Saturday, 31 March, 00:15 GMT
Draco apparated into the Schield estate with his wand at the ready. The scene he popped into was a frenzied sight. Ministry Aurors were engaged in duels with the remaining Death Eaters. Others fled the scene as soon as the first Aurors apparated into the mansion.
Draco protected himself from wayward curses using Protego. He cast Stupefy on the Death Eater who was charging at Hans. Draco turned unknowingly into the path of a Death Eater who started to utter the killing curse. Suddenly the Death Eater was yanked off of his pins and was hurled with the Levicorpus spell into a group of Death Eaters dueling with Ministry personnel.
Draco was surprised to see a Dark Wizard turn on his brethren. Draco and the young Death Eater locked eyes. The platinum blonde took in a breath as he recognized the young man's right hand. The Death Eater turned to see the female Auror being overpowered by one of his fellow Death Eaters.
He knew of her. She was three years his junior, a Half-blood Gryffindor. He hurled the stunning spell at the two, lifting both Death Eater and Auror into the air. The Auror recovered first, putting her opponent into a body bind. And with that, the last spell was cast.
"Cease fire!" Auror Potter yelled as the other Ministry personnel corralled the remaining Death Eaters.
Ronda Potter pointed her wand at the Dark Wizard who had essentially saved her life. The Death Eater raised his hands as he looked at her. He knelt down, dropping his wand to the floor. Hans Malfoy approached from behind and cautiously took hold of both the Death Eater's hands and bound them behind him. He pulled the wizard up to a standing position.
"Let's head back to HQ," Auror Pansy Zabini said as she, too, had a Death Eater bound and on her feet.
The rest of the Ministry Aurors nodded as they apparated with their live prisoners back to the Ministry of Law Enforcement offices.
o-o-o
Saturday, 31 March, 00:35 GMT
Draco quickly leafed through the parchment paper that was in the thin file in his hands. He entered one of the interrogation rooms. He nodded at Hans and Ronda, who were tasked to guard the prisoner. Draco took the seat opposite the Death Eater. The two young Aurors leaned against the wall to observe the veteran wizard.
"Harlin Jankovic," Draco Malfoy started, as he looked at the young man. "Age 34, son of Herschel and Mary Jankovic, both deceased. Graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 16 years ago.
"Got in trouble with the law, misdemeanor offenses within two years of graduation," the Ministry Auror said as he looked in the file again. "You have a short rap sheet.
"Odd considering, don't you think?" he smirked at the Death Eater who drummed his hands on the tabletop softly. "Cecil Schield came to your rescue.
"I guess you felt you owed him something," Draco Malfoy looked at the prisoner. "Why then, did you turn during the raid?"
The prisoner took a deep breath. He stretched his neck.
"You should start to talk, Jankovic," the female Auror began. He narrowed his eyes at her. He turned back to look at the older wizard.
"Where shall I begin?" he asked blankly.
"Let's start with how you got involved with the new Death Eater movement," Draco asked as he enchanted the self-inking quill and parchment that would take down the Death Eater's statement.
The young man blew out a breath as he clasped his hands together. "I didn't do too well in school, you can attest to that, Professor," Harlin began as he nodded at Draco.
"Aunt Joanna and Uncle Todd were disappointed, I think," he said looking down at his hands. "I don't think they ever really figured out how to deal with me after your wife killed my father."
Draco flinched a little while his son clenched his fists. Draco continued to look intently at his former student.
"We were a bit of an arrogant graduating class," the crew cut young man said. "Some of us got into trouble with the Ministry, disturbing the peace, assaults."
"Two years after graduation, you were charged with misuse of a Muggle device with the intent to injure . . . a Muggle-born minor," Draco said as he leafed through the file.
"Mr. Schield's lawyers helped to lesson the charges," the suspect noted.
"And so the saga began," Ronda Potter said, a little ticked off. Hans inwardly smiled.
"Mr. Shield and his men trained us to use non-wizarding torture methods because he knew who his targets were," he continued.
"What was he promising you?" Mr. Malfoy asked.
The young man looked at the former Potions Master. "A chance for vengeance, his and mine."
"Your hooded cobra full fisted tattoo," Draco nodded at his hand, "Did all of the recruits get that?"
"No. I just thought it looked cool. Slytherin and all," he smirked as he looked at his slightly deformed right hand; injured during a training session and never quite healed properly.
"I see you received the Dark Mark," Draco looked into the young man's face.
Harlin fidgeted with the sleeve of his grey hoodie. "After about six months of training, the young guys were initiated into the circle."
"My daughter and her friend, Phillip Martinez, gave separate statements recounting an aggravated assault incident almost 13 years ago. A tattooed lad, a skull and serpent on his inner forearm, a skull on the right side of his scalp and a dark hooded serpent engulfing his right fist, wielding a blade was the perpetrator," Draco Malfoy said, locking eyes with the young man. "Coincidentally enough, you, Drew and Phillip are involved in tonight's incident as well."
"That was the first mission Mr. Schield tasked me with," he said leaning forward. "He handed me the Dagger of Irses to use on your daughter. I wanted to avenge my father's death and he wanted to avenge his daughter's.
"I tracked Drew outside of a Muggle pub late that Friday night. She was with those young men. She argued with them about going past curfew. She left them and tried to head back to the hotel. The young man followed her. They both seemed upset at each other.
"She turned into an alley. He followed her, a bit annoyed, but I don't think he was going to let her return to the hotel alone."
"Then what?" Hans asked.
"I apparated ahead of them. I was a mere meter from them when Drew stopped in her tracks.
"I rolled up my sleeves and flashed the dagger. She seemed to recognize it along with the Dark Mark on my forearm," the young man ran his forefinger over the mark on his left forearm. "She kept her composure. She made the Martinez boy hand over his mobile and wallet. She tried to hand them along with her own wallet to me. She said they didn't want any trouble, that they would go their way and I should go mine.
"I took their stuff and dropped them to the ground. I smashed my heel into the phone screen.
"I was sent there to kill her. I was going to have my revenge. And if that meant that there was going to be collateral damage, then so be it. The young man seemed like he wanted to charge at me. Drew put her arm out to bar his advance. She knew how dangerous the situation was.
"I stepped forward with the dagger in hand. The young man stepped in front of her. I raked the blade across his abdomen, cutting him open pretty badly. Your daughter started to scream for help.
"I panicked. I started to run down the alley and then apparated. Mr. Schield was quite disappointed in me. The Muggle torture methods that we were taught were employed on me.
"The only solace that I had was that the boy's death was going to injure your daughter's psyche. It didn't happen that way, though. The boy survived.
"We figured that your daughter was keeping a secret. What we also found out that night was Mr. Schield had discovered what had happened to his grandson."
Both Malfoys took in a breath. Mr. Malfoy looked at his son who nodded before excusing himself. Hans would further investigate Phillip Martinez's true past.
"Over the years, Mr. Schield had us recruit graduating Hogwarts students who we knew were disenchanted with the 'kinder, gentler Wizarding world'."
"How many are we talking about?" Mr. Malfoy asked.
The young man blew out a breath. He canted his head at the older wizard. "Five to ten each year since I got in," Harlin shut his eyes for a moment. "Mr. Schield had at least a hundred and fifty Death Eaters before I was in his circle."
"That's about a hundred and thirty Death Eaters added to their ranks," Ronda said softly, looking at the older Auror. "That's nearly three hundred.
"We accounted for two hundred Death Eaters during the raid; a hundred forty captured alive, injured or wounded, sixty killed."
"So the snitch is in your grasp, Harlin," Auror Malfoy began, "What are you willing to do?"
"I don't think I have a choice, do I?" the young man said.
"We will check the intel that you provided," Mr. Malfoy said, standing up. He nodded at the younger Auror to ready the binds. "I cannot guarantee you anything. Your life is in the hands of the lawyers and Wizengamut."
Harlin slowly stood and placed his hands behind him ready to be bound. "I understand, Mr. Malfoy," he said as Auror Potter placed the binding spell on his wrists.
"What are you playing at, Harlin?" Mr. Malfoy said, looking at the younger man intently.
"Your daughter is selfless, Sir. I did the most evilest of evils in the alley years ago, attempting to kill her. She forgave me tonight for what I had done," Harlin said, shrugging his shoulders. "She said that redemption was a part of life and that people can change their fate. I believe her."
Mr. Malfoy nodded at him. Ronda led Harlin out of the interrogation room. Mr. Malfoy blew out a breath as he looked up to the ceiling. He looked at his Muggle wristwatch; it was 1:45 a.m. He needed to head back to Hogwarts.