As I Lay Dying

The Hybrid

Hermione almost tripped on the fifteen something bottles of Sleakseazy Hair Smoothener that were adorning the floor of her bathroom. She carefully walked to the door and back and then looked at Ginny – glaring, daring her to point out a fault.

Her red headed friend only smiled self-satisfactorily, before encasing her in a careful hug, not wanting to mess up the hair do she had spent the last two hours on.

"You look perfect!" Ginny squealed, releasing her and then ushered her out the door of her bedroom and down the narrow, rickety stairs of Grimmauld Place. "Now hurry up! You're late!"

"As if that is my fault. I was being held against my wi-"

Ginny snickered at the irritated witch, and waving her a quick goodbye, shut the door in her affronted face.

"Three hours of make up and pish-posh, only to flush myself down a toilet." Hermione grumbled, as she dusted her clothes after stepping out of the green flames into the polished dark surroundings of the Atrium. She was wearing an expensive black silk frock that actually belonged to Ginny. It suited her though – reaching her knees, drawing perfect attention to her upper body curves and fanning out at the waist with a deep cut.

Since the Ministry was still building up steadily, Kingsley had not bothered to change the way of main entry, and it had been irritating many officials. Sure, she pitied the man's current situation, but that didn't mean she was happy to flush herself down a toilet everyday.

She followed the large instruction banner in the Atrium and took a lift to the Ministry's newly installed Ballroom.

It had hit the exact six month mark today, from the day Hermione had joined the Ministry of Magic. Straight out of Hogwarts, she and Lavender had joined the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures as mere interns, though the work load and dependence on them had been much more than on the normal intern, due to the lack of staff in the department. It was one of the major problems of the complete refining of the staff that Kingsley had single-handedly attempted, though he did have to seek out the help from his own trustworthy members of the Wizengamot and what had remained of the Order.

Their boss, Jeffery Jameson, an old man of forty-five, had stepped up for the charge of the Department on Kinglsey's request. He was a traveler and expert on Animal Habitat, and had written two muggle books, which were considered of no importance in the magical world. He was a kind hearted man though, an average magician, and one that Kingsley trusted, so Hermione respected him. Though his appearance reminded her of Horace Slughorn, he was not nearly so in his nature and habits.

Her boss had preferred her for the post of his Secretary after he had met her and interacted with her on a regular basis. So she had been promoted to that post after two months of internship. Lavender had been promoted too, though she was still junior in office to her.

The blonde girl was no longer the same, no longer just the blonde classmate, ex-girlfriend of Ronald Weasley. No. Lavender Brown had changed a lot. They had all changed in fact, all starting after the war.

Anyone who came to know that this group of people hung out together, would never believe how close knit their group actually was. It had all started when Harry had decided to help get the charges off Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. His proposal was well met – but with the condition, that he extend his statement to include Lucius as well, or they rejected his offer. Everyone had been shocked to say the least. Harry had begrudgingly agreed and the Malfoy family had been released with his assurance to the Ministry.

After a few months of silence, Harry had received a proposal – to invest in the newly developed Malfoy Business, headed by Draco. He never met personally, but the proposal was discussed by Theodore Nott – and well, these two clicked immediately. All everyone knew about Theo was that his mother had married and remarried seven times, having a few children, and inheriting a shitload of wealth along the way. Theo had been handling his family's finances since sixth year; and after finding out that Blaise Zabini was actually his half brother, Zabini's finances as well.