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Say Please	By : ColdWaterFairy Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 28207 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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A/N: This is my second attempt at writing fanfic. Enjoy!
Hermione sighed and pushed herself back from the desk, rubbing her eyes to try and take away the sting. She was missing something, something very important. It was driving her crazy. It was the link that would piece all these seemingly random bits of information into a coherent picture. She tried to clear her mind; the idea was not to force her brain to find the link but to allow it to come to her. It was quiet on her floor. She assumed all the other Aurors had gone home for the night. No one else seemed to be as obsessed with finding the missing witches as she was.

Just this morning another girl had been reported missing to the Ministry. Julia Grey was barely seventeen. She had gone out with her friends to a Quidditch match and had never come home. Hermione stood up, taking the picture of Julia and adding it to the wall that held the other missing witches' pictures. She stood back a second, pondering them. None of the Aurors could explain it. None of the girls knew each other; they all had different coloring and body shape and were of different ages. The only thing they had in common was that all of them were stunningly beautiful. Somehow they must be connected on a wider scale, but everyone was stumped as to how. Hermione decided to call it a night. She hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and she was at the point of being useless. She'd go home, grab five hours of sleep, and come back.

She locked up her files and grabbed her robe from the back of the chair as she headed down to the lobby. She nodded her head to Max, the Auror on duty tonight.

"You really need some sleep, Hermione, you look awful," he called to her before returning his attention to the Daily Prophet in his hands.

The headline was screaming about the recent art theft of another Willow Suntree painting. Hermione frowned and headed over to get a closer look.

"You would think after the first painting was stolen they'd keep a closer watch on the remaining ones," she commented.

"They probably assumed it was a one-time incident."

The week previously someone had walked into a gallery in Diagon Alley and made off with a Willow Suntree painting. There were no witnesses and the wizard working the gallery swore that not a soul had come in. Willow's paintings were fast becoming legends. She painted mostly landscapes in the illumination technique but she also painted the most beautiful gothic-style paintings, portraying famous wizards history in lieu of Muggle saints. Her angels were said to be so beautiful they could make a person cry. Hermione personally preferred the Impressionism period, but she enjoyed Willow's paintings. She said good night to Max and Apparated home.

Once home, she had a quick bite to eat and was brushing her teeth when it occurred to her that Luna's birthday was on Friday. That only left two days to find a gift. Hermione crawled into bed and did her level best to turn off her brain and relax. Her mind just kept going over and over the information; she knew she was missing something critical, it was staring her right in the face. After tossing and turning for ten minutes she decided to focus on her breathing. That usually helped turn her mind off. She drew in a breath, watching the moonlight hit her as her stomach swelled with each breath and caved in on exhalation. Eventually she drifted off.

The next morning she rushed to get to the Ministry. She had unintentionally overslept and was in danger of being late for a meeting. She walked into the room with a minute to spare. Ron kicked out a chair for her and slid a poppy-seed muffin over. She smiled her thanks.

"Hope you were late because you were actually sleeping."

She gave him a look before turning back to her muffin. These things were seriously addictive.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said as he took the chair to her left. "Where's mine, Ron?"

"I ate it."

Harry gave him an unamused look, causing Ron to smirk and slide another muffin, this one blueberry, towards him.

Just then Keller March, head of the Auror Department, walked in. "This is unacceptable! It's been two months since the first witch went missing and we're no closer to finding her—and now we're up to five missing girls! I want answers, people, and I want them now."

Everyone shifted in their seats, trying not to make eye contact with him. "Bella, where are on you on the interviews?"

Isabella Pierce jumped and stuttered, "I—I interviewed Julia's friends who said they saw her Apparate home. The elderly lady who lives next door to Julia's parents said she heard a noise at ten o'clock but thought it was an owl screeching. Nobody else heard anything."

Keller made a disgusted sound. "Is no one nosy any more?" He turned his attention next to Auror Jason Webster. "What about the tips that have come in?"

Jason shook his head. "Harry and I have been tracking every lead and everything is either a dead end or a false sighting."

Finally Keller's eyes came to rest on Hermione. "Well, do you have anything to report?"

Hermione shook her head woefully. "I know I'm missing one little piece. There's something linking the girls together—I just can't put my finger on it."

Keller looked both frustrated and apoplectic. "I have my best Aurors working on this and no one can tell me anything?" He inhaled deeply through his nose and everyone at the table leaned away. "I suppose you'll have just to work harder and longer. I want some kind of progress by the end of this week. You're dismissed."

Everyone got up hurriedly, trying to get out the door before Keller's wrath could be unleashed on them. Hermione, Harry, and Ron stood up at the same time and headed for the door.

"Hey, where and what time is Luna's birthday party?"

"Neville's house at seven," Ron replied.

They had almost made it out the door when Keller called out, "Potter, Weasley—I'm temporarily reassigning you to the Willow Suntree case." Harry and Ron nodded their heads in acknowledgment. They followed Hermione to her office and sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. Harry's eyes drifted to where she had put up the missing witches' pictures.

"Bella was talking about how her mother has a Willow Suntree painting and how she asked Bella to put extra wards on it. She said she put this hex on so that if anyone besides the immediate family touches the canvas their heads will shrink," Ron told Hermione.

Harry, still looking at the pictures on the wall, thoughtfully replied, "Have you seen one of her gothic paintings? Her angels are magnificent. Actually, those witches could be models for her angels."

Hermione swung her eyes back to the pictures. All the girls had clear complexions, bright eyes, and straight, white teeth, the symmetry of their faces making them model-worthy. "I haven't seen one of her gothic paintings but I suppose you're right, Harry." She groaned in frustration. "I know I'm close to something, it just won't come to me."

"It will probably come when you least expect it," Harry said.

Just then Keller walked past the office and stopped in the doorway. "I didn't realize the Ministry was paying you two to sit around and chat all day. MOVE!"

Harry and Ron jumped up and, with a quick goodbye to Hermione, hurried out the door. She decided it would be best if she did other work for a while, hoping it would give her a fresh approach to the missing witches case when she looked at it next. She still had to do a profile on one suspect and decide what charges they were going to bring against a woman who had cursed her child when he refused to stop back talking.

She worked through lunch and by six o'clock her stomach was growling. She decided to get food delivered. Harry and Ron weren't back yet and she wasn't sure when they would be. When her food arrived she put her feet on her desk and let her mind drift. She really needed to buy new shoes, she mused; hers were looking a little worn. She looked around the office and wondered if she should try to decorate it. It was so sparse and bland right now. She'd never really noticed before. Once again her eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. No bodies had been found, so that was a plus; but she knew the more time that went by the less likely they were to find the women alive. After she finished eating she decided to call it a night. She stood up and stretched, wincing when her back popped. She gathered her things and headed for the door. She was wondering what she should get Luna when it hit her.

Harry had said the missing witches were beautiful enough to be angels in Willow Suntree's paintings. That's what they had in common, their stunning looks—it was as simple as that. Add in Willow's works of art going missing—wait, she had to reel herself in. Were the girls being kidnapped and forced to model? No, that made no sense. Why would Willow kidnap witches? Was someone trying to recreate her works of art and needed the girls to pose? Hermione shook her head. She needed to think this through, do some investigating before she told anyone about it. It just sounded too ludicrous to be true. The two events probably had nothing to do with each other.

She headed down to the lobby and saw Max on duty again. "Max, you're on again tonight?"

He looked up. "Yeah, I'm covering for Daniels; his wife just had a baby."

Hermione smiled and said goodnight, then headed to the Apparition point. She stopped and turned around. "I don't suppose you still have yesterday's Prophet, do you?"

Max looked at her for a second and then glanced down. "Lucky for you the elves didn't empty the trash today." He held out the paper to her. She retrieved it, thanked him, and Apparated home.

After changing into pajamas and brushing her teeth, she picked up the paper and read the article on the theft of Willow Suntree's Primavera, a wizard version of Botticelli's painting with the same name. The Three Graces had been replaced by three famous witch sisters burned at the stake back in the 1400s. In Willow's painting, Hermes was portrayed as Thaddeus Wolfhausen, known for his running skill; Zephyer was instead an old Minister of Magic; in the place of Spring was a sprite who was said to have given a wizard immunity from the Black Death; and finally, Venus was replaced by Lady Dorthea Blackwood, a renowned beauty said to have saved a orphanage full of children at the cost of her own life. While Hermione had never seen Botticelli's painting in real life, she had seen it numerous times in books. Willow's version was almost identical except for the faces.

After reading the article, Hermione put the paper down. According to the Prophet the painting was over ten years old. The first painting stolen was brand new and had been only recently unveiled. It didn't make sense to her. It was driving her to desperation. She knew she was close to something, so close to cracking the case. She needed to line up the pieces and make them fit; right now they were scattered and seemingly incongruent.

She cleaned house for an hour before retiring for the night. She still didn't know what she was going to get Luna for her birthday and now she only had one day left in which to find something. She made a point to tell herself she had to go shopping tomorrow. If she went to Diagon Alley she could stop in at the gallery to see if they had any more Willow Suntree paintings. With that settled, Hermione went to sleep.

At noon the next day she headed to Diagon Alley. Uncertain of the gallery's location but having a general idea, she headed in that direction.

She stopped and window-shopped, hoping for inspiration for Luna's gift. She spotted it at the third shop she looked in. In the window was a book titled How to Divine Your Inner Self Through Interpretation of Brain Wave Patterns. Hermione figured Luna would get a kick out of it since she worked on the magical mishap ward at St. Mungo's, where she was doing research on reversing Oblivate spells through the manipulation of brain waves. While she was purchasing the book she asked the shop witch where the gallery was located and was told that it was three shops down on the right. She found it easily enough. She stepped inside and was immediately recognized the wizard from his picture in the Prophet.

"Is there anything I can help you with, miss?" he inquired.

"Yes. I was wondering if you have any more Willow Suntree paintings."

He appraised her for a moment before, she assumed, finding her harmless. "We do in fact have three—two in her gothic style and one done in the illumination technique."

He led Hermione into a room further back in the gallery. Up ahead was an intimidating wizard posed with his arms across his chest. I guess they stepped up security, she mused. The gallery wizard stopped in front of a painting and started rattling off information about the technique and the painting it was originally based on. Hermione's eyes roamed the canvas, taking in the details, especially the faces of the angels. Harry was right. The angels' faces were so pure and beautiful it took a person's breath away. The purity that showed in their faces was ethereal. She moved on to the next painting and stopped dead in her tracks. There, staring her in the face from an upper corner of the painting, was the face of the first witch who had gone missing, Portia Axelsson—except her face was even more beautiful than in real life. It was as if her beauty and innocence had been increased tenfold.

Next to her, the gallery wizard nodded his head knowingly. "People often find themselves lost for words when looking upon her paintings."

Hermione shook her head. "When was this painted?"

He shrugged. "I'm not certain, but her agent dropped it off to be sold a month ago. We've had several interested buyers. Just yesterday an elderly wizard came in and expressed an interest in purchasing it. He even asked for it by name."

"Mmmm," was her reply. "What is it called?"

"Madonna of the Rocks."

She froze; Portia had lived on Rockland Street in Wessex. "Do you know any other galleries where Willow Suntree's paintings are on display or being sold?"

The wizard looked taken aback for a second, so Hermione decided to explain that she was an Auror. He gave her a puzzled look. "Oh, you must be investigating the stolen painting. Two young wizards were already here and I gave them my account of the event."

"Yes, I work with them; they forgot to ask for a list when they were here."

He nodded his head and walked off towards a door that was neatly camouflaged by a mural on the wall. "Come into my office and I'll get you that list."

Hermione followed him into a tiny room with barely enough space for a desk, let alone a visitors' chair in front of it. She was practically sitting with her legs out the door. She tried to appear patient, but really she wanted to yell at him to hurry up. Finally he found what he was looking for and handed her a list.

"I hope you'll inform me if there are any developments."

She murmured, "Of course," snatched the list out of his hands, and hurried out the door.

She then spent the rest of the day going from gallery to gallery. She found two more victims' pictures hidden in paintings. At the fourth stop she made, she found Eve Perkins, the second girl reported missing; and finally, at the last gallery she went to, she found the face of Celeste Durnham, the third missing witch. She didn't know if she was imagining it or not. The faces in the paintings looked like those of the missing witches but more beautiful. If it was their faces it begged the question, where were the girls now?

Suddenly a truly wild, X-Files-like idea occurred to Hermione. It seemed too ludicrous to consider, but...what if when Willow painted her portraits, she trapped the girls inside? Were all of them trapped in paintings?

Hermione gave herself a mental slap. Now you're just being fanciful, Hermione. One thing she knew for certain: she needed to get back to the Ministry and talk to Keller March. Willow Suntree would have to be brought in for questioning. Hermione worried that Keller would call her crazy and tell her she was seeing the missing witches everywhere and probably needed time off. But she really didn't have a choice. She had to tell someone her idea even if they thought she was a few ingredients shy of a correct potion. She quickly stepped outside and Apparated to the Ministry.

She ran across the lobby at full speed. Few people were about. Seth was on duty and called out to her.

"What's the hurry, Granger?"

She didn't stop; she just kept running. She rushed to the Auror floor but didn't see anyone. She headed to Harry's office, hoping he hadn't gone home yet. On her way she threw Luna's present into her office. Entering Harry's office only to find it empty, she cursed. She headed for the Director's office, praying he was there. He wasn't. She growled in frustration and headed back to her office to owl Keller and Harry. When she walked in someone was sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

"I can't talk right now. I just caught a break in the missing witches' case and I need to contact the Director immediately," she told him dismissively.

"I don't think so, Granger," came the silky reply.

She stopped short and looked at the person. The way he was looking at her made her nervous, like he was both impressed and extremely angry. She tried to stealthily pull out her wand, but before she had moved an inch his own wand was trained on her.

"I can't have you telling people what you know, Granger. It would endanger my very profitable venture. I was hoping I'd have several more months before anyone caught on. It seems you do live up to your reputation for being the brightest witch of our time. Now what am I going to do with you? I'm very angry that you're forcing me to do this. With you going missing I'll have to be that much more on my guard, plus there's bound to be a lot of questions when you don't show up for work tomorrow."

Hermione's eyes had started to go wide when the person had begun talking and now her breathing accelerated. She wasn't stupid. She knew she had to do something immediately. She quickly formed a plan to leap behind her desk and pull her wand out at the same time. She bunched her muscles and leaped. Her hand had just closed around her wand when everything went black.
Draco Malfoy took down the wards on his new flat using the information his reality witch had given him. He had just flown the seven and half hours necessary to get from New York to London. He didn't want anyone to know he was back in England yet, so he had taken Muggle transportation. He closed the door behind him and looked around. There was no furniture; he'd have to Transfigure a bed for the night. He scrubbed a hand over his face. He felt dirty. A shower sounded just the thing. Staying up and attempting to counterbalance the time change would be the smart thing to do, but he really just wanted to sleep.

After showering and Transfiguring a book into a bed, he rolled up his sweatshirt and stuffed it behind his head and fell into oblivion. His last coherent thought was one of hope; he didn't want to believe he'd made the biggest mistake of his life in leaving the U.S. to come home.
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