Hestia was pacing the infirmary and waiting for Zabini. He was who Greengrass had suggested since she was a suspect. Madam Pomfrey had suggested him as well. Hestia knew Greengrass had not done it. One of her tutoring students had cleared her. Hestia had not mentioned that. She was sort of liking watching the little bitch squirm about it.

There was student fidgeting. She had been the one to find him. Mina Stewart. She was the other reason Blaise Zabini had been called in. He was one of her legal guardians.

McGonagall was also pacing. Several of the teachers had been in and out.

Blaise sighed as he made his way to the infirmary. He was a bit worried that Filch had told him that was where he was needed, but the owl would have been to both him and Hannah and complete with many more details if one of the Stewarts had been hurt. And then there was the option that one of the Stewarts had hexed another student so badly they were in the infirmary. At least that's what he was hoping. A lecture on not getting caught would be due though.

He entered the infirmary and was surprised to see the people inside. "All right. Which one of them is in trouble?"

Hestia turned. "I haven't a clue who is. Professor Slughorn's been poisoned, and I need you to identify it if you can. He's in one of the back rooms."

Daphne was looking at Blaise. She was shell-shocked and terrified. She knew he was going to accuse her. It was far worse to know you had not done a thing and be blamed for it.

Mina was sitting next to her with her knees pulled to her chest. The girl had barely said a word since finding the professor. Except for the screams. Those had drawn Daphne into the room. Her only comment after that was "I can see the thestrals now."

Blaise eyes immediately went to Daphne and he was about to start ripping her to pieces when he caught sight of Mina sitting next to her. He turned back to the woman who had first addressed him. "What's Mina doing here?"

"Mister Zabini, I'm Auror Jones. Mina is here because she found the body. Miss Greengrass was the second person in the room, running out of her tutoring session when she heard Mina shouting."

"Shit," he said in a whisper. Even if Hannah would have been here, this was still something Blaise would have to deal with. "I'll identify the poison, but I'd like to speak with Mina privately first."

"Of course," Hestia said.

She had already questioned the girl. There was no way Mina or Daphne had been involved. Hestia had found out from Madam Pomfrey that Daphne did not even have access to the potions stores, was not supposed to be brewing. Hestia had had the woman's hands checked anyhow. Daphne Greengrass' hands held no traces of any potions. Also, what Slughorn had ingested was in his tea - which he had made himself in the lab. Neither Daphne nor Mina had even been in there. But someone had. Hestia had noticed there was a second tea cup that had been put back and not wholly dried. Someone had tried to cover up that they had been there.

"Madame Pomfrey, can we use your office?" Blaise asked. The woman nodded and Blaise motioned Mina over and into the office. When he closed the door, he cast a locking charm and silencing charm on the room. After sighing, he looked over at Mina, who was clearly in shock.

"I want you to tell me everything you remember, from the beginning."

"I was helping Daphne with the tutoring. She and James were arguing about something. Daphne wanted to check it. She asked me to get a text from Professor Slughorn. I went into his office and found him on the floor. I screamed."

He steered her into a chair at Pomfrey's desk and sat opposite of her. "Do you remember anything else? Any smells? Differences in the office? Any colors on Slughorn that weren't there originally?"

Mina shook her head. "I went to touch him, and Daphne said not to. She said he was dead. She could tell and to call the MLE and get McGonagall. She wouldn't let anyone near him except Madam Pomfrey. She said he died almost instantly. That even if we'd have had the antidote right there or I..." she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bezoar she kept always. "Madam Pomfrey said it was too fast. He'd been dead a while when I found him. He didn't have any conferences today. I would have known. I... I helped him remember stuff like that."

Mina rubbed a hand over her face.

"It wasn't Daphne. She wouldn't... she was crying. She liked the professor. It was in his tea."

"And I've seen her nearly kill someone using biscuits, so tea isn't that much of a stretch. Let me figure this out." There was an uncomfortable silence. He didn't know how to deal with a fourteen year old girl who just found a dead man. "Are you going to be all right? Do you need anything?"

Normally, this would be where Kristen or Sarah would hug her, but Mina was too proud to ask for such a thing. She didn't want Blaise to think she was weak.

"I'm fine. I do not need anything," she replied woodenly.

There was that uncomfortable silence again. Blaise really wished Hannah was here, because then she could comfort Mina while he fed his anger and figured out who kill Slughorn. Right now, he wanted to be the Slytherin while Hannah played the Hufflepuff. But it was just him, so he had to do both. The question 'what would Hannah do' popped into his head. She would hug and mother and comfort. He would have to settle for the Slytherin version of comfort.

"You're lucky. I saw my first dead body at half your age. I didn't know him that well though."

Mina looked at him. "I liked Professor Slughorn."

"Then I imagine it's much more difficult. I've never had to say goodbye to someone I liked."

Mina didn't say anything for a long time.

There was a knock on the door.

"That Auror probably wants you to look at the body."

Blaise sighed. This was either going to be really good or really bad. He could either get Daphne away from the kids forever or she'd help him and get back in people's good graces.

"If you need anything, you know you can ask me or Hannah, right?"

"I know."

Mina got up and left the office after Blaise released the charms. She moved over to where Daphne was again and sat next to her. Daphne put a comforting arm around the girl until she noticed Blaise glaring at her. Then she snatched it back.

"He's back here," Hestia said.

Blaise nodded and followed the Auror. He didn't like leaving Mina with Daphne, but it was something he'd have to live with. He sighed when they got the room with Slughorn in it. "So he was just in his office? Anything out of the ordinary reported? Did he have a student who was doing badly and a parent could have retaliated?"

What he really wanted to ask was if she was sure Daphne hadn't killed Slughorn for some strange reason.

"Madam Pomfrey said whatever did this was sophisticated and fast. Something original. I had Greengrass' hands checked. She has not brewed in months. It's not on her skin, so I need you to look and see if you have ever seen it before. If you haven't, I'm calling in Snape, but I'd really rather not. He and I don't get along so well."

Blaise snorted. "Snape doesn't get along with humans." He looked at Slughorn carefully. "Do you have the teacup he was drinking out of?"

Hestia gestured to the table next to the covered body. She released the stasis charm on the cup.

He went over to the cup and looked closely at it. There was no residue in the cup, and there was no smell. Slughorn would have noticed a smell in the cup as well.

"This was done by a professional. Odorless, no residue, probably tasteless. Do you know how many poisons that brings me to?" Blaise sighed. Including the one I made to kill my mother with.

"I have no idea, but I am hoping it's a small number."

Blaise smirked at her. "You obviously weren't a Slytherin. It's a surprisingly large number."

Unfortunately, this eliminated Greengrass. She hadn't been able to mask the aconite in her poison.

"But I think I can figure it out. It might take me a while."

Then he got an idea. He wasn't a Slytherin for nothing. "It might require me to get access to some restricted ingredients, talk to restricted suppliers. We can't assume that this person used completely legal items."

"Well, no, of course not," Hestia replied. "I will get you clearance on this, but your ingredients for these experiments will be Ministry approved. They will only get you enough to duplicate, and you will have strict disposal methods. If you are agreeable, that is. I would like to find out who is offing professors, and I highly doubt the Ministry's brewers could uncover it. Snape could figure it out, but I'd really rather not owe that man any favors."

Blaise grinned. Some ingredient suppliers were blacklisted by the ministry and under heavy surveillance, but if he could establish contact with them, his foot would be in the door and the ministry wouldn't think anything of it.

"Works for me. Do I have to try to figure this out at the Ministry or can I use my own labs?"

"If I say I will push for having you work in your own labs, will you make me regret it?"

He had this look.

"I know very well who your mates are. The one you're closest to is related to my live-in. I know very well what a Black is capable of, and I know who your mother was. I also know you aren't her, though. What I am saying is, if I trust you, don't hex me in the back. I might have been a Gryffindor, but there is nothing noble about me when I get pissed off."

Blaise was still grinning. "I don't think you have any idea of what I'm capable of." He straightened and changed the subject. "I'd like to meet the famous Sirius Black sometime. I'm sure Draco would take me to visit."

"Yes, that's absolutely something I need in my home all at once - Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black and Blaise Zabini." Hestia sighed. "Look, I need to tell McGonagall something and get this body out of the school without the students seeing it. Is there anything else you need?"

He shook his head. "I think I have everything." It was hard not to show his excitement on his face. Even though this was a bad situation, he was getting a lot of good things out of it. "Shall I come by the Ministry with a list of ingredients I'll need?"

"That'll work," Hestia replied. She headed for the door and stopped. "Between you and I, I thought she did it too. I had Poppy test her hands to make sure she had not been brewing."

Blaise didn't know what to say to that. He was glad he wasn't the only one who thought that Greengrass had killed Slughorn. "I never accuse someone with something as serious as murder unless I had a basis for it. But I'm glad that it's not just me who thought about it."

"She cried, but tears can be faked," Hestia said before walking out.

Her distrust of people always came down to Megan.

Daphne removed her arm from Mina's shoulders when Blaise came out. She stood and walked towards him.

"I know you don't like me. The feeling is mutual, but I want to know who did this, so they can pay. He didn't treat me like I was a thing, so if you need anything, let me know."

She was hoping he understood that. She had access to far shadier things than he did. Well, a different set of shady things anyhow.

Blaise stared long and hard at her. He knew she didn't kill Slughorn. It was the memory of Ginny Weasley's dying face that stopped him from accepting her help. It took a bit more the school tutoring to get on his good side.

"I'm getting help from the Ministry. I've been granted access to the blacklisted suppliers. I'll be able to handle it myself. I'm very good with poisons."

He hoped she understood the threat.

"Should you find the Ministry... lacking, you know where to locate me."

Blaise would rather choke himself than willingly ask Daphne Greengrass for help. He side stepped her and went over to Mina. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need anything? I could probably get McGonagall to get out of classes for a bit and you could come to the Manor if you'd like."

Mina gave him a steely look. "I'll come home when I am supposed to. I can handle it."

Hestia grinned slightly. Typical Slytherin.

Blaise smirked at her. "Owl if you need." He sighed. "Now I have to explain this to Hannah. This isn't going to be a fun night. Expect many owls. I'll try to keep her from rushing over here. Though I suspect this can get you out of wearing the pink dress at the wedding, if you play your cards right."

Hestia nodded at him. McGonagall was waiting in the hall.

"Mr. Zabini is going to assist in identifying the poison. That will better help me determine how this happened. Headmistress, I will return when I have more to go on."

McGonagall nodded.

"I'll need the teacup and also to look around the office and potion stores. He kept a pretty tight list of what he had and how much was used. I doubt it's possible, but if someone used his ingredients, it might make this whole process go quicker."

Hestia nodded.

McGonagall was looking straight ahead with a pinched expression. "Just owl me when you are in need of it. His office and stores have already been locked."

"Thank you Headmistress," Blaise said before turning to Hestia. "I'll be by the ministry in a week to give you that list and update you on any progress." He planned on doing a bit of background work in Knockturn, trying to find out if he could do this the simple way and worm the information out of someone.

Hestia nodded. "That sounds good. Keep me posted."

As soon as she was clear of the immediate grounds, Hestia apparated. First Pucey, now this.

McGonagall looked at Blaise. "I don't suppose you'd consider filling in until the end of term?"

Blaise snorted. Over his head body. "No."

"I thought not."


{SUMMARY} Hestia comes to investigate and gets Blaise looking to identify the poison used on Slughorn.