Chapter Five: Wherein our heroine boards the Hogwarts Express.
Summary: Hermione has breakfast and lunch. Bags are packed, and plans are made.
Hermione shook her head at the letters that had come before she'd gotten down to, quite frankly, a fantastic breakfast, given that the refrigerator was stunningly bare. She'd need to clean it out this morning before she left. It was one of many things on her mental todo list, including shutting up the house as well as she could. She decided to discuss it with the twins, as well.
In a way, Hermione felt more like she was leaving home for the last time, even more so than when she sent her parents off and away. It wasn't as if she wouldn't ever come home, of course. It was just that everything was changing so quickly, Hermione knew there were few guarantees, even now that the war was over.
Everything was changing, and her childhood was definitely already gone.
She decided in the end to pack two more recent pictures of herself and her parents, and two more pictures from early in their marriage. And then Hermione cleaned out her childhood bedroom. She left a few of her less beloved momentos in the hopes that her parents would one day walk back into the room. But everything else was gone. The most beloved was shrunk and put into a special pouch in her trunk. The rest she cared nothing for and things were vanished one by one.
Then Hermione went into her parents bedroom and her breath caught in her throat. She took one of her father's sweaters, and her mother's sweatshirt from their shared alma mater. Both items still smelled of her parents, but Hermione held off the tears. She went and finished her packing, instead.
In her own wardrobe she left only the blue gown she had worn at the Yule Ball. Her mother had wanted to keep that as a momento. In her chest of drawers she kept only her first year Hogwarts uniform, which her mother had also wanted her to keep as a momento. Everything else came. All the books. All the clothes. All the trinkets, all the bits and bobs. In the end she left three things on the bulletin board over her small desk, which was otherwise cleaned out. There was a Gryffindor pennant, a still picture of Harry, Hermione, and Ron that her parents had taken at Platform 9 ¾ three years ago, and a drawing Hermione had done of Hogwarts castle from across the Black Lake. On her pillow she left Mr. Stuffles, her bear.
Then she did several standard cleaning charms, pulling the dust, dirt, dander, and yuck from the walls, carpeting, all flat surfaces, and even the air itself, until it was a compressed ball, which she banished.
Tampy and Pampy had filled a large luncheon basket since Hermione had declined an early lunch before leaving. She did not, however, decline the idea of elf travel directly to the platform.
She cringed to hear Ron bellowing her name from across the platform. She couldn't tell anything by his face, but he was steadily weaving toward her. Before she knew what was going on, really, the elves whisked her trunk away, and the luncheon basket, her mother's best crystal vase full of white roses, and Crookshank's basket telling her they would bespeak the first compartment in the second car for her, and wait for her arrival before going directly to Hogwarts themselves. She was alone when they met, nearly an hour before the train was to leave - it was best, in order to get a compartment of your own.
"Knew you'd be here early," he said.
Hermione shrugged wordlessly and smiled a half-smile that was not at all happy.
"Oi," he said, apparently taking in her discomfort. "We're friends. I got your note. I get it. I'd like to argue, but that'd really just be for the sake of arguing, and that's probably your point. I realized I could be a right git about this, last night. Kind of wanted to be. And then I thought of Dad, you know? And if he had courted someone before Mum. Would he have been a right git if she'd noticed they weren't really good for each other? If she'd noticed before him? It'd smart, I'm sure. But he wouldn't have been a git about it. Not my Dad. And I don't want to be one, either. So. Friends?"
Hermione smiled, relieved that Ron had taken the summer to somehow grow up. "Friends," she said, reassuring both of them. The hug was brief but tight and full of meaning.
"Right. I'll probably ride with Dean and Seamus and them because I know you'll just read the entire way, but I'll come and say hello, alright?"
"Do. I have news to share with you, well, both Harry and I do, but mine's bigger."
"You marrying Krum after all?" he asked, holding her at arm's length for a moment.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "No. But I will have some lunch to share. I'll be opening the basket at one."
"I'm always on time for food."
Hermione smiled. "Yes, I recall. More later. Off you go, I've got a few things to do and a few people to talk with."
As he left, Hermione went over to a news stand and bought a copy of the Prophet and the Quibbler, a six pack of fizzy drinks they never seemed to sell on the train, and a large bag of kettle corn. She noticed, as she was cashing out a little placard advertising that she could buy a home-delivery subscription to each publication right at the stand, and did so, paying for a year in advance.
Everything but the large bag of kettle corn fit into her beaded purse, and she considered again the charms she wanted to experiment with.
One that would change the color and texture of the outer bag.
One that would widen the lip to accommodate larger items.
One that would allow you to call an item in the bag to you, a retrieval without a wand or wandless accio.
One that would lightly suspend fragile items off to the side, and allow heavy non-fragile items drop to the bottom.
One that would mask or lighten the weight of items emplaced.
One that would allow no other than the emplacer or the owner to remove an item.
One that would allow the bag not to be stolen, though that would be tricky and interesting.
One that would allow the bag's knotted cord to untie when touched by the owner in a certain way, and retie when touched differently.
One that would allow much more space within the bag.
And of course all the charms had to be placed and sealed before the bag was in use, or one misplaced or well-placed finite would undo everything. And once the bag was sealed, no further magic could affect it, ever.
Hermione wasn't sure why that technique wasn't ever used in armor. It would be invaluable, to put a few well-placed charms on a piece, and then have it be immune to anything, including an unforgivable. After all, a crucio didn't have to hit your skin to affect you. Aiming at your clothes worked just fine for the body beneath them. Hm. She'd have to mention that to Ginny, to add to her collection of odd ideas. Because if it worked, it sure would have been helpful in the last war. Unless of course everyone on each side had it, in which case it would only ensure an escalation of weaponry.
Hermione sighed inwardly at all thoughts of war and changed her focus. She sat on a bench and slowly ate her popcorn, watching as people arrived, and watching how they acted. The little firsties were rather adorable, and you could clearly tell which parents were muggles.
Something needed to be done about that, she considered. Even muggles weren't really all just muggles. Some of them were squibs, though perhaps there should be an entirely different sort of term for everything, something that wasn't derogatory. After all, a squib was really a firecracker that refused to go off, wasn't it? Something that didn't work? Calling a person a squib was… well, it was terrible, really. But the goblins knew and knew clearly that each muggle born witch or wizard was the product of four wizarding families finally coming back together, through their non-magical progeny. And the goblins wouldn't openly share what they knew, because it was all about client privacy with them.
Hermione wondered about that. Could a client simply request a genealogy test? If they could, well, all non-magical parents were clients of Gringotts. It's how they paid for uniforms and supplies in Diagon Alley.
And if there could be some incentive for them to do it, and openly share the information, then there could be a more public record. And even if it weren't a ministry or school incentive. What if it just… became a tradition? Come of age, go check out your genealogy? And then there would have to be education on the intricacies of inheritance laws.
Well, the families which still retained pureblood bias would want her dead if she started promoting such a scheme. Because if a wizarding couple knew of their entire genealogy when they started having children, well, they might name those children with a variety of middle names that reflected the houses to which they technically belonged. And so many old houses would revive, certainly, but many rather stuffy houses would have some fascinating cadet branches who were absolutely in the right to use the name, going by wizarding inheritance law. Didn't mean those people would inherit anything when anyone died, unless there was no one else left, of course. But it might mean the end of pure blood bias.
Or not. Some of those people were remarkably stubborn.
Hermione ate some more popcorn and wondered at the state of politics inside and out of the Wizengamot. She would value Narcissa's view, but she wanted a different one as well.
And then she spied Augusta Longbottom on the arm of her grandson.
Hermione popped up out of her seat and went to go talk with them. She greeted Neville with a hug, not quite her normal approach, but after the last battle there were hugs all around everywhere, and dammit, she liked Neville.
"Madam Longbottom, it's very nice to see you again."
"And you, Miss Granger. Are you prepared for your final, albeit somewhat unusual year?"
Hermione smiled ruefully. "As ready as I can be, I think. I, I have a request, Madam Longbottom."
An eyebrow raised, and Neville was looking curious as well. "Would you do me the honor of taking tea with me at Chamfords, just a few blocks from Diagon Alley, this Saturday at 4 in the afternoon? I would be most grateful," Hermione said, trying to be as polite as possible.
An eyebrow was further raised. "I will, though I will caution you that if you seek my grandson's hand in marriage, you should secure his affection first."
Neville choked, then coughed. Hermione kept the snicker inside. "Yes, ma'am. I'll keep that in mind," she said, not able to keep a smile off her face.
The older woman took her leave of her grandson, and Hermione walked next to Neville as he pushed his luggage cart toward the train.
"You're not actually attempting to court me, are you, Hermione? I thought you and Ron were a thing."
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "No, and also no. But I do want to be a better and closer friend to you than I have in the past, if that's something you'd be alright with."
Neville snorted and bumped his shoulder into hers. "Oh, please. We're friends. And we've killed death eaters together."
"Good," Hermione stated, offering her bag of popcorn. He took some, eating with one hand and steering the cart with the other. "Very shortly I'll need reliable friends, I think."
Neville gave her a look, but finished eating before attempting to speak. "Something dreadful hasn't happened, has it? You alright?"
"Not dreadful, no," she said as they reached a porter who would load Neville's trunk. The young man himself hefted a leather satchel onto his shoulders, and into his hands a cage with a very old toad in it.
"Come find me," she said, "in the front of the second car at one. Lunch and strategizing. Oh, and Harry's got a pet snake. So you know."
"He didn't," Neville said, his look conveying his horror.
"He did. It's quite small, though, all things considered. And we'll see to it he doesn't turn into a dark wizard."
Neville huffed a sigh and shook his head. He muttered something Hermione didn't quite catch before promising to see her later and going off to the same newsstand she'd frequented herself.
There wasn't much on the platform. There was another little stand that sold Hogwarts-related paraphernalia. It had pennants, t-shirts, little charms, and it made her realize she'd need to get Narcissa something for Christmas. Possibly also Draco, though with Draco and what might end up being his sense of humor, it could possibly be a gag gift. Time would tell. But with Narcissa? Other than elegant, Hermione didn't really know her style. But she had the beginnings of an idea, looking at the trinkets on display. If she decided to go with it, it might be something she'd have to get commissioned, and that avenue would take time to walk down.
In all of her musing and the few conversations she'd already had, time had begun to pass and it was now half past the hour, with only 30 minutes to go before the train left. More and more people were coming now, and Hermione was glad the elves were saving her compartment. She picked the bench most centrally located so she could see when Harry and Ginny arrived. She wasn't sure if they would apparate in or not, but she hadn't made much more progress in on her kettle corn when she saw them. Ginny was waving in her direction, and Harry was pushing the luggage cart with their two trunks, two broomstick cases - the brooms were apparently too new to be able to be shrunken safely - and on top, a large, almost spherical basket next to an owl cage with their owl, Special Delivery. Ginny had been inspired by Hermione's naming scheme, and they both had a nice laugh over the names.
There were hugs when they got to Hermione, but only air kisses from Harry, and as Hermione stared hard at the shimmer around his shoulders she realized why. Saucepot wasn't in his basket, but was disillusioned.
"Are you going to wear him to class like a scarf?" Hermione asked, wondering if she should be horrified or amused.
"I'm thinking about it. Not potions, obviously. That could be dangerous. I'm thinking of calling him my Therapy Snake."
Hermione thought about it. "You could have used a therapy snake in sixth year. And fifth."
"Yeah, no kidding," Ginny agreed.
Harry grinned, unrepentant. "But I have one now. And that will be good enough."
Hermione smiled in return and offered them some popcorn. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I've bespoken the first compartment in the second car, so come and join me when you are ready. Ron - who was remarkably adult about things - and Neville - who apparently has spent the summer getting marriage proposals - are going to join us at one for lunch and strategizing. The twins sent me with food."
"I love them more and more," Ginny pointed out.
"Hard to believe they came from Kreacher. The apples fell extremely far from that tree," Harry said.
"Well, I'm sure their lives haven't been perfect by any means," Hermione pointed out, unwilling to share their confidences, "but they weren't in possession of a horcrux for two decades."
"Mmm. Point," Harry said. And then added, "What, what? Neville's getting what?"
"Glass houses," Ginny murmured towards her husband's ear, but not actually in it, due to presence of snake.
"See you two in a bit," Hermione said, waving and eating more kettle corn as she went. She walked through the familiar melee of children and parents, until she spied one more person she hadn't realized she needed to talk to.
"Luna!" Hermione called out.
"Hello, Hermione," the younger woman greeted her, walking alone along the platform with only a small leather satchel over her shoulder. "You're looking very regal today," she added with a dreamy smile.
Hermione choked on her own saliva and some of the kettle corn. A coughing fit ensued.
Luna rubbed Hermione's back until she got herself under control. "Sorry about that," she eventually croaked out.
"No problem. It can be hard to react normally sometimes. I understand."
"Hug?" Hermione asked, now that she had herself more or less under control.
"Hug!" Luna cried happily, and the two embraced.
"I'd love you to come sit with us, if you haven't sorted out your seat yet," Hermione said, taking a step back.
"That sounds lovely. Are you ready now?"
Hermione nodded and then looped her arm through Luna's as they made their way closer to the train. "Second car, first compartment," Hermione said as they approached. And as they approached, the door directly to the compartment opened and the step unfolded. Hermione noticed that Harry and Ginny were only just behind and so she left the door open for them.
"Oh, hello. I'm Luna. Who are you?"
"Tampy, miss."
"Pampy, miss."
"Ladies, thank you so much for all your help. Was it too difficult?"
"No miss, we just stared at everyone who opened the door, miss, and they closed the door again."
Hermione grinned. "Alright, not so bad. You can go get settled in at Hogwarts, now, and I'll call for you before I go to sleep tonight, alright?"
"Yes, miss. Travel well, miss."
"Call us earlier if you need us, miss. We don't mind, miss."
Hermione smiled a gentler smile as Luna settled in in the center seat on the opposite side of the elves. "I promise I will, if I need to. See you later."
They were gone in a pop.
"I'm glad you have elves now. I think you'll change more people's views on elves if they just see you interact with yours. More effective than badges. The pamphlets were nice, though. I do love a good pamphlet," Luna said as Hermione settled next to her and Ginny and Harry climbed into the carriage. He closed the door behind him.
"Luna, how nice to see you," Ginny said, and Hermione could see that she was practicing the politer ways of greeting friends.
"Really? Thank you. That's so kind of you," Luna said. It made Hermione a little sad to realize all over again how ostracised Luna often was.
"Hey, Luna, how was your summer?" Harry asked.
"Much calmer than the nine months preceding it. Yours?"
"Likewise. Nightmares?"
"Of course. You?"
"Yup. But I got a Therapy Snake named Saucepot. Wanna meet him?"
"Ooo, yes of course, I'd be honored! You know, I've always been quite envious of your ability to speak with snakes. I would if I could."
Hermione glanced at Ginny while Harry took his wand out of his sleeve and cast a finite. Ginny gave a little wordless shrug and had a largely benevolent look on her face.
While Luna was cooing over the four foot long black snake Harry had adopted, Hermione quietly asked, "So, if we figure out the spell to become parselmouths, you want in on that?"
"Without even a second thought."
Harry introduced Luna to his snake and Hermione offered more popcorn around.
"Can I hold him?" Luna asked.
Harry conversed with his pet and then gave permission. "He can understand you, you know, you just can't understand him."
"Yet," Luna said. "Hmm. Your aura is very clear," she said, addressing the snake as it slithered over to her and coiled around her arms and more loosely around her neck, "but you might already realize that. Harry will be very good to you, but you also need to be kind to him," she said, rubbing the snake down his length, or as far as she could reach while also holding him. "Every single year for the past seven years someone has started to try to kill him on this day. Sometimes a little earlier. They haven't succeeded yet, obviously, and they probably won't now, because he's gone and killed them instead, but it makes this time of year hard, you know? So you must be extra kind."
The snake looked at Harry, and then back at Luna.
"Saucepot would like to marry you, if you're available," Harry said with a soft smile.
Luna's eyes lit up. "Thank you for my very first marriage proposal. Unfortunately my father would not have consented. He was always very clear about it. I must marry a human with a good aura. It's best to be clear about these things up front, don't you think? That way there are no misunderstandings or needless confusions. But I would love to be your friend, if you would like that, too."
"He accepts."
"At one we're expecting Neville and Ron and I'd like you to stay, Luna, so we can all have lunch together and talk some strategy, because some fascinating things have happened to us in the past few days," Hermione said, running one finger down the warm, smooth skin of Saucepot.
"That sounds delightful. And you don't have to worry, Hermione."
Hermione bit her lip. "What makes you say that, Luna?"
"You're afraid right now. About many things. That everyone around you will turn on you and go away, and you'll be left alone to fix the world. But that's not true. And so you don't have to worry. Everyone will help you. You're not fighting a war anymore."
And this is why I want to include Luna in on everything now. Because she always somehow knows more than she ought to, and she seems to get it from thin air, Hermione considered.
The whistle sounded. The train jolted twice before it started going forward smoothly. Crookshanks meowed. She was just in the midst of assuaging her cat's cantankerous manner when the door opened. In the doorway stood two tiny children - eleven years olds, clearly - who were almost in tears.
"There are no empty cars," one said while sniffing. "And none of the big kids will let us sit with them."
In a cacophony, all four answered at once.
"Come in," Hermione said.
"You can join us," Harry said.
"You're welcome to join us," Ginny said.
"Everything's going to be okay, now," Luna said.
They were already in their robes, which weren't designated by house yet. Just a plain black tie, and the Hogwarts crest on the outer robe.
"My name's Luna. And this is Hermione, and that's Ginny, and that's Harry. And this guy is Saucepot. What are your names?"
"I'm Tommy. And that's Negash."
Everyone said hello in a grand chorus.
Crookshanks was coaxed out of his basket and Hermione held him up to greet Saucepot nose to nose.
"What do you think, Crooks? Is he a good snake?" Her half kneazle sniffed him quite a while, then finally head-bumped him and looked back at Hermione and glared to be set down.
Harry said something quietly in parseltongue, which was normal at this point, after half an evening of it yesterday.
"Can I pet your snake, Luna?" Negash asked quietly, finally speaking.
"You'll have to ask Harry. Saucepot belongs to him. I'm just borrowing him."
Harry nodded. "You may."
"Oo, he's warm."
"Can I pet your kitty?" Tommy asked.
"If he'll let you. If he hisses, stop. And he's half cat, half kneazle.
And then they discussed what a kneazle was, and Hermione recommended they read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as soon as possible. They could get it at the library. She also recommended Hogwarts: A History, for good measure.
"It won't tell you where all the secret passages are, or how to get in the secret rooms and chambers, or why the castle is scared, but it is worth a read," Ginny agreed.
"And when you inevitably get lost trying to get to class or back to your house, stop trying to figure it out on your own and just ask a portrait. Over and over if you need to. It's easier that way," Harry said, eating more popcorn, then offering some to the kids.
"What are the different houses like?"
"They're all good places to be. Each house founder prized certain traits above all, but really, most of us have the traits of more than one house, and maybe even all four," Hermione said.
"Ravenclaws hold knowledge as the most important thing. Just knowing is so beautiful. You don't even really need to use it, to do, to accomplish, so long as you know," Luna began, her dreamy voice full of wisdom that Hermione really should have been expecting by now. "Gryffindors think that courage is the most important thing. They're never hampered by fear, even when it grips them tightly. They'll still act. And Slytherins will always get it done, too, but they'll be clever about it, and you might not even know it's already happened. But Hufflepuff might be the best house of all. They'll take anyone, anyone at all who is magical and wants to learn, and they'll turn them into a family of equals who all have something to share. Hufflepuffs will always get it done, too, only it will be done together, for the benefit of all."
"That's really beautiful, Luna," Ginny said. "I never thought about Hufflepuff that way, but it's true, isn't it?"
"It really is," Harry chimed in. "Slytherins can be the bravest of all. Gryffindors can be the most intelligent. Ravenclaws can be damn tricky. But has there ever been a dark witch or wizard who came out of Hufflepuff?"
"Not according to Hogwarts: A History," Hermione confirmed.
When Ron and Neville opened the door two hours later, Crookshanks was snoozing on Negash's lap while the boy was reading Hermione's copy of Hogwarts: A History, and Tommy was reading Luna's copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Saucepot was back on Harry's shoulders. Harry was reading the book Secrets from the Black Family Vault, Ginny was reading one of the transfiguration books she'd just bought, Paper Is All You Need, Hermione was reading the book Black Ways and Means from the same vault, and Luna was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet with a self inking quill in her hand, making corrections. A vase of fragrant roses was wedged between Hermione and Luna on the seat and the air was thick with its calming scent.
"Oi, what is this, the study car?" Ron said, announcing his presence. "I was promised lunch. Budge up, budge up."
Hermione looked up with a smile and caught Neville's significant look between her and the first years. She raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'not sure what to do about this'.
Instantly Neville crouched down in the doorway to be closer to eye level. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Am I right in thinking you'd like to learn to play exploding snap like a professional?"
Hermione got the luncheon basket down from the upper shelf and peeked in again. She was right. She grabbed six sandwiches out, leaving plenty of food left inside.
"I want you to go to compartment 14 in this car and tell the boys in there that Neville sent you to learn the game, alright?"
The books were put aside almost immediately. Neville carefully picked up a snoozy Crookshanks and cradled the ginger tom against his chest.
"And take these to share, and don't forget to eat one yourself," Hermione said, handing over the sandwiches. "Tell them they're from Hermione."
A chorus of thank yous sounded before they scampered out. The door was shut and Harry immediately locked the door and cast three quick privacy charms.
Ginny sorted out the food in the basket and Hermione pulled out six cans of the fizzy drink from her purse.
The twins had made various Chinese dishes and soon Ginny was dishing out rice, chicken in sauce, vegetables and wrapped rolls into six bowls. Chopsticks and forks were handed around.
"Wow, thanks, Hermione. My gran always just sends me with a cold chicken sandwich and an apple. Same thing since first year."
"You're welcome, but I can hardly take any credit for this. It was my new house elves. Tampy and Pampy. Twins. And excellent chefs."
"Such good chefs," Ginny moaned around her chicken.
"What?" Ron said loudly, speaking with his mouth regrettably full. Happily, nothing fell out.
"Hermione has house elves, now," Luna said. "They're part of what she wants to talk to us about."
Hermione gave Harry a beseeching look, so he started the tale while she ate a bit.
He told them about the letters from Mrs. Malfoy, about their suppositions regarding her complex motivations, skipped over the manners training entirely, and explained about Grimmauld Place.
"Oi, mate. We thought about that once, remember? Wondered if it was absolutely secure. Glad there was no harm done, there," Ron pointed out.
"I don't get it," Neville said. "I mean, I get it about the gift of the house and that is extremely generous, but why is it such a big deal to clean it up? Don't like the wall colors or something?"
Ron launched a brief and highly amusing account of the state of 12 Grimmauld Place, interrupted by Neville.
"Oi!" he said, staring at Harry's hand. "Is that a wedding ring?"
Harry nodded and grinned, and took a bite of lunch.
"When the hell did you get married? And to whom?"
Ginny spoke up. "We mutually kidnapped each other at the beginning of the summer and eloped to Gretna Green. For the record, no one knew until afterwards, not even Ron or Hermione. And my mother is still not speaking to me. Haven't bothered to file the paperwork with the Ministry yet. Suppose we will at some point soon."
"I don't suppose you'd let me have an exclusive interview for the Quibbler, and time the filing of your paperwork to the publication of the interview?" Luna asked, her voice not at all dreamy.
"Good a way as any," Ginny said, looking at Harry for his opinion.
Harry nodded. "Let's time it as close as possible to October 31st. Give me something pleasant to look forward to on that day," he said. Then he looked over to Luna, "Is that doable?"
"Of course," she said with an impish smile.
"And no peep until then?"
"Not from me, but the rest of the school is going to know by the end of the welcoming feast, so if you want the Quibbler to break the news, you'll need to move up your timetable," she pointed out.
"Fair point," Ginny said quietly.
"Ah, well. So be it. You can interview us after we're done with this general conversation, and we'll make sure the Ministry gets a copy of the marriage certificate the day it's published, yeah?"
"Excellent. That will be the issue that comes out next Saturday. But my larger question is, can I be the first to break all the news we're sharing, and is it feasible to draw it out one week at a time?"
Hermione chuckled. "Let's get through all the news first, then we'll get the Strategic Brain over there to get us going in the right direction."
"So." Neville said, back to normal. "Harry and Ginny got married. Narcissa Malfoy is turning out to be both sane and generous, and Hermione has house elves that cook like a dream. Is that it? Did the house elves come as the beginning of Hermione's apology or something?"
"Er, sort of," Ginny said, then went back to eating.
Hermione and Harry shared the same look all over again. And again he spoke. He spoke of what Bellatrix had done, and how Narcissa felt about it. Then he talked about the inheritance. Then he talked about Gringotts, genealogy, and Her Royal Majesty the Pendragon Queen Regent of Avalon.
Neville's eyes were wide, and staring at Hermione. "The once and future king," he breathed. Then corrected himself with a tiny shake. "Queen."
"Also the Viscountess of Black," Ginny added.
Ron was silent until he quietly stated, "There hasn't been a Pendragon Regent in a thousand years. That's one of the reasons Hogwarts was built. No one could guarantee the safety of the children, or their magical education." Then he paused. "Shit, Hermione."
"So that's why you want to talk to Gran. She sits on the Wizengamot, and the Hogwarts Board of Governors. And now… so do you."
Honestly, Hermione hadn't thought about the Hogwarts angle, but that was one of many reasons she wanted to gather this group together - they would see things she didn't see.
"I don't entirely know what all of this is going to mean," Hermione said slowly, holding her food on her lap. "But I realize I will have both power and opportunity, rights and responsibilities, and I will likely meet resistance, sycophants, backstabbing, and all manner of road hazard. And I know, I know that I will need a group of trusted associates who will have my back, keep me grounded, argue with me when I'm wrong, and help me sort out the mess I have found myself in. I mean, the Ministry and the Wizengamot have done without the Pendragon Regent for a thousand years. Does anyone here actually imagine they want one as anything other than a fond possibility for a happily distant future?"
"No," Neville mused quietly. "No, it could be quite ugly. Quite ugly indeed."
"I will value Narcissa and everything she brings, but I honestly don't think she considers - or considered, when it was just the gift of the house, and making me her heir - that I was aligning with her. I think it's pretty clear that she intended to align with us. And if that has changed since the family tree business at the bank, then she's not the person I thought she was."
Ron gave her a look askance.
Harry piped in. "No, I'm with Hermione on this one. It's not that we trust her implicitly. But we do think that many of her objectives in life have drastically changed, and that in many ways what we want is not so different. She just has to be a little more overt in order to convince other people that she's not inherently dark and a source of corruption. Lord knows her husband was."
"So, you don't have to give your answers now, and we don't actually have to strategize now, not really. But I want everyone here to think about whether or not you're willing to help me, in the ways that you can. I will admit that I am looking for a long-term commitment, not just for this year, because I'll be working on long-term and life-long goals for Magical Britain. But it doesn't necessarily mean you'd need to put aside all of your own plans. I'm hoping for dovetails, really."
"I'm in," Ginny said. "I'm still doing some entrepreneurial stuff after graduation, which may or may not pan out to be helpful to the cause, but I'm totally in, anything I can do to help."
"In. For life. Whether you like it or not," Harry said simply, and continued eating.
"I'm so very in," Luna said. "You've got me for as long as you want me. I'll be taking over the Quibbler when I graduate - not entirely all at once, you understand, but I'll be learning each aspect of it much more closely than before. I might do some travelling to other news outlets around the world to see if I can bring back better practices kind of thing, but whatever you need, whenever you need, I'm with you."
"I'm fascinated," Neville said. "And I'm honored you'd think I'd be useful, Hermione. Thank you."
Hermione smiled tightly, noticing that he hadn't taken her up on it, yet.
"And I'm in," he added. "I'm not entirely comfortable promising you my life on the proverbial first date, but I think this is the sort of thing I'll never want to leave, and regardless, I'll always keep your confidence. I know how you feel about snitches, and to be quite honest, I agree completely."
"Yeah," Ron said warily. "This feels way too much like the life commitment you and I just decided not to make each other. Which is not to say that I won't help. And I will absolutely keep your confidence. Just not sure about being at your beck and call."
"You're about to be knighted, mate," Neville pointed out, incredulously. "Exactly whose beck and call do you imagine you'll be at then? Queen Elizabeth II? We have a Queen Regent again."
Ron paused eating, again. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Really just thought it was going to be a ceremony and a title."
"Huh," Harry said. "Me, too."
"And well it might have been, if the Pendragon line continued extinct," Luna said. "This is why she needs our help. Not everyone will be happy about having more responsibility for the good of the community. That's been sadly lacking. Tom Riddle couldn't have done much, if it hadn't. Nor Grindelwald. Nor any of the other dark ones who have risen and passed through our fair isle."
"That's a sobering thought," remarked Ginny.
"I'll help, you know I'll help," Ron said. "And I'll always keep your confidence. That's a given. Really not sure about the commitment part, though. I mean, I want to say yes, but I'm trying to be realistic."
Hermione smiled. It was a little bit of a sad smile, but an absolutely genuine one. "To be honest, Ron, totally honest, I'm relieved that you're taking this so seriously. I'd rather you say, 'thus far and no farther' than make commitments you can't honor."
"Clear expectations ahead of time save so much anguish later, don't you think?" Luna said, back to her dreamy voice.
Ron rounded on her, using the chopsticks as a pointer. "You know, I'm really surprised you haven't mentioned nargles yet."
Totally uncalled for, and there is the immature Ron I know and do not want to date, Hermione thought rather uncharitably. Lashing out at the person least likely to put him in his place.
"Well," Luna began undaunted, and tilting her head as she looked past Hermione and out the window. "I know none of you can see them, and I had a rather difficult experience that taught me to simply not bring up what I can see and others can't. My father had always been quite generous, you see. He taught me to trust myself, even if others didn't. There are other ways to discern, beyond community. But really," Luna said, now slowly, slowly turning her head until she seemed to be looking at Ron, "being a source of ridicule has really helped me know who I am, and who I'm not. How has it helped you?" she ended quietly, and the silence in the car was punctuated only by the sounds of the train itself.
Still, Harry and Hermione met each other's wide-eyed gaze and then looked back at Ron, who was completely flushed with embarrassment.
"I… guess… it… just… makes me… really angry."
"Hmm," answered Luna.
"Can we talk about timing? Media release? That sort of thing?" Ron asked before studiously returning to his egg roll.
"Right. Well. We're all on board to various degrees. I know the ministry will want to weigh in on this," Hermione began thoughtfully.
"And if I may," Neville gently interrupted. "We may not want to make any firm decisions until we consider what the Ministry will have to say, and honestly where QE2 stands on all of this. If I remember my history correctly, and it's been a while since Gran forced this down my throat, so I might not, the reigning British monarch has to authorize the regency being held by the Pendragon Scion, should one eventually appear again, which one eventually has. I mean, you're a Pendragon. And Gringotts has notarized it, so it's as real as anything. And that means that you're heir to whatever the Pendragons still have, but when the last one died without naming an heir and the reigning monarch chose not to bestow the regency elsewhere, well, it reverted back to the Crown. I think."
"I need a book about this, Neville. And I need it yesterday."
Neville nodded. "I'll go to the library tomorrow in my first free period and do some research. I'll make you a list of all the books that look familiar and useful. There were several I had to read back in one of my summers, so long ago."
"Another thing to think about," said Ginny. "I really don't think we should just automatically do whatever the Ministry wants, just because the Ministry wants it. I mean, not that we should be antagonistic just for the fun of it, but I think that we, or really, Hermione, should think long and hard before she says yes to pretty much anything he says. Even with Kingsley in charge, he's got a lot of things to consider, a lot of plates in the air, you know? And Hermione's best interests aren't going to be his main concern, as much as he likes her, and as much as he's a genuinely good person and a decent minister so far."
"I agree," Ron said. "I think you should go into any meeting cautious, open minded, and with the determination to never agree or disagree to anything immediately. 'I'll have to think about that,' should be the familiar response.
"I have a meeting with Madam Longbottom on Saturday, which is only three days from now, and we're due to meet with Narcissa for a nice long chat the Saturday after that. I'd like your Gran ideally to be an advisor as you all are, but I'm certain I can't open with that, and so I'll settle for a session of useful conversation."
"She always sends me an owl the first morning I'm at Hogwarts. I can't imagine this year will be any different. I could have a confidential letter ready to send back to her, to prepare her, if you want. She'd only use our family owl, who has several security charms on him. I wouldn't dare to send such a letter otherwise."
"I'd love it," Hermione replied. "Give her a heads up that my other, um, adult advisor is Narcissa Malfoy."
Neville smirked. "I will."
"You know, I think in another life," Luna began, "Augusta Longbottom and Narcissa Malfoy might have been quite good friends. They're strong women who value family above all else, and they have a deep respect for tradition."
Well, that just twisted the mind.
"Yes," Harry conceded, "but will they get along in this one, is the question."
"Time will tell," Luna answered.
"Okay, would any of you be willing to go to meetings with me, and such. I mean, not everyone needs to, and certainly not everyone at each one, but I'd appreciate at least at first, not going alone."
"Ideally Narcissa and Augusta would accompany you to all of them at first. But I'd also be willing, whenever I can," Luna said.
"I'm in," Harry said. "They may consider me a loose canon at this point, and so it might not be in your favor. Your call on which meetings you want me there. No hard feelings either way."
"I'm in," Neville said. "And no one considers me much of anything. But still. I'm totally in, Hermione. This is the most interesting thing - well, positive and interesting thing- that has happened to the wizarding world since Merlin began the Wizengamot. And if I can be useful to you, well, it's this, or I take a Mastery in Herbology and putter around with my plants. Which I can still do, of course. And I might anyway. But I'd rather be right behind you, helping to make this happen in the best way possible."
"Thanks, Neville," Hermione said, her heart strangely touched.
"Erm, is it okay if I say no?" Ginny asked. "I'm all about being behind the scenes."
"Of course it's okay," Hermione said with a smile.
"I'll opt out too, if you don't mind," Ron said mildly.
"Totally reasonable," Hermione agreed.
"Concerning media representation," Luna said, changing the subject. "I would understand if you decline, but I'd be honored if you'd allow the Quibbler to break your news. We haven't really gotten into syndication, but that's an area my cousins and I think needs to happen next. We've considered getting a daily broadsheet going - I think the name The Daily Quibble has quite a lot of merit, and keep the weekly for more in depth articles on a wider variety of subjects, including some across the spectrum of academic breakthroughs and their wider implications. The Prophet doesn't bother itself with international news, not really, and so there's a market for cross-syndication, really. And we could do a lot with freelance before we even get into employing correspondents, but I digress."
"Oh, Luna," Hermione said. "I was hoping you'd feel that way. It's one of the several reasons I want you in this inner circle."
"I do believe the media should be unbiased, Hermione," Luna said, her soft tone a soft warning.
"And I respect you more for that, Luna. If you're privy to off-the-record meetings, will you be okay with things staying off the record until they're not?"
"Hmm, I foresee difficult moments. But it will help me grow as a moral person. So, yes. I agree. I'll keep separate notebooks."
"Ron, what do you think about timing?" Hermione asked as Ginny dished out seconds to those who were ready.
"Well, there are a lot of pieces on the board, and we need time for everyone to get into place. Augusta Longbottom, Minister Shacklebolt, Narcissa Malfoy, Queen Elizabeth II-"
"Oh, and I'm meeting with Headmistress McGonnagall this evening," Hermione added.
"-the Headmistress, the head of the Wizengamot - who is that now? - and there may be a few others we don't know about yet. Once everyone is in the loop, everyone is going to have a different agenda going forward. Possibly the most important agenda will be that of Her Royal Majesty. October 15th is when we would have been knighted, and she'll either have to make a decision by then or postpone it, because she's clearly not going to knight Hermione - can you knight a viscountess? I'm not sure you can knight a viscountess - and to simply fail to have her take part without explanation would cause riots in the streets at this point.
"So, the Queen will either reinstate the regency with or without folderol, or she won't, and we'll have an entirely different kettle of fish to deal with."
"What do you mean folderol?" Harry asked, and Hermione was glad for it.
Neville chimed in. "I think Pendragon's estates and possibly investments, if there were such things a thousand years ago, would have reverted back to the Crown. Anything that wouldn't fit in the vault, really. So in there you'd have paintings, books, small valuables, charmed artifacts, actual money, but anything not guarded by goblins would revert. And she might decide to give that back. Or not."
Hermione nodded her thanks to Neville. "More about the vault in a moment. Ron, let's get back to timing."
"Right. So, I'd say the closer to after graduation we can postpone the announcement, the better. I know that's nine months. But as soon as all this hits the fan, whether or not you become the Regent of Avalon or you're just the Heir to Black and the Scion of Pendragon, you'll want to be able to really focus your efforts on what that means, and I'm guessing politics and estate management are going to be really high on your radar. Do you really want to be wrangling the Wizengamot, studying precedent and law and political intrigue while you are simultaneously revising for your NEWTs? I mean, all the time turners were destroyed, Hermione. You won't get one again. But regardless, there is the knighting ceremony coming up. I mean, if we really do want to delay this, we could work with Kingsley and the Crown's representative and say that we really don't want to become knights until we've graduated, because we take the responsibility seriously, blah, blah, blah, and we couldn't possibly bear such a responsibility as school students. Which is utter tripe because we managed to vanquish no-nose and also manage classes-"
"-Well, some of us did," Neville added wrly. "Some of us were off camping."
"And starving," Harry added, enjoying his food with relish.
"Same point," Ginny said blithely. "Please continue."
"But the press will eat that up. No offence, Luna," Ron said, finishing.
"No offence. The Daily Prophet will. The Quibbler might run something slightly different. You know we enjoy pointing out the obvious. And we may have to point out that school children managed to vanquish a dark lord, but admittedly, that was badly planned. And a knighthood shouldn't be badly planned."
"Thought," Ginny added. "In the vein of, 'don't trust the Ministry as far as you can personally throw the entire building.' Imagine this scenario: all the powerholders decide yes, yes, let's wait until June of next year to recognize Hermione as Pendragon and Regent. And then quietly legislation is passed to somehow invalidate a Regent's rights and responsibilities and deny Pendragon a seat on the Wizengamot. 'Extinct lines can only be revived within 750 years', 'if a Regent abdicates responsibility for more than 8 ¾ months they are ineligible to serve in their lifetime,' or whatever. There are still plenty of anti-Harry factions in the Ministry, and they would extend that sentiment to Hermione, I'm sure. They know we're all thick as thieves."
"This meeting being evidence in support," Luna said, nodding.
"Well, that does sound like the Ministry," Ron agreed.
"Delores Umbridge in particular," Neville agreed.
"Luna," Hermione said, turning to her with a grin. "Don't you think The Daily Quibble needs to have a specific law correspondent, soon, possibly with some visually defined rating scale that clearly and adequately represents what the law is meant to contain and what it really contains? And by the way, I think the Black Family would be willing to discuss being a significant investor in the expansion of this reliable media outlet. For the good of the community, you understand."
Hermione could see the stars in Luna's eyes.
"It would be even better," Ron added, "if you could actually get all the old families, and even some of the newer ones, to publicly invest. You could have different levels of investment. Maybe that kind of thing is printed somewhere in every issue, who are the major and minor stakeholders. The idea would be, no matter your political motivation, everyone benefits from an unbiased, unencumbered press. No one owns it. All the major stakeholders are on the board of directors, but so are others, picked by the editor, or something, and no one overrides the editor-in-chief."
"Oh I love it! The Daily Quibble could start as a political and legislative fact-checking machine! And then we could expand to national news, international news from syndication, and then the world is our oyster! I can see it now! The Daily Quibble, subtitle: Avalon's Watchdog." And then Luna squeaked in delight.
"I want to be your first subscriber, Luna," Harry said.
"I'm number two," Neville said.
"I'm three!" both Hermione and Ginny said at the same time.
"You've already got Harry's," Hermione said.
"This is important news!" Ginny said with mock indignation. "I want my own, don't I? But fine, I'll be number four."
"Yeh, sign me up," Ron agreed.
"Let me talk with Narcissa about investing, and you talk with your cousins to see what's feasible to start with. But the faster we could get going with our political watchdog, the easier I will rest at night if we are able to put this off until graduation. Because you're right, Ginny. I trust Kingsley far more than the average politician, but I don't imagine he's got everyone under control."
"No," Ginny said grimly. "I don't suppose he has."
End note: A quick and happy reminder. If you don't like the speed of this updating, you have options, people! If you can stand to read this story on a different archive, it's entirely updated on my account over on ao3-dot-org(sareliz, same author name). But if you tend to postpone things like sleeping, eating, and going to work when a really good story drops with many thousands of words, I recommend you consume it in smaller pieces here, because friends... we are in for the long haul. I wasn't joking. There's 500,000 words written. And most of it's already available, somewhere.
In other news! If you are reading this roughly when I'm posting this, I want to tell you that I'm doing my annual Name A Character After A Patron drawing over on my corresponding account (links are in my author's page!) and I'm doing the drawing on the evening of Monday, April 26, 2021. The character is in my upcoming original novel, The Crown Prince. Yes, one day, there will be an upcoming original novel named Debts of Honor by yours truly, but we are so not there yet, friends. But patrons do get First Access to all that information, too. In case you were curious.