other people. What we do for love: those things endure.'
And his eyes darkened. 'Even if the people you did them for don?t.'
Sympathy tore out of Draco what anger or condemnation would not have. His throat tightened, and he burst out, 'I told Harry about his parents — that was wrong of me- '
Sirius silenced him with a gesture. 'I know you?d rather cut your own hand off than hurt him. You did the wrong thing but for the right reasons. Maybe you saved his life. I did the wrong thing; I should have told him myself, before.'
'So you forgive me?' said Draco, raising his chin up and looking squarely at Sirius. For reasons he couldn?t place, Sirius? forgiveness for hurting Harry meant nearly as much to him as Harrys had.
'I would forgive you if my forgiveness were required in this instance,' said Sirius. 'But it is not.'
Draco looked at him. The backs of his eyes felt hot, and his throat felt too tight. He remembered Sirius hugging him earlier, in Slytherins library, and how odd that had been; the only people in his life who had ever embraced him out of sympathy had been Sirius and Hermione, and neither time had he really known how to respond. In the silence, while he tried to figure out how to react, Draco heard Ron again, speaking clearly.
'Manticore blood? Thats the weirdest thing I?ve ever heard.'
'Its not that weird.' Hermiones voice. 'I remember that manticore blood and skin has have healing properties from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.'
'Yeah, well, not everyone memorizes their textbooks,' said Ron.
'Yes, some of us just scribble on them,' said Hermione, and the haughty disdain in her voice was so evident that Draco looked up and actually felt himself smile, and Sirius smiled back.
* * * * *
Ben, Ginny had decided, was a lovely, angelic sort of person and it really was too bad that he was so old, and also, not from her time.
Draco could learn a lot from him. Ben was endlessly solicitous about her welfare, making sure she had enough to eat, enough to drink, and wasn?t bored, while he hurried about the camp, packing and making various preparations. He even brought her extra clothing when he realized that the army they would be travelling back in time to intercept had vanished in the middle of winter. 'I?ve only got mens clothing,' he said apologetically, handing her a bundle of garments. 'I?m sorry.'
Ginny took the clothes gingerly, and snorted. 'Leather trousers?'
she demanded.
'They?re breeches,' said Ben. 'They might be a bit big on you, but…whats so funny?'
'Nothing,' Ginny spluttered, and shooed him out of the tent so she could change.
She had just stripped down to her undergarments when there was a soft *pop* and a very angry-looking someone Apparated into the tent.
Ginny screamed, leaped backward, and succeeded in wrapping one of the heavy canopies that draped the bed around herself as a covering. Then she screamed again, this time for help. 'Benjamin!
Ben!'
The intruder young man glared at her as if she, not he, was the intruder in Bens bedroom. He was a young man, around Bens age.
'Who the hell are you?' he said rudely, looking not at all pleased to encounter a half-dressed teenage girl where he had presumably expected to encounter Ben. Ginny was about to reply equally impolitely when the tent flap opened and Ben raced in. He came up short when he saw the intruder, the look of alarm on his face fading into one of surprised resignation.
'Gareth,' he said. 'What are you doing here?'
Ginny looked at the intruder with renewed interest. So this was Bens cousin, the Heir of Slytherin. Salazars son. She should?ve guessed. He was tall, Bens height, but as fair as Ben was dark, and looked several years younger. He had thick light hair that fell in his eyes, skin as fair as Dracos or Narcissas, eyes as green as Harrys.
His arrogant, handsome face was now twisted with fury. He certainly didn?t look nearly as much like Draco as Ben looked like Harry, but did look like someone who could have been a distant cousin or relative. Especially when he scowled as he was doing now.
'Ben,' he said furiously, waving a hand towards the Heir of Gryffindor. Ginny saw that in his hand, he clutched a piece of half-crumpled parchment. Around his wrist was a thick band of what looked like red glass. It glinted in the light. 'What the hell is this?'
Ben edged behind Ginny, looking martyred. 'Gareth, you didn?t have to Apparate all this way — '
'I bloody well did!'
'Ginny, this is my cousin Gareth,' Ben added, half as an afterthought, pushing Ginny towards Gareth, who scowled at her mightily. 'Gareth, this is Ginny.'
'Congratulations,' he snarled at her.
'I?m the Heir of Hufflepuff,' she told him, by way of introduction, still hugging the bed canopy around herself.
'Yes, I would have guessed that. You?re just as red and speckled as all the rest of them. Now skive off, will you? I need to talk to Ben.'
'Red?' Ginny sputtered indignantly. 'Speckled?'
Ben stepped between Gareth and Ginny, whether to protect Ginny from the angry Heir of Slytherin or the other way around, it was difficult to tell. 'Gareth, don?t be an ass,' he said.
Two bright red dots of rage appeared on Gareths cheekbones. 'Oh, I?m the one behaving like an ass? Whats this, then? What kind of letter is this?' He glared down at the parchment, unrolled it, and started reading out loud. 'And so I will be going into the future to fight a battle unlike any we?ve fought before. If I die there and do not return, I trust you will take my son and raise him as if he were your own, and as a brother to your own
