"We have over a hundred student hopefuls" Hermione told Remus and Severus outside the doors that contained half the students that wanted to join the school mid-term "Half the students are here today to do the written exams and half are with the mind-healers I had brought over from Saint-Mungo's. Tomorrow those students will take the written exams while the students who already took the written exams will see the healers then both groups of students will be broken up into groups that contain their age groups and they will take the practical exams" She smiled "I'll have some Aurors here to help, Ginny will help along with Pansy and Sirius Black and Harry"

"Pansy?" Remus asked "You only invited her because of Sirius, right?"

"Actually, Remus" Hermione said, a little annoyed that he would be so judgmental towards the Slytherin girl "She was fourth in her DADA class, you should remember that"

"I had her during a difficult time for any teenage girl" Remus defended himself, his face turning red at her obvious irritation with him and this caused Snape to let out a mean little snicker "Her grades weren't wonderful in her third year"

"Anyway" Hermione said "We'll know if they're able to join the school or not next week. Over the rest of the school year, we will be testing all the kids that'll be getting their Hogwarts letters before next fall"

"Well" Severus said, pulling his wife against him and kissing her deeply "We should head in there"

"Good luck" She answered and hugged them both before they disappeared into the testing hall. As she got on to the lift to head back to her office a blonde woman joined her with a small smile that Hermione returned.

"Minister Snape" She greeted with an American accent "Nice to meet you in person, I'm Elana Morris from the American Magical Offices...the equivalent of your ministry of magic"

"I was unaware that you were visiting" Hermione frowned, wondering if maybe she'd been too busy with her personal life to notice this visit.

"Of course, you didn't" She answered, "I'm with the Magical Orphan Welfare office and we've gotten more than one owl from concerned witches and wizards that claim Cyrus Snape isn't safe with you or his father and I'm here to investigate that" She smiled coldly at Hermione as the door dinged open and she walked out "I'll be seeing you, Hermione Snape, real soon"

Hermione watched the shapely blonde make her way down the nearest hallway, her hips swaying suggestively and the minister of magic glared after her. She knew from her pregnancy with Aibhlinn that she would tend to get a bit jealous of other women because her body was changing too much, but to not be jealous of that woman was impossible. As if in an afterthought what the woman said popped back into her mind, complaints? About Cyrus, who the hell was complaining about their ability to be good parents? Cyrus was going to school and doing very well, he had food and clothes and more than enough friends...so who was complaining?

"Minister?" Carly called to her "Are you okay?" She looked worried "Do you need a Healer?"

"What?" Hermione asked, looking confused "No, no thank you, Carly, I was lost in my thoughts"

"Okay" The young woman looked unconvinced "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes" Hermione answered "I need someone who is good at finding out information about certain things...discreetly, can you do that?"

"I have just the person" She grinned "I'll contact him"

"When he gets here send him in" Hermione said "This is of the utmost importance"

"Is everything okay?" Carly hesitated, Hermione got passionate about things regularly but she looked almost manic at this point "Should I get your husband?"

"No" Hermione said quickly, knowing that stressing him out too much wouldn't be good for his health "I am the Minister of Magic and I will handle this situation as such" She lifted her head confidently "Now hurry along, the workday is nearly over"

Hermione sat in her office for the next hour waiting impatiently. She couldn't concentrate on anything other than who would be stupid enough to try to tear her family apart. If she was honest with herself then she'd already know, it wasn't just one person, it was probably all the butt-hurt wizarding families that weren't happy with her choice for headmaster. They were hoping that they could distract her with her own family drama and she would mess up bad enough that the people would overthrow her and then things could go back to normal. Hermione laughed at the thought, they didn't know her at all, Hermione Snape nee Granger didn't get bullied into being docile or meek...she got pissed off. She was going through some of the mind-healers notes about some of the student hopefuls when there was a knock on the door and Carly announced the arrival of her spy. Hermione stood as he walked in and her mouth dropped in shock before a happy smile spread across her face.

"Neville?!" She all but shrieked "You're the 'spy' I'm going to be working with?"

"Guess so" He chuckled "Carly told me that you needed some help"

"I do" Hermione said as she sat down across from him with her desk between them "I need you to find out everything you can about the American Department of Magical Orphan Welfare" She thought for a moment "Particularly a woman named Elana Morris"

"Okay" Neville said, writing down the name "I have fees" Hermione raised a brow, Neville was one of the best Herbologists in Europe among all his other talents that he made money off of, surely he didn't need her money too "I'll be travelling to America that is expensive, hotels, food...it adds up and while I have the money I really don't like to leave a trail"

"A trail...why would..." Hermione was confused.

"If we are investigating them" Neville explained "They have already or already are investigating us...paper leaves no trail for them to use against us or to use to beat us at our own game" He smiled at her shock "The money that is issued from the Ministry through Gringotts can't be traced to anyone so they would have a dead end if they tried to figure out who from England was making inquiries"

"Then I'll have an account set up for you at Gringotts through the Ministry" Hermione answered with a smile "How did you get into this business?"

"Fell into it" He answered with a small grin "Guess I'm good at finding out information"

"Well, I thank you from the bottom of my heart" Hermione smiled "And of course, you'll be well compensated"

"I don't need money, Hermione" Neville answered, as he collected the paperwork she gave him along with his own notes.

"Then what do you want?" She asked.

"Let's just say" Neville said with a small smile "I may need the Minister of Magic to look the other way when I bring in some...difficult plants..."

"As long as people don't get hurt because of them" Hermione verified, and he nodded.

"I sell them when they come to fruition" He promised with another smile "My buyers are often out of the country"

"Okay" Hermione nodded, making a mental note to look further into his side business at another time because even though he was a Gryffindor what he was doing sounded extremely Slytherin and sneaky to her.

After Neville left her office, Hermione sat back and looked over some boring paperwork. Her mind was moving fast between the woman who came all the way from America to try to prove that her and Severus were bad parents and filling the school with new students. Hermione Granger wasn't an idiot, she knew it went hand in hand, the old Wizarding families that were trying to kick her out of office because she put a werewolf in the headmasters seat they were trying to hurt her and made-up fake abuse claims. She'd love to find out which families those were and make them pay dearly for what they're attempting but then she'd be no better than Fudge was or they are, so her payback would have to be better thought out. It was only about a half an hour before the end of her day when Hermione got a brilliant idea and sent an owl to Rita Skeeter telling her to come to her office immediately. The blonde haired, bespectacled woman got there in less than ten minutes. She was out of breath and clutching her purse in one hand and her notebook in the other, her eyes wide when Hermione stood up promptly.

"Take a seat please, Rita" Hermione indicated a comfortable seat before the fireplace "And get ready to write"

"Yes, ma'am" Rita answered, opening her notebook and poising her quill over the paper and looking at Hermione with wide eyes.

"I want this to go into the prophet tonight" Hermione instructed "Let the storm start early"

"Storm, minister?" Rita asked but the younger woman shook her head.

"Headline" Hermione instructed, pacing the floor " Consequences For Removing Your Children From Hogwarts:" Rita's mouth popped open a little before she started to busily scribble out what the Minister was saying "I want it to say on the front page: Minister of Magic, Hermione Snape is now making it known that if you have taken your children out of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry then they are not welcome back"

"Minister..." Rita looked shocked at the woman's words and while she was furiously scribbling out the words it looked like she was terrified to be doing so "Are you sure...?"

"You can put some of this in the story" Hermione told her "I will proofread it as I always do" Rita nodded "The families that took their children out of the school did so because of hatred and racism. I have looked at each of the files of the students that were taken out, looked at their records and saw what kind of students they were and most of them were bullies and for that reason, when they decide it's "safe" to send their kids back there is now a rule in place saying no" Rita nodded her head with a small shrug of her shoulders "A rule telling them that they are no longer welcome at the school, I am hoping that they understand that we are attempting to make the school a new, safe and bully-free environment"

"It's all written down, Minister" Rita told her, closing the notebook "The evening prophet comes out at seven, it's four now" She looked at her magical watch "I'll send you a copy to proofread by six, please have it back with your notes no later than six-thirty" She smiled "That way I can make the changes and have it ready for distribution by seven"

"Thank you" Hermione sighed, Rita stood and made her way to the door "Oh, Rita" She turned "I got your request about being put on the marriage list even though you can't have children" Rita's shoulders sank a little and she nodded "I'm adding you before I leave tonight and Healer Prace, at Saint Mungo's has informed me that she may be able to help you with the pregnancy thing"

"But how did she...?" Rita started and Hermione raised her eyebrows "You told her, you've gotten her to help me?" She was confused "But why?"

"Because, Rita" Hermione told her "Just because our partnership here started through blackmail and dislike doesn't mean I don't respect your writing and what you do. Without you, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be doing as well as I am as Minister, if being married and having a family is what's going to make you happy, then I will fight to see it happen"

"Are we...friends?" Rita asked and Hermione nodded, the older woman didn't dare say anything more just nodded her head as well before exiting the office. She leaned against the doorframe and thought about what the minister had told her. If this all worked out she'd have a husband and would be a mother as well, something she never thought was possible. It was good to have friends in high places.

"Are you okay?" The secretary asked from her desk.

"Yes" Rita answered quickly, she smiled brighter than she had ever in her life before as she walked to the lift "So, this is what it's like to be Hermione Granger's friend" She muttered to herself.

A/N: Long time coming but here it is, tell me what you think.