Disclaimer: I do not nor will ever own Harry Potter or any other characters associated. They all belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. I am not making any money from this story and am writing strictly for entertainment purposes.
A/N: This chapter is in Draco's POV and is written in present time. The rest of the story from here on out will be set in the present. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but I have written at least one more. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave me a review with your thoughts! Here is Chapter 9 of Secrets, Secrets are No Fun! Enjoy! :)
After three weeks of being told that Harry was resting in an undisclosed hospital in an unknown country, I decided that I was going to meet with Minister Shacklebolt personally. I had owled him a few days ago to confirm out meeting time. I was anxious to find out more on Harry's condition as well as a timeline regarding his return home. As I walked into the Minister Shacklebolt's office, I felt something was off. It felt like there was a third magic signature, albeit very weak.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy." Mr. Malfoy? When did he start getting so formal?
"Hello, Minister Shacklebolt. I was wondering if you had any new information on Harry's condition or a tentative timeframe for his return home. I know it sounds stupid, but I really would like to help him continue his treatment and healing from home."
"Mr. Potter remains stable. As for him returning home, we are not certain when or if he will be discharged. I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, that Mr. Potter is in the best possible hands at the moment. I know that this is difficult, but you just need to be patient." Mr. Potter? Since when has he EVER called Harry 'Mr. Potter'? And, again, with the formal address when speaking with me. Shacklebolt hasn't called me Mr. Malfoy in nearly three and a half years…
"Minister Shacklebolt, are you well today? You seem slightly off."
The look in his eyes confirmed my suspicions that he wasn't exactly himself. However, I had anticipated him to simply brush it off as a minor cold or allergy. Instead, he became incredibly defensive extremely quickly.
"I am perfectly fine!" he snapped.
But at that moment, I noticed a small twitch in his upper right cheek and heard a muffled sound from somewhere in the office. I had never known Minister Shacklebolt to have a twitch in such an odd place on his face, but did remember teasing a fellow classmate about it during my years at Hogwarts. I had only ever known one person to have a twitch like that, but…it couldn't be! That was completely preposterous.
"My apologies, sir. I was just making sure everything was okay. You haven't come by the house in several months. I was beginning to get worried until you finally responded to my owl. And I'm sorry for disturbing you here. It's just that I really want Harry home, and I know you do, too. Thank you for your time Minister. I appreciate everything you've done throughout the mission. Good-bye, sir."
"Good day, Mr. Malfoy," he said curtly. 'Good day'? That isn't like Shacklebolt at all, especially when said in that tone. Something is up that he isn't saying…
Leaving the office, I walked to the Apparition point in the annex and was instantly standing in our sitting room. However, I was not expecting to find Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch, both looking as though they hadn't slept in several days. It was extremely worrying to see Harry's best friends here, especially after the odd meeting I'd just had with the Minister.
"Draco, there is something we need to tell you. Please sit," Hermione instructed.
"Okay. But before I do, would you two like some tea? You look like you could use some."
"No, thank you. We appreciate the offer, but we don't have much time. Please sit down," Hermione instructed once more. Ron was being awfully quiet sitting next to his wife.
"What's going on, Hermione? You two look like you haven't slept in days."
"That's because we haven't," Ron spoke up, his voice empty of any anger or malice. "As you know, Harry was kidnapped a few weeks ago. However, contrary to what the Minister told you, he still hasn't been found. The whole team has looked everywhere we can think of, but we can't find any trace of him anywhere. There's nothing."
"What do you mean? He's in a hospital somewhere in Europe. I just spoke with Minister Shacklebolt earlier this afternoon."
"No, Draco. He isn't. We were told that he had been found as well, but when we asked to see him all our requests were denied. Something is wrong in the Ministry. Harry shouldn't have even been sent into the field, let alone into an ambush."
"We know that this is hard for you, but we could really use your help. We have gotten permission from the Head Coordinator for the mission as well as all the sector supervisors. We are trying as hard as possible to find Harry quickly, but also keep the search from reaching Kingsley. Can you help us find him, Draco?"
All I could do was nod as the information sank in. Harry was abducted and was still missing. Shacklebolt had provided false information to everyone involved in the mission. The search was being kept out of the Ministry. Harry had been missing for several weeks and may not even still be alive…
That night, I curled up in my bed and cried into Harry's pillow. I clung to a picture of us as I tried to force myself to calm down, but it was no use. Harry was still missing and wasn't very likely to be found. After nearly an hour and a half of crying, I finally managed to calm myself down enough to get some very restless sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…
A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think. I really love hearing your feedback, and I will respond to every review! Again, thank you so much for reading! Have a magnificent day! :)
~DrarryLover28