"You can't make Draco leave Hogwarts!" Harry blurted. "Lucius will take him to Voldemort to be tortured!"
Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Harry over his half-moon spectacles. "You must trust me, Harry. I will use my influence to see to it that we get Order Aurors to handle the investigation into Miss Parkinson's death, but if I am thwarted in that, we may well have to deal with some quite unpleasant types who will demand Draco be taken into custody. He must not be here to be taken."
"Severus and I won't let them in--"
"They will force their way in, Harry," the Potions Master clarified, grimacing. "Aurors can be quite... zealous."
"Your wards," Harry scoffed, but then he remembered. Whatever can be warded can be unwarded.... "Fine, then. I'll ward your quarters, Severus. With my wand in full force. Let them try to get in after that."
"You have no experience at warding," Snape began.
Draco interrupted him. "It's all right, Harry. I'll be safe in Devon, you know that, and I'd really rather you didn't let slip any hint of your dark powers before you absolutely have to."
"They'll think the wards were constructed by Severus," Harry argued.
"At first. When they can't break them they'll investigate. They have pretty good detection spells..." Draco sighed. "It really is better that I not be here. Better for you, better for me. I hardly want to think what'll end up of me if you lose in battle because the Dark Lord finds out too early about your dark powers."
Harry sighed. "Right, then." He turned to his father. "How long will Draco have to stay away?"
"Until the Aurors have declined to charge him, I would think," Severus murmured. "Headmaster. I will see to Draco's departure. If you inform me when the Parkinsons arrive, I shall join you to assist with any... arrangements they desire."
He meant the funeral, Harry realised with a sick sort of dread.
Draco must have thought so too, for he suddenly blurted, "I didn't kill her! I swear I didn't, I was knocked out like I said, I don't know anything--"
"Hush, my boy," the headmaster soothed. "We will all do what we can." And then, to Snape, "I will expect a full accounting later this evening of everything you know about this entire matter. Everything. Is that clear, Severus?"
The room remained silent as the headmaster left through the Floo, though Snape had nodded in answer to that last question. The moment the three of them were alone, the room exploded in noise.
"What happened, how did I even get back here?" Draco was asking, while Harry insisted, "You don't mean we're going to tell him about... er..." Realizing that he didn't want to mention the map in case Draco was treated to a dose of Veritaserum, Harry fell silent.
"What?" Draco wanted to know, his grey eyes still panicked and wide in his face.
"We haven't much time." Snape thrust the vial of potion towards Draco. "Topical. Use only enough to blunt the worst of the pain. The Aurors will need to see that burn, and the amulet that occasioned it. Now, as it's not wise to trust one's Apparation after all you've been through in the past hour, I will accompany you to Devon."
Harry nodded his agreement. They didn't want Draco to splinch himself as he had on Samhain.
Draco dribbled a bit of potion on his chest, his features rigid as it steamed against his burn, then dressed himself in a clean shirt, using a charm to do up the buttons. Then he yanked on some robes and stuffed the vial of potion into a trouser pocket.
"Can I come along to keep him company--" Harry suggested.
"No." Snape glowered. "I will need you here."
The Potions Master put his hands on Draco's shoulders and gave him a sharp shake. "I'm tempted not to mention this at all, but I feel I must. I will show you where I keep a spare wand. You may need it to Incendio a fire; the cottage is still quite chill at this time of year. Don't you dare use it to attempt any healing spells on that burn."
Draco trembled slightly under the weight of Snape's disappointed gaze. "I... thank you, Severus. I won't do anything I shouldn't."
"You had best not. Extracting you from this situation will prove trial enough." Relenting somewhat, Snape gave the boy's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Now, come to the Floo. It's time you were gone from here."
Draco swallowed, and glanced at Harry. "I... I am sorry, all right?" he said in a more contrite voice than last time. "Um, you should put some ice on that eye." And then to Snape. "You can make it all right, can't you? Make him see?"
"I do not yet know."
"Shite." Draco stepped out to the living room, but when he reached for the missing urn of Floo powder, his arm went stiff. "Sorry about your snake, too," he muttered. It seemed his mind was going in several directions at once, for then he said, "Think the headmaster can conjure Floo powder? Don't know how he left otherwise. And Pansy. Are you sure she's... er, gone? Did you see the... er... I mean, did you check for Polyjuice? Did she... have any last words?"
"Draco, you are going into shock, I suspect," Snape quietly explained, pushing the boy into the Floo.
"No." Harry could hear Draco gulping as he struggled for control. "I'm just... no. Malfoys don't get afraid. I'm not. I'm not."
Snape reached for a wooden box inlaid with ivory, opening it to reveal more Floo powder. A goodly amount in hand, the Potions Master joined the boy in the Floo, though he spoke to Harry, his voice stern. "I expect to find you resting when I return, is that clear? But you must eat something first. Accio wizard's ice..." He tossed it to Harry. "There. Now keep it on your eye for a few minutes at a stretch this time."
"I will... Draco? It'll be all right. Don't worry."
The Potions Master looked down at his other son. "Are you ready?"
Draco managed a shaky nod. "You... I... Harry... oh, bloody hell."
"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" Snape commanded, flinging down the powder. And then they were both gone and Harry was left alone.
Too tired to even reach for the Floo powder himself, Harry went with an instinct and simply shouted, "Dobby!"
And just like that, the house-elf was there with him, beaming ear to ear. It was an expression that didn't last long, however.
"What has happened to Harry Potter's eye?" Dobby demanded, hopping up and down in agitation.
"Oh... um, slipped in the shower," Harry invented, so tired he couldn't think of anything more plausible. "Listen, you did worse to me with that rogue Bludger that time, all right? It's fine."
Apparently Dobby couldn't conceive of Harry lying, for his beatific smile returned at once as he began bouncing so enthusiastically that his tower of hats threatened to cascade straight off his head. "How can Dobby serve Harry Potter, sir? Whatever Harry Potter is wanting, Dobby is doing it already!"
Flopping down onto the couch, Harry blearily requested, "Orange juice. Grilled cheese sandwich...." When the food glittered into existence just inches from his hand, he sighed in appreciation. Three swallows of orange juice and he was feeling slightly better. Enough, certainly, to realise that a house-elf like Dobby could come in handy at a time like this.
"Do me a favour, Dobby. Pop up to the Owlery. Don't let anybody see you, all right? But check around for Master Draco's wand and bring it back. Check at the foot of the tower, too, all right? And on the stairs, and out onto the grounds a bit. Just, try to find it. I need it. Accio it if you have to. I suppose elves can do that, if the wand hasn't had some sort of anti-summoning charm put on it... And whether you find it or not, don't ever ever tell anyone that I asked you to go look, all right?"