Chapter 18 - Shady Secrets and Yummy Desserts
Pansy was sitting at the desk in her dorm room with a roll of parchment in her hand. She had reread the note many times but insisted on forcing herself to read it once again.
Miss Parkinson “
It has come to my attention that you will be returning to Hogwarts this year and that you may also be of some assistance to the Dark Lord. I am unable and unwilling to go into detail at this time, but be alert for more owls from myself and others in the near future. Your discretion in this matter is appreciated and insisted upon.
L.M.
Pansy’s stomach was fluttering in excitement. At last she was being trusted by people in a position of power. Maybe one day she would walk in their ranks. Until then, she would wait for more instructions.
Lucius Malfoy approached the large wooden chair at the far corner of the room he was summoned to. Despite his own powerful position in the Dark Lord’s favor, meetings still made him slightly uneasy. There, sitting in front of him was the most powerful wizard alive. He nodded to himself; once Albus Dumbledore and that Potter brat were out of the picture, it would be a cake walk to convince the rest of wizard kind to join the ranks of Death Eaters as the Dark Lord’s followers.
He didn’t know if it was his imagination or if the room was actually getting cooler as he approached the large wooden chair in front of him. Lucius was close enough now to hear his Master breathing. As he approached, he could hear a low hissing sound. Nagini, he thought. Lucius swallowed hard as he imagined the secrets to be known if that snake could talk. Some things he would rather stay blissfully ignorant about but that was information he would love to know! Such a powerful wizard…
“Some things you should just leave alone, Lucius.”
As the chair slowly rotated and faced him, the elder Malfoy felt his mouth go dry, if only for a second. Suddenly he found himself on his knees bowing to his master.
“The letter has been sent, master. I will follow it up with instructions this weekend once she is back at Hogwarts.”
Without losing eye contact, Voldemort spoke to one of his most loyal servants. “Do not fail me Lucius. I am still highly disappointed that your traitor of a son discovered his new found loyalty. You let him slip through your fingers. Pathetic.” he spat.
Lucius cringed at the harsh words. “Parkinson will not let you down. My sources tell me she has been eager to prove her loyalty.”
“For your sake, pray that you are correct in your assumption. That is all for now.”
Lucius bowed towards the dark figure in front of him but Voldemort spoke once more.
“And Lucius?” The elder Malfoy made eye contact with his Master who almost seemed to be smiling.
“Impressive escape from Azkaban.”
With a very deep bow, Lucius Disapparated, feeling as if his day could not go wrong.
Harry and Ron were waiting impatiently in the Great Hall for Hermione. They had left her and Draco alone outside for privacy, but they were beginning to get anxious.
“Where is she?” whined Ron. “I’m starving!”
Harry agreed with a nod. “I think Dumbledore’s idea of withholding dinner until the others show up is a bit of a stretch, even in the name of inner-house unity.”
Ron added, “Honestly Harry, there are only five of us here and I think that we have proven that we can get along by now!”
Draco walked through the doors entering into the Great Hall in time to hear the last comment. “Can we try getting through at least one day where you don’t complain, Weasley? It makes one appear less confident.”
Hermione looked somewhat hurt by what he had said. “Draco! That wasn’t very nice.”
Shrugging his shoulders casually, he added, “It’s what Father always taught me.”
Hermione faced him. “That’s rich; Why don’t you think about what you just said, Malfoy?”
Draco ignored her he and went on. “Admit it “ he may have been an arse, but my father never lacked confidence.”
Ron approached his girlfriend and looked at Malfoy. “I’d look confident if it was the difference between You-Know-Who letting me see another day and me snuffing it.”
They all sat down at the table and at that moment, the food appeared. Ron dove right in to the steak and kidney pie but stopped when he saw the glare on Hermione’s face. Sighing, he lifted the tablecloth and called out, “Thanks for dinner, guys!”
Hermione looked satisfied and to top it off, a double chocolate fudge cake slice appeared in front of her boyfriend. His eyes about popped out of his head in amazement.
“Bloody brilliant!”
Everyone at the table stared wide-eyed at the individual dessert serving in silence. Harry spoke up first, doing as he had seen his best friend do moment before, “Hey, thanks for dinner guys!”
Draco rolled his eyes and stared at the others as if they were crazy. “No way “ NO way am I doing this. It’s ridiculous!”
Ron’s stomach growled and he glared at Draco.
“If I have to use the Imperious curse to make you do this, I will, Malfoy. Just get it over with,” he groaned in frustration.
Appearing to mull things over in his mind, Draco finally added, “This looks, um, delicious!”
Despite the false enthusiasm in his tone, Harry seemed pleased when two more slices of the same cake appeared in front of them. Seconds later, in front of Hermione, there appeared a single yellow rose in a vase. Ron laughed uneasily.
“Hey now, be careful. That’s my girlfriend there…”
They all shared a laugh and finished their desserts - followed by their main course.
Saturday came too soon. They had spent their final night alone on the Quidditch pitch trying to teach Hermione how to fly. It did not go over well and she ended up retiring to her dorms early in frustration.
The three boys flew to the stands and sat for a while, catching their breath. Harry spoke first. “So tomorrow will you be turning back into an insufferable git, Malfoy? We never did really discuss it.”
Ron looked at the Slytherin with a knowing look piercing his deep blue eyes. Draco nodded at Ron which caused Harry to misinterpret it as an answer to his question. Catching his error, Draco’s eyes got big and he put his hand up to stop Harry from the pending outburst.
“Before you snap Potter, I was directing my affirmation to Weasley. We already had this discussion in Diagon Alley and we both agreed after the incident at her (pointing in Hermione’s general direction) house that it would be pointless to pretend.”
Then, looking away from them, he added under his breath as an afterthought, “Less painful for me sometimes, but pointless.”
Harry nodded, understanding what he was hearing. “What can we do to make it easier? Ignore you for a bit and let you come to us?”
Ron couldn’t resist. “We could also come up to you while you are talking to Crabbe and Goyle or even Pansy and give you a massive group hug if you’d like!”
Draco’s eyes shot a fierce glare at the red haired wizard in front of him. Ron put his hands up in defeat. “I was joking. Relax.”
As the boys walked back up towards the castle, Draco was trying to clear his mind. Relaxation would not come unless he rid all negative thoughts and images before retiring to his dorm. He found it odd that more than anything he wished he could join Harry and Ron in their dorm room to keep talking and enjoying himself.
In the end, as they approached the Fat Lady’s portrait, Harry clapped him on the shoulder, followed by Ron half whispering, “See ya.”
Watching the portrait door close, Draco Malfoy prepared for his final night alone in the dungeons.
Safe Haven by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: Alyssa (ron lover) has saved my story with her MAD beta skills so yay for her!
In this chapter we will be spending a bit of time with a different Slytherin - the nasty kind in the form of Pansy Parkinson. A cameo by You Know Who as well as big daddy Lucius and we shall conclude in the Great Hall with the good guys.