Harry watched Ginny leave his office with a flicker of nerves deep in his gut. For weeks now, they had both felt like they were being followed, but could find no evidence of it. However, it hadn’t removed the worry both of them shared. If it was up to him, Ginny would always have someone walking with her, keeping an eye on her, protecting her. But his brave, beautiful fiance refused, claiming to be strong enough to fight off anyone.
Later, when Harry himself was leaving work, he felt the threat of someone behind him, a presence. It tugged at his consciousness, and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Who is it? Or is it just leftover paranoia? The war had left its marks, and no one felt it more than Harry. The guilt and pain weighed down heavily on him in the years following the war, and it was only through the constant and unwavering support of his friends and family that he got through it.
In the lobby, still feeling the ominous presence, Harry glanced around the room once more, nodded to Bert on the desk, and stepped into the flooplace, calling out ‘ Number 5, Grimmauld Place!’ before he swirled away, missing the flash of blonde in the corner of his vision.
~~~
A week later, Harry still felt the presence. But he had started to ignore it. If someone was out for him, they would have made a move long before now.
‘Ginny?’ he asked, looking up from his papers to see his gorgeous, vivacious fiance in the doorway, silent and shaken, tears tracing a path down her face.
‘What happened?’ Awkwardly, Harry moved toward Ginny who spluttered and tearfully asked to go home.
At Grimmauld Place, Harry sat Ginny down on the couch with a mug of tea with extra sugar, and sat patiently, fighting the urge to ask again what happened.
Almost half an hour later, Ginny looked up with haunted eyes that were lacking their fire. By now, Harry had been freaking out. One of the things he loved about Ginny was her lack of emotional outbursts, so whatever happened must’ve been terrible.
‘Malfoy cornered me today, away from everyone. And he… he…’
Harry stood up, furious. He didn’t need to hear any more. ‘That slimy git,’ he growled, and was filled with thoughts of revenge.
‘Harry, Harry,’ the redhead murmured gently, ‘you may be Harry Potter, but even you can’t just attack someone unprovoked.’
‘It won’t be unprovoked.’
Patting the couch gently, Ginny silently guided Harry back into his seat. ‘He’s not worth it, darling. Do this right, and he’ll be put away forever.’
Conceding the point, Harry comforted his fiance, shooting off a quick patronus to Ron and Hermione.
With those two beside him, that dirty ferret had no hope.
~~~
Ron was furious, his face redder than his hair. He was practically spitting, and Hermione had kept a firm hand on his arm since Harry had told them. That may’ve been for her as much as Ron, though, as she was shockingly pale and quivering.
‘C’mon Hermione, just this once, let me at him!’ Ron begged, eyes pleading, but Hermione shook her head stubbornly.
‘You’re not an Auror now Ron. You can’t just go off chasing people who have wronged you.’ At Ron’s noise of protest, she sighed and added in a softer tone, ‘you have to do this the proper way. Otherwise it may be you in Azkaban, not Malfoy. Behave yourself, now.’ And with that, Hermione turned and left the room, clearly in search of Ginny and Luna.
‘Smart woman, Hermione,’ Ron informed Harry as they watched her leave. ‘But seriously, what’s our plan?’
Harry got a gleam in his eye, but waited for Hermione to get out-of-earshot, before saying, ‘well, this is war, Ron. Time to bring out the guns.’
Despite his confusion at the Muggle reference, Ron smiled supportingly, mind filled with ideas.
~~~
Two days later, their plan was in action.
Harry had still felt like he was being followed, even after Ginny’s rape, and he finally knew that it was Malfoy. That foul, evil creature! his mind supplied, but Harry ignored it and got to work.
Throughout the day, the Aurors had steadily hidden themselves away, keeping watch and Bert at the front desk was replaced by an apprentice Auror willing to help guard the floos.
Walking through the Ministry after hours, Head Auror Potter ducked into an old office, which was currently empty, and fumbled around, pretending to be busy while he waited for the presence that had been following him to turn up.
He wasn’t disappointed.
‘Potter,’ a low voice growled, and a thin, lean body pressed up against Harry, pinning him to the table he had been crouching over.
‘Malfoy,’ Harry hissed back, incredibly angered that Malfoy had the nerve to touch him, talk to him, after what he did to Ginny, after what Harry did for him.
‘How’s that pretty girl of yours, Potter?’ the ferret asked, and Harry's blood boiled. With great effort, he managed to cool it. Somewhat.
‘She’s good,’ turning, Harry rested his eyes meaningfully on Malfoy’s lips, which were twisted into a sneer, and silently called his Aurors. ‘Heard you played some games with her. Can you tell me what they were?’
‘No, Potter, I can’t.' Harry silently raised his eyebrows, wordlessly portraying his questions. Smiling indulgently, Malfoy leaned in and added generously, 'I can, however, show you.’
Which was why when the Aurors and Ron burst into the room, they saw Harry Potter struggling desperately against Draco Malfoy’s attentions. Not that he couldn’t get away. But Malfoy had to be caught in the act.
And caught he was. But through a haze of stunning and disarming spells, he successfully made his escape, and the Aurors caused quite a commotion, chasing Malfoy through the Ministry of Magic, shoving people over and firing spells haphazardly. Leading the charge was ex-Auror Ron Wealsey, his face contorted in fury, and beside him was Harry Potter, who looked equally crazed.
In the lobby, a young apprentice Auror attempted to stop the Dark Wizard, but a young man had no chance against one of Lord Voldemort’s followers. And the screams of horror, grief, shock and anger were heard all through the Ministry.
It was a day not soon forgotten.
~~~
The raid on Malfoy Manor came a day later. The grief-stricken Aurors came out in force, and listened incredibly attentively to Head Auror Potter as he briefed them on their mission, reiterating what the Minister of Magic had told her best friend before he left for work that morning. Be careful, please. One man- however evil, wicked and vile- is not worth a single hair on any of your heads, or a single curse you may be tempted to cast.
Harry finished his briefing by making it clear that it is of the utmost importance to be careful, as it was clear that Malfoy was willing and able to kill.
Every Auror knew how important this mission was, and they went into the building with revenge written across their hearts, a strong plan typed into their heads and a million spells at the tips of their tongues.
Ron had fought Harry tooth and nail to join the raid, but as he was no longer an Auror, Harry couldn't allow a civilian, however experienced, to partake in a raid as dangerous as this. During the fight, though, Harry wished his best friend was by his side.
There was a ferocious battle in the Manor, with several Aurors getting injured courtesy of the vast array of curses and wards Malfoy had set up and fired, but finally, after almost two hours of fighting, the advantage of numbers won out, and Malfoy was stunned, captured and imprisoned.
~~~
In the courtroom, Harry made his case against Malfoy, and memories were provided by the Aurors who caught Malfoy, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter and Ginerva Weasley. Due to the overwhelming evidence provided, Draco Malfoy was sentenced to 25 years for the rape of Ginevra Weasley, 10 for the sexual assault on Harry Potter, 20 years for attacking an officer of the law, 10 years for resisting arrest and fighting officers of the law, and 50 for the unlawful and uncalled for murder of trainee Auror Boyd Oliver, a man with great promise.
With no chance of bail.
Despite being Head Auror and necessary for such proceedings, Harry was exempted from watching Ginny’s rape and stepped out of the room when everyone was viewing her memories, as it was too painful for him to witness. Ginny joined him, as well as Ron. Poor Hermione had to stay to oversee the court. And Harry stayed out a lot longer than Ron and Ginny did. No one wants to relive the murder of collegue that was their fault, regardless of what others say.
‘Why?’ Harry asked Malfoy after he was sentenced and was staring up at the stands with an empty expression in his grey eyes. ‘I saved you- both from the fire your friend started, and from the Azkaban sentencing you were going to receive. Why did you do this?’
Malfoy bared his teeth. ‘You didn’t save my father, Potter. Or my mother, who saved you. Consider it revenge. And there’s just too much bad blood between us for me to ever like you.’
Harry shut his eyes to hide the pain of betrayal and the loss of the goodwill he had tried so hard to create between the two of them.
‘Take him away,’ Harry waved at the guards, and made the slow walk back to his office to finalise the paperwork.
~~~
That night, curled up with his fiance in front of the fire, he may have cried, and Ginny too. But no one knows.
And Draco Malfoy was never heard from again. But no one cared.
At a funeral many years later, a wizened wizard who had been through too much stood in the shadows, and looked at the lack of people at the graveside. The man who was being buried had spent his youth in Voldemort’s circle, then years alone in his Manor and the rest of his life in Azkaban.
Draco Malfoy had died the way he lived.
Alone.
And Harry Potter finally turned his back on his school rival, and went home to join the party his daughter was hosting, which had way too many people there- most of his school friends, all of Lily’s friends, and her children’s friends as well.