DISCLAIMER: Wonder of wonders – I still don't own anything..

NORMAL

Chapter 1

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A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears towards a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to shirk it without feeling disgusted with himself.

Victor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist

"Oi! Hermione! Are you ready already? Breakfast will be over soon! And what you taking so long for anyway?" Ron shouted from the bottom of the stairs to the girls dorms.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hermione shouted back while running down stairs, balancing her schoolbag on one shoulder and trying to gather her hair in a messy bun, hoping that its bushiness would cover the fact that she hadn't had time to comb it.

"God I swear if I wasn't hungry myself he could really go to.." she silently mumbled.

"What did you say?" Ron asked her, only hearing her mutter something without being able to make out what exactly she was saying. But it was all forgotten as he saw her coming down, grinning at her he practically assaulted her the moment she had reached the common room.

Hands still in her hair she went stock-still as Ron leant down to kiss her, but he didn't seem to mind that he didn't evoke any kind of response from her. On the other hand, how could he be surprised or concerned with her lack of reaction, if every kiss they had shared that summer had been just as frigid?

God, she despised herself – Ron was so nice and sweet and perfect and he deserved someone better, someone that loved him completely and unconditionally. It wasn't that she didn't love him, because she did, she really loved him, just not in the way a girl was supposed to love her boyfriend and so she couldn't bring herself to kiss him back or even fake a bit of enthusiasm. All she could do was try not to cringe and pull back in disgust as his slippery tongue pushed its way through her closed lips into her mouth.

What kind of girlfriend was she, when every time he kissed her, or touched her, or just looked at her with his puppy-dog eyes, she started chanting in her head: "Please let this be over soon, please let this be over soon.." ?

Wonderful, so now she didn't only find him disgusting, but she was also disgusted with herself – this day really couldn't have started any better!

Awkwardly she pulled away, smiling tight lipped at him. Clearing her throat she glanced around the common room and seeing Harry and Ginny standing just a few feet away, she smiled at them too, though this smile, just like the one she had directed at Ron only moments before, didn't reach her eyes, but alas no one seemed to notice anyway, so she said: "So – are we going to the Great Hall or what?"

Ron nodded eagerly, grabbed her hand and practically pulled her along as he ran through the corridors.

And so another school-year started at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and looking around at breakfast she could see the students falling into the long-known pattern of everyday-life at the boarding school, while all she could think of was "Why was it so simple for them to leave the horrors of the past behind?"

An all too chipper "Good morning Minister!" was what greeted him the moment he stepped out of the elevator and it certainly did not help to dispel his bad mood, if anything, thinking that there were people who actually found this a good morning, made it all even worse.

Maybe therefore he snapped: "Percy, how many times did I tell you: I have a name, so please, do me the favour and actually use it!" much harsher than he usually did, or maybe it was just that he was getting sick of having to repeat the same thing everyday.

Percy's cheeks tinged slightly pink and he hurried on to say: "Sorry, Mr. Shacklebolt! It won't happen again!"

Sighting Kingsley nodded, too tired to deal with this right now. "Mr. Shacklebolt" was still better than "Minister", even if it made him feel like his father was standing right next to him.

He got the mail from the Weasley boy, after having to assure him three times that it was just the same as if he would run ahead and put it on his desk. The boy was alright, but a little too eager for his taste, still, he was capable and with the workload they had to deal with at the moment every helping hand was needed.

He crossed along some corridors, greeting people here and there and finally pushing the door to his office open.

Throwing the mail on the desk he settled his briefcase next to it and started to pull of his coat, only to be interrupted by a loud knocking.

"Come in!" he called out.

"Morning Mr. Shacklebolt." Greeted his secretary while sweeping into the room, strange how it didn't bother him when she called him by his family name.

"Morning Alice." He answered, resuming the task of taking off his coat and then making himself comfortable behind his desk.

"I have the reports you asked me for yesterday." She held them up and then quickly continued: "At half past ten there's going to be a trial, which you'll have to attend by special request of the Wizengamot. It should be over just before lunch-time, which is perfect as you're going to have lunch with the Irish Minister, where you'll be able to ask for his assistance with..."

"I know, I know, I was the one who proposed the meeting, remember?"

"Sorry Mr. Shacklebolt." She murmured, pouting slightly and batting her eyelashes at him.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, an infatuated secretary was just what he needed to make his life more interesting.

"Well, thank you Alice. If that was all.."

"Oh! Yes of course!" She put the reports she had brought with her onto the desk, smiled one of her 1000-watt smiles and left, swaying her hips a little bit too much for it to be her usual way of walking.

But what did he expect? He was just over 30, newly appointed Minister of Magic and not to forget, thanks to years of training and working as an Auror, fit and well-build. It was really no wonder nearly every single witch of Britain, and a few married ones as well, was after him. Especially since Witch Weekly had him on their list of Britain's most wanted bachelors only second to Harry Potter. But as it was common knowledge that the war hero was already spoken for (the Weasley girl had made sure of that in various interviews after the final battle), they could have just as well put him on the first place. Not that he hadn't had his fair share of women (and maybe that of a few other men as well) before, but now they were like vultures, not even waiting to get him alone before throwing themselves at him.

Shaking his head he started with the first task at hand – sorting through his mail.

He was roused from his work by Alice's knock on the door. She swept into the room, smiling her too sweet smile again, only to tell him that it was high time for him to go to the Wizengamot.

"Oh! Before I forget," she added, handing him a letter he hadn't seen her holding just a second before "this just came in. It doesn't seem very important or urgent, but you told me to give you all the letters as soon as they arrived anyway, so.."

Kingsley nodded, silently dismissing her and waiting till the door had closed before hastily opening the letter. He had learnt long ago that the most inconspicuous looking letters often were the most important and crucial ones, especially if they had the Headmistress of Hogwarts seal on them.

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Kingsley,

I hope not to have reached you at a unfavourable time, but there are some matters that I would like to discuss with you. Don't worry it is nothing of an alarming nature and it isn't even all too urgent, but it needs to be discussed anyway, so just let me know when it best suits you to come to Hogwarts.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts

School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

--

Looking at his pocket watch he hastily picked up a feather and a scroll of paper and jotted down:

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Minerva.

I'll be coming to Hogwarts this afternoon. If it doesn't suit you, please let me know, otherwise till later.

Kingsley

--

And with that he left his office in a hurry, thrusting the letter at Alice as he passed her, telling her to send it immediately to Hogwarts, and hasted all the way down to the Courtrooms on the 10th level.

A/N: Please review!