The Sweetest Downfall

No Time For Love

"Yeah, and soon enough they will all end up dead," Ron offered to the discussion going on as he settled himself on the last open chair. He grabbed the white paper bag Harry had been carrying, opening it and taking out a sandwich. "They are all just pawns in his chess game. He's temporarily keeping them alive so that he can hide out, but when the moment comes, they'll just be names on the long list of people he's murdered."

Harry scowled at Ron's statement, mostly because he happened to reach for the file with the long list of the dead their suspect had left behind. "We cannot be entirely sure on that, can we? He is a murderer, yes, but some of these people are his children. Surely he couldn't—"

"He can and will," Hermione interrupted the Auror. "I've examined his patterns, his mannerisms from the memories these people have of him, and everything points to him being a psychopath. He cannot tell the difference between family and strangers because he doesn't know mercy. He'll kill them once he's done with them."

Although it was odd for him to think that a cold-blooded murderer could care about his children, something that he's not yet been a witness of during his experience of fighting evil, Harry took Hermione's word for it. After all, the Brightest Witch of the Age was an expert: she was not just an Auror, but she had a degree in criminal psychology that gave her word even more authority.

"When are we ever going to know this wanker's name?" once again, Ron added to the discussion with his characteristic whine; this time as he looked over one of the many archives from the pile he left on Hermione's desk. "Or his appearance, for that matter? He gives a different name and looks like a completely different person with every group he encounters. For fuck sakes, the git has even been a woman!" He waved a photograph of a young, blonde girl. "Shacklebolt should really pass a law requiring all Metamorphmagi to register at the Ministry, just like all Animagi."

"There's so many flaws with that idea," Hermione replied distractedly as she scanned the profile of their suspect. "First, they are much harder to detect than someone transforming to an animal. Secondly, who's to say they won't register with another name and face? The legality of birth certificates is easily faked. Third, the Metamorphmagus gene is not—"

"Whatever, Hermione," Ron interrupted with a grunt. "I don't care. I'm just saying it would make our lives a whole lot easier at the moment. The only reason we managed to figure out there was one murderer was due those psychotic patterns you found with every one of his victims."

Harry cleared his throat as Hermione threw another one of her famous frowns at the redhead. It was usual for Hermione to be annoyed with Ron, but she was always more frustrated with their redheaded best friend when they unluckily worked cases together.

Usually, Ron's division hardly meshed with Hermione's, seeing as Ron's focus was primarily used in fieldwork, doing the actual catching of the bad guys. Hermione, though an Auror, was primarily used to detect behaviors and any other facts that were overlooked in cases (which were quite a lot, sadly). Harry preferred that Hermione hardly ever got involved with the physical part of being an Auror if he could help it, but this time she escaped his protection; hence, the team the Golden Trio made in order to solve this seemingly impossible case.

"Have you talked to Johnson, yet?" Harry was quick to distract Hermione before she hexed Ron.

Looking back at Harry, Hermione sighed as she leaned back against her chair, her shoulders drooping. "No, I have not; I'm sorry. I've been preoccupied with some of my other cases, but as soon as we're done here, I'll go and see him."

Harry nodded. "I'm hoping that after studying our suspect's children that Johnson will find facial similarities in order to construct a possible identification. It's not exactly standard, but at this point we're incredibly desperate to know his true appearance that we'll take a guess on it."