Draco Malfoy had returned to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire from Hogwarts.
His mother seemed relieved that he was now willing to eat his food without someone else testing it first and that he would sleep alone in his room. When she noticed he had reduced his potions use by half she had given him a faltering smile and said "I'm glad you are doing so much better."
His father had scowled at him but said nothing.
Draco knew he was a disappointment to his father. First, he didn't do well as well as his father expected him to do at school. Then there was the incident with Potter last year that had almost cost him his wand. Part of him wanted to cry and tell his father he was sorry, but he knew that would just disappoint his father even more. Then this year the incident with Lockhart, leaving him winding up owing Potter a debt of honor. The fact he had only placed twelfth in his year was the icing on the cake. Draco knew that he had better study the family rituals this summer until he could recite them perfectly or there would be hell to pay.
Draco had hidden the books his godfather gave him in his trunk for if his father found them he would undoubtably hex Draco into wishing he'd never been born. But every night after the nightmares woke him, he would sneak them out and read them.
Severus had explained away his twice weekly visits to the Manor as advancing Draco in an area he excels at, and just wanting to spend time with his godson. During those visits they would talk. Most times they would start with mundane things, but sooner or later Severus would draw the conversation around to the attack as they brewed potions. Most often what they brewed was the test potion Draco tested his food and drink with, but sometimes he assisted his godfather with brewing potions intended for the Hogwarts infirmary. Draco both loved and hated those talks. They were never comfortable but three weeks into them he could tell a difference, as the summer passed so did the frequent nightmares. He was shocked one morning to awaken and discover he had not had a nightmare that night. Which forced him to conclude that the muggles, while undoubtably unobservant when it came to magic, were not the waste of space deserving nothing but death that his father so often proclaimed. If his father hadn't told him the truth where that was concerned, what other lies had he been told?
Draco knew his godfather was a safe sounding board for many of the questions being raised in Draco's soul, however he also knew that his godfather had been a Death Eater with his father. Draco was afraid to address those questions. He found himself wishing he were at school and sharing a dorm with Potter again if only so he could ask his many questions of someone whom he knew to be both neutral and honest.
....
Ron Weasley had been thrilled when his parents had won the Daily Prophet Prize. It meant that they were able to both pay the St. Mungo's bill and get him a new wand. His had gotten broken in a freak accident when he tripped and fell getting off the Hogwarts Express.
The best thing about that summer was Bill and Charlie both took a week off and came home to check on Ginny. It was late one night when it was too hot for him to sleep, that he overheard a conversation between his father and Bill as he walked out near his father's shed.
"A Horcrux? But Dad that's like the darkest magic. I only know about them because we found one in a dig a year and a half ago. Harsclaw, the goblin in charge, recognized it and went a little crazy wouldn't let anyone touch it. He had the goblin wizards basically do the equivalent of fiendfyre on it. We actually lost some decent treasure that it had been touching. It was six months before I finally convinced him to tell me what it was all about. You-Know-Who has made more than one?"
"The Unspeakables say that You-Know-Who probably made or tried to make seven of them." Said his father.
"And the diary was one?"
"Yes."
Ron heard his brother get up and start to pace.
"How did you find out Ginny had the diary?"
"The healers got an anonymous letter. I have it here if you want to see it. Someone who had talked to Ron and someone else who knew Ginny. Whoever it was pointed us in a direction and it allowed us to find the thrice blasted thing before it could complete what it was trying to do."
"So whoever it was probably saved Ginny's life and we Weasley's owe whoever it was a life debt."
"I'm not positive, but I think it quite likely."
Ron sat quietly down feeling a little stunned. The only person he had talked to besides his brothers after Ginny got hauled away was Harry Potter. A snake like him couldn't possibly have done something as heroic as save someone. Even if he did, a snake would never do such a thing anonymously; they would want to be known for what they did. After all, Slytherin was famous for ambitious people. Well there was only one way to find out for sure, he would have to read that letter.
It took him three days to find the letter. Once he read it he had to think who else would have known Ginny enough to comment then it struck him, Luna Lovegood. He disliked the somewhat fae girl, never quite comfortable with her tendency to talk about things that didn't exist since her mother died. But she and Ginny had been friends since they both wore diapers. He resolved to go and see her the next day.
"Luna."
"Ronald."
Ron stood in front of her unsure of what to say and how to say it.
"Have the Nargles got you?"
"What? No, I just wanted to ask… Well, I knew that you and Ginny we friends before so I wanted to ask…"
"Ginny's only friend at school was the diary."
Ron shivered. "Luna, this is important, did you tell anyone else that?"
"I told Harry that."
Ron felt both relieved and alarmed at her words.
Luna continued talking, ignoring Ron's reaction . "Harry is very nice to me. He stopped them from picking on me. He thinks I'm a little crazy, but most people do. He's not frightened by it though, which makes him different. It's almost like we're friends which is nice. I missed Ginny being my friend."
Ron felt like he should say something. "I think, Luna, that Ginny would be willing to be your friend again. She has been afraid that everyone will hate and blame her for what happened last year. I bet if you came over you and she could patch things up."
"I'll do that tomorrow then."
"Sounds like a plan. Um, thanks, Luna."
Ron went home and hemmed and hawed about what to tell his father. Finally after supper a week later he said, "Dad, can I talk with you?"
"Of course, Ron, what did you want to talk about?"
"Not here, in the shed."
Arthur Weasley was puzzled. The shed where he did his tinkering was magically expanded and heavily charmed for privacy. It was also where he handled matters of discipline so usually his younger children wished to avoid it. After they were in the shed, he turned to his youngest son and said, "What is this about?"
"Well, first, you should know, I overheard you and Bill talking about the diary. The shed door wasn't closed and I was walking because I couldn't sleep, and I heard you. Dad, I think I know who saved Ginny."
Arthur Weasley wasn't happy about his youngest having overheard that conversation but he also wasn't going to get mad about it. "And who would that be, Ronnie?"
"Harry Potter."
....
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