In the large library at the manor, a bored Draco drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Every couple of minutes, his eyes also flicked towards the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. To Draco it seemed as though the minutes were dragging by since a house elf had interrupted him showing Hermione around the manor to inform her that there were people from the Ministry here to talk to her. Even though they'd both half expected the interruption, Draco had still been disappointed as he'd been enjoying himself getting to know Hermione.

Although that wasn't to say they were already firm friends, as even with them both trying to get along, there had been awkward moments and silences when neither of them quite knew what to say to one another. Even so, Draco was confident that the awkwardness would pass the more time they spent together and the better they got to know each other.

Draco also couldn't help but wonder what was happening with the officials from the Ministry. He would have loved to have been there to witness what Hermione and his father were saying, but since he and Hermione were only just getting to know each other, it didn't feel right offering to go and support her. Besides, he knew his father would be right at her side and would make sure that everything went according to plan.

Hearing the library door creak open behind him, Draco turned in his chair, fully expecting to find Hermione returning. However, it was her ginger cat, Crookshanks, that sauntered into the room and padded his way over to him. Crookshanks had unexpectedly turned up at the manor a couple of hours ago, thanks to Severus, and Draco could tell that the cat was already settling into life at the manor. He had no doubt that the cat would end up totally spoiled as his mother was an animal lover and would more than likely dote on the feline.

"Make yourself at home," Draco muttered to the cat, when it jumped up on the empty chair beside him and began to curl up as though it owned the place.

Crookshanks glanced at Draco when he spoke, before turning his back on the blond wizard and settling down on the chair. Within seconds, Crookshanks was snuggled comfortably on the chair, looking as though he'd been there for hours. Shaking his head at the brazenness of the cat, Draco allowed his thoughts to drift back to Hermione and what was happening elsewhere in the manor.

Luckily for Draco, he didn't have to wonder for too long before the door to the library was pushed open again and this time Hermione entered the room. However, he immediately noticed that she had a frown on her face, and it looked as though she had something on her mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she picked Crookshanks up from the chair and took his seat, settling the cat back on her lap and stroking it's long fur.

"I guess so," Hermione replied in a small voice.

"You don't look okay," Draco stated. "Did something happen with the people from the Ministry? You're not worried that you'll be taken away, are you?"

"I know I'm safe here," Hermione assured him. "It just that things didn't go entirely as I thought they would."

"What happened?"

"When I got to your father's study, I found the Minister himself was here, along with an Auror who happens to be part of the Order."

"I take it he's a secret member of the Order given the Ministry's stance on your father's return," Draco remarked.

"I assume so," Hermione said with a shrug, having never really given any thought to the situation with the Order members who also happened to be employed by the Ministry of Magic. "At any rate, he didn't greet me as though he knew me. He just settled for trying to catch my eye."

"So what else happened?" Draco asked, sensing that Hermione hadn't yet reached the part of her story that was causing her problems.

"Fudge asked me what was going on, and instead of telling him everything like we'd talked about, I just dropped cryptic hints about Dumbledore. I said that he had the answers, and that he knew why I have left. I also mentioned Molly, and said she was also involved in my decision to leave. I then managed to mouth Sirius's name to Kingsley, he's the Auror who was with Fudge," she added, not sure if Draco would know who Kingsley was.

"So what's the problem?" Draco asked with a confused frown. "Even though you haven't told the full story yet, you've let the Ministry know that there's something going on. You've even let a member of the Order know that there's something strange going on. Fudge is bound to question Dumbledore, and even if he manages to avoid telling the Minister the truth, an Auror who's part of the Order knows something is going on. He's bound to press the issue with the Order, or at least with the Mother Weasel and Black."

"I know all that," Hermione conceded with a sigh. "And I don't for one minute think we've seen the last of Fudge. I'm sure he'll be back and I'll get to tell the whole story. I just hadn't meant to drop devious little hints about what was going on. It all just sort of happened."

"So what is really bothering you is the fact you acted like a Slytherin," Draco declared with a knowing smirk.

"Yes," Hermione confessed in a whisper. "When I said what I did to the Minister, your father gave me this proud smirk, and that's when I realised I'd acted just like a Slytherin."

"And you think there's something wrong in that?" Draco asked, sounding a bit harsher than he'd planned to, causing Hermione to look at him in surprise. "Sorry," he quickly apologised. "It's just that I'm proud of my Slytherin tendencies, and for what it's worth, I think most people have it in them to be devious if the occasion calls for it."

"But did the occasion really call for it?" Hermione countered. "We've already decided to expose what Dumbledore's done. What did I achieve by speaking in riddles?"

"You've likely put Dumbledore under even more pressure," Draco said. "The truth hasn't come out yet, but he must now suspect that you know it. And then chances are Severus will confirm his worst fears, and that will leave the Order in a right panic. From what I can see, you've just prolonged their suffering."

"But why would I do that?" Hermione whispered.

"Because they hurt you, Hermione, and you have every right to hate them," Draco said softly, leaning forward so he was almost close enough to touch the witch sitting in the chair beside him. "What they did to you was unforgivable, and it's perfectly understandable that you'd want them to suffer. And don't be ashamed that you've got a Slytherin side, because it's always been there."

"I doubt that," Hermione said with a light laugh, feeling slightly better after accepting what Draco was saying.

"Just think about the last four years at Hogwarts, and how many rules you broke," Draco said. "You've definitely got a mischievous, devious side to your nature, but that's okay. You are allowed to be more than the perfect Gryffindor princess, whose top of the class and teacher's pet in most subjects."

"I suppose you could be right," Hermione conceded with a small smile. "After all, you're more than the cold-hearted, stuck-up Slytherin everyone thinks you are."

"I am?" Draco questioned with a slight frown.

"Yes, you are," Hermione replied with a nod, her smile widening. "You've only really known me since this morning, but you've gone out of your way to help me adjust to how things now are. You've got a good heart, Draco, and I think you could be loyal enough to rival even the proudest Hufflepuff."

"Have you just called me a Hufflepuff?" Draco asked, his nose crinkling in distaste.

"There are worse things than being considered loyal," Hermione said with a shrug.

"I suppose there are," Draco agreed. "And there are worse things than wanting the people who kidnapped you a baby to suffer," he added meaningfully.

"I get it," Hermione said with a low chuckle. "Having some Slytherin in me, isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just don't want Voldemort to get the wrong idea. I want to get to know him and build a relationship with him, but I don't want him expecting me to stand at his side as he fights for whatever the hell it is he's fighting for."

"I'm sure he won't expect anything of you," Draco said. "He probably just thrilled to have you back. Now, do you fancy finishing the tour of the house? We were sort of interrupted earlier."

"Okay, but first I want to explore the library further," Hermione said, gently getting up and putting Crookshanks back on the seat to continue sleeping.

"Your wish is my command," Draco said with a grin as he also got up and led Hermione deeper into the vast library at Malfoy Manor.


Unaware of what else was going on in the wizarding world, a morose Harry Potter, lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what was to become of him. The summer holidays had barely started when he'd encountered a couple of Dementors, and he'd been forced to use magic to protect himself and his horrid cousin, Dudley. However, the Ministry seemed unconcerned about the danger he'd been in as within an hour of performing the Patronus charm, he received a letter warning him that he would have to face a hearing at the Ministry to decide if he would be allowed to return to Hogwarts.

The thought of not returning to Hogwarts, the only place he'd ever felt as though he belonged, made Harry feel sick to the stomach. He was just hoping that the people he loved would help his fight the unfair charges, but he wasn't even sure on that. Just after receiving the letter from the Ministry, he'd received one from the Weasleys, promising that they knew what had happened and were making plans for him to join them for the summer. However, with each day that passed without word from the family, Harry began to wonder if a return to The Burrow would ever happen. In his bleaker moments, he even worried that he would spend the rest of his life with the Dursleys, totally forgotten by his friends in the wizarding world.

"Harry!" Petunia Durlsey's loud screech echoed up the stairs and jolted Harry from his maudlin thoughts.

Reluctantly Harry rolled off his bed and leaving his bedroom, made his way towards the stairs. He only had to descend a few stairs in order to see his aunt, uncle and cousin all standing in the hallway with their coats on.

"Are we going somewhere?" he asked with a frown, not recalling any mention of them going out.

"We are," his uncle, Vernon Dursley, replied. "You're staying here."

"There's some leftover ham in the fridge and a couple of slices of bread for you to make yourself a sandwich for dinner," Petunia said icily, not needing to say that they would know if Harry helped himself to anything more from the kitchen.

"And don't wait up, we might be late," Vernon added. "Come now Petunia, Dudley, we're going to be late for dinner at this rate."

"Can I have meatballs and garlic mushrooms for my starter?" Dudley asked, shooting Harry a malicious smirk, delighting in letting his cousin know he was off to stuff his face while Harry had to made do with a pathetic sandwich.

"You can have whatever you like, pudding," Petunia said indulgently as the family bustled out of the house, not even bothering to say a final goodbye to Harry.

"Good riddance," Harry muttered, coming all the way down the stairs and seeing the family car slide out of the driveway and along the street.

With a sigh, Harry headed to the kitchen to make his dinner, before settling down in the front room with the television. He rarely got a chance to watch the television on his own, but he knew that as long as the set was switched off and he was in bed before the Dursleys returned home, they would never know he'd been watching it.

Half an hour later, Harry was totally engrossed in an American comedy show when a loud sound from outside interrupted him. It sounded as though something, most likely one of Mrs Figg's cats, had crashed into the bins, but even so, Harry pulled out his wand as he cautiously made his way to the front door. Prepared for chase whatever creature had disturbed the bins, Harry flung open the door, only to be confronted by a woman with pink hair being helped out out of the large bin by what looked to be Alastor Moody.

"Professor?" Harry asked warily, remembering that the last time he'd been in the presence of Moody, it hadn't been him at all, but rather an imposter.

"I'm not sure I've earned the privilege to be called that, Harry," Moody said with a low chuckle as he turned to face Harry. "Come along, Nymphadora," he called back to the witch behind him who was out of the bin, but now picking stray bits of rubbish from her clothes.

"Don't call me Nymphadora," the witch hissed, her pink hair briefly turning dark red before going back to bubblegum pink.

"Whoa," Harry muttered, his eyes widening at the sight.

"Don't just stare lad, let's move it indoors," Moody said, giving Harry a gentle push. "And don't put your wand in your back pocket," he tutted when Harry stashed his wand in his jeans as he headed into the house. "It's a good way to lose your buttock."

"Really?" Harry questioned, hastily removing his wand from his jeans.

"Don't scare the boy, Mad-Eye," the pink haired witch scolded, before grinning at Harry and offering him her hand. "Hiya Harry, I'm Tonks."

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said, already liking the bright and bubbly witch with pink hair. "But what is going on, Professor?" he asked Moody.

"We've come to escort you to Order headquarters," Moody replied.

"Order Headquarters?" Harry frowned. "What Order, and what headquarters?"

"The Order of the Phoenix," Tonks answered as though the name should mean something to Harry. Still with no idea what was going on, Harry merely shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll explain when we arrive," Moody said with a sigh. "We don't really have time to waste, not with what's going on at the moment. Go and quickly pack your trunk, Harry."

"What is going on?" Harry asked.

"What's going on is an old decision biting us in the backside," Moody muttered, suddenly looking weary and tired. "But you'll find out soon enough. Be warned Harry, you're going to be walking right into the eye of a storm."

"Not a literal storm," Tonks reassured Harry, who looked a bit worried about what Moody was saying. "But things back at headquarters aren't exactly running smoothly."

"Should I not stay here then?" Harry asked warily, not sure if he wanted to be somewhere strange when there was a drama occurring.

"It's best that you're with us," Moody said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Don't worry Harry, the Weasleys will be around, as will Sirius," Tonks said with a small smile.

"Sirius," Harry gasped, lighting up at the mention of his godfather. "He's back?"

"And dying to see you," Tonks said. "Go and grab your stuff and we can be off."

Not needing more convincing, not now he was off to see Sirius, Harry ran from the room and tore up the stairs to hastily gather his things and pack his trunk. In his excitement it didn't take long, and after only a few minutes he had his backpack on his shoulder, his owl, Hedwig in her cage under his arm, and was tugging his trunk noisily down the stairs.

"Allow me," Tonks said, suddenly appearing at the foot of the stairs and using magic to float Harry's trunk the rest of the way to the bottom.

Without the burden of the trunk, Harry flew down the remaining stairs, and with Tonks still in control of his trunk, he checked he hadn't left anything behind, before joining Tonks and Moody outside of the house. Three broomsticks were lined up on the Dursleys front lawn, which Moody told him were hidden from the eyes of the muggle neighbours. Not that Harry could really care less if the muggles saw him, he was just happy to be getting away from the Dursleys and going to see his godfather.

Once all of Harry's luggage was secured to the three broomsticks, the trio hopped on and rising into the air, they flew away from Privet Drive and towards Grimmauld Place. However, Harry had no idea of the mess he was about to fly into, and the devastating secrets he was about to learn.