Well, here is chapter five for you. I apologize for anyone who likes Draco (I do too, don't hurt me) but he's going to suffer much more before this is all over. So far this story sits at twenty-seven chapters and one supplemental piece. Of course in the manner of my editing and rewriting, this may change but rest assured it will be finished.

Chapter Five

And So It Begins

"My mother says I must not pass,

Too near that glass

She is afraid that I will see,

A little witch that looks like me

With a red mouth to whisper low,

The very thing I should not know"

Sarah Morgan Bryant Piatt

The Witch in the Glass

Rebecca returned to the library to find that Kallie had left. Harry and his friends were still there talking to Sirius. They all looked up when she entered but a cold glare set them back to their conversation. She didn't have time for niceties. She needed to discover what Narcissa was up to and quick. She knew Malfoy Manor would be raided soon if only because of Lucius' arrest in Surrey. It meant she only had a limited timeframe to work with to determine Severus' loyalty it she really needed to worry about it at all. She hadn't gotten any vibes to tell her Severus was being disloyal to the Order, but Rebecca hadn't lived so long by not investing every possible angle of a situation. She knew a possibility existed that Narcissa had been playing with her mind and she examined the possibility as well as all others.

Severus Snape was a superb Occlumens meaning using Legilimency was out of the question. Dumbledore wouldn't tell her anything because she knew he still questioned her loyalties to the Order. That left her with only one option. It was her least favourite, but it was also the easiest to get away with. She would have to determine his loyalty herself with less than ethical methods. Ethics had never top her before, however this time she was working under a tight schedule.

Something didn't fit this situation but she couldn't figure out what it was. Everything fit a little too well. Severus betraying the Order right when Narcissa wanted Draco turned from Voldemort. No, it wasn't right. There was a plot going on, just under the surface and for all of understanding the workings of the Dark Lord's mind, Rebecca couldn't figure this one out.

What if it wasn't a plot of the Dark Lord's? What if this was all Narcissa and Lucius trying to turn her over to Voldemort? That made sense, more sense than Narcissa worrying about her son's life. Rebecca knew Narcissa well and she knew that the woman had never wanted a child, let alone a clone of Lucius. An idea began to form but she quickly discarded it.

She sat in the darkest corner of the library for a long time. She was vaguely aware that Sirius and the children had left and that Molly had called everyone down for dinner not long afterwards. She was still brooding when Snape entered the library just as the sun fell.

"Rebecca."

She looked up. He was standing near the center table looking at her with an intent expression on his face. "Severus." She stood, hiding the wince of pain from having sat in one position for so long. "Tell me what Narcissa and Lucius are planning."

"I think it should be quite obvious."

"To kill me, yes, but their method seems too –I don't know– roundabout."

"Narcissa was arrested moments ago and the manor raided. Are you not going to question my loyalties?"

She smirked. "Eavesdropping again, Severus? I shouldn't be surprised. That was always your way."

"Their method is quite ingenious, actually," Severus said, ignoring her words. "I wouldn't have thought either if them capable of such thought to attempt to pull off something of this magnitude, but then again, Lucius always was the one for grand plots."

"What is the point, Severus?"

"Narcissa wants you to take Draco; Draco who has been given instructions in use of the Killing Curse." Rebecca would have fallen back into her seat if not for the thought that she had to keep up her pretenses of being unshakable. It made sense now, all of Narcissa's words and actions made sense. She was going to use Draco.

"Well, that certainly fits with how they think."

"Indeed. Your plan?"

"Deferring to me?"

"A tidbit of information you might want to consider, Rebecca. Only the Death Eaters want you dead. The Dark Lord has said nothing of your demise, immediate or otherwise. If anything, I think he wants you alive."

"Leave analyzing his mind to me. I know it far better than anyone else could."

"One would hope, in any way."

"Is there a reason you are here, Severus?"

"I just believed you would like to know what to expect when you arrive to claim custody of Draco."

"You are not contesting?"

"Narcissa asked me not to."

"Of course."

"And, I believe I am not necessarily the person to turn Draco from the Dark Lord if I am still in service to him myself."

"Point in fact," she said.

"A word of warning. When dealing with Draco, do realize the upbringing he had. It was much like that of your former protégé."

"Exactly the same, I believe," she answered with a sigh. "Is there anything else?"

"Just remember what I said." Severus turned and left the library. Rebecca stared at the doorway for several long minutes with the hint of a smile on her face. Severus was loyal to the Order, that much was certain. Now all she had to do was make herself noticeable to the Ministry and gain custody of her godson, turn him from Voldemort and stop him from trying to kill her. It wouldn't be too difficult, only time consuming and possibly dangerous if she took the slightest misstep. It wouldn't bode well if she was to fall into the Dark Lord's sights at the present time. She would stay under the radar for as long as possible and when she did make her appearance, no one would know of it beforehand so she could not be betrayed.

The Ministry of Magic was bustling with activity. Aurors and Unspeakables were – for the first time in over a decade – working together. The raid on the homes of several Death Eaters had turned out surprising results. Dark artifacts and spellbooks were discovered along with illegal potions and tools. There was no doubt in the divisions that more would be found in higher quantities as the war moved on since it was now, indeed, considered the second war of Voldemort.

Jonas had not been surprised that many of his former housemates were among the first to be arrested. The Slytherins had always had a knack for finding dark lords and raising them to power. It was an in house talent bred by years of keeping any and all relations in house, therefore denying any outsider the chance to know what was going on until it was too late and the new dark lord had risen. Jonas had grown up with the knowledge and dealt with the problems when he had chosen to become an Auror. His problems had only grown when his mentor became none other than Christopher Potter, the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the time.

He had always known where he stood in the scheme of things and when a young Malfoy heir was dropped by his desk, Jonas knew exactly what to do. The boy was arrogant and an exact duplicate of his Death Eater father only without the Dark Mark and the experience of murder and torture behind him.

"Good evening, Draco," Jonas said, glancing at the file that had been dropped on his desk along with the boy. Narcissa Malfoy had just been sent down to the courtrooms to be processed for trial. She would no doubt be sent to Azkaban along with her husband. Jonas thought it was just as well. He had always known Narcissa to be a loyal Death Eater even if she had claimed to have been acting under the Imperious. The woman had never been particularly intelligent but she had followed her husband's lead in the situation as in every other. Jonas has thought it to be very funny in a sick way. Now however, he realized he had a chance to really get under the skin of the two Death Eaters. Their son, the sole heir to the Malfoy fortune, was in his hands.

Jonas read over the file looking for the names of the boy's godparents and almost laughed when he found them. Severus Snape and Rebecca Black. It was very convenient that he and Rebecca happened to be on speaking terms again. She would be very pleased to hear what he had to tell her. He attached a note to the file and sent it up to processing. Normally Aurors didn't handle these situations, but in times of war when both parents were thought to be dark, the job fell to the highest ranked Auror available to determine if the child had any affiliations with the master of his or her parents.

"I am asking the department to contact your godmother, Rebecca Black…"

"She's dead," the boy said. Jonas' eyes narrowed. That was perhaps too defensive and too quick.

"No, Rebecca is very much alive. I spoke with her just last night. I imagine she will be here soon."

The boy sat back in silence. Jonas was curious. Why had he been so quick to say Rebecca was dead? He suddenly got a bad feeling about this situation. As a Slytherin-raised Auror, he had enough knowledge of Slytherin plots to know one when it appeared and this seemed much like the plots of old. He was going to watch this situation very carefully. He didn't like where it was going.

"Jonas?"

"Yes, Tonks?"

"Rebecca asked me to tell you she'll be here shortly. When the summons came she was in the process of moving her things to Hogwarts."

"She's teaching this term? She didn't tell me that."

"She hasn't told anyone really," Tonks said with a shrug. "I found out from Dumbledore."

"We'll be here, then, I suppose. Is there anything else?"

Tonks looked around and pulled a note from her pocket, spilling a cup of tea on Jonas' desk in the process. "Sorry," she said. "Dumbledore told me to give you this, but don't open it here."

"What is it?"

"An invitation." She turned and walked away, running into one of the Unspeakables. Apologizing profusely, Jonas watched as she made her way to her cubicle. He shook his head. Tonks would always be Tonks and that was what he liked about her. She was a good Auror and she wasn't falling over her own feet –or someone else's.

"Tell me about yourself, Draco," Jonas said, looking at his temporary charge. The boy had looked upon Tonks with a sneer ant had tried to hide it whenever Jonas had glanced his way. The boy was good, but not good enough. Jonas had been raised in the Pureblood ways just as Draco was and he knew what was going through Draco's mind.

The boy was so very much like his father. Jonas remembered what Lucius had been like in school and in the Pureblood Order before it had changed into Voldemort's recruiting tool within Hogwarts. Jonas had agreed with their views of blood purity for a time, but after his internship with the Aurors his views had changed. Now many of his closest friends and allies were half-bloods or less. Jonas didn't care any longer and he pitied those who did.

But Lucius had been a right prat all through school. Jonas remembered how he had tormented younger students of other houses for the sheer enjoyment of their tears. He had been cruel and while Jonas could detect much of Lucius in Draco, it wasn't the cold cruelty of his father. This was something different, something more tangible than uncontrolled hatred but Jonas couldn't identify it.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you like to do? What field do you plan on studying?"

"I play Quidditch," Draco answered, but volunteered no more. Too much like Lucius in that area.

"Your position?"

"Seeker."

"Ah, I was the Slytherin Seeker for two years while at school."

"You were in Slytherin?" Draco asked before shutting his mouth abruptly. Jonas could tell he hadn't meant to ask any questions himself.

"Yes, two years under your father. I was in the same year as your mother and godmother and five years ahead of your godfather."

"Oh."

Jonas smirked and was about to ask another question when a shadow fell across his desk. He looked up to see Rebecca standing there, as proud as any Pureblood, wearing a green velvet robe with silver trim and silver snake fastenings. Like any Slytherin. He had a feeling the next few months would prove to be interesting at Hogwarts. He knew there hadn't been a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor so openly Slytherin in decades and it would be fun to watch how the students handled someone biased against the other houses instead.

"Rebecca."

"Jonas."

"You've been busy, I hear."

"Dora has a big mouth."

"Teaching at Hogwarts. I never thought I'd ever see you teaching."

"I've always been teaching. How do you think I know the Death Eaters so well? I taught most of them."

"Moody said as much but I didn't believe him."

"Perhaps next time you should. Alastor knows much about my tactics; how else do you think he captured so many with little fuss at the end of the war."

"Good point." Jonas sighed and looked at Draco. The boy was looking at Rebecca with a mixed look of apprehension and –maybe- fear. Jonas understood. Rebecca was a woman to be feared even by some of the best wizards. It was the reason she had never been caught in the previous war. She had been far too good for even her own father to catch up to her. Jonas had listened to the rumours of her rise to Voldemort's Second in Command and had not been surprised. Rebecca had been Lucius' Second in all things at Hogwarts and it had been she who had kept the Pureblood Order running through the years after her initiation. She had been the one to turn the Pureblood Order into Salazar's Order and initiated the members into the elitist circle of future Death Eaters. Then she had become a Death Eater herself in her sixth year.

"So, let's move into the conference room to do this. It's a bit crowded out here," Jonas said. Rebecca nodded and turned, her robes billowing slightly behind her. Jonas smiled. He knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. She had to sense a plot here as well and she was sending the message to all, Draco included, that she was just as powerful and connected as she had always been. This time, however, her power and connections were on the side of the Light. It seemed to be working because Draco tried to hide a cowered looked when Rebecca turned her dark brown eyes on him in a cold gaze.

"Okay, Rebecca, here is the paperwork I need you to read over and sign if you wish to take custody of Draco Ignatius Malfoy."

"Yes," Rebecca answered. Draco had sat as far way from them as he could get at the other end of the table. Jonas thought it was typical teenage rebellion, but there was something else there, simmering beneath the surface of Malfoy perfection and Jonas could not tell what it was.

"It didn't take you long to come to a decision."

"This has already been discussed," Rebecca said and glanced down the table at Draco. "Narcissa asked me earlier this morning. She seems to think I am foolish enough to fall for her ploys. Regardless, I have discussed this with Severus as well."

"As which position is more precarious?" Jonas asked with a slight grin.

"As which of us is most likely to be killed first."

"Loyalty is fickle with the Dark Lord."

"Indeed, as some have discovered." Rebecca signed the last of the papers and handed them back to Jonas. He took them and sealed them with his wand.

"I'll go finish this up, of you would both wait here."

"Yes," Rebecca answered for them both. Jonas walked out of the room, wishing he could be in on the coming conversation between the two. It would certainly be interesting.

"Come closer, Draco. I have not seen you since you were but a babe in Narcissa's arms." Draco hesitated and Rebecca used a mild, wandless Imperious to make him heed her command. It was dangerous to do so in the Ministry, but these things had to be done. She knew what Draco had been sent to her to do and she intended to give him every available opportunity. He walked to her end of the table and sat across from her. He looked so very much like Lucius had at 15 but there was a little of Narcissa in him as well. He was nervous but his hands stayed in front of him on the table, just like Lucius would have done in a similar situation. It was frightening, really, to see how much alike they were.

"Severus tells me you have a talent for potions," she said, by way of starting conversation. She knew the best way to get his attention would be through praise and opportunity to become more powerful. Well, she would give him just that. "Have you tried any advanced potions, those beyond the Ordinary Wizarding Levels?"

"Severus, Professor Snape, won't let us."

"Now, that's not very Slytherin of you. Don't tell me you haven't stolen from his stores and brewed extra curricular potions for your friends." The look on his face gave his lie away. "I see. Very good."

"You don't have a problem with that?"

"Why would I? I have done far worse than steal in my life and I do not find it prudent to lecture you in the virtues and morals of a Gryffindor. Gods know I'll get enough of that at Hogwarts this year."

"You will be teaching."

"Unfortunately," Rebecca answered, watching his movements. He was trying to maintain the pretense of nobility and Rebecca commanded him that, but she knew it wouldn't last long. Soon his status would fall when the papers found out the truth about Lucius and Narcissa. Rebecca knew well that being captured and tried as a Death Eater did not stand well with the Dark Lord nor the other families.

"Father said you served the Dark Lord."

Ah, this was it. Rebecca knew it was coming, but she hadn't thought it would be so soon. "Yes, many years ago. I was the Dark Lord's Second, just as I had been your father's in school." She let him have a minute to grasp the significance of her comment. He was an intelligent young man and she knew it wouldn't take him long to understand.

The door opened and Jonas walked in with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. When Fudge saw her, he paled and she wanted to laugh at the look on his face. She remembered him well. He had been in the Department of Magical Catastrophes when she had been a Death Eater. They had faced off several times and he had been the first to respond to her father's murder. Of course, Fudge had tried to accuse her of the murder but failed when her magical signature did not match the one on the body.

"Minister," she said, standing.

"Miss P…Black," Fudge said, extending his hand. She almost laughed at the slip of tongue but shook his hand. "Now, this is much faster than we usually do things, but of course, you understand that, Miss Black."

"Yes," she said. She saw Jonas smile behind the Minister.

"Good. Now you'll be staying at Hogwarts for the school term, acceptable. After the term is over?"

"I own property on the Spanish coast," she answered.

"Very well, everything else seems in order. Here is the key to the Malfoy vault at Gringotts. Sign this," he added, pushing a piece of parchment to her. She read it over quickly and signed it with the quill he provided. "Very well. Good day to you all." Fudge left and Rebecca looked at Jonas.

"What was that?"

Jonas motioned for her to stand up and follow him. They walked to a corner of the room and Jonas cast a silencing bubble around them. "Lucius and Narcissa were just sentenced to life in Azkaban. We are sentencing people as fast as they are processed and we're still not getting anywhere. The memories you provided us with last night, your own plus what you took from Lucius, have done more than we could ever hope to have done on our own."

"Hell. I didn't think Fudge would move so fast."

"You saw how he was last night. He vehemently denied the return of Voldemort and now he's all for going to war again."

"A complete turn. It seems like more than just hunting for power."

"You think so too? I wasn't sure."

"You think he's in service to the Dark Lord?"

"Fudge is power hungry. Anything is possible, you know that."

"I do."

"You've proved as much. No one in Slytherin would have ever thought you would turn against Voldemort."

"Yet I did. Thank you, Jonas, for everything."

"Be careful around that kid. Something isn't right."

"He was sent by Narcissa to kill me is all."

"Oh, no worries then." Rebecca laughed. "Fudge also told me to tell you that you've been given full immunity from all charges filed in the past or in the future."

"He is up to something." Jonas nodded. "I'll watch, thank you, Jonas."

"You're welcome, Rebecca." He released the charm and they walked back over to the table. "If you need anything else…"

"I know how to find you," she answered. "Be sure to read the letter from Dumbledore and consider his words carefully. It is not a choice to make too fast." She smiled and looked at her godson. "Come, Draco." Without a word, Draco stood up and followed her out of the room. She didn't take the time to consider it, she knew why he had done it.

They walked to the Apparation point in silence. Rebecca didn't initiate conversation because she knew it was pointless. She wouldn't get anything from him in such a public place. Dumbledore had given her permission to take him to Grimmauld Place where she thought he would be more comfortable in talking to -and trying to kill- her.

"Take my arm, Draco," she said. He did so and she Apparated them outside to an alley not far from Grimmauld Place. The sun had long since fallen and the moon was a waning crescent. The two walked out of the alley. Rebecca placed herself behind Draco and started guiding him to Grimmauld Place.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked.

"I have a meeting to attend before we can go to the castle."

"In this place?"

"Sometimes the best hiding places are those in which your enemies do not approach. The prejudices of Death Eaters can easily be used against them. Only a few would dare to come here and currently they are all in Azkaban."

"What is this place?"

Rebecca touched his shoulder and he turned to face her. She pulled a note from her pocket and handed it to him. "Read this, but know, I do not take betrayal well. If you dare to turn the people within to Voldemort, there will not be a place for you to hide and being my godson will not save you. No one will be able to save you, not even the Dark Lord himself." Rebecca saw him pale and she took pride in the fact that she could still strike such fear in people. He opened the letter and read it.

"What is…"

"Inside. Look." He looked up. "Follow me. Now listen, Draco, there are several of your classmate inside and I know for a fact that you have problems with every single one of them."

"Who?"

"The Weasleys and Harry Potter." The boy was silent. "Do not cause problems here. I will not tolerate it. I do not know how long this meeting will last and you will maintain the pretense of amicability. I have enough to do and I don't need to worry about you as well." The boy didn't reply. "I am giving you a certain level of independence. Don't make me regret it." She opened the door and they walked inside.

Rebecca led Draco up to the library. She knew it was unlikely he'd find too much trouble there. The other children would be trying to listen in on the meeting and the only one tempted to enter the library when no one else was in there was Granger.

"Stay here, read whatever you like. Stay out of trouble."

Rebecca really didn't want to leave him alone in the library but she didn't have much choice. It was too risky to have in the house at all and she couldn't take him into the meeting. She knew just what books he would take off the shelves; they would all be Dark Arts or related topics, but she had long since removed those with specific instructions for casting curses by Molly's request.

"Is there anything you would like?" she asked him from the doorway.

"No," he answered. She nodded and left. Walking down the stairs to the basement kitchen, she reflected on the previous hours activities. She had known he would be difficult; it was a given when one looked at his upbringing. She knew she couldn't make a move until he did and she knew his first move would be to make his father proud.

"Where have you been?"

"I do have more important things to do, Sirius, than stay here all the time," she answered, pushing past him and taking a seat at the table.

"Are we expecting any new members tonight?" Molly asked.

Rebecca, like the others, shrugged. Order members began to come in. Rebecca sat at the table in silence and didn't even say a word when Sirius and Remus sat on either side of her. It was a surprise, but she didn't push them away.

"Who is that?"

Rebecca looked up at Sirius' question and smiled. "Hello, Jonas."

"Rebecca," he answered with a smile of his own. She had always like Jonas. He had always been a good friend to her at school and even later, after he had become an Auror, he'd had many chanced to kill her but he never did, not even under her father's orders. And now he had helped her gain Sirius' freedom and custody of Draco. She would help him in whatever way he might need.

Which, in turn made her once again think about the godson she had left in the library. Rebecca had always had a talent for seeing the darkness in a person and while Draco had some, it wasn't enough for what she knew he wanted to do. It wasn't enough to kill without a reason. He wasn't as cold as his father, nor was he as calculating, but he could be trained. He could be trained and that was the key. She could train him against Voldemort. It was a thought too tantalizing to discard.

"Good, now that everyone is here," Dumbledore said from the front of the room. "There is some urgent business we must discuss this night. The Ministry has taken its stand against Voldemort and they have even gone as far to begin arrests based on information they received yesterday." He looked at Rebecca but she didn't give anything away. "Several of those who have been arrested have already been given trials and sent to Azkaban."

"I don't see the problem in that," Dedalus Diggle said from a corner.

"The problem," Rebecca said standing, "is that with all his supporters in Azkaban, the Dark Lord will only want the island more."

"But there are precautions in place…" Arthur said.

"Not nearly enough," Rebecca rebutted.

"But…"

"Rebecca is right. The Ministry's actions have only made things worse in the larger picture. We still have the upper hand and with the loss of most of his most loyal followers, Voldemort will falter but not enough. He will begin plans to take Azkaban and we will have to be ready to step forward to help the Ministry when it happens."

"Do you think we will be that needed?" Hestia Jones asked.

"I am afraid," Dumbledore began, "that when Voldemort takes Azkaban, the Ministry itself will fall."