Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter but all plots, extra characters, and settings are mine.
There's a Note in the Pages of the Book
"Mother, why didn't you tell me about this?" Hermione said as soon as they descended at the bottom of the spiral staircase of Dumbledore's office, she had checked the surroundings before she asked and was pleased when the place seem empty, she didn't want Malfoy or any other Slytherin for that matter to pass through. They knew of her muggle parents and she didn't want to be mocked in front of her mother. Her mother is the first ever muggle to pass through the walls, well, if you can call her that. And if any other students were to know about her, it was sure to be the new gossip in its walls.
It was an innocent question and yet Jane found every muscle and nerves in her body tensing. Jane knew that she would be asking that question pretty soon. And it would have been sooner if they didn't have an Order meeting to attend to. Hermione gave her a sceptical look as if she was waiting for her to start explaining about her secret life.
"Hermione," she began then trailed off, it wasn't like she had the perfect speech inside her head that she rehearsed a thousand times over. "I don't know what to say."
How about 'I'm sorry that I had a secret life as another being' or' maybe now you know why I'm obsessed of Angels' or even 'now you know why I don't have any family members'? Hermione thought.
Jane saw her daughter's frown; it was one of her annoyed frown. One she only used when she's being unsuccessful in obtaining the information she wanted. Jane decided that maybe she should giver Hermione to fill her curiosity with, "My Angel name was Jatropha Curcas," Jane said cutting Hermione off her mental ranting, but to her it sounded as an afterthought.
"Jatropha Curcas?" Hermione echoed. The name sounded weird, it didn't seem fit for any being.
"It's a flower," Jane said. "The main thing that you need to know about Angels is that they are named after a flower or some sort of plant. We should go somewhere private to talk."
"Okay, how about my dorm?" Hermione suggested. Her roommates would be in lessons; it seems to be the perfect opportunity. But her mother shook her head.
"No, library," Jane said with a smile when Hermione's eyebrow rose in confusion. "I wonder if they have any books on Angels," she continued absent-mindedly and without a second thought she scurried down the empty hall.
I wonder if they have any books on Angels.
Hermione was sceptical. She's been in there over a million times during her first year, and it only increased over her time as a student in Hogwarts. To be truthful Hermione thought that she'd been in every aisle and checked every corner.
"Err, Mum?" Hermione called out to her mother's retreating figure.
Jane stopped and turned to her and quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, dear?"
"The library is that way," she said pointing in the other direction.
"Ah," Jane blinked and her rosy cheeks redden, and followed behind Hermione as she led the way to her sanctuary.
"So, bottom line is," Harry said and lay his hand down on the table as if it would help lay down the facts. "That Hermione is an Angel and you think that Voldemort has, like you, sense another that suddenly appeared? But captured her?" he frowned alongside Ron and Ginny. "I don't get it."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Even if Hermione is an Angel shouldn't we, like, know that something was off of her?"
"Nobody noticed anything because her mother had bound her powers during her pregnancy." Snape drawled as if reading from a textbook. "If the Angel baby do not develop their wings from the womb then the chances of their powers enhancing are slim. Do children in this generation ever pick up a book?"
"Hey!"
"Hush, Ron," the Weasley matriarch scolded.
"Angels are supposed to be extinct," Remus pointed out, always being the practical once. "Is there any point of learning something that's seemly unimportant?"
Ron and Ginny smirked as Sirius and Harry openly sniggered.
"Probably not," Snape retorted with a sneer. "But something like this shouldn't go unnoticed."
"Alright, that's it! From the lot of you!" Mad-Eye Moody boomed, losing his temper, slamming his walking stick onto the ground for special effect. The sound echoed and bounced off the walls, making the younger generation to cringe, most probably from fear. "This is serious business!"
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "I am afraid Alastor is right. We are in the middle of a war, and I fear that Voldemort has found a new weapon of war if he was to tame the one he has now. But even with Miss Granger on our side, we don't much of a chance of winning."
"What makes you think that the Angel Voldemort captured will be tamed by him?" Arthur Weasley asked slightly unnerved.
Dumbledore sighed. "Because according to legends most Angels are quite blood thirsty, ironic really, don't you think?" he tried to lighten the mood but it seemed to make it worst.
The faces of the Orders were pure shock and no doubt they were wondering if their sweet Hermione was capable of doing such deeds, even if it was a command from her superior. However before anyone was able to say anything, Dumbledore continued, "If tamed they can make great assassins. But on the bright side, they only listen to their leader."
Jane was humming while flipping through the pages of a rather large and old tome. She had found this tome on the top shelve, in a very lonely corner, it has spent a good decade or two just collecting dust. "Hmm, I wonder who our leader is now..."
"You have a leader?"
Jane jumped. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had not realised that Hermione had returned so fast and so quietly. She had asked Hermione to pull up a table with a couple of chairs and she had done so with the use of her wand. Jane smiled and placed the open book onto the table, "Don't do that Hermione, you made me jump out of my skin," she put her hand over her heart for dramatic effect.
Hermione gave out a good natured laugh and swatted her hand away from her heart. "What's that about having a leader? Is it like having Dumbledore?"
She sat down before answering and ushered Hermione to do the same. "Yes, I supposed it is, but we don't show concern about anyone else. Just our own kind, we stick together. The main reason was because there isn't many of us left, at least when I was part of the group. That's why they were reluctant to casting us out. I remember," Jane couldn't help a smile grace her lips as she continued to flip through the pages of the ridiculously long tome. "The leader was very quite weak in power but was very kind and gentle; with an even more gentle face. Even now I can still remember Her face. Short chestnut hair; hazel eyes, and a little birthmark on the right side of Her face."
"Mum, you just describe yourself," Hermione commented.
"She was at least five-ten minutes older than me," Jane gave her another hint.
"Were you two close?" Hermione cocked her head to the side so she could see the ancient pages.
Jane chuckled, imagining Hermione's reaction but she was vaguely surprised that she hasn't figured it out yet. "I think casting me out broke Her heart."
"Why did She cast you out?"
Jane stopped turning the pages and turned to look at her with a strange expression on her face. She was starting to get ignored at Hermione's obvious mind. "Hermione, my dear, stop asking questions and who do you think the leader was?"
Hermione frowned in confusion. Everybody's favourite bookworm was for once in her life was not thinking straight. Her mind was still overwhelmed and wheeling from the fact she was not a witch but another being altogether, but despite that fact she should not be able to perform any witchcraft.
Jane said nothing as Hermione thought long and hard, she could practically hear the wheels in her brain turning. When Hermione opened her mouth to voice her thoughts, she closed her mouth again and shook her head, muttering to herself.
"Voice your thoughts, love," Jane encouraged her. Jane had a pretty good idea that Hermione had figured it out.
"Is She-..." Hermione closed her mouth in question but tried again. "Is She your sister?"
"Oh, no, Hermione," Jane shook her head. "I'm afraid She's a little more than that, dear."
"Is She your twin?"
Jane nodded, sadness filling her face. "Yes," she nodded. "She was."
Hermione was at of words, "Why?" she managed to gasp out.
"Because the greatest sin is to fall in love with a muggle. And I wanted him to be in your life, and upon my judgement, She said that I have to make a choice. Raise you among them or to your father, and I couldn't imagine your father not in your life so, I made my choice." Jane took a deep breath before continuing. "Her name was Odontonia. We were and always are best friends but then tradition got in the way of my desire. So She had no choice but to cast me out."
Amaranth gazed at the candle before Her as if in a trance. She was just there, just staring at it. She wasn't sure what She was doing, but it just seem like it drew Her in. "A little girl lies here without a soul, and it feels, so..., so... surreal," Amaranth sung.
Her voice sounded drunk but Canarina knew better. She had been sitting in a nearby armchair, watching the fire burning the firewood. Canarina casted her gaze towards her leader and sure enough she found Her staring aimlessly at the candle that stood upon the surface of a fresh clean polish table, with a glass of wine in Her hand. Her bare foot was draped down towards the floor where one of Her many dogs, Prit, a Bedlington Terrier, curled up, seeming to be asleep. Amaranth stroked Her toe along his back absentmindedly.
"With a broken soul to match Her broken heart; and it's just so... so, surreal," She continued, Her tone sounded drunk but Her words weren't slurred. "And where is Her mother when She needs Her most? Dead. Along with Her other baby girl."
Canarina cringed. She hated the words and the tone of Her voice. It seemed empty, void of any emotions, drunk on darkness and yet strangely seductive. One of Her other dogs was Rafe, a Dandie Dinmont Terrier; a cute little thing with short legs, he was too sleeping soundly, curled up upon Canarina's lap, without a care in the world. Only if he could understand the words coming out of his mistress's mouth he won't be so at peace.
As Amaranth was about to sing another verse, the door to the living room opened with a soft swing. And Verbena strolled in, Amaranth didn't look away from the candle, completely focused on the flaming candle so Canarina spoke up, "I trust that you are close?"
"Well-" before Verbena could say anymore, Amaranth ushered her to pour herself a glass of wine, in which Verbena accepted. As the sound of liquid filling the glass echoed the walls she continued. "We are making progress but," she set the wine bottle down back onto the table and she sat on the arm on the couch Amaranth was lying on. "I can say that we are closer to bringing back Breynia."
"And are you," Amaranth tore Her gaze away from the candle and looked at Her most prized Angel in the eye, "gonna have a little talk to that sister of yours?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Of course," she replied with pride, she was proud to be the second in command even when it was unofficial. "Can't have my baby sister running amok."
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