Alliances

Chapter 2

Harry strode into the library of Godric's Hollow. There was only one fireplace here and he needed to talk to Hermione. The original plan of capturing Draco Malfoy and questioning him under Veritaserum was now useless. This didn't bother Harry too much, if nothing else, this war had taught him to be flexible. Still, he wanted Hermione here. If they were going to be dealing in obscure Blood Oaths and old spells, there was no better person to have by your side.

As Harry walked over the fireplace he did a quick scan of the room. It appeared empty, but then, he had recently thought a room was empty to only find out otherwise. Harry decided that as long as he was going to be hosting Death Eaters, he'd better be more fully tied into Godric's Hollow's wards.

He had been tweaking the magic of Godric's Hollow for quite some time. Hermione had found some interesting spells on wards and various protections, and they had been experimenting with them. It had almost become something of an obsession with him. Harry couldn't help but wonder what would have happened that night if his own parents had put stronger wards up, rather than relying so heavily on the protection of the Fidelius Charm. So Harry had asked Hermione and Ron to help him layer several different wards on Godric's Hollow. It was very complex, but he felt it was worth it. It was very similar magic to some of what was in place at Hogwarts, although on a much smaller scale. Due to their experimentation, Godric's Hollow was very close to being sentient.

When he and Ron had arrived the day before, Harry had reset the wards on Godric's Hollow to only be keyed to his magical signature. If anyone were to have attacked him, the wards would have responded violently. But this had been more of a one way connection, from the house to himself. With such a large force of Death Eaters on the premises, he decided that in this case, less is not more. Besides, there was also the question of whatever strange spell Malfoy’s Death Eaters had used to keep their presence hidden from him. They shouldn’t have been able to do that. He was concerned about the implications.

Harry opened up his magically awareness, and fully connected with Godric's Hollow. This really expanded his senses. There were 17 magical signatures inside the Dining Room area, 16 normal and one that wasn’t. Since Harry had only seen 15 Death Eaters with Malfoy; that meant someone was still under the Disillusionment Charm. Harry paused for a second to acknowledge the cunning nature of his rival; Draco Malfoy had always been someone Harry had to keep a careful eye on. Over the years, Harry had learned never to underestimate Malfoy. It wasn’t a coincidence that the Slytherin had been there at almost every major happening in Harry’s life. Keeping up with Malfoy and his latest schemes had always kept Harry sharp. He was perfect practice for the War that was brewing on the horizon. It's good to know that some things hadn't changed. Harry continued his sensor sweep to outside the house, and the parameter of the grounds. There were a total of 24 magical signatures on the grounds of Godric's Hollow itself, not counting who was already in the house. Harry had brought 10 Orders members with him, so that meant that the rest had to be Slytherins. Malfoy had told the truth on that; they had been outmanned and penned. After the oaths had been taken, Harry had called in Ron and explained the situation to him. Ron had been less then pleased with everything that happened. He was outside with the rest of the Order members now. Harry had thought it best, that the two groups didn't interact with each other too much yet. Not until he knew for sure what was going on. Harry decided to tip the odds more in their favor. With a series of murmured incantations he added an extra layer to the wards, and extended that to outside the house. With a simple spell everyone within the parameters of the property would be rendered unconscious. Everyone, but him that is, since he was keyed to the wards. Harry made a reminder to thank Hermione for figuring out the spell. She really was the brightest Witch of her age.

Pulling back his senses from the fringes of Godric's Hollow, Harry tapered off his flow of magic to the wards. He didn't close the connection completely, still very much aware of the danger that Malfoy represented. And there was the question of who was still hidden in his dining room, and what new type of magic the Slytherins had displayed.

Harry tossed in a handful of Floo Powder, and Fire-called Hermione. He made sure to remember to use his personal identification code. "This is Phoenix, Papa-Hotel-15 calling for Distaff."

"This is Distaff, Gamma-Hotel-15," Hermione said as her face appeared in the fire, and she gave a worried look around. "Is everyone okay? Where's Red Knight? Did the target not show up?"

"Everything is fine, and they're around. I need you to come through. Also, bring everything that you have on Blood Oaths. I have a few questions. Oh, and please give a message to Moony for me. Tell him, 'The Phoenix's Nest is in good shape, but it's crowded right now. Fawkes will have to wait a bit to move in.'"

Remus Lupin was in charge of the Order whenever Harry was active on a mission. The code phrase he had just sent to him would let him know that he had activated the wards on Godric's Hollow, that there were Death Eaters here, and to have a team of Order members standing by. It had been Harry's idea to start with the code names and phrases. The personal identifier phrase was to prevent Polyjuice impersonation. It was a person's initials in the phonetic alphabet, followed by the number value of the day. Today was 15. The Floo was not a secure means of communication, who knows what Ministry, or worse, Death Eaters could be listening in on the connection. He had gotten the idea of code names, from the Marauders of course. Ron had been enthusiastic about the idea, and Hermione less so. This was probably, because she felt it a bit silly. This is why Harry let everyone choose their own names instead of picking something random. She had chosen Distaff, appropriate and very well thought out, much like Hermione herself. Ron had chosen Red Knight, and his name was Phoenix.

"Phoenix, I just have to get some books and then I'll come right though. Give me ten minutes. Distaff out,” Hermione replied.

Harry stepped away from the fireplace letting the Floo connection die. He took a moment to gather his thoughts while he waited for Hermione. He was unsettled that Malfoy had sneaked so many Death Eaters into his home. In the past it was rare that Malfoy would have the upper hand in their encounters, and that he so easily did this time unnerved him. He needed to be very careful in how he dealt with the Slytherin. Harry always had to be cautious when it came to Draco Malfoy. When Malfoy had disappeared with Snape that night, Harry had to admit he had been infuriated. But since then he’s had numerous conversations with Dumbledore’s painting, and he felt that he know had a good idea of some things that had been happening that night. If nothing else, it made him look at Draco Malfoy in a new way. And he was extremely curious as to what Malfoy had to say. If it had just been a simple trap, Malfoy could have captured Harry already, or at least made the attempt. Yes, there was definitely more going on here than what at first appeared, and he wanted to know what his old rival was up too.

After a few minutes had passed, the flames in the fireplace burnt a bright green and Hermione stepped out. Turning to Harry, she began identification protocol, which was slightly different in person then it was for Floo communications. "Distaff, Gamma-Hotel-Lemon Drops," she said.

"Phoenix, Papa-Hotel-Chocolate Frogs. We're alone the room is secured," Harry stated.

"Harry what happened?" Hermione asked, dropping protocol. Hermione might be a brilliant researcher, and the best they had at spell crafting, but she had little patience for security protocol. This is one of the main reasons she rarely did any field work.

"Malfoy has Junior Death Eaters with him, and one unknown. He says he wants to negotiate. I accepted, but instead of Veritaserum I suggested Blood Oaths, binding us to only speak truth during negotiations. I didn't want to accidentally compromise security. This way I still have the option of not answering a question, unlike with Veritaserum."

"Good idea, Harry."

"I thought so. Except for a few things, Malfoy swore by the magic in his veins. If either of us breaks this Oath then, we're effectively Squibs. Also, when he was doing his Oath, he didn't use his full name. I wanted to know if you knew any spell implications to that. Is he trying to make it less binding to escape the consequences of the oath?" Harry asked her.

"That is odd. I'll have to do some cross-referencing to be sure. What exact wording did you both use?"

Harry repeated both of their Oaths back to her, showing her the dagger, and the Oath scar on his hand.

"Harry I think it’s fine. He said “I” even though he didn't use his full name. It should be just as equally binding, although his wording is very odd. Like I said, let me check a few things and get back with you on that. But for now, treat it as if it were iron-clad. You have to be very careful with your words Harry. Also, when in doubt, keep silent. Your Oaths are only bound to spoken word."

"Yes I know Hermione, it was my idea after all," Harry reminded her. As they had gotten older, Hermione had turned into even more of a nag then she had been during their school years. He loved her to death, but sometimes she drove him spare.

“One more thing, they have some new spell or something. I thought I was alone with Malfoy, and then suddenly a bunch of Death Eaters just appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t a Portkey, and they didn’t Apparate. It looked like they just blended in out of the shadows. It was unnerving,” said Harry.

“Disillusionment Charm?” Hermione asked.

“No, I thought of that already. Whatever it was, it’s like nothing I’ve seen before. It didn’t even feel like normal magic. It was very, I don’t know different.” Harry said nervously rubbing a weary hand across his glasses. “I’m worried. I tied myself into the wards and have that knock-out spell you taught me ready.”

“Malfoy’s going through an awful lot of trouble to set up this meeting, and then to not attack you. I’m not sure what’s going on, but maybe his intentions aren’t hostile. We’ll have to wait and see. By the way, Harry where is Ron?" Hermione asked. Harry wondered when she was going to get around to asking after Ron. Since they had left school the two had finally came to their senses and started dating. They were a cute couple, but sometimes Harry felt a little left out.

"He's outside with the rest of the Order. I'd better call him in though. He'll want to hear what Malfoy has to say," He reached into his pocket, and pulled out an old scratched Galleon. He tapped it with his wand, and put it back in his pocket. It was his coin from the DA. Ron currently had one as well, by tapping it once he had just let Ron know to stand down and report to his position. The coin was even handier now then it had been back then. "Well, Malfoy and some of his men are in the dining room. Let's go talk in there. One more thing Hermione, I was able to discover there is someone still under that weird spell of theirs. Their magical signature is reading weird, probably due to whatever they’re using to stay hidden. I want you to be aware and keep your eyes open. I'm going to see how Malfoy plays this out, he's promised no hostile acts while we negotiate, but just stay on your toes okay."

"Okay, Oh Wise Phoenix." Hermione teased, and bumped him on his shoulder as they walked. Harry grinned back at her, and for just a moment she was able to glimpse a younger more carefree Harry. Then they reached the door to the dining room, and the moment was over. Outside of the door, they paused a moment and waited for Ron to come in from outside.

Ron wasn't surprised to see Hermione, since Harry had told him that he was planning on Fire-calling her. "Red Knight, Walter-Roger-Fizzing Wizbees," Ron said, identifying himself. He waited until the other two had said their correct code names and then started to give Harry an update on the mission status. "Everything is secure outside, well as secure as we could make it with so many Death Eaters lounging around. Did you notice that they're all wearing red armbands? That's not standard issue Death Eater chic. I wonder if Malfoy is staging some sort of fashion coupe or something."

"Good question. I'll make sure to ask him. Something tells me that it might be important," Harry replied. With that the three walked into face Malfoy and the Death Eaters.
********************

While Harry had been in the library marshalling his troops, Draco had not remained idle.

"Blaise, is the parameter secure?" Draco asked his second-in-command. "The last thing we need is for someone to get wind of what's going on."

"Yes. The property and the Order members are both secured. No one is coming or leaving from the grounds without us knowing," he replied.

"Excellent. Pansy what about the Floo?"

"I have a monitoring spell on it. There has been some activity in the past couple of minutes, but I saw Potter to in their earlier. I'm not sure, but I think he's talking to Granger about something. It doesn't make much sense however." Pansy Parkinson had turned out to be a lot more useful than her looks implied. If anyone was born to espionage, it was Pansy.

"Keep working on it, and keep me posted it," Malfoy said. "Vincent, Greg, I want you take a few men and secure the rest of the house. Everyone doesn't need to be here, now that business will be starting soon."

Draco's eye scanned the room and looked for the tattle-tell black on black darkness that held a shimmer of magic. That aspect of their mission was already taken care of.

"Things are going well people, everyone just let me do the talking and stick to the plan. No aggressive actions that can be misunderstood. Also, remember why we're doing this." A subtle hardening came over many of their faces as they once again, gathered their resolve.
********************

The Golden Trio entered in the dining room and found the Slytherins waiting for them. Harry noticed right away that a lot of them were no longer present. Probably elsewhere in the house, he thought to himself. He felt confident that Godric's Hollow could handle itself in a bad situation. The wards were still up and running and if need be he could take care of things himself. He walked over to the table and took a seat across from Malfoy. Although Godric's Hollow was heavily protected, it wasn't that large. It was only a two story cottage, comfortable but small. If all these people were going to stay here, he was going to have to modify things a bit. Harry made a mental note to ask Ron about doing that later.

"Potter, I see you brought Granger and Weasley. I think you're already acquainted with my seconds, so let's get down to business shall we," Malfoy stated.

"Right. Before we do, I have a few questions." Hermione and Ron joined him as they sat down at the table across from the Junior Death Eaters. He noticed that Hermione was discreetly scanning the room; she was probably looking for their mysterious spy.

"Ask away, Potter. I'm bound to speak the truth, as you know," Malfoy replied with the patented Malfoy smirk on his face.

"Do you, or anyone else in this room intend myself, or anyone else harm?" Harry asked. Ron was also looking around the room, with a serious look on his face. To the casual observer it would seem that he was concentrating on the serious discussion that was going on.

"To my knowledge, no one in this room intends any harm to you, or anyone else present," Malfoy stipulated.

With this Harry relaxed just a little bit. He had been concerned about the unknown presence in the room. It could still have been an ambush, with Malfoy being a diversionary ploy. At least if Malfoy was a diversion, he didn't know that he was.

"Alright Malfoy, so what is it that you needed to say to us?" Harry asked. Just then, Hermione caught his eye and then gave a slight nod to an empty corner of the room. Harry rubbed his hair and nodded slightly back, letting her know that he understood. Ron had caught on as well.

"It's simple. We want an alliance between your group and ours. We," Malfoy said gesturing to himself and the other Slytherins "are all children of Death Eaters. A lot of us had no choice in this war, a feeling I'm sure you're acquainted with Potter. Our paths were chosen for us a long time before we even stepped foot inside of Hogwarts. Being a Death Eater doesn't make you the most congenial person, or parent. This war has gone on long enough for you to see first hand what Dark magic does to your soul. Let's just say that a lot of our home lives were less then idyllic, and leave it at that. Most of our behavior at school was a facade. We did what we had to do to survive. And now, we're doing it again. We're not stupid; we know who eventually is going to win this war. If he couldn't kill you when you were two, what are the odds that he could do it now that you're an actual trained Wizard? Our parents are following a half-blood madman, and they're going to die following him. You might be a half-blood as well Potter, but at least you're not insane. And you don't torture your followers."

"So what are you saying Ferret," Ron interjected, "now that the war isn't going in your favor you’re going to switch sides? What's to stop you from switching again if we start losing the war?"

"First off, Weasel, in case you hadn't noticed your side isn't doing any better than ours, or rather theirs. How many times has the Dark Mark graced the sky just this week? I'd say right now things are at a bloody stalemate. And they'll keep going this way until both sides drain themselves dry. Also if the rumor we heard is true, then that is not something we can allow to happen. We'll have to end this war as quickly as possible. And that means joining our forces with yours. And as for us turning sides, I'll tell you what is going to stop us from going back, Voldermort has a very nasty death waiting to anyone he perceives as a traitor. Remind me to tell you about it sometime, so you can have nightmares for months." Malfoy smirked and a familiar look of antagonizing crossing his face. Harry quickly, decided to step in before the two started down their habitual behavior patterns. This was not the place for a brawl, or a duel.

"Don't start you two," Harry firmly stated. "Now isn't the time for bickering and name calling."

"Your right Harry, I apologize Malfoy," Ron said.

"Ditto, Weasley," was Malfoy's ungracious reply. It was good to see that despite many changes, Malfoy was still willing to hold a mean grudge.

"What information do you have that's so important Malfoy?" Granger asked, saying something for the first time since they had entered the room, shooting Ron a disgusted look. Hermione loved Ron to death, but sometimes he acted like such a child.

"There had been whispers in the D.E. ranks for sometime that there was some new weapon that Voldermort was going to unveil," Malfoy stated. "Well last month he did, it was some sort of Muggle biological weapon. The worst part is, he's magically altered it so that it isn't treatable by Healers or Mediwizards. Although he supposedly has an inoculation for the Death Eaters, none of us trust that it won't get out of control. This has the potential of blowing up in our faces. The Wizarding World is already too small. We can’t afford to lose Wizards or Witches through the indiscriminate deaths that a plague would cause.

Not only that, but Voldermort has been attacking Wizards and Muggles indiscriminately for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the Muggles have started to take notice, and that also is not good for our world. From what our sources inside the Ministry of Magic tell us, the Muggle Prime Minister issued an ultimatum to Scrimgeour. Either the killings stop, or it will be war against our kind. The Dark Lord I'm sure you could handle. But Voldermort and Muggles, that's a bit much. Originally, our plan was to remain as neutral as we can, and go into hiding once things started getting heated up. In light of this new information, we decided to join forces with your lot instead."

While Malfoy had been talking, Ron and Hermione’s faces had gotten decidedly pale. Harry's hand tightened white knuckled around his wand that he had unconsciously drawn and was now holding close to his chest.

"Well, Bollocks," Ron said.

"For once Weasley, you and I are in complete agreement," said Malfoy.

Hermione asked, “Malfoy it’s hard to believe that Voldermort would go against his own principals like that by getting help from Muggles of all people. And how do you know what is being said to the Minister? What kind of leak is there in the Ministry?”

“I don’t know why you would think Voldeysnot cares about Pureblood rights. Again, I have to point out that he himself is a half-blood. Blood Purity is just the platform he uses to sucker in arrogant Wizards like my father, who feel it’s their natural right to step on anyone they deem their inferior. It’s never been about Blood Purity with Voldermort it’s always been about getting power and using it against other people. And as for my sources of information, well that is my business. If you have any doubts of its validity. Why don’t you ask Ginny Weasley about what the Minister said?

"And just so there are no doubts," he said pulling out his wand. "Accio, fork." The fork shot across the table and into his waiting hand. "As you can see, I’m still quite capable of magic. Everything I've said has been the truth."

“What does my sister have to do with this Malfoy? You’d better not be implying she is a Death Eater,” Ron threatened.

“Ron, just leave it,” Harry said standing up from his chair. Not many people knew it, but Ginny Weasley was an Unspeakable in training. For Malfoy to know that bit of information had vast implications that Harry didn’t want to think about right now. He walked the length of the dining room deep in thought. He took slow deliberate steps the entire length of the room, doing one circuit before returning to his seat. "Okay Malfoy, you believe your information that much is true. But you still haven't said exactly what you wanted from us. Nothing comes without a price, especially not from a Slytherin."

At this Malfoy grinned at Harry. It might have been the first real smile he ever directed his way. His grey eyes sparkled and a small dimple made an appearance. It was odd, but Harry had never thought that Malfoy would be someone who had a dimple. His eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to it. It was the dimple he was looking at Harry assured himself. There was no way that he could have been staring at Malfoy’s mouth for the past couple of minutes, his very cute mouth.
“Of course there is a price, very good Harry,” Malfoy said, bringing Harry back to the present and away from dreams of pale pink lips. “We'll make a Slytherin out of you yet. What we want is amnesty. While some of us remained neutral so far, there are others who weren't so fortunate. We want full pardon for any YSA member."

"What is YSA?" ever curious Hermione asked.

"YSA is the Young Slytherin Association, or Junior Death Eaters as you used to call us Weasley. There is strength in numbers, and we look out for our own," Blaise said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting had started.

"How many of you are there?" asked Harry.

"Right now, I'd say we're about 40 strong, maybe a little less. But once the word gets out about the biological Muggle weapons, expect that number to grow. A bloody grab for power using pureblood rights is one thing, but hypocrisy is totally different. It's one of the things that always rubbed me the wrong way about Moldywart," smirked Malfoy.

Harry started to laugh, but then quickly turned it into a cough. "Err right. You've given us a lot to think about here Malfoy. I, of course, am going to have to verify some of this information myself. And as for the pardon, that isn't a power I have. I'm the Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, not the Minister of Magic. However, I will talk to him and see what kind of arrangements can be made. I think it would probably depend on the nature and seriousness of the crimes committed."

"I understand. I'm glad you brought that up Potter. Not all of our members are coming with us. We have quite a few moles, and as such they will be forced to commit crimes in the name of protecting their cover. We need the information. Right now, they are being protected with the Fidelius Charm. And after the war is over, I'd want pardons for them as well," said Malfoy.

"We'll talk about the details of that later, after I've talked to Scrimgeour," Harry said while pinching the bridge of his nose. He could start to feel a tension headache grow right behind his eyes. Harry let out a heavy sigh, and then straightened in his chair. Looking Malfoy straight in the eye he asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me Malfoy?" Harry hinted, wanting to be told about the hidden person and the strange spell from earlier.

Malfoy looked at him for a long moment. "Yes there is, but not with everyone present. Can I speak to you alone?"

"Yes, how about I'll meet you back here in 20 minutes. I have some Fire-calls to make first, and then I'd be willing to talk to you alone," Harry said.

"Fine, in 20 minutes then." And with that Malfoy stood up and held out his hand again, the one with the new scar on it. Potter shook his hand feeling a tingle as their Oath Scars met again for the second time that day.
********************

Back in the Library, Harry gathered his thoughts as he listened to Ron and Hermione talk.

"If your scar tingled, then there is no question the Oaths are in affect Harry. Malfoy is telling the truth. Or at least the truth as he believes it to be true," said Hermione.

Ron thought about this for a moment before he interjected his opinion. "Well, it could still be a ploy. Say that ‘You Know Who’ knew about YSA all along. I mean he is a Legilimens, right. So he puts out this bogus information hoping that they'd come to us with it. And let's just say he plants some loyal D.E. in with the YSA. It's Peter Pettigrew all over again. You just can't trust them, Harry."

"Oh Ron, if you use that logic, you'll never be able to trust anybody," Hermione scolded.

"In case you haven't been paying attention Herm, we DON'T trust anybody. Why do you think we use code names and phrases, along with personal identifying phrases," Ron replied.

"There is a difference between reasonable safety measures and pure paranoia," Hermione said, huffing as she lectured her boyfriend.

"That's okay, I can live with paranoia. I like paranoia, and so does Harry. Paranoid people are hard to take out. Look at Mad-Eye Moody, the real one that is, not the fake one from fifth year. I mean he refuses to talk to new people without checking their arms for Dark Mark. I've even seen him mutter Finite Incantatem a time or two at Harry's arm. I'm telling you, we should all live to be that old and paranoid. ‘CONSTANT VIGILANCE!’"

Harry finally spoke up, "Even if it's a ploy to plant a mole, can we afford to ignore them. The YSA might be what turns the tide of the war for us, and if what they're saying is true, we're going to need all the help we can get. We were barely holding our own with just Voldermort. There is no way we can fight him and the Muggles. We need the manpower, and the information they can provide. Besides, if there is a mole, better to know who and what. That way we can feed him or her information we want Voldermort to know, rather then something we don't."

Hermione beamed at him with pride, while Ron nodded his head sagely. "Too right, Harry, too right," he said.

"Here is what I want you both to do. Hermione, I need you to start working with our Mediwizards and Healers, on Muggle diseases and immunizations. Whatever he's planning I want a way to fight it," Hermione nodded at this and started gathering up the pages of notes she had taken during their meeting. "Ron, I need you to go talk to Remus. With that many new recruits coming in, we're going to have to find accommodations for them, along with training. Although I suspect, that they might have a thing or two to show us as well. Also, we're going to have to find a way to watch them without appearing to do so. I want close tabs kept on every Slytherin. We're going to have to segment our operational status. That way if one department is compromised, we can still carry on the mission without crippling the whole Order." Hermione groaned at the thought of more security measures, while Ron chortled with glee. "Also Ron, ask McGonagall and Remus to set up a meeting with Scrimgeour with me. If even half of what Malfoy said is true, then we're going to need Ministry back up. For now, let's keep this as hush hush as we can. No need to start a panic until we know for sure the information is correct. In fact, this information is now going under the code name," Harry paused trying to think up a name "Operation Dragon Claws."

"Sweet," said Ron, while Hermione just rolled her eyes, muttering something about boys and their stupid obsessions with military code names.

Harry grinned. "I'm going back in to talk with Malfoy. I'm going to find out about the little fly on the wall. You two get started. Don't Floo me; I'll Floo you in a couple of days when I’m ready. If I don't use the mission code phrase you know that I've been compromised, and the appropriate actions must be taken.

"Yes, we know Harry." they said. They had been over this a million times. If the right code name wasn't used, then you were supposed to Stupefy the impersonator immediately, move that person to the designated interrogation location, and then interrogate with the use of Veritaserum. It's unfortunate that Neville has such a bad memory for things like that. He had been interrogated three times already.

The friends hugged, and two of them Flooed off to take the next steps to make Operation Dragon Claws a reality.
********************

By the time Harry finished talking to Ron and Hermione it had been almost 20 minutes. He took just enough time to step outside and brief the rest of the Order members still there. He told them to make camp outside the house on the grounds since they're was no room inside and it look like this mission would take a couple of days. He didn't need them around, but figured it couldn't hurt to have the back up in case something happens. Besides, they were all issued Wizard tents, which was more than accommodating for their simple needs.

Harry stepped back inside and rejoined Malfoy in the dining room. Malfoy was already seated, so he came and sat down back in his old seat.

"So, Malfoy," Harry started, "is there something you want to tell me?"

"Actually, Potter there are a couple of things. This has nothing to do with the YSA or the Order, but is personal. I want to make a deal with you," Malfoy said leaning in giving Harry an intense look.

"I'm listening," Harry said.

"It's about Snape. I know how you feel about him, and you're right to crave revenge. But there are circumstances surrounding him that you're not aware of. Long story short, he is still loyal to you're cause, and Dumbledore had set him up to kill him that night. It was a plan they had both worked out. Snape always helped the YSA, looking the other way when we needed him to. Especially me, I owe him a Wizard's debt."

"Malfoy, if this is what you wanted to talk to me about then you are wasting your breath. You don't understand my feelings on this, nor am I going to explain it to you."

"You'd be amazed at what I understand and the things I know. But here is the deal; you can trade one revenge for another. What if I say that I have access to someone who you want more? Forgive Snape, and I can get you Pettigrew."

"Okay, now you have my attention."

"Snape gets the same deal as the YSA members, pardon for all crimes. And your personal promise not to take any sort of revenge on him for Dumbledore's death. And I'll give you Peter Pettigrew, to do with as you please."

"Have him in your pocket do you?" Harry replied sarcastically. In his mind he was quickly making connections. The hidden person, it was probably Snape. He'd been here the whole time listening in. The fact that he hadn't tried to make a move against them yet, spoke a lot. Personally, Harry had been having his doubts about Snape's apparent guilt for sometime. Dumbledore's painting had been suspiciously quiet on the subject of Snape’s loyalties, but after Harry had some time to think about that night, he had come to a few theories himself. Still, Malfoy didn't need to know that. "Alright, how about this, if Scrimgeour gives YSA pardons, I'll make sure Snape gets one as well. And I won’t take out any personal revenge on him, in exchange for Peter Pettigrew. That's the best I can offer."

"Done," said Malfoy.

"So, are you going to unshrink him now?" Harry said with a grin. "And by the way, you can tell Snape to ‘pop-out’ or whatever that weird spell from earlier is called. I've known he was there for quite some time."

"Amazing powers of deduction Potter, except that isn't Snape," said Malfoy as he brandished his wand to the corner of the room, saying a quick Finite spell. Harry looked, and there propped up in the corner was a petrified Peter Pettigrew. Harry look twice just to make sure and then back again at Malfoy.

He finally asked, "Do I even want to know why he's Petrified?"

"You shouldn't ask questions you don't want to hear the answers to Potter," Malfoy smirked.

"Right." Harry took his Galleon out and tapped 3 times. After a bit, an Order member came into the dining room. It was Neville Longbottom.

"Mandrake, Lima-November-um um...oh right, Cauldron Cakes," said the nervous Gryffindor.

"Phoenix, Papa-Hotel-Chocolate Frogs. The room is secure," Harry told him. "Neville, I need you to take Pettigrew here, don't worry, he's Petrified, to Headquarters. Tell Distaff to keep him confined under Operation Dragon Claws. Do you have that Neville, Operation Dragon Claws?"

"Yes Harry, I understand. I'll go take care of it right now. Pettigrew is Petrified and he is under Operation Dragon Claws. I won't forget." Neville cast Mobilicorpus on him and guided him out the dining room into the library.

"Well, that's a fascinating little system you have there Potter, too bad Longbottom is as sharp as rubber ball," Malfoy drawled.

"Shut it, Malfoy. It's been a long day; don't start with your snipes. You've almost been decent today," Harry said, back to rubbing the bridge of his nose. It had been a very long day, and tomorrow promised to be even longer.

"I'm curious Potter, what are you planning on doing with Pettigrew. I thought you were going to ‘take care of him’ right here so to speak. It would have been cleaner with a lot less witnesses that's for sure."

"I'm not going to do anything with him, except turn him into the proper authorities. I have enough blood on my conscious without adding more. Let the Dementors munch on him for 12 years. That's what he owes, 12 years of barely hanging on to sanity to Sirius. Twelve years of loneliness to Remus, and 19 years of being parentless to me. If there was a way to do that, then I could be adequately revenged."

While Harry had been talking Draco had gotten up and walked over to stand next to him. He looked into Harry's eyes and studied what he found there. "I didn't just give you Pettigrew for Snape; I did it for me too. I wanted to know the type of man I'm allying with. I suspected all along, but now I know for sure," Draco smiled and rolled up his sleeves, showing two bare forearms. He took out his wand and cast Finite Incantatem on both arms. "This is so you can know what kind of man, you're allying yourself with."

“That’s not necessary Malfoy. I would understand if you had the Mark. You and the others did what you had to do,” Harry said.

“Yes it was necessary, for me. I wanted you to know, that I would rather die then be marked like that by him,” Malfoy said in a rather intense way staring into Harry’s eyes. Harry smiled a small smile, and went to turn away.

As he did Draco grabbed him by his upper arm. "There was one more thing I needed to talk to you about," he said.

"You're just full of surprises today Malfoy. What else do you have to say?" Harry asked.

"Just this," Draco said, and then he leaned down and pressed his mouth to Harry's.