A/N: All HP canon characters, locales, and objects belong to JK Rowling. I am not making any money for writing this story. I, Queen of Alexandria, am writing this fan fiction for fun only.

Italics represent thoughts. represents the beginning of a new scene.

Unspeakable Chapter 1: The Offer

In the dead of night, the typically quiet countryside was engulfed in pandemonium. Hermione Granger, now and auror, stood amongst a myriad of friends and enemies. It had been a very trying battle for both sides, but fortunately, the aurors and the Ministry of Magic had emerged triumphant. The incident had led to the capture of two known Death Eaters, Nott and Avery.

In the middle of the chaotic scene, lay a large, three-story house that was once a great work of architecture. It was now desecrated; the garishly bright flames tore it to the ground as they rose higher and higher. The air smelled heavily of smoke and was stiflingly hot.

Hermione observed a squad of Ministry workers using magic to attempt to control the blaze. Now that their work was done, many of her colleagues in the Auror Division had begun to disapparate from the ghastly scene. However, she did not trust her ability to disapparate because she had lost her concentration. The smoke was making Hermione dizzy, and she had begun to cough violently.

In order to regain her bearings, she walked to the edge of the large clearing into the shelter of a forest. Bracing herself against the trunk of an oak tree, Hermione waited for her body to cease to feel the effects of the smoke.

After a few moments, she felt well enough to make her way back to the checkpoint to meet her supervisor. Before leaving, all aurors had to report to a specified location in order to prove that they had survived and to receive medical attention if necessary.

Hermione had taken only a few steps when she spotted a heap lying on the ground a short distance ahead. As she approached, she identified the heap as a person. The man was badly injured; burns and dark curses had almost taken his life. When he noticed her, he tried to speak. "The children…Elizabeth…still in the house…save them," he rasped in a pleading, desperate tone.

After only a moment of thought, she concluded that the man was Orion Kent, the owner of the destroyed home. His wife and two sons had been rescued from the burning building by the Ministry's fire department. They had presumed that the three were the only victims of the attack and the blaze that had immediately followed it. There was now yet another apparent victim.

"Elizabeth and the children have been rescued. They're safe now. Your wife and both of your sons are going to be alright," Hermione whispered soothingly as she used her wand to shoot a burst of brilliant red sparks into the night sky.

"My youngest child…Sabrina…is she alright?" Kent questioned. It seemed to take an eternity for him to speak the words in his weakened state.

Hermione was shockingly surprised at the mention of another child. In horror, she realized that not all of the victims had been taken from the inferno. She promptly ran towards the center clearing and was shocked to discover that the fire had finally been put out. She continued to run in hopes of finding someone who could be of help. Unfortunately, all of the Ministry workers had already disapparated; Hermione was now alone.

Stay calm. Think of something. She realized that Sabrina's life was in her hands. There was no time to get help, and she had only one option. Hermione sincerely hoped that the child was in the east wing of the spacious house because the west wing had burned to the ground, leaving only a smoldering pile of ash, whereas, the east wing was still slightly more in tact in certain places.

She pointed her wand at the house and said, "Comperio Sabrina." A thin beam of orange light now led from the tip of her wand to the east wing. She ran across the charred lawn in the direction the light pointed and cautiously entered the house through a doorway that looked as if it could collapse at any second.

A large and once elegant entrance hall lay before her. The orange beam of light pointed to a set of heavy mahogany doors with brass trim at the opposite end of the hall. Hermione was relieved when she noticed that they looked relatively untouched by flame in comparison to the other parts of the building. She hastened to the doors, grasped the handle of one, and pulled it open.

The vast sitting room appeared to be empty, but she knew that Sabrina was hidden inside of it. The light now pointed to a cupboard in the far corner of the room. Hermione ran to it and hesitated for only a moment before opening it.

A small girl with blonde, braided hair and a tearstained face looked up at her with a frightened expression and began to cry again. The poor child must have witnessed the entire attack through the thin crack between the cupboard doors. She thinks I'm a Death Eater.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I've come to take you to your family. I'm an auror," Hermione explained. Sabrina hesitated, but thought the woman looked kind and honest; she stepped out of her hiding place. Hermione picked the child up and carried her back through the entrance hall and out of the house as quickly as possible. As the young girl was not very heavy, the task was a manageable one.

They left the house and headed to the edge of the forest, where the auror planned to apparate with the child to the St. Mungo's. The healers would tend to the child and make sure she was alright, and Hermione could contact the Ministry of Magic to inform them of the situation. She prepared to apparate but turned when she heard a sound; it sounded like the snap of a fallen tree branch that usually heralded the approach of an attacker who was attempting to be stealthy.

A man wearing long, black robes emerged from the forest with a wand pointed at her. He was sneering, and his countenance had a twisted, malevolent look about it. The man's name was Antonin Dolohov, and he was a notorious Death Eater. "I thought I'd find you here. You should have learned by now that it doesn't pay to be noble. One day, your heroics will cost you your life." He paused for a moment before adding, "That day has come."

Before Hermione could react, Dolohov said an incantation, "Stativus Aeger Consilii." A black beam of magic struck her right leg. Words could not adequately describe the agony that followed; it seemed more painful than even the Cruciatus curse. Her right leg immediately gave way, and she fell to the ground, dropping the child.

Next, he cast the Cruciatus curse. She felt as if she was on fire; a thousand invisible knives seemed to tear at her. Hermione was now writhing and screaming in pain.

"Finite Incantatem." The agony stopped, and she unobtrusively grabbed a fairly smooth stick that lay on the ground near her. Her other hand that now held her wand was concealed by her robes. Luckily, she had always been a quick and brilliant thinker. Hopefully, this deception would allow her to escape with Sabrina, who was now trembling in fear beneath a nearby shrub. Hermione pointed the stick at Dolohov. She knew he would rather unarm her and continue to torture her than kill her immediately. His grudge against her and his hatred for muggleborns such as herself could be exploited as a weakness.

Dolohov took the bait. He yelled "Expelliarmus!" and the stick flew into his hand. He was shocked to discover that he had been duped, but he had no time to react.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, as she aimed her wand at his chest. Her Stunning spell hit Dolohov, and he lost consciousness. She tried to stand, but a sharp, searing pain shot through her right leg, and she fell once again to the ground. Hermione had no time to waste; quickly, she formed a plan of escape. Another branch had fallen from a nearby tree, and she reached for it. Because it was relatively large, the branch could be used as a makeshift cane. Using the cane, Hermione slowly managed to stand and make her way to Sabrina. She put a hand on the child's arm, so Sabrina would travel with her during the apparition and apparated to St. Mungo's.

The two reappeared in front of the reception desk in the hospital's waiting room, and a nurse rushed toward them. Hermione was now leaning heavily on the makeshift cane as the pain in her leg intensified and the room began to spin. The last thing she saw before passing out was the nurse's concerned face as she took Sabrina and frantically called for a healer.

Hermione woke with a start and sat up. She had had the same nightmare again, had been forced to relive her worst memory yet again. Hermione stretched out an arm toward the nightstand and found her wand. "Lumos," she said, and the wand illuminated the darkened room. According to the clock that hung on the opposite wall, it was 5:30 A.M. She realized that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep and with a small sigh, reached for the cane at her bedside. As Hermione stood, she said, "Nox," and the light was extinguished.

She decided to have a cup of tea and made her way to the kitchen. After three years it still felt odd to walk with a cane at times. The curse that Antonin Dolohov had cast that night had rendered her right leg permanently useless, and it still hurt on occasion. Hermione had initially spent three weeks in St. Mungo's as the healers tried to find a counter curse for Stativus Aeger Consilii. Unfortunately, they found nothing, and she had been required to learn to walk with a cane. Since then, Hermione had visited many of the best specialists in England, but no one could find a cure for her.

She had also been forced to resign from the Auror Division at the age of twenty-six. It crushed Hermione to give up her beloved career that she had worked so hard for, but she had had no choice in the matter; her disability prevented her from doing her duty.

Hermione reached the kitchen of her spacious, Victorian-style home and began to make tea. Her house was situated in a small, mostly muggle town just outside of London. She had bought it three years after becoming an auror. The house hadn't originally cost much because it had been in need of numerous repairs, but Hermione had spent a great deal of her considerable salary fixing it up. The house had become beautiful once again, and Hermione was rather proud of her effort.

However, Hermione had experienced financial trouble after her reluctant resignation. She had used her savings to pay the numerous, expensive medical bills that had accumulated after the incident. After Hermione was released from St. Mungo's, she searched for a job for two months without success. There were few jobs available for someone who could scarcely walk, and those few that were had already been filled.

Finally, she found a position at the Hogsmeade library, which had only recently been built at the time. The pay wasn't especially good, but Hermione had no other option.

When the tea was ready, she poured some of it into her favorite mug and added sugar to it. She then proceeded to walk to the living room in hopes of reading for a while. It was now 5:45, and Hermione had two hours before she needed to apparate to work. She frowned at the clunking noise the cane made when it came into contact with the hardwood floors. She hated the cane and the noise that it made. However, her inability to use her right leg was what Hermione hated most.

I'm in for another day at the library.Ironically, working with books was unsatisfactory for her. Hermione sorely missed being an auror; she felt useless and idle in the war against Voldemort. She, Harry, and Ron had been three of the best aurors in the Division, and her work had become her life, but now Hermione could contribute very little to the war effort.

Although she was no longer an auror, Hermione was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She was a strategist and formed many valuable plans for the Order, but she couldn't take part in any more missions. Hermione had to sit by and watch as her friends risked their lives and as many were injured or killed. She understood exactly how Sirius had felt during her fifth year.

The war had taken many lives; Hermione knew quite a few of those whose lives had been taken. Neville Longbottom had become a herbologist and a member of the Order after graduation. He had married Luna Lovegood, who had inherited the responsibility of publishing The Quibbler from her father. Bellatrix Lestrange had killed both he and Luna when a mission had gone awry. Alastor Moody had died in battle three months later, and Charlie Weasley had been taken prisoner and killed after the same battle that had cost Moody his life.

Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley had fallen in love during Ginny's seventh year, and Draco had become an auror and a member of the Order. The two had gotten married two years after Ginny graduated. It had been interesting to watch Draco and Ron become accustomed to being brothers-in-law, but they eventually buried the hatchet. They still insulted each other, but the rude comments were exchanged in a humorous tone. Two years ago, Draco had disappeared. He had been declared missing in action, and no one knew whether he was dead or alive. Ginny had given birth to the couple's only child a month after Draco' s disappearance. Although Ginny had never lost hope that her husband would return, it was doubtful that Jasmine Malfoy would ever see her father.

At 7:45, Hermione apparated to the library. She reappeared in front of the enormous brick building that was located next to the Three Broomsticks, took her keys from her purse, and unlocked the door. She lit the candles that sat on the librarians' desk and on the small study tables arranged throughout the high-ceilinged chamber. At 8:00, the library was open to the public.

Hermione had been at work for only four hours, and she was already incredibly bored. Very few people had come, and she had already finished an entire novel. Hermione began to peruse a copy of the Daily Prophet that Marcie, another librarian, had left on the desk. The Prophet had changed drastically since its fall from grace during Cornelius Fudge's term as Minister of Magic. The newspaper once again provided factual, reliable journalism to the wizarding world. Fortunately, there were no more attacks or casualties of war to report. The only articles that could be considered high profile were the report on the recent Quidditch match between the Chudley Cannons and the Ballycastle Bats and the piece on the death of Orpheus McAllister, an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries.

Twenty minutes later, Marcie arrived. "Good morning, Hermione," she greeted.

"Good morning," Hermione replied.

"Has it been busy today?"

" No, the building has been practically deserted today. I put all of the returned books back on the shelves when I came in, and the new periodicals haven't come in yet. All we should have to do is watch the front."

"I can manage by myself if you want to go to lunch now."

"Alright. I'll be back in half an hour." With this said, Hermione left for the Three Broomsticks.

When Hermione returned, Marcie was sitting behind the desk in one of the comfortable chairs reading the latest issue of Witch Weekly. Upon seeing her Marcie turned and said, "There's someone waiting to see you in the office."

As she made her way to the small office that the librarians shared, Hermione wondered about the identity of the person who needed to talk to her. She doubted it was Harry or Ron. They had been so busy with work that they did not get the chance to talk to her very often anymore. When they did talk to her, arguments generally broke out. A rift had come between Hermione and the two because when she insisted that she could help with the latest mission of the Order or the Auror Division they became overprotective. Harry and Ron had treated her differently since her injury; they seemed to think she was incapable of taking care of herself, and even insisted that she should leave the Order. She knew they did such things because they cared for her and wanted to keep her out of danger, but they simply didn't understand that she couldn't live like this for the rest of her life.

Maybe Ginny had decided to bring Jasmine to visit "Aunt Mione" as she was called. Jasmine looked up to Hermione, and spending time with the child always cheered Hermione up. She had also entertained the idea that Remus was her visitor. He had become one of her closest friends since the incident because he understood how she felt. Because he was a werewolf, it had often been difficult for Remus to find a job. Some had treated him cruelly, while others had regarded him as weak, but he had remained strong. This was why Hermione and many others now respected him. Remus had realized that pity was not what she needed, and he had encouraged her to continue work with the Order as a strategist. She greatly appreciated his friendship.

Hermione was surprised to find that her visitor was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Shortly after she had become an auror, Cornelius Fudge had been impeached and thrown out of office. Shacklebolt had been an unlikely candidate in the struggle for the prestigious office, but wizarding England had been impressed by his honesty and his willingness to help them, and he had gotten the job.

"Hello, Ms. Granger. I've come because I have an offer for you. How would you like to work for the Ministry?"

Hermione was shocked but pleased at the offer. "What department would I be working in?" she inquired.

"The Department of Mysteries," he replied.

Hermione looked startled at this revelation.

"I know that you have memories of the Department of Mysteries. We all do." He was referring to the night that Sirius had died. Although she and Ron weren't there when Bellatrix had slain him, Harry had eventually told them what happened. The three had lost a close friend that night.

The Minister continued with his offer, "As you have probably heard, our best Unspeakable, Orpheus McAllister died Saturday. During this war we need all the ingenuity we can get, therefore, his replacement must be someone with an excellent mind and a good work ethic. I immediately considered you for the position. The job doesn't involve any missions like the Auror Division requires, so you should have no difficulties there. As an Unspeakable, your work will be kept strictly confidential. You will work on new innovations, examine unknown magical objects, do difficult research that few others can manage, and investigate the latest important cases that arise in the war." He paused and then added with a small smile, "The pay is also very good."

Hermione was now seriously considering his offer. It would be a way to make myself useful again. I could save lives. I could be part of the war effort again. The extra money couldn't hurt either.

"I," she hesitated but then continued, "I accept your offer."

"Excellent. Report to the Department of Mysteries at 8:30 tomorrow morning."

Thank you for reading my story. Please review!