The next few moments passed by as if each second was a decade. Draco Malfoy
was escorted away after slight protest. He merely opened and closed his
mouth, trying to will words to come out. Harry Potter stood back and
watched with a deep down distress he didn't want to acknowledge. This could
not be right. Why was Malfoy not fighting? Harry had observed Draco
Malfoy's behavior for five long, and not to mention gruesome, years. Draco
Malfoy did anything but go willingly with what he was supposed to do.
Harry's head fell. He was definitely over analyzing this. He pretended to know more about Draco Malfoy then he really did. He was a spoiled brat. He probably didn't want to mess up his hair in some kind of a chase down. Certainly he could have run.
And he could have put up a good fight, too.. Harry thought in retrospect.
The last seconds past as Draco Malfoy's face was too far away for Harry to see anymore. The last thing he could make out in his face was that he had gone a paler shade of. well, pale.
This is just too much.
The Gryffindor boy stood and listened as yells and loud voices were heard over the silence of the coldness of the outside. They were taking him into one of the lower dungeons, Harry could bet a galleon on it. Hermione had once told him that over 500 years ago, the shackles in the dungeon rooms were used for very naughty students. After the experience with Sirius Black escaping from a teacher's office, they would never think to use one again.
This is so wrong.
This isn't wrong. The little snot got what he deserves the most - a sentence in Azkaban. The good part of Harry's mind echoed.
But what if he didn't do it? He looked so innocent - I mean, he was so pale.
He's always pale, even when he's being nasty to you and your friends. So what does it matter?
Kidnapping Dumbledore? How could a 6th year kidnap the greatest wizard today? Sure, Malfoy may be a good student, but I doubt he could hold a fight, magical or not, against Dumbledore.
You think too much. He did it. That's all there is to it. He's a Malfoy. What are you going to do, ask him if he did it?
Yes.
Harry stiffed his shoulders in resolution and walked back into the castle. After dinner, he would go to where Malfoy was being held, and simply ask the blonde Slytherin. A part of him could not believe it, and he couldn't just let the opportunity pass. He would simply ask Malfoy what happened, ask him a few questions to be sure of the answer, and it would be done.
Harry also knew that the Aurors would use any means possible to get answers out of Draco Malfoy: whether it is a truth potion or the cruciatus curse. Harry knew what it was like to be under the cruciatus curse all too well. A dull pain in his chest erupted from the thought of the numbing pain that the cruciatus curse held.
And they would use it on Malfoy.
No matter how rotten the kid may be, no one deserved the cruciatus curse. What would be left of Malfoy for him to question after they got through with him? The curse was enough to drive a person insane. Harry knew he had to get there quickly, before the Aurors started questioning him. There would be no sane part of Malfoy's mind to answer the questions Harry needed answering.
With a sigh, Harry walked slowly into the doors of Hogwarts.
By dinnertime, the school was buzzing with gossip and opinions.
"I think he did it. Look at him, he's a Malfoy. His father is into all the Dark Arts.. And probably in leagues with You-Know-Who! Everyone knows that!"
"I heard he looked guilty when they brought him in. That he was kicking and screaming and saying things like ' You'll never take me alive!'.. Nasty little thing he is."
"Malfoy? Take on Dumbledore? No chance. I once saw Dumbledore taking on a huge magical mountain goat, and let me tell you.."
"Just take one look at him and tell me he didn't do it. He's a muggle hating, good for nothing-"
"Ha. They finally got him at last."
"I knew it was an inside job.."
Harry was quiet throughout dinner, listening in on what people were saying. Maybe they knew something he didn't - but Harry suspected the only ones who would know more was the Slytherin table. He listened closely to their chatter with Hermione eyeing him curiously all the while.
"Did you hear what they did!?" Harry heard Pansy Parkinson screeching from across the hall. Harry suspected everyone could hear and identify her within the Great Hall. "They took my Draco away! And for what!? Kidnapping Dumbledore!? If anyone was going to kidnap Dumbledore, it would be-"
"Pansy, shut up for once and keep your voice down", said a lower voice, which Harry recognized as Blaise Zabini.
"Don't tell me to shut up. This is an outrage and I will not stand for it. I'm going to see him after supper, and those aurors can't stop me."
"I heard no one's allowed in to talk to him. He's being isolated until people have been questioned. They've already questioned Crabbe and Goyle, so I suspect it's okay for them to talk to him.."
"I heard they have 8 aurors guarding the dungeons.." whispered Millicent Bulstrode. A whisper for Millicent was almost the same as a regular tone for the rest of the population.
"For what?" Blaise hissed. "He's not going anywhere. Except for Azkaban."
Harry heard a furious screech belonging to Pansy as a furious commotion broke out at the Slytherin table. He turned his head slightly to see Hermione still eyeing him with curiosity.
"What did you hear?" she asked softly.
Harry shook his head and frowned. "Looks like they're all against him too. Except for Pansy, of course. But she doesn't really count on the grounds that she's not human."
"Amen to that." Ron chimed in. "I saw Blaise's lips moving but I didn't catch a word he said. Did you?"
Harry shook his head. Of course he had told Ron and Hermione all that had happened between him and Malfoy before and during the incident. Hermione had agreed with him that there could be a possibility that Malfoy was innocent, but Ron had promptly told them both that they were completely mad and Malfoy was as guilty as Peter Pettigrew. Hermione had slapped him upside the head and yelled at him for being so close-minded.
Harry sighed with resignation and vowed that he would make it into the dungeons tonight to question Malfoy. It would be a very hard task because trusting certain answers the blonde boy gave him would not be wise - Harry had always known Draco Malfoy to be a liar.
Harry snuck around after supper, trying to make his way upstairs to gather his invisibility cloak up so neither Ron or Hermione would suspect him. He absolutely knew that they would not allow him to go alone to talk to Draco Malfoy. Hermione would nag and nag him about how it was not safe, and she did not want him to get hurt, and Ron would no doubt make up some story about Malfoy trying to kill him and eating his skin.
After studying with Hermione for a while and playing a game of chess with Ron, Harry made up an excuse that he wasn't feeling good.
"I think that chicken was foul.." Harry moaned, placing his hands on his stomach and squinting his eyes for effect.
"I ate it and I'm just fine", Ron said.
"Aw, is ickle baby Harry sicky?" Fred cooed from behind him.
"Does baby have a tummy ache?" George joined in, putting on a big frown.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Is it against the rules to be sick? Am I breaking some unknown international statute?"
"Yes. You are under violation of the Sickness Code, section 2, paragraph 4, sentence one, which clearly states that this is not allowed. Your punishment is either to stay and play Exploding Snaps, or we will promptly have Ginny whip you, much to her enjoyment."
Harry heard Ginny squeak from somewhere behind him.
"So" Fred continued. "What do you say?"
"I say you are all completely mad", Harry said plainly and quickly took off towards the dorm. As much as he liked to hear jokes from Fred and George, now was the wrong time.
The Aurors must have had him in captivity for hour's now..
Harry frowned. There wasn't much time left.
He threw the invisibility cloak over his thin body and made his way down the stairs and through the Common Room. It was quite a task dodging between everyone, even harder still because Harry decided to take the long way to avoid Ron and Hermione. If he accidentally bumped into them, they'd know instantly it was him.
He quietly stepped through the portrait hole, having to wait for someone else to come though. When he finally got out, Harry let out a deep sigh. Wasting no time, he quickly made his way down to the dungeons past what had to be every teacher in the school. All were deadly silent and did not notice his passing. Ms Norris was no where in sight.
He came to the hallways of the dungeons where he stopped dead.
Three Aurors were sitting in front of a massive open doorway. Sweat dripped down Harry's forehead as he tiptoed over to peer into the doorway, making sure to keep his distance from the Aurors. All that could be seen was a darkness as black as night.
"Crabbe and Goyle had nothing to say", commented one Auror suddenly. This Auror had a somewhat cheerful voice and dressed in a long emerald green robe.
"I'm sure they know something. I've just heard from many Gryffindor sources that Crabbe and Goyle seem very loyal to Draco", said another Auror dressed in a much darker robe. It was tattered and old looking, much like his face.
"Patience. They're just children. Once we give them reason to tell us information, they will. I've heard that they're quite cowardly. And not from Gryffindors, either", said the last Auror, who was an older woman with a face not unlike Professor McGonagall.
"Thank God Harry Potter is safe. According to that one boy, Malfoy had it out for him as well. We're thankful he didn't try anything. But, after all, Dumbledore is the larger threat to You-Know-Who", muttered the cheerful one.
"Safe? You think that boy will be safe for long? Let me tell you-he is the next target. We're lucky we caught this Malfoy kid when we did. It's good fortune that that doof of a Knight in the painting saw what he did. Saw Malfoy coming out of Dumbledore's office late at night, remember? Who else could it be? I bet this kid knows a lot more of the Dark Arts then he lets on. Look at his father for Merlin's sake. His father must know every Dark Curse that there is to know. Obviously, the Malfoy boy let in a load of Death Eaters, including his father, and Dumbledore didn't stand a chance. Probably used a Port Key of some sort", said the old crooked Auror.
"I agree with you 100%. I hope the Ministry will put into action a plan that will keep Harry Potter safe", said the cheerful one. They continued to talk for a while longer, drifting off the topic Harry was most interested in and into a conversation about how they had once captured a number of Death Eaters.
Harry knew he had to get them away from that doorway. He dug into his pocket carefully and pulled out an Exploding Snap. He tiptoed slowly over to another huge doorway and with his Seeker's speed, lit the exploding snap, and tossed it deep into the hallway. It exploded with a huge booming noise that instantly ended the conversation between the 3 Aurors. Taking out their wands, they rushed straight past Harry and into the other dark corridor.
Harry ran as fast as he could over to the hallway where he assumed Malfoy was being held and disappeared into the darkness. He had to have been running for minutes, because by the time he reached a sole torch casting a gentle light on a wooden door, he was breathing so heavily he felt he would fall over.
"Alohomora", Harry said softly after having caught his breath for a minute. With painstaking slowness he opened the door and stepped inside. He shut the door quickly before turning around to see Draco Malfoy-looking at the same space he was standing on. He seemed to be starring right at him, but Harry knew he could not see him.
"Who's there?" asked Malfoy in a steady voice. Malfoy was sitting in a small wooden chair, back perfectly straight. One of his hands was at his side, but the other, Harry noticed, was jammed inside his robes almost as if he was looking for his wand.
Harry starred at Malfoy for a second longer before slowly removing his invisibility cloak. Malfoy's eyes widened as Harry took a step towards him.
"Hello Malfoy", Harry said as if this were some sort of normal conversation.
"Potter? What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Draco hissed. Draco had known Harry Potter was a good for nothing rule breaker, but this was just too much. He starred at Potter for a long moment, remembering how good it was to see someone. He was so lonely in this room. This room seemed to haunt him, and he prayed to Merlin that no signs of fear showed on his face. Although he was a Malfoy, trained in acting a certain way, keeping a cold face, and carrying himself in a very smug manner, sometimes things always came to the surface.
"I came here to ask you a few questions, Malfoy", Harry said plainly.
"Questions? I've already been asked enough questions. I should have figured everyone was convinced by now that I did it", Draco said in a cold voice.
Harry stood silent for a minute. "Not everyone thinks you did it, Malfoy." Harry shifted on his feet. "I mean, I don't think you did. You may have a few good skills, Malfoy, but there's no way you could take out Dumbledore. There's no way you and a hundred other Death Eaters could take out Dumbledore", Harry said.
Draco now shifted in his seat. "You're the only one" he scoffed. "Even the Slytherin's think I did this, or so I hear. Now it's my turn to ask you a question, before you get started. Why don't you think I did it? After all this time, I'd think you'd already believe I have a heart of pure evil. Doesn't my name speak for everything?"
"A name isn't everything", Harry said softly. "I don't think you could have done it. Simply because, I know you're scared of Hagrid. And I know you're scared of Dumbledore. You can sit here and tell me you're not scared of either, but I can see it every time I see you look at Dumbledore. You're smart enough to know what he's taken on in his lifetime, and you probably know why Voldemort is scared of him. I also think you're a coward, and you'd be too afraid of getting killed to get into some big conspiracy like this. So, now you tell me, what do you think happened?"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "I am nothing but a coward. What do you.. You think I'm scared of Dumbledore? That's just.. Oh how.. That's so bloody ridiculous."
"Like I said, you're smart enough to know what he's capable of. You might be a rotten little ferret, but you've got to know that much."
"I'll thank you not to call me a ferret", Draco said stiffly. "I'm not scared of him. I just don't want to mess with him. Or hit him with anything. Or have him pull his wand on me. Is that so unusual?"
Harry smirked. "No. I don't think anyone wants to mess with Dumbledore. But we have to try to find out who did."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I know something? All I know is that they took me away and threw me in here for a crime I couldn't have committed."
"Really? Well then, why don't you tell me why the knight in the painting saw you leaving Dumbledore's office late at night, the night he disappeared?"
"Knight? What knight? That Sir Grey Poupon Knight that goes on missions and thinks he's a savior to all damsels in distress? Hardly. I went into Dumbledore's office, yes. I won't deny that", Draco said calmly. "But I don't think I was the last one in that office."
Harry took another step forward. "Do you have any idea who was?"
The pair starred at each other for a second, each questioning themselves in their minds.
Come on, Draco. Why should you tell this Gryffindor anything? He'll probably only turn it against you. And pin this on you. Think of the Malfoy motto: 'All for me and me for all'. Sure, it might be a bit selfish, but it's helped you out. well, once in your lifetime. I mean, come on, that time with Pansy it did the world of good..
What are you thinking, Harry? He's lying. Every word out of his mouth is lies. How can you be listening to this? Even if he does know anything, he won't tell me the clean truth. He'll throw some kind of lies in with it. Believe half of what he says.
"I think it may have been. Oh, who am I kidding. I have no idea", Draco said smoothly. Draco was not going to lie, so he was going to not say anything.
"I don't believe you."
"Believe whatever you want, Potter. But I have other plans in mind", Draco said with a smirk. "But believe me when I say, that if you move, I will kill you" he finished, pointing his wand straight at Harry's neck. "Now, be a good little Gryffindor and hand me your wand before someone gets hurt. And that someone will most likely be you."
Harry's head fell. He was definitely over analyzing this. He pretended to know more about Draco Malfoy then he really did. He was a spoiled brat. He probably didn't want to mess up his hair in some kind of a chase down. Certainly he could have run.
And he could have put up a good fight, too.. Harry thought in retrospect.
The last seconds past as Draco Malfoy's face was too far away for Harry to see anymore. The last thing he could make out in his face was that he had gone a paler shade of. well, pale.
This is just too much.
The Gryffindor boy stood and listened as yells and loud voices were heard over the silence of the coldness of the outside. They were taking him into one of the lower dungeons, Harry could bet a galleon on it. Hermione had once told him that over 500 years ago, the shackles in the dungeon rooms were used for very naughty students. After the experience with Sirius Black escaping from a teacher's office, they would never think to use one again.
This is so wrong.
This isn't wrong. The little snot got what he deserves the most - a sentence in Azkaban. The good part of Harry's mind echoed.
But what if he didn't do it? He looked so innocent - I mean, he was so pale.
He's always pale, even when he's being nasty to you and your friends. So what does it matter?
Kidnapping Dumbledore? How could a 6th year kidnap the greatest wizard today? Sure, Malfoy may be a good student, but I doubt he could hold a fight, magical or not, against Dumbledore.
You think too much. He did it. That's all there is to it. He's a Malfoy. What are you going to do, ask him if he did it?
Yes.
Harry stiffed his shoulders in resolution and walked back into the castle. After dinner, he would go to where Malfoy was being held, and simply ask the blonde Slytherin. A part of him could not believe it, and he couldn't just let the opportunity pass. He would simply ask Malfoy what happened, ask him a few questions to be sure of the answer, and it would be done.
Harry also knew that the Aurors would use any means possible to get answers out of Draco Malfoy: whether it is a truth potion or the cruciatus curse. Harry knew what it was like to be under the cruciatus curse all too well. A dull pain in his chest erupted from the thought of the numbing pain that the cruciatus curse held.
And they would use it on Malfoy.
No matter how rotten the kid may be, no one deserved the cruciatus curse. What would be left of Malfoy for him to question after they got through with him? The curse was enough to drive a person insane. Harry knew he had to get there quickly, before the Aurors started questioning him. There would be no sane part of Malfoy's mind to answer the questions Harry needed answering.
With a sigh, Harry walked slowly into the doors of Hogwarts.
By dinnertime, the school was buzzing with gossip and opinions.
"I think he did it. Look at him, he's a Malfoy. His father is into all the Dark Arts.. And probably in leagues with You-Know-Who! Everyone knows that!"
"I heard he looked guilty when they brought him in. That he was kicking and screaming and saying things like ' You'll never take me alive!'.. Nasty little thing he is."
"Malfoy? Take on Dumbledore? No chance. I once saw Dumbledore taking on a huge magical mountain goat, and let me tell you.."
"Just take one look at him and tell me he didn't do it. He's a muggle hating, good for nothing-"
"Ha. They finally got him at last."
"I knew it was an inside job.."
Harry was quiet throughout dinner, listening in on what people were saying. Maybe they knew something he didn't - but Harry suspected the only ones who would know more was the Slytherin table. He listened closely to their chatter with Hermione eyeing him curiously all the while.
"Did you hear what they did!?" Harry heard Pansy Parkinson screeching from across the hall. Harry suspected everyone could hear and identify her within the Great Hall. "They took my Draco away! And for what!? Kidnapping Dumbledore!? If anyone was going to kidnap Dumbledore, it would be-"
"Pansy, shut up for once and keep your voice down", said a lower voice, which Harry recognized as Blaise Zabini.
"Don't tell me to shut up. This is an outrage and I will not stand for it. I'm going to see him after supper, and those aurors can't stop me."
"I heard no one's allowed in to talk to him. He's being isolated until people have been questioned. They've already questioned Crabbe and Goyle, so I suspect it's okay for them to talk to him.."
"I heard they have 8 aurors guarding the dungeons.." whispered Millicent Bulstrode. A whisper for Millicent was almost the same as a regular tone for the rest of the population.
"For what?" Blaise hissed. "He's not going anywhere. Except for Azkaban."
Harry heard a furious screech belonging to Pansy as a furious commotion broke out at the Slytherin table. He turned his head slightly to see Hermione still eyeing him with curiosity.
"What did you hear?" she asked softly.
Harry shook his head and frowned. "Looks like they're all against him too. Except for Pansy, of course. But she doesn't really count on the grounds that she's not human."
"Amen to that." Ron chimed in. "I saw Blaise's lips moving but I didn't catch a word he said. Did you?"
Harry shook his head. Of course he had told Ron and Hermione all that had happened between him and Malfoy before and during the incident. Hermione had agreed with him that there could be a possibility that Malfoy was innocent, but Ron had promptly told them both that they were completely mad and Malfoy was as guilty as Peter Pettigrew. Hermione had slapped him upside the head and yelled at him for being so close-minded.
Harry sighed with resignation and vowed that he would make it into the dungeons tonight to question Malfoy. It would be a very hard task because trusting certain answers the blonde boy gave him would not be wise - Harry had always known Draco Malfoy to be a liar.
Harry snuck around after supper, trying to make his way upstairs to gather his invisibility cloak up so neither Ron or Hermione would suspect him. He absolutely knew that they would not allow him to go alone to talk to Draco Malfoy. Hermione would nag and nag him about how it was not safe, and she did not want him to get hurt, and Ron would no doubt make up some story about Malfoy trying to kill him and eating his skin.
After studying with Hermione for a while and playing a game of chess with Ron, Harry made up an excuse that he wasn't feeling good.
"I think that chicken was foul.." Harry moaned, placing his hands on his stomach and squinting his eyes for effect.
"I ate it and I'm just fine", Ron said.
"Aw, is ickle baby Harry sicky?" Fred cooed from behind him.
"Does baby have a tummy ache?" George joined in, putting on a big frown.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Is it against the rules to be sick? Am I breaking some unknown international statute?"
"Yes. You are under violation of the Sickness Code, section 2, paragraph 4, sentence one, which clearly states that this is not allowed. Your punishment is either to stay and play Exploding Snaps, or we will promptly have Ginny whip you, much to her enjoyment."
Harry heard Ginny squeak from somewhere behind him.
"So" Fred continued. "What do you say?"
"I say you are all completely mad", Harry said plainly and quickly took off towards the dorm. As much as he liked to hear jokes from Fred and George, now was the wrong time.
The Aurors must have had him in captivity for hour's now..
Harry frowned. There wasn't much time left.
He threw the invisibility cloak over his thin body and made his way down the stairs and through the Common Room. It was quite a task dodging between everyone, even harder still because Harry decided to take the long way to avoid Ron and Hermione. If he accidentally bumped into them, they'd know instantly it was him.
He quietly stepped through the portrait hole, having to wait for someone else to come though. When he finally got out, Harry let out a deep sigh. Wasting no time, he quickly made his way down to the dungeons past what had to be every teacher in the school. All were deadly silent and did not notice his passing. Ms Norris was no where in sight.
He came to the hallways of the dungeons where he stopped dead.
Three Aurors were sitting in front of a massive open doorway. Sweat dripped down Harry's forehead as he tiptoed over to peer into the doorway, making sure to keep his distance from the Aurors. All that could be seen was a darkness as black as night.
"Crabbe and Goyle had nothing to say", commented one Auror suddenly. This Auror had a somewhat cheerful voice and dressed in a long emerald green robe.
"I'm sure they know something. I've just heard from many Gryffindor sources that Crabbe and Goyle seem very loyal to Draco", said another Auror dressed in a much darker robe. It was tattered and old looking, much like his face.
"Patience. They're just children. Once we give them reason to tell us information, they will. I've heard that they're quite cowardly. And not from Gryffindors, either", said the last Auror, who was an older woman with a face not unlike Professor McGonagall.
"Thank God Harry Potter is safe. According to that one boy, Malfoy had it out for him as well. We're thankful he didn't try anything. But, after all, Dumbledore is the larger threat to You-Know-Who", muttered the cheerful one.
"Safe? You think that boy will be safe for long? Let me tell you-he is the next target. We're lucky we caught this Malfoy kid when we did. It's good fortune that that doof of a Knight in the painting saw what he did. Saw Malfoy coming out of Dumbledore's office late at night, remember? Who else could it be? I bet this kid knows a lot more of the Dark Arts then he lets on. Look at his father for Merlin's sake. His father must know every Dark Curse that there is to know. Obviously, the Malfoy boy let in a load of Death Eaters, including his father, and Dumbledore didn't stand a chance. Probably used a Port Key of some sort", said the old crooked Auror.
"I agree with you 100%. I hope the Ministry will put into action a plan that will keep Harry Potter safe", said the cheerful one. They continued to talk for a while longer, drifting off the topic Harry was most interested in and into a conversation about how they had once captured a number of Death Eaters.
Harry knew he had to get them away from that doorway. He dug into his pocket carefully and pulled out an Exploding Snap. He tiptoed slowly over to another huge doorway and with his Seeker's speed, lit the exploding snap, and tossed it deep into the hallway. It exploded with a huge booming noise that instantly ended the conversation between the 3 Aurors. Taking out their wands, they rushed straight past Harry and into the other dark corridor.
Harry ran as fast as he could over to the hallway where he assumed Malfoy was being held and disappeared into the darkness. He had to have been running for minutes, because by the time he reached a sole torch casting a gentle light on a wooden door, he was breathing so heavily he felt he would fall over.
"Alohomora", Harry said softly after having caught his breath for a minute. With painstaking slowness he opened the door and stepped inside. He shut the door quickly before turning around to see Draco Malfoy-looking at the same space he was standing on. He seemed to be starring right at him, but Harry knew he could not see him.
"Who's there?" asked Malfoy in a steady voice. Malfoy was sitting in a small wooden chair, back perfectly straight. One of his hands was at his side, but the other, Harry noticed, was jammed inside his robes almost as if he was looking for his wand.
Harry starred at Malfoy for a second longer before slowly removing his invisibility cloak. Malfoy's eyes widened as Harry took a step towards him.
"Hello Malfoy", Harry said as if this were some sort of normal conversation.
"Potter? What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Draco hissed. Draco had known Harry Potter was a good for nothing rule breaker, but this was just too much. He starred at Potter for a long moment, remembering how good it was to see someone. He was so lonely in this room. This room seemed to haunt him, and he prayed to Merlin that no signs of fear showed on his face. Although he was a Malfoy, trained in acting a certain way, keeping a cold face, and carrying himself in a very smug manner, sometimes things always came to the surface.
"I came here to ask you a few questions, Malfoy", Harry said plainly.
"Questions? I've already been asked enough questions. I should have figured everyone was convinced by now that I did it", Draco said in a cold voice.
Harry stood silent for a minute. "Not everyone thinks you did it, Malfoy." Harry shifted on his feet. "I mean, I don't think you did. You may have a few good skills, Malfoy, but there's no way you could take out Dumbledore. There's no way you and a hundred other Death Eaters could take out Dumbledore", Harry said.
Draco now shifted in his seat. "You're the only one" he scoffed. "Even the Slytherin's think I did this, or so I hear. Now it's my turn to ask you a question, before you get started. Why don't you think I did it? After all this time, I'd think you'd already believe I have a heart of pure evil. Doesn't my name speak for everything?"
"A name isn't everything", Harry said softly. "I don't think you could have done it. Simply because, I know you're scared of Hagrid. And I know you're scared of Dumbledore. You can sit here and tell me you're not scared of either, but I can see it every time I see you look at Dumbledore. You're smart enough to know what he's taken on in his lifetime, and you probably know why Voldemort is scared of him. I also think you're a coward, and you'd be too afraid of getting killed to get into some big conspiracy like this. So, now you tell me, what do you think happened?"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "I am nothing but a coward. What do you.. You think I'm scared of Dumbledore? That's just.. Oh how.. That's so bloody ridiculous."
"Like I said, you're smart enough to know what he's capable of. You might be a rotten little ferret, but you've got to know that much."
"I'll thank you not to call me a ferret", Draco said stiffly. "I'm not scared of him. I just don't want to mess with him. Or hit him with anything. Or have him pull his wand on me. Is that so unusual?"
Harry smirked. "No. I don't think anyone wants to mess with Dumbledore. But we have to try to find out who did."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I know something? All I know is that they took me away and threw me in here for a crime I couldn't have committed."
"Really? Well then, why don't you tell me why the knight in the painting saw you leaving Dumbledore's office late at night, the night he disappeared?"
"Knight? What knight? That Sir Grey Poupon Knight that goes on missions and thinks he's a savior to all damsels in distress? Hardly. I went into Dumbledore's office, yes. I won't deny that", Draco said calmly. "But I don't think I was the last one in that office."
Harry took another step forward. "Do you have any idea who was?"
The pair starred at each other for a second, each questioning themselves in their minds.
Come on, Draco. Why should you tell this Gryffindor anything? He'll probably only turn it against you. And pin this on you. Think of the Malfoy motto: 'All for me and me for all'. Sure, it might be a bit selfish, but it's helped you out. well, once in your lifetime. I mean, come on, that time with Pansy it did the world of good..
What are you thinking, Harry? He's lying. Every word out of his mouth is lies. How can you be listening to this? Even if he does know anything, he won't tell me the clean truth. He'll throw some kind of lies in with it. Believe half of what he says.
"I think it may have been. Oh, who am I kidding. I have no idea", Draco said smoothly. Draco was not going to lie, so he was going to not say anything.
"I don't believe you."
"Believe whatever you want, Potter. But I have other plans in mind", Draco said with a smirk. "But believe me when I say, that if you move, I will kill you" he finished, pointing his wand straight at Harry's neck. "Now, be a good little Gryffindor and hand me your wand before someone gets hurt. And that someone will most likely be you."