Disclaimer: I don't even own Kingsley, and he's a pretty minor character. *sadpanda*

Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped through the dirty Floo, mumbling about antisocial Potioneers with no manners and ash marks on his brand new amethyst robes. He found the owner of the dour home sitting in its entryway, leaning against the door. The sharp tang of alcohol hit him well before he was next to him.

"You know," sneered Snape, slurring his words slightly, "waltzing into someone's house uninvited is a serious abuse of your status as Minister."

Kingsley joined his erstwhile comrade on the floor and flicked his wand at nearby candles. "I was looking for Hermione. She owled into work again this afternoon."

Snape laughed, a harsh, angry sound. "You just missed her. Incidentally, you may want to leave how you came. I believe she laid numerous nasty hexes on the other side of this door."

"Is that why you've drunk…three bottles of firewhiskey? Merlin, Snape. How are you conscious?"

"Four. I smashed one of them." The hook-nosed man gestured vaguely with a long-fingered hand. "And Sobering Potions. Modified ones, obviously."

The Minister gave a put-upon sigh. "Hermione isn't well, Snape. I'm afraid I'll have to sack her if she keeps this madness up."

"Well, she is up to her eyeballs in anti-depressant. Madness sounds apt."

"Antidepressants, really? Hermione Granger?" Kingsley couldn't be more shocked. He'd learned about Muggles and depression from a rambling Arthur Weasley and was fascinated by it. Things like that didn't exist in their world. There was madness, yes, but something as simple as brain chemical levels (or some such thing, he didn't really understand Potions, let alone chemistry.) were just "fixed" by the magic that flowed through their veins. Potions like the Smiling Solution were rarely used outside of pranks and even then, only for short periods of time. If Hermione was using something like that regularly, it could cost her more than her job—it could take away her sanity and her magic.

"Yes. Hermione Granger. Saw her at the Apothecary. I wanted to explode everything in her little basket, but the shopkeeper said the next time I get into a row there, I'm out on my ear. And I have a business to run."

"I—I suspect I may have been a bit hasty in telling you that your…relationship with her was damaging to her career."

"Why? Are they still whispering about her?" Snape spat, laying the venom thick.

"Yes. But more importantly, she's not coping. She's barely at work and when she is, she's useless."

Snape closed his eyes. "Why are you telling me this? You told me to wash my hands of her and I did. Hermione's strong. She'll be right as rain without me weighing her down."

"That's just it, Severus. I don't think you were weighing her down at all. I think you were anchoring her."

A/N: A little twee, I think, but it does the job. Reviews are cherished and very helpful. Thanks for reading!