THE FIRST LEAD

                                    

                                          
Hermione came back to the Malfoy Manor after spending one week with her parents.
                          
In that one week, she learnt that it was Malfoy who finally found her parents using his sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was also him, who worked tirelessly to restore their memories and prepare them to meet their daughter.
                          
Not only that, from all the photos she saw in her parents' house, it was clear that Draco Malfoy was not just their son-in-law, he actually became the son they never had.
                          
Her opinions about him had started to change slowly, slowly she started to think that her once archenemy indeed reformed himself to be a good man.
                          
But the dreams continued.
                          
Whenever she slept, she found herself in some dark alley, being chased by a group of Death Eaters, Malfoy being one of them.... sometimes he was the leader in torturing her when she finally got captured.... sometimes she was in the Malfoy Manor when he suddenly changed from being the admiring husband to the evil supporter of a dead megalomaniac, seeking revenge.... torturing her... torturing her children... torturing her parents... torturing her fr-
                          
"Hermione, Hermione, are you all right?"
                          
"Huh!"
                          
"Hermione?"
                          
She found herself facing a very worried looking Harry Potter. Her husband was also standing behind him at a distance, looking intensely at her, as if trying to find what she was thinking.
                          
Wait! Was he actually trying to-!
                          
"Are you trying to use Legelimency on me?" She blurted out without thinking.
                          
A slight frown appeared on Draco's face when he stated matter of factly, "No, Hermione, I'm not. From the look of yours it was quite clear what you were thinking, I didn't need to enter inside your mind at all."
                          
Hermione and Harry both looked questioningly at him.
                          
Draco said, "I know that you are still having nightmares. From my room I can hear you toss and turn at night, waking up, going out to the balcony to get fresh air. It isn't uncommon to get those thoughts again in your waking hours."
                          
At this point, Harry decided to observe his friend more closely. What he found didn't make him happy.
                          
She lost weight. There were dark circles around her eyes. Her lips were pale and chapped due to the result of chewing it too many times while thinking.
                          
Harry didn't know what to say or do but hug her tightly and murmur soothingly to her, "It's okay, 'Mione. We got it. Please take it easy. Do not stress yourself so. You don't have to be the one to solve the problem everytime! This time, please let us do it for you."
                          
"Two weeks and you don't have single lead", said Hermione in a deadpan manner.
                          
"Well", Harry sat up straight in all seriousness and said, "that's why I am here now. I think we've our first lead."
                          
Both the Mapfoys looked at him in expectancy.
                          
"I thought it would be better if I show this to you", said Harry retrieving a small vial, inside which silvery memories were swirling.
                          
Without wasting a moment, Draco drew his wand and said, "Accio Pensieve".
                          
And soon, the three of them found themselves on the fateful night inside the grand ballroom of the Ministry of Magic.
                          
The person, whose memory they were into, was moving swiftly around the room with a tray full of drinks, stopping in front of the guests, offering them drinks, taking empty glasses from them.
                          
Within few seconds it was clear that they were watching the memory of a waiter.
                          
Hermione was awestruck to see such grandeur. It was more gorgeous than the first ball after the defeat of Lord Voldemort.
                          
She remembered that first ball clearly. She attended it with Ron. They had just started dating. How happy both of them were, hand in hand, dancing, laughing, drinking, kissing....
                          
Her thoughts came back to present situation, when her eyes suddenly detected the change in light as they entered into the dimly lit wine cellar.
                          
With a swift gesture of his wand a bottle of the finest quality elf made wine was opened and the bottle started to pour wine to the empty glasses on his tray.
                          
But then, there was no memory of him leaving the room with the glasses.
                          
The memory directly jumped forward to him roaming inside the ballroom offering the guests wine.
                          
But it didn't go unnoticed that the number of glasses on the tray were less, which meant that some of the glasses were already taken by the guests and no doubt, one of them was Hermione Granger Malfoy.
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None of them talked for a few moments after they got out of the memory.
                          
Harry was the first to speak, "What do you think?"
                          
"It is evident that someone must have tampered with the drinks", Draco said.
                          
Hermione said thoughtfully, "But how did they make sure that I take the particular glass that was tampered with?"
                          
"Maybe they have placed some kind of Imperius curse on you, to compelling you to take that glass", Harry suggested.
                          
"That doesn't sound feasible", Malfoy said, "There were hundreds of people present inside the room. Casting an Unforgivable Curse in a room full of Aurors and war veterans is too risky. And if they wanted to take that much risk, then they wouldn't have cornered a harmless waiter Inna deserted wine cellar, tamper with the drinks and obliviate him."
                          
"Hmm... You have a valid point", said Harry.
                          
Hermione was pacing the room impatiently.
                          
She said, "Do you have any idea what kind of potion was used to tamper with the wine? And why haven't you tried to retrieve the obliviated memory?"
                          
"Well, Hermione, I thought to seek expertise on the matter of potion. Because whatever research I have done on this matter, I could only find potions that can obliviate someone's memory. Depending upon quatitiesof the different ingredients used, the time frame of memory to be erased can be specified. But none of those said anything about fabricating new memories to fill in that blank. And moreover, none of those potions are powerful enough to erase all the memories of last fifteen years."
                          
"And what about retrieving the waiter's memory?"
                          
"I'm sorry again, Draco. The memory charm used is not the ordinary obliviation charm. It is something totally unknown and different type of spell. I have employed the best team of spell breakers to this work. But they are not successful yet. As we speak, they are working tirelessly and will report me immediately when they succeed."
                          
"I want to see him myself", said Draco and Hermione at the same time.
                          
Harry let out a chuckle and said, "Well, I'll see what I can do. It won't be easy provided that we want keep Hermione's condition secret."
                          
At that exact moment, Dobby, the house elf appeared at the room out of thin air and without waiting for a fraction of second started to search frantically for something.
                          
Draco just opened his mouth to scold him for appearing in the middle of a confidential meeting univited. But without giving him the chance to utter a single word, the creature said in urgency, "DANGER, SIR! Dobby is trying to find the thing they are coming for and dispose of it. A dangerous plot! Someone has made a dangerous plot to defame Master Malfoy! Dobby is trying to-"
                          
"What the hell are you blabbering about, Dobby?" Shouted Draco Malfoy.
                          
But before the flustered house elf could reply there was a loud knock at the front door of Malfoy Manor.
                          
Dobby's face became as white as paper and his large eyes became larger in fright, as he said, "Oh, Master, they have come!"