She laid in their bed and watched him sleep peacefully, having him close and feeling him next to her gave them both a level of comfort neither experienced in their lives before. Time past no longer mattered; the future was unset and unimportant at that moment. At that moment she was in the only place she wanted to be, next to the boy she loved. But her greatest concern at that moment was her inability to sleep. Her mind, as always, had been racing past normal control, even by her standards.
Hermione couldn't stand the fact that Eileen deceived them and she was now her Professor. The entire summer she said she was preparing for a class, it was actually for the Defense against the Dark Arts here at Hogwarts. Eileen said she taught "Defensive Skills and Charms Class" at that school in Florida, 'That must be what they call it over there,' she thought. Her conversations with her cousin left her even more confused. All her father knew about their distant cousin was her side of the family left England a long time age under mysterious circumstances and she moved to Florida shortly after her father had died. Hermione didn't have the heart to tell her father about Eileen's recent revelations.
She discovered her family history went back almost as far as the Malfoy's, maybe further. But she, Harry or Ron haven't told anyone about these new developments and certainly not about her relationship with Eileen, which could start a series of questions no one was ready to answer. No, it was best to suppress that news, she rationalized. She wanted to go to her cousin so many times since the beginning of the term, but didn't want to face any more revelations that would again shake her to her core.
She had earlier that evening attempted to reread his translations of that manuscript for what seemed like the thousandth time, the only book she'd admit to have read more would be "Hogwarts, A History". She kept reading the one passage that contained the history of the original author's struggles. It was the portion they had worked on that night she received the one scar she cherished that linked them. It was the same night last year of the Azkaban escape when the Aurors assigned were all killed. She tried to understand how any of that fit in her world, the plain truth was none of it fit. This passage in history was as foreign to her as "Hogwarts, A History" would be to a muggle. That passage detailing that piece of history was out of place, but still, it detailed a wizard rebellion and a creation of an order that no longer exists, as the places in the book no longer exist. Corrieban and Crescent might as well be names out of a movie, for as real as they were, but the spells they found were very real.
Still, everything kept coming back to one point: history.
The handwritten volume remained in her lap as she laid there with her eyes closed, but they were flooded with images of lives long past, of people she didn't know as if they were trying to send her a message. Her ears still rung with the words ' You, Hermione Jane Granger, are the first witch born to a lost wizard family in many centuries. ' And the fact she was not a mudblood, but like her Harry, a half-blood.
She sat back up, after listening to his rhythmic breathing as he slept peacefully; she did the only thing she could do.
"Pssst… Harry." She whispered hoarsely.
"Harry, you awake?" She whispered louder as she gently nudged him.
"HARRY… YOU AWAKE…?"
"HARRY!" She dug her toe into his back.
"Huh, what... is he… who..." he slowly regained consciousness from being waken from a deep sleep. "Was I dreaming again? What's wrong?"
"Harry, were you asleep?"
"What?? Why'd you wake me? What bloody time is it?" Ooooo, she's seen him angry before, but not like this.
"Ummm… I couldn't sleep; it's 3:35 in the morning."
"GEEZE... what'd you wake me for?" Harry grumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"I need to talk."
"OK. Give me a minute to wake up." His grouchy mood from being wakened from a sound sleep cleared once he cleared his head. 'Something's bothering her to wake me like this.' He stood up and left for the loo.
"Ok, now I'm awake, what's on your mind?"
"It's Eileen. I can't get what she said out of my head. I've looked through the library for any clues. All I found was a reference to a prophecy made in 1479 AD by a Petrel Madison about a Grand Force . I've looked for 'Grand Force ' and all I could find is that it is in reference to a joining of forces and powers."
"So you're saying your cousin, and you are descended from a seer from over 500 years ago that made a prediction of a, a what was it?"
"A Grand Force . There are no other references to any force in the library. I can't help but feel I'm involved. I mean my entire family ancestry lost their magic powers a long time ago, why would I suddenly regain them?"
"Have you thought about asking Dumbledore?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure how to ask him."
"Just ask him, Hermione. He's never outright lied, although he has hidden the truth from me in the past. What's the worst thing he could say? That you're this grand Force , or maybe I am? Remember the fuss we went through with the Heir of Slytherin thing? I mean, if either one of us, or even Ron or someone was this Force , wouldn't Voldemort be after them?"
"Maybe you're right Harry, I looked in a prophecy listing for a Grand Force , but found nothing. I also looked for you and there were two entries for 'Potter'. I assume that was for what we found in the Ministry. I also looked for Madison and Granger, but there weren't any listed."
"Hermione, just be thankful you're the one that got your family's magic back, otherwise we'd have never met. Can we go back to bed now?"
"Fine, if it doesn't bother you, then you can just go back to bed." She replied and turned her back to him.
"Mione, I didn't mean it like that, it's just we can't do anything about it now, can we? I mean it's almost 4 in the bloody morning."
"Do I need to remind you all the times you snuck out with you dad's cloak? Can we go to the library and look some more?"
"Did YOU forget that you're the head-girl and you don't NEED the cloak?"
"Ummm… well I guess you're right. Can you come and help me?"
"All you had to do was ask, didn't you know that? Besides, we have to get up in 2 hours anyway."
A few minutes later in the Forbidden section of the Library, they began their research. Their new positions gave them the authority to venture most anywhere they wish, and now they didn't have sneak around, much to the disappointment of Filtch.
"Here it is, 'The Archives of Registered Prophecies'. Here is your prophecy. Strange, I remember my search earlier said there were two for 'Potter'. This was the only entry here."
"It's the only entry in registered Prophecies; I think one as important as a Grand Force would be hidden."
"Harry, you may be right! The place we could find this would be in the Department of Mysteries."
"Hermione, I promise, when we are out of school and Voldemort is finally gone, we will discover EVERYTHING about your family. I swear that we will find out everything, even if I have to read Voldemort's mind before I kill him!"
"Thank you, you know how much my family means to me, and I know how much yours means to you too. I'll tell you what; we'll research BOTH our families. It might be fun to find out if you really are related to Gryffindor."
The next morning, she couldn't wait. After her Arithmancy class she had some free time, as Harry was on the Quidditch pitch practicing with the house team. She still couldn't get her questions out of her head, so she went off to the best source available.
"Albus, can I come talk to you for a minute?"
"Certainly, my dear, what's on your mind?" He didn't need to ask the question, but he knew she needed to ask it.
"What do you know about my family?"
"A direct question. Good. Your family consists of those who love you without reservation, who would sacrifice all they have from your happiness."
"I don't mean to be rude, but I need to know why my family lost their magic, not a definition of a family."
"Quite alright, I was getting to that. As you know you have many close friends here, and I would venture to say most would, and have, put themselves in harm's way for you. That makes them part of your family. And there's Harry, he would lay down his life for you. I would also say he would be willing to sacrifice others to ensure your safety."
"Now that said, your parents are two people who love you completely. Your father, as you've learned is from a magical family that has lost the ability to perform magic. I was unaware of this fact myself until I met Miss Madison last June. Over the centuries they have forgotten their background and have been lost to the magical communities. You are the first witch to have been born in your family in, I believe around 500 years."
"But Eileen said her side of my family left England 150 years ago."
"Yes, they did. That was when they left, but your story reaches back to the Renaissance period. It started with a brother and a sister, both purebloods. The brother wanted to leave the muggle world forever and live with a group of wizards, away from the witch-hunts and burnings that was going on at the time. He and a group of others left to help build a village for wizards, similar to Hogsmeade. His sister, continued to live in muggle London. They did remain in contact with each other for many, many years. But she fell victim of the age, was persecuted by a group of witch hunters although the reason she was targeted has been lost with time. She was tortured to near death and beaten to force her to admit she was a witch. Of course she tried to stop them, but when her wand had been taken, broken and burned, she was left defenseless. After weeks of physical, brutal punishment, she confessed to being a witch in the hopes they would stop. They did stop. But they forced her to sign a confession, using her own blood, admitting to being a witch and renouncing her powers and the powers of her descendants. When she signed it, she added a secret clause in a runescast that went unnoticed. That was when your family lost their abilities for magic.
"Her brother, when he discovered what happened, found her, nursed her to health and wiped her memory to ease her suffering and pain, to make her forget she was part of our world. He told her she had been ill and when she fully recovered, she stayed with him. Through the years, she met a wizard who lived in her town and they married. He was told of her suffering and he secretly gave up his magic so she wouldn't be hurt. Through time the family's magic traits became recessed and they lived as normal people, moving away from the magic communities. She is your ancestor. Her brother is Eileen's ancestor."
"Eileen said it was our great-great-grandfather, that shouldn't have been that long ago."
"I'm not surprised she doesn't know the exact details, they have been lost for centuries. Only a few can recall the details as clearly as I can."
"Was this recorded somewhere, I'd like to read about it."
"No, I'm sorry, there are only… stories handed down from generation to generation, like I'm telling you now. But you may find some fragments in some of the older documents of that time. But I'm afraid the wizarding world had tried in past years to purge as much of that past as they could."
"What were their names?"
"Her name was Hermia and his was Haimon Madison. I believe that is all you need to know, for now. There is one thing I want you to remember; your heritage goes back further then certain wizard families today. And Harry's heritage goes back further still."
"Then is he related to Gryffindor?"
"That, I'm afraid is a matter for Harry to discover. Now I suggest you go wait in your suite, I'm sure he would want to be informed of these new revelations."
She thanked him and left the elegant office, down the winding staircase to the suite of rooms she shared with Harry and Ron to wait. Her excited state with her new information was burning a hole in her mind; she couldn't wait for Harry to finish his practice session with the team. She spent the remaining time until he returned trying to document that conversation in her journal.
Harry and Ron both returned with only minutes before dinner, and had only come up to retrieve the third member of their group. She hurried her dinner, and nudged Harry to eat faster. Ron had excused himself to find Luna giving Hermione to opportunity she needed. She swallowed her last bite and pulled him from his seat just as he tried to take another bite.
"You're finished, right? Let's go, I must talk to you." She whispered.
He grumbled a yes and grabbed an unfinished chunk of bread. On the way to their rooms, she again tried to work out the new information in a manageable tale. She closed the door to their room and took the time to tell Harry everything that happened.
"Are you KIDDING ME?" Harry's look of shock and surprise at her revelations has taken him completely by surprise. "You mean all you had to do was ASK HIM? And he told you EVERYTHING??"
"Ummm… well… yes."
"Next time you dig your foot in my back…"
"You'll do what?" She leaned in closer to coax him to lean in closer, part of their 'dance' when they feel like having an intimate moment.
"I'll grab you and…." She hit him with a sharp jab to the stomach.
"Roll on the floor!"
"Come 'ere, you witch," he commanded as they continued their dance, ignorant of the events unfolding elsewhere.
Brinnng… Brinnng…
Brinnng… Brinnng…
"Hello?"
"Hi, I'm looking for Alex Granger?" A distant voice asked.
"Speaking, how may I help you?"
"You don't know me, but I'm a friend of Eileen's. Eileen Madison. My name's Jake, I'm hoping I have the right Alex Granger."
"Yes, I have a distant relation by that name, I believe she's in America, Florida last I heard."
"She left last September. I was hoping you would know where I could find here."
"I'm terribly sorry; I can't give you any more information as to her whereabouts. If you are a friend, then I'm certain she will be in contact with you."
"That's just it, you see, she's important to me, and I need to see her. There have been some people asking around for Herman and Harriet Gratter, and I was hoping she'd know how to get a hold of them."
"I'm afraid I don't know any Herman or Harriet, I believe you have the wrong number."
"It's important, the only lead I had was their names, and Eileen left your name in case I needed to contact her. They're a couple kids she said were her cousins from here."
"I wish I could help you sir, but I'm afraid I can't help you."
"I think I understand. If you do know of her whereabouts, tell her I'm staying in London at that seeding hotel on Charing Cross Road she told me about."
"If I do hear from her I'll pass the information along. Thank you, sir and good day." He hung up the receiver looking unusually nervous, and turned to his wife.
"Alycia, that was some bloke from the States asking for Eileen, and he said some people were looking for Hermione and Harry."
"Do we have any of the powder she gave us, to call Arthur?" His wife asked.
"There's a pouch in the hall cupboard, do you think we should contact the school? Albus should be informed about that fellow."
"That may be the best thing, I'm sure he knows how to deal with him."
The conversation between Hermione's father and an unknown man from Eileen's past was quickly related back to the ancient wizard, through the use of the fireplace. Her family had been indoctrinated into the wizarding world, and was accustom to unusual forms of communication. However, they reserved these for extreme situations. This defiantly qualified.
Moments after his conversation with Hermione's father, he assembled a small team for this task. He summoned his own spy, first with instructions to find and watch the stranger; he then summoned the two best individuals to assist in the interrogation giving explicit instructions on where they were to wait. They were to remain hidden until called upon.
Minutes later, the ancient wizard stood at the bar in the Leaky Cauldron, telling his two assistants to wait in a private room in the back. The nodded their compliance and left to wait in that small chamber Dumbledore then inquired the whereabouts of the American from Tom the bartender who promptly informed the Headmaster his quarry had left the establishment with his spy following closely behind. The appearance of a muggle in the pub, although not a common occurrence, was largely overshadowed by the fact he requested lodging for an indefinite period.
"Tom, when he returns, contact me immediately, I shall be waiting in the back. He is here on Order's business and may have vital information."
"But sir, he's a muggle, he doesn't…"
"True, but the fact remains is he is here on my business." With that, he retreated to a table in a secluded corner to wait for his unwitting spy.
He was easy to spot, a man of his size and athletic cut, although not terribly uncommon in Britain, rarely frequented this area of London, and the fact that he was inadequately dressed for London in early November also made him stick out. Snape watched him carefully as he emerged from the muggle bank several blocks from the Leaky Cauldron, apparently to change his currency to British pounds. He was an easy mark to follow, dressed in a light jacket, and linen trousers made his bronze tan stand out all the more. He watched from the shadows, where he blended in to near invisibility as the man passed by, a map of greater London stuck out from his pocket, further indicating he was in uncharted areas.
He continued to follow the man as he returned to the pub where they both began, only to have the bartender detain him. Tom informed him that he was to wait to be contacted shortly, and pointed him to an empty table in the corner. The regular patrons carefully watched the stranger, being mindful to avoid any undue actions he might notice. Tom met him at his table, where he requested a pint of bitters, common in that country.
His wait was short, as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix watched and waited himself for confirmation of this man's intentions. On command, his subordinate approached the table and sat opposite the stranger. The newcomer was a familiar face to the regulars, but unknown to Jake. He was a tall man with black, slicked-back hair and a crooked nose, wearing jet-black robes. His features were cold and pale, no evidence this man ever learned to smile.
"I understand you have information." He began.
"Look, buddy, I don't know who you are, or what's going on here, but I'm looking for a friend of mine and no one seems to know where she is. I'm not gonna let some seedy dive fulla corny looking bums scare me."
He stood to leave but the man opposite pointed a thin stick and he felt compelled to return to his seat. "As I was saying, you have some information, if you do not wish to tell me, I have my methods of extracting what you know."
"Severus, that won't be necessary," his superior interceded. "Please, Mr. Stevens, if you would join me. Severus, make sure we are not disturbed."
Again he felt compelled to comply, this time he stood and followed the elderly man to a waiting private room.
"Who the hell are you people? I'm looking for…" He began loudly before being cut off.
"I know who you are seeking, what I need to know is why?" Dumbledore asked in a calm, but firm voice.
"It's personal, besides, why should I tell you?"
"She is under my protection, and in my employment, I am the Headmaster for the school Miss Madison has been engaged. If you have a message for her, you can relay it to me." He stated as he sat. He gestured for Jake to sit opposite him at the small table.
"Look, buddy, I don't know you from Adam. If you know where she is, you'd better tell me."
"I assure you she is safe. And you are best to return to your home. This is not a safe time for any of us."
"Yeah, I know, the kid kept alluding to it."
"I believe you are referring to someone else, also under my care. He too is safe."
"So you know Herman too, you say he's ok. What about the girl?"
"Also doing quite well."
"Look, I ain't gonna say this again; I need to talk to Eileen. And all I have is your say-so that they're ok." He moved his hand under his jacket, and released a hidden safety strap. "I won't be intimidated by some hippy throw back and a weird vampire wanna-be." He pointed a shoulder to Snape sitting of to the side.
"There is no need for weapons, you will find it is quite inoperable," he said with a wave of his hand.
"How?" He pulled the Glock from the holster and attempted to rack a round into the chamber only to find the clip was empty. Frustrated, he tossed the weapon on the table and leaned forward across the table.
"I don't know how you did that, but I'm not leaving without answers."
"Yes, I can see that. You may find the answers you seek are more then you need to know. I know you have been visited several days ago. And you are greatly concerned. That is admirable, but here you are at a disadvantage."
"How did you know some people came to the shop looking for them?"
"Very little escapes our surveillance. We've had Miss Madison watched since we were aware of who she is. And we had been watching those she associated with, for another's safety."
"Now I'm lost. Start at the beginning, it seems you know more about me them I do."
"First, please sit. She is not who you think she is."
He sat and looked at the wise and ancient man who now sported a kindly smile. Jake began to relate his side. "She told me she taught at a special school for the arts. And she was offered a job overseas for the year."
"Professor Madison is an extraordinary and skilled educator, and she is helping fill a void that had been difficult to satisfy here in Britain. And yes she does teach the arts of sorts. She provided a fresh perspective that has helped improve the students' abilities. She is our Defense against the Dark Arts professor."
"Dark Arts?" He exclaimed as he leaned forward in the chair.
"As in magic. She is a witch, as I am a wizard."
"A witch?" He asked in disbelief as he slumped back in the chair. "That explains a lot." He thought he heard a murmur from behind the wizard, but ignored it.
"Yes, Miss Granger and Mr. Potter, the two you befriended and I might add, helped considerably are also a witch and a wizard. Mr. Potter is the most skilled wizard of his generation and quite possible the most powerful wizard alive."
"He told me this far fetched tale about people being killed and some crazed lunatic was trying to kill him."
"All true. Now that you know the truth, and since I am aware of the reason you came, it is fair to assume you're business here is concluded."
"I-I still would like to see Eileen. Is that possible?"
"For what reason? She really can not be disturbed in the middle of the term."
"It's personal." He felt the small parcel through his trousers that he had been carrying for the past three years.
"I see." The ancient wizard smirked. "My dilemma now is we cannot allow you to return, for your own safety. The same faction that has been hunting young Harry his entire life will now attempt to use you to get to him. I have only one possible solution, for you to remain here until the danger has passed."
"But I need to get back to my business."
"It will work itself out; you can send word that you will be here on an extended holiday. I'm certain the people you have in your employ can deal with the mundane day to day operations."
"How do I know you're not this lunatic trying to get Harry? Why should I trust you?"
"Because otherwise, you would be dead already. Now, if you would like our hospitality, we can find comfortable accommodations for you elsewhere."
"Look, I need some proof to all this. You really don't think I buy any of this crap?"
"Whether you accept it or not, that is up to you. As for the proof you require, that too is here in this room."
"Will I at lease get to talk to Eileen? I have something I still need to ask her."
"That can be arranged, now, my associates have already take your things to this location." He slipped a small sheet of parchment with an address written on it to Jake. "Once you read it you will be escorted there as our guest."
"Or prisoner, where exactly is this place, 12 Grimmauld Place anyway?"
"It is our sanctuary, and you can be assured you will be safe there. The master of the manor has already seen to it."
"And who exactly is my 'host' in this 'prison'?"
"An old friend, Harry Potter." He heard from behind the ancient wizard, as Harry removed his father's cloak that covered himself and Hermione.