Chapter 1: The Problem
Hermione sat down in front of Lucius Malfoy's desk apprehensively; she had been summoned here by the Ministry, but she had not expected to be in conference with...him. Especially after she, Harry, and Ron had brought down Voldemort. Albeit at the expense of Dumbledore's life. She almost sighed out loud with sadness. That had been two years ago.
The door to the office opened, and in came a silvery-haired Lucius Malfoy, "Good morning Miss Granger," he said, sitting down at his desk sleekly. "Good morning Mr. Malfoy," she said stiffly. "I suppose you're wondering why the Ministry called you here?" he quipped. She said nothing and he continued, "It's a very simple matter Miss Granger. You see, the Ministry is enacting strict laws prohibiting the care of underage witches and wizards by minors. Any minor with a young child in the household is to be moved to a wizard orphanage." Hermione let this sink in for a minute, "Are you telling me that my brother is going to be confiscated like an object?"
"Miss Granger, that's so crass of you," he said in a salty tone, "The Ministry is merely looking out for your brother's best interests and-" "Best interests?" she said, shaking with rage, "You want to take him away from the one relative he has left and you call it his best interests? You know, I can't help it that Death Eaters such as yourself murdered my parents, but the hell if I'll let you take away Adrian!"
Malfoy was silent for a minute, and his eyes reflected cold steel; finally he spoke, "Miss Granger...if you would let me finish...you will be allowed to keep Adrian, but only under Until you reach the age of twenty-one, if you want to keep your brother, you must either move in with a wizard relative of your own or marry a wizard of adult age." "You know damn well I don't have any wizard relatives!" she snapped angrily, the thought of losing Adrian unseating her with fear.
"Well then, you're in a bit of a precarious situation, aren't you?" he replied nastily. She stared at him vindictively, "I'll bet you just love this. The Mudblood loses her brother. Very clever of you Malfoy. Couldn't kill me so you did the next best thing; take away the only member of my family. Congratulations, you heartless bastard."
Malfoy's eyes glinted maliciously, "I had nothing to do with it Miss Granger. If you have a complaint to register with the Ministry you might want to consult those who create the laws, and as I am not one of them..." "As if they weren't in your pocket!" she snarled, the idea of losing Adrian pounding in her head over and over again. He cleared his throat, "You have no proof of that Miss Granger. And if that is all...I bid you good day." She stood swiftly, "It is not all. This isn't the end of it Malfoy. You won't take away my brother. Not now. Not ever."
The office door banged shut behind her, and Malfoy let out a derisive laugh.
Hermione stormed into the dungeons with venom and yanked a cauldron out of one of the storage compartments. "Bastard," she muttered, the jars and containers clanking as she slammed them down on the table. She tried to calm herself but found that she couldn't; this was Malfoy's doing, she knew it, and it reeked of his stench...
"Something the matter Miss Granger?" said a dark voice filled with sarcasm.
Hermione turned to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, casting a casual glance at her. "Nothing that concerns you," she grumbled, returning to her potion. She heard him sit down at his desk, and a minute later he spoke, "You were late today." She said nothing and continued to stir, bringing up the boil. "You're never late," he added. She slammed her ladle down, "Well there's a first time for everything now isn't there?!" His eyes flashed with black fire, "Talking back now are we?" "Like I said," she repeated angrily, "there's a first time for everything."
She went back to her potion and refused to look at him; let him rot over there so far as she cared. She just had to complete the assignment and get the hell out of there. If it hadn't been for the fact that the Ministry refused to grant her a teaching license without a three-month advisement period under Professor Snape, she never would have talked to him ever again. Silently she thought of what Harry had started calling him around seventh year, 'Batman,' and smiled slightly to herself.
For a while he said nothing, and she thought he had left her alone for good until she realized that he was now standing right in front of her, gazing down at her with black eyes that would make the Devil himself squirm. She stopped after a minute, and looked up slowly, "Yes?" They held each other's gazes for a minute, neither of them wanting to be the one to break it out of pure malice, until finally Hermione blinked, "What?" Snape seemed to savor the fact that he'd won out...this time. "You just added nettles to the potion."
"What?" she cried, looking down. Sure enough, she had just put nettles into the potion, rendering it useless, "Damn!" she snapped, hefting the cauldron up and tossing it into the stone sink and dumping it out. "Stupid....I hate...this is Malfoy's fault..."
Snape looked up at this, "And what exactly are you muttering about Miss Granger?" She stilled for a minute, "Nothing," and went back to washing out the useless potion. Snape produced a crystal vial from his pocket and held it out to her in his long white fingers, "It's Veritaserum Miss Granger. I'd be loathe to use it." She put down her scrubber, "Fine. You want to know what the matter is?" She dried her hands off and turned to face him, "I had to see Lucius Malfoy this morning." "That's a tragedy indeed," he said sardonically.
"I'm not finished!" she shouted, surprising herself, and what was more, surprising Snape too. He bit back an angry reply and let her continue, "Unfortunately, Malfoy revealed to me the fact that, due to the newest addition to the Decree for Underage Wizardry, I will no longer be allowed to be guardian of my brother Adrian. They're taking him away to live in an...an orphanage, because I'm not of age yet." Snape thought on this for a minute; he had met Adrian briefly before when Granger had brought him to visit the castle; he was a young boy with scruffy brown hair, around the age of ten. He would be entering Hogwarts soon.
"Is there no way you can keep him?" he said, after a minute of deep thought. "No," she said firmly, "unless..." she laughed mirthlessly, "...unless I marry a wizard of age or live with a wizard family member. And since I am, after all, the Mudblood that the Malfoys have always hated, it's only sweet revenge for them since I have no magical relatives. That bastard. He knew all this. That's why he wanted to tell me himself. Wanted to rub it in. Well good for him, he succeeded."
She went back to the sink and turned on the gargoyle faucet with anger, scrubbing at the black cauldron with all her might, silently wishing she could just go home, go to sleep, and not have to wake up. After a minute of silence she said sarcastically, "Come now Professor, certainly you have some sort of derogatory remark to make about my Mudblood family." She turned to face him and he observed her for a long minute, "No, I don't." She was surprised at his docility, "Really. How odd." She went back to scrubbing and ignored the soft click of a door shutting; Snape was gone.
"I wish Dumbledore was here," she out loud with a sigh, thinking fondly of the old man that had counseled her through her parents' deaths and more. 'He might even have known a solution to this bullshit,' she thought silently, dreading the Ministry's visit next week.
She re-made the potion, and this time it was proper, and when Snape returned he observed it half-heartedly, "Very good, you may go for today," he muttered. She glanced up at him, "Sir?" "I said that's good, you may leave," he said, mind clearly somewhere else. She didn't ask, and put away her things, then turned to leave. She looked back and saw Snape seated at his desk, deep in thought, and she watched as he put a few thoughts into his Pensieve. "Sir, are you going to be all right?" she asked flatly. "I'm fine Miss Granger, now please leave," he said, pulling a few more gossamer strands out of his hair and placing them in the Pensieve.
She didn't argue, and left quietly, and the door clicked shut behind her.
Hermione sat down in front of Lucius Malfoy's desk apprehensively; she had been summoned here by the Ministry, but she had not expected to be in conference with...him. Especially after she, Harry, and Ron had brought down Voldemort. Albeit at the expense of Dumbledore's life. She almost sighed out loud with sadness. That had been two years ago.
The door to the office opened, and in came a silvery-haired Lucius Malfoy, "Good morning Miss Granger," he said, sitting down at his desk sleekly. "Good morning Mr. Malfoy," she said stiffly. "I suppose you're wondering why the Ministry called you here?" he quipped. She said nothing and he continued, "It's a very simple matter Miss Granger. You see, the Ministry is enacting strict laws prohibiting the care of underage witches and wizards by minors. Any minor with a young child in the household is to be moved to a wizard orphanage." Hermione let this sink in for a minute, "Are you telling me that my brother is going to be confiscated like an object?"
"Miss Granger, that's so crass of you," he said in a salty tone, "The Ministry is merely looking out for your brother's best interests and-" "Best interests?" she said, shaking with rage, "You want to take him away from the one relative he has left and you call it his best interests? You know, I can't help it that Death Eaters such as yourself murdered my parents, but the hell if I'll let you take away Adrian!"
Malfoy was silent for a minute, and his eyes reflected cold steel; finally he spoke, "Miss Granger...if you would let me finish...you will be allowed to keep Adrian, but only under Until you reach the age of twenty-one, if you want to keep your brother, you must either move in with a wizard relative of your own or marry a wizard of adult age." "You know damn well I don't have any wizard relatives!" she snapped angrily, the thought of losing Adrian unseating her with fear.
"Well then, you're in a bit of a precarious situation, aren't you?" he replied nastily. She stared at him vindictively, "I'll bet you just love this. The Mudblood loses her brother. Very clever of you Malfoy. Couldn't kill me so you did the next best thing; take away the only member of my family. Congratulations, you heartless bastard."
Malfoy's eyes glinted maliciously, "I had nothing to do with it Miss Granger. If you have a complaint to register with the Ministry you might want to consult those who create the laws, and as I am not one of them..." "As if they weren't in your pocket!" she snarled, the idea of losing Adrian pounding in her head over and over again. He cleared his throat, "You have no proof of that Miss Granger. And if that is all...I bid you good day." She stood swiftly, "It is not all. This isn't the end of it Malfoy. You won't take away my brother. Not now. Not ever."
The office door banged shut behind her, and Malfoy let out a derisive laugh.
Hermione stormed into the dungeons with venom and yanked a cauldron out of one of the storage compartments. "Bastard," she muttered, the jars and containers clanking as she slammed them down on the table. She tried to calm herself but found that she couldn't; this was Malfoy's doing, she knew it, and it reeked of his stench...
"Something the matter Miss Granger?" said a dark voice filled with sarcasm.
Hermione turned to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, casting a casual glance at her. "Nothing that concerns you," she grumbled, returning to her potion. She heard him sit down at his desk, and a minute later he spoke, "You were late today." She said nothing and continued to stir, bringing up the boil. "You're never late," he added. She slammed her ladle down, "Well there's a first time for everything now isn't there?!" His eyes flashed with black fire, "Talking back now are we?" "Like I said," she repeated angrily, "there's a first time for everything."
She went back to her potion and refused to look at him; let him rot over there so far as she cared. She just had to complete the assignment and get the hell out of there. If it hadn't been for the fact that the Ministry refused to grant her a teaching license without a three-month advisement period under Professor Snape, she never would have talked to him ever again. Silently she thought of what Harry had started calling him around seventh year, 'Batman,' and smiled slightly to herself.
For a while he said nothing, and she thought he had left her alone for good until she realized that he was now standing right in front of her, gazing down at her with black eyes that would make the Devil himself squirm. She stopped after a minute, and looked up slowly, "Yes?" They held each other's gazes for a minute, neither of them wanting to be the one to break it out of pure malice, until finally Hermione blinked, "What?" Snape seemed to savor the fact that he'd won out...this time. "You just added nettles to the potion."
"What?" she cried, looking down. Sure enough, she had just put nettles into the potion, rendering it useless, "Damn!" she snapped, hefting the cauldron up and tossing it into the stone sink and dumping it out. "Stupid....I hate...this is Malfoy's fault..."
Snape looked up at this, "And what exactly are you muttering about Miss Granger?" She stilled for a minute, "Nothing," and went back to washing out the useless potion. Snape produced a crystal vial from his pocket and held it out to her in his long white fingers, "It's Veritaserum Miss Granger. I'd be loathe to use it." She put down her scrubber, "Fine. You want to know what the matter is?" She dried her hands off and turned to face him, "I had to see Lucius Malfoy this morning." "That's a tragedy indeed," he said sardonically.
"I'm not finished!" she shouted, surprising herself, and what was more, surprising Snape too. He bit back an angry reply and let her continue, "Unfortunately, Malfoy revealed to me the fact that, due to the newest addition to the Decree for Underage Wizardry, I will no longer be allowed to be guardian of my brother Adrian. They're taking him away to live in an...an orphanage, because I'm not of age yet." Snape thought on this for a minute; he had met Adrian briefly before when Granger had brought him to visit the castle; he was a young boy with scruffy brown hair, around the age of ten. He would be entering Hogwarts soon.
"Is there no way you can keep him?" he said, after a minute of deep thought. "No," she said firmly, "unless..." she laughed mirthlessly, "...unless I marry a wizard of age or live with a wizard family member. And since I am, after all, the Mudblood that the Malfoys have always hated, it's only sweet revenge for them since I have no magical relatives. That bastard. He knew all this. That's why he wanted to tell me himself. Wanted to rub it in. Well good for him, he succeeded."
She went back to the sink and turned on the gargoyle faucet with anger, scrubbing at the black cauldron with all her might, silently wishing she could just go home, go to sleep, and not have to wake up. After a minute of silence she said sarcastically, "Come now Professor, certainly you have some sort of derogatory remark to make about my Mudblood family." She turned to face him and he observed her for a long minute, "No, I don't." She was surprised at his docility, "Really. How odd." She went back to scrubbing and ignored the soft click of a door shutting; Snape was gone.
"I wish Dumbledore was here," she out loud with a sigh, thinking fondly of the old man that had counseled her through her parents' deaths and more. 'He might even have known a solution to this bullshit,' she thought silently, dreading the Ministry's visit next week.
She re-made the potion, and this time it was proper, and when Snape returned he observed it half-heartedly, "Very good, you may go for today," he muttered. She glanced up at him, "Sir?" "I said that's good, you may leave," he said, mind clearly somewhere else. She didn't ask, and put away her things, then turned to leave. She looked back and saw Snape seated at his desk, deep in thought, and she watched as he put a few thoughts into his Pensieve. "Sir, are you going to be all right?" she asked flatly. "I'm fine Miss Granger, now please leave," he said, pulling a few more gossamer strands out of his hair and placing them in the Pensieve.
She didn't argue, and left quietly, and the door clicked shut behind her.