DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
.
A/N: Thank you for loving SAVELIUS and for the wonderful reviews! English is just my second language, and though I'm an ESL tutor, I wasn't that confident to write English stories. For years, I only wrote Filipino romance novels. I am truly thankful to Kaylin Sensei and Syrah Sensei for encouraging me every day to keep going.
.
I'm also thankful to my mother-in-law for taking my son for a couple of hours and allow me to have 'me' time— which is usually writing. And speaking of mother-in-law…
CHAPTER 14: Hermione's Lady-In-Waiting
Hermione woke up on the last day of the term to find out that Harry and the Weasleys were gone due to an emergency. What happened? Last night, before she went to bed, everything seemed fine. Harry and Ron were even playing wizards chess while she's speaking with Ginny about Patronuses (partially to keep her mind from thinking about Savelius).
Umbridge seemed to be in a bad mood after finding out that Harry Potter left with the Weasleys. Hermione overheard her questioning Professor McGonagall about the 'emergency' matter. Her Head of House refused to say anything because it's a 'very private matter', and that Harry Potter will tell her if he wants to. Hermione thought of asking Professor McGonagall about Harry and the Weasleys' departure, but decided against it. She'll wait for an owl from them. She's sure they'll tell her once they're settled. The next day, Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express to go home to her parents.
That day, when her parents fetched her at King's Cross, they mentioned about a house guest whom they now consider as a family member and she'll be meeting soon. Hermione's heart leapt. Are they talking about Savelius? Did he come back? On the way home, Hermione felt excited to meet their guest.
The Grangers live in a cottage in Bristol. They've been living there even before Hermione was born. The house is located in a secluded area of the village; it has a large garden. Dr. William Granger even built a swing—good enough for four people—near the porch. Hermione used to read books on the swing. As a child, she's not keen to playing with neighbors. She'd rather stay at home and read than injure herself with outdoor games.
When Hermione arrived home, to her disappointment, it wasn't Savelius who was waiting. She saw someone sitting on the swing, staring blankly at the garden. It's an old woman with pale skin, salt-and-pepper hair, square-shaped face and beetle-black eyes.
"Mum, who is she?" Hermione asked her mother, Jean Granger.
"We do not know her real name, honey," her mum answered sadly. "We just found her on the road. It looks like she was a victim of hit-and-run. We decided to help and bring her to your Uncle David's clinic."
Hermione's uncle, David Granger is a physician whose clinic is only few minutes' drive from their village.
"She couldn't remember who she is. We wanted to inform the police about her and let them take her to a home for the aged, but we found something in her pocket," her father said.
"What is it, Dad?" she asked.
"A wand, like yours, but snapped in half," he answered.
"She's a witch!" she exclaimed.
"Yes. We wanted to write to Professor Dumbledore for help, but we do not have an owl. We just found her two months ago, and decided to wait for you. You know best how to contact your headmaster."
"Of course, Mum. We can go to Diagon Alley and send a letter to professor Dumbledore. But, you said that she has a wand. Maybe we can ask Mr. Ollivander, the wandmaker, to identify it. He remembers every wand he's sold and even the owner," she explained.
"That's it, then," Jean Granger said. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow."
"What do you call her, Mum?" she asked, glancing at the old woman.
"Emilia," she answered.
Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. Clearly, they picked another name from Shakespeare's 'A Winter's Tale'. "Emilia—Hermione's lady-in-waiting."
Her parents laughed. "Oh, sweetie, it fits. She's a woman-in-waiting," her father joked.
"All right. So what does Emilia do?"
"Oh, she reads, watches TV, does the chores even if she doesn't have to. But she's not that physically fit, so she works very slow. I reckon she's close to sixty years old," Jean said.
The woman, Emilia, finally noticed their presence. She broke from her deep thinking. She smiled at the three of them. "Hello," she greeted. Hermione smiled at the woman.
"You must be Mia."
'Mia' is her nickname, but only her parents call her that. She's always 'Mione' to her friends and other relatives.
She nodded and offered her hand. "And you must be Emilia?" she asked politely.
Emilia took her hand. "You're beautiful, like your mother," she said sincerely but there's sadness in her eyes.
She gave her a warm smile. "Thank you."
Hermione spent the rest of the day catching up with her parents and initiating conversations with their new family member. Clearly, even if Hermione suspected that she's a witch, Emilia is suffering from amnesia, in Muggle term. She has to know her identity first and ask for Professor Dumbedore's opinion.
The following day, Hermione and Jean Granger went to Diagon Alley and brought Emilia's wand. When they entered Mr. Ollivander's store, the old man eyed her intently, but he greeted them.
Assuming that he's about to ask if she's going to purchase a new wand and what happened to her vine wand, she said to him, "My wand is fine. Mr. Ollivander. We're here to ask you about another wand we found," she said politely. Her mother drew a wand snapped in to two from her bag and placed it on the table in front of the wandmaker.
Mr. Ollivander studied the wand for few moments. "Indeed, it was I who made this wand," he said with pride. He closed his eyes and raised the wand just before his ear, as if listening to it. "Hawthorn, with a phoenix feather." Then, he opened his eyes again and looked at the two women. "I remember well the witch who purchased this wand, though it was five decades ago…"
Hermione's heart is now beating fast. "Who was she, Mr. Ollivander?" she asked eagerly.
Mr. Ollivander eyed her intently. "She's a pureblood witch and she came to my store twice. First, when she purchased this wand before she went to Hogwarts…" Then, he paused. "The second time was twenty years after her first visit. She came here with her son to purchase his first wand. The witch's name was Eileen Prince."
"Eileen Prince," Hermione echoed, trying to remember if the name is familiar.
"Indeed. Do you know who she is, Miss Granger?" Mr. Ollivander asked.
Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't," she said politely.
"Eileen Prince is the mother of one of your Hogwarts professors, Miss Granger—Professor Severus Snape."
.
~~SSHG~~
.
A/N II: Apologies for a very short chapter. So, Savelius's grandparents are living together. :)