The Minister for Magic

One of the many things Bellatrix despised about Hermione was her impulsivity.

Though that may just be a given for Gryffindors.

It was all routine with the girl until it isn’t and then when you finally get used to it, it’s goddamn routine again.

The matter of Bellatrix’s ire today was Hermione’s horrifically unhealthy work schedule.

Not that Bellatrix cared much for the unhealthy part.

Go ahead, she glared at the mousey girl through the glass. Work yourself to death for all I care.

No, it was the fact that this little swot had bested her and her mentor.

Imagine the shame that would befall her when the mudblood who bested two powerful purebloods ends up passing out due to a lack of sleep during an important conference.

The idea was much too plausible for Bellatrix’s liking.

With a wave of her wand, a ‘Tempus’ revealed it was way past the end of her shift.

A lovely little perk of being Assistant to the Minister for Magic was when she worked to an obscene time, Bellatrix also had to be there.

Yay.

Most nights the girl would come out and dismiss her, leaving Bella to wonder whether or not she ever left.

Sometimes she forgot.

This was one of those times.

Occasionally, Bella would storm into Hermione’s office and ever so sweetly remind her of the ungodly hour she had forced Bellatrix to stay here till.

Others, she would try to stick it out and satisfy her curiosity, though once it hit midnight Bella had to admit defeat.

Resigning herself to another night of curiosity, Bellatrix knocked on her superior’s door.

“Come in.”

Hermione looked incredibly guilty, staring at Bellatrix as soon as she entered.

Bella squirmed under the look. It wasn’t one she experienced often.

“I am so sorry, I forgot to dismiss you, I promise it won’t happen again.”

Lies. Bellatrix thought. Lies and slander.

“That’s what you said the last time, Miss Granger.”

The girl’s cheeks darkened.

“And the last time, and the last time, and the last.”

At each word, Hermione’s chin lowered further and further until it was practically buried into her chest.

Bellatrix felt a strange pang in her chest. She didn’t like seeing the girl like that.

It’s because she’s the Minister, Bella straightened, it’s unbecoming to look so pitiful.

“Again, I’m so sorry. The next time I do this just feel free to leave.”

Bellatrix scoffed.

“Unfortunately Miss Granger, I can’t leave until you do, but seeing as you work ridiculous hours I’ve had to ignore that part of my job description.”

"Oh.” The Granger girl blinked a few times at the reminder of the time. “I remember that part.”

“I’m sure you do Miss Granger.”

“Please just call me Hermione, I hate titles.”

The mudblood had the audacity to smile at her.

Like she wasn’t the Minister for Magic and Bellatrix wasn’t her inferior.

“No.”

“Pardon?” She frowned.

“I won’t call you by your first name, and I won’t wait for you if you’re so determined to lose sleep over that sodding house elf legislation.”

Bellatrix clenched her fists at the look of confusion.

“And if you don’t consider me competent enough to do any work, you may as well fire me because I’m doing absolutely nothing and I’m sure if I don’t use it soon, my brain will rot and fall out of my ears.”

Silence fell on the room. Mind Bellatrix’s heaving breaths from her outburst.

Why did she say that?

As much as she may gloat, after Tom Riddle failed to become Minister, she and the Malfoys had lost a lot of money they didn’t have on hand.

She needed to work and she may as well have just resigned.

Why must my mouth work faster than my brain?

“I . . . Didn’t know you felt that way.” Hermione finally said.

“I thought you didn’t really want to work for me-“

“I don’t.”

“I know.” Granger gave her a pointed look, “I thought you’d just ignore anything I gave you.”

“Well I won’t.” Bella tilted her chin up, “It’s my job and I don’t half arse it.”

“I will keep that in mind.” The girl smiled sheepishly. “You may go.”

Doing just that, Bellatrix took a few steps towards the door before pausing.

Another glance at the girl proved her suspicions.

The Granger girl was hard-working, understanding, tolerant.

Her inferior just outright told her off and she accepted it.

If the roles were reversed . . .

Hermione would be packing up her things with a good old fashioned hex to send her off.

So the Granger girl was quite compassionate, but if Bellatrix had to describe her, she’d say tired.

The girl looked tired.

She had eye bags worse than Bella’s, no effort into her appearance and Bella was sure she had been sleeping at her desk or never for the past two days.

Yet she still had the energy to entertain Bellatrix’s bullshit.

This girl, 10 years her junior. Bella half expected her to have that Weasley woman come in and change her nappies.

“What’re you working on?”

Hermione frowned for a moment. “House elf legislation-“

“Yes, I know,” Bella sighed, “Why?”

“Because house elves are one of the most disregarded and abused communities in the Wizarding world! It’s disgusting how they’re treated and I’m tired of-“

“No, not that,” Bellatrix pinched the bridge of her nose, regretting her decision to turn around. “What part?”

“Oh,” The girl looked shocked, probably expecting Bella to be an uptight pureblood about it.

The older woman smirked.

“Well, the last time I tried to pass it I got laughed out of the room. Kingsley told me purebloods rely too much on house elves.”

Hermione’s shoulders slumped as she recounted her failures.

“So I rewrote it to demand uniforms and a livable wage. Denied. I even tried just a base-line, no abusing house-elves and that was denied!”

“Wait, so,” It was Bella’s turn to frown, “They just told you ‘no’?”

Granger nodded, solemn. “Didn’t even give a real reason.”

“No, no, no. You’re the Minister for Magic and they just told you ‘no’?”

Hermione paused, “uh, yes?”

“That sounds like a question.”

“Yes.”

“How can you let that happen?”

“It’s still a democracy, Bellatrix. I can’t-“

“You most certainly can.” Bella felt her ire rising in her chest.

The girl snatches the position, puts all that work in and when she’s told no she just rolls over and takes it?

“You are the Minister for Magic. Don’t ask them to pass the bill, tell them, ‘I am passing this legislation.’ You don’t need to do a vote if there are no valid objections.”

With that, Bellatrix turned around and left before she could get fired.

Granger was nice, but no one would appreciate that telling off.

Bella was oblivious to the look of awe on Hermione’s face.

-

“Order!” Hermione shifted the papers in her hand, staring at the Wizengamot surrounding her.

“We will be discussing the matter of the updated house elf legislation I have drafted.”

Someone mockingly groaned causing the room to break into laughter.

Hermione waited patiently for it to finish.

Bellatrix couldn’t believe her ears.

The amount of disrespect was appalling.

Mudblood or not, the girl had earned her position and was the Minister for Magic.

These peasants should’ve been bowing at her feet.

“Now, I have drafted a base line of three components:

1. House elves reserve the right to be freed if they so wish.

2. Any abuse, verbal or physical against house elves will be legally punishable

3. House elves reserve the right to quit their jobs or offer complaints to the department of Magical Creatures, where an investigation of the household will take place.

This can be updated or changed at any time, now-“

“Come now, Miss Granger, we’ve done this time and time again.” Yaxely laughed condescendingly.

It took everything Bella had not to slam his balding head into the desk.

Murmurs of agreement and jeers filled the room.

“Wizarding households rely on house-elves too much for any of this to go through with the public. It’s like taking a cauldron from a potions master.”

“It’s practically an abuse of power to make us sit through this again!”

“The house-elves enjoy it, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”

Bella couldn’t take it anymore.

Before she did anything she would most certainly regret, Granger surprised her.

She stood, casting a hasty, wordless ‘soronus’ she bellowed.

“SILENCE!”

They obliged.

The room fell quiet.

Granger glared at the room.

“Is this a courtroom or a playground? Jeering and moaning like children. You are Ministry workers, act like it.”

Hermione sat down with a sigh. Bellatrix smirked. Atta girl.

“I have been trying to get this passed for a long time, correct. When it gets denied, I alter it just to pander to your needs and frankly, I’m sick of it.”

The Wizengamot watched with gaping jaws as Hermione continued.

The girl was always so quick to lay down, they didn’t know how to react.

“I’ve worked overtime to create a bill that allows purebloods house-elves, allows them to choose to be free and prevents abuse. Now if you would need your house elves to be enslaved for them to work for you, please speak.”

Silence.

“If it’s necessary for you to abuse house-elves in your life, please speak.”

Silence.

“If there are any objections to me passing this bill, right now, please speak.”

Silence.

Hermione nodded curtly.

Though her face was impassive, Bellatrix could feel the giddy excitement rolling off the girl in waves.

“Now before you go, I would like to address something.”

Granger narrowed her eyes.

“I am the Minister for Magic, I am not asking you to pass this bill, I’m telling you. If there is ever a repeat of the disrespect shown today, I will personally have each of you assigned to a different department.”

Her voice deepened slightly, her chin tilted up as if she was trying to imitate someone.

“I want change regarding the corruption and abuse of magical creatures. I will get it. When there is an injustice, it will be brought here whether you like it or not and you will get my opinion. It’s my job and I don’t half arse it.”

Bellatrix gaped. It was her!

“Now, you are dismissed.”

Bellatrix watched in shock as everyone slowly apparated away, mumbling amongst themselves.

Hermione slumped in her seat with a sigh of relief. She grinned at Bellatrix.

Then she was gone.