The Reluctant Detectives
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,555
Reviews:
96
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,555
Reviews:
96
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Disclaimer:
I don't own Harry Potter or anything else from the book series. Nor do I make any moneys from doing this. Though goodness knows I wish I did.
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
The two older wizards soon had everyone out of the pub, but were right back at her side within moments. They watched as she looked over the wires of the bomb with wire cutters in her hand.
“Power, power, who has the power?” she muttered to herself as she apparently found the one she was looking for and cut it, shutting down the bomb with seconds left on the clock.
“I thought you said you didn’t know how to deal with bombs,” Severus stated.
“I’ve done some reading about them since then,” she told him. “You two deal with the wards on the bomb and dispose of it safely.” She stood up, looking more than a little green. “I’m going outside to throw up.”
Between the two wizards they were able to do what she had asked of them. Severus went outside to look for Hermione. He found her at the gate just out front of the Shrieking Shack. Slipping up next to her, he handed her a handkerchief. She thanked him quietly, wiping her mouth off.
“Where did you learn about bombs?” he asked her.
“I have read several books since the first bombing,” she murmured, but began to shake and cry. “Why do so many have to die? That isn’t power! It’s a coward’s path to glory!”
He took her into his arms, rubbing her back. She sobbed against his chest, unable to stop her shaking. The tears dried up five minutes later. But thanks to the cold and the adrenalin the shaking didn’t go away. He walked her over back to the pub, sitting her down he snapped out an order for a fire whiskey.
He handed it over to her and murmured, “This is probably the worst thing for you. But it’s the best I have at the moment. Take only little sips.”
Severus took off his robe and put it around her shoulders. Malfoy watched as she drank the whiskey, holding it in both of her hands, as they were too unsteady to hold it alone. Lucius smiled to himself at the sight of his sour life long friend who would normally cross the street to get away from a woman in distress as he helped the little witch next to him.
“Severus, I do believe you are sleeping with this witch,” Lucius said his tone exaggerated.
“Not yet,” Hermione was the one to answer. “It wasn’t for the lack of trying though.” She took another sip of her whiskey. “Merlin, Severus, we need better wards.”
“So noted,” he muttered, taking the whiskey away from her. “That was more than enough.”
Sighing she looked over to Lucius. “Do you know the time?”
The blond frowned as he looked at his timepiece. “It is nearly eight in the morning.”
Hermione got up. “I have an important appointment at ten. I need to go back to the school and get ready. Meanwhile, you two might think over getting more help for us. We need all the help we can get.” She slipped out of his robe and put it over Severus’s shoulders, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
Standing up straight she looked over to Lucius. “You might get a hold of Draco and get him involved in the investigation as well. Find out if there is anything going on over on the mainland like is going on here. I still need to talk to Kingsley, but it is nothing that can’t wait until later.” She nodded to them and took her leave.
“She isn’t a very good liar,” Lucius said casually.
“Miss Granger has never been able to lie with efficiency,” he murmured. “But I have a feeling I know what her ‘appointment’ is this evening.”
“Are we going to attend?” Lucius asked, paying for Hermione’s drink as they stood up.
“Yes,” he replied, sighing sadly. “It’s an obligation of mine to attend.”
***
The funeral for Viviana Templeton was a very small one. Her few friends were crying in the back of the room. Her very small family consisting of her mother and her older brother who had graduated from Dumstrang two years before were sitting at the front of the room. The son held onto his mother’s hand, neither one of them saying a word as they both stared at the coffin.
Hermione hated having to be there. The girl shouldn’t be dead. She had been too young to have died, never mind by her own hand. She walked up the pathway and went to sit down next to the girl’s friends.
“Why did she do this?” one of them asked the others. “S-she wanted to-to go to the Yule Ball!”
“She said she already had a date!” Another one piped in. “I thought she was lying. B-but she said he was so nice and that he-he could charm the birds from the sky.” She gave a watery laugh. “I thought that made for a weird date. A bird charmer.” She sobbed. “Why!”
The other two girls hugged the other and together grieved for their friend. Hermione got up and went over to where Viviana’s mother and brother were sitting. It was then that she saw the woman’s simple beaded rosary clutched in her hand as well as her son’s. Swallowing thickly she looked over to the girl in the coffin, holding what must have been the beads she received on her first holy communion.
Was Viviana a devoted Catholic? She turned to the mother now looking up at her.
Smiling sadly she kneeled next to the older woman, whispering, “She was a good girl.”
“The best,” the woman sobbed. “Said her prayers every night. Even after her magic came to her. She said that they were a gift from God, like my son when he received his.”
“May I ask you a difficult question?” Hermione asked.
The woman’s face flushed. “She would never kill herself.”
“Yes, I see that,” she replied. “And the more I learn, the more I think someone killed your baby.”
“Murder?” her brother hissed. “Someone would do this to my sister? But why?”
“I don’t know,” Hermione whispered, looking straight into the older woman’s eyes. “But I swear we will find who did this to your little girl and they will pay.”
The woman’s eyes squeezed shut, tears rolling down her face as she cried, “Thank you. Thank you.”
Hermione stood up and found Severus and Lucius both watching her. Severus went over to the mother. Taking her hands into his, he swore that Viviana’s passing would not go unnoticed and that they would do everything they could to help her during this time.
“You did well, Miss Granger,” he said to her once they were out of the small wake. “What did you find out?”
“That girl was murdered,” she told him. “And we just may very well be the best witnesses we have.”
***
DawnEB-- I never have a death such as the students without reason. Life is a gift and suicide goes against what I believe (even in fiction). As I said to my mother about your review, "That reviewer had premature speculation". LOL! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Please Review!
The two older wizards soon had everyone out of the pub, but were right back at her side within moments. They watched as she looked over the wires of the bomb with wire cutters in her hand.
“Power, power, who has the power?” she muttered to herself as she apparently found the one she was looking for and cut it, shutting down the bomb with seconds left on the clock.
“I thought you said you didn’t know how to deal with bombs,” Severus stated.
“I’ve done some reading about them since then,” she told him. “You two deal with the wards on the bomb and dispose of it safely.” She stood up, looking more than a little green. “I’m going outside to throw up.”
Between the two wizards they were able to do what she had asked of them. Severus went outside to look for Hermione. He found her at the gate just out front of the Shrieking Shack. Slipping up next to her, he handed her a handkerchief. She thanked him quietly, wiping her mouth off.
“Where did you learn about bombs?” he asked her.
“I have read several books since the first bombing,” she murmured, but began to shake and cry. “Why do so many have to die? That isn’t power! It’s a coward’s path to glory!”
He took her into his arms, rubbing her back. She sobbed against his chest, unable to stop her shaking. The tears dried up five minutes later. But thanks to the cold and the adrenalin the shaking didn’t go away. He walked her over back to the pub, sitting her down he snapped out an order for a fire whiskey.
He handed it over to her and murmured, “This is probably the worst thing for you. But it’s the best I have at the moment. Take only little sips.”
Severus took off his robe and put it around her shoulders. Malfoy watched as she drank the whiskey, holding it in both of her hands, as they were too unsteady to hold it alone. Lucius smiled to himself at the sight of his sour life long friend who would normally cross the street to get away from a woman in distress as he helped the little witch next to him.
“Severus, I do believe you are sleeping with this witch,” Lucius said his tone exaggerated.
“Not yet,” Hermione was the one to answer. “It wasn’t for the lack of trying though.” She took another sip of her whiskey. “Merlin, Severus, we need better wards.”
“So noted,” he muttered, taking the whiskey away from her. “That was more than enough.”
Sighing she looked over to Lucius. “Do you know the time?”
The blond frowned as he looked at his timepiece. “It is nearly eight in the morning.”
Hermione got up. “I have an important appointment at ten. I need to go back to the school and get ready. Meanwhile, you two might think over getting more help for us. We need all the help we can get.” She slipped out of his robe and put it over Severus’s shoulders, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
Standing up straight she looked over to Lucius. “You might get a hold of Draco and get him involved in the investigation as well. Find out if there is anything going on over on the mainland like is going on here. I still need to talk to Kingsley, but it is nothing that can’t wait until later.” She nodded to them and took her leave.
“She isn’t a very good liar,” Lucius said casually.
“Miss Granger has never been able to lie with efficiency,” he murmured. “But I have a feeling I know what her ‘appointment’ is this evening.”
“Are we going to attend?” Lucius asked, paying for Hermione’s drink as they stood up.
“Yes,” he replied, sighing sadly. “It’s an obligation of mine to attend.”
***
The funeral for Viviana Templeton was a very small one. Her few friends were crying in the back of the room. Her very small family consisting of her mother and her older brother who had graduated from Dumstrang two years before were sitting at the front of the room. The son held onto his mother’s hand, neither one of them saying a word as they both stared at the coffin.
Hermione hated having to be there. The girl shouldn’t be dead. She had been too young to have died, never mind by her own hand. She walked up the pathway and went to sit down next to the girl’s friends.
“Why did she do this?” one of them asked the others. “S-she wanted to-to go to the Yule Ball!”
“She said she already had a date!” Another one piped in. “I thought she was lying. B-but she said he was so nice and that he-he could charm the birds from the sky.” She gave a watery laugh. “I thought that made for a weird date. A bird charmer.” She sobbed. “Why!”
The other two girls hugged the other and together grieved for their friend. Hermione got up and went over to where Viviana’s mother and brother were sitting. It was then that she saw the woman’s simple beaded rosary clutched in her hand as well as her son’s. Swallowing thickly she looked over to the girl in the coffin, holding what must have been the beads she received on her first holy communion.
Was Viviana a devoted Catholic? She turned to the mother now looking up at her.
Smiling sadly she kneeled next to the older woman, whispering, “She was a good girl.”
“The best,” the woman sobbed. “Said her prayers every night. Even after her magic came to her. She said that they were a gift from God, like my son when he received his.”
“May I ask you a difficult question?” Hermione asked.
The woman’s face flushed. “She would never kill herself.”
“Yes, I see that,” she replied. “And the more I learn, the more I think someone killed your baby.”
“Murder?” her brother hissed. “Someone would do this to my sister? But why?”
“I don’t know,” Hermione whispered, looking straight into the older woman’s eyes. “But I swear we will find who did this to your little girl and they will pay.”
The woman’s eyes squeezed shut, tears rolling down her face as she cried, “Thank you. Thank you.”
Hermione stood up and found Severus and Lucius both watching her. Severus went over to the mother. Taking her hands into his, he swore that Viviana’s passing would not go unnoticed and that they would do everything they could to help her during this time.
“You did well, Miss Granger,” he said to her once they were out of the small wake. “What did you find out?”
“That girl was murdered,” she told him. “And we just may very well be the best witnesses we have.”
***
DawnEB-- I never have a death such as the students without reason. Life is a gift and suicide goes against what I believe (even in fiction). As I said to my mother about your review, "That reviewer had premature speculation". LOL! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Please Review!