Chapter 11

"When were you going to tell me that Anthea is missing?" Ginny said, her arms crossed over her chest.

Hermione rummaged through her dresser and grabbed a fresh set of clothes. She had been wearing the same outfit for so long that it actually stunk. She pushed past the redhead and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Ginny continued ranting but Hermione ignored her out as she peeled off her clothes and did a quick cleansing charm. The brunette pulled on the new clothes and opened the door, surprising her flatmate who was still going on about something or the other.

"I am not at liberty to discuss the case with you," Hermione said as she went back into her room to grab her things. "We are doing everything in our power to find her and that's all you are authorized to know."

Ginny barred her from leaving her bedroom. "She is our best friend. It's just like you to shut me out of something like this! Is this why Harry got a Patronus yesterday?"

This made Hermione pause. "What were you doing with Harry?"

"He came over to see you, upset and injured. I offered to listen as a friend and I did."

"Yeah right. Not too long ago, you were telling me that you still had hope that you would end up together. Harry's going through a tough time and he doesn't need your shit in his life right now."

"Thanks, Hermione. I'm glad that you think so kindly of me. I'm not looking for anything more than friendship," she said, before changing the conversation again. "What can I do to help with the search?"

Hermione huffed. "Nothing, Ginny. I'm trying to get to work so that I can do my job and find her. I get what you're going through, but you need to let me go."

The redhead looked at her for a minute before dropping her arm. Hermione rushed past her, her work bag sliding down her arm as she grabbed the floo powder and disappeared into the green flames. She didn't have time to deal with Ginny, Harry, and personal drama. Finding Anthea was more important and she could feel the hours slipping past too quickly.

When she arrived back at the Ministry, she rushed towards the lift and it felt like an eternity passed before she reached the office. She pushed opened the door to see that Malfoy, Harry, and Ron were still sorting through the documents.

"You didn't sleep," Harry said, sighing.

Hermione took a pile of files and settled close to Malfoy. "My best friend is missing. I'm not sleeping until she is found."

"At least you smell better," the blond said. "It was really touch and go for a little while there."

She ignored him and started reading. Hermione had been relieved when Ron arrived with the MagicMatch stuff but the excitement quickly faded when she had a look at the files. To help give the users more anonymity, each person was given a number to identify who they were. Instead of having 'on May 1, Peter and Victoria matched' it said 'on May 1, user 12852 matched with user 23018'. There was only one sheet that had all the names assigned to the numbers. Hermione made everyone a copy, but it slowed them down as they had to look up each number.

It wasn't enough finding out which number the girls were. They had to find each match (it was sorted by date, not by users) that the victims were a part of and find the common person that had matched with all of them. The problem was the amount of people that used the service. Also, MagicMatch had been created five years ago with the company really taking off three years ago. It was taking too long to sort through everything.

She hoped that Anthea was holding on. They were so close.


He was worried about Hermione. She was acting like everything was normal and Draco was nervous for when she reached her breaking point. He was a realist and he doubted that they would find her friend in time. There was too much information to sift through, too much they didn't fucking know. He hated how the game changed just as they were starting to close in on the killer. Draco refused to call the murderer by the name the public gave him. The killer was looking for attention, for fame and the blond would not give him that.

Although he had his doubts, there was still the chance they would find her. Potter was working on the case and the man had Felix Felicis shoved up his arse. It had been vexing when they were children and had been adversaries, but it was handy now that they were on the same side. He hoped for his partner's sake that Potter pulled through for them again.

He didn't know what would happen to their team if Anthea wasn't found.


Ron stared at the number in his file and stared at the lists on the wall. To be on the safe side, he squinted one more time before scrambling up.

"I found it! User 78201 has been linked to the victims and to Anthea," he said, showing the team is file and using his wand to show where that user showed up on each of the lists.

Malfoy searched through the reference sheet before cursing. "I knew that it was him. Didn't I tell you that I had a bad feeling?"

"But his alibi checked out," Hermione said, once she saw the name.

"Just because he signed into the Ministry doesn't mean that he was actually here. The Unspeakables are very secretive about their work. Hermione and I will talk to the Head Unspeakable and see if there's a possibility that Perry could have slipped out unnoticed."

"I'll interview other girls that he matched up with," Malfoy said.

"And I will get a warrant and search his house. We need to find out where he's holding her," Ron said. He noticed that Nate looked a little lost. He was worried about his friend and knew that Nate needed to be a part of this. "Nate, why don't you stick with me. We have a lot of work ahead of us and it'll help me if I have a second set of eyes."

Harry nodded. "Good idea. Send a Patronus if any of you guys have a lead."

Everyone left, each having their jobs to do and feeling the clock ticking. They had twelve hours left.


Hermione grumbled as she waited for the receptionist to alert the Head Unspeakable to their presence. Before they could interrogate him, Harry and Hermione had to run it past Hendry first. Their boss wasn't content to give them his blessing without an explanation. He wanted a full report since the killer had first reached out to Hermione. She was chomping at the bit to go but she had to wait as Harry went through everything with the man. After almost an hour passed, they were given permission to interrogate the Head Unspeakable.

"I'm going to lose it on someone," Hermione whispered to Harry.

He shook his head. "If you do, Hendry will force me to keep you in the office. I know it's taking more time than we thought, but we're doing the best that we can."

"I know, but I feel like I'm letting her down."

"Never. Anthea knows that you're doing everything in your power to find her."

The receptionist appeared and led them through the winding corridors until they reached an office. This department was nicer than any Hermione had seen so far and she knew that this is where the Ministry allocated most of their funds. The Head Unspeakable was waiting for them, the only person that wasn't wearing a hood to obscure his features. He was balding and walked with a slight limp.

"Thank you for seeing us, Mr Leslie. We have a few questions about one of your employees, Mr Edward Perry," Harry said.

The Head placed his hands on the desk. "I am aware of the nature of your visit. I have checked the records myself and it does say that Edward was working here in the Department during each of the time frames that you have provided me with," he said in a soft voice.

"Is it possible that he could have slipped out unnoticed?"

"Of course it is, Mr Potter. The nature of our work is confidential and shrouded in mystery. I am the only person here that knows the identity of each of my employees. The uniform at work is to wear dark robes and hoods. When the hood is up, it both obscures face features and distorts the voice. I was rather shocked to hear that you knew that Mr Perry was an Unspeakable."

Hermione pulled out a notebook and a biro, scribbling down the information while Harry replied. "We had a source disclose his profession to us and we are not at liberty to discuss their identity. Is there anyone here that can confirm Mr Perry's alibi?"

"No. He is working on a project by himself and does not socialize with the others."

"I believe that is all the questions we have at the moment. Thank you for your time, Mr Leslie. We will be in touch," Harry said and they both got up.

As soon as they left the department, Harry and Hermione quickly made their way back to the office. No one was in, the place a mess as they had all left in a scramble.

"It's been Perry this whole time. How could we have missed it?" Harry said.

"Malfoy thought he was suspicious, but I waved it off. I was too focused on Nate. Ron and Nate are probably checking out his house by now and Malfoy is interviewing Perry's matches," Hermione said. "We need to find out where Perry is holding Anthea. This would be so much easier if we were muggles. We need to find out who his friends are, where he spends his time, his assets, everything."

"We also need to find those past murders. They might be able to give us more information. What we need is a bigger team but we don't have enough staff in our departments," Harry said as he ruffled his hair. "Okay, here's what we'll do. You are going to stay here and be at the centre of everything. We need a map on the wall and we'll start plotting out where the victims were found. I will track down Perry's family and friends. When Draco comes back, tell him to visit Gringotts to get Perry's financial records. I would do it myself but those blasted goblins…"

Hermione stepped towards him and grabbed his face. "I get it. We'll figure this out together. I'll stay here and get things organized. Write me a quick message after each interview so I know where to focus my research on. Do you remember that encryption spell I taught you?"

"I do. Thanks, Hermione."

Harry disappeared out the door. Hermione pulled out her wand and quickly got to work sorting through the office.


The moment that they stepped into the flat, Ron had a feeling that they wouldn't find anything. He knew that Harry and Hermione felt out of depth now that their investigation had taken this turn, but this was what Ron was familiar with. As a Hit Wizard, he knew who his target was and his job was to track them down by any means necessary. This meant that he had enough experience to know that Perry was not a sentimental man.

The sitting area was void of anything personal. There were no pictures, no decorations, and no radio. Perry was a half-blood, so Ron had expected a television but there was no hint of any muggle technology in the flat. Only a bookcase that would have Hermione running towards it. The books looked old and the titles were in Latin. He wrote the names down as best as he could to show Hermione.

"What are we looking for?" Nate asked.

Ron kept looking in every nook and cranny he could find. "We are looking for anything that tells us what kind of person Perry is. What does he like to do in his spare time? Who are his friends? Where does he spend most of his time? It's clear that it's not in this flat."

"What if we don't find her in time?"

"We will find her, Nate. Look through the bathroom and I'll have a peek at the bedroom."

They split up and Ron felt a bit guilty. He hadn't said anything, but it would take more than luck to find Anthea. Too much time had passed and based on the increased violence on the killer's victims, it was unlikely that Anthea had not been hurt at this point. And what kind of freak was Perry anyway? There was nothing in his bedroom and it was so clean it looked like a showhome. Ron was surprised when he found clothes in the closet. All black sweaters and jeans.

He was about to leave the bedroom when he realized he almost missed something vital. On the nightstand, there was a picture of a girl. She looked like she was ten years old. Ron pulled out the picture of Perry from his pocket and compared the two. It looked like they were related. Maybe it was his daughter? Ron grabbed the picture frame and went to find Nate.

"Have you found anything?"

Nate shook his head. "I even looked through the kitchen. It's like he's never stepped foot in this place."

"Or he's meticulous with cleaning. He strikes me as someone who needs absolute control. Let's head back to the office and see if anyone else has found anything."


Draco glanced at his watch and hoped that the witch showed up soon. He interviewed everyone that Perry had matched with. They were all pretty with varying physical features and were successful in their chosen careers. The witches all said similar things. Perry was very nice, always paid for them. Apparently, there was something mysterious and broody about him. They had only met up with him once or twice before he stopped answering them.

He took a sip of coffee and grumbled that the woman he was supposed to meet with was ten minutes late. Should he stick around? He was saved from making a decision when he saw Potter walking outside the cafe. Draco threw his money on the table and ran to join him.

"What are you doing here?" Potter asked as soon as he caught up to him.

"I was interviewing the women that Perry met up with. I was waiting for the final one, but she didn't show. What are you doing?"

"I just finished talking to Perry's cousin. He hasn't talked to him in years, so it was a bust," he said. "Perry's alibi doesn't hold up. The Head Unspeakable said that it was possible for him to duck out and return unnoticed."

Draco cursed. "I should have listened to my instincts. What's our next step?"

"Hermione is back at the office. She's going to stay there and organize everything that we find. I need you to go to Gringotts to ask for Perry's financial records. Maybe he has some property that we're not aware of."

"Do we have a warrant?"

"We do. I would go myself, but the goblins have no love for me."

Draco looked back at the cafe and noticed that the witch still hadn't shown up, so they went to Gringotts together. The process was quick, thanks to his family's personal accountant and the Ministry's warrant (not that they really cared, it was probably the bribe that settled it for them). Potter had looked uncomfortable during the entire thing, which amused Draco to no end. They had the records that they needed and left the bank.

Strange movement caught the blond's eye. Draco squinted as he peered into the crowd and he quickly punched his partner.

"Potter, that's Perry!" he said as he started running.

The killer had caught sight of the duo and started inching away from them before breaking out into a run. Draco ran through the crowd, pushing past people, and ignoring their outrage. Potter was a couple steps behind him. They both had their wands out but were unable to cast anything with Perry running through the crowd of people.

Draco was breathing hard, trying to figure out where Perry would go next. He could hear Harry fall behind. They had slacked on their Auror training since they had started working on the task force, something that they were both regretting as the killer was getting away. Perry slipped into an alley, Potter's curse just narrowly missing its target, and Draco followed the killer.

He hadn't expected an ambush. Perry had hidden behind a dumpster on the left side of the alley, taking Draco by surprise. A red beam of light hit him and everything went black.


Hermione stared at the board in front of her. After talking to several contacts, she was able to place a name to the girl in the picture. Allison Perry. She was Perry's younger sister. Their parents had died shortly after Edward turned seventeen and he had been responsible for taking care of his sister. His childhood friend had told Harry that Allison had been very sick with a type of blood malediction and she died four years ago.

The door slammed open and Malfoy stormed in, followed by Harry. The green-eyed wizard tossed the Gringotts files on the desk.

"Dare I ask?" she asked as she picked up the top file.

"We saw Perry when we were leaving Gringotts. I was right behind him, but then he stunned me. I have no idea where the fuck he went," Malfoy said, pacing. "We were so close to catching him and I fucked it all up."

Harry sighed. "It happens to the best of us. He's smart and he's quick with a wand. He blocked every curse that I sent at him."

"What if he retaliates against Anthea? He looked both surprised and angry to see us. He's not expecting us to find her in time," Malfoy said.

"We can't change what happened, we can only move forward. Nate is looking into who the past victims that he referenced. He's found two so far and I placed the location of the crime scene on the map. Ron is checking out Perry's childhood home," Hermione said, pointing at various things on the board. "This picture was the only sentimental thing found at Perry's flat. This is his younger sister, Allison. She was five years younger than him and was diagnosed with a blood malediction on her twelfth birthday."

Harry took a closer look at the picture. "This is the reason that Perry became an Unspeakable. He wanted to find a cure, but she ended up dying before he could find one."

"That explains a lot. Perry is killing these women for some type of ritual, do you think it's to find a cure?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Hermione bit her lip. "I never considered that. Rituals are typically used to increase power or knowledge."

"I don't think we should look into the rituals yet. We agreed that thirteen is the number that he's shooting for and even if he does kill Anthea, she would only be number twelve. We only have five hours left before our time is up."

They were interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling.

"I agree with Draco. Hermione, you need to go and get something to eat. I can't have you passing out because you're not taking care of yourself."

She was about to protest when Malfoy gently took her arm and started steering her towards the door. "I'll make sure that she eats. I need to grab something from the Auror office."

"Perfect. I'll start looking at the Gringotts files. Can you get me a sandwich?"

"What am I, your house elf?" Malfoy asked, but she saw him nod.

Hermione realized that this was the first time that they had been alone together since she got the letter from Perry. His hand was still on her arm as he led her towards the Auror Department. She wondered what he could possibly need from there. His hand was still on her arm and it drew the gaze of the other Aurors. She wasn't sure whether to leave it or to pull away and she was relieved when Draco let go of her and started going through his cubicle.

"So this is where you work," Hermione said, looking at the chaos around them. Aurors were rushing in and out, while others were writing quietly at their desk. It was louder than she was used to and a burst of laughter made her jump.

Malfoy didn't answer and came back with a file. "Wait here, I just have to run something past a colleague."

She watched as he made his way down the row of cubicles and stopped to talk to a witch. The woman was wearing Auror robes and was beautiful with blonde hair pulled back into a stylish ponytail. If Hermione had ever attempted such a hairstyle, the elastic would snap. The two were talking quietly and there was a softness in the way that he looked at the witch. He had never looked at Hermione that way. She glanced at her watch before looking at them again.

"Annoying, isn't it?"

Hermione turned to look at the Auror that had approached her. "What?"

"Brietta and Malfoy. I have been trying to get her attention for years, but she only has eyes for him," he said before extending his hand. "I'm Matthews."

"Granger. I think you have the wrong idea, I don't like Malfoy. He's my partner," she said shaking his hand.

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say."

She was about to defend herself when Malfoy walked up to them. "Granger, we need to go."

The blond grabbed her and they were out the door before Hermione could say goodbye to Matthews. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "What did I tell you about manhandling me?"

"I don't like Matthews. He's been trying to get me fired since I first started."

"Really, Malfoy? What was I supposed to do? You were talking to that woman and Matthews was nice enough to entertain me."

Hermione wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't laughter. "Are you jealous of Brietta?"

"No, of course not," she snapped, pushing him away from her. "I'm going to get the sandwiches alone. I'll see you back in the office."

His laughter followed her down the corridor and she realized that the reason it bothered her so much. Malfoy was right. Hermione had been jealous of the blonde Auror. The revelation was like a punch in the stomach. When had this happened? The doors to the lift shut and she was grateful that no one else was in the elevator with her.

She knew when her feelings for him had started to change. It happened when he supported her during the disaster with Ron. For the first time, Malfoy had not only been nice to her, he had been there for her too. No one else had been fully on her side. Harry was also friends with Ron and Ginny was his sister. She hadn't told Anthea, wanting to avoid the pity she would see in the redhead's eyes. And as she and Malfoy spent more time together, they grew more comfortable around each other. The blond wasn't afraid to say something that would anger her and vice versa. They were both stubborn and sometimes it took shouting at Malfoy before he would listen to her. He was intelligent and good at debating.

Hermione stormed out of the lift. She was furious with herself for letting her guard down with Malfoy. She quickly grabbed a sandwich for her and Harry and returned to the elevator. How could she have been so stupid? They worked together and she was determined not to get romantically involved with her co-workers after the disaster with Ron. Not that it mattered. Hermione could still hear Malfoy's laughter and she knew that he didn't share her feelings.

When she reached the office door, she shook away those thoughts. Her feelings for Malfoy didn't matter, not now. Anthea's life was in danger and that was her first priority. With that in mind, Hermione entered the room.