The Expectant Detectives

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Chapter Seven


Severus and Hermione went over to Malfoy Manor after finishing up at the coroner’s office. This had been her idea as whatever was going on was clearly linked to him. Now if only they could figure out how.


When they arrived, Lucius looked ready to go into a fit of temper any moment. Absently Severus put a shielding charm on Hermione, knowing that it wouldn’t take much for Malfoy to lose his temper. Even minor questions from those he saw far beneath himself, which would be the rest of the world according to Lucius, would be more than enough.


“Before you ask, no I have not been to any carnivals or circuses as of late,” he said flatly as he showed them over to the informal sitting room.


“No, I never would have thought so,” Hermione said.


When she didn’t go on, Lucius asked, “And?”


“And what? You would never go to one,” she repeated, as she went over to sit down. “And if you press me on this, I’ll be forced to stop being nice and tell you it’s more than likely out of a fear of being pulled in as a part of the freak show.”


He glared at her a moment before laughing. “That was what I was waiting for.” He poured himself a drink, muttering, “You’re a pain in the ass.”


“Thank you,” she murmured. “Now that we’ve gotten the niceties over, can you think of anyone that might be trying to pass on a warped message by sending you these bodies?”


“I can’t think of anyone,” he complained. “I’m a former death eater and just anger people without effort. It’s a gift and a curse.”


“Then why send you these bodies all the way from Oxford?”


Lucius frowned. “Isn’t there a university there?”


Hermione and Severus looked to each other and back to him. “As a matter of fact there is one. You might have heard of it. It’s called Oxford,” she answered dryly. “Why do you ask?”


He sat back in his chair, as he murmured, “I heard that there were some former colleagues of mine that took up residence near there.”


“Colleagues as in former death eaters?” Severus pressed.


“That isn’t for me to…”


“Bollocks to that!” snapped Severus. “The war is over and you owe them nothing.”


Sighing he muttered, “True.” Lucius looked over to Hermione who was watching him intently. “Do you think that they have anything to do with the bodies I keep finding in my home?”


She shrugged. “But until we speak to them, we’ll never know.”


“We?” Severus drawled. “You, witch, are on medical leave. You aren’t questioning anyone, but a house elf as to what healthy meal or snack you can eat.”


“Severus, where as it’s true that I’m on leave that doesn’t mean that I must stayed sheltered away eating nothing, but…” She shuttered. “That crap you call holistic nutrition.” She looked over to Lucius. “You ate better in Azkaban.”


Flinching, Lucius muttered, “It can’t be that bad.” She described what Severus had served to her in great detail. Frowning Lucius looked over to his friend, “You need a house elf that will cook for her if that’s the best you can do.”


“We’ve gotten off topic,” Severus said, looking pointedly at his wife. “You are going nowhere near Oxford. That isn’t a request. That was an order from me, your lord and master.”


She said nothing for a time. Hermione stood up and went over to him. “You have brain damage if you think I’ll take that lying down.”


“Hermione…” he started.


“You have another thing coming if you think for one nanosecond that I’m going to put up with that ‘lord and master’ nonsense.” Hermione took a calming breath, before going on with. “Very well. You have a point. It would be very dangerous for me to go out there to question them. But then again, it would be for anyone that does.” She turned slowly to look over to Lucius.


“No!” he snapped. “I owe you nothing remember? You swore…”


“I’m not the one having dead bodies being sent to me,” she told him. “If you don’t want the help, I can easily walk away from this.”


He studied her a moment. “I could see fit to help if Draco’s time in Azkaban…”


Hermione snorted with derisive humor. “Only you would see fit to ask for a boon in a situation like this!” She went over to him and poked him hard in the chest. “Don’t you get it? Someone is out there killing people and sending you the bodies more than likely in an attempt to get you thrown back into prison! You would have been tossed there a day ago if not for me pointing out what I have been.” She stepped away from him. “You need to become more proactive in this investigation. Because let me tell you, the aurors may be helping you, but they aren’t working all that hard to do it.”


Lucius stood there glaring at her, saying nothing as he did so.


“It’ll give you something to do,” she said to him. “And as a result you will have more control over your own life.”


He let out a long sigh, looking over to Severus, “You married a harpy.”


“Yes, that I am, but I’m loveable and slightly cute.” They looked over to her. “Not nauseatingly so.”


“That puts my mind at rest,” Severus said dryly, going over to her and pulling her into his arms. “Let us be off. I’ll be busy come tomorrow what with you making me go to Oxford.”


“I’ll go with you,” Lucius told him. “You’ll need someone watching your back.”


“Always,” Severus murmured. “Tomorrow then.”


Once they were back at their rooms at Hogwarts, Hermione told him what she had figured out in regards to the Death Log. Since the Death Log was still there, he took it up and did much as she had done earlier that day.


“Hmm, muggles?” he asked quietly.


“I think so,” she whispered. “Nothing else makes sense.”


“The villain is killing them and sending them off to Malfoy, but for what reason? I see no purpose why anyone would do such a thing.”


“I don’t see why a half blood wizard went mad and wanted every muggle dead.”


He glared at her. “You know what I meant.”


“Yes, I do,” she sighed. “Muggles are expendable to the likes of a pure blood former death eater, who still very much believes in their cause. Something tells me that this is their version of pebbles against the window—they’re trying to get his attention.”


“Hell of a way to do it,” he said, leaning back on the lounge.


“Oxford is a university town,” she stated quietly. “Both magical and muggle.”


“It may very well be a trap,” Severus commented.


“If that’s the case, it’s someone that not even Lucius knows about,” she muttered. “Thus we’re dealing with an unknown.”


“He won’t be there alone, love. I’ll be there too.”


“Whatever you do, Severus, keep your guard up. I have a very bad feeling about what’s going on in that place.”


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It's time for the Review Sing-A-Long! The answer to the last one was "Last Train to Clarksville" by the Monkees! Cookies go out to Flaming Moth of Doom (I love your name by the way), Narcissas Sister, Voracious Reader, anncee, arrabella, and genesismom. If I missed you, I'm sorry. Oh here's a funny side bar, about the only person that didn't know that the song was a protest song against the Vietnam War (other than the producers of the show and censers connected to the station they were on that is) was Peter Tork (member of the band). Sweet man, but if I had taken as many drugs as he has, I wouldn't know much going on around me either.

Here's the next song, people! "Don't worry about reviews or worry that know that reviewing is as affective as solving an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum" Okay here's your clue, it was a spoken word to music piece that an unexpected person gives to a graduating class. I personally love this song (if you can call it that). There you go! Have a great day everyone.