"Malfoy?" Harry frowned, walking into the room.
Draco looked at Harry, but said nothing.
"He said he had some pretty important information," Kingsley said. "But said he'd talk only to you."
"About what?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"I'll talk," Draco said. "When we're alone."
Kingsley gave Harry a nod, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Alright, Malfoy," Harry said, sitting down across from him. "What's this all about?"
Draco crossed his arms and looked rather uncomfortable.
Harry didn't blame him. The two men hadn't spoken since the war. Harry had been at Draco's hearing, as well as his parents'. His mother had been sentenced to probation for ten years, and his father had to serve two years in Azkaban. Harry remembered that Draco was about to be sentenced to a year in Azkaban, but Harry, for a reason even he didn't understand, had talked Kingsley into arranging him to stay under probation like his mother.
"I read in the Prophet, the other day," Draco started, not making eye contact. "That the Ministry is looking for Claridina Wretermoust."
"That's right," Harry said. "Do you know something about here?"
Draco sighed. "You know that she's around our age?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I know. Is that what you've come to tell me because-"
"No," Draco said. "I was-Never mind. Anyway, yes, she was our age, give or take a year or two. She went to Drumstrang, though."
"I know," Harry said again. "But how do you know that?"
"Because," Draco said slowly. "Right after-after You-Know-Who-"
"Voldemort," Harry corrected, sending shivers up and down Draco's spine.
"Yes…him. Right after he came back into the open, after that whole mishap in the Department of Mysteries… I-he made me a Death Eater…"
Harry nodded. "But what does that have to do with Claridina?"
"She was there."
"What?"
"When I was made a Death Eater," Draco said. "She was in the room. See, the Headmaster at Drumstrang, after Karkaroff was killed, was a Death Eater named Gariel Hoffman. He never fought much, but he picked students from the school that seemed to have a future in the Dark Arts. She was one of them. He was good friends with my mother, and arranged to have her stay in our manor so she could be exposed to the Dark Arts."
"So you knew her?"
"You could say that," Draco nodded. "She never came out of her room much, except when…He would come around. She, well, idolized him."
"Didn't all you Death Eaters?" Harry asked, crossing his arms.
"No," Draco said at once. "Not like she did. She-she wanted to be him."
"What do you mean?" Harry frowned.
"Everyone else," Draco explained. "Was, well, afraid of him. They did only what he asked. She, well, she wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. The first time she saw him she went right up to him and told him her ideas for…a new form of mudblood slaying."
"Don't use that word," Harry said firmly.
"Obviously, He didn't appreciate that," Draco continued. "Sent a Cruiatus Curse right at her and told her not to dare question him. But that didn't seem to faze her in the slightest. She just got right back up to her feet and asked to be made a Death Eater."
"Voldemort said no?" Harry asked.
"Yes," he nodded, cringing at the name. "Told her she was just a foolish school girl. She didn't take kindly to that…and then the very next day he made me one. Afterwards, when I was sitting in my room, she showed up and told me that it would be worthless one day."
"Your Dark Mark?"
Draco nodded. "Said that one day it would just be a mark on my arm…that one day someone was going to come around who would make Him look like just a regular old wizard."
"What did she do after that?" Harry asked.
Draco shrugged. "Dunno. Next day she had fled. We never heard of her again until she was arrested. But today I was in the room where she stayed and I came across this box." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small box. "I don't know what's in it; I couldn't get it open."
Harry set it on the table and pulled out his wand. "Alohamora!"
Nothing happened, and he didn't expect it to.
"I tried that," he said, getting up. "Anyway, that's all I've got. Am I allowed to leave now? Someone took my wand when I came in."
"You have to go back down to the front desk to get it," Harry said, picking up the box.
Draco nodded and turned to leave.
"Your son," Harry said suddenly. "I heard he's starting Hogwarts this year."
"Yes," he said. "I-I heard yours is as well."
"He is," Harry nodded. "So is Ron's daughter."
"Right," Draco said. "Suppose-Suppose I'll be seeing you at the platform then."
"I suppose so."
Draco made to leave, but once again, stopped. "My mum," he said. "I told her I was coming to talk to you and she wanted me to ask-how is her sister?"
"Andromeda? She's fine," Harry replied.
"And her grandson?"
"Teddy's fine too; just graduated Hogwarts."
"I'll tell mum that then," he said softly. And with that, he quickly headed out the door.
…
"It's all been arranged," Dudley sighed, hanging up the phone.
"You talked to her?" Alexandra asked.
"Not to her," Dudley said. "To her lawyer. You'll go to see her at the end of the week and stay until the start of August."
"That's two weeks," Alexandra stated.
"Did you want longer?"
"No, no," she said quickly. "I'm just…well, that's an awfully long time."
"I could call back and try to see what I can-"
"It's fine, dad," Alexandra assured him. "Don't worry about it."
The rest of the week seemed to fly by in Alexandra's opinion. Once the day of her departure arrived, she had knots in her stomach and many second guesses filling her head.
"We'll need to get over to the underground," Dudley said. "It's a two hour trip, so I'd pack a book and snack. You have your bag?"
"Yes," Alexandra said, placing her breakfast cereal in the sink.
"I'll give you your ticket now," Dudley said. "So I won't forget when we get there."
"Wait, you're not coming?" Alexandra asked.
Dudley sighed. "I can't. I-I know you're trying to forgive her, and-but I can't. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I can't."
Alexandra nodded. "It's okay. I'll be alright by myself."
They drove to the underground in silence. When they arrived, Dudley walked her all the way to the gate.
"Call me as soon as you get there," Dudley said.
"I will."
"If you want to come home worry, just say the word and I'll get you."
"Okay, dad."
"I'll see you in just two weeks," he said, hugging his daughter.
"Bye," Alexandra said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She heard the final call for her car, and quickly ran inside just as the doors slid shut.