50

It did not take long for Fudge to come to a decision over the issue. He did not inform Harry, Sirius or the rest of the Order about the problem until they received an owl explaining that a Ministry car would be picking them up the next day. Malfoy was woken early in the morning by one of the Aurors stationed at the island prison and told to dress and be ready in half an hour. His ordinary clothes, which had been removed when he had first arrived, we returned to him wrapped in a brown paper parcel. This was followed by a cracked old mirror, soap, some tepid water and a razor.

He complied, not knowing why, but made sure to be perfectly turned out by the time the Auror returned for him. From then on, he was taken by boat to the mainland and then transported by various Portkeys' in a route deemed untraceable. He had grown tired of the relentless jumping around by the time they had reached the secluded location where the Ministry cars were waiting. It seemed odd to be seated in such familiar luxury after having spent over a month in the squalor of Azkaban. He did not ask where he was being taken, nor did he offer any comment to the Aurors sitting opposite him.

Similarly, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius were also seated in a Ministry car. They had been trying their best for the last fortnight to get Fudge to withdraw his decision to imprison her but to no avail. When the owl arrived, Harry was on the brink of refusing to go wherever the Minister wanted him to, at least until he saw the brief mention of his sister's name. At the mere idea that there was a problem, he agreed to travel to Malfoy Manor the following day. He had spent most of the night worrying about his sister and pacing before the drawing room fire. Sirius was similarly agitated and annoyed that he had been prevented from apparating directly to the Manor where she was being held.

The journey was agonising, and all of them kept on looking for signs that would tell them that they were anywhere near the Malfoy estate. Their single car soon turned into a fleet when, at random junctions on the Muggle motorway, two other cars joined them. The first one appeared to contain the portly figure of Cornelius Fudge. The second, which remained between the two other cars, held the unmistakeable figure of Lucius Malfoy. Harry began to fume as soon as he caught sight of the familiar blond head, but ceased when Hermione shot him a reproachful look. They did not speak again until they pulled into the driveway of Malfoy Manor.

Fudge got out first and greeted them before turning to the two Aurors guarding Malfoy.

"I think we can manage from here." Fudge informed them. They nodded and retreated back to the car in which they had travelled.

"Are you going to explain why we are here Fudge?" Sirius bellowed as soon as he got near Fudge. "What has happened to my God-daughter?"

"He has made a very large mistake." Malfoy offered with an arrogant gaze.

"And what are you doing here?" Sirius yelled even more angrily at Malfoy.

"What happens on my property is my business."

"It isn't your property anymore," Harry reminded him, "you gave it to her."

"Miss Potter is the Guardian of the Estate; technically it is still my property." Malfoy raised his eyebrows, as if daring Harry to challenge him.

"I don't particularly care who owns this place," Sirius groaned, "just tell me what has happened to Kathryn."

"Erm, well," Fudge looked nervous and kept fiddling with the rim of his bowler hat, "it appears that she has reacted rather adversely to the Dementors." Fudge shuffled his feet and waited for their reaction.

"What do you mean 'reacted adversely'?" Harry asked, his voice shaking with rage.

"Well, I'm not really sure." Fudge stammered. "Perhaps we'd best go inside."

"You'd better call the bloody Dementors off first." Ron muttered scathingly, conjuring his Patronus again. Ron and Hermione's Patronuses had been circling them as they stood on the drive, protecting them from the effects of the Dementors that circled the Manor.

"Ah, yes." Fudge waved his wand and, silently, the Dementors drifted back to the perimeter of the grounds. "After you, Lucius." He stepped to the side and allowed the elder Malfoy to lead the way.

Despite having spent a month in Azkaban, Harry was amazed that he did not seem at all worse for wear. He was, as always, impeccably dressed in his black suit and cloak, clean shaven and his hair flawless. He strode towards the great front doors as if he had never been away. Stopping before them, he gazed up at the Malfoy crest that was carved above them; contemplating what he could find within.

"Don't just stand there." Sirius growled.

"They're locked," Malfoy replied caustically, "I haven't got my wand to unlock them."

"Oh here." Hermione sighed, waving her wand. There were several clicks as the various locks released and then silence. With an almighty push, he flung both doors wide open and strode into the entrance hall. His shoes rapped sharply against the polished wooden floors as he walked. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius had to admit that, in his 'natural habitat' as it were, they had never realised how imposing the man actually was. With two short claps of his hands, a house elf had appeared at his side and bowed low, its knees trembling.

"Where is she?" he demanded harshly, tossing his cloak at the trembling elf.

"The young Mistress is in Master's bedchamber." The house elf squeaked in a terrified voice. "She has not woken or eaten for several days now sir." He gave another petrified bow.

"Out of my sight." Malfoy spat, kicking the small elf bodily across the entrance hall. This treatment earned him a scandalised gasp from Hermione but he silenced her with a look; his cold eyes daring her to say anything. Despite the fact that she still had her wand and he did not, Hermione did not dare say anything.

He strode on into one of the downstairs drawing rooms, heading for a desk set against a wall.

"I need a wand." He told them abruptly, standing with his arms folded.

"Yeah, like we're going to give you that!" Ron scoffed.

"I have something that may help." He tried to explain.

"Well it just so happens that we don't trust you with a wand right now." Hermione told him disparagingly. At that moment, a piercing, blood-curdling shriek echoed through the house. Harry could feel the Dementors converging again and Sirius immediately conjured his Patronus.

"I told you to call them off!" Malfoy bellowed at Fudge, anger blazing in his cold eyes. With a terrified mumble, Fudge waved his wand and they felt the Dementors retreat again. This was, however, not before another scream cracked through the air. "I know what memory she is re-living, now give me a wand." His voice was calm and level despite how angry he was. He knew all too well what memories she had just been forced to re-live. He was ashamed to admit that it had been he who had elicited those screams of pain. He had delighted in being able to cause her so much agony. Now, however, the thought of harming her made his stomach churn.

Reluctantly, Harry handed Malfoy his wand. Fudge stared at him in horror whilst Hermione, Sirius and Ron merely watched with cool, cautious gazes. He swiftly tapped a patch on the wall and, with a murmured incantation, a tiny area of the wall slid away to reveal a small secret chamber. Reaching within, he pulled out a carved wooden box. Lifting the lid, he ran his fingers over a neatly arranged set of crystal phials before selecting the smallest. He tucked this safely in his pocket and then stowed the box back in its hiding place.

"Thank you." He returned Harry's wand with a nod of thanks; the gesture nearly bowling Harry over in shock. Lucius Malfoy had just thanked him! The next thing they knew he would be complimenting Hermione or asking after Ron's parents. It was a fleeting moment, however, and his cold sneer fast returned. Clapping his hands in the same fashion as before, another house elf appeared and bowed low.

"Yes Master?" it squeaked, not looking directly into Malfoy's eyes.

"I want tea, chocolate and brandy to be ready as soon as I reach my chambers." He ordered the elf as he headed for the door. The elf followed, nearly tripping on the dirty pillowcase he wore.

"Certainly Master."

"How long has she been in this state?" he demanded of the elf.

"Six days sir." Malfoy's face creased in anger and, although he did not shout, the elf found himself hurtling at an astonishing speed towards the wall. This earned him another shocked gasp from Hermione but one infuriated glare silenced her.

"Six days," he muttered to himself, taking the stairs two at a time in his haste, "six bloody days. Sure she's alive but what will the damage be?" he paused for a moment before the doors that led to the Master suite. If one dementor was enough to make a guilty man lose the will to live, then what would six do to an innocent twenty year old girl? His nerves were on fire with the prospect of seeing her again but there was also the thrill of dread at the thought that they might be too late. He pushed the door open slowly, his eyes instantly falling upon the figure lying in the centre of the bed.

He wasn't sure if the words deathly pale were appropriate. She was ashen; her lips and cheeks colourless, her breathing hollow. He only paused for a moment. The sheets around her were dishevelled, and if she had the energy to thrash around like that then there still may be some hope. He dashed forward, pulling the potion from his pocket and tossing his jacket aside. Kicking his shoes across the room, he practically jumped onto the mattress next to her; cradling her to his chest. He could hear her breathing but she would not wake up. Despite being beneath the bedcovers, she was freezing cold and he ran his palms down her arms in a vain effort to warm her. Her brother, Godfather and friends were just standing at the door; mystified at the sight of him caring for another human being.

With a 'crack' a house elf appeared with a tray laden with a pot of hot tea, Honeyduke's best chocolate and his finest brandy. Lying her back down on the pillow, he reached for the chocolate and touched a small piece to her lips. It did nothing, not that he had expected it to; she was far beyond the simple help of chocolate. By the door, Hermione had her face in her hands whilst Harry stared in horror, rooted to the spot. Pulling the small phial from his pocket, he undid the stopper and, with a steady hand, parted her lips and allowed two drops to fall in. He gave her throat a few gentle strokes to ensure that she swallowed and then sat back on his haunches to wait.

It was a potion most inmates in Azkaban would kill for. Brewed by Hogwarts own greasy Potions Professor, it countered the effects of the Dementors with considerable efficiency; a reason why Malfoy Manor was one of the first stops for any escaped Death Eaters. He waited with bated breath for the concoction to take effect; hoping that intervention had not come too late. He could barely contain his relief when her eyelids fluttered and her breathing became more regular.

The room around her slowly swam into view. She felt like she was emerging from a long and frightful dream. A blonde figure was moving before here eyes and terrifying images from her dream assailed her mind. Her eyes snapped open and she tried in vain to get away from her tormentor, scrabbling back across the pillows.

The moment her eyes jerked suddenly open and he saw the terror within them; he understood what was reeling through her mind. She was not thinking straight and she was still working on the memories the Dementors had forced her to re-live. Her eyes were wide and frightened as she fumbled away from him; the same look that had filled them two years ago. The group at the door could see that she was frightened but, before they could move, he had plunged forwards and captured her lips with his.

She fought him at first; her hands beating against his chest until she began to remember. Every touch and sensation was familiar and comforting. She slowly responded; reacquainting herself with him, hardly daring to believe that he was really there. It was over all too soon though; Harry and Sirius rushing over and wrenching him off her, almost throwing him across the room. She lay there taking deep, ragged breaths; memories of what had transpired flooding back to her.

With Malfoy sitting sullenly in an armchair, Hermione and Ron rushed to join Harry and Sirius at her side. She let them fuss over her; propping her up on pillows and pouring her tea, not letting on that they had deprived her of the one thing she really needed. She felt immeasurably tired, even though they explained to her that she had been unconscious for over six days.

"You didn't think that we'd abandoned you, did you?" Harry asked his sister earnestly. "We didn't, it was just taking some time to even get the Minister to listen." Fudge shifted uncomfortably at these words.

"To be honest, Harry, I don't really remember much from the past two weeks." She shook her head, resting her cup of tea on her knees. Her stomach gave a small growl, suddenly noticing the absence of food.

"You must be starving!" Hermione exclaimed at the sound. "I completely forgot."

"I'll go get you something from the kitchens." Ron volunteered, looking forward to the chance to snoop around Malfoy's home. "Coming Harry?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded and stood up to follow his friend. "We'll be back soon, ok." He reassured his sister before disappearing out the door.

"I think I'd better go check the library, you know, look up anything useful. There's got to be some books of use in that library. Do you mind?" she asked Kathryn.

"Hermione, you've been dying to get at those books for ages," Kathryn gave a feeble laugh, "go ahead, I don't mind." She practically ran out the door, followed by Sirius who stopped and growled in Fudge's ear.

"Don't you dare leave her alone with him." Fudge gave a small nod and then the room was silent. Kathryn sat propped up in bed sipping her tea whilst Malfoy remained silently in his chair. Although he did not speak, she knew what he was thinking and she desperately tried to convey that she reciprocated. Her lips seemed to burn from his kiss before, and she felt a familiar sensation rise up within her. He looked endearingly handsome to her; sitting there in his shirt and trousers, his hair falling across his face slightly. She saw the evidence of his haste to get to her in the way his shoes and jacket were thrown aside on the floor and she felt her heart swell with happiness.

Looking across the room at her, it was plain for him to see that she wanted rid of Fudge as soon as possible. Despite being awake and alive, she seemed terribly lacklustre. Her eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle and she had not smiled once. Sure, she had given her brother and friends a few weak smiles, but not one of them had actually reached her eyes. It was all he took not to grab his wand, which he noticed was leaning against the far bedside cabinet, and hex Fudge into oblivion. He would never forgive them if she never returned to her normal self; if the fire burning within her was permanently extinguished.

"Would you excuse us a moment Fudge." It was not a question, but an order.

"I most certainly will not." Fudge said huffily, crossing his arms.

"Miss Potter is the legal guardian of my estate and I am therefore entitled to a private discussion with her." Fudge couldn't argue with that. He began to stammer at him, but he could find no reasonable argument to say no. He backed out of the door with an anxious look at Kathryn, who was doing her best to look no happier, in fact, she managed to twist her face into a grimace. It was only when Malfoy closed the doors behind him with a click that her mouth cracked into a smile. She set her cup down on the bedside table as he sat on the mattress beside her. Reaching out, he gently brushed a stray hair from her cheek. She was still cold and her normal colouring had not yet returned to her cheeks. Without speaking, he ran his hand down her bare arm and took one of her hands in his own.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked of her, not taking his gaze off her.

"I don't know." She whispered softly, her eyes filled with sadness and pain. "I just feel empty." When she spoke these words, he saw the burning desire that she felt. She hoped that he was picking up on the hints she was giving; all she wanted now, and for the last month, was him.

It had not taken Harry and Ron long to procure some food from the kitchens, what had taken up their time was persuading the house elves that she did not need her favourite French pastries, or coffee, or orange juice. The eager creatures had tried to give them bacon, sausages, eggs, beans and anything else they could think of before accepting that the two boys only wanted a few slices of toast. Hermione and Sirius returned from the library with a few books that contained some handy charms that would, hopefully, counteract the effect of the Dementors. What both parties did not expect to find upon their return, however, was Fudge standing outside the firmly shut doors.

"I told you not to leave him alone with her." Sirius snarled, advancing on Fudge.

"He has a legal right to talk to her." Fudge protested. "She controls the Estate for the time being. That means that she controls what goes out and I am not about to lose the Malfoy support."

"You are an idiot." Harry sneered, shoving the toast into Ron's hands and heading straight for the door. He ignored Hermione's pleas to stop and thundered through; the sight that met his eyes making his stomach turn.

Lucius Malfoy was, in no uncertain terms, on top of his sister and all Harry could do was thank whoever it was that invented bed sheets. Malfoy's elbows were resting on the mattress, propping him up above her as he placed light kisses all over her face. Harry did his best not to vomit as she gave a small moan and then giggled as his fine blond hair tickled her neck. Kathryn's eyes were nearly fully closed, her eyelids fluttering slightly. In Harry's mind she looked barely conscious and, despite the urge to go and pull her off him, he found that he could not move.

Unfortunately, his theory of her being so unaware of what was happening was flattened when he saw her kiss him back and hold him tightly to her chest. He felt as if he was about to faint. Malfoy noticed his intrusion first; giving him a cool stare and showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"No peeking, Potter." He said with an arrogant smirk, grabbing Kathryn's wand from the bedside table and slamming the door in his face and locking it with a click.

Fuming, Harry banged on the door with his fist until it became apparent that it would not be opening any time soon. With a dark look at Fudge, he turned on his heel and stormed down the stairs. Hermione and Ron followed with anxious looks on their faces whilst Sirius looked as if he was prepared to rip Fudge limb from limb. He stalked after Harry and the others, leaving Fudge to follow in his wake. They sat silently in one of the downstairs drawing rooms, trying not to think about what was going on upstairs and hoping that it would be over soon.

He reappeared after just over an hour looking supremely self-satisfied, with a smirk just playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Where is she?" Sirius barked as the man settled himself comfortably in a chair.

"Sleeping." He replied simply, brushing a few creases out of his jacket.

"You're sick." Ron muttered from his seat next to Hermione. Malfoy merely shrugged in a disinterested manner. Fudge, desperate to try and wrest control over the situation, set about discussing the topic of Kathryn's continued incarceration.

"I am not going to let you lock her up again." Sirius told him in a dangerous tone.

"I am not going to lock her up." Fudge retorted.

"Last time I checked, that's what house arrest was." Hermione replied dryly.

"I want her to remain within the confines of this house."

"Over my dead body." Harry snapped. "I am not having you making her look like she has done something wrong."

"And you think she is blameless, do you?"

"You have not let her tell the truth about what happened!"

"Plus, you believe Malfoy's account," Ron added in a condescending tone, "hasn't he been deceiving you for the past twenty years or something?" Ron gave Fudge a sarcastic smile.

"She has still done wrong and deserves to be punished!"

"Don't you think that she has been punished enough already." Malfoy finally spoke from his chair.

"Forgive me, but your opinion has little sway anymore." Fudge sneered.

"Do not think me ignorant of what has been going on." The disdain in his voice was palatable. "There are always those who, with a little persuasion, will procure newspapers for the inmates. Everyone knows that the Ministry controls the Prophet to an extent so I can't help but think that you were involved in causing the rumour and gossip to turn into actual accusations of 'treason', as you so like to put it."

"What else can it be called?" Fudge asked indignantly.

"What it was."

"And are you going to let us in on what it actually was?" Fudge said with contempt.

"I have no right to. I could give you every single detail, of course, but I do not think it right when Miss Potter obviously wishes that you do not find out yet." Harry, Ron and Hermione could not believe what he was saying. "It is her decision when to tell you."

Kathryn, who had been standing outside the door throughout this exchange, felt a huge surge of gratefulness to him. She did plan to tell Fudge the truth eventually, but she would rather that it was before many people so he could not twist the facts. If necessary, she would stand before the Wizengamot and tell them, under oath, every detail they wished to know if it would allow her to live in peace.

Her entrance to the room caused a stir; Harry and Sirius both springing from their seats with concerned looks on their faces. She was wearing her favourite green dressing gown of his and carrying his cane, her fingers absent-mindedly fiddling with the serpent's head. Fudge looked as if he was about to speak, but a single, imperious look from her silenced him in the way only the very powerful could. What frightened Fudge more than anything, however, was how much she resembled a Malfoy. Despite only wearing a pair of baggy pyjama bottoms and a strappy top, she seemed to exude the power and influence that had forever been associated with the Malfoy family.

With a small smirk, she ignored the empty chairs and instead headed straight towards the elder Malfoy. After all, why bother hiding anything after what Harry had seen? Carefully, she settled herself, to the room's collective astonishment, in his lap. In response to their unspoken horror, she merely raised her eyebrows and leaned further into his chest; her lips grazing the soft skin of his neck.

"Ah, yes, well," Fudge was distinctly unnerved, "we were just discussing what to, er, do with you now."

"I heard." Kathryn replied in a distracted tone as Lucius' fingers were, at that moment, stroking the soft skin at the back of her neck.

"Ah. Then you must understand our predicament." She found Fudge's attempt to put his problem into polite terms laughable.

"I will stay here if you want me to," she offered, her hand drifting beneath his jacket and running across his chest. It was then that she realised that there was something drastically wrong. "Will I be allowed to go out if I need to?" she asked distractedly.

"As long as you keep your affairs quiet, yes, you may." Fudge conceded. "We do not want any scenes like last time."

"I don't think that my sister intended to find herself at the mercy of a bloodthirsty mob." Harry retorted. "Nor did she make any attempt to provoke them."

Kathryn couldn't really hear what was being said. She shouldn't be able to feel his ribs so starkly through his shirt. Her eyes fell to his chest before snapping back to look in his grey eyes. He shouldn't be this thin; not after only a month in Azkaban. She wondered at how she had not noticed before but, then again, she had been fairly out of it. An unspoken understanding passed between them as her hands further explored his torso; the skeletal structure far too pronounced for her liking.

"You will stay here?" Fudge hardly dared to believe that she had agreed.

"Yes, I will stay here," she said distractedly, not looking Fudge in the eye, "but first I believe we must discuss the terms."

"What?"

"Terms, Fudge, terms." She spoke to him with the same tone that Lucius always reserved for those beneath him.

"I'm afraid that you are in no position to discuss any terms with me." He rearranged his cloak haughtily.

"Oh but I am." She pointedly ran her hand over Malfoy's ribs so that they could all see. "I know many lose their minds and refuse food, but this;" she ran her hands over his ribs again, "this is much more than that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is it Ministry policy to withhold food in exchange for, oh lets say, information?" She spoke as if it were merely a passing thought, but she could see by the look on Fudge's face that she was straying into territory that he did not want explored. "Oh, touched a nerve have I?" she said in an innocent voice, a satisfied smirk playing across her features.

"Are you saying what I think you are?" Harry asked his sister. "Because if you are, then you have sunk to a new low." He addressed Fudge with an expression of disgust. Even though he hated the man who had his sister in his lap, it was not acceptable to starve a man just to get him to talk.

"You do know that breaks the International Confederation of Wizards' statute for the ethical treatment of prisoners." Hermione told Fudge in a knowledgeable, and disgusted, voice. "Not that I would call Dementors ethical, of course."

"I, I…" Fudge stammered helplessly.

"I'll tell you what," Kathryn spoke up again, "I'll trade you Lucius' safety for my silence. If I can be sure that he is not being mistreated, I will keep my silence and not go public with what has gone on here until the issue comes to trial." Malfoy smiled at her cunning; proud of the way she was twisting the situation to secure both his, and her own, safety. "You do have no choice in this matter, by the way." She added with a wicked smile. Despite still being pale and weak, her voice held a tone of unquestionable strength and determination.

"I, well, I," Fudge was still apparently lost for words.

"Glad to hear that you agree." She murmured, snuggling closer to Lucius' chest. Not really paying mind to who was in the room, she began to toy with one of his jacket buttons; nuzzling gently at his neck.

"Yes, well, as that's settled," Fudge stood, straightening out his cloak and looking nervously at the pair of them, "I think it's time we left."

"Shame," she whispered, "I was going to have some fun." With surprising agility, she slid off his lap and strode out the door in a way that only enticed him to follow; gazing back at him and sashaying her hips as she walked. The rest of the group set after them and, at the sight of how closely they were following; she broke into a sprint, the dressing gown flying out behind her. Malfoy was hot on her heels and, as they skidded to a stop before the bedroom doors, all Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius saw was her smirk as she shut and locked the doors.

"This is not good." Harry said glumly, kicking a small table angrily, as they stood before the locked doors. "And I'm not standing round to listen." He stalked off back downstairs, disgusted that his sister could do such a thing.

"They're waiting." He said in a feeble attempt to dissuade her.

"I don't care. Let them wait." She smirked and pushed her hips to him, her lips greedily searching out his. "They're not taking you away that easily." She threw the dressing gown aside and worked her hands beneath his shirt.

"This does not make you look good." He warned as his hands yanked her top over her head, his fingers then falling to the waistband of her pyjamas.

"I don't care." She murmured between kisses as he pulled her down to the bed. "Who knows when you'll next be here?" she gasped desperately. "And, I say it for the third time, I don't care!" she gave a shuddering cry as she saw bright lights behind her eyelids and she felt him slowly lower himself onto her body. She wrapped her legs about his waist and pulled him even closer, her back arching with every touch.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Fudge were waiting in the entrance hall when they finally came down. Kathryn had a healthy pink glow in her cheeks and Malfoy looked, as ever, completely smug. Her arm was through his and she still carried his cane; balancing it perfectly in her fingers, as if she had always carried it. She had changed, but in Harry's eyes, it looked no better than the pyjamas and dressing gown. Elegant folds of luxurious, midnight blue velvet hung from her gentle curves in the form of a surprisingly plain dress.

"What are you wearing?" Harry asked with an exasperated sneer.

"Clothes." She replied simply, cocking an eyebrow at her brother. "If you'll remember I didn't have any and I am not going to keep on wearing dirty pyjamas for ever." She smoothed down the front of her dress whilst Malfoy pulled on his cloak. Harry merely scowled as he kissed her cheek.

"Be good." She whispered in his ear, a smirk playing across her face as her lips found his.

"Of course." He whispered back, holding her tight before walking out to the waiting car.

"Oh don't tell me you're sad to see him go!" Harry asked her incredulously, noticing a pinprick of water in the corner of her eye. "You can't tell me that you actually like that man. He has just twisted your mind to make you what he wants," he strode over to her, grasping her by the shoulders and looking straight into her eyes, "this is not you." He implored her, pulling at the fabric of her dress. "This house is not you. You belong with us."

"I don't know where I belong anymore." She said solemnly, puling away from his grasp and walking back upstairs. "I have spent so much time here, not all of it pleasant, but I cannot just deny it happened." The bed had been made in the few minutes they had been gone, the doors to the balcony stood open and her pyjamas had disappeared.

"But you can move on. You can distance yourself from him before this gets worse." Harry implored her as she leant against the balustrade and looked out over the grounds.

"I think it's a little late for that." She replied sarcastically. "Besides, I've already agreed to be guardian of the estate so it's not like I can't be associated with him."

"Exactly how many times did you come here?" Hermione asked, not wanting to believe her best friend capable of loving that vile man.

"I've lost count. I did not come willingly at first." She explained carefully. "He would just find me whenever I was in Hogsmeade and I didn't really have a choice."

"But just because he did this to you doesn't mean that you are bound to live your life like this."

"What other life can I lead?" she yelled at her brother, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Who will accept me now?" she stormed off the balcony and back onto the landing.

"Once people know the truth." Harry called out, following her.

"Once people understand it wasn't your fault." Sirius added, not liking the idea of his god-daughter being associated with such a family.

"It was my fault!" she cried in an anguished voice. "I should never have tried to help!"

"No, your wanting to help was fine." Sirius corrected her. "You just should have told us."

"It doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" she was now walking along the long portrait gallery. "It's all anyone will see!"

"Don't say that." Hermione didn't like to see her friend like this.

"But they will!" she cried. "I'm damaged goods! No one wants a Death Eater's cast off!"

"You aren't damaged!" Harry cried back.

"I am! No one can go through what I did and not be damaged, Harry!"

"But once people understand." He implored her. "They will understand that you're not responsible."

"But it's not over Harry!" she had stopped before his portrait. "I am not a cast-off. I cannot distance myself because I do not want to." She looked up at his image. "I can't." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

"That's just stupid." Harry scoffed. "Of course you can, it's not like he means anything."

"Fine." She turned on her heel and stalked off towards the stairs. She was not going to have Harry pursuing this subject any further, for even she did not know the full extent of his intentions and had no desire for her brother and friends to begin considering them.