Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A/N at end.
Some Scars Never Fade
WendyNat
Chapter 13
~~~~~~~~
Neville sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was already almost dinnertime and he had come into the office early that day. Susan was going to kill him – this was the third night in a row that he had been at the offices late. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, they both often worked late, but the next week her family was visiting and she had some projects for him around the house. Admittedly, he wasn't looking forward to most of them, but that wasn't the reason he was lingering in his office that night.
Something wasn't adding up. Renovo had ignored his last two correspondences, which was very uncharacteristic of the man. Neville had owled him to try to arrange a meeting with Severus and Hermione concerning the substance being used on his plants. He was rather surprised that he hadn't received any word back – he had mentioned in his most recent owl that the two Potions experts had had a breakthrough regarding the substance's ingredients.
He had asked a couple of his people to look into the history of Renovo's greenhouse business. If they could determine that it was definitely a new problem, and not a recurring issue – even from years before - that could be helpful in determining the culprit. So they were combing the records of past shipments from the Moreau greenhouse, looking for any irregularities. From what Neville could recall, the man had been in business for over twelve years and had been a supplier of the Ministry's Herbology Department for ten. Neville would hate to sever a long-time relationship with a vendor. Maybe Zacharias found something, he thought, reaching for the report that the other man had dropped off on his way home.
Suddenly, Susan's head appeared in the fireplace in his office. With an apologetic smile, he moved closer and decided to speak first to forestall her question. "Hi, Susie…"
"Don't Susie me, mister."
"I should be leaving short-"
Susan laughed. "Oh, Neville – I wasn't going to nag you. I know you're busy right now… just don't forget that you have to finish the-"
"I know, I know. I will. Zacharias just dropped off his report on the Moreau greenhouse, and I wanted to take a look before coming home."
"Why don't you just bring it home with you? We could have dinner with each other for a change," Susan said. "I'll make it worth your while," she added with a suggestive wink.
Neville sat back and grinned. He loved it when Susan was in a playful mood… and he certainly wasn't fool enough to waste the opportunity. "All right – I'll be there as soon as I can get to the Apparition point."
Less than fifteen minutes later, he entered the house and put the folder down in the study. He could hear plates being moved around and followed the sounds to see his wife standing in the kitchen, her back to him. He moved behind her silently and circled his arms around her. "Hello, my dear," he whispered in her ear. She turned in his arms and smiled.
"Well, hello, stranger," she replied, reaching up to kiss him. The kiss deepened unexpectedly. She must be in a very playful mood, he thought excitedly, as he tilted his head to kiss her more passionately. After a moment she pushed away slightly and, laughing at the expression on his face, said, "Let's eat first. I'm sure you're hungry."
"Yes, I am," he said softly, leaning down to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips and pushed him back more forcefully this time.
"Come on, let's eat first. You'll need your energy," she said with a suggestive look. The look did amazing things to him, even after their many years together. He smiled gently in response and touched her cheek lightly.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too," she said, reaching up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now… dinner?"
Smiling, he followed her into the dining room and looked at the table for a moment. "My favorite… hmm. You're going to make me suspicious, Susie," he said, raising one eyebrow. "Just what do you have in store for me tonight?"
"You'll find out. Don't worry – you'll like it," she said, taking a bite of her meal. After chewing the mouthful, her eyes glinted at him amusedly. "And… by the way… that eyebrow thing doesn't work all that well on your face."
"Oh, really?" Neville commented, swallowing a grin. "I thought it would make me look sinister."
"As in Professor Snape sinister?"
He laughed. "Maybe not that sinister," he said, taking a sip of wine. "More like… somewhere between smiling Severus sinister and evil Potions Professor sinister."
Susan laughed lighted, then said, "Hmm. That reminds me – I spoke to Hermione yesterday morning. She asked us to dinner tomorrow evening. Do you think you'll be free?"
"I can make myself free, if necessary. What's going on?" Neville asked, curious.
Susan shrugged. "She's got cabin fever already, I suppose. She wants to go to the Leaky Cauldron, or the Three Broomsticks – somewhere other than Hogwarts. Severus doesn't want her to leave the castle without him. She didn't come right out and say it when I spoke with her yesterday, but I could tell she thinks he's being overprotective."
Neville frowned. "Well, I don't agree. After what happened with Hestia the other day… I wouldn't let her out of my sight, either." He took a last sip of his wine and sat back, having already cleared his plate.
"True. I think Severus has the right idea. But…" Susan said, her eyes shining with amusement. "You know how Gryffindors can be."
"That's it," Neville said, standing up and heading around the table. Laughing, Susan squealed and jumped up, racing out of the dining room and to the bedroom with Neville hot on her heels.
The folder lay in the study, forgotten.
* * * * * *
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione rolled over, groaning. Go away, she pleaded silently. The tapping did not cease, and eventually she opened her eyes drowsily and looked at the clock. It was still early. Shaking her head, she fell back on the pillow and turned to her side. Severus was snoring quietly next to her, and she smiled as she looked at him. He looked almost… innocent… while sleeping. Not entirely innocent, of course, she thought with a grin. That would be completely outside the realm of probability.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and snuggled into the covers.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Damn it, she thought furiously, pushing back the bedcovers. She was careful not to wake Severus as she slid out of the bed and threw on a dressing gown. Who sends an owl this early in the morning? she wondered. Looking back at the bed, she snorted softly. How can he sleep through that racket? Spy instincts, indeed, she thought sarcastically as she made her way to the window. It was a small round window, with a tunnel leading to the surface that let in a little natural light.
Opening it, she stepped back as the Longbottoms' owl flitted past her and into the room. "Hello, Zeus – what do you have for us today?" Zeus landed on a chair near the fireplace, and hooted softly at her, holding up his leg. There was a small envelope tied there.
Walking over to the owl, she carefully untied the envelope and was about to open it when a hand reached out and snatched it from her grip. She jumped, startled, and whirled around to face the dark-haired man who was now holding the envelope.
"What precisely do you think-"
"I'm sure a know-it-all such as yourself should be able to figure it out," Severus said, his voice still thick with sleep. Retrieving his wand from the bedside table, he muttered some inspection charms over the letter. It glowed a clear white, and Severus grunted. "Here," he said, handing it back to her.
"You… you think someone will send me a Portkey by owl?" Hermione asked incredulously. Severus raised one eyebrow.
"It's been done before," he said simply, walking to the wardrobe and pulling on a pair of loose black pants. She couldn't keep the disappointment from her face when he covered his nakedness, and he chuckled at her expression. "A bit early for that, isn't it?" he asked, walking back to her and leaning down for a quick kiss.
She gave him a mischievous grin. "It's never too early," she said. But she danced out of his reach when he tried to put his arms around her. "In a minute, I promise. Let me read this," she said, opening the envelope.
Hello, Hermione!
I spoke with Neville, and we'll both meet you for dinner tonight. I think he has something to talk to you about regarding that Moreau greenhouse potion...
Her blood ran cold. Moreau… Could it be… Renovo Moreau? Was all of this connected somehow? She felt her face go pale, and Severus moved behind her to read over her shoulder.
"Moreau? Is it…"
"I think so… Neville said at lunch that day that it was a squib who owned that greenhouse, but he didn't mention the full name. One hell of a coincidence, isn't it?" she muttered, scanning the rest of the letter.
He had one of his people research the owner and he evidently found out some interesting information. Of course he left too early this morning to tell me what was so darned interesting, but who am I to complain?
Well, we'll see you tonight. Send us an owl letting us know where and when to meet you.
~ Susan
Lowering the letter, she turned her head and stared at Severus. "It's connected?"
"It would be an intriguing coincidence. I think we need to speak with Kingsley about this."
"Neville is in the same building, maybe we should drop by and grab him on the way to see Kingsley. Kingsley's going to want to talk to the source, I'm sure." Severus nodded in response, and she moved away from him, saying, "Well, we ought to leave as early as possible. I'll go ahead and take a shower…"
As she turned to head for the wardrobe, she was grabbed and pulled against a warm chest. Severus was looking down at her with a half-smile. In the silky voice that he knew drove her mad, he said, "I think a more efficient use of our time would be to shower together this morning." He paused for a moment, then continued with a raised eyebrow, "All in the interests of time, of course."
"Of course," she said, smirking. "Well, in the interests of time, wouldn't it be even quicker if I were to use the shower in my guest rooms while you used the one here?" she asked innocently.
Reaching out one hand to untie her dressing gown, he whispered, "But that wouldn't be nearly as entertaining…"
* * * * * *
After checking on the lycanthropy batches and adding the next set of ingredients, they were on their way to the Ministry of Magic's office. It was still an hour or so before the official start of the Ministry's day, but Hermione had insisted that Neville was generally in the office at unusually early hours. "Trust me – it's a lot easier to get things done around here before everyone else shows up and starts bothering you," she said with a wry smile. "I use the same trick when I'm in the office. Either come in early or stay late, sometimes both if it's a particularly difficult project."
"It appears your prediction was correct," Severus commented as they rounded the corner to Neville's office. The door was open and they could hear the sounds of a fire crackling. When they reached the office, Hermione knocked lightly on the open door and waited politely for Neville to look up.
With a surprised expression, Neville put down the parchment he was reading and said, "I didn't expect to see you here this morning… has something-"
"Nothing's wrong, Neville. I got an owl from Susan about dinner tonight and she mentioned that you had found something interesting about the Moreau greenhouse," Hermione said. With a glance at Severus, she continued, "Um – Neville… Moreau's first name wouldn't happen to be Renovo, would it?"
Neville's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"Come along, Mr. Longbot-" Seeing the glare that Hermione sent, Severus sighed and corrected himself. "Neville, that is. Bring your information – we should all see Kingsley Shacklebolt. He will be most… interested… in whatever information you have about this Renovo Moreau."
Neville stood and grabbed a folder from his desk. "All right… but what's going on?"
Hermione began to answer him but was cut off by Severus. "There's no time for that now, Neville." He turned on his heel, robes billowing impressively as he led the way to Kingsley's office.
Chuckling softly, Neville leaned over and whispered, "Good to see he hasn't changed completely… I was wondering, after that other night at dinner, what had happened to that scary Potions Master."
"Oh, he's still around, all right," she said with a sly smile, walking briskly behind Severus. Hermione gave Neville a quick recap of the events from the previous day as they walked.
They made it to Kingsley's office in a short time. The Head Auror looked up in surprise when he saw the three of them at his door.
"Come in," Kingsley said, motioning them into the office. He stood and cleared a pile of parchments off of a side chair for Neville while Severus and Hermione took the two seats immediately in front of the desk. "It's rather early for a social call," Kingsley said with a raised eyebrow. "Did something occur to you after yesterday's activities?"
"Well, Kingsley," Hermione began. She outlined what they had discovered regarding the substance as well as Neville's meeting with the greenhouse owner. "The interesting part in all of this… the owner's name is Renovo Moreau."
Neville opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Kingsley sat up, eyes wide, and exclaimed, "Renovo Moreau! But… what sense would that make? What's the connection?"
Neville once again opened his mouth to speak, when Hermione cut him off.
"We've been wracking our brains trying to figure it out, Kingsley. It doesn't make sense."
"People!" Neville said in a loud voice. Nodding with satisfaction at the silence, he continued, "I think there's something that you'll find even more interesting than the man's name. The truly fascinating part is that that's not his name. Or, rather, that wasn't his name at birth." All eyes stared at Neville unblinkingly. He nodded, and continued, "The original name of the greenhouse was the Malfoy Greenhouse. He was born a Malfoy. Pardus Malfoy. He started the greenhouse on his own and then inherited the estates when… well, you know. Even though he's a squib. He changed his name, and the name of the business, once he had gained enough clients. Good business mind, Renovo has."
"The cousin," Severus said, staring at Neville.
Kingsley nodded slowly. "It's starting to make sense."
"Is it?" Hermione asked. "Maybe it explains why he was visiting Draco in Azkaban – although that's kind of sketchy, too, if the Malfoy family socially disowned him - but it certainly doesn't explain why his fields are being poisoned."
Neville spoke then. "Do you think someone else found the connection, someone who wants to cause injury to any Malfoy still available?"
"Possible," Kingsley said, his eyebrows lowered in thought.
Just then, the door to the office burst open and Ron Weasley appeared. "Shacklebolt – I found out some interesting information about Ren-"
"You mean, Pardus Malfoy, right?"
Ron's face fell. Hermione barely bit back a laugh at his disappointed expression. "Yeah – how did you know?"
Kingsley quickly filled him in on the information Neville had shared regarding Renovo Moreau. When he began to tell Ron about the strange substance on the plants, Ron stopped him.
"I remember you talking about that substance at lunch that day, Hermione. It's the same guy?" Ron asked. When Hermione nodded, he shook his head and said, "Wow. So – what's the connection? Malfoy haters, you think?"
"That is the current theory on the table, Mr. Weasley," Severus drawled.
Kingsley looked at his Auror. "How much have you been able to find out about this Malfoy, or Moreau, fellow?"
"I just uncovered this tidbit and came straight here. I have more research to do, of course," Ron replied.
"Very good. We'll pay Mr. Moreau a visit tomorrow – find out as much as you can about him today. His friends, his business, his competitors, his enemies, his girlfriends and/or boyfriends, his favorite color, where he buys his knickers… I want to know it all, Mr. Weasley!"
"Yes, sir," Ron said with a grin.
"Go, then," Kingsley barked good-naturedly, and Ron turned and left with a quick wave to Hermione and Neville.
"Well, if that is all, Kingsley, we have some brewing to get back to," Severus said, rising to his feet.
Kingsley nodded. "Certainly. Thank you, both of you, for coming here. This was very valuable information. And Neville, if you don't mind, can you stay a while longer to go over some of the details? We'll need to prepare a report for the Minister," Kingsley said with a shudder. Neville laughed in response and agreed to stay.
"Well, then, we'll be in contact," Severus said, gesturing for Hermione to precede him through the door. As she left the office she heard Kingsley call Severus back for a question. She was about to turn back when she heard someone calling her name.
"Hermione!"
Oh, Gods. It was Justin Finch-Fletchley. Just what I don't need right now, she thought as Justin jogged down the hallway towards her. "Hello, Justin," she said in a neutral tone.
"Hey, it's good to see you, Herm!" Justin said as he reached where she was standing. "How's the lycanthropy brewing going?"
"Fine," she said simply. After Hestia and Susan's comments, she was rather uncomfortably aware of the way his eyes were taking her in.
"We should get lunch sometime, catch up on things. I've… we've… missed having you around here," Justin said with a slow smile and a meaningful look.
"Umm…"
"She will be busy, Mr. Finch-Fletchley," a voice said from behind her.
Grabbing onto the excuse like a lifeline, she looked at Justin and gave him a regretful smile. "Yes, we're rather busy right now, trying to get enough of the cure prepared. I don't think there will be any opportunities for lunches out…"
"Oh, well, maybe when you're back at the offices, then. How does that sound, Herm?" Justin said with a hopeful look.
Hermione didn't have to see Severus' face to know he was sneering at the nickname. Both Justin and Seamus insisted on calling her that – she had protested it at first, but that had just seemed to goad them on.
"Maybe," she said noncommittally.
"As I said, Mr. Finch-Fletchley – we are busy. If you are ready, Herm, we need to add the next set of ingredients shortly," Severus said in a cool voice.
"Yes, of course. You'll have to excuse me, Justin," Hermione said. Severus began to walk swiftly down the hallway.
"Goodbye," Justin said. "Looking forward to getting you back in the offices."
She just waved in response and jogged slightly to catch up with Severus. He was irritated, she could tell. What she couldn't tell was if he was irritated with her, or with Justin. Once they had Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, she asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and shook his head. "Did you have to encourage the boy?"
"Excuse me?" Hermione said, becoming irritated in her own right. "I didn't encourage him."
"You did not tell him no, either."
"He's a colleague, a friend! What would be wrong with having lunch with him?" Hermione asked.
Severus turned to her and she relaxed when she saw his amused expression. "Nothing, of course… if he was aiming to remain your colleague and friend. I, however, sense that our Mr. Finch-Fletchley has an ulterior motive."
"Oh, please. I'm not interested in Justin," Hermione said, moving closer to Severus and wrapping her hand around his arm as they resumed the walk to the castle. "He's not at all my type."
"Indeed?"
"Not at all," Hermione said firmly.
"And how is he not your type," Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.
She pretended to ponder the question, tapping a finger on her chin. "Well… let's see… first of all, I like straight hair on a man. Black, straight hair, to be specific."
"Hmmm. Go on."
"I also like big noses."
"I see."
"And the biggest reason…" she drawled, looking at him mischievously.
"Yes?"
"He's far, far too nice," Hermione said with a grin.
"Indeed."
"Yes. I much prefer sexy, snarky men."
"How fortunate for me."
"Indeed," she replied, leaning her head on his arm as they entered the castle.
_______________________________________________________________
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!! I'll be awarding House points at the end of the story to those people who guess the culprit correctly (another possible 5 – 8 chapters to go, depending on how much breeding my plot bunnies do). Incorrect guesses will result in loss of House points. (Ten for correct guesses, loss of five for incorrect guesses.) And they will be retroactive – those people who have already put guesses/theories in their reviews will be recognized at the end of the story. Just thought I'd have a little fun keeping track of everyone's theories!
Evilution – Thanks for reviewing!
Louise Luvgood – Thanks, I'm glad you liked the Pensieve scene in the last chapter.
Electryone – Thanks for the review! Crazy!Draco was fun to write. Thanks for the compliments on the last few sentences of ch12 – I do post a more "detailed" version on some other sites but I like the version here just as well. Sometimes leaving things to the imagination is better ;)
