Evermore

IX.

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the long absence. Just got swamped with...life. Special thanks to @KUROH1ME, @krishnalover96, and @TheSaltyDuchess for sticking with the story, the comments, and votes. You guys rock!!! Hope you all like this one. 

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The days had turned into a full month and yet they were nowhere near to uncovering who was behind the murder of Luli and the attempt on Draco's life. Today found the Malfoy heir lounging in the library, sitting across Hermione as she did more research, pretending to act nonchalant about the tardiness of the five house elves he had sent out to spy on their former masters. All of the Manor elves, except for Tinder, Fifi, and Mimsy, had been hired by his mother after their actual owners passed away. The heirs of the Houses they served, balking at the passage of the new Magical Creatures Employment Laws, had chosen to free them instead of abiding by what they deemed to be a travesty to Pureblood traditions. Every one of them had also been personally recommended by Tinder, so Draco was sure that the five 'spies' could all be trusted with their delicate assignments. He just hoped that the absence of the five he'd sent out was not because they had put themselves in harm's way. House elves were known for doing heroic acts to please their masters, just as Tinder had done when he single-handedly hunted down the asp that had bitten Hermione.

The old, gruff elf's devotion to her still baffled Draco at times, but he was grateful for it. Life in the Manor would've been much harder had the old elf not taken an instantaneous liking to the former Gryffindor. Freed house elves weren't as docile as those who were still bound to their Houses, especially not those with Tinder's temperament. He could easily make life miserable for Draco if he wanted to. Fortunately, Tinder's sense of loyalty was as impeccable as ever, in spite of his newly acquired freedom from eternal bondage. Draco doubted if he would've survived his self-imposed exile had Tinder not been there.

Speaking of which, he wondered where that imperious creature had gone to. He hadn't seen him since breakfast and it was almost dinner time.

Turning to Hermione, who had her head buried in a large, ancient tome, he asked, "Did you send Tinder out on an errand?" Whenever Hermione needed anything from the village, Tinder took joy in attending to the matter personally.

"Uhm...no, why?" she replied without taking her eyes off the book.

Draco rolled his eyes but chuckled inside. Typical Granger.

"I haven't seen him since morning. It's not like him to just delegate everything to his staff. He's a control freak," he said, craning his neck to take a peek at what had got her so engrossed.

"Why don't you ask Mimsy? He always leaves instructions with her when he goes out," Hermione said, scribbling on her journal.

Now, why didn't I think of that? He thought with a shake of his head, impressed at how fast Hermione had familiarized herself with the inner workings of his household when he himself still had difficulty remembering all of his house elves' names.

"Mimsy?" he called.

The summoned elf appeared beside him with a loud pop.

"You called, Master?"

"Where's Tinder?"

"T-Tinder...s-sir?" Mimsy stammered, twisting the hem of her pink, striped apron.

"Yes. Did he leave the Manor?"

Mimsy gaped up at him with wide eyes, the color draining from her wrinkled face. Draco sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He could tell that the elf was scared, but he couldn't dismiss her like he usually did when she got that way. Not this time.