She enters her home and immediately runs up to her room. The tears that she'd been holding back all day escape and soon she's bawling with all the pain she's been through during the day. It doesn't take long for footsteps to sound on the stairs, her door to open, and arms to wrap around her. The scent of her mother's perfume encases her and her tears slowly turn to hiccups. After she's calmed down quite a bit, her mother hands her a handkerchief and the small girl wipes the tears away from her brown eyes.
"Hermione," her mother says. "What happened sweetheart? Why are you crying?"
Hermione sniffles a bit and blows her nose. She then turns her brown eyes to her mother. "Mummy, they call me names. They wouldn't let me play with them."
Hermione's mother sighs and holds her daughter close, the older woman's heart breaking at the torment her daughter is having to go through.
Hermione holds her head high as she walks into the Ministry of Magic. Her once wild hair has settled into something more manageable, her eyes still hold the intelligence of her youth but with more confidence, and her shoulders are pulled back as she glides through the atrium of the ministry. Her robes, a far more modern cut than most other witches around her, are of a nice material and from a very upscale boutique in Diagon Alley. Her heels, unlike her robes, are pure muggle. They're black leather uppers with a bright red sole. Classic Louboutin. She'd almost regretted the splurge when she'd been in Nice, France with Ginny and Fleur, but had decided that she could afford it. Besides, they're what Fleur refers to as he power shoes.
"Hey mudblood, has anyone ever told you that your face is all lopsided?" Pansey Parkinson says. "How many mirrors have you cracked just by being close to them?"
Hermione continues walking past them. Someone reaches out and pulls on her hair, causing a yelp to escape the Gryffindor girl's mouth. The Slytherins chuckle at that. Still, Hermione keeps walking.
"Hey mudblood, I think I know why you can't get a boyfriend," Draco Malfoy drawls. "It has to be those giant teeth you have. People take one look at them and mistake you for a rabbit."
As Hermione goes to sit down, one of them kicks her chair away from her and she falls to the ground. That sets the Slytherins off and they all start laughing even more. Hermione mentally pushes their comments away. What they say doesn't matter. It really doesn't. Though the pain in her chest tells her otherwise.
"Mione, I really wish you'd let me curse them," Harry says, glaring at the laughing Slytherins. "I just need one good one and they'll back off."
Hermione sighs before smiling at Harry. "It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Don't do anything to them."
Harry keeps eye contact with her for a moment before grumbling about how he only needs one good spell, just one, and they'll leave her alone. Hermione lets him grumble. Besides, what she said was true. She's dealt with this before and came out on top, she'll do it again.
Hermione walks past the security wizard, nodding to him as she walks by. He gives her a brief wave before talking with the man before him. As she steps into the elevator the doors begin to close. Right before they do, someone slips in and gives a soft sigh. The woman's black hair is a mess as are her robes. Hermione feels a bit of sympathy for the woman as she's had those days herself and knows all too well how it feels. As the woman straightens, she finds herself surprised to see Pansy Parkinson standing there. If Hermione is being honest, Parkinson looks horrible. Like she hasn't had sleep in weeks, her hair could use a good washing, and she looks incredibly thin for her stature. Here's the woman who had helped make her life at Hogwarts that much more difficult. Who had sneered and simpered and teased and bullied Hermione into a stubbornness to be better than any of them.
Parkinson apparently finally realizes who she's standing in the elevator with and straightens. "Hermione! Oh my god, I hadn't realized that I was standing with you! You look amazing."
Hermione wants to snarl at her, but instead just smiles. "Thanks Parkinson. How're you doing?"
"Oh, I'm still interning at Phelser and Phelser," Parkinson says, shrugging. She then nudges Hermione with her shoulder. "The life of an aspiring lawyer, eh? What about you? How're you doing Hermione?"
Hermione blinks. "Not to divert the conversation, but why are you calling me Hermione?"
Parkinson laughs. "Come on Hermione, I've always called you that. We're friends after all."
"Oh really? Since when?" Hermione asks, her eyebrow lifting. "Or have you forgotten how you treated me at Hogwarts? And then again when we were in law school?"
Parkinson starts to reply, but is cut off by Hermione.
"Anyway, I'm fantastic," Hermione says. "I've accepted a partnership with Grimm, Noir, and Wolfe. I'm engaged with an amazing man. Oh, and I've got a new law that I'm bringing before the Wizengamot this morning."
Parkinson's eyes widen and her jaw drops.
Hermione smirks. "And to think, all this wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't been so horrible to me in school. Thank you, for making me push myself."
The elevator stops at the level she needs for the Auror department. She has a stop to make before her moment in front of the Wizengamot. As the door closes, Parkinson sets her hand in the opening, forcing the elevator to wait. Hermione stops and half turns to her, her eyebrow raised as she waits for the woman to say whatever she needs to say. Parkinson just stares at her more before snarling.
"You'll never be anything more than just the little mudblood that I was able to make cry in school," Parkinson snarls.
"Yes, yes, keep up with those meaningless comments. Make your jokes, your jabs, your pitiful attempts at making me feel worthless." Hermione smirks. "After all, you're the one who has a dead end internship at a dying law office, one which you got only because they wanted some eye candy in the room. Meanwhile, I'm still rising, I'm still climbing, I'm still fighting. So tell me Pansy, who's laughing now?"
Hermione turns on her heel and progresses down the hall. The clicking of her heels and snarling of Pansy Parkinson echoing for all to hear. Instead of saying anything, she merely smiles and continues walking. A ding goes off and she pulls out a small cell phone. The magical community had finally decided to pay attention to the mundane world and had copied some of their technology. Most of the things run off of a series of runes, wards, and other complex bits of magic. She'd sat down and gone over them with Seamus while the young man had been designing them. Flicking on the screen, she notices that she's got a notification on OwlBook. She opens it, barely noticing that it's for her public account, and furrows her brows at the pictures that pop up. Apparently Draco Malfoy had tagged her in some photos of them. Photos that were taken right before the two started fighting usually, though some were of when they'd been forced to sit together in class.
"Hey, look what I found. Miss the old days!" Hermione mutters, reading the caption. Rolling her eyes, Hermione closes the app and slips her phone back in her pocket. Moments after, she spots blond hair at the end of the hall and sighs. It's turning into one of those days.
"Hermione, how are you? It's been ages since I've seen you," Draco Malfoy says as he spots her. "Did you get my message about meeting up on the 5th? Theo mentioned getting some friends together and I figured you'd like to come."
Hermione blinks in confusion. What in bloody hell is going on today? Mentally shaking herself, she raises an eyebrow at Malfoy. "Of course it's been ages since we've seen each other Malfoy, we graduated from Hogwarts about six years ago. As for some sort of message, of course I didn't get it. Even if I had, I doubt that I would've shown up as none of my friends would be there."
"Oh come on, we're friends."
"Since when?"
Malfoy's eyes flash. That's when Hermione remembers that there's a law that he wanted to get passed through the Wizengamot. Unfortunately for him, she was leading the charge against it. Rather easily too, since the damned thing was full of more holes than a sive.
"You uppity mud—"
Hermione rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm an uppity little mudblood with no reason to take out my obvious inferiority upon such prestigious people as you. Please try to gain some new insults than the ones you wore out in third year."
As Malfoy snarls, Hermione just walks past him into the Auror offices. As she does there's a slight hush to fall over the bull pens.
"Head Auror fiancé on floor!" someone shouts from the back. "Attention!"
The Aurors in the office all jump to their feet and give her a salute that they would never have done for her fiancé, much less herself. Chuckling at the joke, Hermione gives a mock salute back to the group.
"As you were," she says, remembering that release from when her father had been in the Army. The entire pen starts to go back to usual business, most of them smiling. At the door of the Head Auror's office is the person she was looking for. As she walks over to him, his eyes sparkle with mischief and he's got a bit of a smirk on his face. Hermione stops in front of him and puts a hand on her hip.
"So did you put them up to this, or did they come up with it on their own?" Hermione asks.
Harry chuckles. "I had no part in it. Though, it is amusing that you're shown more respect around here than me."
"They know the brains of the outfit when they see it," Hermione says.
"Oh really?" Harry moves too quick, tickling her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist. "Well, they'd be right at least. So what do I owe this surprise to?"
Hermione catches her breath and leans into Harry's chest. "I've got a meeting with the Wizengamot in a few minutes. I needed a morale booster."
Harry blinks before recognition flashes through his eyes. "The Lupin-Brown bill?"
Hermione nods.
"You've got this in the bag Mione. You know that bill inside and out." Harry pauses, his eyes narrowed a bit as he looks her in the eyes. "What's really bugging you?"
"I saw Parkinson and Malfoy before I walked in here," Hermione admits. "They said some things that shook me up a bit. It's silly."
Harry rests his chin on her head. "I still say I just need one good spell. I know more than I used to you know."
Hermione giggles. She's well aware of that, especially since she helped Harry with a couple of them. She turns slightly somber, thinking back on what Parkinson and Malfoy said. "Am I still just that nerdy little girl with the buck teeth and bushy hair? Am I still the uppity little mudblood bitch to all those people out there?"
"Hermione," Harry says, pulling back to look her in the eyes. His emerald eyes flashing with anger at what they'd said, love for her, and more than a little pride. "You are the most spectacular witch to have graduated from Hogwarts. You took so much crap as a child, but unlike others, you didn't let it hold you down. You used that animosity to strengthen yourself and become better than ever. And they all know it. People look at you and think that you've made it to the top. They think that you've reached the pinnacle of your success. But you're not. I know that, and you do too. So let them make their jokes. Let them blow some smoke. They'll all see that you're amazing. A force of nature. And you'll rise far higher than any of them could even dream to. Don't let them get to you. After all…"
"Who's laughing now?" Hermione says, finishing the thought. This was something that the two of them had to do for one another once in a while. Remind each other that they've built themselves up from where they started. When the staunchest purebloods decided that one of them was trying to "rise above their station". When the reporters tried to discredit their work. When how their childhoods had gotten noted to the public. When one of them was feeling weak, the other stepped in and reminded them of how far they'd come. And of how much further they would go.
Hermione smiles and leans up a bit to give Harry a kiss. When she pulled back, he was back to his usual mischievous self. Then a crash sounded from the bull pen and he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Excuse me, I have to take care of an idiot," Harry mutters, giving her a kiss on her forehead before he walks off. "HIGGINS! MY OFFICE, NOW!"
Hermione giggles and heads towards the Wizengamot chambers. She looks at the time as she's walking down the hall and smirks. She'll be entering right before they announce her bill. Well, she's gained a taste for making an entrance. Pulling her shoulders up and back, she lifts her chin and pushes the doors open with a bit of wandless magic. They hit the walls with a slight bang, causing most of the Wizengamot members to look at her in shock.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot," Hermione says, her voice carrying and a smirk settling on her face. "I believe that we have a bill to approve."
Mischief Managed
AN/ Hey all, long time since I've entered anything for the HP fandom. I've been busy on other works and found myself growing tired of them. For anyone interested, I'm working on some projects that are edits and continues of old stories (I lost my old laptop a while back and have had to completely restart on some of them) and will be working on plot bunnies for new ones. Hopefully, you'll be seeing more of me in the future. BTW, if anyone can correctly guess what the inspiration was for this story, they'll get a one shot written for them.