Sorry about the delay!

JKRowling owns HP names and references.

Hermione walked out of her bedroom at 5.30 the next morning prepared to spend an hour on the Carrow girl before she had to leave for work. To her surprise though, Draco was already awake. He was bent over at the waist with his head stuck in one of her cabinets wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He had his back to her and Hermione pulled up short at the end of the hall. It wasn't every morning she was treated to this sight and she was unsure what to do. She allowed herself a quick look at the defined muscles on his back and his rather taut ass before scolding herself for eyeing up her young housemate.

She was old enough to know better than to look at Draco like a piece of meat.

The smell of coffee made her nose cringe and she guessed that he had mastered the use of her coffee machine. "Morning," she chirped cheerily as she placed her laptop and research documents on the table before navigating her way towards the kitchen. Draco let out an expletive and smacked his head on the top of the cabinet before swinging around to face her. "Oh, sorry," she apologised hastily as he started to rub his head. Clearly he had not heard her walking out of her room.

"No, it's okay. Don't apologise. I just didn't expect you to be awake so early, that's all," he reassured her as she pulled out a mug to make a cup of tea.

"I'm an early riser," she told him as she turned the kettle on. Heat was beginning to rise in her cheeks and she was thankful for the distraction. As corny as it was to admit, Draco had a beautiful body. He was tall and slim and Hermione took a moment to appreciate his arm muscles. He had a taut stomach with a few blonde hairs growing around his nipples and some leading down into his boxers. Hermione had always though hairless men looked like prepubescent boys, but Draco could never be mistaken as anything but a man.

Clearly the army worked him hard. He was tall and slim but not scrawny. She expected that he could probably bench two or three of her.

"What time do you start work?" he asked leaning against the counter watching her closely. Don't look at him, don't look at him, Hermione chanted in her head as she saw his movements out of the corner of her eye. She imagined she could feel his gaze taking in her plain pyjamas and for some reason, she wished she was wearing more than just the cotton ones she had worn to bed the night before. Draco was probably used to seeing women in silk or lace in the mornings.

Or probably nothing at all, actually.

The fact that she felt uncomfortable in her pyjamas began to annoy her. She loathed to be embarrassed, but after so many years alone she was used to walking around in what she wanted without thought to anyone else. She resolved to put on a dressing gown in mornings from now on.

"I usually start at half eight," she told him as she turned towards him surreptitiously avoiding eye contact but taking in his boxers instead. Not that she was looking anywhere in particular on purpose of course. "Although I leave at half seven."

She supposed it was some consolation to see that his boxers bore pictures of little brooms. At least neither of them had been naked. But still, morning one and they had already encountered a slightly awkward situation in the kitchen.

Draco didn't seem to be going through the same concerns as her however. In fact, he seemed to be interested in inspecting her cupboards again. "What are you looking for?" she asked curiously when he started muttering to himself.

Draco turned to look at her with a wide and innocent- too innocent- look that immediately made her suspicious. "Nothing," was his predictable reply. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Really, it's nothing. I'm just trying to figure out where you keep everything. Nothing makes sense to me. I didn't want to wake you, but seeing as you are awake…"

Hermione smiled kindly at the younger man. "It's not a hard order. Cups and glasses in that cupboard there, utensils in this drawer here, and pans and things there." She accompanied her words with gestures at all the right spots.

Draco frowned for a brief moment but then smiled widely at her. Closing the cupboard he had been looking in with a bang he stated, "I think I can remember that."

Hermione nodded her head and poured hot water into her mug. Draco remained silent as she walked to the fridge. As she pulled milk out, she informed him that she had made space in the fridge and freezer for him to put his own food. "And there's a shelf in the cupboard for stuff as well."

Draco nodded his head and thanked her. With her tea finally made, Hermione settled at the table and fired up her computer. She pulled the file of information on Alecto towards her and perused what she already had. It wasn't much and it wasn't conclusive, but Hermione had a feeling that with more research she could find something important to link her and Bellatrix together.

"What're you doing?"

Hermione jumped slightly as Draco came up behind her. Turning her head, Hermione realised that he was peering intently at the information before her. Frowning briefly she replied with, "Just some research for work." She didn't want to elaborate on what she did. It was none of his business what she was working on. Strictly, it was confidential. He must know something or two about confidentiality. The army was steeped in red tape sometimes.

"Being a lawyer must be tough," he stated.

Hermione turned a quizzical look at the young man as he sat down next to her. "How do you know what I do?"

In answer, Draco leant forwards and tapped the top of the paper she had written notes. "Department of Prosecutions. Doesn't take a genius."

"Oh," Hermione responded. Well, that was one give away.

"I didn't know you could work at home."

Shifting in her seat slightly Hermione made a non-committal sound. Technically she wasn't supposed to work at home. She shouldn't even be doing this research on Carrow. But she knew something was suspicious and if she wasn't allowed to pursue her instincts at work then she could only do it at home.

Feeling uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, she decided to turn the attention onto him. "So, any plans for tonight?" she asked. It was a Friday. At his age she had gone out every Friday simply to get away from her studies.

Draco shrugged his shoulders and leant back in his seat. "I'll be working late. I usually do on Fridays."

"Oh, that sucks. Paperwork?" Draco nodded his head and Hermione gave him a look of pity. "Well, I'll be sure to be quiet when I come in tonight then."

Draco leant forward in his seat and looked at her with a curious expression. "Going out on a hot date?"

Hermione hurriedly shook her head in the negative. "Gosh no. I'm going out with friends."

"Oh, cool. Well, you know, be safe and everything"

Hermione looked at her housemate in amusement. "I'm twenty-eight Draco. I'm a big girl." Draco held her gaze for longer than necessary and Hermione had to look away feeling slightly awkward. He still had a bare chest and it was taunting her to look down. While she didn't want to stare at him so openly, she was still a woman.

"There are still bad people out there. I'm sure you've come across some as part of your job."

"Yes that's true. But I'm going out with one of our neighbours and her husband is taking us so we should be good." Draco nodded his head in acceptance and Hermione smiled at how concerned he had sounded. Harry wouldn't let anything bad happen to either her or Ginny so she never felt unsafe when going out with Ginny. "Are you doing anything this weekend?" she asked suddenly.

Draco looked slightly started by the change of topic but shook his head.

"I was thinking you might be interested in coming with me for a run. There is a really good route in the park across the road. It might be a good way for you to get your bearings about where you live."

Draco's face lit up at her words. "Oh great! I'd like that actually."

Hermione smiled in satisfaction before turning back to her computer. "Great. How about tomorrow afternoon? It should be cool enough then." Draco agreed and stood up announcing his intention on taking a shower.

Slightly amused that he was telling her what he was doing Hermione simply tilted her head in acknowledgement before opening her web browser.

By the time half past six came around, she had found nothing useful much to her annoyance. Besides from the research she had gleaned from interviews with Carrow's brothers, very little else could be found. Plenty of newspaper articles were written about Bellatrix and her husband, but Hermione knew she could not use those as evidence. The court hearing was looming closer and if she found nothing conclusive then she would have to use the current evidence. To her frustration though, the evidence against Bellatrix did not form a compelling argument and she knew that Bellatrix would avoid a prison sentence.

There was something the police were missing, she knew it. Not for one moment did she believe that Bellatrix just ran the brothels and collected the funds from the drugs. There was more to this woman.

After turning her computer off and stretching, Hermione picked up her notes and made her way back to her room. She passed Draco's room and it sounded like he was talking to someone. His door was slightly ajar and Hermione heard him say, "I'll put them in place tonight" as she walked by.

One hour later and she was ready to leave. Draco was in the kitchen dressed in his uniform and drinking coffee. She muttered a quick goodbye before rushing out the door.

If Hermione had have been three minutes late walking out of that door, she would have been met by the sight of a tall dark haired man stepping out of the fire escape door. Clad in black and moving stealthily down the hall, the dark haired man stopped outside the door and listened.

He heard a man's voice.

Taking a deep breath, the dark haired man kicked the apartment door in. It gave way under the pressure of his kick. He instantly dropped into a roll and came up in a crouch tracking the room with sharp eyes. A wickedly sharp knife was clutched in his hand.

Nothing.

Then to his left he heard a shout.

A silver haired man dropped the phone he had been talking into and began to demand that the dark haired man get out.

Without hesitation, the crouching man threw the knife with practiced ease. It lodged into the chest of the silver haired man, sinking through the layers of the skin and puncturing the man's lung.

The man wasn't dead, but it was an easy kill. The dark haired man rose from his crouch and approached the silver haired man who backed up against the wall in terror. With deft movements, the dark haired intruder snapped the man's neck.

But his job wasn't finished.

With silent steps, he navigated his way around the apartment. He knew exactly where he was going. This apartment had the same layout as its neighbour just down the hall.

Just because the Granger girl had rejected him did not mean that he was out of the game. She was his prize and he would win.

He came to a closed door and opened it. There, on the bed lay Hermione Granger's elderly neighbour. This frail grey haired woman would be his way in.

On silent feet, Blaise Zabini prowled towards the bed. Unsheathing another knife he bent close and kissed her neck with the sharp silver blade.

"Scream and I kill you."

:) Thoughts on what Hermione has herself mixed up in?