The young man noticed that he was feeling less and less sick after each trip, which reassured him. He looked around him.
"I've always dreamed to visit Paris..." He smiled.
"Well, sadly we don't really have time for visits. Come along."
And without letting his hand go, she guided him through the streets.
"Where are we going, exactly?"
"The house of the alchemist."
"The alchemist?"
"Nicolas Flamel. He invented the philosopher stone. That's where Dumbledore told us to go."
"I thought Flamel was just a normal folk, and his alchemist works were not his..."
"That's because the French Ministry of Magic is excellent at making you believe there's a non-magical explanation. Ever heard of the beast of Gévaudan? They managed to convince half of the population that it's a hyena, and the other half thinks it was God punishing the locals."
"What about the truth?"
"It was a simple werewolf. Crossed with a serial killer and psychopath. Like Fenrir Greyback before his time."
"Who's Fenrir Greyback?"
"He's the one who bit Lupin when he was just a kid. He's a real bastard."
"Have you ever met him?"
"Up close. I fought him in sixth year, when the death eaters attacked Hogwarts."
And she unconsciously squeezed his hand. They navigated through Paris streets, and ended up in Montmartre. Hermione seemed to know where she was going.
"How can you know where we go?" Edmund asked.
"I came here to see Flamel and his wife during the summer holidays after my first year. I wanted to meet him before his death."
"He died? When?"
"On Halloween, in 1992. I was at Nearly-Headless Nick's Deathday, when a ghost told me."
Edmund decided it was better for him not to try to understand who Nearly-Headless Nick was, or what Hermione was doing celebrating his Deathday.
"But I didn't know Scamander took the house after Nicolas and Pernelle died."
"Who is this Scamander guy?"
"He's a magizoologist. He wrote a book we study in care for magical creatures classes. It's called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander is also a good friend of Dumbledore."
"And he can help us?"
"We'll see about that. We're here."
They had indeed reached a house that was so crooked it was a miracle it was still up. The young witch knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" A rough feminine voice asked.
"My name is Hermione Granger. We need to talk to mister Scamander."
"How did you find this place?"
"Albus Dumbledore sends us." Edmund replied.
They heard a groan, and then the door opened on a rather old woman, with a ferocious look on her face that impressed the young king.
"Get in, quick!" She said.
And she locked the door behind them.
"Are... are you Tina Goldstein?" Hermione timidly asked.
"Scamander. Tina Scamander."
"We need to talk to your husband, Mrs Scamander." Edmund explained. "Urgently."
"My husband is not here. He's at Père Lachaise."
Hermione's heart skipped a bit.
"What is Père Lachaise?" Edmund asked.
"It's a graveyard." Hermione explained. "Is he...?"
"Don't be ridiculous, girl!" Tina answered. "He went to see Leta. It's Grindewald's Rally anniversary, today."
"I don't know your story." Edmund said. "But I suppose Leta died this day."
Tina gave him a slight nod.
"Please receive my condolences, Madam. Will your husband be back soon?"
"What do you want from him?"
"We need his help to destroy a horcrux. It's a ring, and we can't damage the stone."
"He should be back soon, now. I see Dumbledore still sends in kids to do his job..."
"He didn't send us on a mission. Someone else did, he just gave us a clue. The Dark Lord is not the only evil that threatens this world. Something much worse is at work."
"Humph."
The conversation stopped there, and a heavy silence fell on the room. Soon enough, the door unlocked and opened on a hunched old man, so old that he looked like his wrinkles had wrinkles. He looked at the newcomers, before sending a questioning look to his wife.
"They're here for you, Newt. Dumbledore sends them."
The old man had a gentle smile, and then asked how he could be of use. They explained him the situation.
"Have you thought of Basilisk venom?" The old man asked.
The two adolescents exchanged a look. Hermione's eyes were saying "how did I not think about it before?" and Edmund's were saying "what is he talking about?".
"Come with me." Newt said.
And he opened a suitcase. Hermione went first, while Edmund helped the old man down the stairs.
"It would have been easier if we were not on the run..." the old man complained.
And he started searching around, until he found an empty vial.
"ROLF !" He called. "ROLF !"
A young man, around Edmund's age, passed his head through a door.
"Yes, Grandfather?"
"I need Basil's venom."
"Yes, grandfather."
The old man sent him the vial.
"And don't forget to cover his eyes!" He shouted as Rolf was going away.
"No, Grandfather!"
"And feed him, while you're at it!"
"Yes, grandfather!"
And Newt let out a small laugh.
"You have a basilisk named Basil?" Hermione asked.
"Yes I do."
"What's a basilisk?" Edmund asked.
Newt almost choked.
"Sorry, I'm not a wizard..." Edmund said.
"Oh, you're a muggle? I see. Well, a basilisk is basically a giant snake, with very strong venom, and eyes that can kill you on the spot."
"Isn't it dangerous to keep it?"
"Not if you know how to handle it, my boy."
"I was petrified by the one in the Chamber of Secrets during my second year." Hermione stated.
"Petrified?" Edmund asked. "how?"
"I saw its reflection in a mirror. fortunately all the other students that got attacked also saw the reflection."
And the conversation carried on, quietly, with both Edmund and Newt asking Hermione for more information. About twenty minutes later, Rolf was back and the vial was full.
"There you go." he said.
"Thank you, Rolf. Now, go see your grandmother, upstairs. We're coming."
"Yes grandfather."
He waited for his grandson to be gone, and then closed the suitcase lid.
"Right. Let's take care of this horcrux."
He searched the place again, took another vial, and then grabbed a syringe. He filled the syringe with the Basilisk's venom, and then gave it to Hermione.
"We're gonna have to be quick. I'm gonna pour some niffler's extract on the stone to break its structure. As soon as it's done, you inject the venom in the stone. Are you ready, girl?"
Hermione silently nodded, and they proceeded. There was a blast when the horcrux was destroyed, powerful enough to blow them away, but if the stone had fallen from the ring, it was still intact. Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
"We made it, Ed!" She exclaimed. "Two down. Thank you so much, mister Scamander. For everything."
The hold man wiped her thanks away, and then got out of the suitcase. He was soon followed by Hermione and Ed.
"What do we do, now?" The young king asked.
"We go back to our own time. We go back to Ron."
And as she said that, they started disappearing.
to be continued in The shadow - Part 2