Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love

Chapter 30: Samhain*

Larsen's capture was an enormous blow to Greyback, but it was not yet the coup de grâce. They needed to find the man himself.

In spite of his Occlumency, Larsen had been so marinated in Veritaserum by Tonks that he produced an excellent series of leads. The next day, the hunter became the hunted. Potter and the WTF came close twice, cornering Greyback in a cabin in the Lake District and then again in a hideaway in the Shetland Islands. He only just slipped out of their grasp both times. Potter raged. The silver lining was that Greyback was running out of secure boltholes, as Larsen had compromised a half-dozen locations. That silver lining was tempered by a worry amongst the Aurors that he was going to become increasingly desperate and escalate.

Draco was given leave to scour the Viking's brain in a day-long interrogation session while the WTF hunted, to see what else he could find.

Tonks joined him in the interrogation room, along with Brimble.

Larsen, bound hand and foot to a chair, glared balefully at them.

"Good morning," said Tonks to Larsen with a frightening kind of brightness. "Lovely chat yesterday, thank you again. Have you had a think about any other bits and bobs you'd like to share with us? Locations? Plans? Any machinations against Healer Granger that we ought to know about?"

Larsen stared at her in stony silence.

"Otherwise," continued Tonks, "we've received Ministerial permission to proceed with a spot of Legilimency. If you haven't any more information to offer willingly, Auror Malfoy will be fetching it directly from the source."

"Fetch it, then," said Larsen.

"Brimble, make a note that Larsen has declined to cooperate," said Tonks.

Larsen turned his stare to Draco and spat at his feet.

The defiance delighted Draco: Larsen was going to put up a fight.

"Do that again and I shall cast a Dessicatus directly into your throat," said Draco, drawing a stool towards Larsen.

He held his wand to the centre of Larsen's forehead and said, "Legilimens."

Larsen was arrogant. Legilimens were rare and good ones were even rarer. Now that he was no longer bleeding out, his sophisticated Occlumency barriers were firmly back in place, except where the residual effects of yesterday's Veritaserum softened them at the edges.

He had good reason to be arrogant. As Draco pushed into his mind, he had to admit that Larsen's defences were impressive – a vast, nigh-impenetrable wall.

The resistance gave Draco an excuse to be rough and cruel, and rough and cruel he was. He cracked. He tore. He smashed. He had every advantage – the magical push of his wand, Larsen's lingering Veritaserum, the pent-up rage fuelling his assault – and he used them.

The more Larsen resisted, the more Draco hurt him. Before long, Draco had given the Viking contusions throughout his mind to match those that he had left on Granger's body.

In the silence of the interrogation room, the battle of wills raged. Draco could feel Larsen reeling in surprise at the violence of the battering. He had underestimated both Draco's Legilimency and his sheer force of will when it came to this particular subject. He paid for it.

Larsen's nose began to bleed. Brimble twitched. Tonks said nothing.

Larsen, feeling his barriers fade, began to offer Draco images – distractions, fabrications. Draco did not want those. He swept them away and hammered at the wall.

He found a fissure. He pried it open and broke through.

Larsen pulled his memories into darker recesses. Draco dragged them back out.