"Potter!" Kingsley Shacklebolt barked as Harry entered the office, "New assignment!"
"Yes, sir?" Harry inquired politely, taking the file the Head Auror offered him and opening it up to a history of war crimes and corporate frauds.
"We've had some activity on Macnair's mark." He pointed to the map up on the wall that monitored the remaining Death Eater's dark marks, and through them their locations. "We don't know how he evaded attention so long, but when you pick him up, ask him. He lit up near Knockturn Alley."
"Sir…" Harry began, "Are you sure this is right?" Draco's situation had pushed the point home, but he'd always wondered if the witchhunt was immoral. Tracking people down by their own flesh, forcing them on trial, typically without council? It wasn't helping the wizarding world move on from the war, not really. It was pushing apart the already strained class system, as almost all of the run-away Death Eaters were pureblood.
"What was that, Auror?" Shacklebolt asked, giving him a warning look across the desk. "Are you questioning your orders? This comes directly from Minister Tripley, after all. Are you a traitor now?"
Harry sighed. He knew his old friend was warning him, giving him a chance to take back what he'd said rather than reporting him right away for insubordination the way he ought to. He should be grateful. Taking a deep breath, he responded in a subdued tone, "It was nothing. Sorry, sir."
"Good. There's just Macnair, Malfoy, and a few others out there. The search is almost over." Kingsley said dismissively, looking into the next file on his desk. "The Unspeakables are looking into new ways of finding them. They can't hide forever."
"And what if Malfoy doesn't have the Dark Mark? Sir?" Harry questioned, standing by the open door but not ready to leave the conversation yet, when it was so important to him to get Draco cleared.
"Then he might get off. At least, he might end up in Azkaban instead of in the ground. But there's no real question of that, Potter. You know he has it." He looked up as Harry opened his mouth to question him further. "That's enough. Go do your job."
Harry left without another word.
"Oi! Harry!" Ron called, striding across the lobby towards Harry, who had been about to step through the Floo after a long day of hunting down alleged criminals. "I haven't seen you in ages, mate. How've you been?"
Brushing aside his frustration at being detained, he turned to his friend. It had been a long time since he'd spoken to Ron, after all. Surely he could give him a minute of his time, to reconnect. "Busy. You know how work is, after all. How are you? How's Hermione?" He responded, injecting false cheer and enthusiasm into his words."
Ron beamed at him. "She's great, mate. We both are. Being engaged to her is amazing! She misses you, though. Wants to know when you'll be over." He clapped his friend on the back, leading him a few steps from the Floo, clearly intending to have a long conversation with him.
Harry bit his lip, considering. Draco was waiting for him at home, and he'd planned to surprise him with food from the Leaky Cauldron. After a long moment of deliberation, he sighed. "You know, mate, I'd love to catch up, but I have somewhere to be. Maybe we could get dinner sometime, though. Okay?"
Ron looked confused. "You have to go now? Are you sure?"
"Yeah. You understand, right?" Harry asked, already heading towards the Floo, mind on what he'd order for their dinner. He didn't see the look of disappointment, and slight suspicion, on his friends face as he answered.
"Yeah…"