Chapter Two: Back to School

"DEMENTORS!?" Eugene shrieked. He was so stricken with terror that he dropped their unconscious captured fugitive, Bellatrix Lestrange, on the ground and started to run away.

"COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD!" Hermione angrily yelled at him to no avail. He Disapparated. "BASTARD!"

Now all alone on the Great Lawn of Central Park, Hermione had to fend for herself against 20 dementors.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" She yelled as a large cheetah formed from the tip of a wand. She really was a cat person. However, her patronus was only able to get rid of 5 dementors. She yelled the spell 3 more times rapidly.

Suddenly, she felt something slimy grab her wrist and her body went cold. The dementor was about to Kiss her. Luckily, her patronus came to her rescue in the nick of time.

Within minutes, all the dementors were gone and Hermione was alone, catching her breath, on the lawn with the still unconscious Bellatrix.

'I need some chocolate,' Hermione thought to herself. She still felt cold. 'How did they get here? How did they find me? And who the hell sent them?' But she didn't have time to think about this just yet; she needed to get back to the Magical Intelligence Bureau's headquarters with Bellatrix before she woke up.

"Petrificus Totalus. Accio wand. Mobilicorpus," Hermione said and Bellatrix's body rose from the grass. Hermione pocketed the wand and Apparated to the MIB.

The MIB was a large complex three stories underneath the United Nations headquarters and could be accessed by a sequence of tapping on bricks on a nearby building.

Hermione headed towards the Criminal Detainment Department with Bellatrix in tow. She was welcomed with congratulations and praise from her fellow Aurors. She handed one of the Aurors Bellatrix's wand. Hermione then placed her body in a high security holding cell. She would be later transferred back to Azkaban, but this time, in a maximum security jail cell with a guard in front of her cell. All of the captured Death Eaters were now strategically placed in Azkaban so that they were as far away from each other as possible.

Even though it was very early in the morning, Hermione immediately went up to MIB Director Colin Judge's office. She knew that he practically lived in his office and never seemed to need sleep. 'Must be strong coffee he drinks,' she mused. But before going in, she bought herself a chocolate bar from the vending machine. What she liked about the MIB was that it incorporated things from both the wizarding and muggle world together.

She stopped in front of a door and said "Chamomile". The door swung opened and she entered. Director Judge, sitting behind his desk, put down a case file and looked at her.

"Secret Auror Granger. Have a seat. I must commend you on a job very well done. I just received memo from the C.D.D. that you and Quirrell captured the elusive Bellatrix Lestrange." He smiled at her. He reminded her of a nicer, taller, and handsome Cornelius Fudge. Just like herself, he had a thick New York accent.

"Yes, but that's not completely true, sir." Hermione received a look from the Director that said "Tell me what happened".

"Although Secret Agent Quirrell did aid in capturing Lestrange, he fled the scene when dementors began to attack us. I single-handedly defended myself against 20 dementors and brought Lestrange to headquarters. One of the dementors almost Kissed me."

"What!?" he said in disbelief.

"Sir, I would like to formally complain about Secret Auror Quirrell's actions. As you already know, it's not the first time he's done this. He's ran away on all of the assignments that we've worked one only to return days later to apologize. He is a friend and it pains me to say this. It is my opinion that he is unfit to be a Secret Auror -- or regular Auror for that matter. I don't need a partner. I've practically completed all the assignments myself. I am fully qualified to work alone. I want to work alone."

Director Judge was silent for a moment. He looked at the case file on his desk and then back at her.

"Granger, I'm gonna give you the OK to work without a partner. You're the best Auror I've seen in years and there's no doubt that you can take care of yourself. When Quirrell does show up, I'm going to have a long talk with him and inform you about his future status with the MIB." He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she smiled back.

"But I'm gonna have to send you back to England." Judge said in a serious tone. He had on a serious face to match.

"What!?" Hermione panicked. 'Didn't he just say that I was the best Auror he seen in years? New York City has become a second home for me. I don't want to leave just yet,' she quickly thought to herself.

"On assignment, of course." He grinned.

"I hate your sense of humor, Judge." she said as relief washed over her.

"Ha ha, I know. It's the perfect assignment for you. Its a tough one though. A couple of hours ago, I received intel from our inside man on what Antonin Dolohov and Augustus Rookwood are up to."

"The last two of the 10 Death Eaters to be captured," Hermione supplied as she nodded.

"Yeah. It appears that the both of them are going back to England. Maybe they think that they'll have home court advantage there. They plan to infiltrate a school there. A Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. From what I understand, you attended this school."

"That's right, sir. What do they want in Hogwarts?"

"It's not what, it's who. Our inside man, Vinny, says that they're planning on murdering a teacher there. One Severus Snape. But Vinny didn't find out why this Snape character is their target."

"I think I know. Snape is a Death Eater turned double agent. Dolohov and Rookwood must have found out about this."

"Sounds logical. I informed his superior, Albus Dumbledore, about their plan to kill Snape. Dumbledore requested somebody from the MIB to act as a bodyguard for him. He requested you."

Hermione was shocked. "I have to be bodyguard to Snape!? You're right. This is a tough assignment."

Judge chuckled. "Yeah, Dumbledore mentioned that you two didn't become the best of friends while you went there. Anyway, he said that you know the floor plan of Hogwarts better than anyone else."

"That's true." She quickly thought about Harry's Marauder's Map. "So, does Snape know about this yet?"

"No, Dumbledore wants to inform him once you arrive at Hogwarts. I'm also gonna contact the Director of Aurors Shacklebolt at the Ministry of Magic and let him know you're gonna be visiting for a while."

"When do I leave?"

"In two days. Here's your case file and Dolohov's and Rookwood's dossiers. Read them. Memorize them. And be careful. They know someone's after them. They don't know who just yet."

"I'll read them. And I'm always careful." Hermione took the files. "You think that they somehow found out about tonight's sting? You think they're the ones who sent the dementors?"

"It would make sense. Sacrifice Lestrange, kill whomever's after them, then flee the country."

Hermione nodded. "But how they found out is still hazy." Judge nodded in agreement. He didn't know either.

"Maybe there's a mole in the MIB."

"Maybe." Silence filled the room as they both pondered about this possibility.

Hermione was the first to break the silence. "Well, if that's all sir..."

"That's all, Granger. Go home, get some sleep, and read over the files. I'll handle Quirrell. And you really did do a great job today. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to send back weekly progress reports." Hermione said as she and Director Judge shook hands. "Good night, sir. And you try to get some sleep too."

"I'll will. Good night."

Hermione left the office and Apparated to her apartment in Little Italy, in the lower east side of Manhattan.

She went to her bedroom and placed the files on her desk. She looked at the clock. It read 2:40am. 'I'll take a shower later, then. I'm too tired.' She changed into her pajamas and immediately went to bed.

'Bodyguard to Snape...and he doesn't know yet...I could have fun with breaking the news to him...heh, heh, heh...'

Hermione then fell asleep with a mischievous smirk on her face.

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