Chapter 6: Discoveries
On the outskirts of Godric's Hollow was a source of both my greatest joy and my greatest sorrow. After saving up religiously for my first few years of working I had been able to buy a quaint little cottage from an elderly couple that wanted to move closer to their grandchildren. Being a famous war heroine also helped get a good deal for the place. The husband was a scholar and the wife was a bit of a potions fanatic, so there was already a library and a laboratory.
The house was meant originally to be where Ron and I lived after we got married, but that was before a certain half-Veela came into his life. Now it was a standing testament to a broken engagement. Still, I didn't have it in me to sell the place. I could easily picture my children running through its halls, it just wouldn't be Weasley children.
However, the laboratory was fully stocked and I saw no point in cluttering my apartment with cauldrons and herbs when I had a fully functional space here.
The house was heavily surrounded by wards and various security measures. Almost no one knew that it was mine, but I wasn't taking any chances.
As it was an older house it had a personality of its own. The gate swung open to greet me, and upon entering I found that the mild spring had led to the garden becoming overgrown. It also likely could be contributed to the fact that no one had been coming to the house to see to its upkeep.
Inside the house was in perfect shape. I knew for a fact that this property didn't come with a house elf, so I couldn't help but marvel at the enchantments and spells that were imbued in the house.
Soon enough I found the laboratory waiting for me with gleaming instruments. Sure enough, I still had the ingredients needed for the ancient tracking spell I had stumbled across. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but I had already tried every other tracking spell known to wizardkind.
It took the better part of an hour to prepare the potion that the ring was to be soaked in. After this I would need more boomslang skin and powdered mandrake, but it was prepared.
I had gotten into a habit of wearing the ring on a chain around my neck, and now I took it off and hung the chain on a cupboard knob, so the ring was barely brushing the surface of the liquid.
While the ring was soaking, I laid out a map of the world on the nearest table, and setting out several world atlases as well. By the time I was finished the ring was humming with a silvery aura.
Carefully raising the ring out of the liquid by its chain, I began whispering the incantation as I stepped over to the map. It was an incantation in Old English, so the pronunciation was difficult.
Standing over the world map, I continued chanting as the ring swung in a wide circle. As I kept chanting, the ring's path grew smaller and smaller until it centered over the northwestern portion of the United States.
I had had a suspicion that this would be the case, so I stepped to an atlas that was open to the Northwestern portion of the United States, with Idaho right in the middle. Sure enough, the ring started swinging wildly over the oddly-shaped state, swinging over the southern portion of it.
Moving to a map of just Idaho, I continued chanting as the ring made smaller and smaller circles, centering over a town called Pocatello. I vaguely remembered this being one of the towns that Draco had made a note of.
My mind went into overdrive. Draco Malfoy was somewhere in Pocatello, Idaho, and I needed a way to get there. As I had never been before, apparition was out of the question. I didn't want to risk a portkey, and I would have to deal with MACUSA. I didn't want to even think about all of the paperwork and such nonsense, but if I didn't do it myself then not only would Draco Malfoy stay lost, but the whole Department of Magical Law Enforcement would know exactly what I was doing.
The enormity of it all weighed heavily on me, but I forced myself to fixate on a single point: the tracking spell worked. That meant that he was alive.
I slowly put away the maps and potion ingredients, trying to assess what I should take care of first. I would have to book a Muggle flight to the States. Luckily my passport was in order, and once I had been to the city once I could go again and again through apparition. I would need to obtain a warrant from MACUSA though. It was going to be a bloody mess, and the whole Department would know that I was going to America.
As I locked up my little house my mind was wandering. Idaho was the least likely place that I could see Draco Malfoy being interested in, but that was likely the point. I wondered if he had ever been there before, as well as how he got there.
When I had collected everything I would need, I decided to drop by Harry's office for direction in where to go next. I found him swamped with literal piles of paperwork, mainly from other departments. Harry looked somewhere between overwhelmed and restless, which was a horrible for him. It wouldn't be long until something blew up, quite possibly literally. He was so entrenched in it all that he didn't register my presence, not even glancing up from the piece of paper he was busy glaring at.
Taking in the various stacks of paper, I noted that they were at least divided by department. I sighed. "Harry, how long have you put off paperwork?"
He started, breaking out of his paperwork-induced fugue. "How long have you been here. Hermione?"
"Long enough, Harry Potter. I repeat, how long have you been putting off your paperwork?" I demanded.
"This is only from the last few weeks, but I also got stuck with Ron's paperwork from the last few months," Harry said defeatedly. After a moment he looked stricken and said, "Oh Merlin, I didn't mean-"
"We've known him since we were eleven," I interrupted. "Just because Ronald decided to be a bloody moron doesn't mean we have to pretend he doesn't exist. I'm fine, Harry, just a bit bitter. One day that will pass. Now let's tackle the paperwork that this prat left for you."
The paperwork went fairly quickly as I had worked in most of the departments at one point of time or another. I knew exactly what they were looking for, so with a swish of my wand, a few of the stacks were promptly filled out and sent speeding to their destinations.
I paused to inspect an unusual stack of papers. "Why would there be an accusation of harm of magical creatures?"
Harry groaned. "That's still in there? I told Ron to take care of that months ago! During one of our cases we had to deal with some of Aragog's descendants, and Ron was a bit overzealous in defending himself."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course he was."
Harry was clearly debating something with himself, but finally his lips twitched into a smile. "I think his high-pitched screams were more harmful to the acromantula than any spells he used."
I burst out laughing for the first time in too long. Then without filling a single thing out, I flicked my wand at the pile so it zoomed straight back to Ron's desk. "Legally neither of us can fill that out," I said lightly.
Harry snickered. "What can I do for you, 'Mione?"
Glancing around, I cast a silencing charm so we couldn't be heard, and then I quickly recounted everything of significance that I had found. When I finished Harry looked stunned. "Are you sure this is your first investigation? Merlin, sometimes I forget exactly how brilliant you are."
I pushed back my hair impatiently. "It makes me uneasy that we don't know who is behind all of this. Draco was serious in that memory, and it's vital that everyone continues to believe he's dead. But how would I explain going to America?"
Harry pondered a moment, and I could see his mind working. "There's really no reason for Malfoy's body to be in the States… I hate this Hermione, but you may have to call the case quits." Harry rushed before I could interrupt. "I know you don't fully trust Thaxton. I can't bring myself to fully trust him either. I'm fine reporting to him with crimes like theft, but a life depends on this investigation."
I drummed my fingers on the desk. "You have a suggestion. Let's hear it."
Harry cleared his throat. "You continue this investigation for a week, maybe two. Make it look like you've exhausted every idea and resource you can come up with. Then claim that they must have Malfoy's body or something like that. While we do that we can figure out your passage to America. It's been a while, but we do know some people that work in MACUSA."
I winced a bit. I had done my best to forget. "You don't mean…"
Harry nodded hesitantly. "Our American fan club."
A/N: Please excuse any typos. I'm an English major, but I was literally about to fall asleep while I typed this.
