The silence was tangible in the office. Harry would look at Ron who then looked at Ginny and then Draco and Lucius would trade glances as well. Snape was fairly screaming at Ron who was ignoring him.
At last Lucius seemed to come to a decision. "Just what was that about in the closet, Mr. Potter? I know you and my son have been at cross purposes before…what is the current problem?"
Harry dropped his eyes and muttered. "It was a mistake. I have no idea what possessed me to behave in such a matter. Please just punish me alone."
Draco dropped his wand in astonishment. " What the fuck, Potty? You shove me in the closet while I am stupefied and have your wand in my face and you expect me to believe it was a mistake? What the hell?
Did Peeves possess you like a little girl?"
Ron reached down and actually handed the wand back to Draco. Ginny was dumbfounded her brother had the wand in his hand and gave it back to the other side. How were they to get out of this one?
Harry flushed in both anger and embarrassment. Draco could push buttons which Voldemort could never have reached. As this notion struck him, setting here and comparing Draco to Voldemort….he laughed, and laughed till tears ran from his eyes and he rolled from his chair unto the floor. Some might consider it a reaction from the stressful situation which he had literally been in for years. However the other occupants of the room just looked at him with one thought: Harry Potter had lost his marbles.
" If one of you jinxed him with a tickle hex, then I suggest you remove it. I WILL get to the bottom of this." Lucius gritted out casting suspicious looks at both Ron and Ginny. "Just where is Mrs. Weasley…under that invisibility cloak perhaps?"
Draco looked up with an appalled face as he observed Harry's fit and replied. " She is still in the dungeon, the med witch was seeing to her after she was the victim of a spell or something Uncle Severus left in his rooms." The blond smirked at the faces the 3 Gryffindors now turned towards him. Harry's laughter dried in an instant.
Ginny piped in quickly before Harry or Ron would ruin it. " Harry may be under the effects as well he said he repeatedly called Ron by Snapes name the other night." she paused then added " I think they called it a disruption hex."
' Just what type of spell would you be referring to, Mrs. Potter?" Lucius had hoped for a rational explanation. What the hell were they babbling about? There were no such spells.
"Stop it. Before this gets out of hand stop it." Ron was pale and almost trembling as he stood.
"I fail to see where anything you say would be pertinent to the discussion at hand." Lucius was getting a migraine and rubbed his forehead as he ground out that last sentence to Ronald Weasley.
Harry composed himself and looked toward his friend, unsure actually as to which friend was in charge.
Lucius spoke in a measured tone, "I also do not want this to get out of hand, but anyone can see this is something other then they are attempting to portray. There are no residual hexes which exist after the death of a wizard. Curses are different but a set of rooms in a building like Hogwarts can not hold a curse either. Perhaps a small object inside those rooms might but that would be apparent in the first sweep of some very basic second year detection spells. I was head boy throughout my school career here and in Slytherin dormitories every type of jinx and hex were randomly thrown at us. My other infamous career was spent in constantly searching for things to irritate Dumbledore; such as the very type of thing you are attributing to my lamented friend. Hexes do not exist past the caster like that. Please try another excuse. Make it believable this time."
Draco looked at Ginny catching her eye. "Guess Granger was fucking my uncle after all. I knew I was ahead of her in potions."
Draco's head jerked back as Ron's fist connected to his jaw. "That is my wife you are defaming in my presence."
" Stop it." Lucius shouted.
Harry jumped up with his wand in hand. Ginny cringed beside him but also drew her wand.
" Sit down and lay your wands on the table and we will discuss this until the truth is revealed." Lucuis cast suspicious eyes on Harry but placed his wand on the table first. Harry set his beside it and Ginny handed hers up as well.
Draco was the most hesitant hanging onto his as Ron's new wand joined the other three. Lucius commanded "Draco," with one word.
Then several sets of eyes looked towards Harry as his rested on Ron.
Ron asked " If we asked you for a wand oath not to reveal this information, would you take it?"
Lucius and Draco looked at each other in surprise. They had expected to be dealing with Harry Potter not the side kick. Harry looked closely at Ron's eyes.
"You owe us life debts for Narcissa and Draco," Harry reminded them.
"I paid mine when I stood up with him." Draco challenged.
"You think that will be enough?" Ron answered coolly.
"I will not endanger my freedom by sheltering Voldemort if one of you are harboring him on the back of your arse, like that wretch Quirrell. Can you assure me it is not something illegal? As you are well aware I am being overly scrutinized by the Ministry as it is." Lucius was intrigued.
Somehow these Gryffindors were involved in something they had to keep secret.
" It isn't that type of illegality. More like something the wrong type of ministry official would make a name for himself by exploiting. A technicality more or less."
Lucius thought it over and it sounded as if one or more of them were concealing the fact that they had used an unforgivable. Perhaps these naïve kids thought they would be looked down upon for doing so.
The only way to find out was to agree, he caught Draco's eye and gave him a signal they had long ago worked out at the Death eater meetings.
Lucius saw his son agree in his downcast eyes. " I think it is fair to agree that we Malfoy's will hold this information close."
His father had guaranteed his wife and himself but couldn't hold Draco to the vow. It was a little known an much exploited loop hole.
Ron stood up and his stance changed. His shoulders were thrown back and he seemed to stretch himself taller. " Lucius, do you remember retrieving a certain volume from your wife's aunt's home before Sirius Black escaped Azkaban? A Grimore that was bound in human skin and written in blood?"
"Yes. The dark lord had requested that I retrieve it to enable him to gain control of the dementers. It had some nasty spells and advanced dark magic. It was then given to Severus Snape to research. Are you trying to say he found a way inside that to curse his chambers?"
"No, I found a way to extend both mine and Ron Weasley's life when we were both dying." Ron's mouth was talking but Snape was directing this conversation.
Both Lucius and Draco as well as Ginny Potter gaped at Ron Weasley wondering if he had come unhinged as well as Harry.
"It is I, Lucius, and I can prove it in my chambers…tonight." Ron Weasley's face and voice had never been more unlike himself as these words were spoken.