A lot of logistics in this chapter for the case etc...Thank you all so so much for the reviews.

ShashaLikaMusica you crack me up with your messages. :) Thank you all for the questions and feedback everyone. I promise the Goddess Bond will be shown and explained.

Tonks frowned slightly, "I don't know." She said shaking her head. "Percy took the photos to what avenge Ron?"

Birch-Lock and Hermione looked at each other. "Well, we're not sure." Hermione said watching Tonks flip through the pictures again.

"Give me some time to work on this ok? I need some time to think." Tonks replied looking again at the photos. "Come back after lunch. I need to call in some favours, see what I can dig up."

Birch-Lock and Hermione left Tonks office and headed to the Ministry cafeteria. It wasn't a bad place to eat there was plenty to pick from and nice little cubicles that could be sealed off so occupants wouldn't be seen and disturbed. Birch-Lock and Hermione decided on splitting a pie and chips with some chocolate cake for after. After they were settled in their private cubicle Birch-Lock looked at Hermione's wrists.

"Accident?"

"Oh, um no." She said pulling down her robe sleeves to cover up the marks. A faint pink colouring her cheeks.

"Look Granger, I'm happy for you. I know you've been getting shit from the community at large but for the most part, I'm happy for you."

Hermione looked up at him surprised.

"Why so shocked, I like my people happy. Killed me to keep you from the cottage, if it were up to me I wouldn't have done it and well I'm sorry." He said before stabbing some chips with his fork.

"Thanks Birch. Really." Hermione said with a smile finally.

"So a Beltane night huh?" He said cutting the pie in half.

Hermione chewed a chip, "Well might have to wait."

Birch-Lock nodded as he placed Hermione's half on her plate. "Maybe, maybe not. I am still looking at some possible ways to get you reinstated. If Tonks can do what I think she can and this is going how I am hoping it will go, I'll have you back full time to your lady love in enough time for your Beltane Night."

"Why are you so open to helping Birch?"

He poured a little vinegar on his half of the chips. "Well besides the fact that I think there has been a total miscarriage of justice and I hate seeing your sad mug all over the office?"

"Yeah besides all that." Hermione couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.

"I have a soft spot for people who respect and remember the old ways enough to pay honour to them. Your Beltane Night, I could see in the pictures that you have Hawthorn and primrose planted. I assume you've bled them due to Bella kissing your fingers am I right?"

Hermione's mouth hung open slightly.

"Also I know that from the delicate way you are holding your left hand and the bandage on the tip that you've pricked your finger to continue the ritual even in your absence yes?"

"Are you reading my mind?" Hermione asked astonished.

"No, I'm an investigator, it's my job to notice every detail, besides, I used to bandage my fingers the same way when I was preparing for my Beltane Night."

"You had a Beltane Night?"

"Of course I did, I'm a Birch-Lock, my family takes great pride in practicing all the old magic."

"What- well what was it like?"

"My Beltane Night?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well a lot different from what yours will be, you're two women it's a whole different ritual, different spells. But the magic behind it is the same I reckon. It was amazing. I was the stag, Fiona, my wife, it was her night as well, was the virgin. We've been together ever since and every year we return to our Beltane bed. We've had all four of our children from Beltane."

Hermione was lost for a moment in his story. "We're going to do a goddess bond."

"My sister and her wife did that. Beautiful thing, as old as magic itself. Do you have a bondsman yet?"

"Not yet Bella is taking care of that." Hermione said remembering to eat her pie.

Hermione and Birch-Lock arrived at Tonks' office a little after lunch. Tonks was pinning up the last picture to her wall while eating a sandwich. "Close the door." She said taking a bite of her food and sipping on a pumpkin juice. "Take a seat." Hermione and Birch-Lock sat down, the information Tonks had displayed was impressive.

"Alright, this is what we know. The purple line is Fudges movements for the last month, up here to the left are Hermione's. You'll see on three separate occasions their lines converge. Fudge was obviously following Hermione's movements. Now the other lines are people I tagged that regularly meet with Fudge, Percy Weasley's line is green. I didn't think much of Percy going to Fudge as he used to be his personal assistant. But watch what happens after Hermione went to Diagon Alley with Bellatrix until the day we know the cottage photos were taken." From the Monday until Hermione's lunch at the Weasley home on the Sunday, Percy's line nearly always overlapped Hermione's line.

"He was following me?"

"Yes on Fudge's orders. If you note the only time his line leaves yours is to go to Fudge or to go home." Tonks replied.

"Now after Fudge picked you up at the Leaky Cauldron his line drops off of following you but Percy's does not."

Hermione watched as Fudge's line moves onto other things and Percy's stayed consistently following Her. "Why would he do this though, Fudge I mean. What does he gain?"

"Ah see that where this whole thing because a bit dangerous isn't it?" Birch-Lock said watching the new line forming on the map following Bellatrix through the shops, to Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron. It had been there before, even when Bella was alone, the line had followed her from the beginning.

"Fudge can't get to Bella at her cottage and he is struggling to get her in the open. Bellatrix is clever, she's never isolated, alone yes but isolate, no never when she goes out. I half imagine my aunt knows she is being followed. She also never speaks on the floo and only uses her owl for post."

"So Fudge, knowing that Bellatrix turned him in essentially-"

"Thinks she turned him in, Bella's testimony is sealed, Fudge has no idea what she has said about him. Percy cannot tell him, thank Merlin, nor show him any of the documents due to the secrecy laws, however he can drop hints which is dangerous."

Hermione watched the line go to the outskirts of the wards around Bella's cottage and sit, waiting.

"Who is this person?"

"We don't know, every time we get close he or she apparates away faster than we can get there. We're on it Hermione."

"Does he mean to hurt her?" she asked walking over to see the pictures. There were new ones, "When are these from?" Hermione asked touching a photo of Bella on the beach alone sitting on the rocks and one of Bella working in the garden, a dome like structure built behind her that Hermione hadn't seen before.

"Those are from us; we've got her under twenty-four-hour surveillance. For protection." Tonks added after a moment.

"So what happens now?" Hermione asked, worry crept in, her eyes flickering to the photos of Bellatrix around the map.

"Couple of options, Fudge is not only following Bellatrix, there are several other reformed death eaters that have this same trail on them. Our first option is arrest, trial Fudge, in order to do that we have to open the testimonies. Those testimonies are- well in a climate of trying to heal after this war would tear this community apart. Kingsley is hesitant, the involvement of this Ministry in the war- well let's just say Bellatrix wasn't the only one working directly for us. The indications are also there that Scrimgeour was also involved just as deeply as Fudge." Hermione noticed the former minister's picture on the wall for the first time.

"What are the other options?" Birch-Lock asked, he was impressed by Nymphadora's work on this. The cop drama lover in him was tingling with excitement by the old school map spread Tonks had rigged up.

"We move them all to more secure locations, increase the wards, limit movement. Lot of wizard hours, lot of upkeep."

"So essentially put them back into prison?" Hermione said, she didn't keep the disgust out of her voice for this option.

Tonks sighed and leaned against her desk, "It's for their own good Hermione. Until their pardons end."

"Any other options?"

"Yeah but most have been thrown out. They are not worth risking or really the public won't stand for it. I voted for the ones that have good behaviour to be released from their pardon but I was shut down by everyone. Literally, everyone."

"They're going to go with option one aren't they?"

Tonks remained silent. Of course, she couldn't say what had been decided, she had been able to explain without confirming.

"We need to fix secrecy laws." Birch-Lock said realizing how much Tonks had revealed without anything happening to her.

"My case in point, if the Weasley boy had 'discussed' option or ideas around Bellatrix or any of the others. Fudge has a lot of information that is dangerous and a lot of people he needs to disappear."

"But I still don't understand, Hermione didn't leave Ron until months after Bella's release."

"His uncles." Hermione said pointing to the photographs under Bella's picture of the Prewett brothers, Molly's brothers. "Ron was too young to have known them but Percy, Percy would have known them for years. Bellatrix killed them both, I think Percy just got more than he bargained for when he saw us in the garden."

The next day Hermione found herself sitting across the table from Bellatrix, Birch-Lock had conveniently given them the wrong time for the meeting which gave them about twenty minutes before everyone arrived.

Bella squeezed Hermione's hands, "Sorry about your bruises Pet." Bella said kissing the marks gently.

"I love them." Hermione said wishes she could embrace the witch, she refrained, it was costing Birch a couple of favours having Hermione still in the investigation for questioning.

Bela's eyebrow raised, "Mmm I can think of a few more fun things we could do. Ever play with knives."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Oh fuck-" Bella shook her head "Where was my head, of course you have." The echo of Hermione's scream gave Bella chills, she closed her eyes to the sound for a moment. She longed to make Hermione scream in a good way.

"What are you building? In the garden?" Hermione asked, her fingers entwining over and over again with Bellas.

"In the garden?"

"Mmmmmhmm. I saw it in a photo." Hermione kissed Bella's hand for a moment.

"Our Beltane bed."

Bella's smile made Hermione melt. How was she going to say goodbye at the end of this session? Bella watched the sad smile on Hermione's face.

"Look at me Pet."

Hermione felt her head go slightly hazy, she felt Bella's prodding, saw her smile. Bella pulled up images of the garden, their kisses, the library, their love making, their hours curled up whispering to each other, kisses against fingertips, the cozy baby section of the book store was the last image that Bellatrix gave her.

"It's all still there my love." Bella touched Hermione's cheek as she broke eye contact, Hermione was sorry to feel the loss of the connection. They could hear the voices in the outer office. Birch-Lock laughing loudly as a warning. Their hands parted and Bella settled herself back in her chair as the door opened.

Percy was not in the questioning, it was not unusual, there had been some in the past he had not been a part of. It was usually when the questioning had to do with his family. He was given the day to finish other paperwork.

"Before I answer anything I have a few deman- requests." Bella said thinking better of her words.

"You don't get to make requests or demands." Kingsley replied.

Bellatrix leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, she blinked up at the Minister as if bored and then looked around the room. There was silence for a moment, the clock ticked, a quill scratched, someone coughed slightly. Another minute passed, Tonks shifted in her seat, Hermione sighed, Bella looked at her nails. Another minute, Birch-Lock and Vance frowned at each other.

"Thank you for your time Minister." Bellatrix said and stood up.

"Sit down Ms. Black." Kingsley said, a slight growl to his voice.

"I really can't Minister; I'm here are a free witch to help in a case. I'm suddenly unable to remember anything of consequence other than what is already in the records." She had him, Kingsley couldn't compel a free witch or wizard to do anything and Bella knew it. She had spent the night reading her pardon and testing out each clause.

Kingsley sighed, "Please Ms. Black, take a seat."

Bella sat down looking at him, "My requests?"

"Will be noted." He replied looking to Hermione who had her quill out.

"Wonderful, so when they are approved we can meet again Minister."

Kingsley was dumbstruck.

"There are just three, very simple ones. First: Freedom of movement every day with the agreement I return to my cottage by midnight each night. Second: A house-elf, I have not violated one condition in nearly six months and I need a house-elf."

"You said there were three." Kingsley replied, Hermione could see him chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Yes, third, the immediate removal of the restriction bindings on Ms. Granger to my cottage. The third one is not negotiable." Her last sentence tinged with darkness, her eyes fully on Kingsley as she said it.

"You've given us a lot to think over Ms. Black. We'll be in touch." Kingsley replied.

"Thank you Minister." Bellatrix said getting her cloak. She winked at Hermione and left the room.