Chapter 9: The New Age

The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur. The lessons got increasingly more interesting, and I was talking to Angela about getting a job. I kept Edward at an arm's length still, trying to only interact with him in biology, but that didn't mean I ignored him in the corridors. After all, he had been perfectly friendly towards me. He can't help who he looks like for Merlin's sake. Overall I was happy. Yes, I missed Hogwarts - I don't think that will change any time soon - but Forks was adequate. I hadn't managed to think of a way to reply to Harry, but I figured he would understand that. I hadn't managed to decipher all of the letter, but it was gone from my mind. Dumbledore had a tendency to be secretive, and although I half-feared he would show up at school (because it ultimately was the only destination I had each day), I also didn't really expect to be seeing him.

And so it was that the 19th of September arrived. My alarm went off as per normal, Crookshanks rubbed his face against me in the way of a morning hug, and I went downstairs. Like usual, I ate breakfast then went back upstairs to get washed and dressed. It was 7am when I was done, and as I made to leave there was a knock on the door. Frowning slightly, I opened it apprehensively only to smile when I saw the postman.

"Good morning, Simon. How are you?" I greeted as I took a couple of envelopes from him, then signed for a parcel. My curiosity piqued, as I hadn't expected anything today.

"Alright, Hermione. What's in that?" he smiled, indicated the box in my arms.

"I have no idea," I grinned. He chuckled then left for his car. I waved goodbye before shutting the door. I was tempted to open the box now, but I really didn't have enough time. The package was quite big and quite heavy. Perhaps it was a book? I didn't have enough room in my bag, so I quickly placed it on top of the table in dining room whilst slipping the envelopes into my bag. I all but jogged in my eagerness to get to school to open the letters (it was raining so I couldn't do it as I walked). However as I skirted around a puddle, a memory trickled into the forefront of my mind. Rita Skeeter. The letters I got after that awful woman wrote that article. For a moment, I started panicking. What if it was something sinister? If that was the case then opening it in school really wouldn't be the best idea. It would give away my talents, for want of a better word.

It was a few more minutes than I care to admit before I was logical about the situation. Everything had arrived via muggle post, and I'd yet to meet a pureblood wizard that could actually use that. Half bloods... well it depended on upbringing, really. But, as I had not done any magic since being here it was highly unlikely anyone with bad intentions knew where I was, and so there was no need for any of the 'dark side' to use muggle post to attack me. It would be a hell of a lot easier to simply curse me. On that cheery note, I got to school and immediately went to the girls toilets. I made sure all the cubicles were empty before I locked myself in one. Putting the toilet seat down, I perched so that I could get the mail out of my bag with slightly shaking hands. Carefully, I peeled back the tab of the first one, and my eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

A birthday card fell into my hand, and from the floral design I knew immediately it was from my parents. I opened the card to read the message inside (which is too soppy to repeat), before putting it back into my bag, safe and sound in my notebook. The next envelope contained a birthday card too, this time from the Weasleys. I smiled in slight satisfaction at the fact that there was the correct number of stamps. Mr Weasley had paid attention! I was not expecting a card from the Weasley's at all, especially not from Molly and Arthur, but I guess they knew it was safer to send me well wishes from the whole family this way as opposed to owl post, which was not the safest means of communication right now. Tucked inside the envelop was a photo of me, Harry and all of the Weasleys - even Bill and Charlie! It was a photo that had been taken one summer, and I absolutely loved it the moment it fell into my hands. If it were not for the fact that the figures inside the picture were moving I would have planned to put it downstairs , but as it was it might have to live under my pillow.

Once I'd managed to pry my eyes away from the photo, slotted it back into the card and then the card into my notebook, I realised that I was feeling happy for the first time in many weeks. I had forgotten about my birthday but they had remembered it; remembered me. I couldn't wait to get back home and see what was in the package that arrived this morning, as it only made sense it would be a present in the light of the cards. As such, the rest of the day passed in quite a blur. My good mood did not falter once, and my smile seemed infectious at times. I was much friendlier to Edward than usual, although the topic of our conversations was restricted to school and the people within it. Everything was going perfectly until -

"Hermione? There's someone at the office for you. Pack up your things and go," the sports teacher instructed. Who am I to complain about missing P.E? I quickly did as I was instructed and strolled over towards the office, wondering who on earth had me pulled out of my least favourite subject. I almost forgot to open the door when I saw who it was through the glass.

"Ah, Miss Granger. There you are," Remus Lupin greeted in a rather formal voice. "My name is John Smith, and I am here to see how you are settling in at the request of your parents and previous school." He turned to talk to the receptionist, informing her that he would be taking me home. She seemed a bit hesitant at that, doubtful Remus' shabby appearance, but his British accent made her cave. We left the building, and walking out the school grounds. Once Remus felt that we were out of sight, he took hold of my arm and apparated to my house.

"It's so good to see you again, Remus!" I exclaimed excitedly, as I welcomed him into my home. He smiled but said nothing, and I noticed his expression was a little bit forced. I pulled up a seat by the dining table. He mimicked my actions, sitting diagonally opposite to me.
"Dumbledore will be here soon. He sent me ahead to make sure you were here when he apparated." I nodded in understanding, with so many questions bubbling in my mind. The letter finally made sense. Dumbledore was going to see me at my next destination, and by that he meant age. I was now 17, which was quite significant in that it meant I no longer had the trace on me and I was free to perform magic. Of course, I didn't plan to use it much due to fear of the vampires seeing or sensing something on me. It wouldn't do to cause upset in a town where my identity was meant to be somewhat secret.

"How is everyone?" I asked, thinking of my friends but also those who had been at the Burrow over the summer. I had spent a few weeks there over the holidays, in between studying muggle subjects.

"Harry and Ron are fine, for once. As far as I am aware they have not got themselves into any mischief, although Tonks did have to help Harry off the train," Remus admitted, concern lacing his last words. Part of me really didn't want to know what Harry got into before they even arrived at Hogwarts.

Remus and I carried on our conversation for about five minutes further when all of a sudden there was a sudden noise that was akin to a whip being cracked, and none other than Albus Dumbledore appeared in front of us.
"Happy birthday, Miss Granger,"
"Thank you, Professor,"
"These are for you," he pulled out a few parcels from his cloak, and passed them over to me. I carefully took them from him and put them onto the table. I recognised Harry and Ron's handwriting, but there was one parcel that seemed that was very thick and there was no writing on it. I looked at Dumbledore quizzically, and he smiled at me.

"I took the liberty of providing your school books for this year. Now that you are of age, there is no reason why you shouldn't keep up with your studies." His tone rather suggested that it was more than just to keep up with the Hogwarts' qualifications, which made the conversation a little sombre. Still, I was itching to get my nose stuck into the books. I had brought my cauldron, potions and astronomy kits with me, as the trunk my parents bought me for my third year had an extension charm on it. Well, how else was I supposed to take twice the amount of textbooks to everyone else? My parents had not bought the books for my sixth year though, as they felt it would only discourage me from settling into a muggle lifestyle. There was one thing that was bothering me though. Charms sometimes required other people to practice on - like Cheering charms. I supposed I would just have to cross that bridge when I got to it.

"Sir, how is it that you're here? I didn't think it was possible to apparate to another country?" My gaze flickered between the two men, my forehead creasing. Remus' smile seemed genuine as he shared an amused glance with Dumbledore.

"Ah, it is possible with a license much like the Muggle visa. We are here to see if we can find support with the American Ministry." His keen blue eyes twinkled at me as he went on to say, "I am sure you remember the Sorting Hat's message from last year." My mouth formed a small 'Oh' as I remembered the warning about standing united whilst the headmaster pulled out a watch and checked the time. It was then that I noticed his hand, blackened as though burnt. Before I could even ask what happened he cut me off. "I do not have the time to do the tale justice, but I am sure Harry will tell you soon enough. Now, we have much to discuss in a very short amount of time, Miss Granger.

"As you know, you are now of age. You can perform magic without the Ministry being informed about it. Whilst this will enable you to practice your sixth year studies, I must press upon you caution. This is not a Wizarding community, and the Statute of Secrecy stands just as firm here as it does in Britain. That being said, now you seventeen it is worthwhile you learning how to apparate so that if need be you can make a getaway. Remus has agreed to teach you the basics," he paused to give a nod of appreciation to my ex-professor, "but you will be required to be tested by a Ministry official. Now, Molly Weasley assures me that she would love you to visit at Christmas, so it would be possible for you to take the test then. No doubt your parents will appreciate the decrease in travel costs." He smiled warmly at me, and I felt some of my tension slip away. Dumbledore had this way of making you feel as though everything would be fine in the end.

"That being said, I do not want you making yourself a target. Death Eaters will also recruit in other countries, and whilst they are unlikely to recruit from this part of the USA they may very well be near by. If they were to get a whiff of magic from someone who should still be in school they could investigate. The whole point of you being here is safety. Arrangements will be made in the next few months for getting you back to England without detection." I nodded in understanding once more although a frown crossed my face. Did that mean muggle transport was at risk of being monitored?

"I must be going, but it was a pleasure to see you again. I am sure I will see you soon." He inclined his head to me, then to Remus, before disapparating away without another word.

There was silence for a minute whilst I digested everything that had been said to me. I wanted to ask why Remus was in America but felt as though Dumbledore would have told me if it was relevant. I didn't want to pry... not just yet anyway. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't mentioned the Cullens.
"Does Professor Dumbledore know there's a coven of vampires in Forks?" I asked quietly, and was slightly alarmed to register the surprised look on Lupin's face.
"It's the first I have heard of it." He looked at me with concern etched on his prematurely aged face. "I would set some wards up if I were you, Hermione, just to be on the safe side," He smiled warmly at me, in a way that made me think of my own father. He then stood up in preparation to depart. "I'll be in touch about the apparatition lessons."
"Thank you, Sir." We shook hands, and then he too was gone and I was left alone once more.

A slight frown creased my forehead as I considered Lupin's words. Wards? For him to suggest that implies that I am potentially in danger, so of course I was going to listen to it especially in light of everything Dumbledore had said. I hoped there was a book on wards in the set that the headmaster gave me because I did not know the spells for any, and the ones I had heard of might be detectable. Whatever I cast should not be sensed by the supernatural - aka, the vampires that lived in Forks.
Flopping back down onto the chair I had vacated when I was saying goodbye to my once DADA professor, I opened the presents from Harry and Ron. There were a few packets of sweets - chocolate frogs, liquorice wands and sugar quills - and a book about American history in the terms of wizards. There was also some baked treats from Hagrid that I knew not to eat. I smiled thinking of my best friends. It was hard without them, and of course I worried. The fact that Harry needed help from an auror so early on in term hardly eased my concern, but then at least it meant there were aurors near Hogwarts. I sighed, thinking of Sirius Black. Harry had taken his death hard, which isn't surprising considering he was the closest thing that Harry had to proper family. I knew Harry loved the Weasleys, but it just wasn't the same. I had a feeling that if Harry were to look into the Mirror of Erised right now, he would see Sirius alongside his family.

Shaking my head, I opened the book to find two envelopes inside. I opened them both and noticed with relief that thankfully they weren't censored. I picked up the one from Ron first of all.

Hermione,

I think Harry has lost the plot. He keeps saying that Malfoy is a Death Eater. For Merlin's sake he ended up nearly on his way back to London at the start of term because he went to spy on him! I wish you were here to help me keep him in line. You saw what he was like after that trip to Diagon Alley. Oh, that reminds me. Snape is teaching DADA. Can you believe it? Horace Slughorn is now teaching potions (which Harry and I are now taking) and Harry found this old book in the cupboard that has loads of useful notes. Almost wish that Harry had won the scuffle for the newer one now. Slughorn absolutely loves him, inviting him to the Slug Club meetings. Git.
Anyway, I hope everything is okay your end. I can't wait until you come back to Hogwarts - you are a witch after all, even if there is no wood to start a fire. I hope you have a great birthday and that the muggles in America are treating you okay.

Love, Ron

I frowned at the letter. Harry seemed to spiralling out of control if he thought Malfoy was on the road to becoming a Death Eater. It did not seem like a healthy fixation to have. I was also worried about Ron's apparent jealousy of the Slug Club. We all heard how Slughorn liked to collect the skilled to enhance his 'connections' with the wizarding world, but it seemed that Ron was experiencing what he felt in fourth year, much to my dismay. It reminded me that I must write to Ginny to get her to act as a mediator between the two of them. I also wondered if Ron was perhaps feeling lonely, referring back to First Year was hardly normal behaviour for him. With a small sigh, I picked up the note from Harry.

Dear Hermione,

I hope you are well, and that America is as safe as Hogwarts. Actually, scrap that. I hope that America is unsafe because then you could be back here at Hogwarts. We could really do with your help to figure out what Malfoy is up to. I overheard him on the train, and I know that he's got to do some sort of initiation to become a Death Eater. Ron is reluctant to do anything to prove it, I don't think he believes me, but that logical brain of yours would agree with me if you heard everything that I did.
It seems strange that you aren't with us to celebrate your birthday. I hope that you'll be able to visit us soon. Now you're 17 can't you apparate to Hogsmeade or something? It really isn't the same without someone telling us to do our homework.

Happy birthday, Hermione, and write soon. You did get my letter, didn't you?

Love from Harry

A heavy sigh left my lips as I finished reading Harry's letter. Contrary to what he believed, I was much more sure that Ron was right about Malfoy. I was glad to hear that Ron was digging his heels in, and I could have hugged him for looking out for Harry. It did amuse me that Harry wanted someone to nag him to do homework - usually it seemed they hated me for it - so I suppose he couldn't be in a place that was too dark if he was able to crack jokes.

The one positive that came from the notes which mostly caused me stress was that Harry had pointed out that I could learn apparition due to my age, and I remembered my Christmas test. It would definitely be an advantage to see them. Yet if all was normal, then there should be a Hogsmeade visit on Hallowe'en and I might be able to get someone to take me to Britain. Of course, the downside to American schools was that they didn't have half term, so I would have to check to make sure Halloween fell on a weekend. If that didn't pan out, then there was always Christmas to look forward to.

A/n: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I do read all of them and they certainly motivate me to keep writing! I would also like to thank each and every one of you that has followed/favourited this story, as it really does mean a lot to me. I was wondering if you guys would like to have some snap shots from Hogwarts to see how Harry and Ron are acting without Hermione? I've been toying with the idea but in this case it's down to you lot ^^