The seven shared a laugh and hug before returning to the patiently waiting group in the next room. Hermione motioned for the others to take their seats as she planned to stand while she talked... it was easier to work through her nerves if she paced.
She looked over to the corner of the room where Minerva, Rosmerta, and Albus sat, Amelia seat's empty as she intended to introduce Hermione. Behind them sat Gringott and Cara, invisible to all but the seven of them and the people seated in front of them.
"Welcome again," Amelia greeted, silencing the murmurs of the gathered as many had noticed that at least three of them were almost a decade older than they were the last time they saw them. "Many of you are under the mistaken impression that you are here by my invitation," she smiled; "but I am here only by invitation as well…" she moved her hand in a shushing motion as people began to mumble again; "Please," she said, raising her voice; "We will save a lot of time if you save your questions and comments until the end," she looked to Hermione, her pride in the young woman evident as she continued; "Miss Hermione Granger is the one who has asked you here today," she turned to the group, almost daring them to speak; "I can assure you that, while she may not share everything with you today, everything she does share with you, will be the truth."
"Thank you all for coming and for agreeing to bear the mark of our coven," Hermione began, figuring she'd grab their attention immediately. "This mark will not only protect you from those we will be fighting but from the passive abilities of myself and the group behind me," she paused as she noticed several questioning looks; "But before we get to that, we need to discuss the main reason we are here," she took a deep breath; "Tom Riddle Junior," she stated, pleased as she saw a collective shudder pass through the room indicating that most of them had read 'Rita's' article. "Good… I'm pleased to see we're all on the same page," she said, her tone lightening for a moment before she continued; "He's back."
"He can't be," someone hissed.
"He is and we intend to prove it," she replied as she summoned two phials and a Goblin Pensieve from a side table, pleased when she heard renewed muttering at her doing so without benefit of a wand or words. The basin came to rest on the table where her friends sat; she took the opportunity to smile at them encouragingly, Ginny giving her a subtle 'thumbs up'.
She turned back to the waiting crowd after emptying the memory of Harry's ordeal in the graveyard into the Pensieve.
"Harry and I didn't tie for the Cup," she continued; "he took it outright and was transported, via Portkey, to a graveyard that was home to Tom's father," she smiled as they exchanged looks; "We managed to turn Tom's spy against him and Harry knew, for the most part, exactly what he was walking into," she turned and poured out the phial's contents; "I'll explain what that means after you've seen this…" she added before returning her attention to the basin and gently running her finger around the rim to activate its magic.
She turned as the people behind her gasped, a full-size version of Harry and the graveyard projected behind her… it was much like a regular Pensieve only instead of entering the memory itself the memory was projected for all to see.
She quietly made her way back to her seat and laced her fingers with Ginny, her mate taking her hand with both of hers then rubbing her left arm with her right. Hermione smiled and turned to kiss her cheek before laying her head on her shoulder to watch the memory play out in front of her.
As the memory of Harry's adventure continued she found herself turning her attention to those seated in front of them to watch their reactions. It wasn't easy, the lights having dimmed to mirror the time of night of the dream, but as Wormtail lit the fire beneath the cauldron, she could see that many were clinging to each other in fear, almost as if they were a part of the memory and would be noticed at any moment. Others were whispering words of encouragement to Harry as if they could help him. She looked to Sirius, Remus and Moody with their heads together as they shared different things they noticed.
"It's like watching people watch a movie," she thought to the others.
"Yeah," Harry seemed to agree before he added ruefully; "but that's my life they're watching… not some bloody movie…"
"We know, love," Morgan assured him; "and they do as well…"
The crowd began to murmur again as the memory came to an end, Tom's pale behind on full display for all to see. She walked up beside the memory version of Tom just as it dissipated, took a deep breath to again gather courage, and then turned to the anxious faces before her.
"Questions?" she invited, smiling inwardly as she waited to see if they took the bait. She wanted to gauge how much they understood before divulging any more information than was necessary, and in the short time she had spent with each before they had taken their Light Marks, she had subtly scanned each one to get an idea of the kind of questions that would be asked and what kind of proofs she would have to provide to convince them.
"If he's so weak," Moody began, his voice surprisingly tentative; "why not just kill him?"
"To the very heart of the matter then," Hermione replied; "In his search for immortality he created… links... that would prevent him from dying," she paused to let that sink in; "He created seven… the seven of us, quite by chance really, have already destroyed four…"
"But you already know what the other three are, right?" asked Charlie Weasley.
"We do, and we already have a pretty good idea of where they are…" she held up her hand to forestall the next question; "we've yet to search for them and we're afraid that doing so will not only alert him that we know…" she shook her head; "we don't want him to create more or start protecting the last two more carefully…"
"Two?" Remus interrupted; "I thought there was three left…"
"The last we have to destroy he doesn't know he made," she smiled as if confiding an inside joke; "it was an accident…" she looked around the room to see if anyone had any more questions before continuing; "Tom is recuperating and making plans," she continued; "plans he intends to begin once the school year starts…" the whispering began again; "he is far from doing anything overt for some time and your children will be safe at Hogwarts," she said, raising her voice to get their attention; "as will all of you with your new marks…"
"About that…" Sirius piped up.
"Right about now I'm guessing you're all starting to wonder why I'm the one speaking and not Harry," she answered to his surprise, then turned to Harry and motioned him forward to join her.
Harry smiled shyly at Hermione as she nodded to him to start.
"That," he said, motioning to place where the memory had played out; "that wasn't me… or at least, not all me…" he turned back to her; "Maybe you should show them the second one?" he asked Hermione.
She smiled and nodded towards his seat as she walked back to the table to add the second phial, this one showing what happened from Bedwyr's perspective as he watched her scare away the Acromantula until Harry returned from the graveyard. As she ran her finger around the edge of the basin she altered the magic slightly so, when the maze memory and graveyard memory overlapped, the graveyard memory would play next to the first so they could see exactly what was really going on.
For this part of the show she would need to stay by the bowl… she intended to speed up both memories, only slowing them again when something important happened in the maze.
Several people screamed in sheer terror as Bedwyr's memory began, a fifteen foot spider hanging Harry upside down from one leg having suddenly appeared… there was a smattering of laughter that died abruptly when then heard Hermione's voice… but saw neither Hermione move their lips, the clearly terrified spider running straight at them as it bolted.
"Bloody hell…" someone said in a hush, making Hermione laugh to herself as she wondered what they were more afraid of… her or the fleeing spider? She ran her finger around the bowl, raising the volume as she and Harry we're talking so quietly.
"Impressive…" came Gringrott's remark causing Hermione to look his way and raise an eyebrow at him; "I've never seen any…" he trailed off as Hermione again did something he didn't expect, the image of Harry in the graveyard playing as if on a TV screen beside that of the maze memory. As soon as she had again thought to Harry in the graveyard, she sped the two memories up until she spoke to him again… this time whispers were clearly heard as they began to suspect what Hermione had done. She smiled as she sped it up again, returning it to normal speed again just before Harry and Tom exchanged spells then, after muting the memory of Harry while the rest of the maze memory played out, took her hand from the bowl and crossed her arms across her chest, watching the memories for any clues as to what had really happened.
"Astonishing…" she barely heard Gringott whisper, sparing him he a glance she saw him lean forward to whisper to her father.
"Astounding…" she heard Luna's father say in a hushed, awestruck voice.
"I know you must have a lot of questions about what you just saw," Hermione began, pushing herself off from the table and pacing slowly in front of it. "So do we…" she admitted ruefully; "For the most part we're still figuring it out as we go," she smiled as she turned and motioned Fleur forward; "But we can tell you what we know…" she took Fleur's hand and squeezed it in encouragement as she continued; "Everything that is happening now was… not foreseen, exactly, but dreamt… more than four hundred years before Hogwarts was founded," she laughed quietly at the looks of confusion on many of the faces in front of her; "You see… many of you are here for different reasons," she explained, stalling to give Fleur time to gather her courage; "Some are family and deserve to know the truth," she shrugged; "We're tired of hiding it from you," she added as she met, first her parents' eyes and then Molly and Arthur's; "the rest of you? You deserve to know that we can accomplish what we are setting out to do…" she smiled; "That you can trust us…" she turned to Fleur; "Are you ready?" Fleur nodded; "I'm right behind you…" she added in thought as she hugged her.
"I know," Fleur whispered then let her go to turn to the crowd; "It all began with a Healer…" she began, her voice confident and clear as she told the story she thought she knew by heart. From the moment she'd begun reading the journals with her own 'sisters' she began questioning everything she thought she knew. It wasn't long, though, before she'd been grateful to their former selves for not sharing everything until they were ready.
As Hermione listened to Fleur tell her tale she again watched the assembled to gauge their reactions: many wore looks of disbelief but more still wore only looks of interest until, one by one, the truth dawned on them… this was no mere fairy tale… she was describing herself, Hermione, Ginny and her beloved Luna. She looked to the French witch as she told her tale, her pride and love for the young woman only growing as she listened.
She looked over to Gringott; "Where are the paintings?" she asked him, the Goblin turning and nodding towards a corner behind a table laden with food and drink. She smiled and mouthed her thanks before going to find them… if they wanted proof she intended to give it to them. Ginny met her at the table and poured them each a glass of mead as she shuffled through the paintings for a particular one, smiling when she found it and lifted it up for Ginny to see.
Hermione placed the painting on the table and motioned Ginny over, holding it with one hand as she took the glass from her. Ginny cautiously reached out and began tracing the brushstrokes with her fingertips… she couldn't help but notice the similarity in style to her best friend's but her eyes grew wide as she recognized what currently had her fiancée's brow knotted in thought… down in the left hand corner there was a signature; "Celeste, 1295."
Ginny's eyes returned to the image itself and gasped softly… the scene of the four sisters creating pretty magical lights for a group of Goblin children was a far more recent event… the painting wasn't, as they had thought, of the four original sisters but of them, just a few days ago.
"It only makes sense," Hermione thought to Ginny as she placed her empty glass on the table to take the painting in both hands; "I think maybe, when the four of our souls were together, in whatever form, the link between our different times was stronger… allowed for the dreams."
Hermione accepted a brief kiss from Ginny before rejoining Fleur in the centre of the room. She walked behind her, enlarged the painting so all could see it, and then went to stand beside her friend and lover.
"Thank you, Fleur…" she said quietly, nodding at the painting before looking back to the quietly murmuring people.
"What are you playing at?" Bill asked, his arms across his chest; "Are you seriously implying that you are these four women returned from the dead?" he turned his head sharply to his mother beside him, the Weasley matriarch having smacked him. "What? You can't tell me you believe this?"
"We're not implying anything, Bill," Hermione started, her voice even; "We're stating it outright… only we're not 'back from the dead', as you put it," she smiled; "Our souls have lived many lifetimes…" she looked to the four women she loved, her eyes meeting Ginny's as she stood beside the painting before returning to the attention to the task at hand; "sometimes we've found each other again but this is the first time we've reunited in the same way... first Ginny met Luna, then they met me, then we met Fleur… with each meeting we've grown stronger…"
"Is that why you all seem to have aged at least ten years since we took your mark?" Emmeline Vance asked quietly.
"Yes and no," Hermione replied; "Our working theory is that, when two people who are magical meet and are soulmates… well, the more they bond the stronger they get…" she looked around at the incredulous look in the eyes of many; "We believe that most people aren't lucky enough to meet their soulmates at the age of eleven and thirteen… quite simply, we've aged and grown to accommodate the excess magic we possess… in short, so we could cope with it…" she turned to the painting behind her, drawing everyone's eyes to it; "The last time I saw this painting I assumed it was of the original Sisters…" she pointed to the signature and date in the corner; "but this is us… just a few days ago in fact…" she smiled at the quiet exclamations of disbelief; "and was painted seven hundred years ago…"
"This is all very interesting, Miss Granger, but would you care to explain why there is seven of you and not just four?" Moody asked, quite respectfully.
"Nym is here because, in the lifetime we shared when this painting was painted, I shared a body with Ginny as did Fleur and Luna… the two of us met and rescued a young Metamorph…" she smiled in Nym's direction; "the Metamorph taking the Veela's place as the Healer and Telepath's mate when she died…" she looked back; "the moment we met Nym we recognized her… or rather, our souls did, as someone we have loved before…" she smiled as the truth dawned on some people, that perhaps the five young women in front them shared more than just a destiny; "As for Harry and Morgan..." she said, again gaining their attention; "Morgan is my half-brother and responsible for the storm that chased the spectators of the third task back to the castle…" the mumbles had reached an all-time high and she knew she needed to address the question she had just raised. Looking to her parents apologetically before continuing, she received their nod and found the courage to say aloud a secret she'd been hiding for the last year.
"Two years ago this fall my mother admitted to me that my father, the man who raised me, is not my biological father," she noticed Molly and Arthur exchanged a look; "They used a clinic so that my mother could have a child… what they didn't know was that the, um, sample they were given had been supplied by a wizard…" she smiled at the renewed looks of shock; "A wizard who wanted children to carry on his name should he fail in his fight against Tom the first time around… a name he feared would see them hunted and killed…" she turned and indicated Albus; "My biological father… Albus Dumbledore…"
"You can't be serious!" Sirius exclaimed as he sat forward in his seat.
"I'm afraid I am," Hermione said to a smattering of appreciative laughter; "There are times, trust me, that I wish it wasn't true… but he admitted it to me last spring…"
"My daughter is marrying a Dumbledore…" Molly said softly, the nearest to her laughing and causing her to blush. "Not that I had a problem with her marrying a Muggleborn…" she amended.
"So what's Harry special gift?" Remus piped up.
"You can't, seriously, believe this shite!" Bill countered; "Telepaths? Healers? Really?" he asked the room at large, his hands spread in front of him.
"You want proof?" Ginny challenged her brother; "Want to be the guinea pig?" she challenged.
"I'll do it," Fleur offered as she had to take her seat.
"No…" Ginny said firmly; "He'll only say that it doesn't prove anything… that we're faking it somehow…" she explained before looking back and meeting her brother's eyes as she took her dagger from its hidden sheath; "He wants proof…. then he can bleed for it…"
"Fine!" Bill interrupted as he stood then made his way to the front; "If it'll put an end to this nonsense…"
Ginny rolled up her left sleeve and motioned for him to do the same, the eldest Weasley taking her dagger with a wry grin; "I hope someone can heal this for me when we're done…" he joked.
"Stop stalling…" Hermione urged; "We've a lot more to discuss…"
"Fine…" Bill said under his breath as he took the knife, wincing as he drew it across his forearm.
Ginny showed her hands to the crowd to prove that she wasn't using a wand, and then placed her right hand on his left. Concentrating, she slowed the process down so there would be no question what she had done.
"Honestly, Bill," Molly chastised; "have you never wondered why our family has been so healthy since Ginny was born?"
"You knew?" he accused.
"I only just remembered when Hermione came to ask permission to marry your Sister…"
"So if it's true…" he said eyeing Hermione as he stepped back; "how do we know you didn't force my mother to agree?" he accused, his voice growing louder; "How do we know you're not manipulating us now?"
"Your new 'Marks', of course," Hermione replied calmly, confusing him completely; "What Amelia told you is true…" she turned back to the assembled; "That you need convincing? That you have questions?" she continued evenly; "It means they're working…" she took a deep breath, she feared how they would take the news they had unwittingly agreed to a blood oath.
"Bill?" she said, turning to the dumbstruck wizard for a moment, "if you'll take your seat I'll explain…" he shook his head but did as she asked; "Amelia explained that your marks would ensure that your wills would always remain your own…" she reminded them; "These gifts…" she shook her head; "they frighten us, most of the time and we've been learning as we go…" she looked several people in the eye as she continued; "We came to realize that we we're using them without intending to… passively influencing people to treat us the way we needed them to… made them trust us and accept what we said without question…" she looked around; "This knowledge… knowing who we are and what we're capable of… it could cost any one of you your lives…"
"So we've taken your Mark to protect you?" asked Kingsley, the meeting he'd witnessed now finally making sense.
"The ink contained blood of each of the seven," she frowned as several people swore angrily; "Please… let me explain…" she asked then continued when they quieted; "Our former selves understood blood magic…" she waited as they muttered again; "Please… I understand you are upset but your Mark… it is not only a blood oath but a promise from us…" she finally had their attention again; "In exchange for your loyalty and silence, you are protected by our gifts…" she held up her hand as many began whispering again; "AND…" she said, a little louder than intended but nevertheless effective; "from those who seek to take this knowledge from you with force…" she smiled as some seemed to understand the significance; "You are linked to us by blood… by the combination of our gifts and magic we will be able to find you anytime, anywhere, should you find yourself in danger… but these Marks also protect you…" she looked to Ginny; "Our passive abilities… like Ginny's healing, can be draining on us…" she smiled at the redhead then turned back; "When you were assembled in the Entrance Hall I subtly scanned each and every one of you…"
"Is that why Mundungus left?" Arthur asked.
"It was as much for his protection as ours," Hermione replied simply; "My point was… did a single one of you notice?" she asked, surprising many. "If I tried that now, without your permission, not only would it be painful to me, but hurt you as well…" she smiled; "You still need proof Bill?" she asked, surprising the man who she was now the same age as; "You were thinking… when Fleur and Luna left with Gabrielle and Lynne… you couldn't understand what Fleur could possible see in a little oddball like Luna and that you would make her a far better husband…" Hermione smiled, Bill having paled noticeably with every word. She turned to Luna; "Sorry…"
"No…" Luna laughed; "I had assumed as much…" she met Bill's eyes; "I felt your jealousy from across the room…" she informed him, his face colouring in anger.
"How dare you…" he whispered, causing Fleur's hands to light up in flame at the perceived threat to her mate. "What?" he challenged; "We're supposed to be fine with you… what do call it?"
"Reading you?" Hermione provided to his nod; "I don't…" she replied to his surprise; "And that is why we've made it impossible for me to do so without your permission…" she explained patiently; "If you are to align with us…" she continued, again addressing the room at large; "We need to know that you trust us without us helping you to do so…" then, to prove her point, she continued to them in thought; "that you are safe in the…" she started in thought, looks of alarm passing through the crowd as many clutched their heads in pain and then looked on in shock as they watched Hermione fall to her knees and clutch at her head as well.
"Want more proof?" Ginny asked angrily as she went to kneel beside her and tried to help her.
"And if we're in trouble and unable to give you permission?" Remus asked softly as Ginny helped her mate back to her feet.
"That is the beauty of blood magic," Fleur replied for Hermione, the latter still trying to shake the headache that was making her eyes tear; "And why we used it in your Mark… it knows best how to protect you even when we don't…"
"So if we're in danger…" Kingsley began thoughtfully; "Permission is implied?"
"Yes," Hermione replied as she accepted a glass of water and small potion bottle from Luna.
"It'll help what Ginny can't," she provided quietly.
"Thank you," Hermione replied, drinking the pain potion gratefully, the headache instantly reducing to become a dull roar. She took a swallow of the water before continuing; "For example… I said your Marks will allow us to find you if you're in danger…" she continued, sounding almost like a younger version of her mentor teaching her class Transfiguration; "that does not mean we can find you at all times…"
"What if you need our help?" Moody interrupted.
"I would have to assume you'd want to help us and your blood would allow us to find you," Hermione replied patiently. She pinched the bridge of her nose then looked at the time, it was getting late and they'd yet to discuss the purpose of their meeting. "Please…" she started; "I need a break…" she smiled; "You'll have to forgive me… I didn't expect that to hurt quite as much as it did…"
"Why can't Ginny just fix you then?" Bill countered.
"Because the headache is magical and not physical," she replied simply; "Please… just fifteen minutes for me to gather myself before we tell you why you're here…" she looked around at them; "I understand you have questions… and rightly so… please, allow me a few minutes so I can answer them?" she asked, receiving many nods; "Thank you."
Ginny led her back to the food, pouring her a glass of mead and handing it her before she asked; "You going to be okay?"
"I will," Hermione replied with a smile as she kissed Ginny's forehead; "I think the pain was self-inflicted…" she admitted with a shrug; "I wanted the penalty for reading one of them without permission severe enough to make me think twice about it…"
"So you did that on purpose?" Nym asked quietly, the others having joined them at the table and were making themselves plates of food as they talked. Their new allies, it seemed, keeping their distance out of respect as they talked.
"I did," Hermione replied with a sigh; "Even if I didn't mean to…"
"You think Aoife, Celeste and Emelie also dreamt of us?" Luna asked.
"Celeste and Emelie anyway," Hermione replied; "Our magic… it's like it wants to help us so it can become stronger…" afraid the statement would only scare most in the room. "I don't know…" she sighed aloud; "It's going better than I thought…"
"Really?" Harry asked with a laugh.
"Yes, really," Hermione assured them; "We need them to trust us…" she looked over to them, several small groups whispering among themselves; "And we need them to know we're not influencing them."
"You need to eat something," Nym said as she handed her a plate of food.
"She's right," Ginny agreed; "Your blood sugar took a bit hit when you took all that pain at once…"
"Maybe that's why you eat so much," Hermione said thoughtfully between mouthfuls; "Because you're constantly healing yourself…"
"Maybe…" Ginny replied with a smile as she realized Hermione was being serious and not teasing her; "but how do you explain my six brothers?" she joked as she looked over to Bill, her brother staring at the seven intently. "I'm sorry about him… I didn't think he'd be…"
"His main problem is that he doesn't like his baby sister outshining him," Luna provided; "As for what he was thinking about Fleur and I?" she shrugged her shoulders; "I'm used to it."
"Still Lu…" Hermione said; "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…" she said as she tucked some her hair behind her ear.
"No, Hermione, it's okay," Luna assured her as Fleur took her hand; "It doesn't bother me as much as it used to…"
"Because you no longer doubt that I love you?" Fleur supplied; "That I am yours before all others?"
Hermione finished her plate food absent-mindedly while she watched the gathered… it was almost frustrating that she couldn't get a feel for them, but it was also a relief… she smiled and tapped into her wolf senses to listen into several of the quiet conversations taking place around the room… as they turned to more and more wild speculation, she realized it was time to get to the heart of the matter.
"Thank you for patience," Hermione said as she walked to the middle of the room again; "By now I'm guessing that you're all wondering what Harry's special gift is…" she smiled as almost each and every person sat up straight in their chairs; "we're still figuring it out…" she looked back to her friends as they took their seats again, Ginny having opted to stay closer and was leaning on the front of the table; "If five of our gifts are rare…" she said, facing forward again; "then Harry's is unique…"
"Does it have anything to do with the powersurge in the graveyard?" Remus asked.
"Yes…" Hermione replied simply; "the seven of us are connected… by love… by blood…" she started, trying to make them understand; "Harry, it seems, can not only draw magic from us when he needs it but give it back when we do…" she summoned another memory and turning back to the Penseive, she saw that Ginny was one step ahead of her and already re-bottling the two in the basin; "Thanks…" she said quietly as she handed her the bottle in her hand. "We are currently facing three problems…"
"Tom…" Sirius provided.
"Yes, but believe or not, he is not our most pressing concern," there was several mutters at her statement; "Fudge was told, point-blank, and given photographic proof, of Tom's return… and yet he refused to help us."
"Imbecile," Moody muttered.
"He is at that," Hermione agreed; "However, what concerns us, is the lengths he is willing to go to, to hold on to his precious title…" she spared Cissy a glance before continuing; "without Lucius' money to grease the wheels he's barely holding on as it is…" she shook her head and sighed; "but there is a third problem… a problem that has us stumped, quite frankly, and we're hoping…" she smiled; "Well, we're hoping one of you might have some answers. On Harry's birthday we paid a visit to Privet Drive…" she took a deep breath; "This memory… this is what happened as we were leaving…"
She walked over to the Pensieve, activated it then took Ginny in her arms as it played out… she'd watched the other two memories for clues but, as she couldn't remember much of what happened, she was hoping to learn something new from the memory and watched it more intently.
"Look," she thought to the other six; "in the distance…" she continued, physically pointing to several dark clouds in the distance; "it must be the wards…" she listened in satisfaction at the gasps, first of fear, then shock and awe as the bright white light poured from Hermione and Ginny destroying more than just the dozen Dementors Amelia had told them about.
Hermione turned and fixed her with a look.
Amelia shook her head and shrugged; "It's what they told me…" she added in thought.
"They were too many to count and we didn't want to concern you any more than was necessary," Gringott supplied.
"Don't do it again," Hermione warned him angrily; "Keeping the truth from us never ends well…"
Hermione turned back to quietly talking crowd, fear plain on many of their faces.
"We know, for a fact, that only two of those Dementors were from Azkaban as they're currently short two," she looked to Sirius; "We also know that the Dementors that attacked us at Hogwarts weren't all from the prison either…"
"On the train…" Remus started thoughtfully, continuing at a nod from Hermione; "I thought it was Harry that drew them…" he shook his head; "All three of you were there…"
"But it was only you and Harry at Hogwarts," Sirius countered.
"Yes and no," Hermione replied; "by the time that happened…" she laughed and smacked her forehead, much to the surprise of many; "Harry… you're the reason they were able to help me…"
"I was unconscious," Harry reminded her.
"Maybe that doesn't matter… maybe your magic knew I was the best way to protect you so it helped me by letting Luna and Ginny send me help?" she smiled, finally, something made sense. "I'm sorry…" she said with a laugh as she turned back to the dumbfounded assembled; "As I said… we're figuring it out as we go along… the point is, does anyone know anything about Dementors?"
"Only what everyone knows," Remus answered after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence; "they already inhabited the island when they built Azkaban… I believe, at the time, it was the belief that it was the lesser of two evils…"
"The Dementors given all the pain and misery they need to survive while leaving the good and innocent human population alone," Hermione surmised; "But do they enjoy it? Or is just sustenance to them like food is to us?" she asked them.
"I don't know that anyone has ever thought to ask," Remus replied; "But if there is any information to be found…"
"It's in the Department of Mysteries," Hermione supplied with a smile; "Which brings us to our first big plan…" she fought a laugh as they shared a look; "There was a reason, a Prophecy actually, that brought Tom to the Potters' doorstep…" she waved her hand, Trelawney's first prophecy appearing in the air beside her;
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies"
"Tom only heard a part of it, however," Hermione informed them; "and this Prophecy actually could have referred to another boy…"
"Neville Longbottom," Moody supplied, Hermione smiled as she was pleased they were keeping up.
"We're not sure what led Tom to pick Harry over Neville," Hermione continued; "but that was his first mistake…" she glanced at Harry, smiled and continued; "between his mother's sacrifice and his own innate power…" she shook her head; "the point is, Tom is now obsessed with hearing the Prophecy… we plan to use that obsession against him…" she waved her hand again, this time the Prophecy predicting the Sisters' return and aiding of the chosen one appeared; "If there is a record of this Prophecy in the Hall… well, we're far more afraid of him finding that one…"
"You intend to, what? Break into the Hall of Prophecy deep in the Department of Mysteries?" Bill asked, derisively.
"We do…" she replied evenly; "when the time is right…" she smiled at his look of disbelief; "we can accomplish three things… draw Tom out and prove he's back and get rid of Fudge… destroy the Hall of Prophecies… and find any information we can on Dementors…"
"Not too ambitious then," Sirius joked.
"But timing is everything," Hermione reiterated; "sure… we could probably break in now, remove the prophecies and find out what we can about the Dementors… but until Tom is in a position to try to stop us, well, it would be a waste of an opportunity."
"Madam Bones seems to be in your back pocket," started Bill, carrying on despite the glare his mother was giving him; "why not just have her take you right in?"
"Sure, Bill…" Hermione said with a laugh; "let's waste one of greatest assets on a one time goal…"
"What you fail to understand, Mr Weasley, is that Hermione isn't thinking one or two moves ahead," Amelia began; "but ten or fifteen…"
"What's your point?" he asked angrily.
"The point is, Bill;" Ginny began, tired of her brother's asinine interruptions; "just because you don't understand every step of Hermione's plan doesn't mean that every single thing she says and does doesn't have a purpose…" she shook her head and laughed; "Even letting you stay has its purpose…"
"I'm sorry?" he spat.
"I could have just as easily, knowing the kinds of questions you would ask and why you were asking them, asked you to leave," Hermione explained as though she were addressing a five-year old. "But I needed someone, like you, to ask questions… to prove that we're not influencing you to believe us," she met his eyes causing him to visibly shrink back; "If you're done we'd like to wrap this up…"
"I can't be the only one having a hard time believing this," he muttered quietly.
"No, I suspect you aren't," Hermione replied, surprising him as he thought he'd spoken quietly enough to not be heard; "And that is why you're all invited back to the valley for a demonstration of just what we're capable of," she informed the group; "If you'll all return to Entrance Hall, the Floo there will take you," she smiled as several nodded their nods and went to stand without question.
As the crowd made its way from the room Hermione found her parents coming to talk to her before they left; "You were amazing, dear, you had them eating out of your hand…" her mother told her proudly as she hugged her.
"Not all of them," Hermione replied wryly.
"Yes, well, I suspect Bill is having a hard accepting that his 'little' sister is far more powerful than he is," Albus commented as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Or maybe he thinks he's protecting me," Ginny theorized then shrugged; "I'm not worried about it… once he sees our little demo I have a feeling he'll be far too afraid to voice any more objections…"
"I hope not," Hermione agreed as she watched the young man in question be scolded by his mother as they left the room; "I was hoping he'd be willing to work with Gringott… a visible liaison between humans and them…" she turned as Gringott joined them; "Are your men ready for the big reveal?" she asked him.
"They're nervous about the reception they'll receive," he admitted.
"We're not going to reveal your full involvement yet," Hermione assured him.
"I suspected as much," Gringott replied with a smile; "Cara is going to take me ahead to speak to them… I will see you soon…"
…
Meanwhile, back in the Valley and oblivious to the ramifications of the meeting in London, the four young wizards found themselves playing a modified version of a Muggle game called tag. They'd been considering playing Quidditch until they realized there wasn't much point with just the four of them when Dudley suggested the alternative.
"We could play on brooms!" Ron suggested.
"We could, only I haven't got mine," David informed them regretfully, he'd left his Nimbus, one of the few things Posh had bought him that he still treasured, back at the Greengrass estate.
"We can lend you one," Fred offered as he took his bag from his back; "We've got Charlie and Bill's Firebolts… what?" he trailed off at the look of disbelief on David's face; "Oh these?" he said as he re-sized a broom and handed it to him.
"Gift from Hermione," George confided.
"Bet she just wants to see Gryffindor win this year," David joked.
"That's what I thought," started Ron.
"But she got them for everyone…" continued Fred.
"Even Percy," added George.
"Why would she do that?" David wondered aloud.
"She said it was for our safety, you know… another means of escape," Fred confided.
"When did she say that?" Ron asked.
"After you flew away in a huff," George said, teasing him.
"She also mentioned all the Quidditch teams would be playing with the same brooms this year," Fred added.
"Interesting…" David commented; "Almost makes me wish I was going back to Hogwarts," he added with a laugh.
"I don't know Dave, those Beauxbatons witches are pretty fine," commented Fred.
"They are at that," David agreed.
The four boys spent the next few hours chasing each other around the sky, much to Dudley's amusement even if, once David become accustomed to the faster broom, they were nothing more than blurs in the sky.
"Oi!" a voice yelled as it approached, Dudley turning to find Harry and Morgan walking towards him as he waved to the flying wizards. "Hey Dud… having fun?"
"It's alright…" he replied with a laugh as Harry offered him a hand up; "if I weren't so afraid of heights I might give it a try myself…" he joked.
"I can take you for a ride later, if you like…" Morgan offered.
"Wouldn't it be, um, too much weight with both of us?" Dudley asked, his face reddening.
"Not with the broom I have," Morgan replied with a wink; "I'm guessing it'll adjust…"
"About that…" Harry said as he eyed his cousin; "Dud? Have you lost weight?" he blushed; "I mean… it looks like you've lost more weight since we came here…"
"No reason to keep it on anymore," Dudley replied with a shrug; "It was only ever to keep Vermin away…" he trailed off at the sound of laughter and screaming behind him, all three turning to find Fred and George splattered with, what looked like, bright pink paint and David and Ron laughing as they flew towards them.
"What the…?" Harry said as Ron and David landed beside him.
"Oh… they were teasing him about the Yule ball," David explained through his laughter.
"So Dave decided to help me shut them up," Ron added with a smile.
"Guess it's good to see the two of you getting along," Harry commented with a laugh as the twins walked up.
"You're going to pay for that Black," Fred said but they could all see he was amused.
"So help any of you if your pranks mess up the wedding tomorrow," Morgan warned as he waved his wand over the twins to remove the paint.
"Yeah…" Ron said with a laugh; "'Cause any of us are stupid enough to piss off Hermione…"
"C'mon, you guys aren't going to want to miss her big demonstration," Harry commented and nodded towards the cottage where a large group of people could be seen gathering.
…
The seven apparated directly to the back lawn of the cottage ahead of the others in hopes of having a few minutes to gather themselves before they arrived. Hermione looked to the distance and upon seeing the four blurs in the sky, asked Harry and Morgan to fetch the twins, Ron, David and Dudley. They'd found the other inhabitants of the valley, Harry's grandparents and Aunt Petunia, sitting at the table enjoying the sun.
Looking back to the boys when she heard them laughing she noticed the slight shimmering of the magically hidden Goblin army walking behind them.
"We're still sure it's a good idea to reveal a battle ready Goblin army?" Nym asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied, taking a chance and quickly kissing her cheek; "but only that much…" she looked to the people who were just arriving; "I don't think magical Britain, as a whole, is quite ready to accept them as the builders of most of the places they hold dear…" she smiled; "But as the protectors of the Seven and our allies? Yes…"
"You want them to know we're not the only ones keeping them safe?" Luna surmised.
"That and I want to imply that this… everything that is going on? Is so much bigger than what we've already shared with them," Hermione replied, shaking her head and laughing quietly as she saw Morgan remove whatever the vivid pink stuff was all over the twins; "Well at least they're getting along…"
As the boys finally joined them Hermione noticed the Goblin Army, Gringott at its head, come to stop about twenty feet behind them… she nodded to him and smiled before turning to the expectant crowd.
"Welcome to the Ancient home of the Amice Sisters," she started, her voice magically amplified so all could hear; "And the place we've come to consider our home and sanctuary… it has been magically hidden for more than a thousand years, and like the witches who hid it, has been hidden away from history," she smiled; "For the first time since it was built we intend to reveal it's true identity."
The seven went to stand with their backs to the gathered and facing the cottage.
"First," Hermione said, loudly enough for everyone to hear; "a little change of attire is in order," she said as, with a wave of her hand, changed all of them into their ritual robes and removed their Goblin vests so their own marks would be visible.
"How about a little mood lighting, little brother?" Hermione called to Morgan, the boy closing his eyes to concentrate.
Very quickly dark clouds gathered overhead, the early evening light dimming further.
"Like we talked about," she called to the others as they took their positions, each with their left hands over the marks of the person next to them and their right hands out to assist Hermione as she needed. As she closed her eyes and tapped into the wards she couldn't help but be amazed at the sheer amount of magic they contained.
Ever so slowly she began to distinguish the different threads of magic, somehow unsurprised when seven appeared. One by one she separated them, each taking a different colour as she handed them off to her coven. "On three, start to draw magic from them…" she called, the others nodding as they seemed to start pulling each of the threads, the magic itself being absorbed by the coven and causing each of their marks to glow.
About two-thirds of the way through Hermione identified a problem… she'd planned to use the magic to light the Goblin guard towers however they had far too much; "New plan! Patronuses on three!"
"But…" Harry said quietly.
"Believe you can and you will," Luna assured him.
"One, two, three…" Hermione counted off, each of them producing identical balls of blinding white light; "Now!" she yelled, the balls of light responding by taking to the sky and then combining to become a Unicorn that stood as tall as the fort-like castle now visible behind it.
As the Unicorn trotted up to the Seven it shrunk to the size of a regular unicorn then, as it reached Hermione, knelt and bowed to her. It stood and ram straight through the crowd behind them to stand in front of the still hidden Gringott.
"Oh for Merlin's sake," Hermione said under her breath as she removed the magic concealing him.
The Unicorn bowed, but as it went to stand it again transformed, this time into the form of four people, all of them clearly female.
"Thank you," came a voice on the wind.
"You're more than welcome," Gringott replied; "It has been our honour."
The four figures turned to the assembled, nodded, and again transformed, this time four wolves, two very large cats of some sort and a small fox took to the sky before again becoming the Unicorn and coming to stand in front of Hermione.
"Race you…" she challenged it, the Patronus streaking off across the sky. The Seven followed Hermione's lead, forming their circle with their backs to each other as they took the rest of the magic from the wards and produced large bluish balls of fire in their hands. Just before the Unicorn reached the nearest of the guard towers and turned Hermione sent her first fireball to light the tower. As the Unicorn continued along the top of the ridge she lit each tower as it passed.
She'd lit more than a dozen before she felt herself growing tired, Ginny picking up where she left of seamlessly. In no time at all the Unicorn had made its way around the valley, the assembled witches, wizards and Muggles growing more and more amazed as it progressed.
"We are not alone," Hermione informed them, drawing their attention as she walked towards them, the others following behind her as she spoke; "The Amice Sisters helped many people and races…" she continued as they separated for her, she walking between them and directly to Bedwyr; "They created many allies…" she said as she waved a hand over the Goblin army and turned back to the humans: "allies who have sacrificed their own lives and happiness to see that we are successful…" she found herself frowning and turning back to the Goblins when she saw that many people were looking frightened… then she saw why… the seven Goblins had drawn their swords and had them pointed at the Seven.
Hermione smiled; "Get it over with then…" she instructed quietly.
Bedwyr nodded subtly then, as one, he and the other leaders dropped their sword tips to the ground in front of the child they had sworn to protect. But they weren't finished as each dropped to a knee, each and every Goblin behind them following suit, row after row, until they were all kneeling.
Hermione looked to the Seven and nodded… each pulled their swords from their sheaths, Morgan summoning Godric's sword from Hogwarts, and placed the tips of them on their guards' shoulders.
"We, the Amice Coven of Seven, thank you," the seven spoke clearly and in unison.
"Please rise as we consider you equals and friends," Hermione continued; "And we look forward to the day when we no longer need your protection."
"You're in charge of a Goblin army?" Moody said, sounding utterly impressed.
"If I am a leader of anything, it is only of the seven of us," she replied as the army rose to its feet. She looked to Gringott and motioned him over; "May I introduce Director Gringott…"
"You… know… the Gringott?" Bill said, completely dumbfounded, he'd always believed that Gringott didn't exist… that he was nothing more than a way to scare the humans the Goblins employed… as in; "Oh, you've done it now, they're going to send you to Gringott…"
"The Goblins behind us," Hermione glanced over her shoulder; "well, the first thirteen rows at least, are our personal guards…" she smiled at the looks of disbelief; "They have protected of us, and our families, since the day we were born…"
"More than a thousand years my kin has waited to repay their debt to the Sisters;" Gringott started as he looked up to Hermione and smiled; "but these seven young people?" he shook his head; "We consider ourselves blessed to be a part of the future they're trying to build," he paused as he noticed several people exchange looks; "The Sisters saved my clan… they rescued a young Goblin boy named Gringott, healed the few that were left alive after a raid by marauders…" he shook his head; "Our miners were away," he explained; "they came… humans… destroyed everything;" he smiled; "The Sisters? They had the village back to new before the men returned from the mines but they realized they had another problem… there weren't enough of them to survive… within a decade or two they would all have died out. The Sisters taught them to fight and make weapons from the metals they'd mined… they protected the village with wards then travelled the land seeking out other small Goblin clans…" he looked to Hermione again, and nodded towards the cottage, the very edges of which were already beginning to fade.
As Gringott continued his tale she found herself walking back towards what was, clearly, a highly fortified castle that stretched from one side of the valley to the other… what had her and her Sisters amazed, however, were the statues of the Sisters that formed the castle's four towers, the castle itself made of pure white granite.
"I thought it'd be permanent," Luna said quietly, the wards already hiding their special rooms on either side.
"Figures…" Hermione replied with a laugh and turned back to them; "When we branded ourselves…"
"We took over the wards?" Fleur surmised.
"But, because they're connected to us by blood…" Hermione prodded.
"They're healing themselves!" Ginny supplied.
Hermione turned and looked to Gringott, the Goblin nearing the end of his tale; "... as soon as my wife had our seventh son we knew… The Sisters were returning and we'd done everything possible to help them…"
"You never mentioned that Gringott," Hermione said as she returned to his side while looking over the seven leaders of their guard; "I didn't know Bedwyr and others are your children…" she clarified, realizing, not for the first time, all that Gringott had personally sacrificed in their name. She turned back to the crowd once again, hoping that it would be the last time, at least for a while, that she'd have talk to such a large group.
"We'd like to thank you all for coming and listening," she started as she summoned Cara with a thought, the elf and about twenty other elves appearing behind them and filling the newly formed tables with food and drink; "You're welcome to stay… enjoy the food and drink… and we'll answer what questions we can," she smiled; "those of coming to our wedding tomorrow are welcome to spend the night," she looked back to the castle, the wards again covering more than half it as they continued to heal themselves; "as you can still see we have more than enough room for everyone… BUT…" she continued a little more forcefully; "we ask you… after tonight… that any more questions you have wait until we return from our honeymoon…"
"I'm sorry," Emmeline Vance spoke up; "but… we're all just supposed to accept the fact that you have a Goblin army at your disposal?"
"We all wear masks, Miss Vance, in time, no matter the reason we wear them, they grow heavy," Hermione started, wrong footing many;" Gringott and his kin? They are more like us than they are not…" she shook her head and smiled to the Director; "They founded a bank to keep in contact with the magical community and yet remained hidden within it by acting the way they were expected to act," she spared a brief smile and glance for Cissy and David; "Only those who threaten us, our goals, or the people we care about… those are the only people who should fear them…"
"Your goals?" asked Remus.
"In the short term we plan to use Tom as a catalyst to ensure a man like him will never exist again because too many would oppose him," Hermione offered.
"So you're going to beat him so bad no one ever attempts what he's doing again?" asked Ron.
"Not only that," she agreed; "but… if we change our world for the better, where blood status no longer matters… a man like him just wouldn't exist."
"Anyone got a dictionary?" Sirius asked, causing several to laugh uncomfortably; "What? I'm just thinking if we looked up the word 'ambitious' we'd find a picture of none other than Hermione Granger."
…
As soon as the laughter had died down, Hermione excused herself and the others so they could change into more comfortable clothes and regroup for a few minutes. They knew there were still a lot of questions to be answered, many of them of by their families, and they only hoped they could put most of them to rest before the night was through.
The rest of the night passed amicably enough… yes, there were a lot of questions, and many of them were answered more than once, but in general, their new allies seemed to accept their answers, even if they suspected there was more to the story.
Eventually Hermione and Ginny found themselves surrounded by redheads. They asked Ginny a lot of questions about her gift, each one of them remembering an instance when Ginny had knowingly, or more often not knowingly, healing them. Of the seven Weasleys, only one remained quiet, Bill.
"Can I ask a question?" he finally asked when there was a lull in the conversation.
"I haven't stopped you before now," Hermione replied, attempting to keep the edge from her voice. She didn't have to read his mind to know what he was thinking, his body language said it all… he stood, his feet shoulder width apart, his arms crossed over his chest, one finger on his left hand moving back and forth over, what she could only assume, was his wand in his sleeve. He'd also made the smart decision of staying out of arm's reach of his mother who was watching him very carefully.
"Why are the Malfoys here? You can't honestly tell me you trust them?" he asked quickly, worried someone would cut him off.
"They are here for the same reason you are," Ginny replied; "They were invited…"
"And yes, I can honestly, without a shadow of a doubt, say that I trust them," Hermione replied, noticing that even Molly and Arthur were somewhat surprised. She shook her head then looked around for Cissy and Helen, taking a chance that they would be open to her, she thought to both of them; "Would you care to join us?"
Cissy and Helen looked over to Hermione, surprise on both their faces. She couldn't be sure if it was from projecting a thought into their heads or because of who they were with. She saw them whisper to each other, then call to David to join them as they walked over.
Hermione looked back to Bill, the shock at what he had just seen Hermione do clear on his face.
"I thought you couldn't do that," he said accusingly; "get into our heads without our permission?"
"I can't," she replied simply; "Trust is a two-way street, Bill, and I've already been inside her head once with permission," she smiled to Cissy and Helen encouragingly as they joined them; "I took a chance that Cissy would be okay with it because she knows I wouldn't abuse her trust when she knows there's plenty inside her head that I'd like to know."
"Really?" Cissy replied with a laugh then looked around at the Weasleys; "I think maybe I was hoping you'd ask me to come over," she offered; "Can you call Harry? I'd like him to hear this too…"
Hermione nodded and scanned for him, finding him and Morgan with Harry's family… she smiled, his 'family' had grown from a godfather and his boyfriend to now include his grandparents, aunt and cousin. "Can you come join us please?" she thought to Harry, trying not to startle him.
He looked over, nodded, and then he and Morgan stood a few moments later and walked over.
"What's up?" he asked as he arrived, Morgan holding his hand.
"There's something I need…" Cissy sighed and looked to Helen for support, smiling when her wife kissed her cheek; "Well… there's so many things I'd like to apologize for, but…" she looked to each of the Weasleys in turn before looking to David; "I need to apologize to you first…"
"I'm sorry?" David replied, completely caught off guard… he thought there were no more secrets between them.
"When Ginny gave you the burst of healing to restart your heart," she looked to Ginny and smiled fondly at her before looking back to David; "she healed a charm I placed on you before you started school…" she looked back to the Weasleys; "I know you haven't spent as much time with David as Ginny and Hermione have but…" she took a deep breath; "I knew what Lucius had planned… Crabbe and Goyle were never Draco's friends… they stuck by him waiting for him to slip so they could beat the tar out of him…" she looked to David and ran a hand through his hair; "He was such a gentle boy…" she paused as he blushed and shuffled his feet; "I worried he wouldn't be able to do it… wouldn't be able to play the pure blood prat…" she looked to Ron as he stifled a chuckle; "I need to apologize to you all…"
"The charm was directed at us?" Ginny asked.
"I'm sorry, but yes…"
"Mum?" David said quietly; "I already knew… I mean, I figured it out when I suddenly no longer had the urge to spew hateful things I didn't believe," he looked to the Weasleys; "What she isn't telling you, is that when I failed, he took it out on her…"
"So Rita's article was true?" Molly asked in a hushed voice.
"Yes, every word of our, mine and Hermione's, article is true," Cissy replied.
"I told you her writing was better," Molly said as she playfully smacked her husband.
"Why us?" Charlie asked.
"Because Lucius always hated me?" offered Arthur.
"There was that," Cissy replied sadly; "but I hoped, that with there being so many of you, you could take care of each other…"
"That's what Dave said earlier today," Ron said with a laugh.
"Will you accept my apology?" Cissy asked quietly.
Molly walked over to her and looked her in the eye; "You did it to protect yourself and your son?" she asked.
"I know that doesn't, in any way, excuse how we treated you," Cissy said, her courage failing her; "I… we… we never meant a word…" she finished as tears began coursing down her face.
"What wouldn't any of us do to protect the ones we love?" Molly asked as she drew the, now weeping, woman in her arms. "Must be the hormones…" she joked.
"Oh shite…" Helen said quietly then realized that she'd said the words aloud.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Ask Ginny…" Helen replied, her face growing red as she held her hand out to the redhead.
Ginny took her hand and smiled immediately, having already had a suspicion; she knew what she was looking for. "While we were in France?" she asked, Helen smiling and nodding; "It's a boy…" she shook her head and looked to Cissy; "Congratulations… he's yours…"
"Really?" Cissy replied excitedly as her tears started falling again with renewed vigour as she hugged Ginny.
"Wait…" Ginny said, pushing Cissy away slightly and placing a hand on her stomach; "I don't know how I missed that…"
"What?" Helen asked in concern.
"She's older than I thought and…" she turned to Helen, smiling broadly; "She's yours…"
"But it didn't work when we tried…" Helen said in confusion.
"Well it must have… she definitely has your magic," Ginny replied.
"So what was with the 'oh shite'?" Hermione joked; "I'd have thought this was a good thing?"
"No, it is… we wanted her to have a sibling that's close in age..." Helen laughed and hugged Hermione to her with one arm; "I was so worried you'd figure it out when we went shopping…"
"I thought you were acting a little… off…" Hermione commented; "I figured you were just worried about Cissy…"
"And I said "oh shite" because… well, as you can see…" she explained, indicating her still crying wife; "one of us is already suffering from hormones…" she joked; "I can't imagine how bad it'll be when it hits me… though it never was too bad with the girls…"
"Ginny?" Cissy said quietly as she wiped at her tears; "With your permission… we'd like to name her Elise… Lynne suggested it... none of this would be possible without the two of you…"
"I have a better idea," Hermione interrupted; "Finn and Fiona…"
"That would be perfect…" Ginny added and kissed Hermione's cheek before looking to Cissy to explain; "We've had more dreams since we've been here… in one of them we saw our last born children… a set of twins that Elise gave birth to days after Fania died…"
"Wait…" Bill said, finally finding his voice; "you mean to tell me they know more about my sister than I do?" he asked.
"Only because we've spent more time with them recently," Ginny replied as she walked over to him; "Every word Hermione said today was true… we've been figuring this out as we go and more than half of the time it scares the hell out of us…" she looked around at her family; "but we're tired of hiding who we are and what we can do from the people that matter most to us…" she looked to Ron; "If you'd known, when Hermione proposed to me, that we already seventeen and nineteen, would you have been as shocked?"
"Maybe," Ron replied honestly; "you have only been together for a year," he offered.
"Fair enough," Hermione replied with a smile; "but if you consider how much time we spend together and all we've been through in the last year compared to the average teenage couple?" she countered. "But that is beside the point… the point is, in a few weeks we're going back to a place where our masks are of utmost importance…"
"It's nice not to always have to wear them," Ginny finished then looked to Bill again; "You asked us if we trust them… we do…"
"Because of our gifts we can tell if someone is being honest and even get an idea as to why they might be lying," Hermione explained further; "We subtly scanned everyone in the room and while we met with you before your tattoos…" she looked to him as he began to understand; "We've taken away our ability to do that because we trust you…"
"And if something changes? If someone betrays this trust?" he asked, glancing at Cissy.
"They can't," Hermione replied simply; "If we were not okay with you knowing that Cissy knows more about us than you do, she wouldn't have been able to say a word… that's how blood magic works…"
"What about actions, though?" Cissy asked; "Will they stop us from doing something to hurt you in some way?"
"I don't know," Hermione replied honestly; "I guess I'm hoping we won't have to find out."
"That's why you asked Dung to leave?" asked Bill; "Because you didn't trust him?"
Hermione looked around as she sighed… they'd spent the last several hours answering the same questions over and over… and now several more people were listening in as they heard new information, too afraid to ask the questions of the Blacks that Bill was.
"Bill… I should thank you," she said, the man obviously confused; "and I should apologize as well…" she smiled as he grew even more confused; "I know all this is…"
"Beyond belief?" he offered as Albus, Minerva and Rosmerta joined.
"We're a part of it and half the time we don't believe it," Hermione replied with a laugh; "but I knew you'd be sceptical, and why…" she smiled; "But I also know you're a good man just trying to protect his little sister…" she looked around and raised her voice; "You've all been asking the same questions…" she shook her head and laughed; "talk to each other… for crying out loud…" she said her voice teasing; "Albus, Minerva and Rosmerta know everything we do and their marks will stop them from revealing anything we're not ready to..."
"There's more?" Sirius joked.
"That…" Albus started, his voice carrying and drawing everyone's attention; "would be an understatement…" he shook his head; "I have watched this last year as my daughter has grown up before my eyes…" he smiled as he walked over to her; "Watched her risk her life, time and again, to protect her friends…" he touched her cheek; "Watched proudly as she finally accepted her role as leader of her coven…"
"Spokesperson," Hermione corrected and turned to the crowd; "We, the seven of us, have taken our own marks…"
"The things that were glowing during your demo?" Ron asked.
"They look like brands," Molly added, a slight frown marring her features; "I know Ginny can heal herself and all of you, but…"
"I know it seems extreme," Hermione offered; "It all comes down to trust…" she said, again surprising them; "You are all here because we know we can trust you…" she smiled; "You need to trust that everything we do… everything we keep from you… there is a reason and all of this is part of a bigger plan…" she looked to her coven, holding her hand to Ginny and lacing their fingers when she took it; "But the bottom line?" she smiled; "The bottom line is that we're trying to make things better for everyone in the end…"
"Why not just influence us to do what you want us to?" Moody asked, slurring his words slightly with all he'd drunk.
"Because change, real change, can only happen if people choose it for themselves…" Hermione replied; "We want you to trust and help us because it's what you want to do… not because we've made you," she looked around; "You have a choice… you can leave here tonight and take no further part in our plans…" she shrugged; "that's your choice to make and we hold no ill will to anyone who chooses that path…"
"We understand, what we're asking of you..." Luna continued as she, Fleur and Nym joined them, the seven standing together: "it's a lot… especially seeing as many of you don't know us very well…"
"We're not naive," Fleur continued; "we know that there will be dangers ahead… people might get hurt…"
"And we considered not involving any more people than we strictly have to," said Hermione; "But we can't do it alone…"
"I don't know, Missy, your little demonstration was quite impressive," Moody grumbled.
"We just wanted to prove that we can, and will, do everything we can to protect you and those you love," Morgan replied.
Quiet spread through the crowd as they considered Morgan's reply… they'd spent the day with the seven of them and not a single one was unimpressed… not only by their command of magic, but the friendship and love between the seven… there was also little doubt that they were a team and would support each other to the end.
"I am our leader by default," Hermione said, getting their attention again; "But each one of them contributes to every decision and plan I make," she informed them; "I urge you, while we're gone, to talk among yourselves… elect a leader of your own…" she smiled; "For tonight? We're done with questions… please… but we will meet with again when we get back…"
"I think we've been dismissed…" Sirius joked quietly.
"Which makes you smarter than Fudge," Harry joked; "he actually had to ask!"
"If you'll excuse us," Ginny spoke up over the laughter; "I'd like to spend some time alone with my fiancée…" she said before apparating herself and Hermione away.
She'd been scanning every chance she'd gotten since they'd gotten back, and just as they had started talking to her family, had found what she'd been looking for… a magical signature, much like her own, about halfway down the same mountain range as the Goblin village.
Before she could explain why they were where they were, Hermione had taken her face in her hands and started kissing her.
"Love? Wait…" Ginny said as Hermione had dropped her hands to the hem of her jumper and was reaching to undo her bra. She took her hands by the wrists and brought them to her lips, kissing her knuckles as she met her eyes in the moonlight. "That isn't why we're here…"
"It's not?"
"No…" Ginny faltered at the look of disappointment on her face; "well… maybe… after…" she smiled as Hermione pulled her hands from her grasp and put them at her waist; "we need to talk about the dream I had this morning…"
"Oh…" Hermione shook her head and laughed; "I completely forgot about that…"
"Really?" Ginny teased and kissed her briefly.
"Yes… sometimes things slip my mind too…" Hermione replied before kissing her again, this time Ginny shared her meeting with Elise. "Shit…" she sighed as it came to an end.
"Now you understand why I wanted to wait?"
"This is… this is big…" Hermione said as the full implications became clear; "What are we waiting for?" she asked, conjuring a ball of light in her right hand while taking Ginny's hand in her left.
"And that's the other reason I didn't tell you…" Ginny said with a laugh.
"Well there's no point speculating…" she said, trailing off as she realized how close Ginny had brought them to the mountain's side; "until we know…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she let Ginny's hand go and approached the mountain… by the light of the ball of magic in her hand she found Elise's sign; "The more control we have the fewer people will be hurt when we defend ourselves, HGW, 1995," carved into the rock.
She traced the letters with her fingers; "What if…" she said, barely above the whisper; "what if that's the point?"
"Sorry?" Ginny said as she went to stand beside her, her hand at the small of Hermione's back.
"We can drive ourselves crazy trying to think of ways to make our present better by changing theirs…"
"Just as they argued about how much help to give us…" Ginny started.
"Help… that's it…" Hermione said as she turned and met her eyes; "they have no more control over what they dream than we do… we can't know what we say or do will…" she paused as the truth dawned on her; "They didn't hide things in the journals…"
"We've already changed the past?"
"The elves' allegiance… the way Cara is acting…" Hermione said, the truth so much more frightening than anything else they'd discovered; "they've been learning more from us than we have from them…" she shook her head; "That's why she created the Elder wand…"
"But Harry's cloak," Ginny countered.
"We haven't been dreaming of them in order," Hermione reminded her. She shook her head and looked back to the rock as a light drew her attention, five new words seeming to write themselves into the wall as they watched; "Thank you and you're welcome."
"Nym…" Hermione said quietly; "they've already changed things…"
"What?"
"You didn't heal a memory charm because there wasn't one to heal," she explained, turning and leaning against the mountain; "When she told me… it was the truth… I think… I think I'd have recognized a charm and she believed everything she told me…"
"So Amelia is telling the truth? She and Mad-Eye intervened?" Ginny asked as she went to rest in Hermione's arms.
"They found a way to get her help," she shook her head, tears rolling down her face; "maybe they saw something… something that hasn't happened to us yet… and they traced it back to that event in her life so they did something to make it better?"
"Or if she didn't actually survive in the first place?" Ginny asked quietly.
"It's our magic…" Hermione said thoughtfully; "somehow… the four of us are connected to our former selves because it's seeking to make itself stronger…" she shook her head again then looked to the sky; "What if this is even bigger than that?" she met Ginny's eyes again; "What if… if we don't succeed… don't stop Tom and make this world a better place…"
"It'll be the end of magic?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Hermione put her lips to Ginny's forehead and rested them there as she pondered the implications… in the end she realized it was out of their control.
"We can only continue on this path, Shy, and hope it's the right one," she finally said when the silence stretched; "We can't control the future… neither could they…" she smiled; "They tried… who knows how often…" she met Ginny's eyes; "who knows how much worse the last four years were supposed to be?" she asked.
"So we have to trust," Ginny started, a twinkle in her eye; "that everything they've done… everything that has happened…"
"Has happened for a reason…" Hermione concluded; "and we have to accept that we don't have all the answers…" she looked back to distant lights of the valley below; "Let's just hope our new followers can do the same…"
A/N: Monster chapter, I know... but it is what it is and I wanted to get all this wrapped up before the wedding... I hope you enjoyed and if you did please review...
A/N #2: I apologize for any confusion when it comes to the David/Draco thing… generally speaking, he'll be called Draco when talking about him before Ginny restarted his heart or when they're talking to someone who doesn't know he's changed his name.