Luna and her father left the Burrow the day after, waving amicable goodbyes as they headed over the hill towards their home. George, whose shop re-opened from the holidays later that day, bid his siblings and younger friends farewell. Percy left his childhood home as well, with much fanfare about his new apartment in London.

"Living alone is dreary," He lamented, "But it's quite an accomplished feeling to live under a roof paid for by one's own wages."

"Goodbye, Percy," Ron said over him.

"Really, I must broach the subject of domestic relations with dear Penelope - poor girl still living with her parents-"

"Goodbye, Percy," Ginny said, "See you this summer."

"Oh, very well, see you later," Percy said airily, and after a quick kiss on his mother's cheek, Apparated away with a pop.

"That's that, then," Ron yawned, inching towards the stairs, "I want to try out that new thingamajig George gave me-"

"You think I haven't forgotten?" Molly chided, whipping out a piece of paper from her robes, "Boxing Day chores, as usual, Ron."

"Cleaning the coops?" Ginny wrinkled her nose, turning to her brother and his girlfriend. "That's a three-person job, we'll start with that."

"I'll show you how to de-gnome the garden," Harry said, gesturing for Draco to follow him outside.

"De-gnoming?" Draco said dubiously, and after they were out of Mrs. Weasley's earshot, added, "Isn't that a servant's job?"

"See any servants around here?" Harry responded, looping his scarf around his neck. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"If you say so…"

Snow, thin on the ground where people had trekked through it, still dusted the garden's greenery with coats of white. The trees standing nearby shivered in the wind, their branches stripped of nearly all their dying leaves.

Harry squinted into the bushes and spotted a couple of tiny, lumpy shapes squatting in the darkness, sheltering themselves from the cold. Draco bent down as well, watching as Harry suddenly grabbed one of the figures and lifted it into the air.

The gnome in his hand squealed in protest, shaking its large, potato-like head and swinging its bony feet. Draco regarded the unpleasant creature with a look of disgust.

"Grab them firmly and don't let them bite you," Harry said, raising his voice over the gnome's squeals. He flipped the creature over, grasped its feet, and began to swing it in a circle, faster and faster. With a slight grunt, the young wizard flung the gnome over the low, stone wall. "Not bad," Harry shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he watched the creature fly through the air and land a good fifty feet away. "Go on, give it a try."

Draco uncertainly grabbed a gnome from underneath the bushes and let it dangle by one foot.

"Spin it a bunch of times to get it nice and dizzy," Harry instructed, and Draco did so. "Once you've got enough momentum…Throw!"

Draco clumsily tossed the lightheaded gnome over the garden wall, and it landed about ten feet away. "Damn," The Slytherin said, lowering his outstretched arm. Behind him, a group of curious gnomes edged out of the bushes to see what was going on.

"You'll get the hang of it."

"I should certainly hope so. I can't let you beat me, can I?" Draco said, bending down to pick up a second gnome. Harry grinned in response and grabbed another as well, and the two young men continued to de-gnome the garden, throwing the small, ugly creatures as far as they could.

"Last chance," Harry said, panting. He had just performed a spectacular throw of nearly sixty feet, while Draco still had yet to pass the threshold of forty.

The Slytherin's brow furrowed as he picked up the very last gnome. "You're going down, Potter," He proclaimed, but then a white shape swooping in from the sky startled them both.

A beautiful, snowy owl flew down from the heavens, and Harry was reminded painfully of Hedwig. But this bird was slightly smaller than she had been, with distinctive gray markings in its feathers.

The owl stopped in front of Draco, flapping its wings to stay afloat, a letter clutched in its beak. Gnome still in hand, Draco took the note with a frown. The owl gave a confirmatory screech and sped away again, its pale shape disappearing into the bright sky.

The gnome took the opportunity to bite Draco with its razor-sharp teeth, and the wizard gave a cry, dropping the creature. "Son of a…" Draco inhaled sharply as crimson blood dripped from his hand onto the snow-covered ground. Shaking away the pain, he read the address on the letter, eyes widening in astonishment.

"What?" Harry asked as Draco's jaw dropped. "What, who's it from?" The Slytherin ignored him and opened the letter with anxious hands. His eyes sped over the message in less than a minute, his expression changing from surprise to concern to fear in a short period. When he was finished, he tossed the letter aside, and Harry caught it, curious to see what caused Draco to shake so violently.

Dearest Draco,

Your father and I are in St. Mungo's, recovering from an attack in October. Only now can I physically write to you - but do not reply as I am not supposed to contact anyone outside the hospital.

It causes me the utmost pain to tell you that your father and I will likely go to Azkaban. No matter how much he has tried to convince the Ministry of our innocence. I do not know what will happen to you, but I fervently hope they will let you off on account of your age.

What happened a few months ago, at our house, is a mystery to all of us. My memory is hazy, and my mind fractured; I fear I will lose even the wisps of recollection as time goes on.

The house holds the key to the truth, I'm sure of it. I do not wish for you to put yourself in danger, Draco, but the house holds the truth of what happened that night. If you go, you must not be seen by those who may still reside there. I shudder to think of what would happen if you were caught.

Stay safe, always.

Narcissa

Harry looked up from the letter to see Draco pacing back and forth in the snow, muttering to himself and running nervous hands through his blond hair. "I have to go…But they'll kill me…I need to find out what happened," He said quietly.

"Malfoy, you can't," Harry interjected, but Draco did not look up. No way he's going out there alone. Harry thought fiercely, He'll die. "Draco." The Slytherin caught his gaze then - terror meeting with concern. "It's too dangerous, you can't possibly go this second. We should let someone in the Ministry know to apprehend whoever's in there."

"Did you even read that letter, Potter?" Draco spat. "The Ministry won't be on our side. My parents…" Love struggling with hatred on his face. "They'll be shut up in Azkaban the second they're fully healed, thanks to whoever attacked our house. I need to know who did this so I can stop them. I need to know who was behind me, telling my- Lucius, what to do." Draco clenched his fists. His jaw was set.

"You're not going now?"

"There's no time! The second that owl gets back, my mother will be under suspicion, and the house will be searched, interfered with. I'd much rather find out what happened myself than let the Ministry twist the truth for me." Draco whipped out his wand and gripped it between his fingers. "I have to go. I'm sorry." His body jerked, then he disappeared with a pop.

"No!" Harry's heart leaped into his throat. He might not make it out alive. "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" He shouted, wand pointing towards the house. Shimmering fabric shot out of an open window, and he caught it deftly, spinning in midair and Apparating, Malfoy Manor looming in his mind with all the intensity of a nightmare.

• • •

Hurried footsteps echoed down the pathway as Draco sprinted towards the gate. Snow lay in piles on either side, watching him with icy disapproval. He made it to the gate and reached out, then a pop sounded behind him. Draco spun around immediately, wand outstretched, and came face to face with Harry Potter.

"You idiot!" Draco snapped, lowering his weapon. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not the idiot here," Harry said, holding out his cloak. "At least try to conceal yourself."

Draco huffed but allowed Harry to drape the garment over them both. "You're utterly insufferable, you know that?"

"Whatever, Malfoy," Harry gestured for Draco to open the gate. "Go on."

Draco placed his invisible hand onto the wrought-iron bars, which dissolved into smoke. The pair of them stepped through it, wands at the ready. The distance between them and the closed mansion door lessened with every step. Twenty feet. Ten feet. Five feet.

The doorknob twisted in Draco's grip, then stopped. Locked. "Alohomora," Draco whispered, and the door gave under his touch. With a deep breath, he crossed the threshold, Harry following at his heels.

A gathering of dust puffed at their feet as the door swung inwards. The spacious foyer and living room was deserted, furniture pushed to the sides, a layer of fine grey powder covering everything. The large windows, cloudy with grime, let only a few rays of precious sunlight stream through.

"Homenum Revelio," Harry whispered, and waited for the spell to pass through the house. "Nothing. Someone could be hiding, though…"

"This isn't right," Draco muttered, but he pulled the cloak off of them and straightened his posture. "They left?" Harry cautiously followed suit, eyes continuously roaming about for any sign of the enemy.

"Let's take a look around the house. See what's out of place." Then Harry remembered that this was not his house, and Malfoy Manor would likely have many things that seemed out of place to him. "Er…maybe we should stick together."

Draco sighed. "Yes. Let's start from the ground up. Follow me." He headed for a door embedded into the wall, and a chill ran through Harry's blood. He knew what lay behind that door: the stairs, digging deep into the bowels of the house, where Luna and Ollivander's grimy faces looked towards him for help, where Wormtail's silver hand clutched around his throat-

"I'll wait here," Harry said quickly. Draco paused, reading the trepidation on his face, and nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Draco's hurried footsteps echoed and faded away. Harry kept his back to the cellar door, wand out in case of a sudden attack. Dust motes floated down from the alcoves, drifting on beams of weak, grey light.

Draco returned soon, closing the door quietly behind him. "Nothing. Let's check the kitchen next."

The pair moved from room to opulent room; the empty vastness of the house spooked Harry, but he was glad that it at least appeared to be void of other people. The second and third floors were equally deserted and abandoned, everything exactly how the Malfoy family had left it.

Draco stopped at a room at the end of the final hallway, opened the door, and peeked inside. He hesitated at the threshold, not pushing the door open more than a crack. "Aren't we going in?" Harry asked. The Slytherin shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Yes," He said uncertainly, and they entered.

It was Draco's room. Three times the size of Harry's old bedroom back at the Dursley's, with a high ceiling, an adjoining balcony, a large four-poster bed draped in an emerald-colored comforter, a walk-in closet, a neatly organized desk and a fireplace on one end. A bulletin board took up about half of one wall, and Harry approached it curiously. He spotted a few newspaper clippings with bold headlines like Boy Survives Curse in Godric's Hollow; Triwizard Tragedy: Student Killed In Tournament Accident; Six Hogwarts Students Involved in Ministry Break-In…Harry thought he glimpsed his own face, eyes peering out from behind round-framed glasses - then Draco pointed his wand at the bulletin, and it immediately flipped itself over, presenting its blank side.

"What was that?" Harry asked Draco, who seemed embarrassed.

"Research, it was for…never mind." Draco's eyes looked away from Harry's and came to rest on the extinguished fireplace. He gave a little gasp and stepped closer, Harry following him closely. "Look."

A small object lay in front of the grate, so unobtrusive that Harry missed it the first time he glanced hastily around the room. It was a mask made of intricately carved wood, one of its edges charred, black, and appearing soft. The mask took the form of a snarling wolf, with two eye-shaped holes. The design, fearsome and familiar, was unmistakable.

Oh no. Harry and Draco exchanged a glance. The Slytherin's eyes were wide with shock. No…