A Kind of Wild Justice

Harry stared dumbfounded at the apparition before him. "I don't believe it. How? Why?"

The ghost - Draco Malfoy - sighed. "The 'how' is simple: you saw it. My father wanted no son who would even dare to presume... well that leads into the 'why', doesn't it? You've met him, haven't you Potter, of course you have. And I can assure you that the image he presents to the public as a ferocious hater of Muggles is merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I suppose you could say it was a hereditary trait," - Draco grimaced - "for he forged in my heart a hatred so cold that to follow in his footsteps as a Death Eater became my ultimate goal. My father's Dark Lord was my God and the purging path of the Death Eaters was my... well, my life - in theory.

"You see, I had not yet received the..." - another rueful face - "honour of the Dark Mark. My 17^th birthday was in the holidays and that was when I was going to be Initiated. You have no parents, Potter, so I don't expect you to understand - unless, that is, you have been taken under the wing of that pebble in the shoe of Population Control that is the Weasley Clan..."

Harry went red and clenched his fists in anger, "That was uncalled for, Malfoy," he said, spitting out the name like an insult. "If you want me to keep listening you'd better watch your mouth."

Draco Malfoy held up his hands, palms outwards, "Pax, pax", he said, smirking, "I'll continue. What I was going to say was, I don't expect you to understand, Potter, how it feels to have parents that are that proud of you. For the first time, my father woke me up out of bed himself instead of sending one of the maids. We'd eat breakfast together and he'd smile... My mother just fawned all over me... It was like I had saved the world or something."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He sure could relate to that...

"And I was ecstatic. My heart started to pound in my chest whenever I had time to stop and think about what was going to happen later that night." Draco's smile froze, "And then, the full moon finally rose over the hills and my Initiation was about to begin... and from there it all went to Hell.

"When the Dark Lord Apparated into our grounds I could sense his presence burning in me - the power! I was lead blindfolded down into the Manor. We have many floors and sub-levels, so it took a long time for us - my father and I - to reach where we were going, which was into one of the lower dungeons. When I entered the room and the blindfold was lifted from my eyes, I saw a circle of Death Eaters facing outwards towards me. They bowed to welcome me and I bowed back, just as I had been taught to do, and knelt on the ground with my eyes shut. Then I felt the air before me stir with movement and I knew the he was standing in front of me.

" 'Open your eyes, Initiate', he... hissed, and I did, and then I kissed the hem of his robe and his outstretched hand, which was just so cold and scaly - like snake skin!

" 'Rise, Initiate. I command you to prove your worth to Me.'

"At this point, the circle of Death Eaters moved outwards and stood by the walls of the dungeon, revealing what with their bodies they had kept hidden: it was a little girl - a Muggle girl... young enough to have been my little sister, you know? She was unconscious. But then the Dark Lord pointed his wand at her and hissed, 'Ennervate!' and she opened her eyes. At first she was looking around her like she was lost in a dream, but then, then I think she remembered what had happened and she looked up at the Death Eaters with their terrible masks, and she started to shriek and scream, and-and-and cry for her mother."

Harry, who had perched himself on the edge of the bathtub leaned forward, eyes wide.

Draco's voice gained momentum, "And then - then they laughed. Cold, cold laughter! My father's laughter seemed to drown out all the rest in my ears and I turned to him and saw this ugly, manic grin on his face. His eyes were wide and... hungry, almost. It was like..." - he shuddered - "like he was getting off on it! He must have seen my face, because suddenly he stopped laughing and said, 'What are you waiting for? Kill her! She is yours!'

"And I just froze. I just stood there. Staring down at this terrified and absolutely pitiful trapped human girl. She saw that they were waiting for me to do something, so she got down on her hands and knees in front of me and begged me to let her go - she wouldn't tell anybody, she swore she wouldn't say a thing to the.... What are they? The Po-leese that the Muggles have. 'I just wanna go home! I want my mum, I want my daddy! I promise I'll never be mean to my brother again - just let me go!'

"The room started to spin, I felt faint. She clung to my legs - she was only a child, Potter! And... and I couldn't do it."

There was a long and heavy silence. Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead and Draco closed his eyes, sighing.

"They killed me for it. Her too. Had me watch her die."

"I know," said Harry hollowly. "I saw it in my dreams. I... I saw them kill you."

"Yes," the ghost replied, "you did. I made you see those things Potter, because I need your help. You have to help me!"

"But why me?"

"Because, Potter, of your track record. You're the only one who has the - I hate to say this, and don't think you're ever going to hear it again! - strength to help me do what I want to do."

"But why not Dumbledore? He's the strongest wizard in the world!"

A sparkle shone in Draco's transparent eye for a second. "Because you are the only one who is after the exact same thing as I am."

"And what is that?"

"Revenge."

***

Harry Potter did not sleep that night. How could he? Instead, once having come to this conclusion, he reached for his bedside table drawer and pulled out his diary and the self-inking quill he'd been given (among other things) from Sirius for his birthday. The blank page stared up at him and he wondered how he could even begin to write about what he had been told.

How would it go?

"Dear Diary,

Malfoy really is dead. He told me so himself while I was in bathroom." ?

No, somehow that didn't seem right.

His thoughts wondered. What did Malfoy want from him? Apart from help in a vague quest for vengeance, that is. And how could he help him anyway? What were the rules about ghosts? He'd seen them, of course - each House in Hogwarts had its own ghosts, and there were others in the school he didn't even know. There was one lady who always liked to sit in the library, and at least two others in the Astronomy Tower, not to mention how many there were down near the Slytherin dungeons. But they weren't out for revenge, were they? It's not like anyone could come back from the Dead - otherwise.... well, wouldn't his parents have visited him at some point? And what about Peeves? He was a poltergeist. How was this different from being a ghost? There must be an answer written down somewhere in a book, or something, right?

Books. He needed books. He wrote that down:

Find books on ghosts and other dead things. Rules for coming back? Afterlife, etc. Heaven or Hell? Does it differ depending on what religion you are?

Help from Hermione?

Ask N.H. Nick? Moaning Myrtle?

Lupin and DADA - evil spirits? Can wizard ghosts still do magic?

Dumbledore: Does he know D.M is dead? Does Snape know (Head of House, after all)?

Snape.... Harry was about to write something else down, but then stopped. How safe was his diary? Could he say that Snape was a spy? What if someone managed to get hold of it, or he lost it, and then Voldemort found out? No, he hated Snape like the Plague, but not enough to have him killed - however inadvertently. He thought of a code:

GG (standing for "Greasy Git") is JB (meaning, "James Bond" - a spy) can GG know? Ask???

***

It started to get light by 6:00am. Harry got changed and went down to the Great Hall. No one else was awake, so his footsteps echoed self-consciously off the walls as he walked down the stairs. Even for September, it was cold, but still the sky was clear and blue through the enchanted ceiling of the Hall. It made Harry think of Quidditch - he'd been looking forward to playing all summer. Muggle-free airspace was hard to come by, and even though there was always the possibility of flying whilst wearing his father's Invisibility Cloak, Harry worried that it might fly off him in the wind, and he did not need another owl from the Ministry for being seen by Muggles.

He sighed. Another year, another mystery to solve. So much for buckling down to study for the O.W.L.s. Hermione's going to have a fit. Speak of the Devil...

"Harry! What on Earth are you doing here so early?" cried Hermione, running up to him where he sat at the Gryffindor Table.

"I could ask the same thing of you, woman. What? Studying already? I didn't think the Library was open this early." Harry poked her in the ribs.

"Ow. And it isn't. Well, not technically at any rate. And I always wake up early; it's just that I was so excited about today - our first day of being Fifth Years! I wonder what our timetables are going to be like? But you haven't answered my question: what are you doing up so early?"

"Damn you Hermione Granger, and your inability to become distracted with a change in conversation. Seriously though," Harry sighed, "I couldn't sleep. Not a wink."

"Nightmares? Do you think... You-Know-Who's up to something? Harry we've not heard a peep out of him since his resurrection, it's odd."

"Odd is the word. But hey, I'm hungry. Breakfast's not going to start at least until Dumbledore gets here. Let's go down to the Kitchens and grab us something to eat, yeah?"

On the way down into the lower levels of the school, their conversation continued:

Harry hesitated to speak, sighed and said, "But it wasn't You-Know-Who so much, rather than Malfoy. I had another dream and then I saw him."

"In the dream?" Asked Hermione. "Do you really think he's dead? Ron's not so convinced, and it doesn't seem logical to me..."

"I know he's dead - he told me so! 'Mione, I saw his ghost! It was terrible - not the ghost, but what happened to him. His own father had him killed for not... er, not completing his Death Eater Initiation!"

Their pace slowed. Hermione leaned back against a wall and murmured under her breath, "Gosh... That's heavy. Does Professor Dumbledore know?"

"I don't think so," said Harry, running a hand through his messy hair, "otherwise, wouldn't he have said something at the Feast last night? He'd have at least notified the authorities, but Lucius Malfoy is still a free man, so he can't have known."

Hermione nodded, "That sounds fair. But Harry, why you? Why would Malfoy contact you? Over Snape - over Dumbledore? He hates you, Harry. What does he expect you to do? What can you do?"

"He seems to want me to help him get revenge. Says I'm out for the same thing too, so he must be referring to Voldemort."

"I don't know, Harry. It sounds fishy."

By the time they got back to the Great Hall, a few more students had arrived, as had a couple of teachers who had called for breakfast to commence - with or without the Headmaster. Hermione had spotted her Arithmancy study-buddy, a Hufflepuff called Jemana and the pair had started gushing about how exciting it was to be facing their first Real Academic Challenge - the O.W.L.s. Harry, having no interest in Arithmancy or Hermione's slightly scattered looking classmate, went back to the Gryffindor table and dished himself up some bacon and eggs.

He stifled a mid-fork yawn and poured himself some pumpkin juice, looking around the Great Hall. More students had arrived, as had Professor Trelawney, who appeared to hover over her plate of food like a demented dragonfly. He looked across the Hall to see Hermione scowling at the oblivious Divination teacher and turning back to Jemana, who appeared to be wholeheartedly agreeing with whatever anti-Divination statements her partner was making. And then the Weasleys entered en masse.

"Hey Harry!"

"Hi Harry!"

"Mornin' Sunshine!" - This last one from both Fred and George.

Harry waved them over and they began to dish up their food. He wondered if they ever got enough to eat at the Burrow, and judging by the amount they were piling up on their plates - eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, hash browns, toast - that an affirmative answer was doubtful. Ron grinned at Harry's mouth-half-open stare, "Breakfast! Most important meal of the day, you know!"

"After lunch and dinner, that is", finished Fred.

"And second breakfast," - George.

"Elevenses," - Fred.

"Morning tea," - George.

"Afternoon tea," - Fred.

"Supper!" - George.

Ginny snorted and threw a sausage at the pair. "Boys!" she exclaimed derisively.

Hermione joined them soon after, helping herself to some pikelets and fruit. "Oooh! Here come the owls!"

Tawny, Barn, Screech, Snow and Eagle alike, a mass of Hogwarts owls swooped into the Hall, each clutching a student timetable. The ensuing chaos brought an indulgent smile from Professor Dumbledore, who had just arrived, and pursed-lipped-scowl from the Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, which lifted slightly when the first protests arose form the throng:

"Double Potions on a Monday morning? Surely that's illegal!"

"Not again!"

"Why on this day of all days??"

"I suddenly feel ill - Nurse!"

"My life just passed before my eyes and it was nothing but Snape!"

"Dear God!"

Harry felt an odd conflict of emotions as he looked at what his first classes would be. Today was Tuesday, so it was Care of Magical Creatures, followed by Potions. Seeing Hagrid would be good, but the long walk back from where the lessons were usually held meant that they'd be late for Potions, and even if they were with the Slytherins and therefore both late at the same time, Professor Snape would take the points off Gryffindor - which he did.

"Why double the usual amount, sir?" Spoke up Hermione Granger indignantly.

"For delaying the Slytherins, who undoubtedly would have been here earlier if not for your own Gryffindor classmates' vagrant dawdling. Five points taken for daring to question, Miss Granger!"

Harry's heart sunk as he and Ron pulled out their cauldrons and started to chop the ingredients for some-potion-or-other. 10 points from Gryffindor later and it was revealed that they had been meant to dice the hags' toenails - not chop. He knew that he should ask Snape why Malfoy wasn't sitting between Crabbe and Goyle on the other side of the classroom as per the norm, but he really didn't want to. His lanky professor was in an unusually foul mood. Harry thought he'd like to accumulate some points for Gryffindor before Snape took them all away on the second lesson of the day. Could House points run into the negative? He didn't want to find out.

After class, Harry sighed and slowly filled up his book bag and slung it over his shoulder. Maybe he didn't need to talk to Snape straight away, Hermione had said. Maybe Harry could ask Malfoy's other teachers if they had seen him first. Granted though, Harry had countered, Snape would have the most information, and I know Malfoy's not going to have been in any of his other classes because I know that he's dead!

"Fine, then," sniffed Hermione. "But the thing is, Harry, even if he does know, he's not going to tell you of all people. There's got to be another way."

The trio had Defence Against the Dark Arts next; perhaps Professor Lupin could be of some help.

***

Lupin walked into the dusty classroom slightly late, but no one cared. Even the Slytherins had enjoyed having him as a teacher back in Third Year. The Gryffindors were stoked and greeted the Professor with happy, expectant grins. As it happened, the class got out to rather slower than expected start. Once he had organised his many bunched rolls of parchments and notes on his desk, Professor Lupin began by explaining how the Defence Against the Dart Arts O.W.L course would be structured, wherein 50% of a student's total mark would be determined by various assessments and the other 50% would come from the end-of-year O.W.L examinations, which would focus on both theory and actual Defence practice.

"Our general area of study for this year will be the Undead. They come in many forms: vampires, zombies, mummies, ghouls, wights, skeletons, and so on and so forth. We will also be addressing as a point of interest where the boundary between Dead and Undead lies. That is, whether a corporeal body is required to fit the classification of Undead, or if not, does this mean that ghosts are also classified as Undead?"

At this, the three Gryffindors in the front row sat up straight. Lupin stared at them quizzically for a moment but continued: Your first assessment will be handed to you in a week, and will most likely be on the subject of zombies, which is our first topic of focus. Class dismissed!"

As the Fifth Year students filed out, Professor Lupin called out, "Harry, Ron, Hermione! A word if you please."

Once everyone had gone and Lupin had gathered up his sheets and briefcase, the four of them walked down to lunch at the Great Hall together. They talked on the way.

"I noticed that you appeared particularly interested in the subject of ghosts," Lupin stated.

Harry gulped, aware of Hermione staring at him, waiting to see what he would say, and Ron trying to appear innocent. "Um, well you see Professor -" He was interrupted by some Sixth Year Slytherin students making wolf howling noises as Professor Lupin passed them.

Lupin spun around like lightening, belying his kindly, tired and worn out appearance and becoming a fearsome pillar of white-hot anger. He rounded on the students and shouted, "Sixty points from Slytherin!", causing them to drop their books in shock. Their indignant protests were interrupted by a snide, silky and incredibly sarcastic voice - Professor Snape had arrived at the scene.

"Tsk, tsk, Remus. Can it be that time of the month already?"

"This is neither the time nor the place, Snape," replied Professor Lupin abruptly, and swiftly dodged the Potions Master, continuing on to the Great Hall with Harry, Ron and Hermione following dumbfounded in his wake.

"I am sorry for that," he said once they had turned the corner and started down the stairs. He seemed to have shrunk since his rage had subsided. He merely looked tired once more. "I really must apologise - this close to the full-moon, and my temper.... Still, it is inexcusable. Nevertheless, what was it that you were about to say, Harry?"

More students began to fill the corridors, and Harry found himself jostled as he walked. Ron shook his head, as did Hermione. Like Lupin had said before, this was neither the time nor the place. "Can I--er, we come and talk to you after dinner? It's, um, really important."

"Yes, of course. I'll be in my office."

Success!