Clue: Murder in the Kitchens (Dramione Clue Fest)
Echoes of screams ricocheted down the gilded hallways, bouncing off the gilded columns and up into the dark abyss of the cavernous ceiling, as Senior Auror Potter hurried through the throngs of terrified civilians, his purple robes swirling around his ankles and his DMLE badge shining bright in the darkness. The witches and wizards huddled amongst themselves in fear, some murmuring in shock while others were crying in their crumpled robes and makeup smudged faces.
"Auror Potter! Thank Merlin you've arrived!" a blond American rookie by the name of Jonathan Spalding called as he sprinted towards him. Harry greeted him with a reassuring smile.
"What have we got Auror Spalding?" The wizard shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He was refusing to meet Harry's eyes as if whatever called Harry in at this hour was personally his fault. Jonathan was barely adjusting to the British way of life - add that to a new job, and he was a nervous wreck.
"Two dead bodies, I'm afraid."
Harry winced in surprise. "Two?"
"Yes, sir. I apologize for disturbing you on your time off. We've hit something of a roadblock. We've quarantined all of the guests in the hallway and the main hall."
"I don't see the problem," Harry responded patiently. He didn't want to take out his annoyance on Jonathan, who was just doing his job. Harry Potter was known for only taking one week off a year. One damn week a year to commemorate the murder of his parents, why was that too much to ask for?
"Well, it's about the dead bodies. We checked every wand and magical being on the grounds, sir. The… the couple wasn't murdered with magic, they were killed the No-Maj way. I mean, besides a couple of contraceptive and standard healing charms, there wasn't anything suspicious on any of the wands."
So that's why he had been called in. The other members of the department generally panicked when a crime was committed without magic. It was a pity they had relied so heavily on him. Harry wondered what would happen when he wasn't around to solve any of their 'Muggle' cases.
"No-Maj?" Harry teased.
Jonathan blushed. "Sorry, still learning the British lingo. Quenton mentioned that the deceased male was an individual by the name of Draco Malfoy, and the female was his fiance." All traces of mirth left Harry's face immediately as his blood ran cold, and he blinked at the rookie in shock.
After a moment his Auror instincts kicked in and he took off, running toward the wards surrounding the dead bodies in the library. He was trying to fight back the fear and the terror as he closed in on the scene. Logically, he knew what he was going to find, but how had they gotten here? How did it come to this?
Hermione started off her career at the Ministry within the Department of Magical Creatures, while Harry and Ron became partners in the DMLE. After a particularly nasty breakup, Ron left them both to become a Keeper for the Chudley Cannons.
If he was honest, Harry barely noticed that his friends were having problems as he was having his own relationship troubles. It mostly came down to the fact that Ginny was afraid of Harry's career. She begged him to quit every time he came through the Floo. The first week, it was endearing; however. it became exhausting fairly quickly.
After six months, the two had a sit-down and discussed their life plans and goals. After several hours of tears and a lot of broken Black family crockery, they called it quits. Neither of them was happy and while they loved each other, they couldn't sit by and watch the other drown in their life commitments or decisions. The breakup broke him worse than losing Sirius. When the news finally broke, the entire Wizarding community spent months in denial, shock, then followed by an uproar.
All the while, Harry spent his time secluded in his office or at Grimmauld Place to avoid the press. He developed a dangerous drinking problem, that once discovered, Hermione took to dragging him to weekly meetings for. When they were done with the meetings she would spend hours talking with him as he attempted to learn how to live without the love of his life.
Often he wondered if life would have been easier if he hadn't fallen in love with the vivacious redhead, who couldn't cook and was an absolute slob, but who loved fiercer and deeper than anyone Harry had ever known. Living without her was like being Crucioed slowly every day. Waking up every morning and missing her quick smile and her slow kisses, it was like losing her all over again.
Seeing her smiling face in the Prophet when she started her Quidditch career was even worse. After the first setback, Hermione's boyfriend spoke to a friend at the Prophet and Harry's sports section in the Prophet was always missing. The couple often tried to set Harry up on dates and while Harry would agree to one date a month, eventually they stopped asking as the dates only reminded him of Ginny and the witches were only interested in dating Harry Potter, not him .
It was a miserable life to be sure, although there was one upside. While Harry's world fell off its axis, Hermione's righted and aligned perfectly. Hermione met and began dating Draco Malfoy. Draco had long since shed his spoiled child persona and was thoughtful, kind, and bit of a bookworm. It wasn't long before the two lovebirds secretly moved in together.
Their blissful bubble of happiness didn't last long, though. Voldemort may have died, but the prejudice he supported didn't. Draco was expected to marry into one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblooded families, something Hermione was most decidedly not. Draco didn't seem to care in the slightest. In fact, Harry was pretty sure he'd never cared about blood prejudice at all. He was just a child with a healthy fear of his abusive father. Now, he was best friends with both of Hermione's parents and Nana Granger's favorite.
Though the relationship was a safely guarded secret, it still managed to make it into the papers after Draco dissolved his betrothal to Astoria Greengrass that summer. It was a public scandal. Death threats started to show up on their doorsteps, through the Floo, and even in their food at restaurants. After the couple was assaulted during a quick run to the Apothecary in middle of Diagon Alley that resulted in a week-long Saint Mungo's stay, they fear and anxiety kept them from leaving their home and venturing out into the wizarding world.
When the Daily Prophet was made aware of the fact that they were the reason the couple was being attacked, they stopped printing anything about the couple. It was a pitiful attempt to give them some semblance of privacy, however, the damage was already done.
Their relationship had unearthed a new generation of pureblood supremacists that never had a chance to don the Death Eater robes. Just last week, Harry had arrested three teens who had hexed an elderly Muggleborn woman into St. Mungo's.
An underground newspaper called The Knockturn had begun to circulate. It was predictably being printed somewhere in Knockturn Alley and was basically trash about mudbloods, blood traitors, and the reign of Voldemort. It had also, encouraged teens to go out and harm anyone, not of pureblood.
After their names showed up in The Knockturn one time too many, Hermione and Draco were put into Ministry-issued protective detail, which basically meant they moved in with Harry. For Harry, it meant that he spent all day working to protect the couple and then all night listening to them. They were nauseatingly in love in a way that made one want to lose their lunch, but that also filled him with joy as his friend was able to find the happiness that evaded him for most of his life.
Harry pulled himself from memories of muffled giggles and waking up in the morning to the two of them barely dressed and the kitchen as well as the couple, covered in flour.
He crouched down in the middle of the two covered bodies. His fingers were shaking as he lifted the spell covering the bodies of two friends that were so close, they were family. He fell to the floor with a thud. He collapsed into tears at the sight of their tightly bound fingers between their sightless eyes and bloodstained bodies.
It took Harry thirty minutes and a Calming Draught to compose himself. When he finally straightened, it was with the assistance of Head Minister Shacklebolt. He arrived while Harry was on the floor and force-fed him a Calming Draught while he murmured assurances to him.
"Harry, do you need me to send a Patronus to any-"
Harry waved his old friend off. "No, Kingsley. We can't keep the civilians here indefinitely and I won't let their killer get loose."
Kingsley nodded respectfully. "Well, come on and see what we've got, Harry."
Harry closed Hermione's eyes and then Draco's before standing with the aid of Kingsley. Kingsley retreated to the main doorway to give Harry space. With the aid of the potion, Harry was able to clear his mind and look around the room with a clinical and well-trained eye. They were standing in one of the rooms off of the kitchens. The majority of the contents in the room were upturned. Platters of food not yet served were scattered all over the floor, some crushed under large booted prints. There were crystal flutes of champagne crushed and their liquid contents running over tiles and open cabinets.
This level of destruction suggested that someone was searching for something, a fight was had, or magic was used. Oddly, the room gave Harry some semblance of comfort. The state of the room suggested that his friends had fought their attackers, and given Hermione and Draco's dueling strength, that would have taken at least ten fully trained wizards.
Harry knelt under a table and found an odd sticky substance. Drugs or potions? He cast a diagnostic spell. Burnt chocolate liqueur pudding. Harry wondered if either of them were under the influence of any number of substances, not that Hermione or Draco ever used potions or drugs.
Harry cast several diagnostic spells over the bodies. No magic or potions were used on them. There was a slight pulse of alcohol in their blood levels, but otherwise, they were in perfect health before their deaths. Harry turned from them and surveyed the walls. Defensive magic usually left burn marks on the walls - there were none.
Harry began to look through cabinets. He called to Quenton, who was standing sentry at the back door. "Where are their wands?"
"They weren't in the room and we've yet to locate them." Hmm, so it was a physical fight. If so, it was likely they would not have died side-by-side. There was no visible sign of death. Why would someone move their bodies together? Were they trying to hide the cause of their death? Harry moved back to the bodies.
Hermione was wearing a long black dress with a thick diamond cuff wrapped elegantly around her neck. It was a bit ostentatious for Hermione and Harry chuckled to himself, as he imagined the fit Hermione pitched when she saw the dress Draco picked out for her. Draco was always complaining about his need to shop for Hermione as she was content wearing jeans and t-shirts for everything.
A pair of heels were discarded under the hem of her black dress, separated from her feet. Had she been running? Draco's shoes were on his feet but the soles of his shoes were wet. Why? Harry crouched over Draco and Hermione searching for obvious signs of wounds. He tiptoed around them, being careful not to touch either of them.
"Nothing," he murmured.
"No cause of death?" Kingsley confirmed. Harry nodded, noting how casually he was talking about his best friends' deaths. This was exactly the reason he didn't take potions. They messed with your emotions, they made you flatline. He hated it.
"I'll need a full team of Aurors to start taking every single person's statement. There was no offensive magic used, and I don't see any visible signs of death. We're going to need to wake up a specialist." Harry turned from Kingsley to Quenton. "Are there any suspects?"
"Yes, Auror Potter. We have the suspects in stasis where they were found after the bodies were discovered."
"Who put them in stasis?"
"I did, sir."
"When was that?" Harry's diagnostic proved that their deaths were a little after nine in the evening and the Aurors were only called in at ten fifteen. That was an entire hour for someone to cover up the scene. Harry didn't like the mass amounts of variables that were being added to his mental equation.
"A little after twenty-two hundred." That was not enough time for Quenton to have departed from the Ministry and arrive at the party once the call was sent in.
"Were you an attendee of the party?"
"Yes, sir."
"Perfect." Quenton Smith's eyebrows almost disappeared into his blonde hairline. "Did you notice anything unusual tonight?"
Harry's quick quotes quill was out and recording Quenton before he had time to collect his thoughts. "I guess, I thought I witnessed Hermione Granger arguing with Astoria Greengrass."
"Do you know what it was about?"
"I'm not sure. Their voices were muffled and when they emerged from the witches lavatory, they weren't speaking to each other. I was introduced to Miss Granger earlier in the evening and her hair was styled… differently than when she left Miss Greengrass."
"Define differently."
"I'm not a witch's hair expert but it was sort of spilling down the right side, like a waterfall, I guess. After I bumped into the two, her hair was in a braided bump... of sorts. There was also a witness that claimed they saw Mr. Goyle yelling at Miss Granger." Harry nodded as he looked over his notes.
Harry nodded at Quenton. "Thank you. Quenton, please remain here with Minister Shacklebolt, while we attain the rest of the statements. I am going to question the suspects."
"Auror Potter-" Quenton whinged.
Harry cut off Quenton sternly. "You're a witness to the crime Quenton. We both know that regulation forbids you from being part of the DMLE on this case. Don't make me send you back to the Ministry."
"Yes, sir." Quenton nodded as Harry turned on his heels and left the room. He had a killer to catch and a manor filled with suspects.
Harry was sipping coffee as he looked over the remaining list of suspects he needed to interview. He had already reviewed over thirty suspects and dismissed the fairly innocuous ones. That left these three;
Astoria Greengrass
Gregory Goyle Junior
Theodore Nott Junior
He was currently choking on the terrible coffee that Auror Spalding brought him. The main kitchens were closed off and Harry couldn't find the house elves to question. It was not uncommon for house elves to desert their place of residence once their master was deceased. Seeing as Lucius was still in Azkaban and Narcissa died three years prior, he wondered where they went. Harry promised himself he would look into it. Hermione would have been horrified if anything bad happened to them.
Harry knocked back the rest of the coffee like it was tequila and tossed the cup into a rubbish bin. He walked towards the Draco Malfoy's personal library. Astoria was the first person Quenton brought up and Harry wanted to know what they were arguing about.
Draco Malfoy's Personal Library, Malfoy Manor
"Just for the record, I have to ask, did you kill Hermione Granger?"
"You mean Malfoy? I know the two were married last week. Draco came and spoke to me about it. I threw him out of my home, obviously." Astoria sneered. She stood tall and proud in her ivory high necked dress robes, a ridiculously Dracula-like looking fashion trend in Hermione's repeatedly voiced opinion. Hermione hated anything on her neck, it reminded her of Easter when they were on the run.
The socialite's eyes were sharp and it was clear that she was very aware of every minute detail going on around her, despite it being a little after two in the morning. That wasn't including the fact that she was standing in the same place for over four hours.
"Obviously?"
"I don't need the bad press or the new version of Death Eaters on my back. Merlin knows I have enough to deal with." Astoria rolled her eyes when Harry raised his eyebrows. "They've been trying to recruit the children of Death Eaters. I'm a witch so they haven't been persistent but…"
"But I should be wary," Harry finished.
"Pretty much."
"Eyewitnesses claim that you were disappearing a lot during the evening. Do you have someone who could provide an alibi for your whereabouts between the hours of eight until you were found by Auror Smith?"
"Mostly, yeah. Her name's Cynthia Fairmont."
"What were the two of you doing during the times you left the main party?"
"A bit of snogging, but mostly shagging." If Harry wasn't still under the effects of a Calming Draught, he would have spluttered in shock. As it was, he was barely able to respond properly.
"You're… umm..."
"Queer? Yes. It's the reason I didn't really care about Draco breaking it off. He was always obsessed with a faithful marriage and well… he's not my type. Obviously, I wasn't thrilled about missing out on becoming one of the wealthiest people on this side of the hemisphere, but what can you do." Astoria shrugged.
Harry looked at the blue stasis field around the desk. He wasn't entirely worried about Astoria being the killer until he heard about the situation in which she was discovered.
Astoria was found in Draco's personal library by Quenton. She was crouched over a revolver that was hot from having recently been fired. While Harry didn't think it was the murder weapon, he knew it was fired and since it was a weapon, he had to investigate it. It was oddly suspicious that a Pureblood knew what a revolver was. In her shock, she had exclaimed to Auror Smith that the revolver was not hers.
Harry motioned to the blue field. "Do you know what this is?" Astoria responded by looking bored. After several seconds of waiting, Harry continued. "Do you want to talk about why you were found with a revolver that was recently fired?"
"Are you accusing me of something?" Her tone was biting, any hint of friendliness gone from her face.
"Did you murder Hermione or Draco?"
"No."
"According to a witness you were seen arguing in the lavatory earlier this evening. I need a detailed event of what happened."
The lavatory was ridiculous even for the Malfoys. This specific one was filled with floor to ceiling mirrors. It suited Astoria's needs as she was currently fixing Hermione's hair into braids and then pinning it back into an elegant chignon.
"Are you sure you forgive me?" Hermione whispered.
"Draco's parents thought we would make a lovely couple. Honestly, I think Cynthia and I would make a much more handsome pair, don't you think?" Hermione's cheeks blushed red.
"Oh, I didn't…"
"No one does."
"Thank you for trusting me with this, Astoria. I support you and if you ever-"
"You're killing the moment."
"I just want you to know that I would never betray your confidence."
"I appreciate that."
"Meet me in the library later, we can talk more about getting your inheritance from your father. I still can't believe there are laws preventing you from receiving your inheritance because of your genitalia, I mean honestly."
"And she's back," Astoria chuckled. "Seriously though, I can't thank you enough, Hermione."
"It's my pleasure." Hermione leaned over and kissed Astoria's cheeks. "I only wish the best for you, Astoria."
"It's private but I was fixing her hair."
"What time was that?"
"At about half past seven, probably closer to eight." Harry made sure his Quick Quotes Quill was recording before he continued his line of questions.
"Are you in an indirect way responsible for their murder?"
"To the best of my knowledge, no."
"Did you fire this revolver at anyone?" Astoria refused to break eye contact with Harry, her face cold as stone. "Astoria, answer the question."
"Are you charging me with something?"
"That depends on your answer."
"You'll get no answer until I've seen my solicitor." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and motioned to Jonathan at the door.
"Auror Spalding, book Miss Greengrass." Harry turned to Astoria. "I'm sorry, Astoria."
"Nothing good will come from your digging," she warned as she was taken back to the DMLE for further questioning.
Harry waited until she was manacled and through the Floo before reaching into his pocket and swallowing another potion. He noticed several waiting Aurors giving him wary glances but he ignored them. He had a job to do, he could not grieve now. He couldn't fall apart.
Taking a deep breath he reviewed the information he had so far on his way towards the south hall. It was flooded when an Auror found Theo Nott collapsed on the ground clutching a rope like a lifeline. Nott Senior was one of Voldemort's inner circle of Death Eaters. If anyone was being coerced into joining a terrorist group it would be him. If they crossed paths this evening, Theo's wet appearance might also explain Draco's wet soles.
Theo Nott was leaning against the wall looking soaked, exhausted, and nodding off when Harry arrived. "Rough night?" Harry asked.
"One of my best mates was murdered. What do you think?" He eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Harry noticed that the hallway was filled with empty mirror frames. The glass had been moved to the side of the hall and out of the way. Noticing Harry's observation, Theo motioned to the walls. "Sorry about the mess. I freaked out when I..."
"Who told you?"
"I heard witches screaming it through the manor. I still haven't… I can't…" Harry placed a warm hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Theo."
Harry knew Theo from his brief stint as an uncontrollable alcoholic after he and Ginny broke up. There were pubs that advertised being able to drink yourself into an oblivion without the press showing up. Theo was a regular when Harry joined. Harry had tried and mostly failed at getting Theo out of the life. Draco had a much better influence on his childhood friend.
They were able to connect better than Harry was able to. The war robbed him of everything. Voldemort killed his mother, Bellatrix tortured his girlfriend to death because she was a half-blood, and his sister was mauled by Greyback for his father's failure. As if that wasn't enough, he was arrested after the war because of his father's involvement. Theo never bore the Dark Mark but the Wizengamot didn't care about initiation marks. They wanted everyone to suffer for their losses.
Hermione fought tirelessly to get him released and some of his inheritance returned to him. A lot of his money went towards reparations and Nott Tower was seized by the Ministry. They still refused to return it and he was left to sleeping in the Greengrasses backhouse. While the Greengrasses didn't mind, it was humiliating to be sleeping in old slave quarters.
The two had many long chats about the Greengrasses and his avoidance of the eldest daughter Daphne after he found out she developed a crush on him. Harry was often tempted to hug the big fellow in an attempt to give him some semblance of hope that life got better. Whenever he thought of the big blonde he worried about him finally cracking under the misery he was in.
"Harry." Harry was snapped back to the present. Theo was holding his head in his hands and rocking back and forth on the floor. Shit, how long was he distracted for? "I fucked up, Harry."
"What happened Theo?"
"I…" Theo looked down at the wet rope in his hands. Harry's stomach filled with dread.
"Talk to me Theo, what happened?"
"I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't… it's too much. I tried…" Theo burst into loud tears. Harry reached forward and squeezed his shoulder, Theo flinched in pain.
"It's okay Theo. It's okay." Aurors were filling up the entryway to the hallway, their wands out and their faces filled with alarm as Harry reached forward and tugged the neck of his dress robes down. It revealed fresh bruising around the base of his neck that made Harry want to vomit and then curl up in bed.
"They found me. They saved me. Soaked her dress, I did. I'm so sorry." The ever-present Kingsley handed Harry a calming drought. Though no matter how much Harry begged, Theo wouldn't take it. "I need a clear head. I can't… I… I think I need help, mate."
"I know you do, Theo. It's okay. We've all been there. I know a Healer, she's discreet." Harry sent a Patronus to Susan Bones. As Harry helped Theo to his feet, he firmly pried the dripping ropes from his fingers and handed it to an Auror assigned to evidence retrieval. Summoning another Auror forward, Harry introduced the two. "This is my colleague, Auror Fortnock. He's going to take you back to the Ministry. Healer Bones will meet you there and the two of you can talk there, okay?"
Arthur Fortnock guided Theo towards the Floo. Harry scrubbed at his eyes. What the hell kind of Halloween party did Draco host? Harry didn't have time to reflect as he hurried after a pale Kingsley, meeting up with him in the intersecting hallway. "Shite, Harry. I didn't think… I should have pushed the Wizengamot. Bexley says he has no home. He's living on the streets."
"We tried, Hermione and I. No one would listen." Harry grimaced.
"I know. I thought it was another pet project. I swear-"
"Let's focus on the-" A loud roar erupted from within the closed doors on their left.
"YOU FUCKING-"
"STUPEFY" Harry counted at least eight stunners being shouted. That was enough to kill a person. Harry and Kingsley burst through the doorway and into a small dining room. Lying stupefied on the floor underneath a ton of rubble and broken finery, was Gregory Goyle and he was clutching a bloodied wrench for dear life.
Harry turned towards the group of Aurors with their wands drawn. "Book him." Turning, he gave several more orders for evidence follow up and left two aurors in charge of letting the civilians return to their homes. With one last glance at the upturned dining room, he left for the Ministry.
Ministry of Magic, Auror Division
"Mr. Gregory Goyle, my name is Auror Potter and I am your arresting officer. Do you have any questions for me?" Goyle was bound to a chair in a questioning room. Harry was exhausted and no amount of coffee was helping him. He needed sleep. He was in the middle of running laps between the questioning rooms.
Shortly after returning to the DMLE, a wand was found under the icebox in the room the bodies were found in. It was originally an unidentified wand that was only identified by the two stupefies that it had been used to cast. When the wand was confirmed to be Theodore Nott Senior's, Theo was placed in an interrogation room beside Goyle and Astoria.
What he knew so far was that a Halloween party had taken place at the illustrious Malfoy Manor. Drinks were at six and dinner was served at seven. Dinner was followed by dancing at about eight thirty. Hermione and Draco were mostly accounted for until dancing when they disappeared before being murdered. There were several patches of time that he needed to be cleared up by the occupants of his interrogation rooms.
Goyle slapped his manacles on the table. "I want my wrench back."
"Your wrench was covered in blood. It's evidence."
"I didn't kill anyone with it," Goyle responded petulantly.
"That remains to be seen. Mr. Goyle, can you describe the events of this evening?"
"Draco's Halloween party?"
"Yes, Miss Greengrass stated that the party was quite tense due to tension from a newly formed terrorist group. We also have a separate eyewitness that claims to have seen you shouting at Miss Granger prior to her murder." Goyle shifted uncomfortably.
"You're a mudblood. A good for nothing mudblood. The Dark Lord should have wiped all of your kind out."
Hermione was silent for several moments. "It won't bring him back, Goyle. Vince-"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY HIS NAME! YOU WORTHLESS- YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY AND SAVE HIM!"
Hermione was looking down at her shoes, her eyes shimmering. "No, I didn't. Well, not enough anyway. Goyle I'm so-"
Goyle drew his wand and pointed it at her. "Say it. I dare you. I know that worthless piece of shit told you! Say it!"
"Gregory, I always assumed. The two of you were so close and-"
"He had no fucking idea, you stupid bint! How the fucking hell did you know?! Of course, you're Hermione fucking Granger. Traded up that worthless red headed blood traitor for my mate. You won't take both of them from me! I won't let you."
Hermione reached out her hands in surrender. "Goyle, I'm not a threat. Draco and I want you to come to the wedding ceremony. We bothwant you there. You're one of his oldest friends."
Goyle's voice went cold. "You think just because Lucius is in Azkaban that he isn't in complete control of what's going on outside? Who do you think is running the new group? Do you think the Death Eaters would just go quietly because Potter killed the Dark Lord? Their movement was always greater than one wizard. They have been plotting and scheming since the founders decided to let vermin like you into the school and into our society. You don't belong here and you never will."
Growling, he pushed Hermione aside. Her tears fell down her face, just as her hair tumbled down from her chignon. Goyle turned back to see her fleeing from the other side of the room just as the clock rang the half hour mark. Dinner had already started and he was late.
"Goyle, you realize you're being officially charged with assault of a DMLE officer and obstruction of justice, right? You also have pending charges for murder," Harry repeated patiently.
"Unless you give me back-" Goyle spat. Harry stood up and stormed out of the room. Goyle was refusing to speak until his wrench was returned to him. Harry looked into Astoria's room where she and her solicitor were speaking quietly. Skipping over her room, he entered Theo's.
"Rough day?" Theo asked as Harry slumped into the chair.
"You don't know the half of it."
"How was Godric's Hollow?"
"As expected. It doesn't get any easier every year."
"I'm sorry." Harry shrugged at his apology. He never understood why everyone apologized for his parents' deaths. It wasn't as if they could have done anything to save them. "Harry, remember when we used to read those murder mysteries?
Harry chuckled at the memory. Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Theo got together once a month and started a murder mystery challenge. They essentially all drank and tried to solve a mystery. Oddly, Hermione never won a game. Draco and Theo were tied for first place. "The next game was supposed to declare a victor."
Theo looked up at the ceiling, his eyes swimming with unshed tears. "I guess we'll never know will we?"
"We can still play, Theo. Not yet, I need to… grieve properly. But after…"
"We'll probably just drink ourselves back into a full relapse. I've got nowhere to go and no one and you're you."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Two truths and one lie. I've spoken to Crabbe. They have a cottage that was supposed to be their son's. They're willing to let you use it for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Harry. I appreciate it."
"Down to business, though, so we can get you out of here. I already know the answer, but for the record-"
"I was crashing in the Manor. I don't have a home and Draco let me live there. It was empty as he lived elsewhere. The wand was given to me when my father was incarcerated. It was in the library, earlier in the evening. I usually leave it inside the study desk."
"Do you remember the last time you saw it?"
Theo stood in front of Draco clasping his slender fingers. He could feel his pockets heavy with the weight of the knowledge Draco had supplied him with. He needed to do something. He needed to save his friends. They were being hunted. He hated being helpless. He needed to help. He needed to do something, alert someone.
"Draco. If you need to run if you need to use clean magic... My father's wand isn't being traced. They stop tracing wands when they're not in use." Reaching into the drawer, he thrust it into Draco's hands.
"I don't want to resort to violence, Theo. I'm tired. We both are. We don't want to fight anymore."
"Don't talk like that. I can't lose you too. I-" Theo was cut off by Hermione's abrupt entrance. Her eyes were puffy and red and before either of them could say anything she threw herself into Draco's arms.
"What happened, my love?"
"Goyle. He's a lost cause. Crabbe's death broke him." Theo and Draco exchanged a look of regret. Theo was working on getting better, but Goyle wasn't even trying. He was wallowing in despair. The fact that today was Crabbe's birthday probably wasn't doing him any favors, either.
"Let's get away for a bit, okay love? We can talk in private." Draco whispered in her hair. "Theo, we're going to head out. You'll see that therapist in the morning, yah? I already made you an appointment. Don't you be late." Theo rubbed at the base of his neck and nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. I gave it to Draco." Harry sat up.
"When?"
"At the party at about eight fifteen or eight thirty?"
"Is it possible that Draco put the wand back in the library?"
"Sure, but it doesn't make any sense, does it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you're saying that the wand was the murder weapon, why blame Astoria? The wand was in the library she was found in and you said her fingerprints were all over the weapon."
"Auror Fortnock said you both spoke in the waiting cells. What did you speak about?" Harry asked, mostly out of pure curiosity.
"Cynthia mostly. Stori's furious she's going to be seen in the same outfit twice in two days." Harry rolled his eyes and stood up to leave. The Wizengamot had been woken up and was currently in session to consent to give the DMLE the approval for a partial legilimency probe.
"I'll be back. Hopefully, that Legilimency probe came through and then we can all go home. I'm going to send Susan in, okay? You're really here just as a formality."
Harry walked into the hallway and towards Astoria's room. Astoria and her solicitor were alert as soon as he entered.
"Astoria. Solicitor Graham." He nodded. "Astoria, I need to know who the gun was fired at. Revolvers are as dangerous as a wand, if not more."
"Mr. Potter," interrupted Solicitor Graham. "I have spoken to my client and she has affirmed to me that she did fire the weapon in self-defense. She also healed the attacker before she fled the scene. She was returning the weapon to its place of origin when she was arrested by the DMLE."
Harry made eye contact with Astoria. "Astoria, who gave you the revolver?"
"Draco, I'm scared. They came again and they were wearing robes this time."
"Astoria, you need to speak to someone about this. They're not the Dark Lord, they won't take bribes. They want you to kill."
Astoria threw her hands up in the air. "What do you expect me to do?!"
Draco looked around the library and walked behind the desk. He set his wand down before opening a drawer. His Malfoy signet ring shone as he unlocked the drawer and pulled out something equally as shiny. The light in the room refracted off of her jewels and she wondered if the guests had arrived yet. The party was set to start soon and Astoria wasn't entirely sure she wanted to go. Only the thought of Cynthia got her to leave the house that morning.
"Astoria, I want you to take this." Draco handed her the odd metal object. She took it holding in her open palm.
"What is it?"
"It's called a revolver. It will protect you." Draco gave her a short demonstration on how to use it. She tucked it into the side of the bodice of her robes, for emergencies. "I must be off, Hermione gets nervous alone at these things."
"You two are good together. I'm happy for you." Astoria smiled.
"Thank you 'Stori, that means a lot." Draco kissed her cheek before leaving the library.
"Draco," she whispered. Harry almost fell out of his chair.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Draco gave me the revolver to protect myself from the new Death Eater group. They've been accosting me every time I leave the house."
"Why not report it?"
"There are enough of them on the Wizengamot. I have no desire to be found dead in Knockturn."
"Be that as it may, I need to know what healing spells you used. Whoever you shot could have healed on the outside but could actually be bleeding out from the inside."
Astoria cringed and looked at her solicitor nervously. Graham gave her a pitying look before supplying, "As long as neither of you want to press charges, Auror Potter would not have to even include it in his report. He could report it as a personal dispute between the two of you and nothing would come of it."
"Yes, Asto-"
"Gregory."
Astoria's wand lay uselessly on a sideboard of a dressing room. Goyle's eyes were wide and filled with fury. Astoria was backed up against the wall, her body shaking with fright.
"GOYLE! Enough! Leave me alone!"
"You dare… flaunt… your perversion! You're a disgrace!" he spat. He had just caught her leaving a closet with Cynthia. He had hit Cynthia so hard, she collapsed onto the ground unconscious.
"I'm a disgrace? Me? You've been sneaking around with Vincent since third year and I'm the disgrace? At least I have the balls to admit to Cynthia I love her. Vincent di-" Astoria's vision blurred as Goyle lifted her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.
"You bitch. You don't deserve happiness, you don't…" Astoria could barely hear what Goyle was ranting about as black dots began to spot in her vision. Her hands grabbed uselessly, at his grip around her throat.
"Vin...ce..nt wou..ld ne..ever!" she gasped as her airpipe began to crack. Her hands fumbled as Draco's voice echoed through Astoria's ears. "Just aim and squeeze the trigger."
There was a bright light and a shout. Astoria's ears rang as the pressure around her neck subsided. She coughed and choked, looking over at her childhood friend writhing on the floor. Casting a diagnostic spell, she healed him before fleeing the room with a barely conscious Cynthia.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Her solicitor started Astoria on writing her statement, while Harry wearily made his way back to Goyle's room. He opened the door and tried not to slump in the seat.
"Goyle."
"Do you have my wrench?"
"No." Harry handed him a blank parchment and a quill. "I would like you to detail the assault from yesterday evening."
Goyle went pale. "It was an accident. I was… I didn't-"
Goyle was on his way from the drinking parlor to the dining hall when he saw her. His alcohol-induced rage threatened to explode from beneath his skin. Draco brought the witch who killed Vincent to the party onVincent's birthday! He grabbed the first heavy thing that his hands found on a cluttered sideboard, as he charged towards one of his last living friends.
There was a yelp and cursing as the heavy object connected with a pale blonde head. He lifted the stick and watched as the light shone on a heavy metal object. There was thick red blood at the end.
"Oi, mate! What the bloody fuck was that for?" Draco was gripping the side of his head, blood trickling down his blonde hair.
"You're marrying the bint!" Goyle shouted as he swung again. "He should have lived and you should have died, you miserable-"
"I know it's Vincent's birthday, but this is insane! You need to pull yourself together!"
Goyle charged at Draco in fury.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!"
"STUPEFY!" Goyle was thrown backward, his last image an infuriated Hermione, her curls escaping an elegant affair on the side of her head.
Goyle cleared his throat. "I didn't even hit him hard. I was angry and I got out of control. I didn't… I wouldn't…" Harry felt his very blood stop moving. What was Goyle confessing to?
"I need to know the exact location where the victim was struck."
"I guess, on the side of his head."
"Was there blood?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know?"
"Well, his hair is white, it's noticeable. It was an accident. I was just so angry." Goyle was murmuring to himself. Harry scribbled out a note to the secondary Auror team. He needed to know if Hermione and Draco were killed by a covered up blunt force trauma. Harry waited quietly as Goyle rambled on about Vinny. A parchment slipped through the door and into Harry's palm.
Cause of Death: Internal Drowning
"You'll be pleased to know that your attack on Draco, while still an assault, was not the cause of his death." Goyle went silent as Harry hurried out of the room and towards Theo's. As his hand closed on the handle of the door, Percy Weasley came hurrying up the hallway. Ron followed closely behind. Harry stared at the two, not saying a word.
"The Wizengamot signed off on the special questioning," Percy announced handing him a sealed parchment. Harry sent a quick Patronus to Kingsley before unrolling it and confirming its details. Harry had just finished when Kingsley arrived with several other Aurors. No one spoke as Harry slipped into Theo's interrogation room. The others all piled into the adjoining viewing room.
"Theo," Harry greeted.
"Got the Wizengamot's approval?" he asked.
"Yes."
Harry took out a small round disc and placed it on the table. The Portable Legillmancer was one of Hermione's many creations. There were very strict rules as to when officials were allowed to use them and there were only five in existence. Hermione didn't even own one.
Harry began to search through Theo's memories as passively aggressively as was humanly possible. He watched as flashes of memories flew passed the hologram project on the desk.
Draco and Hermione running towards him as he hangs from a noose in a hallway surrounded by mirrors. Draco tries to unloop the noose around Theo's neck but he's out of reach. Hermione doesn't stop as she tosses off her shoes midrun and climbs onto Draco's shoulders. He lifts her up and together they get Theo down from where he is hanging.
Theo is snuggled on a couch under a mountain of blankets and Hermione is tuttering around him nervously. Draco puts a hand on his shoulder, his signet ring reflecting on the lights above them. "We just want you to be okay, Theo."
"We won't tell anyone. We swear." Hermione whispers. She's forcing him to eat something and murmuring about getting dressed for the party.
Theo is sitting at the dinner table next to an infuriated Goyle. "I can't believe he brought that whore. When Lucius finally gets rid of her, Draco will see. We'll see what she really is."
"And what is that?" Theo asks neutrally.
"A killer. She killed Vincent. It's her fault," Goyle spits before returning to his soup.
Theo hands Draco the spare wand, his other hand hovering possessively over his pocket. Hermione storms into the room, her eyes full of unshed tears. Draco hurries over to her.
"What happened, my love?"
"Goyle. He's a lost cause. Crabbe's death broke him." She whimpers into his chest. Theo and Draco exchange a look of regret. They leave after exchanging a few words.
Theo is dancing with a fearful Astoria. "Theo, I think they're here."
"Who?"
"The Death Eaters."
"You think, Astoria my dear?"
"What the hell does that mean? I don't have the patience for riddles, not after the day I've had." Theo spun Astoria, her skirts twirling around them.
"What does Cynthia do?"
"She works as a Healer in Azkaban. Theo, don't start with Cynthia. She's a sweetheart. I love her."
"Yes and she loves you, but do you not find it odd that you have never been anywhere near any of the attacks? Sure you get threatening letters, but how threatening are they? Have you been physically attacked because Draco, Pansy, Goyle, and I have. We both know that the movement is being run from inside Azkaban. Someone is ferrying information in and out of the prison and someone is protecting you."
Astoria stops dancing immediately. "No. I don't believe you."
"She might love you but she's also using you for information, Stori." Astoria's face drains of color, as comprehension dawns on her face.
"Merlin," she breathes. "What do I do?"
"Same thing I told Draco earlier this evening. They got to him in Potter's house last week. Flee." Astoria palms her pocket, where an outline of a revolver can be seen before she flees the dance floor.
Theo walks into the kitchen silently. The couple is standing closely together over the countertop, their backs to him. A burst of grey light hits the couple and they fall to the ground.
The jinx hits the couple as they clink their champagne glasses together. The two hit the floor in shock as, Theo kneels down on his knees slowly. His hand shake as he dips a looped length of rope in alcohol and down Draco's throat. Theo clamps his hand over Draco's mouth and nose, effectively stopping the air flow. Draco's body shakes as it fights for air. His bare hands flop on the floor as his body struggles to hold onto its last vestige of life. Theo continues to hold tightly until Draco stops moving and his eyes turn sightless. Hermione's death is just as quick and just as painful.
Harry stopped the memories abruptly. He could hear the pounding of feet outside the door. Harry pushed the delicate disk towards the edge of the table. He looked at Theo, his heart empty in his chest. "I know ." Theo continued staring at him blankly. "I know what you did. I… I can't protect you, Theo."
"I know, and I don't want you to."
"They're going to send you to Azkaban for life." Harry's voice cracked. He was wrong earlier. Now, he'd lost everything. He had no one and nothing.
"I wasn't living Harry, not really." It was the last thing Theo was able to say before the entirety of the Auror department burst into the room.
Theo was dragged into a cell while Aurors were sent to arrest Cynthia. Harry remained seated at the table. Many of the Aurors came by to clap Harry on the back and congratulate him on the big win. Head Auror Proudfoot even stopped by to formally ask Harry to take over the department when he retired the following summer. Harry accepted and asked for two weeks of personal time to grieve his loss. Head Auror Proudfoot approved his leave of absence and advised him to spend time with family, as it helped with the grieving process.
Harry notified his secretary and began to pack up his things. The potions were notably beginning to wear off. Harry crumpled to the ground as a tidal wave of emotions that he was unprepared to deal with surging through his body. He wasn't sure how long he sat on the floor of his office before he heard a soft knock on his office door.
The door opened and the small room was immediately filled with the smell of broom polish, treacle tart, and a floral scent that no one else possessed. Harry's eyes were closed, but he didn't need to see Ginny to know she was in the room with him. He heard a rustle of fabric as she kneeled down next to him. Her slender fingers wrapped around his shoulder before turning into a hug. "Harry?"
Harry fell into her embrace like he had so many times before. The love of his life held him while he wept. She pulled him into her lap when he collapsed onto the ground shaking. "It's okay, Harry. Just let it out."
"I'm alone," Harry choked through his tears.
"You're never alone, Harry. I'm here. It's okay, Harry. I'm here." Harry broke and the two sat in clinging to each other. Harry's secretary passed his office and noting the couple, she flicked her wand to shut the door silently. As the door closed a newspaper fluttered to the ground, the headline about a brutal murder the night before. A large moving photograph depicted Harry Potter's two best friends twirling in their dress robes on the last night of their young lives.