The next day Harry left for the flat straight from the Ministry. He felt very anxious about having to talk to Hermione, but Ginny's words still resounded in his mind. Hermione had to find out from him, she deserved that. She was his friend, his best friend, not a child that needed protecting by being lied to or by having things concealed from her.

She must have had her reasons for not wanting to talk to me about what happened. Malfoy said she thought I would worry. Well, she was right about that.

With those thoughts he sent his Patronus ahead to let them know of his visit. A few minutes later he materialized in the common room of Hermione and Draco's flat. The image that waited him there shocked him out of his words.

Hermione and Draco were glaring at each other, the only obstacle between them was an armchair. They both had their wands raised at each other and because of the yelling they hadn't noticed Harry arrive. He simply gaped at them, unsure of whether to call out to them or wait a little longer for them to finish their fight. He had a bad feeling this argument was precisely because of what he came there to talk about.

,,You foul... evil... How could you do that? I told you not to do it." Hermione was yelling at Draco.

Her hair looked bushier than ever and her eyes shone bright with fury. She sent a curse in Draco's direction, but he easily deflected it with a lazy wave of his wand.

,,I have no idea what you're talking about, Granger." Draco drawled, in all appearance looking relaxed, but Harry knew better. The way he was holding his wand at the ready and his posture showed he was ready for everything Hermione was about to throw at him.

At least he's smart, not underestimating Hermione. Harry thought.

,,Don't play stupid, you bloody Slytherin." Hermione bit out.

,,For sure, I do not know what my house has anything to do with the reason you are so angry." Draco replied, slightly frowning. ,,I thought house differences were resolved after the war and everyone lived happily ever after at Hogwarts."

,,Stop trying to play smart, Malfoy." Hermione snapped.

,,Oh, first I'm stupid, then I'm smart. Would you decide already which one I am, Granger? You're confusing me." Draco sneered at her.

In response, Hermione threw another curse at him. The white flash came at Draco so fast that he was barely able to dodge it. It landed on the wall behind him, leaving a deep dent.

,,I told you not to tell Harry. You promised you wouldn't" Hermione said with an angry huff, her eyes narrowing even more dangerously at Draco.

She started walking, slowly trying to go around the armchair, but Draco mimicked her and kept the same distance between them.

,,No, you told me not to call him. And that I didn't. You never said anything about not talking to the bloody Chosen One afterwards. I never broke any stupid promises." Draco said, now angry as well.

,,Yes, you're right. There was never a promise between us. It was my fault for believing your word would mean anything." Hermione bit out.

Draco's eyes darkened. He and Hermione shot glares at each other for a moment before shouting in the same time.

,,Stupefy!"

,,Stupefy!"

,,PROTEGO!" bellowed a third voice.

Harry had moved from his spot and got close enough to cast the shield charm between them. Both their curses hit the shield, and, with a small flash of white light, they disappeared.

,,Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed completely stunned. It was obvious that neither she, nor Draco had heard or even seen Harry's Patronus.

,,Saving Malfoy's life, apparently." Harry said with a grin.

Draco scoffed and crossed his arms in response. Hermione, on the other hand, lowered her wand and stared at Harry intently. Her eyes began to narrow, and she took a few steps towards her best friend.

,,Harry..." she began in a calm, dangerous voice.

,,Y-yes, Hermione." Harry stuttered, taking a few steps back to maintain a safe distance from Hermione.

,,You don't know anything about this now, do you?" she said in a rather silky voice, but her eyes still blazed with fury.

,,About what?" Harry asked in a small voice, taking another step backwards.

,,Oh, I don't know" Hermione mocked, pretending to think. ,, About people lurking around the neighborhood, wearing invisibility cloaks. You don't know anything about that, do you, Harry?"

Bloody fools! Ginny was right. Harry winced internally.

,,Now Hermione, please calm down. And I will explain everything. You see..." Harry tried to say but he was interrupted.

,,So you actually put people to stand guard around here? To follow me everywhere. Without telling me?" Hermione shrieked.

Draco snickered in the corner where he had retreated after Harry intervened. That earned him a glare from Harry, but Draco didn't seem to mind. He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed against his chest, wand still in one hand, and he was looking at the scene unfolding before his eyes in mild amusement.

,,I was planning on telling you... eventually." Harry said quietly. ,,I just came here now in order to talk to you about the whole situation." Harry added hastily seeing Hermione's nostrils flaring.

Hermione huffed but it was Draco who spoke.

,,A bit too late for that now, Potter." he said with a smirk. ,,She already knows." he continued, gesturing with his head towards the fuming Hermione.

,,Shut up, Malfoy. You're not helping." Harry said through gritted teeth.

,,Not trying to." Draco said with a shrug, his smirk still in place.

,,Why you bloody..." Harry started under his breath.

,,Enough!" Hermione snapped at the both of them. ,,I can't believe you were both in on this."

,,Hey, don't lump me up with this git." Draco said gesturing at Harry. ,,I didn't know what he was planning on doing. I just told him about the attack and gave him a hint or two. Everything else is all Potter."

,,Still, I can't believe you two talked about this behind my back." Hermione insisted, considerably calmer. The fact that Harry and Draco allied with each other for once was something of a miracle.

,,I was really worried about you." Harry said softly, wanting to keep Hermione as calm as possible now that she had stopped shouting. ,,When Malfoy told me, I went straight to the office and gave orders for the area to be guarded around the clock. We also checked for other suspicious activities."

,,And?" Draco asked, ignoring Hermione's surprised look.

,,No dark wizards have been caught recently and no one knows about any rogue Death Eaters planning something. We asked everyone that might have information on this."

,,Not everyone." Draco said under his breath.

,,What?" Harry asked in bewilderment. ,,Who?"

,,My father." Draco said simply.

Harry and Hermione stared at him without saying a word. Seeing their shocked expressions, Draco waved a hand in annoyance.

,,I have sent him a letter and I am still waiting for a reply. He might know something of his former 'associates' or at least be able to hint us the right direction."

,,And what makes you think he will help?" Hermione asked quietly.

Draco regarded her for a moment. She didn't look angry anymore. If anything, she looked nervous, her eyes slightly widened and her hand gripping her wand tightly.

He thought for a moment, not sure how to begin explaining to her. It was difficult even for him to say why exactly he had written to his father that day after talking to Harry. He guessed it was the feeling of helplessness, of uselessness that drowned him. Seeing Hermione get hurt and knowing that, if he was right in supposing Death Eaters to be the guilty party, she might still be in danger, all this made him feel strange. He knew she was there to help him, but in the same time he wanted to help her in return.

Nevertheless, he was saved from having to give an answer when a brown owl flew in the room and glided elegantly onto Draco's shoulder. After the first moment of shock had passed, Draco realized that it was his mother's owl. It hooted softly while Draco took with trembling hands the letter attached onto its leg.

Draco's face paled and he stood there, letter in hand, as if hit by an immobilization spell.

,,What does it say?" Hermione asked in a low, soft voice, afraid to startle him.

Draco turned his eyes at her, his eyes boring into hers, as if trying to send a wordless message.

,,Mother... I have to go!" he said suddenly, turning on the spot and disappearing.

***

Draco entered his mother's sitting room in a whirl of robes. No sooner had he closed the door that he started talking in a rapid fire.

,,Mother, what do you mean father is gone? What happened? Is everything alright here?"

Narcissa patiently allowed her son his ramble for a few seconds, then she gestured him to sit next to her on the small couch.

,,What happened?" Draco asked again impatiently.

He kept looking around, but the room and the house had seemed to be alright. No sign of struggle whatsoever and his mother seemed too composed to presume something very dreadful had happened. Then what was it? In her letter she only told him that his father had disappeared.

,,You father has been acting rather... odd these last couple of weeks." Narcissa finally said, gracefully pouring herself and Draco a cup of tea. ,,He's been staying cooped up in that study of his for the most part of the day and barely talked when he came out."

,,Has he said anything about what he has been doing there? Does it have anything to do with money or this house?"

Narcissa hesitated for a moment.

,,He hasn't talked about anything important with me ever since the last time you came home." she said slowly, looking carefully at Draco.

Draco felt a sudden stab of guilt at her words. He knew his father acted that way towards her because of him, because of his choices. He tried to shake the feeling off. The current situation was more important than anything he might feel at the moment.

,,Did you notice anything strange about him? Apart from being in his study way too much, that is." Draco said, picking up his tea and trying to look calm.

,,I noticed a lot of owls coming and going, delivering and taking away letters." Narcissa said, following her son's example and sipping he tea elegantly.

,,Letters?" Draco mumbled. ,,Any idea who they were from or who they were addressed to?"

,,Unfortunately, no." Narcissa said simply, placing the cup gently on the table. ,,But there is one more thing. Last night I heard voices coming from his study. Just when I was about to open the door, there was a loud crack and with that your father and whoever was with him were gone."

,,Could it be..." Draco started frowning in concentration. ,,Do you think there is a possibility that he has been kidnapped?"

,,Draco, you know your father. No one, except for the Dark Lord perhaps, would be able to kidnap your father and live to tell the tale. Especially from his own house." Narcissa said waving a hand. ,,No. I am very sure he went with them willingly. To what purpose, that I do not know."

They both remained quiet for a few moments, each engrossed in his own thoughts and emotions. Finally, Narcissa broke the silence.

,,He left you something." she said getting up and heading for the door. ,,In his study, he left you a note."

Draco followed her upstairs into his father's study. The room looked the same as how he remembered it. Not very large but comfortable looking. The big mahogany desk in front of the window was cleaned out. Draco could see a bottle of ink, a few blank pieces of parchment and a quill. But there was something else there. A small piece of parchment was folded and placed neatly under the bottle of ink. Draco crossed the room, went around the desk and picked the note with a trembling hand. Not knowing what he will find written there made the hair at the back of his head rise in anxiety. With a deep breath, he finally unfolded the small note. There was only a line there, written in what was undeniably his father's elegant writing, one Draco had inherited as well after long, torturous hours of practice.

Draco let out a soft gasp, feeling dread spreading all over his body, like poison spreading into the blood. He lowered his hands, letting the note fall on the floor, where it remained, opened, staring up at Draco.

I will take care of the Granger girl. You stay put and do nothing.