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A sharp knock sounded at her door.
“Minister!”
“Come in,” answered Hermione shortly, not looking up from her papers.
“The Daily Prophet,” said her assistant, depositing the newspaper on her desk before leaving.
“Thank you, Demelza.”
With a sigh, she set her files and paperwork aside and picked up the neatly folded paper covered in black ink. Headlines printed in bold black letters, paragraphs of fine print, and moving pictures fleeted past her eyes as she flicked rapidly through the newspaper, clicking her pen nervously. As soon as her eyes found the article she was looking for, she tensed, the clicking intensifying with every word she read.
“Yet another femicide in Wizarding Britain, when will this end?
Today in the early hours of the morning, a new murder was discovered near Ottery St. Catchpole. The lifeless bodies of a mother and her daughter were found not far from the Weasley family house, along with a note saying, “It is the law of nature that women should be held under the dominance of men”.
This is the third femicide this week in Wizarding Britain, and the twenty-fifth murder of an innocent witch in the Wizarding World, in just ten days. Eveline Ivanova was presumably heading home after visiting relatives with her eleven-year-old daughter, Selina, who was due to head to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in mere months. [...]”
The article went on and on describing the gruesome details of the assassination, but what really struck Hermione were the last few lines.
“ [...] Fear is rising, not only in the Wizarding World but also in Wizarding Britain. Witches everywhere are afraid of leaving their homes, and statistically, the sales of warding and protection charms have risen drastically. Mistrust and wariness have settled amongst wizarding communities, not unlike during the two Wizarding Wars. We have yet to hear from the Ministry of Magic on the matter, or from the Minister herself, who claims to be an active advocate for female rights. How long will we have to wait to be safe again? How many more murders will we have to endure for something to be done? These questions remain unanswered, as the leaders of our country remain inactive. I must admit I am quite disappointed with Hermione Jean Granger’s handling of the matter, who, we must remember, is a prized war hero.
Rita Skeeter reported from London.”
With a frustrated groan, Hermione slammed the paper on her desk. She scribbled something on a paper, before standing up and walking over to the door of her office, heels clacking sharply on the marble floor.
“Demelza!” She called out.
Immediately, the young witch appeared at the threshold.
“Please get Auror Potter to come up to my office, and send copies of this all over the Ministry and one to the Daily Prophet, we will be holding a meeting in the Atrium at 4 pm, I expect everyone to be there,” she said, handing her the crumpled paper in her hand.
“Shall I notify Mr. Granger too?”
“No need, I will speak to Ronald myself.”
With a small smile, Demelza disappeared into her own office facing Hermione’s. Nervously running her hand through her messy curls, the witch paced around her office, muttering under her breath. A Quick-Quotes quill floated behind her, trailing after her as she walked back and forth, noting down her words and ideas. Salve for the scratching of the quill on parchment, the clicking of her heels, and her hushed whispers, silence reigned on the room. It was so quiet, that Hermione gasped, startled when yet another knock sounded at her door. Without waiting for an answer, her childhood best friend came in, strolling confidently into her office.
“Hermione,” said Harry in his business voice. “You requested my presence.”
“Harry,” she replied coldly. “I thought you had the situation under control.”
“I- ”
“No. This is unacceptable. I left the matter in your hands, expecting you would be able to handle it correctly, yet we have another femicide case on our hands as of this morning. There were two victims this time, one of them being an eleven-year-old girl due to leave for Hogwarts soon. She and her mother were found near the Burrow-”
“I know, Hermione, I know. I’ve read the reports, I’ve seen what that despicable Rita Skeeter wrote in the Daily Prophet. Believe me, I’ve been doing everything I can…”
“You’re not doing enough, Auror Potter,” she answered coldly. “I will be holding a meeting in the Atrium this afternoon at 4 pm, I expect you and your team to be there, and ready to depart for the crime scene as soon as it ends. Meanwhile, strengthen the security around Diagon Alley and especially St. Mungos and the Ministry. Send Aurors to every town housing witches and set up wards and protection charms. If I recall correctly, Malfoy Manor is at present times unoccupied and in the hands of the Ministry. That place possesses one of the most thorough and secure safety systems I know of, and it is big enough to house a large number of witches. Get it ready to accept guests in the next few hours, I will be issuing a statement accordingly during this afternoon’s meeting. That is all.”
“Very well, Minister,” nodded Harry, before exiting the room and leaving her alone once again.
***
Huge masses of witches and wizards had already assembled in the Atrium as Hermione made her way through the crowd, surrounded by the Aurors guaranteeing her security. As she walked up the steps leading to a specially set up podium, silence settled throughout the room, all eyes focusing on her. She fidgeted nervously with the hem of her long red coat, before sighing heavily and squaring her shoulders, notes displayed in front of her. Pointing the tip of her wand at her throat, she whispered:
“Sonorus!”
The spell shot through her vocal cords, warming them.
“Good afternoon,” she began, her voice resonating around her. “I am sure that you are all already aware of the current situation we are dealing with. Our community has suffered yet another murder, the one of Eveline and Selina Ivanova…”
Surprised gasps and frightened whispers ran through the crowd as Hermione went on, describing details of the assassinations and the overall circumstances.
“Gruesome femicides such as this ought not to happen in Britain, our witches should not be leaving in fear. I expected this situation to be dealt with quickly, and I must say I am disappointed with the handling of things in our country as much as in the rest of the Wizarding World. It is time for us to strengthen our justice systems, too many cases go unnoticed and unsanctioned, and if we want to end this problem, we need to actively participate in its prevention, all of us, wizards and witches alike. New security systems will be set up throughout Britain as of tonight, and new laws are being discussed regarding the punishment for the commitment of femicide. I will be ensuring these topics are regularly discussed in our information services, and I trust this issue will be spoken of in families as well. I urge you all to take care of your mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, grandmothers, cousins, and friends. A safe house has been set up, it is open to any witch deeming herself in danger. If you desire to seek safety under the Ministry’s protection, portkeys will be set up for you, you will be notified of the details in due time. As of now, I myself will be taking over the team in charge of this case, and we shall not rest until the killer is safely locked up in Azkaban. For far too long the inequality between the two genders has been overlooked. I encourage you all to set your prejudices aside and look at the occurrences in the Muggle World and educate yourself correspondingly. This cannot and will not keep happening. We must do better. Speaking as a woman and a witch myself, we deserve justice. I will not have any more women murdered under my watch!”
Applause thundered around her as she Apparated away with a loud crack.