"This isn't what I want to do, there's been too much death, so quickly, everyone is traumatised, give me another option," Arthur pleaded as he sat at his desk, the job had been given to him in a time when no one else could be trusted, he was not expected to last, but to simply do things the right way, and in this moment it seemed an impossible task. "I can understand his point of view, and he has Hermione, she's found out all too much too quickly and too harshly, we'll never get them back, not with how this has happened."

"I'm afraid, Minister, there are few other options for us to take, their memory was not removed, our trained legillimens can confirm that he at the very least has full intent of exposing us, we have few other choices, if her connection is as strong as it appears to be…" The voice trailed off and Arthur looked helplessly at his adviser.

"I have to make the impossible decision."


"Let me talk her round!" Ron stormed as his father broke the news. "She's my fiancé!"

"Who has knowingly begun a relationship with another man," Arthur said heavily, the pain on his sons face was evident, and he knew there was no way of recovering the damage done to their relationship. "We cannot lock him up, our laws do not apply to him in the same way, I also fear that in doing so we will only add to his anger, if we do lock him up I fear we will loose Hermione forever."

"We can't put Hermione in Azkaban!" Harry declared, he looked no happier than Ron.

"It is still perceived that Hermione passed away in the battle, I have been advised to seek the simplest option at this time and get the Cleaners to deal with the situation," Arthur told them, a look of horror seeped onto their features. "Too much has been said, there is doubt in various places, we cannot stop him."

"We can figure something out-"


Matthew was seated in the court room, voices around him were speaking, and Hermione was at his side. It was a strange position to be in, but he knew he had to do the right thing, that this information could not continue to be held form the world. He had to help people, this could do it, and there would be no more suffering.

He looked at Hermione who was watching him, he looked to the open doorway, she nodded shortly, the message sent between them, without much more thought, he ran for it, his hand reaching behind him, grasping hers tightly. He reached the door, and shot through it, along the marbled corridor, something exploded around him, it happened so slow and so fast at the same time that it was hard to make sense of.

He felt something cool hit his back, and her screams before the darkness enveloped him.


"…Something out-"

"WHAT THE HELL!" Ron bellowed cutting Harry off and rushing to the court room, he saw Hermione disappear through the doorway, and before he could even open his mouth, one of the white robed Cleaners lifted their wand, a jet of green shot out, Hermione's screams broke the shocked silence and then another jolt of light, and a dull thud.

"NO!" Harry roared as he threw himself down to the level of the door, rushing forward and grabbing hermiones body.

Arthur was rooted on the spot with a horrified expression as he looked at the two men.

"You were meant to wait! To wait for my order on what we would do!" He roared with a fury that Arthur had never managed before in his life.

"Minister, we did our job and we protected our secrecy," One of the robed men replied with ease.

"HOW! They couldn't have left this building! You murdered them!" Arthur roared, his blood was pounding, he was horrified at the very actions they had just commited, all for the sake of secrecy. "The cleaners are finished! Not under my rule will you ever work again!"

"I don't think you understand Minister, we are above your rule, we are the cleaners, we clean up the messes that you cannot. This was a mess, two people, one a powerful witch that was going to reveal the truth, that's above anything you could comprehend. We did our job, thankfully we don't have to do it often." One of them said with a cold harshness that betrayed a black soul, so Arthur was sure. "Now it is for us to remind you that you have a smaller mess to clean up, and to remind you that we are not disbanded, we are the cleaners, and we have cleaned up your mess."