Harry rushed from the Ministry of Magic, apparating to the first place he could think of. Malfoy Manor.
After interrogating the house-elves, he soon realized that they weren't Draco's house elves, they belonged to whoever had bought the mansion. One of them, however believed that the old Malfoy elves were still sticking together, and shouldn't be too hard to find in Hogsmead. And so that was where Harry went next.
Rather than just search for the elves, he interrogated every person he met, found out who could be a possible suspect based how much they hated Draco and how far they were willing to go to have him done over. He spent most of the day tracking down the house elves, who were of absolutely no help whatsoever. After deciding that it wasn't them, he had narrowed it down to three different people who seemed to have rather large chips on their shoulders for the blonde. However, Harry couldn't be sure that the perpetrator was even among them.
"Well then, to Malfoy's demise!" Harry said as enthusiastically as he could manage, raising a cup of firewhisky and toasting to the two wizards and one witch he had selected. The three cheered and downed their glasses. Harry continued to get them drunk for the next hour, only sipping at his own drink every once in a while to give the appearance of drinking as much as they had. He was more than aware of how quickly time was slipping away.
By the time they all left, they were drunk off their arses and answering Harry's every question without hesitation or suspicion.
"Did any of you do anything to spoil Malfoy? I heard he's being executed later today."
"Really? That's the most brilliantly excellent thing I've heard all year!" The witch purred, hiccupping at the end of her sentence, raising her glass and drinking to Harry's words.
"No mate, I would never try anything against the prat, heard he's good with spells and stuff." One of the other wizards drawled, leaning heavily on Harry from drunkenness.
"What about you?" Harry asked the second wizard, who was oddly silent for a drunk.
"Well… it wasn't me personally who di-did it-" He paused for a moment and pounded on his chest. "But I overheard this bloke the other day, see he was gunna tryan like put money in Malfoy's volter sumthin… idunno how it would get im dead, but it worked I guess!"
Harry froze. "Who? Who was it?"
"Take it easy mate, idunno who 'e was. Erm… actually he was kinda ferm-fermilariliar but see I was drunk…" He stumbled over his words and Harry cringed from the alcohol on his breath.
"Well, what did he look like then?" Harry asked impatiently.
"I dunno…"
"It's important."
"Fine! He was like… stocky an-an loud, he had like red hair…"
Harry thought for a moment, then physically stopped. Oh Merlin he hoped the man hadn't just described Ron…
"Thanks." Harry flashed away, instantly at the doorstep of Ron's home. After their divorce, Hermione had been the one who lost everything. Ron had somehow kept the money, the house, and even the kids. It was no wonder Hermione hated him so much now.
Harry sighed and pounded on the door. "Open up, Ron!" He slammed his fist against it several more times when nothing happened. He glanced desperately at his watch, cursing how much time he had wasted in Hogsmead.
"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist!" Ron shouted from somewhere in the house, hurrying to answer the door as Harry continued to pound on it.
"Ron."
"Oh, hello Harry…" Ron dropped his gaze to the floor.
"What did you do?"
"What're you on about?"
"Malfoy, what did you do to him?"
"Are you drunk? I smell firewhiskey." Ron snapped, ready to close the door.
Harry stopped it with his foot, not even feeling the pain and tried to push it open further. "I-I had one glass, never mind that Ron, he's about to be executed for Merlin sake! He didn't do anything wrong, did you put that money in his volt?"
"Right, like I had a million galleons just lying around." Ron muttered, trying to close it again.
"But you know who did then? Otherwise you wouldn't know anything about it, nothing has been publicly released yet, Ron."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Like I'd tell you, and pass up an opportunity to see Malfoy done for. You know, thanks for reminding me, I think I want to go and watch his execution."
"RONALD!" Harry couldn't remember the last time he had called Ron by his full name, and it obviously pissed the ginger off.
Ron slammed the door in his face, narrowly missing catching Harry's fingers. Harry felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Either Ron, or someone Ron knew had put that money in Draco's volt. He just had no way of getting Ron to confess to that.
Harry beat on the door again, but this time Ron wouldn't open the door. "Ron! If you confess you can save him! I'll make sure they don't charge you with fraud! Ron, please, you can't let him die like this! Malfoy never did anything to you that bad in Hogwarts! Ron, grow up!" he pounded on the door again.
Ron flung the door open, eyes blazing. "The ferret was a git to us at Hogwarts, and now, here he is stealing Hermione from me."
"What?!" Harry spluttered.
"I saw them together, and I saw her go to Malfoy's place."
"For a party, Ron. We were all there, you were invited too-"
"He's stolen Hermione from me!"
"Oh Ron…" Harry shook his head sadly. "You and Hermione haven't been together for almost two years now. Don't blame Draco when he's only been in the picture for the past week. Don't let your anger be the death of an innocent man!"
"Innocent my ass!" Ron spat, ready to slam the door again.
"Ron! Please, all I need is a signed confession, and he won't be killed. Please Ron, I'll never forgive you, or myself if he is killed for no reason."
Ron glared at Harry, with full intents to watch him burn under his gaze. Slowly and carefully he put his face right in front of Harry's. "Read my lips Harry. Never going to happen." His breath was thick and hot against Harry's face, and then Harry was hut by a gust of wind as the door was slammed in his face again.
Harry felt a strange clenching in the pit of his stomach. What was he going to do now? He could try to forge Ron's signature, but he hadn't seen it in years, he wasn't sure how much it had changed. He could use the imperious curse on him, but he really didn't want to use an unforgivable, as they were traceable in this day and age. Besides, Ron could plead that Harry had falsified evidence against him and that wouldn't do Draco any favors.
Harry slid to the ground just outside Ron's house, hiding down between the bushes that Ron didn't look after now that Hermione was gone. They were grown in and the thorns poked into Harry's sides, but he didn't care. Glancing at his watch he bit his lip. He'd wasted a lot of time searching Hogsmead and trying to get those three to talk. Now he only had an hour before Draco would be executed, and nothing to stop it. he simply couldn't believe the day was already nearly done.
With a sigh, Harry apparated to the Ministry, requested to be allowed to see Draco before they executed him. Because he had been his defense in the trial, he had no troubles convincing the guards to let him in.
"Potter! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me!" Draco's relieved smile behind the bars of his cell was the first thing Harry saw as he turned the bend.
Harry's heart broke as he saw how Draco's eyes lit up with so much hope, and felt devastated at having to let him down.
"I… I'm sorry Draco. I couldn't… I couldn't do it. I didn't have enough time." He whispered, unable to look the man in the eye.
Draco's smile slowly faded, anguish suddenly in his sad silver gaze. He had to fight with every ounce of his being to not cry. He didn't want to cry in front of Potter. He wouldn't. He couldn't.
Harry watched as the wretched young man slid to the floor, his head leaned against the cold bars, his eyes filming over and staring glassily at nothing in particular. Harry crouched down beside him, the bars separating them, separating their fates. "Do you… want me to stay with you?" He asked quietly.
Draco glanced at him, misery in his expression. He hesitated, then nodded slowly, biting his lip and quickly turning away to desperately fight with his emotions where Potter couldn't see them. Harry sat as close to the boy as the bars would allow, indeed feeling younger than he ever had before. Draco wasn't even thirty yet. He still was a young man, with a boy's face and a much too broken heart.
Harry, not knowing what else to do, pushed his arm through the bars and held it out for a moment. Draco stared, then slowly raised his own and took Potter's hand, feeling reassurance through the warm squeeze. Who else but Potter would be willing to do this for him? Sit with a man damned by the Ministry and sentenced to die in the next hour? Only Harry Potter would have the heart to sit with a man on death row.
An hour was nowhere near long enough for Draco, and soon as he felt it begun, it was over.
A loud clang and creaky shriek alerted the two young men that someone else had entered the prison area. Harry turned to see a tall man clothed in black, his face covered and an ax resting threateningly on his shoulder. It was time.
Harry turned back to Draco, whose hand he still held. "Draco, I'm sorry for letting you down." He whispered, seeing how dull the light behind Draco's eyes had become.
Draco nodded numbly, not wanting his last thoughts to be about how he would have owed the rest of his life to Potter had he actually managed to save him. He stood and dropped his deathly grip from Harry's hand, feeling a shivering cold touch where the warmth and reassurance had once been.
The guards unlocked the cell, grabbed Draco roughly and tied his hands behind his back with muggle ropes, crushing his face against the stone wall so Draco had no chance to escape. Harry flinched when he heard Draco squeak in pain as the guards carelessly yanked him out of the cell, not caring that his head it the side of one of the bars, barely missing his eye.
Harry followed behind, not sure he wanted to see this and not sure if Draco wanted him to see this either, but he felt that abandoning the Slytherin now would be like taking an old dog to the vet and just leaving it there.
"Draco Malfoy, due to your failure to complete your tasks, as well as Harry Potter's failure to prove you innocent, you will be executed. Many anonymous witches and wizards have requested you be executed like the vermin you are, and therefore your request to be executed by way of lethal injection has been denied, you will receive the same punishment as any evil creature, because, my boy, that is what you deserve."
Draco soaked in every word, his body quivering as he stood ramrod straight, trying to at least be dignified in his death, and desperately trying to not feel the weight of the executioner's heavy hand on his shoulder.
Harry stood in the background, shaking his head slowly. They weren't even going to execute him humanely. They were going to use the same method they used for executing dangerous magical creatures. It was such an utter suffocation, and it was starting to piss him off how badly they were treating the man. Harry wasn't going to pretend he hadn't noticed the bruises on Draco's face, not to mention the way the executioner had smashed the butt of his ax against Draco's chest at least five times, probably more when he hadn't been looking. It was cruel.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the guards forcing Draco onto his knees at kicking him when he refused to go down. Finally, they managed to drag him down and shove his face down against the execution block. Harry tried to ignore the tears he saw on Draco's face, the terror in his eyes, the way his whole body was trembling. The two young men locked gazes and Harry dipped his head slowly, unable to look him in the eyes.
He flinched when the ax raised and looked away when it fell.
AN: Just so you know, this isn't the last chapter. Just keep reading, and go ahead and speculate. ;) This does not, however, reveal whether or not Draco will be alive in the next chapter, so the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update and the sooner your suffering may end.