Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K.R.

AN: This story is part of the Halloween Collection of the Haphne discord server. You can find the other stories here.

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We're pretty open to other shippers, so you are welcomed, no matter which pairing you prefer.

This story is from a multiple pov. I will change the pov by chapter, so this means sometimes very short chapters. Don't tell me you've not been warned. ;) I'll try to post a couple of chapters at a time if they are too short.

Many thanks to Federer Rex for beta-ing this chapter.


The official Apparition Point for Ghosford was in a dense forest. A crooked and washed-out signpost directed Harry onto a narrow path that meandered through the underbrush and would—hopefully—take him to the village and the pub.

The walk wasn't long. Soon, he reached the outskirts of the village, and a farm came into view on the left side of the road. The vast heap of manure behind the stables that gave off an overwhelming stench and the moos of cows from the other side of a well-kept hedge were clear signs it was still operational. On the other side of the road, however, was a developing area, with new houses under construction. Some were already finished, with swings and sandboxes in the gardens, but most were still in various stages of completion.

Harry pursed his lips. Even though he'd lived as a wizard, he still kept in touch with the developments in the Muggle world, if only not to make an idiot out of himself like so many other wizards and witches did when he had to deal with Muggles. From his use of ordinance survey maps to identify magical hotspots, he knew that this part of southern England wasn't that far away from London, with good train connections to the metropolis. Decent housing in London was unaffordable for most families these days, so they flocked towards the smaller communities around the city at the cost of long commutes, which was still cheaper than living in the city. Besides, the children could grow up with more freedom than in the city here.

His heart constricted in the familiar pain for a brief moment. It had lessened over the years and hardly bothered him anymore until he came across something that reminded him of the dreams he'd had the day he and Ginny had married. They had talked about moving out of Grimmauld Place and buying a house in the country as soon as they were ready for children. They'd even considered a Muggle area to teach their future children how to live in both worlds. Would they have ended in a village like this, in a small, modern house?

He shrugged off the melancholic feeling. They hadn't even come close to make that dream come true, which was probably for the best. A child would have complicated their break-up beyond anything he could have taken. He'd put his failed marriage behind him and opened a fresh page of his life. These days, he knew how fickle love was and how fast you could lose it if you weren't careful. He was in no hurry to find himself a new partner. Right now, his life was good enough as it was.

He'd reached a crossroads in the middle of the village while he mused.

To his left stood an ancient church surrounded by a graveyard with lichen-covered headstones. The sound of an organ and thin voices singing a hymn reached his ears and showed that the Sunday morning service was still on. Beyond the church, on the other side of the side road that led off towards Ashford, the front of the vicar's house peeked through the branches of a tall oak tree.

To his right, another street opened to what looked like the village square. Small shops lined the place on one side: a post office, a bakery, a tiny grocery store, and Greengrass butchers, a sandwich board offering English meat from local farms. His eyebrows shot up at the name. It seemed that Malfoy's wife had more than one connection to this village. Why hadn't Narcissa told him that her daughter-in-law had relatives here? Or didn't she know?

He turned around to look at the house where Astoria Malfoy was supposedly absconded to.

The pub and the grounds it sat on dominated one whole side of the square. Contrary to the shops, the extensive building sat back from the street, in a well-kept garden that was a riot of colourful autumn flowers in their last bloom. An artfully arranged stack of pumpkins, apples, and vines adorned one side of the entrance. Carved pumpkins grinned out from behind each of the windows.

Everything about the establishment brimmed with respectability and comfortable wealth gained from the hard and diligent work of its owners.

Harry shook his head. That was something the Malfoys would never understand.

He crossed the car park and studied the menu that hung in a small box under a steep, shingled roof in the same shape as the pub's, another loving detail that showed how much work and thought the owners put into the business. The offered dishes were down-to-earth British staples, the ones he'd seen on many menus before, although each had a unique take. They all seemed to be made from local products and weren't low budget, either.

His mouth watered as he read the short, yet varied, menu. He really should come back here for dinner one daysoon.

He turned his back on the menu and walked up to the house. It was not yet opening time, but when he pushed down the handle of the entrance door, it swung open into a long corridor with a low, broad beamed ceiling and a flagstone floor.

A white door to the left revealed the taproom. Carved wooden booths with matching tables and benches lined both sides of the room. An inglenook fireplace on the wall opposite of the door added to the rustic feel. The fireplace was cold and brushed clean, there was fresh wood stacked up for a fire later in the day. The bar next to the door was well stocked with four taps for beer and rows of sparkling bottles on a shelf at the back.

However, it was void of a human soul, so Harry turned to the door on his right side, opened it, and peeked inside.

This seemed to be the restaurant. Like the taproom, it had a low, beamed ceiling and a flagged floor, but this time covered with oriental rugs which deep reds and blues matched the floor. Instead of carved booths, groups of tables and upholstered chairs were scattered around the room in front of another inglenook fireplace. The tables were already set for Sunday roast, with bright white tablecloths, sparkling silverware and crystal, and autumn flowers growing out of small pumpkins.

He really had to come back for dinner tonight.

Unfortunately, the room was as empty of human occupation as the taproom.

Harry withdrew his head and closed the door. What now?

The clattering of pots from deeper in the house and the sound of voices accentuated by the staccato clatter of knives on wooden chopping boards made him venture down the corridor until he reached an open sliding door to the kitchen next to the restaurant.

A sea of polished steel kitchen appliances greeted him, and the aroma of roasts assaulted his nose. His mouth watered and he sniffed appreciatively.

The two women in the room, both clad in white chef's outfits and their hair covered with colourful scarves, stood with their backs to him. The smaller one chopped carrots at a breathtaking speed and tossed them into a small trough that ran the length of the counter, while the other one was checking the progress of what seemed to be a Florentine rolled roast, going by the heavenly smell of rosemary and garlic that reached his nose when she opened the flap of the enormous four-compartment oven that dominated one wall. Obviously satisfied with the result, she closed the oven door. The door made a whining sound as it clicked shut.

The other woman chuckled. "That's what you get if you buy your kitchen equipment second hand, Daph."

Daphne Greengrass shrugged. "It's still in pristine condition and I got it way below the listed price, so I won't complain about a noisy flap. It's nothing a drop of oil wouldn't fix. You know what granny says." She walked to a sink in the back corner of the room to wash her hands.

"A saved Knut is an earned Knut," the other woman said with a small laugh and tossed the next handful of chopped carrots into the trough. It sounded as if she had repeated that mantra many times ago.

"Well, she's right, isn't she? Running a restaurant and pub is tough, you have to be careful or the costs will eat you alive," Greengrass said.

An elf entered the room through a door at the back wall, a tray with freshly baked rolls in its hands. When its eyes fell on Harry, it let out a small cry of dismay and vanished, together with the tray of rolls.

Greengrass' head snapped around. "Sipsey? What by Morgana's dirty cauldron—" She caught herself and turned around to face the entrance.

The other woman also had turned around. Two identical pairs of eyes in a deep shade of blue looked at him.

"How may we help you, sir? We're not open yet," Greengrass said, a slight frown between her eyebrows.

The way she looked at him reminded him of Professor McGonagall in one of her stricter moods. Harry straightened and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ms Greengrass. I know you are opening soon and must be very busy. My name is Harry Potter; I've come to talk to Mrs Malfoy. I was told she is staying with you."

The frown between Greengrass's brows deepened when he introduced himself. "What do you want from my sister, Head Auror?"

Narcissa hadn't lied to him. Daphne Greengrass was protective of her younger sister.

"It's a private matter I'd rather discuss with Mrs Malfoy."

Greengrass opened her mouth.

The other woman shook her head and put the knife on the table. "I am Astoria Malfoy. How can I help you, Head Auror?"

"I'd like to talk to you about a matter of concern that has been brought to my attention. In private, if possible."

Astoria Malfoy exchanged a look with her sister, then picked up a towel that hung from the pocket of her apron, dried her hands, and stepped out from between the rows of gleaming kitchen counters to walk towards Harry. The older sister motioned to follow her, but Astoria shook her head. "It's alright, Daph, I'll be right back. I'm sure Head Auror Potter knows we are awfully busy with opening soon." She shot Harry a look that screamed that she doubted just that.

"I won't take much of your time, Mrs Malfoy. It's just a few questions," Harry hurried to say.

The older sister snorted. "What has Draco done this time?"

Harry kept his poker face. "I didn't say this is about Mr Malfoy, Ms Greengrass."

"You don't have to, Head Auror. Whenever one of your department turns up to have a brief talk with my sister, it's got something to do with her husband. I only wish that one day you will dig up enough to send him to Azkaban for good."

There really wasn't much love lost between Daphne Greengrass and Malfoy. Her words confirmed the impression he'd got from what Narcissa had thought necessary to tell him. As the Head Auror, he really should stay neutral and not let his personal opinion of Malfoy get in the way. However, this wasn't an official investigation, and he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching up in a small grin.

"That's enough, Daph," Astoria Greengrass said and glared at her older sister. She turned to Harry and forced a smile. "Follow me, please."

She walked past him to the door, and Harry stepped to the side to let her pass.

"You can talk in the breakfast room," Greengrass called after her. "If you're not back in another ten minutes, I'll come to get you!"

Protective, indeed.

While he followed the younger sister out of the room, Harry contemplated the difference between the Greengrass sisters. Daphne was taller than her younger sister, with alert eyes and smooth, rosy skin. Not a beauty in the classical sense, but still an attractive woman.

Astoria Malfoy had been a beauty once. He remembered her as one of the most attractive girls at school. It was still visible in the delicate structure of her face, although her eyes were too deep in her sockets that had black rings beneath them. Her pale skin seemed as thin as paper, and the apron she had wrapped around her waist made painfully clear that she was as thin as a stick.

What by Hades was wrong with her?

Astoria crossed the flagged hallway towards a door opposite of the kitchen and opened it.

The breakfast room, as Greengrass had called it, was a bright room half the size of the restaurant. It had the same low, beamed ceiling and flagged floor. The rugs that covered the floor, however, were done in light pastel colours, and the chairs and tables that were empty of any decoration were made of a light wood with pink upholstery. At one side of the room stood a long table of the same light wood, also void of a tablecloth. This had to be the buffet where they put up the breakfast dishes.

Astoria Malfoy sat down at one table and motioned him to take the chair opposite of her. "We don't have any house guests at the moment, so we don't decorate the room. We cut down on the staff as soon as the season is over."

Had she noticed his study of the room? If yes, Astoria Malfoy was an observant woman. He had to be careful around her.

She gave him a terse smile. "I guess you have not come to talk to me about our pub, Head Auror Potter. Whenever someone from the Auror Department wants to talk to me, it's about my husband and another scrape he is in. What is it this time?"

"Are you aware that your husband is missing?" Harry asked instead of an answer.

"Is he? Since when?"

Her voice lacked any trace of concern or interest he would have expected of a woman who learned that her husband was missing. Then again, he knew already that her marriage was in shambles. She wasn't trying to lie to him. That was a point in her favour in his book.

"His absence was noticed this morning, I've been told."

"This morning?" Astoria Malfoy asked with a knowing undertone. "I guess he didn't show up to the mandatory Malfoy Sunday morning family breakfast? That would be enough to have Narcissa running to you for help. She thinks the sun rises and sinks out of Draco's arse." She said the last words with a derisive snort.

"You don't get along with her?"

"That's an understatement." This time, the snort was angry. "She hates me because I dared to marry Draco. In her eyes, no woman will ever be good enough for her boy wonder. She—" She caught herself, pressed her lips together as if she already had said too much, cast her eyes down, and her emaciated fingers fidgeted with the hem of her apron.

What she said confirmed his suspicions about her life in the Malfoy household, and a wave of sympathy for the young woman welled up in him. Her looks showed that the marriage to Malfoy had taken its toll.

As if she felt his eyes on her, she raised her gaze and glared at him. "What brought this on, Head Auror? I believe there are rules for the investigation of the disappearance of an adult, and I'm amazed that Draco not turning up for breakfast warrants an investigation by the Head Auror himself. You are acquainted with Narcissa, aren't you? Did she send you? Are you in the Malfoy's pocket, Head Auror?"

Harry startled at the accusation. Damned, this wasn't going like he had thought it would.

Astoria Malfoy might look frail, as if a strong wind could blow her away, yet she was smart and made up for the strength her body lacked with sheer determination. She certainly wasn't a plaything. Her small size and sick looks were deceiving. All the better for her, or the Malfoys would have destroyed her a long time ago.

He'd better right her perception of him, or she'd clam up and he'd have nothing to show for his efforts. Hopefully, it was not yet too late.

Aloud, he said, "Narcissa and I have a kind of family connection. Her older sister is the grandmother of my godson, Teddy Lupin. I suppose Scorpius told you about him? They are as thick as thieves." Hopefully, the mentioning of her son would mellow her.

"Andromeda and Teddy?" Her face brightened, although the distrust in her eyes didn't fade away completely. "I forgot about your connection to them. She is a nice person. Scorpius loves her dearly."

"It's mutual. Teddy is always looking forward to Narcissa's visits, because she brings Scorpius with her most of the time. I'm happy Teddy found a friend before Hogwarts, although they will be in different years. Scorpius is a nice boy."

Her face brightened even more at his words. "Thank you. I'm glad that Scorpius found a friend. There aren't many children he can play with."

Next to none, he would guess. Draco had been the first of their year mates to marry and have a child. He and Ginny had been next, and the whole magical world knew how that had turned out. Everyone else had been smarter than them and taken their time to settle down. Ron and Hermione had started the wedding circus in spring and were now happily expecting, he'd attended the weddings of Seamus to a Muggle girl and the one of Dean and Parvati in the summer, and right now the invitation to Neville's wedding to Hannah Abbott just before Christmas was sitting in a corner of the mirror over the fireplace in his suite at the club.

"Narcissa came to the Auror department this morning. She was in a right state and asked me to investigate Draco's disappearance."

"Narcissa in turmoil?" Astoria Malfoy's high-pitched voice, and her raised eyebrows betrayed her disbelief. "Normally, every emotion she might have is filtered by her perfect makeup."

"Not when it comes to Draco. She loves him very much."

"True. She's doting on him." That came with another derisive laugh.

"Yes, I often had the impression that she overdoes it." Harry nodded. "Still, I have great respect for a mother's love, and when Narcissa asked me for help this morning, I didn't have the heart to deny her and promised her to look out for him. So, I'm not here as Head Auror Harry Potter. My questions and the answers you'll give to them are off the books. However, if it turns out that something happened to Malfoy, I might use what you tell me for further investigation and call you in for an official interrogation."

"Fair enough." Astoria Malfoy shrugged. "I have nothing to hide and will answer your questions."

"Good. When did you last see your husband?"

"Yesterday morning. We had a talk in the study. I left after that to visit my family and took Scorpius with me."

That was a masterful reply. She didn't lie, but she didn't tell the full truth, either. He had to be very careful with his next question.

"Did your husband talk about his plans for the day?"

"No. You have probably already gathered that my marriage is not the best. Draco and I usually keep out of each other's business. I don't know how he spends his days when he is not at Malfoy Manor, and even there I try to avoid him as much as possible."

"Astoria—I may call you Astoria?" When she nodded, he smiled and said, "Call me Harry, please. I'll be honest with you, Astoria. Narcissa mentioned you fought with your husband over a trifle before you left, and that you hurt him."

"That bitch!" Astoria's face coloured. "Did she tell you what he did to me?"

Harry shook his head. "No, she carefully avoided anything that could have cast a poor light on Malfoy. Knowing him as I do, I suppose he must have goaded you into lashing out at him?"

"You know him well." Tears shot into Astoria's eyes. She wiped them away with an impatient gesture and took a deep breath, as if to center herself. "Sorry, I resolved not to cry about it anymore, but it is hard. Draco killed my familiar."

His heart gave a pang, and he took a sharp breath. The loss of a familiar was tough. Even now years after her death, his beloved Hedwig held a special place in his heart, and he had not yet found it in him to replace her with another owl.

"I'm sorry, I know how it feels when someone kills your familiar. It's like losing a part of yourself."

She nodded at that and wiped away a last tear. "Yes, I've had Carl all my life. He was a giant Seychelles tortoise. He was given to my great-grandmother before she left for Hogwarts almost a hundred years ago. He grew up to be an impressive tortoise, absolutely beautiful and he knew it." A smile crossed her face at the memory. "I helped my granny take care of him since I was a little girl pretty much as soon as I could walk, and she passed him to me in her will. Nobody else in the family would have taken him. Not many liked him, for obvious reasons." She chuckled.

"Why's that?" The talk about her familiar obviously made her relaxed and take down her guard, so he decided to encourage her. Maybe she would let something slip.

Astoria's chuckle deepened. "Carl was rather greedy. Nothing that grew in the garden was safe from him, he was the bane of the vegetable garden. I guess you can imagine how well that goes in a business that keeps a sizable vegetable garden to cater for their guests."

"Merlin, yes!" Harry joined her laughter.

"When I married Draco, I took Carl with me to Malfoy Manor. He got a pen in the family garden, outside the formal garden, but he could roam the park and the vegetable garden as he liked. That was even a part of our marital agreement, Daphne saw to that. Draco and Lucius signed that without knowing what it meant." She chuckled again.

"They did not know what a giant tortoise would do to their carefully maintained park?" Harry asked with an unholy grin.

"Not at all! Let's say that the park of Malfoy Manor wasn't what it used to be before Carl moved in. He'd eat anything, although he didn't like boxwood."

"Boxwood? Why's that?"

"Too many tiny twigs, I guess. Sometimes, he'd forget and take a bite out of the hedges that surround the flower beds, then spit it out immediately. He always looked utterly disgusted when he did it."

"I had no idea a tortoise could look disgusted."

"Carl could."

They laughed again.

Astoria's laugh faded, and her expression turned wistful, probably she was remembering happy times with her familiar.

"What happened to him?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

"Draco poisoned him. Lucius has put the management of the estate into Draco's hands after the Wizengamot ruled that his magic should be bound. He isn't the man he was and the management of the estate became too much for him. Magic is an essential part of a wizard or witch. Losing it has a horrible impact on your health. I'm a prime example of that." She made a fleeting gesture to her body.

Harry's eyes grew wide. He didn't know that Lucius was ailing, neither did he know Astoria had lost her magic. Narcissa had never mentioned that. To be honest, Narcissa had never talked about Scorpius' mother at all when they met. What had happened to Astoria Malfoy that she'd lost her magic?

"The Malfoys pride themselves on their meticulously kept park. Carl ruined that reputation. Even worse, our marriage contract stated that he had free access to the entire park, the vegetable gardens included. I think Daphne did that on purpose, to spite them."

Harry pursed his lips in thought. Astoria had had to marry Malfoy because a baby was on the way. She'd been how old back then? Fifteen? Sixteen, at the most. He put little stock in Narcissa's version that Astoria had seduced Draco and got pregnant on purpose to force him into a marriage. It seemed more likely the other way round, and something had gone wrong. No wonder that her older sister sought revenge on the Malfoys where it would really sting: their public appearance. He grinned, a sneaky move he could appreciate.

"Carl was a terror in the Malfoy's vegetable garden. It's a big one, much bigger than needed to supply the family, and they sell the surplus."

"And Carl eats into the profits?" he asked.

Astoria nodded, a grin on her face.

"I bet that went over well with Malfoy."

"It didn't." Astoria's face sobered. "It was a regular bone of contention between us. He wanted me to send Carl back to my family's house. I refused. I depended on him, emotionally as well as physically, and had no friends at Malfoy Manor. Scorpius was still a wee baby, and the pregnancy had taken a lot out of me." Again, she gestured towards her body again. "Carl was not a magical creature, yet I drew strength from him. The way the Malfoys treated me—Well, they weren't very nice, so I wasn't quiet whenever Carl spoiled one of their deals. It never occurred to me that Draco would dare to violate our marriage contract by killing my familiar."

"What did he do?"

"He poisoned poor Carl. Carl could never resist lettuce. Draco ordered a new sort that was poisonous. I found my poor dead familiar yesterday morning in the vegetable garden. He still had half a head of lettuce in his mouth."

The expression of utter sadness on her face nipped the chuckle that welled up in Harry at the unintentional hilarity of Carl's death right in the bud. "I'm sorry," he said instead.

Astoria accepted his condolences with a nod and bit on her lips to prevent herself from crying again. "Well, it can't be helped," she said with a shuddering breath. "However, Carl's death was the last straw. The Malfoys hate me and will take anything from me. They already got my health and my familiar, my son will be next. They'd already started alienating him by educating him to become a man, as they phrased it. I didn't want to lose Scorpius, so I decided to leave Draco and take my son with me. I couldn't tell Draco my decision straight away. He would have found a way to prevent me from leaving with Scorpius. I wouldn't put it past him and his parents to have killed me, had they thought they could get away with it. So, I did what I always do when I get into a fight with Draco. I took Scorpius and left the house, apparently for a couple of days, until we have both cooled down. Only, this time I won't return."

A sudden realisation popped up in Harry's head. "You instigated the fight with Malfoy on purpose to have a reason to leave the house?"

"Partly." Astoria sighed and pushed a lock back under her scarf. "I was beside myself with grief and rage when I went into the study, and Draco deserved everything I did to him, and some more."

"I was told you kicked him in the balls?" Damn, it was hard to keep the glee out of his voice.

Astoria shrugged. "Yeah. He mocked me for losing my magic, and I just snapped. I don't regret it. I should have done it a long time ago, ideally before he had the chance to screw me." She sighed again and cast him an embarrassed look. "Don't get me wrong, Scorpius is the best thing that happened to me, and I love my son dearly. Only—I was too young when I got pregnant, I was still fifteen when Scorpius was born, and I had to pay with the loss of my magic and my health, thanks to my condition. Living with the Malfoys hasn't helped."

His respect for the young woman in front of him grew. Fifteen was way too young to become a mother, and the price she had to pay for that was steep. Yet she showed no sign of self-pity. She had accepted her fate and made the best of it. While she had accepted her fate, that didn't mean that she didn't harbour a grudge against her husband. It would be unnatural if she didn't, given that she had admitted to her marriage being a battlefield. Was that grudge big enough to kill Malfoy and let his body disappear? That was something he had yet to determine. It was hard to tell. She had herself well in hand and gave away only what she wanted him to know.

Aloud, he said, "Why didn't you file for divorce?"

"You should know that I couldn't." She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Merlin be my witness. If that was possible, it would have been the first thing I did."

What was she talking about? Was it another stipulation of that strange marriage contract that even held provisions for a giant tortoise? How was he supposed to know that?

"Does your marriage contract not allow you to divorce?"

She gaped at him. "Harry, you went through a divorce yourself. You know that under the law of magical Britain, only the husband can file for divorce."

He blinked. That was news to him. "Huh, is that so? My lawyer might have told me that. Yeah, I guess she did. She was very thorough. However, it never registered with me. I suppose I wasn't in the state of mind to give her my full attention. Half of her explanations went straight over my head," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Her gaze became soft. "Understandable. It's not easy to admit to yourself you've made a mess out of your life."

He shifted in his seat under her sympathetic glance. From all his friends and acquaintances, she was probably in the best place to know what he'd gone through until he took the final step and moved out of Grimmauld Place and contacted a lawyer. That moment when you realised that the passion had burned out and that you didn't have much in common outside of the bedroom than discussing the Quidditch results— And yet he'd soldiered on, had tried to build something meaningful with a partner who was oblivious to his efforts.

He shook himself out of his memories. He hadn't come here to trade pity-stories with Astoria Malfoy. "Are you telling me that Malfoy refuses to fill out for divorce, even though you fight like cat and dog all the time?"

"This." She nodded with a small grimace.

"Huh. Why would he do that? You'd think that he would be happy to get away from you."

Astoria snorted at that.

Heat shot into Harry's face. "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just—"

"No offense taken." She waved his apology away with another chuckle. "Yeah, I don't get it, either, especially since our marriage contract said that our marriage was going to be divorced after the baby's birth. Neither I, nor Draco wanted to spend our lives together. He changed his opinion immediately after Scorpius' birth, under the pretext that he wanted to give his son a loving home." This time, her snort was bitter. "What a load of bullshit! You don't treat the mother of your child in front of it like Draco does if you want to keep up the illusion of a happy family."

"You have no clue to why he changed his mind, since the want of a happy family is an obvious ruse?"

"Not in the slightest." She shook her head. "It's vexing. At least he keeps out of my bedroom. Pansy is nice enough to oblige him whenever he wants."

That was more information than he wanted to know, yet not surprising. He'd already suspected something like that when Narcissa told him about her talks to Pansy. However, there was something she had given him that he should confirm.

"I'm not surprised about that. Pansy has attached herself to him when she was eleven and not once left his side during our time at Hogwarts. I wouldn't be surprised if you also found comfort outside of Malfoy Manor."

She raised her chin, and her cheeks darkened. "And if I did? Would you use it against me?"

Harry sighed. "I'll be honest with you, Astoria. Your husband is missing. The last place I know he went to is this house. You admit that you fought the day he went missing and that your marriage is on the rocks. I don't have to tell you that those are points against you, you are too smart for that. If Malfoy's body turns up one day, you'd be the prime suspect. Fortunately, this far nothing points at him being dead. I still think it more likely that he has drowned his embarrassment about your treatment of him in a bar and ended up in the bedroom of some bird."

That caused another derisive snort from Astoria. "It wouldn't be the first time, although Pansy is his usual go to. The familiarity of the known, I guess."

"Too much information," Harry said with a grimace, and they both laughed. "You've been very open with me, Astoria. Will you do me the favour to continue along this track? I'm not out to get you, I only want to shed some light on Malfoy's disappearance to appease his mother."

She hesitated, then opened her mouth. The sound of the door opening behind Harry prevented her from uttering whatever she was going to say.

Damn! Harry turned around to look at the intruder.

Greengrass stood in the doorway, her face black with anger. The house elf by her side had small fists planted on her hips and glared at him in a way very similar to her mistress.

Harry groaned inwardly. Great! Couldn't Greengrass have waited with her rescue mission one minute longer?

"The ten minutes are over," Greengrass said.

Harry suppressed a sigh. He still had a few questions, but going by Greengrass' expression, he wasn't going to get to ask them, let alone get answers to them, at least not now.

Astoria breathed out and almost shot up from her seat.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I've got to go back to work." She didn't wait for his answer and turned to leave the room. Her sister stepped aside to let her pass.

Harry watched her back as she disappeared with a frown on his face, he still hasn't found anything new to offer to Narcissa. Hopefully, Astoria was right and Malfoy had looked for comfort in Pansy's arms.

Greengrass didn't follow her sister. She moved deeper into the room, closed the door behind herself, and motioned him to keep his seat.

Harry sank back, and Greengrass sat down on the seat Astoria had just vacated. The house elf stood hidden behind her back, like a shadow.

"What has Draco done this time that the Head Auror thinks is necessary to interrogate my sister?" she asked.

His eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected such a blunt question from a former Slytherin. Up to now, his experiences with Slytherins had taught him that they were masters with words, talked in circles, and avoided a direct approach.

"You don't mince words, Ms Greengrass."

She shrugged. "I have a business to run. There's never enough time in the day, and I hate to waste it. You're avoiding my question, Head Auror."

Straight to the point, indeed. He had nothing to gain by antagonising her, so he said, "Draco's disappeared."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows puckered in a small frown as she contemplated his words. "That is important enough to bring the Head Auror out to our modest establishment to investigate? I thought the disappearances of adult persons aren't usually investigated."

Sharp and well informed, too. He'd better not underestimate her.

"Well, it's not an official investigation. Narcissa is very distraught and asked me to use my connections as a favour within the family, so to speak."

The frown vanished and her face brightened in sudden understanding. It was a very pretty face. The corners of his mouth turned up on their own accord in response to her smile.

"Ah, I see, because of Andromeda." The next moment her face darkened again. "I guess, Narcissa blamed Draco's disappearance on Astoria?"

How to answer that? He almost fidgeted in his seat under her disapproving stare. What happened here? He was the Head Auror, he was supposed to lead the interrogation and make her squirm.

The cloud of anger around her became more pronounced. "You don't have to answer that, Head Auror. I know she did. There's nothing that woman wouldn't do to get back at my sister." She ended the sentence with a derisive snort.

Shit, she was much too defensive. It was never a good move to antagonise your opposite if you wanted answers., so he had to appease her somehow. He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.

"Be assured, Ms Greengrass, that I will bear Narcissa's bias in mind while conducting this informal investigation." Had she noticed him emphasising the word 'informal'?

She relaxed, and the scowl on her face lessened. Harry breathed out. It was not yet all lost. He'd better press his chances before she changed her mind about him once again.

"Since I'm already here, Ms Greengrass, would you mind answering a few questions?"

In an instant, the deep scowl was back, and her eyes were guarded.

"As I already told you, Head Auror, I have a business to lead. The Sunday lunch crowd will be here soon, and I have a new magical oven I still have to get used to. I'd better get back to the kitchen and make sure the food will be of the excellent quality our customers expect from our house. I'm sure you'll excuse me, Head Auror." She got up from her chair and huffed. "That oven is a nightmare. I've got to renew the charms on it frequently or it will overheat."

Harry followed suit. He knew a dismissal when he heard one, and he had no grounds pressuring her into talking to him. While he walked out of The Green-Eyed Cat, he renewed his resolve to return for dinner. Maybe Greengrass would be more open to talk to him tonight, when she had time to make up her story. After all, she couldn't avoid him forever.

t.b.c.