The Bodyguard

Chapter 9: The Thin Red Line

Draco's flesh sizzled as the thin noose of flame drew tight around his throat. Pale eyes wide with terror, he tried to scream, but only gagged. Scrabbling desperately at the flame with both hands, he stared at Harry, through the smoke, his agonized eyes begging for help.

Horror washed Harry's anger away in an instant. "I'll save you!" he cried and ran to Draco's side. He pressed his fingers into that soft, pale throat, trying to work them under the flame so he could pull it loose, barely noticing his fingers burning. When he tried to tug the noose away, his hands passed right through. The flame was insubstantial as mist, though the way it was burning and throttling made it seem real enough.

Draco's lips were turning blue.

"Hold on, Draco, please," Harry begged. His chest ached, and he wracked his brain for any spell that could remove the flame, but nothing came to mind.

Draco's knees gave way and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. His struggles to remove the flame were weakening.

Harry sank down with him. "Aguamenti!" he said, and directed a jet of water at Draco's throat, but it boiled away without extinguishing the flame. Draco thrashed in agony.

Behind them, Barnes cackled with delight, apparently thoroughly entertained. Harry remembered that he'd helped Umbridge write this monstrosity of a spell. If he could create it, he could destroy it.

Standing up and wheeling around, Harry pointed his wand at the Chief Auror's face. Barnes stopped chuckling and glared at Harry, who wasn't intimidated.

"You will take the flame off Draco now!" Harry ordered.

"Only he can take it off," Barnes said, gesturing at Draco. "He has to obey."

Draco couldn't speak, but he could hear. The flame faded to yellow, and then snuffed out altogether, leaving a livid, sooty line around his throat. Gasping for breath, he leaned back against the wall. There was still a little smoke rising from his neck and fingertips.

"Jolly good! The Vow works perfectly!" exclaimed Barnes, his harsh voice jubilant. He grinned and scribbled something down on his clipboard.

Harry could have hexed Barnes into oblivion right there and then, but he had other priorities. He crouched down beside Draco. "Draco, how are you?"

Panting and wide-eyed, Draco looked at Harry and shook his head.

Harry clenched his fists and felt a sharp pain in his fingers, where the flame had burned them. "I'll take you to St Mungo's," he said. "Don't worry."

"Help me up." Draco's voice was wheezy but at least he'd caught his breath. Harry put an arm around him and pulled him to his feet.

With one arm still holding Draco up, Harry turned to face Barnes. "What have you done to him? Will this happen every time he talks back to me?"

Barnes looked up from his clipboard with a leer. "Oh, no! That was just a warning. If the Death Eater disobeys you good and proper, he'll die," he said, smacking his lips as if he'd just said something appetising. He fiddled with the pale wand he was clutching. "It should be safe enough to give him this back. Though there are plenty of things he can do for you that don't need a wand!" He gave a wink and a nasty laugh, and tossed the wand to Harry, who caught it easily, thanks to years of Seeker training.

Draco's wand was silky smooth and flexible in Harry's hand. He looked at Draco's haunted, abused, stunned face and felt so much burning rage rise up, that he was surprised his voice sounded calm. "I don't know what sort of person you think I am, Barnes, but I tell you now I will not do the Ministry's dirty work," he said. "The Ministry must want Draco Malfoy to die enslaved to me, rather than in Azkaban."

"Sounds about right," said Barnes cheerfully. "Umbridge says the Vow is more productive than Azkaban and I must say I agree. It's certainly more entertaining."

All the rage burst out of Harry in an instant. "You should be ashamed of yourself," he bellowed. "Watching people burn is something Voldemort would find entertaining." He was fiercely glad to see Barnes flinch at the name.

"How dare you!" Barnes growled, pointing his own stubby, pale wand at Harry.

"You've been chasing Death Eaters too long, Barnes," Harry persisted. "You're getting worse than they are!"

"Worse than Fenrir Greyback?" Barnes roared. "Impossible! That monster bit off my ears and ate them in front of me. It wasn't even full moon at the time but he wanted to taste human flesh."

"You were bitten by an untransformed werewolf?" said Harry, thinking that it explained the Chief Auror's personality. Bill Weasley had become extremely aggressive, since being bitten by an untransformed Fenrir.

"Is that true, Barnes? Does anyone else in the Ministry know?" asked Moody, looking hard at Barnes.

From the look on his face, it had occurred to Barnes that he'd revealed too much in his anger. "No ... no, of course not, Moody, it's not true," he growled, lowering his wand.

"Sure, Barnes. We believe you," said Harry, trying not to snigger in triumph. He held out the pale wand, handle first, to Draco, who took it, leaning forward and grabbing it quickly, as if terrified of what Harry would do next. Seeing this, Harry said softly, "Draco, I'd like you to disregard my last-" but he stopped as Draco gestured urgently over Harry's shoulder at Barnes. Harry turned and saw Barnes watching them, poised to write on his clipboard.

"Please, don't let us keep you here, Barnes," said Harry, in the most snidely courteous tone he could manage. "I'm sure Umbridge is dying to hear about the success of her Vow. I'm sure she'd be even more interested to hear about what Fenrir Greyback did to you. She's very ... CONCERNED ... about werewolves."

Lupin smirked.

Barnes scowled and stormed off, without a backward look at any of them and slammed the dungeon courtroom door behind him.

oOoOoOo

Author's Notes: I hunger for reviews like Fenrir hungers for Auror ears! Please feed me:-)

Replies to reviews:

gbheart: Thank you. Yes, Umbridge is doomed. I've thought of a really nasty way of killing her off. It's so nasty I may have to increase the story rating so I can put it in... ;-) BabyKeepItSurreal: I do think Draco brought it on himself. Calling Moody a mad, old cripple was not a good idea, especially as Moody has the reputation of not being tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder, let alone be capable of shrugging off a savage insult from a known Death Eater. I put it in because I thought it was in character for both Moody and Draco. Draco in the books has the masochistic habit of insulting or attacking the much more powerful (such as Harry!) and getting his butt kicked over and over. Moody? Well, he's just nuts! ;-) Yes, Draco's a slave now. He needs to watch himself around his old school enemy. I don't think Harry is ready to apologize yet. ProperT: Thanks! I'm really looking forward to writing Hermione's reaction. You want me to post more at a time, but others want me to post less. Sob! I can't win! ;-) Night Air: ;-) Kit turned Mighty: Thank you! The next chapter is nearly finished and I should be updating soon. silver4fire: You'll find out in the next chapters. Thanks for commenting. ;-) kareena: Thanks! Updating soon! NinjaoftheDarkness: Beater's Bat? I can do nastier than that for Toad Lady! Bwahahaha! ;-) Miko23: 'Ello, 'ello to my favourite beta. I don't have MSN but I do have e-mail. I'll send the chapters that way. DestinyEntwinements: Harry's angry. That adolescent angst... ;-) Yellowwolf: Thank you! Though Draco can be quite easy to lose patience with, don't you agree? ;-) MayuBlack: Your wish is my command. Umbridge is done for. It won't happen too soon, but it will happen. Miss Lesley: Thanks! Too long? Too short? Can't win! (cries ;-) It would have been just if Umbridge had been kicked out of the Ministry for what she did to Harry. But Umbridge is seen at Dumbledore's funeral, at the end of HBP with other Ministry staff, so justice clearly hasn't been served (although she's still terrified of centaurs.) It's a fact of life that those with power and connections can use them to avoid punishment, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Umbridge has done. So her punishment must fall to fanfic writers... ;-) Being the Chosen One wasn't much help for Harry at the Wizengamot. Percy mocked Harry for trying to use his reputation to free Draco. Scrimgeour was malicious. Umbridge? The less said about her the better. (I didn't want to make it too easy for Harry.) Do law wizards exist in the canon? I don't recall seeing them at any of the trials. All the Death Eaters defended themselves (poorly.) Yes, things haven't gone smoothly for Draco. He's an embodiment of the saying, 'Good deeds never go unpunished!' ;-) Laura: Draco's still alive. Can't promise he'll survive, though. SLNS: I love your comment and I'm reproducing it because you single out - THE ANGST! Love the angst! ;-) The Earth Mystic: Thanks for your comment! Updates coming up! Potter's Wifey: Thanks. ;-)