The Surprise
The blonde haired man straightened his back as he reached up and knocked on a black and unassuming door. He had searched for weeks to find this particular door and it had taken a lot of whispered conversations and bribery to get the address. He'd had to tell his story to strangers again and again to get them to trust him enough. He'd already been sent to the wrong place twice and nearly been recaptured both times. He steeled himself for another mistake, braced himself with a counter jinx ready and knocked again.
For a moment he thought the door wasn't going to be answered but then he heard the unmistakable sound of approaching feet, the door swung open to reveal a ginger haired man in his early thirties. He was wearing a pair of jeans that would have been at home on the Muggle high street matched with a green T-shirt that said "Free the Gringott's Three" in black letters. The easy smile which had graced his face as he opened the door fell as he took in the identity of the man who stood before him. He hadn't seen him since the fight at Hogwarts, then at the subsequent trial and he had hoped never to again.
"Malfoy." he said with disgust and stepped back to slam the door in the blonde's face.
"I have information." Draco said quickly and as the ginger haired man stopped he realised the Slytherin before him looked ragged and dirty. Not something he would associate with a Malfoy "I don't have anywhere else to go. I've almost been caught already. He's looking for me."
"Who's looking for you?"
The blonde stood tall and sneered at Ron Weasley, head of the department for Muggle Artefacts and didn't answer. After a moments silence Ron spoke again.
"Why should I help you?"
There was an awkward silence which was broken only when Draco spoke.
"Because you're one of the good guys and that's what you do."
The ex-auror looked down at him mercilessly and Draco felt the last remnants of the hope he'd held on to dissolving. Weasley was going to turn him away and then what would he do? He'd exhausted every avenue; there was nowhere left to hide. He couldn't go back. He couldn't bear it. As he thought of the fate that awaited him he shuddered slightly and was embarrassed to realise water was beginning to build in his eyes. Ron watched him with the appearance of heartlessness for a few more moments and then it faded away and he stepped back beckoning for Malfoy to enter his hallway.
"Fine you can come in; but you'll hand over your wand and you'll submit to a full examination before you get any further than the hall."
"I don't have a wand. But I'll do whatever you want if you just let me in."
Ron looked surprised, but muttered an incantation that sent a blue haze over Draco. It shimmered for a few moments and then turned green.
"Fine. Come in" Ron said and Draco walked through the barrier and into safety. ---
It had been weeks since he'd eaten anything resembling a full meal so as Ron conjured up a bowl of soup and a plate of sandwiches he dug in without any pre-amble. The plates refilled every time Draco took a sandwich or emptied the soup bowl. Draco raised questioning eyes to Ron.
"It's a spell I learnt from Dumbledore" he said and a look of hatred passed across his face. Draco blushed; there was no point in protesting his innocence in that affair. In fact it was a miracle Ron had let it pass enough to allow him entry. Draco didn't want to provoke Ron but he forced himself to speak.
"I wasn't supposed to succeed" Draco said carefully "I was supposed to die in the attempt. Make..." he hesitated over the name "...Dumbledore... into a child murderer or fail and give the Dark Lord an excuse to punish me. He wanted that desperately you see an excuse to punish me." He looked up briefly to see how Ron was reacting to his explanation to find Ron was staring at him with a look that made him want to curl in on himself, he resisted the temptation.
"He'd already taken possession of everything we owned; my father was in Azkaban; our lives were the only things we had left."
A tense silence filled the room as his voice petered out. Ron moved away and sat in an old comfortable looking chair near the fire. He stared into it and didn't speak again until Draco had eaten his fill. Then he turned and pinned Draco with a look that left him in no doubt that if Ron weren't one of the good guys he'd be lying on the floor dead.
"I'll show you where you can sleep. I'll be putting a spell on the door so it won't open unless I want it to; I don't want a Death Eater wandering around my home unescorted." Draco nodded he would abide by any rules Ron set; as long as he didn't have to go back he didn't care if he had to sleep in the basement on a straw mat.
Ron led him to the spare room, showed him where the bathroom was and then disappeared off. Draco didn't hang about he was as close to exhausted as he'd ever been. So he slid off the clothes he'd been wearing for too long and slid into bed. As his head hit the pillow Ron appeared in the doorway.
"Tomorrow you'll tell me everything, including how you found my house, and then I'll decide if you can stay." As the door shut it clicked loudly Draco closed his eyes feeling as close to safe as he had for the past ten years.
==
It had been a long long day. Ron had interrogated him repeatedly until Draco's throat was raw from all the talking. He hadn't hidden anything no matter how ugly. Now they sat around the fire again and Ron was giving him the verdict on his life. If Ron threw him out he'd be caught within a day; he knew it so he sat hiding his nervousness to hear his fate.
Only Ron could pour such disgust into the two syllables of his name. He supposed he couldn't blame him. They'd been enemies for so long it was hard not to say the things that could wound and destroy. Ron had no reason to avoid them whereas Draco was one misplaced word from being out on the streets. He was getting an ulcer from all the words he had to force back down his throat. But he'd eat razor blades if he could stay here where it was relatively safe. So yet again he swallowed the insult that jumped to his lips and turned away from Ron's harsh words.
Ron was cleverer than Draco had ever given him credit for at Hogwarts. He was more ruthless too maybe that was part of the auror training. Ron insisted that if Draco was to stay he would submit to a compulsion spell. Draco had no choice really; although a deep feeling of dread had suffused him as he drank the potion and said the incantation. He didn't feel any different but he knew his
own will was being subdued and he knew somewhere at the Ministry his and Ron's names were being silently added to a list. It wasn't as if he could have stopped Ron if he'd wanted to, so being given the choice, even if it was to be his last free one ever was relatively kind of Ron. It was certainly kinder than he would have received elsewhere.
Once the potion was drunk and the spell was cast Ron compelled him to always answer his questions with the truth and Draco blanched in fear. Ron asked him every question from that day again checking to see where Draco had fudged the truth and catching him in a few half-truths. Finally Draco was smarting from revealing himself so abjectly.
"Look Ron, I let you cast your compulsion spell on me so you'd feel safe and then you'd keep me safe, but it's not fair asking me things you know I don't want you to know."
"It's how I know you really are compelled." Ron replied without sympathy.
"Bastard." Draco muttered mutinously.
Ron raised an eyebrow and slowly and deliberately compelled Draco not to swear or insult him ever again. Draco opened his mouth but found that nothing came out. Ron watched him struggle for a few seconds then burst out laughing. He laughed so hard Draco thought he was going to fall off the sofa. But Draco couldn't say a word because every word that came to his mind was insulting.
"Why did you come to me?" Ron said finally when his entirely adult giggling fit had subsided.
Draco swallowed knowing the real reason would likely get him a black eye.
"I didn't want to go to Potter and you were easier to find than him anyway." that was true enough to get around the compulsion
"Let me rephrase," Ron said frustrated "Why did you think I would help you? We never got on at school."
"You're a good man." Draco said looking down because it galled him to give compliments to a Weasley but the compulsion spell forced him to speak the truth. "You saved me in the room of hidden things and there's no-one else." he added hoping Ron didn't push any further, he didn't know how he would avoid answering a direct question about his motives. Thankfully Ron seemed content with that answer.
"You said he'd find you if I didn't help you."
Draco held his breath; he didn't know how he was going to avoid answering Ron's next question.
"I'm pregnant." Draco said hoping it would be enough of a shock that Ron wouldn't think to ask anything else. But still saying it out loud after all these weeks was strange.
Ron gasped and stood up backing away from Draco as he stared at his belly. Noticing for the first time that it was bigger than it should be.
"What? But how? And...Why?" Ron said confused
Dammit, would Ron ever stop questioning him? He was however compelled to answer.
"I'm pregnant. I swallowed a potion that made it possible for me to be impregnated with a child" he answered "The man I was with wanted me to be pregnant so I am pregnant."
"Possible to be impregnated?" Ron queried with a sceptical look "You mean it made you fertile but in a girl way?"
"Yes." Draco flushed red he had wanted to keep this secret so badly; his heart was racing at the suspense of how Ron was going to react to the full truth.
"Why did you swallow it?"
"It wasn't optional" he said with a sneer "Not every baby comes from hearts & flowers and people skipping through meadows hand in hand."
Ron gasped at the implications of that and turned pitying eyes on Draco, who decided he'd had enough of being questioned tonight, so got up and gathered his Malfoy haughtiness around him making for the door.
"Come back here Draco." Ron said quietly and Draco found his legs carrying him back to Ron's side.
"Sit down on the chair for a minute." he ordered. Draco couldn't disobey. It wasn't possible. Ron moved over, putting his hands on Draco's knees he looked up into his face.
"Whose baby is it, Draco?" he asked gently
"She's mine" Draco said meeting Ron's eyes fiercely.
"Yes, but who's the Father?"
"I am."
"Okay then, who's the mother?"
"There isn't one"
"Draco stop being difficult, it takes two people to make a baby..."
"Don't ask me Ron." Draco interrupted him before he could finish his question the cringing words felt like ash in his mouth. "Please, you won't like the answer"
Ron regarded Draco for a minute at least before he spoke again. This time he didn't give Draco any wiggle room in his answer.
"Who is the other parent?" Ron said ignoring Draco's request.
"Her other father is the Dark Lord" he replied through gritted teeth.
Ron's eyes widened until Draco was afraid they were going to fall out of his head
"But he's dead. He died at Hogwarts" he finally hissed
Draco didn't respond
"Draco, is Voldemort still alive?"
Draco cringed at the name; he had more reason than most to fear it after all. "No." he hissed finally but his body had folded around the baby and he looked like he was trying to fold in on himself.
"What do you mean then?"
Draco rolled his eyes, Ron never was the smartest.
"There's a new Dark Lord." Draco said sadly. "He's gathered the remaining dark forces around himself since he who must not be named was destroyed."
"It's not possible." Ron said standing up "A new Dark Lord? It's not possible. The Death Eaters were destroyed scattered to the four winds... I need to speak to Harry." Ron babbled like an idiot then he looked at Draco, staring at his swollen abdomen. "It can't be allowed. You can't bring his baby into the world."
Draco looked up at Ron and sneered "I am though."
Ron looked stunned like he didn't know how to respond to that. He looked at Draco and the look made fear race through Draco's body, he felt the baby wake up having been startled by the flood of adrenaline in their blood stream. Ron was going to do something unspeakable he could see it in his eyes. He used his only weapon, his powers of persuasion.
"You're one of the good guys Ron. Don't do anything immoral."
"Immoral? What would be immoral? Letting a child of Darkness into the world?" Ron replied heatedly "My brother died to send that Darkness out of this world, along with hundreds of others. How could I stand by and let it come back in?"
"You can't blame her for that." Draco said stubbornly, he had a dreadful feeling that Ron was going to take matters into his own hands.
"It can't be allowed."
"You're a Gryffindor. You don't believe in killing babies" Draco said standing up as he realised what Ron was contemplating and he tried to move away from Ron.
"I can't let another evil into the world like your ex-boss."
"My baby's not evil. Maybe one of her fathers' is but she's not." Draco was backing away from Ron, looking for a way out of the room.
"Draco, you must see that you can't bring a child of darkness into the world" and Ron was using his I'm the reasonable one voice as he said it.
"She's made out of me, she's inside me, she's MY BABY" Draco didn't realise how loud he'd shouted the last three words. But Ron didn't reply just continued to advance towards him. Draco backed away as far as he could; he knew he was defenceless and the compulsion spell Ron had him under would force him to obey. As he saw what Ron intended he drew on every counter jinx he'd ever practiced. He braced himself for the fallout from what he was about to do. He'd have one shot at this the baby took too much of his energy to try two wandless spells one right after another.
Draco watched Ron like a ferret watches an owl.
"Hush Draco." Ron said as he got within arm's reach and Draco knew that Ron had taken his last defence away. He wrapped his arms around himself trying to shield the baby from Ron. He wasn't helpless as the baby inside him was, but he knew he wasn't in a good position. Ron had stood next to Harry at the battle of Hogwarts as he'd faced down the Dark Lord, his jinx was probably going to be strong. He shook his head silently pleading, fighting off the panic that was starting to build inside him. He prayed to Merlin that his hours of practicing wandless counter jinxes would pay off; anything so he could protect the life he was growing.
"Draco get up and sit in the chair." Draco was angry but his body obeyed Ron, he'd hardly sat when he drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around himself.
As Ron approached him he thought very clearly; this is it, the life he had been trying to protect would be snuffed out by the person he'd chosen as her saviour, the irony was too strong to be funny. He braced and prepared himself. He didn't realise he was making a strange pleading noise that filled the room as Ron got closer and closer.
"Shh, Draco, be quiet" Ron said and immediately silence fell. Ron knelt down and put his hands on Draco's distended belly. It just looked like he'd had a big lunch that was all, there couldn't be a living breathing child inside could there? Draco watched Ron and begged the baby's forgiveness. If Ron did anything to hurt the baby he'd never forgive himself; he was the one who had assumed Ron would be a safe bet, he should never have come here. But what choice did he have? He pleaded with the voice in his head. He felt Ron pressing on his belly and then the baby kicked right up against where Ron was pressing.
After two minutes of total silence and the baby kicking him repeatedly in the same spot he opened his eyes and looked down to see Ron with his ear pressed against him. He felt the terror that had been building in his body lessen. Ron lifted his head and looked at Draco. He seemed to notice for the first time that he was still there.
"Oh" Ron said as he moved away and stopped cupping Draco's belly "I'm sorry. I frightened you. I had a slight moment there, but I'm fine now. I won't hurt your baby, Draco I promise. But I need to speak to Harry and Hermione. Okay?"
Draco was flooded with relief. He started to shake as the adrenaline leeched out of him.
Draco quickly realised that he couldn't speak or move, the spell wouldn't allow it but his erratic breathing calmed down as he tried to work out how to cement the sudden softness Ron had shown towards them. He also tried to calm his racing heart; it was making the baby jump around something chronic. He'd been sure Ron was going to destroy the baby and he didn't know what had stilled his hand; but whatever it was he thanked Merlin for it.
Ron pulled Draco up out of the chair and led him to the table. He conjured up a plate of roast beef with all the trimmings and encouraged Draco to eat. Draco of course obeyed.
"I frightened you. I'm sorry." Ron said again smiling that disarming smile of his. "I'm just going to floo Harry and I'm sure he'll come over so we can discuss what to do." at Ron's words Draco felt the bottom falling out of his world again. It wasn't over, now he'd have to convince Harry Potter not to destroy the life inside him. They weren't safe yet, and he was in a trap of his own making. He couldn't leave without Ron's permission and he didn't know what he could possibly do to protect his baby if he couldn't speak or even make sounds.
Draco silently berated himself for a fool.
==
It didn't seem long before he was facing his arch nemesis Harry Potter, the one his family had tried to kill on numerous occasions and who had every reason in the world to wish Draco ill. He had marched into the room looking nothing like the school boy Draco used to know. In the intervening years Harry had risen quickly through the ministry and now was a more important man there than Lucius had ever been. His posture and sharply tailored suit showed how powerful he was and Draco had come to Ron to avoid having to deal with him so this was not a happy
place for him to be.
Harry stood and regarded him for long minutes as Ron explained again why Draco was there. Harry's gaze never faltered and Draco found that he couldn't maintain eye contact with him. His Malfoy sense of pride had long been eroded by the new Dark Lord's expectations.
He remembered his own father, in the months before the first Dark Lord died, being at his non-existent mercy. But of course that hadn't been enough for the Dark Lord who could break a man more thoroughly than even the Dementors ever hoped to and enjoy it more as well.
His whole family had suffered for his fathers' failure in the hall of mysteries. And the punishment had been long and painful for everyone, probably most terrible for his mother who'd been forced to consent to her son's degradation, whilst being helpless to prevent her husband's demise. Draco had done everything he could to make Narcissa's life less painful, and although the things the Dark Lord had required were distressing he had willingly submitted to earn his Mother's reprieve. The new Lord was just as cruel and sadistic, more so even. So he stood and faced the boy who lived without hope of pity or mercy and minus his trademark Malfoy sneer.
When Harry had listened to Ron he began questioning Draco about his escape from prison and where he thought the new Dark Lord was hiding. Draco remained silent watching Harry through his eyelashes; he was amazed at how quickly Harry had assimilated the knowledge of the new Dark Lord. Then he realised the Ministry probably knew more than they were letting on.
"Why isn't he answering me" Harry asked Ron annoyed "I don't know. Draco answer Harry."
"I was taken; I didn't see who it was. They came whilst we were asleep and I was blindfolded. I woke up in the Manor. There were no windows in my room, I was never taken outside."
"Draco, I don't like you ignoring me." Harry said imperiously.
Draco's skin prickled as he tried not to let his annoyance show.
"Ron hushed me and shushed me; after that I couldn't make a sound. And it's taken him..." he looked at the clock "Two hours to notice." Draco said in a slightly peeved voice. "In fact he didn't notice - he just ordered me to speak....finally."
Harry gasped and Ron looked slightly sheepish. "Really Ron; you have to be more careful." Harry said
"Sorry Harry. I didn't think about it. At the time I just wanted him to be quiet. When he was I didn't think too hard about why."
Draco noticed Ron didn't apologise to him.
"You have to remember that the spell you cast means Draco has no free will. The ministry wouldn't condone such a serious infringement of Draco's rights unless it was absolutely necessary." He looked at Draco "Which it is. I'm afraid Ron's safety outweighs your right to freedom Draco."
Draco nodded slowly. He understood exactly how important his rights were as far as the ministry were concerned. A memory of a white walled cell filled his mind for a moment and then it was gone.
Harry turned back to Ron. "But if you mistreat him or get careless with his welfare then the Ministry will have to step in."
Draco was surprised that the Ministry would be interested in his welfare. He was after all an escaped prisoner. Harry saw the look of surprise and addressed him again.
"Leaving you without a means to communicate is not acceptable" Harry said sternly. "However if we have to go the official route I'm afraid Draco would have to be kept in a place where the New Lord or his followers could not get to him." Draco again turned surprised eyes against Harry. That surely meant Azkaban.
"The Ministry itself I should think. Probably in one of the rooms in the basement." The way Harry said it made Draco think of a dank dark place under a garage. "Believe me Draco you don't want to go down there."
"I'll do whatever you want me to do and I'll tell you whatever you want me to if you promise to keep my baby safe from the Dark Lord."
Harry stared into Draco's eyes and eventually nodded and Draco felt like he'd just made a deal.
Maybe they would be safe after all.
===
"Why did he choose you Malfoy?" Harry asked "There are plenty of women he could have impregnated"
Draco felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. It was a valid question. Such a shame he couldn't avoid answering it. He took a deep shuddering breath before he answered.
"He wants a pureblood heir." Draco said and knew he would have to reveal the final piece of the puzzle. "The New Lord is...well he has...a particular fondness for me" Draco looked up nervously; Harry didn't look too outraged although Ron was looking flushed "The New Lord is... well he's....he's my father." Draco said and embarrassment washed over him as both Harry and Ron looked at his belly and got a faintly disgusted look on their face.
Harry recovered first.
"That's completely mental Malfoy." he said
"Yes, it is. But you see my father is completely mental, as you say."
"Mother says it was the things the Dark Lord did to him before the end; they sent him around the bend. He was powerless you see, wandless and without position. The Dark Lord took pleasure in taking the last shreds of his dignity." Draco had to explain "he wanted me from the first time he saw me, the first Dark Lord I mean; they managed to hold him off for a while, until I was older. It was one of the reasons my father wasn't killed immediately when he failed so spectacularly at the Ministry." Draco swallowed heavily, his throat was getting dry and he looked up again at Harry who was watching him with an interested look. "After that disaster he forced my father to give me to him. He marked me and gave me the commission to kill...Dumbledore." Draco sighed deeply "It was a test; which I passed. When I returned, he took me into his bed permanently." Draco ignored the gasp Harry made at that confession.
"You were only sixteen." Harry said in dismay
"Yes, well, by that time my parents no longer had enough power to prevent it; he wanted to have an heir through me. He made this whole speech about how there was no woman who was worthy
to give birth to the Dark Lord's heir and how he had chosen my family for the honour to provide him with this heir blah blah blah. It was all bullshit but he had the spells all ready to go; it was supposed to happen after the battle at Hogwarts... but obviously he never came back from that.
"I think by then my father was so broken that all the Dark Lord's blathering about pureblood and family just went into his devious little mind and got all fucked up in there; it's not like he wasn't already a bastard." Draco said bitterly as he looked at his audience who in turn looked like he'd just pulled a fully formed Unicorn out of his pocket. He waited a little and then decided to continue.
"Anyway once they'd recovered...the Death Eaters I mean...from the disaster at Hogwarts well my Father started drawing the remnants back together...telling them the Dark Lord's choice of me as a conduit for his heir....yeah those were the words he used...that meant the Malfoy's were
going to inherit the Dark Lord's kingdom...I wasn't around for this bit so I'm a bit vague on the details but regardless they gathered and plotted and pretty soon they decided I was needed for my original role so they broke me out of Azkaban and took me Merlin knows where.
"When I first saw my father after Azkaban I didn't recognise him, he's changed so much, not just physically too." Draco paused as the memory of his father's greeting that day zipped through his mind leaving pain and confusion behind it.
Ron recovered first this time.
"So the baby is his... I mean yours and his?"
"Pure Malfoy." Draco said through gritted teeth. "But that's not her fault either"
"So it wasn't that he wanted a child; it was that he wanted one with you?" Harry asked seriously.
Draco nodded sadly.
There was a long silence broken only by the sound of Harry walking across to Ron's liquor cabinet and pouring himself a large whiskey.
Eventually he spoke again.
"This changes things. We can expect Lucius to spare nothing in trying to find you and your baby. Ron I think you may need to take him to the Burrow. It's the only place we can protect enough to ensure they're never able to penetrate it."
"I'm not taking him there."
"Ron, please be reasonable. You must see that Draco needs protection."
"Yes, I know Harry. But there are plenty of places he can be protected in. Here for example."
"Ron."
"Harry, you can't ask me this. It would be spitting on Fred's grave." Ron said angrily "A grave by the way which is at the Burrow!"
"Ron I'm sorry. I really am, but we all have to make sacrifices if we're to survive the coming battle and Draco wasn't even in the battle at Hogwarts. He didn't kill Fred."
Ron stared at Harry for a long, long time and the silence and tension in the room made Draco nervous again. Finally Ron turned to look out the window across the London sky-line and in a
quiet voice he said.
"Fine, but the very first insulting thing he says about any of it, he's gone."
"Thank you Ron." Harry said genuinely and then he turned towards Draco.
"Draco, I can't imagine what your life has been like the past few months. Just know that you'll be safe at the Burrow"
Draco nodded and looked towards Ron's back where he stood looking out of the window "Ron" he said tentatively "I know taking me in is difficult for you. There's nothing I can say that will eradicate what I did; I know I chose selfishly but I can't go back and change it now and nothing I say will bring Dumbledore back"
Harry regarded him coldly; he knew Dumbledore had known every part of Draco's plan and had used it to get Severus into Voldemort's inner circle. Without Draco's betrayal they never would have won at Hogwarts but still Draco hadn't known that when he'd arranged to murder Dumbledore. He knew Ron wasn't ready to forgive Draco's actions but seven years in prison and months of being Voldemort's plaything; well there was such a thing as the Universe getting its own back. Draco had suffered; it was obvious in his every movement especially the slight tremor in his hand that Harry thought Draco wasn't even aware of. It spoke of an ever-present fear and Harry thought he could understand that; he wouldn't want to be in Draco's spot at all.
"There's no guarantee that you can keep me safe from him or his followers. But I appreciate you trying."
"Ron will protect you. So will I" Harry said in what Draco thought of as his Ministerial voice. "Now I think it's time for little mothers-to-be to be in bed don't you?" There was a smile on Harry's face when he said it but still it made Draco's hackles rise. "Sorry Draco, I know you aren't a woman but this is such an unusual situation."
"Draco go up to bed, I'll lock your door later." Ron said as Draco tried to look like he wasn't pissed off with Harry.
The door shut behind Draco and Harry turned to Ron with his most implacable face on.
"Ron, the Ministry knew something was happening with the Dark magic's we kept detecting and there have been a few Muggle incidents too; we've kept them out of the Daily Prophet but that won't last. Soon people will need to be warned that there's a new danger. We didn't know about this desire for a Malfoy heir that he seems to have. The Ministry having Malfoy and this child could make a real difference in the final fight."
Ron nodded.
"Having said that I will not allow you to abuse him; regardless of what he did." Harry said sternly "Think of his needs. You just can't give him open ended orders. Can you even remember what you've ordered him to do since you spelled him?"
Ron shook his head woefully
"Well think about it. You have to be careful Ron." Harry said carefully. "I can't believe you took away his ability to communicate and then you forgot about it. Ron, that's unforgiveable."
Ron nodded sadly. He was beginning to understand the power he had over Malfoy.
"You have to remember what you've ordered him to do and you have to pay attention to him. If
he acts strangely try to remember if you ordered him to do something. Ron, if he gets hurt or if he deteriorates physically whilst you're looking after him the Ministry will remove him from you and you could get in serious trouble."
Ron nodded slowly
"I understand Harry. I promise you I'll take good care of him. You won't need to worry. We'll go to the Burrow tomorrow and you can check up on him whenever you want."
"I think that's a good idea Ron, in fact I think I'll set up a weekly chat with him to make sure he genuinely is okay. "
With that Harry smiled and Ron's old friend from school was back. The tension that had been building around them dissipated and he grabbed the bottle of 20 year old scotch from the sideboard.
"So, a new Dark Lord hey?" he said as he poured them both another drink "That must have been a bit of a blow mate."
"Yeah Ron it was. It really was."