Chapter 32
Harry stormed out of the alley and back into Honeydukes. He was still reeling from what he just found out.
Violet and Draco? This has to be some sort of weird nightmare…Harry thought, shaking his head as if to make what he just saw go away.
Right when he walked in the door, he found Ron and Hermione waiting for him near the front of the store.
"Hey, Harry, where'd you go? We were looking for you and Violet. Did you see her anywhere?" said Ron.
Harry's eyes flashed angrily at the mention of Violet's name.
"She is not worth looking for." Harry said, barely keeping his anger in check.
Hermione and Ron were both shocked at Harry's reaction.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked carefully, hoping she wouldn't set him off more.
Harry took a moment to compose himself and then said in disgust, "Violet is still with the other guy."
Ron's face fell.
"What? Oh, man! She chose Neville didn't she! How could she choose Neville?" Ron said in an extremely confused and disappointed tone.
"No, Ron. It's not Neville. I only wish that it was." Harry said seriously.
"What? Then who is it?" Ron said, now just pretty confused.
At this point, Harry almost lost the nerve to tell Ron and Hermione who it was, since he hardly believed it himself. If he had not seen it in front of his eyes, he didn't think he would have believed it. But with Ron and Hermione looking at him with questioning eyes, he had no choice but to push on.
"It's Malfoy…Draco Malfoy…" Harry said with great difficulty.
Ron and Hermione looked at him in utter disbelief.
"You're kidding, right?" Ron said, his mouth just short of dropping open.
"No…Would I kid about something like this?" Harry replied.
Hermione stood silently a moment, taking the extremely unbelievable information in.
"When Violet was still trying to decide between you two, she asked me once how she would know who the right guy is. I told her that when she's with that person, she wouldn't think about anyone else. I always thought that she'd choose you…but Draco Malfoy of all people? She has to be insane since she knew he's the son of a Death Eater, and probably in training himself." Hermione started saying with a troubled face, and then ending in anger.
"Maybe she was on Voldemort's side all along! Hoping we'd give her all the juicy information we had about everyone that's standing up against him! Let her see if I'll ever talk to her again!" Ron said, also very angry and upset.
"After all of this, I just don't know what to think. But I think you're right, Ron. I don't think we should talk to her anymore about anything. At the least, we don't want any of it leaking to Malfoy." Harry said with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Hermione said, agreeing with Harry.
With this unfortunate turn of events, all the excitement of the last Hogsmeade visit of the year had evaporated.
"I wish we all could get back to Hogwarts already…" Ron said, his bad mood apparent in his voice.
"Yeah…but I think we still have a few hours left before the carriages arrive…" Hermione said, just as anxious to leave.
"I guess we could just go to the Three Broomsticks and have some butter beers…" Harry said, absolutely unenthusiastically.
With Harry in the lead, the three trudged to the Three Broomsticks in no mood for anything happy.
How could Violet choose that bloody git over me? This is just unbelievable! If she didn't like me that way, she could have chosen anyone else…but why him? He's a bloody Death Eater's son! I thought that she'd know better than that. He probably just fooled her some how…but what if he didn't? What if she was on their side the whole time, and only got chummy with us to get information? Ron thought as he walked, feeling as though he'd been stabbed in the heart, If that's the case, then we're the fools…
Finally they had reached the Three Broomsticks. Ron shook his head and dispelled his train of thought. He wanted desperately to put this out of his mind. He tried his best to do so as they all placed their orders with Madame Rosemerta.
When Draco led Violet out of the alley, he knew that she probably wanted to be alone at this point, so he tried to think of where he could take her. Suddenly he remembered the Shrieking Shack. When they finally got there, he made sure no one else was around and they quickly snuck in the back. This is when Violet finally could say something.
"I can't believe that this happened! I don't know what game I was playing, thinking that I could keep my feelings for you a secret from my friends…while I was dating one of them! No wonder Harry was mad…if I was him, I'd be pretty mad too." Violet said sadly to Draco.
"Don't let Potter bother you. I've always found him to be a bit of a whiny git. And why in the world did he think that you would actually choose Weasely over me?" Draco said, trying to be comforting.
Violet gave Draco a glare and replied, "Just because I don't feel about Ron the way I feel about you, doesn't make him any less of a good person! Me, of all people, should have known it sucks to lead someone on!"
Draco realized that he was treading on dangerous ground, so he decided that he shouldn't say anything to upset Violet any further at this point.
"They'll all hate me now…Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny…all of them…" Violet said after a moment of silence.
Draco wanted to tell her that it didn't matter what the trio thought, but he could tell that it really did to her. He really didn't have any friendships growing up, so he didn't know how it was to feel like you lost some friends. Seeing Violet being so sad about making them angry caused him to feel a bit lonely. Though he did his best to resist the thoughts and feelings, some part of him wondered what it really did feel like to have actual friends instead of two meat head body guards that were about as sharp as marbles. He shook his head.
What am I doing thinking about myself in a time like this? Sure, Potter and the High and Mighty Do-Gooders are annoying, melodramatic pests, but Violet obviously liked them for some reason. I wish I knew what I could say something to her to help her feel better, but I really don't. Draco thought, feeling slightly inadequate since he didn't know what he could say or do to help.
Draco turned his eyes to where they entered the Shrieking Shack and realized there was now very little light streaming inside the house. He realized it must be getting late, and that the carriages would be there to get all the students soon.
"Violet, I think we should go…the carriages will be here soon…" Draco said, leading the way out.
Violet just silently followed him. She was deep in thought.
What am I going to do now? How can I face any of them? I've got to try talking to Ron. Knowing him, it's not likely he'll listen, but I really have to try. I never should have said yes to becoming his girlfriend, and I should have just sorted through my own feelings before I dragged him into it. It seemed like the easy way out then, but now that could have cost me my friendships with all of them…Violet thought guiltily as she walked with Draco to where the carriages would be.
When they got to the spot, Violet did not see Harry, Hermione, or Ron. For that, she was grateful. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle the way they would look at her, given the way Harry had reacted when he had seen her with Draco. Not that she blamed him, or any of them for feeling that way. Even she was not pleased with the way Draco had treated them in the past.
I know that none of them can ever really be friends, even if Draco has completely changed. I should have known this woud have happened the moment I chose Draco over Ron…The only thing that I can do now is try to apologize to all of them…Violet thought, feeling as though her life was at an all time low.
Draco looked for an empty carriage for himself and Violet, hoping that Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't be wandering around looking for him. The last thing he would want to do was further complicate the situation. They were stupid, but they did know "the enemy" when they saw it. Just as he found a carriage, to his surprise, he saw Sophia and Cho approaching him. When they came up to him, both of them looked in some surprise at Violet, but said nothing about it.
Sophia looked very seriously at Draco and said, "We need to talk."
Suddenly she turned to Cho and said, "I think you should go with the others…I really don't want them knowing that I'm here. Just make up some reason why I'm not with you. No reason for both of us having to put up with Sylia incessantly asking us where we were."
Cho nodded, going off to find their other friends. She was slightly concerned leaving Sophia alone with Draco, but she figured it would be okay since Violet would also be with them. All of them got into the carriage and they began their return to Hogwarts. For many minutes, no one said anything, and an awkward silence settled in the carriage. Suddenly Sophia began to speak.
"Draco, we have to do something. I still don't know what much of Violet's prediction means, and we need to figure out what we're doing next!" Sophia said with conviction.
This comment caused Violet to come out of her own thoughts of betraying her friends and snap to attention.
"Wait, what are you talking about? What prediction?" Violet said in confusion.
"You didn't know?" Sophia said, surprised Violet could give such a prediction and not even know about it.
"Wait, you knew too, Draco?" Violet said in slight disbelief, "Why didn't you mention anything about this to me?"
"Well…there was never a good time for it…" Draco replied.
Sophia removed the piece of parchment where she wrote the prediction down from a pocket in her school robes.
"Here," Sophia said as she handed Violet the slip of paper, "You need to read this."
The more Violet read of the prediction, the more surprised she looked.
"I actually…told you this?" Violet said, still not believing it.
Suddenly a lot of things that had been happening with Voldemort and how Draco was involved in this whole mess made sense.
"I never knew that I was a seer…" Violet said in awe.
"Well, apparently you are." Sophia replied.
"Sophia and I have figured out what part of this prophecy means, but there is a lot of it that we don't understand." Draco said, motioning to the parchment Violet was holding.
Violet read the whole prophesy over again in her head, and then suddenly everything fell into place in her mind.
I know exactly what scepter this prophesy is referring to, and I also know that the key is a dragon claw necklace. I just never knew where the key was or who had it. Now everything is obvious! Sophia is the one with the key to the Sceptor! Violet thought frantically, the sudden realization of how much danger everyone was in with the key and the Sceptor in such close range hitting her with great force.
"I know what this means." Violet said, lifting up the hand with which she was holding the prophecy with.
"You do? How?" Sophia said in surprise.
Violet looked at Draco and saw that he was looking at her with as much shock and confusion as Sophia was.
"This is why I came to Hogwarts." Violet said.
"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, trying to work this mystery out.
"The scepter that is being refered to in the prophecy. The Zyorious Scepter. I was attacked by a Death Eater at my school because they thought that I had it. At the time, I didn't know anything about it. Because of the whole attack, my parents called me home since they didn't feel like I was safe at Notalans. I thought it strange since they are Muggles and can protect me infinitely less than a school of witches and wizards. Then I found out the full story. My father had the Scepter since it has been his family for years. He may be a muggle, but he had a mother and a brother that were of wizarding blood. I never knew he had a brother until that day. His brother is Sirius Black."
The mention that Sirius was in fact her uncle caused Sophia to widen her eyes in shock and Draco crinckle his brow in mild surprise.
"Wait, Sirius Black, the Death Eater? The killer that invaded Hogwarts? The one that is still on the run from the Ministry?" Sophia said, simply not believing what Violet just said.
"He is innocent." Violet said forcefully, "And he was never a Death Eater."
"If he was so innocent, then why were they going to let him get the Dementor's Kiss?"
"Someone named Peter Pettigrew set him up." Violet said a little more angrily than she wished.
Sophia didn't know what to say or what to believe, but she decided that this was not the time to waste time thinking about that.
"Oh, okay." Sophia said slightly uncertainly.
"Well, anyway," Violet continued, "Sirius thought I'd be the safest at Hogwarts with Dumbledore, and so he suggested I transfer here for the time being. I hardly knew what this Scepter was capable of then, but I didn't think of it much since Sirius told me that Dumbledore was very powerful and one of the few wizards that Voldemort fears. Eventually, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I figured out that this Scepter is not something you want getting into the hands of such an evil wizard. If used on a witch or wizard, it rips their magic out of their very being and it gives them memory loss indefinitely. Then the person using it becomes more powerful."
"If Voldemort had this, he'd be unstoppable." Draco said, stating the horrific thought that everyone was silently thinking.
"So why aren't we going to Dumbledore right now to tell him all about this? This is way more serious than we all thought." Sophia said forcefully.
"Yeah, I think she's right, Draco. We can't stop Voldemort on our own." Violet said with some worry apparent in her voice.
Draco sat pensively for a moment, considering the possibilities.
Finally he shook his head and said, "I don't think it would be that easy. My father is much too slippery to be caught just by us saying he is guilty. He has too many friends in the ministry. And anyway, there is little chance that we could get the ministry to take us seriously, since Fudge doesn't even seem to believe that Voldemort has come back."
"So we just sit here, doing nothing? If we don't say something, we'll all be in a lot of trouble!" Sophia said, losing her temper at Draco, "You need to stop worrying about just yourself for a change, and start thinking about others!"
"Get a grip, McArthur. I will make sure my father pays for what he's done." Draco said dryly, his lip curling in disgust.
"But what can we do? I really don't like sitting here and doing nothing either." Violet said.
"I'll try to find out more about what Voldemort knows, and what his plans are. If we know those things, maybe we could find a way to corner my father, the rest of the Death Eaters, and Voldemort." Draco replied.
Suddenly they all felt the carriage coming to a stop. They looked out of the carriage window, and saw the castle looming before them.
Sophia looked at both Draco and Violet seriously and said, "We have to tell someone who can do something about all of this. We can't keep waiting around until You-Know-Who finally attacks Hogwarts. I'll give you a little time for you to find out what you can, but I will go to Dumbledore if I feel like you are taking too long. I would have gone a lot sooner if I knew then how serious things were."
With that, Sophia suddenly got out of the carriage and left Draco and Violet inside alone. Violet did not immediately get up since she was not looking forward to facing Harry, Hermione, and especially Ron.
"I guess we should get out now." Violet said quietly, not moving at all.
"Look, don't let them make you feel bad. If the Do-Gooders can't handle the fact that you made the right choice, then there is no use in worrying about what they think." Draco said, choosing his words carefully, so she would not be more upset.
She looked at Draco and she could see he was doing his very best to make her feel better. He may not exactly know the right things to say in situations like these, but she was glad that he was making an attempt in spite of that. She felt as though he was the only one she was close to that wasn't mad at her at the moment. She reached out and grabbed his hand. He put his other hand on top of hers and gave it a little squeeze to show her his support. She gave him a sad little smile, and began to step out of the carriage. When they both got out, she leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you later, Draco…" she said.
He put a hand on her cheek and said, "Yeah…"
Violet began to walk away, but Draco stopped her.
Violet looked at him questioningly and he said, "You know, I really meant what I said. I love you."
She gave him a meaningful look and replied, "Yeah…I love you too."
She walked away leaving Draco alone by the carriage. He did not know what lay ahead with Harry, Hermione, and Ron finding out about Violet and himself, but he knew there was nothing he could do now. He could just wait. But larger matters than his romance with Violet weighed him down. Finding out Voldemort's whereabouts and plan to come back now laid solely on him. If he failed, everyone would pay.
Not only will most everyone at Hogwarts die, my father will get away with everything. I can't let that happen. Draco thought, the resolve to get back at his father giving him some strength.
He walked back to the Slytherin dorms considering what exactly he should do next.
Violet walked slowly towards the Gryffindor dorms, thinking of what exactly she could say to Harry, Hermione, and especially Ron when she saw them. She had a feeling that none of them would want to listen to her now. She also knew that Ginny would not be pleased by any of this when she found out either. She almost did not want to go back, especially since she knew she probably was not welcome. Violet was relieved that the walk up to the tower was uneventful, but she most dreaded walking in. She said the password, and inwardly braced herself. When she walked into the Common Room, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were not there.
I hope I can just get to bed without running into any of them…Violet thought, hoping that she could come up for a solution to her problem with some time to think about everything.
She saw that she was not to have any such luck since Hermione was sitting on her bed waiting for her. Violet felt extremely awkward walking up to her.
"Look, Hermione, I really just wanted to say sorry to all of you. I mean, I didn't want it to get out of hand like it did." Violet said apologetically.
Hermione did not say anything, just pondering the severity of the situation. She tried to come to the most logical conclusion she could before she spoke.
"Violet, this isn't just anyone. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. If it was basically anyone else, Ron and all of us would not have taken it as badly. Not only is this guy completely reprehensible, but being around him is dangerous. You don't know if this is all just an act! I really don't put it past him to be doing this to get information about what we know to Voldemort."
"I know he's not on Voldemort's side." Violet said firmly, refusing to be convinced of otherwise.
"Is that based on what he told you? He hasn't really proved himself to be much of a trustworthy person up to now. He is selfish and manipulative. I don't trust him farther than I can throw him." Hermione said with narrowed eyes.
"I think that's because none of you even give him a chance. " Violet said, jumping to Draco's defense.
"You say this after knowing him less than a year? We've known him for five unfortunate years, and he's been nothing but a complete snot." Hermione said, progressively getting more annoyed that Violet couldn't seem to see reason.
"Maybe…but he's never actually lied to you, now has he?" Violet replied indignantly.
This caused Hermione to sputter a little, since she really could not think of one instance where Draco actually lied to any of them. She decided to switch her argument.
"But look at his father. If you think anything good can come from his home, then you are sadly mistaken." Hermione retorted.
"I admit that Draco hasn't been the nicest person to you most of the time that you've known him, but he's not as bad a person as you think." Violet said resolutely.
"Well, while you be an "expert" on Draco, you're going inadvertently give some important information to Voldemort, and then all of us will pay!" Hermione said, finally losing her temper.
"I can't believe that you'd be so quick to judge someone, Hermione. I thought you would know better than that." Violet said, also getting angry.
"Well, I learn from experience." Hermione said sarcastically, "If this is how you feel about things, I don't think there is anything else for us to say. Good night!"
Hermione quickly retreated behind her bed curtains with a huff. Violet was still angry, but felt slightly guilty since this whole fight was mostly her fault.
If this is how Hermione reacted, I can't imagine what Ron would say to me if I tried to talk to him. I think it would be best if I avoided them all for a while…Violet thought sadly, feeling depressed once more.
She decided there was nothing else to do now, but to go to sleep and hope that tomorrow was a better day.