Courage

-82-

Book: Courage
Chapter 82
Word Count: 6325

During the last week of the holidays, Layla spent her time listening to Harry ramble about Draco's suspicious actions in Knockturn alley. Truthfully, she had been getting rather bored of discussing it, and both Ron and Hermione seemed to feel the same way.

"Yes, I've already agreed it was fishy, Harry," said Hermione a little impatiently. She was sitting on the windowsill in Fred and George's room with her feet up on one of the cardboard boxes and had only grudgingly looked up from her new copy of Advanced Rune Translation. "But haven't we agreed there could be a lot of explanations?"

"Maybe he's broken his Hand of Glory," said Ron vaguely, as he attempted to straighten his broomstick's bent tail twigs. "Remember that shriveled-up arm Malfoy had?"

"But what about when he said, 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "That sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the broken objects, and Malfoy wants both."

"You reckon?" said Ron, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.

"Yeah, I do," said Harry. "Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"

"Malfoy, revenge?" Layla looked up from stroking Peaches, who sat comfortably on her lap, purring. "What can he do about it?"

"That's my point, I don't know," said Harry. "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 mouth open.

"Harry?" said Layla. "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!"

There was a silence; then Ron erupted in laughter.

"Malfoy? He's sixteen, Harry! You think You-Know-Who 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, Layla, and Hermione all 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, Layla, and Hermione exchanged another look.

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

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

Ron was cut off by Harry snatching up a pile of filthy Quidditch robes and leaving the room.

The next morning, it was time to head to King's Cross. Their departure was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of the Burrow to find them waiting, trunks packed; Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, safely enclosed in his traveling basket; and Hedwig; Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon; Ginny's new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold; and all three of Layla's pets, Apollo, Peaches, and Willow, in cages.

"Aurevoir, 'Arry," said Fleur throatily, kissing him good-bye. Ron hurried forward, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell, sprawling in the dust at Fleur's feet. Furious, red-faced, and dirt-spattered, he hurried into the car without saying good-bye. Layla chuckled and stepped forward, hugging Fleur.