Saving the Enemy

Chapter 2

TWO YEARS LATER

Hermione

    “Are you sure? Another Auror?” Hermione asks Griffin. He nods, his face pale and his brown hair a mess from all the stress and worry. Hermione gets up from her desk to grab the file he is holding out to her. She flips through the file, her worry lines more prominent than ever.

    “Hermione, this is the third time this month alone. We need to find out who is doing this. You do see what curse ended them?” He questions and Hermione nods her head grimly. She bites on her lower lip, knowing that they need to step up their game.

    “Griffin, we are going to have to run rounds every morning and every night. We cannot stop. This is obviously the work of his followers and this needs to end,” she states, looking up at him. He nods, he had suspected as much.

    “I will inform the Minister. We can start the first raid tonight. You pick the location as you know more about this case than anyone.” He scurries off, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. She collapses in her chair with a heavy sigh as she studies the information in the file. They had been doing raids every week but that is obviously not enough anymore.

    She gets up again to walk over to the board she has set up on the case. Sure, it is a pretty Muggle way to do things, but she finds it most effective. She only has a circle on a map to work on. That is where she suspects they are residing but they move constantly in that area. The attacks are centered in that area, but she needs to narrow down a spot to raid. All the abandoned buildings are marked but they have a guard stationed at each one, just in case. So obviously they are in an actual house.

    An idea strikes her and she rips the map down and rushes to the Minister’s office, reaching the entrance just as Griffin is leaving. He gives her a small nod before hurrying off again. She gives a small knock before entering the room. The Minister looks as stressed as them all as this case is striking fear in the wizarding world, no matter how much they try to contain what is going on.

    “Sir, I have a favor to ask,” Hermione states in a hurry.

    “Anything, at this point, any idea you have cannot hurt. What is it?” he asks, sounding tired.

    “I need the names of each person living in this area, she states, pointing to the circled area. “We can rule out the abandoned buildings, but I bet you they are using and alius just like Tom Riddle did. If we can just decode it, we can find each of the buildings they are moving between and do a raid tonight at each house, splitting up. Sir, we could catch them tonight.”

    The Minister has a glint in his eye at this statement, a glimmer of hope. He smiles at Hermione, “Well done Ms. Granger! I knew I could count on you. I will get you the list within the hour and I am sure you are more than capable of decoding this. Get back to me as soon as you have figured it out and I will round up the team. I am putting you in charge of organizing this whole thing as you have proven yourself more than capable of this case.”

    “Thank you, sir,” Hermione says, trying to contain her joy. “I will organize the mission as I await the list.”

    She hurries out of his office, the small bit of hope putting a smile on her face and a small bounce in her step. This has to work.

---

    “We know that these houses are all an alias for the same name: Corban Yaxley. Some of these may be a coincidence, but I am certain we will find them in one of these five houses. Okay, I have us split into five groups on the board over there. Ron, Harry, Griffin, and August is with me. We are raiding the house I have had my eye on for a while. The rest of you can look on the list.