The Rook

There was an unsettling feeling in his gut when Draco apparated directly into the front hall of his childhood home. There were a few different ways this night could go but he hoped for a favorable outcome. He knew his mother had undoubtedly felt when he'd entered the Manor so he remained where he was, waiting for her to greet him. Not a moment later he saw her gliding out of the parlor and smiling warmly at him. He couldn't help but smile back. Narcissa Malfoy wasn't one to openly express her affections but it seemed she could never keep the warmth from her face when she spoke to her only son.

"Draco, darling." She beamed, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm happy to have you back. It's been so lonesome without you here."

He returned her embrace, taking note of how thin she felt. "Mother," He replied fondly, "It hasn't been all that long since you've seen me."

She let him go and waved a hand in front of her face, dismissively. "A mother can never see too much of her children."

"I suppose that's true." He said, looking around. Lucius was nowhere in sight and that honestly surprised him. He was sure he'd be bombarded as soon as he crossed the blood wards. "Where can I find father?"

Her mouth formed a thin line and a look of concern crossed her face. "He was in his study the last I saw him." He nodded and moved to go around her but she stopped him, grabbing the sleeve of his coat. "Draco, I don't- I don't pretend to know what is going on between you and your father, but please take caution. Don't jump into the fire without thinking things through."

He looked down at her and noticed how tired she looked and wondered what exactly had been going on since his father's return. "You don't have to worry about me. I know what I'm doing." He insisted. It wasn't a lie exactly, he just wanted to ease her mind.

It didn't seem to be working. She shook her head slightly. "I know you believe that, but don't let your guard down."

They looked at each other for a moment, neither speaking as the atmosphere became heavy with tension. He didn't have to look to know his father had joined them.

His appearance had returned to almost to normal, his hair well groomed and tied at the base od his neck, his face clean shaven, and his clothing fitting snugly on his form. The only indication that he had spent any time in prison and with the Dark Lord was the haunted look in his eyes. Those eyes looked calculative at him. "Draco." Just his name spoken in the same cold manner he remembered from his youth. "I see you've decided to grace us with your presence."

"Of course, father." He replied tersely. "I wouldn't dream of leaving mother alone for the holidays. Salazar knows she needs some pleasant company."

His mother cleared her throat softly but his father just looked slightly amused. "I assure you, I've been nothing but pleasant since my return."

Draco quirked his brow. "I sincerely doubt that."

It looked like the older wizard was holding back a nasty comment but he'd caught himself in time. He looked to his wife and Draco watched as a seemingly silent conversation passed between them.

"Darling, it's almost time for my luncheon with Marjorie Greengrass, so I'll see you at dinner." She said suddenly, pressing up on her toes to kiss his cheek and whispering, "Try not to antagonize your father," in his ear.

"I can't make any promises." He muttered as he watched her disappear down the hall.

"Come," His father turned from him and headed up the stairs, gesturing for him follow. "Let's take this to my office. We have much to discuss."

His conversation with Blaise ran through his mind and his pulse quickened with every step. He could do this. He could lie to his father's face, no problem. It wasn't as if he was afraid of the man. He knew his father wasn't a threat to him, Draco was his only heir. So he could do this. He had to.

Soon he was staring at the open door of the study, the light from the window spilling into the hallway and illuminating his father's profile. Another step and he was inside, the door clicking shut behind him. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. It was time to get to work.

Narcissa pressed her back against the wall as soon as she turned the corner. She had so many conflicting feels and didn't quite know how to process them. On one hand she felt relieved, elated even, that her son was home where she could see him and feel his presence. On the other hand, she was wary and in sensed. The fact that her husband was thrilled with Draco becoming an Auror had disturbed her. She usually knew what her husband plans were, sometimes she even knew what he was thinking without him uttering a word, but ever since she expressed her doubt's about what he wanted to do he'd stopped discussing things with her.

He'd cut her out and normally that wouldn't bother her, she left most of the politics to him, but she was tired of people using her son to achieve their goals. He was barely out of school, a few months shy of nineteen and he'd already seen so much, been through so much, and she was downtrodden. She had wanted a quiet life for him, one where the weight of the war wouldn't follow him. But evidently Circe had other plans.

No. She refused. If she couldn't get through to her husband, she would sure as hell get through to her son. From his letters, she sensed his aggravation with his father and the hesitation of going along with whatever he said. His decision to join the Auror Office spoke volumes of where his head was at the moment. He didn't want the darkness to follow him either. She'd just have to make sure that it remained that way.

Luna was excited to see how happy Hermione was when she'd felt the baby move. She'd never seen her openly joyful about the pregnancy and it looked good on her. As soon as she'd seen Draco that had changed, though. Luna had led her away and told her it would be fine. Everything was going to be fine. The other girl had calmed down some and they'd joined the rest of their friends.

She hugged Hermione tightly, promising to come to the Burrow as soon as she could and waved goodbye to her band of friends. She knew Blaise was still here, he'd been with Draco a moment before. She turned and as she scanned the crowd a pair of dark hands wrapped around her from behind. "You weren't planning on leaving without telling me goodbye were you?" Their owner said into her ear.

She smiled and turned around in his arms. "And what if had?"

"I assure you, there would be consequences." He grinned mischievously.

"Hmmm." She placed a finger on her chin, tapping it gently. "That doesn't sound like much of a threat to me Mr. Zabini."

A flicker of surprise crossed his face before it turned into one of amusement. "I will have to tuck that one away for later," he muttered, leaning in and kissing her gently. "This will have to do for now."

"Are you heading back to Umbria?" She knew his mother had a country estate in wine country. He seemed to like it well enough and talked about the summers he'd spent there after husband four.

He nodded. "I promised mother I'd take her to the theater, and I suppose I should try to persuade her to hold off on marrying whatever boy toy she's with now." He sighed, rolling his eyes at the absurdness of it all. "I plan on coming back to see you before Christmas, though."

"Good," She kissed him quickly. "My father would very much like to meet you." She'd sent him a few letters telling him of her relationship with Blaise. He had seemed reluctant at first when she'd said he was a Slytherin. He hadn't liked the idea considering she'd been kidnapped by a band of them. It took some convincing on her part but now he had seemed to come to terms with it and wanted to meet this boy that stole his daughter's heart.

Blaise squeezed her hand and sounded a bit nervous. "Oh? That sounds ominous."

Luna shoved him playfully. "He isn't frightening at all. Eccentric, but not any more so than me."

"Well, if he's anything like you then I like him already."

Yes, her father would definitely like him. "Will you Owl me?" She asked, stepping away from him. "I'll be spending some time with Hermione so I want to know when you're available."

"Of course. I'll make sure I send something nice as well." He winked before backing away from her. "See you soon."

"Yes," She replied, smiling brightly. "See you soon."

Hermione took a deep breath, the excitement from feeling her baby move had waned and a sick kind of nervousness took its place as she stood there, a handful of Floo powder in her palm. She chewed her lip as Ron disappeared first, followed quickly by Ginny. Now It was her turn. She looked at her best friend and Harry nodded to her. "I'll be right behind you." And he was, almost knocking her over as they appeared in the Weasleys fireplace.

"Harry! Ron! Girls!" Mrs. Weasley's voice carried through the burrow as she stood in the kitchen doorway. Within moment's the older witch had effectively hugged each of them in turn. Hermione was the last one she wrapped her arms around and she held her breath, knowing Molly would surely be able to tell something was off. When she released her, she knew by the look on her face that her assumptions were correct. Blue eyes trailed downward. "Hermione, child. What-"

"Mum!" Ginny called loudly before her mother could finish her question. "Where's dad?"

Momentarily distracted, she turned from Hermione and addressed her daughter. "Well, he was at the ministry for a bit but should be home any moment now."

By this time Harry had taken her hand and led her quickly into the living room. They all knew they'd have to tell the Weasley's today, but they didn't want to do it the moment they walked through the door. "When are you going to break the news?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"After dinner." She replied, working the buttons of her coat. I'm going to change and I'll meet you back down here."

"Right."

She hurried up the stairs to the first floor and opened the door to Ginny's room. She set her charmed purse on the bed and shed her clothing, strategically choosing a loose sweater to somewhat hide the bump. Hopefully, they would at least get through the meal without anyone saying anything. Hopefully. She stared at her reflection in Ginny's mirror. "You've got this, Hermione." She told herself before turning around and heading back down the stairs where a sea of red hair met her.

Dinner was a jumble of excited chatter and the clinking of silverware on plates. No one had noticed her secret yet, or if they had they hadn't said anything. Now George and Ron were discussing plans for the shop while Molly asked how everyone's semester had gone. Arthur looked tired but he joined in on the conversations, asking questions about the rebuild and Harry's upcoming Auror training. He'd had his hands full at the ministry himself, helping Minister Shacklebolt strip the Ministry to the bones and building it back up.

Hermione had made small talk with Ginny and Harry but the longer the rest of them sat in unaware bliss, the more anxious she felt. There was no right time to say this. She should just do it. Rip off the bandage and move on. Arthur was the closest to her so she addressed him first. "Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes, what is it dear?" he asked, halting the conversation he'd been having with Harry. His sudden silence must have alerted the rest of the table because they all stopped what they were doing and looked at her. She felt her face grow hot and she knew she was most likely blushing madly, but she pressed on, looking at Molly as she did so. "There's something I really need to tell you-"

"Well, I'm guessing that's not a pumpkin you got hiding under there." The woman said, pointing under the table and giving her a small smile. Her eyes traveled to Ron for a second and then focused back on Hermione. "A Weasley is it?"

A pang of regret filled her chest. "No," She admitted, rubbing her stomach nervously. "It isn't, actually."

Everyone was silent for a moment, letting the statement settle in. George hadn't even made a comment, which she was sure he would. Most of their faces were blank as she looked around. Hermione expected the Weasley's to be disappointed or even angry, but her eyes met Arthur's, he just smiled and nodded to her. "Well, of course, it is. Any child of yours is a child of ours. Since when does blood matter?" He asked, standing and giving her a hug. "It never has mattered to us, Hermione. Congratulations."

Molly was still quiet at this point and Ron shuffled to face her. "Mum? Mum, you gonna say something?" The glazed look in her eyes indicated that she had no such plan.

That pain in Hermione's chest was back as she took in her form. "Mrs. Weasley?" She called hesitantly. "I'm sorry. I...I know you all thought that Ron and I....well....things changed and...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The Weasley matriarch suddenly snapped back to attention and smiled sadly. "It's alright dear. Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that I'm not going to be a grandmother yet, but Arthur's right. We love you no matter what, Hermione. You and your little one."

Her eyes burned as they filled with tears of relief. She knew she didn't deserve their unwavering loyalty but she was so grateful for it. They were now the only parental figures she had and she was happy that she hadn't lost them.

"So who's the lucky bloke?" George asked from the chair farthest from her.

"George!" His mother scolded, but Hermione just smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"No, no. It's fine. I actually don't know him that well." She replied just like they'd rehearsed on the train. "He was only there for the rebuild, and during a celebration party things kind of got out of hand. I know how awful that sounds, but emotions were high and I had a lapse in judgment. It was only for a night so I didn't think much of it and he left before the term started. I have no idea where he is, or how to even contact him. He could be a drifter for all I know." Ron snorted and she cut her eyes at him as Harry elbowed him in the stomach.

Molly's eyes widened almost comically. "You poor thing! And after all the business with your father? It must have been so hard for you these last few months without the baby's father around."

She grimaced at the mention f her father. "Yes, but I have a lot of support," She inclined her head towards the small trio beside her. "I'm not too worried about the father."

"And you shouldn't have anything to worry about dear." She assured her. "When are you due? Where will you be staying?"

"Well, I'm due the twenty-eighth of April if everything goes well. As for where I'm going to stay, Harry has insisted I stay with him after the baby is born."

"Won't you need assistance? I can't imagine Harry would be much help."

Harry coughed. "I'm not incapable of-"

She dismissed him quickly. "You'll be an Auror by then. You won't be able to even help yourself for awhile." She looked to her husband and he nodded. "You should stay with us for a bit. How would you feel about that?"

"I-yes I was actually going to ask about it. It wouldn't be for long. Just a few weeks."

Arthur smiled. "You can stay as long as you like, dear. You are always welcome here."

She felt the tears coming and she let them fall. "Thank you."

"Oh, there's no need to cry. Everything will be alright." Molly promised, patting her back.

"I know..I know. It's just...I'm so grateful to all of you."

Goerge spoke before anyone else had a chance. "It's what family's for, Hermione. We're there for each other, always."

She nodded in agreement, saying, "Thank you." Before everyone went back to their meal. She was sure it wouldn't be the last time it was discussed before they returned to Hogwarts but for now, it seemed that the conversation had moved on.

"That went better than I thought," Ginny whispered to her.

"Yes." She hummed and looked over to see Ron staring at her. She knew this was hard for him, sitting here in his home with her knowing most of it was a ruse. She'd have to talk to him about it later. Until then she'd just enjoy the rest of her dinner and soak up the happy atmosphere.

Lucius sat behind his desk staring impatiently at his son who sat across from him. It had been awhile since he'd seen him, but there was something different about him. Something off. Draco's face betrayed no emotion as the silence continued, leaving his father baffled. His son hadn't always been the best at keeping his face blank but he was sure doing a hell of a job at the moment. He could tell from what few letters he'd returned that he was angry with him. He'd even gone so far as to say that he'd wished he'd stayed in prison. That one stung a bit, but he was willing to look past it, he was a forgiving man after all. Draco just didn't know what was best for him. He'd understand soon. He just had to get over this temper tantrum or whatever this was. "I'm told there are times in a wizards life when he becomes rebellious against his parents. I had thought we'd skipped that phase with you." He said eventually, making the first attempt at conversation. "Apparently I was mistaken."

The boy just blinked a few times before responding. "Rebellious? Hmmm. You would see it that way. I would see it as me breaking away from your path and pursuing a better life by putting all the nonsense behind me. Going against the grain, if you will." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose you're right, though. By definition, it would fall under that category." He smirked. "I just never saw myself as much of a rebel."

He wanted to smack the smarmy look off of his face. He wasn't used to this. In letters, yes. Not face to face. What had he missed in the last seven months? "Now is not the time for games, Draco."

"Isn't it? I thought that was what this whole thing was," He said gesturing to the whole room with his arms. "A huge game you're playing. Tell me, am I just a pawn on your board, easily dispensable and blind?"

Lucius frowned. "If anything you'd be a rook. At least at this point."

This seemed to surprise him. "You need me in the Ministry don't you? Whatever it is you're planning you need information."

He knew he'd catch on. "Of course. Why do you think I'd allow you to join the Auror Office?" He spit it out as if it was acid on his tongue. It might as well be. He hated thinking about his son becoming the thing that chased him down, but it was what they needed to be able to pull this off.

"Allowed me?" He asked, a dark look crossing his face. It was one he'd never seen before. Interesting. "I think you were locked up too long, father. It seems you've lost touch with reality."

"You may think you are independent, Draco, that you can venture off and do what you want. But no matter what you do or where you go, you can't escape your name."

"I can certainly try." He spat, rising from his seat. "I refuse to be your spy. Go ahead and try to persuade me. Try to change my mind. Try to get me to see it is worth a stint in Azkaban, but if I can't see a life on the other side then the answer will still be the same, Malfoy name be damned."

Salazar, what was happening to his son? Why had he turned his back on him? He'd done nothing but give him the best. He was the best. He deserved to sit at the top. Why couldn't he see that? "Son, there is so much more to this that you think you see. There is much to be gained from this. You'll understand soon."

He shook his head. "Well, until then," He nodded to the door and turned his back to him. "I'll see myself out."

He watched as he disappeared out the door, letting it slam behind him. "Damn." It was going to be more difficult to get him to cooperate than he'd originally expected. Something was definitely off. Oh well. He had plenty of time to figure it out. There was no rush, no definite timeline for the end goal to be met. If his son wanted to play games, that's what he'd do.

Ron leaned against the doorframe and watched as Hermione and Ginny talked animatedly with George on the couch. Hermione looked better than she had in weeks and she was smiling brightly and laughing at something his brother was saying. It had been awhile since he'd seen her like this, cheeks flushed and a healthy glow to her skin.

"She's glad to be here, you know," Harry said from behind him.

He turned his head to look at his best friend. "Yeah, thanks to you."

Harry shook his head. "Does it really matter who talked her into it? She's with us now." He stepped up beside him, watching the girls for a moment. "It almost feels like old times doesn't it?" He commented.

Ron disagreed. Maybe they were all together and things weren't as tense, but it certainly didn't feel like it used to. He doubted it ever would, especially for him. "No, Harry. Not really."

The other boy just cleaned his glasses with his shirt and sighed. "Well, she's as close to the old Hermione as we're going to get right now. And I'm not just talking about," he looked around and whispered, "Malfoy, either." Ron scowled but Harry pushed on. "She's smiling right now. She feels safe and relieved, but soon it's going to hit her that she'll never open another present from her mum and dad. They'll never put up another tree, wrap another gift, or sing another carol. This will be the first year they don't stay up late, passing out Christmas dinner to the homeless shelter across town." Ron felt ill and wanted him to stop. It just brought up the painful reminder that it would be the first real Christmas without Fred. He turned back to Hermione and knew that Harry was right. "Take a good look, Ron, because this may be the happiest we'll see her for a long time."

"I hate this." He said because it was true. He hated everything about the situation.

"Me too," Harry agreed, "but hopefully things will get easier. We just have to be there for her." Ron didn't miss the slightly condescending look he was giving him. "And we will be there for her."

"I get it, Harry. You don't have to spell it out for me." He grumbled. "I don't have any interest in making it worse for her."

"I'm sorry, I know you don't, and I know this whole thing has to be awful for you."

"It is." He admitted, "It's torturous, but not enough for me to want her gone. I'm hurt, yeah, but it could be worse. I'm trying to be ok with it. I can't picture my life without Hermione, without either of you. So I'll deal with it. It will be fine."

They settled into a comfortable silence as they watched his family interact with one another. Harry cleared his throat. "Do you think your mum is ok?"

Ron knew what he was referring to. He'd seen the sad look on her face when she was told the baby wasn't his. He sighed deeply, "Honestly, no. I think her feelings are a bit hurt. You know she always viewed Mione as a daughter. She was probably hoping we would get together and hearing that was disappointing."

"She was really worried about what your mum would say."

"If she was that worried she should have just told them it was mine," he huffed in annoyance. It would have been fine. He could have- No. He needed to stop that trail of thought. It would get him nowhere. "Sorry, I know it was the right thing to do. It would have crushed mum to find out we lied."

"We'll sort it out, Ron." Harry patted him on the shoulder. "We've got time."

"I certainly hope so, Harry." He looked back and saw that Hermione had noticed them standing there. She was smiling and motioning for them to join her. Ron sighed. "I certainly hope so."

Monday, December 21, 1998

Pepper-up potion? Check. Wand? Check. Disillusion charm? Check. Lifeless body of yet another muggle associated with the wizarding world? Double check. Literally.

Lee crouched down between the two victims, inspecting bodies for traces of spells and trying to determine the cause of death. At least these murders weren't as violent and bloody as the previous ones. Victim one had a slit throat, but victim two had signs of dark curses littering his body and that was the only reason why he was here. The department had almost passed on this, but he knew no one but a wizard or witch could have made those kinds of injuries. Nathan didn't think these murders were related to any of the others, but Lee had a feeling in his gut that they were.

He understood why Dearborn would conclude that they were dealing with a different perp, considering the vastly different methods in which they were killed, but his instincts were telling him that it was the same killer. Maybe he'd just decided to leave less of a mess. He stopped short. Or maybe someone had told them to clean up their act? He touched the angry red lines spidering across victim two's chest. This was the first indication they'd had of wand use. All the previous attacks had been purely physical and most likely the work of a werewolf or someone who was excessively violent and got off on torture and gore. So maybe Nathan was right? No, There was more to this, they had to be missing something important. "Brice," He called to the young man standing in the corner. "Make sure you get plenty of photos."

The wizard nodded. "Yes, sir."

Lee looked back down at the bodies and sighed. Things were definitely getting a little more complicated.