Chapter 2: Two Steps Forward
Sunday was a day of rest for Hermione and she used it to run to the market, begin painting and rearranging what would turn into her library and study, and then prepare a celebratory dinner for one in her new kitchen. While in Paris, Hermione had finally learned the art and joy of preparing food for herself and others. Though she was loathe to admit it to anyone, including herself, Ron's comment about her lack of cooking skills while on the run had found its place to lodge in her young, impressionable, and formative psyche. While she was determined to never measure her self-worth based on the assessment of a single man, she did have positive associations between being able to proudly care for and feed those around her during times of celebration or tragedy and she longed to realize those feelings herself. Her own mother was the neighborhood baker, constantly delivering cookies and sweets to those in her community, and it only took partaking of one of Molly Weasley's meals to understand just how satisfying the process of making lovingly and skillfully prepared food for family and friends could be.
She sat at her kitchen island, with a plate of Salmon Florentine and a fresh greens salad from her run to the market. She poured herself a glass of chardonnay and settled in to enjoy her meal. She had a new book from the muggle bookstore down the lane and was ready to lose herself in a world of art history, symbology, and one witty Harvard professor. But as she started to turn the pages of her new novel, she found her thoughts drifting towards her meeting tomorrow with Kingsley.
One of their running jokes through their years of correspondence centered around a mutual love for herbal tea; despite their British origins, there was something that personally affronted each of them about a good old-fashioned cup of Earl Grey or PG Tips. That he had offered her first proper cup of tea back on British soil was a sly nod to their mutual understanding of what made a good and proper cuppa and years of friendship.
Kingsley and Hermione were often of one mind, as their letters over the years would tell. While they both thoroughly enjoyed pushing the limits on opposing sides of an intellectual debate, their logic, thought processes, and personal interests intersected frequently and provided a symbiotic intellectual outlet for each of them. Kingsley was a lifelong student of Transfiguration and Charms, two of Hermione's favorite subjects, and he could match her intellect handily in both subjects. While Kingsley had started as an Auror at the Ministry, she was constantly reminded of his stint working for the Muggle Prime Minister during Harry's third year when he would occasionally reference more obscure aspects of Muggle culture in their conversations; there was a part of Hermione that loved how he shared those memories and references what seemed to be exclusively with her. There was a side of Hermione that felt uniquely seen and appreciated in their correspondence.
That being said, there was a part of her that was extremely nervous for her meeting with him in the morning. It would be the first time, outside of their brief encounter at her party, that they had met in person since she left the country. While Kingsley had traveled to France at least once a year while she was abroad, his schedule was so tightly run by the Ministry that they were never able to enjoy the typical nights out she indulged in with her other friends from the Isles. There was something completely alluring about the idea of having an evening dedicated to dinner, drinks, conversation, and a walk through her second favorite city with the man she considered to be a mentor; she was oddly wistful at the thought that she never got to have that experience.
Hermione realized that, at this point, she was pushing around the remnants of spinach, mushroom and cream sauce on her plate and had made no progress on her novel. Sighing, she stood and moved from her island to the sink, washed her dishes, and then took her novel and what was left of her wine to her bedroom suite. Her bedroom suite took up the entirety of the third floor, and it was this indulgence entirely that sold Hermione on the purchase of her town house. Her suite had been renovated by the previous owners to include a sitting area, room for a king-sized bed under the southern facing window looking into her back garden, and a walk-in closet and master bath that contained the most luxurious soaking tub with a mounted rainfall shower overhead. Hermione rarely splurged or dipped into her monetary award from the War and her Order of Merlin First Class, but between her initial investments in both the Wizarding and Muggle economies paying off handsomely and an unexpected inheritance from her maternal grandparents also invested, she was able to afford the house of her dreams.
As Hermione completed her evening routine, she contemplated her outfit for her Monday meetings. While she knew Kingsley and was comfortable around him in muggle and magical clothing alike, there was a deep-seated need to make a professional and personal statement with her clothing choices. After all, she had spent the last three years straddling the muggle and magical worlds in Paris and knew that large scale integration of the two worlds starts with small everyday intentional choices and normalizations. Finished washing her face and plaiting her hair, she moved to her walk-in wardrobe and began to consider her options. As she pulled a couple of her favorite looks to the chair in front of her mirror, Hermione pursed her lips and narrowly appraised her own looks.
Hermione knew that she wasn't someone considered naturally gorgeous by any means, but as she had grown into her looks, and more specifically the styling of her natural features, she realized that there was a structured elegance that she could easily create, project, and maintain. Her riotous curls had learned to be tamed over the years, and they were often woven into hairstyles that elongated the curve of her neck and provided contrast to her high cheekbones. She was pale, but the contrast with her darker hair, lashes, and brows made her look somewhat ethereal and she had leaned into it with minimal makeup application that was only designed to highlight her features, not mask her natural skin tone. She looked best in solid colors, highlighted by brief style moments featuring soft patterns. She preferred clean and simple looks that were classic in their pieces and styling.
She took a sip of wine and set it atop her dresser. She started to sort through the top jewelry drawer and began to pull pieces that would complement some of her clothing selections. Satisfied with her choices, she then moved to her shoe rack and began to pull pairs of heels and flats that would be fashionable yet comfortable for a day at the Ministry. She had a sneaking suspicion that her meeting with Evelyn would be more fruitful than she was even ready to imagine right now. She didn't want to get her hopes up too much, but she would be lying to herself if her mastery in Public Administration with a concentration in Muggle and Magical socio-legal systems hadn't been chosen with serious British wizarding law reform in mind. And for that, the DMLE was a natural path forward.
Hermione began to trial combinations of tops and bottoms, dresses and robes, skirts and suits in front of her mirror; after a long process of narrowing down her choices, she settled on a wine-colored set of fitted and short wizarding robes, with a soft blush vee-neck sleeveless silk blouse that was tucked into a high waisted black skirt. The blouse had delicate fabric flowers down the right side of the vee that were made from a delicately striped silk of the same color. Hermione figured that with a light blush, mascara, and soft pink eyeshadow and a pair of nude pumps, the look would be strikingly professional and balanced between wizarding and muggle fashions. For anyone that knew both, her Louboutins would make a definitive statement, as would her robes which were made of an incredibly soft acromantula silk that only one of the highest end Parisian wizarding fashion houses incorporated into their work wear collections. She selected a single pearl teardrop pendant on a gold chain and chose a pair of gold pendant earrings that were sleek and modern in their hooked teardrop styling and were pearled as well. Satisfied with her choices, Hermione hung her outfit and cast a brief garment steaming charm that she had learned very early on in her Parisian years.
As she exited her closet, she downed the last bit of her chardonnay and then went to bush her teeth and to turn down the covers of her king-sized bed. Her bed was another indulgence for her personal comfort. Her sheets and duvet were an omber white, grey, and lavender gradient and felt like silk on her skin. At the foot of her bed was a small, fluffy, grey cat bed that was graced by her familiar, Nyx. Crookshanks had passed when she lived in France, and it was one of the hardest parts of being away from home, grieving her familiar in an unfamiliar land. Not long after Crooks had passed, Hermione was visited daily by a little fuzzball of a black cat at her Parisian apartment building's entrance. The little thing was playful, curious, and clearly attached to her. At one point, Hermione even became convinced he knew her specific schedule and would time his appearances just to see her. After watching the poor thing be stalked by some unruly teenaged boys, she brought Nyx home – landlord be damned – and that was that.
And it was with thoughts of her sweet cat, that Hermione crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.
- — - — -
Kingsley didn't get nervous. Not outwardly anyways; his years as an Auror had trained him to adapt and overcome without betraying his internal "oh shite" meter. His subsequent foray into the shark-infested political waters of wizarding Britain in post-Voldemort world taught him that if there was ever a time and place for a poker face, it was here and now in his role as Minister. And yet here he was, trying to contain his nervous energy as he began to pace behind his desk. His meeting with Hermione was scheduled for 8:00am. He had woken around 4:00am with an unexplained burst of energy, and while he was usually an early riser it was entirely unusual for him to be ready to face the day well before dawn. After tossing and turning for a brief period of time, he decided to eventually rise from the bed, get dressed in his smartest set of ministry robes with his trademark purple accents, and then left for the office before the sun began to peek over the horizon.
Once he arrived at the office, he managed to channel his nervous energy into some long overdue paperwork. But with the rate at which he blew through his administrative tasks, he found himself with nearly an hour to spare. Kingsley was a ritualistic man, and he found peace in routine. Knowing that the service of tea was a ritual of comfort for him and he was about to serve Hermione here in his office, Kingsley began to gather his favorite tea cups, herbal blend, and his grandmother's charmed teapot. The teapot was his favorite inheritance from her – it featured in many of his memories with her growing up. The teapot was an elegant silver self-heating work of art that was classically tapered and finished with gently curved handles and spout that fit the regal aesthetic Kingsley attempted to project. It didn't hurt that it would come to temperature much faster than a stovetop kettle. It was perfect for his office at the Ministry in terms of beauty, form and function.
Kingsley selected his favorite herbal tea from a wooden box that housed his personal selection of tea bags. He opted for a mint and honey blend that was refreshing in the morning and that he hoped Hermione would appreciate as well. He moved his tea service set to the sitting area near his bookshelves, and began to prepare for Hermione's arrival. There were two leather armchairs facing each other across the ends of a mahogany coffee table and formed a U-shape seating area with a matching leather loveseat. He finished arranging the coffee table and then checked his watch. There were still 30 minutes before Hermione was due to arrive, so he grabbed his latest novel from the muggle bookstore not far from his residence. Muggle novels were an indulgence from his time as an operative with the Muggle Prime Minister. He started to immerse himself in a world of bizarre rituals, Leonardo DaVinci, and muggle religion.
He didn't even hear her approaching. "You'll have to tell me if that ends up being any good. I tried to start it the other evening, but got distracted," Hermione said with a soft smile. She was leaned against the doorway to his office, and he couldn't help but stare. She looked stunning – posh, classy, and naturally beautiful all rolled into one – and his brain stutter stepped as he tried to come up with a response other than, "Hermione…hi." He closed the book after dog-earring the page, and stood to greet her. "Welcome to the Ministry, come in."
She moved into his office with a slow and lithe stride that was mesmerizing to Kingsley, and gestured for him to sit next to her on the loveseat. He joined her and leaned forward to begin pouring their tea. Soon the scent of mint and honey began to permeate the air around him, and he smiled, nodding for her to pick up a cup. Raising his cup in her direction, "To new beginnings and good friends, I can't wait to see what you do next," Kingsley toasted.
"Well, I was hoping I could actually pick your brain to that extent," replied Hermione as she raised her cup in return and went to take her first sip. "But Merlin, Kingsley. First, I'm going to need you to tell me where you found this blend and how I can get some of my own. This is a proper cup of tea Kings," Hermione said with a hint of wonder. It wasn't just the first sip of tea that warmed his insides at that. The look on her face was worth every bit of nervous energy and effort he'd been through this morning.
"I had that conversation you recommended with Ms. Roberts," Hermione began. "Well, more specifically she and I arranged a meeting for later this morning. But I don't know that I want to walk into this meeting blind. I'd love your insight Kingsley. How well do you know Ms. Roberts?" Inquired Hermione. "Evelyn and I were peers in our youth; we attended Hogwarts together, but our families ran in similar circles growing up," replied Kingsley. "Evelyn and I have always been of similar minds when it came to the ways we wished to live our lives; neither of us bought into many of the pure-blood traditions we were raised around."
Kingsley took a sip of his tea and pondered what to tell Hermione next. "Evelyn and I were arranged to be married at one point, but neither of us were particularly inclined to follow the paths our families laid out for us. We have remained good friends, but I am not her particular cup of tea in the relationship department," mused Kingsley with a wry smile and a lift of his eyebrow. "However, Evelyn is the kind of boss that any highly motivated and justice seeking employee could only dream of. She has mastered the art of politics, yes, but she has yet to compromise her principles. She is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to righteously defending her belief in a better society and doing what his right – much like you, Hermione."
"Kingsley, I have to ask, why does she think I might be a good fit for her office? I've got at least one other offer that is certainly intriguing and in line with the work I was doing in France, but I don't know," she drifted off. "I've got some reservations about returning to the Ministry. Is it crazy for me to say that?"
"Hermione, no one has judged you for the decision to take leave from the Ministry. You did excellent work during your initial term, and there are a number of departments hoping that they might be able to poach you upon your return. While I'm sure the Heritage Foundation," Kingsley said with a knowing quirk of the corner of his lips, "might be particularly interested in your talents, but Hermione there is so much good you could do right here. There are things that I've been wanting to see change within the Ministry for years, and I think with you on board, in addition to some recent hires and relationships we have built with community partners, those changes might be realized."
Hermione watched closely as Kingsley took a deep breath, a sip of his tea, and then he continued. "Mione, I foresee a wizarding world in which the individual members of our society can seamlessly transition from our comforts and traditions to the modernized adaptations of the muggle world and back again," he passionately stated. "I envision a world in which our justice system is not dependent on birthright, but is diverse and reflective of the citizens in our society. And you, Hermione, you have worked with the Wizengamot, you have seen the challenges that our most progressive and most needed legislation faces, you have worked within the system to create changes that are enduring, and then not only that – but you also have studied Cooperative Magical Affairs as it relates to Public Administration! This moment, no, this movement needs you Hermione."
- — - — -
Hermione had much to mull over as she left her morning meeting with Kingsley. Aside from their enlightening conversation about the DMLE, Evelyn, and his aspirations for British Wizarding Society, there was that pesky drop of her stomach and subsequent butterflies when she laid eyes on him in all of his Ministerial glory that at some point she was going to have to reckon with; Kingsley was a formidable man in his charcoal suit with subtle purple accents, and black Ministry robes. He cut an unexpectedly dashing figure in person that somehow her imagination never quite brought to life as vividly as her in person visit did. But for now, she needed to prepare for her meeting with Evelyn. She felt like she had a much better understanding of the direction in which her meeting the Head of the DMLE was going to go.
The first thing Hermione noticed as she approached Evelyn's office was just how communal the space was. Evelyn's area was easily distinguished apart from the rest, but the rest of the DMLE seemed to be far more team oriented and spatially integrated than any other Ministry office she had been in. There was a law library with pairs of windowed conference rooms on either side that could easily be combined or parted with magical dividers. There were community work tables, cozy seating areas, and then two hallways of individual offices running off each side of the community work area. Evelyn's office was centrally located, just to the right of the main entrance and directly across from the law library. The office was appointed in a mix of rich woods, warm and soft fabrics, and neutral tones. From her current vantage point, she saw Evelyn's door was open and the department secretary indicated Hermione was expected.
As she approached, Evelyn stood to greet her. "Ms. Granger, welcome to the DMLE. Please come in." Hermione noticed as she stood – Evelyn Roberts had style. She was tall, with brunette hair that was swept up on one side and secured in a sleek bun, and she wore navy silk robes that beautifully framed a baby blue and navy block shift dress that was cinched at her slender waist. Her heels were patent black Louboutins, and she accented the look with simple silver jewelry. Hermione felt like she was in the presence of a kindred spirit. "Have a seat Ms. Granger," Evelyn offered.
"Thank you for having me, Ms. Roberts. I've been looking forward to this opportunity all weekend," Hermione began. "I've heard many wonderful things about the DMLE under your leadership, and I have to admit I'm certainly intrigued by your request to meet. My tea with Kingsley this morning was enlightening, to say the least."
"To start Ms. Granger, I believe that this conversation necessitates a certain degree of frankness and trust if we are to speak honestly with one another. May I call you Hermione?" Evelyn began. With a nod from Hermione, she continued "Over the past 3 years, I have been Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. While one of my primary responsibilities is overseeing the Auror Corps, I also have significant oversight of the Wizengamot, prosecution of crimes before the Wizengamot, and adjacent criminal justice issues. Kingsley and I collaborated extensively on the Wingate Prison Reform when I was Deputy Head and we are looking to collaborate further on fundamental legal and justice reform."
Hermione considered Evelyn's words for a moment and then in a measured voice, responded. "I'm curious as to the form this work would take. Both you and Kingsley have hinted at the scale and scope, and I know the kind of work that I have undertaken as part of my mastery in Public Administration, so I could see how the two might dovetail. But I'm thinking that if I'm going to move forward in this position, then I need to hear exactly what you have in mind."
Evelyn appraised Hermione with something Hermione imagined to be akin to approval. "In the past 12 months, I have made several hires that I think will drive the direction of this department for years to come. They are bright young minds, and have niche skills that I believe will help realize the vision I have for the DMLE. Young Astoria Greengrass has come to the department with an affinity and skill for in-depth and out-of-the box thinking combined with formidable research skills. Her first year out of Hogwarts was spent in the Ministry Archives where she was a research liaison for departments dealing with blood, ward, and bonding magics. Blaise Zabini has recently come on board after making his prosecutorial debut in front of the Wizengamot and stirring the pot without the Wizengamot even realizing just how much he was shaking things up. His establishment of certain precedents into case law went unnoticed until the Wizengamot was forced to abide by their own decisions well after the fact. It was a work of art honestly, and he's come to spin his web for my pet project here in the DMLE. Blaise also brought his fiancée, Padma Patil who I believe you know from your time at Hogwarts. Padma is brilliant at drafting legislation and has been the detail oriented mind we need to get the foundations laid for what I hope will be our future work."
Hermione took a moment to process this. "Ms. Granger, our goal is to dismantle and restructure the Wizengamot. And I need your help."
- — - — -
Hermione's brain was in overdrive at that statement. It was the idea she'd been circling around, that Kingsley had been circling around, that Evelyn had been circling around since her return. And now that idea had a voice. And sanity be damned, it was a powerful voice. The scope of what Evelyn and Kingsley envisioned was beyond anything Hermione could have hoped for in wizarding Britain. It would remake the foundations of their society. It would be a real chance at social equity, diversity of thought, reduced corruption, and it would serve as the final clearinghouse for every new piece of progressive legislation to come. Meaningful reform would have a real chance in their world if they could pull this off.
She started to pull the pieces together and create a mind map of the challenge ahead of them – Astoria was involved so that meant that they had been researching the inheritance aspect of Wizengamot seats and the old magics that were involved in the creation of the Wizengamot, Blaise had been working to establish certain legal precedents which she imagined restricted the Wizengamot's ability to rule on certain matters, and then Padma was getting ready to legislate their proposed changes. The potential intersections with her work establishing the first muggle-magical hybrid national social work program in the history of the French Ministry were unlimited. Evelyn and Kingsley had really thought of everything.
This was the career opportunity of a lifetime if Hermione's instincts were correct. And her instincts were almost always correct. And she was sure Evelyn could see the wheels turning as she sat there and considered her options. "Ms. Roberts, would it be okay if I call you Evelyn?" Hermione started. "Because if we're going to work together, I think we need to agree upon an open working relationship that does not stand on formalities or technicalities." Evelyn smiled at that. "You've explained the roles of everyone I would be working with, but I'd appreciate if you could more clearly define my own role within the department."
"You, Hermione, would essentially be the project manager of our little venture. You would be the one determining our legal strategy, creating the processes for implementing our reform, and managing the public relations and building of public trust in our platform. You have the deepest knowledge of muggle democratic structures and institutions, you built buy-in from key government and citizen stakeholders into the value of establishing cooperative departments that integrate and facilitate muggle and magical relations when you were abroad, and you have a firm belief in the social justice reforms we are long overdue enacting in British Wizarding Society," Evelyn explained. "Your experience writing and passing reform legislation in the DCRMC is invaluable, your public image is unimpeachable, and your strategy, research, and planning skills are renowned in our society," she continued. "Add to that, you have the backing of the Minister himself and references from the French Ministry that would necessitate you being given serious consideration in anything you propose out of the gate, it is easily reasoned that you are well-positioned to drive the changes we are hoping to achieve."
Hermione could feel herself becoming slightly slack-jawed at that. Evelyn's persistence and passion were overwhelming, and honestly – Hermione was a little off-kilter in the face of such a frank and complimentary assessment of her assets. However, she quickly pulled herself together, took a deep breath, and then asked, "When do I begin?"
- — - — -
It was late afternoon when two different missives came across the Minister's desk. Both were neatly addressed and the handwriting of each was easily recognizable to Kingsley. A smile broke out across his face as he opted to open the inter-departmental memo first. Inside was the completed new-hire paperwork for one Hermione Granger, including title, salary, and benefits with Evelyn Robert's written request for his hiring approval. With a swish of his pen and a flick of his wand, the approval was granted and the memo was forwarded to the hiring department for filing. The second memo now held his attention. The only word on the outside of his note was "Kingsley," written in the precise and feminine script he had come to associate with the fluttering sensation of anticipation in his chest. He carefully opened the note, and was surprised to find just four words and a name in place of the long and flowing letters he had come to expect. You know me well. – Hermione.
With a chuckle, he opened the left-hand drawer of his desk and gently placed the most recent letter on the top of so many that had come to him before. Hermione was well and truly home.
