"No!" Hermione said, grabbing the stuffed rabbit's foot. "Bad dog! Let it go, Moriarty!"
The border collie only pulled harder at the rabbit, until there was a great rip, and Hermione fell backwards onto the floor. She was holding on to the rear end of her former stuffed animal, while Moriarty took the top half and happily jumped onto her bed. His tail was wagging quickly back and forth while he continued chewing at it.
"You little berk," Hermione grumbled, tossing the half-a-rabbit to the ground.
"Hermione, love," a soft voice said after knocking on her door. "Ashley is here. Are you ready for-"
Ashley?
Hermione jumped straight off the ground, rabbit completely forgotten, and yanked the door open.
"Ashley?" Hermione said, audibly this time. "What for?"
Hermione's mum blinked at her slowly. Aside from the woman being taller and having smaller front teeth, they were almost identical, extremely curly hair and all.
"To take you to work?" her mum said unsurely. "Why else would she- Hermione!"
"Sorry, mum!" Hermione said, hopping right past her. Her mum called out again, but Hermione was already at the stairs, taking them two or three at a time in her haste.
"Slow down!" she heard her father shout from the sitting room. Hermione just rolled her eyes and jumped straight to the bottom. Nobody was around to see, but she even struck a pose, hoping Lily would be proud if she'd been there to witness. She nabbed her heels from near the door and did an awkward sort of hop towards the sitting room while she pulled them on.
"Here!" Hermione said as she entered.
Ashley was still standing near the fireplace, making small talk with her father and wearing fancy robes of exquisite purple (her father was dressed like an out-of-fashion dentist, as he was one). There wasn't so much as a single speck of dust or dirt on the floors or furniture, achieved by the due diligence of the Granger family. The only sign of clutter at all was her bag and witch's robe sitting on a chair, where she'd left it before heading back upstairs to try and tame her hair (which was in desperate need of another trim). She'd given up on that and settled for putting it in a tight bun, but she was very satisfied with the rest of her look. Of course, after her little spat with the dog, her hair was no longer in the same condition as it had been, but- well, it wasn't like anybody would have noticed anyway.
Lily would have, Hermione thought, running a hand through her thick, curly locks and imagining the compliment the other girl would have thrown her. That alone was enough to bring a smile to her face, but then she caught Ashley staring at her, and she went straight back to business mode.
"You look wonderful today, as usual," Ashley said politely.
"Thanks!" Hermione said, smiling again and rocking back and forth on her heels, hands held together behind her back.
When her parents found out about her little internship at the Ministry of Magic, they took her to get fitted for a pants suit. Most wizards and witches didn't bother, since they preferred robes, but Hermione had thought it a wonderful way of showing her Muggle heritage, and she selected an excellent set of dark red. When she couldn't stop beaming during the process, her father couldn't bear it and bought her multiple outfits, and Hermione spent an unholy amount of time picking them all out. When they first arrived home, she'd been so excited that she spent her entire evening trying on each and every one of them and spending an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom trying to figure out what combination of makeup and hairdo worked best with each of the suits, something that her mother was very happy to help her do (although both her and her father agreed it was very unlike her). On her first day, she'd gotten up four hours early and spent the entire time readying herself. She'd managed to fool herself that she'd look so good that she'd impress Madam Bones so much that she'd earn a visit to Lily's cell.
She didn't, and the only person that had any positive things to say about her appearance was Ashley.
"Ready to go, then?" her dad asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored him. She'd been ready for hours, as a matter of fact, and had been just about to leave when she realized she forgot her wand, went back to get it, and found Moriarty with her stuffed rabbit.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked instead. "I thought you and Sirius were leaving today."
"We are," Ashley said, starting to take a seat on the armchair next to her father. "But our Portkey isn't scheduled to leave for an hour, so I thought I'd pop in for a chat, take you to work, and make sure you don't make Bones kill you before I'm even off the isle."
"I- I wasn't going to bother her," Hermione said, her face growing hot. Not before her first three cups of tea, anyway.
"So you say," Ashley said, smiling at her knowingly.
"Really, I- I was just going to- err-" Hermione took a deep breath to stop the tide of words she wanted to unleash upon the world. "Should we get going?"
"You know, Hermione," Ashley said gently, "there's really no rush. You could have a spot of breakfast or-"
"No," Hermione said, grabbing her robe from where it was slung over her favourite armchair (she only brought one at all because it could get quite chilly in the Ministry, as the entirety of it was deep under the streets of London). "I really think it's best if we get going, Amelia will be expecting me any moment, now, since you aren't there to run her morning messages."
She wasn't technically on a first name basis with Madam Bones, but, well- Hermione was hoping the more she dropped the woman's name, the more important she'd seem. It wasn't every day a Hogwarts student got accepted to work in her office, after all- but that fact was, apparently, only impressive to Hermione.
"Very well," Ashley said, sighing and leaving the comforts of the Granger family's armchair. "Let's be off, then."
"Now, hold on," her dad said, rising from the couch. "You know the drill."
"Dad, come on," Hermione whined. "Can't we just-"
"Come here," he said, spreading his arms wide and wiggling his hands at her. "You know the routine."
"Fine," Hermione said, sighing and setting her bag and robe back down. He met her halfway, wrapping his arms tight around her while her own hung loose.
"I love you, Hermione," he said, squeezing her tight. "And good luck today."
"I love you, too," she mumbled. She heard Ashley chuckle, and that only made her face burn hotter. She took a deep breath before turning back to Ashley, trying to put back on a confident façade; she'd find a way to make them listen to her, today.
She'd just have to wait until Ashley was in the States.
Sae woke up to screaming and shouting coming from another room, just as she always did when she wasn't at Hogwarts. She considered ignoring it and going right back to sleep, but it would be a futile effort. Sighing, she swung her legs out of the covers. It was going to be a rough day. She was probably in need of a good shower, but she didn't bother; most of their clientele smelled like freshly washed rubbish, so what would they care? She did put on the cleanest set of robes on her floor, though. They were school robes, but they'd do.
She crept out of her room as silently as she could, not wanting to be noticed. She had to carefully step around the bottles scattered around the dirty floor on tiptoes, shoes held in her hand. She almost stumbled over a stack of used newspapers, catching herself on the wall just in time. Neither of the voices skipped a beat, neither of the speakers noticing a thing.
Her mother was shouting at her sister in Japanese. She always spoke in the language when she was angry, so that the neighbours couldn't understand what she was saying. Sae couldn't remember the last time she used English. It was most likely the last time she'd bothered to work.
"I already told you no!" her mother shouted, words already slurred even at this early hour of the day. Honestly, Sae was impressed she was actually up, and not just slumped over on the couch. She preferred those times over this.
"I don't need your permission!" her sister shouted back.
"You live in my house, you have to respect my rules! You are not going out dressed like a Muggle harlot!"
"I don't need to listen to what a stinking drunk thinks is inappropriate!"
Sae stopped her progress towards the stairs when she heard a sharp slap, followed by a thud as her sister undoubtedly fell to the floor.
Ignore it, Sae, she thought her hand tightly gripping the railing. She won't want your help.
"Look what you've made me do," her mother said sharply. "What would your father think about this?"
"I don't know," Aiya said coldly, her voice trembling. "I didn't know him, did I?"
Her mum probably would have hit her again, only, she found Sae stepping between the two of them."
"That's enough, mum," she said firmly.
Her mother's small face turned dark, her hands balled in fists at her side, shaking in fury. She had her hair tied in a tight bun, probably to keep out of her drink, and her face was lined with wrinkles from stress and age both. For a moment, Sae thought she was going to strike her, too, based on the way her scowl tightened at the corner of her lips.
"What did I do to deserve this?" she said instead, stumbling over to the counter, where her open drink was waiting. "Why does nobody ever listen?"
Sae heard her sister grumble something from the floor, but didn't quite catch what. She turned away from her mother just as she lifted the bottle to her lips and offered her sister a hand up. Aiya took it with an angry look on her face.
"I didn't need your help," she said as Sae pulled her to her feet.
"You know," Sae said, letting go of her hand. "You used to thank me."
Aiya said nothing to that. She knew it wasn't directed at her, but Sae could see the hurt in her eyes, along with the sharp red print on her face from where her mother slapped her. Aiya's face was longer and lighter than Sae's own, with a larger nose and light, brown eyes. Her hair was just as dark, but it had a slight curl to it that nobody else in the family had. Sae used to brush it for her, but that ended after her first year at Hogwarts, along with many other things.
When Sae came back from school, her sister was a completely different person.
"I didn't need you," Aiya said again, turning away and stomping towards her room. Sae opened her mouth to apologize, but she was cut off by the slamming of a door. When she turned to at least shout at her mother to vent some of her anger, she was gone, too. Sae didn't bother going to look for her. She'd seen enough. She slipped down the stairs and into the apothecary proper, trying (and failing) not to take anything too personally. She took a deep breath as soon as she was alone, closing her eyes and leaning the back of her head against the door.
Sae was pretty sure that Aiya hated her more than she did her mother, and that feeling had only intensified since Daisuke moved out as soon as they got back from Hogwarts (renting a flat with that mate of his, Cedric Diggory).
"I'm sorry," he'd told the two them quietly, in a private compartment on the Hogwarts Express. "I just- I can't take her anymore."
Aiya had been furious, but Sae had just been sad.
No use dwelling on it, she thought, breathing out. She walked between the shelves, straightening and restocking, making a count of what she'd need to brew anew and what she'd need to dispose of it didn't sell by the end of the day, turned the sign on the door to 'open,' and then crossed to the desk. She heard more shouting above her as she lit a fire beneath their largest cauldron and began dicing stewed sea slugs. She ignored it, this time, running a hand over a large crack in the side of the iron. It would need to be replaced, soon, although she had no idea where she'd find the money to do so. She heard another thud upstairs, followed by the sharp sound of glass shattering, and knew her mother had started throwing things again. She clenched her jaw and tied her hair behind her head, grabbing the nearest wooden spoon.
Just a few more years, she thought, and then I can leave, too.
She was just dipping the spoon into the batch of Sourleaf Brew she'd left stewing overnight when she heard someone stomping down the stairs. When the door open, she briefly heard her mother's renewed shouts.
"-LEAVE, DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK OR I'LL-"
Aiya slammed the door behind her again, cutting off the shouts, and started towards the door.
"Ai," Sae said, setting her spoon to the side.
"What?" Aiya snapped, turning to face her, fists clenched at her sides. The red on her cheek was fading, but the cheek was starting to swell, and she'd probably have a bruise before nightfall.
"What was that about?" Sae asked, gesturing to the ceiling above them, where her mother could still be heard throwing things and shouting to herself.
Aiya scoffed and crossed her arms.
"Nothing," she grumbled.
"Ai, I just want to-"
Ai groaned and spread her arms wide. "She didn't want me going outside dressed like a whore. Happy?"
Sae clenched her jaw. She shouldn't have been surprised, since Aiya's appearance was her mother's favourite thing to needle the girl about, but there was hardly anything wrong with Aiya's outfit at all. It was just athletic wear, like the kind Lily would wear when she went out running during the evenings. That was probably where Aiya got the idea in the first place, as a matter of fact.
"Where are you going?" Sae asked instead, hoping that was a better topic.
"None of your business," Aiya said, wheeling about and walking straight out the door. That only left Sae with the sounds of the bell clanging above the entrance and the shouts above her head.
Just a few more years, she thought again, picking her spoon back up.
"For the last time, the answer is no," Bones said, leaning back in her chair and peering dangerously at Hermione through the half-moon spectacles perched on her nose.
"But I really think I could-"
"You have not even taken your OWLs as of yet," Bones said sternly. "I can hardly allow an unqualified, fifteen-year-old girl access to our highest security holding cells, especially when said girl is a known ally of the cell's current occupant."
"I could get her to talk!" Hermione said, butting in before Bones could cut her off again. "We could find out what really happened, if only I could-"
"The answer is no," Bones snapped, tossing the papers she was holding onto her cluttered desk. "Do not ask me again."
"But-"
"I have been entirely too patient with you, Miss Granger," Bones said, "because I owe it to Ashley. But you need to stop. You are attempting to gain access to something far above your station, and my patience can only go so far."
"But-"
"Enough!" Bones said sharply, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and grabbing a different stack of papers. "I am not in the habit of being questioned by my subordinates. I have entirely too much work to do, and very little time to deal with your daily tantrums. You will not be visiting Hazel Potter, and that is the end of the discussion. Do not ask me again. Go, have your lunch."
Hermione chewed the inside of her lip, wondering how much she should push it. She was rapidly running out of time to get access to Lily before her trial, but- well, if Bones sacked her because she was trying too much, that wouldn't do any good, either, would it?
"I don't have time for lunch," Hermione said, dying a bit inside with her decision. She pulled out the clipboard she'd been holding at her side and inspected it. "You have a meeting with Cornelius Fudge in ten minutes, and then in half an hour, we've got to leave to see the centaur."
"Better make it a fast one, then," Bones said, not looking up from her stack of papers. "You are dismissed, Miss Granger. The centaurs can abide waiting a few extra minutes so you can have a proper meal. Most like, they've already seen the delay in those stars of theirs."
Hermione considered pointing out that centaur divination didn't work that way, that they didn't use the intricate paths of planets and stars to predict such minor things as if someone would be late to a meeting because of lunch. She considered pointing out that she'd even included a brief summary on centaur cultural practices in the report she'd handed to Bones just last week, and that she'd already know all this if she'd bothered to read the fifty-two pages. She thought better of it, nodded curtly, and then left Bones's office, trying to ignore the embarrassment she felt at the whispers and stares as she made her exit.She walked a bit faster when she heard someone break into a fit of giggles, trying to hold back the angry tears that were threatening to spill.
One day I'm going to tear this statue down, Hermione thought, chewing her sandwich slowly and glaring at the 'Fountain of Magical Brethren.' She wasn't sure there was anything in the Ministry of Magic that she hated more, other than her best friend being imprisoned floors below, the people responsible for it working floors above, or the multitude of-
Alright, so she hated a lot of things about the Ministry, but there were just a lot of things to hate. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen or to see when she accepted Ashley Smith's offer to work as her assistant as a summer internship, but she certainly did not expect to be so thoroughly miserable. In just her first day, when she arrived bright and early, all smiles, and with a tray of muffins to appease her coworkers in tow, she'd been excited. Ashley had set her down at a small desk in the corner, provided her with a copy of Bones's schedule for the week, and asked her to create a list of facts and information she should know about the people she was meeting with, so she'd know how to approach each group. She'd gotten it done in record time, after staying up the entirety of the night working on it, only to be called in the next day to be scolded for including entirely too much information.
They just didn't understand how difficult it was to boil down the entire magical history of France into a few paragraphs! Hermione thought she'd done an impeccable job, too, choosing only the most important bits. Their Muggle leader was, by law, also their magical one since the republic's founding, with three exceptions in 1814, 1938, and, most recently, 1970, all of which happened to coincide with a magical war that managed to inflame most, if not all, of Europe. It was fascinating, really, and she even put aside a lot of the information she didn't use in the report to use later on for an essay she was planning for-
Stop it, Hermione said, shaking her head and taking another bite of her food. Just for once she wished she could enjoy something as simple as a meal without- well, without being her. There were several other Hogwarts students working in the Ministry, all under an opportunity of their own making in different departments, and they all happened to be sitting at the same little café and eating lunch at the same time (Ministry regulations demanded students get a regular meal and breaks, due to an aged bit of legislation that she was not going to think about right now).
They were also all sitting away from her, leaving her at an abandoned corner table all by herself. Their first day, she'd sat with them and listened while they all talked about what they were doing and what their roles were. She'd hardly gotten in a single word, but she'd listened, and Ronald Weasley was always telling her that was something she needed to get better at. It took them ages to realize she never said what she was up to, and, well-
I just couldn't shut my mouth, she thought, drinking sadly from her glass of water and eyeing the group of friends longingly. She'd only meant to mention that she mostly filed paperwork and ran messages for Ashley (and, therefore, Madam Bones) between doing whatever research on laws or magical customs they passed on to her, but then she started on about how Madam Bones was meeting with a centaur tribe to discuss territories very soon, and that since Ashley would be on holiday to celebrate her engagement, she'd be bringing her along, too, so that she could take notes, and then she just couldn't help herself and she started spewing all about how much she was hoping to learn, and about all she already knew, and that she was hoping she could someday influence the return of sacred lands to the centaur, and then Ernie MacMillan had to go and make a joke and spoil it all.
"Don't mind Granger," he'd said. "She's just recruiting for Potter's dark army."
Hermione wasn't proud of whatever she'd said next, which was incredible considering she couldn't remember it no matter how hard she tried. All she knew was it'd made Ernie cry which meant that it had to be very personal. She wasn't sorry, though, even if it did make the rest of the interns not want to exchange so much as a single friendly greeting with her. Whatever it was, she thoroughly believed he deserved it. She'd already learned that he could be a tremendous prick during their brief fling in the early spring; that was that made her break up with him in the first place.
Unfortunately, the rest of her attempts to network seemed to be going just as poorly. Bones liked her well enough, but if Hermione 'yammered on too much,' she'd snap at her and dismiss her early for the day (which happened almost every day). Ashley was patient, but Hermione could tell when she got annoyed, too, because she'd get a little crease at the corners of her mouth. The rest of the office tolerated her at best- Armine Southender outright loathed her, she'd heard her telling a couple of other women that she couldn't wait until 'the uppity Mudblood' was back at school. Between that, and her own peers ignoring her, Hermione was almost on the verge of quitting. It took all her energy to get up everyday and pretend to be excited for the benefit of her parents, while all she wanted to do was stay curled up in bed with her dog and pretend the world wasn't entirely rubbish. What was the point of being at the Ministry if she couldn't so much as talk about what she wanted to do? She was surrounded by people, and, yet, she'd never felt so alone.
I wish Lily was here, she thought, taking another bite. She'd hear me out, at least, even if she did disagree with me. Half the time, the only reason she got up at all was because she'd convince herself that this was the day Bones would listen, and she'd get to at least see-
Her chewing slowed as her thoughts turned to Lily and how much she missed her. I love listening to you talk, she'd said. I always listen- I just don't always get the chance to respond.
Hermione set her half-finished meal down and then stood from her chair, grabbing her bag from the ground where it'd been laying next to her and slinging it over her shoulder. She shook her head again to clear it. It was no use dwelling on it; no matter how badly she wanted to see her, nobody could get in to the cells unless they had the Minister's express permission. She was deluding herself into thinking that Bones could help, even if she wanted to, and it was time to stop being stupid about it. Not even Sirius had been able to, and her first day here, he'd spent at least an hour in an extremely public screaming match with Cornelius Fudge trying to do just that. A stupid little Mudblood would never manage it.
That just meant she'd need to get a meeting with the Minister of Magic- and, if she hurried, she might just be able to catch him before he left Bones's office. She had no idea how she was going to manage it, and it'd probably cost her the centaur trip, but, well- she couldn't help but feel that it was what Lily would have done if their positions had been reversed. If Hermione ended up getting herself sacked for trying to do the right thing, then so be it- she didn't think she could live with herself if she didn't at least try.
It wasn't a very long walk to the lifts, but they always managed to take forever; despite the size of the Ministry, and how many floors there were, there were only a whopping four total, and despite how hard she'd tried during her first week, she hadn't been able to find a single set of stairs that actually went anywhere. Oh, sure, they all went up and down, and some even horizontally, but they all only went to places within the same floor (and she still wasn't sure how that even worked). Not a one went to a different one, nor even to the bloody lobby. Once, she'd asked Ashley about it, and the woman sheepishly admitted that she'd never been able to find one, either, despite being here for years. Hermione made a report to Bones about how great of a fire hazard this all was, but, well- she'd taken it as a joke, and it certainly hadn't helped her reputation around the office.
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement (My department, she always thought happily when she clicked the button) was located on the fifth basement level, the courthouses below that, and then the Department of Mysteries right below that (why they were the only Department to get an entire floor to themselves, Hermione had no idea, but she was positively dying to find out). The lobby was, despite being the entrance, on the thirty-seventh floor. That meant that, even when she could manage to fit inside an exceptionally crowded lift, it'd take ages to get where she needed to go. She always tried to time it for when the fewest people were coming or going; otherwise, she'd feel quite like a sardine trapped inside a can that reeked of body odour.
When she did get down to the correct floor, she then had to manage her way through the dozens of halls towards the offices. Sometimes, it was easy, and she'd only have to get out of a few people's way. If Bones was with her, it was even easier; she wouldn't have to move at all, then, because everybody feared Bones, even though she was a really pleasant lady most of the time. Sometimes, the hallways would be packed to the brim, and she'd have to worm her way through it, constantly shouting out apologies and excuses every inch of the way. It was especially bad if the aurors, who shared the floor, were just coming back from an unusually large raid; then, she'd have to deal with the criminal element clogging the halls. Once, she even saw one rather trollish man lunge at an auror, trying to grab her wand, but she only stunned him and knocked him flat to the ground. She'd taken to hiding her own wand inside her jacket, after that, rather than her pocket.
When she finally made it back to their offices, she was immediately accosted.
"About time you're back," Percy Weasley said, dumping a large stack of papers into her arms. "Come along, Granger- we've got a lot of work to get done."
"What?" Hermione asked stupidly, glancing around at the rest of the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cornelius Fudge. "But- I'm supposed to-" Armine was snickering and sharing a quiet whisper with one of her fellow gossipers. Hermione could read the word 'Mudblood' on her lips.
"No time, Granger, no time," Percy said, grabbing her by her left elbow and steering her back into the crowded hallway. "First, I'm going to need you to head up to the Department of Magical Transportation and deliver the first five of those pages to Marten Killinger. He's in the Floo Network Authority, and he's also been ignoring every other message I've sent him, so don't be afraid to stand there until he signs them. I'll need those papers back within the hour."
"Percy, I'm not- Ow! You're hurting me!" Percy grasped her wrist more tightly as he began working his way through the throngs of people.
"Then you'll need to head to the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Percy said, completely ignoring her. "Ludo Bagman's left quite the gap now that he's dead, and the Minister needs the list of prospective choices for his replacement, or else he'll pick one himself- I offered to fill it personally, but he'd rather keep me where I am- and, while you're there, give Matilda Bopkirk pages fourteen through seventeen, as well as thirty-two, fourty-eight, and sixty. You get all that?"
"Bopkirk, fourteen through seventeen, thirty-two, fourty-eight, and sixty," Hermione repeated dutifully. "But, Percy, I'm supposed to be-"
"Out of the way!" Percy shouted at the unmoving crowd in front of the lifts. "Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic, here, and head of the Office of Ministerial Apprenticeships!"
Percy shoved their way through until he reached the lifts, and, when they opened, he had to shout and repeat his position several times until he managed to get one empty, as he 'required a private lift.'
"Now," Percy said, finally letting her go now that they were alone, "as for the rest of the papers, the seventies all go to-"
"Percy!" Hermione snapped, her face growing hot. "I don't work for you! I'm supposed to be down in Bones's office, getting ready to-"
"Assist me," Percy finished for her. "The Minister has made me the head of-"
"Yes, I heard," Hermione snapped again, "but I'm the assistant to Ashley Smith, and I need to-"
"Not anymore!" Percy said with a happy little hum.
"Come again?" Hermione said, her lips pursing into a fine line.
"I've transferred you to be my assistant," Percy said, producing a little paper from his robes and handing it over to her. "Honestly, I've been in need of one for quite a while- I've been absolutely swamped, as of late." He held it out in front of her face, since her hands were far too full to grab it herself.
Hermione couldn't believe what she was reading- she was to act as Percy's personal assistant in all matters for the remainder of her internship, follow his word and orders, as well as 'all other things required,' and, worst of all, was the signature sitting alongside his at the bottom of the paper.
Amelia Susan Bones.
"I never agreed to this," Hermione said, her face growing hotter.
"You had no need to," Percy said dismissively, not even looking at her. "Now, listen closely- once you're done with the-"
"Percy," Hermione said quickly and desperately, grabbing on to his sleeve. "I can't transfer- not today!"
"Why not?" Percy asked, looking taken aback for the first time.
Hermione chewed her lip for a moment. Surely, Percy would understand- he was a Weasley.
"I was going to visit Lily today," Hermione said pleadingly. "This is my only chance- if you transfer me out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I won't be able to-"
Percy scoffed and laughed, and Hermione felt her heart drop.
"I think it's best to let go of Potter," he said, wiping a tear from his eye and then placing a hand on her shoulder as if he was giving her some paternal advice. "She's done for, once her trial is past, and it's best if people don't know how closely you used to associate with her."
"She's not guilty," Hermione said, brushing his hand off of her. "She didn't kill anyone, and I'm sure I could get her to say what actually happened if I could only-"
"Now, listen here," Percy said, voice suddenly sharp. "I'm doing you a big favour here, Hermione. I remember how diligent and responsible you were while we shared a time at Hogwarts, and it is my personal opinion that you have the chance to make both Prefect and Head Girl, and someone like that will undoubtedly rise high here in the Ministry, too."
"But-"
"But none of that will happen if you continue to fawn after Potter," Percy said, his face still but the sneer in his voice. "Already, I've heard quite a few rumblings about you constantly defending her, and I am telling you that it will not do."
"Percy," Hermione said. "You lived with her. You can't honestly believe she'd do something like this."
Percy stared at her silently for a long moment, and then he pressed the big red button at the top of the floor list, and the lift suddenly halted.
"Listen, Hermione," Percy said, lowering his voice and leaning in close, "before she confessed to it all, I might have agreed with you- but it all makes sense, now. She's always been a bit violent, don't you think?"
"No," Hermione said confidently.
"You don't know what I do," Percy said, shaking his head in disbelief. "During your second year, she snuck out to duel Draco Malfoy after curfew."
"So?" Hermione asked. She did know about that, as a matter of fact, but it didn't-
"So," Percy said, "the boy claimed she disarmed him, sicced a snake on him, and then left him there on the floor, laughing as she did so."
"So?" Hermione repeated. "It's Malfoy."
"And that justifies what she did to him?" Percy asked. "That justifies taking joy in causing pain?"
"Lily doesn't-"
"She enjoys violence," Percy said. "I couldn't see it then, but, now- look to what she did to that French girl!"
"Clara was a mistake, yes," she admitted, "but- but that was only because she wouldn't stop tormenting her!"
"Or so Potter says," Percy said, sighing and shaking his head. "We have witnesses that say otherwise- and will again during the trial. I'm afraid you just don't know her as well as you think you do."
"And you do?" Hermione said hotly.
Percy hesitated for a moment.
"During your third year," he said slowly, "she admitted to me that- that she'd been going around the school, disguising herself as Penelope Clearwater."
Hermione said nothing. She hadn't known that, but- well- during the last year, when they were fighting and Lily was miserable, she'd gone out every day for a month looking like a completely different person. It sounded like something she'd do- pretend to be somebody else, so she didn't have to face her own life.
"I don't have proof," Percy said, "but I think she may have even stolen others identities- Merlin, she's probably still doing it, if the rumours we've heard are true."
"They aren't," Hermione said defensively. "She was making up her own identities, but- but never going as someone else!" Not without their permission, anyway.
"It doesn't matter," Percy said, looking at her as if he didn't believe her. "We'll see the truth of it at the trial. Please, believe me, Hermione- I have only your best interests at heart. Even if she is innocent, you are going about it in the wrong way."
"What?" Hermione asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
"The Ministry doesn't work the way you think it does," Percy said. "You can't just bull your way through and expect to get what you want- you need to be more subtle about it."
"What do you mean?"
"You have to be willing to compromise," Percy said, placing another hand on her shoulder. "If you do a few favours for others, they'll be more willing to do some for you."
"But, I-"
"Trust me," Percy said amicably. "I've been hearing a lot of talk about centaurs, lately, and how you've been pushing to expand their rights."
"Really?" Hermione asked her stomach twisting a bit.
"An admirable idea," Percy said, "but doomed to fail- you'd do better to focus elsewhere, but, if you're adamant on this course, you can't keep shouting your virtues to everybody without listening to what others have to say on the matter."
"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures wants to shrink their territories," Hermione said, getting angry again. "We've already taken and built over large chunks of their sacred lands, but-"
"Just listen, Hermione," Percy said, sighing and pressing the button to get the lift moving again. "You'll get it, eventually. That's why I've decided to take you under my wing- and the Minister is very interested in seeing how high you can rise, as well. You just need a bit of guidance, is all. Oh- and you'll want to get rid of those Muggle clothes. No, robes are far more respectable for a proper witch."
"Come again," Sae said lazily as the cloaked man left the shop. Another vampire, buying another jar of blood for his night's dinner. At least this one hadn't been creepy about it. He just seemed embarrassed about the whole thing, in all honesty.
Thirty more minutes, she said, sighing and resting her chin on her palm, staring out the dark storefront window. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't wrap up early. Knockturn Alley often received late visitors, and they needed the money. She was halfway through dumping a barrel of frog eyes into one of the cauldrons to stew overnight when she heard the bell above the door ring. She sighed, tipped the barrel back to sit upright, and then hurried towards the storefront.
"Welcome to Asari Apothecary," she said as she rounded the corner. "How can I- oh, finally back, are you?"
"What?" Aiya asked, glaring at her accusingly.
"Nothing," Sae said, narrowing her eyes at the girl as she moved away from the entrance. Aiya tried to storm right past her to the stairs, but Sae got in her way. Aiya crossed her arms and looked away, staring at a barrel of fish heads.
"What?" she asked again, fingers drumming against one of her bare arms.
Sae reached out pulled the collar of Aiya's shirt slightly to the side. The younger girl tried to slap her hand away, but not before Sae got a good view of her discoloured skin, where a large welt was resting just next to her collarbone.
"How?" Sae asked pointedly.
"None of your business," Aiya snapped, trying to shove past her again.
"How?" Sae asked, pushing her right back (albeit more gently). "Where did you go?"
"Nowhere," Aiya said defensively.
"Ai."
"Merlin, can't you just-" Aiya let out a deep, frustrated groan. "You're not my mother either, you know."
"That doesn't mean I can't care why my sister keeps coming home covered in bruises every night," Sae said heatedly, this time gesturing at Aiya's split lip. "What happened, Ai? Tell me."
"Merlin, fine," Ai said. "I was just- I was playing Quidditch with Demelza Robins."
"Quidditch?" Sae asked. "That's all?"
"That's all," Ai insisted. "She's- she's trying out for the team, this year, and- and I was just trying to help her. That's all." Sae didn't believe her. She always looked down when she lied, and this was no exception; she was staring straight at the ground, as if that was what was daring to question her.
"That doesn't explain the bludgers," Sae said. "Plus, you don't even have a broom."
The glare Aiya gave her then could have killed. Now, Sae wished she was looking at the freshly mopped floor.
"Gee," she said, voice full of loathing. "I wonder why?"
Sae said nothing. She knew perfectly well, why; Aiya was the only member of the Asaris that their older sister, Taiya, never bought one for. Sae tried to convince her several times, but the older girl had always refused. Sae could only imagine how much it stung for Aiya, watching the others get what she so desperately wanted.
"You can have my broom," Sae offered at once. "Or I could-"
"I don't want your broom," Aiya said. She looked away, but Sae could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Can I go now?"
Sae found that peculiar, but her brain put the pieces in place.
"You weren't helping Demelza practice," Sae said slowly. "She was helping you."
"And what if she was?" Aiya snapped, still not looking at her. Sae could tell by the way her feet shifted that she'd hit the mark, though.
"You could have asked me or Dai," Sae said more softly. "We would have-"
"Dai," Aiya said with a sneer. "Yeah, I'm sure he would have been more than happy to stop sucking Diggory's cock long enough to come help poor, pathetic me learn how to fly."
"That's not fair," Sae said. "He just wants-"
She was interrupted by the bell above the door ringing again. She turned to greet the customers, hoping that Aiya would stick around so they could continue their conversation later, only for her blood to freeze like ice. The two newcomers were dressed in long, black robes, with their hoods drawn up, and covering their faces were masks shaped like skulls.
"Ai," she said, pulling her little sister behind her. "Go out the back and-"
"Oh, there's no need for that," the first one said, removing his mask and hood and allowing his impeccable blond hair to fall to his shoulders. "As long as you don't try anything, we have no intentions to harm anyone."
Hermione took the Floo back to her home. Moriarty bounded up to her, all smiles and tail wagging, and Hermione tossed her bag to the nearest chair before falling face first on to the couch. Her entire body was sore from the miles Percy had her walking through the Ministry, and when she kicked her heels off, she breathed in a deep sigh of relief. She wondered whether it'd be better to quit her job now, before she could get herself sacked by doing or saying something Percy didn't like, or if she should just suffer the last few weeks out and hope she could keep her temper.
Lily probably would have left as soon as he tried dragging her off, she thought. Not for the first time, she wished she had the girl's willpower.
"Hello, boy," she said sleepily when Moriarty licked at her face. She gave him a lazy scratch between the ears, wiped her face off, and wondered whether she had time for a nap and/or bath before her parents returned from the office. It was an unnaturally pleasant day outside, and that meant they would have preferred walking to and from the house rather than taking the car. She had time. She may even skip the bath and just sleep right where she was. Maybe she wouldn't even wake up in time to head back to work the next morning, and Percy would take it as a sign of her resignation (he was demanding she start coming in two hours early and leave an hour later, as it was a sign of how committed she was to her work).
It wouldn't do to fall asleep downstairs in her work clothes, though, so she managed to pry herself off of the soft cushions, groaning like someone much older. Taking the steps to her room was difficult, and by the time she was up them, she'd removed her blazer entirely. Her shirt went next, she kicked her trousers off as she entered her room (leaving it pooled on top of the remains of her stuffed rabbit), and by the time she collapsed onto her mattress, she was wearing only her pants and undershirt. She was just closing her eyes, blanket pulled all the way up to her chin, Moriarty curled up at her side, when she heard a tapping at her window. She might have ignored it, only her dog now wouldn't stop barking.
She groaned and squinted through her heavy eyelids, only to find a beautiful white owl sitting at her window.
Ginny, Hermione thought, excitedly hopping up from her bed. Her owl hooted politely as Hermione wrenched her window open, allowing her to take the letter from her beak.
"Thank you, Hedwig!" she said, happily ruffling the owl's head as the owl came in and flew to her cage sitting in the corner of the room. She'd have a couple of owl treats, drink plenty of water, and then sleep, Hermione knew. Hermione should be doing that now, but, well- now she was smiling and alert and just wanted to know what Ginny had to say. She was tearing open the envelope when the doorbell rang from the front door. Moriarty barked again and then went sprinting out of the room. She heard his paws padding away down the stairs, and then the bell rang again.
They forgot their bloody keys again, Hermione thought.
Hermione gave out a frustrated groan, tossed the letter on to her bed, and grabbed her trousers. The rabbit's head fell off one leg and she paused, briefly wondering where the rest of it had gotten to. If I can find all the pieces, she thought, I could sew it all back together and- the bell rang again. She hopped on one leg down the hallway while she tried to pull her trousers back on, swearing when she almost stumbled.
"Just a minute!" she shouted when the bell rang again. "Merlin's sake- I'm coming!" It was just like her dad to keep doing it just to bother her. If he didn't have takeaway, she was going to murder him, she decided. Full hands were the only reason she'd be willing to accept. Both legs covered, she sprinted down the stairs as she zipped up and buttoned.
"Welcome home!" she said, pulling the locked door open.
"Hello," one of the two said in a deep, masculine voice. "May we come in?" With a swish, he removed his mask, smiling at her with charming teeth, blonde locks tumbling down to his shoulders. Hermione's eyes followed the hand, still gripping the pale white covering.
Skulls, Hermione thought, her eyes darting to the other stranger, still wearing her own mask. Death Eaters.
"Oh," she said in a quiet voice.
"What do you want?" Aiya asked from behind her, sounding much braver than Sae felt.
"To talk," Lucius Malfoy said, picking up a jar of pickled tongues from the nearest shelf. "And, if you are agreeable, to make a deal."
"We're not making any deals with Death Eaters," Aiya said, the last two words as if they deeply disgusted her.
"Now, now," Lucius said, setting the jar back down and wiping his gloved hand on the side of his robes. "There's no need to be so hostile. Your father was a great friend to our cause, after all."
"What?" Aiya asked, suddenly sounding unsure.
"Go upstairs, Ai," Sae said, trying to herd her that direction.
"I want to know what he means," Aiya said, firmly standing her ground.
"Your father was one of us," Lucius said casually. "He served our Lord to his best ability, and he died for our cause."
"He's lying, Ai," Sae said, still trying to move her sister. "Go." Her eyes were following the other Death Eater as they walked towards the far shelves, looking at the jars filled with blood and organs.
"He was a- a Death Eater?"
"Yes," Lucius said, picking up a silver knife and tossing it into the air, catching it as it came back up. "Good balance. A high quality product. It's a shame how far this place has fallen. While your father was still alive, it was a lot more… lively."
"Go upstairs, Aiya," Sae said firmly. "Now."
"She will stay," the other Death Eater said. A woman, Sae thought. There was something wrong about her voice- it was emotionless and level, as if she wasn't used to talking at all. Sae watched as she picked up a jar with a human brain inside of it. She considered it for a moment, nodded to herself, and then stowed it inside of her robes. "You were right, Lucius. High quality products all around. It would be a shame to ruin this all, should our deal be refused."
"What do you want?" Sae asked, trying to get this over with.
Hermione didn't even get the chance to slam the door in their faces before they were stepping inside. Lucius Malfoy twirled his cane in his hand, glancing around at the unmoving pictures hanging on the walls with a sneer of superiority. It was the same one she saw on his son's face all the time. The other, though- Hermione caught a whiff of her perfume as she passed.
Flowers, Hermione thought. Flowers and- and something else. Something- something fancy, maybe. His wife, maybe? Or perhaps the ex-wife? She could see the hint of skin at her neck, but hair and face were invisible to her. She couldn't even see the eyes. She could feel them watching her, and it made her skin crawl, but she couldn't see the slightest bit of them.
"Come, girl," Lucius Malfoy said, running a hand through his blond hair. "Behave, and no harm will come to you- and keep your mutt away, if you know what's good for him."
"Stay, Moriarty," she said, her voice trembling. Moriarty ceased his growling, looking anxiously between her and the Death Eaters. Hermione gave him a small pat as she moved to follow the two into her sitting room. It seemed to make the dog feel better, although it did very little to settle her own nerves.
Am I about to die? She thought, followed by How do they know where I live?
"What do you want?" Hermione asked, standing in the doorway.
"To speak," Lucius Malfoy said, gesturing to the couch as he sat in her dad's favourite armchair. "Sit, girl. I will not tell you again."
Hermione crossed the room quickly, not once taking her eyes off of the woman. She wasn't sitting; she was standing near the fireplace, inspecting all of their family photos. She even picked one up. That one was her favourite; she and Lily had been singing songs in her room together when she visited two summers together, and her father had snuck a picture of them, standing close together, laughing and smiling and using a torch as a makeshift microphone. When she was smaller, Hermione liked to keep one under her bed for late-night reading. Now that she was older, she just used her lamp, and her father would make fun of her when she arrived to breakfast bleary-eyed and sleepless.
It felt wrong to have a Death Eater touching it.
"Put it down," Hermione said, suddenly far more confident.
"You are in no position to make demands," Lucius Malfoy said.
Be brave, Gryffindor. Don't let them know you're terrified.
"Put it down," Hermione said more insistently.
"As our gracious host commands," the woman said, her voice cold and devoid of life. She set the frame down, but she still didn't sit down. She moved to the next wall, still inspecting all of their photos. Hermione didn't sit, either. She stood and kept watch, trying to deny what her brain was trying to tell her.
It can't be, she thought to herself. Don't be stupid.
"What do you want?" she asked pointedly.
"Very well," Lucius said. "To business, then. On the 31st, Hazel Potter's trial will be held. We would like you to testify against her."
Sae let out a little nervous laugh. "And why in Merlin's name would I do that?"
"You mean aside from your father's allegiance?" Lucius asked.
"She's not testifying against Hazel," Aiya said from behind her. "She's done nothing wrong."
"So you say," Lucius said casually. "But your word would go a long way to prove otherwise."
"Why me?" Sae asked.
"Because you are a good friend of hers," Lucius said. "Or so my son tells me. If you should testify against Hazel Potter, why- there isn't a soul on this planet that would not know she is guilty."
"And why should I?" Sae asked.
Hermione couldn't help herself, even if it did make Lucius frown at her; she laughed, long and hard and until tears formed in her eyes.
"You can't be serious," she finally said. "You're mad if you think I'll-"
"You have no other option," Lucius said sharply. "You will testify- or you will die."
"I don't care what happens to me," Hermione said, holding her chin high. "I'm not betraying Lily. Get out of my house."
"Then your family will die first," the woman said suddenly, her voice calm and even and unsettling. "We will tie you down, Mudblood, and we will make you watch as I tear their skin off, piece by piece." She took another of their photos from the wall- this one a ten-year-old Hermione, her father pulling her tight to his side so she'd fit in the frame, the Eiffel Tower behind them.
She dropped it onto the floor and then stomped on it, grinding the glass beneath the thick heel of her boot.
Hermione swallowed. "I'm not afraid of-"
The woman didn't even look at her. She was moving on to the next frame, this one a picture of a much younger Hermione, perhaps only five or six, tearing open a brightly wrapped present to find a storybook, the decorated tree right behind her.
"That is only the beginning of the consequences," the woman said calmly, lifting the frame from the wall. "After I am done with your family, we will keep you." She dropped the picture. "I am told you are quite fond of the House Elves- perhaps, you would like to join them. We will trim your arms and legs down to the elbow and knee and we will garb you as one." She stomped on the picture. "We will marry you to old Kreacher, and you will serve your masters as well as you can hobble. Perhaps, if you serve well, you will be allowed to keep your teeth." She ground the glass into dust. "That is what awaits you, Mudblood, should you deign to disobey. A fate far too kind for the likes of you."
"Why, a great many things, of course," Lucius said, reaching into his robe and producing a great bag filled with jingling coins. "For starters, we need a good deal of blood. Fenrir Greyback has promised us his wolves, and he refuses to feed off of anything but the finest."
Sae eyed the bag of gold hungrily as he tossed it casually to the ground. It split open, and the coins scattered and rolled, all of them catching the light. There is so much, Sae thought. Just the one bag was enough to solve all of their problems- hell, she could take it, leave school, open her own bloody apothecary, and still have enough to take in Aiya, so they could finally get out of this place. She could even get her that broom!
"Don't, Sae," Aiya said, her voice cold.
"And this is only the beginning," Lucius said. "The Dark Lord is in great need of supplies, as well as talented Potioneers. He would be happy to give you your father's place, should you serve him in this manner."
"No," Sae said with a great deal of effort, finally lifting her eyes from the glittering gold.
"You will," the woman said. "I have no interest in spilling good, pure blood- we shall, if we must, but I'd prefer you live. Even so, you will die, if we must- but not before we return your sister to her own mother."
"My mother?" Aiya asked. Sae hated the hope in her voice.
"She's not going anywhere," Sae said, protectively moving closer to her.
"Then, when you are summoned, you best tell the tale we'd like to hear," Lucius Malfoy said, placing his mask back on his face. "Keep the coin. We will know if you have kept your faith soon enough."
"Sae," Aiya said, after the tinkling of the bell softened. "You can't."
Sae nodded, but bit at her lip, turning her gaze back to the gold on the floor. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she started by gathering up the coins. At the very least, they'd have a new cauldron if she died.
Hermione watched them go, still shaking from her fear. As soon as the door was closed, she took a deep breath.
I was a Gryffindor, she thought, hurrying over to the fireplace. I'm not scared of Death Eater threats. It took longer than she would have liked to get a fire going, but when she did, she grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, tossed it in, and then stepped inside.
"Grimmauld Place," she said. Ashley and Sirius would be gone, but the Order was using the place as their Headquarters. They wouldn't leave it unguarded- and, whoever was there, they'd call Dumbledore for her.
The Death Eaters were fools if they thought she'd betray her friend.