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

Also, these chapters seem to be getting shorter, and for that I apologize. Once we finally start seeing some real action (which will be happening soon) I assume they'll get longer. In the meantime, thank you for dealing with short chapters and slow updates.

Strike Back

Chapter Six: The Plan(s)

"You let Harry bloody Potter follow you!" Draco snarled as soon as they had flooed to Blaise's residence. "He's going to find out! He was always too bloody nosey for his own good!" He slumped into Blaise's leather recliner as he rested his head in his hands. "I'm utterly ruined. As soon as the public finds out who I am my books will go no where. My potions will go no where."

Blaise rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "I remember you being a drama queen back in school, Draco, but this is really taking things to extremes. Potter doesn't know anything. And he'll never know as long as we're careful."

Draco looked up at his friend and snarled at him. "Potter is like a rabid dog. The only way to get rid of him is to put him down, and we can't very well do that, can we?"

"You're like a rabid dog," Blaise replied with a frown. "You just snarled at me, Draco. You're being ludicrous. There was once a time that these things were beneath you, you know."

"Yes, there was also once upon a time when I believed my father would be the next Minister of Magic. We all saw how well that worked out, didn't we?" Draco snapped back. "The name Malfoy means nothing anymore," he reminded his friend. "There's no reason to feel disgraceful for acting out of character for a Malfoy, not when there's already so much else to be disgraceful for."

"Merlin, this family name business is ridiculous. And this perpetual guilt is ridiculous as well. Do you really think you do your family any good by hiding inside and pretending as if you no longer exist?" Blaise asked, glaring down at Draco.

"I think I'm doing the world some good." Draco jerked from the chair so he could begin pacing around Blaise's living room. "What would you and Pansy have me do, hm? You want me to run around pretending as if nothing ever happened? As if half the people I respected and looked up to aren't dead or in Azkaban? As if the entirety of the Wizarding world doesn't look at me as if I'm a criminal?"

Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to the ramblings of his friend. Eventually he reached over and grabbed Draco's shoulder, effectively halting his pacing. "What I would like is for you to stop living in the past. You never leave your house, so you still think everyone's living in fear or loathing of you, when really they couldn't give a rat's ass anymore. You think I could become an Unspeakable if people were still terrified of Voldemort?"

Draco jerked as he heard the name, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend.

"Merlin, Draco, people are saying his name these days, you know!" Blaise yelled. "You're insufferable, you know that? Over a decade later and you're still terrified? Think he'll come back a third time, do you?"

"We are not talking about him!" Draco snapped.

"What are we talking about then?" Blaise asked, waving his hands in the air. "What does your cowardice stem from if not from him? Afraid people are going to lynch you if you step foot outside? Branleur!"

Draco dropped his scowl to arch an eyebrow at his friend, his anger washing out of him. "Branleur? I don't know that one."

"Branleur. Punheteiro. Gilipollas. Otherwise known as a wanker, imbecile," Blaise replied, crossing his arms as he stared at his friend. "How many languages do you gloat that you know?"

"I'm so sorry I don't know the word for 'wanker' in French," Draco said, crossing his own arms as he glared back at his friend.

"Don't know it in Portuguese or Spanish either," Blaise pointing out, not giving up his stance. "Is it just that you have a hard time retaining things?"

"I know how to say 'pedicabo ego dabo vobis'," Draco growled.

Blaise's eyes widened as he finally took a step back. "You're going to fuck me?"

"Huh? What- No!" Draco replied, quickly matching Blaise's posture. "I- I'm going to fuck you up, is what I meant."

"Ah," Blaise replied, covering a laugh. "'Pedicabo ego vos et', you mean."

"When-" Draco brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. "When the fuck did you take Latin?"

"Since you spent a year rubbing it in my face that you knew a language I didn't," Blaise said with a smile. "The summer after fifth year, I believe? But you were so preoccupied in Sixth I never had a chance to gloat about it until now."

Draco frowned at the reminder. "Preoccupied is one word for it," he muttered.

"I swear, you're so drab when you start in with this rubbish," Blaise complained. "You'd be much happier if you just let it go. You've paid for your mistakes; time to live your life."

"I didn't, is the thing," Draco replied, sinking back into Blaise's recliner. "I got acquitted, if you'll remember, thanks in large part to Harry bloody Potter, who doesn't seem so apt to do it again."

"Harry bloody Potter," Blaise repeated, imitating his friend's voice, "doesn't know who you bloody well are, if you'll remember."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he'll be much happier knowing I'm Draco Malfoy rather than some bloke making potions that stumbled upon an unfortunate pen name," Draco snapped.

Suddenly Blaise's floo roared to life and Pansy stepped out. "There you two are! What in Merlin's name do you two think you're doing? Harry Potter shows up to interrupt you two about to be having sex and you run to Blaise's house? You know the Ministry can check things like that, if deemed appropriate, do you not? And of course Harry Potter is going to try to deem it appropriate. The whole thing looks enormously suspicious. What were you thinking? Do I have to constantly babysit you two?"

"Seth became uncomfortable knowing there was someone who knew where he lived. He became preoccupied thinking of rabid fans coming and beating on his door. He was distracted, which put me off, so we decided to floo right here to finish business," Blaise explained. "It'd be obvious to anyone who knew him that was what occurred."

Draco rubbed his forehead. "Right, except no one does know the hypothetical Seth Snape, do they? Apart from the two of you, who, of course, Potter will refuse to listen to so he can keep riding around on his high horse."

Pansy crossed her arms, frowning at him. "Yes, that's the part that is troubling me, actually. Exactly what horse is Potter on? Is he just getting off on the mystery of the person under the pen name? Seems ludicrous. Surely he has more important things he could be doing. He is an auror, after all. He's happy to just flob off all his cases just to find out your true identity?"

"I told you: he's always had it out for me!" Draco declared, flinging his arms up. "The golden boy can't leave well enough alone!"

"He could very well think that this actually is for one of his cases, unfortunately enough," Blaise told Pansy, content to completely ignore his paranoid friend.

Pansy narrowed her eyes. "What case, exactly?"

"It's all very hush hush," Blaise explained, leaning in close to Pansy as he spoke in a quiet voice. "Don't want to cause any type of panic, you know."

"Enough with the suspense," Pansy snapped, though she had lowered her voice as well. "If Draco's done something and gotten in some kind of trouble I need to know so I can start doing damage control."

"I haven't done anything!" Draco exclaimed, which only resulted in glares from his two best friends before the two went back to ignoring him.

"Remember that Gala a week ago?" Blaise asked, looking directly at Pansy as he kept his voice quiet. "The one that the Bulstrodes were trying to pressure everyone to go to?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "How could I forget? I had to practically shove their owl out my window when I refused to RSVP."

"Well, the Bulstrodes never showed up," Blaise continued as a smile spread over his face. "People were more than a little annoyed at them, of course, and sent some aurors to their house as retribution. I'm sure everyone thought the Ministry would stumble upon something they shouldn't and the Bulstrodes would once again be shoved out of polite company. And the aurors did find something, but the something they found wasn't incriminating on the Bulstrodes part."

"Zabini you're talking like a bad movie drama," Pansy finally snapped, straightening up as she glared at her friend. "Can you shut up and get to the damn point!"

"I'm a little confused at how I'm supposed to both shut up and continue a story, Pansy, dear," Blaise said calmly, his voice back to its normal volume.

"You're insufferable," Draco growled from across the room. "What is it that they're trying to accuse me of then? Out with it."

Blaise gave both of them a glare. "You ruin everything, you know that?" He sighed before shrugging. "Murder. The Bulstrode family was found dead.f"

"That's the part you gloss over?" Pansy asked. "You're rubbish at telling stories. Remind me never to agree to be your editor."

Draco looked between the two of them. "Have you both gone mental? I'm wanted for murder and you two are talking book deals? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Oh, you are not wanted for murder," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "If you were you would have been brought in before now. Potter's not acting in compliance with the Ministry, and the call I made shortly before I left Draco's ensures that he won't be pretending to do so. At least not for a few weeks, at any rate."

Blaise arched an eyebrow at her. "You've been doing something devious."

"I'm protecting my client," Pansy replied, raising her chin in the air. "I don't think it's devious at all to get an auror suspended when he's trying to illegally obtain information."

Blaise smirked at her. "Oh, no, so nothing devious at all then. Good to hear."

"Millicent?" Draco asked, his voice expressionless. "She's dead, then?"

"That is normally what 'murder' means, mon amour," Blaise said, sparing him a glance before turning his attention back to Pansy. "You think we can prolong the suspension? We can, can't we?" he asked as soon as he saw her expression.

Draco put his teacup down before getting up from the couch. "Please excuse me, won't you?" he asked before gliding out from the room, not waiting for either of his friends to reply.

Blaise looked over at Pansy, raising a single eyebrow at her.

"They had grown close," Pansy replied, her chin raised as she waved a hand in the air. "War has a way of doing that to people, of course. They still wrote to each other every couple of months or so, but I doubt Draco would call her a friend. He'll be fine just as soon as he processes it."

Blaise nodded before getting back on task. "You've already thought of a way to do it, haven't you? A way to get Potter taken off the auror squad?"

"It's like Draco has said: Potter is like a rabid dog." Pansy hid her smirk by taking a sip of tea. "We just need to dangle the right bone in front of him and he'll jump through as many hops as we want."

"Brilliant," Blaise praised. "I suppose it would be in our best interests not to mention to Draco that he's the bone in this scenario."

Pansy patted his hand. "Don't worry about him, dear. Draco has become pliant in his old age. I know how to handle him."

Harry had sat in his living room watching all his surveillance equipment in real time, barely leaving the room to eat or sleep since his suspension. As far as he could tell Ron and Hermione hadn't heard about it yet, which was something he was unbelievably grateful for. He didn't want to hear all their concerns about whether he was cracking up or not, not when he knew he was right.

It wasn't until three days after his suspension that he finally caught something in his transmission.

"... Forcing this ... Lie low ..." Seth Snape's unsteady voice broke through the static.

Harry immediately perked up, leaning forward as he adjusted his antenna in the hopes of clearing the static. The adjustment just resulted in more static.

" ... For years ... Relax ... need to ... this party ... amour," Blaise's voice replied.

Harry frowned as he twisted the antenna the other way, quieting the static back down.

Seth's voice came through. "Millicent ... Killed ... Want me to ... full of people … like ..."

Harry's eyes widened as he heard Millicent's name. As of yet, the public wasn't aware that there was anything wrong with the Bulstrodes, the Ministry deciding to keep it under wraps until they got a better grasp of the situation. So how did Seth Snape know about it?

"... Draco? ... Potions Master? ... to kill you ... ridiculous .. this murderer is … targeting Death Eaters … which ... " Blaise's voice said.

Harry leaned forward, his eyes focused on the conversation, afraid to move the receptor despite the fact that only bits and pieces were coming through the static. Draco Malfoy was trying to kill Seth Snape? Was he the one that was targeting Death Eaters? Some sort of redemption gone wrong, maybe? But if he was going after Death Eaters and Blaise was afraid that he'd target his boyfriend, did that mean that Seth Snape was a Death Eater too?"

".. bloody idiot!" Seth Snape's voice said.

Seth Snape being a Death Eater would certainly explain why he'd want to remain anonymous. And why he decided to pick out his pen name. And how he knew Parkinson. It made perfect sense. And Draco was the one killing Death Eaters? That one Harry had a harder time wrapping his head around, but he supposed a lot could change in ten years.

" ... down already!" Blaise's voice cut across the static. " ... non negotiable. Pansy'll … let you ... party."

"... absolutely ... don't you? ... get me killed," Seth's voice argued back.

Another party then? One Seth Snape was attending? Or one Draco Malfoy was attending? Was Parkinson helping Seth or Malfoy? Either way, clearly she was involved.

"Merlin ... becoming a hermit ... turned you ... No one knows ... anything ... be afraid ..." Blaise replied.

A hermit? Was Blaise talking about Seth or Malfoy? Harry gave in, finally adjusting his receptor, resulting in even louder static.

" ... killing ... Blaise!" Seth's voice said.

"... here killing you ... don't come ... party next week ... more afraid of ... Parkinson?" Blaise asked back.

So the party was next week, and Seth wasn't going because he was afraid? Or was Blaise saying that Malfoy wasn't going to come because he was afraid of Parkinson? Harry frowned, wishing for a way to hear the conversation clearly.

"... can't be ..." Seth answered

"... protect you ... make sure you ... nothing bad ... gotten quite ... party scene ..." Blaise replied.

Blaise was definitely protecting Seth Snape, but was Parkinson? Or was she helping Malfoy? And was Malfoy even in the wrong to be going after Seth Snape? All known Death Eaters had been tried and been kept on close tabs within the Ministry. They would have known if Seth Snape was one, which meant that he had never been put on trial. Maybe he deserved what Malfoy was going to do to him.

Harry frowned at his own thoughts. If Seth Snape was a Death Eater that had somehow fallen through the cracks and gotten out of a trial, that still didn't mean that he deserved death. It meant that he was due a trial, so the Wizengamot could pass their judgement.

One thing was for sure though, he was going to be at that party next week.

TBC

In case anyone is interested in the conversation Harry hears sans static, here it is:

Draco: "I don't know why you're forcing this so much. It's best to lie low for now,"

Blaise: "You've been lying low for years now. Relax. We need to go to the this party, mon amour."

Draco: "Millicent is dead, Blaise! Dead! Killed in her own bloody home! And you want me to go out there in a room full of people and parade around like … like-!"

Blaise: "Like what, Draco? Like you're a famous, world renowned Potions Master? No one's going to kill you in a room full of people, you ridiculous, paranoid, buffoon. And besides, whoever this murderer is, they're clearly targeting Death Eaters, which you are not."

Draco: "Except I am, you bloody idiot!"

Blaise: "Draco, calm the bloody hell down already! This is nonnegotiable. Pansy'll have my head if I let you skive off the party."

Draco: "You two are absolutely wretched, you know that, don't you? You're going to get me killed."

Blaise: "Merlin, Draco, becoming a hermit has turned you into a loon. No one knows who you are, or anything about you! You have nothing to be afraid of!"

Draco: "There's someone out there killing people, Blaise!"

Blaise: "Pansy'll be in here killing youif you don't come to that bloody party next week. Are you more afraid of a stranger or Parkinson?"

Draco: "It can't be both?"

Blaise: "I'll protect you, mon amour, okay? I'll make sure you have a fabulous time and nothing bad happens. I've gotten quite good at the party scene, you know."