Beta love to CourtingInsanity - without you, my writing would not be the same!
Prepare for an action-packed chapter!
The Blue Jazzist, Saturday 26th August
Draco arrived at the club at his usual time, about half an hour before Hermione was due to perform. Wood and Weasley were on the door tonight. He nodded to them as he arrived. Wood glared at him, but Weasley smiled and clapped Draco on the shoulder.
"Alright, Malfoy?" Weasley greeted cordially.
Draco returned the greeting and headed inside to say hello to Roger. It had been three weeks since the stand-in rosters had begun, and there had been very few issues, to Roger's immense relief. Draco had kept in regular touch with Larry and John, and both men were recovering slowly but steadily.
Looking around the main room, Draco spotted Roger sitting at the bar chatting to Lloyd and made his way over.
"Evening, Draco!" Lloyd greeted him happily.
"Hey, Lloyd," Draco replied. "Surprise me with the mocktails tonight."
"Give 'im the alcoholic version for once," suggested Roger, winking at Draco. "I don't think he's going to go scrapping at this point in time, not with our Hermione so ready to kick his arse." He grinned playfully.
Lloyd laughed and turned to make a drink, while Draco sat beside Roger and they began chatting about nothing in particular. Before they knew it, the band was setting up and the house lights had dimmed.
"At last… my love has come along
My lonely days are over and life is like a song…"
Draco turned toward the stage as the house lights rose again, taking a sip of his drink, and spluttered at the sight before him. Hermione was wearing the green dress and shoes he had gifted her over a month ago - the dress that had ultimately unmasked him. She looked absolutely stunning, so much so he was rendered momentarily speechless.
"Hey, Draco." Roger nudged him in the arm. "Isn't that the getup you gave Hermione? You know, the one that she got upset about?"
Draco could only nod in reply.
"It suits her," Lloyd chimed in. "You have good taste, Draco."
"She looks exquisite," Draco murmured, finally finding his voice.
The two men alongside him snicked. "He's got it bad, I think," Lloyd observed.
Hermione was pleased she had kept the dress and shoes Malfoy had given her just prior to the robbery at the club. The dress moulded perfectly to her curvy figure and the shoes were surprisingly comfortable - so much so, she suspected they had been charmed.
As she stood on stage, completing the final song of her set, she found herself feeling… nervous? Excited? She couldn't quite place the emotion. She knew Malfoy would be in the audience - he had resumed coming to the club every weekend since they had called their truce - and she wondered if he remembered the dress, and if he liked how it looked on her. She would have to thank him. It seemed he had excellent taste in women's clothing, after all.
She began the final verse of her song:
"He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times!"
The audience enthusiastically supported her through the final chorus, and joined her in finishing, "...poor Min, poor Min, poor Min!"
Elated, she exited the stage to the usual applause, whistles and cheers.
Making her way through the room, she looked around for Malfoy and saw him sitting at the bar with Roger. As she drew closer, she observed the blond man staring, while Roger and Lloyd were smirking as if they shared a secret she wasn't privy to.
"Hello," she greeted the three men. "What have you lot been talking about?"
"Nothing," Draco, Lloyd and Roger chorused.
Hermione scrutinised them closely, until Roger finally cleared his throat and said, "Well, we were admiring the pretty dress you're wearing tonight."
"Oh, you mean this little thing?" Hermione smiled coyly, looking at Malfoy out of the corner of her eye.
"Wherever did you find it, Granger?" Malfoy drawled.
Hermione smirked. "Oh, some blond prat left in in my dressing room one evening."
"I think I know the bloke," Roger chipped in, winking. "Some toff with a fancy way of speaking, isn't he?"
"I know him too," added Lloyd thoughtfully. "Likes mocktails. He's tried everything on our menu at least once."
"Sounds like my twin brother," Draco quipped.
Everybody laughed merrily, and Hermione sat down on a stool beside Malfoy.
"You knocked 'em dead as usual, love," Roger complimented her. "You had them eating out of your hand."
Hermione blushed, ducking her head and smiling. Thank you, Roger." Turning to Lloyd, she ordered a whiskey and lemonade, and nodded her thanks when he placed it before her. "A girl really works up a thirst, singing under those hot lights." She sighed, taking a sip of her drink.
Roger stood. "I'd better go and do some work." He sighed regretfully. Clapping Draco on the shoulder and smiling at Hermione, he said, "Don't you kids cause too much trouble, now," before departing.
Lloyd had moved down the bar to serve other patrons, so Draco was able to chat to Hermione without being heard.
"How is the draft proposal to consider muggle-borns for seats on the Wizengamot going?" he asked.
Hermione sighed. "Terribly, to be honest. We expected pushback from the remaining members of the Twenty-Eight, but we're also facing an unexpectedly high level of opposition from half-blood families."
For some time, Kingsley had been trying to change the thinking and traditions of many aspects of Wizarding society, including how members of the Wizengamot were appointed. Although there was no official statute stating muggle-born witches and wizards were ineligible for a position, it was notoriously difficult - if not almost impossible - for a muggle-born to be granted a seat.
Traditionally, when a seat within the Wizengamot was vacated, potential new members were nominated and voted in by the existing members, which tended to lead to aggressive campaigning and popularity voting. Alternatively, seats would be 'passed down' through the generations, with the assumption that the family was entitled to retain the seat in perpetuity.
Kingsley wished to encourage diversity, removing any biases and prejudices from the selection process by introducing a series of competency tests and background checks. Potential new members would then be entered into a ballot and a name randomly drawn. Although it was anticipated the families with pureblood lineage would be most opposed to the proposal, the Ministry had hoped to garner more support from the half-blood wizarding population due to their closer connections with muggle-borns.
Draco shook his head. "That would be extremely frustrating. Are those opposed saying why?"
Hermione growled in frustration. "Mostly a lot of crap about tradition and how there should be an established order based on who the Wizengamot thinks is best for the job." Rolling her eyes, she added, "In other words, they don't want to let the riff-raff in, they'd rather keep letting their mates have the seats, thank you very much."
"I could come out publicly in support of it," Draco mused. "Although, it might do more harm than good. Most of Wizarding society seems to think me either a murdering Dark wizard or a blood traitor, so it could have the opposite effect and make people more opposed to the idea."
"It would be good for shock value, though." Hermione giggled.
Just then, Charlie appeared. "Hey, Malfoy. There's a bloke outside asking for you. Tall, skinny, dark hair. Says 'tell that low-down snake in the grass to slither out here.'"
"Shit," Draco growled. "I'm sorry, Granger. I have to go. Business."
Without another word he turned and followed Charlie out of the room, leaving Hermione to stare after him, utterly perplexed.
Somewhere in Surrey, late Saturday night
Draco arrived in what appeared to be a field, having been apparated side-along with Spencer, the wizard who had summoned him so abruptly from the Blue Jazzist with the agreed code phrase. It meant, suspect located, positive ID made, dark magic expected. Move quickly.
Spencer began to move hurriedly away into the dark and Draco quickly followed, easily keeping pace. "Is it Yaxley?" he asked, his tone short and businesslike.
"Yes," Spencer replied in a similarly curt tone. "We've traced him to an abandoned farmhouse. The wards around the perimeter are many and strong. Trying to bring them down will probably alert him if not taken down with care, and they're sure to be cursed. We also expect other traps, so tread carefully."
Draco nodded. "Understood."
The two men moved in silence for several minutes until Spencer held up his hand, indicating they should stop. "We think the wards start in front of us. The farmhouse is there." Spencer pointed to his left, where Draco could just make out a faint shadow in the blackness.
Draco lifted a hand, whispering a spell of his own creation designed to detect even the most carefully hidden wards. "I feel it," he muttered. "There are at least half a dozen layers, interspersed with dark magic. I'm going to circle around and map the perimeter. Tell the others to stay well back."
"Le briseur de malédiction est ici. Reste en arrière." Spencer's patronus, a delicate sparrow, sped into the night to spread the message.
Draco began his patrol, maintaining the ward detection spell while casting an invisible path tracing both his footsteps and the barrier in front of him. The wards didn't follow in straight lines, instead moving in toward the farmhouse and then out again, forcing him to carefully think about every step he took and remain alert.
He didn't allow himself to dwell on how painfully slow the monitoring process was, instead focusing all his concentration on filtering his magic into his tasks. One moment of inattention or distraction could set off the wards and alert Yaxley to their presence, or set off a trap that could injure or kill him or one of the Aurors anxiously waiting for Draco to gather the data they would need to plan their next move.
Painstakingly over nearly one hour, Draco completed a loop, successfully mapping the full boundary of the farmhouse Yaxley was hiding in and the wards he had set up along the perimeter. Finally, he met with Spencer to fill him in.
"Yaxley's wards are extensive and complicated," Draco explained. "I can't yet tell what other traps, if any, lie beyond. However we shouldn't assume the wards are only potential issue we're dealing with."
Taking his wand, Draco made a complicated series of movements and a 3D map of the farmhouse and surrounding area appeared in front of them. A wandering series of lines glowing in angry shades of crimson, amber and gold bordered the building, sweeping in and out seemingly at random.
"These lines represent the wards," Draco continued. There were seven in total - two crimson lines, followed by one of amber, then gold, crimson, a second amber and finally a third crimson line. "The crimson lines indicate the most complicated wards; the amber of middling difficulty and the gold is actually relatively basic." He indicated each of the shades in turn.
"I suspect the placing of the wards in this order is designed to lull the persons attempting to take down the wards into a false sense of security," Draco theorised. "The aim is to make us think we're breaking through as the wards appear to become easier to take down. It will also sap the magic of anyone working alone, making them more prone to mistakes when they attempt the next crimson ward - and that will only be the first of three difficult layers." He sighed.
"Spencer, there is no way of getting Yaxley tonight. I know your department has been chasing him since the war and there is pressure on you to deliver, but if we attempt to breach now, people will die and he will escape."
Spencer cursed quietly. "Fuck! We'd really hoped to take him down tonight." He paused and looked over at Draco. "But if we do nothing, we risk him escaping again, and that could set us back months." The Auror looked anguished.
"I'm sorry, Spencer. There's no better option," Draco answered regretfully. "I can break through these wards, given time, but I need to plan all my moves well ahead. Strategy is going to be the key, and the aurors will need to be well briefed, in position and ready to move within a moment's notice." He paused, thinking. "Who is your best strategist? I'm going to need someone who knows your team's strengths and abilities well to coordinate with me on this and direct your movements."
"Weasley," Spencer replied without hesitation. "He may be a hothead, but I'll be damned if I know anyone who can beat him at strategising and planning several moves ahead."
Draco groaned inwardly. He had been afraid Spencer would name Weasley. His reputation for being an exceptionally skilled strategist was well known in wizarding society, and his uncanny ability to not only think ahead but to adapt quickly to unexpected changes had earned him a top-level role in the auror department.
"How soon can you get him here?" Draco asked.
"Within minutes. He's patrolling the north quadrant," replied Spencer.
"Do it," Draco instructed. "Oh, and Spencer?" Draco added as the man began to turn away "You might want to warn him who he's going to be working with. We didn't exactly get on while we were at Hogwarts. He's going to be pissed."
Spencer simply nodded and disapparated. Draco used the down time to begin thinking about how he was going to break through the wards, and what other issues they were likely to face in the process of moving in.
His thoughts were interrupted as Spencer apprated beside him with Weasley in tow. The red-headed man looked inscenced.
"Don't you have anyone else?" Ron hissed at Spencer angrily. "Surely you've got some other bloke who can get through the wards, someone who isn't a foul ferrety git and a former death eater!" Ron had pointedly refused to look in Draco's direction.
Spencer lifted his hand to his face, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "No, Weasely, we don't. Malfoy is the most skilled curse breaker in Britain. These wards are no walk in the park and if they're not tackled carefully it could result in disaster."
He looked up again and met the red-headed man's eyes as Draco watched on. "You are our best strategist, Weasley. Malfoy—" Spencer gestured behind him, indicating Draco "—says he needs the best man for the job to work with him and coordinate things from our end while he concentrates on stripping down the wards."
Ron glared, but said nothing.
"Weasley," Draco spoke quietly. He felt encouraged when his former rival looked in his direction. "If you want to smack me around, can you save it for after this mission is completed?" He took a deep breath, not wanting to utter his next words but knowing they would be vital in convincing Weasley to put aside his personal issues and work with him. "I can't do this alone. I need your skills." He looked Ron directly in the eye. "I need your help."
Ron looked from Spencer to Draco, his face red with anger. After a contemplating for a few moments, he sighed. "I suppose I have no choice." He regarded Draco with hostility. "But you're still a prick, and I'l hex you if you so much as twitch in the wrong way."
Draco bit back the cruel reply that threatened to burst forth, and instead held up his hands in supplication. Gesturing for Weasley to join him, he conjured the 3D-map with its lines once more and ran Weasley through the details as he had Spencer.
"There are bound to be traps inside the wards as well as in between them," Draco explained. "I won't be able to detect them all, as I'll have to focus all my concentration on stripping the wards without tripping any and alerting Yaxley to our presence. This is where I'll need you."
Ron nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to think like Yaxley," Draco answered. "Think about the places he's most likely to set traps. Keep in mind he probably isn't just going to use curses; it could be anything. You'll need to map the likely places as well as use detection map—" Draco indicated his model "—is interactive. I can give you the ability to add information directly onto it as you go so as can map likely and confirmed obstacles and dangers, in order to find the safest path through and hopefully surprise him before he can react."
Ron was silent for a few moments, regarding the map in front of them. "How will you give me the ability to add information?" he asked quietly.
Draco held his breath before answering. "It's blood magic." He held up a hand to stop the protest he knew was coming. "It's the quickest, most effective way to add and update information. Spellcasting and incantations can take too long, and it's easy to get it wrong in the heat of the moment. You need only submit a drop of your blood and I cast the spell to link you. Once that's done, you need only think of the threat and indicate the point on the ground where you think or know it to be, and it will appear on the map."
Frowning, Ron grumbled, "I don't like it, Malfoy. I don't trust you with my blood. I don't trust you at all."
"Well, you don't have a choice, Weasley," Draco snapped.
"I can choose to tell you to fuck off," Ron snarled back at him.
The two men glared at each other. Spencer, who had been standing off to the side and watching quietly spoke up. "Do it, Weasley. That's an order!" he barked.
Ron looked for a moment like he would turn on his commanding officer, but thought better of it. Turning back to Draco with a bad grace, he growled, "Get it over with, then, Malfoy. And if you try to pull any shit, I'll make sure you go straight to Azkaban."
Ignoring the threat, Draco simply responded, "Hold out your hand, please." Ron reluctantly did so, and Draco used the tip of his wand to make a shallow cut on Ron's upturned palm. "Now hold your hand over the map and let a drop of blood fall onto it," he instructed.
Ron did as he was asked. The drop of blood disappeared into the map as Draco whispered an indication and made a series of movements with his hand. The map disappeared momentarily, glowing a pale white upon reappearing before resuming its greenish colour. As it returned to normal, a series of gridlines appeared.
"It looks like a chess board!" observed Ron, impressed in spite of himself.
"Precisely," Draco confirmed. "This is due north—" he indicated over the map and a compass symbol appeared to point the way "— and the squares are exactly like the squares on a chessboard. Any threats you suspect or confirm will appear on the appropriate squares. It will make the danger areas easy to identify, and help you map the actual ground and get your bearings. The map will move with you wherever you go, and the compass will reorient itself as you move so you don't get turned around."
Ron nodded in understanding. "That's… pretty impressive," he admitted grudgingly.
"Thanks," Draco answered quietly. "We'll need to do a briefing on how the Aurors will proceed once I clear the wards. It'll be dangerous, there's a lot of open ground to cover and there won't be a lot of time to move before Yaxley realises he's been compromised. This is where you'll need to come in. Start plotting potential zones, scan for any traps as you go."
Turning around behind him to look at Spencer, Draco asked, "How close to the building can you set up anti-apparition wards without detection?"
Spencer sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Not close enough. Either way, the team will be vulnerable."
"Pull everyone back, for now, Spencer," Draco instructed. Turning back to Ron, he added, "Weasley, I want you to accompany me around the borders of where the wards reach so you can see the ground from every angle. The map only shows so much."
"Right," Ron agreed.
Spencer withdrew to call back the other aurors, and Draco set off around the perimeter again with Weasley in tow.
They walked in silence for nearly twenty minutes, Draco guiding Ron along the ward lines, the map floating in front of them, stopping every so often so Ron could survey the ground and compare it to the topography the map revealed.
"Can I test the squares thing?" Ron asked.
Draco waved his hand forward in a 'go ahead' motion, and Ron turned back toward the area inside the wards.
"There's a lump about twenty metres from us, about two metres to the left—" Ron pointed, "—there. It could be a rock, mound of dirt, anyth—" his words were cut off and he stared down at the map in amazement. A red X materialised in one of the squares, with the word 'rock/mound' appearing beneath it in small but neat text. "Bloody hell." Ron lifted his eyes to Draco's face, amazed. "It's right there. D-3."
Draco allowed himself a small smile. "It'll work just as well non-verbally, so if you need to move stealthily just focus on what and where the problem is."
"You may be a right bastard who deserved to rot in Azkaban with your death eater mates," Ron grumbled, "but your spellwork is bloody brilliant. Almost as good as 'Mione's."
Draco felt his stomach clench at the mention of her name. He hadn't even said goodbye before rushing out. She didn't know what he did, had not asked. Every time he joined one of these missions, he knew he was risking his life. Previously he had not cared if he died while carrying out his tasks, but now.. now… what if something happened to him and he never got to see her again?
"Don't you dare think of her that way, Malfoy!" Weasley hissed.
"Wh-what?" Draco stuttered, startled. Had Weasley read his thoughts? Surely not.
"I can see that look on your face. Don't think of her as less than you! Hermione is far better a person than you'll ever be!" The venom in Ron's face as he glared daggers at Draco was painfully evident.
"I wasn't—I didn't—" Draco took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. "I don't think of Herm—of Granger—that way at all. I just—" Draco had to stop himself from speaking further. He was quite certain Hermione had not mentioned to Weasley their easing truce, or the red-headed man surely would have cursed him seven ways to Sunday as soon as he had arrived on the scene.
"I regret how I treated her at school. She is brave and loyal, and I was a fuckup and an asshole. Plus, she always bested me at every subject." He paused, and decided to attempt a bit of humor in an effort to dispel the tension. "Except for Quidditch."
Ron eyed Draco with mistrust for a few moments. Then he snorted with amusement, causing Draco to inwardly sigh with relief. "Hermione is rubbish at quidditch," Rob admitted fondly. "She's rubbish on a broom, full stop. She still hates heights."
"We should continue," Draco stated, and Ron nodded silently in agreement.
The finished the rest of the patrol in silence, stopping occasionally so Ron could point out areas of interest as they went, each appearing on the map as he indicated it, until there were nearly a dozen X marks indicating uneven ground.
They met up with Spencer again at the starting point. "Everyone has pulled back for now," the lead auror confirmed. "We've scheduled a briefing for oh-eight hundred tomorrow morning back at the camp."
"Who's patrolling the borders?" Ron asked.
"Withers, Rilley, Maxwell, Potter, Michaels, Kerr, O'Driscoll, and Johnson," came the reply. They'll be moving round the perimeter in pairs for four hours, then we'll swap them out with the next eight." Spencer turned to Draco and Ron. "You should both get some rest. Weasley, did you get some useful intel?"
Ron nodded. "I did. The ground is uneven, so we'll need to know where those obstacles are. The wards are too thick to be able to detect any traps or curses. That will have to wait until Malfoy starts bringing them down."
"Good." Spencer nodded. "You're excused from patrol tonight, Weasley. You'll be leading the brief in the morning, so start planning and then get some sleep. Malfoy, follow me and I'll show you to the camp." With that, Spencer turned on his heel and walked off. Draco fell into step behind him, and the men melted into the darkness.
"Good morning, everyone," Spencer greeted the assembled Aurors. "First, status report. Night patrols reported all was quiet. We haven't noticed any movements, and our detection charms placed outside the wards haven't picked up any activity either. We assume he's still there, so we plan to move tonight under cover of darkness. Weasley will be leading the assault, and he's going to brief everyone now on what their positions and cues will be."
Draco watched as Weasley stood from his seated position toward the back of the group, and moved to the front, looking nervous. He noted Potter moving to sit in the seat Weasley had vacated. The dark-haired man noticed Draco, too, and glared at him.
Clearing his throat, Ron began. "Er, right. I accompanied Malfoy on a patrol around the boundary last night, and he's developed a map of sorts we can use to navigate our way through in the darkness, hopefully without encountering any obstacles or traps." Ron glanced toward Draco, who was sitting quietly a short distance from the group. "Can we bring up the map, please?"
Draco nodded and moved to stand beside Ron. Casting the charm to reveal the map, he gestured to Ron to continue. "It will rotate and move with a hand command,' he explained.
"Right everyone, form a circle," Ron instructed. Once the group had repositioned themselves, he directed the map to settle itself in the centre, just above the ground, and was quietly impressed again when it changed position according to his hand movements. "These X marks indicate ground hazards," Ron explained. "They represent uneven ground. North is here—" he pointed to the compass "—aligned with the chimney of the building. I'm going to assign you into pairs, and you'll each take a navigational point. One pair will take the south position, the second southwest, the third will be at the west position, and so on."
Ron looked around the group to be sure they were following him. "Any questions so far?"
"How does the map work?" asked one of the younger wizards.
"That's not important right now, Gallagher," Ron replied shortly. "Focus on the mission and ask trivial questions later!"
"Yes sir. Sorry sir," Gallagher apologised, looking down quickly.
"Any questions relating directly to the mission?" Ron asked, his expression businesslike. Everyone quickly shook their heads. "Good." He nodded. "I'll continue."
"Now, Malfoy thinks it's likely Yaxley may have set up traps inside the wards as well. Likely curses, but they could be anything. So move slowly once we go in, keep your eyes open for anything unusual, and use detection spells. Do not deviate from your position and keep moving in a straight line," Ron added.
"Does everyone have their signal coins? Hold them up." Each auror reached into his or her robes and pulled out a small gold coin.
"Excellent. They will heat up when it's time to move in. Now I'm going to assign your positions. I want each of you to study your path intensely. I want you all to be able to move forward knowing the ground hazards in front of you so you can navigate around them without going off your designated path."
Ron then turned to Draco again. "Malfoy here—" he gestured again to the blond man "—will be working on taking down the wards. For that reason, I'll be positioned beside him, ready to give the signal the moment the last one falls. Gallagher, you'll be with me." The young auror paled, but nodded resolutely.
"Be ready for a long wait, ladies and gentlemen. Malfoy says it will take some time for him to safely disable all the wards without tipping off Yaxley to our presence. But that doesn't mean you can let your minds wander. Stay alert! I cannot emphasise this enough." Ron paused to regard each auror in turn. "Yaxley is a dangerous and highly skilled dark wizard. A moment's inattention, and he he could slip through our fingers, and he will blast his way out violently."
Turning to Draco, Ron asked, "Can we plot everyone's positions on the map and the direction they are to go as I assign the pairings?" he asked. Draco nodded. "Right, here are your pairings. Samuels and Peterson, north-east position. Willis and Jones, east position. Frankels and Lee, south-east…"
As promised, Draco conjured each pair's names by their assigned position as Ron called out the names, finishing with the north position where he, Draco and Gallagher would be waiting. Draco made a second hand movement and pale green lines appeared, connecting each position to the farmhouse.
"Thanks, Malfoy," Ron acknowledged. "Each of you has your position. Study the hazards in your way and think about how you're going to avoid them while keeping yourselves moving in a straight direction. Remember it's easy to veer off-course in the darkness, so while you're waiting for the signal find a focal point to help you."
Every auror moved around until they were looking directly at their assigned position, and silence fell as they each studied the map in front of them.
After ten minutes Ron dismissed the group. "Get some rest and something to eat, and make sure you have everything you need. This is a dangerous, challenging operation and it will run very late. We meet back here an hour after dusk for a sit/rep and final briefing, where we will confirm the time everyone is to move into position."
Silently, the assembled aurors moved off in twos and threes to prepare for the night ahead, leaving Draco alone with Harry and Ron.
"Weasley. Those coins, are they—?"
"The same as the ones 'Mione charmed in fifth year? Yeah." Ron took his coin from his robes and held it up. "She makes them for us, you know. She's better at most spells than some of the veteran aurors. It's a shame she quit her auror training, she would have bloody brilliant."
"She said it just wasn't for her, and she'd joined for the wrong reasons," Draco remembered, then silently cursed himself at his slip.
Ron's head shot up, and he glared at Draco with suspicion. "How'd you know that, Malfoy?" he asked dangerously.
"Um. Oh, well… shit." Draco ran his hands nervously through his hair and looked at the angry red-headed man. "We've been… talking."
"Talking how?" Ron demanded. "Have you been harassing her again, you fucking ferret?"
"NO! No. For the love of Merlin, Weasley, calm down!" Draco exclaimed, holding his hands up. "I happened to be in the Blue Jazzist one night—"
"What, that muggle club she sings at?" Ron scoffed. "Come off it. What would a pureblood prat like you be doing in a muggle club?"
"I was drunk," Draco retorted defensively. "Very drunk. I got in a fight apparently, and was in the middle of being thrown out when I heard a woman singing. It sounded—" He stopped himself, not wanting to mention his mother in front of the men before him. He feared Weasley might insult her, and then he really would go to Azkaban, this time for hexing an auror into oblivion.
"I don't know how to explain it. The voice just stuck with me. I didn't know at the time it was Granger, I only found out when I went back." Draco proceeded to give Ron and Harry a watered down version of the timeline, leaving out the bit about him giving Hermione gifts but explaining how the club had been targeted; and how the two of them had worked together to ensure cover for the bouncers while they were recuperating.
"Why didn't she ask me and Harry to help?" Weasley asked, sounding hurt that he had been excluded.
Potter, who had been quietly watching the exchange - uncharacteristic for him, Draco thought cynically - added with a frown, "We would have been glad to help."
"She… thought the two of you might be too busy with work," Draco fibbed. He may be a lowly asshole, he thought to himself, but there was no way he would throw Hermione under the Knight bus.
Interacting with Weasley though, he could see exactly why Hermione had been so adamant he wasn't right for the job. The man got pissed off at the drop of a bloody hat. He'd have started more fights than he prevented, without a doubt. And Potter was still a runt.
Luckily, Draco's two former rivals seemed to buy the excuse. Sighing, Weasley admitted, "Yeah, we have been pretty busy lately. We caught one of the lower-tier death eaters a few weeks ago and he immediately spilled his guts on the whereabouts of his mates. We caught a few more based on his information and they've been spilling too, the cowardly bastards. We've had more leads to follow up on than we have aurors to check them out."
Draco wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just nodded silently. He was envious of Weasley's and Potter's positions in wizarding society - they were doing good things and were well regarded, while he was forced to remain in the shadows and on the edges, a pariah who was still largely shunned and mistrusted.
Well," Ron said, standing, "I'm going to go and prepare for tonight. I suggest you do the same, Malfoy. By the look of those wards, it's going to do a number on your magic."
"It wouldn't be the first time," Draco murmured. "But you're right, these wards are among the strongest and darkest I've dealt with."
"Back here an hour after dusk. Don't be late." With that final instruction, Ron turned and walked away, Potter following without a word or backward glance, leaving Draco to prepare alone.
"Is everyone here?" Spencer asked as the aurors settled down to listen to the final briefing. "Yes? Good." He moved to the front of the group.
"The situation has changed. We were expecting a cloudy night, which would give us some concealment to make up for the lack of cover over the open ground. However, those clouds are clearing and the moon will be bright, which will make anyone attempting to approach the target easily seen before they get close."
Some of the aurors looked at each other, uneasy.
"For this reason," Spencer continued, "you will all need to use disillusionment charms. This is going to make things significantly harder as we will not be able to have eyes on our partner's positions as we near the target. You will need to remain in physical contact with your partner from the moment you cast your charms to when we breach the target. Work out how you will move beforehand, and stick to it. Have an exit strategy in place that will protect you both in case things go south."
Spencer looked around at the group. "Above all, stay calm. Keep your wits about you and remember your training. As Weasley said this morning, Yaxley is not to be underestimated. He won't hesitate to try and maim and kill anyone who gets in his way, if he is given the opportunity. Do not give him that opportunity."
Ron stepped forward. "Since we won't be able to see each other, when you get within three metres of the target, you are to halt and keep low. I'll use the coins to give you the signal to stand by, and then to breach." He looked around the group to ensure everyone understood his instruction. "On my cue, blast the fuck out of all four walls. With any luck we'll bring it down and crush him before he can react."
"Our intention is to take him alive, so do try to avoid killing him," Spencer added, giving Ron a warning look. "Blast the walls, by all means, but I would prefer the building isn't completely disintegrated."
"Everyone ready?" Ron asked. Everyone nodded silently in assent. "Right, get into position. As soon as you're there, cast your disillusionment charms. Good luck."
As the group got up to move to their assigned places, Weasley, Spencer and Potter all lingered behind with Draco. Gallagher, the younger auror, remained seated a short distance away, looking frightened but resigned.
"Are you ready, Malfoy?" Spencer asked.
"Yes," Draco replied simply.
"Excellent. Keep safe, you lot." Turning to Harry, he said, "Let's go, Potter. We'd better get into position."
Draco looked at Weasley in some surprise. "I'd have thought Potter would be leading a team," he mused.
Ron stared at Draco, an unreadable expression on his face, and Draco at first thought Weasley would not reply. After a few moments, though, he simply shrugged. "Ginny's pregnant." Ron explained. "Their first. She didn't want him to come on this mission, because it's a high-risk operation. The compromise was he takes a back seat for this one."
"The Weaselette is pregnant?" Draco responded, before he could stop himself. Old habits die hard, he thought to himself. "Congratulations!" he added hurriedly, sensing Weasley was ready to draw his wand. "How does Potter feel about stepping back?" he added, hoping to move the topic on to safer waters.
"He's not happy." Ron frowned. "But he agreed to it to keep Gin happy. He's taking the rear position with Spencer, as part of the backup in case we need it." Looking at his watch, he added, "Right, let's get a move on. Come on, Gallagher. Showtime."
The three men walked silently toward their position, anticipation and apprehension settling into their stomachs.
Two hours later, concealed with Weasley and Gallagher behind a low wall just beyond the perimeter, Draco had peeled away six of the seven wards. He was sweating heavily and had removed his jacket. Concentrating, he willed himself to see into the barrier, to see through it, to penetrate and become a part of it. Slowly, slowly, he felt it begin to waver. Steeling himself, he continued to focus on silently and stealthily breaching the final layer of Yaxley's protections.
An indeterminable length of time later, he felt a final shimmer and jerked his head at Weasley, indicating they were almost through and he should send out the signal to be ready.
Moments later, the ward dropped. "Go, Weasley!" he hissed. He watched as the red-headed man changed the coin bearing Hermione's protean charm one final time before disillusioning himself, Gallagher following suit.
Draco had been instructed to keep back and watch once he had broken through, which suited him just fine. He didn't have the stomach for combat any more, and much preferred to work behind the scenes.
He sat back to wait, hoping they would not be caught unawares by the additional traps Yaxley was sure to have laid. Hoping Yaxley would be there and they would catch the sadistic, cruel bastard quickly.
He brought up his map so he could keep an eye on everyone's movements. He had heard rumours from Sev about a map Potter's dad and his friends had had, a magical one that showed everyone within Hogwarts and their exact location. Draco's map worked in a similar way, allowing him to see each pair as they advanced slowly in an ever-closing circle toward the farmhouse.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see Spencer and Potter approaching.
"How did it go, Malfoy?" Spencer asked quietly.
"I got through all the wards successfully," Draco replied. Indicating the map, he showed the small dots with the names attached as they progressed. "They've not encountered any threats so far."
Potter looked at him with grudging awe. "Ron told me you made an impressive map, Malfoy," he whispered. "But his description didn't do your work justice."
"Thank you, Potter," Draco acknowledged softly.
The three men went back to watching the dots as they slowed, close now to their target.
Draco looked at the map and frowned. "Something's not right," he said worriedly. "Their progress has been easy. Too easy. Yaxley loves nasty surprises, but no one seems to have encountered anything."
Potter reached into his robes and pulled out one of the charmed coins, as did Spencer.
"They're waiting for Ron's signal," explained Spencer.
Draco looked up at the men, alarmed. "It's a trick! Pull them back! Do it now, Spencer!" he hissed desperately.
"Shit! It's too late, Ron's given the—" Spencer began.
"BOMBARDA!" came the shout of many voices at once over the still night air.
"FUCK!" Draco yelled, and sprinted toward the smoke, Potter and Spencer on his heels.
Ron set the coin to say, from 5, meaning everyone was to count down from five and then cast the breach spell as one.
Five… four… three… two… he and Gallagher counted in a whisper.
"BOMBARDA!"
The aurors rushed in through the smoke as one, wands at the ready and pointed in all directions. The smoke began to clear and it was evident there was no one in the room.
"Fuck!" Ron cursed, removing his disillusionment charm. Everyone followed suit. "You lot, come with me! Upstairs!" he ordered. "The rest of you, patrol around the building! Keep close watch!" Ron ran up the stairs, followed by Gallagher and a second pair.
A thorough sweep of the sparse upstairs area, accompanied by a powerful revealing charm, unveiled nothing, and Ron's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Alright. Let's—"
Ron's next words were interrupted by sudden screams and an explosion. The aurors raced down the stairs and into confusion and chaos.
Draco was almost at the farmhouse. He could see pairs of aurors emerging from the settling smoke, moving efficiently around the building as if checking for something, and he felt his heart leap into his throat.
"Get back! Move back!" he screamed at the nearest pair. They spun quickly, wands trained on him in surprise. Behind them, they heard sudden screams and explosion ripped through the night.
Draco kept running toward the building, part of which was suddenly alight. In the glow, he saw a young woman lying just inside the entrance, her eyes open and staring. Turning quickly, he saw Yaxley move out from a corner, firing curses at the nearest aurors and forcing them back.
He felt, rather than saw, movement behind him and ducked as Potter and Spencer fired curses back at Yaxley. The veteran death eater cackled and cast a powerful shield charm, moving all the while, and returning fire with gusto. His back was to the stairs as Weasley reached the bottom landing, Gallagher and two others right behind him.
"YAXLEY!" Weasley roared. Draco moved rapidly toward the stairs as Yaxley spun, lifting his wand to aim at the man who had called his name.
"Avada—!" Yaxley began, grinning maniacally as he began to cast the killing curse.
Draco dived forward, aiming for the dark wizard. "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Yaxley screamed as he was thrown back, blood suddenly pouring from the gaping wounds that had appeared across his arms and torso.
As everyone froze in shock, Draco turned to Spencer. "Do you want him alive?" he asked desperately. Spencer could only stare, like everyone else present, in horror at the dying dark wizard writhing and howling on the floor of the destroyed building.
"Do you want him alive?" Draco cried. "Tell me now, or it will be too late and he will die right here on this floor!"
Harry stepped forward. "Yes. We want him alive."
Draco rushed over to the prostrate man and dropped to his knees beside him, muttering the countercurse. Slowly, the wounds began to close.
Yaxley glared blearily up at Draco. "Malfoy. Blood traitor. You—" he coughed. "You'll...pay...for this."
"Fuck you, Yaxley," Draco hissed. "The only reason I'm not letting you bleed out is because Potter wants you alive."
Completing the spellwork, Draco shakily stood up and stepped back.
"He's all yours," he growled, glancing at Harry.
Turning on his heel, Draco stalked out into the darkness.
"Right, everyone, quiet down, please." Spencer once again stood at the head of the group.
Dawn was breaking, and everyone was still in shock. "I know you're exhausted, and we've taken casualties, but we need to get this debrief out of the way."
Slowly, the assembled aurors turned toward Spencer as he spoke. They were broken, bleeding and dirty, but they held on.
"It turns out Yaxley knew we were here. We think he knew from the start." Spencer sighed. "He was hiding upstairs under an invisibility cloak—" several aurors gasped and cursed "—and he moved downstairs immediately after we breached the building. It meant he wasn't affected by the blast." Spencer's eyes scanned the room. "It just didn't cross our minds he would use this tactic. None of the intel we had indicated he had managed to get his hands on one."
"I thought Potter had the only invisibility cloak?" one auror asked.
"Potter has what we think is the only authentic one. But there are knockoffs. They just don't work for as long," Spencer explained. "Yaxley only needed it to work for long enough to hide himself upstairs and then move back downstairs without detection. He simply waited until a search had been conducted and everyone had begun to let their guard down before unleashing a surprise attack."
Harry stepped forward. "Everyone did everything exactly right. No one is at fault. Do not blame yourselves, or each other. That is important. Like Spencer said, we didn't have the intel about the cloak, so we didn't consider it a possible factor." He looked down sadly. "We have lost three friends tonight. But we're lucky it wasn't more."
"What was that spell Malfoy used?" another auror asked fearfully.
"It was a dark curse," Harry replied, to gasps and mutters. "Don't judge Malfoy for using it. I used it on him in sixth year, not knowing what it could do. He only survived thanks to Severus Snape's quick actions. It would be hypocritical of us to judge him for using it without also judging me."
Harry turned to indicate Draco, standing quietly behind him. "Malfoy realised before any of us that something wasn't right. He tried to warn us, but we just weren't able to react quickly enough. If it hadn't been for him, we likely would have had higher casualties." Harry's eyes moved over to Ron, who had was shaken at his brush with death but was otherwise uninjured.
Moving quickly over to the blond man, Harry extended his hand. "Thank you, Malfoy. We owe you our lives," he said quietly.
Draco nodded solemnly, taking Harry's hand in his. "I'm only sorry I didn't realise earlier that something was wrong, Potter," he apologised, looking down in shame.
Harry clasped Draco's shoulder with his free hand.
"Do not apologise," he said fiercely, his eyes blazing. "You realised when we didn't. That is worthy of recognition."
Stepping away, Harry swept his eyes over the group. "We have healers on the way to attend to those who are injured, and take the casualties to their families," he said softly. "Stay together, support each other. We'll be going home soon."
One by one, the surviving aurors moved over to Draco to thank him and shake him by the hand, some reluctantly, others with quiet awe, before silently moving away.
Once again, Draco was left alone with Harry, Ron, and Spencer.
"You scared the shit out of me with that curse, Malfoy," Harry said.
Draco allowed himself a cynical smile. "Let's just say I'm well aware of its effectiveness in immediately incapacitating an opponent."
"I almost killed you, once. I know saying 'I'm sorry, I didn't know what the spell would do' doesn't make up for that, but I felt sick about it. I still feel sick about it," Harry confessed.
"I almost killed several people." Draco shrugged. "At the least, I'm indirectly implicated in the deaths of others. I think my transgressions trump yours, Potter."
Harry regarded him curiously. "How did you know the countercurse?"
Draco looked down at his hands. "Sev—Professor Snape—taught it to me after I recovered. He said that if I ever found myself feeling the urge to use it, I should know how to halt the damage, so..." Glancing up at the men before him, he continued "... so I had the choice as to whether my opponent lived or died."
The three aurors looked shocked, but said nothing.
Spencer broke the uneasy silence. "Right. You lot need to move out and be seen by the healers before you leave." Turning to Draco, he added, "That goes for you too, Malfoy."
Spencer left, closely followed by Harry, and Draco made to follow him. He was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked back and into Ron's bright blue eyes.
"You saved my life tonight, Malfoy," he said, his voice shaking. "I—I didn't—"
"You didn't expect a pureblood Slytherin prat like me to save a lowly Gryffindor who was also a Weasley?" Draco guessed, attempting a smile.
"Well—" Ron looked down at his feet "—yeah."
"Don't mention it, Weasley." Clapping Ron on the arm, Draco turned and walked wearily away to find the healer station.
"Le briseur de malédiction est ici. Reste en arrière." = The curse breaker is here. Rest and wait.
Sit/rep = situation report
I hope you're all still enjoying the story! I'd love to her what you think so far X