The Doll House

Chapter Two: The Investigator











Draco stood in the miniscule lift in the ancient office building next to an elderly man. While that might not seem a strange concept to most, it was made so by the man’s insistent chattering to himself about his missing teeth, which he held in a plastic baggie in front of him. The man was also rather aromatic, and not pleasantly so. The elevator reeked of the unpleasant mixture of the man’s gas and body odor. The man turned to glare at him and Draco arched his brows in surprised confusion.





“Did you fuck my Bess?” The old buzzard growled.





“I beg your pardon?” Draco winced when he realized how much he sounded like his father just then.





“You fucked my Bess and stole my teeth!” The man accused, pointing his finger and stamping his foot. Draco’s forehead furrowed and he took a step back wishing he could use his wand to speed up the lift. Damn the ministry and their bloody sanctions.





“Sir, I don’t know anyone named Bess and if she is yours I doubt I would be willing to get close enough to do such a thing….and your teeth are in that bag,” Draco said drolly.







“Liar! I saw you…” the man squinted and growled. Draco shook his head, thankful when the bell indicated he had arrived at his intended floor.





“You saw nothing of the sort, you crazy arse,” he said as he stepped towards the door. Since he couldn’t hex the lunatic he satisfied his need for action by pressing every button on the panel as he exited. “Have a nice ride!” He heard the man swearing as the door closed and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets as he strolled lazily down the hall towards the offices of H.J.G. Investigations.





He knocked lightly on the frosted glass door bearing the name, noting that some of the letters were peeling off as he waited. For someone rated the top in their field they certainly had a crap office.



“Enter,” a disembodied voice called from the other side of the door. He hesitated a moment before turning the knob and stepping inside, feeling foolish for hiring such a person but he wanted the house enough to endure it. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”





Draco closed the door behind him and stared for a moment at the person behind the desk. He couldn’t see much, just a curtain of slightly frizzy brown curls pooling on the desk as the person scribbled furiously in an open file. Slowly recognition set in and a smug little smile began edging the corners of his mouth upwards.





“I’ll be damned,” Draco said quietly, “If it isn’t Hermione Granger.” At hearing her full name she lifted her head, tossing her wayward sheet of hair back behind her shoulders.





“Bloody hell…Draco Malfoy,” she snorted, flopping back in the chair and slamming the file on her desk closed. “What in the hell are you doing in my office?”





“I am your eleven o’clock,” he smirked, settling into the rickety chair across from her desk.





“Thestral-shit, Malfoy,” she scoffed. “What are you doing here?”





“You have developed quite a mouth since Hogwarts, Granger,” he said smiling. “And I told you already, I’m your eleven o’clock.” He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. “By the way, did you know that you have a crazy old bum riding up and down the lift with his teeth in a bag?”





“That’s Nevin, he used to be the custodian of this building, he thinks he still is,” she said, frowning at him. “Why would you be my eleven o’clock?”





“Because I need your services,” he said, looking at her as if she had gone mad.





“You obviously know what I do for a living, Malfoy, tell me another one,” she rolled her eyes and jerked open a desk drawer to toss the file folder inside.





“You are a paranormal researcher, an expert in ridding haunted properties of unwelcome spirits, correct?” He asked, looking around her office at the various certificates adorning the wall between the book cases.





“Yes, I help muggles with their ghost problems,” she said, her eyes narrowed “Which you and I both know isn’t really a problem with the ghosts so much as a problem with the muggle perception of ghosts.”





“Yes, I am well aware of that fact. I had counted it all up to charlatans playing on the weak minded when I sought out an expert. I must say that I am completely scandalized to find out that the goody goody Miss Granger is preying on muggles,” he gave her a sly grin and then the devil actually winked at her. “Maybe not scandalized…more like impressed actually.”





“I’m not preying on them. Being a witch allows me to SEE what they can only vaguely sense, it allows me to communicate with the ghosts and persuade them to move on or tone it down so that the homeowners can live in peace,” she was used to defending her job to others, no one understood her choice of profession. “You are capable of the same so I ask again, why are you here?”





“Because I need to close a deal and unfortunately I can not do it without your help.” It was obvious that he was irritated by such a fact, but she still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. “Are you always so rude to a potential client?”





“No, you’re special,” she quipped with her brow arching and her lips pursing slightly. “Fine, tell me about your problem, Mr. Malfoy, and we will see how I can help you.”





Draco’s lips quirked in amusement and as he stared at the feisty witch across from him. She had been the bane of his existence for most of his childhood. She had been part of the “infamous trio”, one of the chosen ones who brought Voldemort to his knees. She had also been the brightest witch he had ever known. Of course he had pretended to loathe her, to despise her for the benefit of his image and his father, but in truth he had been awed by her from the start. He would never admit it, however.





“I wish to purchase a property that is apparently haunted and the muggle estate agent won’t sign off on the deal unless I hire someone to…exterminate,” he couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “I paid the old biddy a substantial amount over list but she still insists.”





“Perhaps she just wants you to offer even more?” Hermione suggested, slightly amused.





“No, I tried that, she insists that it must be done though she suggested that I have a priest exorcise the house, I figure that I would have to have a certain amount of faith in order for that to work,” he shrugged and flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his trouser leg.





“Most of the time what is happening in these houses isn’t paranormal at all,” she explained. “A lot of the things that people conclude as a haunting stem from the normal shifting and settling of a house, the rattle of old plumbing and on occasion a pest problem. Very rarely is it an actual ghost.”





“None the less, I want this house and I will do what I must to get it,” he said. “That means hiring you.”





“Why did you decide to hire me? Did you think I’d just sign off since we are…acquainted?” She asked.





“No, I had no idea that it was you, I did a search for paranormal researchers in the United Kingdom and this agency was number one. I wanted the best. I am more than a little shocked to find out that you are the head of this agency,” he said.





“I am this agency, Malfoy,” she shook her head and furrowed her brow as she stared at him. He didn’t look much like the boy she remembered. He looked a lot like his father, though his hair was a bit shorter and he didn’t appear to be in possession of a deadly walking stick. “You could easily go into the property and negotiate with the ghosts, if there are any, yourself; you can see them as well.”





“But then the muggle hag would know something was up. I need an ‘expert’ which means I need you,” he said simply.





“What is so special about this house?” She asked.





“It’s big, it’s isolated, it has everything I want in a home and best of all, it isn’t Malfoy Manor,” he said tightly.





“Not interested in living in the family home?” She asked with no small amount of sarcasm.





“No, too many bad memories there,” he answered quietly, honestly. She said nothing, she simply nodded in acknowledgement. She understood.





“Alright, Malfoy, I’ll look over your house,” she said softly. She couldn’t hate him and that always bothered her. Once she realized that his bad attitude was a result of being an emotionally abused child she had softened towards him. She had made excuses for him with her friends because she knew that he was acting out because of the hurt inside him. He seemed relatively well adjusted as an adult, his eyes were softer and he had smiled often since arriving, perhaps he was finally happy.





“Fantastic,” he reached into his jacket and withdrew a folded contract that he slid across the desk. “I think you will find that offer to be more than generous and the secrecy agreement is standard but given my family and their position in magical and muggle business circles it is necessary.”





Hermione rolled her eyes and reached for the document, slowly scanning the top sheet. She gasped and read over it again and then again just to be certain that she had read it correctly.





“Doll House? You are buying The Doll Estate?” She looked up with wide eyes and saw his confused expression.





“Yes, are you willing to investigate it or whatever it is that you do?” He asked. He saw her lips twitch and she trembled, the contract shaking in her hands.





“Oh yes, and I will do it for free,” she said sliding the contract back towards him.





“I don’t understand,” he shook his head and stared at the giddy witch as she nearly bounced in her seat.





“Doll house is famous, I’ve always wanted to get inside but the agency holding the property refused, “she said. “I will waive my fee to finally get the opportunity.”





“I won’t argue with you on it, Granger, I’m a businessman and a Malfoy, the more money in my pocket the better in my opinion,” he snorted. “However, your obvious excitement makes me curious…I want to go with you when you investigate.”





“No, I work alone,” she said tersely.





“Because no one could know your true nature, as my nature is much the same you do not need to hide from me. Besides, it’s my house, either you let me go with you or I hire another investigator,” his arched brow irritated her and she let out the most unladylike growl in her frustration.





“Urgh….you are still a spoiled prick,” she ground out between her teeth, her hands balled into tight fists on top of her desk. She wanted inside that house; it had been a dream of hers since she became an investigator. “Fine, but you will stay out of my way and keep your mouth shut!” His slow, knowing smile made her jaws ache as she ground her teeth in response.





“Excellent, if you will sign the contract,” he crossed out the payment amount and initialed beside it, “and initial here, I can take it back to the harpy at the agency and get the keys.”







“It’s a huge estate, I want to be able to stay there while I’m investigating,” she said, as she went through the contract page by page, signing and initialing as needed.







“I’ll clear my schedule for the week and meet you here tomorrow at nine,” he said, snatching the contract the second her pen lifted off of the paper.





“I swear, Malfoy, if you get in my way I will hex you to eternity,” she snapped at his retreating back as he walked away. His soft chuckle made her want to stamp her foot and scream. “Arsehole.”