Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Puppet of Time
Chapter 5
"Look into my eyes, Harry. Try to relax. Legilimens!"
There was a moment of resistance when Abraxas encountered the natural barriers of Harry's mind, but for a legilimens of his level it was child's play to slip by the barriers without damaging them. A bit of carefully targeted pressure and Harry slipped into a trance-like state. He wouldn't notice the passing of time until Abraxas was finished. There really was no need for the boy to relive his memories. Then he began sorting through Harry's mind. It was rather unorganized place; typical for someone never taught mental discipline.
It was the second day of Harry's stay in Dew cottage. Abraxas had given Harry and Cassiopeia as much time together as possible, but today he finally wanted to learn why Dumbledore was so focused on the boy. He felt a little bad about lying to Harry (he had said he was just doing some health checks), but it would take too long to gain the boy's trust and ferret everything out. Reading his mind was much easier. He would simply remove the memories of it later.
Several hours later Abraxas ended his exploration of Harry's mind. He was angrier than he had been in a long time. Abraxas hadn't been especially close to the Potters but no child of an old family should have been subjected to this. Harry had been systematically abused by the filthy muggles Dumbledore had left him with. It was mainly emotional abuse, but there was some amount of physical abuse thrown in. His natural curiosity and ambition had been almost completely stamped out. The same was true for his self-worth. Harry would blame every little thing that went wrong on himself. The damage to his psyche was enormous and long-lasting. Subtle signs for obliviations and other kinds of mental influence were all over the place. This obsession with the philosopher's stone was simply not natural. Against any sort of competent wizard the traps would have been a bad joke, meaning the thing was staged from the beginning. At least he now had the certainty that Voldemort was in some state of incorporeal undeath.
He finally knew what Dumbledore wanted Harry for. He was the old fool's weapon against Voldemort, perhaps combined with other plans. There was no other explanation; Harry had been practically thrown against Voldemort. The interesting part was that Harry had a devastating effect against Voldemort's vessel. He would have to investigate that further. Unfortunately the simulacrum interfered with a closer investigation.
Abraxas forcibly calmed himself. He had to think things through carefully before he acted. Now that he knew for certain that Voldemort was still around and trying to come back it changed things. It was only a matter of time until he succeeded. The problem was that there was no one left who would fight him competently. In fact, he was almost certain that his son and many others would join him again, especially because Abraxas had only around one and a half years left. Without him there to pull the strings the Ministry would flounder around ineffectively. Dumbledore's faction was totally inept at fighting such a civil war.
'There's only one solution. I have to get Draco and Aquila out of the country with as many funds as I can manage. It is the only way to secure the family's future. Once they are grown up they will have to decide for themselves if it is worth returning to Britain.'
A psychopath like Voldemort would ruin the country before long, even if he managed to win his little war. That left Harry and Dumbledore's schemes.
'I could bring it to the Ministry, but Dumbledore was very careful. There is no direct proof that he knew about things.'
There was circumstantial evidence galore, of course. Unfortunately it wouldn't be enough. There were still many people who almost worshipped Dumbledore and would give him the benefit of the doubt when he presented himself as a bleeding heart who had put his trust in Harry's muggle aunt. No one would be able to prove beyond a doubt that it was different, not with the evidence available. Even if Abraxas somehow managed to get Dumbledore dosed with Veritaserum (which was very unlikely) he would most likely be able to give extremely misleading answers. That was one of Dumbledore's specialties and he was an accomplished occlumens, after all. The man seldom lied outright, he misled and gave half-truths.
If he wasn't mistaken the host of monitoring charms that was currently attached to the simulacrum of Harry could be dispelled from Dumbledore's side without leaving a trace behind. In the same vein he would be unable to prove that it had been Dumbledore who had mentally influenced Harry. The stuff at the school with the traps and other things wouldn't cast a good light on Dumbledore, but once again it wouldn't be enough to actually prove malicious intent and get people to actually take action. The non-actions of the Board of Governors were proof enough.
All in all the chances were better than even that Dumbledore would get away with things if Abraxas went public at this point. Even worse, he would identify Abraxas as an enemy who was on to his game. That was completely unacceptable.
'I suppose I could try to hide Harry or remove him from Britain. Unfortunately the simulacrum will break down in a few months and I can't make a new one so soon. That means all the monitoring charms will snap back to Harry.'
No, that wasn't a solution. Dumbledore would twist it into an abduction case and use his international contacts to track him down. Since Abraxas couldn't use the help of the blood purist families it was likely he would succeed. While his contacts were manifold and his fortune large it wouldn't suffice. He had no legal right to Harry's custody and his efforts of getting Sirius out of jail weren't any more likely to succeed than in the years before. Not to mention that it was doubtful how sane Sirius would be after ten years in Azkaban.
That meant Harry would have to return to Hogwarts this September. Which meant Dumbledore would surely try to read his mind. Unfortunately it was impossible for Harry to learn occlumency to a sufficient degree in the available months. He would have to seal Harry's memories away and give him those of the simulacrum. At least his friends in Hufflepuff seemed to do him a world of good.
'Time; I need more time.'
Cassiopeia would die soon. She was practically abusing the potions to keep her mind clear and most likely wouldn't see the next Christmas. Abraxas hated the fact that he couldn't do anything about it, just like with Pollux and Arcturus. If he had been able to find another moonsilver cauldron he could have brewed the same potion that had extended his own life, but his search had been in vain. The one alchemist he had been able to contact demanded such a high price that it would bankrupt both House Malfoy and House Black. He had been forced to let his friends and allies die.
Lucius was working on Fudge, slowly turning him away from Dumbledore. In about a year they should have enough influence over the minister to convince him of their view of things. Unfortunately he couldn't exactly tell his son what he was working towards; and he didn't have the time to do it himself. It slowed the process considerably. Fudge was an idiot, but idiots could be useful nonetheless. The process of shuffling known Dumbledore supporters to less important positions was already beginning. It would make Voldemort's eventual takeover even easier, but Abraxas needed the influence now.
Abraxas came to a decision. Harry would have to endure another year. In the next summer Abraxas would unseal his memories and make his final move, unleashing all the evidence at once. It was cutting it close to the end of his time left in this world, but if everything went well he would get legal custody of Harry. That would enable him to remove all the tracking spells on Harry permanently. Then he would send Draco, Aquila and Harry out of the country. One of the members of the African Confederation should do nicely. Dumbledore and Voldemort would remain a problem, but it would give them time outside of the influence of both warring wizards. Time enough for the children to grow up. He didn't like abandoning Britain or leaving his son and daughter-in-law behind, but the future of his family came first.
All he could do for now was teaching Harry the most important things he had to know and making sure he had a good summer. On second thought, it would probably be better to tell him personal things about his family and leave the other things for another time. Draco knew the Black family secrets that were Harry's birthright as well and he could teach him later. It wasn't as if Harry would be able to make use of them after he sealed his memories. No, the important thing was telling him about his family as long as there were people who remembered them personally. The scheduling problems would be immense, but somehow he would manage. It would be Cassie's last summer; Aquila would want to spend as much time with her as possible. Unfortunately she couldn't protect her thoughts to a sufficient degree, meaning she couldn't be allowed to learn about Harry. Draco's occlumency was good enough that he could risk letting him visit occasionally, though.
Harry was having the best summer of his life. He didn't have to do any chores and Aunt Cassie was very nice. Her house was very orderly and neat, but it wasn't the sterile, clinical orderliness he knew from the Dursleys. It was more that everything had its proper, natural place in the cottage. As long as he put things down in roughly the same spot he had taken them from Cassie didn't mind if he explored. In fact, she encouraged his curiosity. The house was a treasure trove of interesting magical things, even if he found Aunt Cassie's trophy room creepy.
Mr. Malfoy visited every few days, bringing news and teaching Harry. The man was a great teacher, stern and patient at the same time. He learned more about the wizarding world and his family than he had in the entire last year at Hogwarts. From time to time he would take him out to the muggle world under glamour charms. A day on the beach here, a visit to an amusement park there and Harry was happier than he had ever been. The man was the grandfather Harry had never had. Cassie never accompanied them though; she said she wasn't comfortable anymore with leaving the cottage. Additionally other relatives who couldn't be allowed to know about Harry visited during his excursions. The only thing that he didn't like was that he couldn't use magic. Mr. Malfoy said that it would interfere with the simulacrum.
Currently Harry and his great-aunt were examining a photo album showing several relatives he never knew about. Uncles, aunts, cousins galore and of course his grandparents and his father.
"This was your father's eighth birthday. The woman in the corner there is my cousin Callidora, her husband Harfang Longbottom and their two children. It was a great party, but James had only eyes for the racing broom Charlus had bought him. I think your grandparents indulged your father more than they should have done, but he was their only child. He was a right rascal." the old woman explained.
"What about my mother?"
Cassie sighed. "I never properly met her, unfortunately. By all accounts she was a brilliant witch. I must admit I and James didn't get along well when he grew older. He firmly believed in Dumbledore's talk of the Light, and after that philosophy I'm as Dark as one can get. After your grandparents died when he was still in school he cut all contact with me and the other Blacks. He married your mother right out of school and joined the fight against the Dark Lord on Dumbledore's side. I never saw him again until he died."
"Why do you hate Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked after a moment of silence. "You always speak his name with loathing."
"You mean besides the fact that he is responsible for leaving you with those horrible muggles? That he bleats his mantra about not wanting power, but he is the single most influential wizard in our society? That he practically made Hogwarts his personal fiefdom?"
Harry didn't know what to say. He had still trouble wrapping his mind around the concept that Professor Dumbledore had deliberately kept all other people from adopting him and forced him to stay with the Dursleys. That he had played him during the entire year was hard to believe, but he had to admit there were far too many suspicious things.
Suddenly Cassie let out a low chuckle. "You're right, Harry. It isn't the only thing I hold against him. Have you ever heard of Gellert Grindelwald?"
The bespectacled boy could only shake his head.
"I thought so. He's only the most terrible Dark Lord that Europe saw this century. That useless ghost is still not teaching the important things."
"Worse than You-know-who?" Harry asked.
"Much worse. For all the terrible things You-know-who did he was mostly limited to Britain. Grindelwald tried to conquer all of Europe and he had a shot at victory." Cassie explained.
"But what has that to do with Professor Dumbledore?"
Cassie's voice grew icy. "For years we fought against him and his army. Britain as a country stayed mostly out of it, but the Old Families fought. We fought and bled and died. Then, when we finally had shattered his armies and driven him into a corner the oh so great Albus Dumbledore deigned to sweep down from his precious school and fight against an already defeated man. To this day the ignorant public hails him as the hero who defeated Grindelwald and won the war, the ones who made the real sacrifices forgotten. How many could have been saved if the old fool had gotten off his bony arse earlier? He only came when his contribution no longer made a difference. For that I hate him."
"Did you fight in the war, Aunt Cassie?"
The woman nodded. "I did. I lost friends and family. I saw the only man I ever loved die. Sometimes I wish Grindelwald had succeeded in taking Dumbledore down. It would certainly have solved many of our problems."
She continued to tell him about the background of the war, the involved factions and philosophies. Grindelwald's 'The Greater Good' was a terrifying concept. It could justify any atrocity. One thing he found strange was why everyone tried to fight against Grindelwald. From what he knew the man had been a wizard supremacist. He had noticed in the past year that almost all wizards seemed to regard muggles as lesser people. Why had they fought against him if he held the same views? When he asked his question Cassie chuckled again.
"Harry, Dumbledore and his ilk want you to think in terms of black and white. The truth is that there are only countless shades of grey. It is true, Grindelwald believed in the superiority of wizards. The overwhelming majority of wizards does the same in one way or another. That doesn't mean we wanted to be ruled by him." Then Cassie began with an even more detailed explanation.
Harry had trouble following her. He had learned a bit about politics and philosophy in primary school, but it was completely insufficient.
Cassie noticed after a few minutes that he wasn't really listening anymore. "Harry, say something if you don't understand. We don't have the time to waste."
"Sorry, Aunt Cassie."
"It's alright. You simply lack the basics. Normally your family would have taught you these things, but I don't think we have enough time. I can give you only one advice. Stick to your family and your friends. Protect them. Family is the most precious thing in the world."
Harry nodded. That seemed to be very sensible advice.
Narcissa Malfoy proudly watched her children flawlessly complete the last steps of the formal dance and bow to their partners. The midsummer ball at the Ministry was one of the foremost social occasions of the year. In contrast to most other balls that catered to the adult population the presence of children was encouraged. It was the second time for Draco and the first for Aquila to participate, eleven being the minimum required age. Both were behaving according to their station.
Aquila was acting quite charmingly and did the House of Malfoy proud. In a couple of years she would turn every boy's head.
Draco had danced with most of the eligible young ladies of his age once and two times each with Daphne Greengrass and Morag MacDougal; a clear show of preference. Now that the children were allowed to mingle freely the three were standing together and conversing. Narcissa was quite happy with his choice of friends. Both girls were of the Old Families, even if they belonged to the minor branches.
"Your son is quite the lady's man, Narcissa. He cuts a fine figure. My granddaughter speaks very highly of him." the dowager Lady Eleanor Greengrass remarked. "Maybe we will see a union between House Malfoy and Greengrass in a few years, eh?"
Narcissa inclined her head in agreement. "We can always hope. Lord Malfoy has refused for Draco to be betrothed, though. "
"A shame, really. I had high hopes that Lord Malfoy would consent to a match with my daughter. They make such a nice pair." Priscilla MacDougal said. "Morag greatly enjoys his company. Did you know…"
After a few moments Narcissa tuned Priscilla mostly out. The woman was an unbelievable chatterbox; the polar opposite of her daughter. Instead she observed Draco who was now conversing civilly with Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson. Her husband might have wanted a marriage alliance with House Parkinson, but she could see that it would never work between Draco and Pansy. It was clear that her son preferred the company of intelligent and educated females. The second criterion might be fulfilled if you didn't look too closely, but the first one…
While arranged marriages normally didn't rely on love it was always preferable that at least some amount of attraction was there. Or if the prospective groom could stand the bride's presence. Dislike could easily lead to hate. From there it wasn't far to all sorts of… tragic mishaps. Which would be very counterproductive to the original intent behind the marriage. Besides, Narcissa would prefer a daughter-in-law who could hold an intelligent conversation.
A change in the background music saved her from having to listen to Mrs. MacDougal any longer. It was time for the opening dance of the adults. She excused herself and went in search of her husband. It didn't take her long to find him deep in conversation with Lord Nott and Lord Greengrass.
"Lucius dear, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the opening dance will start soon."
"It is time already? Excuse me, my lords. My lovely wife requires my presence." he said before taking her hand. The other two men chuckled good-naturedly.
"How are Draco and Aquila holding up? I lost track of them a while back." he asked when they took position on the dance floor.
"Both did very well." She nodded towards the side of the large room where Draco and Aquila had joined Abraxas. "Aquila made a flawless debut. Draco seems to have taken a liking to Morag MacDougal and Daphne Greengrass. It's probably too early to say if anything more will develop out of it."
The beginning of the dance made it impossible for Lucius to answer, but the smirk on his face showed his approval. Both connections would be acceptable. Soon they were swept up in the dance and Narcissa just enjoyed the evening. The political and social games between the highest echelons of their society were her passion and this evening was one of the most important of the year. Now that she knew that Aquila could handle herself her earlier tension had disappeared. She hadn't really expected anything else from her daughter, but the first impression was very important. Any faux pas would be talked about for months.
Several hours later in the quiet of her private study Narcissa jotted down every development and observation of the evening. Who talked with whom in what manner about which subjects; everything was important.
'Amelia Bones didn't bring her niece. The young Longbottom wasn't at the ball this time either. From what Draco told me he is rather clumsy and lacks self-confidence. The rumors about him being a squib are unsubstantiated, though. Probably a wise decision on old Augusta's part.'
It was always better to delay introduction into society for a few years than suffering an embarrassment. The other most interesting fact was the number of Flints present. They were an upstart family, but they had many members and had managed to stay a coherent unit over four generations. Some members were in relatively important positions in the Ministry, others accumulated wealth in trade. They had supported Voldemort, but through a stroke of luck only very few of them had died or were convicted. All in all it looked like they would be successful in forming a new House if they could keep it up.
Finally Narcissa put the quill down and rubbed her tired eyes. She was handling most of House Malfoy's social commitments while her husband covered the Ministry and her father-in-law the business side of things as well as the rest of the politics. In the last months Abraxas had given them more and more authority. Before that he had always held tightly to every scrap of power, not considering his period of temporary frailty about seven or six years ago. It was obvious that he was preparing for the transition of power, this time for good.
Sometimes Narcissa couldn't help but feel sidelined. After his recovery Abraxas had taken back control of House Malfoy as well as her children's education and brooked no interference. He had obviously his own ideas about proper upbringing. She couldn't really fault most of them, but she was very uncomfortable with how much contact with the muggle world he allowed. Still, it made sense considering how much money they made this way. The power and influence of a family was only partly based in blood; wealth was even more important. To be at the top of society you needed both the pedigree and the money to back it up.
'I wonder where he disappears to so often. Sometimes he even takes Draco with him. There is so much I don't know.'
It hurt her that she had been excluded from many of the meetings of her father-in-law, her grandfather Pollux Black, Arcturus and Aunt Cassie. The last one especially; during her childhood Cassie had been her favorite aunt. It was clear they didn't trust her and Lucius, but she couldn't imagine why. Now that Arcturus and Pollux were dead there were no more free male Blacks. The business interests had been entrusted to different stewards until a new Lord Black could take over. If she was reading things right the lordship would fall to her son after her cousin Sirius' death. They had probably imparted all the family secrets to Draco, or at least the place where he could find them later.
'No, that isn't right. I know why they don't tell me things.'
It was her husband they didn't trust and they knew she couldn't keep secrets from him if she thought he needed to know. She loved him too much for that. That didn't mean she was blind to Lucius' faults. He wasn't stupid, but his arrogance caused him to underestimate other people. Too rash and too overconfident of his own abilities as a wizard and schemer, it was only a matter of time until he made some critical mistake. Not that she was without fault. Despite her political acumen she never managed to completely hide her disdain of her social inferiors.
Abraxas clearly felt that Lucius was a disappointment, but taking Draco's age in account there was no other heir available. When she disrobed to join her husband in bed she thought about the secretive behavior of all family members in the last few months. Even Aquila seemed to hide things. Something was clearly up.
Draco laughed when he flew a corkscrew around Harry and opened the range between them. It was a very rare occurrence that he managed to outfly the young Potter. Not that his success lasted long; Harry was already regaining lost ground. Flying was a passion they shared, but Harry had noticeably more talent than Draco. Not that he minded. Draco enjoyed flying for its own sake; it wasn't a competition. After another half-hour of flying they finally had enough and landed on the meadow at the side of the cottage. It was then that Draco noticed Harry's mood had shifted. He seemed pensive and somewhat sad.
"Hey Harry, is something the matter?"
Harry shook his head. "It's just… it's very hard to believe that I will forget all this soon."
"Grandfather talked with you about that already?" Draco asked.
"Yeah. He and Aunt Cassie explained to me that they couldn't get me away from Professor Dumbledore until next summer. It's important that he doesn't learn that I wasn't with the Dursleys. Did you know that he can read thoughts?"
Draco nodded. "I do. Dumbledore tried it on me several times during the last year. I'm pretty good at occlumency; much better than anyone my age has ever been."
Harry sighed. "How did you manage it? I mean, you did know about me, but you never gave a hint."
The blond boy shrugged. "It was hard. I knew who you were the moment you entered Madame Malkins, but I couldn't risk telling you anything. I tried getting as close to you as I could without being suspicious, but Dumbledore hit me with a compulsion spell to stay away anyway."
"I still find it hard to believe that Professor Dumbledore would do such things." Harry said, shaking his head.
"Well, that begs the question why do you trust Dumbledore that much? How often did you talk with him? What did he do to earn your respect?"
Harry frowned. "Now that you mention it, I don't know. Everyone always tells me how great a wizard he is. I only talked with him during the holidays and when I was in the infirmary. Oh, and he gave me the cloak as a Christmas present."
"Well, the thing is yours by right. I wonder why he had it in the first place. But if you think about it, is that the action of a responsible adult? Giving a child the means to move through the castle undetected? I mean, he already knows you use it to break the rules. The sensible thing would have been telling you about it and keeping it safe, not sending it to you anonymously."
Harry snorted. "You always sound so grown-up, Draco."
Draco shrugged. It was true. He couldn't really hide that he was far more mature than his peers. Luckily mature behavior was expected from the heir of a pureblood house, or wizarding children in general. The muggle ideas of a carefree childhood hadn't really penetrated much of magical society. "I'm sorry we can't do more, Harry. I promise I will look out for you as much as I can."
"Thank you. You are a true friend."
In Draco's opinion Harry had been surprisingly understanding when it was revealed that Draco had known about him since they met for the first time. Or when they explained what they knew of Dumbledore's machinations. He had expected some tantrum at some point, Harry was a child, after all, but he had calmly accepted everything. His best guess was that Harry was so glad that he had family that nothing else mattered.
'He is so trusting and naïve. Surprising really, considering his upbringing. He will never make a good politician.'
Suddenly Harry continued to speak. "Aunt Cassie doesn't have long to live, does she?"
Draco's eyes grew a bit misty. He liked Aunt Cassie. "No. I don't expect we will see her again after this summer. She practically abuses her potions to stay coherent the entire time, but even without that I doubt she would have lived more than one or two more years."
"She shouldn't do that. Not for me."
Draco gripped Harry's shoulder. "Never say or think you aren't worth it. That isn't for you to decide."
Sometimes Draco found Harry's mentality difficult to deal with. As a human, wizard and most importantly heir to an Old Family there were things that were his right, but the boy didn't seem to see it that way. Harry was selfless, but not in a good manner. He just didn't value his own life and interests enough; the beginnings of his saving-people-syndrome were clearly recognizable.
'Damn Dumbledore for creating a martyr. At least we were able to counteract it early.'
His grandfather had spoken at length with Harry about his experiences, especially the death of Quirrel. Originally Harry had repressed the memories, but now he seemed to be at peace with what had happened. It would take a great deal of work to undo all the damage done to Harry's psyche over the years. For a moment he wondered if he should activate some of the hidden spells his other self had presumably cast on Harry.
'No, the time isn't right. We aren't out of the woods yet. Better to keep it hidden for now if things go south. I don't know if it would interfere with the simulacrum anyway.'
The simulacrum was a very interesting and practically forgotten piece of magic. It looked like Harry, acted like Harry, thought like Harry and held Harry's magic, complete with all spells cast on him. The original intent had been to swap it with an enemy without anyone else noticing, but it had fallen out of use due to its limitations. Despite all the magic it held it couldn't cast spells and every spell cast at it affected the original, too. Additionally it lasted for little more than three months even under optimal conditions and you couldn't create a new one of the same person for years.
Soon it was time for him to leave. This was the last visit he could manage this summer. In three days his grandfather would send Harry back to Privet Drive. Dobby had faithfully brought them all letters and took the answers back, the arrangement with the Finch-Fletchleys to pick Harry up in mid-August among them. The little elf had really excelled himself. He stayed at Privet Drive almost permanently to watch out for problems and would soon need time to recover. House elves were household servants. You could use them for other means like they did now, but it harmed them in the long run both mentally and physically. Of all their elves only Dobby had been able to do it in the first place. His worship of the 'Great Harry Potter' had allowed him some astounding bits of mental flexibility that bordered on insanity (for a house elf).
After giving his great-aunt a parting kiss on the cheek he turned towards his cousin. "Goodbye Harry. I'll see you again at Hogwarts even if you won't remember it for a while."
Harry only nodded. If Draco wasn't mistaken the bespectacled boy's eyes were growing moist. Not wanting to delay any longer he approached his waiting grandfather. "Grandfather, I'm ready."
An apparition later he was back at Malfoy Manor. When he returned to his room a surprise awaited him.
"Where were you?" his sister Aquila asked, sitting on his bed. "You always disappear."
"I'm sorry, sister. I can't tell you."
Aquila stamped her foot. "Why won't you tell me? No one tells me anything."
Draco sighed. It didn't look like Aquila was ready to let it go. "Important family secrets." He held up his hands in defense. "I know you won't tell anybody. Unfortunately there are people who can take the knowledge right from your mind. I know enough occlumency to prevent that."
Aquila chewed on her lip for a moment. "Can you teach me?"
"I can try. It isn't easy, you know."
"Please Draco." she asked, making a cute face.
Draco sighed again. It was hard to refuse his sister anything. That started his first attempt at teaching her. When they finished an hour later there had been no progress, not that Draco had expected any. Like all pureblood children from important families Aquila had some basic training in occlumency, but nothing more. It would alert her to blatant attempts at mind-reading. Against a legilimens as skillful as Dumbledore it wouldn't even be a hindrance. The minds of children were usually too chaotic and immature to achieve the necessary discipline. Most people who studied the art only achieved a more or less useful proficiency long after they became adults, with their emotional teenage years safely behind them. Draco himself was an exception to the rule. Still, occlumency in all its different forms was widespread enough to make the use of veritaserum in trials ineffective and inadmissible as evidence.
Finally satisfied Aquila left the room, giving Draco some much appreciated rest. He used the time to rethink his next steps. The success of his grandfather in getting Harry out of Privet Drive was surprising to say the least. It hadn't been in his original plans, but it was a welcome development. If his grandfather managed to get them out of the country it would make things so much easier. Sure, Dumbledore would try to get Harry back, but he wouldn't be able to go against one of the kingdoms of the African Confederation as long as they were there legally in the first place. Britain and Europe in general were far too unimportant to go against them. Any attempt of extradition would be delayed for years, especially if his grandfather found them a powerful guardian. Safe from Dumbledore and Voldemort Draco could work on Harry in earnest and break the blocks on his magic, mental and otherwise. It might be hard for the rest of Britain until they got good enough to return, but Draco's primary objective was ensuring his family's survival and steering Harry in the right direction. Everything else was secondary.
His thoughts focused on the approaching school year. He still hadn't found many memories of the other Draco's second year besides some hints that the defense teacher was a dangerous fraud. By all indications it should be a quiet year.
Lucius Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls. Sometimes he wondered if the owners of the shop kept them just to create the proper atmosphere. He righted himself when he heard someone approach. A stooped man had appeared behind the counter.
"Ah, Mr. Borgin. I wondered when you would appear."
The man with the greasy hair bowed slightly. "Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again. I trust you have the objects we agreed upon?"
"Certainly." the blond man answered and retrieved a charmed bag previously hidden under his robes. "If you have what I require, of course."
The shop owner put two vials on the table. "I always keep my bargains, Mr. Malfoy." He opened the bag and began sorting through the contents. "Well, well, some of these things are quite valuable. Might I ask what motivated you to sell these?"
Lucius lip curled. "Surely you have heard that the Ministry is conducting more raids. I have not been visited yet, of course. The Malfoy name still commands a certain respect, but the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. Some of these items might embarrass me if they should come calling."
"Of course, I understand, sir." Borgin replied, counting a stack of galleons on the desk. "Here is the monetary part of your compensation."
After securing the two vials and the galleons in a hidden pouch he gave the oily man a nod. "Good day to you, Mr. Borgin. As always it has been a pleasure doing business with you."
When Lucius left the shop a smirk appeared on his features. Finally he had everything he needed. It had been very difficult to acquire the two substances he now carried in the hidden pouch. Very difficult and very costly. He hadn't been able to use most sources without his father getting wind of it; an event to be avoided at all costs. It had forced him to part with more items from his personal stash than he was comfortable with. On the other hand, it was far safer to rid oneself of the more incriminating objects and substances in time. There was always the possibility of an investigation even if everything went according to plan. There was only one more object to dispose of, but he had something special planned.
He left Knockturn Alley behind and looked around. A crowd was already gathering in front of Flourish and Blotts, but they wouldn't open for another quarter hour. It seemed he was a bit early. Excellent. His grin widened and turned malicious when he spotted a family of redheads approaching. All was going according to plan.
Ginny watched her mother breathlessly patting her hair when they came to a stop at the edge of the crowd in front of the bookshop. "Good, we made it in time. We'll be able to see him in a minute."
"Really, mum."
"One could think…"
"…that you are in love…"
"…with Gilderoy Lockhart."
Her mother blushed slightly. "Nonsense. I just want to meet the man. His books are simply wonderful. Today is a once-in-lifetime opportunity."
Ginny rolled her eyes, careful to stay out of her mother's field of vision. Lockhart could do no fault in her mother's eyes. It was made worse by the fact that many of his books were on the list for Hogwarts. In contrast to her family Ginny knew that he would be the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, thanks to her correspondence with Aquila. The letters had arrived more sparsely over the summer, but they still stayed in contact.
Her mother had given Ron an earful when it became clear that he wasn't a friend of Harry Potter as he had claimed. Percy had spent most of the summer in his room, with owls coming and going the entire time. The twins were fun, but even they had been more secretive than usual. Her entire summer had been filled with anticipation. Finally she too could go to Hogwarts.
The visit to Diagon Alley was the high point of the summer. Unfortunately she wouldn't get a new wand; the cost of books and other school-related things made it prohibitive. Ginny would have to use her great-grandmother's wand. Not that she minded; it worked well enough for her and was in good shape. She would take care to keep it that way. A wand was a witch's most important tool, after all.
The voice of her father caused her to look up. He was still badgering Mr. and Mrs. Thomas about things. They were muggles, making them a target for her father curiosity. Ron's friend Dean had visited for a few days over the summer. They had made an agreement to meet up today. It seemed the adults felt uncomfortable in the company of wizards.
'How can dad not know about muggle money? It isn't that difficult.' Sometimes she wondered about her father. He worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office for years, but his understanding of all things muggle was sadly lacking.
When she looked over the crowd she noticed that there were many more middle-aged women than on her visit last year. It seemed Lockhart had a lot of fans in that age-group as well as among the younger witches. Ginny didn't belong to them. Lockhart had nothing on Harry Potter.
Finally the bookshop opened and the crowd slowly grew smaller as more and more people entered. Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.
A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash. Her brother Ron let out a cry of pain when the man thoughtlessly trampled on his foot. Lockhart apparently heard him, looked up and for a moment Ginny could feel his gaze before it returned to the half-signed book before him.
It did take an eternity before it was finally their turn. Her mother almost swooned when Lockhart kissed her hand after he had signed the autobiography her mother had bought. The man surely knew how to please his fans. After that it was back to browsing the bookstore. Due to their limited budget they often had to buy used books. All of them went into her new cauldron along with a complete set of Lockhart's books that were required for Hogwarts.
A cold, cultured voice caught her attention. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Arthur Weasley."
Looking up from the books, Ginny saw Mr. Malfoy standing there. Her father nodded coldly. "Lucius."
"You're busy at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids… I hope you're paid for overtime?" Suddenly he approached her and pulled one of the oldest books from her cauldron. "It appears not. A shame really. What's the use of becoming a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay well for it?"
Her father flushed a deep red. "Obviously you and I have very different ideas what disgraces a wizard, Malfoy."
'Why doesn't dad back down? Mr. Malfoy is clearly trying to provoke him.' It would be very satisfying to see her father wipe the infuriating smirk from Mr. Malfoy's face, but there would be repercussions. A brawl wouldn't do her father's position in the Ministry any good, especially if he threw the first punch. Ginny had read enough in the books Aquila had sent her that she could see were this was going.
"Evidently." The pale grey eyes of Mr. Malfoy strayed to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas who had watched the confrontation apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley… I always thought your family could sink no lower."
Suddenly her father threw himself at Mr. Malfoy, the cauldron thudding to the floor when Ginny was jostled. Dozens of heavy spell books came raining down when Mr. Malfoy was knocked backwards into a bookshelf.
Fred or George shouted "Get him, dad." her mum cried "No, Arthur, no!" and the crowd tried to back off, an impossibility in the crowded book shop. An assistant tried to break up the brawl and got only an elbow to his face for all his efforts. The fight was no longer limited to her father and Mr. Malfoy as more and more people were included. It was almost a repeat from last year, only infinitely worse. Ginny was pushed in different directions when the far more massive adults moved around, heedless of their surroundings.
A falling book hit Ginny right on the head and the world began spinning. An especially strong shove sent her stumbling through a small gap between two lopsided shelves. She felt herself collide with someone who let out an 'oof' before they went down. When she regained her bearings a few seconds later she found herself lying on top of a very familiar boy.
"Are you alright?" Draco asked, his face only a few centimeters from her own.
"I think so." Ginny answered.
"Good."
They lapsed into silence for a moment. From what Ginny could see they were in a small secluded corner of the bookshop between several shelves. Even the noise from the brawl seemed muted here.
Before she could say anything else a female voice made itself know. A look to the side identified the speaker as a smirking Aquila Malfoy. "You know, none of you seem to be in a hurry to leave your… rather peculiar position. In fact, you seem to be rather comfortable. Draco, have you gotten yourself a girlfriend without me knowing?"
The youngest Weasley needed a moment to process that. She was still lying on top of Draco. If you looked at that from a certain perspective... Ginny felt herself going scarlet. Draco likewise sported an intense blush. Hurriedly she tried to stand up, but her legs went out from under her when a book on the ground slipped away. She barely managed to break her fall, but the downward momentum was too strong.
In the next moment Ginny's lips made contact with Draco's.
It wasn't a painful smack; she had managed to slow down enough. There wasn't any earth-shattering boom, no spontaneously forming soul-bond with an accompanying lightshow. It was only a gentle touch between two pairs of soft lips. Draco's eyes widened comically and his blush intensified. Ginny felt herself reacting in the same way. A second later she broke the contact and stood up, this time without any accidents. She just couldn't look at Draco.
Aquila laughed uproariously at the sight until tears were spilling from her eyes. "Oh Merlin, this is gold. Thank you. First class blackmail material, delivered free of charge. Did you already set a date for the wedding?" she gasped out between peals of laughter.
"Oh, shut up."
From the corner of her eye she could see that Draco was slowly getting his blush under control and started to glare at his sister. Finally Aquila stopped laughing and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, Ginny. It was just too funny. Our mother would have a heart attack if she ever hears of this. How have you been?"
Ginny still hadn't recovered and only managed a "Fine."
The blond girl started to speak again, but Draco interrupted them. "I don't think we have time for a conversation. It seems the day's amusement is already winding down."
Aquila's face became serious. "Sorry about that. We saw what our father did. I don't think he knows we are here; we went ahead of mother and grandfather to browse a bit."
Ginny sighed. "It isn't your fault. My dad shouldn't have lost his self-control. I just wish we could meet without our families making a spectacle."
"That would be a welcome change. We haven't much time now, but come seek me out on the Hogwarts Express. It should be possible to find a compartment where we can talk in private." Aquila said.
"Okay." Ginny answered. She still was far too embarrassed to talk much. Why had that to happen?
It did take another few minutes, but finally the brawl was broken up and the crowd calmed down. Aquila and Draco left first. Ginny waited a minute before she followed them. It didn't take her long to find her family. She even managed to pick up her cauldron on the way, still filled with the purchased books. Even the one Mr. Malfoy had taken was back. Her father sported a cut lip and a black eye, but seemed otherwise fine.
"You should have ignored him, Arthur." Molly admonished.
"No way." Ron said. "Didn't you hear how he insulted us?"
When her mother spotted Ginny she fussed a moment over her. "There you are, Ginny. Where do you always disappear to?"
"Sorry, mum. There were just too many people running around, I got swept away."
The rest of the day was far less exciting. They went to purchase the school supplies they still lacked. Two times Ginny saw the Malfoy family from afar, but neither Aquila nor Draco showed any reaction. It was probably better that way.
Much later back in her room in the Burrow Ginny sat down in front of her mirror. She touched her lips with her fingertips.
'That wasn't how I imagined my first kiss would go.'
Somehow she had always thought that Harry Potter would be the boy she gave her first kiss to in an incredibly romantic fashion. Instead that singular event had been an accident. Worse, it had been her fault. Ginny blushed again. She had been far too shocked at the time, but the kiss had actually felt nice. Perhaps it wasn't that great a loss.
When she finally found the time to sort through the purchased books she discovered an empty diary. 'I don't remember buying that.' Shrugging, she threw it on her pile of books. It couldn't hurt to have something she could write her thoughts in.
Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews.
There will be a Abraxas/Cassie/Harry scene in the next chapter before he goes back to the Dursleys.