Chapter Nine:

Hermione On Strike

In the following days, Hermione refused to come out of her cell until Draco let her see Ron.

He could be sentenced to life with parole right now! she thought.

"Come on!" Draco's muffled voice called from behind the door. "Come out! We can go on a walk. It's a nice day outside!"

"Sorry," Hermione said sarcastically. "But I'm a lowly servant." She sat back on her cot, folding her arms, and starred up at the ceiling.

Why had she stayed when they walked on the grounds? Why didn't she run for it? Why didn't she scream when the Aurors searched the manor. Why did she make such bad decisions?

"You know I didn't mean it!" Draco cried. "Ding dong!"

Hermione looked at the door in confusion. "Huh?"

"Uh, nothing."

She pushed the confusion out of her mind. "I'll come out," she said. "ONLY if you make the Unbreakable Vow to let me see Ron."

"But I love you!" he cried.

Hermione sat up. Love? Draco Malfoy? Her long-time-enemy?

What was going on? She had cheated on Ron with her slaver. With Malfoy, of all people! And why did he want to be with her? He always acted so disgusted with her for having non-magical parents.

And now he was saying he loved her?

Hermione's heart was confused.

Nothing had been the same since November--since she had been kidnapped.

"Y-you love me?" she asked in a shaking voice.

"Yes, Hermione," Draco said quietly.

Hermione? Never had she heard him say her first name. It was always "Granger" or "Mudblood".

Hermione stood up and opened the door. She saw Draco. He had his nice clothes on and his hair neat.

She looked him in the eye. "If you really love me, you'll let me go. Because I'm not happy here."

Hermione could've sworn she saw Draco's iris flash red, but only for a split second. She decided she was just imagining things.

Draco hesitated. "But...you...I..." He sighed. "You...you really love him, don't you."

"Yes, I do," Hermione said quietly. "And I...I don't love you."

Draco held his breath for a few moments and let it out heavily. "I know."

"Please," Hermione pleaded. "Let me go."

Draco nodded. "Go."

"THANK YOU!" she gasped.

Hermione ran down the hallway and made her way to the foyer. Squeaky was dusting the mantel. She whirled around and threw down her feather duster. "Ms. Granger is out of her room!"

"He's freed me, Squeaky! Malfoy freed me!" Hermione didn't think it was important to mention he said he loved her.

"Oh!" Squeaky squeaked. "Congratulations, Ms. Granger!"

Hermione knew the only thing she'd miss--or rather the only person she'd miss--was Squeaky, her only friend since November. Now it was March.

"So, eh," Hermione didn't know how to say it. "Um, bye. Uh, I mean, I have to go. Ron's in trouble for murder, which I know he didn't do."

"I will miss Ms. Granger. But do what you have to do. Ms. Granger shall save her man."

Hermione said her goodbyes to Squeaky and ran out the door. It seemed like everything was going in slow motion. She couldn't get out of the door fast enough. She felt so much joy.

She ran down the graveled road. On and on and on. The place was deserted. She, finally, about four killometers from Malfoy Manor, came upon a Muggle convenient store.

Hermione was out of breath as she entered the small building. A small bell rang as she opened the door. An elderly man stood at the counter.

"Well, hello there, miss," he said with a friendly smile. "May I help you?"

"I--" Hermione paused. She hadn't actually thought of how she would get to Azkaban. Then she had an idea. "Can I use your telephone."

"Well, of course you may," he said. He picked up a wireless phone and sat it on the counter in front of Hermione. "There you go."

She grinned and took the phone. "Thanks."

Hermione connected to the Ministry of Magic based in London. She said she need to rent a broom.

Then she walked a half-kilometer down the road. The broom landed beside her.

Hermione hopped on and flew. She was sleeveless with the maid dress Squeaky brought for her. She wished she had a coat, but didn't care too much. All she cared about was seeing Ron and getting down to the truth.

The only thing was, well, the part where she had to tell Ron she cheated on him.

Suddenly, she remembered that Draco had told her she couldn't tell on him. Well, why not? After all the hell he put her through. But he did let her go, and she did promise. She couldn't tell Ron. She felt ashamed.

Hermione landed an hour later right outside of London. She walked to a red telephone box. It was missing several glass panes and the wall it stood before was heavily graffitied. It was an eyesore.

Hermione opened the telephone box door and stepped in. She held the receiver and dialed six two four four two. A female voice spoke. It sounded as if she was standing right next to Hermione.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Hermione Granger, here to visit Arthur Weasley."

"Thank you," the female voice said coolly. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

There was a click and a rattle, and a square silver badge appeared where the returned coins usually appeared. Hermione picked it up and saw it read, "Hermione Granger, visitor." She pinned it to her dress.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

The floor to the telephone booth shook and shuddered as Hermione sank. The pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box. Everything went black as a dull, grinding noise sounded. The telephone box moved on down. She had only done this once. It was still strange.

The lift suddenly started moving very fast. It made Hermione light headed. She felt she left her stomach behind.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," the woman's voice said.

The door opened and Hermione stepped out.

She had seen this place before. She was standing before a very long hall with polished dark wood floors. As she walked down the hall, she saw fireplaces on the walls. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would descend from one with a soft whoosh. On the right wall, lines of wizards were lined up to depart through the fireplaces.

Upon descending to the end of the hall, Hermione saw hundreds of witches and wizards lined up in front of the golden gates.

Hermione glanced around and saw, past the crowd of employees, a desk on the left, with a large sign that read SECURITY. She strode to it. A black-haired woman with revealing robes sat at the desk, filing her nails. She did not look up at Hermione.

"Um," Hermione said. "I'm here to see Arthur Weasley."

"Over here," the woman said without looking at Hermione.

She stepped closer to the woman. The woman held up a long, thin, golden rod and passed it up and down Hermione's front and back.

"Gimme your wand," the woman said.

Hermione handed her her wand. The witch dropped it on a bronze object that looked like a set of scales with only one dish. It vibrated and a narrow strip of parchment came out of the slit in the base. The woman tore it off and read the information about Hermione's wand.

"Here," the woman said and gave the wand to Hermione. "Walk through these gates and--"

"I know how to get there. Thanks," Hermione said.

The woman shrugged. "Whatever."

Hermione pushed her way through the crowd. Someone stepped on her bare foot. "OUCH!" She hopped on the other.

She finally made her way through the open golden gates. There was a smaller hall beyond with twenty lifts. There were lines of dozens of witches and wizards. Hermione got in one of the lines.

She finally came up to a lift and stepped in, with many other witches and wizards. The door shut and everyone looked at Hermione weirdly. She realised she had no shoes. She blushed. The lift shuddered upward.

The woman's voice Hermione heard in the telephone box said, "Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floor Network Authority, Broom Regulatory control, Portkey Office, Apparition Test center."

The lift stopped and the doors opened. Several witches exited the lift and the doors closed once again. The lift shuddered up.

"Level five, Department of International Magical Corporation, incorporating the International Magic Trading Standards Body, the International Magic Office and Law, and the International confederation of Wizards, British Seats."

The lift came to a halt and the doors opened. Some people left and the doors closed once again.

"Level four, Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisatory Bureau."

Hermione scowled at how long it was taking.

"Hey," said a woman. Hermione looked to her right to see a salt-and-pepper-haired woman looking strangely at her. "Are you that girl that went missing?"

"Um..." Hermione's mind was on other things.

"Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

The witch who had been talking to her left when the lift stopped and the doors opened.

The doors closed once again, and it started moving up. Now only three other people were left in the lift.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

The lift halted to a stop.

The door opened and Hermione and the three people exited the elevator.

As she walked through the hall, she passed a window with sunlight streaming from it. Because the Ministry was underground, it couldn't have been sunlight. So they made the enchanted window.

Hermione turned a corner, went through a pair of oak doors, and found herself in a large room divided into cubicles. Everyone was talking loud.

She went through the aisle, almost running, out of excitement.

She reached the end of the aisle and went through another pair of oak doors, into another hall. She turned left, walked through yet another hall, and turned right into a dimly lit, shabby corridor and finally stopped at a dead end.

The whole time walking down the hall, Hermione could hear her bare feet for pit pat on the floor.

A door on the right bore a tarnished brass plaque reading MISUSE OF MUGGLE ARTIFACTS.

Hermione took a deep breath and knocked.

"Coming!" said the muffled voice of Arthur Weasley from inside.

A few seconds later, the door opened and there was Arthur Weasley, father of Ron Weasley. He had Ron's red hair and freckles. His jaw dropped. "H-H-Hermione! You're here! Why were you gone? Are you okay?"

"I'll tell all later," Hermione said. "I need to see Ron."

Mr. Weasley stepped out of his office. "He's in Azkaban. He'll like to see you. I'll take you there."


Author's Note: When I wrote that last year, I had the OOTP book right beside me, reading through it so I could get all the good details of the Ministry just for you guys :) . This has been my longest chapter yet. That's why it's my favorite. Hoped you liked. Please review.