Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Harvest Moon ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

 

 

Tweak the house elf sat twisting her fingers over and over while Hermione tried to be as gentle as possible with her questioning. It was obvious the poor thing would come out of her skin if a harsh word was said to her. It probably didn't help that Lucius Malfoy had come with her and had since propped himself up against the wall in the corner of her office. She thought seriously about sending him out of the room, having Draco take him to the Ministry coffee shop or something to get him out of her hair but she doubted he would go. Oddly enough, when he'd brought the house elf in he had patted her on the head and told her to answer the questions honestly and as best she remembered. The image of concerned employer did not jibe with what she knew Lucius Malfoy to be. Which was an arrogant, self centered prat of a former death eater and paroled Azkaban prisoner.

 

With a heavy sigh Hermione decided to let Tweak go since she really couldn't tell them anything that might give some sort of clue as to who had murdered the young woman. It has been as they'd suspected, she had simply found the body, sent the general alarm then informed her master of it. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

“If you've quite finished torturing my servant with idiotic questions, Miss Granger. I'd like to take her back home before she has a breakdown,” Lucius sneered from his spot against the wall.

 

She glared at him, which as usual had absolutely no effect before turning back to the tiny creature in the chair. “I think that's all we'll need from you, Tweak,” Hermione said gently. “You're free to go now.”

 

“Thank you, Miss. If Tweak remembers anything else she'll tell,” the house elf said nervously. She glanced back at Lucius, who nodded and she scooted from the chair and padded to her master.

 

“Draco, I expect you at the manor Friday,” Lucius said, pulling on his gloves.

 

“Naturally, Father,” Draco said, lounging back in his own chair at his desk.

 

“Very good,” he said, nodding to his son then turning to glance at Hermione. “Miss Granger, I'd wish you luck in this endeavor but I doubt you'll need it. Good day to both of you.” With those words he was gone, taking Tweak with him.

 

Draco's eyebrows rose slightly. “Well, that was an interesting backhanded compliment, Granger.”

 

“That is was,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “Now, you said you'd tell me how Tweak ended up with her name once she and your father left. Well?”

 

He sighed heavily, knowing he'd never get her to let go of the subject for very long until he told her.

 

“Fine, Granger. As I've said, her and her brother's parents asked me to name them when they were born. I was four and had never seen house elves as babies before. They reminded me of little naked sausages at the time. No idea why. So I named them Bubble and Squeak. But being four I couldn't say squeak very well and it came out tweak. So, there you have it.”

 

Hermione started to giggle then outright laugh.

 

“It isn't funny, Granger. I was four years old for pity's sake,” he said crossly.

 

Hermione was in tears from laughing when an interdepartmental memo zoomed into the office, landing neatly on her desk. She pulled herself together, still chuckling and opened the paper.

 

From: MME Dr. Lovegood

To: Investigators Granger and Malfoy

RE: Reconstruction sketches of Jane Doe #1573

Hermione and Draco:

Sketches are finished and in my office. You may pick them up at any time.

Also have an ETD and other information.

Luna

 

“What is it?” Draco asked, getting up from his chair.

 

“Note from Luna. She says the sketches of our Jane Doe are finished and we can pick them up in her office. She also says she has an estimated time of death.”

 

“Fantastic. Let's go,” he said, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair.

 

Hermione smiled a little. She had the suspicion that Draco had been interested in the MME for at least a year now but wasn't sure how to go about getting her attention. So he went on being his usual somewhat snide and sarcastic self and Luna continued to be oblivious to his interest. One had to admit that Luna was odd more often than not and she could see why any man would be hesitant in his approach of her. Partially because one wouldn't have any clue as to how to ask her out. Unless he volunteered to go nargle hunting or something equally strange.

 

They knocked on the door to Luna's office and it swung wide to admit them. Luna was digging into one of the file cabinets and she waved at them to sit without saying anything. She turned back to them with a file in hand and passed it off to Hermione.

 

“I've estimated the date of death to be the 22nd. As you both know, that was the Harvest moon date.”

 

Draco and Hermione nodded.

 

“I also took the liberty of checking through some of the other medical examiner's records in the muggle world. I found two more women who match the M.O. and method of dismemberment, though there's no way to tell if they were Avadaed or not.”

 

“Oh, my gods!” Hermione said.

 

“I also took the liberty of copying their files. They're in that folder you have, Hermione.”

 

“You're sneaky, Luna.”

 

“Of course. The odd thing about it is the other two were done at the full moon as well. One three months ago and the other six months prior to that.”

 

“Couldn't be a werecreature,” Hermione said. “The cuts were too clean. Too precise to have been done in a fit of madness.”

 

“I agree with that. The removals were definitely done with a wand and not claws or teeth,” Luna said nodding. “Neither of the other two women were identified either.”

 

“I see,” Hermione said, passing the sketches of their victim over to Draco. He made an oddly choked noise when he looked at the first sketch. “What is it?”

 

“I think I know her,” Draco said, still staring at the sketch. “Not know as in know her well but I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before.”

 

***

In reality a medical examiner is not involved in an investigation other than giving information on a person's demise as the physical evidence points out. However, I see Luna as someone who would take certain things upon herself.