Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Puppet of Time
Chapter 4
Draco let out a long suppressed yawn when he half-stumbled out of the floo. The New Year reception at the Ministry had been long, tiring and boring. The main thing expected from him was presenting a good image and not getting into any trouble. That meant he had to follow his parents and his grandfather around while he was presented like an exhibition piece. Oh, he recognized all the hidden implications. One purpose was showing to the world that House Malfoy had a healthy heir in the young generation. Another one was familiarizing the other important people with him. Now it didn't do much, but in a few years these connections would come in useful. It was just standard practice for the important wizarding families, really. Still, it was very boring because no one took him seriously; he was just too young. There had been a few of his peers from Hogwarts there and he had talked a bit with them, but mostly he had been standing around. At the end he had trouble staying awake; his body was still young and needed its sleep. Aquila had accompanied them and she was even worse off than Draco; she seemed asleep on her feet.
Bleary-eyed he observed his father and grandfather discussing something when his mother turned around to address them. "Draco, Aquila, you did very well. I'm proud of you. Now off to bed with you."
"Thanks mother." Draco stifled another yawn. "Goodnight."
After arriving at his room he went through the process of getting ready for bed practically on auto-pilot. When he finally crawled under the covers he couldn't stop thinking about an observation he had made during the evening. His grandfather had hidden it well, but he seemed worried about something.
Abraxas poured himself one last drink before settling down in his study. He had things to think about and he wasn't that tired. At his age he found that he didn't need that much sleep anymore.
'I'm the last of the old guard. All of the houses that supported Voldemort in the past for a variety of reasons are now headed by people who followed him out of conviction, not out of expediency or for their own plans. Even the new Lord Greengrass leans in that direction; as long as old William was alive he kept House Greengrass strictly neutral. '
With the opposing houses like the Bones, Potters and Smiths severely damaged in the war there would be no real resistance from the Old Families should Voldemort rise again. The neutrals would either flee the country or come to some sort of arrangement. Alan MacDougal had made it clear to him the last time they talked that under no circumstances would he put up a fight. The survival of his House came first.
By now Abraxas was certain that Voldemort would return. There were a variety of rather vile options to protect oneself against death and Voldemort was sure to have taken at least some of them. The news Draco had brought from Hogwarts had convinced him of that. Something was attacking the unicorns in the forbidden forest and Dumbledore was hiding something in the school. At the same time someone was spreading rumors that Nicolas Flamel had given Dumbledore something for safekeeping, most likely a philosopher's stone. Taken together with the properties of unicorn blood there was no question that someone was prolonging his life with every means possible and wanted a permanent solution.
Granted, it could be someone or something else, but it didn't seem likely. To Abraxas knowledge there weren't any other dark wizards in Britain at the time who would have need of unicorn blood. Neither Voldemort's wand nor body had ever been found. The only indication that he was deceased had been the fading of some of the spells he had personally cast; like the Imperius or the Dark Mark. Now, normally that was a pretty good indication for a wizard's death, but it could very well be that Voldemort was still alive. Weakened, but still alive.
'What measures has he taken? It can't be a horcrux or phylactery; he would have reformed long ago if his body was destroyed. Storing his life force outside his body by the crystal heart ritual? That would have made his body nearly indestructible, but if it was completely destroyed in that Halloween night by whatever the Potters did it would leave him as a powerless spirit. The only problem is that he wouldn't be able to affect the world at all. Perhaps the rite of Nun'kun'tur? Or maybe he has the Bloody Tear of the Night in his possession. It's possible he found that enchanted ruby somewhere after it was lost more than a century ago.'
Abraxas sighed. There were just too many different forms of cursed immortality. Without further information it was impossible to tell which one Voldemort had used. That wasn't even considering the possibility that Voldemort may very well have botched whatever he was doing without realizing it or made up a new way to avoid death. In that case nobody could say for certain what might have happened. It would explain his decade-long absence, though.
While Abraxas had some general knowledge of the subject he was not especially familiar with the particulars – he had never even considered making a bid for immortality himself. The price made it not worth it. There were always consequences and he was content with leaving this world when his time came. That brought him back to his current dilemma: the status of the Old Families.
In hindsight it had been a brilliant move on Voldemort's part to invest the effort of recruiting as many as he could of younger generation of many of the Old Families. Abraxas suspected that he would have met a premature end as soon as practical to allow his son to take over; just what had happened to old Lord LeStrange and Lord Nott as well as several inconvenient heirs higher in the chain of succession. The young had been too impatient and blind to see that their Dark Lord was leading them to ruin.
Abraxas sighed in remembrance. At the time supporting Voldemort had seemed a good option. The man had enormous charisma and personal magical power, and he along with some of his fellow lords had seen him as a tool to sway the support of the masses. He would have been able to gather a large part of the wizarding middle class who made up the main part of the Ministry hierarchy. Together with the votes and resources of the sympathetic Old Families it would have been enough to take over the government. Unfortunately the man had started a civil war to achieve his goals.
At first most deaths seemed to be accidents, but over the years it had developed into a campaign of terror. Too many upstanding members of their community had been killed on all sides. Abraxas had wanted the influence of certain factions curtailed, yes, but he didn't want them to be killed. Instead of the hoped for recovery an even greater decrease in strength had happened.
The truly sad thing was that the war had been completely unnecessary. Had Voldemort remained the leader of a purely political movement he would have made Minister for Magic more than a decade ago.
'There's nothing to be done about it now. Still, Voldemort will face hardly any opposition in case he returns. At least effective opposition. The old fool has no place leading a war, but they will turn to him as always.'
Unfortunately there wasn't much more that he could do. What funds and assets he could secure without anyone noticing were already safe from his son. Most of the family secrets would be kept from Lucius. He would have wished for more allies, but there were too few of the Old Families left. The Ministry had degenerated into a bunch of busybodies that clung to Dumbledore's coat-tails, were secret Voldemort sympathizers, changed their opinion according to the latest bribe or were hopelessly incompetent at the truly important tasks. Some contacts would be useful for Draco, but not many. Their society respected age; Draco wouldn't be listened to by most people until he came of age. Even then those people would turn to his son, not his grandson.
Abraxas had toyed with the thought of letting his son suffer a… permanent mishap. In the end he couldn't bring himself to do it. Despite all the things he had done over his long life, eliminating a close family member wasn't a thing he was able to do. In the end he did love Lucius. For better or worse, Lucius would take over after Abraxas died.
Thinking about these things filled him with melancholy. He saw the possible ruin of their society coming and could do nothing about it. His only hope was that Voldemort wouldn't return until his grandson was ready. He did have an insurance policy. In the case of his death his compiled findings about Dumbledore and Voldemort would be delivered to Lord MacDougal and Amelia Bones. They weren't exactly allies, but both of them were relatively independent. The main projects in his remaining time in this world would be helping young Harry, teaching his grandchildren and chipping away at Dumbledore's power and reputation as best as he could.
His hand tightened around his drinking glass when he remembered the last session of the board of governors. Normally the troll incident and whatever was stored on the third floor should have been enough to dismiss the old fool from his position, but as always he had managed to coax the governors to do what he wanted, namely ignoring the issues. There wouldn't even be an investigation. Even if a dragon or something was running around at Hogwarts Dumbledore would somehow be able to get the governors on his side. Oh, he probably had to expend some gold and favors to supress everything; that was the only thing that made the affair palatable.
'At least the creation of the simulacrum is going well. Draco did well by procuring one of Harry's hairs on such a short notice.'
Another Malfoy was lying in his dark bedroom besides his sleeping wife and thinking dark thoughts. The reception had once again reminded him of the fact that he still hadn't succeeded his father. Lucius had waited already far too long in his own opinion to assume the position. If the old man hadn't pulled off that miraculous recovery he would have become Lord Malfoy years ago. Instead Abraxas poisoned the minds of his children with visits to the muggle world and similar things. Draco was even allowed to befriend a mudblood! In their clandestine meetings Nott rubbed it in his face that he was the leader of the pureblood coalition, not Lucius. It was simply no longer to be born.
'Father can no longer be allowed to besmirch the Malfoy name. It's past time for him to go on his next great adventure, as the old fool Dumbledore says. I will have to be subtle and patient, though. Not even the slightest shade of doubt can be allowed to fall on me. I will have to dispose of some objects discreetly. It won't do if they are to be found here.' His thoughts lightened somewhat when an idea entered his mind. 'Perhaps I can kill several birds with one stone.'
Daphne Greengrass silently contemplated her changed situation while brushing her long blond hair. After her grandfather's death Uncle Liam was now head of House Greengrass. Her father's older brother had made it clear at the family gathering that he wouldn't tolerate any 'fraternization' with blood traitors and other undesirables as he saw them. Unfortunately his definition seemed to include a good chunk of Hogwarts' population. Even at her young age it was clear to her that her uncle would steer House Greengrass towards an alliance with the coalition headed by House Nott.
There would be no resistance from her father; while he didn't share her uncle's extreme views he would never go against the express wishes of his brother. That meant she would have to associate with certain people and shun the company of certain others. Unfortunately there weren't many people that fulfilled both the criteria her uncle had set and that she personally liked. She almost gagged at the thought of having to play nice with Theo and Pansy, the self-proclaimed leaders of the Slytherin first years. Oh, Theo was clever, no doubt, but Daphne just plain didn't like him. Pansy's company was nearly intolerable, but there was nothing to be done about it. She would have to don her mask and put on a convincing front of being the girl's friend. Daphne really didn't look forward to doing that for her remaining Hogwarts years. Blaise Zabini was the only Slytherin of her age group she could stand for any length of time. Unfortunately he was a boy. She needed to make another female friend who didn't have her brain surgically removed if she wanted to stay sane.
'Blaise's family only arrived in Britain a few years ago, but he is a pureblood and a Slytherin, making him acceptable. Draco should be safe to converse with as well even if he isn't in my house. Uncle Liam doesn't like his grandfather but respects his father. Most of the other girls in my year are out for one reason or another. Draco's friend Morag might serve, though.'
Aquila waved Draco goodbye until the Hogwarts Express was out of sight. The visit of her brother had been great, but now he was gone again.
"In nine months I will board the train, too." she mumbled to herself.
As soon as she had returned to the side of her family they got in line for the use of the floo station on the platform that would take them back to Malfoy Manor. Back to the boredom of her lessons and rather lonely existence. Sure, she occasionally visited families with children her age, but it was a far cry from having her brother in the house. Aunt Cassie had grown increasingly frail during the last months and rarely left her home anymore. Her mind was prone to wander and sometimes the old woman forgot who Aquila was.
She needed something to do; some project to occupy her thoughts. Suddenly an idea came to her. Ginny was going on and on about how she would one day marry the Boy-who-lived in her letters. Frankly, it was beginning to get on Aquila's nerves. Subtly dissuading the girl from that endeavor would be a worthy pursuit of her time. It would have to be done carefully of course; she didn't want to alienate her pen pal. No friend of hers would simply chase after a boy unthinkingly. The natural state of things was the other way around. As Aunt Cassie always said, men should know their place.
The voice of her mother cut through her thoughts. "Come along, Aquila. You are day dreaming."
"Sorry mother."
Draco leant back in his seat on the Hogwarts Express and began clearing his mind. Now that all the customary conversation after being separated over the holidays was out of the way he had a bit of time for himself. Morag was reading as usual while Stephen and Kevin were playing a quiet round of Wizard's chess, giving him time to think. Later he would seek out some other people on the train.
Aquila had missed him terribly and hardly left him alone during his visit. He rather enjoyed the company of his little sister, but it had taken up a lot of his time.
He felt a little guilty about not telling his grandfather about the horcrux in his possession, but he couldn't take the risk of his grandfather taking some unfortunate, hasty actions. If the enemy had only been Tom or if his grandfather had longer to live it wouldn't have been a problem, but the true opponent was Dumbledore. The man's misguided actions would bring ruin to the world if left unchecked. Draco didn't want to destroy any Horcruxes prematurely – it would have given the game away. As dangerous as it was Tom would have to rise again to create the necessary openings to bring Dumbledore down. Hopefully it would be possible without damaging their society beyond repair.
The funny thing was that if Dumbledore hadn't begun his little game to draw Tom out of hiding the would-be Dark Lord would have permanently perished on his own in a few years. Even funnier was the reason for that: Tom had made more than one horcrux.
A horcrux anchored the soul in the mortal realm. If the owner was killed it would pull the soul to its location. Then it would begin to absorb magic and raw life force from the surroundings. If a certain threshold was reached a new body would be created and the owner revived. That was the theory, at least.
With several horcruxes the soul would be pulled in several directions at once, making that impossible. In fact Tom's soul would be slowly ripped apart until the main entity dissolved. Each horcrux would hold an equal part of the original soul, not enough by far to be used for a rebirth. The more horcruxes the quicker the process. It would start slow at first and then gain speed. Draco's best estimate was that around ten additional years of wraith-like existence would have sufficed for Tom to never be a danger again. Oh, the horcruxes would still be extremely dangerous dark artifacts, but Tom himself would not be able to return. Unfortunately the process would be slowed down if he regained a body of his own or possessed another one. Like he currently did with Quirrel.
'Dumbledore has absolutely no concern for the safety of the students. He has to know Tom is possessing Quirrel, but he isn't doing anything about it.'
His grandfather had made a stink about some of Dumbledore's actions like the dangerous Third Floor or the troll incident, but the revered Headmaster had been able to deflect all questions and inquiries. The only thing it did was chipping away at his reputation and costing him some favors.
Harry was coming along nicely. When Draco compared the other Harry with the real one the sorting into Hufflepuff had done him a world of good. His grades were not exceptional but good enough, probably because Weasley's and Granger's influence in the other timeline had canceled each other out. More important was Harry's mental state. He seemed happier and more relaxed.
Draco's own network of friends and acquaintances continued to grow at a steady pace. He was no one's enemy and maintained ties into all houses. Already some of the first years began to seek his help. Even if he couldn't help them personally he could send them on to somebody who could. It would only grow more pronounced over time. Draco considered it good training for his adult life. In most scenarios he would be involved in politics and knowing people would come in useful. His grandfather and even his father approved.
Aside from that he was always in the top five of the classes, as documented by the grades of the last term. Draco attributed that mostly to his more adult mindset. He could easily achieve first place in all classes, but he had judged that too suspicious. Hermione had the honor of being the best student in Charms, Transfiguration and Defense against the Dark Arts, with Harry being hot on her heels in the last subject. Neville was the best in Herbology while Theo Nott excelled in Potions. Only in History of Magic and Astronomy Draco occupied the top position, mostly because he and Morag hadn't shared the secret of the proper book and knowledge of the stars was important for his divination talent, respectively. It was the closest thing to an education in actually working divination he could get at Hogwarts. He would stay as far away from Trelawny as he could.
Secretly his control over his magic continued to expand and he could successfully cast some third year spells. He was still missing many of the theoretical underpinnings and unfortunately he still lacked the power for most of the more powerful spells, but that was a thing only time would cure.
'Ask me for anything but time.'
Old snow scrunched under Ginny's feet as she plodded towards the broom shed. A few moments later she soared towards the sky on Percy's broom. The wind was biting cold, but she simply couldn't bear being pent-up in the house any longer. Her dad was working at the ministry while her mother was visiting Aunt Muriel all day. Thankfully Ginny had been able to bow out by pretending a headache. If she saw the old harridan on her death bed it would be too soon. On the bright side it gave her the opportunity to fly. She simply loved flying, but her mother never allowed her to mount a broom. Well, she had simply taken to breaking into the broom shed when nobody was watching.
After performing several quite daring maneuvers for about ten minutes Ginny reduced her speed to a slow pace. She kept the broom just above the tree tops while she made her rounds over the orchard, relaxing a bit.
The visit to Romania and Charlie during the holidays a month ago had been exciting, but now it was back to her boring and lonely routine. Day after day of teaching by her mother began to wear on her, especially because Ron wasn't there anymore. She didn't like him that much (Charlie and especially Bill were her favorites), but he had divided their mother's attention.
At times Ginny found the overbearing attitude of her mother suffocating. With her being the only one at home it had grown nearly unbearable. The only bright spots were the letters from Aquila every few days and the few opportunities when she could sneak out to fly.
The letters of the Malfoy girl had opened an entirely different world to her. A world of House politics, intrigue, marriage alliances, balls and similar things. It was completely different from what her parents taught her. The Weasleys were not a rich or important family. They were purebloods, yes, but they had never belonged to the first circles. Some of them had made their way in the ministry, but most had been craftsmen of different sorts. The Prewetts on her mother's side had been generally better off, but even they didn't belong to the Great Houses. There were just so many things she didn't know.
And Harry Potter belonged to those lofty circles, as Aquila had pointed out. Certain things would be expected from the future Lady Potter. If she wanted to have any chance with him she would have to learn. Aquila had been happy to oblige and sent her books about etiquette, estate management, hosting social gatherings and all the other things a young lady was supposed to know. Ginny had to hide those from her parents; they wouldn't approve of her writing to a Malfoy, much less taking lessons from one. Surprisingly Aquila did know more about the Muggle world than Ginny. For all her father's fascination with all things muggle he wasn't exactly a spring of accurate information.
That was important, too. Harry had grown up in the muggle world. He would expect his wife to be comfortable there. It had nearly shattered Ginny's world when she learnt that nothing written in the books about him was true. From what Aquila wrote her Harry was nothing like the hero the books described or the tales her mother told her as bedtime stories each evening.
Ginny snorted when she thought about it. The third-hand information about Harry from Aquila was far more accurate than anything her own brothers wrote her. Percy had only mentioned casually that Harry seemed to be a rule-abiding boy who didn't get into trouble, the twins had described him as dull and Ron… well, according to Ron's letters he was best friends with the Boy-who-lived and knew all sorts of things about him. According to Aquila's letters nothing could be further from the truth. Apparently Ron had gotten on Harry's bad side from the start and was viewed as a nuisance. Between the two of them she knew whose words she trusted, and that someone wasn't her brother.
Ginny sighed. The pictures of the Boy-who-lived and the real Harry Potter just didn't seem to fit together. Did she have a crush on Harry Potter the hero or Harry Potter the boy? Ginny honestly didn't know. She would have to see for herself when she went to Hogwarts in September. One thing was certain; she never wanted to become a stay-at-home wife like her mother. She wanted independence, glamour and adventure.
"Draco, can I talk to you privately for a minute?"
The aforementioned boy looked up from his book. "Sure Daphne. Just let me finish what I'm working on. It won't take long."
The blond girl gave him a nod and Draco returned to his work. For several minutes the scratching of his quill was the only sound in the mostly deserted library. It was an early Saturday morning and most students were still sleeping. Some fifth and seventh years were already studying for the exams in a few months, but they were the only ones. His friends were still asleep when Draco had left the Ravenclaw dormitory about an hour earlier. After returning the book to its shelf Draco furled his parchment and tucked it into his bag. When he looked at Daphne he saw that the girl was in a somber mood. Perhaps some cheering up was in order.
"Milady, would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to breakfast?" he asked with a bow.
The hint of a smile ghosted over Daphne's features and she curtsied. "How could anyone withstand such a polite request? Lead away, milord." When he reached her she snaked her arm through his offered one.
After they left the library behind and nobody was there to overhear them Draco voiced a question. "What can I do for you, Daphne?"
Daphne stayed silent for a moment, probably to compose herself. "Would you let me join your group of friends? I tried to approach Morag on my own, but you know how she is."
That he did. Morag rarely spoke, and she didn't have any real female friends as far as he could tell. He had noticed Daphne hanging around more often in the last months. Still, the request was unusual. "Why is that? I thought you joined Pansy's group."
"I did, but not willingly. You are aware of House Greengrass' new leadership?" Seeing his nod she continued speaking. "I want alternatives, Draco. Theo is bearable, but if I have to listen to another of Pansy's imbecilic rants about proper clothing or blood superiority I will strangle her."
The blond boy chuckled lightly. "Such a violent attitude. I like that."
That comment earned him a slight slap on his shoulder. "Be serious. You are acceptable company in my uncle's eyes, as is Morag. I won't be able to escape the Slytherin girls completely, but it will help."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "You do know that Morag doesn't talk much?"
Daphne shrugged. "I don't care. It's either that or pretend for the rest of my time at Hogwarts that I'm an obedient little follower. I really have better things to do with my time than to cultivate the rivalry with the Gryffindorks, antagonize Potter and the Hufflepuffs or slander muggleborns."
"Why are you telling me this? What do you want?"
Once again Daphne shrugged. "My grandfather respected your grandfather and told me much. I watched you. You seem to be following his example. Everyone can see that the fanatics didn't do us much good. I don't want to be dragged into things when the next Dark Lord rises, but with my uncle in control my family will be in the midst of it. You offer a way out that won't get me tossed out of House Greengrass. I don't care about ideology one way or another."
Draco had to think about that for a few minutes and they continued their way in silence. These revelations were unexpected. Daphne had been one of the children he had been in loose contact with before Hogwarts, but he didn't know her well. He honestly didn't know if the other Daphne had harbored similar views to the real one. After all, the other Draco had (incompetently) occupied the place Theo Nott now held. The other Daphne had kept her head down the entire time before disappearing during her seventh year. Some rumors about her fleeing to Africa and marrying one of the wizard kings of the African confederation had reached the other Draco's ears in later years, but nothing more.
Daphne had always been very different from her younger sister Astoria, in character as well as looks. The blond sister had possessed a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit, the brunette while not stupid had been more or less average intelligence-wise. Daphne had cultivated an aura of aloofness that had caused her to be called the Ice Queen of Slytherin by some people. Astoria had been very much a social animal.
In the future the other Draco had married Astoria Greengrass to cement a political alliance, but it hadn't been a happy marriage. It wasn't that they hated each other. There simply hadn't been any shred of emotion or real attraction between them. They had put up a front for the world and went about their own business in private. After the birth of their son they had never shared a bed again. Here it touched some of the memories Draco hadn't explored yet; they had the equivalent to a sign reading 'do not watch until puberty' on them.
Apparently the silence had stretched for too long as Daphne continued speaking. "I'm not as childish as many of our peers. Mother and Grandmother trained me well, not like those simpletons Pansy and Tracy. I can see what you are doing, just like I see how Granger has made Longbottom her project and ticket into high society. She might even succeed if she can win his grandmother over."
"Oh? And what is it that I'm doing?"
"You are building a faction. You do associate with purebloods as well as muggleborn to some degree, keeping your options open and making you a neutral. More importantly, you aren't an idiot who lords his family over everyone. As I said I don't want to take one of the old sides, meaning I want in on yours. I can be your contact into Slytherin." Daphne explained.
They had almost reached the great hall. There wasn't much time left for him to make a decision. "Very well, I will talk with Morag about it. As far as I'm concerned you can join, but it's her call if she wants you as a real friend. How about we meet this afternoon at the shores of the black lake, right by the old oak?"
A rare full smile graced Daphne's lips. "Thank you, Draco. You won't regret this."
They split up to their respective tables when they reached the great hall. He hoped Morag would accept Daphne as more than an acquaintance. It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity.
Several hours later Morag accompanied Draco over the snowy fields surrounding Hogwarts. It was already mid-March, but the winter proved to be persistent in the Scottish mountains. By now he had given up on figuring out how she managed to perceive her surroundings with her head buried in a book. Morag hadn't said much other than that she wanted to meet with Daphne herself after Draco explained the situation. Draco took it as a good sign. His red-headed friend was very picky about the company she kept and anything other than an outright refusal was a very good sign.
As expected Daphne awaited them at the agreed upon spot. "Hello Draco, Morag."
Before Draco could say anything Morag spoke up. "I have to give it to you, you are certainly persistent."
Then a second thing happened Draco hadn't expected.
Morag put her book away.
A moment later Morag's piercing ice-blue eyes met Daphne's inscrutable grass-green gaze. Seconds stretched into minutes and still the girls were staring into each other's eyes. Draco didn't have the slightest idea what they were hoping to achieve by that, none of them were proficient in legilimency as far as he knew.
Suddenly Morag smiled. "I like you. Let's be friends."
Daphne blinked in confusion before she too began smiling. "Great. Anything you like to talk about?"
"Several topics come to mind, but not in the present company." She turned towards Draco. "Thank you for your help. Now go and plot the takeover of the world or whatever you're doing all the time."
Shaking his head Draco left the two to their girl talk. Morag had always stayed away from other girls and now she and Daphne were suddenly friends. Who could understand females? Two girlish giggles sounding from behind him caused him to fasten his speed. Never before had he heard Morag or Daphne giggling like that; surely the world was coming to an end.
Albus Dumbledore smiled genially while he presided over today's dinner. He always enjoyed watching the children. It served to remind him of his purpose: To make a better world. Being the Headmaster of Hogwarts gave him the unique position to subtly steer all of Wizardkind towards the future by influencing the young generation.
It had come as a bit of surprise when Harry was sorted into Hufflepuff, but it had always been a possibility. The sorting hat was more than a bit unpredictable and Albus had remained open for all contingencies. It wasn't anything to be concerned about, really. All things considered, loyalty might even work better than courage in the end. Pomona wasn't as easily influenced as Minerva, but that just meant he had to invest a bit more effort and be a bit more forceful. Harry was developing acceptably after a few subtle prods here and there, but he was growing a bit too confident. A message to Petunia reminding her of the underage restrictions might be in order.
It was unfortunate that young Ronald hadn't managed to strike up a friendship with him. The Weasleys were such a good family and always open to his suggestions. Well, it could always happen in the future. For now he had to work with Harry's current crop of friends. Two witches from notable Light families and a muggleborn made for a good environment, even if he had to take more intrusive measures with them than he really liked. Alas, he couldn't take the chance that one of them brought certain matters to either their parents' or Harry's attention.
Albus frowned mentally when his eyes fell on the young Mr. Malfoy. It was always heartwarming for a member of such a dark family finding the way to the Light, but he had an unfortunate influence on Harry. From what he had gleaned from the boy's mind it wasn't a deliberate effort to disrupt his plans for Harry; he just was a generally helpful person. Unfortunately it would lead to complications if Harry learned the wrong things at the wrong time. Harry's close friends had already been dealt with and the more general Hogwarts wards dealt with the rest, but he couldn't do the same thing here. Old Abraxas was paranoid, ruthless and well-versed in the mind arts. If he found proof for something untoward he could make life even more difficult for Albus. The man's actions on the board of governors were bad enough. That meant anything truly effective would be too suspicious. He would have to try something subtle and hope for the best.
His mental frown deepened when his gaze swept over Quirinus. The man had only been supposed to spread some rumors in Voldemort's vicinity to draw him out, not to act as a host to possession. Alas, it seemed poor Quirinus had given in to the darkness. Now it was too late and Albus had to work with the situation.
'I need to gauge the effects Voldemort and Harry have on each other. Harry suffers from headaches whenever they are in close proximity; that much I know. Perhaps I should force a confrontation between them early?'
The prophecy simply had to be fulfilled. It was the only way.
Draco was studying together with Morag and Stephen in a corner of the Ravenclaw common room when Kevin approached them.
"Hey Draco, have you heard the latest news? Potter is in the hospital wing. Apparently he, Finch-Fletchley and Nott had detention in the Forbidden Forest. Something happened, but none of the other two is talking. Or at least Nott isn't; Finch-Fletchley wasn't with them at the time." Kevin said.
Draco frowned. "Detention in the Forbidden Forest? What in the world did they do to earn that?"
Kevin shrugged. "No idea. It's probably why Hufflepuff lost a hundred points a few days back."
Stephen hummed thoughtfully. "I heard from Ernie in Hufflepuff that Professor Sprout and McGonagall got into an argument a few days ago and another one earlier today. Do you think that this is related?"
Kevin was quick to answer and soon the two of them were engrossed in spinning a conspiracy theory involving the Hufflepuffs taking over the world and the Gryffindors taking a stand to prevent it. Morag didn't look up from her books, but it was always very hard to tell with her if she listened or not.
Draco stayed silent and not because he was studying. No, he had just realized something. He hadn't spoken to Harry for almost two weeks. Even in the month before that their meetings had become more sporadic. For everyone looking from the outside it would just seem like they had slowly grown apart. It was completely different from Draco's perspective, though. His plan called for regular, low-key contact with Harry. Breaking contact for no good reason simply went against that. That meant something was wrong with him.
'I will have to check my mind as soon as possible.'
A few hours later he drew the curtains of his bed closed and began to meditate. The complicated and esoteric procedure wasn't a normal part of occlumency, but the other Draco had sought the knowledge out and sent it back in time. Being able to check your own mind for anomalies was a very useful skill.
Midnight had long passed when Draco found what he was searching for. It was an incredibly subtle compulsion lodged in his subconsciousness to avoid contact with Harry. Draco had never seen such a subtle but effective spell. Even an in-depth legilimency scan would have trouble picking it up. The compulsion didn't control his actions, but it nudged him into a general course of action. He would rationalize his behavior without any further input. A normal child would never have noticed anything. Now that he knew what the problem was it was easy to consciously break the compulsion.
'Damn, the old man got me good. I never noticed him casting any spells at me.'
As far as he could tell nothing else had been done to him, but that was hardly any consolation. Apparently even his low-key contact with Harry had been enough to rouse Dumbledore's suspicion, but not enough to resort to more drastic measures.
'I have to keep some contact with Harry.' Draco thought. 'If I use meetings with Justin as a pretense I can probably get away with some limited conversations. The school year is almost over anyway; I'll have to think it through carefully during the summer.'
Theodore Nott turned restlessly in his bed. He was pretty sure he had seen the Dark Lord in the forest for a moment. If only he hadn't panicked! Now the chance to make contact was gone. At least he could tell his father that the Dark Lord was still alive. For whatever reason the Dark Lord was in hiding Theo didn't know, but he was sure he had good reasons. That meant the knowledge couldn't be allowed to spread further.
In retrospect getting caught while trying to expose Potter and the mudblood when they smuggled a dragon out of the castle was a lucky coincidence. Even more so was the detention in the Forbidden Forest. Without that he would never have seen the Dark Lord.
He frowned. Why had he felt the need to spy on Potter? Yes, he had seen him with the dragon in Hagrid's hut and learnt that Hagrid's associates would arrive that night at the top of the tallest tower to take him away, but why had he spied on him in the first place? Furthermore, traipsing around in the castle at night was just stupid. That wasn't how he worked. He could just have let Professor Snape know; the man would have handled it from there.
A slight rippling in the air caught his attention. Before he could form another thought a sleeping spell hit him. Theodore never heard the sigh and the aged voice of the invisible visitor.
"I'm sorry Mr. Nott, but some things are better kept secret. You played your part acceptably. Obliviate!"
"Why do we need to know which batty old wizard invented self-stirring cauldrons? We aren't even allowed to use those in Potions class." Stephen grumbled.
"Relax, the exams are over." Kevin placated him. "I'm sure we all passed."
The two continued speaking about the History of Magic exam, but Draco tuned them out. Morag and Daphne seemed to do the same. With the exams over there was just one thing left this term, namely the attempt at the fake philosopher's stone. With the confrontation in the forest taking place roughly like the other time around it was almost certain that it would happen, too. Tonight was his best guess, but there really wasn't anything he could do. He would have to let things play out.
From their position on one of the grassy slopes Draco had a good view of the school grounds. The day was sunny and warm; students were relaxing all around and enjoying the day; the giant squid was playing with the Weasley twins and another Gryffindor. He could see Harry's group stretched out in the grass under a tree by the lake. Harry had been rubbing his scar an awful lot in the last few days; a sure sign that something was wrong.
"I wonder who sends an owl at this time. Don't they normally arrive in the mornings?" Kevin asked when a post owl made its way to Hogwarts.
"Not really. They come in spread all over the day, but they can hardly interrupt the classes each time a student gets mail, can they? The owls just wait in a special owlery until they are allowed to deliver their load." Draco answered absentmindedly. His attention was on the group of Hufflepuffs now hurrying towards Hagrid's hut.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Hey, what are you doing during the summer holidays? I'll be in Spain the entire time; my family owns a house there." Kevin remarked.
That led to them sharing holiday plans. Stephen would help his father with his business while Draco, Morag and Daphne had no detailed plans aside from tutoring by their families.
"Well, we can always stay in contact via owls or floo. I guess I'll see Draco at the midsummer ball of the ministry at the latest. What about you, Morag?" Daphne asked.
The voice of the red-haired girl was slightly muffled by her book. "I will be there this year, too. Draco, I expect you to dance with each of us."
The blond boy let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yes dear."
After a moment of silence Stephen and Kevin guffawed loudly while Daphne giggled. Morag's current book collided with his head, but she didn't put any force behind the blow. "Behave."
Draco smirked. "Yes dear."
The boys and Daphne laughed even louder. A few seconds later Morag and Draco himself joined in. After they had calmed down the group lapsed into silence and just enjoyed the day. A glance to the side showed Draco that Kevin and Stephen were now dozing in the sun, as were the two girls of their group. For once Morag wasn't reading and just enjoyed the sunshine. Not much more was done that day.
On the evening Draco waited until his roommates had drifted to sleep before he retrieved a small silver bowl from the secret compartment of his trunk. He left the dormitory for the restroom, careful not to wake anyone. Once there Draco filled the bowl with water and locked himself inside one of the toilets. Hopefully he would remain undisturbed.
A bit of concentration and mumbled incantations later the water surface showed a blurry image of the three-headed dog. The quality wasn't good, but Draco didn't want to risk using the Room of Requirement. Until he mastered enough spells to move undetected another nightly visit there was far too dangerous. He would have to make do with what he had.
When he shifted the view he saw that the Devil's snare had been partially burned. The pieces of the chessboard in the next room were just taking their original positions again.
'No unconscious body. I guess Justin is a better chess player than the Weasel.'
In the next chamber he saw Justin, Hannah and Susan standing around anxiously. Harry was sitting on a broom and bracing the three-dimensional moving room. A strange blind spot caught his attention. Apparently someone was standing there to the side under heavy duty concealment charms. At his current skill level and with this equipment he couldn't see through it, but he could see that something was there.
'Probably Dumbledore.'
Harry managed to reach the other end of the room and pulled the lever. A moment later the blocks formed a stable path through the room. The three Hufflepuffs and Dumbledore followed. The next room only contained an unconscious troll, but the logic puzzle stopped the group's advance for a time. Judging from her gestures Hannah was arguing a point. Some further arguing and a potion later Harry walked through the flame barrier, leaving his friends behind. Before they could do anything they suddenly slumped to the floor unconscious or sleeping. The invisible figure bent over each child before it simply wandered through the flames.
Without sound the confrontation between Harry and Quirrel wasn't especially interesting. His scrying only showed Harry putting up a good fight for an eleven year old, but it wasn't enough. It ended with Harry grabbing Quirrel's face. In the next moment Draco lost the contents of his stomach. Luckily he was in the right place for that. Quirrel's flesh boiling away and a dark shade ripping out of his body had been far more horrible to behold than he had thought.
After Draco recovered enough to continue his scrying he saw that Dumbledore had dispelled his invisibility and was now tending to Harry. Quirrel was only a mass of boiled, half-molten, ripped flesh. Draco couldn't make out details, but apparently Dumbledore did some spell work on all the Hufflepuffs. He ended the scrying with the image of Dumbledore levitating all of them out of there.
'What a bastard. He could have taken care of Quirrel the entire time but chose to do nothing. Well, there's nothing more to do for me. Hopefully grandfather will manage to get Harry away from his relatives as soon as possible. After that experience he will need help from a mind-healer or at least someone sympathetic.'
Harry endured one last hug from Susan and Hannah under the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Abbott before they had to part ways. Susan's aunt didn't have the free time to collect her; she would accompany Hannah. Justin had already departed, but Harry wanted to delay his inevitable meeting with the Dursleys as long as he could.
"Hope you have a good holiday." Hannah said when she released the hug.
"Oh, I will," said Harry. They seemed surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."
Hannah and Susan giggled. With a last wave to them he turned towards the gate. A wizened old guard was standing besides the barrier, letting them through in twos and threes. When it was his turn he immediately ducked into the crowds as he spotted a familiar redhead surrounded by other redheads.
'Why are Ron and the Weasleys out here? The floo and the apparition point are on the platform.'
"Ready, are you?"
It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Aunt Petunia and Dudley were nowhere to be seen. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." Vernon said before he walked away.
Harry followed in the wake of his uncle. 'He does have one good thing going for him; no one is likely to stand in his path if he can help it. Crushed-by-walrus is not a nice death.'
Unbidden the memories of Quirrel's last moments rose from his memories. The blistering, almost cooking skin sloughing off from the man's face under Harry's hands... his unearthly screams mixed with the shouts of Voldemort to kill him...
Harry shoved the memories down. He didn't want to think about that. Years spent with the Dursleys had given him the ability to ignore things if he didn't want to face them, like the gnawing hunger if he was confined to his cupboard for days without food.
A silent car drive later he unloaded his trunk from Vernon's car and dragged it into the house. His uncle was already waiting for him. The moment the front door closed he began to bluster. "Boy, I don't know what they teach you at this school of yours, but we will have no freakishness here. You will stay in your room when you aren't busy with chores. Now hand over that stick of yours."
"But uncle, I won't like that. It just might happen that Dudley regains his tail… like by magic." Harry said, suppressing the smirk that threatened to appear on his face.
The voice of his aunt pitched in unexpectedly. "That's not true, Vernon. They aren't allowed to do you-know-what outside of school. My sister bemoaned that every summer."
A dangerous glint entered the fat man's eyes. "Is that so?"
Harry had hardly time to blink before he found himself on the floor. His left cheek hurt.
"That's for lying to me. Now give me that stick of yours."
Grudgingly Harry handed over his wand. A few minutes later Harry was confined to his room. It had a few new locks on the outside and a cat flap installed. Iron bars before the window made an escape impossible. His wand had been thrown into his trunk and stored in the cupboard under the stairs. Hedwig was still confined to her cage, hooting unhappily.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have known Aunt Petunia knew the underage restrictions.'
This looked to become one of the worst summers of his life.
Three days later, Harry tiredly dragged himself to his bedroom, slipped inside and closed the door. After one day in total confinement the Dursleys had let him out to work. He even got fed, thanks to their 'generosity'.
Harry turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it. Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. More disturbing was what was lying beside it on the bed. It looked like a naked person with dark hair and green eyes simply staring at the ceiling.
A squeaky voice spoke. "Dobby is sorry."
The creature snapped with his fingers and something wet splattered on Harry from above. A moment later everything went black.
Slowly the world swam into focus. A face was directly before him. Bushy white eyebrows, shoulder length white hair, a twirled mustache and a pointed beard. Cool grey eyes examined him closely. A moment later the person leant back and Harry could see that he was sitting in a chair across from him.
"Good, you are awake. The paralysis should wear off soon. You are currently safe, Mr. Potter. I mean you no harm. My name is Abraxas Malfoy. Draco is my grandson."
"What have you done to me? Where am I?" Harry managed to croak out. His voice wasn't working right. From what he could see he was inside some bedroom.
"I have had you removed from the care of your… guardians. We are currently at Dew Cottage. There is a relative here that would very much like to see you." the man answered.
"I… I have other relatives than the Dursleys?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. Speaking was becoming easier by the second.
Mr. Malfoy chuckled. "You have a lot of relatives from your father's side, Mr. Potter. Draco is actually one of them. Can you walk?"
Different half-formed thoughts whirling in his head Harry simply complied with the request. Draco had always spoken highly of his grandfather. For now Harry decided to go along with him. Well, that and everyone who wanted to get him away from the Dursleys was good in his book. Harry's legs were still a bit shaky, but after a few steps it got better.
"Good, the potion had no ill effects. I apologize for abducting you, but otherwise you would never have been allowed to leave."
Harry was confused. "Why? I don't understand."
The white-haired man sighed. "There are many things you don't know. Without the necessary knowledge there can be no understanding. I will explain more later on, but we have kept our host waiting too long already. Come along, young man."
With these words Mr. Malfoy put his hand on Harry's shoulder and led him out of the bedroom, through a hallway and down some stairs. It was clearly a wizard's home. The magical pictures were a dead giveaway. The old man stopped before a door and knocked. When no answer came he opened it and ushered Harry inside.
It was some sort of drawing room. A black-clad old woman was sitting in a rocking chair, staring out of the window. Her black hair was streaked with grey. When Mr. Malfoy cleared his throat she turned towards them. Her eyes widened. "James, is that you?"
"Have you taken your medicine, Cassie?" Mr. Malfoy asked gently before Harry could answer.
"Oh, silly me. I must have forgotten." The woman rummaged in one of the pockets of her robe until she retrieved a small bottle filled by a blue liquid. After she took a sip the bottle once again disappeared in her pocket. From one moment to the next the gaze of her blue eyes became far sharper and much more focused. "Ah, much better. You must be Harry. Don't you want to greet your dear old grandaunt properly?"
Harry's confusion only grew. "Excuse me, but who are you?"
The woman's eyes swiveled to the man at his side. "You haven't told him anything, have you, Abraxas?"
Mr. Malfoy shook his head. "No, I haven't. We couldn't risk openly speaking with him where certain parties could intervene. Just now I judged meeting with you as quickly as possible was more important than telling stories. He knows barely anything in general and practically nothing about his family."
"Could someone please tell me what is going on here?" Harry asked in an irritated voice. He didn't like it when people talked about him like he wasn't there; he got that enough at the Dursleys.
A sigh came from the old witch before she turned back to him. "I'm Cassiopeia Black. You can call me Aunt Cassie. My little sister Dorea was your grandmother. I have been looking forward to meeting you for years."
Harry's thoughts came to a crashing halt. 'There is someone there who actually wants to see me.' A moment later he shook himself out of his stupor. 'Stupid, naturally I have grandparents. I just never thought to ask.'
A slight shove from Mr. Malfoy signaled him that he should get closer to his aunt. When he approached her she suddenly reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. Harry immediately stiffened. He still wasn't used to being hugged, even if Susan and Hannah did that a lot to him. Still, this was the first time an adult hugged him. It didn't seem like Aunt Cassie wanted to release the hug anytime soon, so he tried to relax. His emotions were far too chaotic to form coherent thoughts. Casually he noticed the sound of a door. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had left them alone.
Suddenly something wet hit his face. When he looked up he could see Cassie crying, but she was still smiling. It only confused Harry more. "Why are you crying?"
The old witch sniffled a bit before hugging him even tighter. "I'm just happy to see you, Harry. You are family. My brother and cousin tried for years to find you and get custody. I almost didn't believe anymore that I would get to meet you."
That only added to Harry's confusion. The Dursleys obviously never wanted him, so why was he forced to stay with them when there were relatives who cared for him?
Meanwhile, Cassie continued speaking. "There are certain powerful people who never wanted us to meet. Many things have been kept from you, Harry. Don't worry, we will keep you safe."
"What about the Dursleys?" he asked anxiously. "Professor Dumbledore said I had to stay with them. Won't they notice that I'm gone?"
Cassie let out an angry snort. "There are measures in place to hide your absence. You will be staying with me for this summer. There is no way I will let you return to those horrible muggles. I won't let them hurt you anymore."
Harry liked that. He had still thousands of questions, but that could wait. For the first time in his life he had someone who cared for him. This looked to become the best summer of his life.
Author's notes: It has been quite some time, but I finally managed to complete another chapter. Thanks for the reviews.