The streets of muggle-owned Avebury felt intimidating as Hermione Granger-Weasley walked down them. She had managed to lose her watchers back in the halls of the Ministry of Magic, but she couldn't be sure that they would remain lost. They had a way of reappearing at any given moment, and especially when she least expected it.
The dark grey skies above grumbled as thunder rolled through the black clouds as they threatened rain. A few seconds later, a flash of lightning lit up the shadowed roads and made several bystanders jump.
Hermione broke into a run as the eyes of all those around her made her feel increasingly paranoid. Any one of the people around her could have been a spy for the Ministry, sent onto the streets to watch her every move. She wrapped her arms around the paper files she held to tightly press them to her chest. Her impractical shoes made it hard to keep her balance and caused her to roll her ankle when her feet encountered a pothole. Though she fell to her knees, she managed to keep hold of her papers.
A couple of the pavement looked over to where she was knelt with raised eyebrows before they shuffled away and whispered to each other about the scene they had just witnessed.
With difficulty and pain etched upon her face, she forced herself back to her feet – despite her now injured ankle – and pushed forward towards the St. James church where she planned to Apparate from to find her way to Malfoy Manor. As she took a deep breath and saw the church come into view, she internally prayed that they weren't filming a muggle murder mystery show there. It would not do well for the secrecy of the wizarding world if a muggle film crew caught her disappearing.
Lightning cracked across the heavens once again as she stumbled forward into the grounds of the church. With another, heavy rumble, the clouds burst open and sent rain pouring down onto the head of the running woman.
"Bloody British weather," She cursed before she found her way to the back of the building. Luckily for her, the graveyard was empty with no-one to witness the magic she was about to cast. She leant forward, reached her hand up her skirt and pulled her wand from the welt at the top of her stocking and waved it in a circular motion. Her form warped and twisted as she transported herself from one space to another until she stumbled onto the gravel driveway of her destination. She winced as her ankle buckled on landing, and act which forced her to grab the hedge to her right to stabilise her. With a deep breath and a hard swallow, she continued forward down the path towards the wrought-iron gates that protected the Manor's grounds from intruders.
Said gates started to transform on her arrival until they resembled a face that looked upon her with disdain. "State your business!" It demanded in a deep, booming voice that shook the floor Hermione stood on.
She held the files close and stood tall to address the bewitched object before her. "I am here to visit Draco Malfoy. I am expected."
The face closed its eyes for a few seconds, before it opened them again before it shouted: "Entrance granted."
She walked through the open gates and forced a grimace towards it, as though to thank it for allowing her entry, and then trundled over the gravel, past the albino peacock and onwards to the front door. She raised her hand to knock on the polished wood, but it swung open inwardly before she could do so.
The hinges on the doors creaked before they slammed into the walls of the dimly lit hallway. The darkness ahead felt foreboding, but at the same time, the woman that stood on the doorstep knew that she must enter.
With echoing footsteps, she stepped inside and walked down the hall towards the bronze-handled door at the other end. She looked over her shoulder at all the pale-faced portraits that stared back.
Each one of Draco's ancestors looked at Hermione with disgust. Though she was sure none of them actual possessed the knowledge, the looks on their painted faces made her believe that they all knew – and disapproved – of her 'blood-status'.
The door she was heading towards became agape as the owner of the building pushed it from the other side. "Are you alone?" He asked as he studied the area behind her.
She nodded, "I am for now, but I don't know if they're still looking for me."
Malfoy bit his lip and tilted his head, "Fair enough," He then ushered her into the obscenely grand dining room and pulled the door to a close, "Remind me to teach you the salute for next time. It's far easier than quizzing the gate."
"I'd appreciate that," She muttered with a feeble smile before she dropped the case files onto the Malfoy's ostentatious dining table, "Is it okay for me to take my shoes off?" She asked as she gestured towards the patent heels she wore.
He cocked his brow and nodded, "Yes, that's fine."
She let out a sigh of relief and kicked said shoes off before she opened the first manila envelope. "I am going to get in so much trouble for this…" She muttered whilst she rubbed her temples.
He scoffed, "Hogwarts will always be with us, right?"
She raised her eyebrow as she turned to face him, "I was always trying to guide them onto the right path, but they never listened."
He chuckled and brushed his loose, long hair over his shoulder, "And now you are the one breaking the rules – without either of them influencing you."
Hermione placed her hand on her hip and clicked her tongue, "Do you want to know why your Dark Mark has reactivated or what?"
He cleared his throat and pulled out a chair for him to sit in, "I do, very much."
She followed his suit and took a seat beside him before she pushed a file with numerous photos of explosions in it towards him, "A few years back, the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office confiscated a whole line of mobile phones – all of which were enchanted with the Blasting Curse, Confringo. Needless to say, when the muggles tried to use their phones, they blew up in their faces."
A crease formed between Draco's brows as he listened to the story she told him. "What are these mobile phones?" He asked as he pointed to the moving photos of fire and smoke.
"That's unimportant," She hurriedly replied before she pulled more papers out to show him, "Here, you can see numerous cases where a muggle was used to accomplish violent acts upon other muggles whilst under the influence of Imperio, often resulting in the targets' deaths. They have put them down to terrorist attacks and the like thanks to our skills at the Ministry."
"And how does the muggle world affect us?" Malfoy asked, clearly frustrated.
"Because these are all organised hate crimes against the muggle community by a group of wizards." She then planted her elbows on the table and cradled her chin in her hands, "And where have we seen this before?"
He sat up straight as an epiphany struck him, "The Death Eaters," He managed to mumble in a voice thick with worry.
She placed a comforting hand on his forearm, though the next words she had to speak would offer him anything but solace, "Yes, or a new wave of them – Neo-Death Eaters, if you will." She furrowed her brow and grimaced, "Unfortunately, we have been unable to capture any of the wizard or witch perpetrators to confirm this theory. The muggles involved have, however, had their memories wiped and replaced, so they know nothing of it, but…" She stopped mid-sentence as she watched her companion's face twist in pain.
His grey eyes had started to water as they filled with an overwhelming sorrow and terror was etched into every part of his expression. "But, he is dead," He mumbled, on the verge of tears, "And not like last time. There is no chance of him returning." He continued to mumble, as though he were trying to convince himself.
Hermione moved her hand from his arm and down to hold onto his shaking fingers, "Draco, look at me," She said in a soothing tone, as she prepared to repeat the words she had said to him the last time they had met, "He fragmented his soul. There is –"
"– I know, there is nothing left of him to be alive." He interjected with a wavering tone, "I just…" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I need to take a moment." He then turned to her and squeezed her hand, "So, the long and short of it is: You couldn't actually find anything concrete."
"Not yet," She said optimistically, "but I promise you that I will do what I can to find out why your mark is doing that."
"Then I am going to pull my own weight," He announced, "If it is to do with Death Eaters again, I still have some ties to those who were left behind." He looked over his shoulder to where the hallway door remained open and his wife's portrait eyed him up suspiciously, "Astoria and I used to go to a group for those who were reformed. I could ask around with some of them, see if they know what's going on."
"Good idea," Hermione retorted with a smile on her face. As she studied Draco's face, she felt her heart leap in her chest. The palms of her hands that held his had become clammy as she started to fear the same thing that he was. The memories of the Battle of Hogwarts had come to her in her nightmares ever since she had fought amongst her friends, classmates and future family for the greater good. She could still see the monster's disturbing stare every time she closed her eyes.
Draco's hands trembled, and his breathing had become shallow as his anxiety levels peaked, but he still managed to put on a brave face for her once he noticed the fact she had become lost in a troublesome train of thought. "I have faith in you," He whispered as he bobbed his head down to look into her eyes, "I am going to do this because I know that if anyone can get to the bottom of this, then it will be you."
Her cheeks started to flush after he had complimented her, but she cleared her throat and formed a mumbled reply anyway, "Thank you." She then looked up to where the Malfoy's wall clock hung. When she saw what the time was, her breath caught in her throat. "I need to get going," She blurted as she hurriedly forced her shoes back on, left the table and headed towards the door. As she stretched her hand out to grab the bronze handle, she turned back to address her comrade, but found him fair closer than she had expected.
His nose nearly touched hers as he looked down at her surprised expression as her breath caressed his cheek. "I came to walk you out," He muttered before he swallowed hard.
She hastily nodded whilst the pounding in her chest began to override her brain's normal functionality, "Yeah, thanks." She squeaked at the same time as she pushed the door open.
The two of them walked down the hall in silence as all the portraits around them glared once again.
Hermione came to the conclusion that they hadn't previously disapproved of her, just of anything and everything that came into sight. She then stepped out onto the doorstep and sighed once she saw that the rain hadn't stopped. "I suppose I will arrive back at the Ministry of Magic in a soaked state." She grumbled to herself before she let her shoulders fall.
Draco stretched his arm out to a stand that held three umbrellas and passed one to the complaining Minister. "I can't allow that to happen."
She raised an eyebrow at the item he offered but didn't take it, instead, she pointed her want to her chest and cast the Impervius spell. She took one step to the side and into the downpour that now bounced off her body with ease.
"Oh," He whimpered as he returned the item to its previous place.
"I appreciate the offer though," She chirped with a smile upon her face, "Until next time."
He suddenly shouted incoherently to grab her attention before she could leave, then threw his arm into the air when he knew that her eyes were on him, "The salute!" He blurted, "For next time, of course."
She repeated the salute and clicked her tongue, "I've got it." She then turned on her heel and strode towards the wrought-iron gates to make her exit.
Three Apparations later, Hermione found her way back to the Ministry of Magic and was instantly bombarded by the men that acted as her bodyguards.
"Minister, we have a situation that you need to be briefed on," The first, muscular man said. His black eyes narrowed before he tilted his head slightly so that the grease in his black hair shone in the building's light, "Firstly, where have you been?"
"I went home," She lied before she strode past the men that flanked her, "What do I need to be briefed on?" She continued in hopes that her rushed question would distract the man from his own.
"Stanley Shunpike's body was found last night," He said in a matter of fact tone, "In fact, it was his skeleton that was found – the body had been cannibalised."
Hermione stopped in her tracks and spun round to face the speaker, "Garm Bulstrode, is this information accurate?" When he nodded his head, her eyes grew even wider, "How do we know it is him if he was only a skeleton?"
"Because the perpetrator left his head behind."