Кассандра Клэр - Draco Sinister

I can't help it. I will admit that Malfoy really does seem to care about Hermione, and to some extent, that makes him human. But I just don't feel comfortable trusting him, and more than anything, I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?"

"I understand, but I'm not the one who's in danger of getting hurt at the moment," said Ginny in a small voice. "He is." She looked at her brother. "He is in danger, Ron. I can still feel Dark Magic, you know, and I felt it coming off him the last time I saw him. Like cold waves.

Not coming from him, but around him. There's something working on him, or through him — like me with that diary — "

She broke off as the door opened and their parents walked in. Molly and Arthur Weasley looked more than a little shell-shocked, and when Molly came forward to hug Ginny, it was with an unexpected intensity.

"What's going on, Mum?" asked Ginny, pulling away.

"Sirius just got back from the hospital," said Mr. Weasley.

Ron's eyes were wide. "Is Dumbledore all right?"

"He's in stable condition," said Mr. Weasley. "But Lucius Malfoy is dead."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Draco's father?" she whispered. "He's dead?"

"Murdered in his cell," said Mr. Weasley. "Extremely unpleasantly."

"I think it's time we go home," said Mrs. Weasley. "This is a time for the family and I can't help but feel we're intruding."

"Not to mention I need to get to the Ministry," added Mr. Weasley.

"I've gotten several owls from Percy already…."

"We're leaving?" asked Ron, still wide-eyed. "But what about Harry?

And Hermione?"

"This is Harry's home, love," said Mrs. Weasley firmly. "This is where he belongs and should stay. And I've already asked Hermione if she'd like to come back home with us, but she said she'd prefer to remain with Harry."

"Made up, then, have they?" asked Ron.

"Looks like it."

Ron looked over at Ginny. Ginny looked back at him mournfully.

"Can we go say goodbye to Harry and Hermione?" she asked.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "You'll see them again soon enough, I'm sure," she said. "But go on and make your farewells. At this rate we won't be home before morning."

The atmosphere in the library was gloomy. The Weasleys' departure had left Harry and Hermione looking stunned, as if they couldn't quite believe their friends were gone. Mrs. Weasley had had dozens of hugs for Harry and had extended invitations to both of them to come to the Burrow, but Harry had been adamant that he wanted to stay with Sirius, and Hermione had been adamant about staying with Harry, so that had been that and the two of them now sat holding hands behind the desk, looking, Lupin thought, like a painting of orphan children with big, sad eyes. Sirius had taken Narcissa into the drawing-room to talk to her about Lucius' death, as well as what Dumbledore had told them about Draco, and they had not yet returned.

Lupin, meanwhile was thumbing through the book that he had begun to think of as Slytherin's diary, although there was no proof yet that that was what it was. Now that he knew it was Parseltongue, he was fairly sure he would be able to manage a translation. It was the one bright spot amongst general gloom.

"Do you need help with the book, Professor?"

It was Harry asking. He looked tired and a bit lost and anxious.

"Thanks, Harry. I might in a bit. I'm just considering various translation spells. I've managed to get quite a few paragraphs into a readable form already."

Hermione glanced up. "Anything interesting?"

"No, mostly just complaints about Godric and, er, observations about Rowena. He's quite a complainer."

"Oh, I don't know," said Harry, rather unexpectedly. "I mean, it doesn't sound like Godric was all that nice to him. It sounds like he was always baiting him and tormenting him like — like Snape."

Lupin and Hermione looked at Harry in astonishment. "That reminds me," said Lupin, suddenly remembering. "Did you hear back from Snape about the love potion?"

Both Hermione and Harry flushed. "Yes, we did," said Hermione, a bit unwillingly. "He said there wasn't a reversal spell — that he knew of," she added hastily.

"Ah," said Lupin, although his heart sank. "Well, he doesn't know everything."

"He said it was curable only by death," added Harry.

"Well, most spells are," Lupin pointed out. "Even being a werewolf is curable by death. I'd hardly call it a terribly helpful point."

Hermione set her chin. "I think he was just trying to be discouraging."

"He does like to be contrary," said Lupin neutrally, although he privately disagreed. If there was one thing Snape wouldn't lie about, it was his beloved potions. "Right now," he said, wanting to change the subject, "it would be best it we concentrated on finding Draco, but once we've found him I'll be happy to write to the Potions masters at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, perhaps they might be able to help."

"I was wondering, Professor," said Harry, suddenly. "If Narcissa kept anything of Draco's from when he was a baby — like hair, or any of his baby teeth, or anything — could we make another Epicyclical Charm and try to use that to find him?"

"It's a good idea, Harry. I suggested that to Sirius. But given Lucius'

Dark Arts proclivities, he thought it was unlikely that Narcissa would have kept anything like that. Too easily turned against Draco.

No, I believe we're going to have to go through other channels to find him."

"Other channels?" echoed Hermione. "Like the Ministry?"

"No," said Lupin, wishing that Sirius would come back already and help him out with this conversation. "Actually, we were hoping you might be able to help us out with that, Harry."

Harry blinked. "What can I do?"

"Well, it's entirely up to you, Harry, but — "

The library door opened and Sirius came in, alone, without Narcissa.

He looked over at Lupin; his eyes said, have you told him yet?

Lupin looked back. Right in the middle of explaining. Care to help out?

Sirius crossed the room and sat down on the desk, facing his godson. He looked at Harry intently. Without any preamble, he said, "Do you remember after you and Draco took the Polyjuice potion, how, to some extent, you knew what he was thinking?"

"Yeah," said Harry, raising his eyebrows.

"But that went away once the Potion came off, didn't it?" said Hermione, who as usual had twigged to the point that Sirius was trying to make before Harry had. "Didn't it?"

Now Harry looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well," he hedged. "Not exactly."

They all looked at him.

Harry took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Look," he said. "I don't know what Malfoy's thinking, if that's what you're asking. And I certainly don't know where he is. But I can sometimes tell what he's feeling and, er, sometimes I can tell what he's dreaming. Which lately has been all bad, I don't mind telling you."

Hermione looked astounded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I find it weird and disturbing. And because it's fading. It's less every day."

"But that can be reversed," said Sirius. He looked over at Lupin.

"Can't it?"

Lupin looked thoughtful. "That connection you two had through the Polyjuice potion. It isn't a connection that's at all unheard of, historically. It is very similar to the connection one might find between a Magid and their Source. Whatever bonded you to each other; it hasn't been dissolved, merely shut down. You can open that channel back up, I believe. If you want to. It would be perfectly understandable if you didn't want to, because-"

"Because he's dangerous?" said Harry. "Yeah, I know he thinks he is."

"It's more than that, Harry," said Sirius. "He isn't just dangerous, he's dangerous specifically to you. You can locate him for us, but you can't go after him with us. We'll have to do that."