From the Ashes

04 - One Step Too Far

 The imposing whitewashed facade of the Greengrass mansion dripped with understated wealth. Large hydrangeas grew alone the front drive accompanied by purple and yellow dahlias, it was really quite beautiful. Hermione stood on the front step, having just knocked.

A nervous elf opened the door and peered out at Hermione, a suspicious look in his eye. Elib.

"Can I help the missus?" He asked, allowing only his large ears and bulbous nose.

"I would like to speak to Libertus and Ophelia Greengrass," Hermione said.

"They are not available at the present time." the elf said, without blinking.

"I'm from the Ministry," Hermione said.

"My masters are not home. I will let them know you called." Elib was closing the door, Hermione slid her foot between the door and frame before they met.

"I have not given you my name." She said.

"It's Granger. I've seen you in the papers I has," Elib said, "House-elf liberator and rights inflictor."

That is not how I would put it. Hermione thought.

"Now if miss would excuse me I have chores to do," Elib said, forcing her foot out from the doorway. She heard the locks slide into place the moment it shut. Click, clack, cloock. Three locks.

Hermione stared at the door for several minutes feeling slightly betrayed by the lack of suspense. Finally, she turned on her heel and with a pop disapparated.

She reappeared in the front parlor of the Potter house. Ginny gazed up from the kitchen table.

"Well?"

"No luck."

"Darn," Ginny replied. She glanced down at the paper in front of her and then spoke again, "Looks like the Prophet got wind of the Malfoy's disappearance." she gestured at the paper. Hermione went to sit next to her, taking a moment to release her hair clip, letting her curls free of their business constraints.

A large picture of the Malfoy family, the one with Astoria Greengrass, was splayed across the cover of the paper. The figures frowned, and shifted slightly every once in a while but being a family of strict and proper scrupples their lookalikes kept movement to a minimum.

The Malfoy family, whose disappearance over three years ago left ministry officials perplexed but unsurprised. The Malfoy's were known supporters of the late, He Who Should Not Be Named.

Hermione sighed, clearly the Speak His Name Campaign had not managed to penetrate the Prophet.

During his reign, the Malfoy's tortured and killed members of the known defense group the Order of the Phoniex. It was, therefore, a surprise when late Saturday night a ministry official came across evidence of the family in London.

"No mention of the Dark Mark," Hermione said quietly.

Ginny pushed her long hair out of her face and began to manually braid it.

"Of course not. They don't want to cause a panic."

"Who do you think talked to them?" Hermione said, skimming the rest of the page, it dug into the families gritty past, their achievements, and influential ties as members of the Sacred Twenty Eight. The ridiculous title given to members born into Pure Blood families.

"Well there weren't many who knew about it were there?" Ginny said, "Really it was only Aurors and yourself, and the Minister of course."

"I'll bet it was Ronald," Hermione said.