Something Golden

83.

May 28 2001

"The girl still won't talk and Yucovitch won't shut up about wanting a lawyer." Potter groans as he joins us in the conference room. "He's giving me a right headache with all of his blabbering."

"Does anyone have any suggestions?" Lupin directs at the rest of us. The other aurors remain silent, a few of them offer shrugs like the useless individuals they are while the rest pretend to look through their notepads.

"We could cut his head off." I suggest. "That would get him to shut up."

"I meant in regards to the girl, Mr. Malfoy." Lupin says. He's been a bit cross with me ever since freckles' and I's London adventure. I was met by a lengthy speech which primarily consisted of "I'm very disappointed in you" and "Do you know what's at stake?" I understand why he was upset but I think the whole thing was blown up far more than it needed to be. I mean if we hadn't spent our day as tourists then we never would've caught Yucovitch and the bint. If anything they should've thrown us a celebration of sorts. I've only been here for a few days and have managed to do more than every auror combined.

"What if we–" Reid begins but is abruptly cut off by the door swinging open and a rather irate Granger stepping into the room.

"Hermione, aren't you supposed to be at St. Mungos?" Lupin questions.

"Oh please Remus." She scoffs. "You should know that some pointless appointment with a healer falls far below this case on my list of priorities. Were you planning on filling me in any time soon or were you just going to let me continue sorting through paperwork like the quill-pusher you've so desperately tried to keep me as?"

I'm starting to get the feeling that there's tension between Granger and basically every person in this office. Personally, I love it. This woman is brilliant. She takes zero shit and if they get offended then it only speaks to their weak character. Highly enjoying this moment, I lean back into my seat and fold my hands behind my head as a smug look creeps its way onto my face.

"Hermione, you know that my intentions are never to keep you out of the loop." Lupin sighs.

Her hand finds its way to her hip and her weight shifts to one side. "If that's true then you'll have no problem debriefing me on the recent developments."

"Of course, if you'll just have a seat."

"I'm perfectly comfortable standing."

"Alright." Lupin is clearly struggling to keep his temper, it seems I'm not the only one who has been giving him a hard time lately. He goes on to explain all of the information that we currently have on the situation which isn't very much if I do say so myself. Sure we have two death eaters in custody but what good are they really? I still think we should just dispose of them now and continue on, that is the whole reason I'm here isn't it? Execute the remaining death eaters for the ministry?

"And what is the plan for moving forward?" Granger asks.

"We're still trying to produce one. If you have any ideas we're all ears."

"Actually, I do." She states as she reaches into her bag, removes a folder and drops it onto the table in front of him. "Malfoy and I's meeting with Mr. Parkinson didn't provide much but it was enough to give me an idea of where to start. After cross referencing the original death eater files and victims with the newest regime's I believe their next attack will take place in Kingsgate."

Lupin is flipping through the rather thick folder and nodding his head. "Why Kingsgate?"

"The first known attacks took place there and it was the most common location that they would be spotted. I'd even go as far to say that Kingsgate was home to one of their first bases."