Chapter Seven: In the Morning
Disclaimer: I am not making money from this. At all. Unfortunately.
A/N: Well that was quick. I guess I just have the writing bug! Listen to Razorlight's In The Morning if your curious about the chap title. Otherwise mostly a transition chap.
The party was, in Hermione's opinion, a great success. She had learned quite a bit from Lee and his friend Jeff about computers. More than she really wanted to know. Abby, Jeff's girlfriend and also a dancer at the club had tried to keep her company but disappeared quickly when the conversation steered towards computers.
Ginny had spent most of the night talking to Lisa and Draco, it was some what inevitable that the most socially awkward people at the party would end up huddle in the corner making sarcastic jokes and enjoying the many alcoholic beverages.
But now it was morning, and the wreckage from having a party was clearly evident. Ginny sat on the couch eating a bowl of Coco Puffs completely ignoring the numerous red cups strew about the coffee table and floor. Still in her running attire from running earlier Gin read the comics and gently smiled, when Hermione walked in, her expression slightly horrified as she surveyed the mess.
"Great party last night, love" Ginny said, all to cheerful.
"Yes, so good my head still hurts" Hermione sat next to Ginny, leaning her head on her shoulder.
"We got a letter in the mail today." Gin handed her a thick parchment envelope.
Hermione immediately knew it was from Harry. Who else would contact them using the old fashioned parchment from their former world. With a nod from Ginny she opened the envelope. First thing that fell out was six photographs, and secondly a letter. Handing the photos to an eager Ginny, Hermione read the letter.
Dear Hermione and Ginny,
I'm glad to have you on board with the cause. I wouldn't be able to do it without you. The following photographs are of the people I've been able to track down from the old times. I'll need you two and Draco to help me convince them that they too should join the cause. I'll contact Draco to make sure that he is willing. I appreciate this very much, and the magical world will too.
Harry.
Looking to see that Gin was finished with the photographs they traded. The first photograph the she was presented with was of the party last night, but focused specifically on Hermione and Ginny dancing. The next photo, was of Lee, sitting on park bench with his laptop and headphones pushing back his dreads. When flipping to the next photo, she saw writing on the back. It was Harry's hand writing, it said the date, and then Lee Jordan, Gryffindor, DA member.
Draco Malfoy was in the next photograph, his blond hair shockingly bright in the black and white photography. But what stood out most was the look in his eyes, he looked completely and utterly alone. At that moment Hermione considered how as much as Draco put up a front of getting along 'just fine', he was actually crumbling under the strain.
Unable to look at Draco any longer she flipped to the next photo to see Luna Lovegood's haunted eyes staring at her. She was clearly in bad shape, she appeared to sitting the steps of a church, wavy blond hair spilling out from a greasy beanie cap, a tattered ruck sack lay next to her. Her eyes stared directly at the camera, as if knowing was there, but where Draco's eyes held sadness her's held the touch of insanity.
Flipping to the next photograph, Hermione was utterly shocked. At first glance she thought she was looking a Professor Snape. The full black clothes, the greasy hair, the man was clearly in a apothecary. But on closer examination it was not Snape at all, the nose wasn't hooked enough, the shape of the eyes was too round. The man in the photograph did not have the face of Severus Snape, he had the face of one Neville Longbottom. Neville had been presumed dead, having died in the act of avenging his family by murdering Bellatrix Lestrange. Looking at Neville you could not tell how he was fairing, his eyes held nothing, no hint or sign of any emotion at all.
Hermione turned to last photograph, it was of Lisa, their neighbor. The muggle? She was tending the register at the cafe&bakery. Hermione flipped to the back to read Harry's smudged scrawl.
Lisa Turpin, Ravenclaw, our year, Order sympathizer.
Hermione turned to Ginny. Who had finished reading the letter quite sometime ago and had gone back to reading the comics and eating Coco Puffs, hoping to finish them before they got too soggy.
"Lisa Turpin. Funny we didn't recognize her at all." Hermione started picking up the red plastic cups that littered the table. Ginny laughed.
"That cat and dog are so funny." She looked up to see Hermione's "serious" face. Ginny made her "what did I miss?" face.
"Lisa Turpin?" Hermione prompted walking towards the kitchen.
"That's funny too, isn't it? I didn't recognizer her either. Though I think Draco knew, or had at least some idea."
"Well, Draco has his way of knowing things. Now, are going to help clean up?" Hermione had broom in one hand the trash can in the other.
"How about I'll do the dishes after I shower?" She proposed as she folded up the paper.
"Under one condition." Hermione said slyly.
"And what's that?" Ginny quirked her eyebrow.
"That I can join you in the shower." She replied with a wink.
Lisa woke up with a massive hangover and a half naked Lee in her bed. After making very strong coffee with her french press, Lisa sat at her kitchen table, trying to decide if she wake him up before she left for work or if she should just leave a note or something.
Luckily she didn't have to decided because Lee came stumbling into her kitchen pulling on his shirt. He plopped down in the seat across from her. His eyes barely open. Lisa pour him a cup of coffee.
"Cream and sugar?" She asked quietly as to not upset the headache monster.
"Yes please." His voice still deep from sleep.
After placing the fresh cream and brown sugar on the table Lisa proceeded to pull out left over cinnamon rolls from the cafe&bakery. Looking back at Lee, he appeared to have added some coffee to his sugar and cream and was slowly savoring it.
"So last night..." She started unsure of how she was going to ask.
"I don't think so, but I was very, very drunk." Lee replied.
"Yes, as was I. But I don't think we did." She confirmed as she placed the cinnamon rolls in the microwave.
"No, definitely not." Lee replied looking more awake.
"Cinnamon roll?" Lisa asked as the timer dinged.
"Certainly." Lee grinned at her. At the moment Lisa almost told him that she was a magical refugee, like him. But uncertain of how he would react she remained silent.
"What's wrong? You have that look again, like you're in pain." He looked at her his concern evident.
"It's not pain. It's...a secret." She smiled and then proceeded to eat her cinnamon roll with gusto. Lee was unable to repress a snicker, seeing her with frosting all over her face, his eyes drifted down to her raven tattoo, he replied.
"Well, yes, we all have secrets."
Draco Malfoy was getting ready to kill someone. He didn't know who he was going to have to kill but he knew that he was being followed. And he did not like it. He had thought the assassins would stop by now. He knew, of course, that he was one of Voldemort's most hated enemies, and he assumed that the prize for his head would be great, but he was just plain tired of it.
Being a traitor to his background did have it's costs, but once his father was murdered by his 'master' Draco knew it was time to find a better side. Playing double agent lasted for awhile, but with the war brewing so quickly, it was nearly impossible to for him to not be discovered. And yet, even though the war itself was considered over, Draco constantly found himself in positions where he had to kill people.
He tried to loose his follwer in the city, but they seemed to know the back alleys and short cuts just as well as he did, and a confrontation in a alley was not the kind of thing he looked for. Especially not when he was wearing his good suit.
Quickly turning around the corner of brick building he waited for the strange man pursuing him to follow. A swift breeze was blowing down that alley, and when Draco did not hear it echo against the back wall he realized he was not in a dead end like he thought. He turned around to see the man who was following him leaning against the opposite wall, his body language that of perfect calm.
"You've gotten a little sloppy ferret-boy"
Draco was astounded. The wiry man who stood before him looked nothing like the Harry Potter he once knew. The twitchy, hot tempered, teenager was gone, replaced by a calm, level-headed, man.
"Looks like you've let yourself go a little, scar-head" Draco replied, looking at Harry's unkempt beard with great distaste.
"I'd like to talk with you, Draco." Harry said evenly, with a seriousness that Draco could not refuse.
"Alright, where do you propose?" Draco asked.
"I know a place." Harry set off around the corner and stopped, waiting for Draco to follow.
Two blocks down and on the right Draco and Harry entered a shop titled simply; cafe&bakery. Taking a seat in the corner, they boys remained unnoticed by the fellow people in the shop.
"What is it that you've got planned?" Draco asked, he'd heard enough from Hermione and Gin to know that something was going on.
"Lot's of things are planned, yet few of them happen." Harry replied. But then he looked sharply at Draco, piercingly.
"I need to know if you're going to help us Draco. We need your help. I've already got a task for you. A simple task really."
"And what's this task?" Draco asked skeptically. Harry removed a photograph from the inside of his pocket. The eyes of a haunted angel stared out at him.
"I need you to talk to her." Harry said giving Draco the photograph.
"Why me?" He continued to stare at the photograph.
"Are you going to do it or not?" Harry asked.
Draco looked at the angel again.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Would you please review? Please tell me if I suck...I'd really like to know if I'm one of those people on American Idol who think they can sing. Only with writing. Writing Idol?