Chapter Twenty

Unexpected Visit


A couple of weeks later, Draco snorted as he noticed that there were still several photographs of him and Hermione in the shop windows of Diagon Alley.

The interview that The Prophet had published at Christmas had been on everyone's lips. Even his parents had read it, and Narcissa now smiled in a very strange way that Draco didn't like every time she saw the two of them together.

He hadn't read it, nor did he plan to.

Draco knew she had talked about their relationship, how much he had changed and how in love they both were.

Just thinking about it made him blush, and Hermione felt the same way whenever anyone brought it up.

At least he had his new Nimbus 2010, which he cared for like it was made of gold.

He sighed as he reached the door of the Leaky Cauldron. Theo wasn't there yet and he was always on time.

Draco narrowed his eyes and a small smirk spread across his face. He made his way back down the alley, the new Seeker gloves he had just bought in one of his pockets.

He suspected that his friend had gone down there that Saturday morning for very different reasons. Theo had been acting strange for a few days and was avoiding his questions.

He turned the corner and hid behind a large cage with a black crow in it, watching the street through the bars.

The crow cawed and he hissed, trying to get it to shut up and not give him away.

Draco smiled when he saw his friend appear, confirming his suspicions.

He was with Luna. He walked her to the door of The Quibbler's office and she kissed him goodbye on the cheek.

Luna had already left, but Theo was still standing in the middle of the alley looking like an idiot and staring blankly, not moving.

Draco huffed, coming out of his hiding place and startling his friend, who jumped.

"It's not like it's the first date you've ever been on," he muttered mockingly.

"Shit, Draco! You can't just appear like that," Theo protested, pressing a hand to his chest.

He rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"You were daydreaming. Is that what you didn't want to tell me? That you're dating Luna?"

"We're not dating," Theo replied, walking beside him with his hands in his pockets. "We're getting to know each other."

Draco chuckled.

"You don't get to know people, Theo. You're only interested in what's between their legs."

"Shut up. It's different with her."

That surprised him and he turned his head to stare at his friend.

"Wow, you must like that girl."

Theo sighed and his face relaxed again.

"I've never met anyone like her before."

"Yes, Luna is a bit peculiar," Draco added quietly.

Theo snorted.

"Peculiar. Good word."

Draco walked through the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron first, appearing within seconds at the pub near the Quidditch stadium outside Cambridge.

Blaise, Potter and the three Weasley siblings were waiting for them outside already in their uniforms.

"You're late," protested Pansy, who was leaning against the wall with Daphne beside her.

"He's to blame," Draco snarled, pointing at Theo. "Where's my broom, Potter?"

"In the changing rooms with ours. Hermione brought it to me an hour ago before she left with Arthur."

Draco smirked.

"Have you tried it?"

"No," Harry replied, a frown on his face. "You told me I couldn't."

Draco took off his robe and folded it, pulling his gloves out of his pocket as they entered the stadium. He already had his Slytherin Quidditch uniform on.

"You can try it while I put this in a locker," he commented, tapping him on the shoulder. "But take good care of it, Potter."

Harry stared at him, trying to hide his surprise.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"It'll be fun if you try out the broom I'm going to beat you with from now on," he added with a smirk.

Harry narrowed his eyes and they all went into the changing room. The others grabbed their brooms and exited while Theo changed his clothes.

Draco pulled on his new gloves and looked at his friend, grinning at him.

"Time to finish Potter."

He smiled back.

"But no cheating, right?"

"No cheating," Draco repeated with a nod.


"What the hell is an owl doing here?"

Draco continued flying up, ignoring Blaise's voice.

"There's another one!" Ginny shouted.

"And there's a black one coming!"

Draco grunted, stopping his broom. He had come so close to catching the snitch and Harry couldn't fly as fast as him.

"What's with all the shouting?" he asked angrily.

When he looked up he saw a black owl flying towards him. Another owl had landed on Theo's broomstick and the last one was approaching Blaise.

Draco saw another brown owl fly over the stadium and down to the stands, where Pansy and Daphne were.

"What the fuck is this?" he muttered, taking off a glove to untie the piece of parchment that was tied to its leg.

The owl took flight without waiting for a reply, and the other three followed soon after.

Draco felt all the air leave his lungs as he read the parchment, and the scream he heard from Pansy chilled his blood.

If it wasn't for Harry holding him, he probably would have fallen off his broom.

Mr. Malfoy,

You are on Mr. Gregory Goyle's contact list. I regret to inform you that this morning he was attacked in Skylor Alley, Edinburgh, and has lost his life.

This murder is under investigation, so if you want to know more you will have to come to the Ministry's Auror Office and ask for me.

I am sorry for your loss and that you have to find out this way.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Taylor, Auror.

"What's the matter, Malfoy? Why are you shaking?" Harry asked worriedly.

He passed him the letter without a word and Harry gasped loudly.

"Oh, fuck."


St. Mungo's was in chaos.

He and Theo went together to identify the body. Greg's parents were in Azkaban and he had no other family.

Blaise and Harry had left to talk to the Aurors and find out what had happened, and Daphne had taken care of Pansy.

They barely spoke while they were there. Seeing their friend's burnt body had been too hard for both of them.

Fiendfyre. It was the second time he'd lost someone to that hard-to-control curse.

A stranger had cast it on Greg and two other wizards had died. Three more were recovering from their injuries at St. Mungo's, and ten Aurors were still in the alley hidden beneath Edinburgh Castle, trying to put out the fire and neutralise the curse.

The two of them took in turns stepping through the hospital's only fireplace. As they arrived at Blaise's mansion they found Pansy in the main room, crying inconsolably on one of the sofas next to Daphne as Mrs. Zabini tried to comfort her.

Draco dropped into an armchair, holding both hands to his face. Theo sat on the other side of Pansy and hugged her, whispering something in her ear.

A few minutes later Harry and Blaise entered the room. Mrs. Zabini stood up, sighing as she hugged her son.

"I'll be in my room. The funeral will be tomorrow."

Blaise nodded grimly and his mother left, closing the door. Harry grabbed one of the glasses of water on the table and walked over to where Draco was, sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry about your friend, Malfoy."

He shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

"We'd grown quite far apart since we left Hogwarts. He moved to Edinburgh and I hadn't seen him in over two months."

"Still... I'm sorry," Harry added, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Draco didn't pull away and let out a long sigh.

"What did they say to you, Potter?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Harry pushed his glasses back on, leaning his back against the armchair and folding his arms.

"It was very similar to what happened a few months ago with Parkinson," he said in a whisper. "Someone followed him and cast the fiendfyre as soon as they saw he was in a shop he couldn't escape from. Apparently, Goyle had been dating a Muggle girl he'd met in town for a couple of months."

Draco gasped.

"A Muggle?"

"That part surprised me, too," Harry added, shaking his head. "It looks like one of the Liberators saw them together and that made him their target. They had it all planned. The flames have devoured the shop and the people inside. Those who survived were outside in the alley, where they are still trying to put out the fire."

Draco ran a hand through his hair, glancing sideways at Pansy. His friend had stopped crying by now but her eyes were very red, and Theo's were still glassy.

"There was another inscription on one of the alley walls," Harry murmured under his breath so that only he could hear it.

"And what did it say?" Draco asked in a whisper, turning his attention back to him.

He pulled something out of his robes and showed it to him. It was a photograph taken by Aurors of the crime scene.

Draco swallowed as he read the message written on the wall in black ink. It was very similar to the one he saw in Pansy's shop.

Purebloods must pay

"This investigation has been upgraded to the first level, Malfoy. More than half the department is going to be dedicated to finding and catching these murderers," Harry added quietly, putting the photo away again.

Draco snorted.

"It's too late now."

"We haven't been able to do anything for Goyle, but we still can save a lot of lives."

His stomach churned at the thought of the prophecy and the Quidditch World Cup final. In less than four months thousands of wizards would be in danger if they didn't catch the culprits soon.

And Draco wasn't about to sit idly by and do nothing.

"I'm going to help you catch them, Potter."

Harry shook his head.

"You're not an Auror."

"I don't give a fuck about that," Draco hissed in an angry voice.

He watched him for a moment in silence and it made him nervous.

"What are you looking at, Potter?"

"You still brew potions from time to time, don't you?"

"When I have time."

Harry stared at him and one corner of his lips curled up.

"Well, start making polyjuice potion."

Draco twisted his lips.

'You like that potion too much, Potter."

"It's disgusting, though," he replied, wrinkling his nose.

"I know."

Harry's green eyes widened.

"When did you take it?"

"That's none of your business," Draco snarled, rising to his feet.

Harry was about to reply when the door opened and a cloud of curls came in. Hermione saw Draco and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Draco! I just got back from the meeting and saw your note."

Luna came in after her with slow steps, looking around curiously. Theo gasped at the sight of her, standing up.

"Luna?"

She walked over to Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lovingly. He gave her a small smile and rested his chin on Hermione's head, breathing in deeply.

The fruity scent of her hair always relaxed him and made him feel better.

Luna turned around, walking over to where the others were.

"How are you?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

Draco swallowed.

"He's dead, Hermione. They've killed him."

Her arms wrapped tighter around his body.

"I'm so sorry, Draco," she said, lifting her head and looking into his eyes. "We won't let this happen again."

He nodded, leaving a quick kiss on her lips.

"Pansy has it the worst," he muttered, gesturing to the sofa where the rest of his friends were.

Luna was next to Theo and had one of his hands on her lap, where she was tracing circles with her finger. They were talking quietly and he shook his head every few seconds.

Hermione sighed.

"I'm going to go talk to her. I'll be right back," she replied, squeezing his hand before releasing it.

Draco watched her walk away and crouch down in front of Pansy, taking both of her hands. He never imagined that his best friend and Hermione could get along so well.

"How much time would you need, Malfoy?

Draco looked to the right, watching Harry's face as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

"I have several vials of polyjuice potion in my storeroom. And I'm going to make more."

Harry grinned.

"Great. I've got an idea that might work."

"And it's dangerous, isn't it?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Harry bit his lip before replying.

"Quite."

'I'd expect nothing less from you, Potter," he commented mockingly. He looked away for a moment to where Hermione stood with his friends and pressed his lips together. "Count me in."


The next afternoon Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna and Hermione were in the cemetery of Burford village, where the Goyle family had lived for centuries.

They accompanied the Slytherins in the small ceremony they held to say goodbye to their friend and Hermione never let go of Draco's hand.

She was sure he would feel guilty, as he did with Crabbe.

He hadn't said a word since they got there and his face was serious. He glanced sideways at Theo and Pansy from time to time, but other than that he had hardly moved.

Narcissa and Lucius were also in attendance, along with Blaise's mother and Daphne's parents. They had cast the Muggle repelling charm in the graveyard and the five of them disapparated as soon as the ceremony was over.

Draco's friends gathered at the gate. Marissa approached Ron and he put an arm around her shoulders, sighing.

"What do we do now?" Daphne asked, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance.

"I think we should drink to him," Pansy commented quietly.

They all nodded.

"How about my place? We'll be alone there," proposed Theo, who hadn't left Luna's side since they arrived.

Ron shrugged.

"Okay."

Marissa held Ginny's hand and Hermione held Harry's. They all disapparated with a crack, appearing on the grounds of Nott Manor.

Ron's mouth dropped open.

"It's huge."

"Mine's bigger," Draco muttered as he passed him with a smirk.

Marissa rolled her eyes and Ginny giggled.

"Men and their obsession with size," Luna commented in an amused voice.

Theo smiled and offered her a hand. She blushed, accepting it.

A few minutes later the twelve of them were in the largest room of the mansion, a glass of whisky in each of their hands.

"To Greg," said Theo, raising his.

They all mimicked him and took a sip. Draco felt the Firewhisky burn his throat more than ever.

He still had a lump in there from the day before.

They stood in silence for a long time, drinking absently, until Pansy spoke.

"What are we going to do?" she asked with glassy eyes, looking at Harry. "Are we in danger?"

He made a face.

"I'm afraid so."

"No one is ever going anywhere alone again. We need to have company at all times until those bloody bastards are in Azkaban," Draco said, scanning his friends' frightened faces with his gaze.

Ron shifted on the sofa.

"Not all of us. They're not coming after us, Malfoy."

"You're a pureblood too," Blaise commented gravely, his arm around Pansy.

"Not the kind they hate," Ron replied with a shrug. "My family and Luna's are safe."

She blinked wordlessly. Draco snorted, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Since when are madmen reasonable? Mind you, I should have been safe when the Dark Lord had the power, but he was having fun torturing me and didn't care if I or my family died."

Ginny sighed.

"Malfoy's right. We should all be more careful from now on."

"We'll get them," Harry assured them with a straight face. "They're making it hard for us, but we're going to catch them."

"Let me doubt that, Potter," said Theo, his lips twisting. "Ministry Aurors are useless."

Luna glanced at him.

"Not all of them. Harry is a great wizard and he has good instincts, Theo. Without him, I would have died that year in the Department of Mysteries or two years later when I was locked in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor."

Draco tensed immediately.

"Luna, I..."

She stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"It's all right, Draco. You already apologised to me and I told you it wasn't your fault. Besides, it was interesting going through all that."

"Interesting?" Theo repeated, confused.

"Yes. An experience like that changes the way you look at life," she said with a soft smile.

He smiled back, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"You really are one of a kind, Luna."

Her smile widened.

"I like you too, Theo."

"Oh, please," Pansy complained, snorting loudly. "Just kiss already and get it over with."

Theo's smile disappeared and he let go of Luna's hand.

"Today is not the time," he muttered darkly, turning his attention back to his glass.

Draco leaned over Harry, who was sitting next to him.

"What's your big plan, Potter?" he asked in a whisper.

Harry turned his head until their gazes connected.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Blaise is in too," Draco murmured, pointing his chin at his friend.

When Harry glanced at him, Blaise bowed his head.

"All right," Harry agreed, nodding. "But no one can know about this."

"My lips are sealed, Potter."

He smiled.

"Unspeakables are good at keeping secrets, so I shouldn't worry."

"Exactly," Draco replied, glancing sideways at Hermione who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Though sometimes I wish I didn't have to do that."