The Devil's Triangle
Chapter 5: The Power Position
Harry rose early the next morning. It was September 1st and time to head back to Hogwarts. Harry marveled that no matter where they were, Mrs. Weasley made herself at home in the kitchen. He helped her prepare breakfast for everyone and was tucking-in to his meal when Ginny came into the kitchen.
"Morning, Gin," he said cheerfully. As much as he complained to Ron about Malfoy's interest in Ginny, he would never say anything to her. He'd seen too many of Ron's 'Victor Krum rages' to think that would be the best course.
"Hey, Harry," she said, mussing his hair affectionately as she sat next to him. "You excited about getting back? I am."
"Yeah, I guess. Do you think people would be interested in starting up the DA again? I kind of want to do that."
"I think that's a brilliant idea! I'll be there! I never did get my Patronus right last year, and I'm dying to know what form it'll take."
"I'd say that your Patronus will be something soft and fluffy and beautiful that breathes fire! What kind of animal is that?" Harry teased.
"Funny Harry!" she giggled. "Would you carry my trunk down after breakfast? It's all packed and ready to go."
"No problem. Are you excited about seeing Dean today?"
"I guess," she grimaced. "It's just kind of weird. I mean we weren't dating at the end of last term. Other than the wedding, we've just been sending Owls; it'll probably be different in person."
"I would hope so!" Harry laughed. "Just do me a favor... don't sneak up to the sixth year boys' dorm to snog. I can't handle pulling Ron off Dean on a daily basis."
"I'll keep that in mind!" she said, blushing.
"Dean's a good bloke, Ginny. You should give him a chance."
"Thanks Harry, I plan to," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Draco and his mother entered the kitchen with subdued greetings of "Good morning." Draco had reverted back into his impeccably groomed, expensively tailored image to which they were accustomed. Ginny wondered if his personality had similarly reverted. He helped his mother with her chair, and then leaned down to Ginny to speak quietly.
"Ginny, I took the liberty of bringing down your trunk and bags, as they seemed ready. They're in the front hall."
Ginny rewarded him with a wide smile. "Thank you, Draco."
Draco sat with his mother at the end of the table and became engrossed in a quiet conversation with her.
Ron and Hermione entered the kitchen. Ron's mood seemed to have suffered from lack of sleep, but he wasted no time in attacking the food and building himself a huge plate of eggs and sausages. Once the worst of his hunger had ebbed, he looked up from his plate with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "So Ginny, Malfoy tells us the two of you have a date!" he said, grinning eggs.
Ginny glared at him and then she glared at Draco, who had turned from his conversation with his mother with a smirk. "It's a hypothetical date contingent on many factors, not the least of which is him not reverting back into the arrogant, vindictive, spoilt, evil prat
I've known in the past," Ginny spoke without breaking eye contact with Draco, but he merely smirked at her pleasantly and said nothing.
Narcissa bit back a smirk of her own, thinking in spite of herself that she could get to like this Weasley girl. "Draco! What about Pansy?" she asked.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Parkinson and I are just friends, Mother," he snapped.
"There's definitely a lot of that going around," Harry grumbled under his breath.
"Oh," Narcissa continued. "I've always had such high hopes for the two of you."
"Mother…" Draco groaned. Narcissa continued on.
"Ever since the day I found the two of you naked in the carriage house, you were so cute!"
"Mother, we were four years old! And we were just looking!" Draco protested vigorously.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were shaking with mirth. Ginny was coughing violently, having almost shot pumpkin juice out her nose.
"Oh, that's nothing!" Mrs. Weasley decided to join the fun of humiliating offspring. "My Ginny never needed to play mediwizard with a boy; she was bathing with Ron from the day she was born. Growing up with six brothers, she was so disappointed to be a girl."
"Mum…" Ginny growled, with a distinct warning in her voice. She knew her mother would continue and she dreaded what was coming.
"She wanted a penis so badly; she thought she was malformed not to have one! Isn't that charming?"
"Oh, kill me now!" Ginny hid her face in her hands.
"Oh don't you remember, dear? Every Christmas and every birthday: 'Mummy, Mummy, all I want is a penis, please get me a penis!' In the middle of Diagon Alley sometimes, I tell you! She finally gave up when she was about seven."
The entire table was roaring now, except for Narcissa who managed only a mild titter, and Ginny who still had her face buried in her hands.
"Damn, Gin!" Harry exclaimed, in pain from laughing so hard. "Why didn't you tell me that's what you wanted for your birthday? It would have saved me a lot of money!"
"Shut it, Potter!" she bellowed, without uncovering her face. She peeked between her fingers in time to see Malfoy give Harry a High-Five as they both wiped tears from they're eyes. Oh great! Over this they're bonding!
"Cissa, do you remember that family reunion when we were girls? I think it was
Great Uncle Bilius' 100th birthday," Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Gideon and Bea in the bushes?" Narcissa exclaimed. "Oh, I'd forgotten about that. My sister Bea and Molly's brother Gideon were mad for each other. It was so embarrassing; they couldn't keep their hands off each other! My grandmother caught them going at it behind some bushes at a garden party with at least 200 family members milling about. My mother and Molly's father nearly killed them both! Merlin, I've never seen anyone turn so red with rage."
"Shagging? Are we talking about shagging?" Draco queried, stunned that his mother would broach such a subject.
Molly giggled and continued the story. "They were certainly doing loads more than 'just looking' Draco! It wasn't safe to walk into a room in those days. They were either on each other or at each other throats! My, they had some violent rows… they didn't agree about anything, complete opposites politically."
"Hang on," Harry interrupted, with a sudden realization. "Is this Bellatrix Lestrange we're talking about?"
Narcissa nodded. "She was Bellatrix Black then, my sister."
Harry recoiled; he didn't want to hear any funny stories which made that monster seem human to him.
As if reading his mind, Narcissa continued in a kind, almost apologetic way. "She wasn't always the way she is today."
"Mum?" Ginny began. "How can you love someone, and despise everything they believe in?"
"Love isn't rational dear. It is what it is. Gideon and Bea made each other happy; even when they were fighting they both seemed so alive, until she took the Dark Mark and they had their final falling out."
"Mum?" It was Ron speaking this time. "Isn't Bellatrix Lestrange one of the Deatheaters that killed Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian?"
"Yes, dear, she was," Molly said quietly, her eyes misting over. Ginny and Hermione gasped quietly.
"How can that happen?" Ginny asked, as her hand imperceptivity clenched around her fork. Harry's hand instinctively began to sooth her back.
"We don't know exactly what happened," Narcissa continued, "but the sister I loved died that day as well. When Gideon was killed everything human in Bea died with him. I'm not going to lose Draco like that. I've lost enough." Narcissa's voice uncharacteristically cracked with emotion.
"You won't Cissa," Molly said confidently. "Draco's a smart boy. He'll find his way."
Ginny noticed that Draco's eyes never moved from his breakfast. His faced showed no emotion, and betrayed nothing of his thoughts. Ginny resolved to find out what was going on inside that snarky head.
A sudden change of mood occurred when Molly activated her commanding mother voice. "Alright you lot, get moving… you have a train to catch! We leave in 45 minutes. Ginny go do something with your hair. Go! All of you… go! Go!"
The boys returned to their room and somberly finished preparing to leave. Harry kept glancing at the silent Draco, trying to think of something appropriate to say. Draco finally snapped.
"Potter! Stop giving me those piteous looks and say whatever it is you're going to say!"
"Oh… er, I don't know. I think just… well, if you need anything… we'd help."
"Anything to defeat the Dark Lord, eh Potter? Even befriend me?" Draco growled viciously.
"I never said I wanted to be your friend!" Harry snapped, regretting he'd said anything.
"Good! The only thing I want you to do for me is forget the past 24 hours. You didn't see me here, you don't know where I've been all summer, and you certainly don't know where my loyalties lie. The only reason I've put up with you was to please my mother. It's going to be difficult enough returning to Slytherin house without you lot being chummy. Can you do that?"
"What? Hate you? Ignore you? Hex you in the corridors? No problem at all," retorted Harry, with a tone of disgust in his voice.
"And you?" Malfoy turned to Ron.
"Deal. Except for that chess thing. How will your housemates react to you rejecting Voldemort?"
"No idea, and I didn't reject him, my mother did." Malfoy gathered his belongings and left the room without another word. After he'd left the room Harry looked at Ron and shrugged.
"He seems to be back to normal now," Ron quipped.
Everyone congregated in the kitchen at the appointed time. Mr. Weasley had arranged a Portkey to deliver the students to the station safely. As usual, Mad Eye Moody was going to transport the luggage to Kings Cross station. Molly and Narcissa were going to accompany them to the train station, but to protect her identity, Mrs. Malfoy had agreed to allow Mad Eye Moody to cast a Glamour Charm on her. The adults would then apparate to separate locations, to avoid the appearance of collusion.
"Hold still Narcissa, this won't hurt a bit," Moody grumbled as he waved his wand before Mrs. Malfoy and mumbled an incantation.
"But wait…" Mrs. Malfoy stuttered. "Can't I choose? I can't be just anyone!"
But her protests came too late, as suddenly Mrs. Malfoy was transformed into an old, gnarled witch. Harry thought she sort of resembled Mrs. Figg, the batty old cat-loving Squib who'd lived down the street from him on Privet Drive. Draco's mouth dropped in shock, while everybody else in the room obviously was delighted by the remarkable change. She held up a hand-mirror to examine herself, and she squeaked in horror at her reflection. However, Narcissa was not one to create a public scene; she quickly plastered on a wan smile and accepted her fate.
"What do you think, dear?" she asked Draco hopefully.
"Wicked!" burst out Ron, before Draco could say another word. Ginny and Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"Mother?" exclaimed Draco, clearly disgusted. "You look lovely," he added quickly.
"Glad you approve, Malfoy. You're next," grinned Mad Eye, his magical eye spinning wildly.
"Oh no, you don't!" Draco was clearly frantic. He'd worked too hard to create his appearance to allow his image to be destroyed in an instant.
"Draco, dear, what if Mr. Moody assured you that you could change back once we arrived at Kings Cross Station?" asked his mother, gently.
Draco pondered for a moment, and then said, "Actually, this ridiculous plan of yours has an upside, Moody. With this disguise on, nobody else will see me appearing in public with you lot."
"Draco, that is not very charitable," said the old hag that was actually Mrs. Malfoy.
"All right Moody, you may proceed. But don't make me a girl," warned Draco sternly.
"Actually Alastor, would you let me?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "I've always loved doing Glamour Charms, and it's been such a long time since Ginny allowed me to perform one on her." Moody nodded his assent, and Draco was clearly uneasy. "Now, now dear, just remember this will only be temporary." She flicked her wand and spoke the same incantation as Mad Eye. When the transformation was completed, the entire kitchen burst out into hysterical laughter, except for Ron who stood gaping.
"Mum! That's just WRONG!" Ron shrieked.
"What?" asked Draco in a panic. He was furious when he saw that Potter and Ginny were laughing so hard they were holding each other up. To think I thought that little witch had potential yesterday, maybe I was wrong! But even Mother's trying not to laugh! This must be bad!
"Do I look like a troll? What have you done to me, woman?" Mrs. Weasley courteously showed Draco to the downstairs loo so he could see her handiwork and Lupin motioned that everybody needed to quiet down. Seconds after Draco entered the loo, the room was filled with a scream that sounded like a banshee. He came running out, clearly in a fury such as never had been seen before.
"Mrs. Weasley, I insist you change me back from this garish appearance. I refuse to be transported to Kings Cross looking like this!" he blustered.
"What, Draco?" Mrs. Weasley asked sweetly. "You don't like having red hair?" Indeed, Mrs. Weasley had given Draco bright ginger hair and freckles. He truly looked like a Weasley. He spluttered furiously, indignant at being laughed at like this.
"For once I agree with the Ferret, Mum. I really DON'T want to look like I'm related to Malfoy," said Ron with a look of disgust. "Can you think of something else to do with him?
"Hate to say it kid," said Moody to Draco, "but this get-up works. You'll look like one of the older Weasley brothers accompanying this lot to Platform 9 3/4. This disguise stays."
"BUGGER!" Ron and Draco said in unison.
"Still have the hots for him, Gin?" Harry chuckled softly in Ginny ear.
"Shut it, Harry! I've never 'had the hots for him'. But as you asked, I do think he's quite handsome like that, in a brotherly way."
"Gather round all," Mrs. Weasley said handing a woolen knit hat to Ron. As everyone gathered closely around the hat, Hermione found herself in very close quarters behind Draco, who was looking very disgruntled at his indignity.
In spite of her severe distaste for Malfoy, Hermione found him strangely attractive in his current state, and she thought she would take this opportunity to catch a whiff of him. She wouldn't put it past him to wear some sort of potion that would ensnare a girl. She was only protecting Ginny after all! She couldn't smell anything just standing next to him. At least he has good taste and doesn't bathe in the stuff. Hermione maneuvered closer to him and stepped on tip toes trying to get closer to his general neck region.
Unfortunately Draco looked over his shoulder and observed her unusual behavior. "Bloody hell Granger, back off!" At that same moment she felt a familiar tug in her middle, and the next moment she was thrown against Draco and they all landed in a heap together in an alley outside the train station. Hermione had landed on top of Draco with her nose firmly planted in his neck. "Weasley! Get your woman off of me!" Draco bellowed in horror. Hermione rolled off of him very quickly, never more embarrassed. Ginny was on the ground giggling uncontrollably; apparently she'd witnessed the entire incident and had guessed exactly what Hermione was doing. Hermione began giggling with her, neither of them bothering to get up.
"What's wrong with them?" Draco asked as he, Ron and Harry looked down onto the girls behaving strangely.
"Mental!" said Ron, as he offered a hand to Hermione.
"Completely nutters!" added Harry, while lifting Ginny gently.
"Every now and again, they turn into girls on us," Ron shuddered. "Dead annoying really."
Draco looked at Ron warily. "You really are a twisted bastard Weasley, did you know that?"
"Move along, you lot," called Mrs. Weasley as she appeared at the end of the alley.
Ginny and Hermione fell in step behind the boys.
"Well?" whispered Ginny.
"That's lovely. Find out what that is. Ron needs some for Christmas!" Both girls giggled madly again and the boys just walked faster.
In short order they had all passed through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. Draco said goodbye to his mother with a dignified kiss on the cheek, slightly disgusted by kissing her shriveled disguise. Mrs. Weasley was engulfing each of them, even a very surprised Draco, in tight embraces. "Draco, dear," she whispered, "it was a pleasure having you look like a Weasley." Furious, he stomped off to find Mad Eye.
"All right, Moody, change me back, before my last shred of self-control snaps," growled Draco.
He beckoned Draco to follow him to a corner, and he quickly removed the charm, restoring Draco's normal appearance. He brushed off his robe, as if wiping away cookie crumbs and hurried away from Moody.
He quickly looked around to see who was watching.
"Draco!" they heard a girl's voice from across the platform.
Draco's face immediately brightened as he searched the crowd for the source of the voice. He finally spotted the raven haired girl running towards him.
"Hello, young lady!" he said as she launched herself into his arms, and planted a very friendly kiss on him that he happily returned.
"Just friends," Ginny muttered to Harry.
"Wish you'd greet me like that!" Harry muttered back and was rewarded with a sharp elbow to the ribs.
"You prat! Where have you been? Not one owl all summer! The owls I sent came back undelivered. I didn't know what to think!" Pansy Parkinson chastised Draco.
"I'll explain later."
Pansy looked around and noticed Draco's company for the first time. Her eyes widened, and then darkened. "What are you doing with them?" she whispered.
"I'm not with them! I'm just with them. I'll explain later. Let's go," Draco gathered his belongings, waved to his mother and walked quickly toward the train with Pansy.
"Wish I could be a beetle on the wall for that conversation. Okay, come on everyone," Ron spurred everyone into action. "We need to claim a compartment before they're all taken."
As they approached the train, Ginny was pulled away from them by a large crowd of friends greeting her. "Go ahead guys. I'll catch up later."
Harry, Ron and Hermione settled their belongings into an empty compartment. Outside the window, Harry could see Ginny on the platform surrounded by her friends, enthusiastically greeting them all and his heart sank. She has her own friends at school. She has her own life at school. She doesn't need me and all my problems. I miss her already.
"Come on, Ron," Hermione said. "We need to get to the Prefects' car for the meeting. We'll return soon, Harry."
Ron had noticed Harry observing Ginny, and he saw a look on his friend's face he'd never seen before. "I'll be right behind you Hermione," Ron said as Hermione left the car giving Ron a questioning look. Ron came over to the window and watched Ginny as well.
"Harry, do you fancy Ginny?"
"I think so... I don't know. I can't be sure… I don't have much experience. I kissed her, you know, a couple of weeks ago. She rejected me."
Ron chuckled. "That's not possible Harry. What did she say exactly?"
Harry sighed heavily. "She said I only wanted a comfort snog, and I only did it because she was the only girl around. She asked me how I felt about her and I couldn't tell her; I honestly didn't know."
"That's not a rejection mate. She's just being careful with her heart. You know she can't be casual with you, Harry. You could hurt her badly."
"I hadn't thought about it like that." It suddenly dawned on Harry what Ron was saying, and what Ginny had tried to tell him. Maybe she could have feelings for him again, but he couldn't ask her to try until he was sure of his own.
"Would you mind some advice?" Ron asked.
"Course not."
"Don't underestimate the role of best friend. It's the Power Position."
"What?" Harry laughed.
"Seriously! I speak from experience! Think about it Harry. Last year when you were dating Cho, you said she was always complaining about Hermione whenever you talked about Hermione or spent time with Hermione."
"Yeah, she did complain, all the time," Harry remembered.
"Well, did you ever consider ditching Hermione as a friend to please Cho?"
"NO! Of course not. It never entered my mind!" yelped Harry.
"Exactly! Hermione held the Power Position. Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go. Friends aren't that disposable." Ron's gaze turned back to Ginny. "Look at her Harry. I'm her brother and even I can see she's gorgeous. She'll be beating them back with a stick this year. Do you want to be one of the many getting beaten? Or do you want to be the one she tells her troubles to? It would give you some time to work out your feelings, maybe get a little experience of your own." Ron slapped his friend on the back. "Food for thought! I've got to get to that meeting before Hermione throttles me. See ya, Harry!"
"Ron, thanks!" Harry said, with a wide grin.
"I'm deeper than I look mate!" he laughed as he left.
Harry continued to watch Ginny on the platform; she didn't seem at all concerned about getting to the Prefects meeting. Harry chuckled to himself, remembering Ginny's genuine horror when her Prefect badge arrived a week ago. She was more like the twins than he'd ever realized.
Harry saw Dean Thomas approach Ginny with an enthusiastic hug. He watched Ginny hug him stiffly, give him a chaste kiss, then quickly step an arms length away; Harry cringed for Dean. Suddenly, Harry felt eyes watching him; he looked around the platform and met Draco's eyes through the train window. Apparently Draco had witnessed the reunion between Ginny and Dean as well, because he tilted his head towards them, waggled his eyebrows and smirked. Harry couldn't help but laugh at this; somehow that smirk wasn't as offensive as it once was. Poor Dean… he had no idea what he was up against.
"Harry! How are you? Do you mind if we join you?" Harry turned to greet Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood as they entered the car.
"No, not at all. I'm glad for the company," Harry sat and had a very pleasant conversation with Neville and Luna. They had both traveled extensively over their holiday and were regaling Harry about their adventures. It seemed that Ginny's matchmaking efforts were quite successful; Luna was gazing at Neville much in the same way she'd been gazing at Ron all last term. However Neville seemed quite receptive to the attention and blushed continually. He didn't even seem to mind when Luna talked about the Wandering Whangdoodle her father was hoping to locate by Christmas time.
About an hour into their journey, Harry heard Ron's voice in the hallway… "Harry! You have to see this! Really…the most extraordinary thing!" Harry began to stand to go see what Ron was on about, but before he could, Ron was pushed into the car followed by at least eight very pretty, very friendly girls.
"Ron! Where'd they come from?" Harry whispered. Luna and Neville looked startled as well.
"I don't know mate… they're just following me! It seems my animal magnetism finally kicked in!" he said gleefully.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked cautiously.
"She's back in the Prefects' car revising rounds schedules with the new Head Boy, some Ravenclaw git called Marshall," Ron said grouchily.
"Ron! Sit here next to me!" A well-endowed brunette pulled Ron down into the seat next to her own. Ron looked stunned as the girls surrounded him, complementing him and asking him questions about himself. He was polite and responded to their questions, usually with one word answers. The girls' didn't seem to mind that they were doing most of the talking, or that they were competing for his attention.
It looks like there'll be more than one Weasley beating them off with a stick this year! Can't wait till Hermione sees this! Harry was so engrossed watching Ron juggle girls, that it took him several minutes to notice the pretty blond sitting next to him. She wasn't attempting to get Ron's attention but was sitting quietly, shyly glancing at Harry. He recognized her as one of the Chasers on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, but he didn't know her name. Harry stole a few sidelong glances and noticed she had very big, very blue eyes. Oh, what the hell! Harry took a deep breath, and looked directly at her, giving her a shy, goofy and unknowingly devastating smile and said:
"Hi, I'm Harry. What's your name?"
Authors Notes:
Thanks again to Jocjarmom for the beta and for saying Hmmmm…why do the Malfoy's hide all summer and then go to the train station with no protection? And then she came up with the Glamour charm scene.
BTW, thank you to whomever came up with Glamour Charms, I didn't see them listed in HP-Lexicon, so I assume they are part of Fanfiction canon.