A/N: All HP canon characters, locales, and objects belong to JK Rowling. I am not making any money for writing this story. I, Queen of Alexandria, am writing this fan fiction for fun only.
Italics represent thoughts. Replies to reviews are located at the end of the chapter. I am planning to write the return of a certain character that you have all been waiting for in the next chapter, so stay with me.
Unspeakable Chapter Two: UnspeakableHermione was dressed to impress as she made her way to the visitor's entrance of the Ministry of Magic the next morning. Her black, knee-length skirt, white sweater, and low-heeled sandals made her a rather conspicuous figure in the narrow, dingy London side street filled with buildings that had obviously seen better days.
The previous evening, she had turned in her resignation at the library after doing some research on the Department of Mysteries. Of course, considering her topic, Hermione had found only minimal information. The Department had formerly worked only with the discovery, containment, and examination of the most rare and dangerous forms of magic in existence. However, since the war had begun a decade ago, its jurisdiction had expanded drastically. Unspeakables now did research regarding the war, developed new weapons to aid in the fight against Voldemort, and occasionally worked in conjunction with the Auror Division and hit wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. As Kingsley had promised, though, the Department's job was done strictly from the office and involved no actual missions.
Hermione approached the battered telephone box that served as a façade for the Ministry's entrance, opened the door, and went inside. The box was very small and in even worse shape than she had remembered it to be in. Hermione picked up the receiver, held it to her ear, and dialed 62442.
"Hello. Please state your name and business with the Ministry," a voice that sounded almost identical to that of a muggle telephone operator said.
"My name is Hermione Granger. I have come for my first day of work in the Department of Mysteries," Hermione replied.
The telephone box slowly descended into the ground until it reached the Atrium of the Ministry's extravagant building. The box then stopped with a slight jerk, and a badge was deposited in the slot of the old-fashioned pay telephone. The badge read Hermione Granger, Department of Mysteries. The voice informed her that she would be subject to a security check in which she would have to present her wand and wished her a pleasant day as she pinned the badge to her sweater and exited the box.
Hermione entered the crowded Atrium and proceeded to the security desk at the far end. The large crowd of Ministry workers drowned out the noise of her cane as she slowly walked across the room. Upon reaching the security desk, Hermione slipped her wand through the slot in the glass window that separated the security office from the Atrium. After the wand (eleven and a half inches, unicorn hair, cherry) was thoroughly examined, it was given back to Hermione.
She approached the lift and pressed the down button that was located on the wall next to the doors. Within a minute the lift had arrived, and she entered it. There were several aurors, an assistant to the Minister, and an excited teen who hoped to pass the Apparition test already in the lift, and they moved to make room for Hermione.
She pressed the button labeled Level Nine, and waited anxiously as the others exited the lift at their respective floors. Finally, the lift reached the Department of Mysteries, which took up the entirety of Level Nine, and Hermione walked forward as the doors slid open.
She now stood at the beginning of the corridor that had once plagued Harry in his nightmares. Hermione shivered as she recollected the first and only time that she had seen the Department of Mysteries. Apprehensively, she made her way down the corridor toward the old and unimpressive door at the other end.
She pushed open the door and found herself in the circular room with many doors. In the middle of the room was a woman who looked only a few years older than Hermione. The woman looked as though she was of Spanish descent; she had dark brown hair that cascaded down her back in waves, eyes of the same deep brown shade, and a slight tan.
"You must be Hermione Granger. I'm Graciela Garcia, but everyone calls me Grace." Grace's accent was very unique. It was mostly British with a hint of the more flowing tones that added distinction to the voices of most Spaniards. It was likely that she had been raised in England by parents who had emigrated from Spain.
"Yes, I'm Hermione. I'm here for my first day as an Unspeakable." Hermione glanced at the many doors before asking, "Which one should I go through?"
"Follow me," Grace replied as she opened the door nearest the two women on the right. This door was unfamiliar to Hermione because she and her friends had not used all of the doors contained within the circular room on that fateful night thirteen years ago.
Beyond the doorway lay a large office filled with many individual cubicles. It seemed different from the rest of the Department; the polished, dark, paneled walls, flagged-stone floor, and bustling crowd of witches and wizards at work gave it a more welcoming atmosphere.
"Harris said he wanted to see you as soon as you arrived. He's the boss around here. He's really nice, though, and I think you'll like him."
Grace led Hermione down another, smaller corridor and into an immaculate office. Sitting behind the desk was a man with close-cropped gray hair who looked as though he was in his fifties. Upon seeing the two women, he stood and shook hands with Hermione. "I'm John Harris, Director of the Department of Mysteries. Welcome to the Department. I've heard a great deal about you and from the Minister of Magic no less. I'm expecting great work from you," he said encouragingly.
"Grace will show you around after we check your background and issue you an ID. I would like to tell you that it won't take long, but unfortunately, it always does," Harris continued.
Hermione was already reminded of a more authoritarian version of Dumbledore. Harris seemed like a pleasant person, but he also seemed like someone who could become strict very quickly if the transition of personalities was necessary.
A moment later, a middle-aged woman with an aristocratic air about her entered the office. She brushed brusquely past Hermione and sat facing the other occupants of the room in a chair at the corner of Harris' desk. She gave no greeting but rudely snapped, "Garcia, if I hear that you've hexed Zabini one more time, you'll be searching for a new job."
"Come now, I'm sure that such drastic measures are not necessary. As I recall, the hex was provoked last time," Harris intervened.
The woman looked very indignant and continued to glower at Grace but remained silent. Hermione had to try very hard to contain her mirth when Grace gave a rather rude gesture out of the lines of vision of the two supervisors. When a small chuckle escaped her, Hermione found herself on the receiving end of the intense glare.
"Allow me to introduce the Assistant Director, Marilyn Adams," Harris said. Hermione extended a hand by way of greeting but quickly withdrew her hand on the pretence of smoothing her skirt, as the snobby Assistant Director's fixed look of disdain did not waver.
Grace chose that moment to exit the office, and Hermione's extensive background check began as soon as the door had closed.
Two hours later, a slightly less enthusiastic Hermione carefully placed her new Department ID in her purse and rose from the chair that had been conjured for her in front of her new boss' desk. Her two supervisors had interrogated her in great detail about her life, ranging from her childhood to the events of the previous day. They were now privileged to information that no one but Hermione had possessed regarding the story of her life. The information was now recorded in the filing section of the headquarters, and Hermione was officially an Unspeakable.
As Hermione turned to leave, the door swung open, and Grace reentered the office. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" she inquired.
"No, you're not, Ms. Garcia. We're finished. If you will, give Ms. Granger a tour of the Department, and show her to her cubicle. Introduce her to some of the other Unspeakables, and be sure to give her the file on her first assignment." Harris paused as the two women lingered in the doorway, listening to his instructions. After a second or two had passed, he continued with a slight smile, "Oh, and Ms. Garcia, please try not to corrupt any more of my trainees."
Grace grinned sheepishly but then replied in a dramatic voice, "If you insist," before leading Hermione back into the small corridor outside Harris' office.
The room that contained the cubicle of each Unspeakable was now even more crowded than when Hermione had passed through it the first time. As she followed Grace down the rows, she could not shake the feeling of embarrassment that always accompanied being seen by a very large crowd. The tapping of the cane never failed to announce her presence, and Hermione despised the curiosity or pity that was often evident in the reactions of others at seeing someone so young using a cane to walk.
Halfway down the fifth row, Grace stopped behind a young man working at a desk. She quietly put both hands on the back of his chair and attempted to tip it over. With a yell that caused few people to stare, as they were probably used to such antics by now, the man jumped up from his seat and turned to face her.
"You scared me half to death, Grace," he said. After noticing Hermione, he asked, "Who's your friend?"
"Shane, this is Hermione Granger. She just became an Unspeakable today. Hermione, this is my friend, Shane Alcibiades," Grace said by way of introduction.
"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Shane said with a charming smile.
"Likewise," she replied.
Hermione surmised that Shane and Grace were the Department of Mysteries' equivalent of the Marauders. Although they had a knack for causing trouble, the two friends were popular amongst their coworkers and exceptional Unspeakables.
Shane had the appearance of a cheerful troublemaker. His curly, dark, brown hair was kept long and often fell into his eyes, which contained a mischievous glint. Hermione was glad to have become acquainted with him.
"Well, I must be getting back to work now. I'll see you later," Shane said as he turned back to his desk.
For the next hour, Hermione toured the Department. Many of the rooms were as she remembered them, and many others she was not allowed access to because she did not need to enter them for a specific, case-related purpose. She was not permitted to see any rooms that caught her interest, only offices and research areas.
As she had entered the Department archives, Hermione had heard a series of loud noises and Grace's frustrated exclamation of, "Damn it!" She turned to find her new friend sitting on the floor amidst a pile of fallen books and files. The others in the room had turned to stare at Grace upon hearing the commotion.
Grace hurriedly picked herself up and rushed out of the archives with Hermione in tow, pausing only for a second to glance back at a tall, blonde, and rather attractive wizard who was working at the table from which the numerous books and files had fallen and quickly apologize.
Once they were back in the main office, Grace spoke. "Every time I get within a ten-foot radius of the guy, I make a complete arse of myself."
"You fancy him, then?" Hermione asked with a hint of knowing amusement in her voice.
"Yes, very much," was Grace's reply.
She then proceeded to explain, "His name is Alexander Gable. He became an Unspeakable shortly after I did, and unfortunately for me, I've fancied him since then. He's a bit out of my league, though."
"I think I should show you to your cubicle now," Grace said as she walked toward a small workspace on the far right side of the back row. Hermione followed and was delighted to see a neatly organized desk with a thin file marked confidential resting atop it.
"It's so nice to be working for the Ministry again," she said.
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but no one's first assignment is very good. Mine was a load of garbage. Harris had to assign the case to you; no one else wanted it. They say it was what sent old Orpheus round the twist, and I think most fear it. Orpheus McAllister left only one assignment incomplete when he died, and now it's yours," Grace said. Then she added, while pointing to a cubicle three spaces to the left of Hermione's, "If you have any questions, I'll be over there."
Once Hermione was alone, she opened the file. Upon seeing the subject of her assignment, she gasped. I can't do this. That…that thing…it killed Sirius. She was supposed to research, examine, and give a full, detailed report of the veil.
It took her a few moments, but Hermione managed to regain her composure. It'll be fine. This will be over soon, and I can begin a new assignment, a better one, but I have to finish this if I intend to keep my job. Since she could not bear to lose her position as an Unspeakable so soon, Hermione reluctantly turned the page to read the remainder of the file.
She spent the rest of the workday reviewing the file. It contained only a paper stating that the case was hers and all of the notes that were left behind by Orpheus McAllister. Surprisingly, Orpheus had been the inventor of the veil, but he had left behind no indication of why he had created it or what purpose it served. Not many notes were there either; the file contained only two other pages about the actual construction of the veil.
Hermione decided to take the file home and spend more time working on it that evening. She was now intrigued. The available information was of no immediate help to her, and her persistent curiosity demanded that she discover the true purpose of the veil. Hermione deduced that it probably was not used as a weapon, as that would be a very awkward and even insensible use. The only way to use the veil to bring about the demise of another person was to capture one's enemy and shove the person through the veil. As that would have to be done in close quarters, the plan could easily backfire upon the conspirator; the conspirator also stood a great chance of being shoved through the one-way portal to death in such a situation. Hermione also guessed that someone who was plotting murder would not intend to give the victim such a painless death.
She knew that the task would dredge up unhappy memories that she would rather forget, but there was no other choice available to her. Hermione never admitted defeat; to do so was to announce to the world that one was weak, and Hermione most certainly was not weak.
At 4:30 P.M., she left the Department of Mysteries and entered the lift for the second time that day. The lift was excessively crowded, and despite the fact that it had been magically expanded to hold more people, Hermione had to squeeze into the nearest corner and struggle to reach the button marked Atrium. She became much more comfortable as the lift reached the last few floors; the lift had nearly emptied. At the Atrium, the doors slid open, and Hermione exited.
She crossed to the end nearest the visitor's entrance, and took a right. She winced as the cane's loud tapping noise echoed in the large room. Hermione walked into a wide corridor that was bustling with Ministry workers leaving the building through the front entrance.
Halfway down the hall, she noticed Harry and Ron; apparently, they were leaving work now. At any other time, Hermione would have been overjoyed to see them, but she had had a busy day and was too tired for the argument that would ensue when the two found out about her new job. She tried hiding behind the tall man in front of her and blending into the crowd. Her plan worked nicely until Harry began walking back down the hallway with Ron following him.
When they were mere feet away, they noticed her. "Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted her with a smile.
"It's good to see you again," Ron said.
"Hi. It's good to see you, too," Hermione responded as she hugged Ron and then Harry.
"It's funny seeing you here, though. I thought you'd be working at the library now," Harry commented, checking his watch.
Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I was just hoping that it would be later. I might as well tell them. "I got a new job toady. I'm an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries," Hermione announced.
She could tell that she had shocked them with her news; Harry looked furious, and Ron was speechless. Approximately a second later, Harry yelled, "That's dangerous! You'll get yourself killed!" He paused, momentarily speechless, before adding in a more subdued tone, "I don't want to lose anyone else I care about. You should resign first thing in the morning."
"I can take care of myself," Hermione retorted. "Just because I was injured three years ago, I can't just lie down and wait to die as Voldemort and the Death Eaters kill everyone I care about. I'm not resigning."
Ron had seemed to regain the ability to speak as he put in, "Hermione, you know you can't go on any more missions. You're doing your part; you're a brilliant strategist. I agree with Harry because it is too dangerous for you."
Hermione was tired of being sheltered, being left out. She missed the days when they were in Hogwarts and the Auror Division because they had all taken risks together, and Harry and Ron had understood that if one cared at all about friends and family risking one's own life was the right thing to do. She lost control.
"So it's too dangerous for me, is it? Life seems too dangerous now, and not just for me, for everyone. If you don't want to be my friends anymore just tell me. The two of you think it's great fun to go on your adventures and play war, but you never even talk to me anymore. I guess I'm just not good enough. If you really cared, you would realize that living like this is killing me, but you don't care," Hermione raged.
She knew as soon as the words had left her mouth that she should have held them back. Her anger had made her irrational, and she had said things that she didn't mean, that she would never mean. Harry and Ron looked stricken; they looked as though she had slapped them, and Hermione felt guilty.
She felt tears welling up behind her eyes, and her vision began to blur slightly. Hermione quickly turned and walked away as fast as she could move with the infernal leg injury providing the same perpetual impediment to her. As soon as she was out of sight, the tears began to fall, and she apparated home.
Hermione collapsed in despair on the couch as the tears continued to course down her face from her now red, puffy eyes. She had fought often with Harry and Ron in the past three years because of their irritating over protectiveness. Since Sirius' death, Harry had been even more willing to risk his own life to avenge his godfather's murder, but he was reluctant to allow his friends to take part in the war for fear of losing them, too. After her injury, his resolve on the matter had strengthened, and Ron had agreed with him where Hermione was concerned. However, she had never before severed all ties with her two best friends, and she already missed them terribly.
Hermione cried herself to sleep on the couch that night, feeling guilty for the things she had said in the heat of the moment and so very alone without her friends of the past seventeen years.
Thank you for reading my story. Please review!
Avestia: Thanks for being my first reviewer. I'm glad that you enjoyed the story.
ShadowWriter-55: Thanks for reviewing. I tried to update with Chapter 2 as soon as possible, and I hope you like it.
Rane2920072: Thanks for reviewing and having confidence in Unspeakable. Hermione and Sirius are a cute couple, aren't they?
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