Author's Note: So I didn't originally plan to post two chapters in one day, but I figured, why not? I have a few chapters written out already, so I might as well give you guys a bit more to read today.

Read and review! :)

Chapter 7

My body feels really, really stiff.

I'm in a sitting position. Did I fall asleep waiting for Potter and Weasley?

I feel extremely groggy, and I can't open my eyes. I start to lift an arm and find that something's restraining me.

Ropes.

I'm tied to a chair. Then I can't possibly be at Spinner's End.

Oh.

I recall giving Potter permission to Stun me in order to take me to the headquarters of the Order. Ah, so I'm tied up at Order headquarters.

Finally, I open my eyes.

Facing me is an arc of four seats. Farthest to the right I see Professor McGonagall, stern as always. Beside her is Kingsley Shacklebolt, who doesn't look as intimidating as they always say. Lupin looks raggedy, as usual. And my disowned cousin, Nymphadora, sits next to him. I heard of their marriage. It's strange to actually see them together. I can't believe she chose to marry a werewolf.

Then again, I'm hopelessly attracted to a Mudblood, so I can't exactly judge her.

"You're awake," Nymphadora says.

I only nod in reply. I haven't spoken to her in years.

My eyes rest on Shacklebolt briefly, but I shift my gaze to Lupin soon after.

Shacklebolt is the only threat to me mentally. But I'm not worried. He can't be a more powerful Legilimens than Aunt Bella. I shift the barriers in my mind around, hiding away memories that are important to me or reveal secure locations.

"Hello again, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall says.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall."

She looks at me with a bitter expression. "Hogwarts has been closed for a few years now, Mr. Malfoy."

"You were still a professor," I counter.

"We understand that you would like to turn spy for us," Shacklebolt says.

His voice is deeper than I'd expected. It didn't sound this deep in Harry's memory.

"You understand correctly, then."

"Give us a reason to trust you," Nymphadora says.

"I don't have one," I say truthfully. "There's no reason for you to trust that I can give you any information that you need. But I can."

"Would you consent to being looked at through Legilimency?" Lupin asks.

"You're not a Legilimens," I say. "But sure, I don't mind."

I meet Shacklebolt's eyes steadily, prepared.

Then I feel the familiar sensation of a foreign mind probing into mine. I don't restrict his movement in my mind, knowing that he can't get behind any essential walls.

I'm four years old, running around in the vast gardens surrounding the Manor, followed by a house elf ordered to make sure of my safety.

He moves out of my childhood memories and skips forward a few years.

I'm walking out onto the Quidditch pitch with the Slytherin team, and we intercept the Gryffindor team. I recognize the way that Weasley and Granger run toward us. Words are exchanged between the captains. Aw, hell. Why did he happen to pick this memory?

I try to tune myself out, but I still hear those three words clearly in the voice of my twelve-year-old self. Filthy little Mudblood. Fuck.

He doesn't notice my discomfort. Aha, at least this means I've gotten even better at hiding.

He pushes on, going past my Hogwarts years.

I'm sitting in a meeting with other masked Death Eaters. Voldemort sits at the head of the table, looking extremely pleased. He dismisses everyone except for Aunt Bella and me. My father lingers in the doorway, but he leaves too. Voldemort congratulates me on a job well done with the Patil family, and I accept the praise in silence. Aunt Bella is positively beaming.

Shacklebolt is clearly interested in what I did to the Patils, so I produce the relevant memories for him.

This had been one of my more risky schemes. I was ordered to kill the twins and both their parents. Even the family dog had to go. Instead, I placed one of their distant relatives under the Imperius Curse and forced him to convince them that their lives were in grave danger. They went away with him to New Delhi.

When I knew they were out of the country, I exploded two pigs in their home. Disgusting and perhaps slightly inhumane, but it effectively convinced the Death Eaters who came to check on the Patils that I had done the job quite well.

After watching the memories that I pulled to the surface, he retreats from my mind. I'm surprised that he didn't stay longer to keep probing.

"The Patils are alive?" he says.

"Unless the Death Eaters found them in New Delhi, they are perfectly safe."

The others exchange surprised looks.

"Why did you do that?" Shacklebolt asks.

"Not out of the goodness of my heart, if that's what you're asking," I reply. "I just don't particularly like killing people so I avoid it whenever it's possible."

I can tell the other three Order members are itching to ask what exactly happened to the Patils, but Shacklebolt seems to be some sort of leader, and while he's still busy interrogating me, I'm sure they won't pester him.

He keeps his eyes on mine for another minute, keeping mum.

I wonder what's going on in his head. I'm not really concerned, just curious.

Finally, he speaks, "Malfoy, I don't trust you."

I smirk. "Surprise, surprise."

His face remains dispassionate. "You are going to have to let me look into your mind without interference if you want to gain my trust."

"I didn't interfere," I say innocently.

"Oh yes, you did," he replies. "Your walls are so cleverly concealed that they seem to be continuous with the rest of your thoughts. You feel absolutely no discomfort when there's a foreign presence in your mind. It'd be too easy for you to stow memories away."

"What gave me away?"

"I have years of experience. I can tell when difference there are barriers, cleverly concealed or not."

I nod. "Good for you. Well, it's a good thing that I'm not trying to gain your trust. I just want the war to be over, and I'd prefer it if the Light side won. I'm hoping Potter relayed what I said."

"That he did," Lupin says.

"He also said that you want Hermione Granger to be your contact," Professor McGonagall adds.

"True," I say.

"We haven't moved onto the issue of who is to be your contact just yet," Shacklebolt says.

"I won't let anyone inside my head with no restrictions," I say. "If you can't accept that, I'll leave."

Nymphadora laughs. "Leave? You're bound and wandless. How do you expect to leave?"

"I have my ways," I reply. "I already gave a scroll of information about shift changes at Hogwarts to Potter. I trust he handed them over to you?"

Shacklebolt holds up a scroll of parchment. "We've already made a copy. It's being checked as we speak."

"Efficient," I comment.

There's a long pause.

"It's up to you now," I say. "I've made my offer. If you don't want my help, just say so."

"Your decision was rather unexpected," Professor McGonagall says. "I don't feel like the rationale that you simply want the war to be over is enough to explain why you've come."

"People do unexpected things," I reply. I shift my gaze to my cousin. "I never would have expected you to marry a werewolf, Nymphadora."

"You know better than to call me that. And so what if I married a werewolf?"

I shake my head. "I'm not judging you, just saying that it was unexpected."

Another pause.

I understand that they're reluctant to trust me, being the son of Lucius Malfoy and nephew of Bellatrix Lestrange. And I don't exactly have a clean record myself. But this is taking up too much time. I don't know how late it is, and I have to get back to the Manor before sunrise.

"I don't have all night," I say. "I'd appreciate it if you made up your minds soon."

"Very well," Shacklebolt says. "I will allow you to speak with Miss Granger, but I want another look inside your mind before my final decision."

"Fine."

"Tonks, please tell Miss Granger that should we accept Malfoy's offer, she will be his contact."

"Just a moment," I say as Nymphadora gets to her feet. They all look at me, and I explain, "I don't want her to know that she was my choice."

"Why not?" Nymphadora asks.

"Just consider it a favor for me," I say. "I've already put my life on the line for you lot simply by being here."

Shacklebolt nods his consent.

"I'll tell her that we chose her because she's an Occlumens, then," Nymphadora says, walking past me toward the door.

"Thank you."

Her footsteps stop just behind me, and it isn't hard to guess that she's surprised by the two words that just came out of my mouth.

"You're welcome."

Then I hear the opening and closing of a door, and I meet Shacklebolt's eyes, prepared for round two.

This time I feel him scrabbling at the walls of my mind, trying to find a weak spot. He's uninterested in the memories that I've left in the open, trying for the ones that I've stashed away.

If I could chuckle right now, I would. Good luck to him.

When he can't find any weak spots, he starts ramming into the barriers repeatedly. A mild headache starts building up. This is getting annoying. But it's more annoying than it is painful. When Aunt Bella tries to drill through my defenses, it hurts like hell.

I don't know how much time passes before he finally gives up on me, but when he withdraws from my mind, I allow myself to relax.

Before anyone can speak, there's a sharp rap on the door.

Shacklebolt clears his throat and says, "Well, I said that you could speak to Miss Granger alone. She's here now. If you try anything—"

I smirk, my eyes still focused on his. "She has a wand while I'm still unarmed. And bound, for that matter. What could I possibly do to her?"

The three Order members get to their feet. As Shacklebolt reaches the door, Lupin waves his wand, and the ropes around me disappear.

"Behave yourself," Professor McGonagall says.

Suddenly I feel like I'm at Hogwarts again. It's a funny feeling, and I almost laugh aloud. Then the chair I'm sitting in morphs into a bench, and a long table appears before me. Interesting.

I hear the door behind me pulled open, followed by footsteps as they exit the room.

"Go ahead, Hermione," I hear Lupin say.

She's here.

Suddenly I'm nervous. What the fuck? I suppose it's because this will be the first time in three years that I'll be able to have a proper look at her.

There's a click behind me as the door shuts.

It's a short while before I finally hear her footsteps, but I force myself not to turn to look at her. She starts moving around to the opposite side of the table, and I lower my eyes to look at the imperfections in the wood. When she sits down, I lift my eyes to look at her.

I instantly feel like I can't breathe.

I didn't get a good look at her that night in the Forbidden Forest—it was too dark, and I'd just wanted to get her out of there alive. Now…

Her face is more beautiful than I'd remembered it. How can dirty blood matter when a Mudblood can look so perfect? There's a tiny cut marring her left cheek, and I have to stop myself from asking how she got it, from reaching out to touch it. Her large, chocolate-brown eyes meet mine, and I find myself wishing that she'll never look away.

Fuck me. I'm beyond hope.

She looks away quickly, and I rein in my emotions. Eventually, her eyes wander back up to meet mine, and she looks a little curious. I continue to watch her, waiting for her to speak first.

I'm lying to myself. I don't speak because I can't speak. Where the fuck did my voice go?

Finally, she begins to speak in a soft voice. "Malfoy… it's been a long time."

I haven't heard her pretty voice in too long.

Fuck. I still can't get a word out. Locking eyes with her, I get my lips to form a small smile. She may have rendered me speechless, but I'll always be capable of looking cocky.

My smile seems to have unsettled her. I see a flicker of fear behind her eyes. Is she afraid of me?

"Say something," she says.

Finally, my voice decides to return.

"Hello, Granger. You look well."