A/N: The night isn't over yet!

THIRTY

Lost Girl

Draco had Apparated straight to their flat hoping to catch her there. He checked every room with a door and found the flat empty. He went to her old flat; the one she had kept for no reason at all. There wasn't any sign of her there either. He continued to Apparate between the two flats until midnight came and went.

He scribbled a note and left it on the coffee table in the hopes that if she did come back she would stay long enough for them to talk. He adjusted the wards so that he would be notified the moment she appeared. Then he stepped into the fireplace and called for Grimmauld.

Potter was on the floor in front of the couch, a bottle of scotch in his hand. He squinted at the sight of Draco and reached back onto the cushion for his glasses. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"Has Hermione stopped by?" he asked.

Potter snorted and lifted the bottle to his lips, wincing as the alcohol burned the cut there. "You and I both know she's never coming back here."

"She hasn't shown up at home or her old place," he said, taking in the sight of Potter's black eye, split lip, bruised cheek, and raw knuckles. "Where else would she be?"

Potter shook his head. He tried to get up, but let out a laugh when his legs refused to cooperate. "How the hell should I know? According to both of you, I was a shitty friend."

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sucked in a breath. "Merlin, Potter. Do you have any Sober-Up?"

Potter responded by raising his middle finger and taking another swig from the bottle. "You may have left early, but you saw enough, Malfoy. I have no intentions of being sober right now."

He moved quickly and grasped Potter's shirt before hauling him to his feet. He took the bottle from his grasp and set it on the side table. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation, Potter," Draco seethed. "Hermione has not been home since she disappeared from your soon to be former in law's house. She's out there somewhere doing Merlin knows what-" He stopped himself and pushed Potter back so he landed on the couch.

Potter scrubbed his face and then pointed towards the hall. "Third door on the first landing."

Draco found the bathroom and raided the medicine cabinet. He found three vials of Sober-Up and took them all. He cast an unbreakable charm on two of them before slipping them into his coat pocket and then returned to Potter with the third. He handed it to the other man and watched as he knocked it back He forced himself to remain calm while the potion took effect. When Potter was back to normal, he got to his feet and adjusted his clothes. He tried to fix his hair by running a hand through it, but it did little to straighten the mess.

"Have you checked with St. Mungo's or any of the Muggle hospitals in the area?" Harry asked, finding the cap to the bottle and putting it back on.

"No."

"We should start there. I'll owl St. Mungo's now." He used his wand to conjure parchment and a quill. "We can split up and take the Muggle hospitals one-by-one. We have a Ministry contact on duty at all times at each location." He conjured a badge and handed it to Draco. "Wave this at the scanner next to the emergency entrance and the contact will find you in the waiting room. Keep it visible. Only they can see it."

"And what if we find her while we're split up?"

Potter nodded and used his wand. Nothing happened for a moment before a flash of gold came whizzing down the hall and into Potter's hand. "They have a Protean charm on them. It's what we used for Dumbledore's Army. Do you know how they work?"

"Was I in your bloody club, Potter?"

"Right," Potter mumbled and then proceeded to show him how it worked. "At best, it should take us an hour to get through the hospitals. When you're done, let me know and we'll meet back here."

Draco hesitated before taking his leave.

The two of them met the other's gaze for a moment and Potter bowed his head. "I won't be a problem for the two of you. She's happy with-"

"I'll do whatever she wants until the end of time, Potter. So long as I find her alive at the end of the night. If that means she runs back to you; so be it."

"That's not-"

Draco Apparated to the first location before Potter finished his sentence.

Potter had been right; it had taken less than ninety minutes to get through his half of the list. However, for as relieved as he was for not finding her admitted as a patient, he was twice as worried about where she was. He refused to even entertain the thought of what her condition might be. As he departed the last hospital, he activated the coin the way Potter had taught him and then Apparated back to Grimmauld the moment the area was clear of Muggles.

Potter arrived a few minutes later. He shook his head in answer to the question he didn't need to ask. "Not at St. Mungo's either."

Draco pulled at his hair. He wracked his brain thinking of all the places she could be. He had only really seen her at her flat, the Ministry, or- "Theo Nott," he said.

"From school?"

He nodded. "We hang out on occasion. Last time I saw him, Hermione stopped by. She met a dealer named Garold there. Theo said she was an infrequent guest."

"Garold Cogmere?" Potter questioned. Draco shrugged, but didn't like the familiarity and distaste in the wizard's tone. "He's well known amongst the DMLE. He's a hard man to catch."

"That's not easing any worry."

"It shouldn't," he said with a frown. "Let's go."

Draco reached over and laid his hand on Potter's forearm before Apparating them to the street outside Theo's building. They made their way inside and knocked on the door. There was a brief moment before the door opened and someone he didn't recognized let them in. Draco frowned at the crowd in Theo's place.

"Nott around?" he asked the nearest person.

A few pairs of glassy eyes turned his way and nodded toward behind them. Draco took a look around those in the living room and then gestured for Potter to follow him towards the kitchens. He came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Pansy. Her eyes went wide with recognition as she slid off the counter and ran to him with open arms.

"Looking good, Drake," she purred, her fingers tapping his chest.

He pushed her away from him and let his eyes flicker around the room. "Have you seen Nott?" he asked. "Or Hermione?"

The smile on her painted red lips fell immediately and then did a double take at the sight of Potter behind him. "Too good for your fellow snakes now?"

"Pans-"

"I haven't seen Theo in a few hours," she answered, hopping back up onto the counter.

"Did he leave?"

Pansy responded with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulder and then lifted her bottle to her lips. Draco turned away knowing she wouldn't be of any help.

"She seems just as I remember," Potter said, loud enough to carry over the music and the chatter.

"Wrong, Potter. Time has only made her more of a bitch," he said over his shoulder as he led them down the hall towards Theo's room. He tried the handle first and found it locked. He curled his hand into a fist and then banged on the door. "Nott!" he bellowed. "Open up!"

Nothing happened at first, but after a few more shouts for his friend, the door opened. Theo crossed his arms over his bare chest and smiled at Draco and Potter. "Happy Christmas, gentlemen," he said.

"Hermione here?"

Draco saw a flicker in Theo's eyes and his own narrowed. He shouldered past the wizard and eyed the two witches groping each other on the bed. "I haven't seen her," Theo said as Draco turned back around to look at him. He was relieved to find that she wasn't one of the witches in Theo's bed, but the guilt in his friend's eye gave away another truth.

"Tonight, but did you see her last weekend?"

Theo sighed. "She's an adult, Draco. If she-"

He was cut off by Draco's fist in his face. He shook out his own hand and shoved Theo aside. "I'm tearing this whole place apart until I find her or some sort of a lead. I expect a message from you right away should you hear something or she pops up." He rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers. "And adult or not, the next time you give my girlfriend potions, I will kill you."

Potter stepped out of his way and then followed him. They opened the remaining doors and questioned whoever they found. Either she really hadn't turned up at Theo's house or everyone was too inebriated to remember her. Either way, as they made their way to the front door, neither he or Potter felt any better about coming here.

"Draco?"

He turned to see Daphne slipping through the crowd to approach him. He gave her a quick hug and then she nodded to Potter. "Daph."

"Pansy said you're looking for Granger."

"Have you seen her?"

"She was leaving when I came here. Probably about an hour ago."

Draco exchanged a look with Potter before looking back at Daphne. "Do you know where she was headed?"

"Not sure exactly. She was with Amaryllis and a few others. They were talking about some sort of get together at…" Her voice trailed off and her nose wrinkled as she fought to remember. "Oh, uh, something called The Ravyn?"

Draco shook his head and looked at Potter again. He did not like the alarm he saw in his emerald eyes. "Do you know where it is?" he asked.

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"Was she alright?" he asked Daphne.

"She wasn't any better or worse than when I normally see her," she replied, placing a hand on his bicep and giving it a squeeze. "I hope you find her."

Draco and Potter took their leave. The moment they were in the hall, he turned to his former rival. "Spill."

"Seedy Muggle club downtown. Known for all sorts of illegal activity. Flat above is owned by some seedy wizards. They use the club as cover for their Dark dealings. The Ministry has never been able to do anything it's so well guarded." He shook his head. "She's in trouble if she's there."

The moment they were able to Apparate, Potter placed his hand on Draco's forearm and whisked them away to the closest safe point they could get. They then walked the few blocks towards the club and stood outside of it for a moment.

"Think they'll let us in?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged and let his eyes drift down to Draco's left forearm where the knew the Dark Mark still lingered. "They might recognize us, but that will surely allow us entry. We'll just have to work quick to find her."

Draco nodded and they made their way to the entrance. Had the night still been young, he was sure the line would have been out the door and around the street. As it was, they were able to walk right up to the bouncer.

"Name?"

"No names," Draco said, pushing up his sleeve.

The bouncer cocked a brow at him and then nodded towards Harry.

"My guest. We won't be long."

The man stared at them for a moment longer and then inclined his head. They didn't hesitate to take the man up on the invitation and scurried inside before he could change his mind. They paused once inside the club and scanned the room. There was a decent crowd and a fair bit of space to cover.

"Let's split up. Activate the coin if you find her," Potter said and disappeared to the right. Draco nodded and veered left.

With it being a Muggle venue, Draco had to be careful. He stowed his wand up his sleeve so that it was at the ready should he need it. He kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary as he picked his way through the remaining party-goers. There were a few doors near the bar at the back, but the closer he got, the more he realized it was security that lingered there. He refocused on the crowd, trying to recognize anyone from the wizarding world.

It happened all at once.

He glimpsed a familiar face; one he thought might be Garold. He wasn't sure from the distance and the fleeting glance he had gotten, but his gut told him he wasn't wrong. Next there was a small shriek from his left followed by a girl bolting from the bathroom. As he moved towards the bathroom, the coin heated in his pocket.

He and Potter emerged from the crowd at the same time. Draco rushed forward and the door opened with a deafening bang. There was a pair of feet that filled his vision along with a small trail of blood across the white tile floor. His gut wrenched as he took the next two steps. He and Potter both uttered a string of curses at the sight of Hermione passed out on the floor, a deep gash on her forehead. He pressed his fingers to her neck and nodded at Potter, confirming a pulse.

"Apparate now," Potter demanded. "I'll meet you at St. Mungos."

Not needing to be told twice, he gathered Hermione in his arms and then whisked them to the hospital.