Author's Note:

Aaaaah! I almost forgot that I planned to update today. *blames tumblr*

Anyway, the rescue is at hand, at least the first part of it. And Draco remains as stubborn as ever when it comes to finding Hermione.

Least, but definitely not last: a big thank you to luunascope for beta reading the chapter, and have me think a bit about her suggestions! :-*

And a big thank you to Debbie and everyone else for answering my questions as well as listening to my doubts and ramblings! Love you, girls!

Chapter 17 – Take Me There

Draco woke up the next morning to a slightly throbbing head and a dry throat. At first, he didn't recognise the room he was in—so much cold white, not like the warm wooden tones he had decorated his own bedroom with. There was a numb pain in his side, turning into a sharp one when he tried to move too rapidly. "Fuck."

"You're awake."

Startled, Draco turned his head towards the female voice coming from the corner of the room—it was Astoria, and she looked worn out, yet a small relieved smile softened her face. "Where am I?"

"St. Mungo's," she replied, her lips briefly turning into a thin line.

"Where's...?"

"Blaise? I sent him home to get some sleep." She inhaled, biting the inside of her lower lip. "He told me that he found you in a side alley beaten to a pulp."

He tried to shift into a half-sitting position to have a better look at her. The details of the previous night were a bit hazy, but it was all coming back to him—the first unexpected hit with a spell that knocked him off his feet, and then the hitmen ganging up on him. "It was just a little fight."

"Draco, please." She sat up, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "You had a severely swollen jaw, several broken ribs, I think they mentioned signs of a dislocated shoulder, and they kept you here because you were bleeding internally as your liver seemed injured as well."

He could hear the worry in her tone, and he could feel a small pang of guilt in his heart. Sighing, he rubbed his face and then brushed the hair out of his eyes. "I don't remember being treated."

"Healer Thompson had you put under because you fought them. I could hear you yell at them outside the treatment ward, for Heaven's sake!" Her voice took a sharper tone, and she got up to pace next to his bed. "What in Merlin's seven hells were you thinking?"

"Hey, I didn't do anything. I had dinner with Blaise, remember?"

"The hell you did!"

He shrunk back from her brief outburst, as her raised voice only made his head throb harder.

She huffed at his lack of reply, but then brushed her fingers through some strands of hair on the side of her head, trying to calm down. "Draco, you scared the shit out of me, okay? Imagine the shock when Blaise told me to come to the hospital..."

"I'm sorry–"

"No need to pretend. I know you're not." She shook her head and then sat down on the edge of his bed. "You're one of my closest friends, and I'm scared for you. I know that finding her alive means everything to you, but I'm scared that it might not turn out the way you hope for."

He took a deep breath but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain shot through his side; he did notice her brief smirk in response to his pained gasp. He could definitely do with a dose of whatever pain potion they had about now, as his body was sore all over and breathing in too deep was simply painful. "I... I just want answers, Astoria."

"You keep saying that," she said softly, "but I don't think that's what your heart hopes for."

Draco didn't know what to reply to her words, so he just shifted his position, avoiding her gaze for a moment. Eight years of longing for her to come back, eight years of pining from afar, and yet he didn't know any longer what he wanted, or whether he could trust his heart at all. It was a treacherous thing after all.

"I watched you break down once, and it was terrible. The day we had to admit you to the mental ward is still one of the worst in my life. I don't want to go through that again, just because you have your hopes crushed once more." She reached for his hand to lay hers on top of it. "Eight years is enough. I just want to see you happy, maybe even get settled with someone who can make you smile again, someone who takes care of you. You deserve that. I miss the old, happy you. Honestly."

"I miss it too," he admitted quietly. "I barely remember what it feels like."

"I know." She squeezed his hand. "You know I don't like that you got involved in all this—they beat you up after all!—but please don't think I won't support you, okay? I'll do whatever you need me to when it comes to the company–"

A knock was heard from the door, and then it was opened slowly.

Draco let out a small sigh when he saw Harry come in, showing an unsure smile. He had hoped for the Healer to check on him so that he could ask for some pain potion and some water for his throat.

"Glad to see you awake," Harry said, still standing in the door. "I only heard about your incident this morning."

Behind him, another person tried to get inside, eventually pushing him further inside and then the tell-tale red hair was in sight. It was Ginny. "Merlin, you look bad."

"I'll go find a Healer." Astoria climbed off the bed and turned towards the door, throwing Harry an annoyed glance before she passed him.

"She's still pissed?"

Draco shook his head; he was watching Ginny who by now was leaning against the edge of his bed right at the footrest, while Harry pulled the chair closer. "What are you doing here?"

"You're part of my team, so I wanted to check on you."

"Your empathy is touching."

"You're an idiot, Draco," Ginny retorted. "We never stopped caring... And from what I heard, you were goddamn lucky!"

"I'm fine. And I'm not going to stop now." Draco groaned as the throbbing in his head increased.

Harry leaned forward, a stern look on his face. "You're in hospital if you haven't noticed yet. Standard procedure for my people is that they are excluded from further field actions until they fully recover and pass the last medical exam."

"I'm not one of your people."

"I know." Harry ran his hand through his mess of hair. "What I'm trying to say is–"

"No." Draco sat up, ignoring the brief stabbing pain in his side from the sudden move. "They didn't try to kill me, it was a message. Don't even dare to tell me that I'm supposed to take a step back now."

"Let Harry and Ron do their job–"

"No." Draco glared at Ginny for her nerve to intervene. "I don't care about the message. All I know is that they are nervous. That means we are closer than they want us to. So, don't tell me to take a step back and watch you fuck it up."

"We won't... oh, fuck it." With a huff, Harry leaned back, crossing his arms.

Ginny looked from one wizard to the other and then sighed. "You two, really."

Draco ignored her intervention; instead, he kept his eyes locked on Harry who was glaring straight back. "As soon as I get released, I will do what we planned."

"Harry, don't," she stopped her husband with a shake of her head when he opened his mouth to reply. "He's not one of your Aurors. And Merlin knows he won't stop. This way, you still have some control."

Harry let his head briefly fall back and sighed in resignation. "Fine. But you'll have a tracker on you, and you'll wear a protective vest. Plus—and I insist on that!—you will let me talk to her first to let her know about our arrangement because, believe me, she won't like it."

"I hope so."

To Draco's relief, the door to his ward opened again; Astoria entered, followed by a Healer who immediately put on a professional smile when she saw him awake. The shoulder stripes on her hospital gear indicated that she was the Healer-in-Charge.

Harry nodded towards the door and got up on his feet; Ginny followed him suit. "My office, as soon as you're out of here."

Astoria pressed her lips into a thin line, only nodding politely as Harry and Ginny passed her on their way out.

"What do I have to do to get released?" Draco asked, pushing his blanket down to finally swing his legs over the edge. All he wanted now was a decent amount of pain potion, something to eat, and a long hot shower at home before he'd meet Harry at the Auror Department.

"Depends on your injuries, Mr Malfoy," the Healer-in-Charge replied, "and I hope you comply this time."

Draco briefly considered biting back, but then he only nodded in understanding. If he wanted to get out of here, he better play along.

..

Harry didn't get a chance to take a breath when he arrived in his office as he was immediately called into an impromptu meeting by the Minister himself. He had just enough time to grab everything relevant to Hermione's case before he had to appear in the great meeting room on the Minister's level.

He was one of the last to arrive, so of course every present person turned around to watch him enter. With a brief nod in greeting, he quickly claimed the nearest free seat and sat down. As much as he loved his position as Head of the Auror Department, he still hated meetings like this because somehow everyone expected him to come up with something.

"Now that we are complete, the meeting can begin," Minister Shacklebolt said, his voice an authoritative bass that immediately drew everyone's attention towards him. "Thanks for attending despite the very short notice."

Harry had a look around the table and saw half of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement sitting there—every sub-department that could lend reinforcements was attending, amongst them faces he had maybe seen twice at an official event. He nodded when he met the eyes of the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, a weathered wizard called Exter; they had worked together in other instances, but he still couldn't remember the wizard's first name.

"As everyone knows, the Auror Department is investigating the kidnapping of one of their own, the well-known Hermione Granger. I've had a brief discussion with Mr Potter about his progress and his plans yesterday evening, and that's why we are now sitting here." Shacklebolt briefly smiled in Harry's direction. "Now, Mr Potter, if you could quickly update everyone present on the situation and your plans?"

Harry cleared his throat and straightened the small pile in front of him. "I'm going to be short about it as I don't want to get lost in details... As far as we know, Hermione was kidnapped by an underground organisation in response to an investigation into the disappearances of wizards and witches throughout the last couple of years. We are close to discovering her location, and now we are requesting support from every department as this might turn out bigger than the Aurors could stem on their own."

"What do you know about the location?" the only witch in the room asked, sounding sceptical—Harry vaguely remembered her name, Tubb or something; she was the Head of the Investigation Department, though he still didn't exactly know what their purpose was.

He sighed; this meeting might just have him end up in the hospital as the damn Oath of Secrecy still loomed over him whenever he came close to Hermione's secret. For once, he wished that Malfoy was here, who wasn't bound by the Oath. "It's most likely going to be a fight pit, but we're not yet fully sure as to why she is kept there."

"So, you want us to run blindly into a basically unknown location with the good chance that she might not be there at all, and which bears a great risk for everyone involved?" Tubb asked, with her neighbours nodding in agreement.

"Yes." Harry took his glasses off to occupy his fingers for a moment. "I am requesting your help not only because we suspect Hermione's being held there, but also because of the sheer expected size of the location. According to our investigations, we expect a host of people that we need to arrest and bring in for questioning, besides freeing other kidnapped wizards and witches. My department is not equipped to deal with that on its own."

"You said kidnapped wizard and witches," the wizard opposite Harry asked; he was about the same age, but showed signs of his mostly sedentary job. "Why am I here? I'm heading the Beast Division–"

"Because we might need to deal with Creatures being held captive there," Harry replied flatly, "and that's where you come in, to take care of their treatment after the raid, such as immediate housing, medical treatment, contacting their clans and families, and whatever is needed."

"Creatures?" Exter exclaimed, straightening in his chair. "You're sure about that?"

"Pretty sure." Harry threw a glance around the table and noticed Tubb in discussion with her neighbour, a wizard he couldn't place at all. "Listen, I do understand that the risks are high, but this is a chance to hand the organised crime a tough blow if we manage to raid that pit."

"So," Shacklebolt intervened, "what is the decision of each present Department?"

"Magical Law Enforcement is in," Exter replied, leaning back. "Just let me know how many people you need."

"Beast Division is in," Grimmer added, though he grumbled his answer. "I can't let you deal with Creatures..."

"My department would gladly help out with the questioning, since my people aren't trained in field operations," Tubb replied. "Let me know how many people you need..."

"Teversham?" Shacklebolt asked Tubb's neighbour. "What about you? I know you have a handful of people you can send..."

The wizard in question leaned back, acting as if he was considering his options. "My department handles the country's defence; we're not really equipped for raids–"

"The Department of Security has a raid training," Exter retorted impatiently. "We even train your people."

"All right, then. I can send a handful."

..

It took them longer than Harry expected to settle the details of their collaboration, and he had been on the point of exasperation when the meeting finally ended. At least they had all easily agreed on him leading the operation, as he had been involved in the whole case from the beginning.

Now, on the way back to his office, he fully understood Malfoy's impatience and the resulting frustration. This was about trying to find Hermione, and he was stuck in bureaucracy instead of going out there and turn every stone and piss off every living wizard until he found a lead. Maybe Malfoy was indeed right!

A few interdepartmental notes were hovering in the air in front of his office door that he kept locked these days; he snatched one of them to read its content. It was from Seamus, who simply wrote that he could count him in for the raid; Dean had co-signed. They both worked for the Magical Law Enforcement, although nowadays mostly behind the desk. The other hovering note was from Susan Bones stating the same; she worked for the Wizengamot, following her aunt's footsteps. The notes made him smile, as they rekindled the faint hope in his chest, and he felt his body relax.

Just moments before he entered his office, he saw that the door leading into Hermione's office was ajar—it was usually locked like his, and only one other person could enter the room at all.

"Malfoy." Harry leaned against the door frame, smirking when the blond startled, being pulled from his musings. "They let you leave then."

Draco nodded; he kept twirling the picture between his hands. "With the order to stay home and take it easy."

Harry chuckled, mostly because neither of them had any plans of taking it easy in the next couple of days. "I just had a meeting about the raid."

"And?"

"We're good to go. I think I have enough people to raid the place twice... And I get the commando," Harry replied; he found it curious how much Draco played with the picture that showed Hermione giving him a kiss on the cheek at the party celebrating Ginny's promotion. Happy times.

"I have something you might like." After placing the picture back on the shelf, Draco leaned against Hermione's desk, careful not to move anything. "Remembered them while taking a shower."

"What?" Harry stepped inside, curious what he meant. After a raised eyebrow and a quick nod from Draco, he closed the door behind him. To his surprise, Draco pulled a small box from his coat pocket and opened it.

"They are a prototype my labs worked on–"

"You're into jewellery now?" Earning himself a snort, Harry took a closer look at the box' content—cuff links, both engraved with a simplified version of the Malfoy crest.

"They'd be out of your range anyway," Draco replied sharply. "However, they can be used as a tracker, and they work like a Muggle device, so they wouldn't be interrupted by any wards around the pit."

"That is... genius."

"I make sure to relay your comment to my Development Department." Draco carefully picked up one cuff link to put it in place on his sleeve, repeating it with the other before he reached for a small bag that Harry hadn't noticed yet on the desk. "This is the receiver."

"And how–?"

"I tap the cuff links and a red light goes on. That's the sign for you and your cavalry to arrive."

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Harry knew the answer, but he still wanted to offer one last chance for Draco to back out, because their plan was outright dangerous and depended on too much luck.

"I'm the one who can do it."

Harry nodded in understanding. "All right. I have a briefing for everyone involved in an hour, then Operation Snake Pit can start–"

"Snake Pit? Really?" Draco chuckled but then shrugged. "Fine by me."

..

"What are you doing here?!"

Draco was still astonished that it had been so easy to enter the fight club—only asked for his code word but without any body search or other bad surprises waiting for him. He had just started to check out the hall and the other patrons when he was pulled into a corner.

It was Lilah, the succubus he had met the last time. "By Lilith! You should leave immediately!"

"Nice to see you too," Draco replied, prying her hand off his wrist. She was looking just like he remembered her—though, this time, she wore a low-cut burgundy dress and matching sleeves. She wasn't using her persuasive powers on him, and she still looked stunning.

"Don't you get it? You're in a lot of danger... The boss is here, and if he knows you're here, then Lilith have mercy!"

The boss was in. This sounded like the chance Draco was looking for, and he wasn't going to let it go. "Bring me to him."

Gasping, she made a step back. "No. No! You've gone mad!"

He grabbed her arm before she could make another step back. A brief memory of their first meeting flashed through his mind upon the touch of her skin, but he pushed it back. "Either tell me where the other pit is, or bring me to your boss–"

"I don't know where the other pit is! I'm stuck here!" Her voice turned into an angry hiss, as she tried to get out of his grip. "Do you want to get killed?"

"I want to find my friend," he retorted in the same hissing tone. "And you're going to help me. I'm not alone, but I need you to bring me to your boss..."

Lilah opened her lips to reply but then sighed. "I really wish you would just leave... Save your life–"

"I want to know where she is."

"Fine. I'll let him know that you want to see him. Just..." She smiled briefly when he let go of her arm in response to her words. "Just give me a moment, okay? I'm sure Marla will give you another drink..."

He nodded, then watched her go back, disappearing between the other patrons, before he made his way to the bar Marla worked at tonight.

Draco spent about an hour at the bar, nursing his Firewhisky—the expensively good one from last time—and watching the other patrons enjoy Marla's smile as they got served their drinks. He was just downing the last drops of his Firewhisky when a pair of guards approached him discreetly.

"Boss wants to see you."

Draco studied the guards for a few seconds before he placed the tumbler on the counter; he nodded and got up to follow them. All of a sudden, his heart was racing as he realised that Lilah had been right—he was walking into a trap with his eyes open. But he was also getting another step closer to finding Hermione, so he wasn't going to stop now.

He was let into an office that was hidden behind a hidden door; you had to know the location to find it. The room itself could be described as a poor attempt at showing off wealth and power—the mahogany desk was obscenely overdone, and the rest of the room was no better, even if its decor was much more restrained. It just screamed new money, and he found it insulting, but he didn't let it show.

"I heard you asked for me."

Draco's attention was immediately drawn to the man in the corner, who was putting the lid back on glass jug; Draco assumed it was just for a sniff as he couldn't discover a filled tumbler on the drinks cabinet. The suit was a casual but expensive Italian style, definitely bespoke because no off-the-peg suit would fit this well. The whole appearance reminded him of the Mafia films he had watched with Hermione, down to the tanned skin and the dark hair. "I did."

"I have to admit that I find you interesting. Others would give up when we deliver a message, yet you come back and ask for me." In an absent-minded move, he straightened a ring on his finger, then came around the desk.

"You have something that belongs to me," Draco replied coolly, noticing the oddly shaped ring that looked like some sort of small animal. "And I'd like to have it back."

"I see. However, what The Organisation has, is theirs."

"And a Malfoy usually gets what he wants."

"Do you?" The man let out a small derisive chuckle. "But at least you are a man with taste; Lilah is our finest companion."

"She is. But it's not her I want." Draco shifted into his usual position he took during casual meetings with business partners, his jacket open, his hands in the trouser pockets while assuming a relaxed stance. Never give away how much you want something, or you already lost the haggle. "I'm interested in one of your fighters."

"A very specific one, I presume..."

"Yes. I heard she is good."

"Oh, she is. Such a good bird."

Draco studied the other man for a moment, noticing the dark glint in his otherwise strikingly blue eyes. He couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down his spine, and an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. "I want to buy her out."

"We don't sell our fighters–"

"Name the price." Draco tried to keep the tone casual, despite the uneasiness growing. "Money isn't the problem."

The other man nodded, a devious smile forming slowly on his face. "Your interest in her is indeed intriguing. So, I'll invite you to join me tonight, as the little bird is the main event tonight. If she survives, we might get talking..."

Draco felt his heart sink at the mention of her fight, and he briefly balled his hands into fists but he kept his relaxed business act up to avoid raising suspicion. "Then I hope she survives the fight."

"Follow me, then."

After a short but deep breath, Draco followed the man out of the office, taking note of everything around him. Remembering the devious smile, it felt like walking into the biggest death trap ever, but he was so goddamn close!

"Lilah!"

She looked nervous when she came over, straightening her dress unnecessarily while she tried to avoid looking at Draco. "Yes?"

"We go over to the other pit. I want you to come along."

Her eyes widened, and she risked a look at Draco before she switched back to the other man. "Come along?"

"You provided this gentleman with a great service on his last visit; I want to make sure he enjoys this one too. Understood?"

She nodded and then approached Draco, who offered her his arm for support. "Why are you doing this? He's dangerous..."

"I know," he replied in the same whispering voice. "I dealt with many dangerous people in my life."

She shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You're a fool."

Moments later, Draco found himself landed on a small balcony above a similar looking hall that had a much more intimate and exclusive feel to it; huge amounts of money changed hands here in discreet bets on the fighters. It was not a place he would usually willingly associate with, nor had his father as far as he knew.

"Tonight's main fight will be a great highlight with the patrons," the boss said, rubbing his hands in expectation. "The Harpy against the Veela. Oh, this is going to be fun!"

Draco clenched his jaw at the mention of the fight, glad that he was walking behind the other man. He just hoped he had enough time to call the cavalry in before the main fight started; he didn't want her to go through another one.

"I'll go and get us a drink," Lilah offered in a whisper, attempting an appeasing smile but failing as she was still eyeing her boss who was chatting with another patron, a middle-aged businessman who enjoyed the good things in life a bit too much based on his girth. "Why don't you find a spot at the pit? Sounds like the first fight is already going on..."

There was indeed cheering and whistling coming from the middle of the hall where most of the patrons were following the fight between two poor men. Draco had a look around while slowly walking towards the fight pit to find a spot that would be close enough but still spare him the full sight. He found their anticipation for the kill, their excitement about a fight to the death utterly disgusting. He had survived a war with too many dead on both sides, and he had witnessed one of those death fights on his last visit—it was enough for a lifetime.

"Here you are..." Lilah returned with their drinks, smiling softly. "I promise, there won't be any seduction games tonight–"

"Don't worry about that," Draco replied, returning the smile, and reached for the tumbler she was holding up for him to have a sip. "But whatever happens in a few moments, stay calm."

"What do you mean?"

"I have friends waiting for my sign." Smirking briefly, he tapped one of his cuff links with his free hand, knowing that it would set off the light on the receiving end. This was the perfect moment to call in the cavalry, as everyone in the room was distracted by the on-going fight.

And his friends were fast.

Only seconds after Draco had tapped the cuff link, the hall was stormed with a brigade of Aurors and Hit Wizards, yelling that everyone present should stay where they are, as they were under arrest.

Draco watched the flood of Aurors take the building by storm, as it was a quite impressive thing to witness, with spells going off, incapacitating the guards. But then he grabbed Lilah's hand. "Do you know where the fighters are kept?"

"I-I think so–"

"Take me there."