Chapter 16

A crisp white Oxford, pressed black trousers, and his wand holstered across his chest, Draco shrugged into a black suit jacket on Monday morning. Hermione was sipping coffee in the wingback chair he favored. She was wearing one of his silk pajama tops over her more scandalous night clothes but somehow this look was more temping. Her

bare legs curled up to her chest she looked so small and fragile. He knew she wasn't but in this moment the anger he was holding hardened in him. He would make Thomas pay. This fierce and fiery witch in front of him was still a bit hollow, to be expected given what she went through, and he couldn't abide that.

"I'll see you when I get home, mother will likely occupy you all day unless you shoo her away and do not hesitate to do so. That woman could suffocate a statue," he said jokingly.

Hermione smiled up at him.

"I am happy to spend the day with your mother. She is lovely, I think you are just an antisocial ass," she said with a saccharine smile.

Draco rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I love you; Merlin knows why you are already insufferable. I will see you tonight," he said before turning to leave.

"Because I am clearly the only woman willing to deal with you apparently. I don't know if that makes me a saint or a masochist," she deadpans.

He is almost out the door before she adds in a sincere voice, "I love you."

The lift rumbled to a stop in the bowels of the Ministry where the holding cells are. This place, no matter how many years had passed, always sent a spike of dread through Draco, he would never forget that day he was dragged down here to await a trial that could have seen him sent to Azkaban. He shook himself. He needed to be in control of all of his faculties today. Like the crutch it was, he leaned into his Occlumency to take the edge off of his emotions. He saw Potter at the end of the hall waiting for him with a folder.

"Malfoy, I trust you had a good day off," Potter said with a smile.

Was he fishing for information? He couldn't possibly want to hear that Draco had shagged one of his best friends. No this was Potter surely; he was just being polite.

"To be clear I only want to know if you feel more relaxed and how Hermione is," Potter confirmed his innocent inquiry.

"I don't think I will relax until this case is solved. However, I am glad you insisted on the day off, it was needed. Hermione is well, today she is being smothered by my mother and two devoted house elves. Tuppy my elf since childhood has already claimed her as her Mistress. Hermione doesn't know whether to be upset or delighted and this is probably the best part," Draco said with a wistful smile.

Looking back at Potter, his mouth was hanging slightly open, Draco realized he had said far too much.

"I see well, I guess that answers the question of if there is something between the two of you. Well, lets just move on and get this case settled then," Potter said a bit bewildered.

Draco had assured Hermione they could break this new to their friends together, and now he had bumbled that to hell. She turned him into a stuttering fool.

"Is that the information you promised me Potter?" Draco asked attempting to wrangle his wayward mind back to the task at hand.

"Yes, yes," Potter said seeming to do the same thing.

Draco took the proffered folder and stepped into the interrogation room to review the information before Thomas was brought in. The location of warehouses and routes had been extracted, Draco would just confirm those and ensure no stone had been left unturned. Potter had almost nothing from the Society members since Veritaserum only really worked if you know the right questions to ask.

"I had hoped to gain more information from the society members, but it seems we will need your Legillimency for all of them. I am sorry the department ever doubted you when you insisted, they were still out there at large," Potter said in a somewhat subdued tone.

"I will need several days then, there is no way I can search this many minds today. And don't bother apologizing Potter, the wizarding world wanted to believe the big bad was gone and the raving of one slightly reformed ex-death eater was hardly going to be heeded. I knew that which is why I took all the precautions I did over the years to maintain the image of deviant heir who only played at being reformed. I wanted the world to believe I was just like my father, able to walk in the light but truly making moves in the shadows," Draco said with cold detachment.

Potter seemed to sense the shift then, he had worked with Draco enough now to know this was the point at which he needed to stop pushing. Draco appreciated that about him. Potter stuck his head into the hall then and called for the guards to bring Thomas. Draco rose then and vanished the table, leaving only a single chair with chains that bolted to the floor.

"Potter, please call Granger and tell her I am going to stay in the city until this is done. I thought I could do this and go back but I can't. Until I know I have all of them I can't risk her safety again," Draco could hear the hollow quality of his own voice, as he descended into that white room he had learned to create long ago. In this room he was devoid of feeling or fear. His rationale mind knew she would be angry at him when she realized what he had done, but he couldn't do his job here and not know if she was safe.

"I will call her Malfoy," Potter said gravely.

There was a knock at the door, then Thomas's face appeared. At least this time he had the intelligence to look concerned. Draco was eerily calm as he slowly unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves. The guards seated Thomas in the chair and Draco flexed his fingers pointedly keeping his back to Thomas. The guard left the room, followed by Potter, leaving only a young Auror Draco didn't know with him as a witness. That kid was a calculated move on Potter's part, he was too young and green to say anything against Draco which meant Potter had essentially left Draco alone with Thomas. Draco scowled at the young Auror before rounding on Thomas, the kid didn't flinch. Draco would have felt a twinge of pride if he could feel right now. Turning then to Thomas, Draco's face twisted with a sneer.

"Welcome Thomas, I hope you are comfortable, as promised we will be together until I know you have given me everything I need to know. Also, just so we are clear on the rules. You will not speak you will only sit here quietly. Shouldn't be too difficult for a few hours, you had Ms. Granger silenced for what was it, four weeks, so you should be able to manage a few hours," Draco said in the calm cool drawl he had cultivated over a lifetime of looking down on the world.

"I have rights you can..."

Draco flicked his wand; Thomas's mouth was still moving then his eyes bugged out in realization.

"Much better, wouldn't you agree," Draco turned to the kid in the corner who looked unaffected. Draco's respect for this kid was growing by the minute. Draco gave an approving nod before turning back to Thomas.

Draco made a show of closing his eyes and taking a breath before reaching out to grasp Thomas by the chin pointing his wand at his temple for added effect, not necessity.

"Legilimens"

Draco began to sift. Thomas had a thin barrier of Occlumency that might have been made of tissue paper for how effective it was. Draco quickly moved past Thomas's capture of Granger. He felt the door containing her in his mind rattle before he sealed it over tighter still. He delved back until he found the beginning of Thomas's syndicate, he cataloged important players and events as he worked along the timeline of Thomas's business. Draco finally encountered the golden curly haired woman he knew but couldn't recall her name, he glossed over their interactions and all of Thomas's deprave thoughts and plans.

Draco kept moving, he needed current operations and those in leadership roles. Finally, he started to see the information he needed so he slowed his search and paid closer attention. Occasionally after a particularly important piece of information Draco would hold his hand out to the kid for a vial and he would extract the memory from his own mind before returning to hunt for more information. Draco could feel Thomas flagging under the onslaught of his Legilimency, but he pushed a bit further when he finally reached Thomas's meeting with a hooded figure to broker the deal for the sale of the witch. Draco pressed into this memory; he couldn't identify the voice but could see the figure was very interested in this deal. Thomas met with several more hooded figures until finally he brought the witch before a group of them, and they saw for themselves that she was who he claimed. The hoods fell and Draco marked every face, some of whom were already dead from the raid and others who were in holding cells in the building.

All but the Carrows.

Draco had not seen or heard a word whispered of them since before the Battle of Hogwarts. The siblings circled the witch who did nothing only stood there lifeless. Draco could not believe they had allowed Thomas to leave with his mind intact considering the lengths they had gone to, to conceal their presence for the world.

Thomas had Imperius'd the witch before they left the house and commanded her to comply. Alecto had a glint in her eye Draco knew, she was imagining all the ways she could use and desecrate her newest pet. Amycus, ever the more rational one, encouraged her to see this opportunity to gather the Society as a group again to garner power and support for their return. Alecto looking like a petulant child but bent to her brother's will. The memories became fuzzy, and Draco realized it was because Thomas was losing consciousness.

Draco released him and held a silent hand out for a vial. He extracted the memory and left the room without a word. He stormed down the hall to the lifts; he needed air. Footsteps pounded after him, but he didn't slow his pace. He jammed the button for the lift and waited. A wizard with unruly dark hair and green eyes was trying to get his attention but he couldn't talk just yet. Draco stood stony as the doors finally opened the green-eyed wizard finally stopped talking and just followed him silently. Draco walked out the doors of the Ministry and offered the wizard an arm in silent invitation. No sooner had the wizard taken his arm than Draco Disapparated.

In his own living room, he walked to his potions cabinet and found a potion for the headache he already had from the Legilimency and the memory removals. Then he took a Calming Draught because he knew that once he let the Occlumency walls relax enough to talk to this wizard in his living room he would likely have a breakdown.

He felt the potions take effect and loosened his grip on his Occlumency. Even with the Calming Draught the rage and fear still spiked noticeably.

"The Carrows," Draco grunted.

"What do you mean the Carrows? Draco are you saying you saw them in Thomas's memories?" Potter asked.

"Yes, I didn't know they were still actually alive, even when I was invited to meetings of the Society, I never saw them, I was apparently still considered a liability to them or likely they still saw me as the child I was. Apparently, the sale of," that door in his mind rattled again and Draco built another layer of bricks before continuing, "the witch was enough to drag them out of whatever cesspit they have occupied these last twelve years."

Harry did not miss that Draco had called Hermione 'the witch'. He had been working with Draco for eight years, watching him use his Legilimency on suspects, but never had Draco needed to descend into Occlusion at least not in any way Harry noticed. Harry considered now if Draco always used his Occlusion to manage his life. From the records Harry had seen on Draco from his time on trial Draco was an expert even as a seventeen-year-old. He voluntarily submitted to Veritaserum and offered memories and thank Merlin it was deemed unethical to forcibly use Legilimency on a teenager. The records had indicated Draco had even laughed at his interrogators when they suggested it because 'Bellatrix herself trained me, you know how she tested me? While she Cruicio'd me. If I don't want you in my head you won't be.' Harry recalled reading that in his file when Draco first came to work for the Auror department. Harry knew now Draco wasn't just spouting arrogant hate filled words then.

Harry finally understood the need to get out, this case might very well bury Draco. Harry knew that asking him to back off was pointless. He would never relent; the cost didn't matter anymore. Harry also knew they did not have the Carrows in the holding cells and Draco had not mentioned seeing them at the auction. They were still at large. But this was information that Harry could use Veritaserum to pull information from people. This would help give Draco a break from having to interrogate every person in the dungeons. If the Carrows could be found, the head of the snake would be chopped off and it would be over.

"Draco I am going to insist you allow me to pump the remaining Society members full of Veritaserum to see who might have information about the Carrows. I know you want answers and believe me I do too, but you just spent five straight hours in Thomas's head and only stopped because he lost consciousness. You may be willing to spill your own blood for this case, but I will not allow it," Harry said firmly.

Draco had had his back to Potter as he spoke but rounded on him then and was met with the end of Potter's wand.

"Draco I will not hesitate, you are not in your right mind, I don't think I have ever witnessed this level of Occlusion from you. Your lack of self-preservation at this point is terrifying given that you are a Malfoy and a Slytherin to the core. I know this is personal and I know asking you to let this go and to allow someone else to handle this is pointless. However, I need you to at least be willing to bend on this point. You will not sacrifice yourself on the alter of this cause. Take it from someone who has literally been willing to die for a cause. Let people help you if it is possible, you are not alone in this. Let us do our jobs. Can you do that? I will allow you to interrogate anyone that has viable information on the Carrows even if it seems minute," Potter said his tone leaving no room for argument and his wand glowing with a spell ready to be loosed should Draco make a wrong move.

Draco knew he was right. He wanted to fight him still, but he knew Potter was right.

"Well since I still bare the scars from the last time, I dueled Harry Potter I will comply with your demands," Draco deadpanned.

"Thank you, Draco," Potter said more gently now, "I will make that call still as you requested if you are sure you don't want to return to the Manor."

"Give me an hour, you can go yourself I just need to go to Gringotts," Draco said without further explanation.

As promised, he returned within the hour. Draco cast the same spell he had cast over the other ring before walking to Potter.

"Alright Potter, I want this ring back when this case is over, this ring will allow you to pass through the wards of my home as if you were my blood and that, is hardly a power I wish for you to have for all time. I need a finger," Draco said in a dead voice, he could feel his grip slipping the more he considered why he was doing this for Potter.

Potter offered his left index finger and Draco slide the ring on completing the incantation.

"Malfoy are you just expecting me to trust that this ring is going to allow me to pass through hundreds of years of blood magic wards that want to kill me?" Potter said with pointed accusation.

Draco was in no mood and raised his wand slicing his palm and began reciting the incantations to invoke the wards on his flat. Potter stood rooted to the spot watching in horror and disbelief. Finished, Draco healed the cut on is palm before addressing Potter.

"As you are very much alive and have not been dragged out of this flat by my family's magic are you satisfied," Draco grabs Potter's hand and shakes it, "this ring works?"

"I am sorry I doubted you, thank you for this I."

"Potter, I need you to stop talking to me, I am losing my grip and I cannot afford to right now. Go with your message. I want to hear nothing about it, not a word. I am going to take a Dreamless Sleep as soon as you enter that Floo and sleep until tomorrow. I will see you in the office at half seven and I will review whatever information you have gleaned from the suspects we have in the holding cells," Draco said in a strained voice.

Mercifully, Potter complied and left Draco moments later. Draco had lied, he wouldn't take Dreamless Sleep; Draught of the Living Dead was in the back of his potions cabinet and though he knew he shouldn't, he didn't want to take a chance on Dreamless Sleep wearing off in the night. He carefully measured himself a dose he knew would knock him out for the next eight hours and leave him enough time to wake up in the morning to allow the lingering effects to wear off. He pushed past the bitter part of his mind that reminded him why he knew exactly how much to take to still be able to function. He reminded himself this all was going to come to an end finally. There was a light visible at the end of this tunnel he just had to keep going for a bit longer.