Chapter 14

Harry sat at a dining chair in the middle of the kitchen table, trying desperately to dodge eye contact with any of the wizards currently staring him down. They all seemed dissatisfied with the secret keeping, bar Sirius. He didn't seem disappointed, maybe a little put out that his godson hadn't let him in on the secret earlier, but not disappointed. Dumbledore stood directly across the table from him, thoughtfully staring at him.

He'd already been thoroughly questioned on the matter. How long have you been working with Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy? A few weeks, I found out the night on the Quidditch Pitch. Were you involved then? No, I'd followed Hermione out because she was lugging a massive cauldron through the dorms. I watched them do... whatever it was, and threw my cloak over them so they wouldn't be seen. What cloak? My dad's invisibility cloak. Why help them? I dunno really, I guess it was just Hermione. I'd do anything to help my friends.

The questions had then taken a different direction. 'How long have you been colluding with the Death Eaters? We weren't, it was about finding Hermione's family magic. Are you the individuals Professor Snape is certain are being coerced to Voldemort's side? No, like I said, we weren't working with the Death Eaters. How long has Mr Malfoy had the dark mark? He doesn't have one, because we aren't working with the Death Eaters.

McGonagall spent the majority of the failed interrogation leaning against the wall with a hand over her face, utterly exacerbated. She'd attempted to cut in several times, but found that a large group of Gryffindor men were particularly single minded. Sirius had wandered over and muttered with her a little bit, before returning back to his spot in Harry's sight line, giving him encouraging smiles.

'Can I actually tell you what happened now?' Harry asked, utterly impatient.

Moody slammed his hand down on the table and leaned in close to Harry. 'I'm sure you'd like to get your story straight.'

'I don't have to.' Harry argued. 'Apparently McGonagall knows everything so you can fact check with her if you'd like.'

Moody sneered and Harry glared back at him, beginning to feel fairly exacerbated by then man. Harry found himself missing the Moody that had taught him last year, even though that Moody was actually a Death Eater spy.

'Instead of treating my godson, the current target of a murderous madman, like a criminal, how about we acually listen to what he has to say.' Sirius snapped, walking around the table and sitting in the chair next to him. 'You focus on me Harry, ignore the rest of these idiots.'

Harry nodded and turned to face Sirius, attempting to calm his nerves. 'Well, I followed Hermione out of the castle, like I said and got dragged into the whole mess. Draco had noticed Hermione going through some sort of magical withdrawal, I'm not completely sure about the details of that, but that she'd lose a lot of her magic if she didn't claim her family magic. They spent a month or so researching, getting ingredients and preparing for the ritual. They explained all of that to me afterwards.

'When I found out they explained how family magic works and how the ritual works, you know the bath soup and everything.' Harry paused a moment as Sirius chuckled at the wording of bath soup. 'We spent a ton of time in the library looking for a family line she could have been from, and then a lot of time in the room of requirement testing her family magic. We couldn't figure out what it was, though, so Draco convinced some of his friends to help him sneak her into his house to look through their library over the holiday. She's been posing as Daphne Greengrass.'

Harry glanced around the group momentarily, waiting for some inevitable objection to his story. When nobody did, he returned his attention to Sirius and continued. 'I've been here the entire summer and because owls can't really get here I haven't heard from her since we pulled into King's Cross station. I didn't know she needed to talk to Professor McGonagall either so that must have been something that came up in the last few days. I don't really know much else.'

Sirius smiled warmly. 'You did a good job, Harry.' He patted Harry's leg. 'I only have one question for you, and then you're free to go. Why'd you trust Malfoy so quickly?'

Harry paused, and had to think. He couldn't really think of a specific reason, or a moment he decided to trust Draco. 'It was kind've instinctual. He was more laid back than usual, made a joke about my cloak that didn't insinuate anyone was a lesser human. That ritual seemed so vulnerable. Felt like I was walking in on someone naked. Maybe because Hermione was in that position with Malfoy, and seemed to trust him, I did too.'

Sirius nodded, giving Harry a warm, reassuring smile. 'Your instincts have proven to be stellar time and time again. I think we should trust you on this one.'

'We should trust his words, but I believe Professor McGonagall had some more information to share before Sirius interrupted.' Dumbledore cut in, raising his hand.

McGonagall stepped forward, her gaze on Harry. 'All I have to add is that Harry's instincts are good. I spoke with both Mr Malfoy and his mother, and saw her again when she delivered Pettigrew.' She took a pause, sighing slightly. 'I have judged them as worthy of our protection. They've been shared the location of Grimmauld Place.'

Dumbledore seemed startled, something Harry had never seen before.

'Before you object, I would like us all to remember that Professor Dumbledore once allowed a marked Death Eater into our confidence with no more than a single conversation.' McGonagall pointed out, an eyebrow raised at the man in question.

'Severus has proved himself useful.' Remus cut in, he seemed pained to have even said it.

'But not before he was given the location of our Headquarters.' McGonagall defended. 'In this case the Malfoys have proven themselves. They turned in Peter Pettigrew, a man deep in Voldemort's confidence. Hell they let a muggleborn witch into their home without a second thought.'

'Voldemort is in their home.' Harry piped up. 'I bet not even Snape was willing to tell you that. But Draco told me, and Hermione, long before they made the decision to go. And when he finds out, they're dead.'

Dumbledore nodded, though still did not look pleased. 'They have taken a great risk, though not to directly oppose Voldemort, I think.'

'Well if they come looking for help then I will offer it to them.' Sirius decided, almost daring Dumbledore to argue with him.

He did not in fact argue, though he certainly looked like he wanted to. 'I suppose we can't undo what's been done, not without leaving the house vulnerable.'

A lull seemed to hit the conversation, nobody sure what to say or do. Harry pursed his lips and glanced around the room before his eyes landed on Professor McGonagall. She'd spoken to Hermione today, probably before she showed up at the house. And she'd been looking for Mrs Weasley, but then ended up calling the Aurors for Hermione. None of it made sense.

'Professor.' He spoke up, catching her attention. 'What did Hermione have to tell you that got you so angry?'

McGonagall seemed embarrassed, glancing off to the side. She rarely lost her composure and wasn't proud that such a number had seen it. 'We were discussing the nature of her family magic, and the arrest of Peter Pettigrew.'

'So Hermione captured him?' Harry asked.

'In a way.' McGonagall spoke, once again avoiding eye contact.

'What aren't you saying Professor?' Harry pushed, standing from his chair. 'What happened with Hermione's magic?'

McGonagall gulped, taking in a shaky breath. 'That is a very dangerous question Mr Potter.'

'You've already told them everything else she was trying to keep secret. Why not this?' Harry yelled. 'She had no choice in who was here to hear it, so you'd best finish it.'

McGonagall sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 'Miss Granger, using her family magic, stripped Peter Pettigrew of his magic. Any of you here with knowledge of our history will understand the significance.'

Harry glanced around the room, looking for any understanding in the faces of the Order members. Remus seemed frozen to the spot, his eyes wide. Dumbledore's eyes glistened. But nobody else seemed to understand the significance.

'If that's true Minerva...' Remus breathed, swallowing hard. 'Then her name wouldn't be Granger anymore.'

McGonagall took a step forward. 'It isn't.' She turned her gaze directly on Harry. 'Her name is Hermione Stuart, Queen of Magical Britain.'

...

Hermione was frantically whipping her wand around the room, packing up as much as she could, desperate not to leave a trace of her real identity for any Death Eaters to somehow find. Narcissa and Draco were likely doing the same in their own rooms, hiding evidence and getting ready to leave their life of comfort behind. At Narcissa's insistence, Hermione was also repacking all of the trunks Narcissa had been sorting through, bar the small pile she insisted Hermione take with her. It seemed ridiculous, going into hiding with a trunk full of ball gowns, but she didn't doubt that Narcissa was packing all of her best formalwear.

Items rushed from all corners of the room to the centre, where the trunks were laid out. When she'd packed at the end of the summer, using even half the amount of magic seemed to wear her out, but now, as she stood waiting for her trunks to be full, she didn't even feel a headache. It was perplexing, though she supposed it could have been from claiming her magic. She had left the potion a day or two longer than was generally recommended so she might have just cultivated a little more than she'd realised. It wasn't a bad thing, she supposed, she just wouldn't get as tired.

As the items stopped coming, she snapped the Trunks shut with a snap of her wand, before swapping her arms around herself. It felt so strange, to have arrived in the home a mere four days ago and have in that short time managed to endanger the lives of two of its inhabitants. She dearly wished she'd been able to bring Crookshanks with her, if only to be able to clutch him in her arms. He'd purr reassuringly against her arms, maybe even lick her hand if she offered it, communicating in all the ways he knew how that things would be fine. In that moment, alone and unsure, she couldn't help but feel a sense of impending dread.

'This is ridiculous.' Hermione muttered to herself. She marched over to the trunks, ripped their lids open and searched them for her father's old university hoodie, pulling it over the neat shirt she'd dressed in. She also searched out an old pair of jeans, ditching the walking skirt. She'd enjoyed dressing in the fashion, but could already hear Sirius and Ron, and likely the rest of the Weasley family, making fun of how she looked. Hermione took a glance in the mirror and frowned. She pulled her hair out of the semi-neat bun and let it fall wherever it pleased. With a deep breath, she nodded at her reflection, feeling far more herself than she had over the last few days. Probably because she'd been pretending to be Daphne for half of it.

The door knocked and then swung open, revealing Narcissa Malfoy in what might have been the most formal dress she'd seen her in. Narcissa seemed horrified by Hermione's muggle clothing.

'I'm not sure those are very regal.' She pointed out, striding into the room. She flicked her wand and the trunks shrank. 'It's time to go.'

Hermione picked them up and headed out of the door. She followed close behind Narcissa as they headed for the Sun Room where they'd be meeting Draco. He hadn't arrived yet, though it was expected since he was on the other side of the house. They took a seat, anxiously awaiting his arrival. As every moment passed, they neared the moment Voldemort would find out what they'd done. They didn't know when it would come, but as twenty minutes passed, they became particularly worried.

Draco burst into the room, desperately out of breath, lugging his runk behind him. 'Father saw me.' He panted, hauling the trunk over to them.

Narcissa flicked her wand and the trunk shrank in his hands. 'Is he coming?'

Draco had no time to answer, as the door to the Sun Room swung open and Lucius Malfoy stood fuming on the other side. He stalled in his tracks upon seeing Hermione Granger in the company of his wife and son. He surged forward with a yell.

Narcissa grabbed Hermione and Draco's arms as tightly as she could and spun on her heel, leaving Lucius' grasp empty.