The Reluctant Detectives
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,559
Reviews:
96
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
30
Views:
13,559
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 Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Both the wizards finished reading her reports at the same time. They looked over to her only to find that she had fallen asleep while she had been waiting for them to finish reading her notes and results of what she had been doing to recover evidence. They both at the same time closed the reports, leaned back, and let out a long breath.
“How far has Mr. Malfoy gotten with what she gave him to do?” Kingsley asked.
“I spoke with him last night,” he answered. “He said that he was still working on it, though truth be told I do believe that Miss Granger was naïve to think that he would do the work on his own without constant supervision.”
Kingsley nodded. “That’s why she had Moody go over to keep an eye on him today with a copy of her notes. She flooed me last night about it.”
Hermione woke up stretching and yawning, muttering, “One of these days you are going to believe there was a reason I received as many NEWTs as I did for a legitimate reason.”
“How many did you receive?” Kingsley asked her.
“Thirteen,” Snape answered. “The most anyone has received in over one thousand years.”
“And you’re doing what now?” Kingsley inquired.
Her eyes narrowed as she said, “Solving your case.” She looked over to Severus. “I’m going back to the school. I’m tired.” Hermione left, slamming the door as she went.
Severus stood up, looking at the man in front of him. “That must have been one of the single worst questions I’ve ever heard you utter, Shacklebolt.”
“Why…”
“This after I told you that she was deeply depressed,” he interrupted him. “She’s a brilliant witch, who read far more than you intended into your question. That is what makes that question so awful. Next time think before you speak!”
***
Hermione was walking briskly away from the Ministry of Magic, not knowing who she was more upset with—Kingsley or herself. Walking into a muggle café, she ordered an extra hot coffee to go. Was she taking it too personally? Sighing she paid for the coffee and left. She was over thinking it, she told herself. But even as she was reasoning with what she knew to be her irrational side, she was trying to think of ways to justify why she was being so.
And to think, she thought sourly, you accused Harry of needing to pull his head out of his arse. Sipping on her coffee, she nearly missed the fact that she was being followed. At first she had thought it was Severus. But if it had been her former potions master and he hadn’t wanted her to know that she was being trailed, she would have never known. Meaning? Meaning she was being followed more than likely by a suspect?
She slipped into a women’s apparel shop where a man would stand out like a sore thumb. As quickly as possible she grabbed up some dresses that she didn’t intend to try on and went into a dressing room, dissapperating from that location to a rooftop across the street were she could watch the man. The man was wearing a scarf over his face obscuring it she discovered and making it impossible to see his features. Putting a glamour on, she made herself invisible as she watched going into a rage that she had ditched him. Not wanting to see what came next she vanished.
***
“Someone followed you?” Severus demanded.
She turned away from her worktable. “For the hundredth time, yes, someone followed me. No, I didn’t see who it was. But I can say this much, it was a man, I can’t say if it was a wizard or not. It could have very well been a squib. He didn’t use magic and was clearly frustrated that he couldn’t do the same. But again, I don’t know. I’ve been told I have that effect on people at times. It was a man, approximately 1.8 meters tall, but I don’t know how much he weighs. I’ll write it all down if you want me to. That way I can get back to my work, while you are going into your manly outrage.”
He got into her face, growling, “You will stop with this attitude, Miss Granger, least you find yourself over my knee and your arse as red as the Gryffindor flag.”
Sighing she whispered, “I am sorry. I’ve grown unaccustomed to having anyone concerned over my welfare.”
“I assure you that I am just as unaccustomed to being concerned over any ones welfare.” He reached over and absently tucked one of her unruly curls behind her ear. “What do you think they wanted?”
She shrugged. “But it did make me convinced that we need a way to communicate just in case something happens. If they follow one of us, chances are that they will follow us both. Lucius as well, now that I think of it.”
He frowned. “Why Lucius?”
“He is the quintessential death eater,” she told him. “Lucius might be the best wizard to frame in all of England.”
Nodding Severus said, “We have to come up with an emergency plan.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “But let it be said that I am all for capturing him, dousing him with truth serum to pump him for all the information he has, obliviate him, and dumping him on some random street with the worst case of genital warts mankind has ever seen.” He blinked at her. “Do you think that’s a bit excessive?” Thinking it over she nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It doesn’t have to be the worst case ever seen. Just a bad one would be fine.”
Laughing he took her into his arms, murmuring, “We just might at that.” He turned her around and joined her at the worktable. “Tell me about what you are doing.”
There were fragments of three different bombs that lay side by side on her enlarged work surface. And right in the middle of it all was a book with diagrams for Hermione to study.
“I figured out from my studies that our bomber wasn’t an expert when he started. In fact I would have to wager that the one in the left corner was the first bomb he ever made.”
“How do you figure that?” he asked her.
“It misfired,” she told him, picking up the timer and handing it over to him. “Like many a young man, it went off too soon.”
He forced himself to keep a straight face. “This timer tells me nothing.”
“It’s on the interior surface of the plastic of the timer,” she told him. “The time it was at was burnt into it.” She angled it so that he could see it. “This kind of thing normally doesn’t happen unless it’s at that time for a good while. There was an excellent chance that the clock never worked, the time was burned into the screen…” She stood up straight. “So the bomb wouldn’t have gone off. What would happen then?” Hermione looked right back to the clock again. “He would have to set it off himself. Which means we could have traces of his magic right here…”
“But you also had something else you wanted to tell me?” he prompted her.
“Oh yes,” she murmured, as she set aside the timer. “He’s getting better and from what I can tell. Each of the bombs is becoming increasingly more complex.”
“That could be a problem,” he muttered. “His wards are also becoming more complicated as well.”
“Severus?” He looked into her eyes. “I have a very bad feeling he is beginning to enjoy his work.”
“Me as well,” he whispered, looking at the tools of destruction set out in front of them. “The more our villain enjoys his work, the better it becomes.” Turning his eyes on her he murmured, “But always keep this in mind—we are better than he.”
Pursing her lips she breathed, “Merlin, I hope so.”
***
Thank you for reading! Please review!!
Both the wizards finished reading her reports at the same time. They looked over to her only to find that she had fallen asleep while she had been waiting for them to finish reading her notes and results of what she had been doing to recover evidence. They both at the same time closed the reports, leaned back, and let out a long breath.
“How far has Mr. Malfoy gotten with what she gave him to do?” Kingsley asked.
“I spoke with him last night,” he answered. “He said that he was still working on it, though truth be told I do believe that Miss Granger was naïve to think that he would do the work on his own without constant supervision.”
Kingsley nodded. “That’s why she had Moody go over to keep an eye on him today with a copy of her notes. She flooed me last night about it.”
Hermione woke up stretching and yawning, muttering, “One of these days you are going to believe there was a reason I received as many NEWTs as I did for a legitimate reason.”
“How many did you receive?” Kingsley asked her.
“Thirteen,” Snape answered. “The most anyone has received in over one thousand years.”
“And you’re doing what now?” Kingsley inquired.
Her eyes narrowed as she said, “Solving your case.” She looked over to Severus. “I’m going back to the school. I’m tired.” Hermione left, slamming the door as she went.
Severus stood up, looking at the man in front of him. “That must have been one of the single worst questions I’ve ever heard you utter, Shacklebolt.”
“Why…”
“This after I told you that she was deeply depressed,” he interrupted him. “She’s a brilliant witch, who read far more than you intended into your question. That is what makes that question so awful. Next time think before you speak!”
***
Hermione was walking briskly away from the Ministry of Magic, not knowing who she was more upset with—Kingsley or herself. Walking into a muggle café, she ordered an extra hot coffee to go. Was she taking it too personally? Sighing she paid for the coffee and left. She was over thinking it, she told herself. But even as she was reasoning with what she knew to be her irrational side, she was trying to think of ways to justify why she was being so.
And to think, she thought sourly, you accused Harry of needing to pull his head out of his arse. Sipping on her coffee, she nearly missed the fact that she was being followed. At first she had thought it was Severus. But if it had been her former potions master and he hadn’t wanted her to know that she was being trailed, she would have never known. Meaning? Meaning she was being followed more than likely by a suspect?
She slipped into a women’s apparel shop where a man would stand out like a sore thumb. As quickly as possible she grabbed up some dresses that she didn’t intend to try on and went into a dressing room, dissapperating from that location to a rooftop across the street were she could watch the man. The man was wearing a scarf over his face obscuring it she discovered and making it impossible to see his features. Putting a glamour on, she made herself invisible as she watched going into a rage that she had ditched him. Not wanting to see what came next she vanished.
***
“Someone followed you?” Severus demanded.
She turned away from her worktable. “For the hundredth time, yes, someone followed me. No, I didn’t see who it was. But I can say this much, it was a man, I can’t say if it was a wizard or not. It could have very well been a squib. He didn’t use magic and was clearly frustrated that he couldn’t do the same. But again, I don’t know. I’ve been told I have that effect on people at times. It was a man, approximately 1.8 meters tall, but I don’t know how much he weighs. I’ll write it all down if you want me to. That way I can get back to my work, while you are going into your manly outrage.”
He got into her face, growling, “You will stop with this attitude, Miss Granger, least you find yourself over my knee and your arse as red as the Gryffindor flag.”
Sighing she whispered, “I am sorry. I’ve grown unaccustomed to having anyone concerned over my welfare.”
“I assure you that I am just as unaccustomed to being concerned over any ones welfare.” He reached over and absently tucked one of her unruly curls behind her ear. “What do you think they wanted?”
She shrugged. “But it did make me convinced that we need a way to communicate just in case something happens. If they follow one of us, chances are that they will follow us both. Lucius as well, now that I think of it.”
He frowned. “Why Lucius?”
“He is the quintessential death eater,” she told him. “Lucius might be the best wizard to frame in all of England.”
Nodding Severus said, “We have to come up with an emergency plan.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “But let it be said that I am all for capturing him, dousing him with truth serum to pump him for all the information he has, obliviate him, and dumping him on some random street with the worst case of genital warts mankind has ever seen.” He blinked at her. “Do you think that’s a bit excessive?” Thinking it over she nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It doesn’t have to be the worst case ever seen. Just a bad one would be fine.”
Laughing he took her into his arms, murmuring, “We just might at that.” He turned her around and joined her at the worktable. “Tell me about what you are doing.”
There were fragments of three different bombs that lay side by side on her enlarged work surface. And right in the middle of it all was a book with diagrams for Hermione to study.
“I figured out from my studies that our bomber wasn’t an expert when he started. In fact I would have to wager that the one in the left corner was the first bomb he ever made.”
“How do you figure that?” he asked her.
“It misfired,” she told him, picking up the timer and handing it over to him. “Like many a young man, it went off too soon.”
He forced himself to keep a straight face. “This timer tells me nothing.”
“It’s on the interior surface of the plastic of the timer,” she told him. “The time it was at was burnt into it.” She angled it so that he could see it. “This kind of thing normally doesn’t happen unless it’s at that time for a good while. There was an excellent chance that the clock never worked, the time was burned into the screen…” She stood up straight. “So the bomb wouldn’t have gone off. What would happen then?” Hermione looked right back to the clock again. “He would have to set it off himself. Which means we could have traces of his magic right here…”
“But you also had something else you wanted to tell me?” he prompted her.
“Oh yes,” she murmured, as she set aside the timer. “He’s getting better and from what I can tell. Each of the bombs is becoming increasingly more complex.”
“That could be a problem,” he muttered. “His wards are also becoming more complicated as well.”
“Severus?” He looked into her eyes. “I have a very bad feeling he is beginning to enjoy his work.”
“Me as well,” he whispered, looking at the tools of destruction set out in front of them. “The more our villain enjoys his work, the better it becomes.” Turning his eyes on her he murmured, “But always keep this in mind—we are better than he.”
Pursing her lips she breathed, “Merlin, I hope so.”
***
Thank you for reading! Please review!!