Chapter 20
Truths and Offers
Harry's Occlumency wasn't working. He was still having nightmares about Voldemort (well, in my opinion, is was better him than me.) and Umbridge wasn't helping either, with her constant detentions and her banning Harry from Quidditch.
His latest Voldemort dream occurred, actually, the night Professor Snape first started teaching him Occlumency (and I had to give up my rounds to help teach my idiot brother, and let's just say…it was boring as hell!). According to Ron and Neville (I was still pissed with Seamus over what happened the night Draco and I got back together.), Harry woke up laughing like a maniac, worrying everyone. And like I said to them both "It's better him than me." Apparently, Voldemort was thrilled about something.
And that something we found out the very next morning before I snuck off for a real breakfast with Draco (it was our ingenious, or, rather, Draco's genius plan. I was still going to act all depressed over the break-up, and refuse to eat…then, Draco and I would simultaneously find an excuse to leave the Hall and we'd meet up and eat. Brilliant, no?).
Hermione took her Daily Prophet from the owl that morning and stretched it out before letting out a loud yelp.
I glared at her (again, part of the plan, I'd act all moody and if anyone asked, I'd say "Ran into Malfoy.") "What?" I snapped.
Hermione slid the paper over to me and pointed to the front page.
There were ten photographs. Nine were of wizards, and one was a dark haired witch. All of the pictures had captions with the wizard's (or witch's) name and…what they were in Azkaban for. The headline read:
MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABANMINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS 'RALLYING POINT'
FOR OLD DEATH EATERS
I read some of the captions before Harry took the paper and they read:
Antonin Dolohov: convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett
Augustus Rookwood: convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not Be Named.
These pictures were all the same, the convicts either sneering up at me, or tappign their frames insolently. Dolohov sneered up at me, whereas Rookwood leaned against the frame, looking bored.
My eyes went right to the witch's. her dark hair was unkempt and straggly, but I had seen it. And when I saw it last, it was sleek, thick and shining. She was glaring up at me with heavy-lidded eyes and an arrogant, disdainful smirk on her thin mouth. I read the caption:
Bellatrix Lestrange: convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Alice and Frank Longbottom.
Harry ripped the Prophet out of my hand. "They think Sirius is involved in this!" he snapped.
"Gee, Harry." I said sarcastically "Why not say it any louder, I don't think Umbitch heard you."
Hermione glared at me "You know something, Hannah? Ever since you and that ferret broke up you're acting very…very…"
"I think bitchy would suffice in that sentence, Mione." Ivy said, glaring at me as well.
"Hannah! HANNAH!" Willow James shouted, brandishing a piece of parchment.
I brightened "Hey, Willow, what's up?" I asked.
"'Professor McGonagall' wanted me to give you this note." Willow said, thrusting the parchment into my hand and winking at me before scurrying off.
I creased my eyebrows together and stood up "Excuse me, Prefect business." I said, walking out of the Hall and opening the note:
Hannah,
Meet me in the Forest Clearing…you know where. Ten minutes. I'll be waiting.
Yours,
Draco.
I leaned against the door of the Great Hall and saw that Draco wasn't sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Theodore Nott at the Slytherin table.
I smirked and walked out, straightening my prefect's badge as I looked around me before pulling on my Invisibility Cloak (again, part of the plan, I wore this into the Forest so no one saw me breaking any rules.)
I kept looking behind me every so often to double check that I was alone before meeting up in the clearing strictly reserved for Draco and I (by order of me!).
And there stood Draco, leaning against a tree stump with a smirk on his face and a basket at his feet.
I whipped off my Invisibility Cloak "Surprise." I said as I tucked it into my book bag. "Glad to see me?" I asked.
Draco smirked and went to hug me "You know I'm always glad to see you, love." he said, picking me up and spinning me around "Were you followed?" he asked as he set me down.
I shook my head as I regained my balance "No. I'm pretty positive I wasn't." I said smirking as he kissed me.
Draco's lip curled "Well, let's get a move on, I only have a half hour with you until Potter and Duff start wondering where you went." he said.
I smiled "I could always say one of the ten convicts in the Prophet kidnapped me." I said jokingly, making Draco go stone-faced. "What?" I asked my smile gone
"That's not funny." Draco said coldly.
"What's not funny?" I asked innocently.
"You act as if ten of the worst known Death Eaters escaping their high security cells in Azkaban is a big joke!" Draco said, shaking his head. "The Dark Lord has enough followers without my aunt and them coming back-"
"Wait a moment-" I said, cutting him off "That witch in the Prophet…Bellatrix Lestrange…the one who tortured the Longbottoms into insanity and sent Neville to live with his Gran…is your aunt?" I asked.
Draco grimaced and nodded "Hate to say it, but she is." he said coldly. "Her and all those wizards are known for horrible crimes, being Death Eaters."
I nodded "Yes, I know that, I read the article." I said simply.
Draco nodded "I know you know!" he said, impatiently "They are known to murder first and ask questions later…this is not something to make jokes about, Hannah."
I shrugged "Ok." I said.
"Ok? Ok!" Draco said angrily, gripping my arms "That's all you have to say? You stand there, with that scar along your neck making you a walking target for the Dark Lord! He wants you dead, Hannah, you and your brother, and he's probably going to be sending Death Eaters after you in the very near future and you're cracking jokes?! This isn't funny. These aren't the times you know anymore. The dream's over, Hannah, it's time to get your head out of the clouds and wake up! He's back! My father knows it, Dumbledore knows it, Potter knows it, and I know for a bloody fact you know it, Hannah Potter."
I hung my head and said nothing. Draco had never hauled me over the coals like that before…and I don't think he's ever done it since, seeing how much he had upset me that day.
Draco swore under his breath, possibly rethinking what he had said. (Either that, or he saw a tear or two falling down my face.) and held me.
"Ah, shit, Hannah. I didn't mean it like that. I was overdramatizing is all." he said, resting his chin on my forehead before handing me a chocolate chip muffin "Eat this, Han. Listen to me." he ordered, sitting down and setting me in his lap.
"Now that the Dark Lord's back, it's not safe. There are going to be Death Eaters breaking out of Azkaban and rejoining him. The last time he was this powerful, he got the Dementors on his side. I can guarantee you that they've joined him again. And I'd bet my Nimbus that's how my aunt broke out. He's made some sweet cushy deal with the Dementors and they let all his followers out. He also had the giants with him, think the oaf, except a lot bigger. They won't be far behind. And once he gets his army back up and running, he's going to start from where he left off on his ultimate goal. The Dark Lord wants to take over the Ministry. And if he takes it over, he's going to try to keep it the way it is…and that's going to mean either getting you and Potter to join him…or…" he slid a finger over my throat. "I think you know."
I blinked "Then Harry's going to be in trouble. He's made it widely known he wants nothing to do with the Dark Side." I muttered.
Draco almost snarled "Then the Dark Lord will be after you. And I'm certain of the fact he'll want to get you to join him, and be absolutely sure you will not before…" again, he slid a finger across my throat. "because a) I know for a fact he will not willingly spill Slytherin blood and b) he knows you have powers that can help him take over the wizard world. He'll use you to his advantage, and I know it. You refuse him…" Draco trailed off, his lip curling into a sneer "damn it, I can't even bare to think about what would happen if you did."
"Then I'll-" I started, half guessing what Draco was thinking.
"No, Hannah!" Draco snarled, forcing me off him. "You don't want to live the life of a Death Eater. He will use you! You'll be nothing if you join him, nothing but his pawn that can easily be killed and replaced. You'll have to act like my father all the time. Do you really want that?"
I shook my head, which Draco took fast.
"Hannah, I don't deserve you." he muttered "You have no idea what I've done."
I blinked "You haven't done anything, Draco…" I muttered quietly, wrapping an arm around him.
Draco blinked "You remember when I took that Veritaserum?" he asked quietly.
I nodded "Yeah…you took it to tell me the truth." I said.
Draco shook his head and stood up "That's the thing…I lied. I didn't drink the Veritaserum. What was in that vial was water. I wanted you to believe me about Zimmerman so I used a reverse Placebo effect to get you to believe that I took a Truth Potion, which would've automatically made you believe me."
I gaped "You lied to me?" I demanded, standing up.
Draco nodded "About the potion, yes. But about everything else I had said, no."
I glared "For all you know, Scar may not be a Death Eater." I said.
"Han, I saw the Mark she had!" Draco snapped.
I glowered "That could just be as much of a lie as the Truth Potion." I said "I'm going to find out for myself." I said, turning on my heel and walking away.
…
"Scarlett!" I shouted a couple of days later.
I was just coming in the common room after watching Harry make an ass out of himself asking Cho Chang to go to Hogsmeade with him for Valentine's day.
"Hey, girl, what's up?" Scar said from her place on the couch, Masquerade at her side.
"Nothing much, you?" I asked, sitting next to her.
Scar shrugged "Normal crap." she said simply.
I smirked "Hey, Scar, can I ask you something?"
Scar nodded "Sure thing, Han. Fire away."
I twitched my nose and started "I heard from Draco that…well, that you were a Death Eater." I said, laughing "The very thought, right?" I asked, laughing.
Scar laughed "Yeah, a sixteen year old Death Eater." she said before smirking "But, if I was of age, I'd join him."
I gaped "Why?!" I shouted.
Scar smirked "My dad was a Death Eater, Han." she explained "My mum was never Marked, but she served the Dark Lord all the same. We should join together!"
I gaped "What makes you think I'd join the bastard that killed my parents?!" I demanded.
Scar smirked and moved behind me, grasping my shoulders and leaning into my ear "Think about it…" she murmured, going to the other ear and alternating between sentences "You'd be completely unlike your brother…no more comparing you to him, eh? And…" she lowered her voice to a whisper "and I know for a fact that Mr Malfoy would like you loads better for his son if you joined his master. And you wouldn't need to worry about Umbridge…after all, she was a Slytherin…and I've heard she's a Death Eater, too."
I thought about what Draco had told me a few days previous. "But…but he'd use me." I muttered a little scared.
Scar smirked "No, no he wouldn't, Hannah. He knows of your powers, and he'd honour you above all others…who knows, you could be great as a Death Eater. And we all know Harry's not joining the Death Eaters."
I blinked, staring ahead. "Why should I join them?" I asked, a little stronger "They're evil."
Scar chuckled and Masquarade flew onto my shoulder "Oh, Han. Han, Han, Han. There's no good and evil…only power…and those too weak to use it. And besides…you'd have the Muggles to pay back. Wouldn't it feel good to kill off the Muggles who caused you so much pain…and Drosie, too…she's hurt you…and she's a Muggleborn…she's fair game."
I bit my lip…that was tempting.
"Your uncle's been asking for it, hasn't he?" Scarlett asked.
I nodded "Yes, yes he has."
Scarlett smirked. "And wouldn't you love to be honoured higher than your brother?"
I smiled "Yeah." I said.
Scarlett smirked "Think about it, then." she said "I have to go and do some Charms homework. See you, Han." she said, walking off, leaving a smile on my face.
And a big decision to make.
