Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters.
The Lost Years
Chapter One
Harry closed the door of the red telephone booth behind him and adjusted his coat.
"Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic."
"Welcome Mr. Potter." A soothing female voice spoke. Harry felt the familiar lurching feeling in his stomach as he was transported into the headquarters. It was 9:00 am on a Monday morning and the building was already swarming with witches and wizards. Walking across the giant foyer and into his office, Harry spotted Ron already at his desk, coffee in one hand, his head in the other.
"Busy day already eh?"
"Huh?" Ron looked up, his eyes already beginning to glaze over. "Oh hi Harry. Yeah. Been swamped with paperwork already. This is not what I signed up for." Ron took a sip of his coffee. "Ah... this can wait. Boring case file." He put down the large folder and grinned at Harry.
"How's Gin?"
"Can't sleep as usual." Harry said with an exasperated smile. "She keeps waking up in the middle of the night and writing things down frantically as she remembers more things we need to plan."
"Women." Ron muttered. "Bill says Fleur was the same. Zeees flowers and zat centrepiece." Mimicked Ron. "And I suppose mum is having a field day with all of this."
"She's been...helpful." Harry said sheepishly. Ron laughed.
"Don't worry mate, you can tell me."
"Alright she's been just as bad. Keeps apparating over with cake samples at least twice a day."
"Lucky. I wish mum would bring over cake for me." Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. He sat down at his desk and glanced over at the stack of papers beginning to accumulate.
"You'd think after killing Voldemort I wouldn't be stuck in an office sorting out his mess."
"Evil never dies I guess. All of his creeps out there continuing his dirty work. If I see one more report about some crazy pureblood scheming up some 'kill muggles' plan it's gonna do my head in I swear." Ron sighed as he pretended to bang his head on his desk.
"Yeah well I just hope to get through this lot by the end of today." Harry said, gesturing towards the now teetering stack of paper. "It seems an awful lot even if it is a Monday morning."
"Yeah, you're right. Hermione!" Ron yelled out, straining his neck over the other tables. "Where is she? It's almost 10 and she's never late." Harry looked around the room. Ron was right. There were at least fifteen other people rushing around but no sign of Hermione. She had been absent from work a couple of days now which others simply explained as secret business but when she was there, she was on time.
"She's on an assignment." The answer came from above them. Harry looked up at his boss.
"This early? What sort of assignment? Where is she?" Ron sputtered.
"You know I can't say Ron." Replied Remus as he flipped through another folder. "She'll be back soon enough." He put the folder down on Ron's table. "Another one for you." He walked off towards his office leaving a very unhappy looking Ron.
"At least she's not stuck in here."
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Hermione crouched behind the curtain and tried not to gag at the stench that was pervading her nostrils. Boy they really needed to clean whatever it was that was causing the putrid smell. Her hair was plastered to her forehead from the sweltering heat that was wafting up through the air vent as she peeked through the curtain trying to steady her breaths. Now would not be a good time to let herself be found out by the simple mistake of exhaling too sharply. She was so close. The meeting was almost over and he was almost alone. Almost. That's what she had said to herself two hours ago. Hermione massaged a cramp in her calf as she shifted positions praying that her legs wouldn't give out. Sure she had trained for this. Every auror did. Hours and hours of stealth training. Except it was never the same when you had adrenalin coursing through you, knowing that if you got caught, you would end up dead. Or worse. This is not a simulation. This was the real deal.
"So that's all I think for this morning Avery." A burly man replied.
"I'll be back next week with the finetuned details Theodore." The man called Avery replied, picking up his things. "Give your wife my regards."
"Of course. I assume you can let yourself out?" Theodore asked as he sat back down in his chair. Avery nodded and turned to leave.
"One more thing." Avery looked back at Theodore. "Make sure everything goes according to plan. We can't have any mistakes like we did last time."
"Of course." Avery left the room and Hermione made sure she heard the front door close before making her move. It had been crucial to let this meeting play out. Without the information, there was no point.
Hermione got up from her crouched position and raised her wand from behind the curtain to the back of the large armchair, spotting the back of Theodore's greasy head.
"Petrificus Totalus." She whispered and she heard a large thud. Theodore was now lying on the floor. "Excellent." Hermione put her hood back on. If someone was watching her, at least she wouldn't be identifiable. She walked up to Theodore Nott, pressed her boot hard into his back and smiled. "And you though setting up all those wards would work." She sneered at him. She poked her wand into the back of his neck and apparated with a loud crack.
Hermione arrived within the large stone walls. Ever since Voldemort's demise, the ministry was cleaning up the streets so to speak, clearing them of his followers. They usually went to Azkaban after their trials but the ministry needed someplace safe to keep them in the meantime. These dungeons were riddled with wards and barriers to prevent captives from escaping. It was a little medieval at first for Hermione but after months and months of capturing witches and wizards so consumed in the dark arts, it was a satisfying end to what was considered a very difficult task.
"I want a solitary cell for this one Turner." Hermione announced to the guard.
"No problem Granger." They were familiar with each other after countless captures. Hermione pushed Nott into the cell; made sure he had water to drink and released him from the body bind before he could get a peek at her. No need to fuel his hatred knowing that she of all people had caught him. Hermione caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was wild and matted and she had smudges of dirt on her cheeks. Though she was exhausted from the mission, the satisfaction of making such headway on the case was enough to put a sparkle in her eyes.
Hermione left the dungeons through the long winding tunnel. She arrived at the marble floors of the foyer. She had always expected to end up at the ministry of magic and had even given some thought to becoming an auror. The reality of it felt like a fantasy to her. Catching criminals. Using her brains for something that would do the world some good. It was the best path for her and she was considered one of the best. Her ability to gauge situations while still being able to hold her own in duals was what made Remus hand her the trickiest assignments. Harry and Ron were highly regarded for their skills but it was Hermione who could draw the connections with very little information, think four steps ahead of everyone else. Her focus and determination drove her and often she found herself working late nights, sometimes for weeks at a time.
She sighed as she reached the auror's offices. Her legs felt like a bag of bricks as she bee lined straight to Remus Lupin's office.
"Hermione. Good to see you. I believe all went well?" Lupin looked up at her. He looked worn out but these days he always did. Still he refused to retire from the job, insisting that it gave him more satisfaction and life than anything else would.
"Caught and in the dungeons. I waited until I had enough information."
"Excellent work. There is a pensieve behind that bookshelf. If you could give me that particular memory. I assume you didn't take notes." He smiled.
"No, it wasn't exactly a note taking situation." She laughed quietly.
"Alright. Well I suppose you will want a day off then..."
"Unless there is something else you have for me?" Hermione probed. Remus sounded tense.
"There is. I would rather you were freshened up to hear about it though."
"Another assignment?" It was a little unusual for her to be given two jobs consecutively. Usually another auror would be handed the assignment.
"It's a bit of a special one." Remus began. "Not to mention tricky. We have no evidence at all. Only suspicion and theory." Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Undercover?" Remus nodded.
"We believe the person in question has been supplying dark objects, helping fund a particular group. This group is in connection with Nott's work. They have been buying properties around Europe and coincidentally, these areas have had mysterious accidents."
"Murders?" Hermione asked surprised.
"I thought that might be the case. We don't know yet. It seems the objects that they have been given is used to fuel this... I can only call it elaborate plan."
"So you want me to find out who is supplying the gear? Then what?"
"I want a confession."
"Well that should be easy!" Hermione relaxed her shoulders.
"Not so much." Remus sighed. "You'll find it difficult to administer any sort of potion to those wary of it these days. And believe me; people have never been so cautious."
"Okay so you want me to go undercover and get a confession out of this guy. Why me? Why not another auror?"
Remus ran his hand through his hair. "This one requires a bit more...let's just say finesse. He won't open up to anybody."
"Oh." Hermione started to worry. "Who is it?"
"Are you accepting the case?" asked Lupin. "Because I can only divulge that information if you are. No one else and I mean no one else must know." Hermione paused before sticking out her hand.
"Okay I accept." Remus handed her the folder.
"Top secret. Learn the information and then make it disappear. Oh and that memory as soon as you can." Hermione nodded. "We'll have a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the particulars. In the meantime, get some rest."
"Thanks Remus." She opened up the folder. In bold letters was the name Draco Malfoy printed at the top of the page.
"Great." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just what I need."
A/N: Review and tell me what you think!