A/n: So I hope you enjoy this chapter! More plot development, as well as bits of problems and drama. I worked on this chapter for a bit to make sure it worked well with the next one. You can always check me out on facebook if you want! The link is up on my profile. Thanks to my beta Morbidkitten2!


Laying a Rose Down

Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground

She was braiding her daughter's hair the following morning when she realized all she had created was a knot. Her mind was elsewhere, focused on a man who wanted her to join a section of the Ministry she rarely heard about, all on the off chance that she might be able to discover her husband's murderer. It was a task that might emotionally scar her, but ever since she encountered the scene of Lavender and Neville yesterday, her mind wouldn't spew clean thoughts. She was conflicted more than ever.

"Mommy that hurts," Rose said, rubbing at her scalp. Hermione hadn't even noticed that she was tugging the girl's hair free of the knot until she complained. Instantly, she felt bad for her moment of neglect.

"I'm sorry," she said sweetly, picking up her wand to use a spell to finish untangling the curls. "I'm just not thinking too well this morning."

Rose glanced at her mother as she stood up, rubbing her sore scalp. "You have been funny lately, ever since that guy came over. What did he want?"

"Just to speak," Hermione replied quickly, putting the brushes away.

"But you were upset," Rose pointed out, crossing her small arms. "Why?"

If anything, her daughter took after the brunette herself. She paid far too much attention for a child so young. It was nice to see that the child would be like her someday, she only wished this high intelligence shown through a bit later. It wasn't helping this difficult situation so far to have a daughter who was so intuitive all the time. Nice, but not helpful recently.

"I'm taking you over to Uncle Harry's in a few hours," she continued, watching the child's face fall. "I have something to handle. But when I return home, I think perhaps we could plan a movie night."

To that, Rose brightened. Ron may have always found the contraption cumbersome, but their daughter adored the muggle creation. Hermione was happy that the girl accepted that side of her heritage so easily. "Really?"

"Really, really," Hermione replied, kissing her daughters head. Cries rose up from the other room, alerting the mother that Hugo was awake. It would be about time to feed the infant, and that would put them at the ideal time to go see Harry. "Go watch something for a bit while I feed Hugo, and then I will take you over to your Uncle's to hang out with James and Albus."

The girl still looked a bit sad that her mother would not remain around the house longer, but this time she did not argue. Hurrying away, the tired woman sighed. Life seemed to be hanging over her head.


"Good to see you again," Malfoy said when she arrived later. She nodded to him once, her heart feeling heavy as she stepped into the office. It felt almost like a betrayal to her late husband to so willingly enter a place that Malfoy dwelled when the pair were enemies for so long. Ron's blood might just boil over at the prospect if he were still alive.

But he wasn't alive anymore, and that was the big difference in things. She was doing this to solve the mystery behind his death, and avenge him. She would suck up her feelings as best she could and even possibly push Lavender's insulting news post out of her mind if it just meant that she could have peace with the situation, and right the wrong that was administered to her husband.

"You came back faster than I thought you would," he said, sitting behind the desk. She sat rod straight across from him, unwilling to let her guard down. "You can be full of surprises."

"I'm not the person you once knew," she reminded simply. "I am a widow, and I have offspring. I have a job that has disowned me until they think I am in a better mind to return, and I can't wander anywhere without being bothered by someone." She shrugged. "I grew up. You knew me as a youth, not an adult."

The blonde cocked his head at the end of her rant. "Fair enough. It has been many years since we spoke outside these last few days, and I know nothing of you anymore. But keep in mind that it also means that you know nothing of me."

She nodded only once. "I've come back because I've decided to take up your proposal. I know I said I would owl, but this seemed like a better option. I want to get started as quickly as possible, but I don't want to have to wait. I figured this would be the easiest option."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "I at least appreciate your eagerness to do something with this, but don't jump into something you can't handle so willingly. You don't always know how you will react to things. And nothing about this case will be gentle on you."

The woman flinched. "I'm aware, and I'm not asking it to be. Death is horrific; nothing about it is beautiful. I'm going to have to accept that if I plan to assist you in discovering my husband's killer."

He smirked. "I'm surprised at you. Many women would not be brave enough to handle a situation like this so boldly. You're gutsy, if not a little foolish."

"I'm just trying to avenge him."

"Avenge and revenge are very similar things Ms. Weasely. Just remember that when you battle your nightmares."

She cringed. "I know."

It grew silent as he flipped a page over, scribbling something in elegant handwriting quickly on the back as she let her thoughts settle in. He didn't say a word as he wrote, and half a moment later he was up and out of his chair, brushing past her spot to walk to the door. He opened it and disappeared for several moments. She took the few blissful pauses of solitude to compose herself.

She was actually going to go through with this. She was going to swallow her fear and try to help her husband in his death. Hermione only hoped she could keep her composure.

"I want to come!" She was started from the silence as the childlike voice interrupted any train of thought she had, piercing through her mind. She adjusted in the chair, attempting to peer out the door.

"I'm working right now," Came the voice of Malfoy, and she noticed a shadow in the hall. "I'm dealing with someone right now Scorpius; I can't just stop and take you places. I got you a maid for a reason; you can't just give her your allowance to convince her to bring you here whenever you please. I can't drop everything I'm doing."

She heard a soft thud on the ground, and assumed that this childlike figure stomped his foot- Scorpius, that was his name. She recalled reading something in the papers some time ago, announcing the birth of Malfoy's child. Perhaps this was the boy.

"You never drop what you're doing! You're always busy." She could hear the pout in his voice and frowned. The child was clearly upset.

There was a sigh. "Come on," came a grumble, and a moment later Malfoy walked back through the door, a child trailing behind him. The boy was the spitting image of her former enemy, and she knew instantly this truly had to be his son.

"Scorpius," Draco said a professional tone back in his voice, "this is Hermione G-Weasely. I'm working with her on a few things. Say hello."

The child gave her a once-over, scowling, before he sneered. "Hello Miss Weasely."

From the child's lack of manners, she assumed he got his charm from his father. Draco however, didn't look too pleased by the behavior.

"Mind yourself," Was all he said, nodding towards a chair on the other wall. "Sit down and be quiet. I'll take you home at lunch. You know better than to come here like this."

The child scowled again and sulked over to her chair. Hermione studied the blonde head as he walked. He was stout, and she assumed he could only be about a year older than her daughter. Though if the child was already manipulating people with money, she feared the monster he would be when he was older.

"Back to business," Draco said, interrupting her musings. "As I was saying Gr-Weasely, be weary of what is to come. My boss requested to speak to you once you accepted, and I will have to take you up to speak to him before I can start introducing you to anything. We shall go speak to him now."

Standing, she wondered if this was where the child wanted to go, but didn't ask. She attempted to smile at the boy as they departed, but he wasn't even looking at her. Giving up for the time being, she followed Draco Malfoy down the halls, silently standing beside him as they took an elevator up a few floors. He said nothing to her on the way, and she wondered if that was a good sign. When they arrived outside a door, he paused in front of her.

Turning, he raised an eyebrow. "Good luck. Try to not get on his bad side."

"What does that mean?" she asked, looking at him. He only shook his head, stepping back from the door.

"Don't ask. I'm sure you will figure it out. Now just knock and when you get called in state your business. He already knows why you're here, so it shouldn't take too long for you to get things over with."

Her eyebrows shot up. "And you're not coming in with me?"

The blonde's jaw clenched noticeably. "I haven't gotten along with him recently. I'll leave this up to you. Do you know the way back to my office?"

"Three floors down, first left, then the fifth door on the right. I'll be fine getting back." Her tone was bitter, and she glared at him. He couldn't just suck it up and introduce her to this unknown boss of his like a professional. His actions seemed a bit childlike.

"Good. In your absence I will be taking my son home. I should be back long before you ever come back down."

"Lovely," she muttered, and watched him go. She wasn't nervous about whoever this man was; she just wasn't excited about meeting him. Sighing, she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Came the call from inside.

"Hermione Granger," she said clearly, feeling like an idiot as she spoke into a piece of wood, "Draco Malfoy sent me up here."

"Come in." She opened the door, masking her face to keep the look of annoyance off her face. This man spoke in a pinched voice, as though he thought he was better than everyone else. It was only after she shut the door that she glanced his way.

The man sat behind a desk, poised as though he had been expecting her. For a boss he didn't look snooty or even composed. His tie was completely undone around his neck, and the buttons on what had to have been a crisp shirt were done up unevenly. The rest of his attire looked alright, aside from the very obvious mistakes. She didn't even bother trying to consider what he had been doing before she arrived.

Glancing at the desk, something caught her eye as she approached. The nameplate was done in gold, the letters printed scripted neatly. Her eyebrows shot up as she read the name.

Theodore Nott. She looked up again, and she caught him watching her. Wordlessly, he beckoned to a seat and she took it without complaint, a bit thrown suddenly by who she was with.

Nott had been a Death Eater like Malfoy during the war. But unlike the blonde downstairs, Theo spent time in Azkaban for murder. He was released only by a plea voiced from a war hero, though the name of who was never disclosed to the public. The man had been a student back at Hogwarts, a sneaky Slytherin who spent far too much time manipulating his peers into bed for his own good. He got in trouble more than a few times for indecent behavior, yet women kept coming to him. She didn't understand. It was just like the Malfoy conundrum; people swooned over him in school despite his treacherous ways. It never added up in her mind.

But this wasn't school, and they did not converse. Tentively taking a seat in front of this man, Draco's boss, she waited for him to say something. Instead, he looked her over a bit too closely. Irritated at his apparent thoughts, she cleared her through and brought him back into reality.

He looked up at her, bringing himself back to the present. "Hello Mrs. Weasely- or Granger? I'm not certain what you go by now."

Hermione got that a lot. No one seemed to know what to call her those days. "Weasely," she said promptly, having been using the name every day since she found her husband dead. Just because he was dead did not mean that she would stop carrying his name. That seemed like a disrespect in itself. "Malfoy told me you wanted to speak with me before we began any actual work."

"At least he's following directions for once," Nott said with an eye roll. "Draco can be hard-headed and self-determined at times. All that money goes to his head. He doesn't truly need this job; he simply uses it as a hobby."

"I see," she said simply, unsure whether or not she was supposed to give an actual response to that.

Theo nodded to her. "I trust he did a half-decent job explaining this situation to you?"

"Yes. He was rather… blatant about what taking up your offer would entail."

"It's to my understanding that you have taken a leave of absence from work?" Theo continued, leaning forward on his desk. "I think it would be in your favor to not push yourself under such stressful circumstances. You don't want to have a mental breakdown, especially when you have two young children at home to consider."

Hermione shifted in her chair at that. She didn't quite know why, but having Nott talk about her children was unsettling. She didn't like it one bit. "Yes, I have. My job has decided that I should take the proper time to grieve. And considering the proposition you have offered to me, you know of the drama arising from my husband's murder. The publicity was bad for my division in the Ministry."

"Image before emotion," Theo mused. "Sounds like our world. They don't want you up there because you exist as something that will pull bad publicity to your division. Fortunately for you, you will not be removed from this job division due to publicity. No one is to know that you are working with this case."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Well of course! Do you think it's in anyone's best interest to openly admit that we are working with the widow of Ronald Weasely on the git's case? That would draw far too much attention. No, my last intention in this process is to cause you harm. And I fear you would know quite a bit more pain than you have ever known if the killer of your husband learned that you are pursuing him."

"You know it's a male then?" she asked, looking surprised. Gender had never been a big deal to her, not when she could only think about her husband's blood on someone's hands. Gender seemed obsolete.

"No," Nott replied with a frown. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have worded it like that. We know very little about this killer, that's why we need you. I know it's a lot to ask of you given the circumstances, but it could be crucial to have you here. We don't know who could be next."

Her eyes widened. "Next?"

Nott grimaced. "I see that Draco didn't go that far into the details. Some of the tip-off's we have received indicate that there might be another murder soon to come. That's when things got truly dangerous. If our killer doesn't stop at one, who says that they will stop at two? There could be twenty more people on a list of victims that we don't know about. That's why I enlisted you. Admittedly, you are one of the brightest witches of our time. Your knowledge is untouchable. The fact that you went into a division focusing on magical creatures is disappointing, but not unexpected. Your skills would be of more use up here though, in investigation and research. That's why you're here now, after all."

"I'm aware," she said, though her tone was quieter than before. He could tell from the far off distance in her eyes that she was thinking about his words, the new bits of information that he gave to her. Perhaps Draco was a smart man for skimming over the details, but Theo was not one to downsize the gruesome truth to anyone. If she was going to help them, she had a right to know these sorts of things.

"I shall keep up my end of the bargain as well," Nott continued, folding his hands. "Brown's publicity shall be limited soon, if not cut off entirely. We will be opening a case on her soon as well. The claims she is making and announcing throughout Europe could be the means of a lawsuit for you if she is truly lying. And I believe she is."

To this, she seemed to liven up a bit. He wondered if her mind just needed to hear some good news about getting Lavender fucked over. He wouldn't blame her if that was the case. "That's something good at the very least."

"Indeed," he replied, glancing at the clock. "I however can't dwell in this conversation much longer. I had you come up here today to ensure that you would be mentally sound enough to handle something like this. Draco might think that I'm a bastard at times, but I can have a heart. I'm thinking about your stability and mental capacities in this case, aren't I?"

"You are," she agreed, smoothing down her hair. "I simply think Malfoy doesn't know how to speak to me after all these years. Our time at Hogwarts may have forever severed our ability to see each other in a different light. He's not icy, but he is not friendly either."

"Sounds like Draco," Nott mused. "I remember you from our school years- who couldn't? Top of everything in our class, save potions. That was always Draco. It's a wonder he didn't become a Potion Master or something with his skills. That's a lifestyle I could've predicated him taking, but not this one."

Hermione nodded. This was strange; they were reminiscing about childhood. And they never really knew each other as children. It was odd to dwell on things like that, but if nothing else it was the soul connection they had, even if it was a bit strained. She wondered if it mattered.

"I have a meeting though at noon," Nott said, standing. She glanced at the clock, noting that it was five 'til. "It's just up in the Auror section. I assume Draco told you how to return to his office?"

"Yes."

"Good. It's your choice if you would like to start today. I'll give you a bit of time to stick your feet in and test the waters of things before I expect you to dive in. If you want to be a part of this case you must be committed."

"I'm aware," she said briskly, irritated that he was still lecturing her. The man seemed to pick up on her tone, and smiled softly at her.

"I suppose that's enough for now. I'll keep in touch, Hermione Weasely."

"As will I," she replied, bidding him goodbye. They parted ways outside the door, and she almost felt relieved when he was gone. There was something strange about Theodore Nott, she just couldn't place her finger on what it was.


A/n: Here's chapter 4! I hope you liked it. Please leave a review; they have majorly decreased and I adore getting to hear what all of you have to think! Thoughts on it? He was rather…