"Not a lot" that is how Harry would summarize what was being done to find his Aunt and Uncle... IF they were still alive. Yes, the ministry was on the case and Ella Figg had been sent. Yes, Snape had left, too. But no one was going to talk to the people who really knew. No one was asking the persons who could tell them right now. No one was asking Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, or Nott, were they?
Of course, Dumbledore had been the essence of logic and calm reason when he pointed out that they had no evidence of those persons' involvement and, therefore, could not legally confront them. Dumbledore also pointed out that they weren't likely to tell them anything in any case. But Harry didn't care. He wanted to DO something, anything.
It's not that he was particularly fond of the Dursleys. Truth be told, if they were to disappear on their own he wasn't sure he would even be able to pretend to care. But much though he disliked them he was NOT going to be responsible for them being kidnapped or killed. He would not be the cause of any more deaths in the family... not if he could help it.
"Harry! Slow down!" it was Hermione's voice behind him.
"Harry, hold up!" Ron's voice called out as well.
Harry stopped and spun on his heel. Hermione and Ron were hurrying down the hill from the castle in his direction.
"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione asked anxiously when she and Ron caught up.
"I'm going to find Malfoy."
"What?! Harry, no, it won't help. You'll just get hurt." Hermione insisted
"Are you nutters, Harry? He'll have Crabbe and Goyle turn you to mincemeat!" Ron said.
Harry turned back around and began striding toward Hogsmeade once more, with Ron and Hermione following.
"I'd like to have a little word with THEM, too." Harry said darkly.
"You're just going to get yourself killed and it won't help." Hermione said.
"Besides, what makes you think they know anything? When Malfoy's dad brought back the heir of Slytherin he didn't tell Malfoy. And unless Crabbe and Goyle's folks are as dumb as the two of them are..."
"I don't care." Harry said recklessly... and they knew he meant it.
Ron nodded as he watched Harry punch a fist into his hand. Hermione looked more confused than ever. Hermione was right, it wouldn't help to find the Dursleys. But it looked to him as if Harry needed to hit something, and if something needed to be hit, Crabbe, Goyle, and especially Malfoy deserved it. The problem was that one could get killed in the process.
They ran into "the terrible trio" not far outside of Hogsmeade.
"Well," Malfoy said in his drawling sneer, "If it isn't Potty and the Weasel. Taking your pets out for a walk Mudblood?" he asked Hermione.
Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.
Harry walked up to Malfoy, reached back, and punched him in the nose. Crabbe and Goyle immediately made for Harry but Hermione and Ron were too quick for them.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Goyle, who only had his legs frozen by Ron was using his ape-like arms to try and move toward Harry anyway.
"Stupefy!" Hermione said and he fell sideways, his face squishing in a mud puddle.
Harry meanwhile just stood and waited for Malfoy to straighten up. When he did blood from his nose had splattered his pale face.
"You're going to pay for that Potter," Mafoy said in a voice that now sounded as if he had a very bad cold. If the situation weren't so serious it would have been laughable.
"Not before I make you pay, Malfoy. You've got a choice. Tell me what your stinking Death Eater Father and his friends did with my Aunt and Uncle or prepare to have every bone in your sad little body broken in two."
Malfoy's eyes blazed with both anger and triumph, "Have your Auntie and Uncle gone Missing Potter?" the delight was unmistakable, "How do you know they didn't just move without a forwarding address to get rid of you?"
"Because then, Malfoy," Harry said menacingly, "I'd be happy. And right now I'm not..."
Suddenly Malfoy was going for his wand, but Harry was faster.
"Relashio!" he cried and sparks shot at Malfoy's face, but he dodged and came up wand ready.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione cried and Mafoy dropped like a felled tree.
Harry whirled, eyes blazing, "What did you do that for?"
Both Ron and Hermione were pulling Harry away.
"Harry, he doesn't know anything and you're just giving him information to pass on to Lucius!" Ron hissed.
Hermione raised her voice and said over Harry's shoulder, "Yeah, Harry, it's not funny anymore. No one's going to buy that story about your Aunt and Uncle anyway."
Harry looked at her, dumbfounded, and she hissed, "Just in case."
"Harry," Ron said firmly, taking Harry's arm, "We're going now."
"What about them?" Hermione hissed jerking her head in the direction of the three motionless figures.
Harry jerked his arm out of Rons' grasp and said, "Leave them. Someone's bound to find them soon enough." With that he stalked off with Ron and Hermione in his wake.
"What exactly did that accomplish?" Hermione hissed to Ron.
"Not much, but I bet Harry feels a bit better."
"Why would he? He didn't find out anything."
"No, but Malfoy has a bloody nose and that's bound to put anyone in a brighter mood."
"Yeah, until we all get detention," Hermione said under her breath.
They went up to the Gryffindor common room and waited for the axe to fall. It never did. By supper time they were sure someone would have found Malfoy and his cronies but still no one came to summon them to detention.
Meanwhile, they talked round in circles about the situation with the Dursleys.
"What would Death Eaters even want with that lot?" Ron asked grumpily.
"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" Hermione replied.
Ron scowled at Hermione in answer.
"Well, Dumbledore insists that Harry must spend his summer holiday with the Dursleys and we know how keen he is on keeping Harry safe. Harry didn't you say he'd done some spell or something?"
Harry sighed, "Voldemort supposedly can't touch me while I'm in my relatives' care. That's why there was a problem this summer when I was there. I don't really get why they'd want the Dursleys now."
"Well," Ron said, "Maybe they're just trying to eliminate that protection while the ministry and Dumbledore's guards are down. You know, with you here and all."
"But that wouldn't work, either," Hermione said thoughtfully, "If they were ki-- were, um, gone while Harry was away then Dumbledore would just keep Harry here for the next holiday. They'd need to do something while Harry was with the Dursleys."
"Well, I'm not there and they DID do something anyway," Harry noted irritably.
"Maybe there's some spell they need a blood relative for?" Hermione offered.
"We won't know until they find them, I suppose," said Ron.
"IF they find them," Harry said darkly.
"Harry, you mustn't think that way," Hermione remonstrated.
"Look, Hermione, I don't see any reason for the Death Eaters not to kill them."
"But they didn't find their bodies, Harry." Ron said
"No, they didn't but the longer it takes to find them the better the chance that what they find WILL be their bodies and I'm having a tough time just sitting here cooling my heels waiting for the news."
Just then Fred and George burst through the portrait hole and made straight for Harry, Ron, and Hermione
"Good Show, Good Show!" Fred cried.
"Brilliant! Wish I could have seen it!" George added.
"Seen what?" Ron asked
"Seen you three spelling old Malfoy and his gorillas. They're in the Entrance Hall now, fit to be tied, hopping up and down insisting you be punished-"
"Malfoy threatening to call his Daddy-"
"Ah, it's a thing of beauty."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another in surprise.
"Who's down there with them?" Harry asked.
"Filch and McGonagall"
"Well, why aren't they coming to punish us, then?" Hermione asked.
George grinned, "McGonagall gave them some choice words about their 'pattern of behavior' goading and provoking other students and told them if she was going to punish students for getting into brawls she'd punish ALL the students involved."
"And Filch?" Harry asked cautiously
"Didn't say a word." Fred supplied, "just kept looking at the mud dripping off Goyle's face onto the floor and fidgeting."
Fred and George were joined by others who asked to hear the story of the "brawl." Harry Ron and Hermione... mostly Ron... told it as best they could. They left out the part about the Dursleys, however. Bedtime rolled around and still no one came to at least give them a talking to as most of their housemates wandered off to bed.
"McGonagall must feel sorry for you because of the Dursleys," Ron said, "What else would keep her from at least coming up here to yell at us?"
"I guess so," Hermione said, her eyes following the last of the students as they climbed the dormitory staircase.
"Well, I'm tired of sitting around here feeling sorry for myself. It's about time I did something." Harry said.
"Something? Like what?" Hermione asked.
"I'm going to go look for them."
"What?" Ron said
"Oh, Harry, no!" Hermione cried.
"Look, there's no point in trying to stop me. It's my fault something's happened to them and I can't just sit around here waiting any longer!"
"But Harry you'll be expelled!" Hermione insisted
"I hate to admit this, Hermione," Harry countered, "but I don't' think so. The best way for Dumbledore to keep me out of Voldemort's hands is to keep me here."
Ron winced at Voldemort's name.
"But Harry," he argued, " Even if you weren't expelled they'd give you detention for a year."
"Ron, I don't care. I really don't. In fact, I don't even care if I'm expelled. Don't you two understand? This is something I have to do."
