London, Ministry of Magic, September 11th, 1999, 14.30 hours

Wand-Leader Hermione was taken aback by the destruction she saw inside the Department of Mysteries. To think Ron and the others had willingly entered the department while this acid wave had filled it… she shuddered.

Dean glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. She schooled her features. "Imagine if this flood hadn't been stopped, and had filled the Ministry."

That made her friend wince. "Stupid Unspeakables, messing with things they can't control."

"We don't know if that's what happened," Hermione corrected him automatically. "It could have been sabotage, or an attack from the outside. Although the latter seems a bit far-fetched," she added. "Alright, let's get to work. We need to know if that half-naga was involved."

Colin was already taking pictures everywhere, but those wouldn't show magical residue. Dean sighed. The Wand wasn't looking forward to covering the entire department with detection spells. Neither was Hermione. Especially since she already knew that they wouldn't find anything linking this to the attacks on the Malfoy, Nott and Lovegood families.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

"What did your team find?"

Wand-Leader Benjamin was five years older than Hermione, and his tone showed just a slight hint of condescension towards the youngest Wand-Leader in the Investigative Corps. Both were standing in one of the laboratories of the Department of Mysteries.

Hermione stood at attention, not showing how tired she was after four hours of casting spell after spell. "We didn't find anything that would link this to the half-naga. Though the office of the Head Unspeakable has been cleared of any residue. Including the corpse found there. But there were signs that the body found inside had been suffering from exposure to the acid, though the effect had stopped before the witch had died. It could have happened at the same time the whole mass went inert, but I'm recommending a closer analysis of the body's robe."

Benjamin nodded. "We've tracked the origin of this wave to an Ottoman artifact, which was delivered to the department just two days ago." He pointed at the center of the room, where a misshapen lump of metal was sitting. "That's all that's left. Apparently it was a research project that the Head had given priority. There was an outside expert involved, who vanished a few days ago."

"And Rookwood is missing?" Hermione narrowed her eyes. "His office is purged, the outside contact missing, a dead Unspeakable in his office…"

"We have a lot of questions for him," the older Wand-Leader said.

"But we have to find him first," Hermione added. She didn't sound smug, but Benjamin still frowned.

"Let's hope he can't hide as well as that half-naga."

Hermione didn't react to that barb, but she nodded rather stiffly before she turned to leave. Even though she knew about the truth behind the 'half-naga', the comment hurt her pride.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

"We're back to hunting snakes then," Dean summed up the day a bit later back in their own office.

"Half-nagas," Hermione corrected him. "We wouldn't want someone to think we're hunting Slytherins."

Dean and Colin chuckled. The youngest member of their team was checking his camera. He'd have to spend hours developing the pictures.

"I'm going to get some food. Are you eating with us, Hermione?" Dean asked, standing up.

She shook her head. "I'm meeting Antoine." She had to ensure that he really was fine, now. And find out what exactly had happened in the Department of Mysteries. She wanted to see if her own deductions were close to the truth.

"We still haven't met him." Dean was grinning as he said it, but it wasn't the first time he had mentioned his wish to meet her boyfriend.

"We can have dinner together next week," she said. "For the weekend, he's mine."

"You've got it bad," her friend said, shaking his head.

"Oh, yes."

"And what does the Minister's son think about your new relationship?"

Hermione sighed. "Is this all the Corps talks about?" Sally-Anne should be guarding more, and gossiping less!

"I heard it from Luna," Dean admitted.

Hermione sighed. "She's concerned."

"And does she have a good reason to be concerned?" Dean was staring at her.

She hesitated a second, then nodded. "You know him, and his ego. I hope he'll give up after he realises I'm not interested, but…"

"That could take a long time," Dean said. "He isn't exactly used to being turned down."

"You could ask the Minister to talk to him," Colin proposed.

Hermione winced, and cursed herself right afterwards. She was too exhausted, after worrying about Ron for the night, and working the whole day. Dean hadn't missed that slip, she knew. "I don't think that would be a good idea. The Minister is under a lot of pressure with the attacks and this disaster."

Colin nodded, turning back to tinkering with his camera. Dean didn't look convinced.

"Want to walk together to the Floo connection?" her friend asked.

Hermione didn't want to, but nodded.

"Alright. I'll get you the usual order, Colin."

As soon as they were out of the office, Dean cast a privacy spell. Others would think they were talking about a case.

"Did anything happen with the Minister?"

"No."

"But you don't think he'd help you," Dean said. He knew her too well. And there was a reason he was with her in the Investigative Branch.

"Antoine's a pureblood, and a foreigner. If we were to marry, then the Minister might see that as a security risk." It was a good explanation.

Dean frowned. "That makes no sense. You know the Minister. He trusts us implicitly." He hissed. "You don't trust him!"

She had no choice now. He wouldn't let that be. "I've finished my investigation, Dean."

His eyes widened.

"You'll chance on me and Antoine in Ebenezer's this evening. Say, in two hours. Don't look into the Minister's eyes should you meet him until then."

Dean nodded, stiffly. He understood.

Now she had to explain this to Ron.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

London, Diagon Alley, September 11th, 1999, 19.00 hours

Ron Weasley found himself embracing and kissing Hermione as soon as the door to his room in the Leaky Cauldron had closed. He had missed her, especially after his group had left the Department of Mysteries, battered, bruised and with two of them cursed. He held her, feeling some tension he hadn't noticed until then leave him.

"How did you get hurt?" she whispered.

He winced, remembering the moment he had been thrown into the wall. "Rookwood transfigured his desk into tentacles. One of them grabbed me and slammed me into the wall, before crushing my leg."

"That sounds worse than what you told me," she said, frowning. She glanced at his leg too, and he thought she was restraining herself from checking for lingering damage.

"Sorry. It was still a bit fresh, then. I didn't want to think about it." Not while Skele-Gro was making his leg hurt far worse than the wounds had, at least.

She bit her lower lip. "No, I'm sorry… I didn't think about that."

Now she sounded guilty, which in turn made him feel guilty. He kissed her again. They sat down on his bed, her in his lap, and he told her more details about the fight against Rookwood. Hermione nodded, obviously trying to analyze the whole battle in her head.

Finally, she nodded. "That fits what I found. Not that there was much to be found. Dumbledore didn't leave many traces. Though he'll be among the suspects as soon as Benjamin realises that the whole flood had to be the result of alchemy.

"Benjamin?" He hadn't heard that name yet. Another friend of hers?

"The Wand-Leader in charge of the investigation."

"You weren't put in charge?"

"No, my team is still hunting the 'half-naga'."

The Dark Lord. He nodded. It would have been useful if she was the one investigating the incident, but it would also endanger her just a bit more.

"Speaking of my team…"

He looked at her. She didn't usually beat around the bush.

Hermione took a deep breath, then sighed. "Dean suspects that I don't trust the Minister anymore."

"Merde." He tensed. How to deal with that, with him…

"I told him to meet us by chance in Ebenezer's, in about an hour and a half."

"What?"

She looked at him, frowning. "He's my friend. If I, if we don't tell him, he'll find out anyway. Or ask the wrong person for help."

"You said he doesn't know Occlumency." There were ways to deal with such knowledge.

"He doesn't. But if he noticed this once, he'll notice it again." She knew those ways, of course. And she was probably correct. "He doesn't have much contact with the Minister though, since he is no team leader."

"You want to tell him the truth."

"About the Minister, yes."

He nodded. "Will you be able to tell what he's thinking?"

"Yes. I know him well. We were in the same year."

"And if he wants to rat you out?"

"Then I'll obliviate him," she said in a flat but determined voice. He didn't doubt that she'd do it - that was the Wand-Leader he had grown to know and love.

"Well, let's get something to eat then, before we meet Dean."

He almost snorted when he suddenly thought that this was like meeting the family of his girlfriend. Hopefully, it would turn out better than when he had met Estelle's family. That had been a debacle.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

London, Diagon Alley, September 11th, 1999, 21.00 hours

Ebenezer's didn't look like a good location to talk treason, Hermione thought. It was loud and packed with people, even with the threat of an attack by the Dark Lord hanging over them. Not that the people around her and Ron would know that muggleborns and half-bloods were in danger. They thought a 'half-naga' was attacking the purebloods.

And yet the noise level would make eavesdropping difficult, even without privacy charms. With them, it would be nigh-impossible.

She clung to Ron, as if they were just out to have a good time. She didn't see Dean around yet, and so steered Ron to the dance floor when a slow song started.

For a few minutes, she could relax and enjoy the moment. Then she saw Dean. He came right up to them, smiling. He was forcing himself to smile though, she could tell.

"Fancy meeting you here. Is that your mysterious lover?"

"Hello Dean." She didn't need to force herself to sigh. "This is Antoine. Antoine, this is Dean, one of my friends from the Corps."

The two wizards shook hands. An outside observer would attribute their slight awkwardness to her. Ex-lover meets current lover. A good cover.

"Let's sit down," she said, loudly.

"Alright." Dean agreed at once. A good sign, she thought.

They managed to grab a table thanks to their brown robes. The predominantly half-blood crowd didn't want to get in the way of two Wands. Hermione briefly wondered how much of that was fear, and how much was respect. Then she cast the best privacy charms she knew, masking both words and gestures, and nodded at Dean.

"I've tracked the Obliviators in muggle Britain."

He nodded. "I assumed you did."

"I saw Martin Tuckleton and John Meriweather 'recover' a muggleborn child. They wanted to murder her parents, but decided against it. Because, as Merriweather put it, they had done that too often."

Dean drew a hissing breath.

"They decided instead to frame the father for murdering his daughter." She stared into his eyes. "There was no sign of any abuse. The muggles saw the child do accidental magic, and liked it."

Her fellow wand blinked. She continued before he could ask. "I checked the records. Our records. I tracked down the Obliviator who had 'recovered' me from my parents, Keagan Banks, and interrogated him with Veritaserum."

"Were you the one attacking Ottokar Merriweather?" Dean said.

She didn't answer that. "I presented him with my file. He admitted that he had faked the report. My parents hadn't abused me. Merriweather hurt me, to fool the healers. They murdered my parents." She felt Ron wrap his arm around her, and took a deep breath.

"Merlin's stinking arse!" Dean swore.

"I asked about the other reports. Yours. Colin's. Sally-Anne's. He said he had never seen a muggle abuse their child. All the reports were faked."

Dean was staring at her, his mouth opening and closing.

"Banks had done that because he had been ordered by his superior, Cornelius Fudge. I interrogated him. He had acted on orders."

"By… by the Minister?" Dean asked, shaking.

"Yes."

"Are you… are you certain?"

"Yes. I can give you the memories, but you know about the pensieves." They couldn't use one of those rare devices without catching attention.

"I can't believe it," he said, shaking his head.

"I didn't want to believe it myself."

"Could.. Could it have been a setup?"

"No. Too many people, too much information to be manipulated."

"They could have simply memory charmed you." Dean glanced at Antoine.

"I've mastered Occlumency." Best nip that suspicion in the bud.

"You could have been memory-charmed into believing you did." Dean was grasping at straws.

"If 'they' could do that, would 'they' bother with having me talk to you, instead of doing the same to you? Make you believe you found out yourself, or independently confirmed the facts? Or simply make you forget?"

Dean closed his eyes, cursing under his breath. Hermione reached out and took his hand. "I know how you feel."

He nodded, shakingly. "So… our whole life, the whole Corps…"

"... is based on lies and murder," Hermione finished for him.

Dean took a few minutes to compose himself again, enough at least to continue their talk. "And what's his role?" He pointed at Ron. "He knows about this."

Hermione studied Dean. He was shaken, but he did believe her. She was certain of that. And he'd not betray her. They had known each other too long, trusted each other with their lives even. Still, he couldn't protect his mind. Telling him the truth about Ron would be a mistake. "Yes, he knows. And he's helping me."

"Helping you with what?"

"Helping me to find a way to inform the rest of the Corps. And to avenge our families," Hermione said. "That scum who did this to us will pay."

Dean nodded, his expression as grim as hers.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Ron Weasley found Dean staring at him as soon as Hermione had left the table to 'freshen up'. He met the other wizard's eyes, of course.

"I don't like you," Dean said. It wasn't really a surprise.

"Why?" Ron asked, barely refraining from adding 'jealous?'.

"She shouldn't have gone to an outsider." The Wand scowled.

"A pureblood, you mean."

Dean didn't answer that, but his scowl deepened.

"She didn't come to me because of this, you know. We got together before she found out about it," Ron said. The implied accusation that he had exploited Hermione's shock after her discovery wasn't something he'd let stand. No matter if Dean had actually implied that.

"I don't care about that," Dean said, baring his teeth. "But we're her family."

Ron had no doubt of that - Dean was acting like Estelle's brother. Merlin, he was thinking about marriage with a girl that had dozens of brothers and sisters! On the other hand, he thought, he had six siblings. And his mum. He chuckled. "You certainly act like the typical brother."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "I take it you've met many of those?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "It's a cliche." Apart from Estelle's brother, he hadn't met anyone actually acting like an overprotective brother. Though as Ginny's sibling, his standards might be a bit skewed.

"If you hurt her, you'll pay for it."

"This isn't some bloody wireless show!" He scoffed at the other wizard. "Are you really going to tell me she needs your protection?"

"She is vulnerable when it comes to relationships."

Ron suppressed the guilt he felt - he had hurt her, even though he hadn't wanted to. "She's stronger than you think."

Dean snorted.

Ron sighed. "You know why she wouldn't go to you with this. If Malfoy reads your mind, he'll know all about this."

Dean glared at him. "I know about it now."

"Yes." Ron didn't hide the fact that he didn't like this. "And you're a risk."

"And you're not?"

"I'm not living in the Ministry," Ron said.

"And yet you could meet the Minister anyway. You certainly are known enough," Dean sneered.

"I'm prepared for that."

"How? Occlumency?"

"It's a very useful skill. Have you ever duelled a Legilimens?" Ron hadn't, actually. Unless the Professor counted - but Dumbledore could probably predict his moves just from his experience.

"A Shield Charm will stop that."

"Maybe."

"I'll learn Occlumency," Dean said.

"That takes too long."

"Maybe you took too long," Dean said, sneering slightly.

"Just ask Hermione how long she had until she had mastered it." Ron smiled, just a bit smugly. Dean glared at him again.

Hermione's return to their table with a new round of drinks which prevented them from continuing their discussion. The witch sat down, then looked from Ron to Dean and back. "What did you talk about?" she asked, warily.

"We've been talking about ways to prevent Dean from endangering us all by having his mind read," Ron said. Dean scowled.

"There's not much to be done. Avoid the Minister. And don't look into his eyes," Hermione said. "It won't work forever, or even that long, so we'll have to prepare to quickly inform more of the Corps so that we can secure the Ministry and then inform the rest of the Wands."

Ron was quite certain that sort of planning should be done with Dumbledore, not by themselves. He couldn't say that though. "That'll be difficult."

"The Minister's weakened. With the disaster in the Department of Mysteries and the half-naga troubles, we'll have an opportunity for a take-over soon, I think," Hermione said.

Dean snorted. "If we can convince the Corps, the Ministry is ours. The Aurors certainly won't be able to hinder, much less stop us."

"The Unspeakables are a wild card, but with the current troubles, they are weakened as well. Until there's a new head, they'll be mostly focused on their own issues. As usual."

"Maybe." Ron didn't think it would be that easy. Things never were. "Don't tell anyone though, until we have a plan."

Dean nodded.

Ron took a sip from his drink. He really needed to talk about this. With Hermione, and with Dumbledore. Now if only Dean would leave…

As if the other wizard had read his thoughts, he leaned forward. "Now let's change the topic to something less serious! How did you win our dear Wand-Leader's heart?"

Ron would have happily hexed the git. As if it wasn't obvious what Dean was trying to do! He glared at the other wizard while Hermione was blushing slightly, and mock-scolded Dean.

Ron just knew this would be a long evening.