Chapter 37
Like her mother, Hermione had a lot of patience. They had both used it to great effect when dealing with the people that they worked and went to school with.
But when they were pushed to their mental limits….watch out.
This happened to be one of those times.
They had been in magical lockdown since those strange quin jet like planes had swooped down out of the clouds over the city and had begun dropping noxious gas cans out of the bay doors into the streets full of people below.
Those clouds of gas were the last things she had been able to see before Luna had grabbed her hands and all but dragged her out of the room and down the stairs behind her mother and the security wizard to the main floor of the Magical Congress. All the rest of the inhabitants of the building had been gathered on the floor as well waiting for the lockdown to be lifted.
But it had been almost two hours already and no sign had been given for the all clear, which made it seem as if whatever was going on outside in the Muggle world was far more serious than the wizards and witches knew.
Needless to say, the strawberry blonde was beginning to go a bit nuts.
Her mum had told her that when she had still been a part of the Red Room, a way to control emotions had been to meditate.
Hermione knew the basic ins and outs of the discipline but somehow sitting down cross legged with her hands on her knees and her eyes closed didn't seem to be a good idea.
If anything it would just draw attention from the wizard and witches who would have absolutely no idea what she was doing.
So instead, Hermione turned her attention to the stakes of books that were nearly shelved in the bottom floor of the Magical Congress building.
The building itself was arrayed in a tall square sort of style. The best way Hermione could think to describe it was a series of square Belgium waffles that were stacked on top of each other.
The only difference was that the interior of the building was hollow and that there were stairs and wide landings lining the interior walls going all the way up so high that Hermione couldn't even see the top. She knew the Congress was magically expanded but it still amazed her sometimes the way magic could make things appear bigger or have more depth than anyone would have thought.
Shelves that were at least seven feet high were neatly lined in rows on the bottom floor leading up to the information desk and the main front doors beyond.
The rest of the room was occupied by comfortable looking arm chairs and an enormous fire place that filled up one whole walls. It had been shut off as it was the summertime and the additional heat wasn't necessary.
The only thing that was needed was a means of naturally cooling off. There was no air conditioning in the Magical Congress and Hermione was certain that some of these people would have no idea what an AC was or did.
She had a feeling however before long that it was going to get very hot in the this place with all the bodies crammed in together so either the lockdown would need to be lifted soon or people had better start casting some warming charms very quickly.
Unsurprisingly, Pandora appeared to be perfectly calm and was humming what she told the girls was on Asgardian lullaby that apparently Loki had sung to Luna when she was still a baby in her crib.
Of course that made Hermione wonder if Thor had sung to her when she was a baby too and she made a mental note to ask her mother about it after.
And then she would begin to think about her mum and what was going on outside and she would be back to square one once more.
What was that gas? She thought to herself as she suppressed the urge to pace. It has to be the Sarin gas. It just has to be. If it's not than that is one hell of a coincidence.
And like Natasha, Hermione didn't believe in coincidences.
Luna in the meantime had managed to snatch one of the books from the room before they had been hustled downstairs by the wizard in blue robes and she was meticulously pawing through it now and chewing on the end of a pencil.
She claimed it helped her think and seeing as how she was Ravenclaw, who was Hermione to interrupt her creative process?
Every so often, the sunny blonde would look up from the book, mutter something under her breath and then make a note in the notebook she had brought with her.
Whenever Hermione asked her cousin what she was writing down, Luna would always mutter what she would tell her later.
That was beginning to get annoying too.
You need to chill out, the practical side of her said. I don't think it will take much longer for this to be over, you can go back to your research and then go back to the hotel and relax for the rest of the evening. In the meantime, how about you do something productive?
Just then there was a noise to her left and Hermione whipped her head around at the sound of it.
Luna had looked up from her book and had made a peculiar whistling noise as if she were beckoning to her cousin.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at the blonde before sauntering over. "Was that supposed to be some sort of call?"
Luna gave her a crooked smile. "Well it got your attention didn't it?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her cousin as she sat down. "I suppose. Did you find something?"
"Nothing ground-breaking," the small blonde said. "But I did discover a few leads on where Jor might have gone."
"Yeah?" Hermione asked. "Well let's hear them."
Luna picked up the notebook she had been carefully writing in and glanced around them to make sure no one was paying attention before she began.
"There have been a few sightings of a strange serpent like creature in the northern Atlantic thirty years ago, several miles off the coast of England. This was well before its last sighting. Muggle scientists documented the phenomena with exploratory vessels, but it was never seen again. Twenty years ago, a similar creature was spotted in the English channel but heading in a northern direction. And then finally ten years ago there was a sighting of what Muggles are now calling the Loch Ness Monster. And after that….well no one has seen anything since."
"Interesting," Hermione mused. "There's a strange parallel taking place here. Why is he only appearing once every ten years?"
"That was my thought too," Luna said. "And then I noticed the date of his resub mergence. Take a look."
She handed the book over and tapped the page where the information was located. Hermione peered at the words and felt her eyes widen.
"October 30th he has appeared every ten years for the last three decades," she whispered.
"Does that date sound familiar to you?" Luna asked.
It did indeed. Even though Hermione had found her mind wandering sometimes in History of Magic, she did remember a few key events that had wandered through her mental fog in Binn's dull foghorn like voice.
"Of all the events most distinct to the world of magic, one of the most important is the day the Statute of Secrecy was wrought, an event which took place the day before All Hallows Eve thousands of years ago. The Muggles believe the thirty first of the tenth month of the year is significant but in truth, the battle that separated magical and muggle took place one day earlier. Many witches and wizards believe that this is the day in which the veil between the muggle and magical world grows thin. It is a deeply magical day in which ancient beings stir, old magic awakens and prophecies are envisioned. Or so they say."
Hermione felt a chill creep down her back and she turned to her cousin. "How far is Loch Ness from Hogwarts?"
"Three miles through the mountains behind the school," Luna whispered back. "We'll need to figure out a way to get there."
"First we need to get out of the magical congress," Hermione muttered. "And I don't think there's a legal or safe way to do that right now."
Luna sighed. "I was afraid of that."
Hermione muttered something unpleasant under her breath in Russian that she had often heard her mother say. "It looks like all we can do right now it wait."
Ω
While Hermione and Luna were having to exercise a form of patience previously unknown to them in their eleven year old lives, Natasha was having to demonstrate a very different form.
At that moment she was with Clint and Regulus aboard a quinjet that was chasing down the similar plane who had dropped cannisters of gas throughout the city.
They were closing in on it but not fast enough and she wondered if its intent was to drop the gas all throughout the city.
If that happened the Sarin would physically paralyze all of the citizens in the New York and perhaps the surrounding area before they could administer the antidote.
Countless lived would be lost.
She glanced down at Regulus who was looking tense and pensive in his navy blue SHIELD uniform.
Absently her mind went back to the time when he had been first hired and given his new uniform.
He had stared at the dark blue garment with the white eagle emblazoned on the shoulder for almost two minutes and then asked her if it was a joke.
She had been confused at first but had then realized that Regulus would never have worn any sort of snug clothing. He had worn loose robes all his life and even though these clothes were reasonably loose on him they were still much tighter than what he was used to.
He had been absolutely gobsmacked that this was to be his assignment uniform and Natasha had laughed her head off when he had tried it on and appeared to walk like a mannequin down the hall.
"How do Muggles wear clothing like this?" he asked in an overtly obvious stage whisper.
"Well within the last century, we slowly been shedding more and more layers Reg. No offense but wizards still live in the sixteenth century. Welcome to the modern world."
"Are you sure I couldn't have just had a nice pair of dark blue robes?" the younger Black asked. "I could even put the eagle on the shoulder like you do with your uniform."
"Sorry buddy," Natasha chuckled laying a hand on his shoulder. "Looks like you're fresh out of luck."
Suddenly she blinked.
Luck…..
"Reg?" she asked in a low whisper. "You wouldn't happen to have your wand on you would you?"
"What sort of question is that?" her honorary brother in law asked. "I never go anywhere without it."
"Good," Natasha replied. "Because I have mine too and if we use them in tandem, I think we might be able to reel this plane in."
"I thought you said to keep a low profile on magic since the director doesn't know we can do it," he whispered back.
"Sometimes subtlety has to give way to expediency," Natasha replied. "And anyway, there's two of us. If I cast the spell, can you cast a spell to hide the jet of light it'll cause."
Regulus furrowed his brow and then grimaced as the quinjet took another sharp corner forcing them to respond in kind.
"Let's do it," he muttered. "On the count of three then."
"One," Natasha muttered.
"Two," he replied.
"Three!" they whispered harshly together.
The words to the simple spell of Immobulus were on Natasha's lips in an instant and she heard Regulus mutter an unfamiliar incantation.
In the next instant both of them tensed as the craft in front of them stuttered, shuddered and then whirred to a halt before almost cartoonishly plummeting towards the street below. Thankfully it was empty by this time so when metal made contact with the concrete there was only a terrible screeching sound as opposed to the screams of humans trapped under the wreckage.
The pilot of their quinjet cursed under his breath before taking a hard right with their jet and adjusting the afterburners so they faced downward allowing them to slow their descent to the street.
Natasha's eyes which were trained on the downed craft narrowed exponentially when she saw that there were no forms fleeing from the plane. The crash hadn't been serious and at the moment it was simply lying motionless in the empty streets smoke rising from the engine.
That should be addressed before it starts a fire and we can't gather any evidence, the red head thought to herself.
"Alright let's look alive," Clint muttered as he slung his quiver over his shoulder. "This whole thing smells off to me."
The trio exited the quinjet as soon as the landing bay was lowered and strode quickly towards the smoking wreckage.
As they neared it Natasha could see a crowd beginning to gather at the end of the street trying to crane to see the image of the crash. Fortunately the local police seemed to be on time for once and had gathered at either end of the street and were sectioning off the blocks with yellow tape.
"You don't suppose those aboard are dead do you?" Regulus whispered as they reached the landing gear.
Natasha shook her head. "The most I can see happening is someone getting a broken ankle. What concerns me more is the fact that no one was seen fleeing the plane."
A loud whirring sound interrupted their conversation and both turned to see that Clint had found the button that would lower the landing compartment for them to enter the plane. An eerie silence drifted out of the compartment prompting the three agents to exchange looks and swiftly draw their weapons.
Clint pulled an arrow from his quiver and notched it to the bow keeping it lowered in front of him but also keeping two fingers on the string ready to pull it back and release it.
Natasha fitted a cartridge into her gun and keeping both hands on it, darted into the darkened plane.
At first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary but when she turned to the right and entered the cockpit, an odd blinking green light confronted her.
And then she noticed the two figured slumped in their seats.
Whipping out her flashlight, the red head punched the on button and then cursed when she saw the scene before her.
"What do we got?" Clint asked coming up beside her. A second later he saw the bodies with the gaping wounds in the side of their heads and added several choice curses to the one she had already uttered.
There was blood and muscle tissue splattered all over the cockpit leading both agents to believe that an explosion had taken place and upon closer inspection the gaping cavities in the pilots heads led them to believe that as opposed to a well placed bullet, the explosions had been internally, prompting several more curses out of both of them.
"Another test," Clint muttered as he examined the gaping cavities in the temples of the pilots with his own flashlight. "How many have there been in the last few months."
"Too many," Natasha muttered as she examined the other pilot. She was careful to wear gloves and not touch any of them as it might have compromised evidence but when she looked a little lower, her eyes widened as there was a significant piece of evidence located on the pilot's shoulder that required no compromise.
It was a white eagle.
The same eagle located on the shoulder of her own uniform.
The curses Natasha unleashed then made the ones Clint had uttered earlier appear like the most beautiful salutations.
"What is it?" her partner demanded and then a second later he saw the same emblem on the co pilot's shoulder prompting a similar curse out of him.
"Either this is a carefully laid ruse," Natasha muttered under her breath. "Or we have to deal with the possibility of a mole."
"I think you might be right," Clint said. "Alright I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."
"Get Fury on the line," Natasha told her partner as she saw him reach for his ear piece. "He's gonna need to see this."
Ω
"Good lord that took a long time," Luna groaned as she flopped down on her bed in the hotel room. "I didn't think they would ever let us leave."
"Consider it a win darling," Pandora said in her usual airy tone as she set the notebook they had all but copied the information in the book on strange creature sightings into as they were waiting for the lockdown to lift. "We got what we came for even though the process with which we got it was slightly unorthodox."
Hermione said nothing meanwhile and instead glanced down at her phone as if waiting for it to ring. She had tried calling her Mum just as they were being allowed to leave and had heard nothing thus far. She had tried to tell herself no news is good news but at the same time, the streets had been packed with Muggles by the time they had been let out and they had had to use apparition in order to get back to the hotel.
The Muggle news networks were buzzing about the presence of a jet swooping through the city streets dropping cannisters of nerve paralyzing gas onto the ground and affecting thousands of New York residents.
All of it served as a means to make Hermione want to get out of the city as soon as possible or at the very least hear from her mother. She absently wondered about her father in that moment but dismissed him a second later.
"Alright then," Pandora said. "Shall we get some rest before returning to England tomorrow? I don't know about the both of you but I am ready for some peace and quiet after the excitement that was this trip. We got what we came for and Muggle America is far busier than Muggle England. And especially with all of this terrorism and Muggle attacks, I am more than ready to leave. I think we'll take room service tonight. Does that sound alright to you?"
Of course they had no problem with it, Luna because she was just happy they had a lead on how to find Jor while Hermione was thinking about her mom and didn't really want to go out anyway.
What followed was a very quiet evening in which both girls turned on the television in order to see more police swarming Times Square than civilians.
"Have you heard from your dad at all?" Luna asked as the two girls sat atop their beds eating Chinese food from a vendor just outside of the hotel. It had been smuggled via means of a clever disillusionment charm. Pandora, having finished her portion had just closed the door of the bathroom to have a shower.
"Not for about a week," Hermione sighed and glanced down at her birthday present that she had never taken off her finger since it had been given to her. It had occurred to her more than once to use it when they had been in the Magical Congress in order to sneak outside and see what was happening but leveler heads had prevailed.
She hadn't been the only one however as she had glimpsed Luna looking down at her moonstone bracelet and muttering to herself about the ability of avoiding Muggles and terrorists if one was invisible.
More than once however they had locked eyes and then jerked as if they had been stung before going back to other activities.
Looking back at the situation now, Hermione was very glad she hadn't snuck out. Odds are something bad might have happened and she didn't want to give her mother an excuse to put her on house arrest for the rest of the summer.
This way they were returning early and Hermione was looking forward to getting some much deserved rest.
Luna twisted the bracelet on her right wrist. "I was thinking about it and maybe we should hold off on exploring until we get back to school."
Her cousin cocked her head to one side. "Why?"
The small blonde sighed and glanced down at her hands. "Maybe I'm insecure. Two days ago Daddy came to see me when everyone was asleep – "
"He did?" Hermione gasped before clapping a hand over her mouth and muttering her apologies.
"Yes," he said to say hello to you but he couldn't see the both of us at once."
"Don't worry, I understand."
"Anyway, he told me he had a few concerns about us finding Jor. It's been a long time since he's been spotted and even longer since anyone has spoken to him. What if he's gotten dangerous and if he finds out that we related to each other and to him…."
She trailed off and Hermione wasn't sure if she should be concerned or smile given the similar nature of her conversation with her own father. They were obviously of the same mind in this.
Finding Jor would be dangerous. It might lead to heartache…he might not want anything to do with them at all.
And yet, he might accept them. They would never know unless they tried.
"Alright," Hermione said. "We'll wait until we get back to school. There might be more information there in the library anyway."
Just then there was a tapping at the window causing both girls to jump.
"Rynden!" Hermione cried in surprise when she saw the familiar form of her Storm Phoenix flapping just outside the window. The sun had gone down at last and so no one would see him there. If anyone did, Hermione hoped they would think it was just a large bat.
It was New York City, stranger things would have happened.
Swiftly the strawberry blonde opened the window and the magnificent grey bird flew in before perching on the window sill.
It wasn't until it stuck out its leg that Hermione saw the letter attached.
"You must be tired having flown all the way here," she murmured to the phoenix who merely cocked its head as if to say, tired? You really don't know me do you? I could do this in my sleep.
"I haven't gotten any letters except for you and Draco all summer," Hermione muttered to Luna as the two of them untied the pages from the phoenix's leg. "I wonder who this one's from."
"I would think that would be quite obvious," Luna said pointing to the smaller address printed on the corner of the envelope above and to the left of the main address.
Draco….
It was the second time he had written to Hermione that summer and she found herself feeling a bit confused. She hadn't heard from Neville or Ron or Susan since the summer had begun and seeing as how she lived next door to Harry and Dudley there would be no point in writing letters.
But Draco?
"I wonder what it is this time?" she asked.
"This time?" Luna questioned. "You mean he's written to you before?"
"Before we left for America," Hermione explained as she tore open the letter to come face to face with Draco's fancy script.
Granger
As it turns out, the book I tried to send you on Infinity Stones was somehow sent back to the house. I don't know if that means you're on vacation but I suppose I'll have to wait until you get back. I've hidden the book under my bed so only Dobby and I can see it.
Whenever I take it out to look at it he keeps wringing his hands and muttering that the young master shouldn't be reading about such awful stones, that they are evil.
After our escapade at school with the Sorcerer's Stone I quite agree with him. But still, my father always says that knowledge is power and it doesn't matter if the knowledge is good or bad.
Somehow I've managed to avoid telling him about that incident but he's been reasonably preoccupied this summer and hasn't really been paying attention to me or mother. But I suppose that's a good thing given the circumstances.
Anyway, on to why I'm really writing this. We got back from France a few days ago and I made sure to keep the book out of sight the entire time. But whenever I try to read it there are so many runes that I can't be sure I'm getting an accurate reading. I know you did a lot of rune reading this year in school for the elective classes that we can take so maybe you'll have better luck than I've had.
What I want to extend is a formal invitation to visit Malfoy Manor whenever you get back from wherever you are. We can look at the book together and see if we can make sense of it. I know Mother wants to meet you anyway because I mentioned some of my friends from school and it was her who helped pick out that scarf for you for Christmas. She's always telling me to bring my friends by the house so there it is. Will you come help me solve the mystery of this book?
P.S I need to go shopping for school supplies so maybe we can do that while you're here too. It's better to get it done early so we can avoid the crowds at Diagon Alley.
Write back soon and let me know
Draco Malfoy
Luna who had been reading over her cousin's shoulder frowned. "Have you ever been to Malfoy Manor?"
"Never," Hermione replied. "Have you?"
The blonde shook her head. "Looks like you'll be the first. I wonder what's in that book he found?"
Hermione shrugged and pulled out a piece of notebook paper from her book and a pen to write a reply. "I guess I'll find out. I suppose it's a good thing that we're leaving tomorrow. Every end has been neatly tied up."
"I have a feeling that few things in our lives are going to be neatly tied up Mione," Luna muttered. "The Nargles always do their best to make sure we're always untied."
Ω
Two weeks later….
"You would think that every horror movie in the history of Hollywood had been filmed here," Natasha muttered causing Hermione to smirk.
They were standing on the outskirts of Malfoy Manor, Hermione with a small bag in her hand. It was a week before school would open and she had decided to stay with Draco for a few days before heading back to Surrey.
They had apparated to the edge of the property as per Draco's directions and were now standing before an enormous wrought iron gate ahead of a cobblestoned road which wound for perhaps a kilometre or half towards a gargantuan structure.
It was almost completely white with dark blue turrets like an ancient castle and two small towers on the left and right of the house at the front. From her vantage point, Hermione could also make out similar towers at the back of the house. There must have been at least two dozen windows on the front of the house and at the base, directly in the center was a pair of large wooden doors also painted white. There was a pond on either side of the cobblestoned pathway.
About halfway between the gate and the house, the path engorged to form a circle in which a large fountain was situated.
It too was white but the pinnacle of the structure was an enormous snake shaped into an S with water spewing from its cavernous jaws.
"Who the hell designed that thing?" Natasha muttered under her breath. "Now I know we're about to step into a horror movie set."
"It's an old house Mum," Hermione explained. "Draco told me that Malfoy Manor has been around since the Middle Ages when his family was founded."
Natasha snorted. "I assumed old money but this is a little over the top. These people must be crazy wealthy."
"I don't doubt it," Hermione replied. "Draco was a snob when we first met and he still is a bit but I'm pretty sure having spent the last year with us having crazy adventures, its broken him out of it a bit."
Natasha raised an eyebrow at the small strawberry blonde. "Let's hope this trip doesn't lead to anymore "crazy adventures" alright?"
Hermione had the decency to blush slightly before looking back at the house. There appeared to be a large forest beyond it and she wondered how far back it went.
"Well shall we go?" Natasha asked wryly. "I think we've ogled the house enough. At best it looks like something Count Dracula would live in and at worst it looks like it needs a good exorcism for all the ghosts you might find."
Hermione snorted by decided not to comment on that. With all of the Hogwarts ghosts in that old castle, it wouldn't surprise her to find out if Draco's house was home to ghosts too.
Just then there was a creaking sound and the gates swung inward allowing them access. Hermione exchanged a look with her mother and the two smiled slightly. Because that would happen in a place like this.
It was almost abnormally quiet as the two Romanovs walked down the cobbled path towards the house.
Hermione's eyes darted back and forth across the shrubbery as there were tall green hedges lining the pathway, the perfect place for someone to hide.
She didn't know what someone would be doing hiding in the shrubbery but that was beside the point.
Take them out quickly, ask questions later.
As they neared the fountain, the sound of the water spewing from the serpent's mouth and into the bowl at the bottom became louder and louder.
Natasha paused to look the serpent statue over as the passed it. Her eyes gave away nothing but Hermione knew she was wondering about it.
They continued walking and had just reached the head of the path about ten feet from the stone steps that led to the front door when all of a sudden, the heavy wooden barrier was flung open almost on its own.
One of the oddest creatures Hermione had ever seen scurried out. It was dressed in a pair of green silk trousers and a green button tunic top with a color with a green sock cap on its head.
It was perhaps only two feet tall and had enormous ears sticking out from the hat. It's eyes were a watery blue and grey and seemed almost as big as its ears. It was barefoot but it didn't seem to mind, walking on the stone as easily as one would walk on sand.
Hermione knew right away that this must be Dobby the house elf, Draco's private servant.
"Mistress Hermione!" the tiny creature squealed and promptly bobbed a bow before fairly bouncing on its toes in excitement. "Master Draco and Dobby is waiting for you to come! We saw you from the window, we did!"
Hermione risked a glance at her Mum who had kept an entirely straight face throughout the whole ordeal only pausing to raise one red eyebrow slightly.
"Hi Dobby," she said with a smile. "Draco's told me a lot about you. This my Mum."
If possible, Dobby's eyes seemed to grow even bigger and then he was bowing profusely. "Mistress Natasha! Master Draco has told Dobby all about your esteemed person."
"Has he?" Natasha asked and Hermione couldn't tell if her Mum was serious or amused.
Before Dobby had time to answer a smaller form slipped out from behind the doors and stood behind him.
"Granger! There you are. I thought you might have gotten lost," he said and Hermione grinned at him.
"Malfoy if I can navigate the maze of dungeons at school, I'm quite certain I can find your house without any problems."
She glanced at the taller red head standing next to her. "Mum you remember Draco don't you?"
"Hmm of course," Natasha murmured. "How are you Mr. Malfoy? All recovered from school? Ready for the coming school year?"
To Hermione's astonishment, her normally so well put together friend looked almost panicked. "Yes thank you Mrs. Romanov, but my parents – "
"Draco?" an unfamiliar voice called. "Has your friend arrived yet?"
"Yes father," Draco replied giving Hermione a look that clearly said don't say anything.
The door was then opened farther to reveal a tall blonde with hair the same shade of white gold as Draco very neatly combed and reaching his neck. He was dressed in dark clothes with a collar that was buttoned up to his neck.
What is it with the Malfoys and their dark clothes?
The contrasting of black clothes with very fair hair made for a striking combination. But it was the cane clasped firmly in Lucius Malfoy's hand that really struck Hermione. It was the only bit of color that he carried and it must have been pure silver. The stick of the cane was almost scaled like that of a snake's body and the top of it where one grasped for support seemed to flare out almost like the hood of a cobra's head.
It was almost cartoonlike in its villain eccentricity and Hermione had to bit down hard on her lower lip to keep a goofy smile from coming to her face.
However, the face of Mr. Malfoy was something to behold. Though he was an older man, Hermione could still see the physical evidence that he had once been extremely good looking. His cheek bones were high and aristocratic, his jaw line sharp and square and his face was still smooth and unlined.
Hermione wondered briefly how Draco was going to look as an adolescent if this was how his father looked and then quashed the thought.
Thankfully Draco chose that moment to speak up and introduce her and Natasha. "Father, this is my friend Hermione and her mother Mrs. Romanov."
Lucius Malfoy upon truly taking them in made no other move than having his eyebrows rise slightly.
Hermione was then very glad Regulus had advised her and Mum to wear dresses. The older pureblood families responded better to old fashioned traditions and even though Hermione envisioned herself in a pair of jeans and a sweater, she simply thought of this as a sort of undercover role.
Natasha, being from a pureblood family still had memories of wearing dresses wherever she went so when Regulus had advised it, she had just shrugged and found an emerald green modest floor length dress in the back of her closet. It was short sleeved but ironically had a cape attached to it. Upon seeing it,
Hermione had chuckled but had donned the pale blue simple dress and placed a white knotted cape about her shoulders that Pandora had snagged for her at a gift shop in New York.
She hated dress robes so those were something she refused to wear but this would be functional enough.
Draco had told her that no female amongst the pureblood families would dream of wearing trousers much less jeans as they were seen as a Muggle fashion and Hermione had wanted to roll her eyes. Sometimes pureblood traditions could be quite silly.
However for the sake of appearances, she would wear a dress this time if it would make life easier for her friend.
No doubt Mr. Malfoy would be asking his son a lot of questions after she left and the smoother she could make it for her friend, well the better of a time he would have.
"Mrs. Romanov and Miss Romanov, a pleasure. Do come in." The older Malfoy glanced down at his house elf and fairly snapped, "Dobby you will prepare refreshments for our guests."
"Yes Master Malfoy," Dobby said and then snapped his fingers before disappearing with a pop.
"Please come in," the older blonde said and stepped aside so the blonde and the red head could climb the stairs.
Upon reaching the threshold of the house, Hermione glanced in to see that it was every bit as impressive and imposing as the outside.
The floor of the entryway was tiles made of black and white marble leading into a long hallway lined with various artefacts from around the world. About fifteen feet down the hallway widened out into an enormous atrium. In the center of it was a large wooden table with an assortment of fresh flowers. Even further beyond that was a set of carpeted stairs leading to a second floor landing with hallways spanning to the left and the right with countless rooms that
Hermione knew she would never be able to explore while she was here.
"Miss Romanov, Draco has talked a good deal about you in his letters home and during this summer so we were anxious to meet you," came Mr. Malfoy's silky smooth voice from behind her and Hermione turned to face the older man. "Has he? Well I hope they have all been good things."
"Draco's opinion is never given unless he feels strongly about something," Lucius offered. "We thought you must have made quite an impression on him for him to talk about you as much as he has."
Hermione raised an eyebrow and glanced in her friend's direction but noticed that he was doing his best to not meet her eye and inspecting his already immaculate fingernails.
Draco must not talk about his other friends much if he's talking about me, she thought. I wonder if he's even talked to the other pureblood kids in Slytherin this summer.
Behind the two of them as Lucius Malfoy led mother and daughter towards a room off of the main hallway, Natasha could be seen smiling slightly.
She had suspected that the younger Malfoy might harbor a slight crush on Hermione when her daughter had announced the invitation and all but begged to go.
But she decided she wasn't going to address it for right now. They were only eleven after all. Whatever happened would happen regardless.
The house was just as gothic on the inside as one the outside and screamed of wealth and old money.
She remembered briefly that Regulus had told her that Draco's mother was his cousin and she and Hermione had taken note of that when crafting a story to tell to the Malfoys.
Obviously Draco knew that she had a dad but the details of who he was would have to be kept secret.
So they had crafted a story which Hermione would impart to Draco later.
The room that Lucius ended up bringing them into must have been a ball room as the floors were golden brown and varnished. There were four floor to ceiling windows with enormous curtains that had been drawn to showcase the outside and the gardens. Between the two innermost windows there was a large grand piano.
To the far right, there was a thick Persian rug that Hermione imagined she might be able to sink her feet into. There were several comfortable looking chairs and sofas situated on the large carpet around a long coffee table.
But the most impressive aspect of the room Hermione thought was the fireplace. It was absolutely gargantuan and stood taller than she was. It was one of the fireplaces that one could walk into and stand up in.
Right now there was no fire burning as it was the middle of the day but Hermione could envision what it would look like with one lit. It was twice the size of the fireplace in the common room of Slytherin House.
"Narcissa?" Lucius called. "Our guests have arrived."
The tall form of a woman rose from one of the high backed chairs and set a book she must have been reading on the table.
When she turned to face them, Hermione raised an eyebrow. She had the same fair blonde, almost white hair that Draco and Lucius had but her eyes were such a startling shade of cornflower blue that they made her fair skin appear almost ghostly.
She was beautiful in a delicate porcelain doll sort of way which caused Hermione to wonder just how fragile she was.
"You must be Hermione," she said striding forward. "Draco's told us so much about you."
It was on the tip of the eleven year old's tongue to reply with the answer that she had never heard anything about them.
There were rumors about Draco's family that she had heard during the school year, how they were a primarily dark family and how his father had been the Dark Lord's right hand man in the first war but Hermione had chosen not to pay attention to such rumors as all of those things had happened before Draco was born. He hadn't been a part of any of it and she had long since decided that his choosing to be friends with the rest of their group meant that he had turned his back on all of that.
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Malfoy," she said amiably. "This is my Mum Natasha Romanov."
"Won't you sit down?" Mr. Malfoy replied leading the two of them to the comfortable looking chairs.
After they had seated themselves and tea had been served by one of the house elves, Lucius turned to Natasha.
"Forgive my curiosity Mrs. Romanov, but that name hasn't been heard in magical circles in quite a while. We had believed that the line had died out."
Natasha's face gave away nothing when she answered. "It's true my parents and sister died in a fire when I was a child. I was the only survivor and I was rescued and taken in by a Muggle man who raised me. I and Hermione are the last Romanovs still living."
"How noble of him," Lucius said but there was some distaste in his tone. "Is he still living then?"
"No," Natasha replied smoothly. "He died several years ago."
"Did you not wish to see if there were any distant relations still living?" Narcissa asked curiously.
"No," Natasha replied. "I don't like living in the past. There's only one way you can go in life and that's forward."
Hermione cast her eyes over at her blonde friend who in between sipping his tea was looking back and forth between his parents as if nervous about something.
"A practical sentiment," Lucius nodded sending a look at his wife that Hermione couldn't read. "We were quite glad to see that Draco was becoming acquainted with other children from such noble lines at school. History has been ignored far too much at Hogwarts in the last few decades."
Hermione glanced at her mother who was calmly sipping her tea and wondered what she thought of the subtle snobbery that the Malfoys were displaying. No wonder Draco hadn't said much about his parents.
She decided to use that moment to speak up. "Speaking of school, Draco did you finish that summer reading we were supposed to do for potions?"
Thankfully her friend took the hint and shook his head. "I still had a little bit left. And I still have to do the potions practical."
"Maybe we should get started on that then," Hermione said feeling her mother's eyes on her.
"An excellent suggestion, Lucius said looking pleased. "Draco did tell us how studious you are."
"I had better get going as well," Natasha said. "There is an appointment I need get to. I'll see you in a few days Mione. And thank you for the tea."
"Let us walk you out," Narcissa Malfoy offered.
"That's not necessary Mum," Draco jumped in quickly. "I can show Mrs. Romanov out."
The three of them quickly got to their feet and left the ballroom without a word and didn't say a thing until they got to the front door.
Draco taking the hint that the two wanted a moment retreated down the hallway.
"Have a good time little girl," the red head said with a smile. "The Malfoys already seem to like you."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "They probably heard the name Romanov and started foaming at the mouth. I get that our family was Russian magical royalty but dear Merlin have some tact about it."
Natasha smirked. "I've met so many people like the Malfoys over the years who think history is everything. Let me tell you something, all those people who looked to history for how to live their lives died out before the empires they said they would build even got off the ground. The only difference between those men is that some had magic and some didn't. Keep an eye on them. Draco seems nice but his parents look like they're cut from a different cloth."
"I will," Hermione promised, "give Uncle Reg and Aunt Tuney a kiss for me."
Natasha nodded and opened the door before striding down the steps and disappearing down the path. The moment she was outside the gate, she spun her heel and disappeared altogether.
The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to turn and then smirk when she saw Draco walking down the hall towards her. "Merlin Malfoy, you could have prepared me for the interrogation in there."
The blonde had the good grace to look somewhat contrite. "Sorry, I probably should have warned you. As soon as I said your last name was Romanov, they were immediately curious. My dad loves looking into family trees and your name has a lot of history to it. The Romanovs ruled Russia for centuries."
"1613 to be precise," Hermione supplied.
"Exactly and with noble lines becoming weaker, my dad wants to know about more ancient magical history outside of England."
"Intriguing," Hermione said in a bored tone. "But next time, warn me so I can study for the exam. Now suppose actually do get to that homework. Professor Snape may like us but even we don't get a pass from our summer assignments."
Ω
Dinner at the Malfoys proved to be a strange affair. No one really talked and the house elves removed the plates as fast as they appeared.
For the first time Hermione began to gain an idea of what it must truly be like to be an only child. She herself had no siblings but she had never felt alone because she had lived next to Harry and Dudley her entire life so she might as well have had two brothers.
But looking around the enormous house that Draco had grown up in that was occupied by his father, mother and nothing else but house elves, Hermione began to understand how lonely life must be without a brother or a sister.
Maybe that was why Draco had been so arrogant and uppity when they had first met on the train. If he had had a younger sister or brother he might have learned responsibility early on and not been so high and mighty.
Thankfully he had still had his common sense which enabled him to make some real friends as opposed to that fool Pansy Parkinson.
Both Lucius and Narcissa were being rather quiet as well and the former seemed occupied with his newspaper.
Dinner consisted of some sort of chicken in a rosé sauce which must have been a recipe the house elves learned in France.
"Hermione my dear, what does your father do for a living?" Narcissa asked sweetly and Draco almost choked on the bite of chicken he had taken.
Fortunately Hermione had been prepared for questions about her father and answered without blinking. "Unfortunately he passed away when I was a child. I don't have very many memories of him."
Draco cleared his throat over his water glass but Hermione resisted looking at him. He knew for a fact that her father wasn't dead but the older Malfoys didn't know that.
Narcissa looked surprisingly apologetic. "I'm sorry my dear, I had no idea. Draco never said anything to us about your father."
"It's not something we really talk about," Hermione said easily. "His death was quite sudden."
Before more questions could be asked, Dobby popped in. "Are yous ready for dessert Master Malfoy?"
"Yes please," Draco broke in before either of his parents could respond and Hermione bit down hard on her spoon to keep from smiling.
Soon after dessert was served in which Hermione saw her blonde friend wolf it down, she suggested that they spend some more time on their summer reading and her fellow Slytherin heartily agreed.
"What game are you playing Granger?" the blonde hissed as they left the dining hall. "Your father isn't dead, I remember you talking about him this year at school. And haven't Potter and Dursley met him already."
"They have," Hermione said calmly as Draco led her down the hall to the library. "But my father's a very private person. He doesn't like his presence being known by many people and he's not with us constantly as it is. He spends a lot of his time traveling. Your parents know as much as they need to know, which is nothing at all."
A long silence reigned. "I don't understand you sometimes," Draco said keeping his voice low. "When did you get to have so many secrets?"
Hermione smiled. "One day I'll tell you Malfoy…but for right now, you have a textbook on Infinity Stones you need to show me.
Ω
It was a bit difficult to keep his trepidation under control as he walked towards the throne room.
He had no idea why Odin had summoned the members of court to this meeting but whatever it was, Thor knew it couldn't be good.
His father had been holed up in his chambers for days with apparently only the Seer Volla being allowed into the room.
Loki had delved deep into scheming and brooding and Thor knew that he was frustrated that he hadn't been able to see Luna often lately for he too shared the aggravation of nothing being able to see his own daughter.
Odin's behaviour had set everyone on edge and now he felt they were about to understand why.
The moment he entered the throne room, he could sense that something significant was happening.
The court itself was full and his father was sitting upon the dais at the far end with Loki and Frigga on his left.
The lights were dimmed in the room and hanging from each pillar were burning candles making the atmosphere appear eerie.
And then he saw the seer standing at the base of the steps with her eyes closed and muttering to herself. Her hands were closed around the talisman tightly and her long sharp nails were tapping against it methodically.
Thor locked eyes with his mother standing across the room and she only shook her head and beckoned him forward.
Feeling his sense of uncertainty mount, the blonde crossed the room to mount the stairs and stand on the other side of Odin's throne before bowing to the king. "Father. May I enquire as to the source of this impromptu meeting?"
"All will be revealed in time my son," the All Father said in tones as ambiguous as possible and Thor ground his teeth together.
He locked eyes with Loki who only shook his head before resuming a grim expression. His brother was as clueless about what was happening as he was.
A moment later, Odin silenced the entire court by pounding the end of his staff three times upon the dais floor causing the room to go completely quiet.
"I thank you all for arriving in a timely manner my subjects," he said in a grave tone. "I have received information this day that will benefit this realm's future for generations to come. Volla, my most trusted advisor and seer has glimpsed the future. And it is a future that can either be very bright or will swing towards disaster. Either way, we stand upon the edge of a knife."
There was a silence followed by nervous muttering.
Thor glanced over at Loki again whose eyes had narrowed. Odin let the murmuring continue for a moment before he resumed his speech.
"In light of this, we must – "
And that was when things really became strange.
Just then, the see Volla who had been utterly quiet let out a strangled cry at the foot of the dais and bent at the waist as if she had been stabbed.
The murmurs instantly died again as people craned their necks to see what was happening. Thor cast a look towards his mother's whose face had gone ashy grey and looked strained.
What in the name of the Nine Realms is happening?
"They come," Volla said with a voice that sounded like it was coming out right out of the earth from an ancient place. "They come with fire and smoke and brimstone. They come with fire and lightning and storm. They come on their ships, they come astride monsters, they come with weapons. Burning, destroying razing. Usurpers and traitors all."
And then as swiftly as she had been bent, she jerked back upright as if she were a marionette on swings and turned to face the royal family.
Thor swallowed hard when he saw the sickly shade of grey her face was. He then saw her eyes and distinctly heard his mother suck in a breath. They were such a dark shade of grey that they almost looked black making her for a moment appear possessed.
The stone she had been gripping had gone a pure white and was gleaming and trembling on its chain as if it were alive.
"And they are led by her…this child of lightning….one who should not be real but is…one who remains under a cloak of shadow. One who searches for the monster. One whose eyes appear as the purest Alexandrite and whose hair is fairer than polished bronze. Beautiful she will be….but terrible and treacherous. Doom….Doom she will bring this child of lightning. Doom to all who know her. Doom….to the one who sired her."
And then Volla turned at this last line and pointed a bony finger right at Thor.
The blonde felt the blood draining from his face and replaced immediately with ice that would have rivaled the blood of a Frost Giant.
Hermione….she was talking about Hermione.
But how?
How?
How had someone found out? How did this Seer know such things. No one but Loki had ever known.
"A child?" Odin asked in a deadly calm voice and if it were possible, Thor's blood ran even colder. "What child is this my son?"
And just like that twelve years of secrecy had gone up in smoke.
"Foolishness father," Loki cut in and Thor would later thank every star in the heavens for his brother. "Prophecy is speculative nonsense. The future is never know…..never."
Odin continued looking at Thor however apparently seeing no one else in the room but his first born son. "What child is this?"
"Is….Is it true?" Frigga asked turning to Thor bearing a more shocked expression than he had ever seen. "Is there a child my son?"
But Thor refused to answer. There was no lie he could tell now that would help him. The Seer had somehow learned of Hermione and even if he were to deny it there was no chance Odin would believe him over her. He had become increasingly unhinged with Volla's presence.
"This is foolishness," Loki snapped and finally Odin turned his gaze on the trickster god.
"Silence!" he bellowed. "I will have the truth."
He turned to the blonde and Thor could practically feel the energy sizzling off the old man. "I will ask once more and either your answer or silence will damn you boy. Is. There. A. Child?"
Thor closed his eyes.
In that instant it was ten years ago and Hermione was a bright happy two year old running around the back yard of the home in Surrey. It was the last time he had seen her before he had gone off to fight in yet another war.
She and her mother had been the bright spots in that gritty time, a time in which his hammer was coated with more blood than it ever had been before.
He had promised to keep her safe. He had sworn an oath on it to himself and Natasha.
Natasha…..
The beautiful red head he could no longer imagine life without and the mother of his daughter. Her smile was so rare and when she smiled genuinely it was like sunshine.
"Fear has been the cloak under which she has been hid. Fear of destruction. But she must be destroyed…"
"NO!" Thor bellowed and then before anyone could blink he was before the Seer, hand wrapped around her throat squeezing the breath out of her so she could no longer speak.
"RELEASE HER!" Odin bellowed but Thor remained squeezing. All he could think about was this….woman had leaked the secret of his daughter into the world and he was going to end it before he revealed anything about Natasha. It was bad enough for one secret to be revealed but two?
He wouldn't have it.
Odin roared something to the guards who reluctantly started forward but Thor had been ready for them as he was able to swing with one hand and knock them back.
Volla suddenly went limp in his other hand and he dropped her with disgust.
A sickening silence filled the chamber that had once erupted with noise and shouts. Frigga's hands were pressed to her mouth and there were tears in her eyes.
Loki's eyes were blazing with green fire and his hands were curled into fists but Thor didn't know what he was angry at.
"What have you done foolish boy?!" Odin fairly screamed. "You have damned us all!"
"No," Thor whispered looking down at the limp body of the dead seer with revulsion. "You have damned us with your laws and your wars and your fear mongering. I know the prophecy with which you dread."
He had never seen his father surprised before, but the one eye that retained its sight widened exponentially.
"What have you done?" Odin said in a low voice. "You have put the entire realm at risk. You know the laws. How long? How long has this child been kept hidden?"
But Thor didn't answer.
"The Celestials damn you!" Odin bellowed. "You have been a vain foolish selfish boy!"
"And you are an old man and a fool!" Thor roared back. He refused to say anything more about Hermione. A decade's worth of rage about his father had run the realm was now pouring out.
"You are unworthy!"
"Odin," Frigga tried to say but was cut off.
"Silence!" the all father bellowed before turning back to Thor. "You know the penalties for such a grave breach of our laws. But there may yet be reconciliation. Tell me where the child is…and you will not suffer."
He didn't know where it came from but all of a sudden from the depths of his being there came a loud deep laugh. I sounded eerie in the utter silence of the chamber.
"You are a fool," Thor said quietly. "It is you, not I who have damned us all."
And then Odin stood from his seat and stared down at the blonde.
"You are unworthy!" he bellowed again. "Let us see where your arrogance lands you. I now take from you your power!"
All of a sudden Mjolnir was gone from his hand and there came a leeching sensation as if energy was being taken from his body.
His frame, not used to the loss of strength and vitality dropped to his knees before the dais.
He looked up at his brother who for the first time looked panicked.
"Father – "the trickster god began needing to say something in his brother's defense.
"Silence!" Odin bellowed again. "This day you have made yourself an enemy of Asgard. If you will not tell us where the child is….I will find her myself. Do you understand? I WILL FIND HER! And you will never see her demise! Until you prove yourself worthy….you will never lift this hammer again! I cast you out!"
Thor would remember then that his last sound was of Frigga screaming and Loki yelling as he was blasted out of Asgard.
And his last thought was of Natasha and Hermione.
Ω
Hehehehe, well this is awkward. Um, I wish I had a good explanation for why its been almost a year since I updated but honestly other than school and work and family life I really don't. So many times I took up this chapter in the last few months only to put it back down because I had no idea what to write. But thankfully we have now reached the beginning of year 2 and the beginning of the Thor movie which as you know will be happening simultaneously. I have big things planned for the next chapter. I hope you all aren't too upset with me over the extremely long delay. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!