Chapter Six

Draco was surprised at the heavy feeling in his heart. He didn't like Moody, not even after he helped his mother escape to Grimmauld Place. But, like Dumbledore, he seemed to be one of the staunch members of the Order who was always there.

And now he wasn't.

He followed the crowd of people back into the house and wondered if Remus and Tonks had forgotten about him. He saw that Nymphadora was crying silently into a handkerchief and saw that the others were also silently crying as well.

The eldest Weasley pulled out a bottle of firewhisky and some glasses and distributed it around the room. Draco wanted to grab one, but he was more fearful of everyone finding out about him. They were talking and raised a glass in Moody's honor and began to talk about what happened. The atmosphere changed from that of sadness to a tension as they discussed Mundungus Fletcher.

Draco felt extremely uncomfortable and didn't like watching this scene unfold. He felt as if he shouldn't be here, watching them as they react to their fallen comrade, especially one that he didn't particularly like. He listened to Potter's speech about trusting everyone in this room and wondered if Potter knew that Draco was still in the room.

"…everyone in this room, whether or not I can see you…It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."

Potter's eyes seemed to pierce the spot where Draco stood. Draco wondered if he had the chance, would he sell Potter out to the Dark Lord? If it meant forgiveness for his mother, for his father, and for himself. He didn't know and Potter's eyes on him made him feel even more uncomfortable. He looked around and saw Remus looking at Potter with an odd expression.

"You think I'm a fool?" demanded Potter.

"No, I think you're like James," said Remus, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends."

Draco now felt even more uncomfortable. He didn't like seeing into this world of the Order. It made him…it made him feel accepted into this side, even if they were not aware of his presence. He turned from the room and headed outside, hoping that nobody noticed the door open and close in their time of grief. He sat on the back stairs, underneath the cloak and wondered if and when he would ever see his mother again.

About fifteen minutes later, the back door suddenly opened and Potter tumbled over him. Draco stood up and pulled the Invisibility Cloak from his head so that it was floating in mid-air again. Potter didn't seem to notice him, he just got up and headed across the dark yard. Draco followed him, curious about where he was going.

Suddenly, Potter dropped to his knees and clutched his forehead. He looked to be in so much pain and Draco briefly wondered why.

When the bout of pain was over, Potter looked up to see Draco standing over him.

"All right, Potter?" he asked. He wondered what had happened.

Potter stood, shaking in the darkness. He clutched the gate to the garden. Draco debated on whether or not to extend a hand to him.

"I…I saw your father."

"What!"

"His wand was destroyed."

"How did you see this?"

"Some…some connection to the Dark Lord. His wand was destroyed."

"He's still alive then?"

Harry nodded. "He's still alive. You…you should get back to your aunt's. It's not safe, especially near me."

"Did you mean that? What you said in there? About someone selling you out…"

"Did I include you in that, you mean, Malfoy?"

Draco didn't say anything. He took a step back from Potter.

"Yes, I did. You and I may not be friends, Malfoy, but I don't want to see you dead. I…I never apologized for the…" Potter mimed a slashing motion.

"Quite all right, Potter. If you had killed me then, you would have done me a favor."

The two of them fell silent as they heard footsteps approaching them. Draco pulled Potter's cloak around him.

"You're changing, Malfoy," Potter said. "I could tell by the way Kingsley cares for you."

Draco didn't say anything as Weasley and the Granger girl approached Harry.

"Harry? Come back in the house," the Granger girl whispered. "You aren't still thinking of leaving?"

Draco's ears perked up. Was Potter crazy? Why would he leave? He listened as Potter told his friends what he had mysteriously seen.

So Potter had seen his father. And his wand was destroyed because the Dark Lord tried to use it against Potter. And he tortured Ollivanders, the weird old wand-maker. Draco remembered when Ollivanders was first abducted. He was there. He was forced to use the Cruciatus Curse against him. His aunt held a wand at Draco until she was satisfied with how much he tortured the wand-maker.

"Harry!" Nymphadora's frantic voice called from the house. "Harry, where are you? Where is-" She stopped when she saw Weasley and Granger with Potter.

"Ron, Hermione, I'll catch up with you later." Potter nodded toward the house. "I won't leave tonight, but I…I have to talk to Tonks about something." The Granger girl gave him a suspicious look, but followed Weasley back into the house.

"Where is Draco?" asked Nymphadora. "Where is…where is my…my cousin? I have to return him."

"Malfoy?" Potter said aloud.

"Right here," Draco said, pulling the cloak from his head again. "Where's Remus?"

"He and Bill Weasley are going to retrieve Mad-Eye's body," she answered. "I'll take you back home."

"It's not my home," Draco said. "I'm just staying there." He nodded to Potter and proceeded to pull the cloak from his body. "Here, Potter."

"No," Potter said, shaking his head. "Take it. I think you need it more than I do right now."

Draco stared at Potter for a long time. He was grateful for this kind gesture and he didn't exactly know what to say. So he didn't say anything, he merely nodded to Potter and followed Nymphadora to the gate.

As soon as he and Nymphadora were without the protection of the Burrow, Draco glanced back at Potter, who could no longer be seen.

"What is going on?" Draco thought. "Potter and I…civil to each other?"

"Something on your mind, Draco?" asked Nymphadora.

"No," he answered shortly.

"If you need to talk-"

"Is that all you people ever do? Talk?" He was growing a bit irritated with all the people asking him if he needed to talk. First Kingsley, then Ted, Remus, and now Nymphadora. "I don't want to talk. I don't like it, in fact, I hate it."

Nymphadora glanced in his direction with tear-ridden eyes. She gave him a hint of a smile. "You've been talking more lately."

Draco was about to respond, but stopped. He has been talking more lately. Even to his mother. "Well…you won't find me talking about my feelings and all. Is the next thing that I'm going to be forced to do is hug everyone once I see them?"

"Maybe not everyone." This time Nymphadora was really smiling. "You're not one for comfort, are you?"

"And I suppose you are?"

"I love being around people."

"I hate it."

"Why?" She looked genuinely curious.

"Because all they ever do is—" Draco cut his eyes at her, even though she couldn't see him. "You tricked me."

Nymphadora started laughing. "It worked, didn't it?"

"I don't think I liked it."

"Well, I quite enjoyed it! Are you ready?" Nymphadora looked around and stuck out her arm. "Grab on tightly, I have been known to splinch some Side-Alongs."

Draco rolled his eyes and grasped her arm. Thinking about the things he learned last year during the Hogwarts Apparition classes, he closed his eyes and followed Nymphadora.

Everything went black and Draco felt as though he was being squeezed through a tight, rubber tube. He could not breathe and he felt like he was being pressed in from all sides. It took a couple of seconds, but Draco realized that they were no longer near the Weasley's house. Instead, they were on the near Andromeda's house. Draco recognized it from when Kingsley dropped him and his mother off when they first arrived here.

"Come on, Draco," Nymphadora whispered. She changed her hair colour and her facial features and continued down the street with Draco following close behind.

"Do you think people can change?" Harry asked, picking up The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts that Hermione threw on the floor of Ron's room.

Hermione glanced at Harry from her spot on the floor. "Yes, I do think people can change," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged. "Just wondering, I guess. Why do you suppose it happens?"

"It could be a number of things, Harry. Life's experiences changes people. Knowledge changes people. People change people."

"What do you think, Ron?"

"I think Hermione's right," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Hermione's always right.

"Is everything all right, Harry?" Hermione asked, a bit concerned.

"I have to tell you something, but you've got to swear that you won't say anything to anyone." He looked expectantly at Ron and Hermione.

Ron rolled his eyes and nudged Hermione. "Yeah, because we've already blabbed all of the other things he's told us that's supposed to be a secret."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "What is it, Harry?" she asked, concerned.

"You know that night…when…when Dumbledore…"

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"I forgot to mention that…well, I was right."

"That Snape's an evil bat?" said Ron. "Yeah, we know."

No, not that. That Malfoy's been up to something. All year."

"How do you know? Malfoy hasn't even been seen since-" started Hermione.

"Since that night."

"Do you still think he's a Death Eater, then?" asked Ron.

"I know he is."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, they wouldn't let a sixteen-year-old boy join up with them. They'd wait until he turned seventeen."

"But they did. I saw his Mark. He showed it to Dumbledore on the tower. Malfoy was supposed to kill Dumbledore."

Ron and Hermione fell silent and glanced at each other. "Are you sure?" asked Hermione. "Nobody could…"

"Snape did," said Harry, expressionless.

"Blimey. So Malfoy was supposed to-"

"Kill Dumbledore, yeah."

"But he didn't do it, did he? Not if Snape-"

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore offered him protection from Voldemort and he took it. He lowered his wand before it, though. And I…I helped Malfoy escape. Me and Kingsley. They're in hiding now, Malfoy and his mother."

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry in disbelief. Ron's mouth gaped open and Hermione had an incredulous look on her face.

"Well, just because he's switched sides doesn't mean it's real," replied Ron.

"Yeah…" said Harry. "It's just…he's different."

"You've spoken to him?" asked Hermione. "When?"

"He was here the night they moved me. He accidentally came along on my and Hagrid's Portkey. He left with Tonks afterwards."

"You mean Malfoy was in my house?" Ron looked angry.

"Yes, Ron, but he-"

"But nothing." Ron pounded his fist on his bed. "Malfoy was in my house! What, did he use my loo, too? Sleep in my bed?"

"Ron, calm down," said Hermione. "Harry said that he left with Tonks, so it wasn't like he was here for long. Where…where was he?"

"I let him use my cloak. As a matter of fact, he still has it."

"And you trust him with it?" Ron still looked angry.

"Yeah, I do. You didn't see him that night, Ron. There's something…something different about Malfoy. He's…Kingsley cares for him. So do Remus and Tonks. There's…I dunno."

"He called Hermione a-a-a…well, you know what."

"And now he's staying with Tonks' parents. Her father's a Muggle-born. And from what Kingsley said, Tonks' father and Malfoy get on quite well."

"Wow," said Hermione. "I guess some people can change."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll believe when I see it," said Ron.