A/N- Well, I don't really have a comment… It might be a while before the next chapter! Enjoy…
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Blaise Zabani was about to go home when he heard a man say something to him from behind.
"A woman named Ali just flooed in. Said she saw a fire at your house."
Blaise turned around to see Remus Lupin. Blaise just stared at him, and then it hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized what he had been told.
"Was Pansy there?" Remus asked, seeing Blaise's face.
"Yea. I flooed my head over there around 10."
"Well, don't worry Blaise. She probably got out of there."
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Three people popped up at Marty's Place, informing Harry, Cho, and others about the fire. Soon, they were gone.
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The fire was ablaze. If they wanted the muggles to 'somehow' forget about this, it would take a while. Blaise looked around to find Pansy, but she was nowhere.
He got inside the burning house, and Harry was following him. Not finding Pansy anywhere downstairs, he finally went up.
"Pansy!" Blaise screamed.
He found her when he got into the master bedroom. His face was broken in anguish. He rolled Pansy around in with blankets that he got from the bed, and then carried her from the house.
It was hard to say Pansy looked like Pansy once they got a clear view of her. The fire burned her so much, there was no way you could relate her to the Pansy they all knew. Blaise was standing above Pansy, and Harry and Cho off to the side a little.
"You've gotta do something. Pansy is NOT dead!" Blaise screamed.
Cho had tears in her eyes, and Harry looked at Blaise.
"Blaise… I'm really… I'm really sorry…" was all Harry could say.
"Nooooooo!!"
Blaise bent down to Pansy and held her in his arms. It was then that Harry saw it. Redness, all over Pansy's back… Blood had soaked through it and was now all over Blaise.
He looked over at Cho. "Cho" he said causing her to look down also.
"Oh God no."
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Fred hated this. Both Parvati and Pansy were dead, and according to Harry and Cho, it looked like they died the same way. Yes he hated this. Before his father, Arthur Weasley, died, Fred had promised his father one thing; that as well as running the joke shop with his twin brother George, he would always help out at The Ministry when needed. And now he was needed, and he was helping out. He was going to be one of the ones finding out who killed the ladies. Oh how he bloody hated it.
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"The two of them were friends. It's gotta be related somehow." said Terry Boot.
Fred rubbed his eyes, nodding his head in agreement.
They were back at the Zabani's house, looking for any kind of evidence to help them.
"Hey Fred, look at this." said Kyle Zankeman, an older Auror.
Fred looked over to see what Kyle was talking about. He saw a small vile, containing some kind of white powder.
"What is that?"
"Oh I know what that is." Terry said as he took the vile from Fred. "Yea, this is a muggle drug. It's called… um… It's called a cocoon."
Fred rolled his eyes at Terry. "Don't you mean cocaine?"
"Oh yea… right."
Fred sighed as he looked back at the vile, which Terry put down. Now he knew that Blaise could drink a lot, but he was never one of the druggie types. But that left Pansy, and it wouldn't surprise him to find out that this belonged to her.
"I'd say that's the reason she was murdered." said Terry.
"This? You think it was a drug deal that went bad?"
"A possibility."
"And you're including Parvati in this?"
"Another possibility."
Fred couldn't believe this. "You've got to be joking. Look, I was never that close with Parvati, and neither were you, but we both should know that she would never do drugs."
"But like you said, we weren't that close to her. Fred, there's got to be some kind of connection. Maybe Parvati knew something. Maybe Pansy told Parvati something she wasn't supposed to know, so someone takes them both out."
"There is no evidence to support that."
"Well, we've gotta start somewhere, Fred."
Fred sat back down on a chair, and just looked around. With all the burnt things, some things buried under ash, it was going to be hard to get a lot of evidence of any kind. All they had was that the gun was a .38, and the fire started out with gasoline. Definitely signs of a muggle.
"Let's just put it this way Terry. Whoever is doing this, has to found… and fast. We can't let this go."
"I know."
Fred looked out the window to see Draco, Harry, Percy, Ron, and Remus all crowded around Blaise, trying to keep him calm. But trying and succeeding are two very different things.
"It's gonna be a little harder if he really is a muggle." said Terry.
Fred was still looking out the window. "And if he's not a muggle?"
Terry looked up. "No way."
Fred looked over at Terry. They were both thinking the same thing; if it wasn't a muggle, then that meant it was a wizard, a wizard that they all… knew.
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Sleep was becoming a mystery to Harry Potter. At least, he felt that it was. Having two murders in one day, and then you've got some Wonkstone in you, all energy goes right out. And when it's about 3am in the morning, you usually no energy left, and you really start wanting sleep. But that still didn't make him want to go home. He didn't want to go to his flat. No, he wanted to go to the home he shared with Hermione. The place that Hermione loved, and the place he loved. He missed the house. He missed the things that filled, and worse, he missed his wife. And to admit that, was hard. But after seeing what pain Neville and Blaise went through today, he couldn't help if it hurt his heart.
What if I were to find out that my wife was surrounded by flames, and was bleeding from being shot?
He wanted to see Hermione, even if it was late. She probably still didn't know about Pansy.
He started out of the office with his broom in his hand, when he ran into Cho. She was just sitting there on the floor, with her black hair in a low ponytail. She was staring at the wall.
"Cho? Are you okay?"
She continued to stare at the wall, and then after about 10 seconds, she slowly turned her head to look at him. After taking a breath, she nodded.
"Yea. I was just… thinking."
"Anything in particular?"
"Just… What a horrible way to die."
Her eyes were somewhat dry, but he could tell she wasn't doing well.
"Cho, why don't you go home… get some sleep."
"I'm just a little creeped to go out."
Harry could understand that. "Look, I'll follow you home. Are you taking your broom?"
She nodded, her eyes looking hopeful. She pointed her left hand to her side where her broom was.
"You would?" she asked as she reached for his hand with her right.
He knew he should have stepped back and not take the hand. This was the reason his marriage was ending, because of tears and the need to touch.
But he didn't take his hand away.
"I'd do it alone, but just the thought of someone out there… a murderer…" she trailed off.
"Come on." he said as he pulled her to her feet.
Once they were out of the Ministry, they were off into the sky; Cho in front, and Harry right behind her.
He was starting to think he shouldn't have done this. He didn't want to get to close to her home incase something happened. But tonight was different. There was a murder- two murders. He was just being helpful.
After about five minutes, they landed at her house.
As Cho reached for her door, with Harry a few feet behind her, she stopped and turned around.
"Come on in Harry, for a drink. Just for a few minutes."
The statement seemed so innocent, and tempting. Just to relax might help him sleep later.
But something made him stop. Everything Hermione said about him and Cho were false, and he denied it; but that might change if he stepped through that door.
"I can't," though part of him was wishing the opposite. "I really need to go."
As she looked at him, he wished that she would persuade him. They were both lonely people, and it had been a very hard day.
"I won't get down on my knees and beg." she said softly. But Harry just stood there; so she turned away and went through her door. "Thanks for the follow home."
"Yea sure. Be careful."
Closing the door, she nodded.
Harry just stood there in the darkness, thinking about what happened, then…
Hermione. I need to see Hermione.
He went for his broom, and once again, he was up in the air as he flew to the house he used to share with Hermione. When he got there, he stopped to think on what he would say. She wouldn't be exactly thrilled to be woken up at this time. He could just tell her about Pansy and convince her to let him stay there to make sure she's alright.
With his broom still in his hand, he walked up to the door and knocked.
"Hermione, it's Harry." he said, thinking that she would be too afraid to ask herself.
But there was no answer, and he knocked even harder as a horrible feeling swept through him. Was she laying there, a victim as well?
He took out his wand, whispered Alahamora, and took the knob, his hand all the while shaking. But just as he was about to turn the knob, it started to turn from the inside, and in the next second, he was face to face with Hermione. Even with the hour, Hermione looked beautiful. She had her white satin robe on, and her brown curly hair pulled back into a low loose ponytail.
"Harry? What are you doing here?"
His heart still pounding, he stumbled inside and shut the door behind him. It was hard for him to say anything.
"Harry, what is it?" saying this, she sniffed, and stepped back. "Harry, have you been drinking?"
"No. I mean yes… Hermione, this has nothing to do with that." He took a deep breath. "There's been another murder… Pansy."
Hermione just stood there, her eyes a bit wide. But Harry couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"How?" was the only thing she said, and she said it a bit weakly.
"Shot. Just like Parvati."
"Oh god. Who's doing this?"
"When I left, they still didn't know. But they'll find him."
"But why Pansy and Parvati?"
"They found some muggle drugs at Pansy's house. I don't think Blaise knew it was there; the look on his face was surprise. They think Pansy told Parvati something."
"Harry, Pansy wouldn't have told Parvati anything. They might have been on friendly terms, but friends? It's not like they did anything together."
"It doesn't make sense, I know. But all we can assume is that it's a muggle killing witches. No one is safe, so I'm going to stay here tonight."
He knew that she wanted to protest, for she opened her mouth to do so. But she stopped. She didn't want to be alone.
"I'll just sleep on the couch." he said.
Her only response was to stare at him. Don't be stubborn Hermione, he thought. Don't send me away.
All of a sudden, they heard a noise and Hermione looked over. She saw Ginny's head in the fireplace. Because Harry was on the other side of the wall, Ginny couldn't see him.
"Hermione, you're not gonna believe what happened to Pansy. She-"
"I heard Ginny."
"Hermione, this isn't good. Draco and I think you shouldn't be there all by yourself, so we want you to come over here and spend the night. Just floo yourself over."
"I'm not alone Ginny."
"You're not?" she asked, looking around.
Harry stepped forward. "Hey Ginny."
Her eyes widened. "Oh."
Hermione turned back to Ginny. "Ginny, I appreciate the invitation, and I think I'll take you up on it too. I don't want to sleep here alone, and the alternative is…" she looked at Harry. "Actually, there isn't an alternative."
That remark seemed to stab him in the stomach. He looked at Ginny. "Ginny, I'll stay here tonight. I don't want her to be alone either, so thanks-"
Hermione interrupted him. "No. Ginny, I'll be right over."
Ginny looked like she might cry. "Oh, um, I don't want to interfer-"
"You're not. I'll be right over."
Harry was so angry, he almost forgot how to talk. "Well, I'll bring you over."
"Harry, I can floo over by myself!"
"You might be able to, but I'm still coming!" He turned back to Ginny. "We'll be over in a little bit."
Ginny's face was apologetic. "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't know you were here."
"That's okay Gin. She would rather face murder than have me in the same house. I'll see ya."
After that, Ginny's head disappeared, and Harry and Hermione were alone once again.
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A/N- Well, that's the end to this chapter! I can't say I had fun writing it… people are in such bad moods, lol. Um, hope you guys aren't to angry at Hermione right now, even if she is being stubborn. But some of you may wonder how much of a H/Hr fan I am… I love those two, and I can't stand fics where they don't end up together. I like… happy endings, *grin* Thanks for the reviews everyone!!!!!! I love you guys!!!
WKris- yay, my A/N isn't that long.