Pros & Cons

7. The Past

Violet was now on the Hogwarts Express on her way home - she was alone in the compartment because Ron, Harry and Hermione had stayed at school for the holiday. She rested her head on the frosty glass of the train window and tried to calm her restless thoughts.

Her and Malfoy had had a moment yesterday. That was all it was. Just an intimate, tender, fleeting moment.

She replayed the memory in her mind, picking it apart.

He caressed her face, he stroked her lip, he genuinely smiled. But what she couldn't understand was why he went to a detention he didn't have and why he told her about it. He wanted her to know.

Did he go just for her? No of course he didn't.

But then again, there was no other reason for him to tell her.

Then her thoughts shifted to her mother and what she needed to tell her. She held her mother's most recent letter scrunched up in her hand.

Violet,

I'm sorry my love but I simply cannot tell you via letter - you have to come home. I've arranged transportation for you from Kings Cross to bring you home.

Mum

The letter was rushed and sloppy, unlike her mother's usual letters which were sent with the utmost care and love. Violet was tormented by thoughts of what could be so urgent and secret.

Then her thoughts flicked back to Malfoy and what Harry had said at the beginning of the year. She was sure Harry was wrong - Malfoy was not a death eater.

But what if he was.

What if she had had a moment with a death eater.

Violet thought of something her mother had told her when she was only eight.

"Mummy, why does that mean on the front of your paper?"

Violet was sitting opposite her mum at the breakfast table and Eleanor was reading this morning's edition of The Daily Prophet. The article on the front page read:

MUGGLE-BORN FAMILY MISSING SUSPECTED RETURN OF DEATH EATERS

"Violet, don't listen to it, it's a load of rubbish. The death eaters haven't been around for seven years and don't worry darling they aren't going to make a return" Eleanor placed the paper down on the table and took a sip of her tea.

"But why does the missing muggle-born family make people think death eaters are back?"

"Well, you remember what a muggle-born is - a witch or wizard born to a non-magical family"

Violet nodded.

"Some years ago, before you were born there was an evil man referred to as 'he who shall not be named' or 'you-know-who' and he had followers called death eaters."

Eleanor paused to make sure Violet was still following. She was a very competent child and understood every word.

"You-know-who had the belief that purebloods, what we are, were somehow superior to muggle-borns because our magical blood was untainted. So they punished muggle-borns"

"They killed them? Both they can't control how they were born" Violet couldn't wrap her head around the death eater ideology.

Eleanor left her seat and kneeled in front of Violet's chair.

"Exactly Violet, they can't control it and should never have been punished for it - you-know-who was an evil, evil man"

"So death eaters are evil" It was almost a statement, like it was the only logical answer.