In the fight against the Dark Arts the Wizarding community is represented by two separate by equally important groups. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement who investigate crimes and the wizgamont who prosecute the offenders. The worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Auror Department: Major Case Squad, headed up by Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. These are their stories
CASE #4
Major Case Squad Office,
Italian Ministry Venice
28th March 2006
9.23am
"What have we got" Draco asked, looking up from his files as Hermione shut the door. He frowned at her as she took a steadying breath.
"The wards were broken at 6.57 this morning. The auror team on the graveyard shift were getting ready to clock off and apparated over to the safe house. Bakhtak is pretty shaken up but alive. The auror team were able to follow the trace. Goran and Eames are in pursuit" Hermione told him, her voice betraying her stress levels.
"We need to get over there" Draco informed her, rising from the desk.
Bozzato Ubytování Safe House
Via Amalfi
28th March 2006
9.45am
"The wards were broken here, Sir" the trace specialist took Draco and Hermione round to the rear of the property, using his wand to highlight the traces were the magic was broken. Draco nodded before turning his attention to the house. Aurors and specialist crime scene technicians were milling about processing the the evidence. He stepped through the open backdoor, and looked around slowly taking everything in. Focusing on the papers on the coffee table he walked over to them.
"He was reading the newspaper" he told Hermione, knowing she followed him in. "This notebook. Its full of arithmancy equations. Take a look" he handed it to her, and quietly watched her flip through the pages.
"Ancient runes too" she commented, showing him a page near the back "and this?" she pointed to the scrawl that flowed from the right to the left of the page "Persian. Farsi to be precise."
Draco cocked his head to one side, deep in thought. "Arithmancy, runes and Farsi. Looks like our informant is doing a little cryptography" he remarked.
Orto Di Venezia
28th March 2006
2.18pm
"Blaise, I need some help" Hermione told her friend as he crossed the threshold of the library. "Do you recognise this? I've poured over every manuscript but I cannot find this symbol in any of them. I know I have seen it before but I cannot remember where" she sighed, turning the notebook towards him.
Blaise regarded it carefully. "Yes, but you won't find it in the main part of this library" he told her. Hermione looked up, puzzled. Blaise took his wand and tapped the bookshelf as Hermione stared, open mouthed in shock.
"Mother put the darkest of our collection away from the prying eyes of my various step fathers" he stated nonchalantly. "I didn't show you before because I didn't want you to be in harm's way. Some of this stuff is heavily cursed. Draco also told me you are plagued by nightmares" he gave her an empathetic smile.
"I guess we need a curse breaker then" she replied "Luckily I know a really good one, with Middle Eastern experience" she chuckled, grabbing a quill, penning a quick Owl.
Orto Di Venezia
29th March 2006
10.34am
The green flames roared in the fireplace in the lounge and the tall ginger haired man stepped out, smiling broadly as he enveloped Hermione in a great bear hug, squeezing her tight.
"Bill! Seriously, I can barely breathe!" she cried, laughing.
"You called for a curse breaker?" he grinned.
Draco strode in from the terrace, shaking Bill Weasley's hand. "Thank you for coming" he greeted him.
Orto Di Venezia
29th March 2006
4.26pm
"Ok, I think this is going to be safe to handle now" Bill told her, wiping the sweat from his brow, as he handed her the book.
Blaise sat down beside her as she hunched over the text. "Some of this stuff is really dark Hermione, are you sure you don't want me to find it for you?" he asked her, his voice betraying his concern for her.
"It's ok" she smiled "Here, I have it. It's the Mithras. The good and evil principles of Persia—Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman—competing for the Egg of the Earth, which each is trying to wrench from the teeth of the other" she told him. "Now I know where I have seen this before. The Baghdad Library."
Baghdad Library
30th March 2006
11.07am (Local time)
"Thank you for meeting with me, Professor" Hermione smiled at her former mentor.
"The pleasure is all mine, Hermione dear" the old gentleman warmly told her.
"What can you tell me about the cryptographs on this page?" she asked him, pushing the notebook towards him.
The old man pushed his glasses up his nose, scrutinising the notebook carefully. "When thinking of Mithras most people, muggles in particular, think of Good and Evil and the fertility symbology. But many dont realise Mithras had other meaning. Particularly for Dark Wizards. He was also the God of Contracts. This is a contract, Hermione." he told her, passing the book back to her.
Major Case Squad Office
Italian Ministry
30th March 2006
4:47pm
"So what we have is essentially a contract between Bakhtak and an unknown party" she told him, folding her hands on the desk in front of her.
Goran cocked his head "So we need to find this unknown party" he stated, looking at his partner Eames. "Maybe that was who broke the wards. Maybe we can find him where the trace took us" Eames nodded in agreement.
"Ok, set up a team, head over there now"
Isola di Crevan
30th March 2006
5:09pm
Wands drawn, Goran and Eames lead their team onto the property. Sparks flew.
"Protego"
"Stupefy"
"Expeliamus"
Interview Room A, Major Case Squad Offices
Italian Ministry, Venice
31st March 2006
10.17am
"Enzo Caldez, do you know why you have been brought in?" Draco asked, eyes fixed on the file.
Under the influence of veritaserum he replied. "Yes"
"What is the nature of your contract with Bakhtak?" Draco continued.
"The procurement of Persian Antiquities" he replied, staring blankly at Draco.
"To what end?" his tone was nonchalant as he flipped over the page.
Enzo tried to fight the veritaserum. "Delivery to Venice" he ground out.
"For what purpose?" Draco looked up.
Enzo Caldez was now sweating profusely, panic stricken. Draco felt a twist inside. Something was wrong, no one should react like this to interrogation under veritaserum.
"To raise the Şamaran" he rasped, staring horrified at his wrist. Draco watched as gold bands glowed and then broke free, one striking Enzo across the chest with a violent crack. Enzo's lifeless body slumped forward on the desk.
Hermione came bursting through the door. "What happened?" she cried, staring at Draco who turned to her, stunned.
"He was under the Unbreakable Vow!"
