Prologue

"Are your sure Hermione?", came the question of her mentor, and up until now, boss at the DRCMC (the department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures).

He was a tall, elderly man leaning closer to seventy than sixty with a full mop of silver unruly hair that always had a way of reminding Hermione of Harry's in his youth, and a pair of reading glasses he enjoyed tinting black.

("It's to intimidate my adversaries, my little mentee")

Despite his almost grandfatherly appearance (without his glasses) his sharp wit and quick tongue made him, although not in name, the true head of the department. (The appointed head was a ghastly woman who would have driven Hermione out of her mind long ago if it wasn't for Richard.)

Hermione was still of two minds but could in truth see only one option.

"I am truly sorry Richard but I..."

With a shake of the head and a defeated sigh Richard interrupted "I know, I know it is a good promotion for someone of your skill and intelligence, you can't turn down such an opportunity to work at the Mysteries, but we will miss you."

With a pointed look at her case folder he continued "You are one of our biggest assets at the DRCMC, no matter what others say, and it will be a wretched day to see my best advocate leave... You've done good work here Hermione."

"Thank you Richard I appreciate it, and all the opportunities you have given me, I will not forget everything that you have done for me" came the watery reply to the man that had become the grandfather and father figure she so missed in her life.

Richard gave a quick nod in farewell, not one for emotions.

While turning around a wry smile touched the corners of his mouth hinting to the time when she had first started her training in law under him and his department "Good, and don't you forget it" and with that he was gone.

The imparting farewell leaving Hermione in silence to contemplate the sequence of events that lead to this day. Absentmindedly staring out the window with many thoughts and an office still to clear.

Hermione had been one of the few Hogwarts students in her year to return and finish her education after the final battle. Many, including herself had received honorary NEWT degrees, allowing others such as Harry and Ron to immediately start training as Aurors. It was around this time that things had started going south in Hermione's life, not that her entire life had been perfect. She could still remember it so clearly.

They were together, alive, the adrenaline had just started to leave their systems, Ron had finally kissed her, reality had taken a back seat to the elation that surviving had brought along.

It was a frozen moment of utter bliss...

Then came the backlash.

Fred had died, friends and family scattered in the death and destruction left in the battle's wake. A World in mourning...

It had been the first time in Hermione's life that the true extent of the war fought by children had dawned on her.

She had been overcome by an excessive hate to the unjustness of their situation, probably further enforcing her choice to join the DRCMC.

The wrongness of adults who had forced children to fight a battle that they could not. She had needed an escape, ironically the only way she knew how, into books, back at the castle that had almost ended their lives.

Today at the age of 24 she can understand Ron and Harry's unwillingness to return, but then age 19 she could not...

They had been at the Burrow at the time.

Molly Weasley, still distraught after her son's death had been an absent entity.

Everything had felt hollow, wrong.

Ron's then anger and feelings of betrayal, that she their best friend was deserting them after everything they had been through.

It had escalated and become too much for her. "You won't understand Mione," Ron had shouted, "Well you don't even try Ron" had been her resounding answer, while Harry had only bestowed a pleading look on his two friends. She had left then...

(It had been one of the biggest rifts there had ever been in their friendship, including the time that Ron had left them at the tent.

Not that everyone was without blame least of all herself and Ron, she could now at least admit to her own stupidity and sympathise with what they were all going through at the time.)

The segment of her life following that argument had been strained.

She had made her way to Australia (after finishing her NEWT's of course, who do you take her as?)in the end on her own, missing most of the funerals including Fred's. Only to come to the realisation that retrieving her parents' memories would be impossible without damaging their minds.

She had left a self-imposed orphan feeling more broken but at least not alone anymore, with Crookshanks accompanying her back to the UK.

After returning she had immediately started working at the Ministry. It had not taken long for reality to rear its ugly head bringing her out of SPEW clouds. It had started with small things, her getting frustrated with the amount of time being consumed with mostly unimportant paperwork, telling herself it will get better, but seeing no change. People in the Ministry, in her department, unable to break certain prejudices.

No, tediousness in life had most definitely never been for one Hermione Granger. After seven years of constant danger and adventure this had been her biggest frustration since joining the DRCMC. It was around this time that she had felt need to take action, rallying against previous instated Ministry laws on the treatment of 'dark' magical creatures, starting campaigns and ending in a freedom march for Werewolf rights that had almost lead to her expulsion.

She could still remember the angry reporters and Harry being forced to distance himself in lieu of his work. It had not been the best of times...

Hermione had tried to reach out to her friends especially Ron. The realisation that things would never be exactly the same between them in the following years after the battle had felt strange to Hermione, trying to chase after a relationship that had as good as ended.

Trying to decide if that what she had felt for Ron was more idealism or just a schoolgirl-crush, although they were dating at the moment Hermione still had times of doubt.

At the time she had been adrift and alone and if not for her then mentor, Richard, she would have been entirely lost. He had helped her get back on track, with both her life and the law.

Bringing her back to the present and thousands of boxes and casefiles surrounding her, and the file hidden in her drawer.

Yes, she was indeed making the right decision,

the only decision...

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Hi, this is my first fanfic. I would really appreciate reviews.