Author's Note: Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors. Thank you so very much for reading.
Behind Closed Doors - Chapter Four
"Kingsley, I'm telling you, she needs our protection! They are after her!" Hermione was starting to get agitated.
"And I'm telling you - She can protect herself. We're talking Minerva fucking McGonagall here!"
"She's hurt!" Her voice became shaky, and she could only hope that he didn't noticed. How can't he see what are they trying to do? She explained it like fifty times so far!
"Yeah, poor little Headmistress. Killed three Death Eaters, the other three ran away like scared children. They'll know better now than to try and attack her."
"We thought that there are no more than ten Death Eaters left out there, and we get an organized attack! Merlin! They even found her house, not even you know where that is!"
"With all due respect Hermione, and you know how highly I think of you, you're getting a little paranoid…" He sighed. "It's been 9 years since Voldemort…"
"Voldemort is dead!" Young woman cried, surprising both of them. "His followers are not!" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Kingsley…"
His face hardened, showing how displeased he was with the tone of her voice. On the other hand, brown-eyed woman before him wasn't just anybody. Kingsley cared, despite them not always agreeing.
"Is everything ok? You seem a bit on edge. Not once I saw you this… snappy."
"I'm fine, thank you." She nodded quickly "But I still think we should send someone to keep an eye on Minerva until the school year starts. Once she's in Hogwarts, they won't dare attack…" Giving up wasn't an option for Hermione.
"All right. You go." Minister said finally.
"M-Me?" He's crazy – was the first thing that crossed her mind. He knows all too well how much work she had to do!
"I'm giving you a month off, and if you want to spend it sneaking around Minerva, go ahead."
"But… work… I have… work to… " Hermione stumbled on her own words, beyond surprised.
"No, no. I'm not taking no for an answer. When was the last time you took the time off?" He grabed her by her arm, and walked her to the door "Now, out of my office. I'm late for my 9 o'clock meeting."
"But I'm not an Auror!" She breathed, her eyes as round as they can go.
Before closing the door, she heard him ask "Are you saying you're not good enough?"
Not good enough? Not good enough? Hermione took an elevator and ran to her office.
In his big chair, Kingsley laughed for himself. He knew he said the right thing. Gryffindors never hesitate to show their bravery… and Hermione was no different.
Author's Note: All comments, questions and reviews are greatly appreciated!