For The Tabloids

Chapter One

Third Person POV:

Hermione looked down at the daily prophet with a frown. She had been the minister for magic for barely five months and she was already being written about in articles criticizing her work and her personal life. Crookshanks, Hermiones' elderly but loyal cat, was curled up on her lap purring away peacefully. Crookshanks was just a cat who did not have to deal with attacks against her personal life, and especially those against her political views and ideas. Of course, to some extent, she could understand why some pureblood wizards did not want her as minister. They did not enjoy her attempts at passing bills, both before and after she had became minister, that prioritized muggle born witches and wizards, house elf rights, and women and omega rights. She had always known that not everyone would agree with her, some just wouldn't change their ways and it was unfortunate. But she couldn't change them, simply the laws and systems they had put in place years ago.

The attacks on her personal life dug deep. Wondering why she was still single at the age of 28, why she hadn't sired any children yet, and why she chose to live in a small flat and go forth with a modest life despite her position in society. She had to admit she let some of their words dig deep, relaxing her hair since she had first gotten a job at the ministry and always buying high end and traditional looking robes despite preferring muggle fashion. But that was just her looks, she would never change her political beliefs just because she was being told to by her enemies.

Part of her wished she could be more like Harry.

Harry had married Ginny once the two were both graduated from Hogwarts, the two had become Aurors and soon after Ginny had fallen pregnant. The two now had three children, Ginny became the head of the investigation department and Harry, much like the wizarding world expected of him, became head Auror.

She would even settle being like Ron for petes sake.

Ron had also married young, to Lavender Brown. Ron and Hermione had broken up shortly after the battle of Hogwarts, Ron wanting to start a family quickly and Hermione prioritizing her work over it. Hermione now somewhat regretted that choice. But it could be said by everyone that Ron and Lavender, both being changed by the second wizarding war, were a happy couple. The two had one child, Ron had become an Auror and Lavender was a stay at home mom and romance author who had grown quiet popular both in the wizarding and muggle worlds.

Hermione was, for the most part, alone.

It never bothered her, seeing her friends begin families while she chased her dream career down. But now, with the pressure from the press, she couldn't help but notice this longing she had to meet the right person to settle down with. The only times she was able to feel like she was apart of a big family was the monthly "family dinners" that would be shared between the Potters, Weasleys, and Grangers.

Ron had told her that both Molly and Arthur would be attending this dinner, the one that was happening in just a few short hours at the Potters house.

Hermione stared at herself in her vanity mirror, looking at the deep bags that formed under her eyes. She never placed when her appearance had started looking more tired and mature, rather than a youthful and full of life woman excited to better the wizarding world. Her relaxed hair was pulled back into as clean of a bun as she could manage, one or two pieces falling out of it to frame her face.

She glanced down at the expensive watch she had gotten from her mentor in the ministry when she had became a member of the lower council. The warm gold of the metal lining complimented her ebony skin well, Lavender had told her that gold made her features pop when she saw the watch. Hermione agreed with her in the moment, still agreeing with her now in the back of her mind. The black leather wrist strap had certainly seen better days. She had worn the watch nearly every day for the past five years, and simply looking at the withered and discolored strap could tell anyone that it was a well loved item of her wardrobe.