Tracking Albus

The Manor was chaos, with everyone talking at once. James Potter was shouting, Lily was sobbing, Harry was snarling curses, and Narcissa demanded to know what was happening. Teddy Apparated in at that moment with several Aurors in tow, adding to the din.

"Merlin! I'm so sorry, Harry. We were there watching for an attack on you—we never dreamed they would grab one of the kids!" Teddy said. Draco refrained from comment. He should have realized it himself. The Aurors began talking, trying to offer helpful suggestions or excuses. Draco grabbed Harry and Disapparated to his study for a moment of peace.

"Do you have any way of tracking your son?" Draco asked immediately and Harry shook his head, looking thoroughly miserable.

"I had tracking spells on them when they were younger, but when they hit thirteen… well, it seemed an invasion of privacy for a teenager. And hell, they were at Hogwarts!"

Draco refrained from rolling his eyes. Stupid Gryffindor morals. Draco could track Scorpius anywhere in the world through their Malfoy signet rings, and he planned to leave that spell in effect until Scorpius was fifty years old, privacy be damned.

"All right, then we just have to determine who took him and where."

Teddy barged into the room and gave them both an irritated look. "Thanks for leaving me there to field all the questions," he snapped, and then said glanced at his hero apologetically. "Sorry, Harry; I don't really mind. I think it's obvious the Pureblood Club is involved. They are your only active enemies, at the moment. We should start there."

Draco already had several tomes spread out on his desk in an attempt to find a Locating Spell. "Damn, this one looks promising, but it requires blood from the victim."

Harry nodded. "We use that one at work." His voice was nearly inaudible and his agitated pacing was far more pronounced than usual. "It works great in cases where blood is left at the crime scene."

"Doesn't help us here at all, though," Teddy muttered.

"How do Aurors find people when no blood is involved?" Draco asked.

"The old fashioned way," Harry snapped. "We track down people that last had contact with the victim, we talk to possible enemies, we search every possible location… Fuck! Why Al? Why the hell would they take Al?"

Draco and Teddy shared a look. "To draw you out, Harry," Draco said quietly. "I'm sure you'll be getting a message any time now. I'm trying to give us the upper hand by locating them first and taking them by surprise."

"You know where to find the headquarters of this pureblood club, correct?" Harry asked. Draco's words seemed to have calmed the Auror somewhat. He likely found it comforting to know that if his son were held as bait, at least Al would probably not be harmed.

"They would never take him there. Too public," Draco decided. At Potter's look, he added, "But I'll check anyway. Come, Ted."

He grabbed Teddy's arm and Disapparated to the mansion where he had first discovered Ginny Potter's affair with Blaise. As expected, it was deserted. He was about to return to the Manor when an idea struck him.

"Go back and keep trying to find a way to track down Albus," he said to Teddy. "I'll be back shortly. I need to fetch something."

Or someone.

Pansy Parkinson was in no mood to be fetched. Draco was glad to find her dressed and alone when he appeared in her bedchamber. Her eyes met his in the mirror as she combed her long dark locks with an abalone comb. "As much as the sight of you in my bedroom excites me, Draco, you don't look to be here for a tryst."

"I need your help."

Pansy put the comb down and turned on him with a wicked smile, scenting favors.

"Four very sweet words, coming from you. It will cost you, of course."

"I'm aware of that, Pansy. It's important. One of Potter's offspring has been kidnapped, most likely by that lovely club of yours."

She sniffed, but got to her feet. "Not my club any longer, remember? You coerced me into quitting."

"Whatever. I need your help to try and find the lad."

"Now? Angelica and I are going to tea…"

"Pansy," he said warningly.

"Oh all right. Anything for your little crush, eh?" She sighed and called a house-elf. After a few instructions and a message for her daughter, she accompanied Draco back to Malfoy Manor. Potter was shouting at Teddy, but he broke off in mid-bellow when he saw Draco. Scorpius and James were also in attendance. Draco's son huddled miserably in a chair with his arms wrapped around his drawn-up legs. James paced on the opposite side of the room from his father.

"Potter," Pansy said sharply when Harry's eyes touched her.

"Parkinson," he said in the same tone. Her eyes narrowed and she spun on Draco.

"Do I really have to help him? He's such an arse."

"You're not doing it for Potter, you're doing it for me," he said placatingly.

"I'm not sure that's good enough. Honestly, Draco, what do you see in him? I don't care how pretty his green eyes are or how fit he looks, he's got the bloody personality of a warthog. I can understand shagging him, but did you have to fall in love with the git?"

Shocked silence met her pronouncement and Draco watched Potter's jaw drop before he snapped his gaze to that of Scorpius. The lad blinked at Draco in surprise. He quirked a grin at his son and nodded sharply. The boy raised a brow in a gesture so familiar it was like looking into a mirror.

James guffawed and muttered, "Slytherins." Unlike the others in the room, Potter's eldest was obviously not prepared to believe Pansy's words. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled brightly as she watched the color creep into Potter's cheeks. At least the Auror had managed to close his mouth.

"I'll help you now," Pansy said brightly to Draco. He suppressed a grin with effort. She was utterly without scruples, but he planned to use that to his advantage.

"All right. Take me to all the places that foolish club has met, starting with the most likely for holding a kidnapped boy with intent to set a trap for his famous father."

Pansy blew Harry a kiss, took Draco's arm, and Disapparated.

Pureblood Haunts

The fifth house was the winning Snitch.

"This is it," he said to Pansy, who leaned heavily against him, panting with exertion. Their last Apparition had been a fair distance. If they were not in Scotland, they were damned close to the border by his reckoning.

"How can you tell?" she asked tiredly. The had Apparated far enough from each place to avoid audible detection, and then walked within viewing distance.

"Lurker," he said and pointed out a hooded man loitering near the front entrance. Except for the glow of his cigarette, he was nearly invisible against the dark wood of the slightly ramshackle house. Draco's Disillusionment Charm kept the man from noticing them. "Damn it. This is really bad, Pans."

She looked up curiously. "Why? It looks easy enough to take. Can't Super Potter just knock the building down or something?"

"I don't think he's quite as powerful as the Daily Prophet likes to pretend," Draco said. "In any case, that's not what I meant. This house belongs to Blaise."

She perked up curiously and a sneer curved her pretty lips as she stared at the building. "Really? How do you know? It's revolting. Why would Blaise hang onto something so run down?"

"He brought me here once, when we were teens. It belonged to his family, back when the Zabinis were nearly destitute, before his grandfather married that Benchley heiress and gained her fortune. I think they hold the place for sentimental reasons."

"Some sentiments should be burned."

"Let's go back and get Potter."

At Draco's news, Harry and James leaped forward with wands drawn. It led to an immediate argument as Harry tried to force his son to stay.

"I'm older than you were when you first confronted Voldemort!" James snarled.

"That's because I didn't have parents to look out for me!" Harry yelled.

"Spare me! I've heard enough stories of Dumbledore to know he was just like a father to you. He let you do plenty!"

"Albus is already in danger, James! I don't want to worry about you, too. Besides, you need to stay here and watch Lily and Scorpius."

Draco turned to look at his son, expecting to meet the same hardheaded argument, but Scorpius was gone. His brow furrowed, but Teddy answered his unspoken question.

"He said he needed to get something."

Draco nodded, wondering what could be so important that his son would disappear when the rescue of his friend was imminent. If he could hurry the Potters, Draco might be spared an argument with his own child.

"Let him come, Potter. He'll be safe enough with us. I assume you're bringing an army of Aurors."

Harry glared at him, but nodded. "They're downstairs. Let's go. I'll send Teddy back to guide the others."

"Pansy, you take Teddy and I'll take Potter."

"Of course you will," she muttered, but moved quickly to link her arm through Teddy's and smile saucily at him as her breasts pressed into his upper arm. "Teddy Lupin. How handsome you are." The young Auror barely had time to blush before they were gone.

Draco put his arm around Harry and drew him into an embrace that had little to do with Apparition. Potter relaxed minutely against Draco and his chin dropped to Draco's shoulder for only a moment. Draco squeezed him gently and Disapparated. As he did so, he felt a feather-light touch against his arm. At that moment, he knew where his son had gone and why.

Draco wondered if the entire Auror Department consisted of former Gryffindors, because they charged in with wands drawn and hexes flying, leaping into battle without a single hint of Slytherin guile. Draco had never seen Harry Potter in action and it was a sight to behold. He was quick—even faster than when he had been a Seeker at Hogwarts. Harry bobbed and dove and cast spells with flawless aim. After Draco's own aim had been thwarted for the fourth time by a head topped with messy black hair, Draco realized the Auror was protecting him. Draco's next curse nearly singed Potter's ear at it whizzed over his shoulder and toppled a cloaked figure.

The green eyes stared at him in surprise. Draco smirked. "I'm not helpless, Harry."

A grin quirked Potter's lips, and then he bounded after a retreating figure, leaving Draco to his own devices. The damned place was full of unskilled idiots in hindering capes and hoods. They were dangerous only by number and their willingness to use the most hideous curses imaginable. One Auror was bathed in what appeared to be acid before he screamed and Disapparated, hopefully straight to St. Mungo's. Another fell with what looked to be dozens of broken bones. Draco noticed both Harry and Teddy had gravitated to James and were subtly shielding him. The boy had been allowed to come only after strict orders that he hang back and do nothing even vaguely stupid.

Draco wondered where Scorpius had gone and hoped to hell he had not made a mistake by not calling the boy out. He would just have to trust his son—and Potter's old invisibility cloak.

Pansy had disappeared shortly after bringing Teddy through, claiming she had no intention of breaking a nail in some ridiculous battle. She had done her part and would see Draco later to demand payment. He cringed at the thought, and then raised his wand and set fire to the robes of a woman who stepped from behind a rusty suit of armor with the intent to cast a hex at Potter's back.

She screamed and a hex from Teddy dropped her, still smoldering aflame. A second spell doused her with water, but she did not rouse.

When the other opponents had fallen or fled, Harry looked at Draco. "No sign of Albus. I'll need to check upstairs. Teddy, you and James help the Aurors round up these idiots and prepare them for transport to the Ministy. Take care, there were many that escaped." He silenced James's protest with a glare and then jogged for the stairs. Draco joined him.

They encountered no one on the stairs, and met a long hallway filled with nothing but closed doors. Harry strode to the first door and flung it open with wand ready. He crossed the hallway to the next and did the same. Draco watched him and wondered if the battle below had been nothing but an elaborate feint.

Potter passed by Draco on his way to the next door. Green eyes touched his in passing and their gazes locked for a moment.

"You're wrong, you know," Harry said as he wrenched open the door with a half-crouch that Draco admired immensely.

"Wrong?" Draco echoed.

"As in not correct. Mistaken. The opposite of accurate."

"I know what it means, Potter, I simply don't know what you're talking about."

The next room was empty and Harry let out a frustrated breath, whether at Draco's words or the fact that there was no enemy showing themselves for angry hexing, Draco wasn't certain.

"When you said I planned to do the honorable thing. You were wrong."

Draco froze and Harry paused on his way to the next door. The Auror chuckled.

"I know it's a lot for you to take in, being wrong and all… Hang on a moment." Draco watched as Potter invaded another empty room and left it behind, and then returned to Draco. Harry curled a hand into the collar of Draco's robes and pulled him into a stunned kiss. It was determined and intense, and sent shivers coursing through Draco's veins. Harry pulled away and breathed, "I think it's time I gave my Slytherin side some leeway, don't you?"

Draco's arms tightened around the Auror. "Yeah," he managed.

"If we survive," Harry added. "Now, let's find my son."

Draco let him go and accompanied him down the hall. His hand tightened around his wand with newfound determination. If we survive. Draco would make damn sure of that, now that he had something to anticipate.

Ginny's Choice

The double doors at the end of the hall made Harry shoot Draco a warning look after he cocked his dark head and listened. Draco readied his wand and followed Harry's rush through the door. Whatever hex Harry was about to issue died on his lips. Draco took in the scene quickly. Four people occupied the room.

Albus Potter was the center of attention, bound to a heavy chair and held by more than ropes—a web of pink-tinted magic crisscrossed over him in an ominous dome. The dark head lolled slightly, as if he had been drugged or hit with a Confundus. The room rang with the words the boy had shouted: "I hate you!"

A dark-haired teenaged girl sat in a window alcove. She seemed to be observing the scene. Blaise Zabini stood before a large wooden desk. At his feet knelt Ginny Potter. Blaise's hand was twisted in Ginny's red hair and his wand dug into her cheek.

"Like father, like son, eh Potter?"

"You guessed it, Zabini," Harry snarled. "Now put the fucking wand down and get away from my wife!"

The words struck Draco and would have been a thousand time worse had not Potter halted him in the corridor with a confession and a kiss.

"You're slightly early, Potter, but I've been expecting you," Blaise said. Draco held his wand steady as Blaise's glare pierced him. "I was not expecting you, Draco, you bloody traitor," he hissed.

Draco laughed harshly. "You are the last person from whom I want to hear a lecture on loyalty, Blaise. What the hell are you doing kidnapping children?"

"Ridding the world of blood-tainted scum." The wand twisted into Ginny's face and she cried out. Her eyes were wide with fear and pain. "Ah, ah, Potter, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Harry's wand tip dropped slightly and he sneered. "So you're the new Voldemort?"

"Not exactly. My motives are nothing like his, since he was obviously insane. My reasons are far more practical. I have had quite enough of the anti-pureblood sentiment that has overtaken the Ministry. It's their own fault, really, for banning purebloods from decent jobs and treating us like second-class citizens."

"They haven't been banned, Zabini," Potter said in a reasonable tone.

Blaise sneered and his hand seemed to tighten in Ginny's hair. She winced. "Shut the hell up, Potter. You and your Mudblood friends have been sitting pretty since the war. Even your new friend Draco spends most of his time locked away in his mansion rather than risk being spit upon. Pureblood and former Death Eater both. Some of us are doubly damned."

Harry glanced sidelong at Draco, who shrugged. It was true, although minding his estates and investments kept Draco more than busy enough to seek out the general populace. When he had been younger, the glares and sneers had been alarming, but those seemed to have lessened over the years. Apparently, Blaise had not noticed any change.

Blaise went on, "However, you are not here to discuss my political motivations. You are here to rescue your precious child, are you not? And quite possibly your wife, although I somewhat fear you would rather discard her. Your arrival with Draco has opened up a world of interesting possibilities. You always were obsessed with Potter, Draco. Has he finally succumbed to your wiles?"

A hex suddenly shot from Harry's wand. The startling blue light would have hit Blaise dead-on… and did, in fact, except that the effect was unexpected. A purple-blue glow crackled around Blaise and seemed to vibrate as it absorbed the energy and was gone. The girl in the window seat gasped and sat forward with her wand at the ready. Blaise chuckled wickedly.

"Oh good show, Potter. That would have knocked me for a loop, would it not? Luckily, I shop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They have the most fascinating items there, including these fabulous Shield Rings. Of course, I've modified this one a bit… it is quite a lot stronger than those developed by your brother-in-law." Blaise's tone went from amused to harsh in an instant. "Now put your wands down and back away or I'll split this bitch in two."

Draco saw Harry go pale, and then the Auror tossed his wand casually in Blaise's direction. Only Draco noticed the tension rippling through Harry's body.

"You too, Draco," Blaise snapped.

"I'm thinking," Draco quipped. Harry turned on him with horror-filled eyes and Blaise barked a surprised laugh. "Oh all right," Draco said. He wasn't really tempted to see if Blaise would kill Potter's wife. Well… not extremely tempted at any rate.

He threw his wand after Potter's and wondered if Harry could Summon the length of holly back if Blaise were sufficiently distracted. Then again… that Shield Ring was problematic. Harry's gaze moved to Albus, and Draco saw the boy slumped in his chair, looking tired and terrified.

Blaise barely moved his wand away from Ginny's cheek before Summoning both wands from the floor. He shoved Ginny away from him roughly and tucked the wands into a pocket of his robes.

"Very good. This will go so much more smoothly if you cooperate. Now then, here is the situation. Oh wait, we don't want to be interrupted by any of your Auror friends, do we, Potter?"

Blaise gestured to the doors, which slammed shut and locked. Draco recognized the spells and knew even trained Aurors would not be opening them any time soon. He had no doubt the windows had been similarly spelled prior to their arrival. Draco expected Harry's wife to gain her feet, but she remained on the ground. Her limbs shook visibly and Draco recognized the effects of extended Crutiatus Curses. Obviously, the love affair was over. Blaise disregarded her as though she were a rag he had used to polish his broom.

"Your son has been given a slow-acting poison, Potter," Blaise commented. Harry gasped and took two steps toward Albus, but Blaise's lifted hand stopped him. "The pretty ring around Albus will, of course, kill you if you cross it. Then again, that's the whole idea, isn't it?"

Blaise had the full attention of everyone in the room at that comment. He smiled, loving attention in a way only Blaise Zabini could. The bastard fairly glowed with delight, but Draco thought the new malice diminished his charm quite a lot.

Blaise held up a small vial of clear liquid. "This is the antidote, Potter. After crossing the field, you should have enough time to administer it to the boy before you die. You seem quite strong and fit, I'm certain you can do it. You've always been lucky, after all; you are the Boy Who Lived."

"No, Blaise," Draco said angrily. "That's enough. Whatever prompted this idiocy can be resolved. If you seek a damned position in the Ministry, I'm certain Potter would be more than happy to provide one for you or—"

"Listen to yourself, Draco!" Blaise cried. "What in Merlin's name have you become? Slytherins do not beg for help, they lurk in the shadows and strike after careful planning and preparation. You should know I will not back down after going this far. Do you honestly believe Potter will forgive and forget after I arranged the death of his partner? Will you, Potter?"

"No," Harry said flatly, making Draco consider smacking him on the back of the head with an open palm. Goddamn Gryffindor honesty. No wonder they were such piss-poor negotiators.

"Give me the antidote. I'll do it," the Auror continued in a flat tone.

"I knew I could count on you," Blaise said with a smirk. Draco readied himself to leap on Potter and wrestle the vial from him. There had to be another way to take down Blaise and rescue Albus. Draco only needed a few moments to think.

Blaise lowered the hand that held the vial, preparing to toss it. Draco hissed in annoyance, knowing Zabini planned to throw it on the off chance that Harry's Seeker reflexes would fail him. The glass container would smash on the stone floor if Harry did not catch it.

Harry never got the chance. Ginny Potter launched herself from the floor and snatched the vial from Blaise's hand. She bolted across the room and through the pink web of lines surrounding her black-haired son. A shriek tore from her lips as she collapsed on the floor. The vial slipped from her fingers and rolled away with a delicate clink.

"Ginny!" Harry screamed and it mingled with a cry from his son. He turned on Blaise with an expression of rage Draco had never witnessed. "You bastard!" Harry flung himself at Blaise with hands reaching for Zabini's throat. Blaise cried out and backed into the desk, but he was still quick. A Cruciatus Curse caught Harry moments before Potter's hands tore at Blaise's robes, struggling to reach his throat.

"Crucio! Crucio!" Blaise shouted and the bright glow of the hexes limned Harry again and again.

"Oh fuck," Draco said and raced forward to try and wrest the wand from Blaise. He yelped as the backlash of the curse hit him. Blaise kept casting, trying to shrug them off. The three of them fell in a tangle of limbs and robes.