CHAPTER 1

Hermione gently put her quill to the page, and inscribed her small, curly signature in a designated box. She rolled up the parchment and put her seal on it, sighing with relief as she did so. The assignment had taken the better part of the week, and she was immensely glad that it was Friday.

She put the scrolls back into her bag, and was just wondering whether to pick up a coffee before heading home, when the portrait behind her desk coughed meaningfully. It showed a broad shouldered wizard with a tuft of snowy hair and a perpetually apologetic expression.

'I just thought you should know,' he announced, ruefully, 'That Harry Potter is coming up the passageway. He should be here in thirty seconds.'

Hermione frowned. 'Harry?' she echoed. 'What could he possibly want.'

'I'm sure I wouldn't know,' the portrait said, delicately. 'I just give messages.'

'Of course, Rubexo. But if it's something stupid- I just slogged the whole week and I want to home, damn it!' Her expression mutated into one of abject fury, and as Harry opened the door, he got a full blast of it.

'Woah,' he said, raising his eyebrows, and closing the door behind him. 'That's the charming smile, I wanted. Something up?'

'I could ask you the same thing,' Hermione said, coldly. Harry grinned- she was obviously not in a chatty mood.

'Looking forward to going home, were you? If so, you can think again.'

Hermione frowned. 'Have you got some sort of project for me?'

'You can say that again. Can I sit down?' He didn't wait for her reply, but drew up a chair and sat down, placing a large dossier on the table as he did so.

'What's that?' Hermione asked, distastefully looking at the paperwork. 'And since when do you give me assignments? The Head of the Auror Department does not concern the Wizengamot in any way.'

'In this case he does.' Harry said, briskly. 'And in no way you're going to like. This is a file that was submitted at my office my Draco Malfoy about half an hour previously.'

Hermione groaned, and ran a hand through her hair. 'That man? What on earth does he want?'

'You'll find out,' Harry said, ominously. 'He's a little chuffed about his father's punishment. Do you remember the case, Hermione?'

'Vividly,' she replied. 'The bastard tried to flee the country and was caught in Romania, where he was administered the Kiss. What's wrong with that?'

'Just this,' Harry said. 'The little ferret's done a whole lot of research-.' He gestured towards the dossier- 'And apparently, the administration of the Dementor's Kiss is illegal in Romania, Hungary, and various other European Countries.'

Hermione stared at him. 'What rubbish,' she said, instinctively. 'The Kiss isn't illegal anywhere?'

'I'm afraid it is, Hermione,' Harry said, sadly. 'He's quite right- and he's got four hundred and sixty seven ages to prove it. All that is research from Hogwarts Library itself. Oh, and ten of the pages include a lawsuit being filed against the Wizengamot, and a diadect that goes against the Auror Department.'

This time, Hermione did not even reply. She gaped a couple of times, and then her fingers inched to the file, opening the cover.

'I- what-.'

'Don't read it now,' Harry said, pulling it away. 'Too long. First, explain to me what a diadect is.'

'Partial accusation,' Hermione mumbled. 'It means he is levering half of the lawsuit against your department. But- but you can't sue the Wizengamot.'

Harry looked rueful. 'That's exactly what the little bugger plans to do. He says that it was the Wizengamot before this gave his father an illegal sentence- he mentions something called Charter of Continuation…'

'COC,' Hermione muttered, furiously. 'The bastard.'

'What's COC?'

'It decrees that any form of accusation of injustice carried out by a Wizengamot is answerable by the next one. Are you trying to say that he- he's suing my Wizengamot because of what the previous one- It's impossible!' she exploded.

'Hermione,' he said, gently, 'Relax. His charges are as follows- actually, I'll let you do the reading. The lawsuit, and the research. I couldn't make out head or tail of it, but I suppose you could.'

Hermione took the file.

'Right.' She said, 'Right. I'm going to go through the lawsuit first. What are your plans for dinner, Harry?'

'I don't know. You want to meet up?'

'I'll stay here and go through the lawsuit. Think you can be back by half past nine?'

'Sure.' He paused. 'Hermione- I'm sorry about all this.'

'It's not your fault, Harry,' she said, grimly. 'There goes my perfect weekend.'