As they exited the observation room, Hermione pointed her wand at the glass and blocked the spell that allowed someone to see into interrogation. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it without anyone watching.
Jenny stood nervously in front of the door and before they went in Hermione laid a hand on her arm. "You don't have to do this. You can explain how to hold off the charm and I can do it by myself," she assured her. Hermione could barely bring herself to walk through that door and do what she had decided to do, much less ask the same of someone else.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Jenny said. "But with all due respect, I watched my father fight in the war and I made a decision a long time ago that I was going to be an Auror. I understand what's going to happen here, and I accept my role. Besides, I don't think it's possible to hold off the charm and be able to question him at the same time. It's a two person job." Her voice shook some, but she sounded sure.
"Alright, then," Hermione said, and before she could think any further on what they were about to do, she pushed into the room.
Yarborough had the same vacant look in his eye as he had when she was in here last. She forced herself to look away.
Hermione motioned to the lone chair and Jenny took it willingly. She had already pulled her wand and had a tight hold on it. "How long will it take you to isolate the charm and begin to block it from the Imperius?"
"Not long, Ma'am. I'll begin the incantation and when I stop speaking it should be working. You'll need to ask the question then," Jenny replied as the grip she had on her wand became even tighter.
Without hesitation Jenny held her wand towards Yarborough and began to mutter a complicated incantation while drawing runes in the air. Hermione tried to keep up with her but, with a shake of her head, brought her attention back to Yarborough so she'd be ready when it was time.
And then there was silence. Sweat broke out on Jenny's forehead and her lips were pinched in a tight line as her wand hand began to tremble from the exertion required to hold off the Imperius.
"Yarborough, who is the person behind these attacks?" Hermione asked with a shaky voice.
His body stiffened like Anderson's had, and Jenny slumped forward as she had to push harder to keep the trigger at bay.
Yarborough's mouth opened and shut twice and Hermione felt her stomach twist at the thought that this wouldn't work and he'd die anyway. The third time, however, he groaned out, "Macnair".
As soon as he spoke, Jenny collapsed on the table and the connection was broken. Yarborough's jaw made the all too familiar motion and he began to convulse.
Hermione couldn't feel anything as her body was numb, and she didn't dare move until the final twitch shook him and he went still.
She couldn't even comprehend what she had just done.
Jenny was breathing hard, and when she lifted her head, Hermione could see tears on her face.
"You should go and get some rest, Auror Dawlish," Hermione said, and her voice sounded foreign even to herself.
Jenny stood on autopilot and allowed Hermione to guide her to the door. When she saw Jenny disappear around the corner, Hermione turned to the guard on duty. "I need Yarborough's body removed."
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied.
Her boots echoed in the empty halls and she wished there was someone else around as she made her way to the office.
Chelsea still wasn't around, and Hermione assumed she must be trying to catch sleep while she could. In a way she was grateful as it allowed her to delay having to tell someone in person what she had just done.
The files that detailed who was working on which lead were on a side desk, and she went there immediately and summoned blank parchment and a quill.
She worked quickly and penned several directives ordering teams back to the Ministry to receive new orders. She probably only had an hour before she'd have to give an all-hands briefing.
There was a sharp rap on the door and she opened it wandlessly. Chelsea was on the other side. She looked rumpled and exhausted, and a trifle sheepish.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I didn't realize you had returned to the Ministry. I apologize if I was not available and you needed me..." she began, already breathless.
"Did you get some sleep?" Hermione asked and the flush of the woman's cheeks confirmed it for her. "Good. You're no use to me if you can't function." And with that taken care of she turned to the pile of parchment she had accumulated. "There have been some new developments. I need this posted out immediately, and as soon as all the teams have returned I need the department assembled for a briefing."
"All the teams, Ma'am?" Chelsea asked, surprised as she took the papers automatically.
"We know who we're going after, Chelsea," she explained, nowhere near as excited as would be expected.
"That's excellent news, Ma'am!" Chelsea exclaimed.
"It's a start, and it's more than we had a few hours ago," Hermione said, and turned her attention to the rest of what lay before her, only just remembering that Bill had a suspect for her at the bank. "Oh, I need a team sent to Gringotts when it opens to pick up a suspect by the name of Byron Murdoch. Can you see to that?"
"Yes, Ma'am. What are we charging him with?" The portfolio once again making an appearance as she opened it to take notes.
"We believe he's the one responsible for the attack in Diagon Alley. So how about we start with attempted murder, and include accessory to intent to commit treason as well," Hermione said sharply, as she briefly wondered if she'd be facing her own murder charges or not.
"Yes, Ma'am." Chelsea said softly. "I'll go send these off now and arrange for the team going to Gringotts."
"Thank you. I'll be in the Minister's office if you need me," Hermione stated and then swept from the room as quickly as she could.
The lifts had been reopened but she still chose to take the stairs.
Kingsley's outer offices were dark and quiet and she wondered if he was even in as she approached his door. But after two quick knocks she heard him call out.
He wasn't at his desk, but rather in one of the two large leather chairs that flanked the fireplace.
"Come in, Hermione," he said tiredly.
She hadn't intended on sitting, but he left her little choice. She sat lightly on the edge of the chair and stared at the dying fire in an attempt to avoid his eyes.
"We know who it is," she said softly, and she saw him start out the corner of her eye.
"Are you serious! Who?" he exclaimed.
"Macnair," she replied, and knew what was about to come.
"And you're sure?" he asked, but was already half out of his seat. "We'll need to pull the other teams in from the field. We can focus on Macnair now and..."
"Already done," she said without preamble.
"Well done, Hermione. I knew you would handle the job just fine," he said enthusiastically and she couldn't sit still any longer.
Hermione jumped to her feet and began to pace in the space behind the chairs.
"What's wrong?" Kingsley asked.
She wrapped one arm around her middle before she spoke. "You haven't asked me how I found out, Sir," she said with derision.
"What happened?" he stood and faced her, his tone serious.
She walked to the fireplace and used the side of the mantle for support, not feeling the warmth from the burning logs. "Yarborough had the same charm on him that Anderson did." She saw Kingsley nod. "Jenny Dawlish found a way to hold the trigger off for a bit, but not disable it entirely." She paused, and after a beat he realized what she had done.
"I made the decision to question Yarborough even though I knew he would die. Jenny held off the charm long enough for him to say Macnair's name, but he died, just like Anderson, and I allowed it to happen." Her voice sounded empty and she was prepared for anything he could say.
Kingsley sank back into his chair and rubbed his forehead wearily. "I wish you had come to me and not made such a decision on your own."
"There wasn't any time," she replied in a whisper.
"I'm sorry you had to do that," he said sincerely. "These choices...they're never easy, and they shouldn't be. You struggled with it, I can tell, and you'll live with it the rest of your life, but sometimes...sometimes terrible things are necessary. It doesn't justify it, it doesn't legitimize it, but it does make it easier to accept." She hadn't looked at him, unable to pull her gaze from the flames.
He walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "If it helps, I would have made the same decision, and I think Harry would have as well." She nodded and ducked her head in an attempt to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes.
"No offense, but it doesn't help," she replied honestly.
"Fair enough," he said and stepped back. "But keep in mind the good this information will do. This will hopefully be what we've needed to get ahead."
"I know that. Ultimately that's why I did it," she said, and lifted her head to meet his gaze for the first time. "I need to know sir...will there be any...repercussions. Did I violate any sort of prisoner's bill of rights or Auror code, or anything that I wasn't aware of? Auror Dawlish operated under my orders, she shouldn't be punished for that." Her mouth had gone dry as she had spoke.
Kingsley gave her a half smile. "No. This is war and the normal rules don't always apply. You don't need to worry."
She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, although the overwhelming guilt didn't dissipate in the slightest.
Hermione made her way back to the chair and filled Kingsley in on the mole at Gringotts, the status of the lift explosion, and the reason she had been called to St. Mungo's. When she was finished, she was emotionally exhausted and yet still had to go give a major briefing.
She leaned back against the wing of the chair and shut her eyes for a long moment and Kingsley allowed her the peace.
"I've got to be getting back," she said, her eyes still closed. "The teams should be arriving soon, and everyone else should be in as well." She pushed herself forward and looked over at Kingsley who looked as tired as she felt. "I intend to put everything towards finding Macnair and flushing him out."
Kingsley gave her a stiff nod. "Solid plan," he agreed. "Let me know when you have something to report."
"Yes, Sir," she replied and used the arms of the chair to pull herself to her feet.
The Minister's outer offices were now abuzz and morning light poured through the windows. Her thoughts strayed to Harry and she wished she could go see him.
With a long sigh she headed for the lifts and stepped into a car before she realized what she was doing. Her heart beat frantically and she pressed herself into the far corner of the car in the hope that no one else would notice her reaction.
The damage to the shaft and car had been fully repaired, and there was full load of wizards on their way to their jobs. No one seemed to even see her, and for that she was grateful. It was only when the lift stopped at the correct level and she pushed her way to the front that she heard the whispers in her wake.
The Auror Department was busier than she'd ever seen it. Chelsea spotted her immediately and looked fully recovered from earlier. She had new clothes, fresh robes, and not a hair out of place. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had looked in a mirror.
"Almost everyone has returned, Ma'am. And the team working on the lift explosion has a final report for you," Chelsea said, as she handed her another folder.
"Thank you. Could you assemble everyone in one location? I'll be there in a moment to do the briefing," Hermione requested and headed into the office.
She tossed the folder on the table and opened it up quickly so she could read it while she performed a freshening charm on her robes and clothes.
The investigation had determined that Anderson had accessed the lift shaft two days prior and cast a delayed detonation charm on it that had been combined with a weight- required activation. She shook her head slowly as she grasped what they had accomplished. Although it had been set to go off that night, it wouldn't actually explode until there were enough people in the car. The fact that it was herself, Harry, and Ron who were in the lift when it detonated had been pure dumb luck.
She ran a hand over her hair and let out a long breath. She didn't know if she could do this; addressing the entire department, giving major orders that would change the entire game plan...she wouldn't be surprised if they all laughed at her. Except, there was no one else, she didn't have a choice, and someone had to do it.
Chelsea was outside the door when Hermione stepped out, and without a word she led the way to a conference room that must have been magically made bigger.
Even with the extra space it was packed full, and the small pathway made for her by Aurors shifting to the side wasn't enough to quell the onslaught of claustrophobia she had begun to feel.
When she made it to the head of the large table she saw a few familiar faces, but the majority of the wizards present were strangers to her. Silence settled in the space, and a cold sweat broke across her skin.
"Thank you for coming," she said in a loud, clear voice that surprised her. "There have recently been some major developments that have significantly changed how we are going to be approaching the mission from this point onward." There were a few low murmurs but no one spoke up.
"We now have evidence that names Walden Macnair as the wizard behind these attacks." Now there was an eruption of noise and she waited for it to ebb before she continued. "However, we do not yet know his motivation or what his next move may be. Our entire focus from this point forward is on finding Macnair and his network of affiliates. I would like to meet with team leaders individually to set your specific tasks." She paused for a moment and tried to look at as many people as possible. "I do not need to remind you that these attacks are personal. They have come into our Ministry and attacked us on the inside. They have put two members of this department in St.Mungo's. They have killed hundreds of children, and ruined the lives of hundreds more, which is why I expect nothing more than your very best." She waited a beat for her words to sink in. "Carry on," she said and then headed for the door.
"Have the team leads meet with me in the office," she said to Chelsea when she caught up with her.
"Yes, Ma'am," Chelsea replied and then did an abrupt 180 to find who she needed.
Hermione had all of three minutes before Chelsea rapped once on the door and ushered in five gruff looking aurors.
She spent almost an hour detailing different avenues that should be pursued in order to find Macnair, and when the aurors left the office she felt she might have earned a small amount of their respect.
If she thought she would get a moment of peace she was mistaken. The same young auror who had run into the room only the day before with the Daily Prophet came in again with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Ma'am! You need to see this," he said, and unceremoniously shoved the page at her.
It was a one page leaflet, but the bold headlines immediately caught her attention.
Muggle attack on German school leaves students without magic! ran across the top, and below another one said: Ministry keeping silent on explosion that almost killed Harry Potter!
Hermione dropped into the nearest chair as the paper shook in her hand.
"Where did you get this?" she asked.
"They're everywhere, Ma'am. Stacks in Diagon Alley, delivered by Owl post to homes, in Hogsmeade...everywhere," he said sullenly.
"Has the Minister seen this?" She couldn't imagine what the reaction was going to be now. One incident in Norway could be written off by the public, but multiple attacks on multiple schools...panic would set in.
"No, Ma'am. I brought it to you first," the Auror replied.
"I'll go speak to him immediately. See what you can do about getting rid of these," she said, as she looked down at the paper in disgust. "Although I'm afraid the damage has already been done."
Kingsley was in with another department head when she arrived and his assistant almost had apoplexy as he tried to tell her she would have to wait. She gave him a withering glare and entered anyway.
She knocked as she pushed open the door and saw Kingsley give her a sharp look before he realized who it was.
"Sorry for the interruption, Sir, but something has come up," she said and waited while he asked the other wizard to come back at another time.
"What is it?" he asked as soon as the door had been shut.
"This," she said and laid the paper on his desk.
He read it quickly and then crumpled it in his fist. "Macnair," he said, his voice harsh. "What is his end game?"
Hermione didn't bother to sit. She stood in front, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "I think he's going with fear. Attacking children, not five years after the war with Voldemort...people haven't forgotten, Kingsley. And he's done it very slowly and very carefully and managed to lay groundwork where he can easily blame it on Muggles. You know yourself there were plenty of people willing to go along with the anti-Muggle sentiment, except he's not doing it by force, he's using psychology, and I think that's even more dangerous."
Kingsley studied the wrinkled paper and then looked up at her. "I think you are correct." He sighed heavily. "I'll call a press conference. I won't name Macnair directly, but I will give the people the assurance that this is nothing more than propaganda and there is nothing to support this idea that Muggles are to blame."
"Do you think that will work, Sir?" she said hesitantly.
"I'm honestly not sure," he answered and she didn't wait to be dismissed.
The Ministry was in an uproar. The leaflets were everywhere, even there, and worried witches and wizards stopped what they were supposed to be doing to whisper anxiously amongst themselves.
She heard snatches of their conversations as she walked by.
"...my husband wants to take the kids out Hogwarts!"
"...should wait until the Minister says something."
"...just like last time!"
If this was how Ministry employees reacted, she couldn't imagine how the rest of the wizarding world was taking it.
An angry wizard confronted her in the crowded lift and she managed to stutter out instructions to wait for the Minister to make an announcement before she got off one level early and took the stairs the rest of the way.
Her own department didn't seem as if it had held on above the fray. One Auror blasted a howler out of the air that she assumed must have been from his wife. Pinned to the office door were several `official requests' that inquired about the state of Hogwarts and what the Ministry intended to do to protect the school. She vanished them with a sigh as she pushed her way in and stopped short when she saw Neville Longbottom slumped in a chair. Chelsea was in the room as well and looked unsure.
"Neville!" Hermione exclaimed, worry immediately came over her. "Has something happened at Hogwarts?"
He rose to his feet and faced her. "No, I'm sorry if I made you believe that. There hasn't been an attack or anything," he said quickly.
Her eyes cut over to Chelsea. "Did you need something?"
Chelsea swallowed hard twice and looked between her and Neville. "I'm sorry Ma'am. He insisted on seeing you, and there was no authorization but..."
"Professor Longbottom is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and therefore is authorized to be here anytime he wishes," she said, perhaps a tad too harshly as Chelsea flushed.
"Yes, Ma'am," she said in a subdued voice and exited silently.
Neville looked a bit chagrined as he rubbed a hand over the back of his head. "Sorry about that, she didn't want to leave me here, but the Headmistress asked me to come so..."
"It's fine, Neville, don't worry about it." She brushed off his apology and moved to flip through the new set of reports Chelsea had left on the desk.
"How's Harry? I heard about the explosion," he asked, and took her by surprise.
She drew in a sharp breath. "He's...he hasn't woken up yet. I saw him this morning, early, but..." she didn't finish the sentence because it was too difficult.
Neville looked at her with compassion. "He'll pull through; it's what he does."
She looked at him gratefully. "Thanks," she said softly and cleared her throat. "Now, what did Professor McGonagall want?" As much as she appreciated Neville's concern, she didn't want to be reminded of Harry just then.
Neville sat down again and braced his elbows on his knees. "Hogwarts is in pandemonium, Hermione. Poppy's given more calming draughts in the past two hours than she probably has in the past two years combined. Those leaflets were brought by owl this morning during breakfast; a Hufflepuff fainted in her eggs. We've already had several posts from parents asking if the school would be closed. The Headmistress wanted to know if you'd be willing to come to Hogwarts and speak with her. I believe she also thought a visit from you would help appease some of the more frantic ones."
She leaned heavily against the table and stared at the floor. Never would she have imagined it could have gotten so bad so quickly. Without conscious thought she had been running her right thumb over the too smooth skin of her empty ring finger. She let go quickly and pressed her hands into her robes to still them.
"I'll come, of course," she answered Neville. "Kingsley intends to make a statement soon, but I don't know if it will do much good and if there's another attack..." She didn't need to finish that thought. Neville didn't answer but he gave her a look that let her know he sympathized with her plight.
"Well, the Headmistress said to tell you she can see you whenever you're available. I need to get back for my classes, but if there is anything we can do, don't hesitate." He stood up and straightened his robes before he stepped forward and laid a hand on her arm. "Hogwarts won't fall, we won't let it," he said decisively and then quirked his mouth in a half smile that reminded her for a brief second of the boy who had lost his toad all those years ago.
"Thank you, Neville," she said sincerely. "I'll be to Hogwarts as soon as possible," she told him, and he squeezed her arm once before he left.
Just as she exited the office to track down Chelsea, a harried Auror approached. "Ma'am, we've got Murdoch in containment. He didn't go easy; one of my men is at St. Mungo's."
She cursed to herself. "Is it serious?" The last thing she needed was more injured Aurors.
"Not sure. I haven't received an update yet," he said in a strained voice
"Is Murdoch secure, or does he need to be stunned?" she asked.
"He's both, Ma'am." There was a hardness to his statement that made her think Murdoch had already paid for hurting one of the team.
She nodded. "Let's keep him that way. Do I need to do damage control with the goblins? I can't imagine they're pleased with what happened."
The Auror flushed and looked away. "The operation did not go as smoothly as I would have liked, Ma'am," he said as diplomatically as possible.
Hermione shook her head once. The last thing they needed was to play politics with the goblins. "I'll let the Minister know. Thank you and you have my permission to go to St. Mungo's to check on your Auror," she said, and hoped there was no bitterness in her voice from not being able to do the same thing herself.
For the first time she considered that maybe Kingsley did have it harder than she did. She stopped at the nearest empty desk and dashed off an informative, but succinct note about what had happened at Gringotts and apologized for the timing of it all. As she watched it fly away she didn't envy the task ahead of him in having to face the press and the public.
Hermione spotted Jenny Dawlish as she emerged from a cubicle on the far side of the room and an idea came to her. "Auror Dawlish," Hermione called out and headed her direction.
"Yes, Ma'am," Jenny said, her eyes still rimmed by dark circles.
"Would you care to go with me to Hogwarts. The Headmistress has requested I meet with her, and I thought you could take the time to speak with Professor Flitwick and maybe get a better understanding of how the charm worked," Hermione suggested.
Jenny's eyes lit up. "That would be a great help. I've been making notes and trying to work out the runic component that's tied into it. Perhaps I could talk to Professor Vector as well."
"I'm sure that could be arranged. We'll be leaving as soon as possible," Hermione instructed, and Jenny dashed off to collect her things.
They apparated to Hogsmeade and she barely took a second to look around before she headed straight for the path that lead to Hogwarts. Jenny was silent as they approached the school.
Although she had been back to take her NEWTs, the sight of the castle was still enough to make her heart rate increase. Her mind still tried to superimpose images of the battle over the reconstruction, and it was only with effort that she saw the school in the present.
Professor McGonagall was on the steps to the main doors in anticipation of their arrival.
"Ms. Granger, thank you for coming so promptly," she said as they climbed the stairs.
"Of course, Professor," she answered automatically.
"And Ms. Dawlish, I had heard you received placement with the Auror department. Congratulations," McGonagall said.
Jenny turned pink. "Thank you, Professor."
"I asked Jenny to come because she has some questions for Professors Flitwick and Vector if they could be spared for a short while," Hermione explained.
"Yes, yes. Make your way to the Charms classroom, Ms. Dawlish and tell Professor Flitwick you have my permission."
"Thank you, Ma'am, I mean, Professor," Jenny mumbled and then disappeared into the school before she could say anything else.
McGonagall looked after her and let out a deep sigh. "She doesn't seem old enough to be an Auror," she said tiredly and then turned her sharp look on Hermione. "And your eyes look entirely too old, Head Auror or not," she appraised, and Hermione was shocked by the tears that immediately clouded her vision.
She looked hastily over her shoulder in an attempt to hide them as she gathered her composure. Stress, lack of sleep, and the always present concern over Harry had her on a very narrow ledge of control.
"Shall we speak in my office?" McGonagall suggested and Hermione sent her a grateful look as they entered Hogwarts.
The halls were blessedly empty, and pandemonium and upheaval seemed to be contained, for now. Except for a stray student or two, she had managed to avoid a class change. One older boy did raise his eyebrows when he saw her, but she imagined it was due to the Auror robes more than anything else.
The climb up the twisted stairs to the Headmistress's office made her leg twinge, but she ignored it. She hadn't been in this room as often as Harry had, but she cast an eye around and saw that the majority of the former Heads were sleeping in their portraits, including Dumbledore.
Hermione walked over and stood before it. "Hello, Sir," she whispered, but he didn't twitch. With a heavy swallow she made her way back to McGonagall's desk to see her former professor send Dumbledore one of her patented glares.
Hermione waited for McGonagall to sit and then lowered herself into the hard back chair across from her. The Headmistress pushed a tray Hermione's direction laden with tea and biscuits. Her stomach grumbled low at the scent and she made the decision that she should eat when given the opportunity.
When they both had cups of tea in their hands, Hermione waited until McGonagall spoke. "How are you, really?" she asked perceptively, and Hermione sat the tea down so it wouldn't clatter in the saucer.
"Not good," she answered honestly, as she knew that the Headmistress would see through a lie quicker than anyone. "I'm worried about Harry, and I can't be with him, and now Kingsley has me running the department and I'm not sure I'm the right one for the job...it's just a lot of pressure," she said quickly, as one word ran into the next and her hands twisted in her lap.
"Hermione," McGonagall began and her head shot up; she didn't think she had ever heard her use her given name before. "You have been given an impossible task, but if anyone can persevere it's you. I have complete faith in your abilities."
She was stunned silent and could only give a tight smile in return. She picked the tea back up and took a long and deliberate sip.
"Now, what can the Auror department do for you, Headmistress?" she asked with only a glint of cheek in her voice.
"You can tell me if I need to close my school or not," McGonagall said directly and Hermione sat up straighter.
"I'm afraid I don't know. Two schools have been attacked, this is fact, and we have evidence to support the theory that other schools are targets as well. That being said, it's also possible they just want us to believe the other schools are in danger to spread our resources thin and distract our attention," Hermione said honestly and watched as the Headmistress visibly deflated some.
"And Hogwarts...do you believe it is also a target?" she asked, her Scottish brogue more pronounced than ever.
"I think...I think considering we're dealing with former Death Eaters and the fact that they first came after Harry, Ron, and myself...Yes. I believe that they plan on attacking Hogwarts." These words had never actually been spoken aloud, although she was sure everyone involved had thought them at some point.
"It's always you three, isn't it?" McGonagall replied with only a slight tremor and Hermione leaned forward to look at her in earnest.
"You know we will do everything possible to prevent that from happening."
"Yes, of course," McGonagall replied.
"You should know the Japanese Ministry has decided to close their school and their borders. Other schools may follow their example," Hermione said.
Professor McGonagall locked her gaze on Hermione's and stared at her for a long moment before she spoke. "Hogwarts didn't close for Voldemort and it won't close now," she said decisively.
Hermione gave her a nod of agreement.
For the next hour, Hermione filled her former professor in on everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. Kingsley had sent a few short owls to the Headmistress, but hadn't had the time to give a proper briefing.
"We'll need the Order when it's time...I don't know when that will be, but I have a feeling it'll be soon," Hermione said, her tea cold by now, but she still kept hold of it for something to do with her hands.
"I'll help if I can, but my duty is to Hogwarts first."
"I understand, and hopefully it won't come to that," Hermione said unconvincingly.
Then, out of nowhere, there was a heavy weight balanced on her shoulder and she snapped her head to the right to see Fawkes perched there like he had done it a thousand times before.
"Fawkes," she exhaled in shock, never imagining the phoenix would come to her. A thin roll of parchment fell into her hand and with a soft trill he was gone again.
With a shaky hand she opened the paper to see a hastily scrawled note from Kingsley. `Beauxbatons next target. Increase in apparation around the school. Return to Ministry immediately.'
With a gasp she shoved the paper across the desk to McGonagall. She gave the woman only a few seconds to read before she made her request. "Can I have Neville please? We need all the Order members available, and I need experienced fighters. The majority of the Auror department is young and has never seen combat," she pleaded, as the enormity of what she was about to do resonated within her.
The Headmistress had paled as she read the note. "Yes, take Mr. Longbottom. And keep us posted, please, Hermione," she requested.
She gave hasty thanks and took the stairs as quick as she could manage. Unfortunately, she wasn't as lucky this time and the halls teemed with students. She strode down the corridor and children scrambled to get out of her way.
As she approached the Charms classroom she saw Jenny and Flitwick emerge.
"Jenny! We have to leave now," she said, breathless. "I'm sorry, Professor," she acknowledged Flitwick with a short nod.
Flitwick didn't seem put out at all and he thanked Jenny for seeing him.
A minute later they wove their way through the halls. Two Aurors in Hogwarts caused more than a distraction, and she heard her name being whispered more than once as they headed to the main hall. She searched for Neville and finally, just before they got to the heavy double doors, spotted him.
"Neville!" she cried out above the din, and his head turned towards her.
"Hermione, did you just get here?" he asked when he reached them.
"No time to explain. I need you to come with me. McGonagall's okayed it. Order business," she said in a low voice, and his eyes narrowed at her words.
He just nodded his consent and they exited the school. She didn't want to talk to Jenny about what she had learned while there were others around, but once they were on the path to Hogsmeade she turned to the young Auror. "What did Flitwick have to say?"
"He had some valuable insight. He agrees that it seems almost impossible to detach the spell from the person it's been cast on, but he gave me some ideas for how it could be held off longer." She chewed on her lower lip and Hermione thought it seemed that she had more to say. Neville looked confused, but she couldn't take the time to explain it to him just then.
"What is it?" Hermione prodded in an effort to get Jenny to continue.
"He thinks it could be possible that it's not just charmed to respond to one single question. He thinks it could be that there are several different questions that could trigger it, and it could have been designed to be specific to the individual and what they know."
Hermione's stomach dropped. So far they had only seen the charm work when the subject was directly asked who they were working for. If there was a chance that other questions could also activate the charm it would make it that much more difficult to conduct interrogations.
"But I'll work on it. Maybe I'll be able to hold it off for a longer period of time and more than one question could be asked. I mean, we don't know what question will cause the Imperius to work, but it's possible we could stretch the time far enough to ask multiple inquiries, and that could only benefit us. I think we've gotten lucky before, that the trigger questions were the same both times. We could have inadvertently set it off and not even known why, and then where would we be? We would have never found out it was Macnair." Jenny spoke this ramble of words with no focus on where she was or what was in front of her. Hermione had to grab a handful of her robes and direct her around a broken tree limb in the path more than once. When she finally stopped, her face was flushed and her eyes were still far away as her mind already processed what she had learned.
Neville caught her gaze and she had to tramp down a smile at his obviously incredulous look.
"Then I think working on the charm should be your priority when we return," Hermione concluded, and Jenny nodded distractedly, still not entirely in the present.
They apparated back and her mind whirled at what the Minister's message could mean for her. There was a brief moment in the lift at the Ministry where Kingsley had installed new security measures. The car didn't want to allow Neville to exit onto Level Two as he was not an Auror or a Ministry employee. Hermione had to override the restriction which caused a security team to show up, wands drawn.
She stared them down, frustrated with the delay and stalked towards her office with Neville in tow.
Chelsea was stationed at the door. "I know he wants to see me. I'll be there in a moment. I know Murdoch is still in containment waiting to be interrogated but he can stay there awhile longer, and I'm sure there are plenty of reports waiting for me to look at; I'll get to them as soon as possible," she spat out, tetchy and overwhelmed.
The poor assistant's mouth opened and shut several times. "Yes, Ma'am," she said and slunk away, which only left Hermione with more guilt.
She let out a heavy sigh and pushed open the door. "Sorry about that," she said to Neville.
"I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I think you're entitled to being a bit snappish," he justified.
"It doesn't excuse it though," she said wearily and went straight to the desk to see what Chelsea had left.
The letters and words swam together and she rubbed her tired eyes and tried again, but it hadn't helped. She realized she needed to see Kingsley first.
Neville looked slightly awkward and out of place. "Neville, could you perhaps notify the rest of the Order that we'll need them soon? Ask them to assemble here and I'll make sure they have access. I need to go speak to Kingsley now. We'll have a briefing when I return."
She caught Chelsea in the hallway and apologized first before she made her request, and then she was once again in the lift on the way up to Kingsley's office.
She walked straight in. "What's happened?" she demanded.
He looked up from the report he had been absorbed with and handed it to her without preamble.
It detailed Macnair's whereabouts for the past three years. He was ensconced in a tiny hamlet in Wales, and from what the report said he hadn't left. The same was true for Dolohov, Carrow, and Rookwood. Intelligence showed that they had inhabited one location for years on end and seemed, for all intents and purposes, to have quiet lives.
"This can't be possible," she said in confusion.
"I'm aware," Kingsley retorted.
"They must be using polyjuice. Do we have any other sightings, anything that doesn't match up maybe?"
"There had been a few accounts, but they were dismissed because their presence was accounted for in these other areas," Kingsley explained.
"Where were the other accounts from? Let me guess. Rookwood was spotted in St. Petersburg perhaps?" she said sardonically and Kingsley just nodded.
"But Macnair has not had the same."
"Could be he's just been orchestrating the entire operation from this base then," she postulated
"That is a fair assumption," Kingsley agreed.
"But the others...we need to look into those sightings," she said.
"Already done," he said, and flipped the report to the final page. "That wizarding village near your Muggle university, someone reported some strange activity. The Auror you had assigned to tracking down Macnair in France spotted Dolohov and Rookwood."
She gasped as she read the information. The French Ministry had reported a decided increase in apparation around that village and in the area around Beauxbatons. This was different than the last two attacks which relied more on stealth and planning. Macnair intended to take the school by force.
She locked shocked eyes on Kingsley. "When?"
"Tonight or early tomorrow is my best guess," he said.
That left them with very little time. "Have you contacted Beauxbatons yet?"
"I wanted to talk to you first," he replied.
She nodded once and then a thought came over her. "Wait, why are they doing this? This goes against how they've attacked before. How do they think they can blame a direct attack, by wizards, on muggles?"
Kingsley was quiet for a long while. "Maybe they don't plan on there being any survivors to say otherwise," he said morosely, and a cold shiver went down her back.