HARRY POTTER AND THE PROPHECY TRUE

Chapter twenty-three

Christmas eve found Harry sitting on the Hogwart's Express, listening to Ron and Hermione argue over their plans for the holiday. The Grangers had invited Ron to meet several family members eager and curious to see what kind of boy could pull Hermione's nose out of a book long enough to marry her, but Ron was very reluctant. He and Mr. Granger had still not made amends for last year, when he had caught his only daughter in a very compromising situation with her now fiancé. Regardless of Hermione's insistence that her father had gotten over all that, Ron was convinced her father would blast him into a million pieces with something he had once heard about, called a shotgun.

Ginny was curled up beside Harry, her book of Advanced Potions open on her lap, her head resting on his shoulder. She had drifted asleep about twenty minutes before, allowing Harry a few minutes to consider how he would get through the holiday without being blasted into a million pieces himself. He had been unable to convince Ginny that having a child this early in life was foolish and premature, so instead he decided to write to the one person he knew could talk sense into her. Molly Weasley had written back to Harry, assuring him that she would make Ginny realize the foolishness of her decision. He only hoped he would still have a head on his shoulders, when this holiday was over.

"Don't you agree Harry?" Ron asked him, bringing his thoughts out of the deep pending doom he felt swelling up around him.

"I'm sorry?" Harry answered.

"Don't you think 'Mione's family would better pass judgment against me at the wedding, rather than over a very long holiday?"

"You're asking the wrong guy, mate," Harry answered, trying hard not to crack a smile. "I'm still trying to keep the noose from around my neck, where Percy is concerned."

"Oh, Percy. He's just all talk. He knows better then to touch you. If mum didn't kill him, Ginny would."

"It's your folks I'm worried about as well. I allowed Ginny to follow me into Voldemort's castle and nearly got us both caught. I can just imagine how much fuel that gave your brother."

"You're worrying over nothing," Ron smiled. "Everyone knows how Ginny is. Besides, you're a part of the family, or at least you will be soon enough once Ginny's out of school. You are still going to make an honest woman out of my sister, aren't you?"

"That's my plan," Harry said, glancing down to the sleeping red head next to him.

"I wish you wouldn't worry so much," Hermione scolded with a frown. "You'll win the battle, we all know you will."

"If I don't..." Harry began glancing up to Ron and Hermione.

"You will," Ron insisted.

"But if I don't, you have to promise to hide Ginny. He'll come after her next. He knows how much I love her."

"We won't let him near her," Hermione promised. Harry smiled, but somehow the light didn't quite reach his eyes. He turned toward the dark skies outside the train and sighed. He could feel the time growing short. His days of peace were numbered.

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"I can't believe they agreed to come here," Harry said for the fifth time in as many minutes. Bill and Charlie had arrived at the train station to meet the home comers, along with a red and green haired Tonks and a very happy looking Lupin. They ordered a taxi to take them to Mrs. Figg's house on Privet Drive, where they quickly made use of her fireplace and flooed back to the Burrow. Once there and settled in, Mrs. Weasley made her astonishing announcement.

"Your cousin was very excited to receive the invitation and insisted that his parents would be honored to join him." Mrs. Weasley continued speaking as she busied herself with the preparations for a quick supper. Ron had reluctantly gone to the Grangers with Hermione, but cheered slightly when she promised they would join the Weasleys for Christmas dinner the next day. Mr. Granger looked rather stern when he shook Ron's hand and Mrs. Granger gave him a warm, enthusiastic hug before dragging them to their car.

"I can't believe the Dursleys would be willing to have another meal with you, considering what you told us happened over Halloween," Ginny snickered.

"Smart young lad, that Dudley," Bill chuckled. "Fooling his parents with a simple concealing charm on the cupboards and ice box at the castle."

"All they had to do when they found all the cupboards empty of food, was to open them again, to find out they weren't," Charlie said shaking his head. "It's a simple spell, any child could do."

"You're talking about Muggles, Charlie," Ginny clarified. "Those Muggles in particular. They would never dream of repeating themselves. It's too common."

"Now all of you, that's enough," Mrs. Weasley insisted. "They will be here any minute. Your father is bringing them along when he comes home and I want to make a good impression. Ginny, go make certain the guest room has clean sheets on the bed, and Harry your cousin will be staying in Ron's room with you. There should be more than enough room."

"But mum, Harry's going to sleep with..." Ginny froze, surprised and embarrassed that her tongue began speaking the words before her brain could stop them. Mrs. Weasley didn't comment, even when Fred and George began whistling and making kissing sounds from where they sat at the end of the table.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Harry stated, hiding his embarrassment behind the steam of his teacup. "Dudley can have the cot and I'll take Ron's bed, since he won't be here."

"Good," Mrs. Weasley said, clearing her throat. "Oh, and Ginny dear, when you've finished, would you help me get little Molly cleaned up for supper?"

"Sure mum," Ginny said with a wide grin. She was determined to prove to Harry just how ready she was to be a mother, but from the look Mrs. Weasley gave Harry, he was certain there was more to her needing help then she let on.

Harry helped Fred and George set the table with Mrs. Weasley's finest dishes - chipped and faded blue pansy covered china - while Tonks and Remus decorated the living room with fresh holly, dancing fairies and enchanted fireflies. Percy had arrived some time ago with a very nauseated Penelope who made a straight line to the toilet, leaving Molly to crawl contently around the floor in front of the fireplace. Without a word, Mrs. Weasley offered her granddaughter a rather large, chocolate cupcake complete with frosting and red and green sprinkles. By the time Ginny returned, the child was covered in a sticky chocolate mess, her short red hair stuck up at the sides from where she had grabbed at it with cupcake-covered fingers, her little blue jumper smeared with chocolate and ash from the fireplace where she crawled. There was chocolate frosting everywhere, in her ears, over her eyes, and even up her nose.

Penelope stepped into the room behind Ginny, her face ashen with her condition, her hand cradling her slightly bulging stomach. Percy held out a chair at the table for his wife, but found himself jumping out of the way when she turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs, slamming the bathroom door behind her. He looked back at his very messy daughter still playing contently on the chocolate covered floor, then to his mother.

"She was never like this with Molly," he said in a helpless tone. "She was sick for a few weeks, but nothing this bad. Maybe there's something wrong. Do you think I should take her to St. Mungo's and have her checked?"

"Nonsense dear," his mother said with a warm smile. "Every pregnancy is different. She just needs time and patience to get through this. Why I remember when I was expecting Fred and George, I couldn't stand up without your father running for a bucket."

"But is it normal to be this sick?"

"Of course it is. She was just lucky with Molly. I always say, you're not pregnant unless you've visited the toilet so many times, you've become personal friends with it. I was in the bathroom so much with you, I actually named it Buster. Now, Ginny take Molly to the sink and wash her up, then take her upstairs and change her clothes and nappy. I want to give the Dursleys a good impression when they get here. Oh, where is your father," she grumbled looking at the odd clock on the wall with the pictures of her husband on children, and ignoring the disgusted expression on her daughter's face.

"Harry, can you help me here, please?" Ginny asked, holding Molly by the upper arms and as far away from her as she could, while she carried the child to the sink.

"Oh, Harry's going to help Bill gather more firewood, dear. You can do it by yourself, can't you?" Harry felt guilty when Bill grabbed their coats and tossed his to him, nearly pushing him out the backdoor. He knew Ginny hated to get her hands sticky, it was the only thing that made her nauseous. Seeing her struggling to wash Molly in the sink as he closed the door behind him, made him want to give in and use a scouring spell to help her, regardless of the trouble he'd get into with her mum.

"Come on Harry," Bill chuckled as they walked to the woodpile. "Mum knows what she's doing."

"What is she doing?" Harry asked, drudging his way through the snow to the large pile of wood Bill and the twins had cut earlier that afternoon.

"Making Ginny realize what motherhood is all about. She thinks it's all fun and games, a sweet baby to hold and love and dress up like a doll, but she has never had to clean up after a child or change nappies before. I promise Harry, when mum is finished with her, she'll think twice about ever wanting kids."

"I guess your mum told you about the letter I sent," Harry guessed, a blush warming his cheeks as they made their way back to the house with their supply of wood.

"No, but I figured it out. I know how much Ginny loves you, we all do, and it was only a matter of time before she would want to start nesting. It's a girl thing, you know."

"Have you ever had a girl act like this toward you?"

"Yeah, a couple of them. Why do you think I'm still single? Don't get me wrong, I like girls - a lot - but once they start that whole thing of wanting to add curtains to your flat, or help you buy your towels, I'm outta there. I am in no way ready to get caught up in all of that junk. I don't know why Ron and Percy would want it."

"Maybe it's because they're in love."

"You're in love with Ginny, but you're not ready to hang frilly curtains in the bedroom."

"I already have," Harry said with another blush at the expression the older man gave him. "I gave Ginny the bedroom she always dreamed about, at Grimmauld Place, last year."

"You're pulling my leg?" Bill asked, stopping short of the back door.

"Nope. Complete with candles and a satin bedspread."

"Bloody hell," the red head said, sounding much like his younger brother. "I would never have taken you as the type of bloke to let a girl get her claws that deep. You realize, there's no hope for you now? Once a girl has tasted your surrender, she'll never back off. It's like a wild animal tasting blood, they're hooked on the scent for life."

"I don't mind that much. All I really want is to get Ginny's mind off of children for a couple of years, then see how things go after that. But I love her, and there's little I wouldn't do for her."

"Lost, I tell you. You're lost for good."

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It was nearly nine o'clock before Mr. Weasley finally arrived home, an astonished and disgusted Vernon and Petunia Dursley in tow. Mr. Weasley looked flustered and exhausted, tossing his heavy cloak to the back of a chair as he stepped through the front door. Mrs. Weasley looked up from where she sat rocking a sleeping Molly, a frown on her aging face.

"Where have you been? I was getting worried?" she scolded.

"We had a problem at the train station," Mr. Weasley exclaimed softly, as not to awaken the child. "Mrs. Dursley had a run in with Richard Hampton."

"A goat spoke to me!" Petunia snapped, causing Molly to jump in her grandmother's arms. "What was I supposed to do, I ask you?"

"Most people wouldn't begin screaming like a banshie, before passing out on the train tracks," Mr. Weasley said in a soft tone.

"Ginny, take the baby upstairs and put her in the crib," Mrs. Weasley said with a warm smile. "I've kept supper warm for you."

"I take it Richard has his Animagus registration, father?" Bill asked with a chuckle.

"Yes and he's making a nuisance of himself with it. He scared Mrs. Dursley half to death. Once we revived her, I made him apologize, but not before I had to use a memory charm on half a dozen Muggles at the station. I'll have to file a report in the morning."

"Arthur, tomorrow's Christmas. You can't go into work on Christmas," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"I have no choice Molly. I had to erase the memories of a group of Muggles. Just because I'm the Minister of Magic, does not mean I can ignore the law. I have to file a report and submit it to for review."

"I'd have turned the boy into a hog for causing so much trouble," Dudley said from the back of the room, where he stood in his dress cloak. "Only the Minister wouldn't allow me to interfere."

"I thank you for caring Dudley, but it would have caused more trouble for all of us. It's just best that things stay the way they are. Now Molly, what about that supper? I'm famished."

Mrs. Weasley served up four large plates of left over pork chops, pan fried potatoes, butter squash, corn bread and peach pie, then sat down to discuss the day's events with her husband. Harry stayed in the living room, waiting for Ginny to return, listening to the others in the kitchen discussing the workings at the Ministry of Magic. The night was growing colder then Harry had thought it would, but the warmth of the fire in the large fireplace, made him feel comfortable and secure. Without thinking about it, he slowly began to drift asleep, his head falling back against the back of the couch, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes shutting to the sights around him. Sleep was a very welcome friend, after so many years of worry and frustration. If only he could stay that way, keep the feeling of peace and contentment with him forever, he'd be a happy man indeed.

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"There has been a change in plans," the man said as he entered the room. His white blond hair flowed down his shoulders in waves of silk, his icy stare pinned the two to their seats. "The Dark Lord had decided to use one of his contacts to see that Draco joins us. You will go to Hogsmeade and wait for my son. He will be delivered to you there."

"Who's going to deliver him?" the rather large, troll-like Goyle asked from his worn, old chair.

"Never mind that," Malfoy said. "Your only concern is to do as you're told."

"How long do we have to wait?" Crabbe asked, biting his fingernails.

"Are you in a hurry? What is more important to you, then following your Dark Lord's orders?" Malfoy turned on the two, his eyes set in anger.

"Nothing's more important," Goyle said quickly.

"But it's Christmas Eve," Crabbe grumbled weakly.

"Afraid you'll miss Father Christmas, boy?" sneered Malfoy. "Should we bring you in a Christmas tree, all decorated with fairies and pixies? Maybe you would like us to make you some hot cocoa and read you a bedtime story as well?" Crabbe looked excited at first, but realized too late that he was being patronized and looked down to his shoes.

"The two of you get out of here and do as you are told. And you will wait however long it is necessary for my son. Once you have him, you will bring him back here to me."

"Don't you mean to me, Lucius?" a cold hissing voice asked from the door behind them. Malfoy turned, his face suddenly ashen, his hand trembled on the cane he carried.

"Forgive me my Lord," Malfoy said with a slight bow. "I doubt these two can follow any order, much less any of such importance as issued by you."

"Is that a fact?" Voldemort asked, waving the two aside and waiting for them to rush clumsily out of the room, before continuing. "I am beginning to doubt your loyalty to me, Malfoy. I have sensed your discontent with my plans."

"Forgive me, but I wonder if your plans to have Potter join you in the defeat of Dumbledore is wise. He is not the sort that would turn away from all he's been taught so easily."

"He will turn, or I will destroy him and all that he holds dear. I have learned that our dear boy grows restless with waiting. Patience has never been his forte. So I have decided to set my plans into action. Christmas will bring more to Potter than Father Christmas would ever dream of delivering."

"What do you have planned, my Lord?" Malfoy asked with a frown.

"I have a little present being delivered to Hogwart's, that should keep Potter on his toes."

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"I don't like it," Malfoy grumbled, pacing the floor of the dimly lit room. "He's changing the plans again."

"We have no choice but to follow his orders, at least for now," the woman said in a soothing tone. "Once he defeats Potter, he will grow overly confident. That will be the undoing of our great Dark Lord, and issue in a new era with a pure blood on the throne."

"At last, the Malfoy line will rule the world, as we were intended, and that laughable Ministry of Magic will fall under my reign like a house of cards."

"And Arthur Weasley will watch as his precious little daughter is married to the heir of the throne," Bellatrix smiled.

"Draco will make an excellent prince. And he will be married to the greatest witch alive."

"Once that Mud-Blood is dead, you mean. Until Hermione Granger's blood is shed, Ginny Weasley will never be more than Potter's whore."

"Granger will die along with that sniveling boyfriend of hers. I will see to that myself."

"But what if Draco choses not to join us?" Malfoy's fists clenched tightly at his side.

"He will join me, or he will join his mother. The choice will be his to make."

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"Miss Patil, may I speak with you?" Trelawney stood on the stairs of her classroom tower looking quite mysterious as she called out. Parvati Patil was standing near Lavender Brown and looked pleased and surprised that her favorite teacher had called her personally. With her head held high, Parvati approached the stairs, then glanced back to Lavender and smiled at the envious expression on her face.

Trelawney led the way up the stairs to her classroom, and waved a hand to her visitor. The room was dimly lit, the smell of many inscents drifted among the heat from the fireplace. It was a smell that Parvati enjoyed. She believed all the Trelawney said, certain that she had the inner eye, a gift rare among witches.

"My dear Parvati," Trelawney began in a slow, sorrowful tone. "I fear that I have had a vision that concerns the one you hold dearest to your heart." Parvati frowned.

"Do you mean Padma?" she asked, inquiring about her twin sister. Trelawney seemed to look disgusted for a moment, but quickly revived.

"No dear girl, I am referring to the one with whom you share true love, your soul mate." Again Parvati frowned.

"You mean Draco?" she asked. She never really thought of herself as loving him, more of being amorous of his affection and desirable of his sexual talents. But, if Professor Trelawney says he is her true love, then it must be.

"He is in danger, child," Trelawney continued. "There are those within Hogwart's that would wish him harm. You must take him to Hogsmeade, and deliver him into the hands of those who are concerned with his health, and with whom he will be safest."

"But who wants to harm him? And how do I know who to deliver him to?"

"You will know when you see them. Take your love into the alley near the end of town. There you will find those whom you seek. If you wish to save your true love's life, you must do as I have foreseen. His life is in danger."

"I'll go right away," Parvati said, concern etching her delicate features as she stood and hurried away, leaving Trelawney to look back into the crystal ball, where she had a short time ago, seen the image of a spirit guide warn her. With a smile, she stood and walked back into her private room beyond the hot interior of her classroom. Her guide was wise, though she feared his authenticity at first. Many would want Draco Malfoy's death with such a large reward place upon it, but when she looked into the piercing red eyes and heard the cold tones of guide's voice, she was positive he had come from the other side. No living creature could sound that cold, or that disconnected to life, then a spirit.

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Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, a book of dark magic opened in front of him as he sat alone, reading and eating his lunch. He looked up as Parvati called out his name in the deserted room, and instantly his body responded. He had not been alone with the girl in well over a week and the time had played havoc on his senses.

"Draco, I'm glad I found you," Parvati said, sitting across from him.

"There's less then a dozen students in the whole school this time of year," he said in his usual sarcastic way. "I doubt I'd be that difficult to find."

"I want to go to Hogsmeade," Parvati insisted, ignoring his comment or the way he looked at her. She was on a mission and she had to get him delivered from the danger that lurked within the school walls.

"Now? Why?"

"I just do. Please take me."

"The kind of taking I want to do, has nothing to do with Hogsmeade."

"Draco please? I really want to go."

"Then go. I don't need to hold your hand. You're a big girl, you don't need anyone to walk you across the street."

"Please come with me, Draco. I don't want to go alone. I promise, you won't regret it."

"I have a better idea," Malfoy said with a narrowing of his eyes. "Why don't we stay here, and I'll let you give me several things I know I won't regret."

"Later. Come to Hogsmeade with me, please?"

"What's so bloody important that I go with you?"

"I want you to meet someone," she lied, unable to think of a reason why he should go with her.

"Who?"

"A...friend."

"Who?"

"Draco, please. No more questions, just please come with me." Draco sighed his reluctance, then pushed his book closed and stood up.

"Very well, but when we get back, I expect you to do as I ask in payment for going with you."

"Great, anything you wish." The two left the castle, bundled tightly in their heaviest winter cloaks. Parvati was feeling quite pleased with herself. If Draco Malfoy really was her true love, then she was certain she had done the right thing. After all, Professor Trelawney would never steer her wrong.

The two walked to Hogsmeade in silence. Parvati was nearly running as she neared the town's edge, but Malfoy was sundering along as though he hadn't a care in the world. He was cold, even under his thick cloak, and his new boots were heavy with caked snow and mud. He looked into each window of the shops and stores as they passed, then caught a glimpse of The Hog's Head Inn. A warm butter beer sounded good right about now, but when he turned to offer one to the girl next to him, he caught a different sight, one that made his blood run cold. A large familiar, dark figure turned into an alleyway ahead of them, the same alleyway Parvati was leading him.

"Who exactly is this friend you want me to meet?" Malfoy asked, his hand wrapping tightly around the wand he held in his pocket.

"Just a friend," she lied, her eyes focused on the alleyway ahead of her. She took another step, but was jerked back to find herself facing the eyes of a very angry Draco Malfoy.

"A name Parvati," he demanded. "Give me a name."

"I...that is..." she couldn't think fast enough.

"Bitch!" he snapped. "How dare you lead me into a trap. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"But you must, your life is in danger."

"My life will be worthless if I follow you. Do you have any idea where you're taking me?"

"I must deliver you to the only ones who truly care about you. Your life is in danger."

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about my own life then those of others," Malfoy snapped, looking up and seeing the dark images of Crabbe and Goyle stalking toward them. "You stupid little fool," Malfoy snapped again, his hand pulling the wand from beneath his cloak as he pushed her aside. Without thought, Malfoy raised his wand and issued the curse forbidden to wizards. Crabbe fell to the ground, twitching and fluttering like a fish out of water. Goyle stopped, his face turning an instant shade of white as he watched his friend wraith in agony on the ground. For the first time sense leaving school, Goyle remembered why he feared Draco Malfoy. As Malfoy turned his wand toward the other of his former cronies, a heavy hand fell to his shoulder, while long fingers reached out and grabbed hold of the end of his wand.

"Inside, now! Both of you, move," the old man snapped, waving a hand toward Crabbe who stopped twitching and lay panting in the snow and mud. Malfoy didn't stop to think, he looked up into a familiar face, then turned and grabbed Parvati by the arm and ran into the Hog's Head. A few seconds later, the old man entered the dimly lit room, closing the doors and issuing a sealing spell on them.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked, waving his wand to the windows and watching as they sealed behind a layer of white, like a covering of glistening snow.

"That's what I'd like to know," Malfoy snapped. "Why the hell did you bring me here?"

"You're my true love, my soul mate," Parvati began sobbing, her legs shaking so badly she nearly fell into a chair nearby. "I have to protect you."

"What are you talking about? We're not soul mates, we're barely friends. All you are to me is a pleasant distraction for the time being. Who told you I was your true love?"

"Professor Trelawney prophesied it," Parvati said, her eyes filling with tears. She had no idea he could be so cruel, well actually she did - he was after all Draco Malfoy - but Trelawney would never lie to her, so it had to be true.

"Trelawney is a fraud," Malfoy snapped again, his tone filled with the icy cold hatred he had used on the other students for years. "Her so-called visions are as phony as she is."

"I trust her," Parvati said, much weaker then she had intended. "She would never lie to me."

"Well she just did. Do you know where you were taking me?"

"She told me to deliver you to those who truly cared, and could protect you." Parvati was near hysterics by now. Malfoy was so angry, he reached down and pulled her to her feel, shaking her so hard her teeth literally clattered together.

"You were delivering me to the hangman," he yelled at her. "Those two are followers of the Dark Lord. They would have taken me to him and I would have been killed. I betrayed him, remember? I turned against him to join Potter, my life is worthless."

"It's not true," Parvati continued to sob. "Trelawney said..."

"Screw that old bitch. She's no more a seer than Potter is a saint."

"But she saw it."

"All she saw was what Lord Voldemort wanted her to see."

"Enough of this," the old bartender said, stepping to the fireplace. "We have to get you two back to Hogwart's. Follow me." He pulled the rug away from a trap door hidden in the floorboards, then tugged hard on the ring to open it. Dust and cold air flew out from the hidden passage, like a cork from a bottle. The smell of mildew and moist dirt drifted among the bottles of fire whiskey and butter beers. The old man motioned for the two to go ahead of him, as the tip of his wand lit with a brilliant glow. Malfoy followed suit and ignited the tip of his own wand, then slowly descended the stairs into a dark, dirt cavern beneath the pub.

"Where are we going?" he demanded when the old man joined them, closing the door behind him.

"This is a secret passage into Hogwart's," he said, pushing his way past a shivering Parvati to take up the lead. "Take care of your girl. She's near frozen with fear."

"She's not my girl," Malfoy snapped, narrowing his eyes on the young woman who had nearly gotten him killed just minutes ago.

"I've always heard you were a selfish bastard," the man said in a bitter tone. "I just never believed it before now." Malfoy clenched his teeth together, removing his heavy cloak and setting it across Parvati's shoulders before following the bartender down the long, narrow passageway.

Over twenty minutes had passed by in silence as the three made their way deeper into the ground, over and up they climbed, dodging large tree roots and rocks, down and up again and then they turned, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Malfoy narrowed his eyes to try and make out where they were, but he had gone so many different directions over the past few minutes, that he was thoroughly lost. He had no idea what direction he was currently walking.

Ahead of them stood what appeared to be a doorway, the soft glow of light shinned through the cracks of the threshold. Malfoy had to hold on to Parvati's hand in order to keep her following them, then frowned deeply when the old man pushed the door open to reveal a hidden passageway into Snape's dungeon classroom. The fire in the fireplace burned bright and warm and the rustle of a cloak near the door leading to the professor's private rooms assured them they were not alone.

"I got your message," Snape said in a soft growl. "What happened?"

"Your ward nearly found his place next to his mother," the old man said in a hushed tone.

"Why did you leave the school grounds without permission?" Snape asked, his tone still low, but filled with anger.

"It wasn't my choice," Malfoy clarified, and then turned to see the very white, fear filled face of the girl he shared many long, passionate nights with. "Trelawney had a vision that told her I was in danger here and I would be safe in Hogsmeade. I was supposed to meet someone who would protect me, but when we got there I saw Crabbe and Goyle and realized too late, it was a trap."

"I see," Snape said turning to eye the young woman next to him. "And she decided to go along for company?"

"Yes," Malfoy lied, knowing the trouble Parvati would get into if anyone were to discover that she was the one who had nearly lead him into Voldemort's grasp.

"Go up to the Great Hall," Snape ordered. "I'll send for Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll have a thing or two to say about all this." Malfoy looked back to the old man, seeing the confused, disbelief on his aged face, then took Parvati by the hand and lead her out the door.

"She could have gotten him killed," Snape growled softly, glancing back to the door that separated his rooms from the class.

"Why do you think he lied for her?" the old man asked.

"Hell if I know. Perhaps you should ask your brother. He warned us Draco would be needing our help."

"Albus knows these kids better then he does his own mind."

"But what good does it do him? They walk all over him, especially Potter."

"You're never going to approve of the boy, are you?"

"No." Snape turned around and walked quietly back into his private rooms, leaving the white haired man to look after him.

A few moments passed, before the man chose to venture further into the castle. Once in the grand hallway, he looked around, remembering what this place was like the first time he saw it, so many years ago. Back then, the suits of armor had wizards wearing them and the ghosts had bodies and books of their own. Back then, Nearly-Headless-Nick was nothing more then the Charms Professor and Binns was still alive and kicking - at least he was alive. The silence that now surrounded the walls was nearly deafening. The soft ticking of the old clock on the wall, assured him it was nearly seven o'clock. Much still needed doing back at the tavern, but curiosity was a greater mistress to him then his business. He climbed the staircase up to the Astronomy Tower and looked out into the night. He wanted to see what Hogwart's looked like from so high up, a sight he had missed, yet one he dreamed of so often. It was here that he and his brother parted ways; it was here that Guinevere made her choice between them. The memories were bittersweet, yet the silence of the tower beckoned him to stay.

He sighed heavily, breathing in the cold, crisp air. The moonlight bounced off the frozen lake, making it appear as flawless as stained glass. Hagrid's hut could be seen in the distance, near the Forbidden Forest, puffs of smoke billowed through the chimney. The sounds of the owls hooting as they flew in search of prey, sounded like fireworks on the night air. All was well in the world, at that moment, he thought as he gazed out into the clear, starlit night. He looked up into the heavens and noticed the small, falling star. It seemed much closer then he would have expected, perhaps it was the location of the tower and the height above the ground that made it seem within reach. A frown crossed the old man's face as he watched the star fall into another, and then another, as though they wanted to form a pattern. He had never noticed so many falling stars in a single night before. Then his frown deepened, his breath caught in his throat and his heart seemed to skip a beat. The stars continued to gather together, forming a very familiar shape as they hovered over the Forbidden Forest. There, in the clear, serene sky appeared the green mark of evil. A skull with a snake growing out of the mouth, floated among the perfect, peaceful night. Evil had come to Hogwart's.