Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Any characters or situations that are unknown in the HP series are the author's intellectual property and should not be used without permission.
Author's Note: This story is not canon-compliant, and certainly not Epilogue compliant. While some elements of existing canon may be maintained, this is AU from Book 5 onward.
*******
Chapter Three
London, GB
The scream of the landing gear wheels on tarmac woke Hermione, not because of its sound alone, but because of dissonant blend it made coupled with Ron's shriek of alarm. He sat with his hands clenched into claws into the arms of his seat. Moody cocked his head and shook it slowly while Tonks reached across and smacked Ron in the back of the head to shut him up.
"Bloody hell, riding in this metal thingie, no brooms… if there's something that goes wrong, can't see a blasted thing outside, going to be the death of me…" Ron began muttering, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Ron…"
"No, really, we're going to die when this thing falls out of the sky," he grumbled, reinforcing his grip on the chair. Tonks snorted at his actions and rolled her eyes at Hermione.
"Ronald…"
"Oh, like you care now, eh? Well, just you wait, this contraption won't make over the ocean, I know it, we'll be cast adrift for sure," Ron shook his head as the plane shuddered against the brakes and decelerated.
"Ronald!" Hermione said in a deadly tone.
Ron jerked to attention and looked at his friend. His complexion was pasty white which made his freckles stand out sharply. She felt a flash of pity for Ron was truly frightened by this experience, but enough was enough. He'd wake Jamie soon if he kept at it.
"We've just landed, you prat," She said.
The next half-hour was a blur of motion and sounds. They debarked from the plane to find Hermione's parents waiting there with an attaché by the name of Kernes from the American Embassy, Department of Magic division. The group was bundled into the magically expanded Mercedes and into the center of the city.
"Dr. Granger," The attaché turned in the front seat to hand Hermione an official looking envelope that she took without ceremony. The man was middle-aged, slightly receding hairline and plain appearance with his non-descript gray business suit, and he blended into the background eerily. She suspected that a magical charm enhanced that type of invisibility. "The Assistant Secretary sends her regards."
"Thank the Secretary for me," Hermione responded politely, while imagining all sorts of mayhem against her superior.
The diplomat flinched back for a moment, his strangely piercing light-colored eyes meeting hers fully for the first time.
Great, a passive legilimencer, Hermione thought to herself and slammed her mental shields down. The man acknowledged the rebuff with a small nod and smile. Probably sees a lot worse than my little dreams of revenge against my not-so-benign dictatorial bitch of a boss.
Hermione's parents had taken charge of Jamie, who was sleepily happy to held and cosseted by them. Hermione glanced over at the three of them and smiled. Jamie would soon have them fetching and carrying for his every whim, the little tyrant.
"The Ministry has requested a formal meeting to greet you, Dr. Granger," the man continued. "We are taking you to meet the Minister of Magic now."
Hermione's head jerked up at that. "Right now?" She queried incredulously.
"Yes, Dr. Granger, the Minister wanted to greet you in a proper fashion as soon as possible. He understands that your time is limited and is best applied to the project at hand."
"Fine, I will meet with the Minister," She glanced around at her Auror crew and found that they were equally surprised by this fact. "Just let us off at the Ministry and let my parents and son continue on into Oxfordshire and …"
As the car turned into a side alley, a sudden light struck the vehicle and the red robes of Aurors were interspersed amongst the dark robes of Ministry officials. The crowd was substantial, and as the car halted, the door was flung open and two bulky Aurors stood at the attention.
Jamie, curious about the doings outside the car, popped his head up and looked out at the men before Hermione could stop him. A choked off gasp sounded from someone in the crowd beyond and Hermione jumped into full, protective mode.
Reaching into the front seat of vehicle, she grasped Kernes by his lapels and pulled him back to whisper harshly into his ear. "You will see my son and my parents to their home and make sure you're not followed, by any means necessary. This is a code Electrum order, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" He gasped out. The whites of his eyes were clearly visible and he pulled at his collar desperately. Hermione released him and signaled for the Aurors to precede her out of the car.
She'd barely stepped out when the door slammed and the car sped off into the darkness. Hermione smiled inwardly, she really did appreciate efficient bureaucrats at times.
*******
Around 5:00 am GMT, Hermione finally opened her parent's front door and bid her friends good night. They were staying in the spare room for the moment which would be expanded as needed. They were being spelled for a short time by another team commanded by, of all people, Seamus Finnegan.
They had secured the property in the best of several ways, both Muggle and Magical, and with a full Auror team watching outside as well. Such precautions would have reassured most, but Hermione felt the absence of her security detail keenly, especially Carolyn.
The house was quiet, Jamie would be down and sleeping off the worst of his exhaustion, and she knew her parents kept country hours now that they had retired from active practice, so she took off her shoes in the foyer and crept into the lounge room. Jamie would likely wake early, so that would mean a short night for Hermione.
The moon was waxing and shone through the large bay window with its sheer drapes; a bright beam of light fell upon the open photo album and across the photo of Harry in the Grimmauld Place library. Hermione pulled the curtain aside to stare out into the darkness and let old memories surface …
It was into late May of what would have, should have, been their seventh year at Hogwarts. Despite all obstacles, three of the missing four horcruxes had been destroyed and they had stayed just one step ahead of their enemy.
If only they knew how to escape from themselves for a while.
The day was dreary; overcast skies combined with the grimy windows of Grimmauld shed little light inside the place. Hermione climbed the stairs balancing a sandwich plate and a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. Ron followed behind, levitating his and Harry's plates with his wand.
"I don't see why you're carrying those," Ron smirked and made his plate revolve around Harry's for a turn or two. "You're of age you know, so why wouldn't you use magic?"
Hermione sighed. "Not all of life is about magic, Ron."
They reached the library door and Hermione waited on Ron to open the door for her. He made a production of throwing open the creaky wooden door and bowing her into the room. She just snorted and stepped inside without comment.
Harry sat near one of the long, thin windows in a decrepit leather reading chair that looked near ready to collapse into splinters and dust. He sat with his legs drawn up and didn't move as the other pair entered.
"Oy, Harry," Ron called, and with a wiggle and flick, sent Harry's sandwich and drink across the room to settle on the central reading table. The flick was a little too strong, and the drink wobbled, dangerously close to tipping before Ron caught the spell back. A few droplets of pumpkin juice dotted the dull wood as the glass settled.
The black-haired wizard looked up with a bit of a start. `Hey, you two," he replied.
"Come and eat something, Harry," Hermione motioned him to the table.
They settled to the meal with small talk of the weather, and Ron's eating habits, but all three were pretending that things were halfway normal. Hermione could feel the boys' tension as much as her own.
They had only one more Horcrux to discover, just one, but the clues to the object's location had dried up. The sense of failure was galling, though she knew that she was doing all she could, but Hermione still fretted almost hourly.
Harry had become more and more withdrawn as the hunt progressed. Ron thought it was because he was missing Ginny, but Hermione knew from her letters with the Weasley girl, Harry wasn't writing. It was becoming almost scary to be around the young wizard.
It wasn't the training that he forced himself to do or the amount of spellwork and other magical training that Harry was gaining at a staggering pace that frightened her. It was the fatalistic look that hovered in his eyes continuously now.
Harry was working toward the fight against Voldemort, true, but he didn't expect to survive it.
It brought home how much of a price might need to be paid for victory, and she felt small and powerless when she was alone with her thoughts. Death wasn't a reality to her before, just an abstract thing that other people went through, but something that didn't affect her. Until now.
After a few hours of research, Hermione took the dishes down to the kitchen while Ron went up his room on the third floor for a kip. It was on the way back up that she spied the camera that Fred had lent them, and so she crept up and got Harry with the candid shot.
She never let on that she'd taken a photograph of him that day. By the time she could get Colin to develop it, Harry was already gone. And the price of triumph was just starting to come due.
Hermione shook herself out of reverie. Looking back now from where she stood, she knew precisely why it had bothered and consumed her mind during that last year. Ron and she had mutually decided to put their own burgeoning relationship on hold to help Harry, but while Ron was able to return back to that beginning, Hermione found the nascent emotions she'd had were gone.
Part of that diminishment was from the irrational disappointment with the ease that Ron shelved their relationship in the first place. They had both agreed that Harry's needs were more important at the outset, and Voldemort had to be defeated first before they could all be safe enough to worry about regular things.
The other factor was the change that had happened within her. And the choices that change had influenced. Enough ancient history, Hermione, she thought.
She dropped the curtain and turned to go up the stairs.
******
Hermione was surprised to be able to wake up on her own around 11 am, which would put her near her normal sleeping
schedule of 5 am EST in the States.
She showered quickly, dressed in casual slacks and jumper set with soft leather flats and headed to the quiet downstairs. For a moment, Hermione entertained the idea that Jamie had possibly driven his grandparents to death, but muffled laughter and jubilant cries sounded from the backyard.
She grabbed half a bagel that lay on a plate on the kitchen bar and headed outside to find Jamie flying around the backyard on a broom.
Sudden adrenaline shot through her system and she barely restrained a scream of protest. Hermione's mother, who had caught sight of her first, seemed to recognize her daughter's distress and moved quickly to her side.
"Easy, love, Jamie found the old school broom in the attic with your Hogwarts trunk and insisted on bringing out. Your friend caught him just as he made it fly, and magicked it to fly slow and low to the ground." Katherine Granger kept her voice pitched low so only Hermione could hear her clearly.
Anger chilled in surprise. "Jamie made it go? By himself?"
"Yes, dear," Katherine turned to look back with Hermione as Jamie maneuvered the broom about with confidence. "Your friend Ron was as surprised as you, I daresay."
Ron was standing in the circle of Jamie's flight and was watching the young boy intently. Tonks was patrolling beyond near the edge of the property and was glancing back once and awhile, but she was too far away for Hermione to discern her expression. There was no sign of Moody and knowing the older auror's usual penchant for security, she didn't expect to see him.
Ron caught sight of her standing on the steps and motioned for her to come and join him. She frowned for a moment, still wanting to communicate her discomfort at this activity, and his expression changed to indicate more than a touch of desperation.
Hermione took pity on him and headed across the lawn to join the red-haired wizard as Jamie took another circle around, crowing with delight.
"Merlin's beard, Hermione," Ron said excitedly in a low voice. "He's flying a broom and he's only three!"
"And what about this activity is a good idea?" She hissed back.
Ron looked taken aback for a moment. "I understand that you're not happy about the flying, Hermione, but do you realize what this means?"
"That he can be followed and pursued by people who consider him special or a freak of nature, to be poked and prodded by the idly curious and the downright malicious?" Hermione's voice rose sharply. "There's already a chance that they'll find out who his father is, Ron!"
Jamie heard his mother's last statement and guided the broom over to her. "Look, Mummy, I'm flying!"
His happy expression began to fade as he saw his mother's set face. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and summoned as much calm as she could. Jamie's achievement was incredible, and as for the flying, she knew that he came by the skill honestly from Harry.
"Yes, I see, you're flying on a broom," she said sweetly. "And it's nearly luncheon time, so just a few more turns for you before we go in, young man."
The little boy hesitated and then headed off again. He cast glances back at his mother, anxious for a bit before he relaxed back into his flying.
"Stars, he looks so much like…"
"Stop right there," Hermione said sotto voce. "Don't even think that!"
Ron turned to her with his hands on his hips. "He's Harry's son, Hermione, how can I not think he's like his father?"
"He's James, James Granger-Potter," she said sharply. "He is not his father reincarnated."
Ron let out a rude noise at that. "I know that, Hermione."
"Do you?" she replied, her eyes on her tiny son, perched on a broom that dwarfed him. She had only tolerated flying on brooms throughout her school years. "I wonder, because you didn't tell me you were looking to find Harry alive."
"What's that supposed to mean, eh?" He snapped back.
"What if Harry isn't alive? Have you considered that?" Hermione looked up into his blue eyes and held the stare. "Does Jamie suddenly become a surrogate Harry Potter for you and others?"
"I can't believe you!" Ron shouted, startling Jamie into falling off the broom. The little boy picked himself up without a cry however and dashed back to his mother.
"Don't yell at Mummy!" he cried as he threw his arms around Hermione's leg.
She knelt down and broke her son's grip, pulling him up and against her hip. Jamie clung tightly, his frown fretful as he looked back and forth between the adults.
"It's alright, Jamie," she murmured. "Ron and I were just having a disagreement."
"No yelling," Jamie said, waving a finger in admonishment. "It's not nice."
Hermione smiled at hearing her words echoed back to her. "That's right, it's not nice. I'm sorry, Ron," She turned to the man beside her and widened her eyes tellingly.
Ron looked annoyed for a moment, then grudgingly responded. "Yeah, I'm sorry as well."
The little boy smiled happily at him and then struggled to be let down. "Down, Mummy, please?" Hermione put him down and he raced back to where the broom had landed.
"Up!" Jamie said loudly.
The broom jumped into the air and hovered at the little boy's hand, just like for his father eleven years ago at Hogwarts. God, if I can't keep them straight, how can I expect anyone else to do so? Hermione thought.
Mrs. Granger called from the kitchen doorway. "Come along, you lot, let's eat."
Jamie scrambled reluctantly from the broom when Hermione reinforced her mother's request and carried the broom as the boy tripped up the steps and into the kitchen. Once out of sight, she handed the broom to Ron brusquely.
"Take this with you, and don't bring it back until I tell you to do so."
Ron angrily took the broom from her. "What are you playing at, Hermione? He's a wizard after all."
"Wizard, yes, but in his own time and choosing, Ron," she answered firmly. "He will have the choices that his father was never given for as long as I draw breath. He won't be used as a pawn in someone else's grand plan for the greater good."
Ron stopped dead at that, and Hermione felt his eyes on her as she mounted the stairs and disappeared into the house.
******
After luncheon, Hermione dressed in one of her normal business suits topped with her loose midnight blue Department of Magic robes. On the left hand shoulder was the white and gold patch with the rampant eagle with a crossed laurel branch and wand. Hermione brushed over the patch, brushing at non-existent lint and straightened the shoulder drape.
She set her wand in its holster on her left arm, checked her gold watch, and closed her attaché case with a snap to place it beside the door. The rumble of voices and footsteps drew her back into the kitchen.
Jamie was running excitedly around the kitchen table, chasing a toy magic dragon that belched fire and roared in a tinny voice. Tonks carefully directed the toy in a clear path and the Grangers looked on with fond amusement. Hermione moved to her mother's side and leaned down.
"I'm sorry to leave you with Jamie like this, Mum," she sighed.
Katherine looked up. "Never you mind that, love, we're happy to have any chance to have Jamie with us. We miss you both terribly between visits."
The little boy caught the dragon and rushed around the table to show his catch off to his mother, who dutifully admired it before lifting him to her hip.
"Grandfather and Grandmum are going to take you to the Zoo today while I do some work, you'll be good for them, won't you?" Hermione brushed her nose against her son's and Jamie gave a giggle.
Ron stepped into the kitchen then and nodded to Hermione.
"I have to go now, so I'll see you later at dinner," She kissed Jamie's forehead and hugged him before setting him on his feet. Tonks waved her wand and sent the dragon flying once more and Jamie was quick to pursue.
Hermione followed Ron out of the kitchen, retrieved her bag and left the house. They walked for a bit down the sidewalk until they reached a small side alley. Hermione felt the slight tingle of a Notice-me-not charm as she stepped sideways into the alley and with a nod to her escort, she apparated to the Ministry's main entrance.
Once more, there were people awaiting her arrival, but a much smaller group. The current Minister for Magic, Roscoe Faineant, was accompanied by his closest aides and the current head of the MLE, Kenneth Wry.
Unlike Fudge or Scrimgeour's ministries, Fainenant seemed to have a fairly competent staff so far as Hermione could judge, and they were quite interested in assisting Ron's research. Of course, Hermione could read between lines of the bureaucratic double-speak and knew that they hadn't always held that view. Even if Ron hadn't told her about the Ministry's reaction to Miroslav's information, she felt confident she would have divined it from the general discussion alone.
Once the official meeting was over, Ron lead Hermione deep into the bowels of the Ministry to a place that she remembered all too well, the Department of Mysteries.
The circular room, the time room and the others…she passed through them to reach a new section of the department, which had a normal appearing wooden door with an ornately carved brass knocker.
Ron stopped in front of the door and used his wand to tap the knocker three times. The brass device let out a sleepy snort and then a gargoyle's face rotated into view.
"Wot ya want?" the knocker said with a yawn.
"Open up, you useless piece of metal," Ron said.
"'Ere now, that's no way to be," the gargoyle stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry. " `urt me feelings ya `ave, need me to go have a fit o' vapors now."
The knocker began to rotate closed again, but Ron quickly caught the gargoyle by the nose and leaned in to whisper something Hermione couldn't catch. The gargoyle's eyes bugged out for a moment, then the distinct sound of the lock catch sounded and the door swung open.
Ron resituated his robes with a quick tug at the lapels and waved Hermione to enter. She could hear the door knocker muttering under its breath as she passed through into an amazing library with floor-to-ceiling windows letting an illusion of brilliant sunlight through. There were the three large central tables and a large fireplace crouching across from the door with a small fire burning in the grate which made the room seem more welcoming.
A large slate board stood against a side wall inscribed with arithmantic symbols and equations. The nearest table to the board was piled high with old leather-bound books and rolled up parchments. The notations drew Hermione's attention and she went to the board and examined the formulae.
"The inversion section goes between the energy extraction and the final portion that we've tried to recreate from the fragments found in Malfoy Manor," a dreamy voice floated down from above their heads. Hermione turned and looked up at the upper level at the young woman in dark robes with the insignia patch of the Department of Mysteries Unspeakables.
"Hello, Luna," Hermione said pleasantly. "Been a long time since we last spoke."
"Yes, it has," Luna replied. "Now that you're here, we stand a good chance of solving this puzzle." The blond witch descended the stairs and came up beside Hermione.
"You're the primary researcher then?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, the other Unspeakables didn't want the project," Luna cocked her head at the end sequence and then picked up the chalk and added a bridging character. Hermione glanced over and raised her eyebrows in interest.
"It looks like you're making progress," Hermione glanced over to Ron who remained near the door. He looked uncomfortable as he stood and watched the two women at the board.
"This is only an educated guess," the other witch said, pointing at the character she'd just written. "We're missing several key reference works that would help with the reconstruction. Voldemort's people have been very troublesome that way."
"References missing?"
"Yes, the Department Archivist is very despondent over the loss," Luna answered.
Hermione went to the table and opened her attaché case to remove her notes. She paged through the scrolls, selected one and then handed it to Luna.
"Do we have access to these tomes?" Hermione queried.
Luna went down the list, soundlessly repeated the book titles before she said. "We have most of these, but we're missing three."
Hermione moved to Luna's side and watched as the other witch underlined the missing books. Oh no, not the Definitive History of Runic Magicks by Quondam Episteme, she thought, dismayed. The History was one of the most crucial volumes they were going to need to reconstruct this thing.
"Hmm, any chance of getting the missing volumes from private sources?" Hermione fought against a growing sense of frustration.
Luna shook her head sadly. "I've already inquired, but most private sources don't have these volumes either. I suspect that Voldemort had them stolen or removed deliberately back when he was gaining power before the last battle."
Shite, Hermione thought, that means I have to call in some favors…
Ron shuffled his feet a bit, drawing Hermione's attention back from her thoughts. Luna had drifted over to him and they appeared to be having a quiet conversation. Their body language indicated it was personal in nature, and Hermione thought she now knew who had encouraged Ron to "mend frames". She turned from the pair and pulled out a notepad and pen to start determining the best method to get the missing tomes into her hands.
She heard the sound of a kiss then the outer door opening and closing before she looked up at Luna.
"You and Ron, then?"
"If you mean "are we dating" then yes," the blonde witch pulled out a chair and sat down at the table and began to arrange the work papers. "He still does love you, you know."
"I've not really given him a reason to continue," Hermione replied stiffly. "It would be best for him to let go of any fantasies he may be entertaining right now."
"Fantasies? I don't think it's a fantasy to love another person," Luna opened an old tome and blew away the layer of dust before starting to read the page. "Love is its own power, it's a force of nature, if you think about it."
Hermione stayed silent, pulling her work in front of her and began to focus on the matter at hand.
********
By mid-afternoon, Hermione had gained a new appreciation of Luna's acumen and native intelligence.
The blonde witch was a relentless researcher though there were the odd incidences of strange concepts and verbal non-sequiturs that cropped up now and again. At first, Hermione had had to curb her tongue when Luna spoke of Habajeebs and their lifecycles, but as the research had continued, she had focused on the formulae and let Luna's blather wash over her when it didn't relate to the spell. Hermione found it strangely relaxing and didn't spend any energy or thought on why it was soothing.
"Hmm, the inversion of the runes in the central part…" Luna's voice trailed off onto a strange note that caused Hermione to glance up at her.
Her blue eyes were glazed; the pupils fully dilated so only the thinnest line of blue outlined the darkness. Her serene countenance contorted into such an expression of fear that Hermione rose and rushed to the woman's side.
"Darkness moves to swallow all…what was once lost will become found…what is inside will be freed…defeat for the Dark Lord comes from the hand of the child…" Luna's voice was a harsh whisper that trailed off into a strangled gasp before she passed out.
Hermione barely had a chance to stop the blonde's slide to the floor and screamed for help. "Ron! Ron, come quickly!"
There came the sound of rushing footsteps from the outside hallway followed by a ripe curse as the door failed to open. A muffled thump and tinny squeal of pain came and Ron shoved the door aside to rush in with his wand drawn.
"Something's wrong with Luna," Hermione juggled her grip to cradle the woman's head as Ron put his wand on the table and began to gather the unconscious Luna up.
"Did she say anything before she passed out?" Ron queried as he headed to the door.
Hermione snatched up his wand and followed. "Several things, rather ominous sounding…was she prophesizing?"
Ron shot her a look and shook his head warningly. The sounds of other footsteps came from the circular room and the hallway. He strode up to a side door and shouldered through it with his burden. Hermione nipped in quickly behind him and passed him his wand after he set Luna down on a rather non-descript chintz couch in the small area.
The small lounge area also boasted a couple of slouchy armchairs around a wooden table that listed toward one side. A rickety bookcase piled high with books took up the wall next to the door. Ron crouched down and chafed one of Luna's hands and spoke softly, encouraging her to wake up.
Hermione sprang to the side as a sharp knock on the partially open door was followed by the two robed wizards with Unspeakable insignias.
"What's the problem this time, Weasley?" The oldest of the pair snapped coldly.
"Nothing," Ron glanced up at his questioner and then deliberately turned his back to him as he continued. "Luna just had a dizzy spell and needed to rest for a moment. She's done in, that's all."
Hermione met the gaze of the older man as it swept to her with a blank expression and tight mental shields. He gave up the attempt to intimidate her when his companion whispered in his ear after a moment.
"It had better not be another prophecy," The man spat as he turned to leave. "There's already four of them in the Hall already and if there's anymore, she'll have to resign from the Department and register as a proven Seer."
Hermione kept her expression bland and non-committal as the pair exited, closing the door once their footsteps had faded around the corner.
"Ron…"
"I know, I know," He muttered. "C'mon sweet, wake up."
Hermione stepped to the arm of the couch and placed her fingertips against Luna's temples. She began to massage, careful to hit all the relevant acupressure points.
"What are you about?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"Stimulation of certain points helps reduce the shock of a vision if done properly," Hermione answered, not pausing in her ministrations. She could feel the tension in the tremble of the facial muscles and used a bit more pressure to smooth the knots away.
Luna's eyes flew open and she stared straight up at Hermione. "Where is your son?"
Hermione shot a glare at Ron to find him staring at Luna slack-jawed. "Ron…"
"I didn't tell her, I swear!" He exclaimed. "I haven't told anyone about him!"
Hermione sighed. "But what about Tonks and Moody, hmm?"
"Listen to me," Luna struggled to sit up, but Ron kept her prone with his hands on her shoulders. "They're going to find out about him, you need to get him to safety now!"
"Luna, calm down," Hermione said. "We have Aurors watching over us while we're here."
"They won't be enough," Luna began to sob aloud. "You don't understand. Everyone will be after him…everyone!"
Hermione felt her stomach drop with dread when the sound of pounding footsteps sounded outside the office. Ron stood to face the door as it flew open, with Tonks framed in the doorway. Behind her was Hermione's parents, looking ashen and with Katherine holding Jamie with a panicked expression.
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