Author's Note:

Welcome and thanks for reading my first fic! I want to say thank you to Gattrocuriso1992 and cassity2821 for reading this story first and offering advice and kind words of encouragement.

Grammarly was my Beta. Any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer:

I do not own the characters in this story. Anything recognizable doesn't belong to me. They are JK Rowling's characters and I just enjoy playing with them.

...

Chapter 1

Daybreak, 2 May 1998

Voldemort listened to Harry Potter's words. He outwardly conveyed arrogance, but inwardly he was truly shocked. His safeguards... all of them... destroyed. Could it be true? That meddling old fool Dumbledore, could he have really figured out his secret?

His followers had failed him. Lucius Malfoy would pay with his life for getting rid of that diary. It was all Lucius's fault. Without the diary, Dumbledore never would have known.

Surely, Potter was wrong about being the master of the Elder Wand. He wasn't in possession of the wand, and he lacked the skill to best him in a duel. He cast the spell to end Potter and watched in horror as it rebound upon him.

His final thought before the nothingness was that he would have the last laugh. They would all be punished for failing him. The best part was, no one knew. He had trusted no one with this, the final secret.

...

24 May 2004

Deep in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Mysteries, Hermione Granger sat at her desk with her head in her hands. She felt overwhelmed, and a little hopeless. She thought back to how she had reached this point.

She heard a throat clearing from the doorway of her office. Looking up, she saw her boss, the head of the DoM, Unspeakable Smithe. Though she loved her job, she despised her boss. He was a portly and balding red-faced man who thought far too much of himself and his capabilities, one of those people who thought they always knew the best way to do something and weren't shy about sharing their opinion. She forced a tight smile, and asked, "What can I do for you this morning, Unspeakable Smithe?"

"I need to see you in my office, now," he barked.

Without waiting for a response he turned and walked away, sure that she would follow.

Hermione groaned and thought to herself, 'What now?' She really couldn't take anything else right now. Pulling herself together, she walked into her boss's office, doing her best to maintain a pleasant look on her face.

"Sir, you needed to see me?"

"Sit down, Granger."

Hermione sat and looked across the desk at the irritating man, waiting for what she knew to be inevitable.

"Unspeakable Granger, you've been with the department for five years now, is that correct?"

"Yes sir," agreed Hermione.

"You've been investigating the birth rate issue for your entire tenure, correct?"

Hermione again answered affirmatively.

"Granger, it's time for a new project. I'll give you a week to choose from the available projects. You've had long enough to work on this one. I would have expected results from you by now. You came highly recommended." He scoffed, " I have to admit, I thought that the so-called brains behind The Golden Trio would have been much more impressive."

Hermione ignored the insult. She was used to his demeaning nature. "Sir, if I may, I've recently had a breakthrough on the project, I just need a little longer and I think I may have a resolution."

"One week Granger. I want your decision about your new project on my desk in one week or I will decide for you."

Hermione returned to her desk dejectedly. She knew that she was going to have to bring Kingsley in and let him know what she had found. Unfortunately, now she was going to have to also go over her boss's head and have Kingsley demand that he leave her on the project. This was not going to go well.

Hermione tried to get some work done but found her mind drifting. She was having trouble focusing. She thought back on the last five years of her life. After the war, Hermione had elected to return to Hogwarts for her final year. Then, she had decided to start at the ministry as soon as she completed her education. Earning her NEWTs had been extremely important to her, and she came out at the top of her class. In fact, her scores were the highest that Hogwarts had seen in many years. Due to this, and her part in the war, she was sought by many departments.

The Department of Mysteries was among those who wanted her, and ultimately it was the best fit. She had decided on the DoM above some of her other offers because she knew that she would always be challenged, and never bored. Other departments wouldn't have provided the same benefit. When she first started, she was looking for her niche. She quickly found it analyzing post-war population patterns. There were other projects, of course, but this was her baby. She had known for a while that there was a problem but, she had never expected to find something like this...

She continued to try and distract her mind from the train wreck staring back at her. Thinking of Harry and Ron, her best friends. Her brothers in everything, but blood. Sure, she and Ron had shared that kiss in the heat of the moment during the final battle, but they had quickly realized that they didn't share romantic feelings. Thankfully, they had both realized that immediately following the war. They chose to ignore the kiss, and return to just being friends. Hermione was thankful that the feeling had been mutual. She knew that with Ron's temper, they wouldn't have been able to maintain a friendship if they'd had a failed relationship.

Harry hadn't been as lucky in this regard. He and Ginny had attempted to pick up where they left off, and it had been an unmitigated disaster. They had both changed during the war, and they simply weren't compatible anymore. Unfortunately, they drug it out to the bitter end, both saying regrettable things. They were able to be cordial now, but that was as friendly as they got. Weasley family gatherings were interesting, to say the least.

Hermione forced her attention to return to the information sitting in front of her. She had reviewed the data time after time, with the same results. This information was the culmination of the research that she had been conducting for the past five years. She knew the data was correct, but it didn't mean that she had to like the implications. Especially now... especially since the night of the Memorial Ball... She had to take this to the Minister. He had to know what they were up against. They needed a plan.

She was deep in thought when her office door opened, startling her. Looking up, she saw Harry standing there, looking at her expectantly, "Harry, I'm sorry, did you say something? I was off in my own world."

Harry laughed, "That was obvious. What's going on, Hermione? Lately, you are acting like you did back in Hogwarts when you were trying to solve some big, important puzzle. Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, Harry," she said, giving him what she hoped was a genuine smile. Watching his face, she could tell he wasn't completely convinced.

She tried a different tact, "Harry, you know how it is in the Department of Mysteries. Secrets come with the job. It's all part of the routine. I'll share what I can as soon as I can."

He nodded, easily accepting this explanation. Unspeakables were notorious for their secretive nature.

"Well, you know I'm always here if you need to talk about anything."

She flashed him a brilliant smile, "I know, Harry. Thank you."

"I almost forgot the reason I came down here in the first place. Would you like to come over for dinner? I'm just picking up take-out, but you haven't hung out with Ron and I in a while."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I need to stay late tonight and finish something up. I promise that we will get together very soon."

He nodded and started to leave, but stopped and turned back, "Don't stay too late, and don't forget to eat!" At her look of incredulity, he scoffed, "How long have I known you? Don't try to pretend that you don't get caught up and skip meals regularly."

She gave him a sheepish smile but nodded. "I won't be here much longer. I just want to finish this up."

She stayed later than she intended, reviewing the facts one more time. Though she knew that nothing would change, she wanted to be completely sure before she took it to Kingsley. This was way too big for speculation.

Finally, the silence broken by her stomach loudly protesting the late hour, she glanced at her watch and realized that it was far later than she had realized. Staying late had accomplished nothing. The facts were the facts. All of her assumptions were correct. It was time to take action. She sighed deeply and sent off a memo to Kingsley's secretary requesting a private meeting as soon as possible. That done, she grabbed her belongings and left for the night. There was nothing more she could do until she spoke with Kingsley.

...

"Dying, what do you mean dying?" Kingsley Shaklebolt said as he looked across his desk at Hermione.

Hermione took deep breaths, visibly steeling herself before she answered, "Kingsley, the data is unfortunate but correct. Squib births are at an all-time high, and that's the least of our worries. Births, in general, are down by 75%. If this continues, the British magical population will be extinct in three or four generations. The fact is that after two wars, our population was already suffering. The largest number of deaths occurred in the population group that would currently be of childbearing age. Add those reduced numbers to this birth issue and we have a real problem."

Kingsley sighed, "Are other countries experiencing this too?"

Hermione nodded grimly, "Yes, but on a much smaller scale. I've been analyzing the data for patterns" She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, "I have a theory that I don't think you're going to like. From the information that I've gathered, it appears that this is all the result of a curse that Voldemort set on his followers and their descendants. I found an ancient curse that could be cast upon all who were connected by blood. Since the dark marks were created by blood magic, he was able to cast it upon everyone whose familial blood was linked by the dark marks, simultaneously. He wouldn't have needed to curse families individually. There is a big possibility that he used this curse during the first war. I don't know if his magic was stable enough to perform a curse of this magnitude after the creation of all of those Horcruxes. This is dark and difficult blood magic. He would have needed to be in his prime to pull this off."

Hermione exhaled heavily and continued. " I have determined that the curse is preventing anyone who is blood-related to a marked death eater from conceiving a magical baby, and that's if they are able to conceive at all. It appears that the curse activated as soon as he was defeated. There have been no magical babies born to anyone related to a known death eater since 2 May 1998. In fact, most of these families are unable to conceive at all. I've concluded that the curse was a failsafe for him. In the event of his true death, he wanted his followers to be punished and the magical world to die. It was his final act of terror."

Kingsley let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, " Hermione, are we sure about the affected population?"

Hermione grimaced, but acknowledged her agreement, "Yes, the data is clear. Families who have no blood connections to a marked death eater are the only ones who have birthed any magical children in the past six years. Those with known connections are unable to conceive magical children. There's also a third group, those like Dean Thomas, who don't know the identity of one of their parents. Some of those, including Dean, have been affected."

Kingsley sat back, shock evident on his face. "Have we worked out a way to stop the curse?"

Hermione took a deep breath and told him the worst part, "Well, Minister, that's the thing... a new prophecy has been made."

Kingsley was speechless for a few moments. He appeared to be trying to think through what he needed to say, and how to say it. It wasn't often that he was rendered speechless. Finally, he spoke, " Hermione, who was this prophecy made to, and who was the seer who made the prophecy?"

Hermione sighed, "It was made to me, by Luna Lovegood."

"When?" came Kingsley's terse response.

"Three weeks ago, on the anniversary of the battle," Hermione clasped her hands together nervously.

"Three weeks! Why didn't you come to me before now?" demanded Kingsley slapping a palm to the top of his desk for emphasis.

Hermione briefly closed her eyes, she had known that he would react badly to this piece of information. She took a calming breath and explained, "I wanted to be sure of the data, and implications before I met with you. I needed time to gather everything and make sense of it myself."

Kingsley nodded once, but looked unhappy, "Okay, let's go through everything. Tell me what the prophecy says, what you think it means and your plan to break the curse."

Hermione considered this for a moment, then said, "I think it may be best to show you the prophecy. Do you have a Pensive that we can use?"

Hermione left the meeting more than an hour later, feeling completely exhausted. She and Kinsley had a plan, and she had informed him of the issue with her boss. He had assured her that he would take care of her boss. He'd explained that he would inform her boss that she would be reporting directly to Kinglsey for the time being. Hermione knew that the arrogant man would hate being circumvented, but there was nothing she could do about that. This was necessary for the fate of the wizarding world.

Hermione sighed, there were so many things that needed to be done, and she didn't have very long to accomplish everything. The prophecy imposed a critical deadline. She knew she had to speak to Harry and Ron immediately. Once again, the fate of the wizarding world rested firmly on their shoulders.

...

Two evenings later, Hermione was in the kitchen of her flat making dinner for Harry and Ron. This was the first evening since the meeting with Kingsley that they had been available to meet. She wanted to feed them a good meal before she talked to them. Hopefully, being full would temper Ron's reaction. He wasn't going to take this well.

They arrived through the Floo a few moments later, both still in their Auror uniforms. After exchanging greetings, Ron asked, "What's for dinner? I'm starving."

Hermione laughed, "Of course you are, come on, everything is ready. We should eat." As they ate they talked about inconsequential things and enjoyed the meal together.

Finally, sensing Hermione's tension, Ron asked around a mouth full of potatoes, "What was so important that you had to see us tonight?"

Hermione replied, "Let's finish eating then we can have some cake and tea in the sitting room and I'll tell you everything." Harry and Ron exchanged a look at her cryptic answer but shrugged and continued their meal.

Ron stuffed a third piece of cake into his mouth, but Harry watched as Hermione nervously nibbled on hers. He could sense that this was something big. "Hermione, what's wrong? What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble? You know you can tell us anything."

Hermione sighed, " I'll start at the beginning and tell you everything. Please don't interrupt me. Wait until I've said it all and then you can ask questions," Hermione began. She spoke for several minutes, telling them of Voldemort's curse, about the conception and birth data she had collected, and what it all meant.

When she finally stopped talking, Ron said, "What does this have to do with us? I don't care what happens to those bloody death eaters, and you shouldn't either! They deserve to die out!"

Hermione took a few calming breaths and attempted to keep her composure. She had expected an outburst from him. Knowing that it wouldn't help if she lost her temper with him, she stopped herself from lashing out at him. Meeting his gaze, she calmly argued, "Ron, it's not only death eaters. It's innocent people who have any blood relations who took the dark mark. Even Dean Thomas, who we know was on our side, hasn't been able to conceive with his wife despite trying for the past 3 years! Since Dean doesn't know who his father was, either he or another blood relative on that side must have been marked. Then, there's George's girlfriend, Tracy Davis. Her grandfather was marked in the first war. He was killed, and her parents remained neutral this time, but the curse would affect her as well. If she and George marry, they will have trouble conceiving. If they are ever successful, the baby would be a squib. Those are just two examples. There are numerous couples like that. Many innocents who would suffer heartbreak because of the dammed curse that madman set to activate upon his death."

Harry and Ron looked stricken. It was Ron who finally spoke again. "Hermione, I still don't understand what this has to do with the three of us."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, and looked down at her hands, "Well the thing is... there's been another prophecy."

Hermione looked at her boys. They had been through so much already, and she hated doing this to them. However, she knew that there was no other way. Ron and Harry stared back at her. Harry had gone deathly pale, and Ron looked like he was going to puke. Finally, Harry asked quietly, "What did it say? Is he returning somehow? I thought with destroying the Horcruxes..."

"Oh no, Harry. He is really dead for good. He's not coming back. It's nothing like that. Regardless, you aren't going to like what the prophecy has to say," interrupted Hermione.

Ron had apparently had enough, "Just spit it out. What does the bloody prophecy say?"

Hermione looked at both of them, " I think it's better if you watch the memory yourselves. You see, the prophecy was made to me." Harry's eyebrows rose but he said nothing. Ron just nodded, speechless for once. They both looked shocked but resigned.