Hermione woke up for work with one thing on her mind; today was the day. The day she was going to find out if she was pregnant or not. She had decided to go with a muggle test and planned to get it on her lunch break. It seemed like the safest bet as, to get a wizard test, she would have to go to Diagon Alley. While the reporters couldn't speculate, she figured they wouldn't have to do much speculation if they found her buying a pregnancy potion. Visions swirled in her mind of every magical publication reporting on her situation; The Golden Trio now a Golden Quartet? A Secret Love Child: Who Really is Hermione Granger? Who could the Father be: Former Hermione Granger Lover Cormac McLaggen Tells All. No, it would be much better to go the private, muggle route this time.

Her anxiety radiated her body as she got ready for work. She could barely put on mascara; her hands were shaking so hard in anticipation. How was she going to last until lunch? But soon she found she would no longer need to wait; she had her period.

She had expected to feel relief at this possibility; for her shoulders to relax and the tension in her core to release. But, to her surprise, that did not happen. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She internally chastised herself for this inappropriate response. After all, she and Ron were in no place to have a baby. They had barely dated and had barely gotten to know each other since the incident. Plus, they weren't exactly stable right now. Altogether, they were in no place for bringing a life into the world, she told herself. But still, her disappointment lingered.

She told Ron as soon as she knew. He had taken to waking up early with her and preparing breakfast (which Hermione only agreed to as long as she could make dinner). He was confused at first as to why she was discussing her monthly with him, but then he realised. Hermione couldn't help but think that she also saw disappointment in his eyes.

Hermione had called Dr. Ailey's office as soon as she got the number. It was a bit trickier than expected, as Hr. Stoica's letter had not included a phone number. She assumed he had not thought of including such a muggle form of communication. Still, it made contacting the new doctor complicated for Hermione since she believed that an owl would not be welcome in Muggle London.

She decided she would have to go to the library after work and look up the doctor's number when she remembered the yellow pages book smushed into one of her kitchen cabinets. Searching through the thin pages, Hermione found her quickly;

Doctor Louise Ailey, Psychiatrist

1 Harley Street Marylebone, London

(020) 7946 0347

She called before they were open and shakily left a message for the doctor. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but her voice stuttered as she asked for an appointment for herself and Ron, on the recommendation of "Doctor" Stoica.

She turned off her phone during work, something she usually didn't do, as she never got calls. On her ride back from work, she found she had a message waiting for her. The receptionist had set up appointments for them. The doctor was usually very busy, but could fit the two of them in two weeks, if that works for them? Hermione called back and confirmed the appointment, finally feeling a bit of relief that she had been expecting the day before. They were moving forward.

Hermione was not one to procrastinate, but meeting with Kingsley was something she had been putting off. She thought perhaps she should wait to see him until after she had met with her therapist; maybe she would be a bit stronger after that.

But, when Ron came home one evening talking about how Kingsley had stopped by the shop, she knew she was running out of time. Apparently, he just popped by to say hello, and of course, he asked how Hermione was doing. Ron seemed pleased with his conversation with Kingsley, as he was someone they had all looked up to. But, Hermione knew that this was more of a friendly chat. It was an inquiry, perhaps still a friendly one, into when Hermione would meet with him.

She knew that she would always have excuses, and reluctantly wrote a letter to him the next day, asking to meet with him. To her surprise, a letter was waiting for her when she got back from work, asking if the next evening worked for her.

So here she found herself, waiting in the uncharacteristically plain waiting room of the office of Minister of Magic. Kingsley's secretary was enthusiastically chatting to Hermione about the weather. Or was it the latest quidditch game? She wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was twiddling her thumbs waiting to talk to Kingsley.

What all was he wanting to know? Would she have to go through all of the events of her kidnapping? Would he want her memories? She wouldn't be able to say no to the Minister, especially if it could help the aurors in some way.

When Kingsley finally ushered her in, she felt like she had been waiting for hours, when it had only been five minutes. He offered her tea and biscuits, and they commenced in niceties.

"I've wanted to ask you if you have plans for your future career. A talent like yours could always be used in the ministry."

"Oh," she said, taken by surprise. "Thank you," she added quickly. "I'm not quite sure."

"I see," He said, leaning back in his lush velvet armchair. "Before your disappearance, I had been planning on asking you to join my team, we were rebuilding then, and I believe you could have been invaluable."

He looked to Hermione, perhaps hoping for a response or agreement, but instead, she just stared at him.

"I still believe that, and the offer still stands. However, with your experience, I figured you might fit better at a higher position. Both the Department of Education, and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are hiring senior-level positions. I would be happy to recommend you for either of them if you so choose."

Hermione was taken aback from Kingsley's offer. Even though they had been on friendly terms, he was still the Minister, and he was talking so highly of her. It was as if the past five years had not happened, and she was still the top-of-her-class war hero.

"I don't have any NEWT's", she offered. Perhaps he had forgotten this, and she needed to remind him of her actual accomplishments.

"I believe your experience and expertise well outway the value of any NEWT's you could have acquired."

All she could muster was a tiny "oh".

Kingsley passed her the applications for the positions, signalling the end of their conversation. Hermione was flummoxed but stood to leave. Just as she got to the door, she turned around.

"Are you going to ask me about the, erm, incident."

"No, no. We have all the information we need," he said, beginning to go through paperwork, having moved on from their meeting.

He noticed that Hermione had not left, looked up at her and smiled.

"No need to dwell on the past. Focus on your future, Hermione."

Kingsley's words echoed in her mind as she took the lift to the atrium. She was so baffled by Kingsley's unexpectedly positive discussion, that she barely noticed Harry enter the lift with her.

"Hermione!", Harry said enthusiastically, leaning in for a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I just met with Kingsley."

Harry nodded his head as the lift doors opened to the first floor.

"Do you mind if I pop by tonight?", he asked. "We can talk about your meeting, and I have lots to tell you and Ron."

"Of course," Hermione said, always happy to have a visit from her best friend. "Is everything alright?".

"Yeah, it's brilliant!", he said, reassuring Hermione. "We were finally able to crack the wands history of the man you asked about." He said the last bit in hushed tones. "We'll be able to discuss it more freely later."

She nodded, wondering what he possibly could have found.

"See you tonight," he said, before kissing her cheek and disappearing into the crowd.