Jigsaw

CHAPTER 6

With a sharp pop Harry apperate into the small muggle village in southern Wales. It was raining. Harry ‘tutted’ loudly to himself. Standing in the middle of the stone street, rain drops the size of small saucepans dropping on his head Harry could do little but look upwards and curse the sky. It had been a perfectly lovely morning in London, yet here it seemed the heavens had opened leaving him soaking wet through within the blink of an eye. With there absolutely no point in casting a umbrella charm around him Harry slung his duffle back over his shoulder and trudged down the deserted main street of the village.

Harry had no idea where he was going, and it had surprised him he hadn’t apperated into the middle of a muddy field somewhere instead of the quaint but almost deserted little village. Hermione’s skills in reading the muggle road map of Wales must have actually been quite good. Snuggling down in his coat Harry began the slow walk down the main street. Like most villages, there was a butcher, a bakery, a small grocer come post office, and of course a pub. It was hardly surprising that the only place that was open in the entire length of the street was the pub at the end of it and so Harry hurried along towards its warm glowing lights.

Shaking himself free of some of the water Harry easily stepped through the entrance to the pub into the main bar area. The chatter, laughter and music died down a little as he stood stock still and glanced around at the patrons, all of whom were now staring at him cautiously. With a friendly smile Harry ignored the stares and made his way over to the bar, where a stocky looking bar maid stood polishing a beer glass with her apron.

“Can I help ye lad?” Harry propped himself up on one of the spare worn bar stools between two elderly looking gentlemen. The barmaid cautiously continued cleaning the beer glass as she leant slightly over the bar to address Harry. Harry momentarily had to remember himself as he got an eyeful of the woman’s buxom chest, which was practically spilling out of her floral dress.

“Yes, I’d like a drink please.” Harry diverted his gaze back up to the woman’s face and watched as she nodded for him to continue. “A beer I think, just a small.” Harry had very rarely ever-ordered muggle beer. His poison of choice had always been firewhisky, but he doubted very much whether they sold that here.

“Only one size lad, but ye’ don’t have to drink it all.” Harry had to hide his disgust as the woman took the beer glass she’d been polishing on her rather unsanitary looking apron and filled it to over flowing with the brown ale, before putting it down on the counter in front of Harry. Harry smiled and handed over the money before stowing the return change back into his leather pouch. The bar maid moved away to serve another customer and Harry took a deep breath and braved a sip of his beer as he glanced around at the other patrons of the pub. Most of the occupants had gone back to their own conversations but some still threw Harry odd glances, before whispering to their friends. Harry had quite forgotten what it was like living in a small rural community, where everyone knew everyone else’s business. That was one thing Harry enjoyed about London was its ability to render anyone faceless in a crowd. Still it was this small village like lifestyle that Harry hoped was going to get him the information he needed. Taking another horrid sip of his beer Harry glanced around the bar looking for a suitable candidate.

Surprisingly however Harry didn’t even need to leave his stool as a prospective candidate approached him first.

“You’re not from around here are you?” Harry spun around on his stool to face the old gentleman to his right. The man was about 80 or so and his long gray beard matched his busy gray eyebrows and his almost white hair. He was dressed in a long camel colour coat with thick black boots. Harry noted his hands shook slightly as they nursed the half pint of bitter on the bar in front of him. For a moment Harry didn’t think he was the man who had spoken to him as the man never looked up from his beer but a second later he spoke again. “We don’t tend to get outsiders in these parts.” The only acknowledgement Harry got was a slight cock of the man’s head towards him before he turned back to face his beer.

“No I don’t suppose you do, I’m just here looking for someone.” Harry spoke cheerfully hoping to draw the man into further conversation.

“Someone, or something?” Was the muttered reply and Harry suddenly felt awkward as the man finally turned towards him, a set of beady dark eyes narrowing at him.

“Someone.” Harry confirmed quickly as the man looked over his appearance with a critical gaze before turning back to his beer, which by now must have been warm.

“He won’t sell if that’s what you’re here for. You’ll get the same answer he gave all those others like you.” Harry was a little affronted that the man had assumed so much and pointedly glared at the old man who took a long, almost awkward dredge from his glass of ale.

“I’m sorry I’m not here to buy anything, I’m looking for a Mr. Malfoy.” Harry pressed hoping to dissuade the man from continuing on with his meaningless conversation.

“Aye, that’s him.” Harry’s ears picked up immediately at the man’s reply, so they were talking about the same thing after all. Pushing aside his barely touched beer and turned fully to face the old man beside him.

“Do you know where I can find him?” Harry inquired hoping that the man would give him a straight answer.

“I tell you you’re wasting your time.” The man replied stiffly as he drained what was left of his beer, and allowed the bar maid to fill it back up automatically. Harry was becoming quite irritated with the old man and hastily searched through his cloak pockets, pulling out the small scrap of paper that had Malfoy’s supposed address scrawled on it.

“Just tell me if he’s still living at this address?” Harry pushed the scrap of paper in front of the man’s gaze and watched as the beady eyes read it over before the man nodded slowly. Harry smiled in success and tucked the address back into his coat pocket.

“Thank-you and would it be too much to ask you to point me in the right direction of Mr. Malfoy’s residence?” Harry waited for the man to take another long sip of his beer before the eerily beady eyes looked directly across at him.

“Turn right out of here and follow the walking track to its end over the bridge. You can’t miss his place.” Harry smiled and nodded and having taken a last thoroughly awful mouthful of beer slung his bag over his shoulder again and walked out of the pub.

Outside the rain had slowed a little but it was still coming down. With an unidentifiable wave of his hand Harry cast a warming charm around himself and headed off along the well trodden walking track the man had directed him to.

The walk was fairly steady and Harry enjoyed the fresh air and the country scenery. Harry noticed quickly when the farming pastures he’d previously been walking through turned into estate grounds. The grass was lusher, and there were no cattle or sheep roaming the rolling property. Harry passed through a little wooded glade and took a moment or two to sit on a fallen log for a rest before continuing. As Harry came out of the wooded grove he stopped automatically and stared. There before him was the remains of a manor. The place looked to be in complete ruin, all its windows were boarded up and the stone was crumbling in places, its walls over grown with ivy and runners. Harry sighed inwardly. The place must have been beautiful at one time and it seemed such a shame it had fallen into disrepair.

The track he’d been following seemed to loop around the edge of the manor and Harry continued on it. It was only when he came to a large, out of place hedge blocking what appeared to be the entranceway into some other part of the manor’s grounds that he stopped. The brambly, looking hedge was at least two meters high so that Harry couldn’t see over it even at a jump. It was thick too, so that Harry could see nothing through it. In such an over run, over grown garden it seemed too structured, too well kept. Harry briefly wondered if he should use a little magic to see past it but no sooner had he reached for his wand than he got the overwhelming feeling of warning. A shudder ripped through Harry’s body and the boy automatically took several steps away from the hedge. Closing his eyes Harry concentrated on the feeling and suddenly it dawned on him. They were magical wards, and strong one’s at that. The wards were unlike anything Harry had ever felt before and the boy unconsciously took another step away from the hedge as the twisted, tightly woven branches shuddered in warning. Obviously there was something hidden behind the hedge someone or something didn’t want anyone seeing.

Harry glanced ahead down the path and could just make out a large wooden bridge at the bottom of the hill. Obviously he was close to finding Malfoy, and it wouldn’t do to be poking around the Blonde’s wards without having first seen him. With another thoughtful glare at the strange hedge Harry continued on down the path, skidding and sliding in the mud of the track. Harry shook off his muddy boots as he reached the wooden bridge that seemed to span a small trickling stream. Harry continued up the hill on the other side of the bridge and was almost relived as he reached the crest and saw a rather large looking sandstone building taking pride and place on the top of the hill over looking the entire valley and village below.

The rain had now slowed to an occasional drizzle but the clouds still loomed large. With a shake and another flick of his wand Harry dried himself off and headed confidently towards the large oak door of the two-story sandstone building. Stepping up the front steps Harry took hold of the ornate brass knocker and knocked three times on the door before stepping back and waiting. Smoke from the chimneystacks and the warm glow of light from the windows was a sure sign someone was home.

It was several minutes before Harry heard the patter of feet behind the door, a second before the large oak door slid open just a fraction. To the muggle population the person who answered the door could be forgiven as being a small child but to Harry the creature that’d answered the door was clearly of wizarding variety. A house elf.

“Can I help you sir?” Came the very un-house elf like reply. Harry smiled to himself, Draco wouldn’t be as stupid as not to teach his servants to answer the door correctly in such a muggle place.

“I would like to speak with Draco Malfoy please.” For affect Harry casually drew out his wand and folded his arms across his chest. Almost instantly the beady blue eye that was staring at him from between the crack of the door lit up.

“You is waiting here why I is getting master sir.” Harry smiled as the house elf spoke again, in a much more ‘house elf’ way. The door shut again and Harry waited patiently as he heard the scurry of feet away from the door. Again it was only half a moment before the door swung open wide to reveal a very familiar blonde.

“Hello Draco.” Harry beamed brightly as the blonde reeled in shock at who was standing on his front step. Draco didn’t say anything for a second and Harry took the momentary silence to glance over Draco’s appearance. Eight years had certainly made a difference to Draco Malfoy. The blonde was the spitting image of his father only shorter and a little stockier. Harry hadn’t seen Draco since the final battle and even then it had only been a fleeting glance of blonde hair as the cowardly rat, scurried away from the fighting. Draco’s shock didn’t last long and before Harry knew it the blonde’s face was schooled back into the familiar sneer he’d perfected during his school years.

“Potter.” Draco spat nastily as he looked Harry up and down in disgust.

“Nice to see you to Malfoy, aren’t you going to invite me in?” Harry could feel the rain beginning to fall again as he stood on the step, face to face with his school archrival.

“What do you want?” Malfoy snapped completely ignoring Harry’s last comment. Harry was not going to be moved however and merely stuck his hand out to capture a few raindrops in his hand.

“I would rather we discuss this inside where I’m not in threat of dying of cold.” Harry continued to smile at Draco determined not to be over thrown by the blonde. Harry watched as Draco sneered before glancing back over his shoulder into the house and then turning back to face Harry.

“I have company.” Was the curt unmoving reply.

“I’m sure you can break the previous engagement to speak with your old school acquaintance for an hour or two.” Harry raised a knowing eyebrow at Draco who after pursing his lips together in irritation finally relented and nodded.

“Get in, Misty take Mr. Potter’s coat.” Draco stepped aside from the door and allowed Harry to step inside. Harry smiled in success as the door closed behind him and the house elf in questioned helped him with his coat. Perhaps, just perhaps Harry thought, that maybe Draco Malfoy had mellowed with age…

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>