Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter do you think I'd be writing this?

Chapter Two

Ugly. Know-it-all. Filthy. Mudblood.

Hermione had flashbacks to all of her worst moments. Funny how one name can make her go back to the insecure little girl she used to be. Suddenly for a reason unbeknownst to Hermione she started to laugh uncontrollably. Harry furrowed his brows together. "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione tried her hardest to stop laughing but she couldn't stop. She resorted to holding her breath until her laughing slowly subsided. "Wow Harry, that is some joke. Now, really, are we going to head over to the scene?"

Harry looked as though he was thinking carefully about his next words. "Hermione, I know that this must be hard for you but Malfoy has been working very hard to change his reputation. He is the best man for the job. He knows everything that there is to know about the dark arts."

Hermione jumped up from her seat. "Of course he does! He is a deatheater! How could you possibly forget that? What makes you think that he isn't the one behind this?"

"Hermione, Malfoy was forced to become a deatheater and you know that. He never wanted to be one. I've spoken with him on countless occasions and I can genuinely say that he's a changed man."

Hermione groaned, "Oh, how can you be so blind? He's obviously playing you! Have you forgotten everything that he did to us at school? Did you forget when they captured us and tortured us, wait, when they tortured me?" Hermione felt her throat tighten but she kept going. "Harry, I thought that you were my best friend. How could you put me to work with that horrid excuse of a human being?"

Harry grabbed her hands. "Look 'Mione, I know that this is the last thing you would have wanted but it has to be this way. Malfoy is the most qualified for this job and I need you to work with him. Hermione, I haven't forgotten about what happened in the past but we're adults now. I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be. I need you to understand that I wouldn't be putting you in this situation if it wasn't necessary."

Hermione sighed, "Okay Harry, I trust you. I don't like it but I'll do whatever I have to do. You say he's changed?"

"I promise he's changed. Yes, he's still a git but we can't expect a complete turnaround can we?"

Hermione apparated to Knockturn Alley and was welcomed by a ginormous crowd full of reporters and photographers. Hermione tried her hardest to push through the crowd but it was damn near impossible due to her small frame. "Excuse me, sorry. I need to get through. Excuse me!" She finally made it to the front to get a clear view of the crime scene. Hermione turned to face the crowd, "Alright, there's nothing to see here. Please, I kindly ask that you all leave and allow the ministry to get to the bottom of this." No one seemed to pay attention to her so Hermione put up a shield with a simple flick of her wand. This way no one would be able to see what was happening.

A white blonde head flashed before her eyes and she immediately recognized that head to be the head of Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy!"

Draco turned around and from what Hermione could see, looked a bit nervous for their first interaction since the war. "Granger, it's good to have you. Potter says that you're the best of the best."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look Malfoy, I'm not here to play nice. I'm here to solve a murder. Have you identified the body?" Malfoy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but Hermione cut him off. "Do you have a suspect in mind? Do you know of any witnesses? Have you discovered anything about the crime scene that could help us?"

"Well, I-"

"Well, well, well what? Malfoy, how do you expect for me to get anything done if you can't even do your own job? Harry said you were the best man for the job but clearly-"

Hermione was cut off by another voice. The voice belonged to Blaise Zabini, one of the lead investigators on the case. "Hermione, Malfoy just got here about thirty seconds before you did. We hadn't even said hello before you arrived."

Hermione felt a bit embarrassed at her outburst but she wasn't about to let anyone else know that. "Right, well, Blaise what can you tell us about what happened?"

Blaise Zabini was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He was extremely intelligent, not to mention had a glowing smile. "We had just performed an identification spell before the both of you arrived. As you can probably tell, this person is completely unrecognizable. The results should be coming out right about now." Blaise paused for a moment and a worried look appeared on his face. "It's, um, it's…"

Blaise seemed to have trouble finding his words. Hermione grew impatient. "Out with it then. Who is it?"

Blaise looked up and seemed to be staring directly at Draco. "It's Pansy Parkinson."

/

Sorry that this chapter is a bit short. I wanted to leave it at this part for a bit of a dramatic effect haha. I hope that you all liked this chapter! Please review and let me know what you all think. I'll improve in whatever way I can. Thanks for reading!