Hello Lovely Readers!

Just in case you get an alert off of this, I've just replaced some information in this chapter. FlaxenGoddess pointed out to me that I had put Pavarti Patil as Hermione's researcher in the first chapter and I just wanted to amend this. Lavender is Hermione's researcher not Pavarti. I was toying around with the idea for a while and I guess it just stayed there without my notice. So a big thank you to FlaxenGoddess and here's the first chapter...again

Ciao!

Chapter one: Bloody Minister!

"I won't do it!"

"You're the only one who could possibly-"

"I don't care! I will not get him off those charges."

Hermione Granger moved quickly through the halls of the ministry, desperately trying to escape the Minister for Magic. Kingsley had been persistent in the past, but this was just down right mad. She was fuming, she was frustrated and most of all she was stubborn. She wouldn't do what he asked no matter how much he paid her or how many favours he would throw her way. It was just too much!

"Hermione please-"

"No Kingsley!" She whirled around to face him suddenly, almost making him trip over his feet, "You have exploited our friendship many times but this is as far as it goes! I will not defend Lucius Malfoy!"

"Hermione his wife has left him-"

"Rightly so."

"He has no standing left in this world-"

"With good reason."

"And his son will no longer speak to him," Kingsley finished, pleading with his eyes, "He has nothing left but money and he is willing to pay you anything to get him out of prison."

"Money does not concern me Kingsley. After the amount of times you've tried to buy me off to prosecute these death eaters you should know that," she huffed and continued walking with the Minister hot on her heels, "What I simply cannot believe is that you are asking me to defend one!"

Hermione had been a part of the Magical Law Enforcement Office for just under three years now and in all that time, all she had been doing was defending or prosecuting suspected death eaters. Kingsley had managed to elicit her help in several high profile cases so far. She had defended Narcissa Malfoy freely, seeing as she had helped Harry and all. She had almost happily gotten Severus Snape off of his Death Eater charges once he had healed from his Shrieking Shack wounds. One couldn't say that he was a delight to defend, but their relationship was somewhat improved by the end of it. She had prosecuted Dolhov, McNair and Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange with glee, also giving her own testimony against them. But lately Kingsley's requests had gotten quite strange. He wanted her to help get Lucius Malfoy off. It was completely ridiculous.

"Why do you even want him let go?" She asked him as they passed her secretary and made it into her office.

The Minister sighed and took a seat across from her.

"Because he has information Hermione," he told her, "Information of where certain weapons are that Voldemort had planned to use and where several Death Eater hide outs were planted across the country if the Dark Lord fell. He's promised to give us this information if we get him out of prison and keep him safe."

"You can get the information via other means Kingsley-"

"I don't condone torture Hermione and you know it."

"I meant veritaserum," she glared at him.

"That potion has its limits," he told her, "And we won't have another batch ready for another month. We used it all on Greyback."

"You only need three drops."

"Apparently werewolves absorb it quicker than regular humans," he grumbled before turning back to her, "Look, Hermione, I am willing to give you anything you want if you defend this man. I know you two have a history-"

"A very brief and horrible one," she glared at him, "And I am not willing to make it repeat itself no matter what is on offer."

"Hermione-"

"No Kingsley," she told him firmly, "You've made your case and I have rejected it. That's my final word on the matter."

He sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this, but you leave me no choice," he said. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a rather heavy looking scroll with the ministry seal on it.

"Hoping it wouldn't come to what, exactly?" She asked through gritted teeth, knowing exactly what that scroll was.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Kingsley said gravely, "You are hereby ordered to defend the known Death Eater Lucius Malfoy in his up coming trial upon the orders of the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement department, Mathew McKinnon. Should you fail to comply with this order you will be asked to resign from your current position as a Magical Law Enforcer and possibly face time in Azkaban."

She stared at him, wide eyed and shocked for a few moments until she recovered.

"You're subpoenaing me?!" She screeched.

"I didn't want to do this Hermione, but you left me no choice," he told her, standing from his seat once more, "He goes to trial next month so you have twenty four hours to work up the courage to visit your new client on your own or I will have Harry escort you. It's your choice, but I have a feeling that Harry's absence would make things much easier."

He was right about that much but it didn't stop her from being completely and utterly pissed off at him. She gaped at him, not knowing what to say anymore, her anger telling her to hex him or throw something at him, her logical brain telling her to resign this very minute. Either way, she couldn't win. So she simply sat there looking like a hippogriff with no feathers, uncomfortable and enraged as the Minister walked out the door.

"Son of a Banshee!" she screamed at nothing in particular, throwing her pencil holder at the nearest wall and watching it shatter into a million pieces. How could this be happening?! All her career she had done nothing but defend the innocent and condemn the guilty. How was she supposed to help someone who deserved nothing more than to rot in his cell?! She was really going to need a second council on this one if she was going to win-but wait a minute. The subpoena only said that she had to defend him, not get him off those charges. Maybe she could...no, the idea was completely horrid. She would never throw a case; that was just evil. She had sworn an oath to do what was best for her client, whether innocent or otherwise and she would abide by it...however reluctantly.

She moved out from behind her desk and began to pace around her office. Well, she had no choice now; she may as well come up with a way to defend him. She of course knew all about his case, having known him for a while and followed his files for the last three years. He was charged with terrorism, three counts of rape, smuggling dark objects into the country, six confirmed murders (All the charges for the first war were still not applicable) use of the unforgivables on many occasions and at least one case of hippogriff theft. Like a good Law Enforcement Officer, she shouldn't really assume that he was guilty of any of these until he actually told her or gave her an explanation for them, but this was just so hard to do. He was Lucius Malfoy for Merlin's sake! He had to be guilty of all of these. If he didn't kill anyone she would eat her wand! But regardless of whether he was guilty or not, she had to try and find a way of getting him off. This meant she needed a team to help her. She would need a second officer to handle some of the questioning, a researcher to get a few facts straight and an Auror to make sure Malfoy wasn't murdered before he got to trial and afterwards. If he got out of Azkaban there would be plenty of other Death Eaters that were still on the run that would want him dead as soon as possible. But who could she choose that would be unbiased? She ran through an inventory in her mind...

"Researchers," she whispered aloud. A million names stood out to her. Percy Weasley had left his job as Undersecretary to the Minister and had become the Head of the Research and Development department. He was brilliant at what he did, but he had too much of a hatred for the Malfoys, just like the rest of his family. She couldn't use him.

Gil Simpson was a new lad in Percy's department. He showed a lot of promise and had great skill with a wand when it came to sorting things, but he had no nerve. She needed someone who was going to be able to hack it and be sneaky enough to get what she needed. That was when another name popped into her head.

Lavender Brown. She had been working for the Daily Prophet as a spell hacker and researcher ever since she left Hogwarts. She was absolutely brilliant at what she did and she was willing to do anything to get her job done...But would she keep her mouth shut to her bosses? Rita Skeeter in particular had been gunning for Hermione for a while and she would be willing to do anything to ruin her, including destroy her case. Perhaps if she pulled in a few favours Lavender might be willing.

Then who would be her second chair? There was a reason why Kingsley had forced her to do this after all. No body else could. She kept pacing her office as she came up with more names.

Pavarti Patil was too nice. Peter Faucet was too nasty. Fred Walters was out of the country. Gregory Goyle was an idiot anyway; how he even graduated was a mystery to her. Mathew McKinnon had too much to do as it was. There was no way in hell that Draco Malfoy would help her even though he would be perfect for the job. Hanna Abbott would be ripped to shreds by the prosecution...

It only left one possible candidate and she hated to even think about it. He was too closely associated with Draco and he wasn't the most pleasant person since the war ended anyway. Not to mention there was a very high chance that the prosecution would call him for questioning...then again there was a high chance that they would call her for questioning too. She had to try him at least.

It was securing her Auror that was going to be the hard bit. Every person in that department, man or woman, pureblood or mudblood, Gryffindor or Slytherin, wanted him to either die or go down in flames. He had caused them a lot of grief both during the war and afterwards when he was trying to save his arse. Perhaps an Auror wasn't the right answer. Perhaps someone with just exemplary skill and focus would be the best way to go instead. An Order member maybe? No, they all wanted to see him burn too but maybe, just maybe, if she called in the right favours a certain potions master would help her out. Severus and Lucius were old friends after all, even if they had been on different sides, they had managed to maintain that friendship through out two wars. Who better to protect him?

She stopped pacing and started counting on her fingers.

"Researcher," she whispered, "Body guard, second chair…"

"You should really stop talking to yourself Hermione," someone said from the doorway, "It just proves that you're a nutter."

She looked up from the floor and smiled as Harry walked in. He came over and gave her a hug, returning her smile with enthusiasm.

"Love your new robes," she smiled at him flicking a piece of pretend dust from his shoulder, "Makes you look very dashing."

"Ginny won't let me go anywhere in jeans and a T-shirt anymore," he rolled his eyes, "Apparently being the head of the Auror Office requires you to look expensive."

"Expensive indeed," Hermione said with a huge smile, "Are you sure Ginny isn't trying to put you back on the market? There must be tonnes of witches falling over themselves every time you walk past."

"Which reminds me," he said sheepishly, "Ah, your…er, secretary is passed out on the floor at the moment."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Not again," she said, "I swear, every time a wizard walks by she falls head over heels in love with them. You should see what she's like every time Malfoy walks past, it's ridiculous."

He laughed and agreed that she really did need a new assistant.

"So are you all set for dinner tonight?" He asked and she looked at him confusedly, "Ron's coming home party?"

Her eyes widened and she smacked herself on the forehead.

"You forgot didn't you," Harry sighed.

"I'm so sorry, I can't make it," she told him, "Kingsley's just given me a rather difficult high profile case and it needs my full attention."

"Can't you work on it tomorrow?" He asked, "Ron's missed you most of all."

"I have to go and visit my client tomorrow," she told him.

"Look, I'll have a word to Kingsley and ask him to assign it to someone else-"

"That won't work Harry," she told him, "He had to subpoena me to get me to do it which means that-"

"He subpoenaed you?" He asked incredulously, "No way."

"Yes way," she groaned, "First he tried to buy me off, then he tried to gain my sympathies and when telling me that the fate of the world was at stake didn't work, he pulled out a court order."

"But normally you take anything Kingsley gives you," he said, "What's so bad about this one?"

"The fact that he's guilty and I'm trying to keep him out of prison."

"Who is he?"

She looked to the floor again and bit her lip and Harry looked at her sideways. She looked at the opposite wall and then he gasped.

"No!" He roared, "No! I won't let you do this-"

"I don't have a choice," she yelled back, "Believe me, if I could get out of it I would, but Kingsley is hell bent on having me defend him. He says that I'm the only one that can do it-"

"No Hermione!" He yelled again, "You will not defend Lucius Malfoy! I'm getting Kingsley to take you off this right now!"

"It won't work," she told him calmly, "Kingsley won't back down-"

"Does he know how many laws he's in trouble of breaking?" Harry exclaimed, "Does he know how much trouble he's putting you in? The whole wizarding world will be out for your blood if you get him out of prison-"

"I know that," she said, taking his face in her hands, "I'm sure Kingsley knows that too and that's why he's making me do this. Because I'm the only one good enough to defend him, the only one strong enough to take the public pressure and the only one whose moral compass wouldn't let them throw the case."

Harry mumbled something unintelligible and then pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and didn't resist in the slightest. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist as he kissed the top of her head. He really was her big brother.

"I'm going to assign myself to your protection," he whispered, "I'm not going near Malfoy but you're now my top priority."

"Harry you can't stand to be in the same room as him any more than I can," she told him softly, "The last thing we need is a war hero and the Man-Who-Lived-To-Kick-Voldemort's-Scaly-Backside thrown in Azkaban for murder."

"That doesn't mean I can't protect you from everyone else," he said calmly, "You know how many Death Eaters are still out there-"

"Death Eaters that I can take care of."

"It won't be just them. Do you have any idea how many nutters will be screaming for your murder if you do the impossible? I'm not going to take no for an answer Hermione."

She sighed and leaned into him a little more. They broke apart after a while and Harry walked over to her coat rack and grabbed her robes.

"Come on," he said with a smile, "You can work on the case tomorrow after you've gone to see Malfoy. Right now you need to be around your friends."

She couldn't disagree with him there. She hadn't seen Ron in so long, not since he had gone off to Quidditch camp a year ago. They had kept in contact but it just wasn't the same without him there. There was nothing romantic about them anymore, seeing as they had decided they were better off as friends, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him more than anyone else.

"Alright," she smiled at him, "We'll drop by my place so that I can get changed and then we'll go. Where is it again?"

"Dean's bar the Swish and Flicker," he told her before they departed through the floo.

***

Hermione stood outside the bar with Harry, a mixture of nervousness and excited glee coating the air. It had been a long time since she had seen Ron, a long time since they had spoken in person. What if he wasn't the same person anymore? What if she had changed more than she realised? She felt Harry's hand on the small of her back.

"Relax Hermione," he told her, "It'll be fine."

She smiled at him and they walked inside. They were both in their best clubbing clothes for the occasion, Hermione sporting a knee high crimson dress with a plunging neckline and golden heels. Her hair was held together by a gift that Harry and Ron had given her one year. A golden headband and clasp chained together designed and charmed to keep even the wildest hair in the most elegant styles. Tonight she had her hair in a curly bun of sorts with a few strands left to frame her face. She really did look beautiful. She had filled out her body after all and become a lovely young woman over the past few years, something that others never failed to notice. While Harry had once been Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor, she had become the Daily Prophet's sexiest witch. She didn't set much store by it, but it was a welcome change to being called a bookish prude.

When they walked inside they were taken over by awe. The lights were flashing, the music was wild and the dance floor was filled with red heads. Hermione even saw Mrs Weasley with her husband, doing the robot if she wasn't mistaken.

"My, my Miss Granger, aren't we looking lovely."

Hermione turned to see George staring down at her with a huge grin on his face. She smiled back at him and gave him a big hug.

"I have to say the same for you too Mr Weasley," she smirked, "Has Ginny gone and attacked your closet too?"

"No I did that years ago," the only Weasley daughter came up to them, "It's not my fault that the men in my life haven't got any sense of style."

Hermione gave her a hug too and smiled at her.

"Though you on the other hand," Ginny beamed, "When did you start dressing yourself properly?"

"I didn't want to be next on your hit list so I pulled this thing out of my closet," Hermione laughed.

"Well you should pull it out of the closet more often," she told her, "It's fabulous!"

She then turned her attention to her husband.

"Did you make her wear this?" She asked, coming up to him and placing her hands on his chest.

"Would it please you if I did?" He asked as he gave her a kiss. She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled him away to the dance floor leaving Hermione laughing and George looking conflicted.

"I'll never get used to the fact that my sister has a libido," he sighed, "Especially not one as active as hers."

"Why don't you go and get us a couple of drinks and I can take your mind off it," Hermione smiled as he agreed and whisked off to the other side of the room.

She ended up dancing with the entire Weasley family that night while waiting for Ron to arrive. Bill had swept her off her feet with a salsa, Charlie almost murdered her feet with what he called dancing, George made sure she got her fill of passion with a fiery tango, Mr Weasley led her around the room in a fatherly waltz and the Weasley women all made sure they had a conversation with her while they danced together. She was delighted to hear the Fleur was pregnant again; that Mrs Weasley was going to start renovations and that Ginny was going to take her out to lunch sometime that week. She really did miss this family so much. Ever since she had started working at the ministry her time with them had been somewhat strained. They all understood that both her job and Harry's gave them little time to spend with them but it didn't really help the fact that she thought she was losing them. But when Ron arrived all that changed. It felt like it did just after the final battle, all tension gone, joy and relaxation descending upon the air. She saw him walk in the door before everyone else while she was dancing with Bill for the second time. She unhinged herself from his grip and raced as fast as her six inch heels would carry her. She leaped at him and he caught her with ease. He didn't let go for the longest time and when he finally did, the biggest grin was set upon his freckled face.

"Merlin I've missed you," he told her while planting a friendly kiss on her cheek.

"I know exactly how you feel," she smiled back at him.

And she did. She knew exactly how he felt…

***

She woke up the next morning with the worst firewhisky hangover she had ever had in her life. Her eyes were bloodshot, her head was pounding and her stomach was doing summersaults just to punish her for the drinking games she played with the others against her better judgement. She made a feeble glance at the clock and when she saw that it was only six she gave a groan…but not as loud of a groan as the two bodies lying either side of her. She was startled at first and grabbed her wand from its holster on her thigh, aiming it at the larger portion of the mass under the covers.

"What time is it?" Asked a muffled familiar voice.

"Do you have any eggs Hermione?" Asked another.

She gave a moan of her own when she remembered what had happened the night before. Ginny had proposed that the three of them have a sleep over to catch up. How that woman could trust her husband so easily with another woman and yet not with his own wardrobe was beyond her. Needless to say there hadn't been much catching up involved. Perhaps more shots of Dragon Flame Vodka and Pixy Tequila but not all that much catching up.

"I really have to stop drinking," she moaned.

"Us too," they said together, their heads still beneath the covers. She started to laugh but had to stop when her head began to throb painfully. Even though the two next to her were her best and most trusted friends, her family, she decided to inspect herself. She looked down at her body, now noticing that she was only in her underwear. She ducked her head under the covers and saw the same of the other two.

"Umm guys, why are we in our underwear?" She asked them.

"Because we couldn't find your pyjamas," Harry told her tiredly as he pulled his head onto a pillow.

"And it's hard to sleep in club outfits," Ron finished for him as he too came out from under the covers, "Besides, it's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."

"Or me for that matter," Harry yawned, "I'll never forget that day I walked in on you changing while we were on the run. I've never heard you scream so loud in your life."

She rolled her eyes and smacked them both on the shoulders before rolling on top of Ron and out of bed. She walked over to the mirror and gasped when she saw a giant bruise on her right eye.

"That was your own fault Hermione," Ron told her with a giddy smile, "You're the one who walked into her own door."

"You're the one who fed me all the whiskey that made me do it," she laughed back at him, using her wand to heal the unfortunate piece of flesh, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"You were kissed by every single Weasley except Bill, Arthur and Molly," Harry told her, laughing at the blush on her face, "You would expect it from Ron, but Ginny was a real surprise. I think after that one even Fleur wanted a go."

She turned back to them in a flush of embarrassment and dove back into the covers again.

"I really need to stop drinking," she moaned.

"If it makes you feel any better, George went back for seconds," Ron laughed. Needless to say, she smacked him again, shutting him up promptly. Hermione found enough Hangover solution for the three of them in her potions supply cupboard and a new outfit for the day. Another red dress, though this one had short sleeves and a neckline that wasn't quite as daring as the one from the night before. She wore black heals and black outer robes to go with it and charmed her hair into a bun very much like the one she wore last night only this one was a little tighter and tidier. Harry and Ron emerged from her bedroom an hour after she had, Ron still in his underwear and Harry fully dressed in new robes. She had a suspicion that Ginny may have planted a spare set in her house the last time they had all gone out drinking together.

"So what have you two got on today?" Ron asked them as he sipped his cup of coffee, "I haven't got anything to do until the next Quidditch season so I thought I might go and work in the shop with George."

"He'd love that," Hermione smiled to him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "He's been very lonely since Fred died. It'll do him good to have you around."

"Hermione when do you plan on going to Azkaban?" Harry asked her.

"As soon as I've gone to see a few other people," she told him, "Don't worry, I'll let you escort me if it makes you feel any better."

"Umm what have I missed?" Ron asked them, "Why the hell would you want to go to Azkaban? Are they finally locking you up for being more of a bossy boots than Kingsley?"

Hermione looked at Harry with the same question Harry looked at her with. Should they really tell him the truth? He would be angrier, more overprotective than Harry had been, but then again it would be even worse if he found out when the press got a hold of it.

"Ron," she said wearily, "I've been subpoenaed to defend Lucius Malfoy."

The explosion was immediate.

"WHAT?!"

Several glasses in the kitchen shattered, plates flew from one side of the room to the other and smashed against the wall and Ron's chair flipped over when he stood in his rage.

"Has Kingsley LOST HIS MIND?!"

"Probably," she allowed, "But there's nothing I can do about it-"

"You will not defend that vile bastard!" He roared at her, "After everything he and his son did to us-"

"That's not fair on Draco," she told him firmly, "He may still be a bastard but he's completely changed his view on things. Just last month he helped me imprison Dolhov-"

"It doesn't matter!" He roared again, "I'm not going to let you walk into that prison with the intention of setting Malfoy free-"

"You have no choice!" Harry screamed back in her defence and Ron fell silent, "I don't like it any more than you do but because Kingsley issued a court order, she has no choice. The only thing we can do now is try to help."

"No," he said quietly.

She blinked at him.

"No what?" She asked, just as quietly, though probably with more confusion. Ron slowly backed out of the room shaking his head.

"After everything he's done I want no part of this," he said, "If you're going to get him out of prison…I don't want to know you."

It cut her deeply. As though a stinging hex had slice through her heart, she clutched to her chest and waited for the pain to go away but it wouldn't abate. As Ron left the room, she sat there, unwanted tears filling her eyes, not knowing who she wanted to strangle more; Kingsley Shaklebolt, Lucius Malfoy or Ronald Weasley. Harry was instantly at her side.

"He didn't mean it Hermione," he said hurriedly, "He's just worried about you-"

"He didn't sound all that worried about me at all," she said shakily, standing from her chair, "I'm going to work."

"Hermione-"

She didn't hear the end of his sentence as she stepped inside the fireplace and remerged inside her office. She shut down her fireplace immediately so that he couldn't follow her through and sat herself at her desk, placing her head in her hands, trying as hard as she could to resist the temptation of pulling out her hair. She hadn't even started on the case and it was already doing her head in. A lone tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away furiously. She hated crying. It was so useless, so empty and such a stupid thing to do. She hated the fact that she was prone to it more than others too. When she was sad, she cried, when she was happy, she cried, when she was mad, she cried, when she was jealous, depressed, bored, sick, tired and yes, completely euphoric…she cried! She couldn't escape her water works even if she tried. At least she was one of these people that could pull herself together easily though. If she spent all her time crying she would never get anything done. Speaking of getting things done, if she didn't get a hold of her team now, they would all be swiped from under her nose for other cases. She pulled herself together, taking a quick look in the mirror before grabbing a fist full of floo powder and entered her fireplace…

***

She had decided to start with the easiest visit first. She walked through the halls of Hogwarts with confidence she didn't feel and a finesse that definitely wasn't that of Hermione Granger. Even though Snape could be nice when he wanted to, she could only hope that she wouldn't catch him on a bad day. He was horrible when he had a bad day. She had checked in with McGonagall first to see where he was and made sure that it was alright with the Headmistress for her resident potions master to take the next few months off work to help her out. After the older woman had heard what kind of a predicament she had been placed in she agreed without hesitation. She had been right in saying that Hermione needed all the help she could get. She ventured down into the dungeons with caution for any Slytherin traps. If this generation was anything like her own, the corridors would be full of them. A few minutes later she found herself standing before the door to her old potions class. The wood was more faded and the bolts were more rusted but it was still the same. She could hear his voice inside, telling off a student for no apparent reason and then turning back to the lesson. Well, it was now or never. She slid the door open silently and slipped inside so that no one would notice her presence. Something she had picked up from the snarky potions master himself.

"…that Nagel as shown off his idiocy to the rest of us, we may continue," she heard him say as he stalked around the room. He was just as she remembered. Greasy hair, sallow skin and yet with an attractive air and graceful movement. He had the same scowl on his face that he had during his entire trial and it made her roll her eyes. Did that man ever smile? He would look so much younger if he would.

"Who can tell me what would have happened if I had not stopped Nagel from adding the Salamander skin to his unfinished draught?" He asked them. By the smell of the air and the look of the finished potion at the front of the room she guessed that they were working on Merlin's Fifth Healing Draught. Not her particular favourite but it was simple enough. She watched as not one of the students raised their hands.

"You're dunderheads the lot of you," he scowled down at them, "Not one of you can tell me?"

"Well it's kind of hard when you're in our face like that sir," a boy piped up. If he wasn't a Gryffindor she would eat her wand.

"Do you think it will be any easier when you have to save someone's life with this potion?" He sneered at him, "Do you think your unwilling patient will just sit tight and wait for you to figure it out?"

"But no one is dying at the moment are they," the boy spoke again, "So why do you have to be such a-"

"Finish that sentence and you will have detention so fast you won't even be able to say Quidditch," he said dangerously low before turning back to the class, "What would have happened?"

"The cauldron would have exploded," Hermione finally spoke. All eyes turned to her as she leaned against the door and smirked, "The heat from the scales would have activated the monk's hood at the wrong time and blown this lab sky high."

"It is nice to see that you remember something of what I taught you Miss Granger," the class gasped at the sound of her name, "But this is not your lesson."

"Nothing wrong with a bit of help, Professor," she smiled, "I do believe you taught me that too, in your own special way that is."

He continued to glare at her and she just smiled back before leaning off of the door and walking from her side of the room to his.

"I'll wait in your office shall I?" She asked, "Or would you like to take away house points first?"

He sneered at her jib but waved his hand at the door to his office and they heard it softly click as it unlocked. She smiled at him one last time and walked to the door, slipping silently out of the way of his class once more. She had to wait another half an hour before he emerged again looking as sullen as ever. He walked over to his liquor cabinet without a word to her and pulled out two glasses, filling them with firewhisky as he went.

"Am I to assume that this is not a social visit?" He asked her, his tone devoid of the bite that she had become used to over her years as a student. A friendly atmosphere had come between them once she had gotten him off his charges as a Death Eater and had remained there. They weren't close and never would be, but there was a mutual bond of equality that rested upon the air.

"No," she said gravely, "I have a favour to ask of you."

He tipped the glass to his lips and gestured for her to continue.

"I am in need of a body guard," she told him after she had finished her own glass.

"Don't your idiot Auror and Quidditch Queen function as guard dogs?" He asked her, "You hardly need another."

She gave a slight chuckle but turned back to business quickly.

"You wouldn't be guarding me," she told him. This made him stop drinking and place his glass on the desk before them. He looked at her with interest now.

"And to whom would my services be offered?" He asked her, "Who is it that none of the Aurors will take?"

She took a deep breath.

"Lucius Malfoy," she told him heavily. He slowly closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands.

"So you are the one Shaklebolt enlisted to defend him," he mused, "Rumours travel just as quickly around the old Order as they do around Hogwarts. I had thought that you may be his first choice."

"First and only," she snorted, "He subpoenaed me."

The man raised his eyebrows at her.

"You must have had a very firm resistance for him to resort to that."

"He practically chased me around the ministry," she told him.

There was a slight pause in which Snape leaned back in his seat and observed her.

"And how do Potter and Weasley feel about this?"

"Harry's offered to protect me at all costs and Ron has gone off his nut," she said bitterly, "But they aren't why I'm here. With Harry looking after me I need someone to look after Malfoy and as you rightly said none of the Aurors will do it."

"Malfoy is safe in Azkaban."

"If he's anything like Sirius was I have plans to get him out of there," she told him firmly, "If I'm going to get him off, he needs to be able to form coherent sentences and not be in fear of the dementors sucking out his soul. Why the idiots don't destroy the things is beyond me. As a result, Malfoy will be living with me, which means that if you accept you will be too."

"Why me?" He asked, "Why not McGonagall or Shaklebolt himself?"

"Because I'm not speaking with the Minister at the moment," she glared at him, "And although Minerva would be more than willing, I need someone that Malfoy is going to be comfortable with, someone that's not going to feel like a body guard but more like support. You are still in touch with him, yes?"

Severus looked down at his glass.

"Yes."

"It is a friendly correspondence?"

"Yes."

"Then you are my first and only choice," she told him, "If you don't take me up on my offer then there is no one else who would be suitable. With working on his case I can not look out for him all the time and I doubt very much whether my staff will do it at my command either."

He looked at her for several moments and then downed his firewhisky.

"I'll do it on one condition Granger," he finally said, "I get my own room."

***

Hermione moved through Diagon Alley with a relieved smile on her face half an hour later. Severus had agreed so that was one obstacle out of the way, perhaps the most difficult. With a guard for Malfoy on standby she was now free to do what she needed to get him out of Azkaban without fear of assassination. She sat down at Florien Fortescue's ice-cream shop, her face absolutely glowing. Lavender was coming to visit her for lunch and then after that she would go back to her department to see her…other employee. He would be the hardest to convince but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. Then she would make her most dreaded visit to Azkaban to see her new client. She wasn't looking forward to it and the dementors had nothing to do with it. She hadn't laid eyes on Malfoy since the war ended. The moment Voldemort's body fell to the ground she had pointed her wand to him, stopping him from running. She was the reason that he was in there, the look of hatred he had given her that day still chilled her when she thought about it. It was almost funny to think that he wanted her to get him out.

She ordered a banana split when the waiter came out to see her and waited for Lavender to arrive. It had been a while since they had spoken to each other properly. Lavender was busy with her journalism career these days and Hermione wasn't exactly swimming in free time. They had sent a few owls to one another over the years but that was where their friendship began and ended. Hermione wondered if it would be strong enough to get her old friend to do something like this.

She saw the woman walking down the alley and rose to greet her. Lavender hadn't really changed all that much. She was still a beautiful woman and she still radiated confidence, something that every journalist should have. She walked over to Hermione in her Prada shoes and hugged her warmly.

"You have no idea how grateful I am that you invited me to lunch," she told her, "If it wasn't for you I would be stuck in my office trying to fend of Zacharias Smith for the umpteenth time."

"The pleasure is all mine," Hermione answered with a smile as the woman let go.

"So how have you been?" Lavender asked her once they both sat and Lavender placed her own order of a triple chocolate chip sundae, "I hear you're doing well in Magical Law Enforcement."

"Very well," she told her, "I've been doing nothing but putting away Death Eaters since I started."

"If anyone deserves to do it it's you," she smiled.

"How have you been going?" Hermione asked her, "Last time you owled me you said that you had just gotten a promotion."

Lavender nodded enthusiastically.

"I now have my own column in the Daily Prophet," she told her excitedly, "An entire page all to myself on what ever I want. Can you believe it? I never thought I would get this far this quickly, it's unbelievable."

"I always knew you'd do well," Hermione smiled as their ice-cream came but sighed when the waiter left, "I have to say though, this visit isn't exactly innocent."

"I thought as much," the other woman smirked, "Everything you do has a motivation Hermione. I would have been a fool to think otherwise. What do you need?"

"I've been given a very high profile case by the Minister," she explained, "I'll admit that I didn't want to take it and the Minister had to order me to do it so I won't at all be offended if you decide to turn me down. I'm in need of a researcher, someone who can get what I need quickly, quietly and without a fuss. Someone who has a back bone and won't cave when the media asks them about the case."

"You want me?" She asked excitedly, "Who are you defending?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

Pavarti's smile suddenly faded and she looked at Hermione in shock.

"Merlin Hermione," she whispered, "No wonder the Minister had to order you to do it. How are you coping?"

"I'm alright," she told her, "I'm just trying to get everything together so that I can try to get him out of jail. Look Pavarti, you're the only person I trust to do this. I know you're against the idea of him getting out and I know that I'm asking a lot but please just think-"

"I'll do it."

"Because it would mean a lot- Wait, what?"

"I said I'll do it," she smiled, "You need all the help you can get for this case and if I can make it any easier I will."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the woman. She tried to look innocent for a few minutes but then huffed and put her spoon back down.

"Oh alright," she admitted, "I was hoping you would let me interview you and Malfoy afterwards if you won. It would do wonders for my career."

"Lavender if we win it will be a miracle," Hermione smiled before taking a bite out of her ice-cream, "But if we do, I'd be more than happy to grant you an interview."

***

She had been sitting inside his office for quite some time now. He must know that she was here or otherwise he would have walked in over three hours ago. He was avoiding her, so he must've known what case she would come calling on him soon enough. But she was Hermione Granger, she would wait all night for him if she had to and he knew it too. She would just sit in her chair, twiddling her thumbs or hexing flies off the ceiling until he walked in with a scowl on his face, ready to tell her to bugger off at any moment. Only he wouldn't get a chance to shoo her away. She would stay put and not give him any room to speak. They had never been on the best of terms but they had never been on the worst either, something that she was eternally grateful for. Even when she had gotten him off his own charges the relationship had been strained but there was still some form of loose respect there. So she would wait for him and he would avoid her until the last minute and then all hell would break loose.

The door finally opened a crack and let a few rays of light into the shaded room. A hasty spell was muttered and the lights flickered on to reveal a handsome middle aged man with dark locks and even darker eyes. His hair hung loosely over his eyes and his immaculate robes seemed to shine in the light, setting off his eyes nicely.

"I had hoped that you would have gone home Granger," he said as he walked past her and straight to his liquor cabinet. Did all these wizards drink? It was one thing for Severus to be drinking at ten in the morning but this was different.

"You should know how persistent I am by now Lestrange," she said, looking down at her fingers as they circled over her wand, "After all, if I wasn't you would be rotting in Azkaban with your brother and his mad wife for a second time."

"And I told you when you got me off that I was grateful for your help," he said bitingly, "But I'm not so grateful that I would stand to be in Malfoy's presence any longer. I'm not going to help you."

"You've helped me with other cases where Death Eaters have been involved," she said sharply, standing from her seat and walking over to him, "What makes this one any different?"

"The fact that you were putting those Death Eater's in Azkaban, not getting them out!" He hissed at her, "Malfoy deserves to be in there, you can't deny that."

"No I can't," she whispered as she drew level with him and looked him in the eye, "Malfoy is the last person on earth that I would want to defend but the fact remains that I have to and you are the only person that can help me do it."

He looked down at her for a moment and appeared to be contemplating it but after sculling back his whisky he slammed his glass on the table and looked at her coldly.

"No."

He went to walk past her but she stood in his way.

"What if I paid you extra?"

"I'd sooner burn your money than spend it."

"What if I got your brother out of Azkaban?"

"I'd kill you for it," he told her coldly.

"What if I gave him another life sentence?"

"I doubt he'll live past his first six."

"Then what do you want?" She asked him exhaustedly, "I am willing to do almost anything here. I don't want you to help me because I think you're a barrel of laughs, on the contrary, I believe you to be about as delightful as Severus Snape confronted with a bottle of shampoo. I chose you for my second chair because you're smart, you're ruthless in cross examination and you are one of the only other people in this department with a brain. The one other person I could ask would sooner shave his head, wax his legs and let me use him for a surf board before he helped me get his father out of prison."

"Ok, I don't know what a surf board is but that still doesn't change my mind," he told her sternly, "You know, the prosecution is probably going to call me as a witness which gives me a conflict of interest in this case. You can't use me anyway."

"The prosecution is more than likely going to call up me too but I will slay that dragon when it decides to eat me," she huffed, "The point is that I'm willing to pay any price to get your help."

This time he really was considering it. He folded his arms over his chest and peered down at her before pouring himself another glass of whisky.

"I want my freedom," he said simply.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"I can't go anywhere without people staring at me," he told her bluntly, "You may have been able to prove that I was under the imperious curse for half of my life but that doesn't change the fact that the wizarding world doesn't trust me. Certain bars and restaurants won't let me inside, people run in the opposite direction when they see me on the streets…Normally I wouldn't worry about this but I have a daughter now and I don't want her subjected to the same prejudice. That shouldn't be her fate."

Hermione stared up at him, a plan already formulating in her mind. It would take a little manipulation on her part but if she could pull it off the rewards would be great.

"If you can make that go away," he whispered, "I would be in your debt for the rest of my life."

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll find a way to get the world off your back and leave your daughter alone," she told him, "We leave in ten minutes for Azkaban."