Hey everybody, here is the third chapter. I know it may seem a little slow now, but its gonna pick up soon. If you read this fec, please review. Even a two woed review helps inspire me to continue writing! Thanx!
Chapter 3: Returning
Harry was laden with thought. After a tense summer with no news of Voldemort and coping with the death of Sirius, he was relieved to be heading back to Hogwarts for his sixth year. He had heard rumors of Death Eater attacks of the continent, but no definite news. Harry only hoped that they could find a way to defeat Voldemort before he gathered too many allies to defeat.
He was jolted out of his revere when the car door of his train compartment slid open and Ron stepped in.
"All right, Harry?"
"Yeah, just glad to be going back to Hogwarts again."
"I know how you feel."
They sat together in companionable silence until Harry spoke up.
"Ron? I noticed that Percy seemed quite secretive the last few weeks before vacation ended. Any idea why?"
"Not to sure, 'arry." Ron said, spraying the seat with crumbs from a pastry he had bought. He swallowed before continuing. "I think it had something to do with a raid he helped with. From what I heard, they chased some Death Eaters all the way to America before catching them. Even with Dumbledore!"
Harry's eyes widened, "They must have been powerful to escape for that long."
"Yeah, but the funny thing is, whenever anyone asks how they caught the Death Eaters, Percy shuts right up and won't say a thing more."
"Weird. We should ask Hermione when she arrives."
Hermione had sent owls to Harry and Ron, explaining that her grandfather had just died, and she had to attend his funeral. She planned to take the Knights Bus and would arrive several days late to school.
At that moment, the door of the compartment opened and a head popped in. It was the head of Colin Creevy. Around his neck hung the ever present camera. He smiled goofily at Harry and Ron. "Mind if I take your picture?" he asked, "I requested Dumbledore to begin a yearbook. I'm to be the photographer! Isn't it jolly?"
Ron shrugged, "No harm." Colin snapped off a shot.
A voice drawled from the hallway, "Oh, look! It's Potty and Weasley. I've got an idea, Creevy, why don't those two be lying on the ground, and I can be standing over them triumphantly. The caption can be, 'Slytherin saves fellow Gryffindor from Breaking Camera Lens.'"
"Shove off, Malfoy!" Harry said. He said it less harshly than he would have in previous years. That summer, the Order had gathered, Harry too, and recruited new members. Draco was one of those newcomers. He didn't explain his reasons for joining, though, so Fred and George came up with a system. Every Death Eater had a tattoo branded on his or her left arm. Similarly, every member of the Order would have a tattoo on their right arm, securing loyalty and confidentiality to the Order. The phoenix shaped tattoo allowed no one to talk about secret information to anyone outside the circle without notification to Dumbledore.
This tattoo, however, was nothing like the Dark Mark. Only Dumbledore could put it on and take it off. If someone wanted out he would remove the tattoo, but all the knowledge he gained from the Order would be lost. This way, no one would feel trapped. Harry had accepted his with a certain amount of pride, knowing it would be something his parents would be proud of.
Draco's sleeve slipped up a bit, and Harry could see that Draco had hidden his fiery mark with a special charm provided by Dumbledore. Harry understood that, if found out, Draco would be shunned and probably be in grave danger if any Slytherin found out about his true loyalty.
Draco sneered and sauntered off, drawing female eyes unintentionally. Ron gave an angry grunt.
"I still can't figure out why he's on our side. I mean look at his parents. His fathers a Death Eater, his mothers from one of the oldest pureblood families, and he's a right slimy git, if you ask me."
"Guess he just believes he on the winning side." Harry said. He gave a sigh and stared out the window as Ron finished his pastry.
