With you in my Arms

48. "Crucio" and "Petrificus Totalus"

To all of you who voted, fan-ed and commented    T H A N K    Y O U ! ! !

All that sometimes counts is the fact that there are you guys out there enjoying this story. Without you there wouldn't be any point writing it.

So, enjoy the latest installment! 

                                                      +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 

As head of the Auror Office it was his privilege to shout at his staff. He very seldom ever did. Only in exceptionally cases. Like the one he was dealing with at the moment. The information about the visitor Lucius Malfoy had received should have been back on his desk an hour ago. What he had received instead was an excuse, a rather lame one at that. So he had a good go at the auror that had been in charge of gathering the required intelligence.

After dismissing the young auror Henri Shaw paced his office for several minutes. He wasn't acting as if he was in charge! They were bumbling about, without direction or purpose. It had to stop. Right now!

He stuck his head out off his office and yelled, "Potter!"

After only two minutes there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

It was the young auror whose presence he had been so vociferous been requesting.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Come in."

Harry wasn't quite sure, if this would be a friendly chat or if there was a punishment with his name on, waiting to be dished out.

"Sit."

He did. His boss looked at him with an expression he had never seen before. What had happened? Had they found out where Malfoy senior was? Even so he had delivered Ginny safely to Hogwarts himself this morning, he was still concerned for her well-being.

"You know where young Malfoy and Miss Granger are?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Is it safe? I mean, do they have put proper protection up around whatever place they are staying in?"

"I would think so. Hermione's no fool and neither is Malfoy."

"Good."

Silence settled like heavy volcanic ash over the two wizards.

"I don't want to beat about the bush, but I don't think that Malfoy senior is in France any longer. He has been seen there and he is not stupid enough to stay around a place he might be found at. He'll have moved and as his plans here have all more or less failed, I'd say he is here. In Britain."

Harry paled. That monster in Britain? What, if he found out where his son and Hermione were hiding? They were both exceptionally in their spell work, but would that be enough to overpower the ex-Death Eater? He wouldn't hesitate to try and kill them. Though he knew, that his best friend might hesitate before ending the life of another human being, how evil and deranged it might be.

"Lucius will be going after his son next. He was too late to finish off his wife, but when the child of Draco is being born his shame will be complete as the pure line of Malfoy will no longer be pure. He'll do his best to prevent that from happening."

He pursed his lips and looked at the wizard sitting before him.

"And if we are correct in our assumptions he will have already taken care of replacing his son..."

"Replacing him?" How was that supposed to be possible? Harry very much doubted that Draco's mother would be willingly bear her husband another child, if he killed that first one. Was she still able to... hopefully not.

The Head Auror was taking a deep breath.

"This doesn't leave this room! Under absolutely NO circumstances, understood?"

Nodding from the other side of the desk.

"Shaklebolt and I think that Lucius Malfoy has somehow managed to get that Skeeter woman pregnant. She is surprisingly enough of sufficiently good breeding stock to be of interest for him. We had that checked. St. Mungo's is taking care of her in the moment. She has no idea how she came to be with child. She also doesn't know that the man we are hunting is the potential father for it. According to her she has led a rather celibate existence during the last ten months. Probably not due to the lack of trying..."

"Sir? Do you think that it will be necessary to take Hermione and Malfoy into protective custody? I mean, what will happen, if he finds them in Scotland?"

"Yes. I had been thinking about sending a couple of aurors to protect them, but in order to do so, I'll need the exact address."

"Sorry. I don't have their address. I only know where her parents are staying."

"Do you know them? The Grangers?"

"Yes, Sir. I've met them a couple of times."

"Good, I want you to go and visit them. Find out where exactly your friend and her... wizard are. Send me an owl and then go there directly. Don't come back, don't go anywhere else first."

"Yes, Sir."

Harry rose from his seat and was about to leave, when he stopped at the door and turned around.

"He really is going to kill them, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so."