Grindelwald's Burden (Books 1-7)

99. The Slug Club

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.

"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 played with his broomstick's tail twigs. "Remember that shriveled-up arm Malfoy had?"

Harry looked to Y/n who was also sitting on the windowsill but his legs were fully up as he looked out the window.

"But what about when he said. 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "That sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the broken objects, and Malfoy wants both."

"You reckon?" said Ron, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.

"Yeah, I do." said Harry. When neither Ron, Y/n or 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 Y/n and 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.

"He's a Death Eater..." said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"

Y/n slowly turned his head around slightly to listen in more.

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..."

"In Madam Malkin's. She didn't touch him, but he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve. It was his left arm. He's been branded with the Dark Mark."

Y/n seemed to take this in while Ron and Hermione looked at each other doubtful.

"Well..." said Ron, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

"I think he just wanted to get out of there, Harry." said Hermione.

"He showed Borgin something we couldn't see." Harry pressed on stubbornly. "Something that seriously scared Borgin. It was the Mark, I know it...he was showing Borgin who he was dealing with, you saw how seriously Borgin took him!"

Ron and Hermione exchanged another look.

"I'm not sure, Harry..."

"Yeah, I still don't reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join..."

Annoyed, but absolutely convinced he was right Harry left the room.

Y/n slowly swivelled round on the windowsill as Hermione and Ron watched him exit the room after Harry.