Hermione saw Harry's hand twitch toward his wand as the door burst open; however, he didn't draw it when he realized who it was.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The Daily Prophet, sir. We monitor all print and this was in the early release of the afternoon edition," the winded young Auror said.
Hermione calmly stepped forward, took the paper from his hand, and began scanning the front page.
The top story was a letter to the editor. Typically, this wouldn't have been printed above the fold, but what was written was so sensational she knew immediately why it had been.
`Norway School Tragedy Not an Accident! The Muggle Attack Has Begun!'
As she read, she realized that whoever had written this had intimate knowledge of what had really happened. The Norwegian Ministry had stated that the explosion had been caused by an accident in the potions lab which was located directly beneath their main hall. This article had precise details that couldn't have been known except either by someone who had caused the explosion or someone who had been there.
The most inflammatory part was the claim that Muggles in Norway had discovered the school and destroyed it on purpose in an attempt to eradicate what they thought was a threat.
The article concluded by cautioning against future attacks, and warning that the threat of Muggle control and destruction of the magical world was imminent.
Hermione took a deep breath and then handed the paper to Harry. "I think we may have figured out their end game."
He scanned it quickly and Ron went to his side to read as well. "Damn," was all Ron said when he was finished.
Before Harry could say anything, another Auror came running into the room. "Sir! The editor of the Daily Prophet has put in a call to the Minister. He claims he did not sign off on that article and he doesn't know how it made it to print."
Harry nodded once. "Send a team to the Prophet. I want it shut down until we can determine how this article was printed. If it's somehow been compromised we don't need another edition like this going out."
Chelsea stepped forward and began to speak, but Harry cut her off. "I also want to speak to someone from the Norwegian Ministry to find out if the leak is on their end." Chelsea nodded and quickly exited.
"What's the point of this? It can't be that difficult to determine how it was printed," Ron observed.
"It's fear," Hermione said, and Harry's eyes locked on hers. "Fear equals power."
Harry nodded his agreement and she could see the weight of this settle upon him.
If they had printed this article about the Norwegian school, it only made sense that they would be doing the same about the one in Germany as well. She remembered the panic that had spread during the war, and that was before there had been any direct attacks. With acts against children and the war still all too fresh in everyone's mind...this was not a welcome turn of events.
"Has the full print gone out? All the deliveries made?" Harry wondered aloud.
"I'll find out," Hermione offered. "Maybe you should go see Kingsley."
Harry nodded at her suggestion. "Ron," he said, to ask the unnecessary question of whether he would go with him to the Minister.
Harry's hand brushed over her back as he passed, and she gave him a supportive smile.
She picked up the paper again and read through once more before making her way into the bullpen. Three steps later she realized she knew no one there and had no idea which auror had been sent to the Prophet.
Just then Chelsea reappeared.
"He's gone to see the Minister," Hermione informed her before she could ask.
"Quite right," Chelsea replied.
"Could you tell me which auror was sent to the Prophet?" Hermione asked.
"I believe it was Anderson."
Hermione nodded. "I'll meet him there then." She made to exit the department but Chelsea stopped her.
"Just a moment Ma'am," she said and disappeared into a nearby office. She returned almost immediately with a length of heavy black fabric in her hands. "Auror robes, Ma'am."
"Of course," Hermione said and took the robes from Chelsea. She threw them over her shoulders without even looking at them but felt the automatic resizing charms activate as they settled around her.
"If Harry returns before I'm back, could you tell him I've gone to the Prophet?" Hermione asked.
"Consider it done, Ma'am," Chelsea said, intercepting three messages as they made their way towards her.
Turning on her heel, Hermione made her way to the lifts, only garnering a few looks as most people were too busy to give her the time.
The mirrored sides of the car gave her a chance to see herself in the robes for the first time. If she thought the backpacking outfit had made her look fifteen again, these did the exact opposite. The high black collar only emphasized the dark circles under her eyes, and the tight fit of the front, combined with the flare of the caped back, gave her age and stature she didn't typically have.
The doors opened and she headed straight for the floos. Her boots beat a sharp tattoo that echoed in the atrium.
She had almost made it to the floos when a voice called out behind her and caught her attention.
"Granger! Ms. Granger...I mean...Auror Granger!"
Hermione turned to see a young auror tripping past the memorial, her robes half on as she struggled to get one side over the other shoulder and kept failing. She still hadn't successfully gotten them on when she arrived at Hermione's side, and she took pity on the girl and untwisted the fabric where it had gotten caught.
"Thank you, Ma'am," she gasped out, no sense of embarrassment on her face at all. It was like getting tripped up by her clothing was an everyday occurrence and it didn't faze her anymore.
"How can I help you, Auror..." Hermione began.
"Oh, Dawlish, Ma'am. Jenny Dawlish. Well, Jennifer really, but everyone calls me Jenny." Her face was bright and open, and she looked nothing like an auror.
"Dawlish?" Hermione repeated, the name familiar.
"My father is John Dawlish," she said with the air of someone who was asked the same question quite frequently
"I remember. Were you at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked; she couldn't place the girl at all.
"Yes Ma'am. I was a fourth year during the war, but my mother convinced my father to pull me that year. But I returned afterwards and stayed with my class." This she did blush at, as if she realized too late she had perhaps shared too much.
"So what can I help you with, Ms. Dawlish?" Hermione asked. She couldn't be but one year out of Hogwarts and didn't exactly seem like a typical auror. Hermione wondered if her father had anything to do with getting her the position.
"I'd like to go with you. I'm not allowed out in the field that much yet, but I asked Ms. Worthington and she said you were going to the Daily Prophet yourself, and I thought that wasn't really the field, and if I ran fast enough I might catch you." She got out all of this without running out of air, and Hermione was reminded of herself when she went on one of her rants, usually directed at Ron, and couldn't help but feel a bit of affection for the girl.
"You may accompany me, Auror Dawlish." Hermione told her, and smiled at the look of joy that spread across the girl's face.
"Oh thank you, Ma'am. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much this means to me!"
"I think I have an idea," Hermione said wryly and turned again to the floos.
The multi-step process required to enter and leave the Ministry seemed counterproductive, but eventually they arrived in Diagon Alley, twenty feet in front of the Prophet.
The memory came back and hit her with such ferocity she had no time to prepare herself.
The sky was just as blue and the air just as crisp. As she looked around, all she could see were the three hooded figures as they hunted her.
Her breath came in short, quick gasps as the beginning of a panic attack started. Her wand was already drawn and she spun in a quick circle looking for danger that didn't exist.
A hand landed on her arm and she almost blasted it off. Jenny Dawlish was standing just to her right, eyes wide in fright, and hands up in front of her.
With a shaky grip Hermione put her wand back in its holster and wiped cool sweat off her forehead. She took a breath to steady herself before turning to Jenny.
"I'm sorry. Bad memories here," Hermione said, not intending to explain what from.
Jenny slowly lowered her hands. "I understand Ma'am. I read the report about the attack."
Hermione had nothing to say to that and instead decided to go up the steps to the doors of the Prophet.
The front was guarded by an auror who looked even younger than Jenny, if that was possible. The need the Auror office had to rebuild after the war was more obvious than ever.
He snapped to attention when they walked in. "Ma'am," he said nervously.
"Could you direct me to Auror Anderson please?" Hermione asked.
"He's in the editor's office," he replied.
"Then could you direct me to production." Hermione decided that if Anderson was busy with the editor, she may be able to discover how the paper had been printed early.
The auror turned to a Prophet employee sitting at the front desk and asked her to take them.
Printing and production ended up being a very small office attached to a very large owlery.
A short, bespectacled man sat dejectedly at the lone desk. The name plate facing them said `Josiah Cavendash'.
"Mr. Cavendash, I'm Hermione Granger from the Auror Department, and I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions."
"Anything you want, Ms. Granger. I would like nothing more than to discover how this could have happened." He hadn't even looked up when Hermione spoke or when he answered, his gaze focused on the paper laying on his desk.
Hermione quickly conjured a chair and sat across from Cavendash, while Jenny took up a position behind her. The Prophet employee who had showed them to the office had long since disappeared.
"I know who you are, Ms. Granger," he said, finally looking up, his sharp eyes cutting across her robes. "Or should I say Auror Granger. You can't do my job and not know everything that happens in our world. Your name has been in my paper for over a decade now, although not so much as of late," he said perceptively.
"What about what goes on in this building? Are you as aware of that, Mr. Cavendash?" Hermione asked, choosing to ignore his comments.
He sat back in his chair and steepled his hands across his belly. "Ah, well that...I'm afraid I don't know as much about. It's been known for editors to change and I not be aware until it's on the masthead." He looked around the small office and the door leading to the owlery. "This is my world."
"Could you tell me how the paper is printed, from start to finish if you don't mind," she asked, and smiled encouragingly. If Cavendash was as committed to his position as she thought he was, he would love nothing more than telling her the ins and outs of the newspaper publishing trade.
"Of course," he said, as he sat up and a light hit his eyes that hadn't been there earlier. "I have nothing to do with the journalists, how the articles are written, or the layout; that's all finished by the time it comes to me. We publish two local editions a day, as well as one national edition, and seventeen international editions. The papers come to me and I read them cover to cover to ensure they are correct. When I'm finished, I cast a duplication spell on them."
"And where do they go after that? They couldn't possibly all fit in here," Hermione observed.
"No, no my dear, not in the slightest. There is a storage room next to the owlery. After the spell is cast, the papers stack up in there and roll themselves if they are being delivered by owl. The owls deliver on a set schedule depending upon where they are flying. But they all leave within a one hour period."
"And the owls presumably know their schedules, is that correct?"
"Oh yes. Like clockwork they are. Morning edition begins leaving at precisely half past four in the morning. And the afternoon edition begins at precisely half past four in the afternoon." Cavendash looked extremely proud of how well his owls operated.
"So what could explain the afternoon edition going out two hours early today?" she asked gently.
Cavendash visibly deflated. "I have no idea. I've been trying to figure that out since I heard it had happened. If the paper isn't reopened soon, this will be the first time in three hundred and seventy two years the Daily Prophet has failed to print an edition," he said with a sad shake of his head.
"Does anyone else work with you? You can't possibly do all this work every day of the year."
"As many as possible. But you're correct. I've had an apprentice the past few years. Young Yarborough," he admitted reluctantly.
"Was he working today? We'll need to speak to him as well." Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken. A new apprentice placed in the last few years sounded extremely familiar.
"I haven't seen him today. But I believe that other fellow of yours has already talked to him. He knew his name when he spoke to me earlier." Cavendash said.
"Auror Anderson has already spoken to you?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"Not exactly. He just came by and said to make myself available for later and not to leave," he said with a scoff. "As if I could."
Hermione stood. "Would you mind showing me your owls?"
Cavendash rose with a grace that surprised her. "Of course, of course. Right this way. They've all arrived back from their early delivery." He led her to the side door, his hand paused on the handle. "They've been agitated since they returned."
The smell of hundreds of owls struck them as soon as they stepped inside. It was relatively clean for an owlery, and the chattering birds couldn't seem to settle down on their perches.
"The opening over there leads to the paper storage room. The owls fly through there, pick up their papers, and continue on out the other side to make their delivery. When they return, they come in through the flap in the roof," he said, pointing up where she could see a sizable entrance for the owls to fly in on their trip back. A tall, spiral staircase wound its way up through the perches, allowing access to both the roof and the owls if necessary.
"How many people have access to this room?" Hermione asked, spotting a snowy owl that looked so much like Hedwig it made her heart clench.
"Just myself and Yarborough. No one else would have a need," he explained.
Hermione took one more look around and then nodded to Cavendash. "Thank you, if we have any further questions we'll let you know."
Hermione, with Jenny on her heels, started up the multiple flights of stairs to return to the main level.
The young auror from before was still on duty, and she had just opened her mouth to ask to be led to the editor's office when a booming voice filled the space around them.
"Who in Merlin's name said you could question my suspects without my permission!"
Hermione turned sharply to see an auror in his mid thirties, face set in barely controlled rage, barreling straight for her along with the remaining members of his team.
Hermione held her ground until he was practically toe to toe with her. He was a good head taller and she knew he was trying to use his height as a means of intimidation.
"Auror Anderson, I presume," she said evenly with just a touch of ice in her voice.
"Introductions aren't needed, Granger," he sneered. "We're all aware of the Golden Trio. How could we not be."
Clearly Anderson hadn't been a fan of theirs after the war. She didn't know which was worse; people who idolized them for what they had done, or people who hated them because of the attention they had received.
"I wasn't under the impression I needed to clear things with you first, and the Minister certainly didn't mention it when I saw him a few hours ago." Hermione typically didn't like to name drop, but in this case she figured it was necessary.
Anderson's eyes flared in anger at her words. For only a moment, insecurity flitted through her mind as she recalled that barely two months ago she was a quiet grad student revising her thesis. But she knew the only way to succeed in a situation such as this was to stand her ground and prove she was capable.
"You may not have as much of a regard for the Minister as I do, Anderson, but if he gives me a job I'm going to do it. I would hate for the Head Auror to hear of your...insubordination." She said this almost at a whisper and was pleased to see how the flush that had started at Anderson's collar ended at his hairline by the time she was finished speaking.
"You may be under Shacklebolt's thumb and be Potter's bitch, but I'm not going to let the lot of you walk into my department and just take over," he growled back, also so low that she was the only one who could hear him. Anderson took a step closer and she could feel his breath across her face. It took everything in her to not move away.
"Too bad it's not up to you then," she replied through her teeth. "The next time you fight on the front lines of a war and kill a Dark Lord though, I'm sure the Minister will sit up and take notice. In the meantime, do your job and let us do ours; and my job means I can go where I want and talk to whom I want, and you don't get to have a say."
She saw Anderson's hand tighten on his wand, and she wondered for a second if he was contemplating using it.
"I'm going to go see the editor now. Mr. Cavendash is just down those stairs there. I've only just finished with him," she said in a falsely sweet tone before narrowing her eyes at Anderson, who glared back before finally stepping away.
"This isn't over yet, Granger," he spat and walked to the stairs.
"I hadn't thought it was, Anderson," she retorted and watched him walk away. Once he and the rest of his team were fully out of sight, she allowed the breath she'd been holding to come out slowly.
Her stomach was twisted in knots from the confrontation, but she hoped it didn't show on her face. She knew everyone in the room was staring at her and had overheard almost all of their argument. She only hoped she had come out victorious.
Jenny followed her in silence and they made their way to the editor's office. He was clearly distraught, wringing his hands, wiping his face with a handkerchief, and apologizing repeatedly. Hermione asked him every question she could think of, but he swore that when the paper went to publishing that the front page story had been different.
Hermione shut the door firmly behind her and turned to her shadow. "Could you find out where Cavendash's apprentice is? Yarborough was his name. I'm going to attempt to make a floo call back to the Ministry."
Jenny hurried off, but before Hermione could inquire as to the nearest fireplace, an auror from Anderson's team approached her. "Ma'am, Anderson would like to speak to you in the owlery." The young man looked quite uncomfortable, as if he had been embarrassed by his boss's behavior earlier.
"Does he have new information to report?" she asked.
"No Ma'am. I believe...I believe he'd like to apologize for the way he spoke to you earlier. You have to understand, until recently Anderson was essentially the acting Head and I just think that his pride has taken a hit," he stuttered out.
Hermione just nodded, only believing the latter part of his explanation. She wasn't quite sure Anderson wanted to apologize, but she'd go talk to him anyways if it would help things run smoothly.
"Thank you. No need to take me. I know the way," she said, effectively dismissing him.
Cavendash wasn't in his office when she arrived, a fact she found odd. The door to the owlery was shut, and when she pushed it open, other than the chatter of the birds, she saw and heard nothing else.
"Mr. Cavendash. Auror Anderson," she called out. She was halfway across the room, heading to where the papers were stored when a voice came from above.
"Auror Granger," Anderson said.
She looked up in surprise to see him at the top of the staircase, one hand stretched above him as if he had just shut the door the owls used to return to their home.
"You wanted to see me," she called out.
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, with only a short pause before the `Ma'am'. It did sound as if he was trying to be more professional. "I believe I've found evidence of how the owls were tampered with, if you'd care to see for yourself."
Hermione eyed the staircase with some trepidation. She had never been comfortable with heights.
The wrought iron railing was cold beneath her palm, and she gripped it tightly, trying not to ascend too quickly in case she became dizzy.
The platform at the top wasn't very wide, and it put her directly next to Anderson. He looked over at her, and there was a coldness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. An involuntary shiver went through her.
"What did you find?" she asked, forcing her voice to be firm.
"I found that owl droppings can be very, very slick, and they are a slipping hazard," he sneered, and then before she could think, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her backwards.
She made an attempt to grab her wand, but her head hit the metal banister and she was dazed. Her legs began to tumble over her head and there was no way to stop her momentum.
And then suddenly, through the pounding in her skull, she realized she was floating gently to the ground. She looked up through half slit eyes and saw Anderson bound from neck to ankle in conjured ropes.
Jenny rushed to her side as soon as she was on the floor.
"Ms. Granger! Are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't catch you sooner. I thought I heard your head hit, but it was all so fast and I had to stop Anderson as well. I may have been a bit slow. I'm so sorry." The girl was babbling and frantic, and it wasn't helping the throbbing behind her eyes.
"It's ok, Jenny. Thank you. You saved my life," Hermione assured her, raising a hand to touch the back of her head and wincing when she found the already developing knot. A slight wetness stained her hand and she realized she was bleeding, although it didn't seem too serious. A thought hit her though as Jenny's words replayed in her mind.
"Wait, you caught me and contained Anderson at the same time?" Hermione asked, incredulous.
Jenny flushed and ducked her head. "I've always had an aptitude for Charms work. You just have to be quick and concentrate on each one individually without losing control. I received top marks on my N.E.W.T. It's always just come to me easily. The examiner said he hadn't seen anyone as proficient at Charms since...well, since you, and..." she trailed off, her face flushing an even deeper pink.
"And Lily Potter I'd presume," Hermione finished for her and Jenny nodded quickly. "Well, if that demonstration is an example of your ability then I think I can say you've exceeded us." What Jenny had brushed off as easy was actually quite difficult.
"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm just glad I was here and could help." Jenny shrugged, clearly not comfortable with praise.
Hermione got gingerly to her feet and put a hand on the young auror's shoulder until the room stopped spinning so much. She'd need to have her head looked at after they'd dealt with Anderson.
"Float him down here, would you please," Hermione ordered. Within seconds, Anderson was bobbing in front of her, stunned and contained.
"Do you think he's a part of this, Ma'am? He's been an auror for ages; my dad's worked with him!" Jenny protested.
"I think it's very possible, Jenny. People you never thought could betray you can end up being your worst enemy," she said in a tight voice, thinking of what Peter Pettigrew had done to his supposed best friends.
"Should I wake him up?" Jenny asked.
"No. I'll watch him. Go notify the Ministry and tell them we need to arrange transport back to containment." Hermione winced at how Harry was going to react to this: not only having a mole in the department, but also her injury.
Jenny went to leave when Hermione stopped her. "Oh, Jenny. If you run into any of Anderson's team don't mention this, and be careful. There is every chance he's not the only one. In fact, if you could request, on my orders, to only speak to Ron or Harry, that would be best."
Her face blanched, but she rallied quickly and schooled her features as best she could.
Hermione locked the door to Cavendash's office as Jenny exited, and locked the door to the storage room as well for good measure. Her wand was set on Anderson, prepared to stun him again if he so much as twitched.
A particularly vicious throb went through her head and she walked backwards until she could sit on the stairs she had almost died on, Anderson in full view the entire time.
Jenny must have been successful, because less than ten minutes later she heard a booming " `MIONE!" come from further down the hall. She managed to unlock the door from the office only seconds before she was quite sure Harry would have blown it off.
Harry crossed the room in four long strides, his auror robes billowing impressively behind him. Even though her head was killing her, it didn't keep her from appreciating the image he presented.
He barely cut a glance to Anderson, before kneeling in front of her, one hand coming up to cup her cheek, the other laying over her wand hand and gently pushing it down as Ron took over guarding Anderson.
" `Mione, are you alright?" he asked in a ragged voice. "That other auror, she said you'd been pushed off a staircase and hit your head." He sounded as if the idea was too absurd to actually be true.
"I'll be fine, just need someone to see to my head. Anderson lured me to the top," she said and gestured above them. She watched as Harry took in the height of the stairs and what a fall from there would have meant. "He pushed me back as soon as I reached him. He's clearly a plant by the other side. We'll need to take him back to containment and interrogate him. I'm not sure if his team is a part of this or not, but I don't think we can take the chance; they'll need to be looked at as well."
"I don't give a damn about Anderson and his team right now. I just want to make sure you're ok," Harry replied, the hand at her cheek now slowly searching through the hair at the back of her head. His fingers stilled when he felt the now drying blood and saw her flinch in pain.
"You're Head Auror, you'd better give a damn about Anderson!" she admonished "It's just a bump. I've had worse, and you know it. Stop being my..." and she caught herself, because she had no idea how to label what they had. Boyfriend sounded too young and insignificant, and they were much much more than that. She took a deep breath and gave him a half a smile. "Stop being my Harry, and start being the Head Auror."
"That's not an easy thing to do," he replied before bringing her hand to his lips and then pulling her to her feet.
She swayed once and he caught her around the waist. "I'm fine," she assured him, but the look he gave her made her believe he thought she was lying. Hermione looked around and saw Jenny trying not to watch them and being wholly unsuccessful. Her face flushed once more when she saw Hermione looking at her.
"You really should be thanking Jenny Dawlish. It was her wand work that captured Anderson and saved me," Hermione said to Harry.
"Dawlish?" he repeated, much the same as she had.
"John Dawlish's daughter, only out of Hogwarts for a year," Hermione said and pointed out the young auror.
Harry didn't move his arm from her waist until he knew she was stable and then he walked towards Jenny, who startled when she realized who headed her direction.
"I hear you're to be commended for your quick thinking," Harry said
Jenny stammered for a moment before speaking. "Thank you, Head Auror Potter."
"Would you return to the floo and request additional personnel to see to the transport of the prisoner? And we'll also need to take the rest of the team into custody until we can determine whether they were working with Anderson or not," Harry requested.
"Yes, Sir," Jenny said quickly and disappeared.
"I thought she told you we needed transport originally." Hermione said, confused.
Harry looked abashed and scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck.
"She may well have, but your man here about jumped into the fireplace when the call came in. He didn't give her a chance to say anything beyond Anderson was a mole and you had been injured," Ron supplied from where he still had a wand on the prisoner.
"Thanks, mate," Harry said sardonically.
"Alright, Hermione?" Ron asked as they made their way over to him.
"I will be," she replied.
"Good, that brain of yours is our best weapon, so try and do a better job at keeping it protected," he said, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"I'll see what I can do," she responded wryly.
"I've got him if you want to get her back to the Ministry," Ron said to Harry
"Good plan, transport should be here soon. The rest of his team was waiting in the lobby, although by now they probably know something is up. Be careful, it's possible they won't go quietly," Harry explained to Ron.
"We are not leaving Ron to deal with all of this on his own," she sputtered incredulously. "I can wait another hour to be seen, Harry Potter, so stop being so damned over protective." She turned on her heel and exited the room.
The five others from Anderson's team were stationed at various doors and exits around the lobby and looked over as she came up the stairs. Five blasts in quick succession dropped them where they stood, and at the sound of the bodies hitting the ground, Harry leapt up the remaining stairs to see her calmly placing her wand back in her holster.
"Constant vigilance just hasn't been the same in the Auror department since we lost Moody, has it?" she asked over her shoulder, as Harry skidded to a halt next to her.
"What did you do?" he demanded, looking at the unconscious aurors that surrounded them.
"I just stunned them. This way if they haven't been tipped off yet they won't get a chance to speak amongst themselves before we get a chance to talk to them," she explained, as if it should be obvious. "And now we can head back to the Ministry without leaving Ron a huge problem," she said pointedly.
Jenny entered the room and took in the scene. To her credit, she immediately pulled out her wand and approached cautiously. "What happened?"
"Just figured we'd make it a little easier on the transport team," Harry stated.
As if his words had summoned them, a group of four aurors arrived. Harry stepped away to give them direction, and Hermione was glad to see one of them immediately head downstairs to deal with Anderson.
"They'll each be put in isolated cells while we sort it all out," Harry said as he joined her once again. "Ron's going to apparate back with Anderson." His tone indicated that she really couldn't stall any longer and they needed to leave.
"Alright, if everything is under control, I suppose we're no longer needed here," she capitulated, and was glad to see him smile in return.
Before they left, Harry turned to Jenny, who was now standing off to the side looking as if she didn't know what to do with herself. "Auror Dawlish, your capture is downstairs, don't you think you should accompany him back to the Ministry?" he said in a mock stern voice.
Jenny jumped to attention and looked shocked at his words. "Are you sure, Sir?" she asked, and then thought better of it. "I mean, yes, Sir," she said enthusiastically and tried her best not to run for the stairs.
"That was nice of you," Hermione observed, as Harry put a hand to her lower back to guide her out the door.
"She deserved it," he said simply as they made their way into the still bright afternoon.
Apparating back did nothing to help her head, and she pressed both hands to her skull as soon as they arrived at the floo access. Harry took one look at her and swore under his breath before pulling her to him. "Sod this," he said harshly and apparated them directly into the Auror Department bullpen.
The second apparation almost did her in, but she heard him bark, "Stand down!" to the aurors around them, who she had to assume had drawn wands since apparating into and out of the Ministry wasn't supposed to be possible.
He guided her into their office and helped her into a chair before turning back to speak to Chelsea. "Get me a Healer in here, now," he demanded.
"I'm alright," she said again. "The apparating just wasn't so easy." The pain was already beginning to lessen.
He stood at her side with his hand on her shoulder until they arrived, and only stepped three feet away while they worked on her. Soon enough, her head was blessedly pain free except for a very dull headache and a slightly tender spot where it had hit the railing.
Chelsea had been in and out several times while the Healers were there to confer with Harry. When they had finally left, Hermione rose from the chair and joined Harry.
"Better?" he asked, but his fingers were already threading through her hair to see for himself. She let her eyes fall shut and leaned forward to rest her head on his chest, hoping that the constantly revolving door to their office would stay shut a moment longer. "I'm fine," she said again, her words muffled by his robes.
The hand in her hair trailed forward and took her chin between thumb and finger and forced her to look up. "Good," he said simply, and she lifted on her toes to meet his mouth so she could assure him without words as well.
A throat being cleared from the door caused them both to jump, and she spun to see Chelsea studying them.
"Interrogation is ready for you, Sir," she said evenly, as if she hadn't just walked in on them.
"Thank you, we'll be right there," he replied and waited for her to leave again.
"You ready? Ron's waiting for us," Harry said, and Hermione nodded.
The cells of containment were kept in a far corner of the second level. Heavily warded and manned by guards at all times, it was an imposing and effective place to keep prisoners.
Harry and Hermione were granted access with no issue and shown to a small room that, much like in Muggle police stations, allowed one to see into the interrogation room without being detected.
Ron was already waiting, and they could see Anderson, who had now been revived and sat in a chair with manacles.
"Has he been given veritaserum?" Harry asked.
Ron nodded. "He's ready to be questioned."
Harry made to leave the observation room, but Hermione laid a hand on his arm to stop him. "Let me."
"No," he said and went to move again but she clamped her hand down tighter.
"I'm serious Harry. Let me," she insisted.
"Why?" was all he asked.
"Because he tried to kill me. I get to question him first," she said fiercely and saw his eyes flash in response to her words. They stared at each other until finally he relented.
She exited the observation room and stood outside the door to the interrogation room, her hand paused on the handle. Taking a deep breath, she tugged down the front of her robes and pushed into the room in one fluid move.
Anderson's eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw her. "Expecting someone else?" she asked easily. "Sorry to inform you that your attempt to kill me was unsuccessful."
She sat down in the chair opposite him and casually leaned back. "Now, how about you tell me how long since you turned traitor to the Ministry?"
His eyes alit with anger and she could see the effort as he tried to fight the potion. "Two years," he ground out.
"What have you been doing for the other side for those two years?" she asked.
"Taking files, keeping an ear out, helping others in the Ministry who were also like me, and ensuring our success."
"Taking files on who?" She wondered if this was how Harry's cover had been broken in Russia.
"Potter, after he began working for the Minister. His files were classified, but not impossible to gain access to," Anderson confirmed.
"Are any other aurors like you?" Her heartbeat increased as she waited for his answer.
"No," he said quickly, but that didn't mean there weren't others he was unaware of.
"Why did you try and kill me today?" She forced herself not to look towards the wall where she knew Harry stood.
"You were getting too close. Our orders were to take you out if we had the chance," he sneered.
"How was I too close?" A thought struck her about something Cavendash had said at the paper.
Anderson fought vehemently at this question, his arms straining against the shackles as if he was trying to physically hold in the answer. "You were asking about Cavendash's apprentice."
Hope sprung within her; she had been right! "Yarborough? Who is he?"
"He's one of us."
"That's how the paper got published, isn't it?" she asked quickly.
"Yes," Anderson spat, hate for her pouring out of him.
Her eyes darted to the wall and she hoped Harry was sending someone right away to apprehend Yarborough.
Anderson must have seen her look, and he began to laugh. A shiver of fear went through her. "What do you find so amusing?" she demanded.
He continued laughing. "You know nothing! You have no idea what we have planned."
She chose to ignore his taunt and finally ask the question they desperately needed the answer for. "Who are you working for, Anderson?"
He went still, and the look he gave her made her want to run. "You'll never find out," he said and made an odd motion with his jaw before his head flew back and his body went rigid.
Hermione scrambled to her feet, her wand drawn. As she watched, Anderson's body began to seize uncontrollably. "Get Healers in here!" she yelled to the room, but Harry was already bursting through the door with Healers in tow.
"He needs to be released so we can work on him," one Healer said to Harry, but he shook his head no. "He stays shackled. Work around it."
Five minutes later the head Healer stepped back and looked at Harry. "He's dead, Sir."
Harry swore loudly before advancing on the body, now contorted in the chair, his eyes still open.
Harry's wand worked and with a shake of his head he turned to her. "A very specific charm released a poison capsule, most likely caused when certain questions were asked."
"Like, `Who are you working for?'," Hermione said in a low voice.
"Exactly," Harry replied. "It's a combination of a trigger charm, like Voldemort used to track anyone that used his name, and Imperius to get the person to break the capsule and release the poison. I've never seen anything like it."
Her head spun with the possibility of such a charm. The skill it would take to develop and implement a charm like that was hard to come by. And then she let out an audible gasp as she realized she had just that day met a young witch who was exactly that talented.