"Malfoy is a traitor. He has no place in the order." Harry looked disheveled, beaten and fairly uneasy. With good reason as he had been dead only a few short weeks ago. The remaining members of the Order had requested he lay low for a few days as those scarce death eaters were rounded up. This time there would be no flexibility for those claiming to be under the unforgivable curses.
"He helped us Hermione, when he didn't have to." She was in a right tizzy about this, learning secondhand no less. That none other than Draco Malfoy had requested admittance to The Order of the Phoenix.
"He will get cleared this afternoon." The grave look on Ron's face told her all she needed to know; the order had already accepted him. Providing of course he could pass the check. Her heart dropped to her stomach. They couldn't possibly see everything. Then it had been her idea, it was completely thorough, the bile rise in her throat. This was awful.
"I don't want to be there, when they do the sweep." She unclasped Ron's hand and made for the door. Hoping that they would assume it was just her hatred of the little ferret that moved her so. Her favorite ginger propped against the door frame blocking her way. Occlumency. Why did it have to be Occlumency? Surely Draco had done loads of terrible things in his life right? They probably wouldn't even make it that far into his past. Her stomach turned again. He was the reason she never let Viktor touch her, he was the reason there had never been any one besides her loveable best friends. Sure she had gone out with a mate or two at Hogwarts. But it was never anything serious until Ron wised up. Even then he could barely touch her without her cringing away.
"Please and give up the chance to go through Malfoy's dirty laundry. Not a bloody chance love." Ron swung his arm around her and pulled her close. She did love I'm in all his awkward glory.
"Ron, this is not about Malfoy's past we just have to make sure his intentions are on the right side." Harry looked past Ron to Hermione, his eyes locked on hers. "Hermione, you know that Order procedure requires that the four highest ranking members be present. Currently that is us. Luna is going to lead the mission; the Pensive is already in the study." Then looking like the brother she had come to view him as, harry pushed is glasses back against the bridge of his nose. "He has information about things we can only imagine. We need him on our side. The war is over, but there is so much to be done."
"He isn't Professor Snape Harry, you do know that. He is not going to be Snape." He visibly cringed at the words, not because she said them harshly she knew. Quite the opposite, he had lost so many people that cared for him. The death he was having the hardest time with was the one he didn't understand. The man who had died to save him only because he was his mother's child.
"Have you ever modified you memory, or has some one done it to you?" no words, no sneer the blond head simply shook.
"Are you here under full and complete free will?" still silence as the head nodded.
"Do you know what it is that we are going to do?" Luna looked less than pleased as he nodded again. Her long blond waves nearly trembling. She was the most skilled at publicly transcribing. Hermione was appreciative that it was a skill she did not possess. The thought of traipsing around someone's mind seemed treacherous and cruel. It was however the single fastest way to see if someone was under the Imperio curse. The results were not so apparent; people were not so plain as good and bad. So it was put into effect that any clearance be supervised and witnessed by four of the highest ranking members. Technically speaking they were the highest ranking members of DA not the order, but as the groups merged they had been grandfathered in. There were no captains or generals. It was more a level of commitment and responsibility within the community.
Luna placed a dainty hand on the edge of the silver pensive and looked upon Malfoy. Hermione knew the intensity of her soft eyes had flared up, that her breathing would become labored. She flicked her wand with an intricate flourish, and prayed that they didn't get too far.
"Reversa fatu" the room swirled with the memories of Draco, surrounding them in swirling silver light. He danced before them, only a few weeks ago in the Battle, the yearning in his mother's eyes when she saw him alive. Then he was younger, Voldermort used him as a pawn; the unbreakable vow to kill Dubmledore. The agony of his arm as Bellatrix held him the Dark lord tracing the dark mark upon his skin. His father berating him for scoring less than a mudblood on his OWLS. Then it changed and he was small, just a boy on his broomstick. Malfoy Manor looming ominously behind him, it was nothing spectacular, but Hermione could see the pure contentment on his face. No scorn. They saw his first meeting with Harry while getting fitted for robes, the memories jumped as Luna decided which doors to open. Hermione panicked when she saw a memory of him in potions, the distinctive red mark upon his cheek. They saw him reading next, that same year the cover of the book Hermione noticed did not move. It was her muggle book.
She wished they would skip past third year, but Voldermort had some power then and it was necessary she knew. Diagon Alley, Honeydukes, the Dementors, they seemed so young only a few short years ago. Luna's demeanor changed, and Hermione knew that she had found something Draco was fighting her on. She pressed forth as the room swirled with slamming doors and random song lyrics. Typical blocking maneuvers they had learned in DADA. Then it churned around them, Hermione's first kiss. The malicious tone as he started to tell Goyle about his triumph. The fear as his face burned with blotches. Then it was gone and another memory took its place. All Hermione could see was the crushed look on Ron's face and the confused look on Harry's. She had never told them.
When it was over they placed the live stream of memories taken and placed them in a vile no bigger than pendent. Protocol dictated that it would need a secret keeper. It was no light task to be a secret keeper. Malfoy was to be a informant not unlike Snape Hermione realized. Though he would not be working for Voldermort, he would still be put in dangerous situations. his life would still be at risk, so would his place in the order. he could jeopardize everyone. Normally Harry or Luna would take this responsibility. Harry because he felt it was his duty, Luna because she had the memories already. Their work load had been so heavy, Hermione felt it would be unfair to make them take this to. Before anyone could argue she slipped the bewitched chain around her neck. It had already been her secret.