It was nearly four a.m. before Hermione crawled into bed. She was sure that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, not after what she had seen. She had showered in scalding hot water for nearly an hour and she still felt dirty, hell she had not even been the one that he had touched.
But she had to try and sleep, she was to report to the Ministry no later than 10 o'clock. This would be by far that toughest mission she had been on yet. She drank a few deep swallows of a sleeping drought and climbed into bed.
Sleep finally found Hermione, and she dreamed of Hogwart's. It had been seven years since she had entered the gates. But tonight it was as it had been, she was a teenager again. Ron and Harry were by her side laughing and being carefree.
When Hermione awoke, she awoke with a smile on her face. But the smile faded when she realized that she was not in fact at Hogwart's with her friends, but instead, only an hour away from presenting the Ministry with virtually nothing after a week of observation.
After a quick shower and a coke and a cigarette, Hermione made her way into the Ministry.
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Slowly the meeting room filled but no one saw Hermione. Some people were former classmates of Hermione that had been in the Order of the Phoenix, other were the old guard of the Ministry, some were new recruits that even newer at fighting the Dark Forces than Hermione.
Voldemort had fallen nearly three years before, but there were still Death Eaters on the loose that were trying everything to regroup. But the dark party was divided, some wanted to find a new dark master, others said that it was heresy and they should try to bring back Voldemort.
After Hogwart's, there had been the Great War, Voldemort had been killed, Harry had died because he and Voldemort were linked, but Hermione had been able to create a spell to bring him back. Ron had not been so lucky. He had not chosen to work on the front lines during the war and Hermione and Harry had foolishly thought that he would be safe. At the paramount battle when Voldemort fell, a rouge troop of Death Eaters slipped away and attacked various departments of the Ministry, which is when they found Ron and killed him. To this day, Hermione would wake up some nights drenched in sweat after nightmares of trying in vain to save her friend and her first love.
Remus Lupin cleared his throat and brought the meeting to order. "As you all know, we are working desperately to eradicate the Death Eaters once and for all. Many of you know Hermione Granger from her days at Hogwart's. Those of you who do not have no doubt heard of her efforts during the war. Hermione has once again courageously gone to the front lines, this time in a secret war.
Hermione has infiltrated the front lines of the dark forces and is working by night in the Malfoy Manor." A collective gasp came from the audience; they could not believe the audacity of the project at hand. "We are hoping that from her observations, Miss Granger can identify Death Eaters and forewarn us of any upcoming…surprises from the dark side. Without further wait, please welcome Agent Hermione Granger."
For a moment, the crowd was silent. Had Lupin lost his mind? Granger was nowhere to be found. Just then, an orange tabby slinked from the corner and hopped to a table in the front of the room. The cat transformed into none other than Hermione Granger. The room erupted into applause.
Hermione blushed under the current scrutiny of her peers. None of them had known that she was an Animagi. But Hermione had refined her powers even further than most, instead of being able to transform into one animal, she had combined the powers of Animagus and transfiguration, and could turn into a host of different things.
The Hermione that stood in the meeting room was a far cry from the Hermione that had left Hogwart's years before. She was lean and muscular, her bushy hair was fully under control, and to put it mildly, she was beautiful. The men in the room were spellbound and the women were envious. Her beauty was flawless, save for the scar that traced its way beside her shoulder blade.
"Thank you, thank you all for being here and for your help and support within the Ministry. As Remus said, I have been at the Malfoy Manor for the last week. I have appeared to them as a stray cat, a crow, and a butterfly in the garden. I have seen many people come and go and heard many discussions that the Malfoy's never intended to come to light. You will finds the lists of names, spells, and other information in the copies of my report that you find in front of you. My only regret is that I don't have more to report as of now. As you know, we have made considerable advances against the Death Eaters in recent years. But we have a long way to go, yet. Please know that it is my solemn vow that I will not rest until every Death Eater is in Azkaban. Thank you."
"Thank you, Hermione." Another round of applause came from the crowd.
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At the banquet following the meeting, Hermione sat in a quiet corner with Ginny Weasley. "Hermione, what have you gotten yourself into, love?"
"Work, Ginny. I have to go back. There is something going on in that house and I have to find out what it is! Why?"
"Because, you are going to get yourself bloody killed!"
"No, I am not. But the Death Eaters have to be stopped at any cost."
"Mia, be real. Getting yourself killed is not going to bring Ron back," Ginny whispered in a fevered pitch.
Hermione recoiled as if she had been slapped. "Giverva Weasley, how dare you say that to me? How could you? Ron died because of this fucking war! Harry and I should have been there for him." She stood up and spoke louder drawing attention to herself and Ginny. "In case you have forgotten, I loved Ron. I am not going to let one more person die because we are unprepared."
With that, Hermione stormed out the door. Ginny stood up to go after her, but Lupin stopped her. "No, Ginny. It would be best to let her go. You and I know that it was not her fault that Ron died. But she is on a mission, and honestly, there is no one else that I would trust to go into that house. You know that the dark side is gaining power again. Hermione is our only chance now."
The room of Aurors stopped and stared in amazement. If the rage that they saw in Hermione's eyes was any indication, the Death Eaters didn't stand a chance.
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