Hermione waited for Harry in his office the morning after Ron's arrest. They had talked with Larkin about getting special permission to speak with him and after much negotiation, they had been granted fifteen minutes of personal time to talk with him in the morning. Hermione avoided looking at the Prophet and fidgeted endlessly, but there was only so much longer she could wait before she went down without Harry.

Finally—at long, long last—the door was pushed open and Harry walked in looking like he hadn't slept at all.

"Hermione," he said, trying for a smile but failing.

"I know," she said, failing at a genuine smile as well. "Let's just go talk with him, yeah?"

Harry just nodded and, after hanging his cloak, the two made their way down to the dungeons where Ron was being held. He hadn't been moved from the first holding cell and when they approached him, he hardly looked up.

"Hey, guys," he mumbled. He turned on the Ministry provided cot so he could face them, but didn't bother smiling. "Come to ask me questions so early?"

"We're not here as aurors, Ron," Hermione said, getting as close to the cell doors as she could. "We came because we're your friends and we just want to understand."

"There's not much to understand," Ron said. He shrugged with only one shoulder and finally looked up at them. "I broke into the vault, Mione. It's the honest truth."

"But why?" Hermione asked. She tried not to sound too upset, but her voice gave her away. Harry glanced at her, but Hermione ignored him. "Why did you go in the first place, Ron?"

Ron looked at them both for several long seconds. It was so long that Hermione was ready to believe he'd never tell them, but suddenly he nodded.

"It was just a hunch," he said quietly, looking down at his hands and rubbing them together briskly. "I found something in Smith's journal after closing the case, so I couldn't get a warrant to go on business."

"Smith? This is related to his death?" Harry asked.

Hermione scowled at him for interrupting, but Harry didn't look like he cared.

"Yeah." Ron nodded. "He saw Malfoy and Crabbe arguing then disapparate, something about his vault and an agreement, is what Smith wrote. It happened about a week before Smith was killed, though, so I thought maybe it could be connected." He pursed his lips and shook his head. "It wasn't."

"But you broke into Gringotts for a case," Hermione protested. Surely that had some merit, didn't it? "If you argue that, then they're sure to let you out, right?"

"I wouldn't count on it, Hermione," Harry said warily. Hermione frowned. "If he didn't list any mention of it in the case, then it can't be held as part of the case work."

Ron nodded along with Harry and Hermione sighed. Well, there went that idea.

"Did you at least find what you wanted in his vault?" Harry asked.

Ron hesitated.

"Crabbe was already dead," Ron told him quietly. "And it looked like he'd been there for a while. Even with a stasis charm placed over him, there was dust."

"Ministry records indicate he died a year ago on 3rd November," Hermione said, looking from Ron to Harry.

"A week before Smith was killed," Ron reminded her. Hermione frowned.

"You said Smith saw Crabbe and Malfoy arguing a week before he died? What day?" Harry asked, stepping forward.

Ron wasn't sure about any of the details, but Hermione had a pretty good idea of what had happened. Maybe Ron and Harry didn't know, but she knew Malfoy was responsible for the Syndicate and if he ran an international crime ring, who was to say he wouldn't kill someone?

"Ron, do you have those pages from Smith's journal?" she asked suddenly, interrupting him accidentally. "They weren't there when we—I looked."

"Yeah, they're in my top right desk drawer," Ron said, looking at her curiously. "You and Harry looked at the journal already?"

"I didn't look at it," Harry said, confused. They both glanced at her and Hermione bit her lip.

"Malfoy and I looked through it," she admitted quickly, her words running together. "But it's okay," she said loudly before they could protest. "He doesn't suspect a thing, alright?"

"Hermione," both Harry and Ron groaned. Hermione glared at them.

"I've conducted enough research for this case that neither of you get to complain," she snapped. They didn't have to talk with Malfoy or Zabini thanks to her, she reminded them. "I'll find the journal pages and then contact Malfoy about it."

"That won't get me out of here," Ron said. Hermione paused.

"Well, if I can prove it's connected to the Smith case, then we can figure out something," she said. She turned to Harry. "I'll go look. You stay here with Ron."

"I don't need a babysitter," Ron grumbled as Harry agreed. He didn't look too upset about it though, so Hermione hastily left the dungeons to go find Ron's office.

The journal pages were buried under several other things, but Hermione found them in less than a minute. She planted herself in Ron's chair and unfolded them, smoothing out the crooked creases and scanning them quickly. When she found the note Ron had mentioned about Smith seeing Malfoy and Crabbe argue, she slowed down.

The blasted silent apparation he always did drew too much attention for the argument he held with the Crabbe boy after, wrote Smith. He mentioned the vault and an agreement, then disapparated just as he'd arrived. Seemed right upset about it, too. I won't be wanting to encounter him any time soon.

Checking the date, Hermione realised Smith had seen the argument the day Crabbe had died, 3 November of last year. She read all the pages over once more, but there was no other mention of the argument or what he'd seen. It sounded out of place, too. Almost as if there was something Smith didn't want to say no matter how much he wanted to write about the argument. Unfortunately, nothing else referenced Malfoy, but it was enough for Hermione.

Although she didn't have an appointment and she knew how frustrating the goblins could be, she marched over to Gringotts without so much as bothering to put on her cloak. The bank was mostly empty as it was still early in the morning, but the one or two wizards that did happen to be there sent her disinterested looks.

"Hook," she announced, stopping in front of the goblin's front desk. "I need back into the Malfoy vault, auror business."

"Mr. Malfoy has informed us that the case has been closed," Hook sneered, looking up from his work just long enough to grin at her. "No one but Mr. Malfoy is allowed down."

"When did he tell you that?" Hermione demanded. Merlin help her, if Malfoy screwed up the case now that she was so close to closing it herself, she'd have his head.

"Just this morning," Hook said. With a snarl and a flick of his hands, he said, "Now get out, witch."

Hermione paused, not sure what to do. She took a step backwards, then turned around and walked out of Gringotts with her thoughts racing.

The bank had only been open maybe fifteen minutes, so Malfoy couldn't have been there much before her. There was a high chance he'd revoked access to his vault so he could remove Crabbe himself, but he knew she'd already seen the body.

She could send him an owl, she supposed. She'd have to make it sound like nothing was different, but Malfoy was a suspicious wizard. Perhaps she could send him a thank you for the dinner and place a tracker on the letter. Then she'd know where he was and if he'd left the country.

Deciding this was the best course of action, Hermione returned to the Ministry and paid no attention to anyone who tried to call for her. She merely glanced at the receptionist outside the aurors' offices and continued into her own.

"It's about time you arrived."

"Fuck!" Hermione exclaimed, accidentally slamming the door as she jumped at the voice.

"Hello to you too," Malfoy said, leaning back in her muggle office chair.

"Get out," she scowled, using her wand to pull the chair out from under him.

Malfoy lunged for the desk, struggling to keep from falling as the chair was tugged away. He pulled several papers off her desk and cursed wildly under his breath. Scrambling to his feet, he fixed her now messy papers and stood to face her.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You told the goblins the case had been closed," Hermione said sharply.

"Yes, that's why I'm here," Malfoy replied, stepping around her desk. "I heard it was Weasel—Weasley—and I decided to drop the case. You don't have to arrest him, Granger, I drop all charges—"

"'Don't have to arrest him'? You 'drop all charges'?" Hermione laughed mockingly. She stopped him from coming any closer and scowled. "He broke into Gringotts so even if you drop your case, Gringotts still wants him in Azkaban. But you're not really just here to drop his charges, are you?"

"What are you on about?"

"You told the goblins so I couldn't get into your vault anymore," she exclaimed, pointing her wand at him. "If the case is dropped, I can't keep investigating and that includes visiting your vault to see Crabbe's body which—by the way—is the reason Ron broke in at all."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, but Hermione was only just getting started.

"Ron worked on a case a year ago where someone was killed suddenly and without any reason," Hermione hissed venomously. "His victim has in his journal that he saw you and Crabbe arguing about your vault and an agreement the day Crabbe's death registered at the Ministry. A week later, he was found murdered exactly where your ridiculous not-portkey was, which begs two questions: why did you put a portkey where Smith was murdered and why is Crabbe's body in your vault?"

Hermione stared angrily at Malfoy, waiting for an answer but receiving none. He didn't even open his mouth, just stared at her in return.

"Say something," Hermione demanded, waving her hands frustratedly. "Just—Tell me something!"

"Smith was part of the Syndicate," Malfoy said calmly. Hermione blinked, dropping her hands to her side. "He traveled via his office through the portkey and after his death, we took his key so the people who had killed him couldn't find us. They certainly tried, though."

"That doesn't—I don't care about that," Hermione said pathetically. How could that help Ron? "We already solved Smith's case. What about Crabbe?"

"I killed him."

Hermione could count on one hand the amount of times Malfoy had surprised her before, but during this conversation alone, the number had almost doubled.

"You—"

Hermione paused and took a moment to process his words. Malfoy watched her silently as she sat down in one of the stupid Ministry chairs in her office before gingerly taking a seat himself in the other one.

"You killed Crabbe?" she asked, glancing at him. He nodded. "And Smith was Syndicate?" Another nod. "And somehow that connects?"

"Yes, directly related," Malfoy told her.

Hermione dropped her head into her hands, rubbing at her temple as she felt a headache coming on.

"I need to connect the cases to get Ron out," Hermione informed him, head still in her hands. "We need a direct link to the cases to prove Ron was working on a case at the time. Otherwise, he'll go to Azkaban."

"I just gave you a direct link," Malfoy said, frowning slightly. "Smith knew that I killed Crabbe. He wrote it down, Weasel went to double check, and it turns out it was true. The body is still in the vault if you need it for legal reasons too."

"But then you'll be arrested for a murder, Malfoy," Hermione said plainly, looking up at him. "And when the Unspeakables search your mind for the murder, they'll find out about Syndicate."

"I'm much better at Occlumency than you're giving me credit for," Malfoy said. He leaned back in his chair and looked at her as he said, "I can keep them from ever learning you knew about the Syndicate this whole time. They'll never even know we met up if you'd like—"

"No! That's not—That's not what I'm worried about," Hermione said, looking at him slightly confused. "You think that's what I'm worried about? Merlin, no." She scoffed and reached for Malfoy's hand to reassure him. "I'm not worried about me. I'm worried that they'll send you to Azkaban for life if they find out. The Wizengamot is not forgiving."

"I have Daphne working on something, Granger," Malfoy said, squeezing her hand. With a bit of a glint in his eyes and a smirk, he told her, "If I have to fake my death and empty the security vault at the Manor in the meantime, I suppose I'll survive."

Hermione blinked and slowly frowned at him.

"You're really just going to hand yourself over like that?" she asked. Malfoy smirked.

"Of course not, Granger," he replied. He gave her hand one last squeeze then let go and stood up. "Come with me. Daphne is working on something to help us both."