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Hermione Full of Grace	By : AdamantEve Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 13378 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
SPECIAL
THANKS to my beta reader Aurabolt!

Standard
disclaimers apply.

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Chapter Seven � Marauding the Ministry

In which Harry goes to
work and deals with the good, the bad and the hopelessly incomprehensible.

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Harry
rather liked going to work with Hermione walking briskly beside him. He took every opportunity he could to usher
her through doors, make her step first into elevators and hold her hand through
the rush hour crowds. She didn�t seem to
think any of it out of the ordinary, anyway, and while apparating or flooing
would have been easier for both of them, he liked his
early morning routine, just as she liked hers.
Apparently, her trips to the Ministry for her S.P.E.W. proposals took a
route similar to his: Apparate to the city, walk through the cross-buildings
and weave through the crowds. The
normalcy of it, it seemed, soothed them both.

When
they finally arrived in the Ministry, Harry proudly walked her to her office,
but he was more than a little surprised when Hermione pointed to a hole in the
wall and said, �Well, this is my stop. I�ll see you at lunch?�

He
was a bit confused. �I�ll�er�come by to
pick you up��

She
grinned. �Yes, please. I�d really like to show you what�s inside
this hole in the wall.�

He
had no doubt it would be interesting.

She
ducked through the wall and he left to head for the Auror Department.

Telling
Remus, Tonks and especially Shaklebolt that Hermione was the new Assistant
Interrogator to the WizCOF was quite the experience. They were ecstatic, instantly assured that
there could be no better person to fill the Interrogator job than
Hermione. Harry could tell there was an
underlying �If she carries on in her Interrogating duties as stubbornly as she
does her S.P.E.W. proposals we can rest easy� tone, but he couldn�t blame them
for it. He and Ron adored her, but they
still thought her S.P.E.W. convictions a wee-bit bothersome. If he had to knit another
elf-hat one more time�

Mad-Eyed
Moody was livid at the news, insisting straight away that �Ms. Granger� needed
a bodyguard since many a suspected Death Eater would be �thinking worth a lick�
if they did her in for her competence alone.

Harry
had to admit that the prospect alarmed him.
He hadn�t thought about that angle until Mad-Eye mentioned it and his
panic must have been showing on his face because Remus patted his shoulder and
said, �If anyone�s going to off Hermione, they�d have to go through you first,
now won�t they?�

It
implied, mostly, that Hermione already had a bodyguard.

Still,
it was unsettling. Mad-Eye�s paranoia
was contagious, and it didn�t help either that he was having problems with
certain recent acquaintances of hers.

Gail�s
arrival helped a bit in making him forget his worries. She almost never failed to make him
laugh. Flirt as she was, it was mainly
because she was comfortable with everyone, and she had no notions of going too
far, as she made no secret about her being attached. He wasn�t sure if she ever cared to be
serious about anything, but the woman certainly showed a keen sensitivity to
everyone around her, particularly when it came to dealing with
Shacklebolt. She knew just how to put
him in a better mood and just when to leave him alone; at least most of the
time. It benefited her and Harry a lot
of times.

She
was happily chatting him up about various little things
when she paused and widened her eyes.
�Ooh, I almost forgot! There�s a
rumor circulating that Lysander Athanasius and Hermione Granger are a pair, to
Viktor Krum�s consternation! Is that
true?�

Harry
frowned. �Where did you hear that?�

�The Daily Prophet�s gossip section. Athanasius and Hermione were seen in a muggle
club last Saturday. Salsa
night, no less. They were
apparently very hot on the dance floor.�

Harry
simmered. Oh, were they? �They did go out last Saturday,
but they are not a pair; at least, not as of yesterday. And Krum had absolutely nothing to do with
any of it.�

Gail
grinned, poking him with the tip of her quill.
�Did you know that your eye twitches whenever I mention Hermione and
other men?�

He
reddened. �My eye does not do that.�

�Oh, yes it does! And I don�t even want to think why. God knows it�s none of my business. Just thought you should know I noticed, is
all.�

Harry
suddenly decided that Gail wasn�t so funny anymore. He focused on his paper work, getting his reports
done before lunch.

When
noon struck, Gail said she would be
joining Tonks and Remus at the Leaky Cauldron.
She winked before she left him and he tried not to think about what that
wink was for.

He
hurried to the WizCOF, running his hands through his unruly hair. It was a lost cause, his hair, and he knew
it, but it was somewhat of a nervous tick.

He
didn�t even know why he bothered to try to tidy up. Hermione had already seen him at his worse,
which was torn-white undershirt and snitch-print boxers, but still�

She
looks so good in her Chinese-inspired business robes. I almost felt like a pageboy walking next to
her. �Almost� was the operative
word. He was Harry Potter, after
all. Offing the great Voldemort had
quite naturally done a number on his confidence.

He
turned the corner to the hole in the wall and was stopped short at the sight of
a perfectly dressed man in a muggle business suit. He was peering into the hole in the wall, an
amused smirk on his face. He was
touching the hard surface surrounding the wall, as if he were checking for
something. In his other hand he held a
bouquet of flowers.

Harry
glared at him as he approached and Lysander only looked up to meet his gaze
when they were near enough to talk.

Lysander�s
smile was magnetic. �Why, Mr. Harry
Potter, I presume?�

Harry
was not fooled, nor was he in the mood to be polite, but he wasn�t about to
lose his cool in the face of Lysander, either.
�Fancy that. It seems our
reputations precede us both. Athanasius,
I think you�re a bit lost. The Improper
Use of Magic Office is at the other side of the level.� He had deliberately used Lysander�s last name
without an honorific, much the same way he said �Malfoy� or �Crabbe and Goyle�.

The
smile from Lysander�s face faded just a bit as he appraised Harry anew. Clearly, niceties were not welcome in this
conversation and he probably knew just what the problem was. �I�m not that lost, Mr. Potter. I am merely contemplating the charm of this� WizCOF
door before I go in and see Hermione.�

Harry�s
gaze on him did not waver in the least.
He was in his element; facing enemies in the heat of battle. �I don�t think she�s keen on seeing you right
now. Best you go on home and give her
some space. Nice flowers, those. I can give them to her. Can�t promise I�d tell her they�re from you,
though. It would be a shame if she threw
them out.� He didn�t mind exaggerating a
bit about Hermione�s feelings. He wasn�t
sure if she was angry, but at least he knew Lysander wasn�t on her favorites list
now.

Lysander�s
amused facial expression remained, but the luster drained from it. Now his smile seemed frozen; his eyes gone
flat. The lines were clear: Harry didn�t
want him there and Harry didn�t want him near Hermione.

It
took a moment, but Lysander did speak again.
�I seemed to have gravely offended Ms. Granger and have come to
apologize in person, as any gentleman would in this situation. Correct me if I�m wrong, but I do believe Ms.
Granger would appreciate the propriety of��

�You
know nothing about her. You already
proved that by what you did yesterday.�

�I
have every intention of righting that wrong, Mr. Potter.�

�And
what exactly were you expecting from that little stunt, anyway? Did you think she was that easy? I ought to shove that two thousand pound bag
up your arse, see if I can get it far up enough for you to taste it.�

Lysander
smirked. �So, this is why she never
mentions you during our conversations, Mr. Potter. Everything about you is too crude to insert
into intelligent discussion.�

Harry
wasn�t the least bit bothered. �Say what
you like, Athanasius, but I�m the one she likes living with and I�m the
one she�s been best friends with for almost a decade, so don�t even try to make
me think I�m not important to her.� He
practically pushed Lysander aside to get into the WizCOF waiting room.

Point
for Harry. Lysander was frowning by the
time he decided to follow into the office.

Damn,
I thought that was enough to send him away.

Apparently
recovering quickly, Lysander had that charming smile back on his face. �Swept her off her feet, lately?�

Harry
glared at him.

Lysander
gave a satisfied nod. �I thought
not. Now let�s see� my, a knocker! How delightfully archaic.� He rapped twice
before Harry could beat him to it.

Before
they could resume their acidic banter, a slot slid open at the top.

�Yes?�
came a croak.

�Hermione
Granger, please,� they said in unison.

Harry
turned to glare at him but Lysander merely arched an eyebrow.

The silver
brows sitting atop dark brown eyes knitted in annoyance. �I am most certainly not Hermione
Granger! She�s in her office right now
and I�ve spoken to her several times today!
I am sure I am not and do not even look like her! Who are you both trying to fool?�

Lysander�s
forehead pinched, irritated.

Harry
was more prepared, remembering Hermione�s story of her first meeting with the
toad-voiced Thane Archibald and the crotchety Winston Heartcomb. �Mr. Archibald, my name is Harry Potter. I would like to speak to the Assistant
Interrogator, please?�

�Harry
Potter? I think she mentioned you
before. You�re that chap who slew that
Antipodean Opaleye! Well, come in,
then!�

Harry
wasn�t sure about any of it, but if he was going to be admitted inside, he was
certain Hermione wouldn�t be too disapproving of his taking advantage of the
situation.

The
door was opened and Harry stepped in.
Lysander tried to follow behind him and was stopped by Archibald.

�And
where do you think you are going?�

�My
name is Lysander Athanasius. I am here
to speak to Ms. Hermione Granger and give her these.� He showed the flowers.

�She
didn�t say she was expecting anyone to bring her flowers.�

Harry
mostly succeeded in suppressing his smirk.

�It�s
a surprise,� said Lysander smoothly.

�Well
then if I tell her you�re here, it�s not a surprise anymore, is it? You�ll have to stay in the waiting room, it
seems, if you bloody want this surprise to work. Watch your shoes!�

Lysander
Athanasius was promptly pushed back while Archibald laboriously began to close
the door.

Harry
waved to Lysander just before he was completely shut out.

With
Lysander temporarily out of the way, Harry took a moment to absorb his
surroundings. The place looked like a
library on steroids and there was no sign of Hermione.

A
head popped out from behind an office stall, scowling while his multi-shaded
hair waved almost like it had a life of its own. �Egad, Thane!
What is all this racket?�

�Mr.
Planter�s here to see Hermione.�

Harry
did not aspire to correct him.

�Planter? That lad who got rid of that chap who doesn�t
want to be named?�

�No,
no! That�s the Potter boy. This one slew the Antipodean Opaleye.�

�Good
gracious! And he wants to see
Granger? Whatever does a child like her
have to do with six-foot dragon slaying thug, hmm? Keep her company, Thane. Don�t leave her alone with him.� He shot a glare at Harry. �I don�t trust you, Planter. I don�t trust you one bit.�

Harry
fidgeted. �Erm� yes, sir.� He supposed he should be grateful that these
two oddballs were being so protective of Hermione in their strange, distorted
way.

�Well,
come along, Planter,� said Archibald, marching ahead of him. �I haven�t got all day!�

Harry
followed the tall, nearly hairless man down the aisle of shelves, maneuvering
briefly to avoid a long wooden table stacked with what Harry could only assume
was physical evidence. Books flew across
their path on occasion, flapping and screaming as they plunged to the floor
with a papery splat. Harry had to avoid
stepping on a few that were scurrying to get back on their shelves, and when
Harry tried to help a particularly small tome cope, Archibald barked at him to
leave it alone.

�If
you pick the damn thing up, they�ll never learn to go back by themselves! And Winston, Hermione and I will be stuck
having to put them back to their proper shelves one by one every cursed day.�

Harry
obediently left the book to fend for itself.

The
aisle was a long walk, and when Harry looked over his shoulder, he could barely
make out the details of the front door.

When
the man with the colorful hair (whom Harry could only assume to be Winston
Heartcomb) called to his friend from behind them in his desk, he had to yell as
loud as he could.

�Be
a good chap, Thane, and fetch me Magical
Faults and Foibles, Edition 4^th, by May A. Culpa!�

Archibald
cleared his throat before replying in a yell of equal magnitude. �Very well,
Winston! Just hold on to your unicorns!�

When
finally, they reached the last shelf, they turned a corner and there, buried
behind tall stacks of books, was the top of Hermione�s bushy brown head. Harry could hear the diligent scratching
sound of quill to parchment.

Archibald
cleared his throat and Harry could tell that she froze at the sound. �Hermione,
there is a gentleman here to see you.
One Mr. Planter. Do you know
him?�

Hermione�s
eyes popped up from behind the books inquisitively. Harry thought it absolutely adorable and he
grinned.

�Hi,
Hermione.�

Her
eyes crinkled pleasantly. She was
smiling behind the books. �Harry! Is it lunch already? Oh, my!
Time did go fast!�

�You
know this Planter-person?� asked Archibald with a stern frown.

Hermione
rose from behind her pile of books, gingerly sliding around her huge desk as
she smoothed down her robes. �Mr.
Archibald, he is not Planter-person.�

She
approached them and with perfect dignity gestured to Harry. �This is
Harry Potter, the one who destroyed the chap who doesn�t want to be named.�

Harry
blinked back some of his confusion at how Hermione described Voldemort but
managed to passably cock Archibald a smile.

The
old Interrogator frowned. �Nooo, this is
Planter, the one who slew the Antipodean Opaleye.�

�That
was Gardener,� said Hermione, to Harry�s utter confusion.

Archibald
frowned. �So what did Planter do?�

�He
potted plants.�

�Planter
pots plants! Ingenious!� He smiled, as if everything made perfect
sense. He turned to Harry, extending a
hand. �How do you do, Mr. Potter?�

Harry,
thinking that it was best if he didn�t try to figure out what just happened,
shook Archibald�s hand. �Fine, thank
you, Mr. Archibald.�

�Good! Now, then!
What can you tell me about this chap who doesn�t want to be named? What drove his eponymous phobia? Was he a very bad fellow?�

Harry
looked at Hermione and she smiled, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes
compelling him to glare at her, though rather fondly, because he smiled back in
spite of himself.

Little minx is going to let me answer that,
isn�t she? he thought as he stifled
a laugh. Well, then�

He
cleared his throat and replied. �He was
a very bad fellow. Nasty, actually, and the Wizarding World�s
better off without him. As for his name,
he did have a certain phobia for his given name, so he changed it from Tom
Marvolo Riddle to Lord Voldemort. People
were so afraid of this man that they called him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and I
think he rather liked it that way.�

Archibald
scowled. �Egad! As Winston would say:
All that kerfuffle for a name? Why
doesn�t everybody just call him Tom and get it over with? Certainly easier to
say than Lord Marvolderiddle!�

�I
quite agree.�

�And
so you�ve destroyed this chap, yes?�

�I
did, and Hermione helped. Did she tell
you that?�

Archibald
looked scandalized. �Look here,
Hermione, what is the meaning of this? I
don�t think you should go spreading such fearful things about yourself! Little
girls like you ought to stay away from destroying nasty chaps and slaying
dragons!�

Hermione
nodded sagely. �Wise, as always, Mr.
Archibald.�

Archibald
nodded. �Thank you. Well then, I shall leave the two of you to
talk, though I dare say Winston will not be pleased I left little Hermione
alone; but then again, you�re not Gardener, so I think she�ll be alright with
you.�

�She�s
perfectly safe with me, sir,� said Harry.

They
watched him walk away. He had a long
walk ahead of him.

Harry
turned to Hermione and appreciated the glow on her cheeks. It seemed her first day at work was going
really well. �Like it here, little
Hermione?�

She
laughed. �Yes! It�s wonderful! This place is a pit of knowledge and
jurisprudential history! First day, I�ve
learned so much, and I can hardly wait to get started on the Death Eater
cases. Archibald and Heartcomb are still
working on the preliminaries for those, but I think they�re coming along fine��

�You
think so?� Harry meant to ask her if she
should trust those two at all on the matter of putting away Deatheaters, but he
didn�t want to be too crass about it.
They were nice enough to take care of Hermione, after all.

Hermione
smiled knowingly. �I know what you�re
thinking. You�re thinking they�re a
couple of fools who cann�t get anything done if they tried.�

He
gave a noncommittal shrug.

�Well,
I thought so too, in the beginning, but Harry� you should read their briefs and
pleadings! Awesome, brilliant work! They�re so disciplined and focused on their
work that they�re literally holed up in here.
That thing they do: confusing everyone?
I seriously think they�re doing that on purpose. Makes their enemies think they�re incompetent.� She beamed.
�This morning, I thought I was going to hang myself trying to make sense
of it, but then I went with it and began to talk like them, and before I knew
it, I was having conversations with them about absolutely nothing, and it was
rather fun! I think they approved. In the meantime, they managed to give me all
that work back there and it�s sensible work, Harry. Important work, that trains me, too. I�m going to absolutely love this job; I just
know it!�

Harry
watched her animated features. She was
in her element; gorgeous in her sea of books and disciplined thinking. She was
going to shine so brightly on this job that he was afraid Mad-Eye�s paranoia
had merit.

�Mad-Eye
thinks you need a bodyguard,� he said.

She
frowned. �Alastor is being as
paranoid as always.�

�Alastor
is right. A lot of Death Eaters
aren�t going to be happy that you�re putting them away. D�you think they�ll believe Heartcomb and
Archibald are the brains behind this operation?�

�I
already told you��

�No
one but you knows that. Face it,
Hermione. The entire Wizarding World
knows how brilliant you are. You can�t pretend to be incompetent like your
bosses do so convincingly. Mad-Eye said
that if the Death Eaters had any brains at all, they�d go after you, and you
know they�re not all like Crabbe and Goyle.�

She
sighed and smiled up at him. �Then
you�ll be my bodyguard, Harry. What�s
better than living with an auror?�

�Or
two.�

Finally,
she rolled her eyes and began to gather some things from her desk. �Harry, I promise you, the moment I get a
death threat, I�ll let you know, and only after we�re sure the threat is real
will I even consider this bodyguard thing.
Really, it�s ridiculous! First
day at work and I�m getting �Constant vigilance!� from Alastor. He�s relentless! And so are you, come to that.�

Harry
sighed. He knew she would react this way
and he let the subject drop. He�ll bring
it up again some other time. He had
other more important things to deal with right now, like Lysander waiting
outside the office.

She
had looked so misplaced the previous day when she received the bag, and he
wasn�t sure if she�d gotten over her feelings of embarrassment. He had to at least warn her, and if she
didn�t feel like dealing with Lysander herself, he�d be more than happy to
dispose Lysander for her.

Harry
was just about to bring it up when Heartcomb suddenly said, �Granger, there�s a
dandy chap waiting for you outside. I
think he brought flowers. He wanted to
come in with Planter but Thane wouldn�t let him ruin his surprise.�

Hermione
stopped in her tracks and winced, looking exasperatedly at Harry.

�I
was going to tell you!� he said. �And
for the record, I told him you didn�t want to see him. Do you want me
to� tell him off more
forcefully?� He actually felt a tingling
in his knuckles. Won�t that be
satisfying? Land one on Lysander�s
kisser.

She
sighed and shook her head. �I can handle
him fine.� She seemed sure enough as she
made her way to the door.

Harry
opened it for them both and they found Lysander gazing out of the window with
curious fascination.

Lysander
turned when they emerged and his eyes were immediately fixed on Hermione. Her gaze was more frigid than Harry had ever
seen it.

�Hermione��

�That�s
Ms. Granger to you, Mr. Athanasius,� she said with chilling calm. �I must say that I have never, in my life,
been so mortified.� She wasn�t
yelling. In fact, she was speaking in a
somewhat lowered tone, but it was definitely effective.

Harry
smirked and dealt Lysander a look of mock-pity.

The
man looked flustered for about a second before he regained perfect poise. �I cannot express how sorry I am about the
entire misunderstanding.�

�That�s
tragic,� she said, walking past him.

Harry
followed, trying to block Lysander from her.

Lysander
persisted, much to Harry�s consternation.

Bloke
doesn�t know when to give up!

�I
should have known I was going too far with the bag,� said Lysander as he walked
with them. �I had a feeling��

Hermione
did not slowing her pace in the least. �Oh, did you? Too bad you didn�t listen to it.�

Lysander
managed to swing himself in front of her.
�I did. The Crystal Elf worked
because it was novel, not expensive. You
liked salsa for the dancing, not the fancy club and you thought �Riding the
Dragon� was fascinating because of its brilliance, not its price. I made a mistake; I wanted to please you;
your pleasure intoxicates me, Hermione Jane Granger.� He offered her the flowers.

Harry�s
eyes flashed. Where does this git get
off spewing romance novel hogwash, thinking she�d be impressed by it?

She
frowned, ignoring the flowers as she walked past him. Harry glared at him over his shoulder,
draping an arm over Hermione as they walked away.

Lysander
glared at him with unveiled hate and rushed to catch up with them. He took Hermione by the arm to stop her in
her tracks.

It
looked like she was going to shake his hand off, but then she gasped as his
eyes caught hers, mouth agape as if shocked by the intensity of his gaze.

Harry
felt his anger threaten to burst at the seams.
Perhaps it wasn�t so much that he grabbed her. It did, after all, seem that Lysander�s hold
was not the least bit rough, but it was that Lysander could affect her so
much. He had seen it happen in the
gallery, and he was seeing it happen again.
The way her breath caught, and how she seemed frozen, then pliable. It provoked his instincts. He didn�t care if his anger had reason or if
he was acting out of jealousy. He just
needed to do something, so he whipped
out his wand, practically shoving it at Lysander�s throat. The man didn�t look particularly threatened,
but he did lean back a bit.

�Let
her go and back the fuck off,� Harry hissed in a menacing whisper,
pulling Hermione closer against him.

She
gasped, jolted to awareness and no doubt alarmed by the suddenly escalating
situation. They were a tight group, but
they were getting suspicious stares from the people surrounding them. She certainly wouldn�t want him getting in
trouble; not even for her. �What are
you�put the wand away, Harry!�

�Not
until he lets go.�

�Harry!�

Lysander
released her, raising his hands as if to show he had nothing up his
sleeves. He stepped back and only then
did Harry lower his wand.

Harry
was just about to issue a grave warning when Lysander began to speak in her
ear. His tone was soft and whispered so
that only she could hear. Hermione�s
eyes widened, as if Lysander had gotten through to her somehow.

Harry
had a raging urge to punch his face in.

�Ms.
Granger?�

The
voice was pleasant; accommodating, so detached from the mini-drama they were
having. It forced all three of them to
look to the source.

A
pleasant looking witch was smiling at them, her gaze focusing on Hermione. �Hello there, Ms. Granger! My name is Cecily Ackwater, from the Legislative
Committee�s Office. I�ve been meaning to
speak to you for such a long time now regarding your proposals, and I was
wondering if I can have a few moments of your time. It won�t take long. A minute or two?� Her gaze traveled between Harry and Lysander. �Is�umm�this a bad time?�

Hermione
stared at her, as if trying to come to grips with what was happening with
Lysander and then sorting out the mundanity of Ms. Ackwater. Finally, Hermione breathed and said, �Of
course not, Ms. Ackwater. Gentlemen, if
you�ll excuse me, I shall only be a minute.�

She
shot Harry a warning look before gliding out of his embrace and going to Ms.
Ackwater.

Harry
took heed, putting his wand away but stepping close to Lysander, practically
getting in his face. �Lysander Athanasius,
I�m watching you. Hermione may
think you�re harmless, but that�s only because she doesn�t make it a habit to
think the worse of people. I�m not quite
so generous in my judgments when it comes to looking out for her safety. I�ve known the worse of them, you know. And I�ve destroyed the worse of them.� He didn�t usually go around scaring people
with what he had done and what he can
do, but for Hermione�s sake, he was willing to pull all the stops. There was something more than jealousy dogging
his antagonism and he was going to find out what it was.

Lysander
merely smiled, �Voldemort never scared me, you know. He meant nothing to me and his Death Eaters
were a nuisance. And unlike other
people, he couldn�t threaten me to do his bidding. But that�s all beside the
point, isn�t it? The fact of the matter
is, I can give her what she wants, Potter. And she�s going to want it. She already does. Can you give her
what she wants? What she really wants?�

Harry
glared at him, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to grab Lysander
by the collar of his suit and throw him down for an all-out brawl. If he did that, Hermione would be furious,
and he didn�t want getting on Hermione�s bad side, especially not right
now. At any rate, it rattled him that
Lysander had hit a nerve with him.

�Stay
away from her, Athanasius,� he said with a surprisingly steady voice wrought
with conviction.

Lysander
straightened his stance, smoothing the front of his already pristine suit.
�Only if she wants me to, Potter.�

Hermione
returned, looking just as flushed as when she left them. Clearly, she had rushed her conversation with
Ms. Ackwater, distracted by the potentially explosive situation between them.

He
felt her hand in his and he instantly felt the calming warmth she always
managed to give him.

�Harry,
let�s go, now.� She didn�t sound
impatient, but the word �now� was telling enough of her subliminal
urgency.

�Ms.
Granger,� said Lysander. �I feel nothing
but the deepest regret for any offense I have caused. Please believe me when I say that I have
nothing but respect for you, and perhaps if you would extend your kindness to
me one last time, I can prove to you that I have learned my lesson well. Please� I am humbled.�

Harry
wanted to tell him to shut the hell up, but Hermione looked troubled
enough. She just wanted to get out of
this situation without any more hostility.

�Mr.
Athanasius, your apology is noted. But
perhaps we should talk about this some other time.�

What! She�s still going to talk to him!

He bristled at her forgiving nature as if
that very nature of hers hadn�t been directed at him a countless number of
times.

If
Harry weren�t so aware of Lysander�s own determination on the matter, Harry
wouldn�t have been able to decipher the triumphant look Lysander shot him. Harry would�ve found great pleasure in hexing
Lysander with a slug-retching charm.
Seeing the manicured, perfectly groomed, Armani suited mogul barf slimy
slugs would be worth all the scolding Hermione would give him, but he would
never risk the spell being repelled and hitting Hermione.

He
endured as Lysander smiled ever so faintly.

�Of
course, Ms. Granger. I�m sorry. I should have owled, or flooed.� He reached into his pocket. �At your convenience; when you see it fit to
hear a bit more about how sorry I am, go to the Leabharlann �rsa Runa and
cast a summoning charm on this key. It
is the key to the library and you may use it anytime you want, whether or not
you wish to summon me; midnight, two in the morning� your convenience. I am at your mercy.�

Hermione�s
eyes widened momentarily as Lysander slipped the ancient-looking key in her
hand. �The Leabharlann �rsa Runa��

Harry
couldn�t even pronounce it, much less know what it meant. If he was ever as
prone as Dudley was to throw a tantrum, he might have done just that, but
Lysander had managed to make a come-back just when Harry thought he was sunk,
and there was really nothing left to do but be dignified about it.

�Come
on, Hermione,� he said, tugging at her hand.

He
saw her swallow before she nodded and looked at Lysander coolly. �The key is unnecessary.� She held it out to Lysander, waiting for him
to take it.

Unfazed,
Lysander did. Holding her gaze, he
slipped the key back into his pocket.

Harry
could see her eyes following the key and he tugged at her hand again, almost
desperately.

He
heard her faintly spoken, �Goodbye, Mr. Athanasius,� before he let their
footsteps drown out everything else.

Harry
recalled Lysander�s whispered words to him.
They were bothersome, akin to what troubled him so much about Lysander
in the first place. The man had spoken
about Voldemort, and the war, as if he were separate
from it all; as if he had been watching it from some place else, but most
disturbing of all were the words: �I can give her what she wants.�

He
looked at her as they walked to a fireplace.
She was frowning; thinking. It
was that kind of look on her face. He
wondered if their thoughts were the same.

No, it couldn�t be. She didn�t hear what Lysander said to
me. Whatever she�s thinking, it�s
something else.

�Hermione,
what do you want?� he asked on impulse.

She
blinked, looking up at him in surprise.
�What?�

He
was going to ask again, but thought better of it all of a sudden. He smiled, squeezing her hand
affectionately. �What do you want for
lunch? Leaky Cauldron? Or maybe you want to go muggle today?�

She
blinked, and her smile came in stages.
�Muggle, I think. Italian?�

He
nodded. �Italian, it is.�

00000000000000000000000

Lunch
wasn�t that much enjoyable. While both
parties made an effort to pretend that the skirmish in the Ministry didn�t
happen, any conversation they came up with was weighted.

There
were pregnant pauses, too, usually because Hermione was lost in thought.

Harry
wanted to set down his fork and say, �Fuck it!
You want to talk about Lysander, then fine!� But every time he got the urge, Hermione
would snap out of her musings, smile and say something cheerful.

It
only occurred to him after they separated at the Ministry that the very idea of
Lysander was driving him and Hermione apart, and that did it. He was going to
find out everything he could about the man, and if necessary, drag him out of
their lives.

A page right out of Granger�s book of
�Fighting Very Bad People�: Assess the situation, do research, plan then
strike.

Of
course, the last time Harry had to fight a very bad person, Hermione did all
the researching while he and Ron practiced out on the Quidditch pitch.

Good Merlin, Hermione must�ve thought we
were complete prats.

So
it was no wonder that when Harry got down to doing what he had to do about
Lysander, he got other people to do most of the research for him.

First,
he looked for references and cross references in the Ministry archives. And while he knew where to look, a bunch of
other people prepared the files. It was
an auror-perk, at any rate. When an
auror asked for information, everyone had no choice but to give it to him, and
it helped quite a bit that he was Harry Bloody Potter.

He
supposed he had most of the Ministry between level two to eight processing the
data he required, but he was on a mission, and somehow, it felt liberating that
this time, he didn�t have to be sneaking through hallways in the dead of night
under his invisibility cloak to do it.

It
certainly gave him more time to make personal inquiries. He turned to his partner whom he was sure he
could rely on in this matter.

�Gail,
tell me what you know about Lysander Athanasius,� he said, in a matter-of-fact
tone.

Without
even asking him why, she launched into a tirade, rattling off things she
learned from gossip columns and listing off quite a few wizarding magazines
that he frequented.

Harry
took notes, and he marveled at the fact that while Gail�s eyebrow arched each
time he made use of his quill, she said nothing of it.

Only
after she�d exhausted all she knew at the moment did she comment.

�Checking
up on Hermione�s boyfriend?�

Harry
found this extremely aggravating. �He is
not her boyfriend. Not if I can help it.�

Gail
sniffed. The disapproval in it was
palpable. �You can�t keep her away from
other men forever, Harry. It�s either
you put yourself out of your misery and tell her how you feel or you let her have a life.�

Harry
scowled. Gail may be his partner, but
they weren�t that close yet. He rose to his feet, rolling his parchment up
and tossing it in the air muttering �Repositum!�
as he did so. The scroll spun and
disappeared into thin air.

Gail
gaped at the display. Harry didn�t often
flaunt his ability to do magic without a wand and usually reserved this
particular skill for only Hermione and Ron to see, mainly because they�d gotten
used to it, but sometimes, he found the wandless magic handy for shutting
people up without being outwardly rude.

�I
don�t know what you�re talking about, Gail,� he said snappishly as he left her
at their joined desks.

He
nodded at Remus who merely arched an eyebrow in response. Harry imagined he had quite the storm cloud
above his head as he made his way to the fireplaces.

He
was in the atrium in seconds and he took the phone booth to Muggle London. Once outside the magical wards of the
Ministry, he whipped out his mobile and contacted Ron, hoping he was somewhere
the mobile could reach.

Ron
answered, sighing. �Yes, Hermione, I
made it to work, and yes, my boss hasn�t fired me��

�It�s
not Hermione. Honestly, Ron, don�t you
even know how to look at your caller ID?
And try not to sound so exasperated when you�re talking to her. You know she only nags you because you need
to be nagged.�

�Not
Hermione, you say? You sure sound like
her, if a bit hoarse in the voice.�

Harry
ignored the cheek. �I need you to find
out all you can about Lysander Athanasius.�

�Excuse
me?�

�You
heard me.�

�And
how the hell am I supposed to do that?
Put on your invisibility cloak and break into his home?�

�That�s
not a bad idea, Weasley.�

�Are
you serious?�

�No,
I�m Harry. Sirius was my Godfather.�

�Not funny!�

Harry
rolled his eyes. �Ron, if you�re going
to be any good at your job, you�re going to have to know your enemy. Lysander Athanasius is the owner of the
Kenmare Kestrals, so if you want the Cannons to break the Kestrals� winning streak,
you�re going to have to find out all you can about their team.�

Ron
was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
�You bastard. You planned this.�

�Naturally.�

�Are
you sure you�re not Hermione?�

�Quite. Oh, and by the way, Lysander came here this
morning to apologize to Hermione because he offended her by sending her an
expensive, designer purse worth six hundred galleons.�

�WHAT!�

Harry
grinned, pleased with Ron�s reaction.

Ron
began to rant. �That bloody bastard wants to get in her knickers! Why I ought to hex the git to
oblivion! Hermione must�ve been
furious! Well, I wouldn�t expect less
from a proper witch like her. Came to
apologize, you say? Did she accept his
apology? Never mind, it doesn�t matter.
I�ll get the dirt on him before you can say �We shall conquer!��

There
was a beep and the line went dead.

Harry
snapped his phone shut, thinking that Ron�s Cannon-inspired motto was
appropriately followed by its brother: �Let�s
all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.�

Nevertheless,
Harry smiled as he walked back to the Ministry.
�Mischief managed.�
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Hermione Full of Grace

Chapter Seven � Marauding the Ministry