Implosion
"Hello girls, nice to be seeing you so soon. How has your week gone since the last time we spoke?" Picard gloats, a Cheshire cat grin stamped to his jaw.
Hermione, Jessie and Ashley approach him from the lift doors with undisguised annoyance. Picard can guarantee that he had the better week by a country mile.
Ashley leads them to the end of the corridor. Hermione and Jessie stop a few places behind Ashley who continues until she is nose-to-nose with the arrogant inspector. Picard doesn't drop his smile for a second, even exuding a chuckle as Ashley breathes fire in his face. In contrast to
her clear negative physical behaviour, Ashley calmly addresses him."Visiting hours have started, we wish to speak to our Master."
"Why of course. We have taken very good care of your Master. We've had a blast. Might I request you think of staying also, you don't want to miss out do you?" Picard mocks.
Ashley growls at him. "Now."
In pretend surrender Picard raises his hands in the air. "Oh dear, we are impatient aren't we."
He flicks his wand at the door and the locks click open. "Go right in, enjoy your fifteen minutes and make it last you. He might not get another chance to speak to you."
Ashley nudges his shoulder out the way but a stiff hand grabs her upper arm. "Don't go doing anything stupid will you, I will be listening and watching VERY closely."
Ashley knocks her arm out of his grip and strides past him scowling,Hermione and Jessie follow with similar facial expressions.
The room is no bigger than a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and like the Express it has a single window that fills up most of one wall. The room on the visitors side is almost pitch black, the only light filtering in through the window. Lit up via torchlight is a single custodial guard with one hand on an alter with a large book of prison records, and another hand on a large wooden lever that looks more commonly placed on an old sailship.
The guard waits until all three visitors stand a metre away from the window, then looks down at the records. When he speaks his voice is as clear and concise as someone standing next to them, despite there being a thick, double paned window separating them.
"Your names?" All three girls state them individually. "Upon your registration you were given the identification number of the convict you are visiting, please state that identification now."
"S11B19D13S9264" Ashley confidently states, without even looking at the slip of parchment handed to her by the secretary.
The guard examines the book and briskly nods. "One, Dominic Van Barr." With an almighty pull the lever shifts in the guards direction. The lever is pulled back in rhythmic clicks, after eleven clicks the guard releases the lever. It propels back to its original position and immediately the
room flashes quickly upwards. In brief glimpses several more rooms appear on the other side of the window, all disappearing up and away. Each room revealed different convicts; sleeping, crying, going mad and some showing clear scizophrenic behaviour.
Hermione is thinking that the security measures and custodial operations are proving to be needless. Genuine innocent civilians have to be presented in the same light as real psychotic criminals, displayed like a casino game just to see visitors from home. She can't confront anyone either about it, but she can't stop her internal mind berating the people involved.
Finally, the rooms stop flashing upwards abruptly and sitting comfortably and relaxed in a chair is The Master. Hermione almost doesn't recognise him, everything about his appearance other than facial features have changed. His Victorian style clothing replaced by dirty prison rags, his
shortish hair that is rarely on show anyway, is cut down to the scalp, and the prison had even taken a lot off the imposing demeanour he normally possesses whenever he is present in a room.
He isn't exactly weak or ragged, but he sure isn't his graceful self.
He is silently procastinating, his eyes closed and breathing even. His body language implies either deliberate or unknowing ignorance, leaving the girls to internally decipher whether he even realises he has guests or not. The girls are too concerned about either startling or disturbing their Master, so a long, uncomfortable silence ensues. Ashley eventually prompts the Master through Legilimency of their visit and the Master opens his eyes and slowly casts his gaze at the glass. A tired but grateful smile appears on his face.
"What a sight for sore eyes this is? Three beautiful young girls providing companionship is bound to make any man happy."
"It should be four." Ashley comments, looking pointedly at Hermione who ducks her head.
"Miss Moon is going through a lot right now, as we all are. Don't judge her too harshly on her absence." The Master responds.
"With all due respect to you and Alex, Master, we are indeed suffering as a team. I don't see how Alex is suffering any worse than all of us, and yet is dismissed so casually for not having the mental courage to show her face to you." Jessie tells him, undisguised anger evident in her tone. Out of anyone to be most angry at Alex for no showing what might be their only chance to visit their Master before he is due to be sentenced, Hermione never thought Jessie would be that person. Jessie had been flipping out at even the mention of Alex's name and it has Hermione, and Ashley to an extent, very unsettled.
"If I had my way dear I would've requested you ALL to not come and see me, despite how much it cheers me up. I can be of no help or assistance to you from in here, I can only share my advice and experience to you. We don't always get what we want Miss Helmsworth, and dealing with not getting what we want is an individual obstacle to overcome. People overcome their obstacles in different ways. Miss Moon is proof of that." The Master informs.
Jessie doesn't reply to him but the look on her face says she is far from satisfied. Hermione still looks guilty as sin, and all of them know it.
The Master asks. "How has the real investigation been going?"
"Not well Master." Ashley answers. "The only thing we have is the knowing that whoever did it was an inefficient spy, who didn't gather enough information on the wards protecting the tent, thus making the mistake of conjuring the wards whilst inside the tent."
"The problem being that you cannot prove this as the original wards were destroyed." The Master withdraws from her report.
"Exactly."
Hermione nervously speaks. "Erm...are you sure we should be discussing our investigation, Picard said he would be listening in and watching us?"
The Master laughed heartily at this. "You are right Miss Granger, Cyril Picard is currently listening in on our conversation about the many strange flavours of cottage cheese. So we can continue safely."
Aghast, Hermione replies. "But how? You're here and Picard is several hundred feet above us, through multiple layers of rock and marble, wards and security runes. You managed to manipulate him despite that?"
The Master chuckles again and simply shrugs. Ashley and Jessie also have knowing smiles on their faces. Hermione turns to them all, a look of perplex on her face. For a girl who knows nothing other than shining above others her age, to find herself the least accomplished person of the group gives her nothing more than the feeling of being outshone. Now she knows how Ron feels surrounded by herself, Harry and a family of achievers. She finds it fitting to make a Weasley-ish response.
"Bloody hell".
The Master claps his hands once very loudly and bellows. "Now, enough about distressing things, what's more important is the wellbeing of you girls. How are my young apprentices doing?"
"Struggling without our director sir" Ashley replies honestly and sombrely.
"You give me far too much credit, you girls out-value me a thousand times over."
"That's not true sir." Jessie says passionately. "Without you we would be nothing."
"You four and Miss Johnson were never "nothing". You've always been something to me, yourself and each other. It is I in fact that need you four, rather than the contrary." The Master insists.
"Then why lock yourself up in here, you know and we all know you're innocent?" Ashley implores, forgetting formality.
"You four know even more than me why I have to do this. This investigation is tearing you all up, destroying everything the BIA is. Already you have lost the trust of the masses..." he looks at Hermione pointedly "...and your friends. And eventually it would tear at your own trust in each other. Miss Granger already knows what I'm referring to; it would eventually come down to the investigation versus personal feelings. And I will not allow this controversy to get in the way of why we are doing this. It's easy to forget that the BIA is a twenty-four seven job, and it's my foolishness that is to blame for us not being prepared for that reminder. Therefore, I've made a decision. Miss Granger's initiation is cancelled, we must focus on our jobs to protect our world. The new mission is to find whoever is responsible for this interference into our affairs."
A huge boulder drops down deep inside Hermione and she finds it difficult to breathe or think. The impact of The Master's words almost taking her off her feet. Her knees feel wobbly, causing her to find difficulty in just standing upright. She recollects everything The Master just told her to verify if she heard correctly. She wishes that she misheard, prays that he is pulling her leg.
The Master easily detects the sadness building up in Hermione and questions her. "Is something the matter Miss Granger?"
Hermione can barely breathe out the words. "I'm not being initiated anymore?"
"No Miss Granger you misunderstand, I said you're initiation is cancelled."
Hermione still doesn't understand what he is trying to say and in her emotive state she begins to get snappy with the middle-aged mentor. "Either way, are you telling me that I won't be a member of the BIA?!"
"Listen carefully, your initiation is no longer needed-"
"JUST GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER DAMN YOU!"
"MISS GRANGER!" He shouts, not in anger but to out-volume her own outbursts. "If you can control your emotions I will finish explaining myself. Your initiation is no longer needed, because I'm officially declaring you a member of Brunettes In Arms Special Force Team. Congratulations."
Jessie and Ashley, who had been slightly cowering at the shouting match taking place between the former trainee and the director, join Hermione in her newfound shock.
"But Master, she hasn't completed the tournament yet" Ashley replies.
"I'm aware Miss Milanski, and at this rate she won't be able to make it to the next task to do so. Miss Granger will still need to complete the tournament, but with this saboteur tearing us apart the whole way, I don't find it acceptable that she is burdened with this responsibility alongside her already perilous journey this year. This is far too much for any trainee to be put through, and worthy of costing her the end result, and her life might I add. She is not a quitter, of course she will keep trying despite her chances, trying towards a reward she may never get. I personally believe she is deserving of that reward."
Hermione could do a little jig if it didn't affect her professionalism, but it did so she has to restrain herself. Her smile though clearly signifies the difficulty she has in preventing it.
The Master continues. "Furthermore has she not shown her worth as a team member, or displayed courage and mental fortitude, or proven her potential. With more training and development she could become a formidable force. Nothing is more powerful than a true human being and a witch with heart, determination, intelligence, resiliency and sacrifice. Traits that you all possess, and that make you more of a hero than any magical practice, magical knowledge, magical enhancement...basically it's your humanity that makes you four girls heroes, not your magic."
Hermione's prideful smile is disturbed by a voice from above them, magically enhanced and coming through an unseen source. "Your fifteen minutes are up. Please step away from the glass."
The Master calls. "Blast, how time flies?"
"Master, we need your advice, when can we visit again?" Ashley asks.
"You can't, I can assist you no more. Until you solve our problem, which will be solved, we shall not meet again with me behind this glass. You four must stick together and trust each other, whatever your feelings may be. THAT is an order."
The sounds of mechanics starting up from above them indicates to Hermione that she has little time to get any more questions in. But there is one thing she desperately must know before she is escorted away. "Master, this saboteur, how certain are you that it involves Desmaggio?"
His expression immediately becomes grim and a haunted look replaces the glint in his eyes. "He is alive, and so am I."
That is the only thing she can get out from him before the room starts revolving upwards and The Master's glass prison is gone. All through the journey back up Hermione has only one thing on her mind.
The instant the three teenage witches step out of the whatever-you-want-to-call-it room, Picard is there with a smug smile, but strangely not as wide as the smiles he was producing from before. "Really girls, of all the things to talk to your Master about, you go for an A to Z of flavoured cottage cheese? Your rumble in the woods seems more like the Mad Hata's tea party to me."
"Well some of us find information about certain dairy products a necessity to our day-to-day life. I'm sorry if you believe our priorities to be horribly backward Inspector Picard." Ashley responds coolly, with a hint of mockery in her voice.
He knows that the girls weren't really conversing with The Master about the absurd subject of cottage cheese, but he is none-the-wiser to the fact that he was mentally tampered with. He had assumed that the cottage cheese conversation was code. The galleons he would pay to see the codes revealed would probably dry out his bank account and yet it would still be worth it. The most frustrating thing though is he cannot provide evidence of this code, which means he can't really do anything about it. But he will try anything and everything before he gives up on putting cuffs on them all, even if it mends bending the law to his advantage.
"Your Master can keep fantasizing about cottage cheese, because the likeliness of him ever tasting some again is very miniscule indeed. All he can look forward to is stale bread and scummy water."
The three teenagers say nothing as they continue down the corridor, making a point to not acknowledge the arrogant inspector who glowers at them until his view of them is obstructed by the lift doors.
The whole way to the Ministry atrium, Hermione keeps mentally trying to pick apart many different meanings to The Master's parting words. "He is alive, so am I".
Desmaggio could be on the move, and The Master could be aware of it.
Perhaps it's what he didn't say that's important. Both Desmaggio and The Master are indeed alive, they have a history so The Master can just sense that this is to do with Desmaggio.
The Master may not even be saying that he does believe that Desmaggio is involved. Just because he is out there doesn't mean he is involved, Dominic Van Barr is around too and it doesn't mean he's after Desmaggio.
Hermione then gets another thought. "He is alive" Desmaggio, "So am I" The Master. But who isn't?
Ludo Bagman being the obvious answer but his importance to The Master and Desmaggio, with all due respect to him, is nonexistent past the murder investigation. The statement The Master made implies that you need knowledge of their past to know what it means.
The Master could've meant someone else. It must've been someone very close to them both, someone they both cared for, a significant part of the two former friends history with each other. Someone whose death was so significant it made the two men enemies for life.
Hermione has her answer and a new avenue of research. Christa.
Hermione doesn't know that whilst she is off picking apart theories, Jessie and Ashley lead her to the apparation point, not the Floo network as planned. Hermione clocks onto the new development just as Ashley and Jessie grab her wrists and take her away, through the thin, shallow straw of apparation.
She finds herself in the grotty toilets of the Hogs Head, even in their rashness the two girls had the brains to make sure they appeared in the women's . Ashley immediately locks the cubicle and soon two wands are pointed precariously at Hermione from point blank range. "Ok Miss Rookie, you have some explaining to do."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't even go there Hermione." Jessie warns. "You know exactly what we're talking about. Alex not having the guts to show, The Master implying that you are already aware of potential trust issues, and you couldn't look more guilty if you tried."
Hermione blushes in embarrassment. "It's in the past now, it's no longer important."
"It's important to us right now." Ashley scrutinizes. "We are not leaving this cubicle until you tell us what's going on with Alex."
"THAT I don't know. Alex speaks no more to me than she does to you, ever since a week ago she has been avoiding me and sneaking off to places. All I know is that she made me promise to not tell you anything." Hermione defends.
"So your attempt to eradicate trust issues is to create a reason for us not to trust you?" Jessie accuses.
Hermione ducks and looks away. "She hasn't taken The Master's imprisonment well, that's all I know about her reason for not being here. As for the trust issues...she...we both..."
"Spit it out." Ashley snaps,
" Before he was arrested, me and Alex were investigating whether The Master was involved in the murder. And we planned to leave you out of it because of your emotional ties." Hermione reveals honestly.
There is a lengthy silence in which both interrogators stare at the new recruit, before red appears in blotches all over their faces and their bodies shake with rage. "Run that by us one more time." Ashley demands.
Hermione gulps. "Me and Alex went into a long discussion about The Master. Alex had a few reasons to think that he was involved somehow, and spoke to me in great lengths about them. You may see it as stupid, especially after The Master handed himself in, but we acted professionally. You of all people should know that you can't overlook anything, including those you have personal feelings for. Alex was just doing what she thought was the right thing to do at the time, and that's why I helped her."
Jessie shakes her head. " I don't believe I'm hearing this, you went behind mine and Ashley's back to investigate probably the least likely person to have committed such a crime. Even if you could have convinced us that there is reason to suspect The Master, you wasted your chance by not telling us."
"Alex was finding it hard to focus on staying professional, even I was. Alex believed that you both idolized The Master so much that you would never consider the possibility, let alone help us. And she was right wasn't she? Can you now see why she is affected so much by The Master being locked up? A genuine theory became a twisted reality, she has to cope with the fact that she feels responsible for an innocent man being sent down. I wish I could convince her that you are allowed to have suspicions, and that if she could have foreseen what happened later she would never have even entertained the theory at all. Like I've told you before though, she hasn't given me the chance."
Ashley rings her hands through her hair, scratching at the scalp. "You're still missing the point. We are a team, officially now. All four of us. Alex had no right to make you promise to keep this from us. It is secrets that lead to mistrust, and mistrust means a damaged bond, a damaged bond becomes a target, a target becomes a downfall."
"I understand". Hermione answers. "I'm sorry."
Jessie reaches out and touches Hermione's arm gently. "You are easily forgiven, and really not the one to blame."
Hermione implores. " Please don't go hard on Alex, she is making herself suffer more than we could, her heart was in the right place."
"Yeah, we know." Ashley tells her. "She needs a proper good beating to put her brain in its right place as well."
Ashley is only half-joking and Hermione has to keep her pleading gaze on her until she sighs and relents. "I promise you we won't lay a finger on her."
"Thank you."
Ashley unbolts the lock and turns to leave. "Doesn't mean I won't tear her a new ear hole."
Antoneus finishes reading out the article from the Prophet as his Master begins to chuckle.
"That fool. He thinks his self-sacrifice helps his little team, he's only made my job easier."
Antoneus nervously asks. "Master, if I may?"
"Continue."
"Miss Granger has lost her friends, her reputation and now her mentor. Her support is weakened to the point where she is vulnerable. Now would be the time to strike, wouldn't it?"
"Perhaps, but I don't like gambles. When we strike we must know that the downfall of the BIA is guaranteed. Miss Granger's death is not enough."
"Then what next?"
A sadistic grin appears on his Master's face. "I believe this is the last time of asking. Antoneus, are Miss Granger and Miss Moon in love?"
Hermione becomes conscious of an injection of warmth on her upper body and arms. Then in her haze she recognizes a pair of lips on her brow and the presence of someone over her body. Even barely conscious she knows the name of the late night disturbance. "Alex."
"Shhh. Go back to sleep." She whispers back.
"Bu-but...I need to speak...to you." Hermione says, willing herself awake. Her eyes open and her consciousness begins to return to her.
"Later." Alex insists.
Hermione remembers not returning to her dorm because of her worry for her girlfriend and insisted that she slept on the sofa until she returned. Her plan had worked, even though Alex could've just walked past and let Hermione sleep on. But Alex had to check on her girl didn't she.
Hermione finds the warm blanket, the source of that mysterious heat she was induced with, draped over her when it wasn't before. Hermione's heart warms too at the care Alex shows even when trying to avoid her, but when she sees Alex pull away Hermione feels a surge of frustration.
"No! You are not hiding away from me again." Hermione tells her, sitting up and grabbing her girlfriend's arm.
"Later, I promise."
"Later, my foot! Later you will be slipping out of the room with dubious motives! Later you will stay away most of the day in a place I know not where! You will stay out until past curfew every night so that you can enter when everyone else is asleep! Well that plan has failed, you have no choice but to stop avoiding me and speak to me!" Hermione demands.
Alex has the decency to look guilty.
Hermione continues on. "Do you even know anything about the situation you put me in today? Whilst you were skiving, I was facing down our Master and two powerful teenage witches, the latter breathing fire at the fact you weren't there. They looked to me for answers I could not give. And I defended you, told them it wasn't your fault. The decent thing you can do is prove I'm not wasting time defending you."
Alex meets her eyes. "You told them didn't you?"
"If you are referring to the theory we discussed together then yes, I had no choice. Our friends can be very intimidating and persuasive with wands pointing at you. The Master also defended you but said that we shouldn't create any scenarios in which our trust is tarnished for each other. He seemed to know about our secret and its consequences."
Alex broke eye contact again and stared downward. "Trust. Consequences. Waste of time."
Hermione dislikes her girlfriend's tone of voice. Worriedly she says "Tell me what's on your mind. What's wrong Alex?"
Alex shakes off Hermione's hand. "I'm going to bed now."
Hermione desperately lunges forward and wraps herself round Alex's neck. "Please? I can't bear to see us like this. No more secrets."
Alex kisses the top of Hermione's head. "No more secrets."
Hermione pulls back enough to face Alex head on and quickly locks lips with her, trying to inject her love and courage into it in order to get Alex to open up to her. Alex kisses back hungrily. Neither girl tries to deepen the kiss and before long Hermione pulls away.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asks.
Alex takes Hermione's hand and starts talking. "You mention trust and its importance, yet I have had no reason to earn the trust of anybody. You mention consequences, and it's convenient that everything I do has negative consequences-"
Hermione interrupts. "That's not true."
"I can list it all Hermione: Tri-wizard controversy, your relationship with your friends, Mackenzie, the party, The Master imprisoned."
"They were not your fault, they are not consequences of your actions, they are the consequences of someone else's actions that have affected us all negatively." Hermione berates.
"Would all that have not happened if I hadn't initiated you, been a part of your life, been a part of BIA, been your girlfriend?"
"No."
"And you mention wasting time. Mention having to defend me. Why am I worthy of your time? Why am I worthy of your defence? What have I got that tells you that I'm worthy of anything you give to me?" Alex asks,
Hermione doesn't even think before a response is made "My heart."
Alex does not expect that answer and Hermione thinks her mouth had said too much.
Hermione won't take it back though so she continues bravely. "You have my heart. Even if you didn't have your bravery, your kindness, your loyalty, your passion, your looks and all your feminine muscles; you would still be worth it to me. Despite everything I find frustrating about you, and there is a lot I find frustrating about you, I've never been happier than I am right now and every time I'm with you. I don't care about the tournament, if I lose my friends because of you then so be it, I would quit the BIA tomorrow if you wanted the same. Everything that scares me and angers me about this year is only another reminder to how much I want to be by your side, wherever you go."
Alex cups her cheek "Stop."
"NO. I can't do this without you."
"I don't understand what you see in me!"
"If you could see what I see you wouldn't be saying any of this." Hermione leans in close and her forehead rests softly on Alexis' own. "I wish you could understand why...why I lov-"
Alex doesn't let Hermione finish before she kisses her passionately. Hermione is lifted off her feet and quickly deposited back on the sofa. Alex practically jumps on her to reignite the kiss. She finds herself crawling on top of Hermione and forcing Hermione down on the sofa, the reciprocating girl can only ravage her mouth in return in an attempt to prove how much she meant what she said.
The kiss becomes so emotive that it is almost violent. Anger and frustration in Alexis, love and determination in Hermione. They cling to each other, not daring to separate until Alexis has forced Hermione to submit, or vice versa. Hermione knows Alexis is kissing her just to stop the true words escaping her mouth, as if not saying the words meant Hermione can't mean it. Alexis is that desperate to not have Hermione thinking so highly of her. To Hermione it isn't up for debate, to Hermione she doesn't have to say it to know she means it. The last thing she is going to do is submit to Alexis. She needs to know she is loved, that she deserves to be loved and that no one can change that. Not even her.
When Hermione finds the strength to flip Alexis onto the floor with her on top, and is strong enough to pin her arms down, then she knows the battle is over and she pulls out of the kiss with heavily swollen lips. "I love you."
Alexis then produces a sob, a rarity in itself, and her eyes water. "But why?" She breathes out.
"It doesn't matter. I just need you to know." Hermione answered, giving her one more chaste kiss before standing up and bringing Alex with her.
Alex sniffs and casually replies. "I love you too you know."
Hermione happily smiles and takes her hand. "Let's sleep down here, together."
Alex doesn't argue and is first to seat herself onto the sofa. She shimmies as far as she can back into the sofa and lies on her side, back to the sofa. Hermione joins her, allowing herself to push against Alex's front with her back. They fit like two jigsaw pieces and Alex comfortably places an arm around Hermione's waist. They draw the blanket over them both and snuggle into each other.
In a flick the lights go off and not too long after both girls ease themselves into sleep.
An; You can tell I recreated the Auror department in this story. I believe that if you have criminals waiting trial that are murderous and evil, more advanced magic will be needed to keep the security up. I hope you liked it.
Also I have made a decision to no longer have this story as part of a series, therefore the title shall now just be Brunettes In Arms. This is so I can finish off all my completed stories, then have a long break from Fanfiction to focus on my YouTube channel. Could be a number of years long break so don't want to have to abandon any stories.
Hope you liked the chapter
TBC...