Hermione stood from where she had been sitting in the dining room and began walking toward the fireplace, deciding it would be better to use the floo network to get to the Ministry. A large hand suddenly reached out and stopped her. Looking over her shoulder, ready to argue with Lucius, but seeing him looking down at the floor calmed any argument she had ready. Waiting for him to say something, she only wanted to speak to Kingsley to demand fair treatment.
"Hermione." His voice was just a whisper. At first, she thought she had imagined it.
She watched his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath. Hermione had only seen him like this one time when he had brought up Draco and Narcissa. Seeing him like this broke her heart. He looked utterly defeated.
"Please don't go. If you do, they will want to know why, and if the Ministry finds out about the baby, it will be a big deal."
She hadn't thought of that but knew she had to do something. She was not about to stand back and allow Lucius to be attacked again and potentially killed next time.
"Lucius, look at me."
Lifting his head, Hermione saw moisture in his gray eyes. The sight broke her heart. Squeezing Lucius' hand, she lifted her other hand, brought it to the side of his face, and cupped his cheek. Opening his mouth and closing it again, she could see he was trying to keep it together and not break down.
"I don't want to fail again." Choking up, he bit his lip, trying to contain his emotions.
Unable to control herself, she pulled him into a hug. The warmth coming from his body felt good. She could feel his muscles through his robes, and the smell of alcohol was strong. It brought back memories from that one night.
"You're not going to fail, but you must let me help you." She understood where he was coming from but knew he needed help, and there was no way he could defend himself with the restrictions the Ministry had put in place.
Hermione felt Lucius pull away, but she missed his warmth. Looking at him from head to toe, she noted the dark circles under his eyes. She wasn't surprised after that episode he had last night. She also noted how different he looked, as if he had lost everything that made him who he was. She didn't know how to put it into thought, but this was not the same man she had once known.
Shifting his feet, Lucius nodded. "You're right."
Removing his hand from hers, she walked to the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder in a small silver dish attached to the wall. Stepping into the small space, she could smell ash and smoke. No doubt, Lucius hadn't cleaned it for years. She gave Lucius one last look before raising her hand and loudly saying, "Ministry of Magic." Green flames erupted around her, and the blonde wizard was gone, replaced with the busy lobby of people trying to get to meetings or simply going to work.
Stepping out among the hustle and bustle, Hermione hoped no one recognized her and wanted to talk. She came for one thing and one thing only. Dodging people, she made it to the lift.
The doors closed as the last few remaining people crammed in, and she started to feel claustrophobic. She took a deep breath and felt her body bump into the witch beside her as the lift moved to the left and up. After apologizing, she closed her eyes. Hermione tried to think of what she was going to say. Her thoughts were racing, shaking her head. Hermione willed her thoughts to cooperate.
She could feel the lift stopping and letting people off at their destination. As it continued to move, her stomach tangled in Knots.
This is not how she thought her life would go. Instead of applying for a job at the Ministry, she was here to ask for protection for Lucius Malfoy, a former Death Eater.
"Excuse me, Miss."
The squeaky voice made her eyes shoot open. Looking around, Hermione realized she was the only passenger left.
Turning to the goblin, she tried to hide her embarrassment and quickly replied. "Yes?"
The short creature rolled his eyes and asked, "Which floor?"
She sighed, rubbed her forehead, and realized she had forgotten to tell him where she was going.
"The Minister's office, please."
As the Lift moved again, Hermione began biting her lip, a habit she hadn't entirely broken since childhood. She had never been so nervous before, not even during the war.
Taking one last deep breath, the lift stopped, and the doors opened. Stepping out on the marble floor, Hermione felt the world's weight on her shoulders. Making her way down the long hallway, she took in her surroundings and saw the portraits on the walls of the former Ministries. They watched her as she moved past them.
Focus. She told herself she was only here to ask for protection for the father of her child, who just so happened to be a former Death Eater.
Making it to the end of the hallway, she stopped at the small desk where a young woman with black hair was sitting reading the Daily Prophet. Clearing her throat, Hermione grabbed the woman's attention. Putting down her paper, the woman gave her a wide grin that filled up her face. She had a small frame with brown eyes.
"Oh, Miss Granger? Is it still Granger?"
Hermione felt her eyes roll.
She gave her a quick and retorted.
"Yes."
Ignoring her sharp tone, the Black haired witch nodded.
"The Minister is currently busy with someone else. You're going to have to…"
The door to the office burst open, cutting off the woman. Turning her head, Hermione felt her insides feel with dread as Rita Skeeter came marching out of the office with a massive frown on her face. Hermione thought the expression made her look more ugly than she already was. No doubt something didn't go her way.
She couldn't help but be slightly happy about that, but her happiness was short-lived as Rita's eyes landed on her. The older woman's expression quickly changed to that of a cat who had just found its next target.
"So, what brings you here?" Rita practically purred. She was a bit too happy to see Hermione.
She was probably hoping to get some juicy gossip.
If she only knew.
Before Hermione couldn't give a quick retort, a male's voice cut through the conversation.
"Hermione, please come in."
She was grateful Kingsley had seen her, so she didn't have to be around Rita Skeeter anymore than she had to be. The woman would love nothing more than to slander Lucius and herself.
Ignoring the blonde, Hermione quickly walked into the office. She noticed Kingsley's brow furrowed.
The minister's office was huge, even more significant than Dumbledores, with marble floors and bookcases touching every wall reading the ceiling. The shelves were filled with books on Wizarding law and history. She would give anything to sit and read the thousands of books here.
Kingsley came around and stood in front of her and motioned with his hand to sit. Looking where he gestured, she saw two comfy leather chairs by the fireplace.
Hermione sat and gave herself time to look at the wizard before her. She noticed he had a few more lines on his handsome face, but other than that, he looked the same since she last saw him.
What brings you here?" His deep voice was always a comfort, but he knew how to get straight to the point.
Not sure where to start, Hermione averted her gaze to the black and white tile.
"Is everything alright?" Kingsley's voice was soft, reminding her he was a friend and would not judge. Looking back up, she could see him encouraging her to speak.
'Why don't former Death Eaters that renounced Voldemort get any kind of protection or magic?"
Hermione could tell the question took him aback as he frowned and his eyebrows furrowed together.
"Don't tell me you sympathize with his followers?"
Hermione's heart hammered in her chest, and dread built up.
Maybe Lucius was right. She thought.
Shaking her head, Hermione knew she just had to come out and say it or back out and leave.
"I'm pregnant."
Saying out loud to someone who wasn't Lucius or Harry made it feel more real.
Kingsley shook his head.
"What is going on? You're not making any sense."
Nodding, she prepared herself. It's now or never.
"I'm pregnant with Lucius Malfoy's child."
She watched as his eyes grew. The air in the room seemed to have been sucked out. The pounding in her chest was deafening. She was sure Kingsley could hear it.
"Out of all the things you could have said, I didn't think I would have heard that in a million years."
Kingsley suddenly stood up, went to one of the many massive bookcases, and retrieved a blue book from the shelf. Coming back to his seat, he offered the book to her. Accepting the book, she hoped it was going to help.
"That there is information on how to get protection for you and your child, but unfortunately, it doesn't include Lucius."
Hearing this infuriated Hermione, and she couldn't understand. Lucius's life is in danger, but he can't get protection.
"Why, though someone, is actively trying to kill him?" She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Hermione didn't want anything to happen to Lucius. She wanted him to see their child and be a part of their lives.
Kingsley, seeing how upset she was, reached out and held her hand, offering her comfort, but she didn't want it.
"I'll see what I can do, but get yourself some protection right now."
Not happy with how things were going, Hermione abruptly stood up and stormed out of Kingsley's office.
