I mean, Draco's right that we could continue to see each other secretly and things wouldn't actually change all that much, we already live so much of our lives in secret -- and you know, we get to have our mothers in the secret with us, and Draco doesn't; the cost he pays for keeping the secret is different than for us.

But you're also right that giving in to a blackmailer shows that you can be manipulated.

But of course, we wouldn't REALLY be giving in; we'd be sending a signal that we could be manipulated but it would be a lie, one that would give us some information, maybe, later on.

And you know, I still don't know who Avery thinks he'd push as a sacrificial lamb, instead. I hadn't thought about how vulnerable Pansy is, I'd always thought about how her friendship with Mr Malfoy keeps her safe but he's right it cuts both ways. Draco's always been the one at wandpoint, you know, they threatened him to keep Harry in line and they punished him when Harry misbehaved (and they made Mr Malfoy do it) but no one really paid that much attention to Pansy.

It would probably be Mrs Malfoy. That they'd use instead.