Hello people!

I had no frikking signal and it was a nightmare.

Why are they called nightmares instead of night-horses? Just wondering...

Anyway enjoy.

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5 months later…

It was a cloudy day in the middle of October. Hermione Granger did the usual routine as she had for the past two months. After the War, to everyone's surprise, she had decided to become a curse-breaker, something which she really hadn't considered before. Nobody knew the reason for her sudden change of her dream-career.

Due to all the publicity which came along with being dubbed as War-Heroine, Hermione had accepted to study under the apprenticeship of a renowned curse-breaker, away from the public eye. Her tutor was Perseus Garder, who reminded her of Professor McGonagall. Strict but caring at the same time. He had retired before the war began, but was absolutely delighted to teach someone with so much potential. He had immediately taken her under his wing, and her progress was much faster than it would have been if it was in a class.

It was challenging, no doubt in it. But Hermione loved challenges, and that was the reason why Hermione decided to become a curse breaker. Well, that was what everyone thought.

The truth: Hermione had never shared with anyone what took place at the Room of Requirement four months previously. Everyone thought that the Room had extinguished the flames by itself, and nothing survived the flames. No one knew of the mysterious white jar which survived the fire. Hermione preferred it that way. She wasn't stupid enough to open the jar, and wanted to study it without anyone questioning her, just like the the liquid Fiend fire, both which were under heavy enchantments in her apartment. That was the real reason why she wanted to be a curse breaker.

The day started like any other day. After her breakfast, Hermione Apparated to Garder's Cottage. To her surprise, her tutor was wearing a formal suit and was waiting at the door for her.

"Are we going somewhere Mr. Garder?", Hermione asked as she approached him.

"Ah, yes." Mr. Garder replied. "Since you're progressing very fast, I thought it would be good to give you a real practical application. So I contacted the Auror office a few days ago and asked them to put you on a case if they ever found one. It seems like they have."

Mr. Garder smiled at the excited look on Hermione's face." But when did you do all this?" Hermione asked him.

"Well, I believed I had quite some time on my hand when you were absorbed in the theory books."

Hermione turned slightly pink."So where are we heading?"

"To the Auror's Office. They have taken artifacts from the house of an ex-Death Eater and require you to remove the Dark ones from the rest."

Ex-Death Eater? Hermione wondered who it could be.

"I think this will be an easy task. You just need to identify the presence or absence of a curse in each object, unless anyone request you to identify the curse itself. So shall we leave?" Mr. Garder asked.

Hermione nodded her head. Both of them Apparated to the Ministry.

"Are we permitted to enter the Office?" Hermione asked as she gazed around. The Atrium was completely transformed. There were no statues: in the centre, there was a huge obelisk, which was erected in honour of the people who lost their lives during the War. Each person's name was carved on it. Hermione felt a pang as she remembered all those who had died, and was brought back to present by Mr. Garder's reply.

"I was informed that we would have an escort." He looked around and seemed to have spotted someone. "Ah, here they are."

Hermione followed his gaze and found a familiar face.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed as she was pulled into a hug by the redhead.

"Long time no see, Hermione." Ron Weasley said as he pulled back, grinning.

True, Hermione hadn't had much contact with her friends since she started her apprenticeship. All she knew that they had joined Auror training. Much to the disappointment of the Wizarding world, she and Ron had parted as friends.

"Well its absolutely wonderful to see you again" Hermione gushed. She would have continued if she wasn't interrupted.

"I hate to break this reunion, but Miss Granger has arrived here for a reason", Mr. Garder said.

"Right you are Mr. Garder. This way, if you please" Ron led them towards the Office.

"Everything is being renovated, so we had to shift. The objects are currently in the interrogation room. Man, Malfoy had put a hell of a fight when the Aurors went to retrieve them-"

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, shocked. "As in Lucius Malfoy?"

"Merlin, no. That bastard was put in Azkaban. No, it was Draco Malfoy. He got off for not giving us away at the Manor, remember? Anyway, he is not allowed to carry a wand for six months. It turned out to be bloody useful too. If he had his wand he would have probably hexed the Aurors. Though he did swear a lot from what I heard. Bloody git."

By the time Hermione processed this, they had already arrived at their destination. Ron opened the door and they entered.

The room was quite large for an interrogation room. There was a large table in the middle on which all the artifacts were neatly arranged. Two chairs were placed at the opposite sides of the table.

"Right. I'll leave you to it. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Send a Patronus if you need anything" Ron said and left the room. The door closed with a soft thud.

"Let's begin, Miss Granger" Mr. Garder said, and Hermione nodded her head.

She once scanned all the items on the table. Most seemed like family heirlooms. Her eyes moved to the middle of the table and her heart stopped.

It was a plain white jar.

The same jar which was currently at Hermione's apartment.

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Next chapter will probably be on Sunday