Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you can recognise from any books or TV series or movies. I do however take liberties with the plots or mentions provided by JKR or other writers. The only profit I'm getting out of it is improving my English.
Title: Secrets & Keepers – Supernova
Rating/Warnings: R/M [AU; identity crisis; teenage rebellion; canon typical violence; profanity; discussion of and references to past events of gore nature; references to off-screen original character deaths; pure-blood propaganda]
Characters and pairings: Hermione Granger with the Granger family and wide assortment of original characters (some of which were referenced in Secrets & Keepers – Collision Curse) and surprise guest appearances from canon characters. References to Collision Course pairings and a couple of minor OC pairings. No Hermione's pairings aside of brief mentions about her crush on Lockhart.
Summary: Hermione learns the hard way that there's a lot of truth that shouldn't be passed around. It's a story of multiple crises starting from identity, trust in one's loved ones, the trust which one's friend put in one. It's a story of doubts which people voice about other people. It's a story of friendships that are forged in crisis. It's also a love story as much as a story about love. A pre-PoA AU.
Word count: About 3000.
Spoilers: Canon spoilers for PS/SS, CoS and pre-Hogwarts PoA. Linked to but doesn't require reading of Secrets & Keepers – Collision Course.
Chapter summary: On her way to her Aunt's old house Hermione encounters a minor setback which makes her change her plans for the day.
AN: It's another chapter I find necessary in a coming of age story when the character is a girl. It's lighter than the last one and I believe very Hermione. But don't worry I will come back to dropping heavy stuff on her in chapter nine.
The story updates on Tuesday.
Also dedicated to all of my readers who stuck with me for so long. Thank You, I hope that You will find this story enjoyable. I would be the most grateful for constructive criticism.
Beta read by Regnbuen
If you're experiencing problems with chapter 9 and I'm sure you do, you can find it posted (without problems) on my ao3 account. I already contacted support and I'm waiting for their response.
Secrets & Keepers - Supernova
Chapter eight: 5th July 1993
5th July 1993, Diagon Alley, London.
Monday found her back in London, mostly loitering around the alley. The herbal tea, ibuprofen and warmth of the thermophore and managed to abate the worst of her physical symptoms. The bleeding however continued steadily and she was sick of it enough to pursue wizarding alternatives. Luckily for her the small healing clinic in Diagon Alley didn't charge for such trivialities, and after a long talk with a sympathetic female healer she left it with a prescription for the potions she needed.
She immediately purchased the potions and even managed to hold on long enough to not down them right in the shop. She probably would have if she didn't spot an oversized bat a couple of feet away from the counter, seemingly very interested in the collection of the owners calming potions. The kind of which he could brew one-handed and with his eyes covered most probably.
Because she wasn't raised by wolves, on her way out after she said goodbye to the owner she chirped 'good morning, Professor Snape' and simply left.
She took her potions at Fortescue's with a cup of tea and a slice of a delicious apple pie that blessedly was something that she could hold down, just in time to see Snape settle himself at one of the empty tables outside. One of the waitresses approached him and exchanged a couple of words. She came back inside and after a couple of minutes returned to his table with a cup of coffee. To Hermione's mild disgust it looked as if the potion master was there to stay.
She tried to outwait him, after all this tactic had worked in her favour earlier that year. So she stayed inside. She finished her cup of tea and apple pie and ordered another cup. She lost about an hour and half trying to outwait him but Snape didn't move.
Finally she lost her patience, and after a couple of minutes of waiting for the right moment (and obviously paying for her order) she managed to sneak out if the café due to the chaos created by three women and their children meeting. The group was big and only about two of the kids appeared to be around Hogwarts age. They were also loud and obnoxious, colliding with each other, the door and tables.
For a couple of minutes it appeared that she had managed to succeed in leaving the potion master at Fortescue's. But when she stepped into Flourish and Blotts, out of nothing but pure curiosity for newly released books, she spotted him outside, seemingly carrying on a conversation with the owner of a stand with herbs.
Could it be possible that he was following her?
By the time she found herself in the stationary shop she knew for certain that he was following her. He wasn't even hiding it but he kept his distance. What for? She had no idea. She wasn't the only student Hogwarts age roaming the alley. On her way to Flourish and Blotts and then the stationary shop she passed by a couple of other students, some of which were Slytherins. Snape had no interest in them.
Well, two could play that game, she decided.
She purchased a self-inking quill, a pack of regular stationary parchment and a couple of notebooks. Then she headed to Quality Quidditch Supplies. She had no reason to be there other than to loiter around. She didn't play herself and her personal interest in Quidditch extended only to the performance of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and even then it was on Harry and Ron's behalf. If Harry didn't play, at the most she would have been bothered to attend the matches played by Gryffindor out of house solidarity, but wouldn't waste her time watching the other matches.
She wandered aimlessly around the shop, wondering what would be the better present for Harry's upcoming birthday: professional padding or a Broom Servicing Kit. Both had their own merits as gifts. Harry was an excellent seeker, but as good as he was he had the worst luck with accidents. He had also spent some time during the train ride back home talking with Fred and George about taking care of his broomstick during the summer. So a Broomstick Servicing Kit would also be a well-received gift.
She lost some time picking out the right one too, as there were several versions of it. Some were meant for regular users, some for Quidditch players, there was also a Deluxe version for racing brooms. The price of the last one made her balk.
She finally left Quality Quidditch supplies with a Deluxe version aimed for Quidditch players with Snape following her in the distance. Out of pure spite she wandered into Madam Pimpernelle's Beautifying Potions. She lost a couple of minutes there wandering around the shelves aimlessly, not really interested in the majority of the products. She eventually left the shop with a shampoo that promised to keep the locks luscious and healthy.
Then she ended up at Madam Malkin's. She didn't buy anything there because she didn't need new school robes, and if she had the end of the summer was better time for purchasing them. She spent some time pursuing the summer collection of regular robes but she found nothing that interested her.
She also ended up going to Twilfitt and Tatting's. Again out of nothing but spite and the need to lose her tail. The robes there, while still wizarding, looked more like something she would have wanted to wear. There was a variety of them, from utilitarian looking ones through soft summer gowns to eye-catching ball robes.
One of the summer gowns in particular caught her eye. Even from a distance it looked soft and light. It had flowery blue pattern and looked like a Muggle summer dress. She ended up wandering towards the hanger to examine it. In touch it was as soft as it looked, and the material under her hand felt very flimsy.
It would be an outrageous purchase and hardly a practical one. She rarely wore dresses, and out of school robes she mostly wore jeans. She did own a couple of skirts but she was neither a fan of their length or their patterns.
On the other hand, as finicky as the British weather was, she was going to spend the better part of the summer in France. While she didn't know any specifics, and she doubted that her parents knew them either, the weather further south should be sunny and warm.
"Contemplating?" said a young woman that appeared by her side.
"It looks gorgeous," Hermione admitted as she looked from the dress to her.
"It does," the woman agreed eagerly and cocked her head slightly to the right. "But it isn't really your colour. It looks much better on ethereal blondes. Your complexion however is more suited for solid, bold colours," she added as she reached for further into the line on the hanger. From the end of the row she pulled out a similar looking dress in rich red colour. "Now, that looks more like you," she said as she presented it to her. "Or if you want blue," she moved the hanger to her other hand and again reached in the depths of the row to pull out a similar looking dress in dark blue.
They all looked gorgeous and she said as much but she also managed to spot the price tag on them which made her flinch. The woman saw it too.
"They aren't cheap," the assistant agreed. "That's the hazard of working with material of greater quality and greater attention to details. I'm not saying that Malkin's stuff is bad because it isn't. But I've worked for both so I know the ins and outs of them," she paused. "Malkin and her seamstresses put a lot of work in quantity, hazard of catering to a larger crowd that prefers their clothes cheap. The thing with cheap clothing however, is that it's only seemingly cheap. Colours wash out faster, stitches come apart in the seams, repeated movements rub off the surface material. So consequently you need new clothes faster."
"So what you're saying is that's not going to happen with your clothes," Hermione said sceptically.
"I know that it won't happen," the assistant stated simply. "We're still Twilfitt and Tatting, but even though the names of Messrs Twilfitt and Tatting remain on the sign above the door, the store and therefore the brand, has for quite some time been in the care of their daughters-in-law. They're both experienced designers and seamstresses of American descend and adapted the brand to their style of work. They value the quality of their work more than the blood status of their customers and subscribe to the belief that their work will defend itself. Hence a little more frivolous designs while still maintaining the classics that with minimal changes has been in the wizarding world for ages," she nodded towards more chic designs.
"I'm not sure," Hermione whispered. "Don't get me wrong, they're all beautiful."
"But you aren't really accustomed to dresses, are you?" the assistant asked. "Why don't you try it on?" she offered the red dress to her.
Reluctantly Hermione accepted the dress and headed to the changing room. Trying the dress on wouldn't hurt, and the more time she wasted here would hopefully convince her tail to abandon following her around the alley.
The dress felt as amazing as it looked, soft, flimsy and surprisingly for wizarding robes, airy. The sleeves and lower part of it was flared, if a bit too long for a dress for a teenager. It had bateau neckline, a bit wider than most of her shirts but it wasn't outrageously deep. The colour was rich red with white poppy flowers.
"May I?" asked the assistant from behind the curtain.
"Yes," Hermione answered and the curtain was drawn away immediately.
"Not bad," the assistant said. "Not bad at all," Hermione saw her smile in the mirror. "If I may?" she asked.
Hermione had no idea how the woman could have improve something that already looked gorgeous but she nodded.
"You have gorgeous hair my dear," the assistant said as she reached for Hermione's plait and removed the elastic, then proceed to undo it. "A lot of it," she commented.
"Too much of it," Hermione sighed.
"Just a bit," the assistant agreed. "But that's a minor styling issue. You should see a hairdresser and tell her to remove the weight from the bottom, maybe add a little shape to it. Straight cuts don't look very flattering on curls unless you rarely wear your hair down like that," she added as she continued to muss Hermione's hair.
"I mostly wear it down," Hermione admitted.
"Then you definitely should get rid of the volume at the bottom," the assistant said. "I also recommend growing out your fringe. It shortens your face and with hair of such volume as yours it disappears. You're a gorgeous young woman with a beautiful face and you shouldn't hide it from the world."
While she was aware that it was one of the marketing tactics that was supposed to convince her to buy the dress, she couldn't help but blush. She had never considered herself beautiful, but she didn't consider herself hideous either. She was however aware of her shortcomings. She wasn't happy with her front teeth and while she was never the shortest of her entire class, amongst other kids born in the autumn of the same year she however was the shortest.
It was the first time when someone aside from her family had told her that she was beautiful. But if it wasn't then she had no memory of it.
She looked at her reflection critically. The assistant was right about her fringe, it was already getting too long. It wasn't at the point of getting into her eyes but it was reaching her eyebrows. Most days it ended up sticking to the longer parts anyway. The length of her hair had also gotten to the point where it didn't just look heavy, it started to feel as such, especially when it was wet. There was nothing she could do about her front teeth, but Mum wouldn't be averse to visiting a hairdresser before heading to France.
"Let me show you something else," the assistant said, tearing her from her thoughts. "Place your hands on your shoulders, opposite shoulders," Hermione did as she was instructed, "and now close your eyes," she waited until Hermione closed her eyes. "Now I want you to think about red poppies, any amount will do, could be one, could be a field, I just need you to visualise it."
Hermione allowed herself to summon the image of her Grandma's poppy patch in the corner of their garden. She smiled at the memory, she'd spent a lot of time spread out on a blanket near that patch, reading books together with Grandma.
"Now open your eyes," the assistant prompted.
Hermione did as instructed and gasped in shock. The dress had changed from red with white poppies to white with red poppies. It looked even more gorgeous in that version than in the red one.
"It's amazing," she whispered in awe. "But wouldn't changing like that cause problems with the Ministry?"
"Why would it?" the assistant asked simply.
"I'm a Muggleborn," Hermione whispered.
"Not an issue," the assistant shook her head. "The enchantment feeds of your magic to change, that's true, but it's such a miniscule amount of it that unless you change it in plain view of Muggles it won't be a problem. I don't know what they have been teaching you in theory of magic lessons, but when I was a student myself our instructor told us that regardless of the official restrictions every single teenage witch or wizard uses magic on a subconscious level every day. It's called bleeding magic, but unless you find yourself in danger, or are under a lot of stress, it's more like dripping."
Hermione looked at her reflection in the mirror with a sceptical look on her face.
"You're a teenager," the assistant said simply. "That means that you're growing up, but your body isn't the only thing that grows. Magic is a bit like the hormones in your body, sometimes it works in your favour, sometimes it does not. If you didn't release it in any way you would have gone crazy or at the minimum blown something up."
"But how can I do so without summoning Ministry officials?" asked Hermione.
"You don't," the assistant shrugged. "Typical teenage magical bleed, it's not something that you do consciously, most of the time. It's something that your body, your sub-consciousness, does for you. Sometimes it manifests itself in erotic dreams, that's more likely to occur in boys than in girls but still happens occasionally. Girls are more often likely to get the short end of the stick, because if you don't find another way to release it then it presents as acne, especially if you try very hard to keep yourself from doing it."
Hermione nodded and asked, "What can I do to avoid it?"
"Some, especially those with magical mothers has been subconsciously trained to do so with beauty regimes. For girls your age it's generally nothing outrageous, mostly hair care. Some keep diaries, those nifty enchanted ones, you know, the kind of 'for your eyes and hands only' ones although normal ones could do. Some channel it into penmanship. Some fly, it's one of the most popular ways to release your magic. Some cook, some brew, some maintain some sort of a garden. Like I said, it's not something that teenagers do consciously, and because it's such a small amount of magic the Ministry would have to keep a clerk in every wizarding household where there are underage children. Then there's the fact that most parents are aware of it and just ignore the law altogether because the Ministry, if the property isn't untraceable, can only trace magic to a particular location but not the source without checking everybody's wands," the assistant explained. "So for most of the time unless they register a spell that's particularly popular with younger crowds they ignore it. And since they almost never are able to keep up with current trends…" she shrugged.
"It's gorgeous," Hermione sighed. "But it's so delicate."
"Delicate?" the assistant grimaced. "Every Twilfitt and Tatting piece, aside from the fact that they're created from materials of better quality are enchanted so that they don't tear, intentionally or by accident; don't come apart at the seams unless the owner consciously plans to destroy it; they're also fireproof and stain-proof."
"Stain-proof?" Hermione asked sceptically.
"Not in a sense that you can't get it dirty because you can," the assistant explained. "But any stain or dirty you get on it washes out during the washing," she clarified.
"What about washing machines?" Hermione frowned. "Does it have to be hand washed?"
"It's a preferred method but you can safely wash it in washing machines too," the assistant replied. "You can even tumble dry it and it won't be destroyed."
"That's amazing," Hermione whispered.
"That's the quality of Twilfitt and Tatting," the assistant said simply. "Should I get you a bag or do you wish to stay in it?" she asked after a moment with a smile.
Hermione looked at her reflection once again. Aside from getting her potions and birthday present for Harry she accomplished nothing of what she initially planned. She even managed to acquire a cantankerous bodyguard which definitely wasn't something that she planned to get. Weirdly she still felt good about herself.
"If you wouldn't mind I would like to stay in it," she said after a moment.
TBC
Next: Hermione runs into an old friend of her Aunt.