Found | Dramione

0 1 - The Task

Hermione Granger was late.

"Of all the days to be late, you just had to pick this one, Hermione,"  she cursed as she waved a hurried goodbye to Ginny, who shared the apartment with her.

"Good luck!"  Ginny said encouragingly, shoving the pot of Floo powder into her best friend's shaking hands. 

Hermione murmured a quick thanks as she tossed the powder into the fireplace.  "Ministry of Magic!"  she shouted.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was waiting for her as she stumbled out of the many fireplaces that lined the halls of the Ministry.  

"I'm so sorry, Kingsley!  I overslept and I forgot my bag so I had to go back to—"  the frazzled witch rambled.  Kingsley merely chuckled and shook his head as the pair began walking towards the lift that would take them to the second level of the Ministry.

"No need to worry, I just arrived myself," he assured her in a deep, rumbling voice.  Hermione smiled gratefully as they stepped into the lift.  "Now, I'm certain you'd like to know about your final task to become an Auror?"  She nodded eagerly, hanging on to his every word—the same way she did when a professor addressed the class back at Hogwarts. Some things never change. "You'll be tracking down an old classmate."

"An old classmate?" Hermione frowned as she racked her brain for who it could possibly be.

"He had assisted Voldemort since his fifth year, making himself a great asset to the Death Eaters.  He even managed to evade capture after the Battle of Hogwarts," Kingsley explained.

No, it couldn't be.  It wasn't possible.  She turned to face him again.

"You're not talking about Gregory Goyle, are you?" she asked hesitantly.  The question sounded even worse out loud than in her head.

Kinglsey pressed his lips together in an amused smile and nodded slightly. Hermione frowned again as they stepped off the lift.

"Merlin's Beard, of all people?  Goyle couldn't pass an exam if you gave him an Auto-Answer Quill!" Perhaps some things do change.

"I was just as shocked as you when I found out, Miss Granger.  He did stick to his cover rather well didn't he? I'll give him that," Kingsley chuckled. Hermione wasn't as amused, desperately attempting to recall her memories of Goyle and find any signs of betrayal in his behavior.  None.

He sighed, "As I was saying, Goyle is still out there somewhere, and must be captured.  I expect there's a cell in Azkaban with his name on it."

A strange sense of déjà vu overtook Hermione as she recalled Draco snarling almost those exact words at Harry on the train platform in fifth year.  How could someone be so cruel yet so damn attractive at the same time? she wondered. Her stomach turned as she re-evaluated what the annoying little inner voice in her head had just said.

In her defense, she couldn't help feeling just a little attracted to him. She almost tripped over her feet at the thought and quickly became aware of her surroundings and Kingsley, who had been still speaking to her, continued with his description of the final assignment.

"However, you won't be attempting this feat alone.  You and a partner I've hand-picked for you will be working together." 

A partner?  Hermione cursed.  Hopefully it's someone more competent than Harry or Ron.  She loved them to death, but the other members of the Golden Trio couldn't complete an assignment properly for the life of them.

"Don't you worry, Miss Granger.  I think your partner is up to par in terms of intelligence," Kingsley's eyes twinkled knowingly at Hermione.  It was as if he read her mind.