave. She could only hope. She opened her book and was soon lost in another world.
A few minutes later, Regan looked up to see Draco gathering his things. "Good," she thought, "He's leaving." However, instead of heading for the door, he headed towards her. She groaned inwardly and prepared herself for insults. Instead, he wordlessly sat down at the table next to her and opened his book and returned to reading. Shrugging, she did the same.
After a few moments, she chanced a quick glance at him. He was reading Hogwarts: A History. Regan smiled, remembering her Christmas present from Hermione, which she hadn't touched. He caught her looking. "What are you doing down here?" he asked, his voice just as arrogant as ever.
"Ron and Hermione were a little too hands-on in my common room. Had too get out. You?' she said, surprising herself by continuing any conversation.
"The Slytherin common room is too loud to get anything accomplished."
"Where are your bodyguards?'
"Is that what you call Crabbe and Goyle?"
"Yeah. Aren't they?"
"Whatever. They have never been inside a library and I don't want to ruin that for them."
"Are you ill?" she asked. Not only was he no longer insulting her, he was talking with her.
"No," he said turning back to his book. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You just haven't been yourself since Christmas."
"And I supposed you and Potty know me?" he scowled.
"Why the hell did you move by me? You have the whole damn library!" she demanded.
"I," he began hesitantly. "I need your help."
"You? Draco Malfoy? Need my help? Whatever for?" she teased, raising her voice.
"Be quiet! Arithmancy, all right. I have to get a decent grade in that class or my parents will kill me, all right?"
"Okay. I"ll help you. Arithmancy isn't that bad."
"Really?"
"Yes. Really. We could start now, but I don't have my books with me and I am not going to go back to that common room."
"I have my stuff with me," he said, pulling out his Arithmancy book of his schoolbag. Regan put her book aside and began to go over their current homework with Draco.
It was almost midnight when Regan returned to the common room. She expected the place to be deserted, but she found Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting by the fire, waiting for her. She was glad to see that Ron and Hermione had taken a break and were holding hands. "We saw you," Ron said with indignation by way of greeting.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, sitting next to them. Ron looked angry, Hermione confused, and Harry disappointed. "What's going on?'
"I walked into the library this evening and saw you with him!" Ron exclaimed, his ears red.
"What were you doing in the library?" Regan asked, ignoring his accusations.
"I got lost," he admitted sheepishly. "At least I wasn't talking with Malfoy."
"We weren't talking. We were doing homework."
"I suppose there was no talking. You just communicated telepathically?" Ron said. Regan stared at him in disbelief.
"Grow up, Ron."
"His father is a Death Eater," Ron said, his voice rising. He dropped Hermione's hand and stood up. Regan stood up and faced him. Harry looked at Hermione helplessly. They hadn't fought in so long......
"So?"
"SO? He's the enemy."
"How would you know? His father is a Death Eater, that doesn't mean he is. Besides, it was just homework. It wasn't like I was helping him in some top-secret plot to take over the world."
"After everything he's said to you, you're willing to help with his homework?"
"Listen, a war is about to happen Ron, can you comprehend that? Just look outside. Do you see all those guards? They are there for a reason. I think that it would be much better to have Draco Malfoy on our side than on the enemy's. But I repeat, it was just homework."
"Regan's right," Hermione said suddenly. "A war is going to happen and we're going on about a stupid school rivalry. We can't fight. We have to be united."
"What if Malfoy wants more than just homework help? What if he is on a mission from Voldemort?" Ron demanded, grabbing at straws.
"What mission might that be? Pass Arithmancy?" Regan asked.
"You know what I mean. It's no secret our parents are part of the Order. Hell, your father is practically the head of the Order. I just think it's awfully funny that Malfoy suddenly wants to be friends with you."
"He doesn't want to be friends, Ron. He just wanted help with his homework."
"Is this going to be a regular thing?" Ron demanded, knowing he had lost the battle.
"No. We just happened to be in the library at the same time. I promise, from now on, I will go straight to you if anyone not in Gryffindor tries to talk to me. Okay?" Regan said. Ron smiled and nodded.
"That's better. It's late. Good night." Ron gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek and headed upstairs.
"Sorry about that, Regan. I think he was just surprised," Hermione said, giving Regan a small smile. She, too, headed upstairs to her dormitory.
"So, Regan," Harry said once they were alone. "Just homework?"
"Yes, Harry. We were just doing homework," Regan assured. Harry looked somewhat relieved.
"All right then. Goodnight," he said, following Ron and Hermione.
The next Friday, the Prince house was more frantic than usual. That night, several members, including Remus and Richard, would be traveling to Hogsmeade. After sharing Braydon's information with the Order, they had quickly made plans to interrupt the Death Eater gathering. Richard was glad everyone accepted the information without asking how Braydon had gotten it. Richard wasn't sure how he would have answered.
Friday evening, around midnight, Richard, Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Arthur Weasley gathered around the Prince fireplace. Using Floo, they transported themselves to a shop in Hogsmeade. Very quietly, they went to the windows. There was a half-moon in the sky, providing plenty of light. The streets were deserted. They could hear nothing. Very carefully, they opened the door with the key the shopowner had provided them with earlier in the day. Once outside, they did a spell to keep them in the shadows. It was a much simpler spell than a total invisibility spell and lasted much longer. Because it was so dark, a full invisibility spell and the shadow spell differed little. The four slowly made their way down the street, looking into shop windows as they passed. Braydon hadn't been very clear on the exact location.
Suddenly, the silence was interrupted. They could hear voices further along the road in one of the shops. They quickened their pace. The voices were coming from Hog's Head, a seedy bar at the questionable end of Hogsmeade. The four nearly-invisible men gathered around the windows at the front of the store. Through the dirty windows they could make out nearly twenty men sitting around the table toward the center of the room. The bar itself was obviously closed. However, the barman was behind the bar, issuing drinks. He looked as if he had recently gotten out of bed. However, any annoyance he may have at having been woken up was replaced by a fear of the men in front of him.
All twenty men had their hoods down, revealing themselves completely. They were obviously Death Eaters. Several had rolled up their sleeves in the heat of the room, revealing the Dark Mark. All of the men were fairly young. No one looked older than thirty. Richard sighed and turned from the window, sinking down to the ground. The other three followed him. "What is it?" Arthur asked.
"They're new," Richard said simply.
"So?" Arthur pushed.
"So they have probably only been in Voldemort's club for a month or so. Look at how young they are. A true Death Eater, particularly one who saw the last war as a Death Eater, would not flaunt his mark like that. He would not pull a bartender out of bed. He would certainly not hang out with twenty other Death Eaters."
"Why not?" Kingsley demanded.
"Because he would wait," Remus said, catching on to what Richard was saying. "He would focus on the goal, whatever it is that Voldemort is planning. Until then, he would lay low. He wouldn't want to mess things up by being stupid. He wouldn't want to make a spectacle of himself. He would remember how the first war was, how close Voldemort came to winning. If Voldemort wins, his Death Eaters will become kings."
Everyone was silent for a moment, listening to the young men laugh and talk in the bar. They sounded young, inexperienced. For a brief moment, Remus longed to be a part of them. Not a Death Eater, but young and innocent, so naive. He wondered what the boys were thinking, joining Voldemort like that.
"What are we going to do?" Arthur asked to no one in particular.
"We'll go in there, wave our wands about, terrify them," Richard said simply. "Then we'll round them up and transport them to the Ministry. We'll tell them some tale about the Ministry, that they'll be fine as long as they tell them all they know. I doubt they know much; Voldemort isn't one to share his plans with all his knew friends. However, they may be able to give us a few names. Maybe a date or place we can work with."
The four men slowly stood up and drew their wands. "What if they don't believe us? What if they pull out their wands and point them right back at us?" Kingsley asked as they approached the door.
"They won't," Richard said and he was right. The moment they stepped inside the door, the Death Eaters froze, clearly terrified. The bartender looked relieved. He recognized Richard and Arthur. He knew he was safe. "We are here on behalf of the Order of the Pheonix," Richard began, his voice loud and impressive, almost menacing. "We know who you are. We are going to take you to the Ministry of Magic. However, the officials there are willing to make you a deal. Tell us what you know, and you may be able to go home safe and unharmed tonight. The more you tell, the nicer we'll be."
The four kept their wands raised and circle the room. The bartender sat on a stool behind the bar and leaned back, as if watching a show. "Accio wands!" Remus said and twenty wands landed at his feet. Suddenly unarmed, the Death Eaters appeared to be even more frightened. Remus muttered another spell that rendered them immobile. The Death Eaters remained in their seats, suddenly rigid. They moved their eyes about, the only part of their body able to move about, looking from each other to Remus, Richard, Kingsley, and Arthur. They did not understand how they had gotten to that point. Voldemort had promised their safety. The four Apparated to the Ministry, taking the Death Eaters with them.
It took nearly an hour to talk with several Aurors about what had happened. The Ministry knew what they were planning; they were expecting the Death Eaters. It was two in the morning when the four men finally left the Ministry, trusting them to take care of the Death Eaters.
Remus was tired. However, after an hour of tossing and turning, he gave up on sleep and went downstairs. He was not surprised to find Richard sitting on a chair in the living room staring into the fireplace. "Couldn't sleep either?" Remus asked, joining Richard, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Can I join you?"

"Go ahead. It was too easy."
"Yes. I was thinking the same thing."
"Braydon and I were never very close. It's one of my biggest regrets. When he was born, we had just moved to New York. Our lives were so hectic, adjusting to a new city, new jobs for both of us. Then the war started. Laura didn't want to go home, not for anything. She made vague plans to visit once the Laura was over. She suddenly regretted her previous fights with Lily, with you. So we stayed in New York. We heard the news of all of our friends' deaths via newspaper. It was terrible. That was what Braydon was raised in. Then Regan was born. She was like a light in very dark times. When the war ended, she was only a year old. Braydon was five. He understood what had happened on some level. Regan had no idea; how could she? Braydon felt cheated of his childhood. He had always had competition, whether it be the war, Voldemort, or his little sister. My job was a constant distraction."
"Why didn't you come back?" Remus asked.
"Several reasons. Before the war, Laura just didn't want to. Too many painful memories. She wanted a fresh start in New York. I was tired in New York. Though my reputation preceded me, the Americans weren't as impressed as the English. Once the war started, travel was difficult and Laura still was reluctant. I would have done anything for Laura, still would. So we stayed in New York. After the war, we were just too busy. We suddenly had a life in New York."
"You could have been a great man here, Richard. You could have been a high official in the Ministry. Hell, you could have been the Minister of Magic. You could have ran the Order. But instead you went to New York and became a teacher. I never understood it."
"I also could have stayed here and joined Voldemort. I could have been his right hand man. He gave me offers all those years ago. At first I considered it. He seemed to have some good ideas."
"If he had you he would have won."
"Maybe. If I had been in the Order before you might have won and killed Voldemort permanently."
"Who knows. Didn't you miss it, though,? That lifestyle you used to have? Such a celebrity, the great hero."
"No. I was a father, a husband. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Braydon would though. He has always been fascinated with power, another reason for our shaky relationship. He never could understand why I gave up England. He thought that I should have become Minister, or Voldemort's leading man, whichever side won. He thought that he would much rather be that man's son than the son of a teacher. He thought that I was pathetic, turning my back on all that power and fame, running off to New York when I was really needed. We had a big fight when he was eighteen, right before he moved out. I wanted him to go to college, not go straight to Quidditch. It led to so much more. He brought up my past, all my mistakes and regrets. We didn't talk for nearly a year afterwards. We still can't talk, not really."
"Do you think he joined Voldemort?" Remus asked quietly. Richard's blank expression never wavered.
"Yes. I have little doubt. Voldemort either went to Braydon to hurt me or because he thought Braydon inherited some of my power. Voldemort wouldn't have to do much to convince Braydon. Just offer him fame and power. That's all he wants."
"What do you think tonight was all about?"
"I don't know. Maybe to test Braydon's loyalty. It was just so easy, like they were there waiting for us. They didn't even have their wands out. Their faces were uncovered. They were all so young. They won't give the Ministry any information because Voldemort didn't tell them anything. He didn't tell them anything because he didn't expect for them to be around very long. I think that Voldemort set the whole thing up. He wanted those men to be captured tonight. However, I can't decide if Braydon knew that the men were to be caught, if he was supposed to tell me about the meeting, or if Voldemort was testing Braydon's loyalty by telling him about a top-secret Death Eater meeting, to see if he would run to his father."
"Either way..."
"Either way Braydon's gone and either way this whole fiasco hurts us. The newspapers will find out that Death Eaters were captured. The Ministry will tell anyone who will listen. The wizarding public, who were just starting to get scared and watch themselves, will find out that everything is being taken care of and relax. They'll go back to their old ways, completely open for any attack, not at all ready for Voldemort. The parents will start to send their children back to Hogwarts, which will probably be the best thing. There is no place safer than Hogwarts. And then the Order will also suffer. It doesn't matter what we tell them; most people will be happy about what we've accomplished tonight. They'll start to slack, think we've gotten everything under control, that they're not needed. Maybe even go home."
"But if we tell them the truth.."
"Why would they believe us? Very few Order members knew about tonight and only four of us actually went. No, I suspect several people will be leaving soon. They may still work for the Order, but not with pace and fervor they have up until now."
"What do we do now?"
"I am going to go upstairs to my wife. Don't tell her anything about Braydon. She doesn't need to know. As for tomorrow, I have no idea. Sorry, Remus, but I don't have all the answers," Richard said and got up, heading towards his bedroom. Remus looked after the older man, suddenly feeling very alone.
As it turned out, the infamous Regan and Draco homework session was not a one-time-only thing. They met several more times over the next few weeks, working together in the library. They had nearly every class together. Regan found that working with Draco was much more productive. Hermione was too busy with Ron to do any homework and Harry wasn't the brightest kid in class. That Friday night, as her father was preparing to head to a Death Eater meeting, Regan was finishing up some homework with Draco.
It was nearly midnight when Regan entered the Gryffindor common room. It was deserted. She headed for the stairs when she heard a noise coming from the other side of the common room. She investigated. She found a brown owl outside the window, demanding entry. She opened the door and let it in, taking the note off of its leg. After being paid, the owl flew off. Regan immediately recognized her brother's handwriting. She tore open the note: Regan,
I cannot write much in the letter in case it is intercepted. I have excepted his offer. It is a wonderful life, Regan. You should consider. He would welcome you with open arms. I worry about you. Do not believe everything our parents tell you. Tonight, Dad is going on a wild goose chase that I sent him on. His failures will only bring me closer to my new master. Please give Mother my love. I hope to see you soon. If you would like to consider joining, owl me immediately. I know He would be pleased to have you.
Love,
Braydon.
Regan dropped the letter in disgust. She could not believe that her brother would do such a thing. She wanted to dispose of the letter, burn it, pretend it didn't exist. But she couldn't do that. She wandered what Braydon meant by "wild goose chase." In the end, she decided her father needed to see the note. She pulled out a piece of parchment from her school bag. After scribbling down a quick note to her father, Regan hurried to the owlery, sending both her note and her brother's to her father.
By the time she finally crawled into bed, it was nearly dawn. She was glad it was the weekend and she had finished most of her homework. She planned on sleeping in the next couple of days.
The next day, Regan debated on whether or not to tell her friends about Braydon's letter and what it contained. She decided to wait and see if a moment occurred in the conversation to bring it up. Like if Hermione asked her if her brother was a Death Eater.
She was one of the last students to enter the Great Hall for breakfast Saturday morning. By the time she joined the other Gryffindor's at their table, the owl post had already arrived. Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet was Ron and Harry looked over her shoulder. Regan noticed the front page headline: Miraculous Capture of Twenty Death Eaters by Richard Prince. Beneath the headline was a picture of her father that was quite dated-he still had blonde hair. Regan sat down and ate her breakfast, waiting for Hermione to finish reading. Once she finished, she wordlessly gave the paper to Regan, who gave a quick scan of the article. It did not give much information. It gave the names and ages of the Death Eaters, however. "A wild goose chase," Regan mumbled.
"What was that?" Ron asked, looking quite impressed by the article. Regan decided this was the point in conversation she was waiting for. She quickly and quietly told her friends about her brother's letter. "But he can't mean this," Ron said once she was finished. "Our parents did a great thing last night. Why would You-Know-Who want a bunch of his men caught?"
"To begin with, you should really starting calling him Voldemort," Regan began. "And look at the Death Eaters caught. Not one of them is over thirty. They were just children the last time Voldemort was in power. That means that they haven't been Death Eaters long. The article says that they are being held at the Ministry. I'm sure the Ministry will offer them freedom for information, seeing as none of these men sound very powerful or important, but I don't think they're going to get much information. They can't have been with Voldemort long."
"Then why did Voldemort have them captured? Surely he needs all the men he can get," Harry asked.
"But he probably considers Braydon a valuable asset," Hermione said, catching on to Regan's thinking, neither girl knowing how similar their thoughts were to Remus and Richard's. "Not only is he the son of Richard Prince, a man who Voldemort was not shy about wanting on his side, but Braydon himself is also a powerful wizard, magically and otherwise. You know he graduated top of his class? It was mentioned in Richard Prince's biography. Also, Braydon is on a very popular Quidditch team. He's practically the star player. Therefore, he has the entire team to influence as well as all their fans. All he has to do is allude to his new take on Lord Voldemort during a press conference or something and die-hard fans of the Tornadoes will begin to reconsider their position in the war against the Dark Side."
"Nobody's that into Quidditch," Harry said, shaking his head. Ron gulped and looked away. "Besides, I don't believe Braydon would do that to his father."
"Do you know Braydon?" Regan asked suddenly. "Well I do. And he and Dad have never been close. In fact, you could almost say they didn't get along at all. They were constantly bickering. When they did talk, it was forced. I don't think Braydon would think twice about betraying Dad."
"Does your dad know?" Hermione asked.
"I sent him the letter. My father isn't stupid. I'm sure he already knows that Braydon isn't being completely honest with him, that he's been up to no good."
"I just can't believe Braydon Prince would do such a thing. He always seems like such a nice guy, in interviews and stuff," Ron said. He looked like he had just been betrayed by a dear friend. He was handling the news worse than Regan.
"Don't worry, Ron. My dad will handle it," she said.
"But my dad will be so disappointed. He must have been so proud, helping to catch all those Death Eaters. It turns out to be nothing more than a prank by Voldemort," Ron said.
"It wasn't a prank. Voldemort wanted to test Braydon. See if he would lie to his father," Hermione said by way of reassuring Ron. "Your dad did a good job."
"Thanks Hermione," Ron said, looking to her gratefully. Suddenly, he had a hungry, insane look in his eye.
"Here we go," Regan muttered to Harry, rolling her eyes. Sure enough, Ron and Hermione were soon kissing. Again. Suddenly, Regan wasn't so hungry. She made a move to get up.
"Where you going?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I have a little bit more homework. Then maybe practice flying. Take a nap. It's the weekend Harry. I'm sure you haven't touched your homework all week," Regan said, sounding a bit like Hermione at the last bit.
"Right. So you'll do homework. With him?" Harry said with a grimace, nodding towards the Slytherin table.
"Yes, Harry with him. You know, he does have a name."
"Malfoy. Whatever. Why do you have to work with him though, there are plenty of other students?"
"We have a lot of classes together. And, believe it or not, he is somewhat intelligent. He knows what he's doing with this stuff. And, I know you don't want to hear this, but he isn't that bad."
"I'll take your word for it," Harry said with a scowl.
"Are you jealous Harry?" she teased. He blushed and shook his head. "You can join us today if you want. We're doing our Potions homework today."
"That's okay. Maybe some other time," he said weakly. Regan shrugged and left. Harry watched her go. He turned back to the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione were still going at it. Harry didn't want to admit it, but he was jealous of Malfoy. He got to spend a lot of time alone with Regan. To make matters worse, Regan thought that he was "intelligent" and "not that bad." Harry couldn't help but wonder what Regan thought of him. She certainly didn't consider him intelligent.