The smoke hung heavy in the air, residue from the spells. It obscured the little light they had left. Hermione and Fred stood back to back with their hands clutched around their wands in apprehension. The stench of death served as a steady reminder of the consequences that could await them with one wrong move. No one was prepared for the aftermath of the war and the Ministry needed things buried.
The Ministry was weak and welcomed back its staff with open arms. There was a hesitation among witches and wizards but they trickled into the system.
The Auror department was on the brink of collapse as so many had lost their lives. The surviving aurors were full of resentment and lacked faith in the Ministry.
The Order of the Phoenix was summoned and they eventually came to agreement to act as reinforcement. They ran independently from the aurors and their missions were directly from the Minister. Missions were varied and ranged from attending a charity ball to escorting Death Eaters to trials.
The rest of the wizarding world was lost in celebration and relief as it struggled to heal. The Minister hosted regular events as part of a fresh initiative to keep up the moral, a war hero attended each event. A title that Harry, Ron or Hermione didn't approve.
Hermione's head twisted towards a murmur of a sound. Fred's modifications on the extendable ears gave them a few seconds advantage. She was primed for moments like this. A thin stream of liquid flowed from her wand creating a moat of protective light around them. It flashed blindingly bright then absorbed into the ground. Fred knew this tactic well. It reminded him of Errol hitting the window during post.
Fred started a count down internally as he stood by for inevitable impact. Five, the man charged towards them and Fred casually twirled his wand round his fingers. Four, Fred glanced at Hermione and checked she wasn't looking. Three, he shot a jinx causing the man's shoelaces to knot together and chucked as he face planted the floor. Two, Fred listened to profanities and cursing of the man as he jumped back up, his face growing redder by minute. One, he was inches away from Fred running as fast as his legs would go. Zero, Fred heard the clang and watched as the man's nose squished against the glass like charm. The man tumbled backwards, paralyzed from the force.
Fred reached out and yanked him into the circle and resisted the temptation to give him a good kicking. He had a strong intuition it was Crabbe's father in front of him. Fred remembered Ron telling him about his son trying to murder them all in the Room of Requirement.
Hermione released a jinx from her wand, Fred threw her a bemused look as he saw none of her potential targets. Within two seconds, he heard a heavy thud and saw a smug grin on Hermione's face. She may have been a bossy know it all as a child but she had grown up since then. He couldn't ask for a stronger partner on a mission. Their track record was flawless. Between them, they had the fewest injuries and the most successful captures, and Fred loved to remind Harry and Ron of this. Hermione's knowledge and the adaptations of Fred's products gave them the biggest advantage. He observed as Hermione levitated the unconscious body into the circle. He suspected by her sneer she recognised this one.
"You would have thought after all this time, they would have learned to apparate away by now." Hermione glanced down at the two Death Eaters lying at their feet.
"Come on Hermione, you didn't even give them half a chance with that ward. They might have survived five more seconds before hitting the floor." Fred replied crouching down to review their vitals, checks were carried out immediately. He wanted to establish there wasn't anything lurking in their robes. Hermione leaned over the other unconscious man and scanned his body.
"Hey, you can't do the checks it's too risky." He scolded.
Hermione raised her hands up and backed away. It was one of the contributing reasons Kingsley made them partners. The remaining Death Eaters had a talent of sneaking dark artefacts into their robes intending to kill Hermione. Fred's bloodline meant he wasn't at high risk.
"There's no way I'm taking you back to Harry and Ron itty bitty pieces. Both are deluded, they think they can succeed in themselves into thinking they could kill me, and well we don't need them in St Mungo's creating more trouble."
"As if I need them to kill you for me, I'm capable of that." She said as Fred rummaged through the robes.
"Yes, I know, you've demonstrated that a few hundred times." He noticed something unusual. " et viola, suppose we ought to find out what's in store for us today." He said as he levitated the article. His wand started to shake. Another one, he thought to himself as he cast a spell that created a mesh bag around it.
"Just as well you stopped." Hermione didn't appreciate the look in his eyes and changed the subject.
"I'll start to lock down the house. "
"Need a hand?" He asked knowing how exasperating it was to cast such a great spell. Hermione debated in her head if it would be wiser to do it herself or not.
"I suppose it should be more powerful with two signatures, and we'll be able to go to your mum's roast you've been whining about missing for the entire afternoon."
"I resent that, I did not whine I was simply expressing how great they are and it would be a waste of food and time."
They shifted their attention to the house. Hermione saw a child's bike laying on the grass. She feared what happened to the muggles that had lived here. It was secluded in countryside, no one would have heard their cries. She moved the somber thoughts back and concentrated on the door.
A miniature explosion took out the bolt. Fred used a large spell to blow out all the windows in one quick go removing any charms or curses set about sealing up the walls and the chimneys. Hermione may have dropped a surprise for anyone that seeks to floo in. She made sure they would experience getting wedged in a chimney, then a good coating of charcoal, a small scorching and finally be blasted out to land in the murky pond.