The days went by and everyone was getting impatient. Harry worked in the store with George, the two of them taking their minds off each other once or twice a day, but the inventor was increasingly distant with him the rest of the time. This situation worried the younger man when he thought about it, but his mind was much more on the vampire he was trying to find. Percy spent all his spare time searching the Ministry's archives, sometimes with the help of Hermione or his father. Kingsley had already sent several owls to explain that his research was taking longer than he had imagined when they first met, but that he was continuing to carry it out. The Cullens were taking it easy, renovating the square, going down the side road, mostly with Ron, to explore the shelves of the small bookshop or go to the blood bank. Carlisle had a feeling they were going to need a good supply for Jasper.
Finally, three weeks after the arrival of vampires in wizarding life, Harry received the letter they'd been waiting for, from Kingsley, offering him an appointment to see if the vampire locked up in the Department of Mysteries was Jasper. He had to take it upon himself to wait for the store to close and make his way to the square.
Here, he paused as he emerged from the living room fireplace. The previously grim and dusty room was clean, uncluttered and bright. Gone were the musty carpets, decrepit tapestries, heavy velvet curtains, old-fashioned furniture and sickening decor. The floor, windows and ceiling had been cleaned, restoring the shine to the parquet, the transparency to the windows and the white tone to the ceiling. The walls had been repainted in an off-white and the top meter had been enhanced with mirrors that helped the room's natural lighting. The chandeliers on the walls and ceiling had been cleaned and diffused a warm, subdued light. New sofas and armchairs dressed the space tastefully around a modern coffee table, and the piano had been cleaned and repaired.
Harry stood speechless until Esmée entered the room.
"Harry, I hope you like the changes.¨
¨Are you kidding? They're great. Thank you for going through all this trouble.¨
¨It's nothing, really, just a little thank-you for what you're doing for us."
Despite his protest, Harry could see that his sincere compliment had pleased the vampire. He would have gone to visit the rest of the house with her, but he wasn't here for that, and the rest of the Cullen family joined them.
"Kingsley has written to me, two of you are to come with me to the Ministry tomorrow to meet the vampire there and identify him.¨
¨That's good news, Harry," declared Carlisle.
It was soon decided that the doctor and Edward would be the ones to accompany the wizard. The latter informed them that he would pick them up at eight o'clock and left the square. He wasn't surprised to find George at home when he arrived - he only locked the door when they were having sex, in case anyone decided to drop in unexpectedly. The inventor was playing with his wand, staring into space when Harry arrived, who came to sit beside him at the end of the bed, but didn't touch him, didn't say anything. He waited until he was ready.
"Hermione was right," George declared.
¨About what?¨
¨Forget it."
George, his gaze veiled, turned to his friend and worked to make him forget his last words. Harry soon lost all ability to formulate a coherent thought under the young man's kisses and caresses. He wanted to return them, but George refused, turned him onto his stomach and soon had him screaming with pleasure under his loins. Harry didn't last long under the frantic rhythm and deep movements of the penis that tapped his prostate with fervor and came on the sheets a few seconds before his partner.
The inventor remained motionless for a moment before emerging from the warm den and sitting on the bed. Harry rolled onto his side to look at him while fighting the sleep that lured him.
"Do you want to sleep here?" asked the Survivor after a while.
George had been strange the last few days, as if he had something on his mind and was afraid to share it. A tear rolled down the inventor's cheek which left Harry lost, he'd never been comfortable with other people's feelings, already his own were complicated, and he didn't know how to console anyone.
"No, I... I'd rather sleep alone. I'll see you tomorrow.¨
¨Uh... tomorrow morning I have to go to the Ministry, I don't know what time I'll get there.¨
¨No worries, it should be a quiet day anyway."
George's gloomy tone shook the younger boy, who rose on his elbows to watch him leave the studio in his boxer shorts, Harry then dropped onto the bed with a sigh, he liked George and seeing him in this state bothered him, especially as he had no idea what to do to help him. Hermione's words came back to his mind "one day one of you will suffer, if not both of you." He wondered if his friend was suffering from their arrangement, perhaps he wished for something else now... except that Harry couldn't read his mind and if George didn't open up to him he wouldn't be able to guess. Despite his questioning, he finally fell asleep, but his night was shaken by dreams and nightmares which he didn't remember when he woke up, only a lump in his stomach remained, like a bad premonition.
This feeling didn't leave him as he made his way to the square, nor as he led Carlisle and Edward to Kingsley's office, nor was it alleviated by the relief he felt upon discovering Professor Flitwick in the study. Knowing that his former spell professor was the specialist Kingsley had chosen to study the case of the bewitched vampire reassured him. He was, however, intimidated by a tall, closed-faced wizard standing in a corner; his name was not given to them, but the minister indicated that he worked in the Department of Mysteries and would be able to guide them there. The man Harry understood to be a plumb-tongue explained that their senses would be scrambled so that they wouldn't be able to identify his department's secrets on the way, and that they'd be unable to find their way back on their own. The vampires didn't like the news and didn't hide it, but they took it upon themselves to find out if Jasper was in this place, even if it meant putting themselves in danger.
Flitwick was the one who performed the spell to disorientate them, with surprising results. Everything Harry looked at was distorted and resembled something improbable. Kingsley appeared to him with the features of the Mona Lisa, while Flitwick had the features of Zeus and the plumb tongue of Hitler. The minister's desk had been transformed into a hippopotamus, and his armchair sat on the opposite side of the room. What had been announced as a rope that would serve as a guide had the appearance of a snake and the texture of chewing gum. As they set off, the ground seemed to be sometimes quicksand, sometimes asphalt, and Harry was unable to tell which direction they had taken - it was as if his mind couldn't comprehend them. Throughout the journey, his ears picked up jungle noises which finished disturbing him; the experience made him nauseous, and he was relieved when the spell was lifted.
They were in a dark gray corridor, lit by torches floating between the doors, all on the same side of the corridor and seemingly infinite in number. All identical, they were made of metal with a closed trapdoor in the middle. There was nothing to distinguish one door from another. The plumb-tongue handed them black capes, which they put on, and then each donned the typical mangemort mask. Harry watched her for a moment, shivering as his memories of the war came flooding back.
"It's for your own safety, Mr. Potter," said the man.
Harry realized he wouldn't get in without it and placed it over his face. They were all ready to enter, the Department of Mysteries employee opened the door and Harry's foreboding returned with force to his stomach.