CHAPTER TWO

"Please headmaster, we have no where else to go,"

The tall stout man regarded Draco with somber eyes and a frown.

"Over these many years we have known each other, Mr. Malfoy, you have never shown me an ounce of respect, not an iota of loyalty, so why, do you think, I should allow you to stay within my school grounds? Why should I give you this charity?" Draco hung his head.

"In all honesty, you shouldn't. But it isn't just me, it's my children. In fact, I don't care if you let me stay, I can find somewhere else, but I cannot ensure their safety if I take them with me and that is why I have come to you. If I take them, they will die, and I refuse to lose them as well," he choked out the last sentence, remembering Hermione's bloody body in the hallway. "Mr. Weasley, sir, please let them stay, please keep them safe." Draco was just short of kneeling to plead when the redhead sighed.

"Alright Mr. Malfoy, you may stay with Hagrid, but the instant the Ministry comes looking for you, you must vacate as quickly as possible. If you wish your children may remain without you but you must leave if they come for you." Draco felt as if he could kiss the balding redhead, he didn't of course; he left in silence pausing only to bow out the door.

"Oh my God, Neville, come here, quickly!" Ginny screamed from the hallway. The young brunette was sprawled face up on the carpet; blood had soaked in all around her. Neville came quietly up behind Ginny.

"Hermione!" he gasped. The partners stared at their friends pale face for a moment.

"I'll go check upstairs, hopefully the kids got away," Ginny said sadly as she stepped over Hermione's body. Neville stepped over the corpse and looked at the front entrance. Long orange hairs were left on the carpet, Neville bent down to examine them.

"What is this? Ginny, is there anything up there?" Neville called, still looking at the hairs.

"No, a few overturned tables and such but the kids are gone. I hope they're with their father."

Neville turned slowly getting a 360 degree look at the hallways and part of the living room while Ginny slowly descended the stairs. A sudden noise made the partners jump. They looked around, trying to find the cause of the sound. After a few moments of searching, they heard it again, louder this time; they looked to the floor when a slight movement caught their eye. Ginny screamed.

Draco lay in the lumpy cot the Hagrid had provided him in the back of the small cabin. It smelt like mould and looked no better. He could see the light filtering in through a hole in the roof above him and he knew it was time to get up.

"Daddy, time to get up, we have work to do." Angel said from the doorway. Draco rolled over and sat up looking at his daughter, he could see his beloved wife in her bright brown eyes. He stood, walked over to her and picked her up in a hug that made Angel squeak, she wrapped her legs around her father's waist and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you Daddy," she said, beaming at her father. Draco smiled back sadly and set her back on the ground.

"Come on sweetie, we've got work to do, do you want to feed the Threstrals, clean the Flobberworm pen or get firewood with Fang?" Draco knew which his daughter would pick; she picked the same thing every day.

"I'll go with Fang!" she said excitedly.

"Alright, then we'll make Jake clean the Flobberworms then, I'll go wake him." Draco smile at his daughter's enthusiasm as she skipped out the door calling Fang to her. He walked into the next room and shook his son lightly. Jake sat up instantly, his bright blue eyes looking everywhere at once, he was panicking. His eyes finally rested on his father and he calmed down.

"Are you alright son?" Draco asked, concerned by his son's behavior.

"Yeah," Jake laughed lightly "I was having a bad dream. I miss mom…" he said sadly. Draco was slightly shocked; he hadn't heard either of his children talk about their mother since they had arrived at the school two months before. He gave Jake's shoulder an affectionate squeeze and a reassuring smile.

"I miss her too, Jake, but bad things happen… We just need to make the best of the situation we're in…But we have work to do, so you go take care of the-"

"Can I please take care of the Threstrals today, Dad? I've cleaned those stupid Flobberworms every day this week."

"Alright, go feed the Threstrals…" Jake ran outside and Draco remained where he was. Hermione… Why did they have to take you? You had nothing to do with this… He punched the wall beside him and went outside to join his family.

"And you're no closer to finding him?"

"No, sir,"

You both know what this means don't you?

"Yes, sir,"

"We are trying our best, but he's very slippery, sir."

"Do you think I am unaware of that? Do you think I'm stupid? I know how difficult he is to find but this is getting ridiculous, I am becoming the laughing stock of the Ministry because of your incompetence! I won't stand for it any longer, you have one last chance and if you screw this up, you can both find yourselves other jobs!" Hannah Abbot yelled at her two finest aurors. Ginny and Neville both sighed and walked out of the tall red-head's office. Ginny flipped her own red hair over her shoulder and threw herself into a chair in her and Neville's shared office.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" she mocked their superior, "What does she think we've been doing for the past twelve years? Going for tea and biscuits every day? Bloody tosser…" she trailed off with more insults grumbled under her breath.

"I don't think I'll be able to find another job!" Neville cried, sitting in a second chair behind the desk. "I got lucky getting this one! And if we screw up no one else will hire us… Ginny, I don't think we can get him. Maybe we should cut our losses and take off now before we get stuck; we could go to Japan or something. They'd still take us right?" Ginny rolled her eyes and walked over to her partner; she stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders.

"You're panicking, Neville. We'll be fine, we can catch him." She thought for a moment, "Contrary to popular belief, the great Harry Potter can be defeated."

Neville nodded and relaxed into the massage.

A/N: I hope you liked it, I'm really starting to enjoy writing this... However, I won't bother if you guys don't care... You know what that means... REVIEW! Thanks a bunch, Au revoir