HOGWARTS.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at Harry with a smile. Fred and George caught my eye and they stepped up to us and threw their arms around our shoulders. Fred took the small, black rock from my hand and I protested, but he grinned. "Word on the street is that you're now with a certain…. Professor Lupin?"

"He isn't a Professor anymore," I muttered, a bit embarrassed. I tried to grab the rock out of Fred's hand, but he held up high so I couldn't reach it. "And come off it, guys. What's it to you?"

Harry was watching with an amused grin as I tried to scale Fred's body to get the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, but I finally gave up with a loud sigh and I walked over to Hermione and Ginny, who were looking at love potions.

"You know, those actually work," George told the three of us and I turned around with an angry look on my face.

"Could you leave me alone for two seconds, please?"

"We just want you to know," Fred said again. "That we don't really approve of this whole situation."

"I don't believe it's any of your business, Fred Weasley," I replied, waltzing over to the Reusable Hangmans. "Why wouldn't you approve of him, hm?"

"He broke your heart last year," George told me darkly. "Don't think we've forgotten. We still mean what we said three years ago. We'll make him pay for what he did to you."

"Yes, well, it's in the past now," I said.

"You're like our sister, Darcy," Fred put his arm around my shoulder again and walked me over to the Trick Wands. "And if anything happens to you, we'll kill him. Or at least make him eat one of these Edible Dark Marks."

"Or give him some U-No-Poo!" cackled George. "That'll team him, wouldn't it, Fred?"

Fred cracked a grin at his brother, but I pushed him away. "You two have nothing to worry about," I reassured them, looking at a Pygmy Puff. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"Well, we aren't the only ones concerned, you know," Fred continued and I sighed, rolling my eyes. "We've got our sources. If anything happens to you, we'll make sure something happens to him. Got it?"

"How about this," I said, turning to face the twins. They grinned eagerly. "If something really terrible happens, I'll tell you, then you can feed him some Dark Marks or something… now can you leave me alone?"

"Fair enough, eh, Fred?"

Fred nodded and the twins walked away. I joined Harry and Lupin over by the Decoy Detonators. I was annoyed, so I didn't talk to anyone. I pretended to be very interested in the new devices. Eventually, Ron joined us, as well as Hermione and Ginny, and we all began walking around the store, looking at the new items Fred and George had created and imported.

"How are Fred and George doing it?" I sighed finally. "Half the alley's closed down."

"Darcy!" Harry whispered and I spun around, walking over to him by the large, front window. I spotted two very blonde heads and recognized Malfoy and his mother. They looked around and walked cautiously and quickly down Diagon Alley. "Is it just me, or does Draco and mummy look like they don't to be followed?"

Hermione and Ron were looking through the window as well, Lupin behind us. Ginny had returned to the Pygmy Puffs and she was making a deal with her twin brothers about buying one.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed for the door, avoiding Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and I tried to follow, but Lupin grabbed my hand and tugged me back. I pulled away from him and gave him a sympathetic look, following my brother and his friends out the door. We quietly snuck into a narrow, dark alley and followed the two Malfoys into Knockturn Alley and finally into Borgin and Burkes.

We crouched down and watched through a window in the back and found Malfoy, looking strangely at a wardrobe. I narrowed my eyes and saw that several people were crowding around the wardrobe. Suddenly, a shadow got nearer and a tall figure appeared in the window. The four of us dropped to the ground, pressing our backs against the wall beneath the window, hiding ourselves from view.

As we slowly raised ourselves to the window again, someone had shut the curtain and we couldn't see anything else.

My brain whirred inside my head and I tried to put the pieces together. Who were the people in there? Possibly shoppers… no, I thought. They must have been his father's friends – Death Eaters.

I glanced at Harry, who stared at me blankly.

I had come to an awful conclusion. Draco was with his father's friends. His father was in Azkaban. Was it possible that Draco was simply taking after his father?

But that would be impossible. He was sixteen…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I think Fred and George have got something going for them," I said cheerfully, helping myself to a chocolate frog I had just bought from the candy trolley. "Did you see how many people were in there?"

Lupin hummed in response. I looked around at everyone and sighed. The door to our compartment on the train opened abruptly and Luna peered in, smiling at the five of us. "Quibbler?" she asked.

"Please," I answered and she reached over Lupin to hand me one. I read the front page. "Er – what's a wrackspurt?"

"Oh, invisible creatures," she replied in a dreamy tone. "They float in your ears and make your brain go fuzzy."

My eyes widened and I nodded slowly as she left, closing the door gently behind her. I put the magazine up top with my trunk, looking at Harry across from me. "You lot have been awfully quiet the whole train ride," I finally announced. "What's going on?"

"What was Draco doing looking at that weird cabinet?" Ron asked us all, leaning in. "And who were all those people?"

"Don't you see?" Harry whispered. "It was a ceremony."

My heart dropped into my stomach. I had been thinking the same thing, but didn't actually believe anyone had come up with the same conclusion I had. "An initiation…" I said slowly, thinking it over. It made sense entirely.

"Oh, Darcy, relax," Lupin said, sighing loudly. "I know where you're going with this." I sat up and looked at him. He seemed very calm and he shook his head. I shook mine in response and looked at Harry.

"It's happened, hasn't it?" I asked. "He's one of them?"

"One of what?" Hermione said.

"Darcy is under the impression that Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater," Lupin told them all. "I told you earlier that you're taking it too far." I rolled my eyes and frowned. Harry cocked an eyebrow at me and shrugged slightly, thinking the same thing I was.

"You're barking," Ron said loudly, and then he hushed his voice. "What would You-Know-Who want with the sort like Malfoy?"

"Well," Harry spat. "What's he doing in Borgin and Burkes? Browsing for furniture?"

"And his father is a Death Eater!" I protested. "It only makes sense!"

"He's sixteen years old!" Hermione added.

"You guys can't side with him!" I said furiously, pointing at Lupin. "It's true! It's got to be! Malfoy is a Death Eater! Aren't you at all suspicious about him?" They all nodded and shrugged and I stood up, needing to get a quick breath of fresh air out in the small hallway. I glanced at Lupin before leaving and I heard Harry behind me, "I need some air."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Darcy! Darcy! Darcy, wait up!"

I kept on walking, still fuming. Lupin ran up beside me, but I completely ignored him, pretending I was looking at my nails. I couldn't bring myself to believe that only Harry agreed with me. It made me angry beyond belief. I presented evidence – there wasn't a lot of it, but it all fit! I began walking towards the carriages, but then spun around quickly. Hermione and Ron walked ahead of me. "Where's Harry?" I demanded.

"He probably already got off the train," Lupin shrugged, placing his hand on the small of my back. I shrugged his hand off me and quickly jogged back onto the train, getting slightly worried. All of the compartments were shut, but I checked every single one until I reached the back of the train.

As I walked down the aisle, my foot caught on something and I fell to the ground, my hands breaking my fall. I swore under my breath and stood back up, brushing myself off, trying to find what I had tripped over. I reached out in front of me and my hand grabbed something. I curled my hand around a section of Harry's Invisibility Cloak and tore it off. His nose was broken and blood was trickling down his face, but he was not moving. I pulled my wand out of my pocket.

"Finite Incantatum!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "You had me worried. Who did this to you?"

We jumped off the train and quickly walked up to the castle; all of the carriages had left. "Malfoy – tried to spy on him." He winced in pain as he touched his fingers to his nose. "Could you fix my nose, please?"

I nodded and pointed my wand at his nose. He closed his eyes and braced himself. "Episkey!" There was crack and Harry cried out in pain, but then opened his eyes and felt his nose. It had gone back to normal. I flicked my wand and wiped the blood from his face.

"Thank you," he groaned. "Sorry I made you miss the carriages… and Lupin."

"It's fine, really," I replied. "He was upsetting me anyway. How could he –"

"It's about time! I've been looking for you two everywhere! All right, names?" squeaked the tiny Professor Flitwick. He looked down at his clipboard and then raised his eyebrows, looking at me and Harry.

I started to chuckle. "You had me for seven years, Professor… and I was here last year, too!"

"No exceptions… Potter," Flitwick said.

I glanced at Harry and we smiled at each other. Professor Flitwick ushered us inside and I quickly ran up to the professor's table, taking my seat next to Snape. Beside me, where Umbridge sat last year, was Professor Slughorn. Dumbledore had not yet begun his speech and Snape gave me a curious look. I smiled weakly as Dumbledore stepped up to his podium. I snuck bites of food because I was so hungry.

"Very best of evenings to you," he began. "First off, let me introduce the newest member to our staff: Horace Slughorn. Professor Slughorn, I am happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post as potions master. Meanwhile, the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts has been filled by none other than Professor Snape.

"We also would like to welcome back Professor Potter, who will be one of your potions teachers – with Professor Slughorn –" everyone cheered. Slytherin just clapped. "But as you know, each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight.

"You have the right to know why. Once, there was a young man who, like all of you, sat in this very hall, walked this castles corridors, slept under this roof. He seemed to all the word a student like any other. His name: Tom Riddle.

"Today of course, he's known all over the world by another name. Which is why, as I stand looking out upon you tonight, I'm reminded of a sobering fact: every day, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castles walls. But in the end, their greatest weapon is you."

Everyone began to mutter and I sighed, "That's cheerful."

"Shh," Snape told me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You can't talk to me like that – I'm not your intern anymore," I smirked and Snape gave me a look I never wanted to see again. I looked away and went back to eating my food, although it wasn't long before Dumbledore dismissed us all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Your luggage is already in our room," Lupin told me, catching up to me and walking up the stairs beside me. "It's on the third floor, with the garden on it. Darcy, are you listening to me?"

"Can you just leave me alone for a while?" I snapped and continued looking straight forward. I had no idea where I was going if I didn't want to go back to our quarters.

"Darcy, why are you so mad at me? I don't think I've done anything to really upset you in the first place."

"You could have at least sided with me," I hissed, stomping up the stairs angrily. "I had evidence and it was pretty damn good, too. Now just – go – leave me alone."

"I won't," he said firmly and stood in front of me, preventing me from getting any further up the stairs.

"If you don't leave me alone, I'll get Peeves to harass you for the entire school year," I threatened him, tapping his chest. "And I know how much you absolutely hate him."

"So if I believe you – if I side with you, you won't be angry at me anymore?"

"Pretty much."

"Then I believe you!"

"I wonder if he's gotten the Dark Mark yet… Yes, they probably –"

"Darcy, you listen to me!" he took my shoulders and shook me. I widened my eyes and stared at him. The portraits around us watched us silently, listening to him yell at me. "Just because Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater doesn't mean his son is! Why would a sixteen-year-old boy take the Dark Mark? It's insane! Your evidence doesn't prove anything!"

"Aren't you worried? Lucius Malfoy tried to kill me last year! What if he wants his son to kill me instead now that he's in Azkaban?"

"You're being stupid, Darcy!" he shouted, shaking me again. "Draco Malfoy wouldn't kill you! You're just paranoid and scared and – and it's ridiculous and stupid and outrageous and insane! Understand?"

"Remus, please don't –"

There was a low cough from behind us and I looked past Lupin to see Snape climbing the staircase slowly, his wand lit. Lupin let go of me. I was frozen in fear. Lupin had never touched me that roughly – never yelled at me that loudly or harshly. "What's going on?" Snape asked with a sneer. "Miss Potter?"

Lupin stared at me, our chests heaving up and down. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking quickly at Snape. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

Finally – "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Snape repeated.

"Nothing," I said again, my voice quiet. It also cracked.

Snape's eyes flicked to Lupin's. "Touch her again like that and Dumbledore will have you out of this school within seconds," he said quickly. He brushed past us, his black cloak touching my skin and giving me goosebumps.

"Are you – are you okay?" Lupin asked, but I backed away from him and walked quickly to our quarters, while Lupin went back down the stairs, holding his head in his hands.