This story has been on the back burners for a long time. The original impetus was "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence, but it grew into something completely different, particularly from Hermione's perspective. This is a segmented piece with multiple points of view, not all of which are recurring. There is no happily ever after here.
Summary: Harry Potter disappeared 57 years ago and "saved us all" again from an unknown evil. Today, the people of Wizarding England finally get to find out what happened. This is partially epilogue compliant.
Warnings: Torture, Disturbing Imagery, Implied Non-Con, One-Sided Slash, Character Death, and Multiple Perspectives which could cause Confusion. So if you have a problem with any of that, or expect some kind of a happy ending, this might not be the story for you.
Note: This has two time settings. 2064, which is the "present", and 2007, which is the "past." Most of the present is in letter form. Hopefully by the end why I choose to do it like this will become clear.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, just my plot.
A special thank you to my beta readers ArwenJaneLilyLyra and LiveLaughLoveFP!
Hear No Evil
Listen for dear honor's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save.
~ from Comus, John Milton
Don't scream anymore my love,
'Cause all I want is you.
~from "Snow White Queen," Evanescence
HPHPHP
19 July 2064
Lord Malfoy Deceased!
Sometime during the night of 18 July, Lord Draco Lucius Malfoy died in his sleep at the age of 84. The cause is believed to be a preexisting medical condition.
After a rocky start associating with dark wizards as a young man, Lord Malfoy redeemed himself and became a pillar of the Wizarding World, using his expert Potions skills and business savvy to further medical research, particularly in the treatment of maladies caused by Dark magic. If it weren't for the efforts of Lord Malfoy, we would not have a successful treatment for the lasting effects of prolonged Cruciatus exposure.
Former wife, Astoria Greengrass, and son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, declined to comment on the death of their loved one. However, the Malfoy solicitors informed Profit reporters that the funeral service will take place on 26 July on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Lord Malfoy will be laid to rest next to his mother, the late Narcissa Malfoy née Black. The public is welcome to attend the service and burial. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many to not only see the traditional Malfoy home, but also to experience some of the rituals of this prestigious family.
Rest in peace, Draco Malfoy. You will be missed
Brown eyes stared blankly at the newspaper as aged fingers caressed the cover of a well worn book. A note lay on the table:
I hope this helps. It's all I could find.
AG
A tear slid down her cheek.
HPHPHP
31 July 2064
To the Editors of the Daily Profit and the People of Wizarding England:
I'm writing this letter upon the death of Draco Malfoy. Indeed, this is a time of great sadness. It is also a time of revelations.
I doubt the significance of the particular date I have chosen to write my epistle is lost on anyone. It is a day of celebration for most of the public. Today Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived and the Man Who Saved, would have been 84 years old. Would have, indeed, had things not gone horribly, horribly wrong so long ago. For those of us who knew him best, today can be nothing more than a day of deepest mourning.
Harry Potter disappeared 57 years ago this summer and "saved us all" again, this time from an evil that was never revealed.
Today is certainly a day of revelations.
I write this upon the death of Draco Malfoy…
HPHPHP
People were disappearing. There had been kidnappings, sure, but not like this, not on this scale. Not since the war.
There were no bodies, which didn't do anything to calm the panic. Not when forty-eight people vanished without a trace in only a few weeks. There was at least one person reported missing a day. Sometimes there were whole families that just weren't there anymore. The newspapers were calling it "The Summer of the Vanished" and the Aurors had few leads. Nothing concrete, anyway.
People were terrified.
Harry had a hunch about where all the people had gone and who took them, but naturally Kingsley wouldn't listen. Harry was biased, he had no proof, and there was no way he could be right this time. Never mind that Harry's hunches tended to be.
So Harry sat back like a good little Auror and waited.
But today was different.
It wasn't often Ron flooed into Grimwald Place at five in the morning with a crying baby. Actually, it had never happened before; Hermione usually brought the screaming infant to "brighten" Harry's mornings since Ginny had left again, for good this time.
Harry had never seen anyone cry while holding Rose before, either.
"Mate, she never came home—she went to Diagon because she wanted to get a teddy for Rose. I thought she'd run into Luna or something—you know how girls are with baby shopping—but she's gone, Harry. 'Mione never made it home last night. She's…" Ron choked and clutched the crying child, which only caused Rose to wail louder.
Harry stared at the scene for a moment before springing into action. He didn't waste time taking Ron to the Auror office himself so that Kingsley could put him into protective custody along with his friend and God daughter. He activated his emergency portkey and threw it at Ron, whose eyes widened before he vanished.
Alone again, Harry changed out of his maroon pajama bottoms, downed a cup of coffee and apparated to the end of a long driveway to begin his trudge to the gates.
HPHPHP
It's staring at me with its brown button eyes. Pink fur. It sits and it stares from the corner of the room, where I can't remember putting it.
Rose colored fur.
Rose. Roses. Rosie.
Red hair.
But not here.
My bed is made, which I can't remember doing, either. I think there are house elves, but I don't have any, so I don't know why there would be. If there are, I hope their well paid. It took forever to pass that legislation.
My roommate says they dance when we're not looking. She says since we never see them work, they're always dancing.
I wish I knew what her name is, but it doesn't seem to matter here.
At breakfast there were flowers on the table, like summer camp, but in better vases. They were daisies.
My roommate made them pink for me. She said I would have my wand back in a few days and then I could make them pink myself.
I think I knew before breakfast why I wanted the flowers to be pink.
The bear makes me feel like I can remember.
My roommate says not to try too hard; she said I'll get used to it. But I think whatever's floating behind my eyes is important.
Tiny fingernails and big brown eyes.
Pink fur. Red hair.
There's a squirrel on the windowsill with red hair.
I think I'll call him Ron. I've always liked that name.
I can even see a tree behind the window. I wonder if any of it's real.
What was I trying to remember?
HPHPHP
Everything was just the same as it had been before. In the nine years that had passed since the war, not even the rust spots on the gate had changed. Maybe it was different inside. At least, Harry hoped the manor was different inside, particularly if his hunch was right. He didn't want to walk into a torture chamber again.
Just because Harry thought Malfoy was behind the kidnappings didn't mean he thought the former Slytherin was evil or even dangerous per say. At least not to most people. That was the part that made Kingsley stop listening.
Apparently someone wouldn't take forty-eight (forty-nine now, with Hermione) hostages to bait another individual. It wasn't logical, he said. When Harry asked him when Malfoy had ever behaved logically where Harry was concerned, Kingsley pretended he hadn't heard him, telling him to process incoming cases for the rest of the week. Or month. Hell, maybe year if Harry kept pressing the issue, for Merlin's sake!
So maybe Kingsley had heard him and was doing his best to keep his most famous Auror safe. Or maybe he just didn't like giving bad guys what they wanted, even if he might get what he wanted in exchange. It didn't matter. He had refused to investigate the hunch and now Hermione was gone, too.
Harry thought Kingsley would have to be a fool not to know that Harry had already left and where he would have gone under the circumstances.
He didn't think that Malfoy was hurting the people he took; if he had he would have insisted something be done earlier. But Hermione… even if she wasn't being hurt, she didn't need to be missing her life right now. She had a family. A baby. He wouldn't let her miss something like that, particularly since he would never have it. Not anymore, anyway. Not since Ginny—
It didn't matter what Ginny did. This was about Rose.
The gate swung open at the barest touches, like it, or someone, was expecting him. Harry clenched his teeth and walked towards the front door. He had a feeling this wouldn't end well for someone.
He was pretty sure that this time, that particular someone would be him.
HPHPHP
To Be Continued. Please Read and Review.