Fulfilling Obligations (Harmione)

Chapter 24: Regret

A/N: In the last chapter, I think I said it would be two years later, but I meant three. My bad. Also, I apologize in advance for the next few chapters. As I mentioned, this is epilogue compliant, so the next bit of chapters will be progressing things towards the epilogue, especially in the relationship department. However, there will still of course be plenty of H/Hr stuff as well, but it's going to be a lot of angst for a while. Please stick with me through it! :)

Thanks to EmmaRadcliffe, h/hr4ever11, Meli, and auror_lumos09. VioletE, kinikeens, and any Anonymous reviewers for the reviews! Please leave some more!

THREE YEARS LATER - June 2002

Hermione Granger pulled yet another file wearily towards her.

She had been perusing the numerous cases piled haphazardly upon her desk since early that morning, and though it was now past noon, she felt as if she had made no progress whatsoever.

Connor Hemming - Werewolf -- registered as of 5/28/02

She spared a glance at the date and suspected Source of the bite before jotting down instructions for the newly created Wolfsbane Dispersal Office to place Hemming under their clientele. She placed the parchment in its appropriate stack before looking at the next one.

Mitzi - House-elf -relocation due to owner's passing (no known relatives)

Hermione pushed this one to the side with about five other house-elf relocation cases, agitated that whoever had sent these wasn't competent enough to send them to the appropriate section of the department.

She powered through cases concerning an altercation with a pair of hags, a claimed sighting of a giant, and a greatly amusing complaint from a middle-aged wizard asserting he had been seduced by a gold-digging veela before coming across another werewolf registration.

She once more glanced at the Source of the bite and received a jolt - Fenrir Greyback. Frowning, she wrote down the same instructions she had for Hemming and proceeded to duplicate the document with a wave of her wand. With another wave the page had folded itself and flapped its way from her office, headed towards Alec Wahler's desk. Greyback had been one of the few Death Eaters who had evaded capture after the war, and Hermione knew the possibility of a hint of his whereabouts would interest the Auror office greatly.

Now in an even greater state of irritation, Hermione rifled through the endless stack of parchment with increasing speed until she came across an entry that caught her eye.

Donovan Gethin - Known to have employed the use of the Cruciatus Curse upon Muggles and suspected in the murders of Muggle-borns Stephen and Jacqueline Williams

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion: this had nothing to do with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the slightest. Her eyes fell upon the next report.

Jezebel Rajani - Suspected to be recruiting werewolves to attack Muggles and Muggle-borns. *Likely in contact with Fenrir Greyback

Another unrelated case followed:

Blake Sullivan - Pureblood supremacist, several witnesses have verified his use of the Imperius Curse on Muggle/Muggle-born-sympathetic Ministry officials

Hermione leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips as she continued to flip through the files.

Desdemona Rodriguez - Potion-maker guilty of illegal experimentation and testing on unsuspecting Muggle-borns

Malloren Thomas - Suspected in the murders of at least three Muggle families

Damien Marshall - Guilty of the use of the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses to attempt to embezzle Gringotts