The International Wizarding School Competition
[school] Durmstrang,(Year: 3)
[prompt]:(Dialogue) "Save your breath to cool your potion." (adapted from "Save your breath to cool your broth")
A/N: Before HP7, slightly AU thanks to Hermione's relations
Word count: 990
Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…
Just an idea I had, nothing more.
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ONE LAST PLAN
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Hermione was walking from one side of the room to the other. She was biting her nails and ever so often, her eyes drifted to the entrance door.
"Hermione?"
She stopped and turned rapidly towards the speaker.
It was an older gentleman with grey hair and eyes of steel. He was looking at her with concern colouring his eyes.
"Hermione, darling, what is going on?" he said, his eyes drifting over her rigid form.
"I… Grandfather," Hermione stuttered after a moment of silence. "What are you doing here?"
"I think the question is: what are you planning to do, niece of mine?" Another well-known man stepped out of the kitchen entrance. His light green eyes were looking around the room while he pushed a lock of black hair out of them.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Hermione followed his gaze. There was a trunk with clothing next to her and another one full of books. A third one, next to her handbag, contained everything else she could think of that could end up being necessary.
She didn't dare to look at her uncle when she answered.
"I'm going to travel," she said.
Her uncle just raised an eyebrow at that and Hermione felt herself blush. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"We've known you for all of your life," her grandfather said calmly. "So please don't lie to us, Hermione."
"I'm not lying!"
"You're not telling the truth, either," her uncle countered and when Hermione opened her mouth to object, he added. "I'm aware that you plan to go somewhere – but I'm also aware that there's more to it than just you travelling."
Hermione balled her hands to fists.
"I… you wouldn't understand," she finally said, her eyes wandering back towards the entrance door.
"So, it has something to do with that magical war of yours we're not allowed to know about," her grandfather concluded and Hermione's eyes snapped towards her grandfather's.
Steel-grey eyes met hers placidly.
"How… you… how…" Hermione stuttered.
"How do we know about the magical world?" her uncle asked and crooked his head with a smirk on his face. "Do you want to imply we shouldn't know about it?"
Hermione blushed.
"You're muggles," she uttered. "There's a law… I could get in trouble if they find out you know."
"Fiddlestick!" Her grandfather waved her concern away without a second thought. "That law is absolute codswallop."
"You are aware that it has its uses," Hermione's uncle retorted. "It's there to ensure the word isn't spreading too far."
"It's ludicrous. If they'd thought about it, they would remember that magic comes from somewhere. Chances are high that there are magical relations in a so-called Muggle-born's family…"
"Wait!" Hermione said with huge eyes. "What are you talking about, Grandfather?"
Her eyes wandered from her grandfather to her uncle.
"Are… are you telling me that you're magical?"
Her uncle snorted.
"Magic is overrated. The last time I interacted with the magical world was… hmm… Grindelwald's war, wasn't it?" Her uncle looked at her grandfather questioningly.
"You mean when you pulled me out of Numengard because you liked the challenge and played hide and seek with Grindelwald, his men and his wards just for the fun of it?" her grandfather said dryly. "Yes, that was Grindelwald's war."
"He had it coming." Her uncle pouted. "He killed me."
"Killed–?!" But Hermione's grandfather interrupted her immediately.
"Didn't he kill you because you went and hunted down his men?" he asked her uncle with sparkling eyes.
Hermione gawked at both of them.
"What are you talking about? Uncle? Grandfather?"
"Grindelwald disrupted my suicide experiment and told me 'to get over it and follow him' when I demanded an apology," her uncle said, ignoring Hermione. "I repeat: he had it coming!"
"Oh! Save your breath and cool your potion!" Her grandfather rolled his eyes. "You and I know that you wanted to fuck with him and that you'd use any excuse to do so."
Her uncle flashed his teeth at her grandfather.
"One could think you regret adopting me," her uncle said with a smirk on his face.
"Adopt?" Hermione stared at him in confusion.
Her grandfather waved it off.
"He needed a new identity after dying and resurrecting," he answered her, unconcerned. "And I owed him one after he saved me from Grindelwald."
Hermione opened her mouth, but before she could say anything else, her uncle turned his attention back to her.
"But this is not what we should be talking about," he said and looked at her. "What are you planning, Hermione?"
"What?" Hermione was nearly given a whiplash by her uncle's change of topic.
"I think it's clear what she's planning." Her grandfather sighed. "She's planning to save her parents."
"Oh," her uncle said thoughtfully. "Obliviate?"
"Most likely," her grandfather agreed and Hermione stared at him.
"Am I wrong, Hermione?"
She shook her head, feeling sheepish and yet totally thrown by her grandfather's conclusion.
"Well, it's reasonable," her uncle said thoughtfully. "A bit over the top, but reasonable."
"It's reckless," her grandfather disagreed.
"Not more than you were in your youth," her uncle retorted.
Her grandfather sighed and then started to search his pockets. Her uncle meanwhile picked up Hermione's handbag and analysed it. Then he held it out to her grandfather. A second later, her grandfather pulled out a wand and spelled the handbag.
He handed it to Hermione.
"What?"
"Bottomless bag," her uncle said. "Might be helpful."
Hermione looked from her relatives to her trunks.
"You're not going to stop me?" she asked.
"We fought against Grindelwald," her uncle said.
"We understand." Her grandfather smiled at her.
"Stay safe, Hermione. Stay save and come back home when everything is over."
"We'll be waiting," her uncle agreed.
At that moment, her parents returned home. The last thing Hermione saw before she did the Obliviate was her uncle inclining his head before he and her grandfather Apparated away.
Another way for Hermione to get her bag... and an idea how Hermione's family could have really looked like for all we know (since I stand by my idea that magic has to come from somewhere).
The story is a bit related to my other story "Live and Survive" which shows a similar idea.
Best wishes
Ebenbild