Snatched, part three

[blamebrampton]

part one

part two

“So it’s a breakaway part of the Battalion. First they killed Mannerheim and then they faked the James file. They’re trying to scuttle the negotiations and emerge as the main force within the anti-Muggle movement.”

A tiny figure of Hermione nodded at Albus’s summation. “So why did the Battalion take a day off the negotiations? If they weren’t involved … surely they know it wasn’t the government.”

Al shook his head. “Eeva says she thinks they’re panicking. She thinks the ringleaders have been closed off from the rest of the Battalion to protect their hiding spot and they don’t know about the fractures in their own organisation. Suspecting the Finnish Ministry makes perfect sense to them.”

“But surely Hästesko was able to give your father names?”

Albus nodded. “Yes, we have several to go on with. But that was all he had. He was locked out of the kidnapping. Apparently he was not popular with the leaders of the Battalion.”

“So they have some sense.”

Albus smiled. His Aunt was inclined to forget herself a little around him, which had led to more than one scooped story.

“Is your father there? Or Draco?”

“They were still interviewing Hästesko when I called you. Eeva said she thought you should know as soon as possible. Aunty …”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell Hugo.”

She smiled. “Why not, Al?”

“He’ll feel torn between his obligation to the news and an unwillingness to put James in further danger.”

“And you’d like to save him the pain?”

“It’s bad enough that I am developing an ulcer of my own. There’s still hope for Huge’s health.”

She actually grinned at that. “Thoughtful boy. Tell your Dad and Draco to call me, or to pop in if you’re coming straight back, we have a development.”

“I will.”

Eeva was waiting outside the door to her office when Al emerged. “Thanks for that,” he smiled at her.

“It is all right. I will come and ask you for a favour if I am ever in trouble.”

“Actually, I’ve had some ideas on that topic already,” he replied, making her laugh. “Is Dad still in interrogation?”

“No. They have finished and are down in the tearoom. Would you like me to walk you there?”

“Where we had cake?”

“Yes.”

“That’s fine, I remember the way.”

He wondered if there was still any cake left. Food today had been a bit erratic. He wondered if adding milk and sugar to his tea and coffee would help when it came to nutritional balance.

Albus was about to push the door to the tearoom open when he heard his father’s voice. “I was so sure …” he was whispering. “None of this leads us to him. I have nothing, and James has lost a day.”

He peered around the door instead. His father and Mr Malfoy were sitting on the floor, Harry was leaning against Mr Malfoy and he was … bereft. Albus was suddenly afraid. He had never seen his father at a loss before. He didn’t know anyone who had.

“We’ll go back to the Ministry. Scorpius’s text said they had news. They’ll have the key. Wipe yourself up, spec-face, you’re all damp.” Mr Malfoy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to Harry.

Harry blew his nose indelicately. Draco glanced up and met Al’s eyes, a frown started to crease his face. Al shook his head, and moved silently away from the door. He hadn’t seen that. His father was still omnipotent.

He walked quickly and quietly back down the hall before turning and retracing his steps back towards his father and Mr Malfoy while holding a loud imaginary conversation over his earpiece. It was going to be fine, Al told himself. Aunt Hermione had a development; Scorpius had news.


****************************


It was nearly half-past seven by the time they returned to the Ministry. Scorpius kicked himself for knowing that it was actually 7:27pm as the three men walked into the lab. He had cut back his checking to every quarter hour.

Harry was all business as he strode in. “Updates, and make them good. Finland has left me in a foul mood.”

Albus remained by the door, leaning back on the wall as though he needed the support.

Antony Jewkes, head of Draco’s lab team, gave his report first. They had found pine resin and light-yellow sand among the traces from James’s kit. It confirmed the location as Bothnian Bay, but no closer.

Lily broke the discovery of James’s signal, and Scorpius had more information. “He’s in a room with round walls. The light refracts unevenly. It is natural, but none of it is direct, so I couldn’t take a reading on it, but I did get sound traces. I isolated each set, listen.”

He hit the Ministry Network and a sequence of recordings played. Scorpius listed them off as the snippets ran through. “The ocean, a big thudding engine, I’m all but certain it’s a ferry, and a swoosh, swoosh noise that I can’t identify, but we can match it if we have a suspected location, it has some very distinctive minor frequencies.”

Harry nodded and tapped his phone. “Tell Charlie’s teams to focus on ferry lanes, and anywhere that might have a round room. It’s definitely in our Grid One, pull in all the other teams. Stay as hidden as you can.”

He closed the phone and looked at the faces around him. “Good work,” he told them. “Every bit of the puzzle brings us closer.” He turned to his sister-in-law. “Come with me to check on how Ron’s team are going?”

“Of course.”

Hermione’s gentle tone was all Scorpius needed to confirm his suspicion that the Finnish trip had been less than Harry had wanted. He wished they had more news.

Draco draped his arms around him and Lily, giving them a brief hug. “I knew I could trust you both for something good.”

“We’re still not there, Dad,” Scorpius sighed.

“Harry’s right about the puzzle. We’re starting to have enough pieces to see the overall picture. You’re helping.”

“Is Dad all right?” Lily was a small and delicate woman, but she rarely looked it. She did now.

Draco hugged her tightly for a moment. “He will be.” He tapped her nose in an avuncular fashion. “You, young lady, have not had enough to eat today. Since it happens to be my birthday, I have a Victoria sponge and a quite good Battenberg. I believe there may be some additional double cream in the offing.”

Lily laughed. “I’m really not ten anymore, Mr Malfoy.”

“I know.” Draco looked tired. “But it’s been a fairly horrible day and I could do with a quick cheer-up.”

“You two joining us?” Lily looked at Scorpius and Albus.

“In a minute,” Scorpius promised. First, he wanted the news.

He waited until they were gone before he looked up at Albus. “Was it that bad?”

Albus pushed back his hair in that familiar Potter gesture. “I’m not sure. I thought we were getting somewhere, but all we really have is more information about the political situation behind all this, nothing about where James actually is, nothing to help us go in and get him.”

Scorpius nodded. He felt the same. “Maybe it’s true that it’s all adding up to a picture that will work?”

“Maybe.”

“Should we go and have cake?”

Albus shook his head. “I have to get back to the studio before Hugo annexes my office. Tell your dad happy birthday for me.”

Scorpius was not surprised. “I will.”

He had turned and taken a step in the direction of his father’s office before he felt the hand catch his.

He couldn’t look Albus in the eyes straight away, so he looked at his hand instead. It was so pale these days, while he seemed to have acquired a tan somewhere. His father had laughed about that, said it made a change from his old pale and interesting look. The one from his schooldays, when Albus had called him an owl …

Scorpius looked up. “There are over twenty-eight hours left. And the Minister, your aunt and Uncle Ron have spent most of the day making sure there is money in place and a range of territories to offer if it needs to go to negotiation. James will be fine.”

The haunted look did not leave Albus’s face. Scorpius squeezed his hand. “It’s all right,” he whispered.

Albus looked down and nodded. He squeezed back, then let go of Scorpius’s hand. “I have to get back.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Scorpius watched him go. Then lifted his chin and prepared to be excited about cake.


****************************


“Hugo, do you know where … Ah.”

Albus waited patiently outside the door for Catherine Worthing to arrange herself and for Hugo to put his shirt back on.

“Come in,” Catherine sang out after a minute.

“Well, that certainly explains why you seem to be the only anchor we possess and why Hugo never wants to go home,” Al sighed as he walked in.

“Oh as if any of us have lives outside of this studio,” Catherine teased him.

“Get your recorder, you’re taking our lead story for the nine o’clock bulletin.”

“How did it go? Are they closing in?” Hugo couldn’t hold himself back.

Albus didn’t let his smile flicker for an instant. “It’s gone political, but we always knew it would. The Finns have several good new leads, and our people working on this side are getting somewhere, too. Catherine, take notes.”

Albus took a deep breath. “Wizard’s Unwired Network News can announce that the release earlier today of a cruel hoax video purporting to show the assassination of James Potter has been revealed as the work of a discontented young loner. The man, whose identity has been withheld by Aurors, is understood to be a technological specialist – make that an amateur technological specialist – who sought to throw the international diplomatic negotiations for the release of James Potter into disarray.

“As James’s workmates, friends and family, we at Wizard’s Unwired Network News deplore this lone lawbreaker, and can only applaud the swift and diligent actions by Aurors on the Continent and in Britain to apprehend this miscreant.”

“Miscreant?” Catherine raised an elegantly plucked eyebrow.

“You can substitute something similar,” Albus allowed.

“In related news, the Wizarding Federation of Micronesian States, which last year cut all diplomatic ties with Europe, has offered the Vapaaehtoiset Battaillon a territory to meet its conditions on the proviso that their costs can be met.

“This station understands that technology billionaire Percy Weasley, uncle of James Potter, is in discussion with Micronesia and hopes to finalise a proposal in time for tomorrow’s negotiations with the Vapaaehtoiset Battaillon.”

“Is that true?” Catherine was actually smiling.

“Received the text as I was about to Apparate here,” Albus assured her.

“Is Uncle Percy really a billionaire?” Hugo wondered.

Al shrugged. “Close enough if he’s not. And no one will ever get a correction out of Gringotts.”

“You would think we would receive better gifts at Christmas.”

Albus poked his cousin with his wand.

“Has your dad signed off on this all being released? No, bugger that, has my Mum?”

“Trust me, they’ll be fine with this. It’s plausible and it’s a calming option for the Battalion.”

“Do they need calming?”

It was Hugo who spoke, but he and Catherine were both looking at Albus with the same anxious expression.

He smiled. “We’re covering bases, that’s all. Just doing what we can for the team.”

Catherine squeezed his arm. “I’m on it, boss. What about two minutes of filler on other hoaxes.”

Al felt a rush of gratitude. “Run it way down the order, and see if you can introduce a bit of humour. Hugo, call Uncle Percy and see if he can spare us an interview. Tell him to wear his serious glasses, they make him look eminent.”

“Will do. Catherine, see if you can get any footage of that man who was impersonating trolls out in Devon.”

“I’m on it.”

“I’ll be in my office if you two need me.” Albus shut the door behind him, in case they needed a minute or two before they started making their calls.


****************************


“Go home, Lily,” Scorpius ordered, yawning.

“It’s only eleven o’clock.”

“I know, but you’re falling asleep over your scope.”

“So are you.”

“That’s why I am headed off, too.”

The last few hours had been slow. Exactly one piece of useful information had been added to the set already collected, Lily had isolated the tone of a ferry’s horn in the background sound from the second file. The Finns were matching it to the possibilities now.

“Are you coming back with me?” Lily asked.

“I think I’ll go home with Dad. It’s his birthday, after all.”

Lily nodded. “Good idea. I think my Dad’s stopping over at your place, Mum was on the phone again earlier, and she is not very happy with him.”

Scorpius rolled his eyes. Ginny had always had a hair-trigger temper, and although he couldn’t blame her for being on edge, he wished she had learned the control that the rest of her family possessed.

“Stop it,” Lily said, poking him. “Dad won’t let me complain, so you’re certainly not allowed to. Besides, she’s had a horrible year. And as Aunt Hermione says, she was a bit spoilt when she was little, being the only girl. It’s not her fault.”

“You’re the only girl, too,” Scorpius reminded her.

“Yeah, but I was never going to be able to compete with James and Albus for princess status, so I decided to major in tomboy.”

Scorpius couldn’t help laughing. “And you’ve excelled,” he agreed.

“Anyway, goodnight.” She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

“Night Lils.” He returned the kiss.

“What time in the morning?”

“I’m aiming for six in here. But you sleep a bit later if you need to.”

“Six is good. Do you think Uncle Charlie will be at the Manor when you get there?”

Scorpius shook his head. “It’s dark in the search area for a few hours. He’ll be flying sweeps. We might see him for breakfast.”

“Give him my love.”

“I will.”

Scorpius packed away their instruments for the night, and bid farewell to Antony Jewkes, who was still working, powered solely by coffee, since he swore that the Pepper-up Potion’s steam hurt his ears.

He knocked at his father’s door. “Dad? You ready?”

Draco looked up from his papers. “I will be in five. Can you go and get Harry? We can Portkey from here.”

“Sure.”

Scorpius wondered if his father had been on holidays since the two of them had spent the summer he finished school sailing through the Greek islands. He made a mental note to take Draco on holiday when this was all done.

Harry was in his office again, and raised a hand as Scorpius went to knock. Harry pointed inside the door.

Scorpius poked his head around the corner. There was Albus, asleep on the sofa.

“He still does that head under the pillow thing,” Scorpius muttered.

“Always has, always will,” Harry whispered fondly. “Is it time to go?”

“Yes, Dad says he’ll be ready by the time we get back there.”

“Okay. I’ll just sort the Floo out for Al so he doesn’t have to Apparate home.”

“He can stay with us.”

Scorpius rued his lifelong inability to think before speaking when tired.

Harry’s look seemed mildly surprised. “That would be great. He seems to know what’s happening before I do, so it will save time having him nearby.”

“There is more than enough space in the manor.” He was just being a good host, Scorpius reasoned with himself. Noblesse oblige.

Harry crossed the room to his son. “Albus, Al, wake up. It’s time to go.”

Al rolled onto his stomach and groaned into the pillow. Scorpius had to resist the urge to laugh. He had done that every day at school, and whenever they had stayed over during the holidays. Albus swore that he had been sleep-deprived since birth.

“Come on, we’re staying at the manor. Draco and Scorpius are ready to leave.”

Al sat up suddenly. “We’re what? Mr Malfoy hates me!”

Scorpius decided that this actually did call for noblesse oblige, if he read the sudden slump in Harry’s shoulders correctly. “Hate is too strong a term,” he said breezily. “Was disappointed in some of your choices is more accurate. Shall we pretend the last two minutes never happened?”

Harry grinned at him, while Albus blinked.

“Excellent. Right, as soon as you’re ready, Dad has a Portkey in his office since we are all tired to the point of exhaustion.”

Scorpius walked from the office with a jaunty air, which he almost felt. He knew it was wrong, but there was some small pleasure to be had in the fact that Albus knew he had been censured.

The manor was well-aired and well-lit when they arrived. The house-elves had provided an elegant birthday supper for four in the green drawing room, and prepared two guest rooms. Supper was mostly quiet, save for a trio version of Happy Birthday, to the accompaniment of house-elf on kazoo.

Draco blew out his candles and patted Harry on the shoulder. “I feel hugely confident in that wish,” he assured him. “Come on, you’re in the Viola Room, unless you’d like a slice of cake.”

Harry shook his head. “I’ll take some into work tomorrow. I’m knackered.”

“Scorpius, show Al to his room, will you?”

“I will, good night, Dad.”

“Good night, Son.”

Al and Harry smiled at each other, but that was all. Scorpius had often noticed there was a shorthand between the two. It had driven Lily insane when she had been a child.

“So, would you like a slice of cake? Or bed?” Scorpius held his expression still so that he could pretend those last two words had been a figment of Albus’s over-tired imagination.

He didn’t appear to have noticed. “I’m not very hungry. I can probably find my way to my room if you tell me where it is.”

“Harpsichord room, main wing, three down from the Archimedes study, on the left.”

Albus gave Scorpius a small smile. “It would be lovely if you could show me, thank you so much.”

“Your mother would be thrilled to find that some of those manners have stuck.”

“You are too kind.”

Scorpius resisted the urge to prod Albus with his elbow. Al seemed vaguely surprised not to be prodded.

It was not a terribly long walk to Al’s room. “There are towels in the bathroom, spare robes in the wardrobe, though I had the house-elves drop in a few of my suits and shirts, they should fit you well enough, and I hardly ever wear them. The bell-pull will summon an elf, or you can just yell. Call for Jink, she’s the most Bolshie, you’ll get on well.”

Duty done, Scorpius turned to leave.

“S, wait.” Al’s voice was timid.

He turned back. “What’s up?”

“Thanks.” Al smiled at him. “For everything. You’ve been brilliant and I’ve been a twat, and I won’t forget again.”

“Forget what?” Try as he might, Scorpius couldn’t raise his voice above a whisper.

“What a great friend you are. I know you’d rather be with Lily tonight.”

That again. That hoary old chestnut that Albus had used to console himself after their fight. As if any Potter would do. Scorpius had no time for that tonight.

“Good night, Albus.”

Scorpius swore to himself that it was dirty glasses that made the hallway blur as he strode angrily up it.


****************************


Albus watched him walk away.

For once in his life he was at a complete loss. Certainly he deserved to be walked out on, but he had thought they were getting on well.

Scorpius had stopped, had turned around, was walking back.

He pointed his finger. “You, Albus Potter, are an idiot.”

Al snorted at that. “Yes, I am. But I’m an idiot who’s trying to say sorry.”

Scorpius screwed up his face. “Just shut up for a minute. I am trying to tell you something!”

Al shut up.

Scorpius took a breath. “I cannot believe that you are so stupid,” he began. “I have only ever slept with your sister. Camped on mountainsides, curled up on sofas, bunked in the next bed as we laughed at terrible in-jokes.”

Albus shook his head. That could not be true. Because that would make him the biggest idiot he knew.

And besides, it was wrong. “But at school,” he insisted. “I punched you because you were in love with Lily.”

Scorpius looked at him in amazement. “No you didn’t.”

Al was starting to panic. “Why did you think I hit you?”

“Because I was in love with you.”

Albus forgot all of his words and stood still, blinking.

“You really thought … then?” Scorpius shook his head. “Oh for Merlin’s sake …” Scorpius covered the ground between them, grabbed his arms, pushed him back against the wall, and pressed up against him – hard and strong, except for Scorpius’s mouth, which was soft and hot, and on his.

Albus knew that this couldn’t possibly be happening, but he didn’t care. Every single part of his body felt alive and alert, and as Scorpius’s glasses scratched the brim of his nose, it was all he could do not to laugh with joy.

Scorpius noticed, though, he pulled back a little, and touched the spot of blood with one gentle finger. “I hurt you,” he whispered.

“I don’t care!” Albus did laugh then. And he kissed Scorpius’s jaw, his cheekbone, his mouth, all the while walking backwards with him into the room.

Somehow he managed to undo the buttons of Scorpius’s shirt, at the same time as his was being taken off, and then his legs hit the side of the bed and he let gravity work and took his old friend down with him, keeping contact with his mouth, his chest, his hips.

“Wait.” Scorpius reached up and took off his glasses.

Albus stopped his hand. “Leave them on.”

“Why?”

“Because I like you in them.”

Scorpius grinned. “Are you sure it’s not because you’re hoping to access a news feed?”

Al shook his head, and put the glasses back where they belonged. “Because I want you to see everything,” he told him.

Scorpius kissed him again. “I don’t need to see you to know what you look like,” he murmured.

Albus decided that he could probably climb a mountain for that voice. Would probably climb one, given circumstances, and be happy to. And … “Fuck.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Albus sat up. “I mean fuck.”

Scorpius looked up at him, confused.

“I know where James is.”


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