With Rough Hands And Sore Eyes [Hermione]

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It was late April and Addie was sitting at a table in a small cafe in the middle of a small but upscale muggle neighborhood with a pumpkin spiced latte sitting in front of her that had been pushed upon her by the waiter. It had seemed like he'd had it pushed upon him too though with the strained way he'd looked at her when she'd tried to order something else. Even though it was April. She'd taken a sip of it, luckily enough it had been good too, while she waited with an eerie calm for the Minister of Magic to show up to a meeting that she'd schedule with her. Had she been in a more fragile state of mind, sans nerve-calming potion, she would be a bit more anxious. Even though she in her full witness protection get-up, red lipstick, blonde hair, green eyes, it was still rather suspicious that she, a low Ministry employee, was meeting with the Minister of Magic. They were in a muggle neighborhood, yes, but it was possible the Elaine could have spies there. Elaine could have spies anywhere. Addie didn't know if she wanted the witch to find her or not.

Either way, Addie was curious to know if the Minister was still miffed at her. Addie had forced her hand by telling one of the Order's recruiter's about her and her brother's plan to put her in witness protection. She'd wanted to be in the order so she'd been reckless and done what she'd wanted. They'd both been furious. She hadn't really cared because it got her closer where she wanted to be. Seeing Elaine go down outweighed that. Seeing her twin's murderer be put away outweighed everything. She took another sip of her latte and continued to wait. Maybe before all of this, she thought, she would have actually enjoyed the little cafe.

Tag; @hermionejean

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Hermione’s agenda today included something a bit out of the ordinary; meeting Addison Shacklebolt at a Muggle cafe for lunch. Addie was in the Wizarding Witness Protection Program, but Hermione was well aware of her disguise at this point. Since her twin’s death, the girl had been….well, a bit restless. She knew how badly she wanted to see Elaine go down; that had been made doubly apparent when Addie told the Order about her and Royal’s plans to put her in Witness Protection. Initially, Hermione had been angry, but she understood Addie’s need to be kept in the know about what was going on with Elaine and the Purifiers. She wanted revenge, justice, not just for Abigail, but she bet she wanted it for her father too. Hermione in the end couldn’t really blame her for that.

The Minister found the cafe Addison had asked to meet at and she squeezed her way through the tables until she spotted the girl with blonde hair, red lipstick and green eyes. Addie’s disguise was a far cry from her normal look, and it was still strange to see her like that. “Good to see you,” Hermione said by way of formal greeting. “Coffee, black,” she instructed the waiter who had immediately come over to take her order. She folded her hands into her lap and gave Addie a searching look. “How are you doing?” she asked softly.

@addie

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Addison had been mid-sip and halfway through the cappuccino when she saw the Minister enter into the cafe. She set the cup down immediately and placed her hands in her lap. The cafe seemingly grew even smaller in her commanding presence. Even though Addison had grown up around Hermione Granger, she couldn't deny that it definitely wasn't the title that gave her the authoritative air. She was powerful, anyone could tell from just standing near her. She was quietly confident. She worked hard and she demanded respect. She seemingly had it all together. She was enviable. And Addie had always envied and admired the woman at the same time. Her father had respected Hermione above all else, not just as a war heroine but also as the person she was.

As she approached, the Minister greeted her with ease, not addressing her by name. Smart. Addie knew she was in witness protection but she still had to think about her words before she spoke to make sure she gave nothing away. It was frustrating but she knew it was necessary. It was exactly how she'd felt when they'd first told her that she would be going into witness protection. After she ordered, the Minister asked her how she was and she didn't know exactly how to answer. On one hand, she could be honest and tell her how much she hated her job, how frustrated she was that there had been no updates on where Elaine was, that they were no closer to finding Elaine than they had been when the incident had first happened. She was sure the Minister could guess that though. And probably didn't even want to hear it. "As good as expected. How are you, Minister? Have you been well?" She went with a simple answer. An answer she would give anyone. Who knew who was listening. They needed to be careful, so she was being careful.

Tag; @hermionejean

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Hermione couldn’t imagine quite how difficult it was for Addie to be in this sort of position; having to make sure that all of her words were carefully picked before spoken. When she was eighteen, she Harry, and Ron had been on the run from the Death Eaters in control of the Ministry, they found out the hard way that Voldemorts’ name had been jinxed into revealing their location, and she had come close to losing her life. Elaine Dupree in a way reminded her of Bellatrix Lestrange, but less unhinged than the woman with the dark hooded eyes. Hermione had to close her eyes and suppress a shudder; the woman still haunted her dreams more than twenty years later. At first she had been ashamed that a ghost could affect her so, but she had slowly accepted that what Bellatrix did to her was enough to mentally scar anyone, and it was nothing to be ashamed of.

“I have been well, thank you,” Hermione said with a nod and a small smile. “The family is beginning to plan a vacation - my son has requested for somewhere near the equator. I don’t think our previous summer holiday trip to New Zealand during their winter went over particularly well,” she added with a chuckle. Hermione by the end even had gotten sick of the cold and snow, and was excited to get back to the slight warmth of English summer. “I was thinking, how are you liking your current position at work? Is it suiting you well, or are you itching to try something else?” she asked, getting down to it. Addies’ current job was one of the newer positions at the Ministry, Public Information Services, and Hermione could easily arrange for her to be in a different department. It couldn’t hurt, keeping her in the Ministry but moving around; they could pass it off as testing the waters instead of her lingering too long for her colleagues to start to ask questions.

@addie

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The Minister proceeded to say that she had been well, talking about a family vacation she and her own were planning. Addie had never been more grateful for taking the nerve-calming potion than she had been at that moment. She kept her hands wrapped around her drink and pretended to listen but she'd zoned out. Her family couldn't take a vacation; it would the last thing they would be doing now. When her father had still been alive, they hadn't even been able to take them too often because of his work as Minister. When they had, they were always exciting and brought them all closer as a family. Addie wish she could go back there. When her father and Abby were still here. She took another sip of her drink to warm her where she suddenly felt cold. Maybe she should get away to somewhere warmer.

What the Minister said next surprised her, and she controlled it as best as she could. She really wanted to leave that job and the opportunity had presented itself. First, she wondered why. Had she heard something? She wouldn't be surprised if her boss had said something about her perceived mistakes and those comments had reached the Minister somehow. Then, she wondered if she should. She had to think about her response carefully before she answered. "I would love to. I am not opposed to any upward mobility in the Ministry, after all, Minister. I just wonder if it is too soon for a promotion. Considering I haven't been here that long, I mean." There was an underlying current to her words; wouldn't that draw attention? Or maybe she was too hopeful for some higher position. Maybe it was something that wouldn't actually draw position, something that was only a step up from what she was doing now. Something she would probably hate just as much. She took another sip of her drink.

Tag; @hermionejean

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Hermione waved her hand in the air at Addisons question; she understood why the girl wanted to play it cautious. Elaine had killed Abby, her twin sister, right in front of her, and sent her back to the Ministry to let them know. It was cruel and unusual punishment, even for Dupree. The only person who might have understood something of what Addie went through was Harry Potter; he had seen his godfather murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange right in front of him and the grief he had felt was, in his own words, unimaginable. But Harry had gone missing; something else to add to Hermiones’ list of worries that lead to sleepless nights. Ginny had said he got up in the middle of the night and just left, no note or anything that she could find. It was very odd of him to do; the Harry she had known in school may have done something this reckless, but he was now a husband and father of three and he had grown responsible over the years. Something was amiss, and for once Hermione was at a loss as to what happened, a feeling she really didn’t like.

“The position you currently hold isn’t meant to be a long term position. It’s more of a stepping stone on a career path, for people who know WHERE they want to be but not necessarily WHAT they want to be doing, if that makes sense,” Hermione explained, sitting back in her seat. “You’re smart, and I know it can get a little...tedious in that department. Do you have anything in mind as to what you’d like to do next?” she asked. If it came down to it, they could always alter Addie’s disguise and alias to draw even less attention, but that would be up to the former Ravenclaw sitting across from her.

@addie

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The Minister proceeded to wave her hand in the air, stating that her current position wasn't meant to be long term. Addie had known that but she was relieved to hear it out loud though she didn't actually feel the relief because of the nerve-calming potion. The job getting tedious, as she'd stated, was an understatement. Having to deal day in and day out with different witches and wizards and their sense of entitlement was much more than tedious. And it was all only for her to be reprimanded when a customer took something she said the wrong way. She was tired of it so this offer was something she wanted to jump at while she had the chance.

She thought for a long moment when the Minister asked her if there was somewhere else she wanted to work. There were places that came to mind. More than anything she wanted to be back in her old position on the experimental charms committee but she knew that wasn't possible. Then she thought about possibly being an auror but she knew that suggestion would be struck down immediately as well as the fact that she had no real interest in being an auror. She could use this chance to position herself somewhere she could possibly get more information on the search for Elaine. That is, if the Minister didn't catch on to her first. She had already pressed her luck before, she didn't know if she could pull it off a second time. "What are my possibilities? I know that some departments require an internship first so would I be an intern?" she decided to ask first. If she would have to fall into the category of intern that would make it a little bit easier for her and possibly open up more possibilities. They would think she would be less close to the action.

Tag; @hermionejean

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Hermione could tell that there was some inner conflict going on within Addisons’ mind. She remembered going through something similar in her early days at the Ministry. She had started out in one department, taking SPEW further as she promised herself she would, but had soon found herself to be...restless. She was doing well in drafting less restricting regulations for the other species that shared their world, but the ones who enacted the laws moved at a glacial pace, which was so unthrilling for Hermione. So, she had decided to make a change, and moved to the one department she had sworn to a former minister she wouldn’t go anywhere near- Magical Law Enforcement. Now here she was some twenty five years later, Minister of Magic for the British Wizarding World. Crazy to think that she had started off as a lowly intern in the Magical Creatures department, but then again Hermione had always been very ambitious and determined when it came to doing what she thought was best.

She folded her fingers together and gently rested her chin against them, listening as Addie asked for the different possibilities she could go into. “Most departments are now requiring internships before you become a full fledged member,” she confirmed with a nod. “The exception being Aurors and Hitwizards, which have their own particular training programs that are specific to the jobs they’re assigned.” Hermione paused to take a sip of her tea, studying Addie carefully. She knew the girl must want revenge on Elaine for what she did to her twin, but from experience there was a right way and a wrong way to take care of things. “I don’t think I’d recommend the Auror program for you dear,” she said softly, trying to sound understanding. “What is it about the world of wizarding politics that interests you though? What do you want to learn more about, and try to change?” she posed the question so that Addie would have to think on it, and come to a thought out conclusion.

@addie

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Addie listened, taking another sip of the latte sitting in front of her, as the Minister went on talking about how most departments did require new employees to be interns first before they became full-fledged members of the departments, minus the Auror and Hit Wizards. It was just a long way of saying that, yes, she would have to be an intern for any department she picked that required it. It made sense, she would have been an intern if things had gone differently. She still felt uncomfortable with the idea. Would that mean she would be working directly under someone? Would this be someone that the Minister spoke with beforehand? Would whatever department she chose still be something that wasn't permanent? How long would she have to get used to swapping departments?

Addison only gave a sharp nod when the Minister stated that she wouldn't recommend the Auror program for her. It didn't matter much to her either way; she had never had any interest in being an auror and that hadn't changed. There was only one person she wanted to go after, only one dark witch she wanted to capture. After that, her interest in the department had only come from... well. The Minister's next question, however, left her silent. What was it about wizarding politics that she was interested in? She couldn't remember. Had she ever had an opinion? Of course she had, right? Her father had been the Minister before so she had to have some opinion on what was happening in the wizarding world before. She couldn't recall it. The more she thought about it, the emptier her mind felt. Until she felt like she was staring at nothing for far too long and had been silent for far too long to be sitting in front of the Minister of Magic. "Misused magic." she finally heard herself say, hands gripped around her mug. "How it's misused or....," she couldn't quite find the words she was looking for. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. "Why people come up with ways to misuse it." It was really the best she could come up with. She couldn't remember and she couldn't even form a proper response to the question now. She picked up her latte and shoved her face into it, taking a larger sip than she had before. Why couldn't she remember?

Tag; @hermionejean

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Hermione looked at the young woman appraisingly, before silently uttering a Muffliato charm to drown out their voices. “Improper Use of Magic Office?” she asked as Addison tried to put into words what she wanted to do. A part of her understood that Addie wanted to see justice served on a silver platter to Elaine Dupree for what she had done to her twin sister, what that group had done to her father (for they were positive by now they were connected somehow). And that part Hermione couldn’t blame her. After all, she had sent her Muggle parents into hiding after performing a strong memory charm on them to forget she ever existed. They had moved happily oblivious to the turmoil in the wizarding world over to Australia, where they stayed until the end of the war. If she hadn’t done that….who knew where her parents would be now? Probably both six feet under, if the Death Eaters had had their way.

Not wanting to dwell on the past, Hermione took another sip of tea and nodded curtly. “That can be arranged. We can spin it that after working in the Information department, you learned enough to decide where to hone your career interests, and that is in that particular department. An old colleague of mine from my days in the Department of Regulation of Magical Creatures now heads up that department - how they changed to over there is beyond me - but I’m happy to make an introduction.” Hermione pulled out her trusty black leather bound day planner and jotted down a few notes. She’d send a Ministry message to her friend, and arrange the introduction in the next few days. Perhaps it was the Muggleborn in her that made her continue to use a day planner, but Hermione enjoyed writing in it, and making sure it was always kept up to date. “With any luck you’ll be over there by Monday morning,” she told her.

Hermione checked her watch and internally groaned. “I have a meeting with the Department of Mysteries in an hour, and they are annoyingly always five minutes early,” she told her apologetically, finishing her tea and putting down a tenner to pay for the drinks. “You know how to find me if you need to; just send along a Ministry note with the usual written,” she said. To anyone else it would seem casual, but Addison would know to send the code word that she needed to meet with the Minister and they’d arrange a date and time, like they had today. “I hope you have a good rest of your morning my dear, and please do let me know if she doesn’t reach out by tomorrow,” she told her, then briskly walked out of the cafe back towards the Ministry for her meeting.

HERMIONE OUT

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Addie hadn't said much of anything with those words, she knew, but like a well honed whip, the Minister picked them up and ran with them. Apparently, the head of the Improper Magic Use office would be receiving an owl from her and it was possible that Addie would be transferred to the department by Monday. She was trying to figure out if that was a strategic move for her, if she had set herself up somewhere that would be beneficial for her in the long run. Sure, her words been as honest as she thought they were but was this a good move for her? That office was under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This could allow her to get more information on the search for Elaine, though it would still be difficult because she was certain that was a classified operation, even if it was affecting the entirety of Britain's wizarding world. Only time would tell. At least she could be satisfied; she didn't have to deal with the Public Information Services office any longer.

And just like that, the meeting was over. She watched as the minister looked at her watch and stated that she had a meeting to attend that was an hour -- or fifty-five minutes, it seemed -- away and she quickly began packing up. Addie felt like there were words caught in the back of her throat that she needed to say or should say but there they stayed, lodged with no chance of moving. She felt as if she should have stood when the Minister did to leave, out of respect, but she stayed seated and stared at her latte that had cooled significantly since she'd first received it. The Minister told her to owl if she needed her, wished her a good morning and then she was out the door, her footsteps seemingly lagging behind her and allowing her presence to remain for just a moment longer. Short meeting. Addie liked it better that way. She took a deep breath then. At least she knew now that the woman wasn't still upset with her for forcing her hand. With nothing else to do for the day, she decided she could sit in the cafe for a bit longer.

(Addie Out~)