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So far... The reborn Hermione launched the secret Cathesis League to fight corruption. Now at Hogwarts, the young girl formed CREST from the trusted members of the old D.A. After an exciting first year, the youngsters are back at school. They discovered a mysterious gate into a dome of thorns in the Forest. Now read on...
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Chapter 58
The Lost Children
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Gold
Most of the rest of Easter, Hermione spent with her parents. In her accounts of life at Hogwarts she glossed over the difficulties and dwelt on the successes, such as her Potions class and the self-help group, Crest.
"We're proud of you, Hermione," said Mrs Granger.
Mr Granger spoke quite sternly and with a straight face, "Now go get us some more gold!"
"Edward!"
"Joking, Anne. Truthfully, Hermione, we couldn't be more happy for you and what you are doing." Then he winked and stage-whispered aside, "But don't forget the gold!"
Hermione laughed. "The fund must be huge by now, but we'll keep needing it for supplies and investments for the future. The ventures are developing but we can take nothing for granted."
Mrs Granger smiled. "Yes, well, it's Easter, about time you relaxed for a while, Hermione. And aren't you spending some time with Harry at the end of the break?"
Hermione nodded.
Perhaps she appeared a little dreamy for her father said, "Can't keep away from him, eh? I expect the Golden Boy is becoming a fine figure of a young man by now, right?"
"Dad! He's not yet thirteen!"
But everyone knew that behind Mr Granger's gentle teasing, he was happily in earnest.
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A Heart Filled with Peace
Two days Hermione spared to stay with the Blacks at Grimmauld Place. The weather was cool but pleasant, and the backdoor was often open to let fresh air through the hallway. Cadence giggle-burbled happily whenever a movement of air wafted the window blinds in the kitchen which was where the family had gathered on the final morning of the holiday.
Sirius was reading the Daily Prophet at the breakfast table. Beside him, Hermione was teaching cribbage to Harry who kept pulling faces and frowning as he lost hand after hand.
"Well, at least Fudge has shelved his plans to cut down the Auror service even more," murmured Sirius.
"I suspect Ingleton was the persuading voice behind that decision," said Hermione. "So... that's two pairs for four, a run for three is seven, plus fifteen-two, fifteen-four, that's eleven altogether," She moved her peg along with a smirk.
"What!" cried Harry, his hand rubbing furiously through his hair.
"Oh, and one for his nob, that's twelve."
Harry sighed. "Does a run of two cards count? Or is that only for a flush?"
Hestia appeared in the doorway looking concerned. "Harry, did you leave the garden gate off the latch?"
"I went out to watch where all those black bags disappear to each week. Some men came and took them away in a truck."
Hermione laughed. "Muggles can't just vanish their rubbish, Harry!"
"Well, I can't find Bunbun anywhere..." muttered Mrs Black, gazing around the kitchen floor in case the pet rabbit had hopped inside.
"Bubbum!" Cadence gurgled happily from her highchair, waving her arms wildly.
Sirius got to his feet. "I suppose I'd better go look for him."
There was a distant screech of tyres. Everyone stared at one another. Harry leapt up, craftily swept the peg board onto the floor with his sleeve, and ran to the window.
"I can see the top of a Muggle bus over the side fence!" Harry was already running out the backdoor after his mother who'd wasted no time on hearing the noise from the road.
Sirius and Hermione went to the doorway to wait. Harry and his mother returned very soon after. Cradled in Hestia's arms was a pitiful, squealing ball of fur. Hermione took out her wand but shook her head after a closer look.
Harry put a finger to his lips and guided his mother indoors and over to baby Cadence.
The rabbit became quiet and lay motionless the moment Hestia laid it before Cadence on the highchair's tray. The room itself fell still and silent as everyone watched. Hermione observed the look of expectancy and hope on everyone's face – all but the little babe. Cadence's eyes shone with warmth and her demeanour was calm and certain. Reaching out, she placed her hands upon Bunbun, and gently stroked his fur.
Hermione jerked back in astonishment as the rabbit sat up and bounded onto the floor where it hopped swiftly out the backdoor.
"Cadence is naturally gifted," said Mrs Black. "We're keeping quiet about it while she's young."
"But..." murmured Hermione, still getting over her surprise.
"Remember Neville?" Harry said quietly. "When he uuh... you know, was crying in the garden that time? She healed him of something that was hurting him. It was Luna's painting he told us about at Hogwarts."
"But that was later when we returned for our second year. Until then he still wished she were real."
"But the pain was gone. He could handle it after Cadence helped him let all that misery out. Remember how he changed after that? On the train back to Hogwarts even before he met Luna?"
Slowly, Hermione nodded. What Harry had observed was true, but Hermione had been too preoccupied to comprehend the significance. She gazed at little Cadence in awe. Those gentle eyes gazed right back. Peace filled Hermione's heart, and somehow she knew exactly the release that Neville had experienced.
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Absent Friends
A shock awaited the friends on their return to Hogwarts after the Easter break. At the evening dinner several of the staff were absent and the Headmaster did not wait for the students to eat before making his first announcement:
"I regret that two students who stayed at Hogwarts over Easter did not turn up for lunch today as expected and are still missing."
Ginny gripped her knife and fork more tightly and gaped at Ron who was wincing heavily as he held onto a silent groan. Hermione stared up at the heavens in consternation.
Dumbledore carried on: "Hagrid and other staff members began carrying out a search this afternoon and will continue until it is too dark to see. I cannot emphasise too much my annual caution that the Forbidden Forest is banned for a reason: very dangerous creatures live within its shadows. Under no circumstances should any student enter without supervision." His eyes seemed to fix on Harry as he continued in a frighteningly loud voice, "I shall take a very dim view of any other incursions for whatever reason! Leave it to the staff and prefects. Speak to your head of house if you wish to know more." The old man sank down rather heavily onto his chair.
"He's worried, you can tell," said Harry, "especially after what happened last year."
"I told her!" muttered Ron. "I mean, I told Luna uumm... nothing and you warned her, Hermione!"
"We've got to do something," urged Ginny. "She's my very best friend – and Neville too of course."
Harry, who all this time had been holding onto a serving spoon that was dug into a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, finally put it down. "Ron, you've got to warn McGonagall about what you know – you and Olive."
"Me? Why me? You should tell her. You're Harry Potter. She'll listen to you."
"Both of you ought to go," said Hermione, who had been staring at Draco Malfoy since the announcement, puzzled by his attentive reaction to what Dumbledore had said. "Meanwhile, Olive and I will speak with Madam Pince to see if we can find out more about those gates you saw, Ron."
"No!" cried Ginny, "she'll think you're planning something yourself. And what about me? What can I do?"
"Hmm..." mused Hermione, "you're right. We'll have to make out it's a study project and nothing to do with the Forest." But her mind was on Draco, who had risen out of his seat to speak to a sixth-year girl with short dark hair. Hermione glimpsed something on her robe that might have been a prefect's badge, and now Malfoy was heading out of the Hall. He doesn't need permission to leave a meal early...
She turned to Harry. "Don't give McGonagall any sign you might do something rash. Ginny, go with them to make sure. The Professor will expect you anyway, seeing as how you're Luna's closest friend."
"So you are plotting something?" said Harry.
"Only to find out what we can first. I'll let Olive take the lead because Madam Pince will be eager to help her friend. If Luna and Neville are not back before morning, then..."
"Then what?" said Ginny.
"I don't know yet. But we're Crestors, and we're damn well not going to sit around on our–"
"–Damned right," said Ginny fiercely.
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The Fabulous Fable
The hour being late due to the long journey from King's Cross followed by the feast in the Great Hall, the library was silent and empty except for a couple of Slytherins: Malfoy and a bigger boy, who were sat at a reading table not far away, heads down together as if in deep discussion or studying the same book. A hint of confectionery tickled Hermione's nostrils.
"Olive!" beamed Madam Pince. "You've not long before curfew. I didn't expect any more visitors tonight."
"Hello, Irma. It's history research we couldn't finish before Easter so we daren't leave it any longer," replied Olive – quite smoothly, Hermione considered, because everything she'd said was true. "We thought you might help us find a book on the subject."
"Of course. What's the topic?"
"Long ago, were there any famous magical places protected by high bronze gates? And with blue illumination?"
Draco's head jerked up so violently that Hermione heard his skull clunk against his companion who tried to stifle an irritated cry – but not before Hermione realised it wasn't a boy but the short-haired girl she'd seen Draco speak to at dinner. Hermione put a hand on Olive's arm to try to steady her from saying too much.
"And a wall of thorns?" added Olive, oblivious to Hermione's intention.
Madam Pince was already nodding her head. "I don't know about the thorns, but there's an ancient story in Fabulous Fables that could be relevant..."
She lead them towards the Myths and Legends section at the back of the library – much to Hermione's relief, for they were out of earshot of Malfoy and the girl.
"Strange, I'm sure the book was here before Easter because Percy Weasley was interested in Aesop, and asked if he could take it home for a bit of light reading. I told him definitely not, and I'm sure that young man would never go behind my back and sneak it out while I was busy helping someone else."
Hermione glanced back down the library. Malfoy and the girl had left and no books remained on top of the reading desk they'd used. Perhaps they'd only been talking after all.
Olive looked so crestfallen that Madam Pince guided them both to her private office where she sat them down. "This is what I recall of the story," she began, looking suddenly thoughtful as she searched her memories:
"In the beginning, Magic attempted to create life, but the gods were angry because Creation was their prerogative, and Magic's effort must, they concluded, be primitive and corrupt. They constructed a barrier around the world with a heavenly portal through which only true life and they themselves could pass, but–"
"The whole world?" said Olive.
"The world was a smaller place then," smiled Irma Pince. "Likely the writer meant the area around the Mediterranean and up into Europe which was all he knew. Blue is the heavenly light of that world, both sea and sky. Anyway, Magic then formed a more exalted, almost godlike, form of life which escaped the limits of the world. Furious, the gods sealed the portal anew and charged an immense Titan named Thuros with the task of holding the gates open only when they wished to pass to keep watch on Magic's activities."
Excited, Olive cried, "So if one could proceed through the portal, one would find a much greater universe? A more heavenly life? A higher life than this?"
"You always were the imaginative one, Olive," Madam Pince smiled, patting the young girl's shoulder. "Just remember, it's only a story, at best a crystallised, philosophical representation of the ancient paradise afterlife ideas."
"But could it be real?" squirmed Olive, eyes ablaze.
"In your dreams, Olive!" laughed Madam Pince. "Come on, it's time you second-years hurried to your beds."
As she lead them towards the exit, Olive said, "Irma, I've been working up the courage to speak to Myrtle now that I can, but... well, I regret I used to tease her a little all those years ago. It was only in fun but she took it seriously, and now I've suffered decades of guilt dwelling on my behaviour. Would you come with me? You were always closer to her than I was."
For several moments, Madam Pince had a distant look in her eyes, then, nodding slowly, she said, "Yes. I'd like that Olive. Perhaps together we can finally lay the ghost to rest."
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McGonagall and the April Snowmen
Meanwhile, there had been no answer when Harry knocked on the Deputy Headmistress's office door.
"Now what?" said Ginny, looking at Ron as if he might have an answer. But she didn't have to wonder long.
"What are you three doing outside of Gryffindor Tower this late? You should be preparing for bed." It was McGonagall approaching up the passageway, and she looked rather tired herself.
"We need to see Professor Dumbledore," said Harry, "erm... about our missing friends."
McGonagall frowned, as though anyone wishing to speak to the Head of Hogwarts about friends was a highly suspicious thing to want to do. "See Professor Dumbledore?" she repeated, "Potter, the Headmaster informed everyone at dinner not to interfere in–"
"We're not interfering!" cried Harry – rather bravely thought Ginny – "We're trying to help."
Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. "The staff have the search for Lovegood and Longbottom well in hand, Potter. I suggest you all return to your dormitories."
"But it's important!"
"More important than his organising the search? The Headmaster left for the forest several minutes ago. Now, if you'll excuse me..." she added coldly, and moved awkwardly around the three youngsters as if to draw attention to the fact they were rudely blocking the way into her office.
"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now? But can you get word to him?"
"About what? There is only an hour or so of daylight left, Mister Potter. His time is best spent helping to find your friends before dark."
"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "We think Luna is on a hunt for Abominable Snowmen, and there's an iron gate at the farthest, deepest part of the Forest that–"
"Bronze," cut in Ron.
"Snowmen? In April? Deep within the Forest? Let me assure you," said McGonagall, "that Hagrid has Miss Lovegood's and Mr Longbottom's solemn promises to stay near the edge of the Forest, and he assures us that they have never failed to keep their word."
"But..."
"That's enough, Potter. The Headmaster knows what he is doing. Rest assured, your two friends will no doubt be safely tucked up in their beds before nightfall – and you lot should be too. Now, off with you."
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The Midnight Powwow
Harry, Ron, and Ginny waited up for Hermione's return from the library as long as they could, but the second-years were finally ordered up to their dorms by Percy Weasley, and had to comply. Seamus and Dean were already in bed snoozing, and, not seeing what else they could do till morning, Ron and Harry put on their pyjamas and turned in too – though not without Harry thoughtfully fingering his invisibility cloak for almost a minute first.
For an hour or so, neither of the boys could sleep – Neville's empty bed had glared accusingly at their inaction from a harsh chink of moonlight across the room – so it was with excitement tinged with relief that they faintly sensed, then saw, two ghostly nightgowns materialising through the shadows: girls, pale faces, hands, and bare feet included. Hermione, being well-used to sharing a bed with Ron in her former life, silently beckoned Harry to join them as she and Ginny perched themselves cross-legged beside the astonished redheaded boy who promptly cringed back, hugging the bedcovers up to his neck. Ginny giggled softly. Within moments, Hermione had summoned the bed curtains around them like a powwow tepee, then cast a silencing charm and a few flickering blue flames which illuminated their animated faces quite eerily.
Ginny said, "What are you up to under there, Ron? Been daydreaming about Olive, again?"
She'd already informed Hermione about McGonagall's unenthusiastic reception to their appeal, and the boys confirmed this.
"She wouldn't believe me!" grumbled Harry in a sullen tone.
Ginny said, "Well, you didn't exactly put a good case – all that about snowmen didn't help."
"But Professor McGonagall doesn't trust me..."
Hermione's smile was sad. "Don't worry, Harry, she doesn't know you that well yet. She'll learn to believe in you."
"The thing is, what do we do?" murmured Ron from his bedcovers. "What did Olive say? Did you find out anything useful in the library, Hermione?"
Hermione sighed. "Just that Madam Pince told us an old myth about the gods building a portal to a higher life that only they could pass through or something. I mean, really?"
"And what did Olive think of that?"
"She believed it. Seriously. Like a heavenly portal just happens to be a stone's throw from Hogwarts?" Hermione's huff almost puffed out the flames, but there was enough flickering glimmer for Ron to see her eyes rolling upwards.
"You shouldn't scoff," said Ginny. "Hogwarts was built at a concentration of magical energy lines. Maybe that's why the gates were built in the same area."
"And there's often some truth in these old stories," added Harry. "What if ancient wizards built the huge gates and dome thing as a Floo to somewhere? If only Magicals could pass through then Muggles would think they were gods on their way to heaven, wouldn't they?"
"But all this is less likely than Luna's Abominable Snowmen!" cried Hermione.
Harry said, "Hermione, the fact remains, that there's something strange there, and Neville and Luna have gone to try to find it. Ron, what are the odds they'll reach the dome?"
"Not good actually." He pulled himself up a little with his pillows as a backrest. "Oh, if they manage to keep heading northeast then probably they'd see the blue light, but can they keep going that long? It will take them weeks and on the way, well, me and Olive saw loads of... uumm... you know."
"Dark creatures?" gasped Ginny.
"Luna's a bit erm... odd, but she's not stupid," said Harry. "Remember she said she had a 'top secret plan'? And why'd they wait until the last day of Easter?"
The four lapsed into silence: Ron still under the blankets but propped up by his pillows, the other three cross-legged before him looking gloomily morose in the strange light. His eyes suddenly opened wider as he recalled things Luna had said:
"Broomsticks, of course! She said something about a hole at the top of the dome like a giant lampshade. And neither of them have their own brooms here at Hogwarts. I suppose they might have tried to unlock the Quidditch store, but what if they were seen hanging around there? Perhaps they had to get brooms from Hogsmeade or something? I bet they've been flying through the Forest all afternoon. Don't know if they'd have found the dome yet though."
"You're forgetting their promise to Hagrid," said Ginny. "I've never known Luna to break a promise."
"Hmpf..." said Ron, slumping back, then his face lightened. "Not break, but she bends them, doesn't she? Promises, I mean? For instance, she might swear she's not going up the Astronomy Tower but then go and fly down onto it from above! What if they've been flying over the Forest? She'd say they never left the edges of the Forest, wouldn't she? The top edge. Then she'd smile that innocent smile like she does, you know?"
"Maybe," said Harry, but he didn't sound convinced.
Hermione looked thoughtful. "Ron, you said the gates were near the farthest edge of the Forest? What if they did go into Hogsmeade, bought broomsticks, then flew in from the other side of–?" She shook her head. "Oh, no, they–"
"–can't," Ron finished for her. "Even if they got permission to go out through Hogwarts gates to shop, they couldn't fly over the far walls – the wards would prevent that."
Out of habit, Ginny half raised her hand as if she were in class, and her mouth had fallen open. "I know what they've done..."
"What?" said Harry.
"She told me about when Neville first kissed her..." Ginny sighed at the memory. "Luna said the sky seemed to tilt over and the Earth moved. It was as if an angel had descended from heaven just for her. Even in the cold, his lips were warm and gentle and–"
"–Yes, yes, for Merlin's sake, Ginny, get on with it!" Ron wiped the back of his hand across his mouth as if something distasteful still clung there. "We don't want all the gory details!"
Ginny blinked back to the present. "Uumm... yeah, well, they snogged against the north wall out of the wind," then added in a surly mutter something about taking the romance out of everything.
"So?"
"Well, don't you see? They were inside the wall. All they have to do today is keep flying along the inside of the wall and they'll go around the Forest's edge to the far side without ever going in deep – bending her promise like you said, Ron. I bet that's her top secret plan."
"Brilliant!" said Hermione. "How long would that take, Ron?"
"Mmm... dunno. Half a day or so?"
"So they might be camped against the far wall right now?"
Ron nodded.
"Then we have to tell McGonagall," said Hermione.
Harry blew hard. "P'uh! Like she'd believe us! Especially at..." He glanced instinctively at his empty wrist. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Gone twelve," said Hermione, and they all were hushed again, listening only to the night.
Harry whispered an aside, "Couldn't you Apparate to them, Hermione?"
Her reply was only a breath. "Nobody can Apparate to somewhere they don't know, Harry. They're on their own together out there."
More silence.
Ginny's gaze was faraway again. "Midnight in the wilderness with the boy of your dreams..."
Ron groaned but said nothing. Perhaps he'd remembered his own fantasies at that point.
Finally, Hermione said firmly, "We wait until daylight then we rob the Quidditch store, fly around the Forest, bring them back and they can say they got lost, while we go back to bed, get another hour's sleep, turn up for breakfast then go to Charms class as normal."
"Normal?" said Harry. "Like when does anything we do ever turn out normal?"
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Hiding in Plain Sight
Harry was right to be sceptical that the rescue of Luna and Neville would be plain sailing. Very early the next morning, Ron insisted on fetching Olive but Hermione dragged him back with a summoning charm to the back of his school collar.
"Oy!" complained Ron, massaging his throat where his tie had almost strangled him. "You could have just said, you know."
"I'll go and ask her," she said. "You'll never get past the Ravenclaw door in a month of Sundays, let alone up into the girls' dorms. Meet us downstairs in a few minutes." Off she went.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny crept down the darkened marble staircase and into the Entrance Hall. It was not quite daybreak and the Hall was in deep shadow with only the last single torch still flickering on the far wall in anticipation of the coming day. A dragon could be lurking in the huge chamber for all they knew.
"Who's there!" Not a dragon but an older girl's voice.
"Hide!" whispered Ginny, grabbing Ron's arm and pushing him towards the nearest wall pillar. She dived into the space under the stair.
Harry, who was cursing himself for not having used his map and invisibility cloak because it was almost morning, eased open a door and slipped into a small chamber off the Hall. It was completely dark once he closed the entrance, but he'd glimpsed enough to recognise it as the room to which McGonagall took all the first-years before Sorting. He felt his way to the far corner and squeezed in behind the portly statue of Gaylord the Gross.
Meanwhile, Ron was considering running back up the stair to divert attention from the others. In any case, the stone pillar seemed to have shrunk to the thinness of a lamppost and he became certain he'd be spotted even by the most shortsighted of prefects if they lit their wand which they would – he just knew they would.
He was right. A blaze of illumination suddenly burst forth halfway up the stair as a lone figure hurried down. Ron was almost blinded. Amazingly, the prefect rushed past him into the middle of the Hall. She pulled what looked like a man's fob watch on its chain from her pocket and consulted it.
The creep's rushing before curfew's over! thought Ron.
There was still time for him to bolt upstairs and draw her off, but would Olive be able to lead the others to the dome of thorns on her own? Neville's and Luna's lives might depend on it.
While he hesitated, the prefect strode to the side chamber, pulled open the door, and shouted in, "Out, you! Come out of there!"
Ron ran. He bounded up the stairs as fast and as noisily as he could. There was still a chance he might escape and divert the prefect away from Harry. He headed in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower; perhaps he could warn Hermione and Olive not to come down.
Ginny scowled as she watched him go. Coward! but then her attention was drawn back to the smirking prefect and the dismal figure of Harry Potter shuffling guiltily into the incriminating glare of her spotlight.
Pulling himself erect, Harry cried, "What's wrong? I was going out for an early morning walk and opened the wrong door in the dark!"
"Dark? As in nighttime? You know the rules, Potter. Come with me."
"It's nearly five o'clock! It'll be light soon. Breakfast won't be long!"
"We'll see what your head of house has to say on the matter."
"She won't even be..." Harry tailed off.
"–Up yet? Because it's the middle of the night? Is that what you were going to say? We'll just have to wait then, won't we?" The prefect grabbed his arm and led him up to the first floor.
From the shadows, Ginny, with a helpless expression on her face, listened to him trudging overhead until the footsteps faded into the heavens. Just me, then.
She tiptoed to the tall front doors and eased one open only enough to slip out into the cool night air. As she made her way round to the Quidditch stores, dawn was lightening the sky over the Forest to the east. Where are you, Luna? Please be alive...
A sob choked in her throat as that real possibility sank in.
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—oOo—
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Author's Notes
Abdullahsaurus asked if an angel nymph is an actual mythological creature. No, she's based on the normal legendary nymph of course, but carefully modified for use in my plot.
leonix2009 feels the story is moving a little slowly. I guess there might be some truth in that, but it is a very long story. The main theme is world-saving but I put in all these adventures that support elements that are relevant to the progress of the story. For instance, Paul Ingleton, the Zabinis, Cadence, and lots of others. JK Rowling could have had Crouch Junior simply kidnap Harry Potter in Hogsmeade and not bother with the whole Tri-wizard Tournament, but Goblet of Fire is richer and more enjoyable with it, and introduces Fleur, Krum, Moody, dragons, and so much more. What do others think? Is the story slow?
Many thanks for all comments and reviews. These are most welcome and very encouraging. Let me know of any weaknesses or faults – I'm always trying to improve my writing so feedback is really useful. :)
– Hippothestrowl
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