There is a distinct, awful pain that comes with loving someone more than they love you.

Steve Maraboli

Chapter 5: The Things We Overlook

She needed to make a quick trip to the Ministry to pull Narcissa Malfoy's case file and Hermione knew that it meant possibly seeing Ron or Harry or any friends that knew what was currently happening between them. She pulled all her trademarked bushiness into a tight bun and pulled a knitted cap over her ears. Hermione had found that with the disappearance of her curls, that most people didn't even recognize her. Except for Ron.

She gathered herself after being flushed in and patted her dark jeans even though she knew that there was nothing on here. It was almost an involuntary action at this point. She pulled her stuffed parka closer to her body, knowing she stuck out like a sore thumb in her muggle clothing amidst all the swishing cloaks.

She decided it would be easier to blend in, so she took her wand and transfigured her parka into a half cloak in the same shade of chocolate and continued to the Records Department. She kept her head down mostly as she navigated the crowd in the large atrium before turning down a long hallway. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw a plume of fire red hair coming in her direction but sighed to only see Percy in deep conversation with a man with a mustache. He didn't even look up as she walked passed him.

She pulled open the door to the Records Department and was greeted with the face of Parvati Patil-McLaggen's smiling face in front of poorly lit shelves that went on for eons behind her.

"Hermione!" Her old dormmate squealed, "What are you doing here? Are you coming back to work at the Ministry?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head, causing Parvati's smile to droop a bit. "I'm actually working on something else and I just needed to get a few case files for some light reading."

"Yeah, right. Light reading to you is an entire shelf of budget reports." The twin behind the desk had aged gracefully, settled, and was expecting a baby soon.

Hermione's face lit up and she rushed to the desk, peeking over to see Parvati's full belly. "How soon? I nearly forgot you were pregnant!"

"Another three weeks, but I feel great! My boss is pressuring me to take the time off, but I'd rather work up until I go into labor in case I need more time with the baby." She rubbed her swollen middle, then looked up at Hermione and clicked her tongue angrily. "Why do you just leave and not owl? No one knows where you went and every owl I've sent comes back. Hermione, what is going on?"

Hermione had been thankful for Parvati maturing soon after the war. Which wasn't surprising because the war had taken Parvati's best friend, Lavender Brown, and the war had a sobering effect on all the children who fought in it. They had both taken up jobs in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and went through training together and were even each other's first partners. The bond they shared was one of close friends.

"I'm sorry." Hermione offered while scuffing her ankle boot against the floor.

Parvati looked at Hermione pointedly, her two dark sheaves of hair falling on either part of her face and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Ron?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. Hermione only nodded, and Parvati heaved out a sigh. "You better let my owls through from now on, okay?" '

Hermione agreed and smiled at her friend. With everything going on with Ron, her first real best friends were not people that she could easily talk to as one was Ron's sister, and the other was Ron's best friend. Parvati had become a sounding board for Hermione following a drunken unbreakable vow that Parvati couldn't communicate what Hermione said to anyone else. Parvati knew the brunt of what happened between the two of them and had been surprisingly supportive to Hermione throughout it all.

"Okay," Parvati tapped her wand on the desk in front of her, "What do you need?"

"I need an old case I worked on. Case SZ00003248. All of the other case files associated with it as well."

Parvati tapped her wand on top of an old muggle filing cabinet to her right and the drawer flung out about ten feet so quickly it shifted the Indian girl's hair in the breeze generated. Parvati stood with one hand on her back and Hermione wished she had been that stunning in either of her pregnancies. Hermione admired the emerald sheath dress that Parvati wore that showed off her bump splendidly from the side but made it almost nonexistent head on. "Here it is!" She pulled a four-inch-thick folder out of the cabinet, "That's just yours." She laughed and grabbed several other folders in the same location. She stacked them beside each other and laughed again. "Yours is equal to six other case files. You're insane."

Parvati sat and flipped over each one of the folders. "Oh, I remember this. It was our last case together before I chose the luxurious promotion to the Hall of Records." She waved her hand grandly to the looming room behind her. "Such a sad case. Why do you need it?"

"I'm not doing much in London between assignments and just wanted to go through the case because something never really sat right with me." She shrugged. "It's probably nothing, but I'd just like to see everyone's account on it."

"Okay, sounds good." She started tapping each folder with a check out charm and stopped on the last one. "That's weird. This one has higher clearance than the rest."

Hermione leaned over the desk and took a closer look, "I have the highest clearance possible."

"I know, I'll still check it out to you. Just weird, ya know?" She smiled as she finished and then tied all eight files up with a piece of twine. "All set up and ready to go." She stabbed a finger in Hermione's direction, "Change you wards to let my owls through or I will gut you."

Hermione laughed and nodded, coming around the counter to give her old partner a hug. She heaved the thick stack of folders into her arm and took a deep breath. "Wish me luck."

"For what?"

"That I don't see Ron on the way out."

Parvati waved her hand at her as she walked out, and Hermione made her way to the atrium once more. She was almost to the exit when a hand pulled at her cloak from behind, she whipped around to see a red-faced Ron who had clearly been running at full speed merely seconds ago. She stared at him for a moment with the most confusing swell of happiness and anxiety at seeing him in the same moment.

"Can -can we talk?" He huffed. "Please? Please, Mione. I need to talk to you."

"How did you-"

"Percy told me he saw you."

Hermione huffed herself. Weasleys always stick together. "I don't really have time right now. I have to get back."

"To where? You've either ignored all my owls or refuse to be found. This isn't something I mess around with, Hermione."

Her heart beat against her chest. "Ron, please. I can't right now."

Ron leaned forward and put his mouth to her ear, "Just tell me." His voice cracked, "Is there someone else, Mione?" His question was forced but quiet. Not meant as an accusation or an insult, but as a plea for understanding what was happening to him. To them.

"No, no, no." She hissed at him, looping one arm around his shoulders in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him and into an alcove off the main atrium. "It's nothing like that. I promise. I wouldn't ever do that to you." His body was firmly pressed against her, pressing her into the wall behind her. His head leaned against the wall above her and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

She felt him flick his wrist and felt the familiar chill of a disillusionment charm fall over them, giving them a semblance of privacy. He refused to let her go and just stood there for some time holding her to him.

"What is even happening, Hermione?" She could hear the tears in his voice and she bit her lip nervously.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I just, I don't even know what to tell you." She sighed and felt her own tears welling up. Being this close in proximity to him made her want to just go home, but she knew she couldn't. It would be a week before she left again.

He pulled away from her barely and took her face between his hands and pressed his forehead against her. "I still love you Hermione. And I won't sign those stupid papers until I understand how you can love me and want to leave me. You're everything to me."

She looked up into his heated blue eyes and almost drowned in them again. "I just can't, Ron." She pulled her face out of his hands, but she was stuck between him and the wall. "I'm feeling overwhelmed right now, can you give me some space?"

He nearly jumped back away from her, willing to give her absolutely anything but the one thing she needed from him. "I'm sorry, but I know there's something here. I love you, Hermione Jean. And I will not sign those papers as long as I feel that. Whatever this is, we can work through it."

Hermione pulled the stack of folders to her chest, forming a boundary between them. "It's not completely up to you, Ron." Her eyes stayed down. "I really do need to go though." She started to walk past him, but he shot out an arm in front of her against the wall. "Ron, let me pass."

"You shall not pass." He said with a deep voice and a lazy smile on his face and Hermione let out a choked laugh. While she was distracted he leaned down and placed a three second kiss on her temple before he let his arm drop. "I'm not giving up."

She nodded as she walked past him and into the Floo for The Leaky Cauldron. From there she apparated to a block and half away from her flat, transfigured her cloak back into her parka, and walked the rest of the way. Her heart was still pounding as she made it into her flat and flung the folders onto the small table. She shook her hands as if she could shake off her anxiety.

She let out a yell and smashed the lamp into the wall.

She was surprised to be woken up by the sound of knocking on her door. She hadn't invited anyone to her flat at all and she grabbed her wand from the nightstand, holding it tightly between her fingers. She padded the short walk to the door of her flat and peeked through the peephole.

She screwed her face up in agitation at the tall blond man standing outside of her door, who looked just as agitated standing outside of her inferior muggle housing. She disabled her wards and opened her door, "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I followed you." His voice held a hint of humor, but she rolled her eyes anyway. She stood to the side and waved her arm grandly for him to come in. He took a few steps in and seemed to contemplate not removing his leather gloves before finally taking them off. He regarded the lamp remnants on the floor. "Interesting décor you've chosen."

"Sorry." Hermione mumbled. "I had a talk with Ron. It didn't go well." She magically repaired the lamp and set it back on the table before turning to Lucius who was regarding her coolly.

"Does he normally talk with furniture?" He finally asked pointedly with his eyes narrowing. If there was one thing she knew about Lucius Malfoy, it was that he abhorred domestic violence. He could sink his cane into the head of a house elf, but a sheer mention of domestic violence, even amongst muggles, sent him on edge.

"No," Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, "No, no. I broke the lamp. We didn't talk here. It was when I was at the ministry for your case files, and I was feeling overly anxious. I acted out and broke my lamp. It's fine. He's never hurt me. He never would." She took in a breath as she realized she hadn't thought out her explanation.

Lucius nodded his approval, unfastened his coat, and hung it on the back of her yellow armchair. "You were able to get the files on Narcissa?"

Hermione nodded and gestured to the files haphazardly strewn around her bed. She had fallen asleep looking them over. "Yeah, most of it was just normal stuff. But there was one Auror on the case that was dead set for you having murdered your wife." She tucked some hair behind her ear and tucked one leg under her as she sat on her worn quilted bed.

Lucius looked confused for a moment as to what to do before finally deciding on dragging the yellow armchair across the floor to be near Hermione's bed. Her flat was a small studio apartment and was probably the size of Lucius' bedroom closet.

"How do you live here?" He asked dejectedly looking around.

Hermione waved her hand around the walls jammed with bookcases and books and small potted plants. "Like this." She smiled sarcastically before looking back at the file. "Auror Douglas McKent? Do you remember him?"

"He's the one who ask how I knew Narcissa had been murdered." Hermione nodded and jotted it down on her notebook beside her. "I believe that the Malfoy's and McKent's have history in an unarranged marriage due to the bride falling pregnant by a Muggle before the wedding. Threw their family into disgrace and caused them to fall out of the Sacred Families."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know that my blood is the same as yours, right?"

He looked at her squarely with grey eyes, "Let's not have this chat again."

She nodded and held up her own four inch thick file. "While I would love to have you go through these files with me, I just can't let you." He sighed, "That and if I let you touch these, your hands would catch fire. Ministry is really picky about who reads their files." He nodded and sat down in the yellow armchair.

"But I can dictate it to you." She smiled at him and he offered a small nod in return. She cleared her throat and started to recite her police report on the incident.

Case Number: SZ00003248

Date: 13 August 2014

Reporting Officer: Deputy Granger
Prepared By: CPL P. Bruster

Incident Type: Suspected Homicide 8/13/2014

Ruled a Suicide 9/13/2014

Address of Occurrence: The Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, England

Witnesses:

Flutter: House Elf Employed by the Malfoys. Female, 44

Lucius Malfoy: Homeowner and husband of deceased. Male, 51, Caucasian

Draco Malfoy: Son of the deceased. Male, 25, Caucasian

Evidence:

Poisonous Belladonna plant

No sign of forced entry

Weapon/Objects Used:

Belladonna Berries

On August 13, 2004, at approximately 17:38, Flutter the House Elf apparated into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with a request of aid at Malfoy Manor. At 17:49, I and P. Patil apparated to the gate of Malfoy Manor, where I was accosted by the same House Elf insulting my blood heritage. We were led by the elf to the back garden where I found Lucius Malfoy holding the body of the deceased, Narcissa Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was sitting on the ground several feet away with his mouth covered by his hand. Both men appeared distraught, upset, and panicked.

I approached Lucius Malfoy and instructed him to put down Narcissa's body and step back. He either couldn't hear me or ignored me, which is when I knelt and touched his arm and instructed him again. He slowly put her body down on the ground and went to sit next to Draco. Lucius put his arm around Draco, both upset.

I proceeded to cast a prognosis charm, deducting Mrs. Malfoy had died about 3 hours prior and from ingesting a lethal amount of belladonna berries. Mrs. Malfoy still had berry residue in her mouth, staining her fingers, and a grouping of leaves clutched in her hand. I then sent my otter patronus to get backup from the department.

The plant was planted in front of Mrs. Malfoy's body in one of her garden beds.

I walked the grounds and found nothing amiss or evidence of foul play. When the male Malfoy's were questioned on site, they claimed to have just gotten home from a day of robe shopping. Narcissa was supposed to be having a tea party with friends; Isobel MacDougal, Beatrice Travers, Hespia Bulstrode, and Flora Carrow. Lucius offered a list detailing the party that was supposed to start hours before.

Six more aurors appeared at 15:01 on site, with McKent and Joren immediately set to questioning the two present Malfoys. I felt his line of questions was accusatory, so I intervened and asked him and his partner to go check around the body. I insisted to take over questioning as McKent seemed unruly, upset, and aggravating from first coming onto the property.

I asked the routine questions and received adequate answers on his and Draco's whereabouts, their current relationship with the deceased, and the contact information for those expected to attend the even that afternoon. Both men insisted that everything had been fine before they'd left about four hours before for a custom fitting. I asked about the mental stability of Mrs. Malfoy, asking if she had seemed off lately or distant. Lucius Malfoy insisted they had been perfectly happy.

The body was taken to the Ministry for assessment at 15:21 and the aurors left the property at 15:30 after checking the Priori Incantem on each of the Malfoy's wands.

Lucius Malfoy: Lumos (to light a dark changing room)

Draco Malfoy: Scourgify (to clean his boots after stepping in a mud puddle that morning)

(Update 8/15/2014)

All four women claimed to receive Mrs. Malfoy's fox patronus shortly before the event canceling the party. None of the four women were able to conjure a patronus, so none could respond promptly. Flora Carrow said that the message sounded a 'bit sad' but she had just assumed that Lucius had made her cancel for some reason. A Priori Incantem on Mrs. Malfoy's wand showed a patronus as being her last spell cast.

(Update 8/17/2014)

The Malfoys have secured their alibi and are officially non suspects in this case. Mr. Gibbons, the tailor at Twilfitt and Tatting's has corroborated their stories with bank notes noting the time and date of their departure from his store. Both wizards were purchasing new custom fitted dress robes and were on time for their appointment at 13:00.

Hermione paused her reading for a second. "Four-hour fitting?" She looked up to Lucius, "Isn't that a bit long for a fitting?" At the time she had only been 25 and the longest fitting she'd had must have been for her wedding dress. But even she thought four hours was a bit ridiculous.

"My fitting only took an hour, it was Draco who took up the other three, " he sighed and shifted in his seat. "Gibbons kept messing up the hem of the robe and redid it probably three times." Lucius tone took a defensive tone, "Gibbons does great work."

Hermione laughed. "He'd better." She turned her head back to the file and kept reading.

(Update 8/19/2014)

Purchase records show that Narcissa Malfoy purchased the belladonna plant a week before August 13th. She had purchased the plant from Borgin and Borgin's on Knockturn Alley on August 6th. Mr. Borgin willingly showed the purchase receipt with Narcissa Malfoy's signature.

Lucius looked up at her and then stood and walked to the fireplace. "That was never shared with me. What day did you say the purchased happened?" Her turned his head towards Hermione, but his gaze was fixed to the floor.

Hermione glanced over the page and said, "August 6th. It may not have been shared because we were technically still treating it as a possible homicide." She watched his hand on the fireplace rub together absent mindedly, "What is it?"

"Narcissa and I were in France until the 6th, and she didn't go out after we got home. There's no way she could have purchased that plant." He walked towards her kitchenette, stopped, and gave a growl of frustration as he smacked the wall, causing a few of her books to quiver on their shelves. "Why didn't they ask me? She can't have purchased it so either Mr. Borgin was lying, or someone was impersonating Narcissa."

Hermione couldn't quite explain the feeling that was banging around in her chest. Shame? Regret? She wondered if she really gave her all to looking into Mrs. Malfoy's death, or if she had tried to be done with it because it so obviously pointed towards the woman taking her own life. She felt embarrassed that such a simple fact had been overlooked in the case that could have easily pointed towards foul play and it was partially her fault.

"I guess I should go talk to Mr. Borgin then," She muttered before standing and gathering all the files in a pile on her bed and slipping them into her nightstand drawer. She walked over to the coat tree in the corner of her room and picked up a deep cobalt blue set of Auror robes. She snapped the fabric in the air beside her to shake off dust and wrinkles, it had been a while since she donned them.

She fastened the high neck around her throat with an audible snap and pushed her hands through the billowing sleeves and tight forearms of the robe. It fell to about her mid-thigh and was full at the bottom which gave freedom of ample movement while not becoming a tripping hazard. She had been the one to commission a new style of robes for Aurors, ones that would be easy to run in, distinctive, and able to identify by silhouette. It was made of a light material that was charmed to stay a comfortable temperature as well as impervious to the rain. It was one of her nicer charm projects.

Her hair was wrapped into a tight knot at the base of her neck and charmed to stay in place. She slipped her hat on her head of a low and short backwards arching point and fished her badge out of her pocket before fastening it to her robes. She took her wand and tapped her jeans to make them a matching blue and turned to see Lucius staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just waiting on you. Are we ready to go?" Lucius stood and slipped his leather trench coat over his clothing and Hermione held up her hands.

"You can't come with me."

"What?" His voice was incredulous, almost hurt. His stormy grey eyes narrowed imperceptibly before he straightened his posture.

"Mr. Malfoy, I am an officer of the law. I cannot bring a civilian with me to question a suspect."

"You can't go by yourself. It's getting late."

"I am more than capable of handling Mr. Borgin, sir. It just likely means he'll be alone in his store." She tugged on the front of her robe to settle it and pulled down on her hat a bit more snuggly. "Why don't you go to your apartment and I'll come after if I learn anything of use." She fastened her wand holster inside her left sleeve and slid her vinewood wand into it. She tucked her black leather gloves on as well, before looking at Lucius who stood there frozen with his coat still unbuttoned. "I'll be fine. I assure you."

He nodded and grabbed his gloves in one hand before walking out her door without a goodbye.

She watched him go and replaced her wards before dashing green dust against tge fireplace bricks and stumbling out of the Leaky Cauldron. The buzz in the room dulled when she came through, as any noise ceased when a police officer came through, but once she looked up and saw several familiar faces, the buzz resumed.

Seamus Finnegan came over and clapped her on the shoulder before pulling her into a slightly inebriated hug. "Granger! How good to see you! Care to have a drink with us?" he spread his arm out and motioned to the group sitting at a table; Luna Scamander with her husband Rolf, Lee Jordan and his wife Romilda, and Seamus' wife Alicia.

She smiled at her old friends but shook her head before tapping her badge. "I'm working right now. Headed to Knockturn Alley."

"Of course, you are. When are you not?" Seamus laughed but Hermione felt insulted. It had always been a running joke while at school, but as she grew older, her work ethic had caused many rows with both her husband and her best friends.

Luna stood and gave Hermione a hug. "We know you do great work keep the wizarding world safe from criminals and nargles. We appreciate it. Owl me and we can have tea sometime." Luna kissed her friends cheek and Hermione smiled and returned the hug before waving bye to the rest of her old comrades. She headed out into the perpetual dark grey skies and light drizzle that accompanied England in the fall.

It wasn't a long walk to Knockturn Alley, and as she made the passage, she could almost feel the difference in the two streets. There were a few women in red robes on a far corner and a homeless hag silently sitting in an entry way. It was as if the sun itself didn't wish to shine on this street, casting long shadow in places where there ought to be none.

She passed by Cobb & Webb's, Noggin and Bonce's, Dystyl Phaelanges, and The Starry Prophesier on her way to the more popular Dark Arts artifact shop. She finally arrived in front of the dark store front and assessed the property. She'd been here several times to check out accusations as a shop that specializes in selling powerful dark artefacts was a point of interest in many cases.

A gust of cold wind blew past her and she entered the shop. The large dusty shop was dimly lit, but Hermione picked her way around a Crushing Cabinet, and a glass display case with a beautiful ruby and gold necklace in it, a bloodstained deck of cards, and a jar of bone dust. A young man with a smile was waiting behind the desk when she arrived. Hermione knew him to be Cadmus Mulpepper, youngest son of the owner of Mulpepper's Apothecary. He was working off a debt his father had earned from doing business with Mr. Borgin.

"Ahh, Auror Granger. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Cadmus was a bright spot in this otherwise dark shop, and she pitied that he'd had to end up here. "Unhappy housewife? Cursed lover?"

"Hello Cadmus." She smiled at him warmly before clicking her tongue at him. "I was wondering if Mr. Borgin is in? I have some questions I need to ask him."

"Of course. Let me go grab him." He turned and went into the back of the shop where the offices were located.

Hermione took a couple steps in the small area of the store, examining the spines of several ancient books and tossing the math around in her head if she was actually considering purchasing one when she heard a scuffle, and something thump to the floor. Her hand dropped to her side, quickly releasing her wand into her hand.

"Mr. Mulpepper? Mr. Borgin? Is everything alright?" She walked carefully around the front desk and walked the wood paneled dark hallway decorated with several ominous paintings towards the walnut office door that was shut. She held her breath for a moment and heard nothing on the other side of the door. She pushed the door open with her wand at the ready to see Cadmus unconscious on the ground and Mr. Borgin in his still revolving chair, both of his eyes missing from singed eye sockets. She knelt to make sure Cadmus was still alive before walking any closer to Borgin.

She heard a ruckus from outside the open window and ran to it, seeing a tall cloaked figure dashing behind a sharp corner. Before anything else, she cast her Patronus charm and sent a message to Harry to send reinforcements to Borgin and Burke's. "One dead, one down at Borgin and Burkes. Giving chase to the north." She jumped from the window and landed squarely on her feet as she ran full force down the alleyway.

She could hear the echo of the assailant's boots on the ground, but the alleyway broke into too many branches. She quickly grabbed gold dust from her pocket and whispered, "Appare Vestigium!" The gold dust flew from her hand and illuminated the runner's foot prints, which she quickly followed down a narrow alley.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her breath stung as she ran down the alleyway when the echoing footsteps suddenly stopped. She slowed at a corner and peeked around to see the cloaked figure standing face to face with a solid brick wall. She watched him for a moment, but he didn't move, and she came out with her wand drawn.

"Auror Granger from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Toss your wand aside and put your hands behind your head." She watched as the man's body convulsively twitched at her voice, but he didn't move. She narrowed her eyes and raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" She cried, a bolt of white light jumping from her wand to the figure.

Their arms snapped to their sides and they fell sideways, the cloak falling from their head, revealing a twitching Cadmus Mulpepper. "Cadmus?" Hermione called out before walking towards him. She ceased her spell and he fell limp, though his limbs kept twitching as he stood up and walked towards the brick wall again. "You're under the Imperius Curse, aren't you?"

Hermione quickly conjured her otter in front of her, "Harry, Cadmus in the shop isn't the Mulpepper -"

"Reducto!"

Hermione immediately shoved Cadmus to the side on instinct and watched a bolt of bright blue fly past her nose and into the wall right beside her, pulling down the brick wall down on top of her. She turned to run, but the explosion caught her from behind, letting her only catch a small glimpse of a very smug duplicate of Cadmus slowly lowering his wand.

The sharp ringing caused by the explosion vibrated in her skull and she brought her arms up to protect her head from the falling debris of the brick building behind her. She coughed through the red dust around her and cried out in pain as a large chunk of wall landed on her leg. She could hear the mortar from the building cracking and falling all around her as the spell worked its magic to bring it all down.

She had no idea where her wand was, it had flown out of her hand. She could do nothing as this three-story brick wall fell down and crushed her. She coughed on the dust but put all her breath behind a yell of, "Help me! Please help!"

Footsteps pounded down the alleyway and she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the debris she was trapped under. "Mione!" Ron's voice broke through the choking dust. "Mione, what did they cast? Help me out here!"

"It was a Reducto curse!" She choked and pulled her hat over her face to not breathe in the dust.

"Good girl." He called through the rocks. "I'm gonna fix this." She heard him stand back, trip over something, then he cast, "Reparo."

Hermione saved her pride in him remembering the proper counter charm to the curse and waited as all the debris around her started to vibrate and piece by piece lifted off her. When the large piece lifted off her leg, she gasped in pain, "Mione, you're doing great, I'm almost done." Ron called.

The final bits of brick and mortar were lifted from her body and the wall was put back together perfectly. Ron rushed to her side and knelt down, his hands hovering for a second as if unsure where to start. She finally lowered her arms and hat from her face to show a split lip and large gash on her forehead. She struggled to breathe through her nose as she looked up at Ron.

"Mione, why'd you do that? Why'd you go someplace on your own? You know better than that." He chided just like his mother as he wiped some of the blood from her forehead so it wouldn't get in her eyes. "You scared the blood hell out of me, Mione. You can't just go off on your own."

"Ron, I don't need a lecture." She seethed, wincing as she tried to sit up. "My wand?" Ron stood and found it within seconds, placing the bit of wood in her palm. "Thank goodness it didn't snap in two. Cadmus is in the corner, I'm pretty sure he was under an Imperius Curse."

Ron walked over to assess Cadmus and Hermione cried out as she attempted to pull herself up. She cried out in pain again and watched her obviously broken and mangled leg drag backwards as she sat up. Her shoulder also hurt, but it wasn't broken, and she was fairly certain she'd broken at least one rib. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lucius.

"Miss Granger, we need to get you to St. Mungo's."

"Lucius, what are you doing here? I told you to go home." Right as she finished her sentence, a sharp stabbing pain in her chest made her lose her breath and she gasped.

Ron turned around at the unusual voice and immediately pulled his wand out, "Get back! Now!" He yelled, his freckled face turning quickly to red when he saw Lucius' hand on her shoulder. "Don't touch her!"

Hermione held up her uninjured arm in front of Lucius, "Ron, put your wand down. He's the reason I'm here. I was looking back into Narcissa's death." After Ron's wand arm didn't move, she gave him a look that had him lower it.

Several sets of boots were heard behind them and Harry had finally arrived with about six aurors, all of who raised their wands to point at Lucius.

McKent was the first to yell, "Hands off Officer Weasley, Malfoy. Put your hands behind your head!"

Hermione was about to admonish all of them when she was consumed by a round of coughing that left blood in her hand and on her chin. "Lucius, take me to St. Mungo's."

"What?" Ron said indignantly, "You want him to take you? Have you gone insane Hermione?"

"Ron, I have internal bleeding and if I leave him here, all of you will tear him apart. My injuries are too severe for onsite care. I need to go immediately." She reached up and gripped the top of Lucius' coat for leverage. "So, I'm going to get patched up and I'll have a report submitted as soon as possible."

As she struggled in pain to get up, Lucius whispered delicately, "Can you walk?"

She tried once more, but the sheer pain from her ribs, arm, and leg prevented her and she shamefully shook her head. Without a word, he gingerly picked her up from behind her knees and back, causing her to cry out in pain. "I'm sorry." He whispered and she only nodded as he Apparated them to St. Mungo's.

As he walked them into the trauma entrance and sought help, she realized how large and solid this man was. His chest was warm and solid and slowly being soaked in her blood. That was a lot of blood. It was probably why she was so lightheaded. Where was she even bleeding from? She jarringly coughed again, and some of her blood landed on Lucius' face. He shut his eyes and tensed, the way you do when a child vomits on you and you know it wasn't really their fault. "I'm sorry." Hermione whispered while grabbing her aching rib and he shook his head at her, dismissing her concern.

They had Lucius set her down on a bed and she watched as he disappeared from her blurry vision. Within about five minutes, an angry mop of red hair burst into the room. Ron explaining that a building had been brought down on her and to check for internal bleeding as well as a fractured leg.

They immediately set about pushing Blood Replenishing Potions down her throat as well as a Calming Draught when she started to go into shock. Her uniform was stripped from her, leaving her in her jeans and a plain once-yellow t-shirt. Somewhere along the way she lost consciousness.

Sorry its been so long for an update, but I hope this helps. Reviews are appreciated and I love hearing theories! Who killed Narcissa? And why? I al already working on Chapter 6, but I also am wanting to go back and edit a few chapters as well.

Please enjoy!