Issues

In any event, despite Harry feeling useless being stuck without his sight and not being able to go and help with the fire to make sure Hermione was all right, Ron returned later with a very tired sounding girlfriend. Grateful as he was, he felt relegated to the sidelines only able to hear their muffled voices from down the corridor and there was too much happening for them to remember to come and let him know. Still, he thought as he rolled over, relief settling him to the extent he thought he could sleep, at least she's safe.

He spent several minutes as he drifted off to sleep pondering the earlier random thought that the Ministry was behind all the attempts on his life. There wasn't a lot of evidence to back that up and he wondered what their motivation could possibly be in wanting him dead - or at least incapacitated. Harry very well understood that Scrimgeour was displeased about Draco not being in Azkaban. He would also bet that the Minister was not comfortable with the thought that Harry could make things look bad for the Ministry if he went public with how badly Draco had been treated. Although, public sentiment being what it was, Harry didn't think that would be enough to warrant the sort of attention he'd been receiving.

No, it still seemed like Coghill would be acting off his own initiative, though Harry was surprised that the attacks had been as easily evaded as they had been. Coghill had never given the impression that he was in any way inefficient in his organising. There could be something in the thought that Scrimgeour hadn't been trying too hard to find Coghill. Maybe they were working together - but why would Scrimgeour want him out of the way? What did he have to hide? Apart from the Veritaserum situation, which to be fair, wasn't Scrimgeour's doing, the practice had been going on for several decades before Scrimgeour came to power, Harry wondered if his off the cuff remark about secrets and skeletons in the closet were closer to the mark than he'd thought at the time.

Harry sat straight up in bed. While he was reviewing what he knew, he remembered thinking that once the newspaper came out with the story on the use of Veritaserum with his name involved, that Scrimgeour would renege on his deal and remove Draco to Azkaban. Kingsley had assigned 'friendly' Aurors to guard him, but was that enough? They didn't deserve to have their careers and possible freedom put on the line for someone else's fight. First thing in the morning, he'd contact Arthur, see if he'd had any luck finding something shady about Scrimgeour and try and come up with a way to protect Draco even more.

He was beginning to see there was a distinct possibility that Scrimgeour would be extremely happy should Harry find himself out of action. Or worse. And that could lead to Scrimgeour tacitly, if not actually, aiding Coghill by not allocating sufficient resources to catch him. Now, that made more sense than to think Scrimgeour was behind it all. Still, Harry needed some leverage on Scrimgeour in order to keep Draco safe. Or safer.

Luckily, thinking of that set of problems removed the anxiety about the current state of his sight and allowed him to drift off into sleep. It didn't stop him from dreaming, however. Dreaming of swimming through rough seas to try and get to land. He could see it there, only the harder he swam the further away it seemed. He was calling out for help, gasping as a stitch in his side made him stop swimming and paddle instead. There was no one there to hear him, only a black crow circling above him, fixing him with a beady eye as if he was a tasty morsel and just waiting for him to drown. In his dream, Harry called out, "Can't you do something?" and he wasn't surprised to hear it reply, "The key is right under your nose, Potter, if you'd only open your eyes and see. You have your mother's eyes, did you know?" Not that he could make much sense out of it.

He woke when he felt the water closing over his head and he was going under for the last time.

.o0o.

It was decided the next day, without his permission of course, that Hermione would escort Draco to Snape's and let him continue looking for the diary. She herself would be heading out to help clean up the Freedom Press offices that had been damaged by the fire. Remus took it upon himself to contact Scrimgeour and organise a meeting between them to discuss the recent attempts on Harry's life. They considered it a good time to sound out the Minister about rescinding the law permitting the forced use of Veritaserum. If he would do that immediately, then half their fight would be won. Despite this being an overly optimistic opinion, they agreed it was worth the attempt.

By the time Harry woke, everyone seemed to have jobs to do and was busy doing them, except him. His vision still hadn't returned, and if it didn't improve by the time Hermione arrived back, then he'd have her repair his eyes through magic. He wasn't happy about that, as he wanted all traces of the damage from the drug to be purged from his body naturally, not covered over by magic. But there were only four more days until Draco's trial and they still had no way of proving his claim.

He felt useless and restless, not being able to do anything, and as he ate his breakfast down in the kitchen, Molly watching over him like a mother hen, he had some small idea of how Draco must be feeling. At least when Scrimgeour came over he'd feel like he was doing something to help, pushing their cause further.

"More eggs, Harry?" Molly asked.

"No, thanks, I'm not sure how I managed to eat this lot without them ending up all over me," Harry replied.

"It's all right, dear," she responded and whispered something under her breath. Harry felt the telltale signs of a cleaning charm over his face and chest and blushed. Obviously, his eating had not been as neat as he'd thought.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise. You can hardly be expected to get every mouthful right when you can't see, can you? It only needed a cleaning charm, so don't you think on it any more. I've had enough experience with my boys to know how to wield a mighty cleaning charm. Second nature." He could tell by her voice that she was smiling at him and so he smiled back.

"Thanks. Thanks for taking such good care of me."

"You're like one of my own, Harry, so I'll hear no more of that, all right?"

Harry nodded and felt around for his cup of tea, still only able to see vague shapes, and hoping he'd not knock the cup over and spill hot tea on himself.

"Arthur called in just before you came downstairs. He wanted you to know that he hadn't yet found anything on Scrimgeour, except that apparently, according to his secretary, he received several owls last week that scared him. The secretary noticed at least one Howler, but didn't think much of it until he didn't hear it go off. Usually the Minister lets them yell themselves out, but this one he didn't."

That was interesting, though on it's own meant nothing. Harry would pre-burn Howlers, too, given the choice, and the Minister must receive several Howlers every week. Being Minister was surely a thankless job. There was a possibility that they were from Coghill, only a possibility, and Harry reminded himself not to read too much into this information. One thing Harry was surprised about was that the Minister dealt with his own Howlers personally.

"Thanks. What do you think of all this, Molly?"

"All of what, Harry?"

"This whole situation with Draco and everyone in danger again."

"I don't know what to think, Harry. I know that we're all doing what we think is right and hopefully it will all turn out for the best."

"Snape had a picture of my mum on his dresser," Harry blurted, not entirely sure why. "Did you know they knew each other?"

There was silence for a while, before Molly answered him. "They did know each other," she said carefully. "Apparently they were close as children. Your mum used to say that she felt responsible for Severus taking the Dark Mark."

Harry was shocked. How was it that he didn't know this? "Why did no one tell me this before?" he asked.

"I don't think people thought it was any of our business while Severus was alive. Albus told us all that we were not to speak of it as it was a personal matter, and then Severus was so surly and unapproachable by the time you started school that it was impossible to even approach him about it."

"You think he might have loved her?" Harry's voice had become very small.

"I think he loved her very much at one time."

"So, why did he hate me so much? Surely it couldn't have been because I look like my dad?"

"You were a very tangible reminder of his failures. If it's any consolation, I don't think the hate was directed at you, I think it was directed at himself, you were just the handiest target."

"Well, it would have been nice to know all this a lot earlier," Harry said, disgruntled. "It might have made a difference."

"Oh, Harry, dear, I hardly think so. You were just a child, you still are, really. You didn't need to be burdened with all of that."

"With all due respect, Molly, I was given the burden of destroying Voldemort and I was a child. I hardly think knowing that my Potions professor was in love with my mum qualifies as something I was too young to deal with."

He wasn't really angry with Molly, it wasn't her fault. He respected the fact that Snape might not have wanted him to know the details, but he could count on one hand the number of people who'd been willing to speak to him about his mother, which was why he barely knew anything about her.

"Be that as it may, Harry, they're both gone now and it doesn't matter anymore."

Harry knew Molly was only trying to help but it did matter. It mattered to him.

For the next few hours, Harry did nothing but stare virtually sightlessly at the four walls, becoming more and more frustrated at his inability to do anything. He contacted everyone who had a communication device several times checking up on them and talking until they became annoyed at his disruptions. He was allowed nowhere near the mail that came in, though Remus read out some of the letters that supported his stand.

By mid-afternoon, he gave in and called Hermione, surrendering to the need to have his eyes fixed immediately; the inaction was driving him insane, when all he really wanted to do was to find Snape's diary so that hopefully it would have some evidence that enabled Draco's story to be believed and he could go free. Along with ensuring that Draco wasn't made to take Veritaserum, and capturing Coghill, they were the things he wanted most and he couldn't do anything about any of them sitting here on his arse, useless.

.o0o.

An hour later, Harry and Remus were entering the Ministry building for their meeting with Scrimgeour. Remus said he'd tried to get the Minister to come out to Grimmauld Place, but his security detail had refused in light of the recent attack at Hogwarts on the Minister. Fortunately, it was late afternoon but before finishing time and so the crowds were smaller, and by being purposeful they managed to arrive at the Minister's office without being accosted.

To say that Scrimgeour was happy to see them was an immense overstatement. Harry wondered if the pressure of the job was getting to him after all; he looked rather haggard and exhausted.

"Harry, Remus, it's good to see you both." Scrimgeour stood when they entered and stuck out his hand. Harry and Remus both shook it in turn as they greeted him in reply, before taking seats in chairs on the opposite side of the massive desk Scrimgeour sat behind. Scrimgeour had a smile on his face, but his eyes certainly didn't reflect that smile.

Harry felt a moment's sympathy for him. It wasn't easy having such a responsibility and feeling like someone was after you while you were only trying to do what you had to. And Harry had thought before that eventually Scrimgeour would make a good Minister, he just needed to settle into his job and clean the Ministry of corruption. Perhaps he'd been arrogant in thinking Scrimgeour had time to worry about Harry's problems in light of the bigger picture.

That thought didn't stop him from his determination to give the Minister more to deal with. Harry had his own priorities now that he'd done his duty to the Wizarding world.

"How are you both?" the Minister asked, though he looked as if he didn't really want to know.

"We're both well," Harry replied. "We'd be better if there was good news regarding capturing Coghill."

Harry thought he detected a slight grimace from Scrimgeour and it encouraged him to press on. "What exactly are you doing to apprehend him, Minister?"

"As you know, Harry, cleaning up after you heroically defeated Voldemort," Scrimgeour started, putting on his politician's face, "has been rather problematical, what with the attempt on my life and the sheer magnitude of the level of corruption we've found inside the Ministry."

Harry didn't doubt it, but there had been nothing in the newspapers about any corruption in the Ministry apart from that which he had generated himself.

"We've infrastructure to rebuild both in the Ministry and in the population in general," he continued. "That all takes time and resources and I'm afraid that the apprehension of one renegade Auror who isn't, as far as we know, doing any further damage, has less priority than weeding out traitors within our very midst."

He gave Harry a hard stare then and Harry nodded. He knew he was pushing the Minister's limits in insisting on Draco being kept in the Ministry cells, in assisting in the leaking of the Veritaserum victims and in claiming the increased danger of attack as the reason he reneged on his deal with Scrimgeour to be the poster boy for the Ministry. Harry sighed.

"Minister, what if we could show you that Coghill was behind the attack at Hogwarts, and his target was Harry, and not you? What if we were to tell you that Coghill has been waging a sustained attack on Harry's life? In the last week there have been several attempts on his life and it is only that they have been ill conceived that they have not succeeded."

Scrimgeour stared at Remus and then switched his gaze to Harry. "This is true?"

Harry nodded. "Obviously it is an attempt at revenge for having him suspended for beating Malfoy."

Scrimgeour's eye began twitching which caught Harry's attention, but the man was otherwise poker faced. But he looked to age even further in the next few moments as his expression sagged and he said, "I'm sorry, Harry, I should have listened to you before. The pressures of this job and the feelings of jubilation we were all experiencing at finally being free from Voldemort's influence overrode my impartiality."

Harry looked at Remus in surprise. This was a shock. An admission that he had done something wrong was unheard of. Harry suspected he'd never get Scrimgeour to admit that in public. Remus' expression mirrored his own. He wondered if he could get the Minister to agree to ban the use of Veritaserum while he was in this remorseful mood.

"We have a number of Aurors allocated to the search for Coghill, of course we do, but we can impress upon them the need for urgency. We can't have the Chosen One being targeted by a vindictive fool, can we?"

"Thank you, Minister" Harry replied. "I must admit that at one point I was wondering if you were assisting Coghill, he seemed to know exactly where I'd be and when I was vulnerable, but I see now I was wrong. I apologise."

"Yes well, it seems we both have done things in the heat of the moment without considering the consequences." Harry could see by how Scrimgeour was recovering his composure, that they were no longer talking about those issues, but rather the issue of the Veritaserum and the articles in the Prophet and the Freedom Press.

"I don't have any regrets about that, Minister," Harry avowed. "That practice should be outlawed immediately."

"I'm not about to do that, Harry."

"It would be seen as a good will gesture to everyone," Remus argued.

"I can't afford that. I need to keep as many things as possible stable for the public. It's one reason I haven't released the details of the numbers of people removed from their positions. It would destabilise the Ministry."

"I would have thought that seeing their Ministry fulfilling their promise to clean out the Ministry would be seen as a stabilising influence," Harry protested. It didn't make much sense to him letting the public go on thinking that the Ministry was corrupt.

"It does when you see the list of names being removed from their positions. There are too many of them." Scrimgeour was looking more and more like a man who had learned some hard lessons in the last couple of weeks and was going to take time to get used to them but who was determined to do his best.

Harry wasn't sure if, in all good conscience, he could push him further in insisting on removing the forced use of Veritaserum. He would have to let the public outcry over the articles do their work, he and Draco were on their own. It made finding the diaries even more urgent.

Remus joined in the conversation. "But you won't be able to keep that quiet for long. The more incidents there are the more chance there is that the information will find its way to the paper anyway. Something of that magnitude always does."

"I am aware of that." The minister nodded. "All employees are placed under an Unbreakable Vow regarding this sweep. It doesn't hold for families, though and sooner or later they will talk to each other and the scope of this sweep will be uncovered, but it is buying us time to finish the sweep and make a clean Ministry."

Remus sighed, and Harry wondered if he was the only one who thought it rather short sighted of Scrimgeour to doubt the intelligence of the public. Secrecy in wartime was understandable but accountability in peacetime made more sense. Then Harry wondered if he was merely being naïve. He had no idea of politics.

It didn't seem like they were going to accomplish anything further here. They'd managed to get the Minister to intensify the search for Coghill, which was a small victory, but they hadn't managed to ensure Draco's safety. Harry figured that was one area he could ask about.

"Minister, you're not planning on moving Malfoy before his trial are you?"

"No, I'm not, but I wish I could. I still think that Death Eater scum should be in Azkaban, but I think today's publicity for your other cause has highlighted how influential you are, so I am disposed to giving you some leeway, seeing as Malfoy was badly mistreated whilst in custody."

"Thank you Minister. And it's only a few days away in any case. I would like to make an official request that he not be forced to take Veritaserum." Harry knew it was hopeless but he had to ask.

Scrimgeour just raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you will agree to pull the rest of the articles?" Harry shook his head. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. "Officially, I deny your request."

Harry merely nodded. At least he knew where he stood now. "When Coghill is apprehended, I will return to attending those public functions with you," Harry said, standing and preparing to leave.

Scrimgeour stood as well as Remus and he moved around his desk to shake their hands. Harry was fairly happy. It seemed to be an uneasy truce, but a truce nonetheless. He'd had his doubts about Scrimgeour's honesty removed; he'd had the last days before Draco's trial made free from the threat of Azkaban and thus enabling him to continue the search for the diary and have some small freedom; and he'd had the search for Coghill up scaled.

Back at the Atrium once more, Harry said goodbye to Remus and headed straight for Snape's. And Draco. There was still a few hours left before Draco should be back in his cell.

It astounded Harry that he now felt so comfortable in Draco's presence. Everything had happened rather quickly and he had no idea where it was headed if it was even headed anywhere. But for now it felt right. They were both caught up in this whirlwind of events - a race against death basically - and they both needed someone to hold and cling to. Harry because he didn't want to fail Draco, and Draco because he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, or worse, in Cornwall with the other mindless victims of Veritaserum. However they'd come together, for now it was what they had, and Harry wasn't about to question it too much - other than to hope that his aberration of the dream was just as the result of drinking too much and losing his temper, and not some deep seated desire to hurt Draco and humiliate him like that.

An armful of the blond as he opened the door at Spinner's End put an end to that thought as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and hugged him tight. Harry did like being hugged.

"You can see again! Where've you been?"

"Hello, nice to see you, too," Harry said, laughing as he encircled Draco's waist with his arms and held him close.

"I've been wallowing here all day on my own and no way to contact anyone or even get back to the cell or Grimmauld, and I've been going crazy wondering what's been going on."

Harry shut him up with a kiss. He just knew he was going to discover that was a great way to shut Draco up when he got too wordy. And true enough, Draco did seem to melt into his arms as they kissed and when he finally pulled back so he could breathe, Draco had his eyes closed with a blissful expression on his face. Harry smiled smugly to himself and nudged Draco who opened his eyes and scowled.

"You did that to shut me up, didn't you?"

"Of course." Harry laughed and moved into the sitting room and took a seat. Draco jumped on him, sitting on his lap. "Such a drama queen, Malfoy," Harry said teasingly.

"You wait until you're locked away with no contact from the outside world and the last time you saw your boyfr- er - friend, he was blind and you only have a few days to go before they lock you up forever and throw away the key."

Draco was flushing at his slip, but Harry didn't mind the slip. In all seriousness, if Draco wanted to think of Harry as his boyfriend until Harry himself decided what was to be done, then what harm could it do? If Harry failed then that thought might be all that Draco had to hang on to and what sort of person would he be to deny Draco that?

"All right, all right," Harry said. "It was a bad joke, I'm sorry. But I can see now. Hermione fixed my eyes and I've been to see Scrimgeour and he's agreed not to move you to Azkaban before your trial so at least that's one problem dealt with."

"If only we could solve the others," Draco said flatly. He leaned in and rested his head on Harry's shoulder.

"No luck today so far, then?" Harry asked and felt Draco shaking his head in reply. He sighed and they sat there quietly just taking comfort from each other. All the while, Harry was repeating over and over in his head 'the diary must be somewhere, where would Snape hide it?'

When he finally returned back to Grimmauld Place later that night after more fruitless hours of searching and leaving a dejected Draco alone in his cell, Arthur was there with news that he'd come up with something that could destroy Scrimgeour.