Draco glanced down at his watch, and not for the first time that evening. He had been regularly checking it, and it was not for the time either. The watch he was wearing was a gift given to all Aurors who completed their training. It was a quick and successfully easy way to communicate with each other. They were digital so that the time could become a message or coordinates or both. Each watch was registered to it's owner so messages could not be tempered with or so that civilians were not able to read it.

'Is something wrong?'

The feminine voice across from him brings back his attention. He glances over the young, curly blond hair, pretty woman. Who is blinking her long eyelashes at him her blue eyes look at him expectantly. He almost snorts, women - well this woman was demanding. Far too demanding for his liking. He wondered why he was sitting in a fancy restaurant again - oh yes his mother.

'No, forgive me, Pearl,' Draco replies softly. 'It's just a habit, that comes from being an Auror.' He gives no further explanation, reaching instead for the glass of red wine in front of him. He sips it gratefully, knowing full well that this is going to be a long night. Sometimes he just wanted to - well maybe kill his mother was a bit extreme. But something needed to be done. You would think that after two years of setting her son upon pointless dates, that she would have gotten the hint. It wasn't like Draco didn't want to settle down. He did, but he wanted more out of a relationship than standards that were outdated. He wanted what Mr and Mrs Weasley had - he wanted what his Auror partner had. That look, the devotion that they had for each other. He wanted to be wanted for the man he was - not his name.

And it was Potter that had started it all off, this new way of thinking ... the night she had returned his wand. She looked tired if the bags under her eyes had been anything to go by, and she probably was too. He had asked her why ... why was she returning his wand - wasn't she worried that he would do something crazy - like hurt her. "you saved my life", she replied, "and because it's the right thing to do". She had done the unexpected, and then she spoke up at the trials for them - not just Draco but his family as well. Had spoken up for him when he began looking for work. She had done a lot of unexpected things because it was simply the right thing to do. It was why he joined the Auror programme, he thought that if he tried to do the right thing then maybe he would be forgiven for his past mistakes and not just by the wizarding community, but himself as well. It had worked mostly in his favor - there was still a few people who'd look down at him - but nothing of how it used to be. Though after all the years - the sleepless nights, the long hours, the many visits to St Mungo's, he, of course, asked himself why he was doing it. Even if he knew the answer.

Pearl raised her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed. 'Well, I don't understand why you do it.'

'Believe me, I ask myself that same question,' Draco muttered, wondering yet again, why he was putting himself through this. He should stand up to his mother, tell her to quit interfering. If and when, he found a girl to settle down with, should be down to him, he didn't need his mothers help. Though he could envision, his mothers reply, that he himself, just did not have the time due to his line of work and that she, as his mother, was just trying to help him.

'It's not like you need the money.'

Draco frowned at that statement, however true it was, but if she was one of these woman just after his wealth - then she could just jog on! Merlin - Draco shook his head, mentally at himself. He had been working with Weasley far too long if Weasley was rubbing off on him.

'It keeps me from being bored,' Draco replied coldly.

'Well, if I was to become the lady of the manor -' she said, Draco listened half-heartedly. 'I would make ways to make sure, you were never bored.' she leaned forward so that her dress showed her cleavage. 'You could come back to mine ... and I could show you - if you'd like -'

'Not interested.' Draco said firmly. It was no secret that he was a Veela and most people knew that it was hard for a Veela to leave those whom they slept with. And Draco was not going to fall into that trap. A loud beeping sounds from his watch. He almost jumps for joy - he has just been rescued from this awful nightmare of a date.

'Thank Merlin!' he exclaimed looking down at the watch.

Then his eyes widen as he reads the message from Weasley: IT HAS JUST HAPPENED. BODY HAS JUST BEEN FOUND. MAKE YOUR WAY TO THESE COORDINATES. RBW. Draco watches the coordinates appear on the screen. Dread replaces his moment of joy as realisation hits him, the month was up. They had not caught the killer and he had struck again. Draco hastily makes his way out of the restaurant, leaving his date to pick up the bill - it was the least she deserved - he Disapparates as soon as he can.

He lands behind the barrier, the Auror team have placed up. The view that greets him, is just as bad as the last one. The house actually looks like it's been blown apart. He steps through the doorway carefully - making his way up the stairs. And it's the smell that greets him first. Weasley looks green in the face and gestures to the room closest to him. Draco makes his way through and upon the bed, covered in filth - laying on their front, with their knees tucked in underneath them - so it exposed their arse - was another body of a young female. Draco looked over at the wizard dressed in white robes, the mediwitch that worked as part of their team; Clare Ferguson.

'How did she die?'

'Bastard slit her wrists along her arm -' she said, 'along the vein - she bled out.'

'And was she -' Draco asked, indicating to the scene of a sexual nature.

'Yeah - she was raped - anal, this time.'

Draco rubbed his temple and left the room, glancing at his partner.

'I knew,' he managed to say. 'what it would look like, after reading the books - but I never thought it would look this bad in reality.' he shook his head.

'We need to catch this bastard and right now,' Draco replied sighing heavily. 'I don't know who I want to have words with more; the killer, or James Evans.'