Hermione Granger and the Quest for the Binding Stones
Part 2
The Gathering
Chapter 13
Hermione woke and stretched. Lavender had ordered Lilly, Rose, Hugo, and Luna to bed for a nap shortly after lunch. "The more sleep they get, the easier it'll be to reset to our normal schedule," she had told Hermione. "And Luna needs all the rest she can get." Hermione had thought the plan brilliant, and she decided to have a kip herself. After the cold of Wyoming and Idaho the heat of central Australia was welcome, and once she had divested herself of her traveling clothes that warmth had lulled her to a restful sleep.
Her shed clothing was neatly stacked on the chair next to the bed, her sleep shirt and knickers the only thing on her at the moment. Humming to herself, she dressed quickly, made a quick stop at the loo, and joined the group around the table in the kitchen.
"Afternoon, luv," Ron said as she entered the kitchen. "You're first up." He rose, hugged her and kissed her tenderly. "We were just about to wake the girls anyway."
She looked around at the others gathered at the table. "Lavender went down with rest of us?" she asked, noticing that only Ron, Carla, and Molly were there.
"Yeah," Ron said with a chuckle. "She likes to put on a show of being unfaltering, but after you all got settled in she nodded off right here. Carla shooed her off to bed."
"You work the poor thing so hard," Carla with fake concern and a laugh. "She's human like the rest of us." She smirked and laughed again. "Well, mostly. Lav needs rest too."
"All my girls are driven women," Molly said as she directed the knife to chop up some sprouts. "It's hard to get them to relax, but this place seems to do it."
Hermione looked at her mother in law. "It does," she said. "I wish we didn't have to rush back, but the children should be home for Christmas." She smiled. "You look well, Molly. The bath working miracles?"
Molly smiled at her. "It really has," she said. "Arthur intends for us to return after the holidays."
Hermione smiled at the woman that had become her second mother. "Maybe you should winter here," she said.
"Exactly my idea," Arthur said as he entered from the courtyard door. "Not the whole winter, mind, but most of it. Winter holidays, Rose's birthday, some other times we should be back at the Burrow, but yes, from November to March I think we'll come here, if Carla will have us that is." He smiled fondly at her.
Carla laughed. "You two are welcome any time. Wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it," she said, and she looked to Hermione. "They'll be a big help with the kids, too."
"Those 'kids' are doing their post NEWT level research," Molly said with a chuckle. "But however bright they may be, they do sometimes have trouble with basic tasks, Carla tells us."
"Eh, none of 'em been smarter than Rose," Carla said offhandedly.
Hermione smiled with pride.
"Or nearly as good with the creatures as Lilly," Carla continued. "She'd 'av had that dragon following her around like a dog." She sniggered to herself. "Big, fire spitting dog."
Hermione chuckled too. She had no doubt that Lilly would have tried to tame the dragon, much to her nanny's dismay. The two remarkable girls had proven themselves quite the team. Sisters in spirit, they had managed the previous two and a half weeks with a maturity that belied their age and a minimum of complaints. Their current obsession were the presents Rose was collecting to send to River, one of which was knitting itself in the chair next to her mother in law.
The yarn had been in the cupboards of the pantry room for many years according to Carla. Her aunt Orla had it around for mending, she had told them, but Orla hadn't been a knitter. After hugs and kisses had been exchanged with their grandmother Lilly and Rose had explained Roses desire to send River a few gifts, and Molly had suggested the scarf.
There was the snap of apparition in the kitchen, and Obo appeared. "Master Jarra will be joining us soon," He said.
"Thanks, Obo," Carla said and hugged the old elf to her side. "You tell him we're making crock tail?"
"He was pleased," Obo said, nodding.
At Ron's curious look his mother laughed. "We've eaten a lot of odd things while we've been here," she told him. "Carla hasn't driven us from the table yet. Don't worry, you'll like it.'
"Obo has acquired the makings for Mistress Luna's meal as well," He told Carla. "There are many roots and fruits of this land that she has not tasted."
"Thank you, Obo," Hermione said tenderly. And once more she was overwhelmed with the sensation of mission. Here, right here in front of her was the reason. Obo, No'oma, Kreature, Dilly, and countless others, but most of all for her friend and savior, Dobby. She had never forgotten his sacrifice. He had traded his life for hers, and for him she would free the elves, if for no other purpose than to honor his memory. She laid her hand on the ancient elf's shoulder, and she smiled. There were hundreds of thousands of other reasons though. One for every elf alive.
(*)
"He lied to us!" the man in the business suit said as he stormed from the Fiji terminal.
One of his cohorts grabbed the man's arm and turned him back to face his companions. "Damion," the shorter man said to his well-dressed leader. "We will return to Hawaii and question him." He smirked. "You know how efficient our interrogation methods are."
"I'm tired of fruitless hunting and lost battles," Damion said. "You weren't there, Charles." He growled to himself. "Nine nine nine and her minions there in Australia, they… they wiped the floor with us. Bernice will never be the same. Then the animal came with minions of her own. Ella and I barely escaped with our lives."
"The animal will be dealt with," a stout woman among their ranks said. "For the memory of Diagon if nothing else."
Somber heads nodded, and Damion looked toward them. "We return to Hawaii," he said. "And then we get some answers." He growled to himself. "And maybe some satisfaction."
(*)
"Should put up something like this at home," Ron said as they lounged in the warm soothing water. "I'll talk to Harry about it."
They floated in the warm pool, and looked out across the underground lake as they let the water ease away the stress and worries they carried. Arthur and Molly had left for the Manor an hour ago, and Lavender had ushered the girls back shortly after. Hermione hadn't been able to pull herself from the pool just yet, so she and Ron had stayed. The smug, knowing look Lavender had shown her had been met with a satisfied smile and a shrug.
Hermione turned in his arms and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Perhaps," she said. "Having a reason to come back here is good though."
Ron looked at his wife. He'd hardly ever seen her this relaxed and tranquil in the last few years, though in the last few months he'd seen it more often, mostly right here in the pool at Kata Juta. He knew she'd be made Minister soon. Alan was tired, and he was looking forward to a well-earned retirement. He'd been grooming her for years to take his place, and she had taken the opportunity head on, but that had had its own cost. Politics was something that had taken Hermione a few years to master. She wasn't a natural liar, and it took a lot of flexing of the truth to navigate the world of ministry intrigue. Fortunately most knew not to press her too far. She'd tell them what they wanted to hear until the words became distasteful. At that point she would end any charade, and her unfortunate opponent would get the full unvarnished truth from her, at length.
"What are you smiling about?' she asked.
"You," he said.
She smiled softly at the love of her life, banished their swimming togs to the shore, rose on her knees, and slowly embraced him completely. Sighing in bliss she looked in his eyes. "Hello," she said.
(*)
Eight agents of Rotfang appeared in the Honoka'a store room. An old native man rose from his chair, smiled at them, and began chanting in Hawaiian as he walked around them scattering volcanic ash on the floor.
"Pele eh kauoha ha`allele!"
"Aia lā 'o Pele i Hawai'i 'eā
Ke ha'a mai lā i Maukele 'eā
'Ūhī'ūhā mai ana 'eā
Ke nome a'e lā iā Puna, 'eā
'Owaka i ka lani, nokenoke
Ē Pele ē Pele ē."
Damion from Rotfang was unimpressed. "Where's the man who was here," he asked the old man gruffly.
Leiani's grandfather smiled and continued.
"Ka mea nani ka i Paliuli 'eā
Ke pulelo a'e lā i nā pali 'eā
Aia ka palena i Maui 'eā
'Āina o Kaululā'au 'eā
'Owaka i ka lani, nokenoke
Ē Pele ē Pele ē."
At the end of the verse there was a loud bang, as if a dozen hard objects hammered against the wooden floor of the large room. Damion jumped, and all eight of Rotfang's agent drew their wands. The Kuhuna Nui of the Island of Hawaii chuckled, and he moved his hand in a small spiral. The ash swirled up and formed a hazy barrier between the Rotfangs agents and him.
"I hea kāua e la'i ai 'eā?
I ka 'ale nui a'e li'a nei 'eā
'Ā i luna , 'ā i lalo, ne'ene'e 'eā
'O Pele ka wahine mai Kahiki 'eā
'Owaka i ka lani, nokenoke"
Damion tried to walk through the ash, but it was solid as stone, and then they all tried to break through the barrier with magic. Nothing they attempted had any effect on the translucent grey barrier. The old man smiled, shook his head, and continued.
"Ē Pele ē Pele ē.
Ha'ina 'ia mai ka puana 'eā
Aia lā 'o Pele i Hawai'i 'eā
Ha'ina hou mai ka puana 'eā
No Hi'iaka nō he inoa 'eā
'Owaka i ka lani, nokenoke
Ē Pele ē Pele ē"
This time two loud bangs sounded in the room, and they were accompanied by the appearance of fourteen large Hawaiian men lining the walls. They were dressed in skirts of long flat leaves. Each one held a very lethal looking spear, and each one bore a visage of anger. A beautiful young woman stepped forward from among them. "Ho`okano haoles," she spat.
Leiani Kapului'i was a direct descendant of kings and shamans, and both royal and magical blood ran through her. A priestess in her own right, she glowed in righteous anger for her people and lands. "You come to our island with hate in your heart," she said. "You presume, you walk in arrogance, you walk in ignorance, and you offend the gods and the Amakua." She noticed the leader of the group looking the men behind her with wide eyes.
"My cousins," she said, tilting her head toward the warriors. "And our grandfather." She smiled at the old man and then turned back to the Rotfangs. "The ohana you're hunting asked us to let you live," she growled, all trace of the island girl accent and Pidgin were gone. "And so we will." She looked Damion in the eyes. "For this minute, but all the ones after it belong to us. Tutu Kane finds you funny.' She smiled at her grandfather, and then she turned back to Damion. "We do not. He has woven a powerful kilokilo on you. You may not return, if you do you will die, if you remain you will die. Hawaii is closed to you from now until the ocean claims it. Leave, and never come back."
The warriors punctuated the end of her speech by pounding the butt ends of their spears on the wooden floor three times. "HELE!" they shouted. The ash closed in on the Rotfang agents, and they disappeared in a flash of blue.
(*)
Hermione looked out across the desert as her family and friends took hold of the old canoe oar. She really was falling in love with this place and its inhabitants.
"Yer back in two weeks?" Carla asked Molly.
Molly hugged her friend. "Arthur insists."
Carla sniggered. "Don't see you objecting, Moll," she said, and hugged her back.
Molly gave her a firm squeeze. "Figures we'd have to wait most of our lives to find our best friend," she whispered in Carla's ear.
"The next group will be here Eighteen January," Luna said as Carla and Molly stepped apart and dabbed at their eyes. "I received a communique from Marcie. She has them organized into groups of ten, and is scheduling them for a two week stay with a two week break between groups as you requested, Carla."
Carla smiled. "Aces, that'll give us time to straighten up and resupply," she said. "They can eat, they can, and they do have a taste for that Butter Beer." She shrugged. "Bit sweet for me."
"Perth, New Deli, Cairo, London," Lavender said, reading the itinerary Luna had received with the letter from Marcie. "Looks like we're home in a little better than five hours."
"You see there, Molly," Arthur said. "Plenty of time. It's only the twenty third, so you'll have all the time you need for cooking Christmas dinner."
"Ginny'll have a good bit done already," Ron said. "She was looking forward to it."
Hermione looked down at her daughter and niece. "In your own beds tonight," she said with a smile, and the oar began to glow.
(*)
Eight people unceremoniously dropped on to a rocky beach. The ocean broke in crashing waves on the shoreline as Damion got to his feet and looked around. On the bluff above the shore cars sped by on a two lane road, and he could just make out the small white sign that said, "US HWY 1"
(*)
"A report from Damion."
"And?"
"They lost them."
Gabriel sighed and looked up from his desk to his assistant. He nodded. "It was a vain hope, but we had to try."
"What next?"
"Janine has an idea. I think it might work."
"What's the idea?"
"Draw out Granger Weasley and her daughter. If we can take ten seventeen we can bring nine nine nine to us."
"That sounds profoundly dangerous."
Gabriel nodded. "Yes, but if we succeed we'll have ten seventeen as a watcher, and we'll have solved the nine nine nine problem."
"Her friends…"
"Can't touch us here." Gabriel straightened in his chair. "Confer with Janine, set the pieces in place and prepare for them. We'll set the trap early next month. Ten seventeen turns eleven in two, and we don't want to have to deal with her having a wand of her own."
"As Rotfang commands."
(*)
Harry hugged his wife from behind as she scrubbed the sprouts in The Burrows kitchen sink. "You're enjoying this," he said, and kissed her neck.
"Don't tell Mum," she said, a smile in her voice, leaning in to his embrace.
Harry chuckled. "I think she already knows," he said.
"Where are the boys?" Ginny asked looking sideways at him.
Harry smiled fondly. "Getting the tree decorations down from the attic."
Ginny's heart did that little flip it always did when she saw Harry fully enjoying Christmas and his family. Until he had met the Weasleys he hadn't had a Christmas. She had nearly fainted at Ron's first letter telling her who it was she had met while seeing him off. That first real Christmas, in nineteen-ninety-one, she had made the fudge that her mother packed. Ginny had personally wrapped that box, along with the green jumper Molly had made, and sent it to Hogwarts for him. The nice boy from the train platform had turned out to be the most famous person in the wizarding world, and he hadn't even known it at the time. The second Christmas she had been there at Hogwarts, but by that time… she shuddered.
"Cold?" Harry asked.
Ginny turned in his arms and kissed him. "Memories," she said, and she hugged him firmly, soaking in the love and security.
He nodded. "Yeah."
He knew, more than anyone else, he knew. They had talked a lot about Riddle and the trace, the scar left behind by his invasion of them. Harrys was obvious on the outside, but, like Ginny, the worst damage couldn't be seen. They were the only ones that could understand each other, the only ones who knew the whole truth, because no one else had been violated the way they had. Even Hermione, whose torture still haunted her from time to time, couldn't fully grasp the real horror of possession.
Harry drew back and looked into her face, his smile was sympathetic and filled with love. "We've had seventeen years of great Christmases since," he said.
She nodded. "We have," she said, and then she smiled to herself and dried her hands. Taking Harrys, she led him to the stairwell. "Boys! Bring the decorations down," she shouted. There was a rumbling and a thunder of footsteps as the two came bounding down the stairs. James had a large box overflowing with garland and baubles, and Albus was very carefully carrying the box with the ceramic star that topped the tree.
Ginny turned to Harry. "The tree is in the stand?" He nodded, and she turned back to the boys. "Boys, put the garland on and the wooden ornaments, carefully. After that bring in some firewood. We're going to have a quick nap before everyone else gets home, so stay off the stairs."
They were all smiles as the hurried off to the sitting room.
"Nap?" Harry said with a smirk.
She chuckled, took his hand, and led him up the stairs to her room.
(*)
And we're back. I'm still at it, faithful ones.
Hawaii is a second home to me. I know its people, lands, and spirit well.
Amakua, Ancestors
Kilokilo, Magical work
HELE, Go (technically, travel, but Hele also means go)
Kuhuna Nui, (there's not really a direct translation. "Most honored priest" is close)
Ho`okano haoles, Arrogant white people
"Pele eh kauoha ha`allele!", Pele commands you to leave
Pele is in Hawai'i
She is dancing at Maukele
She rumbles and mutters
As she consumes Puna.
Flashing in the heavens, on and on
O Pele, Pele.
The Beautiful One is at Paliuli
Rising over the cliffs
She is at the borders of Maui
Land of the chief Kaululā'au
Flashing in the heavens, on and on
O Pele, Pele.
Where will we find peace?
On the great billows we love
Blazing above, blazing below, hitching along
Pele is the woman from Kahiki
Flashing in the heavens, on and on
O Pele, Pele.
This is the end of my song
Pele is in Hawai'i
Tell again the refrain
In honor of Hi'iaka
Flashing in the heavens, on and on
O Pele, Pele