Chapter 3: 1 August 2010

The forty-eight hour mark passed, and still McLaggen held firm that the DMLE would not be getting involved in a search for Harry Potter. Draco, however, had been out since Theo had contacted him. Though they had only recently heard from him. The single message was from an owl that dropped a piece of parchment with one line written that went up in flames after Theo had read it.

Yours, tonight at 5.

It had been unsigned, but Theo knew Draco's handwriting well enough to recognize it.

Hermione had hardly left their bed after they'd left the Ministry the day before. Their kids all joined her at various points, all huddled in the oversized bed sleeping with their mother or watching movies. The kids had picked up on the tensions in the house, and the older three had begun being more forceful in their questioning of their father's whereabouts.

Theo, unlike his wife, had locked himself away in his office, throwing himself into his work. Hermione had flown into such a state after Theo had left to visit Draco that Theo hadn't dared try leaving the house again. Instead, Theo had hardly left his office, even going as far as to have Nanny bring his meals there.

Occasionally he'd gone to check on his wife and children, but the emotional support they needed wasn't his forte. That'd always been Harry's specialty, Theo being a bit stunted when it came to mental health and how to deal with feelings. It's not as if he'd had good role models for either growing up.

"Master Draco is here," Nanny's voice pulled Theo from his thoughts he'd been lost in. He didn't even look up towards the house elf, continuing on his calculations instead. When Theo said nothing, he heard the elf clear her throat before walking away.

Nanny had been with Theo his whole life and was aware of his habits. Even as a boy, he'd thrown himself into his studies when his father went on a particularly bad violent streak. She knew it was best to let Theo come around in his own time, though his husband's mysterious disappearance was uncharted territory.

Pulling himself away from his computer after another twenty minutes, Theo trudged his way to the Black Library where he found Hermione with Draco seated across from each other. Sitting near the fireplace was Ginny with her husband and wife, Blaise and Luna. It made sense that James's mother and that side of his family would be here.

Harry and Ginny had married right after the war when they were eighteen and nineteen due to Ginny being pregnant, however, their divorce had been amicable. There were no hard feelings between the ex's, they both realised that they'd been young and impulsive with their choices. The pressure of the world wanting its 'happily ever after' had also played a role in their rushed nuptials.

It was around James's second birthday when the couple split. Hermione and Theo had already been dating for a year at that point and were living together. When Harry came knocking asking if he could stay with them for a short time, he'd been warmly welcomed and then never left.

Ginny moved on in a similar fashion. She began dating Blaise during the separation, and Luna being Luna had just appeared one day declaring they were all meant to be together. As it was, their triad had no other children besides James, whereas Theo, Harry, and Hermione had continued having children. Even though the three younger Potter children were not related in any fashion to the Zabini family, they still played a huge role in their lives.

"Nice of you to join us," Draco clipped as Theo settled into his seat next to Hermione. Theo scowled at the blonde who was taking a drag of a cigarette, but said nothing in return.

"What did you find?" Hermione asked, cutting straight to the chase. Theo observed his wife from the corner of his eye. She'd already begun losing weight and the dark circles under her eyes were prominent. Theo made a mental note to pick up some dreamless sleep for his wife as he turned his attention back to Draco.

"You said Potter took the same running path every day, yeah? Same time and everything?" He asked, looking at Hermione.

"Yes, Harry is a creature of habit. He thrives with routine." She answered, sitting up a bit straighter and leaning towards Draco, hungry for the information he had.

"That's what I was afraid of," Draco mumbled, pulling a sack from his pocket. "I'm concerned someone could have been following him. The Wizarding World's former Chosen One being extremely predictable like that, it would have been easy enough for his route to be watched."

"What else have you found?" Luna asked, the dreamy look that she normally had gone. "Was someone watching him?"

"I'm not sure, I've been out walking the trail since Theo came to my house. The only thing I was able to find on his path though were these." Draco said, pulling a pair of round framed glasses from the sack. Both Ginny and Hermione had the same reaction, a gasp before they leaned into their husbands as they sobbed.

One of the lenses was broken, but it was unmistakable. Those were Harry's glasses.