Blood Traitor || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 93

It took the entire week to plan ahead.

Were it not for Hermione, the others would have just impulsively gone along. Instead, they had to first steal hairs from several people to turn into: Hermione and Blaise would turn into an elderly couple while Harry and Su elected to become their younger children, who were around Sirius's age. Kit and Ron had had a blast when they were told they'd pretend to be Su's children, looking to be around ten or younger.

"It's going to look so wicked," Ron had said. "Nice big family, all of us armed with wands and able to move faster than we should at our ages..."

"I'm just enjoying the prospect of being a kid again," Kit said playfully.

Under the cover of darkness, they apparated to the village and took the Polyjuice Potion. Harry made sure to tuck the Horcrux in his coat pocket.

"The snow," moaned Hermione, sounding worried. "We didn't think of leaving prints!"

"I'll handle it, love," said Blaise, patting her back reassuringly and going around to point at each of their feet, casting a spell that left the snow unmarked beneath the weight of their bodies.

They walked down the snowy road, cottages on either side of them and Christmas decorations twinkling in their windows. A short way ahead of them, a glow of golden streetlights indicated the centre of the village.

Strung all around with coloured lights, there was what looked like a war memorial in the middle, partly obscured by a windblown Christmas tree. There were several shops, a post office, a pub and a little church whose stained-glass windows were glowing jewel bright across the square.

The snow here had become impacted: it was hard and slippery where people had trodden on it all day. Villagers were crisscrossing in front of them, their figures briefly illuminated by street lamps. They heard a snatch of laughter and pop music as the pub door opened and closed; then they heard a carol start up inside the little church.

"I think it's Christmas Eve!" said Hermione. "I'm sure it is..."

Su addressed the group as they saw the church. "The graveyard's behind that," she said quietly as they moved closer to where the war memorial was. As they had passed it, it had transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered in names, there was a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. Snow lay upon all their heads, like fluffy, white caps.

"That's me," said Harry quietly. But he didn't pause to look at it. "Come on..."

The singing grew louder as they approached the church. There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Hermione pushed it open as quietly as possible and they edged through it. On either side of the slippery path to the church doors the snow lay deep and untouched. They moved off through the snow, carving deep trenches behind them as they walked round the building, keeping to the shadows beneath the brilliant windows.

Behind the church, row upon row of snowy tombstones protruded from a blanket of pale blue that was flecked with dazzling red, gold and green wherever the reflections from the stained glass hit the snow. Keeping his hand closed tightly on the wand in his jacket pocket, Harry moved towards the nearest grave.

"Look," said Hermione, pointing toward one of the nearby dark stones. Written in granite were the names Kendra Dumbledore and Ariana Dumbledore, with their dates of birth and death— mother and daughter. There was also a quotation: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

They did not dwell. They continued to look, and Blaise called out, but then stopped. "Oh, nevermind, sorry, I thought this said Potter." The grave seemed to be for someone named Ignotus, and had a strange triangle with a circle and line inside of it.