E I G H T E E N

Yuko Kobayashi was annoyed beyond belief. He huffed as he put on a fake smile for the older woman who shook his hand and thanked him for finding out who was the one killing her cattle. Turns out it was a bloody snake.

Eclaire's had it for herself when I see her again. Making a head auror go down on his knees in mud trying to find a bloody snake! A snake! He thought to himself as he checked his phone again. No calls from her. Where on earth is she?!

He dialled her number again.

"Hi! This is Eclaire! I'm busy at the moment, well not while I'm recording this ofcourse but if you're calling and hearing this then chances are that I am busy! Or stuck somewhere, preferably the former—oh! And I'm running out of time so just say something after the bee—" Yuko heard a long beep. He cursed under his breath as he ended the call.

With a final look at his phone, he disapparated to Eclaire's house. His dear friend owed him some answers and he wasn't leaving without them.

Yuko landed in a dark alley and walked to her house. His hand reached for the bell when the door to her house burst open. Only, it wasn't the short haired witch that stared back, it was her silver haired lover.

"What are you doing here?" Draco grumbled out with a glare.

"I could ask you the same thing." Yuko glared back.

"I was looking for Eclaire." Both the wizards blurted out at the same time.

"What do you mean you're looking for her?!" Both shouted again at the same time.

"Some bloody boyfriend you are when you don't even know where she is!" Yuko exclaimed as Draco glared at him.

"I thought she was at work this whole time you dimwit!" Draco exclaimed back.

"Not freaking likely when I've been knees deep in mud covering her shifts for her for two days straight!" Yuko said frustrated.

"She hasn't been to work for two days?" Draco asked confused.

"No shit Sherlock."

"Fuck off. You didn't know where she was either." Draco said. The duo locked eyes, icy blue clashing with deep brown, the temperature around them dropping. The stare off continued for a few more moments before both the wizards sighed.

"Have you tried calling her number?" Yuko asked.

"Her what?" Draco looked at him sceptically.

"Number. Her phone number." Yuko repeated as he showed Draco his phone.

"Do I look like I know how to operate muggle technology?" Draco deadpanned.

"Merlin." Yuko sighed.

"She left Wednesday afternoon right after your call. She was pretty determined about finding the culprit so I thought she was busy at work. " Draco said. "She'd done this before for another case so I didn't think much of her not reaching out, but it didn't sit right with me with a murderer on the loose so I came to see her but—"

"She wasn't here. And she hasn't been at work either. She was there at the crime scene with me, then we went to the Ministry where she talked to Astoria and left after telling me to cover her shifts for her. I thought she was with you." Yuko said as both the wizards took each other's words in.

"Fuck." Draco muttered under his breath.

"Did you check with Madam Puddifoot's?" Yuko asked hurriedly.

"Yes." Draco said, now panic setting in both the wizards' minds. "Yes, I went there first to get her a drink—she hasn't been there in over a week."

"Did she leave any note behind?" Yuko asked.

"None." Draco blurted out. "Did she mention anything about where she was headed?"

"No. She only talked to Astoria and told me to cover her shifts." Yuko said taking out his phone and texting Mirajane, Eclaire's only other friend who said she hadn't seen the witch since Sunday.

"Do you know what they talked about?" Draco asked when a thought popped into his head.

"Astoria will be free. That's a promise, love. One I will make sure happens even if it's the last thing I do."

"...even if it's the last thing I do..."

"She asked something about having a significant other in her life and why she was at the crime scene. That's all I heard since I left them alone after that."

Dread set into Draco's mind as the words kept repeating in his head.

"...even if it's the last thing I do..."

"You don't think she knows who the killer is and went by herself—" Draco started out.

"I'm thinking exactly that." Yuko muttered when the Head Auror's phone rang.

"Jocelyn, I'm busy right now—what?" Draco looked at the apalled face of the dark haired wizard as he grimly listened to the other side. "I'll be there."

"What?" Draco asked.

"I need to go. They've found another body." Yuko said with a tight face.

"Do they know who did it?" Draco asked.

"No. But they've gone ahead and arrested another death-eater on suspicion of the murder." Yuko said.

"Who?"

"Blaise Zabini." Yuko muttered out.

"That's absurd! The bloke just got married a couple months back, he wouldn't go around murdering anyone!" Draco reasoned.

"I know. Which is what Eclaire tried explaining to them as well when they arrested Astoria but Ron wouldn't hear any of it! He's the one responsible for the case." Yuko said his face still grim.

"Do they know who the victim is?" Draco asked.

"That's the thing. Jocelyn didn't say who it was just that," Yuko took a deep breath before continuing, "just that it was a muggleborn witch that worked for the Ministry."

Both the wizards looked at each other, both their faces expressing the dread they felt.

"I'm going with you." Draco said with a finality in his tone.

"It's a crime scene—" Yuko started only to be cut off.

"I don't care. I'm going with you." Draco gritted out.

"Draco, it's a murder scene— it might not be fit for everyone's eyes." Yuko said slowly.

"I was a fucking death-eater, Yuko. I've seen more gory sites than you have in your entire career. Now fucking take me there before I lose my goddamn mind." Draco said as he closed Eclaire's door and walked out.

Yuko sighed as he took Draco's arm and apparated to the crime scene.

As soon as the duo landed, they were surrounded by the crowd that had assembled as they pushed forward into a rather old looking house with peeling yellow paint. They walked past the crime scene tag when they heard a voice.

"Yuko!" Called a red-haired woman with an ID.

"Jocelyn. What are the stats?" Yuko asked hurriedly. Jocelyn looked sceptically towards Draco.

"He's with me." Yuko gritted out. "The stats, please?" The black haired wizard prodded.

"Female. Brunette. Somewhat young. We recovered an ID from her pocket, used to work at the Ministry. Has been dead for no longer than twenty four hours. Ron left as soon as he arrested Zabini. The medical team are presently collecting data. Do you want to have a look at the body?" She asked as she looked up at the dark haired wizard.

Draco felt it hard to breathe. It can't be her. I just saw her two days ago. It can't be her. No. Draco repeated in his head. He saw Yuko nod stiffly as Jocelyn lead the way up the stairs. Both the wizards followed without a word.

The stairs creaked under their weight and each step felt heavier than the other for the silver haired wizard. He'd told Yuko that he'd seen a lot of gory scenes and he actually had, enough to last him a lifetime, but he didn't know if he could handle seeing her be the centre of one.

I should've stopped her. I should never have let her leave, at least not alone. I should've gone with her. I should've looked for her sooner. I hadn't even told her I love her— she can't die. No. The silver haired wizard's mind went running a million miles an hour all centering around the same thought— she can't die.

The red haired woman lead them into a room where witches and wizards went in and out, some examining the windows, some the doorknobs and others the floors and walls. Two medical staff dressed in scrubs stood before a body covered in white sheet holding a clipboard.

It felt as if the oxygen supply to the silver haired wizard's lungs had been stopped, his ears rang the closer her walked towards the body.

"Dr. Soo, this is Yuko Kobayashi, Head Auror of Macusa. He's here for the examination of the body." Jocelyn introduced as the doctor nodded and moved towards the body. With excruciatingly slow movement, he lifted the white sheet covering the body.

The duo waited with baited breath as the sheet was finally lifted off the victim's face.

Draco Malfoy and Yuko Kobayashi heaved the heaviest sighs of their life as the duo felt air return to their lungs. Draco's knees gave out as he fell into a squat position, Yuko found the nearest chair to collapse into as they both wiped the sweat off their forehead, their breathing still ragged, as if they'd run a marathon.

It's not Eclaire. They both thought, relieved beyond belief.

"Mr. Kobayashi?" Dr. Soo asked confused. "Are you and your partner alright?"

"He—" Yuko's voice squeaked before he coughed out to clear it. "He's not my partner." He breathed out. "We're fine. Must be the heat." He said shaking his head.

"Yeah, definitely the heat." Draco muttered out, still in a daze feeling as if he'd aged forty years in the matter of a few hours.

"Do you want me to get you guys a glass of water, Yuko?" Jocelyn asked confused over the reason Yuko had provided. It was cloudy with bone chilling winds outside even though it was the middle of summer.

"No." Yuko shook his head. "There's no need—"

"Jocelyn! I brought the files you wanted! Her name's Janet McAllister, twenty-five. I told you she worked in the Department of Magical Transportation but you wouldn't believe me! Nobody listens to what I say! I already told you Blaise is not the one responsible for this— oh! Yuko! You're here! And Draco, love what are you doing here?" Eclaire Adams asked with confusion laced in her features.

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