A Whole Lot Of Capitals - AKA The Potter Problem Project - Drarry

In Which Harry is Just Following Directions, Honest

When Teddy stumbled blearily into the kitchen the next morning, he and Malfoy sat quietly as Harry made breakfast.

Teddy needed to go back to Hogwarts soon, but Harry didn't think it was time just yet. Plus, he'd made other plans.

"We're going to New York," he said, shoveling eggs onto three plates already containing bacon and toast, no bacon for Malfoy.

"Yeah okay, Potter. Just tell me when the Portkey is." Malfoy flipped open his paper and grimaced at whatever he saw before tossing it back on the kitchen table.

"Today at 4. There are only three candidates left to test and two of them live in New York." Harry put the plates in front of Teddy and Malfoy and took one for himself along with some of the coffee Malfoy had made.

Teddy looked up from his plate and shook his head at Harry. His eyes were blood-shot and his hair was black, making him look like something out of a Halloween film.

"What're you talking about?"

Harry smiled flatly at Teddy and pushed his plate closer to him so he'd take a bite. One he did, Harry answered his question. "I got a Portkey for 4 p.m. that will land in America at 11:02 a.m. their time. Once we're there, Malfoy and I have to find some people for a project, but that won't take long. We can spend the rest of the time exploring.

"What about school?"

Draco spoke up this time. "I already owled McGonagall to say you won't be in until the start of next week." It was a Friday and this gave them plenty of time.

"So I guess we're going to New York, then," Teddy said, without a hint of enthusiasm.

"So I guess we're going to New York," Harry repeated.

Malfoy just frowned.

When Harry was walking down the hall of the Janus Thickey Ward at 2 later that day, he couldn't help feeling guilty. It seemed like taking advantage of Neville's parents somehow, to steal their DNA without them noticing, but he didn't see another choice.

When he got to the room, Mrs. Longbottom was asleep. Harry hadn't known it before, but Frank had apparently died years earlier. He felt sorry he'd never asked Neville about that.

It would have looked odd if Harry had left quickly, so he sat by her bedside and waited. She was much older than the last time he'd seen her. Her hair was grayer and her face was sunken in. She didn't look much like Neville anymore.

The woman he was sitting in front of was not the person who had killed Lucius Malfoy, and yet her DNA might have a clue as to who did. It would have been easy to pluck a hair out or something, but that didn't feel right. Harry couldn't collect a sample.

Then Mrs. Longbottom woke up. She looked directly at Harry and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Longbottom. I'll show myself out."

The woman stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and he looked down. In his palm was a candy wrapper.

Harry swallowed heavily and nodded. "Thank you."

She didn't say or do anything else and he took that as his cue to leave.

Back at Grimmauld Place, his bag was packed and the candy wrapper was safely in his desk. The fact that he hadn't had to take the DNA by force didn't change his decision. They were still going to New York.

Malfoy claimed to be annoyed by Harry having purchased the Portkey for them and Harry told him he could pay him back by helping Ron go through questionnaires for The Problem.