"Welcome to your first Auror investigation, Granger," Draco said as they stepped out of the fireplace, swirling green flames dying down behind them. Hermione took a moment to absorb her surroundings, realizing they were inside a quaint furniture shop. The place seemed eerily untouched, with every piece of furniture perfectly intact. Along the perimeter of the room, forensics team members were meticulously gathering evidence, their murmurs and the odd photograph being taken breaking the silence in the shop.
Draco, standing beside her, seemed puzzled as he scanned the room. "I was just in here last week," he muttered, a hint of familiarity crossing his features. "I bought an armchair."
"What's the name of this place?" Hermione inquired as she surveyed her surroundings.
"'Comforts & Co. Furnishings,'" he responded, "It's run by a young woman, probably around our age." He glanced around the room again as though looking for someone.
"You think she's the victim?" Hermione asked.
Draco pursed his lips, considering her question. "Well, I suppose we're about to find out. Hey, Blaise!" he called out, waving him over, "Come say hi to our newest Auror."
Hermione turned to see the man approaching. With a striking presence and an air of effortless charm, he exuded confidence. Draco clapped him on the shoulder as he drew closer.
"Auror Blaise Zabini," he said, his eyes flickering with recognition as he extended a hand. "At your service."
"Hermione Granger, a pleasure to finally meet you."
Hermione shook his hand, noting the firmness of his grip and the easy smile on his face. "The pleasure is all mine," he replied, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Is that so?" she asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
Blaise chuckled, a knowing glint in his eye. "Well, I've had the pleasure—or maybe the misfortune—of hearing Draco complain about you since we were twelve. So yes, I'd say I've heard quite a bit."
Draco shot him a warning look. "Shut up, Blaise. I wasn't complaining; I was merely... providing feedback."
Hermione smiled, the tension of the crime scene momentarily easing. "I suppose I should be flattered."
Blaise's laugh echoed as he turned his attention back to the investigation. "Well, let's get back to work. We've got a crime scene to examine and hopefully not too many more complaints to field."
Hermione nodded, her attention sharpening as she turned back to the case. "Right, so what do we know so far?"
"The victim's name is Mildred Duncan," Blaise began, "But before I go into further details, let me introduce you to our newest addition to the team. This is Margaux Blanchet, our new first-year trainee. She just started training today."
A young blonde woman stepped forward, holding a notebook and pen with a graceful ease. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her striking appearance complemented by her poised demeanor. As she approached, she spoke with a smooth French accent, her voice carrying a refined elegance.
"Bonjour, everyone. I am Margaux Blanchet," she announced, flashing a warm smile.
Hermione observed the trainee, noting the ease with which she commanded attention. Blaise gave Margaux a slight nod of encouragement before continuing, "I'm going to let Margaux handle the initial breakdown. If she misses anything, I'll fill in the gaps."
"Auror Hermione Granger," Hermione said, extending her hand.
Margaux's eyes lit up as she took Hermione's hand, her grip firm. "You can call me Margaux. I've heard so much about you," she replied, her enthusiasm evident.
Draco stepped forward, with a serious expression. "Alright, Margaux, I'm Auror Malfoy. Let's get moving. We still need to properly examine the scene."
Margaux nodded, quickly falling into step beside Draco. "Of course, let's proceed."
As they approached the crime scene, the group followed Margaux's lead. She began to explain the layout of the area and initial findings, her French accent punctuating her precise observations.
Hermione glanced around, "So aside from the scene, what can you tell us about the victim so far?"
Margaux flipped open her notebook and began to outline the details with practiced efficiency. "The victim, Mildred Duncan, aged 26, was discovered here in her shop this morning by an employee. She was found in her office. Preliminary forensics suggest there were no signs of forced entry. The initial examination indicates a possible struggle, but the cause of death was the Unforgivable Curse, Avada Kedavra."
Hermione's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the curse. Draco's expression remained impassive, though his attention sharpened.
Margaux continued, "Notably, Mildred was a squib who had largely remained removed from the wizarding world. However, despite her detachment, she employed two witches and one wizard. This detail could be significant, considering the nature of her death."
Draco nodded thoughtfully, taking in the new information. "No forced entry doesn't mean much if the killer could simply apparate in and out. Has anyone checked the wards?" He asked.
Hermione quickly performed a ward-checking spell. "There are none," she replied, surprised. "Clearly, she didn't feel the need for any."
Draco glanced around the shop, his eyes scrutinising the scene. "Agreed. Let's start with the employees and immediate family. They might provide us with the insight we need."
Margaux, her notebook still open and at the ready, gestured towards the back room. "The employees should be in the break room, waiting to give their statements. Should I gather them for questioning?"
"Yes," Hermione and Draco replied in unison.
Margaux moved swiftly to collect the employees, leaving them behind in the front of the shop.
"Are you ready to see the body," he asked, ensuring no one else was within earshot.
"Yes," Hermione responded.
Squaring her shoulders, she followed Draco through the shop's back corridor, the air heavy with the scent of wood polish. They reached a door marked with a discreet sign reading 'Office,' which Draco opened with a nod.
Inside the cramped office, the scene was stark and unsettling. The room's only furnishings were a modest desk cluttered with papers and a muggle computer. In the middle of the space lay Mildred Duncan's now lifeless body. Another person, clad in standard-issue Ministry robes, was carefully casting spells to detect any residual traces of magic.
Draco, upon entering the room, cast a glance at the victim and the surroundings but made no move towards the body. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked back into the corridor.
"I'll be back in a second," he said, his voice conveying urgency.
Hermione watched him leave, puzzled.
"Don't worry about him. He does that," the person said, nodding towards the door where Draco had just exited. Hermione looked up and recognised him from Hogwarts.
"Theo Nott. It's nice to see you again," she greeted him with a warm smile.
"Well, if it isn't the one and only, Auror Granger," Theo responded with a smirk. "I was wondering when I'd have the pleasure of meeting you."
"What's your role in this investigation?" Hermione asked.
Theo gestured to the body with a nod. "I'm a fellow Auror. I was just finishing up with the initial magical trace analysis."
"Any matches?" She asked.
"None that are a match in our system," Theo paused, shaking his head, "We're still going through the physical evidence. There might be something that wasn't immediately apparent, but as of now, the scene seems clean."
She walked over to the victim and crouched down to examine her closely. "Any idea how long she's been deceased?"
"Just over 2 hours," he responded.
"Don't you think that's a bit of a weird time to kill someone? Before a shop opens. That would suggest premeditation." Hermione said, thinking out loud as she used a spell to lift the body's hand to the check rigor mortise.
Before she could hear Theo's input, they were interrupted. Draco walked back into the room and leaned against the doorframe. "I think it's time we head back to the Ministry," he stated firmly.
Hermione glanced up, taken aback. "We haven't gathered all of the information yet," she challenges him.
Draco's gaze was unwavering. "We've collected all of the initial evidence we can. The real breakthrough will come from the Ministry's resources. We need to process what we have otherwise we could be here all day."
Hermione stood up to face him, standing mere inches from him with a stern expression. "Did something happen on your little excursion that made you suddenly eager to leave?"
"I recovered the CCTV footage from the shop," Draco retorted. "When I saw the muggle computer on the desk, I figured other pieces of muggle technology might be lying around."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, momentarily leaving her speechless. She hadn't even considered that.
"Fine, let's head back to the department," Hermione conceded with a sigh. "I'll see you at the Ministry, Nott." She offered him a polite smile as she ducked under Draco's outstretched arm, leaving the room and into the corridor.
"Bye, Granger," Theo called after her. He then turned to Draco. "Are we still on for drinks later?"
"Definitely," Draco replied, nodding. "I'll see you later, Theo."
As they reached the fireplace in the front of the store, Draco turned to Hermione and gave a nod. Without further discussion, they both stepped into the flames and flooed back to their office at the Ministry.
4 hours later
Draco and Hermione had been immersed in their preliminary reports for the past four hours, each seated at their respective desks. The room was steeped in tense silence, broken only by the occasional shuffle of parchments and the scratching of quills. Neither had exchanged a word since their return, absorbed in their work.
Hermione's concentration, however, was increasingly disrupted by a series of loud thuds emanating from across the room. At first, she tried to dismiss the noise, focusing on her report. Yet, with each successive thud, her irritation grew, fracturing her concentration and making it harder to ignore the source of the disturbance.
Eventually, Hermione's patience snapped. She abruptly looked up from her desk, her frustration boiling. Across the room, Draco Malfoy was lounging in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk, throwing darts at the board mounted on the wall behind him.
"What on earth are you doing?" Hermione demanded, her voice laced with irritation.
"Taking a break," he responded, nonchalant.
"Can't you go be a nuisance somewhere else?" she asked.
Draco looked up from his game and raised his hands in mock defeat. "Fine. I'll take my charming presence elsewhere." He stood up, stretching casually, before heading toward the door. "Don't miss me too much, Granger," he added with a wink before stepping out of the office.
Finally enjoying a moment of peace and being able to focus, Hermione returned to her report. But just five minutes later, the door opened again, shattering her concentration.
"Malfoy, I swear to—" she began, already exasperated.
To her surprise, Harry's head popped through the door. "Harry!" she exclaimed, her irritation instantly replaced by relief and delight.
"I see things with Malfoy are going well?" Harry said, a note of sarcasm in his voice.
Hermione sighed, thinking it over for a moment. "I hate to admit it, but he's actually a good Auror," she conceded. "I just can't stand his smarmy attitude."
Harry chuckled. "You get used to it. Just don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's getting under your skin."
She smiled, "Did you come here for something specific, or were you just checking up on me?"
Harry walked into the room properly and shut the door behind him. "I actually came to see how much progress you've made on the case."
Hermione cleared her throat before reviewing the details, "I'm assuming you have already seen the preliminary reports?"
Harry nodded, urging her to continue.
She took a deep breath, "So far, we've interrogated all the employees and family members. They've all been ruled out as suspects, with solid alibis confirmed using the Pensieve to review their memories. None of them could identify anyone who might have wanted to harm Mildred, which leaves us with very little to go on. Forensics confirm that the perpetrator was a magic user who employed the Unforgivable Curse to kill the victim. Given the timing of the crime, it seems clear this was premeditated, and the killer knew the victim would be alone. We also reviewed the CCTV footage from outside the shop. It covered all entrance and exit points, but no activity was recorded, suggesting that the perpetrator used magic to enter and leave the establishment undetected."
Harry stood in front of her, processing everything she had just said. "All of that from just an hour on the scene," he remarked, pausing momentarily. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Not too bad for your first day, Hermione."
She returned the smile, appreciating the compliment. "Thanks. But we're only scratching the surface here."
"That's true. But you've made great progress already," Harry replied, his tone shifting to something more official. "I'm going to be handing this case over to you and Draco to lead. Blaise and Theo will be reassigned to a potions case that's just come up."
Hermione's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You're trusting us to head the investigation?"
Harry nodded. "You've proven you can handle it. Besides, you and Draco make a good team, even if you don't see it yet. This case needs your thoroughness and his... well, let's just call it unconventional thinking."
She let out a small sigh, "Alright. But I'm holding you responsible if he drives me mad," she added with a smirk.
Harry chuckled as he opened the door. "Deal."
"What's this about a deal?" Malfoy asked as he strolled back into the office, having overheard the last part of their conversation.
Harry grinned. "Just here to let you know that I have assigned you as Lead Aurors on the case," he paused, "and I'm also making sure that Hermione doesn't hex you if you push her too far. You know, standard precaution."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco responded, feigning innocence.
Harry shook his head as he ducked out of the room. "Get to work, then," he called over his shoulder as he left, leaving Hermione and Draco alone.
