Rock Bottom

Published: 4/20/25

Draco sighed as he arrived at work the next morning and saw the internal memo in his inbox. He remembered with some satisfaction that two of his charges were released from probation yesterday evening, and both had thanked him profusely for helping them normalize their life. The four that were transferred were sad that he wouldn't be their mentor anymore, but Susan was a kind soul, kinder than him. They would do well with her.

However, the fact that there was a memo in the inbox meant something bad had happened, and it probably had to do with Potter. Sure enough, the git had been arrested last night, at midnight, at a muggle pub. Supposedly, Potter had "sniffed a line" off the table and resisted arrest when the Aurors "found" him violating his probation. Draco let out another breath of exhaustion. He had not had the motivation to go back to Potter's cesspool last night and instead had finished Potter's post-war file.

He hadn't been too surprised. He had had the inside scoop since Potter's first failed probation period with Wilkins. Draco had found plenty of interesting reports that he copied to his locked drawer, in case he needed leverage against Robards and his flock of Auror sycophants. He needed to handle it all carefully. He also got Potter's financial details and sent another letter to Gringotts, initializing the takeover process of Potter's assets.

Gringotts did not like wizards meddling in their accounts, so it was a delicate matter. He needed to set up new vaults and have them transfer Potter's vast hoard of galleons to new vaults. Potter had three under his name: his mother's, the Potter's family vault and the Black family vault. His mother's had been the smallest, set up after she had left school and become a potion brewer. His father had inherited quite a bit when his parents died. The younger Potter had been using that account for the most part. The Black vaults were even larger, having accrued interest for decades with no deductions until Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.

Now, they were under Draco's name, with Potter identified as the trust owner. He could revoke Potter's access at any time, which would most likely happen soon. Potter couldn't have access to his money if he was just going to spend it on drugs and alcohol. Draco also decided that since Potter had enough money, he, Draco, would probably be responsible for fixing his house for him. He started looking for reputable renovation companies.

Draco sent a few more letters out, one encouraging the Obliviator Headquarters to hurry the F up with the file requests he had already sent. Then, he sent the release request to the Auror office for Potter to be brought down. He contemplated on how the Aurors were always catching Potter in the act. Trace Spells were highly illegal without a warrant, and he couldn't believe that the darn Aurors would risk that. He perused the list of Aurors that he had written down and had, subconsciously, started to rank them.

The biggest harassers were Smith, Dawlish and Williamson. Of them, Smith probably was rich enough to own a house elf. House elves have their own way of doing things, including tracking people. If a house elf was following Potter around, it wasn't necessarily criminal, though as Aurors, they weren't supposed to be hounding people. There was no easy way to prove it, as house elf magic was hard to detect.

So, Draco had started to make lists and copies of the most egregious arrests and incidents. He needed leverage. He glanced at the clock and Potter still hadn't been brought down, though it had been an hour. Draco sighed and guessed that his comments yesterday had been brought higher and that they were purposely dragging out his requests. He got up and walked to the lift to the Auror department.

However, it opened upon arrival. Potter was being pressed bodily into the wall of the lift by his former best mate, who was against him and talking low into his ear. Potter's hands were bound tightly behind his back with Incarcerous. His face was smashed painfully into the wood-paneled wall. The Auror turned.

"Ferret!" Weasley hissed, but his hand held Potter by the neck forcibly into the lift wall.

"Weasley," Draco said, resisting the urge to get down in the dirt with the bastard. He always tried to avoid swearing and name-calling, now. "Let him go."

"Look, Harry, your new daddy is here. Appointed by the Wizengamot for your delinquent, incompetent ass," Weasley taunted.

Draco tensed but stopped himself. Nothing good would come from a physical altercation. That's what had hemmed up Potter.

The Weasel turned back to Harry and said, "How's it feel to bow and scrape to a Death Eater? You're nothing now, Harry. You don't even have rights anymore."

Then he let go of Potter, who looked a bit broken by it. Surprisingly, he didn't come off the wall swinging like Draco expected him to. But it was Weasley, one of the few Aurors that Harry didn't throw down with on a regular basis. The Aurors always switched up who arrested Potter but, once in a great while, they really hurt Harry. Weasley tended to be there for those arrests. There were a few reports, in the beginning, when the Aurors were hounding him that Weasley appeared beat the crap out of him, though. However, the Aurors wrote the report in a way that Potter had caused it.

However, last year, Weasley finally got a formal reprimand from the Wizengamot for leaving Harry alone under the Immoblilius Charm for nearly twenty-two hours in their holding cell, because he "forgot" to log him in. Merlin only knows what Weasley and the Aurors have done to Potter since this situation started. It wasn't just harassment. It was systematic brutality. How had no one noticed or tried to stop this?

Draco stepped forward, redirecting the git's attention to him. "Weasley, it took you long enough to bring him down. I thought you learned your lesson about prisoner rules. Or are you just too pig-headed to remember where the probation department is?"

Weasley's lip curled. "Sod off, Ferret. I don't live on your schedule. John told me that you're in charge of the Chosen Dick's case. He's your bitch now, huh, Malfoy?"

Potter finally jerked his head up and, though he was restrained, he made to tackle Weasley. However, Weasley elbowed him in the gut, which sent Potter backward into the lift's wall. Before Draco could even think to intercede, Weasley followed it up with a closed-fist punch to his stomach.

"Enough!" Draco growled.

He grabbed Potter by the sleeve, dragged him out of the lift and pulled him until he, still bound, was behind him. Then Draco turned back to Weasley, who got right in his face. Draco wasn't stupid enough to pull a wand on an Auror.

Weasley spat out some spit as he hissed, "Fucking Death Eater! I heard you've been laying down threats... pulling records that you shouldn't be seeing."

Draco smirked, so his fact-finding hadn't gone unnoticed. "I'm his probation officer. I can see anything, Weasley. Why is there something I shouldn't be seeing? Maybe instances where Aurors are... hounding-no-stalking people? Of how they are breaking and entering into homes without their probation officer present? Of how excessively aggressive the arrests are? Of how it is the Aurors actually breaking the Statute of Secrecy? Of how you all are instigating the violence in his arrests? Is that what you are concerned about, Weasel?"

The Auror grabbed the front of his robes. Weasley wasn't a skinny boy anymore and was at height with him. "Say that one more time, Ferret, and you'll regret it."

"I regret having let this nonsense go on long enough. You will stop following Potter. Lift whatever spell you have on him, or tell Smith's house elf to leave him alone."

"How did you know about Smi-" Ron stopped, realizing that he was confirming it.

Truthfully, Draco hadn't been sure, but now it was clear. "I have house elves, too, Weasley." Total lie, but Weasley had no way of knowing. "Leave him alone, or I'll make you all pay for it. Potter is mine to correct, now, Weasley. Not yours, you bastard," he growled and, as Weasley raised his fist, he added, "If you hit me, I'll press charges."

Weasley's brown eyes narrowed, as he lowered his arm. "You're such a bitch, Malfoy."

Draco really wanted to lay into him now that the jerk had finally made his appearance. "Hark, who's talking, Weasley. I know what you all did. What you did to your best mate, who I know would have died for you before you betrayed him. You're such a selfish bastard. I feel sullied just being touched by you."

Weasley lifted him up a little as he sneered, "This was all on Harry! He couldn't handle failing Auror training and took it out on me! He's jealous that I made it and he didn't!"

"Liar. I know you bent over for Robards!"

Weasley let go of him, and he looked surprised and wary. "Whatever Potter has told you...."

"I haven't exchanged a word with him about it, Weasley. Everybody knows you betrayed him," Draco growled. Again, it was a total lie, but he wanted to rattle the little rat. Draco was a Slytherin, and he knew how to push buttons.

"He failed the exam! I had nothing to do with it, Ferret! Then he got butt hurt about getting kicked from the program," he shrieked a little loudly. Draco hoped someone was listening, but Robards had his ins with the probation department, too. Penelope was engaged to Ron's brother, after all.

Draco laughed, darkly. "Yeah, right. We both know that Potter was the best duelist in the department. Robards, you and his other minions set him up to fail, because Robards knew his days were numbered once Potter joined. He's a lazy, corrupt bastard, and Potter would never let it stand. But Robards gave you a choice, didn't he? Help bring down Harry or fall with him? And you decided to betray your best friend for what? Being an Auror?"

Weasley was shaking with rage and probably denial. "How did you... I didn't...."

"Yes, you did. You did it for money... power... respect? For whatever reason, you're a dirty traitor who deserves nothing but a sad, lonely life."

Weasley nearly grabbed him again. "Shut your fucking mouth, Malfoy! You have no proof that we have done anything wr-"

"Wrong? I have 247 arrests in a file on my desk. 247 times that you all showed up, made a scene and beat the hell out of Potter. I don't care if he was violating his probation. Everyone will see it as excessive."

"Do you know how many times Kingsley pardoned him?" Weasley growled.

"As many times as he pardoned you all for breaking any oath of office you took, if you even bothered taking it. You all deserve years in Azkaban for the torture you put him through. You're lucky he's not dead! You fucking bastard!" Shit, it was so hard not to swear. He was supposed to be the level-headed one.

"We didn't do anything wrong, and he'll never raise a complaint about it!" Weasley said with a laugh.

Draco glared at him and straightened up so he was taller than Weasley. "Remember when you said... earlier? Yeah, Weasley? That I'm his Wizengamot-appointed daddy?"

Weasley looked confused. "What about it? You are. He's your bitch, now."

"Well, you obviously are too stupid to understand that I'm also responsible for him. Financially, medically and... legally."

Weasley grimaced. "That doesn't mean that...."

"It sure does, moron. If you dicks mess with him anymore outside the scope of your limited authority, I will initiate action against you. Civilly and criminally, Weasley. Do not fu... mess with me. I will protect him from all of you. Don't think I won't, cause I always knew you were a weasel."

Weasley nailed him right in the face. "Go fuck yourself, Malfoy. There's no one here to witness that, and I'll say Potter did it."

Draco wiped a little blood off his lip. "You done, Weasel? Cause I never wish to speak to you, again."

"This is just beginning, Ferret," the bastard growled.

"No, it's not. You pass on my message to your new master, like the good dog you are. See what he thinks. If I catch a whiff of any of his goons near me or Potter, it'll be war. And last time I checked, Kingsley was on my side and Potter's. Who do you think he'll pardon?"

Weasley finally stepped back. "Don't think that...."

"Just go. You picked the wrong side, Weasley, and there's no going back, now. Get off my floor."

Weasley turned and reentered the lift. He spat on the floor as the doors closed. Draco hadn't wished to start the détente so soon, but it was evitable. He turned to check on Potter, tense and somewhat crouched behind him. He was staring at him with such an unfathomable look on his face, like he never expected him to say those things or save him. It was something like... he was mystified, then he dropped his head and looked down, tears welling in his eyes.

"Here," Draco said and waved his wand, making his bindings disappear. Potter immediately rubbed his wrists and wouldn't look up at him, again.

"Do you need a healer?"

He shook his head. Draco gently lifted his head to inspect Harry's eye, which was already bruising up.

"I can heal it, if you want?"

Potter again shook his head and tore his head out of his grip. Draco knew he was hurting. Potter and Weasley had been inseparable for over eight years. It was bound to burn after being hurt by someone he treated as a brother. Draco didn't know what fully happened or, more importantly, where the third member of the trio had disappeared.

"Come on, Harry, back to my office," he said, quietly, extending his arm in the direction that he wanted him to go. He avoided touching him.

Potter slowly walked and navigated the office maze until he reached his office. He had Potter sit, and he got tea for him and knelt next to him. Potter was badly shaking and on the verge of tears.

"Shh... breathe... Harry. In and out... breathe. Nice, deep breaths. There you go. In and out, Harry. They're gone. They're not going to hurt you, again," Draco whispered, and Potter shook his head, trying not to process what happened. "Come on, drink this chamomile tea. It'll soothe your nerves, okay?"

Potter took the cup and slowly sipped it. He was staring straight ahead and just sipping the tea. Draco watched him for a few minutes and then got himself a cup, too. Potter was on a long road to recovery. Part of it was accepting what had happened. Draco had always seen Potter as this unbreakable force, but now, he was very much broken. Ronald Weasley, his former best mate, had broken him. It was brutal to watch.

Draco really couldn't understand it. He had been betrayed and left for dead by all his friends. He adapted and overcame it eventually. He made new friends, kinda. Why was Potter like this and where the hell was Granger? She wasn't dead, that he knew of. But she wasn't a Ministry employee, and her only two connections were Harry and Ron, so it wasn't in any file where she had gone. His owls to her always came back unanswered. His only theories were that she was sick, didn't care, or was far enough away that owls couldn't reach her.

He needed to solve that mystery if he wanted to really reach Potter. Granger was like a sister to him and had always been steadfastly by his side. Maybe she could reach him where Draco could not. Of course, she could have also turned her back on Harry. He didn't believe that. Weasley was a prick, but Granger was the epitome of right and wrong, more than Potter had ever been. She could reach him, at least, and that was what Draco hoped.