Tapping

The phone kept ringing, and Ron chewed nervously on the end of a quill. Finally, there was a click.

“Hello?” Draco asked.

“Draco, love, I’ve just had a visit from this reporter,” Ron said quickly.

“Ron, listen, I’m kind of in the middle of something.” Draco’s voice was strained.

“Draco, this is important,” Ron said.

“There are two officers from Law Enforcement here,” Draco said. “They’re asking me to come down to the Ministry and make a statement.”

“Don’t answer any questions,” Ron said urgently. “I’ll meet you at LE with Poirier. We’ll get this taken care of.”

“Alright, Ron. That sounds good.” Draco seemed distant, and Ron could only assume the officers were in the room with him. “I’ll see you later.”

Ron opened the door to his office and Mara sat up quickly.

“Can I help you, sir?” she asked.

“Clear my schedule.”

“But sir,” Mara protested.

“Just do it. It’s an emergency. I’ve got to get down to Law Enforcement. Call my attorney and have him meet me there as soon as he can get down here. Tell him to bring his file on Draco Malfoy.”

Ron grabbed his briefcase and ripped open his filing cabinet. There was a stack of papers six inches thick pertaining to Draco, and he shoved it into the briefcase. He ran past Mara to the elevators.


“Mister Malfoy, we’d like you to tell us about the incident on Monday night.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve been advised not to say anything until my attorney arrives,” Draco said, crossing his arms. They had taken his cane and sunglasses and seated him in a chair. The officer who was questioning him kept pacing, and Draco didn’t bother to try and follow his movements.

“You’re not under arrest here,” the officer said reassuringly. “We just want to find out what happened, that’s all.”

“And I would like to consult with my attorney before I discuss anything with you,” Draco said. He kept his voice even. “I’m sorry, Officer Tillman, but having had nothing but bad experiences with your department in the past, I’m not in any hurry to talk to you.”

“Now, you know that those were different times,” Tillman said. “And the officers responsible for your injuries have long ago been dismissed.”

“Be that as it may,” Draco said softly, “I would still prefer to wait. If you’re terribly busy, you could just leave me here. I’m not going anyplace.”

Tillman opened the door and closed it, and Draco could only assume he had left. It would have been just like the LE boys to try and mess with him, try and use his blindness to their advantage, but as long as he kept his silence they couldn’t do much. He drummed on the table with his fingers, slowly so as to avoid looking nervous.

“You should never look nervous,” Severus had told him. “No matter who’s questioning you, always appear calm and collected.” It had worked against a talented Legilimens like Voldemort, and it would continue to work against these simpletons.

The last time he had been in Law Enforcement custody was a brief arrest after his pardoning hearing, stemming from an altercation with a protester. Ron had been walking him to one of the Ministry’s cars when a witch hurled herself at him. They had gotten separated, and when the Law Enforcement goons had tried to break up the incident Draco’s arm had somehow gotten broken. Later, it was discovered that the cops had staged it as an excuse to get back at Draco for killing one of their own.

When the door opened again, he heard several pairs of feet.

“Mister Malfoy, Ronald Weasley is here, along with your attorney.”

“Hello, Ron. Hello Mister Poirier. I would get up, but this room is quite unfamiliar to me.”

“Officers, where is this man’s cane?” Poirier asked. Draco had never met the man before his pardoning hearings, but no one could fault the hard-bitten attorney’s legal skills--or his record. Seventy-five cases argued before the Wizengamot, with only two losses.

The cop stammered a little, and Draco heard Poirier drag him outside. Ron sat down beside Draco and put his hand on Draco’s.

“They’re saying they might charge you with assault on a Muggle,” Ron said.

“That is a serious offense.”

“I don’t like this, Draco. It’s suspicious. There was a reporter from the Prophet asking about this even before the Law Enforcement officers arrived at the house.”

Draco smiled sadly.

“Bad news travels fast,” he said.

Poirier came back in.

“Draco, these officers have no grounds for any charges.”

“I have nothing to be afraid of, Poirier,” Draco said. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Then you won’t mind telling us about Monday night,” Tillman said.

“Of course he won’t,” Poirier said brusquely.

Draco sat back in his chair.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.