Secrets and Masks

43. No questions asked. No mercy shown.

29th November;

Over the next five months, the alliance with the Order went from strength to strength.

Hermione and Malfoy met with them every other week - always at the same gate in East Midlands airport - and while they discussed the next phase of the plan or any problems or opportunities they felt might be coming, Narcissa would lay behind them and maul the corpse of a horse she'd picked up on the flight there.

Ron didn't come to many of the meetings. He was very angry with Hermione, that much was clear. He could hardly look at her, and the few times he did scowl in her direction – with disgust and hatred filling his eyes - Narcissa would hiss at him until he looked away.

Fleur and Ginny seemed to have taken over her old title of Lilith. They always apparated together, and although Fleur wore a sweet smile right from the beginning of their meetings, Ginny was quiet and reserved.

She was thawing to Hermione as time went on, just the odd little smile here and nod there. It was much slower than Hermione would have liked, but she supposed the presence of an Avada happy Demon Mask - and a carnivorous dragon who looked at her brother like he was a slab of meat - was only adding to Ginny's unease.

Neither Fleur nor Ginny liked having Narcissa there while they went over strategies. They rightfully gave her a wide birth while the meetings took place, but they often flinched when she tore pieces of her dinner off the bone. Or moved a little too quickly for their liking. Or looked in either of their directions. Or growled. Or bared her fangs. Or did anything really other than sit there like a stone gargoyle. They were terrified of Narcissa, but they'd accepted her presence was necessary for the meetings.

One person who was happy to see Narcissa, however, was Hagrid. Because he never left the Order's bases - they liked him to stay indoors to move heavy machinery around and act as the last defence in case they ever were attacked - after many weeks of begging from him, the Order deemed it safe enough and allowed him to attend a meeting.

He'd only come a handful of times so far - acting as a sort of bodyguard for the women in Ron's absence - and his face had lit up and beamed with happiness when he'd seen Hermione for the first time. He'd sobbed with happiness when he'd seen her. It took several minutes of reassuring him that she was fine until his sobs quietened. Although he'd obviously missed her very much, as soon as he knew she was safe, his eyes locked onto the enormous dragon behind her, and Hagrid was transfixed.

"Oh crikey!" he'd whistled as he'd wiped tears from his blotchy face. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

Narcissa was not a fan of the giant. Hermione was sure that she was going to incinerate Hagrid the moment he stepped towards her. It certainly looked like she wanted to. Her fangs had been bared and the back of her throat had that oniums light gathering- the one that meant a wave of fire was only seconds away.

The growling noise she'd been making had been exceptionally loud, but when Hagrid had opened his tattered robes and pulled out a large chunk of slimy meat from God only knew what kind of animal, her growling stopped.

"Scandinavian Firehorn, ain't she?" Hagrid had asked Malfoy with a proud look on his face.

"Yes," Malfoy had responded coldly.

"Do you mind if I give her this?" Hagrid had continued as he'd held up the piece of meat. "I brought it for 'er especially. Don't worry, it ain't poisonous or nothin'.

The dubious look on Malfoy's face was priceless. He'd looked to Hermione for help, and when she'd nodded in encouragement, Hagrid had thrown the treat high in the air and Narcissa had reared herself onto her back legs to catch it.