Disclaimer: I don't own anything. And I'm not making any money. Don't sue.

Pairing: Drarry

Warning: Character Death, which I really should have warned before this chapter, as someone already died. Whoops, sorry guys. Also, more death's coming so, you know, now you've been properly warned.

Notes: I'd love a beta for this story. Please PM me if you're interested

Strike Back

Chapter Four: The Suspect

"For he who betrays shall not live," Harry mumbled under his breath for what could have possibly been the thousandth time. He looked across the two desks in the room to make eye contact with his partner. "So definitely Death Eater related." He looked back down at the file on his desk and frowned. "The Bulstrodes didn't out anyone we didn't already know about though. And Millicent didn't give out any names at all; she was acquitted since all the crimes she committed happened while she was still a minor," he said. "That's what I can't understand. Why did they betray? Their case revolved around them proving their innocence, not throwing other people under the bus."

"So maybe whoever did this had more of an issue with the fact that they were trying to distance themselves from the cause," Dean suggested, looking down at the replicated file Harry had spent the last twenty-four hours smitten with, "It wasn't about selling out their … colleagues, but rather the fact that they stopped fighting for them?"

"Definitely a possibility," Harry agreed, nodding his head as he reread every detail the Ministry could find on the life of the Bulstrodes.

"But whether that's the actual motive or not it still raises the question of who the perp is," Dean said. "All the Death Eaters from back then are either reformed or captive. And the Ministry's been keeping tabs on all of them. We have no suspect."

That made Harry finally look up from his paperwork. "No suspect? I've got the perfect one: Seth Snape," he told his partner. "Or is the Ministry keeping tabs on him and I just didn't know?"

Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, he had heard more than he had ever wanted to about Seth Snape for the last damn month. "One, as far as we know, Seth Snape is not, nor has ever been a Death Eater. Two, Seth Snape is a pen name. The Ministry has no data on who he is, and, therefor, he has no file. Makes him kind of hard to research, doesn't it?"

"And have we resorted to only looking through files now? Did we become pencil pushers and I just never got the memo?" Harry asked, getting up from his seat and heading out the door. "The truth is out there. It just requires a little field work to find."

"I don't think quoting the X-Files helps in your efforts to prove to everyone that you aren't off your rocker," Dean told him, following behind.

Harry smirked, glad that Dean had gotten the muggle joke, and that it had distracted him enough not to argue about-

"More to the point though, you can't just go around interrogating Snape's colleagues. Something like this requires Ministry approval."

So he got a little overly optimistic in thinking Dean could be distracted. Still, Harry held on to his smirk.

"You think something like this is liable to get Ministry approval?" Dean asked when Harry didn't slow his pace. "Because I'm thinking it won't. Especially since Seth Snape is a household name these days. How do you expect to convince them?"

"I'm not going to convince them of anything," Harry replied as they both stepped into the alleyway that was essentially the back door into the Ministry of Magic. "This isn't going to be an interrogation. Ergo, no Ministry approval needed."

"Oh? Renaming what an interrogation is? What's it called now then?"

"We're just visiting some old school chums."

"On Ministry time we're going to visit some mates from our rival house? Yeah, real believable that," Dean said, frowning at his partner. "If you get me written up again, Harry-"

That made Harry's smirk drop and his brow furrow as he looked at his friend. "We aren't going to get written up, Dean. Call this a lunch break. None of this is going to go into the report."

"If you insist on ruining my lunch break then you're the one buying the food," Dean bargained, his step unfaltering as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Pansy Parkinson smirked as she read over the figures of Seth Snape's book sales. Overall, they were up one-hundred-and-sixteen percent, and had almost doubled the sales of every single one of his books, even those that had been out for years already. There was absolutely no way that Draco could spin it that would get him out of the plans she and Blaise had put together. She was going to be the most known editor of the century at the rate this was going.

One appearance of Seth Snape and Blaise Zabini together and a month later the world was still speculating, even after Draco had disappeared again. Blaise kept insisting to the media that he and Seth were still seeing each other, and he had yet to be seen with another woman. That alone kept all the gossipers entranced. Pansy had to hire another secretary just to field the phone calls that had been coming in. Invitations to both Blaise and Seth to come to this dinner or that party. She had her pick now,which was simply fantastic, because Blaise and Seth's next appearance together had to be extravagant.

She was thinking tuxedos and limousines. Very mugglish, which was unfortunate, but it would help distance Draco from the ridiculous pen name he had insisted on.

Honestly, thanks to that name it had taken her years to find a publishing house in Britain willing to print his works.

And limousines were probably the most extravagant travel accessory, besides maybe a dragon. A dragon would be a PR nightmare if it got out of control though. And all the flash photography that would be going on would definitely rattle the poor thing. So there would definitely be no dragon. Plus, the price to rent a dragon was horrendous after you factored in all the handler fees, not that Draco couldn't afford it, of course.

Pansy frowned before shaking her head. Was she convincing herself to rent a dragon? All this popularity was really getting to her head, it seemed. Not that it shouldn't, of course. But there was a fine line between 'extravagant' and 'gaudy', and riding a dragon to a Gala was definitely crossing into the 'gaudy' category.

"Miss Parkinson?" a small blonde female asked quietly. Her head poked in through the door as she bit her lip.

"What?" Pansy snapped, causing the smaller girl to flinch. "Didn't I tell you not to come in here? I am not to be disturbed today!"

"Y-yes, Miss Parkinson, but I have-"

"You see, now that has me confused," Pansy said, suddenly calm. She stood and walked around her desk, advancing on the girl who had now backed up enough to no longer be in her office. "Because if you understood me then you wouldn't have come in in the first place, now would you?" She glared at her assistant before snapping, "Unless you did understand and came into my office specifically to tick me off."

"I'm afraid I'm the reason she disturbed you," Harry Potter interrupted with a smile. "I insisted."

Pansy's glare darkened as her focus shifted to the two aurors who were now outside her office. "Well, Potter, this office, much like real life, fortunately, does not bend to your will. In fact, this particular office" she said, turning to her assistant, "is meant to bend to mine. So, when I say that I don't want any disturbances I expect there to be no disturbances. Not by reporters, nor an earthquake, nor Harry Bloody Potter."

Well, now she was beginning to sound like Draco.

She turned back to Potter after putting the fear of You-Know-Who into her assistant. Really, the poor girl needed to be fired for the mistake, but the book sales had made Pansy happy enough to ignore the single slight. She rose a single eyebrow at Potter as she got back to business. "Ministry business, I assume?" Pansy ran her eyes over the Auror robes both Harry Potter and Dean Thomas were wearing. "Auditing me, perhaps?"

Dean Thomas' hands rose up as he tried to smile at her. Pansy would classify the facial expression under the 'wince' category. "Absolutely not Ministry business," he announced. "Harry and I were just out and about for lunch and-"

"If it's not Ministry business then I'm not interested," Pansy answered, turning back around to walk into her office.

Harry reached forward to grab her arm. "You might want to rethink that, Parkinson. We have some questions for you."

Pansy wasted no time ripping her arm away from Potter. "So which is it then? Is this Ministry business or not?"

"It's-"

"Who's Seth Snape?" Harry interrupted before his partner could clarify exactly what type of business they were conducting.

Pansy smirked as she visibly relaxed and put a hand on her hip. "I hadn't had you pegged for a fanboy, Potter. Though I suppose I should have guessed after you refused to take your eyes off him during his award ceremony." Her smirk widened as Thomas shot Potter a dark look. "Not sure if you read the papers, Potter, but Mr. Seth Snape is currently in a very happy, very monogamous relationship with a Mr. Blaise Zabini. He's not interested in a date."

"A little suspicious that they know each other, isn't it?" Harry said, glaring at the editor.

"Suspicious, how, exactly?" Pansy asked, raising one eyebrow as she moved to cross her arms. "Maybe you forgot since your last trip to the mental ward, but Blaise and I were in the same house in the same year at Hogwarts. And I am Seth's editor. Most people's common sense would point them to the correct conclusion that I had introduced the two."

"And they immediately hit it off and started dating, did they?" Harry snapped right back.

Pansy blinked at him. "Yes, Potter, that is normally what two people do when they like each other. Have you not experienced it before?"

"Blaise is a known playboy. You expect me to believe that he suddenly gave all that up to be with someone who's never seen in public?" Harry asked, giving Dean a quick look before focusing back on Pansy.

The editor sighed. "Yes, that is what I'm saying. Thanks for reiterating for me. Look, Potter, as exciting as this particular conversation is, I really don't have time for it. So if you're here on Ministry business I want to see the proper forms. And if you're here trying to fulfill your fanboy fantasies then I'm going to have to call in some aurors that are actually on duty so they can escort you off my premises." She looked between the two before turning around and stepping back into her office. "Good day, gentlemen," she said before slamming the door on them.

"Would you get off me, Zabini!" Draco snapped, pushing his friend onto the couch.

His friend just smirked up at him. "Forceful, Draco. I like this side of you.." He licked his lips. "Come and take whatever you want from me, big man. I'm your willing slave."

Draco immediately turned to Pansy. "Okay, if that's how he's going to insist on talking while we're in public the deal is completely off the table."

"The deal can't be off the table, Draco. It was a bet," Pansy reminded him. "I won, ergo, you do what I say now." She strode over to the couch and pulled Blaise off of it. "Besides, he's kidding. Remember when things used to be funny, Draco?"

"Can't say I do. Was that before or after a mad man moved into my house and started torturing me?"

"Most decidedly before," Blaise put in happily as he adjusted his robes. "A fact that will remain a fact for as long as you stay locked in your house and dwelling on the past."

"Are we really talking about my mental health right now?" Draco asked as Blaise put his arms around his neck. "If you were so concerned perhaps you could stop giving me a heart attack by grabbing me!" he snapped, tearing away from his friend.

Blaise was less than deterred. "So hot I stop your heart, babycakes?" he asked, winking at Draco. "I've had the same problem with someone else before, if I'm being completely honest. There's nothing to worry about. Turns out I'm sexy enough to restart hearts as well."

"You sound like a member of a crappy preteen band," Draco said, glaring at his friend.

"And you sound like someone most decidedly not in love," Pansy broke in. "You need to relax, Draco. No one's going to believe you've been going out with Blaise for a month if you're constantly jumping every time he touches you."

"Very true," Blaise said, putting his index finger on his chin. "I've gone out with the shy virgin types before, but I think I've always left in the middle of the date. If sex isn't the end game you're doing something wrong."

"You're absolutely disgusting."

"I hope you haven't said that to any newspapers," Pansy said to Blaise, crossing her arms. "You are supposed to be in love, you know. If someone catches a whiff of you saying something like that they'll start following you around to see who you're cheating with."

Blaise rose a single eyebrow at the editor. "Pansy, dear, I've been in this game longer than even you. I know how to manipulate a few news reporters. If I couldn't they'd still be under the impression I'm a Death Eater, wouldn't they?"

"Oh, please, Blaise," Pansy replied, waving him off. "Everyone who knew you knew you weren't a Death Eater. You were never much into it, were you? And your mother was too busy jumping all over North America to be interested in what was going on over the ocean."

Blaise narrowed his eyes at her, but choose not to say anything.

"Jumping all over North America?" Draco asked, knowing dangerous territory when he saw it, and even after all these years he was still unable to resist poking at it. "More like jumping into North American beds. Like mother like son, eh, Zabini?"

That was when Blaise jumped onto Draco's back, knocking them both to the ground. He lifted him up by the hair as he leaned down. "You really want to have a conversation about mothers right now, Draco? Because, if I remember correctly, yours wasn't so clean when it came to the jumping into beds thing either, was she? At least mine wasn't married while hopping into bed with strangers," he growled loud enough for Pansy to hear.

"Not a word about my mother, Zabini," Draco growled right back, struggling to knock the other man off of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Pansy snapped, striding over to jerk Blaise up and off Draco. "You two are resorting to fist fighting now? What are you? Muggles?" She asked, glaring at both of them. "We have important things to do, and you both are arguing about dead people."

They both turned their murderous glares onto Pansy.

Pansy just shrugged, dropping her own glare. "Well, you are," she argued, putting her nose in the air. "And even if they weren't you two have more important things to do than squabble like children."

"Fame and fortune," Draco mumbled. "Infinitely more important than mothers," he said with a frown. "Thank you ever so much for reminding me."

"You're such a wet blanket now, Draco," Blaise said, crossing his arms at the other man. "What's important to you then, hm? Clearly not friends, family, romance, fortune, or fame. And you can't tell me that writing Potions books is enough to make your life complete,"

"It does when I'm the one that created the potion I'm writing about," Draco replied with a glare.

"Children!" Pansy snapped. "You are getting on my last bloody nerve. Neither of you should care about the why in a situation like this. The only thing that matters is the how behind the end result." She put her hands behind her back as she breathed out, looking much calmer for doing so. "Now, there is a party taking place in exactly ten days. You two will both be in attendance, and you will both be on your best behavior. The media is under the impression you two have been dating for a month, and I don't want anything you two to do to ruin it, understood?"

Blaise and Draco shared a look before focusing back on Pansy and nodding.

"Fantastic!" Pansy declared before smirking at both of them. "Let's get back to cuddling then, shall we? We can stop when Draco finally stops trying to jump out of his skin."

"Face it, mate, today was a dead end," Dean said, looking across their two desks to focus in on Harry who still had his head buried in paperwork. "We can't gather any evidence on Parkinson without the Ministry's official approval, and the Ministry won't give approval unless we already have some sort of evidence on Parkinson. Two facts, might I add, that she seems well aware of."

"You do believe me then," Harry replied, looking up from the file just to grab ahold of another one. "You think Seth Snape's behind this, too."

Dean tried his best not to show his irritation. "I don't know, Harry. Maybe. We don't even know who he is, and after the way we approached Parkinson I doubt she'll be willing to introduce us. Not to mention, Seth Snape's been around for years with no Death Eater activity, so there's the problem of why he's acting now as opposed to before.

"He was also never seen out in public until a few weeks ago," Harry reminded him. "Maybe he's getting bolder. Figured he'd made an appearance and no one outed him, so he could finally start to move."

"Or maybe Seth Snape's an innocent man who just likes to keep his personal life private," Dean argued. "At any rate, thanks to our actions today, Parkinson knows we think something's fishy, so if he is behind it she's going to take extra lengths to protect him. Today has been a complete waste. Best to pack it in and try again tomorrow."

"No, I have it. This hasn't been a waste," Harry said with a smile. He dropped the file he had been reading and started pacing their office. "We have alibis for Parkinson and Zabini. Nott and Goyle are in Azkaban. Crabbe and Bulstrode are both dead. Davis was cleared. And Greengrass reformed. But you know who's missing? There's no Draco Malfoy." He stopped his pacing to turn towards his partner. "Where's Draco Malfoy, huh?"

Dean's mouth fell open as he matched Harry's gaze. "Draco Malfoy …" he started. "Draco Malfoy's dead, mate. He died with his mother, in the fire that brought down Malfoy Manor oer ten years ago. That was one of our first assignments together, remember?"

"No body, though, right?" Harry asked, back to pacing the floor, a smile growing on his face.

"Harry," Dean said, frowning at his friend. "You do remember that fire, right? It was massive and magical. We were barely able to identity Mrs. Malfoy's body."

"If there's no body then there's no proof of death."

"Harry, listen to yourself!" Dean demanded. "Is it really easier to think that instead of a horrendous, magical fire taking out Malfoy, he used the fire as an opportunity to go into hiding for a few years before becoming an award-winning author and Potions master? Who's going to believe that?"

Harry glared at his partner. "Everyone once I prove it's true," he declared before striding out of their office.

Dean didn't bother following him this time.

TBC

Harry and Draco are taking their time coming to a head; even I'm getting impatient! I guess I'm just overeager to write their banter.
As always, please let me know what you think!
And now, I am going to bed, because I have been up way too long. Good night and good bye until next time!

-Don't Hold Back