Lost and Found

Draco draped an arm over his eyes, groaning. His back hurt from a nerve that had pinched up sometime during his slumber. This was likely caused by sleeping on the floor. There were only two beds in the room he shared with Blaise and Theo. He had let Blaise have one, and left the second one available to Theo should he wander in. 

He sat up, squinting his eyes at the bright, morning sun that blared into the room, and rubbed at the ache in his back. 

With a yawn, he scanned the room. Blaise was still sleeping, as usual. The Italian man would sleep all day if he were allowed. Theo's bed was empty though. In fact, it was still perfectly made; undisturbed.

Draco stood up with a stretch, wincing.

He pulled on his baggy trousers, thinking that a belt would be extremely beneficial to him and made a mental note to ask if the ladies would use their donation money for one. He opened the door, momentarily forgetting about his shirt, just to check and see how Theo was fairing, thinking he had crashed out on the sofa. 

The sofa was empty too. 

He knocked on the bathroom door. "Theo?"

The door swung open, revealing Hermione who was pulling a brush through her damp hair, grunting as the bristols got caught in the mess of it. Her eyes drifted down to his bare torso and stopped at a spot just below his rib cage. She had stared at that same spot just hours before when they had gone down to the pool to swim, but she hadn't said anything about it.

Draco uneasily cleared his throat. "Where's Theo?"

She had difficulties pulling her eyes from his grotesque scar, no doubt, twirling around scenarios in her mind on how he had gotten it. She hadn't asked about the scar yet. Draco could tell she was craving to know the details. Until she directly said something though, he wasn't going to talk about it.

"It's rude to stare," Draco softly scolded her when she didn't answer. He didn't honestly mind. Before now, no one had shown any care that he had been abused-- not without a motive behind it anyway. Hermione didn't have a motive though. She and Luna were just very kind women.

Hermione managed a swallow. "I'm sorry," she said, finding her voice. She shook her head, clearing her mind. "Theo? Isn't he in your room?"

He moved out of the way so she could step out of the restroom. "I wouldn't be bothering you if he was."

"He wasn't here when I woke up this morning. When I last saw him, he was listening to the piano cover song I found for him. I have a twelve-year-old autistic cousin, Theo reminds me of him. Charles loves music. Anytime he goes out in public, he has to have his music player and ear buds. Otherwise, he can't cope being around people. He'll start screaming if he doesn't have his music."

"Piano cover song, you said?" Draco asked curiously. He didn't want to seem rude, but Theo was missing, and her cousin's story was irrelevant to him at the moment.

Hermione nodded and took the remote to the telly off the end table. She pressed a button, playing a song with just a piano solo. 

Theo inspected the lock on the piano cover with his fingers. A list of ideas on how to get it off ran through his head, but without any tools, he wasn't going to be able to pry it open.

"Don't touch the piano," James ordered in an authoritative tone.

Theo set his hands behind his back at the scolding. He longingly stared at the piano. "Can I play it?"

"You need points to use it."

"How many?"

"Five," James answered, smirking. "You only have three."

Theo tore his eyes from the piano, narrowing them at James. "But I have six points," Theo argued. 

"Yes, you did, but I docked three for your wandering hands. You don't get to touch things you haven't earned, Nott."

James turned on him after that, chuckling to himself, delighted to have such control over his wards.

"Fucking blighter," Blaise muttered as James walked by.

"Three points docked from you too, Zabini," James smoothly announced, continuing on his way.

"I hate him," Draco muttered, glaring at the back of his head. 

Blaise smirked as James approached the counter to talk with his wife. "Watch him drink his apple juice."

"Why?" 

James downed a few gulps of it. Being the biggest shit can make a man incredibly thirsty.

"Pissed in it while he was making his rounds." Blaise's smirk widened. "See that? Tosser doesn't even know it. Useless git!"

Draco shuddered. "That's disgusting, Blaise."

"Yeah, well, he's disgusting." 

Draco watched as Theo sat down at a table, tapping his fingers to the surface of it. His eyes were glued to the piano. He desperately wanted to play that thing.

Draco wasn't going to disagree with Blaise. James was an absolutely disgusting individual.

“I know where he is,” Draco said suddenly. “Give me a minute to dress.” He darted into his room.

Blaise stirred awake, lifting his head, squinting his eyes, an effect of the bright sun of the morning. “What's going on?” he grumbled sitting up, watching Draco gathering up his things.

“I'm going to fetch Theo.”

Blaise stood up in alarm. “Fetch?”

“I believe he's down in the lobby.”

“Piano?” the Italian asked, needing to think little about it. He had noticed the grand piano in the lobby when he entered the hotel the night before.

“He's not in the suite, so I guess that's where he's at now.”

Blaise nodded. He too got dressed. 

By the time the men emerged from their room, Luna had joined Hermione and they all left together to go down to the lobby.

Sure enough, Theo was perched at the piano bench, flawlessly playing the piano. His eyes were closed, absorbed in the music, blocking out the rest of the world. 

“Save Me,” Hermione breathed out, staring at him in awe.

“Huh?” Draco asked.

“Theo memorized the song I played for him last night.” She was smiling at Theo, admiring his talent. “He's playing it now. Incredible!”

They all stood there, watching him play. When the song ended, he restarted the same song over. 

“He must really like that song,” Luna noted.

A small crowd formed around Theo as he continued to play. He didn't even notice. Theo was deeply lost in the music.

“What should we do about him?” Blaise wondered. “He looks so content.”

Draco nodded. They couldn't leave Theo though. He took a seat in the complimentary sitting area. Theo hadn't been able to play the piano in ages, who knew when his fix would be over with.

“Guess we just wait until he's finished.”

Blaise's lips thinned. He knew this would probably take a while. He wasn't up for hearing “Save Me” over and over. Draco could also tell that there were other things on his mind.

“We are safe for now,” Draco assured him.

“We will never be safe,” Blaise stated grimly. “They'll always look for us.”

A sickness settled into the depth of Draco's gut. Blaise wasn't wrong. Theo was a liability to society. Blaise and Draco were missing people who had suddenly turned up. The people after them didn't want the three men loose in the streets, and they certainly didn't want their secrets out in the open. 

Not like anyone would believe the men anyway.

Luna had her camera out and was filming Theo playing, she spoke softly into the camera. “Hermione says he just learned this song last night. People, we have a piano prodigy on our hands.”

Hermione was busy on the phone, talking with a man named Neville.

The music suddenly stopped mid-note. Draco shifted his attention to Theo, wondering what was wrong. The man would never stop in the middle of a song.

He saw Theo sprinting across the room, making his way to the staircase. Draco and Blaise stood up in unison and Blaise tapped Draco's arm.

“Look,” he murmured.

Draco's eyes widened as a crowd was forming into the lobby. He caught sight of James Potter and a few others he didn't wish to see.

The Order was here. That's why Theo had stopped playing. And they brought the police to aid in their capture.

Draco took flight, following Theo's need to run.

“STOP!” Someone shouted, but Draco wasn't going to surrender.

There were screams behind Draco, as various guests reacted to the intruders who were armed with guns.

Draco felt a pain in his leg suddenly, and he went tumbling down. He had been hit with a stun plug. The offending object dug itself into the victim's skin, immobilizing them, locking all their muscles up.

In a hurry, Blaise yanked out the plug just as someone tackled him to the ground.

With the plug removed Draco could instantly move again and he pulled the man off Blaise. Blaise, wasting no time, threw his fist into the man's face and snatched his stun gun from him. Then he pushed the man over the railing, where he landed at the ground of the bottom level. He wasn't getting back up on his own. If he was even still alive. 

Blaise continued up the stairs. Draco followed him.

“Bathroom,” Blaise instructed as footsteps thundered behind them.

“There's no way out of the bathroom,” Draco hastily pointed out. He made the mistake of looking behind his back. There were a good two dozen people chasing them. He ducked as a plug sailed above his head. It barely missed him.

“Shit,” Draco shrieked. “They're going get us, Blaise!”

“Shut up and get in!” Blaise gripped Draco by his shirt and hurled him into the bathroom just at the top of the landing.

Draco frantically circled the bathroom, wondering how they could escape this mess. 

“We are sitting ducks!”

Blaise was calm though. Excitement flashed across his eyes as he waited by the door, anticipating the inevitable attack. 

In a swift movement, Blaise swung the door out, causing a man to shout out in agony. 

“Bloody hell!” the man hollered as Blaise yanked him inside by his hair. Blood was spewing from his nose. Blaise had no mercy. He swiftly smashed the man's face into the wall three times before he let him hit the ground. The man didn't move.

Two men entered then, but they were no match for Blaise either. He throat punched one then threw him into the other, taking a stun gun off him and popping them both  with a plug.

“Grab the gun off him,” Blaise ordered Draco, tossing his head to one of them. 

Draco, who had been watching the scene in horror, did as Blaise instructed. He could hit targets, which would be useful for the remaining army of people who were after them. 

No one else came through though. There were grunts and shouts outside the door, but no one else came into the bathroom after Blaise and Draco.

Blaise peeked out the door. A smile spread out to his face “Theo…” He breathed out, relieved. 

Blaise opened up the door revealing Theo expertly using two stun guns, effortlessly taking down the horde of attacking men. He sent many down the case of steps, which knocked everyone else over, causing them to fall like dominos.

“Theodore…” A disapproving, soft voice traveled up the stairs case.

The three men gathered together to see Albus Dumbledore looking up at them at the bottom of the stairs. He stood still, making no motion to step forward.

“This is irrational behavior,” the elder man scolded gently. “Come to your senses, boys. We are trying to protect you.”

Theo's face was blank as he stared back at the man. He raised the stun gun, pointing it at Albus. 

“Bizzt!” Theo said, lacking emotion to his voice. 

Albus calmly closed his eyes, knowing exactly what Theo was going to do. Theo pulled the trigger and the man fell over, unable to control his own muscles.