Will You Ever Return to Me?

Chapter 17.

No matter how early Hermione came into work, Catherine Hemmings always got there before her. But she wasn't there today.

"Good morning, Hermione," Joseph Stone said from his desk.

"I wish it was," she grumbled.

"Trouble?"

"Ron and I has a fight."

"Let me guess. It was about the fact that you spend too much time here and not enough time with him."

"Well... yes."

"Stone looked at her. "This happens in our line of work."

Hermione knew that, of course. "And how do people deal with it?"

Stone leaned back. "They tell you when you join that the Agency is your mother, father and spouse--everyone else is a houseguest."

"I don't want to live like that!"

"No one does. But I've known very few couples who got married after they joined the Agency--and those that did met their spouse there. That should tell you something."

"If you're both working--"

"It doesn't make much of a difference. The Agency is compartmentalized. You're not allowed to tell your spouse what you're doing. For all you know, she may be looking whether you're a mole. For all she knows, you're doing the same thing. And guess what? It could be both!"

That didn't occur to Hermione. "How do people live like that?"

"Well, I don't have personal experience--I never married. But these intra-agency couples were the happiest I've seen there. They're quite rare, too. Usually, people just have sex with other Agency employees. It really is nothing but sex. You can't build a relationship without communication, and they're not allowed to talk about anything."

Hermione swore. "How do those who were married before they came in deal with it?"
"Well, as I said, the Agency is your spouse. Most people have trouble dealing with one marriage, let alone two. One or the other ends."

"They get divorced?"

"Often, they don't even bother. Officially or not, it's not a marriage. Otherwise, they leave the Agency. Let me tell you something--that happens less frequently than the other one. And if that doesn't tell you something about--"

"Can't anything be done about it?"

"No. It's the nature of intelligence work."

"Why? Sometimes we have to work non-stop, but there's overtime in every job. Mostly, we just have a normal eight-hour day--"

"It's not the time. You could have six-hour days, and you'll still have the same problems."

"But... why?"

"Intelligence is unique. If you're an expert at Transfiguration, the best there is, or potions, or, to go to the Muggle side, a doctor or lawyer--practically any profession--you want people to know about you. Being famous is a benefit. You get famous due to your successes."

"And?"

"In intelligence, the famous people are the failures. The ones who got caught.... So, you don't want people to know what you do. Not even your spouse."

"I know that," Hermione said.

"People aren't objective about their own circumstances," Stone said. "If you looked at one week and actually calculated how much time you spent together with your husband, it would be more than you think. And if a couple with normal jobs did the same, it would be less than they think."

"Why?"

"Because they're allowed to share the time they don't spend together, and you are not," he said. "And we'll have to finish this some other time." Catherine Hemmings walked in.

"Good morning. If you haven't heard already, two days ago, the British magical government was attacked b y someone who might be working for Hund."

Oh, I've heard, all right, Hermione thought.

"Because of the possibility, several of their Aurors have been sent to work with the MLEA to cooperate in the hunt. One of them will join us. She's in the process of being grilled by General Chandler right now regarding the rules of Fifty-One. Or maybe not anymore," she said as the door opened.

Hermione nearly jumped at seeing who came in. "Padma!" she exclaimed.

XXX

"Hermione!" Padma hugged her. "Small world, right?"
"You know each other?" Captain Sherman asked.

"We went to school together," Hermione said. "How're you?"

"I'm an Auror." Padma shrugged. "The only one of our class who became one, interestingly enough."

"As touching as this reunion is," Hemmings interrupted them, "we don't have time for it."

"Sorry," Padma and Hermione said together.

"All right," Hemmings said. "Jones, let's hear your report first."

Lydia looked around. "The order to start the Chicago riot came by e-mail," she said. "I've traced it in the 'Net, but, since it's an unusual server, I cannot determine the physical location--yet. But I've put tripwire software to catch any messages in or out of it. Now, we might be able to respond to the next incident, instead of coming in after. The MLEA could only question ordinary rioters last time--the ringleaders got away. With this, maybe they--or we--will be luckier."

"Thank you," Hemmings said. "Patil?"

Padma looked around. "Despite what you may have read in the newspapers, the raid wasn't Death Eaters having a fun reunion. It was well planned, with a clear objective, and I'm sorry to say that that objective has been accomplished."

"What was it?" Hermione asked.

"Tricorn carcasses."

"Please be serious, Auror Patil."

"I am serious. There were two tricorn carcasses stored in the Department of Mysteries under strong preservation spells. They're gone."

"Why would anyone--"

"Tricorn parts were used in many strong and useful potions," Padma said.

"Why didn't they just get a live tricorn?" Hemmings asked.

"If you can do that, the wizarding world will be extremely grateful, seeing as the last tricorn was killed in the mountains of Italy in 1753."

"Oh," Hemmings said.

"Right," Padma said. "But we don't know why either Hund or the Death Eaters might need it--which potions they might try to make."

"Well, you're the experts at this," Hemmings said, looking at Hermione, Padma, and Stone. "Try to figure it out before he uses it. Jones, good work. Keep tracing that trail. Hopefully, it'll lead somewhere."

"Colonel Hemmings?" Hermione asked her.

"Yes?"

"I need a few days off."
"What? Why?"

"Family issue," she said. "I need to--"

Stone looked at her curiously. Hemmings shook her head. "We need you--"

"Colonel," Padma interrupted, "I dare say I can fill Hermione's place for a couple of days."

"Thanks," Hermione said.

"Wait," Hemmings protested. "What makes you think--?"

"You want me to find out what Hund might use the tricorns for? I can do that probably better than her, since I had to research that just recently. As for anything else? Well, I was second in my class..."

"Who was first?" Hemmings asked.

"Who do you think?" Padma chuckled. "Take care, Hermione. I'll try not to do such a good job that they replace you permanently."

"Ha, ha," Hermione said. But she smiled and hugged her former schoolmate. "I'll see you next week."

Because of the information she had to deal with, she usually left her work a lot less cheerful than she came in. Today turned out to be an exception.