The following morning, Millie apparated to Wiltshire with Harry. "Now, Malfoy Manor is around here somewhere," she noted. "It's near Longleat. Appropriate, as Lucius has about as many 'wifelets' as the current Marquis of Bath did in his prime!"

"Perhaps I should speak to Draco about including a safari and adventure park in the grounds?" Harry suggested. "Opening the less magical areas of the house and grounds to the public?"

"If nothing else, it would greatly irritate Lucius!"

"I know. Draco told me that Narcissa, Astoria and he were out of the loop. They certainly were not happy about his takeover of the Ministry. After all the trouble Draco had straightening his reputation and that of his mother after the Battle of Hogwarts, the last thing he needs is to be caught up in his father's coup d'état."

Millie nodded. "Draco will never be my favourite person in the world, but he's turned over a new leaf since Astoria got her claws into him. Besides, as he discovered, it was one thing to threaten murder and mayhem, but another to actually carry out those threats!

"Pansy was more affected by Draco's unwillingness to protect her than by the rapes, I think. Still, she's happy now, with me, Whisky and Soda and you, Ginny and the kids." Whisky and Soda were Millie's two cats. They were popular with the Potters, particularly Lily, whom they seemed to adore as much as their owner did. "Now to change into my working clothes…" She quickly spun herself into Wonder Witch.

"Do you want me to summon back-up for you?"

"If I'm not out in two hours, then yes please. Wish me luck!"

Lucius Malfoy sat down in his study. He was enjoying exercising his newfound political power. All the major decisions had to be approved by him. Now many Houses were getting hints that they might be able to reacquire their votes in return for some financial compensation and an Unbreakable Vow to support House Malfoy whenever requested. Nothing major in the scheme of things of course, but an incentive to keep things under his control. Let Greengrass, Weasley and company say that this is clear evidence of corruption, even let the White Council start a special investigation, but until such time as the Council ran the Ministry directly, that wouldn't interfere with his plans!

Suddenly, a figure appeared in a cross between a scrying glass and a sneakoscope Lucius used as a burglar alarm. The figure shown was unmistakeable! It seemed Potter had unleashed his attack dog, or attack bitch! Well, he had prepared for that eventuality.

Wonder Witch approached the manor buildings. The 'Big House' stood in front of her. Well, now to do some investigating. She tried a rear door, possibly a servants' entrance? There was a cooking scent – the kitchens were nearby? Well, unlike Diana's friend Peter, she didn't have 'Spider Sense', but she couldn't pick up any sounds or smells to suggest an ambush.

Since the door was unlocked, she entered carefully. No, it wasn't a kitchen, but a potions laboratory. What was brewing? Suffering Sappho! Some sort of sleeping draught, not the Draught of Living Death, but still a potent one. Time to leave! The simmering cauldron exploded, filling the air with choking fumes. Her additional strength allowed her to resist for longer than most witches or wizards, but she still succumbed to Morpheus in the end.

Wonder Witch awoke. She was lying on her back on a stone floor, her limbs chained spread-eagle to the wall. The charms preventing her sword, scabbard, belt, wand, wand holster, lasso, tiara, armour and hoplon shield from being taken by anyone who meant her harm were still in place, as the items in question were all still about her person.

There was a grilled door to her right, with Lucius Malfoy peering through it at her. "Ah, Ms Witch, or do you have a real name I can use?"

"Nice try, Mr Malfoy! Now, drugging me and chaining me up is not in any way suspicious, is it?!"

"You were, now what was that filthy muggle term, breaking and entering?"

"Firstly, I wasn't breaking into anything, as the door was unlocked. The worst I could possibly be guilty of is criminal trespass.

"Secondly, I am an authorised agent of the White Council. If you wished to stop me entering these premises, the correct procedure would be to ask me to return with the appropriate search warrant.

"Now let me go and we'll say no more about it. Otherwise, you may be expecting further visitors. I'm supposed to check in…"

"And you think I was born yesterday?! No unlocking charm can work on the shackles, so…"

Wonder Witch sighed, feeling the rest of the drowsiness wear off. She promptly pulled on all four chains simultaneously, snapping them easily. As Lucius watched on in horror, she rose to her feet and wrenched the cell door off its hinges. "Now, call me old-fashioned, but I don't regard a dungeon cell as a standard feature in a wine cellar. Please excuse me, but it's time to leave…"

Lucius raised his wand. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, Ms Witch…" She deflected his disarming curse with her left bracelet, before grabbing him one handed, lifting him up and calmly moving him out of her path. "You won't escape…" he called as she ran up the staircase.

"You just watch me!" she retorted, as she opened the door into the main ground floor corridor. A number of armed wizards awaited her. "Great, Lucius would surround himself with minions… OK, which of you thugs-for-hire wants to go first?!"

Wonder Witch fastened her hoplon to one arm and drew sword and wand. Time to fight!

One thug was knocked senseless with a swipe of the hoplon-arm into his midriff, whilst a second fell screaming to a kick in the crotch. Stupefaction Curses were deflected straight back into other attackers or harmlessly into walls, floor and ceiling. Seeing a host of Lucius' hirelings, sympathisers or whatever position themselves between her and the door, she remembered something Steve Rogers had taught her during a training session. Firstly, crouch down, ensuring everything exposed is safely behind the shield. Secondly, run like hell! So she ensured her head, thighs and upper arms were hidden behind the shield and charged as fast as she could. Goons were bouncing several yards off the face of the shield as she ran and she ran. Eventually, she charged through the door and into the courtyard. Once outside, Wonder Witch launched herself into the air and flew away.

"I was starting to get worried!" Harry noted, as Wonder Witch landed beside him. "What happened in there?" She told him. "Why, that… that… that super-smug scumbag…"

"Say what you really feel, Harry!" She nodded to Will Stanton, who had arrived with Susan whilst the Amazon was in Malfoy Manor. "I did drop a few warestones around the place. Can you get a feel of anything they are thinking or saying in the few rooms I visited?"

Will frowned. "Someone's talking in one of the rooms you visited. I can sense their emotions and something of their words…"

"So, we need to get that Weasley mudblood out of the Ministry of Magic," Lucius finished, "maybe even replace Shacklebolt with myself in due course? Alternatively, I might propose that the time has come to allow those Houses who wish to follow the old ways to have an independent Ministry and an education at Hogwarts, with a more amenable teaching staff naturally? The other Houses and those without noble or even any magical lineage can have a new Ministry and their own school."

"Where are we going to get the funds to keep these institutions going?" asked someone else. "It isn't cheap sending our children to Hogwarts now. Reducing the number of students substantially will send the fees sky-high!"

"Oh, I'm sure we can work something out. With a smaller student body, the food, drink and sewerage costs should reduce considerably. Thank Morgana the heating is magical!

"Perhaps we could persuade the Wizengamot that Hogwarts needs a more generous bursary support? Before we make the school for us only, anyway."

"Wouldn't the school's intake policy be a matter for the Board of Governors?"

Lucius nodded. "Yes. I am a governor and I know how to persuade the Board to be reasonable."

"I thought as much. You are a sly fox, Lucius Malfoy!"

"So they want to fire me?!" Hermione raged. "I've a good mind to resign now and not give them the satisfaction! It would be better than having to report to that bitch Marietta Edgecombe. You would think that I had wronged her in some way…"

"Does the word sneak ring a bell?!" Ron asked rhetorically.

"I hate you sometimes!"

"How's Cormac McLaggen getting on as Head Auror?" Harry asked.

"Let's just say that half the department wants to quit. The other half already has!"

"That bad?!"

"That man has always had a higher opinion of his abilities than his achievements suggest. Never let it be said Lucius Malfoy can't add insult to injury superbly!"

"What do we do now?" Pansy asked.

"Keep an eye on Lucius Malfoy and his cronies," Harry told her. "The White Council has reminded the Wizengamot that Wonder Witch has certain liberties to enter an unlocked property or vehicle without a warrant. Chaining her up in a cell counts as unlawful imprisonment. Of course, Malfoy merely tries to threaten that the Ministry of Magic can always secede from the Council, which it could only do with a two-thirds majority vote. He can't get that!

"Hermione, keep an eye out for trouble at the Ministry. Malfoy might try something. Whatever you do, though, don't do anything too noticeable."

The following day, Hermione saw Marietta Edgecombe meet up with Cormac McLaggen and head towards a stock cupboard. Strange! I wonder if they are meeting up with Malfoy?

Hermione cast a disillusionment charm on herself and snuck into the cupboard before McLaggen could shut the door. Lucius Malfoy was indeed waiting for them.

"How are you enjoying your new positions?" Malfoy asked.

"Annoying that bitch Weasley is always fun!" Marietta Edgecombe commented. "She made my life a misery all those years ago. Now I can return the favour!"

"I always said I was better than Potter and Weasley!" McLaggen crowed. "Now I am proving it!"

Considering the Auror Department was on the verge of mutiny after Cormac McLaggen, with no prior Auror experience or qualifications, was suddenly made Department Head, this wasn't true. Since his lack of both was high on the list of reasons why Malfoy had wanted him appointed in the first place, however, this was not a concern to the latter. What Malfoy was concerned about was how long the White Council would merely investigate what was going on and not actively decide to enforce those accursed rights they so championed.

"Well, for the next stage, I want…" Lucius was interrupted by a sneeze coming from an unoccupied part of the room. A quick revealing charm cancelled Hermione's disillusionment. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in?! A spy, how quaint!"

"Get stuffed, Malfoy!"

"Weasley, you're fired!" Marietta exulted.

Hermione furiously drew her wand, but was hit by an expelliarmus followed by a stupefy. "There!" Malfoy crowed. "Now to get her back to Malfoy Manor. Whilst she hasn't overheard anything major, I would like to ensure she doesn't say anything to Potter just yet.

"I managed to purchase a muggle antique recently. Weasley would be interested to experience it, no doubt!" He grabbed Hermione and activated a portkey and both disappeared.

"Is Hermione with Gin?" Ron asked via the floo.

"No, she's not. Why?"

"I was expecting her back early today. Apparently, she hasn't been seen at the office in some time."

Harry looked at Millie. "Let's go to the Ministry and see if we can find her."

"Where am I?" was Hermione's first response on being awakened. She was lying on a table, with her arms chained to a block of wood at one end of the table and her legs to one at the other.

"Malfoy Manor, Weasley!" Lucius Malfoy laughed. "I acquired this handy muggle device from a wizard collector. He called it a rack…" It was at that point that Hermione noticed the old wheel attached to Malfoy's side of the table. "Now to test it…"

Malfoy span the wheel and, with a crunching noise, the two blocks of wood moved further away from each other. Hermione screamed at the intense pain caused by the chains pulling on her stretched limbs. "It works. Now, Weasley, I am going to ask you a few simple questions…"

"Hermione seems to have vanished off the face of the earth!" Harry commented to Kingsley in the latter's office.

"Where can she be?" Ron fretted. "She doesn't usually disappear like this."

Someone knocked on the door. At a deep, commanding cry of "Enter!" from Kingsley, a caretaker entered. "Begging your pardon, Minister, but we found Mrs Weasley's wand in a stock cupboard. The last charm cast was a disillusionment one."

"So she's been doing some snooping?!" Ron groaned. "Contact Will and ask if he can still get anything from the warestones at Malfoy Mano, Harry. Oh, and contact as much added muscle as you can! We may well need it!"