A/N: As in the title of the chapter, we are finally moving forward, post the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione works in the Ministry and Kingsley Shacklebolt puts forward a very interesting proposal that isn't initially met with enthusiasm (and no wonder). Oh, and of course we're back to 3rd person limited POV from Hermione's perspective, though I have to admit it was fun to use a little Legilimency to get inside Lucius' head for a while ;)
Please leave feedback if you enjoy the story (and also if you don't so I know what you dislike about it). I appreciate constructive criticism.
Moving Forward
Hermione Granger glanced at her cream leather wristwatch, its dial dotted with little sparkly gems that imitated zirconia crystals, a pointedly Muggle watch, the fact that her colleagues in the Ministry had commented upon.
Hermione loved the Wizarding World, the world in which she had already spent a better part of her life. As soon as she stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express in her eleventh year, magic has become such an intrinsic part of her life that, had it been taken from her, she would feel like half a person. She loved the ability to make things happen at will, with 'a wave of the wand', as the Muggles were wont to say, though there was certainly more to magic than that.
To create something out of nought, to make things fly, to open closed doors, repair broken objects, to be able to override the natural laws of nature and alter reality - it all still gave Hermione a quiet sense of wonder and thrill. Even today, whenever she paused to consider this, she thought it was positively incredible that magic should indeed exist and become such an inseparable part of her own her inherently rational mind and logical approach to life, magic simply made no sense, having only been won over by her real, unassailable experience of it.
She cherished the little spells and charms, which made everyday life easier and simply more enjoyable.For how much fun it was to whisper 'Lumos' when she sat up in her bed and read late into the evening, or to flick her wand and conjure bluebell flames that would keep her warm on the colder, winter days. She delighted in studying the magical properties of numbers and the mysteries that they concealed, along with the strange, jagged lines of ancient Runes, with their hidden symbolism, waiting to be decoded.
As a life-long learner Hermione was also very fond of parchment and quill, and an afternoon with a new book was one of her favourite pastimes. She relished the smell of new parchment, its delicate acidy notes and sweet, almond-like undertones were almost like a personal aphrodisiac. As a matter of fact, she vividly remembered the very first lesson of Potions in her sixth year at Hogwarts, where Professor Slughorn introduced the class to Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world, which smells different to each person, according to what attracts them - Hermione could still quote considerable sections of her textbooks. When it was her turn to explore the contents of the cauldron, she leaned over to closer inspect the potion's pearly sheen, and the steam rising lazily in soft spirals brought to her the scent of the mentioned parchment, freshly mown grass, spearmint toothpaste and…something else, which Hermione was convinced would not hold attraction to her anymore.
Most of all, she loved the feel of her wand in her hand: made of vine wood and a dragon heartstring core that she got at Ollivanders, on the outset of her life as a witch. The very first time she held it in her palm, a strange, tingling warmth enveloped her entire body, starting from the fingertips that first came to contact with the wood, and then spread further down her arm.
For all her infrangible attachment to the magical realm, she would never dream of cutting all ties with the Muggle world, particularly because she deeply loved her Muggle parents, and wished to maintain a relationship with them. She was still visited by an occasional pang of regret for jeopardising their safety in the past, and consequently having no other choice, but to temporarily wipe their memories of her and their life together to ensure their protection.
With the threat of Voldemort's dramatic ascend to power in her last year at Hogwarts, Hermione powerfully modified the memories of her parents, and made them believe they had no daughter of their own, before sending them off to Australia and embarking on her own dangerous mission with the rest of the Golden Trio. Thankfully, as soon as the dark wizard was vanquished forever, the girl was able to bring her mother and father back to England, and restore their original memories, and with that, their relationship.
One aspect of the Wizarding World that didn't grow on her particularly well was the traditional wizard attire. The long, flowy skirts, laced bodices, bell-sleeve blouses and loose-fitting robes, with all the multiplicity of layers just weren't most practical, though they had certain flair and appeal. Hermione admired the confident, flamboyant look of some women she would pass on the streets of Diagon Alley, and in her place of work, in their elegant dresses and flowing outer robes, treading with feminine grace and dignity.
Regrettably, as far as Hermione was concerned, she could not possibly pull off such outfits; it made her feel awkward and painfully self-conscious. Besides, the Muggle clothes were so much more comfortable, so she usually opted for a pair of denim trousers, a simple cotton shirt and a cardigan, and occasionally, a pleated midi skirt and a more fancy blouse top.
Although, since Hermione started her work in the Department of the Magical Law Enforcements last autumn, she began to put more effort into looking presentable and more in line with the Wizarding styles, as was also expected of her in view of her new post.
She had previously worked briefly under the Department of Magical Creature Regulations, where she revisited her old goals and resuscitated her efforts of promoting elfish welfare and improving the well-being of other magical creatures, both ends that she managed to bring to successful conclusion.
Hermione was presently employed as a personal assistant to Kingsley Shacklebolt, and she was enjoying the far-reaching responsibility of her position, and the opportunities it opened up for her to influence and determine the course and direction of new laws and regulations being brought to effect. Her new work filled her with a lot of satisfaction, and she revelled in the possibilities in front of her. To be an agent of bringing forth the long-overdue reforms and a breath of fresh air into the antiquated rusty structures of the Ministry and the musty customs of the Wizarding world as a whole, thrilled Hermione to the core, the ambitious girl that she was.
Currently, she set her sights on rectifying the Pure-blood laws. The Pure-blood supremacy was a long-running belief that wizards and witches, whose families descended from purely Wizarding ancestors, with no taint of Muggle blood, were somehow superior to wizards and witches who had relatives among the Muggles, or were born into the Muggle families themselves, such as was Hermione, having two non-magical parents. Of course, since the defeat of Voldemort, who advocated these views to the point of inciting open hostility against all Muggles and Muggleborns, such convictions were no longer to be encouraged.
However, knowing that strong ideals run deep and old prejudices die hard, both Hermione and Kingsley (the initiator and the supervisor of the new project) were quite aware of the enormity of the task at hand, as well as patience and endurance it would require to follow through. For her part, Hermione put her whole heart and soul into the project, which was launched from the springboard of long conversations with Kingsley about the favouritism shown to witches and wizards of Pure-Blood origin. The previous Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge himself was guilty of placing too much weight on blood purity, siding with the old Pure-Blood, high-ranking families such as Malfoys, and looking down upon those with less wealth and affiliation with Muggles.
The two of them had also discussed the widely-held belief that Muggle-borns were slower to display signs of magic in childhood, and were generally inferior in their magical skill to those of nobler descent. Another dated, albeit more positive presumption that circulated around the Wizarding circles for years, stated that children of Muggle-descent were somehow less prone to succumb to typical wizard illnesses, such as Spattergroit or Dragon Pox. Both premises were recently disproven by the Institute of Muggle Studies.
Of course, Hermione and a good number of more reasonable representatives of the Wizard-kind have long been convinced of their falsehood, including Shacklebolt, a Pure-blood himself, whose whole outlook on the situation was encouragingly refreshing. He was as keen as she was to bring about the attitudinal shift, beginning with reconstructing the pro-Pure-blood laws that put Half-bloods and Muggle-borns at a disadvantage, solely on the grounds of their parentage.
Hermione's longing to challenge these preconceptions was motivated by her sense of fairness, moral uprightness and open-mindedness, rather than fuelled by a personal vendetta or winning for the argument's sake. That being said, Hermione has experienced the unfavourable treatment at first-hand. From unspoken uncomplimentary sentiments, signified by a raised brow when she mentioned her Muggle background, through trailing off statements, that were somehow more telling than disdainful looks, to outright disregard and contempt.
At the height of the Second Wizarding War, Hermione was forced into hiding as much by virtue of her open association with Harry Potter, as her own Muggle origin and then subjected to ill-treatment at the hands of a Pure-blood fanatic, Bellatrix Lestrange. But even earlier, during her school years, Hermione was frequently reminded of her assumed inferiority and secondary status by the likes of Draco Malfoy.
She recalled how he called her a Mudblood, a highly derogatory term for a Muggle-born witch or wizard. It wasn't the name itself that wounded her the most, it was what she knew lay beneath the statement. It implied that she was a creature of 'lower breeding', and should be treated as 'a third-class citizen' at best. At its worst, it insinuated that she had 'dirty' blood, and was a disgrace to the Wizarding community, undeserving of magic, and thus without a right to call herself a witch.
Hermione was glad to get away from these rather unpleasant thoughts and haunting memories of her past. She took one more peek at her watch, it was nearly quarter to five, and decided she'd better go to her meeting with Kingsley, not wishing to take advantage of his politeness by arriving late. He has always been very kind and considerate during her training on the new job, as unversed as she was in the ways things were done in the Ministry.
Hermione needn't have worried. Punctuality was such an ingrained streak of her personality, that she arrived at his office ten minutes before the appointed time.
Somehow, Shacklebolt knew she was waiting outside the door because it soon opened wide, and he beckoned her in with his ringed hand from behind a heavy oak desk.
"Hermione, you're already here!" he said with a friendly beam, at which Hermione turned slightly pink and tried to mouth an apology.
"Oh, there's no inconvenience," he said in a deep, reassuring voice. "I had finished what I set myself to do for the day and I was going to have a glass of Bungbarrel Spiced Mead. May I offer you a drink?"
He rose from his seat, and reached for the cabinet that stood on the adjacent wall. He opened it, and took out a large glass decanter with a wide base, ribbed neck, and protruding carving at the front resembling the shape of spreading phoenix wings. "A gift from Dumbledore," he said, noticing Hermione's interest. Both smiled at the mention of the late Hogwarts Headmaster.
Then, he proceeded to fill two vessels with the golden-brown mead. He handed her one glass, and Hermione took a cautious sip of its pétillant contents. Stronger, alcoholic drinks weren't her usual choice, but the long, chilly winter has made itself keenly felt, and she would not mind this mulled beverage to warm up her sun-starved body. As soon as the semi-sweet notes hit her palate, she sensed a wonderful warmth spread over her, and she gave the Minister a grateful look.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was a tall, broad-shouldered wizard. His bald head was capped with an embroidered kufi hat, and he was dressed in line with West African wizard fashion. His flowing, wide-sleeved Agbada robes were embellished with beads and ornate applique, and their deep azure blue complemented his darker skin. In his right ear he wore a single gold hoop earring.
The whole look gave him an aura of commanding authority and indeed, he was deeply respected by the Wizarding community, first as an illustrious Auror, trusted with some of the most important missions, and now as the Minister of Magic. However, in contrast with many other wizards, he was also perfectly capable of dressing properly as a Muggle, to the point that the Muggle Prime Minister could not tell the difference.
"Please, have a seat, we'll have a talk," and motioned to the chair across his desk.
"How is our project progressing?" he inquired.
As the head of the Ministry, he was responsible for overseeing the daily administration of Wizarding Britain, a function that left him with little time for additional undertakings. However, his deep-seated belief in equality and fairness for all wizards and Muggles made him very invested in the project. Together, they drew an outline, and now Hermione was in charge of filling in the details, while he assisted and supervised her, sharing his insight and providing valuable feedback. As a good judge of character, Kingsley knew he could trust the young witch with the assignment based on the diligence, zeal, and strong work ethics that she had previously displayed.
"Actually pretty well, thank you. I am slowly completing the research phase. I've gathered a good deal of materials from the Ministry library and the archives. I found some helpful information on the current legislation that seems to give prominence to the Pure-bloods, but I am at loss in regard to how it came about in the first place. I also lack the details on the laws and regulations that favour the Pure-blood community. Before we can redraft and hopefully overturn some of them, I need to know what exactly we're working against." Hermione was drumming her fingers against the glass in a way that suggested her impatience.
Kingsley stroked his chin for a while before answering, "I agree it would be wise to seek a wider context in order to lay a solid foundation for the new policy-making. If we hope to pave the way for the necessary law amendments, with a view to doing away completely with the more blatant manifestations of the inequalities of our current system, we need to get into the nitty-gritty, Miss Granger."
"I am aware that the previous Minister was rather keen to keep most of our citizens in the dark, in regard to the specific statutes and acts of partisan nature. Undoubtedly, Cornelius Fudge was also under pressure exerted by certain more prominent representatives of the Pure-blood circles," he added.
"Such as the Malfoys?" asked Hermione, remembering how Lucius Malfoy would twist the arm of the Ministry, on more than a few occasions, to achieve his ends, primarily by bribery or extortion. Harry had told her about Malfoy's donations to Fudge in exchange for preferential treatment, such as scoring prime seats in the Quidditch Works Tournament final in the summer before her fourth year, right on the brink of Voldemort's return to power.
"Precisely."
"But what do you suggest, Kingsley? I have read up everything I could find on those Pure-blood laws and it's not enough to move forward." Hermione set down her empty glass with a clink.
Kingsley looked thoughtful.
"I have had something in mind but it would require some discomfort on your part," he said. Hermione looked at him with a quizzical expression painted on her face.
Kingsley continued, in a deep, slow voice, "I happen to know of one Wizarding family, which has the documents we require in their possession. They're located in the grand library of their stately mansion in Wiltshire. I am sure you know that place yourself," he surveyed her face from behind the rim of his glass.
"The Malfoy Manor," whispered Hermione. The very place she had promised herself, she would never set her foot in again. To her, the mansion was synonymous with the dread and pain she had to endure there, with a quiet acquiescence of the hosts.
"Kingsley, surely you can't be serious. I've made every effort to leave the memories of that place behind, how could I willingly venture there again?" The girl raised her voice, her blood coursing faster from the drink she had.
"Hermione, I always thought you exceptionally courageous, even for a Gryffindor. I will not say anything else, lest you think that I am trying to manipulate you into going. It is my belief that we would strongly benefit from getting our hands on those books and files but I understand your demurral." he said matter-of-factly and awaited to reply.
"Why can't you send someone else? Besides, even if I did decide to show my face around there, I can't imagine him taking kindly to it," Hermione winced, thinking of Lucius Malfoy.
"If you decide to go, it will not be because I am sending you, but because you're mature enough to understand the weight and urgency of our enterprise. Never in the past have we been presented with more opportune timing to establish new, fairer legislation and help the cause of justice. We would be fools to let it pass by." Kingsley gave the girl a look as if asking her not to disappoint him.
"Now, regarding Mr Malfoy's reaction to your presence in his house: whether he takes to it kindly, or not, does not matter in the slightest. Lucius Malfoy should be grateful he was officially exonerated for his war crimes and lifelong two-facedness. Him putting that cursed diary into young Ginny Weasley's cauldron was enough to earn him a life sentence at Azkaban. Both you and I know that he has paid a relatively small price for his actions. He is basically walking a free man today and his fortune has suffered just a dent.
"He lost his wife…" Hermione trailed off.
"Yes, although her choice to lie about Harry Potter had nothing to do with her husband. She was motivated to make sure her son was alive, and to find him safe and well. As to Lucius' change of heart and abandoning Voldemort's cause toward the end of the Hogwarts battle, I cannot speak. The question is: will you procure the documents we need?"
"What if he refuses? What rights have I to enter his library and walk off with his books?" Kingsley took it as a good sign that Hermione was getting less vocal with her objections.
"I will send Mr Malfoy an owl, informing him that he might expect a Ministry employee in the nearest future. While we can't force ourselves on him, it would be good to remind him that he owes his freedom, and considerably still good standing, thanks to your friend, Harry, who put in a good word for Narcissa and Draco, and by extension also for him during the trial. Moreover, he wouldn't be as ignorant as to doubt that the Ministry has every right to lay further fines on him as a way of financial amends for his offences. The only reason we chose not to, stems from my personal conviction that it would give a wrong impression: as if we were letting him wriggle out of his just punishment once more, by the means of his galleons as he had done before, following the First Wizarding War." Kingsley explained.
Hermione fell into silence. Her mind was racing with thoughts as she considered Kingsley's proposal. Finally she broke the silence with a sigh.
"Fine, I will do it."