A/N: This was an interesting chapter to write. I knew where I wanted to go with it but then it turned out to make absolutely no sense. The flashback was a must and I tried my best to make it work. It's my first time writing flashbacks in this format and I'm not quite sure about it. It's one of a few more that will be scattered throughout the story in order to answer a few questions. Hopefully, you find this chapter enjoyable. As always, thank you all for being amazing readers/reviewers and thanks to my beta, Vincent!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, stop rubbing it in.
Enjoy!
-
Magique
Chapter 4: Once Upon Another Time
"We're going to need plenty of floral arrangements."
Harry looked over at Clara with a puzzled expression. "Why flowers?"
She gave him a dazzling smile. "It adds to the overall appeal of the room - makes it feel like a friendlier environment."
"What if people are allergic?" Hermione called from the other side of the table.
Harry and Clara looked over to her. She had a passive expression on her face and was looking at Clara expectantly. The blonde cleared her throat and spoke. "There are opaque bubble charms we can put over the arrangements to stop the pollen from spreading."
Hermione nodded. In all truth, she only spoke because she didn't like when Harry and Clara were looking at one another, which seemed to be all too often these days. She was looking for any excuse to get their attentions off of one another. Hermione didn't trust the blonde Ravenclaw and had written her off as trouble from the moment she walked into the castle.
Okay, maybe not the moment she walked in… more like a minute after when Harry went all doe-eyed.
"Why the inquiry, Hermione?" Clara asked. "Do you have allergies to pollen?"
"No," Hermione said briskly. But upon seeing Harry's questioning look, she continued on in a little white lie. "But I am familiar with people who do."
"Oh," Clara said. "Well I assure you that we'll take the proper precautions for your acquaintances."
Hermione nodded curtly. "Thank you."
Clara gave her a polite smile and continued reading off of a piece of parchment she had brought into the meeting. Gathered around the table was the regular ball-planning committee, consisting of various members of nobility, the royal cook, the local florist, and other various suppliers throughout the kingdom. Ron had managed to skip today's meeting due to a family occurrence. Or that was what his excuse was.
Harry was still looking at Hermione with a furrowed brow. She had been acting very odd lately, particularly when Clara was around. He had questioned her about it multiple times but she just waved him off with a laugh and changed the subject. But he knew her better than that. Hermione wasn't too fond of their new guests and was terrible at hiding it. She always took a witty stab at one of them, looking for a flaw in their perfect demeanors but, according to the sour looks she got on her face, was unsuccessful.
Although he liked Clara, perhaps a little too much for his comfort, he knew that Hermione would always be his top priority. She always had been since the day they had met. He smiled vaguely at the memory. It seemed like only yesterday…
~*~
9 years ago, mid-autumn
The streets were packed with people going about their daily business. They ranged from elderly folk purchasing achy bone solutions, to spunky adolescents searching for the latest trends in the robe and toy shops. Today was special, but what made it such was not that there were sale signs in every window celebrating the new season, nor the All-Hallows Eve decorations gleaming in the dusk. No, it was a little boy running amuck these people. He was dressed in common clothing so that anyone who glanced his way wouldn't look twice. Why would they? Well, this was no ordinary boy of eleven - this was Prince Harry, going on his semi-annual trip to town with his most trusted friend, Ronald Weasley, and two guards disguised as the boy's guardians.
Prince Harry hated being cooped up inside Gryffindor castle, so his godfather, King Sirius, allowed him to take a trip to town every few weeks to prevent the young prince from developing cabin fever. He was always protected by the best of the royal guard and accompanied by a friend of his choosing, which always ended up being Ron. The public was blissfully unaware that the future king of Gryffindor was among them and it would remain that way until the foreboding darkness that loomed over the kingdoms was lifted.
Although it was widespread that Voldemort was dead, killed by a rebounding curse aimed at Harry no less, Sirius was not convinced that they had seen the last of the evil lord. He took every precaution when it came to Harry's safety and that included innocent trips to town.
On this particular trip, Harry was more alert than he normally was. He knew that it was the anniversary of his parent's murder and he remained cautious even though the danger to him was slim to none. But despite his superstitions, he vowed to enjoy this trip since they were the ones he looked forward to every time he was bored inside the castle.
"We should be heading back soon." One of the guards, Erik, said.
"Five more minutes!" Harry said urgently.
Erik shared a look with his partner, Christine, and they relented to the young prince's wish. Harry grinned and turned to Ron, who was enamored with an enchanted sign above the local apothecary. His gaze remained fixed on the silhouette of a witch stirring the cauldron full of bubbling potion as they continued forward. Harry was about to tell him to pay attention before he tripped when he bumped into a small figure walking quickly to get by him. The impact was enough that the two of them were knocked to the ground.
"Sorry." The tender voice of a young girl spoke.
Harry looked over and saw that she was already on her knees, scrambling to gather the pile of books she had dropped on the cobblestone street. Harry hurried to her side and helped her pick them up.
"It's fine." He said, handing her a worn-looking copy of A History of Magic. He had never seen a book look so decrepit before. At the castle, their library was kept in pristine condition and they had that particular volume in a state where the title still shined. He only knew this because he had just recently began his tutelage in learning magic earlier that season.
They finished gathering her books and Harry looked once more at the girl who had practically run him over. He was expecting someone older and meatier but the site that awaited him was the complete opposite. She had hair the color of cinnamon that was wild atop her pale face. She was thin as a rail but still had the rosy cheeks of youth. Her robes were somewhat dirty and hung off her frame slightly. She looked to be around his age give or take. When her eyes met his he was greeted by two chocolate orbs that tied her together for him.
"Thank you." She said softly.
He nodded. "No problem…" He trailed off with a hint of question at the end.
"Hermione." She finished. "Hermione Granger."
"Hermione." He said. "That's a lovely name."
"Thank you." She said, blushing slightly. "And what should I call you?"
"Oh, just Ha-"
"What do you think you're doing?"
They both turned to see the annoyed face of Ron looking at them. Harry fumbled to answer his quarry. "Ron, this is Hermione. She rammed the two of us to the ground a moment ago."
Her face colored once more. "I told you I was sorry."
He smirked and turned back to her. "I'm only teasing."
She returned his smile. Ron, however, was not amused by their story. He cleared his throat and got Harry's attention back on him. "You do realize that you're associating with vermin?"
"Excuse me?" The two of them said together.
"She's Muggleborn, can't you tell?" Ron said, gesturing to her dirty attire.
"So?" Harry asked.
"So you can't be seen associating with the likes of her." He said matter-of-factly. "What are you even doing here, anyway? Don't your kind live in the sewers or something?"
Her face began to turn red again, but this time out of anger. "My kind resides in the lower towns where power hungry aristocrats like you force us to live because we pose an imaginary threat to expose the world of magic."
"So you admit there is a threat?" Ron said icily.
She rolled her eyes. "Only in your head."
Ron sneered. "You'd better watch your tongue. I could have you and your family locked up."
She gave him an annoyed look. "You don't scare me, red."
"I don't think you know who you're talking to."
"I don't give a rat's arse who I'm talking to. Discrimination is wrong and anyone with a brain knows it so your lack thereof makes you ignorant and therefore purges your right to speak to me in such a manor."
Ron's mouth was slightly agape. Harry looked at Hermione with a similar expression. She may look like a Muggleborn but she spoke like a noblewoman. Any preconception he may have had when Ron pointed out her blood status was wiped away. If the stereotype that all Muggleborns were ill-educated was wrong, what else didn't they know about them? It seemed to be quite a lot, as Hermione was quickly demonstrating.
Harry shook himself from his thoughts. "Leave her alone, Ron."
Ron turned to Harry. "Don't tell me you're sympathizing with this rat?"
"She's not a rat, Ron." Harry said, growing irritated with his friend.
"Really? Let's test that, shall we?" He looked at Hermione and made a waving motion with his hand. "Shoo! Go on, back to the sewers!"
She huffed and turned around on her heel. Harry stepped forward to stop her but Ron put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to him with a furrowed brow and shrugged his hand off.
"What's your problem?" Ron asked.
"My problem is that you treated Hermione like trash!"
"She is trash, Harry."
"What, just because she's Muggleborn?"
"Yes!"
Harry scoffed.
"It's always been that way, Harry, since before we were born. Muggles are bad news and letting them into our kingdoms poses a threat to the magical community at large."
"Would your father agree with you?" Harry spat. Ron avoided his gaze. Arthur Weasley was a well-known supporter of Muggles and Muggleborns, heading a guild that aimed to protect their rights. "I swear, you're beginning to sound more like the scum in Slytherin."
Ron looked up sharply. "You're lying!"
Harry gave him a pointed look. "I never lie."
Ron pursed his lips. There was silence between the two of them for a moment before he chose to speak up. "Well it's too late now."
"It's never too late."
Harry stood on his toes and saw a bush of cinnamon hair. He grinned and grabbed Ron's arm, dragging him as he began to weave through the thickening crowd of people. The two guards were too busy admiring an arrangement of glittering sneakoscopes to pay any mind to their departure. Being trained professionals, they knew no to take their eyes off of the prince for more than five seconds. But five seconds was all it took for Harry and Ron to slip away into the crowd and disappear from sight. By the time they turned back around to check on them, they were gone.
Trailing behind Hermione was no easy task. The streets were now packed to the fullest capacity of people for the All-Hallows Eve celebrations. It was so crammed that it was difficult for two eleven-year-old boys to weave through, which was saying quite a lot. But luckily for them, Hermione turned off into a deserted alley up ahead of them. They squeezed through one last pair of civilians before stumbling into the dark crevice.
Harry let go of Ron's arm and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hermione!"
She stopped in her tracks and turned slowly. Her face brightened when she saw Harry but when her eyes shifted to the redhead beside him, her smile quickly turned into a sneer. Harry ran toward her before she could make a move to leave. He skidded to a stop a foot away from her.
She allowed herself to smile once more. "Thank you for sparing me another spill to the ground."
He chuckled. "My pleasure."
She glanced behind him to where Ron was beginning to walk toward them. "If he takes another step closer I'm going to hex him into the next century."
"He's here to apologize." Harry said quickly before she could make a motion to grab her wand.
She looked at him in disbelief. "Really?"
He nodded.
"Did he get a personality shift or is it your everyday run-of-the-mill miracle?" She asked hotly.
"Neither. I compared him with a Slytherin and he wasn't too happy. He wants to make amends before his soul is damned."
She rolled her eyes. "Stereotypes aren't always true, you know."
"I know." He lowered his tone. "But Ron doesn't."
She smirked just as Ron arrived at Harry's side. Harry looked over at him and made a gesture to Hermione. "Do you have something that you want to say to Hermione?"
"Not really." He grumbled.
"Ron…" Harry said in a warning tone.
Ron frowned and looked over at Hermione. He sighed. "I'm sorry for calling you trash."
"And?" Harry prompted.
"And a rat."
"And?"
Ron glared at Harry but he remained silent with a gloating smile.
"And vermin." He said quickly. "Can we go now?"
Harry and Hermione laughed but before he could answer, a shadow fell over the three of them. Hermione looked behind the two boys to see what was causing the sudden darkness and stiffened. Harry, seeing Hermione's change in demeanor, turned around and felt his blood run cold. Ron was the last to face the blockage and paled when he saw the large figure.
"Didn't your mothers tell you it was dangerous to go wandering in dark allies?"
Ron gulped and took a step back, bumping into Hermione. She shoved him off and discreetly set her books on the ground, using him as a shield. When she stood back up, the figure was already moving towards them. Ron pulled out his wand.
"Stu-"
"Expelliarmus!" The man interrupted Ron's casting and his wand flew out of his hands.
Silence followed.
"Run." Hermione whispered to the boys.
The three of them didn't waste a moment and began to sprint away from the looming figure. Adrenaline pumped through their veins when they heard him pick up his pace to catch them. It was clear that their youth put them at an advantage as the figure began to fall behind. He cursed and pulled out his wand to cast a wordless spell at them. Harry turned just in time to see him aim and shouted "Duck!"
They ducked but the spell was already a good foot above their heads. It wasn't until the spell hit a tall barrel atop a pile of boxes that the three realized the spell wasn't mean for them. The barrel began to grow in size until it filled the width of the alley, preventing the three from getting any further. They came to an abrupt stop and turned. The figure had stopped running and was now walking at a brisk pace towards the three of them.
~*~
Hermione noticed that Harry seemed out of sorts. He hadn't been paying attention to the meeting for the past ten minutes. Clara hadn't taken notice, as she was busy listing off more womanly additions to the ball that her and her mother had come up with. Hermione had questioned every single one of them. She wondered why Harry hadn't berated her yet like he usually did when she teased Clara. Her answer awaited her in a neat little package across from her.
His gaze was focused on the oak table where he was tracing invisible patterns into the polished wood. He was completely lost in his thoughts. She had seen him like this once before, just after the war had ended. She had asked him what he was thinking about and he simply replied, "The past."
He then explained to her that he enjoyed dwelling in old memories - at least the ones he had left. He dumped all of the less appealing ones in a pensieve that he had received from Dumbledore a few years ago. She knew he still had a few questionable memories left in that head of his, but he had yet to have a need to rid himself of them. But she could tell that right now he was thinking of a happier time. His eyes may have said passive but the ever so slight curl of his lip said blissful. To her, she could think of no happier time than the first day that she, Ron, and Harry had met. They were all so innocent then and nothing was complicated.
My how the times have changed.
"Hermione what do you think?" Clara asked, shaking her from her reverie.
"Hm?" Hermione said. All eyes were on her and she felt her cheeks redden. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment. What did you say, Clara?"
"I asked what color scheme we should go with. I mean, I really like how you've been incorporating all four kingdom's colors but they clash horribly when overused on every single napkin and place setting. I feel we should use more neutral colors like gold and crème."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Does a color scheme really mean that much?"
Clara giggled. "Of course it does, silly! It's the pattern that repeats all throughout the hall. One wrong combination could be the deciding factor between a successful ball and one that everyone will be laughing about the next morning."
"Colors can do that?" She asked in astonishment.
Clara nodded with serious eyes. "And so much more."
"Hm." Hermione mumbled halfheartedly. "Interesting."
"Quite." Clara agreed. "So what do you think?"
She paused for a moment before speaking. "Honestly?"
"Of course."
"Crème and gold sounds fine."
Clara let out a squeal that could rival a dolphin's mating call and Hermione had to resist the urge to plug her ears. She settled for biting her lip instead to hold her tongue. She knew that this meeting would only last into the early afternoon so she had to do her best to maintain her composure until then, even though she knew this was a great waste of her time and knowledge. She would have much preferred reading a good book or sitting in on a council meeting. But since she could do neither, one because she wasn't allowed and the other because of the lack of reading material, she would have to settle for numbing her brain down and listening to the porcelain doll speak.
She sorely missed the good old days when she could call upon her brain at a whim - when situations still called for her quick-thinking. Now she was about as useless as a dirty rag. Sighing, she placed her head atop her hand and feigned interest in the discussion of velvet versus taffeta.
~*~
Hermione's brain began to work to find a solution. She hadn't learned any spells that could destroy the barrel yet in the books she was reading. Today's trip to the bookshop was to learn spells like that. She mentally berated herself for thinking that a trip later in the day would be more beneficial. Meanwhile, the figure was getting closer and he was only becoming larger. As he approached, the three of them got a better look at the man who had them trapped. He was dressed in all black and had a hood that covered his face from view. His large boots made thumping noises against the ground and his heavy breathing only added to the terror they were beginning to feel.
"Don't look so scared, kiddies." He said teasingly. "This will only hurt for a moment."
He raised his wand and panic settled into the trio's stomachs. Why couldn't I have begun reading those books in the shop? Hermione thought to herself. A fat load of good they're doing me now.
Then an idea hit her just as the figure came to a halt. She grabbed her wand from her back pocket and shouted "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The books that she had placed so precariously on the ground flew up in the air. She made a quick motion with her wand that caused the books to come soaring towards them. All at once the books collided with the man and knocked him to the ground.
Harry took this opportunity to pull out his wand and aim it at the fallen man's head. "Stupefy!"
His body went limp. The three stood in silence for a moment, soaking it all in. Just a minute ago, this guy had them cornered with no escape and now he was unconscious on the floor. Ron was the first to make a move, taking a few steps forward and prodding the body with the toe of his boot. When it was clear that the man was knocked out Ron pulled back his leg and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"Take that you overgrown lard!" He shouted.
He kicked him a few more times for effect, shouting similar insults. When he stopped, he realized that the man's hood had fallen off. He craned his head and recoiled. The figure that had been chasing them had oily sin and overgrown ears and nose. His eyes were too small for his head and there were random specks of pimples and blemishes all around his face. In fact, Ron thought he looked quite like a troll. He took a few steps back and turned to Harry and Hermione, who were still in a shocked silence.
"That was too close." Ron said.
"And we owe it all to Hermione." Harry said, looking at Hermione with admiration shining on his face.
Hermione blushed and avoided his gaze. "It was quick thinking, really. Anyone could have done it."
"Yeah but you were the first." Harry pointed out. "Without your quick thinking, we'd probably be dead."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron strangely. "You were brilliant, Hermione. Really. And um… I underestimated you. You're a lot more than meets the eye."
"Thank you, Ron." Hermione said sincerely. "Maybe one day you'll say the same thing for all Muggleborns in Hogwarts."
Ron smiled slyly. "Maybe."
Hermione turned back to Harry. "And you. I never got your name."
"Oh, right." Harry said. "It's Harry."
"Harry?" Hermione said. "As in-"
"Harry! Ron! Oh, thank Merlin. Sirius! I found them!"
"Sirius?" Hermione asked in a high-pitched voice.
After a moment, Remus and Sirius jogged down the alley to the trio, a handful of guards right behind them. They were disguised in baggy robes with hoods atop their heads big enough to hide their faces. They stopped right next to the unconscious man and looked between him and the three in horror.
"Did you…?" Remus asked shakily, pointing to the man.
"Hermione did." Harry said proudly, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
Remus looked at Hermione in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes, sir." Hermione said. "But it was Harry who knocked him out. I just threw my books at him."
Remus looked down and saw the books to which she was referring. He bent over and picked a few of them up, looking them over curiously. "Indeed."
"Harry, what were you thinking?" Sirius asked, seeming to ignore the exchange. "Running off like that on All-Hallows Eve! You could have been killed!"
"I'm sorry I-"
"No, sorry is not going to cut it this time. You are grounded from these trips for a month, do you understand me?"
Harry bent his head down in shame. "Yes, sir."
"Good." He said firmly. His face quickly softened as he took quick steps over to his godson and pulled him into a hug, thankful to have him in one piece. He pulled back and gave him a smile before looking over at Ron. "I'll be informing your parents as well, Ron."
Ron nodded solemnly.
"Now, I propose we-"
"Hold on, your highness." One of the guards spoke up. He was bent over the comatose form on the ground near his arm. He had rolled up his sleeve and was very pale. "I think you need to take a look at this."
Sirius sobered and went over to the guard. He tilted the man's arm and revealed something that made his eyes go wide. "My God," he whispered breathily. He turned his face upwards and looked to Remus, who was still enamored with Hermione's books. "Remus."
Remus looked over to Sirius and his expression changed to one of fear when he saw the man's sleeve bunched up. "Sirius… is he…?"
Sirius nodded. "It is as we feared, Remus."
"What is as you've feared?" Harry asked. "What's on that man's arm?"
Sirius looked to his godson with sad eyes. "Harry, you remember me telling you about who killed your parents all those years ago?"
"Of course."
He turned the man's forearm to Harry. A tattoo of some sort was inked on his pale skin in the shape of a skull with a snake coiled around it. It seemed to be moving enough to be noticeable, giving it a very dark aura. Harry felt the scar atop his forehead tingle at the sight and his hand moved up to it reflexively. Sirius nodded to himself and continued.
"This is the mark of Voldemort's followers. They call themselves Death Eaters. They are his servants and have been practically inactive since he was reported dead the night your parents died."
"But he's here." Harry said softly. "What does that mean?"
"It means that Voldemort is still very much a threat, something that I've suspected for years." Sirius said solemnly. He got up and brushed off his trousers before speaking again. "Harry, we've got to get back to the castle. I'll explain more when we're there."
Harry nodded. "Okay."
Remus retrieved the rest of Hermione's books from the ground and handed them to her. "It was very nice to meet you, Hermione."
"You as well." She said wispily.
"Come along, Harry," Sirius called as the guards levitated the Death Eater's body and began to carry it along the alley.
Harry looked at Hermione and she smiled at him. "Go on, your highness. I'll be fine."
He nodded and followed Ron to catch up with his godfather. Had she really met the prince? Had she just been in the same vicinity as the king? Oh, this was all too surreal to believe. What started as a normal trip to the bookstore had turned into so much more. This was a day she would never forget, not matter how brief the experience had been.
She found herself grinning as she clutched her books tight to her chest. After a moment, she turned to face the giant barrel and her smile faltered. She would have to take the long way home.
"Hermione!"
She jumped at the sound of her name and turned to see Harry running towards her. He stopped a foot away and asked breathily, "We can escort you home, if you like."
"Oh, you don't have to bother with-"
"My godfather insists." He said earnestly, looking to where Sirius was smiling over at them.
Hermione couldn't believe that the king himself wanted to escort her home. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she knew that if she didn't take advantage of it now, she would regret it in the morning. Plus it would add even more to the most exciting day of her life. She nodded to herself and walked with Harry back up to where the rest of the party was waiting.
~*~
Harry looked up and the first thing he saw was Hermione with a dazed look in her eyes. He chuckled inwardly to himself. He had been wondering how long it would take her to nod off. No matter how much he loved Hermione, he knew that she wouldn't last in a meeting like this. Duels and debates were no problem. Idle talk about décor not so much.
She sensed his gaze and her eyes became clear. He winked at her, telling her silently that he knew that she had lost her focus. If there was one thing that irritated Hermione more than being forced to attend a meeting she didn't want to be a part of it was being caught looking like she didn't want to be a part of it. She stuck her tongue out playfully and he grinned.
A throat being cleared took his attention away from Hermione. Clara was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. His grin faltered.
"Have you been paying attention at all during this meeting, Harry?"
He was at a loss for words. He didn't want to sound like an irresponsible dolt in front of Clara and the rest of the committee but he didn't want to lie either. He opened his mouth to sputter an answer when an angelic voice spoke up to save him.
"Oh leave him alone, Clara." Hermione said with a teasing smile. "He was up all last night training that he didn't get to bed until sunrise."
She wasn't lying so much as telling a small fib. He had been up late training but put himself to bed at a reasonable time afterwards. Well, Hermione had made him go to bed at a reasonable time afterwards. There had been a few occasions in the past where he had pulled all-nighters training in the arena and been like the walking dead the next morning. Some nights Hermione caught him to prevent having to take care of him in the morning and forced him back into the confines of the castle, last night being one of them. But Clara didn't need to know that.
"Oh, you poor thing." Clara cooed.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry owed her one.
He was fully aware of his newfound debt and made it perfectly clear to her as he mouthed a "Thank you" in her direction after Clara went back to the meeting. She sighed and nodded. Why did she do these things for him? Was it because she was weak or couldn't bear to see him at a loss? Probably both. It had always been that way. He saved her in the heroic sense and she saved him whenever he was in a small blunder with coursework or tongue-tangled with a girl.
What exactly had he done to her to make her do these things?
But of course that answer was obvious. And she wouldn't trade it for the world.
~*~
It was a long trip down to the lower towns but it was filled with Harry retelling the story about how Hermione had heroically summoned her books and clonked them over the Death Eater's head with no fear of the consequences. He made her sound like a heroine out of a book but she wasn't complaining. She remained mostly quiet as he sung her praises to his godfather, only interjecting when the tale became too unbelievable.
When they arrived at Hermione's home, she saw that the lights were on. He parents were still up and probably worried sick about her. She had said she would be back before sunset and it was already dark. The footfalls of her and the party escorting her drew them out and she held her breath. The relief on their faces allowed her to calm down - relief was better than anger.
"Hermione, oh thank heavens!" Her mother, Jane, said. She held out her arms and Hermione flew into them.
"We've been so worried, darling." Her father, Edward, said, putting a hand around her mother's shoulders as she pulled away.
"Sorry. I was held up."
"By what?" Jane asked.
Hermione looked back at the group behind her and Jane and Edward's eyes widened. They both bowed low in the presence of their king.
"Please, please, rise." Sirius said, taking a step forward. "It is your daughter who you should be praising."
"Hermione?" Jane asked.
Sirius nodded. "She saved my godson and his friend's life today."
"She did what?" Edward asked, astonished with what words were coming out of the king's mouth.
Sirius chuckled. "She was very brave, besting the likes of a Death Eater like she did."
"A Death Eater?" Edward asked, confused.
"Oh, right, you're Muggles." Sirius said to himself. He quickly explained the significance of the Death Eater to the Grangers.
"Goodness." Jane said with a hand over her heart. She looked at Hermione. "You saved the prince?"
"Erm, yes… yes, I suppose I did."
"And we are forever in your debt, Hermione." Sirius said. "If there is anything we can do for you or your family, please let me know."
"No it's really-" Hermione stopped herself. She looked down at the books in her arms and bit her lip. She glanced back up to where the king was looking at her with a questioning look in his eyes. "Well there is one thing."
"Anything, my dear, anything." Sirius said.
"I've just begun my magical education, you see." She started shakily, but quickly gaining more confidence as she went on. "And the tutors in the lower towns aren't teaching me much. I've taken to teaching myself through reading." She lifted the books slightly to emphasize her point. "Is there any way that you could assign new tutors to the lower towns?"
Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I'll see what I can do."
Hermione nodded and turned back to her parents.
"But," he continued, gaining her attention back. "I'll tell you what I can do for the girl who saved my godson's life. Though I will still take your proposition for the lower towns very seriously, how would you like to be privately tutored in the castle?"
"Privately tutored?" Hermione repeated in disbelief.
Sirius grinned. "Yes, privately tutored. I could set up your home with a floo connection to the castle to save you from walking such a distance every day and you would be taught by the very best." He made a motion and Remus came to stand beside him. "Remus here is the best tutor in Gryffindor, and you would get a full education up until your seventh year of schooling."
"Really?" Hermione asked excitedly.
Remus bowed. "It would be my honor."
Hermione turned to her parents with her eyes shining. "Can I?"
Jane grinned. "I think it would be a shame to waste such an opportunity."
Hermione let out an excited noise and hugged both of her parents in turn. She turned back to Remus and Sirius with a grin. "Thank you!"
"It's my pleasure." Sirius answered. "Now, if you will excuse us. We must get back to the castle."
Hermione nodded.
"Until tomorrow, Hermione." Remus said with a smile.
The group began to disperse until only Harry and Ron were standing outside her home. Harry spoke first. "Thank you, Hermione."
"You know as well as I that thanks aren't necessary." Hermione said.
Harry shrugged. "It's still polite."
"Harry!" Sirius called.
Harry looked back at his godfather. "One second!"
Hermione looked at the boys oddly. "Do you want a proper goodbye, then?"
"Goodbye?" Ron asked. "This isn't goodbye."
Hermione looked confused. Harry took pity on her as a grin worked its way on his face. "We're tutored by Remus as well. We just want to say that we'll see you tomorrow."
Excitement bubbled in Hermione's stomach. "Really?"
"Really, really." Harry said. "So see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely!" Hermione said.
Ron and Harry grinned at each other and waved goodbye before they caught up with the group. Hermione watched them depart. Her parents each put a hand on her shoulder as she continued to look after they were out of sight. She had an odd feeling in her gut that had nothing to do with the excitement but was something else entirely. It was a feeling that told her something - something that she knew to be true.
This was only the beginning.
-->