Chapter 1

Unexpected News

Two years had passed since Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, when Professor Dumbledore had been killed. Harry had managed to defeat Voldemort in his seventh and final year, and his life had really picked up. He lived in a large house outside of London with Ron and Hermione and was happier than ever. They got frequent visits from the Weasleys, Professor Lupin, Tonks and even Professor Snape, who had proved himself a while back and had helped quite a bit in Voldemort's defeat, earning Harry's trust. Harry wouldn't say they were very close, not the way he had been with Dumbledore or Sirius, but they got along.

Everything was going smoothly until Snape and Lupin came over with some much unexpected news.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lupin and Snape sat around the dinner table, eating a delightful meal of phoenix soup, pumpkin pie and fire whiskey. Lupin and Snape were strangely silent, and if they thought their three former students didn't notice, they were wrong.

"What's going on, Professor?" Hermione asked finally, directing her question at Lupin. Lupin looked over at Snape briefly and took a sip from his fire whiskey.

"We've found Draco Malfoy," he announced.

"WHAT?" Harry gasped, staring at his former professors in shock, looking from Lupin to Snape and back again. Snape sighed, setting his fork down on his plate.

"I thought we decided we wouldn't tell him," he growled at Lupin, running a hand through his long, greasy back hair.

"No, you decided. I thought he had a right to know."

"We shouldn't be burdening him with information like this anymore, Remus! This isn't his problem! The boy needs a break!"

"The boy deserves to know this, Severus! He deserves the option to decide whether he wants to do something about it or not!"

"But -- "

"ENOUGH!" Harry cried, glaring at the two older men.

Draco Malfoy had been missing since he had failed to kill Dumbledore. Everyone assumed he was dead, that Voldemort had killed him for not obeying him. No one had heard anything from him or about him in a little over two years.

"What do you mean, you've 'found Draco Malfoy'?" Harry demanded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "He's dead. He's been dead for two years."

"There was never any proof that he was dead, Harry," Lupin explained softly. "No one ever found a body. Everyone just thought he was dead because he was missing, but no one knew for sure. I'm sorry, Harry."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Well, we're going to go get him, but it's your choice whether you want to come or not," Snape replied, sighing.

There was a long silence. Harry couldn't believe it. All this time he had thought Malfoy was dead, and he had no problem believing it. And he wasn't the tiniest bit sad about it. He didn't think he wanted to go find the boy again. They hated each other. Why should Harry go get him? But, once again, curiosity got the best of him. He wanted, no, he needed to know what had happened.

"Where is he?"