When Voldemort heard that the Ministry wanted to talk to Hermione, he immediately informed Draco to make sure his girlfriend attended the meeting and repeated the story she'd told to the reporter. To be honest everyone had been so focused on how the revelation that Hermione was alive would tear the Order apart that they'd failed to factor the Ministry into their plans. However, the prospect of the Ministry taking legal action against those who had kidnapped Hermione and faked her death played right into Voldemort's hands. With the Ministry involved, he wouldn't have to worry about luring Harry and Dumbledore into a battle, he could just wait for them to be sent to Azkaban where they would be sitting ducks, just waiting for him to take them out.
Hermione wasn't at all keen on going to the Ministry by herself, and since it wasn't yet wise to have her associated with the Malfoys, Lucius arranged for the family lawyer to send a member of his staff to accompany Hermione to the Ministry. Hermione ended up being accompanied to the meeting by an attractive blonde witch in her mid-thirties, who made sure the Ministry remembered that Hermione was the victim, and deserved to be treated with respect.
The meeting went better than Hermione had anticipated, and there were only a couple of times she felt uncomfortable with the questions being asked of her. The first time was when Sirius was mentioned and she'd had to admit to being in contact with a known criminal before her kidnapping, although the lawyer at her side was quick to point out that during that time she'd trusted Dumbledore and believed him when he claimed Sirius was innocent. It was also pointed out that even if she had gone to the Ministry, she wouldn't have been able to give the address of the property Sirius was staying at as it was protected by the fidelius charm since it was being used as Order headquarters.
The only other time Hermione was uncomfortable was the only time she had to lie. While she'd told the truth about everything that had happened to her it had been decided before she spoke to the press that she shouldn't admit to living with a family of known supporters of Voldemort. So instead of telling the truth about how she was rescued, she claimed to have escaped during the commotion of the attack, and therefore had no idea what had happened to Tonks and Remus, who had been with her at the time. Thanks to the lawyer Lucius had provided her with, she didn't even have to inform the Ministry where she was currently living as the lawyer claimed she was still fearful of another kidnapping attempt and wanted to keep her location a secret. The lawyer also pointed out that if the Ministry wished to speak to Hermione again, they could merely send an owl as they knew for a fact that owls reached her.
In the end, Hermione spent most of the afternoon at the Ministry and when she left, the officials investigating her case promised to keep her up to date with what was happening with her abductors. Hermione had been told that aside from Sirius, everyone involved with her kidnapping was at the Ministry being interviewed, and she knew that they'd all still been there when she left and returned back to Malfoy Manor.
Back at the safety of the manor, Hermione and Draco joined Lucius and Narcissa in the front room, where they also found Voldemort and Bellatrix waiting with them. Hermione would rather not have had to relive her interview in front of Voldemort, but she kept her nerves at bay as she recounted what had happened at the Ministry.
"And what of Dumbledore and his minions?" Voldemort asked.
"They were still there when I left," Hermione replied. "All except Sirius. He failed to hand himself in with the others and there's a warrant out for his arrest."
"Little good that did them last time," Bellatrix snorted.
"I'm sure if we try, we can catch Black," Voldemort said. "How about it Bella, do you think you can track down your cousin?"
"Consider it done," Bellatrix replied with a smirk.
"What do you think will happen to Dumbledore and the others?" Narcissa asked. "Will they be charged with kidnapping Hermione and faking her death?"
"With any luck," Voldemort said. "With all the evidence against them, I can't see them being able to walk away. Even Dumbledore can't talk his way out of this one."
"Let's hope not," Lucius remarked. "Although we do know for sure that we succeeded in breaking the Order. Severus sent a brief message earlier to say that everyone was disgusted with what had happened and they're all distancing themselves from Dumbledore."
"Good, with any luck they've had the fight knocked out of them," Voldemort said. "But if they do fight, they'll be killed," he added in a warning to Hermione.
"I understand," Hermione replied with a solemn nod. Now what she had to do was ensure that the remains of the Order didn't fight against Voldemort until they were ready to take him out. "But what about Dumbledore and Harry? Are you just going to let the Ministry deal with them?"
"Before I do anything, let's see what the Ministry does do," Voldemort replied. "If we're lucky they'll all be sent to Azkaban awaiting their trial."
"How is that lucky?" Bellatrix frowned.
"Because in Azkaban they'll be sitting targets," Voldemort explained. "I can take out both Potter and Dumbledore in Azkaban, without having to engage in a long, drawn out battle. This really couldn't have worked out better for us."
"I wouldn't get too carried away just yet," Draco remarked as the sound of an owl tapping on the window interrupted the conversation.
Lucius was the one who opened the window and removed the letter from the owl's leg before it went soaring back into the evening sky. Shutting the window again, he turned around and handed the letter to Hermione.
"It's from the Ministry," he said quietly.
All eyes were on Hermione as she tore open the letter and quickly read the update on her case.
"Well?" Voldemort demanded in a gruff bark. He wasn't the most patient of men, and he still hadn't quite decided if Hermione could be trusted.
"They've released everyone, pending further investigations," Hermione said, passing the letter to Draco for her boyfriend to have a look.
"Damn it," Voldemort swore. "I thought we had them."
"We still might," Draco said. "They've been released, but their wands were surrendered to the Ministry and they've been issued with magical cuffs restricting their magical use and providing a tracking system for the Ministry. They're free for the moment, but they can't escape."
"It sounds to me like they're building a solid case before they charge them," Lucius said. He'd had some experience with how the Ministry worked, and he knew that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was a cautious man and would want an airtight case before charging someone like Dumbledore with such a serious crime.
"So you still think they'll go to Azkaban?" Hermione checked.
"I think it's still a very real possibility," Lucius assured his son's girlfriend. "The time to worry is if there's still no charges laid against them in a couple of days."
"We'll just have to be patient then," Voldemort said as he rose to his feet. "Good work Miss Granger. Come now Bella, you've got a wayward dog to track down."
Hermione kept her cool as Voldemort and Bellatrix left the room, however once they were gone she couldn't help but shudder slightly. Being in Voldemort's presence unnerved her, and it didn't help that she got the distinct impression he still didn't trust her. Fortunately his trust in Draco seemed solid enough, and really that was all they needed in order to string him along until they'd dealt with Harry and Dumbledore and they were free to try and take him down.
"Severus is waiting in my study to see you, Hermione," Lucius said, once he was sure that Voldemort and Bellatrix had left the property.
"How long has he been here?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"He arrived shortly before The Dark Lord," Lucius answered. "We thought it was best if he stayed out of the way since it's the rebellion he wants to talk to you about."
"Come on, we can go and see him before heading to bed," Draco said as he held his hand out for Hermione.
"Are you not joining us for dinner?" Narcissa asked with a slight pout. She still hadn't yet gotten her son back fully, and she was dying for the day he didn't scurry out of sight as quickly as he could.
"Not tonight," Draco answered shortly. "Maybe another time," he added, trying to give his mother a small smile when Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.
"I'll look forward to it," Narcissa whispered, shooting Hermione a grateful smile. It was still strange to think of her son with a muggleborn, but it was clear she was good for Draco and hopefully once the war was over and done with, her son would come back to her and they could get a chance to be a proper family once more.
Leaving Lucius and Narcissa to their own devices for the evening, Draco took Hermione to his father's study. There they found Severus sitting in a chair beside the fire, browsing through a book which he put down when they entered the room.
"Sorry for keeping you, I didn't know you were here," Hermione apologised as she and Draco settled into chairs opposite the Potions Professor.
"I quite understand," Severus said. "You have to keep The Dark Lord onside. He is still onside, isn't he?"
"He doesn't trust Hermione, but I've still got his trust," Draco replied. "Hermione will also get it if she shows no sign of weakness when he takes out Dumbledore and Potter."
"Which I won't," Hermione insisted. "They're going to get what's coming to them. I just don't know if it'll involved being sent to Azkaban."
"Have they been released?" Severus asked.
"Pending further inquiries," Draco replied. "But they've got no wands and limits on their magic. They're in the Ministry's sights."
"I can promise you that they won't be welcomed back to the Order, or to Hogwarts," Severus said. "The anger and disgust was even stronger than I'd anticipated. Nothing they can say will change people's minds about them."
"I've had letters from the twins and Ginny, and McGonagall, all offering their support," Hermione said.
"There's actually more waiting for you upstairs," Draco said. "Owls have been arriving all afternoon."
"But will they all join us in fighting against Voldemort?" Hermione asked, looking more to Severus as he was the one with access to everyone else.
"I would think so," Severus replied. "I admit, I haven't suggested any sort of counter rebellion as I didn't want to draw attention to the fact I already knew you were alive. This morning with the Order no-one asked me if I'd seen you at the manor."
"But procuring support for us would have given the game away," Hermione said with an understanding nod.
"Why don't you gather the new group," Draco suggested to his girlfriend. "The Weasleys asked to see you, and McGonagall also mentioned meeting with you. You could arrange meetings with your friends and start gathering forces."
"But how can I meet them?" Hermione asked. "We don't want Voldemort getting suspicious."
"If we're building a new group to fight Voldemort, we're going to need regular meetings anyway," Severus pointed out. "You can't ask people to stand with you and fight, but yet never show your face. You and Draco are going to have to take charge and lead the group."
"I've been thinking about that, and I was thinking we could utilise a Malfoy house that we rarely use," Draco said. "We've got one on the outskirts of London. The last time I remember visiting it was when I was five, and I don't think mother and father have used it since them either. Hermione could meet her friends there, and then we could use it as headquarters."
"Does Voldemort know about it?" Hermione asked.
"Not that I know of, but I'll check with father," Draco replied. "If we're going to use it, I'll get mother to send the elves to clean it up. As I said, you should meet with your friends first before we start gathering a new fighting force."
"Do you think I should mention you right away?" Hermione asked her boyfriend.
"That's your call, but I wouldn't," Draco answered. "It might be best if we waited for the first meeting and then we only have to tell out story once. But if you do want to tell your friends about us beforehand, then I'll support you."
"No, I like your way," Hermione said with a nod. "I'll write back to everyone who's sent me a letter, promising to be in touch with a time to meet. I can then be reunited with my friends before the serious business of war begins again."
Thanking Severus for his help, Hermione and Draco headed back to Draco's wing of the manor. While Draco sent for some food, Hermione opened the others letters that had come for her over the course of the afternoon and she made a list of everyone she needed to write back to. After they'd ate, Draco went off to talk to his parents about the house in London, while Hermione wrote back to her friends, thanking them for their love and support and promising that they could meet up soon and be reunited in person.