Hermione followed Narcissa to the end of a gravel road that led to Malfoy Manor, in the dead of night. The yellow full moon shown above the only home for miles. Hermione thought it looked like an eerie painting.
"Quickly, Ms. Granger." Hermione struggled to match the older witch's pace. Narcissa's clean, white robes billowed behind her, and her once scattered blonde hair, now neatly fixed into a bun with loose strands of hair flowed around her face.
"Here." Narcissa came to a halt, pulling Hermione in her arms. With a 'pop' they were gone.
Once they arrived, Hermione saw a cottage she didn't recognize. It was surrounded by a thick forest of trees, and it was cold enough for Hermione to see her own breath. Narcissa let go of the girl, walking onward.
"Where are we?"
"Phoenix headquarters."
"I've never been here before though. How is it you have? What's going on?" She rushed in front of the older witch, blocking her way. Narcissa could see the tears flowing and knew the girl wouldn't be persuaded without something to go on.
"How do you know the location of The Order?"
"You're very stubborn, girl. A good asset to have."
She grabbed Hermione's arms and locked eyes. The blonde was so close to the young witch's face that their noses could touch.
"Ms. Granger, you have many questions, rightfully so. But this is neither the time nor the place for them to be answered. Please, I must get you inside."
Sensing the urgency, Hermione relented, allowing to be ushered in the direction of the cottage. Just then, Professor McGonagall stepped out, with her wand drawn, and next to her was a woman who looked so much like..
"Bellatrix?" Hermione searched her pockets for her wand, but it wasn't there. Bellatrix had snapped it in two.
Narcissa snaked an arm around Hermione's shoulders, pulling her close to her own body and the young witch was grateful for the warmth it brought.
"Relax, it's not her."
"Nymphadora's mother" she whispered.
"Mmm."
"What sat on the mantle in my London home, the night of your initiation into the order?" Andromeda's wand now in her sister's face.
"A photo of us with Bellatrix, jumping in autumn leaves. You stole it from father the night you ran away from home."
Andromeda lowered her wand to Hermione. Something she didn't appreciate. A woman who looked so much like her..
"Domeda.."
"Quiet Cissy, no one gets by without proper precautions."
The older witch tightened her grip on Hermione.
"I don't know you. Let Mcgonagall question me." the venom in her voice was obvious.
The Scottish professor stepping forward raised her wand. "What did I ask you, Potter, and Weasley, the day you brought me a cursed necklace?"
The memory brought a small smile across Hermione's lips. "Why is it that when something bad happens, it's always you three?"
Wands were lowered.
"Good. Minerva, take Hermione. I cannot stay, but I will be in contact within days. Look for my patronus."
"Be careful, Cissy." Andromeda kissed her sister's cheek.
"I will."
Hermione watched in bewilderment as this unlikely event took place. In a haze she saw Narcissa turn on the spot to leave. Voices became muffled, her eyesight turned to black and she fainted.
XXX
"Jamison, I need two copies of the Weebler case on my desk in an hour."
"Yes ma'am"
"It's Ms. Granger, Jamison."
"Sorry Ma...I mean, Ms. Granger."
Agent David Jamison was a thirty year old, half blood. He was tall and bald with extremely white teeth. The women around the office liked to describe him as "tall dark and handsome." He was a bit of a pretty boy.
"Good. Has the evidence from the Friesenhahn case been processed yet?"
"Law enforcement says they're working on it."
"Still?"
Agent Jamison gave Hermione a sideways smile. "You know how it goes, boss." Unfortunately, this was not unusual. Things moved slow around the department of muggle relations. The budget was next to nothing and no one took that side of the ministry, seriously.
"Yes. Thank you." Hermione continued to shuffle through a stack of papers in a file cabinet within her small and cozy office.
"Is there anything you need?" Jamison was hovering around the door.
"Well I was thinking, why don't you get Draco to do something about it? We all know that his mo-"
"The fact that Mr. Malfoy's mother is the Minister of Magic is exactly why I don't speak to him about any of this. I don't know how your former boss used to run things around here, but I can assure you that I play by the rule book." Hermione slammed the drawer to the cabinet shut.
"Which is why nothing gets done around here" Jamison whispered under his breath but loud enough for Hermione to hear it. She didn't care. She was aware that the department probably saw her as a 'goodietooshoes' but she swore the day she became head of the department, that she would never cut corners. She would do things the right way and she would help her people.
Hermione walked over and looked straight up at him. She was tiny in comparison. "Which is exactly why I'm going higher than Mr. Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to prepare for."
"You know that's been done before, they don't care!"
Hermione practically pushed Jamison out of her office. She didn't need that kind of negativity right now.
"Don't forget, the Weebler case, Jami." if Jamison could have blushed from embarrassment, he would be as red as a lobster.
"Oi Jami, where's my coffee, mate?" his coworker, Ben, waved his coffee mug and laughed with the rest of the office at the new revelation of his nickname that only his mother called him. Jamison would get Hermione back later for that one.
"Shove off Ben. Get it your damn self."
"Touchy, touchy."
XXX
Initially, Hermione was motivated and angry as she made mental notes of all the different cases that couldn't be properly evaluated because of lack of budget, or lack of respect and cooperation from other departments. Magical Law Enforcement she scoffed.
But the closer her black stilettos brought her to the conference room where she would be meeting the Minister of Magic and the mother of her boyfriend- for the second time-, albeit under way better, and much different circumstances, the more unhinged she felt herself become.
Pausing in front of the grand wooden door of the conference room, she was taken aback.
"Ha! Don't run you filthy little mudblood! LOOK AT ME!"
"The screaming" she whispered, shaking her head.
"Ms. Granger?" Gretta, Hermione's sweet little assistant, straight out of Hogwarts, was worried. Often she would catch the brown haired witch muttering to herself in her office about the "screams."
"What was that Gretta?"
"You blanked, ma'am."
Hermione tried to give an encouraging smile, more for herself than her assistant.
When she opened the large door, all eyes rested on her, but the ones she immediately found were icy blue.
"Ms. Granger, how very nice to finally meet with you." Hermione suddenly felt like faking sick and running out the door but decided that would probably bring up unnecessary questions later on down the road.
Hermione was keenly aware that her body temperature was rising.
"Minister" Hermione held out her hand and Narcissa took it, holding on a moment too long for the younger witch's comfort. Cold.
Her whole appearance was anything but warm. The older witch was clad in black robes that donned golden stitching, which complemented her creamy pale skin. Her long blonde hair was in a half updo, letting the rest of it flow freely down her back. Hermione noted that the older witch looked incredibly young for her age. "Cold but beautiful" she thought.
"I had no idea you worked for the Ministry until your name came across my desk, just yesterday."
"I seriously doubt that" Hermione thought. Although she and Draco had managed to keep their relationship under wraps, she was one third of the Golden Trio. There wasn't a news column somewhere that didn't have her career path spewed across it for the mother of her boyfriend to read.
"Oh you know, I don't read trash columns, dear. I'm sure Rita Skeeter has everything about you in a magazine." she winked, which caused Hermione to raise her mental guards. Damn. I should have done that sooner, she scolded herself.
"Yes well, shall we start?" Hermione sat down and began opening the files to the Weebler case.
"Of course." Narcissa smiled, following suit.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weebler of 52 Private drive were found murdered in their bed, two weeks ago. Muggle-born with a 13 year old child attending Hogwarts-"
"Ms. Granger, my time is limited and I fail to see where you're headed with this. If you suspect this to be magical homicide, then the department of Magical Law Enforcement is more than capable of doing their jobs and my son-"
"Pardon me, Ms. Black" everyone in the room collectively looked like the air was sucked right out of the room.
"Minister. The Weeblers are just one of many magical muggle families whose cases go cold due to lack of funding and priority. I submit cases every day to Magical Law Enforcement and once that happens, I never hear about it again. These families deserve the justice that they aren't receiving, Minister. And while I don't doubt your son's skills as an Auror,"
Hermione swallowed nervously.
"His orders come from a higher source. I need an increase of funds. I need the support of my fellow Ministry department workers."
Narcissa tapped her manicured fingers on the mahogany table, as if she was carefully considering the girl's words.
"Mr. Mayhew" Narcissa kept her eyes on Hermione as she spoke to her assistant.
"Bring me the papers for a department budget increase, and arrange a meeting with the head of Magical Law Enforcement, this week."
"Right away, Minister."
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Did she really just sway the Minister of Magic?
"A feat not many have accomplished, Ms. Granger." Narcissa stood.
"Pardon?" Again, Hermione wondered if she had let her mental guards down.
"Gain support for Muggle Relations. Though gaining acceptance into the magical world, the community is still widely looked down upon."
"Well now that Voldemort is gone, we can continue to change history." Hermione said the former Dark Lord's name on purpose. She wanted the older witch to remember as she did every day, the pain that name brought and why this was important.
"I have no doubt that you will be a part of this change." She smiled solemnly.
The satisfaction that Hermione thought she would get from mentioning the past, only made her feel like dirt.
"Minister I-"
"It was a pleasure meeting with you...again, Ms. Granger." Narcissa respectfully nodded her head and made her exit, followed by all of her people.
Hermione sighed.
"Gretta"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Cancel all of my appointments for the day. I'm going home."