Hermione stumbled slightly as she stepped out of the Floo, the lingering whirl of green flames casting an eerie glow. Before she could regain her balance, Draco's hand was there, steadying her with a firm but fleeting touch as he emerged smoothly from the fireplace behind her.

Before she could thank him, he had started walking away, talking to her over his shoulder. "Welcome to your first Auror investigation, Granger."

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, members of the forensics team were meticulously gathering evidence, their murmurs and the odd photograph being taken, breaking the silence in the shop.

Before her, Draco seemed puzzled as he scanned the room. "I was just in here last week," he muttered, a hint of familiarity crossing his features. "I had a consult for some new decor for my mother."

"What's the name of this place?" Hermione inquired as she looked at the wide selection of antique furniture.

"'Comforts & Co. Furnishings,'" he replied, his voice even, though his eyes were scanning the room. "It's run by a young woman, probably around our age."

He paused, his gaze drifting around once more, this time with more intent, as if searching for something—or someone—within the space, though he didn't elaborate.

"You think she's the victim?" Hermione asked.

Draco pursed his lips, considering her question. "Well, I suppose we're about to find out. Oi, Blaise!" he called out, waving him over, "Come say hi to our newest Auror."

Hermione turned to see the man in question approaching. Blaise Zabini, with his characteristic air of effortless charm, sauntered over, and as he drew closer, Draco gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"Auror Blaise Zabini," he introduced smoothly, extending his hand. "At your service."

Their hands met in a firm handshake. "Hermione Granger, pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," he said, his smile widening as his gaze met hers. "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 talk about you since we were twelve. So yes, I'd say I've heard quite a bit."

Draco rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You're ridiculous, Blaise."

Blaise's grin widened, and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"I suppose I should be flattered," she remarked.

Blaise laughed. "I think I'm going to enjoy having you on our team, Hermione," he said, his tone warm and genuine, before smoothly shifting his focus back to the task at hand. "Your first case?"

Hermione nodded, refocussing her attention. "What do we know so far?"

"We'll get into the details in a minute," Blaise began, his voice taking on a more professional tone. "But before we dive in, let me introduce you to another new addition to the team."

He gestured toward a young woman standing slightly off to the side. "This is Margaux Blanchet, our new first-year trainee. She just started her training today."

A small blonde woman stepped forward, holding a notebook and pen with effortless grace, her every movement imbued with a quiet elegance. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her striking features accentuated by her poised demeanor. As she approached, she spoke with a strong French accent.

"Bonjour, everyone. I am Margaux Blanchet," she announced, flashing a warm smile.

"Auror Hermione Granger," Hermione said, extending her hand.

Margaux's eyes lit up as she took Hermione's hand, her grip firm. "I've heard so much about you," she replied, her enthusiasm evident.

Blaise gave Margaux a slight nod of encouragement. "I'm going to let Margaux handle the initial breakdown," he said. "If she misses anything, I'll fill in the gaps."

Draco stepped forward, his expression serious. "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 moved towards 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, what can you tell us about the victim so far?"

Margaux flipped open her notebook, needing to refer back to her notes, and began to outline the details. "The female victim, Mildred Duncan, aged 26, was discovered here 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 stiffened slightly at the mention of the spell. Draco, on the other hand, remained impassive, his face a mask of calm, but Hermione could sense the way his attention sharpened.

Margaux continued, still reading from her notes. "It is important to note that Mildred was a squib who was mostly removed from the wizarding world. However, she still employed two witches and one wizard. This detail could be significant, considering the magical nature of her death."

Draco's gaze narrowed as he processed the new information. "You mentioned there was no forced entry," he said, stopping Margaux. "But that doesn't mean much if the killer could simply apparate in and out. Has anyone checked the wards?"

Hermione, following his train of thought, quickly performed the ward-checking spell before he finished his sentence. The silence that followed was heavy.

"There are none," she replied, her voice carrying a note of surprise. "Clearly, she didn't feel the need for any."

Draco glanced around the shop, his eyes scrutinizing the scene. "Agreed. Let's start by interviewing 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 in the front of the shop.

"Are you ready to see the body?" Draco asked her, his voice low enough to make sure no one else could overhear.

Hermione was momentarily caught off guard by his quiet question. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting briefly, and in that exchange, she saw a flicker of something—perhaps concern—that she hadn't anticipated.

The weight of his searching eyes lifted as she cleared her throat. "Yes," she responded.

The silence held for a moment longer, then Draco moved decisively, leading the way into the back of the shop. Hermione followed closely behind him, and the first thing she noticed was that the deeper into the back corridors they went, the air shifted, thickening with the rich scent of wood polish. They reached a door marked simply 'Office,' which Draco opened without hesitation.

Inside the cramped office, the scene was unsettling, and the air in the small space hung heavy. A modest desk cluttered with piles of papers and a muggle computer were the room's only furnishings. In the middle of the space lay the body of Mildred Duncan, now lifeless, with a light grey undertone to her skin. Hunched over Mildred there was another person clad in standard issue Ministry robes who was carefully casting spells to detect any residual traces of magic.

One swift, encompassing look was all Draco afforded the scene within the office. Then, without a word or gesture, he pivoted on his heels and was gone.

Hermione watched him leave. "Is he serious?" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry about him. Draco is like that with everyone," the figure tracing the magic said, with a dismissive nod towards the now-empty doorway. Hermione's gaze lifted, and a familiar face met her own.

"Theo Nott," she said, her frustration dissuading. "It's nice to see you again."

"Well, if it isn't the illustrious Auror Granger," Theo responded, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I was wondering when our paths would cross. Though I confess, I hadn't anticipated it would be under these circumstances." He gestured with a nod towards the body. "I was just finishing up with the initial magical trace analysis."

"Any matches?" She asked.

"None that are in our system," Theo said, shaking his head. "We're still going through the physical evidence. There might be something that isn't immediately apparent, but as of now, the scene seems clean."

Hermione crossed the small space to the victim, sinking down beside her. The woman's dark hair lay around her face like a dark halo against the unnatural whiteness of her skin. Her eyes stared blankly, wide open but devoid of fear. Maybe she hadn't known that her time had come.

"Any idea how long she's been deceased?" she murmured.

"Just over 2 hours," Theo responded, his tone equally subdued.

"Such an odd time," Hermione stated, her words almost lost in the quiet of the office. "Just before opening. It points to premeditation, wouldn't you say?"

Before she could hear Theo's input they were interrupted by Draco's sudden reappearance. He leaned against the doorframe, a hint of impatience in his posture. "Let's go," he stated, the words clipped and precise.

Hermione looked up, a frown creasing her brow. "We haven't gathered all of the information yet," she challenge him.

Draco's gaze was unwavering. "Our team has collected all of the initial evidence they 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, stopping mere inches away, her expression stern. "Did you find something on your little excursion that made you suddenly eager to leave, Malfoy?"

"As a matter of fact," Draco replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, "I did. I recovered the shop's CCTV footage. Given the presence of that rather conspicuous Muggle computer on the desk, it seemed logical to assume there might be other such devices present."

Hermione's eyes narrowed in frustration. She hadn't even considered it.

"Fine," Hermione conceded, her voice tight. "Let's go back to the Department. I'll see you at the Ministry, Nott," she said to Theo with a quick smile before ducking under Draco's arm and striding towards the Floo.

"Bye, Granger," Theo called after her retreating figure. He then turned to Draco. "Are we still on for Friday?"

"Yes," Draco replied, glancing back at the empty doorway. "See you Friday, Theo." He then hurried to catch up with the departing witch.

Draco and Hermione, each confined to their respective desks, had been immersed in their preliminary reports for the past four hours. The room was steeped in a tense silence, broken only by the occasional shuffle of parchments and the scratching of quills. Not a single word had passed between them since their return.

Hermione's concentration, however, was increasingly disrupted by a series of loud thuds echoing 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.

Hermione's head snapped up, her frustration reaching its peak. Across the room, Draco Malfoy lounged in his chair, feet propped casually on his desk, launching darts at the board mounted on the wall behind him.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Hermione demanded, her voice sharp with irritation.

"Taking a break," he replied, his tone infuriatingly nonchalant.

"Well, your break is making it impossible for me to work," she retorted. "So, if you wouldn't mind…" She gestured vaguely towards the door.

Draco glanced up, a smirk playing on his lips as he raised his hands in mock defeat. "Very well. I shall remove my disruptive influence." He stood, stretching with exaggerated casualness, and sauntered towards the door. "Don't miss me too much, Granger," he added before stepping out of the office.

Finally enjoying a moment of peace, Hermione settled back into her chair, the quiet allowing her focus to return. However, this silence was short-lived. Barely five minutes later, the door swung open again.

"Malfoy, I swear—" she began, her voice already laced with exasperation.

But the face that peered through the doorway wasn't Draco's. "Harry!" she exclaimed, her irritation dissolving instantly, replaced by a wave of relief and delight.

"I see things with Malfoy are going well?" Harry said, a hint of dry humor in his voice.

Hermione exhaled heavily.

Harry chuckled. "You get used to it. Just don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's getting under your skin."

A smile played on her lips. "Did you come here for something specific, or were you just checking up on me?"

Harry entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I actually came to see how the case is progressing."

Hermione cleared her throat, "As I assume you've already seen the preliminary reports..."

Harry nodded encouragingly.

She took a deep breath, "We've interrogated all employees and family members, confirming solid alibis via the pensieve. None could identify anyone with motive to harm Mildred, leaving us little to go on. Forensics confirm the use of an Unforgivable Curse, suggesting premeditation and that the killer knew she would be alone. We have 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 leaned against Draco's desk, processing her report. "Not bad for your first case, Hermione." He pushed off the desk, a small smile appearing. "Looks like you and Draco aren't such a disaster after all."

She offered a grateful smile. "Thanks, Harry. But this is just the beginning."

"True," Harry said. "But you've made excellent progress." His tone shifted. "I'm putting you and Draco in charge of this one. Blaise and Theo are being reassigned to a new potions case."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "You're trusting us to lead the investigation?"

Harry gave a firm nod. "I trust you. And frankly," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "you and Draco are a better team than you think. This case needs your meticulous approach and his… well, his way of looking at things."

She let out a small sigh, rolling her eyes playfully. "Alright. But if he drives me mad, I'm holding you personally responsible," she added with a smirk.

Harry chuckled, his hand on the doorknob. "Deal."

Malfoy strolled back into the office, having caught the tail end of their conversation. "What's this about a deal?"

Harry grinned. "Just popping in to confirm you two are now the lead Aurors." He paused, his gaze shifting to Hermione. "And to remind her that hexing your partner is generally frowned upon. You know, standard precaution."

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," Draco said, feigning innocence.

Harry shook his head, heading for the door. "Get to work, then," he called back, leaving Hermione and Draco alone.