Daddy Dearest - (No Update, Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
*******************************

Chapter 75 ~ A Bad, Bad Situation

As Hermione entered the Spells Department, she felt eyes on her. Shaking off the feeling she went to unward her office, and found that the wards had been changed. Perplexed, she rattled the door handle.

"Hermione, a word if you please."

Hermione turned as saw a very uncomfortable looking Ichabod standing just outside his office. She got a very cold feeling inside.

"Coming Ichabod," she said, taking one more look at her office, then walking to the Department Head. The eyes of her fellow employees followed her. Some of them were shaking their heads.

"Please go into my office, Hermione," Ichabod said gently.

Hermione entered and he followed, closing the door and lowering the blinds. He looked at his assistant Department Head. It was bad enough they'd given him her job. Now this. Gods, he hated politics.

Ichabod walked behind his desk, pulled out his swivel chair and sat down. He looked at Hermione who was watching him with a kind of haunted look in her eyes. He ran his hand through his short blond hair and met her gaze.

"There's only one way to say this, Hermione. You've been replaced," Ichabod said.

There. He'd done what he'd been dreading doing for the past week.

"Replaced? Why? By whom?" Hermione asked.

"Beauregard Honeycutt. He formerly was…." Ichabod began.

"Formerly was the Head Spells Director at Gluglute's University. I'd heard he resigned his position recently," Hermione said.

Her belly felt so tight she thought she'd vomit.

"Yes, the Council's been trying to woo him away from Gluglute's University for the longest," the Department Head said uncomfortably.

"To fill my position," Hermione continued, "But why? I've done quite well here."

"Well, they felt someone with the number of years in Spellmaking as Professor Honeycutt would be better suited…" Ichabod said half-heartedly.

"You mean," Hermione seethed, "That someone with a pureblood pedigree like Professor Honeycutt would cool the DKV down."

Ichabod looked at Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I really am. Believe me, I had nothing to do with this. I still think you should be Department Head and not me," the wizard said sincerely. "But I do have openings in the Department itself if you'd like to stay on. I really wish you would."

Hermione looked at him as if he had just been covered in dragon shit.

"I certainly will not stay on, Ichabod. For what? Until they knock me down to Spells Janitor? Thanks, but no thanks. I'll find work elsewhere," she said standing up.

"I could still pay you your same salary, Hermione," Ichabod said, "I still have control of the budget."

Hermione looked at him, her eyes glittering.

"For how long, Ichabod. The moment they find out about my salary remaining the same, they'll cut that too. They are trying to remove Muggle-borns from all decent paying jobs and give them to purebloods. There's no way they would let me continue to make the kind of money I'm making now," she said angrily.

Ichabod looked at her, knowing she was speaking the truth.

"I'm really very sorry, Hermione. I wish there was something I can do," he said.

"There is something you can do. Speak out against the DKV," she retorted.

"I can't…my job. I have small children. The organization is far-reaching," the wizard said.

"More far-reaching than you have any idea of, Ichabod," Hermione said darkly, opening the door.

"I'll just go clear out my things," she said, exiting Ichabod's office.

Ichabod sat there, letting his head drop into his hands. Well, at least she'd taken the news better than he thought she would.

Suddenly there was a loud blast, followed by screaming, then another loud blast. Ichabod tore out of his office and looked in horror as Hermione calmly stood in front of her office, blasting everything in it to bits. Flames and smoke were everywhere and employees running past him. He grabbed one.

"Get the Aurors," he said, letting the wild-eyed wizard go.

"Yes sir," he panted.

Hermione continued blasting the office until the Aurors arrived, led by Justice Forall. He stopped and looked at the witch. He could see the tears streaming down her face as she continued destroying Ministry property. He shook his head.

"Oh Hermione," he breathed, walking forward.

The Aurors took Hermione Granger away without a bit of struggle. They initially charged her with Destruction of Ministry Property and Endangerment, then put her in a holding cell to await arraignment. The witch sat there quietly as if stunned. She didn't react or say anything.

"Does anyone know who to contact?" an Auror asked, looking over her paperwork.

Justice nodded.

"I do. Contact Professor Snape. Professor Severus Snape. He works at Hogwarts," the Auror said, looking through the small mesh window at the witch sitting on the cot.

Damn, Hermione was in a world of trouble.

*********************************

Severus was teaching class when Albus entered his classroom.

"Headmaster?" Severus said as he looked at the sober look on the wizard's face.

"Professor, I need to have a word with you," he said, looking over his half-moon glasses.

Severus looked at his class.

"Keep reading. And if I hear one untoward sound, all of you will serve detention gutting live Willynigs," he threatened.

The entire class blanched as the Potions Master exited behind Albus.

Severus looked at the wizard as they stood in the dungeon corridor.

"What is it, sir?" Severus asked him. He didn't like the way the Headmaster looked. "It isn't Mathias is it?"

Albus shook his head.

"No, Mathias is fine, Severus. It's Hermione. She's been arrested," he said, shaking his head.

Severus' eyes widened.

"Arrested? What could Hermione possibly be arrested for?" Severus asked. Hermione was very careful about her law-breaking practices.

"Apparently, for trying to destroy the Ministry," Albus replied. "Or at least part of it. She blasted her Spells office to bits. Nothing left but a sooty, gaping hole," Albus continued.

Severus stared at the wizard in disbelief. Why would Hermione do something like that?

"Apparently, she'd been told she was being replaced," Albus said, answering his unspoken question.

Severus rubbed his forehead. Yes, that would be enough to set her off, especially after being passed over for the Department Head position.

"Have they set her bail yet?" Severus asked.

Albus looked pained.

"As far as I know, there is no bail Severus. Draco apparently wants to make her a posterwitch for proving the dangerous and unbalanced nature of Muggle-borns in positions of power. He convinced the magistrate not to grant bail despite Hermione's exemplary record."

Severus felt his heart drop. Albus placed a comforting hand on the wizard's shoulder.

"There's nothing you can do right now, Severus except go visit her after class and make sure she is comfortable and has good legal counsel. You can't count on anyone the Ministry provides. They all stink of the DKV," the wizard said angrily. "You need someone who doesn't kowtow to their line."

Severus nodded.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I will go to the Ministry right after my last class," he said, re-entering the class and closing the door behind him.

Albus looked after him sadly. Hermione in jail and targeted to be made an example of. What a horrible thing to happen. And how would her son take the news?

The Headmaster made his way back to his office slowly. He felt a million years old. He hoped Hermione wouldn't go to Azkaban. Both Severus and Mathias would be very badly affected. There was no telling what the wizards would do.

*******************************

Hermione sat on the cot in the holding cell. An uneaten ham sandwich and glass of pumpkin juice sat on a tray on the floor. She hadn't touched it or spoken a word since her arrest. Justice had looked in on her from time to time. She had been here almost four hours and hadn't moved except to blink.

"You have to be a family member," a voice cried out.

"Blast that. I want to see the witch now," a silky, angry voice declared. Justice recognized the voice immediately and walked into the hall.

Severus Snape was scowling down at the clerk, Aurors surrounding him, their wands drawn but held to their sides. They were familiar with the Professor.

"I am involved with the witch," Severus declared, his black eyes shifting, sizing up the Aurors. It looked as if he might try to overcome the bunch of them. He might be able to.

Justice walked up to the group.

"Let him in. I'll take responsibility for him," the Auror said.

Severus looked at him coolly.

"Mr. Forall," he said, nodding at him.

"Professor," Justice replied, nodding back at him. "This way."

Justice led the Professor through a door and into the area where the holding cells were. He pulled out a key and opened the door to let Severus in.

"She hasn't said a word or moved since we arrested her," Justice said to the wizard, "She didn't put up a fight. Just let me take her wand and her arm and came along. She hasn't done anything since. I think she may have snapped."

"Thank you, Mr. Forall," Severus said, entering the room. Justice locked it behind him.

The Potions Master looked at Hermione, who was looking down at her hands.

"Hermione?" he said softly.

"They sacked me, Severus. After all the years of work I've given them. First they gave my position of Department Head to someone else, then they replaced me. It's just not fair," she said in a low voice.

Severus stepped over the tray and sat down on the bed beside her.

"What happened, Hermione? Why did you do what you did?" he asked her.

The witch looked at him for a moment, pain in her eyes. Severus' brow furrowed as she looked at her hands again.

"Well, I was going to my office to clean it out, and looked at it and saw how easy it would be to move him in…my replacement. How simple a thing it would be. The desk would be there, and the chair and the file cabinets, and all the records I've meticulously stored over the years, all at his fingertips. It was so easy to replace me…too easy. So I decided it wouldn't be so easy," she said, her voice trembling. "So I cleared out my office, just as I said I would."

Severus looked at her and sighed. The witch had been taken beyond her limit and snapped.

"You're in a lot of trouble Hermione. Draco is going to try and make an example of you," the Potions Master said.

"Draco is the one who got me replaced…so that's no surprise," she replied.

"You may have to do time in Azkaban," Severus said softly.

Hermione nodded.

"I know," she said softly. "You will watch after Mathias while I'm gone, won't you?"

Severus looked at Hermione. She already sounded defeated.

"Of course I will take care of Mathias, but I don't want you to go to Azkaban, Hermione. I want you to fight this," he said, placing his hand on hers.

"Fight it how? I destroyed my office…in the Ministry. They are going to put me under Azkaban," she said.

"I'm going to get you the best counsel I can," Severus said.

"It won't matter. This is going to be a circus…plastered all over the newspapers and the wizarding wireless network. Everyone will know what I've done," she said.

Severus looked thoughtful.

"But they will also be interested in why you did it," he said to her, an eyebrow arching. "If it becomes a big question or several questions. What made a witch with a record like yours explode and destroy a part of the Ministry? What drove you to it?" he said, a slow smirk forming on his face. "What terrible occurrence would make an exemplary witch blow up this way? Is something going on at the Ministry the public doesn't know about?"

Hermione looked at him. She began to look hopeful.

"The public wants to know," she said, her eyes brightening. "The...Public...Wants...To...Know."

Severus nodded. She had caught on.

"Rita Skeeter," they said together.

**************************************

A/N: I told you Hermione would be back. Man, is she back. What a situation. Rita Skeeter? Oh good gods. Scraping the bottom of the barrel here…lol. Please review.