They hid their engagement from the rest of the world; Albus, Eileen and Ron were the only ones to know this new development, they hesitated to let her parent's know. Harry had asked Ron to stand up for him at their wedding, an honor that Ron agreed to unconditionally.
The school year had been, for the most part, quiet and uneventful, the news from the outside world had also been subdued. Harry's depression and bitterness had disappeared and he was the happiest he ever had been. Hermione, too, was happy and excited with her new life.
There was only one problem; Hermione couldn't stop obsessing over her true heritage. After the revelations from Professor Dumbledore, she spent many hours scouring the archives in the school's library. She had several new clues; mostly the witch hunts of the mid 15th century. She did have her resource that provided her with any document she requested. Her latest supply of information contained specific names and dates of people involved in the era hunts. Much of this information had long since been purged from England's libraries and much of the details were too painful to be remembered in the wizarding world. This information she requested was obtained from a resource in a foreign country, all she had to do was request the information from a specific source.
Her research showed England, unlike the rest of Europe, was not as quick to execute those accused of witchcraft until the end of the sixteenth century. Only three were executed in Dorset during 1578, 36 people executed at Kilkenny, Ireland that same year, and 18 were killed at St. Oses, England, in 1582. There were persecutions of many people, muggle and witch alike in the years before the executions began, most ended in confessions forced by extreme torture leading to physical mutilation. Her research into the witch hunts also showed the executions began with influences from the other side of the channel. Germany had been the strongest influence to other countries in persecutions and executions during that time.
She read case after case that had been prosecuted in the few years before the infamous Malleus maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) was published by Catholic inquisition authorities in 1485 to 1486. It had been described as a "witch hunter's manual" that included specific questions and recommended punishments. No copies of that volume exists in any magical school or library, she resorted to using her secret source for a copy. Her only real clues to her own history were two names and an approximate year just before that manual was first authored.
She read about the methods used during the time, and cringed at the graphic descriptions and misconceptions found in it. The details of the devices used to simply inflict pain on the victim reminded her of the methods employed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. One such description stayed with her:
Scottish Persecutions of 1591 of the North Berwick Witches; the servant girl Gilly Duncan, was a local healer in the village with skills and knowledge to help the sick and injured. Her master who suspected her abilities to be from witchcraft, had her arrested, tortured with thumbscrews also known as pilliwinks, her head twisted and jerked in a rope, her neck had nearly been broken by those actions. She confessed to witchcraft and named other several other people as witches, most famously Agnes Sampson and Dr. John Fian. King James VI examined Agnes himself, had her stripped, shaved, searched for the Devil's Mark, and tortured with the witch's bridle; an iron instrument with four sharp prongs forced into the mouth, so that two prongs pressed against the tongue, and the two others against the cheeks. Dr. Fian, a local schoolmaster was tortured with pilliwinks, and then the "bootes", devices where the confined legs were squeezed by wedges pounded in gaps. After confessing and showing contrition, Fian managed to escape. But was captured and examined by the king himself, Fian remained obstinate in refusing to admit to witchcraft. The king had Fian tortured by having his fingernails pulled off, then pins pushed into the wounds, up to their heads. Still refusing, he was once again put into the bootes, where his legs were permanently maimed, the blood and marrow gushing forth profusely. The king took a personal interest since a plot against his life seemed to be part of the witch conspiracy. Condemned for the crime of witchcraft, Dr. Fian and Anges Sampson, and others were strangled then had their bodies burned.
She continued to dig through the historical documents her source provided, until she found a partial transcription of a young woman accused of witchcraft. This one was in the correct year, 1479, and the names on the reproduction of the cover sheet matched. The names on the original document were partially obscured, but she could read the name Madison quite clearly. The other names appeared to be the inquisitors and judges.
In the Year of Our Lord 1479. We in the parish of East Barnet, where reigns his grace, Earl and Bishop Clement Augustus Rebus.
These records detail the accused, one Hermia Madison, a simple peasant woman living alone on a small farm inherited from her parents, having one brother, Haimon Madison living in an unknown parish.
The recent rumors those practicing the back art of witchcraft have swept through the parish. The parish priest had mentioned an event in the sermon of the past Sunday, August 20, 1479 involving the accused.
The charges brought forth upon the accused are the direct and indisputable proof of the events of the days prior, of tales related at the market within the square. The reports consisted of a group of the local men a bewitched under a spell to do the bidding as sexual servants to the devil himself. One victim provided the name of Hermia Madison, the witch accused of forcing one man to perform unnatural acts with his own wife. She too claimed to bewitch by the accused in relating the acts performed to others of her gender. These tales having been over heard by the parish priest related to his grace, Earl and Bishop Clement Augustus Rebus for trial and judgment.
The interviews with the parties under this spell of the devil concluded on August 31, 1479 resulting in the arrest of the accused on September the first of that same year. The transcriptions that follow detail the accused interviews and subsequent confessions on September the 19th 1479.
The torture of the young woman left her with more then a queasy feeling, the descriptions and use of the devices left more then an impression, since this was not a fanciful fiction, but details of the pain of a family member. Armed with this new information, she dug deeper about the parties referred in the document and recovered limited information about the judge. She quickly requested all information on the judge mentioned and put her early research aside. Harry and Ron were soon to return from a late Quidditch practice in preparation for the last match of the year with Slytherin. She had talked about her research with Harry, as he did promise to help her discover her past.
She compiled all her research into a concise and detailed outline of events. She completed her essay when the two teammates finally returned from their practice. They were quick and eager to help her and joined Hermione in their private common room. Ron had also promised her to help with this task after he learned of her new heritage.
Harry read through everything she discovered first, before passing that text to Ron, he noted there was no mention of these events in any book or manuscript they found in their home country. Most of her information came through a source at the United States' Library of Congress. They all read through the stack of notes and earmarked pages before anyone commented.
"So, in a nut-shell, she was accused, tortured and confessed to witchcraft because some bloke shagged his wife?" Ron asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, pitiful excuse to do what they did to the poor girl. I cried as I read about the devices they used."
"Um… Hermione? This guy's name, the Earl of what ever, is this really his last name?" Harry asked, he felt there was something about the name that struck him.
"I think so. I was going to try and find out more about him, but I have to wait until I hear from my resource again."
"His name's 'Rebus', right?" He called as he left for their storage room. He had a few packing crates of old school books from his early days. He returned momentarily carrying a large muggle volume.
"Yes?"
"Just a sec," Harry thumbed through a massive muggle dictionary he retrieved from his room. "Here, 'Rebus a noun, a puzzle where you decode a message consisting of pictures representing syllables and words', and here it's listed as a synonym for 'mystery'. Mystery also has as a synonym, 'rune'."
"And," Hermione picked up the thought. "A rune is 'a similar character in another alphabet, sometimes believed to have magic powers', or magic and witchcraft."
"And there's this," Harry added after flipping through the book, "'mystery' is also listed as a synonym for 'riddle'
"Could he be…" Harry started the though.
"…an ancestor…" Ron added.
"…of Tom Riddle?" Hermione finished the shared thought.
"That would mean, his family was responsible for what happened to your family." Ron added.
Harry added a mental note to add yet another reason to remove Riddle from existence. He reached to Hermione, to console her as this news was truly startling, but she pushed him off.
"What's done is done." She muttered. "I'm sure my ancestors weren't the only ones affected by that scum."
"I bet you'll find a Malfoy in there somewhere." Ron added jokingly.
She burned a look at Harry. Harry simply shook his head slightly, telling her that Ron still didn't know about Ginny.
The room in the tavern had the musty curtains pulled tight to prevent any glimpse of the beautiful day that was unfolding. The private room had been used in the past for clandestine exchanges, and the pub itself had been well known to the local law enforcement as meeting places for the less honorable residents. Most neighbor hood pubs had a jovial atmosphere that would welcome the most down case soul; this establishment was the antithesis of such a location. The dark colored wood reflected the cold and foreboding nature of its very existence. Such a meeting was about to conclude, the four figures in the room knew each other, three sat at the table. The two sub-ordinates at the table were as afraid of the silver haired man as they were of his master. Lucious Malfoy sat tat the table while Bellatrix Lestrange paced from the table to the fireplace while her counter-part gave the two henchmen explicit orders.
"So, you two are clear on your instructions? I know I can depend on you."
"When are you going to send Vincent home? His mother is…"
"Fool, how dare you question your master's plans? You dare beg for them?" Bellatrix barked her anger at the two thugs, the blood in her eyes burned into the boy's fathers, Goyle managed to keep his tongue, but the same questions were on his mind as well.
Lucious managed a half smile, he knew the fate of the two bumbling youths, and also knew his instructions would not be carried out as instructed. He had covertly defied his master's plan to exact his own revenge; hand had maneuvered these two miserable excuses of wizards to answer for his actions.
"Come, Bella, we have other arrangements to make, I believe we'll be returning to a favored spot of yours."
She leaned to the table and with a final sneer, "Fail this time, and I'm certain the two of you will not be the only ones to pay the price. He wants them both alive. Now leave."
The wizard stood and took her hand as they vanished from the room, to complete the next phase of their plan.
With the spring blossoms of May, blossoms of romance bloomed in the older students. Ron and Luna are certainly involved; Draco had been dating Ginny in secret, and resigned himself to being exiled from Slytherin. No one seemed to notice Hermione has grown into a young woman and should have attracted the attention of the boys in her class. But she has remained alone. A fellow classmate has also matured into a strapping young man, and has the fame of his battles with the dark lord over many years that should woo any of his female classmates into his arms. But he too seemed to be alone. If the truth were only known.
They both were aware their time together could be short, the school year was coming to a close and year end exams were only three short weeks away. Hermione knew Voldemort would strike soon. Everyone expected and anticipated the attack. New developments from the other side of the ocean had many in the Wizarding World in Britain terrified.
The first report was a lone body discovered in beachfront motel, he was horribly tortured and mutilated while still alive, a majority of his flesh was stripped from his body and a number of his organs had been surgically removed, but never found. The body was identified by the authorities as a "J. Bond." He was seasonal resident that traveled the world in pursuit of his hobby and passion. He had been dead for several months before his body was discovered because of complaints of a stench from one of the motel rooms. That room had been rented under the name of H. Gratter in mid October. The coroner released limited information, hoping to shed light on this brutal murder, he had been dead for more then six months, the body was loosely wrapped in an unidentifiable film and stuffed inside the base of the bed in the room. The most unusual characteristic of the remains was the fact his blood was still fresh even though the flesh had begun to decay.
The discovery of the body would have gone unnoticed by anyone in the UK, except for the name and the way the body was mutilated. The method of the murder followed a pattern of other recent and unexplained homicides on both sides of the Atlantic, that information was unknown to the general public, as the other incidents had been contained. The victim's name had triggered a memory in Jake's mind, but before he could mention this to Dumbledore, another report broke the world news, overshadowing that discovery.
Eyewitness accounts have identified a small terrorist group using a new hand-held weapon caused the massive destruction in the resort areas of Orlando. A new portable rocket launcher also reported in an attack in England had been used in this attack. The venue at Disney's Magic Kingdome, Cinderella Castle, had been completely destroyed during a springtime festival resulting in loss of life and a high casualty count. The park was at maximum capacity, which contributed to the severity in the Orlando attack with initial reports listed thirty-eight dead and more then 800 injured. Many of the injured were children.
There have been no known terrorist groups accepting responsibility for this attack.
Before the news had broken in the muggle world, one member of the Hogwarts Faculty collapsed mysteriously at dinner, she had been a valued teacher at another school located overseas. She could feel a number of old friends' death at that instant. The school's Dean of Students sent a personal request for the headmaster at Hogwarts for her to return, nine of the thirty-eight dead were her friends, many of the dead were teachers protecting the students and there and an additional six dead were her former students. She wanted to return home to help those that survived and comfort the family of those that died. Jake returned to the school when he heard the news to return with her as support, he didn't care about the prejudices of her world at home; he was willing to stand by her side and help any way he could.
Jake arrived at the Headmaster's office late that evening, leaving the Granger residence under the watchful eye of other two Order members. He was informed the best way for them to return was by portkey, Jake produced an object he carried since that night they spent dancing at his favorite club, a pack of matches from the Port Cay.
Hermione was keenly aware of the meaning of the two attacks, they had been traced to Florida, and Voldemort was looking for any means to draw them out. They were meant to draw Harry out, tapping on his heroic tendencies, and they would have worked a year ago, when his concern wasn't as focused. As upsetting as this news was, she knew his first and only concern was for her. She was afraid for Harry, she knew he would face Voldemort only for her sake, but she knew there were three possible outcomes of the final battle of the war. Harry would defeat Voldemort. This was the best and all she hoped for, the war would be over and the greatest evil known would be gone forever. They would marry and live a life together wherever he wanted and raise the family they both wanted.
Harry and Voldemort destroy each other. Not what she wanted, she couldn't imagine a minute without him, but the evil would be gone and he would be forever a hero, and once the truth of their love were known, she would be treated with honor for her part. It was not the life she wanted, merely to be remembered as the girl who lost "The-Boy-Who-Lived."
The worst possible case was if Voldemort killed Harry. Then all would be lost. She and all Harry's companions would be hunted and killed, with no one to succeed Harry.
She prayed for a sign, that sign had come with the attack of innocent people in Florida. As she pondered the outcome, she came to a decision. In two cases he could die, and she would be alone. She must find a way to save him in case there could be a future.
In a flash she knew what she needed to do. She knew his nightly routine. Every night, after a quick shower, he would pull on his pajamas, brush his teeth and wait for her to do the same. They always cuddled and most nights kissed until they fell asleep, she had always favored heavier flannel nightgowns. Tonight would be different. She knew her own body and knew tonight was the best night for her to preserve a future with him should Voldemort succeed. A future she intended to raise with or without him.
After they made their final rounds and all the Gryffindors were safely in their dormitories they adjourned to their suite. Now that Ron knew their secret, they could be a little more open about their nightly activates.
After he got his shower and crawled into their bed, she suggested he read one of the Defense against the Dark Arts books. She slipped into the shower and indulged herself with a long hot shower. Her hair took an exceptionally long time to wash and smooth the tangles. She carefully washed her body, reflecting on how she's changed since they first met and since that confessed their love for each other. Her body had continued to develop, her breasts had firmed some due to the timing, she didn't have the slender waist of other girls, but she was far from heavy. Her stomach had firmed some and she always had strong legs, not slender like some of the other girls, but legs that formed a strong foundation help her stand her ground as a formidable combatant, and to top it off she had the best mind in the school. Her wound, although still noticeable was nearly forgotten by them both, but tonight she gently brushed her hand over the scar of withered flesh. She felt she could never win a glamour pageant but she was too practical to be concerned. She knew Harry was physically drawn to her, just as she was drawn to him. In his eyes, she was beautiful because they were deeply in love, that was enough for her. She stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and nervous, wrapped herself in a large soft towel. She slowly dried herself and charmed her hair dry, keeping that fragrance she knew he loved. She put on a shear lace nightgown, and slipped into their room.
He looked up at the figure gliding to their bed, and grinned widely. She had a look in her eye he's seen before, on a deserted beach one summer's night, and many nights since. But before he was able to object to what he knew she planned, she cut him short.
"Shhhh… don't say it. Tonight, I'm here for you. We both know what's going to happen soon, and I want only one thing now, tonight. And tonight you can give me what I want."
"Herm---"
"No… don't say a word." She waved her wand and uttered "Lumos minimux" and the room lights dimmed to a romantic hue. She walked to the side of the bed, and she could feel his desire for her grow.
"Now, please… my one love, my soul mate, my only reason to live, please don't deign me again, fulfill my heart's deepest desire. I want to finally seal our bond, I won't wait any longer." She slipped the thin straps of the nightgown off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground.
"Hermione, no, you know how I feel…"
"Yes, and tonight, I don't care." and she pulled the covers back and straddled him as he lay in bed, she then lay on his chest, her breasts lightly brushed against his chest. She began the night with the deepest most sensual kiss he's ever experienced.
In the waning hours of the night they shared their love and finally sealed their relationship with the physical act, she slept soundly curled at his side, content and radiant, while he lay next to her thinking of what they had done. What they shared that night was the first time for either. He wanted to wait until they were safe, until they were married, but something inside him that night told him time was slipping from them. He lay there in silence with the only one he has ever loved, and gently stoked her hair as he did so many times before. His eyes felt heavy, and confused as he sensed a glow radiate from the side of the room.
He rolled over, away from his lover. At the foot of his bed he saw an apparition and heard a voice in his mind. The room was still dark, with no apparent light source, but the radiant glow of golden rays remained. He looked to the glow, but saw nothing, "Who's there?" he called. He thought of waking her, since he was certain he was awake.
In his mind the message he imagined was clear, 'Follow your feelings, trust your feelings, they shall guide you well. What you truly feel believe you must. Power you have. Strong you are. Trust her, the lost one she is. Guide you away from the dark path she will. Fear, pain and suffering she will endure for you. Comfort her you must.' The voice he heard faded as apparition also faded; Harry's eyes closed sending him into a deep sleep.
The next morning he woke alone in their bed from a peaceful sleep as he remembered the pleasures shared with her last night. He vaguely remembered his vision and wanted to tell her. He stood, grabbed his bathrobe, and walked into the common area. Ron was still unconscious in his room when Harry saw her. On the floor lay a young woman sobbing uncontrollably. 'MY GOD! What did I do last night', he felt the pain she was suffering as it pulled at him, drawing him to her side. All he could do was reach for her, lift her into his loving arms and pull her to his chest.
"Please, tell me what's wrong?"