Disclaimer: I owe none of the characters.
A/N: I want to say thank you to nycgrl and angel-kisses for their last comments… you both helped in getting me to continue with this fic. I hope you enjoy.
Cornelius Fudge was a man of silent action. He always had been. When there was something to be done, he dove into the task with fierce determination. Fudge was also a man with plenty of pride. Pride that usually was the downfall of anyone who dared to tarnish his name as Minister of Magic. He honestly hadn't cared if Sirius Black had killed Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles on a busy street in Britain. Although he was a little wearier when Voldemort had reappeared, even though he vehemently denied his return. It wasn't as if he was against the Dark Lord. Muggles and Mudbloods were something to be dealt with. " Disgusting creatures the whole lot of them." He thought with revulsion. It didn't matter that more than half of his staff we're half bloods and muggle lovers. It didn't matter that the infamous trio that defeated Lord Voldemort was comprised of two mudbloods and a pure blood. All that mattered to him was his name. And as Minister of Magic he had a duty to fulfill: Please the Masses.
He didn't care that Hermione Granger was mysteriously murdered in her own home… nor did her care that no one could figure out who did it. He never liked the little brat, her and her outrageous amount of intelligence and knowledge. She saw right through his façade with such hawk-like precision that he shivered underneath her shrewd gaze. No, better that she was dead. With no threat to his power, she wouldn't be needed anymore. However Cornelius Fudge was very aware of the unsettling of his community. He was well aware of the anxious, shifting eyes and the hushed voices in the streets.
"You'd think there haven't been unsolved murders in this world with the way these people act." Fudge recalled hearing one day while walking in the streets of Diagon Alley unnoticed.
"Aye" the conversation between the elderly wizards continued. " But with such a fine person as Hermione Granger, you'd start to wonder why it can't be solved."
"Tis a true thing, if the Ministry can't figure it out, then maybe they aren't cut out for the job."
"Well you certainly don't see Fudge moving his arse to solve it, fine bit of gratitude they show to her."
Fudge walked off heatedly and later found himself staring into his fire pensively later on that evening. If it was a case that the authorities couldn't solve… he would solve it himself. Oh no no… don't get the wrong idea, Fudge wasn't going to go about playing gumshoe like a common muggle. He would bide his time and listen carefully for thoughts and opinions. Play up to the crowds; show sympathy and grief… dedicate a goddamn library in her name if he had to.
And so he did. The Minister of Magic put his ear to the ground, and listened. And he heard the only name he needed to hear at a time like that.
Draco Malfoy.
Fudge smirked and thanked Merlin that it was a Malfoy and not a Longbottom that Ms. Granger was seeing. For, Malfoys by nature were capable of anything, at least that was what the public thought. Cornelius knew for a fact that the young Malfoy hadn't committed such a crime. He'd seen the two of them together a little less than a month before she died. Draco was completely and nauseatingly enamored with the girl. Fudge shuddered to think what the boy's father would do to him had he found the two of them together. Not that it mattered; Lucius Malfoy vanished off the face of the earth when the Dark Lord fell.
Fudge sat behind his desk with a smug look on his face anticipating the rush of pride and joy he would feel after the public got wind of a new twist in the now "solved" mystery.
" Will that be all Minister?" a hard female voice rang out, breaking Fudge out of his reverie. Rita Skeeter arched a well-defined eyebrow with annoyance while her enchanted quill swirled on the parchment impatiently. She wasn't surprised to hear from Fudge concerning the current Granger case… in fact she was concerned as to why it taken him so long to contact her. Skeeter had been working with the Minister for years, and was well accustomed to his style of dealing with threats to his power. It was quite simple… turn lies into truths.
"Yes I believe so Rita… by this time tomorrow Mr. Malfoy should be on his way to his private cell in Azkaban." He gave a smirk of satisfaction. " My special team of Aurors should be at his doorstep sometime in the mid-morning hours… that should give the Daily Prophet ample time to get circulated and read in time for the show." The witch nodded her assent and stood up to leave.
" I should go and get all this printed and ready for tomorrow's paper then."
" Please do." Fudge said now standing up to walk her to the door. " It's always a pleasure doing business with you Rita."
As Rita made her way out of the Ministry offices she couldn't help but feel some regret for what she was about to do. Although she and Hermione were never friends, especially after the younger witch has captured her in her animagius state and locked her in a jar for quite a long period. She did feel some emotional affinity towards the young man that had helped her write stories about Potter during their Hogwarts days. It was such a shame that she was going to help in the sealing of his coffin. Sending him to Azkaban where he would recall his worst memories, over and over again. Skeeter shook her head quickly and erased any guilt that had tried to plague her. She was to remain loyal to her job as a reporter… even if it meant putting innocent people away. Fudge has taken care of her in the past, and she didn't doubt him now, even if he was a cold heartless self-serving bastard. Cold heartless self-serving bastards helped her pay her bills and then some.