4th November
Harry woke to the murmur of voices. He could make out vague shapes flitting against a warm orange glow. He lay still, hoping to figure out where he was without giving away the fact that he was conscious. The first thing they had learnt in Auror training had been that the more knowledge they gathered, the better their chances of surviving a hostile situation.
"Give it up Potter." He heard a lazy voice drawl next to his ear. Despite his intentions, Harry's eyes flew open to find Draco Malfoy's grey ones staring back at him coldly from a bed next to his.
Harry realized they were in St Mungo's.
"Harry!" Harry grunted in surprise as Ginny threw herself onto him.
"Oh Harry, you're awake!" He heard Molly Weasly exclaim tearfully. "We were so worried!"
Harry could only manage a muffled reply through Ginny's kisses. Behind the mass of red hair in his face he could see Molly, Hermione, Bill and Tonks all beaming at him.
"It's good to finally see you're awake. You gave us quite a scare Harry." Bill grinned at him. "Mum was about to fret herself into a bed here as well."
"Yes, we weren't sure when you were going to wake… if at all." Hermione said. Molly gave her a reproachful glare.
"How long was I asleep for?" Harry asked, now that Ginny had transferred her death grip from his neck to his hand.
"Three days." Ginny replied "We didn't know if you were in a coma or not."
"Three days?" Harry exclaimed. "What happened with the mission? The last I remember was getting hit by a curse…"
He saw Ginny hesitate and look towards Hermione. "We'll explain everything when we debrief you." Hermione said quickly.
As if on cue, the doors to the ward opened and Harry was surprised to see Percy, Cho and Anita Powers, the new Minister of Magic, enter.
Ginny's grip tightened, causing Harry to wince. He also felt both Bill and Molly stiffen at the sight of the third Weasly brother.
Percy gave no indication of having seen any of his family members. On the other side of the Minister, Cho's face was equally as inscrutable.
Minister Powers smiled warmly at Harry. "It's good to see you're awake Agent Potter. Are you feeling well enough to do the debriefing now?"
Harry nodded, though he was in fact feeling rather nauseous. Minister Powers smiled apologetically at the group and said "I'm afraid, only those with the correct clearances may stay for the debriefing."
Molly nodded, leaning over to give Harry a kiss "I'll let Arthur know you're alright, and we'll both come and visit you again soon dear."
Tonks also came over, her hair a subdued hue of violet today, to give him a hug and to whisper "I'm sorry for giving away our position at the raid Harry."
"Don't worry, you payed me back for saving me from Lestrange." Harry told her reassuringly. "Aren't you staying?"
"We've already been debriefed." Ginny interjected.
Harry felt a twinge of sadness from her and was puzzled, but didn't have time to ask any questions as Hermione began ushering everyone out. Ginny gave his hand one last squeeze before leaving with Molly, Bill and Tonks.
When Hermione came back, they all settled themselves around both Harry and Draco's beds.
Frowning Harry asked, "Why is he allowed to be present?" indicating Draco who merely scowled and looked bored.
"Cause he's also being debriefed." Cho spoke up for the first time.
"Wha-, you're the inside agent?" Harry asked disbelievingly.
"Someone's got to do the dirty work when Wonder Boy's keeping up with his press coverage." Draco smirked at Harry maddeningly.
Harry scowled at this reference to his ongoing publicity. His defeat of Voldemort in his seventh year had meant his celebrity status had only increased and even now, seven years later, he was still being pursued by reporters wanting interviews with 'The Boy Who Lived'.
"Minister, the veritaserum should really be administered before we continue." Percy interrupted in a plaintive voice.
Minister Powers nodded. "Ms Chang, if you wouldn't mind?"
Cho got up and pulled two small vials of clear potion from inside her robes. She handed Draco and him one each, then wordlessly sat down again. Harry tried to catch her eye but apparently she was still refusing to acknowledge him. He sighed. It seemed Cho had never really forgiven him for breaking up with her back when they were both still students at Hogwarts.
Harry swallowed the veritaserum in one gulp, feeling the slight acidic burn hit the back of his throat as it went down. Immediately he felt its effects as a willingness to co-operate spread over him.
Minister Powers looked at Percy who nodded, quill and parchment at the ready for scribing. The Minister waited a few more moments to allow the veritaserum to take effect and then indicated for Hermione to begin.
Hermione took a breath and began, "As you both know, we conducted a raid on an important Death Eater meeting, held by Lucius Malfoy at Malfoy Manor." Hermione's eyes flicked to Draco briefly, as did Harry's. He hadn't known the castle was Malfoy Manor.
"The raid wasn't as successful as we'd hoped for it to be, as you might have guessed, due to a miscalculation of the number of Death Eaters present at the meeting." She continued.
"However, the mission wasn't entirely a failure either as we managed to kill one Death Eater and apprehend two others while sustaining only one casualty on our side."
Harry frowned. A casualty? Does that mean someone was killed, or just seriously injured? He remembered seeing Angelina down from a curse meant for him. His frown deepened.
"What happened to my fa- the other Death Eaters?" Draco asked.
"They disapparated before we had a chance to arrest them." Hermione said to him. "Crabbe and Goyle Senior were the ones apprehended. They're awaiting trial at Azkaban right now. And Peter Pettigrew was the one killed. By your wand too Harry, from what Tonks reported to us." She directed at Harry.
Harry nodded. So Wormtail was dead. Good. The man who had betrayed his parents was finally dead and Harry was glad he was the one to do it. He was just sorry that Bellatrix Lestrange had gotten away, but he vowed to himself that he would also be the one to make her pay for murdering Sirius.
"The others have all been debriefed already, but they weren't able to give us much in the way of information." Hermione continued. "What we'd like you two to do is give a recount of the mission and any additional information you might have gathered."
She turned to Harry first and he obliged, recounting as much of the mission as he could remember. Hermione questioned him closely on the conversation he'd overheard, making him repeat the details over and over until he felt a tight ache at the back of his head that promised to become a migraine later on.
Finally she was satisfied and let him continue. "What happened when you got inside?" she asked.
"Well, they'd been alerted to our presence after Agent Tonks had knocked over a Devil's Snare plant that had attacked her, so our attack wasn't a complete surprise." He said. "Agent Johnson was hit as we entered and I saw Agent Finnigan down at one point as well."
"Whom were you fighting with?"
"Bellatrix Lestrange. I had hit Pettigrew earlier."
"What happened to Lestrange?"
"She was hit by Agent Tonks with a stray curse and disapparated before I'd had a chance to ki- arrest her." Harry corrected himself. He had been about to say 'killed' as there would have been no way he would have let Lestrange be sent to Azkhaban and the possibility of escape again.
Hermione gave a small frown but didn't force the issue. "Then what happened?"
"Lestrange's sudden disappearance had caught me by surprise. I was also momentarily distracted by distress I felt from Ginny. I must have been hit by Pettigrew from behind. That's all I remember." He finished.
"What do you mean 'distress you felt from Ms Weasly'?" Minister Powers inquired politely.
"Ginny is my magical sister." Harry explained. "We formed a magical bond that allows us to feel each other's emotions."
"Oh, so you were adopted into the Weasly family?" Minister Powers asked.
"Yes, although it wasn't welcomed by every member of the family." Harry said, giving Percy a hard look. He saw with some satisfaction, the colour rise in Percy's cheeks, but he otherwise gave no indication that he'd heard Harry's jibe.
Percy had been the only Weasly to oppose Harry and Ginny's bonding as siblings. He had protested against it on the grounds that Harry attracted trouble and would do no good for their family with regards to the Ministry. Of course there had been an uproar when he'd made this clear, Charlie and Bill had had quite a time trying to prevent the Twins and Ron from killing him outright. Ginny had nearly succeeded, with a well-aimed stoning curse.
There was a short silence broken only by the slight scratching of Percy's quill. Harry had the nagging suspicion that he had left out something important but he couldn't think of what that could be.
"Alright, thank you Harry." Hermione said. "We'd now like to hear your version of the events Mr. Malfoy."
Draco gave her a small sneer. "As you know, I was the 'inside agent' for this mission. I had been spying on my father and his associates for the Ministry of Magic."
"How long had you been spying on your father for?"
Draco hesitated.
"It's alright, you have clearance to reveal this information Mr. Malfoy." Minister Powers said. "We already know this information. We just need a record of you confirming."
Draco's eyes flicked to Cho, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Five years." Draco finally said.
Harry gaped. Draco had been spying for the Ministry for that long? And before that? Harry remembered that Draco had been pulled out of Hogwarts at the end of their Sixth year. Everyone had assumed he'd left to join the Death Eaters 'training camp'.
"Who was your contact agent?" Hermione asked.
"My contact was Ms Cho Chang." Draco said, smirking slightly at Harry. Harry had expected that though and he took the news unequivocally.
Hermione nodded. "What were your orders for the night of the raid?" She asked.
"I was to find out how many Death Eaters there were, and to disable the wards for the Aurors."
"Except you gave us the wrong information." Harry interrupted accusingly.
Draco glared at him. "There were only five Death Eaters when I made my report. The others must have apparated in after I'd left. My father is not the most trustful of men, even with his own son. I was trying to keep Vin and Greg away when we heard sounds of the battle."
"Besides, the number of Death Eaters wouldn't have mattered that much if one of your Aurors hadn't been too clumsy to keep from being attacked by the house plants." Draco sneered.
"That had nothing to do with it!" Harry retorted angrily. "The numbers against us were a much bigger factor in the failure of the mission than Tonks knocking over a plant!"
"And why weren't you there in the room keeping an eye on the Death Eaters as you were assigned to do?" Harry demanded. "Seems to me, you were far more incompetent than Tonks was. Or rather, you'd conveniently left because you're really working for your father!"
"You really are a moron Potter. I wasn't in the room because I was trying to head off Vincent and Greg." Draco said in a cold voice.
"Who are…?" Minister Powers inquired.
"Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. They're the sons of the Crabbe and Goyle Seniors we currently have in custody Minister." Percy supplied pompously.
"That's right," Draco continued to glare at Harry, his eyes glittering furiously. "They're also my friends, and not Death Eaters any more than I am, if you'll believe that Potter."
Harry glared back. "No, I can't say I do."
"Agent Potter, Mr. Malfoy is telling the truth." Cho said in a neutral voice. "I can vouch for his loyalty completely."
"Perhaps, Mr. Malfoy could give some proof that he isn't a Death Eater so as to satisfy Mr. Potter and the rest of us?" Minister Powers inquired.
Draco scowled but sat up and pushed up the sleeve on his right arm. Hermione gasped at the sight of the swollen Dark Mark on his inner forearm.
"I knew it!" Harry said triumphantly. "I knew he was a Death-" He trailed off as Draco touched the mark with his wand and the tattoo immediately began to fade. Within seconds there was no trace of it left. Draco's forearm was completely bare and unscarred.
"What the- How did you do that?" Harry demanded.
Draco smirked. "Glamour Charm Potter. Even a simpleton like you should know what that is."
"A Glamour Charm? Very impressive Mr. Malfoy." Minister Powers said.
"How did you know when he summoned you though?" Hermione asked frowning.
"Cunning and luck mostly." Draco shrugged. "Snape warned me when he was summoned and I would usually check with my father. I wasn't high up enough in the ranks to warrant much in the way of a personal audience."
Harry was stunned. Just the thought that Draco had gone around so blatantly deceiving Voldemort made his hair stand on end. He knew the casual statement hid years of knife-edge fear and despite himself, he felt his respect for Draco rise.
"That was a very risky thing to do." Harry said quietly.
He saw a momentary flash of surprise in Draco's eyes at the lack of a biting remark from Harry but it was gone in an instant, to be replaced by Draco's customary sneer. "Like I said, someone had to do the dirty work."
Harry nodded. "You probably helped me in defeating him then, so I guess I believe that you aren't a Death Eater. But that doesn't mean I trust you now. You might have given proof that you didn't work for Voldemort, but you haven't given any to prove that you're not working for your father."
Hermione shot him an exasperated look.
Draco rolled his eyes. "I give up in the face of your idiocy Potter."
The Minister smiled. "Alright, I believe that's all gentlemen. Mr. Malfoy, since your cover was blown, I suggest you report back to your superiors and be reassigned once you're well enough. Mr. Potter, I will leave you with Ms Granger to also be reassigned."
"Who else was hit?" Harry asked impulsively, as the Minister prepared to leave.
Percy shot Harry an annoyed look for daring to talk to the Minister directly. "Agent Finnigan was the one hit. He was dead by the time reinforcements arrived." He informed Harry in clipped tones.
Harry felt his stomach sink. Seamus! Seamus was gone. His friend since the first day of Hogwarts and one of the closest people in his life. He couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe that he was never going to be on another assignment with him again. Couldn't believe that they were never going to joke and share a laugh together again.
In a flash Harry remembered Cedric Diggory's death back in his Fourth Year of Hogwarts. His pale, limp body. His blank, unseeing eyes. There had been many other deaths Harry had witnessed since then, both during and after the War, but Cedric's had been the first for him. He could still remember the grey bleakness that had descended on him after that. Of being faced with the terrible knowledge that innocent people were the first ones to die.
And once again, Harry was faced with another death. Another loved one. He wondered wearily when this would stop. When he would stop being the one who carries on while others died.
He felt Draco's stare and Hermione's worry but he chose to ignore them. He didn't want to see their contempt or their pity.
"Good day gentlemen." The Minister smiled again, unaware of Harry's inner turmoil, and left in a flurry of robes, with Percy and Cho in tow.
Hermione got up too, saying in a stilted manner, "I have to go into the Ministry to make a report. Then I have to go and supervise the questioning of Crabbe and Goyle in Azkaban." She shivered slightly at the thought.
"You're on leave until you're discharged Harry." She said coming to his side of the bed. "I'm really sorry about Seamus. I know he was a good friend of yours. He was a good friend of mine too."
Harry nodded. He knew Hermione was sincere and only wanted to help, but he didn't want to think about Seamus' death right now. It was still too new for him to think about it calmly, and he didn't want to embarrass himself with Draco Malfoy in the room.
"What's wrong with me?" He asked in a quiet voice. Draco ignored them.
"The Mediwitches don't really know what curse you were hit with. They said it must have been a very powerful one to be able to knock you out like that. They had to drain off the excess magical shock as quickly as possible when we brought you in, otherwise you would have magically bled to death. We were only just in time too. But other than that, they said there was nothing wrong with you that they could find." She said.
"So why am I still here?" he asked.
"Well, the Mediwitches said they want to keep you here for observation for a few days. Apparently the effects of some curses don't manifest themselves for a while." Hermione explained. "Don't worry, I'll have a look in the Ministry library to try and find out what sort of curse it was."
"How do you know what curse I was hit with if there are no symptoms?" Harry asked.
"Ginny told me the name. She said she felt it when you were hit and apparently she got the name from what you heard." Hermione said.
"Huh? I didn't know she could do that." Harry said puzzled.
Hermione shrugged. "Must be another side effect of the sibling bond."
Harry nodded slowly. "So what was the curse?"
"Tre Dekavra."
"Never heard of it." Harry said.
"Me either. But don't worry, I'll find out what it is." Hermione said reassuringly.
"What about Malfoy?" Harry asked, glancing over at the other bed. Draco had pointedly turned the other way and had his back to Harry.
"He was hit with a few curses, but nothing too serious. He should be discharged soon." Hermione replied quietly.
"Malfoy gets to leave and I don't?" Harry asked sullenly. "How can you be so sure he's working for us anyway? Who's to say he's not spying on the Ministry for his father? I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."
Hermione gave him a funny look. "I don't think he would so openly risk his father and their operations if he was spying for his father Harry."
Harry snorted. "Well, then it was stupid of him to blow his cover like that."
"Harry," Hermione said quietly, "He blew his cover to save you."
"What?"
"Draco Malfoy saved your life."