Bill's Bill
Chapter 13: A Mole and a Rat
All Harry Potter stuff belong to JKR and I ran out of witty things to say after thirteen chapters. -Chefke
Minister of Magic's Office Tuesday, 11:55 AM
Hermione scurried into the Head Minister's office, careful not to trip on her heels. A visit to Saint Mungos during the present time wasn't the greatest idea, especially given the current political climate and the people she was representing. She looked around the empty reception area and cast a quick revelio spell to check her animagus theory. When it came back negative, she hurried passed Pamela's messy vacant desk and towards Kingsley's office.
After having picked up and dropped off lunch for Kingsley, Ian, and Hermione, the petite secretary was out again running personal errands for the Minister. The hem of Kingsley's robes was frayed, so she was picking up new ones for him. She had actually approached Hermione earlier to ask what color she thought would best compliment his skin tone. The two girls had giggled over color patches for several minutes until Hermione had to leave for Wizengamot proceedings.
Hermione enjoyed that Pam included her things that were conventionally 'girly.' Most witches and wizards were of the opinions that she was only capable of talking about work and studious things. It was one of the many reasons she hadn't got on with Lavender and Parvati. Luna told Hermione that her classmates thought she was scholastically intimidating and demeaning. They never actually asked her for help with homework because they were scared she would say no, or shout at them like she did Ron. Her school persona was something she was trying desperately to shed. She always had a smile plastered on her face and offered a helping hand if the situation allowed it. She learned pretty quickly at the Ministry, that people were unlikely to come to you for help if they were scared of you.
Pam was different though. She always invited her out for lunch with her friends and even when Hermione couldn't join, Pam always brought her back something to eat. She was the reason Hermione remembered to eat lunch, that and Ron popped by with lunch twice a week. On one particular lunch break, Pam had forcibly dragged Hermione into Muggle London for a manicure and pedicure treatment during the height of one of her more intense werewolf cases. She was one quill point away from a mental breakdown and Ron and Harry was away on an assignment and Ginny at a Quidditch retreat. The outing was a much-needed break and Hermione was grateful, as it put her head back on straight and helped her win the case.
According to Hermione and every one of Pam's friends, she was an all-around likable person. She giggled easily and had a smile so bright Hermione always found herself sharing a smile with her, even if she didn't quite know what she was smiling for. Hermione was grateful that Pam had transferred jobs and worked at the Ministry. She hadn't always
Getting a job in the Minister's office was no small feat and Pam got her job as the assistant to the Minister of Magic from one of her flatmates who prematurely retired. It was a great job with great pay. Sure, the hours weren't great but they usually weren't when one was working for the Ministry. Hermione was rarely in her own flat. She was either at Grimmauld Place with Ron or at work. She actually stayed at Pam's flat once several weeks after she started working for Kingsley when Hermione's building was being fumigated.
Even though Hermione had been back to the flat many times, she still had no idea what color the actual walls were. Aside from actual furniture covering the walls, there were potted plants, posters from travels, pressed leaves from tropical rainforests, and moving makeup tutorials. She couldn't complain though, the flat was immaculately clean and the fridge was filled with moan-worthy food.
The actual flatmates were really friendly and had a general academic interest in Hermione's work. Ron was out of town at the time, but when Harry and Ginny found out she was staying with 'strangers,' they were pretty upset. It was only after Ginny came to inspect the flat did the couple calm down. Under normal circumstances, Hermione would have stayed at Harry's, to begin with, but it was Harry's birthday and she knew Ginny had an entire two-day event planned. Needless to say, after Ginny's initial inspection and subsequent approval, the bouncing redhead scurried back home to the birthday boy.
The actual flat had a kitchen, two loos, and a dining and living room. There were only three bedrooms, one for each of its occupants. They also had a pullout couch in the living room, that guests usually slept on. When Hermione stayed over Pam's roommate, Gerty, had an extra bed in her room and she was more than happy to share.
Despite sharing a flat, the three women adored each other. There was barely any in-house fighting and they all worked really well together. Mrs. Weasley attributed it to the girls barely being home and cherishing the little bit of time they did have together. When Pam worked at the apothecary, Samantha at the Ministry and their Gerty managed a thrift shop, they were barely home all at the same time. Their jobs all kept odd hours, but they always got together once a week and had a themed dinner night. Hermione and Ginny had been invited to several. Ron and Harry weren't allowed because it was a 'girls only' dinner.
Gerty's shop was located on the north side of Diagon Alley and since it was close to Gringotts it was usually very busy. While Gerty loved her job, but her dream was to become a pastry chef. The flat was always warm with freshly baked bread or pastries and Hermione had a hard time not going over there daily. It helped that Gerty sent lunch for Hermione with Pam, she even included cute quotes from books or pretty page holders that she would custom make.
Samantha vacated the flat after she retired from the Ministry, but stuck around London until after she had her twins. She was a glowing single mom and Hermione couldn't be prouder. There were some rumors that the father was a married man, but Hermione knew first hand that the dad was simply a muggle that Gerty had met in Uni. Brandon was in school to become a dentist and Hermione was more than happy to connect Brandon to her parent's old school buddies. Last time she spoke to Sam, she had a mobile, they were planning on moving the United States of America for the last stretch of Dentistry school.
Prior to Pam's job in the Ministry, she was working at Adelaide's Apothecary. Hermione remembered Pam from when she worked at the Apothecary and spoke to Kingsley on her behalf when she applied. Pam regularly kept the store stocked with Muggle magazines of a wide variety and had plenty of lotions and shampoos that one could only buy in muggle London. While Hermione lived in a muggle building it was hard to go shopping when she was apparating or Flooing in and out of her flat. Her weekly trips to the Apothecary had made the two friends long before Pam started working at the Ministry.
Besides for being one of the sweetest people Hermione knew, Pam had hair Hermione would absolutely kill for. She laughed whenever Hermione mentioned it, giggling that she would change heads of hair in a heartbeat. Apparently, there was no potion or spell to give someone hair like Hermione's because you know… her hair was atrocious and why would anyone want hair that had a mind of its own? Pam's hair was Black and as straight as Ron in a gay bar. Hermione chuckled at that particular memory.
Ron and Ginny wanted Hermione to take them to a more adult Muggle area. She thought a pub would be a great place to start. In retrospect, she probably should have done a bit more research than just asking an old primary school friend. It wasn't until they were already seated and already drinking, that Hermione realized that it was a gay pub and the fact that there was a Pride Parade earlier that day didn't help matters. It was an enlightening evening, to say the least. While Hermione and Ginny found the entire situation amusing, Ron did not. He swore off all Muggle establishments after that.
Ginny very much enjoyed going to a bar and not being hit on by every male there, it was, however, the women that came after her. While being a bit on the wild side, she enjoyed the evening and the attention. Though Ginny confessed that she still preferred Wizarding establishments, where she could relax or talk about her job. As amusing as it was inventing a job for Ginny because she couldn't tell people she rode broomsticks all day and got paid for it, she was proud of her work and wanted to be able to boast about it. As she should.
When Harry found out they all went to a pub, he was pretty peeved to have not been invited. Ron had conveniently left out the part where it was a gay bar during his wild tales. Ginny and Hermione had many many good laughs over it. They both agreed they weren't sure they could have handled both Harry and Ron freaking out at the attention they would have received in the bar. It also helped that Ginny was a tad possessive and didn't need the added pressure of another population after her wizard.
Chuckling to herself, Hermione pushed the familiar door of the Minister of Magic's office open and entered the lavish and yet simple room. Kingsley's office was sparse in decorations but it was lavish in the strong pulse of magic within the actual room. In addition to his usual charms, Kingsley had continued his usage of silencing charms as well as an Animagus detection charm.
The charm had actually come in the form of Professor McGonagall. Apparently, Professor Snape had developed it, after finding out what Harry's father and his mates had accomplished during their time at school. Professor McGonagall said he claimed to be concerned about the stupidity that students could accomplish while running around, as the animals they undoubtedly were.
Hermione's reminiscent of Professor Snape was temporarily stopped as she surveyed the tension in the room. Head Auror Ian Proudfoot was pacing worriedly in front of the Minister's desk. Kingsley was looking at the Head Auror with concern and a crease to his eyebrows.
"Should I not be in here for this conversation?" Hermione asked as she closed the door firmly behind her.
"Hermione, thank Merlin! We could use a fresh perspective. Senior Auror Snaphorn is missing. Somehow Travers is trying to pin the blame on the Auror department. In other words, me. He just called for Wizengamot meeting regarding my performance. "
"Performance?"
Kingsley sighed and took a sip of tea, not bothering to warm it even though it was cold from it's sitting on his desk all day. "Travers is trying to blame the entire Saint Mungos debacle on Ian. I think it's his hope to try and convince the Wizengamot that Ian was absent for an Order meeting and the Order of the Phoenix is a terrorist group trying to take over the government."
"Are we sure Snaphorn is not a Death Eater?" Even before Bill's arrest, Hermione did not like the man. There was something very… very unsettling about the man.
Charles Snaphorn had eyes were sunken in on themselves as if all the life had been sucked out of him. Recently, Hermione heard a rumor that he spent time in Azkaban enforcing the wards and therefore his mind was muddled and he was immune to death. She also heard a rumor that he had dementor blood, though she knew, like most rumors about Senior Auror Snaphorn that they were made up.
Regardless of the falsified rumors that flooded the Ministry's third floor Tea lounge, Hermione knew on the outside at least, he was a normal Wizard. Even though her skin crawled and her stomach churned when she spoke to him, she knew he was not a Dementor relative and definitely not a Vampire. Hermione sixth sense told her that he was hiding something, much like it had told her Professor Lupin was hiding something in her third year.
"Travers? No. The git's terrified of his own shadow. Testified against many Death Eaters and Ministry officials working for Voldemort." Ian had stopped pacing and was now leaning against one of Kingsley's bookshelves. Hermione really wished he wouldn't. His shoulder on his robes was wet, presumably from rain and he was going to get the books wet. Seeing that he wasn't going to move, she bristled and dried his robes with a flick of her wand.
"Hmm… I'm still not convinced. Peter Pettigrew was scared of his own shadow and look at the damage he did to the Wizarding world." Hermione and Harry had teamed up after the war to have Sirius's record expunged and Peter's revealed. It had been a bit of a struggle as Peter, apparently had relatives who were furious that his hero status had been revealed to be nothing short of traitorous.
Sirius was given a posthumous Order of Merlin by the Wizengamot and one of his childhood friends had petitioned for him to get his own chocolate frog. After Randolph Spudmore, the creator of the Firebolt found out that Sirius Black was actually the first person to purchase the elite racing broom, he created an entire 'Black' line to honor him. Harry once said, that knowing how much Sirius would have hated all of the attention and hero worship was a comforting, if not a humorous thought.
Kingsley and Ian exchanged a look. "I sent Ian to follow him, but he didn't leave his office during the breaks today or yesterday."
"Kings and I think he might be communicating with his outside source from inside his office."
Hermione thought about the office layout in the Solicitor's offices. Every fourth office had a fireplace. If Travers had a fireplace in his office, he could be Flooing out of his office during breaks. Potentially, he could be anywhere or speaking to anyone.
"Ian, is Travers in the third or fourth office?"
The room went silent before both male occupants of the room began cursing silently. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, generally I would be more concerned but right now I want to know more about what is being done about Senior Auror Snaphorn. I am concerned that it will look like someone made him disappear so that he can't corroborate Auror Flint's testimonies. I hate to ask this, but is it possible that Snaphorn is running a resistance with Death Eaters?"
Kingsley and Ian both shouted out their protests simultaneously. Hermione turned the two of them out as she contemplated their situation. Why would a highly decorated Ministry Auror go missing right before he was due to provide testimony? As hundreds of possibilities ran through her bushy brain, Hermione realized that the situations were split into two categories. Either he was running so he wouldn't testify, or he was being held against his will so he wouldn't testify. Regardless, the timing was too suspicious to suspect anything but foul play.
Hermione slumped down in one of the plush chairs in front of Kingsley's desk. "So, we need to send Aurors to find him. Ian aren't you already incredibly short staffed?"
"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Ian looked at Hermione pointedly. She most certainly wasn't going to apologize for having his Aurors put on suspension, pending an internal review of their actions.
"No one is above the law, Ian. Aurors acting with autonomy is what got us in this mess, to begin with. I'm mostly curious about what he's like outside of the Ministry. Where does he hang his proverbial cloak?"
"I've known Charles for a long time, Hermione. We went through Auror training together, got promoted together, and married together. He was happily married for years, his witch was where he hung the sun, moon, and stars. It was a shock when we found out from legal that his taxes were being filed as single. Apparently, his wife left him. She couldn't handle the long hours and the fear of him never coming home every day, at least that's what he told me over a pint at the Leaky. He threw himself into his work after that and never stopped. He won't go on dates and still wears his wedding ring like his wife is going to just come back in time for supper.
"He's the first one in the Auror offices and the last one out. I don't actually remember the last time he took a vacation, he gets sick every once and a while but otherwise he's at the Ministry. He was one of the first Aurors cleared of Death Eater activity after the war and the first one to resume work like usual." Hermione listened to Ian sadly.
If Ron ever wisened up and left her, poor Charles Snaphorn's life would likely mirror her own. She always worried that she wasn't lively and sociable enough for Ron. She wasn't a crazy Quidditch fangirl and she honestly did know or care what beauty products were floating around the Magical world. She tried using the wondercare products, but Ron had rolled his eyes and took the vials from her. She spent four hours on one vial, and all it did was make the first inch and a half of her hair blue.
"You said Auror Snaphorn told you his wife left him because she was worried about him? Was she-" Ian looked surprised at his question. He ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair whilst rolling his shoulders in agitation. Hermione noted and filed away his obvious nervous tick.
"I know what conclusion you're going to jump to, so don't. He's an-"
"She left him for a Muggle?"
Ian sighed. "Yes, a Muggle O.B Doctor. What's an O.B doctor?"
"An O.B. It's a woman's private parts doctor." Hermione giggled at the growing discomfort of the two men in the room. Kingsley had been quiet so far, observing as Hermione tried to break down Senior Auror Snaphorn's character, while Ian tried to protect it.
Kingsley cleared his throat. "Umm… right. That mystery has been solved. Moving on. Travers wants to interview Molly Weasley after the break. As long as she is stable, which I have been assured she is, she has to testify."
That was not good news. Mrs. Weasley could corroborate Bill's parentage which would lead the Wizengamot to believe Auror Flint's fabricated testimony.
"Is there a possibility they will insist on a paternity test?" Hermione voiced her fears. The case was spiraling out of control and if there was one thing Hermione Jean Granger hated, it was feeling powerless. She spent a year on the run with only a child's storybook as a guide from one of the greatest wizards alive, while people of all races and ages died around her. She was tortured on the floor of a Wizard's home, powerless to stop them. She did not want to ever be as lonely or as powerless again.
"If Molly has to testify then yes, it is the most logical next step." Kingsley intoned.
"Then Molly will not testify," Hermione said simply. Ian scoffed. He was standing next to the window overlooking the Fountains of Magical Brethren. He traced his fingers along the gold gilded ledge lightly.
"Hermione. Travers knows that he needs the paternity test to give his case weight, especially with Charles missing. If he doesn't get Molly to testify, he will have Lucius."
Hermione was about to argue back that Lucius had no idea he had a son when she was interrupted with Kingsley's raised a hand for quiet.
"Hermione, you're tired and you have been neglecting your eating again. Please take care of yourself, okay? Ian, I know that Charles was a close friend. Gather a team and go find him, but be prepared that you may not like what you find."
Ian nodded at Kingsley and Hermione and then left the office, shutting the door securely behind him. Kingsley leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples tiredly. The Minister of Magic let his hands drop, keeping his eyes closed. Hermione remained silent until his brow un-creased and his eyebrows unfurrowed.
"Are you okay?" Hermione leaned forward inspecting his now open eyes.
"It depends who you're asking."
"My old friend," she replied simply. Kingsley smiled at her, his white pearlies dazzling. Her parents would have had a fit over his teeth. They were straight, white, with even spacing between each tooth. It wasn't just his teeth though, Kingsley was devastatingly attractive. Hermione was embarrassed that she harbored a small crush on him when she first met the Auror at the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters. It was a wonder why he was still single.
"What are you thinking Hermione?"
"I was wondering why you're still single." Kingsley let out a light bark of laughter.
"You and my mother should have tea." He said between chuckles.
"Seriously, Kingsley. You're very attractive there's no reason you can't find a lovely Witch or Wizard to settle down with." Kingsley's eyes widened and he raised his hands in front of him defensively.
"Woah! Woah! Witches, only witches. Merlin, you remind me of Tonks. She was constantly trying to set me up with witches. She would claim to be meeting me for coffee and then I would arrive and there would be a witch there instead, excited for a date with dark and mysterious Auror. When Tonks ran out of witches, she starting sending Wizards. I was mortified. I'm pretty sure the wizards bit was Remus's idea. Andromeda said they used to laugh about it all the time. Bastards."
Hermione smiled sadly. She felt her eyes sting as tears escaped from them.
"They were so perfect for each other, weren't they Kings?"
"Yeah, they were." He replied dreamily. They sat in silence for several minutes, each busy with their own memories of the couple. Hermione, even though she had only ever dating Viktor at that point, had become the leading expert on all things dating.
Ginny used to owl her or corner her constantly and eventually, Tonks began to ask dating advice too. Apparently, the bumbling Auror didn't have much experience in the dating department and was just as excitable as Ginny and Hermione. The three girls would sit in the Grimmauld place kitchen laughing about which of the Order members were the most fit. The three women bonded over the fact that the Wizards they were interested in, had little to no interest in them. When Tonks had her first kiss with Professor Lupin in middle of Hogsmeade during in Order shift, she went immediately to the Owlery and sent them letters.
Hermione and Ginny squealed so loud, they heard each other in their respective dorm rooms. Lavender and Parvati, who had been awoken by her literal jumps for joy, had coerced Hermione into revealing the contents of her late night owl. Even Hermione was impressed by how well she spun the epic tale of Tonks and Professor Lupin's romance.
They cried with anxiety fueled raged when she spoke of how long it took Tonks to recognize her own feelings and how Professor Lupin denied his at first because of his Lycanthropy and then because of their age difference. Lavender sniffled when Hermione described Tonks's tears and acting like a kicked puppy when Professor Lupin rejected her. They oohed and aahed when she told them of Professor Lupin's shock when Tonks's Patronus changed to a werewolf.
Ginny had joined at some point during her tale along with her excited roommates. Even Parvati, who harbored a not-so-secret crush on their Professor was overjoyed that he found happiness with the popular Auror that regularly patrolled Hogsmeade. After two in the morning, the girls realized they weren't getting any sleep so Ginny skipped over to the boys' dorms and woke Fred and George. Her brothers were overly eager to help their little sister with mischief and left and returned with candy, cake, and plenty of liquor. A small party ensued in their dorm room that smelled of nail polish, crisps, and alcohol. It was one of the few times she got on with her roommates, especially after Lavender drunkenly admitted she really did like Hermione but she was intimidated by her brains.
"They were great." She whispered.
"Yeah, they were. You know I wish it was me that fell instead. I dream about it more often than not."
"You would trade being the youngest Minister of Magic for their lives?"
"Without a thought. Remus had just begun to live and Tonks had just become a Mum. You know, she never thought she'd become one. She believed no one would put up with her long enough for her to become one."
"I miss them. I wish Teddy would have gotten to know them."
"Yeah. Me too." Hermione stretched her legs and yawned. Kingsley handed her several bits of parchment as they started to go over what they had, what they didn't have, and what they needed for the rest of the day.
"I heard about your impressive chart at Harry's."
"Have you seen it?"
"Yup. I-" Kingsley stopped mid-speech. His eyes went wide and he was staring at a large stack of parchment at the corner of his desk. On the very top of the parchment holding them down securely, was a small silver elephant paperweight. Kingsley was looking at the paperweight as if it had personally offended him. He scribbled something on a parchment and handed it to Hermione.
I've never seen that before.
Hermione scribbled back, it's not yours?
Kingsley shook his head resolutely. They both drew their wands and cast several silent diagnostic spells. There were multiple listening charms on the small innocent looking elephant.
"I'm falling asleep Kings. Should we go get some coffee?"
"The Leaky Cauldron just started this amazing new coffee line, let's check it out."
The two hurried through the Floo and into one of the back rooms of the rather crowded Leaky Cauldron. After clearing everything but themselves from the room, they set up intensive wards and silencing spells.
"Shite, Hermione. Hermione, I'm the leak. I'm the bloody leak." The usual calm Kingsley was furious and pacing erratically.
Hermione put on her calmest voice she could muster. "Kings this is a good thing."
"How could someone spying on the Minister of freaking Magic be a good thing?"
"Because now we have something to trap them with."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if we spell the room to not transmit anything, the spy will have to come physically get the elephant. One of the monitoring spells holds all the information within the actual spelled object. Reporters use it for note-taking, though they primarily use it on quills."
"I have to check all of my quills now?"
"No, Pam does that. I watch her do it every morning after she brings you breakfast. She then tidies your parchments and goes over your to-do list for the day."
"Thank Merlin for that witch." He mumbled. Hermione smiled at him suggestively.
"Back to the matter at hand. I am concerned the culprit might just cut their losses and move on. We need a way to ensure-"
"I could announce to the Wizengamot that we've caught them already. We can say that Head Auror Proudfoot has them in custody, so we shouldn't have to worry about any further leaks. We can blame it on a maintenance worker. I have a friend who would offer himself up as a proxy."
"No, that's much too obvious. Especially if someone is monitoring you, they're bound to know all of your friends and acquaintances. Putting a two-hour rotation for the Auror staff on your office will ensure that there are so many opinions, no one will know which one to trust. Worst case scenario, we can say it was one of the rotating aurors and no one will be the wiser since it's entirely new staff. Also, because it's a high-level Ministry employee we don't have to release the name. We won't even have to prove we have Aurors in the cell block because we do have Aurors in the cell block."
"Brilliant, Hermione! It's settled. We need someone to wait in the room in hiding though."
"Harry can use his cloak. He can wait with Ron and-"
"Absolutely not Hermione. This isn't Hogwarts and I am not Dumbledore. The man was a great Wizard but honestly, I have no idea what he was thinking of allowing a group of children to run off and do jobs made for fully trained Aurors. I want at least four aurors in there, in case the suspect gets violent. I also want Pam nowhere near the floor while this happens."
"You still have work that needs to be done and Pam has a ton of correspondences for this afternoon. She is working with the French Minister-"
"No Hermione. It's too dangerous and I don't want Pam anywhere near this entire operation." He responded vehemently, his arms crossed against his burly chest.
Hermione resisted the urge to smile. "Alright then... how about Disillusionment spells for the Aurors? Oh, are they not allowed to be anywhere near this investigation as well?"
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "That came off a bit strong, didn't it?"
"A bit, but I'm used to it. Ron's wasn't always so great with minding his temper. I'll get to work on the paperwork for the operation and file it with you under a Classified Minister level field work by the end of the day. I have a couple of Aurors in mind, did you have a preference?"
"Sheesh Hermione, you do this job better than I do." Hermione smiled. It was not the first time Kingsley expressed his opinion of what a great Minister she'd make. While the Wizarding world had many female and Half Blooded Minister's, they still were only one notable Muggle-born Minister for Magic. Even with Hermione's brains, reputation, and magical prowess she feared she wasn't ever going to get the highly coveted seat. She didn't want to let herself foolishly hope for something that would never happen.
"There hasn't been a Muggle-born Minister for Magic since Nobby Leach and he died of a mysterious poisoning. The unspeakables still haven't figured out what killed him. I do good work where I am, amongst the living."
"Yes, well probably not the best time to mention it but, although there was no hard evidence, all fingers pointed to Abraxas Malfoy. The Aurors were never able to prove it though." Hermione laughed. She wasn't surprised that one of Lord Voldemort's old school chums casually murdered the Minister of Magic. "Well for what it's worth, I think the Ministry is ready for you. I'm not sure they were ready for old Nobby."
"Thanks, Kings. Let's head out, we've got a traitor to catch."