The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 5

Delilah spent the last week of the holidays getting to know the Weasleys and Fleur better.

She understood why Fleur got on Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny's nerves, but once Delilah started talking to her, she actually was pretty cool — she understood why Bill liked her.

She also had to deal with Harry's new found obsession with her boyfriend.

Apparently he, Hermione, and Ron had snuck out of Fred and George's shop to follow Draco into Knockturn Alley. They had seen him go into Burgin and Burkes and heard him ask how to fix something and to "keep the other one safe." After that Hermione had gone in to try and figure out what he had reserved, but it hadn't worked.

Neither Ron nor Hermione seemed as interested as Harry, so he had started talking about it to Delilah.

"Yes, it's fishy," Delilah agreed. "But we've agreed there are plenty of explanations."

"Yeah, but his father's in Azkaban, right? Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"

Delilah rolled her eyes, debating if it was worth using Fred and George's punching telescope on him, Hermione and Ron might even help her.

"He wouldn't, and even if he was, what could he do about it?"

"That's my point, I don't know!" said Harry, exasperated. "But he's up to something and I think we should take it seriously. His father's a Death Eater and —" Harry broke off, his eyes fixed on the window behind Hermione, his mouth open.

"Harry?" said Hermione in an anxious voice. "What's wrong?"

"Your scar's not hurting again, is it?" asked Ron nervously.

"He's a Death Eater," said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"

Draco couldn't be a Death Eater. He was sixteen, and while he did have some issues, he had grown a lot. Plus, the Trio always blamed Draco or Snape for everything. So he couldn't be a Death Eater, even if it did explain why he had forgotten her birthday and kept the few letters he had sent short. He just couldn't be.

Ron erupted in laughter, breaking the silence.

"Malfoy? He's sixteen, Harry! You think You-KnowWho would let Malfoy join?"

"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."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"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!"

Ron and Hermione exchanged another look.

"I'm not sure, Harry...."

"Yeah, I still don't reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join...."

Huffing with indignation, Harry snatched up a pile of filthy Quidditch robes and left the room; Mrs. Weasley had been urging them for days not to leave their washing and packing until the last moment.

Delilah sighed.

Harry couldn't be right, Draco wouldn't agree to that, and if for some reason he had — to protect his mother or something — well.... She didn't want to think about it, because the more she did, the more Harry's accusation made sense.