Chapter 5

Hermione sat curled up on the window sill of her flat as she twirled a quill that was in between her fingers. She was holding up a copy '10001 rare illnesses' in her left hand and underlining anything that could be important. She didn't know what she would find; honestly, Malfoy probably had read through all of these already, so it wasn't as if it would be much use.

Ever since she had left the hospital two days ago, she had been possessed to find out anything she could about Jamie's illness. Malfoy hadn't asked her or anything. She had just decided that it was something she wanted to do; something she needed to do. There was just something about the kid that made him different. He was so intelligent and so curious. He reminded her a bit of herself at his age. Since she had learned to read, she had become determined to learn everything about anything she could think of. By time she had entered grade school, she was already several levels above the others in her year. Needless to say, it hadn't made her very popular, but she didn't care. Her curiosity surpassed her desire to make friends.

But she still felt alone from time to time; what child wouldn't? She tried to convince herself she was superior to them, so she wouldn't feel bad about it, and with time she had come to believe it. Upon entering Hogwarts, she had been excited. Here was an opportunity for her to be among those just like herself. So she tried to continue as she was, and found that even here, it didn't make much of a difference. Harry and Ron were her first friends, and even then, it had taken a while for that to happen.

Jamie was different though. He hadn't been exposed to the cruelty of other children, so could remain blissfully sweet and innocent. She wanted to grab him in her arms and shelter him from it all. It broke her heart that he was orphaned. Her own parents had encouraged her beyond anything to pursue her interests, and without them she didn't know what she would have done. She had made Jamie a promise to visit him again, and she intended to keep it. But she had also made herself a promise to try and aid Malfoy.

Hermione frowned. Would Malfoy be upset that she was researching his case unofficially? It was his job after all. It definitely would piss of other people. But Malfoy seemed to genuinely care about Jamie, more than just a typical healer-patient relationship. So would he be happy for her help? Maybe it would be best to ask him directly.

She grabbed some parchment from the space beside where she sat.

Dear Malfoy,

I hope you don't mind that I continue to visit Jamie. He's such a good kid, and I truly enjoyed visiting with him the other day. However, if this poses to be a problem, I can terminate my visits.

I also had another request of you. I know Jamie is your patient, but I want to help you. I'm sure you know my position at the Ministry is basically a glorified research position for the Aurors to help them solve cases, as I find material and put together motives. Because of this, I think that I can help you find out about Jamie's illness. It is something I really want to do and would love to help you with this case.

However, if I am intruding on your case, and you do not wish for me to do so, I will cease this as well.

Sincerely,

Hermione

She chewed the quill, slightly nervously. What would he think of the letter? Would he be confused as to why she was even writing to him? Would he even open the letter once he saw who it was from? She frowned slightly. There was no way of really knowing anything until she sent him the letter. She could only hope for the best.

She got off the sill and walked over to an owl cage perched up in the corner of the room. In the cage was a Tawny owl that had named Artemis. She had gotten her a few years ago when it became clear that she would need an owl for professional and personal reasons.

"Hey, Artemis, do you think you could deliver this letter for me?" she asked the bird softly, "I need you to take it to Draco Malfoy. I don't know where he lives exactly, but how many Draco Malfoys could there be out there?"

Artemis hooted happily, so Hermione took that as a yes, and placed the letter on her claw, after letting the bird out of her cage. Hermione watched as the bird flew away, as she settled back with her book. There would be plenty of time for him to say no, but until then, she could continue on with her research. After all, it was she did best.

Draco watched as Scorpius ran around the garden chasing a few of the wizard toys that his Uncle Blaise had bought him for his birthday. He didn't really understand the fascination of the toy, but it seemed to keep the kid happy, so who was he to question it?

He worried at times that he wasn't the best father he could be to his son. He worked too many hours and he spent so much time on his job. After all, he hadn't exactly had the best father to use as a reference.

Lucius Malfoy was currently rotting away in Azkaban. Despite changing his allegiance at the last minute, it hadn't been enough to save him from a life sentence in Azkaban. To be perfectly honest, Draco didn't care. His father had never been there for him as one ought to be. The only time his father talked to him was to tell him what a disappointment he was, either for Granger beating him once again in classes, or for Potter accomplishing some major task which Draco didn't.

It bugged him at first that he didn't live up. Here was he, pureblood and privileged, yet still he was always falling short. But as time went on, he learned that his father viewed him as a chess piece. He was just something that could be used as a means to an end and to secure whatever else Lucius Malfoy wanted, be it more power, status, or money. Even from Azkaban, Draco was still receiving lettings inquiring to how Draco was doing in terms of those things, and how he planned to restore the Malfoy family name, now that he was the technical head of the family. Lucius didn't know that he and Astoria had split from their marriage. After all, the contract had only dictated that she provide him with an heir; it said nothing about what happened after that. Once Lucius found out, he would not be pleased.

"Daddy, come play!" his child's gentle voice cried out. Draco smiled, knowing how hard it was to refuse his son.

He laughed as he stood up and wiped the dirt off his backside. Scorpius was still chasing the toy, so he joined in with his giggling child.

He chased it for a bit, but directed it more in the direction of his son, so he would get the pleasure of whatever happened when the toy was caught. As Scorpius caught the toy, it tackled him to the ground for a big bear hug.

"Daddy, it gots me," Scorpius said, laughing as he lay on his back with the toy still on top of it.

Draco feigned a look of worry, "Oh no! Scorp, you gotta get out!" Draco ran to the toy and playfully knocked it off and grabbed his son and lifted him off the ground into a hug. "I got you now! You're all mine and you'll never be free from me!"

"Daddy!" Scorpius said gleefully as he wrapped his tiny hands around Draco's neck and hugged him back. "I gots you too, see?"

He wrapped his arms tighter on his son. Thankfully, the divorce papers had said Astoria didn't want him full time, but had reserved the right to still be in his life every now and then. For all intents and purposes, Scorpius was all his. He didn't know what he would do if he lost his child, heir or not.

"How bout we go get a snack, Scorp? I asked Druin to get fix us up something super yummy," Draco said as he referred to the house elf.

He started clapping his hands joyfully, "Yay, Daddy, snack! Snack, snack, snack, snack," Scorpius chanted.

Draco knew his son was far too old to carry anymore, but despite this, he carried him into the Manor. But even at two years old, Scorpius had him wrapped around his tiny little fingers.

As he placed his son on a chair at the counter, Druin presented him with a letter, "This came for you, Master Malfoy, while you were out with the young Master. I was told it was non-urgent, so I waited for to come back in."

"Thank you, Druin," Draco said, as he took a seat beside his son. They each had a glass of pumpkin juice and some sandwiches on a plate. As he took one from the platter, he looked at the letter, and saw it was from Granger.

He raised his eyebrows. What was she writing to him about? He hadn't seen or heard from her since she visited with Jamie. He hadn't gotten a chance to tell her, but her visit had met so much to the boy, and when he dropped in to check on him the next morning, the boy couldn't stop talking about how great she was. Draco had silently agreed with him, but hadn't said anything else, other than she had promised to visit him again.

He opened the letter and scanned it over. It was short and brief, and blabbered on in the way Granger often did when she was unsure of something. He shook his head in amusement, "What a strange lady."

"Who's a strange lady, Daddy?" Scorpius said, as he put down the cup of pumpkin juice he was holding in both his hands.

"Someone from the Ministry, Scorpius," Draco said, as he ruffled his son's hair.

Why was she asking him for permission to visit Jamie? Honestly, she worried far too much. It was good for Jamie to get visitors, because it made him feel less alone. Seeing as the boy knew very few people, it made it harder to get people to come visit.

The next part of her letter perplexed him slightly further. Why would she want to look into Jamie's case? It was a difficult and frustrating one, seeing as he had very little success so far. He had consulted a few other experts, but none of them had an inkling of what the illness was. Granger was always an overachiever, even in school. He knew how much time she spent in the library in her younger days. Maybe it would be good for him to get another person's perspective on the case. He mused over it for a bit. It was unprofessional, but while working at the Ministry she would be privy to more resources than he was. He would have to consult his supervisor on allowing her to help, however, but the Head Healer had a bit of a soft spot for Draco, so that shouldn't really be a problem anyways.

Scorpius finished his food, and Draco knew it was time to put him down for a nap as his eyes began to droop from exhaustion. He picked his son back up, and carried him to his bedroom. As he lay son down and covered him with a blanket, he placed a kiss on his light blond head of hair.

"Night, Scorpy," he said, calling him by the name he gave his child when he was a few months old.

"Night, Daddy" his sleepy voice returned.

Draco turned off all the lights with his wand, except for a magical nightlight in the corner of the room.

He closed the door, and walked to his study so he could pen a reply back to Granger.

Hermione's eyes began to drift as she sat on the window sill. To say she hadn't been sleeping much lately would be an understatement. Since she broke up with Ron, she had troubles sleeping, being kept awake by the things he had said to her during their break up. Hermione knew she was good at a lot of things, but dressing up was not one of them. It didn't bother her when people she barely knew made a snide remark about her or her appearance, but when Ron said those things, it struck a nerve. She had thought he cared for her, despite her flaws in her appearance. But there he stood, cutting her down for all her teenage insecurities

She got over it slowly, and after a while, she was nearly okay again. But seeing him at The Burrow had brought all her feelings crashing back down. She kept herself busy during the day so she could avoid thinking about seeing him, and avoid thoughts on having to confront him in the future. But at night she had nothing else to think about. There was nothing she could hide behind, or nothing that could mask her feelings. So she did what she did best; she thought about it. It was at times like that she hated herself for thinking so deeply because it did her absolutely no good, except cause her more pain.

Even now as she drifted, the thoughts lingered in the back of her mind, waiting to jump in any chance they could.

Her eyes startled open, as she heard an increasing volume of pecking at her window. She stood up, to see her owl, and another one at the window. How long had they been there?

She stood up, to go let them in, and to get the letters from them. She took a letter from her own owl first, seeing as the reply was probably from Malfoy, and she was curious to see what he had said in his reply.

Hermione opened the letter to see an elegantly written reply:

Dear Granger,

I must admit, I am a bit surprised that you even had to ask to keep visiting Jamie. He's a really good kid, and doesn't have a lot of friends who visit him, and I think it could benefit him to have you visit him, if it is something you desire to do. He couldn't stop talking about you the next day, and I know you made his day with your visit. He already has a whole list of things he wants to talk to you about next time he sees you.

Also, I cannot fathom why you would possibly wish to help me with this research. I won't lie, it's a dull, and extremely boring task. But if you truly wish to do so, I will not stop you. It will be helpful to have someone else give me a second opinion, and a helping hand with Jamie. Of course, I do need to consult my supervisor, but when she agrees, which she probably will, how about we meet up to discuss the case and I fill you in on what I know already?

Best Regards,

Draco M.

She smiled as she placed down his letter, knowing that he didn't think poorly on her for wanting to help. Ron had never been one to take any sort of help, especially in Quidditch. She couldn't lie when she said she appreciated the sport, but she had gone out of her way to learn it for him, knowing that it meant something to him. She had tried to help him by offering him strategies on how to block more shots, but he had laughed at her and told her that she sucked at Quidditch, so she should keep her nose in a book, and not in a sport which she couldn't begin to understand.

She grabbed the other letter, as the owl began getting a bit agitated looking, and nearly pecked her.

"Watch it," she scolded the owl, as she opened the letter.

Hermione,

There's been another murder.

Harry

Hermione sighed as she made her way back to the room with the body. Her team had cleared the entire house, and the Aurors had cleared the ground, and still, no one had found a single clue. The murder had been done so cleanly that there was once again no evidence.

It was another former Slytherin, Marcus Flint. She remembered him from the various conflicts between the Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch teams. Like Pucey, no one had heard much from Flint since the Death Eater trials, and one had to wonder just what he had been up to.

"Find anything?" Patrick asked her as she entered the room. She had cleared that one to begin with, but told the younger man to check it over once more. Patrick had been a year younger than them in Hogwarts and was a Ravenclaw. He had been recruited into the department fresh out of Hogwarts, and had worked under her for as long as she had the team.

She shook her head, "There's nothing; absolutely nothing."

Dean looked up from the body he was inspecting. It was his job to inspect the body after mortem to detect the cause of death, but also to try and find any fragments that the killer had left behind, be it a piece of hair, or a nail clip. People had been rightfully convicted for less.

"The body is clean, Hermione. But there's something you should see," Dean said, as he held up a piece of paper. "This was in his pocket. It was clearly intended to be found, but whoever did this, didn't want to make it obvious."

So the killer's motives wanted to be found. But what could cause someone to kill two people who seemed innocent?

She opened up the note.

I disagree with the Ministry's verdict. The guilty will get what they deserve.

Hermione paled, she knew exactly what this mean. She passed the note to the rest of her team, "Someone is going after former Death Eaters."