A/N - Enjoy this chapter and again, thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 52

Secrets

21 March 2000

Remus was sitting in bed reading a book, clad in pajama pants and a t-shirt, when there was a light knock on his half-open door.

"Hermione," he said in surprise as he looked up. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"I wanted to see how you were feeling," she said. He gave her a smile and set his book on the bedside table.

"No worse than usual," he said, gesturing for her to come in. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "The usual aches and soreness, plus being a bit tired."

"I don't mean to disturb you, if you'd rather rest," she said. Remus reached over and took her hand.

"You're not disturbing me," he assured her. She smiled.

"I had lunch with Harry today," she said, looking at him nervously. "He told me that the two of you spoke."

"We did." Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry for whatever he said. I told him to mind his own business." Remus chuckled and began to rub his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. He didn't fail to notice how her fingers tightened around his in response.

"Don't worry about what he said," Remus replied. "I'm glad the two of you are so close."

"I just don't want him being ridiculous and threatening you or something," she huffed. "Like I can't take care of myself."

"Of course, you can," Remus agreed. "But it's always nice to have someone in your corner."

"I suppose," Hermione said. She looked back at him and Remus smiled at her again.

"Andromeda tells me that the Board of Governors meeting is set for next Monday."

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Prof-, Minerva, asked me to attend and give a presentation." She sighed.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Not about the presentation. It's just that, if this doesn't work, I don't know where to go from here." She paused and looked up at him. "I really wanted this seminar to be approved. I think that having Hogwarts on board would help with the other reforms that I want to make to the werewolf laws." Remus squeezed her hand.

"No matter what happens, just remember that there are plenty of people that support you. Even if the class fails, that doesn't mean everything else will."

"I know, it's just frustrating."

"Trust me, I'm aware." Hermione smiled before she leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss didn't last long, Remus pulling away when he remembered where they were. He couldn't snog Hermione in the bed he'd shared with Dora. It just didn't feel right.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked.

"No," he lied. "It's just…the moon."

"Oh, of course," Hermione said, moving back from him a little. "I'm sorry." Remus took her hand again. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel guilty.

"It's fine, Hermione, you don't need to apologize."

"I should probably go anyway," she said.

"You don't have to leave," Remus said immediately. Wonderful, now he had run her off.

"I promised Will I'd stop by tonight and check on him," she explained. Remus relaxed slightly.

"Let him know I expect those sentences to be done by the time I get there on Thursday." Hermione laughed.

"I will." She stared at him for a moment before leaning forward and gently kissing his cheek.

"Good night, Remus." He squeezed her hand one more time as she stood.

"I'm glad you stopped by." She smiled.

"Me too." She let go of his hand and walked to the door, giving him a wave as she left. Remus leaned his head back against the headboard, fighting against the guilt once again.

23 March 2000

At the light knock on her open door, Hermione looked up. Gwendolyn stood in the doorway and Hermione smiled.

"Fancy a bit of lunch?" the older woman asked. Hermione glanced at the clock on her desk and realized it was already after twelve. She had been so focused on her proposal she had lost track of time.

"Absolutely," she said as she stood from her desk. "The cafeteria or elsewhere?"

"Elsewhere, I think," Gwendolyn said. "Perhaps Muggle London?" Hermione studied her friend. The woman seemed a bit upset about something, but when Hermione looked at her quizzically, Gwendolyn just shook her head. Hermione grabbed her cloak and the two of them left the Ministry.

Once they had been seated at a table in the small café they'd chosen, Hermione looked at Gwendolyn seriously.

"Tell me what's going on." Gwendolyn sighed and looked down at her plate. When she looked up again there were tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Satterfield is transferring me." Hermione sat back in her seat.

"Where?" Gwendolyn choked out a laugh.

"The Pest Advisory Board. Can you believe he's trying to spin this as a promotion? Says that since the Pest Advisory Board is its own office, it's almost on par with being the head of a division, instead of just a subdivision. Load of rubbish."

"How can he do that?" Hermione said. "Who's going to run the House-Elf support office?"

"You're never going to believe this," Gwendolyn said. "Jensen Barbary." Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. She knew from what Kingsley had said that Barbary was finally getting closer to Satterfield, but she had no idea Satterfield was ready to promote him. Barbary would be in a much better position to have Satterfield's ear now, Hermione figured.

"What the hell does someone from the Werewolf Capture Unit know about House-Elves?" Gwendolyn demanded. "Not to mention that he's been here less than a year and he wanted to arrest you! Can you believe it?"

"No, actually, I can't," Hermione said, wishing she could just tell Gwendolyn the truth.

"Maybe I should just quit," Gwendolyn said miserably. "My sister runs a shop in Diagon Alley. I could always work for her."

"No," Hermione said vehemently. "You need to file a complaint with the Minister." Hermione knew that Kingsley would want to know about this, but she couldn't tell Gwendolyn that either without giving away Kingsley's plan.

"What good would it do, Hermione?" Gwendolyn said bitterly. "We both know how many grievances have been filed against him in the past and nothing's happened."

"Minister Shacklebolt is different," Hermione said. "He'll listen and take it seriously."

"I should have transferred departments when I had the chance," Gwendolyn said with a sigh. "There was an opening in the Department of International Magical Cooperation that I decided against just before you started working here. I'm regretting that now."

"I'm so sorry, Gwendolyn," Hermione said sadly. "This is all my fault."

"No, it isn't," Gwendolyn said, shaking her head. "It was my choice to back your proposal and I'd do it again."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I've been saying for years that there needed to be some kind of oversight with House-Elves. I don't regret that." The two ate their lunch in silence for a few minutes, Hermione's mind spinning. She knew that Kingsley was working on it, but Satterfield needed to go, now. Otherwise, the Ministry was going to start losing good people that it couldn't afford to lose.

"Gwendolyn, please don't make a decision about your job right away," Hermione said. Gwendolyn looked at her in confusion. "I've got an idea, but I'm going to need a little time."

"Another plan?" Gwendolyn said, her eyes gleaming. "Care to fill me in?"

"Not this time," Hermione said apologetically. "But, if it works, Satterfield will likely be gone for good." Gwendolyn studied Hermione for a few moments before she nodded.

"All right, I'll wait." Hermione smiled and went back to her lunch. She really hoped she was making the right decision.

24 March 2000

Remus' brow furrowed as he watched Hermione staring out the window over the sink. She had gone into the kitchen to get them some wine, but when she hadn't returned for a few minutes, Remus had followed to see if she needed any help. She had the bottle of wine in one hand and the glasses in the other, but her mind was clearly on something else. She had seemed distracted since he'd gotten here, actually.

"Hermione," Remus said quietly, but she still jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Remus," she said, as if she were surprised to see him there. "I'm sorry, I was miles away."

"Here, let me help." He stepped forward and took the wine from her hands, opening it with a wave of his wand. She set down the two glasses and Remus poured them each a glass. He took a sip of his before he looked at her.

"Is everything all right?"

"Of course," Hermione replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem…distracted." Hermione looked down at her glass with a sigh, swirling the contents. Remus felt his stomach clench at the look on her face. He hadn't seen her since she had stopped by after the moon. Teddy had gotten a cold and had been a bit miserable, even with the Pepper Up, and Hermione had worked late a couple of days. Remus was a bit concerned that she was upset about the kiss, even though she hadn't seemed to be when she left.

"I'm sorry," she said putting a smile on her face that looked a bit forced. "It's just…work."

"Are you having problems with your proposal?" he asked.

"No, not really. I, well," she trailed off and shook her head. Remus set his glass down on the counter and then took hers as well. He pulled her into his arms and nearly sighed in relief when she didn't resist at all. Her arms came around his back and she pulled herself tighter into his embrace.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She sighed again and pulled away from him, picking up her glass of wine and taking a healthy drink. "That bad?"

"Worse, possibly." Remus picked up his own glass and then took her hand, gently pulling her toward the couch.

"What's happened?" Hermione took another drink before looking up at him.

"You remember Gwendolyn?" she asked.

"The head of the House-Elf office?" Hermione nodded.

"We had lunch yesterday and she told me that Satterfield is transferring her."

"Where?"

"The Pest Advisory Board." Remus' brow furrowed. He wasn't an expert on the Ministry and how it ran its divisions, but he was rather familiar with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Gwendolyn's transfer didn't seem like a promotion. Before he could ask, Hermione continued.

"It's a lateral move at best but given the amount of responsibility that Gwendolyn had once my House-Elf bill was passed, it's more like a demotion." She finished her wine and rose to fetch the bottle from the kitchen.

"Why is he moving her?" Remus asked when Hermione had returned, pouring herself another glass of wine. She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. Remus saw her glance at him from the corner of her eye before she answered.

"I suspect it's punishment for backing my proposal," she said smoothly, although Remus got the distinct impression that she while what she said was true, she wasn't telling him everything. He had no idea what she might have left out, however. "Although, Satterfield is trying to couch it as a promotion, saying that since the Pest Advisory Board is its own entity, it's like being head of a division." She gave a derisive snort and took another drink of wine.

"Has she filed a formal complaint?" Remus asked.

"I told her she should, but I'm not sure if she followed through." Hermione sighed again and sat down heavily on the couch. "This is all my fault."

"Your fault?"

"Yes, if I hadn't pushed my proposal, Satterfield would have never had reason to be upset with Gwendolyn."

"Hermione, this isn't your fault."

"It is!" Hermione insisted vehemently. "If I hadn't taken that job, none of this would have happened."

"And if you hadn't, there would still be House-Elves being abused by their owners," Remus countered. "You didn't transfer Gwendolyn."

"I hope you're not giving me some kind of 'greater good' speech," Hermione said stiffly. "Too bad about Gwendolyn, but at least you saved the House-Elves." Remus bit back a retort. Her comment stung, but he knew that she was upset about the situation, not what he'd said.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not. I'm trying to remind you that Satterfield is the one at fault here, not you or Gwendolyn. Just because the man didn't like that your proposal was passed, does not give him the right to punish anyone that supported you." Remus watched Hermione deflate.

"Gods, I'm sorry," she said a few moments later, shaking her head. "I'm being an absolute harpy." She took the last sip of her wine.

"You're not," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. She looked up at him and gave him a tentative smile. Setting his glass on the coffee table, he moved closer to her and drew her into his arms. She sighed and rested her head against his chest, reaching out to set her own glass down before she wrapped her arms around him.

"Is Gwendolyn planning on taking the transfer?" Remus asked after a few minutes.

"She talked about quitting," Hermione said. "But I convinced her to wait a bit."

"Because?"

"Because…because I'm going to make sure that Gwendolyn files a complaint with Kingsley." Hermione fell silent and when Remus looked down at her, she looked nervous. He pulled back from her, moving his hands to her shoulders.

"What are you planning, Hermione?" She looked surprised and a tiny bit guilty.

"I never said I was planning anything," she insisted. He looked at her disbelievingly. She huffed and moved back from him. "I didn't." Remus watched her as she picked up her wine glass again and took a sip. She was trying to look unaffected, but her eyes kept sliding away from his when he looked at her.

"You know," he said. "Some might tell you that I used to be rather good at planning, shall we say, covert operations." Hermione looked at him and smiled genuinely before she laughed.

"Yes, I had heard that," she replied.

"So, whatever you're planning, let me help," he said. Her eyes widened.

"That's…not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It's not really that kind of plan," she said evasively. Remus' eyes narrowed. He didn't want to force her to tell him what she was going to do, but he was worried.

"Hermione, is this dangerous?"

"No," she said immediately. He was still skeptical. "I promise you; it isn't." They sat in silence for a few moments.

"You're really not going to tell me, are you?" Remus asked.

"No," she said quietly. Remus stiffened. He couldn't deny that it hurt that she wouldn't confide in him.

"I see," he said, moving away from her slightly.

"Remus," she said, reaching out a hand and putting it on his arm. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just, it's complicated."

"I understand," he said, although he really didn't. "You're entitled to your privacy."

"That's not what I meant," she said. She shook her head and made a noise of frustration. "Gods, this has gone completely wrong."

"Maybe I should," Remus began, but Hermione shook her head.

"No, don't go," she said. She grabbed his hand in hers. "Please." At the look on her face, he nodded. She sighed in relief and moved back towards his side. Remus put an arm around her and she waved her wand to light a fire in the grate. They sat there in silence, Remus still sipping on his wine and wondering just what it was that she was planning and why she couldn't tell him.

25 March 2000

Hermione stared up at the townhouse, wondering again if this was a good idea. It hadn't been easy to search the Ministry archives and find the address, but Hermione had managed it. Given that she was in the archives so much doing research for her various proposals, no one had questioned why she had spent almost an entire afternoon there. And it had taken her nearly that long to track down the information. She hadn't even been sure the address was current until she had arrived. No one else would paint their front door that particular shade of acid green.

Hermione sighed, mind wandering back to Remus, as it had all morning. He had stayed for less than an hour after their disagreement, the small bit of conversation they did have, stilted and forced. He had kissed her before he left, but it had been different than their passionate kisses from a week ago or even the sweet one that they shared the day after the full moon.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him about what she planned to do. But Remus would have had questions and Hermione wasn't ready to answer all of them. Despite the fact that he'd been a Marauder and had a laugh over Hermione setting Professor Snape's robes on fire, she wasn't sure what he would think about her keeping Rita Skeeter in a jar, even if the woman had been a beetle at the time.

Shaking her head, Hermione crossed the street and stood at the bottom of the steps to the townhouse. There were wards, she could feel them, but a quick check didn't show anything particularly nasty. Likely just wards to alert Rita someone was at her front door. Hermione walked up the steps and knocked, keeping her wand in her hand.

When the door opened, the smile slid from Rita's face as soon as she caught sight of Hermione. Rita crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

"Still breaking the rules when it suits you, I see." Hermione cocked her head as if she didn't understand. Rita rolled her eyes. "How else would you have found my address?"

"Yes, well, isn't that a bit of the pot calling the kettle black?" Rita did not look amused.

"I have nothing to say to you," Rita said as she started to close the door. Hermione stuck her foot in the doorway.

"I think you might be interested in what I have to say." Rita studied her and Hermione could tell she was intrigued. "Although, this isn't a conversation I want to have on your front step." Rita snorted.

"You really think that I'm going to invite you into my house?" Hermione shrugged.

"We can meet somewhere in Muggle London, if you like." Rita curled her lip in distaste, then studied Hermione thoughtfully. Hermione could almost see the gears turning in the reporter's head as to why Hermione wouldn't want to meet in Diagon Alley.

"And why would I believe that any information from Little Miss Perfect would be something I would want?" Hermione pursed her lips in thought.

"You're right. After writing a bestseller, a Ministry scandal is a bit mundane. I'm sorry to have bothered you." Hermione turned to leave. Rita heaved a loud sigh behind her and Hermione smiled. She looked at Rita over her shoulder.

"I suppose I might as well hear what you have to say," Rita said as if she were doing Hermione a great favor, although Hermione could see the interest in the older woman's eyes. "I was just taking a break from my latest masterpiece anyway." Hermione did not like the smirk on the Rita's face after her last comment, but she stepped into the house when Rita opened the door wider.

Hermione followed the woman through the entry and into a small sitting room. Rita settled onto a small settee and Hermione took the chair opposite. The reporter summoned a Quick Quotes quill and parchment and looked at Hermione expectantly.

"Oh, didn't I mention this was all off the record?" Hermione said innocently. "You won't need to take any notes." Before Rita could protest, Hermione summoned both the quill and the parchment, cast a Finite and tucked them into her beaded bag.

"I don't know what you're playing at, but I don't have time for your little games," Rita hissed.

"If you want this story, you're going to have to do your own research," Hermione said. "I'm sure your particular…talents will serve you well." Rita's eyes hardened and she stood from the settee.

"As you said, I've written a bestseller and I'm nearly finished with another." Rita smiled, but it was anything but pleasant. "I don't think I have time for your trivial little scandal." Hermione shrugged, although she was extremely curious as to who Rita was writing about now.

"You're probably right," Hermione said as she also stood. She began walking back toward the front door. "Taking down a long-standing department head would be rather inconsequential compared to what you've been doing." Hermione had almost reached the front door when Rita called out to her.

"Wait." Hermione turned to look at the older woman who was standing in the doorway to the sitting room. Her face looked unaffected, but there was no missing the glint in her eye. "Long-standing department head you say?" Hermione nodded. Rita tapped a finger against her lips.

"I suppose I could listen to your information," she finally said. "After all, we wouldn't want a corrupt Ministry, now would we."

"No," Hermione said, hiding a smile. "We wouldn't want that at all."

"The Golden Phoenix?" Rita asked.

"Every Friday and most Tuesdays and Wednesdays," Hermione confirmed. Rita sat back on the settee.

"You know I can't follow him back into the Ministry after," Rita said. "There are wards against people with 'special talents'."

"I'm aware," Hermione replied. "I don't need you to witness what happens once he gets back to the Ministry. Your speculation alone will force an inquiry and there are plenty of people who can speak to what happens after lunch." Rita stared at her contemplatively.

"What's in this for you, Granger?"

"Getting rid of an incompetent department head isn't a good enough reason?" Rita snorted.

"Maybe for some, but not for you." Hermione should have been insulted, but the other woman wasn't wrong.

"He's hurt a friend of mine," Hermione said simply.

"Ah yes, the ever-protective Gryffindor," Rita said, disdain clear in her voice. Hermione ignored it.

"So, you'll investigate?"

"I could use a bit more incentive," Rita said. Hermione rolled her eyes. "My current project. It's about…the war. A few quotes from the Golden Trio could be helpful." Hermione was immediately suspicious at Rita's pause. Knowing the woman's penchant for sensationalism, Hermione was sure that the book was not just about the war. Hermione wasn't about to be complicit in insulting one of her friends.

"As I told you earlier, everything I say today is off the record," she said sweetly. "So, even if I did discuss the war with you, you wouldn't be able to print any of it."

"Then, I'm not sure if I can find the time to go off on your little wizard hunt." Hermione shrugged.

"That's up to you." Hermione stood from her chair once again. "Although, I do know how much you adore seeing your name on the front page. I'm sure I can think of another way to get it there." Rita looked furious.

"I wonder how your friend the Minister would feel if he knew you'd kept me in a jar for days."

"You?" Hermione said innocently. "How could I keep a person in a jar?" Hermione looked thoughtful. "I did find a rather interesting looking beetle in the hospital wing once that I kept in a jar for a while. That was probably a bit unkind, but I was just so fascinated by it, it took me a bit to let it go." Rita said nothing, but Hermione could feel the anger. "Well, I suppose I'll be going then." Hermione walked to the front door and let herself out, leaving Rita stewing on the settee. However, Hermione was quite sure she would be seeing a story in the Prophet the following week.

26 March 2000

Andromeda stepped out of the Floo just as Remus came downstairs with Teddy in his arms. The little boy had just woken up from his nap.

"Nanna!" Teddy called when he caught sight of his grandmother.

"Hello, my darling," she said, taking him from Remus' arms and covering his face with kisses. Teddy giggled and tried to push her away.

"How was your afternoon?" Remus asked once Andromeda had set Teddy down and his son had run off towards his basket of toys.

"Very informative," Andromeda said cryptically. Remus raised an eyebrow in question. "Narcissa had some very interesting things to say about Hubert Fawley."

"What kind of things?"

"It seems Fawley was quite the Voldemort supporter." Remus looked at her in shock.

"He's a Death Eater?"

"No, he never wanted to get his hands dirty," she explained. "However, he had no qualms about providing financial support."

"How did Kingsley miss this?" Andromeda sighed.

"I'm sure there are more in Fawley's position than any of us could imagine," she said. "And Kingsley was concerned about clearing out corruption at the Ministry. You and I both know that it is extremely easy to keep transactions such as these hidden." Remus nodded. The Goblins had never allowed much interference at Gringotts and they only cooperated with the Ministry reluctantly and if it suited their own purposes. Not to mention that there were other ways to provide financial support than with money. As a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Remus was quite sure that the Fawley family had plenty of heirlooms and artifacts that would have fetched a good price.

"What do you intend to do with this information?" Remus asked. Andromeda smirked.

"I think I shall put it away for a rainy day."

"I heard there is a chance for rain in Scotland tomorrow night," Remus said, lips twitching from trying to hold back a smile.

"Yes, I had heard that as well," Andromeda replied with a wink.

"Hermione?"

"Remus," Hermione said in surprise when his head appeared in the Floo. She hadn't been expecting to hear from him, although she was quite glad that she had.

"Might I come through?"

"Of course," Hermione said, watching as he disappeared, then stepped out of her fireplace moments later. She stood from the couch and looked at him, trying not to fidget. Remus put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked as if he wasn't sure what to say. After a few moments, they both spoke at the same time.

"Remus, I-"

"Hermione-"

Remus chuckled as Hermione smiled and the tension broke between them. She walked towards him, reaching up on tiptoe to kiss him. Remus wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. Hermione relaxed against him, grateful that she hadn't completely ruined everything.

"Hi," she said when they finally pulled apart.

"Hello," he replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry," they both said, then laughed.

"Why are you apologizing?" Hermione asked.

"As I said before, you have every right to your privacy.," Remus said. Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Remus put a finger to her lips. "I just want you to know that if you do want to talk about it, I'll be happy to listen." Hermione felt worse than she had before, but she still didn't think she was ready to admit what she had done to Rita Skeeter.

It wasn't that Hermione regretted it, in fact, she would likely do it again if faced with the same situation. But after the way that Anthony reacted to some of the things he had discovered about her, Hermione couldn't bear to see the same look in Remus' eyes. Not that Remus was anything like Anthony, of course he wasn't, plus there was the time when he and Sirius were prepared to kill Peter Pettigrew. That was a completely different thing, though, James and Lily had died because of Peter's betrayal, but-

"Hermione?" Remus questioned, pulling Hermione from her thoughts. He looked concerned.

"Sorry," she said. "I, just lost in thought."

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. Remus still looked worried, so she smiled reassuringly.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine," he said. She took his hand and while he still looked a bit anxious, he let her lead him to the couch.

"How is Teddy?" she asked once they'd settled, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. Remus smiled.

"He's fine, completely over his cold and back to his usual rambunctious self." Hermione laughed, and they spoke about Teddy for a few more minutes.

"I wanted to wish you good luck on your presentation to the Board of Governors. I wasn't sure if I would get a chance to see you tomorrow before the meeting," Remus said a few minutes later. She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Still nervous?" he asked, tucking a curl behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her neck and Hermione felt goosebumps break out over her skin.

"A bit," she admitted.

"I wouldn't worry," he said with a smile. She looked up at him, brow furrowing.

"What do you mean?"

"Only that you and Minerva have done considerable planning to make sure that this proposal will work in the current curriculum. I'm sure the Board will see that." Hermione got the impression that there was something he wasn't telling her, but she didn't press him on it. She was keeping secrets of her own, after all.

"I hope you're right." She looked up at him. "Can you stay for a bit?"

"A bit," he said with a smile. Hermione grinned and leaned forward to kiss him again.

Remus made his way to his bedroom, still thinking about the conversation with Hermione. He had meant what he said when he apologized to her, but that didn't mean he still wasn't hoping she would confide in him. When she had gotten lost in her thoughts, she had looked almost, scared, about something. Given the way they had just spent the last hour, it was rather obvious that she wasn't frightened of him, but there was definitely something that was keeping her from telling him.

Remus sat down on the edge of his bed and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. He had no room to be upset, he was keeping his own secrets. He hadn't mentioned what Andromeda had found out about Hubert Fawley. While his mother-in-law had not explicitly said what she planned to do with the information, what she did say had made it more than clear. The problem was, while Remus knew that Hermione would be happy if her proposal passed, he wasn't sure how she would feel when she found out why Fawley had voted in favor of it.

Sighing, Remus lay back on his bed and contemplated the ceiling. He almost wished that Andromeda hadn't told him about Fawley at all. Remus could pass the information on to Harry. But an official investigation could take weeks, if not months, and there was no guarantee the Aurors would be able to prove anything. While Minerva would likely have no qualms about removing Fawley on suspicion alone, she would face a backlash from other Pureblood families over it. The last thing Hogwarts needed was to lose students, or, Merlin forbid, Minerva herself. Remus knew there had already been grumbling about some of the appointments Minerva had made since the end of the war. As much as she detested him, Minerva had to keep Fawley on the Board, unless it could be proved that he had given money to Voldemort.

Sighing again, Remus rose from his bed and headed for the bathroom, knowing he wasn't going to solve anything tonight. He would just have to wait and see how the meeting went.

27 March 2000

"We are ready for you, Hermione," Minerva said, and Hermione stood from the bench she had been sitting on outside the classroom where the Board of Governors was meeting. She stepped inside the room and smiled at Andromeda before her eyes swept over the rest of the people seated around the conference table. Hubert Fawley was missing. Hermione looked back at Minerva in question.

"Are you sure you're ready, Headmistress?" she asked quietly, so the Board members couldn't hear her. Minerva looked at her quizzically. "There seems to be someone missing."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Fawley," Minerva replied. "He resigned from the Board this afternoon." Hermione stared at her former professor in shock. "I spoke with the rest of the Board about postponing your presentation until we could seat a replacement, but they all felt that was unnecessary."

"He resigned?" Hermione repeated. "But, why?"

"Personal reasons, was what he said." Hermione studied the headmistress, but she gave nothing away in her expression.

"All right," Hermione finally said. Minerva smiled at her and ushered her forward. Hermione took her place at the front of the room and after another encouraging smile from Minerva, began her presentation.

"Is there anything further?" Minerva asked once Hermione had finished her presentation and had answered questions for more than a half hour. When no one responded, Minerva nodded and turned to Hermione.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. I will let you know once the Board has taken their formal vote on this matter."

"Thank you, Headmistress," Hermione said formally, nodding to the rest of the Board members in acknowledgement. She gathered the rest of her things and left the classroom.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hermione leaned back against the wall for a moment. The presentation had gone well, the questions had been thoughtful and simply seeking more specific information. But Hermione couldn't help but wonder what had made Hubert Fawley decide to resign from the Board just hours before the meeting. She knew that he would have objected to the change in History of Magic, simply on principle. Fawley's staunchest ally on the Board had only asked one question of Hermione that had barely been relevant and when called out on it by Augusta Longbottom, the man had fallen sullenly silent. Hermione wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Hermione," a voice said, and she looked up to see Andromeda coming out of the classroom. "Excellent presentation."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Is the meeting finished?"

"No, we are taking a short break."

"Andromeda," Hermione began, biting her lip. "Do you know what happened with Mr. Fawley?" Andromeda smiled, but there was something in her expression that Hermione couldn't quite identify.

"I thought you would be happy he was gone."

"I am, it's just, it seems…strange, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps," Andromeda said. "Maybe he realized he would not be able to stop the changes at Hogwarts, but, did not want to be a part of them either."

"Maybe," Hermione said, not convinced that was what happened. Hubert Fawley didn't seem like the kind of person that would just give up like that.

"Do not waste your time thinking about Hubert Fawley, Hermione," Andromeda said. "He is not worth it." The last comment was made with a bit of disgust in Andromeda's voice and Hermione looked up at the older woman. But her face betrayed nothing, the smile Andromeda wore looked the same as the one she had first given Hermione in the classroom. Hermione bit back a sigh. Slytherins.

"I'll try," Hermione said. Andromeda smiled wider and patted her shoulder.

"I am sure Minerva will let you know as soon as we have voted, but I fully expect your proposal to pass. It is time for change around here." Hermione smiled back.

"Thank you, Andromeda." The older woman winked before turning back to the classroom. Hermione watched her go and wondered just what, exactly, Andromeda Tonks knew about Hubert Fawley's resignation. Because while the older woman may have been very good and hiding her emotions, it was still apparent that she knew something.