Letters

December: Voguing at the Ministry Christmas Ball

'Are you reporting him missing, officially?'

'I was told to wait until Tuesday, until it had been a full week because he's an adult in sane mind and might have just taken himself off for a holiday. Harry, I don't believe that, he wouldn't do that without telling me first.'

'And has his behaviour been any different recently, anything noticeable?'

She shrugged, 'it's all been different since mum was killed. He's been more distance, more... I don't know, just going through the motions, more robotic.'

'Might he have had a break down?'

'I don't think so, I thought things were starting to improve slowly. Like he had a purpose again.'

Harry'd done some poking around and got Ron on the case too. The result had finally pushed Harry into the trip to Azkaban to talk to someone there. He'd had to do that outside office hours because it wasn't an official investigation, which meant the going on the Saturday he and Draco had originally planned together in the build up to the Ministry's Christmas Ball. Draco had agreed to meet him directly at the Ministry.

Visiting Azkaban was exhausting, which was partly why he'd procrastinated over going. He couldn't Apparate because it was unplottable so it meant a difficult low-level broom-flight under Disillusionment Wards and invariably getting soaking wet by the tempestuous and cold North Sea.

The results had been productive but not conclusive. No doubt he'd be making the same trip again early the following week. He'd found out that both Langello and Abbott had visited Azkaban on numerous occasions in the past three and a half years, what's more, both had visited Lucius Malfoy more than once. This wasn't so surprising for Abbott, considering he worked for the Criminal Probation Department; Langello, well, it could be argued that as a solicitor, he could be visiting clients, but it was rather vague and unlikely considering he'd retired. The two things that got Harry's blood tingling was, firstly, as well as Langello visiting Azkaban a week ago, he had been there on 31st October, the day that Harry registered that Curses Moste Horride had been moved and was surrounded by water, second, Abbott had visited Lucius on Tuesday and had gone missing after the Guards saw him leave. His arrival back on mainland was recorded in Whitby but then the trace went cold.

Harry had tried to get to see Lucius. He didn't particularly want to see the man but there seemed to be an awful lot of connections pointing his way. The guards wouldn't let him, despite being an Auror and in uniform; he wasn't there on official business and he didn't have the correct paperwork.

Of course, Harry couldn't tell Achara all this, it was sensitive and confidential information, but as they danced and, as Harry thought about it, an awful thought occurred to him.

'Achara, I need to leave, I need to find out about his wand...'

There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see an official-looking Ministry guard standing rigidly upright and still and out of place in the middle of twirling carnivalesque dance floor.

'Mr Potter, sir, there's a Mrs Narcissa Druella Malfoy at the door. She says she needs to talk to you, she says it's urgent. She has presented me with her wand.'

'Narcissa? Give me the wand!' Harry snatched the wand from the outheld hand and strode towards the door. His heart was in his mouth.

'Harry,' she looked in a state of panic. 'I've... I've been at Dromeda's all afternoon. I just tried to Apparate back to the Manor and the Wards wouldn't let me through. I can't get home. Where's Draco?'

'He's... I don't know, he didn't show... Wait a moment.'

He felt like he couldn't catch his breath as he pushed the wand back into her hand. He turned and his wolf-whistle cut through the noise to Ron. People stopped and stared but he didn't care. Ron, Mione, Peanut, Pansy, Robards, and Shacklebolt all immediately headed towards Harry and Narcissa.