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Chapter Three

Harry shielded his eyes from the sun, looking for the tall bald Auror that he had not seen since the night of Dumbledore's death. Ron and Hermione were still speaking to him, but he had stopped listening a long time ago. Many of the wizards and witches who had come to Hogwarts for Dumbledore's funeral were already departing.

"Excuse me," Harry said, cutting off Ron. "I need to see Kingsley about something."

He hadn't said anything to Ron or Hermione about helping Malfoy escape the night of Dumbledore's death. He hadn't brought Malfoy up at all and with recent events so eclipsing their Slytherin rival, they hadn't seemed to notice his absence from school at all. He had seen Crabbe and Goyle earlier during breakfast. Their big, hulking bodies looked out of place without Malfoy's smug face between them. He wondered if they would ever see their friend again. He wondered if he would ever see his enemy again.

Harry did not believe that Malfoy would have killed Dumbledore, even if he hadn't accepted Dumbledore's offer of protection. He wondered if Malfoy had heard about Dumbledore's death and even hoped that he was securely hidden. He would never wish Voldemort's wrath upon anyone, except perhaps Snape. He still despised Malfoy for his infatuation with the Dark Arts, but now he had a small level of respect for him. If it was difficult to not follow Voldemort, then it must be ten times more so to turn away from him. Where was he now, Harry wondered, and was he safe?

"Kingsley!" Harry called.

Kingsley turned from Remus and Tonks. At once they ceased talking.

"Harry," Kingsley said, smiling. "How are you?"

Harry waved off Kingsley's question. "Is he okay? What happened? Where is he?"

Kingsley shot Harry a look of warning. He gestured to a more secluded place on the grounds and the two of them walked there, followed closely by Remus and Tonks.

"Sorry," Harry said. He lowered his voice. "Is Malfoy safe? Is he hidden?"

"Yes, he and his mother are both hidden and safe."

"Do they know..." Harry gestured to Dumbledore's white tomb.

Kingsley nodded.

"And...they are still..."

"They did not return to the Voldemort if that's what you are asking."

Harry nodded. "I thought...I dunno, I thought with Dumbledore and everything..."

"I did too, at first. But Draco and his mother...they're not unlike us, you know. They...they're admirable. In their own way. And they've placed themselves in a very precarious situation."

Harry nodded again. "Never thought that I would ever respect Malfoy for anything. But turning away at the height of Voldemort's power..."

Remus smiled. "Harry, please do not draw attention to his absence. The last thing we need is for a number of Death Eaters to be on the search for them."

"You don't think they're already looking for them?"

"Oh, I'm sure they are, but the less people know, the easier it will be to hide them. Remember, Voldemort is a skilled Legilimens. The less people know, the less they have to lie in the event of being captured."

"Erm...and Ron and Hermione?"

"I will leave that up to you, but again, the less people know, the easier it will be to hide them. I don't want you to discuss Draco Malfoy and his mother."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I won't tell them. But..." He never thought that he would be asking this question when Malfoy was not bleeding out on the bathroom floor. "Is he okay? Is Malfoy all right?"

"I think that his year as a Death Eater broke Draco Malfoy more deeper than anybody could ever imagine," Kingsley said. "But I also think that he is in the process of healing. And so is his mother."

Harry nodded again and started to walk away. "Thanks," he called.

"Harry!" called Kingsley. He drew a silvery cloak from his pocket. "Here. Draco says thanks."

"Really? He said thanks?"

"Well, let's just say he meant to." Kingsley winked at him as he handed Harry's Invisibility Cloak to him.

There was still an air of awkwardness between Narcissa and Draco with Andromeda and her husband, Ted Tonks. It was lighter than it was when they first arrived at Andromeda's house a few weeks ago, but nonetheless, it was still awkward and tense. Draco had not uttered a word to his aunt or his uncle. He noticed a strong resemblance between his two aunts. At first glance, they look almost exactly alike, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that this sister of his mother's had a much kinder expression than his Aunty Bella, who always looked mad and even more mad.

Narcissa and Andromeda exchanged stiff pleasantries and Narcissa tried her best to not curl her lip when she shook hands with her disowned brother-in-law. Ted tried to lighten the mood by making jokes, but all it did was make everything even more awkward.

"Say Draco," Ted said pleasantly, clapping a hand to Draco's shoulder. "I hear you were on the Slytherin Quidditch Team at Hogwarts. What say you and I have a fly in the garden? We've got extra broomsticks."

"I think not, Ted!" Andromeda said, coldly. "Draco must stay inside. He must be kept safe."

Narcissa shot her sister a look of gratitude. Andromeda stared at her in surprise. She did not remember Narcissa ever being humble or grateful to anyone but herself.

"But 'Dromeda, you can't coop up a seventeen-year-old boy in the house forever! Besides, it'll be summer holidays, won't it? What would you be doing if you were at home?"

Draco glanced at his mother. He was still a bit uncomfortable around the family that he had just met. As far as he could tell, his mother was as uncomfortable, but probably not for the same reasons as he. He was still unsure of how to act civil to a Muggle-born. He knew that if he and his mother were to remain protected by the Order of the Phoenix, then he would have to let go of some of his old prejudices. Kingsley had warned him and his mother. He said that they were all human and every human life was worth the same and was worth saving.

Narcissa nodded encouragingly at her son. She, like Draco, was still uncomfortable around Andromeda and Ted. She wasn't sure if her sister had truly forgiven her for the things of the past and she wasn't sure if she had truly forgiven her sister. When they first saw each other, they exchanged a brief hug and a hello, but they had not talked about anything that mattered. Their lives were so far different that Narcissa wasn't sure how to act around her sister. She wasn't sure what to say to her. She wasn't sure how to express her apologies. She wasn't sure how to bring up the past without opening old wounds.

"Um...I don't know."

"Well, what did you do last year on holiday?" Ted smiled at the boy he already considered a close nephew. He's been led the wrong way in life and Ted had vowed to be a more positive figure to him.

"Um..." he shot his mother another look. This time she didn't glance back at him. She looked as if she were lost in her own thoughts. "I...um...becameaDeathEater," he finished quickly and quietly.

Ted tried to not show disgust in his face. "Well, what about the year before last?" It was going to be a big adjustment for him and his wife, he knew, and also for his sister-in-law and her son.

"Holiday in Majorca."

"What would you like to do, Draco?"

Draco shrugged and sat on the couch next to his mother.

"Would you like me to buy some new clothes for you? It must be tiring wearing suits all the time."

Draco shook his head. "Are you even allowed to be out in Diagon Alley?" he asked monotonously.

"Draco!" his mother scolded. He could not mess this up for them. If she or he said the wrong thing, Ted and Andromeda could throw them out of the house, out of safety.

"They know you're a Muggle-born. They would not hesitate to kill you. Especially Aunty Bella. She hates that her family tree has been tainted. It was already too dangerous for you to go to your daughter's wedding. Do you honestly think it will be better for you to take a little shopping trip down Diagon Alley? Or perhaps Knockturn Alley?"

Ted's face was frozen in a smile. Andromeda looked angry and Narcissa looked embarrassed. "Well," Ted replied. "He's just looking out for me, isn't that right, Draco? And you're right, maybe it's a better idea to not venture out. Thank you."

The silence between the four of them seemed magnified as they were all in the sitting room. A loud knock interrupted the tense silence. Ted stood and held his wand out toward the door. He looked back and nodded toward Draco and Narcissa, who disappeared into the back of the house. Andromeda stood with her wand outstretched.

"Who's there?" Ted asked.

"It is I, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. I wish to speak with your two relatives. It is imperative."

Ted stood back, his wand still before him. He opened the door, using his wand, and Kingsley ushered himself in.

"Where are they?" he asked, looking around frantically.

"What's happened?" asked Andromeda. She looked toward the back of the house. "Narcissa! Draco! It was Kingsley! Come here at once!"

Narcissa and Draco slowly peeked from behind a hidden doorway. They both emerged from it and reentered the sitting room. Draco fought a strange urge to give the man a hug.

Kingsley looked straight at Narcissa. His unblinking eyes began to scare her.

"What is it?" she asked, almost hysterically.

"Your husband...we...we were not able to break him out of Azkaban."

"He's dead!"

"No. He was already broken out when we arrived there."

"So..."

"He is with the Dark Lord."

Narcissa's eyes filled with tears and she fought to keep her sobs inside. "He'll be killed!" she cried. "With Draco and myself...he won't stand a chance!"

"Our sources believe that he is still alive. And that the Dark Lord has taken over your home and is currently using it as his Headquarters."

Draco looked as if he would be sick.

"Is Lucius alive?"

Kingsley nodded. "We believe he is. Narcissa, it is possible that the Dark Lord believes that after a failed attempt on Dumbledore's life, that we've killed Draco and you. We've leaked a fake trail that the two of you are dead."

"But my husband!"

"It will be more difficult to retrieve your husband now that he is back with the Dark Lord. It will be even more difficult to convince him to join us."

Draco nodded. "Even if it wasn't, I don't think he would join you anyway. Even with me and my mother here. He would want to know that you were all going to win first. Then he'd join you and try to run everything."

"Draco!" Narcissa scolded again.

"Or he might even turn me and my mother in to the Dark Lord. If it meant that he got to live. If it meant that he was forgiven."

"Draco! Don't say that about your father!"

Draco merely shrugged at his mother and continued to speak to Kingsley. "I doubt he even cares what's happened to us."

"Your father loves you, Draco! Of course he cares what happens to you," Narcissa told her son.

Draco shrugged again, but didn't say anything. He took a seat on the couch next to his aunt and picked up the Daily Prophet. Kingsley frowned at him, taken aback by Draco's sudden monologue about his father. Draco peered at Kingsley over the top of the newspaper.

"Kingsley? Why are you calling the Dark Lord, 'the Dark Lord?' Normally, you use his name."

"The name's been Tabooed. It's jinxed. If anyone says his name, it will lead Snatchers and Death Eaters right to you."

Draco furrowed his brow and frowned. He raised the newspaper again and did not reply.

"Well," Kingsley said. "To more pressing matters, Andromeda, Ted, I need to speak with you."

Andromeda nodded. "What is it? You can discuss anything in front of my sister and my nephew. After all, they live here now, too." She gave Narcissa a piercing look, one that showed authority, but also care.

Kingsley nodded. He trusted Narcissa and Draco, though not enough to include them in some of the Order's plans. But Andromeda was right, it was her house and they were living with her. And what he was going to discuss involved everyone in this house.

"Harry Potter. It is almost his seventeenth birthday. And the charm will end and his safety at his aunt and uncle's house in Surrey will be compromised."

"Will we have a party?" Draco asked. As uncomfortable as he was in this strange house, he was still bored.

Kingsley shot him a warning glance. "We are moving Harry from his aunt and uncle's house to a safe house, related to the Order. We'd like this to be one of the places where we can safely move him."

"One of the places?" asked Andromeda.

"Yes. Mundungus, of all people, came up with the idea to use seven Potters. Decoys to draw the Dark Lord or any of his Death Eaters away from the real ones."

Andromeda and Ted glanced at each other. "Will Nymphadora be among you?"

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, Tonks will be there as well. She will be one of the guards to one of the seven Potters."

"Yes, of course, Kingsley!" Ted exclaimed. "Any way we could help."

"We will be reinforcing your home with more protective charms. They will not be allowed in within 100 yards of the place."

"There will be seven Potters? Polyjuice Potion?"

Kingsley nodded. He counted off his fingers. "Fred, George, and Ron Weasley. Fleur Delacour. Hermione Granger. Mundungus Fletcher. And Harry Potter himself. Seven Potters. Seven safe houses. And seven guards: Tonks, Remus Lupin, Arthur and Bill Weasley, Moody, Hagrid and myself."

"Who else will you be going to?"

"My house, Molly's Auntie Muriel's, Moody's...a place with some connection to the Order."

"And which Potter will be going here?"

Kingsley glanced at Draco. "The real one. With Hagrid."

It was finally the night of Potter's arrival.

Draco paced up and down the sitting room, nervous for some reason. His mother, equally nervous, sat on the couch, her leg shaking. Andromeda was even more nervous than the pair of them. She kept glancing out of the window every five seconds. Draco looked out the window after his aunt. He was still uncomfortable around them, though he was more accustomed to seeing them every day. He wasn't comfortable enough to call them 'aunt' or 'uncle,' but now he spoke to them more freely than he had before.

"Take a seat, young man," Ted said with a small smile. "You'll burn a hole into the carpet and your aunt over there, well, let's just say, she's a neat freak, eh?" He winked at Draco.

Draco glanced at Andromeda in alarm. He didn't want to do anything that would make her angry with him so he stopped pacing at once and stood at the window. He wasn't worried about being seen. Kingsley had performed the Fidelius Charm upon the house and explained to Draco and Narcissa how it worked. He was chosen by Andromeda and Narcissa to be their Secret-Keeper and Draco had full trust in him.

But Draco could not help but feel nervous. It would be the first time that he had seen anyone apart from his mother, Andromeda, Ted, and Kingsley. And he was especially nervous that the first person he would see was Potter. He had a lot of time over the past few weeks that he had been in hiding to think and he thought about everything that he could.

He was trying to figure out Potter. They weren't friends, not even close to it, but Potter had willingly saved Draco that night on the Astronomy Tower. There was too much animosity between them, but Draco felt like some things were different. But he also knew that he would never be the one to bring it up.

Kingsley had given them the option of hiding in the safe room within the house, but Narcissa refused for the both of them. Draco figured that she, too, wanted to see the boy who was supposed to be their saviour.

Draco stared out of the window, looking up at the sky. He knew they were traveling by air, some by broomstick, others by thestral. And he knew that Potter was arriving here with Hagrid on a flying moterbike.

A flash of green and red lit up the sky. Draco blinked repeatedly, recognizing them as wand sparks.

"I think...I think they're fighting!" he called. "There are red and green sparks in the sky. It looks like-"

"Wand sparks," finished Andromeda. "Oh dear heavens. It looks like it's getting closer. Narcissa, Draco, get in the room!"

Narcissa and Draco both ignored her. A golden beam flashed through the sky. It was so bright that they all had to shield their eyes. Draco squinted, trying to see through the light and nearly screamed, seeing something large crash into the garden in front of him.