Love's Trigger, Part Two
He peered at his fingers. “Ash?”
Draco groaned. He’d forgotten, and now he’d look like a total idiot. “There might have been a little ash,” he said
quietly.
Ron looked at him, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. “Like something was Incendioed?” he asked.
Draco slapped himself on the head. “Yes. That must be it.” He remembered how it had looked with the bits of ash
floating in the Butterbeer.
“Someone Owled him something which automatically burned up after he got it.”
“Portkey,” Draco said immediately, and their eyes met. “I’ve never heard of a Portkey which leaves behind your
clothes, though.”
Ron’s blue eyes darkened. “I have,” he muttered, storming past Draco and out of the kitchen.
Draco barely missed the swinging door slapping him in the face as he hurried after him. Ron grabbed some Floo
powder and growled, “Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.” Draco didn’t hesitate to follow him to George’s shop.
***
Harry was getting hungry and he definitely had to pee. But asking for the loo when he was naked wasn’t his first
choice. The small room he’d awakened in had only the cot and a tiny, high window - too high for Harry to reach even
standing on the cot. The door was bolted from the outside. Harry wished he’d learned more wandless magic. He’d just
started that course at St. Mungo’s, and although he’d been called a natural, they hadn’t learned anything which could help
him now.
He glanced at the light along the wall opposite the window. As far as he could tell, the sun was around mid-day, still
quite bright. He flopped on the cot, taking care to keep the sheets wrapped around him. I just have to be calm and think
about this rationally, he told himself. Nott was bad news, and Harry had to fight to repress his fear at the thought of what
that bloody fucker could do. His father had been Kissed after the War, and Harry knew that Nott had been in it just as
deep.
What is Ginny doing with me? Harry asked himself for the millionth time. Surely she knew how dangerous he was.
Nott had done something to Harry a little earlier, pointing his wand and incanting something under his breath. Harry felt a
tug, but nothing really hurt. Now that he’d had some time to think about it, he suspected that whatever this potion was, it
was tied into his magic - personally secured to Harry. That wasn’t good.
In his Healer training, he’d learned a little about blood magic and Dark potions which used an individual’s magical
signature to more strongly bind the victim. Still, he had no idea what Nott planned - except that it most likely had nothing
to do with Ginny’s ideas about Harry no longer being gay. Nott probably laughed his head off when he found such an easy
mark in her, though Harry still wasn’t sure why Nott didn’t just kill him.
The worst part was, Harry was certain Nott would kill Ginny. She was nothing but a liability - she knew about all this,
and even if he Obliviated her, he could never be certain she wouldn’t somehow get past that. Harry’s insides clenched at
the thought - he wasn’t in love with Ginny, but he still cared about her. She was his family, just like Ron and the rest of the
Weasleys. He couldn’t let Nott hurt her.
Who am I fooling? He didn’t have a wand - he didn’t even have his underpants. Gods, I’m fucked.
He closed his eyes, fighting against the despair licking at his mind. He tried to think of Draco, to remember how he’d
looked just yesterday morning, the sunlight falling on his silky, white-blond hair. Harry’d been in love with him for so long,
and now he’d never be able to tell him. He’d been a coward, worried that Draco would move out or that his declaration
would ruin their friendship. But lately, he’d wanted: just wanted so much with Draco, that their friendship had been
teetering anyway.
That’s why, when he learned that Draco had not only taken on Harry’s pet medical project but was willing to work
weekends for it, Harry had been ecstatic. “I’m closer to you than anyone else, you know that, right?” he’d said, knowing
his heart had to show in his face, his eyes.
Draco had flushed - something he rarely did - and offered a slight grin. “Of course,” he’d said. Then his grin
spread. “Guess I'd better make this potion good, right?”
“As if you could do anything poorly,” Harry responded, his heart pounding.
“You’re just saying that so I don’t mind working weekends,” Draco said, his cheeks even pinker.
Harry’d been that close to saying more, to telling Draco everything - but then Hermione had Fire-called with a
question for Draco, and the moment had slipped away.
“I should have done it,” Harry said aloud. “I should have told him I love him.” Of course, it didn’t help that Draco still
thought he was straight - he actually called Pansy his girlfriend, even though she’d been seeing Ron for a few months
now. Ron told Harry that Draco couldn’t do more than kiss Pansy, and when she gave him the ultimatum - make love to
me or get out - he’d balked.
Harry shook his head, smiling a little. Silly Draco. Then his smile faded. Harry had wanted to tell Draco about Pansy
and Ron, but they’d begged him not to. “I’ll tell him,” Pansy said just last week. “When I’m ready. He kept me hanging on
for so long - it’s my turn to go after what I want. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to find another girl in the meantime,” she
added.
Although his loyalty was definitely more to Draco, Harry couldn’t refuse his best friend, especially as Ron seemed
happier than he’d been in a long time. Now, though - now, he just wished all the secrets were out. “I need you, Draco.
And now you’ll never know.”
With that, tears pricked Harry’s eyes, though he refused to cry. Instead, he rolled over and curled into a ball. Think,
he ordered himself. Figure a way out of this.
“George!” Ron bellowed.
Draco looked around. He’d been here before with Harry, of course, but now he wasn’t sure why Ron was so sure his
brother could know something about all this. Fear for Harry rose in him, and he gripped his wand tighter, forcing it aside.
“Hey, little Ronniekins, what can I do you for?” George said with an easy smile, coming from a back room.
“Remember that thing you were working on a couple of months ago - the Portkey which only took the holder and
nothing he wore or carried?” Ron’s voice was tense, and George seemed to suddenly notice the incongruence of Draco’s
presence.
“Yeah,” he said, his gaze flicking between the two of them.
“Harry’s gone,” Draco said. “His clothes and wand were left in a pile.”
George’s mouth dropped open. He blinked and rubbed a hand through his orange hair. “How - no way. It’s
impossible. I was the only one working on something like that, I know. No one could have -”
“Ginny was asking about it, George,” Ron bit out. “That’s why you even brought it up. Did you give her one?”
“Well, yeah, but -”
“What did she do with it? Why does she want Harry?” The questions burst from Draco and he stepped forward until
he’d invaded George’s space. “How could you be so careless?”
“Malfoy,” Ron said, yanking on Draco’s arm. “Can you let me do this? You’re not even supposed to be here.”
“Oh, so this is official?” Draco said, pulling his arm from Ron’s clutching fingers.
Ron sighed. “No. Just - George, what’s going on? We need to know everything you know.”
“When did he vanish?” George asked, moving back from Draco a bit.
“Last night.” Draco tried to breathe, tried to regain some of his composure. Why does Ginny Weasley want Harry?
And why would she want him naked?
George nodded, his face thoughtful. “Okay, she was here a week ago. She asked for the Portkey - I told her it
would be done by then. She said it was just for fun, just to give her something she’d wanted for a long time -”
“Harry is gay,” Draco said, cutting in. “Did that escape your notice?”
“She didn’t say it was for Harry,” George said, his eyes narrowing. “I would never have let her have it, if I knew that. I
know Harry’s gay - I probably know more about his love life than you do, Draco, so back off.”
More than I do - well, shit. Draco couldn’t find a response to that. So now both George and Hermione knew secrets
about Harry - yeah, Draco was really special, all right.
Ron gave Draco a worried glance but continued with the questions. “That’s all she said? No hint as to what she
planned?”
George stared at him for a second, then shrugged. “You have Pensieves, right?”
“Yeah. The Ministry has a couple.”
George held out his wand and muttered something, and a glass vial flew into his other hand. He put the tip of his wand
to his forehead and murmured something else, then sealed the silvery strands coming from his head into the vial. He
handed it to Draco. “It’s all there. I hope you find Harry - I know how much he means to you.” He stepped back and
added, “He’s like a brother to me, you know? Let me know when you get him back.”
Draco nodded, not sure why it seemed like there were some kind of hidden messages in all that. He gripped the vial,
not even pretending to share with Ron. No way would he be left behind when Ron went to the Auror department.
Ron sighed and clapped his brother on the back. “Thanks. I’ll Owl you later.” He left the shop, moving to the closest
Apparition point. “Ready?” he asked. “You know the Auror coordinates at the Ministry?”
“I thought there were anti-Apparition wards -”
Ron rolled his eyes. “The gardens, you prat,” he muttered.
Draco nodded. He didn’t bother to make an excuse. With no sleep and more fear, frustration, and other emotions he
couldn’t examine swirling in him, there was nothing to say. With a crack, they Apparated away.
Once inside the Ministry, Ron led Draco to his office. “Stay here. I’ll go and get the Pensieve.”
It seemed like Ron was gone forever, but when Draco checked the time, it had only been a few minutes once he
returned carrying a smallish Pensieve. “Here,” he said, setting it on his desk. Draco poured the contents into it, and
nodded at Ron.
“Together,” he said.
Ron swallowed. “Let’s go.”
Draco had only done this a couple of times, and he couldn’t say he loved the feeling of falling into someone else’s
head. But then they landed, and George and Ginny came into quick focus, standing in the office of George’s shop. “It’s
ready, right?” Ginny asked, her eyes wide and shining. Draco didn’t know the woman well - he’d hardly seen her since
Hogwarts and the War. He looked at her face, her large eyes, and he wondered if she always seemed so: high.
George, however, didn’t seem to notice, so Draco assumed she was normal. “Here it is,” he said, handing her a small
bottle cap.
“How do I activate it?”
“When you send it, use this spell,” George said, pointing to a line on a piece of parchment she held in her other hand.
“The final word should be the receiver’s name.” He paused, watching his sister closely. “Are you certain this isn’t
something which could get me in trouble? You’re not doing something illegal with it, are you?”
Ginny’s head jerked a little, but her smile was full and natural. “Of course not. T -” she jerked again, her whole body
this time. “S-sorry. Hiccups. Anyway, I promise they will not know anything about this - will not!”
Draco frowned. She sounded crazy. Why was she talking like this? George’s eyes narrowed, and he opened his
mouth to talk when Ginny giggled. “Come on, George. I swear. You know how much I need a little fun. I promise, this
will only benefit me. It won’t hurt anyone.”
George hesitated then nodded. “Okay. Will you tell me about it when you’re done?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll definitely tell you - I’ll show you!” Ginny giggled again, and then the scene faded and Draco found
himself in Ron’s office again.
“That was weird,” Ron muttered.
“Is she always like that?”
“Like what?” Ron sounded defensive.
“So jumpy and: manic.”
“She’s not manic! She did look really excited, though.” He put both hands in his hair, grabbing it and tugging a little. “I
have to admit I’m at a loss here, mate,” he added.
Draco sighed, not reacting to Ron’s obvious attempt to placate him with the word ‘mate’. It was obvious that Ron didn’t
know what to do. However, Harry had mentioned many times that Ron was an amazing strategist, and from their few
games of chess, Draco knew this was true. He started thinking aloud, hoping they could get somewhere. “So Ginny wants
Harry naked, and somehow that will make her happy.”
“See, that’s what doesn’t make sense. Harry told her after the War that he was gay. He was completely up-front
about it - and she was unhappy, but she accepted it. She’s been dating Dean Thomas again, and last I heard, my mum
thought they’d be getting married.”
“Is there any chance she gave this to someone else? That she was picking it up for someone else?” Draco asked.
Ron paused then shook his head. “I really don’t think she’d do that to George. When I first heard them talking about it
a couple of months ago, he made it very clear that this was for family only - he couldn’t trust anyone else. And Ginny
loves George. Since Fred d-died, Ginny’s been a lifeline for George. She adores him, and he knows it.” Ron frowned. “I
really don’t think so.”
Draco bit his lip, running through the memory in his mind. That weird shuddering thing she did - why did that suddenly
seem familiar? “I want to look again.”
“Okay,” Ron said, surprising Draco with his immediate agreement. “I’ll come too.”
They went in together, and Draco tuned out the words to simply watch Ginny. The wide eyes. They were almost
dilated. And then she started to say something and shuddered. Next she giggled and started talking funny, almost like a
cadence with strange emphases. He let the scene finish, and almost before Ron could draw a breath, Draco said, “Once
more.”
Ron let him go alone this time, and Draco focused on the words. “-promise they will not know anything about this -
will not!”
When Draco finished, he looked at Ron, something clicking in his brain. “Last month. That case with - what’s his
name?” He snapped his fingers, but the name wouldn’t come. “Hermione testified - she helped with the interrogation as
a Potions expert, remember?”
Ron frowned. “Go on.”
“The suspect, remember, kept jerking and shuddering - like he was having a seizure.”
Ron’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, shit. You’re right - it was the strangest thing. Wait - is that what you think Gin
was doing?” He started pacing around the small office, tugging on his hair again. “Oh, no. This is not good. Do you know
what happened to that guy?”
“No. We weren’t involved after -”
“He died, Malfoy. He kept having those weird seizures, and then his heart just stopped. How could Gin -?”
“Who? Who did it?”
Ron swallowed. “We don’t know. That’s the problem - we think it was probably one of the remaining Death Eaters,
but we had no proof and no way to find them, even if we did.”
“Avery. Davis. Nott.” Draco muttered the names aloud - only three remained, but they’d proven quite elusive so far.
Of course, it wasn’t his area - the Aurors had to find them, not Draco. “Avery. Davis. Nott.”
Not. “Shit!”
Ron jumped. “What?”
“It’s Nott - Theodore Nott. Didn’t you hear her words?” He grabbed Ron’s arm and dragged him to the Pensieve.
“Come on.” They went in again, and this time, when Ginny made her bizarre comments, it seemed so obvious.
When it ended, Ron stared at Draco, his freckles standing out on his pale face. “Nott - she gave us a clue. So,
how? And what does Nott want with Harry?”
***
Things were not looking good. Harry wasn’t an idiot. When Theodore returned to the room with an excited gleam in
his eyes, Harry knew he was in trouble. No wand, no clothes - no way out. “Don’t worry, Harry,” Ginny said, sitting on his
cot. She put her hand on his leg, and he shivered, wishing he had more than a blanket to separate her touch from his skin.
“Why are you doing this, Gin?” he asked, hoping again he could convince her to fight Nott with him.
“So we can be together,” she said, tilting her head a little.
“Gin, that will never happen. No matter what Nott does - I love D - someone else.”
Her eyes narrowed a bit at his slip, but she didn’t comment on it. “But Harry, once Teddy fixes you, you’ll love me. I
know you will - you did before. We can get married and have babies - it’ll be perfect in every way.” She sounded
almost crooning.
Harry’s stomach clenched. They’d brought him soup earlier, but he hadn’t dared to eat it, worried about what could be
inside. Without his wand to test it, he didn’t feel safe. Not that it matters now, he thought, as Nott came in, a vial of
something dark and smoking in his hand. Shit.
“Well, well, Potter. Here we all are. You will have no choice but to drink this, so you can do it the easy way or I’ll tie
you down and force it into you.” He gave a tight smile. “Which will it be?”
“You’ll have to tie me down,” Harry said, his voice cold. He knew his hatred for Nott was right there in his eyes for him
to see - and he didn’t care. He’d hate him for what he’d done to Gin, if nothing else.
“Your wish,” Nott said, waving his wand and muttering an incantation.
Ropes surrounded Harry, binding him completely.
“Open his mouth, Ginny,” Nott said.
Ginny didn’t hesitate to comply. “Don’t fight it, Harry. It won’t help,” she whispered as she bent over him. Her red hair
draped along his neck and upper chest. She put her hands on his jaw, and then found something which she pressed. Pain
radiated through Harry’s face as he clenched.
“For gods’ sake,” Nott muttered. He waved his wand and said, “Patefacio os.”
Harry’s mouth opened, and Nott poured the liquid in. Harry tried to spit it out, but his mouth wouldn’t work. All he could
do was try not to choke and gag as it slid down his throat like some kind of oily slime.
“Good. I’ll be back in a bit to fine-tune this. Ginny, why don’t you remain and keep him company? Then I’ll need you
for something special, once Harry’s ready to go.”
“Before you let him go, you mean - right? Let us go to live together forever?” she asked.
Nott laughed. “Right,” he said, leaving the room. Harry heard the sound of the bolt sliding shut. He could move his
mouth again, but he couldn’t find the words. How was he going to get Ginny out of this when he couldn’t even save
himself?
***
Draco stared at Ron, his brain working overtime. Nott was behind this - that fucker. He was going to use some kind
of horrible potion on Harry, and everything was falling apart. “I don’t know what he wants, but we have to find a way to
stop it.”
As always when he found himself in this type of pressure situation, everything faded to the back except for the problem
at hand. That’s how he’d become such an expert at Potions at such a young age, he knew. “There has to be some way to
trace -” he began, thinking aloud again.
“We can’t. It’s been too long - we can’t trace any magic after the first few minutes.”
“Not magic. The Portkey -”
“You can’t trace Portkeys - that’s the whole point,” Ron said.
But Draco wasn’t listening. After that disaster in sixth year with the Peruvian Darkness, he remembered George
saying something about finding a way to trace their products. “That’s it!” he said. He turned to the fireplace. “Can I
Fire-call from here?”
“Of course, but -”
Draco used the powder and stuck his head in. “Hermione?” He’d assumed she still sat at Malfoy Manor, right where
he left here.
“Draco - have you -?”
“Last summer, when you were doing that secret project with George, did it have anything to do with tracing his
products?”
Hermione blinked and blushed, for some reason. She nodded. “How did you know?”
“Meet me at George’s shop,” Draco said rather than answering. “Oh, and bring your notes on that case, the one with
that guy -”
“Stevens,” Ron yelled from behind him.
“Is that Ron? Where are you?”
“The Stevens case,” Draco said. “You know it?”
“Of course. It was just last month, and that potion -”
“Hermione,” Draco said, interrupting. “We’re in a rush. How long will it take you?”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Draco groaned. He’d forgotten, and now he’d look like a total idiot. “There might have been a little ash,” he said
quietly.
Ron looked at him, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. “Like something was Incendioed?” he asked.
Draco slapped himself on the head. “Yes. That must be it.” He remembered how it had looked with the bits of ash
floating in the Butterbeer.
“Someone Owled him something which automatically burned up after he got it.”
“Portkey,” Draco said immediately, and their eyes met. “I’ve never heard of a Portkey which leaves behind your
clothes, though.”
Ron’s blue eyes darkened. “I have,” he muttered, storming past Draco and out of the kitchen.
Draco barely missed the swinging door slapping him in the face as he hurried after him. Ron grabbed some Floo
powder and growled, “Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.” Draco didn’t hesitate to follow him to George’s shop.
***
Harry was getting hungry and he definitely had to pee. But asking for the loo when he was naked wasn’t his first
choice. The small room he’d awakened in had only the cot and a tiny, high window - too high for Harry to reach even
standing on the cot. The door was bolted from the outside. Harry wished he’d learned more wandless magic. He’d just
started that course at St. Mungo’s, and although he’d been called a natural, they hadn’t learned anything which could help
him now.
He glanced at the light along the wall opposite the window. As far as he could tell, the sun was around mid-day, still
quite bright. He flopped on the cot, taking care to keep the sheets wrapped around him. I just have to be calm and think
about this rationally, he told himself. Nott was bad news, and Harry had to fight to repress his fear at the thought of what
that bloody fucker could do. His father had been Kissed after the War, and Harry knew that Nott had been in it just as
deep.
What is Ginny doing with me? Harry asked himself for the millionth time. Surely she knew how dangerous he was.
Nott had done something to Harry a little earlier, pointing his wand and incanting something under his breath. Harry felt a
tug, but nothing really hurt. Now that he’d had some time to think about it, he suspected that whatever this potion was, it
was tied into his magic - personally secured to Harry. That wasn’t good.
In his Healer training, he’d learned a little about blood magic and Dark potions which used an individual’s magical
signature to more strongly bind the victim. Still, he had no idea what Nott planned - except that it most likely had nothing
to do with Ginny’s ideas about Harry no longer being gay. Nott probably laughed his head off when he found such an easy
mark in her, though Harry still wasn’t sure why Nott didn’t just kill him.
The worst part was, Harry was certain Nott would kill Ginny. She was nothing but a liability - she knew about all this,
and even if he Obliviated her, he could never be certain she wouldn’t somehow get past that. Harry’s insides clenched at
the thought - he wasn’t in love with Ginny, but he still cared about her. She was his family, just like Ron and the rest of the
Weasleys. He couldn’t let Nott hurt her.
Who am I fooling? He didn’t have a wand - he didn’t even have his underpants. Gods, I’m fucked.
He closed his eyes, fighting against the despair licking at his mind. He tried to think of Draco, to remember how he’d
looked just yesterday morning, the sunlight falling on his silky, white-blond hair. Harry’d been in love with him for so long,
and now he’d never be able to tell him. He’d been a coward, worried that Draco would move out or that his declaration
would ruin their friendship. But lately, he’d wanted: just wanted so much with Draco, that their friendship had been
teetering anyway.
That’s why, when he learned that Draco had not only taken on Harry’s pet medical project but was willing to work
weekends for it, Harry had been ecstatic. “I’m closer to you than anyone else, you know that, right?” he’d said, knowing
his heart had to show in his face, his eyes.
Draco had flushed - something he rarely did - and offered a slight grin. “Of course,” he’d said. Then his grin
spread. “Guess I'd better make this potion good, right?”
“As if you could do anything poorly,” Harry responded, his heart pounding.
“You’re just saying that so I don’t mind working weekends,” Draco said, his cheeks even pinker.
Harry’d been that close to saying more, to telling Draco everything - but then Hermione had Fire-called with a
question for Draco, and the moment had slipped away.
“I should have done it,” Harry said aloud. “I should have told him I love him.” Of course, it didn’t help that Draco still
thought he was straight - he actually called Pansy his girlfriend, even though she’d been seeing Ron for a few months
now. Ron told Harry that Draco couldn’t do more than kiss Pansy, and when she gave him the ultimatum - make love to
me or get out - he’d balked.
Harry shook his head, smiling a little. Silly Draco. Then his smile faded. Harry had wanted to tell Draco about Pansy
and Ron, but they’d begged him not to. “I’ll tell him,” Pansy said just last week. “When I’m ready. He kept me hanging on
for so long - it’s my turn to go after what I want. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to find another girl in the meantime,” she
added.
Although his loyalty was definitely more to Draco, Harry couldn’t refuse his best friend, especially as Ron seemed
happier than he’d been in a long time. Now, though - now, he just wished all the secrets were out. “I need you, Draco.
And now you’ll never know.”
With that, tears pricked Harry’s eyes, though he refused to cry. Instead, he rolled over and curled into a ball. Think,
he ordered himself. Figure a way out of this.
“George!” Ron bellowed.
Draco looked around. He’d been here before with Harry, of course, but now he wasn’t sure why Ron was so sure his
brother could know something about all this. Fear for Harry rose in him, and he gripped his wand tighter, forcing it aside.
“Hey, little Ronniekins, what can I do you for?” George said with an easy smile, coming from a back room.
“Remember that thing you were working on a couple of months ago - the Portkey which only took the holder and
nothing he wore or carried?” Ron’s voice was tense, and George seemed to suddenly notice the incongruence of Draco’s
presence.
“Yeah,” he said, his gaze flicking between the two of them.
“Harry’s gone,” Draco said. “His clothes and wand were left in a pile.”
George’s mouth dropped open. He blinked and rubbed a hand through his orange hair. “How - no way. It’s
impossible. I was the only one working on something like that, I know. No one could have -”
“Ginny was asking about it, George,” Ron bit out. “That’s why you even brought it up. Did you give her one?”
“Well, yeah, but -”
“What did she do with it? Why does she want Harry?” The questions burst from Draco and he stepped forward until
he’d invaded George’s space. “How could you be so careless?”
“Malfoy,” Ron said, yanking on Draco’s arm. “Can you let me do this? You’re not even supposed to be here.”
“Oh, so this is official?” Draco said, pulling his arm from Ron’s clutching fingers.
Ron sighed. “No. Just - George, what’s going on? We need to know everything you know.”
“When did he vanish?” George asked, moving back from Draco a bit.
“Last night.” Draco tried to breathe, tried to regain some of his composure. Why does Ginny Weasley want Harry?
And why would she want him naked?
George nodded, his face thoughtful. “Okay, she was here a week ago. She asked for the Portkey - I told her it
would be done by then. She said it was just for fun, just to give her something she’d wanted for a long time -”
“Harry is gay,” Draco said, cutting in. “Did that escape your notice?”
“She didn’t say it was for Harry,” George said, his eyes narrowing. “I would never have let her have it, if I knew that. I
know Harry’s gay - I probably know more about his love life than you do, Draco, so back off.”
More than I do - well, shit. Draco couldn’t find a response to that. So now both George and Hermione knew secrets
about Harry - yeah, Draco was really special, all right.
Ron gave Draco a worried glance but continued with the questions. “That’s all she said? No hint as to what she
planned?”
George stared at him for a second, then shrugged. “You have Pensieves, right?”
“Yeah. The Ministry has a couple.”
George held out his wand and muttered something, and a glass vial flew into his other hand. He put the tip of his wand
to his forehead and murmured something else, then sealed the silvery strands coming from his head into the vial. He
handed it to Draco. “It’s all there. I hope you find Harry - I know how much he means to you.” He stepped back and
added, “He’s like a brother to me, you know? Let me know when you get him back.”
Draco nodded, not sure why it seemed like there were some kind of hidden messages in all that. He gripped the vial,
not even pretending to share with Ron. No way would he be left behind when Ron went to the Auror department.
Ron sighed and clapped his brother on the back. “Thanks. I’ll Owl you later.” He left the shop, moving to the closest
Apparition point. “Ready?” he asked. “You know the Auror coordinates at the Ministry?”
“I thought there were anti-Apparition wards -”
Ron rolled his eyes. “The gardens, you prat,” he muttered.
Draco nodded. He didn’t bother to make an excuse. With no sleep and more fear, frustration, and other emotions he
couldn’t examine swirling in him, there was nothing to say. With a crack, they Apparated away.
Once inside the Ministry, Ron led Draco to his office. “Stay here. I’ll go and get the Pensieve.”
It seemed like Ron was gone forever, but when Draco checked the time, it had only been a few minutes once he
returned carrying a smallish Pensieve. “Here,” he said, setting it on his desk. Draco poured the contents into it, and
nodded at Ron.
“Together,” he said.
Ron swallowed. “Let’s go.”
Draco had only done this a couple of times, and he couldn’t say he loved the feeling of falling into someone else’s
head. But then they landed, and George and Ginny came into quick focus, standing in the office of George’s shop. “It’s
ready, right?” Ginny asked, her eyes wide and shining. Draco didn’t know the woman well - he’d hardly seen her since
Hogwarts and the War. He looked at her face, her large eyes, and he wondered if she always seemed so: high.
George, however, didn’t seem to notice, so Draco assumed she was normal. “Here it is,” he said, handing her a small
bottle cap.
“How do I activate it?”
“When you send it, use this spell,” George said, pointing to a line on a piece of parchment she held in her other hand.
“The final word should be the receiver’s name.” He paused, watching his sister closely. “Are you certain this isn’t
something which could get me in trouble? You’re not doing something illegal with it, are you?”
Ginny’s head jerked a little, but her smile was full and natural. “Of course not. T -” she jerked again, her whole body
this time. “S-sorry. Hiccups. Anyway, I promise they will not know anything about this - will not!”
Draco frowned. She sounded crazy. Why was she talking like this? George’s eyes narrowed, and he opened his
mouth to talk when Ginny giggled. “Come on, George. I swear. You know how much I need a little fun. I promise, this
will only benefit me. It won’t hurt anyone.”
George hesitated then nodded. “Okay. Will you tell me about it when you’re done?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll definitely tell you - I’ll show you!” Ginny giggled again, and then the scene faded and Draco found
himself in Ron’s office again.
“That was weird,” Ron muttered.
“Is she always like that?”
“Like what?” Ron sounded defensive.
“So jumpy and: manic.”
“She’s not manic! She did look really excited, though.” He put both hands in his hair, grabbing it and tugging a little. “I
have to admit I’m at a loss here, mate,” he added.
Draco sighed, not reacting to Ron’s obvious attempt to placate him with the word ‘mate’. It was obvious that Ron didn’t
know what to do. However, Harry had mentioned many times that Ron was an amazing strategist, and from their few
games of chess, Draco knew this was true. He started thinking aloud, hoping they could get somewhere. “So Ginny wants
Harry naked, and somehow that will make her happy.”
“See, that’s what doesn’t make sense. Harry told her after the War that he was gay. He was completely up-front
about it - and she was unhappy, but she accepted it. She’s been dating Dean Thomas again, and last I heard, my mum
thought they’d be getting married.”
“Is there any chance she gave this to someone else? That she was picking it up for someone else?” Draco asked.
Ron paused then shook his head. “I really don’t think she’d do that to George. When I first heard them talking about it
a couple of months ago, he made it very clear that this was for family only - he couldn’t trust anyone else. And Ginny
loves George. Since Fred d-died, Ginny’s been a lifeline for George. She adores him, and he knows it.” Ron frowned. “I
really don’t think so.”
Draco bit his lip, running through the memory in his mind. That weird shuddering thing she did - why did that suddenly
seem familiar? “I want to look again.”
“Okay,” Ron said, surprising Draco with his immediate agreement. “I’ll come too.”
They went in together, and Draco tuned out the words to simply watch Ginny. The wide eyes. They were almost
dilated. And then she started to say something and shuddered. Next she giggled and started talking funny, almost like a
cadence with strange emphases. He let the scene finish, and almost before Ron could draw a breath, Draco said, “Once
more.”
Ron let him go alone this time, and Draco focused on the words. “-promise they will not know anything about this -
will not!”
When Draco finished, he looked at Ron, something clicking in his brain. “Last month. That case with - what’s his
name?” He snapped his fingers, but the name wouldn’t come. “Hermione testified - she helped with the interrogation as
a Potions expert, remember?”
Ron frowned. “Go on.”
“The suspect, remember, kept jerking and shuddering - like he was having a seizure.”
Ron’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, shit. You’re right - it was the strangest thing. Wait - is that what you think Gin
was doing?” He started pacing around the small office, tugging on his hair again. “Oh, no. This is not good. Do you know
what happened to that guy?”
“No. We weren’t involved after -”
“He died, Malfoy. He kept having those weird seizures, and then his heart just stopped. How could Gin -?”
“Who? Who did it?”
Ron swallowed. “We don’t know. That’s the problem - we think it was probably one of the remaining Death Eaters,
but we had no proof and no way to find them, even if we did.”
“Avery. Davis. Nott.” Draco muttered the names aloud - only three remained, but they’d proven quite elusive so far.
Of course, it wasn’t his area - the Aurors had to find them, not Draco. “Avery. Davis. Nott.”
Not. “Shit!”
Ron jumped. “What?”
“It’s Nott - Theodore Nott. Didn’t you hear her words?” He grabbed Ron’s arm and dragged him to the Pensieve.
“Come on.” They went in again, and this time, when Ginny made her bizarre comments, it seemed so obvious.
When it ended, Ron stared at Draco, his freckles standing out on his pale face. “Nott - she gave us a clue. So,
how? And what does Nott want with Harry?”
***
Things were not looking good. Harry wasn’t an idiot. When Theodore returned to the room with an excited gleam in
his eyes, Harry knew he was in trouble. No wand, no clothes - no way out. “Don’t worry, Harry,” Ginny said, sitting on his
cot. She put her hand on his leg, and he shivered, wishing he had more than a blanket to separate her touch from his skin.
“Why are you doing this, Gin?” he asked, hoping again he could convince her to fight Nott with him.
“So we can be together,” she said, tilting her head a little.
“Gin, that will never happen. No matter what Nott does - I love D - someone else.”
Her eyes narrowed a bit at his slip, but she didn’t comment on it. “But Harry, once Teddy fixes you, you’ll love me. I
know you will - you did before. We can get married and have babies - it’ll be perfect in every way.” She sounded
almost crooning.
Harry’s stomach clenched. They’d brought him soup earlier, but he hadn’t dared to eat it, worried about what could be
inside. Without his wand to test it, he didn’t feel safe. Not that it matters now, he thought, as Nott came in, a vial of
something dark and smoking in his hand. Shit.
“Well, well, Potter. Here we all are. You will have no choice but to drink this, so you can do it the easy way or I’ll tie
you down and force it into you.” He gave a tight smile. “Which will it be?”
“You’ll have to tie me down,” Harry said, his voice cold. He knew his hatred for Nott was right there in his eyes for him
to see - and he didn’t care. He’d hate him for what he’d done to Gin, if nothing else.
“Your wish,” Nott said, waving his wand and muttering an incantation.
Ropes surrounded Harry, binding him completely.
“Open his mouth, Ginny,” Nott said.
Ginny didn’t hesitate to comply. “Don’t fight it, Harry. It won’t help,” she whispered as she bent over him. Her red hair
draped along his neck and upper chest. She put her hands on his jaw, and then found something which she pressed. Pain
radiated through Harry’s face as he clenched.
“For gods’ sake,” Nott muttered. He waved his wand and said, “Patefacio os.”
Harry’s mouth opened, and Nott poured the liquid in. Harry tried to spit it out, but his mouth wouldn’t work. All he could
do was try not to choke and gag as it slid down his throat like some kind of oily slime.
“Good. I’ll be back in a bit to fine-tune this. Ginny, why don’t you remain and keep him company? Then I’ll need you
for something special, once Harry’s ready to go.”
“Before you let him go, you mean - right? Let us go to live together forever?” she asked.
Nott laughed. “Right,” he said, leaving the room. Harry heard the sound of the bolt sliding shut. He could move his
mouth again, but he couldn’t find the words. How was he going to get Ginny out of this when he couldn’t even save
himself?
***
Draco stared at Ron, his brain working overtime. Nott was behind this - that fucker. He was going to use some kind
of horrible potion on Harry, and everything was falling apart. “I don’t know what he wants, but we have to find a way to
stop it.”
As always when he found himself in this type of pressure situation, everything faded to the back except for the problem
at hand. That’s how he’d become such an expert at Potions at such a young age, he knew. “There has to be some way to
trace -” he began, thinking aloud again.
“We can’t. It’s been too long - we can’t trace any magic after the first few minutes.”
“Not magic. The Portkey -”
“You can’t trace Portkeys - that’s the whole point,” Ron said.
But Draco wasn’t listening. After that disaster in sixth year with the Peruvian Darkness, he remembered George
saying something about finding a way to trace their products. “That’s it!” he said. He turned to the fireplace. “Can I
Fire-call from here?”
“Of course, but -”
Draco used the powder and stuck his head in. “Hermione?” He’d assumed she still sat at Malfoy Manor, right where
he left here.
“Draco - have you -?”
“Last summer, when you were doing that secret project with George, did it have anything to do with tracing his
products?”
Hermione blinked and blushed, for some reason. She nodded. “How did you know?”
“Meet me at George’s shop,” Draco said rather than answering. “Oh, and bring your notes on that case, the one with
that guy -”
“Stevens,” Ron yelled from behind him.
“Is that Ron? Where are you?”
“The Stevens case,” Draco said. “You know it?”
“Of course. It was just last month, and that potion -”
“Hermione,” Draco said, interrupting. “We’re in a rush. How long will it take you?”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”