Chapter 2:
Hermione's muscles tightened as she fell into her work mindset. Harry was already one step ahead of her. He knelt down next to the man and began to search him.
Ron grabbed Ginny and began to usher her towards the house, handing her off to is mother halfway there. He then told George to Floo The Minister of Magic.
Hermione's attention was on the body. The man had mousy brown hair and a thin nose. Harry reached into the front pocket of the man's muggle jacket and pulled out a piece of paper with a few bloody fingerprints on it and a small vile of silvery liquid. Harry brought the two objects over to Hermione while Ron took Harry's place in searching the body and the rest of the garden.
"All I found was this note and the vial," Harry said handing it to her.
Hermione unfolded the note and read it while Harry read over her shoulder.
Watch the memories. Help us. Save us.
"What the fuck?" Harry muttered after reading the note. Hermione couldn't think of a better statement to describe how she felt. Just what the fuck.
"I can't find a wand on him," Ron said standing up. "If I had to guess, the poor bloke is a muggle."
Hermione looked back at the body and noticed something odd in the folds of his shirt. She walked over and looked closer.
"Shit," she breathed. She hadn't seen one of these in years. She didn't even know there were any left. They certainly were not just dealing with a dead muggle. She bent down and unclasped the time turner from the man's neck and brought it over to Harry.
"Is this a-."
"Yes Harry, that is a Time Turner," Hermione said. She looked back at the man and noticed something else odd. "I don't think that's his blood."
"What?" Ron asked.
"He has no wounds but he's covered in blood," Hermione pointed out.
"I need some fucking liquor," Harry muttered running his hand through his already messy hair. Hermione didn't blame him. She could use a drink herself. There was a pop behind them. They all turned around to see Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt standing there.
"Minister," Harry said stepping forward.
"What's happened here?" Kingsley asked Harry.
"A body appeared out of nowhere," Harry explained slowly, attempting to not sound too crazy. "I think it's a case for the Auror Department but I'd like to bring Ron and Hermione in on it as they're already apart of it."
The Minister nodded. "I trust you Potter," he said. "Properly collect your evidence and bring it back to the Ministry."
Harry nodded and the Minister left. Hermione had already started casting charms on the pieces of evidence to preserve them. She then conjured bags to put them in and handed them to Ron. "Here I'm going to collect some blood samples."
She walked over to the body and bent down next to it. She conjured multiple vials and cotton swabs and began to collect sample from different areas of the body. She then put those in a bag and scrawled a note onto the bag with a marker to inform the forensics department to rush the tests.
Suddenly Harry grabbed her wrist as she was writing. "Harry!"
He shushed her. "Ron can you give me the note," Harry said holding out his other hand while note looking away from when Hermione had written. Ron passed him the bag with the note in it. Harry opened the bag and took out the note holding it up to what Hermione was holding.
"Fuck 'mione," Harry muttered.
"What? What is it?" She couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Then she noticed it. Her eyes widened and she choked on her breath. The handwriting was exactly the same.
"Harry I-"
"Hermione. Do not say anything," Harry demanded. She knew how this worked. Anything she said could be used to build a case against her. She swallowed her words.
Ron looked back and forth between the two of them finally realizing what they were talking about. "Shit."
"Ron take everything to evidence and the body to the morgue then meet us in interrogation room b," Harry said taking the blood out of Hermione's hands and handing it to Ron. Ron nodded. Harry then tightly gripped Hermione's elbow and apparated to the Ministry.
There were two apparition points in the entire Ministry of Magic. One in the main atrium and one in the Auror Department to eliminate the chances of criminals escaping during transportation. Harry marched through the department, never once letting go of Hermione's arm.
"Hello Potter, back already?" an older Auror asked. Harry simply nodded at the man and kept walking.
They finally reached the interrogation rooms and entered room B. Harry closed the door behind them and placed a silencing charm on the room. Hermione sat down at the table in front of them as Harry sat across from her.
Harry took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "Hermione did you kill that man?"
"No Harry. I did not," she said firmly.
"I believe you but that note was definitely your handwriting. Did you write the note?"
"No I did not write the note. It definitely was my handwriting, I won't argue that, but I didn't write it," she said. She was exhausted. She had been planning on a nice dinner at the Weasley's and now look where she was.
There was a small knock on the door. Harry stood up and opened the door. It was a small man named Arnold. He was one of the forensic workers. Hermione had often worked close with him. He was a nice man.
"Officer Weasley dropped this off not long ago. I was told to rush the results," Arnold said handing Harry the bag that Hermione had put the vials of blood into.
"Thank you Arnold," Hermione said from her seat. Harry glared at her. She hadn't been allowed to talk yet. As Arnold left she rolled her eyes "Harry I didn't kill anyone." Harry just ignored her staring down at the results from the blood.
"Bloody fuck Hermione," he muttered.
"What is it?" she said getting up and walking over to him. He didn't stop her.
"I'm finding it hard to believe you Hermione," he said then sighed. "It's your blood."
Hermione's head felt dizzy and she felt the need to sit down again but she kept standing.
"Hermione, all of the evidence points to you," Harry said his voice was rough as if he had something stuck in his throat. "I have to investigate you as an official suspect."
Hermione's head was spinning. This is not how she had expected this day to go. "Wait Harry," she said realizing something. "It couldn't have been me. The amount of blood on that man was fatal. Who ever's blood that is, is probably dead."
Harry considered this and realized she was right. Hermione wouldn't have been able to survive that much blood loss. She also didn't have a scratch on her. "Then what the fuck happened?" Harry yelled. He was frustrated. "All I wanted to do was have some dinner and then my girlfriend found a fucking corpse in her garden."
Hermione almost wanted to laugh. The trouble never stopped for them did it?
The door opened and Ron walked in. "I found something else guys," he said handing a small crumpled piece of paper to Harry. Hermione hoped it wouldn't make her look guilty as well. "It was stuffed into the blokes hand. I don't know what this is supposed to mean."
Hermione walked over and looked at what Harry was holding. It was a muggle picture, the kind that didn't move. The picture was slightly worn as if someone had carried it everywhere with them. There was a bloody fingerprint in the bottom left corner and at the top there was a label. Order Of The Phoenix, March 1st, 2004. It was currently October 15th, 2002. This was also Hermione's handwriting. However it was what was in the picture that shocked her the most. It was people she knew, her friends, but different. Older, tired, worn.
The people in the picture stood in two rows in what looked like the kitchen of Grimmauld place. On the top row from left to right was Arthur, George, Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas, Ron, Pansy Parkinson, Luna, Seamus Finnigan, Katie Bell, Charlie, and Kingsley. Then in the second row was Molly, Percy, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Neville, Hannah Abbott, Fleur, Bill, and McGonagall.
This picture can't be real Hermione thought to herself. What were Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy doing in the Order? They seemed to be friendly and happy too. Pansy's hand was on Ron's shoulder and she was grinning. Ron was smiling too but it seemed slightly forced. George had his arm around Angelina. Blaise Zabini had his hand on Malfoy's shoulder but was looking across the room at what appeared to be Luna as she was looking back at him. Ginny and Hermione were turned slightly toward each other causing a gap where Hermione could swear she could see Ron missing a leg. Harry and Ginny were holding hands which wasn't surprising. What was surprising though was Draco Malfoy's arm comfortably thrown across Hermione's shoulders. He was smiling too. A real genuine smile. Hermione had never seen Draco Malfoy smile.
Hermione looked closer at herself in the picture. She had a scar on her forehead the ended at her left eyebrow. Her hair had also been chopped off and now rested just above her shoulders. She was smiling and didn't seem to mind that the arm around her belonged to Draco Malfoy. He looked different too. His hair was longer and messier and hung in his face a bit. He also had two very large scars on his left forearm.
"Harry I don't think this is a regular murder case anymore," Hermione said.
Ron snorted. "Of course it isn't. It involves us."
"Those scars on Malfoy's arm," Harry said. "That arm was wrapped in a bandage when I went to see him earlier."
"Harry we should start with talking to Malfoy again," Hermione said. Harry didn't argue with her.
"I'm going to make this case confidential. Nobody else knows about this," Harry said heading for the door. "Ron you go back to the morgue and figure out everything you can about the man. Hermione you're going to come with me to St. Mungo's to talk to Malfoy." Ron nodded and headed off to the morgue. Harry and Hermione reached the apparition point and left for St. Mungo's with a pop.