The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

61. Forbidden Friendship

Dioleh was just emerging from the hidden doorway in the closet when Remus and Sirius came down the stairs. "Dioleh," Lupin greeted.

"Hey," she replied with a small smile. Dumbledore came down next, followed by the last two people Dioleh expected. "Julio," she said in shock. "Ebony." She hesitated for a moment before letting out a surprised cry and rushing towards them. The two older sirens embraced her, letting out happy laughs. Pulling away, she said, "Oh my Merlin, what are the two of you doing here?"

"Dumbledore asked all of us to join the Order," Ebony explained excitedly. "Imani and Andre are supposed to come any day now." Dioleh smiled.

"We also have another surprise for you," Remus said. "For your birthday."

"Oh?" Dioleh said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's in your room." Beginning to smile, she rushed up the stairs and to her room. In a large tank in the corner, a Grindylow was swimming. Dioleh let out a happy cry, reaching in and beginning to play with the creature. Ginny looked up from her bed and smiled, watching the interaction.

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That night, Dioleh, Imani, Andre, Ebony, and Julio sat in the meeting with the members of the Order, waiting for Dumbledore to start. Finally getting to his feet, he said, "Welcome everyone. As you may have noticed, we have five new members. For those of you who do not know them, this is Imani Kanumba, Andre Rodreguez, Ebony Chanler, Julio Ortego, and Dioleh Granger. All five of our new members are, or were, sirens."

A collective murmur broke out. Andre was very tense. Imani grabbed his hand. He calmed slightly, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "Were?" McGonagall remarked.

"Mr. Ortego, unfortunately, has lost all his powers," Dumbledore explained.

"What purpose does he serve then?" Moody asked.

"He knows more about siren magic than anyone else I know," Dumbledore explained. "He is our best chance of understanding Dioleh's powers. As you all have been informed, Voldemort wants her killed or recruited for these powers. We need to find out what exactly they are."

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After the meeting, Dioleh went up to her room, checking her watch. Quickly she changed into more muggle wear with a white tank top and some jeans. As it was already dark and getting colder, she also grabbed a sweater. Grabbing her wand, she slipped out of the house, glancing back to make sure she wasn't being followed. She walked a long while before coming to an empty park a few miles away from Grimmauld Place. Well, almost empty.

"Hey," Dioleh said, stopping by one of the benches.

"Dioleh," Draco said, standing to give her a hug. She returned the embrace before the two sat down.

"How are you?" Dioleh asked worriedly. "When you said you wanted to meet up, you sounded-"

"It's just a lot at home right now," he explained with a sigh. "I just needed to get away for a little bit. Also, happy birthday." He held out a small package.

"Dray, you didn't have to give me anything," Dioleh said, although her wide smile betrayed her deep flattery as she opened it. Her mouth dropped open. "No way," she cried, looking up at him in shock. "Is this-?" Draco smiled at her excitement and nodded. "A special edition copy of Les Misérables?" Wrapping her arms around him, she cried, "Thank you!"

"It was no trouble, love," he replied. "Besides, you gave me a really good birthday present." Dioleh smiled. She had sent him two very large books. One of a collection of all of Shakespeare's works while the other was the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories.