Jailed: The Unlikely Rescue Story of Draco Malfoy

Summary: Harry is sent on a typical message delivery one day, when he makes a shocking discovery—Draco is kept prisoner under horrific conditions. So Harry makes it his business to rescue him from the system that Harry works for.

A/Note: This is SLASH, yaoi, gay pride, whatever you call it. I call it love. Flames will be used to make coffee for our favorite caffeine addicts.

CHAPTER ONE

"Harry?" Harry looked up from his desk, where he was thumbing through a collection of old Daily Prophets, staring at the photos he never thought he'd keep after all these years. "Death Eater Captured, Presumed Sent to Askaban" "Draco Malfoy Through the Years" "The Infamous Son of Death Eater Malfoy Caught at Last" "Interview with Harry Potter, Head of Auror Dept, Refuses to Comment". How could he comment? No one told him anything. If there was one thing he resented about the new Ministry, it was all the smoke and mirrors. He was assured the secrecy was for his own good, but his basic instinct had problems with this. And so, he waited, until one day…

"Harry!"

"Oh, sorry sir. What can I help with?"

"Oh, nothing major, my son, just run this memo down to the 3rd floor, please?"

"Department of Mysteries? Of course."

"Thanks, and then you can take lunch. I'll be off in fifteen, let's do lunch."

"Sure, thanks Mr. Weasley."

"That's my boy, the café around the corner."

And Harry ran off to the lift, the memo in his hand. And, being curious as he often was, he decided to read it. So carefully, cautiously, he slid a finger under the seal and broke it.

Nothing happened.

He unfolded the memo, and read it.

To whom it may concern:

It has been brought to my attention that the interrogation processes involving D.E. 17 have failed. This is unacceptable. I am ordering, with the permission of the Minister, that the interrogations reach the maximum level as ordained in Merlin's Code 287.6, under light restrictions. The results you have obtained so far are worthless, and information must be gained within the next month.

Cordially,

FSP.

Harry counted fingers in his head.

D.E. was obviously Death Eater, and Merlin's Code 280 mentioned nothing about prisoners. In fact, it dealt with misuse of magical creatures: how much violence was acceptable for bending them to human will. And 7.6 dealt with

"Dragons" Harry spoke aloud in the empty lift.

Who was number 17??? The one so hated that they would treat him as a beast, a Dark creature, above all? Precautions like this were worse than in Azkaban prison! Suddenly, Harry was dreading this "harmless" job Mr. Weasley had assigned him. The lift arrived at Floor 3, and Harry took a few steps forward.

What he saw was a long hallway, not dissimilar to that of a medical hospital. What he heard nearly sent him reeling.

Sounds of human pain, screams, gasps, choking, ragged breaths.

All from one room: the rest of the occupants seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Harry abandoned the job and went to investigate.

All the rooms had code names on them: Avery was Verdad, Boil was probably Goyle, the Ministry had little originality when picking names. Often they just used the room numbers. There were 23 rooms on the hall.

One room, the furthest from the lift, was emitting the horrible sounds that chilled Harry's ears.

And just as he reached it, like the door in his dreams during his fifth year, something happened.

The sounds stopped. Rather, he stopped hearing them. It was as if a radio switch had been turned off.

"Harry Potter? What are you doing here?" An unfamiliar voice caught him.

"Uh…" for a moment he forgot. "I'm delivering a message from the Minister." He held out the memo. "And you are?"

"Oh, permit me. I'm Dan. Dan Shroeder." And Harry knew it was a nickname: no one in this department used their real name.

"Okay, thanks Dan."

"Of course. Off you go, Harry." Why did everyone talk to him like he was an underfoot child?

"Dan, a question if you don't mind." The Unspeakable looked up from reading the memo.

"Sure, Harry. Anything for the Chosen One."

"Right. Who's in the room at the end of the corridor?"

"No one, my boy! Why do you ask?"

Harry didn't know what to say, so he played it off.

"Oh, nothing, I just thought I might inquire about some of the inhabitants. Personal business, you know."

"I do know. Everyone knows how many of them you killed in the Battle of Hogwarts." Dan was beaming.

"Uh, yea. Thanks, Dan. Good work."

"Yes sir, Mr. Potter." And the Unspeakable was handing him a chart of all the prisoners the Ministry housed on his floor.

Harry pocketed it and set off for the exit.

But as he entered the lift he took it out again and looked straight at number 17.

It was the one name he never wanted to see again… or did he?

Okay, everybody knows what name it is, but next time will be a better cliffhanger. If there is a next time! Reviews bring this fic back from the dead!