Friday 30th June - Hermione Weasley
"Hugo! For god's sake, eat your breakfast- you don't have to wear it!" Hermione said in exasperation, staring at her son in both horror and amusement. He- for some reason- had thought it would be a super idea to eat his breakfast with no hands. It had been a stupid idea. Ron and Rose, however, seemed to feel differently as they howled in laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes, Ron's children could be just like him. "Right, Hugo, I want you cleaned up before you go over to Aunt Ginny's. Rose could you please take your phone with you to Ruby's?"
"Yes, Mum," they chorused, Rose rolling her eyes at her mother and Hugo trying to speak through a mouthful of food. Hermione rubbed her forehead hoping to ease the headache that was building. "Okay, Okay." She sighed grabbing her wand and papers for the ministry, kissing both her children on the head and ignoring their moans.
"Hermione," Ron smiled, "breathe." Hermione rolled her eyes, it was hardly like the stress was from not breathing, Ron smiled wider seeming to understand her thoughts. "Just relax, have fun fighting the bad guys for us." He stood and pulled her to him warmly giving her a quick peck.
"Ewww," Hugo said, pretending to vomit into his breakfast. Ron reached over the table a whacked Hugo on top of the head as Hermione replied,
"That's Harry's job."
Ron narrowed his eyes, "make sure he stays sensible, we don't need a repeat of last week, do we?" Hermione shook her head and with another quick kiss she was out of the door and apparating into the ministry.
The Ministry had changed over the last twenty years. She, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kingsley and the rest of the Order had rebuilt it from the ground up. In the centre of the atrium there was a monument dedicated to everyone lost during the wars. Even now, so many years later, it gave her pause as her eyes scanned the beautiful statue. Pictures of those lost flittered across the statue, their names and a quote chosen by their families. She turned away before she saw someone she knew, someone she saw die. It never got any easier. Her mind wandered and she wondered if they'd be adding to it anytime soon. Hermione rose in the lift to Level 2 and stepped out of the busy lift. Her office was the first on the right, and she walked briskly inside throwing a 'Hello' to Justin, her deputy, who was just leaving the office besider hers.
After she dumped her files on her desk and quickly checked her meetings and memos for today, she looked up at the clock on her desk, resting beside the photo of her Ron and Harry in their fourth year- before they'd lost so much. In the photo Harry grinned cheekily, clutching the egg from the second task as he threw an arm around her shoulder. She was in the middle, and the Ron in the photo, although grinning widely, sent the Hermione in the photo little confused smiles while she was focussed on laughing at something Harry must have said. It was her favourite photo, it caught their innocence and friendship perfectly. It was just past 9, but Harry should be here. She strode out of her office and into the main corridor. The corridor was busy at this timer in the morning, most people were just arriving for the day. A few called out hello as they walked past, she smiled but walked briskly lest anyone try to strike up a conversation. Finally she reached the Auror department.
"Harry in?" Hermione asked Dennis Creevey, he nodded and with his thumb indicated the back office. He didn't look up from his work, however. Dennis had never been the same since he lost Colin, he'd left the bitterness infect him. He'd not allowed himself any chance of happiness, and had given up on finding anyone. Content to live alone rather than ever be hurt again. He wasn't the only one who'd gone like that.
Hermione knocked briefly before striding in, not waiting for Harry's response. He was sat at his desk twirling his quill as he read through a report. He looked up as she entered but didn't seem surprised. He nodded to the chair across from him and pulled out a coffee from under his desk, he tapped it and handed it to her. "Stopped at that little muggle coffee shop on the way in."
"Trying to bribe me, Mr Potter?" Hermione teased having a sip of her coffee.
"Well I definitely wanted my boss on my side."
"I always am, Harry," she paused considering, "although I will never play favourites."
"We all know I'm your favourite Hermione," Harry laughed, his eyes falling into easily into the laugh lines that now lined his face.
"True. But surprisingly I'm not here to discuss that, anything new to report?" Hermione asked briefly, tucking a loose curl back behind her ear.
"Short answer? No. Long answer? We are doing everything, everyone is under surveillance, we have aurors and hit wizards staking out several former death eaters and anyone who has been politically active in the last year. The notes we've been sent are untraceable, nothing on them. I did check for fingerprints though, like the muggles- you know? We only got half of one- have to hope that's enough."
"But you need someone in custody first." Hermione finished, "show me the board."
Harry had introduced the board after several late marathons with Hermione and Ron back at the flat they'd shared. It was the murder board. At the moment it was half empty because they had nothing to go on. It did have the two victims, a still photo of both of them. Harry hated wizard photos on there, it made them seem alive and their eyes followed him. Far too creepy.
The photo of Annie Goldwick, 26, stared out at them. She was beautiful, long blonde hair and startlingly grey eyes. She had been a rising star in the ministry, well known and respected. It had been rumoured that she would take over from Plexico as head of the department for the regulation of magical creatures. Not only had she been fantastically clever, a brilliant witch and a muggleborn, she'd also been very politically outspoken. She had published several essays debating the difference between the muggle world and the wizarding one, comparing their society to the society in America where muggles and wizards cohabited, with many witches and wizards living in muggle towns with muggle technology. He'd never read them while she was alive, but he knew that Hermione had always supported her, they'd been close acquaintances.
Why the essays had upset wizards he could only guess, but Hermione had told him months ago that wizards- as much as they denied it- still thought they were better than muggles. It was why they didn't use their technology, she'd argued. She was probably right, it was rare that she wasn't. He knew of only four families with a muggle television, himself and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Dean Thomas and his husband Seamus, and Teddy. Most of them had grown up around muggles and technology, Teddy had learnt how fantastic televisions were from him so he'd bought one the second he got his own flat.
It worried him that despite the peace there was still issues. Would the wizarding world ever get past that? Could their fractured society ever completely heal?
"So you checked to see if she received any hate mail?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, nothing so far. She did receive a lot though and I still have people sifting through it."
"Do you have a list of people who have sympathies to the pureblood agenda?"
"I do, but the list is around 200 deep," Harry looked at the photo of Annie, "the way she was killed 'Mione, they wanted to humiliate her, to send a message."
"Yes, but that will be their mistake, they are proud, ready to play the long game. Annie's death really serves no purpose to them- it didn't help their cause. So I have to wonder… is this the warm up? Are they simply warning us of more to come?"
"It's a group of people, but it must be a small group to keep such a low profile. Five or so members. I don't think they want all out war… they want to change minds."
"Yes, but killing well liked people won't do that," Hermione sniffed, "unless it's a scare tactic."
"Which isn't working since Kingsley is keeping it hushed up."
"But Harry, if this is a scare tactic and we keep it out of the press- how much further will they go to ensure they are heard?" Hermione was worried now. "What if they attack a crowded place? Or what if they wipe out an entire family?"
"Doing so wouldn't further their cause, they'd have been better holding pickets. Merlin knows several people would have joined them." He thought of the Malfoy's who'd been humiliated after the war, Narcissa and Draco only just managed to avoid Azkaban. But the amount they'd paid in reparations had almost crippled them. They'd sold the manor and moved abroad until Draco's wedding. The Malfoy's weren't the only Purebloods stripped of titles and gold. Some of them, surely, would hold enough of a grudge to join this group.
"Perhaps," Hermione considered sucking her lip, contemplating. "Harry, I need you to make me a list of possible targets- if they are going after muggle-borns, we should warn people."
Harry looked at her seriously, "You do realise you'd be at the top of that list?"
"Of course, but at least I've been warned. Several others haven't had that luxury." She crossed her arms, looking at Annie before reaching out her hand to touch the picture, gently, her lip wobbled before she clamped her jaw shut, "She deserved more than this."
There was no answer he could give because she was right. She did deserve more. She had so much to live for and so much to give their world. Anger rose in him again, but he trod it down. Now was not the time. He gripped her shoulder in comfort, and stepped back towards his office, leaving her hunched over herself as she traced the photo, her mind a million miles away. He sank to his desk and opened the note, for perhaps the thousandth time this week.
We will no longer stand by while the wizarding world is corrupted. There will be more to come.
The Non Conformites.
Such a short note, yet it was enough to clench his stomach. More to come, it could mean anything. But like he'd told Hermione, she would be a target, the top of the targets. They would do everything to keep her safe, not to mention she was more than capable- but not everyone was, and not everyone had the means to protect their loved ones. It was a sickening thought.
He went back to his work, reading again the surveillance on Knockturn Alley, Malfoy Mannor and several other places of interest.
Someone had to know something.
James Potter
James cheered as Fred tumbled out of the fire, and he ran over and hugged him. "Finally man! I was getting so bored, having to hang with Ablie every day!"
"Oi!" Albus called from the other room, "at least I don't fart every five minutes!"
"Proves I'm a man Albie, as does the hair on my chin! You haven't even got a whisker yet!" James hollered back hearing Albus snort in annoyance from the living room. "How're you Freddie?"
"I'm good, me and dad have been at the shop with Ron, they let me make the skiving snackboxes, it was wicked- I burnt off an eyebrow, look!" Fred's eyes lit up as he spoke and James tried hard to squash down his jealously as he peered with interest at the spot Fred's eyebrow had been.
"That sounds like more fun than looking after these two squirts," he indicated the other room where the 'squirts' were sitting. They didn't respond but he could sense their eyes rolling.
"Sucks to be you, Roxie has been at Uncle Percy's with Lucy most days so I've been an only child. Much of an improvement, I tell you."
James laughed heartily, his arm thrown over Fred's shoulders, "I wish we could do something really fun but unfortunately Hugo is coming over and we have to keep an eye on him and Lily. Mum seems to think they might annoy each other and drown each other in the pond." It was true, his mum had warned him to not leave them alone. It wasn't that Hugo and Lily didn't get on, because they did. They just both had an enormous temper that often led to one or the other with a broken bone.
"Knowing Lily, it's entirely possible." Fred laughed, "You promised me a game, you best not bail on me!"
"Nah, of course not." James smiled, "it's hardly like Lils can't look after herself- she is twelve."
"Come on Jamie boy, I've got some wicked ideas for pranks." So James and Fred spent the morning in James' room discussing their plans for the next year. People didn't understand how much effort went into creating pranks. They had to come up with an idea, check to see if it had ever been done before. Then they had to ensure they could do the magic to pull it off and eventually, finally, they could pull off the prank. It was tiring work!
They had to make sure Lily and Albus couldn't hear though, you never knew if they were going to snitch or not. It was much better to plan at Uncle George's because then he'd help them if he found out. Neither of James' parents were that cool.
"So Jimmy, you wrote to that girl yet?" Fred teased giving James a nudge.
"It's hardly serious." He rolled his eyes, "was just a one time thing."
"Yeah...how many times she wrote then?"
James lips twisted into a grimace, "seven, mums clocked on. Fortunately, the brats haven't told her yet."
"She'll kill you."
"It wouldn't even be fair- it's not like we actually had sex!" he blushed even as he spoke.
"You didn't?" Fred asked, frowning, "she kinda told everyone you did."
James dropped his head into his hands, "oh Merlin."
"No worries, people just think you are more of a player." Fred said with a shrug, "helps your image,"
"I liked my image before, thanks." James said grumpily through his hands. Fred, Dan and James were pranksters and popular but they were also (sort of) good students and nice- most days. Now he was going to get a reputation when he didn't even bloody do anything wrong. It was so bloody unfair.
Fred didn't answer and when James looked up Fred was leafing through one of his comic books. Fred did that, just pick up other people's shit and mess around with it. James was used to it, their roommates? Not so much.
James, for lack of things to do, released his snitch and started playing with it. It escaped a few times and he had to stretch to catch it again. While he messed around with his snitch his mind wandered.
A few days ago his dad hadn't returned from work till the wee hours of the morning. When he had returned, he had a black eye and a cut on his temple. His mum didn't talk to him the entire day. James had no idea what had happened because neither of his parents would talk about it. He did know (he'd heard uncle Ron and Harry talking) that Harry had been doing surveillance on a vocal pure blood rights protester and he'd been attacked. From their conversation it was a) his dad's fault and b) not the guy they were watching.
From what he heard it seemed his dad being a moron had broken protocol and gone on surveillance on his own without telling anyone. He'd been knocked out and when he woke his auror badge was missing. Ron had come to tell Harry how annoyed Hermione was and to warn him that she was going to kill him. His dad had said he'd deserve it.
This conversation had worried James more than anything. His dad had a dangerous job, he got that, but his dad had acted like a class a fool, and it was only luck that the guy hadn't murdered him. That's what worried him more than anything, his dad wasn't taking proper caution. If this continued he would end up in a early grave. Uneasily, he realised his dad needed someone to watch his back, like Uncle Ron used to. Without him, he'd make another stupid mistake. It would only be a matter of time that he made a mistake that was unfixable, simply because he risked his life so recklessly. His worst trait in his mother's eyes, James agreed. How selfish for a man to be too busy saving the world than to ensure his kids had a dad? He didn't like to think about it for too long.
"So me dad was saying that Uncle Ron has mentioned going back to the aurors" Fred said suddenly, startling James. Fred was biting his lip looking guilty, "Dad said I wasn't supposed to tell. Then again, it was his fault he forgot to charm the door and I got an extendable ear under."
James didn't really know what to respond to that, his Uncle rejoining made it seem that whatever was happening was pretty serious. He didn't like the idea at all.
Still his dad needed someone at his back and who better than the guy who helped him save the world? "Wonder what Aunt Hermione thinks?"
"Dad made it sound like she didn't know, doubt she would be happy. It was her who wanted him to leave." It had been, their Uncle had nearly died and although he'd been young he could still remember the month that Hugo and Rose had literally moved in whilst Hermione was at the hospital. None of the adults talked about it, but James knew that they didn't think he'd survive.
"What is he thinking?" James mused, he for one would not get on the wrong side of hermione. Specially not in this.
"He's not used to being on the outside," Fred shrugged, "probably won't, though."
James nodded but his mind was whirring. Everything that was happening seemed to indicate that something awful was going down, yet there was nothing in the papers. And he'd checked.
Why would they keep this quiet?
"Quidditch?" Fred said suddenly, pulling James out of his stupor. "Dad's been showing me how to improve my swing." Fred said grinning. Fred wanted to play professionally and James didn't doubt that he'd be able to do it. He almost definitely already better than the Cannons beaters- but that was hardly saying anything.
They heard a crash and a bang from downstairs and then Lily screeching. Seems Hugo had arrived. They heard a slightly more manly voice shout back and it was at this point they decided to intervene.
They tore into the kitchen and Lily was sat on the floor rubbing her head. "What's going on?" Fred said trying, and failing, to hide his amusement.
"Ask Hugo," Lily said shortly, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the smaller boy who was also laid on the floor.
"I flooed through and bumped into her," he said with a shrug.
"Apologise to each other," James said, frowning down at them in a way he hoped reminded them of their mothers. They muttered out an apology and the boys went out to start their game.
But James didn't forget what Fred had said. He was sick of being left in the dark. He was getting answers with or without his parents permission.
A/N Sorry for the VERY long wait. I'm hoping to keep updates at twice a week- this is finally finished. Please review!
