Warnings: Dystopia, very brief allusion to a past rape (non-graphic).

Author Notes: Thank you so much to maelwaedd and emerald_dragon8 for the beta!

burn out the sun: part I

This is the story mothers will tell their children as they tuck them in at night. They will tell of a time when the Dark Arts rampaged and everybody knew the difference between right and wrong, but many chose the wrong path. They will tell of a time where all of this was put right and the rule of law triumphed once more. This story will lull babes in their cradles, make children sleep easily in their beds and reassure adults who made all the decisions.

The end. The happy fairy tale result where everybody lives happily ever after and the bad guys always, always end up dead.

No.

That story is a lie.

That story ignores the fact that they made all the wrong decisions and gave away precious freedom for the empty promises that their streets were once again safe from the threat the Dark Arts posed. But they were wrong. They were all wrong.

This is the real story.

This is reality.

The first year after the end of the war was a year of relief. Hermione remembered an overwhelming feeling of happiness at being alive and healthy. She eagerly signed all the petitions that sought to improve the living conditions for those who had been injured in both of the Voldemort Wars. She had a job at the Ministry working on werewolf rights. It was a time of innocence that Hermione remembered fondly.

It was the second year after the end of the war when whispers of insurgency began. At first there were only a few articles in the Prophet about pureblood youth gatherings and how that was how the first war began and how the Minister should act before it was too late. Hermione remembered how Kingsley stood up before the Wizengamot and declared that they were not going to trample on the rights of anybody, regardless of their views. She remembered how one woman in the audience had screamed at Kingsley about how she had lost her only daughter in the war and how uncomfortable the members of the Wizengamot had looked when Kingsley fumbled over his reply.

Kingsley Shacklebolt lost the next election by a landslide. He was replaced by a smiling, charismatic wizard by the name of Arius Gamp who promised strength, leadership and above all, a crackdown on dark magic.

Hermione supported the first Gamp law. It made sense that they would do something to try to control dark magic. While she didn't agree with burning the books, she could see how that also made sense. Without access to materials, future dark wizards couldn't wreak the damage Voldemort did; they couldn't create Horcruxes.

And after that, it was easy to support the subsequent laws. She had already taken the first steps down that dark road and it was a simple process to continue to put one foot after another. It wasn't until years later that she looked around and realised she didn't like what she saw. The world had shifted and warped around her and she hadn't even realised.

The realisation terrified her and led her down the meandering steps that led to an old cast iron door and the miserable man who lived within. Taking a deep breath, Hermione lifted a hand and rapped sharply on the door, ignoring the pain in her knuckles. It seemed like an age before the door swung open. Hermione looked around quickly. It had almost become second nature to be secretive nowadays. You never knew who was watching. "I need your help," she said flatly.

Snape stared at her wordlessly for several seconds – seconds that seemed to stretch and warp into eternity for her – before he held his door open.

"And what of your friends?"

Hermione wrapped her fingers around a steaming cup of tea, and stared up at Snape. He barely looked older than the man who had taught them at Hogwarts except for the dark smudges underneath his eyes and the bitter twist of his lips. He had always looked tired, but the man sitting in front of her looked on edge. More on edge than when he had been a double agent for Professor Dumbledore, she realised. "What of them?" she asked sharply.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "What do they think of your over-active imagination?"

Hermione took a sip of the tea and almost spat it out. It was far stronger than what she was used to. "They think we're safe," she said studying Snape through her eyelashes. "They don't think anything's wrong."

Snape drummed his fingers on the table. Hermione couldn't help but watch the way he moved his long fingers, stained with the ingredients of a thousand potions. "Crime is practically non-existent," he said almost conversationally. "Gamp did everything that he promised. Dark magic has been banned. Hogwarts library is missing an entire section. You can't deny the results."

"And an entire generation of students at Hogwarts are being taught home economics instead of Defence against the Dark Arts," Hermione said flatly. "They're being shown the best ways to cook with magic, the most efficient ways to clean up but absolutely nothing about how to defend themselves. Gamp championed that idea back when he was teaching at Hogwarts, but people only listen now because he's Minister."

"Tom Riddle excelled in Defence against the Dark Arts. As has every other Dark Lord in recorded history."

"It's unnecessary in our society. We are safe. We no longer have Dark Lords prowling the streets preying on the innocent," Hermione said bitterly. She remembered the last speech by Gamp all too well. It was the speech that had seemed to penetrate through the fog that she had been living in for the past ten years. The abolishment of any sort of defensive training in Hogwarts seemed ridiculous, regardless of how safe their society was.

"You can't deny the logic," Snape said smoothly.

Hermione stared at him. "I can, and I will," she told him. There was a knot in her stomach. What she was saying was close to sedition. The penalties around the sedition laws were heavily cloaked and even as a prosecutor for the Ministry, Hermione wasn't sure of some of them. She kept her gaze fixed on Snape. She had taken a risk in coming here. Although Snape was a free citizen, there was something of the aura of having been a former Death Eater that still stuck to him. It was unwise to be seen to be close with somebody like him. But it was exactly that reason that Hermione had decided to come to Snape for help. Surely, out of everybody, Snape would know the signs. He'd been here; he'd seen a Dark Lord rise before.

Snape's expression was closed and his gaze seemed to look straight into her. "You're treading a thin line."

Hermione pursed her lips. "I want to find out the truth," she said. "Our world's changed. I can't be the only person who sees that."

She was surprised by Snape's bitter laugh. "Of course you're not the only one, Miss Granger," he said. "I don't suppose you know that I spoke out against Arius Gamp when he first began enacting his new set of laws."

Hermione frowned. She didn't know that. Then again, back then, she had been too busy to notice much about the laws. She'd been too concerned with building her career and there had always been that niggling fear at the bottom of her stomach that if she spoke out, she could ruin everything. "I guess that didn't go well."

Snape's lips twisted. "You guess correctly," he said, his words laced with distaste. "The word of a former Death Eater didn't mean much when Gamp wanted to ensure the safety of England's children."

"So you do know that this," Hermione waved her hands around, "this whole world is wrong."

"Of course I do," Snape snapped. "You'd have to be blind or stupid not to."

At the back of her mind, Hermione registered that insult against almost everybody she knew, everybody who supported Arius Gamp. "They're trying to create a safer world, a better world," she said slowly. "It's not their fault."

"Excuses," Snape said acidly. "Excuses that will destroy us all. They cannot see who Gamp truly is."

Hermione could feel her heart leaping up into her throat, which closed up. She coughed and could hear the hammering of her heartbeat.

"Don't look so surprised, Miss Granger," Snape told her. "Isn't that why you came to see me?"

It was. But she hadn't expected him to put a voice to her fears. She hadn't expected him to be so blunt, yet, now that she'd heard the words, she couldn't stop them from echoing in her mind. They cannot see who Gamp truly is. "He's not..." she began. "He can't be."

Snape waved a dismissive hand. "He is. Or somebody high up in the Ministry is. Gamp could just be a figurehead, but there is some dark magic brewing over the air of England. There has been for some time."

"And Gamp already has control of everything," Hermione said slowly. It was true. She'd been front and centre in helping to enact a lot of Gamp's new laws. She had prosecuted many people, seemingly ordinary men and women who had been brought in on Dark Arts charges. And then there were the rumours of the new prison being built where the worst offenders were sent. Those who could not be allowed in with Azkaban's general population.

Snape gave her a long look. "Not everything," he finally said. "Nobody has control of everything."

Hermione turned to him. "Will you help?" she said quickly before she lost courage, before she ended up losing the last vestiges of the passionate fourteen year old girl she had once been. "We need to put things right."

"It's not that simple," Snape said flatly.

"It is," Hermione insisted. She stood up and smoothed down her robes. "It is just that simple when you know you're doing the right thing."

"A little bit late, isn't it?" Snape's voice was mocking.

Hermione dug her nails into her palms hard, but not hard enough to leave marks. She couldn't afford to have to explain that away at work. "I thought you could help," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "but obviously I'm wrong. Clearly you're just a coward."

Snape's eyes flashed and he sneered. "You forget, Miss Granger, that I'm not one of your precious friends. I wasn't a Gryffindor like you. Cowardice can save lives."

Hermione couldn't stop the surge of disappointment from swamping her. She had hoped... well, she wasn't sure what she had hoped to achieve by coming here. Maybe she'd hoped that Snape could listen to her, confirm that she was right, and help her do what was necessary. Hermione bit back a laugh. She wasn't a revolutionary. She might campaign for rights for werewolves and house elves, but she had no idea how to plan the overthrow of a government. She wasn't even sure that they needed to overthrow Gamp. The only thing she knew was the overwhelming sensation that something in their world was terribly wrong and she needed to do something about it.

"See?" Snape's voice dragged her back to reality. "It's not so easy, is it?"

"What isn't?"

"To know what's wrong and to do something about it are two different things," Snape told her. "One is far easier than the other."

Hermione glared at him as she picked up her bag. Without another word, she walked towards the door and let herself out. Once outside, Hermione wanted to slump against the wall, but she knew that there was always the possibility that somebody was watching. She squared her chin and began to walk back to the centre of Hogsmeade where she could floo back to work.

Hermione sat at her desk and tried to focus on her work. She stared at the deposition and tried to concentrate on the words but they kept on blurring before her eyes. She took a long gulp of her coffee, but it didn't seem to help. She kept on thinking about Snape and what he said about Gamp. The world had been so easy once, she realised with sudden clarity. She never appreciated it at Hogwarts, but back then, they were so sure about what was right and wrong and it was so easy to realise who to fight against.

She dipped her quill in ink and tapped the end gently against the parchment. Blotches of ink appeared on the blank sheet, but she ignored them. Whenever she didn't know what to write, she ended up tapping ink onto parchment and creating elaborate patterns. She tended to go through more parchment than several of her co-workers combined, but it tended to help her think. And right now, Hermione thought she needed all the help she could get. She still had to go through at least ten witness statements for her latest case before the end of the day, but at this rate, she'd be lucky if she finished one.

"You look like you need coffee."

Hermione blinked and looked up to see one of her co-workers standing there. "Thanks Anna, but I already have one," she said, indicating her cup.

"Maybe a stronger one?" Anna suggested with a grin. "You look really tired."

"Mmm," Hermione agreed. "It's been a long day."

"So where'd you end up disappearing off to during lunch?" Anna asked as she drew up a chair. Her brown eyes were curious as she crossed her legs and leaned backwards in the chair.

Hermione fought to keep her expression calm and her voice even. Just because somebody was asking didn't mean anything, she told herself. Anna had always been a curious person. Invariably, every day, she seemed to find an excuse to stop by everybody's desks and chat. "I just went to visit an old friend," she said. "Took longer than I thought."

Anna winked. "I have old friend like that too."

"Not like that!" Hermione exclaimed. "It was just an old friend from Hogwarts. We haven't seen each other in years and I thought it'd be nice to catch up." She was proud of how she managed to not lie.

"So was it?"

Hermione frowned.

"Was it nice to catch up?" Anna elaborated.

"Not really," Hermione said slowly. "It didn't go as well as I'd planned. I doubt I'll see this friend again."

"It's too bad," Anna said, sounding sympathetic. She stood up and pushed the chair back. "Well, I should be getting back to work."

"Me too," Hermione said, looking around at all the parchments strewn around her desk. "It seems like every few minutes, an owl comes by and drops off another deposition. I'm beginning to think I should keep a bird feeder at my desk."

"I have an adorable parrot at home," Anna said. "I don't really like owls though. They smell." Her nose wrinkled delicately.

Privately, Hermione didn't think that parrots smelled that nice either, but she just smiled and nodded. "Well, I should be working," she said.

"I know, I know," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "Me too."

Hermione watched as she walked off.

There was a letter sitting on Hermione's kitchen table when she got home the next day. As soon as Hermione saw it, she could feel her heartbeat quicken. She grabbed her wand out of her pocket and scanned the room. There was nobody there, but she couldn't help double-checking that all the doors were locked and then yanking open cupboard and pantry doors to make sure that nobody was inside. It was only then that Hermione felt comfortable sitting down at her kitchen table and opening the letter. She kept her wand next to her on the table, just in case.

Hermione ripped the envelope open and began scanning the contents. Her eyes widened as she read the short note. Snape wanted her to meet him. She frowned. That was strange given their conversation today. And how on earth had he managed to get the note inside her kitchen? After all, she always kept her doors and windows tightly locked.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione almost jumped out of her skin. She grabbed her wand and spun around in her chair. "What on earth are you doing here?" she snapped.

Snape emerged from the shadows and smirked. "You ought to be more careful," he told her.

"You broke into my apartment," she accused. "I could call the Aurors on you right now."

"But you won't," he said smoothly. "Not after what you told me today. You wouldn't incriminate yourself like that, would you?"

Hermione pressed her lips together into a tight line. "You have no proof."

"How many people have you put away?" Snape asked her harshly. "Tell me, Miss Granger, how many of these people did you believe were innocent? How many people had very little evidence against them?"

Hermione's hands shook as she pushed herself away from the table and stood up. "How dare you?" she said. "How dare you!"

"You're complicit in the plans of Gamp's Ministry, whether you like it or not," Snape told her flatly. His eyes glittered and she felt a sudden shiver of fear. Why had she gone to him? Why hadn't she gone to Harry or Ron or somebody else? But as soon as the thought entered her mind, Hermione knew why she hadn't gone to anybody else. She'd tried talking to other people about her fears, but they had just laughed them out. Ron had even gone as far as to call her paranoid.

"So are you."

"Of course." Snape's voice was bitter. "So is everybody else who sits by while he slowly erodes every single bit of freedom we gained by the Dark Lord's death."

Hermione couldn't help but notice that Snape still called him the Dark Lord. Old habits die hard, obviously. "But like you said, what can we do?" she said, hating the note of helplessness in her voice. "Do you have a candidate we can place against him in the next elections?"

Snape gave a snort of disbelief. "Do you really believe that such a candidate has a chance? Do you remember the last elections?"

Hermione frowned. She remembered that Gamp had won with a landslide. She hadn't actually voted for him then because she thought the woman running against him had some good ideas, but there had been some personal issues that had tainted her campaign. The Prophet had ended up dragging her name through the dirt a week before the election. What was Snape trying to imply? "Are you trying to say..." She coughed; the words felt like they were stuck in her throat.

"Did you know that she died a year after the election?" Snape asked.

"Yes," Hermione said slowly. She remembered the article. There was something about a sordid affair and a murder suicide.

"No candidate would stand a chance," Snape said, his lip curled.

Hermione couldn't believe what he was saying. Or rather what he wasn't saying. He didn't seem to want to come out in the open and actually say the words. She opened her mouth to say them, but they didn't seem to come out. It seemed ridiculous.

Snape took a few steps forward until he was looming over her, his dark eyes glittering. "Do you know what you're toying with, Miss Granger? This isn't a political party you can join."

She could hear the unspoken words: this is revolution. Swallowing, Hermione nodded. "I believe we need to change," she said. "We need to do something." She looked up at Snape and was surprised to see an amused glitter in his eyes.

"That's the Miss Granger I remember from Hogwarts."

"Call me Hermione," she said sharply. "Miss Granger makes me feel as though I'm eleven." Hermione held his gaze as he seemed to study her.

"Very well, Hermione," Snape finally said. Her name sounded odd coming out of his mouth.

Hermione looked up at him and took a deep breath. Somehow she felt off-balance around him. It was as though he was deliberately acting in a way to keep her off-kilter. "Lead the way, Severus," she told him. There was a flare of surprise in his eyes when she used his given name, but that was replaced by a grim look and a nod.

"Very well."

Hermione stared.

"You didn't imagine that you were the only person to notice that something was wrong, did you?" Lucius drawled as he sipped from a brandy glass. The image he made against the starkness of the room was incongruous. If Hermione just looked at him, she could have imagined that he was still the patriarch of the Malfoy fortune, instead of a man who had been in Azkaban for the better part of the last ten years.

"I thought you were dead," she finally managed to say.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at Snape. "Such a lack of manners," he said smoothly. "Whatever did you teach them, Severus?"

"Potions," Snape said tightly. "Not decorum. Now, perhaps we could get down to business?"

Hermione stared around the small, sparsely decorated room. "This is it?" she blurted out.

Snape's eyes flashed. "Did you imagine that I was secreting an entire army in my basement?"

"Well, no," Hermione said. In fact, she had been rather surprised when Snape had taken her back to his place and shown her down the steep stairs. She had felt a tingle of magic as she walked in the room that told her the entire room was warded against scrying. There wasn't a fireplace so nobody could floo in and she suspected that Snape had set up wards against anybody Apparating in either. "I was surprised at the company you keep down here."

Lucius smirked. "I prefer it here."

"Do you now?" was the only thing Hermione could think of saying. She turned to Snape. "So what are you planning? To surprise them with our numbers?" She looked around the room and saw a chair. Walking over to the chair, Hermione pulled it out and sat down. She needed to be seated for this. It wasn't as though she hadn't done this before, but with Harry, it had always felt like they were on the defensive, waiting for the next attack from Voldemort. Now, she was on the offensive.

"We unmask Arius Gamp. We show the world who he really is."

Hermione stared at Snape. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Lucius let out a dry chuckle. "I can see why you like this one."

Hermione blinked rapidly. What on earth was that supposed to mean? She looked over at Snape but he simply shifted and looked away from her. She could feel her cheeks heat up. "We need to force his hand," she said slowly, frowning in thought. "We need to force him to do something that'll make everybody see who he is."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "And how should we force his hand?"

Hermione fought off the helpless feeling that was edging in on her. She kept on feeling as though she was getting in way over her head and that there was no way this was going to work. Was this how Harry had felt? It was so much easier just going along with the rules that other people had set. "In a few weeks, the Ministry is hosting its annual ball to celebrate the downfall of Voldemort."

Lucius's upper lip curled. "I suppose you have tickets to this auspicious event?"

"I have," Hermione confirmed. "So do all the important people within the Ministry. If we can do something there, show Gamp's true colours..."

"Then that's all we have to do," Snape finished off for her.

"Exactly," Hermione said. Her words sounded confident, but inwardly, a part of her was wondering what she was doing here. Just a few days ago, she was living a normal, non-criminal life. Sure she'd had her doubts. She'd had nagging doubts for years, but she hadn't done anything about them. Then, in one fit of impulsiveness, she had gone to visit Severus Snape and since then, everything in her life had just seemed to unravel like a ball of wool. She had the uncanny sensation that she was sliding down a hill and there was nothing she could do to stop herself. From a normal citizen one day, and a few days later, she was now plotting the overthrow of the government with two former Death Eaters.

Hermione turned her head and she could see Snape staring intently at her. "You're doing the right thing," Snape told her.

"I'm not getting cold feet," Hermione said tartly.

"Of course not." Hermione looked over at Lucius who smirked at her. "They could have you sentenced under the sedition laws faster than you could blink just for having this conversation," Lucius said. "I'm sure, Miss Granger, that as a Ministry prosecutor, you are well aware of this fact."

Hermione was aware of that fact. Painfully aware, to be honest. She had seen the haunted faces of the prisoners she had prosecuted for sedition. "I know," she snapped. "On this note, how do I know that you two won't turn me in?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow and Snape just sneered.

"Right," Hermione said. Somehow, she doubted she had anything to worry about in that department.

Hermione found herself glancing over her shoulder as she walked to work the following morning. The back of her neck prickled, almost as though somebody was watching her secretly, but she told herself that it was just her imagination. There would be nobody watching her. After all, what could they hope to gain by watching an ordinary Ministry prosecutor? Except for the fact that she was currently in league with several former Death Eaters, her mind supplied helpfully, but Hermione mentally stomped down on that thought. She was just being paranoid, albeit with good reason.

She sighed as she saw her face reflected in the shiny glass doors of the Ministry. It looked as though she hadn't slept in days. It was difficult to imagine that she was going to work as normal as though nothing had happened. Although, she reflected, it wasn't as though they had drawn up concrete plans. It wasn't as though they were planning to blow up anything. They were just trying to unmask Gamp for who he really was. It wasn't as though they were terrorists. She had nothing to worry about.

"You okay?"

Hermione jumped as she spun around to see the concerned face of Anna. "Fine," she said quickly. "Why'd you ask?"

"You just look..." Anna frowned, as though she was trying to think of the right word. "A bit concerned. That's all."

Concerned. Hermione smiled wryly. That was one way to describe it. She kept on feeling as though something ought to happen, that she ought to be still in Snape's basement plotting something, or that she should be on the run. After all, that's what usually happened in books and movies. Instead, she was going to work as normal and to top it off, she had a giant pile of paperwork to file. "I just didn't sleep well," she said, trying to smile normally.

The slight raising of one of Anna's eyebrows told Hermione that her fake smile hadn't succeeded. "Take a mental health day," Anna advised. "You really look like you need it. Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing except that huge lot of paperwork on my desk," Hermione said lightly.

Anna laughed. "Well, if you're sure you don't want to talk..."

Hermione took a few steps towards the bathroom. She hated it when people pressed her for information especially when it should have been blatantly obvious she wasn't interested in talking. "I need to go to the bathroom," she said, trying to sound apologetic. "Look, I'll see you upstairs." Anna waved as Hermione started walking towards the bathroom.

Thankfully, the bathroom was empty. Hermione stared at herself in the mirror and winced at the dark circles underneath her eyes. Reaching down, she turned the tap on and splashed some cold water on her face. That made it a little bit better, except her heart still seemed to thrumming so loudly that Hermione felt as though everybody could hear it. Leaning forward and holding onto the sink, Hermione resisted the urge to lean her forehead against the cool glass.

"What am I getting myself into?" she whispered softly.

The problem was that Hermione didn't know. It was all very well for people like Lucius and Snape. They'd done this before. She hadn't; she's tried her best obey the law. Hermione sighed. Obviously that had been useless. She'd ended up in the same position as former Death Eaters.

And the worst part was that she knew that they were doing the right thing. It felt as though her entire world was turned upside down and shaken around. What was the world coming to where former Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy were doing the right thin whereas her friends like Harry and Ron just stuck their heads in the proverbial sand and ignored everything around them?

Hermione just didn't know any more.

It was two days later before Snape seemed to materialise in her living room. One minute, she was looking around the seemingly empty room and the next minute, he was emerging from a shadowy corner. Hermione glared at him. "How on earth did you get here?" she demanded.

Snape smirked. "Magic."

Hermione folded her arms across her chest. "No you didn't," she snapped. "I have this place warded against unwanted Floo calls and Apparating."

"You ought to be more careful," Snape told her as he took a step forward. "If you aren't, then anybody could follow you home and just break in."

Hermione stared at him. Did he mean that he had broken in using Muggle means? She resisted the urge to turn around to stare at her door. She didn't have an alarm system because she couldn't find one compatible with her magical wards, but she did have deadbolts and she always kept her door locked. How many precautions was she supposed to take? "I suppose you want me to put a bottle on top of my doorknob."

Snape raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Seven years at Hogwarts, and that's the best you can come up with, Miss Granger?"

"So we're back to Miss Granger, are we?" Hermione retorted. "I thought we were equals in this."

Snape's face had a sour look. "Hermione, then," he said after a long pause.

"So how did you get in my apartment?"

"I broke in," Snape said simply. "Now, come with me."

Hermione stared. "Come with you?" she repeated. "That was... abrupt. Care to explain where we're going?"

"No," Snape said shortly. Then he did something odd. He looked up at the ceiling and then tapped his ears. She was about to ask him what he was doing when he placed his fingers on his lips. "I thought we could go and discuss that job opportunity I was talking to you about."

"I have charms up to detect listening spells," Hermione said with exasperation. She walked over to the bookshelf and picked up an ornamental cat. "If there are any charms that can pick up what's been said in this room, then the cat's eyes will glow green."

Snape almost looked impressed. "Not that subtle, but effective," he said slowly. "I assume you charmed the cat yourself?"

"Of course," Hermione said. It hadn't been an easy charm, but it wasn't one of the more difficult ones she had performed either. The ones on her windows were probably a lot more complicated.

"You have the makings of a good spy," Snape told her, looking almost amused.

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond so she settled for something neutral. "Thank you." She wasn't sure whether she liked the idea of Snape thinking that she'd make a good spy. In fact, gaining Snape's approval wasn't exactly something that she wanted. She let out a slow sigh. "Lead on then," she said, gesturing towards the door.

Snape's cloak swirled around him as he stalked out of the door. After a brief pause, Hermione followed him. She watched as Snape walked down the corridor without so much as an explanation of where they were going.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked as she hurried after him.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Where do you think?"

Hermione took that to mean that they were going to his house. "No need to be so cryptic," she grumbled.

Snape's upper lip curled. "Who's being cryptic?"

Hermione didn't think it was worth answering that question. She simply folded her lips into a thin line and followed Snape as he walked out of the building.

"So you're with us then," Lucius said, sounding surprised as Hermione followed Snape into the room.

"I am," Hermione said. She turned to Snape and narrowed her eyes. "I thought we'd smoothed out all of this last time."

"We still have details to discuss," Snape told her.

Hermione frowned. That was right. Although, the more they discussed this, the more she wanted to bury her head under the figurative sand pile and never think about it anymore. "We need to be careful about meeting," she said slowly. "We can't draw suspicion." She turned to Snape. "And don't you dare break into my apartment again." Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Lucius smirk.

"Very well," Snape said. "But I expect you to be more careful about surveillance. Get alarm systems installed, both Muggle and wizarding. I know of a Muggle company that produces systems compatible with magic."

Despite herself, Hermione couldn't stop a surge of interest.

"Also, I would like us to meet at least twice a week," Snape said. "Here, if possible. I trust my own security systems."

Hermione pursed her lips. Her apartment was perfectly secure. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but then she thought better of it. She didn't want Snape and Lucius invading her apartment. "Fine with me," she said curtly. "Is that all?"

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" Lucius drawled.

"Yes, actually," Hermione snapped. She looked at her watch. "I'm supposed to be meeting Harry and Ron in Hogsmeade in half an hour for dinner. So if you've finished this little abduction, then I'd like to leave."

"I expect to see you back here same time on Thursday," Snape told her. "Unless other arrangements are made, we will meet on Sunday and Thursdays."

Hermione mentally flicked through her calendar. "I'm free on those nights," she said.

Snape sneered. "Good to know that we fit within your busy social schedule."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You said to be careful," she said. "It wouldn't do to deviate too much from my normal social schedule, would it?" She gave him a pointed look and was pleased when Snape gave a grudging nod.

"Be here on time," was all that Snape said.

"I will," Hermione told him as she walked towards the door.

"Oh," Hermione said as she opened the door. "I'd expected..." She trailed off.

"You had expected Severus to be here?" Lucius finished smoothly for her. He stood up and walked over to her. She shivered slightly as he reached over and took her coat. "Let me put that up for you."

"Thanks," Hermione said, trying not to lean backwards. She didn't feel comfortable with him so close to her. "So where is Severus? He was the one who said not to be late." His name still felt strange on her tongue. It was as though he was forever ingrained within her mind as Professor Snape. She still certainly thought about him that way.

"He has work," Lucius told her.

Hermione blinked rapidly. She didn't really think about the fact that Snape had a job but now that Lucius mentioned it, she could remember having reading about his new potions within Potions Monthly. "So, when will he be back?" she asked, hoping that it would be soon, especially after that whole song and dance Snape had made about her having to be on time. Besides, she didn't really want to spend time alone with Lucius. His manner made her feel uncomfortable. He was too smooth, too controlled and far too gentlemanly. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Soon," Lucius said calmly. "Feel free to sit down."

Gingerly, Hermione perched herself down on the couch and placed her bag down beside her. She looked around the room, trying to think of something to say but nothing came to mind. It was Lucius Malfoy. She couldn't make small talk with somebody like that. "So," she said. "What now?"

"We're waiting for Severus," Lucius said, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"I meant regarding what we're ... doing. Are we going to make more detailed plans? So we know who's doing what? And so we plan it more thoroughly and figure out whether it's likely to succeed or not." Hermione took a deep breath when she realised that she was beginning to babble.

Lucius stared at her. "And perhaps you could draw up work plans for all of us? A chart? A couple of graphs?"

Hermione glared at him. "I just meant that we needed to plan this out a little bit more."

"That's what today is for," Lucius told her. "Once Severus arrives, that is."

Hermione fiddled with the strap on her bag and resisted the urge to take out a book and read it. It would be rude, but then again, she didn't particularly care about being rude to Lucius. Like Severus, he always made her feel off-guard. "Good," she said.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like a cup of tea?" Lucius remarked as he sat down and leaned backwards. His long fingernails were tapping a rhythm on his legs.

"I'm sure," she told him. There was no way she felt comfortable drinking a cup of tea made by Lucius Malfoy.

The silence seemed to stretch between them like a chasm. Hermione thought about opening her mouth to say something, but her mind couldn't seem to come up with anything. She could have commented on his current living conditions, which seemed to be in Snape's dungeons, but she suspected that conversation would have been even more awkward.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Snape's arrival usually wasn't cause for celebration, but she was very thankful when she saw his long nose and sour expression appear as he opened the door. "You're here already," he said as his gaze fell on Hermione.

"I am," she said dryly. "I've been chatting here with Lucius about tea. It was such a stimulating conversation."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I have no doubt." He strode into the room and sat down on one of the chairs. "I hate to tear the both of you away from your scintillating conversation, but we need to talk about more pressing matters."

"Finally," Hermione muttered. The air in the room was stifling. She wanted nothing more than to get out of there and forget about this whole insane idea of meeting once every few days to plan this revolution.

"Gamp has a dark history," Snape said abruptly. "We need to expose it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know," she said. They'd been dancing around this topic for the last week or two.

"You can pull up public records on Gamp without arousing suspicion," Snape told her flatly. "There might be something within the records."

Hermione stared at him. "There might," she said cautiously, "but I can't very well requisition every file on Gamp. That's not even peripherally relevant to any of my current cases."

"So make it relevant," Lucius told her.

"How do we know there's anything even in there? I mean, if it's on public record then somebody would have seen it by now," Hermione argued.

"Maybe nobody's looked," Snape said softly. "You can't just flirt with revolution, Hermione. You need to dive in and get your hair wet."

That was a rather odd turn of phrase for Snape and one that made her uncomfortable. Hermione shifted in her seat and twisted the strap of her bag in her fingers. "I'm not flirting with revolution," she protested. "I'm as dedicated to the cause as you two are." She groaned mentally. Now it was her own words that were making her cringe. 'The cause' made it sound like she was a terrorist.

"Then you'll find a way," Snape said icily. "There is always a way."

Hermione had no doubt about that, but somehow she thought that the way was probably going to mean the end of her job. She wasn't ready for that. Biting the bottom of her lip, Hermione stared down intently at her fingernails. She had to come up with a legitimate way. There were several cases she could possibly connect Gamp or somebody in his family to. The wizarding discovery laws were pretty broad. Chances are she could pull up some connection, especially since most wizarding families were intermarried. "I can probably do it," she said grudgingly.

"Excellent," Lucius said as he steeped his fingers underneath his chin.

Hermione couldn't help but swallow a laugh. With the way he was sitting on the armchair, he looked almost like an evil villain. "Right," she said, feeling uncomfortable. "So that's settled then. Revolution it is."

Hermione resisted the urge to push over the pile of files and throw a couple of them at the wall. She had managed to come up with a way to requisition them through work. A couple of eyebrows had been raised in her direction, but she had been an excellent prosecutor for years so her colleagues trusted her. She felt guilty for betraying their trust, but it was for a good cause. She had to tell herself that several times a day to make herself feel better.

They'd been going through the files for several days now and as far as she could see, Gamp was squeaky clean. He seemed perfect on paper, the perfect friend, the perfect husband and the perfect position. "Nobody's this perfect!" she snapped. "These files are doctored."

"Probably," Snape agreed smoothly.

Hermione slammed her fist down on the table. She was almost surprised by the bubbling, festering anger inside of her that was threatening to spiral out of control. "He shouldn't be able to get away with this! Where were the checks and balances?"

Lucius's upper lip curled. "The public were all too eager to side with him in condemning the Dark Arts."

"Well, can you blame them?" Hermione found herself saying. She could have kicked herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It was a topic she had found herself avoiding diligently ever since she had teamed up with these two. She had supported Gamp's first laws. She had seen firsthand the problems that could be caused by the Dark Arts and she wanted to see stricter controls put on them.

Lucius made a noise of disgust. "Magic isn't inherently good or evil. There is no such thing as light or dark magic. They were labels invented by people to appease the squeamish."

"So you're saying that the Unforgivables aren't dark magic?" Hermione demanded.

"Not when used by Aurors during the first war," Snape drawled. "And it is not illegal to cast an Unforgivable on an animal, despite the intention and will behind the spell being the same."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Dark magic tends to require one of the following: blood, sacrifice or life force. Most of those spells can't be used for good."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Yet, you brewed Polyjuice Potion when you were at Hogwarts."

Hermione stared at him. She had no idea that he had known that. She thought that they had managed to hide their tracks. "Yes, well," she said. "It isn't dark magic."

Snape smirked. "It's close enough. Do you know that it has been classified as dark magic for the last five years?"

Hermione did know that, but she didn't say anything.

"Everything isn't so black and white," Lucius said, his voice cold. "If you cannot see this, then perhaps you ought to join Gamp in his crusade. The further you try to go down his path, the closer you get to being the very thing you're trying to eradicate."

"I know that," she snapped. "Why'd you think I'm doing this?" Hermione picked up a file at random and flicked through it. "This is useless!" she exclaimed. "Most of these public record files have absolutely nothing about him and the ones that do speak of him are lauding him as one of the best politicians of our lifetime."

"Well," Snape said, "that should have been a warning right there. The words best and politician should never be used in the same sentence."

Hermione stared at him. "Was that a joke?" She looked over at Lucius who had an amused expression on his face. Apparently it was.

"This means that we need to look elsewhere for blackmail material," Lucius said calmly.

Hermione resisted the urge to cringe. She didn't like to think about what they were doing as blackmail. There was something so criminal and so dirty about that word. She had put away plenty of blackmailers and extortionists in her time. And now, she was one of them. "I'm open to suggestions," she said flatly. "Unless you want to raid his house."

"I don't believe we need to resort to that," Snape said smoothly. He held up a very thin file. "We just need to speak to few key figures in his life."

Hermione reached over and grabbed the file from him. She shivered slightly as her fingers brushed his, but she ignored it. "His Hogwarts transcript?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Lucius's eyes gleamed. "How well do you know your classmates, Hermione?" he asked. "The ones in your year."

"Quite well, I suppose," Hermione said. She frowned in thought. "But if any of them had anything to say about Gamp, don't you think they would have come forward by now?"

"I have no doubt that Gamp has ways of ensuring their silence," Snape said evenly.

"Well, then, if they're too scared ..."

Lucius turned to her. "We too have our own ways of ensuring witness co-operation."

Hermione didn't like that implication. "We're not going to go out and torture some of his former classmates," she said flatly.

Lucius gave her a surprised look. "Who said anything about torture?"

"Then what are you planning?" Hermione demanded. It certainly sounded like Lucius was implying torture to her.

Snape stepped forward, his eyes glittering. "Fear-induced silence tends to shatter if pressure is applied to the right points." His voice was silky and dangerous. "Believe me, Hermione. We are very good at this. Leave it to us."

Somehow, Hermione suspected that she didn't really have a choice.

Hermione couldn't seem to stop tapping her fingernails on her table at work. Several times in the past half hour, she had seen her co-workers look up and give her odd looks. She'd stop for a few minutes, and then find herself doing it again. It was a nervous habit that she couldn't seem to break. She knew that right now, Snape and Lucius were out there talking to Gamp's former classmates. At least, she hoped they were merely talking. She wouldn't put it past them to go in, wands blazing, and threatening the poor people until they caved in.

She had wanted to go along with them, but she couldn't credibly leave work for something like this. Compulsively, Hermione glanced up at the window, hoping to see an owl fly in. Snape had said that he would owl her if he found anything. So far, however, it had been four days and she still hadn't heard anything.

"You look worried."

Hermione looked up and almost groaned out loud. It was Anna again. It seemed that whenever she wanted some time alone at work, that woman was always around and always asking her questions. "I do?"

Anna raised an eyebrow. "No need for a snide response," she said. "I was just concerned."

Hermione frowned. Was her response snide? She didn't think it was, but then again, she had been spending a lot of time with Snape and Lucius. "Sorry," she said, gesturing around vaguely. "I've just got a lot of work."

"You say that every time," Anna pointed out.

Belatedly, Hermione realised that she needed to come up with a much better excuse. "Well, I have been rather busy lately," she said defensively. "There've been a lot of cases that I need to work on and ..." She trailed off and bit her lip.

Anna leaned over her cubicle wall with an interested expression. "And?" she asked. "Don't tell me. Have you met somebody?"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "Merlin, no!"

"Ah," Anna said knowledgeably, "so it's not official yet."

"It's never going to be official," Hermione said.

"Is he married?" Anna asked. "You know that's not a good idea..."

"He's not married!" Hermione said a little too loudly. She winced as several people turned to stare at her. She waited until they had turned back to their own desks before continuing in a lower register. "There is nobody. I've just been busy."

Anna gave her a disbelieving look. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but don't lie."

"I'm not lying," Hermione protested.

"You look much happier lately," Anna told her. "The last time I saw you like this was when you were dating Ron."

Hermione blinked rapidly. She looked happier? That was ridiculous. She felt like she was tying herself into knots over her life. If anything, she ought to look more run down. "I'm not seeing anybody," she repeated.

Anna sighed. "Sure, Hermione." To Hermione's surprise, she suddenly leaned over Hermione's desk. "Look, here's a letter for you," she said, waving the letter in the air.

Hermione gave a start as she looked up to see a small owl perched on top of one of her cubicle walls. It gave her an intense look before fluttering away in a small cloud of dander. She could feel her heart hammering. "Thanks," she said, holding her hand out for the letter.

Anna winked. "So is this from the mysterious man?" She held it up just out of Hermione's reach.

"Come on," Hermione said, trying not to let the worry tinge her tone. "Give it here."

Anna pursed her lips before handing the letter over. "You're being no fun," she complained, flicking her hair over her shoulders. "I was just joking. I wouldn't read your private mail, you know."

"I know," Hermione said as she placed the letter on the table.

"Anyway, back to work for me," Anna said. "You'll have to tell me about your mysterious man later." Hermione opened her mouth to deny it again but Anna just grinned and walked off.

Hermione looked down at the letter and took a deep breath. This was it. She didn't need to open it because she knew it was blank. The message was all in the seal of the letter and the deliberate smudging of the address. This was it. They had finally found somebody willing to testify against Gamp.

Hermione's mouth fell open. "He did that to her?" she exclaimed, staring at Snape. He looked taller than normal in her living room and he was wearing his cloak despite the warmth from her heater.

Snape looked smug.

She suddenly frowned. "How many people did you end up talking to? I thought you were supposed to be talking to his classmates."

"They were all vague," Snape said sharply. "It made us suspicious so we delved deeper."

"Good then," Hermione said. She was still slightly sickened by Snape's report. The idea of Gamp doing that to somebody made her feel nauseated. "We'll need her to write a proper report," she said, trying to take her mind off the mental images. "If his memory charm didn't work properly, then chances are, her memories still aren't complete." She wrinkled her brow. "There are potions that we can give her to clarify her memory."

Snape nodded. There was a strange look in his eyes. "I can prepare a potion," he said.

"Good," Hermione said. She was suddenly acutely aware of the awkward silence. "Well, then," she said. "I guess you'll be going back home now." She bit her lip and looked up at him. Her heart was suddenly pounding but she wasn't sure why. The air seemed thick with tension that wasn't there a minute ago.

"Have dinner with me," Snape said abruptly.

Hermione blinked rapidly. "Have dinner with you?" she repeated.

"It's not a novel idea," Snape said snidely. "We both need to have dinner and we might as well have it together."

Of course, Hermione thought. It was a practical thing. Besides, they had finally nabbed somebody who was prepared to speak out against Gamp. It was a sort of celebration. "I suppose," she said, with a frown. "Were you planning on anything in particular?" She had always imagined when she was a child that Snape ate all sorts of weird and bizarre things, but that was undoubtedly her imagination.

"I'll cook."

Hermione stared. Snape could cook? This was something she had to see. "I'm looking forward to it," she said honestly. She was about to open her mouth to ask whether Lucius was going to be there when Snape whirled around.

"Be there at seven," he said over his shoulder.

Hermione watched him leave her apartment. "Seven it is then," she murmured as she closed the door behind him.

Hermione could feel herself relaxing as she sipped her soup. "This is quite nice," she said.

"You sound surprised," Snape said irritably. "Were you expecting frogs' legs and baby mice?"

Well, actually, Hermione had been, but she decided that mentioning that was probably not the smartest plan. "I just never imagined that you would have the time to cook," she said. "What's for the main course?"

"Steak," Snape told her. "Medium-rare."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. She wasn't terribly fan of medium-rare steak. "Can you cook mine a bit more?"

"No," Snape said abruptly.

Hermione sighed. Well, so much for making friendly conversation. It was obvious that Snape wasn't up for it.

"It is much nicer medium-rare."

Hermione stared. She hadn't expected Snape to explain. In fact, Snape had almost seemed apologetic. Perhaps he wasn't such a right bastard, after all. "Well," she said doubtfully, "I suppose I'll try it." She leaned backwards in her chair and looked up at Snape through her eyelashes. It was odd how comfortable she felt sitting here. He was an annoying bastard, but there were comfortable silences and she always appreciated those. She had once had an ex-boyfriend who insisted in filling every silence with talk. It had driven her insane.

"I'll get the steak."

Hermione watched as he left the table. She lifted her spoon up and swallowed the last remnants of the soup. She licked her lips slowly. It was very delicious pumpkin soup and there was even freshly baked bread to go along with it. More importantly, there were no newts or creepy crawlies anywhere in sight. She lifted her head and sniffed. Now she could smell the steak in the kitchen, searing. She could feel her mouth watering as she waited. It was a bit awkward waiting here for Snape to bring her food. It almost felt like they were on a date.

She gulped. They weren't on a date, were they? Hermione shook her head. Of course, they weren't. It was ridiculous. She strummed her fingers on the table, suddenly very nervous.

"That smells lovely," Hermione said quickly as Snape brought the steak out.

Snape just smirked at her. "Taste it," he said.

Hermione cut herself a small piece and chewed thoughtfully on it. "You're right," she said in surprise. "It's much juicer this way. You're a much better cook than Ron." She could have kicked herself as soon as the words came out. Why had she mentioned Ron? Sure, they had dated for a while – several years, actually – but it hadn't worked out. It had been awkward for a few months, but it was all sorted out now. She was friends with him, nothing more.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Hermione said. "Ron was the worst cook."

"That wasn't the only thing Mr Weasley was bad at," Snape said snidely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked sharply.

Snape sneered. "You know what I mean."

"Ron isn't stupid!" Hermione protested.

"Perhaps," Snape conceded. "However, he isn't the brightest Knut either."

Hermione clenched her hands. "Well, least he isn't like you. All alone with nobody but your former Death Eaters as friends!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Hermione regretted them. Snape had been making her feel uneasy all evening. Usually, when she was uneasy, she tended to babble, and whenever she babbled the consequences weren't pretty. Hermione gulped as she saw the flash of anger in Snape's eyes. "Look, I have to go," she said quickly as she stood up.

She shivered as Snape pushed his chair back and took a step around the table towards her. "What did you say?" he said, his voice a low purr.

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, taking a step backwards, but she seemed to hit a wall. Crap. She knew she should have never made that retort back to Snape. "Look, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "So you didn't insinuate that I'm a miserable old bastard who will never get a date?"

Hermione could feel her cheeks flush. "I didn't say that, and you know it!" Well, she didn't exactly say that. She wished that Snape would take a step backwards. His presence was making her pulse race. She could smell his aftershave and what he'd had for dinner. "Besides, you brought it up by talking about Ron." She suddenly wished she'd never come over for dinner. She'd been surprised by the invitation and even more surprised when she realised that Lucius wasn't here. She didn't know he had anywhere else to go since he had been here every time she had come over.

Snape's eyes glittered. "You brought up that particular topic, Miss Granger. And besides, you did insinuate the aforementioned."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. So she was Miss Granger again, was she? "I did not," she said. "You know I didn't, Severus."

His upper lip curled and Snape took another step forward. He braced one arm up against the wall, effectively hemming her in. Suddenly, Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe as he looked down at her. "What's the matter, Hermione?" Snape's voice was sharp. "Bite off more than you can chew?"

"No," Hermione snapped. She tried to step to the side, but Snape blocked her away.

"Now, just where do you think you're going," Snape drawled.

Hermione could feel her skin tingling. There was a strange look in Snape's eyes and if she didn't know better, she would have thought that he was about to kiss her. But, of course, that was ridiculous. "Away from you," she said.

Snape lifted his arm up. "Don't let me stop you."

Hermione meant to step away. She meant to slide along the wall until she escaped Snape's almost magnetic gaze but somehow, she stepped forward instead. She could feel her skin tingling from where it was pressed up against him. She looked up at Snape to apologise for bumping into him, but suddenly she found his lips on hers. His arms enclosed around her waist and dragged her forward. Hermione gasped as she could feel his long, lean body against her own and his tongue in her mouth. It was messy, their teeth clicked together at least once, but somehow, Hermione didn't think she had ever had a better kiss.

Her legs wobbled as Snape drew back, the look in his eyes making her shiver. His hand caressed her lower back lightly.

"Well," she said. "That was interesting."

"It certainly was," Snape agreed. He made no move to let her go. In fact, his arm tightened around her waist and he leaned down for another kiss.

Hermione blinked sleep from her eyes. Her head was muzzy as she tried to clear her mind. Opening her eyes, she stared around at the strange room. This was most definitely not her bedroom. Her bedroom was far smaller and didn't have a four poster bed.

"Morning."

She slowly turned her head and looked straight into the eyes of Severus Snape. "Morning," she said slowly. Hermione gulped as the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. The awkward dinner. The kiss. And then... well... she looked down and could feel her cheeks flaming. She wasn't wearing anything.

There was an amused look in Snape's eyes as he looked at her. "Embarrassed?" he said, sounding amused. "After everything we did?"

"No," she retorted. "Of course not." Despite her words, Hermione yanked the sheets up to her neck and sat up. She wrapped them around herself.

"No, of course not." Snape's tone was lightly mocking.

"Oh shut up," Hermione muttered as she could feel her blush spreading. "So, what now?" she asked bluntly. She hadn't been in this situation too many times before, but she knew how awkward it could be.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "We plan for the Ministry gathering, of course."

"Of course," she echoed. If he was going to be deliberately obtuse, then she could go along with that. Hermione could feel a faint thread of regret though. Last night had been particularly energetic. She could feel a pleasant aching in her thighs.

Snape smirked at her. "If you should want to return tonight, I would not stop you."

Hermione was in the process of standing up when she managed to process the words. She stumbled and the sheet fell away from her. She could feel Snape looking her up and down. "Tonight, eh?" she said.

"I would not be averse to that," Snape told her blandly. He could have been discussing the evening news.

"I might just do that," Hermione said slowly. She turned around and walked towards the bathroom, leaving the sheet discarded on the floor.

Hermione could feel her palms sweating as she stood in among the Ministry guests. She had managed to wrangle tickets for both Snape and Lucius. Fortunately, they were both well disguised under glamours, otherwise she suspected that Lucius would have been arrested at the door and Snape would have been asked politely to leave. Former Death Eaters weren't welcome in polite society these days. It was fortunate for Snape that he had marketable skill or he would have starved.

With shaking hands, Hermione smoothed down her satin robes as she watched Gamp take the stage for his evening speech. The people here tonight were the cream of the wizarding world. They were the smartest, the most powerful, but most importantly, they were of the right political persuasion. There were no former Death Eaters here. Nobody who had ever protested publicly against Gamp's policies were ever invited to these events.

"Witches and wizards," Gamp began smoothly. "Ladies and gentlemen. We fight every day to suppress the dark forces that threaten to swamp us. Daily, they try to overcome us, and daily, we force them back."

The crowd clapped politely, but Hermione could tell that they were just going through the motions. Gamp was giving too many of these speeches lately. People were getting tired of them. While they agreed with his message, they wanted to hear something happier. They wanted good news. Hermione smiled grimly. Well, she wasn't going to give them good news tonight. It was news they needed to hear. It was high time that somebody stood up and told the truth about Gamp.

"We need to stand up and fight!" Gamp declared. "Today is the anniversary of the downfall of You-Know-Who and there is no better time to unveil my new set of laws to fight..."

"Lies!"

Hermione could feel her heart thrumming as she turned her head to stare at Snape. His glamour had fallen from him and his dark eyes were glittering as he pointed his wand towards Gamp. She turned her head back and could see Gamp's eyes flash with anger as he turned to one of his subordinates. She could clearly hear him whisper, "What is he doing here?"

"I'm here on behalf of the ordinary people," Snape said. His voice was soft, yet Hermione could hear him clearly. "You have overstepped your bounds, Minister. You are a plague, slowly eating away at Britain from the inside."

"Get this crazy man away," Gamp snapped. The crowd around Snape dissipated as Aurors began to circle.

"Don't you dare!" Lucius had dropped his glamour as well and his voice was a low threatening hiss. "You will listen like you haven't listened to the people for five long years."

Hermione's hands were shaking as she thrust them into her pockets. They had gone through this before. Snape and Lucius were to be the public face behind the rebellion while she was to step in if anything went wrong. Her lips twisted wryly.

"Lucius Malfoy," Gamp snapped. "Death Eater!"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Former Death Eater. Don't forget, I was found innocent."

"Not guilty, Mr Malfoy," Gamp retorted. "There's a different."

Lucius's eyes gleamed. "I'm sure you know the difference, Arius Gamp. I'm positive that you are very, very familiar with the difference between innocent and not guilty."

There was a tiny flicker of fear in Gamp's eyes, so small that Hermione almost missed it, before his mask was back in place and he raised his wand. "Aurors!" he barked. "Get those two Death Eaters out of here!"

"I wouldn't do that," Lucius said lightly as he pointed his wands towards the Aurors who were edging closer. "Remember Peter Pettigrew? I taught him every spell he knew."

Hermione winced. So much for gaining public sympathy, although she had to admit, it was an effective threat against the Aurors. She could see them falling back towards the walls.

"Capture them!" Gamp shouted but the Aurors didn't step forward from their defensive positions. "What are you waiting for!"

"Lost the support of the troops?" Snape mocked.

Hermione could see Gamp's eyes flash with rage. "Aurors!" he yelled. "Arrest them!"

"Getting a bit angry?" Lucius said with a sneer. "We know what you do when you're angry..." There was just a flicker of a threat in his tone.

Gamp's face twisted with wrath. It was as though he was changing before their very eyes. He was standing there on the podium, his eyes wild. Gone was the man who had won the hearts of wizarding Britain. Gone was the man who had promised them that they were safe from the Dark Arts and that every last vestige of dark magic would be eradicated from the world. Gamp's eyes were shining with fervour and spittle was flying from the corners of his mouth as he took a step forward towards Lucius. "Crucio!" he screamed and Hermione could feel her heart leaping to her throat as she watched the spell hit Lucius. He writhed on the ground in silent agony.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. It was time for her to act. She could see a look of surprise in Harry's eyes as she opened her mouth. "Expell-" she tried to shout, but her wand went flying from her hand with one gesture of Gamp's other hand. Hermione dove for the table as Gamp turned his eyes towards her.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are?" Gamp taunted. "Who dares to disrupt this auspicious day! Who dares to bring darkness, bring pollution into my Ministry!"

"You've tainted the Ministry enough," Hermione yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Snape creeping along the wall towards Gamp. The other guests at the ball had long since hid under their tables. She noticed Anna hiding with them, her pale face peeking out from under a lace tablecloth. Only a few of them seemed to have even bothered to draw their wands and were now holding them in front of themselves in a defensive gesture.

"Nonsense!" Gamp snapped, his voice booming. "I've cleansed the Ministry. I've cleansed Britain of dark magic."

Hermione could feel her knees wobbling as she stood up. She held her hands up over her head looked forward. Gamp immediately spun around and aimed his wand at her, leaving Lucius limp and still twitching on the ground. "That might have been your original goal," she said softly. "But you've lost your way, Arius Gamp."

"Terrorist!" Gamp spat at her.

"Maybe," Hermione said quietly. "But I wasn't the person who just fired a dark curse at somebody who just questioned my policies. Nothing more. Lucius Malfoy may have been a Death Eater, but he doesn't deserve this."

"Yes he DOES!" Gamp shrieked. "'They all do! They're all criminals!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see the startled looks of the well-dressed Ministry guests. Some of them were whispering among themselves and she thought that she could catch a couple of words like "snapped" and "gone crazy". "So," she said, her voice loud so that the entire room could hear her, "then by your logic, Arius Gamp, then all criminals deserve to be put to death, is that right?"

Gamp stared at her, his eyes burning with fervour. "Yes," he said, his voice a low hiss. "That's what I've been saying all along. Those Death Eaters, they murdered innocents. They used Unforgiveable Curses and worse! They used the darkest of dark magic and they deserve to pay for their crimes."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She had him well and truly trapped now. "It's funny that you should bring that up," she said. "Especially given your history."

The look on Gamp's face was priceless. One moment, his face was twisted with rage and the next moment, there was a flicker of terror tinged with regret across his face. "This conversation is over," he snapped. "Aurors!"

Hermione took a quick look around the room and assessed the situation. There were several Aurors on the outskirts of the ballroom who were making their way towards her. She saw Snape firing off several spells at them and they crumpled. "It's not over!" she said loudly. "And it'll never be over for poor Emily Mitchell either."

The effect of the name was almost instantaneous. Gamp's face seemed to crumble at the words. "H-how did you learn of that name?"

Hermione smiled coldly. "Emily Mitchell was a girl at Hogwarts when you were a teacher there. She was very pretty, wasn't she?"

"Shut up!" Gamp screamed, but Hermione continued, her words relentless like a tide beating against the shoreline.

"You were in your second year of teaching when you noticed her. A pretty bright eighteen year old. You lavished attention on her. She was your teacher's pet. And then, one night, you invited her up to your room to talk about one of her papers. It was then that you tried to take your relationship one step further."

There were shocked gasps from around the room.

"Now, Emily rejected your advances, didn't she?" Hermione said. "She was horrified and in a fit of anger you cast the Imperius Curse on her." Hermione felt revulsion at her words, but she forced herself to keep going. "And then afterwards, you Obliviated her and then pretended that nothing ever happened."

"You have no proof," Gamp blustered, his eyes darting all around the room. It was obvious to Hermione that he was lying and she hoped everybody else in the room could see it too.

"I have Emily," she told him. "Your Memory Charm was faulty. She ended up remembering parts of it. It's all documented."

Gamp was breathing hard as he leaned on the podium. "You're lying!" he screamed, spittle flying from the corners of his mouth. "You're lying. Aurors! Get her!"

The Aurors who were still standing made no move. They were all staring at Hermione, waiting for her next words. "You regretted what you'd done," Hermione said, her voice soft. "You regretted it and you knew what dark magic could do. As penance for your actions, you went on a vendetta against all dark magic when all you wanted to do was erase your own past."

"Lies!"

Hermione shook her head. "If only you could see yourself now," she said. "You've become everything you've been fighting so hard against. And poor Emily never got justice for what you did ..."

She almost didn't see Gamp reach for his wand. As his fingers enclosed around it, he lunged forward towards her, his mouth forming two words. Hermione stared around, feeling as though everything was moving in slow motion around her. She could see Snape desperately running towards her, his wand outstretched. She was reaching into her own pocket for her wand and at the same time, diving for the floor.

"Avada Ke-" Gamp shrieked as he threw himself forward.

"Expelliarmus!" a familiar voice called out and Gamp's wand went flying out of his fingers and skidding into a corner.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped as she saw Harry rushing forward. Coils of rope came out of the tip of Harry's wand, binding Gamp's arms and legs and toppling him over where he stood. There was a grim look on Harry's face that Hermione hadn't seen since he had defeated Voldemort.

All around the room, Hermione could see white, drawn faces with expressions she hadn't seen in years. It was over, she realised abruptly. Her legs wobbled and quickly, Hermione walked over to a chair and sat down. It was over. She could see Snape standing up and brushing his clothes down. She could see Aurors rushing over to ensure that Gamp was well secured. She could see Harry's haunted look.

With a sigh, Hermione put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. It was over and they had won. That was the important part.

"How did we not know?" Harry turned towards her. "How could we not realise?"

Hermione laid a hand gently on his arm. She couldn't think of anything to say to reassure him. "We stopped him," she said quietly. "That's the important thing." Looking over, she could see Snape standing in the corner, his cloak over one arm, obviously itching to get out of the crowd.

Harry's eyes followed her gaze and he gave a small smile. "Look, go," he said. "I'll take care of all of this."

"Are you sure?" Hermione knew how much he hated the media. She didn't like them much better though.

Harry gave her a wry smile. "Look, I can give them a statement. Snape's obviously waiting for you."

Hermione opened her mouth to deny it but then closed it again. She could feel a warm feeling diffusing throughout her body. Snape was waiting for her. "Okay then," she said, patting his arm. "Don't feel too badly, Harry. He tricked us all." She gave him a smile and then threaded her way through the crowd to where Snape was standing. "Missed me?" she teased.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Shall we leave?"

She laid a hand on his arm and shivered at the pleasant warmth in his eyes. "I think we will."

They Apparated away.

This is reality.

There are very few happy endings and almost none if you look far enough into the future. Yet, sometimes, there are moments where everything seems bright, where all the bad guys are dead and you seem to have got your storybook ending.

This is one of those moments.

Snape's arm is wrapped around Hermione's shoulder and she's curled up next to him. She tilts her head up and kisses him lightly on the chin. He rolls his eyes and she sticks her tongue out at him. Then she pulls him down for a long, tender kiss.

This is a moment where it all seems right.

The End