Power and Persecution: Part Two
The loud buzzing sounded piercingly in her ears and for a few seconds she couldn't place the brain shattering sound, but without knowing what she was doing she threw her hand over to the side and slapped off the alarm clock. She opened her eyes and looked at the clock with a keen hatred for the invention boiling over inside of her. Her mind worked quickly as she wondered how an alarm clock had gotten onto the Ford Anglia which didn't have such evil devices as this. Then it all clicked into place, she was back home, she had been told she had to wake up for work at 7, and…
She sat up instantly and threw her legs over the edge, Harry had gone off and she was alone. Well, not alone she figured, but without Harry.
`You gotta hurry up, love' her mother called up from downstairs as she stifled a yawn. She went over and grabbed her night gown, and made her way out of the room and downstairs.
`Hey, mum' she said looking around the living room, her mother was sat down by the table with a cup of tea and Hermione noticed that she had made one for her. She scanned the room again and sat down, a little disheartened.
`Is there any…' Hermione started as she tried to find the right word `Message for me?'
`No one knows your back yet' her mother said looking at her as she took a sip from her tea.
`I meant from Harry' Hermione said quickly.
`The murderer?' her mother said raising her eyebrow. It was too early in the morning too be dragged into an argument so she only smiled at her so he mother added as she took another sip of her tea `No, nothing'
Hermione's heart dropped a little, she really needed to talk to Harry and find out what the hell was going on. She started her own drink tea and almost spat it back out.
`What is this?' Hermione said looking at the tea that tasted more like tar.
`Rations' her mother said brightly `I know it's not as nice as PG tips, but you'll get used to it'
`I don't want to get use to it' Hermione said eyeing her cup suspiciously `What do you mean by rations?'
`Since the health scare and all…' her mother started but Hermione cut her off with a held hand.
`I get it' she said. What kind of a country has curfew and rations in the 21st century, she asked herself annoyed, but then thought of something `Mum, are we at war?'
`Where have you been Hermione?' her mother asked her with such incredulousness that she almost felt like blushing `where has that man taken you?'
`Mum…' Hermione groaned as she was hoping that the bringing of a new day would stop her mothers 21 questions but that hope was looking dashed now.
`Seriously love, you disappear for 6 months, leaving no note or anything I might add, and then you come back with a wizard!' she said incredulously.
`It's not as bad as you make it out' she said groaning.
`When I was your age I didn't do anything like this' she said with a little nod that meant she thought this was a golden point. Hermione had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling.
`Of course you didn't, but I have!' Hermione said as she felt sure she wouldn't laugh.
`But why?' she said.
`Because I get to see the most amazing places, do the most amazing things' Hermione said.
`But why leave your whole life to go travelling?' she said.
`I'm not leaving my whole life, I still have you' Hermione said nicely as she took her mothers hand.
`Do you?' her mother said softly looking up at her, a little teary eyed `because I don't feel like I've been any help, I haven't even known where my daughters been this whole time, what sort of mother is that?'
`It's not your fault, its mine' Hermione said feeling wretched, she had put her mum through so much `I thought I'd be back before this, I'm so, so sorry'
`Oh, look at me, I'm being silly' her mother said as she let go of Hermione's hand and brushed at her eyes as she stood up `You better get a move on'
`What for?' Hermione said shrugging as she slouched in her chair a little `I've been gone fore 6 months, missed this so called revolution, oh, and my last job got blown up and their blaming it on my friend'
`Don't' be silly, love, you don't need a job to go to work' her mother said chuckling slightly.
`How can I go to work without a job?' Hermione asked,
`Since the health scare the Slytherins have made all work Government based' she said as she finished her tea and prepared to leave `makes it easier if you think about it, everyone working for the same business, saves us having to make a choice'.
Hermione sat down and watched as her mother left the room, she should have known that she would of heard something about the health scare and the Slytherins with any question about this new world. She groaned and wondered what she'd be made to do, with her GCSE's and experience the best she could hope for was shop work, and the worst was very bad. But then again, maybe she could find out what was going on, how everything had changed so much and so quickly. Maybe, on this one, she didn't need Harry's help so much.
*
`So, what are we going to do?' Hermione asked as she fidgeted with her clothes. She was wearing a light blue shapeless dress, cut below the knee and she had plain white shoes on. She couldn't help but think that this outfit wasn't too flattering, and without any hot water or hair straighteners her hair was coming close to double its usual size.
`We work at a Slytherin off shoot department' she said excitedly, Hermione felt her heart speed up at this news, maybe fate had handed her a help on seeking answers.
She was walking quickly down the streets, and everyone else was walking there own way, each wearing the same identical blue outfit, dress for women, overalls for the men. Hermione felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up so she concentrated on their own walk and gathering any information she could.
`How did we get our jobs?' Hermione asked curiously.
`We all carried on with the same jobs as before, and then a lot were assigned new work as fits them, really a marvellous system' she said happily. Hermione couldn't help but feel her mothers praise for the Slytherins was a little suspicious but it didn't feel quite so right to question.
`So what is our job then?' Hermioine said as she walked down a narrow street she couldn't remember being there before. A dozen or more women were all walking towards the end of the street, and Hermione suspected this was where their work would be.
`Cleaning' her mother said happily, Hermione sighed slightly `now don't give me that, I've worked cleaning jobs for years'
`I know' Hermione said apologetically. She felt bad for momentarily being disheartened at her job, cleaing was as important as any other profession after all.
`HERMIONE!' a voice yelled out from across the street, a voice she instantly remembered. As she turned around she saw him, mouth agape in astonishment but still looking as handsome as ever with his short dropped hair and large build.
`James!' she yelled happily as she ran back down the road to meet him, he still wasn't moving as she reached him and threw her arms around him.
`Hermione?' he said as he held her a bit away from him `you're alive?'
`Obviously' she said with a smile, it felt good to see another familiar face in the strangeness of this place.
`They said you were dead' he said, sadness in his eyes as he said the words.
`Blatantly they were wrong' she replied as she held out her arms to show she was alive.
`Oh, thank god!' he said pulling close and surrounding her with his arms `Where have you been?' he said tearfully.
`Just travelling' she replied vaguely, she didn't want to lie to him but knew he would have a lot of trouble believing the truth.
`We ain't got time for this' her mother said, Hermione broke from the hug to look at her annoyed.
`She's right!' James said, slight panic in his voice `It's 5 to 8!'
`What?' Hermione said confused `Can't you be a little late?'
`Definitely not!' James said in complete shock.
`But when am I going to see you?' Hermione asked in bewilderment.
`How about at lunch?' Hermione nodded her agreement `I'll come get you at 1 then'
He looked at Hermione, glee in his face for a fleeting second before he sprinted of down the road to work. Now this was one step too far for Hermione, James so eager to get to work and not be late he was ready to run away after only a minute with her. He remembered how every lunch he tried to talk her into blowing off the afternoon, never to any success.
`Come on, love' her mother said pulling her and leading her down the road `He's been helping me out a lot, you know with things around the house. He's a good boy'
Hermione nodded but really wasn't thinking too much about her words, James' reaction was still playing on her mind. He seemed definitely pleased to see her so why the running away quickly, so out of character for him. She heard people talking, and seemed to be queuing up but she couldn't concentrate on this as she realized that of course James would be happy to see her, he had thought she was dead, and maybe he was hurt after she disappeared for 6 months without a word ort a note. She would be hurt as well, in fact she would of handled it a lot worse than he had id their places had been exchanged. But still something was wrong.
`I was talking to you Girl' she heard someone say as her mother nudged her. She looked up abash at what appeared to be her boss already annoyed with her. He was wearing what appeared to be dark green trench coat, but baggier and longer.
`I'm sorry' she said as pleasantly as she could, she hadn't enjoyed being called `girl'.
`If you ignore me again you will be, I can promise you that' he said nastily as he moved his face about an inch from hers.
`I'm sorry' she said through gritted teeth as she tried to keep composure. Now was not the time to fight back, she needed some answers first. But in the back of her mind she knew that Harry would not have apologized in this situation.
The man looked at her for a few more seconds before walking of down the line of women, staring intently at all of them before stopping and addressing them all.
`Time for work ladies' he said with a fake smile `hope it's a good day'
All the women started to walk forward and Hermione saw the building. It was large and seemingly mechanical, like a cross between an office block and a factory. She started walking towards it with the other women, her mother chatting away with her friends. She looked back at her boss to look at him closer. He was about her age with white blonde hair, and a nasty look on his face.
`Mum, when's break?' she asked, she had just entered the building and had seen door after door through the corridors, and really wanted a chance to look around here.
`We don't get breaks' she said shrugging `just half an hour for lunch, easier that way'
`Easier?' Hermione asked incredulously.
`Yeah, we can get a lot more work done without any interruptions' she said happily.
Hermione though stopped and sighed, before her were the buckets of water and cleaning products that was going to be her day. It was like she had never met Harry, and her life was going the way she had always feared it would. At least though she would see James at 1, and maybe have a little peek around.
*
Harry fell back into his chair, exhaustion threatening to come over him as he fidgeted slightly to get comfortable. He had been working all night and hadn't slept for over 36 hours now, and hadn't eaten for the vast majority of that. Maybe he would go and grab a bite, but then again he seemed to be a fugitive now and couldn't risk causing a massive outcry, and he couldn't travel anywhere in case something happened and he couldn't get back for Hermione.
He stretched out as he yawned, his eyes fighting to come down, and stay down. Blinking them open he reached across and grabbed a book without looking. He knew there was only one way his charms could have been broken, but that one way wasn't what he wanted to accept, so he searched his brains and library for any other answer, be it beast, man or ghost. But he hadn't made any head way in this search.
`Ahhh' Harry said as he looked down at the book in his hands. This book he hadn't been able to look at yet. This book had been his last gift form Charles, the last remnant he had of his good friend. That was the problem with time, Harry thought, nothing made much sense as there were no real rules. If he chose he could go back and see Charles again, at most points in his life, and the fact of the matter was Charles had been dead for about 500 years before he was even born. But he had seen the man die, and that was the bottom line in that story.
He looked down at the book, the cover seemed inconspicuous, early medieval Italian, circa 800 BC, with a basic block print. Harry looked closer and sighed, the book was beautiful and must have cost a huge amount of money yet Charles had given it to him for free. He opened it and gasped, he couldn't believe what he saw. It was the archway.
Harry closed the book and shut it. He couldn't start this now, however much his thundering heart wanted it. He needed to solve this, to work out what was happening, and then he would work on the book.
With images of the other moments in his life which had focused around that archway Harry closed his eyes and drifted of to sleep.
*
Hermione's shoulders felt like they were on fire, she had been on her knees scrubbing just about everything in the building, from the floor to picture frames. She stood up and looked at her watch, it was nearly one and she couldn't have been more thankful. So far she still couldn't work out what this business was, it seemed to just be a lot of corridors and near empty rooms. But on the ground floor, down a corridor she had been cleaning she had seen several people in those trench coat like robe things going in and out of, and that was the exact room that Hermione wanted to get into.
`Lunch time ladies' the blonde haired man called, he appeared every half an hour or so to look at them, and Hermione hated him more with every visit.
`Thank god' Hermione said taking of her bright yellow washing up gloves and putting down the cloth in her hand.
`You going to see James, love?' her mum said as she walked over to her.
`Yeah' Hermione said loudly, she wanted everyone to know she was going somewhere as she had every intention of coming back `He's meeting me at 1 outside'
`Give him my love' she said `It's great to have you back'
Hermione noticed that at these words the blonde haired guy looked at them for a moment before walking off his own way down one of the corridors. Hermione wanted to follow him, but knew that'd be foolish, she needed to make sure people thought she was going about her normal business so she walked with the others outside.
As she walked out into the sun she looked around and spotted him and made her way over towards him, he wasn't wearing a look of surprise this time, but neither did he have a smile.
`Hi Hermione' he said, very forced.
`Hey' she said as nicely as she could hoping it would rub off on him `you having a good day at work?'
`It's been alright' he said shrugging `but you don't even know what I do'
`Don't be like that' Hermione pleaded.
`Like what?' James said annoyed.
`Like this' Hermione said sadly.
`What like a guy whose girlfriend disappears for six months then shows up out of the blue?' James asked sarcastically.
`Exactly, just like that' Hermione said brightly making James laugh despite himself.
`Not that I'm not glad to see you, but where have you been, honestly?' James asked after a moment, a little bit more happiness in his voice.
`Just travelling' Hermione said, looking away slightly to help with her feeling of guilt.
`Is it a guy?' he asked, a little anxiety in his voice.
`No' Hermione said, but somehow her answer had felt like a lie. They stood there for a few moments in a little awkward silence when Hermione spotted the blonde haired boy walking off down the road.
`James, I gotta go' Hermione said as she looked back at the building before back to James, she knew now her boss was out that it was the best time to have a look around.
`What? Where?' James said quickly.
`I need to do something, can we meet tonight?' Hermione said quickly, she needed to be in a rush as she had no idea when the boss would be back.
`Ok' James said uncertainly eyeing her strangely.
`James, listen' Hermione started as she put a hand on his chest `Meet me after work, we can do something nice…till curfew, anyway'
`Ok…' James said softly.
`What's wrong?' Hermione asked.
`It's just the last time we were going to do something I didn't see you for six months' James said a little upset.
`This time I'll try and be more punctual' Hermione joked as she kissed him on the cheek. She turned as she saw him smile and made her way back towards the building, her adrenaline starting to pump quickly like it had so often since meeting Harry. She opened the door and turned right towards where that room was. The building was as empty as it had usually been, but now it seemed stranger unlike before when it was boring.
She stopped outside the door, it was blue just like every other door, but just by looking at it she knew something was behind it, but she didn't know what. She put her hand out and pushed the door quickly, she was on a deadline, and she closed the door behind her.
She looked around and was astonished. Before her were boxes and boxes of paper all scattered around what appeared to be a penseive. She walked over straight away to the penseive and realized it was, but how was that possible. Harry had told her before that it was for thought control of the Ford Anglia, but how could one be here, in a government building, she asked herself. Did this mean the Slytherins were like Harry? She looked around to check she was before the penseive started to flash again. She looked closer and was even more astonished, a film like image was made up of the silver steam in the penseive and it showed Harry, but younger. Hermione couldn't see him properly as the picture was deteriorated but she could tell by his glasses and hair that it was him and he seemed to be walking towards something. She lent closer, hoping to see what was happening. She now saw another figure, covered in so much darkness she couldn't make him out. She lent even closer…
`What are you doing here?' a voice broke her and she pulled back quickly and spun around, one of the government guys in their trench coat things standing in the open doorway and staring angrily at her.
`I'm…' Hermione said, desperate to look back at the penseive but knowing she couldn't `…I'm cleaning'
`You dirty liar!' he said nastily walking up to her and withdrawing what Hermione recognized as a wand, Hermione instinctively stepped away but the man was storming quickly so fast that she had no chance of escape. She wished with all her heart Harry was here, Harry would save her.
`I was…' Hermione started again, she had backed against a wall but the man was now within touching distance and interrupted him.
`Don't lie you stupid silly little girl!' he spat nastily at her.
`Don't call me that' Hermione shot back, she had felt it break and couldn't stop herself.
`Speak again little girl and you will regret it' he said low and angrily, his nose touching hers.
`You talk to me like that again and you will regret it' Hermione shot back, narrowing her eyes in anger.
`That's it' he said as he raised his wand and pointed it straight into Hermione's face, her heart was beating out of her chest as she knew there was no way out of this `goodnight, you silly little girl…'
`Obliviate!' a new voice shouted and with this simple word the mans eyes went blank, like the man was in a daze. She couldn't take her eyes of the man who had been seconds away from killing her, but a hand that grabbed hers and dragged her away and back out of the room. She had to run to keep up with the man and could only make out that he seemed tall with long matted black hair. She was pulled round a corner and was stopped by the him as they both panted slightly from their exertion. She looked up into his face and smiled at him, for he had blatantly saved her life.
`Hi, Miss' the man said with a smile back.
`It's Hermione' she said, she noticed how freckly he was and this somehow made his long black hair seem somewhat strange and give him the look of someone slightly shifty.
`Sorry about pulling you back there, but that was a basic memory charm, only a few second limit' he said apologetically, but Hermione's brain had started to work again and his words made sense.
`You know about magic?' she asked happily, things were getting back to normal…normal for Hermione Granger anyway `do you know Harry?'
`Sorry, what?' the man said in complete shock as he eyed her not with suspicion but amazement `You know about Magic?'
`Yeah' Hermione said honestly, there was something in his face that made her instantly trust him.
`How?' he said but shook his head `Never mind that, you said Harry?'
`Yeah' she said grinning slightly, it had been a while since she made someone confused, with Harry it was usually the other way round.
`Do you mean Harry Potter?' he said putting his hands on her arms in such a way that made him look a little desperate.
`He's not so fond of people using his surname actually' Hermione said as she remembered the dwarf in 3367 that only ever called him `Potter', and the resulting argument and their consequent ban from the china.
`You know Harry Potter!' he said in amazement `So you must be the woman travelling with him!'
`I guess so' Hermione said, not liking the way he put it as it made her sound like a side-kick. The man however threw his hands up in celebration in excitement and made a little whoop noise.
`I can't believe it!' the man said in amazement.
`Well, its true, Mr…' Hermione said as she realized she didn't know this mans name.
`Oh, I'm sorry, let me get rid of this first' he said as he pulled at his hair violently, Hermione started to wonder if he was in fact a little mad, but as the long black matted hair came of to be replaced by flaming red hair she sighed in understanding `It's a simple disguise, but when you're as red a me a wig works wonders!'
`You do look remarkably different!' she said amazed, where before he looked somewhat dodgy now he looked, well, handsome she had to admit.
`Thanks' he said raising his eye brows like he could read her thoughts and laughing as she blushed slightly. He looked at her before grinning and saying
`The names Weasley… Ronald Weasley'
*
Hey, hope you liked that? Sorry I'm a little behind schedule with this, hopefully the next will be done tomorrow. Ok, anyway, this story will be at least 4 parts, probably 5. Hope you like how its going anyway, and people please review! They keep dropping every chapter!
Jms Granger.
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