Seraphim and Draco were walking outside the castle when bursts of laughter reached their ears. Peering out from behind a stone pillar, they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione engaged in a mini snowball war. There were currently seeker missiles pelting Ron and Hermione had just trodden on a snowball ground mine. Harry was rolled up to look like a giant snowball and was attempting to get back on his feet.
Stifling a chuckle, Draco pulled Seraphim back and bent down; he then began making a snowball. It was a good snowball, about the size of an orange and packed firmly so that it wouldn't fall apart in the air. Muttering under his breath, Draco touched the tip of his wand to the snowball, which glowed an orangey-red for a brief moment.
"What are you doing?" asked Seraphim, raising an eyebrow.
"Watch and see," Draco stood and dusted off his trousers. Taking careful aim, he flung the snowball at the back of Ron's head.
"Draco!"
"Wait, wait, wait," he said, pulling her back and putting his hand over her mouth, "just watch."
The snowball slowly trickled down Ron's robes like all the snowballs before it. "Draco, nothing's happening and that wasn't very nice," Seraphim sounded very muffled because of Draco's hand.
"Woman, just wait for it."
Ron began to tug at his scarf. "Whew, it's getting a bit warm, isn't it?" he asked the other two.
Harry stopped in mid-throw and was immediately pelted by Hermione. He got up shivering and wiping his glasses, "What do you mean, warm? It's quite chilly."
"No, it's," Ron paused to toss his scarf off, "it's getting kind of hot."
Seraphim's brow furrowed as Ron began to turn from a healthy windblown pink to a rather bright red. "Draco," she hissed, "what did you do?"
Suddenly, Ron let out a yelp and began rolling in the snow. Steam began to pour from his ears. "Hot! It's hot! Hot!"
"Draco!" shouted Seraphim accusingly, unwillingly attracting the attention of three snowball-infested students.
A few hours later, they all trudged back to the entrance hall wet, tired, and cold. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Seraphim bid Draco goodbye and headed for the Gryffindor tower. Seraphim and Hermione went to work on some elemental charms (controlling the elements for a given area) and Ron was soon immersed in a game of wizard chess against the self-playing set Harry had gotten him for his last birthday.
Harry decided to go up to the dormitory and write to Remus. After a long internal debate and the sharp reality that the enemy's forces were gathering, Harry had resolved to tell Remus how to work Sirius' last gift as a liaison between the physical and astral planes.
He grabbed a quill and some parchment, settled on his bed, and began to write.
Dear Remus,
I hope you're well.
Harry stopped. How did one word such information delicately? He couldn't simply say 'Oh, guess what? We've figured out how to contact Sirius from beyond the grave.' Frowning, Harry dipped his quill into the inkwell and continued.
I'm glad we could help with that last letter Fred and George sent over. At least we're of some good while at Hogwarts.
He paused again. In the last letter, he'd conveniently forgotten to mention Draco's aid in the decoding. Harry wondered what the Order would think of Lucius Malfoy's son helping them.
There are a few things that I haven't mentioned to you yet.
Harry bit his lip and sighed. What to write, what to write.
Since the end of last school year, Ron, Hermione, and myself have figured out a way to use Sirius' last gift of the two-way mirror to speak with him. Well, actually Hermione figured it out. That's where Snape's missing bottle of ssiro mulorr got to. It involves a verbalius charm, the videum potion, and quite a strong etatisucer spell. It works something like the reverse spell effect we told you about after the triwizard tournament the year after you left.
Reading over what he'd written, Harry decided it wasn't the best way to break the news, but that time was getting short and it would have to do.
I'm telling you this now because of that letter we decoded. Also, Lucius Malfoy's son, Draco, and Seraphim, Professor McGonagall's niece, are
Harry lingered on the word. Dating? Seeing each other socially? Going together?
together. It was through his help that we were able to decode so much of the message. He's also expressed his unwillingness to join the Death Eaters. I just thought you'd want to know.
Between you and me, Ron and I aren't too sure of him. Hermione, because she's a girl, thinks that he's changed for Seraphim. Or that he was that way from the beginning. I don't know.
We just want you to know that we want to help the Order in any way we can. I'm unsure as to how vital this information may be but, again, thought I'd let you know.
He signed his name at the bottom and walked to the Owlery to send it off. He met a very pregnant pause when he re-entered the common room. Seraphim had gone off to see her aunt and Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.
"Did you tell them?"
"Yeah, I just sent Hedwig," Harry explained.
"About Sirius and Malfoy?" asked Ron.
"Yeah."
"Well, now all there is to do is wait," said Hermione, opening The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Six and beginning to read up on confundus charms.
"Yeah," echoed Harry, "all there is to do is wait."
A few days later, as everyone was eating breakfast in the great hall, Julian dropped a letter in Seraphim's lap. Looking at the waxy seal, Seraphim's countenance took on a look of concern. She tucked the letter in her bag and quickly excused herself from the table, heading for her room.
Locking the door, she flopped on her bed and broke the seal of the letter. As she'd expected, staring up at her was the slightly messy writing of Moody. It was done in the traditional code of the Order. Seven different obscure languages, one word from each in a specific order.
Seraphim,We've received word from a reliable source that you're dating that Death Eater's son. Remember, they're great actors, all of them. Keep your nose out of trouble. If he's really going to help us, tell Severus and he'll question the kid. Severus is good at that. Also, that letter is a substantial clue that we're all going to need to be on guard. They're recruiting already. Don't go anywhere with that boy alone until Severus has spoken with him, do you understand? Constant vigilance!
It will be vital that you make your decision before the end of the school year. I have just been informed that old allies can be contacted and will be our liaison to the astral planes. With you and Tonks aiding us, our forces will be considerably stronger than the last time we were tested. The enemy isn't the only one doing recruiting.
Stay out of trouble; keep your eyes and ears open. Some of them Slytherins will be recruited as well before the year is out, I'm sure of it. If that boy is being recruited, they're looking to strengthen their forces in any way they can. We've also found out that the Dementors have been bought out. Them Azkaban prisoners will be loose before autumn, mark my words, and then we'll have a time putting them back.
If you don't take over your aunt's position, we'll ask you to go undercover. A Mage and a Metamorphmagus oh our side plus some otherworldly help will strengthen our forces. I'm quite sure the three lions will want to join once their schooling is finished as well. Keep a sharp eye on them while you're there. I probably don't need to tell you, but they're marked beings. It's only a matter of time before an attack is made. Constant vigilance!
I'll advise you to begin teaching those three how to defend themselves with their minds. The exploration of the wandless magic field is a bit limited because the research is new. We didn't know until a short while ago that controlled wandless magic in normal witches and wizards was possible. But now that we do, it is vital that those three learn as much as they can. As I said, they're marked. A surprise attack isn't too low for the enemy.
Make sure you keep an eye out for yourself too. Can't have you getting dragged off to who-knows-where. Remember what I said about the Slytherin boy. Have Severus interrogate him or don't be near him if you can help it.
Moody
Seraphim sighed. Auror Moody was brilliant, true, but his constant paranoia was something of an irritant. She would talk to Professor Snape later after the holiday, of course, but she hardly thought it necessary to question Draco as intensely as the letter suggested.
She also thought about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She did know that they, especially Harry, were being marked by the Death Eaters. The fiascos she'd heard about for the two previous summers was proof of that. Seraphim had planned to teach them a few hexes and counter curses just in case but the way Moody wrote, it was as if he expected them to fight a war without their wands.
They were too young. Knowing that their society, the world as they knew it, would soon be threatened, who wouldn't think that the time wasn't right? That it was simply a fluke such things should happen to them? But it was reality and there was no fairyland with daisies and fluffy clouds to escape to. This was their reality.
A knock jolted Seraphim out of her reverie. "Who is it?" she called, turning toward the door.
"Over here," said a voice.
Seraphim stood and walked toward the window. Outside, floating on his broomstick, was Draco. "Oh!" Seraphim quickly opened the shutter and let him in. Auror Moody was just paranoid about spending time with Draco, Seraphim reasoned, there wasn't anything wrong.
After a quick peck on the cheek, Draco dragged Seraphim away from the window. "There's something I have to tell you."