Okay, so the anthropologist in me jumped out in these next few chapters, but I really wanted to play with world-building and give everyone something fun before things get heavy. There are plot points within the chapters and I'd rather flesh them out than include them in a throwaway line.
I'd also like to repeat that I don't use italics for different languages as it is othering. When Quripuma "says" something, she is either signing and Cássia is translating OR she is using her notebook as we saw in the chapter I introduced her. It will just depend on the situation and I will write in little reminders of this dynamic occasionally, but I feel that constantly pointing it out will detract from the story, as this group of friends has no issue with adapting and accommodating.
Profesora Cotilla-Gallo had asked Hermione for permission to show the horcrux destruction process for their class. It was nice of her to ask before every viewing, but to save time, Hermione wrote out a permission form. It gave Castelobruxo (and any other school for that matter) the right to show the video. However, each copy made would cost two galleons to cover costs and labor of replicating it, and the proceeds Hermione set up went to S.A.M.B. She asked Cedric for permission and he said yes, sending her detailed instructions on how to make copies of videos and ignored any follow-up questions on how he was faring. She knew something was wrong. She'd been told that his face on the family clock hadn't strayed from danger since Umbridge completely took over Hogwarts. He asked her not to get involved when she told him she wanted to visit over Easter holiday. It was a bluff of course, she'd already planned to visit Márcia, Alejandro, and Óliver Céspedes (who lived in a centaur community) and would be joined by Bernice, Cássia, and Quripuma.
Cássia Silveira was blind, descended from Jinn, and often had to form her spells in the form of a wish to cast them. Due to this, she could have issues with the practical portion of classes, especially if she had strict professors who wanted the incantation they taught rather than the results of the spell. She and Quripuma had been best friends since they started school, came up with a tactile sign language in the years they'd known each other, and had only recently started dating.
When she wasn't running the Romani Culture Club, Bernice had her heart set on becoming a potioneer. She was actually very excited when she learned one of Hermione's mothers was a well-known Master and asked Hermione to ask Hana if she was looking for an apprentice, as many of the other Potion Masters were incredibly exclusive with who they chose to apprentice and she had no luck so far even applying. The teacher's aid position at Castelobruxo was even more difficult to apply and be accepted to as well.
So Hermione sent a letter of recommendation along with Bernice's application and resumé to her mom and would probably hear back from her after the holiday. Stephen Squawking needed to rest between crossing the ocean. Bernice was just thrilled that she might even be considered.
After Friday classes, Hermione hurried to her dorm to get her bag, which she had packed with everything she would need. She wouldn't be spending long in each community, which she was disappointed about, but was sure there'd be time for lengthier visits at… some point. She didn't know what her schedule was going to be like and there were other communities she wanted to visit. These were just the only three that invited her.
The break would be two weeks so everyone would have time to rest and recover before they had to start cramming for finals. Only about half the campus would be returning home as most of the senior students used this time to extensively research and fine tune their projects and teachers held extra lessons for struggling students. Hermione was sorely tempted to spend those two weeks in the library, but she promised her friends and, really, she could learn way more from talking and interacting with people than just reading about them. She would be visiting Óliver's herd first and would be staying for two days, then she'd be spending five with Márcia's nest, and another five with Alejandro's clan, which would give her two days back at Castelobruxo to prep for academic hell.
Are you sure you don't want me to come pick you up? She wrote to Cedric.
I'm spending Easter Holiday with your parents.
That doesn't answer my question.
Don't come to Hogwarts. I'm serious. It's fine.
Huffing a sigh, she snapped her IMN closed and tossed it onto her desk. Part of her wanted to leave it behind just to spite him, but she felt horrified at that thought and stuffed the book in her bag. If he needed her and she got the message too late she'd never forgive herself.
A knock came at the door.
"Just a second," she called and grabbed her bag before opening the door to Alejandro.
"Hey," he said. "Ready to go?"
"I think so," she said. "I'm not sure if I forgot anything. Usually, I have a checklist, but as this is a spontaneous trip, I didn't have time to make one."
"You knew about it for a month."
"Yeah?"
He blinked once, not sure how to follow up with that. Hermione just kissed Crookshanks goodbye, locked her door behind herself, and put a note on her mailbox saying she was away for the holiday. She was sure the owl that read it wouldn't care, but at least if anyone came to call then they wouldn't think she was trying to ignore them or avoid them. When she got back there'd be no excuse, but that was a problem for future her. She then dropped her key off with Noa so she could care for Crookshanks.
They met Márcia, Cássia, Quripuma, Bernice, and Óliver at the main entrance of the school. There were several flying ships of varying sizes from yacht to ocean liners as well as actual boats and buses to both ferry students home or take them on school trips. The posters for said trips were on the bulletin boards for months, but Hermione hardly paid them any mind. The majority of them were class-centric, and while she enjoyed an educational field trip as much as the next person, she hadn't wanted to go on one without knowing anybody.
Most of the dorm advisors were there pointing students in the right direction and managing the chaos as best as they could. The noise and crowds were kinda getting to Hermione, so she put her headphones on and blasted a mixtape to drown out the sound. Márcia let her hold onto her arm just in case she stopped processing where they were going. Cássia and Quripuma held hands while the former swept her cane along the ground. Cássia mentioned that Quripuma usually signed to her anything visual she might be missing while she translated conversations in the event the notebook couldn't be used. Though, at this moment they just seemed to be holding hands for the sake of keeping together in this monster of a crowd.
If this was just half the school, Hermione did not want to see what would happen on the last day when everyone and their guardians were trying to leave.
Óliver moved to the lead. He was a sturdy boy with a strawberry roan horse body and light brown freckled human body. His hair was the same pinkish brown as his tail and his features were round and friendly. He wore a belt around his human waist, which had a holster for his wand and he typically wore handwoven jewelry. His green uniform shirt was beaded with patterns that Hermione wasn't familiar with but admired.
"This way," he said, leading them to a bus on the very edge of the line up.
It was smaller and dustier than most of the other buses. No, that wasn't dust, the paint was just really faded. The back of the bus had a ramp on it and Óliver waved them on first. The first half of the bus had seats and the second half looked a bit like a horse trailer with posts and separators and hooks for bags.
Hermione took a seat near the front and Bernice took the seat beside her.
"Uh, I was going to sit there," said Alejandro.
"What, is your name on it or something?" she teased.
This seemed to embarrass him and rather than retort, he sat down in the seat behind them. Hermione took out her video camera and trained it on him.
"Sir, would you like to comment on today's in flight meal?" she asked.
"Hm?" He tipped his head and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just trying to make a joke."
"Oh."
"It's okay, I'm not very good at jokes. Timing was never my strong suit."
Once Cássia was on board, Óliver boarded and took the aisle stall on his right.
"Anybody else?" asked the bus driver, a middle-aged woman with greying hair pulled back into a bun.
"This is everyone," said Bernice.
"Great. We can beat the crowd." She pulled a lever and the back door closed, allowing her to speed off, leaving the crowded port behind them.
"I'm really excited for all of you to visit my herd," said Óliver.
"I'm happy to have received an invitation," said Hermione, adjusting so she was sitting on her legs and facing the back of the bus. She'd already given Quripuma a dictaquill that would basically act as a subtitle for the entire bus conversation. She wished she knew the spell that actually had the words floating, but then wondered if that was only meant for speeches and one-on-one meetings. "The centaur herd I know of back in Britain don't take kindly to outsiders."
"I think there are communities like that wherever you go," he replied with a shrug. "Are they really traditional?"
"I mean, they beat up one of their members when he took up a job at the school, though I think a large part of that is due to wizards restricting their lands, despite the fact that wizards don't even use the Forbidden Forest, except maybe for foraging for potions ingredients, and so…" she trailed off without finishing the thought.
He pursed his lips and tipped his head. "It could be that. I'm not really familiar with the cultures of the centaur herds in Europe. I do know that the North Americans are loud, rambunctious, and can usually be found at parties outside stadiums of sporting events."
"Yes, we all know what Americans are like, but what are North American centaurs like?" Hermione asked, grinning when her friends laughed.
Óliver snorted and stomped his feet.
"Again, it depends on where you go. My herd likes visitors as long as they are respectful to our culture and make an attempt to understand us. Of course, we do have the rule that all visits must be by invitation and, even though I'm technically not registered as a centaur so I can attend school, I still count as part of the herd."
"Are they okay with you learning magic?" asked Quripuma.
"The important ones are," he admitted. "My herd puts knowledge above all else, but some say we are meant to observe and document, not engage and practicing magic counts as engaging. Still, everything I learn at Castelobruxo, I bring back to them. That's partly why I asked all of you to bring a gift, something unique that they can study and write about."
"Can I ask a somewhat personal question that you don't have to answer but I've been dying to know?" asked Hermione.
Óliver sighed. "My mãe is a witch and she used a transfiguration spell to—"
"Where's your stomach?" she interrupted. "Because well…" she gestured to him.
"Oh!" he chuckled. "I thought you were going to ask how a witch and a centaur had a foal."
"Nah, that bit is none of my business," she said.
"Well, my lungs and diaphragm actually take up most of my human body," said Óliver, gesturing up and down his chest and stomach. "From here to here, and my heart is really big so I can pump blood through my whole body. You might actually notice that my lower body's sides don't rise and fall when I breathe. My stomachs are in the chest area of my horse body. I have two stomachs so I can process a wider variety of foods. I still have two sets of ribs, but my horse ribs seem to be more there just to frame my body than provide protection."
"I have extra ribs too," said Márcia. "That's why my human half is shaped weird, I have ribs that keep me in a tube shape all the way down in addition to my spine and human arms and collarbone and everything. I don't have hip or pelvis bones. My rib bones are pretty flexible too."
"We actually call these hip bones—" he gestured to the shoulders of his horse body—"medisuta. See, they're actually set a bit higher than the humeral joint of a horse and so the front part is set slightly higher than our hinds. Our joints are even more flexible than humans or horses. It's pretty weird when you get into it."
Hermione was so glad she was filming this trip. There was so much to learn and she would love to go back and rewatch it all.
"You think your physiologies are weird," said Alejandro. "I'm technically 30% stone."
He rapped on his chest, which indeed made a sound like two rocks clacking together.
"Sunlight thing," said Bernice. "True or false?"
"Yes. Half of all trolls are sensitive to sunlight," he said. "Whether it just weakens them or kills them depends on the troll. Me? I have more energy on days where the sun isn't out, but I can function just fine rain or shine."
"Same," said Quripuma. "I'm weaker during droughts."
"Is your life force tied to a plant?" asked Hermione.
"Yes." She held up the square wicker basket that she had brought along and tapped Cássia's arm.
"Her actual plant grows at home, but she keeps a cutting from it with her everywhere," she explained. "She wouldn't die if her plant died, but she would be really sick the rest of her natural life," she explained.
"So we make sure nothing happens to your plant on this trip," said Bernice. "Got it."
"It would be a huge pain to get a new cutting," she agreed. "I would need to be carried to my hometown and it's a hard trek."
"Has it happened before?" asked Hermione.
"In primary school a kid stomped on my cutting." Quripuma made a pained face at the memory. "I thought I was going to die."
"That's awful."
She shrugged. "I learned who to trust with my plant. I trust all of you."
"I'm glad you do," said Hermione. "Óliver, why don't you tell us a little more about what to expect at your camp?"
"Are you filming?"
"Of course."
"Uh, how do I look?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair.
"Very handsome," said Márcia.
Óliver grinned and rested his arms on the bar in front of him. As they were driven to their destination, he told them a lot about his herd's customs and also the names of the centaurs they would most likely be meeting and talking to. By the time the bus stopped and parked it was already evening and everyone on board was antsy and hungry.
"I would kill for a burger," Hermione groaned.
"Good news is that you won't have to," said Óliver. "I mean, we don't have burgers, but I think you'll find the food suitable."
"Is it vegetarian?" asked Bernice.
"Well, horses have been known to eat meat," said Hermione. "My boyfriend actually caught one of his horses stealing chicken eggs. Óliver?"
"Centaurs are omnivores with a preference for vegan options," said Oliver. "Me? I wouldn't pass up a good chorizo."
"Wait, horses will eat meat?" said Alejandro.
"Lots of creatures eat meat," said Hermione.
"The meals you will be eating are mostly vegan," said Óliver, steering the conversation back on track. "Does anyone have any allergies?"
"Just strawberries," said Hermione. "I lament over that every day. I love strawberries."
"You still eat them even though you're allergic to them?"
"Occasionally, I lose a battle of will."
Their little group filed out of the bus and it drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Óliver motioned for them to follow him and they walked single file down a beaten path. They gave Cássia plenty of room so she could sweep the ground with her cane. Hermione walked behind them so she could watch their tactile sign language. Even after a month, she still found it so fascinating and had written to Esperanza about it. The language benefitted both girls and Hermione hoped to learn it herself.
"Is it close?" asked Alejandro after an hour of walking.
"We'll arrive around dusk," said Óliver. "You don't want to keep your camp on the edge of your territory, you know?"
"Good thing I work out," Hermione puffed. "Or this would be really difficult. Óliver, I meant to ask, are you joining us for the other visits?"
He made a face. "Actually, I was hoping to visit Alejandro and Márcia's homes during the next break."
"Homesick?"
He nodded.
"I understand," said Márcia. "We'd be happy to have you any time."
"My family, too," said Alejandro. "As long as you're okay with being underground."
"It'd be cool for all of you to visit me at one of my homes," said Hermione, staring at the ground so she wouldn't trip on anything.
"One of your homes?" Bernice repeated. "Are you rich or something?"
"No, well, my families make good money, but I told you I got four parents, right?"
"Ah, that's right," said Márcia.
"We're almost at the camp," said Óliver. "Wait here and get out your gifts, I'll go tell everyone you've arrived. It'll be just a moment. Oh, and don't wander. We're close to a no-contact tribe and they will shoot you on sight if you stray from this path."
"That's fair," said Hermione.
She could see fire light flickering through the trees he was heading into. She reached into her bag and brought out the star globe Cedric gave her for Valentine's Day. She asked him if she could re-gift it to the centaurs and he said she could. As she brought it out, she wondered if she should have made something herself or bought something, but it was much too late now. She looked over at the others who had their gifts in hand. This was so exciting. She'd never been to a centaur camp before! She brought out her camera and set it up over her shoulder. Switching between levitation and holding it herself sometimes made the video staticky, but she figured if she pressed the SFX buttons then nobody would really notice. After all, she was the only witch in the whole world (as far as she knew) with a working camcorder. Anybody watching it could deal.
Just a few minutes later, Óliver came back with two other centaurs. These centaurs were bigger than he was, their hands like baseball mitts. The mare was brown from head to hinds and she, like the grey stallion beside her, carried archery equipment. Óliver nodded at their group and the six of them bowed, Cássia doing so after a prompting from Quripuma.
The two adult centaurs regarded them.
"If any of you prove a threat to the herd, then we will not hesitate to kill you," said the mare.
"We understand," said Hermione. "I speak for all of us when I say we are honored to have received an invitation to visit your camp."
"You're the activist?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm here to listen and learn."
She nodded and seemed much warmer now. "Listening and learning is important." She waved for them to follow.
"Be ready to present your gifts to the elders," said Óliver. "Oh and if they don't like it, you won't be tossed out."
"Apparently, that's considered rude," the stallion sighed.
The mare elbowed and shushed him. Hermione smiled, reminding of her mum and dad. They broke through the tree line to a small clearing. There were simple structures circling a large campfire. Over the fire on long sticks were vegetables and fish roasting while a young colt turned them around. Centaurs milled around getting ready for dinner, whether that was setting up mats to sit on or putting away whatever they were working on during the day. Hermione could see a grove of trees containing fruits and nuts just beyond the shelters. Most of the centaurs slowed their work to watch the newcomers enter their camp.
Óliver led them to a group of elderly centaurs that were sitting under one of the shelters. They were wrinkled, wizened, and one was hunched and curled in on herself, though her hands were busy threading tiny beads into jewelry.
"Elders," said Óliver. "The visitors I brought to our camp have brought gifts for you." He turned to them and whispered the names of the elders. Only two of them spoke Portuguese.
"Such pretty girls," said Hyrane, the centaur with the hunched back. "How many of them are your girlfriends, Ollie?"
Óliver turned bright red. "Grandma! Everyone I invited is a friend. Um… Cássia! What did you bring?"
Cássia offered a cylindrical tin. "Did you know the stars make sounds? This here is a recording of those sounds. I'm told that you have a player for wax cylinders. I hope that you can appreciate the stars in the only way I can."
"Thank you, Miss Cássia," said Aeneas. "We look forward to studying the sounds the stars make."
The other gifts were simple. Mostly books on obscure topics, which were welcomed. Hermione stepped forward and held out the orb.
"My gift is a planetarium. See, you sit in one of your shelters and draw the canvas closed and th-then you p-press this button." She wasn't scared, everything was fine, why was her stutter coming back at a time like this? She cleared her throat and tapped the button on top of the orb. When she opened her palm, it spun slowly and cast soft lights on the ground. "It mimics the night sky."
"Oh… how beautiful," said Hyrane, taking it in her gnarled hands. "I haven't been able to see the stars in years. Thank you, dear, for bringing them back to me."
"Thank you for inviting me to your home. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you. I hope it's alright if I record what goes on here and interview members of the herd."
"Yes, Óliver said you were going to be documenting everything," said Aeneas. "You have our permission."
"May I ask what happened to your hands?"
Hermione looked down at them. She had grown so used to how they looked and nobody really said anything about them. The skin still looked as if it had been boiled and she couldn't stop the shaking in them, even if she wanted to.
"Just… bad luck."
"Do they hurt?"
"Yes, but I manage the best I can."
Hyrane patted them. "I'll make you something to soothe the pain. For now, let's eat!"
The elderly centaurs grabbed onto bars on either side and used them to haul themselves onto their four feet. A younger centaur took the gifts away to a shelter that looked different from the rest.
"Sit here," said Óliver, tapping a woven mat with his hoof.
Hermione sat criss-cross and studied her surroundings, making sure she captured everything. Some members of the herd wore clothes while others didn't, though there was plenty of beautifully crafted jewelry. All members over a certain age had tattoos, which must've meant they were a rite of passage or perhaps they were given after milestones. She'd have to ask about them. Bowls filled with roasted veg, cooked wild rice, and fresh cut fruit were placed in front of groups. Everyone seemed to be chatting either in Portuguese, the native language of the herd, or in Greek. Or something that was derived from Greek.
The herd wasn't very big, probably about thirty in all varying from young to old. One heavily pregnant centaur was brought food by her partner.
The elders sat down and Hyrane held up a hand. Chatter dwindled and everyone gave her their attention.
"It's wonderful to have the herd together again," she said. "And we hope our guests, friends of young Óliver, enjoy their stay in our herd. They are here to listen and learn. But first, let's enjoy dinner."
Hermione waited for everyone else to take before getting her own food. She was glad that everyone was eating with their hands. Cutlery was so hard to use some days. Forget about using a pen for notes. She was too embarrassed to tell anyone that she couldn't really use her hands like she used to and usually sucked it up and pretended she was fine.
"This is really good," said Cássia.
"Everyone pitches in," said Óliver. "We do a mix of gathering and farming. The hunting is only for special occasions. Our grove is our pride."
"The government really wants access to our trees," said a nearby centaur. He continued in a mocking tone, "'We can teach you how to utilize this land properly.'" He scoffed and flicked a bug off his back with his tail. "As if we and the other tribes haven't been living off this land for centuries."
"How did you guys get here?" asked Hermione.
"Well, our ancestors from Greece came here millennia ago on merchant ships from Egypt," said another. "Some went back and others stayed and made a home."
"Wow," said Márcia. "My ancestors come from México, but only the Tlanchana live there now. They're basically the cousins to cihuacoatl but they're semi-aquatic. We still share the goddess Cihuacoatl whom we're named after. And Quetzalcoatl, of course. Our group is actually visiting my family next."
"Fascinating!" said the centaur with bright eyes. "And are you all female like veela and anggitay?"
"Mmhm. Like veela we can also temporarily turn into what some regard as 'male' for reproductive purposes."
"Trolls have five biological sexes not including intersex," said Alejandro.
"I'd like to hear more about that," said Hermione, using her favorite rock to break open a nut.
"Yeah, but I'll tell you another time. Didn't you have a list of questions for the centaurs?"
"Sure, but I thought I could get into the S.A.M.B. stuff tomorrow. It's not all business, I want to make friends, too."
"Should be pretty easy," said Bernice. "You're really cool, Nia."
"I am?"
Her friends laughed as if she had made a cute joke. Did they seriously think she was cool? She had never been cool in her life.
"Oh, you're serious," said Márcia, seeing her bewildered expression.
"I didn't even make any friends at Castelobruxo until I met you guys," Hermione countered. "I don't know why you hang out with me outside of S.A.M.B. meetings."
"Because you're cool and interesting," said Alejandro. "Don't you have a million friends back home?"
"Most people find me annoying," said Hermione. "Even those who are my friends."
"Well, I just met you and I like you," said Marli. "Your hair is so pretty!"
"Thanks," said Hermione. "I like the beads in your hair… mane?"
"Either term is correct. And thank you! Can I ask why you carry a rock in your pocket?"
"I think it has to do with my animagus form," she said, studying it. "I mostly use it to crack open things like nuts, but it'll crack open shellfish as well."
"An animagus?" said Caio keenly. "What's your form?"
"An otter."
"We've never met an animagus before," said Marli. "Will you transform for us?"
"Er, sure, if I won't be rude."
"Nah, dinner is pretty casual. Sometimes we sing or tell stories but once the sun goes down we stargaze before we go to sleep."
"Alright then." Hermione handed Márcia her video camera and shook out her hands. She felt fur sprout from her skin and her body shrink and morph until she was a little otter.
One centaur marked down the process.
"Does it hurt?" asked Marli.
"No," said Hermione, her otter voice high yet gravelly. "It feels like it should, but I can switch between forms with no problem."
"I thought animagi couldn't talk in their forms."
"Depends on the form. I usually try not to talk in this form because it freaks people out. I think it's the uncanny valley thing. It unsettles them because I look like an otter and move like an otter but I talk like a person."
"I think that's fair," said Cássia. "Can I hold you?"
"Sure."
Hermione climbed into her lap. Cássia smushed her little otter face and laughed.
"I bet you're adorable."
"Oh, yeah," said Hermione. "If I stayed in this form all the time, I wouldn't have any problems getting people to see my side. I'd be all, 'we need to expand land rights for indigenous peoples and beings' and they'd be all, 'I dunno, I can't capitalize on that' and I'd smush my little face and say 'pwetty pwease?'" She punctuated it with little squeaks.
"Aww," her friends cooed.
"I'd be unstoppable," she whispered and rubbed her little paws together.
"Eat something!" said a centaur child, pushing berries towards her.
Hermione obliged, letting the centaurs who studied Zoology study her eating, walking, and she promised to show them how she swam when it was light out. She posed while an onocentaur named Ivo drew her. It really was cool how dedicated they were to documenting whatever they saw no matter how small.
"Can I ask a question?" she asked, watching them place their findings in a special house that protected their observations from the elements.
"By all means," said Hyrane.
"You're so amazing at documentation and collecting, why don't you collaborate with the library at Castelobruxo? I've always felt that history should be learned from multiple sides and you never know what a fresh perspective will bring."
Their faces tightened and she knew she said something wrong.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"No, questions are good," Hyrane assured her and sighed. "We have offered our services as observers but we are seen as Beasts. Beasts have no place in government or as teachers."
Hermione returned to her human form.
"So, if you could hold teaching positions or even consultant positions, would you?"
"Of course," said Poliana. "We wouldn't want to uproot ourselves entirely, but rotating around, sending someone in. Making copies to be placed in the Castelobruxo archives. We'd be more than happy to do that, but—"
"They don't want our insight," Thiago spat bitterly. "We're just simple-minded creatures and all we do is stargaze or throw chaotic parties."
Hermione brought out her notebook and scribbled in shorthand. Quripuma noticed and brought out her own notebook and dictaquill in case she needed a verbatim reference.
"Alright," she said. "So it's safe to say that our main concerns are land rights and… hm… how do we phrase this…"
"How about… equal opportunities to participate in both government and historical documentation?" Márcia suggested.
"We could demand an ambassador program," said Marli. "That way we can at least have a representative who shares our interest in government."
Hermione clenched and unclenched her hand, making notes on this conversation.
"Here, Nia," said Alejandro, taking her notebook and pen. "I'll take the notes."
"Thanks," she said gratefully and returned to her camera. "I bet with petitions and nagging, no offense—"
"None taken," said Hyrane.
"—we could eventually get your voices heard. I mean… the hardest part will be overturning the law that non-wizards can't hold government positions."
"What if I became the ambassador?" Óliver suggested. "I can take classes for it at school. I had to renounce my centaur half in order to attend, remember? We could catch them in a technicality!"
"Brilliant!" said Hermione.
Everyone started to look excited now.
"This is something to think about," said Hyrane. "I think we should sleep on it and think about things we'd like to change or stay the same. We'll revisit this tomorrow at dinner after our guests have spent a day here."
The food was cleared. What wasn't eaten was put into sealed jars and scraps were burned. Two centaurs gathered weapons for perimeter duty. It made sense that they would need to keep outsiders from stumbling on their camp. Lanterns were lit and the herd made their way to the group lodge. It was too dark, so Hermione put away her video camera and brushed her teeth at the washing troughs on one wall. The lodge could comfortably fit a herd much larger than this one. Hyrane and Aeneas went to their own section,T which had the bars that would help them sit or stand. There were also pieces of furniture in a triangle shape covered with beautiful blankets. The pregnant centaur and a few others reclined on these cots. Partners settled down side by side, using each other's hindquarters to prop up their human bodies. Since it was a beautiful night, the bamboo mat over their heads was pushed back so they could see the stars.
Hermione unrolled her sleeping bag and pulled off her shoes before climbing inside.
"You can see so many stars out here."
"Do you like stars?" asked Alejandro.
"Mmhm. I like the stories that go with the constellations."
"I know all the constellations!"
"Do you?" Hermione smiled. "Alright. Can you show me… Orion?"
"There," he said, pointing to the three stars making his belt.
"How about… the crux?"
"Mm… there!"
Hermione looked over at Márcia and grinned. Her friend pressed a hand to her mouth to suppress her laugh.
"Find me… Maui's fish hook. M-A-U-I. Maui."
"Maui's what?"
"Or maybe… The cat's cradle."
Quripuma, Cássia, and Márcia started giggling.
"Are those made up?"
"All constellations are made up," said Óliver. "Can you find the Great Archer?"
"Is it that one?" asked Hermione, pointing to the sweep of stars around Orion.
"Yeah, good catch. Would you like to know how he got up there?"
"Yes and then I can tell you how Maui's hook got stuck in the sky, too."
"Deal!"
There was some shushing as everyone settled down for story time. Hermione folded her arms behind her head and smiled.
"Once a long time ago in the old lands, there was a great centaur," said Óliver. "His name is lost to time, but his story remains forever immortalized in the stars. Now this centaur was bigger than any other. While his brethren hunted small things like monkeys and deer, the Archer hunted elephants with arrows made from entire trees!"
~o0o~
Márcia trained Hermione's camera on Marli and Caio.
"Is it observing?" asked Marli.
"Yes, it's on," said Hermione after Márcia confirmed that the red light was on. "Why don't we start with your names?"
"Well, I'm Marli and this is my brother Caio," she said. "Those aren't our actual names, we're actually given a name at birth that we keep secret. We only use them in special ceremonies and the only ones who know them are our mothers and our life partner. The secret name is very important to us. When we reach a certain age, we choose a name to go by. Some are Greek in origin, but most of us pick a Portuguese origin name. It's easier that way."
"That's sort of how we do it," said Márcia. "We have a name in parseltongue and then pick a name that others can pronounce."
"I have two first names, too," said Hermione. "One Greek origin, one Spanish origin."
"Ah, then you fit right in here," Caio teased.
"Why don't you tell me what you're working on?"
"We are weavers. We make clothes and blankets and things like that."
"They're very beautiful," she said, snapping photos. "What is your inspiration for the patterns?"
"Well, we weave our stories into them," said Caio. "Some true and some that are…" he waved his hand. "Embellished."
"Tell me about this one."
All day, Hermione went around the camp with her friends talking to each of the centaurs and learning about their way of life. There were a couple who didn't really want to talk, but for the most part she got a good idea of the culture. She also learned of their hardships and she was able to compile enough to create short-term, mid-term, and long-term plans to run by them. Of course, it would take much longer than a day to create actual goals and a plan to reach those goals, but this was a great jumping off point and she could present it at the next S.A.M.B. meeting.
"Tell me," said Hermione. "Are elders the leaders of the herd?"
"In a way," said Hyrane as she worked mixing together a paste. "Our experience is invaluable, but we believe that leadership can come from anywhere. All decisions are made together and with unborn generations in mind."
"Sounds like my family," said Hermione. "We have monthly meetings and everyone is allowed to present their opinion and then we vote on the best course of action."
Hyrane smiled and scooped the goop she made into a jar then pushed it towards her.
"This should help your hands," she said.
"Oh, thank you." Hermione examined the contents before placing it in her purse. "And really, I appreciate you letting us see your home and document everything."
"Of course, and if you could send a copy of your recordings home with Ollie before school is out, we would love it."
"Yes. Absolutely."
Hyrane took her hand and squeezed it gently. "And you are welcome to visit whenever you want. So long as you give us at least a week's notice."
Hermione nodded. "I would definitely like to visit again."
"And one more thing." She handed her a sealed tube. "This should help with the centaur herd in Scotland."
"Wow! Thank you!" Hermione stashed it away in her bag.
At the end of the day, there was a meeting involving the whole herd. Hermione filmed and Márcia took notes while Quripuma made sure they had a transcript of the meeting. They had agreed on their plans and goals to expand their rights, mainly starting with land rights for themselves as well as the surrounding non-magical tribes before expanding upon the right to own a wand and the end goal would be, of course, to have equity and allowed to send representatives to work in the government as well as have the opportunity for jobs within the wizarding world. Though most of them would likely remain within the herd, they at least wanted the option available to them.
After that, they ate good food and swapped stories before heading off to bed. The next morning they would be going to visit Márcia's family.