A/N: Many thanks to RachaelLA26 for her beta work!

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Chapter 15: Deliberation

March 2003

Ministry of Magic

London, England

"Thank you for coming, Miss Granger," Gawain Robards said, indicating that Hermione should sit.

"Of course, Mr Robards," Hermione wanted to question why Head of the DMLE was meeting with her, but she kept her mouth closed. Let him run the meeting, she thought to herself.

"Tea?" Robards offered. Hermione shook her head. She was nervous enough, she didn't want a teacup and saucer clattering in her hands.

"Well, I've called you up here to offer you a job. Frankly, you are wasted in the DRCMC and I have an opening for a junior solicitor role in the Investigation Department that I think you'd be perfect for."

"Oh," Hermione had assumed she was called here to speak about the attack in Piccadilly Circus, so it was a complete surprise that Robards had offered her a job instead. "I don't have any schooling in solicitation," Hermione admitted. "I'm not sure I would be qualified."

"Ach, that's for Muggles. You would learn on the job here. We'd pair you with a senior solicitor, I'm thinking Mafalda Hopkirk, who would train you up. I think you could be great here, and you wouldn't be getting tea for Quigly anymore, eh?"

Hermione flushed. Did everyone know about that?

"Can I take a day or so to think about it?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, take a couple of days. Let me know your thoughts by Friday. I hope to be working with you soon, Miss Granger." Robards offered her a large grin and Hermione smiled back at him.

As she left his office, she wondered how she would have come to the attention of someone like Robards. Granted, she was a war hero, but her work record wasn't really any sort of recommendation. Tom. He'd been harping on her to get out of the DRCMC and into the DMLE for months. She would bet anything that Tom was behind this. It made her both angry at him for meddling in her career and thankful that she might actually find a way out from under Quigly.

Hermione was too angry to return to work, so she took the lift down to level ten, where the Wizengamot courtrooms and offices were located.

"Hermione!" Malfoy stood quickly when he spotted her walking down the hallway toward Tom's office. Malfoy knocked hurriedly on the door behind him as Hermione approached. Hermione smirked at Malfoy, he was essentially acting as Tom's secretary and something about that made her laugh.

"Not now, Draco," Tom sounded exasperated through the door.

"Uh, Hermione's here, Tom," Draco said quickly opening the door just a crack.

The door flew open and Nott was ushered out. Nott gave her a nod as he went to sit at the empty desk next to Draco's. It appeared Tom's bodyguards were both acting as his secretaries.

"Hermione, love! What are you doing here?" Tom stepped forward, pushing Malfoy aside, and escorted her into his office. He settled them both on a low, leather couch and began pouring tea.

Hermione stood though; she was too anxious for tea, too upset by Tom's manipulations. She paced before the coffee table as Tom sipped his tea.

"Want to tell me what this is about?" Tom asked gently.

"When are you going to stop manipulating me, Tom?" Hermione practically shouted. "I told you to leave my career alone! I will handle it!"

"I see Robards spoke with you today," Tom commented lightly. The fact that he wasn't engaging in the fight that Hermione was trying to start only made her angrier.

"Yes, Robards called me to his office. I thought I was about to be grilled over the Piccadilly Circus incident and I was quite nervous! And here I find out he's just offered me a job. And junior solicitor at that! As if I have any experience as a solicitor!"

"He offered to train you, I assume?" Tom asked.

"That's not the fucking point!" Hermione shouted. "The point is I told you to let me handle it! And instead, you went behind my back! Again! This isn't going to fucking work if you never fucking listen to me!"

"Oh, like you handled getting a Gringotts account?" Tom asked. He rose from the sofa and narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "Or how about how you handled getting the war crime charges against you dropped? Those are taken care of, by the way. Robards had to formally drop them in order to offer you the position."

"Tom," Hermione warned.

"No, Hermione. Listen to me. In order to rule the world, you need a better job. You can't accomplish that from the DRCMC and you know it."

"I don't want to rule the world, Tom! That's you!" Hermione accused.

"Then what do you want?" Tom asked, softer.

The question seemed to take the wind out of Hermione's sails. She didn't know what she wanted.

"I want to make the world a better place," Hermione said quietly. But was she doing that in the DRCMC? With her busy work and her acting as a tea service?

"Then do it from the DMLE. Don't waste another second of your life in the DRCMC, Hermione," Tom pleaded with her.

"I asked Robards to let me think about it," Hermione replied. All the anger was gone and she was just left feeling exhausted.

"Good," Tom nodded. He stepped around the coffee table and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Think about it for a few days, but you'll see that I'm right. You can do more good in the world from the DMLE than from the DRCMC." He didn't add that her DRCMC job wasn't even that effective, but he didn't need to. Hermione was completely aware of that all on her own.

March 2003

Grimmauld Place

London, England

Hermione's hands shook as she watched 12 Grimmauld Place from across the street. She wasn't sure why she had come, but she felt the need to try and reach out to Ginny. Ginny was a hothead, but she'd always been more rational than Harry. It was early morning and about the time Harry usually arrived at work. Sure enough, not a moment later, and the door to

Harry's home opened. He stood on the doorstep for a moment, looking around, and then turned to his left and disappeared with a small pop.

Hermione let out a slow sigh. Harry had looked so normal, and Hermione was suddenly homesick for the days when they had all still been friends. It hadn't been since sixth year of Hogwarts that things actually felt normal between the four of them. Funny, how long ago that was and yet how little time had passed. Taking another deep breath, she hurried across the street and knocked on the door before she could think about it again.

"Hermione?" Ginny looked surprised when she opened the door.

"Hi, Ginny." Hermione offered her a soft smile. "I was hoping we could talk."

Ginny looked unsure of herself for a moment before she opened the door all the way and gestured Hermione inside. She led Hermione down the short staircase to the kitchen and began making tea.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, setting a mug of tea before her. Hermione picked it up, taking a small sip and allowing the hot tea to warm her hands.

"I was hoping you and I could talk. Without the threat of testosterone," Hermione smiled, hoping the joke would ease the way.

Ginny frowned. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you being here," she said, her hand fluttered to her midsection. "You have a darker aura about you."

"Channeling Luna, now?" Hermione asked. She kept her voice gentle but seethed inside. Since when did Ginny give a fig for things like auras? "I'm the same person I always was," Hermione said.

"No, something about you has changed," Ginny insisted. "It's like a raw power that you didn't have before. I'm not sure I'd be able to sense it if I weren't—" she abruptly cut herself off, her hand settling on her stomach before falling away again.

Suddenly, Hermione realized that Ginny must be pregnant. She felt awful that she didn't know, and that Ginny was clearly trying to hide it from her.

"I'm the same," Hermione insisted. "I might have more power, but I'm the same person. I still want the same things."

"Ron's dead, did you know?" Ginny said, changing the subject. There were tears in her eyes, but she was trying desperately to hold them back.

"I know," Hermione said quietly.

"You didn't come to the service," Ginny said. There wasn't an accusation in her voice, but Hermione heard it nonetheless.

"I didn't think anyone would want me there," Hermione whispered. She looked down at her hands, still gripping the mug of tea. Unable to meet Ginny's eyes.

"Perhaps mum wouldn't have, but I did. So did George," Ginny replied.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said.

"You cast the Sectumsempra at him. How sorry can you be?" Ginny accused. Hermione could hear the beginnings of anger leech into her voice.

"He cast it first," Hermione reminded her. "And I didn't know you were even there," she added.

"Well, I was," Ginny spat. "How did Voldemort survive it anyway?"

"Same way Malfoy did in sixth year," Hermione replied. Harry's memories of the time were fuzzy, so she was betting on the fact that Ginny didn't know exactly how Malfoy had survived. Hermione herself didn't know, although she suspected that Professor Snape had lot to do with it.

"I don't like it," Ginny shook her head. "You have become too dark, Hermione."

"I'm not dark!" Hermione snapped. "I have more power, yes, but now I have the power to do something about all the shit I've been shoveling over the years."

"That's the whole point," Ginny said, looking frightened. "You plan to wield your power in ways I don't think you understand."

Suddenly, the fireplace in the kitchen flared green and an angry Harry strode through it.

"I knew my wards felt slimy," he sneered at Hermione. He pulled Ginny up from the bench and placed her behind him as he drew his wand, pointing it at Hermione. "It's time for the scum to leave."

"Harry," Hermione said, standing as well. She wanted to reason with him. She wanted him to see that she wasn't the enemy.

"No!" Harry shouted. "Get out of my house! And leave my wife alone!"

Hermione pursed her lips for a moment before nodding. She stepped back toward the kitchen door, fingering her wand in her arm holster, but not drawing it.

"Congratulations," she offered to Ginny. Then she turned her back on both Harry and Ginny and walked out of Grimmauld Place.

March 2003

Hermione's Flat

Diagon Alley, London, England

Hermione stewed about the job offer in the DMLE and her meeting with Ginny for two days. She barely spoke to Tom during that time, and he being the bright wizard he was, left her alone. She couldn't figure out what the right path forward was. It was becoming increasingly apparent to her that there would be no renewing of friendship between her and Harry. And if she didn't have Harry, then what did she have?

Tom, a voice whispered in her mind. She sighed and closed her eyes. She'd tied herself irrevocably to Tom. There wasn't any turning back now, so why was she having doubts? Was it just the death of her old, safe, comfortable life? Wasn't she a Gryffindor? Her choice had been made the moment that Ron had cast the Sectumsempra. She chose Tom then and broke several laws bringing him back to life. She couldn't cast him aside now in hopes that Harry and Ginny would take her back. She knew Harry, the man held a grudge almost as well as Snape had.

"Hey," Tom said, leaning on the doorway of the sitting room. Hermione had been staring at the books spread across her coffee table for hours, mulling everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Hey," Hermione smiled up at him softly.

"Are you talking to me now?" Tom asked. His expression was bland, but his tone was hopeful.

"I want to rule the fucking world," Hermione said decisively. "I've been thinking it over, and Harry and Ron," her voice broke when she mentioned her dead friend, but she swallowed hard and continued on, "haven't done anything with their power since the war ended. They could have done so much and they wasted it on the Auror Department." Hermione considered the agenda she had drawn up when first starting out at the DRCMC, equal rights for house elves, werewolves, centaurs, and other magical creatures—that really ought to have been reclassified as beings like wizards were—had been high up on her list. Harry and Ron played happy poster-boys for the Ministry and the press and got full pardons and Gringotts accounts. Hermione wanted to change the world and got bupkis. It was infuriating and she finally felt like she was ready to do something about it.

Tom grinned slowly and stepped further into the room. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"But I have rules," Hermione said. She stood and stuck her finger out at him, ticking off her list. "No Death Eaters, no torture, magical creature and beings rights get brought to the front of the agenda."

Tom's grin turned into a smirk as he stepped closer to her. He made to wrap his arms around her waist, but Hermione held him off with a small push against his chest. "Any other rules?" Tom asked.

"I also reserve the right to add more as I see fit. I want us to be equals, Tom. I'm not your 'follower' and I never will be."

"Good," Tom replied. "I don't want you to be my follower anyway. I want you standing by my side as we take the wizarding world by storm."

"And my rules?" Hermione asked.

"I haven't tortured a soul since I arrived. Theo and Draco were technically Death Eaters before I came back, nobody has been Marked since my return," Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Tom spoke over her, "nor do I plan to Mark anyone."

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The tension in her chest and shoulders eased. "And the creature and beings rights issue?"

"I have a bill drafted already. Would you like to look through it?" Tom asked.

Hermione's lips twitched, but she kept her face serious. She loved that he knew her so well. "What do you want in return?" She had learned a lot since Tom had come forward in time all those months ago. Namely, for Slytherins at least, nothing was ever free.

"I want your agreement that the separation between the wizarding and Muggle worlds is too thin."

"What? I don't think that's—"

"Hear me out. You're a Muggleborn. What would it have been like if you would have known all along that you were a witch? What if you had gone to a school just for wizards as a child? Were you ostracized in your Muggle school? Did your parents take you to numerous doctors to figure out what was wrong with you? Were you medicated unnecessarily? All I'm advocating for is that we make contact with Muggleborn parents and children much, much earlier in life. The first sign of magic that requires an Obliviation, in fact. That way we aren't intrusive, but if the Ministry needs to come out to Obliviate an entire grocery store of Muggles, then the parents of that child aren't also Obliviated."

Hermione blinked at Tom. She had never given it much thought. Professor McGonagall had come by her home when she turned eleven with her letter for Hogwarts and it had been a very long afternoon from there. But Tom wasn't wrong. There had been numerous times as a child, prior to Hogwarts, that she had been cast out from her peers. Her parents had made her see a Muggle psychologist for a while. They'd even talked of putting her on some sort of medication for a hyperactive disorder that she didn't actually have.

"I can reluctantly agree to that," Hermione said slowly. She put her hand up when Tom opened his mouth to speak. "I say reluctantly because while I agree earlier contact and more frequent contact prior to Hogwarts would be a good thing, I do not want to force Muggleborn parents into sending their child to a specialized school. Nor do I want to turn it into some sort of pogrom."

"I can agree to those terms," Tom said. "So are we agreed? We rule the world and you set the agenda?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, I think so."

"Good." Then Tom knelt down before her and pulled a ring box from his pocket.

"Tom?! What are you doing?" Hermione asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Hush, I'm proposing. Hermione Granger, would you consent to be my wife? With the caveat that we both take your name?"

"I… I don't know what to say…" Hermione shook her head. She hadn't thought about marrying Tom. She had assumed they would be together for life, especially with their souls bound as they were now, but marriage? It honestly hadn't even crossed her mind.

"You are supposed to say yes," Tom said. Hermione could see the smirk playing about his lips and she couldn't stop her own answering grin.

"Yes."

"Thank, Merlin," Tom grinned, standing quickly and pulling her into a passionate kiss. Hermione responded enthusiastically and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had known she'd tied her life to Tom's, irrevocably, but the idea of being his wife was now percolating in her thoughts. She found herself more excited than she'd ever thought she would be at the idea of being someone's wife.

"Soon, you'll get to be Mrs Granger," Tom smirked at her pulling away and sliding the ring onto her left hand.

"You know that wizards don't usually do rings, right?" Hermione asked, admiring the beauty and simplicity of the solitaire he had chosen.

"We were both raised in the Muggle world," Tom said with a shrug. "I thought you would appreciate the gesture."

"I do," Hermione said, smiling up at him. His dark blue eyes twinkled and Hermione's heart raced at the promise she found in them.

"I think we should commemorate the occasion with another ritual," Tom said. He trailed his fingers down Hermione's arm, making her shiver in anticipation of what he had planned.

"I take it you already have one in mind?"

"I do," Tom hummed into her ear, dragging her lobe between his teeth. Hermione's nipples responded immediately and she sighed, melting further into his embrace. "If we do the earth ritual, we'll have the whole set." Tom's words in her ear were fuel to the arousal that was already coursing through Hermione.

"I'm in," she moaned as he sucked hard on her pulse point.

"We'll have to go to Theo's again," Tom warned.

Hermione laughed. "Theo's probably had enough of me."

"Nobody could ever have enough of you."

Hermione whimpered as Tom pressed another kiss to her lips. His own lips were both soft and firm. The kisses were both coaxing and demanding, and Hermione felt compelled to respond. Tom kissed her until she was breathless, then he pulled away again.

"Enough, let's go to Theo's now," Tom breathed against her lips.

"Now?" Hermione hadn't realized he was prepared for the ritual already.

"Yes. Now. Today. You are mine, wholly, completely mine. I want to finish this last ritual with you, one that will leave us the most magically powerful couple in all of wizarding Britain. Then I want to rule the fucking world with you."

Hermione had never thought the idea of ruling the world sounded all that sexy, until the phrase was coming out of Tom's mouth when he was looking at her like that. She grinned at him slowly and nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

March 2003

Nott Park

Bedfordshire, England

Hermione hadn't read up much on the earth ritual. She was expecting Tom to take her to the standing stones again, the ones they had used for the fire ritual, but he led her past them and into the forest beyond the stones.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked as she hurried to keep up with Tom's pace.

"Earth ritual," Tom said, as if that explained anything.

"Could you fill me in? I didn't really read up on it."

Hermione could hear the smirk in Tom's voice as she followed him deeper into the forest. The trees were just beginning to sprout the buds that would soon turn into leaves. And the air still held a chill from winter in it.

"I figured as much. Since it's an earth ritual, we'll need to commune with the earth. The fire ritual, fire protected us; the air ritual involved the ghosts of my followers; the water ritual, was literally in the water. Ergo, the earth ritual will also be in the earth."

"In the earth? How are we expected to have sex while buried beneath the earth?" Hermione asked.

Tom laughed and asked her to trust him. Of course, Hermione trusted him. If she didn't trust Tom than what would she even have in her life? She'd blown up her entire life for him. A few moments later, they broke through the dense wood and found themselves in a very small clearing. It was hardly more than a hollow. At the center of the clearing was a very old tree; it's roots were half-exposed and Hermione didn't think she and Tom could encircle the tree with their arms and touch the others hands the diameter of the trunk was so large.

"Is that a Mother Oak?" Hermione asked, awe heavy in her voice as she took in the giant visage in front of her. Mother Oaks were extremely rare in the wizarding world, and Hermione had only heard of one other which was on the grounds of Hogwarts in the Forbidden Forest. This one stood at least forty-five meters in the air and towered over the clearing and all of the other nearby trees. It was also the furthest along in leaf development for the time of year, sporting tiny leaves that would grow larger as spring turned into summer.

"The oldest one in Britain," Tom said, nodding.

"Older than the one at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. She tipped her head back to watch as the top-most branches swayed ever so slightly in the soft, spring breeze.

Tom hummed affirmatively.

"I feel sort of weird having sex in such an ancient place," Hermione whispered.

Tom's chuckle was low and deep in his chest. "Don't worry, we won't be the first people performing an earth ritual here. There have been hundreds or thousands over the millennia this tree has been here."

"Merlin, millennia…" Hermione breathed. She was dumbstruck as she considered the age of the tree in context to her own minuscule life.

"Mmm," Tom hummed again. He circled behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hermione shivered at the touch and leaned back into him. He nuzzled her neck, planting soft kisses. Sweeping her hair to the other side of her head, he nipped at her earlobe and Hermione's knees almost buckled. How was it he had such an effect on her? A few kisses and she was practically panting.

"The ritual?" Hermione prompted.

"It's simple," Tom said. "We unclothe, give an offer of our blood to Mother Oak here, then climb into her cradle," he pointed to the exposed roots where it looked like there was just enough room underneath for them to lay horizontally, "then we fuck." Tom's hips snapped into hers at that final word and Hermione could feel that he was hard already.

"Alright," Hermione nodded. She snapped her fingers and was pleased when Tom gasped in shock. She'd undressed them both and felt her power coursing through her veins.

"I love it when you take charge," Tom growled, shuffling them both forward. Silently he summoned their ceremonial knife. When they were standing at the base of the tree's exposed roots, Tom stopped her, handing her the knife first.

Hermione took the knife, slicing open her left palm. She turned it over, splattering the roots at her feet in her blood. "Mother Oak, please accept this sacrifice of my blood for your strength. I hope you find me worthy," Hermione whispered.

Tom followed suit, slicing his own hand, saying the same words and then with a little difficulty, they both crawled into the cradle beneath the tree. It was a tight fit, the earth around them was hard packed and all Hermione could see beyond Tom was a writhing mass of roots. It wasn't quite comfortable, but at least there weren't any rocks or anything digging into Hermione's back.

"Cozy," Tom murmured in her ear. There was barely enough room for the two of them. It took just a little maneuvering for Tom to sink down into her heat, but when he did, they both sighed in contentment. Her legs couldn't quite get around his waist, the fit in the cradle was too tight, but she was able to bring her knees up, allowing her to tilt her hips forward.

"I fucking love this," Hermione moaned. She clasped her hands around Tom's back, unable to reach much more than the expanse of his own back.

Tom grunted in reply and Hermione concentrated in bringing the sparks of magic to her fingertips.

"Fucking hell," Tom grunted when Hermione grasped his arse, pulling him tighter to her, her magic sparking across his skin. Tom pressed his mouth to Hermione's, smothering her moans as he picked up his pace and began truly plowing into her. She had a feeling Tom didn't care for the small space beneath the tree and wanted to get out as soon as possible. She wasn't quite sure why or how she knew that, but there it was in her brain. So she began rhythmically tightening her inner muscles. As they moved, it seemed the roots above and around them also moved in time with them.

"Merlin, going to fucking come if you keep that up," Tom hissed. He had pulled away from her lips and buried his face into her shoulder.

"That's the point, love," Hermione panted. She found she was getting close as well. Tom's pace seemed to impossibly increase even more and Hermione arched her back as his pubic bone ground against her clit. "That's it," she murmured.

"Fuck," Tom shouted and his pace lost all control. Hermione squeezed and squeezed her pelvic muscles and just as Tom's seed began to spurt inside her, she found herself tumbling off into a pool of pleasure, her entire body tensing with the effort.

"That was quick," Tom murmured.

Hermione laughed. "It seemed like you weren't interested in drawing it out."

Tom shuddered. "I wasn't. I don't really care for small spaces."

"Let's get out of here."

As they scrambled out of the tight space, Hermione was sure she felt a root reach out and caress her foot. She didn't pause to think about it though, the whole experience had been a tad too creepy for her.

March 2003

Ministry of Magic

London, England

Hermione settled into her new role in the DMLE with more ease than she expected. Part of this was due to the permanent power increase the final ritual had given her and Tom. The other part was that Gawain Robards truly was an excellent boss and gave Hermione all the assistance and training she needed. The only hiccup was when she was told to hire an assistant. Hermione had never had an assistant, nor had anyone to manage and found she was looking forward to the opportunity. But when she mentioned it to Tom, he'd insisted she hire either Pansy or Millie.

The argument that ensued had lasted for an hour and a half and ended in angry sex against the wall.

And the following day, Hermione hired Millie. She was quieter than Pansy, which Hermione appreciated, but also more observant. Pansy was given a role in Tom's office, and then assigned to Hermione as security. Which caused another argument, but a smaller one. Tom had both Theo and Draco as his own security whenever he was in the Ministry or out in public in either the wizarding or Muggle worlds.

"Don't they have lives of their own?" Hermione asked Tom.

"Of course, they do," Tom replied. "But neither of them want to go through what happened a few weeks ago."

Hermione shuddered. She still had nightmares of Tom dying. She was sure she'd always have nightmares about that day.

"Which is also why I've assigned Millie and Pansy to you," Tom continued.

"Assigned them? What exactly does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"It means they are your security team, who masquerade as your friends and assistant."

Hermione sighed, but she knew there was no arguing with Tom on the matter. And despite hating being followed everywhere, Pansy and Millie weren't bad company. They did make Hermione feel safer when out in Diagon Alley. So she allowed them to be her bodyguards and hoped that they worked as a preventative measure. Surely, Harry had learned his lesson from the debacle in Piccadilly Circus, right?