[162] A Debt of Blood

The guests dispersed, their faces strange. Azkaban. Someone had escaped. And not just anyone — pure-blood wizards exchanged glances that said more than words ever could.

Malfoy Manor returned to its usual tranquillity. House-elves tidied the banquet hall.

"I'll head back now," Hall said to Draco. "Get some rest. School starts tomorrow."

Draco's face was still pale. He grabbed Hall's arm. "Hall... Azkaban..."

"Draco, this has nothing to do with you."

"But that Lestrange..." Draco frowned. "She's your relative —"

"She's your mother's relative," Hall said calmly. "Not you. Your parents will handle it."

Draco searched Hall's eyes, looking for support. Hall nodded.

Voldemort. Death Eaters. Malfoy. These three had once been intertwined. Lucius never spoke of it to his son, but Draco knew. He'd grown up hearing the whispers. But Voldemort was dead before Draco was born. The Death Eaters were locked away. To Draco, it had always been stories — rumours and fragments of conversation.

Facing it directly... his face paled again.

"It'll be fine," Hall said firmly.

"Yes!" Draco nodded.

As Hall turned to leave, Draco called out. "Hall!"

Hall stopped.

"Could you teach me that spell... the one you used..." Draco gestured vaguely. "Expect... something?"

The Dementors had terrified him. He hadn't had the energy to process it before. Now that everything had settled, he couldn't stop shaking.

"That spell's a bit difficult," Hall said.

Draco's expectant gaze dimmed.

Hall made a gesture Draco recognised — rubbing his index finger and thumb together.

"You can learn it. It'll cost extra."

Anything was negotiable, as long as there was gold involved.

Draco's complicated feelings vanished the instant Hall mentioned the cost.

"I know, I know!" He rolled his eyes, all traces of fear gone. He couldn't help wondering — with enough Galleons, could Hall actually do anything?

Hall had no idea what Draco was thinking. If he did, he'd have set him straight. He wasn't some omnipotent wish-granting machine. But if someone had a specific need and paid upfront... well, with enough gold, it wasn't impossible to learn on the spot.

Hall returned to the Burrow without incident.

"So many people here?" He looked at the crowded room, surprised. With so many kids in the family, they rarely gathered outside mealtimes — and it wasn't mealtime.

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"Hall! Are you alright!" Molly rushed over with surprising speed for her size and grabbed his arm, inspecting him.

"Mum, our little brother's perfectly fine!" Fred and George chimed in unison, winking at Hall.

Hall caught their signal. "Everyone knows what happened tonight?"

"Of course we know!" Ron snorted. "Someone escaped from Azkaban! Malfoy must've helped — otherwise they couldn't have done it!"

Bill nodded beside him.

"The evil Malfoy! Only Malfoy could do something like this!"

Ginny hesitated. "But Malfoy has no reason to —"

"Ginny, don't be naive!" Ron pointed. "Malfoy's reason is perfectly valid! Who are those escapees? Death Eaters! Malfoy did this to welcome their master back —"

"Ron Weasley, shut up." Hall's voice was cold.

Ron, who'd been fearless a moment ago, shut his mouth instantly. Hall glanced at him. Ron shrank back, then put on a defiant, aggrieved expression.

"Hall! I knew you and that Draco Malfoy were close!" Ron shouted. Before Hall could respond, Ron stormed off. "Go ahead and be all lovey-dovey with Draco Malfoy!"

The living room fell silent. Everyone looked at Hall.

"Hall, you know, Ron, he..." Arthur hesitated. "And what Ron said wasn't entirely untrue..."

Hall's gaze fell on Arthur. Arthur, who'd thought Ron had shut up too quickly, fell silent the moment their eyes met.

Merlin's beard. Hall's gaze was intimidating. Arthur felt like he was looking at his boss.

Hall swept his gaze over the whole family. "I know that many of you — my family — have opinions about Slytherin."

"Hall, no —" Molly started.

Hall raised a hand. "Mum, can I speak first?"

Molly nodded.

"I'm in Slytherin. I have Slytherin friends. They might have qualities you don't like. But they're my friends. I trust their character. They're not what you think — and neither is Draco."

Arthur and Molly exchanged worried glances.

"Dad, Mum, the Malfoys aren't a friendly family," Hall said with a chuckle, acknowledging their concern. "But they treat their friends differently."

Their attitude towards business partners was different too. Even Lucius Malfoy wouldn't act arrogantly around Hall.

"For reasons everyone knows — the Death Eaters escaped. Voldemort's itching to return. Things like this will only increase." Hall looked them in the eyes. "I just hope you can at least trust my friends."

Fred shrugged first. "Alright."

George nudged him. "You're our smart little brother. Since you're so sure, of course we'll believe you!"

"If it were Ron, we'd have thought about it more!" Fred laughed.

The others laughed too. Arthur nodded. "Hall's always been smart, except..."

Hall smiled. He knew what Arthur wasn't saying — his time as a Squib. Arthur was afraid of bringing up bad memories.

"Thank you, Mum and Dad. And thank you for understanding."

Born a Weasley. Hall felt honoured.

The next day was the return to school.

Ginny looked at Ron and Hall, separated by a wide gap, and walked over to Hall. "Haven't you made up with Ron yet?"

She knew that if Hall wanted to make someone happy, he could. The fact that she was asking Hall instead of Ron said enough.

Hall patted her hair. Ginny pulled away. "Hairstyle! Brother!"

"I know, I know, our little princess cares about her appearance. Want a Radiant Potion?"

Ginny paused. "Free?"

"Discount."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Predictable. "Let's talk about you and Ron."

Hall smiled. "Ginny, Ron and I are twins. We're the closest people in the world besides family."

Ginny felt a pang of envy. Twins sounded wonderful. No one could refuse that kind of bond.

"I know what Ron's thinking, what he's struggling with. And he can roughly guess what I'm thinking. Some things he needs to figure out for himself."

Ginny tilted her head. She didn't quite understand. She glanced at Ron — who looked far away but was sneaking glances at Hall. She chuckled. "Never mind. Just a twin thing. I won't interfere."

The moment they stepped off the Hogwarts Express, everyone froze.

Outside Hogwarts were swarms of Dementors.

"Insane!"

"The Ministry's gone mad!"

"I want to go home!"

Draco found Hall and moved closer. Wherever Draco went, his two henchmen, admirers, and onlookers followed. To Hall's left were Harry, Ron, and Hermione. To his right, the Slytherins.

Sandwiched in the middle, Hall remained expressionless. "Why are you getting so close? I'm not your Patronus."

"No, no, no!" Draco interjected. "But you have one! That winged tiger — it's so cute!"

Draco swore he wasn't afraid. He just loved Hall's little tiger. That thing was adorable.