Disclaimer: I am not the ever wonderful J.K. Rowling and in no way, shape, or form do I own Harry Potter.

Rating: T

Setting: Ten years after the fall of Voldemort

Main Characters: Hermione Granger, Theodore Nott

Secondary Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginny Potter/ Weasley, Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, Terrence Higgs

Notes: This is non-epilogue compliant, but the events leading up to the defeat of Voldemort are all the same.

The Beast Lurks Within

by: glimmerveins

Despite the well-intentioned rehabilitation ideas of our Minister, the punishment of the pure-bloods on the side of Voldemort is cruel and unjust. While there is no doubt that the sins committed by the Death Eaters were inhumane, it is just as wrong to punish their families and force them into labor. In addition, the public humiliation of the pureblood families who sided with Voldemort as well as the—

"What is this, Hermione? You told me it was a proposal, not some bleeding heart lecture on pure-blood treatment. I told you I don't have time to read all of this." He flapped the thick shaft of papers in her face. "For Merlin's sake, just get to the point, okay?"

She cringed when he dropped her well-written proposal into the waste bin; it had taken her half a month to come up with the proper wording, something that would not inflame the delicate senses of the many revolutionaries who had taken post in the Ministry. One wrong word and she would be marked a turncoat or a pure-blood sympathist.

"With all due respect, sir, I think it would be best if you read through my proposal. This subject was barely covered in any of the Ministry's files, and I believe it is an important area we have to cover." Her boss hadn't even looked up from the paperwork he was writing up, and, as much as she enjoyed filling out forms, it could not be that intriguing.

He gestured to her with a dismissive wave of his hand as someone would to a petulant child causing Hermione to take a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. For the last sixth months she had been petitioning the Ministry to give her permission to study the sudden untraceable disappearance of many prominent pure-blood family heirs, but all the officials had either ignored her completely or asked her why she would want to find a flaw in something that was to the obvious benefit of the entire community. However, her hard work along with her reputation as a war heroine had finally granted her a ten minute slot time to present the proposal to the head of the department.

"I am here to ask for permission to investigate the disappearances of many pureblood families and the ability to search the premises of the manors, starting with the Nott Estates."

Her sudden change from demure to brash caused his attention to briefly shift towards her. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms to reveal a large, rotund stomach. "I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I am afraid I have to veto your proposal. The estates are strictly marked off with red tape and the Ministry has employed many qualified officials to look into the disappearances." Giving a yawn, he shifted his focus back towards the paperwork.

"It's been ten years, though, and they've found nothing!" Hermione stood up, agitated at her boss's nonchalance to the topic. "I mean, there must be a relation somewhere. Theodore Nott disappeared a month after the war ended, and then Blaise Zabini, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, and Terrence Higgs all vanished without a trace within the following weeks!"

"Well, it's simply a dead end. If you've done your research, you would know there are several things Muggles like to call 'cold cases'. Or, even better, maybe these five imbeciles have come to their senses and decided to leave for the good of everyone. See yourself out please, Miss Granger." With that, Hermione knew that her ten minutes were over. Nobody cared about the fate of the five heirs and, even if they did, they were too scared or too powerless to be considered a voice of reason.

Picking up her briefcase, she left the conference room in what should have been an office-styled Walk of Shame. In the workplace, it was the ultimate sign of defeat to be seen walking down the hallway without a stamp of approval after giving a proposal.

Hermione was not the average working simpleton, and the defeat did not deter her; rather it spurred her on. Her desire to see good in everything had fooled her into thinking that the Ministry might actually care about the welfare of all its citizens, not just the ones who supported their beliefs. However, it was obvious that the Ministry was corrupt and wholly single-minded; they didn't realize that not everything was in their power to control. The truth would be uncovered with or without their permission.

She wanted to cast a Sonorus and scream her indignation from the Ministry's highest floor. She wanted to knock some sense into the oblivious, government-hypnotized minds of the people around her. Mostly, though, she wanted to smash her foot into the cream-colored walls in order to express the pit of anger, frustration, and, above all, disappointment. However, having a fit was much more of a Ron thing to do as screaming while casting a Bat-Bogey Hex was Ginny's trademark tactic. Instead, Hermione did what Hermione knew— she planned.

.Perhaps the public would chalk it up as an early mid-life crisis or perhaps they'd turn a blind eye like they did to the disappearances. She didn't know and, for Merlin's sake, she didn't care. Her plan wouldn't be easy, and it certainly wouldn't be expected. At least it would be better than sitting in her swiveling chair, blissfully ignoring the blatant crisis like every other 'dutiful' Ministry employee.

Retrieving the untouched pad of a pink paper stored in the bottom drawer of her desk, she began to write with a fervor that had not been seen since the founding of S.P.E.W. The scrawl was disorganized and a far cry from her usual impeccable penmanship. With a single flourish of her quill, Hermione signed the last flourish in the 'r' in her name. Chin held up high, eyes full of a brazen charisma, he left work early for the first time in her entire life. Why? Because she had just quit.

Author's Note:

Hi, everybody! *waves excitedly* First of all, thanks for reading the first chapter of TBLW. It's going to be a multi-chaptered fanfic about my absolute favorite ship Theomione! I'll be updating around once every one to two weeks. At the moment, I know it's a bit dialogue heavy, but I promise that it will get more interesting as the story progresses.

My diet consists 70% of reviews so... please review. Thanks again!

-Thea