Chapter 4

Year 6

"He's Just a Boy"

"His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, for he himself is subject to his birth."

Spinner's End

"Thank you, Severus," Narcissa said with gratitude as she opened the door. Bellatrix scowled at the black-clad wizard before storming out. The blonde witch gave him an apologetic look before walking out and gently closing the door behind her.

Severus let out a heavy sigh. He had just made an Unbreakable Vow that guaranteed that Dumbledore would die at his own hands. Draco would not be able to complete the mission, and the Dark Lord was well aware of that. And because keeping his Vow would not be difficult enough, Draco's hatred for his professor had to be added in.

Over the summer holidays the Ministry incident had been addressed, along with the fact that Severus was the one who alerted the Order. The Dark Lord's reaction was one of anger, but understanding; Harry Potter had told Snape about the vision and had Snape not sent help, Potter would have made a very public accusation. Draco's reaction, however, was painful. He refused to speak to his professor all summer, blaming him for his father's arrest. Luckily, Bellatrix took it upon herself to teach the boy occlumency and legilimency so his mind would be protected. Apparently he was a natural; it was not surprising since Draco spent most of his time hiding his true thoughts and feelings anyway. Still he wondered how Draco had managed to shield his memories of Granger from his deranged aunt.

Narcissa's pleas echoed in his mind, "My son… My only son…"

This year was going to be difficult. Dumbledore had already suffered a great injury and was slowly dying because of it, the young Malfoy was on a mission to murder the greatest wizard of all time, and the Wizarding World was preparing for a war.

This year would be the beginning of the end.

The Dark Lord was growing stronger and Dumbledore was growing weaker. But even Dumbledore's weakened state would not make the task any easier on Draco.

"He's just a boy."

The Burrow

"Something wrong, Hermione?"

She'd been staring at him with a strange expression. She quickly arranged her expression into an unconvincing smile. "No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?"

"Dunno. Can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"

Harry noticed Hermione wasn't even paying attention to his answer. She seemed to be elsewhere as she stared down at her hands and bit her lip. Something was wrong with his best friend, and he wanted to know what. But he would have to wait until everyone was asleep before he could talk to her.

Harry enjoyed talking and catching up with his friends, but was surprised to see Fleur Delacour in the Burrow. He hadn't known that she and Bill Weasley had even been dating, let alone were engaged to be married. Annoyance at Fleur seemed to be the only thing that could wipe the thoughtful look off of Hermione's face. She didn't even get very angry about the twins' little prank that gave her a black eye. She was miffed for about a moment and then completely moved on. She didn't once comment on their immaturity or the need for them to be more responsible.

Harry waited until he heard Ron's deep snoring before he climbed out of bed. He made his way toward the room Ginny and Hermione shared as quickly and quietly as possible and opened the door enough so he was able to squeeze in. He hurried over to Hermione's cot and shook her gently.

"Hermione. 'Mione, wake up."

Her eyes shot open and she bolted up. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Shhh!" Clapping a hand over his friend's mouth, he looked over to Ginny who was still sleeping. "Nothing's wrong. I just want to talk to you. Come downstairs with me."

Harry waited for her outside of the room as she put on her robe and slippers. She followed him silently down to the kitchen and sank into a chair.

"What do you need, Harry?"

"What's wrong with you?" the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. Hermione lifted a brow, silently asking if he wanted to rephrase his question. "Sorry. What I meant is you don't seem like yourself."

"I'm tired, Harry. You dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night."

"That's not what I meant."

"I've told you Harry, I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am!"

"Hermione, you've hardly spoken to any of us! You're here but unaware, which is not… like you. Something must be upsetting you. Talk to me, please," Harry grabbed her hand for emphasis.

Hermione snatched her hand back almost immediately. "Don't you try to tell me what I am and am not feeling when you haven't any idea of what's going on in my head, Harry Potter! I am fine and I am going to bed. Goodnight!" she hissed as she got up to make her way back upstairs.

Harry stared after her in bewilderment. Hermione was never that quick to anger. Whatever was bothering her was obviously very important, and Harry was afraid of what she might be hiding.

Diagon Alley

The notorious members of Gryffindor trio parted with their dear friend Hagrid, and made their way into Madam Malkin's and were greeted with a less than warm welcome.

"If you're wondering what that smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," said a pale blonde boy.

Hermione sucked in a surprised breath and Madam Malkin demanded peace in her shop as Harry and Ron drew their wands.

"No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it…" Hermione told her boys, gently touching each of their arms.

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before sneering. "Yeah, like you'd dare do magic outside of school." The Slytherin turned his attention to the only witch of the trio, "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers." Harry and Ron stepped closer to Malfoy, raising their wands to his face.

"That's quite enough!" cried a distressed Madam Malkin. The storeowner looked over at the older blonde witch searching for support.

"Put those things away," demanded Narcissa Malfoy icily. "If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that is the last thing you ever do."

"Really?" asked Harry, stepping forward. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals-"

"Enough!" All eyes turned to the curly-haired witch. She stepped between the blonde witch and her best friend. "I said put away your wand, Harry. You too, Ronald." They began to protest but were stopped short when she gave them a look that clearly stated that they had better do what she asked. "Thank you. Honestly, you don't need to whip out your wands every time Malfoy insults me."

Hermione turned to the older witch who was wearing a mildly amused expression. "I apologize for Harry. We don't get along with your son, which is obvious, but that doesn't mean Harry should speak to you like that about such a… delicate issue. The boys are very protective of me and don't like it very much when your son calls me a 'mudblood.' I think they forget that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, which Malfoy knows from firsthand experience." She glanced at him for a moment before looking back at his mother. "There's nothing like a mother's love; your protectiveness is as justified as Ron's and Harry's, but your son is cruel, and the boys did not attack him. They do have some sense." The boys made noises of agreement from behind their friend.

Hermione's tone changed and the air around them seemed more charged. "Keeping your love for your son in mind, listen as I say this: These are my boys." She looked at her two friends with an expression neither of them could comprehend. "They are my best friends and I love them. If you ever threaten them again, I will show you exactly what a mudblood is capable of."

Whirling around, she stormed out of the shop, Harry and Ron stumbling behind her.

The blonde witch appeared un-phased from the outside, but inside she was somewhat intimidated by the girl who had just threatened her. She was Narcissa Malfoy – Narcissa Black before that - and was not used to being addressed to like that by anyone, let alone a muggle-born child. The change in the girl's demeanor, it was palpable, and everyone felt it. It was very raw magic. It reminded her of when Draco's magical abilities started to show, but the girl's magic was more controlled and much more powerful.

The blonde boy watched the trio leave the shop and was intrigued by Granger's reaction. She had always been the most calm of the pathetic party, but this displayed a side of her Draco did not think he had ever truly seen before. He'd hurt her and made her furious of course, but this was different. He found himself wondering if something had been bothering the Gryffindor witch.

Hermione continued to storm down the streets of Diagon Alley without saying anything. Ron and Harry followed, not saying anything but exchanging confused looks. The scene that played out in Madam Malkin's was not something either of them would have expected from their friend. She was normally so much more in control. And less scary.

Before they knew it, they were standing outside of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Harry and Ron were laughing at some ridiculous sign in the display window. Mrs. Weasley had come up behind the group and swore to kill her twins in their beds. Despite her threat, Mrs. Weasley looked just as eager to enter the shop, so the boys led the way in with Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley eagerly trailing behind them.

The shop was packed with customers and filled with all sorts of noises and bright colors. The group stared in amazement.

Whatever Hermione's mood was before, it seemed to have completely shifted. The brunette walked up to a display and began to read the information on one of the boxes. "'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant staring and mild drooling.) Not for sale to under-sixteens.' You know," Hermione said, looking up at Harry, "That really is extraordinary magic."

A voice came from behind the duo, "For that Hermione, you can have one for free." Fred approached them with a broad smile. He embraced Hermione then turned to shake Harry's hand. "How are you, Harry?" Fred nodded. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"

"Your punching telescope," Hermione said ruefully.

Fred provided Hermione with a quick fix to dab on her eye, and the bruise disappeared like, well, magic. The group perused the shop and George introduced Hermione and Ginny to the twin's line of WonderWitch products. While everyone was busy in the shop, Harry grabbed Ron and Hermione and slipped out. They had seen Malfoy through a window, and Harry thought he had to be up to no good.

The somewhat stealthy trio trailed the Slytherin down Knockturn Alley, struggling to keep up. Finally Malfoy slipped into Borgin and Burkes.

"If only we could hear what they're saying," wished Hermione.

"We can!" Ron exclaimed. The redhead pulled out the extendable ears he had brought from his brothers' shop.

Malfoy had told Borgin he needed help fixing something, but he could not bring it to Borgin. Then he demanded that Borgin not sell something. He also mentioned Fenrir Greyback, a particularly nasty werewolf, would be stopping by. Malfoy ordered Borgin to keep this to himself. Borgin was not even to tell Malfoy's mother about what went on.

And most interestingly, Malfoy showed something that terrified the older man.

While the boys wondered what Malfoy could have wanted, Hermione ordered that they stay put as she strolled into the shop.

She took a deep breath and said coolly, "Horrible morning, isn't it?" She began poking around the shop, asking about objects to determine what is was Borgin was to reserve. Despite her efforts, the older wizard saw right through her and ordered her to leave the shop. She hesitated at first, and then decided leaving would be the best thing to do.

"Ah well," Ron started, "worth a try but you were a bit obvious."

"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mysteries!" Hermione snapped, her tone sharper than it normally was while bickering with Ron.

They made their way back to the joke shop in mostly silence. Ron and Hermione had started their normal bickering, but after a few comments, Ron stopped. Hermione's words seemed to cut deeper today. They got back to the shop and managed to convince Mrs. Weasley that they had been around the shop and in the back room most of the time, which explained their absence.

For the rest of the night, Malfoy occupied Hermione's thoughts. He went into a shop in Knockturn Alley and managed to bully the older wizard into helping him. He was hiding something from everyone, including his mother, who obviously loved him so completely. Hermione laughed internally at her thought that he was someone only a mother could love.

Malfoy's visit to the shop made Hermione uneasy. His father was a Deatheater, but Lucius wouldn't dare involve his family in the work of the Dark Lord, would he? The girl tried to calm herself down and finally get some rest. She was on edge enough, though she would never admit it to anyone. She had been trying so hard to hide how affected she was by the overwhelming sense of foreboding she had, but she was not hiding it well.

She would have to work on that.

Hermione fell asleep still trying to figure out what Malfoy could have possibly done to frighten an older more experienced, and more dangerous wizard.

After all, in comparison, Malfoy was just a boy.

A/N: So hi. I know it's been a long time. Like a really long time. And though I could list, there really are no excuses for it. But, on the bright side, I just got a laptop (I had previously been working on a desktop that I shared with my brother) and I feel way more motivated to write now that I have it.

Also, I apologize if this chapter isn't that interesting. Keep in mind I am basically re-writing Half Blood Prince, and so I had to get this stuff out of the way first. You will see much more of me in it within the next few chapters. I'm also still trying to get back into the swing of HP fics. This project is something I'm taking really seriously and am so dedicated to, and I need to get used to that again.

And shoutout to someone using a guest account to review this story a couple of months ago. You honestly helped motivate me to update, and I thank you for that. I'm sorry if this update disappointed you, but I will get used to this again! :)

And thank all of you who are reading this! I appreciate you taking the time to do so and all the support you guys have given me! I love you all!

I'm aiming to have this updated by the end of Halloween weekend, but I won't make any solid promises. Goals, guys, goals.

'Til next time, my darlings!

(P.S. That quote at the beginning of the chapter is from Hamlet. I will probably be incorporating several of those.)