Whoever is reading this, I hope you like it! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
I do not own Harry Potter, and I thank the Harry Potter wikia (which I do not own or contribute to) for the information on Wandlore, character backgrounds (just to be sure), and Ministry Departments.
Two weeks ago…
"Honestly, Harry! Can't you ever go on a mission that doesn't risk injury?" asked a frustrated Hermione as she added a few drops of essence of dittany onto a big gash on Harry's right forearm. He was called to apprehend and interrogate several dark wizards who were suspected of starting another uprising. Unsurprisingly, the mission was a success.
"Ah! Come on Mione, it's not like I got this from a battle," winced Harry. One more drop and the wound would be closed up in no time. After the job was done, Hermione closed the bottle and looked at Harry with an indignant expression.
"Oh? And how exactly did you get this wound?"
"I…uh…splinched myself." Harry muttered, looking anywhere but Hermione's eyes. Silence overcame the two. When Harry risked looking at the witch before him, he immediately felt a sharp pain on his forehead. Hermione had hit him with a book…a very thick one at that. It was foolish of Harry to forget that his friend would always have a book with her. Oh well, better a book to the head than a jinx thrown his way. Knowing Hermione, her jinx would last a very long time.
"You're almost as bad as Ron! I thought you'd mastered Apparition!"
"Excuse me? But what did I do?"
The two former Gryffindors turned to the doorway to see a very familiar face. Ron Weasley stood at the doorway, having an expression of mock hurt.
"You know I don't mean it like that. Apparently, Harry here splinched himself." Hermione huffed as she put away her bottle of essence of dittany back into her purple beaded bag. In their line of work, you'd never know when an urgent mission may occur. It was best to be prepared and to be able to travel as light as possible (that's what Extension Charms were for).
Ron just stared at his long time best friend and broke into a grin. "Blimey mate. Already rusty?" He ducked just in time before a paper weight collided with his head. It was made of oak, so no harm done…to the weight, that is. Ron's grin never faltered.
"I am not rusty Weasley." Harry retorted calmly as he retracted his hand. With a flick of his wand, he summoned the paper weight back onto his desk. "I've just been distracted lately."
"Right," Ron drawled out. "Anyway, you can't afford to be distracted on this one. Same goes for you Mione, but I'm sure that won't be a problem." Hermione rolled her eyes jokingly, but soon became serious.
"Why? Is there another mission?"
Ron nodded. "Kingsley wants us to meet with him. He didn't say for what, but by the tone of his voice, it seems important." The two nodded in understanding and got up and left immediately. The three made their way to the elevators, greeting familiar faces as they walked by. Once inside, the three rested in a comfortable silence.
It's been three years since Voldemort's defeat. In 1998, almost all of the seventh years had remained in Hogwarts to repeat their last year. The Golden Trio was no exception. Many thought it best to give a proper goodbye to their second home; it didn't feel right to leave when the castle was in ruins. They would leave Hogwarts just as when they first entered it: intact and with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Two years after their graduation, the trio had been working for the Ministry under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Compared to the previous seven years, the magical world was somewhat at peace. Of course, there were still a few dark wizards here and there, but nothing the Ministry couldn't handle. As the three stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the Minister of Magic's office, they were met with a familiar (and shocking, but unwanted) pale face.
"Huh, well if it isn't the 'Golden Trio'. I see you're still together after all these years."
"Malfoy? Just what in the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ron shouted. It sounded more like an accusation rather than a question.
"I was ordered to come here Weasel, what else does it look like?" drawled Draco. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other in one of the waiting chairs outside of the office. He glanced over at the three but his gaze seemed to rest a little longer on one of them. "Kingsley is currently having a meeting with mother and father concerning information on the remaining Death Eaters who eluded capture. With the psychotic snake finally gone, father is more than willing to provide information. It's going to take a while, so I suggest you lot take a seat, preferably away from me."
"That's a load of bull. You're father's a bloody cowa―"
"Ronald!" Hermione snapped. Three pairs of eyes locked onto her, all widened in surprise. "Although what Lucius Malfoy had done was far from noble, and possibly unforgivable, I'm sure he did it for the sake of his family. I mean, all three of them only followed Voldemort just to keep each other safe."
"Hermione," Harry started. "You don't actually forgive them, do you?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing! As Ron was about to say, before he was interrupted by Hermione, Lucius was indeed a coward. All of his actions were only in favor of whichever side seemed more powerful or would have a greater chance of winning. He went in hiding when Voldemort was defeated during the first Wizarding War, shrunk back to the snake's side once he was revived, and went to the Light side by the time he realized Voldemort would lose.
For Draco, oh where to start? True, if he wasn't such a bloody prejudiced git, he and Harry could have been friends. Their first meeting in Madam Malkin's showed only a small portion of how prejudiced the little ferret could be, but the second meeting on the Hogwarts Express (and the years to follow) drew a very thick line between them. Malfoy had openly criticized almost every little thing the trio did, constantly flaunted his wealth, called Hermione a mudblood on more than one occasion, insulted the Gryffindors, almost got Hagrid fired because of the incident with Buckbeak, worked with Umbridge, and aided in Dumbledore's death (although he was slowly dying during that time).
As for Narcissa, well, Harry didn't know what to think of her. Out of the three Malfoys, she seemed to be the bravest. She lied to Voldemort about Harry's death; but then again, it wasn't because she wanted to help the Light side. When it came to Narcissa, she never really took sides, or perhaps, she only did what she had to do for her family. Once Draco was threatened and brought into the world of Death Eaters, that's when she drew the line. Perhaps lying to Voldemort was payback for endangering her son. Although slightly twisted in a way, Harry was able to understand the lengths a mother would go through to save her child. He's seen it in his mother and in Molly Weasley. Therefore, he decided to let his opinion of Narcissa slide.
"Don't get me wrong," Hermione said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I just refuse to hold a grudge. The Malfoys were Voldemort's followers, but at least they're trying, albeit with twisted intentions," Draco coughed at that, "to help the Ministry in capturing the other Death Eaters. Anyway, as Kingsley said, prejudice is what started the two wars in the first place. The war is over now. I don't see why we can't start anew, or at least act civil towards one another." The three young men stared at her for a moment. Harry and Ron looked away and decided that Hermione was right, as usual. They would at least be civil with the ferret.
"…Thank you, Granger." The trio turned their heads sharply to Malfoy. Malfoy…as in Draco Malfoy, had actually said 'thank you', and to Hermione of all people, no less. "You're not so bad for a mud―" Draco cleared his throat quickly. "For a muggleborn."
"Ah…You're welcome, Malfoy. And…thank you as well." Hermione looked sideways. Silence overcame the four once again, but the atmosphere was a bit more tense. There were three seats on each opposing wall outside the Minister's office. Harry, Hermione, and Ron took the seats opposite of Malfoy, with Ron sitting directly across from him. Harry decided for all their sakes to break the silence.
"So it says in the Prophet that you're in an arranged marriage with Daphne Greengrass' younger sister…er, Astoria, was it?"
Draco visibly winced. "Ugh, you actually read that Skeeter woman's trash articles, Potter?"
"If Skeeter has your name on her weekly articles of 'Eligible Wizard Bachelors Galore', then wouldn't you read it as well? Just to see what rubbish she lives off of and use her picture for target practice later." Harry seethed out. Ron was glaring down the hallway while fingering his wand. Perhaps Kingsley would allow him to do a short practice before they set out on whatever mission they were to be given? Hermione tried to stifle a giggle with her right hand. She couldn't help but find it amusing that both of her best friends were pasting Skeeter's face onto a training dummy once every week and throwing curses at it. Malfoy took one look at the two men in front of him and smirked.
"And I thought I was the only one who did that. Anyway, it's only an arranged marriage. I can call it off if I want. Mother doesn't care much about 'pureblood marriages' anymore. She even made father come to terms with that idea. It's not like there are any real purebloods these days. So long as I'm happy and choose a decent witch, they'll be satisfied as well." Malfoy uncrossed his legs and sat in a more comfortable position, then crossed his arms over his chest.
"So I take it the two of you are also some of Skeeter's victims? If I remember correctly, Potter, you seemed to be hitting it off well with the Weaselette during our last year at Hogwarts," he said with a smirk. He turned to Ron with an amused face. "And you, Weasley, seemed quite comfortable with Granger." All three tensed up a bit. Draco continued, "Almost all of what Skeeter writes is rubbish, but her list of 'eligible wizard bachelors' is accurate. So did Weaselette dump you Potter?"
"And I should tell you, why exactly?"
"I told you my story, didn't I? Anyway, I honestly don't care. I'm just finding a way to pass the time. Unless you have any other ideas?"
"…Fair enough." Harry sighed. "She didn't dump me…well, not exactly. We decided that there wasn't really much to our relationship. I mean, yeah, it was great while it lasted, but Ginny said I was becoming too protective of her. She said I was acting more like an…" Harry coughed out. "Like an older brother." Ginny was right, though, and it took Harry a few weeks to realize it. The breakup wasn't that painful, but it was a rather large blow to his pride.
"Ouch." Draco raised his brow. He turned to Ron and Hermione, expecting an answer, but saying nothing. Ron and Hermione locked eyes, then Hermione gave a sigh and answered for the both of them.
"I suppose you could say it's similar to Harry's case. Ron and I did like each other romantically at one point, but it became awkward later on. I suppose that after being friends for so long, we felt more like siblings. Especially with how we argue a lot about trivial matters."
"At least now, things are the way they were. We can actually bicker without having to worry about it straining our relationship." Ron grinned in Hermione's direction; the grin was gladly returned. He turned to Harry and continued, "And Harry is still our nanny." Appalled by the idea, Harry gave a smack to the back of Ron's head, though it was more of in mock anger.
"Hm, well aren't we quite the quartet?" Draco smirked. "We've all been through messed up times and had…not-so-great relationships. After all these years, who would've thought that we would actually be civil with one another? Well to a degree, I suppose. Must be the war, eh?"
"Yeah, put us through another wizarding war and the four of us would be the best of friends in no time." Harry added. All four young adults exchanged looks and broke into a comfortable laughter. It was at that moment that the Minister and the Malfoy heads came out of the office. Needless to say, a total of three questioning eyebrows were raised. Lucius Malfoy looked at the four young adults before him and gave a tap of his cane. The four immediately stopped and turned their heads to the Malfoy patriarch.
"Well, it seems as if you're all…comfortable. Draco," he turned to his only son. "Your mother and I will be leaving now." Draco nodded curtly in response to his father. Lucius took one last look at the four and turned on his heel, a slight upward twitch present on one corner of his mouth.
Narcissa looked to the trio and nodded politely. If one were able to interpret any action, they would've thought that that nod said, 'Please watch over my Draco'. If one weren't so keen, then it would probably just be a nod in acknowledgment. The matriarch stepped toward her son and gave a small hug and a motherly smile. "Take care darling. We'll see you when you get back." With all said and done, Narcissa left the group and walked to where her husband waited near the elevators. Kingsley then called the four to his attention.
"It seems that you four are starting to get along. That's good." The Minister's mood turned serious. "The four of you, in my office, now." They stood up promptly and did as they were told. There were two leather seats each on either side of the front of Kingsley's desk. Hermione and Harry took the seats on the left, while Draco and Ron took the seats on the right. Kingsley took his seat and turned to the fireplace right behind him, so that the four had a side view of their Minister. He closed his eyes and laced his fingers together, most likely trying to relieve a bit of stress. He opened his closed lids and turned slightly to look at them through the corner of his dark eyes. "What do you know of wandlore?"
All eyes turned to Hermione. Some things never change. "Wandlore is an ancient, complex, and mysterious branch of magic that deals with the history, abilities, and actions of wands. The three basic components in creating a wand are its type of wand wood, its magical core, and its length; although, there are instances when the rigidity of the wand may be considered. The process of creating a wand is more complicated than it seems. You can't just encase a magical core within a stick of wood and expect it to work properly. The core is important, but the wand wood must have magical properties or must be strong enough to sustain the magical power held within. Wandmakers are the ones who know the process but even the best say that there is much to wandlore that even they can't comprehend.
"The wand itself is a quasi-sentient magical tool that is used by wizards and witches to channel their magical powers to cast spells. They're referred to as "quasi-sentient" because they are as close to animate as an inanimate object can get. Wandless magic is possible, but it takes much skill and concentration. Only truly advanced wizards can do such magic."
"Hold up Hermione, there are children who are able to do wandless magic. I mean, we all used to do it when we were young," interrupted Harry.
"Well, yes, but we didn't have much control over it, now did we? The results of our magic from before were based on our emotions. Whenever we were angry or frightened, we would concentrate hard on our wish or desire to do something about the situation at that moment. But as I said, we didn't have much control over it."
Harry thought on it and realized that it was true. The time when he ran away from the bullies and somehow got himself on the school roof, all he thought about was getting away. He hated the haircuts that Aunt Petunia gave him and just wished his hair would grow back as soon as possible. The hideous sweater that he was almost forced to wear shrunk because he hated the idea of wearing it. But he never thought about it shrinking, he just wanted something to happen so he couldn't wear it. The vanishing glass in the reptile room and Marge's inflated flight all happened when he was angry. Indeed, he had no control. He wanted something…anything to happen that would be in his favor, even if it was just for a moment.
"How'd you know so much about wandlore, Mione?" Ron asked.
"I read Ronald. Those are only the basics though."
Kingsley nodded his head and turned so that he could face the four properly. He rested his chin above laced fingers and propped his elbows on the desk for support. "With full control, 'only truly advanced wizards can do such magic'," Kingsley repeated. "Reports say that there's a child able to do wandless magic, but it seems that the child does carry a wand."
"What's your point?" Draco asked. "As Granger said, we're all able to do wandless magic at some point. What's so different about this brat that's got the Ministry so worked up about?"
Kingsley closed his eyes yet again. He breathed out deeply through his nose and clenched his hands. "Magic is deep, as is people's thoughts, desires, dreams…and their very being. There are many things that, no matter how experienced we are, we don't understand. With the previous war, you four have encountered very dark magic. However, there are other forms of magic in this world that may not be so dark, but can be just as cruel. The reason why the Ministry is so worked up about this case, Mr. Malfoy, is because," Kingsley let out another deep breath. "Rumor has it that the wand...is embedded into the child's hands. You four must find that child, and bring him or her here."
All four were shocked. Harry regained his composure and asked, "There's another reason, isn't there? Besides the Ministry's curiousity on how that's possible and whether or not the rumor is true, is someone after the child?"
"Mr. Potter, I do not know. But I don't want to find out when it's too late."
"Any leads, Kingsl―Minister?" Ron asked.
"Based on the rumors the child is known to have dark brown curly hair and green eyes. He or she is probably around ten or eleven years of age. The area appears to be in the countryside, but near a wizarding village north of here."
"Not much to get out of that, is there? This could be any child within that area."
"I'm sorry Ms. Granger, but that's all our informants have gathered. This could very well be a hoax, but it is something that's caught our attention. You may all go now. You needn't lie low, but if someone truly is after the child, be prepared and pack whatever you think is necessary or would be of much help. Finish this as soon as you can."
"Yes, Minister." All four said in unison as they stood to leave the office. Once outside the doors and into the elevator, Harry gave the first orders.
"Alright, pack whatever you need and what you think might come in handy. We'll meet in my office in thirty minutes." The elevator came to a halt. As the doors slid open, Malfoy stepped out. He turned his head and smirked at Harry.
"Who made you the leader, Potter?" The door closed before Harry could come up with a witty comeback.
"Mione, Ron? Tell me it's just like old times, when the three of us would go on yet another mission together."
Hermione placed a hand gently on his shoulder and gave a soft smile. "It's just like old times."
Ron clapped him on the back. "But this time, the ferret's with us."
"…I hope Kingsley is sure of what he's doing." Harry groaned.
Personally, I feel something might be lacking, just not sure what. It's hard to make Draco a bit more civil! Same goes for Narcissa and Lucius. I tried my best on each of the characters, so I'm sorry if some of them are a bit OOC. If you have any advice, or just want to comment, please review!