A/N And so we begin. This is going to be a long one, several parts, and many chapters each. It all began with Tidy Time. When they found the stone this entire story formed in my mind. I've got it roughed in excel so I don't make too many continuity errors. Everyone plays a part in his tale, so you will see all of your favorite characters at some point. Tell me what you think.

Hold your fire,
Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame 'til the dream ignites
A spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission

Neil Peart

Hermione Granger and the Quest for the Binding Stones

Part 1

Down Under

Chapter 1

"The daughter of case Seven-hundred-twenty-three is showing the signs."

"As we suspected she might. Assign her a number."

"Nine-hundred-ninety-nine, auspicious."

"It's just a number, they mean nothing."

"And a case worker?"

"She's starting at Hogwarts, no need."

"As you wish."

Seven years passed.

"Case nine, nine, nine, survived and is thriving."

"Have there been further signs?"

"A hint, a suspicion, however she is quite closed in her dealings with anyone but her very close circle of friends, and we have no sources inside that group."

"Very well, keep her under watch, but do not move on her until we are sure."

"As you wish."

Seven more years passed.

"Have you read the book?"

"Yes, disturbing."

"What they did…"

"Could only have been accomplished…"

"If she has ascended."

"We have no proof."

"So we continue to watch?"

"Yes."

"As you wish."

Chapter 1

Hermione Grainger Weasley walked across the kitchen in the Burrow and set her tea on the table. Molly Weasley, matriarch, and soon to become Grandmother for the eighth time, smiled at her favorite daughter in law. "Ron has told me all about it, Hermione dear. You have to do this; I think you might actually go mad if you didn't." She laughed. "He also told me how worried you are about Rose and Hugo, don't be, they'll be fine. You won't be able to stop Rosie from coming with you if you're going somewhere even the slightest bit interesting, and Hugo is at the age where sleepovers with granddad are the best thing ever." With the practiced skill of someone who has soothed a thousand worried brows, Molly stroked Hermione's hand. "And I don't think you'll be away from home nearly as much as you think you will, you've found two without really trying."

Hermione smiled at her. "I'd rather not trust blind luck, Molly." She hung her head. "It's just so daunting. I mean I have to keep it secret from almost everyone. Can you imagine what the Wizengamot would say?"

Molly chuckled and shook her head. "They'd argue about it for the next three hundred years."

"Exactly! And I won't have that delay." Hermione said firmly, and sipped her tea. "So I have to do this without drawing Alan's attention to what I'm doing; I have to preserve my relationship with my husband and children, I have to find eleven more stones that I have the barest hint of a clue where to find, and then I have to undo a great magical work by FREAKING MERLIN." Looking quit deranged, she stared into the distance. "No pressure there."

Molly was silently laughing in her chair. "I love you so, Hermione dear, but you do know you suffer quite badly from obsession, don't you?"

Hermione smirked. "It's been pointed out before, yes."

Molly summoned the kettle from the stove with a flick of her wand. It floated to the table and gracefully poured more steaming water into the teapot.

"Healer Alistone said you should be walking more and summoning less, I believe."

Molly pointed her wand at the kettle and sent it back to the stove. "Hermione dear, what colour is that kettle?"

She looked puzzled. "Black."

"I rest my case." She smiled, sat back, and stirred her tea. "So, where are you going to look first?

Hermione shook her head at her mother in law, recognizing she'd been bested yet again by the seemingly innocuous woman. "Seamus made me a list from Merlin's book. I think the first place I'll go is Australia, make it look like I'm taking Rose and Hugo back to show them around where I hid Mum and Dad."

"Seamus and Lavender accompanying you?"

"Yeah, for this one at least." She took a biscuit from the tray. "It'd look odd to the Minister if they didn't. If it goes longer than two weeks I'll send Ron, Hugo, and Seamus home."

"And when Minister Wheaton starts asking questions what are we to say?"

"Luna and I think we have the perfect cover story," said Hermione. "I'm going to tell Allan that working on the international treaty for the treatment of magical creatures requires digging into the history of the elves as part of the research. It also happens to be true."

"He's very perceptive, Hermione. Kingsley chose him as his assistant because of his intellect, not his charm, though he does have a fair bit of both. Now that he's minister, he'll have access to a great deal of information. I wouldn't count on your search being a secret for very long."

Hermione shrugged. "I'll deal with that when it comes; right now I've got to figure out how to locate a one foot tall stone in the vastness of Australia."

Molly leaned forward. "I assume you've brought this up in your little circle of friends?"

"Oh yes, they have some ideas," said Hermione, and then she sighed. "But it will take a lot of work. Luna thinks if the conditions are right she might be able to sense a stone near her, Angelina is working on a spell with Katie and Cho to use one stone to find another, and Cho is also getting Dudley to use his computer to search for hints in the Muggle world."

Molly smiled and asked, "How is Mrs. Dursley?"

"Thirty-two weeks, god I remember that," said Hermione with a happy shake of the head. "Best few weeks of pregnancy. You can still get about and you really feel the baby." She laughed. "Don't know if Dudley is ready for her to have another baby yet, but ready or not he's only got a month and a half left."

Molly Weasley had seen quite a few expectant fathers in her life. "He'll be fine. Cho is a strong one, and even though she had a rough last three months with Anna, this time it's going normally. I don't think she'll have so much trouble." She looked across the table at Hermione. "Padma and Parvati both work at the Ministry, are you including them in your search?"

"Of course, they're my Sisters too. Padma is looking through the Auror library for me, and Parv is keeping an eye on Allan and Harry."

Molly look a bit confused. "Why Harry?"

Hermione smirked. "I don't know if you've noticed this, Molly, but Harry tends to be a bit overprotective where people he cares about are concerned."

They both laughed. "Too true, Hermione, too true. But he does know what you're up to?"

"In a broad sense, yes. He knows I'm going after the stones, I didn't tell him that I intend to break the enchantment though."

Molly nodded. "He'll put it together, you know that."

"Yes, but I hope to have most or all of the stones by then." Her fierce look was back. "I will do this, Molly. I have to, and I won't let anyone stop me."

Molly Weasley knew Hermione better than Hermione knew herself in many ways, and she smiled at her. "Oh, of that I have no doubt. Just be careful, you never know what you'll dig up. These stones have been hidden for a long time. To stay that way they've had to have powerful protections placed around them."

"I figured that out fairly quickly myself. I'll be careful. It's interesting that the one from Greece was in the Museum though. If the Muggles got through its protections they may be so old that they're failing, but I haven't found any information on where or how it was found. The placard said it was from Kyersys but there wasn't much more."

"Humm, interesting. When do you leave for Australia?"

"Thursday next." Hermione sat back and smiled, looking into the distance.

"Pleasant memories?" Molly asked.

She nodded. "Very. When Ron and I went to find Mum and Dad after all we'd been through it was like a whole different life. The Australian ministry treated us like royalty, and they helped me find my parents easily. Ron and I hardly had to search at all. They even helped Mum and Dad sort out the transfer of their practice, all Ron and I had to do for the last two weeks was to see some of the sights and sit on the beach." And snog each other senseless.

"As I recall Daniel and Jean weren't particularly pleased when you undid the memory charm."

Hermione tried to hide her blush at the memories. "No, Dad was furious and Mum was hurt, but after a bit of yelling, mostly by your youngest son and my dad, they came round."

Molly smiled. "Daniel told me that was the moment he knew he approved of Ron for you. He said Ron handed you his wand and stood toe to toe with him, is that true?"

Hermione grinned broadly at that memory too. "Yes."

Molly glowed with pride. "He's his father's son."

Hermione nodded. "He certainly is."

Rose Weasley walked into the kitchen with an open book in front of her. Feeling with her feet she found a chair and slid into it. "Morning, Gram. Morning, Mum," she said, eyes never leaving the book.

Hermione looked over at her nine, no ten! year old, so like her at that age. "What's the reading for today, Rosie?"

Rose held the book up a little higher so her mother could see the title; it was Hermione's own intermediate transfiguration text.

Hermione smiled as she spread some jam on a piece of toast for her daughter. "I see, a little light reading for a summer day, hmm dear?"

"It's not so hard, Mum. I get what he's on about; I just wish I had a wand to do it with," Rose said as she took the toast from her mother.

"One very short year away dear and you'll have your own," Molly told her.

"James gets his next month," Rose grumbled and took a bite.

"He's also firmly eleven and not just barely ten, Rosie," Hermione said. "Patience, my little wonder, please, patience."

"We can still practice with a stick and the like, right?"

"Yes, yes," Hermione said. "But still and all, no unforgivable curses ever, and no dueling either. Even without a wand you can still produce magic."

The door to the kitchen opened and Lavender Finnigan stepped through. "Good morning all," she said as she went to the cupboard and retrieved her mug. Hermione handed her the tray with the milk and sugar while Lavender poured her tea. "I see Rose is ready. Where's your lay about brother?"

"Laying about," Rose said with a smirk, finishing her toast.

"Well unstick your nose from that book and get him up and ready. We've got to meet up with James, Al, and Lilly in half an hour."

Rose rolled her eyes and set the book on the table. "Yes, Aunt Lavender," she said melodramatically.

The three women chuckled as Rose went up the stairs to find her brother.

"She's brilliant, Hermione," Lavender said suddenly serious. "You know that, right?"

"Oh yes, I know she's very smart."

Lavender smiled at her friend. She was still occasionally amazed at how close she and Hermione had become. "No, Hermione, 'very smart' is and understatement of enormous proportions. She's every bit as intelligent as you are and maybe even more so. I've given this a fair bit of thought, and I think you should start talking to the Headmistress soon about advanced classes for her."

Hermione looked puzzled. "You really think so?"

"If you just stick her in the normal classes she'll be bored in short order, and a bored Rose Weasley is a bad thing. You know that as well as I do."

Hermione closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I do, very well." She leaned against the table. "Let's talk more about this later." Their eyes met. "Thanks, Lav. I know we've told you before, but Ginny and I… I just don't know how we'd have managed without you and Shay."

"And you've head us say it's been our honor and pleasure often enough I hope." Lavender smiled warmly at her friend.

A thunder of footsteps preceded a ruffled looking, freckle faced boy darting into the kitchen and directly to the stove. He snatched two sausages from the pan and shoved one in his mouth. Lavender assumed her nanny role immediately.

"Hugo Remus Weasley!"

Hugo jumped and whirled around wide eyed to face his nanny. "Murng an Lavnd," he said through a mouthful of sausage.

"Morning, Aunt Lavender," she huffed, and took a plate from the cupboard and shoved it into his hand. "Plates! They actually work well, you see?" She plucked a napkin from the holder. "And these do marvels for keeping greasy fingers from staining newly laundered clothes."

Over Hugo's head she could see Molly shaking with a silent laugh.

"Now sit! And eat like a human instead of an animal." She pushed him bodily into a chair.

"Yes, Aunt Lavender."

Lavender smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Good boy."

"Are you excited about your outing today?" Molly asked her grandson while she buttered some toast for him.

"Yeah, I guess. It's really Rose and Lilly's thing though."

Hermione tried in vain to smooth his hair. "I think you'll find this part of the history of wizarding England very interesting. I was amazed when I found out the real story behind Stonehenge and Avebury. Plus I understand your going to Queerditch, that you should love."

"As long as James, Al, and Hugo here behave it'll be the after lunch stop. There's the Quidditch museum, the original pitch, broom rides, and if you're really good I've arranged a surprise," Lavender told him as Rose came back into the kitchen.

Rose, as avid a Quidditch fan as any Weasley, perked up. "You didn't say anything about that."

Lavender smiled sweetly at her. "No, I suppose I didn't."

You are the best, the absolute best. Hermione thought. "Well I must be off to the Ministry." She knelt between her son and daughter and hugged them to her. "Be good, and have a wonderful day, my special boy and my wonder girl. I'll want a full report when I get home."

She rose and hugged Lavender then her mother in law. "Have fun, Lav, and I'll see you Sunday, Mum. Thanks for letting us stay while Ron was away."

"Any time, dear," Molly said, and hugged her again.

With a smile for them all Hermione closed the door behind her and Disapparated.

The Ministry, as always, was a hub of activity. As she walked through the atrium past the fountain she stopped and let the fire for her work rekindle. After the war was over the hideous effigy that had been placed there by Thickness and Umbridge had been replaced by a renewed image of magical beings, but that task, being not of the highest priority, had been handed off to the first volunteer, Hermione. She laughed to herself as she often did at that memory. She hadn't really thought of it as subversive until Katie had pointed it out. Every visitor to the ministry walked past that fountain, it was the first thing they saw, it was their first impression of the Ministry, and it spoke of an entirely different relationship between the peoples of the magical world.

There were significant changes. A wizard and witch still stood at the center of the plinth, but instead of an elf staring adoringly up at them, Kreacher stood proudly by their side, the locket of Regulus Black on his chest and a cleaver in his hand. On their other side stood Firenze, a bow in his left hand and his right hand on the witches shoulder. In front of these four stood a goblin looking stern and proud. Behind them all stood the hippogriff, Buckbeak, with a thestral at his side, and looming over all of them was a dragon with broken shackles hanging from his legs. It was a true picture of friendship and shared struggle and triumph. She was very happy with the design and goblins had been pleased to make it for the Ministry.

Hermione looked at the image of her friend Keacher, so damaged by the servitude he had been forced to bear. He hadn't worn that tea towel toga since Harry had freed him. Hermione's mental image of the elf now had him dressed in the morning suit he wore as Harry's butler. It had taken a while to convince him to let Harry set him free, but once he had his freedom he embraced it. He still worked at Grimmauld Place, first for Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, and now for Teddy, but instead of being a slave he was paid, and he had his own little house out in the garden. The best part though was that the aged elf had become her dear friend.

Looking into the eyes of the statue of her friend a lone tear streaked her face. "All of you," she said in a fierce whisper. "All of you."