31st March 2002
Hermione took a drag of her cigarette, noting with mild disdain the flecks of yellow beginning to stain her index finger. She'd quit after Christmas. Probably. She huddled under her coat, fruitlessly scanning the nearby buildings for a ledge to take shelter under. It was raining lightly, but it was the bitterly cold winter wind that was beginning to make her regret making the trip out to meet her contact this morning.
Not that her royal fucking Frenchness ever managed to turn up on time to one of their meets, of course. She'd been out in the freezing Manchester morning for about twenty minutes already, and had made her way through three fags out of sheer boredom. They were meeting in a dilapidated industrial area, full of old buildings that had been long since vacant. She'd camped out in an old steelworks overnight, using her old protective spells. If she'd been capable of feeling anything but emotional numbness at this point, she'd perhaps have felt a pang of longing for the days she spent hunting for horcruxes with the boys, but she wasn't, and had instead spent her evening reading over her notes prepping for her meeting with Fleur.
Fleur was the Order's contact in the ministry. An odd choice perhaps, but they had to make do with the members they had left. The woman certainly had had the grades, and the dark side never did shy away from those with creature blood in the way that the light often did, apart from Voldemort of course. The Delacour family was ancient, with ties to Charles De Gaulle, and weren't exactly short of Galleons, far from it in fact. Her ties to the Weasley clan had been severed, and the Veela, fortunately, had taken on more of a healing role in the final battle and thus hadn't been identified by any of the opposition forces. She wasn't initially welcomed into the ministry fold per se, but she'd proven herself quickly enough, and soon sat in the Department of International Magical Cooperation as senior assistant to the French Ambassador.
Post-war wizarding society was a complex place. Things ticked over much as they always had, though of course with fewer freedoms for those of non-wizarding blood. The new regime at least allowed some concessions to mudbloods, life and liberty being chief among them, and for the top performers academically, the chance to train at some of the UK's smaller schools. For the rest, magical binding, and for traitors like Hermione? She'd be lucky if she wasn't publicly executed in the way that several of her more outspoken classmates had been. Poor Neville.
'Is anyone home? Or should I come back when you're not busy locked in your own head?' Barked Fleur, impatiently. Her French accent had all but disappeared over the last few years, Hermione had wondered if it was partially for self-preservation. Raising one's head above the parapet, particularly when one had previously had connections to Potter, was scarcely a good thing for a ministry employee. Fleur was still hauntingly beautiful however, as she always had been, Hermione doubted Fleur could ever enter a room without gathering attention.
'I'm here, as I have been for the last fucking half an hour. What was it this time, pervert boss too busy flirting with you for you to remember you had a meeting?' Hermione shot back, irritated.
'Calm down. I'm here now. I have some troop movements for you, as well as some early information about a new law concerning property taxes, though I don't see why you wanted it. I almost got spotted getting you that last bit of info, Narcissa's getting really friendly whenever I'm in her presence. Thank God I had the presence of mind to undo a couple of buttons before I walked into the room, she never noticed I'd duplicated a file.' Fleur responded, the last comment accompanied by a look of distaste.
'Shag her if you think it'll help you with the mission, it's not like you're the type to mind' Hermione snorted, half seriously.
'I'd be offended, except I had the short-sightedness to date you for a few months back in Hogwarts, so I'm pretty sure you're right' Fleur laughed, remembering their time during the Triwizard Tournament.
'Charming. Nothing from the Department of Mysteries then?' Hermione responded, back to business immediately. Fleur wasn't surprised, the brunette had been all business for years now, it was rare that she'd manage to get a smile out of the younger woman.
'What do you think? It's not like I can just waltz down there on my tea break and ask for a look at their projects?' The older woman wasn't surprised, it was a constant source of contention between the pair. Her office on the fifth floor gave her little reason to make trips down to the basement, and try as she might, she'd never managed to get further than the odd little doorway leading to the department, which had once been guarded by Arthur Weasley. Another lifetime really.
'Well keep trying, we need to see what they're working on, things are too calm right now' Hermione said, frowning.
'You're complaining about things being calm? It has to be better than running for your life every three days' Fleur replied, laughing in a way that they both knew was hollow.
'She's up to something' the brunette insisted, tiredly.
'If you say so. You're so suspicious, maybe things are actually settling down' The French witch was tired of their age-old argument, wanting for once to believe that things might actually be getting better for them all, though secretly she agreed with the Hermione, she was loathe to add fuel to her paranoia.
'Don't tell me you're losing sight of the mission? We can't afford to be complacent. Anyone lost on our end?'
'Nobody major, a couple of new members, ex Hogwarts, nobody of any tactical significance' Fleur responded. The loss of life would have deeply upset her in the past, but now, she was simply relieved that it had been nobody vital to the mission.
'At least that's something.' Hermione nodded, before taking the documents from the other woman. They hugged briefly, Fleur worrying momentarily about how gaunt Hermione was becoming, vowing inwardly to make sure she was well stocked with food on her next visit. Given that Hermione was able to access muggle supermarkets, it was unlikely a lack of food that was the problem, but simply a lack of desire to eat.
'Remember, ring me on the burner phone if you need me urgently, otherwise, wait until I contact you, same signal as always'
'Of course, leader' Fleur smiled, jokingly nodding her head at the austere head of the order.
'Lux Permanet' Hermione said quietly, the new motto of the order and their creed.
'Lux Permanet' Fleur responded, smiling sadly before disapparating.
Lux Permanet – Latin for 'Light Remains'