Author's Notes:
It's mostly a filler chapter to keep the pace steady—however, the scene at the end sets everything in motion for the next two chapters. :)
Besides that, if I keep the schedule as it is with a chapter every fortnight, there would be a chapter update on Christmas Eve. I might try to post that specific chapter a couple of days earlier, so that everyone following has the chance to read it before the chaos of the holidays.
And last, but not least—a big hug to my beta luunascope who was so kind to read through this chapter and another one-shot that I've written for a fest. You're a sweetheart for finding the time to comb through my writings... :-*
And of course, many many thanks to everyone listening to my doubts and ramblings in the various chats, I love you all, guys! You are all great!
Chapter 16 - Yes it's not enough
As patient as he otherwise was, Draco grew restless waiting the day after the first interrogation of Riverside. He was exhausted beyond anything else, yet he knew he could sleep properly again only after they had found Hermione—they were so goddamn close, he could feel it! However, Harry wanted to use the day after to gain more information from Riverside, using the Veritaserum this time and weeding out further leaks in his teams.
It forced Draco to stand still. To wait.
He hated it.
"Malfoy, please, let me do my job," Harry said with a deep sigh when Draco marched into his office on Wednesday morning. "I know you want to do something–"
"We're this close; of course I want to do something!" With a resigned huff, he let himself fall into the visitor chair. "Has Riverside said anything yet? Anything that we could use?"
Harry shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Not enough to know where she is, sorry."
"We don't have forever. Let me have a word with him."
"You had your chance." Harry pulled his glasses off and leaned back to clean them. "Ron is handling the interrogation with Theo... You were right, we're both too affected."
"He deserves to be put in such a fight pit," Draco said, not even bothering to hide his sneer. With another sigh, he got up again. "Better find something soon–"
"No solo tours, Malfoy!"
"I won't promise anything. Not if there's a chance to get her back alive."
"Malfoy, please." Harry put his glasses back on and got to his feet as well to follow Draco out. "Why do we have to discuss our deal every time you're in? You agreed to work WITH me, not against me–"
"Because you take too much time to find her?" Draco stopped when he was on the floor with the open desks. "Do you know by now where that other pit is?"
"Not yet, but it's only a question of time–"
"That we probably don't have!" With that, Draco left the Auror Department, feeling even more frustrated than before. If only Potter would let him have another go with Riverside! That piece of scum knew everything!
..
As he had to pay a visit to Gringotts, Draco mindlessly paced through the throngs of wizarding folk in Diagon Alley, scowling at a few people daring to be too slow to get out of his way. He only stopped when he almost crashed into a redhead who wouldn't move.
"You look bad," Ginny said with a sympathetic smile, greeting him with a brief wave of her hand.
"I'm fine." Draco made a step to the side to pass her, but she just blocked his way again, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're not. I still know that face."
He threw his head back. There was no escaping the Potters today it seemed. "Your husband is wasting time."
"I know." She reached for his elbow and hooked in. "Whatever you have planned this morning, it can wait."
"Ginny!" Surprised at her move, he tried to pry her fingers off his upper arm but had no chance against her iron grip. "I'm not in the mood to–"
"When was the last time you talked to someone?"
"I just talked to your husband–"
"Doesn't count. You two never agree on anything." She pulled him towards what looked like one of those newly opened places to have a drink. "I've got a bit of time."
With a deep sigh, he gave up his resistance and let her drag him inside, straight to the back. Seated against the wall, he leaned back and observed the room to avoid her—a lot of dark wood, warmed by dimmed lights and a fireplace; the tables were far enough apart for privacy and he had seen a counter with barstools facing out of a big window when he was pulled inside. It was sophisticated enough for him to like the atmosphere.
"Why?" he finally asked, his eyes still roaming through the room.
Ginny shrugged and sat down opposite him. "Harry and I talk about Hermione, and of course your involvement too, when he does make it back home late in the evening. Plus Ron told me a few things about what Pansy told him about what's happening in the company."
"All of a sudden, everybody cares about me."
"You chose to stay away, Draco."
Her words made him look at her; her words brought back memories of a birthday party at the Burrow they had invited him to, only to turn around to leave before they saw him because she was there as well. Losing her was hard enough, but he had also lost family and friends over it. "Wasn't a choice."
The waitress interrupted the moment with her arrival their table. "What can I bring you?"
Draco studied the young witch, glad for the momentary distraction. Compared to the red-headed devil in front of him, she looked pretty average but had a nice enough smile. "A triple of your best Firewhisky."
"Sir? That's a very expensive bottle–"
"Do I look like I care about the money?" he retorted, leaning forward with a brief scowl on his face.
"Just a tea for me, please," Ginny said with a sweet voice but sending a glare in his direction until the waitress was gone again. "I forgot you can be a total arse."
"And you're nosy."
"I have children," she replied with a shrug and crossed her arms. "Now, tell me, how are you doing? And no evasive I'm fine this time."
Leaning back once more, Draco just glared at her. She reminded him of Astoria with her pertinence about his well-being, albeit with a difference—Astoria was a lot more overbearing. "I just want to find her already."
She smiled softly at his sighed admission. "I know. Harry's the same."
"And yet, he just wastes time."
"I know you don't like it, but he does everything he can," Ginny said with another of her soft smiles, ignoring his jab. "You know, when he finally made it home yesterday, he was raving about the Fidelius Charm."
His arms crossed, Draco just kept staring at her. Potter probably had had an epiphany—a rare event in itself!
"He wouldn't come to bed until we managed it. I think you owe me a decent night's sleep..."
He shrugged. "Sorry about that."
Their drinks arrived, and they both silently waited until the waitress placed them on the table.
Ginny carefully circled the spoon repeatedly in her cup before putting it down on the side. "What happens after you found her? What are you going to say to her? Have you thought about that?"
Oh, he had thought a lot about that during his recent sleepless nights, imagining how it would feel to finally tell her about what she had done to him. Yet, he still didn't know what to say to her, just like the first time after the War he tried to talk to her.
..
It had been after another intensive session with his therapist, discussing his most recent nightmares that had brought back that sense of helplessness and guilt he had experienced in the War.
"See you next week, Dr Pendry," he said as he left the therapist's office, only to stop in his tracks when he saw who was sitting in the small waiting area.
Granger.
She didn't notice him at first, just stowed the book she had been reading back into her bag and got up to enter the office for her session. However, she froze mid-move when she recognised him, and her lips turned into a thin white line. "Malfoy."
"Hello," he replied with a nod. After a second of staring at each other, unsure of how to react, he sighed. This was as good as any other moment. "Granger, this is... this is something I wanted to tell you for a while now. I know it's not enough coming from me, but I just wanted to apologise for what I did–"
"Yes, it's not enough." She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly; she sounded hurt.
He let her pass, trying to keep his disappointment under control. He had said what he wanted to say, everything else was just hoping against all hope; his therapist had said the same, but still urged him to apologise in order to be able to let go and look forward.
He had already turned around after waiting a long minute in the ante-room when the door to the therapist's office was opened once more, making him stop in his tracks and his heart beating slightly faster in nervousness.
"Can you wait an hour?" Hermione asked with the briefest of smiles that didn't reach her eyes.
Of course he could.
And that was how their fairy tale had started.
...
Draco nursed his triple Firewhisky while lingering in the memory of that fateful meeting. It was so long ago, yet he still remembered everything about it—the first, and understandable, rejection of his attempt at an apology, her hurt, and her willingness to hear him out. He never asked her for her forgiveness, yet she had still forgiven him in the end. What followed had been the best years of his life.
"You're scared."
He shot Ginny a side-glance before taking a sip from his tumbler. "I just want it to be over with already."
..
Draco arrived back home shortly after lunchtime, sighing in relief before he noticed the nervous house-elf in front of him who tried to get his attention as discreetly as possible. "Yes, Tibby?"
"Master has a visitor. His mother has arrived an hour ago," the house-elf said, fidgeting with his hands. "Tibby showed her to the living room."
Letting his mother wait for an hour never bode well for her mood, even though she hadn't announced her visit to make sure he was home to meet her. After a deep breath to brace himself, he took his coat off to hand it to the elf before he put on his most charming smile to walk over to the living room to face his mother.
"Does Master need anything else?"
He shook his head and entered the living room, ready to face his mother. The room, however, was empty. "Tibby?"
"Yes, Master?"
"You said you showed her to the living room?"
The house-elf peeked through the door. "But Tibby did show her here!"
Draco wanted to retort to the house-elf's exclamation when he heard a noise coming from one of the other rooms.
The spare room.
Rolling his eyes, he turned around to walk down to the one room plastered with sheets from Hermione's files. The room with his most comfortable chair in it. The room he still spent a lot of time in when he was home.
And there she was—graceful as ever while she read all his small notes posted to the wall next to or on top of the sheets, shaking her head repeatedly.
Leaning against the door frame, he made himself known with a cough, curling his lips into a charming smile when she turned her head around to look at him. "Hello, Mother."
"Hello, Draco. I was surprised to hear that you were out when I arrived."
"Well, here I am."
"Here you are," she said with a nod, turning around to face him fully. "You haven't responded to my owl, so I was worried. And what I see in here–"
"Those are Hermione's files–"
"Draco, no. This is you obsessing all over!" she interrupted him sternly, circling her hand in the air. Keeping her eyes on him, she Summoned the Daily Prophet that was placed on the small table until now and unfolded it to show the front page. "Do you think I can just ignore headlines like this?"
DRACO MALFOY — ANOTHER BREAKDOWN?
"I haven't had the chance to read the paper yet today," he said, stretching out his hand so that she could hand it to him. "You know that Blaise insisted on having it delivered to the company."
She shook her head, instead held the newspaper up in front of herself. "Here it is... 'It might be safe to assume that Ms Granger's recent disappearance played a part in Mr Malfoy's decision to step back as President of his company. Upon request for a statement, we only received a written reply stating a need for a time-out. The same was said the last time Ms Granger left the country, although rumours of that time indicated that the company tried to cover up a breakdown of Mr Malfoy–"
"It's not the same this time." He had heard enough, so he came up to her and grabbed the newspaper from her hands. A quick look showed that it was written by the same reporter who had bothered him with a request for an interview a couple of weeks ago; Morris Kerr was his name and, like everyone else, interested in gossip. The article was close to slander, something he might want to discuss with Pansy.
"Not the same? You show the same signs like back then—you only care about her, neglect everything else, you don't sleep, Tibby told me you don't eat enough, and you drink more. And from what Astoria told me, you're being a total arse to everyone. The only thing that is missing this time is you losing it–"
"Mother, I'm fine! I told you at Blaise's dinner that I want answers." He threw the newspaper back towards the small table, though it landed on the armchair. "And I'll get them!"
"Draco, the last time you obsessed over her like that, we had to deliver you to the mental ward at St. Mungo's. That's where you'll end again if you continue like that–"
"I won't," he said with a warning tone to his voice. "We are close enough to find her; I'm not giving up now."
"You lost your mind!" She turned away in frustration, walking over to the armchair to pick the newspaper up once more. "That article even mentions rumours about you visiting clubs and behaving not like a self-respecting Malfoy should. That is no healthy coping mechanism, and you know that!"
"That was an undercover mission–"
"You want me to believe that?"
Now it was Draco who huffed in frustration and turned away, towards the door to leave the room. "Ask Potter. I'm done."
"We're not done!" Narcissa followed him into the corridor. "Draco, you're basically forcing me into drastic steps–"
"What do you mean?" He turned around, his hands balled into fists to keep himself from drawing his wand.
"Declaring you to be of unsound mind." Her voice was threateningly cool.
"I am fine," he retorted through gritted teeth, enraged by her words. "Tibby?"
The house-elf appeared before Narcissa could reply; the Creature was shocked to find them arguing. "Yes, Master?"
"Would you please be so kind to escort my mother out?" he said without lifting his eyes from his mother, watching her stiffen in response.
"Mistress?"
"Fine," Narcissa spat out. "You leave me no choice."
It was only a small sense of relief when Draco watched his mother leave his place through the fireplace, with a disappointed glare glued to him before the green flames of the Floo Network swallowed her. He knew that it hadn't been an empty threat; his mother was fully capable to have him at least checked out for mental problems, given his previous breakdown.
He needed a drink.
..
"I knew you'd be here."
Draco looked up from the Firewhisky he had been nursing for over an hour now, only to groan when he saw Blaise and Potter on the other side of the table he had claimed for himself.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. And the company is doing well," Blaise said in mock politeness, his voice dripping with sarcasm. However, he willingly ignored Draco's glare and sat down, not bothering to take off his coat.
"What are you doing here?" Draco leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. So much for simply brooding over a tumbler or two of his favourite drink.
"I was looking for you," Harry replied dryly and took the seat next to Blaise, his coat opened. "And he knew where you might be."
"Making sure I'm not going off on a solo tour, I guess." Keeping an eye on his two unwelcome table guests, Draco took a sip from his tumbler.
"Well, that's my part," Blaise retorted and then waved discreetly for the waiter. "Harry wanted to talk to you about some sort of plan; I'm just here to make sure it's not something dangerously stupid."
Harry shot Blaise a quick glare. "It's not quite a plan, okay? I just know you're up to something."
"I'm just having a drink. Frustrating day and stuff."
"I know you weren't happy when you left my office earlier today–"
"You don't get it, Potter. I wasn't just not happy about it. I know a way to get the information we need and you won't let me do it my way. Hermione is missing, for fuck's sake! We should do everything we can to find her... I remember a time when you didn't care so much about adhering to rules to save the day." He emptied his tumbler and put it back down on the table with a loud thwack. "Back then, you'd have broken every rule you could think of to save her."
"Times have changed."
"Not when it comes to her." Draco shot Harry a dirty glare, swaying the empty tumbler in his hands. "And I'm not insane for sticking to my words."
"Insane?" Blaise asked, trying to keep the surprise in his voice in check as the waiter arrived to take his order. "Potter, a Firewhisky? On my tab?"
Harry nodded, his eyes glued on Draco who was pointing to his empty tumbler to indicate that he'd like to have a refill.
"So, three Firewhiskies it is–"
"Two," Blaise corrected. "Mr Malfoy has had enough alcohol for today. Bring him whatever non-alcoholic drink you have."
"Three Firewhiskies if you want a tip," Draco retorted.
"Two if you want us to consider you for our Christmas dinner."
The waiter sighed barely audible. "I'll come back in a few minutes for your order."
"I don't need everyone to treat me like a child," Draco let out in an angry hiss, leaning forward. "It was enough that my own mother threatened to have me delivered to the mental ward."
"She did?" Now Blaise sounded indeed surprised, letting out a small astonished whistle.
"Yes. Looks like you can visit me there soon. So let me have my bloody drink, will you?"
"Mate, I get her—she's your mother and is allowed to worry about you, okay?" Blaise leaned back, running his hands over the front of his coat. "I'll talk to her."
Draco stared at Blaise for a long moment, still swaying his empty tumbler between his fingers. "Thanks."
"I expect a raise for dealing with your shit when you come back," Blaise said with a wink and then waved for the waiter again. "Now, let's discuss that idea of yours... Have you had something to eat yet, mate?"
"Nothing for me," Harry said, having watched the argument between the other two in silence. "I need to get back to the Department soon; we're not finished with the staff checks. But I'll still have that Firewhisky if you don't mind."
"You pay." Draco relaxed once more in his seat, as his mother's threat weighed a little less on his mind, thankful for Blaise to deal with it. Hermione would have stormed to his mother's place within an instant of him telling her, ready to give his mother a few choice words about meddling in her son's life so much. But then, if she hadn't left him, he wouldn't be in this place at all. For Merlin's sake, he wished they had found her already! He wanted to her be safe, freed from whatever hell she must be in!
Harry waited until the waiter had left the table again with their orders before he started explaining his idea. "I've had a discussion with Ron, and we both think we should try and get inside the one fight club you've been to once more; I'm sure that the woman you met there–"
"The succubus," Draco corrected, listening intently because it sounded very much like what he intended to do anyway. "Go on."
"I'm pretty sure she knows where the other pit is where they keep Hermione. Or someone else there does..."
When the ordered food arrived, the three men were deep in discussion about the different options and their success rates.
..
It was already dark outside when Draco made it out of the restaurant. He and Blaise had discussed company matters after Potter had left to get back to the Auror Department. It was refreshingly cold outside, the soft wind instantly clearing his head while he waited for his friend to pay the dinner bill.
Diagon Alley was still busy, but the shops were closing now, so most people carrying bags were heading home. The air smelled like everyone had started to heat up their fireplaces; it was one of his favourite smells, reminding him of a warm place he once had too—warmed by the presence of her.
In his head, Draco was going through the next steps of Potter's plan, so he wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings—it was basically what he had intended anyway, going back to that fight club.
That was why he didn't see the spell coming that knocked him to the ground.
His head only barely missed the wall behind him, but the landing on the ground was still rough enough; his back made a cracking sound.
Without thinking twice, he had his wand ready to defend himself, hastily checking the street to find who had just attacked him.
The next spell sent him into the closest side alley, although he tried to stop it.
He ended up in an area just outside the lights of Diagon Alley, probably one of the delivery alleys that lead to a backyard or similar. Irritated about the incident, Draco made it up to his feet, still gripping his wand tightly. He tried to see if there was someone hiding in the darker areas, as he thought he saw something move. "Who is this?"
He had been right, something had moved in the shadows—a group of menacing-looking men, bigger and probably stronger than he was. They were here for him. "The Organisation sends their regards," the leader of the group said, letting a malicious laughter follow.
Draco understood—it was another warning to stop meddling, after the dead owl in his office failed to have the intended effect. However, facing four opponents meant he was in for a rather rough round if Blaise didn't come out in a matter of moments.
The four hit men had circled him, wherever he turned there was one of them standing, and only a set of quickly cast Protegos kept the worst off him. Draco had no chance to start an attack himself, as he wouldn't even know which one he should hit, or which spell would render them unconscious with only one aim.
And then he was too slow, all he could do was watching his wand fly from his hand and into the air to fall down somewhere behind them.
He was fucked.
"We'd like to make sure you get the message," the group leader said, nodding briefly. "Grab him."
Draco tried his best to keep them off him, but he didn't have a chance against the two hit men holding him in a tight grip. And they preferred to deliver messages in an unrefined, hands-on way.
The first punch was delivered to his stomach, pushing the air out of his lungs. The second punch hit his jaw, making him see stars for a second. After that, he lost count of the punches, only tried to keep conscious long enough until Blaise would find him.
He only screamed in pain when he was hit with another spell, running through his body like electricity, tensing every single muscle in his body and setting his brain on fire.
"Just a reminder that you shouldn't meddle with The Organisation if you want to stay alive." With that, the hit men finally let go of him and disappeared once more into the shadows, having delivered their message.
Dizzy and completely disoriented, Draco lost his balance and fell back to the ground, groaning loudly in pain.
"Oh, for fuck's sake! What happened? I couldn't find you!"
Draco never thought he'd be this happy to hear Blaise's voice coming closer. His body hurt everywhere, and he was sure he'd broken a rib or two. He wanted to say something, but his jaw hurt when he tried to open it, so he only gave Blaise the thumbs-up sign.
"Oh no, you're not okay. There's no point in arguing! Off to St. Mungo's with you..."
"Home," Draco managed to mumble. He wasn't going to get admitted to the hospital for a couple of scratches and bruises that he could treat himself with Tibby's help.
"You do as I say or I let your mother admit you to the mental ward, understood?" Blaise shook his head. "Where's your wand?"
Draco managed to point in the general area of where he thought his wand had landed earlier. Fuck, his ribs hurt!
"You should just have Apparated out, you know?" Blaise sighed and Summoned Draco's wand before he proceeded to pick him up as carefully as he could. A second later, he Apparated them straight into the emergency ward of St. Mungo's.