Corban is suspicious and Ivar is a moron.

Yaxley is suspicious. Hermione's parents are out of the picture. Why? The Dark Lord is furious. Someone wanted to hurt Hermione. Dumbledore is obstructive. Ivar is an idiot. Yaxley is determined to get to the bottom of this! Who wanted this to happen?

A/N: When I killed off Hermione's parents last chapter, I'd wondered if I killed them off too quickly. Thanks to a review about the 'whole situation being fishy', I found a way to explore the situation. There's very little Thorfinn and Hermione in this chapter but hopefully this will fit into the rest of the story as well as bringing the story back in line with Snape as Hermione's new guardian.

Corban Yaxley was suspicious by nature. It was what made him such a good Auror and Death Eater interrogator. He knew how to tell when he was being lied to and he knew how to dig until he got to the truth of the matter.

As they were leaving Hogwarts, he couldn't help but think they were missing something. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was just the slightest niggle of doubt in the back of his mind. Something about this whole situation wasn't sitting right with him. The parents' deaths had been convenient for someone, too convenient. He knew that Hermione and Potter probably suspected the Dark Lord of killing the parents. 'But why would he have said to tell Hermione he specifically wanted her parents to approve the match, then turn around and kill them?' It just didn't MAKE SENSE! If there was one thing Corban Yaxley truly hated, it was for something to NOT make sense. He needed more information about this.

He turned to Thorfinn. "Do you have a way to get in touch with Hermione? Had she heard anything from her parents yet?" He figured the best way to get answers was to start with her. Then he would decide his next move.

Thorfinn looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, I can send her a tiny message on the necklace and see if she has her diary on her. She'd said that she wouldn't even hear from them until today or tomorrow, though."

Up at the school, Snape, Harry and Ginny were still holding Hermione. By now, Luna, Draco, Pansy, Daphne and Theo had joined them. The girls were gathered around Hermione and the boys were rounding out the edges.

Suddenly, Hermione felt her necklace heat up. She looked at it. Around the edges were the words 'Do you have your diary with you?' The message could only be from Finn!

She sent back a simple 'Yes, I do. It's in my pocket.'

'Open it. I need to ask you something.' He sent back.

"Professor Snape. I need to go back to the classroom for a moment." He nodded and the group relocated to the Potions classroom.

She sat down, pulled out the diary and saw what he'd written. "Darling, I hate to ask this but it's important. Had you heard from your parents yet? If so, what had they said and who all knew they had replied to you?"

"I heard from them this morning and they were very upset. They wanted us there this weekend to explain just what the devil we thought we were doing! Harry and I knew that Dumbledore wouldn't let us leave the school so soon after a Hogsmeade weekend. We showed the letter to Snape and he got Dumbledore to agree to let us go home. Why?" She wrote.

In Hogsmeade, Thorfinn showed the message to Corban. Before he could reply, she'd sent another message, "Is something wrong? Thorfinn? What's going on?"

To Hermione's surprise, Thorfinn asked her, "Sweetheart, do you still have the letter my father sent you? Can you make a copy and send it to me?"

"Of course." Hermione duplicated the letter and Professor Snape sent it with a wave of his wand. "It's on its way, Finn." She wrote to him. "What's going on, Finn, tell me!"

"Not sure myself. Yaxley wants to confirm something. I'll let you know when he lets ME know." Thorfinn wrote back. Just then he got the letter. He flipped it open and read what his father had wrote her. It was enough to make him jump up in anger, determined to blast his father once and for all.

Yaxley put a firm hand in his chest, holding him back as he read the letter. He cursed as he finished it. 'No wonder Thorfinn wanted to kill his father so badly!' The IDIOT! Suggesting she sterilize herself! Consider herself ONLY his mistress! With the Dark Lord himself already approving the match! He shook his head. That MORON!

"Sit yourself back down, Thor! This is what's going to happen! I have some inquiries to make. Yes, based on this letter, I'll be questioning your father." He told him as Thorfinn looked questioningly at him. "Nothing to worry about. You just keep your game face on and keep practicing. Cory, Tony! I need you two to go back to the Ministry. Take the Floo directly into my office. Leave it open but spell my door closed. You know what spells I use, Cory. Go flirt with that pretty little blond you two were sweet-talking earlier." The boys grinned. "Drop Thor off at Ballycastle. I'll see you three later." With that, he Disapparated with a loud crack.

He reappeared in the Leaky Cauldron's Apparition room. He strode out into Muggle London and hailed a cab. When in the Muggle world, he tried to blend in as much as possible. He hopped out at the police station and walked in. He leaned against the counter as he spoke to the officer behind it. "Corban Yaxley. I'm here on behalf of Miss Hermione Granger. Her parents passed away earlier, in a traffic accident, I believe? She wanted me to check it out. She's currently out of the country at the moment. May I also see the report on the man who hit them?"

He was handed both reports and had the investigating officer pointed out to him. "Mr. Huntley? Corban Yaxley. I'm told you investigated the accident. Could you take me there and walk me through the scene? It helps me visualize it better." He explained. The officer willingly walked out ahead of him.

"It didn't happen too far away, actually. They had a dentistry office, just down this way. They live not too far from here, either. They would close shop and go home for lunch. From the looks of the wreck, they were coming back from lunch. Here is where it happened." The man had stopped at a four-way intersection. He pointed to a building up the street. "That is their office. Shame about them. They were good people. Good dentists, too."

"The drunk driver came flying out of that street. It looked like he never even attempted to stop. He had to have seen them. It's weird, though. Most of the time, in these cases, the drunk usually walks away with little to no injuries. They very rarely die in the same accident." He mused. Corban took note of the fact. "It might not have been fatal to the Grangers, except that there was a garbage truck right there. When the drunk plowed into them, he pushed their car into the garbage truck. That impact is what actually killed them."

"Thank you for your time. I'm assuming the couple and the driver are at the morgue?" he asked Huntley who nodded at him. They shook hands and went their separate ways. Yaxley's next stop was the morgue. He used the same story as before. Investigating the accident on behalf of his client, currently out of the country.

The morgue employee didn't even blink an eye. He simply led Yaxley into the back. They looked over the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. He noted that the fatal injuries had occurred on the bodies lower than the shoulders. They were a nice looking couple, one who SHOULD have been allowed to see their only child's wedding! After hearing Huntley's own account of what had happened, he was more convinced now. That had been no accident! Someone had wanted the Grangers injured or dead! But who?

He asked the tech about the drunk driver. The guy rolled the Grangers back into their drawers and led the way further down, pulling out another drawer. The guy looked young, not much older than his son. "Frankly, I'm surprised this boy hadn't already hit someone before that accident. His blood alcohol level was through the roof. He should never have been behind the wheel of a car in the first place. He actually wasn't a drinker, according to the ladies who identified him. They were quite honestly shocked when I told them he even had alcohol in his system!"

Yaxley frowned as he stared at the guys face. He didn't know much about how Muggle facial expressions worked in automobile accidents but they surely didn't have a totally blank look on their face, right? He pointed it out. The tech nodded. "Yeah, that's weird. Normally they come in looking asleep or in pain or something. Not this guy. That's how he looked when we pulled him from his vehicle. And HE was still alive. Not a minute after we got him free and he died, too. It's even weirder because HIS injuries weren't even life-threatening." Both of Yaxley's brows shot up at that little shocker.

When asked, the tech told him, "HE's been identified as Levi Garrison. I've got his address here somewhere. He's an orphan, according to those two ladies. He worked in their bakery. A delivery boy, just out on morning deliveries, if you can believe it. Let me just look up that address for you."

As Yaxley waited, he thought of all he'd learned so far. 'The Grangers accident wouldn't have been fatal had the garbage truck not been there, the drunk guy who hit them had died of non-life-threatening injuries, with a completely blank look on his face. And he hadn't been a drinker!' He knew there were potions that could cause instant drunkenness but who would have used a potion like that on a Muggle? And why the blank look? If he thought about it too long, that could almost point to the possibility of him having been Imperio'd. That, in turn, would almost surely point to the involvement of a wizard. Which would, then, mean someone had deliberately had the Grangers targeted. They might not have meant for them to be killed. Bad timing with the garbage truck had brought that conclusion. But that brought him back to the same old question. Why? Why had they even been a target? For what purpose? Who had ordered it?

He thought about everyone who knew about the wedding and the Grangers. The Dark Lord, of course. His Inner circle, well, certain members of his Inner circle. The Malfoys, Dolohov, the Rowle's and himself. Of that lineup, the only one he suspected was Rowle Sr! He was the first one he'd question when he got back. On the other hand, he had Snape, who wouldn't hurt the girl he'd come to care for. He knew that the Dark Lord had made a good choice when he named Snape as her guardian. The man would protect her fiercely.

There was Dumbledore, the demented old man who seemed to want to keep the war going. Snape had to tell him the Dark Lord had even offered a treaty with Potter, if he would only allow the wedding ceremony to happen. He had basically had to twist the man's arm to get him to agree to let them go to the Granger's this weekend. Then there was the old man's group, the Order of the Phoenix. 'Would he have actually ordered her parents injured or killed to stop the wedding?! Even if it meant no war? Was the man truly THAT demented?'

The tech came back with the young man's address and Yaxley shook hands with him, thanking him for his help. Then he left to go learn about Levi Garrison. The bakery turned out to be not much further away than the Grangers house. They had, in fact, been regular customers at the shop. This threw an even weirder light on the situation! The Grangers had been killed by the young man who made deliveries from their favorite bakery! He spoke to the women, Elsa and Gretchen Lilly. They had taken the young man, Levi, in.

"Mr. Yaxley, I assure you. I don't know how or why he was drunk this morning. Levi was a good boy. He never drank or smoked. He was always polite to the customers. I just don't understand!" Elsa declared, sobbing as her sister comforted her.

"Miss Lilly, were there any strangers around the shop this morning? Maybe speaking to Levi? Any people hanging about that you'd not seen him with before?" Yaxley questioned her gently. He'd discovered it was easier to get answers from women when he used a soft tone with them.

"There were." Declared Gretchen. "Two of them. Very funny looking, both of them." Yaxley came to attention. "One of them was a huge bloke who seemed like he was threatening Levi. The other one was an old fuddy-duddy who looked like he should be off in a play somewhere."

"The huge one? Can you describe him further?" he frowned. 'Swear to Merlin, if she described Rowle Sr., he'd go back and wring the idiot's neck with his bare hands!'

"Blonde, blue eyed, looked like a Viking. Long blonde beard, was braided. He was talking to Levi, told him he was his dad. Levi laughed at him, told him he was an orphan and the man was bullshitting him. The man told him he'd be back. Then he left and Levi was telling me about him. The other one came in, sat in the corner over there. Just sitting and watching Levi. It made him quite uneasy." She said. Yaxley was, quite honestly, gobsmacked. It was a perfect description of his colleague but the fact that ROWLE had told the young man he was his father was the shocker! 'What the bloody hell was Rowle playing at?'

"So he came back?" Yaxley prompted the woman. She nodded as her sister took a sip of tea.

"Oh, yes. He came back, had a flask. Told him this would prove it. He needed him to drink whatever it was he had in that flask. Levi wasn't going to but the man showed him a picture. I was with him that time. He showed Levi a pretty blond lady, told him that was his mum. He'd been kidnapped from them. They wanted him back." Yaxley had his chin cupped in his hand, thoughtfully tapping his finger on his cheek. He was trying to remember if the Rowle's had indeed had a child kidnapped from them. If they had, it had never been reported! He did know that Rowle had invented his own potion that could cause instant drunkenness, however.

"You said there was a second man. Where was he while this blonde man was talking to Levi?" he wanted to know which of them had cast the Imperio curse. One of them had to have done so, before the young man left on his rounds!

"He waited until Levi drunk the drink out of that flask. Then the blonde man seemed satisfied. He told Levi he'd be back tonight to 'take him home'. He had to go break the news to his wife about their 'long lost son.' The woman said this in such a way that Yaxley knew she doubted them ever seeing the blonde man again. "The old man caught up with Levi out at his car. Told him not to believe the other man. He was just starting trouble. Then he looked at Levi, right in the eye and said," she sighed. "Something. I'm not sure what. I didn't hear it. But Levi started swaying and he had this LOOK. I can't really describe it. He just looked." Gretchen waved her arms helplessly as she tried to find the right word.

"Blank? He just looked blank?" Yaxley asked. Gretchen nodded hurriedly. He let out a deep breath. "And what did the old fuddy-duddy look like?"

"He had on this like purple robe? Over a suit. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Long white beard, long white hair, pointed hat. Looked like one of those actors who do those Shakespeare plays at the local playhouse." Gretchen told him. Yaxley smiled at her, thanking her for her time. He offered his condolences about Levi. Then he left, various thoughts swirling in his mind.

He dropped in on his spy, telling the youngster he'd be taking him back to the Wizarding world now. They Disapparated from the room straight back to the Leaky Cauldron. He bought the boy a drink and questioned him. The boy told him he'd seen both the wizards in the shop because the Grangers had stopped in during the first visit on their way home for lunch. He hadn't been sure, at that time, whether to keep following the Grangers or stay at the shop. He'd opted to follow the Grangers. Yaxley nodded. He'd been quite explicit about what the boy's punishment would be had he lost sight of the Muggles. The boy had followed his orders to a T. Now, to decide what he needed to do first: question Dumbledore as to why he'd been in that bakery or go beat the living fuck out of the older Rowle for tricking the boy into drinking that potion!

He sent the boy off and went to the fireplace. He sent a fire call to Dumbledore. A moment later, the Headmaster stepped through the fireplace. "Yaxley. You called?"

"Cut the bullshit, Dumbledore. Why were you in that bakery? You put that young man under a spell. You Imperio'd him! Why? You realize, of course, this won't stop the wedding? The Dark Lord wanted her parents' approval for HER sake! Not his own. He knew she'd feel better marrying with their approval!" Yaxley glared at the old coot. The Headmaster's normally twinkling eyes were cold with disapproval.

"They weren't meant to die. If they were injured and hospitalized, they would have to wait until the next Hogsmeade visit to see her. I was just giving her some time to let them cool their tempers. I didn't Imperio anyone. I didn't order anyone's death, either. I didn't know they would be killed." He stated shortly.

"Well, they WERE! Now, you will let the girl leave. She has two funerals to arrange, thanks to you! And you will let Professor Snape and Harry Potter go with her! They are now the closest family she has until her wedding, which WILL take place!" Yaxley told him firmly. He walked away before he lost his own temper and beat the fuck out of the old coot, right here in the Leaky Cauldron!

He Disapparated to the Malfoy's Manor. He strode into the drawing room. Antonin Dolohov was standing at the mantle. The Dark Lord and the Malfoys were sitting in front of the fire, idly chatting. He walked in, grabbed Dolohov's arm, tipped his head to the Dark Lord and yanked him out of the room.

"Where are-?" was all Dolohov had time to ask before he was Disapparated out of the Manor. They reappeared in front of a large building in Knockturn Alley. "Oi, mate! Damn! A little warning next time? Where are we going?"

"WE are going to beat the bloody, FUCKING hell out of one Ivar Rowle!" Yaxley snapped, already rolling up his sleeves as he strode inside. Dolohov stared after him in open mouthed surprise before hurrying after him, also rolling up his sleeves. He'd very rarely seen Yaxley lose his temper but right now he was on the very verge!

"And why are we going to beat the moron up? Said moron being our friend?" he said, hoping to calm the other man down.

"Not right now, he isn't. Not when he has cost a young girl the chance of having her parents present at her wedding!" Yaxley snarled angrily. With those words, Dolohov shut his mouth, narrowed his eyes and followed his friend in search of a moron!

They found him upstairs in the middle of a card game, a pretty young witch perched on his knee. Yaxley grabbed his long blonde braid and yanked him backward away from the table. Dolohov caught the young witch, pulled her upright and set her out of harm's way. They dragged the burly, struggling wizard out of the room and slammed him into the wall.

"I'll give you ONE CHANCE! One chance to explain what the bloody hell you were playing at in that bakery today!" Yaxley demanded of the confused wizard.

"What the hell do you think I was playing at? She was warned to back away and she ignored it. You aren't the only one who has spies! I'll not have a MUDBLOOD daugh-!" was all he got out before both Yaxley and Dolohov began beating the hell out of him. After he was unconscious, they each grabbed an arm and Disapparated back to the Manor. They pulled him into the drawing room and slammed him into the floor at the Dark Lord's feet.

"I know why the Grangers are dead, my lord. I've just finished investigating the case." Yaxley told the Dark Lord. Voldemort straightened alertly, anger still showing clearly in his eyes. The Malfoys shuddered slightly, glad they weren't the ones about to be targeted.

"And why, pray tell, Yaxley?" Voldemort responded. He looked down at the beaten, bloody wizard at his feet.

"The Grangers had a favorite bakery they made regular stops at. There was a boy who worked there, an orphan. I say WAS because earlier today he was the drunk driver who hit the Grangers. Apparently he wasn't supposed to kill them, only injure them badly enough to keep their daughter away until her next Hogsmeade weekend. This boy was tricked into drinking a potion that caused instantaneous drunkenness, then he was Imperio'd into running his car into the Grangers car. They shouldn't have died. Due to an unexpected vehicle being there, they did and he died as well. The wizard who gave him the potion was our very own Ivar! The wizard who Imperio'd him was Albus Dumbledore!" Yaxley kicked the weakly stirring Ivar in the ribs, drawing a pained moan from him. "There was nothing I could do to Dumbledore without throwing us into war. But I did catch this miscreant!"

Voldemort stood up. "You did a fine job, Yaxley. I need you to go report your findings to Severus. The girl has been asking him what's going on. Give her my condolences about her parents and tell her I look forward to meeting her." He took out his wand, pointing it at Ivar. "In the meantime, I must have a little talk with Ivar about disregarding the wishes of his leader! CRUCIO!"

Yaxley and Dolohov bowed and left the room, the older Rowle's loud screams ringing in their ears. They fire called Severus who opened his Floo. They came through to find Harry and Hermione seated on the couch. Snape was perched on the arm as he held Hermione who was still sobbing.

Yaxley walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. Dolohov hung back and crossed his arms, staring at the floor. She raised her head, looking at him. "What-What's going on? Please tell me!"

"I've been investigating your parents' accident in London. It was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to keep you here at school. They shouldn't have been killed. There were two wizards responsible for the actions of the young man who hit them. I found out that a third vehicle at the scene of the crash was what actually caused their deaths. I've spoken to both wizards and one of them is being punished as we speak." He told her.

"Who were they? The wizards? What exactly did they say?" Hermione wiped tears away. Yaxley sighed, not wanting to tell her.

"Ivar Rowle gave the boy a potion, causing him to get instantly drunk. He said he had 'warned you' to back away from Thor and you'd 'ignored' the warning." Yaxley hesitated. Harry tensed. He had a sneaking suspicion he already knew WHO the second wizard was. There was only one person it could have been. He met Snape's eyes and the Potions master nodded. "Albus Dumbledore was the other wizard. He put the boy under some kind of spell. I thought it was the Imperio but I'm not sure if he would allow himself to get caught performing that curse. He said SOMETHING to the boy. The lady who was there didn't catch what he said. He swears he didn't intend for them to die. He just wanted them injured enough to 'cool their tempers' before you and Thorfinn had to face them." He shook his head, rubbing his face.

"I knew Thorfinn's father would likely cause trouble for us. I didn't think Dumbledore would do something, too!" Hermione cried. Harry put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulders. Yaxley looked at Snape. Snape nodded back at him. He'd speak to Dumbledore himself, find out the whole situation and fill HIM in.

"I've told Dumbledore that you're to be allowed to leave this time. And I told him Professor Snape and Potter are to be allowed to go with you. Thorfinn will be allowed to go with you, along with Cory and Tony. The Dark Lord sends his condolences and he is eager to meet you. He possibly might attend the services, along with the rest of the Inner circle. Narcissa has offered her help if you need any assistance at all."

"I probably will need some assistance. I'll let Narcissa know as soon as I'm able to start making any arrangements. It'll be a few days before they release the bodies anyway. What about the boy? Is there anyone to make arrangements for him? If he was spelled and tricked into drinking a potion, he can't be held responsible. I'd hate to think he's not going to be remembered." Hermione was now worried about the boy, Levi, after learning how he was used.

"If there's nobody else to make arrangements for him, the Dark Lord will take care of him." Yaxley assured her. She nodded. Yaxley and Dolohov left as swiftly as they'd arrived