In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Ministry Hag

Three evenings had passed since Kreacher left to find Mundungus and Briar was beginning to lose hope that he would succeed. But she knew because it was an order, he wouldn't return unless he did. She just hoped that would be soon.

Harry and Briar were playing a game of Go Fish in the kitchen, when there came the familiar sound of a tap on the front door, then metallic clicks and the grinding of the chain. The pair shot up from their seats and Harry held his wand bracingly, while Briar caused a ball of flame to appear in her palm

They crept up the stairs and waited in the shadows of the hallway and a cloaked figure edged intothe hall and closed the door behind it. The intruder took a step forward, andMoody's voice asked, "Severus Snape?" 

Then the dust figure rose from the end ofthe hall and rushed him, raising its dead hand. "It was not I who killed you, Albus," said a quiet voice.

The dust-figure exploded again, and it was impossible tomake out the newcomer through the dense gray cloud it left behind. 

Harry pointed the wand into the middle of it. "Don't move!"

By now Hermione and Ron had heard the commotion and came running down to the hallway too, their wands also raised at the cloaked figure

"Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!" 

"Oh, thank goodness," said Hermione weakly. Rontoo lowered his wand, but Harry did not. 

"Show yourself!" he called back. 

Remus moved forward into the lamplight, hands still held high in a gestureof surrender. "I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one ofthe four creators of the Marauder's Map, father to Briar, married to Nymphadora, usually knownas Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes theform of a stag." 

"Dad!" Briar cried in relief and sprinted to her dad's waiting arms and he was quick to hug her tightly "You're okay"

"I am," he said tiredly "I'm relieved to see you are too" he kissed her forehead and smiled at the other three "No sign of Severus, then?" he asked. 

"No," said Harry. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes," said Remus "but we're all being watched. There are a couple of DeathEaters in the square outside. I had to Apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front doorto be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in here or I'm surethey'd have more people out there; they're staking out everywhere that's got anyconnection with you, Harry. Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and Iwant to know what happened after you left the Burrow."

They descended into the kitchen, where Hermione pointed her wand at thegrate. A fire sprang up instantly: It gave the illusion of coziness to the stark stonewalls and glistened off the long wooden table. 

Remus pulled a few butterbeersfrom beneath his traveling cloak and they sat down. "I'd have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the DeathEater tailing me. So, you came straight here after the wedding?" 

"No," said Harry, "only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a caféonTottenham Court Road."

Remus slopped most of his butterbeer down his front. "What?" They explained what had happened; when they had finished, Remus lookedaghast. "But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear." 

"And it doesn't seem likely they were just strolling down Tottenham CourtRoad at the time, does it?" said Harry. 

"We wondered," said Hermione tentatively, "whether Harry could still havetheTrace on him?"