Medical Magic (Drarry)

Chapter Three: Narcissa's Interview

            Harry arrived at the new Malfoy Manor, the one Draco and Narcissa had moved into before they'd demolished the old one. Nothing but bad memories and dark magic had lived there at the end, and he knew they'd both wanted a fresh start. He would have.

The meal Harry shared with Narcissa Malfoy was one of the weirdest he had ever experienced. She refused to speak of her son until they were finished, instead asking Harry questions about his life, he readily answered. It was like having dinner with a friend he hadn't seen for a while. He felt like she was silently judging whether he was worthy of finding her son, and part of him wanted to be found up to par. He wanted to please the aristocratic woman who wore her air of sadness like a crown.

"Follow me, Mr. Potter." She'd refused to call him Harry, no matter how much he insisted.

Rising from the table, Harry followed Narcissa to what looked like her private sitting room – it had the same quiet elegance that she possessed.

"Have a seat."

Once settled, Harry jumped right into the interview. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"

"You're here to find my son."

"Yes. Now can you tell me what happened when he disappeared?"

Narcissa sighed deeply, collecting her thoughts. "He had an early dinner and then went to his room. When he didn't return to the living room as was our custom in the evening, I went to find him and found the room empty. When I cast a charm to find his location within the house, it came up empty."

"Were there any signed of foul play?"

Narcissa shook her head.

"When did you report him missing?"

Narcissa shifted in her chair and looked down at her hands. "On May 4, two days later."

"Why did you wait?"

Narcissa pierced Harry with her gaze. "You have to understand Mr. Potter. My son was not doing well after the trials. He would often disappear, but he always came back within a day. I thought he'd taken one of his short trips. He'd never tell me beforehand. I would just come to find him... gone."

Harry frowned. "Do you know where he went when he disappeared?"

Narcissa frowned. "I tried to talk to him about it, but he'd never tell me."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Narcissa's smiled softly. "He always smelled like the ocean. I assume he was going to our summer cottage to cool off."

"May I go there?"

Narcissa hesitated before saying, "Of course, Mr. Potter. Anything to help find my son."

"May I see his rooms here, as well?"

"Be my guest."

Harry nodded, making a note on his pad. "Do you believe your son to be alive?"

Narcissa hesitated before answering. "I don't know."

Harry's stomach lurched at the words. If his own mother didn't believe he was alive...

"You're the first person to interview me, you know." Narcissa didn't sound sad; she sounded curious. "Why are you here, Mr. Potter?"

Harry stared at her, opening and closing his mouth for several moments. "It's my job, Narcissa, to find your son – to find Draco."

She shook her head. "It was other people's job as well, and yet it didn't happen; they didn't even try. Why are you trying when you don't even like my son?"

Harry didn't know how to answer. How could he tell her that he'd felt an emptiness he couldn't fill from the moment he had found out Draco had disappeared? That he couldn't even explain it to himself, but he knew he had to find Draco, for both their sakes. It was part of the reason he'd joined the Missing Persons Department.

Narcissa spoke again. "He didn't hate you, you know."

At this, Harry snorted. "Yes, he did."

Narcissa shook her head. "He'd come home every break and stomp around the manor muttering about 'stupid Harry Potter' much to his father's delight. And then, in private, he would tell me all about your adventures during the school year, how you and your friends did all these amazing things. My son was many things, but most of all, he was a confused boy who had no idea how to make friends his age. Whatever he did to you at school stemmed from a mix of jealousy and longing, Mr. Potter. And I apologize for not raising him to be more compassionate. There was only so much I could do in this household." She sniffed, and to Harry's horror, she looked dangerously close to tears.

"I understand you tried your best. It couldn't have been easy to be married to Lucius."

"It wasn't easy to have him as a father or a husband. He wasn't fit to be either."

Harry nodded and bit his bottom lip. "Where is his room?"

Narcissa rose gracefully. "I'll show you."

Harry followed the woman up the stairs and down several twisting hallways. Finally, they stopped at a set of double doors. "His room is in here. I ask that you put back whatever you don't need for the investigation."

"Of course." Taking a deep breath, Harry opened the doors.

Whatever he'd been expecting to find wasn't this. Stepping into the room, it looked like no one had ever lived there. It could have been a picture in a catalog. Harry stepped inside and found himself drawn to the picture sitting on his nightstand. In it, a happy looking Narcissa had her arms around her scowling son. When the inhabitants of the photo saw Harry, Narcissa waved, and to Harry's surprise, Draco flashed him a quick smile.

Turning around, he found floor to ceiling bookshelves. Harry went over to inspect the titles and was surprised to find several muggle books in the mix. He frowned. That wasn't like Malfoy.

Harry searched the room from top to bottom and found nothing. No other personal items, besides a closet full of perfectly pressed and arranged clothing. Harry went over to the desk and stared at the map that was framed above it. Working on a hunch, Harry took out his wand and whispered, "Revealio." Instantly little dots began to appear on the map. Giggy with excitement, Harry sent out a Patronus message to Narcissa, asking her to come back.

She practically ran into the room. "Did you find something?"

Harry turned to her and gestured towards the map. "Do these spots mean anything to you?"

Narcissa stared at the map. "I had no clue he'd done that. That map is priceless. But it looks like there's a dot for every place we've traveled to. And then some extras. Maybe places he wanted to go to?"

Harry nodded, thinking. "Can I take this with me?"

Narcissa hesitated. "It's priceless."

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important. It's a literal map showing where he thought he'd like to be. He could very easily be at one of those locations."

"Fine. Just bring it back in one piece, please."

Harry smiled and shrunk the map, putting it in his pocket. "I have everything I need here for the moment."

"I'll show you out."