Hullo, everyone! This is my first fanfiction in a while. I was in the mood for a mystery decided that Drarry fit very well in the mix. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
Rated: T for mild swearing and some romantic references
Word Count: 1431
"Oh, there you are, Harry. Come take a look at this new publication Luna sent us. She and Neville are having a lovely time in India and they've been profiling very rare magical creature and plant species."
Harry promptly plopped onto the couch, ignoring Ginny's eye roll as well as her comments on his lazy posture. "Why am I not surprised that they're spending their honeymoon doing work?" he chuckled. "Whatever makes them happy, I suppose…"
"Well, if the Longbottom-Lovegood family produces progeny, they could be casted in a muggle family television—meet the 'Super Science Family!' It sounds like something Hermione would have watched as a child."
"What would I have watched?" Hermione asked, poking her head in the door.
Harry got up at once. "Here, let me help you with those groceries."
"Thank you, Harry. You could have just levitated them, though. Forgetting you're a wizard again?" she teased. All three friends began to put away the food.
"As if the Ministry would let me," Harry groaned. "And anyway, Hermione, if I don't ever lift things the muggle way, I'll get as fat and lazy as Dudley was when we were kids."
Ginny huffed slightly whilst rearranging the dry goods cabinet to fit in another box of rice. "I wish you would not make fun of your cousin so much. Honestly, when you introduced us all, I was very confused; he's nothing like you described him. He's not even overweight now, just very tall."
"Alright, I'll give him that." Harry shrugged. "He spars with me too. And most of the time, he starts it, you know."
"Yes, and you just reciprocate."
Instead of responding, Harry opted for a whistle until Hermione started to laugh. "You two really do bicker like an old married couple. It's almost a shame you'll never date again."
"Whhhhhy?" Ginny groaned faux-dramatically, her face toward the sky in complaint against some diety. "Why does every man I touch turn gay!?"
Harry was about to make an insensitive comment when a breathless Ron walked through the door. "Whose bloody damned idea was it to make the winter so damned cold!? I swear, if I have to chase one more wanker down the street in this weather, I'm going to—"
"You're going to watch your language, Ronald. And perhaps if you actually wore the endless scarves and gloves your mother makes for you ever year, you would not mind the cold so much. Don't ask me to side-along-apparate you to Saint Mungo's for pneumonia-by-stupidity."
Ginny snorted at her brother, who returned the gesture with a glare. "No one asked you," he muttered. "So… How was everyone's day?"
"Lovely," Hermione answered. "My office accomplished a lot for today, so I had time to work on the newest S.P.E.W. project—"
"But you promised to keep it a secret until it was completely followed through," Harry interjected, trying to sound very enthusiastic. He and Ron had silently agreed that this was the best way to avoid very long elf freedom lectures.
Hermione flushed slightly. "That's right—I did. Oh, I suppose it would be rude of me to spoil the surprise."
"Right, well—we will just have to wait then," Harry said, smiling in relief. "Anyway, my day went well, Ron. My team is completely burnt out of ideas on our new case, so we've agreed to take a rest day."
"Really?" Ron's brows rose. "Kingsley let you have break?"
Forgetting her previous excitement, Hermione piped up. "He's not that unreasonable of a head Auror. And it will do Harry some good to get a bit of rest, even if he has to take a dreamless sleep potion to do it," she said, eying him with slight concern.
"Speaking of which," Harry said, "our newest case is on a single stolen potion. We were assigned different aspects of the crime and I have the potion itself, and any other objects of question found in the shop. Kingsley encouraged bouncing ideas off of colleagues, since the whole thing isn't much of a secret. What has been kept under wraps will likely be the Prophet's headline tomorrow morning. I brought the case file here, not that it's much help. We barely have anything to go on. There was so little evidence of foul play that the investigation team seriously considered reporting it as accidental. Most likely, someone highly skilled and dangerous has done this."
Ginny motioned to the couch, taking the manila folder Harry handed her. "Once the beans are spilled, there's no going back. The thief definitely knows you're going after him or her. We might as well all look at it," she suggested, enchanting the contents to float in mid-air so that each magician could read one paper, then wave it away and take the next fluidly.
"All this fuss over one potion," Ron remarked curiously. "Why is it so important?"
"That is a good question, Ronald. May I see the profile of the potion itself, Harry?" She read the paper he passed to her, looking more shocked by the second.
"What? What is it, 'Mione?"
Hermione stood up and sprinted down the hallway into another room. The others stared quizzically until she returned with a book and a small, ornate jar.
"'Moste Potente Potions?' Why have you got that? I don't recall referencing it since fifth year," Ginny mused.
"More importantly, why are you holding our sugar jar like it's the elixir of life?"
Hermione waved her husband silent as she found the page she sought. "Here it is—I knew I saw this somewhere before. It is such a rare potion that most books never mention it, but Moste Potente Potions had to put it in the foot notes because it was so relevant to—"
"You actually read the foot notes?" Harry asked incredulously.
Ron laughed and clapped his best mate on the shoulder. "I don't see why you're surprised, after all this time."
"Ahem." Silence ensued, pending Hermione's glaring wrath. "As I was saying, 'Denigrata Nocte,' is a concoction of other potions. It means 'blackened night' from old Latin and, the historical idea is that nothing should be darker than night but evil. Needless to say, this potion is very rare, dangerous, and illegal. Most incidental batches are brewed completely by accident. Given Denigrata Nocte and a few very simple household ingredients…" She held up the sugar for emphasis. "…very potent and dark magic can be formed."
"Well no wonder the shop owner almost ran me over by during the interview. He kept putting flower petals on the floor and dancing around. Honestly, I wondered if he was going mad. Luckily for us, he had up-to-date inventory lists to aid the investigation, or else we would have be on a wild goose chase for more."
Hermione stared at him. "Were they white or pink?"
"The lists?" Harry asked, perplexed.
"The petals?"
"Erm, I'm pretty sure they were white."
"White lotus petals. They are meant to ward off potion-specific dark magic. Neville and I have had a few discussions about flowers' joint uses in Herbology and Healing. Here, take a look at this text, Harry."
Harry waved the floating papers toward himself and skimmed the report. "Lotus can't be the only protective charm; the old man had a slew of relics he was probably using for the same reason. Everyone in our division was too busy feeling sorry for how crazy they thought he was to pay attention. Hermione, do you think it's possible for any of these protection methods to be directly related to the potion itself?"
"It is possible. I'll have to research it."
Ginny eyed the papers next and bit her lip before she spoke. "Aren't white lotus flowers associated with Asian culture? As signs of peace and purity? I can't imagine how they specifically connect to some dark potion, except as a general ward from evil."
"We haven't got many leads to go on, here. No matter how small the details are, our whole department has been encouraged to find out whatever we can and add it to the files for our next meeting."
"It will be like a Wizarding think-tank!" Hermione crowed, her excitement evidently returning full-blown. "Oh Harry, I do love it when they give you a good mystery, not just one of those draining 'chase the ex-death-eaters' missions."
"I get it, 'Mione. Using less brawn and more brain is great for my health; everyone else knows the rest." Ron, Ginny, and Harry laughed at their friend's enthusiasm so that, despite her annoyance, Hermione could not help but smile either.
Woo! Harry has a mystery to solve. I am so sorry, my fellow Draco fanatics! I promise the beautiful, glorious, magnificent Draco will make his lovely appearance in Chapter 2, which I already have typed and am editing.
The fact the got rid of the old blue review button made me slightly depressed, but I have come to adore our new friend, the review box. He needs some love, like every pet-puppy, kitten, snake, or parakeet. Who are you not to give that to him? Go on-follow your conscience. It will tell you to to the right thing and review. :D