The Half-Blood Princess

Draco's Dreadful Discovery

Due to her contract, Harley was able to leave Hogwarts and spend Christmas--and the shopping season--at her store. Brewing, writing, trading sarcastic comments with Patricia, it was a welcome relief from the constant chattering of over a thousand children and teenagers.

No wonder Father was always out of sorts, dealing with that all the time, she thought as she was writing up a new recipe to test out. It was late, Christmas Eve, and she was actually glad to be alone for the holiday. Better than false cheer with people who only tolerated her, after all.

She hated the holidays, remembering the last Christmas when she'd been at the Burrow, talking wedding plans with Fred and her father. Despite the portrait being at Hogwarts, the thought that neither of them would ever spend Christmas with her again broke her control every single year and she always wound up a bit drunk on eggnog and tearful in front of the fire at Spinner's End, listening to her father's record collection and ignoring the cards and well wishes from the Malfoys and Teddy.

That was why she was at her shop, working. Can't be drunk while working, and it kept most of the thoughts at bay.

It was nearing midnight, going into Christmas Day, when there was a frantic pounding on the front door made her literally jump out of her seat. Wand out, she rushed to the door and saw Draco standing outside, arms around his thin black coat trying to keep warm.

Harley opened her door and ushered him inside. "Malfoy, are you utterly mad?" she scolded, casting a warming charm on him. "What are you doing here at this time of night on the holiday?"

Draco shrugged off his coat and sighed as he sat down in a chair. "I went to Spinner's End first...I thought you'd be there. I found something. Something that could potentially be dreadful. You might want to sit down."

Harley's heart stuttered. What on Earth made Draco Malfoy come to her in a state of uncharacteristic disarray, claiming dreadful things were upon them?

"Draco...you're not drunk, are you?" she asked, wondering if she should dose him with more Veritaserum.

He shook his head, reaching into his coat pocket. He slapped a piece of parchment onto the desk before Harley. "I found this while going through some old family albums with Mum and Scorpius this afternoon. It's all in Father's handwriting."

Harley looked at the parchment. On one side was a list of names, many of which she recognised as known Death Eaters, most of whom were deceased. Opposite each name was an item and a checkmark.

Lucius Malfoy - Malfoy snake heirloom

Bellatrix Black - Rodolphus Lestrange's wand

Rodolphus Lestrange - broomstick

Antonin Dolohov - ring

The list went on for nine more Death Eaters. All were deceased except for Lucius.

"What is this, Draco?" Harley asked, deciding he could use a cup of tea...and a shot of the truth serum. She liked Draco, but that didn't mean she trusted him.

He drank the hot tea gratefully. "A list of horcruxes the Dark Lord made his most loyal supporters create. As experiments that the Death Eaters should never die out if what happened with Potter actually did occur in real life," Draco said. "That is a Duplicate." He leaned forward over the desk, silvery blue eyes burning into her black ones. "You can get this to Potter. You need to destroy them all."

"Me?" Harley scoffed. "I haven't spoken to my brother in years. Why don't you hand it to him, along with the confession of your undying love?"

They were, she realised, the very images of their fathers as they sat there at odds, arguing over horcruxes and Harry Potter.