Confisio Suprema

A somewhat indisposed commander

Lucius did a perfect job. Harry's team of Aurors investigated the magic of the mentioned places. It turned out that one of them showed magical activity. It was the most remote place imaginable, cold and inhospitable, on an uninhabited islet not even noted on a muggle map. It was not connected to the floo network and was well protected from outside intrusion - a wall of fire was activated when an intrusion was attempted.

That didn't look good.

Harry only requested a single Auror in the front line, his closest colleague, Lee Jordan. Together, they advanced towards the house very carefully, expecting the wall to burst into flames at any moment. This eventually happened, and both men were nearly stunned by the intense heat.

"We won't pass," howled Jordan. He collapsed to the ground in pain from the burns. Healers from the Auror team immediately rushed to his aid. Harry was oblivious to the pain. Nothing burned as hard as his cursed hands. He allowed himself to be treated, turned to his team and said firmly, "I'll try again."

They didn't protest. They had long since given up trying to talk Potter out of anything. Some of them grumbled rather loudly that Malfoy wasn't worth the sacrifice and questioned their commander's sanity.

Harry stood where a wall of fire had scorched him during his last attempt to break into the house. He moved very slowly but still felt no heat. He was sure he had gotten further than last time. A few more steps, and he was standing at the door. Confisio Suprema! He was magically connected to the occupant of the house so he could get inside without difficulty. His heart raced. If his hypotheses were correct, he would see Draco in a moment! In what condition will he be? What if he was under the Imperius the whole time, and his brain is irreversibly damaged? What if they erased his memories? What if he was physically tortured? What if someone abused him? What if they used the Cruciatus on him? What if, what if, what if...?

Harry opened the door and stepped into a musty cobweb-filled hallway. The place looked completely uninhabited. He climbed the creaking stairs. The atmosphere here reminded him of the Shrieking Shack. A few more steps, another door, blue cracked paint...

The fair-haired man had his back turned to him, looking out the window at the sea, completely motionless, as if lifeless.

"Draco!"

No response.

"Draco!"

There's no way he wouldn't have heard. And Draco heard, he just couldn't believe he didn't dream. The sound of the waves caused him various auditory hallucinations. He heard Harry's voice countless times. It was always just an illusion. Draco didn't respond to such temptation anymore as it was too painful. Harry did, however, see a slight tremor in his shoulders when he called his name. Yes, he noticed the voice, that much was obvious.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said in a commanding voice.

Draco turned sharply.

They were left facing each other. Wordless, they just stared at each other, looking for any sign of anything untoward, both broken, waiting for the next blow.

Harry's trained gaze found no damage on Draco. Thanks Merlin.

Draco couldn't help but notice Harry's hands. He stood up, and took a few steps towards Harry, clutching Harry's hands to his chest.

"You didn't trust me," he said reproachfully.

Is that all he's going to tell me? I found him, went days without potions because of him, and all he tells me is that I didn't trust him? Harry wanted to defend himself but couldn't find the words. It hurt, it hurt so damn much. Mentally perhaps more than physically.

"If I didn't trust you, I probably wouldn't be here, don't you think?" It sounded harsh. Strictly Auror-like. He didn't want to show emotion, offended and hurt by Draco's remark.

Draco smiled. "I know." He held Harry tightly. "You need healing."

He pulled Harry down onto the bed and kissed his hands tenderly.

"Draco, I'm in the middle of an action, there's a team of Aurors waiting for us outside."

"Give me a minute," Draco pleaded.

"Don't you want to...?"

"What are you thinking about? No, I'll just hold your hands."

But it wasn't just ordinary hand-holding. Draco put so much love and trust in it that the pain slowly went away.