Disclosure

Two days later, Draco had heard nothing from Potter. He would have gnashed his teeth with frustration had Teddy not reported in to mention that Harry had been sent off on an urgent Ministry errand out of the country.

"They don't have owls there?" Draco complained. He thought the comment was low enough that Teddy would not hear it, but he was mistaken. The boy laughed.

"What do you want him to say, Draco? That he misses you and will be back soon?"

Draco flushed scarlet, realizing how foolish it sounded, and yet how desperately he wished for it. Teddy sobered at his expression. "I'm sorry, cousin. You really do care for him, don't you?"

Draco gave him a cool look. "I doubt you came here to discuss Potter," he said shortly.

"Well, I sort of did. I wanted to know if Harry told you anything about the pureblood club since Eric's death. He's shut up like a bloody oyster and won't tell any of us anything. He spends all his free time trying to track down clues to discover who murdered Eric. Frankly, that's why Kingsley sent him away. He's afraid Harry will strike off on his own and get into trouble."

"Of course he'll strike off on his own and get into trouble," Draco said dryly. "It's his way. How long does Shacklebolt plan to keep him away?"

"Not long, of course. The day after tomorrow the kids will be off the train from Hogwarts. Nothing Kingsley says will keep Harry from meeting the Hogwarts Express. Harry would Apparate from death's door to be there."

Draco froze in the act of shuffling papers on his desk.

"That club has been actively trying to kill Potter, haven't they?"

Teddy nodded. His feet dangled over the arm of the chair. He always preferred to lounge rather than sit. The benefit of being raised without a father, no doubt. "It seems that way, yes."

"Then Platform Nine and Three-quarters would be an apt place to stage an attack, would it not?"

Teddy sat up with a jolt. "Damn, cousin, do you really think they would?"

"They obviously have no qualms against killing Muggles. I'm not so sure they would risk wizarding children, especially when some are bound to be their own, or at least related to some of their members, but it bears considering."

"I'll mention it to Kingsley," Teddy said, still looking thoughtful.

"Are you certain Potter is somewhere safe?" Draco asked.

Teddy's grin returned. "Draco, he's the best Auror in the world."

"He's also an idiot."

Draco gave up on trying to organize his papers. He had resorted the same pile six times and it was still a disaster. He sat back with a glare of annoyance.

"I stopped in to see Ginny this morning," Teddy commented, swinging his legs back over the arm of the chair once more. His eyes were fixed firmly on Draco, who barely blinked at the comment, thanks only to his Slytherin facilities.

"How is the lovely Mrs. Potter?" Draco asked mildly.

"Very upset, actually. She looked as though she'd been crying. I asked her what was wrong. She said she had done something stupid, but it was nothing for me to worry about."

Draco got to his feet to hide his agitation. Something stupid was a very mild way to put it. He would like to Apparate over there and explain to her just how stupid she had been.

"Really?" Draco asked as if bored with Teddy's conversation.

"I asked her if she knew anything about the pureblood club and she turned so pale I thought she might faint. She told me it was one of her stupid things. Ginny said she had originally joined because she thought they might become a threat to Harry. She planned to infiltrate them—pretend to be an Auror. She laughed when she said that, but it was one of those laughs that can turn to sobs if you let them."

Draco walked around the desk and leaned on the front edge to watch Teddy, who pulled his wand out and tapped it idly against his chin as he continued his story.

"She said it seemed quite harmless at first. She actually began to have fun, dressing up in masks and hoods and playing silly games. Apparently it was a typical club to begin with. The most daring thing they did was Apparate to the woods, drink heavily, and cast amusing hexes on one another. She said the Muggle-baiting came later, and started with silly tricks like Levitating Muggle items to the tops of roofs—bicycles, dog houses, scooters… stuff like that. Nothing even remotely dangerous."

Draco was silent. He knew as well as Teddy that something had caused the club to turn from simple pranks to eventual murder.

"I asked her what changed. She shook her head and tears started to fall in earnest. I tried to comfort her, but she waved me off angrily. She said she got in over her head, and tried to blame Harry for it. She made up excuses for staying in the club… and for seeing someone she shouldn't have."

Blaise. Draco almost pitied the foolish woman. Draco himself could barely resist Zabini; Potter's idealistic wife would have stood no chance against Blaise's charm. Any resentment Ginny held toward Potter would have been used to Zabini's best advantage. He would have fanned the embers of discontent into flame and made every careless act of Harry's seem deliberate. Admiration tinted Draco's disgust. Zabini was very good at seduction, even if he occasionally had deplorable taste.

"I think she had an affair," Teddy said bluntly. "I just… I don't know whether or not to tell Harry. He's still trying to deal with Eric's death. This could…"

"She did, and Harry already knows about it. His darling wife confessed all."

The tapping of Teddy's wand ceased. "She did? I mean… how do you know?"

"Your idol was very distraught. He came to me for solace." Draco gave Teddy a very wicked Slytherin smile, and the young Auror hoisted himself to his feet angrily.

"What do you mean? Did you take advantage of him?"

Teddy reminded Draco of one of the angry peacocks in the yard, rising to the defense of his hero. Teddy was still awestruck by Potter, even after working with him. It was almost magic in itself. "Potter is the best Auror in the world, remember?"

"You said he's also an idiot!" Teddy burst out.

Draco picked imaginary lint from his sleeve and grinned. He maintained the silence until he thought Teddy might explode, and then he laughed. "Relax, cousin. Potter is not completely moronic. Do you honestly think I could sway him?"

"Yes," Teddy snapped.

Draco's eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

Teddy combed a hand through his silver-blond hair in his Potteresque imitation. "Oh hell, I shouldn't have brought this up at all."

"Well, you did, so spit it out."

Teddy cursed. Draco nearly chastised him for it, until he remembered the lad was an adult now, married and everything. "Damn it, I think Harry might be smitten with you. I didn't dare tell you before, but now that Ginny has… well, I hope they work things out, of course…"

Draco reflected that Teddy spent far too much time with Harry, because the boy had a tendency to ramble senselessly just like Potter. "Smitten?" he prodded.

"I shouldn't have said anything. I think I'll go now."

"Plant it, Lupin. Define smitten."

Teddy sat, looking defeated. "Damn it. All right, it's just that Harry asks about you all the time. At first I just thought he was being polite, because I sort of… mention you often. Harry is very good at getting people to talk and I recently noticed that he's been drawing more and more stories out of me. He probably knows every damn thing there is to know about you by now, down to the color of socks you prefer."

"You know what color socks I prefer?"

"Well, they tend to be green with silver trim. You wear the forest ones with silver flecks quite often…"

"I'll ignore the fact that you're stalking my sock drawer. Let's get back to Potter."

"He wears dark blue socks, mostly."

Draco's expression must have been warning enough, for Teddy laughed. "All right. I don't want to get your hopes up, really. If Ginny is determined to set things right, you know Harry will put his best effort into saving their relationship. For the kids, if nothing else."

"Is she?" Draco demanded.

"Did I not mention that part? When she was finished crying, she told me in a very determined tone that she planned to do whatever it took to get her life… and her husband… back."

Disappearance

Draco turned his gaze away from the slowly approaching train when a loud babble of voices approached. The Potter-Weasley clan had finally arrived. Most of the ruckus came from Ron Weasley, whose hands waved about his head as he shouted angrily. George Weasley's laughter was echoed in a familiar chuckle that made Draco's heart seize for a moment. The green eyes lifted and met Draco's. Potter smiled warmly and Draco found himself returning the expression without thinking.

The smile fled immediately when he saw Ginny standing meekly next to Harry, although her attention was on her brothers. Ron succeeded in fending off whatever attacked him and then pulled out his wand to cast a hex at George. A blue haze enveloped the elder Weasley, who waggled a finger at Ron and said something about a Shield Ring. Draco made a mental note to ask Teddy about some of the latest Weasley products cached in that damned store that Draco refused to set foot in.

He stopped watching the ginger combatants when he saw Potter walking straight toward him. Potter wore plain black robes and a long scarf in Gryffindor red, most likely to ward off the chill of the unseasonably cold summer day.

"Draco," said Harry. "I need to talk to you."

Fucking hell. Draco recognized the expression on the face of Mr. Transparent. It was Potter's apologetic look. The one that guaranteed he had bad news to impart. In this case, it was the "I have given in to the tears and false promises of my stupid wife and I'm going to ride this broken broom straight into the ground" look.

"Save it, Potter. I already know what you have to say. I don't want to hear it."

Harry swallowed and looked away, fixing his gaze on the churning wheels as they rolled to an eventual halt. Draco tried not to study Harry's profile and failed. He had the momentary urge to shove Ginny Potter beneath the heavy metal wheels, but decided Potter probably wouldn't visit him in Azkaban if he murdered Harry's wife.

Potter turned back. "Can you at least let me explain?"

"Fuck you, Potter. You're like that stupid mirror at Hogwarts. You can see what you want, but as soon as you reach out to touch it, you find it isn't real." Unattainable, Draco would have added, but he wasn't certain he could maintain his cold façade if he said it aloud.

"You know about the Mirror of Erised?" Potter asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think you're the only one that wandered about that school at night?"

Steam billowed and the doors slid open to disgorge hoards of shrieking children. They raced past in a steady stream, leaping on relatives and causing instantaneous bedlam with trunks, animals, and brooms. The Weasley children found their parents first, and then James Potter hugged his mother before trotting over to allow Harry's arm to curl around his neck. The boy grinned at Draco.

The crowd thinned measurably and James wandered off to greet his uncles.

"How do you know what I'm going to tell you?" Harry asked doggedly.

Draco sighed and wished Scorpius would hurry. The boy always took his bloody time when exiting the train. For a Hufflepuff, he was still extremely Slytherin. "It's so obvious you might as well have badges printed, Potter. As usual, you're going to do the honorable thing, instead of…"

"Instead of what?" the Auror asked with a scowl. Instead of doing what you want. But maybe Potter didn't want Draco at all. Maybe the scene in the dining room had just been a spur-of-the-moment thing that Potter regretted. Draco sent a violent glare Potter's way, and then a pale head caught his attention when the mist thinned. Scorpius at last, thank Merlin.

"Can I come to the Manor later?" Potter asked. He was persistent; Draco had to give him that.

Scorpius suddenly bolted toward them and Draco's eyes widened at the look of panic on his son's face.

"Father! Someone's taken Albus! I turned back to hurry him up—I was looking right at him when he disappeared!"

Scorpius had shouted so loudly that everyone nearby heard him. Ginny Potter raced over and clutched at Harry's arm. The Auror's wand was out and a terrible expression clouded his face. He tried to shake the Ginger Shrew away so he could cast.

"Oh no, no, not Albus!" she cried. Her fingers dug harder into the sleeve of Harry's robes and then she straightened with a gasp. Her next words carried an edge of command. "Take the kids home, Harry."

She released him and Disapparated with a sharp crack, leaving them all staring at the place she had vacated. Potter's shocked eyes turned to Draco, who took his shoulder sharply.

"Bring the kids to the Manor. Your house might not be safe. I'll have my mother keep an eye on them while we determine how to find Albus."

It was a sign of Harry's distress that he did not argue. They hustled together children and luggage and departed for the Manor.