A few things: this is sort of AUish in the fact that a lot of people who died in the books are alive here because it's my fic and if I want characters I love to be alive than they will very damn well be alive. I think that this is just Remus, Tonks, Fred, Hedwig (because let's be real Jo that was just overkill), and probably more that I'm forgetting.

ALSO I sort of fudged up the timelines a little so that, while this takes place in 2012, both Reid and Hermione are 30, just because I'm really bad at remembering ages and I figure it'll be more forgivable of me to give them a younger age that I can remember better than to try to keep their canonical ages and constantly make mistakes.

"I'm going to kill you," the voice of Bellatrix is shrill and crazed as she skips down the halls of the broken castle, looking around with a calculating look and a vicious grin. "I'm going to torture you first, though. I'll make you bleed, show you how dirty your blood really is. Hide all you want, mudblood, but I will find you. You are going to be begging for death by the time I get through with you."

Hermione dares not make a sound, lest the dark witch hear and somehow see through her disillusionment charm. She can see Bellatrix coming, getting closer, and soon she'll be cornered with no choice but to fight the death eater. The woman's movements are jerky and she's begun repeating 'mudblood' over and over in a sing song voice.

The time has come when Hermione has no choice but to make a move, but before she can do anything Bellatrix's eyes have flitted over to her before looking in the opposite directed, but the corner of her mouth lifts in a smirk, and Hermione fills with dread from the realization that she has somehow managed to see past the charm.

"Cruci-"

This is when the young witch wakes in a cold sweat. She breathes deeply, pushes her frizzy hair out of her face, and rubs at her eyes tiredly before checking her watch. Five in the morning. She can hear the bustle outside her flat as people start to make their way to their jobs (and Merlin, how dreadful it must be to have a job that requires one to wake up at such an awful hour each day), and decides that she should just go ahead and get up for the day.

It doesn't take long to get ready, but she doesn't need to be anywhere till noon, when she'll be meeting Harry for lunch, as he's to be staying with her while investigating in America.

Although the fact that she doesn't need to be anywhere doesn't mean she's going to stay in her flat. There had been a time, immediately after the war, where she had considered giving up on magic completely and living the rest of her life as a muggle, and while she's glad she hadn't done that, sometimes being alone in her apartment, surrounded by walls upon walls of bookshelves filled with magical theory, potions ingredients, and other reminders of magic, is a little too much for her. Especially after a nightmare. Even the tiniest things, like moving pictures of her friends and the collection of chocolate frogs she kept for when she had visitors became overbearing.

She shrugs on a jacket and sticks her hand in her pocket to wrap around her wand, smiling at the feeling of calm that washes over her at the action, and heads out the door.

"The problem with New York," Reid says, "is that it's entirely too crowded." Morgan laughs at this and messes with the younger agent's hair.

"I don't know, Kid. I kinda like it. People watching can be fun." There have been a string of deaths in the city over the past few weeks, none of them like anything the BAU has ever seen. There is seemingly no cause of death, and the only reason the Bureau are on the case is because the spots where the bodies were found are all too close for it to be coincidence, and the person who contacted JJ was an old friend of Blake's, someone who the older agent assured was smart and wouldn't have contacted unless they genuinely thought it was all more than coincidence.

"Okay, look at it this way, Morgan. Any one of these people could be murderers. Could be our UNSUB."

"Wow, Kid, morbid much?" Morgan replies, though he rolls his eyes at the last bit, still not quite believing there even is an UNSUB. Reid just shrugs.

The two had been ordered to scope out the part of the city in between each dumping spot, but since it was pretty obvious that there wasn't going to be any advances in the case during the time it might take to walk around the designated area, they were taking their time.

"What I don't get," Morgan said after a few minutes of silence, "is why we have to do this at eight in the morning. It's not like there are a lot of people awake right now."

"Maybe that's why," Reid said. "We're making a geographical profile, right? That doesn't necessarily include people, and in such a place as New York where the streets are usually so crowded, maybe it's better for us to do it early when there aren't as many people out."

"I guess." They lapse into silence again, walking through the streets of New York which, despite the time of day, are still somewhat crowded, till they come across a park (or rather, thepark. Central Park), and Morgan suggests they take a break in the park for a bit.

They sit on a bench, and Reid turns to his colleague. "So..."

"So..."

He can't hold it in anymore. "So, what's up with you and Garcia?" Morgan is suddenly very still.

"I'm not quite sure I understand the question," he says, and as a rule they aren't supposed to profile their fellow agents, but it's impossible for Reid NOT to when Morgan's being such an open book.

"Oh, come on. I may be cripplingly socially inept, but even I can tell that there's something between you two. You can tell me, it's not like I have anyone to gossip to." Morgan sighs.

"I like her, she likes Kevin, that's that. It may be hard for you to believe this, Kid, but I'm a gentleman. I'm not going to try anything while she's still upset about the breakup. Plus, it would make our friendship awkward."

"Mmhm," Reid nods as though he's actually going to accept that for an answer. He's not. But before he can push the subject, Morgan swoops in with a question of his own.

"Speaking of girls, you got anyone on your mind lately, Pretty Boy?" Reid can feel the blush crawling up his neck as he shakes his head. It's obvious by Morgan's smirk that he doesn't believe it.

"No, really, I don't, I swear. What kind of girl would want anything to do with this?" Now would be the most unfortunate time for him to make eye contact with a pretty stranger, which is, of course, why this exact thing happens. She's sitting on the bench across from them, reading a book, and she's not pretty in a Societal Expectations of Women way, but more a natural beauty. Her hair is very... large, and curly, and she's worrying her top lip, looking at him with wide eyes before offering up a small smile. Reid feels his blush deepen as he smiles back, and when Morgan follows his gaze and starts to grin, he knows he's done for.

"She's nice, man. I know you got game, I've seen you work your magic before. Go talk to her, lover boy."

"I don't know, Morgan..." He thinks that his face will forever be tinted red.

"We're going to have to get back to our actual jobs very soon and you don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if you had talked to that pretty girl in Central Park, do you? So go talk to her." Morgan thinks for a second, and then as an afterthought adds, "Plus, she's reading To Kill a Mockingbird. That's classic literature, right? Maybe she's a geek too."

Reid considers it, considers the fact that they WILL be moving on in a few minutes, and somehow manages to convince himself it's a good idea, so he nervously stands and takes his first step towards her bench.

Yep. This is my first multiple chapter'd fic in a looooooooong time, so I really hope all goes well. I don't have a beta and this has only been briefly read over a few times so I apologize if there are any mistakes! I hope you enjoy, and chapter two is on its way. :)