30th June 2003
Katie Bell flooded them at Grimmauld, Draco said a nervous hello to her.
"Miss Bell," Draco greeted, then continued, "do you remember the necklace, the cursed one-"
"It nearly killed me," Katie said, "of course I remember it."
"It was my fault," Draco confessed, "I want to apolgise to everyone who I did wrong in-"
Katie waved her hand to shush him -Draco so hated being sushed- and she smiled.
"I know it was you, Draco, I always try not to hold a grudge."
"Still, I want to apologise. I was so scared, I was stupid-" she shushed him again.
"I accept your apology, Draco, it really means a lot to me, shows me I did the right thing, getting you the Malfoy estate and fortune back."
She smiled like a crazy person at the shocked look on his face.
"You, how? Why?" he just stared at her, his mouth agape.
"Harry asked me to," Katie said, and Draco smiled. "You really love each other now, don't you?" Katie asked him.
"What?" Draco asked.
"Oh Merlin you're not together! Sorry just that Harry was with Oliver and Oliver told me and he look never mind, is Harry around?" Katie finished up.
"No he's chasing down a suspect for the Weasley case." Draco gave a proud smile at her shocked expression.
"I can't wait till that one is closed." Katie said, "well do you know someone who can cast a coperal Patronus? We're doing a tour of Azkaban for the new staff in the department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"I can," Draco said.
"Would you do the job? We don't have any Aurours who can cast a strong enough patrons," Katie shook her head, disappointed with her Aurour division.
"Sure," Draco accepted the job and darted upstairs to tell his mother where he was going.
Katie offered him her arm on the pavement outside, which Draco took, screwing up his face in anticipation of the unpleasantness that was apparating. His destination was far more unpleasant.
"CLEARANCE!" A watch wizard shouted over the sea spray, Katie yelled both their names back and each presented their wand. The island was tiny, and Draco's first impression was of grey. Grey rocks, grey buildings, grey sky, grey water. Dementors were in and out of the prison, in the sky and around the island itself.
"Now would be good," Katie said. Draco conjured his patronus, which was a snake-
"Bit of emotional turmoil going on there?" Katie asked, his snake still had a snake's head, but it had the mane and body of a loon, and a snake's tail.
"No!" Draco shouted back, Katie just gave him a look.
"Your patronus just told me you have a thing for a certain Gryffindor!" Katie yelled back, they met up with the new recruits and Katie led the way into the prison, over a long, narrow bridge.
Draco concentrated on keeping his mutant patronus there to keep them all sane and safe and a little bit warmer than the inmates. This was serious though. If his feelings for Harry ran so deep as to affect his patronus, his feelings for Harry were profound.
As of this far to the tour, Katie was impressed. Malfoy's patronus was unwavering, and as reliable as Harry's stag. Her own patronus was next to her, it was a willy wag tail, a small fast bird with a long tail.
The new department workers (some of them even joining the Azkaban guard force, looked suitably troubled by the inside of the prison, so few people ever really saw it unless you were locked up here.
It was a large, domed building, cells lined the inside walls, with thin access walkways. The dementors were in the center of the building, swarming around like a thick, black tornado.
The high security cells were up the top, making the dementors flock there, so the ceiling was control visible through the indistinguishable mass of dark creatures.
And it was cold, bone chilling cold, breath came out and condensed straight away, the metal bars and railings all had a thin sheet of ice.
The eyelashes of most of the inmates were frozen. They had thin clothing, made of hessian, and striped grey and slightly lighter grey. Each cell had a stone slab, with a pillow and a thick, dirty blanket.
"This is horrible," one of the tourist said, she was a muggleborn witch, a year out of Hogwarts, and no doubt had grand ideas of muggle-wizard peace.
"It's a prison." Katie reminded her. The two others behind her were silent, a man and a woman. The woman was training to be a guard of the prison. The man was joining the witch watches and the muggleborn would be apart of the wiznagmont administration staff.
"But people don't deserve to be treated like this-"
Katie turned on her. "Let me guess, she said, you're about to tell me about muggle prisons, and how they have proper plumbing and recreational space and lighting and other such things?"
The girl looked scared, but nodded. "They're treated like humans."
Katie nearly growled at the girl, but there was one every time. She was about to set the record straight, but Draco stepped forwards.
"Wizards don't pay taxes," Draco said, "we can make nothing from thin air, unlimited water and space," he paused, walking towards the nearest cell. He tapped on the bars. "The crimes wizards commit aren't theft, or fraud. What did you do?"
The man in the cell smiled, showing all his rotten teeth.
"I fucked three little mudbloods," he spat, "dumb little bitches-"
Katie was shocked when Draco shut the man up by punching him in the neck.
"Child molester," he said, bashing on the bars of the next cell. "What about you?"
"I is done nothing wrong!" She recognized him though.
"He bashed his pregnant wife to death." Katie supplied.
The muggle girl looked suitably convinced, but Draco continued questioning the inmates. They were on the second last level when he stopped at the bars of a cell and smiled.
"Six counts of murder, twenty four of participation in the torture of muggles, thirty intentional breaches of statue of secrecy, destruction of property and terrorism, one count of severe child abuse and one count of affiliation with a known dark lord." Katie looked between Draco Malfoy and his smiling father. Draco turned to the muggle girl.
"I believe my own father deserves these conditions of imprisonment, girl, don't question our government based on what the muggles do. I personally believe they don't even deserve the resources wasted on them."
The girl was silent, as was Lucius, but the man was looking at his son with such complete disdain Katie wanted to look away.
"If I could, boy," Lucius spat, I'd fucking kill you."
"Well you can't," Draco said back conversationally, "because you're in prison.
After the tour of Azkaban was done, Katie sent a letter to her old piano teacher, requesting a meeting as soon as convenient, what she didn't expect was for Narcissa to step into her office later that afternoon.
"My apologies for the late hour, Miss Bell, I needed Draco to get home to mid the boys."
"He's sitting for Harry is he?" Katie asked, a little worried, Harry usually left them with Andromeda.
"We were staying at Grimmauld place anyway, while Bellatrix is, free."
Katie nodded in understanding, not needing to question the woman any further."
"I'd like to make an appeal to unfreeze the Malfoy assets." Katie said, "Harry's already asked about it and after working with Draco today I see no reasons to keep you from your family's legacy. No other person has ever had anything forcefully taken away like that in the past. You and your son have served your time and, if I might say so, are, and I don't doubt have always been upstanding citizens."
Katie was surprised when Narcissa waved the praise away.
"Draco and I are cowards, but having the manor back would mean so much to him. To me as well."
26th November 1997
It's, pretty." Hermione said. It had taken a few trips into the room of requirement to find the diadem and they still had no way to destroy it. Luna had found it, and had kept it in her trunk until now.
Harry, Ron Hermione and Luna were in the chamber of secrets. The diadem was hanging from Luna's finger, Harry held an old, yellowed basilisk fang in his hand.
"Do you mind, if I do it?" Luna asked quietly Harry nodded handing her the fang.
"We'll wait in the tunnel," Hermione said to Ron, taking his arm. Luna knelt in the water on the floor and put the diadem in front of her.
"I'll admit to almost putting it on, a few times." Luna said to Harry, thought she was still staring at the diadem.
"It want's you too," he said, "it'll do whatever it can to fight back."
She pulled her arm back and stabbed the sapphire with the fang. There was a shriek, and a flash of lovely purple light. Luna cried out and ran from the broken crown.
"Luna, Luna what are you doing?"
Luna had run to Harry, who was holding her, both of them facing the memory of a woman standing in front of them.
"Your mother?" Harry asked, Luna nodded. "She's not your mother, Luna, don't listen to it." Harry whispered.
"I know," Luna whispered back.
The woman was beautiful, and looked almost exactly like Luna herself, she was a bit slimmer, perheaps, and where Luna had bright blue eyes Mrs Lovegood's eyes were quite light green.
"It's Ravenclaws lost diadem, Luna," the woman said, "why would you-"
"Please get rid of it Harry!" Luna cried, Harry didn't need to be told twice, and darted forwards and scooped up the fang. Ignoring the shouting of the Horcrux, he drove the tip of the fang through the sapphire completely, it split, and then disintegrated, light flashed again, the metal of the diadem glowed hot and began to melt. And the Horcrux was gone.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, leaving the fang and the diadem on the floor. Luna nodded and he took her hand and led her from the room. The two met up with Ron and Hermione int he tunnel and the four made their way back into the castle.
"Harry," Neville had been waiting in Myrtles bathroom, and he grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him away as soon as they hard emerged from the sink. "You won't believe who's back, Umbridge has been here documenting Muggleborns. They're collecting them, and taking them to the Ministry to put them on trial!"
"What?!" Hermione cried from behind them. Harry turned to look at her. "Go to the room of requirement, we'll send Muggleborns to you."
Neville and Harry ran towards the Great Hall while Ron took Hermione to the seventh floor. The two boys shoved open the doors to face a large crowd of children scared out of their wits by the repulsive pink toad woman-
"Seize him!" Umbridge cried as soon as she saw Harry, "Mr. potter, you have been named an a enemy of the ministry-"
"Stupefy!" Neville shot, the spell hit Umbridge in the chest and she was blown backwards and remained quite still.
Her bodyguards had no chance, Harry and McgGonagall stunned them before they could draw their wands and Harry ran to the front of the hall.
"Ron and Hermione are on the seventh floor, send the Muggleborns-"
Harry stopped talking, grateful to Neville who took over. He reached into his moleskin pouch and pulled out the fake locket, because there, on Umbridge's chest sat the real Horcrux. Harry stuffed the fake one in his pocket and snatched the real one, stuffing that in his pocket too.
"What do we do now?" McGonagall asked. Harry looked up, to find only he, McgGonagall and Neville were left with the unconcious people.
"Modify their memories , start helping the Muggleborns hide." Harry shrugged. "Or we keep them prisoner?"
Minerva gulped, then nodded.
"If we take them prisoner we're declaring war with the ministry-"
"I'm pretty sure Tom already knew we were his enemies, I can't stay here anymore, not if I'm a criminal, at least not as a student."
"Alright, I'm really sorry about this Professor," Neville said, then stupefied McGonagall, catching her before she fell. "And me too, Harry, then you run."
Harry nodded, casting the spell and catching Neville as he fell, like Neville had done with the headmistress. For a bit of extra showmanship, cast some burning charms on the tables and walls and banners, and even pushed over some statues and place settings as he ran from the hall.
He went to the seventh floor, coming in to find most of the D.A. and most of the Muggleborns all milling about. Harry turned to Susan Bones.
"Go get Flitwick and go to the Great Hall, don't tell anyone you've seen me and say nothing about the Muggleborns."
She nodded and left, taking Seamus with her. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, pulling the Horcrux from his pocket.
"Oh my god, Harry!" Hermione said, grabbing the evil thing and trying to pry it open. "Where was it?"
"Umbridge had it." Harry said, "haven't the foggiest where she got it from."
Ron shook his head and took the locket. "Talk about blind luck."
Harry took it back hanging it around his neck. "And two to go now," he said with a sigh.
Hermione and Ron nodded. Then Hermione looked around the room.
"What are we going to do with this lot?"
"Help," Harry said, "we need to take them to their parents, tell them to go into hiding in the muggle world until after the war."
Hermione nodded. "Then we'll need a place to travel by floo," she said, and a portrait appeared on the far wall.
The crowd went to the portrait and looked at it. "It's empty," Ron said, Hermione shushed him.
"Look," she whispered. A young girl with blonde hair and an old blue dress was walking towards them. She had a secretive smile on her face, when she reached them, the portrait swung open, revealing a dark passageway.
Dean lit his wand, "who's coming with me?" Harry lit his too, passing the locket back to Ron for safekeeping and headed into the tunnel.