Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters,places et al.are owned by J.K. Rowling

A/N: and another one :) If you find any mistakes, you can keep them :P Thanks for the nice reviews, keep them coming :D

Chapter 14

„Thanks for seeing us, Headmaster," Elizabeth Banish nodded towards Professor Dumbledore. Elizabeth and Phil took a set in front of Dumbledore's great desk. It was quite early in the morning, and the weak rays of autumn sun cast the room in its usual warm gold.
"Any time, Inspector," he answered her and looked her up and down, smiling. "You've come a long way from the last time I saw you." He chuckled. "I still remember you as the little girl frightened and yet fascinated of this strange world, this magical world."
She slightly blushed. And from the corner of her eyes she could see Phil hide a chuckle. Damn him to hell… "I had great teachers," she smiled at him.
"Your father would have been very proud of you," Dumbledore's calm voice said with a hint of mourn in it.
She had to swallow hard. She didn't like to be reminded of her father. She would have liked to remember him the way he had been – a dutiful, resourceful inspector, never auror-material, but then he didn't mind, loving family man, who always told funny stories about his many travels and jobs. But all she could remember was the broken corpse, what had been left after the attack by a Death Eater. A Death Eater who still ran around, possibly killing as he went along. She clenched her fists, but instantly relaxed them again. Calm down, Elizabeth. You know the drill. Nice and friendly…
"I don't often talk about him, Headmaster," she didn't look him in the eyes, "but I guess he would have liked that I followed in his footsteps." She swallowed again, and looked up towards Dumbledore. "Anyways, Headmaster, I fear there are far more urgent, and distressing, things that brought me here."
"Yes, yes, Elizabeth," Dumbledore nodded. "To what do I owe your presence in the school?"
"There has been a murder in the forest near Hogsmeade," she said in her cool business voice. "He was under some torture by the Cruciatus before his death which was dealt by the Killing Curse."
"I heared something about this," Dumbledore nodded heavily. "But I wonder what brings you here?"
Elizabeth fidgeted a bit in her chair. "Well, Headmaster, our initial research brought evidence to light that suggests the deed was done by some young boy, or a very thin and light man. And as it has been Hogsmeade weekend of your school…"
"You think it might be a student. Correct?" Dumbledore looked at her and it seemed a shadow had laid itself on his face.
"It is only one line of our investigation. But I have to follow every lead, as unpleasant as it might be."
"I understand that." He suddenly smiled again. "Well, of course you're free to question the students. I'll have a list of all the students who were away owled to you. But don't expect to find much." He cast a curious glance at her.
"Thank you very much, Headmaster," she said and got up. "I won't take more of your tight schedule. We'll walk around the school a bit if you don't mind, and if possible, would like to start talking to some students as soon as we processed the list."
"I will inform them of your presence then. I will hope you'll find the ones responsible."
As they left, Phil whispered in her ear, "He's hiding something. Just a weird feeling I got."
"Of course he is," he answered him. "He always does, and I would be very surprised if he didn't this time around. It's going to be a very interesting investigation, that's for sure."
The students they came across as they walked the corridors were all curious as to who they may be, but no one dared speak to them. All in all, everything was just the way she remembered Hogwarts. And she remembered the evil that had crept out of it before; it might happen again.

Side by side, Harry and Draco walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. As soon as he was through, a storm of whispers and furtive glances were cast into their general direction. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs just seemed to take mild interest in it, just like bystanders might watch a train accident about to happen. And maybe they were also counting on some house points falling into their general direction if the other two houses were otherwise preoccupied. It was a fair bit, really. Slytherin and Gryffindor tables looked as if they hadn't really decided yet what to do first: just tear Harry and Draco apart, or throw themselves the Gryffindor table and tear them apart. The resentment and open hatred could be cut with a knife. Harry wondered how long this calmness would actually last.
This also proved to be a problem for Harry and Draco in a very life-threatening situation: were to eat?
Harry definitely didn't want to sit at Gryffindor table, and from the look of it, the table wouldn't mind at all if he got lost in the first place. There still was an empty table at the Slytherin one. Draco seemed quite reluctant, but in the end walked with Harry towards it. They sat down, and started eating.
But Harry felt there was something wrong with Draco, and he didn't tell him. It wasn't normal to flinch when sitting down. And when he touched Draco around his waist as they walked towards the Hall, he also flinched. He had said nothing as he thought Draco might say what's wrong. He hadn't and Harry's patience was growing thin.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked between sips of his tea. "Are you hurt?"
Draco looked up and faked a not very convincing smile. "No, I'm feeling fine. It's all ok."
"Don't lie to me," Harry said, his eyes showing concern. "I love you; you should know that by now. You can tell me everything…"
"I-" He swallowed. "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't," Harry said louder than he wanted to. "I can see that something pains you. What happened? Please tell me!"
"It is nothing you need to know," he finally admitted at least something was wrong. "I can handle it myself."
For a moment, Harry had the old Draco sitting right before him, all haughty and proud. He felt anger rise in him. And something else. Worry for Draco? "Now spit it out! Or –" Now Harry's voice grew harder. "Or I'll just get up and walk away. I won't stand any more lies, by anyone."
Draco looked at him for several moments, but stayed silent. Just as Harry was about to get up, he opened his mouth. "No," he almost whispered. "Please stay."
"Then tell me what happened."
"They…talked to me last night. Somehow, they already knew about –" He slightly chocked on his last words. "-about us. Crabbe and Goyle, they said I put shame on the house, and they're not taking it. I should leave you alone, and behave like a good Slytherin. I resisted. They hurt me. Beat me, where my clothes would hide it. I didn't-"
Harry couldn't stand hearing it anymore. Primal rage burnt his way through his carefully maintained calmness like a hot knife through butter. Before anyone could react, Harry was on his feet and raced over to Crabbe and Goyle. With his hands, he ripped both from their positions on the bench. They thudded to the ground with satisfying yelps of pain. They shook their meaty heads, but before anyone could react, he already had his wand out, pointed straight at them.

"Now, can you just look up the list and –" Elizabeth was suddenly interrupted as she walked by the Great Hall. A voice, full with rage, thundered through the Hall.
Quickly, she stepped close and looked through the open doors. It was not a pretty sight. The teachers all seemed to have finished breakfast, as only students were present. And all those students looked to one boy, next to the Slytherin table. He was tall, and would have been actually quite good-looking if not for the rage that twisted his face into an ugly mask. The fiery stare bore down on two bulky boys lying on the floor before him, their eyes full of fear.
"If you touch him one bloody more time," the boy roared through the Great Hall, "if he has so much as a dent in his cloak, you'll have me to answer. I'll be your worst nightmare, and you won't be safe from me anywhere. I'll find you! Is that clear?"
The boys just nodded vigorously. Another boy with perfect looks and blond hair stood behind the raging boy. The features… He knew them, but who- Then it hit her; aMalfoy. Just like Lucius… His face was torn between this Malfoy sneer she knew so well, and another mien. Like a lover watches his beloved. Strange…
Without a further word, the boy snapped his wand back into his cloak and stormed out of the Hall, the other boy racing to stop him. The leading boy seemed to have missed her, as he slammed full force into her.
"Who the-" he started, but when he saw she was no regular, his mouth shut with a click.
"That could get you in a lot of trouble, Mr…?" she looked at him again. Now, as if a switch had been thrown, he looked at her with ultimate calm, calculating. It sent shivers down her spine.
"Potter," he simply answered with a cold voice. "And you'll be?"
Potter? The Potter? Now that she looked at him more closely, she could make out slight semblances to the pictures in the news papers. But he looked so different. She would have never thought that this was the The Boy Who Lived. "Inspector Elizabeth Banish," she answered him calmly. "I'm here for a little investigation in regards to some problems in Hogsmeade." It was a slight underestimation, but she didn't want to give her true cause right away. Sometimes it was good to keep people a bit in the dark. But what she saw in Potter's eyes, and casting quickly at the Malfoy young, made her think. Just as if they knew what she was talking about?
"Haven't seen anything strange there," he said, not breaking his cool for a second. "My boyfriend spent most of the time in the Broomsticks."
Boyfriend? Oh my, this is going to be interesting… "Anyway, Mr. Potter," she said finally, "I've to go now. But I guess we'll be seeing us soon enough. And be careful with the temper of yours. I won't tell, I know how it goes around here after all, but teachers aren't as forgiving as I am." She winked them good-bye and walked away, towards the exit.

"Are you crazy?" Draco attacked him when they were up in the astronomy tower between classes under the embraces of a silencing charm.
"No," Harry shook his head. "Not that I know…"
"What did you think back then in the Great Hall?"
"I just..." He looked him in the eyes. "I just couldn't stand you being hurt. I had to- to hurt them back. I won't stand back and take this without doing something." He clutched Draco's hand.
"You don't have to protect me. I could have handled it-"
"It doesn't matter. You belong to me now. No way I won't do nothing. I will not loose someone I love again." His voice made clear that this was above discussion. "And you weren't exactly eager to stop me if I remember…"
Draco blushed. "I don't know… It felt so strange, to have someone love you so much and show it this way. It was so-" He lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "-hot to have you fight for me." His face split into a very tantalising grin. He grabbed the baffled Harry and drew him in for a hard and long kiss. When they broke, Harry just smiled, but Draco went on talking.
"Still, your outbreak in the Hall and this Inspector… She was talking about that guy in the woods. She investigates it. And I think you just got her interest. This could be dangerous."
"Pah," Harry snorted, still grinning. "She won't find out. After all, there's no evidence left. She can look all she wants."
"Nonetheless, we've got to be careful. This is a thin rope we're walking."
"And we will manage." Now it was Harry to leer at Draco. "Now, I think we should deepen the conversation some more…"