CHAPTER 1: The End of the Beginning

The day the second wizarding war was over...the Battle of Hogwarts had been fought and the Order had won...Hermione apparated out of there...with not a word for anyone...she was gone! She knew that if she had stayed, that she would spit on the two wizards who had been making her life a total misery for the past four long years. So, the very second Voldemort was a pile of ashes, she was gone...and she didn't return...well at least not for a long time.

Once the dust was clear, the survivors secured the remaining Death Eaters...dead or alive, all their wands were snapped...the live ones went straight through to Azkaban, while the dead were stripped of their valuables and their bodies were tossed in the closest cess pit. Those that died fighting Voldemort had their bodies lying in the Great Hall...surrounded by their friends and family who mourned for their loss.

Luna was the first person to ask where Hermione was...but no one knew anything. She asked Harry and Ron as Hermione had been fighting alongside them and Kingsley Shacklebolt...both wizards denied knowing where she was...ditto Kingsley. Ron shrugged his shoulders and said that she was probably around somewhere...that she would show up and that Luna shouldn't worry about Hermione as she was a big girl who could take care of herself. And then he put his arm around her shoulders, latched his hand on her breast and pulled her close to him, leering at her. Luna was disgusted...removed his hand, smacked him, and then resumed her hunt for Hermione, which proved futile.

Days later and no one knew where Hermione was...and they began to get worried about her. Potter and the Weasel brushed off everyone's worries...saying she could take care of herself...it was becoming quite obvious that there had been a breach in the Golden Trio because two-thirds didn't know where the remaining third was.

Even more problematic was when discussions were taking place about who would receive which Order of Merlin. Both Potter and the Weasel were outraged to learn that Hermione would receive the the Order of Merlin, First Class, beside them. They did their level best to denigrate all her efforts on their behalf. According to those two, they did all the work themselves and that Hermione had just been around for the ride...and to look good. They even claimed that she copied off of their homework...not that anyone actually believed that!

Finally, Minerva, Molly, Luna, even Ginny had had enough and confronted Potter and the Weasel directly. "How dare you, Mr. Potter, lie through with a straight face about how you and Mr. Weasley did all the work yourself so that Hermione deserved nothing?! I know for a fact that you wouldn't have gotten past your third year without her constantly doing YOUR homework and coaching you through your exams."

She continued angrily, "Did you really think that your professors didn't know what you all were up to? We knew everything BUT there was nothing we could do about it at the time as Professor Dumbledore had approved it. But he is no longer Headmaster and I am not prepared to let you sweep Hermione Granger's contribution to winning the war under the carpet."

"IF, Mr. Potter you and Mr. Weasley are claiming you did all the work, what ingredients go into making polyjuice potion and in what order? How do you prepare the ingredients? You passed your OWLs by the skin of your teeth...considering you did all the learning yourself, are you prepared to re-write your exams today? Nothing to say, gentlemen? Cat got your tongue?" she sneered maliciously!

Molly, Luna, and Ginny all agreed with Professor McGonagall. Molly said to Ron, "You should be ashamed of yourself. Neither you nor Harry would be alive today without Hermione cleaning up after all your disasters and sweeping the way clean for you to proceed. You make me ashamed that you are still alive and Fred is not. You two need to buck up or you are not welcome in the Burrow any longer!" Molly was so angry that her hair had taken on a life of its own...much like Medusa's snakes...

Ginny chirped up, "What about the horcruxes? Luna and I helped Hermione do all the research on them...we did it all and you did diddly-squat! And now you want to take all the credit yourselves? And you, Ron? What did you do? When Hermione and Harry were on the run, YOU DESERTED them...you missed our Mum's home cooking and you came home with your tail between your legs. I am ashamed of both of you. And Harry, as far as I am concerned, you can go make nice with Cho Chang. I am done with you...permanently!"

And then Luna joined in..."All through the war that we children fought together...against a tyrant that the Wizengamot refused to believe that had been resurrected from the dead...all through this war...for the last seven years...Hermione has been at your side the whole time! Do you want me to count all the occasions when Ronald walked away from the two of you, leaving Hermione to work twice as hard keeping you alive? And now you don't give a damn where she is or if something happened to her? Did you even think for a second that perhaps a Death Eater had escaped taking Hermione with him? You two make me sick! And unless you two grow up and put your big boy panties on, I will no longer consider either of you as my friend!"

Finally, it was Kingsley's turn. "I too am ashamed at both of you. I know for a fact just how many times Hermione has saved your lives, boys...and now you are trying to chisel her out of her accolades...her rightfully earned Order of Merlin award?"

Ronald interrupted Kingsley whining, "How do you know she was telling you the truth? I tell you, it was &&I&& who helped Harry all the way through. Hermione just looked like she was helping but she didn't. It was ME all the way," the Weasel asserted.

Now Kingsley was pissed off! "Ronald Weasley, you should be ashamed of yourself. Taking credit for work you didn't do and denying credit for all of Hermione's labors on your behalf is a shameful act! Further, I **know** exactly what each of you did...especially to Hermione. Do you know what a Legilimens is, Ronald?"

Ron hummed and hawed before saying, "Makes something legitimate?"

"Wrong!" Minerva proclaimed triumphantly. And if you had passed your OWLs on your own effort, you would have known the answer!"

Very carefully, almost as if he was speaking to idiots, Kingsley said slowly, "A Legilimens is a person who can read a person's mind...they enter into another person's mind to see events that have happened as well as the person's thoughts."

Harry jumped in, "But how is that to do with us...what we did?"

"Patience, Harry, patience. I hadn't finished," Kingsley said tiredly.

"Hermione was seriously concerned about what would happen at the end of the war...if that day ever came. With the assistance of Professor McGonagall who covered for her absence with a Time-Turner, Hermione visited me weekly and a record of everything that happened among the three of you has been kept safely for the war trials shortly to take place...every last nasty word the two of you said to her is recorded...along with everything you have done to her!"

Potter and the Weasel turned a sickly shade of green.

Kingsley continued, "The only reason you aren't in the dock yourselves is that Hermione made me promise not to do anything to the pair of you until she is ready for you two to be dealt with! Otherwise, you two would be sitting in Azkaban along with the other war criminals awaiting trial."

Molly and Minerva blanched. "Can it be that bad?" the two of them asked in unison. "Surely they didn't do anything terrible other than taking credit for what Hermione did?"

Kingsley looked solemn and shook his head. "It is a terrible thing, Molly and Minerva, that these two miscreants have done. Hermione gave me permission to share her memories with you two if something happened to her or she disappeared. The memories are kept in a very safe location outside of Britain but I have kept a few of them to show you, if you like. By the way, Ronald and Harry, if something happens to me...if you "arrange" an accident...my lawyers will release the memories immediately! So I suggest you keep your hands to yourself."

Continuing, Kingsley said firmly, "You should know that in seven years time, if Hermione hasn't returned and/or is dead, she has asked me to give copies of the memories to Rita Skeeter if she promises to quote Hermione's words verbatim...and then to the Wizengamot a day or so later! Gentlemen, and I use the word loosely, it will be my pleasure to follow Hermione's instructions exactly!"

"Now ladies, Potter, Weasel, are we ready to see Hermione's memories?" Kingsley inquired.

Molly looked at Minerva and said, "I think that Arthur should be present too..." With that, she cast her patronus asking her husband to join them in Kingsley's office. Unfortunately Arthur was unable to meet with them then so Kingsley suggested that they adjourn for lunch and meet again afterward. Minerva and Molly agreed and decided to get a bite at the Leaky Cauldron.

As they turned to leave, Potter and the Weasel seized the opportunity to slink away. Minerva turned and said, "Not so fast Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. You will be having lunch under our supervision so you will be around for the big reveal..." Then she grabbed Potter by his ear and Molly did the same to her son...and they dragged the delinquents out of Kingsley's office.