Inked Dragons

Ancient House Elves and Cupboards Beneath the Stairs

It was very unfortunate that Harry and Draco were interrupted at that point by Angelina's eagle Patronus flying around the room before resting on the footboard of the bed to tell Harry they'd picked up Gregory Goyle's tracks at the Goyle family house in Tanworth-in-Arden. He'd been there with Twarmer and they'd just left. A Homonoculous showed faint imaging of one person in the house, in the depths, possibly a dungeon. Should they proceed to break in?

Harry sighed and got out of bed to find his clothes. 'Guess I'm heading to the Midlands. I'll take the bike. You coming or going to Apparate home?'

'I'll Apparate. I'll stay for morning yoga and when I leave, I'll take the bags. Just go. And be careful.'

'Sure?' Harry said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

'Sure. That Tarquin bloke, the one who snores during meditation, he said he'll drop me at the station. I can Apparate from there.'

'Dray,' Harry said, hooking a finger under his chin and lifting his face towards him. 'I love you too.'

'Go away,' Draco said. Only because he felt all vulnerable and very happy too. He was trying to suppress his smile because he couldn't possibly show how happy Harry made him. For goodness sake, what had happened to his Slytherin pride? 'Go on, piss off. You're a bloody nuisance with your hair and leather bloody trousers and your I love yous.'

Harry smiled, understanding exactly was Draco was doing. And he heaved himself up again. 'We'll finish this later,' he said with a cheeky grin before sending his Patronus off to Angelina to tell her and Lee to track Goyle and Twarmer and to leave Alex and Mara at the Goyle residence to wait for him.

'Harry...'

'Yes?'

'Ironing spell. Or you'll begin to look like Arum Twarmer.'

'Hey?' he mimicked. But this time he did apply the spell.

He turned to the little scruffy owl before he left and said, 'Beniot, I need you to fly home. 12 Grimmauld Place. Take your time and rest along the way and we'll see you again soon, when we both get back.'

Beniot hooted balefully but took off through the door as Harry opened it for him. Draco smiled to himself at Harry's contradicting cuteness with his rugged Auror uniform and leather trousers.

Especially as Harry then winked cheekily at Draco, said, 'we've got something to finish later...' and pulled on his bike helmet and gloves.

Draco smiled happily to himself as he sprawled out in the bed after Harry left, momentarily forgetting the woes of life as he thought of his boyfriend's sparkling eyes and cheeky wink.

Harry might have enjoyed the ride back through Wales, only he was worried about what Angelina had said about the faintness of the Homonoculous. It wasn't necessarily a good sign. He couldn't help worry for Rita Skeeter: she was, really, an unwitting victim in all this because her thirst for fame through her stories was so easy to manipulate. He knew he was as guilty as Twarmer in that aspect. He also knew she wasn't a particularly powerful or clever witch, despite her ability to become an Animagus, and really, she was in out of her depth.

He pushed his speed a bit as he wove along the twisting A5 in Wales towards Shrewsbury before cutting across via Much Wenlock to the motorway around Birmingham. As he turned into Tanworth-In-Arden, he eased off the throttle and allowed a brief moment to admire the old English village. He snorted to himself as he thought it was typical of Wizarding snobbery to pick somewhere like this to live. There were similarities with Godric's Hollow and he wondered if there were a large magical community living in the area.