"Miss Granger? Will you please stay after class?"
Hermione looked up at Professor McGonagall and nodded weakly. She was currently in Transfiguration for the last class of the week.
Hermione had a hard time following the classes ever since Harry's death. She wasn't the only one but most students were capable of doing what was necessary in and outside class, including completing their homework, something Hermione hadn't done. The truth was that Hermione didn't really care about Hogwarts anymore. Oh, she still wanted to perform well academically but her interests had focused away from magic.
When Hermione had first been released from the Hospital Wing, she had been depressed. She didn't have the motivation to do anything and only wanted to sleep. When she was awake, she constantly missed Harry's presence. It didn't help that everyone else in the school apart from Ron seemed to avoid her. She knew what it meant. They were blaming her in some capacity. It wasn't until the day before when a new passion lit inside of her. Like a flame had just been lit inside her, one that helped clear her mind. She now understood better what Sirius had meant months ago when he had seen Pettigrew in the Daily Prophet while in Azkaban.
Hermione had begun focusing on one thing: she wanted to redeem herself in Harry's eyes. Her new dream was to be welcomed with open arms by Harry once it would be her time to pass to the afterlife. To do that, Hermione wanted to finish the fight that had begun when Voldemort had attacked the home of the Potters in 1981. She knew deep down that had Harry not died, he would have ended up be the one to end the nightmare that was Voldemort. Hermione wanted to fight in his name, to make him proud of her. The problem was that she didn't know how to do so. Hermione was no duellist. She could hold herself in a fight but she wasn't very good in offensive magics. She knew she would fail if she tried to fight Death Eaters magically. She was wondering how she could solve her solution... and then it hit her.
The Assassins! It was so obvious!
Hermione had been slowly trained to be an Assassin by her parents ever since her early childhood. At first, it had started with simple and innocent games such as hide and seek, a game that became harder and harder every time they played. She hadn't known it at the time but they had been teaching her about stealth and how to find somewhere to hide.
Then, when she was six years old, her parents taught her how to defend herself, which was quickly followed by teaching her how to fight back. When she was eight, her father brought her to one of the few shooting ranges in the United Kingdom. Her father taught her everything about firearms, even if he didn't allow her to use one until she was holder. By the time she was ten years old, Hermione knew everything she needed to know. The only thing she was lacking was experience with the use of one, something her father had planned to change in her teenage years.
Meanwhile, her mother taught her how to climb things such as walls and big rocks. Her mother often brought her to indoor climbing competitions, something Hermione became very good at, to the point where she had won a few golden medals.
When she was ten, her parents came clean about the Assassins. She had already known about the Brotherhood, her parents having brought her to Kenway Mansion on few occasions but she hadn't known what the point of the Assassins was, nor their methods to achieve their goals. At first, she had been shocked. Her parents killed people in their free time? She had been disgusted, until her parents decided to give her books about the history of the Assassins and Templars. She had first protested by ignoring the books but she had eventually given in after a few hours. She read the books from the first to last page multiple times. At the end of her reading, her mind had changed. While she hadn't known yet whether or not she would want to join, she at least respected what her parents were doing, realising they were doing what was right rather than what was easy. When Hermione learned that she was a witch, she figured her future was in the magical world, not with the Assassins, and stopped thinking about it.
But now? Well, everything had changed. She didn't see a future for herself in the magical world anymore, at least not as a normal citizen. No, she wanted to help the fight against Voldemort, make sure Harry and his parents hadn't died in vain. Her future wasn't as a school girl anymore. Her future was with the Assassins.
So, when Professor McGonagall asked her to stay after class, Hermione didn't care. Why would she? Grades didn't matter anymore.
Quickly enough, the students all left the classroom, leaving Hermione and Professor McGonagall alone. Hermione was about to raise to her feet and go to the Professor when McGonagall walked toward her. Quietly and efficiently, she conjured a chair and sat in front of Hermione's desk.
"Hermione," she began. Hermione was slightly surprised. She had never heard Professor McGonagall address a student by their first name. "Hermione... I'm going to be honest. I'm worried about you. I noticed how withdrawn you have been since... since..." The professor closed her eyes for a few moments and took deep breath. "We, the teachers have seen how your grades have been deteriorating and we are worried."
Hermione kept silent. She didn't know where Professor McGonagall was going with this.
"I wrote a letter to your parents, and your parents want you to be home with them this weekend. Usually, it's not something I would do but..."
"Mum and Dad want me home?" asked Hermione with shock.
"Only for the weekend." confirmed the professor. "The Headmaster already made a portkey for you to bring you home and back." she said. She didn't mention how Dumbledore had seemed very happy when he had learned about the Grangers' request. She hadn't asked why either. "The portkey will take you home in an hour. I suggest you pack anything you need for the weekend, including clothes. Your parents mentioned that you would be staying in 'the home of the pirate'. I assume you know what it means?"
Hermione nodded, understanding that she would spend the weekend at Kenway Mansion. While she didn't show any outside emotions, inside, she was ecstatic. This was exactly what she needed. A weekend home away from the magical world and Hogwarts! The fact that she would be staying at the Mansion was a happy coincidence.
Hermione quickly left the class and ran toward the Great Hall, portkey in hand. It was a simple shoe string, something she had attached around her wrist. She didn't stop to talk to anyone, including Ron Weasley, who was eating more than his fill, as usual. Hermione quickly ate before she ran back toward Gryffindor Tower.
Once in her dorm, Hermione emptied her backpack before starting filling it with three days' worth of clothing. Then, she added the few books on the Assassins she had in her trunk, which wasn't a lot, before she zipped her backpack close. Then, she waited.
Forty minutes later, Hermione felt herself suddenly spin as she portkeyed away from Hogwarts.
Hermione landed swiftly in the courtyard of the Mansion. She first thing she saw was her parents waiting for her. She immediately jumped in their arms and started sobbing. For some reasons, seeing two of her loved ones alive in front of her only brought back the pain of Harry's loss.
Daniel and Emma held their daughter as they let her cry. Unseen by Hermione, her parents looked at each other and held a short conversation simply by looking at each other. When Hermione eventually calmed down after a few minutes, her mother began to speak.
"Hermione? Why don't to take your luggage and go take yourself a room in the Southern Wing?" she asked.
Hermione nodded and finally released her parents. She grabbed her bag and entered the Mansion. Taking the stairs to the left, she walked down the long corridor until she arrived to the rooms. She was surprised when she saw that two of the rooms were occupied. To her knowledge, the rooms at the end of the corridor were only used by those who stayed more than a few days in the Mansion, the others preferring to take the first available room they find. She didn't know why two Assassins were staying here and she didn't really care either. Entering a room next to an occupied one, she closed her door and dropped her bag on the bed. Unbeknownst to her, only a few seconds after she closed her door, Sirius Black exited the occupied room next to hers.
Tired and having nothing better to do for the moment, she decided to lay down on the bed and rest for a few minutes. Before she knew what was happening, she had fallen into deep sleep.
Hermione woke up the next morning, her throat dry. With a small groan, she raised from her bed and rubbed her eyes. Seeing clearer, she looked at the clock on the wall and realised it was past nine in the morning. Realising it was more than time to wake up, she left her bed and went to the small bathroom adjacent to her room. Each bedroom in the Mansion had its own little bathroom, something Hermione was more than grateful for.
Hermione began her usual morning routine and after taking a shower and getting dressed, she left her room and walked down the Mansion toward the dining room. She wasn't surprised when she entered the room and saw that nobody else was inside. Assassins usually woke up a lot earlier than that. She was about to go toward the adjacent kitchen when a plate with eggs, sausages and toasts appeared on the table, just like in Hogwarts.
Hermione blinked. She hadn't been aware a house-elf was working for the Assassins and a twinge of anger awoke inside her, something she promptly ignored. It wasn't time for her to go on about S.P.E.W. Figuring she had nothing better to do, she sat down in front of the plate and began eating.
S.P.E.W. Hadn't that flown out of the window these last few weeks. Just the thought about her House-Elf rights organisation almost brought tears in her eyes. She could remember when Harry had accosted her the day after she had presented the idea to him and Ron. Harry had told her quite simply that nobody would take her organisation seriously when the acronym spelled "spew". He had suggested another name and acronym himself: C.A.R.E (Community for Advancing the Rights of Elves.)
Hermione hadn't taken the idea kindly. At the time, she hadn't seen Harry's suggestion as a gift, a way to help her cause but as an insult. Not only had Harry told her that the name she had chosen was bad but he had one-upped her by giving her a new name! She had snapped at him, telling Harry that not everyone was as childish as him and Ron and walked away.
She felt so stupid now. In hindsight, it was obvious why she had reacted that way. She had been jealous. Jealous that Harry had found a way better name than she had. Merlin, she wished she could apologise. But it was too late. Hermione sighed and shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about Harry again. She had an objective today: Join the Brotherhood.
Looking down, Hermione saw that she had finished her breakfast. As she raised to bring her plate, fork and knife to clean, they disappeared from the table. Sighing again, Hermione set foot toward her father's office.
Hermione walked to the second floor of the north wing where her father's office was located. During the way, she met a few Assassins who greeted her, sometimes with a nod, sometimes with a few words. Hermione was rather well known by the Assassins, being the daughter of their Mentor and having spent a lot of her childhood in the Mansion. Many Assassins had witnessed her grow-up.
Arriving at her father's office. She knocked. She had to wait nearly a minute before she heard her father say "Enter!" from inside. Hermione opened the door and entered.
Dr. Daniel Granger's office was rather small. It was similar to an office in a corporate building, except in the design of the walls, celling and floor, which was the same to the rest of the Mansion. On Hermione's right was a window which lit up the room rather well. In the middle of the office lay a big desk with three chairs, one behind it (where her father was currently sitting) and two facing it. Around it where bookshelves full of paperwork or books. A computer monitor was sitting on one corner of the desk while sheets of paper, folders and even a few pieces of parchment lay on the other.
Her father was currently reading something inside a yellow folder. When he raised his head and found his daughter, he smiled. Hermione noticed his smile didn't reach his ears. "Ah, Hermione." he said. "Come and sit."
As his daughter was sitting, Daniel closed the folder and put it in a drawer. He was doing some quick thinking. Now would be a perfect occasion to have Hermione meet Harry again, but he didn't know exactly how to make that happen. Thankfully, he was gifted an opportunity.
A few seconds after Hermione had sat down, someone knocked. "Enter!" he shouted. The door opened and an Assassin entered, holding a blue folder in his hand.
"The first weekly report for Operation Thunderbolt, Mentor." said the Assassin, giving him the report. Now that was just perfect. Operation Thunderbolt was a study of Harry Potter's progress in the Animus and whether or not it could be used to train other Assassins in the future. It seemed even the Universe wanted Harry and Hermione back together and was helping him in his endeavour. Daniel took it and put the folder on top of the ever-increasing pile.
"Thank you, Aiden." he said gratefully. "Speaking of Operation Thunderbolt, can you go to Heywood's and bring the guy in the Animus?"
"You mean H-"
"Yes, him."
"Of course." said the Assassin, departing the office.
"Are you busy?" asked Hermione, somewhat timidly. "I can come back if that's alright..."
"No, that's fine." said her father. "Don't worry about this. Now, what can I do for you, princess?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm fifteen, Dad. I think I'm past the age for being called a princess."
"You'll always be my princess, Hermione, even once you are an old lady with grey hair. Now, what can I do for you?"
Hermione didn't beat around the bush. "I want to join the Assassins."
Daniel's eyebrow raised. "Really? Why? I thought you weren't interested in joining the Brotherhood?"
Hermione sighed and looked out of the window. She didn't speak right away. Her father waited patiently.
Turning back toward her father, Hermione began speaking. "I... It's about Harry." she began. It didn't surprise Daniel. He had known since they had become friends on Halloween in her first year that Harry was now one of the most important persons in the world, from Hermione's point of view, which was also one of the reasons why he still didn't understand her change of view on Halloween.
"What about Harry?" asked Daniel.
"I... I want to join the Assassins because I want to redeem myself in Harry's eyes." said Hermione, looking down.
Daniel noticed movement at the door, which had been left open. Raising his eyes, Daniel found the newest Assassin Harry Potter standing in the doorway, looking at Hermione with wide eyes. Daniel made a small movement of the head to tell him to stay quiet.
"And how could joining the Brotherhood help in your quest?" he asked.
Hermione took a deep breath, ready to get everything out of her chest. "I fucked up, okay? I fucked up royally with Harry. I turned on him for no reason whatsoever. I want... no, I need to redeem myself. I can't live with the fact that Harry died believing that I hated him for something he didn't do. It destroys me inside... You once told me that the Assassins had fought in the first war against Voldemort and I thought – hoped I could join the Brotherhood and help fight the maniac that cost Harry and his family so much."
Seeing that Harry was about to announce his presence, Daniel spoke before he could. He believed that it would be better if Hermione explained what she did before she realised Harry was alive. He wanted Hermione to get it off her chest and for Harry to know all the facts before deciding whether or not be friends (or at least friendly) with his daughter again.
"That's something that intrigued me, Hermione." said the Mentor. "You said you turned your back on him for no reason but you didn't say why. What were the reasons to do that? I know the Hermione I raised wouldn't make such a big decision without having facts to support it, whether true or not. So, what happened?"
Hermione closed her eyes, gulping as if she had something in her throat. She unconsciously brought her knees to her chest and put her arms around her legs. Her eyes were moist. "I'm not sure when it began but near the end of the summer and the two first months of the school year, I witnessed Harry become more and more subdued. He closed on himself and became a bit colder toward everybody. I saw him spend more and more time alone than with us. At first, I thought that it was just a phase, that Harry was just seeking some peace and I believed that Harry would come back to how he was eventually but... after a few weeks, after a month, I began fearing that Harry was distancing himself from us because he didn't want to be our friend again. I got scared. Harry meant so much to me, still do, and I was scared I would lose him. When his name came out of the Goblet, I was on the fence. Part of me trusted Harry, knowing he would never enter his name in the Tournament, not without telling Ron and I but another part of me – the part scared of losing Harry – fought that idea. That part of me believed that Harry had left us behind and didn't want to be friends with us again. It felt like his name coming out of the Goblet was a confirmation of that idea. I was on the fence, until Ron spoke to me. He firmly believed that Harry entered his name without telling us and he managed to convince me that he was right. My biggest fear had come true. I felt so betrayed. I couldn't understand why Harry would abandon us and I became angry."
At that point, Hermione's cheeks were wet. It was with increased difficulty that she continued to speak. "I was so angry that I pushed Harry away when he tried to explain himself. The first time he told me he didn't enter his name, when he pleaded for me to believe him, I... I laughed at him."
Here, Hermione began sobbing. Daniel saw Harry take a step forward, as if to take Hermione in a hug but he interrupted him. The Mentor saw Harry send him a pleading look but Daniel didn't back down. Hermione needed to get it off her chest. At least, he was happy to see that Harry didn't seem to hold any bad emotions toward Hermione.
Hermione noticed none of that as her vision turned blurry from the tears. She continued, unaware of the exchange between her father and not-so-dead best friend. "I l-laughed when H-Harry pleaded to me. I d-didn't understand why h-he wanted me to b-believe him if he d-didn't care about us so I b-believed that H-Harry tried to c-convince me because he n-needed my help for the t-tournament. I pushed him away. I m-made him b-believe that I d-didn't c-care about him, t-that I h-hated him... and he d-died t-thinking it was t-the t-truth!" she wailed before she dissolved in her tears. She continued to speak after that but her speech was incomprehensible.
Hermione continued to cry for a few minutes. A small part of herself wondered why her father didn't try to comfort her as he always did. That part of her completely forgot about her father when she heard something she hadn't heard since...
"Hermione..." said a voice from behind her. Hermione froze and slowly turned her head. In front of her stood Harry Potter, her best friend, in Assassin robes. He was alive.
When his bright green eyes met her chocolate brown ones, she bolted from her chair and threw herself in Harry's arms. She began crying loudly in his chest. She felt Harry wrap his arms around her and she cried, cried in relief.
Yet, her brain could help but scream at her. 'Harry is dead. Harry is dead. HARRY IS DEAD!' Whoever that Assassin was couldn't be her best friend. He looked like Harry, he felt like Harry, he smelled like Harry but he couldn't be Harry. Harry was dead.
Hermione suddenly pushed Harry back and yelled "WHO ARE YOU!?"
Not-Harry looked at her, incredulous. "Hermione... I am Harry..."
"NO! HARRY POTTER IS DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! YOU ARE NOT HIM! YOU CAN'T BE HIM!" she cried as she began hitting him in the chest.
"HERMIONE! ENOUGH!" yelled Daniel. Hermione froze. She had only heard her father use this voice once in her life and that had been when he had been completely and utterly angry at one Assassin. That tone of voice had given her nightmares. To hear it used against her was terrifying. She slowly turned to look at her father as he said "The man in front of you is Harry Potter, your best friend from Hogwarts!"
"But... Harry is dead..." she whimpered.
Harry didn't know how to prove his identity to Hermione... until it came to him.
" Me? Books and cleverness. There are more important things... friendship and bravery and... oh Harry, be careful! " said Harry with a hint of eleven-years-old Hermione in his voice.
Hermione knew what those words meant. She had said those words to Harry before he had gone after Quirrell. Only he and her knew about that, which meant...
Hermione pounced on Harry and began sobbing again. Both he and Daniel could hear her say "You're alive!" over and over again. Harry wrapped his arms around her once again and, this time, nothing screamed in her head that something was wrong. Nothing screamed that it couldn't be Harry. Because she now knew that Harry was indeed alive, and he was holding her. She didn't know why it was the case nor did she care at that moment. She continued to cry tears of relief and cherished the moment.
It took nearly ten minutes for Hermione to stop crying. When she had finally gone quiet, Harry looked at her and was surprised to see that she was sleeping.
"Uh... sir... Hermione is sleeping."
Daniel smirked. "Well, why don't you bring her back to her room? I believe it is the one next to Sirius'."
Harry nodded to his mentor and grabbed Hermione bridal-style and walked away from Daniel's office.
The Mentor of the British Brotherhood waited until the doors was closed before he grinned. It had hurt him to see his daughter cry but he was happy with the end results. Hermione knew Harry was alive and could begin to heal. Harry now knew the reasons behind Hermione's betrayal and looked like he forgave her. It had gone better than he had expected. Raising from his seat, he exited his office. It was time to tell Emma the good news.
Harry carried a sleeping Hermione across the Mansion, crossing paths with multiple Assassins who all grinned at them, making him blush. As Harry walked through the entrance hall, he met Sirius, who took one look at Harry and Hermione before he let out a wolf-whistle and said "Attaboy, Harry. James would be proud of you!" Harry had answered by flipping him the finger.
As he arrived at Hermione's room, Harry noticed that Hermione had a firm grip on his robes. Entering the room, he gently put her on the bed and tried to remove her hands but was unable to. It seemed that Hermione wanted proof that he was alive even when she was asleep and nothing short from using magic would make her release Harry. So, Harry did the only thing he could and slipped in the bed alongside Hermione.
He would later swear that he had wanted to stay awake, that he was only in the bed for Hermione's sake but Harry felt incredibly comfortable with Hermione and eventually dropped to sleep, his arms around his best friend's waist.
A/N: There you go, Harry and Hermione are reunitied. I originally planned to not have Harry forgive Hermione that easily but the story just took me there by accident. When I was writing the scene where Hermione explained her reasons, I just felt like any other choice other than forgiveness just wouldn't work well with the flow of the story. I'm not one for unnecessary angst.
The acronym C.A.R.E comes from "Harry McGonagall" by witowsmp. He probably wasn't the first one to use the acronym in HP fanfiction but its where I took it from. I do believe it is way better than S.P.E.W.
Next chapter: Harry and Hermione have a one-on-one conversation and Hermione is initiated in the Brotherhood before going back to Hogwarts. Depending on the length of the chapter, it might also include the First Task.
Speaking of length: I plan to have most chapters be between 3k and 4k words. Only important chapters will be longer than that (unless there is a part of the story where it doesn't make sense to divide in two chapters).