This Bitter Earth

TWENTY FIVE

A/N: I want to thank everyone who left comments for me on the last chapter (and all the ones who are reading along and commenting on the way). I am doing my damnest to reply to all the new ones because I believe that if you take the time to comment, then I can take the time to at least say thank you. If I have missed yours, know that I am trying to catch up with some of the older ones, but I do read each and every comment and I appreciate them so much. Like, you don't even know. Getting feedback helps me write honestly and knowing there are people out there who care about this story and these characters as much as I do just makes me want to keep going!

As far as "going" I know I keep changing my mind about how many chapters there will be, but sometimes it is hard to tell until I actually sit down to write them. Over the past few months with my job change I have had more time to write and right now we are looking at 27 chapters and a short epilogue. So, everyone say a big thank you to my long suffering beta, Bree, who has to put up with me adding more things in and keeping it going when it was supposed to be a hell of a lot shorter than this.

Anyway, enjoy dear readers.

Soundtrack- "Exile/Vilify" by The National (Matthew Koch) and "The Devil's Backbone" by The Civil Wars

TWENTY FIVE

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"This is completely unjustified!"

"Miss Granger—"

"Is this how the new Ministry treats people? Arresting them under false charges and holding them in isolation? He was working with us, for Godric's sake!"

"You have to consider—"

"And who is considering Draco? Tell me that, Kingsley! He'd been gravely injured when he was arrested—has anyone even treated him?"

"I assure you—"

"I don't want your assurance!" Hermione shouted. "I want to see Draco Malfoy. NOW!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt slammed his hands down against his desk and pushed himself up. "What would you have me do? The boy is a Death Eater. People are dead because of him, your best friend included."

Hermione fought a recoil at the mention of Harry, instead she dug her heels in and let her indignation drive her on. "Voldemort killed Harry, not Draco!"

"Hermione, please." Kingsley rubbed his temples. "I understand you feel strongly about this matter—"

"You would too if you opened your eyes and saw the truth!" Her throat was tight and Hermione tried to keep her emotion from bleeding into her voice. "Draco gave the Order essential information that helped save lives and you are going to let them send him away because he was forced to take that mark! He was still underage when he agreed to take it and only did that under coercion! He didn't..." Hermione was out of breath, not even realizing in her rant she had emptied her chest. "He didn't want to be a Death Eater and in the end, Kinglsey, he wasn't!"

She balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking in front of the new Minister of Magic. The last thing she wanted was to be written off as an overly emotional teenage girl, well, second to last thing she wanted. She didn't care what people thought of her as long as it meant Draco walked free.

"Just because he no longer bears the dark mark does not absolve him of the crimes he committed." Kingsley must have picked up on her deteriorating state because his answer had been given in an even and diplomatic tone, but instead of dissuading her, it just made her even more angry.

Hermione didn't want to be calm. She wanted Draco.

She took a deep breath, ready to start another tirade if need be. "I understand that. What I don't understand is why no one is listening to the reasoning behind why he did those things!"