The Silver Envelope

The Shocking Truth

There was another pause, presumably while Johanna fought against the influence of the Veritaserum.

"You're the bloody champion of elf rights, aren't you?"
Johanna said, a bitter rage undercutting the
monotone force of the truth serum in her voice. "You were going to ruin evervthing with your stupid SOCKS bill! Setting them free, just like that? It's a disgrace! I had to show the world how stupid an idea that was, so yes- I started with you. I told everyone you were corrupt and cheating on your idiotic boyfriend and whatever I could think of to discredit you. And it worked, for a while. People stopped trusting you. They started to question whether SOCKS should be repealed. Even after you had me sacked from the Prophet, people were still listening to me. They wanted to believe that you aren't as perfect as you pretend."
"So you lied about me to make people turn against my elf rights bill? Is that the same reason you told lies about Draco Malfoy as well?" the Hermione on the radio questioned.
"No," Johanna said. "That was Ronald Weasley's idea, actually. When Malfoy arranged to hide you from the public, Weasley felt threatened and wanted my help to get you away from him. He didn't know I had ulterior motives. I dug up suspicious things about Maltoy and made them seem more sinister than they were so that you would leave your little hidey-hole and go ask Weasley what was going on. Then, once you were away from Malfoy's protection, my coworkers went to kidnap you."
Draco watched Hermione's face as he listened, marveling at her cleverness. He'd already been stunned by her brilliance when she'd told him how exactly she had manipulated Weasley's
memories to make him feel more responsible for her kidnapping. And this was no less cunning. Somehow, she'd gotten Johanna to explain the truth to the public without refuting Wesley's false memories. If he was somewhere listening to this, he wouldn't be able to find the discrepancies.
Radio-Hermione began to question Johanna about whom she was working with and why. Johanna, who sounded rather constipated in her attempt to hold back from spilling the truth, went on to explain about Selwyn and Umbridge and Flint. Draco listened intently, absorbing details that put the pieces of the puzzle together at last.
Umbridge's motives had been largely financial, having learned that she would need a small fortune to petition for her release. She'd created her business plan from prison with Mulciber's help, bribing a guard to help them send messages to investors and employees. Recruiting her distant cousin Selwyn, an elf healer whose practice had been struggling due to the fact that (thanks to SOCKS) elves were now free to seek more humane care instead of being forced to visit him, had been her first move. She asked him to develop a product based on elf magic, knowing it would be inexpensive to produce if they could find a way to quietly enslave a few stray elves to make the product. Umbridge had first contacted Johanna after reading her Prophet article about SOCKS, knowing how valuable it would be to have a journalist on her team. Hermione, of course, had been the endeavors main obstacle, and Johanna had been all too happy to take on the project of bringing her down.
Draco's father had indeed discovered Johanna's plans, but Umbridge had used this to her advantage. Attacking him had served both as a way to keep their plans under wraps and draw Draco away from Hermione, leaving her vulnerable for capture. Mulciber had been brutal; Lucius had still not woken up.
Next to Draco, Hermione had gone still, listening intently to her interview with Johanna. As the woman explained what had happened in the forest, he thought he saw her tense slightly, a small frown pinching the corners of her mouth. Draco brought his arm to rest around her shoulders, bringing her a bit closer as he absently played with her hair. Her face turned to his, and as Johanna explained to the world exactly why Draco had killed Selwyn, she didn't look away. He saw no fear in her eyes.
Would Potter kick them out if Draco started snogging Hermione in his drawing room? Draco looked over, finding that Potter was indeed watching them with an odd expression, probably wondering why Johanna's account of Selwyn's murder hadn't made Hermione shy away from him.
Draco sent him a salacious wink, and Potter looked away with a scowl-though Draco could have sworn he looked a bit pink.
"So, to clarify, your aim was to overturn SOCKS even before you started working for Flint's Finest? Why is that?" radio-Hermione asked Johanna.
"Overturn it? I wanted to annihilate it," Johanna spat. "That bloody law is the downfall of wizarding society as we know it! My family has had house-elves for centuries. Our Trella had been serving us since before I was born!"
"Trella, she was your house-elf?"