AN: Ok, just getting something straight… The previous chapter obviously didn't send its point across… Harry Potter isn't world-famous! It's just a very well known name for gossip in London society! There is just too many tragedy and mystery surrounding the name to let the gossipers give it a rest… The fact that he's also loaded gives his story a melodramatic fairy-tale side… I just wanted to point out that he wasn't famous in the way that there were books written about him, because then, Hermione would have known who Harry Potter was! Bear in mind that Hermione is accepted as a governess to teach magical children to read and write, and to prepare for Hogwarts. Otherwise, she isn't really involved in wizarding society… If you will Harry's more like 'fertile ground' for gossip around British wizarding society, so Hermione only hears these rumours now, because she's going to move to the Potters to work there. Otherwise, she has no idea whatsoever! I'm sorry I didn't get all the readers to understand that from my previous chapter. I wanted to emphasize Hermione's feelings and her character and it's not because it's obvious to the readers who she will be teaching, that it's obvious to her, and I wanted to remind the readers of that!
Also, for the anonymous reviewer, and this is the last time I explain this again, Cho was pregnant of Cedric's child, with whom she was engaged to be married. Cedric was Harry's Auror partner and got killed one night when Harry was checking out a clue about his family's murderer, leaving Cedric alone. Harry had become good friends with Cedric and Cho and had grown out of his crush for her, but out of guilt for Cedric's death, and loyalty to protect Cho's good reputation, he married her, so she wouldn't be an unwed mother. They consummated the marriage on their wedding night to finalize the magical wedding contract, and had delayed any further plans for their life as a couple for after the birth of the baby, giving them both time to mourn Cedric. During childbirth, however, something went terribly bad, which caused the baby to be born lifeless and Cho to slip into a coma she hasn't risen from since. Harry made the choice (for himself) to believe Cho could still hear him and understand, and he talks to her about everything. This is his way to assure himself that he isn't doing anything behind her back, that he is completely honest with her, as he promised to always be… There is no way to know if Cho really hears, or that she really knows what Harry did to ensure an heir, but Harry did tell her the truth…
Alorkin, thanks for your remark… It's difficult for someone who hasn't been raised in English to distinguish the more frequently used terms in Britain from the terms we hear most at tv… So I thank you for taking the time to explain it, without criticizing me!
Green eyes, I never got around to read Jane Eyre, so any parallels would be coincidence, or, more probable, the movie was influenced by the book…
Danielerin, Hermione doesn't want to feel those hopes, she tries very hard to push it all away… But some things are just felt too strongly to be repressed that easily. And her means to survive is not to forget, but to 'talk' to her daughter through a diary…
Mannequin, harlots? I don't think it had anything to do with those activities… It's more of a practicality that we would now find majorly gross: I think they didn't really have lavatories in those days, and if you're wearing as many skirts as was custom back then, I think it had to do with something about being able to 'do their business' upright, or something, but I'm not sure…
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Chapter 11
Hermione had judged the corridors she explored of the mansion to be too silent to contain a young girl in them, so she had ventured outside. The grounds were as impressive as the house. They were larger than she had ever visited, and beautifully kept. She could imagine the sight if the weather would be less foggy, and the sunlight should be amazing on those bushes over there.
Clutching her cloak tighter to her, she tried to look further. There was something of a greenhouse there. Setting out to explore it further, she walked up to the little house and saw that it indeed held several magical plants. It was larger then she had first thought, and there was a beautifully built corridor along the greenhouse, leading to what Hermione guessed to be a dock at a lake.
The water was reflecting the light in such a manner that the pale shadows were moving in a calm manner on the walls of the building. Walking down it while admiring the simple elegance of the building, she couldn't help but noticing, though it wasn't flaunted in an exaggerated manner, it all screamed wealth…
Coming up to the shore, Hermione was confirmed in her belief that the water was indeed from a lake… Right in the middle of it, there was a charming little glass building. The windows had been fogged up so many times over the years, that they weren't as see-true as they used to be. But Hermione could detect a moving person inside, a rather small person.
Hermione's heart ached, it was torn in a quite a few directions at once, which was really quite ridiculous. She tried hard to get her mind to retrieve control again, but there just was this feeling, this foreboding in a way, that kept her from reasoning away the fact that this could possibly be her daughter…
When she saw a glass door open, she slinked back in a corner, as to not be seen by the child. From her position, Hermione couldn't really look at the child as she liked to. The girl was rowing a little boat towards where Hermione stood, and Hermione couldn't help but reading loneliness and sadness from the child's posture.
It suddenly hit Hermione, that it must be hard for the girl, despite the obvious wealth of her family, to grow up as an only child in a huge mansion like this. There weren't even the children of servants available to play with, since there were House Elves taking care of the mansion, and the nearest village was miles away. Hermione didn't know how the family situation of neighbours here was, but if there really was no one else for her to play with…
A sudden overwhelming feeling washed over her when she thought again about the absence of her parents at the mansion… She hadn't any more time to analyse the child's body language, because the girl had just arrived at the shore, climbing out of the little boat.
Up close Hermione saw the girl's hair was brownish, but with a hint of red in it; it hadn't been pulled up, and the loose strands were dancing away with her every movement. Hermione decided to let her presence known, and came out of her 'hiding' place. When the child turned from her boat, she didn't give much indication of being startled by the presence of the stranger.
For a split second, Hermione thought to have seen proof in the girl's eyes of the sadness she had glimpsed before, but it was quickly replaced by a cold look. The girl looked her up and down with clear disdain, and finally spoke:
"You are the new governess? You haven't gone to Hogwarts?"
Hermione smiled gently at the little girl, she had noticed the girl's green eyes. And though they weren't as vibrant as she remembered his being, she couldn't help but feel… something powerful. With difficulty she pushed away what she called irrational hope - many children had green eyes - and answered the girl tenderly:
"No, I have attended Blueboard…"
This only served to make the girl scrunch up her nose as if disgusted:
"I don't need a governess, least of all a Muggleborn to tell me what to do!"
With that, the girl slipped past a stunned Hermione, who seemed to finally have come down from her high of meeting the girl and entertaining hope.
It took Hermione a while to collect her bearings and start for the mansion again. She stayed in her room while warming herself in front of the fire. After jotting down a few quick words in the diary to her daughter to calm herself down, she took control of her emotions again, and started a lesson plan on how to start on Miss Potter's education.
At lunch time, a plate with food had magically appeared in the teaching room, and still Hermione hadn't heard anything from the masters of this house.
Since she had no idea how far the girl had already progressed in her teachings, Hermione was limited in her plan makings. So after browsing all the books available for her work, she took one of the few tomes she wasn't already familiar with and decided to take a chance.
The book under her arm she strode from the room and went downstairs looking for human company. Barely in the hall wherefrom she was planning to look for a receiving room, a witch suddenly popped in.
Hermione had a few seconds time to take in the red hair and pretty face of the relatively young witch standing there, before the witch in question jumped by surprise seeing Hermione.
Placing her hand on her heart, she smiled a brilliant smile: "Good heavens, you gave me a fright! Miss Granger, I presume?" not waiting for Hermione to confirm this, the energetic woman continued while taking of her cloak and giving it to Dobby who had just popped into the hall, also.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here this morning when you arrived, but I assume Dobby took good care of you?" again, not waiting for an answer, she chatted on happily while dragging Hermione into the receiving room, "Would you be a dear and make us a fire, Dobby?"
The beaming House Elf seemed to blush, which resulted in an interesting skin colour for the bashful creature, and set to work immediately with a large smile.
The red haired witch sat down with a deep sigh, gesturing for Hermione to do the same: "Sit down, sit down, Miss Granger. Oh, I'm really quite knackered!" Hermione repressed the urge to comment on the abundance of energy the witch was showing, "I was called for an emergency at my work, you see, otherwise I would've arranged to be the one to receive you…"
While the red-haired witch went on and on about her nursing work, Hermione couldn't help but feel slight disappointment seeping in her bones… This witch must've been Mrs. Potter, and the reason why the London gossipers didn't get to see much of her was probably, because she worked so much. But it seemed very possible that the young girl she would be working with, could be the daughter of this red-haired witch… Which meant she wasn't hers…
Changing the subject inside her mind, she tried to follow the tale the witch was telling animatedly. Hermione still had to get used to the idea that it was perfectly fine for women in the wizarding world to have a career on their own. It was generally more acceptable to wait until your children were at Hogwarts to start working as a woman - witches did live long lives - but nevertheless, it wasn't inconceivable as it was in the Muggle world.
"… So have you met Lily?" It was the first time Hermione had heard the first name of Miss Potter, but again, she had no time to have any thoughts on it, "If you did, I bet you found her at her lake house," the slight nod Hermione gave was enough for Mrs. Potter.
"Well, yes, she's there a lot, it's been kind of her refuge to play. She's there all the time, doing Merlin knows what!"
Sensing another unstoppable stream of sentences coming on, Hermione tried to interrupt her politely: "Mrs. Potter…"
"Oh, no! Oh, my!" the woman sat straighter in her chair, a look of honest surprise on her face, "My dear Miss Granger! What a misunderstanding… this is of course my doing! I should've introduced myself properly!"
Hermione was confused, to say the least, but waited for the witch to continue.
"I am not Mrs. Potter, though, I admit, at one time in my life I wouldn't have minded to be! But I digress!" shaking her head, the witch gave her an amused smile, "Anyway, I am Miss Ginevra Weasley! Mr. Potter is just a very close friend of my family, and was kind enough to let me live here!"
Hermione didn't really know what to feel about this sudden turn of events. Why would a friend of the family receive her in a house where she is a guest herself? Seeing the confusion, Miss Weasley's expression saddened a bit.
"I've lived here quite a few years, and I take care of Mrs. Potter. She was like a sister to me. You see, there's quite a long and tragic story to this, but it comes down to the fact that Cho has been in an unconscious slumber for almost a decade now…"
Miss Weasley paused, as if pondering to tell more. Regarding Hermione shrewdly, she started again: "No doubt… No doubt, you have heard some stories about Mr. Potter's life?"
Not bothering to wait for a verbal reply, the witch filled Hermione in on a few facts about the family she would be working with. Harry Potter's entire family had indeed been murdered in one night, poisoned. The Weasley family seemed to have been supporting him through his education with his godfather, and he had become an Auror and married Miss Cho Chang after graduating from Hogwarts.
After a pregnant pause, Miss Waesley perked up again:
"Life goes on, does it not, Miss Granger?" Hermione stayed stoic at that remark, not wanting to think about it too deeply, "As for our dear Mr. Potter… I received an owl early this morning. He will be arriving just in time for supper! And he's bringing a guest! Neville Longbottom! I haven't seen him since he graduated the same year my youngest brother, Ron and Harry…"
With that Miss Weasley filled the afternoon with tales about her brothers, Hogwarts and her own little adventures at the great magical school, allowing Hermione to speak only to answer questions about Blueboard.
Meanwhile, Hermione resigned in her fate not to be able to study the book she had taken with her, and tried to sort out her thoughts and feelings on all this new information about the Potters. Over the course of the hours, though, a strange kind of apprehensive anxiety was looming in her chest, constricting her ability to breath comfortably…
What was so special about meeting this Mr. Potter, anyway? She wasn't going to let a bit of gossip influence her on acting like a ditz…
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