It was Friday, and Hermione had already made good progress with documenting what she knew, starting from Voldemort's first reappearance when she began at Hogwarts. It had been easy enough so far to record everything that had happened with Harry and, with the help of Neville, everything that occurred at Hogwarts while she was gone.

In order to make sure she knew everything the Order had done, she had asked to meet with Minister Shacklebolt who kept all the notes from their meetings and had been more involved with all of their activities and missions than she had been.

So, at two that afternoon, she found herself waiting outside the Minister's office.

"Ah, Hermione." Kingsley greeted when he opened the door, gesturing her inside. "I do hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Not at all Minister, you're right on time."

"Please, Hermione, how many times have I told you that you needn't call me Minister, Kingsley will do just fine." He said with a smile as he offered her a seat.

"Alright Min-, I mean, Kingsley." She joked. It was strange, even though she'd called him Kingsley before, these days she couldn't seem to stop addressing him by his formal title. Snape, on the other hand, who she had addressed formally as Professor for over seven years, was now, much to his dismay, Severus, and, as far as she was concerned, always would be.

"I've prepared everything for you already and added anything that was missing." He explained as he lifted what seemed to be a very heavy box of papers onto the table. "I'm afraid there's quite a lot." He added with an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry, this will be fine, I'm sure I'll get through it fast enough." Hermione reassured him, her voice full of determination.

"Have you been having any trouble finding anything out so far?" Kingsley enquired.

"Not so far no, but I expect when it comes to finding out about what the other side was up to might be harder." Hermione mused. "But I suppose I could always ask Severus if I get stuck, or maybe even take a trip to Azkaban to question people…mind you, I'd much rather go and visit Lucius instead at his mansion, never thought I'd be happy about him being under house arrest, but if it means I don't have to go to the prison… "

"Severus might be helpful but I'm sure you'll get nothing useful from Malfoy." He said with a frown, his tone filled with an edge of warning that surprised Hermione. "Besides, it might be hard for you to convince the aurors to let you past security at the place."

"I suppose…" She said dejectedly, suspecting that she could easily get into the mansion with Draco's help if she wanted to anyway, despite him being relatively distant from his father these days.

"But otherwise everything else is going well?" He asked, his friendly smile returning.

"Yes, no problems yet."

"Excellent." He smiled. "I really don't know who else I could have asked to do this Hermione, you really are the best."

"Well I'm sure Ezra would have been able to handle it without me, but I'm happy to be a part of it."

"Oh yes." Said Kingsley, his happy demeanour shifting ever so slightly to something Hermione couldn't quite place. "Ezra, how has he been behaving?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, intrigued by the strange way the Minister had phrased his question. Why not 'how is he?' 'do you like him?' 'are you working well together?'.

"I just mean, has he been helpful and polite." He explained. "Sometimes in the past I've found him to be a little, how should I put this…prejudiced."

"No no, we got on very well in fact, he is a very amicable man." Said Hermione, seemingly unaware that her lips had pulled into a small smile that didn't go unnoticed by Kingsley.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." He said, his voice calm but his expression looking slightly confused, maybe even a little concerned.

There was a knock on the door and the Minister's aide came in. "Sorry to disturb." She apologised. "But you have a meeting with the group from Gringotts in five minutes."

"Ah, of course, I'll be there in a moment. Apologies Hermione, I would really have liked the chance to catch up with you but I'm still so busy all the time." He said sounding a little tired.

"Well perhaps when the anniversary is over you'll have a little more time." She suggested.

"Yes, I don't think I will run in this year's elections either, so perhaps I will." He smiled. "Anyway, I better be off, you know how those goblins are about punctuality."

On the way back to her office, levitating the heavy box behind her, Hermione could not help but think over her short conversation with the Minister.

What he had said about Ezra was most peculiar. He had asked if he was behaving, said that he was prejudiced, and she wondered how anyone could think that about what seemed to her to be a charismatic, intelligent and all around pleasant man.

Something definitely seemed strange about his reaction to what she said about Ezra too, and Lucius Malfoy now she thought about it. What was it that the Minister was hiding? And why was it that Ezra became more of a puzzle with each passing day?

It did however, now make a little more sense to her why they were going all out with this five year anniversary. If it was the last year Kingsley was to be Minister then it was reasonable to assume that he would want to make his last one something to remember.

That evening, after thinking about him nearly all afternoon, a seemingly common occurrence of late, not that she would admit it, Hermione decided to finally contact Ezra.

She asked him if meeting on Monday was still convenient, and when and where would be best for him. It was helpful that her job involved being out of the office a lot when she was investigating as it allowed her the freedom to do her work out of the Ministry if she so chose to. She also let him know that she would be at Hogwarts on the weekend, as she was every weekend, just so he knew where to send replies to.

Early the next morning and Hermione was in the potions lab waiting for what would no doubt be a rather grumpy Severus. Who knew it would have taken her this long to work out that he wasn't exactly what you would call a morning person.

"Why is it that I find your constant punctuality mildly irritating?" Came a low drawl from the door announcing the Professors arrival.

"Because you find the majority of things in life irritating." Teased Hermione.

"Of course, how could I have forgotten?" He said dryly, the almost imperceptible smile in the left corner of his lips the only thing that would tell you that he was in fact joking.

This week they were continuing with their focus on antidotes, Severus insisting that Hermione must master them before they began poisons.

"Had any interesting jobs this week?" Severus asked in an attempt to make idle conversation as they chopped ingredients together.

"Quite a few yes, but I've had to give them all to the others as I've been given a pretty big task to do for the upcoming anniversary."

"And what would that be?" He questioned and, although many would have thought him to be simply asking what he was supposed to, Hermione had learnt very early on in her apprenticeship that he was actually interested most of the time.

"I've been asked to make a record of all the events that occurred since Voldemort's return." She explained. "It's probably going to take a while but I'm pretty excited about what the final piece will be like."

"That does, for once, actually sound interesting." Severus agreed. "You're not doing this alone are you?" He asked sceptically. "I know you're very good at what you do but it seems like a vert demanding task."

"Well I've got one person helping me with it which I'm sure will be enough."

"And who is it you're working with?" He questioned, looking mildly intrigued. "Some Ministry idiot no doubt."

"Hey, I'm a Ministry idiot too." She protested as she flicked a piece of chopped bezoar dangerously close to the Professors head.

"Now, now, you may work for the Ministry but you most certainly are not an idiot." He explained. "Although, your aim could do with some work." He added with a smirk.

"I'll grant you that." She said with a smile.

"So, who is it that you'll be working with?" He asked.

"A man called Ezra Godtro, have you heard of him?"

The rhythmic sound of chopping which came from Severus' desk came to an abrupt stop and a frown appeared on his face, one which in the past he would have looked odd without.

"I've heard the name." He said casually as his chopping resumed. "I'm presuming you've met him then?"

"Yes, we went for dinner on Monday to discuss our plans for the project."

"Dinner?" Severus questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Let me guess, you went to The Ironbelly?"

"How did you know?" Hermione asked, a look of confusion etched on her face. Severus Snape always seemed to know things that she thought it impossible that he knew, but this was a step too far.

"I'd heard it was his favourite." Severus answered after a moment of hesitation.

"So you know him then?"

"Not particularly no, just his reputation, but a friend of mine saw you there on Monday so I connected the dots." He explained smoothly.

Hermione wasn't so sure she believed the Professor, the part about having friends being the main part which stuck out as peculiar to her. As far as she knew, Severus had a few very select close friends, something she envied him for on occasion, and she had not seen one of them there that evening. Minerva would have been at Hogwarts, she was fairly sure Narcissa, now Black, was still in Italy, and Lucius Malfoy wasn't allowed to leave his estate, so who he was referring to she really had no idea.

"What is he like?" Severus asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Not what you'd expect. He's intelligent, charming, interesting, he has this presence that just emanates power and draws you in." She explained, getting a little carried away.

"Sounds like exactly what I'd expect…" Severus muttered.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I was just saying that it sounds as though you're rather fond of him." He said, smirking when Hermione's cheeks went red.

"Well, yes, I mean he's a very pleasant man, and I'm sure he will be great to work with." She clarified, now staring intently at her cauldron.

"Whatever you say." Severus said with a chuckle, a rare occurrence indeed.

When Hermione returned to her room in Gryffindor that evening she was greeted by Leku holding a letter. She gently took it from him and stroked his head, the owl leaning into her palm almost looking as if he were smiling. Leku had warmed to her very quickly and after seeing Hermione stroking Crookshanks, had seemingly decided he would like the same treatment, Hermione being more than happy to give his smooth feathers as much attention as he liked.

Once Leku seemed content she looked at the letter, unsurprised to again see the crestless dark green wax.

Dear Miss Granger,

I do in fact have business to attend to at Hogwarts this Sunday, so perhaps, if you are not busy, we could meet in the evening to discuss our progress.
Hoping your work is going well,

Ezra (the E looking like it had previously been an L) Godtro.

P.S. I hope you are not having any trouble with Leku, he has been known to bite.

Smiling at Leku as she petted his head again, feeling rather smug that the owl liked her so much, she started to write a reply, telling him that they should meet tomorrow evening at seven outside the great hall.

As Hermione lay in bed that night, content in her sheets displaying her old house colours, she couldn't help but think about the fact that yet another person had had a most curious reaction to Ezra, deciding as she drifted off to sleep that perhaps it was time she do some investigating.

That Sunday was one of the slowest Sundays Hermione had had in a long time.

"Somewhere pressing you need to be Hermione?" Severus asked when Hermione checked her watch for about the tenth time in fifteen minutes.

"What? No, just keeping an eye on the brewing time." She lied, surprised that the professor seemed to believe her, it would seem that her lying skills had improved dramatically.

"Well actually I need to be somewhere, so I trust you to tidy things up properly while I'm gone." He said, despite knowing she would. "That is, before you rush off to wherever it is you want to be." He added with a sly smile as he swiftly exited the room before any objects could be flung at him.

Damn, turns out her lying skills hadn't improved at all.

Two hours later and Hermione was waiting outside the great hall in her favourite jeans and a black sweatshirt.

"Miss Granger." Greeted a deep voice from behind and Hermione turned to see Ezra dressed as immaculately as the last time she had seen him, this time in fine black robes with silver threading.

"Hello Ezra." She said with a smile.

"I trust you've been well?" He asked.

"Yes, and you?"

"Very, it is good to be out…working on such a stimulating project."

"I agree." She replied, ignoring his slight hesitation.

"So, where shall we go to talk? Are you staying in the castle?" Ezra asked.

"Up in Gryffindor, but my room isn't very big, perhaps we should go to the library?" Hermione suggested.

"The library, of course." Said Ezra with a smile and, if Hermione was not mistaken, a quiet chuckle.

"So, did you go here too?" She asked as they walked towards the library.

"Yes, I did. Slytherin, if you were wondering."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"And what do you mean by that?" Ezra questioned, a flicker of hostility in his voice.

"I mean that you remind me a lot of a friend of mine from the house." Hermione explained. "He's very like you, intelligent, a natural leader, skilled at many forms of magic, it just doesn't surprise me that you were in Slytherin. I meant no offence…"

"Sorry." He apologised. "I suppose I assumed you thought of the house negatively."

There it was again, the way he talked sometimes made her feel like he already knew her, but she supposed that it was common knowledge that Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't really get along, so it was a fair enough assumption to make.

"Who's the friend?"

"Draco again. Despite what it sounds like, he isn't my only friend." She joked.

"You think I am similar to Draco?" He asked, sounding oddly happy about the comparison.

"Yes, I think you are, it's strange actually now that I think about it, you're like an older, more mature Draco, but there are definitely differences which make each of you unique."

"Hm, interesting." Ezra mused, his thought now seemingly elsewhere.

Once in the library they spent the evening going over what they'd both discovered and found that the majority of what was missing was to do with the dark sides actions.

"Naturally the Dark Lord was very secretive of his actions so, unsurprisingly, we don't know everything." Explained Ezra.

"True, but I expect there are ways we can find things out, people we can talk to." Hermione suggested, ignoring the fact that Ezra referred to Voldemort as the Dark Lord, an uncommon thing to hear these days. "And I'm sure most things were exposed in the trials, yes." She added, seeing that Ezra was about to counter her point. "But I'm sure there were things left unsaid, things unnecessary for the trials, secrets people didn't share."

"Perhaps." He conceded. "But how do you suppose we go about getting them?" He asked, his voice laced with challenge.

"Well I'll try and talk to Severus first, go through the case files if I can gain access to them, maybe I'll even pay Azkaban a visit." Hermione said with a fire of determination shining brightly in her eyes.

"I doubt we would find anything new." Said Ezra sceptically, Hermione surprised at his lack of enthusiasm. He seemed like he enjoyed learning and discovering, yet didn't appear very motivated now at all.

"We'll see." Said Hermione, deciding she would prove him wrong and find out something new. "In the meantime, I've been preparing a section about horcruxes and the items Voldemort chose to use as his, and I was wondering if you'd be able to take a look through it." She explained as she handed him her research so far. "I was also thinking we should add a chapter on the other creatures and groups that joined Voldemort's ranks, you know, their reasons for doing so, how they joined, what became of them."

"Interesting idea." He said, now seeming to be genuinely enthused again. "You really have thought of everything haven't you?"

"Well, I-." She faltered under his dazzling gaze, the look of admiration in his eyes. "It's my job." She explained, almost cringing at her answer.

"Of course." Ezra agreed with a deep laugh. "It probably has nothing to do with your drive to the very best you can, and definitely not your determination to find out the truth."

"Like you can talk." Hermione said with a slight blush. "What you've managed to find out is seriously impressive, how on earth did you find all this out?"

"Oh, you know, it's my job." He answered innocently before both of them broke into laughter.

They spent the rest of the evening talking again as if they were old friends, this time Ezra even asking about her personal life too.

"So, you and Draco, what exactly is going on there?" He asked with genuine intrigue in his eyes.

"It's much simpler than people tend to think." She explained with a sigh. "When we went back to Hogwarts to finish our seventh year we were paired up on the very first day by Severus in our potions lab and, somehow, we managed to actually work well together. After that we started to get along, and soon enough we were friends, good friends, and he really helped me when…"She trailed off, almost forgetting who she was talking to, sure Ezra didn't really want to know all about that.

"Helped you when what?" Ezra questioned, his face showing what Hermione could only describe as concern.

"Well, it's probably going to sound silly" She started as she stood and wandered over to a window between the shelves. "But when Ron cheated on me, and I broke it off with him, I was sad, I'd been betrayed, lost one of my oldest and dearest friends, someone I had loved, and Draco was the one who was there for me, the one who understood." She confessed as she looked out at the now star filled sky.

"I'm glad to hear that he was there for you." Said Ezra standing behind her as he lightly touched her chin, bringing her back to face him. "And it isn't silly to be sad when someone you care about, someone you trusted, betrays you."

All Hermione could manage was a weak nod, knowing all those feelings of sadness that she always kept locked up deep down inside were rushing to the surface. Without really thinking about it she took a step towards Ezra and wrapped her arms lightly around him.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly after a few seconds had passed and her senses returned. "I know we've not known each other long but I just, I shouldn't have-" She apologised, starting to take a step back, but was cut off but Ezra's arms pulling her into an embrace, her own hold on him tightening of its own accord.

"Don't be sorry." He said softly. "I understand…"

"…More than I will ever be able to tell you." He thought silently.

This wasn't supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to feel this way, he wasn't supposed to care.

It was as if he was starting to forget who he truly was.

For now, he was someone without sin, without prejudice, someone who hadn't hurt her, and he feared that the strange guilt he could feel forming inside him would become his undoing.