Hiding From You

Darkness only stays at nighttime,
in the morning it will fade away.
Daylight is good
at arriving at the right time.
It's not always going to be this grey

~ All Things Must Pass, The Beatles

"Granger! Come in here for a moment, please!"

Hermione sighed, wondering what she had done this time. Had she spelled a word wrong in her last rapport? Or maybe the coffee was too strong?

She rolled her eyes, but faked a smile as she got up from her cabinet and walked down to the office where her superior was.

"Yes, Grimes?"

Henry Grimes, her superior for three years now, looked shabby. His cloak was dirty, he hadn't been shaved for a couple of days and his eyes were red of tiredness.

"Look at this," he said as he gave her a file with pictures. "Doesn't it remind you of another case?"

Hermione opened the file and studied the pictures. It was the Museum-case she had heard happened yesterday.

"Blood all over, only parts of bodies and a crater's all that's left... Death Eaters?"

"Yes, and the thing is," Grimes said as walking over to her, "did you notice the cross?" He pointed at the picture she held. Hermione studied it closer, nodding when she discovered the cross.

"I thought MacFerry was in Azkaban?" Hermione asked puzzled.

MacFerry, a Death Eater, was clever with the wand and to get away. He had been involved in a case where two Muggle families were murdered. But the Ministry couldn't give him a life-sentence, because they hadn't strong enough evidence against MacFerry. They sentenced him to ten years.

"That was what I thought too," Grimes agreed and continued, "but he isn't. MacFerry was released a week ago, you see."

"He was?" Hermione said suspiciously while furrowing her eyebrows.

"I sent someone down to speak with him, but he claims he was home at the time."

"And-?"

"He has an alibi. MacFerry was planning on going on a trip to the Bahamas. Or, so he says. Got in touch with a foreigner down there, to order a flight."

Hermione was surprised.

"He thought of booking a carpet? I thought those were an Indian phenomenon?"

Grimes laughed at her comment.

"Well, as impossible as it may be, he contacted an Indian which sold carpets."

"And all this is true." Hermione didn't believe it.

"Yes. Owls sent at that time showed an owl flying to the Bahamas."

Hermione sat down in amazement, not believing her ears. A former Death Eater sending owls to the Bahamas, booking a carpet? Her own logic sense yelled in protest.

"It can't be possible! I mean - he is a former Death Eater after all! A Death Eater doesn't send owls to the Bahamas! They don't go to the Bahamas at all!"

Grimes lifted an eyebrow. "And why not, may I ask?"

"Well..." Hermione said puzzled. "Can you imagine a Death Eater sunbathing while sipping sangria? Don't think so," Hermione said and snorted.

Grimes swished with his wand and two cups and a coffee pot came out of nowhere. A cookie tray landed on the office desk. He poured coffee, gave one cup to Hermione and sighed.

"MacFerry got out from Azkaban. Nobody thought he would manage to do that. When wizards came to visit him, they said he acted... as normal as a person could be in there. They told MacFerry was acting as Black did."

The moment Grimes mentioned Sirius, a knot tightened in Hermione's stomach. She still remembered how he died, Harry's grief and her own sorrow. It was hard to talk about him, and when someone brought up the subject like this, it came as a punch.

"So... he has no... no-" Hermione couldn't tell something that was not true. Really not true at all.

"Feelings? Correct. MacFerry has a heart of steel and coldness."

"Do you have someone else in mind?" Hermione tried to change subject as fast as possible. The tears pressing at her eyes were outstanding.

"Well. He mentioned one..." Grimes looked in his papers. "Ah, here it is. Thymus. Horatio Thymus. We checked through our files, and one case was a positive match. He was involved in the Bristol-case. And, therefore I have contacted the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes-department for some help."

Hermione looked up from the coffee in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes. Brasko's sending me one of their best men. I don't remember his name right now. He'll be here in an hour, Brasko told me so. Once I have spoken to him, I will send him down to you. Is that ok, Granger?"

Hermione nodded stiffly.

"Is that all, Grimes? I have to go through the case before I meet with him," Hermione said as she was standing up.

"Yes. Treat him well, ok? I know you like to work alone, but this time I think you could need some help." He winked and closed the door after her.

She walked down to her cabinet and opened the case file. So, he thought she needed help? Hermione felt a rage rise up inside her. Hadn't she managed to solve all of her cases? Solve them all by herself? Had she asked for help? No. All of the answers were either logical or written in the books. And now, a rookie comes down to help her? She sighed. Looking at the pictures made her even angrier. Who would do such a thing to innocent Muggles?

The one who hates every fibre of them.

She looked at the pictures again. It was almost exactly like the case MacFerry was implicated in, she couldn't see nothing that was different.

Maybe he from the department...

Hermione forced the evil voice back in her head. She didn't want help. She didn't need help. She had always found the solution - why would she need help now?

Then why can't you see details in the picture?

She shook her head, trying to get the voice away. It was annoying. Anyway, where was her so-called helper? She hoped he was as good as Grimes told her. A rookie was not the thing Hermione needed right now. The last thing she needed was an insecure wart.

"You will be working with on of the best Aurors we have..."

Hermione could hear Grimes' voice coming closer. She woke up from the trance, when hearing Grimes. The voice who answered him was... familiar? She knew she had heard it before, but where?

Hermione tried to see who it was, but an idiot hanging over the divider of his cubicle, talking to his neighbour was blocking her view. "Move... move," whispered Hermione. Was Grimes always that slow when he walked? And why didn't they come down to her?

"Come, I'll lead you to her," Grimes said, walking down to her cabinet. Finally. She tried to look busy, but it wasn't easy, now knowing the familiar voice was coming closer to her.

She heard footsteps. Footsteps stopping in front of her cabinet. Grimes' coughing. "You have a visitor."

Hermione turned around. She gasped and almost fell off the chair.

"Ron!"