Author's Note: Okay newbies, here's how I write, you get a short note at the beginning and end of each chapter, ok? Right I am also looking for a Beta (meaning a spell & grammar checker, just so we can email unpublished chpts between each other to check) if anyone is interested either review with contact details or PM me. Thanks.
Disclaimer: All content of this fiction reflects none of the views of Warner Brothers, JK Rowling or myself. I also would like state that the characters and most of the content are burrowed from the Harry Potter Books. Thank you.
Chapter One: Out of the Pan and into the Flame
"And if you sign here it will all be finished." Hermione dipped the nib of the quill into the inkpot and signed her name in the black. She looked up at the rosy secretary behind the desk.
"There, welcome to the Ministry of Magic, Ms Granger!" She said bubbly. "I am Fiona Cackle, just come to me if there is something you don't understand or somewhere you can't find ok?"
Hermione nodded to the middle-aged witch and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So where exactly is the Aurora Department?" She asked quietly, feeling slightly stupid.
Fiona smiled and pointed down the hall. "Last door" She whispered conspiratorially.
Hermione had been in intensive Aurora Training for the past three years with her best friends Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Recently they had all graduated with honours and the Ministry had offered them all jobs.
Today happened to be October the first and Hermione's first day. She was excited and nervous about being out of Camp Deepcaudron, the only way she could describe the experience to her family was to say it was like the muggle Armed Forces. Discipline and respect were law and punishment for breaking those laws where severe, without exception.
Now she was out, her wand was no longer standard issue but her old comfortable transfiguration wand last used back in her school days. Her clothes were her own soft ones not itchy khakis one size fits all robes. All in all Hermione felt like she was becoming herself again, with her own taste and style.
She reached the last door at the end of the hall and knocked three times. A familiar face opened the door "Tonks!" Hermione shouted and threw her arms around the bubblegum blue haired witch.
"Hermione!" Tonks giggled and embraced her warmly. "Welcome to the Department! Oi! Lupin, Duckworth, Weasley and Longbottom drag yourselves down here, someone you might vaguely remember!" Tonks shouted behind her.
Hermione smiled as her old professor Remus Lupin came out of a musty office, followed by Charlie Weasley and Neville Longbottom.
"Neville did you become an Aurora?" Hermione asked genuinely surprised he would finish before she did.
"No, I dropped out after a couple of weeks, I am the secretary for the department." Neville grinned.
"Yeah, but he's always losing our files!" A mousy haired man said. "Duckworth, Gabrius Duckworth, Remus's friend." The man introduced himself as and shook her hand warmly.
"Right, so you are opposite Tonk's Office, just call her if you need her." Lupin said before offering her a cup of coffee. "Department meetings are on the first day of the month, so today in the conference room over there. It's then that we delegate tasks to each other. That way no one has to do the same thing all year long."
Lupin opened the door to the conference room; it was a big room with a large table in the centre surrounded by chairs. On one side of the room large windows high up made the room seem brighter and bigger.
Tonks lead her out of the conference room across the hall to her office. Hermione was faintly reminded of a Film Noir movie by her door, which read in frosted glass 'Hermione Granger, Special Investigator'.
"In here is the centre of your life" Tonks promised, she took out a silver key and unlocked the door. Handing Hermione the key she walked in.
The office itself was small and one of those large windows dominated a wall. The desk was set on the wall next to the door and held only a lamp the opposite wall had a filing cabinet and a waste paper bin. Finally in the corner on a little table, a bowl with two goldfish.
Hermione put her bag down. "Yes this is very nice. When does the meeting start?"
"Just after lunch, which gives you time to go to the stationary department and get you supplies." Tonks said looking at an invisible wristwatch. "When did you say Harry and Ron were starting?"
"November, they are off watching the world Quidditch cup final." Hermione scoffed.
"Well, I suppose as they weren't allowed to watch or practise Quidditch at Deepcauldron they deserve it." Tonks said. "Right we better get up to the stationary department!" Tonks exclaimed.
Twenty minutes later Tonks was arguing vermentally with the stationary master. "I am sorry but what if one quill breaks?"
"That's what the spare one is for." He answered looking more and more annoyed.
"Oh, right and if that one breaks then the money for a new one comes out of her wages!"
"That's what I said" The master said angry "Listen there is a demand in the ministry for quills and with the budget…"
"Rubbish, this isn't some snob nosed clerk's quill used for note taking, this is for official documents ordering when and where a death eater raid will take place!" Tonks fumed, the master paled.
"Fine, have three and get out of my way, I have important ministry business to be getting on with." He said trying to push past her.
"What, like counting your precious budget!" Tonks said then squinting at his name badge she added "Mr Stakesmith". Hermione picked up the quills and steered Tonks out of the office.
"You know back in my day we got five quill when we enrolled and if one broke we came down her and got a new one. Unbelievable. Really the cheek of some wizards you think they had a broom shoved up their… Ah Moody! We didn't think we would see you till Friday!" Tonks said hurriedly.
The ragged looking tower of a man peered down the hall. "Look, our first new employee, Hermione!" Tonks smiled.
"You haven't had new Aurora's for a while then?" Hermione asked as Moody slunk in step with the witches.
"Not since the last war, only taken on the menial employee's." Moody growled "No one worthy or trustworthy." He added.
"Oh." Hermione said looking at Tonks who was cheerfully skipping along the previous argument completely forgotten.
"Well I think it is nice to have some fresh new faces!" Tonks said as they passed Mrs Cackle who smiled warmly at Hermione. Moody limped to a halt and opened the door of the women closing it quickly behind himself.
"Should get some locks…"
"Alistair! This is in the Ministry! For goodness sake be a bit less suspicious!" Tonks snapped steering Hermione towards the conference room.
They were all gathered in the conference room with parchment and quills, reminding Hermione of a very strange looking class. Lupin stood up clearing his throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Right, so they list of jobs is here and we have decided to give those in the field a bit of a break so Tonks and Moody your in admin this month."
Mad-Eye thumped his fist on the table and Tonks muttered a few unsavoury words under her breath.
"Duckworth you are off admin and into intelligence my old job. I'll be in the field down in Germany working with the local Aurora's and trying to gain Werewolf support." Lupin said looking around the table.
"Ah, our new girl, Hermione you will be posted at a routine in field work with the undercover death eater's. You'll be supporting Severus Snape in Surrey" Hermione scribbled this down furiously. She stopped then looked up.
"Anything else sir?" Hermione queried looking up. Lupin smiled and looked into his folder again.
"Well, no, I mean obviously you'll be trying to covert some other death eaters into giving information to intelligence section but that's it, support Severus." Lupin said. "Now what is the current situation? Moody and Tonks what did you accomplish?"
"Harry it was incredible, the news was cutting edge, you know real on the street knowledge." Hermione said.
"So you liked it?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and you'll love it too. You get your own office and fish…" Hermione said.
"Wait fish?"
"Goldfish in your office." Hermione explained.
"Alright then, well we better go. Ron is waving goodbye to the phone, drunk twat."
"Give him a hug from me when he comes around ok?" Hermione said.
"Do I have too?" Harry grimaced into the phone.
"Yes! And I am hugging my imaginary Harry goodnight too! Miss you guys!"
"Yeah you too! Night Mione."
"Night!"
CLICK.
Hermione put down the receiver in her London flat. She had bought it a while ago just before enrolling, and had rented it out while she was a recruit, that way she had enough money to buy new furniture for the flat when she came out.
The work on it had really played off and Hermione was now comfortable with her new place and relishing the peace and quiet of living with only a temporary lodger, who was usually out of the flat from nine till nine anyway.
She slipped across her hallway to the little bathroom and stepped into the shower. Ten minutes later a pink and warm Hermione crawled into her pyjamas and surveyed her clothes.
She would be away from home only two days while staying with Severus and she needed something to wear. She folded a tweed skirt and a cream blouse and put them on the chair for the morning and pulled out a little black dress incase they went somewhere. A pair of black trousers and a light blue top and knitted light yellow and blue tank top to go over it. Finished sighing Hermione tucked them into her suitcase and settling in bed with Snape's intelligence reports, files and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading I do enjoy reading new reviews and take criticism on board, so if something bothered you just tell me. Finally I would like to clarify that Hermione and Ron aren't a couple, in fact neither are Hermione and Harry. In this fiction she regularly expresses her affection to both Harry and Ron though pecks on the cheek, or cuddles, so that's what she meant.
Thanks again -Shivvahna