"Borgin and Burkes?" Repeated Harry, dubious and appalled. "Borgin and Burkes of Knockturn Alley?"
"It's the only Borgin and Burkes, Potter, so it seems safe to assume that Granger meant that one."
Everyone involved in Operation Dragon's Teeth had been summoned or sent to Grimmauld Place. Harry had herded everyone into the parlour, where Malfoy had been surprised to find himself on the family tree.
"But it'll be impossible to get them," Harry said, ignoring this.
"No shop's impossible to steal from," said Lucie, quietly. "What do they use? Magnetic strips? CCTV?"
"Anti-theft charms, mostly, that do vile things to you. Or so Father used to tell me when I was small."
"How do they work?"
Hermione jumped in before Draco could, giving a long, detailed breakdown of the magics involved. Lucie waited patiently for words she understood.
"So how does it know when someone's picked the thing up?"
"That's the hardest bit to do! They know when they come into contact with human skin and even better, they read a person's magical field so…"
"So they're useless against a muggle in gloves." Lucie stated, flatly. Everyone stared at her. She shrugged. "I can't believe you wizards have less security than Boots the flippin' chemist."
"I had thought it would be wisest to send Mr Malfoy to Knockturn Alley," said Kingsley. It would be much easier to make up an excuse for him to be there."
"Polyjuice potion?" Suggested Ron. This led to a deep pause for thought.
"In that case," said Harry, slowly. "Maybe it would be best to disguise you as Lucie, Malfoy, and get the Deatheaters using Borgin's as a base to chase us…"
"Us?" he asked, suspiciously. Harry nodded.
"It seems risky, but it might be the only plan we're likely to have," said Kinglsey. If you're both willing…"
"Sure," said Lucie. "I trust Draco with my face." They looked at Malfoy, who nodded once.
"Well then," said Kingsley. "All we need is a reason for 'Draco' to go to Borgin and Burkes."
"What about to sell a portrait of his great auntie?" said Lucie, who had also been perusing the family tree.
"We've been trying to get it off the wall for years," said Harry, bluntly. "She's up there with some kind of magical glue. Probably for good."
"Have you tried nail polish remover?" she asked.
"I can't believe that worked," said Ron, sniffing at the open bottle.
"I get the strong stuff," said Lucie. "Dissolves most things. Did I get it all?" She turned to face Hermione, who studied her face for any remaining traces of makeup.
"Yes," she said. "Now, Kingsley should be back soon and…"
"Yes, Granger, we know." Malfoy had become positively irritable since being told that as Lucie he would be wearing the makeup that she would be forgoing as him. They were both now clothed only in bathrobes, with all jewellery and other extras removed as necessary. Malfoy's eyes had narrowed further with every pair of earrings Lucie had taken out. The last straw seemed to have been her nose stud, at which he had flat out threatened to curse her.
Finally, Kingsley returned from the Ministry with two small vials of a dark brown, gloopy substance that Harry recognised all too well. Lucie and Draco sat across the table from one another and each placed a single hair into the bottle in front of them. Lucie's vial turned a pale, milky blue; Malfoy's, nearly black. They swapped.
"Huh," said Lucie, surprised, sniffing at the potion. "Smells like coffee. And chocolate."
"Chocolate?" Echoed Draco.
"Yeah, the posh stuff that's all cocoa content and swirly font in a black wrapper. The expensive stuff. What about mine?"
Malfoy sniffed the bottle.
"What are those muggle sweets called? The kind of hard chewy ones that come in all different colours and sometimes have little jellies in them?"
"Dolly mixtures?" suggested Hermione.
"Yes. Dolly mixtures. And hard liquor."
"Sounds like my kind of weekend," grinned Lucie, and drained her vial. Malfoy followed suit.
There were two smashes as the bottles hit the floor, and Lucie screamed.