Success

Severus grimaced as he had to place the tip of his wand into a bell slot carved as a lion head. It was disgusting, but fitting for a too ornate house that tried to appear grander than it was.

"Mr Diggory," he said when a man opened the door.

"Yes, Professor Snape?"

"Severus Snape, Magical Law Enforcement." Severus whipped his wand, and the translucent logo of the department hovered between them.

"I see. Come in."

The men seated themselves, and after the necessary preliminaries, Severus began the interrogation.

"When did your daughter begin to manifest magic?"

"As a baby, of course."

Severus took a note, intentionally dropping a speckle of ink on the polished tea table. "Can you be more specific?" he asked, watching for reactions. There was none to the ink as far as he could tell; Adrian Diggory kept his eyes on Severus's. The question itself seemed to discomfit him more. Diggory crossed his legs and laced his fingers.

"Er? Perhaps when she started to play? She'd summon her toys, I guess."

"Would your wife be better informed about it?" Severus paused his quill just above the parchment.

"No, I don't think so. She knows as much as I do."

"Shall you call the house-elf?" Severus dropped more ink. It seeped through a crack in lacquer, destroying the wood underneath, but Diggory remained focused on the case.

"Are you implying that we don't take notice of our daughter?"

"Stating the evident isn't necessary in this investigation."

"Mr Snape, you're stepping out of bounds."

"Mr Diggory, let me inform you that you're trying to sue the British magical hospital on a charge for which you have absolutely no ground. I'm gathering information to build a case for you. You might cooperate, or we can cease this farce this instance."

"They stole magic from my daughter."

"And you only care because people would taunt a Diggory Squib."

"Mr Snape!"

His exclamation was met with a resounding silence.

"Fine," Diggory said. "My daughter's healthy, and she could be happy as a Squib. But we resent a Diggory Squib as you said. Our whole world does."

"It doesn't have to. It always starts with parents." Severus wanted to hex Diggory. He had had enough experience with prejudice to last a lifetime.

Diggory glared. "We consider the theft of her magic a crime. Anybody would."

"Thank you. Now, answer the question." At least, it was easier – and quicker – to force Diggory into submission than it was to overturn Voldemort.

"Let's call the elf, then." Diggory fidgeted and squared his shoulders. "Nany?"

"Yes, master?" A large elf with strong arms appeared at the centre of the room.

"When did Lucinda first exhibit magic?"

"Young Miss Vanished her diaper the first time it got smelly."

"Which day?" Severus said.

"Miss's third."

"The next time after that?"

"Miss Vanished each diaper with poo, sir."

Severus looked at Mr Diggory, who had the honesty to blush. "You don't expect me to deal with excrements, do you?" he said.

"Each diaper?"

"No, sir. Just the smelly ones."

Severus ordered Nany. "Prepare me a list of each instance the child displayed magic."

"The elf cannot remember it all," Diggory said.

"Nany has notes, Master. Nany is a good elf." The elf gave her full attention to Mr Diggory.

"What notes?"

"That we sends to the Ministry for their magical records."

Severus nodded once and got up, thinking that Hermione had been wrong. He was losing his touch with spotting details. He should have gone straight to the Magical Activity Archive since the case was about alleged magic theft in a child. That much was clear. He took his leave of Diggory, wondering why he took her request for interviews at face value.

---

Hermione stood next to a long table, both too low and too peculiar to be called a bar, and watched the attendants of her banquet. Afternoon had turned into evening, and she had seen several witches swish their wands to release daily robes transfiguration into dress robes. Some children were still around, running between game stands, laughing and yelling. She had to smile. Even though organising a function for the Life Bank clients and their children was logistically difficult, she enjoyed a chance to see the children, knowing her company kept them safe.

A boy, just about short enough to be considered a child rather than a teenager, walked up to the bar with a spring in his step.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger," he said.

"Hello, Scorpius." Hermione curtseyed to him formally.

"How are you enjoying the banquet, madam?"

"Very much. Thank you for asking." Hermione winked.

Scorpius grinned, grabbed a muffin from the children's bar and turned to leave, only to walk into his mother.

"Huf. Sorry, Mother, for crashing into you."

"Are you being reckless, Scorpius?" Astoria gave him a stern look.

"No, no, Mrs Malfoy, you mustn't think that." Hermione stepped up to them. "We were practising social conversation, and Scorpius tried to make a dignified exit. It's me who sped him up, having unsettled him with my behaviour."

Astoria appraised Hermione for a moment, then gave in. "All right," she said to Scorpius, squeezing his hands. "Go and have fun."

"He's such a sweet boy," Hermione said, looking after him.

"He is, isn't he?"

Both women looked at one another, a spark of common understanding settling between them, and they smiled.

"Who is?" Daphne Diggory joined them at the bar. "Is there any more Dungbarrel Spiced Mead left? I'm tired of butterbeer."

She rummaged through the contents of the bar. "Who's sweet?"

"Scorpius," Hermione said.

Daphne paused, giving Hermione a calculating look. "And have you seen Lucinda tonight?"

"I might have spotted her at your table earlier."

"She's been so well-behaved tonight," Daphne boasted. "Her dress is still white, and her hair's as beautiful as it was when we came."

"Your spell work must be magnificent if it lasted this long."

Astoria covered her mouth with her hand, but Hermione was certain the quiet snort came from her direction.

"Why, thank you. But our Lucinda didn't mess around. She stayed with us all the time where she's supposed to be. In fact, I think she'd be ideal for the photo session for tomorrow's Daily Prophet. She's the best-behaved child here. You do have journalists covering this event, don't you?" Daphne asked, seeing an expression of distaste on Hermione's face.

"Yes, I do."

"Fabulous."

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Hermione walked away from Daphne and hid in a dark corner, only to find it already occupied by Harry Potter.

"Hiding?" he asked.

"You, too?"

"Attention never went down well with me. What's your excuse?" He patted a place next to him on a yet unopened box of Ogden's Finest. Catering storage, near the bar, yet unseen by most. A perfect hiding place.

"There's this client that gets on my nerves even on the best of days. I'm so tired today that I ran away rather than tell her something that might upset her," she said, and Harry nodded.

They sat together in silence. A band started to play soft music, and game stands were being taken down. Several couples began dancing. Harry shared his glass of wine with Hermione.

"Tell me again, Hermione, why are you celebrating in such a big style?" He looked around the hall packed with people in evening robes. "I mean, it's just the twelfth anniversary, so it shouldn't be such a big deal. You didn't throw a party two years ago. Why now?"

"Because it's the fifteenth anniversary."

"What do you mean? Albus is hardly twelve and he was your first client, don't you remember?" Harry's eyebrow rose, wrinkling his faded scar.

"I remember all right. The Life Bank lived on paper only for three years until we persuaded our first esteemed client and he got us all over the press."

"Oh. Right. You and Lavender were trying to talk us into giving you James as well."

"See?"

"You're right, of course. We resisted as long as we could. I mean, it's a weird idea."

"Unusual for the wizarding world, but it's medically very useful."

"I know. You said that already. But it was all that crying at the Burrow that did us all in eventually. Every year." Harry shuddered.

"Yes, that motivated me as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Starting the Life Bank. I wanted Lavender to begin getting over her grief."

"Really? That seems extreme for someone you never got along well before." Harry seemed taken aback.

"It was not the only reason, of course. I'd long wanted to bring more Muggle technology into the wizarding world. But Lavender's situation was what ultimately pushed me towards learning about stem cell research, and the Life Bank was just a step further from there."

"It worked."

"For Lavender? Yes, a bit. Speaking of Lavender, have you seen her?" Hermione scanned the hall, trying to pick out an elaborate blonde hairstyle. What she found was red.

"Ron," she called and walked over. "Where's Lavender? We should give a speech soon."

"She went to the loo."

"When?"

"A while ago."

Hermione turned in the direction of bathrooms.

"But she always takes a long time," Ron called after her, but waved her off in dismissal when she ignored him.

Hermione opened the door, tentatively calling out.

A quiet sniff was her only answer.

She approached the cubicle, knocking on the door. It opened slightly.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"I'm a fright."

"It doesn't matter." She pushed at the door and found Lavender sitting on a closed toilet lid, her face blotched and puffed. "I'm here. You're not alone in this. I'm with you." She pulled Lavender into a hug, pressing her, smeared make-up and all, against her dress robes.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know you hate this. I'm so sorry. It's just that Padma is here tonight, and they look so alike. But she's not her."

"Shh. It's all right."

"I just miss her so much."

"Of course you do. Parvati was a sweet girl and a great friend. It's only natural you miss her."

"She shouldn't have died."

Hermione continued to go through the well-rehearsed lines of the exchange. Not much longer now. At least, the breakdowns were rather rare now, unlike over a memorable Christmas Hermione had happened to share with Lavender at the Burrow fifteen years ago.

"Death doesn't choose. Skin cancer is a terrible disease if left untreated."

"But she was so beautiful. She didn't want to wear skin from her arse on her face."

Hermione suppressed a shudder. Parvati's refusal of the surgery seemed pointless and inconceivable for her. She knew from Lavender that Parvati hadn't left her house at all once the cancer lesions started to appear on her skin. If it were her, she would choose a skin graft over cancer any time.

"And that's why you and I have the Life Bank. So that it won't happen to other beautiful girls."

"Do you think she'd approve?"

"I'm sure she would, Lavender. She'd have been thrilled to wear skin grown from her umbilical stem cells on her cheek."

"I believe you."

"Good." Hermione took Lavender by her shoulders and held her upright. "Let's get you cleaned up a bit so that we can go out and talk to our current and potential clients. So that no other beautiful girl has to die."

---

"Severus?" Hermione peaked around the doorframe into Severus's office.

He looked up from his work and frowned as he saw her guilty expression.

"No."

"You don't even know what I was about to ask." She walked in.

"Did you intend to proposition me?"

A man from across the hall looked up with interest, craning his neck to get a better look. Hermione turned bright red and closed the door behind her. "What was that for? The rumours will fly."

"Do you care?"

"No."

"There's your answer."

Hermione nearly gasped, but kept herself in check. He was baiting her, she was sure. "Should I?"

"What? Care or proposition?"

Hermione tucked back a stray lock of her hair. "Severus, you're making me uncomfortable."

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. His shirt pressed to his biceps, presenting the contour of his shoulders.

Hermione swallowed, wishing she could openly enjoy the view.

"I've a new case for you," she said, clearing her throat.

Severus's relaxed posture disappeared in an instant.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

"Severus, please. The case is almost identical to the Diggory one. Daphne's sister married Draco Malfoy, and they're suing Hogwarts for stealing their son's magic."

Severus groaned. "I hope you didn't take the case. You'll lose both."

"It does sounds preposterous. Why would a hospital or school steal magic? But something so serious warrants investigating, even if I lose a case against the Ministry." She nodded towards papers in front of him. "What do you have?"

"The Diggory girl was gradually losing her magic long before her parents noticed and sent her to St Mungo's. Data from the nursing elf." Severus pushed a folder across his desk.

"I see." Hermione perused his findings, tapping her lips with her index finger.

Severus stared.

"It seems to me that Daphne and Astoria are grasping at straws."

She looked up and Severus sat straighter in his chair, trying to regain his composure and concentrate on work rather than her lips.

"In that case, they'd be better off hiring a detective to uncover what's going on than suing magical establishments. Apparently, logic is beyond the Greengrass women's capacity."

"It's their money. But we need to do something to earn it. Just a few interviews, Severus."

"Fine." He reached out for the folder, knowing that interviews wouldn't be necessary. "Hand it over."

---

A/N: Thanks to saschia and pyjamapants for alpha- and beta-reading, and to Clairvoyant for the admin pass. Banner is the courtesy of brandy01.