Disclaimer: See Chapter One
A/N: Wow, a lot of wonderful reviews and thoughts. I haven't replied to too many of your reviews yet but I will get to them. To answer a few questions though about the nature of the story. Yes, the overall feel to this story is a bit on the dark side, but like most of my stories there will be moments of humor and some sensuality if not downright sexuality mixed in. Harry will not be an all-powerful or all-knowing super-wizard in this story. He will be flawed, have real life issues of someone who had lived through a war and had seen the worst in humankind and the struggles associated with PTSD.
I hope to bring realism into a post-war wizard society, where the victors can be just as vicious as their foe. Thanks again for all of your comments, I'm always open to thoughts and suggestions so keep them coming!
Chapter Three:
Something caused Harry to awake suddenly from his warm slumber; 'was it Andi?' he wondered tiredly. No, she was breathing rhythmically, spooned within his arms sound asleep. Perhaps it was Teddy? He stilled for a moment and listened for any sound from his godson, whose room was next to Andi's. Nothing.
He turned his head toward the bedside table and read the alarm clock; 4:17 a.m. He had only been asleep for about three hours! He buried his head back into his pillow and closed his eyes again, hoping for at least another three to four hours sleep time. He sighed deeply, feeling the warmth of the feminine posterior he was snuggled up against.
He was just beginning to nod off again when he heard it a second time. A muffled cry or was it a scream? Whatever it was it had him alert and straining his ears. There it was again! A definite cry of…pain…fear? In the end it didn't matter. Harry slid out of the bed being careful not to disturb Andromeda.
He threw on a robe to cover his near nakedness; he always slept in just his boxers, unless of course he and Andi were enjoying each other's company, in which case he wore nothing at all. Tightening the belt on the robe, and scratching at the five days' worth of facial hair, he made his way out of Andromeda's room and into the hallway.
The distressful sounds were coming from his room which meant…Narcissa. He slowly opened the door and peered in. The Malfoy matriarch appeared to be in the throes of a rather frightening nightmare. She was pale and sweating profusely as her skeletal body thrashed in the bed sheets becoming more and more entangled.
Harry was no stranger to nightmares, and knew the devastating effects they could have on not only the psychological wellbeing of a person but on the physical as well. He was certain that the horrors that had been forced upon her in Azkaban featured prominently in this current nightmare, but was at a loss for what to do for her.
'Perhaps Andromeda could help her.' He mused. As if she was keyed into his very thoughts, Andromeda walked quickly in, tightening her dressing gown around her.
"Nightmare?" Andromeda asked him as she walked by, taking a seat next to the bed, and placing a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Nightmare." Harry confirmed.
"You're safe Cissy…shhh…you're safe." Andromeda softly spoke in an attempt to calm her sister, to little effect.
"Harry, there is a Dreamless Sleep draught on the bureau. Bring it here will you?" She asked him quickly as she tried to keep Narcissa from hurting herself from the thrashing about.
Harry retrieved the potion and was at Andromeda's side immediately. "I need another bed sheet as well, Harry." She stated quickly.
Harry swiftly went to and opened the linen closet in his room and removed an extra sheet. "Now throw it out over her and cover her with it." She ordered.
He shook the sheet loose and flipped it out over Narcissa, the sheet slowly floated down to cover the distressed witch. With a quick swish of her wand, the sheet tightened around the mattress and restrained Narcissa's body and limbs tightly against the bed.
"Okay, I'm going to hold her head up and force her jaw open. I need you to slowly pour the draught into her mouth a bit at a time until she swallows it all. Got that?" She stated taking up a position behind Narcissa's head.
"I got it." Harry replied and got into a position to complete his task. They worked seamlessly together, and within moments Narcissa's body had stopped its thrashing about, her body went limp and almost immediately she was breathing deeply and evenly.
Andromeda sighed heavily as she released the restraining sheet and fell heavily into the cushy chair that sat next to the head of the bed. "Poppy had warned me that this could happen…Post traumatic stress." She breathed. Harry nodded in understanding.
"Been there." Harry replied sadly.
Andromeda smiled warmly. "I know you have sweetheart." She replied having witnessed his own nightmares on many occasions, holding him every time until he calmed.
"Come." She stated as she stood and reached for his hand.
"Let's go back to bed. I think I need some Harry snuggling time." She smiled lovingly as she dragged him from the room. Narcissa would sleep for at least the next eight hours if not longer.
oooOOOooo
When Harry woke next, it was nearly eleven-thirty in the afternoon, and he was alone in bed. He stretched and slid out of bed and took a quick shower in Andromeda's bathroom. As he was toweling off he realized that he didn't have a clean set of clothing in Andi's room.
With a towel wrapped around his waist he walked out of the bedroom and headed toward his own. He figured Narcissa would still be asleep because of the draught and that he would be fine to pop in and get a fresh set of clothes.
He walked into his room and headed straight for his closet without looking toward the bed. A clearing of a throat caught his attention and thinking it was Andi, he cheekily stated that she should have joined him in the shower.
"While I'm flattered by the invitation Harry, and it has been sometime since I've seen you in the altogether, I believe, in fact, it was about a year ago when you tried to perform a barrel roll on a Hippogriff while intoxicated." The old healer smirked, shaking her head at the memory.
"However, I don't think it would be appropriate at this time." She commented with a faux sigh.
Harry jumped and spun around, embarrassingly recognizing the voice of Poppy Pomfrey, but in his sudden movement his towel fell heavily to the floor.
"Well, I must say that I may have to reconsider your offer, Harry. I can SEE what Andromeda finds so appealing about your relationship." She smirked playfully after giving him a quick once over.
Harry blushed spectacularly and grabbed for the towel on the floor to cover himself up. "Poppy! I-I didn't know you were here!" Harry stuttered trying to wrap the towel back around his waist but finding that his hands and the now twisted towel were not cooperating with him.
Just then Andromeda walked into the room and taking in the scene of a chuckling Poppy, and a blushing and frantic, not to mention naked Harry trying to cover himself up joined the matronly healer in peals of amused laughter.
"Oh ha ha!" Harry groused with as much dignity as he could muster and then quickly stepped in to his walk-in closet, closing the door behind him quickly.
Poppy and Andromeda continued to chuckle about the innocent yet hilarious incident, while an embarrassed Harry dressed himself behind the safety and concealment of his closet door. Once he was dressed and his blush under control he exited to find two smiling witches staring back at him.
"That was exactly what I needed to brighten my day, Harry." The old healer commented warmly as he re-entered the room. She glanced back at the sleeping or unconscious Narcissa, and became serious once more.
"Andi told me about Mrs. Malfoy's nightmare last night. I will bring by a few more Dreamless Sleep draughts, but they are not a cure as you well know, and they can become addictive if taken too often. But addiction is the least of her worries." She said solemnly.
"Her road to recovery will be long I'm afraid, her magical core, though a bit stronger today, is still incredibly fragile. If she survives the week, I believe she has a good chance of recovery, but it will take months if not years for her core to fully recover." Poppy told them in her professional voice.
"We appreciate everything you are doing Poppy." Harry told her earnestly.
"I just hope you know what you're doing Harry, with taking her in like this. The Malfoy name is not a welcomed one in magical society anymore. There is a lot of animosity and downright hostility when it comes to anyone who was associated with Voldemort's inner circle."
"I know Poppy, I just felt I needed to do it, if for no other reason than to have a clear conscious. She saved my life, I just felt that I needed to do the same." Harry replied with a resigned shrug of the shoulders.
"You're a remarkably compassionate young man Harry, and I pray this decision doesn't come back to haunt you." Poppy remarked soberly.
"So do I Poppy, so do I."
"Now, Andi, I left you a list of times and amounts of the various potions your sister is required to take. Some are time sensitive so make sure that she gets them." The old medi-witch instructed.
"I'll stop by tomorrow to check up on her progress." She sighed heavily shaking her head. "I still can't believe what they did to her. No one deserves the level of brutality they inflicted upon her." Poppy picked up her cloak and started for the bedroom door.
"Poppy." Andromeda quietly spoke. "Before you leave, can I have a moment?" Andromeda asked quietly.
"Of course dear." Poppy replied.
"Harry, Winky has lunch waiting for you at the table. You know how she gets when you miss the first or in this case second meal of the day." She smiled shooing him out of the room.
Andromeda turned back to Poppy who had a stern but inquisitive look on her face. "So tell me Andi, what's seems to be the problem?"
"Does something have to be wrong with me to want to speak to an old friend?" Andromeda hedged.
"No, but your quick dismissal of Harry, tells me that whatever it is you want to speak to me about, you'd rather Harry not hear it." Poppy replied with an arched eyebrow.
Andromeda smiled sheepishly. "Was it that obvious?"
"I doubt Harry picked up on it, but I've been around long enough to see it for what it was. You can't be in my profession for too long before you learn the art of subtle manipulations and misdirection. So are you going to tell me what the matter is?"
Andromeda fidgeted a bit before sinking into the chair next to the bed. She pulled a parchment from her robes and handed it to Poppy. "I visited St. Mungos last week…I've been feeling tired of late and wanted…well I wanted to make sure I wasn't coming down with something."
"Why didn't you just call me?" Poppy asked as she took the parchment.
"You know how Harry gets! The wards alert him to anyone who floos in, he would have known you were here. And if he thought I was sick he would just make a fuss over me. Its sweet but can get a bit over the top." She chuckled lightly. "So I went there while he was at work, so he wouldn't worry. That is the results of their findings." Andromeda said pointing at the parchment.
"I see." Poppy replied with an amused shake of the head. Poppy's jocular mood suddenly stopped as she read the parchment.
"I was hoping you could give me a second opinion." Andromeda quickly informed the healer, her voice heavy with emotion.
Poppy numbly nodded her head, and hugged Andromeda tightly. "O-of course…of course dear."
oooOOOooo
Later that day, Harry was chuckling loudly at his godson's antics, at the moment, the young metamorph was red-faced and running while pulling straw out of his hair and from his clothing. Teddy had been flying on the toy broom that Harry had gotten him last Christmas. It would only raise two feet off the ground and could only go about ten miles an hour.
Jojo, the family Border collie had been chasing the five year old, playing a game of tag and Follow the Leader. But soon Jojo decided that a game of keep away would be much more fun and grabbed hold of the broom buy its twigs and pulled back, the sudden stop caused Teddy to pitch forward and right into a large pile of straw.
The small and now perturbed boy was chasing after the three year old canine as fast as his small legs would carry him. Jojo, who had the broom securely between his teeth would stop every few seconds just to let Teddy catch up but then dart away suddenly with his prize still in his mouth. If Harry didn't know better he could swear the dog was laughing all the while.
Harry enjoyed theses times, just watching Tonk's and Remus' young son growing up and having fun like every child should. He now rarely thought about his own childhood and the Dursleys. It seemed a whole lifetime ago, and he had no desire to let his thoughts drift to that particular part of his past and those dreadful years of being under his relative's care.
No, he lived for Teddy and Andromeda. He reckoned that there was no greater reward for his awful past than a family he could call his own. And that's exactly how he felt about the two people in his life. Teddy was like a son, and Andromeda…well Andromeda was something special.
Although they were not married, he was absolutely loyal and devoted to her, and knew she felt the same for him. However, Andromeda continued to hint that he should find someone his own age and start his own family; she would point out that she could not provide him with the large family he dreamed about.
But he figured he was still young and there was no hurry, and besides Teddy was more than enough to keep him busy for the time being. Thinking of the small boy, the little metamorph was definitely his mother's son, accident prone with a great love of finding mischief to get into.
Harry chuckled as Teddy fell into the horse trough soaking himself, Jojo had jumped over it and Teddy had attempted to do the same, but in his effort he tripped right before jumping and landed face first into the water. Teddy pulled himself out sputtering water, his hair changed to a bright fire engine red and his face in a scowl as Jojo ran happily around the trough in circles.
Harry's smile suddenly dropped and his body stiffened when the farm's wards alerted him that two people had just crossed over onto his property. He looked down the dirt lane that ran up to his property and saw two figures making their way on foot toward him and the stables.
He could tell that one was male, very tall and broad shoulders and the other one was much smaller and appeared to be female. His wand was instantly in his hand and ready for a fight should it be needed. Though the wards were intent based and no one with ill intent should be able to cross them he always believed that is was better to be safe than sorry.
But as the two figures came closer, Harry relaxed; he recognized the tall follicle challenged head of Director Kingsley Shacklebolt of the DMLE, and the fiery red hair of Auror Susan Bones.
"Mornin' Harry!" Kingsley Shacklebolt boomed in his deep voice, a large smile on his face. He extended his hand and gave Harry a firm but friendly handshake.
"Shack." Harry greeted with a grin.
"Morning Suzie." Harry greeted the pretty redhead.
"That's Auror First Class Bones, Lord Potter!" Susan announced proudly pointing to the new chevron on her cloak collar.
"My apologies Auror First Class Bones." Harry swept his hand forward and bowed deeply. When he stood up he had a large smirking grin on his face.
"Oh you great prat! " Susan chuckled, stepping forward and kissing his cheek which was returned by Harry.
"It's wonderful to see you again Harry!" Susan exclaimed.
"You too, and congratulations on the promotion, it was well earned." Harry returned.
Susan snorted. "Wish others felt the same way you do."
Susan Bones was a rising star in the DMLE, she was hardworking and had shown an aptitude for investigation that was rivaled by none. She also proved to be a very powerful witch just like her aunt and could go toe to toe with just about anybody. However there were those within the Auror ranks who attributed her rise in the department to her aunt being the current Minister of Magic.
As such, she was often the subject of water cooler gossip, and few wanted to partner with her for fear of being ostracized as well by their fellow Aurors. But Harry as a part-time Hitwizard for the DMLE, had partnered with the talented redhead on various assignments and investigations, and knew her to be a very competent and confident law enforcement officer.
"They're all just jealous gits Suzie. Pay no mind to their insecure bitching. They wish they had half the talent that you have." Harry told her firmly.
"Thanks Harry." Susan replied with gratitude for his support.
Harry turned his head back toward Kingsley. "So, would this visit be about the letter I sent by Owl this afternoon?" Harry asked.
"Indeed it is Harry." The DMLE head nodded, turning serious.
"To be honest I didn't expect a reply so quickly, let alone a visit from the director himself no less." Harry stated, leading the two law enforcement officials to a bench underneath the shade of a large walnut tree.
"I was somewhat shocked by the allegations of misconduct, and wanted to get the whole story personally. I brought Auror Bones along; I've asked her to lead the investigation." The war veteran stated.
"It's more than just misconduct Shack, we're talking rape and torture here, and it has apparently gone on for several years. I doubt that Mrs. Malfoy is the first or only victim." Harry stated a bit testily.
"Can I speak to Mrs. Malfoy, Harry? I need to get her statement if possible." Susan asked in her professional voice.
"She hasn't awakened since we brought her here the other day. Her magical core is nearly non-existent, and she has a lot of serious internal injuries that are only now starting to heal." Harry replied trying to keep his revulsion in check at what had been done to the woman.
"Then how do you know it was the jailers who did this to her?" Susan asked taking notes.
"Madam Pomfrey came over yesterday when I brought her home, she ran every diagnostic charm on her that she knew, she discovered that many of her newer injuries, including rape and the use of the Cruciatus curse had been done in the last three days, she was still in Azkaban at the time." Harry replied.
Susan nodded her head apologetically. "I'll need to speak with Madam Pomfrey then, and get a copy of her readings. I don't have to tell you how important it is to document everything, and gather as much evidence as possible. I'll also need to take photos of Mrs. Malfoy's visible injuries and any DNA samples taken from her."
Harry nodded. "You'll have to speak with Andromeda if you want to see her sister." Harry sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Though they have been estranged for years, she has become very protective of her since bringing her home."
Susan nodded. "Understandable. Can you call Poppy for me, and ask her to come over?"
Harry checked his watch. "It's nearly six-thirty; hmm…actually, she should be coming any moment to check on Mrs. Malfoy. You might as well stay and have some dinner with us and we can all catch up a bit, then you can speak with Poppy afterwards."
"Sounds good to me!" Shack stated happily, standing up and rubbing his large hands together. "If I remember right, that Winky of yours is an incredible cook!" Harry chuckled.
"Well if the boss is good with it, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Susan smiled standing and smoothing out her robes.
"Brilliant, I'll let Winky know we'll have guests." Harry clapped his hands together and led them up to the farmhouse.
oooOOOooo
"I must admit Harry that I'm not totally surprised that there have been some abuses at Azkaban, even after four years things within the DMLE are chaotic at best. When I took over I had only a dozen or so aurors to work with, you remember how it was." Kingsley remarked.
Harry nodded, remembering the early days after Voldemort's demise. Harry lifted the decanter of bourbon getting a nod from Kingsley who lifted his glass to receive a refill, Susan had also polished off her glass and held it out to Harry as well.
"And most of them…" Kingsley continued after taking a swallow. "…had been in hiding since the fall of the Ministry. I had to do a lot of quick hiring to fill the ranks, and we took almost anyone who was competent with a wand and who didn't have the Dark Mark. I'm sure that we probably hired more than a few bad apples.
"I'm still implementing new policies and procedures, and trying to make sense of the senseless bureaucracies, some that are still in place since the Fudge administration. Checks and balances within the sub-departments are almost nonexistent, and loathe as I am to admit…Azkaban is acting as an autonomous entity with very little oversite."
"Shack, the injuries and spell damage to Mrs. Malfoy speak to such a sadistic level of malice that I doubt whoever did this is done. She may not be there anymore but there are many other prisoners to focus on." Harry replied a bit angrily.
"I'm hoping that this is an isolated event, Harry. And that whoever did this may have had a personal grudge against the Malfoys." Kingsley raised a placating hand as Harry began to protest.
"Yeah, like that list of suspects will be short!" Susan snorted sarcastically.
"Not helping Auror Bones." Shack replied glaring at the young witch testily. Susan just shrugged and gulped down the remaining alcohol in her glass, then walking up to the bar to look at Harry's private stock.
"And if it isn't an isolated incident!?" Harry shot back, not believing for a second that Narcissa would be the only victim. Though it had diminished greatly, there were still incidents of vigilante justice against suspected Voldemort supporters or collaborators all around the country.
"Then it will be dealt with." Shacklebolt affirmed. "I will bring the full weight of the DMLE to bare on those who are perpetrating these assaults. That I promise, Harry."
"Sweet Circe, boss!" A slightly frustrated and tipsy Susan sighed.
"Just tell him the rest already! You want to read him in to the brief, so let's get on with it already…bloody men who can't get to the point." Susan mumbled the last part as she found some imported German beer. "Prost!"
"Well, since AUROR BONES has let the cat out of the bag." Kingsley shooting her an 'Oh we're going to have a chat later' look.
"There is something I was hoping to get your help with." Kingsley hedged.
"Oh?" Harry asked, feeling a definite sense of foreboding.
"I'm putting together a small task force." Shack replied.
"A small task force? To do…what?" Harry questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Shack stood up and crossed the floor of Harry's private office and stared out the window that had a spectacular view of the night sky and a bright moon that was illuminating the picturesque landscape that the farm was located on.
"Of course you have read about some of the 'vigilante' style killings of late." Kingsley voice was low and Harry detected more than a bit of weariness in it."
"Yeeesss." Harry drug out the word. "And?"
"There have been more than has been reported. Fortunately, the press has only learned of a few of these." The large man seemed to slump a little.
"There seems to be a connection between many of the murders, Harry." Susan interjected. "We believe that we may have a serial killer or killers." She stated shaking her head.
"What makes you think that?" Harry asked.
"A calling card of sorts was found on the bodies. Much like the Dark Mark in the sky was Voldemort's calling card, we have found something similar at fifteen different murder scenes over the last year." Susan replied.
"We've managed to keep this little bite of information away from the press…for now anyway." Kingsley cut in. "The task force I'm putting together is a five man team, each member brings a certain skill set that I think will increase the chances of finding the killers. I have four already chosen including Susan here and I'm hoping that the fifth will be on board soon." Kingsley gave Harry a meaningful long look.
Harry sighed. "I'm grateful for the offer but…I've got a lot on my plate right now, Shack. And I'm more interested in bringing whoever did this to Narcissa to justice than catching murders right now."
"Harry." Susan interrupted. "These weren't some random murders. These were all influential purebloods who were killed. And yes, most had some link to Voldemort or Death Eaters, but some did not, in fact three had fought with the resistance. "
"Who?" Harry demanded. Susan looked at Kingsley for permission, he gave a quick nod and then Susan continued.
"Portia Shunpike, Terrence Higgs, and…Horace Slughorn. Professor Slughorn was found dead at his home two days ago, the other two were found just yesterday. Their names will most likely be released to the public tomorrow morning."
At the last name Harry paused, he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. The man had gone to great links to hide himself from Voldemort when the evidence of his return had been confirmed. He only came out of hiding because of Harry.
Slughorn had been a reluctant hero during the war, but he had done his best to protect the students of Hogwarts during its occupation by Death Eaters, and had acquitted himself most bravely during the Battle for Hogwarts.
And he had become a friend over the last few years, and had shared many of his memories of his mother when she had been his student. His death was unexpected, and Harry felt the loss profoundly.
"Harry, I promise we will bring those responsible for Mrs. Malfoy's treatment to justice, but I could really use you on this team. The people trust you, and may be more willing to help our investigations." Kingsley entreated.
Harry sat heavily back in his chair and sighed. Shaking his head slowly he mumbled. "Andi is not going to like this."
Susan and Kingsley looked at each other and nodded. "Welcome aboard Harry." Shack congratulated him extending his hand and shaking Harry's congenially. Harry quirked an eyebrow and chuckled sarcastically.
"Partners again, eh!" Susan smiled mischievously. "I promise this time there won't be a repeat of the whole Blue Oyster Bar incident." Susan laughed knowingly.
"Oh God, what have I got myself into?" Harry shook his head in disbelief.
"Oh come on, you looked quite fetching in cheekless chaps!" She chuckled.
oooOOOooo
A/N: Okay and that is the end of chapter three. A lot going on in this chapter, some drama, some humor and some foreshadowing, and teases of the past. All of it has relevance and moves the story along. I hope you enjoyed it and leave me your thoughts. Till next time.