A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed, and a bigger thanks to my new beta, Emmalyne. It will be she that saves you from all of my ramblings and grammatical errors. I know that the previous chapter had nothing to do with the ship, but it kind of sets the stage for how Draco got to be how he is. Now on to the good stuff.
Disclaimer: I do not lay claim to anything except the plot.
Malfoy Couple Dead, Son Hospitalized
No further information is being disclosed on this case. Aurors were seen removing two bodies early this morning, and sources say that the bodies were those of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black-Malfoy. There was no sign of their only surviving relative, son, Draco Malfoy. Only moments after someone spotted the Malfoys being removed from the premises, news came from someone who had been at St. Mungos. Draco was there, in a coma, the Healers unsure of the exact cause. Tests are being performed, but the source refused to offer any other information. Keep reading for any new information on the infamous Malfoy family, or what is left of it.
Malfoy Awakes
Draco Malfoy, the sole heir to Malfoy, Inc., as well as to both the Malfoy and Black estates, awoke from his coma just this morning, two months, one week, and six days after entering the coma for unknown reasons on the night of his parent's death. Although the Prophet requested an interview, Malfoy declined. He would only say one thing about the whole situation. "My father is dead. That is all that matters." Malfoy seems to be blocking the fact that his mother is dead as well, or he is less concerned about that fact than the fact that his father is dead.
Truth in Words
True to his word, Draco Malfoy has taken huge steps towards clearing the Malfoy name of everything that it has stood for in the years since the rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Just 3 months after he woke up from his coma and gave his press statement, he has shut down the part of Malfoy, Inc. that is known for its underground dealings in Dark artifacts, instead changing the whole face of that part of the company so that it now deals with Muggle affairs as well, something that is probably making Malfoy Senior roll over in his grave. Malfoy has also completely cleaned out Malfoy Manor of all Dark artifacts, allowing the Ministry to completely go through his home and remove anything suspicious looking, as well as showing them some secret rooms that Lucius Malfoy kept things in. A complete scan was done of the Manor, and once the Aurors searching the place were certain it was free of anything suspicious, they made a public announcement that Malfoy Manor was no longer home to anything illegal. His earlier stay in St. Mungos proved the theory that he was a known Death Eater wrong. He does not have the Dark Mark, something that cannot be removed or permanently glamoured away. The day after his Manor was searched, he allowed himself to be put under the influence of Truth Serum and was asked many questions dealing with charges that have been impending for years. After three hours of interrogation, Draco Malfoy was relieved of charges including but not limited to: the torture and killing of Auror Alastor Moody and the torture and cause of insanity of Percy Weasley. No further details of the trial are being released, but Draco Malfoy has been absolved from all charges against him and his name.
Weasley Girl Gone Missing
Ginevra Weasley, daughter of Minister of Magic candidate Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, was reported as a missing person early this morning. Not long after the report was filed, an extensive search began for the only female Weasley. Tracking spells turned up dead ends. Forced interviews with suspects revealed nothing. It appears that the girl has disappeared off the face of the Earth.
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Gone
Harry Potter has finally fulfilled the prophecy made some 18 years ago. He has brought about the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Potter had set up a large search party for Weasley, with who's family he is friends with, the party consisting mainly of highly trained Aurors. After much curse breaking performed by William Weasley, the group was able to discover the location of the female Weasley. Potter and his partners in crime, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, disapparated to the location, insisting that the small numbers would ensure more of a surprise attack. The trio had been given the confirmation of the exact location of where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was residing by an unknown source. The information was correct, and the three ambushed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, gaining the upper hand, as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did not have any of his loyal servants present as the trio arrived. Although the Death Eaters soon began arriving, the time without them was enough for Potter to gain the upper hand on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Further details are unknown, but the trio returned to the Ministry with news that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and most, if not all, of his followers had been killed in the battle. The dreaded out-and-out war that was known to be soon approaching was avoided at the destruction of most of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers. Unfortunately, the trio did not find any signs of their initial target, Ginevra Weasley, nor did they return with anything relating to her. With He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gone, finding Ginevra Weasley may never be an option for the wizarding world.
Unexpected Hero
One week after the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and three weeks after her disappearance, Ginevra Weasley has been rescued, and by the most unexpected person. Progress had been made in the tracking of Weasley, and her location was pinpointed: For three weeks, she was held captive in an old, dilapidated shed located in a field next to her childhood home. Expecting resistance to her rescue, a team of well trained Aurors assisted Harry Potter in the ambush of the shed. Only moments before their exit, Draco Malfoy, son of former Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, arrived at their location with unknown useful information for the attack. The ambush went off with only one hitch: there was no sign of Ginevra Weasley. Once the dust had literally settled and the two surviving Death Eaters had been taken into custody, the Aurors were still dumbfounded as to the location of Weasley. Then, out of the pile of rubbish that had once been the shed, a board suddenly shifted, and the remaining Aurors who had been left behind to work on discovering Weasley turned their attention to the movement, wands drawn. What they saw next was not something they expected. From underneath the wreckage emerged Draco Malfoy, covered in dust and carrying the limp form of Ginevra Weasley in his arms. While the others had been fighting the Death Eaters, Malfoy had stealthily begun to search the shed. Unfortunately, the secretive man was not up to revealing much about the rescue. "She's alive. That's all that matters." The Ministry is not releasing any further information on the case at this time.
An ebony colored wand trailed over the edge of newspaper articles, effectively cutting them out where the tip of the wand touched. Long, pale fingers gathered the articles and brought them to a mahogany desk, and the owner of the hands sat down, a large, leather bound book lying on the desk, open to the first blank page. One flick of the ebony wand by the pale fingers caused the articles to arrange themselves in chronological order, the pages turning when needed to accommodate the scraps of paper. A glass of amber liquid was sipped at slowly. Long after the spell was finished and the book simply lay open, the person sitting at the desk sat staring at the open pages. More specifically, one article. And every time the silver orbs passed over the line Weasley Girl Gone Missing the normally steady, reliable heart seemed to skip a beat. Normally still fingers drummed against a well-muscled thigh. Normally steady breathing was erratic.
Overall, Draco Malfoy was a mess.
A/N: Yes, I know it's short. Don't worry, the next chapter makes up for it ten times over. This story is still in the making, so I won't be updating constantly otherwise you would run out of story real quick. Hopefully a large chunk gets done before school starts up again because it takes up half my life. Example of this: Until I posted this story, I had not touched it since the day before classes started last August. This is probably too much info, but to me, it's essential that everyone knows this. I also know it will not be updated again until I get back to the states. I'm currently studying in England, and on Tuesday I leave for Germany and then France, and I don't know if I'll have access to internet until I get home. Anyways: till next time!
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