When Lightning Struck

Chapter 9 - Integrating the Enemy

Part 33 - Blonde

The next day Meega dragged Draco over to the Gryffindor common room. Neither the Gryffindors nor Draco was happy about it, but she wasn't about to be put off by that. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Meega broke it with a disgruntled sigh.

"What's your problem with Draco? I want an explanation that has nothing to do with his father."

"There's the way he acts towards us . . . "

"You mean the way he acted because of a simple misinterpretation of your behavior, Harry."

"And the fact that he's a--"

"Don't want to hear it, Ron."

"Meega, you're dead set on the fact that he's really a good person, but we've seen no proof of that."

Meega shrugged. "I've seen plenty. He's no angel, but he's definitely not the demon you all seem to think he is. So get on with it. When are we meeting where tomorrow?"

Harry sighed, glanced at Ron, Hermione, and Mione, and started talking.

"After our last class, at the base of the Whomping Willow. Don't move en masse--we're trying to make this look like it's not planned. The last thing we need is Snape breathing down our necks. He would have no problem busting a couple of Slytherins to nick us. From there . . . we go to the Shack."

I nodded. "Simple, straightforward, and not going to work."

"Why?"

"Because it will look bloody suspicious, that's why! It would look a heck of a lot less suspicious if we move en masse, as we all have the same class. Otherwise I'd have to make it look like I was running off to snog Draco, which is not on the top of my list of ways to survive my fifth year. Pansy was trying to make him jealous, and she hates me enough for spoiling her plan without her thinking that he likes me." Draco winced slightly and rubbed his nose awkwardly, and Meega gave him a wry smile. "She'll try to get you back before too long. If you're smart you'll reject her--very publicly. It would be good for that reputation of yours."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I hadn't planned on going back out with some bird who dumped me for Crabbe."

The Gryffindors snorted with laughter, and Meega gave them a look that clearly said And you're laughing now . . . why? Old news, and not funny.

"Okay, we'll make it look planned. See you all tomorrow at the Whomping Willow."

Meega turned to leave, shaking her head at the immaturity of her Gryffindor friends, and stopped dead.

"Morrigan? How did you get rid of all that dye?"

The seventh year girl, her hair clear of any trace of the black dye she'd worn two nights before, cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Magic."

That was all they got out of her.

Part 34 - Going to Meet a Murderer . . . or is it a Marauder?

The next day after Care of Magical Creatures the four Gryffindors and two Slytherins wandered over to Whomping Willow. Draco was watching the tree warily with one eye, the Gryffindors with the other, and trying to avoid Meega saying something else to enforce the fact that they were 'just friends.' Meega thought it was very amusing, but watched the tree with half an eye anyway, just in case. You never knew if you were getting too close, otherwise.

"Okay, people, who's going to hit the knot?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I've been elected, as I'm the smallest and fastest, even though I'm taller than most of you."

"You might be the second tallest, but you're still the smallest," Hermione pointed out. "Not to mention faster than the rest of us. Besides, the rest of us don't really need to get in--just you."

Harry shook his head, then ducked under the branches of the tree. He hit the knot, then ducked into the passageway at the base of the trunk. The other Gryffindors followed, but Draco was staring apprehensively at the tree and the hole at its base.

"Come on Draco, I promise it's not dangerous--at the moment. We don't have long, though, and everything will be explained as soon as you're inside. It's a passageway the Shrieking Shack."

Draco glanced at Meega, swallowed, and ducked into the passageway. Meega followed and just avoided being hit as the tree came back to life.

"What took you two so long? Take time out for a snog?" Mione asked evilly.

"Nah, not enough time for that," Meega said lightly. "Draco was just smart enough to be afraid of the tree and not trust the lot of you. Okay, who's telling him why we're off to the Shack?"

"To shag," Ron said, then tried (and failed miserably) to escape all three girls smacking him for his comment.

After Hermione straitened herself out from beating Ron to a bloody pulp with Mione and Meega, she took charge of the explanation. "You know that Sirius Black escaped--and presumably that's he's Harry's Godfather."

"Not the last part. I just knew he was a friend of the family that was supposedly a Death Eater. I have no idea who was the real spy, though."

"Wormtail, or Peter Pettigrew. Anyway, Sirius is innocent and Harry's Godfather, and we're going to see him. He's going to kip in the Shack for a few days between missions."

Draco was stunned. "We're going to see a murderer?"

Meega grinned and ruffled his hair, which made him blink in surprise. "He's innocent of that. If you want something he's really guilty of, try replacing murderer with Marauder. That one couldn't be more true."

"A Marauder?"

"James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The other three were good enough to give him Peter second billing--Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."

"Ah. So we're going to see a Marauder who everyone thinks is a murderer."

"Pretty much, yeah, that's it."

"Okaaaay . . ."

Meega grinned. "Don't tell me that you're afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."

Draco looked puzzled. "What? I thought--"

"I wasn't referring to Werewolves. Anyone in their right mind is afraid of them when they're changed. The big bad wolf is the villain in a couple of Muggle fairy tales. Most, if not all, fairy tales ended up adapted to be children's bedtime stories, and so the Big Bad Wolf isn't scary at all. When I say someone's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf I mean they're pretty much afraid of their own shadow. Sirius isn't dangerous--well, no more than any other fairly powerful Gryffindor alumni with a temper. Come on. I swear, you're jumpier than I usually am today."

Part 35 - The Meeting

Sirius was sprawled on a couch in a large sitting room when the group of fifth years arrived. His eyes were nearly closed, giving the illusion that he could easily be caught unawares. However, the deception was incomplete, broken by the wand he had gripped in one hand.

"Sirius," Harry said softly. "We're here."

Sirius Black opened his eyes, stretched, and stood to pull Harry into a tight hug. Then he surveyed the crowed, unperturbed, merely raising an eyebrow at Meega's Slytherin scarf. When he saw Draco, however, his grip on his wand tightened and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Harry, you might want to re-think your choice in people you bring with you. My cousin is not to be trusted."

"Meega insisted on--wait, he's your cousin?"

"Technically, his mother's my cousin. Says something about the family, doesn't it?"

Meega gave the escaped convict a shocked look. "You mean you're related to the Malfoys? I would have guessed the Potters first! Well, distantly, anyway."

Sirius gave a short laugh. "I would prefer it if I was! I'm also related to the Lestranges."

"Bellatrix Lestrange is my mother's sister," Draco drawled.

Meega blinked. "Your aunt and uncle are Death Eaters, too? Bloody heck, how did you end up as well as you have?"

"Same way he did, I suppose." The blond Slytherin waved vaguely at the escaped convict who was glaring at him. "From what I hear his younger brother was a Death Eater--and their mother's favorite. Then there's Aunt Andromeda and her daughter, Nymphadora. Nymph goes by their surname. They've been disowned because Auntie's husband, Ted Tonks, is Muggleborn."

"Andromeda was always my favorite cousin," Sirius remarked, obviously still suspicious of the motive behind his first--cousin-once-removed being present. "Strange that you'd call her Auntie--I'd think Narcissa would agree with my mother about her having no proper wizarding pride."

"Mum took me to see her sometimes. She hates Mr. Tonks, but she and Auntie still get along fairly well. I'd play with Nymph even though she's a good four years older than me, and I grew rather fond of Auntie and Mr. Tonks." He seemed to catch the other's looks because he added, "Mum wasn't happy about me even meeting him. I was told I was to refer to him as Mr. Tonks if I ever had to refer to him, and it wasn't encouraged."

"I see," Sirius said. He was obviously still suspicious--and probably always would be--but he was willing to talk. "Since you're obviously not going to go away, I might as well get on with it."

Part 36 - Reason #2 Not to Flirt with a Death Eater's Son

"That was the weirdest experience I have ever had in my life."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Not that."

Meega laughed. "Drace, Sirius and Harry are half father and son, half brothers. Sirius is the closest thing to a real family that Harry has."

"Drace?"

"Well . . . it's kinda cute."

"Cute?"

"Yep. Cute."

"Drace," the boy repeated, pausing to give Meega a sideways glance. "I never thought the day would come that I had any sort of nickname, much less a 'cute' one."

"Well, it has. The very day you met someone who had been in Azkaban for twelve years."

"He's a lot more . . . sane . . . than I thought he would be."

"His innocence kept him sane, he thinks. He could keep that, because it was an obsession instead of a happy thought."

"Interesting."

"Did you find any particular topic of discussion especially interesting?"

"That book sounded like something I'd like to get my hands on."

"I thought so, too."

"Too bad he promised Potter's parents that he wouldn't give it to him."

"That doesn't mean that someone else can't get it from him," Meega said, her eyes dancing as she looked up at the blond boy beside her on the couch.

Draco groaned. "Don't tell me that you're going to try to get it."

"All right. I won't tell you."

"Mia, what in Merlin's name makes you think he'll give it to a Slytherin?"

"Oh, I can get it, Drace. I can get it." Meega stood up, realizing that Draco had her hand loosely in his. "I've got to go to the library, Draco."

Draco held her gaze for a moment longer, then slowly released her hand and drew his back to his side. "I'll see you later, then, Meega."