Blood Vengeance

Chapter 7

Harry found Ron and Mike in their work area, and put up wards when he entered.

"Harry, we got nothing back from records, yet," Mike informed him.

"Thanks, Mike, but I... I got the case! Robards gave it to me," he said, still amazed it worked.

"Awesome, mate!" Ron said, a little surprised.

Mike clapped his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, good on ya, told you to lay it out."

"Yeah... this is my only chance, though," Harry said.

"You bet on catching DEK? Man... that's going to be rough. I'm sure he's not going to give you too long to do it, and Proudfoot is gonna be after your ass for that," Mike warned.

"I know. Go home, get some sleep, Mike."

"I'll be back for the night shift, unless another body turns up."

"Please, no."

"A'righ' see you later," Mike said and walked out.

"You're playing with fire, Harry," Ron grunted.

"What choice did I have? He wasn't going to ever let me be an Auror. They want me gone."

"The problem is that this case won't magically fix everything. They still hate you."

"They can hate me all they want. I'm going to get this guy."

"Easier said than done. 'Mione was right about the ID. Our community is small enough that I would have thought that we'd have a hit."

"He's young... young enough. I'll take his picture to Hogwarts. Maybe that's why there are five missing years."

"You really think? That a seventeen or eighteen-year-old would do this?" Ron asked, amazed.

"I honestly thought that no human would be able to torture and execute sentient beings this way," Harry grunted. "Will you send McGonagall a photo? I'll pop over there after I'm finished checking in on Malfoy."

"What are you going back there for? You got more than a statement," Ron asked, with an eyebrow.

Harry didn't want to answer him. He needed to make sure that Malfoy was doing okay. Withdrawal was a bitch to go through. He saw enough people detoxing in a cell to know.

"Just briefing Terry on the case and Malfoy only gave us what DEK did to him."

Ron gave him a sideways glance but kept his mouth shut. "Who's going to watch it?"

"I will... as much as I can stomach after I check out Hogwarts. I do want to swing by the crime scene, again. I didn't exactly examine it."

"Not much different than the others. Standard wards on it for protection."

"Did you get the prints and blood out to Scotland yard?"

Ron shook his head. "You really think that'll do anything?"

"Ron, I've tried to tell you that the muggle crime scene investigations are way more extensive than ours, and they don't have magic. Besides, this guy, DEK, he's a muggleborn. I feel it in my bones. He uses muggle tools and escaped into that mall."

"Harry, accusing a muggleborn... it will create resentment if you give that profile."

"And if I called him a pureblood, it wouldn't? DEK knows and understands the muggle world. His spells are rudimentary. That Lung-Filling Curse was the most sophisticated magic he did. He prefers knives and tools to his wand. It's not natural for a pureblood to do... or maybe even a half-blood."

"Just watch it first, Harry. Like Mike said, they ain't gonna make it easy."

Harry nodded and went to the official Apparation point to get to the hospital. He went up to Malfoy's floor, and Hermione was outside with Terry.

"Hey, Harry. Back, again?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, quick stop," Harry said and briefly explained that he had the case, now. "But is he up?"

"I think so..." Hermione said.

"Did you go in there?"

"No, I'm not interested in getting called a mudblood, again. He brought an orderly to tears and made a healer so mad that they nearly did accidentally magic," she said and gave Harry a look. The why-are-you-doing-this-to-me look.

"Thanks... I'm going in. Perhaps his mother's presence will ease his temper."

Hermione laughed. "You're asking for a lot."

Harry nodded and knocked softly on the door. Narcissa Malfoy answered it. "Oh, Auror Potter! Come in."

"Don't invite him in!" he heard Malfoy growl.

"Don't listen to him. He's just irritable because he's stuck here," she said, kindly.

Harry doubted that was the reason, but came in and shut the door. "I just wanted to check up on him."

"He's healing, slowly but surely. Draco, Auror Potter here found you... within minutes of speaking to me. He saved you," she said, friendly, looking at her son.

Draco sighed and stared at the window. "Don't remind me."

"Hush, honey. He's very appreciative."

"I'm sure," Harry responded.

Malfoy glared and returned to staring out the window. His muscles were clenched, again, trying to hide his infirmity.

"Thank you for the Patronus this morning," she said.

"It's not a problem. It was an easy thing to do."

"It eased my mind. One day, you'll understand the ache and panic that comes from being a parent," she said, taking his hand and smiling at him.

She had the same motherly eyes and voice that Mrs. Weasley had. Harry felt a little floaty looking at her. She was so... nice.

"Thanks... though I don't think I'll ever be a parent," he said.

"Really?" she said, shocked. "You don't want children?"

Harry shifted awkwardly. "No, I want them. It's just that I'm... umm... not interested in women."

"Oh." She didn't seem disgusted, just surprised.

"I know that it's not exactly accepted by most people... being... abnormal," he said, looking down.

"Hush," she said, kindly. "Auror Potter... Harry... it's perfectly normal. Natural. I accept you and anyone who feels like you do."

Draco took a deep breath but said nothing.

Harry had never heard everyone say that to him that wasn't his adoptive family members. He tried to keep his voice steady. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"You're a sweet boy, and you should know that you can still have kids. So, don't give up on that dream."

"I doubt I'll find many partners willing to have a family with an obsessive, workaholic with a charm of getting into life-and-death situations," Harry mumbled.

Draco snorted. "Not to mention a savior complex."

"Draco!" his mother chastised. "I'm sorry. He's really a sweet boy at heart."

"Mum!" he growled.

"He's just in a lot of pain, right now."

He sighed, loudly.

"I know. I don't want to upset his recovery, but I wanted to talk to him... umm... alone?"

"Of course, I want this killer brought to justice more than anyone."

"I'm trying to find him as quick as I can," Harry replied, neutrally.

"You really are a Ministry man, now. You know how to talk politically," she laughed, lightly touching his arm. "I'll be in the hall, sweetie."

Draco grumbled under his breath.

After Narcissa left, Harry put up wards. "Your mum is nice."

"I know that. What part of leave me the fuck alone, didn't you comprehend?"

"I need to find this guy and...."

"And what? You think I'm lying to you? You have the bloody memory. You couldn't have watched it that quickly."

"I haven't watched it at all. We got the image to ID him, but there's been no luck so far."

"Go do your fucking job!"

"I don't have unlimited free time, Malfoy. Shall I ask you these questions with your mother in here?"

Malfoy whipped his head to glare at him. "That's low, Potter."

"It's using the tools I have in my possession to reach my goal," he said, hoping that now that Malfoy had a chance to process what happened, he might be more cooperative. "Shall I invite your mother in here?"

Draco hissed, "Ask, but don't expect me to cooperate."

"Never, would have. So, apart from me watching the whole thing... can you give me anything to go on? A name? A place he mentioned?"

"We weren't exactly having a cheery conversation, where we exchanged pleasantries, Potter."

"He never said anything about himself?"

"Seemed to imply that we (us Death Eaters) took his life and family."

"Hmmm... fits the profile I have. Would you say he's a pureblood? Or a muggleborn?"

"He didn't provide a family chart."

"I meant how he talked... well... never mind. How about before he grabbed you? Did you notice that you were being followed?"

Draco glared at him. "You think I would have stayed if I had?"

"Nothing... out of the ordinary?"

Draco grunted.

"He just grabbed you and Apparated?"

"No, he stuck me with some as we jumped. It made me drop quickly when we reached the other side of his Apparation."

"Really? Like a needle? Muggle-tech?"

Draco shrugged.

"You passed out?"

"No, couldn't move."

"A paralytic. Interesting. Mind if I send the healers in to investigate where he stuck you? They might be able to find some remnants."

"I don't suppose 'no' is an acceptable response. Why would that be helpful?"

"Unlike the potions, it is a lot easy to trace muggle drugs. Might find a link using the muggle police."

"You think it is a mudblood, then?" he murmured.

Harry glared. "Muggleborn, Malfoy."

Draco snorted. "Muggleborn... such a nice euphemism. It means the same thing."

"No, it means I'm not an elitist snob who thinks he deserves to be on the top."

"He's using muggle tech to do his dirty work."

"Yes... and succeeding. He, a muggleborn, captured you," Harry pointed out.

"It's not that hard. My wand has so many restrictions on it that I can barely Apparate, much less stop an attacker."

"Your wand has restrictions?"

"My wonderful probation. Thanks to you, my savior," Draco spat, acidly.

Harry grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Will you bugger off now?"

"A couple more questions. Do you know how DEK knew you'd be in Diagon Alley that day?"

"I always go the first of the month," he muttered.

"You never gave advance notice to anyone?"

"Like who?"

"Those places you frequent? They know your routine? Eeylops, Slug and Jiggers, and Gringotts? Any other place that you routinely go?"

"How do you know I go to those places?" he looked at him.

"I found you, Malfoy. You stopped to look at the new Firebolt, right?"

He looked at him strangely and nodded.

"Is there anywhere else?" Harry pressed.

"For the most part," Malfoy muttered, evasively.

"Malfoy... just tell me."

He grimaced. "There's a beauty parlor not too far down from Eeylops. They do massages. It helps... with the pain."

"You go there every time?" Harry said, remaining calm and professional.

He nodded.

"Everyone in those shops knows you, right? They know you come on the first?"

"I suppose, unless they're Gryffindors and can't tell what day of the week it is."

Harry sighed. "Well, it gives us some people to question. Thank you... for cooperating."

"You would have called my mother in... it's the only reason. I don't want her out of the house with this madman loose."

"Hermione is protecting her, Malfoy. This kid can't even bypass wards."

"This kid has overpowered eleven of us "Death Eaters", excuse me if I fear for my mother's safety."

"I know you do. I will talk to her, but I suspect there's another reason... a larger reason. You, being a Slytherin, are just using that as the excuse."

"Oh, really?"

"You're going into withdrawal, aren't you?"

Malfoy glared at him and ignored him. "Get out. I'm done answering your questions."

"For now. I'll be back this evening."

"No."

"You don't need to be alone when going through that. So, it's me... or your mum."

Malfoy scowled. "Neither. I don't need...."

"You'd like to think that you are invincible... but it's going to be rough on you."

"The fuck you care? Besides, I can handle anything," he hissed.

"You've been on those potions for... what? Five years?"

"Fishing for a probation violation?"

"No. Of course not."

"I don't need help," he barked.

"Maybe. But it's not going to be pleasant. But I'm sure you don't want your mum here, so looks like you get me."

Draco stared at the wall. "Get out. Doesn't your supervisor need you for something?"

"Oh... yeah, I solved that issue. I'm now in charge of the case. No lead to worry about. I'll be back sometime around dinner."

"Can't wait," he sneered.

Harry smirked. "Thanks, again, Malfoy."

"Fuck off, Potter."

"Gladly," Harry replied and left.