A/N:

Dear readers,

I am moving, so I won't be able. to update for a week or two.

tsuj

Chapter 30: MLE (Malfoy's Lost Equilibrium)

Once they exited the floo and landed in the St Mungo's waiting lounge, things moved in a whirl. Draco remembered calling out, "It's Harry Potter! He needs help – NOW!" He remembered hands grabbing Harry from him and Harry crying and trying to keep hold of him. And he remembered being pulled away by a burley Nurse. Ackerly, of course. Draco heard Harry call for him and watched, as two Nurses and a healer got Harry onto a floating stretcher. Once he was prone, Harry turned on his side and curled up in a fetal position, covering his head with one arm.

"This time, I've got you dead to rights, boyo. You'll not get out of it so easily after this," Ackerly spat. Then he held his wand surrepticiously between himself and Draco and viciously cast, "Stupify."

~o~

Poppy Pomfrey shot an Alohomora at the lift doors before they reached level five. She stepped up to the floor and launched herself down the corridor to the end, where Harry's room was. Panting, she met Rose Chang in the doorway.

"Let me see him!" she cried breathlessly, as Healer Chang held up a staying hand.

"Harry's safe, Madam Pomphrey. But you look a fright,. Take a moment t'collect yourself. It won' do Harry good t'see you like this."

The words brought Poppy up short. She was still in her dressing gown and socked feet. Her hair must have been a sight, too. "Yes, Rose, of course." She transformed her nightgown and dressing robe into a dress and travel robes and conjured some shoes for her chilled feet. "Would you, mind, terribly? I'm no good at hair styling spells," she gestured to her hair, and Healer Chang cast a simple styling spell, resulting in a neat coif. Poppy felt her hair with her hand and nodded approvingly, as the Healer stepped aside.

Healer Chang explained, as Poppy approached Harry's bed, "We treated severe abraisions all over 'is body, and have given a dose of Noncononquino for 'is infection. Gave a mild calming draught, as well, so he's a bi' sleepy. "

Harry lay on his side, curled up. Poppy cast a diagnostic spell, but other than an infection in his scar wound, she could detect no injuries. He looked a fright, though, too. He had dark circles under his closed eyes and his mouth was held in a frown.

"Harry?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and he jerked back, clenching his eyes tightly shut. "Harry, it's alright now. You're safe at St Mungo's. "

Recognizing his caretaker's voice, Harry opened his eyes and blinked several times, adjusting to the light. "P-Pomfee?"

"Yes, Harry. It's me," she squeezed his shoulder gently. "I'm here. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you – ever again," she swore.

Harry gulped. "Da D-Darvey-yady say you gone away an' be so mad at me," Harry said tentatively. "A'cause I scatch my boo boo." Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked away, shame-faced, clenching the ends of his pyjama collar with his fists and tucking his chin into the top.

"I'm not sure what you mean Harry. What Lady?"

But Harry only whispered, "An Dayco finded me. An… he- he gone again."

"You won' have t'see that Draco boy ayver again, Harry. Don' you worry. He canna hurt you any more, " reassured Healer Chang.

"Hims no hurt you," Harry said earnestly.

"Tha's right," answered Chang, misunderstanding Harry's meaning. "He won' ayver hurt you or anyone ayver again."

~o~

"Right this way, Auror Smythe. I have him under a Stupify and a sticking charm, just in case." Euan Ackerly led the Auror into the exam room where he had sequestered Draco. "Shall I Rennervate him for you?"

"Yes, thank you, Nurse Ackerly. Our policy is to have medical staff perform all spellwork, when we conduct investigations on hospital premesis. It's important to follow proper procedures, I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, of course, Auror Smythe. Wouldn't have it any other way, heh, heh. Er-erm," he cleared his throat nervously. Ackerly wondered, could the Auror know he had bypassed all proper protocols, by Stupifying a patient. Ackerly had taken Draco straight to a corner exam room and floo called the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, without consulting his superiors first. Or, at all. He was worried that Healer Vanes would get word that his 'pet' patient was found, and then the little Malfoy brat would avoid incarceration again. Ackerly had followed Rita Skeeter's the 'Tales of Draco Malfoy' collumn in The Daily Prophet and had read with disgust how the boy had gotton off scott free. Then, worse yet, Ackerly himself, was forced to care for the little wretch. That boy was a no good Death Eater, through and through, and Ackerly knew it. So if he had to break a few rules to put Malfoy back in the hands of the MLE and see justice done, so be it.

"I can undo the sticking charm, as well, and you can take him away."

"Not so fast, Nurse Ackerly. I need to conduct my investigation first." Smythe was not going to bollux it up this time. Both Head Auror, Gawain Robards and Beatrice Portman, the Head of Smythe's department, had read him the riot act after his last encounter with young Malfoy, leaving him feeling like a debristled broom. He was not planning on giving them any reason to do so again. "What, exactly, is Mr Malfoy accused of doing?"

"Wha-? Well, he kidnapped Harry Potter and tortured him, that's what!"spluttered Ackerly.

"He what?" Smythe whipped a little chalkboard out of his robe and checked the MLE updates. "Hmph. Harry Potter's been found. Well, that's certainly good news." He tucked it back into its pocket.

"Good News?! Draco Malfoy kidnapped him! That's why he went missing in the first place! Malfoy's a known Death Eater. What more would you expect?" Ackerly scathed. "You need to take him into custody and keep him there, this time."

"Please calm down, Nurse." Smythe pulled out a scroll and a Never-out quill from another robe pocket. He set them in the air beside him, and the quill poised itself to begin writing. "I need to gather all the facts. Please state your full name and start from the beginning, and know that this is a deposition, requiring an oath of truth." In his Academy days, it irked Smythe that the MLE was not allowed to make witnesses take a full Wizarding oath. But he was quickly made to understand the dangers such a practice would engender. "What exactly happened?" he asked. If this Nurse was right, Smythe felt a promotion was surely in his future. "We at the MLE were aware that the two boys went missing at the same time. Every available Auror was involved in the search to find them." Every available Auror, except me, groused Smythe to himself. He had been put on long-term desk duty, after his last encounter with Draco Malfoy. Which only made him want to get it right this time the more. All his chalk update had said was 'Harry Potter found Alive'. There was no mention of the Malfoy boy.

"Well," Ackerly took a seat then, and perched on the edge of it. The quill began writing on the scroll, as he began. "Oh, my name. Euan Colm Ackerly. Erm, I happened to be in the waiting lounge when Malfoy and Harry Potter fell through the floo. Potter looked a wreck. Shredded pyjamas, skin raw all over and his scar wound from He Who Shall Not Be Named was dripping puss. Malfoy didn't have a scratch on him." Ackerly sat back and folded his hands in his lap. It hadn't been the complete story, but the salient points were made.

"And?" It appeared to Smythe that the Nurse was finished. What kind of evidence was that? Even the Never-out quill seemed nonplused at the brevity of the statement. It quivered in the air, awaiting further dictation.

"And what?" asked the Nurse.

"And… How do you know what happened? Did Potter tell you?" And Smythe pulled out his little chalkboard again, checking for new details , but there were none. And, as far as he knew, Harry Potter still possessed the mind of a young child, so any evidence given by him would not necessarily be admissible anyways.

"Well. Erm, no. Not as such." He looked nervously at the quill, as it recorded his words anew. "But it's fairly obvious what happened. Potter was a wreck and Malfoy didn't have a mark on him." Actually, Draco had had a small egg-shaped hematoma in the center of his forehead, but his clothes weren't in tatters like Potter's. He was 'mostly' untouched, so Ackerly felt it wasn't important to mention the head injury. Besides, he had healed it, before anyone had had a chance to see it.

Smythe asked what he thought was a fairly obvious question. "If Malfoy kidnapped Potter, then why would he harm him and then bring him back here?"

Ackerly, gave an exasperated huff. "Well, he is The Boy Who Lived. It was probably his accidental magic, which was powerful enough to get them back here."

"That's an interesting theory. I'd like for you to Rennervate Mr Malfoy here, and let's see what he has to say." Smythe thought of sending the Nurse away then, but felt it best to have a witness to his inquirey. On second thought, he wasn't so certain that Ackerly would be that reliable a witness. "Wait a moment, Nurse Ackerly. Hold that Rennervate, if you would. I understand that Mr Malfoy was a patient here, before the disappearance? Who was the Healer in charge of his case?"

"What does that matter now?" Asked the Nurse, sounding strangley desperate to Smythe's ear.

"I'd like for him or her to be present, when I question the boy." Smythe was surprised to see the Nurse's crestfallen expression. He looked positively deflated.

Ackerly let out a heavy sigh, adding credence to Smythe's observation. "It's Vanes. Perseus Vanes," he said, dully.

"Well please send for him, and then I can proceed with my inquiry."

Ackerly stood and trudged over to the high counter at the back wall of the room. He wrote out a message on a blue sheet of paper and tapped it with his wand. The paper folded itself into an aeroplane and flew out of the room through a small hole in the top of the door.

"That's new," commented Smythe, gestering at the hole in the door.

"Yes, last month we started using the Ministry's system for inter-departmental memos," explained Ackerly flatly, taking his seat again. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay after all. With Vanes at the helm of this 'investigation' the Malfoy boy was going to get off again. Did he really want to sit here and watch that happen first hand? He really didn't think so, but then, he wondered if he might be interviewed by The Prophet. Maybe even his favorite reporter, Rita Skeeter. That prospect made Ackerly sit up a little straighter in his seat and he decided he would stay – unless Vanes gave him the boot. Perhaps if he remained quite, the Healer would ignore him.

Only three or four minutes had passed before Healer Perseus Vanes came storming through the door. Ignoring the two men and the floating scroll, Vanes cast a diagnostic spell on Draco and then turned to the other occupants of the small exam room.

"Explain," was all he said.

Smythe introduced himself, "I'm Auror Smythe, with the MLE. Are you Healer Vanes?"

"I hope this won't take long, Auror Smythe. I need to get my patient back to his room."

Ackerly could not hold his tongue. "Back to his r-? This boy kidnapped and tortured Harry Potter!" he blurted.

Vanes looked at Ackerly the way one might look at a member of the Wizengamut dressed in a tutu. He arched an eyebrow and looked to the Auror for clarification.

"Well, that remains to be seen, Nurse Ackerly, as I said." Smythe looked exceedingly uncomfortable and he was embarrassed for the Nurse at his outburst. Turning to the Healer, Smythe continued, "I was actually awaiting your arrival, so that Mr Malfoy here, can be roused and questioned. He disappeared at the same time as Harry Potter, and the two have apparently reappeared together through the floo in the waiting lounge, here at the hospital."

"I was not made aware that my patient had returned, until now, " Vanes said lowly, giving Ackerly a withering look.

Smythe saw Ackerly visibly shudder and determined to tread carefully himself with this Healer. "Healer Vanes, as we are all here now, I would like to proceed with my investigation." He inclined his head towards the floating scroll and Never-out quill. "If you could please Rennervate your patient, I will try to get through this as quickly as possible."

"Indeed, my diagnostic showed that Mr Malfoy was Stupified. Was that your doing, Auror Smythe? Or perhaps it was you, Nurse Ackerly? You realize that is a dismissable offense…"

"Not if it's done in self-defense!"

"Nurse Ackerly, you made no mention of being attacked by Mr Malfoy in your initial statement. Do you wish to ammend your deposition?"

"Well, he would have, if I hadn't stopped him, first. You didn't see. He looked like a madman, screaming and shouting the place down."

By this time, Vanes had read the statement the Never-out quill had recorded. "Might he have been yelling for help," ground out Vanes.

Recognizing an interdepartmental battle, Smythe cut the Healer off. "One thing at a time, I think, Healer. If you please?" and he gestured to the still prone Draco on the exam table.

Nodding, but giving Ackerly one last steely glare, which promised an unpleasant future for the Nurse, Vanes pointed his wand at Draco. "Rennervate." He held his other hand out to steady the boy if needed.

Draco sat up in a rush, shouting, "Harry!" and looking around desperately. "Where's Harry? Is he alright?" Seeing Severus there, Draco stilled. Vanes put a hand to Draco's shoulder. Draco's Slytherin instincts taking over, he quieted and made ready to assess the situation. If Severus was here with him, than Draco felt certain that Harry was safe and in good hands.

"Draco," the hand on Draco's shoulder pressed down imperceptively to the eye. "This is Auror Smythe. He–"

"Thank You, Healer Vanes. I'll take over from here." Addressing Draco, Smythe continued, and the quill bagan writing again, "Mr Malfoy, I am Auror Smythe of the MLE. Please know that this is a deposition, requiring an oath of truth." Smythe tugged at his collar and hoped the Malfoy boy would not mention their last encounter. "You and Mr Potter have been missing from the current premeses for just over three days. Then you both return through the floo network. Please state your full name and explain: how do you account for your departure, your absence, and for your return?"

Draco gulped. His thoughts and memories of events were whirling incoherently in his head. The only thing that was becoming clear to him was that his memory of events was spotty at best. And what was Severus trying to communicate to him? The pressing hand and his steady gaze were reassuring. Draco decided to just tell the truth – or at least what he could remember of it. He took a deep breath and began. "Draco Lucius Malfoy." He blinked rapidly and gave his head a jerky shake. He couldn't think of his father now. He had to focus. "Bellatrix LeStrange entered Harry's room–"

"That's a lie, right there! I told you. He's a Death Eater, and you can't trust him," burst Ackerly, jumping up from his seat.

"What makes you say that's a lie, Nurse Ackerly," and Smythe silently cursed himself. He should not have allowed Malfoy to be interrupted this way, but his curiosity willed out in the moment. LeStrange was listed officially and in the papers as 'missing, suspected dead.' Did this Nurse have other information? "And after you explain that, You will not interrupt Mr Malfoy's deposition again. It that clear, Nurse Ackerly?"

Nodding sullenly, the Nurse sat back down. "There was a ward on Mr Potter's room allowing only hospital personelle and those recognized as 'family' to enter. Bellatrix LeStrange was neither of those, even if she was actually alive." He folded his arms, lifting his chin, smugly.

"If Mr Malfoy was in Mr Potter's room, then Bellatrix Black LeStrange could have entered. She is Mr Malfoy's aunt."

"She died in the Great Battle. Everyone knows that, so there's another lie for you, Vanes," spat Ackerly haughtily.

If there was one thing Severus Snape couldn't abide (and in fact, there were numerous things he couldn't abide, but this one galled in particular) it was unfounded self-rightousness. But before he could tear Ackerly down, Smythe cut in again.

"Stop. Both of you. Mr Malfoy will proceed with his deposition uninterrupted, or I will cast an MLE- issue Silencio. Is that understood, gentlemen?" The two men nodded, and Smythe gestured for Draco to continue.

"It was Bellatrix LeStrange. She's alive all right. I know my aunt, and it was her. She came into Harry's room. I heard the door open and panicked." He looked sheepishly at Severus, but went on. "I thought it might be Nurse Ackerly, so I hid under Harry's bed. I recognized my aunt's voice. I thought she was dead, too. But I knew that was her. She had come for Harry, and when she started to Apparate away, I grabbed onto her boot and went with them." Draco paused and so did the quill, which had been scribbling furiously.

"Water," Vanes said, and Smythe allowed this interruption, wordlessly.

Draco gulped down the whole glass the Healer had conjured for him and held it out for more, drinking half the glass again before proceeding. "She Stupified me," and Draco paused, suddenly remembering that Ackerly had done so, as well. "You Stupified me!" he accused. "Twice!"

"We'll get to that, later," promised Smythe. "Continue," he ordered.

"Sh-she used the stunning spell on me. She kept coming back and doing it again and again. And when she Rennervated me, I think a few days must have passed while I was under."

"What makes you say that?" questioned Smythe.

"I was parched, and starving. And… and I'd rather not say."

"Mr Malfoy, I am not interested in what you would and would not rather say. You are making an Official MLE deposition, and you will 'say' everything that transpired. Now continue," he ordered again, with force in his voice.

"My pants were soiled. Happy?"

"Young man, I've heard worse."

"You've done worse," snapped Draco, thinking of the last time Smythe had harrangued him. He felt Severus' eyes on him and he marshalled his emotions. Or he thought he had, but when he continued the story, there was a lump in his throat making it difficult to speak. "Anyways, when I came to, Harry wasn't there," he gulped. "She had him in a- in a cage. With a collar, a-a metal collar around his neck. He was so afraid," Draco took another swallow of water to get back some control. "I guess I grabbed for her wand and stunned her. I freed Harry and took him to the grate and we flooed here. That's all. Where is he now? Was he badly hurt?"

"He is well, and back on the fourth floor," said Vanes, just as Smythe spoke.

"That most certainly is not 'all', Mr Malfoy. How exactly did you get her wand, and where is she now?"

"I-I don't remember. She must still be at LeStrange Manor. I cast Incarcerus, I think."

Smythe whipped out his little chalkboard again and tapped it with his wand multiple times in code. "I've sent Aurors to the LeStrange place. If she's there, they'll catch her."

Draco didn't think so, but he kept that to himself. What had happened at LeStrange Manor? He kept getting flashes of images in his mind: dodging his aunt's boot, him carrying Harry, his aunt's wand pointed at him, portraits talking to him. Why would he be talking to portraits, of all things? He shook his head jerkily a few times to clear it.

"I think Mr Malfoy has had enough, Auror Smythe. As his Healer, I must insist you stop now. My patient needs rest from his ordeal."

Smythe very much wanted to overrule the Healer, but he was determined to stick strictly to the scroll, and he well knew the regulation that a Healer's orders could supercede an Auror's. He had enough information for the time being, and he would get more. Of that, he was certain. "Very well, Healer Vanes." At a wave of his wand and a mumbled, "Finite," the scroll rolled itself up and followed the quill back into Smythe's robe pocket. "We shall continue this in the morning." With that, he nodded to the two men and Draco and departed.

Severus turned to Ackerly, speaking in steely tones, "I suggest you make yourself scarce, Nurse Ackerly. You will be hearing from the head of your department by the end of the day." He turned his full attention back to Draco then. "Do you feel able to walk?"

Draco nodded mutely and slowly swung his legs over the side of the examination table. He hopped down and went through the door Severus held open for him.