~*The Magic of Hardbury Castle*~

Note: This takes place two hundred years after Hermione, Harry, and Ron's time. These chraecters not owned by me...ya da ya da


Lily gazed out the train window at the many farms and cottages on th grassy countryside. "Excuse me?" she turned toward a attendent passing by, "Are we almost at Hilldon, yet?" "Almost young lady,about a half hour, would you like some Cauldron Cakes or something?" Lily looked baffled. "E-Excuse me? Cauldron Cakes....?" "OH *you* are Lily Hardbury" The attendant gave a knowing smile, "In that case, would you like some Mars Bars or something, Lily?" "Oh, no thank you", Lily answered. "Very sorry about your parents, dear" the attendant said softly. "Oh, thank you"

Gosh... her parents, she had a rather strong wave of sadness hit her. Her two parents had died in a car accident a week ago, Aunt Clarice had told her that her parents had left her to her grandmother who she had never even seen. "But why can't I stay with you Auntie?" she had asked her. "Anytime you need someone you just ring me, ok? I'll always be here for you." her aunt had said. "Don't worry, your parents wouldn't have left you to your grandmother if they thought you wouldn't be happy at her castle. And you'll see what it's like to be like royalty, because one day, you'll be Lady Lilith Hardbury." Lily had only smiled weakly at her aunt and had not responded.

Lily was so nervous, her grandmother was apparently nobility and was living in the old family castle in the hillside. Would she like me? Would I like her? Well, she was 17 so she wouldn't stay for long with college and all.. Questions rolled around her mind as the train sped along the countryside. "Hilldon station!" a man yelled. The train slowly came to a stop.

"Ugh..." Lily lifted her luggage and swept away her dark hair from her face. She trudged along the aisle and down the station until she came onto a dirt road. "Follow the signs" her aunt had said. She stopped at a street sign pointing to a path among the many trees. In bold, capitol letters, it read HARDBURY CASTLE. She lifted her bag and walked along the dirt road.

After a while her shoes were caked with mud and she stopped seeing signs."Oh great, I'm LOST" Lily muttered. She started to look around for something to help her out of this situation, when from out of nowhere a girk with burnette hair and matching eyes wearing a long purple cloak about the same age as Lily rode alongside her on achestnut horse. "Oh!" Lily was startled, she hadn't heard hoofbeats or anything. "Excuse me, have you lost your way?" the girl asked her. "Oh, yes, do you know how to get to Hardbury Castle?" the girl paused for a moment and said, "No I don't believe so, but there's a man who seems to have car trouble up the road who could help you." "Oh, thanks" Lily answered.

She walked up the road and sure enough, there was a man about 2 years older than her under the hood of a old car. "Oh, come on, START" the man declared through gritted teeth. "Um, excuse me.." Lily started. "The rider who was passing by here told me you could help me get to Hardbury Castle?..." The man got up from his car. He had dark, thin hair with green eyes and held out his hand. " Hi! I'm Dar. And I haven't seen a soul anywhere until my car started acting up, no rider went passed here" "Lily Hardbury, nice to meet you. Well, anyway, could you get me to Hardbury Castle?" "Sure, going there myself as soon as my car starts again. I'm going to ask the woman who lives there for some information on my family."

After a while, the car started and soon enough they were driving through the gates of Hardbury Castle. Lily knocked on the huge door as Dar waited on the doorstep. Almost immediatly an old butler appeared at the door. "Good afternoon, Miss Hardbury, this way please."
he said. The old butler lead them through a vast rooms filled with Colonial and Medieval attire. Until finally they arrived at a grand study where a elderly woman dressed in an elegant gown was busy looking over papers. "Madam, your grandaughter has arrived." the butler said. "Thank you Edward" the woman said.

She got up and held out her arms to Lily. "My, my, look at you, you've got your grandfather's brown eyes." She smiled at her. "And who is this young man with you, Lilith?" she asked. "I'm Darwin Miller ma'm. Maybe you haven't gotten my letters..." Lily's grandmother suddenly had a cold look, "I appreciate your visit now I must ask you to leave." "Uh, grandmother, why..." "Lilith you are not to see him again, am I clear?" "Excuse me, but I must ask why also m'am" "I have asked you to leave and have instructed my grandaughter to no longer see you again, now please leave." Dar suddenly had a smile on his face. "I may leave now, but I have every intention of seeing your grandaughter again." he said as he walked through the door.

"Oh..." grandmother sighed. "Come sit down Lilith, let's talk." Lily told grandmother all about her trip and her grandmother told Lily about the castle and their ancestory. "Well, that's enough for one day, dear, now off to bed." she declared with a flick of her wrist. "The bedrooms are upstairs, you may choose whichever one you like." she said with a smile. "Yes Grandmother" Lily said obediently. Well, things are deffinetly looking up, except for the Dar situation... she wondered why her grandmother had been that way as she walked out of the room.

But as she was climbing the stairs, she noticed a rather large 21st century painting. Hmm... she thought the girl looked awfully familiar.... Oh! That's right! She was the rider in the forest! But she was holding a long stick of some sort... But what was her portrait doing in Hardbury Castle? She squinted at the plaque beneath it. HERMIONE GRANGER, AGED 17, 2001 "G-Grandmother!!!" she yelled. "W-What did you say that ancestor's maiden name was?!" "Oh, hmm... now what was it, I think it was Granger, dear! No, I'm positive that's what it was! Why?" grandmother yelled back. Silence answered her.

Authors note: Yea, yea, I know, this one really sucks. Ok, if you think it's worth continuation, please tell me in the review board.