Chapter 10
She faintly traced the outline of the tattoo on his arm. "How come I never saw it before?"
He smiled. "Concealment charm."
"Ahhh." Her fingernails scraped lightly over his forearm. He frowned, pulling his arm away.
"It's ugly, isn't it."
She shook her head. "It's ugly but it doesn't define you. It isn't you."
"But it is me. It makes me sick, physically sick to have it."
"And can I help?"
"No, there's nothing. Nobody can help me now."
"The Order can help you, Draco. To them, you're still a child. You are still a child. It isn't your fault but we can help you."
"If anybody knew that the Order of the Phoenix tried to help me- Hermione- you'd all be killed."
"There is no way to get into that headquarters without us knowing. The wards are airtight."
He thought for a moment. "I don't know... maybe..."
"What have you been doing in the room of requirement?"
He pulled back then. His face flat and cold. There was no warmth. "How do you know about that? Who told you?"
"Nobody." She said, startled by his reaction. "I saw you going there. A few times you walked in that direction. I was just curious. If you don't want to tell me though-"
"I have to do it, Hermione. He- he gave me a job to do. And if I don't do it, he'll kill me. He'll kill my mother."
"Something to do with Harry? Or with Hogwarts?"
He nodded. "With Hogwarts." He sighed, resigned to what he was telling her.
"There's a room in the room of requirement. A room full of things nobody wanted, or things people wanted to hide. Lost things. There's a cabinet in that room. It's big and wooden and it has a mate in Borgin and Burke's. you know the shop in Knockturn Alley? I was tasked with the job of fixing it."
"Why?"
"To smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts."
Hermione gritted her teeth. "And you were going to do this?"
"Yes. I never wanted to but... I had to. I have to."
"There's something else you aren't telling me."
"Hermione... I'm a werewolf."
She stood up, walking over to the fire and crossing her arms. "How?"
"Fenrir. Last year at the Ministry my father failed to get the prophecy for the Dark Lord. That did not make him happy. He beat them. My father. My mother. And me. He wanted to punish my family for failing. Punish my father and his only son – a pureblood.. I'm a disgrace to my family name. Which is what he wanted. I'm not.. a Malfoy. Well, I am. But I'm not. I'm.. disgusting."
She could see tears brimming in the corners of his eyes, and in that moment her heart was set. She loved him. She loved Draco Malfoy.
"Shh." She whispered, coming next to him and pulling his head into her lap. "It's okay."
He sniffed. "You aren't scared?"
"Why would I be? Lupin is a werewolf, too."
"Oh I forgot about him. He's in the Order too, then? I suppose?"
"Yes, he is."
"He'll hate me. I was rude and cruel."
"You were a child."
He sighed. "So where is the headquarters? Where do you all meet? The Weasley place..?"
She shook her head. "It's in the city. I can't tell you, but I can show you. Er.. would you like to go now?"
He looked frightened at the thought. "I guess it would probably be prudent to tell them this information. Maybe they can help me."
She nodded. "You wouldn't happen to know how to apparate?"
He smirked. "Actually I do. They taught me.. this summer.. quite a sway on ministry proceedings.. I can pretty much do whatever I want.."
"Oh, well that's good then. We'll have to do side along. Let me get you the address."
She pulled out a quill and scratched the words on a bit of parchment, gave it to him to memorize, and threw it in the fire, just in case they were being watched.
They clasped arms very tightly and stood in the center f the room.
"You ready?" He whispered, kissing her forehead.
"As I'll ever be." They turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Hermione was unsure who they'd find when they got there. Sirius, probably. Remus, maybe. Molly might be there, maybe even the twins come by for a visit. She unlocked the door the way she'd been instructed (Malfoy was somewhat awed by the way the house just appeared out of nowhere) and she led him inside. It was dim, like it always was, but not like it used to be. There was warm light coming from the end of the hall where the kitchen was.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
"Hello?" A voice called from inside, there was a scraping as someone stood from a chair. "Hermione is that you?"
"It is!" She said, pushing through the door. "I've brought a guest."
Sirius stood with a smile, pouring himself a cup of tea. But when he saw who her guest was, his smile turned acidic.
"Hermione, what are you doing? What are you thinking?"
He sat down the cup with a little more force than necessary. Draco shuffled awkwardly behind her.
"It's okay." She rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand. "It's okay," she repeated. "He's here to help. He has something to tell you."
Sirius's eyes flicked down to their intertwined hands, and a confused expression crossed his face.
"What have you gotten yourself into?" He sighed quietly, mostly to himself as he sat down and motioned for them to do the same.
Hermione took Draco's coat and her own and set them at the end of the table.
"So," Sirius said, somewhat coldly. "What are you doing here?"
"The Dark Lord gave me a task. There are two cabinets and I'm meant to be fixing them. He wants to smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts/"
Sirius looked alarmed by this information. "And who else knows? Do they know you're here?"
"Nobody but Hermione, and everyone involved on their side."
"Their side? Are you not a part of it anymore?"
"I don't see how I can be, seeing as we have very differing points of view on the importance of human life."
A smile flitted on Sirius's lips. "Well this is certainly something. I'll have to call a meeting with everyone else so they can hear your story. I assume you want protection?"
"Yes-" He stopped, a chocking sound coming into his throat. "But there's something else. I'm a werewolf."
Sirius looked pained. "I am sorry. How? Why?"
"Fenrir. After my father failed to retrieve the prophecy last summer."
Sirius pressed his lips into a thin line. He had nearly died that evening at the Ministry. A close call that shouldn't have happened. He had almost left Harry behind, alone, parentless once again.
Sirius reached his hand across the table and took Malfoy's tightly. "We can help you. But we need to make sure you're not a spy."
"Do you not trust my judgement?" Hermione interjected.
"No, of course I do. But this is Draco Malfoy and we all know your history."
"The past is the past. Draco and I are.. together. But please, don't tell. As far as everyone else is concerned I brought him here because he volunteered information and wanted protection."
"I'll see what I can do." Sirius agreed, pulling parchment and a quill toward him. "Until everyone gets here, you're free to food and drink and whatever else you would like. You can't go back to Hogwarts today. Maybe not ever. They probably already know that you're gone."
"But my things-"
"Will be sent for. Even if you are a spy, I don't want your blood on my hands. I don't think anyone does. We protect, not destroy."
Draco smiled weakly. "Thank you for this. For your kindness. I know that-"
Sirius silenced him with a soft wave of his hand. "Save it for when the others get here. They will want to know your full story."
And they did. Soon the house was flooded with Order members. There was an air of uncertainty, as nobody was really sure about why they were there, but once they saw Draco Malfoy, they became suspicious. There was some animosity, and a small amount of negative energy charged the room, but it was mitigated by the fact that Hermione was sitting very close next to him, holing his hand.
Tonks showed up, making an entrance as always by tripping over something and waltzing into the room sporting short, electric blue hair. She winked at Hermione, smiling curiously at their intertwined hands. The last people to arrive were Harry and Ron. Harry walked in behind Sirius, talking animatedly about a quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin the previous week. When they walked in, they glanced over at Hermione and paused. Ron shoved his hands further into his jacket pocket and looked more than a little uncomfortable. Harry just nodded curtly at Draco and sat next to Sirius, who was drinking a butterbeer.
He wiped his moustache off and stood up, clapping his hands and bringing the room to Order.
"Everyone! Hello, good evening. It's good to see everyone is in good health. As you may have noticed, we have a guest." He waved his hand over to Draco, who pinked a little bit as all the eyes in the room trained to him. Sirius continued. "Mr. Malfoy is here by his own doing. He's come to us for his protection in exchange for information, and he is very welcome. I believe he has a few words to say?"
Draco stood, and Hermione squeezed his hand.
"Hello, everyone" He started, quietly. "I want to say thank you for allowing me to be here. I know it must be difficult, seeing me. Knowing what my family has put some of you through." He winced a little. "And I'm sorry for that. I am not going to try and convince you that I've changed with my words, but maybe you can see with my actions. I'm not… who I was. I like to think that I have changed. And I would like to get to know you all in turn." And he meant it.
That evening was full of laughter and friendship. In dark times, the fires of friendship are the greatest warmth. The group drank and ate and was merry. Sirius broke out his guitar, and Remus his accordion and the two did duets from bands Draco knew well. He laughed along with them, coming alive as the night wore on and feeling more comfortable by the minute.
Nobody gave him shifty glances or cold looks. Nobody ostracized him or treated him like he was any different. And he appreciated that, all while his Hermione sat next to him. When it got late and the party die down, Sirius and Remus sat together next to the dying fire, singing love songs quietly. Harry laughed along, enjoying the company of his mentors, and even Ron shot Hermione a tentative smile.
Hermione stood up then, motioning for Draco to follow her. As she pulled him through the door and up the stairs, Draco could have sworn that Sirius had given him a thumbs up.
a/n: you know when you want something to go in a certain direction and then it goes into a completely different direction and you're like what the fuck go back where you came from? Yeaahhhhhhhhh. Yeeeaaahhhhh. So anyways, hope you enjoyed it. I'm learning a lot about myself and this story the more I go. Make sure you follow, favorite, and review. The more reviews you leave, the more willing I am to keep updating. Also go ahead and follow me on twitter ChloeRNG and on tumblr slytherinsnitches. Tell me what you think so far and feel free to tell me what you want to see in the future. Love you all.