The Legend of Chastity Lorna
Chapter Two
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
"Hermione? Are you all right?"
Hermione sunk down on a bench. "It's just so good to be free from that. To see Diagon Alley again."
Harry sat down beside her. "Well, there's just one last thing..." He drew forth the box. "Happy Freedom Day," he said, smiling, as he drew forth her wand and placed it in her hand.
She hugged him. "Thank you so much."
Harry akwardly hugged her back. "Now," he said, clearing his throat, "Let's go to my place, get cleaned up, and go see Dumbledore."
"Er, Harry?" Hermione paused. "Can we get me some robes? All I have are Muggle clothes, and they're in pretty bad shape. And I don't want to go meet Dumbledore in the thing I was in at the club last night."
"Madame Malkin's, here we come," said Harry quickly, dragging Hermione to her feet.
~~~
While Hermione tried on robes at Madame Malkin's, Harry went to a local owl post office and sent a letter to Dumbledore and Ron. He returned shortly, and Hermione was modeling a set of light pink robes.
"Do these look okay, Harry?" Hermione did a smal pirouette, modeling the robes.
"We'll get them," he told her. "I also like these blue ones, though."
"Harry, you're not buying me an entire new wardrobe -"
Harry cut her off. "Yes, I am," he said firmly. "I'm giving you a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes to wear until you get back on your feet, Hermione. And don't you argue with me," he said, anticipating her comeback. He leaned closer to her. "You're mine to do with as I please."
Hermione punched his arm lightly.
They walked out of Madame Malkin's half an hour later, with five new sets of robes for Hermione. She kept murmurring her thanks as they walked to Harry's apartment, only a short distance away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor Dumbledore,
I'll be bringing an old friend by around 1:00 this afternoon. We have some very important things to discuss.
Regards,
Harry Potter
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hermione stood before a long mirror in Harry's bedroom, draped in a bath sheet-sized towel. Her hair was dry, her slight bit of makeup on (she enjoyed the freedom of natural makeup after having to paint her face up with dark eyeliners and bright blushes for so long). She laid down on the bed, listening to the sound of the shower and Harry's low singing. Gradually, she fell asleep, waking when Harry entered the room in a towel.
"Oh! Sorry Hermione, thought you were done...I'll, just, er...." Harry looked uncomfortable.
Hermione rose, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. " S'okay, Harry. This IS your room. We'll just turn our backs to each other. It's not as though we haven't seen each other anyway," she said, mirroring his words to her that morning with a grin.
They changed quickly, and Harry took out some Floo powder, throwing it on the fire. "Hogsmeade!" they yelled as they stepped into the flames.
They were whisked away.
~*~*~
Dumbledore sat in his office, the silvery Pensieve before him, deep in thought. He thought back to an evening many months earlier as he prodded the silvery liquid with his wand.
****
"Dumbledore, it's quite obvious that she's the one. She's Chastity Lorna, incarnate."
"Alastor, I want to believe you, but how can you be sure? How is it so obvious?"
Mad-Eye Moody snorted. "Well, for one, she's a spitting image of Chastity Lorna from the painting on the third floor. And, for another, the time of birth is exactly true to that old sorceror's prediction. And...." He hesitated. "I think I've found Perrin, too."
"Who's he?"
"Harry Potter."
****
There was a knock on the door, which snapped Dumbledore out of his thoughts and back into the world. "Come in, Mr. Potter."
Harry entered the office, a lady with curly, honey-brown hair in pink robes on his arm. "Professor, meet Anneli Bradenhurst."
Her head tilted upward, and Dumbledore saw the face of the legend, Chastity Lorna. He controlled his voice. "Welcome back, Miss Granger."
"An excellent guess, Professor," Hermione said, smiling and embracing him. "It's so good to see you again."
"Likewise, Miss Granger," he said warmly. "We have missed you these past three years. Please, be seated." The two young adults sat. "Now, Miss Granger, I'm afraid I must ask you some difficult questions. Where have you been?"
Hermione began to explain. She talked about Voldemort kidnapping, imprisoning, and torturing her and her family. She told of hearing the screams of his other victims, seeing her parents die. She talked about the Death Eaters and their own cruelties. Then she talked about the "brothel", or the bar where Harry found her. Most of the time, the girls would be sold to the owner, or be forced into the business. And once you got in, you usually didn't get out. They had to dance for the customers, and if they didn't make their quota by that, they had to take the customers to bed.
"And how in the world did you two meet up?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry and Hermione squirmed a little. "Er...."
"Well...."
"I went into the bar for a drink..."
"...and I was working..."
"...and, er..."
"I sorta picked him up. And I didn't figure out who he was 'till after," said Hermione, who was the shade of her new pink robes by now.
"I....see," said Dumbledore, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "How many other girls were there?"
"Three others, sir."
"How many people are in this underground slave trade? How many slaves are there?"
Hermione shrugged. "Anywhere from five hundred to a thousand. It's just here in the British Isles. It hasn't spread anywhere else."
Dumbledore was taking notes, his quill sratching out information rapidly. Hermione continued talking until she had told all she could remember at the moment.
"Why does he target me?" asked Hermione. "If he was trying to get to Harry he'd target Ron too. Why me?"
Dumbledore sighed, putting down his quill. "Have either of you heard The Legend of Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen?"
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. "No," the answered together.
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, get comfortable," he said, waving his wand and transforming the two chairs into one large, cushy couch. "This will take a while."
Author's Note:
So sorry that it's short! I didn't want to start on The Legend until a new chapter 'cause it might take a while. There's not too much H/Hr other than the "whoops we slept together" part right now, but there will be more soon. They haven't realized it yet. :-) Thanks to the reviewers - alecia, lightning bug, Emili Potter, and E. C. R. Potter! Here's to hoping I get to thank more reviewers next chapter!
Ciao -
Alicia
P.S. Only 16 more school days for moi! HipHipHooray! Maybe I'll survive sophmore year AFTER all!
Chapter Two
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
"Hermione? Are you all right?"
Hermione sunk down on a bench. "It's just so good to be free from that. To see Diagon Alley again."
Harry sat down beside her. "Well, there's just one last thing..." He drew forth the box. "Happy Freedom Day," he said, smiling, as he drew forth her wand and placed it in her hand.
She hugged him. "Thank you so much."
Harry akwardly hugged her back. "Now," he said, clearing his throat, "Let's go to my place, get cleaned up, and go see Dumbledore."
"Er, Harry?" Hermione paused. "Can we get me some robes? All I have are Muggle clothes, and they're in pretty bad shape. And I don't want to go meet Dumbledore in the thing I was in at the club last night."
"Madame Malkin's, here we come," said Harry quickly, dragging Hermione to her feet.
~~~
While Hermione tried on robes at Madame Malkin's, Harry went to a local owl post office and sent a letter to Dumbledore and Ron. He returned shortly, and Hermione was modeling a set of light pink robes.
"Do these look okay, Harry?" Hermione did a smal pirouette, modeling the robes.
"We'll get them," he told her. "I also like these blue ones, though."
"Harry, you're not buying me an entire new wardrobe -"
Harry cut her off. "Yes, I am," he said firmly. "I'm giving you a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes to wear until you get back on your feet, Hermione. And don't you argue with me," he said, anticipating her comeback. He leaned closer to her. "You're mine to do with as I please."
Hermione punched his arm lightly.
They walked out of Madame Malkin's half an hour later, with five new sets of robes for Hermione. She kept murmurring her thanks as they walked to Harry's apartment, only a short distance away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor Dumbledore,
I'll be bringing an old friend by around 1:00 this afternoon. We have some very important things to discuss.
Regards,
Harry Potter
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hermione stood before a long mirror in Harry's bedroom, draped in a bath sheet-sized towel. Her hair was dry, her slight bit of makeup on (she enjoyed the freedom of natural makeup after having to paint her face up with dark eyeliners and bright blushes for so long). She laid down on the bed, listening to the sound of the shower and Harry's low singing. Gradually, she fell asleep, waking when Harry entered the room in a towel.
"Oh! Sorry Hermione, thought you were done...I'll, just, er...." Harry looked uncomfortable.
Hermione rose, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. " S'okay, Harry. This IS your room. We'll just turn our backs to each other. It's not as though we haven't seen each other anyway," she said, mirroring his words to her that morning with a grin.
They changed quickly, and Harry took out some Floo powder, throwing it on the fire. "Hogsmeade!" they yelled as they stepped into the flames.
They were whisked away.
~*~*~
Dumbledore sat in his office, the silvery Pensieve before him, deep in thought. He thought back to an evening many months earlier as he prodded the silvery liquid with his wand.
****
"Dumbledore, it's quite obvious that she's the one. She's Chastity Lorna, incarnate."
"Alastor, I want to believe you, but how can you be sure? How is it so obvious?"
Mad-Eye Moody snorted. "Well, for one, she's a spitting image of Chastity Lorna from the painting on the third floor. And, for another, the time of birth is exactly true to that old sorceror's prediction. And...." He hesitated. "I think I've found Perrin, too."
"Who's he?"
"Harry Potter."
****
There was a knock on the door, which snapped Dumbledore out of his thoughts and back into the world. "Come in, Mr. Potter."
Harry entered the office, a lady with curly, honey-brown hair in pink robes on his arm. "Professor, meet Anneli Bradenhurst."
Her head tilted upward, and Dumbledore saw the face of the legend, Chastity Lorna. He controlled his voice. "Welcome back, Miss Granger."
"An excellent guess, Professor," Hermione said, smiling and embracing him. "It's so good to see you again."
"Likewise, Miss Granger," he said warmly. "We have missed you these past three years. Please, be seated." The two young adults sat. "Now, Miss Granger, I'm afraid I must ask you some difficult questions. Where have you been?"
Hermione began to explain. She talked about Voldemort kidnapping, imprisoning, and torturing her and her family. She told of hearing the screams of his other victims, seeing her parents die. She talked about the Death Eaters and their own cruelties. Then she talked about the "brothel", or the bar where Harry found her. Most of the time, the girls would be sold to the owner, or be forced into the business. And once you got in, you usually didn't get out. They had to dance for the customers, and if they didn't make their quota by that, they had to take the customers to bed.
"And how in the world did you two meet up?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry and Hermione squirmed a little. "Er...."
"Well...."
"I went into the bar for a drink..."
"...and I was working..."
"...and, er..."
"I sorta picked him up. And I didn't figure out who he was 'till after," said Hermione, who was the shade of her new pink robes by now.
"I....see," said Dumbledore, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "How many other girls were there?"
"Three others, sir."
"How many people are in this underground slave trade? How many slaves are there?"
Hermione shrugged. "Anywhere from five hundred to a thousand. It's just here in the British Isles. It hasn't spread anywhere else."
Dumbledore was taking notes, his quill sratching out information rapidly. Hermione continued talking until she had told all she could remember at the moment.
"Why does he target me?" asked Hermione. "If he was trying to get to Harry he'd target Ron too. Why me?"
Dumbledore sighed, putting down his quill. "Have either of you heard The Legend of Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen?"
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. "No," the answered together.
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, get comfortable," he said, waving his wand and transforming the two chairs into one large, cushy couch. "This will take a while."
Author's Note:
So sorry that it's short! I didn't want to start on The Legend until a new chapter 'cause it might take a while. There's not too much H/Hr other than the "whoops we slept together" part right now, but there will be more soon. They haven't realized it yet. :-) Thanks to the reviewers - alecia, lightning bug, Emili Potter, and E. C. R. Potter! Here's to hoping I get to thank more reviewers next chapter!
Ciao -
Alicia
P.S. Only 16 more school days for moi! HipHipHooray! Maybe I'll survive sophmore year AFTER all!