Lost Memories

xlv. draco malfoy

After getting my first wand, we headed back to the Burrow to wait out the last weeks of our holiday before school started again. Harry seemed to want to spend it walking about what Draco could possibly be doing in Borgin and Burke's. The three of them shot ideas off one another until Harry finally asked for my input.

"What do you think?"

"Harry! I get you despise Draco and all, but a Death Eater? Draco isn't a..." I trailed off trying to remember.

"Charlotte?" Ron looked at me. He had been laughing before but stopped when I didn't deny it.

"It seems very unlikely, Harry," said Hermione in a repressive sort of voice. "What makes you think — ?"

"In Madam Malkin's. She didn't touch him, but he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve. It was his left arm. He's been branded with the Dark Mark."

"Well..." said Ron, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

"I think he just wanted to get out of there, Harry," said Hermione.

"He showed Borgin something we couldn't see," Harry pressed on stubbornly. "Something that seriously scared Borgin. It was the Mark, I know it — he was showing Borgin who he was dealing with, you saw how seriously Borgin took him!"

"No!" I stood up, not liking the conversation. "There is no way Draco is a Death Eater! I'll prove it to you guys tomorrow."

I shook my head at myself, it was as though I were trying to convince myself my words were right. Though my presence here didn't seem to make much of a difference, I had at least hoped that would change. Ron and Hermione exchanged another look while Harry just dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

—:—

Just as the train started to move, Harry found me in a cabin with Neville and Luna.

"Harry," I started once he lugged his trunk under his seat and threw himself next to Neville, "did you notice anyone staring at you as you walked by?"

"Not more than usual, why?" he admitted.

"People were staring at me when I was looking for a cabin," I rubbed my arm awkwardly. Unlike Harry, I was not used to people staring at me as I walk past them.

"Huh, me too," Neville gasped. "I reckon it's because we were with Harry at the Ministry last term!"

Luna, Neville, and Harry continued to talk about starting up DA meetings again even though Umbridge was gone when the door slid open revealing one of the four-year girls who had been giggling outside our cabin. A bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin, and long black hair pushed her way through the door.

"Hi, Harry, I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane," she said loudly and confidently. "Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with them," she added in a stage whisper.

"Excuse me," I said to her in the sweetest voice, "fuck off!"

She gasped at my vulgar language and stared at Harry with a pleading look.

"They're friends of mine," said Harry coldly.

"Oh," said the girl, looking very surprised. "Oh. Okay."

And she withdrew, not liking the answer she got, sliding the door closed behind her.

"People expect you to have cooler friends than us," said Luna, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.

"You are cool," said Harry shortly. "None of them was at the Ministry. They didn't fight with me."

"When'd you get so mean?" Neville asked me, referring to my outburst.