A smirk tugged at Draco's mouth at the Auror's words. Then he laughed. He laughed so hard that soon his sides ached. He shook his head and stepped back from the man that held his wand out, putting his hands up in a form of surrender.
"Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but I did not murder my father. You can ask anyone."
The man in front of him smiled. "Oh, we did," he said unkindly. "We talked to your mother and she told us about the night you threatened your father."
Draco stiffened slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Did she tell you under what grounds I threatened him? Because, I'm afraid, without the full story you're just going to be at a loss for evidence."
The man nodded. "She did. Oh, I'm sorry. I've been so rude. My name is Alan Dekker." He reached for Draco, gripping him by the collar. "You, Draco Malfoy, are under arrest. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice."
"Stop!" Ginny shouted, stepping forward. "Let him go. He didn't do anything."
Dekker let go and turned his head. "Miss, I'd suggest you stay out of this if you know what's good for you. Simon, take the girl. She's in the way. Mr. Malfoy, come with me, please. I won't ask you again."
With a nod, Draco walked out the door. He didn't look at Ginny, but he knew she understood. He would never have hurt his father, no matter what happened between them, and he swore when he was free, he would find out the real reason Lucius was killed.
**
Disheveled, hysterical and soaked, Ginny knocked loudly on the door. She let out a small cry and slipped down to the stone steps, burying her face in her hands. She didn't know where else to go. She knew her family wouldn't help, at least not anymore.
Someone shook her shoulder. When she didn't reply, hands grabbed her. She closed her eyes as the person carried her into the warmth of the flat and set her down. She looked up at Blaise. He was staring at her like she'd grown two heads.
"You look terrible." When she didn't reply, her knelt down, touching pieces of her drenched hair. "This is bad, isn't it? What did Draco do? God, I knew he'd be stupid."
Ginny shook her head. "That's not it. Two Aurors came to the flat. They took him."
"What?" Blaise said sharply. "What for?"
Ginny lifted her head, her eyes glassy. "They've arrested him for murder."
**
The entrance to the Ministry seemed bigger than Ginny remembered. She hadn't been here in a few years so everything looked different. Blaise stood beside her, and Pansy on her other side.
"It'll be okay," Blaise said, frowning. "We'll get him out of there. He's innocent and they know it. They just want to scare him a little."
"What happened exactly?" Pansy asked.
They pulled Ginny away from the entrance and walked down the street. As they did, Ginny told them about what happened after Draco had come home. How they argued, then the Aurors showed up to take him away, even though she tried to stop them.
"We'll help him," Blaise said, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Did you let your parents know what's going on?"
"They won't care," Ginny said, wiping her eyes.
Pansy sighed. "I don't know how the three of us can get him out, Ginny. We'd need someone on the inside. Someone like your dad."
"My dad made it perfectly clear that he's not on our side. He thinks that Narcissa and Draco deserved to lose Lucius. He said all this horrible stuff when I was at home so I left."
Blaise's eyes widened. "No one deserves that pain, no matter who their father was."
"Your father just doesn't understand," Pansy said, sighing. She looked down the street at the Ministry. "I hope they don't decide to keep him there all day. I don't know what evidence they have on him."
"Nothing," Ginny said. "The one who took him said they talked to Narcissa and she told him about the night when Lucius had too much to drink and he hit Draco, but that was years ago."
Both her friends had the same look of disgust and surprise on their faces. Blaise looked like he wanted to punch a hole through something, and Pansy's eyes were glassy. She was trying very hard not to cry.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I mean, I knew he had problems with Lucius, but I never imagine that it would be this bad."
"It happened a long time ago," Ginny said. "I wonder why they're looking into it now."
"Did Draco threaten him?" Blaise asked.
"Wouldn't you?" Ginny said. "He did, but I never found out what he said."
Blaise looked at them, his face grim. "Come on. I think I know why they believe he did it."
**
It had been over an hour.
The man never spoke a word. He just sat there, staring at the Auror, grey eyes cold, lips twisted into a smirk. He was angry, Dekker knew, but that was what they wanted. For him to be so angry that he let slip the truth of what he had done – that he killed his father.
They knew he had. The talk with Narcissa Malfoy, though shaken by their visit, had proved that. But they needed the Malfoy heir to tell them himself.
Come on, Dekker thought,just say it. There's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it.
"I didn't do anything," Draco finally said. "You have no reason to hold me and you know it. Now let me go."
A smile twitched on the Auror's lips. He leaned forward, his eyes gleeful. "Oh, you'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you? But I know who you are, Mr. Malfoy. I know what you're capable of."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "You don't know anything, Mr. Dekker."
"Call me Alan," he said. "You're going to be here for a while, so we might as well get to know each other, right?"
"No," the blond replied. "I don't want to get to know a man who has charged me with a crime I did not commit. Now, Alan, I suggest you let me out of here or you're going to be sorry."
"Is that what you told your father the night he hit you?"
Draco flinched. "You have no idea what happened."
"Don't I?" Dekker grinned maliciously. "Your mother told us what you said to your father. That you, what was it? Oh, yes. That if he ever touched you like that again, you would kill him."
He looked away from the older man. "Shut up," he said to the floor.
"Come now, Draco. Just tell me what you did. You're not getting out of here unless you do. That's a shame, too. Your girlfriend will be missing you. What's her name? She's pretty. Maybe I can take care of her for you." He laughed.
In the blink of an eye, Dekker was pinned against the opposite wall. Draco had his arm against the man's throat, his eyes wild. His lips drew back and he snarled, "If you ever touch her, I will end you. Then your friends will have a reason to hold me for murder."
"Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but I did not murder my father. You can ask anyone."
The man in front of him smiled. "Oh, we did," he said unkindly. "We talked to your mother and she told us about the night you threatened your father."
Draco stiffened slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Did she tell you under what grounds I threatened him? Because, I'm afraid, without the full story you're just going to be at a loss for evidence."
The man nodded. "She did. Oh, I'm sorry. I've been so rude. My name is Alan Dekker." He reached for Draco, gripping him by the collar. "You, Draco Malfoy, are under arrest. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice."
"Stop!" Ginny shouted, stepping forward. "Let him go. He didn't do anything."
Dekker let go and turned his head. "Miss, I'd suggest you stay out of this if you know what's good for you. Simon, take the girl. She's in the way. Mr. Malfoy, come with me, please. I won't ask you again."
With a nod, Draco walked out the door. He didn't look at Ginny, but he knew she understood. He would never have hurt his father, no matter what happened between them, and he swore when he was free, he would find out the real reason Lucius was killed.
Disheveled, hysterical and soaked, Ginny knocked loudly on the door. She let out a small cry and slipped down to the stone steps, burying her face in her hands. She didn't know where else to go. She knew her family wouldn't help, at least not anymore.
Someone shook her shoulder. When she didn't reply, hands grabbed her. She closed her eyes as the person carried her into the warmth of the flat and set her down. She looked up at Blaise. He was staring at her like she'd grown two heads.
"You look terrible." When she didn't reply, her knelt down, touching pieces of her drenched hair. "This is bad, isn't it? What did Draco do? God, I knew he'd be stupid."
Ginny shook her head. "That's not it. Two Aurors came to the flat. They took him."
"What?" Blaise said sharply. "What for?"
Ginny lifted her head, her eyes glassy. "They've arrested him for murder."
The entrance to the Ministry seemed bigger than Ginny remembered. She hadn't been here in a few years so everything looked different. Blaise stood beside her, and Pansy on her other side.
"It'll be okay," Blaise said, frowning. "We'll get him out of there. He's innocent and they know it. They just want to scare him a little."
"What happened exactly?" Pansy asked.
They pulled Ginny away from the entrance and walked down the street. As they did, Ginny told them about what happened after Draco had come home. How they argued, then the Aurors showed up to take him away, even though she tried to stop them.
"We'll help him," Blaise said, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Did you let your parents know what's going on?"
"They won't care," Ginny said, wiping her eyes.
Pansy sighed. "I don't know how the three of us can get him out, Ginny. We'd need someone on the inside. Someone like your dad."
"My dad made it perfectly clear that he's not on our side. He thinks that Narcissa and Draco deserved to lose Lucius. He said all this horrible stuff when I was at home so I left."
Blaise's eyes widened. "No one deserves that pain, no matter who their father was."
"Your father just doesn't understand," Pansy said, sighing. She looked down the street at the Ministry. "I hope they don't decide to keep him there all day. I don't know what evidence they have on him."
"Nothing," Ginny said. "The one who took him said they talked to Narcissa and she told him about the night when Lucius had too much to drink and he hit Draco, but that was years ago."
Both her friends had the same look of disgust and surprise on their faces. Blaise looked like he wanted to punch a hole through something, and Pansy's eyes were glassy. She was trying very hard not to cry.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I mean, I knew he had problems with Lucius, but I never imagine that it would be this bad."
"It happened a long time ago," Ginny said. "I wonder why they're looking into it now."
"Did Draco threaten him?" Blaise asked.
"Wouldn't you?" Ginny said. "He did, but I never found out what he said."
Blaise looked at them, his face grim. "Come on. I think I know why they believe he did it."
It had been over an hour.
The man never spoke a word. He just sat there, staring at the Auror, grey eyes cold, lips twisted into a smirk. He was angry, Dekker knew, but that was what they wanted. For him to be so angry that he let slip the truth of what he had done – that he killed his father.
They knew he had. The talk with Narcissa Malfoy, though shaken by their visit, had proved that. But they needed the Malfoy heir to tell them himself.
Come on, Dekker thought,just say it. There's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it.
"I didn't do anything," Draco finally said. "You have no reason to hold me and you know it. Now let me go."
A smile twitched on the Auror's lips. He leaned forward, his eyes gleeful. "Oh, you'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you? But I know who you are, Mr. Malfoy. I know what you're capable of."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "You don't know anything, Mr. Dekker."
"Call me Alan," he said. "You're going to be here for a while, so we might as well get to know each other, right?"
"No," the blond replied. "I don't want to get to know a man who has charged me with a crime I did not commit. Now, Alan, I suggest you let me out of here or you're going to be sorry."
"Is that what you told your father the night he hit you?"
Draco flinched. "You have no idea what happened."
"Don't I?" Dekker grinned maliciously. "Your mother told us what you said to your father. That you, what was it? Oh, yes. That if he ever touched you like that again, you would kill him."
He looked away from the older man. "Shut up," he said to the floor.
"Come now, Draco. Just tell me what you did. You're not getting out of here unless you do. That's a shame, too. Your girlfriend will be missing you. What's her name? She's pretty. Maybe I can take care of her for you." He laughed.
In the blink of an eye, Dekker was pinned against the opposite wall. Draco had his arm against the man's throat, his eyes wild. His lips drew back and he snarled, "If you ever touch her, I will end you. Then your friends will have a reason to hold me for murder."
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