Harriet Potter 2

Lessons not learned

Harriet had waited until they were on the Hogwarts Express to share her theory with Ron and Hermione. She was sure that when her friends heard her theory, they would have a lot to discuss.

Once the snack trolley had left and the compartment door slid shut, Harriet wasted no time in sharing her revelation. "Draco is a death eater, he has a dark mark, that's why he showed his arm to the shopkeeper."

Rather than the shocked looks Harriet had anticipated, Hermione and Ron had shared a doubtful glance.

"Harriet, he's seventeen I really doubt that Voldemort would make him a Death Eater" Hermione replied doubtfully.

When Harriet glanced to Ron for support, he sighed "look I dunno Harri, Hermione has a point, he's still at Hogwarts."

"Since when has Voldemort been a beacon of morality? Reckon he's worried about disrupting Malfoy's education?" Harriet shot back.

Neither Ron or Hermione deigned to reply.

Grabbing her invisiblity cloak, Harriet left the compartment in a huff. What she needed was incontrovertible proof.

Walking along the train corridor, Harriet peered through compartment doors in search of Draco. Merlin's beard it was a long train!

Finally Harriet glimpsed a familiar blond head through a compartment door, laying in Pansy Parkinson's lap.
Harriet pulled out an extendable ear as she watched through the compartment window. Apart from Pansy and Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise Zabini also filled out the compartment. When sound began to filter through the extendable ear, Harriet was unsurprised to find Draco holding court. "-Besides next year I'll be moving on to bigger and better things if you know what I mean." Did that mean what she thought it meant? The other occupants of the compartment fell silent at his words.

Goyle stood with a grunted explanation "toilet."

Harriet knew that this was a very slim moment of opportunity. As the door to the carriage slid open Harriet slipped seamlessly under Goyle's thick arm and into the carriage, barely resisting the urge to land a kick to his retreating backside.

She hid herself in the luggage rack and listened eagerly. Unfortunately the conversation now turned to their holidays and Harriet was forced to listen to Zabini describing a ski chalet at great length. From her position in the luggage rack, Harriet yawned. Harriet froze at the accidental sound of her exhale. Malfoy's gaze darted coolly around the compartment, but seeing nothing, he lowered his head to Pansy's lap once more.

When the train finally drew to a stop, Malfoy turned to the others "You lot go ahead. I'll catch up with you."

When the rest of the occupants of the compartment had departed, Malfoy spoke without turning around.

"Would've thought you learned after last year. Do you never learn your lessons, Potter?"

His voice was cold and abrasive, the way it never was when they were alone.

Harriet lay as still as she could, hoping that he was just guessing at her presence.

"Petrificus totalus" he said, almost lazily as he turned and pointed his wand at her. Harriet felt her limbs lock as she tumbled to the floor of the carriage, her invisibility cloak slipping from her form.

"I heard you before. I'd know that yawn anywhere, Potter. And even if I hadn't, I could smell your perfume the whole time."

He knelt over her, dragging Harriet's head up roughly by her hair so they were face to face. His eyes looked almost as red-rimmed as hers, maybe more. She recognised something in his expression, desperation, helplessness, rage.

"What you did-" his voice cracked "he's my father. That's family, Potter. Not that you'd understand the concept."

Harriet's heart cracked as she watched a single tear slide down his cheek before dripping onto hers. Had she not been frozen, Harriet would have jerked back at the contact, as it slid toward her mouth. Unable to move, the tear slid between her parted lips and the salt of his tear coated her tongue.

More tears followed the first, raining down upon her cheeks.

"And now I- I'm- you don't even know what you've done to me, Harriet."

Harriet suspected she did know. Because Lucius was in Azkaban, Draco had been forced to take his father's place in Voldemort's ranks as a death eater. Because of her.

In that moment she wished she could speak, even though she didn't know what she could possibly say. She certainly couldn't apologise for what happened at the Ministry. Instead, Harriet remained frozen, her emerald gaze unable to move from his stricken face.

Her head hit the ground with a thump as he dropped her abruptly and threw her invisibility cloak back over her prone form. He left without looking back, shutting the door behind him.

A few minutes later Harriet breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the compartment door sliding open.

"Again?" Tonks asked wryly, as she whipped the invisibility cloak from Harriet's form.