Harry Potter hated early mornings.
Especially mornings with dead people.
Most especially dead people he had known at one time.
He had been standing in the middle of Mila Corleone's flat for twenty minutes now, and Malfoy still wasn't there. He had no idea what Percy, the head of the Auror's Bureau, was thinking when he put Harry and Malfoy together.
He could remember what had happened that faithful day in Percy's office.
*Two Years Before*
"You both are probably wondering why I called you here today," Percy said as he looked down at the two young men from the other side of his desk. "You both have heavily resisted having partners since you started working out in the field, but now I have no choice but to have you two work together."
As Percy had expected, the two men had protested loudly.
"You can't expect me to work with HIM, can you?"
"I've already told the Ministry, *I work alone*. This is not alone."
Percy put up his hands. "Gentlemen, please! As the saying goes, act your age and not your shoe size!"
The two men shut up, but stole glares at each other when they thought Percy wasn't looking.
Percy sighed and folded his hands on his desk. "You two are the best I've got. I need you both working on this case with the promise of not tearing each other's heads off. If either of you think you can't put down this schoolboy grudge and attempt to work together, give me your badges now."
Neither of them moved.
Percy let out a small smile. "Excellent. You two are now partners. Dismissed."
*Back to Present*
Harry was brought out of his trip down memory lane when he heard a small pop, indicating a wizard or witch Apparating. He turned to see his partner Draco scowling at him.
"All right Potter, let's make this quick. I got up at three in the morning for this and I'm not intending to stay," Draco muttered as he took the file from Harry's hands and flipped through it.
Mila Corleone was a lovely young woman with dark red hair and a slender frame. Draco knew that Harry had met her when he tried out for Seeker for the Chudley Cannons and they had become friends. She had been dating Dean, a friend of Harry's from Gryffindor, and had few enemies that the very distraught Dean could think of. She was required to have a physical done every six months for the Cannons, and her last report was fine. She was in perfect health at the time of her death---except, of course, the fact that she was dead.
"Looks like a run-of-the-mill murder by Avada Kadavra." Draco said as he gave the file back.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too, then I saw something else. Take a look," Harry said as he led Draco to the body.
Draco had seen some very bad things in his 24 short years of living, including many dead bodies, but that didn't mean that he was used to it. He shuddered slightly as he saw Mila on the ground. Harry knelt down and turned Mila over to reveal a tattoo on the back of her neck that looked like a mountain in flames.
"Dean said she didn't have any tattoos that he knew of," Harry said.
Draco smirked. "And he would definitely know if she did."
Harry rolled his eyes and ignored that comment. "Have you ever seen this before?" Harry continued.
Draco frowned. "No. What d'you think, that if it's a Dark Mark that I would know it? Okay, so my father was a Death Eater. That doesn't mean that he passed that kind of information around the dinner table. Well actually with my father he might've, but I would've remembered that thing if I'd seen it."
"Okay, okay. I get it. You haven't seen it. Jeez, you could've just said that," Harry said, putting his hands up in mock surrender.
"Whatever Potter. But make sure that Granger friend of yours gets a drawing of this so she can analyze this."
"Already done," Harry said, pleased that he thought of something before Draco did.
"Good. Wonderful. So everything is done. Can I go home now? I haven't slept in three days."
"I'm not gonna ask you to stay. I understand that you need your beauty rest, Ms. Diva."
Draco gave Harry the finger before he Apparated with a pop, leaving Harry alone in the apartment.
*2:30 P.M.*
"That's it for today everyone. Make sure you have your 4-foot thesis on Dark Creatures for me by Monday!" Sirius Black, Professor of History of the Dark Arts, called over the din of the sixth year Hogwarts students filing out of the classroom. When the last of the students was out, he shut the door and sighed. Another class done with. He had never expected teaching to be such hard work, but he enjoyed his students; they kept him on his toes and made him feel like he was 26 instead of his late forties.
He started to sing softly to himself as he erased the chalkboard and attempted to clean up his desk. He gave up on it and started to sit down to grade papers, when a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere startled him.
"Hello Sirius."
Sirius jumped about three feet in the air. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you scared me!"
The young woman came out of the back of the classroom. She had grown out of her awkward phase some time ago and had developed into a very graceful, intellectual woman. She smiled softly at her friend.
"How could I have? I was sitting back here the entire time!" Hermione Granger said as she made her way towards Sirius.
"I didn't see you," Sirius said honestly. Hermione thought that sometimes his age was catching up to his vitality; his long black hair that he kept in a low ponytail was streaked with gray and he was wearing thin prescription glasses now, but he was still as handsome as he had been when he was in his twenties.
"So, what brings you here?" Sirius asked, smiling at her as he sat down behind his desk again.
A sheet of parchment was put under his nose. "That."
Sirius examined it. "What is it?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," Hermione sighed, sitting in a desk across from Sirius.
"It looks like a mountain in flames. That's a cool logo," Sirius said.
Hermione smiled. "Do you think I could use the library and look it up?"
"Are you kidding? Old Madame Pince still talks about you. She'll be delighted to see you again."
"I'll do that then. Thanks Sirius," Hermione said as she walked out of the classroom.
Especially mornings with dead people.
Most especially dead people he had known at one time.
He had been standing in the middle of Mila Corleone's flat for twenty minutes now, and Malfoy still wasn't there. He had no idea what Percy, the head of the Auror's Bureau, was thinking when he put Harry and Malfoy together.
He could remember what had happened that faithful day in Percy's office.
*Two Years Before*
"You both are probably wondering why I called you here today," Percy said as he looked down at the two young men from the other side of his desk. "You both have heavily resisted having partners since you started working out in the field, but now I have no choice but to have you two work together."
As Percy had expected, the two men had protested loudly.
"You can't expect me to work with HIM, can you?"
"I've already told the Ministry, *I work alone*. This is not alone."
Percy put up his hands. "Gentlemen, please! As the saying goes, act your age and not your shoe size!"
The two men shut up, but stole glares at each other when they thought Percy wasn't looking.
Percy sighed and folded his hands on his desk. "You two are the best I've got. I need you both working on this case with the promise of not tearing each other's heads off. If either of you think you can't put down this schoolboy grudge and attempt to work together, give me your badges now."
Neither of them moved.
Percy let out a small smile. "Excellent. You two are now partners. Dismissed."
*Back to Present*
Harry was brought out of his trip down memory lane when he heard a small pop, indicating a wizard or witch Apparating. He turned to see his partner Draco scowling at him.
"All right Potter, let's make this quick. I got up at three in the morning for this and I'm not intending to stay," Draco muttered as he took the file from Harry's hands and flipped through it.
Mila Corleone was a lovely young woman with dark red hair and a slender frame. Draco knew that Harry had met her when he tried out for Seeker for the Chudley Cannons and they had become friends. She had been dating Dean, a friend of Harry's from Gryffindor, and had few enemies that the very distraught Dean could think of. She was required to have a physical done every six months for the Cannons, and her last report was fine. She was in perfect health at the time of her death---except, of course, the fact that she was dead.
"Looks like a run-of-the-mill murder by Avada Kadavra." Draco said as he gave the file back.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too, then I saw something else. Take a look," Harry said as he led Draco to the body.
Draco had seen some very bad things in his 24 short years of living, including many dead bodies, but that didn't mean that he was used to it. He shuddered slightly as he saw Mila on the ground. Harry knelt down and turned Mila over to reveal a tattoo on the back of her neck that looked like a mountain in flames.
"Dean said she didn't have any tattoos that he knew of," Harry said.
Draco smirked. "And he would definitely know if she did."
Harry rolled his eyes and ignored that comment. "Have you ever seen this before?" Harry continued.
Draco frowned. "No. What d'you think, that if it's a Dark Mark that I would know it? Okay, so my father was a Death Eater. That doesn't mean that he passed that kind of information around the dinner table. Well actually with my father he might've, but I would've remembered that thing if I'd seen it."
"Okay, okay. I get it. You haven't seen it. Jeez, you could've just said that," Harry said, putting his hands up in mock surrender.
"Whatever Potter. But make sure that Granger friend of yours gets a drawing of this so she can analyze this."
"Already done," Harry said, pleased that he thought of something before Draco did.
"Good. Wonderful. So everything is done. Can I go home now? I haven't slept in three days."
"I'm not gonna ask you to stay. I understand that you need your beauty rest, Ms. Diva."
Draco gave Harry the finger before he Apparated with a pop, leaving Harry alone in the apartment.
*2:30 P.M.*
"That's it for today everyone. Make sure you have your 4-foot thesis on Dark Creatures for me by Monday!" Sirius Black, Professor of History of the Dark Arts, called over the din of the sixth year Hogwarts students filing out of the classroom. When the last of the students was out, he shut the door and sighed. Another class done with. He had never expected teaching to be such hard work, but he enjoyed his students; they kept him on his toes and made him feel like he was 26 instead of his late forties.
He started to sing softly to himself as he erased the chalkboard and attempted to clean up his desk. He gave up on it and started to sit down to grade papers, when a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere startled him.
"Hello Sirius."
Sirius jumped about three feet in the air. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you scared me!"
The young woman came out of the back of the classroom. She had grown out of her awkward phase some time ago and had developed into a very graceful, intellectual woman. She smiled softly at her friend.
"How could I have? I was sitting back here the entire time!" Hermione Granger said as she made her way towards Sirius.
"I didn't see you," Sirius said honestly. Hermione thought that sometimes his age was catching up to his vitality; his long black hair that he kept in a low ponytail was streaked with gray and he was wearing thin prescription glasses now, but he was still as handsome as he had been when he was in his twenties.
"So, what brings you here?" Sirius asked, smiling at her as he sat down behind his desk again.
A sheet of parchment was put under his nose. "That."
Sirius examined it. "What is it?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," Hermione sighed, sitting in a desk across from Sirius.
"It looks like a mountain in flames. That's a cool logo," Sirius said.
Hermione smiled. "Do you think I could use the library and look it up?"
"Are you kidding? Old Madame Pince still talks about you. She'll be delighted to see you again."
"I'll do that then. Thanks Sirius," Hermione said as she walked out of the classroom.