Mercy Audrey took the stage with a young child, not older than three years. She sat on the chair with the child in her lap.

"You were partners with Dane Teague for four years, including the war. Can you describe your relationship?"

"Of course." Hermione hadn't seen Mercy since she left basic training, which was nearly eight months ago. She was stunning and a little hesitant, as usual. "We worked well together. We were stationed outside of Britain for nearly all of the war. I had my daughter while the war was happening, and we raised her in Guam until after the Battle at Hogwarts, when all the Aurors were recalled for restructuring." So the story about her gathering an army in South America was a cover.

"I understand that it is not Teague's daughter, correct?"

"That's right. But he has been a father to her. They are very close. You love Dane, don't you?"

The girl gurgled, and then said, "Love Dan."

"I was just on assignment in China with my new partner, Harry Potter. While I was gone, Isabel stayed with Dane."

"Were you ever lovers?"

Mercy frowned. "Occasional. Our relationship was not defined by that."

"I see. What can you tell us about Dane Teague's involvement with the Dark Arts?"

"I've never seen him cast anything worse than a Cruciatus Curse, in all honesty." She bit her lip and then shrugged. "We didn't do much combat. It was almost entirely intel. He has some great projection spells, but I couldn't imagine him inventing an entire dark ritual. Not at all."

"Can you tell us about your relationship with Lucy Cunningham?"

Dane Teague held himself well. He wore some of the nicest robes Hermione had ever seen. And when he spoke, his voice rang with authority, a magnetic charisma that dominated the room.

"She was one of our most promising new recruits. I was involved in both of her exceptions - both physical training and the NEWTS. I was able to keep a tab on her even after she abandoned the vows, and when she defeated the former Death Eater I made her case to the High Council. They agreed to allow her back into the program, provided that I took her under my wing."

"Why were you so interested in recruiting her?"

"She is very talented. I think we all agreed, after hearing about her work single-handedly defeating that former Death Eater, that we would rather have her on our side."

"And do you feel you succeeded at taking her under your wing?"

"Absolutely not. If anything, I enabled her to do even more damage. Only a few weeks after returning, she told me that she had discovered a way of stripping the magic from wizards without otherwise damaging them. As you all know, this would have been an invaluable substitute for Azkaban. But she deceived me. She said that she just needed to charge the crystals. Later, after she demonstrated the technique to the High Council - by the way, I put my full endorsement behind her - she revealed how she needed to charge them. By then, it was too late for me to withdraw my endorsement. We had already started the special program.

"So I compromised. I agreed to allow her to store her Muggle 'batteries' in my personal basement." He sighed heavily. "Every few weeks, she replaced one of the Muggles. I found out just yesterday that she was actually sacrificing the Muggles for the technique, and then using Imperius to control her subjects and pretending to use the crystals afterward."

"So you had no idea that the technique was actually spirit taming?"

"None at all. I don't even know what spirit taming is."

"How much experience do you personally have with the Dark Arts?"

"Just as much as the next Auror. I have never been very good with the Dark Arts. That's why my position with the Aurors has never involved much field work."

"Did you have any other indications that Cunningham was still involved in the Dark Arts?"

"No. Well, one." Teague made a show of hesitation.

'Here it comes. Damn you, Lew.'

"I have always thought that her relationship with Hermione Granger was - a little disturbing. At first I thought it was an indication that she was, I don't know… it seemed like a validation of my trust in her. But then I found out some disturbing details about it, and I started to worry for the girl."

"What manner of detail?"

"For one, it seemed that Lew was pushing away Granger's friends, isolating her. And then I found out -" he hesitated again, looking uncomfortable. "I found out that Granger was several months pregnant with Lew's child."

"How is that possible?" The prosecutor sounded almost shocked. Murmurs overwhelmed the chamber. The atmosphere was stifling, moist and warm, the feeling of too many bodies in too small a space. Harry looked at Hermione, and Hermione glared at Lew.

"Lew had told me that her old friend Jacob was able to track souls. So I did some research about, you know… and I discovered that one of the methods, the best one, involves depositing one witch's soul in the other's, well, womb. Can you imagine? After that, I started watching more closely. And I found out that Granger had tried to cut off contact with Lew entirely, with mixed results, I suppose. I couldn't think what it could have been that alienated her, considering. And now, well… you can imagine how I felt, knowing what I knew, during the display yesterday. It seems painfully obvious that their relationship has been one of manipulation and subterfuge. I even wonder - did Lew ask Granger to help her in this way? Or was it - did she do it to exert even more control over her?

"I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised. The - what did you call it, spirit taming - it is far more horrifying than impregnation without consent. But it disturbs me, to think that something that should be so good, such a blessing, should be used toward evil ends."

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"No, I believe that is everything."

"Thank you, Mr. Teague. Final witness, Harry Potter."

Lew stood up. "Can we call a recess?"

"No, unfortunately," the prosecutor said. "Mr. Potter?"

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm, hissing in his ear. "Tell them it's true. It was consensual. You knew about it. Teague used the baby to control Lew, and I lost the baby last week. An accident."

"Hermione…" Harry looked acutely uncomfortable. "What's happening?"

"You knew about it," Hermione said. "Please, Harry."

Harry nodded and stood.

"You have been friends with Hermione Granger for how many years, Mr. Potter?"

"Nine years. Since our first year at Hogwarts."

"And you have remained close, even after the defeat of You Know Who?"

"Closer, probably. We studied for the NEWTS, did basic Auror training, and did most of the rest of the training together, too. Hermione is my closest friend."

"So you're surprised to find out that she is in a relationship with a dark witch, one that resulted in pregnancy?"

"Ah - no. Well, I was a little surprised, at first. But they make sense together, actually. It's hard to imagine Hermione without Lew." It was a nice compliment, especially considering the recent shock. "I suppose with everything, considering what Lew was trying to accomplish with um, Jacob, what happened just - it was something Hermione wanted."

"So it was her idea?"

"Yes. They talked about it for a while."

"And how many months pregnant is Ms. Granger?"

"She, um," Harry winced, possibly the first true expression he had made so far. "She lost the baby last week. It would have been -" he looked at the ceiling, undoubtedly doing the same math as everyone else in the chamber, "- four months." Four months since Lew was exonerated. Three months since Greyback was neutralized.

"So you approve completely of their relationship?"

"That's right. I'm happy for Hermione. I think Lew is the best thing that could have happened for her. And Lew has - has shown herself to have the highest integrity, despite what she said before. Without her help, and her superior skill in combat, we would never have been able to break open the special prison."

"So you believe her when she says that Teague forced her to do the spirit taming ritual?"

"Absolutely. I trust her." It was a leap, and Hermione could almost hear the words, 'If Hermione trusts her.' But, importantly, he didn't say that. He completely divorced his own judgment of Lew from Hermione's. And Harry Potter's judgment of character was possibly the most trusted in the wizarding world.

"Can you tell the panel what you told me about Dane Teague's basement?"

"He had five cages that were soundproofed. He managed to kill three of the Muggles before we incapacitated him. He used that woman," Harry nodded to the Muggle, "as a shield against our Stunning Spells. It was shocking to see him speak like he just did, when I saw him a few days ago killing Muggles in cages, like cattle."

"It's not just Mr. Potter that saw this. Ginny Weasley was also there, and Ms. Granger also corroborates this story. Well, Mr. Potter, you have given us all a lot to think about. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Yes, actually. While Lew was talking about how Teague gained control over her, I kept just wondering - why not say no? Tell Hermione and me about the ritual, fight Teague together from the beginning? Hermione is a perfectly capable witch. But when Teague admitted that he knew about the, ah, baby, I finally understood. He didn't just threaten Hermione. He threatened their baby, specifically, knowingly. Lew did what she thought would protect her child. That made me understand, finally. So in a way, he's dug his own grave, because he finally proved that Lew's actions did make sense."

Hermione looked over at Lew. She had her head down between her hands, but her shoulders were shaking hard, silently. The show of emotion was enough to set off Hermione's tears, too. 'Two more lies exposed and I still love you,' she shot at her. Lew looked up sharply, her face streaked with tears, eyes bloodshot. And then she looked at the Auror judges, each of whom met her gaze. She was fierce, uncowed despite the tears, but defensive, tense as a coiled spring.

Finally she looked down again, breaking the stare. Harry took the seat next to Hermione. "Do you think that death glare helped, or hurt?" he muttered.

"What?" Hermione put her arms around Harry. The rest of the crowd was moving, stretching and dispersing. "You were brilliant, Harry. How did you know?"

Harry shrugged. "You have a lot of explaining to do. If I just helped set an abusive dark witch free, you are going to really owe me."

"Teague never adequately explained why he was killing those Muggles," Marco said, his accent thick. "Teague, will you take the stage and explain that detail?"

Dane Teague stood and took the seat. "I was simply trying to escape. I had several Apparition blocks up, and taking the route out can be difficult. I did use the Muggle as a shield, because I felt that if I didn't, Lew might kill me. Whoever killed those Muggles - I didn't see. But I think it is clear who, among those present, had the least scruples, and who had the most to lose."

"I thought you were the one who tortured them." It was the prosecutor, still unnamed.

"She must have edited their memories."

"Lew Cunningham couldn't selectively edit memories to save her life," Marco said sharply. "I examined her during the admission process. You were still in Guam. Do you know what else she can't do? It's an Unforgivable. Guess."

Dane Teague shifted in his seat. "I have no idea. Why was it part of the exams?"

"It wasn't. I was curious what else her… mental block encompassed. And at the time, the Aurors were still allowed to perform Imperius." He grumbled. "I've never liked you, Teague. It seemed strange that you wanted to supervise her, since to you she would be nothing but a grunt. She's basically useless as a spy. What spy can't edit memories?"

"I think she can," Teague protested.

"So who wiped down Greyback's memories? He was the first one, remember? He could barely remember where to take a shit."

"It was badly done. She must have done it."

"I don't think so," Marco said. "I really don't. And Crabbe? His recollection was also badly damaged. It was like he kept needing to start from zero. Every time I had a shift with him, he realized that he'd lost the magic. Over and over again."

"Why would I ever do that? What would my motivation be for so much sloppiness?"

"You had a lot more going on than you reported to us. Cunningham," Marco said, turning toward the crowd. "How many times did you do the ritual?"

"Twelve times," Lew said.

"And only eight of them ended up in Special. Where did the rest go? Old enemies, maybe? You're a sick man, Teague." Marco sat down.

Theo stood. "Potter made a compelling case, but I don't trust Cunningham. She could have come to us at any time. Instead, she came forward only after Granger figured out everything. It seems obvious to me that she was hiding things, and not just from the Council. Granger and Potter must have just found out that she was performing the 'process'. After that, Cunningham could have easily concocted the story about Teague threatening Granger. Granger and Potter went along with it, because it was much easier to believe that Teague was responsible. She obviously had some sway over Granger. My question is, why didn't she tell Granger until the very last moment, if she had nothing to hide?"

The chamber was silent for a few long moments. Then Lew said, "Was that a question? Should I answer that?"

"Please," Theo said.

"I didn't want her to know about the ritual. We were going to have a baby. I wanted to hide the part of me that could do that. I thought I could gather enough evidence against Teague to bring to the Council on my own. She would never have to know."

"So you didn't tell her?" Marco clarified.

"I'm not proud of the things I've done. I didn't want them to impact Hermione, or - our baby. That was the most important thing to me."

Marco shrugged. "My opinion is unchanged, although I do think you're very stupid."

"Thank you, sir," Lew said, taking a deep breath and turning to Dawlish.

Dawlish looked thoughtfully at Theo. "Did that satisfy you, Proudfoot?"

Theo sat down. "I need to think. I would rather this have a simple solution."

"There is nothing simple where Teague is involved," Dawlish said softly. "Suffice it to say that I have seen the power of Teague's spy networks turned to unwholesome ends before this. I am not surprised that it was his idea to use spirit taming. Teague, you might be able to fool the public, but we are your colleagues. We've been Aurors together for fifteen years. There was a reason Gawain Robards sent you to Guam."

Teague let a scowl overtake his features. "Cunningham is a leech. You have to see that. Especially after what she did to Granger."

"She's just a child, Teague."

"So. Are you ready to vote on Dane Teague's guilt?" It was the prosecutor.

"Yes. Guilty," Theo said. Dawlish's opinion must have swayed him.

So it was unanimous. The vote to exonerate Lew was a foregone conclusion. It was over.

Hermione smiled tightly at Harry and they walked together to Lew. Hermione pressed her cheek to Lew's. "Harry is going to kill you," she whispered.

Lew hugged her tightly, burying her face in Hermione's neck. "Thank you."

"You didn't deserve it," Hermione said, and then released her and stepped aside.

Lew shook Harry's hand. "You probably have questions."

Ginny was there. "Can we go somewhere?"

Lew shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm not sure. Just a second." She went over to where Dawlish and Marco were standing. They had a brief conversation, during which Ginny and Harry eyed Hermione.

Lew came back. "Yes, I think I am allowed to leave."

"Let's meet at the Weasley Wheezes."

Lew raised an eyebrow, but nodded. They Disapparated separately. Harry and Ginny were there when Hermione arrived at the door.

"Do you think she skipped out?" Harry asked Hermione immediately.

"I don't know," Hermione answered honestly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny asked her.

"We are still in public," Hermione reminded her. There were a few customers within earshot, inside the store, and the street was bustling.

"Just tell us," Harry pressed.

"I was just embarrassed. I hadn't decided what to do."

"What was there to decide?" Harry's lips were a thin line.

"I - there she is," Hermione said. Lew was walking toward them from the direction of the Leaky Cauldron, her head down.

"Come on," Hermione said when she reached them. Lew just looked at her.

Ginny led the way up the stairs to the meeting room. It felt like a lifetime since Hermione had been there. Had it only been a week and a half?

Lew went straight to the window and lit a cigarette. Ginny and Harry continued to eye Hermione over the table, so Hermione went to the cooler and took out four beers to escape them. Her hands were shaking. She distributed the beers, and Harry drank his.

"What did you mean, you hadn't decided what to do?" Ginny finally said.

Lew spoke from the window. "I didn't tell Hermione what she was consenting to when I left my soul in her. I regret it -"

"So I just really, really lied." Harry interrupted. "That's what I kind of thought." He stood. "You're a piece of shit."

"It doesn't matter now," Hermione said.

"It entirely matters," Harry said. "What Teague said about her manipulating you was completely true, Hermione. I am going to punch you," he said to Lew, and he did, twice.

Hermione interposed herself between them before he hit her a third time, and Harry stalked away. Lew looked at Hermione, wiping her face, and then turned away and lit another cigarette. After a long moment, Hermione sat back down at the table. There was something wrong about what Harry had said, but Hermione barely trusted herself to speak, let alone piece together the details of her relationship with Lew. Maybe Lew had manipulated her. She struggled to find an example of that happening, and could think of only the one time. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lew's voice.

"I thought it would have been easy to deal with. I gave her Muggle pills. It's not even an abortion at that point."

"That can't be your excuse," Hermione said sharply.

"I had to kill him. I thought it was the cleanest way."

"You could have asked. We could have talked about it."

"You would have gotten involved. You would have tried to help me." Lew was still defending her decision. Hermione suddenly hated her.

Harry interjected. "This might come as a surprise to you, Lew, but Hermione Granger's help is pretty fucking helpful."

"It was my fight," Lew said.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" Ginny interrupted. "Why did you take her back, Hermione?"

"I didn't want to tell you about - it." Hermione buried her face in her hands. "And when it - I held out for months. I would have told you once I decided what to do. But then. She was the only one who knew about the baby at all. And I let her back in for just a day. It was too easy." She lowered her hands and looked at Lew, who had frozen in place, her face a mask except for a slight working in her jaw. "I shouldn't have done it."

"Piece of shit," Harry repeated. He had finished his beer and started on Ginny's untouched one. "I can't believe I just lied for you."

Hermione said, "If you hadn't, Teague would have walked."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Lew asked fiercely, lighting yet another cigarette. "I worked for Teague to protect you and the baby. I told you the truth, in the end, all of it. I stayed, I gave myself over for that fucking shitshow trial, and now here I am, talking to you. Getting punched and shit on."

Nobody had a response to that. Finally Lew said, "Should I just go?"

Harry said "Yes" at the same time that Hermione said "No." They looked at each other.

"It seriously happened?" Harry said incredulously. "After ten years, Hermione Granger has finally made an actual, real mistake?"

"Shut up, Harry," Hermione returned.

Ginny addressed Lew. "You do love her, don't you?"

"Yes!" Lew was exasperated. "I'm just really, incredibly fucking stupid, just like Marco said. I'm sorry. For everything. I want to be the person who deserves you, Hermione." She held Hermione's gaze, and then turned back to the window, sniffing, wiping her face with her hand.

Hermione looked at Harry and Ginny. She remembered that shape of Lew's lips when she kissed her in the forest. It was too tempting to let herself fall back into Lew's arms. But having finally articulated the reason she let Lew in after the miscarriage, Hermione could no longer pretend that it was a reason at all. She couldn't keep sacrificing her dignity on the altar of comfort. Lew was not the person that deserved Hermione.

"You can go now, Lew," Hermione said, and then she stood as if to catch her. But Lew was too fast. She didn't look back. She just flew.

A/N: Sorry. Getting pretty impatient to finish this so I'm dumping. I'm waiting on my lovely beta Sashimae for the next half-chapter's edits, so expect something Monday.

In the meantime, I feel like I should offer an apology, and an explanation for what happened here. If you've stuck with me this far, I trust that you are here because you want to see them together. I, too, so badly wanted them together for the next part of the story that I wrote two chapters of it, and then I realized that I could never forgive myself if I did that.

First and most pressingly, Hermione deserves better. She might have been happier if she had taken Lew back at this point, but she wouldn't respect herself for it, and Hermione's dignity here is paramount to me. But most importantly, as a dear friend told me in excruciating honesty last week, Lew needs a chance to grow. Lew is beautiful in her own way, but she can't remain the person who could unapologetically use Hermione's body the way she did, and at this point in time she has been so distracted by her own problems that she hasn't had a chance to really think about what she did. Hermione gives her the motivation and the means to grow, but this change will not happen in the comfort of Hermione's arms - which was made abundantly clear to me as I walked through the following two chapters under the alternative scenario. Trust me, this is going to end up better. Sadder, but better. Lew proves herself in a way that even I did not expect, and I am still recovering from.

Thank you for staying tuned!