Harry Potter and all characters, settings and situations in this story is © J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, and all others involved.
Darkness Has Been Vanquished
"Where are we?" Draco asked.
"Lumos!" said Charlie. "Welcome to my home!"
His way lit by the wand, Charlie moved to the windows where he opened the shutters. Weak sunlight leaked in through grimy windows. They were in a low-ceilinged room with rubbish-strewn bare wooden floorboards. The furniture was dusty and horse hairs poked through holes in the chintz armchairs. It smelled like something had died. Draco heard scuttling noises.
"I'm in Romania?" Draco asked, appalled.
"Feel free to run home to Daddy."
"I'm in Romania!" Draco said as brightly as he could manage. Charlie opened the windows and cast a fire in the grate. He came back to the trunk and dressed out of it. He checked out Draco's expression.
"It'll be all right," he assured him, "just been shut up for a couple of months. I left in a hurry. I'll sort things out in a minute."
Draco dragged himself to his feet and took himself on a tour. He looked through a door into the bedroom.
"You're a slob!" he called back to Charlie.
"We don't all have House Elves running round after us," Charlie huffed back, adding, "Don't go in the kitchen."
Off the bedroom was the bathroom. Draco reached for his wand to do a cleaning charm, but his wand wasn't there. He couldn't remember where he'd left it. Great! No wand, no change of clothes and he didn't speak Romanian! He wandered miserably back to the sitting room.
A white, ethereal mole appeared, said: "Don't go outdoors," and then disappeared again.
"Percy's," Charlie said.
Draco was beyond feeling any more fear or confusion. He sighed, looked out of the window, and then continued looking round the cottage. He headed for another door.
"Not the kitchen!" Charlie exclaimed urgently.
Draco kept walking. The smell got stronger. The scuttling noises got louder.
Charlie tried a wheedling tone: "I didn't know I was going away. I left in a hurry, didn't have time to wash up."
Draco opened the door. "For how many months?" he asked. "Give me your wand."
Charlie thought he might be about to get hexed. Draco shut the door on the putrefaction and squalor.
"I don't know where mine is. I can't do cleaning charms unless I borrow yours," Draco explained, through gritted teeth.
Charlie thought some things through. "You must have had your wand to Apparate to The Cauldron."
Draco shook his head and explained, "Side-Along."
Charlie looked crest-fallen. "Who?" he managed.
"Percy. You didn't think I'd come back of my own accord?"
Clearly Charlie had thought that. Draco held out an imperious hand expectantly. Charlie put his wand in it. Holding his breath, Draco entered the kitchen. He only lasted ten minutes the first time, before he staggered back out to the relatively clean air of the sitting room, where he found Charlie holding an owl in one hand and something red in the other.
"Open it!" Draco gasped. He knew what would happen otherwise. Charlie let go of the owl and they edged towards each other as he released the seal on the Howler. Molly Weasley's voice filled the room:
"I don't know what you think you're playing at! And with that awful boy of all people. We've had Lucius bloody Malfoy round here shouting and swearing and accusing you of all sorts of indecent acts. He's threatening to kill you if he gets hold of you and your father's almost as disgusted. You ought to be old enough to know better. Why didn't you think things through before you did something this stupid? You're an impulsive idiot and you'll come to no good and then what will I do? I've just lost one son and now you're going to go and get yourself murdered. We're worried sick, nobody knows where you are. Percy's running round trying to sort everything out and it's not like he hasn't got enough work to do at the Ministry. Speaking of which, weren't you supposed to be back at work last week not holed up in some sleazy hotel room doing unmentionable things to a dark wizard half your age?"
They stood silently in each other's arms for several minutes. Then Draco pulled away and moved back to the kitchen.
Two hours later, starving hungry, Charlie was searching in a cupboard for tins of food. Draco had left the shelves gleaming though he had found them full of mould mounds which had once been fruit and bread. Draco had never heard of tinned food before and was very suspicious. There wasn't any.
"You know what's surprisingly clean though?" Draco called over from the other side of the room. Charlie knew but he chose not to answer. Draco answered himself, "This stove hasn't been used, has it?"
Charlie was spared from answering by the loud 'crack' of an Apparition into the next room.
Percy glared at Charlie, but attempted a sympathetic smile for Draco. He was carrying a packing case. Something in it smelled appetising. Draco tried to remember when he'd last eaten. Yesterday breakfast? And then not much because he'd been excited about going to see Charlie. When Draco was miserable he forgot to eat. It was only when he caught the aroma from the packing case that he realised that he'd done it again.
"You have no idea how much trouble you've caused," Percy was telling Charlie, "for the family and poor Draco as well as yourself."
"Why not go outdoors?" Charlie asked instead of responding.
"Mr Malfoy's put out a Location Trace on the pair of you. It's illegal and the Ministry are onto it but it'll take a couple of days to remove. I managed a Remote Protection Charm on this place just in time, so you'll be safe if you stay inside. He's absolutely determined to kill you, you know," Percy said, looking directly at Charlie.
Charlie tried to look casual. "I know," he answered, "and he's going to lock Draco up in his bedroom …"
"Bedroom? Oh no, by the time he'd got to The Burrow he'd remembered the Manor's cellar," Percy said grimly. Draco tried to stifle a whimper. Percy reached into the packing case and pulled out Draco's wand.
"You left that in the Hog's Head," he said, handing it over to the delighted young man. Then he gave Charlie a multi-coloured bundle tied with string. "These were in your room at the Leaky Cauldron. You owe me for settling up there, including a new door." Last of all he dragged up a steaming cauldron. The delicious scent filled the room. "Mum had left-overs. I thought you might be hungry," he explained.
Draco Accioed forks - enjoying the feel of his own wand - and they ate straight out of the cauldron. It was Irish Stew and it couldn't have been any more delicious.
"If you were brought up on food this good, why do you live off that?" Draco eventually asked Charlie, indicating the take-away packaging still surrounding the armchairs. Charlie moved over to start tidying up, and to stop himself from eating Draco's share.
"He's bloody lazy," Percy said loudly, but added quietly to Draco, "and he works really hard."
"It's easy for you, you're living at home," Charlie grumbled.
"I work really hard too," Percy sighed.
"Yes," Draco asked, "what exactly is your job?"
"Minister Shacklebolt wants a full record of the war so that we can move on," Percy explained. "He feels that knowledge is more important than retribution. So he's offering immunity to those who come forward. I collect depositions, either in person or using the Pensieve system. It's just me, to help maintain confidentiality."
"Immunity from prosecution?" Draco asked, looking thoughtfully at the last lumps of potato in the pot.
"Yes. It's based on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission," Percy replied. He watched Draco's face closely.
"Was there a Wizard War in South Africa?" Charlie asked.
Percy and Draco looked at each other despairingly.
"Wizards can be so bloody insular," Percy muttered.
Draco answered Charlie, "No, darling, it was a Muggle thing. Why don't you take this cauldron into the kitchen and try to work out how to wash it up?"
Charlie escaped gratefully from what was sounding like a boring political conversation.
Once they were alone, Percy told Draco, "Your contribution would be gratefully appreciated."
Draco's expression closed down, "I don't know anything," he said.
Percy persevered, "We're gathering knowledge in case anything similar ever looks like happening. And we're gathering truths so we can face the future together. Look, you can leave out whatever you want, but you spent a lot of time with the Dark Lord. Your information would be invaluable."
"And what makes you think I was anywhere near He Who Must Not Be Named?" Draco asked belligerently.
"Various witnesses," Percy mumbled, "it's confidential." Draco clearly wasn't satisfied with that, so Percy caved in, "Ok, one was Harry Potter."
"Of course!" Draco hissed. "When they were … guests at The Manor."
"But also," Percy added hesitantly, "it's hardly a secret that Harry had this sort of mental link to Lord Voldemort."
The use of the name made Draco wince, but something else filled his eyes with fear. Percy tried to reassure him: "Harry saw through His eyes, only what He or Nagini actually saw."
Draco was partly mollified. Then a strange hope flitted over his features. He thought for a moment, then said slowly, "But he might have heard an order being given?"
Percy shrugged, not following.
Draco took a deep breath and began to babble: "Carrow said it was on orders and if it was then it was my fault but I don't know if it was just because we didn't have protection any more and he knew he could get away with it 'cos the family was fair game in which case it's 'cos he could see I was weak enough …"
Percy put a hand on his shoulder and Draco looked at him as though he had forgotten that he was there.
"Does it matter?" Percy asked.
Draco just nodded and before Percy could probe any more, Charlie returned with the clean cauldron and a bag of Galleons.
Just before Percy left, Charlie clapped him on the back and grunted, "Thanks. For everything. Always."
Percy looked into his brother's eyes, "You sure you're all right?" he asked, seriously.
"Of course!" Charlie answered, full of bravado again.
"Good," said Percy, back to his reprimanding tone, "because you're all he's got now."
Draco dropped an envelope into the cauldron. It had 'Mrs Weasley' written across it in green ink. The two Weasley brothers looked at him questioningly.
"It's just a 'thank you' note. For the stew," Draco answered dismissively.
And then Percy was gone and they were stuck with each other for company again. Charlie collapsed into an armchair. Draco watched him.
"I forgot something," he said.
Charlie raked his hands through his hair, flung his head back and asked, "What now?"
"I forgot to thank you for rescuing me and being so brave and welcoming me into your home."
"Such as it is," Charlie appended, but he was smiling at Draco now.
Draco sat himself in Charlie's lap, "It's going to be fine," he said.
"It'll have to be," Charlie complained, "it looks like we're stuck in here for the next couple of days." He ran his fingers through Draco's silvery fringe.
"Oh dear," Draco said with a mock pout. He wriggled into Charlie's groin and added lasciviously, "However will we manage to pass the time?"