With A Little Help From My Friends

Chapter 19: With a Little Help From My Friends

Hermione shot a hateful glance in Lavender's direction, then hurried through the door to follow Kingsley. He was just settling himself behind his massive wooden desk when she arrived in his office.

"Please be seated," he said and indicated a chair.

"Thanks, Royal." She used his nickname from the days leading up to the war in a shameless attempt to remind him how much he liked her. They had bonded during their Thestral ride from Privet Drive, when the Order had spirited Harry to the Burrow, and had remained close throughout the subsequent years. Kingsley had personally created the position of House-Elf Liaison after the war, so she owed her job at the Ministry to him.

"I have fabulous news for you," she said. "I think we're about to see some real changes in the rights of house-elves."

"I didn't call you in here to talk about house-elves."

"Right." She pretended to pout, although she could hardly fault his response. Ever the optimist, she had been telling him more or less the same thing for the past three years, despite a notable lack of progress.

"I had something specific in mind when I came to your office ... a rather delicate matter to discuss. But I think we should talk about these, instead." He held up her knickers, then twirled them from the ends of his dark fingers.

She was determined to hide her embarrassment. "Absolutely. Why bother with performance deliverables when we can chat about underwear?"

"Precisely." The twirling stopped, and he dangled the soft blue fabric from his index finger. "I'm not entirely certain what I should think about this, Hermione. I'd like to hear your opinion, before we proceed."

"My opinion on the knickers? Well, I think they're lovely, of course, although they might be a tad small for you. And blue really isn't your best colour, but I imagine you knew that already."

"Ha-ha," he said without smiling.

"I'm sorry, Kingsley," she apologised in earnest. Then she shrugged and said, "Just a bit of mischief, I'm afraid. Everyone's still rather giddy after the ball." She considered telling him about Lavender and her antics, but it was hardly the type of problem one pestered the Minister with.

"I'm glad you mentioned the ball...it's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you." He tossed the knickers into his desk drawer.

"Um ... May I have those back?"

"No."

"Please?" she asked, but he seemed unmoved and ignored her outstretched hand.

"I saw you on Saturday night, Hermione," he said. "Your entrance, as well as how quickly you and Severus departed."

Damn it, she thought as her cheeks flamed to life once more. Why couldn't she stop blushing whenever someone mentioned the night she had spent with Severus?

"What exactly is the nature of your relationship?" he asked without preamble and pinned her with his stare.

She was taken aback. In all the time she'd known Kingsley, he had never asked something so personal. She gathered her courage and replied, "I'm sorry, but that's really none of your business."

"I'm officially making it my business."

She sighed and spread her hands. "Just because you're the Minister of Magic doesn't mean you can shove the word 'official' in front of something and make it ... official!"

He scowled at her, but she merely folded her arms across her chest. His expression softened. "Look, I realise the past year hasn't been easy for you. I appreciate how hard you've worked, despite all the struggles you've had with the house-elves."

"Yes, but I truly have made progress there..." she interrupted.

He didn't seem to care and interrupted her right back, drowning her words with his booming voice. "And I understand you went through a rough patch with the papers. Although, after Saturday night, you must realise how wise you were to separate yourself from Ron." He shuddered.

"Um... thanks?" She smiled and relaxed into her chair. She'd always been lucky to have Kingsley's support. He'd been like a father to her, offering vital advice when her parents were helpless to understand some subtlety of the wizarding world.

He laced his fingers together and placed them on his desk. His stare was intense, never once wavering as he slowly leant forward. "If I find out you're playing Severus for a fool...stringing him along, seeing someone else, or not being completely honest with him...you'll be out of here so fast your head will spin."

The caring, fatherly image shattered into a thousand pieces. She gaped at him, for once too stunned to point out the many codes of conduct and Ministry laws he had just broken.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked.

"Kingsley, I never..." she began, but he held up his hand to quiet her.

"I don't need the details," he said. "I'm not accusing you of anything...I'm just issuing a warning. I know you're smart enough to realise I'm not joking. Severus deserves some happiness, and short of that, he deserves to be spared any more pain."

"Please believe me, Kingsley. I care about Severus ... I care a great deal. More than I should, perhaps. And I would never act in a way that would knowingly cause him pain." She slapped her palm against his desk to underscore her statement. "Never!"

He watched her in silence for a very long time. She had observed his tactics before and forced herself to remain quiet. Kingsley's stare could coerce a confession from the most hardened of criminals, but she had already admitted the truth by owning up to her feelings. After a few more moments of careful scrutiny, he seemed satisfied and gave her a curt nod.

"Good. Get back to work, then," he said and turned his attention to a complex instrument on his desk.

She left his office and roamed the halls in a state of bemusement. Had the Minister of Magic really just threatened to fire her if she didn't treat Severus well? It was a meaningless threat, considering she'd never do the things he had mentioned. And on some level, she supposed it was nice that Severus had such an ardent supporter. He had certainly drawn the short stick in father figures up to this point. It was good to know Kingsley looked out for him.

Returning to her desk, she flopped into her chair and savoured the solitude, knowing it would end when her colleagues returned from lunch. Her eyes were drawn to the vase of roses, but it was the innocent-looking box of lingerie that occupied her thoughts. She retrieved the card and chuckled at the brief message.

I'll explain later.

She didn't think she really needed an explanation, but that hardly mattered. It was the word 'later' that lifted her spirits. The promise of seeing him again brought a ridiculous smile to her face. It lingered on her lips and refused to leave, despite the return of her co-workers and their furtive glances. Even the inevitable reappearance of Lavender couldn't diminish it entirely. Until she opened her mouth, at least.

"I see you're still employed," said Lavender. "What a pity."

"I see you're still a jealous bitch."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. Why would I be jealous of you?"

"That's an excellent question, Lavender, and one that surely deserves your immediate attention. Why don't you go back to your office and rethink your life for a bit?"

Lavender's smile was pure saccharine. "You know, I'm actually glad you work here...after all, you're a great source of amusement. It's such fun to guess what important figure you'll throw yourself at next. Whatever would I do without you?"

"For a start, you could grow up. Then perhaps you could learn how to treat others with respect and kindness."

It was obviously not going to happen anytime soon. Lavender pointed to the box on the desk and said, "No wonder you did so well at Hogwarts."

"You've had four hours to work on this, Lavender," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Surely, you could have found a better insult by now?"

Lavender's gaze darted around the room as several soft snickers came from various cubicles. She projected her voice and said, "Everyone always thought you were so smart, but it turns out you were just sleeping with your teachers."

Hermione sighed. "Would you give it up, already?"

"I can't ... I'm far too curious. Was it just Snape, or were you fucking all of them? Was that the real reason McGonagall always liked you so much?"

An angry response sprang to her lips, but before she could voice it, a deep voice interrupted them.

"That's quite enough, Miss Brown," said Severus as he stepped into the small cubicle. The disdain in his voice was chilling. His appearance seemed to have opposite effects on the two women: while Lavender paled considerably and looked somewhat ill, Hermione's face turned pink with heat, and her lips lifted in a shy smile.

The man had impeccable timing.

Karelia provided super-fast beta skills to this story, and I'm eternally grateful. Only one chapter left! Thanks to everyone for leaving reviews - I've so enjoyed reading your comments!