Chapter 25, ladies and gents. I'm currently working on improving some of the first chapters, I wasn't happy with. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.

Harry and Draco went down the halls in awkward silence. Harry wondered several times, if he should start a conversation, but the selection of topics, that wouldn't start an argument was slim.

As they walked, several people just stopped and stared.

Harry hated it, and looking at Draco, he seemed rather uncomfortable as well, but he supposed it was for separate reasons.

The Malfoy name, didn't carry the same reverence it did before. Now the Malfoy name was dragged through the mud. Malfoy senior, was currently in Azkaban, still awaiting trial, Narcissa was on house arrest, and Draco had been pardoned. Harry had testified at all three cases. That hadn't been a popular decision, but Harry wasn't known to do, what was popular. He always just tried to do, what was right.

The Weasleys hadn't taken it well. Ron was especially grumpy about it, but Harry didn't know if that was because he was just against Malfoy, or because Hermione had helped, and testified as well.

Now his thoughts went back to Hermione again. Did he even know her at all? She had kept this Nico-guy secret, but what about Malfoy? Did she have a secret friendship with him too? He certainly respected her enough, but did she really not know, that Malfoy kept her secret? In the end, Harry decided it didn't matter. She had saved them, and honestly, she had probably saved the wizarding world more than he had. He was just the guy to point the wand. She was the master mind, and she didn't want any of the glory. He could never hate her, or resent her.

Malfoy had it hard these days, most people sneered and insulted him. A far cry from the admiration he was met with before.

Now, however, seeing them together, people seemed to be in too much of a shock to either crowd Harry with compliments, or spit insults at Draco.

'At least there's that' Harry thought.

When reaching the archives, they weren't even stopped at the door, because the guard was in a stupor.

"We should have brought you with us, when we broke into the ministry. It would have been a lot easier, if people had reacted like that." Harry remarked.

"But the rest would have been a lot more complicated." Draco said under his breath.

Harry looked at him from the corner of his eye. Maybe the guy really had changed. Maybe they all had. Or maybe, none of them had.

…

The archive was huge. It was almost as big as the Hall of Prophecies. Shelves upon shelves held books and scrolls. Harry even saw a big boulder with carved runes, standing in a corner.

Along the wall, a row of desks stood. By silent agreement they went and sat at one. Draco pulled out a piece of parchment.

"We need a strategy for this. There are too many variables as it is." He said.

"You're right. Do you think it could be a pureblood, who had an affair and tried to hide it?"

"Not likely. If a pureblood woman had a crazy powerful baby, with a god, no less, the entire world would know, trust me."

"But this would have been the height of the war. Voldemort might have seen the baby as a threat."

Draco flinched a little at the mention of the name that had been forbidden for a very long time.

"Still. Pureblood women are under a lot of surveillance. Not so much anymore, but the pureblood community has always been old fashioned, and especially back then, women were heavily guarded

"That's barbaric! You kept your women imprisoned? That's horrible!"

He laughed bitterly "Don't be naïve. It was better for them, than the alternative. As I said, pureblood society was old fashioned. Carrying on the name, keeping the blood pure. Everyone wanted boys. Problem was, that they were running out of pureblood girls. Sometimes, the parents would arrange a marriage contract, but it wasn't infrequent, that a pureblood supremacist father, would kidnap a girl for his son. She would then be raped, until she fell pregnant, producing an heir for the family, and making her unfit for another marriage. Bellatrix wasn't always crazy, you know. She lost that baby, and she lost her sanity along with it."

Harry had to fight hard not to vomit. He had thought it impossible to feel sympathy for Bellatrix Lestrange.

"That's horrible" He managed to choke out.

"Horrible for the man as well. As far as I understood, Rodolphus had actually loved Bellatrix, but he was forced by his father, himself."

"But they're not doing that, anymore, right?"

"We're fighting against it. Most of the fathers, that would force their sons, are in Azkaban now. Theo, for instance was saved by the bell. They found out his father had plans to kidnap Pansy. The Parkinsons had rejected a marriage contract, hoping to get an agreement in place with my father." Draco shuddered.

"But it's like, like they're selling cattle. No offence."

"None taken. Just, not anymore. The ones that would do it are in prison now, and some of the others and me, are putting together a suggestion to a law, banning all arranged marriages." He smiled proudly.

"Good for you, man! That's amazing."

"Thanks." Draco said, softly. "Anyway, back to topic. As stated before, it is highly unlikely, that it's from the darker side of the pureblood population. Most likely, we're looking at a witch, who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix or had a connection to them. They would be the most hunted ones. After that, we can begin to look at muggleborns."

Harry looked at Draco, slightly in awe.

"There's a large photo mounted on the wall of the Hall of Memories"

…

The Hall of Memories was a place, dedicated to the Wizarding War. It was stocked with photos, and items from both sides of the wars, stretching twenty years back.

Harry hated it there. For him, it felt too soon, but looking at this photo, always made it worth coming.

"I know that two women, in the Order of the Phoenix died, during the first war. Dorcas Meadowes-" He pointed at the photo.

"Too old" Draco interrupted.

"And Marlene… Mckinnon." Harry didn't even need to point. There was absolutely no doubt. Her hair was blonde, but other than that, it might as well have been Hermione on that photo. He didn't understand how he hadn't noticed before. He must have looked at that photo a hundred times, but had never seen it. Probably because he had been too distracted looking at all the people he had known personally and lost.

"We still need to confirm it. Is there anyone alive, who knew her back then?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know. Maybe the Weasleys. Molly probably."

Draco nodded with a wry smile "I should probably let you handle that then. Is there any paperwork, from the adoption, I can take a look at?"

"I doubt it. Not without an actual criminal investigation, and giving the muggle police a proper cause."

Draco sat, thinking a little on that.

"Didn't you just have a manhunt, with Hermione Grangers face plastered all over the muggle news?"

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Did you remember to cancel that with the muggle police?" He smirked.

Suddenly, Harry could appreciate the cunning of a Slytherin.