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Unstoppable	By : Thunderbird Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 14474 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
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A/N: WHAT IS THIS?? I'M ADDING TO UNSTOPPABLE HOW CAN THIS BE?? Honestly it feels really strange, because it's been so damn long. But there are so many elements of this story I love, even if there are also some elements that I know need work. Either way, I want to write more of it, and finish it someday if I can. I don't know if anyone out there is even still interested in reading this, but if you are, leave a review so I know! I'm feeling some inspiration now, plus we're only a couple of chapters away from me getting to write my first ever Drarry wedding and I want to get there!
Thank you to all who left reviews in this long interim! Responses are at the bottom as usual.
Chapter 29: Fair Game
(Vesper)

Draco sat down across from Vesper at the rickety cafeteria table in a swirl of blue Healer robes and a soft thump that made the feet of his chair scrape a bit on the tiles. Vesper got the impression, from that alone, that the man had been rushing about all day to the point that he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to be still. She smiled at him.
“I bought you a tea,” she said, scooting the full and steaming mug towards him.
“Cheers, thanks,” he said, his smile genuine, if not a bit flustered. “This was just what I needed.”
“Hard day?”
“Just busy. I’m assigned to the spell damage ward this week, which gets a lot of emergency cases. Means I’m being pulled in a thousand different directions.”
“Am I keeping you from something important?” Vesper asked anxiously. When she’d requested this meeting with Draco to review the details of this serial murder case, she had assumed he would be honest about whether or not he could manage it.
“No, it’s fine. I needed a break. Should have taken one hours ago, if I’m honest, but it’s easy to get caught up in things here and let time get away from you.”
“You haven’t had a break yet today?”
He shrugged. “No, not really.”
“Have you eaten anything?”
Draco considered that. “I can’t remember.”
Vesper huffed, exasperated, and, before Draco could protest, she left and went to the food cart, grabbing some quick items for Draco to eat. She was starting to realize that there was something about this Healer job that made Draco not take such great care of himself while he was on shift. She hoped he would get better about that.
“Eat up,” she told him when she returned, dumping a variety of pre-packaged foods in front of him. “Come on, you need to keep your energy up.”
Draco nodded finally, reluctantly, and opened one of the sandwiches. Vesper heaved a sigh of relief and sat back down in her seat.
“So, the case?” Draco asked her after he’d swallowed a bite of sandwich.
“Right,” said Vesper and opened her bag to extract the redacted version of the file for Draco to look at. “Just bear in mind that we have to limit our conversation to Healing only. I can’t give you many details of the case or put it in context for you, as much as I’d like to.”
“That’s not a problem,” said Draco. “I know plenty about having to keep some things confidential.”
“Of course.” Vesper smiled gratefully at him and handed him the file. “Photos of the victims, mostly,” she explained. “You’ll be able to see the wounds quite clearly.”
Draco’s half-eaten sandwich went temporarily forgotten as he looked at said photographs with a sober expression. His eyes scanned the wounds, assessing the details.
“All the victims wounds are the same size?” he asked.
“Exactly the same.”
“And the magical core was removed in each case? You’re sure of that?”
“Yes, we’re sure. The autopsies told us as much.”
“This is very… strange,” he said.
“I know.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Well, initial impressions, I suppose. But also… We just don’t know much, at this point, about what is actually required to successfully remove the magical core intact from a body. It’s never been done before, right? So…”
“Intact magical cores,” Draco said softly, almost to himself. “What purpose could that possibly serve?”
Vesper didn’t reply to that. She wasn’t allowed to.
“I’m only a Junior Healer, you know,” Draco said, looking up from the file.
“I know. But we’re supposed to meet with people we trust, people who we know won’t go running to the Prophet with a story.”
Draco nodded knowingly at that. Being engaged to one of the most famous wizards in Britain, of course, had left him with a deep understanding of what kind of distortion and sensationalism the media was capable of.
“And I also had the thought…” she went on. “I mean, this is about theory more than it is about experience, really, since no Healer has likely seen anything like this before. And since you went to Healing school pretty recently and learned a lot of theory, I thought you might have a fresh approach.”
“Fair point,” Draco conceded, after a moment.
“So, any thoughts on what method the person might have used to slice out the core?”
Draco sighed, lost in thought a moment. Then his eyebrows rose. “Well, there is one thing.”
“What?”
“These cores weren’t sliced out at all.”
“What do you mean? The cores are gone. We’ve seen that in every-“
“No, I mean… Yes, they were removed. But not by any kind of slicing charm.”
Vesper blinked at him. “How do you know?”
“The wounds. They’re so smooth and clean, and perfectlycircular. And uniform from one victim to the next. That’s just… not possible. Not for a human hand.”
“There isn’t a charm that will do that?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard of. In school we learned about the different ways to cut human flesh in second year. Turns out there are really only three. There’s sectumsempra, which is dark and illegal and never used by Healers since it is violent and unwieldy.” He rubbed at his own chest subconsciously for a moment. “Then there’s a charm for extracting a blood sample, which is very quick and minimally invasive. And then there is the Scalpel Charm, which allows a Healer to cut someone open in order to perform surgery. We don’t use it much, as we try to Heal patients with other charms that aren’t so invasive. But when we have to, that’s the one we use, because it gives us the most control while being powerful enough to cut through muscle. But even if you are an expert with a Scalpel Charm and have the best control in the world, you couldn’t possibly do something this… perfect, this pristine.”
Vesper looked at the photographs that were now resting on the table between them. She’d gotten use to looking at them now, and could take an almost clinical approach to them, despite their grisly nature. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. Slicing on a curve, for one thing…” He did a motion over the table with his hand, like he was holding his wand and drawing a circle with it. “It’s just difficult. Awkward. We’re taught to slice in straight lines. It’s just easier to be accurate that way.”
Vesper nodded. “So if a slicing charm had been used, the murderer would have cut a square out of the person, instead of a circle, to get at the core.”
“Most likely. They would have made a shape with straight lines, at any rate. There would be no reason to try and slice out a circle. They’re nearly impossible to draw perfectly as it is.”
“A very good point.”
“On top of that,” Draco said, bringing the photograph very close to his face. “The wounds appear to be cauterized. Look.”
He pointed, and Vesper leaned over the photograph with him. But her inexpert eyes couldn’t see what he saw.
“I don’t remember that being in the notes.”
“Well, based on coloring, and on the neatness of the wound, I’d say it’s the most likely explanation.”
“So what does that mean? The culprit used something hot to cut out the core?”
“Yes. Which means it was probably made of metal.”
“Like a knife?”
“It can’t be a knife or a scalpel or anything like that,” said Draco. “Because the same issues apply as with the Scalpel Charm. No one could cut that perfectly with a knife, every time.”
“Yeah.” Vesper rubbed her bottom lip. “You know… it’s really like… As morbid as it is to say it, it reminds me of dough that’s been stamped with a cookie-cutter.”
“I beg your pardon?” said Draco. “What are you talking about?”
“A cookie-cutter. You know, to make cookies uniform in shape. It’s a metal circle, sometimes with a handle, and you-”
“Cookies? You mean like biscuits?”
Vesper rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s what I mean.” The British definition of a biscuit had always irritated her. Biscuits, where she came from, were soft, fluffy, and chock full of butter, and best eaten with strawberry jam or, better yet, sausage gravy. Or fried chicken.
Gods, she missed fried chicken.
“Ooooh,” Draco said, pulling Vesper from her suddenly hungry thoughts. “Yes, I see what you mean. It’s like the murderer used a template. That’s how the wounds are all uniform.”
“Exactly.”
“This is getting stranger and stranger.”
“I agree,” said Vesper absently. She reached for a pasty from the pile of food in front of them while she mulled over all of the new information. “So it’s a template in some form. Maybe something not unlike a cookie-cutter, or biscuit-cutter, I mean. Something sharp enough to cut flesh and hot enough to cauterize, maybe, and then…” It was unpleasant to think about, but she made herself consider it anyway. “Once the hole has been cut there still has to be some way to remove the core intact, which has to be a delicate process, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Draco. “We are taught to be very careful around it. If we do have to cut open a patient for some reason, it’s damage to the core that is always the greatest risk. The membrane is thin, for one thing. But it also has a radius of magical energy around it, to protect itself. It’s powerful enough to damage our wands if we get too close.”
Vesper considered that. “How big is the radius?”
“About a centimeter and a half.”
“So that’s three centimeters total, if you count both sides, surrounding the core.”
“Correct.”
“And the core itself is…?”
“About two centimeters in diameter.”
“So that’s a diameter of five centimeters from one side of the magical energy to the other.”
“Yes.” Draco demonstrated the length with his fingers for Vesper to see.
She looked at the notes on the wounds. “Six centimeters across,” she murmured. “Big enough to encapsulate the whole thing with only a little room to spare. Whoever did this is very precise.”
“They would have to be,” said Draco. “Luckily, the magical core is very easy to pinpoint. It always resides in the same place, which can be measured easily from the outside using a person’s belly-button as a… landmark, as it were.”
“So they wouldn’t need a lot of wiggle room to perform the procedure accurately.”
“Not if they know anything about magical anatomy.”
“Well they clearly know a lot,” said Vesper. But she was sure the Murder Squad was already following that lead, looking for suspects with backgrounds in Healing or Mediwizardry. Her job was to think about what tool could possibly have made this wound, and what tool could possibly have extracted the core. “Maybe they’re one in the same,” she said aloud. “Maybe it’s all one thing.”
“Sorry, what?”
“Maybe it’s-“ She cut herself off, realizing she shouldn’t share the full thought aloud. Because she was starting to suspect that whatever cut the holes in the victims was also the device that trapped and then stored the magical cores, and maybe it was that device that was the bomb itself. And that meant-
“Vesper?”
She looked up at her friend the Healer, remembering that he was there. “I’m sorry, Draco, I have to go. I think I’ve figured something out and I have to tell my team.”
Draco smiled. “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“Very much so. And I couldn’t have done it without you. So thank you.”
Draco looked genuinely pleased. “Happy to help.”
She stood, then bent to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Say hello to your boys for me.”
“Will do. And we’ll see you for the holiday party at the manor, yeah?”
“Of course.” Narcissa Black’s Christmas Eve party was always an elaborate and well-attended affair since they had begun the tradition four years ago. Vesper was actually surprised she was throwing one this year, given that she was also throwing a wedding only a few weeks later. But Narcissa Black also never did anything by halves. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
With a final wave goodbye Vesper made for the visitor’s floo, planning to go directly to the Ministry and relay her theory to her partner, while it was still clear in her head.
***
She found him at desk. The department office was empty, save for him, and in a way she was glad of this. She wanted to know his take on her findings before it was shared with the rest of the group. She was growing more comfortable with him from week to week, having finally gotten over the habit of calling him “sir” and now just calling him Mac, like everyone else.
“I’ve gathered some very interesting information this morning,” she said to him, sitting down at her desk, which sat caddy-corner to his.
If he was bothered by her lack of greeting or preamble, he didn’t show it. He merely set down his quill and looked up from his paperwork, fixing her with his usual sharp stare.
“That’s always a nice way to begin the day,” he said. “What have you found?”
She pulled out the redacted file she’d shown Draco, letting Mac see it so at least he would know for sure which case they were about to discuss. He likely already knew, given that this case was taking up most of their time and energy at the moment.
“I went to see a Healer friend of mine,” she said, knowing he would want her to cut to the chase, “about the wounds. It looks like we’ve been making a few false assumptions about the way that the cores were removed from the victims, and with what.”
She had notes to show him, but he shooed them away. “Tell me. I want to hear it out loud, so I can think.”
She nodded, reminded that he always preferred hearing information, rather than reading it. “The wounds weren’t made by magic. My friend told me there is no slicing spell that could perform a circular incision this perfectly. He says we can eliminate a knife or a scalpel for similar reasons. It can’t have been done by hand. Some kind of object did this. Something the same size and shape as the wounds themselves.”
Mac looked down at the photographs in the file as she spoke, taking that in. “It makes sense,” he said quietly, as if to himself. “Did he have any theories as to what kind of object could do this?”
“Nothing specific, no,” Vesper said. “But…” She eyed him a moment. “I have a theory. It… makes a few leaps, though.”
“Go on,” Mac said, his expression merely interested.
“I keep thinking about a metal circle, like a template you would use to cut biscuits. It would have to be very sharp in order to cut through flesh like that.”
“Sure...”
“But the metal is also hot, probably. Very hot. My friend also thinks the wounds look cauterized, since they sealed so cleanly.”
Mac’s eyes went briefly to the photos again. “All right…”
“And the core itself is also very fragile and protected by a small magical shield, so it can’t be picked up by hand, and it has to be stored very carefully.”
“I’m following you so far,” Mac said, as if trying to move things along.
Vesper knew she was stalling a bit, but she also was a little nervous about sharing her theory. It might sound incredibly stupid out loud. “I’ve been thinking about Occam’s Razor,” she said. “You mentioned it the other week, about how the simplest solution to a mystery is usually the correct solution. Minimum energy, right?”
Mac merely nodded now.
“What if the killer created a device to extract the core from the body? It’s really the only explanation that fits the evidence. The killer couldn’t have done it by hand. They would need a device of some sort, likely of their own invention, since this kind of extraction was unheard of up until now. And, if the killer created a device for extraction, doesn’t the principle of minimum energy tell us that the same device is most likely used for storage as well? Why would they transfer it to another vessel and risk damaging it, if they didn’t have to? And then I thought…” Vesper went on, pausing a moment for breath. She was on a roll now. “And then I thought about how if the device is likely the same for extraction and for storage, then it is also just as likely to be the same for usage, for… for detonation.”
“The bomb itself.”
“Exactly,” Vesper said, sighing. “The bomb itself. What if they’re all one in the same?”
“Then the bomb would be much smaller than what we first assumed.”
“I know,” Vesper said. “And it’s all theoretical, obviously. No less so than the massive bomb theory...”
“No, but a far more elegant theory, all told,” Mac said, which Vesper found encouraging enough to allow her to continue.
“There’s a chance that all the devices storing a core fit together to make some larger weapon,” she said. “But I do have to wonder… what if… what if the person or persons responsible for this aren’t making one big weapon, but a bunch of smaller weapons? A single core can still do plenty of damage, right? What of their target isn’t all of London, but specific parts of London? With multiple, smaller bombs, the perps can be more specific with their targets. They could target just Muggle neighborhoods, pro-Muggleborn organizations, or the underground…”
“Or the Ministry, or even just the Auror department,” Mac added soberly, and Vesper looked at him, wide-eyed. “I’ve been thinking about this, actually. Because based on the Adders’ actions so far, they seem much less obsessed with Muggles and Muggleborns, much less than Robards seems to insist anyway.”
Instinctively, Vesper looked about the room, her neck feeling strange and prickly talking about their boss that way. But no one was around. She leaned in closer. “You think they’re going after Aurors, like they did with the attack on the retreat?”
Mac nodded. “I do.”
“But they’re neo-Death Eaters. And Death Eaters were against spilling magical blood, if they could help it.”
“Ideologies change,” Liam said. “And so do agendas. Not that I think the Adders are thrilled to have Muggleborns so prominent nowadays, but I think their bigger issue is with authority, with the people in power. I think they want that power for themselves, and I also think that the oldest members of the group, the ones who really were Death Eaters, not so long ago… I think they’re holding a grudge against the Aurors, for the way their comrades were treated after Voldemort’s defeat. It was a messy time, I can tell you that. There was some gray ethics involved… not our finest hour, in some ways.”
“I’m sure you all did what was necessary. It was war. Those people were criminals, terrorists, essentially.”
“Torture, even in the name of justice, is torture,” Mac said. “Excessive violence breeds excessive violence.”
“Aurors… tortured people?” Vesper found that very hard to believe.
‘There are… stories,” Mac said, shifting in his seat. “It was all hushed up, but there were a few stories that got around, stories about very angry Aurors who saw it as their responsibility to put the criminals in their place. Aurors who didn’t think Death Eaters deserved a fair trial. So they took matters into their own hands.”
“And the ones that got away, the ones that formed the Green Adders… they want revenge.”
“It’s a theory,” said Mac. “Like everything else. All we have is theory.”
“They’re going to attack the Ministry.”
“Maybe. It seems the most likely target.”
“Does Robards know you think that?”
Mac nodded slowly. “Yes, he’s aware of my theory. It would be wrong of me not to share it.”
“And what was his reaction?” Vesper asked, though she thought she might know the answer.
“He disagrees,” Mac said mildly. “As he must, I suppose, if he’s going to continue to deny any wrongdoing on the part of the Aurors at the end of the war. To acknowledge we’re a specific target means acknowledging the Adders’ motives, which would point the finger back at us. And he can’t do any of that so openly.”
“He should,” Vesper said. “Transparency is always better. The acts of a few Aurors doesn’t have to reflect on all of us, not if we hold them accountable. Covering it up makes us all look guilty.”
“I don’t disagree,” Mac said. “But I’m not running the Corps, and neither are you. It’s out of our hands.” He sighed. “The good news is, while Robards can’t openly acknowledge that my theory has merit, he can prepare for an attack on the Ministry under the guise of doing his due diligence. That’s why I told him my theory in the first place.”
“You knew how he would react,” Vesper said.
“Yes.”
“You’re very good at that.”
His mouth twitched. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Kemp.”
Vesper considered, not for the first time, how glad she was that she had ended up with Mac as a partner. Ron had chosen well for her. He had plenty of wisdom to share, but he also always listened to her perspective, even when it sounded far-fetched. It made her want to share something else she had been thinking, something she wasn’t sure he would take well.
“Something else is bothering me, about what I learned this morning.”
“Tell me,” Mac said, without hesitation.
“This case is turning out to be far more tech-heavy than we realized initially. I mean, a giant magical bomb is one thing, but this… if my theory is even partially correct, then this device is going to end up looking about as Muggle as it is magical, a blend of the two, which is not how wizards have traditionally done things. Especially not wizards with blood supremacist ideologies. They shy away from anything Muggle, don’t they? They reject it.”
“Historically, yes, that’s true,” Mac said.
“Why would the Adders do it this way? Of all the ways to harness powerful magic, why through blending it with Muggle tech? And why through stealing the magical cores of healthy witches and wizards, some of whom are pureblood, no less?”
“You worry it’s not the Adders who are responsible,” Mac said flatly, and as though this didn’t surprise him.
“I agree that the Adders are a threat to us,” Vesper said, “and that they are likely to attack again. But I’m not sure that this is the way they’re going to do it. And if that’s the case, then it’s someone else stealing these cores and building these devices, and if that’s the case, then we have two enemies now.”
“And the second is an enemy whose motives we have no insights into,” Mac said. “Which is a problem.”
“So you think I’m right?”
“I think your argument has a great deal of merit. And you’re not alone in your thinking. Moreau has been skeptical from the beginning, and her reasons are only getting stronger.”
“And now we have more evidence that she’s right. She’ll want to hear this.”
“Yes, she will.”
“Will Robards be willing to hear it?”
Mac sighed again. “I doubt it. He is very attached to his theory.”
“Why is he so stubborn?”
“He is a product of a different time,” Mac said, as though this actually answered the question. “And while that is frustrating, I also can see why he would believe his theory is correct. There is evidence to support it.”
Vesper chewed on that, unsure how to feel. It seemed she had not entirely convinced Mac of her own theory.
“The weapon or weapons in question may end up being a mix of magical and Muggle technology, but I don’t think that means we can rule out the Adders altogether,” Mac went on. “They could be trying to make a point about the dangers of blending the magic and Muggle worlds. Some of their newest members might not be pureblood, just anti-Muggle, even wizards who used to be more connected to the Muggle world and have changed ideologies. And let’s not forget what Ms. Nadharia said about how an explosion of raw energy from a core is probably not going to hurt magical people, only Muggles. This technology targets Muggles.”
“Why would they target the Auror Corps, then, if the bomb wouldn’t kill us?”
“It could still distract us, disorient us. It could do untold damage to our offices, our training center, our files. It could wreak havoc and cause widespread panic, and all without spilling magical blood.”
Vesper nodded, realizing he was right. It was frustrating, but it was the truth. “Maybe they’re going to attack multiple targets simultaneously,” she ventured. “Including us. We would be distracted enough that we wouldn’t be able to respond to any other attacks happening at the same time.”
Mac looked at her soberly. “Exactly.”
Vesper rubbed a frustrated hand over her forehead. “There’s so much that’s unknown. I feel like they’re always ten freaking steps ahead of us.”
“Then we have to catch up. And the best way to do that is to keep investigating, to do our jobs properly. We follow the lines of inquiry, no matter where they lead us.”
“And you think that will be enough?”
“It has to be. We don’t have a choice.”
Vesper stared at him. It hadn’t truly occurred to her, until that very moment, exactly how high stakes this job was.
“If we work hard and we work smart, we’ll get a break in the case.” Mac leaned towards her, his voice lowering as he tried to reassure her. “I’ve done this a hundred times, Kemp, with some cases feeling a lot more dire than this. We have new information, thanks to you, information that leads towards magical engineers, people who are familiar with using Muggle tech in magical ways.”
“And who also have Healing or Mediwizardry experience, an understanding of magical anatomy,” Vesper added.
“Yes, that too. With any luck, that unlikely combination will narrow our field of suspects quite a bit. We’ll get them in the end, you mark my words.”
Vesper swallowed, nodding. She wanted to believe him. She had to, or the fear of what could happen would be too paralyzing, would keep her from moving forward. And she couldn’t let that happen. She had to be like Mac, and the other Senior Aurors. She had to emulate their detachment, their courage, their self-possession, until it was something she felt within herself, for real.
She met her partner’s eyes, keeping her voice level as she spoke. “Good, then. Ok. So what do we do next?”
Up Next: Hermione watches the holidays unfold.
goddess-of_dragons: It feels strange to write a response to a comment you left over a year ago, since we’ve had so many interactions since. But as you can see I am trying to get back on track with this and I hope it makes you happy!
Vesper is able to share a little bit with Draco, as you see from this chapter, but she has to keep a lid on a lot of the details. Harry and Draco are civilians now, after all. And no Blaise this chapter :/ But we’re going to see more between them once we get around to the next chapter with Vesper’s pov. That’s going to be a turning point! <3
Teddy-Potter95: Thank you! I know it’s been a long while but in case you do see this, your reviews have been a great help! I’m glad you’re invested in Hermione and Vesper both and enjoyed the comparison between the two. There’s lots to come in the future, including Ron finally knowing the truth. But I won’t give away when/what happens there :)
SuperWolfLover_1776: I think a year and a half counts as abandoning, at least temporarily. But I knew I would try to finish it eventually. I’ve got more inspiration now and I do hope to be updating on a regular basis. If you’re still willing to stick with it, you might like what’s coming up!
SpaceandThyme: Thank you for this! I know it was a while ago (almost a year now!) that you wrote it but it was great to hear that you are enjoying this as a sequel. I’ve really enjoyed developing these relationships and I didn’t want to leave it behind entirely. Maybe someday I’ll actually finish it :) You’re right that the stories will start to converge more plot-wise, but it may not be in the ways you expect. If you’re still reading, I hope you like what I do with it! <3
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