janus ~ hermione granger

lxvi

it was the night of harry's seventeenth birthday, and rufus scrimgeour had taken the five to the sitting room.

maddy was still a little confused about tonks and remus' sudden disappearance, while the rest were worried about sirius getting caught.

it's a pain to sneak him around, which was why tonks and remus said they would come back later that day to take him to their home.

"i have some questions for the five of you, and i think it will be best if we do it individually. if you four can wait upstairs, i will start with ronald."

"we're not going anywhere," harry replied, causing the three girls to vigorously nod their heads in agreement, "you can speak to us together, or not at all."

"very well, then, together. i am here, as i'm sure you know, because of albus dumbledore's will," he cleared his throat, and the five looked at each other.

"a surprise, apparently! you were not aware, then, that dumbledore had left you anything?"

"a-all of us? me, phoebe, maddy and hermione too?" ron asked.

"yes, all of-"

"dumbledore died over a month ago. why has it taken them long to give us what he left us?" harry interrupted.

"isn't it obvious? they wanted to examine whatever he's left us. you had no right to do that!" hermione spoke up before the minister could.

"i had every right. the decree for justifiable confiscation gives the ministry the power to confiscate the powers of a will-"

"that law was created to stop wizards passing on dark artifacts-and the ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased's possessions are illegal before seizing them! are you telling me that you thought dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?"

before answering, scrimgeour glanced over to maddy and her left arm, which made her self conscious, so she hid it behind hermione.

the others noticed the interaction and scowled at the minister.

"are you planning on following a career in magical law, miss granger?"

"no i'm not. i'm hoping to do some good in the world!" the bushy-haired witch retorted and ron laughed.

"so why have you decided to let us have our things now? can't think of a pretext to keep them?" harry questioned.

"no, it'll be because the thirty-one days are up. they can't keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove that they're dangerous. right?"

"would you say you were close to dumbledore, ronald?" scrimgeour ignored hermione.

"me? not-not really-it was always harry who-"

the red-head looked around at his friends, who were all silently telling him to shut up, but it was too late.

"if you were not very close to dumbledore, how do you account for the fact that he remembered you in his will? he made exceptionally few personal bequests. the vast majority of his possessions-his private library, his magical instruments and other personal belongings-were left to hogwarts. why do you think you were singled out?"

"i dunno-i-when i say we weren't close, i mean, i think he liked me-"

"you're being modest, ron."

"dumbledore was very fond of you."

scrimgeour proceeded to pull out a scroll of parchment and read it, then pulled out something that looked like a silver cigarette, handing it to ron.