Arrest

Hermione paced the floor, the click of her heels echoing through Courtroom Three. "The last question, Healer Stimpson. What was the medical condition of Lucinda Diggory when she was admitted to St Mungo's on the 27th of May this year?"

"I already presented her data when Mr Finchley asked."

"Yes, we've seen that her magic metrics amounted to one tenth of the usual value for a magical child of her age. I'm inquiring about her medical diagnosis."

"Ah. She was healthy. Her parents wanted her examined concerning the loss of magic, but there was no medical condition."

"I have no further question for this witness." Hermione inclined her head towards the healer. She returned her gesture with a perplexed expression. She knew she had just ruined her own case but, in her mind, it was justified. There were much greater stakes here than accusing the messenger.

"That was the most extraordinary presentation, Miss Granger." A Warlock adjusted his glasses. "You've demonstrated that St Mungo's did not harm Miss Diggory, that she's capable of a happy life, but in fact her parents, your clients I must add, put unnecessary pressure on the child for appearance's sake. I must say, I am astonished at your performance."

"I believe in justice, Warlock," Hermione said, facing the jury. "St Mungo's did not steal Miss Diggory's magic and all evidence points to that. The fact that their attorney wasn't able to uncover it doesn't mean that loss of magic doesn't exist more often. It's evident, however, that someone is stealing magic from our children. During preparation for this case, we uncovered multiple similar cases that haven't been reported to date. It is despicable and, in the long term, could endanger the very existence of the wizarding world. We trust the Aurors will be able to catch the criminal, and that the Wizengamot will be able to judge the one truly guilty and punish him or her most severely for such a terrible crime. Neither Healer Stimpson in particular nor St Mungo's in general are responsible in the case of Lucinda Diggory," she concluded.

The disconcerting feeling from last night did not diminish. If anything, she was now convinced that she was cutting off the branch she sat on. Obviously, that was true for her work position, but she feared that was only part of the picture. The other part she preferred not to think about, hoping that finding the criminal would be someone else's problem. Lavender's face surfaced in her mind again, but she shook her head to clear the image, refusing to let herself stop trusting her business partner despite her emotional instability.

No. Just no.

The Aurors would deal with the crime, and St Mungo's and Department of Mysteries would find a way to stop and reverse the loss of magic.

She wouldn't. She just wouldn't think about it. She didn't have enough information, just feelings.

---

"Mr Snape, that's private information as you are well aware, given your past career in this institution." Headmaster Penrose pushed his glasses higher on his nose.

"Headmaster, I'm not asking you to divulge information about the academic records of your students without a warrant. All I'm asking is whether you've talked to their parents." Severus sat ramrod straight in a chair in the headmaster's office in Hogwarts. He needed to know if the loss of magic of the oldest children continued during school. Asking the headmaster should have been a quick way to obtain a lot of information, but Penrose insisted on conforming to petty rules that grated on Severus's nerves.

Headmaster Penrose snapped a folder in front of him closed, hitting it with his palm in emphasis. "And what leads you to the conclusion that content of teacher-parent conversations is anything but private?"

"Thank you. That was all I needed to know." The visit was not a complete waste of time, then. He would still have to talk to all parents individually, but at least now he knew that there were problems later on.

"What?" Headmaster's face started to turn red.

"You admitted that you've talked to parents of Albus and Lily Potter and Roxanne Weasley. If you feel like being particularly helpful, you might share if it was around the same time that you called in Mr and Mrs Malfoy."

A vein started to pulse on the Headmaster's forehead.

"He's always been quick, Phoebus." Dumbledore chuckled in his portrait.

"Kindly stay out of this, Albus," Penrose said.

"Then answer his question. It's an innocuous one."

"These portraits are supposed to be helpful," Penrose murmured.

"I also found Albus to be most meddlesome." Severus smiled, looking directly at Dumbledore. He would not have imagined that Albus, of all people, would help him out. He would have bet on Phineas Black.

Dumbledore bowed a bit.

"Fine," Headmaster Penrose said. "I talked to the Potters and Weasleys in the same week I called in the Malfoys."

Severus rose, extended his hand for a handshake and left the office.

---

"Severus, let's take an evening off," Hermione said, leaning against his doorframe, ankles crossed, a hand resting on her hip. It was not too late when she returned from the Wizengamot, and she hoped for a relaxing evening that would help her shake off the feeling. To let her forget. For a while, at least.

An expression of displeasure disfigured his features.

She straightened up, checking her neckline. "I'm sorry. I assumed. I apologise. I misjudged. We could take things slower. I'll wait."

Severus walked over to her, stopping her mid-tirade. "No. You don't understand."

"Yes, I do. I thought. And it was wrong."

"Hermione, we must talk."

"I guess we do." She tried to smile. This was not progressing as she imagined.

"Would you be willing to accompany me to my flat? To talk. Do you know the way?"

"Yes."

"Apparate to the landing then."

He was already opening the door when she arrived. He admitted her and set heavy wards around them.

"You are scaring me, Severus. What is it?"

He was silent.

"Severus, tell me."

"What did you tell the Wizengamot?"

"The Wizengamot? I hoped we'd talk about us."

"We are. Did you tell anyone there are more?"

"Of course. The whole justice system needs to be mobilised. We must find the one with power and skill and particularly the audacity to steal magic from children."

"You are responsible."

Silence. Her mind refused to process the information beyond relief that Lavender was not the monster she had feared.

"Excuse me?"

"You and Mrs Weasley. The Life Bank."

"The Life Bank? Lavender?" Hermione shook her head, taking a step back. Hadn't he just said that Lavender was out of it?

Severus reached out to touch her, but she continued to move away from him as far as the room would allow.

"All the affected children are your clients. It's highly unlikely that someone would target the same families who decided to store the umbilical blood of their children and only start picking children at the same time that you and Mrs Weasley founded the company."

Hermione slid down the wall.

"It starts to manifest around age two or three and continues at a constant rate until all magic in the child is exhausted."

Hermione burrowed her face in her hands. "No. No. You're wrong. We're helping them. Storing the umbilical blood to help them battle diseases in the future. We're helping them."

"I'd hoped we'd be able to cover it."

"What are you saying?"

"We could have put the company out of business and disappear. But now that you've alerted the authorities to the issue, they'll get to the information fast. We've shown them the way."

"No. We're helping them. We can't just abandon them. We're helping them. We must help them, Severus."

"You did. You helped Lorcan Scamander. He has a chance to beat cancer, thanks to you."

"But the rest of them. He's just one against so many. They're all losing magic, and the parents... They're as good as dead for some of the parents. Severus, we must help them. Get their magic back."

"We can't. We don't know how," Severus said and sat down, leaning against an opposite wall. A comfortable sofa stood between them empty and cold. They stared ahead of themselves, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What do we do now, Severus?" Hermione looked up at him, tears running down her face.

"Now the Aurors will have to arrest you."

"I see." Hermione hung her head, hair hiding her face.

"Hermione. I wish there was another way."

"No, Severus. I'm an assassin. I deserve Azkaban."

"Hermione."

"Just promise me you'll try to find a way to help them. Promise me."

"I promise."

"Thank you." She rose, walked up to him and extended her clasped hands.

He remained motionless, staring at her wrists. "What are you doing?"

"I'd much rather if you arrested me."

He shook his head.

"Severus. Don't make this even harder for me. Please. Do it."

"Hermione." He got up.

"Please."

He brushed a curl back from her face, ignoring her crossed wrists. "As much as I'd like to hear you beg, this is not the situation I usually envision." His thumb grazed her jaw line.

She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

"Severus–"

"I'll be here when you return," he said and cast a spell to bind her. "As long as it takes. And I'll find the cure for you."

"For them. Please, Severus."

---

Loss of Magic Reversed!

Report by Betty Braithwaite

The newly founded British research institution Potions Inc., owned by Severus Snape, demonstrated that loss of magic caused by separation of living body parts is reversible in all but the most severe of cases. The last of the clinical trials was concluded, and the study shows that returning stored umbilical blood stopped the siphoning of magic and also dramatically increased the remaining magical powers of twenty-nine children. He was unavailable to comment, but the Daily Prophet's reporter heard a source close to Mr Snape state that he once said about Department of Regulations of the Ministry of Magic, "Incompetent bureaucrats! If they let us return the blood sooner, we could've saved magic of those eight." 'Those eight' refers to the children who remained Squibs after the clinical trials.

Read more about magical ethics on page 2 and the criminal report on page 11.

Magic Thieves Released

Report by Andy Smudgley

Today Hermione Granger and Lavender Weasley were released from custody. They were imprisoned for two years after being convicted of stealing magic from wizarding children by storing frozen blood from their umbilical cords in their Life Bank. The procedure, once fashionable amongst the finest wizarding families, had severe implications for newborns. The children started to lose magic as toddlers, and deterioration progressed until complete deprivation of magical power. The accused were released today based on new evidence obtained during research into the effects of destroyed and stored body parts of magical entities. The condition was shown to be reversible, thus rendering the basis of accusation invalid.

Read more about Loss of Magic on page 1 and magical ethics on page 2.

Merit of Magic

Editorial by Dempster Wiggleswade

The case of Loss of Magic reached a happy ending for most affected. The fact that there is a 'most' in the previous sentence raises dubious questions and forces us to revisit the deepest beliefs of our culture. While we all agree that theft of magic is a despicable crime, the medical procedure that leads to such loss can save lives. The cells from umbilical blood can be used to grow body parts if a person is sick as evidenced by successful recovery of Lorcan Scamander not only from his disease, but also from Loss of Magic. Eight of the affected children were not so fortunate, though. For them, Loss of Magic progressed so far that even returning their umbilical blood could not restore their magical powers. They will remain Squibs for the rest of their lives. The magical community now faces a philosophical challenge: whether the parents would be willing to give up magic for their children in exchange for a chance that one day their children's umbilical blood might save their very lives. Do we care about magic more than we care about our children? Where is a threshold for each individual's choice? We do not know at the moment. The only wizarding company that provided the service is officially out of business, but Muggle establishments remain in operation. The choice is on each parent.

---

Hermione heaved a large cardboard box onto a pile. She preferred to pack the last of her belongings with her hands, needing the time to experience her closure. Too many memories.

"Is it the last one?" Severus asked, stepping up behind her and embracing her in a tight hug.

Hermione leaned back against him, closing her eyes, and exhaled. "Yes, that's it."

"How do you feel?"

"Empty."

Her stomach grumbled.

"And not only figuratively, I hear."

She chuckled. "No, but mostly figuratively."

"You meant well."

"There's that, yes."

"But?"

She turned her head to look at him. "Am I that transparent?"

"Indeed."

"It backfired, what else? I thought it was a good business plan. The companies in the Muggle world thrive. And it should've helped people. I thought," she turned and grabbed Severus's arms, "I believed we were helping prevent deaths like Parvati's."

"I know, Hermione," Severus said and pulled her closer again. He kissed the top of her head.

"Instead, we threatened the wizarding world."

"That was rather megalomaniac of you."

"Just a little bit."

"All children received their umbilical blood back in transfusions. They're fine."

"Most of them."

"Most of them."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." His arms tightened around her, comforting her.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat. She viewed the empty walls of her apartment. They were about to leave Britain, and she suspected that it would be better for both of them to make the move permanent. The hollow rooms reverberated with her insides, demarcating a dream that had ended, only to make room for new beginnings elsewhere.

Better this time, she hoped.

---

A/N: Thanks to saschia and pyjamapants for their encouragement, discussions and help with polishing this story. Without you, the story wouldn't happen like this.

This story was adminned by Clairvoyant. She took wonderful care of it, and I'm very grateful for her input. Lyn_f stepped in to wrestle the last chapter into submission. Thank you both.

Thanks to brandy01 who created the beautiful banner for this story.

And thanks to astopperindeath for a fascinating prompt. It made me think about Hermione long and hard, and it was most enjoyable to figure out how the prompt could work. Here it is in her own words:

In a post-War EWE universe, Snape is now a member of law enforcement. He tracks a criminal through a series of heinous crimes, only to find that Hermione is responsible for the crimes. Try to keep as canon-compliant/not-OOC as possible.