A/N: Hello everyone, I don't have a whole lot to say other than polls still open, so I just want to thank you for all of the support. We've reached 400 followers, that is amazing just to imagine. We also have reached 150 reviews! I appreciate all of your feedback, it always helps. Thank you so much! Now without further ado, on with the story!
Harry vanished in the flames, disappearing out of Amelia's office. He reappeared in the room of requirement fireplace which they had recently discovered could double as a private floo. Stepping out of the fire, he saw the group scattered around the room all doing different things. Tracey and Daphne were on the couch talking, Hermione and Neville were in the library part of the room looking through books, and Luna was reading a copy of the Quibbler from her spot of the floor.
After stepping out of the flames, Harry headed straight over to the other half of this section of the room where the research table was. His movement though had drawn the attention of Tracey as well as Daphne. Sharing a look they stood from the couch and followed right behind Harry.
Once Harry reached the table, he went to the other side of it and sat in one of the chairs. Picking up some of the papers, he began going through some of the research. Hearing the clearing of a throat, he looked up and set the papers down. Sitting on the other side of the table, across from him was Tracey and Daphne and it looked like they wanted answers, at least one of them did. Sighing but seeing no other choice, Harry gestured from them to ask there questions.
"What did you mean earlier when you said that magic could tell when you lied?" Daphne asked not hesitating to get the answers she wanted.
"Our magic didn't recognize our split because it was based on a lie. While magic may not be able to understand why I lied or the purpose of it, it could tell. It's kinda of an oath, you do it and if you're lying you could lose you magic, because magic can tell. I guess it only really effects something when it's binding magic though. It's hard to explain." Harry tried.
"And what exactly was this lie you told?" Daphne inquired.
"When I told you I couldn't love you, that was a lie." He answered seeing no point in lying.
"Why would you lie about that?" She asked carefully.
"Because I already do. And it never ends well for that person. Almost all of them are dead. So, I pushed you away. To keep you safe." Harry explained.
"That wasn't your choice." Daphne stated firmly.
"Doesn't matter because I made it. I wanted to keep you safe." He stressed.
"You had no right." Daphne's blue eyes turned as cold as ice. She was clearly pissed.
"Look Daphne, I know you're upset at him but his heart was in the right place. He was trying to keep you safe." Tracey defended.
"Yeah and look where it almost got me! Almost trapped in a marriage! I don't care what he meant to do, I care about what he did. He took my life into his hands and made a choice I should've made!" She fumed now standing. She left her seat and paced the length of the table. Their conversation was now drawing the attention of the others.
"Daphne, you have to be able to see this from Harry's point of view." Hermione interjected as she and Neville joined them standing around the research table.
"Why? Huh? He couldn't see it from my point of view!" Daphne snapped.
"BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF PEOPLE I LOVE DYING BECAUSE OF ME!" Harry exploded, shooting up from his seat. "I am sick and tired of watching people drop like flies just because they are close to me. So I'm sorry I didn't take your vote into account but I am not sorry I made an effort to save you." He snapped.
"You let Hermione and Neville and Luna all be friends with you and help you. And you love them too! So it's not fair that you can't give me the same treatment!" She shot back.
"Nothing's fair! You should've learned that a long time ago! What was fair about what almost happened to you today? Huh? Nothing!" He countered. "And you're right, I love them but it's different. They are my best friends! I know full well that no matter what I couldn't get by without them! They are apart of this team and have been since the beginning." He argued. Barely seconds after he said the last word he was throw backwards into the wall behind him. As soon as he hit the wall, Hermione and Neville were hurrying towards him.
Falling to the ground, Harry landed on all one knee and one hand. "What the hell?" He shouted turning his head in her direction and looking at her. Her wand was out of but rather than still pointed at him, it was down at her side. Standing he brushed off Hermione's and Neville worried looks.
"I don't want to be seen differently! I should be treated the same as any of them!" She exclaimed.
"So you blast me into a wall?" He retorted incredulously.
"Got your attention didn't it?" She remarked. Hermione and Neville exchanged looks behind Harry's head before also exchanging a look with Tracey. They all knew this wasn't going to be good, and it wasn't going in a good direction.
"What are you really mad about huh? The fact that I made a decision for you or the fact that I don't treat you the same?" Harry taunted. Hermione, Neville and Tracey all could see what the two were doing. They were trying to hurt one another however they could.
"I'm mad about the fact that I almost had my life signed away today, BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR NEED TO BE THE HERO!" She screamed at him, clearly done with the subtle aggression though there was never really anything subtle about it. Hermione, Neville and even Tracey could see that her mistake before it happened. Harry's emerald eyes flashed with power and looked like the iris was pure green fire.
"Let's get one thing straight, if you think that of me or even think for a second that, that is why I'm doing all this then you don't know me. So don't judge my choices when you don't even understand why I make them." He warned, and the whole group could hear the edge in his voice. Having enough, Harry moved towards the door and left the room.
The fight had changed the atmosphere of the room. It was tense and nobody spoke in fear of setting of another temper.
Harry stormed down the hall, not really bothering to pay attention to where he was going until he slammed straight into another person, sending them to the ground.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you hur-?" Harry started once he extended his arm to pull the other person up and stopped suddenly once he realized who it was. He completely let go of the other person's arm and let them fall back down to the ground.
"Is that how you treat your best friend, mate?" Ron questioned as stood and brushed himself off.
"No." Harry answered flatly, not in the mood.
"Then why'd you let me drop?" Ron teased clearly not noticing Harry's mood.
"Just so you know, I'm not in the mood today Weasel. So I'd be grateful if you could just leave me alone." Harry put simply but forcefully.
"Look Harry, I don't know what the snakes have been doing to you but I can help. Just come with me to Dumbledor-." Ron started.
"Enough! I'm done. You think you're my friend, well newsflash you're not. I don't want anything to do with you, so if you know what's good for you, stay out of my life." Harry interrupted Ronald mid sentence before sending him a warning glare and continuing down the hall not even bothering to let him have another word.
Harry continued on his way until he reached the entrance to the castle, checking to ensure no one was watching him. He exited it and made his way to the gates. Reaching the edge of the grounds, Harry crossed the line and disapparated.
Unbeknownst to Harry, someone had saw him leaving the castle. The person smirked, and turned around before making their way through the corridors of the castle.
Harry had reappeared outside the phone booth entrance to the Ministry. Stepping inside, Harry punched in the code and waited. The booth then sent him down, where he entered the reception. Going through the process, Harry eventually was on his way to his destination, the Director of the DMLE's office.
On his way, Harry stopped once he was just outside the department. Checking around him, he took out his invisibility cloak and threw it over himself, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Now with the cloak on, Harry continued into the Department, in search of the directors office. Finding it, he spotted a few things. One, the assistant wasn't at her desk and two, the door to the directors office was open and he wasn't there.
Thanking his luck, Harry entered the office and eased the door shut behind him. Taking off the cloak, he began his search. Rounding the desk, he sifted through papers and files, went through drawers and filing cabinets. One of the cabinets was facing the door, so with his back to the door, he didn't notice until it was too late.
The door opened and in came Amelia with a file. Harry had a file in his hand and whipped around when he heard a door closing.
Seeing Amelia, he went through the list of plausible excuses in his head. "It's not what it looks like." Was what he wound of saying. Amelia's eye brows raised and she had a slight frown on her face.
"Harry, what are you doing here?" She asked calmly.
Sighing, seeing no choice. "Looking for Malfoy's file." He answered. "Found it." He added jokingly holding up the file in his hand that he was sifting through when she came in.
"Why are you looking for his file in the first place?" She inquired.
"I think you know why." He answer vaguely.
"If it's why I think it is, we've already talked about this, do you really think you can trust him?" She asked concerned as she walked over to the desk that he wasn't far from.
"Hmph no. I don't but you gotta take a risk every now and then, right?" Harry remarked.
"Yes a risk maybe but not a one like this. There are too many variables here. It's more than a risk. It's a shot in the dark."
"But it's a shot I have to take. He has answers that I need."
"No Harry, he has answers you want." She corrected, while putting the file she had in her hand down on the table and opening it.
"Maybe so, to you. To me, I need them. And I don't trust him and I know he sure as hell won't trust me. But maybe that's the upside, we both have to much to lose and enough to gain."
"Harry, when I first told you of the possibility of one of them being alive, I hadn't told you for you to do this. I believed you should been aware but not so you could go do something stupid." Amelia stated firmly.
"Amelia, you knew when you told me, that if there was even the possibility of it that I would walk through hell just to know for sure. You know enough about me to know that, yet you still told me."
"Maybe that was a mistake." She retorted.
"You want to know just as much as I do. But unlike you, I can do something. I don't have to play by the rules. And trust me I don't plan to." He assured.
"Do you ever?"
"Not lately." He grinned.
"I'm not saying I agree. But if I turned a blind eye, just make sure you make this is worth it." She told him before leaving the office, leaving the file she brought in on the desk.
Lowering his eyes to it, Harry moved over to the desk and glanced at the file.
Interrogation with Sam Travis – Death Eater
The title of the file was labeled. Eyes widening, Harry put the pieces together. She know he was here and brought the file for him to see. Shaking his head, Harry took out his wand and cast a duplication spell on the file as well on Draco's file. Putting his wand away, he returned the original Malfoy file to its spot in the cabinet.
Shrinking the duplicates, Harry put them in the inside of his leather jacket pocket before taking his cloak back out, and picking up the original file and leaving the office.
Making his way through the Ministry, Harry eventually made it to the Ministers office. Taking off the cloak before rounding the last corner, he went straight into the office. He threw the file on Amelia's desk.
"Thanks." He said to the empty room before continuing straight to the floo, and disappearing into the flames.
Barely a second after his foot cleared the floo, the door opened and Amelia walked in. Seeing the file on her desk, she looked at the file place that a still lit in green flames.
"Good luck kid." She said smiling to the empty room. Turning back to her desk, she rounded it and sat in the chair before picking up the interrogation file and reading for what had to be the twentieth time.
Coming to a decision, Amelia stood and went over to her fireplace before making a floo call.
A/N: Hello everyone, so some of the things in this chapter are very foreshadowing and you can see there are gaps between what you've read and what this chapter says, there will be flashbacks that fill in those gaps. I think this arc is going to be an interesting one. I hope you agree. Please don't be too mad at me for bringing Draco back in. I think his character is more than what meets the eye. Hope you enjoyed and happy reading! Until next time! -DS