Chapter Fourteen: Hermioniah, la Sorcière? (Hermioniah, the witch?)
"Witchcraft," groaned Ronald. "They've got her locked up as a witch."
Georges patted his back. "Cheer up, mon frère. We'll sort them out, won't we, Wilfred?"
Wilfred nodded. "They won't know what's hit them."
They were outside the prison, waiting for the officials to arrive and consider Hermioniah's case. The Véslée twins, Georges and Wilfred, had just arrived, having heard the news. Their presence had considerably lifted Henri's spirits. Georges and Wilfred had that effect on people.
"A servant's testimony shouldn't be worth much against the testimony of several prominent citizens," agreed Tonquet brightly.
"You are assuming that Hermioniah will deny she used magic," said Ronald bitterly. "I don't think she's that sort of person. I don't think she will lie to them. Even to save her life."
"She really can do magic?" asked Georges, sounding impressed. "I'd thought they were making that up. What can she do?"
"Heal people," said Henri. "Only that. It's not witchcraft. It has nothing to do with being in league with the devil."
"I believe I see an avenue of argument open to us," said Lupin quietly. Everyone turned to him.
"Yes?" asked Henri.
"It seems to me that Hermioniah's powers to heal could be seen as a gift from God, not as the work of the devil."
"Well, of course!" interrupted Ronald.
"Bear with me," Lupin continued. "Our problem is to convince the authorities, particularly, I might point out, the Bishop himself. We must argue that what Hermioniah did for Pénélope was not witchcraft, but a miracle, much like the ones at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré."
"But there it is Ste. Anne who is supposed to have worked the miracles," objected Henri. "No one is going to believe Hermioniah is a saint. She's not even a Christian!"
"Ah, yes. There's the point. It might be a very good idea for her to request baptism. Immediately."
Ronald screwed up his face. "You know," he said thoughtfully. "That might work. She told me that she would be willing to become a Christian. She said that our Mother Church's beliefs did not conflict with hers." He saw Tonquet raise an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know if that's true!" he said quickly. "But she thinks so. She believes in God, anyway. Calls him Manitou. But she would be baptized. And… and… she said she'd marry me."
Georges began to laugh. "Aha! You're in love! Congratulations, Ronald!"
"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful hen-pecked husband," agreed Wilfred, slapping Ronald on the back.
"I thought you were courting Lunette Bienamour," said Tonquet suspiciously.
"It… didn't work out," Ronald explained. "She's a heretic, and.. well, I love Hermioniah now."
"Would you enter into a marriage contract with her, then?" asked Lupin. "Today?"
"Ah… yes," said Ronald. "But why the rush?"
"If you were officially betrothed, her position would be a lot more stable," Lupin explained. "She would have an official place in our society. No longer an unconnected savage, but the future wife of Ronald Véslée. You needn't marry till you're ready, of course," he added quickly. "But the contract has almost the force of marriage, you know."
"It's not easily breakable," said Georges, beaming. "You're trapped, now, Ronald! A married man!"
"It is not a trap," Ronald replied testily. "Should I tell Catherine you called marriage a trap?"
Catherine was Georges's wife. Before Georges could answer back, the door of the prison opened. The jailer was at hand.
"You may see the prisoner now," he announced. "If you'll leave your weapons here."
It turned out that the twins had quite a lot of weapons on their persons. A sword each, several daggers, a few pistols. Henri suspected they had come armed for a siege of the prison if necessary. The jailer made no comment, though, and let them in once he was certain they'd been entirely divested of their arsenal.
Hermioniah leapt up from the small bench in her cell when she saw them. "I knew you'd come, Henri!" she cried. "And you too, Ronald."
Ushered into the cell, Lupin explained the plan to her, once the jailer had left them alone.
She stared at him. "A miracle?" Her voice was skeptical.
"Who gave you your power?" asked Lupin gently.
"It's not my power," she said sharply. "Orenda flows from everything there is. It is the creating, healing force of the world."
"And the world, everything that there is, was created by?" pressed Lupin.
"By the creator. He whom we call Manitou."
"So, therefore, what you did for Madame Véslée was ultimately done by God. You were only his chosen vessel. You can tell the Bishop that, can't you?"
"I suppose that I could," she said wonderingly.
"And you could ask to be baptized."
"Yes. I could."
"And promise before the notary to marry Ronald."
Hermioniah gave Henri a strange look, but only for a second. "Yes, I will do that. What is a notary, though?"
"A notary keeps records of our official acts," Ronald explained. "I know about marriage contracts. They're not difficult to enter. I was a witness to Henri and Ginevre's contract."
The jailer returned again. "The governor's representative is here," he announced. "And his Excellency the bishop."
As they filed out of the cell, Henri overheard Lupin whispering to Hermioniah, "You do believe in the Creator, of course, but it might be a good idea not to mention the rituals of your people to the Bishop. Don't lie, but there are some things better left unsaid. That's how Lise, Henri's mother, got along in New France."
"I understand," said Hermioniah.
"Henri!" The familiar voice came to him through the bars of another cell. "Henri Potère! You have to get me out of this place!"
"Shut your mouth, Flêcher!" snapped the jailer. "You're a filthy thief. You can leave decent citizens like Monsieur Potère alone."
They swept on past the miserable Flêcher.
Waiting for them in the room where cases were heard was one of Henri's least favourite people in the entire world. Corneille de Fauget, the governor's representative. Fauget had been governor of New France for six years, and had spent the last two denying that Vol de Mort was alive, and that he had supporters. He had become close friends with Vol de Mort's greatest supporter, the wealthy and influential Lucien de Malfoy. When Vol de Mort had finally revealed himself, the King and his Secretary of Marine had not been pleased with Fauget, and had sent out Scrimmejeur in his stead. Rather than return to France to face ridicule and the displeasure of the monarch, Fauget had elected to stay in the colony as an advisor to the new governor.
The portly Fauget was now smiling at Henri, his usual grandfatherly smile, as if they had never been enemies, as if the last few years had not happened.
"How wonderful it is to see you, Monsieur Potère," he said, advancing on Henri. "You and your friends."
"Even Hermioniah?" asked Henri sharply.
Fauget's face turned red. "Ah," he stammered. "We'll… ah, well… speak of that, won't we? You'll all take seats?"
Already seated was the Bishop of New France. Bishop Aulèvendère. He was a stern man, who had always somewhat frightened Henri. But he had been a friend of Dumbledore's, Henri recalled. Perhaps he would understand.
They began to question Hermioniah.
It quickly became apparent to Henri that Fauget wanted Hermioniah to stay a prisoner. It was not, Henri thought, because Fauget really believed she was a dangerous witch, but because if she were kept a prisoner, the Governor and his aides would have a hold over Henri and Ronald. They would be able to control them. Or so Fauget thought.
The Bishop, on the other hand, seemed determined to judge the rights and wrongs of the situation. Unfortunately, he also took a very serious view of witchcraft. He was pleased by Hermioniah's request for baptism, but he did not let the matter go there, and continued to cross-examine her about her 'miracle.'
The terrified maidservant testified that Hermioniah had used a spell on Madame Véslée.
"Do you speak the language of the Iroquois?" asked the Bishop mildly.
"No, your Excellency," she admitted.
"Then how do you know it was a spell?" Aulèvendère asked her.
"It worked like a spell," said the maid stubbornly.
The next witness was Madame Pommefret. She was calmed down from the night before, and refused to give an opinion on whether Hermioniah had used witchcraft.
"I do not know much of these matters, Your Excellency," she insisted.
She did, however, give her opinion that Madame Véslée had been beyond human help before Hermioniah had entered the room. Also that Madame Véslée was now in as good health as any new mother could be expected to be.
"And her child too," she added. "A fine young boy. He's being brought to the church today to be baptized." She turned to Ronald. "Madame Véslée has asked if you would be the godfather."
There were gasps around the room. Captain Véslée would not be pleased to return from war and find his wife had reconciled with his family.
"She wanted Hermioniah to be the godmother," Madame Pommefret continued. "But I told her the young woman wasn't a Christian."
"Not yet," replied the Bishop.
Having heard all the evidence, they dismissed Henri and the others, so that they could deliberate over it.
"I believe you made a good impression on the Bishop," Lupin told Hermioniah.
"But not on the Governor's man," said Hermioniah gloomily. "Fauget wants me to be found guilty."
"Fauget hasn't as much power as he likes to pretend," said Tonquet. "Hermioniah, you are lucky to be here, you know. Back home in Boston, they take witchcraft charges a lot more seriously. No, not more seriously, more hysterically. They believe in witchcraft here, of course, but they don't burn people at the stake with no evidence."
"Of course not. We're not English barbarians," said Ronald.
Tonquet made a face. "We English aren't all bad, though," she insisted.
"You're half-French," said Ronald generously.
"I'm half de Nigelle! You can't say that's a good thing!" she replied teasingly.
Their laughter was broken by the door bursting open and the arrival of a familiar figure, the new Intendant, Alastre Muidet. One look at him assured Henri he was furious.
"What the devil is that fool Fauget up to, Tonquet?" he demanded. "He tried to keep this hearing a secret from me, but Daulaishe came and told me!"
"I did wonder why you weren't here, sir," said Tonquet.
"I'll tell Fauget what I think of him," said Muidet, striding towards the door. The door opened, however, and the Bishop came out.
"We have decided, Mademoiselle, that you are innocent of the charges made against you," Aulèvendère informed Hermioniah.
"You damn well better have," snorted Muidet, and pushed his way through into the other room, in search, no doubt, of his old enemy, de Fauget.
"And now," said the Bishop. "Shall we proceed to the church? It appears I have some baptisms to perform."
Author's Notes: Fauget is Fudge, of course. Bishop Aulèvendère is Ollivander. Muidet is Moody.
The Intendant was the official who ran New France's government. The governor was the head of the military, and also the representative of the king. In the French provinces, the Intendant ran everything, but in New France, the Governor and Intendant were regularly fighting over who was in charge.
Next chapter: The trio hunt for the locket.