Chapter 4
Hermione followed the killer, he was fast however she was in better shape and knew how to chase a suspect on foot. Finally catching up with him he turned around to stare at her. They were in between two buildings, just beyond the parking lot that served Little and the Stevens buildings. To her right was an engineering building, across a memorial that housed a metal sculpture of what looked like thick chicken wire put at an angle with a large church bell built into the side of it Hermione could see Neville, a primarily English and Math building. To her left she knew there to be another building, he would have to leave this area on foot as he had run past the parking lot and there was no through way for a car to exit from around here.
"Stop. I order you." Her tone was one that she hadn't used since the War. Hermione thought that he smirked at her, though he couldn't see due to a hood hiding his face. He was wearing a black sweatshirt hoodie with the Greek letters for Delta Tau Delta, more commonly known as DTD. The sweatshirt seemed to swallow him due to the excessive size of it, and she noticed his right sleeve was embellished with his brother number, a number unique to only him in the entire nation wide fraternity. The number read like a bad story, 103181. Her breath caught in her chest, that number when broken up read the date that changed wizarding world history.
"That's not who you are." She said finally. Hermione could feel his arrogance. "I know the boy that belongs to that number, he is much larger than you." That number belonged to the brother Philip Gastrone, she knew it was his number because it was in his email signature, 'Proud Brother number 103181 of Delta Tau Delta'.
"Yes, but you'll never figure out who I am." That voice, she knew that voice but couldn't pinpoint it. "Now, I would get back to that agent of yours."
"Why?" Hermione asked cautiously taking a step forward, maybe she could wandlessly disable him and then wipe his memory of it. She hated fixing memories, but he had killed five innocent muggles already.
"Because that slut is wearing Lyonius' necklace." Hermione turned and ran, leaving the murderer to flee. She ran harder than she had ever run in her entire life and slammed into the outside door of Little Hall. Gripping both handles of the metal French doors she pulled with all of her might, they wouldn't budge. No one would be in the building at this point. She started crying and finally gave in the urge of using magic.
With a silent spell the doors unlocked and she flew through them in order to reach Spencer, there was no way she would let him die. Wrenching opening the door to the room she could see that he had collapsed and heard the voice from the cell phone next to him asking for status. Unable to help herself she whispered, "Spencer." Racing down the stairs to him she knelt hastily by his side. Touching his forward she could feel that he was clammy.
Reaching into the never-ending pocket in her skirts she pulled out her wand. Mindful of cellphone being so close she murmured a powerful healing spell that she had learned from Bill Weasley. The Lyonius necklace came from the Greek tale of Lyonius the Terror. He would give his victims necklaces, or bracelets, small trinkets that were to be worn by the women that he killed. As long as they wore the necklace the poison, from a rarely seen desert plant, wouldn't kill them. Once skin was exposed to the poison they would have to wear it forever, be in contact with it forever or die a very painful death. She could guess that Spencer had been drawn to touch it due to his curious nature and then released it upon realizing he had tampered, if only slightly with the evidence and protocol.
She summoned an empty bottle that contained traces of the antidote. Since discovering this poison it had been her greatest fear and always kept antidotes in a summoning enhanced box in her house. This box meant she would be able to summon it from anywhere to anywhere. Due to the healing spell, she needed but a trace of the antidote to help him. Opening the bottle she stuck her pinky into the container and then traced it gently across his lips. Lifting her finger away she imposed her will upon him so that he would lick his lips, his body and mind complied. His skin, which had turned deathly sallow, had some colour return to it.
Putting her wand back in her pocket she grabbed some hand sanitizer and opened it. Pouring it generously over his hands and whatever else could have touched the pendant she worked it in tirelessly. Once this was done her emotions overwhelmed her, Hermione the Strong, Hermione the Valiant put her head in her hands and cried. The door at the top of the stairs burst open with agents leading the way with guns. Hermione found herself unable to compose her emotions and continued to cry as the FBI agents continued to stare at her in uncomfortable silence.
A weak hand placed itself on her lap and she picked her tear stained face up out of her hands to stare at Spencer. His eyes were still shut, obviously in pain, but he chose to comfort her in the best way that he could as he was too weak to hold her hand, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least let her know that he was okay. Hermione wiped her face with her shirtsleeve and gripped Spencer's hand with understanding.
"Don't touch her necklace." Hermione said at last refusing to remove her eyes from Spencer. Both of their forms were still disarrayed, in the light she could make out the dark stain on the front of his pants- a wonderful evening that could have ended much better.
"Why?" One of the agents asked, she turned and looked at him, he looked at her. He was obviously older than all the agents present and was the only one to not carry a gun.
"It's poisoned. I only had enough of the antidote for one person with me." She watched the other agents tense.
"Spencer will be okay." She leaned a hand down and cupped Spencer's face in a way that made the BAU uncomfortable, as if they were intruding on a moment not meant for the public's eye.
"How do you know?" It was the only other woman present who asked, hands still poised and ready to shoot. Hermione looked up at her with dead eyes, this whole emotionally draining situation really taking its toll on her.
"He told me."
"Who told you?" This must be the 'Hotch' that Spencer had told her about.
"The killer, excuse me- the unsub."
The agents started with surprise and at once had their guns trained on her.
"Get away from Reid." The either black or darkly Hispanic male told her. Hermione hesitated, she couldn't leave him. Right now whether Spencer knew it or not, he was her strength.
"Leave her alone, Morgan." Spencer's voice was very weak, however it caught the attention of everyone in the room. He opened his eyes weakly and then tried to sit. Instantly, like an old nurse maid, Hermione was there holding him and helping him sit. "Jane chased him." He tilted his head up from where it rested on her chest, "You caught him?"
Hermione shook her head and was unable to hide the sadness on her face, she had no energy for anger, "I caught up with him, I could have had him, but I let him go."
"You let him go?" Hotch's voice was dubious.
"Why?" The question came from the man in her arms.
A tear landed on his face, then another.
"He told me what she was wearing, the necklace of Lyonius. The necklace comes from old Greek stories. This particular necklace is laced with poison, so long as the victim wears the necklace he or she lives. If the source of the poison is removed, the person will die a painful and rapid death." She looked down at Spencer, "You touched it."
Spencer closed his eyes, "I just wanted to get a better look at it. I knew I should have worn gloves." He left the statement hanging.
"And you just happen to have the antidote on you?"
Hermione made a sound deep in her throat and another tear fell. "It is my biggest fear. Nothing scares me in my life so much as that necklace. I always carry the antidote on me. My office and home have plenty other antidotes as well."
"Why?" The woman asked suspiciously.
"I do not fear death from physical violence, I can fight that, but a poison?" Hermione shook her head, "Too many good people die from being poisoned. I won't be one of them."
The room grew silent until Hermione spoke again, "Your killer was wearing a DTD sweatshirt, Delta Tau Delta," she amended herself at their looks, "However it wasn't his."
"And you would know this, how?" The man, definitely Hispanic or maybe even Mediterranean looking asked.
"It was too large on him, by two or three sizes."
"So what?" It was the other non-Caucasian man; "People wear too big clothes all the time."
"His brother number. It belongs to a student of mine. 103181. He ends his emails that contain his homework with his brother numbers. This young man was not him."
Things happened rapidly from there, Spencer was taken to the Bangor hospital for observation and the team- and Hermione went with him, though no one trusted the young woman. It was obvious, by their appearance (no one had missed the obvious ejaculation stain on Reid's clothing) that they had been intimate of some kind, thus they did not know how to treat her. How were they to deal with a possibly suspect who one of their team members was in a relationship with?
They waited at the hospital for hours, pacing and wanting Spencer to be okay. He slept on, undisturbed, as test results would not be available for at least eight hours. Ten hours and the okay went by, finally Spencer was up and around, or rather being pushed in a wheel chair by either Morgan or Prentiss. This was when something strange happened, a man with red hair burst into Spencer's room with a facial expression near terror and obvious anger.
"Bill." The strained relief in Hermione's voice was evident so much that emotional pain resonated on Spencer's face. They hugged in a way that made the other agents nervous, was this a husband? Had this woman been playing with Reid's emotions? The others excused themselves out after a look from Hotch and even Spencer left. The agents found themselves (not to Hermione and Bill's knowledge) in the security area watching the footage that came to them from the video camera stationed in the corner of the room.
"Bill." They separated and Hermione felt tears run down her face. "How did you know?"
"Kingsley has been keeping tabs on you."
"To make sure I don't mess up?" Hermione asked bitterly as she sat heavily on the hemp blanket covered bed.
"To make sure you are safe." Bill's tone left the agents to believe that though he cared for Jane he didn't think much of her taking care of herself.
"I am doing fine, and if you all would just clear the area maybe I would be able to catch this guy. He's been under the radar ever since these killings started."
"We think that you should abandon this case and come home." The shock on Hermione's face was evident and she jumped up off the bed and started pacing.
"No! No. No." She kept repeating that single worded answer before turning to the older red headed man, "I have been under cover on this goddamn case for too long. Five years, Bill. Five!"
"And maybe you're too involved here."
"And maybe you're too involved here." She mimicked back to him immaturely.
"See! You have no professional ability. All you are good for is sitting behind a desk and giving the real agents the knowledge that comes out of that over packed brain of yours." Hermione stopped and looked at him, obviously heart broken.
"You don't mean that, Bill."
"Yes, I do. Affiliating yourself with muggles. Don't even think that we don't know what you were doing with that man in that classroom. You're lucky the killer broke that up before we did."
"So, you saw him." She sounded shocked, "You saw him carrying that girl- dead, and you did nothing?"
Bill shrugged, "Not my case, not my problem." He looked at her, "Not our jurisdiction. An arrest made by us would not do anything."
The agents watching this scene unfold looked back at Spencer for his reaction. To be caught doing something sexual had to be on his list of worst possible moments of his life. His face, his eyes were so deep with sadness that each agent had to turn away.
"You know we can't leave them with knowledge of you. They will have to be taken care of." The team tensed, but watched as Jane pulled a gun from her pocket.
Hermione pulled her wand from her pocket and held it poised against Bill. "I will die before you hurt those people." She looked at him with contempt. "They are innocents, Bill! I will not let you- or anyone harm them."
"Really?" Bill looked at her as a parent did a child, with supremacy.
"You forget, Bill Weasley. I out rank you and I am better than you in just about, " She paused, "No, in everything."
"Getting arrogant, I see." He grinned at her and removed his own wand from his pocket and held it poised against her. "You really want this battle? With the whole ministry after you?"
"You really want this battle?" She asked him in return, "I fear not the ministry. The ministry fears me." The way the she looked at him, the agents watching the videos saw him flinch and his body language change.
"You'd be willing to go rogue over this, silly matter?"
Hermione spun her wand through her fingers; this was now a matter of keeping him occupied and talking. She knew that her old friend was just scared, scared of what- she didn't know, but his actions, his insults were not something that he truly believed. "Are you willing to take me on over this, silly matter?"
Bill looked at her in fear.
"Bill, please." Her tone took on a different emotion and she took a step forward. "You and I have been friends for far too long. What has changed, I know deep down you don't believe your words for they are not your own." She gave him a knowing look, "They are the words of another."
Bill looked at her pained and then pointed to his chest and traced a line over his shirt, not touching, all the way up to his ear. Hermione nodded and reached into her pocket and drew out something that looked like a mechanical spider.
The BAU agents watched as Jane pulled out something and attach it to her gun, then fiddled with her weapon for a few more moments it was as though they were all frozen in place watching the scene. Jane pointed her gun at him and fired. The blast was silent and they watched as the man, Bill, stumble back into a table. A cup fell to the floor and everything became silent, then seemingly miraculously the man straightened, obviously unharmed.
"You can speak freely, my friend. I have disabled your listening device."
"She must have shot something like a high frequency distributor to disrupt the sound." Morgan said quietly leaning closer to the screen.
"But our feed hasn't been effected." Rossi said just as quiet.
"It must be short ranged." Morgan paused, "Brilliant."
Bill's facial expression changed to one that was relaxed. "I'm so sorry, H. Really, I am. I didn't want to say what I said but-"
Hermione shook her head, "There's nothing to apologize for, and I should have seen the issue sooner. I would have, if I wasn't," she paused, "distracted."
Bill glanced at her slyly. "I wasn't making that part up you know." He grinned at her, "It was nice to see you finally getting some action." Hermione's face turned crimson and she shoved her wand back in her pocket.
Burying her face in her hands she groaned, "You really saw that?"
Bill's grin widened, "Every part. Though when he started touching you like that, I had to look away. Too much like my sister getting some action." Hermione snorted.
"Bill, had I married your brother like everyone intended me to, I would be your sister."
Bill looked at her more seriously, "I can keep this off your back for a while, but I can't guarantee a good outcome. You're playing a dangerous game."
Hermione raised her head from her hands, "I would appreciate that, Bill. That man is incredible. He makes me feel so alive, and I think-" She paused and breathed deeply, "I think that he would accept me, that he wouldn't mind these scars of mine."
"He hasn't seen them?" Bill asked.
Hermione shook her head, "What we did, " Hermione blushed, "It was too dark for either of us to see clearly, and I of course never wear anything that would expose them. I mean, how could I explain it? 'Oh, these? Yeah, they're just extreme burns. How'd I get them? Oh, you know. The usual- fighting crime.'" She put her head in her hands again.
She looked up, "Bill, last spring I took a group of students will be to Cairo, Egypt remember? They helped me do research on that area you had excavated. Do you remember any of them seeming off? In a killer way, seeming off." Bill seemed to think.
"I don't recall, but then again I don't recall much about them." Hermione shook her head dejectedly.
"I believe the one who is committing these murders was on that trip. I didn't think so until tonight, I knew his voice when he spoke to him. I could have caught him, Bill. I should have." Her shoulders sagged, "But I just couldn't let Spencer die. Not that way, not by that poison. Not alone."
"God, lady." Bill sat down on the bed next to her, "You've got it bad for him. And, don't apologize for not letting him die."
"But I let the killer get away. I could have taken him. Right now he could be in custody."
"And you will get that chance, or they will catch him without your help- either way you still have that lanky nerdy bastard who has caught your fancy." Bill hugged her around one shoulder and then stood.
"I'll need you to reactivate the device now. We'll say that we ended at a draw and I threatened to blah, blah, blah." Hermione looked up at him.
"Who put the wire on you? Who wants me off the case?"
Bill shook his head, "It's not who wants you off the case, it's who wants you in prison."
Hermione stood and rummaged in her pocket for some tools to remove her spider patcher. "Political then." She reached for Bill to remove her jammer and he caught her wrist. Looking deep in her eyes he sighed.
"You could come home, marry my brother. You know he'd still take you."
Hermione shook her head and took back her appendage. "See, that's just the thing about Ron. He'll take me, he'll do me the 'honor', he'll sacrifice himself in order to make me his little house wife." Her words were bitter; "I'm better than that, even if he'll never see. I will never be a bare foot housewife ready to birth and rear his children. I have worked too hard in my life for that, and he hasn't worked nearly hard enough to get me."
Bill looked at her knowingly, "And, of course. There's this guy here, the lank yank?" Hermione blushed, "You're playing with fire, H." He smiled, "But then again, you knew that." Taking a deep breath Bill finally said, "Alright my plain Jane. Unjam me so I can stomp out of here and explain to Kingsley why I haven't brought you home gagged and hog tied."
Hermione stared back at him sadly, "I'll never be able to go back to the ministry will I?"
Bill looked at her for a long time before speaking, "Probably not. You're choosing this government over your own. Most of us will understand, but the people that won't have too much power. Not even Harry can help you now." Hermione looked crestfallen, "I said, 'probably', remember? There's chance that you can come back. Draw this scum bag out of hiding and maybe the ministry will accept you back with open arms." Hermione scoffed, but said nothing else while she worked away.
The spider patcher was her own invention, it jammed the magical signal that both fed and recorded the conversations. With this jam, it was as though time stopped and when it was reactivated it continued to record as if nothing happened. The wire reactivated she stepped back, her voice hard with the emotion of probably saying 'goodbye' to her friend forever.
"Weasley, I give you and your dirty blood thirty seconds to leave my sight before I kill you and leave your head on Albus Dumbledore's grave."
Bill looked back at her just as hard, though she could see the sadness. "Your blood is filthy, from no good parents. A useless chit who is no better than she aught to be who would be better off dead than alive- like the rest of you worthless scum bottom feeders. Mark my words, your class, your people will be stricken from the world of good people."
"People like you?" She sneered, hating herself.
"People like me, with good genealogy. I can trace my family back for centuries. What can you do? Nothing, because you come from nothing and you will leave this world with nothing." With one last pleading look Bill stormed out and Hermione collapsed on the bed in tears.