The redheaded man stood head and shoulders above most of the witches and wizards scurrying about the atrium of the Moroccan Ministry of Magic. Leaning casually against the reception desk, Draco nodded in his direction signalling the arrival of the eldest Weasley to his wife who stood beside him filling out requisition forms.
"Malfoy" he greeted him cordially extending his hand.
Draco accepted the gesture amiably "Weasley."
Hermione put her quill down on the Onyx counter "Bill!" she cried, embracing him warmly.
"Hallo Bookworm! Look at you!" he exclaimed, holding her at arm's length, scrutinizing her with a grin across his face "Warmer climates clearly suit you" he winked, referring to her hint of a tan which gave her skin a honey kissed complexion and brought out the golden highlights in her hair.
She screwed up her nose "Bill! Must you use that ridiculous nickname!" she complained, giving him a playful smack on his arm.
"Said with love I promise!" he told her with a grin.
Draco rolled his eyes "Honestly, must you two carry on like a couple of Hufflepuffs?" he grumbled, tapping the forms and looking pointedly at Hermione who stuck her tongue out at him.
"Charming" mock derision laced his voice as he threw her a look of contempt.
"You love it" she murmured, picking the quill back up to complete the forms.
Draco turned to Bill. "The apartment was sealed by the Auror department after they searched it. It was the last place your brother and Pansy were before they boarded the yacht so Standard Operating Procedures required it to be treated the same way: search, bag, tag and seal" he explained as Bill nodded his understanding. Draco handed the man a form.
"We need you to sign this before we can brief you. You won't be able to discuss any of this with Ron" Draco studied Bill's face as he scanned the page. "Is that going to be an issue?"
Bill shook his head "I have a feeling that you have requested my assistance for a reason" he told him somberly "If what I suspect is true, it's better for Ron the less he knows."
Draco hummed his agreement as Bill signed the form. Taking it, he handed Bill a "Special Investigative Consultant" badge. He turned to Hermione who handed the bundle of forms to the petite brunette at the desk "Ready?"
"Almost" she answered, handing the witch their wands. They both felt their magic wash over them as the witch completed the process deftly.
"Here you are, the wards should accept you now" she told them, handing Draco and Hermione their wands.
.
Reaching the apartment, Hermione took in their surroundings noting that they were very similar to where she had been living in Baghdad. The building itself was very nondescript and quiet. Not at all what she had expected, having seen the Parkinson manor not long after the war. It was located in a quiet part of the wizarding borough, and she felt the wards that kept muggles away as she crossed their threshold. The feeling unnerved her as she sensed the darkness. She stole a quick glance at Bill who frowned, his features setting with concentration. Clearly he had sensed it too.
The investigative trio drew their wands as they entered the eerily quiet building. Draco took charge signalling how they would approach the apartment before ascending the staircase. Reaching the door, he tested the wards, probing them for anything out of place. Satisfied, he broke them, unlocking the apartment, before entering to check there had been no breach. He felt his heckles rise as he scanned the apartment but could not find a reason for the feeling. Stepping back out into the hallway, he motioned for Hermione and Bill to enter.
"Can you feel that?" he asked Bill, controlling his features as he looked over at him.
"Yes" he confirmed, using his wand to trace the source of their unease.
"Ron mentioned the upper floor causing Pansy to feel so uneasy she wouldn't go up there" Hermione told him, her eyes narrowing at the wooden staircase on the far wall.
Bill nodded "That is certainly where this energy is emanating from" he confirmed, making his way across the room. Draco and Hermione searched the lower floor while Bill set to work disabling Pansy's wards.
"Did you notice none of this was in the report?" Hermione stated as she and Draco looked over the papers on her desk.
Draco pulled open the desk draw. "I did" he muttered, pulling out her Father's notebooks and slamming them down on the desk "and they apparently didn't think it necessary to search this place properly"
Hermione took up one of the notebooks, a frown forming as she looked over the text "This is all very similar to Bakhtak's notes."
.
Bill peered over the balustrade of the mezzanine that wrapped around three quarters of the apartment. "I've got some of the wards down, you might want to come take a look at this" he told them cautiously.
Draco and Hermione shared a look before ascending the staircase. Bill stood on the mezzanine next to a set of Deodar wood doors with grotesque carvings on them. Pushing the doors open, Draco stepped in, Hermione and Bill close behind. The three felt the magic flow over them as they crossed the threshold.
"Oh my god" muttered Hermione as she took in the room.
Draco let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been keeping in.
"I've never seen an alchemy lab quite like this" he murmured, taking in the rows and rows of liquids in glass vials, the cases of potions ingredients, the two teak benches that took up the centre of the room with cauldrons of various types and sizes, glass boiling flasks and distillation kits and the bookcases that lined the far wall, filled end to end and floor to ceiling with thick tomes. To the left was a large arched window, covered with heavy velvet drapes. To the right, opposite the window, stood a stone altar covered with a velvet cloth of deep, rich purple, on which sat a silver blade, various candles, a small pewter cauldron and a silver chalice. In the middle of the altar sat a large tome, covered with a thick leather binding.
Hermione took a step forward, before feeling Bill reach out and place a hand on her arm. She looked up at him confused.
"Wait" he told her, his wand raised. Carefully, he approached the book, probing it's charms with his wand. "This is the source" he stated, working to make it safe to handle.
Hermione stood rooted to the ground watching Bill work as Draco walked carefully around the benches inspecting the equipment.
"I think they must have been working on creating a Philosopher's Stone" she murmured.
"They succeeded" Draco informed her, tracing a finger through the powdered remnants of one of the cauldrons.
"That wasn't all" Bill stated, opening the now safe book. "Take a look at this"
Hermione gasped as she saw the title. "This is 'The Ocean of Mysteries'."
Bill and Draco looked at her confused.
"It's a fabled Persian dark magic book. It's existence was thought to be a myth"
Draco cleared his throat
"Well clearly it's a myth no longer."
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