14th June, 2005 - Tuesday
Harry stared blearily into the wisps of steam that curled up from his tea in gentle spirals. It was too hot to drink, but he considered it anyway. He'd spent another hour at the Ministry the previous night, talking over the case and theories with Kingsley, and trying to convince him that he had no idea why Malfoy had sought him out specifically.
Eddie had been surprisingly understanding, despite Harry telling him next to nothing. "They need me to help with something, I'm not back on active duty," Harry had insisted upon arriving home. He'd stopped off for take-away curry.
"It's only natural that they want your expertise," Eddie had said. "No doubt they'll continue to ask for your services for years to come. It will be your choice whether to wean them off slowly or make a clean break."
Harry had searched that comment for censure, but Eddie had seemed sincere about it being Harry's decision whether or not to quit the Aurors for good. Despite Malfoy's cryptic words, Harry saw no reason to mistrust Eddie. It was likely Malfoy was just… being Malfoy.
Shaking his head to return to the present, he watched as Eddie slid a rasher of bacon onto a plate and added a spoonful of fluffy-cooked eggs. "How long do you think this will take?" Eddie asked as he set the plate before Harry and kissed the top of his head.
Harry took a drink of his too-hot tea and winced when it burned his tongue and the roof of his mouth. "Not sure. It depends whether or not there really is a case. At the moment, the evidence looks promising, but it could be that someone is screwing with us."
"Hopefully you'll be free this weekend. I've made plans for us to have lunch at Scotia and then we can tour the gardens. The roses are in bloom and it's so beautiful. You have to see it."
Harry smiled at him. "It sounds great. I won't miss it."
Eddie's smile was adorable. Harry reiterated that he was a lucky man.
oOo
Malfoy was seated in the same chair he'd occupied the day before, although it had been fitted with a white tablecloth that looked out of place amidst the stark surroundings. He was tucking into a large plate of food. A full tea service hovered on a tray just above the table. Malfoy's grey stare touched on Harry and then returned to his breakfast, although a quick jerk of his head indicated that Harry should sit.
"They prepare a decent breakfast. I am surprised, considering that last night's dinner was largely inedible. The breakfast staff is to be commended. You might want to suggest a salary increase. And fire the idiots on the evening shift."
"I'm not here to talk about your meals. Kingsley said you got a message last night, but they can't read it and you won't talk about it."
"Correction—I won't talk about it to them, but I will discuss it with you." Malfoy took a folded note from next to his plate and handed it to Harry.
Harry took at it and then tipped the paper to examine it from different angles. "It looks like gibberish."
"It's a rather obscure language. My were-mole overheard something that might be important. He believes the word was "unspeakable" which leads me to believe the target might be the child of someone in the Department of Mysteries. Of course, it could refer to Greyback, in general, but at this point it's the only lead I've got."
"Why didn't you just tell Kingsley? Why drag me into this?"
"Because I'm worried about you, Harry, and I'm trying to protect you."
Harry could not prevent his jaw from sagging open, not only at the words, but at the friendly, sincere-sounding tone. Malfoy's eyes sparkled, betraying the lie. Harry shot to his feet and glared at Malfoy. "Very funny. I'll go tell them to narrow the search. Also, you're an arsehole."
Rather than return to the irritating man, Harry joined Ron, Seamus, and a female Auror who smiled at him when he lifted a hand. She had long blond hair pulled into a tight knot. Harry liked her, despite her overly-gruff exterior. Her name was Kimmy Klein, but they all called her Kay-Kay. The four of them surrounded a huge conference table that had been piled high with record books and scrolls.
"Didn't think there were this many children in all of wizardom," Ron said and surveyed the growing list in the centre. Whenever they found a child of suitable age, they added it to the list. It was already daunting.
"After the war, everyone spent the peaceful years that followed shagging, remembering what they were alive for," Seamus said philosophically.
Ron snorted. "I didn't."
Harry laughed out loud. "I'll bet it wasn't for lack of trying."
Ron grinned. "I'm always trying, mate. You know that. Luckily, she's up for it quite a lot these days. They say the female sex drive is—"
"Too much information, Weasley." Kay-Kay's voice was strident and Seamus fell out laughing.
"Merlin, if I had a Galleon for every time I had to put a stopper in you idiots' sex talk, I could retire in the Bahamas. Wait a minute, look at this. I think I found something," Kay-Kay poked at an open book with an index finger. "Liam Nottingham. His son is nine."
"So? Add him to the list." Ron shrugged.
"While you lot have been mindlessly jotting down names, I've been cross-referencing their parents against Greyback's record. Says here that Nottingham gave instrumental testimony in putting Greyback in Azkaban. He was a witness to one of Greyback's bloodier crimes in '97. Think the werewolf might want some payback?"
"Merlin, that might be it. You're smart!" Seamus gave Kay-Kay a slug on the arm. She didn't flinch, but gave him a sidelong stare of warning. He grinned.
"Ron, go and fetch Nottingham. Seamus, get Kingsley. I'll go talk to Malfoy. Kay-Kay, try to dig up the original case file and we'll see if we can find a connection, someone willing to free Greyback in order to extract some revenge. There has to be more to it, but our first priority is protecting the boy."
It wasn't until Harry was halfway back to Level Ten that he realised he'd issued orders without even thinking about it.
oooOooo
Draco patted his full stomach and stretched out on the bed. It was hellishly uncomfortable, but he'd slept on worse. He hadn't lied about the breakfast, either. The crumpets had been delicious and the tea had been strong and hot. Draco wondered if the quality would have remained the same if the cook had known it had been destined for a Malfoy. He wrinkled his nose. They probably would have slipped poison into it, or at least an explosive laxative.
The door unlocked to reveal Harry Potter. He looked even more serious than he had earlier and Draco sat up. "You've found something."
Potter nodded. "Kay—Auror Klein thinks there might be a connection between Liam Nottingham and Greyback. And Nottingham has a nine-year-old son."
Draco nodded. "Good point. Of course, twenty people testified against Greyback and every member of the Wizengamot judged him into Azkaban, but it's as good a place to start as any. And Nottingham is an Unspeakable. What do you plan to do about it?"
"Inform Liam, and then go get the boy, of course."
"I suggest haste."
"Yeah. We're going now. I just thought you should know."
Draco gave Potter a genuine smile and then lay back on the stiff mattress as Potter departed. Liam Nottingham. Interesting.
oooOooo
Nottingham was a tall, slender man with prematurely greying hair and nearly-colourless blue eyes. His face was enflamed with rage and he slammed a fist down on the table. "This is unconscionable! I should be the one to go!"
"We don't know that this isn't an elaborate trap to capture you, Deputy Nottingham. Or even if the threat is real."
"He's my son! I don't care if it's real or not! I want him protected!"
"We've already sent Aurors ahead to scout your mother's house. I'll be on my way as soon as you can give us the layout."
"Do it, Liam. The sooner you help them, the sooner Niall will be safe." Cho Chang's voice was soft and Liam gave her a piercing stare that she met and held for a long time. Harry found himself holding his breath and then Nottingham nodded and dropped heavily into a chair. He pulled a piece of parchment close and snatched up a self-inking quill. As he drew, Harry glanced at Cho. She had changed somewhat since their school days, having acquired an air of confidence that she hadn't possessed at Hogwarts.
"Where did you get this information?" she asked Kingsley.
"We have a source whose veracity is currently in question. I prefer not to reveal their identity, in case it turns out to be nothing more than smoke. With that said, we still need to take the tip seriously."
"Damn straight, you do," Nottingham muttered.
Cho patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure the Aurors will do all they can." She smiled at Harry and he nodded. Cho's hair had been cut short and she wore wireframe glasses that she must have only used for reading, as she looked over the top edge frequently. She had joined the Department of Mysteries straight out of school and had risen to the top of their ranks at lightning speed. "Do you mind if I come along, Harry? Liam should remain safely here, but I am a fair hand with a wand, and I've been to his mother's house, so I can Side-Along you."
"I remember your wand-work. It's fine with me, if Kingsley approves."
Nottingham's hand shook as he handed over the rough sketch of a floor plan. "The house is warded, of course. If anyone tries to get in, they'll likely go for the back, or possibly the side entrance here, if they know about it." His long finger tapped a rectangular block that indicated a door. "Niall's room is upstairs, here."
"We'll bring him back," Harry promised. He took the makeshift map and then stepped closer to Cho.
Two short Apparition-jumps later and they stood between a tall laurel hedge and a wooden building that had once been painted red, but now displayed a faded, dusty pink that peeled away in places to show the grey wood beneath. Harry wondered if Nottingham had freed his house-elves, or if they were simply old and careless. Nottingham was a pure-blood and his property was fairly extensive. A droplet of water hit Harry on the top of his head; rain fell in an unpleasant drizzle, but at least it wasn't a downpour.
Cho had her wand out. She peered around the edge of the shed. "Everything looks quiet. Where are these Aurors you sent ahead?"
"Not sure. We sent them with invisibility cloaks, but they wouldn't want to trip the wards. We told them to hang back and watch for anything suspicious."
"All right. I'll take the lead and you cover me. We'll go in the front by the stealthy method of knocking on the door. It will be faster and less alarming if this turns out to be nothing. And Greta knows me."
Harry nodded. They left the safety of the shed and raced across the close-cropped lawn—at least that had been well-maintained—and Harry scanned everything visible on their way to the front door. A high brick wall and hedges bordered the entire property, giving ample concealment to any lurking enemies. No spells shot from cover and no warning cries rang out. Harry stood with his back to the wall as Cho banged the brass knocker. His blood pounded in his veins and the brick was rough at his back. He realised with a start that he'd missed this: the thrill of the chase and the excitement of running into danger.
The door opened with what seemed infinite slowness. Harry risked a quick glance to see a tall, steel-haired witch standing with the door ajar. "Ms Chang, dearie! What brings you here? Is everything all right with Liam?"
"Yes. Everything is fine. May I come in?" Cho smiled at her, but Harry noticed that she didn't put her wand away.
The old woman stepped back and swung the door wide. Cho stepped inside and Harry pushed in after her, causing the witch's hands to rise up to her face with a gasp. Cho shut the door behind them and cast a Locking Charm whilst Harry walked a fast circuit of the room and peered into every doorway, a spell ready on his lips.
"What is this?"
"I'm sorry, Greta, but we may have a situation. Where is Niall?"
"Up in his room. You said everything is fine!"
"Everything is fine and we are trying to make sure it stays that way. Do you mind if I go up and fetch Niall?"
"I'll go," Harry said, already heading for the hallway that led to the stairs, according to Nottingham's sketch.
"Who is that?" Greta's shrill demand carried to him as he took the steps two at a time. He was glad not to be around for the revelation of his identity. People were still weird about it, even after all this time.
The door to Niall's room was open and Harry tensed when he heard the boy talking. He pressed himself hard against the wall and edged closer, listening intently. After a moment, he realised the boy was playing with his toys. He smiled when he clearly heard, "Oliver Wood swoops past Mercury Horowitz and sends the Bludger in for a goal! And Dartmouth pulls ahead! The crowd goes wild!"
Harry peered into the door to see a sandy-haired boy sitting on his knees on the floor of a large bedroom. He held a toy Quidditch player in each hand and the Oliver Wood doll was waved at the collection of plush animals and assorted historical witches and wizards clustered round the makeshift pitch as an audience.
"Niall?" Harry asked quietly and the boy gasped and scrambled to his feet. The Oliver action figure hit the floor and tumbled before climbing to his feet and shaking his fist at Niall.
"Who are you?" The boy backed away and climbed onto his bed. His eyes were wide and fearful.
"My name is Harry. Don't be frightened. I'm an Auror. I'm here to take you to your father."
The boy shook his head and a mistrustful frown marred his features. "Why didn't he come himself?"
"The Minister for Magic asked him to stay. Do you know who that is?"
"I think so."
Harry walked carefully around the side of the bed, hoping to sit down adjacent the boy and calm him. He didn't want to scare the child by snatching him, and there did not seem to be any danger at the moment.
"Do you like Mercury Horowitz? She's my favourite, next to Oliver Wood." Niall held out the action figure.
Harry took it with a smile and admired the detail on the tiny Quidditch gear. The ginger-haired girl waved at him, holding her broom protectively to keep him from crushing the bristles.
"Gran!" Niall yelled suddenly and launched himself from the bed. He hurtled across the room and threw himself at his grandmother, who stood in the doorway, looking worried. Harry took a step towards them and wondered why Cho hadn't kept Greta downstairs.
A large shape loomed behind Greta and a clawed hand clutched at her throat. Niall's head twisted to look up at Fenrir Greyback and he gasped. Before he could move, Greyback's other hand snatched the boy by the shoulder and flung him out the door and into the waiting hands of another man.
Harry had leapt off the bed and lifted his wand, but Greyback snarled, "If you as much as twitch, Potter, I'll tear her throat out."
Harry froze, knowing Greyback wouldn't hesitate. He wondered where the other Aurors had gone and how Greyback had managed to get into the house without the alarm sounding, but he couldn't spend more than an instant considering it. The second man and Niall had already gone; Harry could hear the boy's muffled screams as they retreated. Greta's eyes rolled wildly and sobbing gasps broke on the word, "Please…" Greyback's claws tightened.
"Now, I'm going to take the boy and it will be your choice whether to save this old bag of bones or come after me. Either way, one of them will die. Perhaps both." With that, Greyback cast a spell, shoved Greta hard, and bolted. Harry cast two spells in quick succession—one of them took a chunk out of the door frame, but missed the werewolf. The bastard was fucking fast.
"Cho!" Harry bellowed as he leapt forwards and caught Greta before she fell. Already, her face was beginning to turn red—Greyback had cast a Strangulation Charm and Harry's Finite Incantatum had no effect.
He cast a Patronus and hoped Cho hadn't been taken—or worse—and then he set to work dismantling the Strangulation Charm. Greta thrashed wildly, hands flailing as she struggled to find oxygen. Her wrist banged into his wand, nearly knocking it from his hand. Forcing everything else out of his mind, Harry tightened his grip on his wand and focussed on finding the cracks in Greyback's spell, tearing them apart with a modified Finite. It was delicate work, usually used only in Curse-breaking when time was not of the essence.
Cho appeared in the doorway just as Harry cracked through and shredded the last of the Strangulation Charm. Greta inhaled air with a tortured sound and her fingers tightened on Harry's sleeve. The reddish-purple colour began to fade from her face.
"They took the boy!" Harry yelled at Cho. "Didn't you see them?"
"No! I heard something in the kitchen so I went to check it out, and then I came straight up the stairs—they must have exited through one of the other rooms!" Cho disappeared and Harry gave Greta a weak smile and squeezed her hand before leaping up and tearing after Cho, who slammed open the door nearest them and ran to the open window on the other side of the room.
"There!" she yelled, pointing.
Harry joined her and they cast at the same time. Greyback and the other man were fleeing through the garden. The boy had been flung over Greyback's shoulder like a sack of grain. He wasn't moving. Harry's Stunner hit a Shield Charm and rebounded. Whatever Cho had cast did the same. Harry swore roundly and cast twice more, but the distance was too great. Greyback and his companion dove through a wooden gate in the stone fence and vanished. Harry imagined he could hear the crack of Apparition.
He climbed out through the window, knowing they were already gone, but needing to be certain. His stomach was in knots. "Get Greta and I'll meet you back at the Ministry," he called as he trotted down the sloped roof and then leaped off into the wet grass, rolling to absorb the impact. He didn't bother to look back to see if Cho had argued, instead pelting into the garden and slamming through the gate. Rolling hills of thick grass stretched away and unless Greyback and the others were hiding prone in the grass—unlikely—they were long gone. Harry made an incoherent cry of rage and headed back to the house.
In his left hand, he still gripped the small Quidditch figure of Mercury Horowitz.
oooOooo
Draco was not particularly surprised when Potter returned looking ready to inflict damage on anyone in range. It was a good look on him and Draco felt a surge of something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Part of it was lust, but that was a simple emotion, easily sparked and as easily ignored. This was something deeper, desire swirling atop a dark pool of things Draco had repressed and rejected for so long that he'd nearly forgotten they existed. Foolish things, like anticipation and hope, and a tiny bit of awe; emotions Draco would prefer not to dredge to the surface, but then he'd never been able to ignore Potter.
"Where is he?" Potter's voice was a sword blade—sharp and whisper thin.
"To whom are you referring?" Draco set aside the book he'd been reading, but he did not bother to rise from his cross-legged position on the hard bed. Terrible as it was, the comfort level was minutely greater than that of the chairs.
"Greyback. He escaped with the boy. I don't care how you find him, just do it."
"I can hardly utilise my resources from here, Potter." Draco cast out a careless hand to indicate his surroundings.
Potter shook his head. "Kingsley won't let you out. You could have engineered this entire thing."
"To what purpose?"
Potter pushed a hand through his hair in a gesture Draco hadn't seen in years. It brought an unexpected wave of nostalgia that took Draco straight back to Hogwarts. He shoved it away; now was definitely not the time.
"I don't know! But it doesn't change the facts. You said you have a contact in Greyback's old band. How do we reach him? We need leads."
"You don't reach him. He is mine, and I definitely do not need you clumsy lot Apparating all over Britain stirring up my information network. You've done enough damage already by letting Fenrir escape."
"I didn't let him escape!
Draco got to his feet and glared at Potter. "If you had taken me seriously immediately instead of debating my motives for hours on end, you would have gone straightaway to the boy and he would be safe now."
"Assigning blame isn't helping anyone." Potter's eyes were like green fire.
"Spoken like someone on whom the blame firmly rests."
Potter's fists clenched and he stepped forwards. Draco felt the unexpected surge again and it left him nearly giddy. He wanted Potter to touch him, even if it were only to shove him against the wall hard enough to crack his skull. Draco closed his eyes to shut down the vision and get a handle on his emotions.
"Never mind, Potter. You needn't get so worked up quite yet. It's obvious they want something." He walked to the table where a silver tea service waited, along with two delicate porcelain cups.
"They?"
"Think about it. Why Liam Nottingham? Someone went through a lot of trouble to procure Polyjuice, smuggle it into Azkaban via unsuspecting guards, release Fenrir with none the wiser, and for no purpose other than kidnapping a boy and turning him into a werewolf?" Draco shook his head. "No. It's too complex. They want something other than petty revenge."
Potter was staring at him as though he'd morphed into Voldemort's ghost. "Such as what?"
Draco smiled. "We will just have to wait and see. Sit down and have a cup of tea."
"I'm not going to sit and have tea while that boy's life is at stake!"
Draco lifted the silver teapot and poured a cup of the steaming brew. "There is always some boy's life at stake, Potter. You can't save them all. And in this case, either the boy has been bitten or he has not. Pacing this cell and worrying about which it is will not do one iota of good, so you might as well sit down and try to focus on the things that will help you locate him."
Potter gifted Draco with another hot glare, but he stalked to the table and sat down. Draco poured him a cuppa.
"Where did you get that?" Potter asked, indicating the tea service.
"Kingsley allowed me to send for it. We had a lovely chat whilst you were out. Such a dear man, if a bit bull-headed and single-minded, and possibly a bit stiff and humourless. I wonder what his wife is like in bed. I'll bet she's not terribly adventurous. Have you traced the Polyjuice potion?"
Potter blinked at him and dropped a spoonful of sugar into his tea. "Yes. The potion was being supplied by a small shop in Knockturn Alley. When we got there, the place had been cleaned out. The owner didn't know much about the man who'd leased it from him. Turns out he'd given a false name and always paid him Galleons in person, never a bank transfer. We're still trying to track him down, but it's looking unlikely that we'll find him. Funny that his shop is gone. It's almost like someone tipped him off."
"Oh, pish. Criminal types frequently panic and pull up stakes. Although in his case, he was probably alerted the moment the Aurors showed up at Azkaban to ask questions about Fenrir. How is the tea?" Draco smiled innocuously. Draco hadn't tipped the man off; he had paid him off and relocated him to another city. Potions smugglers often had brilliantly useful networks. And he'd extracted a large amount of useful information from the man, some of which might even assist Draco's current cause.
Potter set down the cup and licked wetness from his upper lip. "It's good. Look, are you going to have anything useful for me at all?"
"Such impatience. Very well. Let's talk about Fenrir. People are creatures of habit and they don't like change. Often the best way to locate a criminal is to try and think like them. I assume they taught you this in Auror School, but since you've taken a sabbatical to shack up with Eddie Carmichael, perhaps you've forgotten." Potter scowled and opened his mouth to speak, but Draco held up an index finger. "Now, in Fenrir's case, suppose you were released from prison and given one simple mission to accomplish before being allowed to run free and do as you liked. Obviously, time is of the essence, so what do you do?"
"I… Well, we know he went back to New Forest and rounded up some of his old pack members."
"Yes. Fenrir, while clever, is not necessarily intelligent. He returned to a familiar location and surrounded himself with familiar people. What does this tell you?"
Potter's eyes widened. "That he might have taken to boy to one of his old haunts!" Potter leapt to his feet and ran for the door.
"You see, Potter? There is always time for tea."
The slamming door was Draco's only thanks.
~TBC~