Damaged Goods by slytherin_after_dark

Chapter 11

- NOT MY STORY!! ALL CREDITS TO @slytherin_after_dark ON A03!!
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Hermione grabbed the uniform and got out of bed. Malfoy didn't move.

"Would you mind?" She stared at him, waiting for him to turn around.

A smirk danced on his lips. "Nothing I haven't seen before, Granger."

She was acutely aware of that fact. With a sigh, she grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom. White blouse, blazer, and slacks. The Auror symbol etched on the black uniform in white.

"You didn't tell me you're working for the Ministry," she said while getting dressed, speaking loudly enough so he could hear her.

"You've been talking to my friends, I hear. Apparently, you've missed me."

She knew they would tell him every detail of their conversation. She ignored his comment. "How often do you have to work for them?"

"Too often."

He really was insufferable. She put her out-of-control curls in a bun and looked in the mirror. Strange, to see herself as an Auror.

"So, who is our victim tonight?" She asked as she walked out but he was already gone. A scroll arrived at that moment with an address.

The apartment was located in a run-down area of town. They stood in the kitchen, which was small and dark.

The body of the woman was right in front of them, sitting at the kitchen table, leaning over, her black hair spilling across the wooden surface.

"Andrea Wolf, 29 years old. Death Eater. Cause of death—brain aneurysm," Malfoy announced.

"When did she die?"

"Three hours ago. Found by her friend who was dropping by to pick her up for a party."

"Why is the Ministry investigating this if they believe she died of natural causes?"

"Policy. Every death is being investigated. Her case will be closed and family will be notified."

"Are they sending you out to all Death Eater cases?" Hermione asked while kneeling down next to the body to look at the woman's expression, hoping to gain any clues from it.

"Not specifically. There just happens to me more Death Eater deaths these days."

"What does your supervisor say to all of this?"

He crouched next to her. "What would you say if you saw her medical scan?"

"But the sheer increase in Death Eater cases..."

"It's called a mental health crisis. The ministry is starting research in the added level of stress Death Eaters have experienced during and after the war and how that is detrimental to their health."

"Do you think they're covering it up?"

There was a pause. "Either that or laziness. Why invest resources into something that only affects Death Eaters?"

The Ministry had horrible bureaucracy. Most likely they were so overwhelmed with cases after the war that an increase in seemingly natural deaths wasn't on top of their priority list.

"By all means," Malfoy interrupted her thoughts. "Do your magic. Unless you want to keep staring at a dead woman at her kitchen table for a little longer."

The leather of her medical case was soft from years of usage. She unwrapped the syringes and placed them next to one another. Then she began. First, she took several blood samples. Next, she injected the woman with her potion. A quick spell to pump it through her system and suddenly her diagnostics spell lit up with catastrophic warnings.