You've Got to Live!

Hermione and Zephyr had already left when Draco arrived the next morning. He found Harry seated comfortably on a sofa, eyes closed and a faint smile lingering on his lips. He had not noticed Draco's arrival. The sight gladdened Draco. It always pleased him when his friends were happy, and seeing Harry happy after what had happened the day before certainly counted as pleasant. He cleared his throat. Harry looked up.

"Hey, Draco. Didn't see you come in."

"You were busy dreaming away."

Harry blushed. Draco could imagine what had caused that smile and that blush pretty well. Draco changed the topic.

"So...all's well, then?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you. What are the plans for today?"

"Plans?"

"Really, Potter. Even you should know that guests are to be entertained properly. Do you imagine that I would sit on a couch and plunge myself in a reverie like you?"

Harry flushed again.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think."

"That is obvious. So, what are we doing?"

"What would you like to do?"

Draco smirked at this. My company is rubbing off some sense onto him, he thought.

"What about a nice breakfast? Maybe we can play Quidditch later; Seeker to Seeker," he suggested.

Harry's face lit up at the mention of Quidditch.

"Go ahead. I've already had breakfast. Dobby!"

The elf appeared immediately. He looked delighted to see Draco. A few minutes later, Draco was having a lovely breakfast while chatting with Harry, telling him about his wedding plans.

"Will you be my best man?" Draco asked suddenly, sipping a goblet of orange juice.

Harry nodded happily.

"Ginny's going to ask Hermione to be her maid of honour."

Harry laughed at that.

"Reversal of roles from our wedding, isn't it?"

"Hmm. You know, I really need to get a nice outfit for the wedding."

"Relax, Draco. The wedding's in December, right? Loads of time left."

Draco sighed.

"I wanted it earlier, you know. But Gin said that if we have it during the Christmas holidays everyone will be able to attend."

"She's right," Harry said, then catching the expression on Draco's face, added quickly, "I know that it is very difficult for you to wait, of course, but it was a sensible decision."

Draco nodded.

"I hope you'll be the Godfather to my eldest as well," he said after some time.

"I'd be honoured. You'll return the favour with my second."

"The second's already coming?"

"No, of course not! It's too early! I meant later, of course," said Harry, reddening. Draco gave his patented smirk.

"You blush really well, you know. Gin thinks it's adorable. Another of the reasons why I'm here. I want you to teach me that."

"Teach you how to blush?" Harry asked incredulously.

Draco nodded, blushing himself.

"But you've already learnt!" said Harry, very seriously. They stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Good one, Malfoy."

"Same to you, Potter."

"We're silly, you know?"

"Yeah."

"So, how's my little brother doing in school? Did he get into Slytherin?"

"Out of touch, aren't you? He's in Gryffindor!"

Draco groaned. "More cannon fodder," he said sadly, "is he as much a trouble maker as you were?"

"I didn't go looking for trouble; trouble found me. Anyway, Zephyr is not into such things, thankfully."

"Thankfully? I'd be disappointed if my kids didn't do anything...you mean my brother is a goody-goody boy?"

Harry nodded.

"And he's a bookworm."

Draco made sympathetic noises from his throat. "I pity you, my friend. Two bookworms in one house? You have my heartfelt sympathies."

"And he doesn't fly. He's acrophobic."

"Oh, that's bad...do you mean to say that all he does is study all day long?" Draco asked, horrified.

"Sort of. He's a male Hermione."

Draco clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder in mock sympathy.

"You must be proud...he's a good kid."

"Of course I am."

"Has he made friends yet? He is a lone wolf, normally."

"Oh yeah. Bill Weasley Jr. and Orion Jarvis. Enemies, too. Zeus McDoug-Brittans, Freya Bulstrode and Roderick Hyend. Draco, what's wrong?"

Draco had paled. He stared at Harry.

"Jarvis?" he asked shakily.

Harry nodded. "Orion. Very nice kid. I met him."

"Harry, do you have any idea of the family he comes from?"

Harry shook his head.

"No. Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does. Harry, the Jarvis family are the direct descendants of Grindelwald!"

"So?"

"Zephyr's in danger. Tell him not to go around making Slytherin friends."

"Of course not. The kid's good. And he's in Gryffindor. And you're a Slytherin yourself, anyway."

"A Jarvis in Gryffindor?" said Draco weakly.

Harry nodded. Draco decided to drop the topic. He decided to look into this kid's background. There was no way he would let his little brother run into danger.

"Another Weasley sidekick, eh?" he smirked.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. Trust any mention of the Weasleys to cheer him up, Draco thought.

"Who were the others? McDoug-Brittans? Bulstrode? Hyend?"

Harry nodded again. "Enemies. Slytherin."

"Old Purebloods. Freya is the splitting image of her sister. Zeus is a distant cousin of mine. Extremely snobbish and unpleasant lot, but Zeus is rather nice; I quite like him."

"Try telling Zephyr that. Or Zeus. Maybe they'll end up being friends like us."

"Hyends are the same; but they're known for their brains."

"Zephyr's more than a match for any brains."

"Glad to hear that," Draco put down his goblet, "I'm done. Let's go and play."

"Sure."

They walked over to Harry's private Quidditch pitch. They played for quite some time, and when Harry finally caught the snitch, they were so tired that they sank to the ground and lay panting on the field.

"Harry, I'm worried," said Draco, lying on the ground next to his friend.

"About?"

"Jarvis."

"Relax. I'm telling you, I met the child. He's very sweet. I can't imagine him to be dangerous."

"You don't get it, do you?" Draco snapped.

Before Harry could reply, however, an owl swooped down and dropped a letter on his head and flew off.

"I wonder who wrote to me now," Harry mumbled. He turned the envelope over. It had a Ministry seal.

"From the Ministry?" Draco asked. They both sat up as Harry passed the letter to Draco.

"Hey, it has my name on it, too!" exclaimed Draco. Harry nodded. Draco opened the envelope and read.

Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy,

Both of you are requested to report to the Ministry immediately. This is an emergency. You shall be briefed when you arrive.

Yours faithfully,

Susan Bones

Secretary to the Minister of Defence

Harry and Draco stared at each other.

"I wonder what's wrong...any ideas, Harry?"

"None. Let's go."

They waved their wands and were clad in clean robes the next moment. They Apparated to the Ministry.

Susan was waiting for them. Without a word, she led them to Percy's office as soon as they appeared. Harry was startled at Percy's appearance. His face was ashen, and his eyes rimmed with tears.

"Percy, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Dad...he was attacked...he's in St. Mungo's now...the Healers say that he's in a coma...they don't know when, if ever, he will wake up...the Wizengamot is holding a session...we need a new Minister...and since you were already decided upon, they are waiting for you to take charge..."

Harry had never heard Percy sound so shaky. His own knees threatened to give away.

"Who attacked him?" Draco asked.

Percy was prevented from replying by the arrival of Dumbledore. He motioned for Harry to follow him and Percy Disapparated. Harry was taken to chamber where many witches and wizards sat, looking very grim.

"Mr. Potter," said a witch, "you have been selected to be the next Minister of Magic. Do you accept?"

Harry nodded. The oath taking ceremony was quickly performed. Harry went through all of it almost mechanically. He wanted nothing more than to visit Mr. Weasley at the hospital. When everything was over, Draco cornered Dumbledore.

"Who attacked Mr. Weasley?" he asked.

"We don't know for sure, Draco. They..."

"They? How many were there?" Harry asked sharply. His senses seemed to have returned.

"About ten. Arthur was seriously injured. My suspicions rest on the Pureblood Alliance."

Harry and Draco paled. It was a whole minute before Harry found his voice.

"But I destroyed their leader eight months ago!"

"They have found a new one, Harry."

"Do you know who it is?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"You must have an idea!" Draco burst out.

"Very vague notions, Draco. Too vague to be voiced."

"Why would they attack him? He is a pureblood!" said Draco angrily.

"Yes, but he is a Muggle-lover, as they call him."

Dumbledore looked old and tired.

"Have all the Weasleys been alerted?" Harry asked softly.

Dumbledore nodded.

"They're all at St. Mungo's at present. I suggest you go and meet them, Draco. Harry, you must decide the course of action."

Harry nodded and pointed his wand to his throat, muttering, "Sonorus."

His voice magnified and was audible all over the Ministry as he gave instructions. He sent wizards to set up wards around the Weasley Manor. He set some researchers to work on a possible cure for Mr. Weasley. He put some people on gathering all information about the Pureblood Alliance. He sent a few guards to St. Mungo's as well. Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, glad to see Harry taking charge so perfectly. Harry himself accompanied a few Aurors to the place where Mr. Weasley was ambushed. The place looked ravaged. Draco, who had refused to leave Harry's side, gasped at the sight. It was clear that a very powerful group had attacked Mr. Weasley, for he was no ordinary wizard. Harry told the Aurors to scan the entire area carefully for any signs of the attackers. He told them to check for magical signatures of the members of the Pureblood Alliance. Then Harry and Draco went to the hospital. They were immediately directed to Mr. Weasley's room.

All the Weasleys, Hermione, Remus, Zephyr and Orion were present. Draco ran to hug Ginny, who was crying softly. Hermione was comforting Mrs. Weasley. Zephyr and Orion were consoling Bill Jr. The rest of the Weasleys, except Ron, were being comforted by their wives. Harry walked over to Ron, who was staring out of the window and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How is he?" he asked softly.

Ron sighed.

"Not good. The Healers don't know what was used on him."

Harry embraced Ron and said gently, "Don't worry, Ron, he'll be ok. I've set researchers on the task. They'll come up with something very soon. Get Hermione, Draco and Snape working on it, too. Between the three of them, they'll find something as well. I'll make sure that they have contact with the Ministry researchers."

Ron nodded gratefully. Harry moved over to the bed where Mr. Weasley lay. His face was deathly white, as if he'd lost a lot of blood. Harry could feel Dark magic coming out from his body. He placed his hand on the unconscious man's arm and withdrew immediately, as if hit by a curse. He understood what curse had been used on him.

"Did you...?" Ron asked hopefully. Harry nodded grimly and gave him a look that said 'later.' He turned to Molly Weasley, who seemed reassured by his presence. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George came over to him, a look in their eyes which clearly said 'find and kill whoever did this.' Harry bowed his head slightly in silent acknowledgement. They appeared satisfied.

Harry felt a small hand tug at his robes. He turned around to find Orion looking up at him.

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute, Mr. Potter?" the boy asked nervously. Harry nodded and led him out.

"Yes, Orion?"

"Mr. Potter, my father is somehow involved in what happened to Bill's Grandpa!"

Harry was startled. "How do you know this, Orion?"

The boy stared at his feet and mumbled, "I heard my parents talking about the Minister sometime back. They are in the Pureblood Alliance."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I want Bill's Grandpa to be ok," he said sincerely.

Harry nodded. "He will be, Orion, he will be."

"Promise?"

Harry nodded again, the innocent question making his throat tight. He would find the cure somehow. He had already recognised the spell. It was the reversal of one of the defence spells he had created to defeat Voldemort. He had used it to pump tremendous amounts of Light energy into Voldemort's body. It had weakened Voldemort enough for him to behead him with Gryffindor's sword, for no magic could ever kill Lord Voldemort. He re-entered the room and pulled aside Hermione, Ron, Draco and Ginny. He explained his analysis to them. Hermione's face brightened.

"If we drain the Dark magic from him, he'll be ok!" she exclaimed. Ron brightened at that.

"Can it be done?" Draco asked quietly.

Ginny nodded eagerly.

"It would take some time, maybe a month or two - we'll have to do it slowly, so that his magic can repair itself easily - but it can be done! I'll get the other Healers," she said and dashed off. She returned almost immediately with three others. They set to work immediately. Everyone watched silently as they worked.

"He'll be out of bed in a month, but no more strenuous jobs for him. He'll have to take it easy after that - sit back and enjoy life."

They all nodded happily. They all had a nice lunch together, cheered up by the new development. After lunch, Ron, Hermione and the children went off to Hogwarts. The remaining Weasleys also returned, leaving only Molly Weasley and Nefartina Weasley in the room. Harry and Draco also returned to the Potter castle.

Back in the castle, Harry set to work immediately. He contacted the researchers and told them that a cure had been found, and gave them the some more spells (all his creations) to work on. He told them to find counter spells to all of them as soon as possible. He contacted the Aurors next. They had found the magical signatures of twelve members of the Pureblood Alliance that matched. Both Orion's parents' presence was confirmed. There was, however, a thirteenth member, whose identity was unknown. His signature seemed to have been the strongest. They had checked all the criminal records, but none had matched. Harry issued arrest warrants for all twelve immediately and sent off forty eight Aurors - four to each member. He instructed that all the prisoners be taken to the interrogation room before their trials. He gave a spell to them, which had to be checked for in each and every wand. In case of an emergency, he was to be contacted immediately. He also told them to check all civil records for the signature of the thirteenth member. Next he contacted the Ministry and received the files on the Pureblood Alliance. He settled on the sofa and motioned for Draco to sit next to him. He handed him half the files and they both began to read.

Draco glanced at his friend. He seemed to have undergone a total change. Gone was the sweet, sensitive, caring man he had seen the previous day. He was every inch of the hero he was proclaimed to be at the moment. This was the Harry he had known at Hogwarts. The one determined to face and destroy Voldemort. He had seen this Harry at their missions also - as Aurors, they usually worked together. He never failed to be awed at the transformation, though. This time, Harry seemed more powerful that ever before. Draco realised suddenly why he was known as the most powerful wizard on earth. Harry was usually so benign that it was very easy to forget his power. Draco watched, fascinated, as his friend read through the files, his brow furrowed in concentration. Harry looked up suddenly, emerald eyes blazing with hidden power.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Who is the new leader of the Alliance?"

"I've no idea, Harry. Must be a pureblood."

"Who could it be? Whoever it is - the person has no criminal record..."

An Auror Apparated in front of them. It was Tonks.

"Harry, we have all the members. We checked their wands, none of them had that spell you gave us to check. It has to be the thirteenth member."

Harry nodded. "I thought so. Tonks, question the prisoners and try to get the identity of their leader. I'll come in a while later."

Tonks left. Draco looked at Harry, momentarily unguarded, and was shocked to see rage and sadness playing about on his face.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

"The spell, Draco...that spell..."

"Yes?"

"Do you know how many people knew about that spell?"

"Lots, I guess..."

"No...I revealed it only to the ones I trusted the most..."

Draco suddenly understood. The leader had to be someone close to them...someone they had trusted. He racked his brains.

"Who knew about it, Harry?"

"The DA, the Order - that's all."

"That narrows it down - but we still have a lot of people."

"No, Draco...only the Inners knew..."

"Sweet Merlin!"

Draco was horrified. There were hardly twenty five Inner members...each one trusted beyond a shadow of doubt...

"Have you any idea who it might have been?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you until it is confirmed..."

Draco's mind was racing. He went over each Inner member one by one in his head. Harry and Hermione? No way. Ron, Ginny, Dumbledore? Nope. Luna? No. She was away in Scandinavia at the moment. Remus? Snape? McGonagall? Not a chance. They'd rather die. Moody? Impossible. Longbottom? Ha! Arthur and Molly Weasley? Ridiculous. Tonks? No. Clumsy, not treacherous. The Weasley brothers? No chance. Firenze? Hagrid? Not for the world. And the Alliance didn't accept part humans anyway. Boot? Susan? Unlikely. That left him. He knew he hadn't done it himself. There were no other Inner members. It had to be one of these people. The realisation stunned him - who was the traitor? Another thought hit him. Draco was not a fool. He realised that he was the most likely suspect - after all, he was the one who went about proclaiming pureblood superiority for the major part of his life!

"Do you think it was me?" he asked Harry quietly.

Harry looked as if slapped. He shook his head vigorously.

"No. I trust you. And you were with me..."

"Harry, he was attacked before I Apparated to your house. And you trust all the Inners, but it has to be one of them."

Harry shook his head again. "No, I don't think it was you. I have my eye on someone else..."

"Who?"

"A pureblood."

"That's precise," snapped Draco, annoyed.

"Come on...I'm going to check out my suspect's house. Want to come?"

"You bet. I promised to keep you company for a week anyway."

"This could be dangerous."

Draco snorted. "When is it not?"

"The Three Broomsticks."

Draco nodded and they Disapparated.