Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
Chapter 14: Filling in the Blanks
Cardiff was wet and muggy and Harry hated it. He had been there most of the morning, helping the local aurors to narrow down possible sites for a death eater camp. He sipped his tea restlessly as he listened to the local head auror prattle on about cow farms and muggle hikers. Neither interested him in the slightest.
Finally, he set down his tea and rose. "I'm sorry, but I have another appointment in London this afternoon. I will return early next week to hear what else you have learned."
"Mr Potter, we still have so much to-"
Harry picked up his folder. "Thank you for all of your hard work. I have a hearing to attend and really cannot stay longer. Please give my apologies to your staff."
The man nodded nervously. "Yes, Sir. Of course. I shall have a report prepared for your arrival."
"Five sites," Harry said for at least the tenth time. "I want the five most likely sites and I want aurors to go over every inch of them."
"Yes, Sir. It will be done." The man showed Harry out and walked him to the floo.
Harry hated the floo. He tumbled out of it a bit ungracefully, earning a giggle from Parvati, who met him in the atrium. She helped him to his feet and said, "You're late, Harry. I've brought your folder, so go straight to the courtroom."
Harry gave her his folder on Scorpius and took the one on Narcissa. "Is Malfoy-"
"He arrived half an hour ago. Now hurry." He nodded to her and headed for the lift, which took far too long to reach Level 10 as the lunch hour crowd rushed in and out, stopping it at every level. By the time he got to Level 10, only two unspeakables remained with him in the lift. Neither acknowledged him and when the lift opened, they walked straight to the Department of Mysteries. Harry shuddered at his memories of the place.
He turned and hurried down the corridor to the courtroom, where a few members of the Wizengamot stared down at a woman in the center of the room. Narcissa Malfoy kept her chin up as she returned their stare, oblivious to her own unkempt hair and stained Azkaban robe. Draco, Harry noted, sat off to one side and fidgeted nervously.
A man in the robe of an Azkaban guard stood before Narcissa and ignored Harry as he continued his report to the Wizengamot. "... absolutely exemplary. Mrs Malfoy has not only behaved as a model prisoner, but has also assisted with other less agreeable prisoners. You have heard before how she calms her now rather deranged husband-" Harry saw Draco wince at the mention of his father and wondered why. "-but she has been assisting with the women as well, including a woman who only arrived three months ago, very pregnant and very panicked. She volunteered to share her cell with the woman, who had murdered her own husband in cold blood - perhaps you recall - and helped her through the remainder of her pregnancy, then comforted her when the infant was sent to its grandmother the night it was born.
"All of this she has done, not because of any orders or expectations, but because she chose to. Yet this woman, who has given so much, has never even met her own grandchild. She does not belong locked in a cell, but free to enjoy the rest of her life with what little family she has left. That is all."
The man fell silent and Harry looked at the assembled members, who whispered among themselves. One woman stood, a relative of Parvati, Harry thought. "Mr Potter, do you have anything to add?"
Harry stood as well. "Your honor, I think this gentleman has been quite thorough. I wish to add one more thing, though. Narcissa Malfoy was a death eater, but she committed few, if any, of the atrocities for which the death eaters were known. Yet you keep her incarcerated. I have been visited privately by many of the children of death eaters over the last few months and they have all told me the same thing: 'Do not reveal our names. Tell no one we spoke to you, because if you do, we will suffer and those who hurt us will go unpunished because no one cares about us,' they say. Is that the message you want to send to the families of death eaters, to the Notts and the Goyles and the Averys, who live and work and go to school in the wizarding world? How long will the stigma of fear and revulsion remain because of your actions and inactions? I look forward to the day when my child can walk hand in hand through Diagon Alley with the child of a death eater and not face condemnation.
"This woman saved my life, but that is not why I ask you to release her. I ask because she has earned her release and because releasing her will send a message to the wizarding world that we can and should forgive and that the former death eaters among us deserve just as much respect and consideration as anyone else. I ask you to release Narcissa Malfoy because it is the right thing to do."
"Mr Potter, you are aware that this hearing is a matter of public record?"
"I am."
"And you are aware that for ten years after her release Mrs Malfoy may not so much as touch a wand?"
"I am."
"And you are aware that her release would spark controversy that could have terrible repercussions across the wizarding world?"
"I am, and I welcome it. Such a controversy will generate discussion that will one day lead to dialogue and, God willing, to reconciliation, but the Ministry must take the first step."
"Very well. All in favor of releasing Mrs Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, please raise your hands." Harry counted the hands. Exactly half had gone up. He glanced at Draco, whose expression revealed nothing.
"All against," the woman continued. All of the remaining members except one raised their hands. Harry allowed himself to sit, but still could not relax.
"The Wizengamot is nearly evenly split, but there is a clear majority. Narcissa Malfoy is to be released!" The straps binding Narcissa immediately snapped and fell away.
For the first time since Harry's entrance, Narcissa turned to see her son and they shared small smiles. Draco stood slowly and waited at the edge of the arena for his mother to stand and join him. When she did, they embraced tightly and Harry saw tears in Draco's eyes. He turned away, feeling like an intruder, and left them clinging to each other in a silent reunion. Scorpius, he thought, should have been with them.
Harry did not return home until long after dinnertime, so he was surprised to find Lily playing with Legos in the living room when he arrived. "Welcome home, dad!" Lily greeted as she jumped up to hug him.
Harry returned the hug. "Why are you still awake, love? Where's your mum?"
"She's with Albus in his room. She said to tell you not to talk to him unless you have good news because he's really upset today."
Harry released Lily without another word and led her to Albus' bedroom, where they found Albus curled into a tight ball on his bed, his head in Ginny's lap. She was carding her fingers through his hair and speaking so quietly that Harry could not make out the words. She looked up as they entered and said, "He's been like this all day. How was the trial?"
"It went well. Narcissa was released and will be moving in with Draco at Malfoy Manor. They were very happy to be reunited, but I did not speak with them."
"Were there any qualifications?"
"Just standard procedures, though in this case I find them unnecessary. No wand for ten years, annual check-ins with aurors, probation for a few years, but nothing too serious. She can travel wherever she wants, stay with whomever she wants, and rely on Draco to perform any magic for her. Then, ten years from now, she will be completely free."
Albus finally lifted his head enough to look at his father. "Scorpius' grandmum's not in Azkaban anymore?"
Harry sat beside his son. "She went home with Draco this afternoon."
Albus sat up and rubbed his tearstained cheeks. "I have tell Scorpius. He doesn't know."
"Albus," Harry started, but before he could say more, Albus grabbed his wand, unclenched his left hand to reveal the coin, and pressed his wand to it. Harry and Ginny waited silently, ignoring Lily's demands to know what Albus was doing. Harry was slightly surprised that Albus had not mentioned the coin to her yet.
A couple minutes later, Albus looked up. "He's there. He said, 'I am not Scorpius.'"
Harry grimaced. "Ask him where he is."
Albus complied and read a moment later, "'They brought two muggles for target practice.'" Albus was halfway through raising his wand again when he lowered it and continued reading. As he read, the coin spun in his fingers and Harry realized he the message must be changing rapidly. "'They had Welsh accents, I think. They were from the village on the lake. The man was Blair. The woman was Glenna. I don't know if I spelled them right. They are dead now. The lake takes up half the valley. The muggles fish on it with noisy boats. The woman was from a dairy farm. I can smell the cattle some nights. I see a small dolmen on the nearest mountain. A goat path runs past it. The village church rings every midday.'" Albus stopped reading and took a deep breath.
"Is that all?" Ginny asked gently.
Albus read the coin again. "'I saw aurors last week. I have to go.' That's all. Is it enough, dad?"
Harry hugged him. "I hope so. I'll go back to Cardiff tomorrow."
Ginny touched Harry's hand. "If they saw the aurors, Harry, the children ..."
"I know. Let's hope they don't know why the aurors were there. Unfortunately, that means they are also well protected, but if we can locate the village, we still might find the camp, or catch the kidnappers coming and going." Harry kissed Albus' hair. "We'll find Scorpius, love."
Albus hugged him back, just as tightly.
~O~
5 September 2018
Scorpius,
I know it's really you. It has to be. Dad said the information you gave us should help a lot, but the wards covering the camp must be very strong if aurors were there and never saw it.
I'm so happy your grandmum is free. I begged dad to bring me to the trial, but he made me go to school instead. I went home early, though. I went to the infirmary after only one class and was crying so much that mum had to leave work to come get me. She brought me to St Mungo's and introduced me to dad's old girlfriend, Cho Miller (she married a muggle). Ms Miller said she's in charge of the program to help missing and kidnapped kids, so you'll meet her as soon as dad finds you. She's really nice, but I think she hates your dad. Now I have to see her twice a week for counseling, which is boring. Mum told her about the journals and I refused to talk to her at all after that. She wasn't happy that mum did that either. She said I should tell her things when I'm ready, not because someone forced me. But I'll never be ready, Scorpius, not until you come home again.
When you wrote earlier, it was really hard to read the words as fast as they appeared and I don't know if I got the names right, but dad said what I gave him should be enough. I think if we meet those two Ravenclaws again, we should ask if there is a way to link the coins and journals, or create new journals, so whatever we say on the coins is recorded, even if we can't read it fast enough or aren't there to read it. I can ask my aunt Hermione too. I'm sure she already knows everything - mum even complains that dad talks to her about their love life, which I do not want to think about - and she knows the Protean charm really well, so she might have some ideas.
Crying all day has made me tired and it's all your fault. Sleep well, Scorpius. I love you.
Albus
Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.