All They Want For Christmas...

Rescuing

"Impossible," Draco replied, but his voice betrayed his unease. He took the paper from her hands, his eyes scanning the article. A muggle was found in his father's cell. His father was gone. No one knew where he was. Draco felt his body break into a cold sweat at the thought of his father on the loose weeks before his wedding.

This wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.

Without thinking, Draco wrapped Hermione in his arms and cradled her body close to his. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to keep you safe." He closed his eyes. He knew she was crying. He couldn't bear to see it. "No matter what, I'm going to keep you safe. I promise." Hermione sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She chided herself for thinking that this would be the end, that their lives could be easy.

Her life was never easy.

"We can call off the weddi-"

"NO," Draco told her firmly, pulling away and looking right into her crying brown eyes. His own looked tortured. "We will not call off this wedding. I love you, and you love me, and we're going to get married whether he likes it or not, Salazar help me." Draco watched a slight smile pull at Hermione's lips at his words. "Harry will find him," he continued reassuringly. "It won't be an issue."

"There is an issue," Draco said hours later to Harry at the Auror headquarters. "He obviously didn't do this alone. He had help. Inside and outside help."

Harry scowled at Draco for accusing one of his men. "I assure you that he had no inside help in escaping."

"Don't be an idiot, Potter. Even without the dementors Azkaban is the ultimate fortress. No one is allowed to just come and go as they please. Sirius only escaped because he was an animagus. My father isn't." Draco spoke through gritted teeth, ignoring Harry's visible response to the mention of Sirius's name. "He. Had. Help."

"Is that the issue?"

"No."

"Then what is the issue?"

"You won't find him," Draco answered shortly. "If he can get to Malfoy Manor, there's a labyrinth underneath, only accessible to those bearing the Malfoy name and the password. Unfortunately, it was never given to me. And even if he can't get to Malfoy manor, someone else is going to be hiding him, and hiding him well. We might as well go after the resurrection stone you dropped. We've a better chance of finding it."

Harry glared at Draco, obviously frustrated. "Well then what do you propose we do?"

"Hermione needs to be watched at all times."

"Obviously," Harry interrupted. "She's never going to be out of sight of someone. Be it you, me, another auror... I meant what do you propose we do about finding your father?"

Draco shrugged. "Whatever we can, I suppose. Raid the manor regardless, raid houses of known purebloods. Go after the Parkinsons the hardest. They weren't happy about my breakup with Pansy and my father and Pansy's father were close." Harry nodded his agreement and met Draco's eyes, noticing for the first time how grief-stricken they looked. "If I lose her, Harry-"

"Stop, Malfoy." Harry cut Draco off, giving him a harsh look. "Hermione is my best friend. Nothing is going to happen to her. Not if I have anything to say about it, not if you have anything to say about it, and certainly not if she has anything to say about it." A large sigh escaped Harry's chest. "We're going to do everything we can." Draco looked down at his feet.

"I hope to Salazar it's enough."

"We can't go after her now, Lucius. It's not prudent."

The oldest living Malfoy gritted his teeth. "I want her exterminated as soon as possible."