Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters
in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading .
Hermione Granger ~ Mary Lennox
Draco Malfoy ~ Colin Craven
Harry Potter ~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)
Ginny Weasley ~ Martha Sowerby
Albus Dumbledore ~ Ben Weatherstaff
Lucius Malfoy ~ Archibald Craven
Minierva McGinagall ~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)
Narcissa Malfoy ~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)
Severus Snape ~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)
Mrs Weasley ~ Susan Sowerby
Chapter 3
When Hermione opened her eyes the next morning it was because of the noise she could hear from within her living room. The sound was a mixture of chatter and the noise of someone raking out the cinders from the fireplace. Hermione knew better than to lay in bed and simply got out of the thick duvet. Her bare feet padding on the dark wooden floors as she headed towards the door that lead to her living room, pausing as she got to the doorway, watching the scene in front of her with wide eyes. In her living room she found two people, two servants from their uniforms, both of them seems to be ages with herself, there was a girl with the reddest hair Hermione had ever seen, who was on her knees on the hearth rug, using her wand to rake out the cinders from the fire as she chatted happily to a boy, with large ears and feet who Hermione would swear, if she didn't see him flitting about with ease, would be very clumsy. The boy was setting the small table for Hermione's breakfast. It was after this Hermione realised she was seeing her rooms properly for the first time, last night she was too tired and the shadows had caused her not to get the full effect of the room, by that she meant she had missed the large tapestry that covered the wall next to the door that too her to the rest of the house. The tapestry was the of a forest scene with witches and wizards all dressed in black cloaks lazing under trees, they seems to be shooting sparks from their wands, the sparks twirling and forming animal shapes, she could see the turrets of a castle in the distance of the grand tapestry. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she gazed at it, something about it made her feel as if she was in the forest with them.
"Ah, you must be Miss Hermione!" She heard, and turned to see the red headed girl get to her feet, a wide smile upon her face, "Me names Ginny, Ginny Weasley," She spoke good naturedly as the boy turned to look at Hermione too.
"Mornin' Miss," he spoke quietly, it seemed the girl was the chattier of the two, "I'm Neville Longbottom" Hermione nodded her head toward them both as a way of greeting before she moved over to the large windows to allow them to finish their jobs. Out of the window she could see a great stretch of land that seemed to go on for miles and miles as far as she could see. There was something strange though about it. The land had no trees on it what so ever, Hermione thought it look rather like an endless, dull, purple coloured sea.
"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the land.
Neville turned his head and Ginny rose to her toes to peer at what Hermione was pointing to. "That there?" she asked, as she too pointed to the land.
"Yes."
"That's th' moor, that is." Ginny said with a good-natured grin, glancing at Neville before turning to the girl once again, "does tha' like it?"
"No," Hermione answered bluntly as she gazed across the purple sea she knew to be the moor, "I hate it."
This caused Neville to let out a laugh and shoot Ginny a look who rolled her eyes at him, "That's because tha'rt not used to it," Ginny told the girl with a shrug as she moved to help Neville with the breakfast.
"Miss, you probably think it's just too big an' bare now," the boy told her, "but tha' will like it when it blooms. Everyone does."
"Do you two like it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, turning to look at the odd two she shared the room with, the boy simply nodded before they all heard a bell ringing from somewhere in the Manor.
"That's Mrs. McGonagall's bell, I need to go. It was nice to see you Miss." Neville said with a small bow of his head before he exited the room, leaving Hermione with Ginny.
Hermione looked at Ginny and asked her once again, "Do you like the moor?"
"Aye, that I do" answered Ginny, as she cheerfully continued on with her work. "I just love it. Th' moor is naw bare. Its fair covered in gorse and heather, and there's such a lot of fresh air. An' th' sky looks so high an' th' bees an' skylarks makes such a noise as they hum an' sing. My adopted brother, Harry, goes off and plays on the moor for house and hours. Eh! I wouldn't live away from th' moor for anythin' in th' world."
Hermione listened to the red headed girl with a puzzled expression. She was wrapped up in everything the girl said but was confused by the bluntness in the way she spoke. In India no servant, whether elf or witch or wizard, would dare to talk to Miss Hermione in such a way. They were servants, they knew their place in the house hold, but here in England it seemed as if Ginny and the other servants talked to those they served as if they were their equals. In India servants were commanded to do things, so Hermione had not grown up to ask for what she wanted. The words, "Please" and "Thank you" were words she did not feel the need to say to a servant. Looking upon the girl who was probably the same age as she was, give or take a year or two, Hermione had the strangest feeling that things were going to be very different from what she was used to in India. "Ive never met a servant like you," Hermione told her, speaking honestly as she moved away from the window. She wasn't sure if the comment would offend the girl or not so she kept the eye on her wearily in case she shouted at Hermione for the rude comment.
Ginny however let out a good natured laugh, she didn't seem at all offended by Hermione's comment as she leant on the back of one of the elegant chairs that had been placed in Hermione's rooms. "Aye! That I know," she spoke with a shrug, "if there was a grand misses at Malfoy Manor I should never have even been allowed up th' stairs. I'm too common an' I never lost my love of talking Yorkshire at school." Ginny explained, and Hermione couldn't help but nod. She understood that Ginnys place as such a high ranked servant was because her 'Aunt' was dead, before she could ask Ginny the other pressing questions that was on her mind the girl had started speaking again, and though she was a servant Hermione didn't interrupt as that would be rude. "But this is a funny house for all its so grand. It's like there's neither a Master nor a Grand Misses. The ones in charge are Master Snape an' Mrs. McGonagall. Master Malfoy when he is home, he doesn't trouble about anythin' but he is nearly always away. Mrs. McGonagall gave me a position here out o' kindness. I know she could never have done it if Malfoy Manor had been like any of the other big pureblood houses"
Hermione realised that Ginny had come to the end of her sentence and she straightened herself up and looked at the girl, speaking in her spoilt kind of way, "Are you going to be my servant?" she asked, and Ginny shrugged and began cleaning again.
"I'm Mrs. McGonagall's servant," she said simply. "An' she is clearly Mr. Malfoys, but I have been asked to do the housemaid's work in here, an' wait on you a bit. But youre a smart girl. You won't need much waitin' on, right?"
"Aren't you going to help me get dressed then?" Hermione asked, though it sounded a lot more like a command than a question as she turned and walked into her bedroom, heading towards her wardrobe.
From behind her she heard the red headed girl exclaim, "Canna tha' dress thyself?!
"Of course I can," Hermione said, turning to face the girl who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, "but in India my Ayah dressed me, it is the custom"
Ginny simply gave the girl with frzzy hair and a yellowing complexion an amused look, "Well then, here in England girls dress thyself's, it is the custom."
"Oh," was all Hermione could say, as Ginny moved into the room with Hermione.
"it'll do tha' good to wait on thyself a bit. My mother always said tis fair a wonder grand folks children don't turn out fair fools, bein' washed and took out to talk like they was puppies."
Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to the girl. If she was being honest she was finding it hard to understand the girl, and before she could stop herself she had blurted out, "What is the language you are speaking?" Hermione immediately slapped her hand to her mouth as she realised how rude she must have sounded, to her luck Ginny simply shot her a smile.
"I forgot, you've not heard any Yorkshire, livin' in India an' all." Ginny said, as she moved passed Hermione getting her wand out to make the bed to the standards expected of her at the manor, "Mrs. McGonagall warned me I should be careful with what I said or you wouldn't understand what I was sayin'. But honestly youre not what I expected from you. When I heard you was comin' I thought you'd be darker, but youre more yellow, I'd say."
It took Hermione a full minute to compute what the red head at said, "What!" she yelled, "You thought I was a native! If we were in India I'd – I'd put a snake in your bed for that insult!"
Ginny looked startled, and a reddish colour was seen forming at the base of her neck, "who are you insulting?!" she all but shouted back, causing Hermione to look shocked at the fact she was being shouted back at, "You needn't be so vexed! That's no way for a high born lady to talk!" Ginny simply turned her back on the girl and focused on the bed. Hermione however stood there in silence. She had never had someone shout back at her and suddenly the feeling of utter loneliness washed over her like an ocean crashing onto rocks. She was so far away from everything she knew to be normal and everything that she actually understood. This big house with its strange customs and servants was becoming overwhelming for her. Hermione didn't realise she had started to cry until she heard Ginny say, "Now, miss, I didn't mean for you to cry." Hermione put her hand to her cheek and realised that there was a wetness there. But there was something about the tone of Ginny's voice and the odd accent that made Hermione wipe at her eyes and give her a small smile. Normally she would have started screaming until the problem was fixed, but she was fond of Ginny for some unknown reason and she didn't want the girl to get into trouble from McGonagall, "Come now miss, let's find you an outfit." Ginny put her arm around the girl and move her towards the wardrobe and opened it to reveal the clothes that lay inside.
Hermione frowned as she looked at the clothes and stepped forward to feel the thick warm blue jumper that was closest to her. "These are not my clothes," she whispered as looked in awe at the new clothes in front of her, "All my clothes are black."
"Aye, Miss, your 'Uncle'-" Ginny started, as she picked out a pair of jeans and warm thick socks that went with the jumper Hermione had a hold of.
"These are all much nicer than mine," Hermione whispered as she took the new jumper out, and placed in against her person.
"You should get these on," Ginny answered with a smile, "Mr. Malfoy ordered McGonagall to get 'em in London. He claimed he wouldn't have child dressed in black, wanderin' about like a lost soul. My mother told McGonagall to get you colourful clothes."
"I'm not keen on my black clothes," Hermione told Ginny as she dressed herself, Ginny searching for a pair of boots for Hermione to wear.
Ginny, Hermione quickly found out, loved to talk. The girl seemed to hate silence and was more than happy to yatter on about her life. As Hermione got dressed and sat down to nibble on some toast for her breakfast she found out that Ginny lived in a quirky house called 'The Burrow' with six older brothers, not including her adopted brother Harry who had become an unofficial Weasley after he and Ginny's brother Ronald finished school. If Hermione had grown up under different circumstances she would have perhaps have laughed at Ginny's readiness to talk, but she simply listened to her and wondered once again in awe at the freedom of which she was allowed to talk. "Eh! You should see us all," she said, "All eight of us get together on Sundays. I can't tell you how my mother manages to feed us all, it amazes me. She claims that us playin' on th' moor is what fattens us all. Our Harry, he's 17 like you are, but he has a young pony and owl his calls his own."
"Where did he get that?" Hermione asked.
"He found it on th' moor when it was a baby an' he began to make friends with it. It now follows him about an' lets him ride on his back. Harry's a kinda lad that everyone, animal or human, simply likes him." Hermione, had never really had an animal as a pet but she had always felt she would like one. She glanced toward the armchair where the ugly ginger cat had been the night before, sadly the cat was no longer there anymore. Her thoughts turned from the cat to Harry, she had never truly been interested in anything other than herself, unknown to her this was the dawn of a healthy new mind-set for her.
Ginny seemed to realise when the girl had spoken, that Hermione was not eating much of the substantial breakfast that had been laid out for her, "Ain't you going to eat any more?" she asked.
"I'm not hungry"
"What?" Ginny said, almost amazed that the girl wasn't hungry "I can't see this good food going to waste. If my lot was at this table, they would clean it bare in five minutes!"
"Why?" Hermione asked, food had never been an issue for her so she didn't really understand what Ginny meant, she assumed that it was because there was so many of them not because they didn't have enough.
"Why?" Ginny echoed, "Because unless we was at school we scarcely had enough to eat. We had come to appreciate food and we eat all that we are given."
"Why don't you take this to them?" Hermione suggested.
"It's not mine to take," Ginny answered quietly, causing Hermione to shake her head almost as if she was going to insist that Ginny took the food but the girl kept talking, "An' this ain't my day out. I get to go home on Sundays for my mother's dinners."
Hermione pushed back from the table and nodded in understanding. "What am I going to do today?" she asked, trying to change the conversation to something else.
"I suggest you wrap up warm, the wind can be unforgivin', an' run out an' explore the gardens." Ginny suggested, "It may do you some good, an' it may give you an appetite for your dinner."
Hermione wandered over to the windows as Ginny wandered through to her bedroom to gather a thick winter cloak for the girl. The scene on the other side of the glass was dull and windy, Hermione didn't find it at all appealing to go out in. "Out? You want me to go out on a day like this?"
"Well, if tha' doesn't go out tha'll have to stay in. what had tha' got to do in here but read?" Hermione glanced around the room, when it was prepared it was clear that the thought of amusement had not been in the mind of whomever prepared it. Hermione glanced at the bookcase and shook her head, she should leave that for a day when she had no choice but to stay in. it seemed that the garden was going to be her best option. Ginny handed Hermione a tick grey cloak and a hat she had found in the wardrobe, just as another bell rang out throughout the house that had Ginny looking startled. "Oh now there's Mrs. McGonagall's bell, and I've have to clean all this up first. If I tells you the way, can you find it yourself? There's lots o' flowers in the summer time, but there be nothin' bloomin' now" Ginny seemed to hesitate before she whispered to Hermione, "One of th' gardens is missing. No one has been able to find it in ten years."
"Why?" Hermione asked as she pulled on her cloak. A missing Garden? That just added to the strangeness of the manor she now found herself in.
"Mr. Malfoy had it enchanted when his wife died. He won't let anyone see it. It was her garden you see. So he locked th' door, enchanted it so it could only be found with its key, and hid the key somewhere." Ginny explained as she showed Hermione to her room door, "Now the way out is down the stairs, past the ballroom…"
"I'll find it." Hermione said rather stubbornly, the thoughts of the mysterious garden in her head as she wandered the way Ginny had pointed. Maybe, just maybe she could find the garden. Unravel one mystery of the Manor. At least it would give her something to do on her walk around the gardens.
Tell me your thoughts, thanks
Sarahx
