Warning: I'd forgotten to put this in the first chapter, but there is a pre-fic character death. Sorries to anyone who particularly liked McGonagall's character, but this fic is not for you. Sorry again.
AN: Some people have been telling me they know what direction this is going in, and I promise, I'm not going to make it that simple. Yes, and this chapter is a bit longer as well. Here's the next chappie!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All I claim are Predak and Lantur.
Dumbledore sat in his office, staring blankly at the wall and chastising himself. The loss of one of his closest colleagues had hit him hard, and now all he did was replay the situation in his head, over and over again. She was his employee, his responsibility…. no, she was his friend. And now, she was gone, thanks to his oversight. What could he have done differently? He had been so close to finishing it, he hadn't even considered a fake ambush. And now…
He was startled out of his morbid thoughts by a prim knock on the door. Standing, he crossed the room, which was unkempt and needing a good cleaning. Opening his door, he saw Professor Sprout standing next to two young girls.
"Sir, I found them wandering the halls. They don't attend the school, and I frankly have no idea how they managed to get in at all." At this, Sprout gave the girls a suspicious glance. "Nevertheless, they are here, and they seem to be looking for you, Headmaster."
"Oh, thank you," Dumbledore replied distractedly."You may go."
With a last slanted glance toward the girls and a small smile and nod toward Dumbledore, she swept out of the room with surprising speed for someone of her stature. Dumbledore gazed after her, still contemplating his own thoughts.
"Is everyone in this building so untrusting?" The blonde muttered to the girl next to her. At this, Dumbledore turned his attention to the two girls standing before him.
A platinum blonde stared back insolently, as if in challenge to his authority. She had the look of someone who was used to getting into fights because of a sharp tongue, Dumbledore mused, and her huge brown eyes were filled with defiance. A redhead stood next to her, surveying him with cool blue eyes that added an interesting contrast with her hair. Dumbledore was taken aback by the cold calculation visible in her icy eyes, a look that was disturbingly familiar. Both girls were dressed in long robes that were like nothing he'd ever seen before; he came to the conclusion that wherever they were from, it was nowhere nearby.
"Is there something I can do for you two ladies?" Dumbledore inquired politely, mildly unsettled by the redhead's gaze.
"Sir", the blonde said, arrogance evident in her voice, "My name is Predak", here she inclined her head to the girl beside her, "And this is my twin Lantur. We have come to give a warning to you: Hogwarts, and the rest of the wizarding world, is in grave danger."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at this. "Right to the point, aren't you?"
Lantur cut in smoothly at Dumbledore's alarmed, yet somewhat skeptical look. "While I do not retract my sister's claim, I would like make the point that while this danger is far from immediate, it is indeed of utmost importance. We cannot tell you everything, nor force you to believe what we do say. But I ask", here she paused to consider her words, "I implore you to understand that it is vital that you listen to us."
In the Slytherin common room, there was much speculation in Slytherin as to the identity of the two girls Sprout had been dragging to Dumbledore's office.
"Did you see the blonde? I mean, seriously", Theodore Nott stated appreciatively. "That girl was…. Damn…."
"The other girl really freaked me out… all she did was look at me, and I felt like she was looking right through me instead." One seventh year said this, shaking his head at the memory.
"Oh, will you all shut up!" Pansy said, impatience palpable in her voice. "They are probably just two stupid new students, Griffindors from the way they wandered so aimlessly around the school instead of doing whatever they came here for."
"Maybe they didn't come here to do something." Blaise Zabini interjected. "Maybe they came here to-"
Blaise never did get to finish his thought, for at that moment, Draco Malfoy walked into the room, and everyone instantly stopped talking. From the minute he'd switched sides, most upper year Slytherins distrusted him, feared him, or some combination of the two. He gave them each a blank look that spoke volumes, and left the room with its newly started whispers behind him.
Blaise sighed, looking to the door his former best friend had exited with trepidation. Ever since Draco had shown his true colors, all Slytherins called him traitor and it was taboo to even talk to him, let alone continue befriending him. But Blaise was starting to understand why Draco had tried to form his own way of thinking; after all, his parents were as controlling as any other Slytherins. But to disgrace your own house in the process? Blaise shook his head, recalling Draco's sudden request to enroll in Muggle Studies; it was unspokenly inappropriate for any pureblooded Slytherin to take. Still, Draco had always wanted to make a name for himself, separate from his fathers. He had been the epitome of ruthlessness, willing to hurt almost anyone to achieve his own ends. That was what Slytherins had looked up to him for. But Blaise had always sensed Draco wasn't satisfied with what he had, though he still was unsure of what exactly it was Draco wanted. So, when Draco switched sides suddenly, Blaise was the only Slytherin who hadn't been surprised; disappointed, yes, surprised, no. Blaise was starting to miss the only person who used to be straight forward and honest to the point of brutality, instead of the yes-men that he now had. But he didn't know if he could simply do what Draco had done and abandon his house. Sighing again, he turned his mind to more mundane topics. Thinking about Draco always gave him a headache.
Draco walked the halls without direction, not caring where he ended up, deep in thought. By now, he was used to his former "friends" warm welcomes, he thought wryly, and didn't mind anymore. Of course, the only reason he didn't mind was because he'd stopped caring altogether. Thinking back on all the times he had annoyed and harassed others, he smiled bitterly. Had he really enjoyed it? Of course he had. It was all he knew, and it was the only happiness he could fathom. There was no miraculous transformation to an upstanding and kind citizen of the wizarding world; there was only realization. Realization of how pointless his remarks were, how much they didn't matter in the long run, was what had driven him to stop his continual harassment.
His loyalty to his father had gotten him nowhere, and Draco had realized this with something akin to helplessness. Tired of all his decisions being made for him, tired of answering to someone to never cared about him, and tired of his life, he had switched sides, betraying all he knew in hope of…. what? He didn't know why he had done it at the time, and was no closer to figuring it out now. All he was sure of was not regretting his decision, no matter what came of it. It had given him freedom of a kind he had never known before, and he refused to believe he had done wrong.
He didn't know much else besides fear, whether it was being afraid for himself or imposing fear on others. So in the end, he had come to his conclusions, his only real truths in life, and resolved to stick to them as a means of survival.
Sensing that it was near time for his next class, he strode purposefully toward the room. Muggle Studies had been a way of showing people how much he had changed, now it was one of his favorite classes. He had never truly disliked muggles, and he was learning more everyday with his re-education of himself.
As he walked the halls, he thought about everything that had changed, everything that had been, and everything that could never be again. It hurt too much to care. It cost too much to trust.
Ginny half-walked, half-ran to her Muggle Studies class, praying that she was not yet late. She had just come out of yet another argument with Ronnie-kins, who was still bitter over Hermione's rejection of him. He was convinced that she fancied Harry, and when Ginny tried to soothe him by telling him that it just wasn't the right time, he had blown up at Ginny. She was still furious at his recent mood swings as she hurried to class, and it was this lack of attention that caused her to run straight into someone.
Ginny gasped as she began to fall backward, but two strong hands grabbed her shoulders, stilling her descent. She looked up into a pair of grayish-blue eyes that looked back at her in surprise- and was that amusement? The scene reminded her of something from long ago, and her hand flew to her mouth as she remembered the last time she had been in this position.
"Are you hurt?"
"I…uh…", Ginny stammered, feeling as if she was developing a stutter, just for today. First Snape, and now Draco too? She must have seriously pissed someone off in a past life. "I'm so sorry for running into you, obviously I wasn't paying attention-"
"Obviously", Draco said, though it was without any malice. He still kept his hands on her shoulders, and she wasn't entirely sure that she minded. This angered her even more for some reason, but looking into his eyes that were devoid of any of their trademark cruelty, she couldn't bring herself to do anything except get away…fast.
"Err…yes…so sorry again and I'll just be going…"
"You never answered my question." There was now most definite amusement shining in Draco's eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine…I mean no, I'm not hurt, and, oh, never mind." Ginny said, sure now of her developing speech impediment. She looked up in nothing short of shock as she heard a low chuckle.
"As long as you're fine." Draco said, removing his hands and leaving her feeling bereft. "We had better get to class."
Ginny scolded herself inwardly. What is wrong with me today? She jumped as she heard the bell, and scampered into the room, barely managing to make it to her desk before professor arrived.
Ginny found it difficult to concentrate, going over her literal run-in with Draco in her head. She knew he no longer tormented others, but never thought he would be kind, as every time she had seen him since the war he had been detached and aloof. But today, he had helped her, and not even bothered to insult her for his trouble. She couldn't help but remember that it was Draco who had protected her when she was in trouble during the final battle. Not Harry, or even Ron, though had he seen her, she was sure he would have come to her aid. But the fact that it was Draco left her more confused about him than ever.
The boy in question was also currently thinking about the war. Why had he protected her like that? There were others who could have used help. He'd never had a true problem with the Weasley family; names were nothing more than names to him. Draco inwardly smiled as he thought back on the famous (infamous, actually) Weasley temper and how fun it was to provoke them. Sure, they were poor, but if there were none who were poor, there couldn't be any rich either, which would have been unthinkable to Draco. But once again, it was his family's beliefs, and who was he to question them?
Both students were brought back to the present by a Hufflepuff first year bursting into the room. Somewhat breathlessly, he relayed his mention to the professor, who then turned and addressed the class.
"Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, you are to report to the Headmaster's office immediately."