The following day, in the office of the Minister for Magic.
She was no stranger to the Minister's chambers. She had been here only a few months ago, helping Kingsley revise the Servitude of Magical Creatures Act. It had all felt very casual. Plates of scones filled every square inch of the table, the door left wide open to let in a snowy breeze, and Kingsley had been wearing a suspiciously familiar sweater.
Today, there were no scones. The door was firmly closed, and charmed for good measure. And Kingsley was most decidedly not wearing a handmade sweater.
She had been assured that this was just a conversation between colleagues. A mandatory one. It was most definitely not a trial. The owl-delivered letter had been very clear on that. But with the change of atmosphere and her sitting on one side of the table, and the Minister and his Senior Assistant, Felipe Rosier, sitting so sternly on the other, it very nearly felt like one.
Assistant Rosier, who was really more of a Deputy First Minister than anything else, was looking at her with righteous indignation written all over his face.
"You assaulted a peer of the realm." Rosier said. If he was trying to keep the fury from his voice, he was doing a very poor job of it. "In front of dozens of members of the wizarding community. At a charity function. What do you have to say for yourself, Ms Granger?"
Under the shroud of occlumency, she thought, It wasn't the first time I've punched a Malfoy, and I hope it won't be the last.
But aloud, she said, "The same peer of the realm who orchestrated the opening of the Chamber of Secrets?" Rosier squinted at her in confusion, and she changed tacks, realising he was a little too young to know about that. "Lucius Malfoy and all his friends are responsible for the deaths of dozens of wizards. His crimes are a matter of public record. Should I really be punished for one small mistake, when he's never been held accountable for all of the horrible things he did?"
It was not a very good defence, but it was really the best that she could come up with on such short notice. It also happened to be mostly true. Lucius Malfoy had never gotten what he deserved. Unlike so many of his Death Eater allies, Lucius had charisma, a distinguished family tree and a never ending pot of gold to back him up. He had only gotten one year of Azkaban before he had been broken out, and that seemed to be the end of it. He had never even been asked to complete his sentence, let alone answer for the crimes he had committed after he was released.
The injustice of that bothered her almost as much as everything he had done to her. Even with Voldemort dead, the value of Malfoy's pureblood heritage still counted in his favour. She wouldn't have turned away her invitation to Hogwarts for anything, but the wizarding world frightened her very badly sometimes.
Shacklebolt sighed deeply. "Hermione, the entire Malfoy family was pardoned for their actions during the War. Lucius' cooperation with the Ministry after the death of the Dark Lord won back a lot of trust. And his work for St Mungos, and with magical non-human persons, has been really-" Seeing her lips purse, he coughed awkwardly. "Well. Physical assault, in the eyes of wizard law, is treated as-" His face twisted in distaste, "The closest Muggle equivalent would be spitting. It's uncivilised. If he decides to file a suit against you…"
Her breath hitched in her chest. There it was. The slap on the wrist hanging over her. Did they expect her to cower in fear at the prospect of Lucius Malfoy coming after her? She had faced greater dangers before her eighteenth birthday.
The glare she levelled at Shacklebolt could have melted dragonbone.
"If Lucius Malfoy tries to take me to court, Minister, I'll make him regret it."
I'll jinx the next seven generations of Malfoys. I'll drag him through the courts, and when I'm done with that, I'll drag him through the press. I will put every crime he has ever committed back on paper, for everyone to see and remember. I will destroy every single simpering official who has let that snake wriggle back into a position of influence. I'll have his lordship taken away from him.
God help him if he tries to sue me. I will call Harry Potter.
Rosier was visibly unimpressed by her implied threat and almost argued the point, but Kingsley spared him a warning glance, and he shut right up.
The Minister for Magic wasn't stupid. He knew full well that for the promise of Hermione Granger's first exclusive interview, there wasn't a newspaper in print that wouldn't dedicate itself to defaming the Ministry and calling for his immediate resignation. His position was far from secure, and between the two of them, it was obvious which one was more well liked. Her contributions to magic and her role in improving wizard-law had made her a household name in her own right.
And then there was all the rest. The fact that she had been instrumental to the preservation of their way of life. The fact that she was Harry Potter's best friend. She was the role model of half the population, and a saviour to everyone else.
Compared to that, what was the Minister for Magic, really? He had been of great help to them during the war, and Hermione could never forget that, but the public were more fickle by far. As far as most people were concerned, Kingsley was just an ex auror who had been in the right place at the right time. An ex auror who had made changes that rankled the traditionalists, but had no particular glories of his own to back him up.
Turning to her again, Kingsley put on his widest, warmest smile. "Hermione. We are on your side. The entire wizarding world is on your side."
Hermione thought sourly, I should think so, since Harry, Ron and I saved the entire wizarding world, while wizards twice our age cowered under their beds.
He went on, encouraged by her silence. "You've made us all very proud. But if we want to have peace, we all have to make compromises. We can't, and I hope you'll excuse the phrase, go on a witch-hunt against every one of the Dark Lord's former supporters. If we did, there wouldn't be enough wizards left to run a government!"
The words hung in the air, painful and undeniably true.
She let out a breath. "Compromise didn't win us the war, Minister."
"No," he agreed, "but it might just help get us through the next decade. Please, Hermione. You are both pillars of the community. We can't have you attacking each other every time you cross paths."
She swallowed a snarl at that. Barely. "A few charitable donations does not make him a pillar of the community, Minister."
Kingsley gave a great sigh and leaned back in his chair. He looked exhausted, and for the first time, she found herself feeling sorry for the Minister for Magic.
Rosier coughed. "Ms Granger, the fact remains that without Lord Malfoy's help, many Death Eaters would still roam free. Some of them would still be in very powerful positions, and the laws we've been able to pass, the progress we've made…" He shrugged helplessly. "We cannot allow Ministry employees to assault former Death Eaters in public without some kind of restitution. Do you know how dangerous a precedent that is? There are former Death Eaters out there who genuinely regret what they have done. They look up to Lord Malfoy as an inspiration."
A wave of horror washed over her at the very idea. "An inspiration? Him?"
"It might be hard for you to understand. You, Ms Granger, are on the right side of history. But there are many witches and wizards who aren't. They toe the line, and some of them are genuinely reforming themselves. Do you know why?"
"To avoid a life sentence in Azkaban would be my first guess, but-"
"Because, Ms Granger, this government has shown them that if they keep their more- ah, traditional views to themselves, they can be allowed to re-enter society. Just as Lord Malfoy has. Not be hated, and reviled. Otherwise, what motivation do they have not to slip into their old ways?"
She gave him an incredulous look. "Their motivation is basic morality, Assistant Rosier. Right and Wrong."
He ignored her retort, but she could see a blush creeping up his neck. "If someone who once served the Dark Lord, whether under duress or not, is not entitled to the same protection as everyone else once they have made amends, do you not think that sends a message to the rest of the populace? You are aware, of course, that the Dark Mark still remains on those who served? And anyone can view the registers at Azkaban, the newspaper reports..." He shrugged helplessly. "You are not the only one who has a grudge, Ms Granger. It would mean a bloodbath. It could mean another war."
She found that she couldn't immediately reject what he had said. Could he have a point? She had been summoned to the Ministry practically the moment she had woken up, and she had been so preoccupied with her embarrassment at everything she had so publicly blurted out and panic about how she might be punished, that she hadn't really thought about how other people might suffer because of what she had done.
She didn't believe for a moment that Lucius Malfoy was truly reformed. But what about the others? People like Xenophilius Lovegood, who had only helped Voldemort because his daughter had been taken captive and he had wanted to protect her? And hadn't even Ollivander given information to Voldemort, albeit unwillingly? The world was filled with witches and wizards who had only done what they had done under torture, or because their families were held hostage.
Did everyone who had ever helped Voldemort really deserve to be attacked without retribution, for as long as they lived? She believed in justice. She had to believe that people could make bad decisions and come back from it. But whether they had or hadn't wasn't up to her to decide. She was just one person. Innocent people shouldn't have to suffer just so she could sleep at night.
And with that realisation, the last of her indignation left her. How could she have risked the peace that so many of her friends and mentors had given their lives for? It was inexcusable.
No matter how Malfoy had wronged her personally, no matter how much he deserved it, he just wasn't worth it.
She turned her attention back to Shacklebolt, feeling more than a little ashamed of herself. "Are you asking for my resignation, Minister?"
"No! Merlin's Beard, no." He smiled a sad little smile. "And I wouldn't accept it even if you offered. I was hoping that you would do what you always do. I can't force you. But if there's one thing we at the Ministry can count on, it would be your ability to do the right thing."
Sensing the jaws of a rather nasty trap closing around her, she narrowed her eyes at both of the men and asked. "And what would that be, exactly?"
The Minister for Magic said firmly, but not unkindly, "Lead the way, Hermione Granger. Set a good example, and lead the way."
Poor Hermione, she's not having a good time of it, is she?
This chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy compared to last chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sticking with me this far. I adore your reviews, they always put such a smile on my face! I hope you don't mind if I reply to them, but I really like talking about this story so...
Next chapter needs a lot of work, so I'll warn you that it may be a while. Feel free to shoot me any questions you have in the meantime.
As always, thanks to my Beta and Editor for all the wonderful work they do.
See you next chapter!