Hunter and Prey

Everyone was overjoyed to see her. Perhaps Basingly had not overstated the low morale. Hermione organised a quick staff meeting to give some reassurances. The majority of the Department were muggle-born and still easily alarmed. Voldemort cast a long shadow. So the meeting developed into a prolonged question-and-answer session before Ms Harsh Taskmistress reminded everyone there was no point worrying about their jobs if they didn’t do them.

Basingly waited until the meeting dispersed before signalling he wanted a word. Hermione took him aside into her office. She could tell at a glance someone had been through her drawers, for which the Acting Lead Researcher apologised and was duly forgiven. She had short-term protocols in place for her hospitalisation since she had been supervising the fieldwork teams personally but nothing long-term. Barring Unforgiveables, with magical healing you either recovered or died quickly.

“I have the duty reports, the revised rosters, the field results and the laboratory results.” Basingly stacked the scrolls in her in-box as he named them. The Department was gradually weaning itself into paper for paperwork, which meant she didn’t need an in-bucket for daily correspondence. “The requisitions backlog, the internal reports, the personal reports for the Minister, the expense accounts you need to countersign and the Quidditch pool.” He held up his empty hands with a smile. “Welcome back, Ms Granger.”

“Not as bad as I expected.” Hermione surveyed the sheaf of reports, leafing through one with a grimace. “Carmichaels’s handwriting is shocking. We have got to get him a typewriter.” Mechanical devices faired better than electronic in magical fields and the Ministry was less resistant to older technology. She had bought her laptop at her own expense to avoid months of delays in requisitioning one.

“I’ve been handling leave informally as rostered out on non-specific duties.” Basingly explained, speaking as though he was confessing to a venal sin. The Jorkins Rules had been put into place during the blame game after the war. No more disappearing Ministry employees. No one could duck out for a half-day without authorised forms in triplicate now. “Cauldwell’s wife died two weeks ago. I signed him out on liaison duties with the Department for the Regulation of the Importation of Non-Contraband Suspect Items. They drown in parchment over there. Wittstein is covering for him.”

“I’ll get the leave forms done right away.” She nodded. Owen Cauldwell had spoken to her what seemed like ages ago about his wife’s diagnosis. St Mungo’s could do only so much for inherited diseases. The pure-blood families did not like to advertise their ailments. Fortunata Cauldwell nee Avery had been younger than she was. Hermione sighed. “Cauldwell’s got kids. I’ll see what I can do about an extended leave of absence.”

“We’re pushed but I’m sure Wittstein will be happy to keep double-duty. She was with Mrs Cauldwell in Beauxbatons.” Basingly, an old hand at dealing with Ministry regulations, had been prepared to juggle rotas indefinitely. “Our request for more personnel is sitting in someone’s pending heap somewhere. We need you to rattle a few cages.”

“Believe me, there will be much ado.” Hermione regarded the wizard speculatively. He knew people who knew people. His family were just pure-blood enough to pass muster in the Bad Old Days, though Basingly had got top marks in Muggle Studies. “Any news on the grapevine?”

“Everyone is walking around as though they’ve been Silenced but there’s a whisper Aurors have the werewolf cornered in the Orkneys.” He did not have to specify which werewolf. They both knew who was Most Wanted. “Shetland team was ordered out of the field very tersely. McDougall is spitting mad. They had to break off trace on three lycanthropes because the Aurors didn’t want anyone in the way.”

“I’ll get on that too. I don’t want us kept in the dark.” Hermione said ‘us’ and meant ‘us’. She was responsible for the Department and did not want her field personnel endangered because of the Law Enforcement’s Don’t Need to Know policy. If she had to, she would shakedown Harry until he told her.

“It is about keeping people in the dark I particularly wanted to talk to you.” Basingly glanced towards the door and spoke to it as he continued. “The Prophet has been going completely mad, pestering staff for interviews. We’ve had owls from L’Oracle and the Salem Gazette wanting statements.” His expression showed clearly what he thought of Freedom of the Press. “The gossip has been flying thick and fast.” He sighed. “I’ve kept quiet everything I can but this Malfoy business is too much.”

“The Malfoy business is the official line.” She was not sure whether she was telling or heartening him. “If anyone asks, the Department does not comment on the private lives of employees. We should still have copies of that press release we did for the nonsense when we hired Clotilde Lestrange.” Hermione had personally reviewed Lestrange’s file and spoken to Madame Maxime and still had to dodge the flak. “Unofficially, because I know it will get out, I am having a torrid affair with Draco.”

“Torrid, I see.” Basingly suspending his course in Advanced Portal Study to regard her blandly. “A fiery passion to sear the soul, no doubt.” He smothered a laugh. “There will be Hell to pay but I’ll back you to the hilt.” His eyes dropped briefly to her stomach. “I presume paternity is also part of the story.”

“For as long as it is convenient, yes.” Hermione did not feel she needed to explain anything to Basingly, and when he merely nodded her respect for him grew. He got the job done. No fiddling about. “It was Mr Malfoy’s idea otherwise I would have prepped you. We needed to do something.”

“Well, Ms Granger.” Basingly smiled. “You’ve certainly done it.”