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Official Owl Correspondence from the Office of Head Auror Gawain Robards.
** PLEASE BE ADVISED: All communications to and from the Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Law Enforcement are monitored for both Tracking and Malicious Spellwork. This is a precautionary measure, for the protection of both Ministry staff, and members of the Wizarding and Witchcraft community **
TO: Healer. Draco Lucius Malfoy,
Department of Experimental and Exploratory Magical Research,
St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries,
London.
FROM: The Secretary of Head Auror Gawain Robards.
Dear. Healer Malfoy,
The purpose of this Owl is to formally request your assistance in an ongoing investigation. On the 31st May 2019 two Department of Mysteries workers, Unspeakables Clarice Clareborne, and Jonathan Lysander were found dead at their home address, 37B Knockturn Alley.
Auror Ronald Weasley and Deputy Lead Auror Harry James Potter attended the address as part of the investigation, and confirmed that the pair had likely been dead since their initial absence from work, two days previously. Unfortunately, our resident Healer has not been able to make any progress with this case, and feels that you are best qualified to support the DME with this matter.
This case has been given Top Priority status within our department because of the sensitive work undertaken by Clareborne and Lysander. They were involved in the study of Magical Thought and Consciousness, and by all accounts were on the verge of of a critical breakthrough in their research. It is vital that their work does not fall into the hands of Dark Wizards who would seek to misuse it.
We at the DME are very concerned about the nature of Clareborne and Lysander’s fatal injuries. We have been able to ascertain that they were injured initially with a modified Diffindo. Whilst the cuts were both deep and severe they most likely would not have been fatal. Healer Ambrose has discovered deep lacerations to their internal organs, and a complete degradation of the Magical Cortex of their brains.
Many in the DME fear this is the first evidence of a new Unforgivable spell, and we respectfully ask for this information to remain completely confidential. Were this to become public knowledge it could cause huge anxiety amongst the wider population.
The DME have struggled so far to collect any further evidence. No magical trace was able to be taken from the bodies, and Clareborne and Lysander’s home had been spelled clean. We have taken the liberty of transferring the bodies of the couple over to St. Mungo’s. They have been placed under a stasis spell for your examination.
We thank you for your advice in this matter, and seek your instructions as soon as possible. It is difficult to express how absolutely critical your role in solving these heinous murders will be. We would, of course, need you to stand as an Expert Witness before the Wizengamot when we apprehend the guilty parties.
The DME have assigned Deputy Lead Auror Harry James Potter as your main contact. Please feel free to ask him for the official magical and autopsy reports, and any other information you might require.
We look forward to hearing from you at you earliest convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Gwain Robards
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(Scrap of parchment enclosed within the envelope. The text only comes into focus when Draco Malfoy reads it.)
Bloody hell, Draco…
Sorry this is just a scribble, but I knew I had to contact you. This case is such a mess! Everybody here loved Clareborne and Lysander. The way they were killed. I’ve never seen anything like it… They were so young, newly engaged… Draco, listen. Everything that comes into the office via these Owls is tracked and monitored. I think it’d be better if you wrote to me at home, at Grimmauld? You’d could be more open and honest. Tell me what you truly think. I’m desperate to solve this. They really were good people, Malfoy.
And I know I need to say sorry. Address the fucking Hippogriff in the room.
I know I ran away after we kissed at that club a few months ago. Left you when you went to get your coat… It was a shitty, cowardly thing to do. I don’t blame you for sending my Owls back and refusing to see me. All I can say is that things between us suddenly felt too real. All those months of flirting and teasing. If I’d have gone home with you, I don’t think I would ever have left. The minute that I Flooed away I knew I’d made a mistake. I’m sorrier than you can know.
Look, Robard’s secretary is walking over now… I’m going to offer to walk this letter up to the Owlery, and shove note this in the envelope before the Owl leaves. Write to me at home, Draco. Please. We can solve this. And maybe we could solve things between us too.
Harry.