Chapter 2
Hermione was heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Her mood was elevated. The day was beautiful. Yesterday they had the Charms test and were awaiting the results. She grinned. One thing less to worry about for her, Merlin knew she had enough in her case. First time in a while life looked good..
When she arrived to the entrance of the Hall she heard someone calling her name. It was easy to recognized the owner of that voice. Padma Patil. Parvati's twin sister, but sorted to Ravenclaw. It was nice to see a friendly face smiling first think on a day like this and Hermione gave her a warm smile and a hug when Padma came closer.
"Someone is in a good mood this early! Oh, before I forget. Mama wrote me yesterday, she will not be able to pick us up so we'll have to get home by our self. She wrote something about taxes, taxies…tax … The things that take you home. I can never remember the name!" Padma let out a frustrated sigh. Muggle names were hard for her to get a hang for some reason. " It's in the letter, along with the address where to go. Mom will pick us from there. She wants to know do you know how to get there muggle way? She can't wait to have you again, Mya. She reminds me not forget you in every letter for the last few months."
"That's no problem about getting there." Hermione said after quick glance at the letter. "I think I have just enough muggle money to pay for the cab. You can write your mom that I will take care of you two." she added grinning. Mya again… there was conspiracy going against her from the looks of things, but she couldn't stop smiling.
Padma laughed. "If there is someone our mom has an absolute faith in – it's you, Mya. By the way Mrs. Westwind asked about you. According to mom she wants you to look after the hag in-law of hers again."
"Really?" That was even better. Excellent news.
"Oh please, don't be surprised you are, after all, the first witch that managed to put up with her longer then two days."
"Madam Westwind is not that bad. She is just…" Hermione struggled for words that would be positive. "… a closed person. Very closed person. After she knew me a little better she was quite nice to be around, Padma." Disbelieving look was sent to her but Hermione stood her ground. The old witch was not as bad as everyone thought she was. Once you gave credit for old age and the schooling she had all those years back, the temper, the isolation she chose to live in, you just ignore her and get on with the things she have to do. Not too bad.
"No wonder mom said that Mrs. Westwind is ready to pay you a fortune, she said it was the first summer that she had a decent summer without the hag on her back." Parvati's twin was laughing.
"She is not a hag." Madam Westwind made really nice gingerbread cookies.
"She is a royal pain in the ass and you know it, but for some reason she likes you, so I am willing to give her a benefit of a doubt. Mom said she had paid her a visit to find out how you are doing at school." Padma was smirking. That news made Hermione's jaw to hit the ground. Her eyes were wide in astonishment. Hag Westwind left her house on her free will? Last summer she looked after her for 3 months and she hasn't seen the hag leave the house once. It was a well known fact she never left her home. Had the Hell frozen over?
"Wow..." was all she could say.
"My thought exactly." Padma grabbed her by the hand and led to the Hall. "Lets go eat finally I'm hungry."
The life is good. Hermione couldn't believe her luck. She was staying with a wonderful family, had a job with reasonable salary and successfully finished her sixth year at Hogwarts.
When they came inside Hermione went to sit across from Harry and Ron. Maybe the things were looking up for her after all.
Her happiness lasted till the morning post.
When she was half way thru her scrambled eggs a small brown owl landed in front of her plate. Hermione gave a puzzled look to the it . She wasn't expecting any letters today. She was in blissful confusion Until her eyes landed on the scroll the owl had. There was her name and the seal of Ministry of Magic on it. Her amber eyes were fixed on the scroll unable to move. The girl felt her heart sink. This was not happening. It was some kind of nightmare. Hermione knew it could mean only one thing. The god damn mother fuckers passed the Marriage Law, the reason of stress for the last 3 weeks.
She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again desperately wishing for that thing to be gone… That scroll of doom was still there. Hermione's world started to spin.
'OK. Don't panic. It's not as bad as it looks. Think. I need help. Help. Dumbledore. He'll help me. Yes. But first…' Hermione looked at the waiting owl. She had to take the scroll. Her Gryffindor courage didn't allow her to simply turn around and run no matter how much she wanted to do that.
The bushy haired Gryffindor barely remembered reading it and leaving the Hall. The words were swimming in front of her eyes as she tried to blink them away and not to cry. She was eighteen. Things like that should not happen to you when you in school. They couldn't do this to her, surely. It could not be legal, for Merlin's sake!
Hermione rubbed her clammy hands together as she stood on the moving staircase and tried to reason that she wasn't the only one effected, that there were others with worse situations, but all her thoughts eventually came back to the simple fact that it didn't change her situation even a bit. Others were not her. It was cruel and selfish of her to think so, she knew, but right now all she could remember was that her name was on the damn letter with the official Ministry's seal.
She was moving towards the Headmaster's office purely on instinct as the panic slowly settle in her chasing the rational thoughts away. She wasn't looking ahead as she ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Miss Granger why are you not on your way to Charms? The lessons will start soon." The older woman's voice was strict.
"I was going to, but I need to see the Headmaster. It's urgent. You see today …" Without doubt her Head of House will understand that right now she had matters more urgent.
The girl was cut of "I'm sure it's fascinating, whatever it is, Miss Granger. We have more important things to do then listen to an irresponsible little girl. You can come see the Headmaster after classes, if you so wish." and the woman left.
Hermione just stood there feeling completely numb. She refused to believe her ears. This was not happening. She knew her mentor was displeased that she didn't take the extra credit in transfiguration this year. But to say something like this to her face… and she told her Head of The house why. The research on the spell to protect Hogwarts in case of an attack was more important. Angry tears burned her eyes. She told Dumbledore along with Ron and Harry that she cast it on Hogwarts a day before the final battle. They didn't seem to believe but said nothing like she hadn't spoken.
Now she understood. They didn't believe her. Tears were rolling down young woman's cheeks. The Protecto spell almost killed her. She would never forget that scorching cold grip on her very bones that wanted to tear her apart from the inside out…. But she cast it any way. For them. To keep them safe, to give them a fighting chance. 3 times. She almost died 3 times to be betrayed by those she trusted. Oh, the irony.
Her pain turned into anger. Slow and spiteful burn that made the bile rise. Well, fuck them. She will play by their rules. But they better not expect her forgiveness when they will finally open their eyes. They lost her respect and trust. Hermione wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe barely feeing what she was doing. Her mind was in a state of chaos and she couldn't stop shaking.
She did what she was told and she went to class.
The Charms class was uneventful. Or maybe it was. She did not remember the two hours she spent there. She sat with Lavender and Parvati. She didn't even open the book, she didn't have the straight or will for it. So she just sat there. For two hours looking into space, part of her knew that this class wasn't important the classes were out they were barely giving the assignments for the summer and the reading list for next year. She was in too much shock to pay attention but too straight laced to skip.
Somehow during Charms she managed to get herself under control and start thinking straight before she did herself hard during Potions, because Professor Snape was the only teacher that made them work during the last lessons. Lack in concentration could be a lethal mistake when Potions were concerned.
She just had to pull herself thru this before she was able to go to her room and think.
"Hold on, Mya, we have only Snape left, and then hello to our fire Whiskey supply." Lavender was trying to cheer her up. Hermione only looked at her tiredly. She looked like the living dead. Lavender and Parvati exchanged worried glances. They didn't have to wait long for a sign of Hermione Granger's infamous temper, after all Potions were coming and with Hermione's patience already on the edge it was a disaster just waiting to happen. It did, at the end of the lesson with Professor Snape.
"Mr. Longbottom, whose poison's samples have you, brought me?" Severus Snape said with his infamous sneer.
"Mine, sir."
"Ten points for lying. We all know you are incapable to concoct correct potion, Longbottom." The Slytherins were snickering. Everyone else was packed and on their way out. Neville was turning bright red in the face, and looked close to tears.
That struck a nerve in Hermione. She knew that Neville did the potion himself and did it correctly. She was working with him two years for this day- to do a correct potion in Snape's class. She turned to Snape, eyes burning. She didn't have to take his shit on top of all the crap she was getting today.
"Neville did the potion himself and you know it, sir." Hermione's voice was calm and clear. The class felt silent. Everyone was too shocked or afraid to even move. No one talked back to Snape, especially not Granger.
"What did you just said, Miss Granger?" His voice was a hiss.
"I think you heard me, sir." Hermione's amber eyes looked straight into his pools of bottomless black. Snape was sending her his best death glare, but she didn't even blink.
"20 points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Miss Granger, and a detention with me tonight at seven. Don't be late." He spat at her.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, sir." She tossed right back. When he got over the shock of being talked back at twice in 3 minutes, his victim was already out the door.
In the corridor Hermione grinned at Snape's shocked expression. It absolutely didn't suit him. She heard something that sounded suspiciously like '20 points Granger!' Oh well. But it was all worth it.
"Thanks for standing out for me, Hermione, and sorry that you have detention with him because of me." She heard Neville's voice beside her. Hermione smiled at him. She felt more like herself by a bit.
"Don't worry, Neville. There's nothing that the Big Bad Black Bat can do to me." After the verbal spar with Snape she felt surprisingly alive again. Anger helped to save the little sanity she had left. Her roommates smiled in understanding.
"That was bloody brilliant, Mione! You are a Gryffindor! "
"Nice of you to finally notice that we are at the same house, Ronald. It had to be quite a shock after six years. And call me Mione again I'll put a permanent Silencio on you. " Hermione's voice was cold as ice. Ron and Harry looked taken aback. She had no patience left. Yes it had to sound rude, but she so did not care.
They didn't believe or trusted her for almost a year. She had enough. They dumped her when she needed help. They can play with someone else. Hermione Granger needed real friends. Smiles for public weren't enough for her.
"I would love to chat, but I have to go. See you in the dorm, girls." The last part was addressed to her roommates, and she left. Time to see the Wizard.