Usually Hermione would wake up by now. The situation was too surreal. She couldn't wrap her head around the reality. She could see her parents fine enough. There was her mother and there was her father. Their skin showed no discolouration. Neither of them had their eyes open, something she was incomprehensibly thankful for. She didn't want to look into them. This way they could be asleep.
She sat slowly on the edge of the mattress. She couldn't really think of anything, which made the simple thoughts she did have stand out. She knew they were dead, but she didn't feel hysterical.
Dead. She bounced the word around her head.
She heard the floorboard creak as someone, Kingsley she presumed, moved closer. "What happened here?" Even through the haze she realised Kingsley had acknowledged her as if they knew each other. Oops.
She didn't meet his eyes, "Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy." She faltered with no other information to give. "I was asleep. Malfoy had my wand, he threw it downstairs."
"Is this your wand?" She looked this time. Another Auror, a scruffy-haired man asked, his eyes suspicious. He held it between thumb and forefinger. Hermione nodded. The man then pulled Kingsley out of the room leaving a younger man to watch Hermione.
The two had a muffled conversation, heated and rushed.
"Prior incantato."
With the casting of the spell something ticked over inside Hermione and tears poured silently from her eyes. She waited quietly, her heart pounding against her ribs. She couldn't see what crimes her wand was betraying.
She fought the urge to run, she wouldn't get far without her wand. A blue glow illuminated the doorway at the same time a loud bang sounded and she heard shocked gasps and a clattering as she assumed her wand had been dropped. She was sure that sound would seal her fate.
"The Minister will want to see this," She heard the Auror say ominously, before footsteps pounded down the stairs which gave way with a loud crash. The Auror's scream was cut off with a thud.
"Burley!" Someone shouted. "Mobili corpus." She heard.
Kingsley stepped back into the bedroom, his wand in hand. "Miss Granger, you need to come with us. The house isn't stable, we'll wait outside."
Hermione didn't want to leave her parents. It must have shown on her face as Kingsley went on, "Banks here will take care of your parents. Come with me."
Hermione, her hands had started trembling at some point, went to join Kingsley who apparated them to the backyard. She wasn't sure how long they had alone. "Kingsley, I didn't do it. I-" She was cut off when he covered her mouth with his hand. He cast some charms in a circle around them and suddenly Hermione felt warm, the snow covering her bare feet felt oddly comfortable and not cold at all.
"I believe you, Hermione. Dumbledore warned us all of this possibility. But my hands are tied. Burely discovered the wand first. It would have been suspicious had I tried to stop him from performing the charm."
Hermione knew which charm he meant, the Prior Incantato, a spell to reveal the last spell performed. Hermione squirmed with worry. "It didn't work properly though. When he performed the charm, I'm not certain, but I think your wand rejected it. The blue sparks and the bang. Do you know what that was about?"
Hermione wouldn't meet his eyes. It must have been all the confirmation Kingsley needed. He sighed. "What have you got yourself into?" The question sounded rhetorical but Hermione felt compelled to answer.
"It's not Dark magic." He glanced sideways and down at her.
"Let's hope not. As it is, your wand will most likely be confiscated and examined." Hermione shuddered and Kingsely pulled her against his side to hold her up.
"Under the circumstances, Hermione you must brace yourself. Only very powerful, possibly dangerous magic could block a spell like Prior Incantato. Something teetering on the edge of illegal, certainly for an under-age witch. You might be facing expulsion. If you are responsible, that is. If you are not, you should cooperate and say who is." He gave her a meaningful look.
Hermione felt light headed. She lost track of how long they had been waiting. An hour maybe.
The sound of more people apparating brought Hermione back to full awareness. In seconds Cornelius Fudge was marching out her parents back door towards them. He was flanked by several Aurors, including the one who fell down the stairs, Burley.
He stood before them, eyes boring into Hermione with suspicion.
"Miss Granger," he began, "Is this your wand?" Fudge indicated and the Auror named Burley held out her wand. Hermione had no doubt it was.
"Yes, sir."
"Very well." She glanced between Fudge and her wand, which was still being held aloft by Burley.
"Miss Granger, would you please explain what recent magic you have been performing with this wand?" Asked Auror Burley.
"Nothing since Hogwarts." He didn't believe her and his expression showed it.
"Are you saying you have not performed a single spell with this wand since you left Hogwarts last week?"
Hermione nodded.
"Very well. This wand has been tested-"
"Already?" Asked Kingsley. "Surely more-"
"We didn't need more time, Kingsley." Answered Burley. "A perfunctory examination revealed this wand has recently been performing a highly dangerous charm." Here Kingsley interrupted again.
"But not the Killing Curses and other spells used tonight to kill the Grangers and destroy their house?"
Rolling onto the balls of his feet Burley replied, looking up at Kingsley. "To whatever use this wand has been put, it has blocked the ability to get the desired reading from the Prior Incantato charm. But the charm did yield the same result each time we tried it, the blue sparks and the bang. Therefore, Miss Granger we do not hold you accountable for the murder of your parents or the destruction of this property."
Hermione sagged, relieved. Burley went on, "However, evidence at the scene suggests that whoever attacked this residence used far move destructive and illegal spells. Spells we can identify by more closely examining the scene. It is in our opinion therefore, that this unknown spell was performed at some unknown recent time by Hermione Granger."
At this time Burley turned to look at Hermione. "Hermione Granger you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your wand will now be snapped."
Hermione's world was on tilt. In slow motion she watch Burley raise her wand. She could practically feel the tension rising as her hopes for a magical future were about to be destroyed. The tension was so strong it was uncomfortable. It pulsed and spiralled inside her abdomen. Expanding and contracting like a ring around her waist just like when she did the magical exercises.
Burleys hand were poised and just like that, with a small grunt of exertion, and a crescendo of energy, he snapped her wand. The sound of it was a thunderous BANG!
Hermione's vinewood wand burnt up in blue sparks and in a similar fashion Hermione disappeared from sight.
**
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