It was five till eleven, and platform 9 ¾ was bustling with students scrambling to get onto the Hogwarts Express.
Alexandra looked around for Alanna, who didn't appear to be present yet.
"You should probably get on," Dudley told his daughter, kissing the top of her head.
"Just one more minute," Alexandra said. "Where is she?"
She glanced over at Harry, who was talking with James and Albus. She noticed he had bags under his eyes; as if he hadn't slept in some time. She wondered if he had found out that necklace was missing yet…
"Any idea where Alanna is?" Fred asked her, coming over.
"No," she shook her head. "I'm staring to get worried. The train's not going to wait for her-"
"There she is!"
Alanna had just appeared through the barrier, wheeling her trunk behind her.
"I thought I was going to miss it," she panted. "My mum doesn't believe in driving on Sundays, so I had to take a cab here, and the driver didn't know where this station was."
"Well you made it," Alexandra said. "Come on, we should get on the train."
After saying her last goodbye to her father, Alexandra and the others stepped onto the train.
"Hey," James said as him and Albus stepped on behind them. "Did you guys see Scorpius?"
"What about him?" Alanna frowned.
"He came here with a bunch of Auroras," James said.
"How do you know they were Aurors?" Alexandra asked.
"I've met a lot of them before," he said quickly. "Anyway, they were all standing with him before he got on the train and, get this, his dad's not even here!"
"That doesn't mean anything," Albus said.
"I asked dad what was going on," James continued, ignoring his younger brother "But he just told me to keep my nose clean."
"Maybe something happened with his dad," Fred said in a hushed tone.
"Probably," James nodded. "That's the only thing that makes sense."
"That's absurd," Alanna said. "If the Ministry wanted to keep an eye on anybody because of his parents, don't you think it would be Wretermoust?"
James and Fred shrugged.
"Let's just find a compartment," Alexandra said. "It's getting crowded in the corridors."
….
"The Aurors delivered Scorpius safely," Harry muttered to Ron as the party made its way back to the parking lot of the station after the train pulled away.
"I saw," Ron nodded, watching Hugo and Lily, who were a few steps in front of them.
"The boys were asking about it," Harry said. "Especially James."
"Did you tell them anything?"
"Of course not," Harry replied.
"I'm surprised Rose didn't ask me about it," Ron said. "I know she saw him with them."
"What about Rose?" Hermione asked as her and Ginny caught up with the men.
"We were just talking about the kids and what they were saying when they saw Scorpius with those Aurors," Ron told his wife.
"And let me guess," Ginny said. "James was insistent on knowing every detail?"
"Bloke's just like his old man," Ron grinned.
"Too much like him, sometimes," Ginny agreed.
….
Draco walked into the room, trying to maintain a calm, collect posture.
"You summoned for me?" he said.
"Yes," Calridina replied, turning to face him. "Draco, you've proven yourself to be a worthy servant over these last couple of months. You've done what I've asked of you with no hesitation, and for that, I am grateful."
"Of course," Draco said, bowing his head as he used to do when he addressed Lord Voldemort.
"I am confident now," she continued. "That you are ready to move into one of my…closer circles of followers."
"That would be an honor, my Lady," he said.
"Yes, it would," she agreed. "But first, there is some…business we must attend to."
Draco felt his stomach tighten as she turned back to her desk.
"Hold out your arm," she ordered.
Draco started to hold out his left arm, but she shook her head. "The other."
Shakily, he held out his right arm.
"Roll up your sleeve."
He pushed up the arm of his robes to reveal the Dark Mark that still emblazoned his flesh.
She picked up a small flask from her desk and pulled the stopper out from it and poured a few drops onto the Dark Mark.
At once, Draco felt his skin burn; as if it had been prodded with many white-hot irons, but he knew better than to scream. Instead, he watched in silent agony as the once thought permanent mark faded, leaving his arm bare.
"And now…" Claridina said, placing the flask back on her desk. She pulled out her wand and whispered a spell that Draco couldn't hear. He felt his arm tinge again, and he saw swirls of dark scarlet and jade fill his forearm until he could clearly see the outline of a broken cross with two snakes wrapped around it.
"Your new mark," she said, putting away her wand. "And a new sign of absolute loyalty."