Chapter 24

Hermione goes Home

Hermione Granger walked up the sidewalk, to the back door of her parents old house. She had not been here, not since Severus had taken her parents into hiding. She could not face the emptiness, and it would have been too dangerous to go there while they had been hunting Horcruxs. The windows were dirty, she could see rain streaked marks running down the pane on the door, Inserting her key into the lock, the tumblers moved, a click, and the door opened. Stepping carefully inside, she had not known what to expect, had Death Eaters paid a visit during the past year? Were there hexes or jinxes on anything? She reached for the light switch, flipped it to the on position........nothing....no power, "LUMOUS" and light sprung from the tip of her wand.

Surveying her surroundings nothing seemed out of place. The ornaments her Mum collected, little cat figurines sat on their shelves, dusty, but in place. Her father's computer desk held all the same objects, computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, plus all the usual office necessities, stapler, tape, paper clips, no it was still the same.

She moved from room to room, finally entering her childhood bedroom. The floor to ceiling bookshelves still held all of her books, not currently in the beaded bag in her pocket, The one she was looking for Sense and Sensibility, yes it was there, breathing a sigh of relief, she did not know what she would have done if the book Severus had given her, the same Christmas she had gifted him with Pride and Prejudice, was gone. That did not matter now, it was there, waiting for her to remove it from the shelf. Gently touching the spine, running a single finger along it, she lifted the book, inhaling deeply, hoping it would be where she would find the next clue. Opening the front cover, her eyes misted over, as she read the inscription,

Miss Granger,

It has been a pleasure working with you. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.

I am looking forward to seeing you, when school resumes after the holidays,

Take care and stay safe, my friend, Hermione

Sincerely,

Severus Snape

Skimming the pages, looking closely for any sign that he had been there, Hermione's breath caught in her throat, when she felt a lump that should not have been there, lifting the next page, a black cuff button laid alone on the page. She would recognize one of those buttons anywhere. The bushy haired young woman, had spent hours gazing at those same buttons, as Severus Snape lectured in class, his skilled potions creating hands always expressive, coat sleeves would slide up, bringing the buttons into view. She had been captivated by the buttons, then later...after they became friends she had actually worked up the nerve to touch one, when they were working together. She hadn't been aware that he had noticed, she had done it so covertly. However after years of working as a spy, the man would notice

slight touches, others would have missed. Gingerly she picked up the object, between the index finger and thumb of her right hand, instantly she felt a familiar hook behind the navel, and was whisked away into darkness.

When her sight returned, she had thudded to the ground, the button still clutched tightly in her hand. She slipped it carefully into the beaded bag in her pocket. Glancing around she was in an unfamiliar place. A koala sat in a tree nearby, looking at her as if she were something it had never seen before. A small cottage, whitewashed, clean looking, flowers adorned the front garden, it looked like home. As she stood staring at the cottage a man emerged, khaki shorts, a brightly patterned blue shirt, ball cap over thinning hair. Hermione started moving toward the man.

He looked her up and down not recognizing her he said, "G'Day Miss can I help you?"

Hermione stopped short, she remembered her parents, but her Dad had no clue who she was, this realization hit hard, she had known in theory, that they would not know her, but having it actually happen, made her pause. ."Sorry, Sir I was just out for a walk, and noticed your charming home........"

"IT"S NOT FOR SALE" , bellowed her father, as his wife exited the house.

"Wendell, darling what's wrong?", the neatly dressed brown haired woman asked.

"Nothing, Monica, just another one of those city types, probably wants to buy the house. It's not for sale!", he repeated. "Now if you will excuse us, my wife and I are on our way out, we have better things to do than stand here, We are on our way to the doctor's office."

"OH! My, I'm sorry I hope it isn't anything serious. ", she said looking back and forth between her parents.

"It's OK miss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that my wife is expecting, our first, can you imagine, after all these years of it being just the two of us we are going to have a baby.", he beamed at his wife's glowing face. Hermione could see they were truly happy, She would have to leave them here, in their new life, the one she no longer existed in. It was one of the saddest, yet happiest moments of her life. Even though she would be leaving behind her Muggle family, she could return to the magical world or go wherever she wished without having to worry about them. She would always love them, but it would be better like this.

Hermione looked at them as they began down the path, "If you don't mind terribly, could I walk about here from time to time, if I'm in the area?"

Wendell and Monica Wilkens looked at each other and smiled, "Sure, feel free.", as they hoped their new daughter to be, would be as nice as this young lady.

Her mother asked, as an after thought, "What did you say your name is miss?"

Hermione smiled, as she said, "I'm Penelope Clearwater,", turned she walked quickly away, reaching the edge of the village. She asked herself,"Well what's next?" "Accio button", it sailed out of her bag into her outstretched hand, another jerk behind her navel and she was being moved forward, the last thought before she landed was, a multiple use Portkey was uncommon.