Draco Malfoy and the Deathly Hallows (BOOK 7 of 7)

Chapter 17-Lyson

Humility wasn't something one could just randomly learn in a day. Or even in a few weeks. So for the moment, Draco decided to give up on trying to learn something that was meant to come naturally. In fact, he even gave up on trying to find out information about possible Horcruxes and their locations. Instead, he did research to help Voldemort.

There was obviously no sign of Potter anywhere, and even if there was, Draco wouldn't give him up because Hermione was with him. However, the target right under Potter on Voldemort's list was Gregorovitch, and that was someone Draco could afford to find.

He mentally chastised himself for saying "afford," as if the man were some random casualty of war, which he would be if found by accident. It sounded like Draco was fine with the wandmaker's death, especially due to Draco's own efforts. He didn't want that, but he was dealing with Voldemort, who was ruthless and always seemed to have his own secret agenda. There was no telling Gregorovitch's fate.

Because he couldn't detect the future, Draco had delved into the past to determine where the old wandmaker could have gone. He considered that Ollivander might have some clue, but he and Sirius and disappeared from Grimmauld Place and Draco hadn't received any news from them. Fawkes wasn't going to the Hog's Head anymore so that was possibly their current location, but if it was, Draco didn't want to risk their lives again by showing up. He would have to figure out something else.

The book in his hands was something he felt compelled or even responsible for reading, as much as he didn't want to. The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore was perhaps one of the most offensively written autobiographies to exist. Apparently Rita Skeeter had gotten her information from Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History of Magic, but no one had seen the old woman in years. Just how accurate was it?

He finally learned Arianna was the sister of the Dumbledore brothers that was accidentally killed by one of them or by Dumbledore's friend Gellert Grindelwald, a formidable dark wizard during the first half of the century. That friend actually happened to be Bagshot's great nephew and incidentally the person from whom Dumbledore won the Elder Wand. The question then was how did it get to him from Gregorovitch? And where were they both? He needed to figure this out because he wasn't going to just tell Voldemort that Dumbledore was the last person to have the wand. He wanted to draw out the investigation to keep the Dark Lord focused on the wand instead of the Golden Trio.

Draco remembered William and Jane, the two apparent half-bloods that the Malfoys were caring for, and their mother, whom Voldemort murdered. Whoever the father was would most likely know Gregorovitch as more than just the man who sold them his home. The only issue was that he didn't know if the father was still alive or if both kids were born in England because only William could talk clearly. And with Voldemort still acting suspicious, it would be a particularly bad time to visit the kids and his parents.

He supposed the home in Germany would be a good place to start. Hopefully no one would recognize him and even if they did, he could explain it away semi-truthfully. Cringing slightly as he reached for Yaxley's wand, as he was rather opposed to using it, he vaporized away.

Landing outside the development, he took in his surroundings and hid behind a tree.

"Engorgio," he pointed to a rock and watched as it enlarged. Having never used Yaxley's wand before, he needed to make sure it didn't give him the same problem the Elder Wand did. He watched as the rock grew before saying, "Reducio" to shrink it back to normal.

"Incendio. Aguamenti. Accio stone. Reducto!" The stone ignited, was extinguished, came to Draco's hand, then was tossed in the air and exploded.

The wand seemed to be serving him fine, which made the Elder Wand's reaction rather strange, but Draco didn't know what to think of that. He focused on the task at hand. He had no idea where the landlord was and he didn't want to risk recognition by talking to the neighbors. Too bad he wasn't a metamorphmagus like his cousin. Then he realized that he actually could change his appearance.