A/N and Other Shtuff: Alright, basically, this is the chapter where I've decided to sort of reveal whom the murderer is. You also get a peek into the last two years of school for the Golden Trio and the others. There are hints to some HG/DM, and HG/RW. Nothing too big yet, still kind of debating what to do with the twins and Perce, pretty much just back ground information here. TAKE NOTE: If you aren't allowed to watch "R" rated movies, turn back NOW!

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter. All rights to these characters and other things are reserved for J.K. Rowling. No matter how much I want to own everything. However, there are a few of my own characters.

A Field in England

Having barely broken a sweat, a cloaked figure stood over the lifeless body of a dark haired man. Then, kneeling, he pulled a piece of green silk from his pocket and placed it over the man's heart, pinning it in place with a small needle. As he admired his handy work, he smiled, stood and flipped the hood of the cloak back to his shoulders.

Emerald green eyes glinted in the moon light, black as death hair stood on end from having been tousled by the hood. As he stepped back, he smirked to himself before turning away and Apparating. That was, perhaps, one of the easiest kills he'd made in a year. If he had to admit it, he was quite pleased with himself on several accounts.

Back at the Ministry

Hermione sat at her desk, quill tapping idly at the wood, eyes glazed and out of focus with thought. This was supposed to have been her lunch break, but she was skipping it to finish the revision to the newest set of information from the murder cases. Level Five was extremely quite today, something that was rare. But she was reveling in it; the silence. The peace. The moderately sane, uneventful time to herself she'd missed in the last two years.

She had moved rather quickly after her last year at Hogwarts. Going immediately from the school to the training program for Aurors, from there, Hermione had gone from trainee to expert. It had helped that she had read every one of the hand-books and all of the material faster than anyone else had. But nothing had prepared her for the murders. For a little more than a year they'd been battling the unseen force that was killing off entire families. For a little more than a year, they at the Ministry had worked 24/7 to keep another murder from happening. But nothing had helped. To no avail, they'd failed. Time and time again, the murderer would slip through their fingers.

There were, of course, several theories as to who the culprit was. The Malfoy's were, of course, most everyone's top choice. The green silk, a Slytherin color, being able to practically disappear from the face of the planet (something that, in the minds of the others, was something only Dark Magic was capable of doing), the game of cat and mouse... A game Hermione was well acquainted with. That was beside the point, really though... This had to be fixed. But as she sat back in her desk chair, Hermione let her mind wander back to her last few years at Hogwarts.

Their sixth year, Harry had defeated Voldemort, nearly loosing his life in the process, unfortunately, that was the year they lost their headmaster as well. The next year, their seventh and last year, the last remaining Death Eaters had risen and had broken into Hogowarts and other safe places, killing everyone and everything in sight. Hermione shivered at the memory.

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Bodies lay strewn in the halls, in classrooms, common rooms, the Great Hall, on the front steps, the grounds... Everywhere. Hermione clung to Harry's arm as they stood, staring around, then gradually, survivors began to trickle like dripping water from the castle. No one spoke as they stood, shocked and stunned into silence by the carnage. Three Professors remained. Professor Snape, the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts Profess or, Professor Calder, and Hagrid. She and Harry immediately went in search for their friends. The first they found was Neville. Then Luna, then Ron. At the sight of Ron's still and lifeless body, Hermione screamed, dropped to her knees and began sobbing. Harry hadn't bothered to try and calm her. She discovered later that it was because he'd spotted Ginny's body only a few feet away, draped over the Main Stairs like a grotesque rug. They were to find out later that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were found at their home, killed in much the same fashion as the students and professors at Hogwarts. She and Harry had stayed as long as the last day of school, the day of the burials, then they left, taking separate paths. She went on to burry herself in work for the Ministry. He had said he was off to travel, to get his mind off everything. From there, they had lost touch.

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And now, now she had to wonder where he was, if he was alright. All the things any normal best friend would be thinking. In three years, nothing. Not an owl, nothing.

As a magical voice interrupted her thoughts, she jumped, practically falling from her chair. Then she calmed, realizing that it was the secretary that was stationed in the middle of the large ante-chamber that connected her office with five others. "Ms Granger, your two o'clock is here." The scratchy, bored voice said before leaving. Two o'clock... Shit. Who was...? Oh... Draco Malfoy. As she stared at the small calendar, she made a face. Great. Why couldn't he have died like the rest of them? With a nearly inaudible groan, she waved her wand at the door, making it spring open just as the tall figure was approaching.

The fifteen or so steps it took to get from the front desk to her office gave Hermione time to look at the boy she hadn't seen in three years. Except... he wasn't exactly a boy any longer.