Disclaimer: I have an unhealthy obsession with a fictional boy. Ah well, at least I’m not alone. You all know I’m not JKR, so there’s no use telling you otherwise. If you cared who I was, you’d read my author information, or whatever it’s called.
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Chapter Five: Deep, Dark Secrets and Diagon Alley
“What is your deepest, darkest secret?” asked George.
“Well,” said Fred monotonously, “I kissed Luna Lovegood.”
George actually gasped.
“It was under the mistletoe last year at Christmas. I was proving to her that nargles don’t attack when they see people snogging.”
“You don’t… like her, do you?” asked George, as if he rather feared for Fred’s sanity.
“No,” said Fred simply, “Rachel maybe, but not “ definitely not Lovegood. She likes Ron, anyway.”
“Who’s Rachel?” asked George.
“Rachel Sarah Whittingheimer,” replied Fred promptly.
“Hmm, I’ll take note of that… might come in handy…” mused George. He gave Fred a glass of pumpkin juice, after adding two drops of opaque black liquid to it. Fred drank, and was immediately restored to his usual self.
“Did it work?” Fred asked eagerly.
“Perfectly,” replied George, “Loony Lovegood, eh?”
Fred laughed, “Yes, I was meaning to tell you that, but it slipped my mind.”
“Yeah, sure,” laughed George.
Well, this was a whole new set of developments. Highly amusing developments too. I was wrong about teenagers, their love lives are remarkably humorous, and not a waste of time at all. I exited the room, swooped past several closed doors, and found the room where Harry slept. The lights were already out, and Harry was lightly snoring into his pillow. I flew to my sleeping quarters, or as everybody else calls it, my ‘cage’, and was carried peacefully off to sleep.
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The next morning the Weasleys, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, and Moody all left for Diagon Alley. They were gone for several hours, leaving me to the mercy of Pig’s rambles, which were becoming increasingly more “ er “ Pig-ish. I gave up trying to escape him. I listened, toying with the idea of flying to the States, and staying there. Though I’ve heard horror stories of what happened to owls who accidentally flew into a place called ‘McDonalds’ and were made into ‘hamburger’ patties. The things you hear in the Hogwarts Owlrey, eh? But not all of Pig’s ideas sounded completely revolting. No “ there was that description he gave of us dissecting a rat, and eating the brain. (rat brains are an owl delicacy, mostly because they are so tiny, and most rats don’t have one)
Everybody came home from Diagon Alley with bulging bags. Harry came in and dumped the contents of his bag onto his bed, and pulled a small basin out from under the heap of robes, potion ingredients, and books. I heard footsteps stomping up the stairs, and so apparently did Harry, for he thrust the basin under his bed, and quickly began to fold up his robes.
“Hey, Harry, you sure charged up here fast,” said Ron, breathing a little more heavily than usual.
“I “ er “ just wanted to… get my stuff put away, because I’m really hungry,” said Harry.
“Me too,” said Ron over the grumbling of his stomach. “I’m going to get something to eat right now.” Ron dumped his bags on his bed, and walked out the door.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” called Harry after him. Harry pulled out the basin once more, and a small piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it, and read. He positioned the basin in front of him, and put his wand tip to his temple.
“Memoriola Abdo,” he said quietly.
Harry pulled the wand tip from his forehead, and attached to it was a long strand of silver, that he placed carefully in the basin. He repeated it several times, steadily filling the basin with liquid looking gas, or maybe it was gas looking liquid. Whatever it was, it was odd. Harry finished adding the silvery stuff to the basin, and put it under his bed. He left the room and headed down stairs.
I wondered what the unknown substance in the basin could possibly be, and why it was giving of a shimmering light. I flew to the floor and hopped under the bed, looking down on the basin. It was as though the surface of the substance had become a window into another dimension. A busy street was bustling below me, it was bizarre. I recognized it as Diagon Alley because I saw Harry walking past the Apothecary where I was purchased. I leaned over closer to see the scene below me better, and my beak barely touched the shimmering material. I felt as though I was being jerked forward, and suddenly I was in Diagon Alley.
I was suspended in midair, and had to start beating my wings suddenly to keep from tumbling to the ground. I saw the mop of black hair between a bushy brown and two fiery red ones. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were heading down Diagon Alley, chatting happily and toting large packages of school supplies and clothes. Mrs. Weasley came running up behind Ron, and pulled him away toward a clothing store. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny kept determinedly strait faces until Ron and his mother were out of sight, then they burst into laughter. A tall blonde boy came walking up behind the group, and pushed his way between Hermione and Ginny. They both glared at him, and he stared back at Ginny.
“What did you do that for, Malfoy?” asked Harry angrily.
Malfoy didn’t answer him, though he turned around to face Harry.
“What did you do that for?” asked Harry more persistently.
In reply, Malfoy pulled up the sleeve of his left arm. Harry continued to glare at him.
“Are you showing us so we’ll think your innocent? So that as soon as we leave, you’ll go and get the Dark Mark burned into your arm and we’ll never know? Are you really convinced that just because you haven’t joined Voldemort yet “”
“Not here, Potter,” said Malfoy quietly. He motioned for Harry and the others to follow him. Harry exchanged glances with Hermione and Ginny. Hermione looked confused. Ginny just shrugged. They followed Malfoy. I flew above them, looking down on this most peculiar scene.
Malfoy lead them to the Leaky Cauldron, which was full of people, sat down at a table in the corner. Harry sat opposite him, still looking skeptical. Hermione quickly sat down beside Harry. Ginny was left with no choice but to sit next to Malfoy, which she did, crossing her arms and looking stubbornly in another direction. I flew to rest on Harry’s shoulder.
“Near the end of last year, I had every intention of joining the Dark Lord “” began Malfoy, but Harry cut him off.
“Only Death Eaters call him ‘the Dark Lord,’ Malfoy.”
“Fine, I had every intention of joining V “ Vol “ Voldemort,” said Malfoy with difficulty. “My father told me I must, and I at the time I respected my father. I thought that his work of muggle torturing was the best thing to be. I was more than ready to follow in his footsteps.”
Hermione looked uncomfortable.
“And what’s made you change your views?” asked Harry, putting his arm around Hermione and pulling her closer.
“My mother,” Malfoy said simply.
“And what’s she got to do with anything?” asked Hermione.
“She didn’t like the idea of me becoming a Death Eater. She pleaded with my father not to go when Voldemort returned a year ago. She was supportive of him when he first joined, but as he sunk lower into Voldemort’s work, they grew farther apart. When ever they appeared in public together, she was supposed to act as though they were the happiest of couples. She was told that if she did not show a distain for everybody my father disliked, she would pay. When I started thinking about being a Death Eater, she became sick. I told her I would not, if only to calm her. I still wished to join Voldemort. But when she expressed her wishes to my father shortly before he was taken to Azkaban, he “” Malfoy’s voice wavered, and tears welled up in his eyes.
“Yes?” said Ginny, almost gently.
“He was angry “ he tortured her “ and he “ he killed her,” whispered Malfoy. Tears were now flowing down his face. “He said he would not put up with a wife who wasn’t supportive of Voldemort.”
A tear had escaped Hermione’s eyes. Ginny looked as though she had been slapped.
“How did that make you decide to turn over?” asked Harry quietly.
Malfoy wiped his reddened eyes. “My mother loved me, and only did what she thought was right to protect me. My father killed her for that, and I will never forgive him. I will get him back if it’s the last thing I do. Because of Voldemort, I have no mother, and a murdering father. I will do everything in my power to stop his work from progressing.”
“Because of Voldemort, I have never known my mother or my father. Because of Voldemort, the only substitute for a father I have ever known is dead as well. I know how you feel. I believe you,” said Harry.
“Thank you, Pott “” Malfoy inhaled “”Harry.” He offered his hand for Harry to shake.
“You’re welcome Draco,” said Harry, shaking his hand.
“Not to be rude, but how do you know he’s telling the truth?” interrupted Ginny.
Harry turned to face her, as did Draco and Hermione.
“Well, I’m just saying,” said Ginny, “that we ought to check.”
“I am telling the truth,” said Draco. “But if you are still in doubt, fetch Veritaserum; I will do anything to prove that I am changed.”
I wondered vaguely what ‘Veritaserum’ was.
“Who do you know that’s carrying it around on them?” asked Hermione.
“I’ll be back,” said Ginny, getting up and hurrying out the door.
A few moments passed where nothing was said, but then they began a conversation, and ‘SPEW’ was dragged up into it. Malfoy listened as Hermione explained the purpose of it. It looked as though he was trying to suppress a sarcastic comment, but he merely smiled. He and Harry began to exchange amused looks. He even bought a badge, and pinned it to the front of his robes before Ginny returned.
“I got some from Fred,” she gasped, having obviously run the whole way. “It’s not a dud, I made him try it first. Apparently, he kissed Luna last year! I thought he was joking, but then George said he wasn’t.”
“He kissed who?” asked Draco, looking confused.
“Oh, never mind that, what’s that on your robes?” she asked, then laughed. “You’ve polluted his mind as well?” she asked looking to Hermoine.
Hermione opened her mouth to argue that she had not polluted his mind, but Harry put a hand over her mouth and looked at Malfoy.
“So, what’ll you have to drink?”
I suddenly felt a hand come under me and scoop me up. I twisted around to find myself sitting on Harry. I was so confused. Harry was at the table, but I was also sitting on his arm, this is probably why I’m not a human, things are much to confusing. We began to rise up into the air to a small circle of light.
“Hedwig, how did you get in here?” asked Harry.
“You should know better than to leave things like this laying under your bed!” I hooted as we found ourselves once again in Harry’s and Ron’s room.
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A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I’m leaving for camp… *counts on fingers* …tomorrow! I hope you’re glad that this chapter is nice and long. (compared to the others, anyway) I hope you enjoy it, and reviews are welcomed!