Life and Its Mysteries

AN - I own nothing! I’m just borrowing from J.K. Rowling!



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Chapter 3



There were quite a number of people gathered in Albus’s office. The entire staff of Hogwarts, the Ministers, and Remus, Tonks, Harry and Ron, who all four were aurors, were the ones in the room. Some of them were standing or either sitting down around. All of them were focused at the very important subject at hand.



“There has been an agreement reached between Mr. Smith and I,” Lucius announced. “It will be one of his people to be in charge of the case.”



“What?” Harry asked in shock. “With all do respect sir, this is our jurisdiction and the crime happened on our soil. Most of all, we know Britain better than anyone on your team. We cannot risk following a blind leader.”



“I am aware of that Mr. Potter,” Dean said with a nod. “But I assure you, the person in charge can easily get around your country, knowing all the ins and outs. She is the best there is, and can understand Biff more than anyone else.”



“She?” Ron asked in confusion. He still firmly believed that men were stronger and better in some, if not, most cases. “It’s a bloody girl?”



“I don’t see the problem there Mr. Weasley,” Dean said as he looked at Ron with a glare.



It was Hermione’s case since the beginning and he decided that it was her that was to be in charge. He had called her the day before, and informed her of his decision, which she agreed to.



“Like a said before, she is the best there is,” Dean stated firmly. “She is the smartest and one of the most powerful witches that I have ever met.”



“I’m not following American chick that might cause mistakes. And how sure are you that this Biff guy is going to strike here at Hogwarts?” Ron asked. Obviously, he didn’t like the idea of people stepping into his jurisdiction.



“I do not care about who solves the case or not,” Albus said aloud. “This Biff monster must be found at once!”



“Of course Headmaster,” Dean said with a nod. He hadn’t informed everything about Biff.



Dean just informed Lucius that he was one of the most wanted wizards in America. Glancing around the room, he already saw faces of anger and worry. He could only imagine their reactions if they knew the entire truth about Biff. It would possibly only frighten them more perhaps.



Severus was seated in his seat, with his arms crossed over his chest. Inside his body, his blood was boiling and his heartbeat racing. He was more than furious to say the least. It was his student that almost got killed. Just like any staff member, all the faculty members did feel responsible, but Severus of course was a different man. He wanted to kill the Biff bastard.



“We’re here,” Moody announced as he walked out of the fireplace. Right after, the others too popped out of the fireplace—Hermione being last.



Hermione stood with her back towards everyone. Her arms stretched out as she leaned on the mantle of the fireplace. Her knee was in so much pain. The sudden weight of her body, was too much for her knee when she landed in the fireplace. How she hated traveling through floo and portkey as well. She reached into her jacket pocket and the ngroaned in frustration.



“Hermione?” Bill whispered to her as he stood next to her.



“I left my fucking potion bag at home in New York. My knee didn’t exactly lock and buckled awhile ago. Gods, how this week is really getting to me,” she said. She barely had a good night’s sleep and kept on thinking for the past few days.



“Do you want to sit?” Bill asked.



Hermione shook her head. “It’s bearable up to a point. The pain won’t kill me.”



“The floor is all yours,” Dean said as he stood up from his chair. It was Hermione that he was speaking to.



Hermione took in a deep breath. It was now or never. Without turning around, she started to speak. “This is my case. What I say goes. There will be no room for complaints or arguments. That is how I work, and that is how I get the job done. Understood?”



Severus’s head snapped up towards the direction of the woman. Why did the voice sound so familiar?



“You’re English?” Harry asked, quickly noticing the accent.



“English or American, you are not my boss,” Ron argued. “And what is it with your knee?” he asked as he noticed the brace and the cane. “You can’t even run after the guy if you had to.”



Hermione smiled to herself and shook her head. Ron never changed a single bit. He was still the egotistical prat that he was. “Mr. Weasley, if you refuse to do as I say, I will be forced to take you off the case. I may have left my bloody pain killers in New York for my knee, which fucking hurts now, but trust me… if I do have to run, I will and I can. Do not test me!”



“Who the fuck do you think-“



“Ronald! Enough!” Moody growled at him. “She is in charge. And if she says that you are of the case, I myself will assign you to be a security guard at the Ministry lobby.”



Ron opened his mouth to complain yet again, but then was slapped behind his head by Harry, warning him to keep his mouth shut.



“Very well then,” Hermione said as she grabbed the folder from Joshua’s hands before walking towards the projector. “You all know me. There is no need for further introduction. But, I cannot say the same for my teammates.” When she was already standing next to the projector, she turned it on, and took of her cap.



“Hermione?!” Severus gasped in disbelief along with a few other people. Mostly everyone in the room was very surprised to see her.



“You’re an auror in America?” Harry asked in confusion.



“Obviously,” Hermione replied flatly.



Ron’s anger built up inside him some more once he saw Hermione. “What gives you the right to waltz in here and tell me what to do?! It’s wrong.”



“Please Ron,” Hermione said in disgust, “don’t start. You should learn how to accept that the world doesn’t revolve around you, admit to your mistakes and swallow your pride.”



“Fuck you Mione!”



“Alright that’s it!” Hermione snapped and marched towards Ron as fast as she could, not caring about the pain in her leg. As she approached him, she saw him stand from his chair.



“What are you going to do about it?”



“This!” Hermione said as she quickly dropped her cane on the floor. She then punched Ron as hard as she could on his jaw. All her pent up anger for her former friend that had been hidden inside had finally reached its limit. With what he had done with her before, she wanted to actually kill him.



“What the-“ Ron was then hit on the same spot again. He couldn’t fight back because he was too surprised to even react. The taste of blood was already in his mouth just before he had gotten hit the second time.



Hermione, who was on top of Ron, was squatting down on one leg, while her bad knee was stretched out. Just as she tugged onto the front of his shirt with in her fists, a pair of arms wrapped around her, and pulled at her.



“Stop, Hermione!” Eric commanded as he kept his grip around Hermione as she attempted to get at Ron again.



Harry pulled Ron onto his feet, and frowned as he looked at Hermione. Never had he seen Hermione fight at Ron or at anyone in such a manner, so filled with evident rage. It was then he knew that he had made a mistake five years ago. Hermione wasn’t lying about what had happened between her and Ron.



“Fuck you!” Hermione shouted at him, as she waved her hand in the air roughly, as if pushing. Tears were falling down her cheeks.



Ron then found himself flying across the room. A grunt had escaped from his lips as his back hit the wall hard.



“Get her out of here!” Dean told Eric.



“You’re just like Ron, Harry! You’re just like him! Arse!” Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs as she was dragged out of the room by not just Eric, but by the help of her other teammates as well.



The other people around the room just stood or sat still, in shock. They knew that the Golden Trio had broken up when Hermione just left without a word. They didn’t have their assumptions, but knew that it was very grave by what they had just seen.



“Ow…” Ron groaned as he sat up slowly, his back against the wall.



“Where does it hurt Ron?” Poppy asked as she rushed to his side.



“I don’t think my back’s broken,” Ron replied.



Harry was glaring daggers, his eyes wanting to burn into Ron’s skin. His jaw clenched as he fists clenched at his sides. Anger was building within him, not just towards Ron, but himself as well.



“Let’s get you up then,” Remus said. He and Poppy then helped Ron stand up.



“You lying son-of-a-bitch!” Harry shouted at Ron before he charged towards him.



“Ah!” Ron said as yet again, he was slammed towards the wall. This time, Harry was holding him up against it.



“Hermione wasn’t lying all along was she? Was she?!” Harry shouted.



“Quiet!” Albus shouted at the top of his lungs. It made the room vibrate and everyone freeze in place, focusing their attention at him. He told everyone to depart from the room, before mentioning a few names to stay. “And bring Hermione in here this instant.”



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“You’d better learn how to control that anger of your Granger!” Eric told Hermione firmly. They were all standing down the hallway, not far from the stairs that led up to Albus’s office.



“He’s the arse!” Hermione said as she shook her head, looking down at the ground. She couldn’t look up at them or at anyone for she was too ashamed to show her tears.



“Whatever the grudge is between the both of you and Harry, it has to stop. We are here for a case, and not for personal reasons.”



“He raped me,” Hermione murmured.



“What?” Eric asked, not hearing what she had said.



Raising her head up to look at her colleagues and then at Dean, she said it again. “He raped me. Ron raped me… and Harry didn’t believe me.”



Everyone in front of Hermione all gasped in shock. The grudge was more than a simple grudge.



“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Eric asked with a soft voice.



“Would anyone believe me? Not even Harry did and to think he was my friend.”



“What about Snape?” Bill asked.



Hermione shook her head. “It happened right after he and I broke up. The three of us went drinking. Ron being the drunkest of all. Then it happened. Good thing I found out later on that I was already pregnant. Can’t imagine it if I was carrying Ron’s baby.”



“Come here,” Bill said as he embraced Hermione in his arms.



Right away, Hermione broke down in his arms. Whenever she cried because of what Ron had done, she was alone. Now, for the first time, she was being held by another, by a true friend.



“Hermione, Dumbledore wants you in his office right away,” Hagrid informed her as he walked passed them, along with a number of other staff members.



After a minute of trying to calm down somewhat, Hermione went up towards Albus’s office. He colleagues followed behind her, ready to give her the support that she needed.



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AN – Not what you had expected? Review!