AN: Here it is, the next chapter! Whew. Good times. I was determined to have this finished, edited, and ready to go in a week, and here it is! Hopefully, I can do the same with the next chapter, but with a slew of papers, midterms, and tests coming up, that may make the difficulty of that go up a bit.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Keeps me going, really.

Enjoy.

Stand and Watch It Burn

XVII. The Final Threshold

Draco sat, tapping his foot impatiently. When he had come to Potter for help, this was hardly what he had envisioned.

Potter had been more receptive than Draco had thought he might be. Although Draco knew he had little where else to turn, Draco had been slightly afraid that Potter would think that he was lying, since that's all Harry ever though of anything that came out of Draco's mouth. So when Potter had quickly believed him, Draco had almost thought it too good to be true. But he was glad because he knew he needed Harry's help.

However, Draco was none too pleased to be thrown out of Harry's office and forced to sit in the waiting area.

He and Olivia sat in the lounge on what Draco thought to be uncomfortable wooden chairs. He shifted restlessly, continually glancing up at the clock hanging above the secretary's desk. What the hell was Potter doing? Although Draco knew Harry cared for Hermione deeply, as he did, and that Harry wouldn't do anything to risk Hermione's safety, Draco did not like being left out of the loop. He wanted to know what was going on in Potter's office right now.

Potter's probably called in a couple of his lackeys to argue about whether or not I'm lying. Draco crossed his arms. But he knew… he knew that Harry knew he wasn't lying.

As Draco continued to fidget, he noticed Olivia sitting quietly next to him, perusing an issue of Witches' Weekly. Draco watched her, seemingly calm and sitting still. But Draco noticed as her hands reached to flip the page of the magazine, the thin leaf trembled slightly under the touch of her shaking hand. She was unnerved. Hermione had often talked about this girl, and Draco knew they were close. As Draco continued to observe the girl, something went off in his brain. Her face was so familiar, like he'd seen her somewhere before. A ghost of a face from somewhere in a dream, or a lifetime before. Rather abruptly, Draco broke the silence. "I know you."

"Yeah," Olivia said softly, not looking up. "You do."

Draco continued staring, trying to put the pieces together in his head. "Your face was so familiar, I thought I recognized it. But where do I…?"

"You saved me once," Olivia said. She finally looked up and met Draco's inquisitive gaze. "A long time ago, during the war. You saved me and my little boy."

"Olivia," Draco said slowly, pulling at things from the recesses of his memory. A dark night. A break in. And a shattered family. "Olivia… Pinkerton! You were attacked by Death Eaters and your husband…" His voice drifted off, and he pressed his lips into a firm line. Draco's eyes turned away from Olivia's. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Olivia folded her hands. "I've had three years to heal."

Draco closed his eyes, knowing full well three years was hardly enough for a wound like that to heal. No amount of time would ever be enough.

"Mr. Malfoy? Ms. Pinkerton?" Harry's secretary was standing in front of them. "Harry wants to see you two in his office now."

Wordlessly, Draco got up and stormed past the secretary. From behind him, Draco heard a very polite 'thank you' and the scurry of footsteps, walking quickly to catch up with him. The door to Harry's office was slightly ajar when he and Olivia reached it. Without hesitation, Draco shoved the door open and barged in.

Harry was sitting at his desk, a troubled expression hanging on his face. Sitting across from him was Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of Harry's most trusted advisors.

"Malfoy. Olivia." Harry waved his wand and two chairs – ones Draco abhorred every time he entered Harry's office – pulled up around his desk. "Sit."

Following his orders, Draco and Olivia took a chair each and sat. Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay. So tell me everything with complete and utter detail. Leave out nothing." Harry's facial expression was stern. "And I mean nothing. Ron's not here, so you don't need to worry about any hurt feelings. The more we know, the better Kingsley and I will be able to figure out what's going on."

"Excuse me," Olivia said, cutting in. "But what is going on?"

The three men all looked at each other, exchanging glances. "We think Hermione's been kidnapped," Kingsley said.

Olivia blinked a couple times. Apparently she was the only one who hadn't realized that this was the only remaining possibility. "Oh. Oh no." Olivia shook her head. "Oh, Merlin. You don't think there's any other…"

"No." Harry sighed.

Olivia looked down. "I was afraid of that," Olivia said quietly. "I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't think…"

"Where is Weasley?" Draco asked suddenly.

"Home, sick." Harry said automatically. His quick and defensive response made it apparent that the reason Weasley was out was anything but sickness – not the physical sort, at least. "He's been out for the last week."

"Have you asked him where Hermione is?" The question was full of contempt, no matter how hard Draco tried to hold it back.

Harry shot Draco a warning glare. "You know as well as I do Ron wouldn't hurt Hermione." Draco was about to say something when Harry continued, his voice a little lower. "I've already asked him. He's at home. Alone."

Draco nodded. Harry was right; Draco knew Weasley, as loathsome as Draco found him, wouldn't do something so repugnant as abduct his wife.

"Okay then," Harry said, gesturing at Draco and Olivia. "Tell me everything you know."

Olivia breathed in audibly and then glanced over at Draco. "Where should we start?"

"The beginning, I suppose."

- - -

Harry listened with rapt attention, his expression unchanging as Olivia started to tell her story – of how she had met Hermione months ago between the dusty shelves of the library and their quest to learn what had happened to Hermione three years ago. Much of Olivia's part Draco had heard from Hermione, but there were some details that he had not known. His heart tightened as he heard all that Hermione had suffered through… and then the truth he had hidden from her.

It would hurt to tell his part, he knew. To face the blazing, painful reality that his careless, selfish actions three years ago still haunted him to this day, and to know that he hadn't learned from his past. He had lost Hermione three years ago, and he lost her again, for the same reasons. He hadn't learned, had he? Draco sat there thinking, Olivia's voice fading into the background. Was this it? Would his life never be more than the person he was three years ago? Was he doomed to be that person - that fool – he had been three years ago? Draco looked at Harry. Yes. Harry would always see him as that thoughtless, stupid schoolboy who ridiculed him at Hogwarts. As the coward who turned at the slightest test. That's all they would ever see him as.

"Malfoy?"

"What?" he asked, reflexively.

Harry's green eyes bore into him as the attention in the room was shifted to Draco. "It's your turn."

Draco blinked. "There isn't really much to tell. I never thought there was anything out of the ordinary. Hermione stayed home, mostly, when I went out to do business. We'd have dinner together. Then… well… we had that falling out, and I haven't seen her since."

Harry tapped the quill on his desk against the piece of parchment stretched out across his desk, apparently deep in thought. Kingsley put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "Did you notice… an unusual presence?"

"Where?"

Kingsley shrugged with an air of calculated carelessness. "Around. Perhaps near Malfoy Manor, or while you were walking from place to place."

Draco thought. "There was a time I thought there was… but it could have just been a lost owl. Though, my elf mentioned earlier that she thought she'd seen something around the property. I doubt there was anything to it."

Kingsley looked over his shoulder at Harry, who was looking just as intently back. The look was quick and brief, but Draco caught it. "What is it?"

Harry sighed. "Malfoy… we probably should have told you this earlier…"

Draco was sitting up straight now. "Told me what?"

"We had a break out in Azkaban," Harry said slowly, "a few weeks ago. One prisoner got away."

Draco could feel the blood draining from his face. "Merlin… Don't tell me…"

"It was your father."

Draco slumped back against his chair. He couldn't believe this. His father was out, free, roaming the streets somewhere…

Next to him, Olivia gasped. "Lucius Malfoy? He's out?"

Kingsley nodded. "You can see why we did not let this news leak. The effect it might have on the public – it would have been traumatizing and caused so much fear…"

Olivia was confused, still. "But what does he want with Hermione?"

"Revenge," Draco said quietly. "My father was angry. Especially regarding some of the things I'd done. He knew it'd be the one way to hurt me."

"So did Lucius take Hermione?"

Kingsley tapped his fingers on his arm. "It's a possibility. A very real possibility."

Harry nodded. "That's clear now. At the time when we heard of Lucius's breakout, we were unsure of what he might do, so we tried to keep it rather quiet…"

"But you didn't see fit to tell me?" Draco seethed.

"We didn't know, Malfoy, what it meant…" Harry started.

"But you had an idea!" Draco was now out of his seat and glowering at Harry. "How could you, Potter? This is stupid and reckless, even for you!"

Harry rose up out of his chair too. "Everything I've done, everything I do, Malfoy, is to protect this community and the people I love. Everything I have ever done is what I believed to be the best for everyone involved. Can you say the same, Malfoy?"

"Tell me the truth, Potter," Draco shouted. "Why didn't you tell me about my father?"

"You heard me! We weren't sure what he'd do…"

"No." Draco's face twisted into an ugly smirk. "You weren't sure what I'd do. You don't trust me."

Harry's face hardened. "And why should I?"

Draco laughed darkly. "So that's it, then, Potter. You go through the motions, you play the hero, and you put up this façade. But in the end, you just don't trust me."

"You had my trust once, and you lost it. Why would I trust you?"

"Very good, Potter, you admit the truth." Draco leaned in, his face dangerously close to Harry's. "You didn't trust me, so you didn't tell me that my father was running around, ready to ruin the peace we'd fought so hard to keep. Because you didn't trust me. Because you thought I might turn. Because you thought I might go find my father and Merlin knows what…"

"You've given me no reason – no reason at all, Malfoy – to trust you. Ever. Again." Harry was incensed with anger. "After what you did three years ago –"

"And now, you've put Hermione in danger because of it. She might be dead, Potter. Dead!"

A heavy silence filled the room as Draco's words weighed down on each of them. Hermione's life was still in danger, and they all knew it. And each precious second they argued, they were wasting.

Draco stepped back, his eyes still not leaving Harry's. "I was foolish to come. This was a waste of time."

Without waiting for a response, Draco turned around and left. He didn't stop or look back.

- - -

The door slammed shut, and Harry just stared at where Draco was once standing.

"Well done, Harry." Kingsley crossed his arms. "You just chased away the one good lead we had on Lucius Malfoy. Now how the hell are we supposed to find him or Hermione?"

Harry slumped back down into his chair. He dropped his face into his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know. I don't know what got into me."

Kingsley rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on Potter, you know what it was. Malfoy gets under your skin. I get it." Kingsley stood up and started walking towards the door. "Look, I'll follow what we do have, and try to think up of something. That's all we can do in the meantime. I suspect we'll hear something from one of the Malfoys sooner or later… hopefully sooner."

"I'll help – "

Kingsley snorted. "Pull yourself together, first. I know she's your friend," he added in a kinder tone. "You can't help her in this state. You won't be able to think rationally. Take a break and sort things out and when you've got a calm head come back and we'll figure it out. Don't worry," Kingsley said when Harry began to object. "You may be the Head of the department, but I'm still the best when it comes to tracking. I'll be working as best as I can, Harry. I promise."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Kingsley."

The door slammed shut again, as Kingsley closed it behind him. Harry hit his forehead with his fist a couple times. What was he going to do?

"Need help with that?"

Harry almost jumped out of his chair. "Oh, Olivia," he exclaimed. "I almost forgot you were here."

Olivia smiled wryly. "Yes, you were rather wrapped up in your argument."

"Yeah." Harry's gaze drifted once again to where Draco had been standing. "I don't know what it is about Malfoy… he just always…"

"You really don't?" Olivia asked. "Or do you just not want to admit that you know?"

Harry stared at the girl in front of him. "I don't follow."

"Just think about it," replied Olivia. "Three years ago, it was you, Ron, and Hermione. Just the three of you. Best friends. I remember in Hogwarts. I was a couple years ahead of you, but I still remember. Everyone talked about all three of you. You were like an item. Where one of you went, the other two were sure to follow. But then, Draco Malfoy enters your life and breaks that up – in more ways than one. You resent him for it. You resent him for taking away one of your best friends and for taking away Hermione from Ron."

"That's not tr – "

"Why else would you act like this? You forgave him once, three years ago."

Harry shook his head. "You have no idea what he put Hermione, Ron, everyone through. No idea."

"And you have no idea what he's been through."

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. No. He was right. Olivia had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. All the pain Hermione had endured, and the heartbreak Ron had suffered. That was all because of Malfoy. Malfoy hadn't changed. He could never change. "How could you trust him?" Harry spat out. "You were at Hogwarts with us. You knew what he was like."

Olivia looked at Harry with a steady, firm gaze. "He saved my life, as I'm sure he has saved yours many times. How quickly you forget, Harry, when it's convenient for you. But I haven't forgotten. I never will forget, because I owe him Robby's life and mine. He didn't have to save me, but he did. He risked his life for mine."

Slowly, she got up and started walking out the door. "I have to pick up the children. I'll call if I hear anything else. Do tell me if you learn anything new?"

Harry nodded the affirmative.

Olivia smiled. "Thanks. And Harry?"

"Yes?"

"People can change. We all do. Every day."

x x x

Remus Lupin was sitting in his office at home and preparing for the new term. Fall was approaching, and Hogwarts would be starting again. Every year, around this time, the air was filled with anticipation. Remus did so look forward to the new school year. It reminded him of his childhood and better times. He glanced over at a picture propped up in a glass frame on his mahogany desk. Four young, excited faces beamed at him and waved excitedly.

He smiled bitterly. So much had changed in the last twenty odd years. First James, then Sirius, then Peter… but Peter had been lost long before his death.

Still, Remus kept that old picture of the four of them together up on his desk, alongside other of his favourites – one of him and Tonks, laughing on the beach, a candid of Harry and Ginny, walking down the street hand in hand, a family portrait of the Weasleys – all of them. It reminded of him what was. And it reminded him of the terrible things that could always be.

Remus heard the jingling announcing the arrival of a guest. Remus frowned slightly, wondering who could be visiting in the middle of the day. He glanced over at his calendar, open to that month. He didn't see any meetings scheduled.

Walking through the halls and rooms of his flat, Remus made his way to the door. He glanced at the glass on the wall by the door and raised his eyebrows when he saw who was standing outside his door.

Remus opened the door.

"Harry, what a surprise," Remus said.

Harry, however, looked distressed and did not respond immediately. Remus started to feel concerned. It wasn't often Harry left work in the middle of the day.

"Can I come in?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Remus moved aside to allow Harry to walk in. Something was wrong. Remus could see it not only in Harry's face which was positively grey but also in the tension in his shoulders. James used to do the exact same thing.

Remus followed Harry into the sitting room. "Tea?" Remus asked.

Harry was standing in the middle of the room, one of his hands in a fist near his mouth, and the other cradling the elbow. His eyes were glazed and staring at something on the floor. At Remus's question, Harry jerked his head up. "What?"

There was a pause. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Hermione's missing," Harry blurted out.

"What?" Remus stared at him in shock. "How?"

"It's been two days and no one's heard from her. I don't know what to do. I knew… I knew we shouldn't have done that. God, what the hell were we thinking? This is all my fault. I'm such a bloody idiot! And now Hermione's gone and been kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy and now I don't even know where to start looking for him since I brilliantly decided not to tell anyone – not even Ron – about it. What was I thinking? And now I can't…"

"Harry." Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "Slow down. You're rambling and make no sense whatsoever."

Collapsing onto the couch, Harry groaned. "Merlin, what have I done?"

Remus sat down beside him. "What happened?"

"Do you remember three years ago – what happened to Hermione?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"We all thought – Ginny, Ron, and me – we thought it was for the best. We thought this way, we'd be protecting her, that it'd hurt less for her. We – well, I did, anyway – knew that one day it could all blow up in our faces. For a while, I was wary. But over the last three years, I let my guard down."

Remus sat, nonplussed. "I don't under – "

"We lied." Harry turned to look at Remus. "Malfoy didn't Obliviate Hermione's memory. Ron did."

Silence.

Remus stared at Harry, unsure of what to say. Finally, he managed to utter a single, "Oh."

"Not that Malfoy didn't try," Harry said with a rush and a bit defensively. "None of us knew until that second time Hermione was in the hospital. And she was in so much pain, Remus. You saw it too."

He had. Remus remembered the sorrowful look in Hermione's eyes every time he visited her. He sighed. "So I'm guessing this is the real reason Hermione and Ron are split up right now."

Harry nodded slightly. "We… We didn't think it wise to tell anyone – Ginny, Ron, and me. Well, mostly Ginny and me. Not really sure if Ron's been thinking much of anything lately. Especially since, well…" Harry sighed. "Hermione left him for Malfoy."

"I see."

Remus didn't say anything for a while. He was struggling to process all the information Harry had just unloaded on him. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to notice the increasingly worried look on Harry's face.

"Remus, I don't know what to do." Harry groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't even know how to start looking for Malfoy – er, Lucius, that is."

"Have you tried asking Draco?"

Harry snorted. "Good lot that did."

"Harry…"

"Never mind, Remus."

Remus sighed. "Have you told Ron yet?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well, I would recommend starting there." Remus stood up and started pacing. His mind was working quickly. "I'll talk to some old contacts from the war… see if they've heard anything. I'll talk to Kingsley and see what information he has, and between the two of us, I'm sure we'll be able to find something."

Harry nodded, though his face was still ashen. He stood up to go, but his steps faltered. Remus reached out to Harry and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Time is of the essence. Go talk to Ron," Remus urged. "It'll be fine, Harry."

"What if we can't find Hermione?"

"We will. We have to."

x x x

Draco could still hear the blood pounding in his ears when he Apparated to Malfoy Manor. His mind was racing around in circles, unsure of what thought to rest or dwell on. Every time it settled on one, Draco would immediately think of another.

It was too much. First, that Hermione was missing. That she might be out there, in pain or maybe worse, d – no. He wouldn't… couldn't think that. He would know if something went wrong. He'd be able to feel it. The air would be different. It wouldn't be so easy to breathe. Hermione had to be all right.

Potter. He'd think about that. The bastard still didn't trust him. Of course, Draco could hardly expect differently. He felt his lips curl up into a sneer. Potter, blinded by loyalty and devotion to Weasley, had taken his friend's side three years ago. He'd assumed the worst of Draco three years ago, when it was convenient. Why should it surprise Draco now that Potter was doing the same? Potter had made it clear on the first day of his parole that they were not friends. Draco had gotten over that then. He didn't need Potter's friendship.

This was all Potter's fault, Draco concluded. If Potter had kept Draco in the loop, if he had warned Draco about Lucius, things would have been different. Draco would have acted differently. He would have made sure Hermione was safe. This was Potter's fault – wasn't it?

"Hetty!"

Draco pushed aside the big front door and walked across the lobby, his footsteps echoing as he stepped on the hard marble floor. He shrugged off his robe and slung it over his arm. Where was that elf?

"Hetty! Milly?"

Draco stopped and waited for that loud cracking noise that signified one of his elves appearing. But he heard nothing.

"Mother?"

Nothing.

Draco felt his stomach clench when he saw a light trail of dirt on the normally spotless staircase. He walked up the winding staircase, his heart racing with each step.

Following the trail, Draco walked down the long hallway and towards the master bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. Draco grabbed the side of the door and pushed it open.

"Draco. You've decided to join us."

Draco's mouth felt dry. Somehow, he managed to force out one word. "Father."


AN: Another cliffhanger! *ducks*Hehe.