Hermione ran her hands through the grass, smiling as the breeze blew over her, ruffling her hair. The morning had been long, but educational. Madam Pince had taught her many librarian spells in order for her to replace the books quickly, efficiently, and just how she liked them now the entire hall was immaculate. Her she'd been so busy charming books with hexes to protect them from vandals, and double checking books on shelves were exactly where they should be; that lunch had come as a welcome break. It was now that she was by Hagrid's Hut, watching him build the memorial garden that seemed to be growing at an unnatural rate that she relaxed. Chewing absently on an overstuffed sandwich, curtesy of the Malfoy house-elves of all things, she watched the tree line mesmerised by the dark shapes of animals that cast shadows upon the trunks of the ancient trees.
Until they seemed to be getting closer.
The figures moved closer to where Hermione could see the outlines of bows and arrows, a tall torso, and horse like flanks. She gasped, scrambling to her feet as five centaurs, and a lone unicorn broke forward from the forest.
They'd spied her, and at a gallop, were heading towards where she now stood; eyes wide. She shook herself out of it, and stepped forward, hoping she looked like she was happy to welcome the centaur group. They slowed as they neared the loss of speed still graceful despite the sheer power she knew they could achieve with their legs, and stern; unnaturally beautiful faces regarded her. The pulled to a halt, several paces away, keeping their distance. The long powerful bodies stamping and pawing at the turf beneath their hooves as if establishing dominance, and their heads perfectly still, strong arms each holding a bow with an arrow knocked.
"She has matured." One from the back commented, his golden hair rippling as a fresh wind blew over them.
"Still young." The one who appeared to be a leader commented. "You will do however, we bring news."
"No," She gasped, looking at them all with wide eyes, what she hoped was concern displaying instead of fear. "I must get someone else, older, wiser than me."
"She will do." The centaur with golden hair commented again, as Hermione pulled her wand out, and the sound of bow strings being tightened caused her to swallow. She looked up, to see the arrows levelled at her, the eyes of the magical beings narrowed suspiciously, almost furiously.
"No, I really won't do, I'm not…I can't handle whatever it is you are going to tell me, I'm not in charge of Hogwarts, I…please, let me summon someone who can help you better than I can." She pleaded, as the centaurs remained like statues, and a nagging feeling began to build that two of them looked very familiar to her.
"She has wisdom." The centaur from the back spoke again, and regarded her carefully as he put his bow down, "I say we allow it, if she does not summon, we can take her."
The unicorn, the odd member of this group had been watching, still and sure as the strange meeting occurred. It was now that it stepped forward, so white Hermione felt blinded, and stood in front of her, its horn almost pressing against Hermione's hair line. The centaurs watched, mouths pressed together, and a sigh from the leader startled Hermione.
"You must have a heart that has some goodness in it. We will trust you. Summon your elders." He commanded, regarding the unicorn carefully.
"Thank you," Hermione breathed, and her silver otter burst forward, swimming to the castle with a speed she'd never recognised from it before.
"Hermione!" A startled, worried cry came from behind her, and she span around, to see Draco Malfoy running towards her; his movement surprisingly lithe and effortless. His suit blew behind him as he ran, and she gasped to see the concerned, almost fearful expression on his face.
"He worries." The golden haired centaur spoke once more, watching Draco run towards them, skidding to an abrupt stop as he realised the unicorn was watching him with eyes that seemed to go on forever.
"Yes." Said another, as Draco approached coming to stand next to Hermione in such close proximity that she smothered a gasp; inhaling his earthy fresh cut grass scent hungrily. She stepped slightly closer to him, and the centaurs watched with such a look of knowing Hermione thought she could pass out.
"Did you summon him?"
"No, I summoned another."
"He is young, younger than her." Commented the golden haired centaur as the one with hair with silver and such astonishingly blue eyes finally spoke.
"You are Hermione Granger. You ran with Harry Potter." He said, and Hermione gasped.
"Firenze!"
"Yes," he smiled, as the others turned to look at Firenze with surprise.
"Hermione Granger? You are the one who brought us the Umbridge creature." The leader spoke, his hair as black as night, an unpleasant curl to his lip making Hermione shiver. Draco snapped his head to her, his eyes narrowed with curiosity, and a blush crept up her neck, settling on her cheeks. His suspicion would have to be explained later.
"I am sure it wasn't intentional Bane." Firenze said lightly, his eyes turning to Professor McGonagall who was hurrying down the steps a handful of her robes in her hand, the other on her bun, holding everything in place. "You have done well to summon Madam McGonagall." Firenze praised Hermione, stepping forward and dipping his head ever so slightly in respect.
"Firenze!" McGonagall gasped, acknowledging the rest of his small group respectfully, and stepping back with alarm as she noted the unicorn, radiating peace and such dignity Hermione began to feel unruffled.
"We come with important news Minerva." He spoke, and the other centaurs stepped away from Hermione and Draco, moving to follow Firenze, and Hermione let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Draco watched her carefully, his arm out at a strange angle, as if he was about to offer it to her; before he thought better of it. He leaned forward slightly, trying to catch her eyes with this curious, concerned winter gaze.
"You took them Umbridge?" Draco murmured to her, a look of flat out curiosity upon his features.
"Remember when your squad had us at wand point, and I said about a weapon? I was going to take her to see Hagrid's half-brother Grawp, but, they found us first." She replied quietly, walking after the centaurs, closely tailed by Draco who seemed torn between hysterical laughter, and looking incredibly impressed.
"We have fixed the ward points; the last is up to you." Bane was saying to McGonagall, his expression torn between regret and sorrow as he looked upon her. "We have fixed the three in the forest, a phoenix, which has taken a home here since almost twenty four moons passed fixed one and a unicorn the last. We managed to convince the merpeople to fix theirs." He said, handing over a bundle of hair from what looked to be their tails, a pair of phoenix feathers, and several scales.
"Blood would be strongest." Firenze said to an absolutely astonished McGonagall who looked for the entire world as if she was trying to figure out what they were talking about.
"Thank you," she said eventually, "we will never forget your kindness."
"See that you don't." Bane responded harshly, "The time for your human superiority complex must pass. You cannot make the same mistakes."
"Mistakes that we are just as guilty for! Or have you forgotten we did not help the war. We let it get as bad as it did. Do you forget his messengers; promising us horror after horror for our loyalty? The planets never looked so much like they would speak of our destruction during those years. We help the humans." Firenze chastised, as Bane growled at him, humiliation and shame blazing behind his eyes.
"I fear Mr Bane is just as right as you are Firenze," McGonagall spoke tiredly, "there is no one guilty party in this, we have all made dreadful mistakes. Now we must right those wrongs as much as we can." She sighed, as Bane ran appraising eyes over her, the golden haired centaur reaching out to touch over McGonagall's heart with a strong calloused hand.
"Much wisdom resides here. You lead this place now?"
"I am its new headmistress, yes," she confirmed, looking wearily to the fingertips he had placed on her chest.
"The wizarding young will do well under you; almost as well as the one you called Dumbledore. There is hope for the future. The planets say it is so." He declared, removing his fingertips as Firenze looked proudly at him, and Bane looked conflicted.
"I'm afraid…you are going to have to explain what you mean by ward points and why this," McGonagall sighed, shaking the tail hairs gently, "is necessary."
Bane regarded her coolly, before turning his gaze to the sky, as Firenze tilted his head at her quizzically. The golden haired centaur looked at McGonagall, his face sad, as a centaur that hadn't spoken yet stepped forward, russet coloured hair pulled into a knot on the top of his head.
"You know not of the land you stand on?" He asked her, deep amber eyes searching the headmistresses carefully. A wave of warmth that wasn't from the sun shifted to her right, and she flicked her eyes over to Draco to see him moving ever so slightly closer to her. His face impassive. She smothered a smile, and looked to her mentor once more.
"We know little, records have been lost." She fearlessly admitted, and the centaurs stared at her with shock.
"You do not tell your young stories? You don't tell them of where they came from?" Bane questioned, horrified, as Firenze moved closer to McGonagall.
"The old ways have been very lost to these witches and wizards." He said sadly, before copying Bane's previous action; and looking at the sky.
"We knew it would be ancient magic!" Hermione found her voice piping up, and Draco tensed beside her, as if her were about to grab her and run.
"Old, powerful magic. Magic you have doubtless forbidden." The russet haired centaur said, "Magic you have scorned and lost the understanding of. Has the war taught you nothing?" he asked, eyeing the handfuls of hair in McGonagall's hand wistfully. "Perhaps we have made a mistake."
Bane reared suddenly, his bow and arrow aimed at the heart of the amber eyed centaur, a look of unadulterated rage across his features. Draco's hand tightened about Hermione's wrist, and with a sharp tug he pulled her to the side, deftly out of the immediate sight of the centaurs. The unicorn watched him carefully.
"Don't tell me I have made a mistake!" Bane hissed landing all four hooves on the ground as Hermione stared at Draco in surprise, noting he seemed unwilling to meet her gaze.
"We have not," Firenze said calmly, "they are just like our own young now, and we must educate them, for if they do not fix this school…" He trailed off; his eyes on the sky once more.
"The land you stand upon, what is it?" The amber eyed centaur spoke, looking the humans each in the eye searchingly.
"A school." McGonagall replied, sensing she wasn't quite right.
"The lake? The forest?" His amber eyes seemed to burn with such disappointment Hermione found it difficult to look. Until a memory jostled to the forefront of her memory.
"No…"Hermione breathed, "it's not just a school, it's a magical reserve…" The golden haired centaur turned his eyes upon her, regarding Bane with an annoyed twist to his lips.
"I said she was mature."
"She is still freshly young." Bane retorted, as the amber eyed centaur strode towards her.
"Yes, and it has been that way for as long as we can remember. Our memory is very old. We used to share this land with non-magical beings, until too many of us came under threat. The founders of this school; they knew how much of this land was magical, and so built the school. To protect us; the other magical creatures that reside with us, and to teach your young undisturbed. They used powerful, difficult magic. We have fixed what we can of this ancient magic, since it was poisoned so by the Dark Wizard. The rest you must do." The russet haired centaur spoke to her, staring into her eyes, imploring her to understand.
"The wards were simply poisoned? Not removed entirely?" she asked quietly, and the eyes narrowed again.
"If they were gone altogether, there would be magickless here. Your charm on the school is just one of the many layers of protection the land has."
"Firenze!" Hagrid's joyful boom washed over them all, and Hermione jumped, inwardly smacking her hand onto her forehead as she realised Hagrid would have been ideal to summon as well, due to him knowing the centaurs. Draco gently tugged on the hem of her blouse, pulling her backwards away from the centaur that seemed to be intently staring at her. She smiled kindly at him, hoping it wouldn't be taken as an offence as the centaur moved the amber gaze to Draco, the look of such knowing returning.
"What brings yeh 'ere!" Hagrid said as he approached the group, standing protectively by McGonagall.
"Important news Hagrid." Firenze replied a kind smile across his face, as Hagrid's sparkling, beetle like eyes slid over to the unicorn.
"Oh blimey." He breathed, looking back to Firenze questioningly.
"He comes with a gift," the golden haired centaur spoke, and Hagrid's eyes widened with understanding and he ran back to his hut, scrambling out moments later with a bucket.
"Don't let 'im do it yet!" He called, jogging back to the group as the unicorn stepped forward as if there was nothing in its way. Hermione watched curiously, as Draco leant forward with her, Hagrid offering the bucket so sweetly Hermione smiled.
The unicorn ducked its head, raising a front leg, and with a swift slash split its skin open suddenly. Silver streamed out of the gash, filling the bucket faster than Hermione would have liked. Moments later, it stepped back, the cut stopping it's bleeding almost immediately.
"A gift of unicorn blood should be treasured." Bane said, as the unicorn fled into the forest, the speed of which Hermione gasped at, as Hagrid stared slack-jawed. "We will take our leave now, you have much to learn." He said, and followed the unicorn, as Firenze waved his farewell, following Bane.
The group stared after them in amazement, Hagrid eyeing the half-filled bucket of unicorn blood with sheer astonishment.
"Keep it safe Hagrid, preferably in something other than a bucket, and I will tell the ministry of what has happened so we don't encounter yet more trouble." McGonagall said as Hermione forcibly slapped her palm to her forehead, groaning in pain.
"The Grey Lady." She said as a way of explanation and McGonagall sighed with understanding.
"We are fools," she said, as Hagrid sauntered back into his hut in clear shock, and McGonagall turned to walk back into the school, gesturing for both Hermione and Draco to follow. "Find the Grey Lady immediately. Think on what the centaurs said about ward points. Any information we can scrape together is better than nothing." She told them as they hurried up the path to the school.
:: :: ::
"SIR NICHOLAS!" Hermione bellowed the moment they entered the school so loudly that Draco jumped and McGonagall looked alarmed.
"Was that necessary Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked as Hermione looked sheepish, and shrugged slightly.
"Harry and Ron have finally rubbed off on me," she grinned, "but I thought it would help if a ghost I knew would reply to me would help our search." Hermione explained, as Draco's brows furrowed. A silvery being slipped through a wall, his head swinging off casually; almost as if it were more comfortable like that, he approached with a broad grin on his face, delighted to have been summoned.
"You haven't seen the Grey Lady have you?" McGonagall asked him the moment she laid eyes on him, and his shoulders fell.
"Always with the Grey Lady, am I not ancient and knowledgeable for you all?" He lamented, before gesturing upwards. "Stay here, I shall bring her." He ordered, floating up through the ceiling muttering darkly.
"Why the Grey Lady?" Draco eventually asked, and Hermione looked at him curiously before realisation slipped over her features.
"She is Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw; she may know something about the building of this school." She explained, as comprehension dawned over Draco.
"You have been summoned by the Headmistress!" Nearly-Headless-Nick said in an overly loud voice as he drifted down entrance hall once more with another shimmering figure, this time only female. She sighed, rolling her eyes, and peering down at the group curiously.
"I can't help you about the Diadem." She announced, as he feet became close to being on the floor.
"It's not about the Diadem," McGonagall replied curtly, "I need you tell us everything you know about how your mother made this school.
"Oh!" she gasped a delighted smile across her face, "It was one of my favourite stories when I was growing up!" She exclaimed and a look of sheer astonishment passed over their faces, eagerness winning over in their expressions; and they stared at her hungrily.
"They used magic ancient to them; old magic, very powerful magic, there was a time when the magickless creatures – muggles included and us of the magical ways could live together. It wasn't harmonious, things like that can never be, and the need for a place where magical beings could live and thrive together had to be found. The forest and the lake were already packed with magical creatures, and the fields adjacent were deemed a perfect place to put a school. It was private, and almost already difficult to just stumble upon. My mother made a deal with the creatures of the lake and the forest. The school could be built if protection was given to those who lived in the forest and the lake. They agreed, and so began to build a school with rock from the land. It was the first ward point, the most powerful one. Then they went into the lake and the forest, and created four more points, each anchored to each other, to cloak and protect the land. The enchantment to make this school look like an abandoned ruin should a muggle encounter it was unnecessary, and a much later addition, the magic my mother and her friends used was fare more complicated and powerful. They gave their blood to the land, and so did the creatures that lived within the forest, they gave something of them to the ground. It's old magic, and abandoned because it is too powerful; hard to control. We also found far more refined ways of doing things without having to bleed, spit and shed our hair each time we needed to cast a spell. I had been wondering why there were still holes in the castle; it should have repaired itself, this is why you are asking I assume." The Grey Lady almost rambled, as they listened in raptured states.
"It is, yes," McGonagall admitted, and the Grey Lady nodded to herself.
"All isn't as bad as it seems, or the castle would not be standing; the ward points just need replenishing. However the ward was removed, it must have been done with a severe lack of understanding, or even sheer luck; I don't think this would have even happened if there was knowledge of it. The collapsing of this school would have killed everyone."
"How?" Hermione asked, unable to control herself.
"Magic is in the very rock you stand on, the walls that shield you, the roof that keeps you dry from the outside. The sheer force of all the wards being removed would have caused a colossal explosion; I doubt there would be much land left after the castle was done. Did you never wonder how rooms would appear out of nowhere, why the staircases moved, why the school seemed to grow and shrink according to need? It's almost pure magic."
"I see, and so we must…replenish this magic somehow," McGonagall spoke, holding up the hair of the centaurs almost disgustedly.
"Yes, you must offer something magical to the stones of the school, and it must be willingly given; and ask it for help, help is integral to the make-up of this school. Once all the damaged areas have been given this offering, the final spell must be said."
"What is that spell?"
"I don't know, mother never said." She sighed, looking at their crestfallen faces with shame.
"Hang on," Draco spoke, sounding irritated, "this is all rather far-fetched don't you think. Asking the school for help once we give it our blood, or hair, or…something of ourselves. Surely you're making this up, magic could never be this barbaric." He said sounding repulsed.
"Fool. You think the wand you hold in your hand doesn't contain something of a magical being; what is it you are using these days, dragon heartstrings, phoenix feathers, unicorn hair. There is a reason a muggle hasn't been able to come to this part of the world for millennia, they don't even know it exists. They can't. The need to protect it was greater than anything else for them, the love for the land-"
"Love?" Hermione asked stunned; her mind brimming over with the sacrifice both Harry and his mother made. The tale of Voldemort using unicorn blood and Harry's own blood bubbling on the tip of her tongue. "I think I understand." She said eventually.
"You do?" The Grey Lady asked her sceptically, eyeing her curiously.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're talking about magic used from a time when we barely understood it ourselves. When we didn't understand how some forces worked, and how to channel it properly, but we realised we ourselves are magical. We realised that creatures like centaurs were clearly magical, and so were birds of fire. So we thought that if we put part of ourselves, the very magical beings on to the land, we could create some sort of protection for it; or we could cast some kind of magic with it. We were right, and so someone at some-point began to devise and experiment and came up with this warding spell the founders of Hogwarts used. Only, they made it stronger, because they didn't just use their own beings, they used magical creatures too. This very school is the fifth ward point and the strongest because they poured their very own emotions into making it. It is literally a labour of blood, sweat and tears; but also I imagine frustration, joy and love. The wards were removed by a man who had absolutely no understanding of love, and so he could never remove it like someone else could, but he could damage it. That's what he did, he damaged the emotional layer of the school; and that's why it can't be fixing itself like normal. He damaged what he didn't understand. That's why we need to give the school blood, and hair and anything else we can; because we need to tie it to beings with emotions, so that when we cast the spell – that we will really need to find, we will be protecting the school with the very first kind of magic we still experience today." Hermione garbled, her thoughts spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and she stared at her hands, one gripping her wand tightly as she tried to get her thoughts to make sense. A silence had fallen, the astonished faces of McGonagall, Draco and the Grey Lady staring at her with a mix of pride and admiration.
"How are you not in my house." The Grey Lady spoke eventually.
"I almost was," Hermione admitted.
"She is a credit to Gryffindor," McGonagall said proudly, and she flushed with pleasure.
"You were right however, that is exactly what they did, and exactly how my mother described building the school. A labour of love. They may have had more refined wards by the time the school was built, which have been added over the years, but the one my mother and her friends did remained the strongest, and the vital essence of the school."
"Would it help if we had many people and beings give part of themselves to the school?" McGonagall asked curiously, gazing at the Ravenclaw house ghost with apprehension.
"The more who can feel emotion, the better." She replied, looking at the three of them with a gentle smile. "I think you have all you need to know now, besides the final spell. I will take my leave; you will know where to find me." She smiled, drifting away.
"I will write to Shacklebolt, he can put out a notice at the ministry and then everyone of age will know what has to be done to fix Hogwarts, I'll let the Weasley's know also, we shall start on this in full tomorrow." McGonagall explained, as she began to hurry off towards her office.
:: :: ::
The lake was quiet, a mirror for the stars to shine upon, lazy ripples marring it's surface as the giant squid lazily played with the liquid of its home. Hermione came to a stop at the shores, realising that Draco also stood there, his hands in his suit pockets, his eyes watching the squid with a slight smile upon his pale pink lips.
"Stalking me Granger?" He drawled as she stood next to him, her own eyes on the lake.
"I just needed some thinking time, about the school, about…everything." She admitted, realising she'd spent more time thinking about Malfoy that the school.
"Same as me then Granger, I still say giving blood is barbaric."
"But it makes sense to you doesn't it?" She retorted kindly, and Draco sighed, hanging his head in defeat and acknowledgement. They stood together for a while in silence, the playful lapping of the water by the giant squid the only noise between them for a while.
"I heard it was your birthday today." She commented, giving him a sidelong glance.
"It is." He confirmed, and looked at her curiously, before watching the lake again.
"Happy birthday to you," Hermione began to sing into the night, her eyes set on the stars above her, and the cool breeze that blew over them both. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Draco, happy birthday to you." She sang quietly, as Draco's face split into a large smile.