At the name Lestrange, Hermione felt her heart clutch and she took a step back.
"Are you sure?" Michael asked. "I thought he was dead after the battle."
"We assumed he was," Seamus said grimly. "But we never found a body."
"We need to get him to Azkaban, NOW," Harry replied. "Seamus, go back to the Ministry, I want a full transport team here in 2 minutes. Go."
Seamus pulled a portkey from his pocket and activated it. Once he was gone, Harry turned to Hermione. "You need to go home," he said. "I'll be over as soon as I get this all sorted out. It shouldn't be more than a few hours."
"I have work," she told him. "You know I need to check my patients daily."
"You can check them later," he told her. "Right now, I need to know that you're safe. Hermione, he had your address, he got it from someone or somewhere. There could be others and you're not an auror."
"I am the one who stunned him in the alley, brought him here, unconscious, and tied him up," Hermione reminded him. "I can obviously take care of myself as well as you. I fought in the same war that you did."
"Fine," Harry conceded. "You can go to work but don't you dare leave there until I've come by to see you, okay?"
"Yes," Hermione said, walking up to him and kissing him on the cheek. "I'll floo straight to St. Mungo's from here. Go take care of the bad guy."
Hermione walked to the floo and just as she stepped through she saw Seamus appear with six other wizards and Harry began to bark orders. She walked out of the floo at St. Mungo's and quickly made her way to her office. She grabbed a few files, her journal, and a potion and left a note charmed to the door for Draco to go directly to the lab. Hermione passed through the door and altered it so Harry could get through when he got there. She doubled checked the wards and found them to be secure. She went into the room where she'd left Draco to work and cleared a space for herself. She left her files on the desk and went to find her interns.
Barb, David, and Linda were all sitting in the extra office surrounded by volumes of books and stacks of parchment.
"How's the research going in here?" she asked them with a smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much to help you."
"We haven't found much," Barb told Hermione, scratching her quill against her head. "There's absolutely no documentation of any spells that make the victims feel like they're drowning or burning alive. Are you sure those are real spells?"
Hermione thought to her wing full of patients. "Yes," she replied. "I'm sure they exist. So if there's no history of these spells, they just came to be in the last few years. What does that tell us?
"I don't know," Linda chimed in. "We need to keep better records?"
"That the spells were probably invented by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," David said, throwing an irritated look in Linda's direction. "Or one of his Death Eaters. Right?"
"Exactly," Hermione said. "Do any of you know how a spell is created?"
They all shook their heads that they didn't.
"Spells are created using the right combination of wand movement and magic," she told them. "We can't possibly replicate magic like Voldemort's, it's dark magic in its purest form, but all modern spells originate from existing ones. So if we can find the spell or spells that he based his on, we can perhaps alter their counterspell to counter the new spell."
"So we have to find a spell that does something similar to what those spells do?" Linda asked.
"Right," Hermione answered.
"Do the spells leave any physical marks?" Barb asked. "Like burns or water in the person's lungs or something?"
"None," Hermione replied, looking pleased.
"So then what are we supposed to do?" David asked.
"Deconstruct the spell," Hermione told them. "I want you to look for all spells that have something to do with water, even if it's something small, be it shooting water out or moving water in some way. Also look for all spells that have something to do with fire, maybe creating a fire or putting a fire out. Make me a list of what the spell is, how it's conjured, what is does, and if there's a counterspell."
"What if there's a spell that we aren't sure about?" Linda wanted to know.
"Put it on the list anyway," Hermione replied. "It could be anything and we don't want to miss one."
"We're going to have to go back to the Archives," David said. "Do you think we'd be able to get into Hogwarts?"
"Absolutely," Hermione said. "I'll write Headmistress McGonegall and set up a time for you to visit the Hogwarts library. I'll let you know when I hear back from her."
"We'll head to the Archives then," Barb replied. "We can get started there and then head to Hogwarts as soon as you hear back."
"Great idea," Hermione answered. "I'll send an interdepartment memo once I hear back from her. Any other questions?"
The interns shook their heads so Hermione walked out of the room. She'd assumed the spells were created by Voldemort but now she knew for sure. She'd let the interns research the spells and from there, she'd see which ones could have been altered to create the spells used against some of her patients. It was a step, a really good step, in the right direction. Happy with the progress, Hermione returned to her office and floo called McGonegall. The Headmistress answered a moment later.
"Hermione, hello," she greeted her former pupil. "How can I help you?"
"Hello Professor!" Hermione greeted her cheerily. "Would it be possible to have my interns come and use the Hogwarts library? I need them to complete some research related to the burning and drowning spells."
"Of course," McGonegall replied. "Why don't you have them come tomorrow? I can have one of the prefects meet them and take them where they need to go."
"That would be great," Hermione said. "Thank you so much! Take care!"
"Hermione, wait!" McGonegall called out before Hermione could disconnect the floo. "How are things with Mr. Malfoy?"
Hermione paused for a moment before answering. "He works very hard," she answered. "He's...different."
"Is he truly?" McGonegall asked. "I don't doubt you and Ms. Lovegood but it seems like quite a drastic change."
"He's changed, Professor," Hermione told her, confidently. "Perhaps I'll send him as well when the interns go so you can see for yourself."
"I trust you," McGonegall replied. "I'll see your interns tomorrow then. Goodbye."
The floo call disconnected and Hermione sat back from the fireplace. Draco likely wouldn't have been happy about going back to Hogwarts, Hermione thought to herself. And she was willing to admit to herself that, because she cared for him, she didn't want to do anything that would make him unhappy. Thank goodness for Professor McGonegall's faith in her. Rising from the floor, Hermione went back to her desk, wrote a quick memo, and sent it off to the interns letting them know to report to Hogwarts the following day. After that, Hermione returned to the room where she'd left her things and went to work.
A/N: This is kind of a filler chapter that I needed to explain Hermione's work so it's not very good. I'll post another chapter in a minute!