Hermione at the beginning was silent and watched what was happening. Her voice had little effect - maybe she was the brightest witch of her time, but that glow in the depths of the Ministry was a rather pale one.  The cruelty of some individuals touched her - she was often unable to protest, while in the past she would have stood  up and left the room. Now, in the face of a new, better world, she sat meekly and did all the commands that were asked of her. There were days when she sat up late into the night in the company of a glass of  Firewhisky.  