Chapter 18-Stanley

                                    

                                          
If Draco were Stanley Lyson, looking for his lost sister, where would he be? First, he would start with his own childhood home, having no idea where she would have moved to. Then he would find her home, empty perhaps, or at least obviously uninhabited. And then what would be his next step?
He stood in front of Hermione's home, wrapped in the Invisibility Cloak. He could enter if he wanted to, but that would be an invasion of her privacy. However, it might be the only way to track down her uncle.
It had been months since this place was inhabited, much less searched by Stanley, so he had no idea of what he could possibly find that might lead him to the man. He expected it would take him at least a couple hours of searching before he found something or an additional hour before he would have to give up.
Instead, merely seconds after he entered the Granger residence, he noticed a piece of paper and a pen on the otherwise empty kitchen table. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a note. It read:
I've been searching with no luck. If you see this, I'll be at the only place I told you I would ever meet you.
How bloody helpful was that? Of course his only clue was something that only Jean Lyson would understand, the only person Stanley actually knew and trusted. What could possibly be their meeting place? It must have been someplace where he could both stay and search in secret. Would he still be there? What if someone before Draco had stumbled upon the note and was somehow able to decipher it? Stanley could be long gone or kidnapped even.
Just then he realized something. Who had left the front door unlocked? There weren't any protective charms or anything either, as if the Grangers were planning to never return, but as Draco proceeded to comb through the house looking for traces of someone, Stanley or not, he found everything was organized just the way it must have been when the Grangers left. Nothing was out of place. Of course, there was a spell for that, to put everything back as it was.
He continued upstairs, hoping to find a clue when—
"Stupefy!"
Draco ducked and rolled away from the top of the stairs, whipping out Yaxley's wand. Another was verbally shot at him and Draco easily deflected it.
"Who are you?" Draco shouted out. "Stanley Lyson?" It must have been. For a grown man to be unable to use nonverbal spells, he must have started learning very late.
Lowering his wand, the man asked, "How did you know? Not a soul has searched for me since I disappeared from the Wizarding World so long ago."
"Perhaps introductions are in order." Draco put his wand away and instead raised his arm. "My name is Draco Malfoy."
The man's eyes widened and the pointed his wand at Draco.
"I'm not here to harm you, I just need some information."
"How can I be sure to trust you?"
Draco shrugged. "You can't, but I did just put my wand away." Not that Draco couldn't kick Stanley arse without it, but mentioning that would be rather counterproductive. "How long have you been here?"
Stanley sighed. "Months. If anywhere, this would be the only place to find my sister."
"You realize you're absolutely terrible at keeping yourself safe. What if I had been some intruder or a Death Eater? There are no protective enchantments on the house."
"I'm not particularly advanced at magic if you haven't already noticed. And the note I left downstairs was supposed to be misleading in case anyone came here."
Not particularly advanced in thinking either. "Your landlord said Gregorovitch had started teaching you while you were in school. How did you come across him anyway?"
"You spoke to my landlord? Why would he give me away?"
"Because I want to help you and your niece."
There was a moment of silence.
"Hermione Granger."
Draco nodded. "You see, she's a close, erm, friend of mine, but I can't openly help her without letting the Dark Lord know of my true leanings. For what I'm about to tell you, we should sit down."
Stanley frowned. "Alright..." he trailed off and directed him into a room Draco recognized as Hermione's because it was filled with books. The closet was open with mostly muggle clothes. Just being in her room made him miss her even more. He could really use her help, her support, just her presence.
"So," Stanley interrupted his thoughts and motioned to the bed while sitting in a reading chair by the window, "what did you want to tell me?"
"It's about your family. The Dark Lord found your home in his pursuit of Gregorovitch and when your wife was unable to give up his location, the Dark Lord was not pleased and..." Draco just stopped when he noted the realization on Stanley's face.
"No. No, no, no, no, no...no!" Tears began streaming down his face.
"I'm terribly sorry, it happened so quickly."
"And my children? What about them? Are they alright?"
"You-Know-Who asked me to dispose of them, but I couldn't. I secretly took them to my parents' secret home. They are doing absolutely fine. William may be able to start school next year."
"Thank you! Thank you, I understand how difficult it must be to have to serve your master with your set of morals and values," Stanley managed to get out through the sobs.
"I went back to see if your landlord could help me find Gregorovitch. You see, the Dark Lord is looking for something and I need to keep him focused on this task rather than on finding Harry Potter and Hermione, who's with him. That's when your landlord told me about you."
"I'm afraid I didn't tell him the full truth. Gregorovitch didn't start teaching me until I had graduated from university. I wanted to pursue a Muggle education so I could have a stable job for my family, but he made me realize I couldn't deny the magic I was born with."
Tears were still falling from Stanley's eyes. "My wife, where is her body?"
"Buried at my parents' home. Did you want me to take you there to see your children?"
He shook his head. "I can't face them yet. I wasn't there to protect them when that was my duty. Besides, there's something I need to do. And that's find Gregorovitch and kill him."
Draco was taken aback. "You want to kill your old master?"
"He led your master straight to my family."
"This is not how you should be dealing with your grief. If you kill him, that's something you can never come back from. Not to mention he could probably defeat you with ease given his vast experience. And he knows your weakness because he knows your wand."
Stanley hung his head. "I didn't trust you even when you mentioned Hermione. I brought you in here to gauge your reaction. And I'd recognize the look you had on your face anywhere. You really do care for her. So please, I implore you to seek justice for my wife and children. I will help you find Gregorovitch."
"Thank you, but I'm afraid what happens is up to the Dark Lord."
"In that case, I'm sure the justice served will be more than enough."
"Don't let this destroy you," Draco told him. "You are Hermione's closest relative now, given that her parents have gone missing. After the war, only you will be able to be there for her. I suppose she has the Weasleys, but you're her mother's brother."
"And what about you?"
Draco took a deep breath. "My fate is uncertain regardless of which side wins. Now, how do I find the wandmaker?"
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