*Disclaimer: All characters and canon situations belong to J.K. Rowling.
Anticipation was killing Hermione as she waited for Harry at Grimmauld Place. Making small-talk with Ginny was leading nowhere. Every time the topic of Narcissa Black was raised, Ginny's answers were vague and evasive.
When Harry finally arrived, Hermione pounced at him, dispensing with the usual pleasantries, as she bombarded him with questions, "Did they bring her in for questioning? What did she say?"
Harry looked at her with tired eyes; the pity in them was unmistakable. "The Head of my Department said it meant nothing. I tried explaining our theory, but he said we were twisting logic," he said.
Hermione clenched her jaw, her frustration level steadily surging. "So they really not going to look into Narcissa at all? Lucius's wand is found in my flat and everyone's all over me. The ring that Narcissa had on her person only a few months ago in January is found in my house in the same manner, and no one even bats an eyelash. I don't normally say this, but what the bloody hell is going on? It's like the Aurors want an easy explanation and don't want a real investigation."
"Well, my investigation isn't over yet," Harry insisted.
"But I'm still the number one suspect, while the real culprit is doing God-knows-what to Lucius!" Hermione couldn't help but raise her voice.
Harry winced. "I tried, Hermione. I'll keep trying for you. We just need something more solid to go on." He squeezed her hand. "I know you're very disappointed, and you have every right to be. Try to understand that my job is on the line here, but I promise not to give up."
"What do you mean your job is on the line? Because of me?" Hermione was unable to keep shock and incredulity out of her voice.
"Yeah," he answered truthfully. "The boss believes that my friendship with you is compromising my objectivity on this case. When I was presenting our theory, he lectured me like a child. I want to be taken seriously as an Auror, not have everyone assume I got in on pure fame. Look, if they take me off the case, I'll still be able to help you."
She shook her head, feeling cornered. "I don't want you to lose your job over this. This was your dream since we were Fifth years."
Her friend continued, "I'm trying my best, but I'm all but forbidden to pursue other leads on this case. If it comes down to having to choose, I'll always pick you over any career. You're my best friend, Hermione, and I want to help clear your name."
"At least, you believe me now."
Harry was taken aback by her statement. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"I'm just glad that you don't doubt my innocence anymore," Hermione clarified. "For a moment there, you seemed to think I was awfully guilty."
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I just thought if something happened while you were away, like you defending yourself, which would have been completely understandable. Never did I suspect that you would hurt anyone on purpose."
She nodded. It was comforting to have Harry's support again. When they were hunting through Ginny's belongings for clues and unearthed nothing, Hermione thought her friend's faith in her was definitely dwindling. The part about his job being in jeopardy, however, didn't sit well with her.
"Harry, listen," she began, "the Auror Office is obviously convinced that I'm either colluding with Lucius on his disappearance, or had something to do with it. Whatever they think, they have no solid evidence in either scenario. You don't have to risk losing your job. If they won't question Narcissa based on the ring I found, then I'll just have to find more proof. I understood early on that if I want to see Lucius again, I'll have to be the one to find him."
"Hermione, I wouldn't feel right letting you do this alone," Harry said. "I want to help you."
"And you are. I just don't want you to do it at the expense of your career."
It didn't escape Hermione's notice that Ginny had remained eerily quiet throughout the entire exchange. Not only quiet, but deathly pale.
"Ginny, are you unwell?" she asked her.
Her eyes reflected one emotion Hermione wasn't used to seeing on her feisty friend - stark fear.
"I am so, so sorry," Ginny half-whispered. "This is all my fault."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, glancing at her askance.
"Ginny, nothing's your fault," Harry interjected. "Why would you say something like this?"
"Because ... it is," she said, throwing Harry and Hermione a round of pitying looks. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be threatened with sacking, and Hermione wouldn't be a suspect in a criminal investigation."
Hermione's heart began beating faster. "Ginny, what did you do?"
The redhead licked her lips, her posture was stiff and she still looked frightened out of her wits.
"Ginny, whatever it is, you can tell us," Harry lovingly urged, squeezing his wife's shoulder.
Ginny raised her eyes, looking past Harry, straight at Hermione.
"Few months ago I discovered that if someone is sentenced to Azkaban for longer than three years, their marriage can be dissolved." Ginny hopped off her seat and wrung her hands, the fear in her eyes turned into a maelstrom of panic as she rattled off her story, "You were so unhappy, Hermione. You wouldn't talk to me. You moved out of Malfoy's house. I thought if he were sent away for something serious - that's not like, murder or anything - that it would save you years of waiting for divorce. I thought the sooner things would go back to normal for you, the better everything would be. I just didn't know how to go about a plan. When I ran into Narcissa Malfoy at Diagon Alley one day, I approached her, and she seemed really keen on getting revenge on Malfoy, so we came up with a plan on getting him arrested for violating gold trading laws. She said it was the easiest thing to get him on, because he never stuck to the restrictions the old laws imposed."
Hermione's body shook with rage, but she forced herself to keep calm. "Is that what you were arguing about with her at Fire and Ice Ball?"
"Yes," Ginny admitted, looking more relieved now than anything else. "It wasn't working. Clearly, he was either very good at covering his tracks, or he was actually abiding by the new trading standards. Meanwhile, that witch was relentless; she was obsessed with having him arrested because the ownership rights to this gold-making formula would revert to her, for some reason or other that I don't understand. Anyway, the original plan wasn't working at all. Mrs. Malfoy was growing impatient, so she came up with a most awful plan to get someone angry enough to challenge Lucius to a duel. That's when I freaked and told her I didn't want to be involved in these schemes anymore. The night of the ball, I was trying to convince her to come clean about Cravens incident, but she wouldn't hear of it and tried to blackmail me." She paused, looking tearfully at Hermione. "I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd actually try to kidnap him."
Hermione blinked at her, anger engulfing her completely now. "How can you say that? She was perfectly willing to watch him die in a duel, I think kidnapping and torture is not too far off."
Harry stepped in. "Did she ever say anything about where she could be holding him?"
His wife shook her head. "No."
"Ginny, I thought I made it clear before that I didn't want you interfering in my life," Hermione told her, brushing off the witch's sorrowful looks. "Over and over, you meddle and make things worse. Why can't you learn to just mind your own business?"
"I'm sorry," was the only thing she whispered in response.
"Sorry? That's all you can say?"
"I wanted to fix things. I didn't mean to make anything worse," Ginny explained.
Hermione's anger erupted. "Well, you did! What's worse is that you could have spoken up anytime during the investigation to point the Aurors in her direction, but you've done nothing of the sort! You've seen me questioned like a common criminal, and you've done nothing! Your husband's career is on the line because he's willing to do the right thing and go against the establishment to defend me, and you can't be bothered to come forward with the truth! One time your meddling is required, you're content to do nothing."
"Please, I wanted to tell you the truth so many times, but-"
"But nothing" Hermione shouted at her. "There's no excuse, Ginny! None at all! For months you knew this woman was hell bent on vengeance. You could have come to me at anytime. Perhaps if you had, Lucius wouldn't even be missing!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Don't be sorry! Go to the Auror Office and tell them what you've just told us!" With that Hermione raced to the fireplace, picked up Floo powder and arrived back at the Manor. Harry followed closely behind.
However, their discussion stopped short when Hermione saw that they weren't alone. In her sitting room, Odette Swancombe and Draco were waiting with two wizards in Auror robes. The elderly witch was pale and very close to tears, looking more dejected than Hermione had ever seen her.
A lump formed in Hermione's throat; she tried to brace herself for bad news, but felt sick to her stomach. It was all she could do to keep retching at bay.
"What's going on here?" Harry asked.
"There was a deliberate attack on Mr. Malfoy's laboratory," one of the Aurors stated.
Another Auror approached her and Harry. "Mrs. Malfoy, are you the owner of this wand?" he asked.
Hermione looked it over, her throat tightening. "Yes," she said softly.
"We'd like to escort you to Auror Office," Harry's colleague said with a hard look in his eyes.
"Whatever for?" Hermione demanded.
"We have to question you about the new evidence we've discovered on site."
Bewildered, Hermione turned to Harry, who looked just as flummoxed.
"Mrs. Malfoy, we'd appreciate your cooperation, but an arrest warrant can be issued for Azkaban."
Hermione blanched. "Arrest warrant?" she gasped in horror.
"On what charges?" Harry demanded.
"The last spell on your wand was Fiendfyre. I don't have to tell you that it's an illegal Dark Arts spell."
"That's ridiculous!" Hermione spat. "I've never performed any Dark Arts spells with my wand. I told you, someone's trying to frame me. Tell them, Harry!"
Harry put his arm protectively around her shoulders. "Hermione didn't do this. I was with her the whole evening. My wife also has evidence to present against Narcissa Malfoy."
"We'll sort out the details in the Department. Let's go."
Hermione walked back to the fireplace, but turned around. She raised her hands to her mouth, thinking this must be a nightmare from which she could only hope to wake up soon. She looked at Lucius's family. "Draco, Odette, please, you must believe I wouldn't do such a thing. I'd never do anything to hurt Lucius or his business."
"All I know is that since you've married my father, he's had nothing but problems," Draco said bitterly. "Mother has told me of this rubbish of how you and Potter are trying to blame her for his disappearance. You better leave her alone or else!"
"But Draco, her family ring was found in Lucius's study! The ring she wore in that photograph when you were rescued. Please explain what her jewelry was doing in a place she hasn't stepped foot in all year, if not more!" Hermione couldn't keep her voice down as she continued, "According to Ginny, she has been trying to get back at your father all year, so she could get his gold-making formula. I love your father. I'd never do anything to hurt him, especially as things are going so well between us."
"My mother has nothing to do with it! You're the one who married him for money!" the younger Malfoy accused her, venom clear in his eyes.
"You wouldn't sign the agreement," Mrs. Swancombe said softly, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. "I never understood why."
She believed it, then. She believed that Hermione could harm Lucius, then burn down a place that held so much importance to him. It was almost as bad as when Harry doubted her.
"I didn't do it, Odette," Hermione whispered. Resigning, she allowed herself to be escorted to the fireplace.
She couldn't believe it was really happening, but forced herself to remain strong all through her interrogation at the Auror Office. After Ginny's statement, they let her go, but withheld her wand and all but put her under house arrest. When Harry finally left for the night, Hermione wandered around Lucius's study, unable to sleep.
She was certain that Narcissa must have entered the house through that room. But how?
A camouflaged doorway perhaps?
Malfoy Manor had dungeons, secret rooms and passageways wouldn't be so out of place here.
Hermione began to examine the room inch by inch. Under the desk, beneath the sturdy rug, she came across a trap door on the floor.
This was how Narcissa managed to sneak into the house undetected!
Hermione unlocked it with a wandless spell and summoned a flashlight, guiding its light over the opening. She saw a long, unending flight of stairs that led down a damp, musty corridor underground. Cautiously she began to descend. At the end of the passageway, she came to a huge door with an iron bolt. At the top of the door was a rectangle containing parallel iron bars. She carefully peered inside through them and gasped in sharp surprise. On an old cot lay a motionless figure!
Hermione slid the bolt with all her might. Pushing the door open, she scanned the small room with her flashlight. Aside from the cot, the only furniture it had were a row of shelves lining one wall. Seeing no one else besides the figure on the bed, she rushed forward. Although he was unshaved and unkempt, Hermione recognized her husband immediately. An exulted cry left her throat at the happy discovery. She found him at last!
"Lucius!" she cried out, kneeling beside him.
A morbid thought began to disturb Hermione as she inspected his body for wounds. Upon finding a faint pulse, her elation amplified. He was alive, but unconscious.
"Enervate!" she said the Reviving Spell in a clear voice, pointing at Lucius with her hand instead of the wand. The wandless magic worked as Lucius slowly opened his eyes, which were clouded and dull. Hermione stroked his face until he focused on her. He tried to speak, but only grunts came out.
"Shh! Don't try to talk," she told him softly, stroking his bestubbled cheek. "I'm here now. Everything is going to be all right now."
Lucius's eyes widened and he tried to speak again. The very next moment Hermione's flashlight was knocked out of her hand, and she started to feel strangely drowsy until sleep overcame her entirely.
Yes, I know, a cliffhanger! But gotta parcel out a story in morsels to leave you all wanting more :)
Lana