Living Memory
Chapter Seven: Rumors and Dreams
Draco stared at the person on the screen. He knew it was Ron Weasley. It was pretty hard to forget the person he considered as one of his enemies when they were at Hogwarts. Ron's hair seemed longer in the front than the last time Draco saw him. He also didn't look as clean cut or shaven as he used to; he was more rugged and rough. "Can you give me a copy of this picture on the screen?" asked Draco hurriedly. He realized the bombshell he had hit.
"Sure, I'll make you a good copy," said the security guard. He fiddled around with the machine in front of him. Draco wanted to shake his head because he thought it was strange that the man could use something with all the letters jumbled up out of alphabetically order on a keyboard.
"Is everything to your liking, Inspector?" asked the manager anxiously. Obliviously, he wanted Draco out because to have any form of police there made the hotel look bad. Draco merely nodded as he took the picture from the security guard. "Thank you very much for your cooperation," he said briskly as he made his way out of the hotel.
He looked quickly for a place where he could safely call back the Aurors' offices. "Potter," he said to his pocket watch.
"What did you find out, Malfoy?" asked Harry.
"I found out who Dante is," answered Draco. "I need to go back to London to tell you, but I'm going to do some more inquirers."
"Why don't you just tell me now?" asked Harry.
"I have to show you. I doubt you'd believe me without anymore proof than what I have right now, so I'm going to find out more about Dante," answered Draco as he shut his watch before Harry had a chance to answer back.
Harry started at his watch back at the Aurors. "Stupid, arrogant git," mutter Harry under his breath.
"How's it working out with Malfoy?" asked Percy as he walked up to him.
"Fine. He said that he may have a lead on Dante," said Harry.
"That's good. I just got an owl from Mr. Jones. He said that the murder had to be Muggle," said Percy.
"Of course, he would insist, and it's very likely. But, Percy, it looks like someone went out of their way to murder Skye Jones. And besides, what if the person knew who her father was," said Harry.
"Yes, it's quite possible that another wizard hired a Muggle to do the job. We're looking into Skye Jones' personal life. I've been doing that," said Harry. He set himself off to do that after he told Malfoy where to go in New York.
"What about Hermione? Is she all right?" asked Percy with concern. Harry looked up at him. Harry noticed that Percy always asked him if Hermione was all right because Percy had the feeling that Hermione was lying to him and saying she was fine when she wasn't. "She's fine. We're looking at one suspect right now," answered Harry.
"Who?" asked Percy eagerly.
"Someone who calls himself Dante. The interesting thing was he introduced himself as Dante. He was at the murder scene and asked questions from the police, but everyone who's spoken of him say that he was strange," answered Harry.
Percy frowned at the news. "A Muggle? And person probably using a false identity," he concluded.
"Yes, and Hermione's coming up with the profile of the murderer. We're not even sure it was him, but we still have to question him," said Harry.
"And where's Malfoy?" asked Percy.
"Back in New York doing a follow up with the police officers who went to the scene," answered Harry.
"Why aren't you with him?" asked Percy. "I can't have my agents running around on their own like that, Harry. Don't think you can break protocol just because it's Malfoy." Percy said this with a very stiff tone. He was the one who allowed Ron to go alone the night that he disappeared. After that Percy was even more of a stickler for the rules than he normally was.
"Fine. I will go and find Malfoy. Besides, I shouldn't let him run around too many Muggles by himself anyway," said Harry as he stood up. He didn't like the way that Percy was towering over him.
"Good," said Percy as he turned on his heel to return to his office. Harry sighed as he went off to go put on some Muggle clothes to go and join Malfoy back in New York. The day was getting much longer than he had anticipated.
*
Dante stared at the young woman who told said she need his help because she didn't know who she was either. He took her by the arm gently and paid for his scotch. "Let's go," he said.
She nodded and followed him outside. They walked together for about ten minutes before Dante said anything else. "What do you mean you don't know who you are? And what do you call yourself?" he asked her.
"I guess I should start with the second question because it's the easiest one to answer. I call myself Eden Martin. And I don't know who I am. One day I woke up in a hospital in Boston. They said I was in some kind of car accident. They told me that I had no identification on me, so they couldn't tell me who I was. I was sent to a group home. I left because I couldn't stand it any longer. I came to New York. I don't know what I'm really doing. I only have memories to do stuff like play the piano and drive a car. Only semantic memories according to my doctors. I saw you when you came to that bar the other day. You acted like me. I thought that you could help me," said Eden.
Dante said nothing as she told him her story. It sounded like his, but instead of England, it was the United States. "I like people to call me Dante," he said simply. Eden smiled at him slightly. "I woke up in a hospital in England. I left it almost three years ago. Did you have anything on you? Anything?" he asked her to see if her story really was like his.
Eden nodded and pulled something from under her shirt that was attached to a chain around her neck. It was pendant that had a cross on it, but with an oval inlay surrounding it. There were words in Greek engraved on the inlay. She held it out for Dante to see in her palm without taking off the necklace, but the silver chain was long enough. "It says in Greek: 'Come home with your shield or on it.' I've been learning Greek because of it, but there's nothing else. What do you have?" she asked as tucked her pendant back underneath her shirt.
"This," whispered Dante as he showed her his wedding band without taking it off. "There's some engravings inside the band, but in English. 'R.W. + H.G. 14/2/2003. 4EVER.' I'm told it's a wedding band."
"So you were married?" asked Eden. "Or are still married," she corrected herself.
"I don't know. How do we know that these are really our possessions? Do you remember anything if you try hard enough? Have you had dreams that weren't dreams, but memories of who you were?" asked Dante.
She furrowed her brows for a moment as if she was concentrating on something specific in her mind. "Yes, I remember some things. In some of my dreams, I'm dressed in strange clothes. Long flowing robes, but not all the time. Other times, I'm in a large building looking at the designs of buildings, what do you remember?" she asked.
Dante really didn't know how to say it, so he said it as bluntly as possible, "Making love to a woman. I assume she's my wife." Eden blushed at his answer. Dante didn't look like it was a big deal to get embarrassed about. She stood there and wondered if he really was going to help her or not. If not, then she would continue to search on her own.
"Are you going to help me or not?" asked Eden with a sigh.
"I have to warn you. I'm not exactly the safest person to trust," warned Dante. His blue eyes narrowed at hers for a moment. His look was so strong that she felt like she was being pulled into it. She broke the stare off after much effort. "Fine," she whispered as she held out her hand. Dante shook hands with her. They had placed each other's lives into each other hands.
*
Harry hated the fact that he had to hunt Malfoy. It was taking a lot longer than he had anticipated, and so he was now wandering around aimlessly. It was a combination of trying to put his thoughts in order and to avoid looking for Malfoy. Damn him. Damn him. Damn him, thought Harry. He really didn't like Percy that day for forcing him to go look for Malfoy. Besides, he thought that they were making excellent progress working on their own like that. However, guiltily, he thought that Percy's reactions were warranted. Harry thought about Ron. Damn Ron, for being so stubborn about his stupid plan, thought Harry sadly. Harry quickly apologized in his mind for calling Ron stupid. He wasn't stupid. No, Ron was smarter than Harry. Harry was more clever than Ron, but he was smarter than him. Harry thought of little Tyler and how smart the boy already was. He was pretty good at mouthing off at his mother for someone who had just learned how to talk. Harry smiled at the thought of his godson, but Malfoy broke into his thoughts, "I told you I would come back after I was done, Potter. What you didn't think I could handle things without you?" asked Malfoy with annoyance.
Harry looked at him with a glare. "No, Percy ordered me to come here because we broke protocol when I let you go off without me," he said through his teeth.
"It must be nice to be on the good side of the boss and calling him by his first name," said Malfoy.
"You never thought you'd be with the good guys did you? Or that you'd be working for under a Weasley? Or that I would be your partner now? Believe me, I didn't think any of those things would happen to you, Malfoy," said Harry with a smirk of his own.
"You're absolutely right, Potter. But, it's better that you came to me anyway. I don't think I should be saying what I'm about to say around the Aurors. I don't know how to say this," said Malfoy. His tone signaled that they weren't going to continue their diatribe any longer, and he was serious about what he was going to say.
"What is it Malfoy? And it better be good because Percy's expecting results," said Harry with a sigh, not wanting Malfoy to stall any longer. He thought it was strange that Malfoy would stall. If there was any news that Harry wouldn't like to hear, he was pretty sure that Malfoy wouldn't spare a second to tell him.
Malfoy cleared his throat slightly. "This is the picture of the person we know as Jonathan Daniels. Alias, Dante. Um…neither is his real name," he said as he quickly handed the picture to Harry. Draco knew that Harry wouldn't believe him otherwise.
The picture was in Harry's hands, and in less than a moment his emerald orbs widened in a flash. "This looks like…" he stammered.
"Ron Weasley?" offered Draco with a nod. Harry looked at Malfoy and back at the picture. "Potter, I thought that you should know about this first. Either that's a doppelganger of Weasley or it's really him, but he looks different from before. I thought that you could be the one to break the news to everyone else. There you can look like the hero again."
Harry said nothing as he looked at Draco. "Did you do any conformation on this?" he asked ignoring Draco's last comment.
"Yes, I've been asking around. No one's heard of a Jonathan Daniels, but some have heard of Dante. Some disreputable people. The type that clean cut Ron Weasley wouldn't associate with. There are rumors of a person in the Muggle underworld of man named Dante," said Draco. He knew a lot about underworlds. After all, he practically grew up in the wizarding one and spent most of his adulthood stopping it. The Muggle one sounded almost as bad as the wizarding one.
"What kind of rumors?" asked Harry.
"The man known as Dante is one of the best Jack-of-All-Trades in the world," said Draco.
"What's that?" asked Harry as he and Draco started walking along.
"Well, I'm not so sure about that. Jacks-of-All-Trades do whatever their employers order them to do. I'm talking assassinations, theft, kidnappings—"
"Wait…that doesn't sound like Ron," interrupted Harry shaking his head. Draco pursed his lips because he was getting really annoyed with Harry.
"I'm only telling you what I found out," said Draco.
"And how did you do that?" asked Harry suspiciously.
"I have this," said Draco as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small vial with clear liquid inside.
"You gave the people you questioned Veritaserum? Are you mad?" asked Harry incredulously.
"It's not normal Veritaserum, Potter. I developed it myself while I was working in Northern Ireland. I don't make people drink it. You see, the vial has a special cap on it. I allow people to smell it without knowing it. It only effects Muggles, so I'll also known when I'm taking to a wizard or not," said Draco in a superior tone much like the one he used when they attended Hogwarts.
"That's still wrong," insisted Harry. He couldn't believe the gall that Malfoy had. Was he total devoid of ethics?
"Look, Potter, you're the one who's been given cases that make you look good. You've been given cases where you can openly brag about them. You weren't given cases with hopes that you don't come back alive," said Malfoy.
The truth was that Malfoy had a lot to prove to everyone in the Ministry of Magic. Professor Snape believed in him and put him forward to be an agent. The heads of the departments didn't trust him, so they purposely put Draco through the hardest and most dangerous cases. However, it didn't work in discouraging him or killing him, rather his success in the cases built his reputation.
"We can't just say this. We're supposed to be investigating Skye Jones' murder, but if this guy is Ron, then we could a major problem. And there's Hermione," said Harry with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses.
"That's why I thought you should know first. No way, I'm going to break this news to the Chief and her without knowing exactly where Weasley is," said Draco.
"All right. Oh, great. I just remembered: Hermione's investigating Dante herself. Okay, this is what we're going to do. She's a profiler, but she's not really profiling the real killer exclusively. So, we'll just tell Percy that we'll be investigating Dante, and have Hermione investigate the real killer. And knowing Percy, he'll try his hardest to keep Hermione at the offices back in England. And we don't have to show Percy this picture straight off, we'll just keep it to ourselves until we find Ron or Dante. Whatever his name is," said Harry musingly.
Draco was actually stunned at Harry's planning. "Well, I didn't know you had such a sneaky mind, Potter. That actually sounds like a good plan," he commented.
"I aim to please," said Harry in very sarcastic voice.
"So, you're the one who's going to do the taking with Chief Weasley. What about your friend? You're going to be lying to her," said Draco.
"I know, but I don't want to get her hopes up either. Do I have your word that you'll keep quiet about this for now?" asked Harry as he looked Malfoy straight in the eye.
"Yes. Like I said, I don't want to break this news to them myself. And I'd like to get Weasley back here as well. He can be your partner," agreed Draco.
*
Dante and Eden walked back to Dante's motel. Eden had no worldly possessions on her really. She had some money from jobs that she worked from place to place. She had a small pack of clothes that she took with her, but that was all. Dante let her have the bed, and he slept on the floor after much argument. He told her that they would move to another motel. Dante was very honest with her and told her what kind of work he did. Eden didn't allow herself to be disgusted or shaken by it; she didn't have that luxury.
Dante had a hard time going to sleep. He was having a strange dream. It wasn't like any of the other dreams he had before. It was different. He dreamt he was in a dark place where people were asking him questions, but he refused to give them any answers. They inject drugs into his veins. Later on, he could see himself strapped to something that looked like a dentist chair. There were straps that held his ankles, waist, wrists, and one around his temple to hold him down. Soon, he saw a huge needle coming at him. A mechanical arm was holding it and coming towards his neck. Dante struggled against the straps…
"Dante. Dante. Wake up. You're having a nightmare," whispered Eden as she gently shook him on the carpeted floor of the motel room. Dante woke up with a jolt and grabbed the gun he had underneath his pillow and pointed it straight at her face. She pulled back with a look of fright that really woke him up. He lowered his gun.
"I'm sorry. I'm not used to having anyone wake me up from my nightmares," mumbled Dante.
"It's all right. I get nightmares all the time, too. I should have known better," said Eden as she eyed his gun. Dante shoved it back underneath his pillow.
"What are we going to do now?" he asked her.
"You said that you woke up in a hospital in England? Why don't we start there?" asked Eden.
"Perhaps, we should start in Boston since we're already in America," said Dante.
Eden had a thoughtful look on her face and nodded in agreement. "I'm going back to sleep. We both should," she said as she stood up and went to the bed. She felt bad for putting him out.
Dante didn't know why, but he felt an instant familiarity with her. She reminded him of someone. Perhaps, someone from his past. He wasn't so sure. He looked at the band of gold on his finger again. No, he didn't feel any sort of attraction to her. She seemed like she need his help, and he felt like he needed to help her. She was small, and he was pretty sure that she was younger than him. His thoughts went back to Skye Jones at that moment. He still didn't' know why she was murdered by Brian Hunt. And now he had a chance to look for his past, but he wasn't ready to let Skye Jones's murder go just yet.
He lifted his head for a moment to look at Eden. She was sleeping so peacefully. He thought that she looked like a child because of the way blankets were wrapped around her in such a way that made her looked buried in them. Skye Jones was already dead, and Eden Martin was alive. Dante decided it was more important to help Eden Martin. Besides, he already knew who murdered Skye Jones, and he could deal with that later. Finally, he went to sleep again. This time without any dreams.
AN: Two chapters so quickly. My hand feels so much better. Who does Eden remind Dante/Ron of? Hmm. I'll leave that for you guys to guess. Yes, this is going to be a big mystery. And I had fun making up the conversation that Harry and Draco have. And yes, Draco does have some manners towards his superiors. It may seem strange, but he's worked hard to get to where he is, so it makes sense that he's so formal. Harry comes up with an interesting plan. And I've been getting a lot of interesting reviews lately. Thankies. I need the confidence boost after that horrifying Physics final. ^_~
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I do own this story. Please use with my permission. ^_~
