Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's universe, I just like to do really evil things with her characters, on occasion.

Chapter 14 - Tracey

Tracey slipped into Theo's office unannounced and waited patiently for his attention. He made her wait, testing her, but she never moved, never fidgeted, never twitched. The others found this behavior unnerving, but he'd always considered her patience to be rather impressive. Finally, he looked up at her and arched a brow, a silent gesture for her to speak.

"You were right," she said, without preamble. There had never been the pretense of meaningless everyday chatter between them, one of the other things he liked about her. "About Blaise. He'd been tampered with."

Theo leaned forward at this, his interest piqued. "Who?"

"I don't know." The mask slipped, betraying her irritation at this answer. "Whoever did it covered their traces; it's nobody we know, that much I can tell you. Someone he met on the Continent while he was hiring for the Granger job, perhaps."

"You're sure?"

"That it's no one we know? Absolutely. We're looking at someone on par with you or I, and we've already gathered the local talent. I may not share your love for Blaise, but he's fairly well-protected, and this wasn't the work of a rank amateur in any case."

"At last, a challenge."

"One worthy of your brilliance, yes." Her tone was as cool as ever, but he detected the note of sarcasm anyway. "Although Granger came pretty damn close, with her self-taught Occlumency. Any idea where she picked that up?"

"Would you believe from Potter?" Tracey snorted, but Theo shook his head. "It's true. Apparently, Snape was attempting to teach him, fifth-year, and failed abysmally. Our little over-achiever took it upon herself to do some research of her own on the subject. Fortunately for us, she didn't have the benefit of the good professor's instruction. She has the potential to surpass even you, but I suspect her morals will get in the way."

"Morals? Oh, this should be fun. Are you sure you want me refining her skills in the mental arts?"

"Quite. Do try to remember to play nicely."

"Yes, yes. No breaking your new toy. I hadn't realized you were so desperate for a conscience, Theo."

Theo stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "Are you jealous?" Something about her demeanor was off, he realized; he expected this sort of behavior from Blaise, but not Tracey.

"Jealous?" she scoffed, with a shake of her head. "Of course not." Silence fell between them, and his eyes narrowed further as he watched her. After several minutes of this, she sighed, letting slip just a hint of distress before murmuring, "It's just... You're not trying to replace me, are you? With her?"

He was moving before she'd finished the question, rounding his desk and advancing on her. She held her ground, though her eyes were wide, and he lifted a hand to catch her chin, tilting her head back. "We're family, remember?" he reminded her quietly. "No one can take your place, Tracey, that much I promise you. I have a different role in mind for Hermione, but I think it would benefit both of you to spend time together." He let go of her and stepped back, allowing her a moment to regain her composure. "Now, is there anything else?"

"I'll have the final report for you today from our Unspeakable guest," she said, her voice cool once more. "The visit was most informative. Perhaps we can think about entertaining another visitor from Mysteries soon?"

"Draco's got two possibilities, he's supposed to get back with me by the end of the week. Apparently, his contact in the Ministry's Human Resources department has been out sick, so he hasn't been able to confirm anything. You'll be the first to know, though."

Tracey nodded, turning toward the door. "I'll see you at this week's meeting, then, if nothing comes up sooner."

Theo watched her go, waited for the door to close, and then set about taking care of the items she'd brought up; first and foremost: Blaise.