Where Angels Fear to Tread
Chapter Four: Cloak And Dagger
Disclaimer: Not mine. It's so not mine.
A/N: Thanks to betas Sajasma Lee and Blade Mistress, who both do an awesome job. This story would so not be what it is without you two. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Moonchild (wait and see – I value plot and characterization above romance, though), Blademistress (you are way too kind, Blade), and Kerry Leprechaun. Thank you for reading.
*****************
Afternoon, 15th November 2001
Resistance Safe house
The room had no windows. The dim light provided by the candles made everything look hazy. The smell of fire and ashes drifted about. Draco coughed, shifting on the uncomfortable chair. He thought with longing of the manor library, with its huge glass windows and leather couches. He wanted to get this over with.
"There's a leak somewhere, Potter." As if it actually needed saying, with all the resistance members dying lately.
"Really?" His eyes narrowed. In the dim light, it was difficult to make out his expression. "I don't want to make people nervous for no reason. Do you have proof?"
"No, but even you should be able to see that there has to be a traitor in the Order. Pretty high up, too." Draco glared. "Don't be dense."
"Who do you think, then?" He raised an eyebrow.
Draco grinned rather savagely. "Oh, it could be anyone. Granger – nah, she's a Mud-" He glanced at Harry, shook his head and continued, sneering. "Fine, Muggle born. My point is that the Dark Lord wouldn't want her, no matter how brilliant she was."
"Now, maybe one of the Weasleys? They might need the money, now that their heroic, famous son got himself killed. I don't know if the little girl has the guts, maybe those twins -"
Draco broke off when Harry snapped the quill in his hand neatly in half. His voice was cold. "If you don't have anything useful to say, Malfoy, then bugger off."
"Fine, fine, be that way. You asked my opinion."
"Your real opinion, Malfoy. Preferably something that has actually gone through that brain of yours." He had that strange distant look in his eyes again. He wasn't going to have much longer until Potter drifted off to wherever insane war leaders go for breaks of sanity.
Right. Business. Father would kill me if I didn't get everything across on time.
"Who has access to the recon reports?"
Harry blinked. For a moment, it looked as if he had fallen asleep. The oppressive heat of the room had that effect on people. "Oh, those. Me, sometimes Hermione, and Cho."
"Cho Chang? Why? Wasn't she working on coordination?"
"She asked to be transferred." He could see something was going on in Potter's mind, or what was left of it. The frustrating thing was that he didn't know what.
"It has to be her. As far as I can see, you have no wish to join Voldemort, or we wouldn't be sitting here right now. You sure you don't want to consider Granger?" Harry just stared at him in reaction. "Fine, then it has to be Chang."
"Ah-ah. Cho has never given me any reason to doubt her." He smiled, eyes filled with a strange light, as if he was laughing inside, sharing a joke with the universe that only he could understand.
It never failed to piss Draco off.
"Do the blow jobs help?" He grinned internally as his words sliced through the suddenly still air, determined not to back down.
"That's ancient history, Malfoy. You know that." He sounded insulted for once. Draco snickered.
The break-up had been a messy, public affair in their school days. Draco had been delighted, oh yes, until he saw that neither of them seemed to care much about the rumours that flew like thick black flies. Chang had been teary-eyed for a few days, but Potter had been almost too busy to care.
"Just reminding you to put business before pleasure."
All traces of mirth vanished from Harry's face. "Don't you worry about that." Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. "Hell, you have no idea."
*******************
Two weeks ago (1 November, 2001)
Resistance Safe house
Cho bit her lip. This was harder than she'd expected. If she failed…She knew how Harry treated traitors. Only the wrath of the Dark Lord kept her going.
"Harry, I think…maybe…" She swallowed and tried to sound scared. "Maybe they've found me out. The Dark Lord is suspicious."
He glanced up in surprise. Still polite as ever, always smiling. Always so cold.
"Really? Do you want me to pull you out? We can function with one less spy."
"No, it's all right." Be calm, try to act scared. Come on, Cho. For the triumph of the Dark. You can do this. "Can you transfer me to recon?"
He didn't reply. She kept on talking, afraid that she'd lose her nerves if she stopped. "I can report it to Him as progress and maybe it will help."
Something flashed though his eyes. She didn't try to read it. She could never understand his thoughts, anyway.
"Are you sure?" That was easy to answer. This was her assignment. She had to. But it didn't seem to be the question he was really asking.
"Of course, Harry."
Something in his expression changed, like a door shutting. She flinched despite herself.
***************
Four hours before Draco and Harry's conversation
Morning, 15th November 2001
Still the same safe house
She breathed in deeply. This was it. Her opportunity to prove herself. Success or failure. Life or death. She clutched her wand tightly.
He laughed suddenly and bowed his head. "Cho, Cho, Cho. You know I respect you. You are incredibly beautiful and also very intelligent." She held her breath, incantation ready – his fingers wrapped around her wrist in a vice grip, startling her into dropping her wand. "But, you are also a rather lousy actor and have no skills whatsoever at lying." Her eyes widened in shock.
"You knew all this time, didn't you?" Her voice was quietly accusing. "And you played along. You tricked everyone." Cho's body was numb with shock. She felt like she was about to collapse. Yes, she did know exactly what happened to traitors. He supported her over to a chair.
"I'm a much better actor. Besides, I had other advantages." He sat down in a chair opposite her. "Such as how other people see me. They're used to the wide-eyed, innocent victim of circumstance and all that."
She shivered, not really listening. Her mind was filled horrible images of what would happen to her at the Dark Lord's hand, now that she had failed. Better to be here, she decided.
His voice bought her back to the problem at hand.
"I know what you're thinking, Cho. Don't. Rest assured, I can be just as bad as Voldemort, when I want to be." He smiled when he noticed her flinching at the name. "I'm not that type of person, fortunately for you. I won't even ask. Everyone has their own dirty little secrets, after all. Skeletons in our closets, right?" He chuckled.
She closed her eyes. This was too much to take in right now. He allowed her to sit there, hugging herself for what seemed like hours, before he spoke again.
"You're not Marked, are you?" Harry shook his head, answering his own question. "No, you can't be. Too noticeable with what you're supposed to be doing."
Cho nodded. Those were the Dark Lord's words, as well.
"That's good. That will make things a lot easier. Tell me one thing, Cho." He almost looked desperate. A real emotion in his eyes at last. "Tell me this isn't about Cedric. Tell me you believed me about his death. Tell me you didn't lie to me back then."
She breathed again. "No, it's not about Cedric, Harry." His eyes lit up. "I don't believe you killed him."
"Do you want to know who did?"
She leaned forward. "Of course."
"You've seen him. He's always around Voldemort, serving his every whim. He's called Wormtail." She nodded. She would remember that name.
"Harry." She held his eyes. "I know you said that I don't have to, but I owe you an explanation." Cho looked down, gathering her thoughts together. "I…I had no intention of doing it at the beginning, I swear. I really did want to spy for the Order. I just don't know what happened. You don't understand. He…He made me kill, Harry. And I felt so powerful. I felt like I could do anything."
First the gruelling interrogation, twelve hours in the darkest corners of her mind. The truth, spilling out of places in her so deep she didn't know they existed. The pain. Listening with disbelief as her voice spoke terrible words, things she had surely never thought about.
He killed him, I know it. Cedric died and he won the Tournament. He would never have won otherwise. Golden Boy of Gryffindor, always winning, always living, even if he didn't deserve to, even if someone else should have lived. The saviour, the hero, the one who had everything. Everything comes to him so effortlessly. If he fails, if his friends and mentors die, so what? He's Harry Potter. He gets up and keeps going. He doesn't even care. No. He never did.
These thoughts becoming her world, her only guide to sanity as the darkness never seemed to end. After what seemed like an eternity, the end, finally emerging into the light, ready to be bent and broken. Killing. Welding power she had never dreamed of. And finally, betrayal, because he had betrayed her first, hadn't he?
NO. I didn't blame him. I've never blamed him. None of it was his fault. I hate…god, I hate this.
"I…" It almost seemed like too much to explain.
"Trust me, Cho. I know."
"You believe me?"
He nodded, and she almost collapsed with relief.
Thank Merlin.
"I'll keep your secrets, even to the grave. But there is something I need you to do for me."
She nodded frantically. Technically, she should be on her way to her own execution now. But Harry seemed to have other ideas. Salvation for her.
"First of all, you need to sit down and think about it. Sort out your loyalties. I'm sure you don't really want to work for Cedric's murderer. If you decide that you do, however," Harry stared through her, "leave now and don't let me see you anywhere ever again."
Salvation, if only she could grasp it. No more darkness. No more lying. No more pain.
"Of course I want to come back into the Order again. I swear, Harry, from now on…"
"Secondly, your loyalties must never waver ever again, even for just a moment." Harry's rules were ruthless. They've always been. She nodded.
He stood up and held out his hand. She took it and pulled herself up, trying to stand straight.
"Lastly, I need you to lie to Voldemort."
She nearly collapsed again. "You're sending me back?"
He looked apologetic, but only a little. His eyes were hard. "I can't afford to lose spies right now. Besides, Voldemort trusts you. We need you for this, Cho."
You owe me this.
He would have never spoken the words, he was too kind, but she knew it. That was how this worked. She would never be caught in the backlash if - when the war ended because of her clean slate, and he would benefit from a highly positioned spy.
It was a better deal than the one Professor Snape got from Professor Dumbledore, that was for sure. And it was probably the best she was going to get.
"All right. I'll do it, Harry."
****************
The Third Day, 2008
St. Mungo's Hospital For Magical Maladies and Injuries
Those events seemed to be a lifetime away these days, but Harry's escape had bought the unpleasant memories back. The demons she thought she had exorcised forever were just lurking there at the back of her mind, waiting to strike again.
Did you really think that they were gone? Think about what you do for a living, girl. Stop kidding yourself.
She sighed. She was nearly in her thirties now, and still she remained unmarried, to her parents' chagrin. She wasn't sure that she could ever live normally again. Sometimes, Cho wondered at Ginny and Seamus's supposedly blissful new life. How they managed it was beyond her.
Just when things were about to settle down, Harry just had to go and pull this. He had seemed as well adjusted as anyone could be in Azkaban and she was hoping to get him transferred to St. Mungo's soon, away from those horrific things. It was the least she could do, after all he did to cover up for her. But now it was all too late, and she could only watch as things progressed from bad to worse, the giant wheel of history turning and leaving the mundane in its wake.
Cho glanced up as an eagle owl flew in. It dropped an envelope on her already cluttered desk and flew off, wings spread gracefully.
The envelope was unmarked save for the wax seal in the shape of the Phoenix. That was a symbol she had not seen in a while. Feeling as if her heart was about to jump out of her throat, she ripped open the envelope.
The moment her hands touched the blank pieces of parchment, words appeared in a messy script she immediately recognized. How could she not?
Dear Cho
Sorry to disturb you after all the trouble I must be causing you lately, but I felt that this is necessary to my safety. I'm sure that we can both agree that it is best for the both of us that I remain hidden, as my interrogation could yield a lot of secrets none of us want exposed. You know what I'm talking about.
Of course she did.
I've always had faith in you, and you haven't given me any reason to doubt you in the last six years, hard as they have been for both of us. Never mind all that. I'm sure you know that Auror Malfoy and Mr. Lupin are due to visit you for a briefing on my case.
She gasped. No one had told her. No doubt Bode had arranged this. He knew that he had more hope of shocking information out of her than anything else. Cho suddenly found herself very thankful for the letter.
I'll trust your discretion on what you choose to tell them.
Or as the case may be, what she would choose not to tell them. She spared herself a moment to think about what a mess she had gotten herself into, but it was really more of a reflex than anything else.
Remember – I can't be found, especially by anyone from the Ministry. However, as Malfoy apparently has no interest in chasing me all over Britain (for which I am very happy), I think I should try to point him in the right direction.
She read the rest of the letter quickly, remembering the instructions off by heart from force of habit.
Good luck. Have a nice day.
Yours,
Phoenix.
Cho shook her head, almost smiling. Phoenix was his old Hunter's designation. That bought back more memories. She leaned back as the letter burnt itself, the tiny licks of flame dancing in the cool air of the office, casting shadows on the walls. Harry was always a little strange.
Standing up, she began preparing herself for two rather unwelcome visitors.
***************
One Hour Later
St Mungo's
There were several things Draco hated. This list didn't change. Sometimes the items on the list changed positions or swapped places, but other than that he was pretty regular about what he hated.
(Never mind that Harry Bloody Potter's position on that particular list seemed to roam quite a bit. He'd never quite managed to disappear off it completely, but there were times when the number one spot seemed too low for him.)
Colin Creevey, check. Gryffindors in general and one red headed family in particular, check. Dementors, check. The Dark Lord's Amazing Inflatable Ego and twitchy wand hand, double check.
All these things he could place the origin of. He knew why he hated them and even when each particular hatred had begun.
He didn't know when he had started to hate hospitals with as much fervour as he hated the limp in his walk when the pain came back. Maybe because he had spent too long in one, just three years ago.
Of course, there was that hospital visit…
To this day, Draco still didn't know how or why Harry had come. His behaviour had been strange, even for him, their conversation awkward, stilted by years of enmity and rivalry even while being half-allies. Draco's lost chunks of memory didn't exactly help either.
Harry Potter was a puzzle. The pieces didn't match up. They clashed with each other. When you thought you'd completed a section of the whole, another piece would come along and screw up the whole picture. His contradictory personality and apparent hypocrisy was infuriating. He could see why Potter's therapists had gone mad. Unlike other foolish wizards, Draco had never tried to understand him. Besides the fact that he had no wish to, it was an exercise in futility.
They had too many questions. They were here to get some answers.
Bode wasn't stupid. He had known Potter personally. If he thought that it would help for them to go see the Chang woman, then he was probably right.
Still, that didn't mean he had to like it. He had never trusted the Department of Mysteries. The power they wielded as an almost independent division of the Ministry itself was too strong. It was part of the reason they had been so invaluable in the war.
Nevertheless, here he was, in the hospital he hated, with a highly positioned Unspeakable he didn't entirely trust.
He turned to Lupin. "How well do you know Chang?"
Lupin's face was unreadable as always. "She's quite clever, not a bad student. Very polite."
"Not at Hogwarts, Lupin. Did you work with her during the War?"
"I don't think so. Most of her work was done directly with Harry himself." Lupin frowned. He looked like he was trying to remember something and failing miserably.
"Is she reliable?"
Lupin smiled, the wrinkles in his forehead straightening. "Cho has never given me any reason to doubt her."
Doubt…never given any reason…traitors…
"It has to be Chang."
"Ah-ah. Cho has never given me any reason to doubt her."
Draco placed a hand against the wall to steady himself. The memory flashes seemed to be getting stronger. He tried not to show any outward discomfit. Still, he was sure his facial expression was betraying him. There had to be shock all over his features.
"Chang was the traitor."
Lupin turned to stare at him in disbelief. "I beg your pardon?"
"I was the one who tipped Potter off. It was never investigated – don't ask me why – but she was definitely the top suspect."
Lupin nodded. "That would be useful. If I know Bode, he hasn't told her that we're coming. It's one of his favourite tactics. Combined with this, we should have the upper hand."
Draco didn't try to suppress his smirk. Things were definitely getting interesting.
************
Chang welcomed them into her office warmly enough. She didn't look overtly surprised. She was a small woman with bright eyes and greying hair. 'She must worry an awful lot,' Draco thought. 'And I don't blame her.'
Chang's office was just like the rest of the hospital, sparse and sterile to the point that it made his skin crawl. The only highlight was the bottle of brandy on one of her shelves.
She looked slightly guilty once she realised what he was staring at. "Special privilege. I don't think I can get through a day without it."
Lupin chuckled. "Some people should be so lucky."
She raised a dark eyebrow. "None of you have to do my job."
'True enough. I don't think either of us envies you that." They had decided that Lupin should do most the talking to begin with to put her at ease. It seemed to be working.
"I understand that you're not here to just exchange pleasantries, Mr. Lupin, Mr Malfoy."
So the songbird has claws. Wonderful. Draco rolled his eyes.
Lupin appeared unruffled as always. "We have a few questions for you regarding a case that we hope you will answer truthfully."
She nodded. "Of course. Please sit down. Would you like anything? Tea? Brandy?"
"I'm afraid some of us don't have the luxury of being able to drink on the job, Chang." Draco said, trying – and failing – to be civil. Hypocrite. Weren't you just drinking on the job yesterday? Something about all this felt wrong.
"No, thank you, Miss Chang." Lupin glanced at Draco in warning as he spoke. They sat down on the uncomfortable chairs. The wood dug into his back.
"Miss Chang, has Mr. Potter ever intentionally covered up for your wrongdoing?"
Draco glared at Remus. That definitely wasn't part of the plan. Lupin must have felt the strangeness too. He was going straight for the jugular.
Chang looked surprised for a few seconds. Then she managed to pull herself together, to Draco's disappointment.
"Mr Lupin. I thought it was your place to investigate the murders, not to go around making baseless accusations." Her smile was carefully professional. Draco refrained from wincing. Ouch. That's rather harsh.
Lupin just smiled. "You know me, Miss Chang. I'd never accuse anyone of anything without proof."
"Is the proof legally valid, Mr Lupin? Can it be sworn on before the Magical Court and accepted as truth?" She glanced at Draco as she spoke. The message was clear – his evidence would be nothing without Potter to back him up, given his status as a former Death Eater. "As for 'wrongdoing', I think he might have covered up for me a couple of times for sneaking out at night to the kitchens for food, but that's about it." Another sunny smile.
There was something in her words that seemed all too familiar. Draco frowned. Sworn before the Court…The words brought to mind, unbidden, an image of Potter grinning at him, his eyes dark. Draco shivered. He could almost see Potter's shadow now, in Chang's speech patterns, as if she was a puppet and Harry, the puppet master, controlling her every move.
And the plot thickens…
Remus was staring at her with a look of mild curiosity. If he noticed anything out of the ordinary, he wasn't showing it. Draco bit his lip hard enough to bruise. He had to get the information across without Chang noticing.
"Did he just help cover up or did he do the sneaking for you?"
Remus glanced at him, startled. Draco raised an eyebrow at Chang. He saw Lupin's eyes widen for just a second before he went back to smiling politely at her.
Chang tilted her head, idly twirling a quill between her fingers. "I have a feeling that we're not talking about midnight snacks at Hogwarts anymore."
Time to take a gamble. "Do you have a message for us?"
She dropped the quill.
Draco felt a flash of satisfaction when he heard the clear sound of the quill hitting the floor. Switching to his most annoyingly superior voice, he drawled, "Well, Chang? I'm disappointed. I though Potter would have chosen a more intelligent messenger."
Diving behind her desk to retrieve the quill, she glared at him as she resurfaced. "Really, Malfoy. I thought Harry would have chosen a more worthy person to trust."
He smirked. "You're one to talk about worthiness."
She went a little white at that and started shuffling documents around her desk, trying to regain her composure. At last, she looked up again.
"You don't have any recording charms on, do you?"
They both shook their heads.
"I'll trust your words on that. Alright, listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once."
She grinned as they both automatically straightened in their chairs.
"He has three sentences for you. The first is 'The Manor holds memories.'"
It sure does. Now we have to get permission to visit the damn place.
"The second one is 'Go home.'"
He had no idea what that one was about. Lupin looked equally confused, for once.
Why all these games?
"And the last?"
What are you hoping to accomplish?
"'It may rain again tomorrow.'"
********
Half An Hour Later
The Leaky Cauldron
It was still working hours, so they really couldn't get horribly drunk, but Draco ordered the strongest thing they had anyway. The pub was actually rather empty, for once, and Draco enjoyed the quiet.
"Well, that's one experience I'm not in a hurry to repeat. In fact, I think it's right up there with getting the Dark Mark." Lupin rolled his eyes at this, but Draco went on.
"Do we have to go to that godforsaken place?"
Lupin looked just as uncomfortable. "I don't see what we have to accomplish by visiting the Manor, but I suppose we do have to keep up the appearance of investigating Harry's escape. Besides, visiting Miss Chang seemed pointless in the beginning."
"It's still pointless. I don't doubt that those were Potter's words, but he could be luring us into a trap for all we know."
Remus started saying something, clearly about to deny that Potter would ever do such a thing, so he cut in.
"Didn't the second phrase sound like a threat to you? 'Go home or something terrible will happen.'"
Lupin laughed. "It's happened already, hasn't it? I doubt things can get any worse."
Draco felt his eyes widen in mock horror. "Now you've cursed us! The rest of our days shall be spent in eternal horrible torment, with images of blood and death plaguing our nightmares."
They both laughed at that. It felt good to be out of the blasted hospital's shadow. St Mungo's was bad enough, he didn't want to think about what the Manor would be like.
He tried again. "Do we have to go?"
Remus smiled, the expression suddenly taking years away from his face. Draco felt like a student again, sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, having answered a question when no one else would.
"Yes, Draco, we do." He glanced down at his watch. "Although I think we have a meeting to go to first."
********
Ministry Building, London.
Bode was a very strange man. He wore well-tailored robes and was excellently groomed, but there was an air of eccentricity about him that made him impossible to gauge. He had been Head of the Department of Mysteries since before the first Death Eater uprisings and had survived well through the different ministers through Dumbledore's favour. No one ever knew which side he was on, and no one ever knew what he was thinking. There were rumours in the Ministry, had been for years, that Fudge had tried to poison him multiple times and had almost been forced to drink the poison himself after one such attempt.
All this meant that Draco had a certain respect for the man, although he'd had few dealings with him. His office, however, was something of a disappointment.
It was Spartan in its tidiness, and there were no personal items. This was to be expected. The blinding shade of aqua, which decorated the walls, however, was not.
"It helps me relax." That had been his explanation as he stood to welcome them. To each his own, really, but the colour set Draco almost unbearably on edge.
It's like he's trying to annoy people on purpose. Hell, maybe he is.
Lupin seemed to be rather used to the whole thing, Bode being his direct superior. Far from his almost playful attitude in the Leaky Cauldron, he seemed stiffly professional now, even slightly cold.
Lupin spoke first. "I understand that you've found important information, Mr Bode."
The man's shrewd eyes swept over them. "I have, but first I'd like to hear of you gentlemen's findings."
Draco exchanged a fleeting glance with Remus. So Bode wanted to play ball, did he? Chang had been clever and had had Potter as a guide, but Bode was a professional at this sort of thing. They'd have to tread carefully.
Draco sighed internally. Just when did this thing become a baiting game with the bloody Ministry? Everything had escalated so quickly and now they were standing on slippery ground every single second.
How do I get myself into these things?
He spoke cautiously. After all, Bode had known Potter fairly well.
"We went to see Miss Chang, on your request," he couldn't stop the condescension that appeared in his voice at that sour point, nor did he want to. "She couldn't offer us anything beyond a record of her last conversation with Mister Potter and some rather brief notes. In other words, nothing we didn't know already." White-faced lie, but what Bode didn't know couldn't hurt him – at least at this point.
You've always been an excellent liar.
If Bode found this suspicious he didn't show it. He only pushed a very small roll of parchment towards Draco.
"This is the only psychological report we have of him. You might find it interesting."
Draco took the scroll cautiously. He would comb it for useful information later. However, now it was their turn to show and tell. Remus spoke.
"We need more leads. What happened to his wand? Can't you pick up a magical signature from that?"
"His wand was snapped, I believe. A wand like his is totally useless once they are broken. No, he'll be using something else."
Lupin laughed quietly. "Didn't need it much in the old days, did he?"
Draco shot him a look. Lupin subsided with another shake of his head.
He did have a good point. By all accounts, he'd gone to face the Dark Lord in the final battle without a wand. The Dark Lord had been killed, so logic follows that Potter could do something without a wand.
Most prisoners of Azkaban lose most of their magic before the first year was over.
Suddenly a thought struck Draco. "Have you ruled out kidnap?"
Bode raised an eyebrow. Draco stared at him, not willing to back down. Finally, Bode spoke.
"It doesn't seem possible. Firstly, what would be the kidnappers' motive? I don't imagine that most people want an insane criminal anywhere near them." Draco snorted. "But I can see how someone could let him out, just to cause chaos."
Remus looked startled. "To direct attention away from something else, Sir?"
The three of them exchanged glances. A moment of clarity had been reached.
"It might very well have been." Bode said, watching Draco's expression closely.
Draco's mind was racing. An intriguing new possibility had appeared in the picture and knocked the assembled pieces apart. The important questions now were who and what.
Bode cleared his throat in the silence.
"Well, I've pulled the visiting records from Azkaban, and Potter hasn't had a visitor in more than five months. I don't see how anyone could have been communicating with him otherwise."
Draco shivered. "Unless the dementors…"
Remus cut in. "No. There's no way of controlling them. Even Voldemort never really found a way."
They exchanged a look. If he did, we'd have all been well and truly fucked.
"If you gentleman have finished wallowing…?" Bode's voice was unaffected and almost cold. Draco glared. Remus just looked at Bode, eyebrow raised.
"This is all very interesting, of course, and should be taken into consideration, but I did call this meeting today for a reason."
Really? Could have fooled me, you manipulative senile bastard.
Draco didn't know what it was about Bode that frayed his nerves. Maybe his connections and similarity to Dumbledore.
Of course. That other manipulative senile bastard.
He waited for Bode to go on, not deigning to offer a question for him to answer. To his side, Remus didn't look annoyed, just bored. He had to admit that Lupin had the better poker face. He was sure his annoyance and dislike was visible for anyone to read.
"Remus, I remember you protesting that Potter had no motive for murder."
Draco looked over in surprise. Remus nodded heavily.
"Yes, sir, I did. I still maintain my stance – this is madness. It could have been anyone. Why Harry? What does he have to gain by it? Him breaking out of prison at about the same time does not count as evidence. And even that we're still not sure of." He chose his words carefully, but it was clear that this was an old argument by now and he was merely trying to be diplomatic.
Bode frowned. He looked almost annoyed. "Now, we're all intelligent wizards, we need not keep speaking in riddles."
Draco tried to arrange his face into his normal haughty expression to disguise his shock. How much does he know? Bode continued. "How many times have I told you, Remus? Fudge was just making a stab in the dark. He needed someone to blame, that's all. He knows much less than we do about anything." Most honest thing you've said all day, Bode.
Remus opened his mouth to interrupt. Bode silenced him with a gesture. "I know what you're going to say, if I were in your position I'd agree with you. The fact is, Fudge is convinced that Harry is the murderer, and now he can pin a motive on him."
He was met with no protest. Seeing that he had their full attention, Bode continued, watching Draco carefully.
"Baddock's brother was the archer who shot Ron Weasley." Well, there's your motive. It didn't need to be said. Remus's eyes had narrowed. He looked thoughtful.
"He died in the purges, of course. It wasn't a pretty case. I remember." He glanced at Remus. "You know how it was, Harry's hatred of the Death Eaters was legendary. He was well known for it."
Draco felt like he was walled off from the conversation. There was something here that he didn't know, something that he wasn't getting. He wasn't about to ask, but it was rather annoying.
"Do you think he did it?" Remus asked.
Bode's smile was dark and full of irony. "He certainly didn't have anything else to lose."
********************
New Year's Eve, 2001
Death Eater Base
It was rather funny, really, how things had gone to hell in a hand basket in less than ten minutes. It was supposed to be a stealth attack with surprise on their side. It became a disaster right from the start. The Death Eaters knew that they were coming. They certainly did not have numbers on their side. Their one advantage gone, it quickly became a fighting retreat at best, and a mad dash at worst.
It was quickly apparent that not only did the Death Eaters know when they were coming, but they also knew who and how many. The mad dash turned into a slaughter.
Seamus hated watching his friends die. He would give his life for any of them, and they knew it. But as the curses started flying, he knew there was nothing he could do.
He couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Only top Order personnel had known about the plan, there had been no leaks, the people involved in the attack were all trustworthy Order members (which made their loss even greater, but that was not his concern right now). One thing he knew – he had questions, and he would get answers.
*******
To Be Continued
A/N: I decided to chop chapter four in half, so Ginny's appearance will have to wait for chapter five. I know at least one of you who would be pleased by that. ^_^ As always, thanks for reading, and I would be very gratified if you would tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome as always. I'm a writer who's still learning her trade, and I'd like to improve.
Next chapter: Ginny has unpleasant flashbacks and gets a visitor. Draco and Remus go to the Manor. The One Big Happy Weasley Family dream is shattered, and it does indeed rain again.
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