The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 12 - Dinner at the Parkinsons

Grimauld Place,

Ginny finished applying a last touch of lipstick and then checked her looks in the mirror. She uttered a low voiced command and the image turned to display her profile and back. Magical mirrors are quite useful that way, sparing elegant witches of the need to twist their necks to try and determine how that last dab of makeup will look like from the sidelines. Satisfied at last, she stood up and adjusted the scarf on her shoulders. For a moment she gave in to the pleasure of simply admiring her reflection.

Draco made a gorgeous choice with this.

The scarf was a perfect way to introduce the rich Slytherin green tones with her red hair and the golden brown of her dress. It had been her Christmas gift.

Green and gold, these are really going to be our private colors. Full of symbols actually, the perfect marriage between our Houses.

"Yes you're beautiful," said Draco from behind her, negligently leaning on the doorframe "but you're also late."

She checked her watch guiltily, but there was still plenty of time. It was ten to eight, and they would be Apparating from the street.

"I'm not late!" she protested.

"That's debatable. Anyhow Severus is downstairs, waiting."

"Then we're all ready and in time," she said gaily, joining him. "Let's go then."

Severus was dressed in his usual black attire, minimally adorned with an elegant silver clasp holding his cape to the shoulder pad of his tunic.

"Good evening Miss Weasley," he greeted her with a slight bow.

You'd think he would be calling me by my first name by now.

"Good evening, sir," she answered warmly. "I'm delighted that you will be with us tonight."

"My pleasure," he murmured.

She still had trouble figuring him out. The man never really let down his guard, at least not with her. The animosity and unpleasantness of the past years had been replaced by a formal politeness but only a few people, Draco and Harry in particular, seemed able to relax with him.

Severus' expression didn't betray anything, but she would have been surprised to learn that he was just as confused by her as she was by him. Even though she acted completely openly with everyone, he couldn't accept the fact that anyone could be as artless as she appeared, especially with such a reputation for having her way on many issues.

She cannot be so manipulative for most things, and not for personal matters as well.

Then again, he was trying to see things differently than through the lens of Slytherin paranoia, but it was difficult enough with the people he felt closer to. Concerning Ginny, he figured that the best strategy was to see how Draco was handling her.

Either he prevails, and one day I may understand what she truly is, or he doesn't, and then I will be ready to pick up the pieces.

"Shall we go?" he asked. "We can Apparate in the park and take our time to walk to the house."

The three of them stepped outside the house's wards. The Parkinsons had provided them with the proper coordinates, and a minute later, they found themselves in the middle of a large open space. The ground at their feet was made up of fine white gravel, and there wasn't a trace of plant life close to them, not even grass. Instead, several statues stood where one would have expected trees and bushes to be. They had arrived at some distance from the main house, and Severus bid them to start walking.

The gravel made their movement anything but discrete. Ginny saw the closest statues turn their head toward them. She raised an inquiring eye at Draco.

"Typical old Slytherin family protection. These are actually golem sentinels. If we weren't expected they would attack us."

Ginny looked again. The statues we certainly menacing. Most of them looked like small, fast moving demons with nasty looking talons. Others were as big as Hagrid and looked very strong.

"But why?" she asked. "I never heard of any Slytherin house being attacked." Not even by Death Eaters, but I better be quiet about that.

"Me neither, but it certainly happened in the past. I think there was some mention of it in one of the Goblin rebellion." He shrugged. "Anyway, all this is really an old tradition."

She spoke without thinking.

"Did you have any at your -" She broke off as she saw his eyes darken. "Sorry."

"At Malfoy Manor, we had guardian plants in the park around the house ..."

The question brought back images from the past. He looked away sadly and stopped walking. The memory still ached.

"It was beautiful in the evening," he continued in a listless voice. "I remember shades of grey and silver. The wind made them sing ..." He shook his head.

"I'm very sorry," she repeated, moving closer to him.

His hands clenched into fists.

"The only one to blame is my father." He snarled out the word like a hateful thing.

Severus was waiting impatiently for them. He must have overheard their conversation, but he said nothing. They resumed walking. Ginny was beginning to feel a little apprehensive. She'd tried not to thing about it before, but now she couldn't get out of her mind the horror which had followed the last time she had shaken Mrs. Parkinson's hand.

She felt the shakes coming on. They both noticed it. Draco held her hand more firmly. Severus' mouth was set in a thin line as he looked at her with annoyance, and she could almost hear him snicker about the limits of Gryffindor courage.

He's such a hard man.

She could be hard herself. With an effort of will, she calmed her trembling. Her heart was still beating wildly, but she spoke with a firm voice, giving the potion master a level look.

I have nothing to fear.

"Shall we knock then?"

She saw him sigh silently. Actually he had been getting ready to reassure her. The unflinching look on his face was merely his default expression. He had only sighed on realizing that he had missed an opportunity to show sympathy. Then again he had been preparing himself mentally for the coming interactions with the people they would meet inside, and he knew that they would certainly not be artless innocents.

This is getting too complicated.

He turned toward the door and called out a greeting to the severe looking figure engraved on it. The face moved and gave them a sinister smile as the door opened.

I have nothing to fear, Ginny repeated to herself.

Two Elves greeted them and offered to take their cloaks. The house was surprisingly colorful, much more than she expected. She'd really thought that it would be like the Malfoy's. Instead, it actually reminded her of Hogwarts. Like the school, there were a lot of medieval antiques and paintings. They were led to a large room were several people were already present. Mr. and Mrs. Parkinsons approached to meet them. They spotted Pansy, a little distance away, talking with another witch.

"Oh wonderful, there you are," said Mrs. Parkinson warmly. "Welcome Miss Weasley, professor Snape, and you Draco."

Severus and Draco bowed respectfully, and Ginny managed a not too clumsy curtsy. She had been practicing for part of the morning.

"We are most honored, Madam, sir," said Severus stiffly.

"Miss Weasley, I am very happy to have you with us tonight," announced Mr. Parkinson, taking her hand and giving her a small bow. He was much more regal and dignified than his wife.

Ginny was resigning herself to an evening of stuffy politeness, when Mrs. Parkinson trotted quickly to her and took her arm in a very motherly manner.

"I'm really glad you came tonight, my dear. I'm still appalled at what happened last time, and I was so frightened that you might never want to have anything more to do with us." Before Ginny could protest, she went on. "It's horrible, truly horrible." She shivered. "To think that Lucius would do such a thing ..." She stole a frightened look toward Draco, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. She turned back toward Ginny. "Never mind. You are all right now, are you?"

"Er, yes," said Ginny, surprised and a little embarrassed.

"You are very brave, and a lovely young woman too. I really want you to know that I appreciate your coming, and I sincerely hope you'll have a good time."

"Thank you." Ginny recovered, and gave her most charming smile. "You certainly make me feel very welcome."

This is a Slytherin? I don't believe it!

Her surprise must still be visible on her face, because Mrs. Parkinson leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"I know what you're thinking, but you need to know that we're not all stuffy old prigs, despite the reputation some of us have."

Ginny opened her eyes in horror and shook her head.

"No! Er, I mean, of course not."

She was terribly uncomfortable, but the older woman was smiling as she talked. Despite her fussy and somewhat silly manners, her eyes were twinkling, not unlike Dumbledore's. She took the occasion to draw her toward a corner of the room.

"You wouldn't be completely wrong of course," she continued. "Some of us are insufferable, but it's the same in all families, you know."

Ginny thought about Percy for a moment, and quickly reacted with guilt. Percy had come back to them in their time of need. Before she realized it, she found herself facing Pansy who had been watching them with some apprehension..

"I'm very happy about you and Draco," continued Mrs. Parkinson. "Of course, Pansy's had her eyes on that fine young man for some time, and to be frank I was somewhat hoping myself-"

"Mother!" exclaimed Pansy, horrified.

"Please, I really think you make a smashing couple. You must think I'm doting to speak to you like that, but don't mind me." She turned her head and spotted a new guest arriving. "Oh, excuse me. I have to go and welcome our dear professor Boocrat. I'll just leave you two together."

She moved away toward a very old wizard who was just coming in. The girls looked at each other awkwardly. They hadn't really gotten along together during the trimester, and Pansy had been avoiding Ginny since the incident with Montague. An elf passed near with a platter full of glasses of sparkling wine. Pansy took the occasion to grab two glasses.

"Here," she said, giving one to Ginny.

"Thank you," said Ginny. "To your health."

"To yours."

They took a sip. The cool liquid was soothing. Ginny was trying to find something to say.

"Your mother is very nice," she offered.

"Yes, she ..." Pansy knew her mother very well, and she wasn't always as charming as tonight, far from it. Of course, she had deliberately arranged for the two girls to be together, and for an obvious reason. Pansy had not wanted to attend this diner, but her parents had been adamant.

"Oh Ginny, I'm really sorry about what happened," she suddenly exclaimed, losing all pretense, and looking at her anxiously. "I swear to you that I didn't know what they had been planning."

She was close to tears. Ginny didn't know how to respond. The simplest thing would have been to continue ignoring each other, but of course that was impossible.

"Yes, that's what Draco told me," she said evenly. Watching the other girl for any sign of play acting.

"Listen, Ginny," said Pansy with a trembling voice, looking her in the eye. "I'll never forget what I saw when he unmasked Montague and the others. We were all terrified. It's true that I was jealous of you. I thought that you had stolen Draco from me, but that night I understood that ... both of you are different. He's strong, and so are you. I ... I mean, you don't have anything to fear from me now."

She was holding her glass so tightly that Ginny was almost ready to see it break in her hand. It didn't look like she was lying. Ginny thought about what Harry would do in such a situation. She didn't have his disposition for forgiveness, but he had proved that it could be a powerful tool.

Maybe she's sincere, and I will certainly need more friends among her people.

"It's okay," said Ginny softly. "Why don't we just forget about all this and start over. What do you think?"

Pansy swallowed and nodded eagerly, looking tremendously relieved. If it was an act, she was an inhumanly good comedian. Ginny touched the other girl's glass with her own, and Pansy returned a timid smile. They stayed silent for a moment, but without the previous awkwardness. After a while, Mrs. Parkinson came back toward them, accompanied by Draco. One look at her daughter's face told her that one particular problem was solved.

"Come, my dears. Allow me to introduce our other guests," she said, guiding them toward the center of the room. "Of course they all know you already. Please meet an old friend of mine, Terry Arlington." He gestured toward a large and tall man in a tartan dress robe. "Terry works for the Auror division of the Ministry."

"A pleasure to meet you young Lady, young man. Alastor has nothing but praise for you, and I wish to offer my most sincere congratulations on your exploits."

"Thank you sir," answered Draco. "Did you work with Moody?"

"I had the privilege to be his trainee for some years, and we actually worked together until I moved to management duties at the Ministry." He gave Severus a knowing glance. "I understand that you made good use of some of our, er... obsolete equipment."

Severus nodded gravely.

"Yes sir, and if you had anything to do with that assistance, then we are certainly in your debt. They were essential to us in our time of need."

"In that case I'm more than glad. I'm confident that our young wizards and witches are in good hands," he turned toward Pansy. "Don't you agree my dear?"

She turned a fearful face toward the professor.

"Of course. Good evening professor," she said quickly. Severus inclined his head slightly. and continued the conversation with their hosts.

Mr. Parkinson led them to the next guests, a young man with a very confident attitude and dressed in elegant green colors. He had been talking with an older couple.

"Lady and Sir Comil, who are the majority investors in Nimbus Flyware, and Trevor Themis, who works at the Ministry. He is in charge of relations with the Wizengamot."

Nimbus brooms! thought Ginny. Now that's a connection I can relate with.

"Very glad to meet you," said the older man graciously. "Your Chocolate Frog card shows you playing Quidditch, young Lady," he added toward Ginny, "but my feeble eyes couldn't identify the one you were using."

"Er, actually I make do with an old... hum, Cleansweep model," she confessed in embarrassment. She dearly hoped he wouldn't inquire as the actual reason. The lack of money to buy anything better, which was even more humiliating than admitting to use a broom made by a competitor. Draco intervened to save her.

"But I'm sure she's not going to keep it for much longer," he said. "I ride a Nimbus myself and I'm fully aware of its superior quality." He gave Ginny a wry smile.

"And it is a tribute to Miss Weasley's talent that with such a handicap the Gryffindor team still manages to beat Slytherin," added Severus with his old derisive voice.

Draco jumped as if he'd been pricked. Anger and pride flashed on his face. The others, Ginny included, watched him with evident amusement. He tried to mask his annoyance as best as he could.

"You are correct, sir, that we did poorly in the past, but we haven't lost a match this year," he said, keen to defend his House's team.

"Yes," conceded Ginny maliciously. "You won... against Hufflepuff, and we trounced Ravenclaw!"

Draco and Severus shot her a disgusted look. Trevor smiled and Mr. Comil laughed goodheartedly.

"Ah the passion of competition! I see that it exists even inside your little group. Excellent." He turned toward Draco. "I seem to recall a significant order for Slytherin House some years ago."

Draco swallowed. The team didn't even have the excuse of defective brooms.

"Er, yes," he admitted. "A full set of Nimbus 2001, ordered for us by my father."

"A most generous investment!" Mr. Comil was clearly enjoying himself.

"But of dubious return," maintained Severus severely. Draco grimaced but held his ground.

"I offer no excuses," he said proudly, "but we will win back the cup this year."

"Is that a challenge?" asked Ginny, frowning.

Draco bowed toward her with exaggerated ceremonial.

"I have pledged my love and support for you in all things, but Quidditch remains a neutral ground," he said soberly. "I hope you won't make an issue of it," he added with some uneasiness.

She giggled.

"Oh no, at least as long as the playing field is level." She turned toward Mr. Comil. "It wouldn't be fair for all of them to have the latest models don't you think?" she added. Severus snorted.

"Harry has a Firebolt!" exclaimed Draco. He narrowed his eyes. "Actually you've been wining ever since."

"I thought you weren't going to made excuses," she countered.

Draco threw a pleading look at Mr. Comil. The man exchanged a quick glance with Severus then addressed her.

"Miss Weasley if you will excuse us, I think I have some things to discuss with our young friend," he said.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" she called. Trevor laughed loudly, and they all looked at her. Draco had something close to the old smirk she remembered so well. She hardened her look.

I'm not going to stop them, but at least I can place limits on what they do.

"Let him have anything you want, but the rest of the team keeps what they have," she proposed.

Draco took his time answering, pursing his mouth this way and that, as if he might reject her offer and push his advantage.

He'd better not, and he will pay for every second he makes me wait.

"Draco ..." she said menacingly.

Her gaze held his, and she make clear what she was thinking. He seemed to get the right message, because he suddenly nodded.

"All right, one broom," he agreed.

Ginny said nothing. She wasn't smiling anymore.

"And I'll even give you my old Nimbus," he added.

"Such a generous gift," she finally replied with an icy voice. "Your old broom. I'm thrilled."

Draco nervously wondered if he'd gone too far, but their exchange was interrupted by the raucous laughter of Mr. Comil and Trevor. Ginny turned toward Mrs. Parkinson who looked at her approvingly.

"Well done my dear," she praised. "Those young men are often apt to get too cocky. Oh, but your glass is empty, let me give you a refill."

"Please do not trouble yourself, my Lady," interrupted Trevor. "I will take care of it. Same thing?" Ginny nodded and surrendered her glass.

Mrs. Parkinson smiled in thanks and went on to introduce her to the rest of the guests. Ginny greeted everyone politely and tried desperately to keep track of the many faces presented to her. A few minutes later, when they were listening to a boring old witch who was rambling about her younger days at Hogwarts, apparently sometime before the Second World War, Trevor came back and rescued her.

"Ah, Miss Weasley there you are. Madam Dragonis, you are as magnificent as ever. A thousand pardons but may I steal the young lady from your company?"

The old lady smiled kindly and made some wistful remark about the impetuosity of youth. Trevor confidently took Ginny's arm and led her to a quiet spot across the room.

"I feared you'd forgotten me," she murmured.

"That would be impossible," he replied gallantly, giving her a new filled glass. She sipped carefully, not used to the alcohol. "Everyone wants to meet you," he continued, waving at the group of guests, "even the old bores, but make no mistake. All of these people are influent in their way, so there's good reason to talk with them." He stopped walking and gave her a charming smile. "But I was the one most keen to make your acquaintance."

"Oh." She didn't know how to analyze this.

Is he hitting on me? I hope not. Handsome as he is he must be used to sweeping 'young ladies' off their feet at every party.

She gave him back a shy smile. He reacted with some surprise and shook his head with a confident chuckling, which she suddenly found very annoying.

"I almost forgot that you're a Gryffindor. Please don't imagine that I'm flirting with you." She blushed furiously and glared back at him. "I'm sorry, I've embarrassed you and it's entirely my fault."

"No offense," she replied in a cold voice.

He became immediately contrite and bowed his head.

"Please don't be mad at me. I honestly didn't mean anything and I really should have known better." She mellowed a bit.

Let's not be ridiculous, and let's not make an enemy before even knowing anything about him.

"It's all right," she said finally. "I guess I'm the clumsy one here."

He raised his face and flashed a dazzling smile.

"You're a beautiful young thing and far from clumsy." He winked. "After all you're a great Quidditch player." He raised his glass to her. "No hard feelings?"

She laughed. He was so charming that it was impossible to hold out to him.

"I'll accept that. No hard feelings, but was there a special reason for wanting to know me?"

His face became more serious.

"Not only you but also your friend, the star pupil of Slytherin who is aiming for a political career."

Her eyes narrowed.

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Rumors, confessions, deductions," he waived negligently at unseen elements around him. "The opposite would truly surprise me." He took a sip and suddenly narrowed his gaze at her. "Am I wrong?"

She knew her expression had already given away anything she might have wanted to hide.

Damn! I'll never take a drink with a Slytherin again.

"Yeah," she admitted. "But if you want to talk about that, I would really insist that we be together."

He nodded soberly.

"Of course, you'll be operating as partners." Her eyes opened wide. He gave her a sly smile. "I know about that too."

How does he know all this? That information never appeared in the newspaper articles. She forced her mind to concentrate.

"You've been doing research about us?" she challenged. When he didn't response she thought about it some more. "Of course. You want to understand the power that was used to destroy ..." He raised a finger in warning and she frowned. "Come on surely anyone can say his name now." He shook his head.

"Not here. It's not that simple. Some people have been afraid for too long, and he did return once." He cocked his head toward the main group of guests. "In this house everyone will still refer to him as a Dark Lord."

She had a flash of insight.

"As if he was a recurrent figure," she murmured. "I bet that's how they talked of Grindelwald."

He nodded approvingly.

"You understand very well, and of course, it's something that you can use to your advantage."

She smiled cautiously, her mind was racing and she knew that she was probably missing things. She tried to stall for time.

"Begging your pardon, but when a Slytherin starts to talk about my advantage, I look to where his own interest lies."

Trevor didn't show any surprise. She was babbling about obvious things, but he had to remember that she was a young Gryffindor. No matter how gifted she might be, some things would not be as evident to her as they were to him.

It would have been simpler to wait for Malfoy, but she needs to be fully a part of this. At least that way I may get her to let slip some information.

He decided that the candid approach might be best.

"My interest is to gain prestige and influence, and at the same time defend beliefs which I believe we share." He moved closer and lowered his voice. "We have more in common than most of the old guard at the Ministry. Cooperation is therefore logical."

She thought about it. Inwardly, she was thrilled at the idea to enter that particular arena, and she knew Draco wanted it even more. It was really a shame that they had to finish their schooling first.

"I have already attained a significant position," he added, "but I am still a junior public servant whose career depends on careful association with the powerful. I know several people who would appreciate your support, and I'm sure that you would agree with their views."

"And we would bring the sanction of the slayers of the Dark Lord," she completed.

She may lack experience but at least she's not stupid.

"Not a trivial thing, as you no doubt realize," he agreed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that dinner was being served. He bent down to her ear and whispered quickly. "We must go now. Take your time, but think about it."

He bowed gracefully and moved away. She followed him with thoughtful eyes, letting go only when Draco's hand took her arm.

"Interesting conversation?" he asked.

"Very."

She couldn't say any more. The different guests were being led to the table, and it wasn't the kind of subject which could be discussed among a crowd. Fortunately they had other means of communication. She took his hand, and they murmured the incantation which opened a limited mental rapport. Images flashed through Draco's mind, and he grunted in understanding. They would still need to use words for him to be aware of the full extend of her conversation, but at least he knew enough to be on his guard.

They saw Trevor take leave of a portly middle aged wizard who had been introduced as Lord Septimus Shrummer, an important member of the Wizengamot. The younger man then let himself be led to his assigned place on the other side of the table. He and Ginny were guided as well to their chairs, at the right hand of the hosts. Severus was across from them.

When everyone was seated, the servants began to serve the first dish, and fill their glasses with wine. Ginny noted with relief that water glasses were also provided and already filled. All in all, she was quite intimidated by the imposing ceremonial, up to the beautiful disposition of the seafood salad in her plate. The Hogwarts feasts had been the most impressing eating experiences in her life, but compared to this there were crude country picnics. She was more than a little worried about etiquette.

I just know I'm going to make a fool of myself.

Pansy was seated at her side and seemed to guess her trouble. She bent to whisper softly.

"Are you all right?"

Ginny decided that she would put her newborn friendship to the test.

"I'm not used to that kind of thing, I'll probably use the wrong fork or whatever and that will just ruin my image," she whispered back.

"Relax, just follow my lead, use the cutlery farthest from the plate first and hold your glass by the hemp, never by the cup or you'll leave finger marks." She chuckled. "I assume you won't stuff your mouth with food or belch rudely or anything like that?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, but smiled her thanks at the other girl. Soon everybody was eating and small talk buzzed around the table. She noticed that most of the serious conversation seemed to be initiated by the older folks. For the majority of couples, a single person would most of the talking, usually the wizard, but not always. The salad was followed by beautifully decorated bird roasts. Wild venison by the look of it. A dark red wine was served with it and when the glasses were all filled, Lord Shrummer raised his glass and addressed Mrs. Parkinson with flourish.

"Once again your table is a pure delight my Lady," he said in a deep bass voice. "Will you allow me to raise a toast?"

"But of course my Lord," she answered gracefully. She and everyone else took their glass in hand. "Whom, or what would you toast?"

He raised his glass.

"To our good fortune, the defeat of a terrible menace," he turned toward Draco and Ginny, "and to the valiant youths who made it happen."

"Hear, hear." Sound of assent was heard all over the table and everyone was looking at them. Ginny blushed, and Draco squirmed in his chair. Sips were taken and some hand clapping followed. When silence returned Draco stood up, bowed and begged a silent question to Mrs. Parkinson who nodded amiably.

"Thank you for such an honor my Lord, my ladies and sirs," he said smoothly. "It is truly a pleasure to be with you tonight, and I wish to renew my thanks to our generous hostess and host." He bowed and more hand clapping followed.

"Well said, lad," said Lord Shrummer approvingly. "You match valiance with style, and that speaks well for the defense of those principles we should never forget." He looked around. "If we had paid them more attention, then perchance we wouldn't have to battle a new Dark Lord every twenty years."

"Were it only that simple, Septimus," said another old wizard. "Most of them take pretext on defending those very ideals. They are even usually acclaimed for it in the beginning."

"Demetrius has a point my Lord," added Mr. Parkinson. "How can we be sure to identify such perversions?"

"No single wizard or witch can that is certain," replied Lord Shrummer with assurance. "This is why we must rely on our most trusted traditions, and select a proper group of people to implement them." He gestured toward Draco and Ginny. "Like these youngsters have."

"Really, Septimus," replied Madam Dragonis, "far from me to belittle what they have done but surely consider the circumstances. You know as well as I do that Fudge refused them assistance, and you yourself sat trial on the Potter boy." She turned toward Draco and Ginny. "What you did was magnificent, but it when did tradition command that students be charged with such a task?"

Ginny felt Trevor's calculating eyes on her.

He's expecting us to enter this power play. Is it a trap?

She touched Draco's hand and expressed her thought. He was asking himself the same thing.

This situation certainly looks to have been arranged. Interestingly, if I say the truth, I will basically support Shrummer, and indirectly Trevor.

Normally he wouldn't take part in such a debate without having more information about who was really standing for what. Whatever he did, he was sure to make at least one enemy and that was never good. His problem was that there was no good way out of this. If he backed out, he would be seen a weakling, or a weasel, and he would probably lose all hopes of working with any of these people.

And what Trevor had said to Ginny was very much true. They had a lot to gain by working together.

Okay, here goes.

"Actually Madam, we did follow tradition, but we went back much farther for it," he said finally. A look of triumph showed briefly across Trevor's features. Nothing but sincere curiosity could be seen on Lord Shrummer's face, but the man was certainly much too experienced to let anything show.

"Now what could you possibly mean by that?" she responded with annoyance. Draco chose his words carefully.

"There was no way, of course, that we could have managed to vanquish the Dark Lord without help," he said. "Not even professor Dumbledore could best him, but he devised a plan for his downfall." The entire table looked at him with interest. "He arranged for us to recreate some of the magic of the Hogwarts Founders. It was those ancient traditions which we followed."

Gasps of surprise and other reactions could be heard along the table.

"The Founders!"

"This is incredible!"

"How could that be?"

The noise went down after a while, and several people were frowning. A very old wizard, who hadn't spoken previously, addressed them in an old and croaky voice.

"I have made it my life's work to learn about these things, and I must say that I am highly surprised," he said, with a disdainful tone that was reminiscent of professor Snape at his worse. "The Founders left very little about them, aside from the school itself, and most of the tradition assigned to them is limited to the general moral principles attributed to each House, and well known by most of us."

He didn't quite call Draco a liar but it was close. Pansy bent toward Ginny's ear.

"That's professor Alan Boocrat. He's an Unspeakable at the Ministry," she whispered.

Draco stole a glance at Severus who nodded slightly. Addressing the professor, he answered in a calm confident voice.

"I was fortunate enough to visit Salazar's Retreat and to have access to the last relic of the Founders. I refer to Sorting Hat of course."

The old scholar frowned.

"Who took upon himself to show you the secret of these things?" he asked brusquely. Those who knew of the last dwelling of Salazar were fascinated or horrified, the others were busily asking questions. Not a few of them were surprised that such a mystery had been disclosed to a mere student.

"I did sir," replied Severus. All heads turned toward him at once and a heavy silence fell on the assembly. He didn't flinch and continued. "I was so instructed by professor Dumbledore."

No one said anything. Certainly, Dumbledore had the right to authorize such a thing, and after all it seemed to have worked. Slytherins being anything if not practical, that particular issue was closed.

The scholar returned his gaze toward Draco.

"You were most privileged to see such wonders," he went on. "Pray, tell us what they did for you?"

Draco couldn't hide a sly smile while anticipating their reactions. He adjusted his position in his seat and lengthened their wait by a few seconds. He could see everyone, except Ginny and Severus, hanging on to his words.

"In that particular location the Hat ... talked to me, and invited me to visit its inner space." He paused again to let them imagine what it had been like. "I came upon a room where the Founders were sitting, well their avatars obviously. I addressed them and Salazar Slytherin agreed to instruct me."

Aside from a couple of muted exclamations, no one said anything. They looked at the old wizard, waiting for him to accept or refute such an extraordinary claim. It was plain that he was far from convinced.

"What proof can you offer of this?" he challenged.

Draco shrugged.

"I can describe what I saw and answer your questions, I could even place some memory into a pensieve if you'd like."

Lord Shrummer turned toward Mr. Parkinson.

"That sounds like a very good idea. Could you arrange that sir?" Their host nodded and a few minutes later, a servant brought an ornate silver cup to the table. It was placed in front of Draco who concentrated a moment and retrieved one of his last conversations with Salazar, when they had discussed the fate of Voldemort.

Everyone watched with bated breath as the cup was placed in the center of the table, and the scene was replayed for all to see, as quarter sized pictures of Salazar and Draco conversed.

When it was over, the scholar went back for some stills of the encounter, and he examined closely the small figures. Afterwards, he stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding toward Draco.

"I accept this as genuine," he said in a voice which had become noticeably more respectful. He took out his wand and wiped the content of the pensieve. Mr. Parkinson cried out in surprise.

"This information is priceless! How could you have erased it?" he demanded.

"Aye, it is priceless indeed," responded the scholar," but the Founders were very clear that no precise memories of themselves be left behind. It was the same wish that Merlin himself expressed." He turned toward Draco. "I believe what you said, yet I wonder what could command Salazar Slytherin to take a new apprentice. Surely it wasn't simply a matter of asking politely?"

Draco grimaced and stole a glance at Severus.

"No it wasn't." He paused a moment, and his gaze was lost in the distance. "I had just faced several hard truths about my life. I was invited to use the Hat and ... let's just say that he gave me another chance." He turned toward Severus and the two seemed to share something inexpressible.

"Some of us are very fortunate in their friends and mentors," murmured Severus. Draco nodded silently.

The rest of the assistance was cowed as they digested the importance of what had been shown. This was as close to a religious experience as anything in their world. It was some time before they resumed eating, and none of them said anything. Mrs. Parkinson was the first to react. She gestured toward the senior Elf and commanded him to bring the next dishes.

Trevor and Lord Shrummer stole several measuring looks at Draco. Pansy looked at her mother and saw her triumphant expression. Tomorrow, this dinner would be talked about by the entire wizard high society, and certainly for months. Her reputation would rise to unprecedented levels, and ever more people would fight to be invited at her next reception.

The rest of the meal went by in a lighter atmosphere and after dessert Mrs. Parkinson invited everyone to return to the main ballroom. More drinks were served, and Draco and Ginny gravitated naturedly toward the two men.

"You put us on the spot beautifully," said Draco to Trevor with some reproach.

"And you responded admirably," answered Lord Shrummer. "Let us stop playing games. You have shown that you understand these things. I have a proposal for you ... two." He hadn't missed the use of the plural, and his gaze included Ginny as well. "Are you interested?"

Draco exchanged a glance with her.

"We should know more about your plans before committing ourselves," he said reasonably. "You saw what happened. I vowed to defend the true principles of our House, actually of the Four, and to fight the Dark Lord, and any successors."

"And I vowed to be at his side," added Ginny.

The portly man moved his hand in a reassuring gesture.

"That should not conflict with my offer. Whatever some may think of the Old Families," said the older man. "We did not all welcome the Dark Lord, and those who took his side have paid the price of their folly." Draco grimaced slightly at that.

"We believe that the more powerful in our community must unite to prevent the return of any Dark Lord," added Trevor. "This actually transcends the Houses."

Draco and Ginny touched briefly and communicated.

I don't see any problem in working with them. Do You?

No... I don't see anything but... I'm not sure either.

We need to give him an answer.

In that case, I'll trust your judgment.

Draco spoke up.

"All right. We're interested. What's the next step? As someone remarked, we're still students."

Shrummer had been observing closely, and he had noted the touching and some involuntary movement during the slight pause before the boy's answer.

"What did you plan on doing after graduation?" asked Trevor. "Did you consider working in the Ministry?"

"Yes," replied Draco cautiously.

Trevor smiled.

"I'll need an assistant, and you would do fine. Before that, you can help indirectly, and make the most of your remaining time at Hogwarts to identify other prospects." Draco nodded.

"You'll be preparing for changes in the meanwhile, won't you?" asked Ginny. "Unless Fudge is with you."

They laughed at the idea.

"No, Fudge is not with us, although he might want to change sides once the going gets rough," said Lord Shrummer in a hard voice "The man has no principles. We can't trust him."

Draco nodded approvingly. Going with Fudge would have been a bad compromise. He was glad that such a decision was not being considered.

"We will get rid of him and his minions," added Trevor. "The ministry needs to have a new broom put to it."

"Percy's not really one of his minions," said Ginny carefully. "I know he was in the past, but he stood up for us when Fudge took away our defenses."

The older man considered this and turned toward Trevor. The girl spoke up for her blood, and that was never something to take lightly.

"What do you think of him, Trevor?" The younger man shrugged.

"A smart lad, and a hard worker, but he still believe politics is like studying for exams. He's also one to go by the book."

Lord Shrummer turned toward Ginny and held her gaze.

"Is he a man of principles?"

Ginny thought for a moment. She wasn't really sure that Percy valued principles over rules. At least she believed he was honest.

"He has principles yes, but I think that the question you're really asking is whether, if he joined, he would stand by us in a crunch?"

Lord Shrummer smiled at the nuance.

"That's what I mean all right." He chuckled then became serious. "We'll be doing things above board. I plan to announce our intentions, and that we have your support, at the next Wizengamot meeting. At that time, the battle lines will be drawn, and he will be free to make his decision. Should he want to join us, then both of you will have to convince me of his sincerity. If you can't, then it will be too bad. That would also go for your father and any other persons that would recommend."

Ginny looked as if she'd just eaten a bad lemon.

"Will you let them stay neutral?" she asked finally.

"Yes, but in that case they won't be making any decisions."

"That sounds a little ... rough," said Draco carefully. If not to say, like a dictatorship.

The two men looked unhappy but determined. Lord Shrummer took them even further aside from the rest of the company.

"I know what you're thinking, and in a sense it's a good thing that we're having this conversation now, at the beginning." He was very serious. "First of all, I do not want absolute power, if only because it wouldn't work. My intention is to put in place a stable system, under which any potential Dark Lord can be identified and neutralized before it is too late." He looked at them very earnestly. "This, and only this, is my true objective. Unfortunately, it requires a number of changes in our laws, and that cannot be done without gaining control of the Ministry."

"It will not mean breaking any laws," said Trevor, "But we know that some people are going to resist this, and we can't let them."

"What kind of laws would you pass?" asked Ginny.

"We don't have the time to discuss this in detail," he answered, "but our society allows too much freedom in the use of dangerous powers. Consider this simple fact: any wizard of age can study and use any kind of magic, except the Unforgivables."

Draco nodded slowly at that. It called out to his own ideas about how the Dark Arts should be taught.

"Likewise the failings of the Ministry in the last crisis," added Trevor. That remark evoked a response from Ginny who was not ready to forgive the way they had treated Harry.

The two young people looked at each other. Ginny would follow him and he was willing, eager even, to go on with this. He turned back toward Lord Shrummer.

"We're on," he said simply.

The older man smiled and raised his glass. The others did the same. Draco felt the thrill of having made an important decision. Something, he was sure, which would play a big part in his future.

Mrs. Parkinson arrived to pull them back toward the rest of the guests, gently chiding them for not joining the others. The remainder of the evening was much less serious. Music was playing and some couples started to dance. Draco even invited Pansy and Trevor expertly led Ginny in several waltzes. It was certainly pleasant but the thought of what was coming was still in their heads and it showed. Severus looked at his young charges and wondered briefly what it was. He decided it was none of his business, and returned to his discussion with professor Boocrat.

Dinner at the Parkinsons Ch12 - 16