AN: Sorry we're a day late this week. It's hell week at the theater (my son's show opens tomorrow) and so my son has had rehearsals every day this week and hasn't been getting home until late.

Shoutout to sociallyawkwardcatnerd: First off thanks for reading! Secondly, thank you for your constructive criticism. I appreciate it and have tried something new with the scene/time breaks. Hopefully it works. Let me know if it helps at all!

Chapter 10

Dinner in Diagon

"I should have known that I would have found you here."

Hermione peers around the tall stack of books, "Did you need something, Harry?" she asks, setting her quill gently on the table before her.

"What's all this then?"

"Everything the Ministry has available on hauntings." She glances at the stack with a sigh, "I had expected there to be more, honestly, and lot of this information is repetitive." She picks up her quill and leans back into her seat, tapping the feather against her chin thoughtfully. "It's completely bizarre. Other than the winds, these ghosts don't really seem to affect their surroundings and yet they can cause physical harm to a person. If they were poltergeists, they would be able to manipulate the objects around them as well but we haven't seen any evidence at all of that happening.

"In Buddhism they have this spirit that they call Preta, which for us would be called a hungry ghost. That seems somewhat likely since those spirits are driven by an insatiable desire and are usually created when someone meets a truly terrible end. So I started looking deeper into the myths surrounding them. I keep seeing conflicting information. Some texts say that a hungry ghost only forms in drastic situations like when an entire family is wiped out, some say that in order to become one you have to have done truly horrible things in your life. I cannot seem to find any concrete evidence of that type of ghost being real and there is no mention of them other than in Asian countries such as China, India and VietNam."

"Maybe you should take a break from the Malfoy case," Harry says with a sigh, lowering himself into the seat next to her.

"There's something I'm missing," she continues, ignoring her friend and pulling another book toward her. "Some piece of information." She flips quickly through the pages, her eyes scanning them frantically, "Something important. This seems the most likely cause and, let's face it, those people more than likely met an absolutely horrid end in those dungeons, but why only attack Malfoy. We've no record that he ever killed anyone, are they after him only because he's the only DeathEater available? Maybe he was the one to torture some of them but I can't see that being the case for all of them. Mrs. Malfoy even mentioned having Professor Burbage appear in the dining room, and yet, the spirit did nothing to her whatsoever."

"I'm thinking it's time for a break, Hermione," Harry cuts in, grabbing her arm as she reaches for yet another book. "Come with me to dinner. Clear your head a bit and maybe you'll be able to think of something."

Hermione glances over at him before turning back to her parchments, "Well, I guess stepping away for a little while could help me to be more objective. Give me a moment to put these away and we'll head out for some lunch." She stands and grabs several books off of the stack, smiling brightly when Harry follows with the rest and heads back into the shelves.

"Have you been down here all day?"

"Well, my current workload has been relatively simple today with no new cases coming into the DMLE so I've had nothing to contribute to the department. I decided my time would be better spent in research rather than sitting at my desk waiting for you Aurors to need my help." She glances over at her friend as she begins placing books back into their respective slots, "Were you able to look into securing a safe house?"

"I've mentioned it and been told that it would be 'looked into but that no promises could be made without us making this an Auror case, which would then need to be signed off by Robards and, I don't really see that happening."

"Which puts us right back where we started," Hermione states with sigh.

"Not completely. I've made some inquiries into who has been handling the threatening letters the Malfoys have been receiving. I might be able to get them moved to your responsibility. As a member of the DMLE they'd fall more into your jurisdiction than mine as an Auror"

"That's something at least." She turns to Harry with a smile after placing the final book on the shelf. "Dinner?"

"Finally."

They settle on a small cafe in Diagon Alley taking seats on the patio outside to enjoy the end of a crisp fall day. "Have you heard from Ron recently," Hermione asks, eyes falling on the tall building he now ran with his brother.

Harry nods, pausing to swallow his bite of food before answering, "Says the shop's been right busy lately. It sounds like him and George might be needing to hire help soon. He was asking when we might be free to have another game night."

"A game night would be fun. Perhaps on the weekend? Would Ginny be free to come? Or we could do it at Grimmauld if that would be easier."

"She's got a match this weekend but she's free next."

"Let's plan for that then."

They sit in a comfortable silence as they eat their meal, both watching the witches and wizards who make their way toward their business in the alley. Hermione smiles to herself as she takes in the bustle of the crowd, the cool breeze carrying the scents of the baked goods from the next street over. "It's interesting to just sit and watch how different things are since the war," she remarks softly. "You could almost imagine that it never happened."

"Yeah, as long as you ignore all the shops that aren't here anymore."

"Swallow your food, Harry," she chastises, glaring at him fondly. "I remember my first trip with my parents. We had to stop at Gringotts first to exchange money and I begged them to let me go to Flourish and Blotts first thing."

"You don't say."

"Shut it, Harry," she replies with a laugh, swatting him playfully on the arm. "Oh! I almost forgot. Mrs. Malfoy sent an owl over earlier asking me to meet her for tea tomorrow. I'll be picking up Malfoy's memories at the same time so perhaps we can start sorting through them and see if we can identify some of these spirits of the Manor." Her eyes widen slightly in surprise as her companion begins to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"This whole situation," Harry replies with a grin, "Tea with Mrs. Malfoy; and you say it as though it's perfectly normal to have tea with your old school bullies mum." He holds up a hand to stop the ensuing lecture he knows is coming. "I know. I know. Mrs. Malfoy asked for our help and we're just doing our job. Doesn't change the fact that if we tell Ron he'll think we've both lost it."

Hermione chuckles softly along with her friend before sobering, "It can't be the most comfortable place to live, can it? Just visiting brings back so many memories, I couldn't imagine having to be there for any extended amount of time after everything that happened there."

"Lets just hope we can wrap this up quickly so we can say goodbye to that place for good." Hermione nodded absently and Harry rolls his eyes fondly at her, "Let us hear it then," he says, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table before him.

"Hear what?"

"Your head is obviously still in the library. What's got you so distracted you've barely touched your favorite soup?"

She looks down at her pumpkin bisque, still steaming under the warming charms, "oh," she whispers, having completely forgotten the soup was even sitting in front of her. "Just thinking, I guess. The thing that's really got me stumped is the fact that the spirits seem to be targeting Malfoy directly. We were in the same room and they completely ignored our presence until we tried to intervene. Even then they seemed to just want us out of the way and not actually hurt."

"Maybe they remember him," Harry replies thoughtfully. "Don't get me wrong, I don't believe Malfoy killed them all; honestly I'd be surprised if he actually killed any of them, but he did live there. He had to have been present for at least some of the deaths. Maybe they recognize him and, seeing as he's the only Death Eater available, they're taking out their vengeance on him."

"Vengeful ghosts have been known to come back and inflict harm on those who caused their death but I've never heard of them substituting someone for that person." She leans back into her chair, folding her arms and staring down at the bowl in front of her, "spirits just don't normally act that way." Her eyes grow distant, darting back and forth slightly as though scanning an invisible page before her as she runs through her readings in her head. "What if they're not ghosts at all," she states, sitting up suddenly eyes darting back to Harry' face.

"Hermione, we saw them, they looked like ghosts to me."

"Yes, I know, perhaps they really are ghosts then but what if their being made to act this way. Manipulated somehow. Do you think that would be possible?" Without waiting for Harry to respond she continues, "Malfoy was covered in spell damage when I ran diagnostics on him the other day. What if someone's cursed him and the curse is attractive the vengeful spirits to him?"

"Spell damage? Hermione, why didn't you mention that before?"

"Didn't I? My apologies, my mind must have been elsewhere. Malfoy refused to tell me what happened or even how old the spell damage was."

"I'm sure he's rather used to the odd jinx or curse nowadays, Hermione, being one of the only Death Eaters still roaming free and all."

Hermione glares over at her friend and he raises his arms in surrender, "I know his circumstances were horrible, I testified for him for Merlin's sake, but that doesn't change the fact that he has the dark mark branded on his arm. People want the bad guys punished and, regardless of his sentencing, Malfoy is still considered one of the bad guys."

"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione cuts in suddenly.

"Do you think she's in danger as well?"

"No, she's here." She gestured into the crowd where the older woman is walking hurriedly toward them on the opposite side of the alley. "Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione calls out, standing quickly. When the other woman doesn't respond and simply continues down the street, she starts to head after her.

"Maybe she's just out for a bit of shopping?" Harry asks even though he briskly follows.

"Mrs. Malfoy is everything alright," Hermione asks as she catches up with her.

"Oh, Miss Granger," Narcissa replies, glancing back toward her without slowing her step. "I'm afraid I haven't time to talk. I've received an urgent message from Mr. Mulpepper and have to go."

"Mr. Mulpepper? At the apothecary?"

Narcissa stops, staring at the other woman, a hint of concern on her face. "He's Draco's employer."

"Has something happened?"

"He did not say, only that he needed me to come to the shop immediately."

"We'll come with," Harry responds. Narcissa smiles softly at the two of them before turning and continuing on her way toward the shop.

"What did the message say?" Hermione asked, weaving through the crowd as she attempted to keep pace with the slightly taller woman.

"Only that Draco needed me to come to the store immediately. It was, however, Mr. Mulpepper that sent the message, not Draco himself. Something has to have happened. Draco has never called for me before."

"The shop looks closed," Harry observes as they approach. The door is closed, the windows dark.

Narcissa raps swiftly on the door three times before dropping her arm back to her side. If Hermione hadn't been observing the woman so closely, she would have looked like any other customer simply waiting to be let in. However, from such a close distance, there was a nervous energy surrounding her. She was almost vibrating with it.

The door opened, an older man standing there. His eyes land on Narcissa for only a moment before they spot Hermione and Harry directly behind her. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. I assure you the Malfoys are guests of this establishment. They've done nothing to warrant the involvement of the Aurors nor the DMLE."

"They're with me," Narcissa cuts in. "May we come in?"

"Of course, ma'am." He steps back to let them enter, quickly closing and locking the door behind him. "He's in the back room."

"What's happened?"

"I'm not sure. I left him not only a couple of hours ago. We needed a couple of items replaced. He's usually such a quiet brewer you'd never know he was here. I heard a loud crash and went to make sure he was alright." He began to explain as he walked them quickly through the front of the store toward a door at the back. "He wouldn't respond to me and I was unsure what else to do."

They follow him quietly through the door, Narcissa rushing forward immediately upon seeing her only child huddled on the floor near an overturned stool. He is on his knees, leaned forward, his shaking arms barely supporting him as he gasps in shallowly. "What happened?" Hermione demands, hurrying after her.

"I'm not sure. I had to finish with a customer before I could come back and see what happened. He hasn't moved since. I'm not sure what's caused the attack, only that I couldn't bring him out of it." As Narcissa pulls Draco into a loose embrace and Hermione begins a new round of diagnostic spells, he continues, "I know I should have taken him to St. Mungos but I didn't want to expose him to the people I know would be there."

"You've done the right thing, Mr. Mulpeper," Harry assures him. "If anyone can bring him out of it, it would be his Mother. Nothing unusual happened that you noticed? Nothing that could have caused a panic attack?"

"Before I sent him back here, the Weasley boy from the joke shop came in to get some ingredients for some new line they're experimenting with. I could tell Draco wasn't comfortable so I gave him an excuse to be alone for a while. The two didn't actually interact at all and that was hours ago so I'm not even sure that's what started it. Draco was feeling guilty about things and I wanted him to have a chance to clear his head." Finally turning away from the trio on the floor in front of him, he turns to look Harry in the eye. "What brings you here, Mr. Potter? Sure the Auror division has no interest in panic attacks, no matter how dark they may deem the wizard having them?"

"I'm just here to help. This isn't an Auror matter at all."

The old man eyes Harry warily before eventually nodding and turning back to the others. Narcissa is slowly brushing her fingers through Draco's hair as she whispers softly to him. Hermione has conjured a glass of water and slowly raises it to his lips as he takes a small sip, his tired eyes staring at the woman before him suspiciously.

"My apologies, Tobias," his voice is quiet and rough when he finally speaks, "I had thought that I had the panic attacks under control."

"Not to worry, my boy," Tobias replies brightly, walking over to place his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Merlin knows you've got plenty of reasons to be having troubles. I'm just glad you're back with us."

"Draco," Narcissa says softly, pulling her son's attention back to her, "what happened?"

"I...I'm not sure. I was finishing up and I thought...I thought I saw," his breath speeds up slightly as his eyes dart from his mother's face to the door and back, "but it couldn't be. Not here. It doesn't make any sense."

"Do you mind if I see," Hermione asks, cutting off his frantic muttering. "You don't need to tell us if you can show me."

Draco quiets down and stares at her for several moments before finally nodding slightly. "Harry, I need an empty vial," Hermione calls out before pulling her wand from her holster and placing it against Draco's head. She feels cool fingers wrap around her wrist and starts slightly, turning back to look at the man before her.

"No you don't."

"I need to extract the memory so I can…"

"No, Granger," he rolls his eyes with a sigh, "I can just show you."

Hermione allows him to lower her arm back to her side, her eyes wide as she stares at the pale man in front of her. "Are you sure? I'm not a legilimens and I'd never expect you to let me wander around your memories."

"I can show you," he repeats, "and I'd like to see you try to see something I don't want to show you." His mouth quirks into a smirk that nearly reminds her of the old Malfoy and she nods. He releases her wrist and pulls himself into a seated position, "Ready?"

"Yes."

As she stares into his eyes her vision tunnels, the world around her fading to black before lightening once more. She finds herself sitting once more in Malfoy's potions lab, the soft scratch of a quill pulling her attention to the man sitting before one of the tables near the wall.

Pulling herself to her feet, she walks over and glances over his shoulder to find several vials all neatly labeled. He replaces the last one, setting his quill down beside them as he starts slightly, the movement barely noticeable even with the close proximity.

His head turns toward the door that Hermione assumes leads into the back alley. She follows his line of sight her eyes widening as they fall upon the pale white mist that begins to drift up from the foot of the door. The stool that he had been sitting on falls to the floor as he jumps to his feet and stumbles backwards, his form falling backward as Hermione quickly jumps out of the way. She turns back toward the door, recognizing the form as the first spirit to arrive in the dungeon when Malfoy was last attacked. The spirit glides silently forward, its eyes narrowing as they look through Hermione at the man behind her. She follows the gaze to find Malfoy has retreated, his back pressed against the wall, eyes wide and fearful, head shaking quickly back and forth, mouth forming silent words as he stares at his nightly tormentor.

The spirit drifts past her and Hermione has to catch herself from attempting to intervene, knowing that there was nothing to be done.

She sees the moment he loses himself, his wide eyes grow dim, breath coming quick and shallowly. His shaking legs give out and he falls to the floor, his arms barely catching him before he falls forward.

"Draco," she hears Mr. Mulpepper's voice as he walks down the hallway, calling out to his employee, concern evident.

The crunch of gravel just outside pulls her eyes over to the rear door just as the spirit's form diminishes and turns once more to mist before disappearing.

Strong arms catch Hermione as she nearly falls backward at being thrust back into the present. Her wide eyes seek out the pale grey of the man before her, "Someone was here," she whispers.

"I didn't even notice that at the time," Draco responds with a nod.

"Obviously you had other things to focus on at the time. That wasn't a ghost. It was different from the ones at the manor."

"But it looks just like one of them."

"Someone else knows what's going on. Have you told anyone else?"

"I'm not even the one who told Mother." His eyes grow distant, thoughtful and she can tell he's trying to piece something together.

"So even if someone else isn't causing these hauntings, someone knows enough to use them against you outside of your home. It was an illusion but it was similar enough not to be a coincidence." His eyes come back into focus as he turns his attention back to her and nods. Hermione clears her throat gently as she notices their continued closeness on the floor. She gently pulls her arms from his grasp and pulls herself to her feet, turning to look at Harry, eyes determined. "I'm making this an official DMLE investigation. The Minister wants proof. I've got it."

AN: As always Reviews are grately appreciated. Just a heads up, I have no betas for this story so you're stuck with just me doing the editing and I do miss things. Please if anything doesn't make sense, is misspelled or if there's something in formatting that I can modify to make reading more enjoyable for you as a reader let me know!