AN: nothing's pre-written, everything gets posted as soon as it's written… Which is why the updating rate is highly dependant of my lack of inspiration, or other things happening in my life in the mean time…
Chapter 10
Hermione stepped out of the carriage looking at her new place of work through the fog. She was feeling slightly nervous and excited.
Just last night, the family she had left had asked about her new position. Since it had again been her old Headmistress who had arranged for the position at the new family, Hermione only knew what the witch had told her. The Potters had only one child, who had already gone through five governesses in one year.
Now Hermione liked a challenge, and she had pride too, so she had become to want to prove to be the one to stick.
When she had mentioned the Potter family name, though, her previous family had been able to inform her of gossip. Hermione wasn't one for such unreliable facts, but it would've been rude to leave the table last night even if she wouldn't be there anymore in the morning. After all, the Browns had always been quite nice to her, and they had arranged the small feast as a farewell present…
All the Brown relatives had been present yesterday evening, as well as some acquaintances who had come to know Hermione over the years she had worked there. They weren't all as friendly to her joining the family table because of her ancestry, but most of them were beyond care of propriety or etiquette, so she had always been treated quite normally, despite her being Muggleborn…
What Hermione had understood as being more or less true, was that Mr. Potter was the only living member of his family, and that his wife was not a very sociable woman. According to the rumour mill, no one in London had seen the wife for years. It was a fact that the rest of the Potter family had died when the currently alive Harry Potter had been only a few years old.
Hermione didn't believe the tales on how the whole Potter family had been attacked by dragons, or Thestrals and had all been killed in one evening, except for the little toddler Harry. Nor did she believe it was dangerous for her to work there in case there was some curse on the family that was still very much active…
Many theories were offered for the lack of Mrs. Potter's presence in London society, too… The Browns had been arguing all night about which accident had disfigured the beautiful witch where, and how she was hiding in shame… Or maybe she had been caught by the Potter curse and was now doomed to stay locked in at that mansion… They seemed to have had a great time inventing horrible things to have possibly befallen their subject of conversation.
The existence of the child had been less thoroughly discussed. Apparently, despite of the name Harry Potter being quite known in the wizarding society for some reason, there was little known about his heir. There wasn't even consensus over the child's gender… And a few of the Browns hadn't even known about it's existence. Therefore the discussion was rapidly closed due to not being interesting enough.
Hermione, however had been trying to squash a burning feeling inside her for so long, it was threatening to surface, now that she was so nervous.
She had always been nervous travelling to a new family. This time, though, was different. Even though she didn't know for certain it would be a girl she would be teaching, the child was seven. She had taught a lot of seven year olds in her short life now, but this was the first time it would coincide with the age of her own child. Her daughter…
It was difficult to keep her feelings so well hidden as she always did now that she was standing in front of the mansion in the icy weather. Anticipation and unsuccessfully squashed hope soared through her heart. Walking up to the door she let her presence be known, trying to ignore the slight tremor in her hand.
Hermione didn't get the time to collect any more thoughts about anything, since the door opened almost immediately. A little green creature with floppy ears was peering at her from his lower position due to him being very short and bowing to her. Hermione had limited experience with House Elves, she had only once met one who had travelled with a guest wizard to one of the families she had taught at.
She had seen how badly the wizard had treated the creature, but had equally remembered the insults thrown at her by the green little bugger when she had tried to talk to the little thing, asking why it thought he had to stay enslaved. So she swallowed the remark of not needing him to bow to her… for now… she wanted to make a good first impression, at least…
This House Elf, though, seemed enthusiastic, if nothing else.
"Miss Granger, Dobby presumes! Miss Granger wants to come in, yes?"
Following Dobby's lead, Hermione followed the little creature inside the hall. The House Elf called Dobby took her to a room and asked her to sit on one of the chairs against the wall. Once she was seated, he just disappeared with a 'pop'.
Not knowing what to do, Hermione stayed put, trying to find more warmth from her clothes in the glacial room. There wasn't any fire lit in the hearth, and she didn't dare to take her wand out to create a fire. After a few minutes of waiting alone, she contemplated standing up to see if any one was in the corridors. Before she could decide to act on that thought, though, another House Elf popped in.
This time it was a she, and she didn't seem half as friendly as Dobby had been.
"New governess follows Winky!"
Hermione had to scramble out of her seat quickly to be able to catch up with the Elf who was already out in the corridor. She hadn't much time to contemplate the fortune this family must posses to be able to have two House Elves… Of course, it wouldn't cost anything to have them work for the family, since they were enslaved, but it was common knowledge, that only very well-off and important families had the presence of House Elves in their houses.
She wasn't one to think highly of people who had slaves in their house, but she wasn't really in the position to start protesting about it… Besides, when the green little creature started mumbling, Hermione had to fight her intense dislike for Winky…
"Miss will be teaching the little Mistress? Winky thinks not allow Mugleborn do that. But little Mistress not good…"
The disdain dripping from the House Elf's voice was unmistaken. Ignoring the jolt when she heard the child was a little girl, Hermione replied holding her voice very calm:
"I thought Elves weren't allowed to speak ill of their family?"
Winky turned her green head and her eyes were glittering almost maliciously:
"The Muggleborn thinks Winky should punish herself over lost brat?"
Hermione hadn't the chance to ask Winky what she meant by that statement, because they had just arrived at a door on the first floor of the mansion. Winky opened it to reveal a superb teaching room. There was a big hearth, a large table and a few chairs standing along the wall. Multiple bookcases were present, mostly filled with books, but some were empty for her to place her own books she wished to teach from…
Not getting the time to inspect it more closely, Winky said in a piercing voice:
"This for teaching! Now show sleeping place…"
Again, Hermione had trouble to keep up with the little Elf. On the second floor, the second door on the right, Winky opened a door to reveal a rather modest room compared to the rest of the house. It was still very large when she thought about the other rooms she'd had at the previous families she had taught at.
A large four-poster bed was decorated with drapes of deep red embroiled with golden threads. It almost seemed fit for a queen, but she had read those were the colours of one of the departments at the magic school in Britain for the none-Muggleborns, so it was probably that that inspired the choice of colours. A modest bookcase had already been filled with the books she had brought with her, and when she crossed the room to the closet, she saw her clothing neatly stored there, too.
Her suitcase had been arranged in a corner of the room, and Hermione suspected Dobby had brought it up and done all the work. Turning around to thank the other House Elf for taking her here, simply out of politeness, she saw Winky had already disappeared. Deciding to ignore the rudeness of the green little thing, she allowed herself a moment to sag on her bed and think over the new information she had received about this place.
She was going to teach a child who could very well be her daughter…
Hermione pushed the feeling of hope and fear and anticipation and elation harshly away. It wouldn't do to lose her composure. But she couldn't help but wondering about the mystery hanging around the Potter family.
She still hadn't met Mr. or Mrs. Potter. They hadn't met up with her when she arrived and there was no indication as of yet that they would summon her, which was quite strange. There were two House Elves, which ordinarily meant this family had richness beyond anybody she had ever met… With the exception of… No, it wouldn't do to think about him.
The house was magnificent, and the teaching room alone held a small library. Something inside her was already itching to get her hands on those books, and to go explore for a possibility of a real library in this place…
Hermione's mind, though, was soon invaded by thoughts of her young charge. Since everything had been set in order for her already in her room, and nobody had left her with any specific instructions, she reasoned it was perfectly fine to go searching for the child.
Ignoring the thought that she just wanted to see her daughter, and that the girl could be her, she stood from the bed.
***
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