Blood Vengeance

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry sent Terry and Ron to Diagon Alley to start at Gringotts, tasked Mike with securing the crime scene and asked Savage to get more help. The he Apparated straight to Wiltshire and to the front door of Malfoy Manor, setting off a lot of alarms.

The door opened to a raised wand. "Mr. Potter!" Narcissa Malfoy cried, lowering her wand.

"Draco's missing?" he asked, immediately.

"Yes! Please come in! There's no reason why he wouldn't come home, Mister... I mean Auror Potter," she said, and he entered the beautiful atrium. 

"Harry is fine. I have it from Auror Savage that he was going to Gringotts?" Harry went right to business. There was a slim chance that Malfoy was still alive. They had to figure out where DEK had taken him.

Narcissa nodded. "Yes. He had a standing meeting once a month with them."

"Was he going anywhere else? Potion supplies? A book? Robes?"

"I don't know. His robes were fine, but maybe he wanted a tonic for his nerves? He had a lot of damage from the war."

Harry didn't ask why. "Does he prefer Slug & Jiggers or...."

"Yes. They haven't refused his business."

Harry nodded. He supposed that many refused known-Death Eaters their business. It wasn't completely legal, but it was more of a headache to report it. "Anything else that you can think of? Anything small Draco might have mentioned?"

"He said his owl was a bit off... maybe he...."

"Yes... Eeylops Owl Emporium?"

"I imagine. There really isn't another place he would go."

"Alright, do you have a recent photo?"

"Yes," she summoned it and handed the framed photo to him.

Malfoy didn't look much different, but he was thin. Terribly thin and had a haunted look in his eyes. It had been five years since he saw him as Malfoy never came out of his manor anymore, regardless that Harry had testified for all three of them. Narcissa and Draco were let off on probation, which was now over. Lucius was in Azkaban for another five years. The younger Malfoy had offered a terse thank you before disappearing from public life altogether. 

Harry had had no reason to call upon his former rival, and he had been fairly curious to what the Slytherin was doing this whole time. But now was not the time for curiosity. "Mrs. Malfoy... did you receive a notice from the Ministry? I thought I had ordered a message sent that you two could be targeted."

"About not leaving the house and being on guard? We do that. But we do need things, and not everyone is willing to come to the house that Voldemort made residence. We can't even sell if we wanted, too."

Harry nodded. "I will do my best to find him, I promise."

"Auror... Harry... is he dead? I heard... this DEK person... kills them... slowly," Narcissa asked, fear in her voice.

"I can only hope he's still alive. It's getting close. Can I ask why you didn't know he was missing sooner?"

"He locks himself in his room... for days sometimes. It's just us... he needs a mind healer... but he won't leave the house and no one will come here."

"But he left...."

"He does his duty, Harry. Lucius told him to keep on with the finances and take care of me and the house. He will do it... and only that. I honestly broke into his room. I couldn't sense him. I thought he had... ended it."