Disclaimer: JKR owns.
Lost Daughter
Chapter 23: The Second Chance
[AN] I apologize for how long it's been. To keep you from worrying, you can always trust that this story will be completed; it's just a matter of when.
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Hermione's foot couldn't stop tapping against the floor up at the staff table. Her plate had gone untouched so far except for some juice and a little toast. She couldn't eat though. She had too much on her mind.
Trying to force aside her lingering thoughts of Harry and what had almost nearly transpired between them earlier that morning, Hermione had yet to see Amia show up at breakfast. The girl was usually rushing in at the last second but her tardiness today left something for Hermione to fear. Today was supposed to be the day she was deciding her fate: would Amia Cooper stay in her transfer at Hogwarts or would she return home, back to Avalon Academy, back to California…
Hermione let out an impatient sigh for the thousandth time that morning and let her eyes scan the hall again. Rose was gone too; she had noticed her youngest daughter missing from the gossiping groups crowding the Gryffindor table.
Alas it didn't seem to be only Hermione. The entire hall seemed just as jittery. Everyone was waiting for some sort of news. Subconsciously, she glanced to her left towards Professor McGonagall's vacant seat.
Hermione sighed a little more indignantly this time. She hated how she always had to be the one lately to wait around for answers. She wanted to be proactive but she didn't know where to start. Mia was gone, so was McGonagall. Perhaps it wasn't too far off to believe that they were together, discussing Amia's future.
Hermione looked down at her hardly-touched food and sighed dejectedly. She thought of how fate was crueler than ever. It was only about ten in the morning but already it seemed like she'd lost forever two of the people she would most willingly give her life for. Her emotions were spiraling downward and she was unsure how to compose herself around such drama.
As if on cue, Neville sitting next to her nudged her arm gently, "You alright Hermione?"
"Just a lot on my mind," she mumbled in return, not looking up at him. A minute later she stood and began moving her way towards the exit of the hall.
She wanted to grieve alone.
…
An hour or two had passed. Hermione's eyes were still pink from all the crying. She had a crumbled tissue clutched in her hand as she wrote small grammatical marks on the essays she was grading. It's not like she was humiliated for being in such a state but she also didn't want to return her students' work with tear stains all over it.
The room was quiet besides the sniffles and light etchings coming from Hermione. There were so many thoughts running through her mind that she was desperately trying to ignore (failingly so) that it made sense when she failed to register the knock at her classroom. As a result, it gave her quite a jolt when she looked up from a 5th year Ravenclaw's essay and saw Minerva McGonagall standing before her.
"Professor McGonagall."
"I'm sorry Miss Granger, I didn't mean to interrupt your work."
Hermione frowned slightly at being called `Miss Granger'. Usually McGonagall would just say Mrs. Weasley. Besides hearing it used for professional reasons, it had been a long time since anyone had called her Miss Granger.
"Oh, no. What can I do for you?"
"I came to update you on the new safety procedures Hogwarts will begin implementing until further notice."
Hermione paused for a second, her eyes falling away from the older woman's grave face. New procedures… had the teachers been instructed like this by Dumbledore when she and the boys were in school and the trouble of Lord Voldemort and his death eaters were starting to become a serious threat?
She would've taken a second to reminisce but remembering McGonagall was right in front of her, she snapped back into action. "Of course. Please sit," she added, waving her wand at the pile of books resting in the chair opposite her desk. They rose into the air and zoomed over to an empty corner while the older matron sat down.
The expression on her face when she looked up to Hermione next made the educator look like she'd age over night.
"So what have you and the Board come up with?" Hermione asked, now with dire curiosity.
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath before she started speaking. Hermione tried to meticulously listen to her old teacher, but as she went on she couldn't fight the overwhelming sensation creeping within her, threatening to pull her into absolute hysteria. Seventeen years later and it's like it was happening all over again…
"…Hogsmeade weekends will be cancelled indefinitely, until the aurors can apprehend any suspects behind the attacks. All other restrictions on outside ventures will remain intact during this period. Quidditch matches will henceforth be put on hold and all grounds classes will be rescheduled into castle classrooms."
Hermione sighed, "So we're trapping them in the castle."
"I'm sure you understand Miss Granger; the risk is just not worth it."
"Of course… it's just… extremely unfortunate."
McGonagall nodded stiffly, "On another note, should any students approach you with uncertainty of their safety here or inquire about returning to their homes, please send them to my office."
Hermione seemed surprised by that, "Do you expect many students to leave?"
"We've lost twelve so far today."
Hermione sucked in a harsh breath. Twelve. She wasn't expecting to hear such a large number. Her body splintered over as the question left her lips.
"Has… has Miss Cooper seen you yet?"
McGonagall's eyes narrowed peculiarly for a half moment but washed over with flat rationale a second later, "Given what happened to her yesterday, I expect the child to have a decent lay in today."
"Right. Just curious," Hermione muttered evasively. She felt like her heart was beating out of her chest.
"The Heads have been notified and are alerting their houses. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Have you been updated on Mr. Stonem's condition?"
McGonagall's austere manner was brought down a notch. For the first time that weekend, the headmistress looked sad. "He's in intensive care at St. Mungo's. I'm sure they're doing everything they can for him."
"Poor boy." Hermione didn't know how she'd cope ever seeing her children in the state the Head Boy was in. She pictured Amia laying limp in a hospital bed with blood soaking through her bandages. The thought made her sick.
McGonagall nodded, "Any other questions?"
"No. Thank you for stopping by Professor."
With a shared look of mutual understanding, the headmistress stood and walked out of the class.
It was a moment before Hermione realized what McGonagall's visit had left her with. Amia was still at Hogwarts.
…


The Ministry of Magic was a mad house. Upon hearing the news of the attack on Hogsmeade, the wizarding world had gone into a panic. Writers and journalists were sprinting the halls, trying to stick their ears and pens in on anything new relating to the Hogsmeade attacks. In turn, aurors and other ministry officials were falling all over each other, trying to share information and get the latest orders from their Heads. Everyone was calling the question of whether or not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned. Harry's jaw had flexed every time he listened to someone use Voldemort's moniker. He couldn't believe one attack could cause everyone to revert back to their pre-war fears.
As he stood up on stage behind the podium, listening as Robards quelled everyone's blossoming paranoia, he couldn't help but think harder about the possible connection between the Hogsmeade attack and his daughter. He wouldn't be fooled into believing that she'd been attacked on chance. Someone had set out to get Amia. But she'd been okay- practically stood up and walked off whatever curse she'd been hit with. How had her attacker responded to that? Or better yet, how had they even known where to find her? Could they really have been keeping such close tabs on his daughter to know when she had transferred to Hogwarts? The thought made a blaze of furry streak up his back.
He and Hermione had made absolutely positive that they had covered their daughter's tracks. Yet, her first public outing and they knew exactly where to find her. Sixteen years of protection had all been shot to hell thanks to one Hogsmeade weekend.
But he couldn't let himself feel entirely helpless. Amia had recovered, thank Merlin. Concentrating on that helped propel him further into his new theory…
Just like they had on Saturday, their attackers in Boston all those years ago had practically come out of nowhere. Not until after their attacks could Harry and Hermione connect that they had been discovered based on a trace tied to Mia in the womb. But where had the culprits gotten the trace from in the first place?
The memory of what had stimulated their attackers in Boston was the current reason why Harry found himself, with electrifying tenseness, stepping out of the lift on the ninth floor of the ministry, the Department of Mysteries.
The long shadowy corridor was just as eerie as it always was for him, but the walk went by shortly. In no time he was standing in front of the door that had had such a profound, dark impact on his life. He raised his wand at it.
"I, Auror Harry Potter, wish to enter the Hall of Prophecies."
The tip of Harry's wand started to glow before the door leading back to the shady corridor slammed shut and the entrance room started spinning. A plain wood door stopped in front of him, its doorknob illuminated.
He kept his wand out as he stepped forward and opened the door. Towers upon towers of shelves housing small glowing blue spheres met his eyes. He felt an inevitable chill run down his spine but put that feeling behind him as he started to browse.
Of course he knew there was a big chance that his daughter's prophecy had been outright stolen seventeen years ago, but he wasn't positive. It was possible that their attackers in Boston had only heard the prediction or got the story second hand. There was a small chance that Amia's prophecy could be among the rows and rows of shining blue orbs. They were very intricately organized but since Harry didn't know how they were sorted, he was scanning everywhere. Not before long, he came to the shelf and row where his prophecy once sat stored. A different prophecy sat there now, but the feeling of looking at that spot again was the same.
Harry sighed and glanced around the vast hall. He knew coming here was a long shot. However, he was so excited with the prospect of new evidence that the small chance of finding something worthy was irrelevant. Also, it would've been nice to go back to Hermione with something concrete.
He wasn't ready to give up though. His eyes glanced over his old prophecy once more before he raised his wand straight up,
"Accio-"
"Can I help you?"
Harry spun around, his wand now pointing at a man's temple. His eyes caught the Ministry badge pinned to the bloke's robes before he begrudgingly eased himself.
Harry cleared his throat, "Are you an unspeakable?"
The man, with his hawk-like eyes stared at him unfalteringly, "Yes."
"I'm Harry-"
"I know who you are. How can I help you?"
Harry frowned at the man. He wanted to size him up, but something about his stare made Harry feel almost too intimidated to do so. Something seemed familiar about him, with his forceful gaze, flawless complexion, neat golden hair, and strong posture, but Harry was sure he'd never seen him before.
"I need help finding a prophecy," he said eventually.
"A prophecy created concerning you?"
"No, created for someone else."
The man's lip twitched up the slightest into a gaunt smile, "My apologies Auror Potter but I can not help you."
"Perhaps if I gave you the name of the person-"
"Only the prophesized may retrieve their prophecies."
Harry let out a breath, trying to keep his temper in check, "I'm not trying to do anything with it- I just want to make sure it exists. Is there any type of registry your department keeps to document prophesies?"
"Is this an official ministry matter?"
Harry narrowed his eyes. It seemed like the unspeakable was challenging him. "Yes. The details of my case are confidential. I'm only trying to verify the existence of a prophecy or perhaps see who predicted it."
The man was silent for a moment, perhaps considering Harry's request. After a couple seconds however, he shook his head once more. "I'm sorry Auror Potter but you've wasted your time. My department keeps no record of seers' predictions."
Harry sighed, the terrible sense of failure settling in his stomach, "And there's no way I could try and summon the prophecy?"
"Who's fate exactly are you looking for?" the man questioned, a twinkle present in his amber eyes. Harry stared at him, trying to not take offense. He hadn't spent much time at all working with the Department of Mysteries personnel, but he could've sworn it was like this unspeakable was toying with him. He wanted to retaliate- do something to get the smug innocence out of his eyes- but knew it would only cause trouble.
Instead, his only response was to jerk his head stiffly. "It's confidential. I'm sorry I wasted your time."
Without another word, Harry spun on his heels and started off towards the exit. Like a hawk, the unspeakable watched him until he disappeared behind a shelf.
…


Rose had tried to wait as long as possible up in the Gryffindor common room for Amia to wake up that Sunday morning. However, with the day already approaching one in the afternoon, Rose's stomach couldn't take it any longer. James, Albus, and her brother had already been past her to head out for breakfast. Her point had been to wait for Amia so that her friend could have some support facing down all the stares and questions in the Great Hall. But if she wasn't up already, it was probably for good reason. Besides, Rose would be a liar if she didn't have her own version of interrogation on Mia's attack yesterday. She still couldn't believe Tony Stonem had to be transferred to St. Mungo's for care.
She could tell the Great Hall would be empty considering how she passed only a couple clusters of students on the way down, hurrying around in tight groups, their conversation engrossed in gossip. She was expecting a quiet trip as she stepped off the staircase and headed out into the large corridor.
Her plans for a peaceful journey were dashed as she came out into the hall and saw Scorpius Malfoy sitting in a window ledge across from her. He saw her immediately and jumped up.
"Why such a late brunch?" he asked, walking up to her.
Rose fumbled, "Er- I-I was going to wait for Mia but she never came down."
"Oh," Scorpius nodded. His eyes scanned over her longingly leading Rose to inquire,
"Have you been waiting for me?"
"I wanted to make sure you were all right."
Rose paused. He wanted to check she wasn't hurt after yesterday's chaos. A flutter of butterflies passed through her but she couldn't ignore the random unease creeping around the back of her mind.
Scorpius had intended to spend the day with her in Hogsmeade but the day before he had cancelled. Then Hogsmeade was attacked…
Rose flinched, a little perturbed that her mind would come to a conclusion like that. There was no way Scorpius had anything to do with yesterday's attacks. What a rogue feeling, Rose thought.
"The attack was pretty scary but I'm okay. Only the Head Boy got really hurt."
Scorpius nodded, "Yeah I heard about that. Mia doing alright?"
"I haven't seen her," Rose said with a shrug.
"At least you weren't with them."
Rose looked at him and saw proof of the relief in his eyes. Her stomach erupted in flutters again.
"So you were going to eat?"
"I just wanted to get out of Gryffindor tower really," Rose lied.
Scorpius looked glad to hear this, "I know somewhere we can go."
"Okay," Rose replied. She didn't know how a boy could do this to her but with the way Scorpius was looking at her, she would've gone anywhere with him.
…
Hermione sat alone, sniffing and dabbing at her red eyes in the corner of her room. She had a few candles lit but it was only enough light to allow her to see one small photograph in the otherwise darkness of the night.
A couple of hours had passed since Hermione had begrudgingly made herself leave dinner at the Great Hall. She had sat at the staff table for a solid two hours, her eyes trained on the door, waiting with bated breath for her daughter to come through. Alas, it had all been left to her imagination. Amia had never showed, nor had Professor McGonagall. Her day of trepid waiting had ended in the most heart-breaking way.
She wasn't sure how she'd made it back to her class in one piece, but as soon as she was in her own safe confines she'd headed straight for the only photograph she'd ever had of her daughter. She'd been sitting at her bed staring down into Mia's baby green eyes ever since.
Her eyes were red from crying so much and just when she thought she didn't have any more tears to shed, she could feel the moisture in her eyes once more. Bringing the photo up to her chest, she screwed her eyes shut and tried to sob quietly.
She wasn't sure how long had passed when a knock at her door startled her from her grieving. Hermione jolted, instantly reaching up to brush away her tears. Silence engulfed the room as she waited, trying to listen for any signs of movement on the other side. Now that she thought about it, she didn't feel much like seeing anyone right now. Maybe they would just leave.
A couple seconds pass before a lighter knock came from the other side. Maybe it was Harry, Hermione thought, and for a fleeting moment Hermione's heart skipped a beat.
Did she want to see him? What if he had important news?
Carefully, Hermione stowed the baby picture in her robes pocket and approached the door. She put her hand on the door knob, took a deep breath, then pulled it open.
"Mia!"
She felt like a warm blanket fell over her body, replenishing every inch of her with relief and elation. Amia, in all her grace, was standing before her, staring at her with intent, absorbing eyes. Hermione choked back a sob.
The girl looked worried, "What's wrong with you?"
Hermione's hand reached up to her face, giving herself away. She brushed at her cheeks hoping the tearstains would disappear.
"Oh, nothing, nothing- what are you doing here? I-I thought you were gone already."
Mia frowned again, "You thought I would've left without saying goodbye?"
Hermione bit her lip, touched by the girls words, "I wasn't sure how tight of a schedule you'd be on…"
"Oh," she mumbled, looking down to the large book in her hands, "I came to give this back."
Hermione looked down at it too but shook her head, "You can keep it. It might be of some use to you in the future."
"If I need it again I'll just come back and borrow it. I know how important your collection is to you."
Hermione's eyes went wide and she fixed Amia with a bewildered look. Had she heard her correctly? "Come back?"
Mia raised an eyebrow as she nodded peculiarly, "Yeah… as in ask to take it again… later on… Hermione are you sure you're alright?"
Hermione could feel her hands shaking, "You're staying?"
Amia looked humbled as she ran her hand through her hair, tucking her bangs behind her ear, "Oh, yeah, I guess I should've made that clear..."
Another sob caught in Hermione's throat and before she knew it, she had tossed the book back onto a table and pulled Amia forward into a tight embrace. Mia had been taken completely off guard but it only took her a second to hug Hermione back.
"McGonagall's reaction was completely the opposite of this," she said, her voice muffled by Hermione's shoulder. She smiled when Hermione let out a strangled laugh.
"You're such a brave girl Mia," Hermione whispered, pulling back to look at her.
She shrugged, "Not really. I just like Hogwarts more than I thought I would. I don't feel ready to go. That's all."
A watery smile pulled at the corner of Hermione's mouth. Before she knew it, she found her hands gripping Amia's shoulders.
"I promise I won't let anything like this happen to you again," she said, gazing with all the emotion she'd been fighting to control earlier suddenly at peace.
But Amia only shrugged, "It's not like it was your fault Hermione. The attackers would've cursed anyone left on the streets."
"Still, you have my word."
It was a few seconds before Amia could muster a genuine smile, "Thanks Hermione."
Hermione nodded, pleased with her acceptance. She looked Mia up and down once more before asking, "Where have you been all day? You weren't at any meals…"
"I was finishing that essay for you in my room pretty much all day," Mia replied, happy to hear Hermione coming back to normal.
"Have you eaten anything? You must be starved," she fretted, still staring studiously at the girl in her baggie hoodie and slim torn jeans.
"I had breakfast this morning but I am pretty hungry."
"Too bad you didn't finish a bit earlier. Dinner has already been cleaned up."
"I was trying to avoid the Great Hall more than anything today," Mia muttered, glancing down at her shoes to avoid eye contact with Hermione.
Hermione frowned wondering if she felt ashamed or embarrassed about wanting to be alone, because she absolutely shouldn't. After what Amia went through yesterday it was totally understandable that she'd want to keep her distance. Hermione couldn't believe she didn't come to that conclusion herself earlier. It was so Harry…
"I understand," she said, reaching forward to pat her shoulder gently. She knew the girl must be in need of comforting if she hadn't spoken to anyone else that day. "Come on then, I'll take you down to the kitchens."
An excited look came over Amia's face, "Sweet, I think I like eating down there better anyway. Phenomenal service."
Hermione gave her a questioning look as they started walking to the exit of class, "When have you been to the kitchens?"
"Just today actually. Harry took me."
Hermione was surprised, "He did?"
"Yeah when I first went to go talk to McGonagall this morning. She'd already left so he offered to take me."
Hermione looked off into the distant corridor as they closed her classroom door. "That was nice of him," she said absentmindedly, her thoughts suddenly distant.
Amia watched Hermione out of the corner of her eye as they made their way through the empty halls, "Yep."
Hermione was quiet for a second and Mia couldn't help but pass judgment on the silence, secretly assuming who her teacher was busy thinking about.
"So you like Harry?" Hermione asked a minute later.
Mia nodded easily, "Yeah, he's cool. I thought he was a bit weird at first… but to be honest, I thought you were a bit weird at first too," she finished, grinning impishly.
Hermione scoffed, "Well excuse me Miss California…"
Mia laughed, "You're excused. No worries."
Hermione looked at the girl lovingly before saying, "I'm glad you like him."
Amia just looked up at her and nodded. Harry and Hermione had been together in Boston, the sixteen year old was sure of it. After all that had happened today though, Mia knew now wasn't the time to get into it.
She smiled to herself as they continued their way on to the kitchens.
They were almost to the stair case when none other than a very flustered and blushing Rose Weasley hurried from around a corner and ran into them.
"Rose, what's the rush? Is everything okay?" Hermione asked after steadying her daughter. She frowned confusedly taking in Rose's jumbled appearance.
"Mum! Mia! Sorry- I-I didn't mean to run into you…"
"Where are you coming from Rose?" Hermione asked again, slightly more suspicious this time.
The girl stared at her mum with her mouth hanging open, lost in thought. It wasn't until Amia gave Rose a `spit-it-out' gesture with her eyes, that she spoke, "I-I've been studying… all day… got up early and everything to- to study."
Hermione wasn't convinced, "Where were you studying? I asked James at dinner and he said you weren't in the library or in the common room."
Rose paled immediately. After another pause, the words rushed from her mouth, "I-I was studying in the lake- by the lake. I was studying down by the lake."
Hermione's frown turned into one of scolding, "Rose- didn't you listen to your Head of House? You're not supposed to leave the castle today; that includes the grounds. Intruders could come in through the forest."
Rose swallowed noisily, "Oh yeah… sorry, must've forgot. I won't go out again…"
"Both of you," Hermione said sternly, now looking back and forth between the two girls, "It's for your own safety. Are you hungry Rose? I could escort you to the kitchens."
The redhead instantly shook her head, "Uh, no actually. I was just going to head up to Gryffindor tower…"
"To study?" Mia ventured with a grin.
Rose shot an edgy look of warning at her, "Yes. To study. Bye."
Amia couldn't resist laughing as Rose practically ran from them, down the corridor leading to the Fat Lady. Hermione's eyes darted to Amia and narrowed, "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Mia shrugged, still laughing.
"Amia…"
"What?" she asked innocently, "I'm hungry. Can we please go to the kitchens now?"
She shot Hermione a charming grin and knew immediately she couldn't be resisted.
A small grin broke free on Hermione's lips, "Sure."
Amia took off a couple steps in front of her but she followed closely behind. She felt like she'd been given a second chance that day, and she was determined to follow through on her promise to Amia. She couldn't let anything else happen to her. The idea of losing her, as today had proven, was simply too much to bare.
Next chapter: Hermione and Harry discover a link between the Hogsmeade incident and the attacks of 16 years ago.
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