Chapter 31

Hermione walked straight into her lab and tied up her hair immediately. She wanted so badly just to be back with Blaise and Draco. While her fear of him being attacked was slowly fading away, she still was slightly worried that her nightmares would come to pass. The last thing she wanted was to walk into the lab one day and have to deal with his body on the table.

"What did we get?" Hermione asked Zacharias as he was the first to greet her. Working with the once conceited Hufflepuff could be challenging at times, especially when he chose to question her authority. It used to drive her crazy at the beginning of his employment, and despite his intelligence, she often wanted to fire him. But lately, he seemed to be simmering down. He still made the occasional inappropriate or annoying comment, but he was far easier to deal with as of late. She chose not to question it, but secretly, she though he was in a relationship with someone. It certainly would explain the change in his demeanour.

"We were right when we said the killer left in a hurry. Seems as if your boyfriend gave them quite the scare. From what I could see, the killer had been keeping tabs on Blaise, and had assumed that he would be alone due to not having any outstanding plans. However, Draco Malfoy going over was something that the killer didn't get wind of because of how last minute it was. Due to that, the killer was sloppy when they left, only having time to obliviate Zabini," Zacharias said, as he showed her some of the pictures they had taken of the crime scene.

"Did they leave anything behind?" Hermione questioned as she took a seat at the round table. At that moment, Patrick and Dean walked over to where they were and sat down at the table beside her.

"There was quite a struggle," Dean said as he gave Hermione a nod of a greeting. "A lot of the furniture was over thrown. And due to the pattern of furniture left behind, it seems as if Blaise fought back. There are a few shards of glass from broken cups and it seems that while he didn't have his wand on him, he tried to use a muggle method of fighting back. However he knew who it was; the glass wasn't broken into as many pieces as it could have been, based on the strength he would have. The most likely scenario is that he threw them to defend himself, but also to try and use it as warnings while he attempted to talk to the killer."

Hermione looked curious, "Well if the victims know their killer to some degree, then it could explain how they know about their wards and what spells will help bring them down."

"There's more," Patrick mentioned as he took a large sip of his coffee, "We found a scrap of midnight blue cloth at the scene of the crime. It seems as if Blaise ripped it off the killer at one point or the other during the struggle. But get this, we ran some tests on it and it's an exact match for the fibres that was found at the other crime scenes. So it would appear that the killer has a habit of wearing the same set of robes during all the crimes they commit."

"So if we can identify type of clothes and who makes them, it could help us find out who bought them. It seems to be designer based, so there shouldn't be too many of them out in the world. All we need is to identify it," Hermione said. "Can you look into that?"

"On it," Patrick said.

"Did we find anything else at the scene of the crime?" Hermione questioned as she leaned back slightly in her seat. She wanted more than anything in the world to find out who the killer was, but they still didn't have enough. It was beyond infuriating and all she wanted was to find the killer and throw them into the deepest, darkest cell Azkaban had present.

"Nothing else of relevance," Zacharias said with a shake of his head.

"Great. But there's something else we need to discuss. As you are all aware, we suspect that a bomb is going to be set off. From what it seems, the killer is distraught over losing a loved one during the war at hands of Death Eaters, and is angry at everyone for letting them get away with it. Now, I've already created a list of possible places that they would hit, such as the Ministry of Magic, individual businesses-"

"What about the annual War Anniversary Ball?" Dean interrupted her. "It's a celebration of the war being over, and in attendance are both the people who were accused of being Death Eaters that got exonerated, as well as people such as yourself who made it possible for them to do so. It's the perfect target to attack to ensure that the killer can take out all the people they want, make a statement, and make sure that everyone hears about it. Once they do so, the world will erupt into chaos, and the public will be pointing fingers everywhere. The people previous on trial as Death Eaters will be the first people suspected, and then will come the sympathizers. It will be madness, and it could result in the killer getting all the vengeance they desire."

"We need to stop the Ball," Patrick said quickly.

"We can't," Hermione said with a shake of her head. She was impressed with Dean for figuring out where they would hit. She never doubted the ability of her team; if she had, she wouldn't have hired any of them in the first place. "The Ball is barely three days away. The entire community will break into a panic if we say that there's a possibility of a threat. No, we need to inform the Aurors and get them to be at full capacity for the ball. We need them all to be completely alert of what could be happening."

"So you want us to allow the biggest event of the year continue to run; one that will have thousands of people in attendance, who all could be killed? Hermione, are you sure it's worth it? What happens if the bomb goes off and people die? We would have been able to have stopped that. How would it make you feel to know it could have been prevented?" Zacharias argued with her.

"They will find a way to strike, one way or another," Hermione insisted. "Stopping one event won't change anything. At least this way we'll know when they're going to strike; for the first time, we're ahead of the killer, don't you see that? For so long they've had the upper hand. We've had no way of knowing who could be targeted until it was too late. We got extremely lucky that Draco stopped by to see Blaise, or he would be dead too. But for once, we know where they will strike, and we know what they want to do. All we need to figure out is how they plan on executing their attack, and we'll be able to stop them."

"You make it sound so simple," Patrick said with a shake of his head, "There are so many variables that we aren't even considering. And what if we can't figure it out in time? We only have three days to stop it, whereas the killer probably has been planning this attack for months now. You saw how perfectly they executed half their crimes; with all this time to think about the Ball, they've probably got a master plan set in place."

"We can't think like that," Hermione fought. "Look, the killer wants to punish everyone, me included. And they will find a way to do it, whether it be this ball, or something else. And trust me when I say that I know just how impossible this sounds. But this isn't a school assignment that if it was too difficult we could settle for a lower grade. People have died already because of this monster, and more people are going to die unless we find a way to stop them. So are you going to help me, or do I have to figure this out all on my own?"

The other three looked at each other, contemplating the course of action they should take. Finally, Dean relented.

"Okay, we'll help," he surrendered. "But I demand overtime pay."

Patrick nodded, "I'm on board as well."

Zacharias simply scowled, "If I say no now, I'll look like a heartless jerk," he said in a half joking tone. "You have my cooperation as well, Granger."

Hermione smiled. If only convincing Harry would be as easy. She had gone to see him directly after to present him with everything they had found out from the Zabini home. It was funny how impersonal her job seemed once it involved someone that she actually had grown to care about.

"Are you insane?" He demanded. "How could you want to host the ball after everything that has come to light? I'm cancelling immediately."

Hermione sat down in the chair across from him. She explained her reasons once over to her friend, hoping it would convince him just as it had the rest of her tea.

"You're being ridiculous, Hermione," Harry argued. "Your boyfriend's best friend was attacked, and now the same person is going to go after thousands of people at the biggest event of the year, and you still want it to go on? Hermione, there's no way in good consciousness that I can allow for it to happen. This is what we've been waiting for; the chance to save innocents before they die! We'll postpone the event for a few days, say there's a problem with the catering or something."

"What make you think that they wouldn't just attack then?" Hermione fought back. "The killer wants to attack somewhere to make a statement, one way or another. At least now we know where it will be."

"There's going to be increased security," Harry said as he conceded. "I want guards on every door, and I'm going to place several undercover as guests. On top of that, on the first sign of anything going wrong, we're evacuating the entire premise. Do you understand?"

She smiled at her friend, "Sounds like you already have it all figured out."

"Someone needs to," he sighed. "The last thing we need is more innocents dead. I released the statement this morning, and I can already see the headlines. Hermione, if any more people die, it could cost me my job. You have no idea how much pressure I'm under to bring the killer to justice."

She frowned; somehow despite everything that had been happening, she never once thought of the backlash that the Aurors would be receiving due to the unsolved case.

"But it's not your fault!" she protested. "We've been doing everything we can, and we've made progress! All we need is a little more time."

"Unfortunately politics don't work that way. All of those dead have been the remains of influential families, so obviously other families are demanding justice. And if I don't provide results fast, then it doesn't matter who I am or what happened in the war, because there goes my job," Harry said as he ran his hands through his hair. He had matured well since the end of the war, filling into a healthier state than the starved selves they were while on the run. She often felt happy when she thought about the life he had for himself; after everything he had been through he deserved a happy ending.

"We'll get them," Hermione promised. "They won't get away with it."

"I hope so," Harry said grimly. "For all our sakes."

Zabini Heir Tortured to Death

By Anna Loran

In the recent stream of pureblood slaughtering, it seems as if Blaise Zabini is the latest victim of the cruel crime. Beginning with Adrian Pucey, followed by Marcus Flint, Fredrick Gregson, and Terence Higgs, it seems as if the killer has a streak of killing former Death Eaters who weren't convicted due to being under age at the time of induction and being proved innocent of all crimes.

So is it a vigilante we have on our hands? We all know that the laws of our nation don't always make sense at times, so it was only a matter of time before someone decided to take their own actions against those they deemed to be guilty.

Blaise Zabini was only in his early twenties when he was killed. The bachelor was a rising curse breaker at Gringotts and fast on track to being one of the brightest in the bank. Mr Zabini's will has yet to be read, due to being held at the Auror's office for inspection.

The former Slytherin was found by Draco Malfoy, tortured into a weak state in his own home and rushed to St. Mungos, where he later died due to the rough nature of his injuries.

The heir to the Zabini family will be remembered by his friends and mother, and a small service will be held in two weeks' time. (for more on Blaise Zabini, turn to page 3)

Draco was sitting in his manor as he skimmed over the article. It had been a long day and he had just returned home after settling Blaise into his new home. He knew it was only temporary, and that soon his friend would be able to rejoin the world of the living.

He was grateful that he was one of the few who knew. If he so much as even thought for a second that his best friend had been murdered, then he was pretty sure that it would destroy him. They had gotten lucky; if Draco hadn't coerced his friend into letting him come over last minute, then there was a chance he would have lost him for good. He couldn't help but worry that Blaise would be found regardless.

He drank a glass of fire whiskey, hoping it would numb the pain he was feeling. He wasn't sure why exactly he was mourning his friend when he was plenty healthy and lying peacefully in a safe house. He could visit his friend any time he wanted, but it still felt as if he lost something.

Draco knew he would have to keep it from Scorpius. He couldn't exactly tell his son that his uncle was dead, because it wasn't true, but if he told his son the truth, there was a chance he would accidently let it slip in public and defeat their entire plan of keeping Blaise safe. No, the best thing to do would be for him not to mention anything to his son at all.

He sighed as he looked at the clock. It was nearly five thirty, and he knew he had to go collect his son from his mother, as he currently had a date with Hermione and Jamie.

Ron angrily threw the paper he was reading into the fire. It wasn't the main article that annoyed him; Blaise Zabini deserved the fate he got. It was the tiny blurb underneath about Hermione and Draco. It seemed to him that despite the fact that he had warned Lucius Malfoy into taking action against his son that he had failed. Hermione was still together with that no good Death Eater and playing house with him and his brat of a child. Worse, she had adopted her own child and they seemed to be attempting to make one dysfunctional family together.

He didn't really seem surprised at the fact that she adopted a war orphan; Hermione always had a weakness for broken things that she thought she could fix. It was a ridiculous obsession of hers, but hopefully she would give it up soon. Maybe she would push the child off to Draco when she eventually got back together with Ron. He supposed that he could always put up with the orphan if it was what it took for him to get Hermione back, but it didn't mean that he would like it.

One thing was certain however. Lucius Malfoy had failed him, making it time for Ron to take matters into his own hands. What was that muggle saying about doing things yourself if you wanted them done right? And Hermione said that he never listened. The best part was that Ron knew exactly where he would strike; the War Anniversary Ball.

Hermione was looking into some of the letters that Blaise had stuffed into his desk. For the most part it was all meaningless letters; ones asking for donations, a few love letters, a few ones from friends. She sorted them into piles accordingly. It was a useless task but she knew that someone had to be the one who went through all of them. It was in no way one of the most exciting parts of her job, but they couldn't all have the glorious roles all the time.

She sifted through them quickly, and almost missed one of them, as it was attached to another one. It looked as if no one had opened it, so Hermione knew that even Blaise had no idea what the contents of the letter was. She pulled it out of the envelope and opened it.

The first thing that caught her eye was the date that it was written. It was the same day Terence Higgs was murdered. She looked down to the bottom and saw his name at the end. She could see the writing at the end was messier, as if it was written down with increasing rapidness. She suspected it was something he wrote in his last few moments.

Blaise,

It's been a long time, but I know the actions of that night still haunt you as they do I. We saw so many deaths that final day of the war, but it seems as if our past is catching up to us. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but after Fredrick, I know it isn't true. They're coming for me next, I know they are. It's too late to save me though, so don't try. I probably will be gone by time you even receive this letter. The only reason that I'm writing to you is because you still have a chance to save yourself. They'll come for you next, then Theo, then Draco. I wish I could tell you who it is, but I have no idea. Don't overlook this warning.

Terence Higgs.

Hermione dropped the letter to the ground as she finished reading it. All this time she worried that Draco would be a potential target, but a part of her had always hoped it wouldn't be true. Yet somehow, seeing the words on the page as they confirmed her worst fear managed to send her straight into a panic.