A/N: Sorry guys! I was going to try and get another chapter out yesterday night, but I had to baby-sit my cousins and they were like staring over my shoulder, which was awkward enough without adding fanfiction to the mix.

Anywho… I think most everyone liked it in the 3rd person… so it will be staying that way! If anyone else has any questions or suggestions feel free to let me know!

And a big Yay! because this story now has over 3,000 hits! Yay! (if only I had that many reviews!) : ) 

Interesting Discoveries

Chapter 6

SPG

One year. In one year, he'd lost everything he'd ever had. He'd given everything he had in this life to his Lord—a Lord who lost and left him with nothing to do but hide.

He'd given up much of his money, his honor, his wife, and his son without any hesitation. And he certainly didn't regret it. If he had the chance, he'd do it all over again, but this time he'd kill those foolish gryffindors before they got the chance to mess things up.

A half-blood boy and his little blood-traitor and mudblood friends had gotten lucky and managed to defeat the Dark Lord.

Lucius remembered the final battle well. Both sides knew going in that the war would end here regardless of the outcome.

Half-way through the battle most of the dark had given up on their masks. They were confident of their victory, and confident that they needn't hide their identities.

What fools they had been. Lucius had his back to the Dark Lord fighting that filthy werewolf, but he didn't need to see the curse to know its impact. He felt it down to the shell of a soul he had left. The pain began in his forearm and diffused through his entire body.

He was lucky. He was one of the few that had the common sense to run while the light was busy gawking at the Dark Lord's death.

It had definitely been something to see. A small ray of green had connected with his chest and in reaction a light so bright burst forth. It was such a strange sight to see that Lucius couldn't decide if Voldemort was emitting the vast light himself or whether his body was sucking all the light from the world around him. If his death was anything like his life, Lucius was willing to bet on the latter.

Lucius, just as sly and cunning as ever, had managed to slip from the grounds and apparate back to his home. He had grabbed as much money and valuables as he could, he'd need all of it to survive on the run. He didn't even spare a glance for the forgotten belongings of his wife and son.

After nearly a year of running and hiding, his funds were exhausted. It became more difficult to sufficiently hide himself, and he became sloppy. He never would have thought that his last night of freedom would have been spent sleeping on the filthy ground in a muggle park.

He was jostled from his thoughts as he felt a chill soak him to his bones. One might think he would be used to the dementors, after all they were a great ally of the Dark Lord.

When he had first been caught and seen Potter's smirking face, he'd assumed that his time in Azkaban would be simple enough since even the ministry wouldn't be daft enough to allow the dementors to remain at Azkaban.

Oh, how very wrong he was. Potter's dirty little mudblood had found some way of restricting the creatures to the desolate island where the prison was located.

So because of that mudblood bitch, he was now being led to his solitary cell that was guarded by three of those vile creatures. Without a trial, it had been decided by Scrimgeour and Potter that he would receive the kiss in two weeks time. Except this time, he had no Lord to help him escape.

He heard the chink of keys. He opened his eyes to see the turn of the key, and the opening of the last place he'd ever see. He was thrown to the floor, and his once long and elegant hair, now dirty and tangled, fell in front of his eyes.

He wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. Both surviving Malfoys had chose two strikingly different paths, but had ended up exactly the same.

With a jerk of his head, he flipped his hair behind him and raised his chin with pride. Regardless of his state now, he was a Malfoy. With a vengeful laugh, he knew his son didn't even have his heritage any longer.

He felt a shiver course through his body and he knew the dementors were coming to take their post. He could hear them coming and before he could prepare himself, he was engulfed by memories that he'd long ago tried to forget.

"I'm disappointed in you Lucius, it's true you didn't renounce me, your money saved you from that, but why did you never come looking for me. And do NOT say that you did, I will not have you lie." A cold voice hissed in the darkness.

Lucius crawled on his hands and knees and kissed the robes of the man before him.

"Master, I'm sorry, I know I failed you. But I swear on my honor as a Malfoy that I will redeem myself."

Maniacal laughter rang through the room and Lucius flinched involuntarily.

" I have not summoned you here to hear your apologies, Lucius, surely you know that." He knelt beside the submissive form and whispered sinisterly, "I have brought you here… to hear screams" He finished evilly.

"CRUCIO!"

Lucius let out a scream of pain as the memories and the pain alike seemed to wash over him anew. His body convulsed with a pain that felt fresh and tortuous. His body continued to contort and shake violently. His back arched and the back of his skull struck the wall supporting him repeatedly. His head connected with the wall brutally three times before his shaking subsided and he slipped into unconciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hermione's hand left its place on Harry's arm and flew to her mouth in surprise. "You caught him? Really?"

Harry nodded, a goofy smile adorning his face.

"Oh Harry that's wonderful! He was the last of Voldemort's inner-circle, right?" she beamed with pride.

"He certainly was. And that I think is plenty of cause for celebration. " he smiled, "Even at this time of the night." He mocked her playfully.

She gave him a glare and a swat on the arm before the let out a happy sigh.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

She smiled and said, "Oh nothing. It just… I don't know. It feels like now we can finally start to move on with our lives now."

He smiled and took her hand, "That's exactly what I was thinking—"

"OH! Harry I forgot to clock out. Give me just a second and then we can go to the party." She yelled over her shoulder as she ran back to the receptionist's desk.

Harry ran a shaky hand through his hair, his heartbeat erratic. He was nervous. He'd known her for more than half of his life and he was still nervous as hell. He just hoped she hadn't noticed.

He was mumbling words of encouragement to himself when she tapped him on the shoulder and quizzical look gracing her face.

He straightened up quickly and offered her his arm.

"Shall we?"

With a small nod she linked her arm with his.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A chorus of shout and whistles exploded in the room as the two apparated to the burrow.

Harry was quickly bombarded with congratulatory pats on the shoulder and then quickly lifted onto the shoulders of Fred and George.

Hermione was filled with joy at the smile on Harry's face. Over the past year, he'd slowly been opening back up. Smiles were no longer few and far between and his laughter was a common occurrence, especially when Fred and George were involved.

She was quickly hug (or tackled really) by Ron as Luna stood behind him clucking her tongue.

"Hi Ron… Luna." He nodded. "How is everything?"

Ron grinned broadly and said, "How do you think we are Herms… we just caught Malfoy!"

Hermione chuckled and said, "Of course… I'm sure you're enjoying today more than Christmas."

He tapped his finger and thought for a moment, "That's a tough one… it's hard to beat Christmas dinner."

Luna laughed and moved forward, "Food and quidditch… at the top of his list those are."

"Right behind my beautiful wife of course…" Ron smiled and slipped his arms around her waist.

Hermione smiled as she watched them rub their noses together. They were an adorable couple… sickeningly so.

That swirling feeling that she got so often started in her stomach. She'd never really had much time for love. Between books and her immature boys and the war, she hadn't exactly led a normal life. She always thought she'd either meet someone in school or she'd meet a nice man in the ministry, but she'd been hoping for so long that it almost seemed to be an unattainable desire.

"You know what would make this day better than Christmas?" Ron grinned. "If we got to lock up the other Malfoy, too."

Hermione blanched and her heart began to thud persistently in her chest. She felt and pair of hands squeeze her shoulders lightly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Harry asked.

"About how great it would be if we caught the other Malfoy, too." Ron said.

Hermione could feel Harry stiffen as he came to stand beside her. He still wasn't quite over Dumbledore's death. And he had difficulty blaming it all on Snape after the man had died to save him, so that left Draco.

"I… um…" Hermione interrupted, "Do they, uh, know where he is?"

She noticed that Harry's hands were clenched by his side and he replied, "I'm not sure. When I first got my auror job at the ministry I checked out his file, and he's not even on the wanted list. His file was labeled closed. If I had the energy to hope, I would say that he's probably dead. At least that's what the ministry seems to believe anyway."

"Does it say he's dead?" She asked, trying to make her interest appear minimal.

"Not exactly," Harry replied, "But the only time they close a file is when the criminal is no longer a threat to the community—they're either dead or captured."

"Bloody Hell…"Ron interrupted.

"Are you sad Ron?" Hermione questioned.

"Hell yes… I'm sad I wasn't there to see him die." He said with a frown.

"Ronald!" Luna and Hermione cried in unison.

"I'm sad I wasn't the one to do it." Harry mumbled quietly.

Hermione stiffened at his words. She was fairly sure that she was the only one who heard, considered Luna was busy reprimanding Ron and Ron was busy cowering in fear.

Ron and Luna were still arguing quietly and Harry turned to Hermione, "Herms… do you think I could talk to you outside for a moment?" he asked.

Hermione shot one last glance toward the bickering couple at her side and nodded her consent.

He took her hand in his as they carefully made their way through the crowds. They were stopped a couple of times by friends, but Harry kindly promised that they would catch up later.

When they finally made it out of the burrow, Harry led her to the side of the house and seated her on a bench beside one of Mrs. Weasley's rose bushes. He made no move to sit beside her and Hermione grew worried. He stared out towards the small shed across from them on the grounds and took a deep breath.

He finally came and sat beside her, but made no move to look at her.

"I don't really know how to start this…" he said with a nervous laugh.

"For as long as I can remember… my entire life has revolved around Voldemort. From the time I was born to this very day. I didn't want him to be in any part of my life, but at the same time I couldn't afford to put anything else above him." He finished in a quiet whisper.

Hermione scooted a little closer to him and linked her arm with his, gently resting her hand on his forearm.

He looked at her then with a small smile, but then turned his gaze back to the land.

"Even after I ki—the final battle, " he took a deep breath, "He was still everywhere I went. It was like my duty was not only to destroy Voldemort, but everything he created, too. It was my obligation to rid the world of his followers, too.

"I'm not naïve enough to think that all of the death eaters are gone. But at least I know now, that those who were closest to him, those who pose the most threat, are gone. I don't know… it feels as though I can finally focus my life on something besides Voldemort, you know?" Harry turned towards Hermione and gingerly took her hands in his.

She nodded silently and he continued, "You and Ron and the rest of the Weasley's have always been a huge part of my life, but as much as I wanted to put you guys first, I had to concentrate on Voldemort first. I feared for you all more than I can say. I had to do everything I could to destroy him before he could hurt you all."

"That's over now, Harry. He's gone and we're here. We'll always be here." Hermione supplied quietly.

He gently ran the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand, "I know. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering—"

"Mr. Potter?" a voice interrupted him.

Harry sighed and turned away from her.

"I don't mean to interrupt, "Rufus Scrimgeour said, "But I must be on my way and there's something I must discuss with you before I leave."

Harry nodded and stiffly and rose from his seat, "I'll only be a minute, 'Mione."

Hermione smiled as he turned to talk with the man. She heard the first of Scrimgeour's words before they walked out of range.

"Tomorrow I want you in charge of the search of Malfoy Mansion…"

Hermione yawned as the events of the day weighed heavily on her. Her thoughts wondered back to her last moments with Malfoy.

Just like before he has seemed so… normal… during those last few moments. If she hadn't known otherwise, she would have sworn that he was the exact same Malfoy he'd been in school.

Sure he hadn't insulted her, but now that she thought about it she hadn't given him much time to say much of anything. He had difficulty speaking at all. She imagined that his throat hurt badly considering he'd probably only used it twice in the last year or so.

The only thing he'd really said besides "Shut up Granger," was "curse." She wasn't sure what he meant.

She met a girl during healer training that had said "curse" as a euphemism for curse words, but Hermione highly doubted that Draco was one to censor his language.

This could only mean that Draco was talking about a magic curse. Did he want her to curse him to put him out of misery?

Draco didn't seem like the type to give up easily, so she highly doubted he was asking for a mercy killing.

The only logical explanation was that he was cursed. But what curse?Could it be the imperious?

She didn't think so. Whoever was cursing him would have to be near-by and she didn't understand the motive behind him. Keeping up the imperious was far too much work when you could just order the person to commit suicide or something like that.

It could always be demon possession. Hermione wouldn't put it past a Malfoy to conjure a demon for some evil purpose. But his case didn't have the usual symptoms of demon possession. He had exhibited no superhuman characteristics. The fact that he hadn't spoken except for whenever he seemed to be free of whatever was plaguing him was also bizarre.

She didn't think it was demon possession. But what else was there. Some type of insanity spell, perhaps? She was slightly embarrassed to admit that she'd never as much as read a sentence about an insanity spell in all her years. Granted if there was such a spell, it would have most likely been in some book about the dark arts. Such a book would definitely not have been found in the Hogwarts library or her own personal collection.

But a spell would be the most logical possibility. It would be a one time spell, so the person wouldn't have to continue to curse him. But what would explain the moments of sanity that she'd seen? Was Malfoy managing to fight the curse? Somehow, she doubted it. He had seemed just as surprised at everything as she.

If there was such a spell, who would have cast it on Draco? She was positive that it wasn't someone on the light side. Which meant it was either someone on the dark side or just someone who had a personal grudge against Malfoy.

Malfoy's greatest enemies were Harry, Ron, and herself, so she could only assume that someone on the dark side had done the deed. But why? Was it punishment for his failure to kill Dumbledore? But if so, why had he not been committed until a year ago?

Could he have been hiding all this time? Or running? If he had, then that meant he had betrayed the dark side. Or maybe he'd been with them all this time and then had angered Voldemort.

He had been committed about a week before Voldemort's downfall. Could he have possibly done it to himself in an attempt to escape the final battle?

Her mine was running rampant with possibilities when she felt a presence beside her.

She looked up to see Harry beside her with a grim expression.

"What was all that about?" she asked quietly.

"We're searching Malfoy Manor tomorrow. It's supposedly filled with dark artifacts. The library there is supposed to have on of the most extensive collections of books about the dark arts. "he finished calmly.

She immediately straightened and her eyes widened.

Harry noticed and chuckled, "You just can't resist a library can you? I'll make you a deal." He grinned.

"A deal?"

"Yes. A deal. You don't work till the graveyard shift tomorrow night right?" he asked.

"Right."

He suggested with a hopeful smile, "How about I take you to work with me tomorrow and you can have free reign over the Malfoy library in exchange for dinner tomorrow night?"

A/N: Yay… another chapter up! I wanted to thank all the reviewers again and all those who have added me or my story to your favorites… you guys make my life!

And I wanted to wish you all a wonderful summer!

As far as updates go, I am going out of town on Friday and Saturday, so I will try to get another update out tomorrow (or today I guess since it's 3:30 in the morning), if I don't there may not be one until late Saturday night.

BUT… I may need a lot of encouragement from you guys. Cough Review! Cough

Love, Peace, Potter!

SPG