Miss Malfoy

Chapter 4

     The corridors were empty, and as both Lucius and Narcissa were prefects, Trixie wasn't worried about being caught by a teacher. She kept a lookout for the mysterious feet, but didn't see them.

     The group stopped in front of a large gargoyle. Trixie eyed in suspiciously, still uncertain as to whether she was being kidnapped.

     "Chocolate Frogs." Lucius said conversationally.

     Trixie stared. What was going on?

     Suddenly, the gargoyle turned creakily, and revealed a shadowy staircase behind it. Trixie narrowed her eyes.

     Narcissa sighed. "Here, 'Cius and I will go first."

     She and Lucius strolled casually up the stairs, Trixie following cautiously. The handle of her wand was still clutched tightly in her hand, and she kept a careful lookout for danger.

     The large door at the top was open, and with relief, Trixie heard the voice of Albus Dumbledore say, "Come in." Still knowing it could simply be a recording of the Headmaster's voice, she did not release her grip on her wand until she was seated in front of the man, Lucius and Narcissa on either side of her, and was sure it was him.

     She was still uneasy, because Severus Snape, one of Lucius' friends and another suspicious Slytherin upperclassman, was also there.

     Dumbledore laced his fingers together, his twinkling blue eyes warm behind his crooked half-moon spectacles. Trixie felt the urge to straighten them, but resisted.

     "So, Miss Malfoy." He began. "You are here to be informed of one of your brother's best-kept secrets."

     "That he and Narcissa were supposed to be Gryffindors?" Trixie clarified doubtfully.

     The Headmaster paused. "Partially, I suppose. Perhaps it would be better for you to hear the whole story."

     Trixie looked warily around at the Slytherins surrounding her and nodded cautiously.

     Dumbledore cleared his throat and began. "When Lucius arrived at Hogwarts, before he was even Sorted, he demanded an audience with me."

     Trixie could imagine this; her eleven-year-old brother marching into Hogwarts like he owned the place, bossing around the professors.

     "Irritated, yet curious, I granted his request. He showed astonishingly accurate knowledge of Voldemort's- " here, Trixie flinched "-activities. His offer was plain and simple. He wished to assist the Order of the Phoenix by spying from within the ranks of the Death Eaters." Dumbledore smiled fondly at Lucius. "It was an ingenious plan, really. From the start of his days at Hogwarts, he would be acting the part of a prospective Death Eater. With a surname like Malfoy, no one would be suspicious.

     "Of course, I didn't want to put Lucius in that kind of danger, after all, he was only eleven! However, he was very insistent, and I knew that without my help, he would put his plan into action without me. There was also the matter of trust. I couldn't be sure whether to trust that Lucius was really coming to me on his own when he could have been sent by Brutus as a spy for the Death Eaters.

     "To start off, I Sorted Lucius in my office. Sure enough, he made Gryffindor. For good measure, I requested that he make an Unbreakable Vow against Voldemort-" Trixie flinched again "-so I could be certain of his loyalty. To my surprise, he agreed. The Sorting went as planned, with Lucius requesting that the Hat put him in Slytherin. However, there was one piece to this plan that I was not informed of."

    Narcissa stifled a giggle.

     "Miss Black was also to be part of our little plot. This, I was not informed of until after the Sorting, when dear Narcissa, having been in on the plan, also forwent Gryffindor for Slytherin, and later also made an Unbreakable Vow."

     "Hold on." Trixie interjected, taking it all in. "Who Bound you and Lucius? And you don't expect me to believe that my eleven-year-old brother Bound you and Narcissa?"

     Lucius pouted comically. "Do you really doubt my skills?"

     Dumbledore looked at Trixie with new respect. "Well caught, Miss Malfoy. Yes, there is another player in our little operation." He turned slightly to the curtained doorway behind him that Trixie supposed led to his chambers. "You can come out now, Minerva."