Chapter Three

*POP*

Draco startled awake, spasaming in his blankets he rolled over to see who had apparated into his room. A short bald figure was standing over him; Draco blinked a few times to clear the sleep and realized that it was his mother's personal house elf, Mitzi.

"Young Master Draco must be coming down for supper now, sir." Mitzi said staring at her toes.

Draco sat up, ran his hand through his hair and said, "Thanks Mitzi, you may go now."

"Yes, sir, yes Young Master Draco." Mitzi said nodding her head before disapparating with a *POP*.

Draco sighed, he didn't like talking to Mitzi; he'd told her plenty of times that he wasn't Lucius, she had no need to fear him, but she still refused to look at him. Shaking his head, Draco stood up and went down stairs to the dining room.

The dining room was a great Victorian room, the ceiling was fifteen feet high and the table could sit an army. The window hangings were a deep green and the table coverings the same; all the plates and cups matched the silverware. Every time he walked into that room he thought he was back in the Slytherin's common room. Draco sighed, his parents were seated at the far end of the table, closest to the kitchens; as he walked towards his parents Draco saw Hermi come out of the kitchen to set a place for him.

Lucius looked up at Draco as he neared his seat; looking at his father, Draco couldn't distinguish his expression, but he knew it wasn't a good one.

"Draco, please, come sit." Lucius droned, "We have much to catch up on." He waited for Draco to take his seat across from Narcissa before continuing. "I hear that Bellatrix will be coming by again tomorrow for an assessment."

Draco nodded

"I fear that your mother and I will not be present during that time. We have an urgent matter that needs attending."

Draco narrowed his eyes, this has something to do with the dark mark, I know it does.

"But of course the house elves will be if you need anything, and Bella is taking you out for supper afterwards"

Draco nodded again and the rest of the supper was spent in silence; the only noise was coming from the house elves opening the doors to the kitchen while they were changing the courses.

Hermione's hands were shaking as she stood with Ginny; her heart was beating mile a minute, she felt like her chest was about to explode in her chest. Her breathing was ragged and her hands were sweating.

"Dear Miss Granger,

We are sorry to announce that due to your test results you must come in to the Ministry this evening at 7pm to our Improper Use of Magic Office; Level Two, in our Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Have a great day. Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk"

The words still rang in Hermione's ears as she took the Ministry lift up to the second floor. Hermione had collapsed on the couch seconds after reading the letter, Ginny had to pry it out of her clenched hands. Hermione could vaguely remember what she said, "Well, maybe there was a mistake, it might just be a clerical error." All Hermione could muster in response was a grunt.

Standing here in the lift next to Ginny was playing with Hermione's nerves; she was going over every question one the test trying to think of her answer. She had given more than enough detail on them all, and she knew the textbook answers off by heart; Hermione just couldn't think of a reason why they would need to call her in.

Hermione glanced at Ginny, she was ringing her hands; she seemed as nervous as she was. As soon as Ginny had read the letter she sent Harry a note telling him had happened. As the lift dinged and a voice said Department of Magical Law Enforcement Hermione's head snapped forward. She took a deep breath as the doors opened; with a glance at Ginny she stepped out.

"You're not doing it right Draco." sighed Bellatrix for the fifth time.

Draco had been practicing the incantation aloud for the past half hour; it was like first year charms class all over again. He sighed, lowering his wand Draco ran his hand through his hair; it was warm outside and a fine sheet of sweat had appeared on his skin. He had discarded his coat on a nearby rock and was glaring from the sun setting in front of him. They had been practicing all afternoon, it was almost 6 now, and Draco was getting hungry. Shaking his head he raised his wand, "Alright, I'll try again."

Draco screwed up his face concentrating about the spell while Bellatrix used legitimacy. Messed up, maybe; but it was the only way that Draco was doing to be prepared in time. He was emptying his mind when he heard a thump opening his eyes he saw that his aunt had dropped her wand and was staring horrified at something over the manor. Draco frowned about to ask what was wrong when he turned around. Both his wand and his jaw dropped; there, over his house, was none other than The Dark Mark. Draco forgot to breath, this was the second time today, and as far as he knew, both his aunt and his father's Dark Marks have been paler than him since the end of the last war.

Bellatrix started screaming, she ran over to Draco and grabbed his arm; with a *POP* she apparated them both to the Ministry. Storming up the atrium, his aunt looked a mess. Some people screamed and fled when the saw her, others hide and whimpered. But Bellatrix paid them no mind; her eyes were focused on the secretary's desk at the far end of the room. As she approached, Draco saw the woman's eyes widen and her lip start to tremble. "Can I h-h-help you M-miss Lestrange?" stuttered the witch.

"Yes," Snapped his aunt, "Where's your auror department?"

"Second floor ma'am, Department of Magical-"

Bellatrix cut her off, "Yes, yes. Thank you." She turned to him, "Come along Draco, no sense keeping this from you too." She said with a knowing smirk. She dragged him over to the lefts and basically jumped in to the nearest one and in the shock of what had happened, actually tripped. Bellatrix; his aunt, one of the snobbiest, meanest people he ever knew, actually tripped. Draco was stunned, so stunned that he didn't even realize who else was in the lift with him. But that didn't matter, the bushy-haired witch didn't either; she seemed tense, almost as if she had seen the dark mark too.

Draco and his aunt stepped out of the lift when it called the floor they wanted, so did the witch; both oblivious to the other they started down opposite ends of the floor. Draco went towards the aurors with his aunt, and her most likely to see Scarhead.

Bellatrix marched right up to the nearest wizard; Draco recognized him and sneered in disgust; only to remember that this wasn't the same Moody who had turned him into a ferret in his fourth year. Yet as he stared suspiciously at Draco, he couldn't help but feel as though this Moody would have done it too.