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Author: guruvee Story: A Wish Fulfilled Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 12 Words: 22,529
Dementors. A Death Eater's mask. Voldemort. Wormtail. Draco Malfoy laughing. Aragog. Basilisk. Dementors. Draco Malfoy in a Dementor's Robe. Sirius. Dementors. Buckbeak. Mum. Dad. Sirius. Dumbledore. Dementors. Draco laughing. Harry woke with a start, not quite remembering where he was. The pictures continued to flash through his mind, even after waking. As the room slowly came into focus, the mass of red hair next to him rolled away from him. The memory of the wedding, and the honeymoon, quickly brought a broad smile to his face. And just as quickly, his dreams, and his discussions of the night before, brought him back to the moment as a frown creased his brow. Somehow, Draco Malfoy had information about Harry and Ginny's nuptials that he couldn't possibly have unless he had been there. Harry had not been told which details those were, but the source of the news was extremely reliable. He hadn't had the heart to tell Ginny, but fearing for their safety, he had told her before they fell asleep. Her reaction was not at all surprising. "Harry Potter," she had said, "don't you even think about trying to deal with this on your own. Draco Malfoy will NOT ruin our happiness – at least not if I have anything to say about it." It was a very 'Ginny' response, but was it possible that the news had affected her dreams the same way they had his? Harry rolled out of bed, quickly dressed, and carried his shoes out of the room. He stumbled up the two flights of stairs to Ron's room, and softly knocked on the door. When there was no response, he shook his head in frustration and opened the door. Shaking Ron gently, Harry tried to wake him as quickly but as quietly as possible. "Wassamatter?" "We have to get outside and check the grounds. It's only been a few weeks since the wedding, and the weather's been fairly mild here, hasn't it? If anyone was snooping around we should still be able to find some evidence. Maybe it'll give us a clue to how Malfoy knows so much." "Now? Harry … it's … it's …" "It's the perfect time … before anyone else is up. We can be back before your mum gets up to make breakfast." "All right, all right." Despite his grumbling, Harry was surprised at how quickly Ron got dressed. The two padded down the stairs, and put their shoes on. As they stepped out the door, the sun started to rise on the horizon. Even though it was midsummer, the brisk chill of the morning air was refreshing. The reception tent was still up, and Harry and Ron stood in the center of the tent and looked around. The tent was perched on a rise just a short walk from the Burrow. From their vantage point, the boys could look around and see almost all of the property … even the farthest reaches. Since his search for the Horcruxes, Harry had been able to sense and see magical auras. As he glanced around, he could see the protective enchantments – their aura was bright and strong. And with all the different spells cast to ward the property, it was difficult for Harry to see any weaknesses. He closed his eyes, and laid his wand flat in his wand hand. "Locatus Dificiens." The spell for finding weaknesses was still new to him, he hoped it worked. Harry opened his eyes as he felt his wand spinning in circles on his palm. Ron stared open-mouthed. * * * In his London flat, Draco Malfoy sat in silence. He sat in darkness. The memory of watching his parents die was so vivid. He hadn't slept much in over a year. He looked it too: his eyes were sunken; his once shiny, silky blond hair was now greasy and scraggly. He was also angry. Angry that Skeeter woman cornered him the way she did. Now everyone knew that, somehow, security at the Potter wedding had been breached, and his little spying locale would be found out. He'd have to find some other way to get news of Potter and his blood-traitor of a wife. With an ironic laugh Draco recalled the wedding, and how no one – not even that werewolf and his lover who were sent to protect the Burrow – detected his presence. Draco remembered running from Voldemort, and hiding in the tunnels under Hogwarts. He seethed with anger and fear. But no one knew he was there. The only other people who knew about these tunnels were the Weasleys and Potter, and they were nowhere near the school. He had to find a way to learn more about what they were doing. He roamed into the Restricted Section of the library, and pored over volumes that held information on spells and enchantments he had never even dreamed of. It was here that he had found the Animagus Transformation spell. And his Animagus form was easy to choose as well. The memory of that crazy Professor Moody turning him into a ferret was something he'd rather forget, but it helped to fuel his hatred for Potter. After all, if it weren't for Potter, he'd never have been turned into a ferret in the first place. * * * Harry's wand did not stop spinning. It did not even slow down. So, Harry thought, either the spell didn't work, or there had been no breach in the protective charms. OK, that was one possibility down. Wards were fine. Ron shook his head. "Well, I guess that didn't work. What now?" "Now," Harry replied, "we track. We walk around the grounds to find anything that looks odd or out of place. You go that way. I'll go this way." Ron nodded and started to walk off, eyes on the ground. Harry wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but certain he'd know it when he saw it. At the moment, there wasn't much to see, just lots of grass, and where there was bare ground, footprints from the party remained. Wizard footwear didn't really differ from Muggle footwear too much. Harry chuckled. His Muggle roots and his wizard life converged on footwear. As he walked along, there were more and more spots of bare ground. Harry looked up and realized that he was coming closer to the edge of the property. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. With difficulty, he pulled his mind away from the nagging, and focused on the ground and environment around him. As he continued along, he suddenly realized what was nagging him. The prints in the dirt had changed! He wasn't quite sure what made the prints he was seeing. "Ron! Ron, over here!" Ron came running from the other side of the yard. "What is it? Have you found something?" "Well, I'm not really sure. Perhaps you could tell me. Do these tracks look familiar?" Ron looked at the tracks, and tried to remember if he'd seen them before. "Blimey, Harry! I've never seen tracks like that before. Wait … you don't think …" "I don't know what I think." Ron was startled from his thoughts by movement from the house. He looked up and saw someone approaching. "Ron! Harry!" she called. "Hello?" "Hermione! What are you doing here?" "I wanted to welcome Harry and Ginny back, and in case you don't remember, Ron, you invited me over today. Don't you remember we were going to walk through the peach grove to pick fresh fruit?" "Oh, right then. Well, there's been a change of plans." "What? But—" "Hermione," Harry interrupted, "Malfoy is after me. And somehow, he managed to spy on my wedding, and knew we were out of the country. Didn't you read the latest Skeeter article?" Hermione nodded. "I had been hoping that it was just rumour. So what are you looking for out here?" "Any evidence of a security breach the night of the wedding. Only thing I've found so far is an unusual track. Here, in the dirt. Do you recognize it?" Hermione examined the track. "No, I don't. But maybe we can preserve the print and bring it back to the house. Someone else might recognize it, or we can look it up." "Petrificus." "Hermione, it's not a person, you can't cast a full-body bind on it!" "Oh, honestly! 'Petrificus' means to turn to stone. Look!" She reached down, wrapped her hand around the print and quickly lifted it out of the dirt in one piece, fully intact. Ron looked at Hermione in complete awe. She never ceased to amaze him. But it made him wonder what she saw in him. "Thanks, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. A rumble came from Ron's stomach, and the three friends laughed. "I guess it's time for breakfast. Maybe Mum's awake now." As they walked down the hill in silence, each of them pondered their own thoughts about how Malfoy could possibly have managed to spy so discreetly when security was so high. Lost in thought, they each stumbled through the door. * * * The wonderful smells that greeted them, of eggs and bacon and muffins, were so welcoming. As Harry stepped through the door, his wife stepped in front of him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him squarely on the mouth. Harry was only slightly embarrassed, but having his wife's arms around him made him feel much better. Hermione placed the stone print on the table. "Does this look familiar to anyone?" Everyone gathered around to look. Charlie walked around the table, examining the print from every angle. A realization finally hit him. "This is no magical creature." He ran from the room and up the stairs. A moment later, he returned with a large volume which he opened onto the table and started flipping through the pages. Harry observed everyone watching Charlie with interest, and he could see the wheels spinning in Hermione's head. He stood with his arm resting lightly on Ginny's shoulders, but he felt tense nonetheless. "There it is!" Charlie pointed to a page that showed the very same footprint. It was amazing. It was as if the writer of the book had taken a picture of Hermione's petrified print. "Now, let's see what this little book can tell us about … FERRETS!" Hermione turned to Arthur. "Mr. Weasley, can you find out if there are any newly registered Animagi?" Stunned, Ron looked at her. "You don't think …" "I DO think. The charms wouldn't block out an animal. And it would be just like him." "Well, Hermione," replied Arthur, "let me see what I can find out." Harry shook his head in wonder. Ferrets were not found in the wild anywhere near the Burrow. With a chuckle, he thought how very shrewd it was of Malfoy to learn the Animagus Transformation. It was the only explanation. "Come," said Molly to the crowded kitchen. "Let's eat. Breakfast is getting cold, and it's not going to get any warmer with you lot just standing around."
A/N: After computer frustrations, both mine and Ladybug's, here is a fine chapter 3. I appreciate Ladybug's help more than ever, and look forward to working on Chapter 4. Chapter 5 is on its way, and hopefully you won't have to wait too long for any more beyond that. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!
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