Chapter 21
Inside the house, a tall red-headed man, handsome despite his scars, sat in the table, a cup of tea in his white-knuckled grip. "Hello," I said. I immediately noticed the wedding band on his finger. Pity. I stuck out my hand. "My name is Jack. Jack Harcourt."
"Bill Weasley," said the man, clasping my hand briefly.
"She helped us escape Malfoy Manor," said Hermione, her voice quiet. I nodded. His eyes narrowed.
"And what were you doing with the Malfoys?"
"If you think I'm a Death Eater… well, yeah, you probably would think I'm a Death Eater." I shrugged. "I'm not, but I can't think of a way to convince you. I'm a friend of Luna's, in any case. May I have a cup of that?" He nodded silently, pouring out a cup of hot, strong tea. I swirled in the milk and sugar, silently sipping it. After Ron had gone out to check on Harry, a remarkably beautiful woman with silver-blonde hair came down the stairs.
"Monsieur Ollivander is settled now… what is she doing here?" She spoke with a strong French accent.
"Jack Harcourt," replied Bill. "Do you know her?"
"Of course I know her! She's been in the Prophet for weeks!"
"Are you… are you talking about that ghastly wedding business?" Bill shook his head. "I skipped over those parts. Didn't think they were important."
"Honestly, I hardly paid attention to them myself," I said, setting my teacup down. I pulled up the sleeve of my blouse. "See? No Dark Mark. Not a Death Eater. You can ask Luna about it, she'll tell you the whole story."
"What story?" snapped the woman. Bill laid a hand on her arm.
"Fleur, I really think that Harry, Ron and Hermione should hear this. Perhaps we should wait for them." She nodded coolly, staring at me while she fixed herself a cup of tea. I sat by the fireplace, Fleur rejecting my offer to help clear up. Ron and Dean came and went, rarely exchanging words with me. Finally, after a small funeral for Dobby (which I stood awkwardly at the back of), everyone except Ollivander, Hermione, and the goblin, Griphook, was seated at the kitchen table. I fidgeted nervously, five sets of eyes upon me. Luna was staring absently around the room.
"Who are you?" It was Harry that broke the silence. I shrugged, looking at my hands.
"I'm… Jack. Jessica Harcourt. I'm the princess. I… ah… I've sort of been trying to be a double agent."
"It's true," said Luna. "We decided on it with the DA."
"So… yeah. I've been cozying up to the Malfoys."
"You've been doing a little more than cozying, it seems," murmured Fleur. I barked a laugh.
"Oh, you'll hate me for this…"
Hermione leaned forward. "What?"
"Oh, I slept with him." I shook my head, an extremely inappropriate smile touching my lips. "And then… I slept with his father."
Even Luna looked surprised. Their expressions ranged from shock to disgust. I could read Fleur's mind. Whore, it said. I shrugged. She was probably right. I didn't care. "It certainly gained their trust. Helped me help you." I leaned forward on my elbows, cocking my head to the side. "You see, I was with the Malfoys for the holiday when Harry, Ron and Hermione showed up. Luna and Mr. Ollivander were already there, though I wasn't clever enough to find them. But I helped them out. Because I am on. Your. Side." I emphasized the last three words, looking each of them in the eye. "I know you're not going to trust me, but I assure you, I am not who you think I am." They were silent. I stood, tossing my hair over one shoulder. "I hope that you all will come to trust me in time. For now, though, I wish to go to bed. Will that be acceptable, or do you have more questions for me?"
Bill cleared his throat, shaking his head. "No, you can go."
"Thank you." I stood and nodded to him. "I appreciate your hospitality."
The cottage was small, and so I ended up sharing a bed with Luna. Both of us passed out as soon as our heads touched the pillows. I felt as if I hadn't slept in years. The bed was soft, and Luna didn't steal blankets or snore. And I was nowhere near the Malfoys. Despite the fact that I was on the run from the law now, I felt safe.
Sunlight filtered through the windows. I bolted upright, confused. The bed was empty, but I could see the sea out of the window and smelled the salt in the air, and I remembered. Still in the clothes I wore yesterday, I wandered downstairs, where Fleur was sitting at the table.
"Good morning," I muttered. She nodded coldly. I gestured to the kettle. "May I make myself a cup of tea?" She nodded again. I brewed a cup and sat down with her, slowly sipping it. I hadn't made myself a cup of tea in a long time. It was usually in the hands of a house elf. It was more comforting this way. I stood by the window, gazing out at the sea.
"It's lovely here," I said.
"I'm sure Malfoy Manor is lovelier." Fleur's tone was like acid.
I snorted, a decidedly ungraceful noise. "It was cold. Like living with snakes." She remained silent. I sighed. "Are the others still talking to Ollivander?"
"Oui."
"Alright." I washed my mug and dried it with a flick of hot air from my wand. I opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight. I waited until Harry emerged from the cottage to approach him.
"Harry Potter." I approached him. He was standing, watching the sea. "May I call you Harry?"
"Yeah." He eyed me warily. He was skinny, drawn, and had a look in his eyes like a man hunted. It was difficult to believe he was my age. He had the posture of someone much older.
"I…" I paused, looking at my clasped hands. "I want to offer my services towards your cause. I wish to do my part. I spoke with Professor McGonagall about the Order."
He paused. "You know about the Order?"
"I do." We were silent for a while. He didn't look at me, gazing out over the ocean. After a while, he cleared his throat.
"Go back."
"What?"
"You were a double agent. You were in a place of power." He wheeled on me. "Why did you stop? Why did you throw that away?"
"I helped you escape!"
"We could have managed!"
"You don't know that!"
"Look," he huffed, "I know your trying to help, but we are perfectly fine. This is dangerous, you know. This isn't a game."
I sighed, looking at the ground. "I know that."
"No, you-"
"I know that. Did you forget me stunning Malfoy? Did you forget me getting that key? Did you forget what I've had to do? I fucked his father, for god's sake!" I snapped. He looked away. I leaned forward, whispering venomously. "You're not the only one who lost their parents to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Potter. You forget that sometimes, don't you?" I turned away from him. "The bastard deserves to die. And I will help do that. No matter what." I turned off along the shoreline, stamping towards the surf. Harry stayed behind. I sat down on one of the rocks, head buried in my arms. I had never felt so incredibly stupid. Was he right? Would they have made it out on their own? I could never know. I sobbed into my arms, the sea spray misting me.
I don't know how long I stayed out there. I raised my head when some fingers tentatively brushed my arm. "Jack?"
I sniffled and looked up. Luna was standing above me, her hair a silvery cloud in the sunlight. She looked concerned. I was immediately ashamed. She had been held captive for months, and it was my fault. Now I was no longer a double agent, and it was my fault. I wiped my eyes and looked up at her. "Yeah. Hi, Luna."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm the stupidest son of a bitch that ever walked the earth, that's what's wrong." Luna sat down beside me.
"No, you're not."
"Stop trying to make me feel better. Just say I'm stupid and that I deserve to die."
"You're stupid and you deserve to die." Luna's tone was as sarcastic as I had ever heard it. She faced me and pulled me to my feet. "You did help us."
"But what do I do now?" I whined. She pulled on my arm, tugging me back towards Shell Cottage.
"Now, we think of something."
Dinner was quiet that night. I talked with Luna, Ron and Bill. I wasn't on Fleur and Harry's good sides. The rest were too weak to come downstairs. The sound of the sea lulled me to sleep for another night.
It was a few days before Bill approached me. I was sitting on the bed, making incandescent butterflies flit from the end of my wand around the ceiling. "Hello… Jack." He rolled the name around in his mouth, obviously unsure about it.
"Hello, Mr. Weasley."
"Bill. Please."
"Hello, Bill." I turned around to face him, the butterflies disappearing into wisps of smoke. "What can I do for you?"
"I heard about your… conversation… with Harry."
"Ah hah. Yeah." I ran a hand through my hair, tousling the messier-than-usual curls. "That's one more reason for me to feel stupid. I pissed off the Boy who Lived. Good job, me."
Bill sat down on the bed next to me. "We're all under a lot of stress."
"And I'm just adding more, yes, I know."
"You're not," he said sternly. "You've done just as much as a member of the Order to help… if not more." He shifted uncomfortably at that last part, and I knew he was referring to my relationships with the Malfoys. "And now that you… escaped… you present a unique opportunity."
"I do, do I?" I was tempted to brush his pretty red hair out of his eyes, but we were both married. And I didn't need any more reasons for Fleur to hate me. "And what would that be?"
"A false informant."
"Pardon?" I was taken aback.
"Harry was right. You should go back," Bill continued. "Go back to them, bearing false information."
"No way." I shook my head, taken aback. "I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because…" my voice sank low. "They'll torture me. I'll give up your information." A small smile moved Bill's scarred mouth.
"That," he said, "Is something we can fix."
I sat in Hermione's room, on the end of the bed, terrified. "You're sure this'll be alright?"
"Of course," said Ron. "Hermione was the brightest witch in our year."
"That's great and all, but…" I shuddered. "This is my memory we're talking about."
"It'll be alright," said Hermione, raising her wand. "Just… stay still." Her voice was weak. I closed my eyes and waited.
"Don't warn me. I'll duck."
"I won't." I heard her mutter under her breath. "Obliviate."
