A "mature"-rated, illustrated multi-media edition of this story is available at my website:

juno-magic DOT fancrone DOT net/blog/junofanfic/hp-fanfic/the-apprentice-and-the-necromancer
(or use the link on my profile page)

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More Planning and a Mystery

"... so he may really wake any day now," Hermione concluded.

"And what will happen then?" Harry asked, pacing in front of the window, filled with nervous energy. "He'll be told of his trial, and of the conditions for his probation. What is he going to do then? What are they – the Ministry – going to do then?"

Hermione realised what he was getting at. "You mean, is he going to visit the Wizarding Genealogy Offices right away – are they going to tell him –"

She felt her face grow cold, as if the blood was literally draining from her head. But Ginny shook her head and interrupted, "I did some more research. I looked up the procedures of the WGO and the details of the new marriage laws."

Ginny frowned when she noticed how everyone was staring at her. "What? Do you think Hermione is the only one in this room who knows how to find out about stuff?"

"No, no, we don't. Please, go on. What did you come up with?"

"Basically that either those Ministry-types are complete morons, or they are utterly, despicably devious.

"The first thing is, the WGO can't do one-sided searches. That would be matchmaking, and they don't have the licence for that. Matchmaking is an extremely lucrative business, and the laws guarding those licences go way back. Like, way before 'Anno Domini' had any meaning.

"Second, the results are protected by privacy laws, which means that Ministry officials have no way of getting them, unless they're dabbling in Dark Arts. Which I wouldn't put beyond them, of course.

"Third, and that's where things get really weird, Hermione shouldn't have been able to get the results either."

"What? But she had two blood samples!" Harry and Ron chorused.

"She had the blood samples, yes, but she only said she was engaged to Snape, she really isn't. Whatever spells they are using at the WGO, they ought to have recognised her lie and they shouldn't have worked."

"Why?" Ron looked blank.

Hermione's thoughts whirled with panic. Was there any chance the results were duped? Oh, God, that would be beyond embarrassing!

"Think about it, Ron," she forced herself to say. "The WGO are working with highly sensitive information. You can't get much more private than your bloodline, especially with people so hung up on purity. You need to make sure that not just anyone can get their hands on that data. And it's not just to prevent blackmail. If they didn't have excellent safeguards they could just as well call it 'Blood Magic Unlimited'." She turned to Ginny. "Do you think my results are ..."

"Wrong? Forged?" Ginny emphatically shook her head. "Luna and I deep-scanned the parchment. And Luna did some kind of involved truth-revealing spell. Something they sometimes use in the Quibbler, for verifying their top-stories."

Suddenly Hermione realised how deathly pale Luna was. Her skin looked as if it was painted on, her normally protruding eyes lay deep in their sockets.

"It's all right," Luna reassured her. "I'm just exhausted. That spell is really advanced magic. But, Hermione, I can promise you that the results are valid. And what's more, for some reason the magic thinks that you are already engaged."

"What?" Hermione squeaked. "I'm what?"

Ginny and Luna gave identical shrugs. "We have no idea why the magic thinks what it thinks. But that's the only explanation."

For a long moment the room was perfectly silent.

"Maybe it's part of that arithmantic anomaly," Harry suggested at last.

Hermione exhaled a deep breath. That would almost make sense.

"And all I wanted was life getting normal again," she muttered. Then her thoughts returned to the matter at hand. "As for the Ministry, Ginny, I think we all know that being crazy and evil is not mutually exclusive." She sighed. "That probation's really a joke. It sounds as if they never really wanted him to be free. They dangle a normal, married life in front of him for publicity's sake when they KNOW that he has next to no chance of finding someone he can legally marry. Even without that anomaly, how could he ever have a fair chance?"

Ron shrugged. "Don't ask us, ask the Ministry. I guess he could go to a Matchmaker. That would probably get the desired result under normal circumstances. He could brew Felix Felicis. But do you think he will? Can you honestly see Snape even trying to find a wife in order to satisfy this condition?"

He wasn't looking at her. He'd been friendly and polite to her ever since he'd accepted her decision. He hadn't even mocked her about starting a new version of SPEW. But he never looked at her. Never met her eyes. And continued to amaze her with his new-found maturity.

"No," she said at last. "I don't think he'd go to the Genealogy Offices even if they did one-sided searches."

Even if the Ministry told him right away that I'm his only chance at staying out of Azkaban, I can't really see him asking me to marry him, she thought.

"So what happens next?" Neville asked.

Hermione sighed. "I go back to Hogwarts. And on Monday I start brushing up on my Potions skills in private lessons with dear Professor Slughorn."

Ron made gagging noises and Ginny found herself smiling at them. Some things, at least, hadn't changed.

"Uhh..." Harry cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. "Right." He went to one of the shelves and retrieved something that looked like a book. No, two books.

"I've got something for you, Hermione."

He came over to her and held the books out to her. She recognized the first one at once. "Advanced Potion-Making – by the Half-Blood Prince".

"I'd almost forgotten about it," Harry mumbled apologetically. "I went and got it from the Room of Requirement after Dumbledore was—after Dumbledore died."

A pause. "You'll need all the help you can get. Uhh... Ginny? How about we go down and start dinner?"

oooOooo

A/N: Even though this story is finished, I still enjoy hearing what you think about each chapter.

What did you like? What did you hate? What made you smile? What made you cry? What's the most memorable line?

Drop me a line and let me know! And if you have nothing to say about my story, maybe leave a comment for another story? Comments are the only remuneration that fanfic writers receive and all of us cherish them.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you like the story so far.