Chapter Eighteen

Leaving

"Heads down!"

Hermione managed to duck in time to avoid her own trunk from smashing on her head. She turned to Fred and George with a scowl. "Could you be a bit more careful?"

"We're trying," said Fred. "But you've got too much stuff in there, too hard to levitate even with a weightless charm. I think the stuff inside is resisting. It keeps wobbling. Throwing it is easier than letting it float."

"Ever heard of the saying, 'travel light,' Hermione?" complained George. "Your trunk weighs a ton. Did you bring the entire Gryffindor girls' dormitory in there?"

"Nope, just the library."

She turned to find Harry and Ron levitating the rest of her luggage. One (or both) of them grinned at her as they set her bags near her feet.

"You know how she is. She can't live without her books," said Harry or Ron. "I think she can fill up a small library by now with all those."

"And I hope to get more books after I finish with this program in two years," said Hermione.

Ron -she was sure it was him as his expression was too Ron-ish to be Harry- gave her a smirk. "Well we better get those house elves working on new shelves for the library at Godric's Hollow then. Expect by Christmas Hermione's coming home with double the load of books."

Normally, Hermione would launch into an argument against Ron's use of the term "house elves." But she didn't want to get into a row with him right now since she was leaving in a few minutes and they just made their peace this morning. It wasn't exactly a real reconciliation as Hermione expected. When she got up, Ron and Harry greeted her as if nothing happened. Ron didn't even apologize but cheerfully helped her carry her luggage down -well at least she hoped he was cheerful. That could have been Harry for all she knew.

Most of the time, she could tell them apart when they talked to her. Last night, she was certain it was Ron she met in the living room. And although they reached a sort of understanding to not fight anymore, she was still a disappointed that he just dismissed her after she had made it clear to him how she felt.

She pondered over it all the way to the Ministry of Magic and came to several assumptions: One, it was possible Harry was also awake when she talked to Ron so he couldn't let out his real feelings. Two, it was really Harry she was talking to (which wasn't likely because she was really sure it was Ron she met at the living room, or at least he was there). Three (most likely of all possibilities), Ron is and always will be an insensitive wart and couldn't get it even if she spelled it out for him. And Four (she shunned to think of it), he didn't feel anything at all for her and sent her away to save her from embarrassment.

Hermione considered just saying something to him, but she couldn't find an opportunity since she was caught in last minute preparations for her trip and there was the issue of having Harry around to hear it.

Hermione looked around the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The Fountain of Magical Brethren was functioning again but it didn't have the statues that once decorated it. Instead, water sprouted ungracefully from the center of the pool. Hermione figured the Ministry officials had more important matters to attend to than restoring the fountain to its former glory.

"Arthur says he'll meet us by the fountain with your parents, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione nodded and they all moved on towards the fountain. They didn't have to wait long. Mr. Weasley appeared shortly with Mr. and Mrs. Granger from the hallway that led to the telephone booth. Hermione's parents couldn't stop looking around their surroundings. Despite the damage the Ministry Office Buildings sustained during the war, they still looked fascinating to two muggles.

After greetings were exchanged, Mr. Weasley led all of them towards the lift that would take them to the lower levels of the Ministry. The lift was fortunately empty and they all crammed into the tiny space with Hermione's luggage (Hermione and Mr. Weasley managed to shrink most of it in so they'd all fit).

"Ride's a short one," Mr. Weasley explained to the excited dentists as they watched the golden grilles of the lift slide into place. "We're just heading down to level six."

But when the lift stopped at their level, they found a crowd gathered in the hallway. Hermione noticed that a lot of people, mostly Aurors, seemed to be huddled outside the office of the Department of Magical Transport.

"Coming through," Mr. Weasley attempted to part through the crowd as he, Fred, George, Harry and Ron levitated Hermione's trunks. "International portkey departure, let us through please."

"You can't go in there," a middle-aged Auror stopped them. "And you have to clear up the hallway."

"Why?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"High-security prisoner will be transported in five minutes."

"But I have an international portkey set in twenty three minutes," Hermione explained. She held up her overseas portkey request ticket."

"All portkey departures have been delayed," the Auror replied. "You have to clear off for a while. Move over to that side of the hallway to make room. Someone from the Portkey Office will call you later."

They made their way towards an empty side of the hallway.

"Who do you think is it?" Fred asked.

Hermione saw Harry and Ron beckon to someone. She strained her eyes to see and noticed something transparent emerge from the crowd of Aurors. She realized it was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry and Ron told her about him, but it was still disconcerting for her seeing him as a spirit, more so for her already overwhelmed parents.

"What's going on?" Harry or Ron asked him.

"Convict transfer," Shacklebolt said. "They're sending him to labor camp today."

"There seems to be a lot of Aurors," observed Hermione. "Is that normal for just one prisoner?"

Shacklebolt shook his head and he looked unusually cross. "We're not here for security. We just want to get a look at that bastard before he gets thrown in prison. I hope he rots in there for the rest of his life so he could think of all the people he killed."

Hermione was rather surprised to hear this from the usually calm Auror. She was about to ask who the prisoner was when the lift stopped on their floor and the grilles opened. All the Aurors in the hallway started shouting furiously and looked like they wanted to hex the person who just arrived.

Hermione, her parents and the Weasleys all craned their necks to see. The prisoner came out of the lift surrounded by three Aurors who were also shouting to everyone to calm down and let them pass. Hermione could see the prisoner's bluish gray robes. His hair was dark and dirty. He reminded her of Sirius when he first escaped from Azkaban. He moved slowly through the crowd as if delaying his steps so he could hear more invectives hurled at him. He seemed to be enjoying irritating all these Aurors who were after his blood.

As he passed near where she was standing, he slowly turned his head. Hermione's heart stopped altogether. A pair of dark eyes met hers. Those were the eyes that haunted her sleep. But they appeared even worse as they were imbedded on a deformed face half-burned on one side where she cursed him with a blue-bell flame. She remembered his face burning that night while he was laughing with the tickling charm she sent next. It struck her how horrible it was that he was suffering yet laughing at the same time. He seemed to be laughing even now at her. His lips curved into a grotesque smile and she was startled when he cried out:

"I'll get you yet, Mudblood! You just wait. I'll smear that pretty face of yours with a scar just like the one I left on your breast!"

Mrs. Weasley was by her side in a moment and Dolohov focused his attention to her.

"I enjoyed torturing your boys, Prewett! I see you've got more for me to play with!"

Mrs. Weasley held her wand out to strike, but Mr. Weasley pulled her back. "Don't Molly! Let it go, let it go!"

At her side, Hermione saw that the twins were also restraining Harry and Ron. "I'll kill him!" one of them was shouting. "He should have died that night! I should have finished him off when Hermione didn't!"

Dolohov was still taunting them but what he said was drowned out by the other shouts from the crowd. He finally disappeared inside the Department of Magical Transport office.

Hermione didn't realize she was numb until she realized her mother had her arms around her. Next to her, her father looked worried and frightened. She breathed heavily and assured herself that she would never see that Death Eater again.

"It's alright, Mum," Hermione calmly said. "He's going to be sent far away where he can't hurt anyone again."

"Will you be safe where you're going?" her mother asked.

"Yes, don't worry about me. The war's over. Everything's going to be alright."

Harry and Ron were still muttering obscenities under their breath but one look from her made them calm down a bit.

"Who was that Hermione?" her father asked, fearfully. He was looking between her and a sobbing Mrs. Weasley. "Why was he threatening you?"

Hermione swallowed hard. Even though she had explained most of what had happened to her world to her parents, it would take quite some time for them to get used to all the darker aspects of the wizarding world.

"He's the one, the one I told you about who tried to kill me three years ago. He also killed Ron's uncles. They were Aurors."

"Two of the best Aurors." Shacklebolt floated towards them and Hermione's parents shrank back. "I went to Auror Academy with Molly's brothers. They were my best mates. Almost all of us here knew them. That's why a lot of us turned up today."

Her father's concern for her seemed greater than his shock at the spirit in front of him and he mustered the courage to address him. "But what's a 'mudblood?' Why did he call my daughter that?"

Shacklebolt shook his head. "It's an insult to children of folks like you. Some people of our kind think you lower than they are because you're non-magical."

"Like that blond man who looked down at us on the pub a few years back?" Mr. Granger asked Hermione. "You remember that, when Arthur got into a fight in that shop? Are there any more people like that who would want to harm you?"

"Don't worry Dad," Hermione reassured him. That man, Lucius Malfoy. He's sure to be convicted and put away too. The Prophet says he's scheduled for a hearing today."

"Well he won't make it to the hearing," said Shacklebolt.

"What?!" cried Harry or Ron, who just joined them. "Where is he? Did he escape?"

"No. We found him dead in his cell this morning. He hanged himself. He just couldn't take it that he would be stripped of his magic. It was a big blow to him as a pureblood wizard. Wish he didn't die though, so he could suffer humiliation with the rest of his murderer friends. We're making sure that Dolohov and the rest can't kill themselves. It defeats the new capital punishment system if they do."

"Where are they being sent?" asked Hermione.

"Can't tell you that," said Shacklebolt. "Too many people out there wanting to take revenge and it's not just the Aurors so we have to keep it a secret. Harry and Ron will find out eventually when they rise to junior Auror status. One of their duties is to guard the prison along with reinforcing the spells on Azkaban so the contained dementors don't get loose." He looked at them. "But in your case, I don't think Chief Atalanta will be assigning you to dementors. She knows how you can get Harry a body and she doesn't want to risk anything."

"You mean she doesn't trust us?"

"Sorry," Shacklebolt apologized. "But she doesn't want to put you where you might be tempted to do something."

"So she's going to keep us together? I think Chief Atalanta actually wants me and Ron to stay together like this for life because we have a better advantage as Aurors."

Shacklebolt just shrugged but his meaning was clear. Harry was right on what the Auror chief wanted. It wasn't pleasant, but they didn't have a choice in the matter. Harry and Ron wouldn't be accepted into the Auror Academy at all if it weren't for their condition.

The hallway gradually thinned out of people until the path to Portkey office was clear. A witch in plain work robes peered out of the door and called Hermione's name. They all bid Shacklebolt goodbye and entered the office. For the next few minutes, Ministry officials checked into Hermione's luggage and the other paperwork for her departure.

"First time to use the International Portkey, dear?" the witch assisting her asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Well I hope you're not queasy. Trip would take ten whole minutes. New Delhi is quite far and we don't have too many people going there. So just in case, put this on." She handed Hermione a raincoat.

"What for?"

"Lots of people throw up halfway in the journey. Unless you want soiled clothes when you get to India, you better be suited up for it. They'll pass you a barf bag when you touch down, but until then, coat's your only protection."

"Better put it on Hermione," said Ron. "When we went to Egypt our portkey took us about half the time and I was throwing up like mad on the way."

Hermione was convinced and suited up just as her luggage was piled up on a cart that would be portkeyed after her.

"Five minutes," said the witch. "Say your goodbyes now."

Hermione turned to her parents and hugged them first, promising to owl or call whenever she could and reassuring them that it was perfectly safe. She hugged Mr. and Mrs. Weasley next, followed by Ginny. She wasn't aiming to hug the twins as they weren't really that close but they enveloped her just the same. She turned last to Ron and Harry.

"I'll owl and floo as much as I can," she said.

"So will we."

"Ron…" she hesitated. It was the last chance she had.

"Yes?"

"I… I'm sorry about last night." That came out vague.

"I'm sorry too," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you, with Harry and I flying, I mean. Just have a good time out there and write us often."

"Thanks," she said. She was going to give them a hug, but they held back at arm's length and shook her hand.

"Thirty seconds Ms. Granger!" the witch announced.

Hermione reluctantly stepped away and hopped aboard the departure dais. The witch handed her a broken lamp shade.

They all waved goodbye to her and she waved back. At that moment, she forgot all her fear from her encounter with Dolohov with so many people caring for her. She stared intently at all those faces and thought sadly of the life she was leaving behind and the new one she was about to begin. As the seconds ticked away, her gaze fell on one redheaded young man that had regret written on his blue eyes that she knew was mirrored on her own.

A/N: This is the last chapter with Hermione in it before I fast-track the story line to eighteen months ahead. I don't want her to be left out of the story and not much will happen to Harry and Ron in their initial training stage. More adventure will follow once they get the hand of being in the Auror academy.