Chapter 10
To Help or Not
It was the last Hogsmeade of the year. After the revelation of her relation to Grindelwald she had avoided Hogsmeade for fear of unscrupulous characters. But after assurances by her friends that talk had not even lasted a week, she felt generally safe going to the small town near Hogwarts.
Though the moment she stepped foot out of the castle she felt a bit unsure of her decision. The clouds were incredibly dark and seemed to give a sense of foreboding. The ground was lightly damp from an earlier rain, and the area seemed more miserable than before.
"It's Scotland," she reminded herself. Gloomy weather could hardly be unexpected.
The trio walked down the path towards the town.
"I can't believe the year is almost over," Harry said aloud.
"Really I thought it dragged on forever," Ron complained
"Nothing's happened yet," Harry said.
"Whatcha mean," Ron said while shooting a glance at Hermione.
Catching his look Hermione decided to open up, "I agree even with the strange things happening to me, it does feel like a quiet year, doesn't it?"
"I could have sworn something was going to happen, Malfoy was acting suspicious all year," Harry added. As he looked around them for any sign of the blond.
"Why are you two trying to jinx us," Ron grouched. "Is it too hard to ask to end a year without risking our skin," he added.
"Of course not," Hermione added as they entered the town.
"So should we head to the hogshead maybe the sweet shop," Harry suggested.
"Hermione probably wants the library," Ron said.
"No thank you," Hermione said to the boy's shock.
It may have escaped their minds, but she would not forget. The local library was where she was ambushed and port keyed away. She didn't know if she would ever feel safe going near that building again.
The woman had always been so kind towards her, the idea of someone like that helping Voldemort had shaken everything she once believed.
It was as these thoughts passed, that she was hit with a new determination.
"You know what I will visit the library," she told them.
"That's Hermione for you," Ron told Harry.
"Would you like us to go with you?" Harry asked.
Hermione felt a genuine smile for her friends concern over her. "If you want, I just want to speak to the librarian for a minute."
"I'll wait outside for you, Ron can go find us a seat somewhere," Harry told her.
As she entered the small library, she could see Harry's salute against the door. He took his self-proclaimed job way too seriously. "If he doesn't make Auror he would make a good bodyguard," Hermione thought.
Her thoughts turned from her friend to the clerk the moment she laid eyes on her.
The woman had not looked up when she entered and seemed busy stamping some of the books in her possession.
As her heart raced Hermione removed her wand as she gently approached the woman. It would not do to be unprepared or interrupted. She cast a quick muffliato at the door.
"Welcome," the woman said kindly as she began to look up.
"Am I?" Hermione demanded startling the woman.
The woman looked like a deer in the headlights. Her eyes round as her breathing seemed to stop.
Hermione did not know what to expect, the woman's eyes began to tear up as she banged her head against the desk hiding her face.
"I'm sorryi'msorryimsorry," her words were muddled together. Her crying got louder as she begged for forgiveness.
Hermione stared dispassionately unsure of what to make of the woman.
"You helped try and kill me," she accused loud enough for the woman to hear.
The words coming from the librarian were to muddled to make any sense of, but Hermione got the impression that she was denying what happened.
"Look at me, why did you try and kill me," Hermione demanded.
The woman continued to deny it. "I didn't," she continued to say.
Hermione was getting fed up with her behavior and once more demanded she look up.
As the woman refused to listen, her head still pressed to the desk, and her arms beginning to flail. It reminded Hermione of a house elf desperately trying to punish itself in order to not be punished by its master.
Her questions were getting her no where so she decided to use her magic.
"Petrificus Totalus," she whispered as the woman's arms and legs snapped into place.
She fell to the ground hard and unable to move from the effects of the spell.
"Listen to me now, I will release the spell and you will calmly answer my questions," Hermione told her.
The woman's eyes seemed to dart around wildly, so Hermione waited and asked again. This time as the woman seemed to understand the situation, her eyes became more focused. Feeling the woman had more control of her senses Hermione released the spell.
"There's someone else in the store," the clerk finally said.
Surprised Hermione looked around only to spot an aging wizard trying to make his way to the door.
A look of pure terror in his eyes, Hermione was unsure what the situation looked like, but didn't need people asking about.
As she pointed her wand at the man he scrambled for his. Too late before she cast a simple obliviate, and sent him out the door past Harry.
"I should have checked if there was anyone in here," Hermione admitted softly. The library was usually empty but that was no excuse for her carelessness.
Turning her attention back to the woman she asked, "why did you help try and kill me?"
"I didn't," she said.
"You were always so nice, I never thought you would do such a thing," Hermione told her.
"No I didn't mean too," the woman begged.
"Now that you know who I am," Hermione accused angrily.
"No! No! I never hated you even before," the clerk continued.
"Then why did you try and kill me," Hermione demanded.
"I didn't I just had to turn a blind eye," the woman tried to explain.
"That still leaves my blood on your hands, your inaction is the same as action," Hermione seethed. "If he really wanted to kill me, if nothing of this Grindelwald nonsense came out, I would be dead and you would be at least partially to blame," she continued.
"I didn't mean to, they have my son," the clerk finally told her.
"You're son? Why would the death eaters have your son?" Hermione questioned.
The woman's eyes shot frantically towards the door, and Hermione raised her wand. "Don't try it," she told the clerk.
The woman looked down her hands clasped together, and tears began to form once more in her eyes.
"It's not the death eaters, its the ministry, there new laws targeting magical creatures. But he's not a creature he's just cursed." she said.
"There are so many pure bloods in government if I don't turn a blind eye they could kill him, he's only twelve," she was now openly weeping.
Hermione was now very confused.
"If he's twelve why isn't he in school," she asked with legitimate curiosity. What was the curse the woman was referring too?
"He would have been, could have been," the clerk muttered.
"The ministry are afraid you see, and they ordered everyone like my son those with Lycanthropy into quarantined living," the woman said.
"He would have been a normal wizard, it's my fault," the woman cried.
"They're locking away werewolves," Hermione was surprised. She hadn't heard much about that at all.
Though as her mind flashed back she was struck with a few memories of that accursed woman Umbridge. She had been in the paper a lot enacting new and assuredly disastrous laws.
If the woman was telling the truth then that meant the ministry was even locking away young wizards.
"Do they teach them magic," Hermione asked dumbly.
"Of course not, their dark evil creatures they say," the woman spat her tears fading as they were replaced by rage.
"He's just a boy, but they don't care," the clerk told her. "All these 'purebloods' running rampant, they'll kill anyone who doesn't conform to them."
"But as long as they're willing to serve the Dark Lord will save them, my boy will be saved," the woman finally said.
"He won't save them he'll enslave them," Hermione was horrified.
"They'll live," the woman smiled. Finally, she faced Hermione, "I'm not afraid anymore kill me if you must, my boy will live."
This took Hermione completely off guard. The clerk thought she was going to kill her? That had never even crossed her mind, but perhaps she had given the wrong indication waving her wand about.
"I was never here to hurt you," Hermione finally said.
Hermione turned to leave but before she got to the door she turned around.
" Thank you for telling me why, it helps me understand a lot," Hermione looked down at her vine wand. It was then that she looked up her face displaying nothing less than complete conviction.
I'll save them, I'll save all of them," Hermione whispered.
"Obliviate," she cast.
As she exited the shop Harry turned to look at her.
"Took you awhile in there?" he asked.
"Did it? Well, it was very informative," Hermione told him softly. Her eyes set with a new determination.