Summary: Four long days and four long interrogation sessions, one is the captive and the other is the capturer. Is it enough for them to see eachother in a new way? POST-war, DM\HG , minor HBP spoilers,
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, absolutely nothing other than the plot.
She stifled a yawn.
and then another yawn.
She wondered how long had it been since She'd slept well?
She couldn't say.
She wasn't even sure if she had ever slept well.
During the battle, she accompanied Harry and Ron and fought the dark side. Day after day and night after night, they fought and never got a wink of sleep. And after the battle, she was still accompanying Harry and Ron, tracking fugitive deatheaters or fighting those ones who were trying to be the new dark lord or supervising the instruction of new buildings or the repairing of the old ones or interrogating criminals under arrest, day after day and night after night and no time for a proper sleep.
She stifled yet another yawn and looked around the room, the waiting room as what that young witch called it. Blank walls, filled with a dozen of vacant chairs except the one she had occupied. She frowned inwardly. Couldn't they make the room more... interesting? After all, it was in the ministery of magic. She knew that the ministery had been ravaged during the war, But it wasn't like they needed extra money to buy some decorations, they could simply conjure them up.
How about some ornamental plants? She thought. It could rid the room of its hot and foul air. She waved her hand as if dismissing the thoughts and then raised it to wipe away the sweat pouring off her brow and then rubbed her eyes and...
And yawned.
Again.
Why am I here?
She asked herself for the thousandth time. She shifted in her seat and rolled the papers in her hands, which summarized the interrogation session she was going to have.
I have come here to make sure... everything is alright.
She answered herself. A tired smile formed up on her dry lips, she had been through so many interrogation sessions lately that she even kept questioning herself...
She placed the papers on a chair, she could see the wet marks of her sweaty fingers left on it's surface. She licked her lips. She never bothered reading the papers, they were all the same. Explaining the confessions made by people under the influence of Veritaserum. Sometimes she would interrogate them further just to make sure everything was alright.
But some of the Criminals chosed interrogation, they had the right to chose the way they wanted to be questioned, with Veritaserum or without Veritaserum and by a trained interrogator. It was non-magical but safe. There were cases of people driven mad after using high dosage of Veritaserum.
Her current case was one of the former ones, that was all she knew.
The door opened slightly and the head of the young witch popped out. Droplets of sweat evident on her face. "The interrogation room is ready." She panted excitedly.
She really has a knack for naming rooms. Hermione smiled wryly. She rose to her feet leisurely, grabbed the papers and began walking toward the door which was completely opened and was revealing a corridor. The young witch was standing at it's frame, rocking impatiently on her feet and beaming widely.
She seems overexcited, but for what? Hermione got her answer as she was squeezing past the witch, she was pretty much blocking the entrance...
"Are you Hermione Granger?" She asked in a high pitched voice, her eyes twinkling madly, like she knew something that Hermione didn't know herself. Hermione eyed her suspiciously for a moment before turning and wriggling past her.
"Yes I am." She answered when she entered the corridor, smoothing the wrinkles on her dress made by her struggle to get past the witch.
"I knew it!" The witch squealed and raised her hands. Hermione thought of her clapping her hands together joyfully and chuckled. But the witch clasped her hands together and pressed them on her chest.
"I knew it!" She squealed again, her voice echoing through the silent corridor. "I recognized you, it was hard but I did it! Oh, oh, I can't believe it, Hermione Granger! Harry Potter's best friend, she's here standing in front of m... "
"Uh... could you please show me which door I should go through to get to this... interrogation room?" Hermione interrupted the witch, waving the papers toward the numerous doors leading out of the corridor. Somehow the mention of Harry's name made her feel nervous. She looked around to make sure nobody had heard them.
The witch unclasped her hands and dropped them to her side, her tight smile loosened up.
"Ah, the door isn't here, come with me." She grabbed Hermione's spare hand and dragged her toward a door at the end of the corridor while beaming crazily again. The door led them to another corridor and then another corridor, all voided of people. Finally, the witch opened a door and shoved Hermione in, a little too forcefullly.
"Here is your interrogation room Hermione." She winked and slammed the door shut. Hermione stared at the closed door in confusion for a few moments before...
"Granger?" Came an all too familiar voice that made Hermione's stomache fill with dread.
OH NO OH NO OH NOOOO...
She dug her fingernails into the papers and pressed them on her chest.
IT CAN'T BE!
She slowly turned her head towards the voice, praying that the owner wouldn't be the one she thought he was.
But to no avail.
There, sitting on the chair was the one grumpy and scornful Draco Malfoy she knew, and hated.
Silence engulfed the two surprised rivals...
Look... at... the... paper...
She forced herself to tear her eyes away from Malfoy and looked down at the crumpled papers.
Draco Lucius Malfoy, Suspect No.46, Time of being in custody: 27 days.
The words shone and danced before her eyes.
Must've... read... the... papers...
She propped her arm against the wall, to stop herself from collapsing, and looked up to meet Malfoy's eyes again. He was smirking. It made her feel sick in stomache.
Must've read the papers, must've read the papers, STUPID HERMIONE! YOU COULD'VE GIVEN IT TO SOMEONE ELSE...
"Granger?" He drawled again, eyeing her mockingly from his seat. "Don't tell me you are MY interrogator, are you?"
A\N: There is supposed to be four more chapters, one chapter for each interrogation day. Review and let me know if you love it or hate it.