A/N - Welcome to my new story. Instead of meal prepping or working out, I decided to upload this. Maybe it will kick me into gear to do some other stuff today. Maybe not.
The story is just a light hearted one, a little mystery which I assume most will guess before the end of the first chapter (the answer is at the end of the chapter). There is probably a little romance.
This will be a three chapter "one-shot". I know that totally means it isn't a one-shot. But hopefully you can get over that and come back when I add the remaining chapters. Updates will be Sunday unless I'm too excited about it and post early. *shrugs*
As all my stories are, this is totally AU with a EWE to boot.
Disclaimer - Don't own anything you recognize, they belong to their rightful owners. IF you aren't sure who that is, google it.
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She felt his breathe first on the back of her neck. His warmth ran the length of her back as he pulled her completely flush to him. His fingers danced up her arms. His lips brushed gentle kisses from her bare shoulder to her neck and trailed upward to her ear. He chuckled lightly as she shivered with desire. His chest vibrated as his laugh deepened after registering her desire and his kisses reached her cheek. Her hands rose toward her face and her fingertips met his lips. He gently kissed each fingertip before pulling back to her ear. "Soon."
Hermione woke with a start. She lit her room with a quiet lumos charm instead of the lamp that sat on the bedside table. She looked around her muggle hotel room already knowing it would be empty. The spot next to her in bed was cold. She hadn't expected to have that dream again. The dreams had started shortly after the war was finished and grew with intensity for a couple of years. Then they had stopped just as suddenly as they had started. Tonight had been the first time she'd dreamed of him in years and she found, while she was now frustrated, she had missed them. She never mentioned to dreams to anyone for fear they wouldn't understand and say they were an aftereffect of the trauma she suffered during the war. So she cherished the feeling of complete love and adoration she felt after them and kept them close to her heart.
Sighing, because she knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, Hermione looked to the hotel alarm clock and noted it was only four in the morning. It would be a long day for her and not quite how she planned the start of her investigation. Pulling herself from the surprisingly comfortable bed, Hermione dressed in her workout clothes.
"Might as well work off the extra energy first." Luckily the hotel's gym was open twenty-four hours and was empty when she got there. Ninety minutes later, Hermione returned to her room a bit more sweaty and slightly less on edge. Her emotions had been rather intense as of late causing her magic to sometimes be a bit off. She had found an intense morning workout helped to settle her mind and focus her powers. By the time she showered and dressed, the hotel breakfast had opened. While it wasn't her typical breakfast, the oatmeal was fine and the "English Breakfast Tea" was tolerable. After eating, Hermione headed out for her first day of research in the area. The use of muggle hotels was her personal form of rebellion and the way she knew wouldn't be followed.
Her friends, while she loved them, had a tendency to try and control her life. At first it had been little things like getting a job at the Ministry and moving to magical Britain instead of the really nice muggle flat she had found. The Weasleys, while she did love them, could not understand why she wanted to live anywhere but in the magical world. Hermione didn't want to fight about it, she'd been fighting for her place in this world since she was eleven. While some of those fights had been for her life, there were also arguments with those who fought along side of her but raised in the magical world. So she gave in on the job, the flat, how she spent her free time and so many other "small" things that soon she no longer recognizing herself.
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It had been about six years after the war that Hermione Granger found herself again. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic since the end of the war, had requested her assistance with growing concerns related to the Statue of Secrecy. It seemed muggle literature had again turned to the supernatural and while the current craze related to vampires and werewolves, the magical world was becoming concerned. Muggles were turning their focus toward mythical creatures and starting to investigate in the correct places. Magical creatures were being photographed at an alarming rate. More worrisome to the magical world was the speed those photos were shared. Hermione had warned the Ministry about the internet but her concerns had been brushed off. It seems she was correct, which should have surprised no one. It had taken a couple of years, but the Ministry had finally figured out a way for those photos to be discredited. Mythbusters and Ghost Hunters may be great shows, but at the end of the day the witches and wizards on the shows ensured any reasonable muggle would not believe in the supernatural. And that after all was the most important thing.
While Hermione was listening to Kingsley lament over how to dissuade muggles from encroaching and observing magical creatures; Luna Lovegood, had contacted Hermione on a potential extinction of the black winged jacklilly in the Americas. The combination of events reset Hermione's life. She helped to create and then became the first head of the Magical Species Protection Department. With the agreement of all Ministries, Hermione was able to research magical creatures across the globe and assist them in finding habitats out of the sight of muggles. Her department was independent of any specific country's ministry but worked in conjunction with all of them.
With her magic, Hermione set up wards that would redirect wayward muggles toward civilization and away from the creatures and their protected lands. Slowly the creatures Hermione assisted, who had been resistant to wizards in the past, began to trust her. With that trust, Hermione was told stories about other magical creatures that might need help. Hermione would take the stories and determine what areas were the most susceptible to muggle discovery. These were ranked and then acted upon. Hermione had spent the last two years traveling the world.
It was one of those stories that had led Hermione to the US and this particular part of the Appalachian Mountains. A group of centaurs who had been one of the first groups Hermione helped had mentioned something moving near their land five or so years prior. No one seemed to know just what it was but the centaurs were certain the magic was more like Hermione's than their own. They didn't have any conflict with whatever it was but did want to make sure this being would not attack them.
Hermione's research immediately shifted to what could be living there. The area, while near large muggle cities, was sparsely populated by magicals or muggles. The land was rugged and filled with wild animals. The majority of the magical creatures were open to Hermione; however the animals there ranged from rabbits, bats and deer to black bears, boars, bobcats and wolves. This type of animal was far different from what Hermione experienced during her seventh year in the Forest of Dean. Realizing her lack of knowledge of how to survive in that sort of environment, Hermione spent a month reading as much information as she could on the habitats and habits of the carnivores. After realizing she would never see them coming, she decided to take the offense by upping her defensive game. She determined that combining a modified bubbled charm with her personal shield charm should suffice. She worked with a wizard who had a fascination for non-magical creatures, and was able to test her shield bubble against what the carnivores could throw at her.
Once she was comfortable in being able to protect herself, Hermione delved into what information the American Ministry had on the creatures living in the region noted by the centaurs. This information could be described as sparse, at best. It seemed as if the American magicals were as wary of their ministry as the American muggles were of their own elected officials. Hermione suspected it was a trait of the Americans. They didn't seem to provide information unless it was almost forced. A lot of the documentation she did find was basically hearsay and speculative. After gaining nothing from her first review of the American records, Hermione turned to Luna and her network of informants. While Luna and Rolf contacted their leads, Hermione decided to investigate the area herself. That was how she ended up in West Virginia on a Monday morning in June.
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Climbing into her muggle rental, with a few extra bags of the "English Breakfast Tea" and a thermos of hot water, Hermione drove about an hour to a shopping center and parked. The lot backed to a small forested area and from there Hermione portkeyed to the boundary of the centaur land. She had sent notice of her return and the herd easily gave her permission to access their land. After landing, Hermione immediately felt the difference the centaurs had mentioned.
She immediately identified a ward had been erected nearby and noted, with some recognition, she had encountered something similar before. But frustratingly enough she couldn't place why she recognized it. She suspected her familiarity related to some family magic she had encountered; however, given the number of families she had worked with over the years she couldn't remember where she had encountered it before. It was a vague familiarity which she took as meaning she hadn't had much experience with this particular family and their wards. Because of that, the tidbit of information was relegated to the back of her mind. The ward didn't seem to be dangerous but she never took anything for granted when it related to her personal safety. With a few flicks of her wand, Hermione determined the wards were more of a warning system and held no danger to anyone or anything passing through them.
The ward rippled and seemed to caress her as she stepped through but did nothing else. Even though Hermione trusted her magic completely, she released a breath of relief that she had correctly interrupted the ward. She still felt a sense of apprehension and Hermione's response was to place the protection charm variation on herself. Once secure in a bubble of her own protection, Hermione pulled a topographical map, GPS and compass from her bag. She began to systematically map the land as she walked. She would analyze the results in the evening.
Throughout Hermione's day she felt something watching but she could never pinpoint what. Feeling secure in her charm, she knew if it was a wild animal they would be unable to reach her. If it was, as she suspected, the creature she was trying to locate, it seemed to be keeping its distance but was always near enough to sense. The morning had speed by and before long it was lunch. She found an area where she could rest against a tree. She pulled out the bag of food she had packed the night before. Before eating she opened the thermos and placed the teabags into the container. After she finished her food, she eagerly drank her tea and was disappointed. After dumping out the barely warm drink, she checked her watch and realized it was time to turn back. After making sure she hadn't left anything on the ground, she turned and headed toward the point she crossed the wards. She had decided she would access the area from the same point until she had either completely mapped the area or mapped everything she could from that point. When she returned to the point, she glanced around the area felt the need to speak with the creature.
"Thank you for allowing me to access your lands. I mean no disrespect or have any ulterior motives. I will return tomorrow. I would like to speak with you." Hermione stood for a few moments and when nothing happened she stepped through the ward and quickly portkeyed back to her car. Had Hermione turned, she may have seen a flash of light in the trees directly across from the point she accessed the ward.
*CLM**CLM*
Hermione had spent the hours after dinner rewriting her notes and transferring what she had documented onto her official map. While the topographical map was supposedly accurate based on muggle satellite mapping methods, she found some extreme differences between what the map showed should be there and what she actually encountered. She began to wonder if the wards also masked the land in some way. Maybe the ward was more protective than she initially had suspected. If so and if the creature who set them was willing, this could be a way to ensure magical beings remained hidden from advancements in muggle technology.
Tuesday morning started the same as Monday, Hermione woke from a vivid dream feeling loved and needed. Her own hands never felt as gentle as those of the man holding her in the dream. The voice was familiar but she could never quite place it. The accent was British and it tickled at her memories. But she couldn't remember more than just recognizing the voice. Glaring at the clock, Hermione stood and dressed to work out again. After having to focus on the terrain yesterday, she thought a good run on the treadmill would allow her mind to wonder.
After her workout, Hermione followed the pattern as yesterday. She ate breakfast, filled her thermos with hot water and grabbed a few tea bags. Unlike Monday, from now on she would brew the tea now and then just reheat it as needed. Yesterday's tea left a lot to be desired. After arriving at the small parking lot and parking her car, she waited until all the muggles in the area were in the building before slipping into the wooded area and activating her portkey. She landed just beyond the ward and stepped through before activating her bubble shield charm. The time on the treadmill lead her to think she needed to feel the ward a little more than what the charm allowed. She definitely had experienced a ward from this family before. But the question was when and where. This would be something she thought about in the evening. Hermione pulled out the map, GPS, compass and began her second day of documentation. As on Monday, she felt she was being watched and that watcher had to be a sentient being, no wild animal would follow for so long without attacking. Tuesday evening, before crossing the ward, found Hermione removing her charm and thanking the being again for allowing her to research the land. She smiled in the vague direction she felt the being should be. After a quick wave, Hermione turned, stepped through the ward and returned to her car. The same flash of happened after she stepped through the ward and popped away.
Her first week in West Virginia continued in the same pattern and by Friday evening she had mapped almost 65 kilometers of the mountain and had almost exhausted what she could do in a day safely. She had identified what appeared to be a large clearing as she settled down to eat her lunch. Looking to lovely area she decided it would be a good place to start her research on Monday. After finishing her lunch, she stretched and began the trek back to the point where she accessed the wards.
She was leery on using any magical form of travel within the boundaries of the wards without understanding their design and intent. Her reticence in the use of apparating or use of a port key required her to walk and hike the land. She had been mumbling to herself about this as she made her way back. As she reached the edge of the ward, she found a note attached to the tree were she crossed the ward boundary each day.
The wards simply warn me when a being, magical or otherwise, crosses into my territory. You will not be harmed if you to apparate or portkey within the boundary.
This confirmed Hermione's suspicion of being watched. She carefully folded the note and placed it, along with her map, GPS and compass in her bag. Turning, she gazed at the trees not knowing exactly where the wizard was. Not that she wondered prior but now she was sure, based on the note and the sense of his magic, the being was in fact a wizard.
"Thank you. I believe you mean no harm. I will return on Monday." With that Hermione stepped through the wards and her portkey returned her to the small forested area where she picked up her car and returned it to the rental company at the airport.
To ensure she didn't do anything that would cause the muggles to remember her, Hermione acted as if she was traveling for some sort of muggle job. Each Sunday evening she would pick up a rental car at the local airport and check into a hotel. Each morning she would leave early and return at some point after dinner. On Friday morning's she would check out of the hotel and return the car to the airport that evening. She would then slip into the restroom, glamour herself to looking like someone else and rent another car for the weekend. She would then spend the weekend in a different hotel and review her notes. Or if needed, she would return to Britain for a day or two. But that didn't happen often.
*CLM**CLM*
Hermione had spent the weekend anxiously waiting for Monday. She had wanted to return to the mountain top. There was something pulling her there, something she had never experienced but at the same time just felt right. She had somehow willed herself to ignore the feeling Saturday. By Sunday morning the only thing that was keeping her from going was having to keep up appearances as a weekend traveler. By the time she was settled back in her hotel for the week it was too late in the day.
It was on Sunday evening when Hermione received a note from Luna and Rolf. It seemed their contacts believed the being had no ill intent but did not want to interact with anyone. Hermione agreed, based on her experiences and the note, it seemed as if he just was protecting his territory. She would still need to speak with him, but maybe if she just spoke to the air she may have a note on her return that afternoon. Before going to sleep, she reviewed the map and decided to apparate to the edge of a clearing she had found on Friday. Snuggling in to the bed, Hermione slipped into deep sleep.
Monday morning came and Hermione had a sense of excitement and apprehension. She followed her same routine from the week prior and after arriving at a different parking lot, she portkeyed back to the point where she crossed the wards. She stood for a few minutes listening to any noises that may give away the direction of the wizard. When she heard nothing, Hermione centered herself and focusing on the clearing she spun away. On landing she stood perfectly still and listened. The sound she picked up was very quiet and registered on the low end of her hearing, but she heard the distinctive sound of wings flapping slowly through the air. It took all her restraint to not react and turn toward the sound. She had hoped by not giving away where she would be going the being would follow. Flying was another item to add to the list of things Hermione knew about the creature. About the wizard.
Hermione took a step toward the clearing and stopped abruptly. The stop was not caused by her but instead by a physical ward. She ran her hand along the smooth, physical barrier. She pulled out her map, GPS, compass and began to document the secondary boundary. After walking a complete circle around the clearing she noted the area of the clearing was completely protected. That was interesting. Until she could determine how to cross the boundary, she would continue to map the rest of the area inside the 'warning' ward.
The physical boundary that encircled the clearing seemed to have a ten acre diameter and the barrier was circular in nature. Based what she had already mapped, it appeared the warning ward was also circular in nature. Until she finished mapping the edge of the warning ward she wouldn't be certain, but she suspected it too would be circular. With the inaccuracy she had noted between what the topographical map showed and what she observed, she wondered if the clearing had a similar protection. She began to wonder what exactly was inside that boundary.
With her ability to apparate she was able to map more area each day and her hypothesis of the 'warning' boundary being an incredibly large circle that kept the physically bounded area in the center, she should have the entire area mapped by the end of the following week. She also suspected the wizard lived in the area that appeared to be a clearing. This was also supported by what Luna and Rolf had found. For some reason, this man wanted solitude.
Each day Hermione would thank the wizard for allowing her into his territory. It was the second Friday of her fieldwork that she gained another piece of information. After crossing the ward, she turned back and gazed in the direction she thought the wizard was. As she activated her portkey, she noticed a flash of brightness in the shadows of the trees.
*CLM**CLM*
Hermione's weekend was the same and yet different. Her desire to return to the mountain was stronger this week and it took more effort on her part to not give and just apparate to the clearing. Instead of giving into her desire, she spent the majority of Saturday reviewing her notes and transferring them to her master map. She again noted major differences between her observations and the official map. Interestingly, the clearing was noted as a deep and uninhabitable ravine but her visual inspection noted a lovely grassland where any type of being, man or animal, would be comfortable. She had a deep desire to investigate and felt everything she would need to know would be found there. The satellite's results detailed a rather difficult landscape while her visual inspection noted something completely different. Would she find something else once she crossed the boundary? She wasn't sure but she was intent to discover that answer.
Saturday evening was spent responding to Luna's note, updating the witch on what Hermione had discovered during the week prior and enjoying a very nice dinner for once. On her way back to the hotel, Hermione passed a liquor store and picked up a small bottle of red wine. After sleeping in a bit on Sunday, Hermione proceeded to check out of the hotel and to perpetuate her ruse. After the returning and renting a new car, Hermione checked into her new hotel and settled in for the afternoon. This hotel had a nice outdoor area with a fire pit and comfortable seating.
Using a confundus charm variation, she masked her notes to look like accounting ledgers should anyone take a look at her work. She sat in the warm sun enjoying the rays as they soaked into her skin. It had been a long while since she was somewhere warm, dry and comfortable. Most areas she researched were near uninhabitable. Her travels had opened her eyes to the great and varied areas of the world. She also realized while Britain would always be her home, she would probably never live in its borders full time again. There were other, nicer, areas to live then the seemingly perpetually dreary English countryside.
After the sun began to set, Hermione gathered up her notes and returned to her room. After packing her notes and securing them from any possible curious cleaning crews, she pulled out her clothing for the next day and made sure her bag had everything she would need. She curled into her bed and read for a short while before falling into what she thought would be a pleasant night's sleep.
A few hours later a panting and shocked Hermione sat up in the bed. The dream she had just experienced wasn't the same as she had been experiencing during her visit. This dream was actually a nightmare she hadn't had in quite a few years. Not having to deal with the emotions of that particular memory in so long, it took Hermione a bit to remember what the mind healer had taught her.
After calming her breathing and heart rate, Hermione lay in the bed and thought through the dream. She wanted to know what triggered the memory. Her mind healer had taught her that identifying the cause of the memory would help her work through her emotional response. Slowly Hermione allowed the memories from her dream to play back. It started as it always did; she, Harry and Ron were in the Forrest of Dean trying to escape the Snatchers. As always the trio was caught but the difference with this dream started then. Instead of Hermione immediately remembering her time in the cursed drawing room, she and the Snatcher were standing in front of Malfoy Manor. She had been frozen and was unable to move, but she could feel. Once the Snatcher had received confirmation they could proceed, she passed through the Malfoy wards. She felt the ward caress her as they moved and it was a familiar feeling. For the first time since the war, this memory wasn't a nightmare but her mind answering a question that had plagued for two weeks.
As the memories of the dream continued to play in her mind's eye, she soon found herself dumped in the drawing room, she expected to see and feel the torture that happened next. But again her memories added details she had forgotten. Standing in front of her was Draco Malfoy and for the first time her own fear didn't cloud her assessment of the boy. He stood in front of his parents and even with the difference in perspective she could tell he was the same height as his father. It seemed Draco had grown a few inches in the year she had been away from Hogwarts. Draco's shoulders also appeared to be a bit broader. All in all he was obviously more man than boy and he had lied for her. She felt the first crucio hit her and she screamed but then the pain began to lessen. The pain didn't completely stop but the painful edge was certainly reduced. She looking up and saw Draco staring directly at her and then she heard his voice "Scream like you've never screamed. Make it sound real or Bella will kill you. There isn't much more I can do for you or the others."
The nightmare or was it just a memory ended there. What did it mean? She didn't know, but she knew that somehow Draco had done something more to protect her than just lie about her identity. She didn't know why but she was intent on figuring it out. Glancing at the clock she realized it was about time for her to get ready for her day and she pulled herself from the bed.
*CLM**CLM*
Hermione spent the next three days focused on mapping the rest of the land. During her exploration her mind slowly worked through the snippets of her memories and what she had discovered over the last few weeks. By Wednesday afternoon she had a theory but had no idea how to prove it. Being the Gryffindor she was, Hermione stood at the edge of the wards on Wednesday and dropped her shield.
"I finished mapping the area available to me. Thank you for allowing me on your land." She paused and looked into the trees where she had noticed the flash of light multiple times the week prior. "I have yet to understand why you are here but I suspect you have a very good reason. I will not pressure you to speak with me. I will not be returning tomorrow. And thank you for doing what you could to protect me that awful night Draco." With no response to her words she let out a sigh and let out a whispered 'Goodbye' to the air.
Turning, she slowly stepped through the ward and allowed herself on final feeling of the wards surrounding her. As she pulled out her wand to activate her portkey she heard the unmistakable drawl of Draco Malfoy.
"Hermione." Turning she saw Draco Malfoy standing in the spot she had just vacated in all his veela glory.
"I was right."
*CLM**CLM**CLM*
A/N 2: So yeah, this is my take on the veela-trope. The next chapter is Draco's point of view.