Chapter 45

All hell breaks loose as Aurors burst in and begin Stunning Death Eaters and slapping Portkeys onto them. As more Death Eaters are Portkeyed away to the Ministry holding cells, Hermione transforms back to her own form. When Nymphadora Tonks sees Hermione, she rushes over to her. Hermione drops her shield and she gestures at Severus and the two Malfoys. "They're on our side, all of them."

"Narcissa told me so when she called, but they'll still have to be questioned."

Hermione rushes to where Harry was when he fell. He's just beginning to stir. "Harry?"

Harry sits up. "Hermione? I thought I was supposed to be dead?"

"You were, briefly, I think, but only long enough for the Horcrux to die."

"You knew I was going to live? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wish I could have, but in order to destroy the Horcrux, you had to believe you were sacrificing yourself."

Harry looks around. "Is he dead?"

"The Dark Lord? Yes."

"If he's dead you don't have to call him that anymore, right? You can just say Voldemort like a normal person instead of sounding like Mrs. Loyal Death Eater."

"Voldemort is a stupid made-up name he gave himself. I'd rather call him Riddle." She holds out a hand to help him up, and he takes it. Together they walk toward the corpse of Tom Riddle, his lifeless red eyes staring at the ceiling.

"I can't believe it's over," Harry says. "It seems crazy that now my biggest worries are passing Potions without that book and getting Ginny to give me another chance."

"I'd say you'll be fine as far as Ginny's concerned. As for Potions," Hermione says, then falls silent as she looks around the room for the man who taught them Potions for most of their school career. She doesn't see him or the Malfoys. "Excuse me, Harry." She walks through the chaos that used to be the Malfoys' lovely drawing room looking for Tonks. When Hermione finds her, she asks, "Where's Severus?"

"He's at the Ministry awaiting interrogation with the rest of the Death Eaters."

"But he isn't one of them. He's been on our side all along."

"They'll get it all sorted soon enough, Hermione. There's paperwork that's got to be done before anyone is cleared."

"How long will he be there? I want to see him."

"Not before he's interrogated, you can't."

"Tonks, all you need is my word and Harry's, right? He's over there. He'll tell you."

"They'll call both of you for your statements. Until then, sit tight, okay?"

Sit tight. While Severus sits in some goddamn jail cell waiting to be interrogated with the rest of the Death Eaters. The man just killed the fucking Dark Lord, and they're going to interrogate him? Stupid, boneheaded arsehole bureaucrats.

That's when she realizes—Severus was right. Nothing is going to change. The bureaucrats will go on doing what they've always done, hauling away a hero along with the rest of the Death Eaters, throwing him in a detention cell, and telling her to sit tight.

During the time Hermione was sitting tight, the Wizengamot repealed the marriage law. Not only did they repeal it, but they passed a decree automatically annulling any childless marriage entered into under the law, and permitting quick divorces to couples who wanted them but were expecting a child, once custody agreements were in place. So, when Hermione showed up at the Ministry demanding to see her husband, she was informed that not only could she not see him, but he was no longer her husband, and she had no right to communicate with him at all.

When she returned to their quarters, she found all of her things moved out, and the bedroom that used to be hers no longer existed.

Now, sitting in the single room assigned to her, she tries to study for her NEWTs but can't focus. Crooks is curled up in a ball next to her. Forgoing his usual prowling about the castle, he's stuck close to Hermione since the move, as though he can sense her sadness and loneliness, and knows she needs him.

There's a knock at her door and she calls, "Come in."

Ginny opens the door. "It's lunchtime. Come on."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're never hungry, but you still have to eat, so come on."

She walks beside Ginny down the staircases to the Great Hall. Halfway to the Gryffindor table, she stops dead in her tracks. Severus is sitting at the head table. As though sensing her staring at him, he turns to look at her. She can't breathe. Why didn't anyone tell her? Why didn't he tell her? Then, he turns back to continue his conversation with Filius, as though she doesn't even exist, or at least doesn't matter.

"You didn't know he was back?" Ginny asks. "You didn't read The Prophet this morning?"

Hermione can't answer, can't even shake her head. She stands there in the middle of the room, as though frozen.

"Go wait for me just outside," Ginny says. "I'll grab some sandwiches for us."

Hermione nods and walks back to the door. In the corridor outside the Great Hall, she leans against the stones of the wall and tries to regulate her breathing.

"Granger, you okay?"

She turns toward the sound of the voice. "Fine, Malfoy."

"You don't look fine." He studies her. "You want to go someplace and talk?"

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Ferret," Ginny says. She hands Hermione a sandwich and tea in a takeaway cup. "Shove off."

Malfoy looks at the cups the two witches are holding. "Since when do they have takeaway cups?"

Ginny rolls her eyes. "Since when do they teach Transfiguration here?"

"A pleasure, Weaslette, as always," Malfoy says with a mock bow. "Seriously, though, Granger. If you want to talk."

Hermione nods, and Malfoy continues into the Great Hall. She walks beside Ginny to the main entrance and out the doors. It's late May, so the weather is warm. In truth it's a beautiful day, Hermione supposes. She tries to remember the last time she went outside. Not since the last time she Apparated to the Ministry only to be told she was no longer married and it was none of her concern how long her former husband might be incarcerated.

"It was in The Prophet?" Hermione asks, fishing her unread copy out of her bag.

"Yeah, but eat first," Ginny orders when they've settled themselves under a tree.

Hermione picks up her sandwich. "Yes, Molly." She takes a bite and chews. It tastes like cardboard. She swallows and takes a sip of tea, then opens the paper. In the photo of Severus emerging from the Ministry, he looks like hell. Dark circles, wrinkled robes, greasy hair, and a week's growth of beard. But he was cleared of all charges. Lucius Malfoy was also released. They let Draco go two days ago. How they could have held Severus longer than Draco, and the same length of time as Lucius is beyond her. He killed Riddle, for crying out loud. She and Harry and Dumbledore all gave statements exonerating him, and still they let him sit in there for over a week. Because Severus was right—Death Eaters or no, the Malfoys have money and connections. They're one of the Sacred Twenty-eight. The rules will always be different for them than they will be for an impoverished Halfblood like Severus or a Mudblood like her.

Ginny pokes her. "Molly says less reading and more eating."

Hermione tries to muster a smile. "Have you finished torturing poor Harry yet?"

"After how long he tortured me? Not by a long shot."

"You're a cruel woman, Ginny Weasley."

"Hey, at least I broke up with Dean." Ginny takes a bite of her sandwich. After she swallows, she asks, "You're going to go talk to him after lunch, right?"

"Talk to who?"

"Talk to who?" Ginny mocks, rolling her eyes.

Hermione takes a sip of her tea. "I don't see that there's anything to talk about."

"Apart from the fact that you fancy the pants off him?"

Hermione thinks about protesting and denying, but instead she sighs, "Yeah, apart from that." She finishes as much of her sandwich as she can stomach, then stands up. "I have to meet with Filius about my Charms NEWT."

"When are you meeting with Severus about your Potions and Defence NEWTs?"

"The poor man just got out of jail. I'm not going to start hounding him about my exams. I'm ready."

Ginny Vanishes the remains of her lunch and stands. The two witches walk back to the castle together, going their separate ways inside as Hermione heads for Filius's office. She's a few minutes early so she sits in the chairs Filius keeps outside his door for students waiting to see him. Severus is the only professor who doesn't do this. He says if they don't want to see him badly enough to stand and wait, then clearly it's not important enough for him to waste his time. Git, she thinks, shaking her head fondly.

As she's rummaging in her bag for her Charms notebook, her fingers brush the black leather of the charmed journal Severus gave her the day after they were married. She pulls it out and traces the embossed silver initials in the lower right corner. HG. What happened to the S? She supposes that whatever magic the journal is charmed with connects with the Binding magic, and knows she and Severus are no longer Bound. Does that mean the journal no longer works? She opens it, and is relieved to see that the pages still contain all the notes they've exchanged in the months since he gave it to her. She turns to the last page on which his familiar spiky handwriting alternates with her more rounded cursive, and writes in the blank space below, Are you all right?

She waits, watching to see if words will appear, but they don't. She's still staring at the page when Filius opens his door and invites her in. Biting back a sigh, she closes the journal and puts it back in her bag.