PLEASE READ Announcement kind of thingy-ma-jig. In the previous chapter, I had said that Harry and Draco were working on a case of a retired ministry worker. I just want you to know that I have made a slight change about that, to say that he wasn't retired; he was young and perfectly healthy…and then he was killed. Just to clear that up. Sorry about my unorganised skills in not thinking some parts through. It will all come clear when you read on…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

Chapter 3

Pansy invited Hermione back to her own apartment after their lunch, which wasn't far from where Hermione lived in Vauxhall.

When they arrived in the middle of Pansy's living room, Hermione had expected - rather guiltily - to see green and silver covering every inch of the apartment. Instead, there were nice, natural and warm colours like beige and chocolate browns. The furniture was beautiful and old, and Hermione complimented Pansy on decorating her home so well.

"Thank you. You probably expected stone walls and floors with fire brackets on the wall, right?"

Hermione laughed, "I have to admit, I was thinking more of the Slytherin house colours everywhere."

"I did think about that…I'm joking!" She snickered as she saw Hermione's horror-struck face. "Coffee?"

"No thanks." Hermione declined, making herself comfortable on a cream chaise lounge.

Pansy paused in her kitchen before deciding against having a coffee, and instead grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Joining Hermione, she set the glasses on the coffee table in front of them and poured herself and Hermione a glass of wine before she could refuse.

Swishing the wine in the glass beneath her nose, Pansy took a deep breath. "So, Miss Hermione Jean Granger. I have learnt quite a few things about you in the last three hours we have spent together, for instance, I know that you love flowers and books; your favourite music is classical; your favourite colour is actually green; you love chocolate fudge cake and you also love Italian cuisine; you worked in the Ministry as a secretary for about a year and hated it; you hate big spiders; you don't like to swear; you have always wanted to visit New Zealand and one day you hope to settle down with a husband, have lots of children and grow old together. Am I right?"

"Yes. Except, you forgot that I'm allergic to kiwi fruit." Hermione poked Pansy in the arm. "Apart from that, you have passed the test with flying colours. You almost know me as well as Ginny."

"Almost?" Pansy asked shrewdly before taking a sip of her wine.

Hermione scowled and wished she had never said anything. "Well, I had dated this guy after Ron for about five months."
Pansy waved her hand for her to continue the story after Hermione slowly picked up her glass and stared at the contents for a while.

"Well, everything was fine for the first couple of weeks; he would buy me roses, come into the office I worked at in the Ministry and give me gifts, and as he worked there too it was easier for him. He would also take me out on the most extravagant dates. But then, after a month, he went cold. He went mean, heartless and self-centred. When we would go out to visit Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, he would whisper to me with a huge smile on his face that there were loads of pretty women out here that he would shag in a heartbeat, instead of waiting until we were married. He would wolf-whistle to girls as they walked passed, and when he thought I wasn't looking, he would sidle right up to them and give their bum a light squeeze or a slap. He was an absolute bastard and I don't know why I took four months to finally get rid of him."

Pansy looked furious. She was shaking so hard, Hermione thought she would snap the glass in her hand, so she gently prised it from Pansy's fingers and set it gently down on the table. "What was his name?"

"Barnabus Gaul." Hermione replied, clenching her own fists at the memory of that man. Pansy paled. "W-what?" She stammered, worried at Pansy's expression.

"Barnabus Gaul?" Pansy repeated, staring at Hermione with wide eyes. "He's the man who was killed; he's the case that Harry and Draco are working on."

*

Hermione, along with Pansy, Apparated right to Harry's house where he was pouring himself a glass of milk. He swore loudly as he knocked the glass off the table when Hermione and Pansy both appeared. "Crap guys! What are you doing here?"

"Why haven't you told me that Barnabus was the case that you're working on?" Hermione demanded furiously, her brown eyes blazing. "Do you even remember what happened two years ago with that man?"

"O-of course I do, Hermione-" Harry stammered, petrified at the screaming woman.

"Then why didn't you bloody tell me, you absolute twit! I might be able to tell you about his past; about any possible motives that there might be for someone to kill him!"

"I'll floo Draco," Pansy murmured quietly, stepping away towards Harry's living room.

"Because I didn't want to worry you, Hermione!" Harry protested. "I didn't want you to get dragged into something which could end up being quite nasty."

"Why? How? How is turning quite nasty? What's going on, Harry!" Hermione yelled, slamming her fist on the table.

"Calm down, Hermione. Seriously, this isn't as big as you're making it. Okay? I'm sorry I didn't tell you but please, calm down." Harry said stepping towards Hermione and rubbing her shoulders.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled as soon as she took a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. "What was the dark object found at the house?"

"Potter, should we be telling Granger this? It's confidential work." Hermione turned to see Malfoy standing in the kitchen doorway, arms folded with Pansy waving behind his tall frame.

"Its fine, Malfoy. Sit down; she had a…relationship with Gaul." Harry sighed, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting down himself.

"Now this should be interesting," Malfoy smirked, staring at Hermione with his grey eyes. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because someone," she glared at Harry who shrank into his chair. "Didn't tell me who had been killed."

"Potter, that's a ridiculous thing to have done; she could have told us about his past and what motives someone may have had to kill him." Malfoy shook his head at Harry as he sat down beside him and Pansy immediately sat next to Hermione.

Hermione stared at Harry to confirm what she had said two minutes before.

"Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-"

"Alright, we get the message scarhead; you're sorry." Malfoy raised a hand to silence Harry. "Do you honestly want to know what the object is, bookworm?"

Hermione nodded earnestly, ignoring Malfoy's petty remark, and leant forward in her seat.

"It was a potted plant; a Fanged Geranium to be precise." Draco smirked.

"Stop messing around, Malfoy, and tell me the truth."

"It is the truth." He was still smirking.

"No it bloody well is not." Hermione retorted, and glanced at Harry who sighed.

"He's right, you know."

Hermione couldn't believe this. "A plant. A plant."

"Oh, come on Hermione, its not that hard to believe. Do you remember in fifth year when Bode was murdered by Devil's Snare because the nurse thought it was a Flitterbloom?" Harry asked, testing her.

"Of course I do! But, how can that plant be classed as a dark object? I assume Barnabus was killed with Avada Kedavra, right?" Malfoy and Harry both nodded so Hermione continued. "Well then. As there is no evidence to suggest that the plant killed Barnabus, why are you both so adamant to believe that it had something to do with the murder?"

"Because, miss know-it-all, there was a note attached." Malfoy smile was smug as he realised Hermione had actually stopped talking for about five seconds. She was stumped.

"So?" Was all she said after raising her eyebrows at him.

"It had important information on it, Hermione." Harry said gently, as if he was talking to a three year old child.

"Don't talk to me in that condescending manner, Harry James Potter." Hermione scolded, slapping him on the hand which lay casually in front of her.

"Ooh, you just got told!" Malfoy crowed, smirking. As usual.

"Shut up, Draco." Pansy snapped; Malfoy looked slightly sheepish. "Carry on, please. What did the note say?"

Harry glanced at Malfoy before reaching into his pocket. "I have it here." He handed it to Pansy who leant towards Hermione so she could read it too:

Dear Barnabus. Do you remember me? Probably not, but I had heard from a friend, who is also a friend of yours might I add, that you have started showing an interest in the wonderful nature of plants. I thought I would be so kind as to send this to you on your behalf, so you can really see the beauty of nature.

From a friend of a friend,

T.

"Who is 'T'?" Hermione asked, trying not to laugh at the note – Barnabus Gaul interested in flowers? Never in a million years.

"That's what we've been trying to find out." Harry said, deadly serious.

"But this is ridiculous; Barney would have never liked flowers. Never."

Harry frowned. Malfoy sighed. Pansy rested her head on her hands.

"This note is total bullshit." Hermione concluded, tossing the small piece of paper on the table. Pansy and Harry looked shocked; Hermione just swore? Only Malfoy looked bored, Hermione thought, but then, he always looks bored. "Yeah, when you've finished gaping at me?" She added, raising her eyebrows.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, he picked up the note and folded it back into his pocket.

"So, what do we do now?" Pansy asked, her voice muffled as her head was still covered by her hands.

"Well, I'm going to the Manor." Malfoy rose from his seat.

"Why?" Hermione asked, but then wished she hadn't as she realised it was quite a personal question.

"Don't be so bloody nosy, bookworm." Malfoy sneered.

Hermione didn't say anything but counted to ten in her head to try and keep her anger at bay. Whilst doing so, she heard his footsteps against the wooden floor in the living room, heard them click against the stone fireplace and then heard the green flames whoosh around his body. Then he was gone.

*

Hermione lay in her bed, tired from the day's events. She had had a busy day in the morning at the shop, a wonderful lunch with Pansy and then found out her ex-boyfriend had been the one who had been killed. Honestly, she didn't know if she could be bothered to go into work tomorrow. Checking the glowing clock beside her bed, she realised she had been up for sixteen hours. She turned over restlessly in her bed. Hermione just couldn't get to sleep without all the thoughts buzzing around in her head. Most of them were about work and The Case of the Fanged Geranium, as she had dubbed it. But quite a few thoughts, she realised alarmingly, were about a certain person; a certain Mr Malfoy. Crap! Hermione sat up in her bed, startled at herself. No way were those thoughts about Malfoy. No, they were just on the eventful evening she just had in which Malfoy just so happened to join. Yes, she thought as she settled back down into the covers. Her thoughts were just on the evening. Nothing else.

*

When Hermione woke four hours later, she knew something was wrong. Not only did her clock read 5:27 am, there was also a sobbing Ginny and Pansy sitting on the end of her bed.

Trying not to yawn, Hermione crawled out of her covers and down to Ginny and Pansy where she engulfed both of them in a hug. "Let me make you both a cup of hot chocolate, yeah? Then you can tell me what happened."

Ginny nodded but Pansy shook her head and hiccoughed, "No, Hermione. No time."

"Of course there is, stay here." Hermione left before she could protest and busied herself with making the hot chocolate and trying not to fall asleep. Yawning, she poured the hot water into two mugs and stirred the powder around, before taking the mugs into her room and handing one to a still-sobbing Ginny, and a slightly-better-pulled-together Pansy.

"Thanks," she murmured, blowing lightly on the drink.

"No probs." Hermione grinned sleepily and yawned. "Sorry. Now, tell me. What's got you two crying like there's no tomorrow?"
"Hermione, Ron's been attacked." Pansy smiled weakly, trying to prevent the tears rolling down her cheeks.

It took a while for it to sink in for Hermione. She just gazed at Pansy like she had just announced she was getting married to a giant slug. Then suddenly, it dawned on Hermione what Pansy had just told her. "Why did you just bloody let me make bloody hot chocolate, you bloody twits!"

Ginny stopped crying and sniffed. "We t-tried to tell you, but you insisted."

"Right, whatever!" Hermione looked around for clothes whilst Ginny and Pansy vanished their hot chocolates with a flick of their wands.

Once dressed, Hermione mumbled a quick sorry about her rude behaviour and then the three of them Apparated to St. Mungo's.

Yeah, I know it's pretty short and I'm sorry about that. It's not that a good chapter to be quite honest with you. Sorry. Again. Reviews are still welcome though ;)

Thanks.