Note: I know it's been awhile. Real life is a pesky thing and unfortunately takes up more of my attention than I would like. Rest assured that this story is NOT abandoned, and I'm hoping to have the next chapter up much more quickly than this one. But I say that a lot. Anyway, I love writing this story, and I love putting things out there for you to read, so if anyone's still with me... Cheers :)

Chapter Nine:

"What do you reckon is wrong with him?" Harry asked incredulously, watching Malfoy storm out of the bar. "He's normally a right saint in public, especially since he's coming up for probation review in a bit."

"He said something about his mother being attacked," Hermione mused, perplexed. "With Lucius's impending release, it can't be easy for him. He hasn't even been allowed contact with his father since the trial."

"It's me he has to thank for the whole Wizarding world not knowing about his father's release," Harry grumbled. "I'm the one who pushed for his release to be kept under the radar as much as possible."

Hermione smiled, taking a sip of her ginger ale. "That was very nice of you," she teased. "And I'm sure you'll be getting a thank-you card from Malfoy in the next post."

Though he was still down about Ginny, Harry couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "Listen, thanks for coming with me tonight. I know you don't drink, but I really needed one tonight and I'm glad I didn't have to come alone."

"Any time, Harry."

"And you're right." Harry bit his lip before continuing. "I'll get the divorce papers from the Wizengamot. Soon." He finished his drink with a grimace. "The Daily Prophet will be thrilled. Something new and exciting to splash all over the front page."

His defeated voice worried Hermione. "Maybe you should take a vacation," she suggested. "Merlin knows you have enough vacation days saved up."

Harry shook his head immediately before she had even finished saying the words. "I can't, I-"

Hermione cut him off. "Nonsense. We just solved the last big case; we have next to nothing on our desks right now; it's the perfect time for you to go! You have no excuse. Bill and Fleur have been begging you to visit them at Shell Cottage for months. You should go. You're part of their family no matter what you and Ginny are going through."

Harry looked hesitant, but Hermione could tell she was getting through to him. "And plus, you'd miss the Ministry's Fall Gala next week."

Hermione knew the instant she'd won as Harry's eyes brightened. All of the Heads of office in the Ministry of Magic were required to attend all Ministry functions; the galas were the worst of all. Filled with pomposity and smarminess as all in attendance attempted to impress the important Heads of the Ministry, the galas were the most hated by many in office. Harry had been moaning for weeks about the impending Fall Gala, and to be unfortunately on vacation was tempting indeed. "Maybe it's time I thought about taking a vacation," Harry mused. He glanced at her empty glass. "Are you ready? I think I'll stop by the office and put in my request, though they'll not process it until Monday."

Hermione nodded, shrugging into her cloak and fastening it at her throat. "I'll go with you."

The Ministry was nearly deserted. This late at night, only those employees who knew the ever-changing password would be allowed past the guards. The fact that it was a Friday night meant that even those with a penchant to work late would be long gone. Hermione and Harry had no trouble getting an elevator to take them to the Aurors' level. The carpet in the corridor muffled their footsteps, and the dim lighting of the magical candles reminded them just how late it was. Even the portraits on the walls were sleeping, used to being virtually alone by 10:30 p.m.

As they approached the door to the Aurors office, Hermione noticed through the window a light in Harry's office at the back. "Harry, did you leave the candles burning?" she asked, perplexed.

"Of course not," her friend murmured, drawing his wand.

"No one can get in here without knowing the password," Hermione reminded him in a whisper, though she drew hers as well.

Moving as a team, as indeed they had been when they first became Aurors, both slipped through the door into the Aurors' office, closing the door silently behind them and crouching down behind the first row of cubicles. Harry motioned to Hermione to go around the right side of the cubicles while he went around the left.

Moving slowly and carefully, her still-sore shoulder twinging in protest, Hermione crept towards Harry's office with her wand at the ready. Her logical mind whispered that this was silly; that it was probably just another Auror, but the part of her that remembered being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange murmured that it was always better to be safe than sorry. There was no reason for anyone to be in Harry's office, particularly this late at night.

She and Harry reached the door to the office at the same time, crouched low beneath the windows so that whoever happened to be inside would be unable to see them. At a hand signal from Harry, Hermione reached up, pulled the latch on the door, and pushed it open. Harry stepped into the room quickly, barking, "Who's there?" as he did so.

A black-robed figure with his back to them jumped, clearly startled, and whirled around quickly to face Harry and Hermione's raised wands. At seeing who it was, Hermione lowered her wand, sighing. Harry did the same.

"What are you doing in here?" Harry asked sternly to Hermione's partner, Xander.

Xander lowered the wand that he had instinctively drawn and gestured at the bookcase behind him. "I apologize, Head Auror," he said, his dark eyes glittering in the reflection from the candles. "I wanted to reread your briefings on some of the big cases that you solved in the past. Couldn't sleep." His tone was apologetic.

Hermione glanced past Xander, to the locked file cabinet which held reports of high-profile criminals, to the bookcase he was referencing which indeed held bound copies of Harry's briefings on some of the huge cases he had helped solve over the years. She couldn't help but wonder why he would need or want to reread Harry's reports.

Harry relaxed. "I see. Well, feel free to take any home with you that you'd like, just be sure to bring them back when you're done. No need for you to have to sit here in the middle of the night."

Xander nodded. "Thank you, Head Auror." He reached behind him and selected a volume, seemingly at random, and nodded to the both of them before walking out the door.

Harry watched him go, shaking his head once Xander had gone out in the corrider. "Strange man," he mused.

Hermione shrugged, feeling oddly like Xander had been lying about something. Still, he was her partner and had never given her any reason not to trust him. "He's a good partner. And certainly focused on his job."

As Harry began filling out the vacation request form, Hermione moved to the file cabinet behind his desk and unlocked it with her wand. She opened it, glancing idly at the names on the files within. A few caught her eye for obvious reasons: Goyle, Lestrange, Malfoy, Rosier...then some newer names of minor Dark Wizards that she'd assisted in capturing. She shut the drawer with a snap. Nothing odd there, either.

Perhaps she was imagining things.

"All done," Harry said, brandishing the form with a flourish. "I'll drop it by the Minister on our way down."

Later that night, as Harry penned a reply owl to Bill's most recent letter, Hermione went through her refrigerator, clearing out the rest of the food that had remained from Harry's bizarre stress-cooking spree. As Harry's owl (a once-snowy owl named Thor with tiny yellow lightning bolts on his feathers that George had given him one Christmas) flew out the window on its way to Bill Weasley, Harry sighed with relief. "Well, that's one thing done. You know, Hermione, I actually feel good about this vacation thing. You're right; it'll help to be away from here and Ginny for a while."

Hermione smiled. "I usually am right, you know."

Harry rolled his eyes comically at her as he walked down the hallway. "'Night, Hermione," he called behind him.

"Night, Harry."

Harry had chosen the perfect time, and his 2 week vacation was approved without issue. Hermione spent the first three days that he was gone (still technically on sick leave) following up on the rest of Mrs. Lane's questions before concluding that while it hadn't seemed in Robert's character to kill himself and his wife, no one was able to provide any kind of proof to show it. With Mind Healer Wagner's official statement on record, it seemed fairly obvious that there was nothing else Hermione could do. Once she was able to go back into the office, she penned an official letter to Mrs. Lane letting her know her findings.

Though Harry was gone on vacation, the caseload was minimal. It was a peaceful time of fall and there weren't too many cases coming in which required the Auror's attention. Hermione found herself being asked to assist the Magical Law Enforcement Squad on more than one occasion during the first week that Harry was gone. One morning, a week after Harry had departed for Shell Cottage to visit Bill and Fleur, Hermione was sitting at her desk rereading a report she had written when a Patronus hurtled into the office and floated agitatedly over her desk. "Auror Osher Grey requesting backup," spoke Osher's voice from the mouth of the silver bull, sounding tense but quiet. "Ministry roof."

Hermione leapt to her feet and snatched her wand off the desk. She sent a wordless alert to the other available members of the Aurors in the form of a dark red interoffice memo.

"The roof of the Ministry?" Xander said incredulously, popping his head over the side of her cubicle. He, too, grabbed his wand and followed Hermione as they both charged after the Patronus. Being in the Ministry of Magic, all apparating was impossible and they were forced to follow the bull Patronus through corridors and up staircases, dodging other Ministry workers and visitors as they did so. It seemed as if others had been alerted to the situation as well, because not only Aurors but other Ministry of Magic officials were making their way to the roof as well.

They finally reached the roof, other Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement officers on their heels. Breath rasping in her lungs from the stairs and adrenaline, Hermione pushed open the door to the roof and stepped out into the open air.

Osher and three members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad stood some distance away from the edge of the roof, where a man was precariously balanced on the wooden railing that separated the roof from 15 stories of empty air.

"Come now, Smith," coaxed Osher. "Let's get down from there. No need for anyone to get hurt."

"You shut up! Everyone is always telling me what to do!" screamed the man, who Hermione recognized as the Assistant Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Thomas Smith. A normally levelheaded and cheery individual, he was fancied by many a female Ministry employee for his thick blonde hair and handsome features. Just now, however, spit was flying from his mouth as he screamed at Osher and his blonde hair was in disarray. He clutched the railing in a death grip, his wand out and aimed at the sky.

Hermione motioned those Aurors with her to stay put and sent the Magical Law Enforcement Squad to go back through the building until they reached the ground, in the hopes of someone being able to catch him. She quietly walked forward a few steps in the hopes of getting close to Osher to help try to coax Smith down.

"Osher, back up," she hissed as she reached Osher. While he was a good Auror and a loyal partner, Osher wasn't known for his tact in dealing with people's emotional issues. Osher glanced at her and sighed in relief before backing up. "You too," she directed the men from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. They, too, retreated to the door leading back into the Ministry.

"Thomas," Hermione called clearly to the man who was now muttering to himself and staring at his wand.

Thomas jerked in surprise, as if he had forgotten where he was, and his eyes found her. "Yes?" he said warily, his face twitching.

"Can I come closer so we aren't shouting?" she shouted, still at least twenty five feet away from him.

Thomas stared at her intently, then back at his wand. He shook his head briskly as if he was clearing something from it. "Yes," he stated softly.

Hermione stowed her wand in her robes and slowly approached him, her hands in front of her to show that she wouldn't hurt him. Behind her, Xander whispered a displeased warning. She saw him from the corner of her eye take a few steps forward but warned him back with a swift gesture. She had never seen Mr. Smith like this before but had no doubts that he would jump if he felt threatened. She slowly advanced until she was just a few feet from him. "Thomas, how can I help you?" she asked simply. Sometimes, the simplest way to talk a desperate person down was to make them feel in control. This tactic had helped her in many a situation like this.

For this reason, she was entirely caught off-guard when Thomas lunged for her, too quickly for her to reach for her wand. Thomas Smith grabbed her around the shoulders and spun her around so that she was facing the rest of the Aurors. His wand dug into the side of her neck. She saw Xander staring at her, helpless, white-lipped and looking furious.

Instead of demanding something from the Aurors or hurting her, however, he reached into her robes, grabbed her wand, and hurled it back towards the Aurors.

Hermione turned her head, ignoring the jab of his wand, and looked him in the eyes. "Thomas, how can I help you? Talk to me," she ordered him calmly. This close to the man, she could see that he was shaking. There was desperation in his eyes, and tears threatening to fall.

Thomas stopped shaking suddenly, and his eyes grew cold. A half smile appeared on his face and he shoved the wand cruelly into her neck.

Hermione felt the first cold touches of fear as she gazed into eyes that looked like they belonged to a killer.

But as quickly as the first change had happened, Thomas began shaking again and the smile disappeared, his eyes growing desperate again and the tears returning. There was a twitch under his left eye, as if he was waging an internal battle. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. With a look of resolve, he stared directly into her eyes, tears running down his face, and whispered fiercely to her, "They don't want me to jump. They want me to hurt, to kill. But it's still my body, even if it's not my mind."

In one movement, he shoved Hermione away from him and hurled himself over the edge of the roof, much too quickly for the Aurors to try to save him or magically break his fall. "No!" Hermione screamed. She lunged for him as he disappeared over the side of the building, but her fingers touched only air and her wand was yards away.

Aurors, the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, and Ministry officials surrounded her, offering words of shock and encouragement, but all Hermione felt was a crushing sense of failure. It was Xander who finally pulled her away from all the hubbub and led her back to the Auror's office to take her official statement.