Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice
and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find
someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.
Warnings: Destiny is closing in.
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Blood & Nails.
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Part Twenty Eight. You'll Remember Me.
"Report just in from Muggle land!" Morgan hollered as he paid the owl and ripped the envelope open.
It had been three days and still there was no word from the council. Harry was sure that anymore than this and he would go on a suicidal rampage himself. Thankfully he had managed to talk everyone into the idea of him at least being able to go to the toilet on his own without having Edwards or Taylor standing there and watching him. That had made his skin crawl.
"What's it say?" Harry really didn't want to know, it would probably just depress him more.
"Er, oh, nothing." Morgan went to put the letter into one of the Auror folders but Hermione grabbed it off him.
She gave a grim smile. "On the night you were arrested, a young girl arrived home late from her local library looking rather dishevelled with a few bruises on her arms and almost in tears. Her parents immediately called the police and she gave a statement to the effect of how she didn't know what happened, she didn't really remember anything unusual except for one thing, a man telling her to run home. She didn't get a very good look at him but handed over a few strands of white blonde hair, saying she also didn't know how she had got them or who they had come from. A blood sample was taken from her and it has been determined that she has had a few minutes of her memory removed, though nothing major seemed to have occurred during the lost time. Tests are still being run on the hair sample."
Harry sighed, wondering when the hell that was his life, would come to an end. Everyday things just seemed to get worse. "Why would Mortel let her live?"
"Maybe someone interrupted and Malfoy got scared off?"
Harry ignored the fact that Hermione had said Malfoy, while she ignored the fact that he had said Mortel. Morgan just sulked in the corner of the room. Edwards and Taylor didn't seem to say much at any time so their lack of comment now was barely noticed. They actually appeared quite terrified of Harry, or at least awed and could only manage a grunt in the early hours of the day when he woke up and sullenly wished them a good morning. It annoyed the hell out of him.
"Could you guys bugger off, if you're going to do your statue routine?" Harry said to the silent sentinels. "I'm sure Hermione is quite capable of killing me if I so much as sneeze." He gave a smile to their surprised looks. "You freak me out."
They looked to Hermione and she shrugged, motioning to them that it was okay. They shuffled out, still not saying anything.
"Well," He said looking at her carefully. "Don't you want to gloat some more?"
"Not really." She moved to sit at the end of the bed. "Now look Harry, how long have we known each other?"
"About ten years."
"Exactly." She sighed and rubbed her eyes as if she had another one of her frequent headaches. Harry bit back the impulse to say that thinking obviously didn't suit her and let her continue. "I thought I knew who you were and in a way I still do. I can see why *you* would do what you did. You're so terrified of being alone and all, but you have to understand why I think you're a complete arsehole."
"I do. What? You think I missed the implications of my actions? Trust me, I didn't. I just thought if I could get him to stop killing, everything would be okay. Ron would have recovered just fine, everyone would have been happy."
"Then why didn't you turn him back in when the murders started up again?"
He scowled and looked away. "I just couldn't. I still can't. Not that it matters."
"So you have no idea where he might be?"
Morgan snorted and stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to all this again. I'm going to see Tweedledee and Tweedledum and check what's on for dinner."
Harry nodded, raising his hand for Hermione to not start in on him. Morgan was still taking all of this very badly and Harry remembered very distinctly that it was not good to mess with the younger man's idolised notion of Draco. The last time that had been done, Harry ended up having to replace most of the windows in his apartment and a few of the figurines too.
Morgan looked back as he held the door open. His face was almost blank. "I'm sorry for being such a prick, I just can't believe that it was Draco." His voice held no emotion. He gave a cold smile and walked out, closing the door behind himself.
"Silly boy, doesn't he know we're not in school anymore?"
"Leave it, Hermione. You know how much he adores Draco. This isn't any easier on him than it was the last time."
"He told me that some of Dra ... Malfoy's last words to him was to not believe it."
"Then that's what he'll do. He won't believe it, not even if he watches it with his own eyes."
"He never follows any of my orders that well."
Harry gave a spiritless laugh. "You're not Draco. Morgan would do anything for him."
"Apparently he's not the only one."
"Mmmm."
"Do you think Morgan would know where he is?"
"No, Draco wouldn't tell him anything, wouldn't want to endanger him or drag him into trouble. It's a twisted relationship they have." Harry's voice betrayed his rising anger even if his face didn't. He had never been a huge fan of the way Draco and Morgan seemed to work together and the last few months had not helped the matter. He hissed in displeasure at the memory of the Valentine's Day card incident before he reminded himself that he was being stupid.
"Well, look, I've got another case that I've been working on in my own time and I really should get back to it." She stood up and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds. "I'll send in Pinkie and Perky." She walked out and closed the door softly as he closed his eyes, wondering where it had all gone so wrong.
He opened them again and reached for the photo album that was in the bedside table drawer. He flicked through idly until he came to the one he was looking for. Draco, himself, Hermione and Ron. Auror Training Graduation. Draco's hand was on his shoulder and Hermione's arm was around his waist. Every now and then Ron would lean forward slightly and pull a face at Harry's image. They all seemed so happy. Harry counted the differences.
Ron was in Egypt, furious at him.
Hermione was probably back at her home by now, furious at him.
Draco was god knows where, probably just as furious at him as he had been the last time they had seen each other.
Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly and flicked to the next page. It was a photo from the day that Morgan had joined them for Training. Usually Aurors as young as he and Draco had been at the time were not called upon to train others. But because of both of their backgrounds in fighting the Dark Arts and the fact that no-one else really wanted to train Morgan, he hadn't been the best in his class, not by a long shot, they had been allowed to take him in and train him as best as they could. Mostly, Morgan's good track record was according to Draco, as a very strict nature bubbled underneath the almost innocent looking blonde appearance.
Harry could console himself with one thing. Morgan wasn't furious at him. Morgan was probably mentally kissing his feet for what he had done. He knew it was foolish to get jealous of the way Morgan worshipped Draco. He knew that anything even resembling the crush the younger man had once had would probably be quite changed by now. Morgan only looked up to Draco.
Harry also knew that he really couldn't blame Draco for the way he covered Morgan in and almost suffocating protection. He did the exact same. He nodded in agreement the day Draco had said he wanted to train that one.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, come on, Harry. It'll be fun! I've watched this one during trials, he's got potential. Seems like a sweet kid, really. Besides, would you rather one from Beauxbaton?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry snorted. Draco had always had some weird ideas about that school. He used to say that the could manage to take and perfectly normal and ordinary child and turn them into a raving lunatic. Harry had never understood what was meant by that and he also didn't understand the strange prickling sensation he got from the look in those grey eyes that always accompanied the statement.
He looked up at the closed door as the phone outside on the kitchen divider started to ring.
And kept on doing so.
"Hermione, are you going to get that?" He received no reply and the phone kept ringing. "Hermione? Morgan?" He got off the bed and walked over, opening the door. "Morgan?" He walked slowly forwards wondering where the hell everyone had gone. "Ah, guys. I'm supposed to be guarded every second of the day. Where are you?" He ignored the phone as he spotted something behind the couch. It was Hermione's shoe.
Feeling the fear rise, Harry forced himself to walk further over. Hermione was lying on the floor, with a think nail through her right eye. Harry gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth. He struggled to pull it away. "Hermione?" His voice failed him as a sense of dread spread through his body.
"She moved."
Harry jumped at the voice and turned towards the kitchen.
"She really shouldn't have moved."
Harry's mouth dropped open as his mind tried to take it all in. "What?" Was the first thing he could force out of his mouth. His eyes moved slowly down to the thick nail held in the other's right hand. He looked back up and shook his head. "No, not you." He whispered sadly. "It can't be you."
The phone gave one final ring and then fell silent.
To Be Continued.
Warnings: Destiny is closing in.
.
.
.
Blood & Nails.
.
Part Twenty Eight. You'll Remember Me.
"Report just in from Muggle land!" Morgan hollered as he paid the owl and ripped the envelope open.
It had been three days and still there was no word from the council. Harry was sure that anymore than this and he would go on a suicidal rampage himself. Thankfully he had managed to talk everyone into the idea of him at least being able to go to the toilet on his own without having Edwards or Taylor standing there and watching him. That had made his skin crawl.
"What's it say?" Harry really didn't want to know, it would probably just depress him more.
"Er, oh, nothing." Morgan went to put the letter into one of the Auror folders but Hermione grabbed it off him.
She gave a grim smile. "On the night you were arrested, a young girl arrived home late from her local library looking rather dishevelled with a few bruises on her arms and almost in tears. Her parents immediately called the police and she gave a statement to the effect of how she didn't know what happened, she didn't really remember anything unusual except for one thing, a man telling her to run home. She didn't get a very good look at him but handed over a few strands of white blonde hair, saying she also didn't know how she had got them or who they had come from. A blood sample was taken from her and it has been determined that she has had a few minutes of her memory removed, though nothing major seemed to have occurred during the lost time. Tests are still being run on the hair sample."
Harry sighed, wondering when the hell that was his life, would come to an end. Everyday things just seemed to get worse. "Why would Mortel let her live?"
"Maybe someone interrupted and Malfoy got scared off?"
Harry ignored the fact that Hermione had said Malfoy, while she ignored the fact that he had said Mortel. Morgan just sulked in the corner of the room. Edwards and Taylor didn't seem to say much at any time so their lack of comment now was barely noticed. They actually appeared quite terrified of Harry, or at least awed and could only manage a grunt in the early hours of the day when he woke up and sullenly wished them a good morning. It annoyed the hell out of him.
"Could you guys bugger off, if you're going to do your statue routine?" Harry said to the silent sentinels. "I'm sure Hermione is quite capable of killing me if I so much as sneeze." He gave a smile to their surprised looks. "You freak me out."
They looked to Hermione and she shrugged, motioning to them that it was okay. They shuffled out, still not saying anything.
"Well," He said looking at her carefully. "Don't you want to gloat some more?"
"Not really." She moved to sit at the end of the bed. "Now look Harry, how long have we known each other?"
"About ten years."
"Exactly." She sighed and rubbed her eyes as if she had another one of her frequent headaches. Harry bit back the impulse to say that thinking obviously didn't suit her and let her continue. "I thought I knew who you were and in a way I still do. I can see why *you* would do what you did. You're so terrified of being alone and all, but you have to understand why I think you're a complete arsehole."
"I do. What? You think I missed the implications of my actions? Trust me, I didn't. I just thought if I could get him to stop killing, everything would be okay. Ron would have recovered just fine, everyone would have been happy."
"Then why didn't you turn him back in when the murders started up again?"
He scowled and looked away. "I just couldn't. I still can't. Not that it matters."
"So you have no idea where he might be?"
Morgan snorted and stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to all this again. I'm going to see Tweedledee and Tweedledum and check what's on for dinner."
Harry nodded, raising his hand for Hermione to not start in on him. Morgan was still taking all of this very badly and Harry remembered very distinctly that it was not good to mess with the younger man's idolised notion of Draco. The last time that had been done, Harry ended up having to replace most of the windows in his apartment and a few of the figurines too.
Morgan looked back as he held the door open. His face was almost blank. "I'm sorry for being such a prick, I just can't believe that it was Draco." His voice held no emotion. He gave a cold smile and walked out, closing the door behind himself.
"Silly boy, doesn't he know we're not in school anymore?"
"Leave it, Hermione. You know how much he adores Draco. This isn't any easier on him than it was the last time."
"He told me that some of Dra ... Malfoy's last words to him was to not believe it."
"Then that's what he'll do. He won't believe it, not even if he watches it with his own eyes."
"He never follows any of my orders that well."
Harry gave a spiritless laugh. "You're not Draco. Morgan would do anything for him."
"Apparently he's not the only one."
"Mmmm."
"Do you think Morgan would know where he is?"
"No, Draco wouldn't tell him anything, wouldn't want to endanger him or drag him into trouble. It's a twisted relationship they have." Harry's voice betrayed his rising anger even if his face didn't. He had never been a huge fan of the way Draco and Morgan seemed to work together and the last few months had not helped the matter. He hissed in displeasure at the memory of the Valentine's Day card incident before he reminded himself that he was being stupid.
"Well, look, I've got another case that I've been working on in my own time and I really should get back to it." She stood up and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds. "I'll send in Pinkie and Perky." She walked out and closed the door softly as he closed his eyes, wondering where it had all gone so wrong.
He opened them again and reached for the photo album that was in the bedside table drawer. He flicked through idly until he came to the one he was looking for. Draco, himself, Hermione and Ron. Auror Training Graduation. Draco's hand was on his shoulder and Hermione's arm was around his waist. Every now and then Ron would lean forward slightly and pull a face at Harry's image. They all seemed so happy. Harry counted the differences.
Ron was in Egypt, furious at him.
Hermione was probably back at her home by now, furious at him.
Draco was god knows where, probably just as furious at him as he had been the last time they had seen each other.
Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly and flicked to the next page. It was a photo from the day that Morgan had joined them for Training. Usually Aurors as young as he and Draco had been at the time were not called upon to train others. But because of both of their backgrounds in fighting the Dark Arts and the fact that no-one else really wanted to train Morgan, he hadn't been the best in his class, not by a long shot, they had been allowed to take him in and train him as best as they could. Mostly, Morgan's good track record was according to Draco, as a very strict nature bubbled underneath the almost innocent looking blonde appearance.
Harry could console himself with one thing. Morgan wasn't furious at him. Morgan was probably mentally kissing his feet for what he had done. He knew it was foolish to get jealous of the way Morgan worshipped Draco. He knew that anything even resembling the crush the younger man had once had would probably be quite changed by now. Morgan only looked up to Draco.
Harry also knew that he really couldn't blame Draco for the way he covered Morgan in and almost suffocating protection. He did the exact same. He nodded in agreement the day Draco had said he wanted to train that one.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, come on, Harry. It'll be fun! I've watched this one during trials, he's got potential. Seems like a sweet kid, really. Besides, would you rather one from Beauxbaton?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry snorted. Draco had always had some weird ideas about that school. He used to say that the could manage to take and perfectly normal and ordinary child and turn them into a raving lunatic. Harry had never understood what was meant by that and he also didn't understand the strange prickling sensation he got from the look in those grey eyes that always accompanied the statement.
He looked up at the closed door as the phone outside on the kitchen divider started to ring.
And kept on doing so.
"Hermione, are you going to get that?" He received no reply and the phone kept ringing. "Hermione? Morgan?" He got off the bed and walked over, opening the door. "Morgan?" He walked slowly forwards wondering where the hell everyone had gone. "Ah, guys. I'm supposed to be guarded every second of the day. Where are you?" He ignored the phone as he spotted something behind the couch. It was Hermione's shoe.
Feeling the fear rise, Harry forced himself to walk further over. Hermione was lying on the floor, with a think nail through her right eye. Harry gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth. He struggled to pull it away. "Hermione?" His voice failed him as a sense of dread spread through his body.
"She moved."
Harry jumped at the voice and turned towards the kitchen.
"She really shouldn't have moved."
Harry's mouth dropped open as his mind tried to take it all in. "What?" Was the first thing he could force out of his mouth. His eyes moved slowly down to the thick nail held in the other's right hand. He looked back up and shook his head. "No, not you." He whispered sadly. "It can't be you."
The phone gave one final ring and then fell silent.
To Be Continued.