Chapter 23

Hermione was pretty sure she would never forget the look on Harry's face when she arrived at Potter House for the first time. Such pure unadulterated joy was a rare thing to behold. She was thrilled for her friend.

It had been a lovely summer thus far. Her days had been mostly spent at the Manor. Lucius and Narcissa had accelerated their lessons, or maybe it just felt that way. She had certainly worked harder this summer than she ever had before. She was happy that she and Draco both flourished in such an environment; even if he did have a slight tendency to whinge, he picked up on things as quickly as she did, which is why- at least she suspected- that his parents largely ignored his childishness. She only had to roll her eyes in his direction and he almost always shut up.

She had a hard time imagining that she would ever love anything as much as she loved performing magic with Draco. She knew that what they were capable of together was extraordinary, she knew Lucius and Narcissa were pushing them to see what they could achieve, and she also knew that there were things they weren't telling them about what they could do. It could be frustrating but it was worth it. They were helping her turn her mind into a steel trap, making sure she would never embarrass herself in polite society, and let her have her run of their spectacular estate along with their son. And she and Draco had their own secrets, they never openly discussed with his parents the nature of their connection; it was sacred, intimate, theirs.

She had also gone on a two week holiday with her parents to France. Draco had accompanied them for one of those weeks and it was by far the most time he'd ever spent with her family without returning to the magical world. Her heart had felt so full as she'd watched him with her parents, and he was enveloped into their family fold like it was the most natural thing in the world. They spent most of the holiday at the beach and Hermione basked in both the sun and the heat in Draco's gaze as he perused her bikini clad body. She spent one day in magical Paris with both her mother and Narcissa as they shopped for a suitable set of dress robes that Narcissa had assured her she would need around Yule. It had been wonderful.

It had been decided that she would spend the last two weeks of the summer with Sirius and Harry at Potter House, Harry's family home. Sirius had declined to re-open any of the Black family properties and had instead decided to move them into the home where James Potter had grown up and where Sirius had spent his teenage years.

If Harry's letters were any indication he was getting along smashingly with Sirius and had also been enjoying a wonderful summer. Her usually rather reticent friend, practically gushed to her and she found herself touched that he was taking the time out of his bonding with his godfather to write her such effusive missives. So, as reluctant as she had been to leave Draco, she was excited to see Harry and how he was getting along.

He didn't disappoint. His face lit up the moment he laid eyes on her when she and Sirius apparated onto the property in a way she'd never seen before. He'd eagerly strode in her direction and enveloped her in a hug. It was all she could do not to cry; she knew it would embarrass them.

Potter House was wonderful. A beautiful Georgian mansion, smaller than the Manor- though by no means actually small. It had vast-if somewhat wild- grounds that were perfect for a boy who loved to fly and his godfather who regularly turned into a dog. Harry just seemed to belong there, as did Sirius, and they made sure that she quickly felt at home herself. She had a lovely room across the hall from Harry but she would have gladly slept on the sofa just to witness Harry and Sirius' joy in being together.

She knew that Harry had been receiving defense lessons from Professor Lupin and that Sirius himself had begun to teach his godson about the finer details of his place in their society which were long overdue, but even she couldn't object when she learned that Harry had been given several days off of lessons at the beginning of her visit so that they could spend some time together.

Not quite a week into her stay Sirius declared that they were to host a family dinner. Harry was enthusiastic. Apparently, he quite liked Sirius' cousin- known primarily to Hermione as Narcissa's sister- and her family, and was anxious for Hermione to meet them. Professor Lupin would be attending as well. He'd actually come around for dinner a couple of times and had tried to insist that Hermione call him 'Remus' but she was having a hard time getting used to that. True, he was Sirius' age but meeting somebody as a sweet stray dog was very different than meeting them as your teacher- and she could hardly remember a time when she hadn't called Lucius and Narcissa by their first names, so there was no comparison.

Hermione had to keep herself from grinning inappropriately when she was introduced to 'Tonks.' She couldn't wait to see the look on Narcissa's face when she reported that not only did her niece insist on being addressed by her surname, but that despite the fact that she was a metamorphmagus and had literally every option available to her, she chose to wear her hair cropped short and colored hot pink. She was not surprised that she liked the older witch very much, and if not for the horror stories she knew of the Black family she would wonder if there was just something in their genes that drew people in. Actually, that might be exactly what it was.

Andromeda was tall, beautiful, and graceful, and while she didn't actually look anything like Narcissa- she had darker looks that were more traditionally associated with the Black family- it wasn't hard to imagine them as sisters. She was certainly every bit as intimidating as Narcissa had originally been to Hermione. The only difference was that she now knew how to handle it. But she also now had a myriad of secrets to keep. It was incredibly confusing given that she instinctively wanted to trust the woman.

Her husband, Ted, was a large man with an even larger personality. His gregarious demeanor was a sharp contrast to his wife's stoic elegance. But somehow, as a couple, they just seemed to make sense.

After dinner was served Sirius made a big show of clearing his throat to make an announcement. "As it turns out. Fudge wants to give us awesome World Cup tickets to help make up for that whole false imprisonment thing. Bad news: he seems to be under the impression that we'd like a family reunion, so we have to put up with the Malfoys for the night."

Hermione almost choked on a bite of roast beef. She could practically feel the humor radiating off of Sirius and she had to ignore the urge to glare at him. Lucius and Narcissa had bound him up quite tight with their vows, so she assumed that he was enjoying himself where he could and was planning to go to the World Cup and poke at them a bit in front of an audience. If she hadn't liked him so much she would have bitterly resented him making a joke out of something so serious. She knew he was angry that they wouldn't allow him to tell Harry or Remus what was really going on, but he really shouldn't play with fire like this no matter how perturbed he was, because he may have been sure of himself but she wasn't at all certain her acting skills were up to this kind of test.

Remus actually dropped his utensils in frustration at Sirius' words. "I know what you're doing Padfoot, you announced this in front of all these people so I wouldn't have the opportunity to talk you out of it and you're planning to go and spend all night antagonizing Lucius Malfoy. But don't do it, he's not an enemy we want. You already basically threatened to take his wife and son. Isn't that enough?"

They'd floated the story to their friends and allies that the Malfoys had aided Sirius in his bid for freedom under duress. They couldn't very well leave the Minister's sudden desire to grant Sirius a trial unanswered, and they had to explain Lucius' presence at Hogwarts with Fudge over the Christmas holidays in some way.

Most people believed the story that Lucius and Narcissa had told the Minister, which is that they'd aided Sirius out of a sense of family honor. Those closer to the situation would never have believed that, they knew that the Malfoys would have needed greater incentive; and that Sirius never would have approached them in the first place with so little leverage on his side. And so as far as Remus, the Tonks, Harry, and a few others were concerned, he'd blackmailed them into helping him.

"I was perfectly in my rights threatening to void his marriage contract. That mark on his arm clearly violates the morality clause. I don't care what curse he claims to have been under when he received it, and I don't care that neither of their fathers nor my own grandfather considered it a problem. To me it is unforgivable."

"But you came to an agreement, Padfoot. I know you swore oaths. You can't use it against him, as much as you apparently might want to. Don't do anything foolish." Remus' irritation was warranted. If the charade they were enacting had been true Lucius and Narcissa would have been ready to kill Sirius, and they were not without the means to make it happen if he made himself enough of a nuisance. "And you owe him for supporting you at Harry's custody hearing." Remus reminded him.

Sirius made a derisive sound in the back of his throat. "He only did that because it offended his sensibilities to think a claim from a muggle family could overrule the wishes of the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, it would set a terrible precedent from his perspective. He was probably horrified at the very thought of his son being sent to live with muggles."

Harry snorted and elbowed Hermione playfully. "Can you imagine that? Precious pureblood Draco Malfoy in a muggle house!"

For the second time in less than five minutes Hermione nearly choked on her food. Harry, of course, interpreted that reaction as amusement and grinned at her.

"That would be something to see," she said wryly, as she remembered how admirably her boyfriend had actually adapted to the muggle world- enough to stroll around Cannes hand in hand with her without her parents feeling like they needed to supervise. He'd been avidly curious during their holiday, but never inappropriate.

"Anyway, if he didn't want to risk his wife being taken from him he probably shouldn't have become a Death Eater, if he hadn't made it clear that he's an enemy to me and my House I could have just asked for his help rather than resorting to blackmail. Evil git."

"Like father, like son," said Harry, stabbing at a piece of meat with his fork.

"Harry!" Hermione cried.

"Well it's true." He defended, eyes wide and innocent, as if he truly didn't understand what he'd just said.

"It is not. He's 14! He's...just like us! He's not his father. He's not a Death Eater and he's not evil!"

Harry frowned at her. "Why are you standing up for him?"

"I know he can be a prat and a bully, but that's a terrible thing to say, and dangerous!" She fought back tears that she wouldn't be able to explain- it was one thing to take exception to his words and another to cry over them. "Are we going to be judging everybody for things they can't control now?"

Harry seemed to remember who else was at the table because he turned bright red and looked around- at Sirius and Remus in particular- in apology.

"She's right, son," Sirius said gravely, "that's a slippery slope you're on."

Hermione bit her lip, hard, as she continued to fight back tears, not just for Draco's sake but for Lucius too. She knew that there were only a handful of people in the world who got to see the real him and she hated that.

"I'm sorry, I just meant that he makes it impossible to be around him. He's always causing trouble."

"That's because you let yourself be baited," she snapped.

"What?"

"I'm not saying it's entirely your fault, but he only behaves as he does to get attention. And you let him."

"How can you say that, after how nasty he's been to you?"

"Actually, he hasn't said anything to me in a long time. We had two classes together that you and Ron weren't in this year and he almost completely ignored me. He only acts like he does because he knows he can get a rise out of you.'

She felt slightly guilty about berating him in this manner, given his ignorance of her real relationship with Draco. But, then again, she's had more conversations with Draco about his treatment of Harry than she could count, and he'd backed off over the past year, but Harry had proved reluctant to let the rivalry go and Hermione thought it about time that he had to bear some of her frustration over it too. Harry was looking her with wide, puppy-dog eyes as if begging to know what he'd done to earn her temper. She sighed.

"Just- he's spoiled and arrogant and he's used to being the center of attention. With your fame, getting into it with you gets him the attention he craves. Ignore him and he'll leave you alone. You'll see."

"That's sage advice, Harry," Andromeda interjected, "if Draco is anything like his father."

"I'll give it a try," Harry responded glumly, looking less than excited by the prospect.

"Remus also has a point, Sirius, you shouldn't poke that bear," Andromeda continued.

"I'm not afraid of Lucius Malfoy," Sirius said petulantly, looking so much like Harry given the way they were both pouting that Hermione had to bite back a giggle.

"Well that's just foolish. You may not like him but he's ruthless, clever, politically powerful and he has even more resources at his disposal than you do. For all his faults he loves Narcissa and I am sure that extends to Draco. He never would have thrown them out, but I'm sure the very idea of the humiliation that would have been wrought upon them by society if you had annulled his marriage has infuriated him. I know you've made oaths, but he'll find a way to get revenge if you continue to anger him. And may I remind you that you have obligations now," she looked around pointedly, "you don't have an heir, if something happens to you then Draco inherits and we are all at the mercy of the Malfoys."

Sirius looked suitably shamefaced.

"That said, it would not do to look weak, you should attend the World Cup, just behave yourself."

Sirius perked right back up. "You don't want to come and face your baby sister?" He taunted.

"I've volunteered to work so that the young people at the hospital can go, but Ted and Dora are available, I believe," she said cooly.

"What about the two of you?" He asked Ted and Tonks.

"I'm game!" She responded cheerily.

Ted nodded. "Sounds like fun to me. I was a prefect with Lucius for three years, he doesn't get under my skin no matter how loudly he disapproves of me."

"Excellent!" Sirius rubbed his hands together. "So, Moony?"

Remus sighed. "My life was much simpler without you in it."

Sirius beamed. "I know, you must have been terribly bored! Now, is that a yes?"

"Yes," he answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh and I almost forgot," he addressed Harry, "your friend Ron is invited too!"

Hermione stomach dropped and she had to make a concerted effort not to look dismayed. Because no matter their previous discussion, she just didn't believe that there was any way Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, and the entire Malfoy family could be confined to the same small space for hours at a time without something going terribly awry.

Ron arrived at Potter House two days before they were to depart for the World Cup without fanfare. He simply stepped through the floo carrying a knapsack- his parents would bring his trunk to the station on September 1st.

Harry was obviously thrilled to see him and Hermione tried to appear to be as well. She wanted Harry to be happy, but she couldn't ignore the fact that when Ron was around, she always felt on edge. They simply didn't see eye to eye and she really didn't want to bicker with him while they were enjoying somebody else's hospitality.

But she found herself begin to feel genuinely distressed as she trailed behind them while Harry gave Ron an enthusiastic tour of the house and property. At first she thought she was the only one who noticed the red-head's disingenuous smiles as he surveyed Potter House, or his jealous glares when he noticed Harry's new and (finally!) well fitting clothing, but then she noticed the light in her best friend's eyes begin to dim.

"Kitten!" Sirius hissed, seemingly from out of nowhere.

She'd done her best to dissuade him from the nickname, but the moment Harry had heard it he'd burst out laughing and declared it accurate, and she'd known there would be no convincing Sirius to drop it. She glanced towards Harry and Ron who were headed off to the kitchens for a mid-morning snack she neither needed, nor particularly wanted, and scurried after him, following him all the way to the warded dueling room in the basement. She found him leaning broodily up against the wall, just inside of the door.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me that the Weasley kid is out for Harry's money?"

Hermione was brought up short. "What?" she stumbled over her words as she tried to gather her thoughts, "I know he can be a jealous git, but I thought he genuinely liked Harry."

Sirius closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths, and then he slowly made his way over to her and placed gentle hands on her shoulders. "I apologize, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. It's just that I saw in him… something that I saw in many of my own peers when I arrived at Hogwarts as Scion Black. I had the social awareness to avoid such people but Harry…"

Hermione bit her lip and tried to decide how much to share with him. "I don't think he made friends with Harry just because of his fame or even his money. But he can be unreasonably petty...it makes me uncomfortable. But I thought maybe I was just jealous myself. I'm not as fun as Ron, if Harry felt like he had to choose I'm not sure it would be me."

Sirius' face softened. "Harry adores you. He likes the Weasleys, but his affection for you seems almost...familial. If I'd come to know you under different circumstances, Kitten, I would still have encouraged the friendship, you're good for him. But something rubs me the wrong way about Ron, maybe he's just petty as you say, but maybe it's more. Sometimes it starts out as petty and grows into something much more sinister."

"Did you-" she clapped her hand over her mouth before she could formulate the question.

"Did I ever suspect Peter?" He asked, cocking one eyebrow in a knowing fashion, and she looked away, suitably chagrined, "not consciously, but looking back on it there were many things I should have picked up on. It makes me feel that I need to be twice as vigilant."

"I'm sorry," she breathed, horrified with herself.

"It's alright, it was a valid question. You and I have a lot of secrets, we should at least be able to be open with each other."

"Are you mad at Ron about, you know, Scabbers? She asked in a rush before she could lose her nerve.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know that wasn't his fault, that he had no way of knowing who the rat really was and I'm sure he would have been horrified if he had known. But I can't help but associate them, and I'll admit that might be coloring my impression of him."

She nodded. "I understand," she said quietly.

He chuckled bitterly. "Well now that's out there, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Okay?" She tilted her head at him curiously.

"If you feel he's being taken advantage of- by anybody, mind you- I'd like you to alert me. I'll feel better if I know you're looking out for him, you're the only witch in Britain that I know for certain has no designs on him."

She nodded. "Of course, he's more likely to listen to you about something like that than me anyway."

"Thanks Kitten." He winked, and motioned for her to precede him out of the room. She rolled her eyes and followed his lead.

The next morning the elves provided a particularly thorough spread. They knew of Hermione, Harry, and Sirius' preferences but they didn't know what Ron liked and they were obviously trying to impress him. He didn't even seem to notice, he just dug right in.

Hermione, on the other hand, was preoccupied by the way Harry was almost listless as he piled food onto his plate. He was usually enthusiastic, though polite, over meals. Hermione tried to push her worry aside and she carefully made her plate as she would any other morning, but it was hard to ignore when she could practically feel Sirius boring holes into the side of her head with his eyes. He had obviously noticed something was wrong as well and was deferring to her superior knowledge of his godson.

Still, she refused to look at him, she wasn't going to jump all over Harry about every little thing. But then Harry winced and - she was sure he did it entirely subconsciously - grabbed his scar, face screwed with pain. She and Ron gasped simultaneously. They remembered very well what it had meant the last time his scar had hurt.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing, it's just a headache. I get them sometimes."

He was a terrible liar.

"No, you don't!" Hermione snapped, she wasn't going to let him downplay this.

Harry glared at her.

"Seriously mate," Ron chimed in, "Do you think that means You Know Who is close?" He'd stopped eating and gone pale with fear.

"Why would you say that?" Asked Sirius sharply.

"When Voldemort," she resolutely ignored the way that Sirius and Ron both winced when she said the name, "was possessing Quirrell, Harry's scar would hurt when he was near him."

Harry shook his head vigorously. "No, this is nothing like that. I just had a dream about him and it's given me a headache."

Ron exhaled loudly and sat back in his chair, obviously relieved.

"You had a dream about him?" Sirius asked, his voice carefully controlled. "What happened?"

"Pettigrew was there. And he- uh- they killed this old man...I think." Harry stared at his plate as he spoke, his shoulders hunched, he looked completely defeated.

"Harry look at me," Sirius said with obvious effort to sound gentle, "this is the sort of thing I need you to tell me about immediately. That's the only way I can keep you safe."

He shrugged, his face miserable. "I didn't want to be a bother."

"You could never be a bother. This is what I'm here for."

Harry just nodded and began to eat his breakfast again slowly. Hermione pushed her plate away, her stomach suddenly hurt and there was no way she could eat anything else. Harry could pretend that it was just a dream, but she knew that he knew better, just as she did. And, a quick glance at Sirius told her that he thought the same was the start of something terrible.