Guest: Thank you for pointing that inconsistency out, in chapter 14 about the time turner and Dumbledore. I appreciate it. Fixed.
The summer that changed everything
After about an hour, they knew they would have to bring Buckbeak somewhere safe, but they also knew that they couldn't release him, so they came up with a plan. Hermione had snuck back to Hagrid's place and grabbed several more dead ferrets and brought them to Buckbeak, allowing him to be distracted with a few more ferrets as Pansy chained him by the neck to a tree.
They knew Buckbeak needed to stay with someone who wouldn't give the hippogriff up to the authorities.
And that was when Pansy did something unexpected. She said that she could have her parents take Buckbeak in and rename him, to make it seem like it was a different hippogriff.
Pansy argued that she could make it look like her father had bought the hippogriff in order to mock the Malfoys.
And Hermione wasn't going to pretend that that didn't sound like it would work.
But first? They'd need for someone to make the arrangements and keep Buckbeak safe in the meantime.
Which was where the next part of their plan came in.
Pansy, Astoria and Millicent would stay with Buckbeak, while Hermione and Daphne ran back to Hogwarts, just as Dumbledore exited his office, leaving the "past Hermione, Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent" to use the time turner.
Daphne and Hermione ran to Dumbledore's office, going behind a pillar when they saw Aurors emerge from the office, carrying Pettigrew out and with Sirius and Harry following them. Then watched as Snape left the office.
Then eventually? Dumbledore emerged from the office, closing the doors.
Hermione and Daphne darted out, going over to the old wizard.
"Dumbledore," Hermione said urgently, speaking quietly, "We need someone to take Buckbeak in, before trying to give him to someone else, to make him look like a different hippogriff. We need you to look after him, before one of the others takes him in. So that Cornelius Fudge doesn't find him."
Dumbledore lifted his gray bushy eyebrows at Hermione. "I don't know what you mean," he said innocently, "But if you want to bring me anything…important? Bring it to me a day before the feast before the end of the year."
Hermione nodded, understanding.
She said, "Pansy, Millicent and Astoria are with Buckbeak now. Should we bring him to you now?"
"Yes, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore answered, "The five of you can bring him to me now. The Aurors will be busy questioning Mr. Potter and Sirius and Pettigrew."
Hermione nodded and Dumbledore waited as Hermione and Daphne ran back to that place in the woods, where Pansy, Millicent and Astoria were with Buckbeak. The five of them unchained Buckbeak and used the ferrets to lure him to Dumbledore's office.
They brought him to the window, and while Daphne, Astoria and Pansy rode Buckbeak up to Dumbledore's office, Hermione and Millicent levitated up to the window.
Dumbledore allowed the hippogriff to come through the window and Pansy, Astoria and Daphne hopped off of him.
Hermione and Millicent got back into the office, Pansy told Dumbledore to send Buckbeak to her family's property after she got back from Hogwarts, and Dumbledore used a spell, transporting Buckbeak and himself out of the office in a flash of light.
Hermione, Daphne, Millicent, Pansy and Astoria winced and watched Dumbledore and Buckbeak disappear.
When both wizard and hippogriff were gone, Daphne grumbled, "Well, that's efficient, I guess. Wonder where he took Buckbeak."
Hermione nodded. There would be no point in Dumbledore letting them get away with Buckbeak, and then give Buckbeak up to Fudge.
So, the five girls just waited.
Eventually, Dumbledore returned, with a blast of light and appeared, nodding to them, smiling. "The five of you did very well," he said, "No one is to know anything about this, I'm sure you know."
Hermione and the others nodded in agreement.
They went down to the great hall, startled to see the Aurors emerging from a room, with a struggling and whimpering Peter Pettigrew in chains with them.
Sirius stood by Harry as Harry glared at Pettigrew, watching him get taken away.
Sirius looked at Harry.
Harry smiled up at his new guardian, nodding to him, "I can move in with you soon?"
"Of course," Sirius said, "You will have to deal with Kreacher, unfortunately, if he's still alive. He'd a very unpleasant house elf. But I'll be happy to have you there."
Hermione smiled at how happy Harry looked.
Good for him.
Moving in with someone who could be his real family. Someone who would care about him, rather than those awful muggles that treated him badly for years.
Hermione heard that Remus still worked at Hogwarts, so, Snape was keeping his mouth shut. Sounded like Hermione's threat had gotten to him.
But Remus was staying with Sirius and Harry, to look after Harry. Or so they said.
It made Hermione wonder about Remus and Sirius's relationship a bit. Were they mates?
Then again, if they were, that was depressing, since Remus had honestly believed that Sirius could sell out the Potters.
But since Remus was going to for the time being, taking a timeout from working at Hogwarts, with a sort of "paid leave," from Dumbledore, that meant that there was now an opening in the Defense against the Dark Arts class, for a new professor.
Who would it be? Hermione and her friends and the other students would find out next year.
Hermione noticed that when it was mentioned that Harry was going to be living with Sirius and Remus, that Dumbledore didn't look too pleased. And she had to wonder what that was about.
She knew it couldn't be homophobia, after all, Dumbledore's own soulmate had been a man.
But for now, Hermione decided to ignore it.
Hermione and the other girls went to the great hall and Hermione scanned the room, just to look out for what people knew.
People, of course, were buzzing, talking about what they heard.
Several people from all four tables, were staring at Hermione in shock and admiration.
Hermione shifted, not liking the attention.
Daphne chuckled, seeing where many of the stares were directed and wrapped her left arm around Hermione's shoulders as she said, "Making a habit of being a star every year, huh, Mione?"
"Shut up, Greengrass," Hermione threw back, smirking as Daphne grinned and she, Pansy, Astoria and Millicent made their way over to the Slytherin table.
Malfoy was watching her nervously and Crabbe and Goyle were as well.
Hermione just happened to glance at the Ravenclaw table and noticed a lot of the Ravenclaw girls eyeing her and she glared at them, making many of them look away.
Luna Lovegood, who saw this, smiled and seemed to take this as an invitation. She happily got up from the Ravenclaw table and bounded over to the Slytherin table.
When Hermione, Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent sat down, Luna came over and sat down next to Hermione.
Hermione looked at the small Ravenclaw, and at Luna's pleasant smile, she sighed, and looked at her four friends.
They looked at Luna, then casually each shrugged and nodded in a silent agreement.
That night, everyone went to their dorms. Later, when Hermione, Daphne, Millicent, Pansy and Astoria were sure that everyone in the Slytherin dorms were asleep, Hermione brought out Tom's diary, brought it to the common room, opened it up and let Tom out.
Tom floated up before them and smiled at them.
"Hi, Tom," Hermione said, smiling at the wizard, "We have a lot of news for you."
They told Tom about how they discovered the truth about who Pettigrew, and what he had done and that Pettigrew was the one that sold out the Potters. And that Harry was now going to live with Sirius.
Hermione didn't say it, but Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent, went happily on, praising Hermione and telling Tom about how she had knocked out both Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, then put Snape in his place and used a patronus to destroy multiple dementors.
Tom's eyes widened and he looked at Hermione with praise.
The look on his face could only be called, "pride."
He smiled. "Hermione," he said, "That's amazing. You are a very talented witch, Hermione."
Hermione felt heat spread over her cheeks. "T-thank you, Tom. That means a lot to me."
It was a lot for her, to be looked at with such respect that Tom, Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent were showing her.
When the time came, Hermione closed the diary up and planned to take the diary with her back home again.
The next day, when it was time for the feast, before the end of the year, everyone got to their respective tables, everyone aware now that Sirius Black was an innocent man and aware that Peter Pettigrew was being sent to Azkaban. He wasn't going to have the dementor's kiss, but he was going to be thrown into Azkaban.
Hermione felt her stomach turn, hearing that last part.
Sure, Pettigrew probably deserved it. But to have be in such a vile prison?
That was…that was a particularly harsh thing.
Luna sat at the Slytherin table again, right next to Hermione and Hermione and her friends just nodded in acceptance.
The confused looks they got from the other Slytherins, were met with glares from Hermione and her friends, and the questioning looks stopped.
Dumbledore awarded the house cup to Slytherin, again, for the second time. The first time, of course, had been in Hermione and the others' first year. In Hermione's second year, the Gryffindors had won. Because Merlin forbid anyone that wasn't the Gryffindors won the cup.
Now the Slytherins had the cup again.
The Slytherin table cheered happily and Luna smiled at Hermione and the others.
When it came time, they packed everyone up, including the animals and headed to the train.
Before Hermione and her friends loaded onto the train, Harry came running over to Hermione, ignoring Ron yelling after him.
Harry smiled with Ron and Sirius behind him, Sirius holding onto the top of the cage that held Hedwig close.
Harry asked, looking at Hermione, "Listen, I know this is probably a weird, but is it okay if I write to you over the summer?"
Hermione smiled, startled by happy she was with that prospect.
She and Harry exchanged information and Hermione smirked at how Ron glared at her. Then she and her friends went to the train, earning chuckles from her friends about the most dangerous Slytherin and the "boy that lived" being friends now.
They got onboard the train and Pansy promised Hermione, that she would have her family take in Buckbeak.
Luna soon joined them, wanting to ride with them.
Hermione and her friends allowed it, but didn't say a word about Tom or the diary.
They talked with Luna, and Luna asked hopefully if she could exchange information with them.
Hermione half thought of not doing it, but Luna? She seemed nice enough and someone needed to look out for her. Merlin knew that Luna's own house wasn't looking out for her.
So, Hermione and the others exchanged information with Luna.
After they reached the station and separated, Luna went and met her dad, and the left, and Hermione and her friends separated and Hermione met up with her mother, hugging her tightly.
They went back to their house, and Hermione got settled in, letting Crookshanks run around the house.
Over the weeks, Hermione exchanged letters with her friends, and with Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter.
Harry moved in with Sirius, living in the Black manor. Hermione giggled when she read a letter from Harry, telling her how Kreacher, the Black family house elf, constantly complained about having to live with a "dirty half-blood, and a blood traitor."
Hermione supposed that it was just plain old justice that that was who Kreacher now had to live with.
Hermione often didn't know what Luna Lovegood was talking about in her letters, but she could tell that Luna was happy and she wrote Luna back always.
Hermione got a letter from Pansy, the letter telling her that everything was alright with her family and that they had a new pet, named "Witherwings," a hippogriff and that she wanted to mock Malfoy about it. A feather was sent to Hermione with the letter.
Hermione smiled.
Buckbeak was safe.
The next few days passed and she knew her fourteenth birthday would be at the end of this month. But she knew that the birthday had already passed.
She had spent so much time using the time turner, that her fourteenth birthday had passed months ago.
She was already older than a lot of the other kids in her year, but she was now much older than that now.
By the time most of the kids in her year turned fourteen, she would be close to fifteen.
One night, as Hermione and her mother had dinner together, Hermione noticed her mother looking at her, worried.
"Mom?" Hermione asked gently, "You okay?"
Jean Granger nodded. "I'm fine, sweetie," she said, "But the dreams…have they started yet?"
Hermione froze, then nodded, sighing.
The dreams. That was a subject that Hermione didn't want to think about.
Whenever a person reached a certain age?
They got dreams about the person who was their soulmate.
Sometimes it varied on the person. Sometimes it was the age of fourteen, sometimes it was fifteen, or sixteen. Sometimes it could be as old as seventeen.
But one thing was for sure, when each person in the world reached a certain age, they always dreamed of their soulmate.
And their soulmate dreamed of them.
Hermione knew that if her soulmate was older than her, then they had been dreaming of her for a while.
Which mean that they'd know about a lot.
And Hermione, she didn't know if she wanted to have dreams about her soulmate.
What would that mean for her?
That someone was so intimately tied to her, that she would know everything about them and they would know everything about her?
That they might have some control over her?
Hermione had to admit, she had never really given much thought to soulmates.
She'd always felt a certain dread about meeting her mate.
And the things she'd heard had happened between mates sometimes over the years, hadn't helped.
Albus Dumbledore's mate, Gellert Grindelwald, had committed multiple murders by experimenting on people and had to be locked away-who knew where he was now?
Muggles and witches and wizards alike were separated from their mates or never married their mates.
Even Tom's soulmate, Ella, was killed and Tom was left alone and her parents got away with it.
It was something she never wanted to think about too deeply. If anything happened to her mother? It would destroy her.
Hermione could just imagine how badly it would hurt her if anything happened to her mate.
Hermione shook her head and said to her mother, "I'm not having the dreams mom. And I hope I don't."
Jean sighed sadly. "Hermione," she said, "It's important that you meet your mate. That you form a relationship with them, whoever they are."
Hermione gave a similar sad smile as she said, "And have you met your mate yet?"
She knew that was a low blow. Because she knew the answer. No, her mother had not met her mate yet.
Hermione would have heard about that ages ago.
Jean looked even sadder now, if that was possible and it broke Hermione's heart. Jean said, "I have not. But I know who they are. Because of the dreams. And Hermione?" Jean said, sitting back in her chair, "They're two of them. A man and a woman. And they're a witch and a wizard."
Hermione gaped at her mother. That floored her.
Her mother's soulmates-two of them as it turned out, were a witch and wizard?
Hermione stared at her mother.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" She whispered.
Jean sighed, "Because I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know how to get to this witch and wizarding world. As you know, I started working for Cromwell for a long time. But even before that? I was part of the society that he grew up in, and I took Vakamul for years, since I turned fifteen."
Hermione shuddered. Vakamul. She knew about that.
Vakamul was a type of drug that was developed almost three decades ago, by a fanatic Christian group, who considered the dreams people had of their soulmates, to be abominable, when it came out that some women had soulmate dreams of other women and men had soulmate dreams of other men.
Vakamul, a drug that contained multiple chemicals, suppressed those dreams. It couldn't destroy those dreams, but it could suppress them.
Vakamul, that drug sold all over the place in many countries, including in England.
Yes, Hermione had known for a while that her mother had taken that drug. She had happily put it out of her mind, but she knew.
Jean continued, "I'm not proud of the fact that I took the drug for years, but I did. That's part of the reason why I didn't tell you. Because I literally didn't know. I stopped taking it after you got your Hogwarts letter, because I wanted you to be the main focus of my life. After I took it, then I had the dreams. But as I'm sure you know? Vakamul takes a while for the effects to wear off."
Hermione nodded. That part she knew. Vakamul, it could from a year, even two to fully wear off.
But knowing that her mother had chosen not to take Vakamul, and ignore any possibility of having her soulmate dreams, all to devote all her time to Hermione? For years, before Hermione got her Hogwarts letter and ended up having a support system outside of her mother?
Just hearing those words almost destroyed Hermione.
"Mama," Hermione said, feeling tears start to fall from her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you kept taking that awful drug because of me."
Jean shook her head, getting up from her seat and going around the table, going to Hermione and hugging the girl, hugging her daughter to her chest. "It's alright, my love," Jean said to the girl, "It's alright. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault, sweetie."
Hermione spent the next few minutes crying against her mother's shoulder. After she parted from her mother, she looked up tearfully at the woman. "The witch and wizard….you know who they are?"
Jean nodded. "The effects from the Vakamul were still wearing off when you told me that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban," she said, "So, I didn't know then. But I know now. They're names are 'Tonks.' Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Andromeda, who is Sirius's cousin, if what you've told me is correct."
Hermione gasped, hearing this.
Andromeda Black-now Andromeda Tonks, was one of Hermione's mother's soulmates? And so was her husband?"
"Mama," Hermione whispered, "Why…why didn't you tell me about this in our letters to each other?"
Jean smiled sadly again, "And tell you that I was connected to the woman who was related to the man who was accused of getting his friends killed? When you already had so much you were dealing with? I wasn't going to put you through that."
Hermione shook her head. Her mother had kept that from her to protect her.
She hated that.
"I love you, mama," she said.
"I love you too, baby," Jean said to her daughter.
Jean held her daughter for several minutes.
Eventually, they parted and Jean kissed her daughter's forehead.
It was difficult for Hermione to get to bed that night, not wanting to be away from her mother long, btu she managed.
Hermione finally went to bed one night, got under the covers and felt Crookshanks jump on her legs, getting ready to sleep.
Tom's diary was in a drawer in her bedside table.
And she felt herself drift off to sleep.
It was that night, that changed everything.
She fell asleep, and she dreamed.
But not her usual dreams.
Everyone dreamed. But everyone could tell the difference between usual dreams, and dreams of their soulmate.
Everyone was always able to tell.
The soulmate dreams just felt different.
And this dream that she had, it just felt different.
This dream was so vivid, like she was actually there.
The first thing she noticed, was the cold. Then she noticed the dark. She almost stumbled into the small, dark, cold room, peering up at the wall across from her, her eyes widening when she saw the metal bars on the window across from her.
Hermione, alarmed looked to her right, just seeing a plain, black, slab of stone to her right.
She looked to her left.
She gasped, her heart wrenching in her chest when she saw what was crouched down on the floor to her left.
A woman. With long, extremely messy, black hair, so messy it made Hermione's mess of hair look pristine.
The woman wore a gray prison suit with black stripes. The woman's head was bent, her face was obscured by this action. Her left arm was kept secured under her body, under her stomach, as if in pain.
Now, given only a few hours ago, Hermione had spoken with her mother about soulmate dreams, so, it should have been an indication to Hermione what it was she was seeing.
But it still didn't click.
Hermione watched this woman and asked softly, "Are you alright?"
Even before the words came out of her mouth, she knew how ridiculous that question was.
Because of course, this woman wasn't alright.
She was in a prison cell, cold and alone, most likely had been here for years.
She heard cries and sobbing all around her. Hermione had no idea where the sounds were coming from-probably from other jail cells, if this was a prison.
Hermione was certain it was just a dream, still, she found herself reaching her right hand out and gently tried to thread her fingers through that dark, black or almost black hair, trying to soothe the woman's shaking.
But her hand wouldn't make contact. It was like it was a fuzzy feeling on the other side of her hand.
Hmm, so it appeared that soulmates could see and hear each other in their dreams, but not touch.
Hermione's heart clenched when she saw the scars all along the woman's arms. Bite marks. Most likely from rats.
Hermione felt tears begin to start in her eyes.
This poor woman.
And Hermione could feel it. Some strong tug to this woman. Some deep primal part of her wanted to hold this woman. It wasn't just out of sympathy or pity. It was something much stronger than that.
Hermione couldn't stroke the woman's hair, but she began speaking softly, "I'm here. I'm here."
Almost as soon as the dream began, Hermione was snapped out of it-she opened her eyes, gasping and woke up to her room around her, sitting up and looking around her.
She was back in her familiar and safe and comfortable room. No bars on the window, just curtains, a soft bed and a part cat, part kneazle, looking up at her curiously.
Hermione saw some sun coming in through the small crack of the curtains.
Hermione pushed the blankets back, getting out of bed, dropping her feet onto the floor, getting up off of the bed, heading to the bathroom.
It was only after she'd gone to the bathroom and washed her hands, that she thought of the possibility that what she had just dreamt of was her soulmate.
But she dismissed that.
She'd had disturbing dreams before. And some very realistic ones, at that.
But none of her disturbing dreams had ever felt like this.
Nor had she felt during those dreams, what she felt looking down at that woman. She hadn't just felt disturbed.
She had felt longing. Great, painful longing for that woman.
Hermione frowned as she contemplated all this. She had gotten a good look at that woman's arms. There hadn't just been bite marks on it. There'd been wrinkles.
The woman was older than Hermione. By a lot.
Possibly in her very late forties or even her early or late fifties.
So, her mate was older than her. Which meant ultimately, that yes, this woman, if she was in fact Hermione's soulmate, then she had seen Hermione before. In her dreams.
Which meant that the woman likely knew a lot already about Hermione.
Which meant it was very likely that the woman knew about Cromwell, the labs, the Sorcerer's Stone.
And about Hermione killing Quirrell in her first year and dispatching Voldemort from Quirrell's head.
And it also probably meant that the woman knew the rest of what had happened at Cromwell's lab.
Hermione grimaced. She wasn't sure even she wanted to know that.
She had some shreds of memory of what happened there. Her mother aiming a gun at a guard and a staff member, her mother letting other muggle-born children out of their rooms, the guards attacking, Chloe using her magic on the guards, the guards beginning to shoot and Hermione screaming, lifting herself up off the floor, panicking.
Then she remembered her mother beginning to fire bullets, then she remembered seeing several other kids being shot to death and seeing their bodies fall to the floor…and then nothing after.
The last thing Hermione remembered after that, within the confines of the lab, was being carried out over her mother's shoulder and seeing several of the other kids that were still alive, running out of various exits, either by blasting a hole in the walls or by killing guards and taking the keys and opening up the doors manually, and felt herself being carried through the door, her mother running with her out of the lab and running fast for a car, that she had stolen the keys off of a guard for.
All she knew was that something horrible had happened in the labs, besides a bunch of the kids dying, and she had a very uncomfortable feeling that she'd had a part in it.
But she just couldn't remember what that part in it was.
Afterwards, her mother's reassurances to Hermione that Hermione didn't hurt anyone in the lab, didn't help.
Again, Hermione wasn't sure why she felt this way, but she had a distinct feeling that she'd done something horrible in the labs.
But she just didn't know what that horrible thing was.
And her mother wasn't talking.
Hermione tried not to think about the possibility of her mate knowing about whatever it was she'd done at the lab, if anything.
Then again, if that woman in the prison really was her mate? Then Hermione had more things to worry about than just the woman knowing about Hermione's time in Cromwell's lab.
Hermione couldn't believe that that was her mate.
Why would her mate be in a prison?
That made no sense.
And Hermione had no idea if her mate was a muggle or not. If what her mother had said was true? Then being a muggle didn't matter. One could be the soulmate of a witch or wizard, regardless of being a muggle.
That was probably how a lot of half-bloods were born.
For all Hermione knew, the woman who she had seen in her dream, assuming that that was a soulmate dream at all, could have been a muggle in a muggle prison.
For now, Hermione had to assume that that dream was a fluke.
Just a very strange dream, even more strange than usual for her.
She would have to wait and see if she had any more dreams.
For now, she needed to get ready for the day.
She neglected to mention this dream to her mother, but she asked her mother more about the dreams the woman had of Andromeda and Ted Tonks.
Apparently, they had a daughter. A young woman now who was an Auror, and who was a metamorphmagus, and was named "Nymphadora Tonks," but who hated being called "Nymphadora," and preferred the name "Tonks."
Andromeda didn't like talking about her sisters. But Jean could tell that Andromeda missed them.
She missed them dearly, Jean said.
Hermione then thought about the implications. Andromeda and Ted were her adoptive mother's soulmates. Which meant that the son of Andromeda's younger sister, was technically going to be Hermione's cousin, should Jean ever meet Andromeda and Ted and marry them.
Hermione almost facepalmed at that. When she told her mother this, Jean actually laughed as she said, "Well, it might do good to teach that brat some things about muggles."
Hermione smiled at her mother, not believing how easily her mother was adapting to having a witch and a wizard as her mates. Even after realizing that her adoptive daughter was in fact, a witch, and not some sort of mutant freak like Cromwell and his goons thought her to be, Hermione had figured her mother wouldn't be able to deal with a lot of this.
But she had.
And it turned out that Jean Granger had two soulmates in the witch and wizarding world, Andromeda and Ted Tonks?
Wow.
Hermione asked Jean more about Andromeda and Ted, asked how long her mother had dreamt of the two of them.
Jean said that it hadn't been for long. Just since Hermione had left for her third year in Hogwarts.
She'd stopped taking the Vakamul, a few weeks after Hermione had started her first year in Hogwarts. And the effects of the Vakamul finally wore off by the time Hermione had headed off to Hogwarts for her third year.
Jean had said, smiling sadly, that the Vakamul dulled someone's ability to have dreams of their soulmate or soulmates, but it didn't keep their soulmate or soulmates, from having dreams about the person taking the Vakamul.
Which meant that Andromeda and Ted likely knew about Jean and about Hermione. Had known about them now for years.
Again, Hermione felt nervous. Because if Andromeda and Ted knew about Hermione Jean, then they likely knew about Cromwell and the labs. And about the Sorcerer's Stone.
Thankfully, they didn't know about the diary with Tom inside.
Hermione hadn't told her mother about that yet.
Good thing too. As much as Hermione wanted to tell her mother about Tom, and had actually contemplated telling her about Tom this summer, she now realized in hindsight, that that was a bad idea.
Because what if Andromeda and Ted Tonks decided that whatever it was that connected Tom to the diary was dark magic and destroyed it? Destroyed her brother?
She couldn't risk that.
Hermione asked Jean if she'd ever want to meet Andromeda and Ted. Hermione hadn't been able to help the hope in her voice when she'd asked this question. Because she wanted her mother to be happy.
It was bad enough that her mother had sacrificed a lot of her happiness for her daughter.
Jean smiled at her daughter and said, "Maybe one day, sweetie, but what I care about most is you finishing your Hogwarts education and getting a stable job in the magical world. I can think about that later."
Hermione sighed. Why did her mother have to be so selfless?
The time for Hermione go off to her fourth year of Hogwarts drew closer and Hermione, over time, had more dreams, similar to the one of that woman in the prison cell.
A woman trapped in a dark prison cell, always averting her face and hiding her arms, clearly broken and miserable.
Hermione's other dreams were of another woman or girl. This person was the opposite of the first dark-haired woman in the prison cell.
This woman or girl, was tall, healthy, had long, blonde hair and blue eyes. Was the picture of all sunshine and confidence. In those dreams that she felt, the longing for these two people, she learned a lot more about the blonde woman or girl than she did the dark-haired woman who wouldn't show Hermione her face.
She knew from the dreams she had of the blonde girl or woman, that the blonde was named Fleur. And that she had a younger sister named Gabrielle. They were French, they were magical, and they weren't entirely human.
It took Hermione a few dreams to realize what Fleur and her family were.
But she figured it out.
The thrall they had over most people, was very telling.
They were Veelas.
It was this, that made Hermione deeply hope that she was just having strange dreams.
Because a Veela having control over Hermione? That made her heart stop.
Because Fleur potentially knowing about Hermione's past was the least of that part that made Hermione worried.
Veelas were very strong. Dangerous.
Predators.
They were extremely possessive of their mates.
Knowing there was a possibility that Hermione might be bound to one of these beings, made her rather nervous.
And one thing was clear to her, whenever she had dreams of these people, the much older woman with dark hair in the prison cell, and the blonde woman with blue eyes in sunny France, Hermione felt an endless pull to them, a need to be with them.
Which made her realize that there was nothing she could do to convince herself. These two people she was continuing to have dreams about, were her mates.
She had two mates. Both women.
One of them was a Veela, another was a woman locked up in some prison.
It hurt Hermione to know, but she realized at some point that these people could hear her. And see her.
One time she'd dreamt of Fleur, falling asleep in the middle of the day on the couch, Fleur was with her sister in a dress store, when Fleur suddenly turned and looked in Hermione's direction, and as soon as the blonde had seen Hermione, Fleur had smiled at her widely, so happy.
Hermione might have misgivings about her possible mates.
But clearly, at least one of them very much wanted to be with her.
Hermione hadn't been able to help herself. She'd asked the question, as she felt her heart clench with yearning as she looked at Fleur, "Are you my mate?"
And Hermione, to her pain and to her absolute horror, Fleur, smiling still, beaming, had said, "Yes, my love, I am."
And Hermione knew she should have been happy, knew she should have been.
But all she could feel was pain.
Pain over the realization, that her life wasn't only hers anymore.
Over the next few days, she'd come to dread those dreams. She would smile and nod to Fleur whenever Fleur would see her, but she was sure the blonde could tell there was something wrong.
And Fleur's concern always hurt Hermione.
But finally, after having many dreams of that other person, the woman with black or almost black hair in the cell? Hermione knew that she needed to do something. At least, for the woman in the cell.
So, one night, when she had a dream about that woman in the cell, she was there, in the cold, cold, heartless room, full of pain and misery and she heard the cries, sobs and screams from all the other cells, she looked down at where the woman sat, again, averting her face from Hermione, hiding her arms, and Hermione felt her heart hurt for the woman, as well as the strong pull to the woman.
Was the woman afraid of Hermione seeing her scarred arms and seeing her face? Did she fear that Hermione would think her ugly?
Hermione watched this woman shake and she heard quiet whimpering sounds from this woman and she almost cried, realizing that the woman was crying.
Hermione couldn't bear it. She knew she couldn't touch this woman. The soulmate drams were limited to sight and sound.
But she knew that the woman could hear her.
So, Hermione did the thing that her mother always had done whenever Hermione had been scared or had a nightmare or believed that she was a bad person and would never have friends, and was crying.
Hermione started to sing to the woman.
It was a lullaby that Jean Granger's mother had used to sing to her, and Jean Granger sang it to Hermione a lot.
Hermione sang to the woman softly, watching as the woman slowly stopped shaking and sniffled a bit, calming down somewhat.
After Hermione finished singing, positive that her voice was the worst singing voice, and after she was sure that the woman was calmer now, Hermione asked, her voice hard, "Where are you right now? Is this Azkaban? Or some other prison?" Hermione knew that if this woman was a muggle, then the prison the woman was in was a muggle prison. Hermione said quickly, "What prison are you in? Tell me. I swear, I'll get you out."
Even as Hermione said it, she knew that she shouldn't make promises she might not be able to keep.
Besides, as much as she'd like to think that her mates might both be good people, she didn't know anything about this woman. She barely knew anything about Fleur. For all Hermione knew, this woman could have done something horrible to land her in prison.
Still, even knowing that possibility, Hermione knew that she had to get this woman out.
The woman wasn't answering her, though.
Hermione winced. "Where are you?" She demanded.
Again, no answer, the woman just hugged herself tighter.
Hermione tried to ignore the pain she was feeling for this woman. Her heart stopped when she felt herself beginning to be dragged out. She could feel it, like she was going to be propelled out of her dream.
She was going to wake up soon.
She looked at the woman and all but yelled, "I'm going to get you out! Wherever you are, I promise I'll get you out!"
She slammed out of her dream and gasped, waking up on her bed, finding tears in her eyes.
Regardless of what that woman in her dreams did, she knew she had to get the woman out.
She had to find out who the woman was, where she was and get her out.
Hermione, a few hours before dawn arrived, pulled out Tom's diary and opened it.
Crookshanks meowed in quiet alarm, when Tom appeared above the diary.
"Hermione?" He said, "It's good to see you. Is anything wrong?"
Hermione hesitated and tossed her legs over the side of the bed, but didn't get up as she looked at Tom. She took a breath and began speaking, glad that her mother was asleep and so, would be unaware of Tom or her speaking to him.
She told him as much as she could. What little she knew about her two mates.
Tom, for starters, appeared overjoyed on Hermione's behalf.
But then he noticed Hermione's hesitation, her unease.
Tom frowned then. "This makes you unhappy?" He asked.
Hermione shifted, then said, feeling uncomfortable, "It's hard to explain. I knew it had to happen one day. But it's sort of…like I don't want anyone else to have a say about my life. I don't want someone to interfere with my agency. To have power over me like that."
"I see, I see," Tom said, nodding, "I think I understand that. If I had never met Ella, for example? Would I have ever felt as much pain as I've felt over the years? Would my heart ache as much as it has? Most likely not." Tom's smile became somber, "I wouldn't trade the time I knew my darling Ella Taylor, not for anything. But I know I wouldn't be in as much pain as I am now, if I had never met her."
Hermione sighed. She supposed that was the gist of it. Whether or not she was willing to risk a great deal of pain for possibly just a few moments of utter joy.
She didn't know.
Almost as if he could sense what she was feeling, Tom asked, "Alright, you are worried about yourself here, I understand that. But do you also want your two mates to suffer as a result?"
Hermione winced. No. She didn't. Even if it didn't have to do with her life not being her own anymore, even if these two people weren't here mates? She couldn't just do that to two people, cause them pain when they had never done anything to her.
She said quietly, shaking her head, "No."
"Then talk to them," Tom said, "Especially the one who's in a prison cell. I'm sad to say, but she really sounds like she needs someone there for her."
Hermione nodded, her heart hurting for the woman who she had seen, crouched in that cold and desolate cell, surrounded only by rats and screams from other cells.
Hermione chose then, that every time she had soulmate dream about that woman in the cell, she would sing to the woman, and speak comfortingly to her.
The next day, she received a letter from Daphne and Astoria, telling her about a Quidditch tournament that was happening right before Hogwarts started. The World Cup, in fact.
And it featured some of the greatest and most popular Quidditch players. It was an international tournament. The World Cup, after all.
Daphne and Astoria were going and it was likely Millicent and Pansy were going as well.
Hermione mentioned the tournament and Jean instantly just smiled and said without hesitation, "You're going."
Hermione said that she didn't want to leave her mother alone this soon, but her mother insisted, so, Hermione had sent the letters to her friends, telling them that she'd meet with them to see the World Cup.
Author's note
Alright, a lot to unpack. Firstly, I was always planning on Jean Granger being Andromeda and Ted Tonks's third mate. But because I liked the idea that soulmates have dreams of each other, given to me by Wheelie91, I realized that there would be a complication, because Jean would have had dreams of Andromeda and Ted for years, so, she'd know about witches and wizards, long before she ever adopted Hermione. So, I had to come up with the whole "Vakamul," thing, so that it would explain why Jean didn't have dreams about Andromeda and Ted Tonks, and know about the witch and wizarding world, before Hermione's third year.
And yes, the Triwizard tournament is about to begin. And Hermione's going to meet Fleur.
(I also implied that Hermione did something to Cromwell's men, but I won't be revealing more of that till later, that was also an idea from Wheelie91.)
Also, note to self, eventually, come up with another word for "eventually."
