Chapter 9: Princess Hermione
For the next couple days, the four of them spent a rather uneventful time travelling by ship while Harry and Hermy had been forced to go through all of the stupid lessons on how royals act. Harry honestly didn't see why he'd had to learn since he wasn't royal, but Ginny insisted on it and Hermy was sure that he just couldn't say no to her.
Hermy smiled widely each time she saw the two lovebirds together. His attitude for the last few days had become much happier, and she knew that it was Ginny who had caused such a change in him. She could see it in the girl's face as well… she beamed as she gazed at Harry, who grinned back serenely at her. Both of them truly seemed happy and in love to her…
Honestly, the only person who hadn't noticed was Ron. But Hermy wasn't concerned… with the two lovebirds with each other all the time, she had spent much more time with Ron, trying to keep him distracted so that he wouldn't interrupt them.
She soon grew to enjoy Ron's company. He was funny and sarcastic, maybe a little dense at times but he did make her laugh in a good way. But as she looked at him sometimes, she couldn't help but remember the times when he risked his life to help her.
Such as when she almost went overboard or when that snake attacked. Just what was going on? With all this bad luck… nothing like this had ever happened before she met him. She gazed out at the sea and thought about what her life would be like if she and Harry had taken that other road the day they left home. What would she do if she wasn't Hermione? Well, she would come back to Godric's Hallow with Harry… but the more they travelled together, the more a part of her began to believe that maybe—just maybe—she was.
And if she was then she'll find her grandmother…
But if she did… what would she do then? And considering their luck, it was assuming that they survive the rest of the way to Hogwarts of course. Thankfully, nothing else seemed to be happening and four days later they finally spotted land in the distance.
"What if I fail?" Hermy asked them for the hundredth time, fear and excitement bubbling inside her once she spotted the shore. "What will I do then?"
"At least you know you tried," Harry said brightly as the three of them came to join her at the railing.
"And you won't fail," Ginny said firmly. "It all fits doesn't it? You don't remember who you are before the revolt and it was the same time that the princess disappeared. It can't just be a coincidence. And if there's anyone out there who can tell you the truth, it'd be the Grand Duchess."
"And if she doesn't?" she asked sounding almost like how a panicky bird would.
Ron bumped his knuckles against her shoulder. "Relax already. It's not like we were any worse off than before?"
"So this is it?" Harry asked, shielding his eyes and looked around at the growing land in the distance.
"We're practically on Hogwarts's doorstep now," Ginny said before looking at Hermy, "And I'll be the first to welcome you! Welcome home, princess!"
Hermy blushed at that and smiled embarrassingly at her—but her hands griped the railing of the ship tightly—trying to hide the fact she was shaking. It was here she would find out the truth… once and for all, is she Hermione or not?
Once they landed at the shore, they went travelling through the village in a small carriage, heading to a house where one of Minerva's wards lived—as well as the one who was in charge of trying to find the princess.
"Look," Ginny said quickly and they all leaned their heads out the window to get a good look at it. There was narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the bright light, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"You mean she lives there?" Hermy gasped out, her eyes wide.
"Not bad," Ron grinned. "But we won't be going there just yet."
"Yeah," Ginny said, "Anyone who wants to see her has to go through Tonks first."
"Who?" Harry asked.
"She works as a ward for Minerva," Ginny explained. "Anyone who wants to see the duchess has to see her first. We have to convince her that you're Hermione first. And once we do, then we get a chance to meet the Grand Duchess."
The rest of the way to Tonks's house Ron and Ginny drilled Hermy with all the questions they knew about the princess. Hermy got each and every one of them correct so that by the time they got there, they were all reasonably confident.
It was a nice little house where a woman with pink hair greeted them. She didn't seem to be like the kind of person that you would expect to work with royalty… but she didn't seem to care much about what anyone thought of her as she waved the carriage goodbye, walking almost like a duck with a heavily swollen stomach.
"Being pregnant sucks," she said irritably as she led them inside as she patted her stomach lightly. "I can tell that it's gotta be a boy… he never stays still."
She sighed as she sat down, her husband—a man named Remus—came in with a tray of tea.
"So what can we help you with?" Remus asked realistically.
"We know that the Grand Duchess has been looking for Princess Hermione for the last ten years," Ginny said at once.
"Your point?" Remus asked politely.
"We think we found her," Harry said, gesturing to Hermy sitting next to him.
The two looked at her, and Hermy looked to the floor with a red face. "Well," Remus said softly, "You do look a great deal like what I expect the princess to look like. But then again, so did all the others."
"Others?" Hermy asked in surprise.
"You think you're the first girl to come to us, claiming to be a princess?" Tonks asked her. "We've had so many we've long since lost track. We've had plenty of young girls come here saying that they were the princess. Over the years, the Grand Duchess has lost hope of ever seeing her granddaughter again."
Hermy frowned sadly, her heart going out to the woman.
"Well Hermione, if you are truly Hermione," Tonks went on as her husband gave her a cup of tea, "Where have you been hiding all these years?"
"I've been in an orphanage," Hermy said biting her lip but Tonks just frowned.
"That's a new one," she said, "Normally I hear about how they had been hiding out in some distant land, trying to find their way back home. But an orphanage?"
"How'd you end up there?" Remus asked Hermy.
"I was wandering the streets wondering why I couldn't remember anything and I was brought to the orphanage," she said with a shrug, "Where I was up until about a couple weeks ago."
"And what happened then?" Tonks asked her eyes wide and she leaned forward to hear more.
"We were kicked out," Hermy said.
"We?" she repeated
"Me and Harry," she said, and Harry raised a hand half-heartedly from his seat. "We turned seventeen so we were kicked out," Hermy explained.
"I can vouch for her," Harry said quickly, "I lost my parents during the revolt and I've been stuck there for ten years. That's where we met."
"And why come here if you don't remember who you are?" Remus asked suspiciously.
"Well, it was either here or go to Gunnings and work there like dogs for the rest of our lives," Harry muttered.
"I didn't know who I was or where I came from," Hermy said miserably. "But Harry knew his family name and we wanted to go see if we can track them down… to at least find out what happened to his parents. Along the way, we paid a trip to Hogsmeade and that's where we ran into these two."
The two red-heads smiled forcefully at the couple and they explained about their trip here—though without some of the life-threatening parts.
"So Hermione, what makes you think you're actually Hermione," Tonks asked her softly. "If you have no memory of who you were, why come here? We've met a lot of girls who thought they could fool us."
Hermy looked down at the floor clasping her hands together tightly. "I don't want to have to fool anyone," she said, "I just want to find out who my family is and if it is the Empress then she'll have found her family too."
The two gazed long and hard at her. "Just answer us one question," Remus said softly, "How did you escape during the siege of the palace?"
Ron felt the need to throw up. This was one question that they didn't see coming. He was thinking fast, trying to think of an excuse, but then Hermy startled him by getting up and pacing the room. For a moment she didn't say anything, her voice unusually soft, "There were some boys… boys who worked in the palace…"
She slowly turned back to face them, and her expression was as if she was remembering something from a forgotten dream. "There were two boys with red hair… servant boys I think they were. They told us to escape through the servant's quarters."
Ron stared at her, his eyes getting wide as she went on, "I remember following after them to a statue of a witch with a hump on her back… there were people behind us. But the older boy somehow opened the hump and there was a secret passageway… I recall dropping something…"
Her friends stared at her. Hermy was looking glassed-eyed as she stared off in the distance. But it was Ron who was staring at Hermy as if he had never seen her before. His heart was beating so loudly that he could've sworn he heard it.
It wasn't a dream… she was the real thing…
She remembered that day… just as he did… it was him and his brother Fred who had helped the two escape… there was no way that she could know all that unless…?
"Hermy?" Harry asked and suddenly she seemed to come out of her doze.
"Sorry," she said embarrassed. "I don't know why that suddenly came back to me," she admitted, her hand to her head. "I think I might've dreamt that or something… I don't know anymore…"
"So what do you think?" Ginny asked the couple as Ron tried to control his breathing.
"Well," Remus said softly, "I don't know all the details to how the Empress and the princess were able to escape the palace, but she told us that it was through a secret passageway. No one else even came close to that answer."
"She answered every question," Tonks said softly, "And I don't really think that they're lying…"
"So you'll let us see her?" Hermy asked, her heart beating a little faster.
"I'm afraid that it's not that easy," Remus sighed, "The Empress doesn't want to see anyone claiming to be her granddaughter when they're have been so many people doing just that. She doesn't want to get her hopes up, only to be hurt again. She's been alone for a long time…"
"Can't you do something?" Harry asked, seeing the crushed expression on Hermy's face.
The couple talked it over for a second before they looked up. "There is a chance that we could try to meet up with you at tomorrow night," Remus said. "They have plays about classic stories… tomorrow it will be the Fountain of Fair Fortune. The Empress likes to go there to watch. But don't get your hopes up… she is an a tougher critic than either of us. You won't be able to pull the fast one over her eyes."
But the rest of them were thrilled. Finally, FINALLY! After all they went through to get this far, they were finally going to get a chance to find out the truth. But Ron just sat there, his breathing hard, his heart beating so painfully that he thought that it would burst.
*Later*
The four of them had been able to find some rooms in a hotel a little ways from the theater house and they spent a lot of time getting ready for the next night. The girls insisted on going shopping, and dragged the boys sullenly behind them the whole time as they had a night on the town. Ginny ended up buying new robes for them all, spending almost the remainder of their money… if things didn't go well, they might not have enough left to take the boat back to Godric's Hollaw… but their hopes were all surprisingly high.
After shopping that day, Hermy walked into the bathroom and gasped as she saw the bath that was sunken into the floor. She noticed a lot of strange colored bottles were next to the bath and she picked up one and uncorked it, instantly a strange flowery smell bombarded her nose and she grinned pouring some of the liquid into the water. The water immediately turned purple and she chuckled slightly in amusement. If someone told her a few weeks ago that she would be here in Hogwarts taking a bath in purple water when she left the orphanage, she would've questioned their sanity.
"And I don't know what I'd have done if you didn't show up," Hermy whispered to the Crookshanks, who was sleeping on a bathrug in the bathroom with her. The cat had gotten so used to travelling in his little basket that they hardly ever heard a peep from him, but it was nice to see him enjoying time outside his basket.
Smiling at the cat, she slipped into the hot water gratefully, unable to remember when she last had a hot bath. She lay there, thinking everything over. So tonight she was going to find out once and for all. She would either be a princess… or a nobody. Personally, she hoped for the first option… and not because she would be a princess… but because her only family was here. She hugged herself in the warm water, trying not to think about it…
She shut her eyes and for a moment she had a kinda dream of dancing around in that giant ballroom for a brief moment before it all went black again.
Sighing, she finished her bath and went back into the bedroom where the robe that Ginny had insisted on buying for her now lay. She smiled as she looked at the pretty blue color. "Please…" she whispered, "Please let her know me…"
"Crookshanks, you stay here," she told the cat, who had followed her into the room. She smiled at him again as she scratched under his chin. "And we'll talk about what we're gonna do when we get back.
*Outside the theater*
"What were you thinking?" Ron demanded hotly as he pulled angrily against the cuff of his new robe. If anyone looked at him, they would swear that he was wearing a long, maroon velvet dress with lace.
"Well, I thought that it would look good with you," Ginny said happily, having changed into a light cream-colored robe and was smiling happily at her brother.
"You did it just to annoy me!" he yelled.
"You only noticed?" she asked brightly. "But who cares? We did it! We're here! And all we have to do is wait for Harry and Hermy to get here! I really don't know what we're gonna do if we're wrong about this…"
"There is no need to be nervous," Ron said, looking away from her, "she is the real deal."
"Yeah, it's really…" Ginny began but Ron was shaking his head.
"No," he hissed to her. "I mean she is the princess! I told you before about the secret passageway right?"
Ginny blinked at him in confusion.
"I was that boy," he hissed to her. "The night of the raid… me and Fred were the ones who led the Duchess and one of the princesses to the secret passageway. No one but the servants ever knew about it! There is no way she could know… she got the details perfectly, remember? She even said red hair? I don't know why she never told us about it before, but…"
He trailed off and she continued to stare at him. "Then that means… we found her," she said softly. "We actually found the real princess… and she found her family… and you…?"
"Won't say anything else, servants don't marry princesses," he said.
"Who said anything about marriage?" Ginny asked. She blinked, "Oh, my god… you love her!"
"Shut up!" he hissed.
"But you never seemed that interested in her before," she pointed out in a hushed tone.
"Well, I didn't… I mean… I still don't but…" he stopped, he had no idea how he could explain it to her. He didn't know how he felt about Hermy anymore. But when he realized that she was the real princess, he realized that she would be taken away forever. Of course she would choose to stay here where her family was, and he would say goodbye forever… but for some reason he felt as if he had been punched in the gut at the though.
And for some reason, that scared him.
"You have to tell her," Ginny decided at once.
"Tell who what?" Hermy's voice could be heard behind them, and they jumped.
Harry and Hermy finally arrived and they both stared at what they saw. Harry was in the new robes that Ginny worked so hard to pick out just for him… bottle green which brought out his eyes just perfectly. Ginny gasped happily and immediately went straight to him, but Ron's eyes were only focused on Hermy.
She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material… she honestly looked like a princess here.
"Tell who what?" she asked again when she got near him.
Ron seemed to be low on breath as he tried to talk. What was he doing? He was acting like an idiot here.
"That we were wondering what was taking you so long," Ginny chirped up at once, sparing Ron the humiliation of having to answer.
"Sorry, but we couldn't get away," Harry explained as he took Ginny's arm. "Let's get going."
"The moment of truth," Hermy nodded as she grabbed hold of Ron's hand and pulled him inside. They soon found their seats just as the opening of the play opened up…
"It's time," she whispered to him as they sat down. "But what if she doesn't remember me?"
"Don't be stupid. You'll do fine," Ron said firmly, trying not to look at her.
"Ron?" Hermy asked. They went thought the play and meanwhile, Hermy wrung the pamphlet until it was in tiny pieces in her lap.
"It'll be fine…" he said again.
"Look, we've been through a lot together," Hermy said, and Ron could see that she was slightly nervous.
Maybe it was the darkness that was covering everything, but the two of them were staring long and hard at the slight glint in each other's eyes. But as they stared, Ginny was pointing to a spot over their heads and there she was. An elderly woman in a simple, but elegant, robe was there and was watching the scene with mild entertainment.
"Is that?" Harry asked and Ginny nodded, "Let's go."
They all got up at once, Hermy and Ron both a little disappointed that the moment had been ruined. But as they reached the foot of the stairs, the guard there wouldn't let them see.
"I'm very sorry," the guard said, refusing to let them go, "but My Lady says she will see no one."
"You may tell them all that I have seen enough Hermione's to last me three lifetimes," Minerva's voice called down from the balcony.
"You'd better go," the guard whispered to Ron but he slipped past them to run upstairs to speak with her. After coming this far, he wasn't going to let it go that easily. He wasn't going to let Hermy listen to rejection before she even saw her!
"What are you doing?" the Duchess demanded when he came up to see them.
"Please listen to me," Ron said pleaded as he gasped for breath. "My name is Ron. I used to work at the palace."
"That is one I haven't heard before," Minerva scoffed sarcastically. "Do you know how many stories I've heard for ten years? I'm sick of being lied to."
"Please, we came all the way from Hogsmeade and—"
"Others have come from Hogsmeade too, but they all claim the same thing," Minerva said, standing up. "Your travels do not make me want to see this actress of yours. Unless you can give me hard proof, I'm not interested!"
At that, one of the guards had come up and grabbed hold of him, forcing him to leave. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he forcibly threw Ron out like he was a sack of potatoes.
Dazed and stunned, Ron gasped for breath.
"You alright?" Harry asked, helping his friend up.
"I'm fine," Ron said hurriedly as he stared around, trying to get a glimpse of brown hair, "Where's Hermy?"
The look on Harry's face told him everything Ron needed to know. She had left…
"Where is she?" Ron gasped, "What happened?"
"The guard mentioned the reward money and she just lost it," Ginny said anxiously. "She took off and… hey wait!" Ignoring their call, Ron ran after Hermy.
"Hermy!" he called as he ran out of the theater, refusing to look back at them. He had just caught hold of Hermy taking a carriage and calling for the driver to take her back to the hotel where they were staying.
"HERMY!" Ron screamed, but the carriage had already taken off. Ron stood there staring after them, even long after they were gone.
"So this whole time it was just a con?" said a familiar voice behind him.
"NO," Ron said loudly, looking at Harry's cold expression. "I mean yes but… no! It started off like that! But she IS Hermione!"
"How do you know? It could be another plan to con both of them!" Harry demanded, looking furious at Ginny.
"Harry, please," she begged imploringly, "I know it looks bad, but I don't want to trick anyone! I never did! But…"
"It's not a con!" Ron yelled, "I KNOW SHE'S HERMIONE BECAUSE I WAS THERE!"
Harry stopped as Ron took a deep breath. "What?" he repeated.
"I… was the boy she was talking about," Ron gasped, telling him the truth. "I used to be a servant at the palace in Hogsmeade! The night of the raid, I was in the kitchen with some of my brothers when I heard the noise outside."
"You mean…?" Harry whispered to him.
"I was one of the two boys she meant," he said quickly, "Me and Fred led the them through the servant quarters to a secret passageway that we used to sneak in and out of the palace all the time. I was there! That's how I know it's her! She remembered everything!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little book-shaped music box and held it out for them to see. "This is hers! She dropped it!" he looked imploringly at Harry. "I don't care about the money anymore! I want her to find her family! Please help me."
Harry stared at him long and hard as he took the book in his hands and stared at it. He didn't know what to believe anymore… but if he was right…?"
"Fine," he said darkly, "But if it turns out this is another lie…?"
"It isn't!" Ron said hurriedly.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ginny asked at once. "We have some work to do!"
"So what do we do?" Ron asked them both desperately. "The old bat won't listen to us!"
"I have a way," Harry said, taking the box from him and putting it into his pocket. "Drastic times call for drastic measures."
*Later*
Twenty minutes later the play was over and Minerva was slowly making her way back to the carriage, looking forward to retreating home. Her carriage was there with the two footmen and the driver hitching the horses up.
"Let us return home, Rosmerta," she said tiredly to the driver, waiting until one of the footmen opened the door for her and helped her in. Leaning back comfortably, she watched as the theater disappeared from her sight and they continued down the familiar road.
But soon, she realized that they took a wrong turn and were going somewhere else.
"Rosmerta," Minerva called from inside, "You're going the wrong way!"
"No, we're not!" the driver said in a higher voice than usual and shook the reins out to make the horses go faster.
That was when Minerva noticed a lock of red hair sticking out from underneath the cap. "You're not Rosemerta!" she gasped. "Stop now! Stop this instant!"
The door suddenly opened, and the two footmen swung inside, taking off their thick hats so that she could see their faces. "We paid off Rosemerta and the footmen," Harry said. "Once we made it clear that we weren't going to hurt you. And we can't stop until you agree to listen."
"YOU!" Minerva said furiously at Ron as the carriage went bumping along.
"You have to talk to her!" Ron said persistently. "At least look at her!"
"Do you know what the result is for kidnapping a member of the royal family?" Minerva demanded hotly, "Take me back now!"
"Not until you agree to talk to her," Ron said stubbornly. "I can be as stubborn as you are."
"I have no interest in being lied to," Minerva said firmly.
"Listen to me!" Ron begged. "Yes, it started off as con! Me and my little sister really did work at the palace. After the raid, we lost our father and all our brothers. Our mother died not long after that… we were stuck living alone in what was left of the palace. When we heard about the reward money, we thought that we could finally start living a normal life again. But you have to believe me that I don't care about the money anymore! Even if she is Hermione, which I know she is, then you can keep it all. Just hear me out!"
She glared at him as Ron took several deep breaths. "When I first met her and Harry, I was amazed at how much she looked like one of the royals. Yes, I admit, that it was a lie at first… but she and Harry didn't know anything about it! We never told them about what we were planning and I'm sorry for trying to lie to you, but I know it's her! She's for real!" He then went on to explain about how he met her and Hermy from the palace, how the place seemed to be so familiar to her, how they all came here from Hogsmeade. Harry also told her about how he had met Hermy in the orphanage, how she couldn't remember who she was or where she came from… how she wasn't the type of person who wanted to lie.
"Please," Harry begged, "She's like my sister to me. I found my family and I want her to experience that to! Please just talk to her. And if you still don't think that she's her then we'll leave. But what if she is?"
Minerva was frowning at them both, but it wasn't as with much anger as before. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the little book and held it out to her. "Do you know this?" he asked seriously.
Minerva stared at it, slowly taking it in her hands. "Where…?" she gasped, "Where did you get this?'
"I had it for a long time," Ron told her, "You had that made for your granddaughter didn't you? I'm not smart… but I know that she's the real thing! You both have been lost and alone for a long time. But all I want is for her to find her family. Please… just talk to her for a few minutes…"
The carriage suddenly stopped and Ginny was looking in. "We're here," she said.
"At least try," Harry begged her as Ginny nodded. "If you don't recognize her, then… there's nothing we can do about it. But if it is her, then you don't need to feel alone anymore."
Minerva stared at them all before she sighed. "I'll say this much," she said. "You all are going through a lot for your friend."
They looked at her hopefully.
"Very well," she said. "I will speak with her. But I won't get my hopes up."
She tucked the music box into her bag as she allowed them to lead her to the hotel.
*Hermy*
Hermy had gotten back and was now furiously packing her bags. She couldn't believe what an idiot she had been! How could she let that red-head dork talk her into this? Him and Ginny? She wasn't going to stay another night! She was going to pack and as soon as Harry got back they would go to Godric's Hallow together. She'd find a job there and work out what she'd do somehow…
But she couldn't stop the tears falling as she thought of Ron…
Why? Why did she have to…?
But suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "If that's you, Ron, go away! You're the last person I want to see!"
The door suddenly opened and she turned to glare at him. "I thought I told you…" but she stopped dead, her voice caught in her throat. Standing there was the Grand Duchess.
She made an odd choking sound as Minerva walked towards her. "I am so sorry," she gasped at once, "I thought you were…?"
"Oh, I know that," Minerva said, looking the young woman up and down. "But what I want to know is who are you…?"
"How…?" Hermy gasped out, "How did you…?"
"You're three friends made it quite clear that they weren't going to let me go until I agreed to see you," she said with a roll of her eyes. "They seem convinced that you are Hermione and kidnapped me."
"Kidnapped?" she repeated petrified.
"You have some loyal friends," she said grimly, was there a trace of amusement in her voice? "And I don't intend to punish them. Now answer the question."
Hermy gulped before she finally said, "I was hoping you could tell me."
"Young lady I am very old and tired of being conned," she said darkly.
"I don't want to trick you, and I'm not!" Hermy begged, coming forward, wringing her hands, "I just want to know where I come from, if I belong to a family, your family. I don't know who I am, but the only times I've come close to remembering something is when I think of you."
Minerva sighed. "You're a very good actress. Best yet, in fact, but I'm just not convinced."
But as she turned to leave, Hermy smelled something that made her freeze. "Lavender…?" she whispered softly.
"A special perfume," Minerva answered, still leaving.
"Even though you used to hate it?" Hermy asked almost to herself. Minerva stopped in mid-step and looked back at her, her eyes widening.
Hermy went on, "That's right… you always used to hate the smell of lavender. But you always did like how it reminded you of home. So you said that you got used to it… I remember there was a bottle of the stuff on a cabinet once…"
For a moment Hermy could see in her mind's eye a beautiful, crystal bottle standing on a bedside table before it slowly tumbled and fell. It hit the floor and the crystal top broke off as the liquid spilled all over.
"I knocked it over," she went on, "And the rug was soaked with it and they couldn't get the smell out. But I liked it. It smelled just like you… and I used to lay there and breath that smell in whenever you were away…?"
Minerva was stunned, she sat on the vanity chair and patted the open place next to her, and Hermy slowly walked over, softly playing with her hourglass necklace.
She was about to put it away before Minerva spotted it. "What is that?" she asked pointing toward it.
"What this?" Hermy asked, showing her. "I'm not really sure… I've always worn it… since before I lost my memory. It's all I had left. It's also the reason I wanted to come here to Hogwarts in the first place. Because it's the only clue I had."
Another vision came to her mind as she saw a pair of hands holding out a small, velvet box with the hourglass sparkling in the light.
"Someone I loved with all my heart gave it to me," she said, staring at it, the vision fading from her mind. "But I can't remember who or why…?"
"May… may I see that?" Minerva asked softly, motioning to the chain she was fiddling with.
"Sure," Hermy answered, carefully lifting it off, her neck feeling oddly bare without it. "I lost my memory when I was little," she explained softly, "I was found wandering around the streets and sent to the orphanage since no one ever claimed me. I don't even know my real name… only I had this… 'Together at Hogwarts'."
But Minerva was staring at it in wonder.
"Madam?" she asked worriedly, wondering if the Duchess was going to choke.
"It… this is…? This was a secret that me and Hermione had," the older woman finally croaked out, she couldn't believe her eyes. "I gave this to Hermione all those years ago…"
Reaching slowly into her bag, she pulled out the book music box and held it out. Hermy's eyes widen as a flashback of these same hands giving it to her as if from another lifetime ago. "That's it…?" she whispered, taking it from Minerva and staring at it. It was a small book, just big enough to hold in the palm of her hand, decorated with wands, owls, and stars. In the center of the book, was a large circle, which held the lion crest of the royal family.
Hermy stared at it, gently stroking the cover with a finger, "It's so pretty."
Those words brought everything back. Hermy blinked and suddenly feelings and scattered memories came back.
"I… I remember!" she said in hushed tones. "That's right… my necklace was a key for this! It used to play a song that made me laugh! A… Time Turner! That's what it's called! It… it was something that holds memories!"
She and Minerva both looked at each other in wonder. She held the necklace out, and with shaking hands, Hermy took the little hourglass and placed it onto the book, winding it up, humming the whole time… Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts…
But when the cover of the book opened to show the dancing figurines of little otters she sang out loud.
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees.
Suddenly, Minerva began singing with her and together they finished the rest of the song.
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
They finished the song and were staring at each other, tears of happiness in both their faces. Minerva reached up to touch her face. "Hermione…" she whispered, tears falling, "My Hermione…!"
And without another word, Hermione hugged her tightly, sobbing the whole time; her heart beating so hard that it was painful, but in a good way.
But outside in the hallway, the three of them were listening in. All of them silently celebrating… Harry and Ginny hugging each other, almost as happy as the two inside at hearing the news. But it was Ron who was smiling softly, his heart aching like someone had broken it in half.
(Sorry for the wait. But I wanted to finally get this one scene up. This had always been one of my favorite in the whole movie of Anastasia. I hope that you all feel it was worth the wait and enjoyed it.)