Hogwarts - 1998
I look at Harry and Ron relaxing and enjoying our hard-won peace. I steel my nerves and walk towards them. "Harry there's something I need to talk to you about."
He nodded at Ron and stood up. "I wanted to talk to you about something too."
I signal for him to follow me and choose an abandoned classroom. Only after placing all the privacy charms that I know could I force myself to face him.
"Harry I—" I stopped. Took a breath. Grounded myself. "—about that night-" Even after all that's happened, I still couldn't say the words out loud. Didn't want to but I would. By Merlin, I would. I open my mouth to try again. But he interrupts me before I could even start.
"Hermione I just want to forget that anything ever happened." He stared right past me. He couldn't even face me. "It was a mistake. One that will not happen again."
I sat down frozen in my seat. Harry, my best friend Harry, was renouncing that beautiful thing that happened between us. Mistake or not I couldn't believe he would dismiss the matter like that. I didn't have that option.
"Look, Hermione, it's not about you okay? It's just – for once in my life I'm free! Free to do whatever I please and act like the teenager I never got to be. Free to enjoy my life however I want to. I want to move forward and to do that I need to cut ties with all that's happened this past year. Or it'll poison me forever.
"We'll still be friends, don't get me wrong, and maybe one day we could rekindle what we had that night. But first I want to enjoy the freedom that I just earned. Don't you get it? For once in my life, I can finally be Just Harry."
There was so much excitement in his eyes at the prospects of being just a plain Joe. I nodded mutely and watched as he kneeled in front of me.
"You understand, right?"
I held his gaze trying desperately to find anything that would tell me that what happened that night meant something to him. That he didn't mean the words he said.
I found nothing.
"Yes. I…understand." Keep the tears in Hermione. "You want nothing to do with the past so that it won't hold you back."
"Exactly! I knew you'd understand."
I stare unfeeling into his eyes. "You don't want me to hold you back."
Harry backtracks. "No, no, no, Hermione. Nothing could ever stop me from being your friend. You're the best friend any bloke could ask for. But you have to admit, it was a mistake. We were both emotional and with the locket and the war weighing on us..."
I stood from the chair before I did something I would regret. I give him a watery smile. I understood but it didn't make his words any easier. "It's fine. I understand. I really do. You don't want anything to do with that night then that's fine, we were young and stupid and death could knock on our door at any second. Don't worry Harry. I won't say anything else on the matter."
"Thank you, Hermione." He moves to kiss me, but I move my face away. Tears prickled behind my eyes but I managed to hold them back until I heard the door close.
'Don't be selfish Hermione.' I tell my heart. 'Don't spoil his happiness.'
The tears fall anyways.
Later I stood I'm in front of the two other people in the world I could call friends. "I'm pregnant."
Neville lost his smile and Luna her serene expression. "Ron's?"
I shook my head. "Harry's."
There was shock and disbelief in their faces but there was also excitement. A baby after times of so much death was a symbol of hope for us. But I knew why their faces were incredulous. Everyone expected a relationship between Ron and me. Not Harry and me. Never Harry and me.
Luna was the first to break the silence. "Does he know?"
I shook my head trying to dry the wetness that wanted to creep out. "He wants to forget that night ever happened. Didn't even let me speak. But I understand. I do. "
Neville shot up from the bed. "So, he decided everything by himself? That bastard! When I get to him-!"
Grabbing a quick hold of his arm I pull him back down to the bed. The events of Fifth Year drew us all together and this anger on my behalf is a result of it. "You will do no such thing! I won't hold him back."
Neville tried to loosen my hold on him but I wouldn't budge. "Hermione, you cannot expect me to just sit here."
"You can and you will Neville Longbottom or I will hex you into staying. Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm leaving for Australia to find my parents."
Our stare off went by ignored by our blonde friend. "When are you leaving?"
I look at Luna. Her eyes screamed understanding but there was also sadness and a whole other plethora of emotions. "After the funerals. I need to pay my respects before leaving and arrange to take my NEWTs overseas plus making restitution to Gringotts."
Finally giving up on saving my 'honor' Neville settled down. "We'll come with you."
"I'm leaving now then."
Luna stood up. "Let's go."
Luna's p.o.v
Neville and I sat eating ice cream in the newly re-opened Fortescue's two weeks after Hermione's departure. It was only recently that people caught onto her disappearance and started asking questions.
The Daily Prophet was dropped on our table. Out of habit, I pointed my wand at the culprit a curse ready to leave my lips. "Did you know that she left?"
It took a few seconds for my heart to start calming down. I lower my wand and glared at Harry, but even still it was pumping too fast. "Do not ever sneak up on me again Harry Potter."
Neville was near ready to pummel the Boy-Who-Lived into the ground but I stop him from jumping out of his seat with a well-placed stomp on his foot. I also used it to ground myself to reality more. I- We were not back under the Carrows. There was nothing to fear. "Hello there Harry. Sorry for holding you at wand point, it's a habit from having people try to kill me. I'm fine though, thank you for asking. No, don't worry about it, you're not interrupting anything important. How can we help you?" Neville gritted out.
Harry Potter did not look amused. In fact, there seemed to be anxiousness hanging all over him. "Sorry Neville. It's just…she left and didn't say a word. We had to find out through the Daily Prophet of all things. Aren't we best friends?"
Breathe Luna. You need to breathe. I kicked Neville in the shins before he could snip out a hurtful remark. Yes, Harry deserved the riot act but not from us. "Hermione left a letter in the box that we left in your bed. Did you even open it, Harry?"
"I-I might not have been paying much attention." Harry at least had the decency to look abashed.
Neville snorted behind his sundae. "Try none at all." I glared at him. "You barely said a word to her when she was here. Too busy partying Man-Who-Won?"
Now Harry was building up steam. "What's that supposed to mean? She wasn't making any efforts either."
That comment pissed Neville off even more. Just like Ronald, Harry was learning to blow away his failures to someone else. "Last time she tried you blew her off remember?"
"I-I…"
Harry's anxiety levels seemed to skyrocket and he wrung his hands nervously. I tried to care but my own fight-or-flight instinct was still high. Harry was a big boy -a man now even- he could take care of himself. "Forget it, Harry. If you want to talk to her just send her an owl. She's not trying to disappear you know."
3 Years Later – Australia
Courier-Owl Post
A Better SkeleGrow!
By: Adam Smith
Hermione Granger, war hero, holder of a Merlin First Class award and recent Potion and Charm Mistress, has done the unimaginable and created a SkeleGrow potion that works faster and is capable of being used in conjunction with a pain-relieving potion, which is frankly a relief since the pain of re-growing bones increased.
At twenty-one years of age, Mistress Granger is currently the youngest Potions Mistress out there, her record of completing her Mastery in two years and six months beaten only by Severus Snape, late Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry and ex-Potions Master to the young lady. While not the first potion she has enhanced (read: made so much better), the SkeleGrow potion is her most notorious one as it is used almost religiously by Quidditch players everywhere.
"I got into the business of remaking potions and enhancing them after reading a potions book annotated all over by my former Potions Master, Master Snape. A friend of mine was using the book, and while at the time I considered it a cursed book…Okay so maybe I was a smidge jealous, but!, after learning who its previous owner was, I gained a better appreciation of it and was inspired to make potions better. After all, I am Hogwarts renowned know-it-all, it'd be a pity if I couldn't continue Master Snape's footsteps. I might be considered the Brightest Witch of my Age, but he was most certainly the World's Best Potioner."
For a list of potions that Mistress Granger has enhanced turn to page 6.
4 Years Later – South America
O Globo Mágico (Translated from Portuguese)
Hermione Granger Strikes Again!
Written by: Favio Silva
The former member of the Golden Trio, the main players in the defeat of the British Dark Lord Voldemort, Hermione Granger, has amazed the wizarding world yet again with a new and improved Wolfsbane. Based on the old one, Wolfsbane 2.0, as people are calling it, allows the drinker to not only retain their wits during their transformation but also to stay in their human body. What's the importance of this my dear readers might ask? It is a known fact that lycanthropy is spread through the bite or injury performed by a transformed werewolf. If werewolves cannot transform then the rate of infection dramatically decreases. Hypothetically speaking, Wolfsbane 2.0 could end lycanthropy. With no side effects of the discontinuation of the option, Mistress Granger herself recommends coming off the potion every other month to not place the body under too much strain.
With the Amazon rainforest occupying much of the South American backyard, it's a relief to know that we might be facing one less threat now. With Lycanthropy turning into a thing of the past, we can see a brighter future now within these great trees in the forest and most importantly within Brazil.
For more info on the improved Wolfsbane turn to page 3.
For the Amazonian Rain Forest, page 5.
For Mistress Granger's time in South America, page 6-8.
4 Years, 6 Months – North America
Magical Post/ Magia Universal (Translated from Spanish)
The Best of Two Worlds
A collaboration between Melany Guitierrez & Johnathan Smith
Hermione Granger has done it again. This time with her second Mastery, Charms. Her newest creation is guaranteed to change the Potion classroom and world as we know it and open a whole new branch of magic for Charms. Her newest move? A spell that all but does the potion process for you. Simply have the ingredients at the ready and handy, set the instructions, and voila! You have a potion that makes itself.
"It is important that students learn how to make the potions without any silly 'wand-waving' as my late, Hogwarts potions Masters used to say but it's equally important for Potions Masters and Mistresses out there to have the ability to work on more than one potion at a time. It cuts down time and frees up time to develop new ideas." Says Charm Mistress Hermione Granger who also states that the spell is still in experimental stages and would not be capable of performing the more complex potions. Projections have placed the finalized version in the market by year's end. Best of luck, Mistress Granger.
5 Years Later - Taiwan
Excerpt taken from the Watanabe School Newspaper (translated from Japanese)
NO MORE LYCANTROPHY!
Majime Akiyama
In a move that sent ripples and shock across the entirety of the Wizarding World far and wide, Hermione Granger has created the cure to Lycanthropy. The curse that has been ailing thousands of witches and wizards around the globe has finally been eradicated by non-magical born Hermione Granger. Known for her many accomplishments and additions to the magical community, Miss Granger has them all topped with this discovery.
With a mixture of both the magical and the non-magical worlds, this millennium-old puzzle has been solved. A project on which she has worked for many years and has traveled the globe in search of answers, Mistress Granger says that many of her creations were but stepping stones building up to this point. She admits that many of her accomplishments were her way of tackling the problem and solving it piece by piece.
Since the introduction of Wolfsbane 2.0, officially named Banewolf, life for werewolves has changed dramatically. Instead of being shunned by society, they have once again been reintegrated into it, some even for the first time in their lives. Children are in school, adults are back at work and contributing to the societies that they live in. Here in Asia where the ministries have treated Lycanthropy as a sickness instead of a curse, werewolves worked mainly civilian jobs. Since the new Wolfsbane 'stabilizes' the sickness, Auror departments all around could not open their doors fast enough. With greater strength, speed, and sense of smell, the Auror Weres make some of the best on the force. Crime rates everywhere have never fallen so far so quickly. It's gotten to the point where some Werewolves want to stay Weres. In full support of their decisions, Asian ministries are backing up those that wish to remain as werewolves and will be providing Banewolf for its workers, at no extra cost to them.
To be continued next page…
To know more about werewolves in today's society go to page 5 or contact your local ministry.
5 Years, 8 Months Later – Egypt
Arabian Tales
Bringing A Continent Closer Together (Translated from Arabic)
Aliyah Nejem
Africa. A continent that is as diverse as it is big. Filled with different cultures, languages, and dialects it's not surprising that there is much to be desired in communications. But never fear Charm Mistress Granger is here!
Thanks to her new creation, the translation charm (no abbreviation needed), people from entirely different backgrounds can now communicate as if they were raised under the same roof. This new Charm charms the user into understanding most spoken languages in the world regardless of any previous knowledge the user may have.
"Mistress Granger is a very ingenious woman. She has done what it would have taken years for people thrice her age to do in months. She cured lycanthropy, has bettered millennia of potions, and pioneered new combinations of masteries. As we speak, Mistress Granger has plans of developing the charm to allow users to be able to speak and read the language instead of having spoken words translated into their native language." Those are the exact words that Keelan Azikiwe, renowned Zimbabwe Magizoologist and host to Miss Granger, said. Why the strange combination of masteries you might ask? Well, Miss Granger is also renowned for her thirst for knowledge and Magizoologist is about the furthest from her own Masteries while still retaining something in common. When asked about the nature of his relationship with Miss Granger Mr. Azikiwe went silent. Is that love in the air that this reporter detects?
6 Years Later - Germany
Wizarding Newspaper (Translated from German)
Portable Floo. The Invention of Tomorrow.
Boyce Scheider
Imagine being able to stop asking to use someone's fireplace to go places. Imagine being able to connect to the Floo Network regardless of where you are, being able to travel simply by placing a disk down, and stepping into it while saying the destination. Well then imagine no more. In a collaborative work across the magical fields of Runes, Arithmancy, and Charms, the portable Floo is now a thing of the present. Main contributors of the project thank Charm Mistress Granger for the help. While not officially part of the team behind the invention, Mistress Granger served as a mentor and source of information to the quintet of talented youth she took under her wing.
The portable Floo connects to the main Floo network of the country and can also act as a way to make Floo calls both on a national and international level I you're willing to pay for the service. I have a feeling this new creation will be on many people's Christmas lists. It's already on mine.
Doing what none have done before and teaching our youth is there anything Hermione Granger can't do? I certainly hope not.
*Newspapers are based on real newspapers or are unimaginative titles.
