Hermione found Malew at his desk writing a report, and took the chair opposite him. Malew hastily took his papers and hid the them away when Hermione entered, making Hermione even more suspicious.

Without any further ado Hermione accused, "Malew. I know your hiding something, why don't you tell me what is really going on here?"

Hermione watched Malew carefully for a reaction. His face showed signs of being disturbed, but immediately changed to anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Malew snapped. "I've shown you everything."

Hermione asked, "Where is the owner? Why is he avoiding me?"

"Look," Malew answered, "If you really want to see the owner come back next week."

Hermione already guessed that the owner would continue to avoid meetings, so she said, "I want to meet your owner today."

Malew looked uncomfortable, but insisted, "I'm sorry. He isn't available today. Come back next week." Malew stood, showing Hermione to the door. Hermione was angry, but couldn't do anything about her anger just yet. So instead, she left Malew's office, followed Malew out of the factory and pretended to leave.

Hermione wanted to catch Malew meeting his boss and get the whole story, so she doubled back and went around the rear door where the ash would be taken away and recycled. Earlier, Hermione had left a door ajar so she could reenter without detection. As she went in, she could feel her purse vibrate again.

"Shit!" As Hermione's muffled cursed echoed in the silence, she dug out her phone.

—= Come to XXX Hotel at 2:00.

It was the worst timing imaginable. Hermione texted back as quickly as she could.

=— I told you already, I have work today.

—= You'll come if you don't want Ron hurt.

Hermione looked down at her watch, it was already 12:00, she would have to apparate almost immediately after this reconnaissance mission if she wanted to make Lockhart's time. Hermione thought for a moment.

She didn't know for sure if or when Malew would meet his boss, all she could do was stakeout 2 hours and if nothing interesting happened, go deal with Lockhart.

Hermione took out an Extendable Ear and enchanted it to go up to Malew's office door, while she found a cart of defective cauldrons marked for recasting to hide behind.

She waited for a long while, and was disappointedly thinking that Malew would go out to lunch, but just when Hermione was about to give up she heard Malew in the office, muttering to himself and rummaging around. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a fire being started, and a couple moments later she heard two whooshing sounds.

An annoyed voice that Hermione didn't recognize said, "Why'd you call me here?"

Hermione then heard Malew anxiously responding, "Mr. Wendel, we've got a problem. They're catching on. I'm not sure if we can pull this off…"

"Who is? Who's catching on?"

"There is this Miss Granger working for the goblins, I think she's discovered something."

"Preposterous! I personally modified the records, there can be no mistake…"

"Even so." Malew continued to say, "If they find out the cauldrons have been exported out of the country illegally, we could be facing Azkaban. I suggest we sell our stake to Thickbottom's, or perhaps—"

"Never! The goblin's will lose patience within a few more month's, they'll definitely sell first!"

Hermione heard Malew lower his voice, and strained to listen, " —offered a considerable sum…"

"No, this factory has been in my family for 50 years. Just stick with the—", Wendel was saying, but his voice broke off and then went on, "What was that?"

Hermione got another message from Lockhart, but in her haste to turn off her phone she accidentally bumped into the cart beside her and sent some cauldrons crashing to the floor. Panic set in as Hermione withdrew the ear and took out her wand, trying to apparate back home, but nothing happened. She tried again, as she heard a door burst open down the hall, footsteps getting closer and Malew shouting, "the cauldrons! there's someone hiding by the cauldrons."

Hermione cursed herself for being so stupid. Of course wizarding places had anti-apparation fields, which was why floo powder was used. There was no choice but to make a run for it so she leapt up and used her wand to blast the whole cart of cauldron's towards Malew, who screamed out in pain as he went crashing to the floor. But the wizard behind him, Wendel, was quicker and conjured up a shield, deflecting all the cauldrons. Hermione started to run in the opposite direction towards the rear exit, but Wendel was gaining on her. It was strange, Wendel was a bulky man but moved adroitly.

A streak of red light went over Hermione's shoulder, and Hermione could tell she wasn't going to be able to make the exit and apparate in time. But Hermione reacted quickly, blocking Wendel's next stunner with a shield charm. With a flick of her wand she turned the cauldrons into tar and Wendel who was running forward lost his balance, his next stunner wildly off, and Hermione disarmed him sending him flying back.

She turned and threw open the door, but the door transformed into a wall with a loud pop. Hermione knew immediately that there was a another wizard.

Hermione instinctively whirled around and sent an disarming spell behind her but she saw the figure wave his wand in one motion, causing the tar to rise up and turn into a wall of black obsidian. The obsidian shattered when Hermione's spell hit, but the wizard lunged forward through the shards, covering the distance between himself and Hermione in one fluid motion. He made a slashing movement with his wand, but Hermione who remembered the movement from her 5th year, blasted the floor in front of her and rode the resulting force into the air dodging the slash. She landed behind him and sent another disarming spell into the wizards back, this one hitting the mark. The wizard was thrown forward and hit the wall with a sickening crunch.

Hermione got ready to preform an area disenchantment and apparate out of there, when she felt her own wand fly out of her hands and ropes being conjured out of nowhere, binding her wrists and ankles. She had forgotten about Malew!

Malew was breathing heavily, wincing in pain, while Wendel was groaning on the floor. Malew bent over picked up her wand and pulled her up, while the third wizard came over and pulled Wendel up.

Malew's eyes widened in shock as he saw her face, "Miss Granger!"

—

Next Chapter 11