Light in the Darkness

Chapter 20: Summer Before Sixth Year

The ceremony went quickly. Fred and George simultaneously cut the red tape, officially opening Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

While their customers started looking around their products, Fred made his way over to where Hermione was standing with her parents. Her eyes were trained on the Daydream Charms. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Fred greeted them. "Thank you all for coming."

"This really is extraordinary magic," Hermione said in awe. Fred smiled.

"For that, Granger, you can have that for free." Mr. Weasley made his way over to the Grangers. Whenever Mr. Weasley was in the company of Muggles, he had a habit of asking as many questions about the Muggle world as possible. Fred hoped that Mr. and Mrs. Granger weren't getting annoyed with his parents.

Seizing the opportunity, Fred turned to Hermione. "Is everything okay?" he asked her. She sighed, her eyes trained on the products, refusing to look him in the eye.

"My parents aren't exactly happy with everything that's been happening at Hogwarts," she told him quietly. "I made the mistake of telling them everything last night."

"Not too happy with You-Know-Who being back?" Hermione nodded.

"They don't want me going back to Hogwarts next year." Fred was startled. He knew that it was going to be hard for parents to send their children to Hogwarts, what with You-Know-Who out and all. But Fred honestly couldn't think of a safer place than Hogwarts. Besides, Ron and Harry wouldn't last a day without Hermione Granger. "I'm sure I'll be able to talk them around," she continued, "they didn't understand why I wanted to come today either."

"You didn't tell them your incredibly attractive boyfriend was opening his shop today?" he smirked.

"They were more wondering why I was going out with the boy who exploded a toilet for the sole purpose of sending the toilet seat to his little sister." Fred smiled, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and told her he would try to see her later. He had to see to the ever growing crowd in the store.

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Stupid Potter, Malfoy seethed. It was all stupid Potter's fault. His father was sent to Azkaban and it was all Harry Potter's fault. Malfoy didn't know the specifics of what had happened in the Ministry that night, but he knew it was all Potter's fault.

Oh, the Dark Lord was so angry with the Malfoy family for Lucius' failure! If only they had succeeded in the Ministry that night, everything would be alright. But Lucius had failed, and it was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord punished them. Draco had heard his mother tell Severus that Lucius was better placed in Azkaban then in Malfoy Manor. The Dark Lord was going to humiliate them and then dispose of them because he would no longer have need of them.

Every day, Draco lived in fear. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to himself or his mother. That was until the Dark Lord approached him one night at the beginning of July. He had a job for Draco, a job that only Draco could do. He was intrigued, to say the least. This was his opportunity to prove himself, to redeem his family in the sight of the Dark Lord. He just had to complete the task.

All he had to do was find a way to bring Death Eaters into Hogwarts. He was sure it wouldn't be terribly hard to find a way to do this. He could do it.

But then the Dark Lord asked Draco to do something that startled the sixteen-year-old boy. He had to kill Professor Dumbledore. Certainly, he had never particularly cared for the old man. He was always favoring the Gryffindors, especially Potter. He had wanted to rid the school of Dumbledore. But he had never once considered murdering another human being, much less a great wizard like Albus Dumbledore.