A/N: I don't want to go into much detail about what this story will contain, but there are a couple of things that I feel should be said so that those who don't like these things can move on.
This story will contain F/F romance. Hermione/Luna is the only determined couple in the story so far. I don't wish to promise anything when it comes to other couples at the present time.
This story will be an AU.
The characters will be OOC. They will keep their more familiar traits where I can, but people change over time.
If none of this suit you, this will then be the first and last warning you get to close your browser.
English isn't my native language, which will result in errors here and there. I'll do my best to learn from my mistakes and constantly develop my knowledge around the language.
Last time I had some good reviews that told me about things I could do better, which I was very grateful for. But I also had a few reviews that said I did things wrong, but they never told me exactly which mistakes I had done. If you see me making mistakes you wish to point out, please do so in a constructive manner.
Special note: Some of you'll look at the title of the story and wonder where you've seen it before? Well, I can give you the answer to that question. I had another story here earlier with the same title, but one that I chose to take down. Why? Last time I had a story to tell, but I chose the wrong way to tell it. My mistake was that I tried to use the original story as the core and wrap the parts of my own story around it. This led to the original story soon took control of the plot, and my own story ended up in the background. In the end, my motivation hit the famous brick wall. The fun was gone.
The end?
Not really. The story was still dancing around in my head and wanted to get out. So I sat down and analysed what had gone wrong. Eventually, I found the answers and the solution. Instead of what I had done last time, I needed to let my own story shape the core and wrap the parts I wanted to keep from the original story around my own. When I understood this, a new problem appeared. My old story plot had more holes than a warehouse full of Swiss cheese (Not that I've ever written any plot since I'm a Pantser, but you understand my point). For a while, my imagination was very dead, but one day it whispered a name into my ear, and this name started a huge wave of inspiration. After a lot of research, the plot formed itself in my mind, and suddenly the story was more alive than what it had ever been before.
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. (Henry Ford)" Well, Mr Ford. Challenge accepted. Let the magic begin.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Harry Potter" in any way. That honour belongs to J. . I get no financial gain from this. All I get is the experience of writing stories and having fun while doing this.
XXXXXXX
London, late at night, Sunday, 1st November. 1981.
"What is it, my dear?" asked Eleanor Granger with a yawn.
"I heard noises from the first floor," said Nathaniel Granger while he pulled the duvet aside. He put his feet in the slippers and with stumbling steps, he walked towards the bedroom door.
"Could it be Hermione?"
"She isn't old enough to walk down the stairs alone yet. Is she?" asked Nathaniel.
"Who knows she can do or not these days. She surprises me every single day," answered Eleanor who also was out of the bed now.
"Shh, I can hear someone coming up the stairs!" whispered Nathaniel. He grabbed a thick, sturdy umbrella which stood next to the door. Then he began to slide the door handle down. It was almost all the way down, but then the two Granger's could hear a familiar voice from the corridor.
"Mummy! Thirst, Mummy!"
In pure panic, Nathaniel ripped open the door and looked down the corridor. There, their two-year-old daughter stood in her blue pyjamas while she rubbed her eyes. When the girl saw Nathaniel, she stretched out her arms and came forward. Nathaniel wanted to pick up his daughter, but then he could sense something which stared at him from the stairs.
"How nice of you to gather here now," hissed a cold voice.
Nathaniel turned his head around and saw a dark figure standing on top of the stair. The sight of this...creature, made Nathaniel feel as if his blood turned to ice. "Get…get out of our house. Or you will regret it!" managed Nathaniel to say, but his voice had no convincing strength in it.
"As you wish, but not until I've carried out my purpose here, I'm afraid," said the figure with a sinister laugh.
Nathaniel felt helpless and stared at his wife in the open bedroom door. Eleanor was utterly terrified, but her eyes weren't aimed at the figure on the top of the stair. When Nathaniel looked down in front of himself, he understood what made his wife so scared.
"Hermione?" whimpered Eleanor.
Their daughter had walked passed Nathaniel and stood now between him and the dark figure. Hermione opened her mouth, but it wasn't the little girl's voice they heard this time.
"You have no power here, servant of darkness. I banish you back to the abyss you came from," said the voice of an elderly woman. There were enormous self-esteem and strength behind these words. Then Hermione clapped her hands together.
A green light, accompanied by a thunderbolt, blinded both Nathaniel and Eleanor. How long they were without sight was uncertain, but soon could the two Granger's see again. They both looked around, but could now only see themselves and their daughter in the corridor. The intruder had disappeared.
"Mummy, thirsty," said Hermione in her own voice again. The girl wandered drowsy towards her mother who picked her up.
"Is he gone?" asked Eleanor while she cradled her daughter.
Nathaniel raised his hands in response. "I've no idea. Take Hermione with you into our room while I check the rest of the House."
"We should call the police first. What if the intruder is still here?"
"And what would we tell them?" answered Nathaniel. "If we told them what happened, they'll think we're crazy, or use a form of a drug. The phone is also on the first floor, so I need to go downstairs anyway."
Eleanor sighed. "I guess you're right, but be careful," she replied. With a last glance around the corridor, Eleanor disappeared into the bedroom with her daughter.
Nathaniel looked down the stairs. It was completely dark on the first floor and thus impossible for him to see what could be waiting down there. He tried the light switch on the wall. After repeated attempts, he became worried when nothing happened. With one step at a time, while holding his back against the wall, Nathaniel went down the stairs. When he reached the first floor, he stood silent for several minutes, listening. Without hearing any sounds out of the ordinary, Nathaniel could breathe more relaxed.
He opened the fuse box on the wall and discovered why the power was gone. All the fuses inside was broken, and a smell of burned wires filled Nathaniel's nose. He looked at his wristwatch and saw it had stopped past 5 o'clock. With a hopeful wish, Nathaniel lifted up the receiver on the phone, but it had gone the same way as everything else. "Great," he muttered. Nathaniel continued to look through all the rooms in the house. Without finding anything unusual in them, he returned to the second floor again. With a light knock on the bedroom door, he said, "Eleanor, it's me."
Soon after, the door became unlocked, and a very relieved Eleanor opened it. "Did you see anything?"
"The house is empty, except for us," answered Nathaniel as he entered the bedroom. "The fuses in the box downstairs are broken, the wires smelled burned, and the phone is dead. I've to wait until some of the neighbours wake up and borrow their phone to call an electrician. How is Hermione doing?"
Eleanor nodded toward the Granger's bed where Hermione was sleeping. "I gave her a glass of water after you left. She fell asleep only seconds after as if nothing had happened. Nathaniel, what's going on with her? We've always wondered if Hermione was a bit…special, but we've never had any clear evidence before."
"Well, it's beyond all doubt now that our daughter isn't an ordinary child. I still can't understand how Hermione could speak with that voice, or what she did to the intruder."
"But she's still our daughter?" asked Eleanor in an accusing tone.
"Of course she is our daughter. We only need to find out more about her...abilities."
"I'm sure we'll find someone in the yellow pages who can help," said Eleanor.
Nathaniel had to smile. Even in this situation, his wife kept her good mood. "Let's take one step at a time. I'll go over to one of the neighbours later and ask to borrow their phone. When an electrician have looked over the wires, we can then discuss what we should do next."
XXXXXXX
The Lovegood house, early in the morning, Sunday, 1st November. 1981.
The Lovegood house was still quiet this morning even though the clock had passed eight. Xenophilius Lovegood was away on one of his many travels, one he wouldn't be back from before in three more days. On the second floor of the house, Luna Lovegood slept after last night's event. The little girl had been sitting on the roof with her mother and looked at the stars on the sky.
The first signs of life came from the kitchen when Pandora Lovegood waved her wand to turn on the lights. The woman had recently woken up and was still dressed in her turquoise morning robe and sandals. She filled a kettle with water and moved her wand over it three times. A few seconds later, Pandora filled a cup with warm water and dipped a tea bag into it. As she sat at the kitchen table and stared out the window, Pandora had a reason to smile. It seemed to become a beautiful day where the sun rose over the horizon and towards the blue sky. Only the dangers of the ongoing war prevented it from turning into an outstanding day.
"Hmm, the newspaper is late," said Pandora and looked around the room. "I hope Ariel isn't in trouble." She had scarcely said these words before someone knocked on the front door. Instinctively, the wand was already in Pandora's hand and hidden behind her back. With caution, she moved towards the door and peered through the spy-hole. "Great, why did she have to come today?" she said with a sigh and opened the door.
On the stairs outside, a white, older woman stood with a smug smile. She was only five feet tall, had grey shoulder-length hair and was wearing an olive-green robe. Age-wise would most people said the woman was around 80, but Pandora knew they weren't even near the truth.
"Maya, what can I do for you this morning?" said Pandora with a forced smile.
"Have you read the Daily Prophet today?" said Maya and walked right in without asking for permission.
"No," replied Pandora, while avoiding closing the door with a bang. "Should I?"
"You haven't read it then," said Maya. She sat down at the kitchen table and waited for Pandora to do the same.
"No, Ariel hasn't arrived with it yet," answered Pandora when she sat at the table again. She wondered why the older woman was so interested in the newspaper. Maya seldom cared about what was happening in the magical world. The few times she indeed showed some interest, it wasn't for reasons you would expect.
Maya pulled out a newspaper from one of the sleeves of her robe. "I took the liberty of acquiring one for you. You're welcome. The queues for today's edition is already long, and thus it's hard to get hold of one. I assume it's the reason why your falcon is delayed."
Pandora grabbed the newspaper and rolled it out. The headline on the front page made her gasp. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead. The war is finally over?" it said in large letters. A picture below showed people who were dancing and celebrating in Diagon Alley. Some of the wizards shoot fireworks with their wands. "Is it true? Is he dead and gone for good?" asked Pandora.
"According to my source, he is without a doubt gone. Death? I can't say for sure yet," answered Maya. "My spies among his followers also thinks he's gone for good. Many of the Death Eaters have already fled. The few left who's faithful to the Dark Lord hasn't been able to hold them back. The worst of the fighting has reached an end, but it will take a while before this world is safe again."
A great relief went through Pandora over the news that the war was almost over. Now she could look forward to her daughter being able to grow up in more peaceful times. Pandora had the urge to sing a joyous song, but then she remembered who was in the room with her. "What's your true reason to be here, Maya? I doubt you only came here to deliver this newspaper. You've shown no interest in this war before, so what has changed?"
A broad smile spread over Maya's face. "My interest in the war has always been there. I've only chosen not to show it." She tapped her index finger on the picture in the newspaper. "These people know Voldemort is gone. If you on the other side ask them how he disappeared, then you'll get as many tales as people you ask. They don't know or don't wish to know."
"I guess you're one of the few who knows how he vanished?"
"I wasn't witnessing his alleged death, but my source did," said Maya and got up from her chair. She went over to one of the windows and stared out towards the sunrise. "I can't tell you his name, but over the thirty years I've known him, he has never failed me. I thus trust his words about what happened. His primary task in the last two years has been to guard over a particular family in London. They're what you call Muggles." She turned back towards the younger woman. "Tonight, Voldemort came to this family's house."
"Why did You-Know-Who had an interest in a single family with Muggles? I know there was no love for Muggles in his cold heart, but they weren't anything other than insects in his eyes. Unless they were unlucky and crossed his path, then the Muggles was mostly safe from him."
"True," said Maya. "Now, this family have a two-year-old daughter. This little girl seems to be like most other girls, but she was the reason for Voldemort's presence. He had somehow found out about this girl and wanted to handle her himself."
"What threat could a little girl from a Muggle family be to You-Know-Who? Why didn't he send one of his Death Eaters instead?" asked Pandora. This woman's love for weaving her knowledge into riddles was annoying and time-consuming.
"My source has long suspected this girl to have some extraordinary abilities. Until tonight, he hasn't been able to prove this. Do you want to know how Voldemort disappeared?" asked Maya.
"Why ask a question you know the answer to?" said an annoyed Pandora.
Maya smiled smugly. "This girl and Luna, they're the same."
"She is the same as Luna? How?" asked Pandora shocked. "If they're Muggles, then it can't be possible that she's like my daughter."
"But she is. My source had entered the house after Voldemort and was about to stop him from murdering the girl. Voldemort was too occupied with the family to notice my source standing at the bottom of the stair. One swift movement with his wand was all he would need, but he never got the chance."
"Why not?" asked Pandora.
"He suddenly couldn't move his body. Then he heard a voice which didn't belong to any of the others in the house. The next he remembers is when he wakes up far away from the house. "
"How far away?"
Maya sat down at the table again. "He didn't say explicitly where, only it was on the coast, close to Portsmouth."
Pandora stood up from her chair and roamed around in the kitchen. "It can't be true. You're trying to tell me a two-year-old Muggle girl can do all this?"
Maya only nodded.
"This girl killed You-Know-Who?"
"It seems so."
"And she sent your source several miles away from London?"
Maya nodded again.
"If your source ended up there, how can he be sure You-Know-Who is gone?" asked Pandora.
"He returned to the house afterwards, but by then had a dozen Aurors from the Ministry of Magic also arrived. So he stayed in the shadows and listened. The Aurors found Voldemort's robe on the street, soaked in his blood."
"Then the Aurors also knows about the girl. They must have detected her magic to arrive there so fast."
"My source also feared this, but then one of the Aurors asked the others about where the magic had come from," said Maya. She smiled contented. "They didn't know who had killed Voldemort and this gave my friend an idea. He attacked the Aurors and shouted; Death to Voldemort!"
"He attacked them? It's suicide! The Aurors can use the Unforgivable Curses if they need to."
"I know, but my source isn't an amateur with magic. He deflected their spells with ease and gave them a few of his own before he retreated. Afterwards, he came to me and told everything. Because of his choice of action is the girl safe."
Pandora did read the Daily Prophet a second time. "Nothing about who killed You-Know-Who in here. If your source did take on the Aurors so easy as you say, the lack of information isn't a surprise at all. It's not a good idea to tell the public that You-Know-Who was killed by someone who escaped a dozen Aurors."
"I can understand they don't want to replace one Dark Lord with another which could be stronger," said Maya. "Not after so many years in fear of the first."
"Where is your source now?" asked Pandora.
"After his report to me, I told him to stay hidden for a while."
"For once, I agree with you," said Pandora. "The Ministry of Magic will create a fake story on how You-Know-Who died for the public. The search for this new danger will stay a secret for as long they can keep it hidden."
"At least for a while until they can't find any new traces of my source," said Maya with a smile. "Then they'll put the case into an archive, and then most will forget about it."
Pandora sighed and looked again at the newspaper on the table. "I still can't believe this girl is the same as my daughter? Luna isn't even close to this strength in magic," said Pandora and sat down. "She can't even control her magic yet."
"Luna is stronger than you think, but she hasn't had a reason to use her magic in the same way."
"I've always thought the stories of how strong they could be were a bit exaggerated. If this Muggle girl is the same as my Luna, then the thought of it scares me more than ever before. This girl, she can't be a pure Muggle? Someone in her family must have had magical abilities for this to be possible."
"No," answered Maya while shaking her head. "My source has searched through the family's history as far back it was possible. He couldn't find traces of magic in any of the girl's predecessors. There are other ways the magic can have mingled unnoticed with her ancestors, but it doesn't matter now. The girl is one of them, and that's the most important thing."
"Which leads me to my next question. I'm delighted to hear the war is soon over and You-Know-Who is gone, but what has all this to do with me?" asked Pandora. "I would have found out about most of this on my own during the day. Also, why do you choose to tell me about one of the others now? Every single time when I've asked you about them before, you've refused to say anything about them. Now, you're telling me almost everything about this girl except for her name and address. Why?"
"The girl's name is Hermione Jean Granger. Her address isn't so important," said Maya. She put down a green, disc-shaped stone on the table and pushed it over to the younger woman. "You only need to use this to find her."
"Wait! Use what? Find her?" answered Pandora and picked the stone up from the table.
"It's an apparition stone. My source left a similar one in a safe place behind the family's house. Squeeze your fingers around that one, and as you're about to apparate, you focus on the one left behind by my source. They will seek each other out and guide you safely to the destination. Only remember they work only once, so do it right the first time."
"You want me to go there? At risk of repeating myself too often now, but why?"
"Someone has to visit the family and introduce them to the magical world. I've chosen you to do this. Thought it was evident?"
"You can't be serious?" said Pandora.
"Yes, I'm serious. Bring Luna with you. I believe it will be good for her to meet other children." Maya stood up and walked toward the door.
"Take Luna with me? You've told me Luna couldn't meet the others before she got older. Because meeting them now would create emotional disharmony between them. Also, let's not forget I would break the most important rule by telling this family about our world. The Ministry of Magic would send their Aurors after me as soon they found out."
"Don't worry yourself about the Ministry of Magic. I'll handle that problem for you," said Maya and opened the door. She went out on the stairs, but before she closed the door, she said, "And you need not worry about your daughter. You'll understand when you get there." A final smug smile and the woman were gone.
Pandora was again alone in the kitchen, annoyed and confused. She sat silent the next few minutes and pondered on the task which had been given her by Maya. At last, she made a decision. With a sigh, she muttered to herself, "I don't understand why you trust this woman, Albus. I've always relied on you in the past, but I begin to wonder how much of our future I should put in your hands?"
It took Pandora almost an hour to wake Luna, get her some breakfast and ready to go into the city. Because of Luna's safety, they couldn't travel straight to their destination. They first apparated to a hidden cottage a short distance away from their house. Within the cottage, they used the Floo network to a second cottage. This repeated itself one more time before they ended up in one of the fireplaces at The Leaky Cauldron.
"Ah, Mrs Lovegood. It's good to see you again," said Tom, the landlord of The Leaky Cauldron. "I assume you've heard the joyful news and have come to celebrate with the others in Diagon Alley?"
"Yes, Tom. The news has reached me, but there's some other business I need to finish first. Perhaps later today?" answered Pandora. She looked around at the Inn and discovered how empty it was. "You don't have many customers today?"
Tom chuckled. "Most of them are out there," he said, pointing with his thumb towards the door to Diagon Alley. "They'll be back soon enough when they're getting thirsty."
Pandora waved goodbye to the landlord and went out on the street in front of the Inn. The Muggles walked past the two Lovegood's as if they weren't there, which in a way was true. The Leaky Cauldron had a magical field to prevent any Muggles from seeing people come and go. This gave Pandora the chance to observe and try to learn. These people lived their life without magic, and the thought of this fascinated her. Could they have had a better life among the Muggles than in their own world? The idea of living away from the magical world had tempted Pandora at times. Could it be her fear of the war who had triggered this thought? "Well, no reason for me to ponder on this now. Isn't that true, Luna?" said Pandora with a smile to her daughter.
"Sad Mummy?" said Luna in a calming look with her silvery eyes.
Pandora lifted her daughter up into her arms and said, "No, Luna. Only confused on why I accepted this task. I could have said no to Maya, but something about her makes this difficult."
"Maya bad," said Luna, now with a grumpy expression on her face.
With a deep sigh, Pandora wondered if Luna could be close to the truth. People could be so selfish with their opinions at times. They had no sympathy with what others might feel about the matter. Pandora shoved this out of her mind for now and looked over her clothing.
She had made her long, blonde hair into a thick braid which hung over one of her shoulders. On her upper body, she had chosen a grey tweed jacket over a red sweater. Then a simple, white skirt which went down to the ankles and black shoes with short heels. Pandora hoped it would make her look like a Muggle. Her daughter wore thick, black tights and a green wool sweater which reached the girl down to her knees. Luna walked barefoot most of the time at home, but today she was wearing some simple leather moccasins.
"Seems like we're as ready as we can be. Grab tight around me now because it's time for us to travel," said Pandora.
Luna grabbed firmly around her mother's neck and said, "Ready, Mummy."
With a firm grip around the apparition stone, Pandora focused on the second stone out there. Soon the two Lovegood's disappeared from the street with a loud pop.
Shortly afterwards, they both stood unharmed between some dense thickets. Pandora felt something under her right foot and looked down. It was the other apparition stone which they had landed right on top off. Both stones were now black as coal and cold as ice between her fingers. As Maya had said, they were only meant for one-time use only. Pandora put both stones in one of the pockets on her jacket and studied where they had landed.
It soon became clear that the 'thickets' were bushes in the back of a large yard. Pandora pushed the branches aside so they wouldn't hit her daughter and came out on a huge lawn. There they could see a large, brown brick house with white windows and black roof in front of them. While she looked over all the windows, Pandora could soon see a woman in one of the windows next to the back door. The woman stared at the newcomers with wide open eyes. Then she turned her head and said something to someone inside the house. Soon after, she got the company of a man who didn't seem less surprised at what he saw.
Pandora wished Maya's source had laid the stone further away from the house. Before Pandora left her home in Devon, she had created a plan for her first contact with the family. A plan which didn't include to approach the house from this direction at all. Arriving at the front door would have been Pandora's preferred means to meet this family. The current situation only made the Granger's confused and suspicious of Pandora. "I'll have to improvise then," muttered Pandora.
With one arm well-placed around Luna, waved Pandora with her other arm to the two people in the window. Seconds later, the back door opened, and the man from before came out with the woman right behind.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Can I help you with anything?" asked the man.
"Hello. You must be Mr and Mrs Granger?" asked Pandora back. She hoped it was them at least. Otherwise, this could become more difficult than it already was.
"Yes, that's right," replied the man a little unsure.
Pandora stretched forth her free hand. "My name is Pandora Lovegood, and this is my daughter Luna. To answer your question, I'm here to help the two of you. Of course, only if you want to accept my help."
"Help us with what, exactly," asked Mrs Granger.
Choosing the right words was important now. Otherwise, Pandora would scare them away. "You also have a daughter, Hermione? Has she lately shown some rather special abilities which are incomprehensible to you?"
Both Mr and Mrs Granger's eyes widened, then they stared at each other. Mr Granger turned back towards Pandora and said, "Yes, we have a daughter. When it comes to special abilities, then we're not sure what you mean? We think everything she does is special."
'This could take some time,' thought Pandora. She sat Luna down on the ground. In case there would be a need for more drastic measures, Pandora would prefer to have both hands free.
"Hermione, go back inside!" said Mrs Granger sudden.
Beside the woman stood a little girl, not much older than Pandora's own daughter. The girl was wearing blue pyjamas, had brown, bushy hair and eyes which matched the colour of her hair. Mrs Granger tried to stop the girl from running away, but Hermione was already out of reach from her mother. Then Hermione stopped in front of Luna with a happy smile on her face. When the two girls looked at each other with curiosity, Pandora watched them with a high pulse in her body. This was the moment Pandora had feared most of all.
"Play with me?" said Hermione and stretched her arm towards Luna. The answer came in a joyful laughter from Luna, who grabbed the brunette's hand. Then both of them disappeared into the house at high speed.
Outside in the garden, Pandora could breathe a sigh of relief. The big question now was, how could this be possible? She had to find the answer to this later. She now had the chance to build more trust with the Granger's. "Mr and Mrs Granger. I'm aware the current situation seems strange, but I'm here to help you. If you would give me a chance, I promise to give you the answers to most of your questions. But it would be better if we continue this conversation inside the house. Out here, the mix of curiosity and others ears would be a bad combination for us."
The two Granger's looked at each other before Mrs Granger nodded to her husband.
"Are you sure? We don't know her?" said Mr Granger.
"I don't think she wants us any harm and right now I'm willing to try almost anything," answered Mrs Granger. She looked into the house and continued, "Besides, I trust Hermione. You know how she has reacted to strangers before, even other children?"
"Yes, but..." tried Mr Granger to say.
"If Hermione doesn't have any problems with these people, then I don't have it either," said Mrs Granger.
"Very well," replied Mr Granger back with a sigh. He stretched out his hand to Pandora. "My name is Nathaniel, and this is my wife, Eleanor."
"Nice to meet you," said Pandora while she shook hands with both of them.
A few minutes later, all three of them sat around the table in the living room. Nathaniel and Eleanor in a leather couch on one side while Pandora sat in a chair across the table. Pandora looked closer on the two Granger's and how simple they were dressed. Nathaniel was wearing black trousers and a white shirt with a grey vest over. Eleanor wore a brown, short-sleeved housewife dress. Perhaps Pandora's clothes was a bit...fancy in comparison, but she had been lucky in her choice for today.
In one corner of the living room, Luna and Hermione sat around what Pandora recognised as a dollhouse. The two girls looked to having fun while playing together. If Pandora didn't know better, she would have said the girls seemed to always have been friends. Next time she met Maya, the older woman would have to give away some answers.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I appreciate it," said Pandora while she was still looking at the playful girls. "Hermione and Luna seem to enjoy each other's company. They're around the same age, so it's not unexpected."
"Hermione celebrated her two-year birthday for a month ago," said Eleanor. She also watched the two girls, but she did it with some unease.
"Then she is around five months older than Luna, who was born on February 13," said Pandora.
"Mrs Lovegood, can…" said Nathaniel, but was interrupted.
"Please, call me Pandora. I'm not so formal of myself," said Pandora. She filled her teacup with hot water from the teapot which Eleanor had brought in from the kitchen.
"Pandora, can you tell us why you're here?" asked Nathaniel again.
"I must admit I'm not sure where to begin. When I woke up this morning, this wasn't exactly a part of my plan for the day," said Pandora. "In fact, I was very unsure if this was such a good idea at all."
"It sounds like you're here somewhat unwillingly?" said Eleanor.
"In a way, but I'm here now and will make the best of it. After I woke up today and waited for the newspaper, an acquaintance of me came on an unexpected visit. When I say acquaintance, I mean this person isn't a friend of me. Only someone I trust to some extent," said Pandora.
"Some extent?" said Nathaniel.
"Yes," said Pandora as she took a sip of the tea. "This is an excellent tea, Eleanor."
"Thanks," answered Eleanor.
"Where was I? Yes, my acquaintance. Her name is Maya. An older woman I met after my daughter was born. It was an old friend of me who introduced her to me. Maya came this morning and told me about some interesting things. The most surprising thing she said to me was about your rather unpleasant visit last night. Is this right?" The surprised expression on the Granger's face revealed the answer to Pandora's question.
"How could this Maya know...unless she was here?" said Nathaniel.
"Maya herself claims she wasn't, but a man who works for her was here and tried to stop the intruder," said Pandora.
"We didn't see anyone else, but perhaps we were too focused on the intruder to notice anyone else?" said Eleanor.
"Maya's helper stood at the bottom of the stair so you wouldn't have seen him even if you tried to look," said Pandora.
"Then why didn't he stop the intruder? And how did he know about the situation we were in?" asked Nathaniel.
"I don't have a proper answer to your first question. I received only a few details about this and thus can't explain much. Maya's helper was ready to stop the intruder, but he lost control over himself before he could act. Then he heard a voice, followed by a green light before he woke up miles away from the house," said Pandora.
Both of the two Granger's now looked towards their daughter.
Pandora did see their reaction and would love to ask them more about this. Instead, she continues to answer Nathaniel's questions. "How he did know about your situation are easier to answer. This man has been keeping watch over your family for the last two years."
"Two years? Why would anyone need to..." said Nathaniel, but he stopped for a moment. "We are only a simple family without enemies, at least as we know of. That we would need protection from someone is absurd."
"I'm sorry to say it's not you two who this protection was for, but your daughter," said Pandora.
"For Hermione? But who would want to harm her?" asked Eleanor.
"Do you believe in magic?" asked Pandora.
This question would for most Muggles seem like a joke, but not for the Granger's. "Magic? Isn't it only advanced tricks and illusions?" asked Nathaniel. "We were at a show in the centre of London a few years back. They had a magician which impressed us, and for a short period, we did believe in magic. Later we found out how they did their tricks and our belief faded."
"Let me show you," said Pandora. She pulled out her wand and pointed it towards a thick book on the table. She muttered the spell and made a quick motion with her wand. The book rose from the table and wings of paper begun to form on each side of the book. Then the wings started to move up and down. It didn't take long before the book hovered in the air above the table. She then guided the book with her wand to fly around in the room.
Luna and Hermione had discovered the flying book and were now running after it with a happy laughter. They tried to jump and catch the book, but Pandora made sure the book always was a few inches away from the girls' arms. While Pandora was playing with the girls', she noticed the two older Granger's didn't laugh or smile at all. They seemed to be more in distrust and shock over the event they were witnessing right now. Pandora didn't want to push her luck too much and decided to steer the book back to the table. With a swift spell, the wings disappeared, and it was as if nothing had happened.
"There are other, more complicated things you can do with magic, but I think it's best not to overdo it. Sometimes the simplest is the best, right?" said Pandora.
"Again," said Hermione, who now stood at the table with Luna and grinned.
Pandora laughed lightly and looked at the two adults Granger's. "Your daughter doesn't understand it yet, but with the proper training, she'll be able to do the same in a few years time. Of course, the training will only happen with your permission."
"But…maybe…I know…how…" Eleanor tried to bring out a sensible sentence, but she could not.
"Pandora, are you saying our daughter can use…magic?" asked Nathaniel. "Did the intruder come to our house last night because of this?"
"Yes and no," said Pandora. "This intruder wouldn't have cared if your daughter only had been able to use ordinary magic. The event last night wouldn't have happened at all if it was the case, but Hermione is, like my Luna, a rarity in my world."
"Your world?" said Nathaniel.
Pandora nodded. "Once upon a time, people like me lived together with those who didn't have magic. Then a time came where the conflicts between us become too problematic. My people chose to withdraw and build its own community, hidden away from the ordinary world. There we could live in peace without having to worry about the Muggles." It was a short and simple explanation. Pandora didn't want to give the Granger's too much information today. If this visit didn't go well, then it would be less information for her to remove.
"Muggles?" asked Eleanor puzzled.
"Sorry. It's a common name the people in my world use on non-magical people. Most of us use it out of old habit," said Pandora. "I'm not so fond of the word myself, but so many others use it every day that I forget it sometimes."
"Fair enough," said Eleanor. "Could you tell us more about what makes Hermione's and Luna's magic so...special?"
"Then I've to first explain how I use magic in general," replied Pandora. "To perform magic, you have to follow certain rules for a correct and safe result. First, you need to use your wand in a proper pattern. Second, you've to say the words with the exact pronouncement at the right time. While doing these two steps, you need to keep your emotions under control and not use the wrong kind."
"Like?" asked Eleanor.
"It's hard for me to explain every aspect of this, but I'll try to give an easy example," said Pandora. She pulled out her wand again and looked around on the table. "Do you have some paper?"
Eleanor reached under the table and pulled out a paper from the shelf there. "Will this work for you?"
"Yes, thank you," said Pandora. She put the paper in her free hand and moved her wand over it. The paper began to twist and bend on itself until it had taken the form of a beautiful bird. Like she had done with the book, Pandora guided the paper bird up in the air, but only a few inches above her hand. The bird struck its wings and made loops. "I'm thinking positive thoughts now and can in a calm way control the bird around. If I instead begin thinking in a negative direction, then..." Now the bird seemed to be out of control as it was shaking in the air. Seconds later, the bird tore itself apart and fell in pieces towards the ground.
"So magic can be dangerous if used with negative emotions?" asked Nathaniel.
"In a way, yes, but also no," said Pandora. "It's much more complicated than that, but it would take me many hours to explain all the differences. Positive and negative emotions aren't like good and evil. They both have their place in magic, but only if you do it right."
"Okay, but how is this related to the girls?" asked Eleanor.
"For most of those who can use magic, there's a limit on how much of their emotions which can affect the magic." Pandora picked up the book and held it in front of the Granger's. "If I tried to tear this book into two with my hands, there would be a limit to how many pages I could take at a time. There is only so much more strength you gain from being angry. It's the same principle when it comes to using your emotions together with magic. You can become so angry that your skin turns red, but it won't help you cross this limit. Luna and Hermione, they don't have this limit."
The two Granger's stared at Pandora, while they tried to understand the meaning of her last words. Then Eleanor asked in a low voice. "No limits at all?"
"There will always be some form of limits. The girls are still young, lacks training and need more experience with magic. They have to get older, receive the right training and study magic for many years before their limits are gone. It's not going to be easy, but at some point, they'll get a normal life," said Pandora.
"What do you mean by 'normal life'?" asked Nathaniel.
"The girls' magic doesn't have any official name, but it's called wild magic among those who know about it." Pandora put her wand down on the table and said, "When I perform magic, I almost always use my wand. Not only does it give me better control, but also makes it less stressful to handle the magical energy. I can perform magic without my wand, but it's harder and creates more stress for me by doing so. Only two groups can use wandless magic on a regular basis. Those with long experience and high skills in magic, and those with wild magic. For the latter one, this is both a blessing and a curse."
"How so?" asked Nathaniel.
"At a young age, it's not uncommon for a child's strength in magic to exceeds their skills to control it. This isn't a problem for an ordinary, magical child because of their limits. They do experience some accidents now and then, but it's usually nothing dangerous. For those with wild magic, this can become a serious problem. The amount of magical energy they can use by accident is many times stronger than an ordinary child. When I looked through our history, I found several cases where this had happened. Without proper training, they had lost both control and mind."
"Lost their mind? Do you mean they became...insane?" asked Eleanor.
"I'm afraid so," replied Pandora.
"No!" said Eleanor. With horror in her eyes, she looked over to the corner where the two girls were playing together again.
"It begins with one single accident which makes them unsure of what happened. As new accidents follow, their mind begins to deteriorate more and more for each event. Handling so much magical energy without training at a young age isn't healthy. The mental stress of not knowing what's going on with them doesn't make things any better. One day, they'll give up trying to control it and let the magic do whatever it wants. The result is a person with enormous strong magic, causing chaos wherever they go. The exact reason why it's called wild magic isn't known, but I would guess it has to do with its random behaviour."
"You don't know? You have this kind of magic among your people, and you don't even know why it's called that?" said Nathaniel. "And you still haven't explained what you did mean with them getting a 'normal life'? Being insane isn't what I consider to be a 'normal life'."
"Nathaniel, relax," said Eleanor. "Pandora has several times talked about some training, which I believe is what she wants to tell us about now. Right?"
Pandora only nodded. She could see how the two Granger's began to struggle with all the information they had got today. There was still a lot they would need to know, but Pandora decided to work her way towards an end now. "There is still much we don't know about wild magic since its origin can be traced many centuries back. Most of the knowledge has been handed down from person to person, but some of it hasn't survived because of this. There isn't any official research on this since most only see it as a freak version of the usual magic."
"But Pandora, what about your own daughter? I can see you love Luna just as much as I love my Hermione, so there has to be a way to train them. Why are you here today and tell us about this if there is no hope?" said Eleanor.
"You're right, there is hope," said Pandora. "We have a school where our children learn about magic. This school has a Headmaster who became one of my favourites among the teachers during my time there. Few know it, but he also has wild magic and is the only one who's researching this today. His name is Albus Dumbledore, and he wants to help me with Luna's training. I can't see any reason why he wouldn't train Hermione also if that's what you wish. But understand one important thing first. Your life will change forever, and it's not going to be easy, especially not for Hermione. I've been told the training must begin when they're between 4 to 5 years old. After their fifth birthday, events with accidental magic will increase."
"Is this Dumbledore someone you trust?" asked Nathaniel.
"Yes. Albus Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard in our world today, and I'm willing to trust him with my life."
"But do you..." continued Nathaniel, but stopped when he saw his wife's angry face.
"Nathaniel, that's enough," said Eleanor. "Why do you continue to ask when it's obvious we don't have a choice? I'm not going to just sit here and watch Hermione become insane. If she needs training to control her abilities, then that's what she should get."
For a moment, the two Granger's only looked at each other. Then Nathaniel said, "I would like to talk more with my wife before we decide. Can we contact you in any way when we have our final answer?"
"Of course, you have after all had a long day. This isn't something you should decide without careful consideration." Pandora wrote down two addresses on a piece of paper and gave it to Nathaniel. "The top address is a post box in London. It's for Muggles who need to send letters to people within the magical community. Write a letter with your answer and put it in an envelope with the other address on the front page."
"The second address has a different name on it. Your husband's name?" asked Nathaniel as he looked at the paper.
Pandora knew the question would come, but she hoped to avoid having to explain too much about this. It would lead to questions about the intruder, and this would force her to explain about the civil war. The Granger's had to be told about this one day, but Pandora would prefer to avoid it today.
"No, it's not my husband's name. For Luna's sake have our house been built outside of the more populated areas. For this reason, our house has been protected by strong magic. Unless you're invited, you can't see or enter our property at all. Because of this protection, we aren't receiving our mail directly to the house. There are a few exceptions to this and the second address is one of them. The name there is a magical algorithm who will send the letter through a series of hidden boxes. It's a safe way for people we trust to send us letters without revealing our house's location for others. We value our privacy and Luna's safety too much to allow anyone have access without us knowing about it."
"It seemed like a rather exaggerated method of sending a letter," said Nathaniel. "If we say yes to train Hermione, would we have to do the same?"
"Not unless you wish to," replied Pandora. She began to feel as if Nathaniel didn't trust her at all.
Nathaniel looked at the two addresses for a couple of minutes. Then he said, "Okay, we'll send our reply as soon as we've talked together."
XXXXXXX
The Lovegood house, late afternoon, Sunday, 1st November. 1981.
Pandora sat on the stairs in front of the house while trying to gather her thoughts. Next to her stood a glass full of Firewhisky and a half-empty bottle beside the glass. Today had been one of the weirdest and most stressful days Pandora had experienced in her life. Even after emptying half a bottle of her strongest Firewhisky, her body was still tense like a string.
"I'm too used to this stuff," murmured Pandora and took a sip from the glass. "With my luck, I'll skip drunk and go straight over to hangover."
After they left the Granger's home, Pandora and Luna had returned to The Leaky Cauldron. Before they took the Floo network home, Pandora wanted to do one more thing before leaving. They walked over to a nearby Muggle toy store and bought a huge dollhouse to Luna's delight. Pandora could, of course, had conjured up one, but somehow she decided it would be better to buy one instead. Afterwards, they travelled back the same way as in the morning, until they again were at their house in Devon. With the war near its end, they would soon escape these extra steps and travel like everyone else.
With the glass almost empty, Pandora could see someone on the path leading to the house. It was an elderly man with long, silvery hair and beard which Pandora recognised right away. He was dressed in a black and turquoise robe and a pointed hat on his head, almost as crooked as his nose. The man stopped only a few inches away from the stairs and looked kindly at the woman sitting there.
"You've had a tiring day, I understand?" said the man, nodding towards the glass in Pandora's hand. "Unusual to see you drinking this much after you became a mother."
Pandora raised her glass towards the man. "Cheers, Albus," she said and emptied the rest of the glass so fast it burned well down her throat. Then she put the empty glass aside and stared at the old man. "Typical of you to come now. Was it Maya who whipped you out from your hiding place?"
Albus rolled the end of his beard between the fingers. "I know you're less happy about our common friend, but…"
"SHE IS NOT MY FRIEND!" cried Pandora took a few deep breaths and filled the glass up again with more Firewhisky. With the glass up against her mouth, she stopped and turned towards Albus. "The only reason I allow Maya to come here is because you asked me to trust her. I'm trying to trust her because of my respect for you, but she isn't my friend. Not even close," said Pandora and took a sip of the glass.
"I understand," replied Albus. "What would Luna say if she saw you so...dissatisfied?"
"She's sleeping," responded Pandora with a sigh. "Luna was exhausted when we returned and fell asleep after dinner."
"So your visit ended in a positive direction, I assume?" asked Albus.
"I'm not sure. Luna and Hermione found each other very quickly, but the girls' parents? Hermione's mother didn't seem to be afraid of her daughter's magical abilities. I'm more worried about how the girls' father reacted on the knowledge about magic." Pandora told Albus about the meeting with the Granger family in rough details.
"Hmm, you made the best out of it," said Albus in the end. "Their reaction could have been far worse. Not all Muggles are willing to accept that their children have magical abilities. Even among those who do, there are problems now and then."
"Knowing this don't make me feel any better," said Pandora. She had almost emptied her glass again.
"Either way, this doesn't explain why you seem to have found company in that bottle of Firewhisky?"
"Until today, I thought Luna had a happy life. She never complains and is always smiling even in my darkest hours. But after our meeting with the Granger family, I could see a longing in Luna's face for the first time. Even when she was almost falling asleep at the dinner table, she asked when we would visit the family again. All I could say was a maybe."
Albus didn't answer. He only smiled inside his beard.
"Luna wants to play with Hermione again. What will this mean for Luna if they can't meet again? I've never before seen such a joy in Luna's face when she was with Hermione. Why did I listen to Maya and brought Luna with me? Why can't I talk against that woman? Why…" Her voice faded, and a tear trickled down her cheek. "Each time I meet Maya, the more confident I become that she's not even human."
"Oh, why do you say that?" asked Albus somewhat curious.
"Don't play idiot, Albus. It's not a good thing at your age," answered Pandora. She stared at the once again empty glass and then at the bottle which was now only a quarter full. After some thinking, she put the cork on the bottle and pushed it away along with the glass. "I don't need to remind you of what I was doing before I got Luna?"
"Of course not. You were researching magical creatures all over the world. Many believe you could have surpassed Newton Scamander if you hadn't retired yourself."
"Hogwash. These people have too much hope in me," responded Pandora with a snort. "Besides, I'm not entirely retired. I still do some research on them at times, but I don't go near the more dangerous creatures now. At least not until Luna gets older."
"Don't have too little faith in your own work, my dear Pandora. I've spoken with Newton on several occasions, and he's very impressed by your research. Your study of the Dragons is something he wishes to add to his next book."
"Well, whatever," said Pandora. "My point about Maya is that she sometimes behave in ways I wouldn't expect from a human."
"Can you describe this...behaviour?" asked Albus.
"No, it's more like a hunch than a clear sign. I wouldn't have seen it without my experience on magical creatures."
"Maya has travelled a lot, so it's not unexpected that she has certain variations in her behaviour. Maybe it's those things you notice?" asked Albus.
Pandora didn't bother to answer. She knew Albus had known Maya for a quite long time and that they had a close friendship together. Without any evidence, Pandora spoke for deaf ears, so she chose to leave this topic for now. "Albus, I have a question for you."
"Ask, and perhaps I can give you an answer," said Albus.
"You told me that children with wild magic should avoid meeting each other until they get older. Because the emotional disharmony between them would be dangerous without the training. When Maya suggested I should bring Luna with me today, I thought Maya had gone mad. So when Luna met Hermione at the door, I was ready to grab Luna and apparate away at any sign of trouble."
"But nothing happened, right?" said Albus.
"They were like any other children I've seen, but how can this be true? I thought siblings were the only ones who could stay so close at this age, but Luna and Hermione aren't siblings. So how?"
Albus watched the woman on the stairs for a while before he answered. "I could ask you to be patient, but I believe it won't work this time?"
Pandora shook determined on her head. "If the Granger's accept our help for Hermione, then I'll be their contact in the beginning. Something which would mean that Luna and Hermione will see each other often and I need to know if it's safe for them. The time for patience is over, Albus. I need to know now. Not later, or when you feel it's needed, but now!"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you anything right now," said Albus. He raised his hand to stop the upcoming protest from Pandora. "However, when the Granger's are accepting our help, I promise to tell you everything I know. Not before."
"When they accept? It sounds like you expect them to accept? Are there something you're not telling me?" asked Pandora. The old wizard now seemed nervous where he stood and all of a sudden, Pandora did understand why. "Albus, you and Maya won't accept a no from them? For reasons you don't want to tell me yet, they must accept?"
Albus sighed heavily and with a faint smile, he said, "Send me a letter when you get the answer from the Granger's. Until then, say hi to Luna from me and have a good evening." With that, he turned around and walked away from the house. He went through the opening of the tall hedge which surrounded the property and was gone.
On the stairs, Pandora sat with a shocked expression and looked after the wizard. Albus' eyes had radiated with pure fear when Pandora told about her revelation. Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard in the world today. He who defeated Gellert Grindelwald in the greatest duel anyone had seen. The only person Voldemort had feared and thus the reason the magical world was still free. This man who had stood on the barricades during their world's worst crises was now terrified. All because of the thought that a two-year little girl maybe won't become a part of the magical world. "Pandora, what have you been dragged into now?" she said to herself.
XXXXXXX
The Lovegood house, early in the morning, Wednesday, 4th November. 1981.
"Not like that, Luna. Eat nicely now," said Pandora. She sat at the kitchen table and made sure her daughter got most of the breakfast into her mouth and not on the floor. "What do you think Daddy will say when he comes home tonight and discover that you've been naughty?"
Luna only laughed and ate the remaining pieces of bread, but only those with jam on.
Through an open window on the wall, came Ariel flying in with today's Daily Prophet. Most people in the magical world preferred using owls to deliver their mail for them. Pandora had been one of these people, but she had lost several owls under the war. They were too slow and unable to defend themselves, which made them an easy target to the Death Eaters. So Pandora trained a peregrine falcon who, if necessary, could reach a speed 9-10 times faster than any owl. Since she got Ariel, hadn't a single one of Pandora's letters or newspapers gone missing.
Ariel landed on the top of one of the chairs and turned her back towards Pandora. She loosened the small backpack the falcon was wearing with a quick flip with her wand.
"Thanks, Ariel," said Pandora, scratching the bird on its back.
With a short screech, the falcon flew up to its perch where a piece of raw meat waited in the bowl.
Pandora opened the backpack and aimed her wand against it. "Accio Daily Prophet!" Soon after, a newspaper jumped out of the opening and into Pandora's waiting hand. Having the Extension Charm on the backpack had been one of Pandora's better ideas. Without the backpack, Ariel wouldn't be able to manoeuvre freely and achieve her top speed. "Luna, you can play with Ariel after you've finished eating."
Luna was now standing under the bird perch, petting the falcon. She didn't want to leave, but obeyed her mother and returned to the table with a sad face.
Despite Luna's unfocused behaviour, Pandora had to smile. Her daughter was as interested in creatures as Pandora had been at that age, so she shouldn't be so surprised. With Luna back in her chair, Pandora could at last read through the Daily Prophet.
Most of the news was about the war and Pandora suspected this would continue for a long time forward. You-Know-Who was maybe gone, but many of his followers had either fled or refused to surrender. The Aurors still had some random skirmishes with a Death Eater or two, but most of the country had peace now. Many of those who had surrendered, claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse. Pandora doubted that all of them told the truth, but it wasn't her problem to sort them out.
When she looked through the names of those who had surrendered, Pandora saw a name she recognised. "Lucius Malfoy?" she mumbled. When Pandora began at Hogwarts, Lucius started his seventh and last year. For a while, Lucius attempted to date Pandora, something the blond woman did enjoy. But as the weeks passed, Pandora did learn more about the boy, and not everything was of the good stuff. Most of Lucius friends was of the more questionable kind with a rather scary view on magic. Because of this, Pandora decided to stay away from Lucius and find friends elsewhere. Later, Lucius was seen together with Narcissa Black, a Slytherin girl from the fifth year. They hadn't talked with each other since, but Pandora knew Lucius still remembered her. His eyes said it all each time they met in Diagon Alley. Pandora sighed and rolled the newspaper together before she put it away on a shelf.
"Mummy sad?" asked Luna.
Before Pandora had the chance to respond, the fireplace flared up with a green flame and spat out a letter. She looked down at the letter and saw her name on the front, written by an unknown hand. When Pandora lifted the letter from the floor and looked at the back for the sender, her heart began to beat faster. It was from Eleanor Granger! For a moment was Pandora afraid to open it, but gradually her fingers opened the envelope. The letter was pulled out and unfolded. It was only a few sentences long, but after reading through it, Pandora smiled.
"Luna, now you have to be a good girl and eat the rest of your food," said Pandora with a sly smile. "If not, I have to visit Hermione alone and tell her you couldn't come because you weren't done with your food."
The eyes of Luna became enormous when she heard Hermione's name. Then for the first time this morning, Luna ate her food neat and tidy without any protest.
Pandora had to turn away to not giggle. She read through the letter a few more times to be sure, but Mr and Mrs Granger message were clear. They wanted help for Hermione and asked when Pandora could see them again.
"Well, Ariel. You're going to have a busy day, my friend," said Pandora with her eyes on the falcon. Before she could answer the Granger's, Pandora would have to contact others first. Telling the family about the magical world had been the easy part. To make sure they would become part of this world in a proper and lawful way, she had more work to do first. "Albus, you have to be faithful to your words now and tell me everything. Otherwise, it doesn't matter where you're hiding," whispered Pandora to herself. Then she set off to write the first of today's many letters.