A/N:
So I left you on a cliffhanger last chapter. I hope this chapter is acceptable!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters.
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Fred Weasley was lucky to be alive. But the Battle of Hogwarts broke him, in more ways than one.
It broke him physically. Just before the wall had exploded, Hermione had cast a shield charm over everyone, for some unknown reason. He didn't know why she done it, but he was thankful for it everyday. He may have survived the wall, but he didn't go away uninjured. Fenrir Greyback decided that Fred would make a good play toy. He hung Fred be his ankles, against a wall and threw his wand across the room. Then he attacked. Luckily, it wasn't a full moon, so Fred isn't a complete werewolf, he just has the characteristics and scars. It was just lucky that George chose that moment to intervene, before it was too late. Now you could easily tell who was Fred and who was George. George had one ear, and Fred had a long scar running from his left eyebrow, and disappearing underneath his shirt. They both had scars now.
The war also broke him mentally. Seeing people dead, or severely injured, made him wonder if he would have been one of those people. If Hermione had not cast the shield charm, who knows what would be left of him. He grieved the dead, and wished the injured all the best.
He and George cleaned up the joke shop, and it had been bringing joy to all. They sold out all of their products within the first week of reopening. They quickly restocked, and the joke shop ran smoothly from there. They had regular customers, of course. Such as little Dennis Creevey, who wasn't so little anymore, who came to cheer himself up whenever he thought of his older brother, Colin. Fred pitied the boy. He would have hated to lose a brother, especially George. He often struck up conversation with the boy. He was a bubbly lad. He reminded Fred a little of Ginny, when she was in a good mood. You didn't want to see Ginny in an angry mood, she would hex your head off.
Fred was currently at the cash register counting the days earnings, when the bells chimed at the door, alerting him that a customer had entered the facility.
"Sorry, but we are closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow and have a good evening," Fred said without lifting his head. The customer laughed. Fred raised his head and grinned.
"Harry! You should have told me you were coming, you bludger! I would have made George clean up our flat," Fred chirped, happily.
Harry laughed again. "I'm only here for a quick bit. Just needed to talk to you about something."
Fred nodded. "Okay. Just let me finish up here, and we will go upstairs."
Fred packed up the money, and walked up the stairs, Harry on his heels. Fred offered him a drink, but he refused
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Fred asked, curiously, as he sat down on the lounge.
"Hermione," Harry answered, simply.
"What about her?" Fred asked, with a frown.
"She is about to go on a disaster date, you need to get her out of it," Harry said.
"Why me?" Fred questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Because you fancy her," Harry said slowly.
Fred's eyes widened. "How'd you know that?"
"George told me," Harry coughed.
"I'm going to kill him!" Fred yelled.
"Wait! Hermione really hates this guy. He is like her worst nightmare. You need to get her out of this date. I have a weird feeling about it," Harry rushed out.
Fred hummed. "Okay, I'll do it."
Harry grinned. "I knew I could count on you!"
Fred sighed. "When's the date?"
Harry looked at his watch and grimaced. "About now."
Fred then proceded to kick Harry out, and prepare for a date.
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Hermione stared at Draco. He stared back. She then slammed her door in his face.
"Oi, Granger. I need to talk to you," he shouted. He said something else, but it muffled through the door.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"I said I need your help," he mumbled, barely audible.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Hermione said, with a smirk.
"You heard me, Granger. I know you did! Stop acting like a child," He shouted through the door.
Hermione opened her door, to see a seething Draco Malfoy glaring at her. She raised her eyebrows in question, as he took in her appearance.
"May I come in?" he asked.
"No. I do not trust you. Speak now, before your talking to my door again," Hermione snapped.
Draco sneered. "Whatever. You're an Auror, right?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Good. Now something interesting has come up. My crazy aunt's husband, Rodolphus, is demanding to know where his wife was during the time period of March to October in 1979. Do you know anything that happened during that time, as to where and what my aunt may have been doing?"
Hermione blinked. Then she snorted. And then she went into a laughing fit. "Look, I've got a date soon and I don't need you to tarnish my plans with your utter crap of a story. Like I would give two damns about your aunt."
Now it was Dracos turn to laugh. "You have a date? Merlin, that's hilarious. You almost got me on that one."
Hermione huffed. "Now why is it so hard to believe that I'm going on a date?"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "You're Hermione Granger. Bookworm of the century. I would've thought that you didn't even have a love life."
Hermione glared at him. "Anyway, why is your uncle only bringing this up now? Wouldn't he have brought it up when your aunt disappeared?"
Draco shrugged. "I went to see Aunt Bella one day, and I walked past his cell. He started screaming hysterically at me, telling me to find out. I got curious so I asked my aunt, who said she had no idea what he was talking about."
Hermione thought about it. "I'll look into it. And if I find anything interesting, which I highly doubt, I'll report it as an official case."
"Thank you," Draco said, stiffly. He was just about to leave, when Hermione grabbed his arm. He turned to scowl at her.
"Why me? Why did you choose me for this investigation? Because I'm sure there is an Order member, who was alive and actively participating in the War at that time, that could give you more information," Hermione said.
Draco looked at her for a moment, before saying, "you're the smartest witch I know. It takes a lot for me to admit that, you know it does. But if there is one person, who I know is going to get to the bottom of this case, it's you."
Hermione smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.
Draco nodded, and left, disappearing at the apparation point.
Hermione closed her door, and got back to the task at hand. She had a date to prepare for.
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A/N:
Ayo!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I love to hear from you guys, so please review!
Love,
HermioneSmexyBeast xx