Harry viewed the last few weeks with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was keeping himself busy; he'd done two out-of-town training missions and finished the reports mere days afterward and had gone out with Jon enough times that, embarrassingly enough, the rest of the Aurors-in-training had noticed their relationship.
However, he still couldn't forget Malfoy's face and words, how petulant and angry and drunk the blond had been, how jealous he'd acted. Harry didn't approve of Malfoy's behavior that night, but he could understand it and he wished they hadn't left things the way they had. He wished more that Malfoy hadn't run off to Crabbe, but that was none of his business anymore.
For the sake of his concentration he'd started partnering with Katie Bell instead of Jon and she, thankfully, seemed more interested in getting her job done than she did in Harry's private life. Besides, she was a decent partner who didn't mind doing half the paperwork. They were in the middle of finishing a report on the latest training mission when Harry felt the tell-tale pull.
He stood abruptly, almost knocking over his chair as he grabbed his wand off the side table. "There's been a breach in the wards at the Parkinson Manor. We have to go over there," he said as he got ready to apparate, not meeting her eyes.
The Ministry didn't bother to keep track of protective wards or when they were breached. Some wards were so sensitive that receiving owls could set them off. It just wasn't worth the time. Harry, however, had taken his promise to Malfoy very seriously and had been watching the wards on Pansy's house ever since. And, from the way Katie was looking at him, it was obvious she wanted to know why.
"How do you know there's been a breach?" Katie asked, but she was standing, too, and her wand was already in her hand. "And why do we have to go over there? Shouldn't we call the Ministry?"
"There's no time for that," Harry pointed out. "I'll explain later, but we have to go. Now." Without waiting for anymore questions, he took her arm and apparated into the Parkinson Manor library, the source of the breach. He released her the instant they were there, his wand flying out defensively.
However, he still couldn't forget Malfoy's face and words, how petulant and angry and drunk the blond had been, how jealous he'd acted. Harry didn't approve of Malfoy's behavior that night, but he could understand it and he wished they hadn't left things the way they had. He wished more that Malfoy hadn't run off to Crabbe, but that was none of his business anymore.
For the sake of his concentration he'd started partnering with Katie Bell instead of Jon and she, thankfully, seemed more interested in getting her job done than she did in Harry's private life. Besides, she was a decent partner who didn't mind doing half the paperwork. They were in the middle of finishing a report on the latest training mission when Harry felt the tell-tale pull.
He stood abruptly, almost knocking over his chair as he grabbed his wand off the side table. "There's been a breach in the wards at the Parkinson Manor. We have to go over there," he said as he got ready to apparate, not meeting her eyes.
The Ministry didn't bother to keep track of protective wards or when they were breached. Some wards were so sensitive that receiving owls could set them off. It just wasn't worth the time. Harry, however, had taken his promise to Malfoy very seriously and had been watching the wards on Pansy's house ever since. And, from the way Katie was looking at him, it was obvious she wanted to know why.
"How do you know there's been a breach?" Katie asked, but she was standing, too, and her wand was already in her hand. "And why do we have to go over there? Shouldn't we call the Ministry?"
"There's no time for that," Harry pointed out. "I'll explain later, but we have to go. Now." Without waiting for anymore questions, he took her arm and apparated into the Parkinson Manor library, the source of the breach. He released her the instant they were there, his wand flying out defensively.
"Draco, stop!"
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