Disclaimer: I really don't own it. Oh poo!
Chapter 7
The Grangers were finally going to enjoy a family vacation together for the first time in many years. The elder Grangers were in the house making arrangements for the trip and Hermione now much calmer was lounging by their in ground pool. She sat there and paged through a bodice ripper novel when an owl landed on the small side table next to her.
"Hello there is that a letter for me?" Hermione asked, and the regal looking owl with the Gold breast plate with the embossed "G".
Hermione opened the scroll type letter and was shocked at the missive to present herself to the closest branch of Gringotts at her earliest opportunity. The owl now freed of its charge took to the sky again. She noticed its departure and saw that the request included her parents so she stood and headed into the house. She entered the house and saw her parents at the island in the kitchen and held out the letter to them. Her father Richard took the letter and read quickly then passed it to her mother Helen. The letter would act as a portkey to take them to the closest branch. Hermione quickly explained how a portkey worked and rushed off to dress to meet with the goblins. Upon her return her parents had just finished locking up and all three touched the letter and Hermione said the activation phrase, in a flash of color the three were gone.
The Grangers landed in a heap in the same room that Harry had the previous day. The two guards bowed them into the bank proper. A well-dressed goblin met them and led them into the director's office not that they knew that yet.
"Good day to each of you Miss Granger and Drs. Granger, I am Director Ragnoc please have a seat we have much to discuss." Ragnoc said.
"Thank you Director Ragnoc I am confused as to the reason we were asked to come to the bank today." Hermione said taking the lead.
"Very astute Miss Granger I have asked you here for a number of reasons, first is you may be able to provide insight to an ongoing investigation we are undertaking."
"Our daughter is involved in an investigation Director Ragnoc?" Helen asked.
"Involved, no. May have evidence in regards to our investigation Dr. Granger. The evidence she has may be critical to ensuring that those guilty can be punished."
"What type of evidence might I have that could help?" Hermione asked.
"Miss Granger I would like for you to be checked out by one of our healers. We have discovered some irregularities in associates of Mr. Harry Potter. The issue we detected we fear may have included you as well and we want to prevent any possibility of more issues popping up."
"I-I may have caught something from Harry? How? What type of condition?" Hermione stuttered out.
"Miss Granger this is not a medical malady but a forced magical one not by Mr. Potter, that is why we need to have you checked." Ragnoc reassured.
Looking to her parents and at their nods, "Um okay I guess that would be fine when can this be done?"
"Presently…" he hit a button on his desk, and a young goblin entered the office, "Ah Griptooth could you please escort Miss Granger and her parents to the infirmary please Healer Zarna is awaiting them thank you ." Griptooth bowed and led the Grangers out.
After a long walk they were shown into what could only be an infirmary. "Hello you must be the Grangers I am Chief Healer Zarna I am going to establish each of your overall health both physically and magically." The clearly female healer said.
"I am sorry Healer Zarna but my wife and I are not magical." Richard said.
"Dr. Granger that remains to be seen we have recently discovered evidence that may prove that statement incorrect. Shall we begin?" Zarna asked and got nods all around.
Zarna began to wave her hands around Hermione and frowned in concentration, then did the same thing over the elder Grangers. Once done she nodded and then asked each to lie down on one of the beds. She started with the elder Grangers first and after a few moments of hand waving and chanting they each glowed briefly in succession from the procedure. She then moved on to Hermione this took significantly longer. Once she was done she moved over to a desk checked some parchment and nodded again then came back over.
"Thank you for your patience I have forwarded my findings to our investigative team and director Ragnoc will discuss the findings there is nothing to be concerned about. You are all in great health and Dr. Helen had a medical condition that we goblins have seen in many of our own females and is easily corrected you can should you choose to have more children safely." Zarna stated to the shock of the Grangers.
"But how?" Helen asked
"we are a warrior race and even the females are trained to fight your injury is the result of an automobile accident yes?" at her nod, she continued "our bodies are often used in practice and the damage you showed is similar to that of a kick to the stomach area and can if hit with enough force can cause rupture and scaring thereby making pregnancy quite difficult. That is easily fixed by our healers. Should any of you need any medical or magical assistance we here at Gringotts would be happy to assist."
Griptooth reappeared and led the shell-shocked Grangers back to Ragnoc's office. Griptooth bowed again and left as the Grangers took seats, Ragnoc got them all tea with a mild calming draft added. After a few minutes the three began to visibly relax.
"Are you three feeling better?" Ragnoc asked.
"Yes thank you Director Ragnoc this is some fantastic tea." Richard said.
Hermione giggled, "Dad there was a calming potion in the tea to help us come to grips again."
"Oh wow we could really use that in our practice." Helen said.
The group had a good laugh at that.
"If I may speak frankly with you there are things occurring in the magical community that concern Gringotts. Mr. Potter brought a disturbing possibility to our attention that could have far reaching effects for not just magicals but our neighbors in the non-magical community as well. My wife has sent the reports of your exams up to me after she completed them." Ragnoc said.
"That was your wife I must thank you both then…" Helen was cut off.
"Dr. Granger think nothing of it and as I am sure she told you a common injury amongst my people." At her grateful nod he continued, " The reports confirm Mr. Potter's suspicions to a point as the tests performed were if there were any blocks, shunts, charms, curses or potions in any of your systems. I am sorry to say that you Drs. Granger both were victims of shunts, where Miss Granger was the victim of all of the issues I mentioned." He paused for the explosion that never came as there were confused looks on all three faces.
"Um sir what does that mean?" Hermione asked.
"Allow me to explain what each of the things are. First blocks are like a wrapping that is place around magic, in some cases it is the magical core or in others magical abilities. The next is shunts those are like a water leach but instead of blood it draws in magic and funnels it somewhere else or in reality to someone else. Charms are like the type that preform a specific action, curses are similar but can be quite harmful and finally potions are just like that calming draft I had added to your tea. As I stated the Drs. Granger's had shunts and Miss Granger had all of them upon her." This time he got the reaction he had been expecting.
"Are you telling me that our daughter has been controlled somehow?" both parents said together.
"Sir I don't feel any different after their removal." Hermione stated.
"No you had mostly broken through the charms, curses and potions. The blocks and shunts were on your magical core the boost will be evident when next you cast a spell." Ragnoc said.
"Oh okay." Hermione stated.
"Director Ragnoc you said Helen and I had shunts on us what are they really?" Richard asked.
"A different analogy would be a shunt is like an electrical plug and you are the outlet, the shunt is used to power someone else's magical core when they are not quite powerful enough to preform magic or want to be more powerful. In your cases it was enough to make you both appear non-magical." Ragnoc said.
"Wait are you saying we are magical like Hermione?" Helen asked.
"No Miss Granger is magical because of you both being a witch and wizard." Ragnoc replied.
"Who could have done this to us?" Richard asked.
"That I cannot say but I suspect that it was a member of the Yaxley family as that who the shunts were directed and I suspect that they may be experiencing a distinct reduction in magic ability suddenly. As we removed the shunts from both of you. Now you may have had accidental magical outbursts as children or as infants but sometime probably before you can remember someone placed those shunts on you. That would have immediately stopped all magical responses from you." Ragnoc explained.
Suddenly Hermione gasped and covered her mouth and began to sob. "Oh god what have I done?"
"I see the memory charms that were removed are starting to clear away." Ragnoc said.
"Hermione love what is it?" Helen asked.
"you know how I tend to hyper-focus on studying," at her parents nods, "well you know that I later review the day and well last year we were studying and Harry asked me to be his girlfriend and I blew him off. Then later in the year he asked me to the Yule ball and I did it again and then went with Victor Krum. Oh god he hates me." Hermione sobbed. Helen drew her distraught daughter into a hug trying to comport her distraught daughter.
"Miss Granger, Hermione please look at me." Ragnoc said gently. When she tearily looked up, "I cannot say for sure if the compulsion charms were responsible for your actions. Albus Dumbledore and the Weasleys were always to be followed and never questioned. I mention all this as I feel you did not willingly betray Harry as you both were betrayed by those to be your friends and charged with your protection. "
"Hermione luv?" Richard asked.
"Daddy I love Harry, I think I always have. I don't understand why they would do this to us." Hermione asked.
"That Miss Granger I wish I could answer. I understand that you are in pain and could say that everything will be alright but I cannot." Ragnoc said.
