Severus and Draco stood amongst a crowd of onlookers, waiting for the Director of the Magical Law Enforcement division of the Ministry to take the stand and begin her speech. It was a strange day, indeed, as it was rare that the Director was willing to gather excessive media attention with a sporadic press conference of this size. As such, everyone of import - from shop owners to scholars and every politician in between - gathered in the Atrium, nervously awaiting her arrival.

Severus was usually not among those that gathered for her speeches, for a variety of reasons, but he had agreed to accompany Draco on this particular day, as he'd been given a personal advisement of today's subject. When he approached Severus about accompanying him earlier in the week, Severus had been hesitant at the least, but ultimately could not refuse. The poor boy did not deserve to stand alone in a crowd like this, and Severus understood why attending was necessary. Whether he liked it or not – and there were days where he most definitely did not – Draco was his godson, and Severus was the closest thing to a father that he had left.

A few moments after the crowd assembled, the Director took the stage beside the Statue of the Fallen, and the room fell silent. In her Muggle pantsuit and formal robes, she set herself to rights on the podium with Harry and Ginevera Potter filing in behind her, assuming the chairs that were set beside her. This was indeed a very unusual press conference. While Draco and Severus both knew the reason for the gathering, it seemed that they could not set any expectations for this event. It was rare that Hermione Granger held a press conference, but she had never spoken beside Potter; especially not after he left the department.

After a second or two of righting her robes and smiling at a few of her colleagues in the audience – Severus and Draco excluded, of course – she finally began, "Hello, everyone. As abnormal as it is for us to gather here today, we have very important matters to discuss."

Severus took a moment to roll his eyes during her pause; the familiarity of her voice was disorienting, but the change in her oration was too much for him to bear. He could not stand politics. The comings and goings of the Director were no longer his concern, but he could not help the frustration that accompanied seeing her putting on this public face. She was no longer the woman that he had known; she was just a mask worn for the public. His disappointment was overwhelming.

Pulling him from his thoughts, she continued, "It has recently been brought to my attention that the quality of security and treatment of the prisoners confined within Azkaban is unacceptable." Another pause before she continued, "Earlier in the week, Lucius Malfoy - currently serving a twenty five year sentence - was beaten, tortured, and sodomized within the walls of his cell, which are only accessible to the guards."

There was a gasp from the crowd but, ultimately, the majority of them seemed to be in a state of shock. Severus knew this was her intended impact, but Draco still looked a bit pale. Severus couldn't imagine it was possible to put that from your mind, regardless of what kind of man his father was, and tried to smother his annoyance and listen as she continued.

"When I approached Warden McLaggen about the conditions of the prison, he refused to consider a reformation of procedure. Minister Shacklebolt has taken a similar stance and is refusing to fight for the human rights that these men and women deserve. The men we have chosen to lead us are refusing to perform their duties, and this is why I stand before you today."

He knew what she was in for with a statement like that, but he had to wonder if this was something that she was anticipating. The malicious part of him was hoping she hadn't, but even after six years, he knew her. She would not be taken by surprise; she was never one for being underprepared. He was certain there was something else up her sleeve. He just wasn't sure he had the stomach to listen to it. Soon, the crowd started in on her.

"He did worse with You Know Who!" Someone shouted.

"How can you defend him?" Another outraged voice cried.

The final scream that he heard, however, made him flinch.

"He deserved everything he got!"

The Director threw a hand in the air, and the crowd fell into silence as she began to speak once more.

"Lucius Malfoy is not a good man, and that will never be argued, but let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, that you will not find in any book, any paper, or any diary." She paused again, and he felt a feeling of dread growing inside him.

Again, Severus took a look around and observed the reaction of the crowd. While there were a few disgruntled faces, the majority of them seemed to be very invested, as though they were about to hear a juicy piece of gossip around the cauldron. It bothered him to see that Hermione - no, the Director - had become the kind of person that knew exactly what to say to get people on her side. She had never been this person before; he couldn't help but wonder how she'd fallen so far.

"Lucius Malfoy has done some terrible things. That much we know," He heard her continue, pulling him from his thoughts, "What you don't know is that he personally took a hand in the destruction of the lives of the people you call your heroes. Ginevera Potter was possessed and nearly died because of him. Harry Potter did die because of him, and I lay on the floor of his parlor being tortured while he stood in a corner and watched. He sat there and watched as his sister in law cut this," she told them as she dramatically threw back her sleeve, clearly displaying Mudblood to the world, "into my flesh. He laughed as my innocence was taken away."

Nobody else spoke, and there were no gasps. All eyes were locked on her, waiting for her next move. He remembered that scar well; he would never forget the nights she laid awake and stared at it, wondering how she could possibly be beautiful to him when she was so scarred. He'd done everything he could. She knew she would always be beautiful in his eyes, and that wasn't enough. He'd made every potion in every book and created three of his own to get rid of the bloody thing altogether, but it was impossible. He couldn't remember how many nights his failure had kept him awake over the years. Now, apparently, it was nothing but a political tool. He supposed she was grateful for his incompetence, since it made such a phenomenal shock factor in her speeches these days. His hateful thoughts continued to roll through his mind, and regretfully she began to speak again.

"This, we already know," she said, and he thought for a moment that this clipped tone was more a self defense mechanism than a public speaking technique, but he was never one to give her unnecessary praise, "So, I ask you, if I can stand before you today and tell you that the man who stood silently in a corner and watched as I was tortured, the man who laughed as he raped me, deserves his rights, how can you look me in the eye and say he does not?"

The crowd shouted in outrage, Severus went stiff, and Draco froze beside him, clearly unable to think. The younger man's eyes turned to him, burning with accusation, but Severus couldn't look back to him. He could feel the bile churning in his stomach as he stared at Hermione's face. His instincts told him to rush to the stage and wrap his arms around her. He prepared himself to tell her how undeniably wonderful she was and how nothing would change it. He remembered holding her to his chest as she cried about the things that Lucius had done. He remembered her cringing at his first touch, as if it was he that had raped her. He remembered the pain that he'd felt being unable to console her, her nearly overdosing on contraceptive potion when he left her for just a few short hours, having to restrain her after she nearly scrubbed her skin raw, and every instinct in him told him to run to her, but she was not that unstable now.

He could practically hear her sobs echoing off the walls of their chambers, but when he looked at her, she was the epitome of control. Her features were schooled into a challenging look, but something about it seemed off. He wondered, if only for a moment, how long it had taken her to decide to share that with the public. Now, she stood in front of thousands, announcing her most private information to the world with a blank face. There was no emotion left in her. He was no longer certain if he had ever known the woman who stood at the podium at all. The woman he thought he'd known kept her secrets to herself, suffered in unbearable silence, and hoped that people would change based on their inherent goodness alone. Now, this woman before him showed no traces of that hope; there was nothing sacred to her anymore, and he wondered if there'd ever been.

Before long, she continued, but Severus could hardly bear to listen, "The residents of Azkaban may have committed acts that are entirely inhumane, but they are still human. Lucius Malfoy deserved to feel safe in the place that was supposed to be helping him recuperate. If I truly believe this, despite everything that man has done to me, if we all can," she said, her voice getting louder as she gestured behind her to the Potters, "Then I urge you to stand with us, to keep that faith you had in us seven years ago as Voldemort fell, and demand that Minister Shacklebolt and Director McLaggen provide these men and women with their rights. Not the rights that you may think they have earned, but the rights that they deserve."

The crowd seemed to mull this over for just a moment, and soon the audience burst into synchronized applause. Severus did not include himself in that group, but he watched as they broke into a fit of hollering and cheering. Her ability to manipulate a crowd was astounding, and the poise she kept was impressive, but he could not put the earlier moments of the day from his mind. He had often wondered if she learned to keep her emotions from her face during her time with him, but he tried not to give himself too much credit. He didn't teach her much of anything outside a Potions classroom; that much was made clear to him today.

She had forgotten about him the very moment they said goodbye, and she'd turned into this. Whatever she was now, he no longer knew her, and he didn't care to. Yes, it was clear that she had been doing well for Wizarding Britain, but he could no longer see the woman he once loved in her eyes. She was cold, abrupt, and the hope and ambition that once glimmered in her eyes was replaced with the shine of political power and policy influence. It was clear that this job truly was her life.

Looking at her made him sick.