Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling, except Madeleine, who is the star of my very first story (a Snape fic, shoot me!).
Just in case you don't have the patience to read the 20 chapters of that story, Madeleine was at Hogwarts in Hermione's seventh year (my POV). She was a reincarnation of Isis (and all her following shapes - about 150 consecutive lives), inheriting the ancient witch's powers and memories, Snape being a part of these memories. Anyway, Isis was an Egyptian witch and I liked playing with the Ancient Egypt, so this felt like the perfect setting for Hermione and Oliver's love story.
Chapter IX - Intermission
~~~ The morning after ~~~
"Knock - knock" Hermione read the message dropped by the owl.
She took off the anti apparition barrier and Madeleine materialised in the room. She was carrying a tray with steaming coffee and French croissants.
"Good morning" she bid in a humble voice.
"I bet" Hermione retorted in an arrogant tone.
She had the upper hand for a while and decided to use it.
"Do you want to have breakfast and talk later or you'll have coffee with a side of grilled Isis?" Madeline invited the outburst.
"What were you thinking??? Why didn't you take the spell down in the next life?"
"The coffee's getting cold"
"These tactics are wasted on me. I'm waiting"
"Because I forgot, OK? I did have other concerns you know. Surviving wasn't all that easy three thousand years ago! Wars, plagues, all sort of shit"
"Yeah, right! How many wars did you get involved in? You weren't anywhere to be found when Voldemort appeared!"
"I was wondering when will you get around to lecture me about it"
"Come on, you know I'm right. You let us do all the work, although you knew ways to stop him"
"We've been through this! It's all about keeping the balance. Why don't you ask me what you really want to know?"
"The honey trap. How come no one found it before?"
"They did. At least, I suppose people did find it. But they were happy to find it. Maybe it served its purpose. Just because it didn't for me… Anyway, it wasn't s designed for the British, obviously! You people looked as though you were actually trying to get out. What was that all about?"
"What do you mean? You think we should've been happy to be there?"
"Well… yeah" Madeleine was puzzled. "The Garden doesn't appear if there wasn't a powerful emotion to trigger it"
"Excuse me?"
"The Garden appears when two people… you know… have feelings for each other"
"You MUST be joking!" it was Hermione's turn to be confused.
"I did tell you the Isis story. So I thought one way to reverse his curse would be to use a similar one. Its purpose was reuniting lost lovers"
"Speaking of that, what's going on with you and Professor Snape?"
"That's another story. Please, don't try to change the subject. Was there something that could trigger the sealing of the tunnel?"
"It might have been" she tried not to think about the kisses.
The woman smiled, sympathetic. Come to think of it, Oliver Wood was quite a good match for Hermione.
"What was the actual effect the spell had on its victims?"
"Why, Hermione, I am surprised at you! Thought you've figured it out all by yourself!" Madeleine teased her.
"Humour me!"
"It's supposed to get people more in touch with their real feelings. When someone doesn't admit what he really feels…"
"Does it intensify those feelings? Could it be wrong?"
"I didn't actually have time to go through the crash tests, you realise. And my earlier works proved to be not quite infallible, you know…"
"The Dementors… Yeah, I know" Hermione was not very happy with that, but it verified her assumptions.
"Does it affect men and women the same way?"
"Oh, no! Women are less susceptible to be affected, naturally"
This was also a confirmation for her theories.
"Anything else?" Madeline/Isis asked, in an agreeable manner.
"Oh, yes! Leaving aside your reckless manner of performing magic - you should have your license revoked, girl! - I do have some questions for you"
"You really shouldn't make jokes about my magical abilities. Some people actually tried to revoke them, as you so kindly put it"
"As I said in my letter, do you know anything about this valley of the spirits"
"Yeah, that… The Morgana got to it, ay? Well there was a battle, long ago, inside the African Magic community. Lots of dead people. Messy business. They were almost wiped out after that. It took them millennia to regroup their forces. Anyway, the battlefield captured their spirits and all the people receptive to that energy can sort of recharge their power at that site"
"Why can't pure blood wizards stand it?"
"The concentration of energy is overwhelming for their senses. In the their blood, they receive a quantity and quality of magic that Muggle born wizards don't have."
"Cool! Does that have anything to do with you personally, or you just heard the story"
"Well…It's sort of my doing"
"What?" Hermione was all ears.
"When I lived around here, in my brand-new Isis skin, I was rather careless with magic. Much more than I am these days! And a group of very respectable citizen, wizards, of course, decided that I was a danger and tried to erase my powers. I disagreed…"
"You started it??"
"Sort of"
"You were so mean" Hermione smiled, hoping she used the past tense for the right reasons.
"I wasn't a Slytherin by mistake, you know" she grinned. "Back to the present, you people best be careful handling that place. If the likes of the Dark Lord learn to manipulate it… it might get messy again"
"You'd know"
"Hermione, I'm being serious. I know you work for the Morgana and you're exploring the site. I was so caught in my last couple of lives that I overlooked the safety precautions"
"You do know we cooperate with the Egyptians on this project, don't you?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them. I can handle my own people. You white barbarians are the danger"
Under her smile, Madeleine was truly concerned. Hermione felt it, but could do nothing to ease her mind. Before she could say anything, her friend asked:
"Are you expecting a visit?"
"No. Why?"
The knock on the door answered her question.
"I better be off. Pop in and see me while I'm still in Egypt. Bye!"
*Dissaparition sucks!* Hermione thought, finding herself suddenly alone in the room. *I didn't ask her about the Osiris papyruses! She must know something about it*
She heard the knock again.
"I'm coming" she yelled, putting on her dressing gown.
She opened the door to see Bill Weasley.
"Hi! I hope I didn't wake you up"
"No, don't worry" *Somebody else had this idea before you* "What time is it?"
"Around eleven"
"Oops. I overslept"
"Busy night?"
Hermione blushed. The last two nights had been quite animated.
"I came to take you to a Quidditch match. Would you like to come?"
For Hermione, Ouidditch meant Oliver. But if she knew anything about him, he wouldn't come by for several days. Not until the job would force him.
"Sure. Give me ten minutes to get ready"
She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The cosmetic charms took care of all the physical marks Oliver had left on her body, but she could do nothing about the emptiness inside. After his embrace, she felt hollow, as though a part of her was torn away.
*Life goes on*
Her image in the mirror showed nothing of the turmoil inside. Nothing of that intense longing, which brought her to the brink of tears.
"Let's go!"
"You look great" Bill greeted her with an admiring eye.
~~~~ Oliver's flat ~~~~~
As soon as they left the chambers, Oliver's tracking device glowed.
"Oh, where is she going now?" he asked himself.
He looked at his map of the Cairo University campus. This was charmed to show everyone who was on the premises, like the Marauders' map.
"Does she EVER listen to me?" he cried out annoyed to see her leave with Bill Weasley. "Didn't I tell her plain enough to stay away from him? I have to go there again. It's blasted Sunday! I thought I earned some peace and quiet"
The reason he was upset was not the exhaustion as much as the guilt. He'd been up most of the night, thinking of the way he had nearly raped her. Nevertheless he had a job to do. Neither that, nor Hermione's very safety was something to be trifled with. All his reluctance shouldn't keep him from watching over her. Or just watching her, but this was no the kind of thought he allowed himself.
Oliver put on his invisibility cloak and apparated several feet behind Bill and Hermione. He was huffing and puffing for having to tail them on a Sunday morning, instead of going to a Quidditch match. He was swearing coarsely until the sight of approaching a Quidditch field dazzled him.
He watched them all through the game. He chose not to stay close to them, so he was only guessing what they were saying to each other. No matter how little he actually understood from their conversation, one thing was certain. They were having fun together. Hermione had never been so relaxed around him, she didn't smile very much and she didn't laugh at all. Oliver hated the idea that the two of them could be a couple. In spite of his commendable efforts, he was jealous.
~~~~~~
Thank you, blackroseangel69, Juvenus, MrsBigegrstaff, Lauren, Babystar, Theed and hannah!
I hope all of you are still following the story.
About the delay, it seems I just can't write more than a chapter/week, try as I might.
Enjoy!