Monday morning rolled around, and Hermione went straight to the Ministry of Magic. Grabbing all the important papers, she made her appointment to see the Minister, and waited patiently in the lobby. Nervously, she re-read her notes, and wished Draco was here to help her. The Minister's secretary opened the door, motioning for Hermione to enter. Whispering a prayer to whoever would listen, she went into his office.
"Hello Miss Granger. Might I ask why you have requested to see me in such a formal setting?" Kingsley inquired. He motioned for her to sit down on one of the comfortable looking chairs. Sitting down, clutching her notes, Hermione slowly began to speak.
"I want to see if I can get permission to begin research, and possibly testing for it. I was wondering if the Ministry could perhaps sponsor me." She began shuffling through her parchments. "The main reason I am asking for permission is because of the nature of what I want to work on. Especially at this point in time." Kingsley raised an eyebrow, and sat back, knowing this might be longer than he was anticipating. After another deep breath, Hermione continued on her explanation.
"I want to do research on reversing the effects of the Cruciatus curse, with my primary focus on the female reproduction afterwards. Up until this point, it has been known and stated that after being a subject of the Cruciatus curse, a woman very rarely can conceive. Seeing as the war is over, and there is no chance of it starting up again, I want to be able to help reverse the damage caused by the Death Eaters. There were many young victims who were cursed, who may, at some point down the line, want to have children. If all my research and testing goes well, I may be able to branch out and try more. I know I can do this, Mr. Minister. The question is, will you fund me?" Hermione stopped, looking through glossy eyes, holding back her tears. She was afraid of the answer.
"What would you need?" Kingsley picked up a quill and some parchment, ready to write down her list.
"I would need to be able to access potion ingredients, as well as a healer who can do routine check-ups on those who will volunteer for my study. Since I am not a healer, I will not be able to see if what I am doing is really having an effect or not." She had not thought of these questions, and was trying her best to think on the spot. "Right now, I am not too sure all of what I need. I guess I would also like a small team to help me: curse breakers, healers, potion makers, the likes, so we can put our heads together. I may be the brightest witch of our age, but there are some things I would like to run by with a professional. And of course, I would need to be able to gather some volunteers for my research. Those who are willing to try and conceive at this time, who have been having difficulties doing so thanks to the Cruciatus."
Kingsley could not help but smile. He really wanted to be able to say yes to her request right there, but knew he would need to get it approved himself. "Miss Granger, I think this would be a wonderful idea, a good way to help rebuild during these times. As much as I want to grant the power to you, I do need to get the approval as well. I will take your proposal to the next meeting and see what can happen. Rest assured I will do my best to help you, but I am unsure of what will happen. I will send an owl with what I can tell you as soon as I can."
Hermione rose and shook hands with the Minister, not sure if this was a good or bad thing. She left the office and apparated back to her shared place of living. Draco was not home, something she was thankful of. Changing her clothes into something more comfortable, Hermione began to pace the house, wondering what she was going to do
Before long, she found herself in her make-shift office, and began working more on her research. Even though she could not proceed much further, she figured if the theories were solid, things could move quickly. Hours ticked by as she read and wrote notes, making everything just so. She created "To Do" lists for each assigned professional position she asked Kingsley for, so if everything went well, their first meeting would allow for a brief introduction, immediately followed by going to work. Draco appeared at the door, and silently watched her passionately work. As much as he loved the sight, he knew that she would need to stop and eat, something he could tell she had yet to do.
"Mione?" he called out, softly. Hermione looked up and saw him, a smile stretched across her face. "How did your meeting go?" She opened her mouth to tell him, but her stomach growled rather loudly. "How about we go to dinner, and you can explain everything?" With a quick nod, followed by a chaste kiss, Hermione was up and changing her clothes quickly.
Dinner was a wonderful meal. Hermione moaned in delight while she filled herself with food, reminding her briefly of Ron. She began to get sad thinking of what was lost, but remembered that her life is so much better now. She told Draco all about her meeting with Kingsley, and watched as he processed the information.
"So for right now, you don't know if you can proceed?" Hermione nodded, mouth full of food. "Love, I keep telling you I have the money, and I will fund you." Hermione shook her head and swallowed.
"As wonderful as that is, I want to try going about this the proper way. I do not want to be shunned or my research dubbed faulty." She held her hand to stop him from commenting. "I know you are trying to change your name, and this would be a great way to help, but please, let me do this for me?" Draco simply nodded. It was hard to let the witch he loved so much brush him off. After swallowing another morsel of food, she added, "And anyways, this won't change your image much. People will think you just sought after the most drastic thing and bought your way into good graces. You can do so much better than that."
Draco could not help but admit that she was right. Even if her research turned out to be the cure for one of the Unforgivables, the public who still sees the Malfoy name in a negative light would think he was just tagging along for the ride. He needed something big to do for himself. Should he fund a school, a library, a treatment facility for when Hermione finishes all her research? That was it! He would open up a long term care facility for those affected by curses.
"Hermione?" She paused and looked up at him. "You are right. I won't fund your research. Do it how you want to. However, you will not stop me from funding a facility for you, where you can practice and research all you want. Think of it as my gift for you!"
"But Draco, I don't even have the grant yet! And this is all theory! This might not even work out how I am envisioning." She was shocked at his offer, knowing this building would be magnificent. Draco looked a bit saddened when he realized she was turning this down. Hermione felt bad, reached across the table, and put her hand on his. "How about this, when I get the response from Kingsley, we will talk about this facility. If I have permission to start work on it, we can use it. If not, I am sure we can work out something together. Deal?"
"Deal."