A/N: This is yet another story that has been stuck in my head for over a year - and I finally got inspired to start writing it. So please, enjoy! And if you like it, hate it --- leave a review :D
I do not own Harry Potter.
Hermione Granger, one third of the Golden Trio, once took it upon herself to fight for the rights of house elves – and of course, assisting one of her best mates in the fall of Voldemort. Hermione Granger was, of course, a very determined young lady.
But that was years ago and although she hasn't changed much, at the young age of 25 Hermione Granger is one of the Wizarding Worlds most successful witches. She is no longer talked about as just a member of the trio – her standing in the ministry tends to overpower that just a tad.
Hermione Granger, Head of Magical Law is the first woman to ever be head of said department – but she has also managed to be the youngest head in history. She completely reinvented wizard law, incorporating some muggle ideas and just improving the foundations of law all together. While her job has her devoting crazy hours both in and out of the ministry working, the job also has its perks. One being that her department works very closely with the Auror department – not only did she sometimes get a nice show of handsome, muscular men parading around her department during an intense case, but more importantly, she never loses touch with Harry and Ron (since they both chose to become Aurors); they catch the guys and she persecutes them.
And lately, they had been seeing quite a lot of each other. Since the fall of Voldemort over six years ago – the Auror department has certainly been on their toes; rounding up all of his old followers and trying to restore peace back into their world. After about a year or two, things finally slowed down – the people of the Wizarding world were happy and finally at peace. People were marrying and having babies left and right. While the aurors never really had a dull day (there was always the prankster that took something too far or the wizard who thought they were capable of taking over the world) but there was hardly any threat they could not handle.
Of course that was to say until very, very recently.
For Hermione, today was like any other day of work. She walked along the halls of the ministry – her black heels click clacking across the linoleum floor, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a large folder in the other. She nodded to the many co-workers that she passed on her way to her office.
"Hello, Lorraine." Hermione greeted, as she was approaching her secretary's desk. Lorraine Sheldings looked up at the sound of her name, her face showing slight signs of concerns. Lorraine was a very smart and loyal secretary; she was someone that Hermione had learned to trust with different aspects of her work.
"Miss Granger!" she squeaked, as she arose from her desk. "Mr. Potter and the Auror Head are in your office waiting."
"But we don't have a meeting." Hermione's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Do you know what they want?"
"No, Miss." She shook her head. "I told them that I would have you send them a memo once you arrived, but they insisted that they stay here and wait for you."
Hermione nodded. "Well I'll go see what all this is about." She turned towards her office, only to pivot back around. "Oh, and Lorraine – the files of the Murdock case, have you seen them?"
"Yep, they're right here, Miss. You placed them on my desk yesterday. Shall I send them over to the Wizengamot?" She reached into a drawer and pulled out several thick files.
"That would be great, thank you, Lorraine." She said as she sauntered into her office. Just like Lorraine had explained, Harry and Xavier (the head of the Auror department) were seated patiently in her office.
"Good Morning, Gentlemen." She grinned as she walked towards her desk, shimmying out of her jacket in the process. "To what do I owe this quite unexpected surprise?" She sat down at her desk and clasped her hands.
Neither Harry nor Xavier immediately said anything. They glanced at each other and then sighed. Harry ran a hand through his still incredibly untidy hair. "We've received a threat, a huge threat." Harry began.
"Against who, Harry? The Minister? We receive threats every week…" Hermione took a sip of hot coffee, burning her tongue and roof of her mouth.
"Not the Minister, Hermione, one of your own." Xavier interjected.
"My own? Surely you don't mean my workers?" She only received two nods in response.
Harry pulled something from the pocket of his robe. "Here – I received this earlier this morning."
Hermione reached out – it was a photo. Looking down at it, the smiling face of Rebecca James stared back up at her. Rebecca was one of her top employers and was overall just a wonderful person. In her late thirties, Rebecca quickly became one of Hermione's good friends – and together, they both put away and convicted over one hundred of Voldemort's supporters and accomplices after the war. They were not a force to be reckoned with.
The photo was of Rebecca and her youngest child, a little girl no older than three. They were both laughing and playing in the park, most likely during one of Rebecca's lunch breaks. But what really worried Hermione about this photo was the text scribbled in the corner.
Eliminated.
And scrawled underneath was yesterday's date.
"Eliminated?" Hermione looked up in panic. "Oh, no – please? She can't be dead." She got up from her desk and made a bee-line for the door. She had to have seen Rebecca's black curls from over the top of her cubicle this morning, hadn't she? Harry grabbed her before she reached the door and put an arm around her.
Hermione could feel tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Harry – No! I won't believe it, this has to be an empty threat! Maybe someone is trying to get a rise from us, or cause panic amongst us! Rebecca James cannot be…" She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
"She's dead." Xavier finished for her.
She shook her head, refusing to believe this. How could Rebecca be dead? Didn't they spend over an hour last night discusses cases together? Refusing to let her tears fall, Hermione took a few calming breaths and sat back at her desk.
"Hermione, I'm sorry. But there's more." Harry explained. "We sent a team to her house immediately upon receiving the photo."
He pulled out more photos and spaced them out on Hermione's desk. "These will explain what we found, but I have to warn you. They're not pretty." Hermione glanced at them and inhaled sharply. The first picture was of Rebecca's house, the windows were smashed and part of the roof was on fire. The smoke in the frame rising aimlessly out of the picture. She flipped it over.
The next was Rebecca, again – but way less alive. Her body was mangled in a way that made Hermione's stomach almost lose its breakfast. Pushing her sudden bout of nausea aside, she took in the details. The paleness of Rebecca's body was shocking, especially against the bright red of blood – and the big, fat red letters written across her forehead; beware. Goosebumps erupted across Hermione's flesh as she flipped the second over too.
After looking at Rebecca's mutilated corpse, Hermione did not think it could get much worse. She never thought she could be any more wrong than she was then. Rebecca was not the only murder, and her murder was by far not the most gruesome.
A sob literally escaped from Hermione as she saw the bodies of Rebecca's husband and children, each with the same bold letters written across their faces. She couldn't look anymore. It was too much – and she flipped them all face down. She didn't bother trying to stop the tears that were now flowing down her face. "This is horrible. I cannot even form words to express this gruesome attack." She sniffled. "Rebecca, gone. Her beautiful family, all gone."
Harry and Xavier looked every bit as upset as Hermione did. "They're not all dead, Hermione." Harry said after a long moment's silence. "Her littlest, Amelia, survived. She wasn't hurt at all, just in a terrible state of shock; we think that either Rebecca or her husband hid her at some point."
Anger immediately boiled up in Hermione as she jumped up from her desk. "What kind of sick bastard would do this? To a completely happy family!"
"Someone who wants to continue Voldemort's bidding, that's who." Harry answered.
"We have reason to believe that this wizard or witch could be the next rising dark threat against the Wizarding world." Xavier said.
"I don't know, Xavier. I just know that when I find this, this poor excuse for a human being – I'm going to make him wish he was dead." She huffed, her eyes red from crying. She sat back down. "I just can't believe this. Wait," she said, "you just mentions that you have reason to believe this person is to be the new dark threat." She eyed them skeptically. "That must mean you have proof – or at least another target."
Harry and Xavier looked at each other. "Well, we do." Xavier sighed and placed another photo on her desk.
Hermione gasped as she saw her own face smiling up at her from the black and white photo.
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