The Argonauts were a band of about fifty heroes who followed Jason on his quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece that belonged to king Aeëtes. They sailed in the Argo, a giant ship that carried them to Colchis, where the Fleece was.

»»——⍟——««

🖤

d r a c o

Hannah and Susan sat across me on the couch. Silence hung thick in the air as they sipped their cups of tea, looking at everything else but me.

"Well?" My voice shattered the silence.

"I still think she went on holiday," Susan mumbled into her cup.

"So you're telling me" - I shuffled to the edge of my seat - "that Angel being missing has nothing to do with the fact that Codrus has also disappeared?"

"I'm saying there's a reasonable explanation for it."

Anger leapt to my throat. "Are you daft, Susan? His whole fucking house is gone! You saw it when you came around! And now it's gone, - garden and everything - as if it'd never been there at all! And you're telling me that it means nothing?"

Hannah set down her cup firmly. "Look," she said to me. "We won't get anywhere with this if you don't calm the fuck down, alright? Now, let's look at this logically. If the Codrus or the Death Eaters had taken her, she would've put up a fight, yes?" Susan and I nodded in unison. "Right," Hannah went on. "And if there had been some sort of struggle, Draco would not have come home to a completely spotless house. There would have been some signs of a scuffle, yes?"

"Yes, except that we're forgetting one thing," I interrupted. "Angel trusted that cocksucker!" 

Hannah held up a commanding hand. "Okay, hold on! Where the hell is Rutherford?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "He's gone back to the Ministry. Said he'll report her missing."

"Then shouldn't we let the Ministry handle this?" Susan piped up.

"No," I said quickly, anxiety gurgling in my chest. "I don't trust them. And I don't trust Rutherford. Hannah, Susan, please. I know I've been difficult, but this isn't about me. I'm telling you, something's wrong. Why won't you just fucking believe me?"

They stared at me for a moment. I did not bother trying to hide the desperation in my eyes. I wanted them to see. Hannah's shoulders dropped slightly. "Alright, I believe you. But I still think we should handle this in a logical manner. Let's start by eliminating her friends before we start jumping to conclusions, yeah?"

I nodded once more, letting out a long-held breath.

"She can't be with Harry or Ron, they weren't that close," she reasoned. "What about Hermoine?"

Susan shook her head immediately. "Couldn't be. Hermoine doesn't do well with secrets like that. Besides, she would have told Angel to go home."

"There's Lorcan," I suggested. "Lorcan Atwood. I've written to him but he hasn't responded. I know where he lives."

"Right!" Hannah jumped up, startling Susan and me. "What are we waiting for? Let's get going then!"

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"Missing! So it's true, then!" Lorcan stared at us from the door. He was still in his sleep robes, his head a mess of dark curls. We stood on his porch, uneasy in the coolness of the early morning.

"What's true?" demanded Hannah. He scanned the empty street before ushering us inside.

Lorcan lived right in the heart of London, not too far from the Ministry, on an affluent street of expensive, terraced houses. Still, it was a far cry from Angel's and mine. There were no wide, open spaces, as if everything had been stretched and pulled upwards by a godly hand, and frankly, I felt rather suffocated.

We sat in the living room as Lorcan paced about, chin resting in his fingers as he tried to absorb everything we had just told him.

"Draco's right," he murmured, almost to himself. "Something's definitely going on. Of course... the Ministry... Faulkner said she's gone, but then-"

"Speak up, Atwood!" I spat irritably.

"Madam Faulkner." He spun around to face us. "She's the head of our department."

"So?"

"Angel hasn't been to work in two weeks, yeah? Obviously 'Mione and I found it strange, so we went to Madam Faulkner. She told us Angel had been reported missing-"

"- by Rutherford?"

"Yes, Rutherford. See, the thing is, they closed her case last week."

"How can that be?" I said, confused. "She hasn't been home in two weeks."

"Madam Faulkner said she had been found, and that she's got a job with the Magical Astronomical Society of England. That's like, on the other side of country, isn't it?"

"Magical Astronomical Society of England?" echoed Hannah in disbelief. "Do you know how completely ridiculous that sounds? Why in Godric's good name would Angel leave to join them?"

Lorcan held his hands up. "Hey, I'm only telling you what I know. Don't have to get all angsty about it. I'm just as confused as you are."

"So... you're saying the Ministry is covering something up?" said Susan in a hushed tone.

We took a moment to digest this possibility. Could it be true? Had the Ministry been compromised again? I willed my racing heart to be steady. This was how the Second Wizarding War had begun - with the prison-break of Azkaban, and the infiltration of the Ministry. And just as the Death Eaters have escaped, Angel has gone missing. My Angel. She could be anywhere in the world right now, and I had no way of finding her.

I had promised to keep her safe, to protect her with my life. I swore this on her parents, on the universe. And I had failed. I have never hated anyone as much as myself right then. "This is all my fault," my voice trembled.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "No, Malfoy, it's not."

"I slammed the door in her face, Abbott!" They jumped at the loudness of my voice. "Sh-she told me to leave and I did! I went out the bloody door and stayed gone for hours. I left her alone. And now, she could be fucking dead! Again! Because of me. Fucking... me."

"Well, mate, guess there's only one way to find out," said Lorcan. "We have to read her file."

"You can't possibly be suggesting we break into the Ministry and steal confidential property!" Susan protested in dismay. 

Lorcan's laugh fizzled like Popping Pixie Wing Dust. "Firstly, I'm not suggesting it - I'm saying we're going to do it. And second, we don't have to break into anywhere, darling. I work in the Ministry, remember? And third... well, yes, we're stealing it."

Susan's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Well, aren't you a cocky one! And how do we know we can trust you? We barely even know you."

"Why, I am insulted!" Lorcan gasped, placing a hand on his chest. Susan's expression remained stern. "Lorcan Atwood," he said finally. "Ex-Ravenclaw. Twenty-five. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Spirit Division. Mouthful, I know. Been there about..." - he counted his fingers - "three years going four now."

"And?" Susan pressed anxiously. "What else?"

"What else? If you want to know anything more, you'll just have to spend more time with me, darling." He winked at Susan, who recoiled in disgust.

"Stop it, we're wasting time," Hannah cut in, impatiently. "Lorcan, when can you get the files?"

"Tomorrow. One of you will have to be my look-out, though."

"I'll go!" Hannah jumped eagerly at the task. Lorcan looked her up and down, considering in silence for a moment before shaking his head. "No. You're too... loud." Then he gestured to me. "And it obviously won't be you, you hate my guts. So I guess that leaves..." - his eyes landed on Susan - "you, darling." 

Susan's mouth was gaping open in horror now. "This is mental," she said, sinking back in her chair. "You've all gone completely mental!"

"Oh, come on. A smart, brave little lass like you, what's there to be afraid of?" Lorcan gave her a cheeky grin.

"Do it, Suze," urged Hannah.

"You do it!"

"No, Lorcan's right. I'm literally psycho. I'd accidentally kill someone, I'm sure of it."

"Susan," I said through gritted teeth. "Please."

She studied me, her brows inclined with fear. "Fine," she relented, turning to Lorcan. "What's the plan?"