Ember. It means fire. Ember was never safe. Even before she was born she was coverted. Hunted. She's the last of her kind. Once there were many. Once there were four. Four families. One for each element. Air. Water. Earth. Fire. Every other family e...
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Harry spent a lot of the last week of the holidays pondering the meaning of Malfoy's behavior in Knockturn Alley. What disturbed him most was the satisfied look on Malfoy's face as he had left the shop. Nothing that made Malfoy look that happy could be good news. To his slight annoyance, however, neither Ron nor Hermione seemed quite as curious about Malfoy's activities as he was; or at least, they seemed to get bored of discussing it after a few days. Ember, though she agreed it was concerning, her response was to study her books even harder. She had nearly finished the last of fire books but she had informed the others she intended to read the other elements as well.
"Yes, I've already agreed it was fishy, Harry," said Hermione a little impatiently. She was sitting on the windowsill in Fred and George's room with her feet up on one of the cardboard boxes and had only grudgingly looked up from her new copy of Advanced Rune Translation. "But haven't we agreed there could be a lot of explanations?"
"Maybe he's broken his Hand of Glory," said Ron vaguely, as he attempted to straighten his broomstick's bent tail twigs. "Remember that shriveled - up arm Malfoy had?"
"But what about when he said, 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "What would he want with a necklace that has killed nineteen Muggles?"
"Maybe Parkinson has driven him mad enough to off her." Ember joked.
Hermione glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, her eyebrows furrowing as she frowned slightly.
Ron snorted. "You reckon?" He said, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.
"Funny, Em, but there has to be more to it." said Harry. When neither Ron, Ember nor Hermione answered, he said, "Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"
Ron looked up, blinking.
"Malfoy, revenge? What can he do about it?"
"That's my point, I don't know!" said Harry, frustrated. "But he's up to something and I think we should take it seriously. His father's a Death Eater and -"
Harry broke off, his eyes fixed on the window behind Hermione, his mouth open. A startling thought had just occurred to him.
"Harry?" said Hermione in an anxious voice. "What's wrong?"
"Your scar's not hurting again, is it?" asked Ron nervously.
"If I didn't know better I'd say he's having a revelation." Ember said as she turned a page in her book.
"He's a Death Eater," said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"
Ember nearly dropped her book.
There was a silence; then Ron erupted in laughter. "Malfoy? He's sixteen, Harry! You think You - Know - Who would let Malfoy join?"
"It seems very unlikely, Harry," said Hermione in a repressive sort of voice. "What makes you think -?"
