Confessions of an Ex-Death-Eater

Saturday 3rd November 2007

Harry nearly fell over when he got off his broom. An hour's run followed by a bout of competitive flying against Draco meant he could barely stand after his fairly sedentary lifestyle for the past seven years. For Draco, it seemed worse, he'd called time-out after barely half an hour.

'What happened to you, Potter? You were such a Quidditch-jock at school,' Draco sneered light-heartedly although he looked shattered himself.

'Potter? Have we resorted to last names again, Malfoy?'

'Why do you call each other by your surnames, Dar?' The boys had wandered over to watch. And then Narcissa had come out to tell them lunch was ready but Harry and Draco had carried on anyway, cheered on by their little band of spectators and the old competitiveness rearing its head.

Harry leant on the now white-blond haired Teddy's shoulders, hobbling slightly, as they meandered slowly back towards the manor.

'Aw, Dar, you're too heavy!'

'I'm tired, it was a stupid idea to go running this morning. I'm just not as fit as I was.'

'It doesn't show, Potter' Draco said.

Harry felt his stomach flip a little. 'It's a good prompt to get training again,' he admitted quietly.

'Aw, Dar, get off!' Teddy shrugged Harry off.

'Papa, why do you call Harry by his surname?' Scorpius was leading the way but walking backwards, watching his father closely.

'It's a school thing, Scorp, Harry and I used to be deadly enemies.'

'Deadly?'

'Yep, mortal! One look and war would break out across the Great Hall,' Draco joked light-heartedly. 'At least one of us would drop down dead every month.'

Harry thought it was rather too close to the truth for comfort.

'Really, Dar?' Teddy was looking at Harry with slightly wide eyes.

'Sure, Ted. Can't you tell?'

Teddy shrugged, a little uncertainly, and took to walking backwards like Scorpius.

'And what about you, Teddy, why do you call Harry 'Dar'?' Narcissa asked.

'When I was very little, I'd get confused about Harry being my dad, well, he is my dad but not my real dad. Sometimes I'd mix up saying "Harry" and "Dad" and it came out as "Dar" and now I always call him that.'

Scorpius was looking quizzically at his new friend. 'I don't understand.'

'Harry's my Godfather, but he adopted me before Gran died. My real mum and dad were Nymphadora and Remus Lupin, only mum was always called Tonks because she hated her name. Anyway, they were killed in the war and Dar says they were heroes. So, Gran didn't really want me calling Dar "dad", she said she didn't want me forgetting. But Dar doesn't want me forgetting either, that's why my surname is Lupin-Potter and not just Potter, and we always talk about my real mum and dad, and we always look at photos of them. Gran thought "Dar" was a good name so it kinda stuck.'

Scorpius was looking at Teddy with an awestruck expression.

Harry was watching Narcissa carefully. He had written to her with news of Andromeda's illness and then passing but the Malfoys were still under house arrest so there was no way Narcissa could say her last goodbye to her older sister.

It had been a terrible time for all of them.

When Andy became ill, she seemed to decline very suddenly. A tall thin woman anyway, she dropped to being inexplicably gaunt and weak.