a disagreement, while Arthur Weasley, meanwhile seemed thin and tired.
There was also a young woman, an Auror probably, Draco guessed, seeing as she lacked the pale, slightly jaundiced look of the Ministry's overworked paper pushers. She stood from the others not just because she was female, but also because she was sporting waist length hair that was the colour of ripe blueberries. Draco recalled Snape mentioning a name earlier, and he regretted not paying attention.
"Take a seat Draco, Severus," Dumbledore said, in a mild voice. The Headmaster dug into a desk drawer and produced a large uncapped jar. "Toffee?" he asked the assembled group.
Everyone declined politely, with the exception of the woman. She accepted a particularly fat specimen with a gracious smile and then proceeded to chew on it in silence.
"I realise you probably have a few questions of your own, Draco, but its best we get the preliminaries over with, agreed?" Dumbledore said. He had put on his spectacles.
Moody pulled out a quill and a battered, dog-eared notebook and began the questions. "Granger tells us that the two of you were likely the closest ones to the location of the Mark when it was shot off. This occurred roughly at the end your Defence lesson with Professor Lupin after lunch this afternoon, is this correct?"
Draco tried hard not to gawk at Moody's magical eye as it proceeded to slowly body-scan Draco, starting from his shoes. "Yes."
"Granger and Weasley have indicated, as shown on this map, your approximate location when you witnessed the Mark." Moody placed the map on Dumbledore's desk. "Is this accurate?"
Draco leaned forward in his seat to have a look, blinking slightly at the strong scent of mildew and mothballs that was coming of Moody's long coat. Granger hadn' t only marked the location, the chronic over-achiever had traced a line from where they had commenced their foray into the forest, to where they had first seen the Mark.
"That's accurate," he confirmed.
Moody stepped back, seemingly satisfied. Coon took over. "Did you see or hear anything odd while you were in the forest?"
"Other than the fact that students were undertaking grounds-keeping duties, no," Draco replied, in a flippant tone he hadn't used when speaking to Moody.
"It'd be better if you dropped the attitude, Malfoy," Coon warned.
The bald, greasy little midget had changed little since Draco had last seen him. He had obviously been promoted within the Ministry, given that he was now accompanying the Minister on trips. Lucius had always said that Ministry brown-nosers were to be mildly tolerated because they often had their specific uses. It was a worry, however, that Arthur Weasley seemed to take this one so seriously.
"Settle down, Coon, you know this is how he usually is," announced the blue-haired woman.
Draco frowned at her. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
She laughed then, which was unnerving given the tension in the room. "The name' s Tonks. Nymphadora Tonks if you must know, and really, I' d rather you didn' t. Just call me Tonks. We're cousins, Draco. On your mum's side."
Goodness. She was Andromeda's daughter. Batty Aunt Andromeda who, to her sister Narcissa's everlasting horror, had run off and married a Muggle before their father had had a chance to arrange a respectable marriage for his oldest and most wayward child. Lucius only ever mentioned the woman's name once or twice and Draco recalled that it was always sandwiched between rude words and speculation about 'questionable siring'.
Draco watched, then, with renewed interest as Cousin Tonks stuck two fingers in her mouth, dislodged a piece of toffee from where it was presumably stuck in her teeth, before sucking the sweet back into her mouth again.
Well. Family was family.
"Charmed," said Draco.
"Likewise," Tonks replied. "If we could get back to the matter at hand?" Coon interrupted.
Snape cleared his throat. "Indeed. I believe you promised Mr. Malfoy some answers. You might start with an explanation of how the Mark came to Hogsmeade in the first place."
Coon obliged. "Rest assured, Draco, your father remains securely contained at Malfoy Manor. There was a break-in at a Ministry vault over the weekend. The theft occurred in two evidence bunkers. Among the items stolen were confiscated portkeys, various Dark Magic paraphernalia and a wand." Coon paused. "Your father's wand, to be precise. We believe it was used to cast Mosmorde, which you were unfortunate enough to witness this afternoon."
"What about my family standard?" Draco asked. "Why did that appear in place of the Mark? I can't say it's