Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 52.
For the first time since August 2016, I had this chapter ready to upload before today and I'm already halfway through the next chapter.
As always, I dedicate this fanfiction to all my readers.
I dedicate this chapter to TinySlippers, Cutieno100, geowynpnn, KatOwl, Sherlock Harry Winchester, MrsGinPotter, Cat130, purplehedgehog13, FanofFanFiction, Writingaddict169, imranramji1, ellie1788, tmtcltb, IAmUpForNoGood, unfittingpuzzlepices, Fuc and The Thestral.
Love Dumbledore's Wisdom.
P.S. Enjoy Xx
"Let's go to mine instead, its closer." Blaise starts pulling him towards his house.
"No, I've gotta be home for Hermione coming in. I've gotta tell her straight away or I'll back out." Draco reminds him, pulling him towards his house.
"Fine." He groans, letting himself be pulled.
Blaise slips his shoes off as soon as he steps foot inside the house then walks straight into the living room, throwing himself over the back of the couch.
"How come your couch is more comfortable than ours?" He complains, shuffling around.
"It's the same couch, Blaise." He tells him as he heads into the kitchen to grab some plates and cutlery.
"Hey Athena, how are you?" Blaise shouts.
"She's blind, not deaf." He calls into the living room.
"Hey Athena, how are you?" He repeats in a loud whispering tone.
Draco laughs to himself as he plates up the fish and chips and the bap. He grabs two glasses of water and levitates them with the plates into the living room where Blaise has now sat on the carpet with Athena nestling in his hair.
"I love her," Blaise mentions, grabbing a chip from a levitating plate.
"That's yours then," Draco tells him, placing the plate down in front of him.
"When's Hermione due home?" He asks picking another chip up.
"She didn't say. I told her I would probably be out most the night." He says, lowering the glasses of water and his plate onto the coffee table. "I'll put that new record on." He announces, taking it out of his pocket and returning it back to its original size with a flick of his wand.
He removes the record from the album sleeve, placing it on the player and flicks the switch. The record spins, Draco turns the volume knob up then takes a seat on the edge of the couch as the first song begins to play.
'Misshapes, mistakes, misfits
Raised on a diet of broken biscuits, oh
We don't look the same as you
And we don't do the things you do
But we live around here too, oh really
Misshapes, mistakes, misfits…'
"Draco!" Blaise gasps, jumping up, waking Athena up in the process, as he restarts the song from the beginning. "Listen, it's about us." He stares at him as the song repeats.
"I wouldn't exactly call us misfits and we certainly weren't raised on a diet of broken biscuits." Draco frowns in confusion.
"Not us," He waves his hand between them both. "Us as in the wizarding world and how we're misfits in the muggle world," Blaise explains. "Think about it. We don't look the same as you and we don't do the things you do but we live around here too. It makes sense." He stares at him wide eyed.
"It vaguely makes sense because you're searching for meanings within the lyrics. You wouldn't do look this far into Do the Hippogriff." Draco points out.
"It's pretty obvious what that song is about." He rolls his eyes as he cuts up a piece of fish.
They eat quietly for a few minutes until another song comes on that sends Blaise gasping again at the lyrics.
"Swap common with muggle and it really speaks to me." He admits.
"Blaise, you're married. Why do you want to sleep with muggle people?" Draco questions him.
"Not that part obviously, I want to live like muggle people and I want to do whatever muggle people do. I find them fascinating. I thought I already knew a lot about them but after today, I barely know anything. Have you ever heard of having an ID before and what's a passport?" He questions.
"You want to stop calling them 'muggle people' then." Draco points out, making a chip butty then taking a bite as Blaise continues to listen deeply to the song.
"Oh," He sighs, placing his fork back on his nearly empty plate.
"What?" Draco questions.
"The song's right. I'll never live like muggle people, I'll never do whatever muggle people do. No matter how much I learn about them and integrate into their society, I'll always be a wizard in disguise." Blaise points out, lying down on the carpet.
Athena flies back over to him, landing on his chest. Blaise gently strokes the top of her head.
"Where's all this coming from, Blaise?" Draco asks him seriously.
"I don't know," He sighs. "I've just been thinking recently that I want to do something different with my life."
"Blaise, how can you do something different if you haven't actually done anything with your life yet?" He asks rhetorically.
"I've got this translator job for a week starting on Monday and I can already see where it's going to lead. I'm going to end up in the Department of International Magical Cooperation." He says with a posh accent before sighing. "I don't want to be a ministry worker, Draco. I can't think of anything more boring than that." He states.
"If you could do anything, what would you do?" Draco asks him.
"That's my problem. I don't know. I don't have a clue. I'd love to go travelling." He shrugs.
"Okay, that sounds perfect for you and Luna. She like travelling to find those creatures of hers. Maybe you could write some sort of article for the Daily Prophet on the places you visit."
"A journalist for the Daily Prophet?" Blaise asks with a quirked eyebrow.
"Since the war ended, we're becoming more interested in muggle life. It could be the perfect opportunity for you to travel whilst also working." Draco suggests.
"I'll think about it but I'm not much of a writer." He shrugs.
"You never know until you try." He points out.
"Yeah, I'll think about it when I'm sober." He sits up to resume eating his dinner.
"Don't forget to talk to Luna about it."
Blaise scoffs. "You're one to talk, keeping your uncle a secret from Hermione."
"I'm telling her when she gets back." He reminds him. "It's why we're here waiting for her and not back at yours."
Hermione disapparates straight from the gates of Azkaban to the gates of the estate. She wonders if Draco will be back from his day out with Blaise but she doubts it since it's only half past six. However, when she attempts to turn her key in the lock, she finds the door is already open. She was hoping for a few hours to plan how she's going to confess to Draco that she's gone behind his back and visited his father. She enters into the hallway where she slips out of her shoes before heading into the living room where sat either side of the coffee table, she finds Draco and Blaise sat eating fish and chips.
"Hermione!" Blaise cheers as she enters the room.
"Hi Blaise," She greets him with a smile. "It looks like you're having fun."
She glances around the room. The boys' shoes are scattered around the floor along with their jackets. On the coffee table, were two plates with a few chips and some batter from the fish, two untouched glasses of water and a half drunk bottle of firewhisky and two shot glasses. On the record player was a record which has just finished playing on one side. Suddenly, the needle arm lifts up and the record flips itself over onto the other side. She's impressed.
"I'll just grab something for my dinner then I'll go upstairs and get out of your hair," Hermione tells them setting off for the kitchen, deciding that it would be best to tell Draco tomorrow when he's sober.
Blaise burst out in a drunken giggle. "My hair's a nest." He points at his head where Hermione notices Athena asleep.
She chuckles, shaking her head in amusement as she heads into the couch.
"Tell her now." She hears Blaise whisper loudly to Draco who shushes him.
"Tell me what?" Hermione asks, turning to look at them.
Draco glares accusingly at Blaise who jerks his head towards her whilst raising his eyebrows.
"It's…" Draco pauses, staring up at her. She raises a questioning eyebrow. "You're dinner is in the oven keeping warm." He announces suddenly.
Hermione stares at him with her arms crossed for a few seconds.
"Okay, thank you, Draco." She heads into the kitchen where she finds her own portion of fish and chips.
She plates them up and grabs her own glass of water before walking past the boys and up the stairs into their bedroom. Grabbing her book from her bedside table, she lies on the bed eating as she reads. However, the words aren't registering in her head. Draco knows something. Something he needs to tell her but doesn't want to. Maybe he already knows that she visited Lucius. Did Kingsley tell him? Or maybe it was Davies, the guard at Azkaban who was dismissed for the day. Did he put one and one together and started a rumour? She can't take it anymore. She needs to go downstairs and ask Draco what he knows.
She's just climbing off the bed when she hears two pairs of footsteps climbing the staircase. She perches on the edge of the bed waiting. A few seconds later, there's a soft rap at the door and Draco calls her name quietly.
"You can come in Draco, this is your room too." She reminds him.
The slowly creaks open to reveal Draco stood at the threshold with a smirking Blaise stood not far behind him.
"We need to talk." He mutters, staring at a spot on the carpet near her feet.
Hermione swallows nervously. He can't even look at her. He knows and he hates her for it.
"Okay." Hermione nods, moving over so Draco has space to sit next to her. "Come sit down." She pats the bed but Draco doesn't move.
"For Merlin's sake," Blaise curses. "Get in there Draco." He pushes his friend inside then slams the door shut behind him. "Talk to her or I'm not letting you out." He shouts through the door.
Draco sighs, turning the chair at their dressing table around and sitting down. Hermione's eyes prickles with tears as she watches him, staring down at his own clasped hands on his lap.
"What is it you need to tell me?" Hermione asks, trying to hide the emotion in her voice.
"When I went to visit my mother for my birthday, she told me I could take some books from the attic as my presents." He starts, finally looking her in the eye.
Hermione frowns in confusion not understanding what that has to do with her visiting Lucius. Maybe it has nothing to do with it, she hopes.
"I chose one entitled 'The Black's Family Tree'." He continues. "I was reading it at the Manor on Tuesday when I went for my haircut. I was reading it but she took it from me and told me I couldn't have that book. I'd already seen a name I didn't recognise though. Someone called Hyperion Malfoy."
Hermione's eyes widen surprised. "Who's Hyperion Malfoy?"
"That's what I asked." He smiles at her. "She set the book on fire." He scoffs.
"What did you do?" Hermione gasps.
"I put it out and took the book straight to Percy who tried to repair it but the only page I wanted to read had been incinerated." He sighs. "I went to the archives." He admits in a whisper. "And I have a feeling we won't be welcomed back." He adds.
"Oh Draco, what happened?" She sighs, standing up.
"We don't know how Mr Vyner knows which cabinets we open so I charmed fifty filing cabinets all around the archives to open including the Malfoy's. It didn't take long for him to come down to the archives but I disguised myself, I'd already found Hyperion's file so I made a few scuffling noises in the corner near the book vault and then charmed it open. Vyner fell for it and I made my escape." Draco explains.
Hermione kneels on the carpet in front of him, taking his hands in her and smiling up at him impressed. "So who's...? Wait, did you steal the file?" She asks but Draco avoids her stare. "Draco," She sighs. "Mr Vyner's explicitly told us not to take or copy any documents."
"I'll take them back tomorrow after Rabastan's trail." He rolls his eyes at her before making eye contact. "He's my uncle."
"Your uncle?" She repeats.
"I have an uncle. He's a squib and when my grandparents found out they sent him to live in a muggle orphanage in London. The Ministry lost track of him in 1964 when the orphanage closed down. He was seventeen." Draco explains.
"Oh my-" Hermione gasps. "And your father never told you?" She asks.
Draco's eyes narrow at the mention of his father. "Lucius was only two years old when his parents sent Hyperion away. My mother says he doesn't know so I assume he doesn't remember or my grandparents obliviated all memories of his brother." He shrugs.
"What else does your mother say?" She asks.
"I should forget Hyperion exists. He's a squib and admitting he exists will just further damage our reputation." He says.
Hermione stiffens in her position in front of Draco knowing he isn't going to like her suggestion.
"What is it?" He asks, knowing that something is on her mind.
"Have you thought about asking Lucius himself whether he remembers?" She asks.
"No!" Draco stands up. "Don't even go there, Hermione." He warns as he starts pacing around their room.
"At least think about it." She stands up after him.
"No!" He exasperatedly runs his fingers through his hair
"Draco, if your father remembers him, he might have gone looking for him in his youth." She tries to explain but Draco just shakes his head. "He might know where Hyperion lives now." She adds.
"Hermione!" He shouts, stopping mid-step and spinning to face her. She takes a nervous step away from his glaring eyes. "I sent him to Azkaban to get away from him. To protect what is remaining of my family. I've seen first-hand what happens to the people who spend too long in there and I never want to see him like that. I-I never want to see him again."
"I just thought it might be the easiest way to find your uncle." She mentions. "You do want to find him, don't you?"
He laughs as he shakes his head, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he walks away from her. "He-he has this way of speaking." He spits, becoming increasingly angry. "You don't know what he does to a person. You don't realise until it's too late that he's been controlling every action you've taken since you met him. You-you, don't realise. You just don't realise what it's like. Eighteen years I lived with him, was raised by him and I've spent the past thirteen months trying to change, trying to move on from his control, trying to become a better person. It wasn't easy." He shouts, sounding exhausted.
Hermione takes a few cautious steps towards him, hoping he'll let her comfort and calm him but before she can reach him, he turns his back on her, coming face to face with his reflection in the dressing table mirror. He stands there staring at himself for a while, wiping the tears that dare spill from his cheek.
"I know if I visit him in there, all the hard work I've put into becoming someone I can be proud of will just disappear." He mutters. Hermione takes a few steps closer and Draco's eyes shift to watch her approach in the mirror. "And you," He spins around and her heart breaks at the fear and anger in his watery eyes. "You want me to visit him. You want me to risk who I've become. I know I won't be strong enough to disobey him. I was never strong enough."
"Draco, I'm so-" She tries to apologise but she's interrupted by a soft knock at their bedroom door.
"Hey guys, is everything alright in there? I heard some shouting." Blaise's worried voice calls through the door.
Draco walks over, throwing the door open making Blaise stumble a little as he tries to keep his balance. He walks straight past his friend into the bathroom where he locks the door. Blaise turns to stare at Hermione concernedly as she can no longer hold in her tears.
"Oh no, Hermione." Blaise's eyes widen as he rushes over to hug her. "Please don't cry. I hate it when people cry." He tells her, smoothing her hair at the back of her head down.
"I shouldn't have pushed him." She sobs onto his shoulder. "I know he hates Lucius and he's told me before that he never wants to see him again but I kept telling him to visit him. He might know something about Hyperion." She explains.
"It's okay, Hermione." He comforts her. "I told him to do the same thing." He admits. "I just know when to stop pushing him. Don't worry, it'll come with time. You'll learn."
Hermione pulls away from Blaise, drying her eyes. "I think he needs some time alone." She announces, heading over to her wardrobe.
"See, you're already learning. You know when to give him spa-" He pauses. "What are you doing?" He asks, watching as she fills a bag with some pyjamas, clothes, shoes, her toiletries.
"I'm giving him some space. I'm going to go stay with my parents for the night." She tells him as she grabs her book and shoves it into her bag which she then shrinks and places into her pocket. "Can you tell him I'm sorry and I'll be back tomorrow?" She asks Blaise who simply nods. "Please stay here with him, don't leave him alone." She adds before walking down the stairs where she pulls on her shoes and leaves their house, eyes starting to water again.
At the gates of the estate, Hermione disapparates to the alleyway behind her parents' garden. She's about to enter when she hears giggles coming from the other side of the garden fence. Peering through the fence, she finds her cousins Lauren and Craig running around. She checks her watch which tells her it's almost half seven. She assumes that her parents have decided to give her grandparents a break from the children for a few night but they should really be getting ready for bed soon, not running around the garden.
Quietly, Hermione opens the gate to the garden and enters. Her cousins are crouched near the back door staring at something on the doorstep so she sneaks up behinds them and tickles their neck. They both scream then giggle when they realise who it is stood behind them.
"Hermione!" Lauren shouts, throwing herself at her cousin. "You scared us. I nearly died." She says staring at her, eyes wide.
"No you didn't, you're just being over dramatic." She teases, picking her up and tickling her again.
Lauren squeals for her to stop so she does, carrying her inside with Craig holding onto her jacket sleeve.
"Why aren't you in bed yet?" She asks, closing the kitchen door behind her.
"Aunt Sarah said we can stay up a little later." She whispers. "It's a secret. We're not allowed to tell Grandma." She giggles.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Her dad asks as he comes into the kitchen.
She stares at her dad for a moment too long and her lip wobbles as tears fall down her cheeks.
"Oh dear." He mutters, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Kids, I think Aunt Sarah needs you upstairs. Go have a look." He tells them and they run off upstairs. "What did he do?" He asks, opening his arms for her.
Hermione runs straight into her father arms, burying her head in the crook of his neck as she incoherently mumbles an answer.
"Do you want a cuppa?" He asks and she nods against his neck. "You're going to have to let go of me so I can make it then." He chuckles, trying to cheer her up.
With a sniffle, she lets go of her dad, taking a seat at the kitchen table whilst her he makes three cups of tea.
"It's all my fault dad." She sniffs.
"I'll be the decision of that." He tells her, placing two of the cups on the table in front of them.
Hermione takes a calming sip of her cup before launching into an explanation.
"He found out that he has an uncle that lives in the muggle world. He never heard of him before the other day and I suggested he visit his father in Azkaban to find out if he knew he has a squib brother." She starts.
"A squib?" Her dad questions.
"Someone born to a wizarding family that doesn't have any magic." She explains.
"Alright." He nods at her to carry on.
"He's told me before that he never wants to see his father again but I kept pushing the idea and I pushed him too far. There was some shouting and I think he just needs some space to himself to calm down. We both do." She finishes explaining.
"Ah, that's why you came here." He says and she nods. "I'm afraid your bedroom is going to be a little preoccupied for a while."
"A while?" She asks confused.
"Your Uncle David called social services on your Aunt. They don't think your grandparents are up to the job of frequently taking care of two children under five and they think your uncle has enough on his hands being a single parent with a full-time job so we've got temporary custody of Lauren and Craig." Her dad explains.
"Oh, wow. I know David said he was going to call them but I didn't think he actually would." She comments.
"Neither did your grandparents so they're understandably angry at him. They'll get over it though. They know that this is what's best for the kids." Her dad nods. "So, unless you want to sleep on the couch, you might want to ask your grandparents or uncle if you can sleep in their spare bedroom." He suggests.
"I think I'll ask David. I'm not in the mood to listen to Grandma complain about David all night." She says and he dad laughs.
Hermione hears her mum coming down the stairs. She sighs deeply when she reaches the landing.
"Hermione, darling, are you alright? Lauren said you were crying." She says, pulling her daughter into a tightly hug.
"I'm fine now, Mum. Draco and I got into an argument. I wanted to give him some space to calm down for the night but I see there's no room at the inn." She jokes.
"Oh, I know. It's been thirteen years since I've had to bathe a child and my back's killing me." Her mum laughs. "But what we're we going to do, let them get split up in foster care." She scoffs. "I don't think so."
"Well if you need me to help out, let me know." Hermione offers.
"And how exactly do we do that?" He mum raises her eyebrow. "We have no way of getting into contact with you."
"I'll buy a mobile phone tomorrow." She sighs.
"Good, I'm tired of having to wait for you to send us an owl before we can contact you. It'll be much easier to just phone you up." Her mum yawns. "I'm shattered Chris, I think I'm going to have a quick shower then go to bed." She tells him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and Hermione a hug before heading upstairs.
"I better get going too. I don't want to get to Uncle David's too late." She tells her dad as she stands up to hug him goodbye.
"Pop around tomorrow if you have time, once you've bought yourself a phone." He hugs her back.
Hermione leaves out of the back door, her dad locking it behind her. From the alleyway, she disapparates to the garden path beside her Uncle David's house. Despite it being the middle of June, there are dark clouds hanging overhead as she knocks on the front door.
Through the glass windows of the front door, she sees her uncle running down the stairs. He throws the door open in a pair of shorts and t-shirt.
"Hermione!" He stares at her for a moment before stepping aside to let her in. "What are you doing here?" He asks, closing the door and following her into the kitchen.
"I was wondering if I could stay the night. Draco and I had an argument and the kids are at my parents' house." She asks him.
"Of course, are you alright?" He questions, sitting down opposite her at the table.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She reassures him. "We just need some space to calm down. It's only for the night." She tells him.
"You can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure Sophie will love having another girl in the house. Especially you, she hasn't shut up about you all week. I wanted to thank you actually." He smiles.
"Thank me? What for?" She asks, confused.
"Sophie's been going through a dark patch recently. She hid in her room, away from me. All she would do is read. I tried talking to her but… nothing. She wouldn't talk to me. I thought maybe something was happening at school. I don't know what you said to her the other day but she's been so much happier. She even comes into my office to read in my armchair whilst I'm marking. She hasn't done that since she was seven." He sighs. "They grow up too fast." He chuckles to himself. "Do you want a cuppa?" He asks after a moment, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, thanks?" Hermione mutters, watching her uncle as he pops the kettle on and grabs two cups. "I think she just needed someone to talk to."
"I wish she would have talked to me about whatever's going on in her head." He admits, leaning against the countertop.
"She didn't want to tell me. I had to persuade her that I wouldn't tell anyone. She tried to pass it off as nothing but it was obviously something if it was making her that upset." She explains. "She was quite angry at me for speaking so sharply with her but like you, I was worried about her."
"She still hasn't told me." He hints with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione shakes her head. "I promised her I wouldn't tell you without her." She tells him as the kettle pops up and David turns around to make their teas. "Where is Sophie?" She asks.
"She's in the bath." He says. "Actually she's been in for a while now." He checks his watch. "I bet she's reading in there again." He shakes his head. "As long as she doesn't come complaining to me if she drops it in the water again." He laughs.
"Do you want me to check on her?" She offers.
"Yeah, if you don't mind." David nods.
Hermione makes her way upstairs and knocks on the bathroom door.
"I'm fine, dad," Sophie calls from inside.
"It's Hermione." She tells her.
"What are you doing here?" She asks as the bath water sloshes around the tub.
"I'm spending the night here. I've just been speaking to your dad." She states.
There's silent pause from inside the bathroom. "About me?" A quiet voice asks.
"He's still worried about you. Do think you're ready to tell him?" She asks.
"Maybe." She answers after another pause. "He won't believe us."
"I'll explain everything to him and if I need to, I can show him," Hermione tells her.
"Can you do all the talking?" Sophie asks.
"Of course I will." She reassures her. "Are you going to get out the bath now?"
"Yes, I'll be down in five minutes."
"I'll wait for you in the kitchen." She says then heads back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Is she alright?" David asks from his seat at the kitchen table.
Hermione sits back down, picking up her cup of tea and taking a drink.
"Yeah, she said she'll be down in five minutes and she's ready to tell you," Hermione tells him.
David arches an eyebrow. "Really?"
"She wants me to do all the talking but she wants to be here when I tell you." She explains.
"I'll get her a glass of milk then." He stands up heading to the fridge.
"Have you noticed Sophie behaving strangely?" Hermione asks. "Besides avoiding you."
David pauses at the fridge for a second before taking the milk carton out.
"What is it?" She questions curious as to what accidental magic Sophie's been doing.
"It's just a few little things. She's started telling these strange lies. A red m&m turning into a ladybird." David mutters as he pours Sophie a glass of milk. "A cup falling from the top cupboard and hitting her on the head. I asked her if she was climbing on the counter and she denied it. There's no way she could even open the cupboard door without climbing up." He taps the door handle of the cupboard. "I wasn't even mad about her climbing up, just that she was lying about it."
He returns to the table, placing the glass of milk next to Hermione. They sit in silence, drinking their cups of teas as they wait for Sophie to join them. After another couple of minutes, they hear her running down the stairs.
"Did you have a nice bath, Sophie?" David asks, putting on a smile.
Sophie gazes between them both before nodding and taking a seat next to Hermione. She pulls her glass of milk towards her but doesn't drink any.
"Hermione's told me that you're ready to tell me what's been on your mind recently." He mentions smiling encouragingly at his daughter.
She looks up at Hermione who nods down at her.
"Yes." She mutters, looking down at her clasped hands on her lap.
David looks from his daughter to his niece, waiting for her to speak.
"How shall we start then?" He asks.
Hermione stares at her uncle, mouth open, ready to speak but no words come out. She doesn't know how to start.
"There's no need to be sensitive about it, just tell me," David says, the smile he put on for his daughter starting to fall as the worry in his voice increases.
She nods and decides to follow in the footsteps of Titan, the ministry official who came to tell her own parents all those years ago and just get straight to the point.
"You might not believe what I'm about to say but please try to keep an open mind for Sophie's sake and I will explain everything." She starts.
David's smile all but disappear in favour for a confused and worried frown. He nods for her to carry on.
"Sophie's a witch, someone with magical capabilities, which explains those strange behaviours you were talking about earlier," Hermione explains.
Her uncle's expression doesn't change, if anything he looks more confused and worried. He looks down at his daughter who stares back with a hopeful gaze.
"I'm… not entirely sure… What's going on right now? Is this some kind of joke?" He asks, looking between Sophie and Hermione.
Sophie shakes her head vigorously.
"It's not a joke, David," Hermione tells him seriously.
"Right… so my daughter thinks she's a witch." He says looking at Sophie. "…and you're encouraging her?" He questions, turning to face Hermione is disbelief.
"I know this is hard to believe but it is true and I can explain-"
"You can explain what? I'm a history teacher, Hermione. I know all about witches and I know we stopped believing in them around the end of the eighteenth century. I can understand Sophie believing she's a witch. Most kids go through phases and it probably doesn't help that she's been reading the history books at school over the holidays. What I can't understand is why you're playing along with this." David frowns at her.
"It's the truth, dad. I'm a witch." Sophie speaks for the first time.
"Sophie, I'm glad you have such an active imagination but you must know that there's no such thing as witches and magic," David tells her sounding slightly condescending.
Sophie glares up at her dad. "There is, Hermione's a witch too. She'll show you." She looks up at her cousin.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now, Sophie," Hermione tells her.
"Why not, he doesn't believe us. Please, just show him and he'll stop saying I'm making it up." Sophie begs, pulling on her hand. "Please, Hermione."
"Sophie, I don't want to scare your dad." She explains.
"Stop that right now." David snaps. "I've heard enough about all this witch nonsense. I think you should leave, Hermione, you're upsetting Sophie." He stands up, waiting for her to follow.
"I'm sorry, Sophie." She squeezes her cousin's hand and tries to stand up but Sophie won't let her.
"NO!" She screams. "I don't want her to go. She's telling the truth." She shouts.
"That's it," David shouts. "Sophie, its bedtime. Go brush your teeth and get into bed. I'll be up once Hermione's left." He orders, trying to speak calmly.
Sophie glares angrily at her dad, not making a move.
"Sophie!" He says warningly.
That's when it starts. The milk in Sophie's glass starts bubbling as if being brought to boil but there's no heat or steam emitting from the liquid. David stares, eyes wide, at the glass in utter confusion.
"Sophie, you need to calm down." Hermione tries to comfort her cousin, rubbing circle on her back.
As Sophie whips her head around to face Hermione, the glass shatters into tiny pieces all over the kitchen table, sending milk flying all over the table and floor. David scampers as far away from the table as he can get, his back pushing into the kitchen counter.
"I-Wh-Umm-" He mutters at a loss for words.
"Magical children are prone to using magic accidentally when feeling angry, scared, or confused, as a form of self-defence. They typically have no control over this magic." Hermione quotes from a book she once read as she takes her wand out from her pocket. "That red m&m that turned into a ladybird. The cup falling from the cupboard. The glass of milk." She nods at the mess on the table. "Both examples of accidental magic and strong ones at that." She casts her eyes to her cousin. "I'll expect you to be a very powerful witch once you're older." She adds with a smile. "I should probably tidy up this mess." She winks at her cousin.
Pointing her wand at the broken glass and milk that's dripping onto the floor, she says clearly, "Reparo."
Hermione watches her uncle as his eyes flitter widely across the table as the broken pieces seal themselves back together and the milk swoops through the air like a flock of starlings back into the glass. David shakes his head as he stares at the glass of milk unblinkingly.
"That was awesome." Sophie cheers. "Can you do something else?"
"Not right now Sophie, I think you should go to bed whilst your dad and I talk a little more." She announces, placing her wand back into her pocket.
"What are you going to talk about?" She asks, frowning at the thought of being left out of further conversations on magic.
"I'm just going to explain some of the wizarding world to him. Don't worry though, I'll tell you all about it later." Hermione assures her. "Now go to bed and I'll come see you before you go to sleep." She urges her.
"Do you promise?" She asks, climbing off her chair.
"Yes, I promise." Hermione nods.
As soon as she hears Sophie's bedroom door close, Hermione stands up but the action makes her uncle flinch as his eyes flicker to the back door and then back to her again, so she sits back down, hand clasped on the table.
"For the past eight years, I have been attending a school in Scotland for witches and wizards. It's where I met Draco. He's a wizard. I suppose if I'm telling you the truth about who I am, I should probably tell you everything." She sighs. "Four years ago, a very powerful, dangerous and evil wizard started terrorising the wizarding world and there was a war. It ended last May with his death but we'd lost a lot of people so the Prime Minister of the wizarding world in Britain and Ireland enforced a marriage law. Due to the law, Draco and I were married and we have two years to have a child to boost the population or be sent to prison." Hermione explains then waits for her uncle's response.
"I-I-" He continues to mutter as he shakes his head and shuffles slowly towards the back door.
"I know this is a lot for you to take in and you're not going to like what else I have to say but-" She starts but David Scoffs.
"I haven't like anything you've said." He mutters as his back reaches the door and presses against the door handle.
"I have to tell you this. Sophie's mother, Gwenog Jones-" She tries to explain.
"Stop! Just stop! You- You promised you'd never bring her name up again." He glares at her. "This is insane." He shakes his head. "Magic, witches, wizards." He scoffs again, pacing back and forth in front of the back door.
"I know I promised but-" She tries to explain again.
"You promised." He shouts, turning to glare at her.
Apparently, his hatred of Gwenog can overpower his feelings of confusion and terror of the unknown wizarding world. If he's not going to stop interrupting her of his own accord then she'll just have to stop him herself again.
"Do I need to take your voice away again?" She threatens him, reaching for her wand.
David's hand flies up to his throat. "You did that, " He asks, eyes wide in fear, backing further into the door.
"Yes, and I'm very sorry but you were trying to kick me out of your house. I needed to find out everything you knew about Sophie's mother and you wouldn't talk." Hermione tries to defend herself but she knows it's going to take more than a simple apology before he can trust her again.
"What's so important about her?" He asks angrily.
"Gwenog Jones is a witch." She states and David stares at her in complete shock.
"Gw- Gwen's a-" He mumbles, shaking his head.
"She is. She's actually quite a famous sports person in our world." Hermione mentions.
"This… this is all too much." He breathes heavily as he opens the back door behind him. "I need some air." He gasps breathlessly, running out the door into his garden.
Hermione decides to leave him for a few minutes to process everything. She flicks her wand and watches as their cups and Sophie's glass along with the dirty dinner dishes already in the sink wash themselves. Whilst she waits for her uncle to return, she dries the dishes and places them back in their cupboard. Suddenly, she hears David's car start up and she rushes to the front door wondering where he got his car keys from. She throws the front door open in time to see David reversing out of the drive. She chases after him but he speeds off down the street. Hermione watches until she can no longer see his car then returns to his house, locking the door behind her with a wave of her wand. Unsure of what to do next, she locks the back door with another flick of her wand then heads upstairs to check on Sophie.
When she reaches Sophie's door, she finds it already open and Sophie is sat on her window ledge, leaning out of her window.
"I thought I told you to go to bed." Hermione says, announcing her presence and making Sophie jump.
"Where's my dad gone?" She asks, eyes watering and she looks up at Hermione stood at her door.
"I don't know, Sophie. I'm sorry." Hermione admits truthfully."
"Has he left me too? You said he wouldn't stop loving me." She starts to cry, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Hey, Sophie, your dad still loves you." She rushes over to her cousin, pulling her into a hug. "He's just scared and confused at the moment. He's just found out that something he thought he knew didn't exist, does and it's going to take some time for him to get use to the idea of witches and magic." She explains, stoking the back of Sophie's hair, calming her down. "Come on, you need to go to bed now or you'll be tired for school in the morning." She pulls away from the hug, throwing Sophie's bedsheets back and allowing her to climb under before tucking her in.
"Will you stay with me?" Sophie asks in a small voice as she shuffles further down the bed so only her eyes are peeking over the top of her quilt.
"Of course, Sophie, I'll stay until you fall asleep." She reassures her as she sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard and stroking Sophie's hair until she falls asleep.
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